Author Topic: Something In The Air  (Read 15607 times)

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Offline Trillian

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Something In The Air
« on: August 08, 2012, 09:24:34 PM »
JENNA WAS DRESSED MORE PRACTICALLY tonight than fashionably.  Wearing dark blue-jeans with a slight flare at the ankles, mid-calf brown boots with a flat heel, a beige cowl-necked long-sleeved shirt and a very light brown jacket with zippers and buttons alluding to pockets that were not there, she was well protected from the crispness of the weather.  Even though it was a warm night, the breeze had a bit of a bite to it, and the night sky was blanketed by clouds.

Her clutch sat on her right while Sebastian sat on her left.  They'd had a successful outing at the party held at the Oligarchy chambers.  It had a peculiar outcome, what with Sebastian being possessed by a ghost for the length of a dance.  With Ben, no less.  It had been a peculiar sight because Sebastian had moved in a different way - in a very feminine way, and she'd been caught between fascination and amusement.  The ghost had disappeared, leaving Sebastian to recover with Jenna once more at his side, and they'd left the party soon after, going their separate ways.  That had been a couple of nights ago.

She could hear the strains of music in the air, carried to them in ebbs and bursts due to the nature of the wind.  She listened to it and identified the instrument as a cello, but not the piece the musician was playing, there weren't enough notes reaching her ears for that.  Perhaps Sebastian would know, though it was possible the music was original.  It was nice, cuddling up to Sebastian.  He was as cold as the bench she was seated upon, but his arm around her was comfortable and protected.

They'd had a quiet night tonight, wandering along a bikeway, whether it took them through parks or beside a street.  It had ended up taking them to the outskirts of the Arts University campus, where Jenna had wanted to stop and rest her feet.  They hadn't spoken to each other, except to point out things of interest.  She could almost imagine being his girlfriend, at a time like this, knowing that it was impossible because whenever they had a conversation beyond anything trivial (and sometimes not even that), they ended up either misunderstanding one another.  She didn't know what it was about the pair of them that just didn't gel - they were both intelligent, they both had a lot of crossover interests, they were both attracted to each other.  She had the idea that if there wasn't that strong physical attraction, she wouldn't be spending time with him, and it felt both hypocritical and peculiar on her shoulders - yet she wasn't game to sever ties with him.

They hadn't even kissed yet, but as she looked up at him, studying his profile and admiring the line of his jaw, she hoped that might change (while also berating herself for her shallowness).
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Offline pinkroses

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Re: Something In The Air
« Reply #1 on: August 09, 2012, 08:02:37 AM »
Sebastian had been enjoying the evening, like he enjoyed most of his time with Jenna – until they blew up at each other over nothing. It happened all too often, but tonight was peaceful, calm, perfect. So far at least.

He wore a pair of black slacks and had not bothered with a coat tonight, deciding the wear just a dark blue shirt which matched the colour of his eyes, which were currently slowly moving around whilst he sat unmoving, apart from his thumb lightly stroking the material of her jacket in a touch which was probably too light for Jenna to feel. The music was beautiful to his ears, which he’d heard when Bach had first written the piece about three hundred years ago and the memory made him smile a little although he’d never met the man himself. But listening to a new composition and then still hearing it centuries later was a magical experience.

And who better to share it with? Although it had slipped his mind that Jenna might not be able to hear it was clearly as he could.

“You’re staring,” Sebastian said after a few seconds, finally turning his head to glance sideways at Jenna with a playful grin.

Offline Trillian

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Re: Something In The Air
« Reply #2 on: August 09, 2012, 04:19:32 PM »
"Am I not allowed?" she teased back softly, her red lips curling into a growing smile.  She didn't normally emblazon her lips with such strong colour, especially when wearing such casual clothing, but tonight she'd been feeling a little more daring, and the red lips were a way of expressing that.
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Offline pinkroses

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Re: Something In The Air
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2012, 02:49:46 AM »
"You are, but you usually don't," Sebastian replied, letting his gaze drift down to her enticing lips for a few second before making himself return his eyes to hers. She was far too tempting for her own good and he'd been bitten once by her rejecting his advances and he had no intention of repeating his past mistakes. 

