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Matthew | Чернобог (chernobog) wrote in paxletalelogs, @ 2011-10-13 14:31:00

Light fades, another day left
Who: Nathaniel and Juliet
What: Nathaniel and Juliet go on their first date. Of course, things get weird.
Where: Lucky Strikes
When: October 13th
Notes: Gdoc placeholder Completed!


Nathaniel had gone on plenty of dates, but all had been with his ex. Going out for an evening with someone entirely new was... frightening, if he was honest with himself. Still, Nathaniel didn’t show his fright. He had always maintained a certain aire of confidence, even during his most nervous experiences, and now was no different.

One thing that did oddly enough cause Nathaniel some pause was that he was unsure how to dress for this outing. Bowling had always been beneath his family. Most activities that didn’t involve dressing in a specific wardrobe were quite beneath them. So going out to a place that served American food and you had to rent shoes others had worn previously left Nathaniel standing at his closet with a look of perplexity.

Despite his confusion, Nathaniel was still knocking on Juliet’s door at 6:30 sharp in jeans and a faded (but well fitting) t-shirt. He had considered buying her flowers but felt that might be awkward for such a relaxed outing. But if the opportunity arose to spoil her in any way, he would surely jump at it. Tucking his hands into his pockets, he stood straight and tried to keep his face from becoming too serious as he waited for Juliet to answer.

Though she knew perfectly well who it would be, Juliet still made good use of the door’s peephole - her mother wouldn’t have wanted her to do any different. It was only a cursory glance, but the sight of Nathaniel put a smile on her face and waved away all trepidation except that which came on any first date. Making sure her dress was unwrinkled (which, it was, of course - a simple black dress that went to her knees, along with a matching sweater and flats for such a casual evening out, her long, dark hair tied up in a loose ponytail), she undid the locks and opened the door.

Of course, once that was done, she was unsure what to say. It was an informal meeting, very different than their ones as patient and doctor. Instead she focused on smiling, not wanting to make Nathanial think she wasn’t looking forward to their date. “Um, just let me grab my purse and I’ll be good to go.” Leaving the door wide, she darted back into her apartment and retrieved a gray bag that was as drab as the rest of her outfit. Pulling the door closed behind her as she stepped out into the hallway, she locked it and then looked back to her date. Even in just casual clothes he was still as attractive as he had been in formal wear, and it was a struggle to keep her eyes solely on his face.

“Ready?”

“Ready,” Nathaniel replied with a grin. He nearly offered her his arm but paused before making the movement. He didn’t want to seem too pushy or make her uncomfortable. It seemed his upbringing was somewhat different than what those in America expected. Instead, he walked with Juliet down the hall and manned the elevator; hitting the call button, picking the first floor and eventually holding the apartment buildings door open for the young woman.

Once outside, Nathaniel did allow his manners to be put to use. He opened his car door for Juliet and closed her in, safe and sound, before circling the car to take his own seat.

“You have to excuse me, Juliet. Although it has been nearly a year since I’ve moved to America I am still quite weary about driving on the roads. I always have an urge to drive on the left side so I am quite cautious while making turns so that I won’t make that mistake,” Nathaniel commented as he settled into the driver’s seat, then concentrated on pulling his car out of the Pax Letale parking lot.

He was slightly embarrassed that he had to follow a GPS to the bowling location but he didn’t want to bother Juliet by expecting her to give directions. Instead, with a glance at her and a confident smile, he commented to her, “You look lovely as always, Juliet. I’ve been looking forward to this date for the entirety of the week.”

She flashed him a happy smile for the compliment. “So have I. I think it might have been keeping me up more than usual,” she joked, hoping that he wouldn’t be offended with the remark. Her legs were held close together, purse set delicately in her lap with her seatbelt pulled taut over her chest. The dress wasn’t low cut enough to really show off any cleavage, but it was certainly much lower than anything she’d worn in Nathaniel’s presence previously; not that she was trying to suggest anything, necessarily, but Juliet was certainly trying.

Even having to use the GPS, the bowling alley wasn’t too far away, and after some light conversation they already found themselves in the parking lot. Juliet unbuckled her seatbelt, making to open her door to hop down to the pavement.

Nathaniel eased himself out of his car, locking the doors and slipping the car keys into his pocket before he circled the car and went to Juliet’s side. Closing her car door for her, he turned and walked by her side to the bowling alley. But once he held back the door, allowing Juliet the opportunity to enter first, Nathaniel lingered behind her.

