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Bran Wilder {The Phantom} ([info]lemortvivant) wrote in [info]bellumlogs,
@ 2010-07-15 01:08:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:glinda, phantom of the opera

Who: Bran and Gabby
What: A spontaneous visit + dinner
Where: D3
When: Let's backdate this to Monday, about 5:30-ish
Warnings: None at present

Even though Gabby had been more tolerable than expected, Bran hadn't really thought about her offer of dinner very much during the next couple of weeks. It wasn't that he was particularly busy, because it wasn't like he had an actual job or anything, but he did need to get money somehow and most of his time was spent... exploring other options through which he could obtain money. Some might say he was breaking the law, but he liked to think of it as doing what needed to be done. Besides, he never took anything from people who didn't have enough of their own - hell, he was like a modern-day antisocial Robin Hood.

The idea came to him randomly, really. Bran was beginning to realize that he really had no friends or even acquaintances in the building whatsoever - he and Lotte were something weird and awkward, certainly not friends, and he only knew a few others in passing. Could it really hurt to play nice for a bit and try to get in a few good books?

He decided the answer was no, and it was that combined with a building frustration that led him to decide to take up Gabby on her dinner offer without prior notice. Fuck it, right?

Which was why he headed up to the deluxe floor that evening, a bottle of acquired (aka stolen) wine in hand (but at least it was expensive, which made up for how it got into his possession) and a winning smile on his face. He was sick of feeling like a particularly homely dog that had attacked someone and subsequently went around with its tail between its legs. Despite her overt cheeriness and habit of being a little too physical, at least Gabby treated him like a human being. Stopping outside D3, he raised his hand and beat out a little percussion of knocks on the wood.


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[info]lemortvivant
2010-07-19 07:07 am UTC (link)
Contrary to popular belief, Bran could be trustworthy when he wanted to be. Even though he wasn't usually entrusted with the secrets of others, on the rare occasion that he was, he judged whether they were worth keeping on a case-to-case basis. But when he deemed someone worthy, then nothing on earth or even beyond could persuade him to betray them.

Even though he had no idea why, he didn't mind Gabby. She'd initially struck him as a spoiled airhead over the forums, but in person he realized that - to his surprise - he'd misjudged her. Thus he had no reason to tell anyone else whatever she was about to divulge, and honestly, he didn't want to tell anyone in the first place. "I won't tell anyone. I take secrets very seriously, because I know what it's like to have someone reveal things they said they wouldn't." A frown passed over his features, but it was gone before it even had a chance to form; replaced by the most reassuring smile he could muster. "What is it?"

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[info]i_luv_shoes
2010-07-19 03:09 pm UTC (link)
Gabby thought she noticed a change - a flicker of disappointment at the mention of people revealing things they shouldn't. She smiled a little too, reaching up to cup his face with one hand, patting his cheek lightly, then she dropped her hand and put both of them together.

"Well, it's..." She tried to think of some way to describe it. "Here, just try and cut this apple. I'll show you with this." Gabby pulled one from the basket on the counter, setting it down on the surface. She couldn't really practice on Bran; that would not be nice.

And then she closed her eyes. She had read about grounding, what that meant - this kept a sorceress from becoming entirely too mentally scattered, flighty, or uneasy. Centering prevented one from being distracted by outside forces; it was the concept she had the most trouble with, simply because centering required that you know who you are.

As if it were that easy.

For this to work, she had to feel connected with the earth, and believe that nothing could disturb the roots of her strength. Creating a shield was no small task but now was a good a time as any to practice. Most likely, she would need one in this place - not just a shield from physical harm but from mental negativity as well.

The ball of light first formed in between the middle of both of her hands; she held it there gently, murmuring a few words with her eyes closed. Biting her lip in concentration, she opened her eyes then stretched the shield furiously and, like a champion javelin thrower, flung her creation out into the open space of the kitchen, where it hovered like a mushroom cloud of liquid tungsten - unbreakable, even against bullets and blades. She kept concentrating, despite her ever-rising blood pressure and the gigantic brick in her stomach. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and ran cold down the back of her neck.

