Tweak

InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "What is this? A missle launch"

Username: 
Password:    
Remember Me
  • Create Account
  • IJ Login
  • OpenID Login
Search by : 
  • View
    • Create Account
    • IJ Login
    • OpenID Login
  • Journal
    • Post
    • Edit Entries
    • Customize Journal
    • Comment Settings
    • Recent Comments
    • Manage Tags
  • Account
    • Manage Account
    • Viewing Options
    • Manage Profile
    • Manage Notifications
    • Manage Pictures
    • Manage Schools
    • Account Status
  • Friends
    • Edit Friends
    • Edit Custom Groups
    • Friends Filter
    • Nudge Friends
    • Invite
    • Create RSS Feed
  • Asylums
    • Post
    • Asylum Invitations
    • Manage Asylums
    • Create Asylum
  • Site
    • Support
    • Upgrade Account
    • FAQs
    • Search By Location
    • Search By Interest
    • Search Randomly

Stefan Ionescu [the frog prince] ([info]unimpressive) wrote in [info]bellumlogs,
@ 2010-03-31 14:57:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:frog prince, sleeping beauty

WHO: Stefan and Rosalie
WHAT: First dates are exciting! And also most likely to go awry.
WHERE: 701 and beyond~
WHEN: Wednesday evening
WARNINGS: None?

These past few days had not been going very well for Stefan. His dinner at home with Ileana hadn’t gone well. At all. They had barely spoken to each other since. To take his mind off of the argument, and exactly what had started it, he spent his time preparing for his date with Rosalie.

He wasn’t familiar with the area and asking Ileana for help had been out of the question unfortunately. Rosalie hadn’t specified any particular cuisine, much to his chagrin. So he opted for the most obvious, and most difficult choice for the evening. It had taken more than a handful of phone calls, finagling, impersonating, and a bit of bribery but he scored a last minute reservation at Bella Sotto. The town car arrived before seven and was waiting to take them there. The date itself was going to away a sizeable chunk of the money he had left, but he didn’t mind so much. Stefan wanted to make the best impression, and if that meant pulling out all the stops, then so be it. He could always get more money. He was going to have to eventually.

At seven on the dot he was at her door: suit, jacket, tie, the whole nine yards. He knocked politely with his free hand, the other holding a bouquet of flowers. It was a simple but elegant spring mix, lots of colorful daisies and tulips. It seemed out of place and too casual when measured against the more elegant aspects of his plan. There was just something too obvious about giving a Sleeping Beauty roses though. He hoped she’d appreciate the thought.


(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]unimpressive
2010-04-05 01:58 am UTC (link)
"Always," he answered immediately but scrunched his lips together as he gave her question more thought. "I've always had a pretty good ear for things. And I had a lot of free time on my hands. It gave me something to do and some attention if I could do a trick of some kind." In his family's business, gimmicks were everything so once he found one he latched onto it. "Men's voices are easy. Women and children, now those are an impressive feat." It was a little bit like bragging but he could do those if she wanted. He half hoped she wouldn't though. That would get some even stranger looks from anyone around them.

"Besides turning into an animal," he laughed, words he never thought he'd ever say. "I like it. Company is good," he wagged his eyebrows in her direction as he reached for his own wine glass. "Other than the weird night and the occasional slip up on the elevator, it's nice. I like it." He took a sip of his own before asking, "How about you? I mean, you came back, but obviously things are a little different. The fairy tale thing wasn't happening when you first got there? No other frog men I have to compete with I hope?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]beaute_endormie
2010-04-05 04:28 am UTC (link)
So it wasn't something that was caused by the building, probably. Rosalie thought about asking him to do someone else, but then she took a swallow of wine that was too large and nearly choked. That was what she got, she supposed. Easier on the alcohol, Rosalie, cautioned a voice inside her head, one that sounded rather like her cousin.

Rosalie turned pink again but her expression was almost smug when she grinned back at him. "Have you met anyone else on your floor or anything?" she asked, curious to know who his friends were. "I don't always like it," she admitted after a pause. "But then the people are usually totally worth it. So I don't mind." The bit about the frog men got a laugh out of her and she assured him. "I swear to God, I had never seen a frog before I met you." Which was a strange sentence in itself. "They don't last long in the city." She made an apologetic, wincing face, before her features settled into something quieter. Because while there probably wasn't another frog for him to worry about, there were almost certainly more princesses somewhere.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]unimpressive
2010-04-05 05:33 am UTC (link)
He tried to think of who else was on the twelfth floor and realized that he really hadn't met anyone. It wasn't that he was busy, or unfriendly, but his days had been spent fuming over Ileana, double checking to make sure he had his tracks covered back in Seattle, and thinking of Rosalie. Playing nice neighbor was fourth on his to-do list and hadn't come up yet. "I haven't, actually. Only chatted with a few people here and there. Mostly skimming that forum thing. Sure's a lot of crazy gossip." He had to admit, the thing he had seen on there made him think twice about befriending anyone.

He raised his hands up in mock defeat, "I believe you" for really, she didn't look like the type to go around catching frogs in her childhood. "Alright, so if the people are worth the trouble, as you say, then maybe I should start to get to know them." He cocked his head to the side as he asked, "So tell me, who should I talk to? Who should I avoid like the plague. You'll be my guide."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]beaute_endormie
2010-04-05 06:00 am UTC (link)
Forum gossip. Rosalie had a sudden bad thought about the anonymous post and how frequently she seemed to come up, most often tied close to sex and/or Daniel. That might be a wrinkle at some point.

She had walked into that, hadn't she? The problem was that she couldn't exactly just introduce him to Daniel, Boyd wasn't talking to her, she was barely talking to Vlad, Shane was probably a bad idea, and she wanted to keep him far away from Derek. "Well--" she stalled for time, drumming her fingers on the table with the hand that was resting between them. "Ella's really nice. I think you might have talked on the forums the other day? So is this girl Lotte who does actually live on twelve. You'll probably want to stay away from Kiki. And then definitely avoid a woman by the name of Vaughn." Roslalie almost shuddered, but managed to satisfy herself with a long sip of wine. Her cup was nearly empty.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]unimpressive
2010-04-05 10:48 am UTC (link)
If he noticed her reluctance he didn't say anything, for he had but he wasn't sure what to make of it. It could have been uneasiness in spreading more gossip, or it could be that there was something she didn't want him to know. Either of these he knew he couldn't push the issue on, so he let her take point.

"Ella was definitely the friendly one," he admitted. For the most part, those who introduced themselves, or almost introduced, verged on rude but he let it slide. Lotte he made note of, for future reference. "What kind of name is Kiki?" he mused outloud. And then there was Vaughn. He dimly remembered the name, hadn't Rosalie asked him about her when he was a frog? "So she's the resident Wicked Witch, right?" He had seen mentions of her when he tried to go back at some of the older posts. Everyone scurried here and there whenever she was mentioned but for the life of him, he couldn't understand why. "What makes her so damn scary?" He saw that Rosalie's glass was nearing empty and he took the liberty of pouring more wine into it. She was enjoying it so it seemed the expected thing to do.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]beaute_endormie
2010-04-05 01:12 pm UTC (link)
"Kiki's short for Katherine," she told him, "but she's sort of-" Rosalie hesitated, not actually wanting to say anything bad about her friend "-well, she's a socialite. And she likes attention." Maybe he would understand that description and maybe he wouldn't, but she wasn't about to slam Kiki to someone who didn't know her just because she wasn't present to hear it.

Why had she brought up Vaughn? "Vaughn's a witch but she's not the wicked witch. Although I do think we have one of those." She thought of the woman who had been complaining about green skin on the day of the fairy tales. "Vaughn's the witch from Beauty and the Beast," Rosalie explained. "And she's just- she is scary." She thanked him for pouring more wine, but only took a small sip, trying to moderate herself.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]unimpressive
2010-04-05 06:53 pm UTC (link)
'Socialite' brought to mind a million different images, each more annoying than the last, and Stefan couldn't school his features fast enough to hide his disdain. He had little patience for the rich to begin with, less so with the ones who assumed their money equaled celebrity status. "Staying far far away then."

