[ Naomi blinks when Frank reaches for her but his touch is so gentle that in the end she just lets herself be guided, taking the seat. His offer of water gets a distracted little nod, since Max is already hopping up beside her and sticking his nose in her face. It's just what she was hoping for, honestly. Something alive and affectionate that would just be happy to see her, would comfort without needing to ask what was wrong. That's why people kept pets in the first place, right?
When Frank comes back with a cup of water Max is across Naomi's lap and she's got an arm draped over him, her free hand scritching under his chin. ]
He's a good dog. You said... he was in with bad people, yeah? But he still turned out okay.
[ Her eyes are sad and she sounds pitifully hopeful, like she's not talking about Max at all. ]
[ the scene he comes back to is heartwarming, and he hands her the water carefully before going to retrieve his desk chair and sitting on it backward facing her and her new bestie. max could use someone like naomi too, he knows it's mutually beneficial. ]
Yeah. Gangsters. [ frank nods, thinking about all of them lying on the ground of that clubhouse. and max chained to the wall, alone, covered in his master's blood. he couldn't just leave him there. but when he sees naomi's expression he suddenly gets the feeling they're not talking about max anymore. ] All dogs really need is a nudge in the right direction, and people who love them. He still doesn't trust men right away, but he's getting better.
[ Water's a good idea and she knows it, knows she's way over her limit and is going to regret it in the morning but hydrating will help. So she takes little sips as Frank explains about Max, still petting him with her other hand.
Right. Max is a dog, she can't draw the same conclusions for a child. It's just a nice sentiment that maybe he's simply inherently a good dog, you know? That being raised by bad people didn't change that. That maybe he'd make his own decisions and leave on his own-- no, she's back to Filip, and despite her best efforts her eyes well up and she sniffs slightly. Frank will notice, of course, but she doesn't want him to comment on it. ]
[ he notices, but he doesn't say anything, letting her work through it. ]
Max isn't even my dog, you know? I took him from those scumbags but then they took him back. And then he got away... Before here, I didn't even know if he was okay. It's been over a year since I saw him back home.
[ maybe it's the late hour or because he doesn't think naomi is firing on all cylinders right now, but he decides to share something else... something personal. maybe she won't remember it, but if she does he thinks he can trust her with the info just the same. ]
My wife never let me get one. Said I was never home so she'd get stuck taking care of it. She wasn't wrong.
[ What? Naomi frowns a little, looking down at Max worriedly. They took him back? At least he got away again... ]
I wonder how anyone would know to track him down and bring him here. If he wasn't even your dog at home for over a year -- I thought you'd kept him.
[ She's too drunk to think about what that all means. And if she'd tried it would've been immediately derailed anyway, when Frank mentions his wife. Her eyes lift again, finding Frank's hand. No ring. ]
What happened?
[ ...whoops. She definitely shouldn't have asked that and realizes it immediately, she's just. Not very sharp at the moment. But this is Frank, not Alex, she can't just go poking for details about people's failed marriages willy-nilly. ]
[ he looks at max with a soft frown. it really made 0 sense. then he's looking into naomi's eyes, ignoring her dismissal. maria's memory deserves better than him skipping this because it's hard. he's glad he was right in trusting alex though - there's no clue in her eyes that would tell him he told her. ]
[ In hindsight Naomi will wonder why that surprised her so much, but in the moment she's just shocked to hear the truth. Horrified for him, her eyes going wide and for a moment she can't think of a damn thing to say. Murdered. And he seems the type to go try to take care of it himself. ]
I'm so sorry, Frank.
