blue_ajah | (no subject)

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It is quiet in the apartment.

Moiraine has settled herself by the window with a book, but the text is being ignored in favor of the view.

There is a thoughtful look on her face.

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She makes a soft, noncommittal noise, and allows her gaze to flick quickly around the room. Seeing that no one is close enough to overhear their conversation, the Aes Sedai says,

"As gracious and courteous a host you have been, Dale, I cannot continue to impose on you in this way. You are too close a friend for me to do that."

"All right," he says. Mildly. "Granting that this is the case. What does that have to do with finding out how you take your coffee?"

A faint smile curves her lips.

"It is a small step."

"Toward what?"

And he knows. (He thinks he knows.) He knows what it means.

"Adapting," she says, very simply.

That's --

Not what he thought it meant.

Surprise shows very clearly on Cooper's face for a moment. Time to lay down the cards. "Does that mean you'd like to stay in Twin Peaks, Moiraine?"

Dark eyes widen. An instant's silence, then--

"Is that an option that I have available to me?" she counters.

"Of course," Cooper says -- and now he sounds surprised. "If that's -- if it's something you want."

"I..."

She glances away from him, out at the room, and at the patrons.

"Twin Peaks is an unusual place, in its way. A quiet place, to some degree; an accepting place, it seems, among other things."

And for all the description, it's not a yes, it's something I want.

Cooper stays silent, gaze level.

His silence draws her glance back to him.

Moiraine raises her eyebrows.

Gently:

"That's not the same thing, Moiraine."

"No," she agrees. "It is not at all the same thing. I do realize that, Dale."

Her slight sigh is so soft, so faint, as to be almost imperceptible.

Almost.

"It is just that... I do not know if I can answer your question."

Cooper picks up his coffee.

He says to the reflective surface:

"It's going to be more difficult for you to adjust to life here than it was for me. If you stay. More difficult than... certain other options that you have available to you. If you stay... I'd like to think it would be because you truly want to be here."

She watches him, her gaze steady and level, waiting for him to look up.

"Other options."

A pause.

"You mean ... where we met ... I presume?"

Cooper nods.

"I see."

She toys with her coffee cup for a moment before pushing it away.

"Do you think that I will not be able to adjust?"

Mild: "No. You're more than capable of making the adjustment. Especially here."

The Aes Sedai arches an eyebrow at him.

"Especially here." A faint, wry smile touches her lips. "Perhaps."

Cooper echoes her smile -- no more than that -- and sips his coffee.

Moiraine sighs.

"Dale. Although I have reason to appreciate circumspectness, I would greatly value your advice in this."

Cooper puts down his coffee.

And says, gently, "Moiraine, I'll be frank. I would like nothing better than for you to make a life for yourself in Twin Peaks, and I'm willing to do whatever I can to make that transition as smooth as possible. It's certainly a possibility in this town -- several factors contribute to Twin Peaks being a welcoming town for outsiders -- and I can't think of a better place for you to do it. However, if you -- don't think you'd be happy here -- "

"You know you'd have more options. In the place where we met."

"I think it quite possible that I could be," she says quietly, after a moment. "It is only that I am not accustomed to idleness."

"No." A quick smile. "I don't imagine you are."

Moiraine returns his smile with one of her own, but it quickly fades to seriousness.

"And thus you see my concern. What here may be done by one such as I?"