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Tweak says, "Good evening...infidel."

Emily Planck (healingenergy) wrote in nosuchtimes,
@ 2008-08-04 01:08:00

Entry tags:

emily planck, sascha connolly

Emily & Sascha: A candlelit rendezvous and some impromptu dance lessons.
Who: Emily and Sascha
Where: by the Elven Palace
When: early evening, Tuesday, September 18, 2007
What: Dancing!

After a good day of teaching at the library, Emily decided to wander around Helicharis for a little while to see if there was anything interesting happening she didn't know about yet. After half a minute of walking, she discovered a stand on the street with a brown haired man and woman sitting next to each other, behind a large sign that read "Entertainment Extravaganza! Show off your talents!" It was enough to intrigue her and she walked over to them curiously.

"Welcome, welcome!" said the man with a large grin. "Would you be interested in performing something for the Autumn Festival? Singing or dancing? Anything's welcome, and music can be provided if necessary!"

"Dancing?" The word slipped out of her mouth before she could help it. She dreamed of dancing in front of an audience when she was younger, but never had enough money to afford lessons. Her eyes glimmered with eagerness without her knowing, but she hesitated to actually speak.

The man picked up on it easily enough. "I see you have the light of the dancer in your eye. How about something in the evening?"

Emily furrowed her brow in protest. "Wait, I don't know...." she trailed off, but the man and woman were persuasive and she found herself agreeing to performing in the evening on the first day. She walked back to the forest cottages not knowing what had possessed her to say yes.

What was done was done. Emily started to think of what song to play, various dance moves she could make... She definitely needed to find an area to practice and went to her room to change into a tank top that showed too much of her stomach (but that was all right, no one was going to see) and leggings. Echo and the twins weren't back yet, so she left a note on the table saying she had an errand to run. The sun would set soon and it was best she bring along some candles and matches to light the area.

Now, where was a good place to try out some dance moves? Nothing came to mind except the possibility of the Elven palace, of which she'd heard about from overhearing a couple of people two days ago. It was worth a look and she headed towards it. As she walked to the palace, she thought she saw the familar figure of Sweeney a ways behind her, but lost track of her after a few minutes.She didn't expect to discover the absolute beauty of the place and luckily, it had a good courtyard for her purposes and she set up the candles around her in a large circle for later.

The sun set and she began to dance. At first, Emily felt silly because she had no idea what to do, but soon she thought of ballet and copied the graceful arm movements she'd seen before a few times. Along with moving her arms like that, she added box steps, with a couple of twirls added here and there. It was easy to see that she had no practice but absolutely enjoyed every move made.

Sascha sighed as he gathered his belongings into his satchel and prepared to head home. His shift at the library was over for the day, but his energy was far from spent; although his week-long vacation seemed to have provided all the rest and revitalization he could ever possibly have needed, it had also left him a bit restless. Irei had certainly seemed to appreciate his renewed vigor and enthusiasm in bed, though, so at least it wasn't a complete waste of energy.

Sweeney met him at the door with a deep throated bark, tail wagging as she practically bounced with barely contained excitement. It took a few moments for Sascha to calm her down enough to make sense of the thoughts racing through her canine mind, but he was eventually able to interpret enough to realize that the little mutt had seen Emily. Images of the blonde woman flashed briefly in Sascha's mind, almost like a series of photographs in quick succession, and he frowned a little in confusion. He didn't normally see the same images- 'memories' might be a better term- as the recipient of his telepathy, but he was almost positive that the images in his mind had been communicated through some kind of mental exchange with Sweeney. Damn, if things didn't just get weirder everyday.

None of the thoughts or reactions surrounding the sighting seemed to warn of danger, and as Sweeney danced happily in place, Sascha realized that his canine companion wanted him to follow her and, presumably, pay Emily a visit. Poor Sweeney, he thought with a chuckle as the dog loped off in front of him and began to lead him down one of the winding forest pathways to the Elven Palace. She could probably sense her daddy's recent boredom and restlessness better than anyone, and it seemed to be rubbing off on her. Oh well- a little adventure never hurt anyone, did it?

