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 Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 11:17 am
She made a soft surprised noise when he took her hand and kissed it, as if surprised he had the capability to move and stop her. And then once more her fingers curled a little inward as if coy, which wasn't far off from what she was feeling. "'We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths,'" Stormy recited, triggered by Gale's choice of words, and then pressed her lips together with a little amusement at herself. But what a strange weight it was to know how much she mattered...He could tell her a hundred times and she would still be surprised, because it wasn't something she could know with her hands, or quantify or measure. It was intangible and metaphysical and thus intrinsically too valuable for her to understand--like trying to answer the meaning of life.
"You are important to me, too," she said in turn with slightly red cheeks, hating how bland those words were but hating it more she couldn't think of how to properly phrase the meaning behind them, that she couldn't grasp at something more touching and sweet. "But you also promised me you would keep living regardless of what happened. Please remember that." She fiddled in her purse for her key and then unlocked the door.
Stormy had forgotten she hadn't quite cleaned up after herself. The room was its usual soft whites and pastels in the dim light, though after flicking the lightswitch on the evidence of her preparation was made known: there were still several pieces of makeup on her sink, a few clothing options hanging from her closet (one a dress similar to the one she wore but with a light lace coat, the other more casual dress with dark jeans), and her bed was still rumpled from the morning; a red panda plush sat stop one of the pillows. Stormy had the grace to look embarrassed at the state of her dorm and fiddled with a braid self-consciously. "Sorry about the mess," she said as she nudged some of her fallen pillows closer to the bed.
"So, the secret." She turned back to him, her toes curling briefly from the chill in her room. Holding out her hands, she sought the mental link just beyond Thane, and with a soft glow a tome appeared in her grasp. It was about a foot tall and radiantly gold (even the pages were gilded), subtle but ornate patterns curling around the cover. It looked brand new and brilliant as if shining from its own light source. "Can you guess what this is?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:35 pm
"I'll admit," said Gale, leaning forward and poking his forehead against Stormy's briefly, a smile on his face. "I am very curious about a lot of things involving you, so hopefully I'll be able to keep moving forward with you."
The important to me too comment made his cheeks flush with pleasure, Gale squeezing Stormy's hand affectionately. The smile faded a little at the end of the sentence, however, and he gave a small nod, a brief sigh escaping his lips as he followed her into her room. His eyes flickered across the various belongings, Gale trailing after Stormy and stood in front of her, gaze alight with curiosity.
It was a book - but really, that was such an underrated term, because this was not just a book, but, in fact, a tome, a beautiful, elegant, majestic tome that seemed to be spun from pure gold itself. Gale reached out a hand as though to touch it but then drew back away, tilting his head to the side as he stared at it.
"Er," he said. "No idea, but it's...quite lovely to look at, though."
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 5:20 pm
It had been a rhetorical question of course: something to add to its mysterious and mystical quality, like she was putting on a show for him.
"This," Stormy said with a smile, "is the Book of Pride. It's an artifact I salvaged from a cave with a friend." The book continued to glimmer from an unseen light source as she hefted it. "This is the key to my success in battle. It doesn't have anything written in it, and whenever I tried it always faded away...But it talks to me. Not like words I understand or telling me to do this or that," she added hastily, "but just...murmurs. I can't decipher them, but they make me feel better; more confident in battle."
She pressed the time to her chest. "And that's what I need to be. So, um, think of this as me saying I promise to do my very best in the future not to worry you or anyone else." Stormy turned a little sheepish, her fingers idly running along the cover. "Because I know the last few missions, I've been sort of...damsel in distress-ish. And I know we had our spars to prove it, but I wanted to show you my ace in the hole in case something happens."
That was poor reasoning for bringing him to her room specifically, but...he was there, wasn't he?
"I thought you would be interested since the gold king was a horseman, so it might be one of their artifacts..."
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 6:14 pm
The Book of Pride certainly did live up to its name, Gale thought, as he stared at the tome with a sort of awe. The gold was so very blindingly bright, glowing with an ethereal sort of vibrancy that couldn't quite be explained in normal terms.
"It talks to you?" Gale repeated, eyebrows lifting. He let his gaze move back to the book briefly, eyes tracing the cover before he looked back at Stormy, his expression softening. He took a step towards her and slid his arms around her waist, holding both her and the book against his chest.
