InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "you have to do it 50 times"

Ariel (defectedfromgod) wrote in utr_logs,
@ 2010-06-11 21:52:00

Current mood:	uncomfortable
Entry tags:	ariel, dean winchester, princess

WHO: Ariel and Princess, with a little Dean thrown in
WHAT: Walking out
WHERE: Chez Winchester, then around London
WARNINGS: With these two, I highly doubt it.

He'd done his best to clean up, even managing to find and operate one of the newfangled razors the shops sold. There was nothing objectionable about his dress, nor his appearance. This wasn't a courting call, but nonetheless, Ariel wanted to make a better impression than he'd made the first time he'd met Princess; swimming in guilt and fear and looking manic enough to erupt.

She'd told him the address, and after a bit of searching, he located the house. It was enormous, frankly, and he felt a bubble of nerves rise. The manners beaten into him as a child were weary from disuse, but he would obviously try his best to impress. This wasn't his era anymore, of course; surely slightly rusty etiquette wouldn't be a hanging offense, even if this was Britain.

He walked up the drive, stopping to look at the motor cars for a moment; these seemed older than most of those turning New York's streets into a danger zone. They were more handsome, as well, or at least as handsome as a motorcar could be. Pushing on, he took up the heavy knocker on the front door of the house, letting it fall twice.

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	doubleup 2010-06-12 02:19 am UTC (link)
	Barking could be heard from behind the heavy wooden door, followed by a man gently scolding. "Roxy, it's just the door. Sit. Sit!" The door opened a moment later, the figure behind the door clad in jeans and a plaid flannel shirt. "Yeah?" (Reply to this)

	defectedfromgod 2010-06-12 02:24 am UTC (link)
	Ariel blinked. "Perhaps I have the wrong house?" He quoted the address. "I have an appointment at half two, and was told to collect the lady here." (Reply to this)

	doubleup 2010-06-12 02:34 am UTC (link)
	"That's the right address, but you don't look like either of my daughter's boyfriends." He squinted at the man on his doorway. "But hey, it's too hot to yap out here and I think my dog's going to try to run out. Come on in while we figure out what to do with you." He motioned him inside, smiling. (Reply to this)

defectedfromgod
2010-06-12 02:37 am UTC (link)

He belatedly remembered Princess speaking of Dean. Somehow he'd expected someone older. "My apologies; I forget things. You must be Dean; Princess has spoken of you." He walked into the vestibule, immediately noticing the large dog sitting nearby. Odd that the dog should be in such a grand house, but far be it for him to criticize. Something did strike him, though. "Pardon me. You're American?"

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	doubleup 2010-06-12 02:55 am UTC (link)
	"You're here for Princess? Really? That made him grin, and he smiled at the man looking at his dog. "Roxy's a good girl, don't worry. She won't bite. And yeah, from Kansas, why?" (Reply to this)

	defectedfromgod 2010-06-12 03:03 am UTC (link)
	"Yes, Princess." Ariel looked confused. Was there something wrong with that? He smiled at the dog. "I was merely surprised to find a countryman in a home so unapologetically ... British." He knew he didn't necessarily sound American; he had a bit of everywhere in his own speech. And damn! "Please, excuse my appalling manners; my name is Ariel." (Reply to this)

	doubleup 2010-06-12 03:06 am UTC (link)
	"Oh, she didn't tell me. It's nothing against you, I'm just not used to thinking of her going on dates. She's only been in a girl body for ... hell, a month now? Maybe two?" He smiled and reached down to fondly pet his dog. "Landed here after I got taken from home. My wife's from here, just never moved." He stuck out his hand for the other man to take. "Dean Winchester." (Reply to this)

defectedfromgod
2010-06-12 03:11 am UTC (link)

"She informed me of her ... transformation, yes." Ariel tried to be delicate as he shook the man's hand, inclining his head. "A pleasure to meet you, sir. I come from the District of Columbia, myself." He didn't mention Helena; he considered himself a widower, frankly, but of all things not to speak of with a stranger. And something in the other man's eyes didn't quite ring true, so Ariel added dryly, "I died in 1825."

(Reply to this)

	doubleup 2010-06-12 03:15 am UTC (link)
	Dean blinked. "Did Kansas exist then?" He hadn't really paid attention in school, especially in history. Unless it was local and related to a hunt. (Reply to this)

defectedfromgod
2010-06-12 03:23 am UTC (link)

Ariel shook his head, amused, but trying not to laugh; it would look rude and that wasn't his intention. "It was Indian territory, if I recall." He really ought to catch up on the rest of American history. "There were only twenty-three or twenty-four states at the time I died." It sounded strange to speak of it, but it was the truth. "Some were territories, but not official states yet."

