Topic: Break for Lunch

Grem

Date: 2006-09-22 08:38 EST
"Ferocious angels watch me come and go ?" His singing voice wasn't entirely terrible, but murmuring to a tune didn't really count as singing, did it' Even if it did, he abruptly stopped as he realized what song was playing on repeat in his mind. He frowned faintly, mismatched eyes moving over the road before him, as he forced the tune away with an effort of will.

Even after well over a year of walking the streets of Rhy?Din, he was still capable of getting lost every now and then. Having made a delivery on the outskirts of town, he was coming from a new direction, and wasn't entirely sure of where he was. He glanced to the sky, and let out a light curse under his breath. He needed to stop for directions, not an activity he was fond of. After a few annoyed looks from people bustling about, on their lunch breaks no doubt, an older man out for a stroll directed him to his destination. A change of course was needed, and he thanked his benefactor before taking necessary action.

Perhaps a block away from the jewelry shop, there was a young girl selling long-stemmed roses from a basket hanging on her arm. She looked as though she might be near starvation, so he pressed an extra coin into her palm after selecting an unusual flower, white petals with scarlet whorls sweeping over them.

He was dressed a bit differently from his usual. Dark slacks instead of jeans, rusty button down just a bit more red than his usual earth tones. An attempt had been made to comb his hair, as evidenced by the mess being aligned in a slightly different direction than it naturally fell.

A hand moved to his chest, absently, before he pulled open the door to the shop and stepped in, rose held lightly in the other. A small smile manages to make itself known, as he takes a look around, seeking one employee in particular.

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-09-22 14:17 EST
And there she was, but not quite like double cherry pie (more like disco superfly). She was standing behind the counter at the back right hand corner of the store, hands on the delicate glass top, as a little man in front of her asked about the sapphires glittering away in the display. She smiled as she replied, eyes dropping to the finger she was tracing over the gems beneath her hand in the see-through case, explaining the differences she knew. He seemed pleased enough, and gave a thorough nod when she asked if he'd like to see them up close.

As she bent down at the waist, leading her key to the lock at the back of the display, he apparently was just too excited to contain himself any further, and began to go on and on about his "babydoll". This term of endearment made her grin, and his enthusiasm over whoever she was only fostered her mirth. She sent an idle glance to the front door, having thought she heard the tinkling of the little bell that liked to announce new arrivals over the soft, almost hypnotic melodies of the music in the background. This was her favorite of the records the store had, and she always insisted it play when she worked. Someone had tried to explain the musical genre it fell in once, but the explanation was lost on her, what with words like "trip", "trance", "indie" and "hop" flying clean over her head. But, we digress...

It was in that moment, that simple glance to the front of the store, that she lost all train of thought. Now, it was no longer really just a simple glance, but a full-on stare as she kept her neck craned up to eye the man in the doorway from her bent-in-half position. He looked...good. Very good. Not that he didn't look handsome normally, but unfortunately for her, Grem and Rory both cleaned up wonderfully. The little male paused in his speech, meaning that she was apparently being very obvious, and turned to investigate what had captured her attention so.

"A-ha. I was gonna ask if you had anyone to go around buying you jewels, too." he said through a smirk.

Realizing she'd been caught, she turned a deep shade of crimson, and finished up the task she'd set out to do, which was take the stand full of blue, pink, and even yellow and green sapphire jewelry out and set it carefully atop the counter. She waited patiently for her cheeks to stop burning and for the man to go back to trying to find the perfect selection. Her hands, meanwhile, tugged at the sides of the tailored navy skirt that stayed true to her hips and thighs, even when she gave it those little yanks.

Grem

Date: 2006-09-22 17:01 EST
His smile remained, as he spotted her and she him. His head dipped forward, and that smile might have even grown a bit, as the red crept over her face. Eyes flickered over the diminutive customer, pleasantly enough. He hadn’t quite caught whatever had been said to bring on the blush, so he’d had no comment to make regarding it.

Instead, he stepped away from the door and off to one side, turning to look over the display cases while Charna was otherwise occupied. The rose was twirled lightly, between a finger and thumb, as he paused to lean forward and look a bit closer at some pieces containing rubies. His free hand came up, as he stole a glance toward the vixen, and scratched lightly at his jaw, which was not quite as thickly covered with stubble as usual, though he could hardly have been called clean-shaven.

He continued on along the displays, pausing here and there to cast more glances, some toward the front window but most toward her. At the rate he was moving, he would have reached her very quickly, probably while she was busy, so he slowed his steps and spent more time looking over jewelry. He paused once more, by a display of diamonds. Lips moved faintly as he looked at one or two items in particular, before he moved on away from that case.

Another lingering look was shot across the store, as he lifted the rose let the petals hover near his nose. Nostrils flared, as he took a long slow breath through his nose. In each display case he came to, he found at least one item to at least feign interest in, as he continued to work his way closer.

One ear twitched, as he came within a yard of the customer. He glanced over for a moment, head tilted to the side, before he started back toward the other side of the room. While his movements did seem to resemble, at least in purpose, those of one pacing a room, he managed not to seem overtly nervous. Of course, his ability to feign a calm he did not truly feel had been noted before.

Halfway back across the room, he turned to a display case and bowed his head. To the casual observer, he would seem to have been particularly interested in some bauble within. A more careful examination would reveal that he barely allowed his eyes to focus through the glass before looking, via the corner of his eye, back toward her.

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-09-22 19:52 EST
She stole her fair share of glances, as well, but hers were sly as could be, taken when she had to bend and put the display stand away and extract another, or when she was pretending to look for gift boxes. Her blush was beginning to subside, but her customer hated to see it go without a fight. He was unabashedly looking between as she tried to make a sale.

"I rather like this one, yeah' I happen to like sapphires in the traditional blue. Are her eyes blue" I bet this would go lovely with..."

"He doesn't buy you things from here, does he" Wouldn't that be a little less romantic?"

She was flustered through most of it, needless to say. She knew quite well that her complexion was stained all the more noticeably when set next to her dark ringlets and the crisp, white three-quarter sleeve blouse she was wearing. Finally, after what seemed an eternity of such awkwardness, the man gave a slight bow and rushed some words.

"Must run, doll. I'll be back....tomorrow." That was only said after a significant look to Grem. Charna had not been alone in noticing his pacing, apparently. "I think I should find out what her favorite color is. Though, you're right. The blue is magnificent."

He winked at her, then fled the scene. And then there were two. Well, if you forgot about the other girl who kept slipping in and out of the front room, since currently, she was nowhere to be seen. The Vixen bit down on her lower lip as she straightened up the counter and carefully set the displays back in order. It was only after she'd secured the case by turning the lock that she dared a look up and over to him. Suddenly, she was rather conscious of the chain about her neck.

Grem

Date: 2006-09-22 21:30 EST
He glanced up as the customer made his way out. Eyes shifted back to Charna, locking up that case, then back to the door. He moved along the display before him and continued to peer in, apparently having found something interesting there. The fingers of his free hand tapped lightly against one leg as he did so, drumming out a rhythm not quite load enough to be heard over the music. Once she was finished with the case, he walked her way. Fingers ceased their drumming, and moved to trail along the edge of the case, staying on the frame instead of touching the glass. He nodded to her, when she looked up to him.

“Hey…” He then looked toward the door, and back to her, a touch of contrition crossing his features. “…er…I hope I didn’t just cost you a sale.” A vague sort of gesture was made back toward the door, intended to indicate the departure of the small erstwhile customer.

“You said to stop by around lunch time, yeah"”

That hand then moved to the small of his back, as he bent forward in a bow to her. His other hand, meanwhile, had risen, and spent a moment above his head before he straightened from the bow. A faint lopsided smile made an appearance for a moment, as he proffered the red-on-white whorled rose to her.

“Am I early"”

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/egosomnio/whorl_rose.jpg

((Edited to add image of something like what the rose may look like))

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-09-23 16:02 EST
"Oh, him?" She asked when he indicated the customer who'd departed. She smiled, and waved a dismissive hand. "No, no. No worries. He'll be back. He's been in here three or four times before. Though, whether it'll be for his 'babydoll', next time, is questionable. Four weeks ago, it was his 'sunflower', or something just as ridiculous."

She let out an almost nervous giggle as she explained the situation to Grem, trying to keep her eyes from sliding over him. It turned out to be very difficult. He helped to reinforce her smile, though, when he pulled that bow of his, and even more so when he offered her the rose. Actually, at that point, he'd almost provoked a coo as she reached to gingerly stroke the pretty petals.

"And no worries, darling. You're right on time."

