View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
Aldaras lets the university have hold of the necklace again so they can finish learning everything about it. He'll start molding it when the Dean's learned all of its quirks - trying it now could accidentally make some aspect of it worse. Besides, it takes time, it's not like he can manage any progress in the time that it'll take for the Dean to identify anyway. Best to know where he's going when he starts going there.
News spreads pretty quickly about the knife's new location at the bottom of the ocean. Aldaras and Sintre become celebrities, along with being rich. Sintre is nigh-impossible to find in his hermithood. Aldaras - is not. The necklace is his. The mission to go encase the knife in concrete was organized by him. He's now deemed to be an important person, and as bewildering as that is, he works to roll with it.
He ends up invited to a party. It's the type of party with lots of important, famous people attending. He can bring one guest with him.
Right, he knows who he wants to bring, but first he has to ask her. Time to go find Annie.
+ Show First Post
touchedinthehead
touchedinthehead
Helpfully, Aldaras's brain decides to completely shut down and he's left standing there, staring. Silent.
touchedinthehead
"Hi," he says, blinking. "Sorry, my - head just - I um. I like the dress." Pause. "A lot."
keep_busy
"Thanks. There's also a little cape it comes with -" She reaches, and comes up with a thing of purple-dyed fur that goes over her shoulders. It clips at her throat with a silver clasp. "I was thinking of something more understated, but Mom said this one, and I brought her along for a reason, I'm glad you like it."
keep_busy
Annie talks to people and eats tasty food and politely declines to dance and seems to have a reasonably good time!
touchedinthehead
What a coincidence! Aldaras does all of those things, too. Though declining to dance is for different reasons.
"That was surprisingly fun," he declares, when they are all out of party and going home.
"That was surprisingly fun," he declares, when they are all out of party and going home.
touchedinthehead
"I'll let you know if I'm invited to another?"
(He doesn't realize what other reasons she might have for the thoughtful look.)
(He doesn't realize what other reasons she might have for the thoughtful look.)
keep_busy
"Yes, do."
And then she stands on tiptoes and puts her hands behind his head so she can tug him down and kiss him.
And then she stands on tiptoes and puts her hands behind his head so she can tug him down and kiss him.
touchedinthehead
Oh.
Aldaras tells his brain to kindly shut up for a little while and just kiss Annie. He's quite gentle about it, and lets her set the stage for how she wants the kiss to go, but - kisses.
keep_busy
Apparently the agenda for today is a couple of brief exploratory kisses and not thorough makeouts, but she is smiling when she sets her heels back on the ground.
touchedinthehead
That is a statistically higher number of kisses than he was expecting to get in the timespan of ever, he is totally fine with brief exploratory kisses instead of thorough makeouts.
He touches her cheek with a thumb and smiles back. Lovey look? Lovey look.
He touches her cheek with a thumb and smiles back. Lovey look? Lovey look.
touchedinthehead
"Home we go," he agrees, sounding like his head's up in the clouds, running an expedition to find the promised land of fairies and candy or something else that's delightful. He's probably not coming back down to this planet for a while.
touchedinthehead
Eeeee! Hand holding! Kissing! Annie in a gorgeous dress! This is the best day.
keep_busy
She kisses him again before she lets herself into her house and shuts the door.
touchedinthehead
Aldaras happily kisses her back, and then heads home and flops in his bed.
The next day is less wonderful.
It starts with a phone call, followed by, "We're terribly sorry, but the artifact you left with us has been stolen." Then, even better, "The thimble, too."
Shit.
Aldaras says he has to go before the receptionist can go on her tangent about how they 'Have the best minds' looking for it. Because he needs to call Annie. This is information she needs to know. Not just because it's important, but because it's the thimble, and his necklace.
He hangs up on the receptionist with only a necessary explanation (he can throw the 'keeper' excuse to make her go away: it's even true) and then calls Annie.
The next day is less wonderful.
It starts with a phone call, followed by, "We're terribly sorry, but the artifact you left with us has been stolen." Then, even better, "The thimble, too."
Shit.
Aldaras says he has to go before the receptionist can go on her tangent about how they 'Have the best minds' looking for it. Because he needs to call Annie. This is information she needs to know. Not just because it's important, but because it's the thimble, and his necklace.
He hangs up on the receptionist with only a necessary explanation (he can throw the 'keeper' excuse to make her go away: it's even true) and then calls Annie.
touchedinthehead
"Salutations. Both the necklace and the thimble are missing. Probably stolen."