Day 36: Recreational Field

[thatdamnedninja]

Somehow, talking to Rude had almost managed the impossible; it had almost cheered her up.

Gawd. What was with this? The whole 'amiable relations with Turks' thing was good, but if she thought about it too hard, it was weird. Well, not weird... Maybe they were just falling for her drop-dead gorgeous looks and amazing personality. That wouldn't be

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[ellectriclights]

After that delightful brunch, Elle immediately headed for the outdoors. She could spend the next two shifts lounging around in the sun before she was forced back inside. And had to deal with her little roommate problem.

She felt a twinge of envy as several patients were tapped to go see visitors, but reminded herself that she didn't need her Daddy to visit. No matter what she pretended, she wasn't Claire - she didn't need to be joined to her father at the hip. And who knew? Maybe the whole visitors thing was a smoke screen, and they were secretly getting dragged off to underground kill rooms where they'd be butchered like sheep. That thought cheered her up a bit

[secret_orchard]

Armand watched the nurses carefully, but the one that came for him only asked him where he wanted to go. He didn't have a visitor. Perhaps Marguerite Madeleine wouldn't visit this week. He hoped desperately that she did.

So with nothing better to do with himself, he asked to go outside. He may as well get some sunshine. He spotted a girl with her limbs half-exposed in a very scandalous pose, lying on the ground as if inviting perverts to look at her, which he didn't. However, it was his sort of luck that that's where his nurse led him. "Gilles, you don't have enough friends. Spend some time with his nice young lady."

"But--" Armand blushed and tried to reach for the nurse's arm. She was too quick for him, and then he was alone.

"Er... hello... miss. I'm Armand." He looked vaguely off to the side instead of right at her.

[ellectriclights]

Elle had started to doze off when she felt someone's shadow fall on her. She let her arm fall by her side and blinked up at the guy looking everywhere but at her.

Aw, he was kinda cute. In an awkward sort of way.

"Do you mind?" she asked as nicely as possible. "You're blocking my light."

[secret_orchard]

Armand glanced down at her, blushed, and stepped to one side. "I apologize," he said. "The nurse made me come over here." He averted his eyes again. "I didn't mean to cause trouble."

[ellectriclights]

He was adorable. Elle sat up, allowing her shirt hem to fall back down and cover her 'decently.' She kinda wished she had a bikini, just to see how he'd react to that.

"S'okay," she said. Her face scrunched up as she tried to look at him directly, but the sun was getting in her eyes. "Sit down."

Oh, she'd need a name, wouldn't she? Being Claire was a nuisance and it seemed that being Elle was a quick way to get herself socked in the face or worse, considering what people kept writing about her on the bulletin board. On the other hand... maybe if she was really nice to Armand, she'd have someone on her side if Reid and that crazy guy ever formed a lynch mob and came after her with pitchforks.

"I'm Elle."

[secret_orchard]

He responded to the invitation as quickly as if it had been an order, because he was waiting for her to suggest such a thing. Since the shirt was down and legs weren't quite as alarming--women wore trousers here, after all--he was able to look at her more directly. Like so many people here, she was very attractive, smiling and blond. Talking to pretty girl, even if he wasn't interested in her, made him nervous about how disheveled and out of sorts a man could get here, even his hair was only finger-smoothed and tied back with a strip torn from his pillowcase

[ellectriclights]

Elle bit her lip, trying to estimate the number of girls Armand had talked to in his entire life, family not included. She guessed three, but might be persuaded to change that to four, if he suddenly came out with something suave. Not that such a thing was likely - he was all awkward and fussy.

Grinning at him, she swung herself across his lap so her knees were on the ground on either side of his hips. He reminded her of Peter, a bit, when he'd first arrived - quiet and kind and not so interested in her. Well, he'd never really been interested in her, he'd just been messing with her, but... A flash of annoyance crossed Elle's face before she managed to push her memories of Peter aside.

Peter hadn't been socially awkward anyway - not to the extent that Armand was. That made Armand cuter, like an gawky little puppy that hadn't grown into its legs. She touched a finger to the tip of his nose, imagining the look he'd have on his face if she were still able to generate electricity. "Visitors are boring," she told him, a bit breathless

[secret_orchard]

The number of young ladies in Armand's acquaintance might not be that far off. He'd never properly talked to Angele de St. Cyr before his poem had aroused her father's ire, and Marguerite never let him get in more than a word or two with her pretty little friend, Suzanne. He'd spoken a great deal to Jeanne, even before they were married. If he hadn't, they wouldn't be married, and he might very well be dead.

