(no subject)

[watching_you]

It's late one night when Veronica comes into the bar, angling on Millitime to gain her a few precious hours of sleep. She stops by Bar purely on a whim, looking for one last mug of decaf, and is surprised when her drink is matched with a crumpled bit of something and an adjoining note from bar that asks, For you(?)

Upon uncrumpling the something turns out to be a seed packet, with directions explaining that in a few short months you, too could have your own sunflowers. The packet has been treated badly, and possibly used as a coaster at one point, one corner stained with someone else's sticky blue liquor.

"What the hell?" Veronica asks Bar.

Turn over, replies Bar on a napkin, and adds, He started writing it then tossed it.

"Well that's mildly creepy," Veronica says, but on the back of the packet there is, in fact, a note.

V~ Miss the sound of your voice. ~M.

"Oh. Oh. Um. Okay. Can I borrow a pen and paper?"

A few minutes later she's heading upstairs, leaving behind a note of her own:

Mills -

Got your gift. Appreciate it. Sadly have a 'black thumb' i.e. I kill plants, also no garden to speak of. Maybe I can eat them?

-VM.

Comments

[particularskill.livejournal.com]

Mills gets her note, and glares at the surface of the bar. "I know I threw that away."

There is, of course, no response.

He takes out his notepad and attempts to write a proper note.

V~. Sorry, was a stupid idea in the first place. Sorry to bother you. ~M.

He leaves bar with the note and a stern warning. "Just this, nothing more, all right?"

[watching_you]

The next day Veronica checks with Bar intentionally, and feels a faint sort of flutter as she finds a reply.

"He was grumpy about it, wasn't he?" Bar responds in the affirmative, and Veronica grins.

M -
Not a bother. Just unexpected.
-V

[particularskill.livejournal.com]

Mills finds himself back in the bar the next day, purely by coincidence.

The note makes him smirk and shake his head. He crumples the note and puts it in his pocket. He's about to leave when Bar manifest a piece of notepaper and a pen.

He cocks an eyebrow at them and at the bar. "Thanks, I think."

He stares at the page for a long time.

V.
For what it's worth, I do miss seeing you miss your you've been in my it was unexpected for me too. I think Bar is trying to play matchmaker. Maybe you can explain it to her better than I can? ~M.

He folds the note in such a fashion that it can't easily be unfolded without it being obvious.

[watching_you]

Veronica writes her response when she stops by a few hours later. There is a concentrated effort to slow down enough to keep her spiky handwriting legible, and it likely shows.

M -
She's psychically linked to the head bartender, read: Mike, read: goofball. Probably thought it would be funny. What am I explaining?
-V

[particularskill.livejournal.com]

He's back in the late evening, curious if there's been a response. He writes in his standard block printing, from years of filling out government reports.

V.
That playing matchmaker isn't -- an option.
M.

This time he spends an inordinate amount of time staring at the note before finally adding a postscript.

PS. Unless things have changed.

[watching_you]

The reply starts and stops, several attempts scribbled through heavily.

M -
Things aren't It's not that I'll let her know. Not her fault, don't blame her.
-V.

[particularskill.livejournal.com]

Now he's sorry he said anything at all.

This time he leaves her a bouquet of sunflowers with the note:

V.
Sorry for the miscommunication.

Take care of yourself.
M.

[watching_you]

When she gets the note, and the flowers, they are accompanied by a sharp pang of guilt.

The question becomes: if she replies, will that feel worse? Or better?

She's banking on the latter.

Mills -
Didn't grow these yourself did you? Just to show me up.
-V.

[particularskill.livejournal.com]

V,
Farmer's market. Was only going to get you one, but the flower guy asked who they were for and remembered you, said to take the whole bouquet. Also, the jam lady says hi.
M.

PS. Do I look like the gardening type?

[watching_you]

M -
Jam lady is my homegirl. You're all very sweet.
-V.

P.S. Maybe. Might have secret closet filled with big straw hats and brightly-coloured foam clogs.

[particularskill.livejournal.com]

V,
Not as sweet as you, my dear. Not as sweet as you.
M.

PS. I'd show you my secret closet but then I'd have to kill you.

[watching_you]

M -
:P
-V.

P.S. Pruning shears not used for bushes?

[particularskill.livejournal.com]

V,
What?
M.

PS. That's classified. I'm afraid you know too much already. The boys will be round to pick you up for debriefing. Wear comfortable shoes.

[watching_you]

M -- Very funny. V.

P.S. Because my debriefing will involve a brisk jog around the block?

She's smiling to herself as she leaves her reply.

[particularskill.livejournal.com]

V.
What's funny? That I don't know what ":P" means?
M.

PS. Ever heard the term 'stress position'?

[watching_you]

Wince.

M -- Sorry. Too internet-age. Nevermind.
-V.

P.S. What page of the Kama Sutra is that on?

[particularskill.livejournal.com]

V.
Have googled. Feel suitably stupid.
M.

PS. o_0

[watching_you]

M -- Have also Googled. Jeez(!!) V.

[particularskill.livejournal.com]

Mills laughs out loud, imagining the look on her face.

V.
Kidding! Just kidding. Give a guy a break.
M.

[watching_you]

M –
OK OK. Hard to do hand signals on paper. Need a new system maybe??
-V.

[particularskill.livejournal.com]

V.
Don't know if that'd help much. Still don't know what's funny and what's not.
M.

PS. I do miss you, for what it's worth.

[watching_you]

For the first time her reply isn't there within a day; it's a little more than forty-eight hours before one can be found with the bar. When Mills does receive the note it's messy and disorganized, written in a curve across the paper as though she couldn't quite manage a straight line.

Mills -
Sorry for not being slow response. Been away (work). Got new evidence, wife was no one knows what it means, didn't get a chance to rest sleep get back to bar. Going to sleep for a day

Anyway. Hi. Figured I owed you a note. I guess I Miss you too.

-Veronica.

[particularskill.livejournal.com]

Veronica,

You need a vacation. A few days down time. Clear your head, get some perspective on the case. You're gonna kill yourself pushing this hard. The wereducks will catch you while you're dozing and nobody wants that.

We should do dinner or something.

Bryan

PS. [hand signals around wereducks comment]

[watching_you]

A day or so later, the next note is much clearer.

Br Bry Mills -

It's OK, I'll crack the case soon and take a nice long break then. Am fine, sorry if I worried you.

I might be up for dinner then too.

-V.

[particularskill.livejournal.com]

Well, then.

He stares at the page for a long time, letting his coffee go cold.

Nothing changed at all.

He wasn't going answer, but Bar wouldn't let him walk away without writing a response. (She held his wallet until he conceded.)

V.

All right, then.

Take care of yourself.

M.