The blue and green irises flicked between the velvety soft flower under her fingertips and his face while she said that, before she mentally chided herself for being so foolish and took the rose into her own hand.

"Thank you...It's...lovely. Hold on a moment, yeah?"

She could feel her cheeks growing warm again as she held up one slender finger to him, turning on her heels as she did. Without leaving much room for a comment from him, she slunk through the curtain that kept outsiders from investigating the back room. Several moments later, there was murmuring between several women, Charna's voice heard saying "here..", "lunch", and "back soon". She wasn't met with much objection, apparently, for just shortly after the whispers faded, she'd come back into the storeroom, her purse set on her shoulder with the unusually colored rose sticking out from the mouth of the bag. She pushed a dark ringlet back behind her ear before her hand fell to rest on the two charms barely covered by the black tank set beneath the white blouse.

"Ready?"

Grem

Date: 2006-09-24 03:31 EST
He smiled at the explanation of the customer, head bobbing in a nod as she spoke. He glanced back toward the door, grin flashing across his face, at the mention of the changing terms of endearment. Mismatched gaze shifted back to her, then, before taking their time sliding down from her face, along her arm, to rest on her hand as she touched the rose. As her fingers closed to take it from him, his hand moved slightly toward hers. He managed the presence of mind to stop himself before actual contact was made, though he did reach that point of almost-touching where the nearness of skin and mixing of body heat provides a sensation not entirely unlike an electric tingling.

Once the rose was taken, he had let his hand drop to his side. He bowed his head forward, once more, either in recognition of the thanks or in response to the request for a moment’s patience, unless for some other more hidden reason. Blue and brown moved back up to her face as he did so, short though his view might have been. Soon enough, he was looking at the back of her head as she moved toward the back room. “Of course…babe.” The pregnant pause between words was short, perhaps unnoticeable. A tiny hesitation was indeed there, however.

After watching her go, he looked back to the front of the store, watching the foot traffic outside. His only other choices, after all, were to go back to looking at jewelry he’s already seen or to stare at that curtain awaiting the vixen’s return. He resisted that urge, along the one telling him to try and hear more than the soft touch of tones behind that curtain. And so, when she did step back through moments later, he was facing away, hands clasped behind his back. One ear twitched as the curtain moved, and he half turned back toward her.

There was a moment while he simply smiled, blue eye spending a short moment on the chain she wore before moving back to her face. Then he nodded, reaching back toward the door. “Absolutely.” Hand near the hinges, he pushed open the door and held it, waiting for her to exit before him.

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-09-24 17:26 EST
There went the tinkling sound of the bell over them, again, as he held the door for her. She shot a look up to it, as if it had somehow intruded, then offered a rushed smile to the face a bit below it. He was rather tall, after all, so the distance wasn't extremely great. The minute her lips had delivered the calmly affectionate curve, she slunk ahead to squeak through the door.

Once outside, she waited for him to take up a place by her side, her skinny figure turned to the right. That's where the store they were looking for was, plus there were several nice cafes down that way. Again, she found herself feeling oddly self-conscious, and she let her fingers sneak up to check that the pendant he gave her, along with the ring that was not from him, were still secure within the valley between her breasts, hidden beneath the straight neckline of her tank. She was trying not to draw notice to it, honest she was, but the more she worried about it, the harder it was to keep from touching or toying with the chain. She hoped he wouldn't notice, but she knew that was rather foolish.

"So, what appliances are we looking for, exactly' Thought of any, yet?"

She asked in a lightly teasing manner, tempted to drop a hand down for him to catch. It felt so strange, this whole situation. When she was with Grem, she remembered why she'd pursued him. She remembered the fun they had and the way it felt when he forgave her for her shortcomings. It didn't hurt that he treated her like a queen and that he was devastatingly handsome, either.

But, for of course there would be a "but", when she was with Rory, she could remember things just as great. Rory got her and all her little quirks. He forgave her of plenty of things, too, yeah...but he also wasn't afraid to call her out when it was necessary. He adored her, and he made sure she knew he'd give and/or do anything for her, but...but...but...

Oh, the whole thing made her head hurt. For now, she was in the eye of the storm, where both of them seemed content to just be with her, to have her for the here and now. And what of her" She was silently rejoicing that the decision wasn't crushing her, even if it was keeping her up at nights, and that she was lucky enough to have two people who cared so very much about her.

Well...part of her was doing that, at least. The other half was punishing her for being so selfish, so greedy. It was the unforgiving half that kept her from touching his arm, from kissing his cheek, or from giving any real token of love, for the time being. Spoiled brats don't deserve rewards, right?

Grem

Date: 2006-09-24 18:42 EST
Once she had stepped by, he cast a quick glance back into the store before he stepped out and let the door close softly behind him. He moved up to her side, though he remained a half-step behind her. She did, after all, have a much better idea of where they were going than he did. Eyes moved over the various stores around them, never mind that he’d seen them all many times before, before sliding back to her. He regarded the hand she held at her chest, though not for long. It wouldn’t do to be caught staring, even though his focus was indeed her hand and not the surrounding territory. Eyes were on her face when she asked her question, and he smiled.

"Well, pizza ovens, definitely." He nodded, then, casting another look around them. "Stoves, too, probably. Hm. Not sure about ordinary ovens. Maybe a steamer, rice cooker…wok range…might wind up needing a smoking cabinet, too. Not sure about that, either." He wasn’t completely unaware of what would be needed, it seemed, even if he was only completely sure about the basics. One hand came out, rolled at the wrist in a vague gesture. "That’s all for the actual cooking and what not, though. We’ll need counter space, too. A register, tables and chairs…I don’t think we’re expecting a lot of sit-in meals, though, so we wouldn’t need many tables. I have a feeling I’ll have to check out other places for those." He shrugged, once done, as though in punctuation.

His hand dropped to his side, as he looked back to her once more. It spent a moment there, while he took a deep breath, before sliding into his pocket to match the other. His head dipped forward a bit, expression thoughtful, and his gaze moved to the road before them. He had no doubts about what he wanted, but he was far from certain as to how to go about securing it. His thoughts drifted over possibilities and necessities as they walked, though he tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to keep himself focussed on the task at hand.

"Oh, and there’s a guy with a cart a couple of blocks over, makes falafel…if you want to get something to eat, that is." His gaze lifted from the road, moved back to her. "He doesn’t use any peanut oil, and his stuff is pretty good."

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-09-24 20:24 EST
"Hmmm...registers, tables, and chairs...those will be the ones I don't think Ms. Jenikins can help us with. Everything else, though, she should be able to manage. Her place is huge. Now...where would we get those other things?"

She distracted herself from the big wedge between them by looking to the sky, her right hand playing with the cuff just below her left arm's elbow, pretending to be deep in thought over such things. Not to say she wasn't really brainstorming, but it definitely wasn't grabbing all her focus.

When he brought up the subject of food, she smiled in that certain silly way that showed she was actually kind of touched, but didn't want to say anything concerning it. The fact that he'd actually made sure peanut oil wasn't used, considering how allergic she was to peanuts, was too sweet for her to handle. Just the slightest, lightest brush of blush over her cheeks, before she thought to ask...

"Wait. What's a falafel?"

She set the point of her chin on her shoulder to look at him since he was just a little behind her. All the while, she kept steering him in the direction of the expansive kitchen-needs emporium.

Grem

Date: 2006-09-24 21:33 EST
"There’s bound to be a business supply somewhere in town, where we’d be able to get at least a simple register." He paused, gaze moving to the storefronts along the road as though expecting to see one right there. "Might not really need one, actually. Just a receipt book and maybe a calculator. Or an abacus, if it’s in one of the spots where high tech doesn’t work. I didn’t check for that, there." He shrugged. "Should be able to get tables and chairs from a furniture place. Even if it takes a bit of time to get together enough of them, I’m sure they’d be happy for the sale."

He cut a glance to her, then, and watched her hands a bit more. He smiled faintly when he looked back to her face and caught that little blush. His head tilted to the side at the question, before both hands came out of his pockets and were held in front of him.

"Well, it’s a..." He had started making vague gestures already, though he hadn’t yet begun to really explain. "Er. Hm. Well, it’s in a pita, and it’s this...um." He frowned a bit, then, and continued to gesture. "Well, it’s got chickpeas or fava beans, and hummus, and…it’s spicy, and..." More gestures were made. "It’s general veggie goodness?" He nodded a few times, then threw in a lopsided grin for good measure. "Basically, it’s a whole bunch of stuff ground pretty much into a paste, then fried, then you make a sandwich out of it. Or you eat it on it’s own, but Emir Ted puts it in a pita, which turns out to be pretty damn tasty."

