Long time no see

[Nightfall]

: As seemed to be the case, more often than not lately, the dojo was empty. Nightfall sighed, wondering if he should do some advertising or put up notices in the Freehold. That was its own predicament, since it might lead to a sovereign insisting he formally join and take the Oath. So it seemed his choices were either to be broke, or bound in a Pledge. He had a few dance students, and several that took hand-to-hand weapons classes, but it was just enough to pay the bills.

He went through his end of the day to-do list, Restoring the Dawn Beauty to items used throughout the day, and then began sweeping. Looking down at his t-shirt and sweatpants, he belated realized it was the dreaded... laundry day.

: Twist hesitated at the entrance to the Dojo, her fingers curled around a thin wood box. She wasn't sure why she was here, in all truth. It had been a long time since she had had her date with Neil. And what did it truly matter? One date? Really- she was Daeva. She was above being bound by dates. Especially one that hadn't involved feeding. And yet, she was not so old in her undead years to feel absolutely no emotion. And in a way what she was doing was Daeva. She was indulging in herself with his company, for the sheer thrill of it. Not to sate her ever present beast, or to find information, or to simply carry a ruse. It was just to enjoy his company and get away from her true life for a short while. Of course...that was assuming her even talked to her after she bailed on him. Besides- she had promised him a second date. And she was not one of those kindred who promised stuff to mortals and failed to give. She was better than that.

So, taking a breath she didn't need and shifting the box so that she held it behind her body and out of sight, she pushed open the door and walked into the dojo proper.

Go with the lemon bell outfit (second in on top row) and make realistic

: Nightfall looked up as he heard the doors open, and stopped sweeping in surprise. Myah? It had seemed like forever since he had seen her, and had thought she had lost interest, although he was pretty sure she had enjoyed her evening. His face widened into a smile as he took in her yellow dress, and he looked down at himself. Apparently they were making a tradition of mismatching dress. Well... if twice could be called tradition. He leaned on his broom and cocked his head, giving her a curious look, although still smiling. The front room is where the dojo part is, with weapons racks, etc -- then there is a back room where the dancing part is, mirrors, ballet rails, etc. NF 'inherited' it from chaos angel's Grace

: It didn't take her long to locate Neil- he was the only one in the room. At his look she grinned sheepishly and ducked her head but approached him anyways. "I thought I would stop by and see if you were still working. I hope that is okay?" Her voice was hopeful, but she hesitated just out of arms reach, willing to leave if he but motioned it.

: He smiled and nodded, not really sure of what to do. If this had been a few days or a week or two after their date, he would have kissed her 'hello'... but the amount of time that had passed made it feel a bit awkward. Despite the way they had ended the night before, when she hadn't come by, it had felt like a silent rejection. Which, although Neil was definitely not used to that, he had been guilty of doing similar things -- so he wasn't altogether sure of what to expect. Perhaps she was curious about her prize money from Ember?

: She smiled, relieved. "Explanations would probably be expected at this time right?" She paused, "There was a family emergency at home- it was sudden and didn't end well." She didn't have to feign the loss and turmoil that flashed across her face at the explanation. Her trip to Italy had been a family emergency- her Daeva family. And it had not ended well. Better than expected but nonetheless not well. Although the actual death part had been what triggered the emergency. "I wasn't supposed to stay long- but it dragged out and I ended up catching something that prevented my return." The last was a bit of stretch on the plague that had wiped out nearly the entire Kindred city of Sacramento, but it worked for a partial excuse for her lengthy delay. And gave a reason to her less than stellar appearance. While she still looked good- the ravages of the plague were still faintly visible. She did hate appearing like this in front of him, but it was proving difficult to shake the lingering effects of the plague even with her blood abilities

: Neil nodded in understanding, and his eyebrows came together in concern. He understood family emergencies, even if he could no longer be a part of his family. Sudden, lengthy disappearances? Yeah... he understood that, too. Really well. He gave her a playful smile and a shrug, waving a hand to let her know that it wasn't a big deal. His eyes narrowed and he looked sideways at her, curious as to what she was holding. Although holding her hands behind her back did simply wonderful things to her front, he was still a curious cat.

