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 Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 2:34 pm
A really nice even had been thoroughly buggered. Well, the mood had been ruined anyway, and with the mood ruined he'd remembered that he was in front of a lot of strangers and had felt spiky and awful. Getting away, back to base, had sounded perfect.
The flight back on Red had given Aulus time to think and to calm down again. He didn't want to just call it a night, they'd hardly got to hang out at all, and he had to admit that he kind of felt he spent more time with Alex than Claire. It was just easy with Alex was all, everything was understood and relaxed and undemanding and - importantly - not terrifying. He still felt sure he was going to screw up with Claire, and he... well he really didn't want to. He liked her a lot, a lot of a lot, and he didn't want to lose her or get something wrong and scare her off or something like that. As he flew and looked over at her on Odette however he decided that he needed to try more, maybe dare a bit more. If he didn't they were might end up stuck in this cycle forever.
When Red landed he spent a few moments trying to sort out his wind scruffled hair before giving up the effort and heading over to Claire, stupid hair or no. "Um.... So that guy's Absol kind of ruined the mood at the party but... umm... if you want we could go somewhere and put on some music and... I don't know, just hang out for a while longer?" Dance? He didn't usually dance, and he didn't know if he would be any good, but he kind of wanted to try. He just hadn't quite got the courage to ask right at the moment, he needed a run up at it or something.
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 2:50 pm
While Claire had caught a ride to the party, mostly to save her hair and dress she'd spent quite a while on, on the way back it didn't matter nearly as much. They flew together, not together together - he was on Red, and she was on Odette - but they flew near each other and that was enough.
When he landed, Odette did as well - as gracefully as possible, of course - and Claire slid off carefully before fixing her hair. So much for having it look nice for the party, but the mood of the party, she agreed, had been thoroughly ruined. When he walked up to her, the agent's cheeks flushed briefly before he spoke, and then her eyes narrowed even more briefly - just a flicker of annoyance. "Yes, he did - he's a bit of an idiot." She didn't need to say anything else about him, though, even though she did dislike him. Oh, but he was still talking, so she focused on him again instead. His suggestion brought a smile (and a slight blush) to her face. "That sounds wonderful; I'd like that," she replied softly as she recalled Odette with one hand and slipped the other into his hand.
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 2:56 pm
Okay! So far so good! Aulus gave a slightly stupid grin and squeezes Claire's hand; even with her hair all messed up she looked pretty. "So uh, one of our rooms? Save us getting accosted by rogue pokemon... unless Discord has somehow managed to figure out how to unlock a locked pokeball from the inside. If he has my room is probably full of jelly or something by now." The grass type really was proving a handful but he was damned if he was going to give up, partially out of stubbornness and partially because he felt as though he had something to prove to the executive who had inflicted given the sneaky snake to him.
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 2:59 pm
"Ah, okay," she said with a smile as she walked beside him, the blush still present on her cheeks. "Probably my room then, unless Azdeif has somehow managed to cover it in frosting or something. Actually, she'd be more likely to cover her face in frosting than my room, now that I think about it..." The little legend did love frosting, after all. And every other kind of sweet imaginable.
The only hitch she could think of would be Lucas, but she doubted he'd be any problem. They weren't doing anything inappropriate, after all.
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:04 pm
"Um, sure, great!" Aulus nodded his agreement and clipped Red's pokeball to his belt. "Go on," he waved his hand at the bird, "go for a fly, or roost up somewhere or whatever, just stay out of trouble."
The large bird clacked her beak and ruffled her feathers, fluffing up her still shortened crest; trouble swiftly became ex-trouble when it ran into her, and her human ought to know that!
"Whatever," Aulus snorted, getting the gist of her posturing, "just have a nice night, and be back here by morning." Then turning back to Claire he gestured at the towering bulk of HQ. "Shall we then?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:10 pm
Claire watched with a smile before she nodded in agreement, gave his hand a tiny squeeze and then walked through the doors.
After what felt like an altogether too short walk the pair arrived in front of her door, and after she pulled a card key from some hidden pocket in her dress she swiped it through and opened the door with the same hand. Inside, Azdeif had not, in fact, covered anything in frosting, her face or otherwise, and instead was sound asleep on Claire's bed. Any other pokemon, if out, remained unseen.
She stepped inside first and, after letting Aulus in, closed the door behind them. "I'm not sure what music I have," she admitted a little sheepishly as she stepped over to her dresser and started pulling what few items she'd brought with her from her pockets.
