Throughout the taxi trip, Lily remains pretty quiet, not willing to talk about too much in the way of esoteric things in front of the cabbie. She sits quietly, one long leg crossed over the knee of the other, hands neatly folded within her lap. Once the taxi arrives at St. James' park, she hands a few notes to the driver, then slips out of the car. Standing there a moment, she waits for her companion to follow suit.
Only after he's standing near her does she launch back into the discussion from earlier at Black Jack Davy's. Well, after a quick look around first to make sure no one is nearby.
"In answer to your question earlier... yes, I 'blasted'," again with the finger-quotes, "the vamp. I don't know how I do it... but every now and then, if I'm really scared, or angry, or upset... things.. move." There's a roll of her shoulders, causing the trenchcoat to twitch slightly. "As for the rescuer.. he looks out for me. He's a good guy, and no offense meant, but I'm not at liberty to discuss his situation." There's an apologetic glance tossed back at Daen. Sorry, if I could, I would, but I can't, so...
Daen's rather quiet himself during the taxi ride partially due to the same reason that Lily keeps her silence, but also because he enjoys the silence itself after the noisy clamor of the club. Upon arrival, he exits the cab on the opposite side that Lily does and walks around behind it to her. And while the cabbie doesn't know it, he'll find that he has some extra notes at the end of the night. Daen always pays for himself.
"Well, whatever it is, it doesn't have anything to do with magic, that I can tell you. A small piece of the puzzle for you, since I'm sure you're trying to figure it out." He smiles faintly at her as he begins to walk towards the interior of the park, wouldn't do much good to come here and.... do things out on the street after all. He glances sideways at her assuming that she walks at his side, arching an eyebrow, "I see... that's fine. He's entitled to his privacy I'm sure." A slight pause, before he asks in a curious yet almost clinical tone, "So does it only happen when you're asleep?"
He turns to look at her and does indeed find her walking at his side, trenchcoat open, hands shoved deeply into the pockets, watching the ground before her as she moves. Twitching her mouth off to the side a moment, Lily considers this, then agrees, "Yeah... a puzzle piece for me. I'll admit I've heard of folks being able to move pennies across tables before and what-not, just by thinking about it, but... This bloke, you have to understand, was a brick shithouse." There's a pause as kohl-rimmed eyes finally swivel and find Daen in the dim lighting of the park. "And, well... I launched him into a brick wall across an alleyway."
She pauses and looks away, showing off her profile, falling silent as she perhaps waits for a response to that... or maybe just to collect her thoughts. There's no smile on her face, no smirk; she is not boasting. She seems rather perplexed by it all.
"Oh... and yeah, the other only happens during dreams," she adds, realizing you had asked a question. As for her rescuer, she says nothing more about him.
Daen who'd turned his face up towards the sky, turns it again to look at Lily, "So maybe it's just a stronger version, it happens. There are some people born with enough magical ability to light... say, a dry match in non-windy conditions. Others can call enough power to set the entire park on fire. At once." He smiles faintly then, "It's not so bad, being able to defend yourself. You just need to figure out how to do it." He says it easily, as if all Lily has to do is to look it up in some book.
He nods at her answer to his question thoughtfully, and mentally files it away for whatever reason. He jerks his chin towards a small stand of trees then, "I think there's a small clearing past those trees, it should be hidden away enough for me to pull some... reasonably interesting things." He grins then, "Any requests?"
Nodding, Lily purses her lips. "As easy as that, hm? Well... I'll admit I don't know how to try to figure that out... but... I'll keep searching," she murmurs, nearly with a pout. It's not a pout that's meant to be cute, even if it might look that way. This is an obvious source of frustration with her.
With a bit of a nervous laugh, she adds, "I can't even really believe I'm talking to you, a near-stranger, about all of this... but I guess it's because I figured you'd understand, at least on some level." And apparently she guessed correctly?
Adjusting her direction to head towards the trees pointed out, the woman nods, saying, "Looks perfect... and interesting things, eh? Well... as for requests, I don't know. I'm kind of new to this, right?" After a moment's thought, she glances at him side-long and smirks, saying, "Okay... don't make me explode or the like, alright?"
"Look long, look hard and... well." Daen grins almost impishly at Lily, "You still might not find anything, but you'll certainly have picked up a few things along the way." He falls silent for a moment before he adds, "And of course, you'll have a far better chance of finding something. Unless of course, you happen to be unique... that's been known to happen too." If that's the case... well then Daen doesn't envy her the task.
