Dante (justbusiness) wrote in tiberiusswann, @ 2010-02-09 21:43:00 |
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Entry tags: | dante, erin |
Sunday March 30th 2008
Who: Erin & Dante
Where: Movie theaters
When: Afternoon
What: A...date?
The very first thought to make it's way through the thick curtain of sleep that lay over Erin was: Auuuuuuuurghh. As she dragged herself out of bed, her limbs protesting, her brain -- much more awake than her legs -- went into overdrive. What an idiot. What the hell had she been talking about last night? It had been much to late to hold a conversation. It was ridiculous of her. She had been ridiculous. As she padded her way into the bathroom, holding her tote bag of supplies, snippets of Dante's voice over the phone.
`` You make me act like an idiot. ``
The only person she thought acting like an idiot had been her. His mannerisms and playful jabs were indicative of his experience and "age." While he appeared to be an older man (older than Roger, which she actually very much liked), he .. wasn't. He wasn't a child, not really, because though he lacked experienced he had understanding of how various relationships among sentient creatures worked, but he was...young.
Which worked for her.
She returned to the room wearing her robe. The light scent of Japanese perfume followed her; she had lotioned and scented up there, and was letting it absorb into her skin as she moved. Her hair had been blowdried and was now hanging softly down her back, without much shape. It was too cold out to bother with a curling iron. She'd just pin it away from her face and call it a day.
She fished in the robe pocket for her keys. Ugh. She wanted her own bathroom next semester.
"Damn, I missed the show."
Dante had been waiting for Erin to emerge from her shower, standing well at the end of the hallway so as not to seem like he was lurking outside her door. This morning he'd told Roger he was going out, and then he'd left without looking back. Roger was in charge, and he knew it, so not leaving enough time for the half demon to complain meant he wasn't disobeying orders.
Dressed in his only available pair of dusty jeans, a wrinkled tee shirt and scuffed boots, Dante swaggered down the hall to Erin's door, leaning against it and smirking cockily. He looked like he'd just fallen off the back of a truck, with grungy clothes and five o'clock shadow, but he smelled fresh and clean, like the bodywash Erin had deposited in front of Roger's door. "You see," he said to her, "I could have broken into your shower and gotten a full view of the good. But I didn't. Because I'm pretending to respect you long enough until you grant me access into your pants."
---
She arched an eyebrow at the sight of him. From afar she only saw his confident silhouette and his smirk, and the edges of her smile twitched. Then she came closer, and noticed the wrinkled tee shirt and smudged jeans. What on earth...
You see, I could have broken into your ...
Pretending? She blinked, and her eyebrows turned upward for a brief moment as she took him seriously. That wasn't very funny. He's fucking with you, stupid, she realized, and blinked, before a cold smile crept onto her features. Of course. Pretending. Huh. No man would stay on the phone for as long as he did just to get into someone's pants. ..Right?
"Funny, hah hah," she said, giving him a once over, not at all concerned with the way her robe was open enough to be decollete, her pale clavicle exposed and the delicate tendons in her neck jumping with the movements of her head. Her upper lip lifted slightly as she pushed past him to get closer to her lock, her key going in with a jingle. A thought tickled, and demon nostrils flared. He smelled clean, and masculine, despite looking like he'd been living under a bridge for a few days.
She sniffed twice, then a third time, louder, this time facing him, before lifting her tiny chin up and narrowing feline eyes. "Really. You're such an ass, I swear. And you came early, which, incidentally, is rude."
She pushed open her door and wished Josephine wasn't away. Without her roommate there, she had no legit reason to make him wait in the hall while she got ready. She slipped inside, carrying her totebag over one shoulder, wondering what to do now.
---
For a brief moment, Dante watched the unsure anger flicker in the demon woman's eyes. Perhaps she was offended by him, but then again what else was new? Still, he was relieved all the same that she took his comment at face value- a jest.
Dante noticed the way her robe slipped open. He noticed that her skin was pale, looked smooth like porcelin, that her chest was taut and her... A part of his brain refused to let him finish that thought. What, he couldn't even think the word 'tits' anymore? In reference to Erin, apparently not. He was starting to dislike how careful he was acting around her. Already he was watching his mouth and noticing shit she did and wore, the way she smelled. What in the hell was wrong with him?
"I never come early," he replied with a suggestive wink, leaning his back against the wall beside her door. He knew she wasn't gonna let him in to watch her get dressed, no sense barking up that fruitless tree. "Don't take forever," he said shortly, crossing his arms.
---
The "I never come early" joke was met with a taut jaw and a flash of laughter across her gaze. She would not do him the service of laughing, even if it was a very well-timed joke. Quick. He was quick-witted. She had to give him that.
"Uh huh," was her eloquent, lady-like reply before she closed the door behind her with her foot. She looked over at the outfit she'd chosen for today. Yes, a little dressy, but she liked looking good despite just being at the mall. Beside Dante, though, she would look absolutely ridiculous. She frowned, casting a glare at the closed door that separated them, then looked back to the cute little top. What an idiot. Now she needed to dress down?
She resisted the urge to stamp her foot. She didn't want to dress down. What was her option? She could complain to him about his own choice in clothing, but that was exactly what he wanted. No, she thought, mentally shaking her head as she strode to her closet. She'd find something that would make walking beside him less embarrassing. She had casual clothing in there.
