[the 'ships i want' meme]

[newschool]

from here:

► spies. they're undercover (either having to pose as a married couple or siblings) and things spark.
► something unhealthy. the two partners genuinely love each other but they're just really bad for each other.
► dealing with workahol. most of my characters love their jobs (to the point where if the option was available, they would marry them) and need to be dragged away.
► one-sided love. one's in love, the other's faking it.
► vampires.

Comments

[whatcanailthee]

John pauses, momentarily lost. How does he answer that question? The truth invites too many questions, opens the door to losing his pleasant company for the evening. But lies... for someone who aspires to make a living from flights of imagination, he is the most terrible at lying.

"I wished for the air," he settles on. "My head needed clearing."

It's not entirely deceptive.

[depointedulac]

His companion is lying. There is no question about that. How interesting, that neither of them is being completely truthful with the other. Louis wonders if the untruth has anything to do with that scent of hell.

"I suspect," he says, mildly, "that you were out on an evening like this for reasons other than you have stated. However, I cannot disagree with you; London during and after a rain does clear some of the ever-present miasma on this city."

[whatcanailthee]

The pause that follows is just slightly too long, slightly too quiet. John straightens up a little, unsure if his lie is being fully called out, or his companion is merely making an offhand comment.

"Perhaps the reason remains unknown to me," he allows. "I felt the need to get out of my boarding house."

[depointedulac]

Louis notices the too-long pause, the shift of his companion's body, and he watches the man closely, his eyes not castigating or judging, merely curious. He truly doubts that they will get to the heart of the matter after a mild, easily dismissed question, but he believes he has planted the seeds of disbelief, and hopes next time, he will not be so easily lied to.

"I understand," he says. "I do not live alone, either, and I often feel the need to be away from my companion."

[whatcanailthee]

John nods, mildly discomfited. He can't tell if he's genuinely being watched too closely or if it's just his imagination run away with him after the events earlier.

"I suspect we all need time away from those with whom we deal with on a regular basis, no matter how strong the underlying relationship. Do you and your companion live near to here?"