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-09-24 23:14 EST
"So, like you said...general veggie goodness?"

She snickered, this sounding a little less nervous as she settled into her routine with him. She smiled to people passing, her blue-green irises sliding over them and the store windows behind, always coming back to him. The glances seemed to be at such perfect intervals, he might even try timing them. There were so many things to discuss, this she knew. But what were they' And how'd she go about bringing them up"

Her right hand moved, again, stroking the long scratch marks up her arm that she kept hidden with the white blouse. There were more—several across her stomach, some up along her thighs. She punished herself without really ever thinking about it. The notion of punishment had been engrained into her brain so very well.

They were approaching the row of shops she'd first encountered the large, and slightly hideous, pink and maroon store face before. She could see the roof a little ways down. She shot a look back to him, as she'd done...what? fifteen times so far?...indicating with her eyes that the monstrosity was their destination. She smiled softly when her eyes back-tracked to rest on his mismatched set. Decisions and choices all around.

Grem

Date: 2006-09-24 23:50 EST
He grinned as she laughed, brown-and-blue moving over to her. "Yeah. They weren’t easy to find, back home, not really very popular where I lived. But thankfully, you really can find pretty much anything you'd ever want in this...town."

The pause had come when he caught her latest glance. More specifically, it had come when he looked forward again, and his sense of sight was assaulted. He blinked, looked back to her with brow knit, then peered forward once more.

"Huh. Well, I suppose it should be alright for the kitchen, since that'll mostly be stainless steel and…not visible to everyone that walks by..." He offered that combination of a smirk and a smile that he'd worked so hard to perfect over the years, as they continued to walk toward the store.

One hand rose, and rubbed at his chest as had been his habit for weeks now. A careful eye might have caught the tiniest peek of irritated red skin, before he adjusted the collar of his shirt and let his hand drop back to his side. Fingers tapped once against the outline of the cigarette pack within his pocket, before he slid his hand in to rest next to them.

"So, do you think you have time for a bite of general veggie goodness before you’ll be needed back at the store again?" He looked her way once more as they approached their destination, hand rising to open the door for her.

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-09-25 17:09 EST
"Indulge in some general veggie delightfulness, sans peanut oil, with a sharp dressed man' I think I can manage that. They shouldn't hassle me too much on the length of my break, anyhow, considering I'm ALWAYS working." She added an eye roll, there, even though she was the one who kept showing up, hardly ever calling out.

"Besides, Lea needs to learn how to actually work the floor."

A firm nod, and then a curtsey of sorts as she slipped past him through yet another open door he held for her. There was a grin there, secure on her soft lips, as she brushed his side. Perhaps on purpose, perhaps a happy coincidence. Feeling comfortable with him, now, the flirtation started to come back. She could only have a handsome man, who she'd already been close and intimate with, dangled in front of her for so long, afterall, before she caved enough to try and seek comfort. Selfish though that mental process might be, it wasn't something she could really truly help.

Once inside, her eyes found the endless rows and racks of pots, pans, mashers, boilers, etc. etc. etc. They were rather hard to miss. Thankfully, the inside of the store was all in muted pinks, as opposed to the startling magenta on the outside of the shop. She clasped her hands together in front of her, waiting to hear his appraisal.

Grem

Date: 2006-09-25 17:47 EST
"Ah. So I have you for as long as I...want?" Again, there was a bit of an awkward pause. He had been getting good at those, so that they almost seemed natural by this point. Oxymoronic though the concept of natural awkward pauses might be. "Well...You know what I mean, yeah?" He smiled, then, brows rising a bit as he looked over to her.

His hand rose toward her, an automatic reaction to her touch perhaps. Fingers lightly drew across her arm, lingering for a moment before drawing back. His hand fell back to his side as his head bowed forward for a moment. A deep breath was taken through his nose, mouth opening after as though to speak. Of course, awkward pauses come with other uncertainties, and he closed his mouth before lifting his gaze to regard the store around them. He blinked, once, jaw falling open a bit. "Criminy."

Mismatched eyes moved over the various appliances and other equipment of the kitchen variety. He blinked once more, shaking his head, before looking back to her. "Yeah. I think there’s a good chance she’ll have pretty much everything we need for the kitchen. And then some." He tilted his head to the side as he regarded a range on display. "Hm. I’ll have to see if I can talk Talk..." A pause which is far more natural than the others, given the name and the word being the same, then, and a faint lopsided grin. "If I can talk him into coming down with a cart or something, help move everything. Maybe just get an idea of where everything is today....I can come back later to actually pick things up, yeah?" He glanced back to Charna for a moment, before he started making a mental tally of various possibilities as he passed them.

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-09-26 05:18 EST
She'd turned about seven different shades of red when he asked if he could have her for as long as he wanted, even though he was quite right when he said she knew what he meant. But then, the direct meaning could have the secret one beneath it, holding on tight for a free ride, still. Her arm did not stray from the touch that he let linger there, despite the now fading flush. She was thankfully given more time to recover as he judged the selection, eyes wandering over his face to admire the reaction, before creeping down along his torso. She pulled them away before he could notice, smiling softly.

"I don't see why that should be a problem. Miss J is a doll, anyways, so she can make it happen. Now, let's walk up and down the aisles? You tell me which ones you think we need..."

Carefully, she moved the beautiful flower out of the way, using every ounce of concentration to slip her little notebook and a pen past the petals without damaging them. Thankfully for everyone, it was a successful mission. She skimmed past doodles, drawings, scribbles, and sprawling sentences to find a few blank pages. Pen uncapped, she held it poised to take orders.

She moved along at his side, happy to have him only a short distance away and smiling. It was a sure improvement on the past several weeks. Any remaining nervousness was betrayed with the tapping of pen tip against the clean sheet of paper staring up at her.

Grem

Date: 2006-09-26 09:12 EST
He really should have expected the blush, but somehow it had snuck up on him. There had been a bit of color on his own cheeks, in reaction to it, before he went back to business.

"Right. Well....We'll need one of those." He gestured back to the range they had passed. "Oh, and one of these. And...yeah, probably need one of those, too." One hand moved as they passed various items, tapping on them in turn as he spoke. Perhaps he was unsure of what they were called. That would explain why he wasn't naming them as they went. "Ah, she's got all the little stuff, too. We'll need woks, probably, and pots and pans. Trays for the pizzas, cutters..."

He rambled on with the various items that would be needed. He seems more at ease with the terminology of the smaller things, though. Of course, he hasn't done much cooking using commercial equipment, so that might have had something to do with it. "Hm. I think I might just build a pizza oven..." Mismatched eyes had latched onto a stainless conveyor contraption. "Doesn't seem right, baking one in one of these. Should be stone and brick. What is this, gas" Might come back for some of the burner stuff...wood might be impractical. I'll come up with something..." Most of that had diverged into muttering to himself. "Oh, but we could use a prep station like this one."

While they walked, he was moving closer to her. It wasn't much, and in truth he didn't seem to notice. Most of his conscious attention was on the kitchen supplies around them, after all. A half inch closer, perhaps, every half dozen steps. By the time they got to the pizza racks, his arm brushed hers every few swings. He glanced down very briefly at that point, faintly surprised. He did not, however, move away.

"Er. Yeah, that's going to be a whole lot of stuff, isn't it?" When his gaze moved from where their arms made brief contacts, it had gone darted up to her face before dropping straight back down to her notebook.

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-09-26 14:30 EST
As he pointed and gestured, she busily turned her head this way and that to either find a title on the nearby racks, or simply figure out how to describe the items. All of her observations and tossed-around glances resulted in a furious scribble-scrawl of letters, words, and lots of shorthand on the now not-so-clean paper.

She was doing a superb job keeping up, too, and when he went off into a mini-rambling session with himself, she had a moment to look over what she'd gotten down, so far. She smiled somewhat, noticing that many of the words were actually in Cyrillic. It made sense, she thought, that when rushed she would revert to her native written/spoken language. Eyes cast down, her focus free to wander from the page she was staring at, she finally seemed to notice the contact they'd been making thus far. The wedge between them had gotten smaller, but some feeling of awkwardness still remained. As funny as it seemed, it almost felt like a first date, what with fluttery sensations in her empty belly and warm cheeks when accidental touches occurred. She never thought to move away, though. Not once.

When she realized he was looking at their arms, as well, she immediately lifted her gaze to his face, and like a game of follow the leader, he did the same. His eyes, however, dropped to the list she'd been making before she could hold them, causing a role reversal. She was now the sheep, her irises mimicking the movement of his.

"Oh...sorry it's so sloppy. But I can read it...I think I got everything you said..."

She answered sheepishly. She broke the game they'd silently been playing, lifting her chin to look around the surrounding area.