At her next remark he look at her for a moment before a small smile quirks his lips upwards and he turns his face forward again, "Sometimes a stranger is the best person to talk to. After all, there's no guarantee that you'll ever see them again." A slight pause before he speaks again, softly this time, "And yes, I do understand at that, to a degree. We're not the same, but at least we're both different in the same sort of way."
He continues trudging towards the small copse of trees, and laughs at Lily's last request, "Awww, but that's the fun part!" He grins over at her, "Don't worry, I won't demonstrate on you. That is, unless you want me to." An almost comical eye waggle.
"Well, I'll keep searching for the rest of the puzzle, sure... I have to live with it, after all. Not like I can just run away from it," even if she wanted to. "And, I don't think I'm unique... I can't be, that's for sure. There's plenty of others out there who can do stuff... that's unexplained. Surely someone else has similar 'abilities'." She hopes, anyway.
Finally reaching the gathering of trees, Lily pauses at the outer most part, touching a tree and looking back at Daen. "Now... after that, mister, I don't know if I should follow you in or not." Grinning, she barks a laugh, adding, "Demonstrate on me, eh? I'll trust ya not to get too fresh, hm?" She can't help it... Lily's always flirty and bold. Or, that's how it usually seems at least. Perhaps it's a protective mechanism. Who knows?
With that, she slips in past the trees, trusting a man she only just met not to harm her within the privacy of the mini forest. But then again, she's not helpless, is she?
"Similar? Oh yes, there's probably a lot of people out there that can do similar things. There are those among the Rom that have the second sight, and some may see things similar to your dreams. And there are quite a few... beings that can move things without touching them. The same.... now that's a little trickier." He smiles reassuringly at her then, "But you're right, the world's and old old place, even if it's young in comparison to some things. There are many things that it can be without being a new thing."
By the time that Lily's reached the outermost tree, Daen's already marching towards the center of small copse. When he reaches it, he turns with his hands clasped behind his back towards Lily. He arches an eyebrow, and grins, "Come into my parlor said the spider to the fly." And that's supposed to make her feel better? "So does that mean you do want me to?"
He takes a slightly exaggerated pose of thinking then, "Hmm... so what should I do first..." A pause, "Well, first things first, I should look the part." He doesn't move, doesn't gesture, but suddenly a different man is standing in front of Lily. The eyes are still the same green eyes, and he still smiles the same smile, but he's taller now, several inches above six feet, and his hair is the shade of the night sky, a blue so dark that it seems black... or perhaps the other way 'round. The face is also different, no longer forgettable, and far more akin to the face in your dreams towards the end. "There, that's better."
The discussion about there being people with similar abilities to what Lily has is dropped as she finally enters the clearing, for some reason sticking close to the edge of trees. Suddenly nervous, perhaps? Well, let's think about this logically... she's a young woman in a mini-kilt, out in the middle of the night, in a park, hidden by trees with a near-complete stranger. Perhaps not the smartest of her moves, but she's altogether too curious about what she saw in the dream.
Her dreams are never wrong.
They're perhaps misleading or don't give her all the info, but she knows they're not wrong about a person's nature or an event that will happen. And so she has to lie her trust in the hands of the cosmos tonight that she won't get hurt.
Spider? Fly? Oh yeah, she feels really secure now. Smirking, Lily comments, "Do what? Demonstrate on me? Depends on what you have up your sleeve, now doesn't it--?"
Her voice trails off as she looks back over at the man who used to be ordinary... who isn't so ordinary any longer. The sudden change causes a gasp to catch in her throat as she takes an involuntary step backward. But she stops there. This is what she came to see. Eyes wide, she stammers, "H-how...? How did you do that?" Her voice, nearly a whisper, manages to carry across the gap between the two, kept protective within the trees.
Green eyes roll in mock exasperation at that particular reaction, different face, same mannerisms. "Well, you did follow a complete stranger into a copse of trees in the middle of the night to see a show of magic. You were expecting... bunny rabbits being pulled out of top hats perhaps?" There's a hint of sarcasm in the last bit, though his voice is modulated so that it isn't as harsh as it could be. Daen expects that this if nothing else will jar her out of the wide-eyed stage. He grins, "I could pull a bunny out of a top hat if you want though." And he's suddenly dressed sharply in a tuxedo complete with top hat. He gives her a sly sort of smile then, "And for the record... there's nothing up my sleeves but me."