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:14 pm
Aulus briefly considered offering up his MP3 player, but then remembered that it contained a mix of old rock, new rock, heavy metal, heavier metal and the occasion quirky track that didn't seem to fit. In sort he felt a bit silly and wondered if his music collection up to date/retro/normal/weird enough for Claire to like. "Uh, whatever you've got is fine, I'm sure... and there's always youtube, though I guess the adverts are a pain." If he was going to ask her to dance he didn't want the moment ruined again by some woman trying to sell make-up with images that were 'enhanced post production' or similar bullshit.
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:19 pm
"Ah, yeah, they are.." Her brows furrowed slightly before another blush crept into her cheeks. The music - he didn't want to just sit around and listen to it, did he? No, that couldn't be it. They'd just come from a party that could have been vaguely romantic before Izaya's Absol ruined it. Now they were back at the base, still wearing fancy things and he wanted music. Did... did he want to dance? The thought made her nervous but also a little excited. It'd been quite a while since she'd gotten to dance.
"Oh, I think I have something," she mumbled as she rummaged through a drawer, then pulled out a disc from its case before inserting it in a conveniently placed CD player. That's always been there, of course it has. The music that floated up from the speakers was soft, purely instrumental, with plenty of piano and violin. Perfect for dancing.
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:22 pm
This was definitly classy dancing music.
Okay.
Man up.
Aulus cleared his throat. "Umm.... So... would you like to dance?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:29 pm
Yes Aulus, it very much was classy dancing music. Claire raises your vague unspoken intentions with music relevant to said unspoken intentions. Your move.
At least she knew he'd ask - or assumed he would, and she guessed right - so she was at least partially prepared for the question. Until he asked it, of course, and all of her assurances flew out the metaphorical window.
A hesitant smile found its way to her face, joining the ever darkening blush that'd been there for a while, and she nodded very briefly. "Yes, I'd like to," she said hesitantly (though still smiling somehow; accursed butterfree in her stomach made her feel so confused and uncertain) as she stepped closer and extended a hand towards him. Arceus, it had been ages since she'd really properly danced with anyone; how even do you do this anymore what
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:33 pm
Ahhhh! s**t, balls, what was he supposed to do? Why didn't real life left you pause and look up the difficult bits in the walkthrough? Aulus swallowed and licked his suddenly dry lips before taking Claire's proffered hand. His other hand went on her hip, right? Somewhat worried that she was either going to run away or knee him in the balls, Aulus rested his fingertips on her waist. He'd never danced like this with anyone before, it had all be club stuff with girls he either didn't care much about, or girls who turned out to be toxic.
A girl.
Forget about her, think about Claire, and try not to panic.
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:38 pm
If Aulus had asked, Claire would have eagerly agreed to pause so they could look up a walkthrough. As it was, he didn't, so she stepped closer and squeezed his hand gently. The hand on her waist made her blush darken a shade or two, but that's where it was supposed to go, right? So that just left her other hand, which... went... Oh, right, duh - on his shoulder; of course. Right.
Okay, this wasn't so bad. This would be easy! She just.. had to remember how to move her legs first. Thank Arceus she wasn't wearing thin heels.
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:43 pm
Okay, she wasn't running away or kneeing him, this was good. She even put her hand on his shoulder and... and now he did something with his feet. Luckily this wasn't the kind of music that sounded like it required complex steps; wasn't it the sort of thing you sort of moved in a weird little circle to but didn't care because you were so busy thinking about the other person?
He looked down at Claire.
Yes, yes it was.
Hoping that she would more or less think the same way Aulus made his best attempt at that complex thing called dancing with somebody you really like.
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 4:10 pm
At the very least, the complex, mystifying thing known as 'dancing' was made easier by the incredibly small number of steps to it - it was, indeed, an incredibly simple one. Perfect for focusing entirely on the dance partner and not if you were supposed to stop or backstep or twirl or some superfluous thing like that.
It also, unfortunately, left you focusing entirely on your dance partner.
This made Claire nervous, but she found at least some small comfort in the fact he was probably just as nervous. At least she wasn't the only one who was. Still, she offered him a smile that clearly displayed her nervousness (accursed butterfree) as her feet started moving to match his, seemingly of their own accord. She was certain her brain wasn't functioning enough for her to actually think about dancing properly.
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BlackFireKitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 9:30 am
Okay. This was good. This was... nice. Really nice. He was still feeling jittery and nervous but it was the good sort of jittery and nervous, with a slightly lower level of terror that he was going to eff up. He wasn't really sure what to do now though, if he was supposed to make conversation or something.
"So... so you looked really great tonight. Still look really great."
Okay, compliments, that was pretty safe.
"I was having fun until that bit with the Absol."
Also probably safe, and time to stop while he thought of something else to say, and waited to see whether or not she had something to say in reply.
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