None of these experiences with pretty young ladies prepared him for such outrageous behavior. "Elle!" he squeaked, forgetting to be polite in his surprise. "Please, I'm married! What if the nurses see?" He didn't want the nurses to see. With his record lately, they'd likely decide this scandalous scene was his fault, or at best, sedate them both. Then he'd be in trouble, and not get to see Marguerite

[ellectriclights]

Jeez, it wasn't like she was trying to get into his pants! Although watching him squirm if she got even more "forward" could be really funny.

The married part didn't bother her. If she wanted to get technical, she'd gone a lot further with a married man than just straddling him. Well, she wasn't sure how many times Adam had been married or when, but one or two had to have still been legally binding by the time she hit her late teens.

The nurse part, on the other hand.... It bothered her a little, considering Eddie's warning about sedatives, but the only time one had bothered her before the end of a shift was on her very first morning. And even then, she hadn't been sedated.

"It's okay," she said in a very calm, reassuring voice. "The nurses don't care." She pressed her hand against his chest and perused his face, wondering what exactly she wanted to do to him.

[secret_orchard]

"Perhaps they don't." He did though, and couldn't think of a thing to say about it that wouldn't come out as insulting. Anyone, even very forward young women, could be useful to know here. He didn't want to offend her without trying. But it was so hard to talk to someone when all he could think of was how long it had been since anyone had sat on his lap, and why were his cheeks so hot?

Beneath her hand, his heart was racing.

He hoped she'd see his distress in his blue-gray eyes, but he didn't dare voice it. "Are you even comfortable that way? The sun is behind you now."

[ellectriclights]

"I'm fine," she assured him, mistaking his discomfort for gallantry.

His heart was pounding almost out of his chest and his cheeks were bright red. Elle wondered if he got this way around girls all the time, how had he ever managed to get himself a wife? Maybe it was an arranged marriage.

"Why's your hair so long?" she asked, getting distracted. She tugged his ponytail out of its tie and ran her fingers through it. Guys with long hair were unusual to her - she tended to associate them with punk rock and lack of proper hygiene. But Armand definitely didn't seem that type. "I could cut it for you, if you want."

[secret_orchard]

Finally, she'd asked something that might distract him from his uncomfortable position! Armand couldn't help the widening of his eyes in surprise when she freed his hair. It so tangled now! He closed his eyes and bit his lip, hoping she wouldn't notice that he liked having people touch his hair. It was one of the reasons he was finicky about it.

"Careful there. It's none too clean." He had to remind himself she'd asked a question. "It's the style when--I mean where--I'm from. I don't wish it to be cut. The nurses already offered."

[ellectriclights]

Elle kept on playing with his hair, gently untangling a few knots as best she could one-handed. "It'd be a lot easier to take care of. You wouldn't have to worry about it getting greasy or knotted," she urged. Maybe if she could convince him he needed a haircut, she could get him alone at night when her ability would be working. "Trust me," she whispered, leaning closer to him, "I know what I'm doing."

His little slip-up didn't go unnoticed. Another point to the theory that there was a time-traveler working at for the Institute. Considering that the Institute could dampen abilities, make people fall asleep at will, control the flow of time, and was staffed by shape-shifters or illusions, they must have some very powerful specials on their side.

"Sorry, where are you from?" she asked, her fingers straying from his hair to his face and back to his hair again.

[secret_orchard]

Why did young ladies have to smell so good? Armand kept his eyes closed and thought determinedly of Jeanne. His mouth was very dry now. "I don't wish to insult your cutting skills, but I do like my hair the way it is. At night I have a ribbon for it."

"I was born in Paris, France, but before here, I was living in England." This time no mention of embarrassing dates. He didn't want yet another person to declare him insane. The staff already tried hard enough to convince him of that.

[ellectriclights]

The expression on Armand's face was one Elle had gotten used to. She had this effect on guys, and some women, but not usually to this extent. Not this quickly, anyway.

He wasn't being helpful and giving dates, but she was pretty sure men hadn't worn their hair this long in England for a while. Oh well. Time travel was something to think about when she didn't have such an adorable squirmy guy under her.

Just to see how he'd react, she lunged forward and kissed him hard. His lips were awfully dry, so she licked them before trying to force her tongue into his mouth.

[secret_orchard]

Armand whimpered, but he was too startled to fend off her kiss, and too much of a gentleman to imply that it wasn't what he wanted. As for tongues, Armand was French, so if they were kissing at all, tongues weren't any more of an issue. He didn't lack skill in such things, even a few months of married life could help there, but he couldn't dispel his sense of guilt and his fear.

But to keep this from resembling a contest, he put his hands around her back to support her, though in reality, he was the one who needed it. He didn't want to fall backwards. The nurses wouldn't ignore that! One hand moved up to hold the back of her neck, under her hair.