Dogs and drawings (tag Tony)

Liz wasn't feeling well. It came and went and some days were better than others, but there was always some faint feeling of unwell lately. It must have been the flu, she decided and stress. Maybe also it didn't help she was having trouble not being as affectionate as she wanted to be with Peter and while she respected his will not to be kissed, she still missed it.

Currently she sat outside her room, though the door was open. She had out her sketchbook - it had been a while since he used it - and she was attempting to sketch the vase with flowers across the hall. She was distracted a lot though and currently she paused, staring out at the wall lost in thought

Liz and Maria

"Okay, so, let me get this straight," Maria said as she sat on Liz bed whole braiding her best friend's hair. "Something really big happened over Christmas to Peter and that's why he's been miserable?"

Liz nodded just a little, cognizant of the fact Maria was braiding her hair. "It's a little more complicated than that, but, yeah." She was grateful that her friend was not pushing the question as to what had happened. She didn't think it was her place to say.

"But Liz," she continued. "No kissing? I know you. That's like, a big thing for you."

"You make me sound like some weird kissing machine or something."

"What I mean is, that's how you express your affection." She said "what do you guys even do? Just hug it out a lot?"

She flushed, mostly because it was just a strange thing to imagine. "It's okay Maria, really. We're doing okay."

"Good." She said, then carefully added, "but you can't maintain that forever."

Maria knew that Liz, at the very least, wanted children someday.

"I know... and I don't think it'll be forever. I just think... I think right now he needs to get comfortable with what happened and then, you know..." She hope so anyways. "Can we talk about something else?"

Maria continued to braid Liz's hair. She was almost done.

"Alright." She agreed. "But only if you promise you're okay."

"Promise." She smiled a little, even thought she wasn't facing Maria's direction, and lifted her hand to hold out her pinky.

Maria pinky-swore with Liz.

"Alright fine," She said. "Let's talk about something else."