maskormenacelogs | find some kind of glow

[ Heropa may have quality fish markets, but Gil still dreads the Floridian sun and humidity whenever he takes the time to come down from Maurtia Falls. The city itself generally tends to be overcast and since winter is technically not over, Gil keeps his coat on until he's made it over to Heropa. For now, the coat hangs over his arm as he makes his way to the stores and displays. He can only pray the weather doesn't start curling his hair the way it usually does.

He doesn't notice the young woman standing outside one shop at first ― at least until he passes by that same shop on his way to a different vendor. (He has to compare prices after all.)

About fifteen minutes later, he makes his way to a different shop to pick up some herbs and realizes the same woman is still there. Is she lost? She appears as if she's loitering, though he could be mistaken in that she's waiting for someone.

Another fifteen minutes pass and he finds her hanging around the area still. Nobody else seems to have approached her. While he normally would leave strangers to their own devices, this is getting a bit odd, so he slowly approaches her to ensure everything is alright. ]

[Hazel, on the other hand, is oblivious to how she may stand out, from her constant loitering to the fact she seems perfectly comfortable with her coat on in the Floridian weather.

she comes down to places like this when she's feeling especially masochistic, watching the fresh food laid out attractively and all of the people who can enjoy it rushing to and fro with their purchases. her current decision to remain parked in this area is thanks in part to the large lobster tank in a nearby window; it's silly, but she can't help but relate a little to their inescapable plight.

it's a surprise to find a stranger coming up to her, but she doesn't think too much of it immediately. this is a pretty public place, and she makes the natural assumption that the guy must be lost. she smiles a little sheepishly and preemptively shakes her head.]

I'm sorry, but I'm really terrible at giving directions.

[ In both hands he carries a plastic bag, but he decidedly switches them over to one hand so he can hold onto his coat properly as it's threatening to slip from his grasp. He eyes Hazel oddly in return, realizing how his approach could be misinterpreted. ]

Huh? No, I'm not ― I'm familiar with the area.

[ He straightens his posture, looking her over quickly.

She doesn't look homeless... ]

I was actually going to ask if you were lost...

Who, me? [her brow creases in perplexment. had she really been standing here long enough for someone to notice?] No, I'm fine. It's just a really nice day out, you know? I like to take it all in.

[she could say that she was waiting for someone, but if he's been around long enough to think she was weird then that probably wouldn't fly. who leaves people hanging for over half an hour, after all?]

[ She's not wrong about the weather; he was half-expecting the humidity to be unbearable, but for the most part it's been warm. His hair hasn't curled or puffed out in the embarrassing manner it usually does when the air is thick with humidity.

Still... Gil glances from side-to-side, skeptical about her answer. ]

Um...

[ He squints. ]

You've been out here nearly an hour... in the same spot.

What, were you timing me?

[her tone doesn't become hostile, but there's a definite undercurrent of defensiveness to her reply that seems to have dropped in suddenly. it's unfair, but she really can't help her paranoia. at least she hasn't decided to get shrill yet.]

[ Realizing how his previous statement sounded, Gil startles and quickly waves his hand back and forth to strongly convey he hasn't been timing her like some kind of weird or creepy older man with equally creepy hobbies. In his panicked gesture his coat falls to the ground and he bends over to grab it, only for a couple of bottles of herbs he's picked up to roll right out of the bag. ]

No! I was shopping ―

Damn it. [ He grabs the bottles before they can roll too far. ] It was hard not to notice!

[oh, whoops. however defensive she might be, Hazel still drops into a crouch when the guy's stuff starts taking swan dives. but he seems to have everything well in hand, leaving her with nothing else to do but carry on the conversation at crouch level while he gathers everything together. awkward.]

Looks like maybe you should have been paying more attention to how you packed the bags.

[she's joking, she swears! her tone is dry but she means well...more or less.]

My bags are fine...

[ He lightly tosses the small bottles back into the bag once he's examined them thoroughly to make sure their caps didn't crack or unscrew somehow in the process. He carefully sets the bags down and ties the handles together.

There; nothing will be falling out at this rate. ]

Are you sure you're not lost? Or waiting for someone...?

