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 Posted: Wed Oct 01, 2014 5:41 pm
This time he came to Piper's door without a summons, no text or phone call to give him an excuse to be in her presence without feeling... like he felt right now. Pushy. Presumptuous. Hopeful still, though he had no reason to be.
Brenley was mostly nervous, his hands cold and head light with worry. She was going to say no, he had already come to terms with that, but his curiosity demanded he follow through with this terrible notion anyway. He raised his fist to knock, pausing just before he did. Maybe he should have been the one to call or text this time, just to let her know he was coming. Would she even be here? If she wasn't, he didn't think he'd be able to work up the courage to return. Okay. He was going to text her. He would see if she was busy, then ask if he could swing by after implying he had been doing something incredibly rakish like playing guitar for money or sailing.
The boil reached for his phone with his free hand. As he typed his password, he glanced at his curled fingers, still poised an inch from the door, and in a moment of utter lunacy, knocked anyway.
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Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2014 8:58 pm
Piper was in the middle of her cleansing ritual. Half of her hair sat with dry shampoo while the other half was busy getting combed through with another herbal oil, a job in and of itself even when split into parts (and Jack, don't even start her on getting through the layers). Chants were an ongoing murmur in the background, enough to fill the space but not break her concentration. She'd lit a sandalwood candle but made sure to put it up where her minis wouldn't be getting, because so help her if they knocked it over while she was busy with a tangle...
She hadn't changed all day, which was remarkable for the ghoul who normally showered twice a day to avoid getting sweat on her clothes. The outcome of the election had hit her a little harder than expected, especially considering she had gone in with a strong suspicion that she wouldn't win. Still, not winning was hard for her to take. Thus, the pampering.
She was just getting started on the other half of her hair when she heard the knock.
Piper glanced at the door, wondering if she had hallucinated it. But no, Hati and Skoll's ears were pricked as well. She was about to raise a finger to keep them hushed (nobody should be interrupting her beauty process), but Hati grew curious and trotted to the door. And then, naturally, her tail started to wag as she recognized the scent on the other side, and she yipped as she tapped the door back.
Crap.
"Uhhhh, one second!" the ghoul tittered as she got up, one hand caught deep in her curls, the other still holding onto the brush. Quickly Piper ran it through, hissing as she found several knots that jerked her head. "Yeah, just--hold up--ow--one more--"
Ten seconds after that, she finally opened the door. And blinked.
"Bren...?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 12:54 pm
His first impulse after he realized what he had done was to turn and retreat, but some braver part of his subconscious held him in place until what he presumed was one of Piper's grumpkings returned his knock with a tiny scratch. It appeared her minipets were home, but that didn't mean she was. Maybe he could still get away, plan a bit more. Yes. He wasn't being a coward, he was just taking a little more time to prepare himself for rejection, even though he had already done so a million times over.
When she responded right after that, Brenley froze completely. He remained standing there, phone in hand, when she opened the door, though movement returned to him as soon as she said his name. He smiled, though it was filled with a detached, embarrassed regret, like the expression on the face of the guy at the eye scream parlor forced to tell you that the customer just before you took the last of your favorite flavor.
Sorry. Someone already bought all the good boilfriends. Have a scoop of Musty Old Tongue instead.
Wait. What?
Before he could be too critical of the things running through his mind, Bren spoke. Babbling incoherently was a fine distraction. "If you're not busy, I wanted to ask you a question. And I'm... sorry I didn't call. Did you know there was a... no, that's..." He looked down at Hati. When he raised his head again he seemed ever so slightly more determined. "Are you busy? And no, that's not my question."
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 1:04 pm
"Hello t'you too," she huffed teasingly. Whatever had Brenley scandalized and frozen, it had good timing; his expression was priceless, and she couldn't help but grin.
At their feet, Hati yipped and twitched just within the threshold of the door, well-trained to stay inside but eager to greet frand.
Piper tilted her head, absently combing through her hair some more as it fell over her shoulder. She hoped it looked as glossy as it normally did. "Kinda? I mean not really, I was just doing my thang n' stuff. I was pretty much done anyway. Why?" It didn't really bother her that he hadn't texted first, but Brenley doing anything without a little heads up or planning was odd.
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 2:24 pm
Her thang n' stuff. He hoped he wasn't supposed to know what that meant. At least she didn't appear to be too put out by the fact that he'd interrupted those activities. She seemed amused. Amused was good.
"Hi. Hello. Sorry." He waved at Hati as well, three small swivels of his wrist. This next part was something he had rehearsed, and he fell into it with only a bit of a waver in his words. "I was wondering if you had heard there would be a party... a... dance later this month," he said, voice lowering to a whisper mid-sentence. He might have been resigned to taking this experiment to its inevitable conclusion, but that didn't mean he wanted her neighbors to know what they were going on about. "I overheard a couple of ghouls in the library talking about it and it sounded like something you would enjoy." She was wired to respond positively to parties, right? Even after all of that election nonsense.