"Should we keep going? I mean, yes, this is a lot of stuff, so far...but I'm sure they must have -some- sort of delivery system. Plus, you need it..."

Grem

Date: 2006-09-26 17:53 EST
He smiled faintly as he regarded the scrawl on the paper in her hands. "I certainly hope you can read it. My grasp of Russian hasn't really made it to kitchen terms, you know, krasivaya." He shot a wink to her after speaking that pet name, brown-and-blue seeking blue-green for a moment more, before he cast another look around the place. So perhaps the game went on.

He had come to a complete stop and stood there, feeling foolish. He was more nervous now than he had been on their actual first date, and that had been a wedding. His mouth moved faintly, lips forming words without any air pushed through to give them voice. The words wouldn't mean much, anyway. The nosey lip-reader across the aisle was currently wondering what "I Peking duck maybe schadenfreude tomato brick love asparagus stainless frog spicy you teflon eel cheese silver rabbit knickerbocker moon sushi thank you? is supposed to mean. Or he was, before Grem noticed the man's scrutiny and shot him an annoyed look. Actually, he probably continued to wonder as he ambled away.

He shook his head a bit, as the man retreated, then looked back to Charna. Somewhere during that jumbled train of thought, she'd asked him a question. He moved closer to her, bodies almost in contact and his hand dangerously near hers as he touched the paper, examining the list as though he'd be able to read all of it. Or maybe he was just running the list of things he had pointed out through in his head, using the words he could read as cues to jog his memory.

"Well...this seems to be most of what we'll need for the actual preparing of the food...Oh, we need storage, too. I need to check on whether it's a tech dead spot, though, before I decide between refrigerators and ice-powered ice boxes, though." Most of the cooking implements he had indicated so far were, indeed, those that used gas and thus would still operate perfectly in a location where electricity would not be found. "I guess we could get cabinets and counter tops a while now, though. And a sink for washing everything."

He made a vague gesture with the hand not still resting against her notebook. "Yeah...I guess it would be better to have them deliver. Most folks in places like this probably wouldn't react too well to Talk walking in." A tiny grin found its way to his face, however, as he tried to imagine the ogre amid all that pink.

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-09-28 16:06 EST
"Talk...."

She repeated the name, testing it to jog her memory, if there was anything really to jog. Perhaps she was trying to distract herself because , for only the millionth time today, he'd provoked a rather lovely shade of crimson to burst across her complexion, color splashed across cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She'd seen his lips move earlier, too but she'd never been good at reading silent words, and so no real reaction to them. That moment, though, had produced something almost tangible in the air, their nervousness growing separately then coming together to flutter over them. She eyed his hand mighty close to hers, and when he tried to steal a glance, she let him, with her matched pair of irises delighting over the stranger set staring back at her. That physical trait had always made her smile.

"Yes, well..." She spoke in a distracted manner, of course, their flirtation moving up a notch as she idly followed the progress. Their bodies were toying with the idea of getting closer and closer, and awkwardly, they were allowing it. "We could...no..we -should- look at the counters and sinks, yeah' Then afterwards, I'll find Miss J and we'll give her the list. She'll work it out..."

Last sentence lingered in the air there, her eyes rolling up to the open space over them as if she could see it, somehow.

Yeah, she'll work it out.

Grem

Date: 2006-09-28 16:51 EST
"Oh, Talk's an ogre I met a little while back. Nice guy, but...well, he's big and ogres don’t generally look gentle and pleasant, even though he usually is. You know how people can be with that sort of thing, being afraid when they don’t have to be." His words came easily enough, it seemed, even if there was perhaps some other meaning buried under them. Second time the possibility had come up. Mismatched eyes moved over the cavernous store, then back to her.

There was something in the back of his mind reminding him that, at some point, she had wanted distance. Not quite an angel on his shoulder (nor was the counterpoint quite in the guise of a devil), just a thought that kept pushing its way forward. It had a lot of competition, though, and would have even had they not ostensibly been out at the moment to shop for restaurant supplies. That was just another layer between that muffled thought and those closer to the forefront of his mind. The tiny thought only managed to make itself known enough to keep him from brazen contact. Tiny bits of contact here and there, such as when his fingers lightly brushed hers in the rather slow process of moving from her notepad, are all he allowed himself, for the time being. The effect of such touches, though, could have a more profound effect than prolonged obvious contact would. They certainly did on him, as he could feel his own heart rate speed up to quite a brisk pace.

"Should we?" He blinked, a bit, a small lopsided smile crossing his lips. "I mean...yeah, I guess we should." His head dipped forward, chin not quit hitting his chest in that familiar gesture, the smile remaining. Mismatched eyes made their way up to her once more. "Eventually."

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-09-29 01:27 EST
"Well sometimes, we can't help but be scared, yeah' I mean, we get taught so many things...some of them stick, you know" But I'm sure he's very nice. I can't see you having any dangerous friends."

Her answer was simple and honest, for she was completely oblivious to any underlying meaning. Well, perhaps that wasn't entirely true, considering the last part of her reply was meant to hint at something, a fact she made known by a slight grin.

She pushed back a few bits of raven hair, eyes ready to wander...that was, until she felt the brush of fingertips. An accident' Not likely. Charna saw it for what it was, considering she used many of the same tactics in her "persuasions". His was meant to be sincere, she figured, believing it to show how he missed old intimacies. A piece of her heart snapped off, while the rest swelled as she realized she missed it, too. Or thought she did. But then, she thought lots of things....

Her body didn't wait for her mind to make itself up, though. She set a hand to his shoulder before her brain could fully process the actions she was setting into motion, her smile sly as she let it slide slowly across the fabric, starting to move past. She hadn't really understood the "eventually" comment, but the expression he wore was all she needed to act on. She stopped once their bodies were side by side, her face turned all the way towards him. She didn't control the fall of dark lashes, nor did she plan for them to snap back up in such a coy manner. The blue-greens moved past him after several reluctant moments to view a wall display at the back corner.

"I rather like the dark green one, yeah?"

Grem

Date: 2006-09-29 09:19 EST
"Well..." Perhaps he had intended an answer to the possibility of dangerous friends. One that could be considered very dangerous had leapt immediately to mind, though not necessarily of the physically intimidating variety. He still wore that smile as he trailed off. He was, before her eyes, turning into a walking example of the difficulty inherent in putting certain thoughts into words. How would he say that, cautious though he might be at times, he still wanted at least a little danger in his life" Well. Perhaps it was actually a rather easy concept to put into words. Still, he didn't voice it, and only let his head dip forward a fraction more, mismatched eyes remaining locked on her.

He missed many things, a fact that had been wearing on him these past weeks. Somehow, he had managed to seem as though he was getting enough rest, even with less than three hours a day in between late night runs. It was beginning to show, however, with how easily he got distracted, even within conversation. Of course, his distraction hadn't reached a point where he would fail to notice a hand on his shoulder. His head rose from its forward dip, and began tilting toward that shoulder, that hand. He stopped after moving only an inch or two closer, eyes shifting to it for a moment, before moving back to her face.

He'd been reluctant to look at her for too long at once. Perhaps as a result of that little thought (now being completely drowned out and pushed all the way to the very back of his mind), or perhaps as a result of insecurities old and new. That reluctance had melted away, however, as they played at everything being perfectly alright. He fell back into the habit of taking in her features as much as possible in the time he had. He didn't try to hold her eyes, at least not at first, but let his gaze move over her ears, her nose, her neck, her lips. When he did look to her eyes once more, it was just in time to catch the movement of dark lashes, before blue-greens had shifted focus.

"Yeah, I..." What was that about being distracted of late" He blinked, twice, brow furrowing a touch. It took him a moment more of examining her, before he managed to turn and regard the display. His hand, which had been lifted to about waist level as it began to move toward her, dropped to his side as he tried to convince his mind to get back to the task at hand.

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-10-01 03:16 EST
There was a part of her that was waiting for the touch. But it never came. She knew why, of course. She did. But at the same time, it wasn't all so easy to accept. In her head, she was screaming for him to make a move, to throw something out there for her to grab onto. She knew that was selfish and wrong, though, which made more things to punish herself for. How could she really hold this against him when for two weeks she'd been trying to get space"

Her expression held some of her self-loathing and frustrations, unfortunately, though she did what she could to pretend her focus was completely on the different countertop patterns and textures laid out before them and that the muddled contortion of her facial muscles was just her being pensive. Right. As if she was fooling him. Even still, her hand stayed put and she held her stance at his side, a mere three inches between the sides of their bodies.

