Log: Ongoing

[invisible-anita.livejournal.com]

When; February 11th, late morning
Rating; G
Characters; invisible_anita and b_q_smee
Summary; Smee and Anita meet for tea and therapy.
Log;

Café Juliet was remarkably empty on Sunday mornings, and this morning was no exception.  Small groups congregated around tables, but the café's usual hustle and bustle was limited.  

Anita preferred the relative solitude.  She had arrived early for her meeting with Smee, and was seated at a corner table picking half-heartedly at a scone.  Her mind was troubled by what she had seen in the fountain the previous evening; although she had been assured by many that the fountain was not always truthful, the possibility that it had been showing actual events was still there.

Hopefully, Smee's company would drive away her troubles.  The man had worries of his own, and Anita prayed that focusing on his problems would allow her to forget hers.  

Café Juliet's door opened.  Anita looked up to see Smee shuffling in.  She stood and waved him over, hiding her worries behind a warm smile.

Comments

[b-q-smee.livejournal.com]

Smee smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"M-Miss An-n-n-nita..." He walked over. "It's g-g-g-good t-to s-s-see you."

[invisible-anita.livejournal.com]

"And you as well, sir," she returned, beginning to curtsy out of habit before remembering that such niceties were not the norm in this world. Anita reclaimed her seat, eying Smee worriedly. He looked unusually tired. "How does today find you, Mister Smee?"

[b-q-smee.livejournal.com]

Smee smiled as Anita began to curtsy, and almost knocked down into a bow, before he noticed she stopped and sat back down, so he took a seat across from her instead.

"T-t-t-t-t-truthfully?" he asked. "It's b-b-b-been one of th-th-those weeks. B-B-But th-th-thank you f-f-for h-having t-t-tea with m-m-me."

[invisible-anita.livejournal.com]

"You're very welcome, sir. I thought you might require... someone to listen, perhaps?" Anita spoke hesitantly, torn between a desire to be of some help and a fear of appearing too inquisitive.

[b-q-smee.livejournal.com]

Smee smiled, weakly.

"I...." He shook his head, but he was still smiling when he looked back up. "Th-thank you, M-Miss Anita, I..." He sighed heavily, and ran a hand through his hair. "f-f-forgive m-me, I'm j-j-j-j-just n-not sure how I...wh-what I...th-th-that is t-t-t-to s-s-s-say..."

[invisible-anita.livejournal.com]

Anita smiled gently. "I am in no hurry, Mister Smee, and if you don't wish to speak of unpleasant things, you needn't feel obligated to." She wanted to help him with whatever problems he was encountering, but his stutter's growing prominence indicated a good deal of nervousness on his part. Making Smee uneasy wouldn't help him in the least!

[b-q-smee.livejournal.com]

Smee chuckled, a little. "N-N-No, it's n-n-n-not th-that...I j-j-just..." he sighed, again. "I'm j-j-just adj-justing, th-th-th-that's all, and..." He blinked, as if he had just remembered something.

"Oh! Th-that r-r-reminds m-me. Wh-what w-w-was it y-y-you s-s-saw in th-the f-f-fountain th-that you w-w-were w-w-w-worrying ab-bout?"

[invisible-anita.livejournal.com]

The abrupt change of topic took Anita by surprise. Her calm facade vanished momentarily as she cast about for an appropriate way to shrug the question off.

"I... it's not... it's of very little importance, Mister Smee," she managed at last, pasting a serene smile back on her face. "You needn't concern yourself with the matter, sir."

[b-q-smee.livejournal.com]

Smee frowned slightly.

"N-Now M-M-Miss An-nita, I d-d-d-doubt it was n-nothing." He cocked his head t-t-t-to the side. "W-was it s-s-something ab-bout th-that Andrew f-f-fellow you're alwasy m-m-mentioning?"

[invisible-anita.livejournal.com]

Avoiding such a direct question would have involved lying, and Anita highly doubted she could do so convincingly, especially when Smee's concern seemed so sincere. She allowed her smile to fall away and lowered her eyes to the tabletop.

"Yes, it was," she answered quietly. "But... but it would do little good to fret about it, as there is nothing I can do while I'm here, and..." Anita trailed off, afraid she would cry if she said too much. Swallowing nervously, Anita abruptly changed the subject. "Mister Smee... how does Captain Hook fare?"