The pair traveled along as the sun descended toward the horizon, and by the time they'd reached the sprawling courtyard, the last few dying rays had already begun to disappear over the mountaintops. Sascha blinked a little in surprise at the weak light that had seemed to emanate from the area as they approached, but then they drew close enough for him to make out a circle of candles that had been set out on the ground. Amidst the flickering light from the tiny flames, he could see the faint outline of a figure spinning and twirling to what must have been music in her mind. Her movements were fluid and graceful, although it was apparent that she had little technical training. Ah, but that's exactly where Sascha could help.

He slipped his satchel onto the ground as Sweeney let out a bark of greeting and scampered over to the woman. "That's just about the saddest thing I've ever seen, Miss Emily," he remarked, tsking and shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. Then a playful smile crossed his lips, and as if to clarify he added, "Pretty ladies should never dance alone."

Without waiting for an invitation, Sascha moved toward the pair encircled by the candles, shedding his heavier outer shirt and tossing it back in the direction of the satchel. He grinned as he began to roll up the cuffs of his worn button down, examining the arrangement of the candles and the soft, almost romantic aura surrounding the flickering firelight.

"Or maybe you were expecting me, is that it?" he couldn't help but tease, winking slyly at Emily as he stopped just outside the ring of tiny flames.

At the sudden noise, Emily stopped her movements and saw Sweeney rush over to her. She stroked her head as a greeting and heard Sascha's comment, her cheeks growing warm. She knew he meant nothing by it, but still she felt a little flustered and didn't know why. "Hi there," she said. "I didn't expect - I wasn't..." Something told her that she had no good reason for being out here except one simple fact. "I've always loved to dance, but I never had the opportunity to learn formally. Actually, I have pushed it out of my mind for so long that I guess my dream was bound to resurface some day." What went up had to come down passed through her mind.

She watched as he moved closer and rolled up his sleeves, wondering what he had in mind. More teasing, it seemed. "I had no idea anyone would come here," she answered. "But I'm flattered you wanted to look for me, even if.. I'm dressed in my workout clothes." Emily slipped a strand of hair behind her ear, turning slightly so that the small stud in her belly button sparkled in the candelight. "Do you dance?" It was difficult not to ask since he might have been hinting that he did. Who could not like a man who danced?

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bohemiarhapsody
2008-08-04 07:50 am UTC (link)

"Actually, you've got Sweeney to thank for that- she's the one who stayed hot on the trail," he returned, smiling as he stepped carefully inside the circle of candles and approached her. "I saw you leave earlier this afternoon, but I had my hands full at the circulation desk so I couldn't really give you a decent farewell. Sorry about that."

Sascha nodded as he listened to Emily speak about her unrealized love for dancing, but he was momentarily distracted by a glint of something shiny right around her navel. Tilting his head curiously, he reached out to gently finger the decorative little jewel, tickling her lightly in the process. Obviously he had no qualms about physical closeness with Emily, especially not after their several previous encounters.

"Well, well, looks like someone is a bit of a wild child. I'm impressed." He playfully arched a brow at her as he released the sparkly little stud to brush another stray lock of hair out of her eyes. "Don't tell me that's too recent." He reached down to give Sweeney a few firm pats on the back before ushering her out of the ring of flames.

"Do I dance? Do I dance?" Sascha couldn't help but laugh at the innocent and perfectly reasonable question; Emily obviously didn't know much about his past at all, not that she really could have. He stepped up right in front of her, holding out his hands palms up and grasping her fingertips as he spoke. "Annie's mother was a dance instructor, so she was pretty much raised around it. Yvonne wouldn't dare let a new son-in-law with two left feet into the family. Straighten your back a little."

He took a quick step forward then, not bothering to pause in his speaking as he rocked slightly on his feet and then returned to his previous position only to step backward with his other foot and pull Emily toward him. "I go forward, you go back, and vice versa. Easy." The move caught her a little off-guard with its suddenness, but Sascha merely continued the same motions until she eventually began to match his steps. It was very similar to the way Annie had taught him, although that had been a little more awkward since she'd had to start off by leading for him. Not that he'd really minded.

"I also wanted to thank you...for last week," he murmured softly as he suddenly switched from a back-and-forth movement to a side-to-side version of the same step. "Just follow me, and use a little more hip. I really appreciate everything you did for me, though. It's been a long time since I've been able to really think or talk about it without trying to completely repress everything, and that's partly because of you."