: At his wave, relief flooded her whole posture and not just her smile. Stepping closer she pulled the box from behind her and held it out to him. "An apology gift. For standing you up oh so long ago." Up close he could see that the wood box was thin, but well made and stained a deep color. A small latch on the front held it closed.

: He was a bit taken aback, but pleased. He awkwardly juggled the broom before letting it lay in the crook of his arm before taking the box. Although he wasn't that superficial, being Fairest tended to color your outlook on nice things, and he ran his fingers over the wood before looking at her briefly, then opening it.

: Inside laid a very nice set of small throwing knives resting in velour niches. They looked handcrafted and a piece of paper tucked into the lid would reveal that they were. It would also give some history and pedigree of the craftsman- but only if one could read Italian. Twist watched as Neil opened the box, waiting to see his reaction. She was fairly certain he said he dealt with weapons and on one of her shopping trips in Italy had swung by her favorite knife craftsman to pick him up a set. Although, technically it was now his great grandson who was crafting the knives if she really thought about it.

: Nightfall smiled. He liked pointy things. He gently picked one up and hefted it, taking in the craftsmanship of the blade and tang. Myah got more interesting every time they met, it seemed. He looked over at the far wall, where there was a wooden board with various targets painted on it as well as a padded practice dummy. He looked back at her with a sly grin and arched eyebrow and offered her one of the knives. Neil had no idea if the dancer knew what to do with them, or had just bought them, but it seemed an odd gift to give if she had no idea. Then of course, there was the default offer to teach her, i.e. see her again, if she didn't.

: As Neil lifted one of the blades to test its weight, Twist grinned- her eyes crinkling with it. She had remembered correctly, he held it like one familiar with knives or at least sharp objects, which meant that he would appreciate the knives for what they were. As he offered it out to her though she lifted her hands, "Oh no- they are for you. You get the first throw on them. I wouldn't mind trying, but after you." She laughed lightly, stepping out of the way.

: Nightfall nodded. He was barely mature enough to realize that he was a prideful thing, and couldn't resist. He released a bit of Glamour, invoking the Beneficent Fate. Nightfall was much better at melee than throwing, but he'd be damned if he wasn't going to try to impress Myah. He flipped the blade into a throwing grip and let his arm flow out, releasing the blade to sink with a satisfying thump into the dummy's head. (( 2009-06-29 12:16:00 Nightfall rolls 7 to Dex5+Weap1+Hearth4-Aimed(Head)3 (10 Again) 8, 3, 1, 3, 8, 1, 2 2 successes ))

: Twist let out a laugh at his successful throw and gave him a quick round of applause. "How are they? Do they throw well? Do you like them?"

: Nightfall nodded and grinned emphatically, happy at her applause and that he'd been successful. He held the box to her and gestured to the dummy, getting the sneaking suspicion that she knew how to throw as well from her questions.

: Twist smiles and accepts the box, carefully pulling one of the knives out. She gives a moment to get used to its weight before shifting it so that she held it in the correct position. She shots a quicksilver grin at Neil and stepping into line with the dummy. A relaxed lift, a quick flick of the wrist, release at the right point and after one spin her blade struck home, next to Neil's. She turned with an ecstatic grin, "Oh- those are nice!" ((2009-06-29 12:30:32 Twist rolls 10 to Dex5+weaponry4+specialty knives 1 (10 Again) 5, 1, 8, 7, 1, 5, 1, 6, 9, 10, 1 3 successes ))

: Nightfall can't contain his surprise as his brows furrow and he turns away from the dummy to look at Myah. Although he's smiling at her performance, he's just a teeny tiny bit annoyed that she duplicated his feat without any 'help'. Watching her expertise in the way she threw, he's more than a teeny tiny bit curious about where --or even why-- she learned. Apparently he'd have to re-evaluate his opinion of Myah as a 'normal, nice' girl. All of that went through his head in a flash, and he mouthed 'thank you', gave her a quick kiss.