"Or the red...But then, perhaps we should figure out a color scheme" I mean...the sign outside should have the colors of the interior, and while it isn't really necessary to make the kitchen match, it might be a nice touch?"

She spoke to fill the void she'd become a little conscious of. Not that the matters she'd spoken of weren't important, but of course, they didn't need to be blurted out right then.

Her teeth clamped down as she waited for his reply, the inside of her lower lip preyed upon.

Grem

Date: 2006-10-01 16:28 EST
Mismatched eyes darted over the displays, pausing for a moment or two on each. One hand rose, moving toward the back of his neck. A moment's pause, very short, and a redirection. Fingers scratched lightly at the stubble on his jaw, instead. He knew his own tells, and he was on occasion able to adjust them.

"A...color scheme" Hm." He looked back to her, then, brows coming up a bit. "Yeah, um...I haven't really...thought about that." A glance was taken, back to the displays. "I think red. I've always seen more red in restaurants than greens. Gotta be a reason for that..." I don't know. I, um, don't really know a damn thing about interior decorating." A faintly rueful smile made a showing, then. "I just, you know, figured on picking up equipment. Not decorating, really. What do you think would work best?"

He turned toward her, then. His breath hitched, involuntarily, as he realized just how close they had come. Standing within a few inches side by side is one thing, but facing a person at that distance is another matter entirely. Suddenly very conscious of their nearness, he swallowed once and let his head dip forward. Of course, this just put him closer.

Conflicting urges made themselves known within his mind: step back in order to keep up a comfort level, or move closer and let comfort levels be damned. Unable to decide, he stood stock-still for what feels very much like hours, though he of course knew that in reality mere moments were passing. Finally, color touching his cheeks, he settles on a compromise. Hand moving now to rub at the back of his neck, he lifted his head and looked back to the various samples.

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-10-02 16:47 EST
She heard the disturbance in his breathing, but her expression didn't reflect that. She waited in vain for another few minutes, before the hand on his shoulder began to slide down the gentle slope, her fingertips giving one last little curl into the supple flesh beneath his shirt before they relinquished their hold entirely.

"Red rushes.....I mean..."

She grinned slightly, taking a few steps away from him, closer to the displays. Was that a joke" Not an intentional one, no, but she figured he wouldn't mind it.

"What I meant was...this doctor told me once that red and yellow excite people" It gets them riled, yeah' So it like...it rushes them, right' But if it's not a sit down place, really, that might be good, yeah' It'll keep people moving in and out and maybe get the kitchen crew working faster?"

She kept posing her thoughts as questions, growing sheepish as she tried to explain it. She wasn't the smartest person alive, of this she was more than aware, but she'd picked up a great many tidbits of information on her travels and was always trying to use them to piece her logic together.

Her hands smoothed out the fabric of the true-fitting navy skirt, waiting for his insight on the matter. She was the one giving him space now, free to contort her face in a great many disdainful shapes as she kept her back to him. More self-loathing, more guilt. Look at what she'd reduced them to.

Grem

Date: 2006-10-02 18:25 EST
He was aware of the movement of her hand, and he watched it move with faintly furrowed brows. Then, hearing her commentary on the color red, he snorts. "Red and yellow excite people, eh' You don't say." A lopsided grin as he looked back to her. He nodded, then. "Rushing people in and out is fine. The faster they move, the more can come in through the day, no' Especially since I think we're aiming for more of a take-out and delivery thing, yeah."

He frowned slightly to her back. His head hangs, for a moment, before he looks back to the samples yet again. His hands closed and opened at his sides, as he attempted to find something grasp hold of, to pull himself, them both, out of the cycle of ebbing and flowing tension. Not so easy a goal, really. His mind races for something, anything, which might diffuse the nervous energy that he can feel building up around them as they stand there. The obvious solution, moving on with the shopping as a distraction, doesn't occur to him.

"Well, I think...to start, at least, I think the kitchen crew is going be me. Or, you know, I'm going to be a part of it at least." He leaned, then, to nudge her lightly with his shoulder. "And if anyone can get a meal ready as fast as the heat will allow, Charna, you know it's me, yeah?" He smiles, faintly, looking to her even as she is facing away. "I mean, come on. Get the kitchen crew working faster." He snorted, again.

All to keep up appearances. His smile slowly melted away, expression turning pensive while her back was to him. He lifted his gaze, took another look around the store, and sighed softly.

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-10-02 20:28 EST
The shoulder-nudge, despite how gentle it was, was enough to knock her out of her introversion. She blinked once, the spark lit behind the blue-greens again. She began to turn towards him, just in time to catch his frown. Or a tail-end of it, at least. She wore one to match, but feeding off of each other's vexation at the situation wouldn't do any good. So...

She giggled. A teeny-tiny little noise that was attempting to patch up a whole canyon. To help it along, she added an actual verbal reply.

"You're right. And somehow, even when you're cooking in a hurry, you manage not to screw up. You'll be good for business. Red it is, then. I think that's a good color. And there are plenty of things to match with it. Now...steel sinks" They'd go with the pots and pans and whatnot. Plus...look how big that one is!"

She pointed, really pushing herself into the shopping and perusal, once more. She didn't want to keep chasing him. She couldn't outright bring herself to just go linking arms with him, either. That would only increase her guilt by tenfold. She'd have to get used to this muddy, murky in between area, she knew. It was all she could do to kick awkwardness away for the time being as she marveled over the size of the industrial kitchen sinks, or whatever that sign said.

"You could get...two' Or three" Gods! You could fit at least four of me in one of those!"

Sad thing was, she probably wasn't all that far off. She forced up a huge smile, peering at him over her shoulder.

Grem

Date: 2006-10-02 22:32 EST
That giggle. He needed that, even if he was almost certain that it was forced. The sound was something familiar, from a better time. He stood a little straighter, then, mismatched eyes moving with a little more purpose.

"Spend enough time living on zero budget, babe, and you can make anything palatable. Makes actual decent ingredients a breeze to work with, yeah?" He smiled. An honest-to-God, only partially forced smile. "Red. Right."

He stepped forward, then, looking to the indicated sinks. His head tilted one way, then the other, as one hand came out to let fingers brush over the metal. He cast an appraising look back at her, then, using the slight hyperbole on her part as an excuse to examine just how much space she would take up. Not that he really needed to spend anywhere remotely near as long as he did looking her over, to know her exact dimensions, but an excuse is an excuse.

"Yeah, we could fit...you in there a few times over." He nodded, gaze slow to move back to the sink. One knuckle tapped the steel lightly. "Stainless. It’s good stuff. Can take a pounding, too. I’ve seen buildings that came down, only thing was still in one piece was one of these monsters. One of the medium ones should do the trick, for our purposes, though."

His gaze rose as he stood straight as he could, using his height to his advantage as he looks over the aisles around them. Lips moved faintly, as his eyes paused at various places, on various items. His hand came up, fingers scratching lightly at the stubble on his jaw.

"So...appliances, fixtures, counters...I think we’ve covered just about everything, yeah?"

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-10-03 16:00 EST
During his inspection of her slight figure, she didn't falter. She stood like a lovely statue, allowing him to eye and memorize, to see without feeling guilt at making her squirm. She, of course, was busily lapping up the attention. Now, let's be honest, here. The girl wasn't exactly starved of such looks when she went out into public. But the caress of blue-and-brown irises across her arms, legs, and torso was much more satiating than some random leer.

Upon hearing that their work was done, she let a smile creep over her face, chin tipping to sit at an angle. She held the list up, a written copy of their combined efforts.

"Excellent! Just in time, too...I was getting famished! I'll go track down Miss J...you want to come, or should I just let you wait here?"

She waggled her eyebrows at him, as if this was somehow a trick question. The spark turned into a little dancing fire, skipping and crackling behind the sea-green irises, one hand lifting to subconsciously pat the charms settled on her chest. The tension began to melt and drip slowly from the air between.

Grem

Date: 2006-10-03 17:41 EST
"Well, I could stay here. After all, this is a quite lovely..." A shift of gaze, then, mismatched eyes falling on a countertop sample with a rather appalling pattern. Or was that a badly stained used countertop" He shuddered, unable to even pretend to mean the rest of what he had been planning to say. He turned his gaze back to her, with a smile. "Um. I'll come with you. Plus, you know, it would probably be good for me to be able to find her on my own, if I need to come here to replace anything and you're unavailable, yeah?" He gave her a wink that made lightning seem slow.