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	doubleup 2010-06-12 03:27 am UTC (link)
	"Yeah, I didn't pay attention in school too much. I was busy with something else." He smiled and put his fingers to his lips, whistling shrilly. "PRINCESS! YOUR DUDE IS HERE!" Turning back to Ariel, he smiled. "She'll be down soon, you want a beer?" (Reply to this)

	defectedfromgod 2010-06-12 03:36 am UTC (link)
	Ariel was too well-bred to wince conspicuously, but he couldn't stop his jaw clenching. He reflected dryly that really, he'd been a fool to worry about manners. Still, he'd dealt with the uncouth before, and this man was trying to be kind. "Thank you, no; I'm all right." (Reply to this)

	doubleup 2010-06-12 03:39 am UTC (link)
	Dean shrugged. "Suit yourself. Got sodas and water, too." He reached into the fridge to pull out a bottle for himself, popping the cap off with his wedding ring. He smiled when he heard footsteps on the stairs, leaning against the counter to wait for Princess. (Reply to this)

	defectedfromgod 2010-06-12 03:59 am UTC (link)
	Ariel smiled genuinely when he saw Princess; she still looked lovely. Clearly it was a God-given gift. He stepped out of the vestibule, looking up as she came down the stairs. "Good afternoon; I hope I've not arrived too early?" (Reply to this)

	italianpuzzle 2010-06-12 04:02 am UTC (link)
	She smiled when she reached Ariel, shaking her head. "You're just on time." She'd changed into a flower skirt and one of Dean's white shirts, her long hair loose. Wrapping her arms around Dean, she ruffled his hair. "Thank you for not scaring him off." (Reply to this)

	defectedfromgod 2010-06-12 04:38 am UTC (link)
	Ariel turned about eight shades of red when he heard Princess speak to her ... whatever he was. It took quite a lot to scare him off of anything, actually, but of course, Princess didn't know that. He inclined his head in greeting, figuring a full bow was no longer necessary. (Reply to this)

	italianpuzzle 2010-06-12 04:44 am UTC (link)
	"I didn't do anything!" Dean sounded innocent, and he grinned at her, hugging her lightly. "You be good, don't do anything I wouldn't." Princess leaned down to kiss Roxy on the nose before moving to Ariel. Taking his hand into hers, she walked with him to the door so she could slip on her shoes. "Where are we headed?" (Reply to this)

	defectedfromgod 2010-06-12 05:12 am UTC (link)
	He hadn't expected that, but managed to control his surprise. "Whatever direction we fancy, I had thought. I've barely seen any of this city." He had to be honest. "You still look lovely, if I might say so." (Reply to this)

	italianpuzzle 2010-06-12 05:18 am UTC (link)
	She smiled at him, cheeks going a bit pink. "Thank you. Nobody's told me that but Bill, but I think he feels like he has an obligation since he had a hand in fetching me this body." (Reply to this)

	defectedfromgod 2010-06-12 05:50 am UTC (link)
	"Bill?" He didn't know anything about her, really, except what he could remember from their snatch of conversation in the hotel. He didn't like to think about that. "I did mean it, if it's not too fresh to say. I know you said you are ... you were ... you come from long ago. But as a girl, you barely look eighteen." (Reply to this)

	italianpuzzle 2010-06-12 06:13 am UTC (link)
	"I don't know why my body is so young. But my boxself is very old, yes." She smiled and looked down at their hands. "You can see me when we arrive home." (Reply to this)

	defectedfromgod 2010-06-12 06:26 am UTC (link)
	He blushed in spite of himself. "You'll have to tell me about yourself and the box. And ... really, anything you'd like to tell me." He smiled, but it felt awkward; he wanted to be her friend, but he didn't like somehow that he felt like he was walking on pins and needles around her. She wasn't judgmental. "I'd be happy to answer any of your questions, as well." (Reply to this)

	italianpuzzle 2010-06-13 01:29 am UTC (link)
	"Well, what do you want to know?" She smiled at him sweetly, squeezing his hand and bouncing a bit. (Reply to this)

	defectedfromgod 2010-06-13 01:37 am UTC (link)
	Yes, still blushing. "Everything." The empressement in his tone surprised him, but he played it down as best he could. "Um. Do I recall correctly that your maker was Leonardo Da Vinci?" (Reply to this)