: Twist bit her bottom lip as she saw Neil study her thrown dagger before turning back to her. She probably ought to have toned it back a little- but she loved knives so much, and was good with them, and she just had a super hard time with the concept of trying to mess up just for him. She was proud of her abilities with a knife, and she didn't want to hide it. But she didn't have to worry for long, because then he was saying thank you and before she had time to even process that she was being kissed. It was a quick kiss- but it was a kiss nonetheless and thoughts scattered to the wind for a second as she indulged herself. As he pulled away she laughed, "Your welcome. I am glad you like them."

: He smiled broadly, and then suddenly held up his finger for her to wait. Finally ridding himself of the silly broom, he ran to the office, where he sat the box down on his desk. Quickly opening the safe, he pulled an envelope out and returned. He handed her the thousand dollars she had won at the Ember Amateur Night competition, glad to finally do so -- it had been bugging him. That, and he felt a bit weird about accepting such a nice gift from her. Which, in its own way was odd, since he should have still been wondering about the why, and her aptitude with them.

: She looked confused as she took the envelope. "What is this?" Puzzled, she opened the flap and saw the money inside. She looked up the confused look still on her face. "The knives are a gift Neil- you don't have to pay for them." She held the envelope back toward him.

: Neil shook his head, and reached for the blackboard that wasn't there anymore. "Oh," he said, more to himself than to Myah, as he remembered why it wasn't there. "No, from Ember," he said, still used to being very sparing with words.

: Twist blinked and nearly dropped the envelope she still held in her hands, the words he spoke washing over her as the fact that he actually spoke took her by sudden surprise. "Y-Your voice...you can" she waved the hand with the envelope in the direction of his throat, "...talk." she finished lamely

: A second stretched into moments, then almost a full minute as Neil stared at Myah with wide open eyes. He had already figured out that it was a lot easier to lie on paper, when he had to, than it was speaking. At least, when you were used to speaking. Not being used to speaking -- or by being deceptive by that medium -- made it even more difficult. Consequently, Nightfall sucked at lying. Which was made really awkward by the nature of the truth. Even though she seemed like an unusual woman, he doubted telling her that he had opened a box and found his voice was something she'd accept. "Ummmm," he blushed. "Just recently," he added, hoping she didn't think he had been lying before. Then again, considering the time they had spent in bed, no one could have feigned total silence. "Long story," he added weakly, with the slight lilt of a question. The question, of course, being if she would accept such a lame dodge.

: Twist waited for his answer with wide eyes for the whole minute that it took for him to come up with one. She gave a weak grin at his answer when it finally came up, surprise at his voice still taking up most of her cognitive abilities. "Well- um, congratulations?" She laughed, and attempting to break the awkwardness she felt at the reveal pushed forward, "Well, I must say- you have a very nice voice." She grinned, hoping it worked.

: "Well... thanks," he said, still blushing furiously at the weirdness of it all, and not having a good answer. "Still... getting used to it," he added. He hoped she wasn't some deviant that just liked picking up handicapped people. Although that would be funny, in an ironic way, it would suck. "So... did you get your old job dancing back?" he asked, trying to change the subject. Then of course, she could not be a deviant, but simply a normal woman who would get turned off by the fact that he was still learning how to make conversation and was terrible at it.

: She grinned, again struck by how cute he looked when blushing. "Oh- ah, yes." She replied, fumbling a bit as she was caught off guard by the sudden shift of attention back upon her. She suddenly hoped he didn't ask to see her in a show. While she loved performing and was good at it- as far as the Ballo Della Notte went, she left the dancing and performance up to those she hired. Maybe she should nip that in the bud. "Well, kind of. They had a double stand in and she is going to continue for the rest of the show. I will be working backstage. Which is okay with me- I was getting burnt out on the routine anyways. Now I can take a break and possibly work on the next event." She shifted and the envelope with money crinkled in her hand, "Oh- um, so what was this for again?"

: Nightfall listened, and nodded, and felt a bit awkward again about the gift, if she were having to sit out of dancing for a bit. Still, one of the things his Russian parents had instilled in him was a respect for other people's finances, so he didn't say anything. Looking back at the envelope, he smiled. "Ember... that night. It was a competition, that was the prize," he explained. That, of course, reminded her of what she had worn, and he couldn't help but examine her yellow dress and wonder if the buttons in the front were functional, or if had a zipper in the back.

