An Early Study in Literary Environmentalism, tag: ryssa

Being married was new to Kitt, as was really being in a relationship in general. He had lead a very, very fast paced life, graduating from college with a double major at only 19 and going straight to work after that. He wanted to do what he loved and he had known that the best chance of getting a solid footing in wildlife photography was to start early and hope to get a good break early on. He had been lucky, and it had only taken him three years of grunt work before he had started getting dream jobs, and now he was 25, nearly 26 and he had a solid list of clients for his freelance work.

Once he felt that he had enough capitol and enough job security to settle down, he had come to Evergreen. He had spent so much time working and traveling that he had never really had time to find a woman, to get a girlfriend and even think about settling down, but he had wanted it and now here he was, married to a beautiful, albeit older woman, and she had a kid. He had experience with animals and plants and whatnot, but he had never been around such a tiny human being before, and learning to be a father wasn't the easiest thing in the world, especially to a baby so young.

Still, he wanted to be prepared for when Wesley was older, he wanted to be ready to take care of his wife's son, a boy who one day might be his if they decided to go the route of adoption - after all, Faith had sole custody of the boy. Kitt decided then that going into Everbooks and picking up some books that Wesley could look at when he got a little older wouldn't be the worst idea, besides, he had plenty of time before he had to pick the kid up from the babysitter. "Hey." He smiled as he walked up to the counter. "Do you have any environmentally themed children's books?"

April 29, 2012
3:12PM

This being pregnant thing was going to kill her. At eight weeks pregnant, Ryssa was already waiting for December to get there so that she wouldn't have to deal with the need to throw up every hour on the hour. Instead of What to Expect When You're Expecting sitting open on the counter today, Ryssa was diving through a baby name book. She's read enough of the other to scare herself and she wasn't quite ready to continue on with it. Running a hand through her blonde hair, which she had left loose that day, Ryssa knew tha tall of this over thinking everything was what had Papa on her back. She'd received a text message from him earlier asking if everything was alright, and she had to lie to him and tell him everything was peachy.

It also didn't help that she met her fiance the day before and he didn't seem pleased at all to meet her, let alone the fact that if he married her, he'd be a father in less than a year. Ryssa didn't mind really, it was a lot to ask, claiming to be the father of an unborn baby of the woman you'd just met. Besides, she could always pull out the money needed to sign up again from her saving account and her fathers wouldn't ask what for. They always trusted her to do what was right with her money, and as long as she didn't go on a shopping spree of stuff she didn't need, Patre and Papa would leave her be.

Looking up at the sound of someone asking for something, Ryssa furrowed her brows together. Putting the cap back on her high-lighter, Ryssa closed her book as she turned and looked at the shelving units behind her. "I'm not exactly sure," she looked back over at the blonde man, "I've only been here a couple of weeks, so I'm not certain of the lay of the land yet." Getting off of her stool, the 5'1" business major headed towards the children's section of the store, her book and highlighter in hand as she went, "I'm certain they'd be over here if we had any."

Kitt took note of the book that she was reading as well as the fact that she looked, well, rather young to be carrying a child...however, he was not one to judge. People got pregnant young all of the time and there was always the chance that she simply looked younger than she was. He got a lot that he looked closer to 20 or 21 than his full 25, nearly 26 years, so he knew all about people expecting a different age than what someone actually was. He knew what it was like to be mistaken for younger, and while sometimes it was annoying, he was certain that in a few years, if he maintained it, it would be flattering.

He followed her over to the children's section, wondering if this was, in fact, a good idea. Wesley was so small, he couldn't read yet, so any books purchased would have to wait a long time to be understood by the boy, who was barely 6 weeks old, but that didn't mean he couldn't look at the pictures! Kids liked animals, at least most of them did, and if they learned from a young age to love then and not fear them, even the scarier ones, it would be a success...and that was what he wanted for Wesley, even though Wesley wasn't his son, at least not yet.

"So are you pregnant, or are you just brushing up on the latest names?" he asked bluntly. He wasn't good at small talk, he had never been and beating around the bush had never really been a strong suit. He spent most of his time previous to moving to Evergreen on his own and he didn't know much about how to talk to people. It didn't really occur to him that his question might be rude, because in his mind, pregnancy was something to be celebrate, especially if you wanted to keep it. Children were awesome if you wanted them, and he did...some day, but right now he had his hands full with Wesley.

