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[x-dazzler.livejournal.com]

Saturday, HeliX ball – Haroun shows up at Alison's door to take her to the party.

I should warn you - I learned to dance before the cybernetics.I will do my best not to mash your poor toes, though.

Haroun, dress to the nines in his neatly pressed and cleaned tuxedo, knocked on the door to Alison's suite with a smile. In his other hand he held a bouquet of flowers - carefully chosen to compliment her coloration, her dress, and to express a desire for Haroun to get to know her much, much better. This was going to be a blast.

The door opened after a moment, Alison peeking out first and grinning widely at him in approval. "Why, hello!" Pulling back inside to swing the door fully open, Alison beamed at Haroun– it wasn't that she was posing really, but a girl had to make an entrance somehow, even if it meant just opening the door a certain way. And she was very pleased with the dress she'd found, truth be told. 

Haroun looked at Alison, and smiled widely. "You look positively stunning." he said with open admiration in his voice. "These are for you." he said, handing her the flowers with a practiced flip of his wrist. "I hope you like them. Your chariot awaits."

"Thank you," she accepted the flowers with an appreciative smile. "Mmm, they're wonderful." She wasn't given too much time to enjoy them however, two small green hands appearing from the side of the doorway and reaching up.

"Miles will put the pretty flowers in water!" The little boy grinned up at Alison as she leaned down to relinquish the flowers into his care without a word of argument. Putting up only with a kiss on the forehead and a brief hug, Miles then scampered off towards the bathroom cheerfully. "Alison must not forget Lorna's dress," he called out over his shoulder before slipping inside the bathroom and out of sight.

"I won't," Alison chuckled, reaching out to pick up the dress, carefully sealed inside an opaque clothier's cover. "Lorna is still harassing the caterers," she explained, finally stepping out of the room, the light fabric of her dress swirling around her legs with each motion.

Haroun nodded. "I caught the mention in her journal. I trust everything will proceed smoothly?" he said, fishing for details. "We'll find out soon enough." Extending his arm for her to take, he turned towards the hallway. "If you will permit me to escort you downstairs?" he said with a smooth flash of a smile.

"I do believe I will!" Now this was nice, Alison reflected, taking his arm with a pleased expression. She was getting the feeling that tonight would be a rare treat for her indeed, and the notion brought a decidedly satisfied gleam to her eyes. "It will probably be something of a challenge for me to pry Lorna out of the kitchens and get her in that dress, but I think the catering company's chef should be of help in that. If he's like any other chef I've met before, anyway!"

"We'll get it done." Haroun said confidently. "I have absolutely no concerns on that account." He escorted her to Xavier's front door slowly, relishing the casual stroll through the Mansion, the looks from the students and the staff both. Waiting for the pair was a jet-black limousine, passenger-side door already open. "Your chariot, milady." Haroun said with a sweeping bow. "After you?"

"Why thank you, kind sir," she replied, voice rich with delight and amusement. She idly peeked at the driver to see if it might be someone she knew from her days as a driver, oh so long ago and then slipped inside the limousine, cooing in approval. "Oh, this brings back memories," she murmured, shaking her head as she moved to the other end of the seat so he could join her inside.

Haroun slid into the back seat and allowed the driver to close the door. As the limousine rumbled down the road to the Main Gate, Haroun smiled and uncovered a bottle chilling in an icebucket. "Since you said you prefer to keep your wits about you - can I interest you in a glass of fine water?" he said with a grin.

Oh, this was priceless. "You certainly may," she smiled back, making sure that Lorna's dress was tucked away safely and wouldn't get rumpled before leaning into the back of the seat as he poured her a glass. This was, she noted with amusement, the rival company of the one she had once worked for.

Haroun, blissfully ignorant of the ins and outs of the limousine service industry, passed Alison a glass of water before pouring himself one. "If I may be so bold - to an enchanted evening and a good cause," he toasted, clinking his glass (real crystal - this must have cost him a fortune!) against hers lightly before tossing back his water.

She accepted the glass with a murmur of thanks and smiled at the toast. "Cheers!" she answered, taking a sip of her water while the limousine smoothly bore them away to their destination. "I have to say, this is a nice change from the usual. And being able to do something like this without wearing my image inducer is nice."

"Why would you want to hide  ... ohhh! Never mind, I am a gigantic ass sometimes." he said with a wince. "I forgot - please excuse my slip of the tongue."

She just shrugged it off, shaking her head and patting his hand lightly, smile still intact. "Don't worry about it. I'm used to it now, and I've been going without it more often lately. Under controlled conditions," her lips quirked at the expression, which she'd been hearting a lot lately. She still used it every single time she was with Miles, however.

Haroun smiled, that his slip of the tongue wasn't going to torpedo his evening. "Good for you." he said proudly. "For not living under a blanket of fear. They were coming close to the Hall now - a casual glance out the windows told him that. "I just hope your shoes are nice and broken-in." he said cryptically.

She followed his glance out the windows and grinned wickedly, tapping her foot lightly. "Oh, I'm ready to dance the night away," she assured him, looking forward to doing just that and then some. "It's been over a year that I've had the chance to go to a formal evening like this."

"Oh good." he said with real relish in his voice. "I should warn you - I learned to dance before the cybernetics." he said seriously. "I will do my best not to mash your poor toes, though."

"I have complete faith in your dancing abilities," she answered smoothly, before winking at him. "Besides, you forget. I teach dance class with Kurt," she grinned. "If there's anything I'm good at, it's not getting my toes stepped on anymore."

As the limo pulled up to a stop, Haroun grinned at Alison. "I believe the phrase is - showtime?" he said, and then the door was opened by the driver to allow him egress. Once Haroun had exited, he extended a hand back inside to allow Alison to exit the limousine easily and gracefully.

With a bright smile, Alison took his hand and stepped out of the limo with practiced ease, straightening up just so to allow her dress to flutter in the light evening wind. "Showtime," she repeated, a touch wistfully before setting everything aside but the evening to come.

Haroun took her hand, and escorted her up into the party proper, like the escort to a princess.