Coffee Break
Who: Clive/Narcissa
Where: Espresso Pump
When: Monday afternoon (September 28), following this post
Clive grumbled as he pulled up outside of the Espresso Pump. The traffic was always worst when you were going somewhere and you were late. Trying to keep the annoyance off his face, he scrubbed his hands through his hair and headed inside.
Annnnnd, sitting alone at a table near the center of the room was Narcissa. For once, she looked fairly normal (well, for her). Her long hair was still dyed blood red, but for once, it was hanging straight down, not in pigtails or anything. She wore a simple blue sundress, and her leather choker was replaced by a pretty silver necklace. Only her hair color and lip ring hinted as to how she normally looked. She looked beautiful. And totally, completely miserable.
Clive blinked, but had the presence of mind to keep moving forward. He figured stopping dead in his tracks might give the whole thing away; luckily the place was pretty busy so he still had time to recover. Smiling, he dropped smoothly into the chair opposite her. "Hey dollface. Almost didn't recognize you. You undercover or something?"
"Oh, shut up and sit down." At least some things were the same... "Wanted to show you I don't always need to 'tart it up like a teenager'. So here I am, feeling like a bloody moron."
Clive winced. Ouch. "I deserved that. Sorry. You look really nice. Sorry I'm late, I was over ..at the other house, talking with all the relatives."
"Ah." She knew what he meant, and smirked cutely. "Those wacky relatives..."
Clive laughed, nodding. "Yeah, and it's getting to be reunion time, so all the nieces get trotted out and put through their paces. Anyway, what can I get you?"
"This is a coffeehouse, and it's afternoon, so I'm resisting the urge to say whiskey." She shrugged, mockingly giving a ladylike smile. "Besides, a proper lady wouldn't get ripped in public."
Clive grinned. "That's fair. So I'll just have to pick something at random and hope you don't dump it in my lap."
"Well, here's a tip: lots of sugar, and strong as hell... and chances are I'll be happy." She laughed there, that usually-hidded smile shining through. "For the record, you look nice too. Frazzled, but nice."
"Okay, black with a million sugars. I can do that. And, thanks. I got caught in traffic, and that always just kills me." He stood up, brushing off his shirt selfconsciously, then headed up to place the orders.
Narcissa watched him as he went. Yes, the normal woman in her was silently making assessments if his hotness factor, but she was also privately wondering if this was too good to be true. Granted, he wasn't as sweet and adorable as Wesley, but he had the snarky, sexy, bad-boy thing going on, and they DID seem to have a lot in common.
Now that he was stuck in line, Clive allowed himself some time to think. Normally, someone like Narcissa was to be ogled from a distance, because up close it was always a trainwreck. This one, though...she wasn't "hardcore" to the point of annoyance, but she didn't take any shit, either. On the other hand, the hardass exterior wasn't so thick that she didn't let people see the real woman underneath. He found that surprisingly endearing.
Deciding to playfully annoy him a bit, Narcissa dipped a napkin into her glass of water, then wadded it up, and whipped it at Clive from the table, cackling as it splatted him in the side of the head.
Clive whipped around, with a stream of vile curses on his lips, curses which died the second he looked back at the table. In fact, they died and became laughter, because she was trying *so* hard to look innocent and failing so miserably. Instead, he grinned and waved. "Right then, that was decaf you wanted, yeah?"
"Decaf? How could you mock a maiden so?" She asked dramatically, then started laughing again. "What can I say? I get bored easily. And I decided to use you for my enjoyment."
Clive just grinned, figuring that a crowded coffeehouse wasn't the best place to have a playful argument about your date's questionable 'maiden' status. Smiling, he turned away and placed the orders, then stood and waited, keeping one eye on the counter and the other eye on her, just in case.
And with her lip and tongue piercings, she'd have had a hard time winning that argument. Without even trying, she looked annoyed at having to wait, giving the occasional playful, evil grin to him.
When the orders finally came, Clive brought them back to the table. "Sorry it took so long, but you see all the yuppies up there..." He sat down and waited for the damn thing to cool. "So, how are *you*?"