Sascha took another step out and to the side as he briefly let go of one of her hands and swung her out, then grabbed her hand again and repeated the gesture on the other side. "And now you know basic salsa. How's that for a crash course?"

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healingenergy
2008-08-04 10:58 pm UTC (link)

"Thank you, Sweeney." Emily smiled down at the dog and then watched as he walked closer to her. She understood that work came before saying hello to friends and she could hardly chide him for not doing so. "Of course. Don't worry about it." She would have liked for him to say goodbye when she finished teaching, though she shouldn't be selfish like that.

She never spoke about her interest in dancing to anyone and suddenly her doing so to him felt strange, as if he opened up her mind and took a look into the most private parts of it. That was a silly thought, because she willingly told him. It relieved her to have someone with whom she finally talked about this. Emily laughed as he tickled her with the brush of his fingers and tried not to blush as he touched her piercing. "It was only the once," she said. "I've had this ever since Echo was one year old. My friend Beth dared me to and I just did. It's not as if it's as bad as a tattoo or anything." Why was she justifying herself? "Um, so, yes."

His laughter confused her, but that hardly mattered. Emily smiled as he grasped her fingers. Interesting - he didn't seem upset about dancing, so that was a good sign. "Oh? I hope her dance lessons were not that strict," she remarked as she straightened her back as he said. Truth be told, she wanted to see how well he danced. Following his instructions at first was more difficult than she thought and Emily tried the second time to get it right. Dancing like this, properly, was more enjoyable than she expected.

She met his eyes at his comment and managed to match his steps, a bit slower than his. A little more hip... Her stomach flopped as she tried to do what he said. "I'm glad I was able to help you, even if it was a little," Emily told him. "You shouldn't let things bottle up inside you... I think - " and then her voice became softer, " - I repressed things about Mathias as you could have guessed and everything clashed and.." No, things were about him now. "I'd help you any time, remember that."

They finished the salsa and she was surprised to be swung out twice. That just made it even more fun! "Thank you," she said with a smile. A sudden question popped in her mind - should she ask about the music concert? Sascha was easy-going and might agree to it. "Sascha... Have you seen signs for the musical show that's happening at the autumn festival? I somehow signed myself up to dance and... I was wondering if you wouldn't mind being my dance partner since you actually know types of dances."

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bohemiarhapsody
2008-08-06 11:00 am UTC (link)

Sascha raised a skeptical eyebrow at Emily as she explained away her piercing, and he snorted a little in amusement at her comment about tattoos. He wasn't sure exactly how much she recalled of that particular encounter when he'd ended up shirtless in her bed, but the various tattoos decorating his arms and torso had been fairly visible then. Just to refresh her memory, he offered up one of his arms for examination; one large marking was readily apparent on his lower forearm as well as several smaller ones along his hand and fingers. "Not as bad as a tattoo, eh?" He leaned closer so that their foreheads were nearly touching before adding playfully, "Does that make me a bad boy?"

Emily had responded to his directions more easily than he'd anticipated, and although it took several tries before their steps were completely in synch, Sascha was vastly impressed with her progress. Maybe they could step it up a notch. "Not strict, exactly...relentless might be a better word. Yvonne was like...how should I put this..." He paused a moment to think of an adequate description for his former mother-in-law. "She was basically a drill sergeant in a leotard. Great woman, though. Only real mom I ever had."

There was the slightest hint of hesitation in Emily's step when he mentioned exaggerating the motions of her hip, and it didn't escape Sascha's attention, although he didn't immediately call her on it. "You're very right, Miss Emily," he agreed after she'd finished speaking about her own troubled emotional past. "Distraction just seemed easier than trying to deal with the memories directly. Less pain that way, I guess." He smiled softly at her comment and released one of her hands to briefly tilt her chin up toward him. "That means a lot, but the offer goes both ways. I don't mind helping out every once in awhile, either. If you need to talk, I'm all ears."

He wasn't terribly surprised to hear her speak of the upcoming festival, but he hadn't exactly considered becoming a full-fledged dance partner and instructor. Of course, it wasn't as though he really had anything else to do aside from his work at the library, so...maybe the idea wasn't altogether without merit. And anyway, he had to admit that he'd been enjoying their time spent together; why not continue?

