(Untitled)

Dec 13, 2011 13:26

Auggie had to hand it to the place - for all the stuff it's pulled, making a party like this does make up for a lot. That he's been in a particularly good mood the last couple of days certainly helped a lot in him having a good time. He'd been on the island for months, and he can honestly say at this point it's been the best few days since he ( Read more... )

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theblindguy December 13 2011, 20:16:48 UTC
There's honestly only a brief second he wonders if she will make it after all. Before he can even finish the thought, he realizes she's suddenly in front of him. After running, from the sounds of it, which is the last thought that crosses his mind before the countdown hits one and she pulls him to her.

His arms wrap around her torso without a second thought, drawing her even closer to him. Over the course of the last few days, he's become well aware she has a pretty unique ability of making him completely forget about his surroundings. As it turns out, the same can be said even when they're in a middle of a party. Despite the noise around them (that's gotten a whole lot louder), he barely notices anything but her while it lasts. And even when they pull apart - barely - his focus is less on everything around them and more on her, one hand lifting to gently cup her cheek.

"Almost thought you weren't going to make it, Walker," he teases, and with their faces so close, he only needs to speak a little louder than normal.His expression softens after, leaning his forehead lightly against hers. "Happy New Year."

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farmgrown December 13 2011, 20:25:56 UTC
Annie has about a million different thoughts to express in her head - the difficulty of navigating a crowd like this in a dress like the one she's wearing, for starters, that probably ranks higher on the scale than individual weapons training - but suddenly all of that doesn't even come close to being important when he draws her in against him, his own arms wrapping around her to pull her in close. Somewhere, in the recesses of her mind, she can vaguely make out the sound of everyone cheering as they officially ring in the new year, but that noise, like everything else around them, seems to dim in comparison to the way her excitement pulses through her, a constant hum of happiness, all brought on by the certainty of his hold and the warmth of his body against her own.

"Happy New Year," she murmurs, grinning broadly as he pulls back just enough to speak. Her fingers snake around his wrist, and she can feel his pulse beneath the gentle run of her thumb, quickening as they hover in each other's space. She tilts her cheek into the touch of his hand, letting her eyes drift shut for a few more seconds, holding herself in this moment for as long as she possibly can before something happens to tear her away.

"Serves me right for going to the ladies' in this chaos," she adds, laughing quietly, pressing another quick peck to his lips before easing back down onto her heels, though she continues to stand in close next to him and along the bar, one hand taking hold of his. "And you for talking me into wearing a dress to this thing."

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theblindguy December 13 2011, 21:06:16 UTC
"Oh, I talked you into it?" he scoffs, and despite the teasing, he doesn't even hesitate to slip his fingers between her smaller ones when he feels her take his hand, thumb idly running against the soft back of it. "We must be thinking of two completely different conversations, because I seem to remember you being the one convincing me to go all out."

He wouldn't have bothered with the vest and the overcoat and opted for just a plain white shirt had she hadn't requested otherwise. Especially now, when there's starting to be enough people in the area that it's actually getting stuffy.

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farmgrown December 13 2011, 21:16:58 UTC
"We are definitely thinking of two completely different conversations, because I happen to recall you mentioning your fondness for the whole corset deal," Annie declares, as their fingers lace together in more of an unconscious habit, strengthening the hold she now has on his hand. She's grinning, though, as she reaches to pick up his beer from where she's set it down earlier, taking a small swig. Between the heavy skirts of her dress and the crowded space, she's also starting to get a little warm in here.

"Speaking of, you look very dashing," she adds, setting his beer down and giving his waistcoat a gentle tug, fingers slipping beneath the v-shaped opening as her knuckles brush over his chest. "But I think one or both of us might pass out from the heat if we stay inside much longer."

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theblindguy December 13 2011, 21:53:54 UTC
"Okay, I might have said that," he concedes, because yes, he may have mentioned that once or twice. There's something about the feel of it under his palm that gets to him in all the right ways. If only to be contrary, he does make sure to add, "But that's barely me asking you to wear it. It was just an observation."

An observation he very much appreciates her listening to.