The invisible shield covered the area she had projected it onto and when he would try to cut the apple (she imagined it as a person, that helped make it less silly) all that would happen would be that the blade would miss; somehow it would end up on either side of the object, despite the fact that it should have sliced into the center.

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-07-19 07:17 pm UTC (link)
Bran was expecting some kind of spell, since she must have had some reason to believe she was a witch. The only problem was there were so many versions and representations of witches that he had no idea which one she might be. They seemed to get less and less sinister as time passed - witches in the eighteenth century didn't quite measure up to the Wicked Witch of the West, after all - but somehow he couldn't see Gabby as some kind of evil, cackling spell-caster.

He didn't quite understand why she wanted him to cut the apple, but he shrugged and picked up the knife regardless. He raised his hand over the apple, watching with raised eyebrows as a ball of light appeared out of nowhere between her hands. Although he knew people had abilities, this was something completely new. It was hard to keep from staring at the light-thing hovering in the middle of the kitchen, but he regained his wits just in time to realize he was supposed to be cutting the fruit. He brought the knife down directly through the center, but instead of slicing through the blade ended up on the right side of the apple, leaving it unmarked.

He tried again, with the same result. "Wow." So she could cast... what, shield spells? That was a useful ability. "That's impressive, not to mention useful."

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[info]i_luv_shoes
2010-07-19 07:30 pm UTC (link)
Useful and impressive, it may have been both things - but it all seriously drained Gabby, and she let the invisible shield disintegrate as her bones began to feel like they were turning to liquid. She grabbed Bran's shoulders to steady herself so she didn't collapse. "I'm still working on it," she gasped. "Trying to hold it longer, you know? But it's difficult."

She blew a piece of hair off of her forehead. "Anyway. That's what I do in my spare time. I've had a lot of it lately."

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-07-19 09:59 pm UTC (link)
He was too caught up in the awe of seeing what she could do to notice how much it had taken out of her, at least until she grabbed his shoulders. "Are you okay?" Now it was evident that a supreme effort was required to keep up the shield, and since he couldn't just let her fall he let his arms go around her waist to keep her steady. "Yeah, it doesn't look very easy. Just don't push yourself too hard." At least his ability didn't require too much effort - he'd felt a little tired after calming down the mob, and his throat felt raw, but that was about it.

"That's one hell of a hobby." Bran grinned, and he thought about how she'd probably never have to worry during the full moon if she managed to get a better handle on it. "If you can cast a shield spell, though, I think it makes you a good witch - not one who eats children."

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[info]i_luv_shoes
2010-07-19 10:16 pm UTC (link)
"I'm okay," Gabby promised as she moved her arms to drape them around his neck. "Is there such thing as a good witch?" she asked and, going by history, it didn't seem to be a notion that many people believed. Even just the word 'witchcraft' tended to freak everyone out, whether it be black or white magic. "But thanks. If you ever need one..." She rose herself up on her toes, grinning as her nose touched the tip of his. "I've got your back, darling."

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-07-20 03:29 am UTC (link)
Suddenly she'd gotten very close, which hadn't been his intention whatsoever, but at least she didn't flinch or look terrified when Lotte did - and she'd never even been that close to him. "I think so. I mean, there are... books and things about white witches, aren't there? I'm sure some use their powers for good rather than evil." Shield spells had to be white magic, since they were used to protect others. Somehow that didn't seem very evil, even if Gabby did just use them to protect herself.

Instead of tensing and pulling away, the contact made Bran smile. A part of him asked what he was doing, but he shrugged it off. "Good to know. Thanks."

