Booths

[Administrator]

The Booths that line the walls, they have a very peaceful lighting here.

[Shannon Murphy]

<New Day - Reserved for Banshee O'Hara>

Shannon sensed a bit of uneasiness from him as they reached the door of the restaurant and as he glanced once more down at his clothing before straightening his shoulder, Shannon felt her heart do the tiniest of flips. For some reason the thought that he cared so much how he looked when he escorted her through the door caused something to tug in her gut - not so much because she cared, because she didn't. But because it meant she mattered, and somewhere along the way mattering to him had become important. "Ye look fine," Shannon said softly, reaching up a hand and instinctively smoothing some of his hair before slipping it into his offered arm.

"Lead the way laddie," She said with a smile as they moved into the crowded restaurant and were seated along the wall in a booth that gave the illusion of intimacy and privacy. It was something she was grateful for as she settled into the bench of the booth across from him and settled her hands on the table. Now that they were here, the formality of the moment sinking in all around and Shannon felt admittedly a little bit at a loss. Because dances in McGinty's as Bridgette played, or in the rain on a stormy night or chance meetings in the park seemed somehow easier situations for her to navigate than the formal moment of dinner in a real live restaurant. But as she gazed over at him, Shannon realized with a fierce certainty that there was really no place she would rather be. "So then," Shannon said, a smile tugging at her features as she rested her elbow on the table and set her chin in her hand, her tone playful. "What now?"

[Banshee O'Hara]

Banshee tilted his head slightly, the movement pressing his head into the light brush of her fingers as she smoothed his hair. A soft smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and he nodded briefly at her words as she took his arm. He was struck again by her beauty...both the obvious outward show, and, more importantly to him, the way it shone in her eyes despite the lingering traces of shadows, and he thought himself to be one of the luckiest in the world to have caught her eye.

The feeling stayed with him he led her through the dinner crowd, lingering, if not growing, as they settled into their booth. The restaurant hummed with the quiet, genteel chatter of the other patrons, but as he sat across from her, his gaze on her face, Banshee found himself at a loss for words. If he were honest, the formality of the situation was more than a little intimidating, and he couldn't help but wish for the ease of their previous chance meetings. Even so, he had no regrets about how the day had progressed, and mixed with the nerves was an almost contradictory feeling of rightness. Her playful question seemed to mirror his own thoughts, and he ducked his head a little with a sheepish grin. "Don't know, t' tell ye the truth... I'd no' actually got passed the askin' o' ye in me head, an' it hadn't crossed me mind that I'd be sittin' here wit' ye this very evenin'...." He broke off with a shrug and gazed at her, his eyes taking in her now familiar features. "Glad that I am, though," he said finally, a tiny smirk teasing his lips.

[Shannon Murphy]

"Are ye now?" Shannon said, her eyes dancing with amusement and pleasure at his quiet and cheerful admission. And as she gazed across the table at him, Shannon became more and more aware of the things about him that she enjoyed - how much he reminded her of the vibrant country she had left behind. For if Shannon was anything, it was Irish through and through and as most of their blood, unafraid and unashamed to claim, whether someone asked or naught. Making the decision to leave Ireland had been easy at the time, another grand adventure with her best friend at her side, but now with time having passed and the loss of Sean so achingly fresh - Shannon found she missed it more than ever.

But she found little bits of it here and there; in the middle of a song during a busy night at McGinty's, in the stillness of the air after a rain, and in the shimmering blue of Banshee's eyes that reminded her of home. "I find meself rather fond of my evenin' company as well," She admitted with a smile, just as the waitress approached to take their drink order and Shannon settled on water for the moment - she supposed there might be great many a moment for ale later, but for now she wanted to be present.

[Banshee O'Hara]

A simple nod was all he could manage as he gazed across the table at her. The lightheartedness that shown in her eyes was uncommon these days, though something Banshee strove to bring about as often as he could, and though he'd managed to bring a smile to her lips often enough even now, the true joy that seemed to start in her very soul was something that had been painfully elusive as of late. Her smiling admission had such a feeling of boyish joy bubbling through him that it was all he could do not to reach across the table and grab the hand that still rested there.

He was saved the embarrassment of such an impetuous action by the arrival of their waitress, and though his first inclination was a pint, he followed Shannon's lead and ordered a water for himself as well. Settling back slightly into his seat, he glanced around at their surroundings before returning his gaze to her. His eyes, though still warm with happiness, held a warm concern as well as he studied her, and he tilted his head slightly, as if a different angle might allow access to some deeper dimension. "How have ye been, Shannon?" he asked finally, trying to keep his tone light, but unable to mask the hint that his question was not just a matter of formality.