	italianpuzzle 2010-06-13 01:45 am UTC (link)
	She nodded. "You're correct. What would you like to know about him?" (Reply to this)

	defectedfromgod 2010-06-13 01:50 am UTC (link)
	"Not about him. About you. I mean." He shrugged, stopping her at a light as motorcars rushed by. "How did he manage to create ... you?" Someone so good. "Have you lived somewhere always where ... I mean, did he teach you such goodness? How to be non-judgmental, how to be kind?" Da Vinci was a master of more than alchemy if he alone had produced this remarkable girl. (Reply to this)

	italianpuzzle 2010-06-13 01:56 am UTC (link)
	She shrugged her shoulder. "I don't think he intended to create me. I was mostly an attempt to see if he could. He jumped so high when I moved! I lived with him his whole life, then was passed from hand to hand until Bill found me." (Reply to this)

	defectedfromgod 2010-06-13 02:04 am UTC (link)
	He raised an eyebrow. "Hand to hand? So you've lived with all manner of people." Somehow he didn't like that idea, but far be it for him to ever speak of. "You must have fascinating stories." (Reply to this)

	italianpuzzle 2010-06-13 02:12 am UTC (link)
	"Only a few. Bill found me many hundred years ago." She smiled and tossed her hair. "He's very much like my older brother." (Reply to this)

	defectedfromgod 2010-06-13 02:51 am UTC (link)
	"You've mentioned Bill. Who is he?" A part of him was relieved that she had someone to look after her, and another part was relieved that she called him an elder brother. "And please, if you've anything to ask me, go ahead. I would hate to take up all of your time." (Reply to this)

	italianpuzzle 2010-06-13 03:32 am UTC (link)
	"He's a pirate, a few hundred years old. He stole me from my previous owner. Thought the rubies inlaid on my face were purely ornamental, so I choked him." She shook her head and giggled, wholly amused now that Bill knew better. "Why were you on that bench?" (Reply to this)

defectedfromgod
2010-06-13 03:42 am UTC (link)

"I was exhausted. I'd been portkey hopping for ... it seems like ages now." Ariel tried to think of how many days or hours he'd been wandering, but no frame of reference was there. "I hadn't slept since I left New York, so it could have been anywhere from eight hours to eighty before I was tired." Despite revisiting those thoughts, he had to chuckle wryly at the image of Princess choking anyone. "You had hands, as a box?"

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	italianpuzzle 2010-06-13 03:51 am UTC (link)
	"That might have been the immediate reason, but it wasn't why." She nodded at his question. "Six of them. They were in my body proper. You'll meet her before you go." (Reply to this)

defectedfromgod
2010-06-13 04:00 am UTC (link)

"Go where?" Ariel asked, unsure. "You mean before the end of the evening? And no, I suppose it wasn't the underlying reason I was there." He was going to tell her; he'd meant it when he'd told her to ask anything. It was just difficult to say. "It's an extremely long story of how I got there, but the reason I wound up portkey-hopping was a betrayal." His mouth felt sour just remembering. "Someone I thought knew me from - before. All along they were playing me false, and ... I don't know. Do you believe the mind takes refuge in madness?" It was perhaps a deep question to ask on a first real meeting, but these circumstances were extraordinary.

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	italianpuzzle 2010-06-13 04:03 am UTC (link)
	"Before you go home for the evening, yes." She smiled and squeezed his hand again, trying to be reassuring. "Madness? Of course. I think that's where most madness stems, trauma. What happened?" (Reply to this)

defectedfromgod
2010-06-13 04:23 am UTC (link)

They'd walked along the road until they'd come to a churchyard, and he leaned against the wrought-iron fence, looking up at her. "When I say it's a long story, I assure you, that's no hyperbole." He didn't quite understand why she seemed to want to be his friend, but it did him good to know she did. He could at least begin with the not-so-strange and awkward? "I don't know if you heard me speaking to your ... Dean." What was the man? "But I was born and died in the early part of the 19th century. I have died before." By heaven, he could use a smoke. "When I died the first time, it was because of a deal I made with a demon."

He gave her a short version of his first life; Mephisto, Helena, Marguerite, his unborn daughter. It began to hurt, talking of Helena burning in hellfire, of Mephisto's taunts, devastation and Calliope's betrayal. By the end of his recital he was weak and shaking, full all over again of anger, fear, and grief, looking at the pavement so he wouldn't have to look Princess in the eye. It was good he'd told her; she had a right to know, but at the same time, Ariel resolved not to tell anyone else. At least not for some time. The Holy Virgin could find out via other means, and the telling still hurt far too much.