"And I think I've mentioned you look beautiful," he says, without an ounce of uncertainty in the compliment. Like usual, he doesn't actually need to see her to know it - something he thinks she's learned already a long time ago. He vaguely hears the clink of his now likely empty bottle of beer being put down, but he doesn't think much of it, too distracted by the spike in his pulse when he feels her fingers brushing against him. He clears his throat a moment later, smiling a little. "You're probably right. Shall I escort you home, then?"

The far more proper choice of words is used on purpose as he offers out his elbow for her to take. If they're going to dress like this, no sense in only going halfway with it.

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farmgrown December 13 2011, 22:48:58 UTC
"Good, because you can help me out of it when we get home," Annie mutters, mostly off-hand - if she'd been thinking about her words instead of trying to find the closest exit, she might've realized the potential double meaning in her sentence. As it stands, she turns back to him just in time to catch his compliment, leaning up to gently press her lips to his cheek.

"Thank you," she adds, soft and grateful, and links her arm through his, positioning them towards the way out with a small pivot of her feet. They both know the place well enough to get out without much leading either way, but with the extreme number of occupants and the slight press of bodies in either direction, leaving is going to prove somewhat disorienting.

"You shall," Annie declares, with a nod of her head, and snags their coats from where they've been resting on the seat closest to where he's been standing. It's going to be cold outside - though for how much longer, she can't tell. This might be a winter that lasts all the way into February, at this rate.

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theblindguy December 13 2011, 23:37:33 UTC
She might not've caught the comment, but he does, and there's a moment he debates whether or not he should call her out on it, just to make her blush. In the end, following the light kiss, he decides to let it slide. Things haven't gone quite that far yet between them, and a part of him still handles the subject with gloves, really not wanting come across as trying to rush things.

"It's going to be fun getting out of here," he comments instead, making it pretty clear he's going to let Annie at least lead them outside. He can take it from there, when there isn't a pathway that needs to be forged through a sea of bodies. Maybe they could grab a carriage outside instead of walking in what he assumes is even colder weather, given what time it is - if they even run this late.

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farmgrown December 13 2011, 23:41:26 UTC
"Come on," she says, throwing their coats over her free arm as she leads the way through the other patrons, zig-zagging through and around clusters of people talking excitedly and drinking. For some of them, the party's just started, but Annie's more of a homebody these days, and as far as she's concerned, nothing sounds better than peeling out of the dress and corset and curling up in bed - or even in front of the fire for an hour or two.

"Think we can hail a carriage?" she asks, as they squeeze outside, handing him his coat to put on while she buttons up her own. It's chilly out, and she lingers close to him, glancing back and forth down the street and looking for one that appears unoccupied. It isn't a long walk back, but with the chill in the air, she'd rather avoid it.

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theblindguy December 13 2011, 23:58:05 UTC
Auggie makes sure to follow close behind, and it's almost a relief when they're blasted by the cold air outside. It'd been hotter in there than he thought, though, and he's grateful Annie had remembered their coats before heading out. He pulls his on, though he doesn't bother with the buttons. His outfit in general is pretty warm to begin with.

"Probably," he says, since he's pretty sure real people don't actually drive them, like he's pretty sure the shop keepers aren't real either. "Do you see any around?"

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farmgrown December 14 2011, 00:05:40 UTC
Outside, the cold air is more refreshing at first, but as they linger, it starts to get cold, and she steps in close to stand against him, taking advantage of his body heat, her arms slowly winding around his middle as she continues to turn her head, watching for a carriage.

"I think they drive in a loop anyway," she admits, watching as one turns the corner at the end of the street and heads straight for them, and when she reaches out with one hand to flag it down, it stops right in front of them. She smiles triumphantly and takes his hand. "Got one."

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theblindguy December 14 2011, 00:20:52 UTC
Auggie had taken to rubbing a hand lightly up and down her side the minute she obviously moves closer to him to ward off the cold, making an attempt to warm her up further. He can hear the wheels against the cobblestone road long before she announces it coming, and he's glad he'd been right with his assumption.

"I think I might miss this when it's gone," he admits with a laugh, moving to the side of the entrance to the carriage, opening the door and then offering his hand to help her inside first. She's got way more clothing to stuff into the ride than he does. "After you."

