Note to Pandemonium: Your moral dilema inspired me, and I dedicate
this chapter to you. Enjoy.
"Tutoring Sessions"
Part 6
"No, it wasn't," RJ insisted.
"Was so. Eddie was obviously playing because he knew nothing that had happened would ever change. It was his defense against the darkness," Miranda insisted.
"No... Miranda... you've got it all wrong. He wasn't playing to hide, he was *making music* to show that he'd finally overcome his darkness--with Lena's help." They were standing outside the Gold Rush theatre discussing both the ending of the movie and the ending of the book.
"The love of a good woman, huh?"
"Something like that." RJ was grinning at her. "You wanna grab something to eat?"
"Sure." Miranda had to admit that RJ was right; it had been a fun to watch one of her favorite movies with someone who shared her love of the noire genre. Even more fun was the fact that RJ wasn't afraid to debate interpretations and gave his opinions with such passion. The more she got to know him, the more she enjoyed his company.
He was fun to be with. Kind of like--
"Declan! Peggy!" Miranda exclaimed, stopping just short of stepping off the curb towards RJ's car when she saw her friends walking towards them.
"Miranda, hey!" Declan was grinning like a fool, which was never good. "Fancy us running into you like this! Peg and I were about to see what was playing."
" _Tirez sûr le pianiste_. A classic!" RJ came up beside them. "You're Professor Dunn, right? You into the genre?"
Declan threw Miranda a confused look. "Noire," she told him and he wrinkled his nose. "Declan's more of a sci-fi geek," she told RJ.
RJ considered. "I think Blade Runner is playing tomorrow night," he said at last. "Awesome flick."
"You must be RJ," Peggy said, breaking in before Declan could say anything. "Miranda told us she was tutoring you."
"Yeah... she's a great teacher," RJ came back, smiling broadly.
*~*~*~*
"He likes you," Declan told Miranda.
They were sitting in Declan's office with Peggy, Mole and a pizza.
"Yeah, we're friends," Miranda told him.
"Miranda, he *likes* you!" insisted Declan. "I mean really *likes* you. I can tell."
"The same way you could tell Peggy was in love with you?" she countered.
"Ouch! That hurt. Plus, that was different."
"How was it different, Declan?" Peggy interjected in her "Dr. Fowler voice."
"Well, it... we... I... Wait a minute! This isn't about me. It's about Miranda... and Waldau's son."
"Declan! For the last time--we're just friends. Just like you and I are just friends."
"Yeah, right. I saw the way he looked at you. That's not how friends look at each other."
Miranda snorted. She vaguely remembered telling Declan the same thing three months ago... only about Peggy. Hoping to avoid further comment, she picked up a piece of pizza and took a bite. "Just friends," she mumbled one last time around her food.
*~*~*~*
When she got back to her apartment, she found a message on her answering machine. It was from RJ. "Hey, Miranda! Wanted you to know, spoke to Professor Dad about the tutoring thing. Told him I quit. He wasn't happy." The was a brief pause in which Miranda felt sorry for her new friend, even though he'd technically brought it on himself. Then "anyway, I was wondering... are you free Friday? Call me."
"Tutoring Sessions"
Part 6
"No, it wasn't," RJ insisted.
"Was so. Eddie was obviously playing because he knew nothing that had happened would ever change. It was his defense against the darkness," Miranda insisted.
"No... Miranda... you've got it all wrong. He wasn't playing to hide, he was *making music* to show that he'd finally overcome his darkness--with Lena's help." They were standing outside the Gold Rush theatre discussing both the ending of the movie and the ending of the book.
"The love of a good woman, huh?"
"Something like that." RJ was grinning at her. "You wanna grab something to eat?"
"Sure." Miranda had to admit that RJ was right; it had been a fun to watch one of her favorite movies with someone who shared her love of the noire genre. Even more fun was the fact that RJ wasn't afraid to debate interpretations and gave his opinions with such passion. The more she got to know him, the more she enjoyed his company.
He was fun to be with. Kind of like--
"Declan! Peggy!" Miranda exclaimed, stopping just short of stepping off the curb towards RJ's car when she saw her friends walking towards them.
"Miranda, hey!" Declan was grinning like a fool, which was never good. "Fancy us running into you like this! Peg and I were about to see what was playing."
" _Tirez sûr le pianiste_. A classic!" RJ came up beside them. "You're Professor Dunn, right? You into the genre?"
Declan threw Miranda a confused look. "Noire," she told him and he wrinkled his nose. "Declan's more of a sci-fi geek," she told RJ.
RJ considered. "I think Blade Runner is playing tomorrow night," he said at last. "Awesome flick."
"You must be RJ," Peggy said, breaking in before Declan could say anything. "Miranda told us she was tutoring you."
"Yeah... she's a great teacher," RJ came back, smiling broadly.
*~*~*~*
"He likes you," Declan told Miranda.
They were sitting in Declan's office with Peggy, Mole and a pizza.
"Yeah, we're friends," Miranda told him.
"Miranda, he *likes* you!" insisted Declan. "I mean really *likes* you. I can tell."
"The same way you could tell Peggy was in love with you?" she countered.
"Ouch! That hurt. Plus, that was different."
"How was it different, Declan?" Peggy interjected in her "Dr. Fowler voice."
"Well, it... we... I... Wait a minute! This isn't about me. It's about Miranda... and Waldau's son."
"Declan! For the last time--we're just friends. Just like you and I are just friends."
"Yeah, right. I saw the way he looked at you. That's not how friends look at each other."
Miranda snorted. She vaguely remembered telling Declan the same thing three months ago... only about Peggy. Hoping to avoid further comment, she picked up a piece of pizza and took a bite. "Just friends," she mumbled one last time around her food.
*~*~*~*
When she got back to her apartment, she found a message on her answering machine. It was from RJ. "Hey, Miranda! Wanted you to know, spoke to Professor Dad about the tutoring thing. Told him I quit. He wasn't happy." The was a brief pause in which Miranda felt sorry for her new friend, even though he'd technically brought it on himself. Then "anyway, I was wondering... are you free Friday? Call me."