madhavi

The tone of his question was so drastically different than what she'd been listening to that Madhavi almost missed it all together -- and then took a few seconds longer to realize he was speaking to her at all. She turned to look at him with a single blink, an almost comical owl-like expression in that big confused gaze of hers.

A dancer? When was the last time she'd danced to anything? Maybe a little shimmy here or there when she cleaned in the solace of her own home, but certainly not where anyone else might see it and definitely not something she'd classify as truly... you know. 'Dancing'. But professionally? In some other time, in some other place, the question might have made her laugh. As it stood, Madhavi tried not to linger on how random the subject matter seemed and offered him a couple slow shakes of her head, choosing not to inquire further into this particular line of questioning. "No?" Was the only gentle answer he received while pushing to a stand. For what it was worth she didn't seem offended one way or another, though whether or not she truly understood what he was referring to was a different question entirely.

When he laid out his reasoning for wanting to fix the thermostat tonight Madhavi held back a sigh. She wasn't quite certain whether or not he'd have taken the chance to bail so easily; perhaps the little half of her that had picked up on his earlier annoyance hinging on the fact it was at least a viable option. That being said... she didn't know how far away Best Buy was and supposed it didn't particularly matter. Even if it was right next door it'd give her the chance to slip away quietly during his absence. Every time she thought about doing it the weight of that choice became heavier still. Did she really want to leave after finding him all these years later? No. Whatever he did or didn't think, whatever he did or didn't end up remembering... Tetradore had been important to her, too.

And he was right here.

Close.
Alive.

What more could she ever ask for?

The answer nearly brought her to tears right then and there, the realization stark and utterly finite in her mind.

Nothing.

She didn't have the right to ask for anything.

It was that singular belief that, in those split few seconds, helped Madhavi keep it together long enough to nod in acquiesce and then softly pad away towards a ladder she didn't really care about. While she had no lingering scent that followed, her movements were subtle and familiar in the gut-tugging sort of way; only the sharpest of observations hinting to the fact that she was -- should have been -- was probably? A Were. Not just a Were but quite possibly of the cat-variety. It was the soft surety of her steps, the quiet caution of her movements, and the subtle sway of hips from someone who'd learned the balancing act of living with a long tail. For a feline paying attention it would not have been impossible to guess. For one who wasn't? A bit maddening at the sensation unable to be placed.

By the time she'd made it to the ladder she could feel herself fraying at the edges. Madhavi stared at the clasps without really seeing them and when she finally attempted to collapse one side the gesture was awkward and incorrect. "It's okay. I can do this." She gave the clasp another tug but it continued to do nothing and was still incorrect.

Oh.

Her interest then quickly waned and those green eyes flit to look back at Tetradore, the glistening sheen in them probably just a trick of hallway lighting. The smile she offered to the unknown Were-King was just a simper but rang genuine and terribly fond all the same. "You should go to the store," she assured calmly, but her words rang with such a deep resonating sadness that something just felt... off. It didn't sound so much like a reassurance as it did a... goodbye?

"It would be a waste if it closed on you."

Her weight shifted to her other hip, the fingers that still lingered on the clasp for support suddenly pushing instead of pulling. It bent just enough to pinch the delicate skin between them and Madhavi jerked her hand back with a silent gasp, fingers curled and now clutched closely to her chest.

At least she had an excuse for the tears now.