It hadn't occurred to him that there could be the wicked witch, his choice of words picked for the way they sounded. The prospect that there was on made him rifle through his mind before asking, "Like the green one?" as that was the only wicked witch he could think of. As for Vaughn, "You sure she's not all bark and no bite?" He didn't like to undermine Rosalie, but it seemed like there was just a lot of talk going on. "I mean, and correct me since it's been years since I last saw that movie, but she makes the dude into the Beast. That's it. It's fucked up, for real. But he was kind of an ass anyway. I'd be more worried about the other witches. Like the ones that eat kids for breakfast."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]beaute_endormie
2010-04-05 09:22 pm UTC (link)
His disdain was obvious and Rosalie chewed on her lip again, looking uncomfortable. Kiki's lifestyle wasn't her preference, but she couldn't pretend that she wasn't part of that social scene. She attended the parties, the soirees, and she charmed her way through the elite, protected by her wealth and position as the only Belvedere legacy. And if he didn't like the wealthy-- they were going to have issues there too.

"Like the green one," she confirmed quietly though, looking back up at him through her eyelashes, but with none of the former lightness she had shown. "But Vaughn is different." Rosalie knew that she wasn't making too much of the situation. "She's dangerous. She hurts people." Rosalie wanted to add something about Daniel being nice too, but since she hadn't said that she knew the Beast, she didn't see how she could defend him. Instead, she looked up at the waiter as he returned with their food, grateful for the interruption.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]unimpressive
2010-04-06 02:34 am UTC (link)
It wasn't that Stefan hated the rich. Not really. In fact he downright loved them, when they were his mark. Trying to befriend and mingle with them on an equal or lesser basis never went well though. They were on a completely different plane of existence. He couldn't relate to them. They couldn't relate to him. He stopped trying. It would shock him to know that Rosalie might be completely out of his league. She was charming and witty, exuded class with ease, and he met her when she was the dictionary definition of a princess. But the idea that she was practically New York royalty seemed so far off to be unreal to him.

He had firmly expected her to give him a laugh or a grin, so his smile faltered when he saw her turn more serious. He was about ask her more when the waiter showed up, setting their plates down in front of them. He waited in practically agonizing silence until the man left them alone and he quietly asked, "Did I--I think I missed something." He was under the impression there was an underlying joke. Why wouldn't there be? He was a frog and she was a princess, but not really. The same should have gone for witches, right? "Should we just drop the subject?" He paused only for a split second before he asked a more important question. "Are you okay?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]beaute_endormie
2010-04-06 03:12 am UTC (link)
Rosalie might eat, drink, wear money, but she rarely thought about it. It was like air: necessary and plentiful. You weren't supposed to think about it and you never talked about it and you certainly didn't flaunt it ostentatiously, and it was understood to old money that that was the way things worked. And while yes, she realized that she had a great deal more of it than most other people, she usually tried to downplay it because it did tend to make people awkward.

When his smile faltered it made her expression slip even more because that wasn't what she had meant to happen at all. Once the waiter had left, she slipped her hand across the table to cover his and looked at him with wide, serious grey-green eyes. "I'm fine," she started out, because she was. Really. Just like always. "Vaughn's just-- she's serious, okay? Not a joke. She tried to kill--" me "--my friend. Threatened her with a knife and then pushed her down a flight of stairs." Her grip on his hand tightened for a second, almost possessive. "Please stay away from her?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]unimpressive
2010-04-06 05:58 pm UTC (link)
His brows rose up when she said Vaughn was trying to kill people, and his hand instinctively squeezed her; reassuring her that he was there, reassuring him that he wouldn’t let her get hurt too. “I will. I’ll operate in a No Vaughn zone from now on.” It was a little teasing, just to lighten the mood, but the promise was still there. He would stay away from this Vaughn person. He just had to find out who it was first.

“So she’s the reason everyone’s so damn jumpy?” He remembered people talking about self defense lessons and could see why it was such a big deal. “You should be careful too,” which was ridiculous since she had more experience in the building and its inhabitants than him. Still, between this new knowledge and Ileana coming home injured, he couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit more than simply overprotective.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]beaute_endormie
2010-04-06 06:22 pm UTC (link)
"She's the main reason," Rosalie told him, beginning to lace his fingers between his before realizing that he would probably need that hand to eat. Especially steak. "I try to be careful, but she can change how she looks, we think, and it makes it hard." There were some circumstances though- Rosalie wasn't going to hold onto her caution if the people she cared about were in danger.