"Thanks," he said, and kissed her forehead, lingering there for a moment before leaning back, his fingers linked together against the small of her back. "You're exactly what I need. And this book is quite interesting."
He smiled. "I'm glad you have something to help you out, something to help make you feel more confident because you feeling confident means I feel confident."
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 7:51 pm
"Murmurs," she corrected mildly, flushing a little as he drew close and glad she had her hands busy. "Whispers really. I wish I knew what they were saying..."
She was, however, surprised that he didn't criticize her needing a crutch to feel better. Was that true understanding or affection blinding him? Either way, the nervous was she'd been holding in about revealing the book to Gale left her in a sigh of relief. She should have figured from his prior behavior that he would be alright--really Gale seemed unflappable-- but she was nothing if not ever doubtful about herself...She had hoped the book would give her the impetus needed to move forward, but she was sadly mistaken.
Her hands gripped the book a little tighter. "Thank you," she said softly, "for your kind words. I believe you're exactly who I need, too." But that was getting close to the cliff, close to falling into something deep; and Stormy grew antsy to leave it at that.
"I-I, um, I have two Oreos leftover if you wanted one?" she offered, feeling like an idiot. Who talked about food in the middle of an embrace?
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:18 pm
He wasn't sure if he was doing something wrong; she kept looking don at the floor, and she seemed much less confident in herself than she had been earlier at the movie theater, back when she had been giggling and excited and flirtatious. Gale watched her carefully for any indication of discomfort and took a small, subtle step back, wanting to give her enough space.
"I'd love to take a look at it later," he said, gesturing towards the book. "Not tonight, but definitely sometime in the very near future. It's rather fascinating, actually."
Her question made him smile a little, Gale squeezing Stormy's arms gently. "I'll have one, sure," he said. "And then eventually I should probably get going back to my house..."
This was trailed off, Gale giving a small sigh of mixed regret and exasperation. Going back to the other reality after having such a wonderful night was not exactly something he was looking forward to, but it had to be done eventually.
Maybe.
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:43 pm
Gale wasn't the only one wondering when the change had occurred.
Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Not even the book's comforting murmurs could override how foolish she felt wasting their time like this. What in the world was she waiting for, a sign from God himself?
"Whenever you want," Stormy told him with a little nod as the book disappeared from her hands with a soft glow. Rather than tether herself Gale again (Stupid, she chided herself once he stepped away), she lifted her purse and went through its contents. "I've been trying to research it with Cap'n since her specialization is categorizing information into the Deus computers, but I haven't really run into luck. I know that there are three other books in that cavern, maybe more, representing other kingdoms--" Her hand did come across something small and round, but it didn't feel like an Oreo. Curious as usual, she took it out.
Stared for a moment until it clicked. Paled.
The item was suddenly thrown as far as she could like it was hot to the touch, hitting the wall opposite them with a light thud; it was good Gale had given her space, as her arm would have probably struck him with how mindless and immediate the action had been. When Stormy investigated for any other offending items, she instead found a small note in familiar handwriting: Go get him, tiger!
"Nevada," she hissed in a low, accusatory voice, the opposite of amused with her best friend right now. Her face was bright red somehow despite her skin tone as she crumpled the note and thrust it back into her purse, rubbing at her neck self-consciously. "I told her, she knew, but she has to insist of course, she has to because that's what sisters do, they meddle because they think they know better . . ."
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 10:00 pm
It took Gale a moment to remember who "Cap'n" referred to, and when he did he gave a small nod, a smile playing on the corners of his lips. "I still am not entirely certain how that whole..." He waved a hand in a noncommittal sort of way. "...thing worked out. It's all very confusing, since I had no part in it, so I'm going by just what I've heard through word of mouth..."
He trailed off, catching sight of just what exactly Stormy was holding in her hand.
There was a long moment of silence.
And then suddenly flying object.
"Er," said Gale, which was clearly a very brilliant response to this whole situation. His cheeks were flushed a bright red, and for a few minutes he just stood there, shuffling his feet awkwardly.
"Er," he said again, and cleared his throat -
- and then he started to laugh because they were still here they had gone from one emotion to the other and there and back again and everything was just so ridiculous and why did he have the distinct feeling Marcus had done something exactly like that -
It was another moment before Gale could get himself under proper control, feeling around until he managed to lean against the wall.
