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Post by Sky on Jul 30, 2006 19:13:06 GMT -5
OOC: Set directly after Sky leaves Christine's coronation ceremony
Shuffling along the sidewalk, his shoulders hunched forward slightly and his hands buried deep in his jacket's pockets, Sky listlessly wandered through the heart of Magix. And though many shops and restaurants beckoned invitingly to potential customers by offering through partially curtained windows a tiny glimpse of the bustling activity going on inside, Sky passed them by without so much as a sidelong glance. Indeed, he was too caught up in his thoughts to notice anything in his surroundings beyond a vague recognition of the continuous grey concrete slab that his feet passed over and that his eyes were studiously focused on.
At the moment, the thought that most preoccupied his mind was that it was dark. The sun had set a good forty-five minutes ago and, with the exception of the faintly glowing street-lamps and stars, the sky was dark blue, almost pitch black. It had been the ultimate test - that was, seeing if Ribestaus had spoken the truth. Seeing if his curse really had been lifted. And it had. There he was, wandering the streets in the dark and he was still himself. It came as a great relief to Sky, but he couldn't fully enjoy it. Not that particular night. Not after the way things had ended with Christine. When she had left after their last conversation, she had been in tears and it killed him to know that he had hurt her. Again. But it had to be that way. He had to make her hate him - it was the only way. She was too stubborn and if he was kind to her, she would never give up on them. She would always fight and she would always try to search for that loophole which would make it okay for them to be together. But there was no loophole. They could never be together, despite how he wished otherwise. And the truth was, the longer he kept allowing her to think that there could be a way, the more pain he was going to end up causing her . . . and himself. He had to end things with her, once and for all. No more beating around the bush, no more on again, off again kind of relationship. It all had to be put to a stop. They had tried and wished for their relationship to work out, but it hadn't. Now it was time to move on. He knew that he had said that very thing countless times in the recent past, but this time he meant it. He had to get over her.
Continuing down the sidewalk, Sky distantly heard the sound of a voice calling his name. Unsure who had called to him, Sky stopped mid-stride and twisted his head around, his eyes scanning for a face he might recognize. His gaze finally landing on a pretty female standing a few feet away, Sky approached her, doing his best to not allow his gloomy mood to show, and said, "Alice - I mean, Lady Coriander - good evening."
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Post by Alice on Jul 30, 2006 19:27:05 GMT -5
A slow smile crossing her face, Alice shook her head softly as she said, "I don't think we need those formalities right now; I mean, it's not like we're in court or at any special occasion." In a teasing tone, she continued, "Besides, it wouldn't be very nice of me to make me waste your breath on having to say "Lady Coriander" every time you address me when "Alice" works just as well."
Seeing him smile at her quip, Alice paused for a moment before she said suddenly, "I was just going to go get me a cup of coffee . . . would you care to join me?"
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Post by Sky on Jul 30, 2006 19:30:38 GMT -5
Looking down at her expectant face, Sky hesitated before he began to shake his head in the negative. Alice was nice and charming and easily good company, but he wasn't really in the mood for idle conversation that night. In fact, the thought of actually having to sit down and talk to someone he knew only superficially seemed next to impossible; his mind was simply too preoccupied with thoughts of the curse and Christine and trying to make his life normal to be capable of carrying on a normal chat. Clearing his throat, Sky began apologetically, "I'm sorry, Alice . . . but I don't think tonight is such a good night for me . . ."
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Post by Alice on Jul 30, 2006 19:38:55 GMT -5
"Okay then," Alice replied with a faint smile. Seeing him begin to speak, she quickly shook her head and said, "No, no, no need to say another word. I understand completely; it's just that you looked kind of down and so I thought you might like to take your mind off of whatever it is that's bothering you for a hour. But you're busy, so, I'll let you go." Holding out her hand, Alice finished cordially, "It was a pleasure seeing you again, Sky."
After he lightly shook it, she gave him one last smile before she turned to go.
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Post by Sky on Jul 30, 2006 20:05:35 GMT -5
Watching Alice turn to leave, Sky blurted out suddenly, "Wait - don't go. I-I changed my mind. I'd love to have coffee with you."
Swallowing hard, Sky felt himself turn crimson as he wondered what had ever possessed him to say that. It only took a few moments before he came up with an answer, however. The answer was that the old Sky would never have turned down such an invitation - not just because she was pretty, but because it wasn't polite to do otherwise. The truth was, he wasn't busy and so it just wouldn't be right to snub an acquaintance - especially one so well liked by his mother. Somehow he knew that if he turned Alice down for this one cup of coffee, it would get back to his mother and then all hell would break loose. She would harp for weeks on end about his 'shocking lack of manners' and frankly, he didn't want to have to hear it. It would be easier to just hang out with Alice for an hour than it would be to fight his mother for a month.
Besides . . . perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe Alice was on to something - maybe he really did need to get his mind off of his troubles. And surely, it couldn't hurt to find out, could it?
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Post by Alice on Jul 30, 2006 20:12:00 GMT -5
"All right then," Alice said with a pleased smile before she tilted her head in the direction of a restaurant across the street. "See that place over there? The Java House? Best coffee in town. Trust me when I say this - if you aren't a coffee addict now, you will be before the night is done with."
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Post by Sky on Jul 30, 2006 20:23:47 GMT -5
Forcing himself to focus on the present moment, Sky lifted his brows as he said in his usual humorous tone, "Is that so? Well, since a lady never lies, I'll just have to take your word, won't I?"
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Holding the door to the coffee house open for Alice as a gentleman should, Sky then followed her in, his brows again raising - this time at the general atmosphere of the place. It certainly was classy, although he shouldn't have expected anything less from a place frequented by a girl like Alice. The room was large with everything covered in dark woods and shined brass, giving it an intellectual flavor. And the scents were to die for - roasting coffee beans combined with the faint smoke of quality cigars. Yes, he could get used to hanging out in a place like this - even if he wasn't a big coffee drinker.