"Me? I suppose I'm alright..." She chuckled and shook her head. "Just a little annoyed and tired. Pretty much how I feel every bloody day."
"Yeah? You look fresh as a daisy. You have a hard time with the relatives today too? I didn't see you around the ol' homestead..." Clive looked around, instinctively. The place was emptying out but it never hurt to be careful.
"Just trying to get 'little sister' to respect me without making her hate me, basically." Narcissa played nervously at her lip ring, shaking her head. "Either I'm gonna get through to the girl or have a sodding breakdown in the process."
"Oh, yeah. I had to babysit that kid a few times. Nothing ever seemed to click except when I took her shopping. Why not try that?" Clive sipped at his coffee and grimaced. Too hot, too burnt.
"Shopping?" The redhead laughed almost TOO loud there. "Somehow I suspect I'd want to gouge my own eyes out with a bloody spoon if I had to walk around a shopping mall for a day."
"Yeah, I know. I felt the same way, but here I am, and I've still got both my eyes." Clive drummed his fingers on the tabletop. "If you don't think you can stand it, then just use shopping analogies. Those work just as well."
"Part of me feels like I should drag her to a concert with me." She gave that evil little grin of hers again. "Maybe if she heard the kind of bands I listen to, it would scare her into listening to me."
"She might like that. She'll try and take a mile if you giver an inch, though." He sipped at his coffee again. Man, this was awful stuff. He set the cup down.
"Not sure if it's how you're dressed or just the fact that I haven't had a good shag in close to two years, but you look REALLY good today, you know." Annnnd, that was Narcissa's idea of a sweet compliment.
"Well, thanks! I didn't want to overdress for the family meeting, but I'd like to think I'm a sharp-dressed man." He looked her up and down, very deliberately. "And, like I said, you're looking good too. This coffee is crap. You wanna split?"
"Sure. Is this the part where you're asking me back to your place?" She asked with a mixture of mocking and sincerity.
"Well, it's still a mess, so no. Not today, anyway. I thought we could go for a walk or a drive or something, because I am done with this coffeehouse." Clive laughed and shook his head. "Honestly, I don't mind if we just take it a step at a time."
"Wherever you'd like to go is fine." She stood, offering her hand before whispering in his ear. "I'm not a trollop... not by any means... but dear? You don't have to worry about taking things TOO slow... I'm a bit of a wild child."
Clive took her hand and made his way outside. Once outside, he leaned in and said, quietly, "Slow is a bit of a change of pace for me, is that okay? After all, we still have to work together.."
"Very true, love. VERY true." She laughed, imagining the awkwardness that could potentially occur. "On the funny side... from what he's told me, Pryce's wife seems to think he and I are shagging."
"aha, so it's NOT just me, other people think you're catting around. See what I mean about people thinking what they're gonna think? Clive chuckled. "Oh man, that could get ugly. What's she like, his wife? I'm still kind of out of touch."
"Hah... you think I'm getting close enough to find out what she's like?" Narcissa openly scoffed there. "My guess? A stuffy, librarian-type. Possibly attractive, but nothing to write home about. I mean.. can you even imagine Wesley going home to some centerfold? Not that he couldn't land one... but he's so sweetly bumbling..."
Clive shook his head, "Nope, but that's because I really don't know the guy very well. Ah well, it's not important." He shaded his eyes and looked around, thoughtfully. "So, where to, Miss Thing? And more important, who's driving?"
"Oh, I'm dying to see what you drive, so.... we'll take your car." She laughed, giving him a playful shove.
Clive grinned. "It's not much." He indicated the beat-up Camaro a few parking spaces down. "She's cranky, but I'm damned if I can get rid of her."
"Well then." Walking to the car, she leaned against it sweetly, as though posing with a child. "Let's see what this beautiful baby can do, hm?"
Clive grinned and unlocked his door, climbing inside and opening her door for her. Once she was settled in, he turned the car to the west and headed out, making sure to squeal the tires a little for effect.