She was a tease, but a lovely one, and it wasn't as though he didn't have time to wait for her to stop teasing and act. And if she never did... well it was pleasant company as it was most of the time. 

"You always seem to find the most beautiful parts of the city. I would not have thought to come this way," Sebastian said, finally tearing his eyes from hers to save himself from the temptations. There were more playful ways he could have taken the conversation, carrying on the way they had been going but he was never quite sure what might offend Jenna so turned in the more boring direction.

Offline Trillian

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Re: Something In The Air
« Reply #4 on: August 11, 2012, 08:04:51 PM »
She was a little sad that he wasn't grabbing the opportunity he was presented with, but she couldn't really blame him considering how they'd begun.  He'd done things backwards, trying to steal a kiss from her just because she was interested.  Now, when there was a kiss for the taking and not for the stealing, he was pointedly looking away from her.  At least he wasn't reading her mind - there was always that.  She trusted that he wouldn't.  An ancient being like him would have no reason to lie.

Once again she marvelled at his age.  It was hard to think of him as so old.  She was nothing in his universe, just a speck of time.  She wondered briefly how he'd stayed sane.  A part of her wanted to be more forgiving about his socially awkward move on her while the other part was still firmly resolved.  Just because time had changed his ways didn't mean she had to relax hers.  And to think, of the both of them, he had the most time for idle chatter.

"I've not been here before," she admitted, stretching her legs out so she could look down at the tips of her boots.  "But these boots are made for walking."  She wiggled them a little before tucking them away back under the bench-seat, crossed at the ankles.  She pressed her lips together when she belatedly recalled the rest of that song.

And that's just what they'll do
One of these days these boots are going to walk all over you


She hoped he didn't know the song, or at the very least, didn't know enough about it to remember the sentiment behind the song.  He must've heard millions of songs in his lifetime.

"Can you hear the music?" she asked, leaning against Sebastian now and trying actively for a cuddle.  "I can't quite make enough of it out to recognise it," she admitted.
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Offline pinkroses

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Re: Something In The Air
« Reply #5 on: August 11, 2012, 09:19:29 PM »
Sebastian smiled at Jenna’s comments on her boots, recognising the song – it had been huge about a decade before he’d gone to ground, and you would have had to have been living in the ground not to have heard it often. He didn’t think further into the later words though, believing that it was just an innocent quote.

“Yes, I can hear it well. It’s one of Bach’s Suites, but I couldn’t tell you which. We could try to find the source if you’d like?” he offered, moving his arm to hold Jenna a little more securely since she was snuggling up close to him. He got the feeling she might not want to move, but he felt he should offer.

“Not quite as catchy as a bit of Nancy Sinatra,” he added with a smile, amazed that Jenna was familiar with a song that was almost 50 years old, oblivious to the re-makes and use in various films in more recent times.

Offline Trillian

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Re: Something In The Air
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2012, 09:17:33 PM »
"Oh, I grew up hearing that song because Dad loved Nancy Sinatra," she said with a giggle, a bit disconcerted that he merely adjusted his hold on her rather than turning to face her more or to shift further back so that she could rest her head on his shoulder.  Their height difference made such a thing a little difficult, and she didn't want to make an awkward maneouvre without some help on his side.  She supposed the bench seat didn't really allow for face-to-face, but she'd been hoping for a least a shift back or slouch down.  He didn't slouch though, she noticed his posture was always perfect.  She had to admit that was one of the things she really liked about him - regardless of the fact it was working against her now.  "It was remade a few years back, but I didn't like it as much as the original," she said, screwing up her nose.  "I think the first time around is usually the best, in music."

"We'll find the source once we get going again," she promised, wiggling her toes inside of her boots.  She was very glad she'd worn these boots instead of her prettier shiny black ones.  There was more cushion in the sole, and it was better finished inside.  Still, it had been a very long walk and no matter how good these boots were, runners would've been better.  She hadn't planned to travel this far with him, but the night had been young and the path had been interesting, and she'd lost track of how far along they'd come.
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Offline pinkroses

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Re: Something In The Air
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2012, 07:46:28 AM »
She was tired, at least a little bit and Sebastian glanced down at her feet, spotting the small wiggle even through the thick leather. Sometimes he forgot how fragile humans were, especially when they tried so hard to hide it.

Sebastian shifted backwards a little in his seat, lifting his hand to squeeze her shoulder slightly. “Put your feet up, lean against me, unless it’s a foot rub you’d prefer?” he offered with a warm smile, wondering if this was too public a place for Jenna to take him up on that. If she took his first suggestion he would move sideways in his seat a little to give her a more comfortable cushion to lean against with the front of his shoulder and chest and he’d wrap a secure arm around her body.

Offline Trillian

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Re: Something In The Air
« Reply #8 on: August 13, 2012, 09:22:08 PM »
Jenna stared at him for a moment, liking the small touch upon her shoulder and wondering what it would be like to have his hands upon her feet.  The place they were at was isolated enough (especially at this time of night) and they would hardly be doing something naughty if he was only touching her feet... but a little thrill went through her spine at the idea regardless, and she could feel her heart picking up in her chest as well.  She knew he would hear it, and could probably feel it as he was so close, so there was no sense hiding it.

"I'll take you up on that," she said, though hadn't mentioned which suggestion she was taking him up on.  He would figure it out quickly enough, however, as she leant forward and lifted up her jeans in order to get at the boots' side zips.  She unzipped them and pulled them off her feet one by one, setting them to her right and out of Sebastian's way.  Swivelling on her bottom and lifting her legs up, she plopped them down on Sebastian's lap with a smile.  He would see that her toenails were expertly painted a pale pink, and professionally manicured.  She was glad that she'd made the appointment a couple of days ago.  Grinning at him, she wiggled her toes again, and hoped he wasn't smelling anything bad.
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Offline pinkroses

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Re: Something In The Air
« Reply #9 on: August 15, 2012, 07:59:13 AM »
Sebastian let out a chuckle as it became obvious which option Jenna was going for and he twisted in his seat, hooking one knee up on the bench to provide a space in his lap to take Jenna’s feet into. His cool hands enveloped her hot feet, which seemed even warmer than the rest of her body – well, the parts he’d been allowed to touch so far.

Most feet – or shoes at least – didn’t smell great, but it was Jenna’s sweat, the leather of her boots, her skin breathing in the air now they were free. He’d definitely smelt worse. His large thumbs ran down the soles of her feet in time, in a touch too firm to be tickling (hopefully) and he gave both feet the same attention for a short time before wrapping both hands around her right foot, gazing across at Jenna before lowering his gaze to her feet to focus on his task, working on the arch of her foot before moving to her prettily painted toes.

“Very colourful,” he murmured with a smile. “Do you do these yourself?” he asked, lifting his gaze up to her face once again without stilling his fingers.

Offline Trillian

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Re: Something In The Air
« Reply #10 on: August 15, 2012, 08:17:40 AM »
As Sebastian worked on her feet, Jenna leant against the bench seat's back, folding her left arm over it to the armpit and holding onto it with both hands, effectively clinging to it while she enjoyed the massage.  She could look at him to her heart's content now, and felt her belly do a little flip-flop as she gazed at his lovely profile and felt his hands move over her flesh.  Foot rubs were intimate things, she felt, hardly something to get from just any man, but Sebastian was known well enough to her by now.  She still didn't understand why she was so strongly attracted to him before knowing him, and to continue being attracted to him even though a lot of the time they didn't connect well.  Tonight had been good, though.  Tonight was pleasant so far, and when he spoke to her, she 'hmmd?' herself back to attention, for her mind had been wandering.

"Oh!  No, I pay someone to do it," she confessed, and wrinkled her nose minutely, feeling oddly like she was being indulgent with her money to spend it on such things.
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Offline pinkroses

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Re: Something In The Air
« Reply #11 on: August 15, 2012, 08:51:28 AM »
“Seems like a strange job, but I suppose a lot of people use them,” Sebastian said quietly before dropping off into a companionable silence again. He’d thought Jenna might have wanted a little conversation to ease her into relaxing with his hands on her feet, but apparently she was more than comfortable with it already.

