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 Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 6:11 pm
Eventually and inevitably, Beth found herself alone. Sometimes it was easy to follow the group, other times the effort to follow others as they migrated or went to the bathroom or whatever was too much. So she found herself by the punch bowl and, figuring it was a better bet than grabbing a bottled drink, poured herself a cup. After finishing that in a few sputtering gulps, she quickly got a second one and, as she sipped it, started meandering around the outskirts of the party. She had lost track of Sylvia and Lex, and Misha was off entertaining a gaggle of admirers. She took another sip that didn't quite stave off the bitterness. She considered taking a walk outside, as she had forgotten how warm satin and silk could get. But for the moment she was more or less content, waiting for her friends to return. WC: 147, Total: 147
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2016 5:50 pm
Strangers were difficult to Brian, although he couldn't really recognize why. He must have been better at this whole "socialization" thing at some point in his life. So what had happened?
He was already a couple of drinks in by the time he saw Beth lingering on the outskirts of the crowd, looking a bit lost. He hadn't seen her much since he'd arrived, and it was probably time to visit. Interacting with strangers was feat. A friend would be nice.
He approached the young woman with a smile and touched her arm. "Hey!" As decent a starter as any.
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2016 6:55 pm
Beth jumped and then looked at Brian, shoulders relaxing when she saw who it was. She beamed up at him and leaned into his touch. "Does that line work on all the other girls?" She said teasingly, as if a single word was the same as a full pick up line. She took a sip of her drink, then figured she could risk a stab at sincerity. "So, tell me honestly, are you really comfortable in that outfit? I know we've all been making off color comments all night, but no one's bothered to ask how it makes you feel."WC: 100, Total: 247
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Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 5:37 pm
Oops, startled her. His bad.
"Every single one!" Brian chimed and smiled. He brought his cup to his lips and took another sip. His eyes rolled down into the cup, and when the cup came away his head followed. He seemed to be peering down at his own belly and/or groin. "It's, uh. It's a little snug. Can't say I've worn this much leather before. It's, uh-- It's alright. Not as bad as you think, I think." He tested an arm, raising it up as far as it could go. Yeah, he was still pretty mobile.
He gestured to her dress then. "That can't be all that comfortable either?" He'd never worn a dress. he wouldn't know. "How does it make you feel? Elegant? Rrrromantic?" He rolled the R for extra effect, of course.
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Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 6:26 pm
Oh, hell, he was buzzed wasn't he? That was fine; so was she. Beth couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled up as he attempted to visually inventory his physical feelings. "Well, I mean, I didn't squeeze myself into a leather sausage. I'm feeling pretty fortunate about that, actually! I can do this!" And she lifted the hem of her dress just enough to both show off her red boots and heel-toe her feet left and then right before dropping it back down. "No hoop skirts for this girl! Just a bunch of crinoline. Itchy, itchy crinoline. Which is technically the same thing as a hoop skirt but then they changed the design to just be nylon and then." She made a face, but then giggled as Brian turned her question back on her, the ridiculous accent making the momentary clouds break. She too looked down to see how she felt. "It's mostly my arms," she said, tugging at the alternating gathers on the sleeves. "And the corset." She said after a moment's thought. "I know it doesn't look like it, but it's under the dress. Where it belongs. Because it's actually an undergarment." She took a sip from her drink, trying to remember a related trivia fact, something from the days of working towards her master's. God, was she already thinking of that in terms of the past? WC: 228, Total: 475
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Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 6:43 pm
Beth was rambling again, and Brian couldn't tell if it was because he was making her nervous or because she was a little tipsy herself. He certainly didn't know a damn thing about fashion. Her boots were pretty, though, and he offered her a "very nice" that he actually meant and a little nod. He was only vaguely aware of what a hoop-skirt was and couldn't be one hundred percent certain that crinoline was fabric or some sort of elaborate device. Judging from the tiny skirt-lift, it was the former. He was lucky enough to have never had to go near the stuff. Corsets he knew more about, but he hadn't known that they were supposed to be undergarments.
"Well. I guess you learn something new every day," he said with a nod and a little lift of the cup. "So you're comfortable enough to dance?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2016 4:19 pm
Brian had a pleasantly interested look on his face. Which meant that he was trying to be polite by indulging her words. Before she could feel properly embarrassed, he toasted her knowledge and then asked her to dance. Or, at least, asked if she could dance, which was a very slight difference. Was he trying to ask for himself or someone else? Would someone else even want to dance with her? She had been the subject of flirtation and admiration already that night. So she was feeling pretty confident. Maybe it was the alcohol. With a lopsided smirk, she said, "As long as my feet stay on the floor for the kind of dancing you have in mind." It wasn't really well put together, but maybe he'd put two and two together. WC: 132, Total: 607
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2016 4:50 pm
"Ooh! What's gotten into you?" Brian asked with a laugh. It was nice to see a different side of Beth, even if it was partially the booze's fault. She'd always been so self-conscious and strained at times, it was nice to see her enjoying herself. It seemed that she really rather liked parties. Good! She deserved to have some fun.
He clucked his tongue. "I'll have you know that I'm a gentleman. We're going to go all-vertical, take that as you like." He put his drink aside on the table and offered Beth a hand with a half-bow.