She used a fork to pick up one of her tortellini shells and chewed it slowly. "Do you think that what happened with the fairy tales will happen again?" Rosalie asked him when she was free to talk again.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]unimpressive
2010-04-06 06:56 pm UTC (link)
The beginnings of pressure on his hand made his fingers curl to meet hers, and he had the same thought she did. He wasn’t that in need to steak but gave her one more squeeze before pulling his hand away. The looks changing was a problem and gave a little scoff at how strange it was that they were talking about actual shape changing (at least that’s what he was assuming) and not just someone very good at disguises. He knew his fair share of those. “Do you know how to defend yourself?” It was a veiled offer. He would be more than happy to help, but his idea of defense wasn’t hand to hand combat but staying strapped. He left his guns on the other coast but now he was thinking he should pick a couple up. Rosalie didn’t look the type to have ever handled fire arms, nor did she look like she wanted to.

He cut into his steak quietly as he considered her question. “No? I mean, maybe. I don’t know. I hope not. I got off easy but it sounds like everyone else didn’t.” He could complain about being a frog, but judging from the alternatives that were around, he was thankful it wasn’t so bad. “But if it does, I’ll be staying close by you.” Another grin before he began to eat his steak in earnest. “And if it does, hopefully I won’t, you know, forget who I am.” His lips pressed together in a frown. While he had been trying to find some fairytale princess, Ileana had gotten hurt. “Can’t really risk not knowing who I am again.” He ate another piece before asking, "Do you think it'll happen?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]beaute_endormie
2010-04-06 07:31 pm UTC (link)
Defend herself? Not even close, but Rosalie wasn't the type to keep guns around, or to use them. She had sharp fingernails and she had taken Vlad's advice and gotten pepper spray, but she was doubtful that either of those things would hold off Vaughn for too long.

She returned his smile tentatively as they ate, because of course she wouldn't mind being around and helping him, but next time, it wasn't inconceivable that his real princess would find him first. "Did you, last time? Forget who you were completely?" she inquired as she thought about his last question. "It might," she allowed. "Nothing else has had a repeat, but Ella, for example, was saying how it was really another person inside of them- you- with separate memories and such. So it seems like they could resurface."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]unimpressive
2010-04-06 07:43 pm UTC (link)
He gave her a slight shrug. “Sorta? There was always something…” He set his utensils on the plate for a moment and lifted his hand, gesturing to the back of his head. “There was always something nagging at me. Like I knew that I lived with someone, and I knew that I had just moved in. But there were more important things distracting me. Princesses, ponds. They were all I could think about. Until I found you.” He gave her another smile, the farthest thing away from a smirk, before he cleared his throat back to more important matters.

The thought of another person was a little unsettling. It didn’t matter that his other him was a frog (well, maybe a little) but to have someone else always lurking, and apparently always has been, was… “Weird.” He chewed another piece and washed it down with a bigger than usual gulp of wine. “Do you think you think so? Think Sleeping Beauty’s always been inside?”

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]beaute_endormie
2010-04-06 07:56 pm UTC (link)
His words and smile surprised another one onto her lips, and for a moment, she looked the happiest she had all night. Er. "I didn't turn into Sleeping Beauty," she admitted, pausing to take another bite. "Only my clothes did." It might not have been the best idea to tell about her apparent immunity, but Rosalie had already realized that she trusted him.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]unimpressive
2010-04-06 08:20 pm UTC (link)
Another shrug, this time a little more embarrassed. He had seen the occasional reference to her and her character, but he didn't know any of the reasoning behind it. "Lucky," he teased, for at least she remained herself in the midst of it all. "I think it if happens again we're going to have to put you in charge, since you could keep your head on straight. Frog duty first, though. You can save other princes in distress after."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]beaute_endormie
2010-04-06 08:50 pm UTC (link)
Another grin tugged on her lips. "Obviously, I should be in charge. If everyone in the building followed my directions, it would be a much more pleasant place to live," she decided. "None of this chaotic violence." Rosalie's tone was amused at the idea.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]unimpressive
2010-04-06 09:24 pm UTC (link)
"Hear, hear," he agreed with a grin. Well, maybe not all violence. He wasn't down for killing people but a little nose breaking was needed every once in a while. He was more glad that her mood was lifting, at least from the looks of it, and if he could keep that up then it was time well spent. "And what would be your first decree, princess? Or should I say ‘your highness’? I’m a little rusty on my royal etiquette.” Another bite and another cheeky grin.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]beaute_endormie
2010-04-06 10:25 pm UTC (link)
"Your Royal Highness," Rosalie answered immediately, "same as a prince." She nudged his foot again, teasing, because that was him. She adopted an air of mock authority, and continued. "I would make everyone sit down together instead of running around the building getting in fights and do something-- tell their stories, maybe-- until it wore off. Like group therapy." She dropped the act, grinning. "How's your food?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]unimpressive
2010-04-06 11:10 pm UTC (link)
He laughed at how quickly she responded. So maybe there was a princess in there after all. Another playful grin at the foot nudge but he tucked his chin in a little. “Not sure how prince-like I am. Frog? I can sorta see. Royalty? Not so much.” Princes were rich charming bastards with flowing hair. They came in on white horses to save the day. Stefan was pretty sure people often needed saving from him.

