nexus_sages | Unmasked

Verity's sitting on one of the benches around the Forum, all pink braids and French stripes and soft jeans, idly fingering a new ring and studying a brochure someone handed her. Not the Brochure, just a flier for a temporary costume shop. (Both the shop and the costumes being temporary, one of those things is very important when the other disappears.) The pictures are bright and cheerful, almost inappropriately so. This is a highly sanitized, 'safe' for 'children' sort of Halloween being peddled. Meanwhile, Bobbi sniffs around to check for changes to the area and signs of adventure. She's a pupper of valor and courage, ready to take on any strange sniffs and mysterious smells.

"Is your Halloween tradition to put a mask on, or take one off?" The question begins when she lifts her attention to the wider worlds and does the now-habitual mental and visual sweep of her surroundings. As casually as it's asked, she knows this is a deeply probing question, so she'll give anyone wary of answering an easy out. "You coming to the Ball?"

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"Very silly people. They don't know what they're missing." Or who they'd be missing out on meeting. What a concept of missed connections. Matt is very happy to meet that greeting kiss and extend his hand for pets whenever Bobbi sees fit to be still enough for them.

"The invitation is open, seems about right that she'd come too. Hmmm." As he's thinking he can slip his arm around Verity's waist and give all the petting that is coming to their doggie.

"Their loss." It's a missed connection she prefers not to think about. How differently their lives would have turned out if either of them have skipped the ball last year. It's too sad to contemplate.

Bobbi will settle down once she sees pets are coming. She's a good girl who has good manners and sometimes will remember that.

"And you know, blind men get to take their dogs wherever they want," she teases. "So no excuses." His arm fits so nicely there. She leans into his hold and drapes her arms around his shoulders. Universal signal of two people stupidly in love. It's only fair to warn away anyone who doesn't want to catch cooties. "I know you'll look amazing."

"More room to dance." That is a good thing indeed. And there won't be any reason to pretend to bump into anyone or anything. Matt grins at the thought of a chance to cut a rug.

Standing snugly together he relaxes even more. It's the Verity effect. Her words make his grin brighten and Matt tilts his head to the side, still thoughtful. "Well if she can go wherever I do, I really have to find a good option."

"Finding room to dance won't be a problem," she promises. He doesn't know yet. It'll be a great surprise--and one she hopes he can enjoy. "I don't take up much room."

Their cozy cuddles prove that much. She fits so nicely inside the circle of his arms. It's the perfect place to be for admiring that grin of his, and oh, how she loves it. "I know it's a lot of pressure, honey. I promise not to be too terribly disappointed if you don't live up to my lofty expectations."

"We can always make room or find a place," that's what he thinks she means. As to surprises he will have to wait until the time comes. They do have a talent for surprising one another.

She is smaller than his own frame and fits so very well. Matt sighs and nearly could pull her into a step and sway. "Lofty no less?" he clicks his tongue and pretends to wince. "Well, I best bounce off a few ideas. I could... be a lion tamer and she could be the lion. Or hmm. She could be a shark, I could be a diver." These aren't suggestions with much thought, in fact he's hoping to make her laugh.

"We certainly will," she agrees. Their surprises for each other have all been such nice ones. It's a trend she wants to continue.

A little step and sway would be lovely. Being tucked against him is nice, cozy and safe. "Very lofty. You have so much to live up to." This is the flip side of your girl thinking the world of you, Matty. She expects great things. And teasing, she's learned to expect that too. The ideas get giggles, like he hoped. "Not a shark and diver. I don't want everyone else to enjoy seeing you in a skintight diving suit."

Priorities: she has them.

Bobbi has priorities, too! She wants in on this cuddling. Won't anyone pick her up?

It takes real talent and understanding to surprise people like them who see things exactly as they're stated, the way that they are. Surprises have never been so wonderful with anyone else.

Expecting great costume ideas. He's really going to have to put on his thinking cap. Don't want to disappoint the lady or miss out on an opportunity to celebrate Bobbi's first Halloween in a big way. (She'll know, he's sure of it.)

That laugh is his treat in the tricks. Matt kisses her temple. "No diver and no skintight. Got it." Bobbi's prancing little feet haven't stopped. He stoops to scoop her up so he can have a lady on each arm. "Maybe she's got some ideas."

It might have something to do with how crazy they are about each other. Lots of love and acceptance makes everything seem better. There's also the very real effect of their appreciating the effort even when the end result isn't quite a bullseye.

Verity expects all sorts of great things from Matt. Costumes are a trifling start. Once Bobbi's joined the cuddle, Ver shifts her hold on Matt to accommodate the pup and free a hand to pet her. It's a good day to be a Bobbi. And a Verity. And hopefully also a Matt. "What do you think, Bobbi? Do you wanna dress up for Halloween?"

Bobbi would love to, of course! She has no idea what that means. Investigating all the sniffs around their faces and in their hair has the bulk of her attention now.

They really are so very crazy about one another. How people don't get full on sugar rush or cavities in their presence is surprising. Love doesn't end. And it's never about just one project or one result, it's continual. Wonderfully so.

Years previously Matt would have differed to Foggy for a costume. He thought the Waldo costume was genius after all. This particular ball is special. There's that added pressure too. Yikes.

"Bark...so...I should be a tree? She could be a monkey?" He snickers and shakes his head as he gets his share of sniffs. "I don't think that'd go over well with Groot."

The fact they don't get cavities from their saccharine courtship is only due to the excellent oral hygiene she insists they maintain. Love never dies, and theirs won't need a (horrible awful terrible) sequel.

The Waldo costume was perfect. Verity will always hold that one in special regard. But they can't wear the same thing every year, and she's making such an effort...

They're so silly. Her silly darlings. Bobbi gets more scritches while she reaches up to nuzzle Matt's cheek. "Mm, Groot might appreciate the effort of being a tree, but it doesn't sound like it'd be easy to dance in. Bobbi could still be a monkey. You could be a jungle explorer or something?"

Good oral hygiene, good breath it all feeds into itself. They take good care of each other. All the tricks and all the treats and cavity free! No amount of baked good or hipster ice cream can stop them.

Who would have thought that being someone meant to be found while so very, very lost would take them this far? Not Matt. Stripes have come to be very near and dear to him because of that. And what are the chances she likes them so well too?

"I'll come up with something, honey. Don't you worry." Nuzzles make him lean into Verity. "A monkey would be a great fit for her. That much is true..."

And it helps when they feed themselves. They can't live on cake and ice cream alone. That's one trick they've never learned. (She's been more interested in Thai rolled ice cream lately. The hipster stuff is so far away now, and belongs to a part of her life she's had to let end.)

Stripes are like infinite roads. Options. Places for the lost to go and feel like they have a direction in life. They're lucky to have found themselves in the same set of stripes. So coordinated. And they found each other, too.

"I'm not worried." Her feet shift slightly so she can better support him; it's the sort of unconscious move people learn to make. "All you have to worry about if it doesn't go well is endless ridicule from our friends and my disappointment. But no pressure."

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