Teatime (for shardofwinter )

[chocolatechipbadass]

Dearest Sir Reynard~

You are cordially invited to Pandora's most exclusive premium social event of the year. Hostess Tiny Tina is requesting your audience for afternoon tea and edibles at the her fabulous desert resort. Dress code is Wasteland-Formal so please plan accordingly.

Note the time and coordinates below. Respectfully yours,

Tina

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It's a wasteland.

Here and there patches of scrub cling to life as the wind howls over the dust and dirt. The acrid smell of the Eridium mines tinges the air even this far out. In the distance settlements can be seen down the cliffsides and sheer rock faces. The rumble of engines fades in and out, the silence perforated by the sounds of gunfire periodically. Even the life that eeks out an existence here is harsh. The creatures savage and monstrous looking.

Tina's home looks to be nothing more than a shipping crate turned onto it's side. There have been modifications to it, of course. Windows cut out of the metal on one corner where a simple army-style bed sits atop a scrap metal frame. The rest of the tiny space looks to usually be devoted to her rather explosive passion and job, though for the moment much of it is tucked away in crates and lockers to make room on the work table (singed in several spots) for the mismatched and heavily chipped tea set Tina has meticulously set at her table.

The hostess herself is in a pink sundress with a ribbon tied into her wild and uneven hair, humming while she boils water in a teapot that looks to have been welded together from lord even knows what. A menagerie of aged and beat up stuffed animals are seated at the table, though two spots remain open at either end. One for herself obviously and one for her guest of honor.

Comments

[shardofwinter]

A low laugh rumbles through him and he can't help a smile. "I am."

But that's not what he needs to talk to her about. He smooths his smile out into a more sober expression. She needs to understand. To properly understand.

"I don't know what ice sirens are like, but being a Winter spirit makes me... different from humans. I'm almost exactly the same as you except for three months of the year." He shifts in his seat and looks her in the eye. "When it's my Season, when it's Winter, I'm... I'm not human. I don't think like you, or feel like you."

He heaves a sigh as he thinks how best to explain. "It's like... It's like being a wild animal. I don't mean to be bad or good. I don't react well to people trying to train me. I am what I am. I don't recognise my friends the same way. My friends are people who are useful to me, but I only... I only really feel love for Winter."

There's worry in his eyes as he searches her face. "Does that scare you?"

[chocolatechipbadass]

"I had a skag puppy once for a while named Enrique. They're wild animals, yanno. I tried to train him an' love him but I learned real quick that some things ain't meant to be kept up in a cage. It gets lonely sometimes out here and I wanted a friend."

Tina kicks her feet while she talks but her usual flippant exuberance isn't in her voice now.

"Most of the people I know are monsters, Reynard. Probably me too. If you gotta go...be wild or whatever...for the winter, I'll be okay. I'm used to being alone."

[shardofwinter]

Then she understands. He thinks. She understands as well as he's going to get her to without experiencing it first hand, something he'd like to avoid at all costs.

He shuffles in his seat and takes a deep breath. "Then, I was thinking. You don't need to answer right away, but... Would you like to come and live with me? After Winter, when I'm mortal again." Trying to hide his nervousness behind enthusiasm, he smiles. "I'll make you your own room, and you'll have a bed and a wardrobe full of clothes to choose from. It's... It's not a big place, but you can go to the Nexus whenever you want, or come back here."

[chocolatechipbadass]

"You mean like...a home? With you?"

Tina looks back at her workshop. Rakes her gaze across her dirty stuffed animals all sitting at her table. Something inside swells with happiness at being wanted, worth looking after. It's stronger than the ugly part that insists he'll leave her behind again like Roland did. Like her parents did.

"Can...can I have people over? I'll come back here if I'm gonna see my vault hunter friends--too many questions otherwise-- but what about my Nexus friends? What about Blaze an' Ghost?" Aside from Reynard, they're the other two most important people in Tina's life. She doesn't want to go somewhere where they can't follow her if they want to or need to.

[shardofwinter]

At first he smiles and nods along with what she says. A home. With him.

That doesn't last, however. He's midway through inhaling to tell her that she can, of course, have friends over, when she names names. His face drops. "Blaze?" He sits up, pulling back so that one of his hands can rub his leg. "I don't... think that's wise. Of course I don't mind you having friends over, but... Blaze doesn't..." How to phrase this. "She doesn't... like me very much."

[chocolatechipbadass]

That's right.

Tina remembers now, how they were at Halloween when she mentioned hanging out with Reynard. She half expects him to counter with how he shouldn't hang out with Blaze or Ghost too but it doesn't come. She gets up then and circles the table. Wraps her arms around Reynard's shoulders where he's sitting and pulls herself against him for a hug.

"I remember now. Yeah, you guys are...not great friends. But I like you both a lot. Like a lot, a lot. Blaze has been over here lots of times. Takes me out to movies an' stuff in the Nexus. Brings me back here when it's over an'...and stays here when I get sad. She's like you are to me, huggabutt."

[shardofwinter]

When she comes over and hugs him he pats her with his good arm. It gives him time to instil a little patience in himself, a little distance, a little coolness. He waits until she's finished and then pats her again.

"You're allowed to like her if you want, Tina, but she doesn't like me, and I don't much like her. I want you to be happy, but bringing people who don't like me into my home…" He sucks in his breath and winces. "That seems dangerous."

[chocolatechipbadass]

"Naw, no worries. I won't bring her over." Especially not to a place not covered by the AV field. She's lost enough people without watching them fight each other in front of her.

"I'm gonna have to tell her I'm movin' though. So if she shows up here she don't worry none. Ain't no trouble with my friendos here cuz I've got my PINpoint installed into an ECHO device an' can call them from anywhere."

Tina casts another look around her workshop then looks back at Reynard.

"It's kinda a dump, I know."

[shardofwinter]

Reynard barks a laugh. "You might want to see my home before you call this a dump. Or before you make any decisions." Leaning closer to her he tells her with certainty. "This is a palace, my dear lady."

Then he pats her shoulder. "You have all Winter to think about my offer. When Spring comes I'll ask you again then." He looks her in the eye and tells her earnestly, "I want you to be sure."

[chocolatechipbadass]

Tina nods, face flushed with pride at Reynard's certainty about the state of her home. It may not be much, and it might not be nice, but it's hers. No matter how bad things get, she's got plenty of good memories tied to this place.

"I promise I'll think about it. An' hey thanks to all the nice clothes you got me I can come play in th'Nexus in the winter too!"

[shardofwinter]

His moustache lifts and his eyes squint with his broad smile. With a few pats he says, "That's a good girl."

Sitting back, he gestures to the table. "Now. Shall we continue this elegant afternoon soirée?"

[chocolatechipbadass]

"Hehehe~" Tina accepts the affections and pats eagerly before stepping back herself and bounding back over to her seat. She clears her throat before putting on her fake posh tones again. Works on setting a scone at each of the places at the table though Reynard's is the biggest.

"Now then, you simply must hear the stories Sir Bearington brought back from Sanctuary. He's got his thumb on the pulse of high society alright. More tea, Sir Reynard?"

The food might be storebought and the drink questionable, but in this tiny oasis of a home in the middle of a wasteland sharing stories with a friend Tina has never felt more at home.