"Are you propositioning me, Miss Emily?" he asked with a chuckle, catching her hand and twirling her around so that her back was to him and her own arms were crossed over her chest. Still keeping a grip on one of her hands, he moved his other to her waist and promptly dipped her to the side, grinning and holding the position as he responded. "Because then I'd definitely have to say yes. Although I'm a little surprised you've already signed yourself up." There was a mischievous glint in his eye as he added, "Are you sure you weren't expecting me?"

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healingenergy
2008-08-07 11:32 pm UTC (link)

She vaguely remembered a flash of tattoo, though she tried not to think about what had happened. Emily looked at the tattoo on his forearm and hand, the latter of which she had not really noticed until now. "You certainly have enough of them," she said. That came out wrong and she winced at her words. "I didn't mean it like it was a bad thing. I just wondered why you decided to get tattoos. I don't know anyone with them." Understandable, yes? She blinked as he leaned forward, uncertain of the sudden proximity, but laughed shortly. "If you are, what am I going to do with you?" she teased. Although Emily had only known him for a short while, Sascha did not strike her as a bad boy. Sure, he had tattoos, but his attitude was not as apathetic and uncaring. It was possible that her presence encouraged people to be more mature and not as fun, but she hoped that wasn't the case.

She'd met a woman or two like that when meeting various mothers of Echo's classmates and smiled at his description. Relentless people were usually difficult and she wondered how much Yvonne liked Sascha. What was she thinking? Of course, how could anyone not like him? She suddenly wondered what the three of them were like - Annie, her mother and Sascha. "I don't think you'll ever forget her," she remarked. "Did Annie get along well with Yvonne?" Her curiosity got the better of her and her question slipped from her mouth.

Moving her hips a little too much was somewhat ridiculous in her opinion, but doing it a couple of times made her feel much better. It was only human, she figured, to want to distract oneself from pain because it was difficult to confront and work through it. "Much less pain that way," she agreed. "I think I need to stop backing away from my problems." A rare insight from her. Hearing his offer to talk cheered her up and she gave him a smile. "Thank you. I have to take you up on that some time." She was glad to have such a good friend.

Emily enjoyed the twirl although it was unexpected as well as the dip before she turned around to face him. What did he mean by 'propositioning?' Confused, she decided to go the innocent route. "I'm asking nicely?" Her cheeks grew warmer for some reason at his comment. "There were two people who were very persuasive. When someone asks me something, often it's difficult to say no. I can't help it if I want to make people happy." Her participating in the festival made the McCalls pleased and that was important to her. "And no, this was a complete coincedence." A good one, she didn't say.

"Do you prefer salsa over the other dances or do you have a favorite? I'd be willing to try anything!" Emily's eagerness was obvious by the way she looked up at him with bright eyes. It wasn't often that she had the opportunity to learn about a topic that interested her from a source of information. Given his attitude, Sascha seemed as though he was happy to share. "Maybe we can add a few more twirls too because I enjoyed those. A lot."

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OOC: In which Sascha rambles like a lunatic XD

bohemiarhapsody
2008-09-03 09:22 am UTC (link)

There was something absolutely endearing about Emily when she stumbled over her words, and Sascha couldn't resist chuckling a little at her expense. Not that he was offended in the slightest, of course. "I had most of them done the year after I lost the girls," he admitted with a gentle smile, thankful that the recollection of that particular time seemed much less painful than it had only a week prior. "I took a year-long sabbatical from the university and traveled across all 48 states of the continental U.S. Buses, trains, hitchhiking, you name it. Never drove a single mile."

He leaned closer in a confidential manner. "I never actually had a driver's license, to be honest. Whenever I came across a person or place that made a real impression on me, I got a tattoo to commemorate. A few of them are pretty strategically placed, so I'll keep them to myself for now." Sascha winked coyly at her and added, "Can't stop a bad boy from taking what he wants, Miss Emily."

He blinked a little at her sudden bout of curiosity but decided to indulge her since the question seemed harmless enough. "Oh, they got along just great. Used to bicker with each other alot, but they were actually so much alike that they'd always agree in the end. That's how I got roped into dancing in the first place." Sascha was particularly fond of those memories, and there was a bit of a faraway look in his eyes as he recalled them to his current company.