[ Should she ask more? How? Why? Did they catch the culprit? But it's always about the criminal in these situations, isn't it? They're the name that makes the headlines. No one ever asks about the victim, the one lost. The one mourned. So Naomi does. ]
[ what was maria like? it's both a loaded question and an unexpected one. but the soft smile that comes over his face should be evidence enough it's not unwelcome. ]
She was... she was a firecracker, you know. Quick to anger even quicker to forgive. She loved to dance. Loved to cook. God, was she good at it, too. Made everything from scratch for every holiday. Maria. [ since he realizes belatedly he forgot to say her name. or maybe it was an intentional omission, but either way he's correcting it. ] And she was... a great mom. The best, really, to our kids. Lisa and Frank Jr.
[ frank lays his head sideways on the topmost rung of the chair and takes a deep breath. it's like with each time he expels their names from his lungs he's a little lighter for it. ]
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no subject
When Frank comes back with a cup of water Max is across Naomi's lap and she's got an arm draped over him, her free hand scritching under his chin. ]
He's a good dog. You said... he was in with bad people, yeah? But he still turned out okay.
[ Her eyes are sad and she sounds pitifully hopeful, like she's not talking about Max at all. ]
no subject
Yeah. Gangsters. [ frank nods, thinking about all of them lying on the ground of that clubhouse. and max chained to the wall, alone, covered in his master's blood. he couldn't just leave him there. but when he sees naomi's expression he suddenly gets the feeling they're not talking about max anymore. ] All dogs really need is a nudge in the right direction, and people who love them. He still doesn't trust men right away, but he's getting better.
no subject
Right. Max is a dog, she can't draw the same conclusions for a child. It's just a nice sentiment that maybe he's simply inherently a good dog, you know? That being raised by bad people didn't change that. That maybe he'd make his own decisions and leave on his own-- no, she's back to Filip, and despite her best efforts her eyes well up and she sniffs slightly. Frank will notice, of course, but she doesn't want him to comment on it. ]
Have you had a lot of dogs? Or any before Max?
no subject
Max isn't even my dog, you know? I took him from those scumbags but then they took him back. And then he got away... Before here, I didn't even know if he was okay. It's been over a year since I saw him back home.
[ maybe it's the late hour or because he doesn't think naomi is firing on all cylinders right now, but he decides to share something else... something personal. maybe she won't remember it, but if she does he thinks he can trust her with the info just the same. ]
My wife never let me get one. Said I was never home so she'd get stuck taking care of it. She wasn't wrong.
no subject
I wonder how anyone would know to track him down and bring him here. If he wasn't even your dog at home for over a year -- I thought you'd kept him.
[ She's too drunk to think about what that all means. And if she'd tried it would've been immediately derailed anyway, when Frank mentions his wife. Her eyes lift again, finding Frank's hand. No ring. ]
What happened?
[ ...whoops. She definitely shouldn't have asked that and realizes it immediately, she's just. Not very sharp at the moment. But this is Frank, not Alex, she can't just go poking for details about people's failed marriages willy-nilly. ]
Sorry, that slipped. Pretend I never asked.
no subject
[ he looks at max with a soft frown. it really made 0 sense. then he's looking into naomi's eyes, ignoring her dismissal. maria's memory deserves better than him skipping this because it's hard. he's glad he was right in trusting alex though - there's no clue in her eyes that would tell him he told her. ]
She was murdered.
no subject
I'm so sorry, Frank.
[ Should she ask more? How? Why? Did they catch the culprit? But it's always about the criminal in these situations, isn't it? They're the name that makes the headlines. No one ever asks about the victim, the one lost. The one mourned. So Naomi does. ]
What was she like? Your wife.
no subject
She was... she was a firecracker, you know. Quick to anger even quicker to forgive. She loved to dance. Loved to cook. God, was she good at it, too. Made everything from scratch for every holiday. Maria. [ since he realizes belatedly he forgot to say her name. or maybe it was an intentional omission, but either way he's correcting it. ] And she was... a great mom. The best, really, to our kids. Lisa and Frank Jr.
[ frank lays his head sideways on the topmost rung of the chair and takes a deep breath. it's like with each time he expels their names from his lungs he's a little lighter for it. ]