Where: Espresso Pump
When: Monday afternoon (September 28), following this post
Clive grumbled as he pulled up outside of the Espresso Pump. The traffic was always worst when you were going somewhere and you were late. Trying to keep the annoyance off his face, he scrubbed his hands through his hair and headed inside.
Annnnnd, sitting alone at a table near the center of the room was Narcissa. For once, she looked fairly normal (well, for her). Her long hair was still dyed blood red, but for once, it was hanging straight down, not in pigtails or anything. She wore a simple blue sundress, and her leather choker was replaced by a pretty silver necklace. Only her hair color and lip ring hinted as to how she normally looked. She looked beautiful. And totally, completely miserable.
Clive blinked, but had the presence of mind to keep moving forward. He figured stopping dead in his tracks might give the whole thing away; luckily the place was pretty busy so he still had time to recover. Smiling, he dropped smoothly into the chair opposite her. "Hey dollface. Almost didn't recognize you. You undercover or something?"
"Oh, shut up and sit down." At least some things were the same... "Wanted to show you I don't always need to 'tart it up like a teenager'. So here I am, feeling like a bloody moron."
Clive winced. Ouch. "I deserved that. Sorry. You look really nice. Sorry I'm late, I was over ..at the other house, talking with all the relatives."
"Ah." She knew what he meant, and smirked cutely. "Those wacky relatives..."
Clive laughed, nodding. "Yeah, and it's getting to be reunion time, so all the nieces get trotted out and put through their paces. Anyway, what can I get you?"
"This is a coffeehouse, and it's afternoon, so I'm resisting the urge to say whiskey." She shrugged, mockingly giving a ladylike smile. "Besides, a proper lady wouldn't get ripped in public."
Clive grinned. "That's fair. So I'll just have to pick something at random and hope you don't dump it in my lap."
"Well, here's a tip: lots of sugar, and strong as hell... and chances are I'll be happy." She laughed there, that usually-hidded smile shining through. "For the record, you look nice too. Frazzled, but nice."
"Okay, black with a million sugars. I can do that. And, thanks. I got caught in traffic, and that always just kills me." He stood up, brushing off his shirt selfconsciously, then headed up to place the orders.
Narcissa watched him as he went. Yes, the normal woman in her was silently making assessments if his hotness factor, but she was also privately wondering if this was too good to be true. Granted, he wasn't as sweet and adorable as Wesley, but he had the snarky, sexy, bad-boy thing going on, and they DID seem to have a lot in common.
Now that he was stuck in line, Clive allowed himself some time to think. Normally, someone like Narcissa was to be ogled from a distance, because up close it was always a trainwreck. This one, though...she wasn't "hardcore" to the point of annoyance, but she didn't take any shit, either. On the other hand, the hardass exterior wasn't so thick that she didn't let people see the real woman underneath. He found that surprisingly endearing.
Deciding to playfully annoy him a bit, Narcissa dipped a napkin into her glass of water, then wadded it up, and whipped it at Clive from the table, cackling as it splatted him in the side of the head.
Clive whipped around, with a stream of vile curses on his lips, curses which died the second he looked back at the table. In fact, they died and became laughter, because she was trying *so* hard to look innocent and failing so miserably. Instead, he grinned and waved. "Right then, that was decaf you wanted, yeah?"
"Decaf? How could you mock a maiden so?" She asked dramatically, then started laughing again. "What can I say? I get bored easily. And I decided to use you for my enjoyment."
Clive just grinned, figuring that a crowded coffeehouse wasn't the best place to have a playful argument about your date's questionable 'maiden' status. Smiling, he turned away and placed the orders, then stood and waited, keeping one eye on the counter and the other eye on her, just in case.
And with her lip and tongue piercings, she'd have had a hard time winning that argument. Without even trying, she looked annoyed at having to wait, giving the occasional playful, evil grin to him.
When the orders finally came, Clive brought them back to the table. "Sorry it took so long, but you see all the yuppies up there..." He sat down and waited for the damn thing to cool. "So, how are *you*?"
