World Unknown

Arthur shrugged. “Consumerism is a cliche,” he pointed out. “It’s what advertising is built on.” He gave another shrug. “I suppose that’s up to the individual, isn’t it?” he said. “Good enough is quite specific.”

“The whole world’s build on it.” Teo argued with a small, amused smirk. Not that he minded that- he wasn’t stupid enough to think he could actually change it. “Then I might just stick with it. It won’t get any better than that.”

“Oh, no offence taken,” she smiled, “I work as a doctor in the hospital here, though I have been practicing medicine for over six centuries now.” Maria explained, “Had things remained as they were for women in those times I would still be considered unfit to fulfil that role.” Stepping to the side so she could have a better look at the man Maria nodded, “I think you will look stunning, heads will turn all-round.” Listening as he continued she thought for a moment before deciding, “Green is a good choice, though darker shades usually, but I think a dark red would suit you very nicely.” Bowing her head slightly as he introduced himself Maria responded, “A pleasure to meet you, I am Maria, and I do not mind being asked for advice at any time.”    

“Six centuries?” Teo raised his brows in genuine surprise. He had been a lawyer for a while now, but doing something for so long? It would be beyond him. The patience required for this had to be simply outstanding. Surely, there couldn’t potentially be something else. “And to think, the world was more open-minded a thousand years ago, rather than it was two hundred years ago.” Back when he was alive, women were equals- or as close to that as they could be. Women warriors were a common occurrence, and they were just as respected. “That might help, right? If people just stare at me, they might either not realize what I’m talking about, or completely forget what they were supposed to talk about.” He joked dryly. He was well aware he looked good, many people reminded that to him constantly, but it did not mean he actually enjoyed it. “I’d much rather stick to darker shades. They’re more comfortable.” Teo agreed. That, and he was still grieving, and anything bright felt odd. Nevertheless, the man smiled charmingly at Maria’s assurance. “Don’t promise me that, or I will come to you every time I need to by something.”

She nodded with a little giggle. “Well we found suit number one, let’s find suit number two,” Mina offered as she went and started looking at more suits. “Why do you need two suits anyway when you only need one?” she asked absentmindedly before it came to her with a gasp. ‘Are you a secret agent like James Bond?” 

“Suit number two? At this pace, I will be actually done with this shopping today.” Teo mused, yet still followed the woman to browse the suits he hadn’t checked out yet. The woman questioned him, then, and Teo merely smirked, amused by her creativity. “If I were Bond, do you really think I would tell you that?” He played along. 

Ezra smiled a little as the other man spoke and shrugged. “Yeah, just buy it and be done with it,” he suggested. “Although I’m not the best person to ask about shopping, you can ask my mom. I only buy clothes for myself twice a year when I get gift cards on my birthday and Christmas.”

“That still makes you qualified enough.” Not to mention, it’d be damned odd, asking a stranger’s mother for clothing advise. Not that it wasn’t strange already. “I probably still have stuff from the 1800s that I could wear- so you shop more often than I do.”

“If you pick randomly and you’re not upset with the outcome then you’ve saved yourself the time and effort of deciding.” Lukas reasoned. In this case, it didn’t sound like picking randomly would backfire on Teo. He looked over the first three that the man had picked. “And the decision has been made. Does it feel like a weight off your chest to know that you don’t have to waste any more time looking through suits?”

“Should’ve employed that logic from the very beginning.” Teo agreed, motioning for the cashier to pick up the suits and get them packed up. “You’ve no idea. Now I can focus on something else that would be either ridiculous or absolutely boring.” The man mused. “I mean, I’ll be free to do that for the next couple months, at the very best.”

“Relatively close to where I am from then.” Runa replied with a quick nod of her head. It had been a long time since she had returned. Forty years previously she had gotten word of an archaeological excavation of her old village and she had popped by for a bit, playing the role of interested traveler. It amazed her what lasted in the ground for so long but there had been a definite disconnect as she looked at items that once held sentimental meaning. Even a bone comb she recognized as her mother’s, even though it was caked with dirt, didn’t tug at her heartstrings at it once might. “I have moved on. I’ve learned to live in the present as opposed to the past.” she replied, shaking herself from the memory. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t have moments of what I left behind so many years ago.” Her biggest regret was allowing her mother and sisters to think she died fighting along with her father and brothers. Perhaps that was a better fate than them knowing what she had become. “Trust me, if I still held onto that past so deeply, i’d be a viking reenactor.” she added with a slight grin.