The mention of hunger caught up to him, and his stomach actually responded with a very quiet rumble. Seemed he hadn't eaten in a while. He scratched at the stubble on his jaw, gaze moving as he stepped close to her once more. It was as though he was expecting to spot the proprietress on his own, even though he had absolutely no idea what the woman looked like. Eccentric could mean pretty much anything. He took a deep breath through his nose, taking in her scent, as he got close and forgot for the moment their current situation. His hand moved, the influence of that tiny, nearly mute thought managing to alter its course just enough to land a hair nearer to the middle of her back than the small.

"So...where would we find this Miss J, so I can get around to spending someone else's money?"

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-10-03 19:45 EST
She was almost startled at the slight pressure of a hand on her back, head turning quickly to him. The turquoise eyes questioned for just a minute before switching to something entirely encouraging. Good, good..., they coaxed, her purr just a mere rumble trapped in her throat, weary from being dormant. He might even mistake it for his stomach.

Eyes still on him, her lips parted to answer. "She should be in this little office she keeps back there. It's...well...I'll let you see for yourself."

She smirked, her head dipping to the left and her body following. Should his hand choose to fall away, hers had sprung into action, two fingers crooked, now tugging on his shirt for him to come along. With this careful hold on her little fish she always allowed him the option of squirming away. If he would think to do such a thing. Her lips supported an easy grin, something which she seemed to be enjoying thoroughly as she directed him around racks, table displays, the occasional other customer, etc. Finally, they reached a yellow door that was so bright it almost made you feel like your retinas were being set on fire. She was actually forced to squint as she stuck out an arm to rap her knuckles along the painted wood.

There was movement behind the door and a scrape of chair legs. If you listened closely, you could hear the swish of material, too. Charna near bit through her lip in anticipation, throwing a look over her shoulder to Grem before the door creaking open called her attention back.

"Birdie! C'min hyeah, would ya" Lookit 'chu. Ain't you just—JESUS, that's a tall fella', huh' He with you? Stoop down low, big britches, or you'll neva' fit in hyeah!"

There she was. Miss J. She had a ferocious mop of dirty blonde, frizzy curls that stuck out every which way and looked like they hadn't been brushed through in ages. Charna sometimes wondered if she might actually find an old comb tangled up in there. The woman wore huge, tortoise-shell glasses that magnified her bright, brown eyes at least ten times their normal size. Charna was delighted to see the woman's shorter, more heavyset body decorated in a nauseating chartreuse track suit, which looked almost as if made of mylar. It was reminiscent of some of the tacky outfits you might find in some low-grade casino...not that she knew that. The Vixen immediately lit up at the pet-name which Miss J had given her since Charna's hair had reminded her "of'a crow". Charna, similarly, thought the woman had a habit of almost crowing, sometimes, but she rather enjoyed it. The Vixen was a strange girl.

She stole another glance over her shoulder to see how he would respond, before she squeaked in past the woman and into her cluttered office, overflowing with all sorts of zany bric-a-brac and brightly colored memorabilia. Not a single inch of the tiny room was left undecorated. The files all had bubble-gum pink painted flowers or primary colored dinosaurs etched onto them, and even the chairs had intense scenes shown into the cushions, making Charna feel almost guilty for slipping onto one, covering the artwork.

"Miss J," she cooed, "We'd like to place a great big order. Think you can help us?"

Grem

Date: 2006-10-03 23:41 EST
He followed along, dutifully keeping up with her steps. In the process, his hand did not change position in the slightest. One part of his mind screamed at him to slide it lower, while another was quietly making a request for its removal. Of course the latter voice was summarily ignored, but he was able to resist the former as well. For the short period of time during which he would have to, at least. He took notice of the fingers hooking his shirt, of course, but took no action to remove them. Indeed, if anything, he moved closer at the contact.

"A little office in the back? Well, that should certainly make her easier to find if I ever need to, yeah' I was worried I'd wind up having to wander the store, endlessly seeking some woman who I'd only seen...once." He actually winced when he saw the door. "Criminy. She needs to turn the wattage down on that paint." This was muttered, though he wore a lopsided smile. He wasn't even sure that she would get the joke, but given the brightness of the yellow his meaning would be understood. "I guess that's one way to keep people out. Make it painful to look directly at the—" He clammed up fast, as soon as he heard a hand on the door, so he was silent when it swung open.

He blinked once, twice, thrice as the woman addressed him. It wasn't so much what she said, really, just the amount of energy pumped out with the words. His head bowed forward as he regarded her, then tilted to one side. It didn't seem any response was needed from him, so he remained silent for the moment. The lopsided edge was gone from his faint smile, but the curl of lips remained steadfast. Never mind the confused look in mismatched eyes.

As they stepped inside the office, he did indeed duck down a bit. Even he could not be sure if it was because the motion was really needed, or because the woman had told him he had to. More blinks as he took in the interior of the office, before he slowly sank down into a chair. He glanced to Charna, smile growing a touch, and decided to let her handle everything.

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-10-06 16:22 EST
Which she was happy to do. A huge grin momentarily flashed to Grem, ebony brows waggled at him as Miss J turned her back to them to take a seat behind her maroon and purple desk. It was a nonverbal "Tooooooooold you?. She immediately snapped her attention back to the woman when she heard her start to talk, again.

"Well, big order, huh' Like I'm gonna complain. Whaddya got for me, ladylady?"

A giggle from the Vixen, her head nodding, before she began to read off the list slowly so that Miss J had time to write the words and amounts down. After every item, she'd pause, in case Grem wanted to interject something in there. Finally, after a good ten minutes, she'd rambled off the last, being the sink. She set the paper on her knees, then reached over to set her hand on Grem's knee. It was an automatic gesture, requiring little thought, her lips curled contentedly.

"And we were wondering about having that delivered and installed" You can do that, right?"

"A-course we can. There's a lil' fee, but most people think it's pretty reasonable." Miss J assured, pleasantly. She was wavering in between shrewd businesswoman and her usual cheery self.

She held up a finger, silently asking the pair to wait for a moment while she finished crunching the numbers, subtotaling and whatnot. When she had the sum, she turned the paper around so Grem and Charna could look it over and maybe try to haggle. It was a large total, to be sure, but for the amount they were getting, Charna really thought it was pretty good. She leaned forward a bit and turned her head to regard Grem.

"What do you think, Big Britches" Fair?"

A very real smile, fingers giving his knee a squeeze, seeking approval.

Grem

Date: 2006-10-07 15:50 EST
Grem smiled faintly at the waggled brows, then sat back to listen to the list being rattled off, nodding here and there when Charna paused. Mismatched eyes moved over the room a bit, taking in the various decorative touches, though they moved back to the vixen regularly. This little outing was starting to feel very normal to him, very much like they way things had been, not all that long before. As she went on and on with the list, his brows started to climb. They really had looked at a lot of things, hadn't they' His head tilted to one side a bit as he continued to listen, while mismatched eyes kept up their roaming gaze.

He sat up a good deal straighter when that hand landed on his knee. His gaze shot down to it, one brow making a beeline for his hairline. That little thought at the back of his head had given up completely, possibly having wandered off to get a drink. His own hand came to rest atop hers, as he looked back to her face.

He was still looking at her when she looked to him regarding the fee. He snorted. "Big Britches?" A lopsided grin found its way to his face as he winked once to her, then turned to regard the paper. He blinked, twice. Lips moved faintly as he looked over the numbers there, then he nodded. "Looks good. We need it all, anyway." He nodded again, the hand not on Charna's moving to dig into his pocket as his gaze moved to Miss J. "We'll take it." He drew a check book from his pocket. There was no way he was going be walking around with the amount of cash written on that piece of paper.

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-10-09 01:11 EST
Her purr, or a hint of it, spilled out between the teeth she presented to him in her smile. It was beginning to all feel okay again, wasn't it' Just like several weeks prior, just like their vacation...

Miss J watched the couple with a certain degree of interest. While Grem was busy making the check out, Miss J was giving Charna some questioning looks. The Vixen's response was to turn a little red and glance down at her purse and the flower there.

"I'll be needin' the address, too. Ya know, so's the boys can deliver. An' some contact info so we can let'cha know when we're coming." Miss J explained to Grem, once he was finished up the check. She pushed a pad towards him to fill out the information, before tearing the carbon copy off the back of the order form. She handed this to Charna.

"There ya go. Hold on to this for Big Britches, will ya? If anything goes wrong, this hyeah reciept will be pretty damn helpful. Plus, all of our numba's and contact things are there, 'case he needs to be checking on things."

Charna nodded, very seriously, taking the paper into her possession. A final smile to the woman as she neatly folded the page and tucked it into the purse she'd been staring at before. Her unoccupied hand stroked the rose petals on its way back. From there, her attention was on Grem, alone. His knee got another squeeze, her fingers comfortable beneath his. She was hungry.