The thought of everyone sitting down to talk about their problems made him snort. If everyone was who everyone said they were, he was sure that simply talking was out of the question. “Well, if anyone can, you can,” he said simply. He took a look down at the steak he was eating, realizing that it was nearly half gone already. He gestured to it with his knife and started cutting another piece. “Terrible. Awful. I couldn’t take another bite.” When he chewed on it, his eyes closed and he let his face show just how much he was savoring it, before looking at her. “Downright disgusting. And yours?”

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]beaute_endormie
2010-04-07 01:26 am UTC (link)
"I don't think you're frog-like," she grinned. She was slowing down on her pasta and was now pushing it around more than she was eating it, but it had still been good. "That's terribly unfortunate," she nodded teasingly at his steak. "Guess I just have all the luck then." A careless shrug and another bite.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]unimpressive
2010-04-07 06:18 am UTC (link)
"You have obviously never seen my jumping skills," he almost pointed his fork at her for emphasis but he was still in a very nice restaurant. Besides, those were skills were nonexistent. She was teasing him again and he took it in stride. "Guess you do," he agreed with a laugh and continued to eat his awful dinner.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]beaute_endormie
2010-04-07 06:44 am UTC (link)
"Your jumping-?" It took a second for Rosalie to get it, given her very limited knowledge of frogs. They continued conversing easily as he finished his steak, with Rosalie eating a few more bites of her own dish every couple minutes. When the waiter eventually returned to inquire if they wished for desert, she was almost surprised. She took a sip of wine and shrugged at Stefan. Was dessert part of the night?

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)


[info]unimpressive
2010-04-07 04:45 pm UTC (link)
“Or not.” He laughed as he hadn’t expected to catch her off guard. When the waiter came by his surprise didn’t quite mirror hers, but he asked for the dessert menu anyway, handing it off to Rosalie. “Anything you’d like? I have a certain weakness of any and all combinations of fruit and chocolate myself.” He didn’t have much planned for the rest of the evening. He tended to play things by ear and with it being a Wednesday, he assumed she had work or school the next day. A long date in the cards unless she wanted one, and he had enough money to pull out last minute adventures. He usually never said no to dessert himself though.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

(no subject) - [info]beaute_endormie, 2010-04-07 06:10 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]unimpressive, 2010-04-07 09:10 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]beaute_endormie, 2010-04-07 09:37 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]unimpressive, 2010-04-08 01:59 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]beaute_endormie, 2010-04-08 03:51 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]unimpressive, 2010-04-08 06:26 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]beaute_endormie, 2010-04-08 06:54 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]unimpressive, 2010-04-08 07:41 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]beaute_endormie, 2010-04-08 08:01 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]unimpressive, 2010-04-08 10:18 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]beaute_endormie, 2010-04-08 11:34 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]unimpressive, 2010-04-09 12:16 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]beaute_endormie, 2010-04-09 12:43 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]unimpressive, 2010-04-09 02:46 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]beaute_endormie, 2010-04-09 04:17 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]unimpressive, 2010-04-09 06:12 am UTC

(Read comments) -


Home | Site Map | Manage Account | TOS | Privacy | Support | FAQs