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	italianpuzzle 2010-06-13 05:16 am UTC (link)
	She squeezed his hand again as he told the story, moving closer and leaning her head against his shoulder. There was nothing she could say to help, so she chose to say nothing and simply remain close to him. (Reply to this)

defectedfromgod
2010-06-13 05:24 am UTC (link)

He appreciated that, though it felt too raw to say so. It was a small blessing that she didn't attempt any sort of platitude. He was doing his best to work past his stupid decisions and his bad memories, but they still hurt, and any attempt to write that off would have irritated him beyond measure.

After a few more moments, he took a breath and looked over at her. He'd barely even realized she was leaning on him. It was ... kind. He returned the slightly stronger grip on her hand, almost without thinking. It felt like he was being fresh, but she hadn't slapped him yet. Indeed, she'd done it first. And yet she was no brazen hussy. This time and place was still so odd.

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	italianpuzzle 2010-06-13 05:33 am UTC (link)
	Leaning away from him, she went pink again. What he must think of her! She tried to remember that he'd been thrust here from a time that was long since past for her. "I'm sorry, I didn't - " Letting the word hang in the air, she shook her head. (Reply to this)

defectedfromgod
2010-06-13 02:20 pm UTC (link)

He saw her turn red and instantly shook his head. "No, no, it's quite all right. Just ... unexpected." It had been, but that didn't mean it hadn't been appreciated. He tried to think of a way to put it that wouldn't embarrass her any further. "If we were going on propriety, I'd say that's already been breached by being in the same bedchamber." He wanted her to smile. And he noticed that neither one of them had let go of each other's hand.

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	italianpuzzle 2010-06-14 02:25 am UTC (link)
	"Clearly, you've not spent much time around pirates," she smirked. She liked him, and thought that his gentlemanly ways were adorable. Squeezing his hand, she resumed letting her head rest on his shoulder. (Reply to this)

defectedfromgod
2010-06-14 03:36 am UTC (link)

"I haven't, no." Ariel chuckled, relieved the awkward moment was over. They were headed near to what he'd heard called a tube station, and he felt secure enough with Princess to ask. "Could you please explain to me what that is? I've heard it referred to as an electric train, but I still don't quite know what electricity is. I've heard it called a tube, but it doesn't really appear to be one."

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	italianpuzzle 2010-06-14 03:42 am UTC (link)
	"It is basically a train that moves without gas or steam. Electricity is a bit more complicated." She took his hand and led him down the stairs, swiping her pass twice. "We can go to the bookstore. There's one a few stops down." (Reply to this)

defectedfromgod
2010-06-14 03:52 am UTC (link)

Ariel nodded, inwardly amazed, but not wanting to look like too much of a fool. He followed her into the station and onto the train, looking around at the advertisements inside, at the hard seats and the map of the system. "I died before the railroad came," he murmured to her quietly. "Electricity. All that. I had to get a history book and read what happened to America in the last two hundred years." He was both sorry and glad that he'd missed so much.

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	italianpuzzle 2010-06-14 04:18 am UTC (link)
	"I was a box. I remember the first time I was in a home with electricity, I played with the switches so that I wore one out." She smiled and swung her feet girlishly. Once the train arrived, she held his hand, guiding him on. "It's only three stops away, we could've walked, but this is more fun." (Reply to this)

defectedfromgod
2010-06-14 04:43 am UTC (link)

Ariel nodded, allowing himself to be pulled, just enjoying the moment. It was an absolute pleasure to be around her because of her vitality. Everything was cause for learning, interest, happiness. He could do worse, he reflected, than to emulate her example.

He almost jumped when the train lurched into motion, but managed to keep his calm. Once it got started, he was fascinated; trying to feel the rhythm of the gears underneath him, watching the city go by at what he felt like was breakneck speed.

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	italianpuzzle 2010-06-14 05:04 am UTC (link)
	She smiled and resumed leaning against him, standing up once they got to their stop. She led him off the train and back up the stairs to the street. "We're about twelve blocks east of where we were before," she murmured, pointing across the street. "The bookshop is that way." (Reply to this)

	defectedfromgod 2010-06-15 02:04 pm UTC (link)
	He followed her, unprotesting, trying not to smile like a complete fool. It was so innocuous, and yet a simple trip to a bookshop seemed novel right now. Normal. Perhaps he could make a go of this 'being happy', especially if he kept the friendships he'd begun. (Reply to this)