Bending down, he leaned closely to her, smelling her scent and forcing back the desire to run his hands over her shoulders and down her arms. “I have to say, I’m not quite sure what we do now,” Nathaniel whispered into Juliet’s ear. “I’ve never even entered a bowling alley before. I hope you don’t regret this, I have a lot to learn.”

Juliet’s head turned enough to look over her shoulder and give him a reassuring smile with just her lips. “Don’t worry, I’ll go slow so you can keep up,” she teased lightly, before stepping backward enough to hook her fingers into his hand. Hopefully he would be comfortable with such light touching, but Juliet was finding it difficult to keep her hands to herself. Even though his skin was perfectly warm and welcoming, something about it felt...off.

But she shook those thoughts away from her mind, instead leading him over to the check in counter where they collected the clownish shoes required for the sport. Nathaniel happily accepted Juliet’s hand, slipping his fingers between hers and tightening his grip. Holding her hand felt both natural and strange but the fact was still there: he was happy to hold her hand and happier still that she felt comfortable enough for this small step.

“Size 6, please?” Juliet set her purse on the counter, watching as the shoes were delivered. At least they didn’t smell - she sincerely hoped that someone had cleaned them before giving them back out; regardless, she had brought some nylon socks to put over her feet, just in case. She glanced at Nate, hoping he wouldn’t feel too odd about having to wear a different pair of shoes.

Looking to the person working with the shoes, he followed Juliet’s lead. “May I have a size 11 please?” It had taken him ages to remember the sizes of pants and shoes in America. He was used to the measurements that he had grown up with, not this American way. But he was secretly thankful he recalled his American size and didn’t accidentally order his size in the UK.

Taking his shoes he turned to Juliet, holding them lightly with a free hand, he smiled slightly. “All right, I suppose we put them on, but then what?”

“First we go to our lane, we can put them on there. Come on, we’re on 23,” and with that short explanation, Juliet tugged him toward the lane nearly situated against the far wall. Four chairs bolted into the floor made a half circle around the ball dispenser, where a few colored spheres were already resting from a previous game. Juliet put her purse on one chair and took a seat after releasing Nate’s hand, in order to slip off her flats and put on the ugly bowling shoes. First she put the nylon socks on, then tightened the shoestrings until it felt secure.

“Do you want socks, too? I brought another pair. I think they clean them, but I would rather be safe than sorry,” she admitted, digging into her purse for the mentioned second set, pulling them loose to offer such an option to her date.

“Oh, no thank you,” Nathaniel replied, his voice soft as he sat beside Juliet. “Unless you think I should? I have socks on with my shoes. But do you think they’re horrendously dirty? They don’t seem to smell.” Of course, Nathaniel hadn’t gotten anywhere near to sniffing the shoes, but they looked all right. He gave a brief frown, followed by a shrug, then kicked off his shoes. “I guess I can give it a go. I’ll let you know if I receive some horrible disease from these.”

He winked at Juliet then returned to placing the ugly shoes on his feet. Once tied, he set both feet firmly on the ground and looked at Juliet again. “I assume we take turns. So, ladies first. I also suggest you go first so I can see what I have to do. If you don’t mind, of course.”

Shaking her head and smiling, Juliet tucked the socks back into her purse before getting to her feet. “It’s very simple - just roll the ball down the lane and knock down the pins.” She paused to fiddle with a screen that was standing on a pole in front of the ball dispenser - on a screen above them, hanging from the ceiling, their names appeared on a digital scorecard.

Glancing over the selection in the ball dispenser, she picked up a light pink ball labeled with the number 3. “Each ball has a number that denotes its weight. This one is pretty light - you might like something heavier? But you can try them out when it’s your turn.” Hefting the ball, she put her forefinger, middle finger and thumb into the holes and turned to walk toward the lane. A small step preceded the five feet between the ball dispenser and the start of the lane; Juliet paused at the three foot mark and carefully curled her arm. The ball flew from her hands with speed but lacked accuracy - it rolled down the lane, canting to the right and just barely tapping the pins before falling into the ball retriever. The pins, however, fell like dominoes, leaving four standing.

Turning back around, a small smile on her mouth, Juliet gave a light shrug. “Well, that wasn’t too bad, but the idea is to knock down all the pins. That’s called a strike. I get one more turn, then you’re up.” She collected her ball from the dispenser and returned to her spot, repeating her throw but only managed to knock down one more pin before the rest were swept away. Juliet returned to the seats, perching on the edge of one and giving Nate a grin. “Give it a shot?”