She remains wide-eyed, but regains a bit of her usual demeanor. Smirking, she says, "Alright, smart-ass... you have to give me a little bit of a break here. I've never seen anything like that before. This is all kinda new ta me, remember?" She may get her mouth back, but she still sticks close to the trees -- she was stupid to come out here, perhaps, but she isn't stupid enough to cut off an escape route, just in case.
You can take the kid out of the street, but not the street out of the kid, so to speak. Her instincts remind her to be wary, be cautious, and be ready to kick some serious ass if she needs to. Mind you, what is she against magic? She doesn't give this much thought.
"Nice suit," she comments with a snort, then says, "Well, I have no idea what to expect. You're the one holding all the cards right now, aren't you, Daen?" For now, the comment about what's up his sleeves remains untouched. "So... I'm here for a show. I'm waiting to be impressed." As if she isn't already. Well, that smugness has kept her alive in the past, buying her time when she needed it most. She can't help it.
Daen just grins and remarks, "Well, just remember that I am a smartass, I don't give anyone a break. Besides, that thunderstruck and awed look is cute, but it doesn't suit you." As for whether or not it was stupid to come out here... well that remains to be seen, but so far, Daen doesn't seem to be up to anything particularly dastardly. Besides, he did say he was one of the good guys.
"Why... thank you... Nice dress." Dress? What's he talking about? But if Lily looks down, she'll notice that she seems to be wearing a full length blue ball gown. Though if she takes a moment to think about it, she still feels like she's wearing her Catholic schoolgirl outfit. "A pity you don't dance, or I'd ask you for one." He arches his eyebrows at the last bit, and there's the sense of magical knuckles being cracked, "Are you now?" His grin, might be termed 'slightly disturbing'.
Cute? She frowns, causing that pout to show up again... it's not a feigned pout, really. It forms naturally, just adding to the 'cuteness' factor, perhaps. Telling her that might just get her more annoyed, though.
Glancing down at herself, though, she blinks back up at him and protests, "Hey! I don't wear dresses, either!" As though having any other outfit suddenly tossed on her magically would be any less unnerving. But she can't show how awed or impressed she is just yet, now can she? She's got to act tough.
Setting her fists on her hands, she says, "Now wait a second... are you implying that there's something wrong with the way I dress?" You have to admit, her usual outfit shows more leg. "And... and no, I don't dance. Said that before." There's something mumbled. Something like 'never learned'.
She's mildly disturbed and impressed by all of this, sure, but she doesn't seem willing to admit it verbally yet. Averting her gaze from that grin, she tries to touch the dress to see what happens.
Yes, but this is Daen we're talking about here, he's not about to let that pout vanish un-remarked upon, "And now you look like a little girl that's just been told she's not old enough to stay up late. Absolutely adorable." Big teasing grin, hope that he doesn't think to actually turn her into a six year old. If he can actually do that that is.
"Really? That's a shame it does look rather good on you..." The dress responds to your touch just as a real dress would, however your fingers can't actually feel the material of it. "And... no, not really. It suits you in a way. Or perhaps you've made yourself suit it." He's walking towards you then, and unless you do something to stop him, ends up standing next to you. "I'm a little curious why though." He does gesture this time, and a large full-length mirror seems to spin itself out of the air in front of you. "You could be elegant." And the image shows you in the same ball-gown you're in now, minus the Punk jewelry, and even the blue hair. "Businesslike." An image of you in a sharply tailored business suit. "Or any other look really. You'd still be as beautiful". A myriad of images lasting just long enough to be glimpsed. "So why punk?" And you're back to your original outfit.
A slight break in the routine then, as that's got to be what it is. "Mmm.. now that is a pity. Want to learn?"
Blink. Blink. Did he just call me adorable??
She glares at him. No one calls her things like that and lives to tell the tale... err, or something like that. But she looks back down at the dress as she touches it, or doesn't touch it... "Illusion?" she muses, trying to feel the fabric that's not really there.
Glancing up suddenly as she realizes she let her guard down, let him walk up and stand next to her, Lily's eyes go large again... big blue eyes flicker back and forth between the man -- being? -- at her side, then to the mirror and back, watching her wardrobe change faster than she can process it and grasp onto it.
