[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

[bestintention]

All the training that Maddie has had, and the first thing she can think of to say is photographer? Of all the things ... of all the studies, she picks the one thing that could put an end to this before it's even begun? Mentally, she's kicking herself, even if she manages to keep a calm front. "It is, actually. One day, I want to be featured in, like ... National Geographic. I'm not so great at photographing people, you know? But landscapes are another thing entirely. I'd be a ... geologist, or something, if my brain were wired that way."

At least he's still speaking to her. That's something.

"I think I did. You find just the right piece of architecture on just the right day, with the sun shining just so ... it's amazing."

[couldbesaved]

He doesn't visibly relax, because that would imply there was something that made him tense. There is a faint shift around his eyes, though, as they crinkle while his smile grows slightly.

"Yeah, you're right. It's really breathtaking."

Landscape photographer. Less dangerous, yes. Still might be a liability. She remembers places, then; she might be able to put two and two together. A lower risk, but still a risk.

He glances up at the stop indicator.

"What did you photograph for your final?"

[bestintention]

Oh, he's good. He is good at holding this sort of ... everyman facade he's cultivated. If she didn't know any better, he'd seem like another random face in the crowd.

Everyone was a risk these days, what, with mobile phones and their capabilities, if put in the hands of people who were quick-witted enough to know when to take photos, or make recordings.

"You know that little park on Third and Grand? I was passing by one day, the sun was going down, and I got a gorgeous shot of the swings, all empty. I mean, I thought it was beautiful."

[couldbesaved]

Something flickers in Sam's eyes for a moment - something like concern. He had been in that very park not so long ago, near sunset, and for something of, well, questionable legality. It hadn't been a murder, or anything like that (he wasn't stupid), but it had been ... nothing he'd be comfortable with his mother seeing. There's no way to ask what day she'd been there without it coming off as weird, since it's none of his business.

"Oh, yeah, I've been by there a couple of times," he says. "I'd love to see the pictures. Do you have them with you?"

[bestintention]

He's really got nothing to worry about in that regard - Maddie, and the rest of the task force know nothing about his sojourn into the park. Certainly, they try to keep eyes on him at all times, but he's been living this lifestyle long enough to know how to disappear when he needs to.

Thank God that she tries to be prepared for every eventuality - yes, first and foremost she's an FBI agent, but photography always has been a passion. And so, when she reaches into her bag to pull out her portfolio, all the photos inside are of her own taking.

"Yeah, I mean, if you really want to see them."

[couldbesaved]

"Yeah, I'd love to." His face is a perfect expression of friendly interest, masking the impatience and anxiety roiling just below the surface. Anyone would swear he was just a normal guy wanting to make a good impression on a pretty girl by showing interest in her hobbies. And as far as the world is concerned, that's precisely what he is. Never mind the extracurriculars.

He takes the portfolio carefully, handling it as he knows (as far as he knows) it's important to her. He makes all the right sounds and all the right comments, pointing out landmarks he recognizes, and something loosens when he realizes he's not in any of them.

[bestintention]

There's just a hint of a tic, just a quirk of the lips, and she spies it, wondering what's got him so on edge. Hopefully, she's playing her part well. Hopefully, she's believable. There is no 'believable enoughthose photos were back at the office - and whatever tension he's holding seems to disappear. A shoulder drops, and Maddie smiles, and tries to play it off as though a compliment on the composition of one particular piece is what's pleased her.

And it is, but mostly, making Sam feel comfortable while in her presence is most definitely the most important thing she'll have done in the time she's been an agent.

Yes, good, get that foot in the door ...

[couldbesaved]

"Very nice," he tells her, handing the portfolio back. When he smiles, it reaches his eyes, and they crinkle at the corners, just like he means it. And right here, right in this moment, he actually does mean it. Why wouldn't he? He's just a boy, talking to a girl, on a train in the city that never sleeps.

"So now that your semester's over, are you heading back home?"

[bestintention]

Anybody would be lulled into a sense of security when faced with a smile like that - something that is very clearly honest, and totally unassuming, and it would be so nice to just be a girl, talking to a boy, on a train in a city where if you're lucky, dreams come true.

"Oh, no, no - to Wisconsin?", she asks, laughing, "I don't know what I would do with myself after spending so much time here. What about you?"

[couldbesaved]

"I live here," he says, making a gesture to the city in general, because that's about as specific as he's willing to get. "My dad moved here from Kansas when I was a kid, but I don't remember it." See, just a good Midwestern boy raised in the big wicked city. "Where in Wisconsin?"

The real question is, anywhere I've heard of?, to which the answer probably is no.

[bestintention]

Understandable, considering the fact that although they're sharing a civil and pleasant conversation, Maddie still is nothing but a complete stranger. Still, she hopes that this is her in. "I can't say the same - this is pretty much my first foray away from home. It's ... daunting, but I think I'm doing okay."

She laughs, and shrugs, and she knows it looks real because it is real. Years later, and she's finally starting to feel like she's got some semblance of steady footing. "Uh - Appleton? I'm not sure if it's a city that anyone would know."

[couldbesaved]

Sam shakes his head. His eyes flick away from her for a moment to check the name of the stop the train is pulling into, and they linger there for a moment, two, before coming back to her. They're not at his stop yet - even if this is where he got off the train last time.

"Haven't heard of it, sorry," he replies, and there's that grin again, bright and aw-shucks. "How do you like New York? Must be a change from a town no one's heard of."

[bestintention]

Maddie glances up, as well. The new stop may mean nothing, but it may be important, as well. Best to keep track of everything as it comes, so that she can report it to her superiors when they meet up later.

"Oh, trust me, no offense taken. I mean, it's a great place, but not where I want to spend my whole life," she laughs, nodding. "Uh ... big. Yeah, this place is big! It's a little bit daunting, but I muddle through. Be easier if I had some help, though. You look comfortable, but then, you did say that you've lived here since you were a kid. It's gotta be home, pretty much, at this point."

[couldbesaved]

"Pretty much, yeah," Sam agrees, that aw-shucks grin coming to the surface again. "My dad and my brother talk about the Midwest still, sometimes, but I really don't remember it. It all sounds kinda ... " A beat. "Flat." He shrugs, then continues, "So you're looking for someone to show you around? None of the kids at your school have offered?"

[bestintention]

It's really quite endearing, that smile, the way his hair flops into his face, but then, Maddie supposes that's probably the point - to make her feel at ease, to make her believe that he's a nice guy, that he's not capable of bad things. And despite her knowledge otherwise, Maddie finds herself ... relaxing a bit. "Sure you've never visited before?", she jokes, nodding along as he continues. "Well ... my roommates are pretty busy with their own stuff, and I don't know very many other people, so ... no, no one else has offered."