Lydia Martin

[baneofpaley]

Open post

FEEL FREE TO DROP A STARTER OR SUGGEST A LINE WITH LYDIA HERE. PROSE, ACTION AND TEXT ARE ALL WELCOME, M/F ONLY FOR SHIPPING PLEASE. BELOW ARE SOME AU'S/THEMES I LIKE TO PLAY WITH HER:

Arranged Marriage Share the Bed Soulmates code by tessisamess

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[thewailingwoman]

Despite the fact that Ray outright says that he's relieved by her desire to integrate herself into the world of scientific advancement, she really believes him because of the way she can see physical tension melting out of his body. It's still so strange to her to think of him as being nervous around her, and although it makes Lydia feel bad for finding it endearing, she does. "Ray." She shifts a little to place her glass down in a holder to make sure that it doesn't fall over before she reaches out, and she places a respectful but hopefully comforting hand on his knee.

"I know that you're nervous and so am I but everything that's going on in your head, you don't need to worry about it. I'm here because I want to be. If there was anything about this that made me uncomfortable I wouldn't be in this car with you, believe me. I'm here to have a good time with you and get to know you, we're getting married." She lets her hand fall away and she instead picks up her glass again. "We'll worry about business and appearances and everything like that later, but right now I'm here because I want to get to know you. So just relax." Her smile returns, and this time it's paired with a glint of genuine hope in her eye. "I'm already having a really good time."

She nods when he explains Cisco in a little more detail and she gives a little facial shrug of agreement; she can't judge until she meets the people that Ray is talking about, and although she doesn't know him all that well yet, she feels like doing business with an active weapons manufacturer is very out of character for him. "I'm looking forward to meeting them, then. I've never really gotten the chance to be around other - well, to be around actual scientists." She corrects herself sheepishly. She's not a scientist yet, but she'll get there. She's sure that jumping into the world of Ray Palmer head first is going to be a lot more overwhelming than she would like, and she's probably going to hate feeling like she's not the smartest person in the room. That being said, she's not the smartest person in this car anymore, and she's handling that well so far.

"Are you looking at houses, or condos as well?" She sips her drink, glancing out of the window thoughtfully before looking back at him. "I feel like it might be more convenient if we lived closer to Palmer Tech in the city, no? Or do you prefer something more suburban? I don't want to be difficult but I think it would be best if we were somewhere that was at least somewhat close to both a university and the office, I'm going to be running around to both locations a lot once school starts." Lydia gives a dramatic toss of her hair that she pairs with a playful, lofty tone. "The wife of Doctor Ray Palmer needs a degree if she's going to be taken seriously, you know."

[parvos]

It's a little funny that the younger of the two of them — the one who would appear to have less control of the situation at hand — is the one who is doling out the reassurances here. The irony of that is far from lost on Ray and he smiles a little. A large part of him wants to put his hand over hers so that the reassuring gesture can go both ways, but he refrains, not wanting to spook her. She might want to be here according to her words, but that doesn't mean she'll be comfortable with physical contact that isn't directly on her terms and Ray can respect that. It is, however, a relief to know that she's already having a good time, because that's one of the things that concerned Ray most.

"I'm glad," he says sincerely. "Because honestly, beyond getting to know you better, that's all I want. I want for you to be enjoying yourself. None of this is really worth it if we aren't both feeling that way, you know? So I appreciate you saying that, Lydia. I honestly do."

He can't help the little grin of amusement that tugs at the corners of her mouth when she says she hasn't had the chance to be around other scientists before. "You're a scientist," he corrects her. "By definition, a scientist is someone who is studying or has expertise in one or several fields of science. Don't cut yourself short. You might not have your degree yet, but that doesn't make you any less of a scientist than any of the rest of us. It just makes your salary a hell of a lot lower," he says playfully. That'll change. Even being married to him, Ray intends to let Lydia have her own assets and he intends to keep some of his own. The lawyer has insisted on a prenup and that's fine with Ray if it's fine with her; he's all for joining together but he also understands that they're both individuals and independent ones at that. There's no need to throw all of their financials together. Ray's thinking perhaps, when the time comes, they can discuss each having their own separate account as well as a joint one that they can funnel some of their own incomes into for things like the house, bills, saving up for college funds for the children he hopes they have some day. Dual purchases and financial responsibilities, basically, while also each having funds of their own with which they can do whatever they want. If she wants to join everything, he's not against it, but she's losing enough of her independence by even being in this arrangement at all in the first place. The least he can do is offer her an option to hold onto something that's just for her.

"I've been looking at both, actually," he replies. "I'm not above buying one of each. Something in the city would be nice for now and then something to settle into later on, after you've finished school and things sort of calm down. I wouldn't want to potentially raise a family in a condo, for example, or retire in one. But for the foreseeable future, I'm not very picky about where we decide to settle or what kind of unit that happens to be. So you're not being difficult. We can always add more appointments to the day tomorrow. My realtor had plenty of options, but I didn't really see the point in looking at everything she had to offer all by myself when it's not necessarily just going to be a place where I'll live, you know?"

He smirks a little and then laughs as she tosses her hair. "Yes, well, I am never going to be the one to hold you back from getting your degree and while I'm perfectly happy to make sure you have a place at Palmer Tech, I'm really not looking to limit your academic potential by saddling you with a nine-to-five. If you want to work while you're at school, I'm not going to tell you no or stand in your way, but I would just as soon let you intern in the lab of your choice with flexible hours letting you kind of come and go as you please, so that you're getting the experience you want without compromising your sanity while trying to juggle academia and the job. But it's up to you." He pauses. "I think even without the degree, you're one of the more intelligent people I've met; I don't see there being any issue with lack of respect in that regard. I think you can more than hold your own with a lot of the staff. Plus, nobody I employ is dumb enough not to take the boss's wife seriously," he adds with a little wink.