Finally, she finds her voice, finding herself looking back down at the punk outfit. "Punk... has been good to me. I can express myself outwardly and as loudly or softly as I want. I can be blunt as hell if I want, and have an excuse, or I can be subtle and shock the hell out of those who don't expect that. Either way, I keep 'em off-balance, giving me the advantage." Ah, that's it. It's a protective measure. "On the streets, if you look too tough to tangle with, most will just leave you alone." Her shoulders give a slight shrug as she looks back up at him.
But, eh? Learn? To dance? "Umm... here? Now?"
Daen is a law unto himself... except when he isn't, which actually occurs far more often than he'd like. The glare is simply not noticed, or ignored, but he's distinctly giving the impression of not having noticed it at all. "Yes... that is, I thought it'd be a bit much to change your clothes for you on a first date. That is, unless you want me to?" Again that grin.
"Ahh, for protection then. Which is fair enough... it's what clothing was first used for after all." The image in the mirror changes briefly to an image of Lily clad in full plate. The armor's been decorated a bit however, reminiscent of her current outfit. The neckguard is spiked, the messaged 'bite me' has been enameled on the breastplate, and many of the small details are transformed into images etched into the metal. "Must be tiring to wear it all the time though." As if he's one to talk, he wears an entirely different face after all.
Another gesture then, and the mirror disappears into the air it appeared from. "Well? Why not? Unless that is you've suddenly found an appointment that you're urgently late for?"
Ballsy, aren't you?
The look says it all. She's surprised and incredulous at all of this. First date? Arching an eyebrow, Lily says, "Hey now, no one said anything about a date..." She's just here for the show, remember? Or so she thought, anyway.
She watches as her clothing changes again, this time to the armor. Lily smirks a bit, saying, "Cute. Now for my regular look, please? I rather like my 'look' without any help. Take it or leave it, bub. And, no it's not tiring to wear. I wear what I want, when I want." There now, he's been told. She's not changing it for anyone, except herself.
The mirror vanishes, and really she's starting to take all of this so well. Or so it seems. Her outfit changing, a mirror appearing and disappearing, a man changing his outer appearance to one in a tux, taller, and, well... something 'not of this world' perhaps? She's doing well and he's lucky she's not passed out on him.
Still going on about the dancing lesson, hm? She peers at him, then says reluctantly, "Well... I'm going to feel really silly..."
Green eyes glint in amusement at having been able to glean that particular reaction, not that he wasn't expecting it. "No need to get your feathers ruffled, it is, after all, just a figure of speech." And well, technically that is true isn't it? Oh and he got to taunt her again, that's always good.
"Aw, you're no fun," is expressed for the second time this night, and just as suddenly as it changed before, Lily's clothing is back to the way that it was when she first walked into the clearing. "Suit yourself...". He makes an obvious once over of her then, "Not that I'm complaining mind."
And not so much otherworldly as a sense of presence that wasn't there before, though there is a touch of the non-mundane in his features. "Why? There's no one around but you and me, unless you think that the trees are going to laugh at you?" He grins suddenly then, "Think of it like this. You can step on my feet as much as you'd like and I can't complain." How's that for enticement?
Lily nearly sighs with relief as her old clothing reappears. Feeling more like 'herself', she deposits her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "Not that you're complaining? What's that supposed to mean?" As if she doesn't know? As if she doesn't know that her long legs are going to get stared at in this outfit? Well, that's the whole reason she wears it, but perhaps she's testing him, to see how far he'll go with the taunting or whatever he's up to.
Crossing her arms over her chest, blocking out the offending phrase on her shirt, Lily murmurs, "No." There's that pout again. "I don't think the trees will laugh at me." Then again, you never know...
Finally, blue-painted lips tug upward into a grin. "Oh, hey now... now you've given me some incentive..." she quips, dropping her hands to her side. Then, a bit more shyly, she asks, "So, um, what do I do?"
Daen crosses his arms over his chest and gives her... not smirk but an almost serious smile. "It means that I I quite appreciate the view, as it is a particularly nice one. Especially since you've been so obliging as to not cover up so much of it." Not so much a taunt, but certainly he is fishing for some sort of reaction.
Ahh but it's fun to bring out the pout, after all it does look absolutely precious on her. But Daen wisely decides not to belabor that particular point anymore. "Good, because they won't." Which is true, the trees don't laugh, the dryads do though. Not that there's any here however.
A smile then, and he holds out his hand, "Well first, you take my hand..."
