Trajectory Without Gravity

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Backdated: May 12

Penelope was an observant individual. Often, she’d take notice of things and let them go just as quickly, but there was always the occasion when she wouldn’t. When she cared enough to let it capture her attention.

Such as Lucy.

The Australian certainly had caught Penny’s attention; she always had in both the best and worst of ways. So when something was different, the Brit caught onto it quickly.

And today, Lucy had been acting different. Distant. There was even a good chunk of time where she had disappeared completely. It hadn’t been the first time her counterpart had acted in such a way, but that didn’t prevent it from irking Penny.

Worst of all, she knew why. To an extent. Penny had commited every detail of Lucy to memory. The psychometrist needn’t her ability to recall the date on Lucy’s tattoo. The way she responded when asked the meaning behind the ink.

Still, that hadn’t prevented the Brit from going to see Lucy. She knocked on the door before twisting the handle, stepping inside. She couldn’t help the releaved sigh she let out upon seeing her. Only hours before, Penny had swung by and she was gone.

“Hello.” She said as lightly as possible, already making a move to meet Lucy.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Distant without distance. Lucy was never aware she adhered to such a thing, but evidently on today of all days, she had. Her encounter with Greg had managed to uplift her mood in the strangest way, and briefly she considered going to look for Sawyer; the voice mimic could keep her spirits up. Keep her laughing. It'd likely be the best thing for her.

But she didn't. Rather, the ink manipulator returned to her room, relatively unaware as to how intently she needed a distraction.

For a moment, she contemplated the importance of calling home. But it wasn't long before she'd be back there anyway. A trip that wasn't her idea, but felt imperative. The family pressure made it so.

When Lucy heard the familiar knock, she knew It was only a matter of seconds before the door would open. She knew that knock. And sure enough, within moments the door opened and there she was. Without looking, Lucy smiled involuntarily. The mere sound of her voice was enough to draw the expression out of her.

"Hey." She replied, extending a hand out towards her.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Penny looked at Lucy, quickly noticing how she didn't turn to face her. Eye contact wasn't necessary, but the Australian usually looked over at Penny when she walked into her room. It wasn't bad. It was different. Distant without distance.

Her dark eyes dropped to the ink manipulator's hand as it extended out, and Penny couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips. Even if Lucy was acting different, in her own way, she was very much still the Lucy that needed contact just as Penny did. Immediately, the Brit took it, stepping closer as she intertwined their fingers, her free hand moving to rest on Lucy's shoulder.

Contact. Even when she knew that her counterpart was being distant, Penny needed to breech the distance between them. The extended hand had been encouragement to move in closer. “What have you been up to?” She asked cautiously, leaning down and pressing her lips to the top of Lucy's head.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

The moment she felt her hand in her own, Lucy felt her smile widen a touch. There was comfort in her company. In being able to feel her. Despite how caught up her mind felt, there was no way she was going to deny her. Nor would she deny the fact that she wanted her close.

"Really, nothing." Lucy replied. She knew nothing never meant nothing, in a large of small capacity. But for whatever reason, it still felt true. "I sorta hung back in the art room for a bit. Didn't get anything done, though."

Turning in her chair, the ink manipulator shifted her gaze up towards her finally. It was impossible to keep the smile off her face the moment she saw her. A days worth of distance was far too much for Lucy, and she really did know that. "Didja get much done without me bugging you?" She asked, the corner of her smile threatening a grin.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Nothing really never meant nothing; and Penny was acutely aware of this. Especially on today. She involuntarily glanced at the date marked in the Australian's skin. Still, she chose not to question it at that moment. “Why's that?” She offered instead. She struggled to imagine Lucy failing to create at least something while hiding the art room.

When she finally turned, Penny felt her own smile widen. Lightly, she squeezed the Australian's shoulder before shifting her hand to run through her dark locks, pushing it to one side. “You don't bug me.” Distract, however. Lucy seemed to be a professional at doing so. “But yes.” She wasn't about to lie about how productive her day had been. There wasn't a reason to.

“I had forgotten I needed to print some things off yesterday.” She admitted, trying to assess her counterpart's mood. “So I had gotten that out of the way.”

She paused, unsure how to best express that she had missed the Australian. How she was worried due to her distance. She wasn't used to expressing such things. She opened her mouth, but faltered, instead trailing her fingertips along the line of Lucy's jaw.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

"Dunno." Lucy replied shortly, though she put a little effort into making it sound seamless. At least it wasn't a lie, despite how easily it could have been. As of yet, she simply hadn't figured out what made her falter so harshly in the art room.

Lucy pressed her lips into a line on instinct when Penny proclaimed that she didn't bug her. She felt the overbearing desire to point out that she'd been the one to say that before, several times, but she didn't. Rather, she felt the corner of her mouth pull into a slight smile and she made no move to force it away. She deserved something for trying to cover that in such a way.

Unknowingly, the Australia's features softened when her counterpart's fingers ran the line of her jaw. It, by now, was an instinct she wasn't even aware of. It put her at ease - worked the tension from her features with such simplicity.

"You figured out a printer." She denoted, her shoulders rising with a single breath of laughter.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Upon hearing Lucy’s response, Penny immediately felt the urge to press forward, but the simple one worded reply somehow kept her silent. Her hand trailed downward, resting on Lucy’s shoulder. Unconsciously, the Brit squeezed it, lightly working out any tension that might have been hidden in her counterpart’s muscles.

“I did.” She replied with an idle nod. Although, the printer had gotten jammed, and in the end she did have to seek out help, but Penny chose to hold back such information. Instead, her fingers trailed to the back of Lucy’s neck, curling into her dark locks.