Finally shaking free of his assessment of the Java House, Sky guided Alice to a free corner booth before he slid into the seat opposite of her. Nodding his head as he continued to survey the place, he said, for lack of anything else to say, "I like it. I can see why you like it too."
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Post by Alice on Jul 31, 2006 12:03:09 GMT -5
Her arms resting on the table, Alice leaned forward and said in a conspiratorial whisper, "You like this place now, wait until you try the House Blend. I don't know how they make it, but it always comes out perfectly smooth and wonderful."
As she noticed Sky start to get up, obviously to go order their drinks, Alice reached out and lightly touched his arm. "No need. I come here so often that Joe knows by now my usual." Turning her head to look up at the counter, she waved to the bartender and then held up two of her fingers, indicating that he ought to double her order.
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Post by Sky on Jul 31, 2006 12:50:04 GMT -5
Sky smiled as he slid back onto the seat. "Well, that's pretty handy. No waiting in lines for you." Hearing her laugh softly, Sky felt his grin widen naturally. It felt good and right. This was how he should have been feeling all along. Relaxed. Jovial. His mind at least somewhat at peace. So perhaps this evening wasn't going to be a complete waste; perhaps he might actually end up having a good deal of fun. At this thought, Sky felt a wave of guilt swell up in his chest; here he was having a good time and Christine was probably still shaken up over what had happened with Byron and . . .
Clenching his jaw, Sky shook his head slightly. No. He wasn't going to go down that path. Yes, she had had her share of heartache, but so had he. For the past year his life had been filled with nothing but one disaster followed by another disaster and so on and so on. He deserved one night of fun and freedom from all his troubles. One night. Just one night. And then he could go back to feeling guilty if he was so inclined.
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Post by Alice on Jul 31, 2006 14:46:21 GMT -5
Noticing Sky's sudden change in mood, Alice's smile slowly faded as she asked concernedly, "Are you all right? I mean, I know we're just acquaintances but I've been told that I dish out pretty good advice, so if you want to talk about what's on your mind . . ."
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Post by Sky on Aug 1, 2006 4:02:34 GMT -5
Looking into Alice's large violet eyes, Sky hesitated for a moment before he said with a dashing smile, inwardly hoping that she wouldn't pressure him to speak about the thoughts lingering on the outskirts of his mind, "I'd rather talk about you." Smoothly changing the subject, he continued in a gently prodding tone, "So go on, tell me a little bit about yourself." As the waitress came by with their drinks, Sky paused and thanked her with a slight incline of his head before he turned his attention back to Alice. "Surely you must be rather interesting if my mother has taken a liking to you." Quickly, he elaborated, "It's just that my mother finds most people our age to be rather . . . bland and unsophisticated."
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Post by Alice on Aug 1, 2006 4:15:38 GMT -5
Easily picking up on Sky's hint that he did not wish to speak about something quite as personal as the things that had been preoccupying his mind, Alice answered winsomely, "Well then, I suppose I had better not disappoint her - although, I am afraid that you will have to be the judge as to whether I am a worthwhile companion or not."
Taking a small sip of her coffee, Alice quickly set it down as she said with a laugh, her hand gracefully covering her mouth, "Ooh, hot." Shaking her head, she met Sky's gaze as she continued, managing to make it seem as if she was bestowing upon him one of her deepest secrets, "No matter how many cups of coffee I drink, I always take a sip when right I get it, even though I very well know that I'm going to scorch my tongue. I just can't resist because it smells far too good."
Picking up the cup again, Alice brought it closer to her face and softly blew at the steaming liquid as she continued to observe Sky over the rim. "So now that you've tried it, was I right? Shall you become the next victim of The Java House?"
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Post by Sky on Aug 1, 2006 11:50:18 GMT -5
Tasting the coffee, Sky's brows lifted in pleasant surprise. He wasn't much of a coffee drinker, having always found the stuff too bitter for his liking, but this particular blend was actually pretty good. Really good. Glancing back at Alice, Sky chuckled and said, "Yeah, I think I've been caught - my guess is that I'm going to have so start frequenting this place more often."
As Alice smiled at him, Sky suddenly wondered to himself if she had gotten the wrong idea about them - if she thought that this was a date and not just coffee between two acquaintances. With an inward sigh, Sky knew that girls tended to leap to wrong conclusions and that if Alice had leapt to the conclusion that this was some sort of date, he was going to have to let her down. While he certainly found her company to be enjoyable - to his surprise, so far it had actually been nice to just have a conversation with a girl that didn't end in a fight - he didn't think he was ready to throw himself back into the dating pool so soon after his fledgling relationship had ended with Christine. With a wry smile, Sky shook his head, knowing that any other guy would call him crazy for holding Alice at arm's length because not only was she gorgeous, but she was normal. As far as he could tell, she was well-adjusted, emotionally stable, and had no baggage. A relationship with her would be a breeze - any guy would thank their lucky stars if she happened to walk his way . . . any guy but him.
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Post by Alice on Aug 1, 2006 15:40:33 GMT -5
Half an hour and a second cup of coffee later, Alice stood up from her seat in the booth and followed Sky back outside. Assuming that their evening had come to an end, Alice gave him a smile and said, "It's been fun talking to you, Sky; we should do it again sometime." Seeing him hesitate, Alice added softly, "Just as friends. No pressure."
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Post by Sky on Aug 1, 2006 17:21:09 GMT -5
"I'd like that," Sky replied, his features visibly relaxing at Alice's reassurance. Watching as she turned to walk away, Sky's brows furrowed as he called after her, "You're not going to walk back to Alfea are you?"
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