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[info]i_luv_shoes
2010-07-20 03:57 am UTC (link)
"I'm sure there are. Ironically, I haven't read many books about witches per se. I just studied the magic itself. It was part of my conversion to Buddhism and, well, I was intrigued by the magic and wanted to learn more," she said, and was proud of her ability to pick up 'the craft' rather quickly. Gabby had a lot of natural talent, she told herself. Of course, she never considered the notion that it might be more than that.

She was glad to see him smile - it seemed to be a rare sight, but at least it wasn't one of those awkward, tight smiles - and she didn't care that she wasn't Christine or someone from Erik's story. Erik wasn't here now! She kissed Bran - his bottom lip, the top lip, then the third time she curved her lips around his and stole another one, sweetly, like candy - and warm like gin going down one's throat.

Eyelashes fluttering open, she went back down on the balls of her feet. "But yes! Back to tofu," she chirped, moving the pot of sauce off of the stove with one hand.

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-07-20 07:18 am UTC (link)
"I never thought magic actually worked," he admitted. "I always thought it was one of those... mind over matter things, you know? Like positive reinforcement or whatever. I guess I was wrong." Clearly, since he'd just witnessed proof that magic existed with his own eyes.

Bran had been severely lacking in physical contact of the female variety since moving to Bellum, and it extended to even before that - although it wasn't something he ever discussed with anyone, and he certainly didn't want to publicize it. That didn't mean that he was inexperienced, however; he was actually far from it. As bitter as he had been and still was, a part of him still craved affection, and it was that part of him that overrode his surprise and uncertainty quickly enough to return her last kiss before she drew back. Just because Erik had zero experience women didn't mean he had or would follow in his footsteps, after all. Besides, it was just a kiss.

Still, it was sweeter than he was used to and unexpected, and he hadn't quite recovered when she went back to preparing the food. "Right, tofu. The vegetables are all chopped - anything else you need me to do?"

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[info]i_luv_shoes
2010-07-20 10:31 am UTC (link)
"Hmmm!" Gabby pondered that for a moment. "Well, I can think of many things I'd like you to do, darling, but none of them involve tofu." Her eyes glinted in amusement. "But you can set the table? Everything's in the drawer beside you and those two cabinets," she pointed, then opened the fridge for tofu. She could take care of that, and throw everything into the wok while the spring rolls got crispy in the oven. "Oh yes! And you can tell me something that no one else knows about you. Any random fact will suffice, like how your favorite song is secretly Telephone by Lady Gaga or you cried at the end of Moulin Rouge," she said as she slid the baking sheet of spring rolls into the oven. Now for the wok!

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-07-21 08:43 pm UTC (link)
Well then. Bran raised his eyebrows curiously, as if he had no idea what she could possibly be alluding to, before turning to follow the direction she was pointing in. "Sure. Setting the table it is, then." Cutlery, napkins, plates and glasses - how hard could it be? He pulled open the drawer first, pausing momentarily at her second request. He hated things like that, especially because most people found it so easily to choose random tidbits to reveal about themselves. It couldn't be anything serious; just a stupid little fact would do. "Something else no one else knows about me?" Which was pretty much everything. "Well, I've always been kind of afraid of horses. They never liked me very much." It was actually true; he'd had some bad experiences with horses in the circus which involved him nearly being kicked in the face and trampled on two separate occasions.

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[info]i_luv_shoes
2010-07-21 09:08 pm UTC (link)
Gabby liked unique, random tidbits about people. Oftentimes, they would reveal more than the person sharing even thought. It was much better than 'talk about your hopes and dreeeaaaaaams' or whatever bullshit people pretended to be interested in. "They can sense fear, you know," she said wisely as she tossed everything - chopped veggies, tofu, spices, noodles, and sauce - into the wok and began cooking. Mmm, smell that pad Thai! "So developing horse sense takes some skill, but even the most ornery of horses can be trained. Did you go through a cowboy phase? I don't detect a southern accent so I'm curious as to where you rode horses."

