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 Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 5:28 am
Natalie took the water from Hadrain with a murmured thanks, taking a few sips. It cooled her parched, torn throat, and she closed her eyes, relaxing a tiny bit. "Thank you, Hadrian..."
Then she looked up at Thorn, biting her lip a tad nervously. "Y-you really don't have to... and I'm in no shape..." She gestured to herself - still looking terribly distraught, hair a mess, still dressed in 1800's garb.
"A-and... thanks... about the show. I'm... still trying to figure out how I'll make it through the rest of the performances." She cast her eyes downward again, thinking quietly to herself (and almost bringing herself back to tears) that every night, it would be as if Michael was throwing everything in her face... and he would be cold, reserved, and completely professional about it. Joy.
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 9:15 am
"It'll be fine."
That they go out with her like that, Hadrian meant. Natalie didn't need to be a stunning image of beauty to go out - just getting in some normal clothes and washing her face to clear tear tracks, and it would be good.
And if she was this distraught - well, distractions were supposed to work, right?
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 9:20 am
Thorn looked over at Hadrian, nodding his head. See? They made a good team. And if they could console a girl together, surely they could do other things very well together too.
Oh, hmmm. The possibilities.
"Natalie." he encouraged, nodding his head. "Change into something a little bit more... fitting for this era, and we'll have a good time." he grinned slowly. "a beautiful young woman and two equally good looking men... we will be the most envied group in every room, no?"
He arched a brow. "Now. Unless you want us to... stay here while you change?"
Hmmm. Might be something. A threesome in such closed quarters might prove to be exciting. "Leave it to us."
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 9:54 am
She may be distraught, but she still had her modesty. "I... guess I'll go out. But. Ah. Privacy... would be nice..." She finished off the water, and set the glass on her vanity table. "I'll just be a moment..."
Natalie slipped behind a folding changing screen, and began the long and difficult process of getting out of the layers of fabric. There was an over dress, an under dress, a petticoat... oh, the layers!
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:02 am
If Hadrian held any idea of where Thorn's thoughts had led him, he would have been out of there in a flash. He didn't even want to consider being with Thorn again - much less Thorn and another person!
But as he wasn't a mind reader, he remained...nervous. Nervous, but staying for Natalie. She could use a distraction, so...well, he imagined dinner would be what they did.
If Thorn had other plans, Hadrian didn't know of them. So, he waited for Natalie.
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:06 am
Thorn walked towards Hadrian, looknig for something to place the flowers in. Of course, THAT was the reason he had to end up next to the mage, wasn't it? "You're a good man, Hadrian." he said quietly, murmuring the words in a tone too gentle to be picked up. Especially by the girl behind the screen.
"I would you have thought you would have fled by now."
He grinned. Just a hint of a jab, calling him a coward. But barely there. He had to keep things cautious, level ground. For a while at least, and... well. "I've made reservations at a resteraunt already. A third person isn't too much of a squeeze, and it's at a atmospheric club lounge."
He smiled.
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:12 am
It took an oddly long time, with many skirts and underskirts thrown onto a chair by the screen, but eventually, Natalie came out wearing her usual uniform.
It was comfortable!
Still, Natalie wasn't sure she'd wear it much in the future. She was feeling more in the mood for sweats and a big bucket of ice cream.
She was fiddling with her tie when she came out, hair completely down and falling in rather icky, half-hairsprayed, half-sweat soaked curls. She grabbed a brush and dragged it through a few times, pulling it back loosely into a more presentable mess. Then she went about putting the costume back in a closet.
"Thank you, both," she murmured while doing all of this, distracting her mind by busying her hands. "What... are we going to be doing?" Thorn's words had been lost between Hadrian's ears and the screen.
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:18 am
Hadrian had narrowed his eyes, and just opened his mouth to respond, when Natalie came back out. She didn't need to see bickering tonight.
So instead of making a jab back at Thorn, he answered her question instead.
"A restaurant, apparently - Thorn has reservations."