The glare is priceless. Yes, she dresses to get attention. Yes, she hikes up the skirt a bit more than would be acceptable at any school. And yes, she's in a Catholic school-girl type of outfit (with a few modifications) and she's not in school. So? But for him to brazenly say he's admiring the view, this does surprise her...and something else happens.
Pinkish hues stain the tops of her cheeks momentarily. With a snort, she tries to hide this, teasing, "Perv." Ah, that's Lils for ya.
Her gaze flickers to the offered hand. Hesitant, she steps forward and finally places her hand within his. Glancing up nearly defiantly at Daen, she questions him, "I thought you were going to show me magic... not dancing...?" So she's a smart-ass, too, apparently.
Why not after all? It's the truth after all, he knows it, she knows it, what would be the point of denying other than as a point of social nicety? Daen grins and shrugs a bit, "No, not really, just being honest. You after all, were the one that asked. Did you want me to lie? Tell you that it's because I find supporting catholic schoolgirls admirable?"
When Lily places her hand in his, Daen draws her closer to him, and if she resists, steps a bit closer to her. "Now, put your other arm on my shoulder, and I'm going to put my hand on your waist." There's an implied 'I'm letting you know right now so don't freak when I do it'. He smiles down at her then, "Why don't we talk about that after I show you how to dance?"
With a shrug, Lily admits, "Guys usually aren't so polite about it if they're going to be blunt, so you caught me off-guard." But then, that's what he's been trying to do to her, isn't it? "I mean, hell.. the time when the vamp jumped out at me, I slipped and fell back on my butt. He looked down at me and gruffed at me, 'Birdy, you look good enough to eat,' and I wasn't sure exactly what he meant by that at the time, really." There's a cackle tacked on the end of that.
Blue eyes widen and blue lips form a little 'o' as she is suddenly pulled in closer to him. She was not expecting that, no. Glancing up into the face of a mystery, Lily murmurs, "Hmm... ok." She's expecting the touch at her waist now, so she won't freak. As for magic... sure... it can wait, for now.
Daen shrugs slightly, which at this point you more feel than see, "There's no point in being crude about it, or at least cruder than necessary. It just makes you look like an idiot." He smirks down at her then, "Besides, if you're polite enough, the girl might be confused enough that she forgets that she should probably slap you." Or knee you, but Daen's not going to mention that in his current position. She draws a laugh from him with that last comment, though really it's more of a reaction to her own cackle rather than the comment itself. "Well, you are rather tempting, too bad he bit off more than he could chew." A slight pause, "Sorry, it had to be said."
He does place his hand on her waist then, and makes sure that she has a good grasp of his shoulder. He grins down at her, and for a moment, it seems as if another taunting comment is coming... but instead: "Alright, now we'll do a simple step, just follow my lead and step back as I step forward..."
"Well, that's true," she comments about not being unnecessarily crude. And if nothing, Daen has seemed polite to her....if taunting and teasing. Chuckling, she murmurs, "Well, you'd better watch what you say now... you only have a hold of one of my hands..." The one on your shoulder could slap at any time, now couldn't it? But she smirks -- she can tease back, too.
Rolling her painted eyes, Lily says, "Puleez... that's a terrible pun! And what do you mean I'm tempting? What does my appearance tempt you to do? I know I apparently tempted him to seek me out as his next meal, but... anyway. No, maybe I don't want you to answer that..." This last is accompanied by a hearty laugh. Has she forgotten that the man she is pressed against is not what he seems? No, probably not, but she goes with the flow.
She tenses slightly at the touch upon her waist, but relaxes quickly as she nods, following his lead. She'll let her feet do the following as her mouth continues to talk, "You know...this is just so strange. I'm out in the middle of a bunch of trees, dancing with no music, with a man who... looks nothing like he did when he entered this place, and is dressed in a tux. I won't be at all surprised if I wake up in the morning in a padded room with a nice white coat... extra-long sleeves, of course..."
Daen keeps right on grinning as he leads, "True enough, but then, the risk is part of the fun." Step, Step, Turn, Step, Step. And he'd be quite disappointed if she didn't, that too, is part of the fun. "I know, that's why I apologized. Not that I'm really sorry or anything, but it warranted the lip service at least." When she invites him to tell her what she tempts him to do, he opens his mouth to start, but is alas interrupted by her retraction. "Tsk, what do you mean maybe? Do you want me to or not?" His grin is almost devilish this time, it suggests that he'd tell her exactly what she tempts him to do.
