She smiled, although she was still obviously a little confused. "Okay, sure," she said, nodding. "Are you going to come to dinner?" (Are you thinking of doing a time skip to the observatory?)
(Perfect.) She considered him. He was acting a little weird, and she wanted to figure it out, but she nodded instead, a smile spreading across her face. "Of course," she said.
Many hours later, dinner had passed and day turned to night. People settled in their rooms, and hallways were quiet. Francis shuffled down the corridor. He was much calmer than before, and held the blanket around him. Once again, he was in casual pajamas, and stopped outside Poppy's door, knocking four times.
The door creaked open, and Poppy peered around the door, the blanket already wrapped around her shoulders. She wore similar pajamas to the ones that she had the day before, and she grinned at him excitedly, stepping out into the hallway. "Hey," she said, closing the door behind her.
"Sounds like wishful thinking," she said wryly as they climbed the stairs. Their feet padded along the metal floor and she took a deep breath as they entered the observatory, already feeling more relaxed.
He tightened the blanket around him, sitting on the ground. He enjoyed the chill in the air, but also liked the warmth of the blanket. "Nice."
She sat down next to him, crossing her legs under her blanket. "It takes my breath away every time," she said, yawning slightly. "It's beautiful, yeah?"
("Y'know what else is beautiful? Me.") "Yeah. There's so many stars, it's like a new world every time." He gazed up. "I love it."
(lol) She was quiet for a moment, her hands resting in her lap. "I'm going to be really sad when we can't come up here anymore," she said softly. "You know, when all the missions are done and everything."
"Yeah, me too," he said, nodding in agreement. "I'm going to be sad when the mission end in general."
She shrugged smoothly, pulling the blanket closer around her. "Well, who knows much longer these missions will last?" she said idly, rubbing circles on the glass floor with her pointer finger. "What with all the nations we're visiting, and all independent variables, we could spend months working on this."
"Hmm?" she murmured, the sound comfortable in her throat. She pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and glanced over at him, waiting for a reply.
He was hesitant with his response, and didn't face her when he spoke. "I like you, Poppy. In more than just a stupid, meaningless relationship way. More than that."
(HNNNNGGGGG) She blinked. Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't this. They sat in silence for a moment. Finally, she cleared her throat and spoke softly, as if he were an animal that would flee if she got too close. "Really?"
