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Post by Kitty Pryde on Aug 9, 2007 19:38:00 GMT -4
Who would’ve thought? Katherine had assumed that he hadn’t had much opportunity to dance – he definitely didn’t now – yet he was surprisingly graceful. It was expected of her; she had taken dance lessons for as long as she could remember, everything from the traditional waltz to ballet, but she was ashamed to realise that she had half expected him to tramp on her toes within the first few steps.
Looking up at him she found he was smiling. It was an infectious smile for soon she was smiling back. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to say something. She wanted to say nothing. She wanted to dance.
Since they were already going for that last option, she thought it best to just stick with that for now.
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Aug 10, 2007 17:24:15 GMT -4
Their movements were fluid, effortless as standing still. The dance was secondary, far away...all his attention was on her. He felt the warmth from her breath, so close, and the softness of her hand in his. He felt the muscles in her back move where his other hand met her waist.
His eyes stared deeply into hers.
"You seem surprised", he said softly. It wasn't a question. It was as though he looked inside her and he knew.
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Aug 10, 2007 17:50:31 GMT -4
Oh crap, he had totally called her on it. If she was going to convince everyone later that she had just ripped him a new one in here then she would have to get better at hiding her thoughts and emotions.
Unless it was just him she couldn’t hide them around. That was a little scary.
“I, uh… I-I’m sorry,” she said quietly. This would have been the time to look away all nervously, but he was staring so deeply into her eyes, like he was staring into her soul, that she couldn’t seem to break the connection. She did manage to bite her tongue and hold back another babbling explanation, though.
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Aug 10, 2007 18:40:10 GMT -4
Kurt was grinning. "Please", he said with a shake of his head, "do not be. Perhaps we are both a little different than we appear."
And yet, the way he looked at her, he seemed to look right through her. He did not seem to mind that the looking left himself just as exposed to her gaze as she was to his. His normal shyness was, for the moment, set aside.
"I hope that you are no less pleased by this than I am", he said.
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Aug 10, 2007 18:55:00 GMT -4
Boy, did he hit the nail on the head with that statement! She had grown up being told that humans were unintelligent, inferior… barely more than cattle. Although it was a hard lesson to stomach, after years of treating them as a lower life form, she didn’t realise how much had truly sunk in.
She could only imagine what he must have thought of her before this.
“No. I mean yes! I mean, I am pleased,” she stuttered, not sure what to do with his sudden confidence and bluntness. “It’s just a little weird, don’t you think? But I… I’m glad we got this chance to see… the other side of the coin? No… maybe something about a mask would have been a better metaphor...”
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Aug 14, 2007 12:42:50 GMT -4
"Maybe so", Kurt answered. He was deliberately cryptic. He was sure Katherine was not aware just how appropriate her metaphor was. It didn't matter now. All that mattered was this moment of illusion. The scent of her perfume. The color of her eyes.
It was best she never knew there was a much darker side....and it was not a coin. It was more like the tip of an iceberg.
"You dance beautifully", Kurt said, changing the subject. He might have meant the way she danced, he might have meant the way she looked. In either case, his eyes never left hers.
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Aug 14, 2007 15:23:19 GMT -4
He was staring at her like she was the only person in the entire world, maybe the only thing in the world that mattered. It was flattering and intimidating and she never wanted him to stop.
“Thank you. It’s called years of vigorous instruction and practise,” she replied, feeling her nerves begin to settle as she smiled up at him. “You’re pretty beautiful yourself.”
Her eyes suddenly widened as she realised how she had just slipped up.
“I-I mean that you dance beautifully! N-not that you’re not… but I didn’t… oh, crap.”
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Aug 16, 2007 12:05:43 GMT -4
Kurt stopped abruptly, a look of stunned surprise on his face. He pulled back from her and his gaze fluttered and fell to the floor.
"I...", he said, unable to finish the thought. The illusion, for a reason beyond his control, had broken. With it went his fragile confidence of only a moment before. "Forgive me, lady", he said quietly. He began to look a little panicked.
"I have...overstepped my boundaries...", he said.
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Aug 16, 2007 12:42:59 GMT -4
Crap, crap, double crap, everything had been going so well! Which probably wasn’t a good thing, considering, but it had felt like a good thing. But good things could sometimes lead to very bad things… like reality. Her heart sinking, she dropped her hand from his shoulder and took a step back herself.
“No, no, not at all. I may be smooth on my feet, but it’s my tongue that I tend to trip all over,” she said. She wanted to just resume the dance, to set him at ease again, but like all dreams it had to end sometime. He was right, of course. There were boundaries that they never should have crossed, but they both had, and the second they walked out of the room they would have to step back.
Unfortunately, she doubted that was possible.
“You have done nothing more than what I asked of you,” she tried to reassure him, wanting to ease his panic by swinging things back to how they were supposed to be. But she couldn’t help herself from reaching out to gently take his hand. “Thank you for the dance.”
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Aug 19, 2007 12:52:02 GMT -4
He was about to reach out for her hand when the door's locked clicked quietly.
A heartbeat later, the door burst open.
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Aug 19, 2007 18:49:15 GMT -4
There, she had fixed it! He would smile and take her hand and everything would be fine. Everything would be just… uh oh. In the silence that had fallen between them, the quiet clicking of the lock resounded like an anvil being struck in her head. Her eyes widening as she looked at Kurt, she swiftly snatched her hand back and practically jumped away, spinning around to face the door.
She had locked it, she knew she had and she had distinctly heard the lock open, so even before the door followed suit, she knew who would be on the other side. This was not good. This was beyond not good. She had been trying to make things better, trying to prevent Kurt from getting hurt over nothing, and in a moment things might possibly get immeasurably worse for him and it would be all her fault.
Oh God, oh God… sound happy, sound happy, sound happy!
“Father!” she exclaimed as the door opened.
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Aug 21, 2007 18:58:48 GMT -4
Kurt didn't need to turn to know just how dangerous the situation was. He kept his head low and his eyes focused on Katherine.
As a good servant being reprimanded was trained to do.
"As you say, your Majesty", he said to her with a low bow, "I will make it so." For effect, he added a touch of fear to the humility in his voice.
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Post by Magneto on Aug 21, 2007 19:14:36 GMT -4
Magneto wasn't sure what to expect when he opened the door, but he was surprised by what he saw. His daughter's exuberence surprised him more.
"Katherine?", he asked, confusion very evident in his tone and on his face. He had expected to find her in some kind of trouble - whether she knew that's what it was or not. This....it looked more like she was the one in control.
Control of what exactly, he wasn't sure.
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Post by Kitty Pryde on Aug 21, 2007 19:26:32 GMT -4
Man, oh man, this was not going to be good. She was so going to be in trouble, and Kurt… she couldn’t even bear to begin to think about what would happen to him. But then, suddenly, he was talking and bowing and it took a moment for it all to sink in. As flawlessly as she had fallen into the role of the outraged princess earlier to save him, he had fallen right back into reprimanded servant role to save her. She could really just hug him right then… but she wouldn’t of course. That would totally get them both killed.
Oh, right, her turn to play along. Sticking her nose up in the air, she fixed him with the haughtiest look she could muster.
“Good,” she sniffed before turning her attention back to her father. It was easier not to look at Kurt. Her eyes would give her away for sure. “I’m sorry, father. I had hoped to finish this before you arrived.”
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Post by Kurt Wagner on Aug 22, 2007 10:36:01 GMT -4
Kurt remained in a low bow. He would do so until he was told he could do otherwise. He didn't mind. It kept him from having to act like he was busy or not paying attention. It kept him out of further trouble.
There were times when being beneath notice was a very good thing.
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