The bluntness of the man's tone had Ryssa caught off-guard for a moment. No one she knew would outwardly say that in that tone of voice. It just wasn't socially acceptable. At all. Catching herself before she managed to trip over something, the blonde bit her lower lip as she headed to one side of the store, where a small reading nook for some of the younger patrons were able to read while their parents were shopping. Stepping under some of the decor she had put up for them, Ryssa motioned for him to follow her as she made her way to the lower shelves. They couldn't be too high or the little kids wouldn't be able to reach the books, now would they? Licking her lips, she said, "Yes, I am pregnant. And yes, I am looking at potential names for him or her. My name is Ryssa. If you need anything, I will be at the front counter." Pausing a moment before she left the blonde man to his looking, she softened her voice and said, "The books you're looking for are most likely on the wall, on the second shelf. If we don't have any, I can see about ordering you one." and with that, the tiny blonde made her way to the front counter, where she sat with the butt of her highlighter tucked into her mouth as she waited for him to need anything.

Kitt wasn't sure what was wrong with his question, and he wasn't sure if he was simply picking up on something that wasn't there, but it seemed that his words had upset this woman, and he didn't know why. Kitt was bad socially, terrible, really, and while his words had not been meant to offend, it was clear that they had, and while he didn't know why, he instantly felt bad for it. He wasn't a mean guy, he just didn't really know how to handle people, and sometimes that meant that he said things that upset people for reasons that he hadn't quite managed to understand just yet, but he was working on it.

He frowned, wondering how to apologize, since he wasn't really sure what he had done, and perhaps it was nothing at all. His mind might be playing tricks on him, maybe she was just annoyed with the fact that she had to work while she was pregnant, he had a feeling that that would put anyone off, because from what he knew about pregnancy, it wasn't all that much fun...but the end results were beautiful. "I'm sorry if I offended you," he murmured, looking down at the ground instead of at the young woman, because he was ashamed and embarrassed by his lack of social skills. He would have to leave her a nice tip - wait, did you tip book store clerks? He had no idea whatsoever. Sometimes there was a tip jar, most times there wasn't. Maybe he could buy a book for her unborn child.

He went to the back shelf and picked out a couple of books for Wesley, books that he would be able to read when he got older, but not right now. He also picked up a copy of Goodnight, Moon. He had read that book as a child, and as far as he knew, it was still very popular in the child reading circuit. He took them up to the counter and set them down. "I would like to purchase these books, please," he said softly. "And could you please gift wrap that one?" he pointed at Goodnight, Moon. "Thank you, by the way...for your help."

Ryssa chewed on her bottom lip as she walked away from the offending blonde haired man, her book wrapped tight against her chest in her left hand and her purple highlighter clutched tightly in her right. She was not going to throw something at him just because he was blunt and obviously didn't know how social etiquette worked. Taking a deep breath as she made her way back through the store, Ryssa had to count to ten twice before she was calm enough to sit down on the wooden stool without her right foot twitching a million miles a minute. It was her tell. Well, one of her tells. She was certain that chewing on her bottom lip would be considered a tell too, but she didn't rightly care at that moment.

Sitting her book back down on the counter, Ryssa opened it back up to the 'N' names and continued to look over the lists. Aaron's middle name started with an 'N' and it only seemed right that the baby's did too. Though, it would be nearly ten more weeks before Ryssa discovered what the sex of the baby would be. Secretly, she was praying for a girl, because there was no way in hell she knew how to deal with a boy. She knew all about the tea parties and dressing up and what happens when "Aunt Flo" comes to visit. (Which was hellishly awkward when she had two father's who had no idea what was going on.) Rubbing her temple, Ryssa had just hightlighted the name "Natalie" when the blonde haired stranger came up to the counter.

Looking up at him, Ryssa arched an eyebrow at his special request for Goodnight Moon. Smiling softly at the book, Ryssa gently ran her fingers over her edges as she looked up at him, "Sure. Do you want regular wrapping paper, or the floral print?" Most women usually have the cream colored paper for their significant others and the men the floral print. Ryssa really wanted to get some other choices, but without running it by Denny or Aidan first, it wasn't going to happen. Pink tinges her cheeks as she looked up at him, pulling the right paper out from under the counter before she rang his purchases up. "It really wasn't a problem, and I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's just... Things have been stressful. Not all pregnancies are like the ones in the movies." There she went, over sharing. "But you probably didn't want to hear that..." Looking over at the register, she said, "Your total is fourteen sixty-seven."

