Logs:Chem 101

Chem 101
Dramatis Personae Marcus, Naomi	2020-11-13 '
Location <XAV> Study - Xs First Floor
Quieter than the neighboring library, the study actually is a retreat for those who want to sit and work. Lacking the larger social tables, this room has only single solitary chairs, individual soft lamps assigned to each. The high bay windows allow plenty of light, and the understated elegance of the room with its grated fireplace (often crackling, in winter) is an invitation to quiet work. It's early enough that there are still sounds of sports practice coming from outside -- distant, muted through the closed and winterized windows. In here there's been not much sound for a while -- a quiet rustle of turning pages, the soft scritch of pencil lead against paper. Marcus has had his head bowed over a chemistry worksheet for a time, brows scrunched in evidently intent concentration. He doesn't exactly look up from the work when he reaches one slender hand for a large bowl of (maple syrup and curry-spiced) popcorn to pluck out a few kernels. On the other side of the table, Naomi isn’t looking up either - over the last little while she curled into her oversized sweatshirt, one knee tucked into the soft cotton blend, jeans barely visible under the hem. Her pencil is moving quickly over the practice exam in front of her, scribbling snippets of Java code then violently erasing them. She’s been chewing on the end of the drawstring for about a page - when she turns the stapled packet over, the aglet drops from her mouth. Her arm stretches for the popcorn, too, situated between her and Marcus. Her fingertips brush against his, lightly, but enough that her face begins to flush near immediately. Marcus looks up swiftly at the brush of fingers. Just as swiftly looks back down, his eyes a little wider than before. His mouth quirks up, hand tipping palm-up and long fingers unfurling to offer his handful of popcorn kernels to Naomi instead. Naomi’s eyes have gone wide, staring down at her work, pencil stilled in her right hand. Her left pulls back like an anemone closes - fast, sudden, like it had never been open. It’s another moment before she does look up slowly, missing Marcus’ glance. The popcorn is still held out - she hesitates before taking it from his hand, the movement perhaps a little slower than is necessary to avoid making a mess. Marcus's lip catches between his teeth. He holds his hand veeeeery still while Naomi takes the popcorn; it isn't until after that it's apparent he's been holding his breath, as well, when it comes back out in a soft rush. He's much hastier about scooping another handful of popcorn, head dipping to pluck at one kernel delicately with his sharp-pointed teeth. Though he picks his pencil back up, he's notably Not Writing anymore, small-slipped glances shot to Naomi in between his evidently intent examination of the same problem he just finished. Most of the popcorn flakes get deposited on top of her pencil bag. Naomi ducks her head back down, staring determinedly at her practice exam as she slips one, single, lonely kernel between pressed lips. Her pencil spins in between her fingers - she, too, is Not Working anymore, the page of binary and hexadecimal translations left untranslated in favour of making darting glances across the table. Her breath suddenly speeds up when her eyes - suddenly, or perhaps finally - catch Marcus doing the same thing. Marcus has been tapping his eraser lightly against his textbook. Gently picking up one more kernel of popcorn when Naomi's eyes meet his. His own fly open wider, square pupils enlarging just slightly. There's a faintly darker flush to his deep blue skin, delicacy abruptly flown as he smashes his palm up against his face to cram the entire rest of the palmful of popcorn into his mouth. Immediately afterward dips his head, eyes squeezed tight shut. She plays it cool as she can - Naomi smiles when their eyes meet, small, eyes big and cheeks getting darker by the second. She pops another piece of popcorn into her mouth just as Marcus crushes his handful of kernels against his face - the laughter bubbling up sends the food down the wrong tube, and she chokes, coughs loudly into her elbow until it clears up. Marcus keeps his palm pressed to his face, stifling his own laughter now. His eyes are still scrunched up when he cracks them open, though a moment later they've opened wider, brows lifting in very mild alarm at Naomi's coughing. Nose wrinkled, laughter still bright in his expression. He reaches for a water bottle on the floor by his bag -- frowns when it's empty -- blushes deep and holds up one finger before clutching the bottle to his chest and fleeing the room. Her eyes have squeezed shut with the effort of dislodging the life-threatening popcorn kernel - when the coughing fit ends and they’ve opened again, Marcus is gone. There is a faint grinding of scale on scale as Naomi’s brows furrow in confusion. Glances around the study reveal no signs of Marcus to her- Naomi’s face falls. It's not long before the study door opens again. There's a slight flush in Marcus's face, his breathing just a little heavier as he rushes back in. Triumphantly sets the water bottle -- now a little wet and full of fresh cold water -- on the table in front of Naomi before dropping back into his seat. The quick twitch of his eyes toward her is a little furtive; he snatches his pencil back up and this time very studiously busies himself with a close inspection of his chemistry work. She blinks, not comprehending for a moment that the water is for her. Her mouth forms a little ‘o’, looking from the bottle to Marcus before taking it into her grip and taking a long drink. She wipes her lips with the back of her hand, taps on the side of the bottle before setting it down close to her. Picks it up again, stretches her arm across the table and puts it down closer to him, fingers curled around it and lingering there. The movement of Naomi's arm brings Marcus's eyes back up -- first to her hand, then to her face. He's reflexively started to reach for the bottle but freezes with his hand in midair. Blinks once, blinks twice. He completes the motion with a deep breath and a small smile, fingers curling lightly against hers. For just a moment they linger, before he pulls the bottle closer to his books. The smile remains, though, even after he's turned back to his studying. Her breath catches, just a hitch, as Marcus’ fingers lay against hers. Naomi’s smile is small but growing, the skin under her scales crinkling as she lets go of the bottle. Her pencil flips once, twice in her hand as she returns to the practice exam, grin dancing on her face as she gets back to work.