"Yvonne actually helped us name Bella before she was born- and we never once had an ultrasound. I'll be damned if I know how those two knew she'd be a girl, but...mother's intuition, I suppose? Did you ever just get feelings about Echo?" Sascha looked to Emily as if for confirmation, genuinely intrigued by the apparent mysteries of the female psyche. "She was actually named after her mother, sort of...'Annabella' for 'Annelise', but we shortened it to 'Bella'. My two Annie's." He shook his head and smiled as he realized that he'd just talked through the entire exercise. "Won't you listen to me? Next time I start talking your ear off, Miss Emily, you've got my permission to whip out a muzzle."

Emily seemed terribly enthusiastic about this whole dancing idea, and Sascha made the quick call to keep her in high spirits. "Well, when you put it like that, how can I refuse?" he chuckled as he set her back on her feet, already turning over several different dance styles in his mind. "Salsa was one of my favorites, but we could always incorporate a few techniques from some other dances...and the twirls should be a cinch." He couldn't quite help himself as he reached out to swat lightly at Emily's backside. "Just remember, Miss Emily...you said anything.

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ooc: Emily rambles too. ;) And lets something slip!

healingenergy
2008-09-06 09:51 am UTC (link)

She noticed that he was able to say that he'd lost the girls without the pained look in his eye and preferred to take the credit for that one. Getting a tattoo - it must have been hard to settle on a design that he would like for the rest of his life. Something told her it was more of a spur of the moment thing if he got them in the state of depression he must have been in after losing his child. "Oh, I see," she murmured. Hitchhiking across the country impressed her considering her own experience. "I've never been out of the state until the virus hit. Dad was too busy to take me to go places and I was too poor to go sight-seeing with Echo. And now it's too late to go to Paris." She looked past his shoulder and absent-mindedly played with a strand of his hair. "How did you afford taking buses and trains al the tme?" The States were huge!

No driver's license? "Those were unusual souvenirs," he teased. Sascha's remark about being a bad boy made her wonder if he really was. "Bad boy?" Emily smirked. "Hate to disappoint you, but you come off more as a honeycake than a bad boy. I think bad boys don't talk that much. Now, Irei... he's quiet and mysterious. Perfect traits." Not ready to hurt his feelings, she quickly continued. "I like gentlemen with accents equally. Either one is hard to resist, though." She wanted to know more about her friend, like the small personal details. Imagining Sascha as a married man was difficult, but that partially due to what happened with him in the past.

Emily had heard about some women just knowing the sex of their child, whether it be wishful thinking or not. At his question, she tried to remember what she'd thought at the time. "I'm not like Annie and Yvonne. No idea. I was too busy being depressed and hoping that Echo didn't look too much like Mathias, because I had no idea how I'd cope if she was." She smiled gently. "I don't recommend being depressed and pregnant. Very difficult. But I know my next pregnancy will be much, much better. Now that I'm older and know where I am in life, I'd like a couple more children. But it's way too early for me to think that far ahead. Malcolm and I are still in the awkward, getting to know each other stage." When was that supposed to end? Had she really never mentioned Malcolm before?

"No apologising about talking too much. I enjoy listening." She swatted his shoulder with a soft hand. "And talking about them will help you in the long run. So what about the lovely Annie made you want to marry her? What did she love most about you?" Emily paused. "If you don't want to answer, it's all right. I'm rushing into things and being too insensitive." She was a chatterbox given the right circumstances, as well as a hopeless romantic. Sascha's agreeing to being her dance partner pleased her to no end and he earned an especially bright grin. Salsa was fine with her... within certain limits.

Emily blushed. "There are limits, though. I'm not going to do that grinding thing... or much hip movements. I'd feel ridiculous with the latter." Surely he would understand.

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It's long. It's wordy. I know. I'm sorry. ^^

bohemiarhapsody
2008-09-20 09:39 pm UTC (link)

Sascha practically purred in delight as Emily absent-mindedly wound a strand of his hair around her finger. He had a bit of a hair fetish himself, and aside from his strange inclinations to touch people's hair at times, he also loved it when others played with his own locks. "I visited France once for a writer's conference. Loved it so much I decided to take up learning the language. Maybe I can show you the photos sometime...I need to sort through all of them, anyway. Never been all that great at organizing."