Grem

Date: 2006-10-09 01:56 EST
"Right, right. I was going to ask about that." He nodded, passing over the check and reaching for the pad. A moment was spent, using the back of the pen to scratch at the stubble on his jaw, before he jotted down the address of the shop that was to become the restaurant. "I'm still clearing the old stuff out, so it'll be a couple of days before we'll be ready for it. I'm..." A moment's hesitation, then, the hand on Charna’s stiffening for a moment. "I'm staying at the Red Dragon right now. I’ll put the room number down on here." He wrote that down under the address of the restaurant-to-be, along with his actual name, as it simply would not do for someone to come by the inn looking for "Big Britches."

Once he had finished writing, he set the pen down and spun the pad around to face Miss J, sliding it over to her. That hand fell to the desk, the fingers of the other moving lightly against the thinner ones resting beneath them. Mismatched eyes moved back to Charna for a moment, before moving back to the proprietress of the store. “Alright....is that everything, then" Charna's on her lunch break, and, well, if she doesn't get some food in her soon, I'm afraid she might start gnawing on my arm, yeah?" He smiled, casting a wink to the vixen before giving her hand a light pat and pushing to his feet.

"What do you say, babe? Ready to go see what Emir Ted's got as his special ingredient today?"

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-10-09 19:05 EST
Miss J looked over the information, nodding as her magnified eyes passed over the written words.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh. It'sall hyeah. Pleasure doing business with ya, Mr. McTirin."

She glanced up, the enormous pupils on the couple. She broke into a large, toothy smile, which almost seemed a little menacing, what with the lion's mane of hair and the too-wide eyes above it. Charna figured it was meant to be pleasant, though.

At that subtle dismissal, Char hopped to her feet, grabbed her purse, then slid a hand into Grem's without hesitation. Comfort. She'd found it. She didn't even wait for a reaction, since she was busily waving to Miss J as she slowly pushed Grem through the doorway with her shoulder.

"Thank you so much! I'll see you around...but he's right, you know. I do get a little ravenous. Last time, I almost took off a few of his fingers!"

She giggled out into the storeroom, before the bright blue-greens turned to him. Her grin was wide and affectionate.

"Food, please. Lead on, yeah?"

Grem

Date: 2006-10-09 23:29 EST
"Oh, yes. You too. Thanks. Was nice to meet you." That was said rather quickly, as he was nudged away. He ducked slightly as he passed through the door frame, then smiled to Charna. Fingers curled against hers as he led the way to the door, thumb moving lightly over the back of her hand.

Once outside, he paused and cast a glance to the left, then the right. "It's not far, babe." Everything was going to be fine. He was sure of it. All of the distance had been melting away as they day progressed. He lifted her hand, to brush a light kiss over her knuckles before letting their hands drop down to his side once more. His other hand rose to let fingers scratch lightly at his jaw line, before he turned to the left. "She is a bit eccentric, isn't she?" A lopsided grin was flashed to her, then, before he took a glance back over his shoulder.

Attention back on the road before them, mismatched eyes scanned side to side. A shift of his arm, to set their hands swinging. Nostrils flared as he took a deep breath, drawing in her scent. He hadn't even felt the need for a cigarette. His head tilted her way a bit, as they continued on. "Now…Emir Ted is a little odd, too. Nice guy, really, but he's somehow gotten it into his head that he's the ruler of some land or another. Name of his emirate changes once in a while, I think. Whatever it is, it's usually limited to his stand and the immediate area. He might make some comments about proper diplomatic action or some such. Just play along if he does, or he might refuse to serve us. Or declare war on us, which is pretty much the same thing."

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-10-10 15:37 EST
"Rather eccentric" Yeah..I suppose there is plenty of room for her to get stranger. Hey, I was thinking about having her redecorate for me..."

She paused for some kind of reaction, before launching into more giggles to descriptions and gestures. Only a touch of pink graced the normally pale cheeks when his lips touched her knuckles, and she was more than happy to let their hands swing together as she shifted her palm enough to lace fingers with his.

She wasn't sure of anything, not for very long anyway, but this felt safe. She wanted to promise the world to him, but she knew she couldn't rightfully do that. Uncertainty bred disappointment. So, what did they have, in the meantime" They had the moment. She clung to it and she felt him start to slide in alongside her.

"Emir Ted, eh' Interesting name...but his cuisine sounds just as curious. I'll try not to provoke a civil uprising. No guarantees, yeah?"

A laugh at her own silly joke, her head cocked to let the curls spill over onto her shoulder. She looked up to him, delighting over the one blue eye, and the one brown. She'd always adored those, and her smile more than made that clear. A subconscious squeeze of his hand, before turning her gaze over to window displays and store-fronts.

Grem

Date: 2006-10-10 18:02 EST
He gladly provided the expected reaction, all agog and staring at the very concept of asking Miss J to do anything even resembling decorating. He even threw in a shudder, for good measure. "You sure you'd want to live somewhere that looked like that woman's office?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "That might be one of the scariest things I've had to contemplate since coming here, krasivaya."

He was sure. Of everything. He knew exactly what he wanted, and he was sure he was going to have it. It was all working out. Things were going precisely how they should. He was absolutely certain of it. Of course, experience should have told him by that point that one can be absolutely certain of something and still be completely wrong.

He gave her a lopsided grin. "Yeah, Emir Ted." Nodding, he led them around another corner. He pointed with his free hand, to a small cart with a large red umbrella over it, a small flag over that. The flag, if one looked close enough, was actually a laminated menu. "You'd better be....diplomatic. I like this guy's food, yeah' Don't want him to put me under an embargo."

Another grin was flashed to her, before he looked to the man at the cart, who was doling out change to a young woman. Once she walked off, a confused expression on her face, he lifted the hand not twined with hers. "Emir. What is the special today?"

"Hold it right there! No one enters the Emirate of Teodia without declaring themselves! We are at war, after..." Ted was a broad man. Not really fat, but quite stout. He wore a dark robe, a thick beard, and, incongruously, a white ten-gallon hat. "Ah! Hello my friend! My apologies, I did not recognize you with a beautiful woman at your side. They're usually giving you sullen looks from some distance away, yes?" The man grinned, white teeth stark behind his beard. "Today, I am offering a chili sauce topping, with just a bit of curry. Spicy! A falafel fit for a sultan, I assure you."

Grem nodded, grinning all the way. "That sounds excellent, Emir. Charna, care for something hot and spicy?" A dance showed itself in mismatched eyes as they moved to the vixen.

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-10-13 02:17 EST
"I'm always diplomatic!" She said with a grin, her attempt at feigned indignance lost.

Before she could pester him further on the matter, though, he was talking with Emir Ted. Her eyes were on the large umbrella first, even more content to stare once she could read words. And how brilliant! She didn't really know what most of them meant! After a quick perusal, her gaze turned to the owner of the stand. She looked the man over, but not in any terribly appraising way. She made sure it was a strictly curious look, hoping he would not take offense. She even added her most charming smile, silently praying that it would keep peace in the lands.

"You would describe them as sullen looks, sir?" She asked in a playful manner, tugging Grem's arm until it was at an angle, crossed over her stomach. "I've always thought them more wistful...yearning."

She giggled, eyes flicking back and forth. Their movement slowed and then finally came to a complete stop on Grem alone, since he was making her an offer. Did she really like spicy foods" She thought she did. Some of the spicier dishes she'd had were among her favorites, but she normally needed them with a glass of water. And what was curry' She didn't think she'd had that before...but rather than ask, she just gave a little purr to him, corner of her lips curling.

"Oh, I'm up for the challenge."

Grem

Date: 2006-10-13 17:53 EST
"Of course you are." Grem muttered in response to the false indignant tone, with a faint smile. The Emir, meanwhile, had already begun to prepare the first special falafel.

"The are sullen, yes yes. They start out as yearning, though, do they not?" The man flashed his teeth in another grin and looked to Grem, who was simply smiling softly and shaking his head at that point, gaze on the ground by the stand. "You see, they yearn, yes, they yearn, but when their advances are met with denial..." Emir Ted shrugged, grinning once more. "Perhaps they were beginning to question whether my friend is the sort to accept the advances of any women at all, yes" To tell the truth, I was beginning to wonder myself." He laughed, a deep resonating sound, before he handed the first falafel to Grem.

Who was busy chuckling at the Emir's jokes. He had relaxed his grip on the vixen's hand, just enough to extend his fingers around hers and brush tips against that barely-there belly. Nodding, he took that falafel and offered it to Charna, as they were both receiving the same style of topping.