"Me? I suppose I'm alright..." She chuckled and shook her head. "Just a little annoyed and tired. Pretty much how I feel every bloody day."
"Yeah? You look fresh as a daisy. You have a hard time with the relatives today too? I didn't see you around the ol' homestead..." Clive looked around, instinctively. The place was emptying out but it never hurt to be careful.
"Just trying to get 'little sister' to respect me without making her hate me, basically." Narcissa played nervously at her lip ring, shaking her head. "Either I'm gonna get through to the girl or have a sodding breakdown in the process."
"Oh, yeah. I had to babysit that kid a few times. Nothing ever seemed to click except when I took her shopping. Why not try that?" Clive sipped at his coffee and grimaced. Too hot, too burnt.
"Shopping?" The redhead laughed almost TOO loud there. "Somehow I suspect I'd want to gouge my own eyes out with a bloody spoon if I had to walk around a shopping mall for a day."
"Yeah, I know. I felt the same way, but here I am, and I've still got both my eyes." Clive drummed his fingers on the tabletop. "If you don't think you can stand it, then just use shopping analogies. Those work just as well."
"Part of me feels like I should drag her to a concert with me." She gave that evil little grin of hers again. "Maybe if she heard the kind of bands I listen to, it would scare her into listening to me."
"She might like that. She'll try and take a mile if you giver an inch, though." He sipped at his coffee again. Man, this was awful stuff. He set the cup down.
"Not sure if it's how you're dressed or just the fact that I haven't had a good shag in close to two years, but you look REALLY good today, you know." Annnnd, that was Narcissa's idea of a sweet compliment.
"Well, thanks! I didn't want to overdress for the family meeting, but I'd like to think I'm a sharp-dressed man." He looked her up and down, very deliberately. "And, like I said, you're looking good too. This coffee is crap. You wanna split?"
"Sure. Is this the part where you're asking me back to your place?" She asked with a mixture of mocking and sincerity.
"Well, it's still a mess, so no. Not today, anyway. I thought we could go for a walk or a drive or something, because I am done with this coffeehouse." Clive laughed and shook his head. "Honestly, I don't mind if we just take it a step at a time."
"Wherever you'd like to go is fine." She stood, offering her hand before whispering in his ear. "I'm not a trollop... not by any means... but dear? You don't have to worry about taking things TOO slow... I'm a bit of a wild child."
Clive took her hand and made his way outside. Once outside, he leaned in and said, quietly, "Slow is a bit of a change of pace for me, is that okay? After all, we still have to work together.."
"Very true, love. VERY true." She laughed, imagining the awkwardness that could potentially occur. "On the funny side... from what he's told me, Pryce's wife seems to think he and I are shagging."
"aha, so it's NOT just me, other people think you're catting around. See what I mean about people thinking what they're gonna think? Clive chuckled. "Oh man, that could get ugly. What's she like, his wife? I'm still kind of out of touch."
"Hah... you think I'm getting close enough to find out what she's like?" Narcissa openly scoffed there. "My guess? A stuffy, librarian-type. Possibly attractive, but nothing to write home about. I mean.. can you even imagine Wesley going home to some centerfold? Not that he couldn't land one... but he's so sweetly bumbling..."
Clive shook his head, "Nope, but that's because I really don't know the guy very well. Ah well, it's not important." He shaded his eyes and looked around, thoughtfully. "So, where to, Miss Thing? And more important, who's driving?"
"Oh, I'm dying to see what you drive, so.... we'll take your car." She laughed, giving him a playful shove.
Clive grinned. "It's not much." He indicated the beat-up Camaro a few parking spaces down. "She's cranky, but I'm damned if I can get rid of her."
"Well then." Walking to the car, she leaned against it sweetly, as though posing with a child. "Let's see what this beautiful baby can do, hm?"
Clive grinned and unlocked his door, climbing inside and opening her door for her. Once she was settled in, he turned the car to the west and headed out, making sure to squeal the tires a little for effect.