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Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 9:30 pm
Yup, something was a bit off. Maybe he actually found someone to look at his nerdy stuff from before? Who knew, maybe job people were in the festival for, you know...job things...recruitment stuff...Nah that didn't sound right. Wait, didn't he get kinda weird when he talked about feeli— And then Brenley said the magic words. "Wait what no way we are?" she asked with a surge of excitement. "Aww yeah, the new SC isn't wasting time!" Nothing like a big social event to take the ghoul's mind off her problems! She bounced on her feet with anticipation. "Are you cheering me up, s'that why you came to tell me yourself? Awwwww, you cute spookie you~ I mean, I was totally fine and stuff, but stiiiiill you know me so well~" Hati trilled again, and Piper nudged her back with a bare foot. She gave Brenley a bright eyed look. "What kind of party, what's the theme?" She had to plan things now.
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 12:13 pm
She flared brighter than a sparkler, and any hope he'd had that they would keep this to themselves fluttered away like one of her birds. He hadn't really planned anything beyond alerting her to the fact that there would be a dance, certain that he would have a chance to ask her to go as soon as he had done so, but now she was bouncing and awwwing and asking him questions he didn't have answers to. Without a script, or an outline at the very least, Brenley began to unravel.
"It... um... I don't know." He had listened to the ghouls chatter for quite a while, but they had spoken almost entirely of clothing and makeup. They hadn't even mentioned an actual time or date. "All they talked about were dresses. One had a borderline obsession with velvet... the other wanted one with sequins on tulle, though I'm pretty sure too much of that would end disastrously." Bren cleared his throat. No babbling. Instead, he met her gaze properly for the first time since he'd arrived, her exuberance pulling a smile from him, until—
"Lab coats. That was why I started eavesdropping in the first place. They mentioned them, but the two can't have anything to do with each other."
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 1:26 pm
She waved away the mention of dresses. Who cared what other ghouls were doing? Maybe she'd go in a fancy pantsuit. Or just have cloth dangling in particular areas and nowhere else. Or... Wait. Piper met his eyes (which she always seemed to forget were a nice shade of blue, almost like her hair) and felt her heart do the twist as he smiled (usually they looked so stilted, more like he was wincing, but he was smiling). Wait. Why would Brenley be talking to her directly about the dance? Did that mean— "Labcoats." Beat. Piper burst into laughter loud enough that both Hati and Skoll were startled and poofed out in alarm. She leaned against the doorframe and shook her head. "You eavesdropped on some ghouls 'cause've labcoats, ohmyjack." She slapped a hand over her mouth and giggled, glad for the excuse for the beginnings of a blush. "Bren, that's seriously, like, the nerdiest thing I've heard ever! What, are they what's totally in now?" she teased, wiggling her brows. "Am I gonna have to wear one to look hot this year or somethin'? 'Cause I have standards, even for fashion. Oh my friggen Jack, labcoats..."
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 9:10 pm
He nodded cheerily. Quality protective garments were difficult to make, and he always kept an ear open for any information on where he might obtain such clothing cheaply. It was only natural that he would be drawn to...
When Piper began to laugh, Hati and Skoll weren't the only ones who were startled. Bren straightened with a surprised snort of his own, rendered speechless by her mirth. On the one hand, she was laughing at him. On the other, she was laughing because of him. His smile graduated to a grin. The distinction was a small one, but how he had chosen to take things was rather clear.
"You really shouldn't complain. If I wasn't so... attuned to scientific discussion, I would have nothing to report. And it's not like you have anything to worry about anyway." His arms lifted from where they'd been largely clasped at his sides and he gestured, the quick motion indicating the whole of her position and person. "You always look..." His arms fell gently. "...very nice."
Brenley swallowed and went slightly pale. His smile faltered. He stayed awkwardly silent for far too long. When he spoke, his voice was quiet again. "I haven't asked my question yet."
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Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 11:00 pm
"Complain? This is super hilarious!"
But Piper only proceeded to chuckle, because Brenley grinning was definitely not something she saw every day, and she found herself caught off guard by how nice natural it looked too. And the compliment, well, just, wow, how d'you...Naturally, she wanted to reply, followed by a flip of her hair, but she was too slow to react for once and she wasn't quite sure why. It wasn't like Brenley being nice was weird or anything, but at the same time, this was all...weird. But very nice. But weird. But really appreciated. Like awkward tightness back in her stomach again appreciated, which was the weirdest appreciated ever, but whatever.
She hoped her skin was dark enough to hide most of the blush. Her mouth had stayed open a little too long like a dumbass fish.
"Well, uh, watcha waitin' for, then?" Piper prompted him, lightly crossing her arms and trying to effect the casual airs she normally had. It was fantastically hard to when he was being awkward again after all the niceness, though. If Brenley didn't answer fast enough, she was sure she was going to take ahold of his shirt and do...something.
Maybe shake him a little for being confusing. That was her job.