Nathaniel smiled at Juliet but was secretly honest with himself, he didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of her. He wanted to impress her and he wasn’t quite sure his would-be bowling skills would be the impressive sort. With another smile at Juliet and a brush of his hand over hers, he got to his feet and made his way to the bowling balls. Lifting a few, he found a dark blue ball that seemed to work perfectly. It felt right as he placed his fingers in the holes as Juliet had done and took his position.

He mirrored what she had done, hoping he had the right idea, and took a few steps forward before swinging and releasing the ball. It went rolling down the side of the lane, just missing the gutter, and managed to knock down a single pin. Frowning, Nathaniel looked back at Juliet. “I think I need some practice,” he commented with a wrinkle of his nose as his ball returned; she only tried to smile encouragingly. Lifting it again, he performed the same process and watched as the ball rolled in the opposite direction and took out three more pins.

Turning back to Juliet, he returned to his seat, his hand slipping over hers for a brief moment again. He was enjoying himself, but he wasn’t enjoying that they had to keep separating. Not willing to rush anything, especially if Juliet seemed happy with the pace they were going, Nathaniel still found himself wishing that he could touch Juliet. Hand holding was lovely but it just felt as if something was lacking. “Your turn, Juliet.” The smile seemed permanent, but she didn’t force anymore touching than the level they were at - for the moment, she was perfectly content with the evening they were having. Things were going so well, though it wasn’t as if she had expected otherwise. The chemistry she’d felt between them just at the sessions they’d shared as doctor and patient spoke of an easy slip into something more of a romantic nature, and it seemed to be proving true.

Jumping up from her seat, she grabbed the same light pink bowling ball and sent it rolling down the lane toward its objective. This time it somehow managed to align perfectly down the center and strike the first pin in the flock - at first it seemed like a bonafide strike, but in the end left two pins standing in a split.

“Oh, darn it!” Juliet was never one for swearing, in any occasion, but she stamped her foot at the turn of events. She turned around and smoothed back a stray bit of hair that had worked its way loose from her pony tail, her mouth holding just a touch of a pout. “You were having better luck that I am,” she tried to joke, forcing a smile onto her face as she returned to the ball dispenser to wait for everything to reset for her second turn. She was rarely one for games, as Juliet had the tendency to get frustrated somewhat easily at them - though she had endless patience for other things, like finding a random book for a library patron, she found games of skill to be beyond her scope, though she was doing her best to not give up now. She didn’t want to do anything that might jeopardize the atmosphere of their date. The second ball rolled straight through the goalposts made by the split pins, leaving Juliet’s turn finished with no additional score.

“Well, I tried! You’re up, Nate.” She returned to her spot with a smile, but once she was sitting she crossed her arms in a tell-tale showing of annoyance.

“I was having better luck?” Nathaniel exclaimed with a laugh. “I’m not very sure of that. I think you’re doing splendidly.” He smiled at her, nudging her very gently in the side with his arm, then he got to his feet and retrieved the ball he used before. Lifting it in his hands, he eyed the pins at the end of the lane but then the ball dropped. Banging to the floor and rolling slightly. Nathaniel jumped and stepped forward to retrieve the ball, reaching for it and although he swore he was close enough to grasp it, it seemed out of his reach.

Shaking his head, Nathaniel took another step forward and successfully grabbed the ball. With a frown, he stood up straight and swung the ball back and the forward, but it fell again, rolling pathetically down the lane until it went into the gutter. He hadn’t even let go of the ball, it just... fell. Frowning at the disappearing ball, Nathaniel reached his hand to his face to rub at his temple as he tended to do while confused or stressed but felt nothing.

No, not nothing. He felt something soft, like air, and so light that it seemed to sink into his skin. Pulling his hand away he looked down and saw only a shadow, something wispy and not solid at all. But after a blink of his eyes, his hands returned. Maybe he was starting to have an attack of the shadow people again... after all of these years and becoming a doctor himself, suddenly he was starting to suffer from the symptoms again. His face noticeably paled as he reached for the ball again and made another unsuccessful attempt at a score. Turning back to Juliet, he tried to smile and took his seat. “Sorry about that, I just felt a little strange. I must have stood up too quickly.”