The blonde let out a hum, her smile growing. “You’re not exactly what I picture when I think of a reputable lawyer. But then again, you don’t have a face that screams sadist either. Masochist perhaps.” she teased, laughing lightly. Looks could be deceiving though, few knew that as well as she did. “I mean I will say, I far prefer running water today as opposed to bathing in a stream. Less chances of someone interrupting.” she grinned. “Hmm, though the chances of them getting to live long enough to regret it are rather slim. Far more likely now than in the past though.” she shrugged. “And I could tell people exactly who and what I am. Doesn’t mean they’d ever believe me.”

“And to think, we went a thousand years without really bothering to figure that much out.” Teo spoke. Not that he really cared, if he was being genuine. His old life was just that; it was old, and not something he tried to live by. He did not try to find out whether his sons married off, and had kids. All he knew, they had been happy, and his wife had married another man once the word of his death had spread. He did not belong to that world any more, and he had no right to miss it. Neither did he have the right to really think about it; it simply made no more sense to do so. “Smart move, I must admit. It’s surprising how many of us live in the past.” He added, only to smile a little in the end. “Moments? Are you sure they stay just that? Usually, they end up on that risky edge of making you sound old.” Teo teased her, lightly. While it all was just that, just a tease, he knew that thinking of the past was dangerous. It could always lead to regrets, and, with lives as old as theirs, the risk for that was always so ridiculously high. 

Teo raised a brow, then, as she spoke of him. “Really? And what is it that makes me appear not as a reputable lawyer? Do I not look like the stereotype you potentially stick to?” He questioned her, more so curious than annoyed. However, the girl spoke again, and Teo ended up laughing, lightly. “A masochist? And what makes you think that? Sociopaths are usually people you suspect the least, so, for all you know, I’m a case just like that.” He spoke. Not that it was the case- but he simply enjoyed taunting people, challenging them, and Runa seemed like just the kind who could manage it. “Well, but does it really matter what people believe and what they don’t believe? They’re just passing nobodies.”

“None that are obvious. You’re probably safe without making any unless something doesn’t fit right.” He looked over the suit that Teo was wearing while he answered, looking for something he had missed. “People do love sharing their opinions.” He chuckles softly, shaking his head. “In those case, I wouldn’t pay those comments any mind.” He turned back to the ties, picking up one and holding it out for Teo to look. “This one goes well with the suit.”

Teo moved around in the suit, testing it out, trying to come to a decision. “It’s not the most comfortable suit I’ve worn. Then again, suits are never comfortable.” He admitted. “And, let me guess, you’re one of those rebels who say don’t care about the comments, yet secretly does just that?” He asked, teasing the man, yet still looked over at the tie the other had picked out for him so helpfully. “This might just be the one comment I’ll pay attention to.”

Arthur shrugged a little. “Blame it on a consumerist society, I suppose,” he said. “We put emphasis and importance on wealth, therefore that extends to expensive items.” He smiled slightly and shrugged. “All things considered, I suppose this is one of the least serious ones.”

“We could do just that, sure.” Teo agreed. “But wouldn’t that just make us so boringly cliche?” He questioned, looking over at the man. “Potentially, sure. But is it at least going to be good enough?”

She nodded. “It is,” Mina answered, giggling. “Nope, I don’t think you can climb mountains wearing that suit, but you can make nearly every girl swoon, and also make an impression at a business meeting.” 

“Well then, I’ll have to trust your word.” Teo played along, smiling a little. “Kill two birds with one suit, then? That’d be useful. And save a lot of energy , if I don’t have to look for two different suits.”

“For shame on me, honestly. You’d think after a thousand years I would know better but apparently, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Joslyn said with a gasp as she shook her head thinking about it. “Please do not hide all of that under something frumpy it would be a god damn waste,” Joslyn said bluntly, not holding back for one second. “I mean I think it’s important to clarify it really has an impact on the feedback I’m going to provide you. If you’re a lawyer this suit says I’m worth every expensive dollar you’re going to pay me. Something frumpy might say ‘you’re not paying for my services and its clear’. SO really it’s all about the story you want to tell. I say work it though.” 