[ Who is either extremely late or a no-show.

But this is kind of an odd area to meet up with someone unless they were going to go picking out fish. ]

[she quirks an eyebrow at him. the way he seemed to be reacting to her continued presence here, you'd think she was wandering around in small circles for that hour. between the two of them, Hazel felt she was significantly less odd at the moment.]

If I say yes, will it make you feel better?

Um...

[ Hazel's question earns a half-lidded stare. His voice falls flat, as if he can't believe she's asking him that at all.

(Spoilers: he can't.) ]

If it's a lie then not really...

[she meets the stare with an equally flat one, refusing to be embarrassed by her own query. this is shit she needs to know, ok.]

Suit yourself. I'm not lost.

[ Bewildered: ]

Then um...

[ Now he's the one with the lost expression. ]

... what are you doing?

Squatting here with you.

[obviously. if he doesn't want to buy her poorly constructed explanation for her presence, that's his problem. she's not going to talk about how she's torturing herself with beautiful dish ingredients.]

[ Gil narrows his eyes and very slowly, picks up his coat and slips it over his arm and then reaches for the plastic bags carrying a few cuts of salmon, herbs and a sauce to marinate the fish with. He then rises to his feet steadily, eyeing Hazel skeptically, not sure what to make of this young woman at all. ]

... I'm not sure what's going on anymore.

I'll just go.

[ah, is that fish in there? Hazel catches a glimpse of it as Gil jostles the bags around, and frowns with no small measure of melancholy after it. god, seafood was so good. she missed it so much.

...oh, right, he was standing now. she should probably get up too and stop looking like a weirdo. Hazel responds as she rises, unnecessarily brushing imaginary dirt off her knees as she goes.]

Hey, you're the one who decided to just start asking people on the street what they were doing! It's not my fault you don't believe me when I tell you!

Because you've been standing out here so long! It would be unusual to anyone!

[ He puffs out his chest somewhat indignantly, his face and the tips of his ears growing a faint shade of red. ]

It's obviously not unusual to literally everyone else here today. You're the first person who's said anything at all.

[she makes a grand sweeping gesture to encompass as much of the market as she can manage. this is true to a certain extent - she's pretty sure the guy behind the counter at the lobster tank shop has been giving her the hairy eyeball for a solid fifteen minutes.]

[ Gil pointedly avoids the man over by the lobster tank, getting an odd and uncomfortable vibe from him. ]

Well, that's strange, too. Heropa's locals are generally friendlier...

[ He rubs the back of his neck, not sure what to make of it. ]

So you're not waiting for anyone or lost after all?

Heropa's pedestrians generally don't look like they just escaped from the hospital.

[Hazel's not entirely comfortable enough with herself to make these kinds of cracks, but she's also not completely oblivious - she knows that even covered up like this, she's still got a worrisome amount of stitches visible. she wouldn't blame people for avoiding her at the best of times, and most certainly not after the Hornet debacle.]

But no, seriously, it's just me hanging around. I like looking at dead fish, that's all.

[thank you, Hazel, that is a very reassuring statement.]

[ He didn't want to draw attention to the stitches, or be the first one to say anything if it was something Hazel had not been comfortable discussing with a complete stranger. Now he feels bad, avoiding her gaze momentarily and staring at a small billboard with a terrible fish pun ahead of them. ]

... what?

[ Repeating her words in his head, Gil finally looks back at her uncertainly. ]

You've been staring at the fish this whole time?

And the lobsters. It's a fish market, I'm not here for the people watching.

[she goes to completely different areas for that. trips like these are 100% about killing what little bits of her soul still remain with delicious reminders of what she can't have.]

[ And that's when it begin to dawn on him. ]

... are you hungry?

[ He sounds surprised; if she's been staring at the food this long, then she must be hungry. ]

You can buy pre-cut fish. The snapper and lobster are on sale for a little while.

[she shakes her head sharply, frown laced with a combination of regret and disappointment.]

I can't eat any of it. Medical problems, you know? Or you don't, I guess, since you already bought some really nice looking salmon there.

( for hazel lockwood | 3/17 )

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