Brown-and-blue came to rest on blue-green as he smiled. "Well, I don't know if I'd call it a challenge, love. The Emir doesn't make them extra hot until he knows you can take it. Unless you want him to spice yours up a bit more...?" Both brows rose at the end of the question, smile becoming his usual lopsided grin.

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-10-17 03:51 EST
"Ah, yes, yes. I understand, now. You know, actually, most of the city was wondering about this one..." Another tug on Grem's arm, grin devilish. "Well, once upon a time that is..."

She'd been offering this to the Emir, complete with cheery snickers, yet all the while, her eyes never left Grem. He was just too pretty not to look at. And this talk of the other girls and the speculation over him had her feeling pretty damn lucky to be with him. She flirted up storms, and he denied advances. Why shouldn't she fell lucky' Spoiled, even. Bordering selfish..undeser—-no. Stop those thoughts. She quickly put slack behind the subconscious squeeze she'd been giving his arm.

She eased herself into a smile when her thoughts were tugged out of introversion, back to basking in her reserved space at Grem's side.

"Not really a challenge" Hmph..." She made the bratty sound, but not the expression to follow. The smile was comfortable. "I'll have it as it is, yeah' I am rather hungry...I might need a second. That one you can have spiced up, yeah?"

She figured he'd see right through that dodging tactic, but she dared him to call her out, especially when she was making that face up at him.

Grem

Date: 2006-10-17 07:53 EST
"Oh, sure. Just because I can cook, I'm thin, and I'm neat..." He trailed off, shaking his head and chuckling. "Know better now though, don't you?" That was delivered in a whisper, as he leaned in toward the vixen. A lopsided grin was delivered, before he looked back to the Emir, who was practically chortling.

"I like her! She has a sharp tongue, yes?" Emir Ted was preparing the second falafel, which he then handed off to Grem. Reaching down into a drawer, he drew out a towel, which he used to wipe down his hands. "You know the price, my friend. Double it, yes, no problem."

"Of course, Emir." Somehow, he had managed to hold coins in his hand as he had taken the falafel, which he dropped into the Emir's hand. The evasion, of course, was noted with a smile and not clanngenged.

The vendor flashed another grin and nodded, before gesturing across the way. "Teodia has entered into an accord with the caf" there. So long as I mention their delicious drinks, my customers can use their tables. And now I have mentioned their drinks, which are indeed delicious, and you two are free to sit and relax while you eat!"

With a smile and nod to the Emir, Grem turned to lead the way to the caf", the hand on Charna's setting to swing a bit. "Want anything to drink, babe?"

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-10-18 03:23 EST
She offered only the most charming of her many smiles to the Emir when he complimented her, complete with a twinkle in her eye, which could have been provoked by the Emir alone, but Grem most likely had a big part in fostering the spark's development.

"Thank you..." She purred in a soothing and affectionate manner to Grem, her voice incredibly soft. She used the top of her head to rub against his arm, cat-like mannerisms shown again, but at least they were the pleasant ones.

She followed his lead after the transactions were complete, waiting patiently to be led to a table before she'd attempt eating. She wanted to watch him take a bite first, anyhow. Only once did she pause in the traipse away from Emir Ted so that she could smile over her shoulder to him and awkwardly wriggle her fingers around the falafel.

"And thank you! You've been most gracious!" She made sure that wasn't teasing at all, even though she did find him a little humorous.

She turned her chin up to look at Grem, again, her attention no longer divided and now all for him. ?Let's see what they have, yeah' Though...I'd rather like some sort of fruit concoction, I think. I doubt it will be as good as the green drink you make for me, though..."

She just couldn't stop purring and cooing and smiling at him, now. She couldn't stop doting on him. The switch had been flipped and she didn't seem in any rush to turn it back off. As they approached a table, she slowed down enough to get in another few words before she'd be forced to relinquish her grip on him to take a separate seat.

"You know..." She giggled, a tiny sound to match the hushed whisper of her voice as she leaned into him. "Miss J isn't married...we should hook those two up..."

Grem

Date: 2006-10-19 17:14 EST
The tables were of the coated steel sort, with large white umbrellas above them. He held on to her hand as he stepped around the table, arm extended, as he sat, shaking his head with a grin. “Babe, I don’t know if we should go about matchmaking. Neither of them really seems to be an introvert, so I don’t think they would need much help.” A pause, then. “Well, the Emir has mentioned the difficulties in finding women of the proper standing to marry into the family of a ruler such as himself, but I’m not sure I could see Miss J acting like some demure princess.”

There was a list of drinks on the table, on length of laminated cardboard folded to stand on its own. A bite of his falafel was taken and chewed thoughtfully as he leaned forward to examine it. He blinked, looking down to the falafel at the heat in it. The Emir had made them spicier than he had expected. He swallowed, before gesturing toward the menu, as it were, with his food.

“They have smoothies. No booze in them, but it isn’t midday just yet, yeah"” A teasing tone had entered his voice then, before he looked back to the vixen. “Strawberry banana, orange, or raspberry"”

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-10-20 03:19 EST
She flexed the hand he was holding, wiggling her fingers about playfully as she kept them entwined with his. There was a vague pout when he shot down the idea of setting the pair up, but just like before, she was finding it much too difficult to maintain any sort of frowny face when she was in his company.

She looked at the list of drinks for a moment, not really paying any particular attention to the words she was reading. She was content to grin and let her eyes roam where they wished, which of course, was primarily over Grem. Her irises had come back to focus on him, now, watching him take a bite of the falafel. Of course, she didn't miss the look he'd just given it, provoking her to toss a dubious look down at her own. She lifted it up to inspect more closely, even giving it a little sniff. But then, his didn't seem to poison him, so it must be alright. She was all set to take a bite when she saw him gesture.

"No booze" Damn. That always makes work so much more enjoyable." She waggled her brows at him, before pursing her lips to give an "ooooooh" to her options. "Well, they all sound very good...but I think I'll have the raspberry, yeah?"

As an affirmative answer to her own question, she took a chomp off the end of the food foreign to her. And what a curious face she made as she chewed.

Grem

Date: 2006-10-21 13:32 EST
"Well, yeah. Being half-lit is always a good way to finish up the work day, yeah?" A lopsided grin as he carefully sets down his falafel, making sure to keep the paper wrapped around it between the food and the table. "Raspberry it is." His gaze moves away from her, reluctantly, to see if there was any sort of wait staff, or if he would have to step away from her to get their drinks.

The girl at the walk-up window was bored, twirling a bit of her hair around a finger as she stared off at the street. Most of the lunch crowd had headed back to their jobs, at this point, so it would be slow for a while. She noticed Grem's wandering looks, so she slipped out the building and walked over to their table. After he ordered, strawberry banana for him and raspberry for the lady, oh, yes, con bayas, she walked off to prepare their smoothies.

"It's good, isn't it?" He nodded to her falafel as he took his own up once more. "Spicier than I thought it'd be, but that's alright." He managed a few more bites, before the girl came back, carrying a pair of tall cups. He set his food down once more, that hand digging out a few coins to hand over to the girl with a smile. "Thank you." She nodded her own thanks and went back inside, to wipe the counters again and wait for something else to do. The cup before Grem is nearly filled with the pinkish drink, but the top inch or so of Charna's is nothing but dark red raspberries. In addition to a straw, hers came with a plastic spoon, presumably for fishing out the berries.

Charna Lyndria

Date: 2006-10-24 04:35 EST
"Spicier than I thought it'd be, too...but if you can handle it, so can I!" She announced triumphantly, head tipped back enough to lift her nose into the air. Of course, she could only hold the pose a moment before she was peering across at him, smile cracking across her lips as her head righted itself.

"It is very good, though, I must admit. Interesting. Not sure I've ever had anything like it, before."

With that said, she returned to taking healthy bites off of the end she'd started working on, proving she found it tasty. Indeed, her throat stung a little and her sinuses felt the slight nip from the spicy heat, but it wasn't severe enough to keep her from enjoying. Plus, her smoothie had just arrived. The blue-green eyes rounded in delight as she greedily looked over the drink, the falafel placed down carefully so she could reach for the beautiful display of berries. He might be quick enough to catch the slide of her tongue over her lower lip before she got the straw to her mouth. The fruit-filled beverage, though a bit thick, slid up the straw easily and traveled into her mouth to soothe the mild burn of the spices and to refresh her taste buds with an all new flavor. He'd be able to see pleasure painted on her expression, eyes now half-hooded as she looked to him. A purr as she pulled her lips off the tip of the straw.

"Gods, that's delicious, as well. How's yours, love" Oh! And...." She picked up her spoon and snagged a raspberry off of the top. Holding the spoon horizontal, she brought the hand securing it closer to his face.

"Want one?"