When she opened the door in a over the shoulder sweater, jeans, and a decorative set of hair combs she looked chic, but laid back. She even wore low-heeled boots and a decidedly minimal amount of jewelry and makeup. The pretty ice demon had wiped a feminine pink lipstick over her pout, glossy and pinup style, and had used mascara. She hated her short eyelashes; they made her look like a child.
In order to look less sickly in a human world she always had to wear blush. It was hard for her to find colors that didn't make her look like a clown; she needed a light touch and the correct shade. Generally blush was supposed to be the color one turned when they were flushed. Erin flushed rarely. At least, she thought so.
"Alright. Did you have your meal on wheels before we set out?" she asked, with a crisp smile, the bridge of her nose crinkling.
---
While Erin primped and prepared and debated and made herself pretty, Dante stood in the hallway and whistled. He'd never waited for a girl before. The first and only time a girl he'd taken out had kept him waiting for more then a minute, he had driven away and never saw her again. He ahd better shit to do then wait around for some girl to try too hard to look nice. For Erin, though, he would wait. Not like he had anywhere better to be.
Finally she emerged, making an attempt to be funny. She was cute when she crinkled her nose. "Comedy ain't your strong suit," he told her flatly, pushing off the wall and picking up stride toward the door. He wasn't going to tell her that she looked pretty, or that her outfit was nice, or anything like that. Dante didn't give out compliments. But he was thinking those things, which was better then normal.
---
She didn't expect a compliment from him and couldn't be disappointed when he didn't give one. Comedy wasn't her strong suit? "Oh?" she looked up and over at him with a high eyebrow, her hands slipping into the pockets of her wool peacoat. Her handbag banged against her hip as she moved. "I seem to remember..." the words died. What had she said? She had said they could pretend like the conversation had never happened.
Were they going to, though? She sucked in a pink lip and bit down, before looking away toward the doors. Shopping on a Saturday afternoon. It felt so... normal. She wasn't sure she remembered normal. Then again, her day-date (date?) was an undead electrically wound corpse with an awesome jawline. Normal? Psh.
---
Perhaps the conversation from the night before might rear its ugly head, and Dante would have to swallow some pride and admit to things he was reluctant to admit to. But for the moment he was going to ignore that anything might have happened last night and simply act as he normally did.
As they reached the doors to the outside, Dante realized that he was going to look completely insane walking out in thirty degree weather in short sleeves. The cold just did not bother him that much anymore. Might have something to do with being practically dead.
Stepping out into the day, Dante's left arm jerked out, hitting Erin hard in the thigh. He stared at his hand a moment, clearly perplexed. "Fuck," he said, annoyed. "Hasn't done that in awhile."
---
She jumped, completely not expecting him to touch her anywhere, much less her leg, and looked up at him startled before a sly grin crossed her features. "What a stupid excuse for you to cop a feel, Dante." She giggled inside her throat, nostrils flaring a bit.
---
Actually, that was a damn good excuse, and the look on his face indicated that he wished he'd thought of it. But he smirked at her, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Last time I copped a feel of you, you gave me the icy stare of death and got pissed. I've learned to keep any and all body parts away from you."
---
"So that was an accident, huh," she said, in a tone that indicated she wasn't sure if she was ready to believe him. It was all in jest, though; she knew it really had been. He seemed so annoyed, though. "I suppose it can be forgiven then," she replied, but then reached down to rub her thigh a little. He'd hit her hard.
"Did you try eating breakfast this morning?"
---
He might have apologized for hurting her, but that would indicate he was concerned about her, and there wasn't going to be any of that. It was always two steps forward, one step back with him and Erin.
"Nope," he declared, almost proudly. "Just drank last night. Pissed for like ten minutes this morning, good to know the plumbing still works." He was enjoying his crudeness a little, because he knew Erin had a distaste for it and he liked to annoy her. She was funny when she was annoyed.
---
"Lovely," she replied flatly, adjusting her purse on her shoulder. "Strange how he bothered to give you a working urinary tract, but didn't bother offering an instruction manual." She looked up at him, smirking at the way he seemed to enjoy being a complete asshole. It was infuriating. Her fingers itched to reach over and thwap the back of his head.
"Or more hair." Ooooh.
---
Dante gave Erin the frown of all frowns. "I got plenty of hair, it just ain't all on my head, you know what I mean?" He had a fairly hairy body. Plus to be fair, his head had been shaved to accommodate being sliced into. "Besides, I don't need an instruction manual. I'm figuring it out fine by myself." What he didn't tell her is that the alchemist would have helped him regain his composure a lot sooner, but it came at a price Dante was absolutely not willing to pay.
---
Oh, was that a pubic area joke? Her face screwed up in distaste, and she rolled her eyes away from him, shaking her head, before pausing at the door. It was just second nature to wait for the man to open the door. The half second that ticked by seemed too long when she realized she was being an idiot. Her hand escaped from her pocket and went for the push-bar handle.
---
Waiting for Dante to open a door out of politeness would be like waiting for the next ice age to come. It might happen within your lifetime, but it was very unlikely. Dante didn't notice Erin's pause, instead waited for her to walk out before him before he followed, the winter wind hitting him as unnoticed as a summer breeze. "I guess it's cold," he said, more a question then a statement.
"So... does her royal highness have any idea how we're getting to your homo store?"