"I think I'll like Nevada," he said, and grinned over at Stormy, his expression gentle. He pushed himself upright again and reaching out, he took both of her hands in his, squeezing softly.
"It's okay," he said. "Really. I swear I will not pressure you to do anything that you don't want to do - and don't ever feel obligated to do anything, okay? Whether it's just a kiss or...or anything more..." His cheeks pinked a little, but he was still smiling. " - don't feel as though you owe me anything or anything like that. I want you to do what makes you happy, okay?"
The amusement was still heavy in his eyes, Gale shaking his head again as he straightened, letting go of Stormy's hands to rake back some of the hair from his face. "Really, that Nevada, she's something, isn't she?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 10:19 pm
Stormy was very and thoroughly unamused in comparison, a rare but cross look on her face despite Gale's laughter. "Invasion of privacy," she muttered, bristling. "That's what this is. Like I can't take care of myself." She understood Nevada's intentions, but she still was a little wounded that, despite their talk, her friend had felt the need to slip that thing in. She could barely work the nerve up to kiss, let alone anything beyond that . . . "No obligation"? No of course not, it was simply that every other couple here had run the bases like it was part of hunter training and necessary to finish, that if you hadn't yet you were still a child, not really dating--
< < You are slipping backwards. > > Thane's voice startled her despite his calm tone. She swallowed, realizing that her hands were trembling just slightly in the short time Gale held them.
"That she is," Stormy sighed, getting a grip on herself as her anger simmered. "We'd had a discussion before about . . . things after she found out I was dating you. I thought I'd made it clear nothing like that was going on, but I guess she thought she was being helpful." A frown was still on her face. "Has she talked to you yet? I imagine she's gone about doing all sort of sisterly duties without me knowing. Like threatening people."
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 10:29 pm
Gale tugged at a lock of hair, one eyebrow raised. "She's upset you," he said, and tilted his head to look at her, the amusement fading to concern. "She's just being a big sister - that's what they do (at least I think). Hell, Marcus tried to give me The Talk before I even started dating you, before I even knew I liked you."
But his words were gentle, not meant to be condescending or dismissive. Gale reached out a hand, quietly brushing a strand of hair from Stormy's face. "She did talk to me," he admitted, his fingers drifting alongside her temple, down the side of her face almost absently. "Probably talked to me about the same things she talked to you about. Marcus is the same way, so it wasn't like I didn't expect it."
His fingertips pressed against her flushed cheek gently. "Hey," he said, and touched her chin, turning her head upwards to look at him. "It's okay, really. I wouldn't get too mad at her, it's what siblings do when they love you."
He smiled a little, his thumb pressing against the side of her mouth as though trying to force a smile out of her. "Come on, don't be angry on our first date, okay?" said Gale lightly. "No harm, no foul right? Besides," he added, "We have cookies, and that's saying something."Ol-j-man UGHH TRILLIAN WHAT ARE YOU DOING damn internet
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 10:53 pm
"Well, big sister is getting a big talk later," she grumbled nevertheless, though Gale's movements soothed her. She sighed again. "I'm sorry, I just...I'm really sensitive about this." Maybe she was overreacting, but this was different than The Talk. Everyone got some version of that regardless of what lives they led, but Nevada's interference, good-natured as it was, felt less natural and more like pressure. And he was starting to get a good idea of how well she responded to that.
"I hope she wasn't too rude to you," she added, her anger fading as she was forced to look at him, mouth a little lop-sided from his thumb pressing against a corner of her lips. "She can get a little . . . overprotectively violent with her threats." Like she had with Mark, though there had been good reason to be. Deep breaths, Stormy.
A few seconds of fiddling later, she produced the two unharmed Oreos and offered one to Gale. "Speaking of, when's Marcus or Bix going to come and find me to threaten me, too?" she prompted, mimicking his light tone to make herself stop being such a child.
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Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 6:59 am
He rubbed his hands up and down her arms in what he hoped was a soothing gesture, Gale smiling down at Stormy. "And I'm sure you'll kick her butt thoroughly," he said reassuringly. "And it's okay to be sensitive about it. I used to be, and still sort of am, but with Marcus it's more like a I'm gonna kick you in the nads sort of reaction, which isn't much better, I suppose..."
