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Post by Marguerite on Feb 12, 2008 1:13:44 GMT -5
"So," Gavin said, stabbing at his salad nicoise with a sort of repressed hysteria, "not only do I fall off my horse, but d'y'know who stopped the bloody thing? My fairy godmother."
He grimaced and took an unhealthily large gulp of wine. "She sparkles. And leaves explosions of glitter. D'you know how bloody 'ard it is t'get glitter off of plate metal? It's like the smallpox of the craft world. The worst thing about it was that it all happened, lucky me, in front of an incredibly attractive damsel who could have possibly been in distress if my glittery fairy godmother hadn't popped up out of no where and demanded I make a bloody wish before she mercy-killed me."
Gavin refilled their wine glasses with a grimace. "God. For two Dreams, our lives sure are depressing. I mean- hey, that's her!"
He fortunately remembered to put down the wine-bottle before gesturing across the room at an exceptionally alluring Dream in a bustle. "Samantha Cross. See? I swear, the prettier the woman, the worse the abject humiliation."
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Post by Jules on Feb 12, 2008 1:21:03 GMT -5
Glitter was repulsive.
Unfortantely, he was unable to communicate said repulsion. He could only shake his head and find various ways into tricking himself into letting him get his message across. It was more then exhausting, constantly fighting with yourself.
"Yes, that's true." He commented lightly, when he was really saying how Samantha Cross was attractive, it could well apply to anything else Gavin had said, and his equally miserable friend was well used to his odd way of speech.
But oddly enough, as David gazed upon Samantha, he felt a tickle on the bridge of his nose. Which may have seemed like nothing to anyone else, a mere admition that she was indeed Beautiful, but to David it astounded him. Of course, his face was stuck in a warm, friendly expression despite his shock.
"You're right mate, I wouldn't wanna fall off my horse in front of that one."
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Post by Miss Jack on Feb 12, 2008 1:29:47 GMT -5
Gossip, gossip, gossip, can you imagine, that petticoat...
Samantha nodded in time, telling herself she was not bored by this mindless prattle. While her companion continued into a long narrative about the latest scandal, she caught a gesture out of the corner of her eye. She glanced over and was surprised to see the knight from the cemetery. Of all the nerve, pointing like that. It seemed the Gaia was letting in all manner of ruffians nowadays.
Still. He (and his friend, she just noticed, also staring. Hmph.) probably wouldn't care to talk about the happenings of Miss Peddiwinkle, or what have you. She quelled her longing and, after arching a 'what? brow at him, turned around, nose in the air.
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Post by Marguerite on Feb 12, 2008 1:37:14 GMT -5
Crap, she'd caught them!
Though he flushed again (damn you genetic predilictions!) he manged to turn his 'look-that's-her' point into a 'oh, it-appears-I-have-gotten-some-sort-of-strange-and-interesting-thing-on-the-sleeve-of-my-polo-I-should-pick-it-off!' type move.
Since that just made him look more socially inept than a drunken kangaroo, Gavin gave up the attempt and tried for sauvity. He raised his eyebrows right back at Samantha, as if to say, "Excuse me, was I looking at you or the fresco behind you?". Hopefully she wouldn't notice there wasn't a fresco there.
"How stupid would we be if we went over?" Gavin asked, in an undertone to David.
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Post by Jules on Feb 12, 2008 1:42:07 GMT -5
"It's probably worse trying to pretend we're actually cool." He grinned, even though he didn't want to, to show he was joking, even though he wasn't.
He gave a completely innocent and unmistakbly only-friendly smile to Samantha, at least trying to smooth the path for one of his rare actual-friends. He could use his misery to help others! His misery included getting girls to constantly be his best friend, and never, ever anything more.
He stood, and picked up his loose, shabby blazer from the back of his chair.
"Ready?"
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Post by Miss Jack on Feb 12, 2008 1:45:18 GMT -5
Samantha kept throwing discreet glances at the pair through lowered lashes, trying very hard to look as if she wasn't interested at all. But in truth, they were a fine break from having to hear about how some 70-year-old woman wore the same dress twice that week.
Wait.... was he getting up? What were they doing? Her gloved hands grasped each other and she trained her eyes forward with an almost unnatural focus.
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Post by Marguerite on Feb 12, 2008 1:57:59 GMT -5
Gavin glanced at his reflection off of his wine-glass and tried not to wince. A millenia of chivalrous deeds did not do much for the complexion. Well, how much worse could it get? She knew he had a fairy godmother?
He quickly overpaid for their meal and, absently tugging his clothes into order, tucked his hands into the pockets of his trousers and walked over. Gavin flashed Samantha his best smile. "Hello Miss Cross. Please excuse me if I'm interrupting you." He turned to look at her companion. "Hey. I know you! You're the dream who hasn't paid her taxes in thirty years. Accounts Payable was going to go to the League of Shadows."
"Oh, I... look at the time!" The older woman bolted.
"Er... sorry about that," Gavin said, trying to force himself not to blush, with limited success. "This is my friend, David Kingsley. David Kingsley, Miss Samantha Cross. Since I've, er... accidentally chased off your friend, would you like to take a turn with us? In the garden, here, I mean? It's a nice garden."
... very smooth. James Bond would ask for tips, honestly.
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Post by Jules on Feb 12, 2008 2:04:48 GMT -5
David hung back, not wanting to infringe onto Gavin's sad attempts to pick her up. But when he was introduced, he shot her a warm smile. "Nice to meet you, Miss Cross. "
Everything about him just radiated friendliness, and on the inside he was more the sickened with it. It wasn't that he'd so much mind befriending the lovely Samantha Cross, but it was like torture. Seeing these woman cuddle him, hug him, love him in a platonic way, and know how badly he wished it could be more and how firmly it never would be.