He methodically worked over each foot in turn before leaning back against the back of the bench, one hand still working whilst his other rested on her ankle, just underneath the cuff of her jeans, his thumb running over the smooth skin on the top of her foot. This was nice, and when they weren’t fighting Sebastian felt at peace with Jenna, although he couldn’t have explained why. Yes, she was gorgeous and that physical attraction was a constant pull, but he’d lusted over people before and this was different, less fleeting. And in a way the threat of a battle between them made it more interesting, more exciting. Too much perfection could be boring.

“The things women do to their feet in the name of beauty amazes me. The heels, the discomfort, shoes which make your feet bleed. All for the sake of making us men long for you. And it works,” Sebastian said, gently lifting Jenna’s foot to brush his lips over the top of it before releasing her feet in his lap after lowering it again. He lifted his right arm to rest along the back of the bench to cover her clasped hands with one of his. “Have men managed to work out a trick which works in return whilst I slept?” he added with a smile, guessing the answer would be a definite ‘no’.

Offline Trillian

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Re: Something In The Air
« Reply #12 on: August 17, 2012, 07:40:06 AM »
She giggled as he related a cosmetician (or specifically, a nail technician) as being a strange job.  This strange job was something a lot of women (and even some men) paid a great deal of money for.  She understood that it would be a peculiar thing indeed, for a man coming through the ages.  But hadn't manicures been around since ancient Rome?  She remembered reading about them somewhere, in some of her notes, thanks to her job.  She didn't exactly have any artefacts for it, but still, it was interesting enough to want to ask him about it.

He spoke before she did.  She hadn't even pulled in a breath to ask and his words brought about another giggle from her.

"No.  There's no trick other than behaving like the kind of woman you want to attract.  Even that doesn't always work," she said, thinking of her friends who chased after men who behaved like fools, somehow attracting intelligent women.  Then she thought of herself and the fact her last relationship had been with Kerr - a vampire - and her current date was a vampire too.  Mind, three out of the four relationships she'd had could've been classified as dating a much older man.  In thinking about it, she was dating older and older men as she went.  The first had been her age, the next was eight years older.  After that had been one who was almost twenty years older.  Then Kerr.  Now here she was dating Sebastian.  They didn't come much older than him.  She was in trouble now.

She realised she'd lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

"Haven't you ever had a manicure?" she asked, looking at his hands.  "You must've, at some point," she guessed, pointing at his beautifully presented nails.
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Offline pinkroses

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Re: Something In The Air
« Reply #13 on: August 20, 2012, 05:40:16 AM »
“Behaving like the woman you want? That sounds like quite a challenge,” Sebastian murmured thoughtfully, gently squeezing her ankle. He often had no idea how Jenna was going to react from one moment to the next, which was part of what made her so exciting to be around – trying to behave like her would be nigh on impossible.

He lifted his gaze at her question about his nails, running the pad of a finger along one perfectly shaped nail. They were a far cry from the nails he’d had as a human, a soldier didn’t have much chance to have a manicure. Irene had taken him once, but he hadn’t enjoyed it much and his nails didn’t require much upkeep.

“Yes, but that doesn’t make it any less strange a job. Hairdressing for example is another job I would find peculiar. Staring at the back of people’s heads all day. But there are many jobs out there like that, and they’re all a vital part of society. I had my hair cut for the first time as a vampire only last month. I’m still not quite used to it,” Sebastian added, lifting a hand to run through his short hair. Maybe he’d regret it at some point, but life was most definitely not for regret. You could hang onto it for far too long over the silliest things.

Offline Trillian

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Re: Something In The Air
« Reply #14 on: August 20, 2012, 12:19:31 PM »
"But surely you're used to barbers?" she queried, then realised immediately after saying it that no, it was very possible he hadn't.  She knew there were many ancient cultures that viewed long hair as a masculine and sexual thing, and there were still many cultures nowadays that defined how great a warrior was by the length of their hair.  Plus, he'd spent a very long time as a vampire, so the memory of having his hair cut was a distant one indeed.  "Oh, never mind me.  I keep forgetting you're not the age you look."

Even though you behave the age you are.

She grinned at him, feeling absurdly young and foolish.
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