closed psl.

[untodeath]

[ Word travels fast around the office. By the time Grell had returned from her shift to submit the appropriate paperwork, a secretary had already asked her if she'd been by to check on Mister Spears.

Now, she had known that he had been sent on an investigative mission with Ronald earlier that day, so she immediately assumed the worst. Demanding to know where to find them sent her bolting off to the lower levels. The new recruits were smart enough to dash out of the way - and some of them even directed her to the appropriate department; the optometrist's office, where she found William sulking in the lobby.

The poor man was without his glasses, but aside from a scuffed cheek and some healing bruises, appeared to be in one piece. It was his pride that seemed wounded, as the very air about him seemed heavy. ]

Oh, Will.

[ Heaving a sigh of relief, she sinks down into the chair beside him. Though knowing fully well that he won't like it, she won't be kept from fussing over him; reaching out to gingerly dash back some of his hair left mussed by his scuffle, while taking a good look at his wounds. ]

What did I tell you about taking care of your glasses, mm?

Comments

[untodeath]

Oh-- now, that is a difficult question.

[ With a quiet gasp, Grell sits back to stare at the ceiling contemplatively! ]

Among his plays, I would say.. Macbeth! Although, Titus Andronicus is worth mentioning, for entertainment value. [ She hums, nodding with confidence. ]

As for his sonnets-- Well, I might actually recall this one from memory.

[ She clears her throat. ]

The expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Is lust in action, and, till action, lust
Is perjured, murderous, bloody, full of blame,
Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust,
Enjoyed no sooner but despised straight,
Past reason hunted, and no sooner had
Past reason hated as a swallowed bait
On purpose laid to make the taker mad;
Mad in pursuit and in possession so,
Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme,
A bliss in proof, and proved, a very woe,
Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream.
All this the world well knows, yet none knows well
To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell.

[ And, quite pleased with herself for remember it in full, she clasps her hands with laughter under her breath! ]

[death_glare]

[ William remains silent, allowing Grell the stage. Her voice - all the inflections and dramatics, they really give life to the words. And the subject matter, well, William can plainly see why she enjoys it. ]

How perfectly suited to you.

[untodeath]

[ Grell chuckles. ]

I'll take that as a compliment.

[death_glare]

Unsurprising.

[ Suddenly, there's a rather audible growling of William's stomach. It interrupts anything he was going to say further! William automatically looks to his watch, assuming it must be his usual dinner time (when he's able to plan that far ahead). Though, of course, all he sees is a blur of black and white. ]

[untodeath]

[ Well, THAT has Grell wincing a bit. ]

Oh dear... I suppose you might wish to put off our search a little longer, in favor of fetching some food, mm? You certainly won't want me cooking, if you couldn't stomach my tea...

[death_glare]

[ The idea of what would happen to both his stomach and kitchen, should Grell cook him something has a rather sour expression forming on William's face. He forcefully shakes his head. ]

No. You are not cooking anything.

[ William stands from the table, carefully making his way towards where he knows the pantry door is. If he can recall what he had on hand, maybe he can piece something together that would be easy enough to make by himself. ]

[untodeath]

[ Closing her eyes, Grell lightly huffs. It's a valid concern that he has, but... still!

It isn't long before her own concerns outweigh the though, though; watching him pat around like that, she's fairly confused, until he gets into the pantry. ]

Will, you're only going to hurt yourself! Why don't you just tell me what you want, and we'll go get it?

[ Out of her seat, now, she insistently lays a hand on his arm. ]

[death_glare]

[ William huffs, frustration returning to his voice, once more. ]

I am not going into a pub this way.

[ But as he turns back to the pantry, he immediately knocks over the sack of sugar that he'd pushed dangerously close to the shelf's edge in his blind rummaging. The incident pulls quite the colorful language from him! ]

[untodeath]

[ Although she clamps a hand over her mouth, Grell can't refrain from snickering-- and so she concedes to laughing aloud. ]

I'm sorry, it's just - [ BREATHING, she attempts to subdue the giggling under her words! ] - I don't believe even I have managed to pull such language from you before!

[ It's a risky move, considering how agitated he is, but her hand shifts to take his elbow. ]

Here, love; take a big step this way. I'll clean it up proper once we've returned.

[death_glare]

[ As expected, Grell's laughter does little to ease his tension, if anything, it sets him off further. He jerks his arm back the moment she winds her hands around it. ]

I just said that I will not go into a pub. I won't even be able to read the ruddy menu.

Honestly. Why I ended up with the poorest vision of the lot, is beyond me. I'd had near perfect vision my entire life, up until being trapped in this...this...

[ He lets the remainder of his exclamation out in an extended hiss through his teeth. Then taking a slower, deeper breath, he attempts to regain his composure. ]

[untodeath]

[ Grell is hardly upset by it. Actually, she's a bit bothered in other ways, teeth pressed into grinning lips, and fingers grazing her chest. ]

Mn, I just love your dangerous temper.

[ But, not helping. ]

Look, darling, you're the analytical sort. You rely heavily on fact over feeling; you'd need to adapt to your other senses a bit more, is all.

[ Again, she reaches out for him, unwilling to give up! ]

And we don't have to go to a pub. I know of a little fish and chips stand that you might like!