"I'll tell you one of the greatest traveling resources in the entire country: truckers." He nodded as if to emphasize his point. "A lot of them get lonely out on the road and are basically begging for company. I made a few friends that way, and all it cost me was lunch." Yes indeed, Sascha’d had quite a few misadventures during his roadtrip, some of which he’d never dream of telling to Emily. He still wanted her to think he had some class, after all.

He paused for a moment after Emily’s next remark, clutching dramatically at his chest with one hand as he feigned a wounded expression. “Honeycake? Miss Emily, you’re killin’ me here. I’m not sure my ego can take a blow like that. Are you saying Irei’s got me one-upped?” He dropped his forehead into his hand with a sigh and shook his head, affecting as much of a devastated appearance as he could manage until a sharp bark from Sweeney drew him out of his drama queen moment.

The dog had sauntered over to the edge of the ring of candles and was standing there expectantly, tail sweeping through the air as she let out another bark. It only took a moment for the image of food and the accompanying pang of hunger to filter into his mind, and as he lifted his gaze upward he realized just how dark the sky had become. The pale pastel shades of the evening sky had been replaced with the deep navy pitch of night, and he glanced at his wristwatch in surprise.

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....continued. <<...>>

bohemiarhapsody
2008-09-20 09:40 pm UTC (link)

“Seems like we should probably take this conversation on the road, don’t you think?” he said as he stepped carefully over the still-flickering candle flames to retrieve his belongings. “Time must have sped up on us. Irei’s probably already got dinner ready, little domestic mouse that he is.” Sascha could never resist poking fun at his friend, although he was generally good-natured about it...generally. Another thought crossed his mind then, and he looked over at Emily with a hint of deviousness in his smile. “You know, his birthday’s coming up in just about a month...maybe you can help me plan a little celebration for him, hm? In exchange for all the dancing lessons you’re going to need over the next week if you want to really ‘wow’ the crowd.”
The night air had cooled considerably, and Sascha held out his jacket for Emily to slip her arms into once she’d finished extinguishing the flames. Sweeney pranced eagerly along in front of the pair as they gathered up the materials and made their way back toward the path leading to Helicharis, and Sascha picked up where they’d left off in their earlier conversation. He’d heard the name ‘Malcolm’ casually mentioned once or twice before, but he hadn’t known exactly who the mystery man was or what his connection to Emily might have been. Emily had certainly cleared up any of that doubt, though.

“Ah, so you’re seeing this Malcolm fellow? Am I just the guy on the side, then?” Oh, the beautifully flustered look on her face was completely worth it. The topic of children, however, was a little sobering to Sascha even though he tried not to show it, and he replied softly, “You’ve done a pretty admirable job with Echo. If you ever have more kids, I’m sure you’ll be just as wonderful. They’d be lucky to have you as a mom.” He turned his gaze to the path before them as he addressed her other questions. It wasn’t exactly that he was unwilling to answer them, but the nature of the questions opened up a certain kind of vulnerability that he hadn’t shared with any other woman since Annie’s death- excluding Emily’s visit just a few weeks prior, of course.

“I can’t say exactly what it was that drew me to her,” he said thoughtfully, searching his mind for a sufficient response. “When we met, it was sort of this...I don’t know, instantaneous attraction. She was quiet and intelligent, and even though she’d argue the point to death with me all the time, I thought she was beautiful. Maybe not a glamorous kind of beautiful, but...something soft and honest. Natural. It was more than enough for me.”

Sascha scratched his head in a sort of nervous gesture. “I didn’t actually want to...marry her, exactly, I just knew that I wanted to be with her. We’d only been together three or four months when we found out about the baby, and she was the one who proposed to me. I went along with it because it was what she wanted, but I would have been fine if we’d just had Bella and lived together. I would have done anything to make her happy. I tried to, anyway.” He chewed on his lower lip in thought for a few moments. “Not sure what she really loved about me. We were opposites in a lot of ways, but...I don’t know. Sometimes I wonder myself.”

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*faints at your reply length*

healingenergy
2008-09-21 06:44 pm UTC (link)

She brightened at the thought of seeing pictures of places she'd always wanted to see and she smiled at him for offering. "Thank you; I'd love to see them! Or any photos you have and are willing to show me, because I love looking at pictures. You know, I was quite the shutterbug when Echo was growing up. She was the cutest little girl ever, though, so you can't blame me," she said. "I'm sure you were like that with Bella - it's a first child thing." Her other fingers slowly started to run through his hair absent-mindedly as well and Emily marvelled at how quickly he was able to make her feel so comfortable.