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Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 9:13 pm
He wasn't waiting for anything. Brenley didn't continue because he was terrified. He stood still, holding his breath, as the silence stretched from a simple pause to full blown stalling. He had predicted this would happen when the time came for him to act, but anticipating desperate discomfort and experiencing it first hand were different creatures entirely. His meddlesome scientific side retreated into the shadows, watching the stunted emotional part of his brain stutter and flail as if this was all a rather amusing game.
My, how his pulse races!
What clammy hands!
And how will he speak when his throat is so dry?
"I..."
Bren finally took a breath and a sliver of sanity returned. Though he'd accurately guessed how things would go on his end, he had never imagined that Piper would... blush. It spurred him on. He breathed again. By now she'd likely guessed at what he was too afraid to say. Was she embarrassed for him? Might she want him to ask?
It seemed like ages before he spoke again, but in reality it was just a handful of seconds. He only hoped, as he had hoped so many times before, that she would still consider him a friend once all of this was over.
Carefully.
"Since you already seem interested in going, I would like it very much if you would go with me." All that and it wasn't even a question. "Piper. Will you go to the Halloween dance with me?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 9:28 pm
The seconds were long enough. He looked so pale and stunned, she wondered if she could sneak away and put some concealer on her blush and return without him noticing...But Piper's feet were quite planted, and internally she kicked up a fuss.
More so after the statement and then rephrase into a question.
It wasn't that she didn't see it coming now, but still: imagining and hearing it were very different things. But Jack, she hated that her heart raced like Brenley had asked her out or something. It was just a stupid dance. Lock had asked her to be his partner once and that hadn't been anything. She really needed to get a grip.
Instead, the ghoul broke into a big grin again. "Duh! I mean yeah!" she chirped, uncrossing her arms and standing up, back to bouncing on her toes again because, again, she was being ridiculously stupid. "Hella yeah. Definitely." Okay, probably too many yes's.
She gave him a light punch to the arm for no reason. "You goofball, you were really nervous about asking? I always say yes if it means a par-tay~"
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Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 1:26 pm
The last thing he had expected to feel was confusion, but that was what dominated in the wake of her agreement. He should have been happy, and he supposed he was, but tainting that happiness was a dull disappointment. This was ridiculous. Bren tried to force the feeling down deep enough to forget it, but the confusion remained. He smiled faintly anyway, the expression almost as sickly as it usually was.
"Good. Yes. I'm... um... good." It all felt so shallow. And the implication that she would have said yes to anyone... well... okay, fine, it made sense. He wouldn't presume to keep her from something she liked just because he hadn't been the first to ask or just wasn't suitable to be seen with. It wasn't like he had any claim on her.
Bren chuckled as she punched him, a touch of normal color returning to his cheeks. "I was worried that it might seem strange. That you might feel... weird that I had asked." It was a lie. He had been afraid she would say no, and it seemed that meant a great deal more to him than it did to her. Unless... What if the question he had asked wasn't the one he had meant to? What if what he truly wanted was to... lay... claim...
"I'm glad that you don't though." He was mildly panicked now, and it showed in the way he worried at his belt and shifted his weight. "This will be fun." He needed to be alone. He needed to think.
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Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 2:27 pm
"Why'd you think that?" she asked, still teasing. "You ain't a stranger, B-Ren. Only reason I'd say no is if you sucked at dancing." Still joking. Mostly. She'd make up for it if he happened to be. Piper felt a little too giddy. Brenley's nervous actions barely registered. " No labcoats, though, yeah? We doing this, we gonna look fine." She tapped her chin in thought. "I'll have to see what I got, maybe ask for some more seeds from Mom. Definitely will keep in touch, so please don't get kidnapped again, huh?" It wasn't too early for that joke, was it? Maybe she ought to tone it down a bit... "But it will be fun," Piper agreed, nodding her head, her hair seeming to do the wave with it. "So don't get nervous or stiff or whatever, 'cuz you're good. You're with me now, n' I'm the life of the party~" Dramatic pose and everything.
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Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2014 10:20 pm
He shrugged. "I should have known better than to worry. And no. I won't... suck at dancing or get kidnapped again, I promise." Maybe it was too soon, but Brenley didn't feel any particular panic rising in him at the thought of his abduction, not when he was still processing the reality in front of him. Piper had said yes. No matter how many new questions his mind had raised because of that, the overall result was still rather satisfying.
Following her lead, he let out an exaggerated sigh, clasping his hands behind his back to keep them from fidgeting. "I guess we don't need the coats. Though we will be the best dressed couple there, with or without them." He genuinely enjoyed speaking about and wearing rather conspicuous clothing, and entertaining the possibility of getting something new effectively blinded him to his own choice of words. "In all seriousness, whatever you decide, I will match. And we can talk about things all you'd like. Until they're perfect."
Bren cleared his throat. "I'm sorry I came over like this. I'm glad too, but... I should probably let you finish your... thang n' stuff." He veered from mild panic back into familiar embarrassment as he ceased to speak, but this time it was due to this particular turn of phrase rather than his muddled desires.
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