(Untitled)

[tinylittleonion]

*some time ago, Alexei began to learn magic from the gentleman with the thistle-down hair; he could coax the trees to blossom in winter, with only the warmth of his hands and of his heart, and keep them blooming. now, he thinks, he will ask the apple trees in the orchard to let their blossoms fall, and bear fruit that he might to give to the hungry

Comments

[thornofcamorr]

...this could be bad. Locke is wandering through the mansion, looking to see if someone has a rapier he can borrow - when he passes a tree and scoops up an apple, tosses it back and forth a moment, then takes a quick bite of it.

Thieves really should be careful about what they eat, especially lying thieves. Locke is usually honest, but now it's a requirement.

[nots0darling]

Honest thief, here's a pretty pretty princess. We suppose.

"Oh! Hello!" Beam, sparkle.

[thornofcamorr]

.....This is an eyebug. She's absolutely stunning. And because the typist is mean, this apple might have a twist on it, and...

"You look absolutely stunning, lady," almost awedly. That's unusual, for Locke.

[nots0darling]

Jess blinks prettily. And blushes. Prettily.

"...Er, thanks? I mean-- ah, really? I... I just... ate this apple. And I feel like I, like... should be twirling."

[thornofcamorr]

"You look like you should be in a godsfucking castle," Locke blurts out, and then shuts his mouth. Where did that come from? Then he opens his mouth to tell her that the dress really doesn't suit her and says, "That dress is lovely on you."

He shuts his mouth in consternation. What is going on?

[nots0darling]

She sputters incoherently, blinking and still looking rather regal and sparkly at the same time.

Jess is officially weirded out. "Uhm, th-thank you? I actually dunno where the dress came from... "

[thornofcamorr]

"Don't worry about it. I don't know-" He clamps down on his tongue before he finishes the sentence, as what he was going to say was definitely not what he meant to say. "Um. Sorry." Carefully. He's beginning to have a nasty, nasty inkling of what is going on.

[nots0darling]

".... okay."

And she twirls. Because she could not resist the urge any longer.

[thornofcamorr]

"I like-" He cuts himself off again and bites his tongue. "Ow. This is incredibly not helpful."

That's honest.

[nots0darling]

Jess twirls to face him, dress fanning out nicely.

"'Like' what?" she asks, big brown eyes a-twinklin' away

[thornofcamorr]

Oh, don't do that, Jess. He tries not to say anything. But the minute he opens his mouth to take a breath, it's out.

"The way your eyes look when you might be teasing but I can't really tell," he says, and then nearly goes crosseyed in frustration.

"Dammit!"

[nots0darling]

She gasps delicately, touching her hand to her lips.

And, yes, her rosy cheeks are even rosier because of this. "... Um. I... don't know... what to say in response. Unless you've got this, like, long list of things you're dying to tell me," Jess says sarcastically.

[thornofcamorr]

He flushes bright red and opens his mouth to snap something sarcastic in reply and just bites back something very not sarcastic.

"I don't -" Try again. "I don't mean to say that - 'romantic shit.'"

[nots0darling]

Jess laughs a tinkly, musical laugh, tilting her head to the side.

"You suuuure about that?" she teases, figuring this is all a part of whatever magical spell turned her into basically one of the dolls she and Bridget used to play with.

[thornofcamorr]

"No," pops out of his mouth before he can stop it and he looks even more discomfited. "I mean, well, it's not like you don't deserve it but it just won't be suppressed-" He tries to cut himself off. Too late. Oh godsdammit, now he's blushing again. Locke doesn't blush. He doesn't. Really.

[nots0darling]

She steps closer to peer at him, pursing pink lips.

"... You blushing?"