(Untitled)

[soapcarvedhands]

He's crazy, he's blond, he's shy, and he's totally at your disposal.

Come say hi to Harding!

(Which is to say, there's a tall, slender blond man picking his way through a plate of tea sandwiches--what? he'd liked them!--and sipping, quite appropriately, a mug of Darjeeling.)

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[_to_the_bone]

"Hello again," says Jack, happily.

"Are you doing better?"

[soapcarvedhands]

"Much, thank you," he says with a smile. He gestures towards his plate. "Would you like a sandwich?"

There might be a lot wrong with Harding, but you can't say his mother didn't teach him to be polite.

[_to_the_bone]

"That sounds lovely."

Jack takes one, and also takes this as an invitation to sit.

"We didn't really get to talk properly."

[soapcarvedhands]

"No," he says agreeable. "But," and he waves his hands--they're long, remarkably graceful--"we have plenty of time to rectify that, yes?"

[_to_the_bone]

"Of course."

Jack watches, entranced, politely so.

"Mister Harding, yes?"

[soapcarvedhands]

"Yes. And Jack of the Frost, the one and only."

He gives a little bow.

[_to_the_bone]

"Don't," insists Jack immediately, "I'm not."

"I'm just... me."

[soapcarvedhands]

"Yes, but you're quite remarkable just being yourself, you know."

[_to_the_bone]

"It makes me uncomfortable," says Jack, after a moment to smile because it's nice of him to say.

"I prefer Jack."

[soapcarvedhands]

"Jack it is, then," Harding says. "And you can leave off the 'mister.' Just Harding is fine."

[_to_the_bone]

"Where do you come from?"

He can't remember if he asked this.

[soapcarvedhands]

"The U.S.," he says. "And you? I know you were in--India, wasn't it?"

[_to_the_bone]

"Where in the US, though? I've visited and it's gigantic and beautiful sometimes, and terrifying other times."

A small smile.

"I made it to Germany."

[soapcarvedhands]

"The midwest," he says, vaguely. "You know. It's flat."

He doesn't get outside much.

"Oh! And how is it? Was it?"

[_to_the_bone]

"Is it. It is... alive. All hopping and full of music for dancing to. Which is what I do, really, I work at- I should say, used to work at the ballet. In a few weeks I'm going to start with a modern company, for their next season."

[soapcarvedhands]

"Oh!" he says again. "I've never been to a ballet."

It's too Girly, you see. He mustn't be caught there.

"Though my wife, Vera, she took a modern dance class for a bit at the local place. Strange. They got rid of it, though--the class, I mean. Too scandalous, you know."