The smile relaxed somewhat. "She was very pleasant," he said, which was mostly true. "She did threaten me, but really, being threatened by anyone other than Caelius doesn't have much effect, seeing as Caelius has sort of taken the trophy on threats here...but," Gale added, his voice touched with affection. "She obviously cares about you, so it was actually rather sweet."
Reaching out, he snagged one of the Oreos and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. He swallowed, snorting, and said, "Marcus wouldn't dare, and Bix would get too into talking to you to remember his original reason. They're such gits, but really they're good older brothers, or at least some version of them."
"And speaking of brothers..." Gale tilted his head to look at Stormy. "Am I going to meet yours anytime soon?"Ol-j-man I need better internet, damn it
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Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 10:45 am
True, she had forgotten how venomous Caelius was...Most people would look limpid in comparison with their threats after dealing with him for almost three years. She hummed a little in agreement with Gale over Nevada, still having lingering feelings of wtf but...Gale was taking this so well in stride, it was hard for her to stay down. "I'm sensitive for more than one reason," she commented mildly, sounding almost ashamed before quickly moving to the other topic.
"I was just curious," Stormy explained as she delicately took the top of her Oreo and began to slowly but surely ease it off. "I've sort of seen Marcus since he was on that mission so I imagine he's pretty mellow (and maybe mad I ran off like a stupid trainee), and I've chatted with Bix. Fun guy, really. I was...trying to get info on you back before we were dating," she admitted sheepishly. "He's a good friend; he protected sensitive information about you." When the top of the cookie came off without crumbling, she looked satisfied. "It's funny. Everyone worries about how you might break my heart, but nobody worries about how I might break yours instead. And I don't find that very fair."
Gale's question gave her pause, and she took her time scraping the creamy inside of the Oreo with her teeth to consider it. In truth, she had liked keeping him a secret from Evan, if only for the fact that she could dangle the mystery in front of him and watch him bark. But maybe it had been long enough...She really did want them both to accept Gale. "Soon," she replied with a nod, licking her lips of stray bits before beginning to nibble on one of the cookies. "I'll talk to them about it and let you know? Maybe we could go on an external mission together. That way we're not awkwardly standing around introducing ourselves..." Stormy hadn't been on one in a long while, so it was about time.
kurotomato mine cut out not long after yours so I think we both do @@
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Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 5:45 pm
He wanted to ask her why she was more sensitive, but shut his mouth, letting her move past the topic at hand. Gale fiddled with the Oreo in his hand, twisting off the top of it to chew slowly on one of the cookie parts. Eyebrows raised, he said, with amusement clearly evident in his voice, "So you were trying to get information on me, eh?"
His expression softened a little. "Reminds me a little of that House, M.D. episode from the first series - did you ever watch that show? I used to watch it on and off when it was on the telly, but I remember one of the episodes where the blond one - Cameron - goes out with House for the first time and everyone keeps warning her that House might break her heart, but then Wilson comes and he says to be careful because he's afraid she might break his heart."
Gale put the last bit of cookie in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. "Fortunately," he said. "We aren't House and Cameron, since that ended not so well." His fingers absently brushed the side of her face in an almost thoughtful gesture. "I'd be up for meeting them that way. A little concerned they might throw me off the nearest cliff," he said, gently teasing. "But otherwise, I'd like them to accept that I'll be here for a while."
One arm went around her waist, Gale sighing melodramatically. "I really don't want this night to end."
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Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 6:03 pm
She shrugged, rather shameless about it now that it was out in the open. "In my defense, I was curious about you. You were persistent, generous, and patient even though there wasn't a guarantee I'd return any of it; I was sort of fascinated."
House . . . It sounded familiar. Stormy remembered it from commercials back in the time she channel hopped frequently. "I think I watched one episode in high school during AP Psych," Stormy mused between nibbles. "The one with the kid thinking he was being abducted by aliens. Oh, and I think a SARS one. A little too visceral for me, though . . . Always made me way too aware of my body." But whatever happened between House and Cameron, at least Gale got the gist of it.
One part of the Oreo was left; she let it sit daintily in her palm as she considered their options. "No throwing off cliffs, please . . . But if you don't want it to end, then let's not end it," she said simply, turning a smile up at him. "We can sit and talk about whatever you want, or go outside if the bugs aren't too bad and see if we can stargaze, or something else. I'm not a pumpkin carriage with a timer to watch for~"
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