Welcome to Gaia! ::

The music continued on but to her it became nothing more than white noise, a backdrop against the murmurs and laughter of the other patrons. Around them, people became nothing more than a blurred sea of motion, ribbons of colors moving in a way that reminded her of the nightime photos taken of the streets of Downtown Destiny City. Mesmerizing in a way, and yet she couldn’t be bothered to care that they were there.

All that mattered or existed in this time stopping moment was the two of them. She knew, from all the romance novels she had read in the past, what Wolframite was asking and so, at his wordless request, Laven’s lips parted albeit hesitant at first.

She could still taste the lingering alcohol lined with the tangy flavor of lime from when she nipped his lower lip and while she wanted to taste it again, to run her tongue over his lip as he had done to her own, Laven withdrew into herself a bit, worried about her own reaction, and decided that for now it was best to let him take the lead.

This was wild and unfamiliar territory, that terriffying first step into another unknown, and the last thing she wanted to do was to ******** things up by being overzealous or incredibly awkward and leave a lasting horrific impression.

Although her grip was weak, Laven held onto a fistful of his outer jacket to steady herself when he pulled away. Her heart pounded wildly from the rush of it all leaving her feeling both winded and lightheaded to the point that had it not of been for his arms holding her steady she felt like she would either float away or fall to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Too self conscious to look him in the eyes just yet, she leaned her forehead against his shoulder and nuzzled her face against the side of his neck.

After the current song had ended, and the DJ was taking a moment to change to a different record, Laven finally spoke, or tried to at least.

“I’m sorry-,” she paused, breathing still laboured but her heart was at least calming down a bit. “I um-” Laven struggled to form a coherent sentence and after a few seconds tried again. “I need to sit down, please.” Not at the table they had been at, but a booth if one was available. That way if she fell over sideways there would be a cushion to break her fall.

So that’s what a ‘foot pop’ kiss is like… Thank you Mia. Since watching the Princess Diaries as a kid she had wondered if such a feeling was real especially since it happened in so many movies and described in several of her romance book. But after what she just experienced, Laven could confirm that it was definitely a thing.

She considered his offer for a moment. Her eyes drifted downward and off to the side to some arbitrary spot on the dance floor.

“Please,” she spoke softly, nodding her head in affirmation. He probably needs space and time to think, as she did despite not wanting to be left alone in the unfamiliar loud and brightly colored place.

History repeats itself… but why did it have to be so soon? Without being consciously aware of her actions, her own nervousness had thrown up a wall keeping her from just enjoying the moment. Like a solid lead ball her heart sank to the pit of her stomach from the guilt of putting an abrupt end to something so sweet, so tender, so… just perfect.

Each heart beat was like the pounding of a hammer onto a nail head, one that was being driven into her very core as a permanent reminder of each of her flaws. For as confident or sure of herself as she had been while in college, Laven had to wonder at what point did she become so self deprecating?

Hanging her head forward, her hair created a veil between her and the rest of the crowd. With her hands she massaged the tension from her shoulders. We need to talk. I need you to understand that it’s not you, it’s me-... She rolled her eyes at how ******** cliche that sounded despite the truth of it.

“I’m scared…” She mouthed the words, admitting at least to herself the truth behind her actions.

I’m scared of change… but more than that I’m scared of losing him. I’m scared that one day he’ll wake up and realize I’m not worth the trouble and leave. He had taken her hand and not let go… yet. But like a cup held out at arms length, while the actual weight of it never changes, the longer one holds onto it the heavier it becomes. The more things stay the same the more of a burden she will become.

That I’ll roll over and rather than be in a room we now shared it will be back to the dark prison of a space that had held me captive for months before he tore his way into my life with claws and teeth. As desperate and pathetic as it sounded, it’s honestly how she felt. And if things continued on this path they were on and she kept expecting him to wait then that someday may end up being sooner than the New Years.

When she looked up after noticing that his signature was maneuvering its way back towards her, Laven smiled. A perfect mask to the worry she had been feeling. “So, what’s the next game?” She asked before he could inquire what was on her mind. Maybe later she would tell him, but not right now, not if it could be avoided. If that meant a few more drinks to bring back that excited rush then she would that’s what she’d do to get out of this stupid funk she had slipped into.

“Thank you,” Laven took a small sip of the refreshingly cold soda.

“Two truths and a lie.” She decided fairly quickly. Sadly she couldn’t use her shark bite as one of the truth’s now that he knew it existed. “Each statement has to be from one of the following topics, no doubling up either; a fear, a like, a want or have.”

“And I don’t need a handicap,” Laven looked at him with a raised brow and smirked then took another long drink of her Sprite. “It was just getting uncomfortably hot over there.” Kind of…

Normally warmth like that would make her lethargic or sleepy but in the crowd of bodies and loud music it was making her wildly disoriented and dizzy.

“I can get us one of those rainbow shots, no idea what’s in them but I’ve been curious for a while now.” She shrugged. “Up to you though. You’ve paid for all the drinks to far, next round can be on me. Was there anything over there you wanted to try but didn’t get?”

“Fair enough,”

But first she polished off her sprite before rising from her seat and braving the crowd as he did. When she returned Laven set a wooden plank down on the end of the table, A drill had been used to make eight 1” holes and in each was a shot that was of a different color. “You should have seen the bartender pour them.” She stated with an almost childish gleam in her eyes.

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say it was magic.” Laven winked at him playfully, more so because of the irony of the statement but nonetheless it was really cool.

Rather than taking a seat, Laven instead stood behind Wolframite's seat and ran her claws through his hair as she did out on the dance floor. Sharp claws raked over his scalp from the nape of his neck and around the base of his ear.

She leaned forward to n** at the tip of one of them. “You offered to go first. But before we get started, what’s the prize going to be? The loser is obviously going to get smashed, but what does the winner get out of this?”

She leaned forward and whispered in his ear then smiled. Her arms, she draped over his shoulder then gave him a hug from behind, nuzzling her cheek against as he had admitted to liking. “The offer remains regardless if I win though.”

Despite the buzz, Laven was still enough of herself in that she remained fully aware of her actions and things she said. And while she worried about continuing to mess things up, she knew that unless she changed then things between them would start to dissolve.

She was no fool and recognized that Wolframite was putting in far more effort than she was. His restraint and consideration of her feelings were more than admirable. But more than that, he was honestly trying to do better, be better, then he was before as he said he wanted to be and for that he deserved the same in return. However, he had to understand that there were some lines she couldn’t cross, at least not yet, but that didn’t mean she was incapable of coming out of her shell to try and meet him half way.

Reluctantly Laven relinquished her hold and immediately regretted the absence of his nearness, a part of her wishing for the closeness they had while dancing… and kissing. Oblivious to the people around them, she wanted that moment again but in a more private setting.

Taking a seat across from him she removed the red shot glass from the plank and set it between them. “Two truths and a lie, you’re up.”

Laven tried to stifle a laugh but instead turned into more of an undignified snort then “That was a throw away one.” She stated as-a-matter-of-factly then slid the first shot across the table. “Unless you got one between August and now then drivers license.” He had admitted something to the effect of because he had no memories as a civilian that he wasn’t sure he ever knew how to drive. The exact phrasing was lost upon her but she definitely remembered the topic.

“I’m curious about the eye one though.” She had seen him reaction to mirrors and fire and had to assume that the loss of sight was somehow related.

“My turn…” She pondered her options for a moment before smiling at him. “I fear death the most, I like the smell of almonds. And I Have a fourth mark that you have not seen.” That last one was carefully picked to see what kind of rise she could get out of him after he had been quite upset at seeing the love bite the shark had given her on her calf.