He smiles softly, "Well, that's magic for you. ten impossible things before breakfast, and a hundred more once midnights come and gone." A slight pause, "Is it any less strange for me? I'm out in the middle of a stand of trees, dancing with no music, with a beautiful woman who's dreamed my nature but doesn't understand it, and can throw brick shithouses across alleys by panicking. I hope you don't mind company in your nice white room." And hey, you haven't stepped on his feet even once. "You're doing pretty well for someone who's never danced before, do you think you've got the hang of it?" He looks down at you expectantly, wearing a smile that suggests he's about to pull something.
Pursing her lips, Lily whacks him lightly on the shoulder, as though to remind him that the hand there really can hit if she commands it to. Then the grin pulls at her lips once more. "See? It's there... it can move... watch it, buster," she mockingly warns him.
Ah, but then he gives her that look, and it brings the pink back into her cheeks, this time a little darker. "You're terrible. I'm going to call you a pervy Catholic schoolgirl fancier or something, you know that? You're dying to tell me what you're thinking, aren't you?" But she doesn't invite him to say it. She's just got to keep teasing him to pull the attention away from her own awkward feelings, right?
She does move along alright, seeming to have a grace she didn't realize she had. Then again, it takes two to tango, so to speak, and if he wasn't any good at it, she wouldn't be any better.
His comment about company in her nice white room brings peals of laughter erupting forth from her slender frame. "Oh, Daen... what a pair we are, hm? Yeah, we'll both end up in the funny farm..."
The comment about her being a beautiful woman deepens the pink into crimson, however. Shaking her head, she replies, "I didn't know I had it in me, honestly. It's not too hard, I guess... why?"
The small delicate hand on Daen's shoulder is stared at for a moment as he awkwardly cranes his neck in order to bring it into his field of vision. Then he turns his face back to Lily, and he notes to her rather gravely that, "Mmm, yes I see it, it's a very pretty hand. I like this view better though."
"Of course I'm terrible, and you can call me anything you like at all." A grin then, "Well, no not really. Itching to tell you what I'm thinking, but not dying to. Not quite at that point yet."
And well, yes, Daen is a good dancer, he has after all, had plenty of time to sharpen his skill. "We'll have to plot our escape together when it comes to that then. By the way, you blush an absolutely charming shade of pink." At her final reply though, he nods once, smiles that devil care grin and says, "Because, now I'll show you magic. Just don't stop dancing." And suddenly the silence outside their voices is gone, not shattered, but simply replaced by music played by an invisible orchestra. Gone too is the forest and the park, and they are dancing across a marble floor in a grand ballroom. And if it's an illusion, it's an absolute one, since you can feel the shock of stone through the soles of your feet.
All this flattery ensures that the colouring in her cheeks isn't going anywhere anytime soon. She opens her mouth to say something, but finds she's out of witty comebacks. So instead, she whacks him on shoulder again, still lightly, of course.
"Itching to tell me? Well, I suppose that's alright... not quite the effect I was looking for, but close enough. Oh, alright. I'll probably regret this... and I probably don't want to know, but... what were you thinking then, hm?"
She's about to say something else, but is interrupted in mid-thought by the sound of orchestral music. Blinking those big blue eyes of hers, Lily looks around suddenly and gasps as she feels the reality of the change. This can't be illusion, can it? After a long moment of stunned silence, she whispers, "Where... where are we?"
Daen murmurs, "We are in the grand Ballroom of the Castle Impossible. A place that's never existed, yet has always been." He leads her then, towards the edge of the ballroom, towards one of the great windows that run from floor to ceiling, and you may see why the castle is named impossible. The entire castle is upside down, and it hangs over a dizzying landscape that seems miles below, fields and lakes and streams, and directly below, what must be a mirror of this castle. It's does not on a marble floor that they dance, but a ceiling.
Then she asks him to tell her what tempts him... and so he does. As they're dancing he leans in so that his mouth his next to her ear and his breath warm as it passes down the nape of her neck. His words are dark things of the summer night, wild and passionate and free, there is a smile in his voice, and it's a smile that is pressed against skin in the darkness. And when he finally draws back, you can almost feel his smile as it passes so close to your cheek. You did ask after all.
