chardismastic | o p e n p o s t.

pretty sure he says that just for the pity points

[ There's a ... pause between texts, a kind of acknowledgement in the tonal shift of his messages from Rafe. Yeah, sure, Nate can be pretty dense at the best of times, and arguably he's got the emotional range of a teaspoon, but he's known Rafe for a while now — long enough to pick up on those subtleties, anyway.

Or he could be totally wrong and this is all in his head. ]

if the sand and the surf and drinks with umbrellas in them seem unappealing, we could always come to some kind of a compromise you know

[ a similar pause, then— ]

"we"?

well rooftop apartments in the big city are fine but i've never been a real big city kinda guy myself

that's what compromise means, rafe

we talk about this stuff

come to some kind of agreement we can both be happy about

i'm aware of the definition, merriam-webster

[ of course the sarcasm comes easier, and faster. nowhere near as fast as...well. ]

never would've presumed to be a factor in your exit strategy post-avery

[ because you know. obviously the treasure hunting is the only thing happening here. absolutely zero investment past the literal investment. it's a business partnership. obviously. ]

i don't know, you seemed a little confused

thought i should clear it up

[ Jokes also come easier because feelings are ... feelings. ]

i mean it's up to you what happens next

just as long as you know it's never been about an 'exit strategy' for me

[ Which, btw, sounds cold and calculating and not at all what he thinks of this partnership. ]

[ yeah, well. some people may have trouble picking words that aren't cold and calculating. nobody here, but. you know. in general. ]

ah

i mean, obviously i'm still amenable to the present arrangement so
i've got no issues continuing it and seeing how it progresses

so long as both parties remain satisfied of course