: The confused look faded to be replaced with one of comprehension and she laughed, suddenly recalling that it had been a competition. She hadn't realized she had won though, she had left before the winners were announced. She held out the envelope to him, "Ah, keep it. I didn't really enter the contest to win and I kind of cheated. It was for amateurs and I am not really an amateur am I?" A subtle shift in her tone, and Neil knew it wasn't dancing that she was talking about being an amateur at. "Give it to second place, or keep if for the club. So they can hose another such night."

[Twist]

(Neil): Her words made him even more curious about her, since not many people refused a thousand dollars. He wondered if she were a wealthy dilettante who danced and threw knives for her own amusement. It sounded a bit far-fetched, but after the recent King of Pop's death, he supposed anything were possible. How mysterious. He simply shrugged and took the envelope back, and resolved to see what was going on at Ember. After all, Lisaundra had been the runner up, and she had left town after her Fae blood had been revealed. "I'm glad you came by," he said, realizing it had been a while since Grace, Lis, and she had all disappeared on him. His curiosity finally got the better of him, and he asked, "Are you... ill?"

(Myah): She smiled, "I am too." Her nose wrinkled as she frowned at the question, not as though she were upset with him for asking, but because she was upset at the idea of being ill. One bared shoulder lifted and dropped slightly, "I suppose you could put it that way." She said slowly, thinking how to explain the plague without risking a masquerade breach. "After the family emergency I had a minor issue with my blood that rose. I guess you could say I am recovering from being ill. I will always have to worry about my blood but it isn't anything that should prevent me from living." She smiled, "It's a hereditary thing so you don't have to worry about me being contagious."

(Neil): It didn't take much for Myah to notice the relief on Neil's guileless face when she finally finished her explanation with the fact that it wasn't contagious. "Your heart?" he asked, then scratched his head in consternation as he tried to get used to talking. "Is strenuous activity ok?" he elaborated, with a bit of a laugh and a gleam in his eye. He winced a bit at how that sounded, and blushed again. "I mean, ummmm, I hope you get better soon." This talking thing, he needed to work on it.

(Myah): She nodded, yes- her heart was part of it. An image of the heart Dr. Lazarus had flashed before her minds eye and she shoved it away ruthlessly. That was not what she wanted to think on right now. She laughed again, her eyes sparkling, "Oh- strenuous activity is more than okay, it is recommended." She reached up and traced one finger along his collar bone and blushing skin. Another flash- this time of the boy from the grindhouse she had drank from. She smiled up at him, "Don't worry- I am planning on a full recovery."

(Neil): Neil looked down at her finger and blushed again, realizing he looked like crap. With so many of his Freehold acquaintances in a similar economic bracket, he had gotten used to t-shirts -- a stark contrast to Myah's very cool dress. He spent a few seconds going over the words in his mind before he spoke, so he didn't sound like a moron. "Well if it's recommended, I can offer dancing, weapon lessons, or a personal regimen." Great -- he just sounded like he was reciting something he had been preparing. He reached out and touched one of the buttons, curiosity returning.

(Myah): She smiled, enjoying his ability to talk. It was slightly rough around the edges but it was opened up so many flirting options. And she loved flirting options...or maybe she just loved flirting. "How about all three?"

(Neil): All three... that opened up some really interesting possibilities. Beyond winning every couples dancing competition in the city, that is. He already knew that she was an excellent dancer, and apparently threw knives better than he did. That left melee... and then maybe a tie-breaker activity. "Sounds like a triathlon," he said slowly, smiling, and pulling her button a bit. "What do you need worked on first?" he asked, starting to enjoy talking.

(Myah): She raised her eyes as she thought, her tongue touching her lips briefly to rewet them. Returning her sight back to him she smiled slowly, "Dancing I think- I am a little out of practice in my hips." She did a slow swivel with her hips, "Can you teach me or am I a lost cause?"

(Neil): He grinned and let his hand trail down to rest on her waist. He almost let out a little sigh of happiness as he brought his other hand up and felt her movement under his hands. Stepping in close, he mirrored her movement and gave her a look of mock seriousness. "Getting you ready to dance at somewhere famous like Ballo Della Notte may take a lot of hard work," he said, gently applying pressure with his fingers to bring her in closer.