Of all the things... "Truckers?" She laughed. "I'm glad you were able to provide them with some company. Just having someone around does wonders for the soul." She should know, after all, as she never could feel quite so depressed with someone in the same room. "Maybe one of these days we can have a road trip of our own." We meaning her family, Sascha and Irei, of course. Emily had a high regard for him and so far had him placed on a pedestal of affection. The corner of her mouth curled upwards as Sascha remarked upon her name for him.

"There's nothing wrong with being sweet instead of a bad boy. I must admit that both of you seem much too sweet to be dangerous and mysterious. Or am I just not seeing the side of you that is?" she said. "Is that because I look so sweet and innocent?" She fluffed her hair up as a joke and then looked as Sweeney made her appearance again. Time had flown by and she agreed with Sascha that they should get moving, walking around to extinguish the candles and place them in her handbag. "I don't want your dinner to become cold." Irei probably worked hard to make food for him too and she didn't want Sascha to seem ungrateful.

Irei's birthday being soon excited her and she grinned at being asked to help him plan a party. Echo had to inherit her party planning skills from someone and she got it in spaces from Emily. "Oh, I would love to help you!" she exclaimed. "We'll give him something wonderful and huge, yes? And you have to tell me your birthday too so I know when to give you presents." Celebrating birthdays was important for her and she loved giving birthday presents just as much as anything else. "I wonder what he'd like for a gift..."

She smiled in thanks as Sascha offered his jacket and found it to be much warmer. He really was a gentleman, there was no doubt about that. One of these days, Malcolm and Sascha needed to meet and have a proper conversation. His comment, however, sent a wave of an emotion she wasn't sure she could identify rolling through her and she looked at him. "You had a chance if you wanted to be with me," Emily blurted out. Oh Lord. She averted her gaze and quickly added, "I'm sorry, forget I said anything." She didn't want to embarrass herself any more than she already had. If he had been interested - no, this was a pointless thought.

Listening to his answer was much better and she was momentarily lost in the romanticness of his words. Annie and Sascha seemed to have been opposites, but opposites attracted... "That's so romantic," she said wistfully. "It's like it was meant to be. But I think that real love comes in different forms and that it often sneaks up on you so you don't know you're in its grasp." Marriage wasn't for anyone, and some may say that it was only rings and a piece of paper. "Wanting to be with her is what counts, anyway." She gave him a gentle smile. "I'm sure you made her very happy. You'd make anyone happy."

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Fin (These kids are just too cute. XD)

bohemiarhapsody
2008-10-01 07:56 pm UTC (link)

"Cameras were always Annie's thing, really. She minored in photography back at NYU." Sascha closed his eyes contentedly as Emily continued to stroke through his hair. "I understand what you mean, though. How about you show me your pictures, and I'll show you mine. Deal?"

Sascha could only chuckle at the bright enthusiasm that lit up Emily's face and voice as she talked about taking road trips and planning birthday celebrations. She seemed completely taken with him and Irei, which was just as well considering that he and his roommate would go well out of their way to make sure she and the children were safe. There was definitely a bond between them, and Sascha would do everything in his power to make sure it held fast.

It came as a bit of a surprise, then, when she blurted out her next statement, and Sascha raised a curious eyebrow at the outburst. Did she mean...was she thinking of the night they'd nearly, nearly slept together? Not that Sascha would have thought any less of her had they gone through with the encounter, of course, but he knew Emily had been looking for something more solid than a one night stand.

Shaking his head thoughtfully, he reached over to wind an arm around Emily's waist as they walked side by side. "I'm not quite there yet, Emily. Maybe someday I'll give the whole relationship thing another go, but...not yet. Not yet."

Sascha sighed lightly and leaned his head against hers, a gesture that might have been interpreted as fairly intimate even though he'd only intended it as a mark of affection. They continued on like that for much of the trip through town, and once Sascha had escorted Emily back to her cottage and dropped a platonic kiss on her forehead, he departed for the bungalow. They'd discussed a few plans for meeting over the next week or so to practice dancing, and now it was time for a little sustenance.

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