(no subject)

[knockyouout]

Who: Neal Valentine & Venus Rosales
When: Shortly after this.
Where: Road back to Finchwood.
What: Dealing with some heavy revelations.
Warnings: WIP but uh, probably general sadness?

There was no discussion about whether to take the bus after they left the Occult shop. Or discussion of anything - they'd just started walking. Venus is grateful for the warm snap, even if it's probably Shadowy in origin. With her leather jacket, she's appropriately dressed for the weather for once. But even though she's not cold, she still finds herself shivering as she follows Neal out of town and back up the road to Finchwood. They're not two people who are suited to silence, but Venus is quiet for a time. She feels bad for Mrs. Ruskin. She's always seemed lonely to Venus, but exceptionally kind. Mrs. Ruskin's concern for her has always seemed genuine, and even though she didn't mean to worry her, Venus finds that comforting. Maybe her mother would be concerned for her if she knew what she was really doing on her days off from class, but even if Venus was allowed to talk about it, her mother never asks. And just like watching the Sayer sisters at the party had made her wonder if Gigi would bother to launch a search for her if she got drunk at a party, Mrs. Ruskin's long-lived sadness for Joss Coburn makes her wonder what her mother would think if she up and left town without an explanation. Somehow, Venus doesn't think she'd be torn up about it twenty years later. She feels a pang of regret, but tells herself it's for convincing Mrs. Ruskin that she saw Joss's ghost... even if that's maybe not too far from the truth. While lost in her own thoughts, she's fallen out of step with Neal, and hurries forward a few paces to catch up with him. "Hey," she says, now that they're far enough from town that they can speak without fear of being overheard. She knows that's not the only reason for the silence, but it's a good enough excuse to break it. "Are you alright?"