“I—“ Missed you. Love you. Although the Brit didn’t struggle as much as her counterpart, she still had trouble saying such imperative statements easily. She pressed her lips into a hard line briefly before trying again.

“What’s wrong?”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy's smile widened a touch when Penny confirmed her denotion. She felt her eyes close almost involuntarily as her counterpart squeezed her shoulders; with ease simple move she felt the tension she carried shift and threaten to dissipate completely. It was almost unfair how well this girl knew her already.

Eyes opened again when she faltered past a word. Lucy looked towards her with clear confusion, her eyebrows furrowing as she wondered what would have been on the end of that singular word. The troubled expression she wore did nothing to calm her features.

"Nothing." Lucy replied, almost instantly. Without fault. Without fail. "Why?"

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Honestly, Penny hadn’t a true answer to Lucy’s question. There wasn’t a distinct way to describe how Lucy was acting; she wasn’t being physically distant, but there was still something that felt distant in her demeanor. So when asked why, the Brit continued to apply light pressure to her counterpart’s shoulders, silently racking her mind for an explanation.

And nothing never meant nothing.

“You’re off.” She replied in time, giving a short nod. It wasn’t an answer that she herself would have accepted, but it was the best she could offer. Involuntarily she glanced down at the Australian’s left arm, dark eyes settling on the ink – the date – that Lucy wore.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

The response Penny gave genuinely surprised Lucy. It was rare for her to speak in such a way; there was little that was overtly direct and proper about the two words she offered in tandem. It would have been easy to question it; to press to another topic that wasn't about herself, and potentially distract the psychometrist from any further questions.

But she didn't. Again.

"Nah, I'm not." Lucy reasoned, finally opting to shift in her seat before leaving it - and the comfort of her hands - completely. But now away from her computer, she seemed a little lost. Unsure of where her focus would pull her if it weren't back to her British counterpart, "So I don't need you coming here to check on me."

Crossing her arms on instinct, Lucy raised her eyebrows as she turned her gaze towards her. But that proved distracting, "What makes you think something's wrong?"

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

If Penny were to describe Lucy, stubborn would have been on the top of the list of adjectives the Brit would use for her Australian counterpart, and her reply was an example of such. Pressing her lips into a hard line, Penny threatened to argue Lucy’s statement, but she faltered when she watched the ink manipulator shift, felt her slip from her hands.

Immediately, Penny retracted her own hands, bringing them together as she straightened where she stood. “I’m not here to check in on you.” She replied sharply. Defensively. “I’m here because I wanted to see you.” It wasn’t uncommon for Penny to have a short temper with Lucy. Even if she loved the Australian, little statements still were able to get under her skin easily.

Still, she felt the way Lucy looked at her, and chose that moment to again breach the distance between them. She reached out, fingers running along one of the crossed arms. The tattoo that caught her attention today more than ever. “Because.”

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

Lucy immediately crinkled her nose when Penny rejected the notion that she was checking in on her. Really, there was no other explanation. At least there wasn't in Lucy's mind. She figured something was wrong, and she came looking for answers as to what that was. And for the most part, the ink manipulator seemed oblivious to any differences.

"I got that." Lucy retorted as sharply as she could. Penny was here to see her. "Y'can't use a phone, so how else are you gonna check on me?"

Despite her hardened expression - the way her eyebrows furrowed and her nose crinkled - Lucy's features softened and smoothed a touch when Penny reached out to her.

"Because is not a fucking answer." She pointed out, though her voice had lost some of its earlier edge. It was impossible not to get distracted by the way she touched her.

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

The moment one of them grew tense, the other usually followed suit. It was inevitable between them. “I know how to use a phone.” At least, she knew how to call people on her phone. Anything else was redundant in the Brit’s mind.

Even as Lucy’s expression softened, Penny focused on the hardened undertones that still remained. She felt her own jaw tense as her counterpart swore, but she kept the contact she initiated, giving it a light pull to try and uncross the Australian’s arms. “Because you’re acting like this.” She stated, and regardless of how hard she tried to keep the harshness from her tone, it was still there.

“And it’s today.” May 12th. Her hand squeezed Lucy's arm slightly. Even if she was glowingly irritated with her counterpart, she felt the need to maintain physical contact with her.

[Lucy Serrano-Blaise]

"Not very well." Lucy shot back almost instantly. When her counterpart took a defensive stance, Lucy knew she'd follow suit. She just wasn't aware of her own actions.

The ink manipulator barely shifted when she felt Penny lightly pull on her arm. She felt her fold weakening slightly, knowing it was difficult to resist giving her what she wanted despite how hard she tried to stonewall her. She felt the urge to argue that her amended response was still practically useless, but she got distracted.

When she spoke again, Lucy lost the thought she went to offer. Her parted lips stalled in a response for a second. Maybe more.

"Well it's sure as fuck not yesterday."

[Penelope Serrano-Blaise]

Even as she felt Lucy slowly complying with the movement she started, Penny paused as Lucy swore. Again. However, that hadn’t prevented Penny from catching how the quick witted Australian faltered for a moment. It alone proved her point. She was right. And really, Penny had never doubted that she was wrong in the first place.

Still, it was impossible to remain calm when her counterpart responded in such a way. Lucy knew how to distract her in every way possible, and this was no exception. Penny sucked in a breath, keeping her hold on the ink manipulator’s arm. Her fingers twitched, unsure if she should let go or hold tighter. “Would you rather I leave then?” She asked bitterly. Even so, she made no move to actually step away.

Before she could give Lucy the time to respond, Penny continued; “Because I’m not.” It was hard – sometimes impossible – to get a word in edgewise with her counterpart, and so she took advantage of the small moment she had time to speak. “You’re acting like an idiot.”

Note: 900. Pency has this. So do you.