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 7:01 pm
Beth blinked at her drink. "Vodka." She said with certainty. "Vodka and maybe some rum? Hopefully not tequila."She smiled at Brian, deciding to give into her devilish side. Whether it was the booze or the costume, she felt like being sly and alluring. Or so, she hoped. "Well, that's a shame, I was hoping Robin Hood in all leather might be more of the rogue-ish type. Rob from the rich and give to the poor kind." She hoped she wasn't overdoing it; she was admittedly laying it on rather thick. And there was only so much she could do about the lisp she gained from little fangs she'd applied to her canines. WC: 113, Total: 720
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 4:46 pm
He chuckled. Well, alright then! Beth with a little booze in her got pretty sassy! He hadn't seen this side of her yet, regardless of how common and sober it might have been in the past.
"Hey. Robin Hood was a gentleman," Brian said, offering his hand to Beth to head out for the dance floor. "He wined and dined Maid Marion before going horizontal. She was a maid, after all." Except he was some other guy he had seen a couple of times on TV and he had never seen any innocent medieval ladies trailing around him. Not even a modern version. That barely mattered. He was enjoying Beth's new attitude.
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2016 5:26 pm
Beth instinctively took Brian's hand and let him lead her to the dance floor. It didn't really matter that Brian wasn't exactly Robin Hood, was dressed as someone completely different, in fact. But she was pretty sure any archer with green as a primary part of their color scheme was inspired ultimately by the folk hero, and it was close enough for her. "She wasn't for long, I'm sure." She smirked. "And he was a thief. They have a habit of acquiring precious things. Like," she paused, watching his expression with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "her heart of course!" She giggled at her own joke and moved in time to the music. She considered herself an adequate dancer, not possessed of unearthly grace, exactly, but she could at least keep up with a rhythm. She could dance drunkenly in the living room of close friend, she could tap her feet and sway at a music festival, she could slow dance--stiffly polite--with family friends at formal functions. She wasn't quite sure what to do when top 40s hits were blasting out of speakers at a gym. She had no desire to relive her awkward school days--especially not with Brian. She let him lead, mirroring him as appropriate, trying to ease any tension she could feel in him. WC: 218, Total: 938
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2016 7:30 pm
Brian snickered. "Right."
He wasn't used to this at all when it came to Beth, but he was definitely enjoying himself. The booze admittedly probably helped a bit, but was it just him or were they bonding?
He also, however, wasn't sure how he was meant to dance with Beth. She was a friend, sure, but a different sort. He didn't want to horrify her. As such, he followed her lead at first, realized she was trying to follow his lead, and put up a finger as if to say "one moment." He downed the rest of what was in his cup, ran off to drop it at a table, and came back to offer Beth his hand and spin her.
Yes. This kind of dancing he could handle. Considering their conversation, it was just fine to be silly with Beth. If she wanted to get a little more intimate, that was her choice. The usual tension in his body was gone, though, in the presence of both mixed drinks and a good friend.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 6:46 pm
Beth instinctively pulled away as soon as she felt Brian try to disengage from her. She smiled and nodded to show she understood, but couldn't keep her stomach from flipping or her heart from sinking as he nearly fled from her on the middle of the dance floor. She was reasonably sure he wasn't the type of person to abandon someone so visibly. But some part of her still couldn't have faith in the intentions of others, or her worth to them. She watched him with an intensity that surprised her, but honestly shouldn't have. With relief, she saw him turn back and just as quickly run back to her. He was just depositing his empty cup--better it was abandoned than her. She was laughing as he spun her, relief flooding her body as she whirled. When he stopped, she let herself spin against him, cupping her fingers around his elbow and draping her other hand over his shoulder. She giggled, hoping he didn't see how nervous she had been. "I didn't realize I was in the hands of a professional." She teased, letting him continue the thief conversation line if he wanted, or switch the topic to their current occupation. WC: 202, Total: 1,140
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 6:53 pm
He had barely noticed that Beth was even watching before he came back to spin her. He'd known that she was likely to worry when he ran off, but hopefully that hadn't been enough to really panic her. At the very least she seemed pleased when he'd come back.
"Oh, absolutely, Darlin'!" he said, forcing a stronger Texan accent than he really retained any more. He was fine with her being so close and fine with the rhythm they'd fallen into. Blame the alcohol.
"You're not so bad yourself" He chuckled and smiled broadly. Just like that the accent was gone and back to its normal repressed state. There was just a little drawl with the introduction of a little inebriation.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2016 4:34 pm
It took more effort than usual to keep step and time with Brian and the music AND talk. There was only so much she could be expected to do while inebriated. She didn't feel like she was at her limit, but felt a gentle heaviness to her limbs, and a calm contentedness the likes of which she was generally unfamiliar with. She giggled at his overdrawn accent--was that what his voice sounded like when he was younger? Or maybe it was an aping of what he remembered of speech in his home region. Either way, she liked it. "Dance is another form of personal expression! It's fun. And my parents always loved dancing. Or, at least, holding parties where people were expected to dance. I've been to a lot of them. So I guess I'd consider myself practiced."
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