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-07-21 11:39 pm UTC (link)
He knew it was sort of strange, since he didn't have a problem with most other animals - there was just something about horses. At the time he hadn't had his ability, or been aware of it, so singing to them had never really crossed his mind. "So I've heard," he remarked, managing to set the table and watch her cook at the same time. "That combined with the fact that I chose the avoidance route probably didn't help matters."

Bran stifled a sigh - he should have known that mentioning horses might have led to further questions. "No, I can't say I ever had a cowboy phase. A travelling circus visited my town a few times when I was growing up, and the horses they used during the shows and rides didn't like me." No need to mention that, despite his disdain, he'd also felt bad for them - the way they were treated, it was little wonder they weren't very friendly.

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[info]i_luv_shoes
2010-07-22 12:07 am UTC (link)
"I can't see how anyone wouldn't like you, darling," she said, tone playful as she tossed - literally, tossed - the lean cuisine by holding the handles of the wok. Bam! Gabby was all over this shit. "You're certainly my favorite person in the building. I have half a mind to plow you with wine and take advantage of you." Wine or a love spell, either one! Tee hee.

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-07-22 04:41 am UTC (link)
"Don't be fooled by my obvious charm. I'm hardly all sugar and spice and everything nice," he countered with a smirk. "Although that doesn't mean I'd be willing to relinquish my role as your favorite person in the building." He couldn't really remember the last time someone had actually said they liked him without it being an obviously outright lie, nor could he recall anyone wanting to 'plow' him in quite some time. Bran's laugh was a mix of sound and an exhale of air, although he refused to become one of those men who became tongue-tied over silly things. "You make it sound like it's easy to take advantage of me." He raised his eyebrows, shooting her a glance before returning his attention back to the table.

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[info]i_luv_shoes
2010-07-22 10:31 am UTC (link)
Gabby slid a pot holder on and removed the baking sheet from the oven, turning it off. "Not sugar and spice and everything nice? Well, I'd hardly think so. Everyone has a bit of a bite to them," she said as she moved the food to two separate platters - a big one for the pad thai and a smaller serving dish for the spring rolls. "I don't mean that literally, of course." Apparently unless you were a vampire. "And I wouldn't dream of taking advantage of you!" she added, as if the thought scandalized her. "That would be the portion where I'm not exactly sugar and spice and everything nice."

Expertly balancing both platters, she carried them to the table, then went back for the bottle of wine. "Go on and dig in! I didn't put too much of an aphrodisiac in it."

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-07-23 02:38 am UTC (link)
"The non-literal bite makes things interesting." Somehow he managed to say it with a straight face, eying the platters of food with an impressed raise of his eyebrows. "But it's good to know that I won't have to watch my back too closely around you anytime soon." Not to mention the fact that it would take quite a bit of wine to get him to the point where anyone could take advantage of him.

Bran took his seat, barely hesitating before spooning food onto his plate. "Too much?" He glanced up at her, pretending to be surprised.

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[info]i_luv_shoes
2010-07-23 03:00 am UTC (link)
"Not too much," Gabby confirmed with a sweet cackle as she sat down - she was a witch who did not cackle like the devil, you see. It was much more refined, elegant, and sophisticated. And she hadn't put any aphrodisiacs into the food - that was what the incense was for, Bran, you silly! "Plus, I have my penis amulet," she went on as she daintily put her napkin in her lap. "It's helpful at taming handsome men who play hard to get."

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-07-23 06:18 am UTC (link)
He didn't actually believe she'd put aphrodisiacs in the food, although even if she had there wasn't much he could do about it - manners were manners, after all, and refusing to eat would be just plain rude. Bran had the unfortunate timing of having a mouthful of food when she mentioned the penis amulet, and it took a great deal of restraint to keep himself from laughing and possibly choking at the same time. "Right, the penis amulet," he managed, once he'd swallowed and could speak again. God, he'd almost forgotten about that. It still made him want to laugh even now. "What if these handsome men don't want to be tamed? Is the power of the penis amulet that strong?"