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farmgrown December 14 2011, 00:26:01 UTC
"It is one of the benefits of the island-wide makeover. Somehow there's always transportation of some kind," Annie admits, and it literally takes her hitching up her skirts in one arm to get herself in without tearing anything. After she sits, she slides over to one side to leave room for him, coaxing her dress out in front of her.

"God, I can't wait to get out of this dress," she mutters, once he's inside and the carriage starts moving again. Somehow they always seem to know where to go without anything in the way of directions. That's when the underlying meaning of her words hits her and she backpedals, clearing her throat, averting her gaze to hide the sign of heat rising in her cheeks. "Only because it might be a little difficult to sleep in."

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theblindguy December 14 2011, 00:46:40 UTC
Auggie only climbs in when he's sure she's settled, doing his best not to sit on the edges of her dress when he does. There's enough room, and he closes the door after him, and almost immediately he feels the lurch of the carriage moving. He settles back into his seat then, though he knows it won't take long to get to their destination.

He doesn't need to say a single word for her to get flustered, and he doesn't bother to hide his grin when he can practically hear her blushing.

"Don't worry, you really don't need to give me any explanation of why you want out of your clothes," he says with a completely straight face, patting her knee in a teasingly comforting way - or the general area of her knee, anyway (he mostly just pats the cloth of her dress). He even manages to hold back a laugh after, no small feat considering how much he actually wants to.

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farmgrown December 14 2011, 01:38:48 UTC
"No?" There's only one thing she knows how to do to work herself out of a potentially embarrassing situation, and that's turning the tables, flipping the question around until he's the one struggling for words and fighting for an answer, and since they agreed to actually turn their friendship into something more, she has more than one way of doing that now, beyond the simple verbal.

Her hand flies out to grab hold of his as he reaches down to pat her knee, miming what's supposed to be a comforting act, and in the end she manages to lace their fingers together, giving his hand a small squeeze as she keeps it in her lap, sandwiching it between the one holding on and the other that gently rests on top of his knuckles.

"I could give you an explanation," she replies, seemingly innocent as she shifts in against his side, leaning against his shoulder, turning her head to pillow her chin there as she looks up at his face. "I could give you a very long explanation for why I'm thinking about getting undressed right now."

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theblindguy December 14 2011, 02:19:14 UTC
What he expects is at most a swat on the arm for being an ass. What he gets instead actually makes the breath in his throat catch more audibly than he'd like. There's no accidental misstep here this time - she means it exactly how it sounds with that tone of voice, with the sudden breath against his neck. And all without hardly any prompting from him, all on her own accord. That's all the unspoken permission he needs to have to know he isn't stepping on some invisible boundary.

He takes the bait that she's dangling in front of him without a second thought after that. Without a pause, even, despite fully knowing that they're still a little ways away from their hut-now-apartment.

"Well, if you're in that sharing a mood, I'm listening," he says in a remarkably even tone, his fingers flexing a little in hers as he speaks. He doesn't try to pull it away, curious to see where she leads this, if she's leading it to anything at all.

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farmgrown December 14 2011, 02:47:46 UTC
It's the reaction she's hoping for, but not necessarily expecting, and when she gets it, there's no shortage of triumph in her knowing smirk, in the twitch at the edges of her mouth as she gives his hand a squeeze between the both of hers, both as a means of sharing warmth and preserving it throughout the carriage ride and as a means of letting him know, without words, that she's being completely intentional, that she didn't misspeak.

"I don't know," she replies, pretending to shy away from the idea, even going so far as to turn her head slightly. She can't hide behind her hair, though; she's pinned it up for the evening, even though a few stray pieces still grace her cheek as she moves. When she faces him again, the smirk is still there, and she tilts her head to rest her cheek on his shoulder, more of an innocent cuddling, almost too innocent given what she appears to have stirred.

"I've always been more of a show-er instead of a tell-er," she murmurs, turning his hand over to let his palm face upward as her fingers trace the lifelines on the inside, running along the one that dissolves into his wrist, a slow, repetitive movement.

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