"Good on you mate." He commened Gavin. "She looked like a right bore."
Since the woman wasn't there, he didn't have to be friendly to her, and Samantha had looked near comatose talking to the woman, so David was able to tell his tricky little self that by insulting the stuffy dream, he was helping win her over.
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Post by Miss Jack on Feb 12, 2008 23:30:12 GMT -5
"The pleasure is mine," she replied with a soft nod. Something about him provoked a smile, and she gave into the urge, lips curving ever so slightly.
She thought about it for only a moment before taking Gavin's arm in her own, although he had not offered it. "It's a deplorable garden, Sir Gavin, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And I must commend your ingenuity concerning my companion. Quite clever of you. Come along, Mr. Kingsley. Can't have you trailing behind like a chaperone."
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Post by Marguerite on Feb 13, 2008 0:00:13 GMT -5
Well, there was another lapse in chivalry. Slightly pink with embarassment, he bent his arm properly and then tried to figure out if he should offer his other arm to David.
Hm. That was probably taking chivalry to its breaking point, there. Samantha probably meant that David should walk on her other side. At least, Gavin hoped so. He and David were close, but walking arm-in-arm was a level of close Gavin personally never wanted to reach.
"Deplorable?" Gavin asked, shocked right back into his natural optimism. "Oh hardly! Rough around the edges occasionally, but everything's growing where it's supposed to... for the most part. I've always liked the Woodlands better, but Gaia's garden's a fair sight nicer than the... I'd guess you'd call 'em parks, in Chimera. Besides, any garden with you in it would make it immediately the lovliest place there is."
Ha! A compliment that didn't turn out awkward! That would clearly never, ever happen again, so Gavin privately savored his triumph as he held the door to the gardens open for David and Samantha.
"David, don't you agree?"
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Post by Jules on Feb 13, 2008 0:12:06 GMT -5
David, who was trying to analyze if he had to sneeze or was being seduced, started when he was adressed again. Obeidiently, he'd come up on Samantha's other side, but kept his hands clapsed leisurely behind his back. Even though he kind of wished he could take her arm too.
"Wha---oh yes, the gardens are lovely." It was quite clear his mind hadn't been fully with them. He gave an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, I've got my head in the clouds."
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Post by Miss Jack on Feb 13, 2008 0:30:25 GMT -5
"It can't be that unfamiliar of territory," Samantha said wryly and then mentally gave a long sigh. That hadn't been polite.
But instead of apologizing, she ignored it, promptly switching subjects. She spared Gavin a gracious, only a little fake, smile at the compliment. It slid off like water on a duck. "I suppose they're not so bad. Certainly more pleasurable than the weak standard Nightmares hold for their gardening." Her nose wrinkled. They began on the cobblestone path that snaked through the gardens. Truly, it wasn't awful, but compared to the flora Dreamland was capable of, there was a certain lacking quality about it.
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Post by Jules on Feb 13, 2008 0:36:39 GMT -5
David wanted desperately to be part of the conversation, to have her glorious eyes on him, to have that smile awarded to something he said. But a friend didn't want these kinds of things, a friend walked slightly ahead to let the two 'love-birds' get to know each other without a third wheel. So with each step causing him a little bit of pain, David meandered ahead, looking at the flowers, bushes and other various flora with well-feigned interest.
Since he could justify his next question as giving Gavin a useful tip (it had taken him a while to find a loop-hole) he asked of Samantha, casually and over his shoulder "What's your favorite flower, Miss Cross?"
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Post by Marguerite on Feb 13, 2008 0:58:05 GMT -5
David wandered ahead and Gavin wondered, not for the first time, why David never seemed to try and flirt with girls. It wasn't as if it would matter if he was bad at it; Gavin was terrible, but he kept trying anyways. Hunh. Well, that was one conversation they would have when they were much more drunk.
"That's the one thing I can't stand about Chimera," Gavin said, frankly. "No gardens. No sunlight. I mean this...?" He waved his free hand at the rosebushes. "Granted, it's not... all that great, but that can be fixed. Hang on." He bit his tongue in concentration and lifted up one of the tightly furled rosebuds. It took very little effort to part the faint haze of clouds overhead and even less to direct the sunbeams towards the flowers. He had forgotten how much he liked encouraging things to grow, how positively pleasant it was to feel the petals unfurling in his cupped palm. "There!"
He turned to beam at both of them. "Still not as pretty as you, Miss Cross, but getting there. Oh, good question David. Any you want in particular. Miss Cross?"
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Post by Miss Jack on Feb 13, 2008 1:09:30 GMT -5
Samantha didn't notice that David had been inching in front of them until he literally appeared in her line of vision as she looked ahead. She just had time to frown in bewilderment before Gavin caught her attention.
"Oh, lovely!" she exclaimed, for once entirely sincere in her emotion. She dismissed the compliment (just as corny as the one before) and instead bent down to touch a finger against a silky petal. "What a delightful talent," she allowed. Her fingertip accidentally brushed his palm and she quickly pulled back. In her experience, it was best to avoid skin-on-skin contact. She turned and sauntered over to David, and that's when it finally hit her. She'd received a grand total of zero corny compliments from him. Not that they were missed (honestly), but she had to admit that the indifference was a bit unsettling.
"Lillies," she told him, and smiled coquettishly.
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