[Shannon Murphy]

It was instinct that had Shannon opening her mouth to insist that she had been fine, the reassuring platitudes that she had been spouting to concerned regulars and coworkers since Sean's death that had now become something like second nature. But a single look into those Irish blue eyes and Shannon felt something deep inside her tug and the instinct to deflect abated. "I'd be lyin' if I said I've been well," Shannon finally admitted with the slightest lift of her shoulders in a uncertain shrug as she lifted her eyes to meet his. "It's rather like havin' a piece of me soul gone missin' and no way to account for the hole it left behind," She explained, feeling the slightest burn of tears at the back of her eyes and she battled it away.

For confessions of feelings and emotions were a path Shannon was willing to walk down at the moment - but tears were hers alone to have and she wasn't feeling like sharing them, not even with Banshee. "He was me best friend for so long..." Shannon grappled relationship feeling somehow shortchanged by the simple label of 'friend'. "They say time makes the pain lessen," Shannon said with a slight shake of her head as she looked over at Banshee and had the sudden urge to crawl into his arms and let him shoulder the feelings and wail of emotions that had been following her around for what felt like months. "They are all a bunch of bloody liars, aye?"

[Banshee O'Hara]

For one long moment, Banshee thought she was going to lie...to keep the emotions that had been lurking just barely below the surface hidden, showing only in the shadows of her eyes and the faint lines of strain around her mouth. He wouldn't have blamed her for it at all. Grief was a personal matter, and one dealt with in many ways depending on the person. But he had seen his fair share, both of his own and in others, and it was his observation that some of the most outwardly strong were the ones closest to falling apart. Though he wasn't certain it was the case with Shannon, nor was he confident that she would want him to be around if she did, he still felt he needed to make the effort to let her know that he would be there if and when she needed him. The fact that she was dropping her guard even a little left him with the hope that, if nothing else, she at least saw him as a friend she could trust with her private thoughts.

Nodding quietly, he listened as she described feelings that were more familiar than he cared to admit. Though she admirably kept her tears limited to a telltale brightness in her eyes, the pain in her words tore at him, and had they been somewhere more private, he would have had her in his arms in a heartbeat. But here, in front of so many potentially prying eyes, was not the place for it, and he knew she'd not thank him for the comfort. He settled instead on shifting his leg beneath the table, his calf sliding discreetly along hers and resting there with a gentle pressure he hoped she would take as the support he intended.

The candidness of her question caught him off guard, and his gaze slid from hers to roam around the restaurant as he considered. "Well," he began finally, his eyes finding hers once more. "Time can help in that after awhile ye can find better ways t' manage the pain, maybe, if yer lucky, find ways t' distract yerself from it, but..." He trailed off with a faint, sad smile. "Aye, whoever says that it lessens is a bloody liar o' the worst kind."

[Shannon Murphy]

Shannon felt his legs shifting beneath the table and then the strong, masculine presence of his calf pressing into hers and her eyes darted to his just in time to see that he was looking at her in a steady way that caused some of what had been twisting inside her to settle. It was almost shocking, that he would have that kind of impact on her, that a simple touch, a look from this man could tame Shannon Murphy enough that she might feel...settled. "Aye, the world be full of liars and fools," Shannon mused quietly, reaching over and starting to play a napkin between her fingers as she waited for the wave of emotion to pass.

Shannon was, by nature, an emotional lass - there was no use in her denying it as it was tied into her blood as her impulsive Irish tongue. But she much preferred to display the cheery side of things, like at the pub when she took to dancing and singing or laughing with customers. She embraced the cheery things in life because they were easy to share with others, but the other side of things, the broken pieces that remained when the happiness was stripped away - Shannon wished to keep that to herself. She struggled with the sharing, even though she knew Banshee had asked and by the solid presence of his leg and the caring in his eyes, he didn't mind the moments that passed. It was those thoughts that finally pulled her from it, that allowed her to refocus and some of the light to return to her eyes.

"Ach, tis foolish of me to focus on such things when so little can be done," She shot him a cheery smile and then because she appreciated his concern, she allowed her hand to slip beneath the table and find his knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. "So what shall we have to eat then? Do ye know what's good here?"

[Banshee O'Hara]

Banshee turned his gaze from her when it became apparent that the moment had passed. Studying the menu that lay before him, his eyes still darted to watch her discreetly as she took a few moments to compose herself. Though he knew what had just passed between them most likely barely hinted at the depths of what she carried within her, he was content to know that she had opened up at all. It was a start, and a display of trust he wasn’t about to betray, nor give cause to regret. Alternating his gaze between the menu and her, he was aware of the exact moment the light began to trickle back into her eyes, and it was only then that he allowed his full gaze to return to her.

