selfhelp | [Action/Written]

[Billy has never thought of himself as one of those obsessive stalker boyfriends who needs to be attached at the hip to his significant other at all times. Really, he'd always figured they were pretty good about mutual space. A two-month separation with the potential of spending years in this place without seeing Teddy again is, however, apparently the trigger he'd needed to become one, so after one too many looks from Teddy - some patient, others not so much - he'd officially gotten himself banished from the apartment for the afternoon after too much worried lurking. Which is... not the greatest thing ever on a hot day like today, but ten minutes down the road he realizes that, yeah, he'd been a little ridiculous, either blowing off his responsibilities or dragging Teddy along for the ride. He's happy and eager to have Teddy here, but they'd lived separate lives at least half the time back home; no reason for that to not continue here as well.

It's just hard to let go after you've missed someone for that long.

Still, that's how he finds himself out and about for around five hours today, doing the following (in no particular order):

- a late lunch at Seventh Heaven
- searching around the library for comic books
- combat practice in the Battle Dome (with or without his trusty new teacher)

While at the library, a few sketches find their way into his journal, more or less like the following: this, this, and this. Some time afterwards, a scribbled message appears below.]

What are some good ways to deal with bad dreams?

[Once he's finished all his daily stuff, he'll be bringing groceries home around dinner time, in the hopes that he's allowed. Feel free to run into him at any time.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He has to really try not to laugh at her expression. He can't help getting a kick out of the reactions he gets for this stuff. Poor Teddy.]

Yeah- well, I mean, he was raised on Earth with humans, but he was born on another planet. It's pretty cool.

So...wow. Does that mean there's travel from planet to planet in your world too, like in Luke's?

[All that newfangled technology is so interesting!]

Yeah, plenty of it, though it's mostly aliens coming to Earth and not the other way around. Time travel, too- that's actually how we met, to answer your earlier question. Someone showed up from the future and introduced us.

...Well. That's one way to go about matchmaking.

Uh... well, he didn't really introduce us so we could date, we kind of did that on our own. But he helped us with the first step.

[She was joking but...well, she's not known for her sense of humour. >_> Still, Sabriel nods with a small smile.]

I suppose the cause of the meeting doesn't matter so long as you're both happy.

[He just knows it really was a weird way to hook up |D]

We definitely are that. I... can't imagine going back to the way I was before.

It shows that you are. It's sweet and...a little refreshing to see. [Hopefully that doesn't sound creepy.] The people in my home world are not very openly affectionate.

Is there some kind of cultural stigma, or is it just the norm?

[A lot of cultures on Earth are kind of private about that stuff. He can't really imagine it, admittedly- the idea of having to think about when he can or can't be affectionate with Teddy has more to do with avoiding bloody noses than what's socially acceptable (not that Teddy would let anyone beat him up for something like that).

As far as I'm aware it's the norm...but then again we've only really speculated on what relationships were like. Growing up in an all girls College doesn't leave much of an opportunity for it.

[Not to mention that people are also a little...wary of her because of her lineage. More from her potential power over the Dead and other strange and terrible forces than her as herself but people tend to see her as 'Abhorsen' before they see her for herself.]

Oh man, did you go right from that to a place like that? No wonder you're not sure what to do.

[Kind of hard to form deeper relationships in a place with only one gender unless you're attracted to said gender, and he's just going to guess that that's rare where she's from, considering her reaction to his own relationship status.]

I was first enrolled when I was four and have lived there ever since. Other than what we read in our books or heard over the radio the only reference point we had was from the gossip of the older girls.

[It wasn't all that bad really, but growing up with the same class from such a young age is more like gaining many sisters than accessing a pool of potential romantic interests. At least that's how she's always thought of it.]

Oh man, transdimensional boarding school. That's always fun.

[She doesn't sound unhappy about it, so he shrugs his shoulders.]

Well, my advice still stands- I don't think it can hurt to try.

[Sabriel nods with a small smile. She'll wait and see what happens...perhaps something could work out. Sitting up as the door chimes with new customers she looks a little bashful as she remembers she's supposed to be working.]

Oh- I should probably get back to work, is there anything else you'd like from the kitchen?

[Billy follows her gaze to the door - oops, he's kind of monopolized her attention - and smiles, waving her off.]

I'm okay, thanks. I should think about heading out soon anyway. I appreciated the company, though.

I'm glad I could sit and talk with you. And...thank you for the advice.

[With a warm smile she collects her tray and heads over to the door to lead the new diners to their seats.]

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