“An old dog, maybe, but a vampire? You’d think they’d be better at that.” It was a small, teasing dig at the species they had been at war for centuries, even if Teo wasn’t really one to fight all that much. Still, who was he to pass up the opportunity to be sarcastic. “That’s a must, now, don’t you think? I can’t exactly show up shirtless or event jacket-less in court. People would freak out and think I’m absolutely insane.” He mused, glancing back at the mirror. Neither was he one to praise himself, but, all be damned, he was simply tired after testing all the suits out. As the woman continued to speak, he smirked, amused, and looked back at her. “Can I say ‘you’re not paying for my services enough’ and still wear a decent suit?”

“I said I’m the best, I didn’t say I was famous.” She rolled her eyes playfully, before pursing her lips, as she thought about his question, “Nope, I’ve never broken a hip. I’ve broken my collar bone twice, both of my legs, and one time - I damn hard fractured my ribs, I think that one hurt the most, It was a real pain in the ass.” She shared, as she thought about her past experience with fractures, most of them were due to motorcycle accidents, yet some of them she wished not to share where she got them from. “See, I’m not a regular murderer, I’m a cool murderer. I mean, what kind of boring threats have you gotten? Jeez, that must have been horrible. Thank God I came along to offer some diversity.” She chuckled, as she secured herself onto him, her hands holding on his shoulders tightly. At his next comment, Haylee only scoffed, and soon after rolled her eyes - although he couldn’t see that, he could probably sense it. They knew each other pretty well by now, he could probably sense every reaction she would have to his comments, although she would hate to be predictable. “Oh wow, I can see everyone’s flaws from up here. I can totally get used to this.” She glanced around, taking in their surroundings from now her high place, as he finally got them out of the ditch. “That sounds so much better than any high school. Damn, I wish I had those classes instead. I dig it. You can tell me more. I’ll just chill up here.”

“Don’t those two things go hand in hand? If you’re good, the word spreads. If you’re extremely bad, the word spreads. So... you’re average, at best?” Teo questioned Haylee, teasing her. He had no doubt that she was good. But he wasn’t going to let her know that, he wasn’t going to let her tease him about something like that. Whatever kind of friendship they had, it was different. “So, basically, what you’re telling me, is that it’s a miracle you’re still alive, isn’t it?” He asked her, teasingly. It wasn’t something to joke about, clearly, but if she didn’t want to talk more about it, so be it. If she did, Teo would gladly listen to it. It was simply easier to let her talk, rather than urge her to do so. Again, it was simply the way they functioned. As she teased him, however, he merely rolled his eyes, only to end up laughing as Haylee spoke about the brand new sights, once they were out of the hole. “Don’t get too used to it. You’ll never be suitable for the ‘what’s the weather like up there?’ jokes, ever.” Teo continued to tease her, yet held her up, allowing for her to enjoy it, for once. It wasn’t like he struggled with her weight on his shoulders, anyways. “Is it, really? Not that any of us actually wanted to learn how to read or write, it would’ve been a good thing to learn when you were seven, rather when you were in your thirties.” He mused.

Danielle’s brows furrowed together at his words. “Oh, that was the worst. A lonely stay at home housekeeper decided to write a generic book. A somewhat love story.” Danielle read the first page of the book before throwing it away to the flames. It was poorly written and together with the content, it was ridiculous. Though she did go see the first move, only to be disappointed. That time, she was the girl who threw things at the screen while bad mouthing every second scene. No shame there.  “A surprise, is still a surprise, no matter the outcome. And well… That’s a good question.” Her eyes moved away from his frame and stared into the distance as she tried to think of an answer for him. There was such a thing as girl code, but that would never be put on him. Technically, he owed her no loyalties. There was only one thing that she knew she would never return from. “Trust. I don’t hand that out easily as it goes. There isn’t even a handful of people that have that. But I don’t do second chances. Once it’s gone, there’s nothing to turn back.” He shoulders shrugged lightly. This was all to blame the people who raised her. Probably was something that was too deep to change, and to be fair, she didn’t even want to change it. That simply gave her the skin that allowed her to do and be the fuck she wanted to. A smile crept back on her lips, as she moved her head to face him once again. “I think the empty-headed bimbos would take 50%, then the rest will be shared by the men who want to take your place, and the people whose jobs you took over when you opened your practice here. You may be drop-dead gorgeous, but you also have brains. It’s a double threat for the whole town.” 

