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Oct. 5th, 2004 10:16 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsWho: Haroul al-Rashid, Alison Blaire
Where: Jogging trails
When: Tuesday night
What Happens: They jog, have a close encounter with the Lake, walk back inside hand-in-hand, and then retire for food and cards. They flirt shamelessly.
Haroun jogged out onto the back porch, wearing sweatpants, a loose shirt, and running shoes. He stretched out his lower back and torso while he waited for Alison to arrive. Overhead, the night was crystal clear, with just a bit of a breeze to take the last lingering remnants of the heat of the day.
Still feeling a bit bouncy from her warm up, Alison made her way downstairs, gloves held loosely in one hand and bouncing off her leg with every step. She'd changed from her usual lycra jogging pants to fairly form fitting cotton pants however, in anticipation of this particular run and the fact that it would probably be best to protect her legs at least a little bit. The top was sleeveless however - there would only be so much she'd concede to from her usual outfit.
She grinned as she stepped outside, spotting Haroun warming up while he waited for her. "Evening!" she greeted him cheerfully, walking up to the edge of the porch steps, looking out towards the paths speculatively.
Haroun grinned as he looked at Alison. "Hey." he replied to her with a grin. "You know the paths better than I - once you're ready, you can lead." The view, he thought in the privacy of his own mind, would be spectacular.
"Sure," she answered smoothly - this suited her just fine, after all. The gloves, not the kind she used for sparring but a lighter protective model she wore when rollerblading, were slipped on and fastened easily, and she grinned at him. "I warmed up already, actually. You good?"
"I'm good. Lay on, MacDuff!" he said then followed her as she trotted out onto the first part of the jogging trail. To amuse himself, he watched just about everything but the trail - the clear moonlit night, Alison's posterior, the jade-green grass, Alison's posterior, the darkness of the autumn sky, and Alison's posterior.
The time it took to reach the part of the jogging trails which interested her were just enough to ensure a decent warm up for what lay ahead- her hands flexed idly as she kept a steady rhythm, rolling her shoulders lazily now and then. At the marker she used whenever she went for this kind of run, Alison grinned sharply, jogging a few more paces before digging in, taking off suddenly as she swerved onto a barely used path, and disappeared out of Haroun's sight thanks to the sharp downwards incline of the trail.
Haroun grinned and sped up his own pace. Sure, he could overtake her easily by taking to the air, but that would spoil the whole point of things. A quick query sent to the internal computer system told him that he had nothing to worry about - both legs could easily handle the strain, and while balance was working hard he had nothing to worry about for the time being.
She knew this trail by heart, which meant it made things both easier and harder - which of course just made it all the more fun. The run down merely accelerated her pace, giving her far too much momentum in theory for the sharp curve coming up at the bottom of the incline. She threw herself into it with abandon however, her outside foot digging in into the dirt and her opposite hand slapping on the ground briefly as she redirected her weight without hesitation and took off in the new direction.
Haroun followed with a less-elegant solution that would have been impossible to Alison - he simply planted on his outside foot, pivoted, and followed along. Only his artificial and strengthened leg bones and muscles let him get away with this stunt without causing severe damage. He sped up again, pushing the limits on how fast he could go before traction and balance became a real problem for him.
The next part of the path was strewn with roots and rocks, leaving only particular places for one to use when running at a normal pace - making taking it as such high speeds something of a challenge. Doing it at night added a whole new dimension to things. Alison snuck a quick look over her shoulder, unsurprised to see that Haroun was keeping pace, and created a faint trail of light to remain in her wake as she ran along a jagged terrain, although she kept the ground ahead of her unlit.
Haroun took one look at the broken terrain and immediately slowed his breakneck pace to something his 'ware could handle. