slightly off

Who: Shannah and Mickey
When: Sunset
Where: Around Little Haven

Shoshannah hadn’t been home for very long when she was dressed again, this time down in a pair of trousers and a black button down, and headed out on the town again. She wasn’t exactly in the best of spirits, even though she’d kept her smile as best she could today after the news she’d had.

But now that the day at the Sea and Sky had ended and Shoshannah had said her goodbyes to Madeline, she simply wasn’t feeling as chipper as usual even if she was excited to see Mickey. She was sitting outside on the steps of her building, testing the light with her camera as she took a couple shots, here and there, while she waited.

Mickey rolled up in his truck, day at the garage having been cathartic for the whole, waking up in December’s bed, but that didn’t actually ease anything. It gave him something to be distracted with, but the whole encounter was still there, lurking in the back of his mind. Even as he pulled up to her building, looking at Shoshannah sitting there on the stoop, Mickey was having issues not mustering up images of December kissing her way down his abdomen. What had that even been? What did it mean? Something. It had to mean something. That was what had him confused as he wrote up the note to her that morning. Or signing it at least.

Shaking his head to shake away thoughts of December he got out of the truck, mustering up a smile for Shoshannh. “Hey there,” he called out, making his way to her, slowly to try and cover up his limp.

It was hard not to be excited to see Mickey and his truck, but the real glow just wasn’t there this time. Her smile was and under other circumstances, it might pass as really genuine, but for Shoshannah it was just hampered by something. “Hello Mickey,” She said as she stood up, camera in her hands. “How was your day?”

Weird. Complicated. Confusing. Shrugging one shoulder he gave her a smile, looking down at the camera then her smile. “Nothing exciting. Just a long day at the garage.” He watched her for a moment, thinking something wasn’t quite right, but giving her a moment before he bothered her about it.

She would have given just about anything for a normal day at the gallery but that just wasn't in the cards for her today. Smiling a little again, still not the same as usual, she started down the stairs and towards his truck. "Hopefully this will be exciting enough, taking pictures?"

“Yeah of course it will,” Mickey agreed, watching her and holding out a hand to help her, even if she didn’t really need it. Nothing would be as exciting as the night before but he could muster through enjoying time with Shoshannah. Still, that she didn’t seem like herself was bothering him, making him start to worry about what that meant. “Are you alright?” he asked as he opened up the door of the truck for her.

Slipping into the truck with his help, Shannah shrugged a little. She waited until he got to the driver's side and settled before she spoke. "I'm fine. It's been a..strange day, I suppose is the best way to put it." Looking back down at her camera, Shannah played with the strap that would hold it around her neck. "Nothing to worry about, nothing bad. Just strange."

Mickey started the truck up again, taking solace in the rumble of it. Something simple, something he could focus on that didn’t flash him back to December instantly. Strange he could understand, and for the a fleeting moment it was there, in his eyes, that his day had been strange too, but he didn’t let it stay. “What kind of strange?” he asked her, pulling into the road and headed for the park.

Shoshannah took a moment, watching Mickey and wondering what had flashed in his eyes that was different than usual. “Madeline is leaving the gallery. It’s good for her and I’m happy for her but...it’s bittersweet. She was such a huge help with the shows, with the whole flow of the gallery... It’s sad to see her go.”

“Madeline? Really?” That seemed odd. The blonde had seemed to be a fixture at the gallery as far as Mickey understood. “I’m sorry to hear that. What is she going on to do that could be better than working with you?” Mickey was sure as far as bosses went, Shoshannah had to be one of the best out there. There wasn’t a cruel bone in her body and he couldn’t actually see her mad. Actually, the last time he saw her close to mad it looked a lot like plain upset, which he guessed was how things went in most situations.

She shrugged a little. "She had a better offer. Who am I to fault her for that? She'll be doing things that she wants to and she should pursue them. I'll just miss her, that's all. And I'll have to find someone who can do everything she can..and I just am not positive that I can find that person, especially not on short notice. I'll need to push back a couple shows I think..." Shannah gave Mickey a little smile, though. "Thank you for saying that. That I'm a good boss. I hope that I was. I don't think I really know how to be a big time boss."

“Don’t see how you could be anything other than a good boss,” Mickey told her reaching across the seat to squeeze her shoulder. “Well if you need help with anything let me know. I’m sure Elle will help too and if she doesn’t, let me know. I’ll make her.” He offered her a smile, something fun and laughing a little even if he wasn’t quite laughing. His head was too full for full on light teasing.

Shannah smiled slightly again, looking over his way. "Thanks, Mickey." She waited a moment and finally took another deep breath. "So it's your turn now. Why are you not your usual happy self?"

This time Mickey laughed on accident, more just reacting to the fact that she was asking something. “What makes you think I’m not my usual happy self? I am.” He wasn’t, but even though she was asking, his reaction was to cover it up, to pretend everything was fine.

Shoshannah glanced back at him. "I could be wrong, but I thought I saw something earlier. You just..didn't seem as happy as you usually are. I might be wrong, though. It could be that I thought you weren't when really it was me." Glancing back out the windshield, Shannah watched the streets pass. "You should pick a place that speaks to you and we'll stop and take pictures there first."

Right, so she’d seen something. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking out the windshield for a moment. “I’ve got things on my mind really. Sort of...dealing with a friend? Things changed a little and I don’t know what to make of it.” That was a terrible way of explaining it, but it was the best he could do at that moment. “I was thinking of the park, I’m guessing that’s as good as anywhere else?”

"Well, if there's anything I can do to help, let me know." Mickey had done so much for her that if he ever need anything, she'd be sure to be the first one there to help. "The park is as good a place as any, yes, but is it where you want to shoot? Because that's more important than whether or not the place is 'good'."

“I think me floundering through my love life is not really something you’d want to help with even if you could.” Mickey shook his head and shrugged. “I have to tell you, I’m really not too great at picking out spots like that. Just thought the park is nice, it’s not nasty out today, that sort of thing?”

Oh. Oh, his love life. Shannah was not exactly expecting that. Her immediate thought was a conjured up image of the two of them on the Ferris Wheel and how she'd thought it might be nice to get to know Mickey better, how she'd thought he might be someone she could date. But now he was talking about his love life and that was just one more thing she didn't really want to hear today. "Well...you could tell me anything, you know...and if I can help, I'd do my best." It didn't sound exactly happy, or really that happy at all, but it wasn't like they were dating or even close to dating so she had no real reason to feel this way about what he'd said.

Looking back down at her camera, Shoshannah decided to just keep her mind on the photography as much as possible. "The park is perfect, Mickey," She said, trying to reassure him.

He looked over at her, for as long as he could without wrecking his truck. “I...We don’t have to talk about it. It’s really not that interesting. And not...Not much of anything yet. Or at all.” He looked down at the dashboard, feeling like an idiot. What had he said? “We don’t have to do this,” Mickey said. “If you don’t want to. We can reschedule or just go get something to eat or whatever.” He hated that he’d gone from trying to help to somehow making her feel worse or at least seem sadder.

Shaking her head, she looked at him and gave him the best smile she had. "No, Mickey, we're going to take photos. Unless you don't want to. Then dinner is fine or we can find another day..." She felt awkward now, now that it had gone from a not so good day to a pretty bad one again without much more than a few words. And it wasn't really his fault, it was just staring to feel like too much all at once.

Shannah felt her hands start to slip and the last thing she saw was the dashboard before her eyes were shut and her head was against the window, deep, even breaths coming from her.

“It’s okay, it’s not so much about what I want, but more what’s going to make you smile again,” Mickey was saying as he pulled into the parking spot outside the park. “I can do whatever, I feel...” he looked over at her, seeing slumped against the door. His first reaction was to panic, but then he remembered what she’d said, about her condition. “Shannah?” he started, touching her arm gently to make sure she was okay. “Shannah?”

She stayed down for a while this time, a good full minute or two, before Mickey’s voice started to filter through. Her eyes opened slowly, taking in the scenery as she did her best to remind herself where she was, then looked over at Mickey. She gave him a soft smile, apologetic, and sat a little straighter. “Hopefully it doesn’t happen again...” She said, though she wasn’t sure that it wasn’t going to. It had been a while since her condition had flared properly and statistically it was just bound to happen soon.

He was just starting to worry as she woke up, eyes flickering and then sitting up more. Mickey let out a sigh of relief and rubbed her arm at her shoulder some, trying to be reassuring. “It’s fine. I’m just glad it was here with me and not by yourself on the stoop of your building.” He didn’t want her to feel bad about something she couldn’t control. “I feel like all I’ve done is upset you. This whole thing was supposed to make you smile and I screwed it up.”

"Yes, me too. That's what happened the first time when my camera as stolen...." She hadn't expected that though, the confession and it had Shannah sitting up straighter. Maybe she was upset, but it shouldn't be Mickey's fault. It wasn't his fault and he shouldn't feel obligated to apologize. "Mickey, stop. You haven't upset me at all. Why do you feel that way?" She reached out, put a hand on his arm, and gave him another smile. "This will make me smile. I love taking pictures and this isn't really supposed to be about making me smile anyway. It's supposed to be about sharing something with you."

That made Mickey frown more, the news about her camera. “I’m glad you got it back,” he said looking down at the device in her hands. “Because you went from trying to smile to forcing a smile. I said something to upset you didn’t I?” He was sure of it and he felt awful about it. “I know it’s not supposed to be about that, but it’s been about that for me. Seeing you smile and spending time with you.” Even with whatever was going on with December and the growing attachment there, the crush Mickey had on Shoshannah was too long standing to be gone in a matter of days. She was still one of the prettiest girls he’d ever seen, one of the nicest and that urge to be the reason she was smiling? That hadn’t gone away either.

"This is a different camera. Angelo helped me buy it," She explained, but it wasn't really the camera they were talking about anymore. "Mickey...can't we chalk it up to a bad day and try to go out there and have fun?" She didn't want to try and explain why she was upset because she wasn't sure she fully knew why herself, let alone be able to put it into words that made sense. "Whatever the reason for me not smiling is, it isn't you."

He watched her for a moment, not sure he believed her. There was a moment, where he’d said something that had upset her, but she wanted to push it aside and write it off, which meant pressuring her to tell him was probably just going to make things worse. Nodding his head he turned the truck off and opened his door. “Yeah, sure. Let’s see if we can put a better spin on the end of a bad day.”

She slipped out of the truck and over to Mickey's side, handing him the camera. At least they were going to try this, even if it started off not as ideal as she had hoped. "So what I like to do is look at the camera as..my own eyes, that can just happen to take pictures of things. We take mental snapshots all the time, but cameras can make them physical, tangible, which is really nice. You look through this piece here.." She said, standing on her tip toes to point at the viewfinder.

He was nervous the moment she handed him the camera. Handling a piece of a car was second nature for him, but handling the camera had him feeling like he might break something. It seemed far more delicate than anything he worked with regularly. Holding it up, he squinted through the tiny window, looking at the gate to the entrance of the park then turning it to look at her. “Okay?”

Just that was enough to get as close to a real smile out of her as Shannah'd had all evening. She nodded a little, standing on her toes again to position his hands properly. Then judging on how far away the thing is that you want to take a picture of, you turn the knob here to focus it. But it's not really necessary. It's more about what you think feels right and if the picture comes out blurry, then it was meant to be blurry in the first place."

Out of habit he lowered the camera so she wouldn’t have to stand on her tiptoes. It was something that came with being tall, being used to accommodating people who were smaller than he was. “Saying that is a nice way of telling me not to worry when I screw it up huh?” he asked with a smile, echoing hers and relieved that she was starting to cheer up. Mickey wasn’t entirely sold on the fact that he hadn’t upset her more, but if she was smiling, it was a starting the right direction. “Alright so, I do this to focus,” he said holding the camera up to see her again and twisting the knob as he watched her go from blurry to focused then back again. “Then what to actually take it?”

"Right here," She said as she reached for his hand again, putting his right index finger over the silver button on the top. "You press that and you'll see the image get closed over by two black shutters and then open again. Give it a try," She said, standing back a little so that he could decide what to shoot and when to shoot it. "But you can't screw it up," She said, using his own words. "Not if it's just an extension of you."

Something being an extension of himself sounded too artistic for Mickey but he nodded, focusing on her again then hitting the button she’d pointed out. It worked like she described, black shutter closing off the picture before opening again with a click. “I think that was it.” He held it out to her to see, not sure what to do with it now.

She'd heard the shutter and it had her smiling again. "That was definitely it." She said, but didn't take the camera back. "You didn't think you could get away with taking just one picture of me and calling it a day, did you? No sir, you have to take some more."