Grinning, Danielle took another sip from her glass, before placing it back down on the table. “To each their own.” Her own home had all the necessities to make it look like it was someone’s home. But if she moved and another family went in, there wouldn’t need to be a single change. Her place simply looked like something out of a magazine. It was her way of protesting the fact that this was the town that she stayed in the longest in the last five years. The thought that she could get her bag and go, soothed her. Danielle stayed in her place, her one arm resting on the couch. “I’ve got to get things going somehow.” She smirked, as she sucked in her lower lip. “Surely, after a long day of work, you’d want to relax. I thought I’d let you make the move.”

“For someone who dislikes it so, so much, you know a lot about it.” Teo pointed out with a small, cheeky smirk as he observed Danielle. He wouldn’t really be too surprised if she secretly liked the books and the movies, and while he couldn’t judge her on it, he could still poke fun at her for it. It was what the two of them did, after all. Tease each other, make fun of each other, and then sleep together. How dysfunctional yet comfortable it was. He remained silent,t hen, as their conversation turned a little more serious, and Teo allowed Danielle to talk, to open up to him- in a way, at least. It was all being done step by step, even if he wasn’t sure this was the direction they were supposed to take things at. “It’s a fairly good thing. Anyone, who breaks your trust, should not remain in your life.” Teo agreed. It was something he stuck to over the many centuries he was alive. It was the only proper way he could survive for so long, after all. Only, at times, he would push it to the max, and simply trust no one. “Well then. I’ll try not to break your trust. Everything else, but that, I’ll do whatever I please with.” He added, cheekily, with a small smile.

“Have I really taken over that many jobs? I just assumed that people in this town were prone to accidents.” He couldn’t complain about the lack of work, really.  It was more than enough to keep him occupied during the day, and the many extra hours he had to put in were something that Teo genuinely enjoyed. So he took another sip of his drink, enjoying the burn of alcohol that traveled down his throat, before he focused back on Danielle. “Don’t tell me your house is littered with personal possessions. You don’t strike me as the kind to have something like that.” He might have not known her so well, but he hoped he knew her well enough. At least, he was observant enough. Still, as she spoke again, he focused on her instead, a small, teasing smirk appearing on the man’s face. “Oh, you’d let me make the move? You make it sound like you’re the one in charge here, darling.”

“Darn me for trying to make better choices and drink less alcohol.” He gave an overdramatic sigh. Dramatics aside, he wasn’t about to change his ways and do a one-eighty reverting all the way back to how he’d been for the three long decades after the war. “I’ll accept thanks in the form of no less than four statues made out of gold. I’ll pose differently for each of them.”

“It’s a valuable lesson. Never make better choices, and always drink plenty of alcohol.” Teo nodded along with a serious look on his face before smiling eventually. “I’m sure the mayor will be understanding and make sure all those statues are build. And placed in such a way, that, on a sunny day, they blind everyone who looks at them. That way, you can say your looks are blinding.”

“Ah, yeah. Guess that’s true.” He felt endlessly relieved that he worked in a profession that allowed him to wear his sweater and jean combos in the endless loops. “Maybe you could legally blonde it though. Work a little color into that world.”

“I’m blonde enough without wearing the pink suits.” Teo mused as he unbuttoned the jacket and took it off. “Would you pay good money to a lawyer who’d come in wearing bright colors and crazy patterns?”

Ezra chuckled. “I was pretty sure I wasn’t, but thanks for making me feel better,” he joked. He grinned and shrugged as he looked over the man. “Yeah, you look good. I mean, it looks like it fits and everything.”

“Enjoy it while it lasts.” Teo brushed it off with a small smile. He wasn’t one to go around, handing out compliments to people- or even something as simple as assurance. “Then I might just get rid of this headache and just by it.”