There were so many choices in the real world, unlike in the wild when usually there was only one or two, and while Ryssa wanted there to be multiple wrapping papers, Kitt was just glad that there were two, because that made his decision easier. "Um...the floral one, please," he stated, hoping that he was making the right choice. Then again, what did it really matter? He was going to be giving it to her anyways, and the paper would end up tossed (hopefully in the recycling) anyways. He liked recycling, he was that kind of person, the kind who recycled and composted everything that he could. He wasn't going to save the world on his own, but he was going to do what he could to reduce his carbon footprint.

When she apologized for snapping, he didn't really know what to say. It was alright, really, because he had been rude, so she had been it he right, had she not? "Oh, no, it's quite alright," he stated, thick Australian accent lacing the words as he looked up at her for a quick second before looking back down, feeling too awkward to hold her gaze for much longer than that. He hated that he was this way, that he didn't know how to talk to people, how to interact like a normal human being, but he had no idea, and he didn't know how to make it better without just...well, taking the time. With Faith, things were getting better, he was getting to know her and that made things easier, but with other people, it was harder. "It was my fault anyways, I was being rude."

He distracted himself with his wallet once she had given him the total, and he pulled out a twenty dollar bill, handing it to her. He had no idea what it was like to be pregnant, and in all honesty, he had missed most of Faith being pregnant, so he hadn't really had to deal with that either. He had dealt with pregnant animals, but somehow he figured that was very different, and he didn't think that mentioning his interactions with a pregnant water buffalo would really make her feel any better. "Thanks," he mumbled as she wrapped up the book. When she handed his items to him, he pushed the wrapped copy of Goodnight, Moon back over to her. "That's uh...that's for your little one, whatever you decide to name him or her," he said softly. "An apology for my rudeness."

Ryssa smiled as she went about her job, finally glad that the man seemed to see that what he said was wrong. She had to give the man a break. His Australian accent was kinda cute... Hell, he was kinda cute, but she didn't go for married guys. She may be pregnant, but she was no home wrecker. She knew the shit that could come about because of that, and she was lucky that The Rumor Mill hadn't heard about her yet, or she'd be a goner. There was no way she could live anything like that down. She'd just die of embarrassment. Not to mention have to explain to her fathers why her name was something of gossip. Dear Lord... The blonde just flushed from thinking about it. Giving the blonde man his change, Ryssa smiled as she gently slid his purchases towards him. When she handed his items to him, he pushed the wrapped copy of Goodnight, Moon back over to her. "That's uh...that's for your little one, whatever you decide to name him or her," he said softly. "An apology for my rudeness." Ryssa blinked at him is disbelief, taking the wrapped book off the counter. "No, really it's okay." She said, blushing, but when he insisted a second time, not taking the book as he left, Ryssa felt a warmth spread through her chest. Maybe there was some good in the world after all...

There wasn't much that she could do if he left the book, if he didn't take it with him, so that was exactly what he did. She was young, she was having a child, and he didn't know how she was financially, but that child deserved a book, all children deserved books. Kitt knew that he wouldn't be where he was without books and yes, most of that had been text books and novels and intellectual reading, but he had started out small, just like everyone else, and he felt that those things were just as important as everything else, that it was just as crucial for someone to read Goodnight, Moon was it was for them to read Darwin or Hawking or Camus. If he could help to give that child a better life with a small gesture, if he could help to make the young mother's life easier, even if it was just 8.95 easier, he was going to do what he could.

He smiled gently to himself as he walked out the door, leaving the shop in his wake. It felt good to do things for other people and not ask for anything in return. He had never really been selfish, of course, but he had never really been selfless, either. Most of the good things that Kitt had done had been because he genuinely believed that they were the right thing to do not just for himself, but for mankind as a whole, and giving her the book was really just an apology for being something of an asshat. Still, it made him feel good, and it felt like he was finally starting to spread some roots in this tiny town, roots that he had never really expected to plant anywhere. He would travel again, he was sure of that, but Evergreen was home, now, and he was glad for that.

((end))