He answered her cheery smile with one of his own, though it turned slightly devilish at the feel of her hand on his knee. Understanding of the reason for the gesture alone kept his lips sealed against the cheeky comments that sprung readily to his mind, and he settled instead for a neutral wink to be interpreted as she desired. Shaking his head, he turned his gaze to study the menu in earnest. “I don’t, no…” he admitted sheepishly as his eyes traveled over the offerings, many of them unfamiliar. Grinning both in amusement and mild self-consciousness, he shrugged good naturedly. “Sure, didn’t I warn ye this wasn’t one o’ me better laid plans?”

[Shannon Murphy]

Shannon, most people would be surprised to learn, was a rather private sort when it came right down to it. The bluster and brashness of her personality tended to distract from the fact, because she was generous with song and smiles at the pub and those that knew her knew her smile more than her frown. But she felt deeply and fully as one might imagine and the death of her dearest friend had struck hard and fast - and Shannon could admit that she had thrown herself into work at the pub as a result. Gazing over her menu at Banshee, Shannon could feel some of the haze from her cloud of sorrow lift, some of the steeliness that had been wired into her bones as of late to support Bridgette waning just a little. Because his blue eyes danced and the pressure of his leg against hers was warm and he reminded her of home with a promise of adventure in the future.

And so she smiled wide at his wink, feeling somehow lighter in the knowledge that she was here with him and that he cared. Plus she thought she saw the trace of something in his blue eyes, a flare of heat at the touch on his knee and she couldn't help the warmth that surged inside her as her thoughts trailed down another path. Of a rain soaked night and cold air, of a fire in an abandoned building's fireplace and the feel of his mouth squarely on her own. Oh but there was much promise in all of that, now wasn't there. It coaxed another smile from her and she tilted her head to the side and studied him for a moment. "Aye, so ye claimed," She teased lightly, allowing her hand to linger on his knee, her fingers toying with the material of his pants. "And yet here we sit with nary an idea what we might order to fill our bellies." She dropped her eyes away from him and to the menu, scanning it once more before shrugging just as he had only moments ago. "I say we try the special, aye?"

[Banshee O'Hara]

The lightly teasing tone was one Banshee was more than familiar with, coming from the girl before him, and he was content to fall into the familiar routine of playful banter for the moment. The offer of support and a friendly ear was out there, and there was no doubt that he knew she was aware of it. Whether or not she chose to accept, or to what extent, was her business, and he wasn't about to let his own lingering concerns for her overshadow what little peace she seemed to have found. How deep it went, or how long it would last, he didn't know, but he was nearly certain that he was the cause of it, and the knowledge filled him with a warm...glow of a sort.

Her hand, as of yet lingering on his knee, did nothing to quiet the unfamiliar stirrings of his soul, and he couldn't help but wonder if her thoughts also wandered to a night not so far past. Studying her features, he thought he caught a flare of something deep in eyes as stormy as the night in question, but before he could confirm or deny, her gaze had dropped to the menu in earnest. Content to let it pass for the moment, he started to look again to his own menu when her words quickly brought his gaze back to her face. The smirk that slid over his lips and the matching glint in his eye were full of roguish playfulness as he discreetly covered her hand with his and gave it a light squeeze. "Well, I have t' admit t' havin' tried the special once, an' it's eager I am t' be tryin' it again," he said, his tone low as he leaned in a bit. "But, for now, I'm willin' t' settle for fillin' my belly..." Giving her a cheeky wink, he straightened as their waitress approached, his face falling into one of mild innocence as he added conversationally, "Aye, Shannon, I think the special sounds just the thing."

[Shannon Murphy]

Shannon couldn't help the smile that burst forth at Banshee's playful comment, his hand warm, gentle and firm on her own as he squeezed and she felt her eyes practically dance as she returned his wink with one of her own. "Aye, the special it is then," She confirmed with a nod, telling the waitress such as she arrived at their table and seemed ready to take their order. Once she had left and the formalities of placing their order had passed, Shannon found that she couldn't quite take her eyes from Banshee's face. The playful smile and twinkling eyes drawing her in more with each passing moment and the truth of it was she didn't mind it a bit - for as she had so recently just been reminded, life was to short not to embrace these moments when they found you.

And as such she considered him for a moment across the table, thinking of the moments that had passed between them since they'd met in McGinty's. The playful flirting banter and dances in the bustle of the pub, the unexpected early morning meeting by the pond and yes that night that lingered forever in the edges of her memory and that she paused to examine perhaps more often than she dared admit. Life was to short indeed and Shannon wasn't of a mind to to let it pass her by either and so she finished her perusal of Banshee's handsome face by catching his eyes and allowing her smile to soften.

"Are ye fond of me, Banshee?" It was a question that perhaps in the past she had asked in jest, with a teasing tone and playful smile, meant to draw out a flirt and enjoy the moment. But this time it was different, a more serious edge to the words and a need to know what might lay in the heart of the man sitting across from her, because Shannon could feel the beating of her own even as she waited for his answer.