"Wha--?" she begins to say, but quickly loses her voice at the sight before her. Blue eyes widen in surprise and amazement as Lily is taken over to a window and she peers outside. Suddenly realizing everything is upside down, she closes her eyes as her head swims -- it's all so overwhelming and disorienting. The hand at your shoulder shoulder flutters from there to cover her eyes, even as you lean in to speak.
Beneath that hand, eyes flare open at the suggestions made against her ear... the hand moves from her face... only to cling at your shoulder again as disorientation hits her once more, causing her eyes to shut again. "Oh," she murmurs. Whether that's an 'oh' regarding what is said, or an 'oh' as a reaction to the confusion in her head, it's perhaps hard to say.
Then a moment later, her steps falter and still as her knees begin to buckle beneath her...
Then perhaps it is just as well that she's dancing in such close proximity to him. Daen feels Lily's steps falter, and when her knees begin to buckle, he feels that too. The hand at her waist goes to the small of her back to lend her some support at collapsing altogether. This though, brings the rest of his body closer to hers, enough that there's contact from shoulder to hip.
His voice is gentle then, though a hint of the earlier darkness still smolders there, like glowing cinders in a banked fire. "Are you well? There is yet more I would show, if you wish to see." His manner of speech has changed slightly, taking on an almost archaic echo, but it's no accent of this world. And perhaps cognizant of a certain portion of her distress, great curtains draw themselves across the opened windows, obscuring the dizzying view, and plunging the ballroom into darkness, save for a small circle of light around the two of them.
Pressed against him, Lily keeps her eyes closed a moment, setting her cheek against his shoulder... to steady herself, to calm herself. She focuses on the feel of the firmness of the floor beneath her, the steadiness of the man who holds her to him.
Gone is the bravo of her usual demeanor. She is too confused and distressed to even think about 'being punk' at the moment. The darkness which falls over the room is noticed from beneath closed eyelids, which now flutter open. Finding her voice, Lily murmurs, "I... I am alright. I got dizzy, that's all."
Slowly, she pulls her face away from his shoulder to look up at him. Awe and wonder lie nakedly upon her expression. The time for being tough has fled, it seems. Nodding, she adds quietly, "Please... I will see it."
Daen smiles down on you then, and the smile is quicksilver fire, wild and free. He's no longer wearing the tuxedo now, but cloth of a cut that belongs to no culture of this world. It's black and piped silver, and the air of it is faintly militaristic. His lips move, and they form words, "Good. Then dance with me."
He takes draws back a little, his hand once again going to her waist, but he remains closer to her than before she began her swoon. The music builds again, and that little circle of light explodes outwards again, but it does not touch on marble floors, but blue waters. It feels as solid ground to your feet, but should you look down, every step that you take causes ripples to flow outwards into the infinite horizon.
And there's a city under your feet, so far below the surface of the water, that there it is night, and it is light by fires of an unknown nature. And somehow you can see them, though the day above the water is bright and warm. "The City beneath the Waves."
Lily's body moves, though she has no recollection of telling it to. It just seems like The Thing to Do, especially when prompted by such an invitation. Or was that a command? The brazen, bold punk-girl is still there in the clothing, in the hair, in the makeup, but not in the demeanor. She is too awed by all of this to be anything but humbled.
When she asked to be shown, she did not expect this. She did not know what to expect, but this certainly wasn't in her mind.
Craning her head down over the two clasped hands, she looks to see what is beneath her.... and sucks in a sudden breath of air through clenched teeth. Her eyes see what is not there, though her feet tell her she is still on solid ground... once more her mind and body play havoc with her, tossing all sense of reason and reality out the window.
"Wh-what is all of this? Why d-do you show me this?" Yes, she asked for a show, but... "What do you hope to accomplish other than making me pass out?" she asks, finally attempting a bit of humour, even if it fails and even she seems unconvinced that it was funny, despite struggling with a smile back up at you.
Daen slows for a moment as he answers you, "They're places, but places that have never existed here. I show you because you asked, because this was the first thing I thought of and..." A a small smile there, "it's been a while since I saw these places last." The smile widens into a grin the at your last comment, "Well, the looks on your face have been awfully entertaining. Other than that... I did say I wanted to show off." He seems back to his previous self now, reft of archaic formality that touched him for an instant. "Now c'mon, there's more yet."
