![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xp_submariner posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
xp_logsHaller and Namor exist in the library, independently. They are now best friends.
This was unusual. Jim had come to the library looking for privacy, but he had arrived to find it -- against all expectation -- already occupied. This was a potential issue.
"Sorry, I didn't realize anyone else was here. Would it disturb you if I set up for a while?"
What was arguably the best reading nook in the entire library — not in sight of any of the doors or shelves with fine leather cushioned worn in just enough, the fancy kind to boot, that were only complimented by the perfect mix of ambient lighting and indirect sunlight — was, to reiterate, already occupied. The dark-featured man who was currently king of this little bastion of privacy, literary luxury, and dramatically soft backlighting. He raised his head to proffer a cold, level gaze that questioned who would dare intrude upon this biblioical bed of roses unannounced.
What he said, though, was "I will allow it."
Jim quickly flipped through his mental rolodex of what little he knew of Namor, taking in the man's mien and general demeanor. He inclined his head in a way that could almost have been construed as a bow.
"Thank you, Your Highness," the telepath said, without a trace of irony. "I'll be quiet."
"Yes," he agreed. His eyes were already back on the page in front of him. "You will."
Jim nodded. Without another word he pulled up a chair at a reading table a respectful distance from the Atlantean, opened his laptop, and got to work.
There was, if one squinted, a twist of the light that revealed the glimmer of a smile from across that respectful distance. A hint. Computer, pause. Enhance. There, right there: the briefest, contented nod from the Prince of the Depths. Satisfaction. Resume playback. Two men, sitting in complete silence. Ignoring each other.
Which is how Alani came across the pair, looking to make sure nothing had escaped her reshelving task. Immediately, a bright smile spread across her face, overjoyed at what seemed to be a very obvious friendship. "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you guys were working together. Lemme know if you need anything."
Jim blinked up from the screen of his laptop. He exchanged a look with Namor, a man with whom he had not exchanged a word in more than two hours.
"No," Jim replied, giving Alani a smile, "we're good."
The look she received from Namor was flat, but his tone was neutral. "We are bonding. Leave us."
"Can do," Alani's response was practically sing-song, upbeat and still smiling as she noted that nothing was left out and turned on her heels. "Have fun~."
Alani left them, and indeed, they did.
No small talk, probing questions, or traumatic reveals were exchanged over the next hour. It was perfect.
This was unusual. Jim had come to the library looking for privacy, but he had arrived to find it -- against all expectation -- already occupied. This was a potential issue.
"Sorry, I didn't realize anyone else was here. Would it disturb you if I set up for a while?"
What was arguably the best reading nook in the entire library — not in sight of any of the doors or shelves with fine leather cushioned worn in just enough, the fancy kind to boot, that were only complimented by the perfect mix of ambient lighting and indirect sunlight — was, to reiterate, already occupied. The dark-featured man who was currently king of this little bastion of privacy, literary luxury, and dramatically soft backlighting. He raised his head to proffer a cold, level gaze that questioned who would dare intrude upon this biblioical bed of roses unannounced.
What he said, though, was "I will allow it."
Jim quickly flipped through his mental rolodex of what little he knew of Namor, taking in the man's mien and general demeanor. He inclined his head in a way that could almost have been construed as a bow.
"Thank you, Your Highness," the telepath said, without a trace of irony. "I'll be quiet."
"Yes," he agreed. His eyes were already back on the page in front of him. "You will."
Jim nodded. Without another word he pulled up a chair at a reading table a respectful distance from the Atlantean, opened his laptop, and got to work.
There was, if one squinted, a twist of the light that revealed the glimmer of a smile from across that respectful distance. A hint. Computer, pause. Enhance. There, right there: the briefest, contented nod from the Prince of the Depths. Satisfaction. Resume playback. Two men, sitting in complete silence. Ignoring each other.
Which is how Alani came across the pair, looking to make sure nothing had escaped her reshelving task. Immediately, a bright smile spread across her face, overjoyed at what seemed to be a very obvious friendship. "Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you guys were working together. Lemme know if you need anything."
Jim blinked up from the screen of his laptop. He exchanged a look with Namor, a man with whom he had not exchanged a word in more than two hours.
"No," Jim replied, giving Alani a smile, "we're good."
The look she received from Namor was flat, but his tone was neutral. "We are bonding. Leave us."
"Can do," Alani's response was practically sing-song, upbeat and still smiling as she noted that nothing was left out and turned on her heels. "Have fun~."
Alani left them, and indeed, they did.
No small talk, probing questions, or traumatic reveals were exchanged over the next hour. It was perfect.