Briefly he wondered about those - meant for two people...had Thorn been intending to take Natalie out after the play? Because surely he knew that the mage would be gone by now, if not for her.
But he wasn't about to leave her alone with Thorn.
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:26 am
Thorn wanted to make other expressions cross the mage's face, but this girl, in her defenseless, slightly trusting form was too tempting to resist. "It's not that far from here, and while it won't take but a moment or two by car, would you prefer the fresh air?" he was all the gentlemen as he picked a purple rose out from the bouquet and handed it to her.
A slightly, just slightly mischievous smile crossed his face as he nodded. "We will eat good food. Listen to good music. Drink some good wine."
At the last, his eyes slid just a fraction towards the mage. "As do all normal, sociable adults."
Of course, he had been tempted to answer her question in another manner (what a tease of a question!) but he refrained.
For now.
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:32 am
Natalie took the rose, slightly unsure of just what she was supposed to do with it. Dinner sounded nice...
She was about to pipe up that she was two years too young to drink, but then she decided that she really needed some alcohol, would probably find the cheap stuff she had back at home anyway and polish that off. It was probably a lot safer (and nicer) for her to drink in the company of... responsible adults. Ah. Right.
"That's... nice. But wouldn't you only have reservations for you and Hadrian?" She still hadn't picked up on the tension, it seemed - did she think they were a couple? That was a disturbing thought.
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:37 am
Hadrian fought back a wince at the idea of just him and Thorn going to dinner - he wasn't about to do something like that again. "Nonsense. I probably wouldn't even be going if there were any less of us."
That could be taken a number of ways, but the mage didn't leave her with much time to dwell on it.
"I believe I'll stick with water tonight...it's a good idea to have at least one person in a group not drinking."
And he was not going to get drunk around Thorn again.
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:44 am
Thorn smiled, obliviously ignoring whatever it was Hadrian was blathering on about. Nonsense? That was his line! Because somehow, he would have wrangled Hadrian into coming for dinner.
"Water?" he asked mildly. "And it's such a celebratory occasion!" his eyes glittered. "They will not mind one more seat, and I am sure your company will be a delightful addition to Hadrian and I's night together."
Offering her his arm, and wondering if maybe he should do the same for Hadrian, he nodded. "A bottle of champagne sounds perfect, don't you think so, Hadrian?" he arched a brow.
"One drink has never hurt. anybody. I've heard alcohol can be a wonderful thing in loosening certain inhibitions." his eyes developed that sleepy, knowledgable look.
"Now, Natalie. Why don't you tell us what it was like to be on stage. I doubt either Hadrian or myself have performed so magnificently before an audience."
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:52 am
Not a couple? A couple? She didn't know what to believe, what with all the conflicting signals. What she did know, though... was if Hadrian and Thorn WERE a couple, and she found out about it, she'd smack Thorn (or try to) and never speak to him again. She was NOT going to be used the same way twice.
Still, Natalie took his arm gingerly, blushing. Whether it was because she had caught the innuendo or was responding to the compliment was anybody's guess.
"It's... more hectic than you'd think," she said, slowly. "Not very glamorous, either. I'm just so exhausted at this point- I'll be trying very hard not to fall asleep, though. I promise. It's just been... a very, very, very long day."
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 10:58 am
"You know I don't handle alcohol well."
Dryly spoken, Hadrian was making it clear that he was not going to concede on this point; he wasn't drinking tonight. And he would order his own drink, as well...he didn't trust Thorn to not give him something alcoholic.
"However hectic it might have been, you performed fantastically."
She did, really. He hadn't been paying the most attention, but from what he did she, she did well.
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 11:02 am
Thorn smiled. "I do hope tonight's entertainment will be enough to rouse you." he stated, smiling slightly. Pointing to one of the buildings neatly tucked away, he nodded. "We're almost there."
At Hadrian's comment, he arched a brow. "I thought you handled yourself fantastically."
Alright. He did other things fantastically too, and for a moment he let his mind think about that.
"Shall we?" he asked, inclining that they skip the cue. They had reservations, after all.
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