[death_glare]

[ Of course, he doesn't want to admit that Grell's correct. So he takes a few breaths and gives his simple acceptance to her idea. ]

Fine. At least that will be simple enough to order.

[untodeath]

Mm-hm~♥. If you'll hold on, I'll take us there.

[ This time, she offers him time to mentally brace himself, before she teleports them. It's to the living world - and judging by the fresh breeze and sharp smell of sea salt in the air, they're right on a harbor! ]

It's just around the corner, here! I'll guide you, alright? [ Hooking her arm in his, she lightly tugs him along. ]

[death_glare]

[ Since they're among others walking along the pier, William is less inclined to pull himself free from Grell's grip. The fewer people he bumps into during this outing, the better. Grell should enjoy his willingness to be close beside her, while she can. ]

Slow down, I don't wish to trip over anything.

[ But soon enough, he can smell the lightly fried haddock fillets. It has him humming pleasantly. ]

I haven't had fish and chips in quite some time.

[untodeath]

[ Oh, she's enjoying it immensely. Not only is she on William's arm, he's reliant on her for the time being, which gives her some sense of importance! It's strangely gratifying. ]

Then you'll love these. They're crispy and salted just right.

[ As promised, the walk is short. There's only one customer ahead of them, just finished with paying for his order. The perfect timing has Grell sighing with satisfaction! ]

Yes, hello! Two, please♥.

[death_glare]

What do they have to drink?

[ He asks distractedly, as he seems to be fishing something out of his pocket. Soon enough, he has his wallet and is counting out what he guesses might be close to the charge for his meal. Though he wasn't intending to pay for both of them, the sight could definitely be wrongly interpreted! ]

[untodeath]

Ale, and water.

[ While they certainly can't die, Grell doesn't fancy a side of stomach ache, which is why she'll be leaning in to mutter against his shoulder. ]

Just the ale, trust me.

[ Such is when she catches sight of the money in his hand! With a happy little croon, she squeezes his arm-- and then reaches over to put just a bit of that money back, so as not to overpay. Beyond a reasonable tip, at least. ]

We'll both take the ale, as well, thank you.

[ While William pays, she'll accept the first order - handing it over to him, when he's ready for it, so that she can accept the second and still keep an arm available for steering, as it were. ]

[death_glare]

[ He nods at her chose of beverage, as it's what he would have chosen, regardless. But, the action of Grell placing money back in his wallet has him believing she must have taken care of her own. Won't that be funny when he finds he's a bit short during his next outing!

The food comes out quicker than he'd anticipated, but he eagerly takes it, nonetheless, then allows Grell to lead them off to where they can sit and eat more comfortably. ]

You can let go now.

[ Though the wording doesn't sound too harsh, it's certainly still said in a stern and expectant manner. After all, he can't pry her off when both his hands are occupied. ]

[untodeath]

[ She's led William to a bench with the ocean in view - and while he can't see it, he'll certainly be able to hear the lash of the waves, and smell the winds coming right off of their waters.

Grell gives something of a groan, but once she's settled - even with a bit of space between them - she's humming contently, instead. ]

Look at that - you can still see the colors of the sunset, mn? It's lovely.

[death_glare]

That much I can make out, yes.

[ He doesn't state that he agrees with her, but the way his expression softens as he looks out across the water should tell her all she needs to know. It's a gaze that lasts quite a bit longer than she likely would have expected. It isn't until he hears her munching on her chips that he focuses on his own meal.

Just as Grell'd promised, the fish is wonderfully seasoned. And the chips, fried beautifully. He'll need to keep this place in mind, the next time he opts for an easy meal on the go. ]

[untodeath]

[ Since William won't notice, she rather shamelessly watches him. Seeing him content is such a rare thing. Not only that, his sleek almond eyes glitter with the colors of the sunset sky, twilight hanging over him - and, God, he's gorgeous. She's never opposed to the glasses, but without them, the angles of his face are unobstructed, and there's nothing about it that she does not appreciate.

But, she'd better make things a little less suspicious here. As it is, the food risks getting cold. ]

How do you like it?

[death_glare]

[ William takes his time chewing the rather large bite he'd taken.
There's even a bit of tarter sauce clinging to his lower lip, where he'd attempted his first bite and missed, just a bit. Who knew it was hard to locate your mouth when your vision was impaired? ]

Yes, it's very good. You should have recommended this before.

[untodeath]

[ Pressing a knuckle to her lips, Grell has to resist a laugh. ]

Well, we very rarely spoke on personal preferences, let alone hot food spots...

[ Okay, she can't let it be. ]

You have a little-- [ Gesturing won't do any good, so she reaches out. ] Ah, here, let me help... [ As long as he doesn't smack her away first, she'll carefully dash the pad of her thumb along his lip to remove the stray sauce. ]

[death_glare]

You could have brought it up, regardle--

[ William just blinks, mug of ale stopping mid lift. Not knowing the sauce was there, to begin with, he's unsure of why Grell just did that. Sure enough, his frown has returned. ]

What are you doing?

[ He doesn't smack her away, but he does give her a decent enough elbow to her side. ]

[untodeath]

You had a bit of sauce on your lip, silly.

[ Though her chuckle stops a bit short, when she's left with what to do with it. Might as well lick it off, right?

Absolutely. ]