eloquentness | mask or menace

Okay, but you kind of have to, or else I'm gonna look suss for getting all the exclusives, all the time.

[ Trust her logic! It's gotten her this far - or well, it's gotten her a solid freelancing gig with a Heropa paper. She's gonna go places, as long as she bides her time and polishes up that portfolio. She just also hopes that with the League, Barry's gonna go wherever he's meant to.

She doesn't want to pull away, so she reaches for his hand and attempts to intertwine her fingers with his. Murmured: ] We should go out and celebrate. Maybe grab some Thai instead of our usual take-out?

[ barry throws his head back, making a noise of disgruntlement. does he have to talk to other people? really? that's the last thing he wants to do! the other reporters don't ask the questions iris does. now that they're out of central city, can't he start playing favourites? ]

[ his sulking comes to an end when he feels her fingers more strongly in his own. he glances down, but the mention of food immediately draws his head back up. it's a distraction, both good and bad — he doesn't have the time to enjoy it, nor does he have the time to get all flustered and barry over it. ]

[ he tries to hide his smile, failing spectacularly. ] You know how much I love Thai. [ then he quickly glances around the shop. ] Can you leave? I mean ... Who's going to look after all the flowers? They're hungry, too, Iris.

[ Iris squeezes his hand lightly, reluctantly turning a little so she can start closing up shop - ] Well, yeah. My shift's about to end.

[ At the time, Iris hadn't understood why most shops closed around 5:30 or 6. Wouldn't people want flowers on their way back from work? But she loves the hours, and can't complain when it means she can lock the place up and grab dinner with her favorite person in the entire world. ]

They won't mind if we duck out, though I'll give the little guys extra food in the morning. [ . . . ] Just in case.

[ with his hands in his pockets, he takes note of the store while iris speaks. it'd be pretty easy to close up shop if she was quick enough to do it in the blink of an eye ... but there's a reason why barry hasn't sped at super speed inside of the store. the flowers are merely innocent bystanders who don't deserve to have their petals torn off their buds from the speed force. ]

[ he does hop a little on his feet, though — barry allen, after all, can never stand still. ]

Are you sure? [ he cocks his head in the direction of yellow flowers, instantly assuming their species. ] The sunflowers told me that you haven't been favouring them. Sunflowers, Iris. [ he shakes his head, feigning disappointment. ] What have they ever done to you?

They know exactly what they've done. [ She laughs, taking that giant wedding arrangement and kicking the back door open so that she can place the bouquet in the walk-in cooler, where it'll then be picked up the following morning. Flowers take a lot more work than they look! ] They got a little too impatient, but I'll make it up to them.

[ Alas, she's a little slower than usual, so she'll crane her head towards what remains of the flowers inside - ]

Speaking of? Could you grab them and help me put them in the cooler?

[ barry pivots on his feet without lifting them from the ground, looking at the flowers she gestures towards. his brows shoot up and then down — the way barry "helps" these days would kill the flowers. the last time he had ever done something "normally", it'd been in front of the captain ... and the force ... and regular people. around iris? he's stopped pretending to be someone he's not. ]

[ pivoting back to iris, he throws his thumb over his shoulder. ] Like grab them in a Barry way or in a Flash way?

[ the answer is so simple, barry. use those long legs of yours and go grab the flowers. easy! ]

[ She raises her eyebrows at him, almost bemused, ] In a "you're stronger than me" kind of way?

[ duh, Barry. Super-speed isn't the name of the game here, though she would probably appreciate it if he didn't decapitate these innocent bystanders. The flowers deserve love! And slow, steady hands!! ]

[ visibly looking put-out, he slouches his shoulders and grumbles lightly. with heavy footsteps, he goes to fetch the flowers she wants and at a painful human pace, he begins his return back to her. yelling, ] This would be so much easier if you had Flash-proof flowers!

[ then realising there was no need to yell, at a much more normal volume: ] I totally thought these flowers would block my voice. [ but he appears, looking at her expectantly. ] Where do you want them Miss West? [ he smiles, ] Just know I'm going to need a tip after. Flowers are heavy.

[ What did those poor, innocent flowers ever do to him???

She beams, opening the cooler door with her back, ignoring the sudden burst of cold, dry air - ]

You'll get double the Thai for this. Promise.

And uh, take the middle shelf. [ She amends, suddenly remembering her Barry's height, ] Or anywhere I don't need a ladder to reach.

[ please note: barry waits until he's placed the flowers on the shelf — tucked securely and neatly away — before he does his little victory punch in the air. ]

[ smiling, ] I can always go for extra Thai. [ brushing his hands together, he looks around, as if searching for something else to fix or take down from a too-high shelf for iris west. ] Or anything you want to eat. Contrary to popular belief, I, Barry Allen, am not that fussed. [ he shrugs his shoulders before taking a step toward a shelf and removing a pot from it. he places it somewhere in the middle, sliding it loudly against the shelf. ]

[ Her paycheck - and half their food fund - thanks him kindly for that consideration. ]

Nuh-uh. I promised extra Thai, and we're gonna get some. [ She takes off her apron and nametag, finally, and turns back towards the door so they can get out of the cold and right back into that Florida heat and humidity. But! She's feeling a little silly, so she holds out her arm - ] As long as I get my Tom Yum soup, of course.

Edited 2017-10-28 18:22 (UTC)

[ there are only a few things in life that get barry's heart racing: the beginning notes of "poker face", the mention of food, and iris west. he loops his arm around hers, sparing the flowers a glance over his shoulder. ] You can have two Tom Yum soups today. It's on the Justice League.

[ though he's uncertain if that's truly a thing, barry allen doesn't care. the justice league owes iris west a big one — without her, the justice league wouldn't have the flash. ]

mask or menace | ic contact

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