The first time the ball had dropped, Juliet had immediately shot to her feet to make sure that Nathaniel was all right. But he had retrieved it with no issue, so she had lingered by her seat as he continued his turn. It seemed as though he were either trying and for some reason finding himself unable to participate fully, or he was losing interest in the sport altogether. Maybe he was finding this boring, and Juliet felt a rush of anxiety fill her belly. Perhaps now he was just trying to be polite and nice in order to make the evening as bearable as possible.

“Are you getting hungry? I can maybe go get us some food?” Her voice was tinged with obvious worry, trying to find some way to smooth over both her nerves and discover if he was being truthful about his poorly played turn.

“No, no,” Nathaniel replied with a shake of his head. “Don’t worry about it, Juliet, I’m all right. I just think I stood up too quickly. Go ahead and take your turn.” He smiled at her kindly, a solid hand reaching out and touching her arm gently. “I’ll just sit here for a minute and when you’re done with your turn, maybe we can get food, we’ll see how I feel if that is all right with you?”

“That’s fine.” A shaky smile crossed her face, reassured that Nate was being sincere. Turning away from him, she picked up her ball and moved toward the lane. Slipping her fingers into the holes was simple, and she prepared to roll it down the lane - Juliet swung her arm and expected the ball to remove itself and go flying, but instead it seemed to stick fast to her hand; a shocked cry of pain ejected itself from her mouth as her hand felt numb, almost ice-like. The sudden surprising weight dragged her arm down and the ball hit her knees before continuing toward the floor before coming to a jerky stop as it remained suspended by her arm.

“Ow, ow, ow,” she muttered worriedly under her breath, quickly bringing the ball up with her other hand and cradling it as she continued to jerk at her fingers, unable to release them from their grip on the ball. Continuing to face the lane, she wriggled her fingers, but they were stuck fast, and her hand felt so cold. Slowly, she turned around, silently anxious about looking stupid. For a moment she wavered, wondering if she was just having a moment, acting stupid and before she knew it her fingers would pop out - it had happened enough as a child, sometimes she had jammed her fingers in too far and gotten them stuck. That was probably what had happened now, except the bowling ball was starting to feel icy as well. As she continued to work at her hand, panic started to rise up in her gut and she finally started to turn toward Nathaniel, the desire for help suggesting itself easily. “Um, Nate? I...I think I’m having a problem...”

Nathaniel was already on his feet when he saw Juliet’s awkward movements. Quickly shortening the space between them, he crossed over the floor and went to Juliet’s side. A hand went to her arm with hopes of making some kind of a comforting gesture but he felt that emptiness again and then... contact. Looking at his hand, it had faded once more into something see-through and wispy. It still had some structure to it, as he focused he noticed the outline of a hand, something so much like a shadow, and it was snaking its way around Juliet’s arm. He was still trying to comfort her and so his hand did just that.

He let out a short breath but looked at Juliet, trying to ignore his own problems and hope she hadn’t noticed his hand, but he failed to realize his other hand had been lifted towards the ball and was see-through as well. Ignoring his hands, he turned his concern solely to Juliet and with a faint voice, so distracted he was by how wonderful she felt to his touch, how perfect, he asked her, “What’s wrong? Your fingers are stuck?”

She nodded shakily, again trying to pry herself loose. “I can’t...I can’t get them out.” Her voice took on a high, thready quality that suggested suppressed fright, an attempt to remain calm even as she could feel her blood pressure rising. It wasn’t even that she was just stuck, it was the fact that her hand, and slowly her arm as well, was turning so cold - did that mean she was having a heart attack? She couldn’t remember, and that coupled with the odd sensations was immediately hitting all of the worry sensors in her mind. Looking from her hand to Nate’s face, her expression was just begging him to fix it, to find something that would make it all better. And he was, something he was doing was reassuring - his hand on her arm, even though it felt feathery and almost nonexistent - and gave her a measure of calm in order to restrain any hysterics that were edging around her mind.

“Okay,” Nathaniel said with a nervous breath of air again. He looked around him, noticing that the other patrons of the bowling alley were busy with their own games, and turned back to Juliet. Without thinking, he reached with his other shadowed hand for her free one, his hand slipped against her cold skin, feeling her much more intensely than any before. It was enough to bring a small gasp from his lips but he tried to push it aside as she stood there looking panicked. His hand on her shoulder dropping to the bowling ball to help support it. However, he couldn’t support it, his fingers only spread across the surface and felt the frozen touch of it all, so his hand returned to her shoulder. “Come with me. We’ll go sit down. Maybe... maybe we can work it off. You’re nervous and that will surely not help matters. We’ll sit and try again, then if that doesn’t work we can ask for assistance. Come, darling.”