He gave her a bit of a look then started them more into the park, avoiding the fountain in the middle and staying along the edges. While he’d been there since the attack, it was still a place he didn’t drift towards anymore, not when there was so much else of the park left. “What else do you take pictures of?” he asked, holding the camera up again to look at a tree, but not sure it was really picture worthy.

"Anything, everything, nothing...Whatever you want to take pictures of." She followed him, looking at the tree and smiling a little more. "It's a nice tree, but is it something you want to take a picture of?"

“Honestly I have no idea. Doesn’t seem important enough.” He let the camera drop from his eye and looked back at Shoshannah. “You’re going to figure out I’m terrible at this.” There was a smile there, as if admitting defeat wasn’t a bad thing.

"What makes you think it's not important enough?” Shannah asked, looking back at Mickey as he moved the camera. "You're not terrible at this, you can't be. But why is the tree not important?" Maybe this would help. "Is it because it's just a tree or is it something else?"

“It’s just a tree. There’s...tons of them in the park.” He looked around, shrugging some more. “There’s got to be better options.”

"There could be. Or this tree could be just as special as all the other trees here. Take a minute to look at it. It's beautiful and old, old enough to be this big. To have grown to this height. There must be stories, names carved into it at some point, picnics had against it's trunk, children that climbed it or tried to. It's more than just a tree, but they all are. And at the same time, they're all just trees. It's about what's important to you and if this one is just a tree, we move on to find something else that's not just a tree." Shannah said, smiling a little more. "There's beauty in everything, we just need to find what you think is beautiful."

Mickey looked at her, watching her for a moment. “I don’t...don’t see things like you do. I mean, you’re right, that’s a tree that could have been so much more but you see that and I see the tree.” He looked at it again, trying to remember if it was the same tree he’d taught his younger brother to climb, but that had been so long ago there was no way to tell if it was the same. “Though if you put that stipulation on it, there’s going to be more pictures of you.”

There it was again, something that seemed kind of flirty, something complimentary, and something confusing now because all she could think of was the words from earlier about his love life. "Well..." She took a half step, starting them towards another area of the park. She was going to say something else, something that would alleviate any awkward silences, but the park gave way to darkness and Shannah was going down before she knew it, eyes shut.

He was hanging on her every word, wondering what she was going to say, if it was something to fix that broken moment between them and then she was crumpling. Mickey wasn’t quick and this time Shoshannah was already on the ground by the time he was there, setting her camera aside and starting to shake her slightly. “Shannah!”

Down again for at least a minute or two, Shoshannah opened her eyes after a few shakes and it took her a little longer to process where she was this time. There was ground underneath her and she remembered being upright, so that was probably why her arm didn't exactly feel great right now. Sitting up slowly, she shook her head a little and wiped at her arm, sighing. "...Sorry. I don't know...why it's so bad tonight..."

Mickey was watching her, concern in his features. When she wiped at her arm, he looked at it. A little scraped up but for the most part still in one piece. “Did you hit your head?” he asked checking it then looking back at her. “Should I take you home?”

Shaking her head again, Shannah tucked back some hair, pulling out a piece of grass as she came back. "No, no, I'll be fine..." She said, slowly starting to stand up and wipe at the dirt on her clothes. "Wouldn't be any different at home." She wiped one more at her arm, noticing a little scrape here or there but nothing serious. She was clumsy anyway. "Let's try again?"

“Maybe but I feel less like you’re going to get hurt if you’re at home.” He got up, helping her up with him. “How about..you hold on to me. Or stay closer. I’m not fast if you’re out of range.” That way she wouldn’t get hurt again.

"There are sharp corners everywhere in my home. It's no different," She said gently. "But I can just stick closer to you, that seems fine." Linking her arm with his, she gave him a little smile. "You still have pictures to take."

He looked down at her, feeling better with her close and feeling bad at the same time. Things were complicated with him and Shoshannah that close didn’t make it any easier. “Right, more pictures. If you feel bad though, I will take you home.”

Shannah shook her head. "I'm putting my foot down, I'll tell you when I need to go home but until then, we take pictures. Deal?" She asked, looking up at him with the hint of a smile there. It wasn’t Mickey’s fault her condition was rearing and she didn’t want him to feel badly about it.

There was a pause between them before he finally nodded, looking down at her and taking a few steps forward. He held the camera up again, taking the picture of the tree he’d been looking at before. “See? More pictures. Fair deal.”