poly_chromatic | Video }

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original character - lucy locke

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[Lucy is sitting in the stock room at her shop with boxes spread all around her. She glances up at the screen and pops the top on a bottle of lotion. She smells it, seems satisfied and squirts some into her hands then runs it into her skin.]

I don't know what you want me to talk about. I never really went for the whole confession thing and this is reminds me all too much of the therapist sessions Momma decided I needed to go to after Daddy died. Not that there's anything wrong with therapy. I could probably use a lot more of it, but narrowing down what you want me to talk about, particularly in the scope of the City, plus everything that happened at home...

[She stops and shakes her head.]

Let's talk about why I was a philosophy major back home. You literally can't do anything as a philosophy major. I mean...sure I could buy some hemp sandals, grow dreads and be a professor...maybe that was just my professor...but it's not really my style.

[She purses her lips, other words, other things, other confessions on the tip of her tongue.]

Apparently that says something about me. The whole...reason why I wanted to study philosophy. At least that's what the therapist said. Something about ambitions and--

[She abruptly cuts the feed on the video.]

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[Philosophy major?]

Were you part of some philosophy army?

[ Lucy still does not get Korra.]

Uhm...no? I was in a sorority, but not a philosophy sorority.

So what's a major? And what's a sorority?

Oh. A major is something that you study. Like a field of study? A sorority is basically a giant party group.

[Pavel wants to talk about Lucy's ambitions, or major, or anything; she's always so reluctant to discuss herself in anything resembling a serious manner. But...]

Lucy, what are you doing for the rest of the day?

[ Lucy has issues with serious discussions. She's fine as long as they don't relate to her at all, but when they include her, she turns to joking. Today, it appears, that she's not going to have a choice.]

I've got to finish stocking, but it'll probably only take me another hour. Why?

I was wondering--would you like to do something?

[It doesn't have to involve talking, if she really doesn't want to do that.]

[ earning a smile right there, Pavel. ]

Give me forty-five minutes. What did you have in mind?

[ today, with him, she might not mind as much. It's a lot to carry around and she doesn't have anyone like Jill here anymore that gets it, or that she eels comfortable discussing it with.]

[A smile is certainly a step in the right direction.]

Shopping, maybe? [Something that will give them things to talk about if Lucy would like a distraction and, truth be told, Pavel likes spending money on her.] And dinner?

[ It's his secret super power: making Lucy smile. ]

I will never turn down shopping and dinner. I'll see you in forty-five minutes then.

[He wouldn't trade that in for a different power.

As he waits for Lucy outside of the shop, Pavel contemplates the pros and cons of trying to get her to talk about herself. He wants to get to know her better, of course--it's remarkable how little he does know about her--but getting too nosy might make her leave. She seems so afraid of any kind of closeness that isn't physical.

It makes him wonder, sometimes, if they're good together. He doesn't just want company and sex (although both of those are very nice); Pavel wants to know the person he loves inside and out.]

[ Lucy has been wondering the same thing, but for entirely different reasons. Chekov is too good for her as far as she's concerned. She's honestly not sure how she would react if faced with the ultimatum of letting Chekov in or losing him. She loves him without any doubt, but she's also still incredibly afraid that he is going to leave because she doesn't deserve him, because he can do so much better, because she's not allowed to have nice things where love is concerned.

She comes out of the shop dressed in a fairly simply sundress with a full skirt. She's got on heels, but they're not outrageously high. She did come to the shop to stock inventory today. A smile slips over her face when she sees Chekov there waiting for her and goes to him, going up on her toes to press a kiss to his mouth. ]

Hey, Handsome. How's it going?

[Fortunately, there won't be any ultimatums. Pavel adores Lucy and ultimatums have no place in a romantic relationship.

She looks beautiful, as she always does. If she told Chekov about her insecurities, he would find it hard to understand how she could worry that he is too good for her. Maybe they want different things out of a relationship; that doesn't make one of them inferior. He wraps his arms around her in a tight hug.]

Hello. Good--I'm very good. And you? How was stocking?

[ She'll be very pleased to find out that he feels that way.

She has a deeply skewed perception of her own self worth. The messed up thing is that they don't want different things out of a relationship. Lucy's fear simply gets in the way of allowing them to have the sort of relationship that Pavel wants. She hugs back, kissing his neck lightly before she pulls away to answer his question. She stays close though, one arm winding around his waist.]

Good. I was afraid I had too many of the summer scents and I'd end up putting them all on clearance in a couple of months when I start stocking the fall scents, but I think I estimated pretty well. Go me for being a master future planner. At least sort of.

[He plants a kiss on her forehead (it's amazing, really, being around someone who is shorter than him) and puts his arm around her. That's another wonderful thing about Lucy: there's no fear that she'll think he's clingy or too invasive of her personal space.]

Sort of? No, you're good with business, no sort of. I wouldn't even know how a summer scent is different from a fall scent.

[ Nope, clingy or invasive will never be a problem. Lucy may have issues with emotional intimacy, but physical intimacy is her forte.]

Now see, that is a girly girl thing, I think. Summer scents tend to be lighter, citrus-y and fruity. Fall scents are warmer and earthier. They usually make you think of fall things like baking. Pumpkin. Definitely a fall scent.

This makes sense, but winter and spring... do they have scents as well?

[Girly girl indeed. Chekov spent a better part of his life surrounded by women and he still can't understand the necessity of separating scents into seasons. As they talk, he steers them towards one of the nicer restaurants in the City. Nothing too fancy; there needs to be time for shopping, after all.]

Sure. Springs are light, fresh kind of flowery scents like Sweetpea. Winter is cranberry and cinnamon, apples. Stuff like that.

[It's not necessary, per se, but it's something that Lucy likes to do and that Bath & Bodyworks has insisted is necessary. She is happy, as usual, to let him lead the way. Nothing too fancy is good. ]

Your work is far too complicated for me.

[He'll stick with astrophysics, thank you. Pavel takes Lucy's nearest hand and squeezes it fondly.]

Which is your favorite of the scents?

[ she smirks because so says the genius. She has to think about though. Her brow furrows and her lips purse; she hums for a moment before she answers. ]

Buttercream. It smells like Momma's kitchen back home.

Does your mother cook as well as you do?

[Lucy laughs and shakes her head.]

Momma thinks cooking is calling for catering. We had a housekeeper, Christine. She taught me how to cook.

You maid must have been a very good teacher.

[As they approach the restaurant, he darts ahead to hold the door open.]

[Lucy slips in through the door with a thank you, pausing and looking back to Pavel while he catches up to her. ]

She was and I always wanted to learn so it worked out. I was 15 when I cut my finger so bad it needed stitches. [She holds out her left hand, second finger to show him the scar that's still there on the side of the finger.]

I thought Momma was going to go through a bottle of Valium and Christine was just as cool as a cucumber.

An honorable way to gain a scar.

[As usual, it's nearly impossible to tell if he means that or if he's being snarky. The latter part of Lucy's statement evokes a frown.]

"Cool as a cucumber"?

[She shrugs.] Not that exciting, but it works for me.

[Oh, right. Idioms are fun. ]

You ever slice up a cucumber and put it on your eyes or anything? It's cool feeling and it makes puffiness go down. It's just a saying that means someone doesn't get ruffled or upset. Momma was hysterical and Christine was calm and collected and in control.

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