And there is, more scenes and more places. They dance on clouds, in castles of air, and on the sound of the orchestra itself. Daen's dress changes as the scenes do, uniforms to robes to jeans and t-shirt, but Lily stays the same, punk blue hair and catholic schoolgirl uniform. Finally though, the scene shifts again, and they dance on dusty white ground that blossoms into small dust clouds as their feet disturb it. Above them, hangs the bright blue and white orb of the earth. Daen speaks again then, "It's nearing morning I think, after this... we return to a little copse of trees in Saint James' park."
The blue-and-black Catholic schoolgirl gone punk gets more and more dizzy and disoriented with each passing moment, each passing scene. She manages to murmur, "Show off... yes, you have done that. And I'm glad I amuse you..." This last is said with a half-hearted attempt to be sarcastic, but her voice trails off as more scenes pop into existence, then fade into the next one, or blend in.
"How can you tell what time it is? I don't even know which way is up anymore," she asks with a nervous laugh during one of the moments she finds herself needing to close her eyes to regain her bearings. All of this is so sudden, so new, and so unexplainable, that she really is nearly at a loss for words through most of it.
That hand clings to the shoulder beneath it as though it were her lifeline...
This last scene causes her head to sway on her shoulders, then finally slump forward, forehead pressed against your chest. "Daen...please...take me back. It's too much. I don't understand... I... I think I'm going to be sick," she groans pitifully.
"Oh simple, I've got a watch, and it's currently five in the morning. And up is the direction that's above your head." Yes, he's still wisecracking amidst all of this. Of course, it's all his doing so it's no real wonder. As you slump forward against his chest, he freezes for a moment, perhaps out of surprise, perhaps something else. And then, his arms encircle your shoulders, and thankfully, everything stops moving. Comforting darkness sets over everything, and the air is damp within the copse of trees that they'd started in, and had really, moved from. "We're back Lily." Is that the first time he's used her name? "Are you alright?" There's a strong hint of concern in his voice... which is coming from awfully close by.
The wisecracks don't even get a response out of her now. She's too overwhelmed. She doesn't move, seeming to need stillness and quietude for a moment. Drawing in long, deep breaths, Lily focuses on not doing what her body wants to do.
It wants to purge the contents of her stomach rather loudly and messily.
As she feels arms wrapping about her shoulders, her hand which is no longer being held moves to rest upon your chest -- one clutches a shoulder, one rests lightly against the chest...clinging to solidity and something that is -real-.
Finally, she hears her name, and slowly she rouses, very gradually pulling her face out of your shirt, looking rather pale. Breathing a little more easily, Lily whispers barely without a voice, "I think so..." Blue eyes slowly open and look up, seeking you out.
Daen apparently, does not object to being clung to, even though there's the possibility that his front side may get decorated with whatever Lily last ate. He's been in too many bars to not recognize the signs of possible impending involuntary regurgitation. When she whispers he doesn't pull away, but does sort of draw his head upwards and then angle it downwards so that he looks into her eyes, his smile is touched by concern as well. "You sure?" Then it flickers upwards for a moment then, "I hope you are, it's not much, but I rather do like this shirt."
He's back in what he was wearing at the bar, though the face remains not so ordinary, and the hair stays black, and the eyes stay green.
"Yeah... I think I'm alright. You'll get to keep your shirt," Lily murmurs quietly with a weak smile. As an after-thought, she adds, "...so long as you don't do that again tonight. I don't think my brain can process any more of it. Or, if you do... at least give me a warning."
She doesn't move away from the embrace, choosing instead to use it to steady herself. And perhaps there's a part of her that doesn't want to let go for other reasons.
"I... I think I should get some sleep soon," she says, hesitating. From the look on her face, is it obvious that she really doesn't want to leave, not just yet? There are so many questions to ask, so much more to see, no doubt... but it's five in the morning, and she's been out all night; not to mention she needs time to assimilate what's been seen.
Whatever Daen is, it doesn't seem to prevent him getting a crick in his neck from craning it in an awkward position for a long time. So puts it back into a more comfortable position, so now his voice comes from a position just above your right ear, and every time he speaks you can feel his breath in your hair. A chuckle, "Don't worry, I won't surprise you with it next time." Next time?
There's a brief reluctant silence at her declaration that perhaps she needs to sleep, possibly, Daen would rather not let go as well. When he speaks, he speaks both to what she says, and what her face says. "Then you should probably head home. I wouldn't be very happy with myself if something happened." A slight pause, "It's not like I'm going to vanish after tonight. I'm not a dream after all." Or at least not that kind of dream.
Posted by rowan at April 19, 2004 11:56 PM