His hands felt strange, but rather than commenting on such a fact she merely followed Nathaniel’s suggestion docilely; it were as though he knew better, and she was right in expecting him to fix this for her, to correct it and keep her safe. Even the reappearance of his pet name for her brought no odd looks from her to him; instead she merely matched his pace as they moved from the bowling lane to the chairs, Juliet taking a seat with the pink bowling ball in her lap like a cat. Her face was on the crest of barely held back tears, teeth chewing gently into her bottom lip - she wasn’t in pain, necessarily, though her arm and hand felt bizarrely cold. If anything, it reminded her of her nightmares, especially that where she was trapped in the snow with nowhere to run. The idea that her dreams were becoming a reality frightened her beyond belief. Once seated, she gave another pathetic tug at the ball, but her fingers continued to refuse to budge.

“Okay,” Nathaniel repeated, although more to himself. He went to grasp the bowling ball again but his hands slipped over the object and spread out like a fine mist. Letting out a nervous breath he paused, glancing at Juliet and hoping he didn’t appear frightened. He didn’t know what was happening. His hands were still very much there but they couldn’t necessarily grip anything. However, they could feel and sink through material. “Please, please don’t be frightened,” Nathaniel whispered, his accent coming out thicker and deeper in his concentration and worry. He looked to his hands that hovered in shadowed wisps at the end of his arms then looked at Juliet. “I’ll help you, I promise.”

She gave a slow nod, believing him; Juliet felt afraid to speak, as though giving voice to her fears would be too much. Her arm was positively shaking from the cold, though it didn’t physically look any different. Raising her eyes from the ball to Nate, she was a little surprised to see just as much worry there as she was feeling - it didn’t make her despair, to think that she was ruining their date, but rather served to make her appreciate his sincerity, make her believe that he was truly going to help. Swallowing, Juliet conjured some strength and continued to hold her arm in the air, as though this positioning would help to release the ball’s grip on her fingers.

“What do you think it is? I feel so cold, my whole arm is going numb. Does that mean I’m having a heart attack?” Doing her best to bury the worry that threaded through her voice, Juliet trained her face with a calm expression as she waited for Nathaniel’s instructions.

“I’m not sure, darling,” Nathaniel replied quietly as he looked over her hand. He was a doctor, but not one that learned the odds and ends of the human anatomy. He looked at her again, frowning with nerves as he decided to take a tentative step forward to helping her. To do this would mean really harnessing his shifted hands and he didn’t want to frighten Juliet anymore than she already was.

Lifting his right hand, he slipped it over Juliet’s and let out a sigh as his skin, or lack there of, came in contact with hers. He could feel each pore, each crease, he could practically feel the bones of her hands straight down to the dull push of warm blood in her veins. But it was wrong, it was all wrong to feel her hands in this manner and the chill that came from her was not normal for a living person. Not a living person who was moving around, active, and standing in a room with a decent temperature.

He realized that his hands didn’t have much substance to them and tried to slip his hand into the bowling ball holes as well. It was easy, effortless, but he soon discovered that Juliet’s fingers were lodged to the ball. “Darling,” Nathaniel said gently as he withdrew his hand, not wanting to part from Juliet but feeling it was necessary. “I think we’re going to have to call an ambulance to get you help.”

She drew in a sharp gasp, brows furrowing as her eyes moved to watch his actions, teeth immediately sinking into her bottom lip to smother the slightly sexual noise that wanted to grow from her throat. His hands...the sensation was strange and odd and both wanted and unwanted in a way she’d never felt before. There was nothing to compare it to, and she quietly squashed the desire to tell him to put his hand back. Instead she focused on his prognosis.

“Really?” The sound of tears was heavy in her throat, anxiety coupled with too little sleep overcoming her attempts to be brave. Why was this happening to her? She had planned carefully, thought this date would go well, and here they were, with her hand nearly fused to the bowling ball.