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[info]i_luv_shoes
2010-07-23 11:17 am UTC (link)
Gabby sipped on her wine, content, nodding sagely. "Yes," she said, so solemn, as if the penis amulet power had the potential to take over at any moment and render them both incapable of doing anything else except having raunchy sex on top of the table. "It's bigger than both of us - figuratively. Women don't usually wear them - as they have a different type of amulet they can wear for protecting their girly bits - but according to some stories, some choose to wear the penis amulets in their hair when they want to enhance their appeal. Should I have worn one?" she asked, patting her blonde curls with one hand. "Or do you find me appealing enough as is?" She flashed him a grin before twirling a bit of pad Thai noodles around her fork. "I like a challenge. Nothing worth obtaining is easy to get. Though I already told you that."

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-07-23 06:55 pm UTC (link)
He raised his eyebrows, chewing thoughtfully. This whole penis amulet thing seemed like a lot of superstition and nonsense, but amusing nonetheless. "They wear it in their hair?" He couldn't think of anything less attractive than seeing a bronze penis in a woman's hair. "No, I think you're appealing enough without any form of amulet. You don't need it." Bran took a sip of wine, nodding. "I think you did, but it's still true."

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[info]i_luv_shoes
2010-07-23 07:42 pm UTC (link)
High praise coming from Dark and Mysterious Raven! "I'm glad you think so," she said, allowing a bit of blush to come into her cheeks. "So what do you consider 'tamed,' exactly?" she asked, the wine glass in one hand as she studied Bran - he sure was a fine specimen, that was for certain. Honestly, Gabby was surprised he wasn't seeing anyone! But not like she cared. She'd swoop in and grab that merchandise, no worries.

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-07-24 02:58 am UTC (link)
He flashed a grin that was full of charm, but the compliment was genuine - even if relationships were the last thing on his mind, Bran wasn't blind, and he couldn't deny that Gabby was attractive. "I don't think 'tamed' is a word very many men like to hear. It implies... submission and makes it seem like the woman has the man wrapped around her finger. Or vice versa." He took another bite and shrugged. "To me, it's boring. You tame animals to be obedient, not people."

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[info]i_luv_shoes
2010-07-24 02:44 pm UTC (link)
"That's a good way of putting it," Gabby said, popping a piece of tofu into her mouth. "I was just curious. And I don't think submission for either gender is very good either, equality in a relationship is important. Or whatever you consider a relationship," she added, grinning. "I was raised in the south, so we're all about charm and gentility there. My mother was the perfect housewife," she laughed airily. "But I don't want that. The thought of the man coming home from a hard day of work and the woman being there with dinner, a cigar, and the evening paper makes me want to throw up."

She daintily dabbed at the corners of her mouth with her napkin. "Sorry, that was quite a ramble on my end there!"

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[info]lemortvivant
2010-07-24 08:56 pm UTC (link)
"There's no challenge in a relationship based on submission and dominance either. It really only benefits one person." It was part of the reason why he couldn't see himself and Lotte - never mind Erik and Christine - in any sort of actual 'relationship'. Not that she was submissive, but... she was timid. Scared, even, in a lot of ways; although he was far from perfect himself.

Bran pulled a face. "I'm not really interested in a housewife. I'm sure some men are, but it's a little too old-fashioned and bland for my liking." He took a sip of wine before smirking. "Ramble away. I don't mind."

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(no subject) - [info]i_luv_shoes, 2010-07-24 09:29 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]lemortvivant, 2010-07-25 05:26 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_luv_shoes, 2010-07-25 02:51 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]lemortvivant, 2010-07-25 09:42 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_luv_shoes, 2010-07-25 09:53 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]lemortvivant, 2010-07-26 02:50 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_luv_shoes, 2010-07-26 03:22 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]lemortvivant, 2010-07-26 06:07 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]i_luv_shoes, 2010-07-26 12:57 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]lemortvivant, 2010-07-26 09:52 pm UTC

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