An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
favourable conditions - chapter 3 (4k)
chapter excerpt:
They take their seats, adjacent from one another. Ava radiates the entirely pleased air of one whose plan has been carried out perfectly.
"A sudden interest in navigation?" Beatrice says.
Ava beams, but makes a last feint at sincerity. "No need to sound so incredulous, Lieutenant. I’m very enthralled with maps. Drawn to them, even."
Ava’s not nearly as funny as she thinks she is, not when their last meeting was before a merciless sunrise: a dawn that broke and kept breaking, even when Beatrice could’ve begged for the horizon to haul it back, so that she might stay with Ava another moment.
They’d stood there beside one another, half-dressed, no longer touching but so near that touching was distractingly possible.
"I see."
"And I’ve been promised that you’re unrivalled as a navigator, which is why I requested you," Ava tells her. "Although as I understand it, you’re unrivalled in all areas."
Beatrice feels heat pass across the back of her neck — feels even more acutely the way Ava watches her. "I can only promise to teach you as best I can."
"I must confess then that I intend to be a terrible student."
Confess is hardly the word for it; Ava has nothing of confession in her, no shame or smallness. Instead, she leans forward, lets her gaze track over Beatrice as if she's already begun to study something.
"I am well aware of your cleverness, Miss Silva," Beatrice replies — almost capable now of adjusting to Ava's forwardness, although not yet capable of responding any less to it. "You will no doubt discover you have as much talent for cartography as you do for everything else."
Ava glows at the compliment. And, not one to permit Beatrice any offering without returning it tenfold, she lets her leg settle against Beatrice's under the table.
There are layers of skirts and trousers between them, so it's not really so terrible if Beatrice doesn't shift away.
"My cleverness has got you sitting next to me, has it not?" Ava counters. "I’d say then that I have no further use for it. The faster I learn, the sooner you leave."
Indeed, Ava can be exceedingly obtuse when she dedicates herself to it. She listens as Beatrice walks her through everything, asks insightful questions, nods along, and then insists it has all escaped her, and that they ought to circle back to this later.
It is also possible that Beatrice is not teaching as well as she might at the barracks; her attention catches on Ava’s furrowed brow, on how her shoulder brushes against Beatrice’s as she adjusts to better see the compass, on how Ava’s chair ends up nearer and nearer to Beatrice’s.
`✦ ˑ ִֶ 𓂃⊹ ok back to working on requests that are sitting in my askbox. i gotta get on that grind !!! if you left me a lil ramble in there i’ll get to it after work too hehehe <3