“I don’t know what else we could do, Juliet,” Nathaniel said as calmly as he could. His hand went to her hair, trying to brush it back, but it only went through the hair and touched each individual strand. He sighed and looked at his hands. “I don’t know what I’ll say about this. I guess I could see if the doctors will help me after they help you.” Honestly, had Juliet not been experiencing a more dire issue than himself, he would have been in more of a panic over his disappearing hands. But as it was, his hands didn’t hurt but the bowling ball being attached to Juliet’s hands did seem to hurt her and that was enough to distract Nathaniel.

Getting to his feet, he paused in front of Juliet and fought the urge to give her a kiss, if only for comfort. Instead, he walked to the front counter and calmly requested some medical assistance. Returning to the chairs, he sat down beside Juliet and looked at his missing hands. “They’re calling the paramedics and someone will be by shortly to see if they may help you.”

Juliet continued to hold her tears at bay, unwilling to ruin the date any further than she already had. Maybe once the paramedics arrived they could salvage some part of their date - but for now, she was stuck with a bowling ball in her lap. Her bottom lip trembled, the only sign that she was continuing to put on a brave face.

“Thank you,” she whispered, genuinely grateful for his assistance. She felt incredibly embarrassed, and was starting to consider hiding in her apartment for the next week to try and get over this incredibly awkward event. Her eyes flicked over to his hands, observing the transparency. “Are...are you all right? Your hands...”

Nathaniel’s blue eyes darted up to look at Juliet. His eyebrows arched slightly and he tried to smile. “I would be lying if I said I was fine. This is a little disconcerting, I must say. But it doesn’t hurt and I can still feel, it just seems that I am incapable of lifting. But I can still touch and feel that I can touch.” He reached for Juliet, taking her free hand and lacing his non-existent fingers through hers. The sensation struck him again, that they were touching the way they were meant to touch, and he let out a little sigh as he stared at Juliet’s eyes and wondered if she felt the same reaction to their connection.

Her breath hitched in her throat once more upon the contact, and she tried to twist her fingers with his, only to find that his very flesh had become yielding, like putting her hand through a fine mist. One would think that they would find such a thing a little more terrifying than they currently were; instead of sheer fright, Juliet was enjoying the sensation, feeling as though it was something longed for over a stretch of eons and only now given to her once more.

“That actually...feels good...” She looked up from his hand to his face, gaze connecting with his. It was like being in a therapy session with him again, though they were seated much more closely together. But she felt safe, protected and guided in his presence. Despite the horrid turn their date had taken, she was still very much glad that he was there with her, that it was he who was aiding her in dealing with the strange turn of events.

Nathaniel slowly smiled and gripped Juliet’s hand. His grip wasn’t what he would normally do, nor how a hand would function, still he slipped what was left of his hand deeper into her skin and felt the spark of each nerve reacting to his touch. It raised another sigh from Nathaniel and his smile grew. “It does feel good,” Nathaniel replied quietly and held Juliet’s gaze.

Then he did something his mother would have scolded him over, something that was not entirely polite to do on the first date, however he was a modern man and the feeling was overwhelming. He leaned forward, his lips parted slightly; he wanted to feel the press of her lips to his. If holding her hand felt this wonderful, what would a kiss feel like?

A loud, booming voice interrupted his attempted smooch and Nathaniel leaned back quickly, his eyes opening and his body immediately taking on a stiff, polite air as he, regretfully, pulled his hand away from Juliet’s and pretended to tuck them into his jean pockets. They could help Juliet first and then he would ask for assistance. “Hello,” Nathaniel greeted the paramedics as they surrounded the couple and asked Nathaniel to please step away. “Yes, her fingers seemed to have infused with the bowling ball and her arm has grown very cold.” He looked at Juliet, holding her gaze for a moment before he stepped to the side and allowed the paramedics to surround her. Just parting with her felt wrong, he wanted to be by her side and comfort her, it was something that was almost necessary.

Juliet was likewise startled, glancing from Nathaniel to the arriving help. Part of her wanted to frown, to say something admonishing, for look at what they’d interrupted! But a larger part wanted their assistance, and gratefully she followed their direction in order to free her hand from the bowling ball.

Once they had assisted her escape, they looked at Nate’s hands as well, but found nothing odd - somehow, in the amount of time it had taken them to remedy Juliet’s injury, his appendages had solidified. She even gave testament to the fact by wrapping her own fingers in his, threading between them and feeling the skin and muscle beneath. She felt a little sad at that fact, though she didn’t understand why, exactly; instead she focused on the fact that her arm now seemed normal, and instead suggested that she buy them some nachos, asking Nathaniel if he had ever tried jalapeños.