(Myah): She ceded to the pressure, bringing her body closer. "Oh? Well I am not afraid of hard work with you teaching me. I promise I will do whatever you say I need to do to get back into shape." She smiled, and lightly lifted her hands to Neil's shoulders,

(Neil): Neil laughed softly. He seriously doubted there was much --if anything-- he could teach her about dancing, and to have her say she would do whatever he said after throwing that knife was just funny. He turned his head and nipped her arm lightly, swaying to a memory of a song and enjoying the moment. "I might take you up on that promise," he said, playfully. "How long do I have to get you into shape?" he asked, bringing a hand up to pull slightly at her hair at the nape of her neck.
She didn't know the silent song he moved to, but it wasn't hard to catch his rhythm and move easily into it. When he asks about time, she leans back slightly, careful though not to disturb their cadence. Her lips move as it seems she is counting days and calculating a time. After a moment she focuses on him, "Long enough not to panic but I always think it a good idea to get a strong head start don't you?" Behind his head, her fingers toyed with his tee shirt's collar and tag, a faint tickling against his skin

(Neil): Nightfall gently pulled her hair and kissed her neck softly. "That's always a good idea," he said, closing his eyes as the tag tickled his neck. "I've never had anyone do whatever I said before," he added, smiling. He moved his other hand to the small of her back, half of his hand feeling the fabric of her dress, the other half her shoulder blade. "The mind just boggles at the possibilities," he mused, curious again at how cool her skin felt, but he knew she eventually warmed up. The collar of her dress made him think of a fetish club he had always wanted to go to -- but never had the nerve. So many possibilities, if she were serious.

(Myah): She chuckled, the sound low and playful, "Just don't get so boggled down that you forget to actually give me any instructions. That doesn't help either of us." Feeling his fingers against the fabric of her dress and skin, she pulled away from his embrace. "Do you like? I know it isn't a corset," she added with a cheeky smile, "but a girl needs some variety in her closet." Stepping back another step she spun in place, to show of the outfit, pausing with her back to him she glanced over her shoulder, "Well?"

(Neil): Nightfall laughed, a little embarrassed and a little delighted that he had been so transparent before -- and that she remembered. "I like," he said, still laughing. "But I think I would like anything on you," he added truthfully. The way the panels spun out when she turned was pretty nifty; hypnotic, even. "I wouldn't mind seeing a corset again," his smile widened. "Maybe I'll arrange that next competition at Ember sooner than later." He resisted the temptation to reach out again, getting the feeling that she liked the teasing and flirting.

(Myah): She laughed, "Just tell me when and I will be there" She turned so that she was once more facing him, but didn't step closer. "So- when does my first lesson start?" Her eyes sparkled with the undertone of tease and challenge in her words.

(Neil): "Well," Nightfall answered, "Come on," he said with a smile. He walked to the back room, opening the doors to the dance studio. One entire wall was a mirror with a ballet bar affixed to it. Nightfall went over to the stereo and turned on some music. He moved to stand behind Myah, and faced her to the mirror, looking at her reflection. "Can I see what we have to work with?" he asked, with a mock serious expression. "This," he slid his hands around her torso, "Seems awfully restrictive." He watched her eyes in the mirror as his hands stopped just shy of her breasts, waiting to see what she wanted.

(Myah): Smiling she followed him to the dance portion of the dojo. While he went to turn on the stereo, she spun in place admiring the large empty room. As he turned her to face the mirror, she assumed a likewise serious expression. Hers wasn't as good as his as a small smile kept slipping through but she tried. "Of course," she let her body relax slightly, her arms at held slightly away from her body. Watching the mirror she followed the path of his hands on her. She cocked an eyebrow and looked at him through the mirror. "Restrictive isn't good for dancing is it? We should fix it."

[Nightfall]

~~Narration~~

And so, in short order, Twist satisfied herself that she was, indeed, nearly recovered from the Lost Nights; Nightfall satisfied his curiosity about her dress fastenings; and both feigned surprise at the usefulness and load bearing properties of ballet bars.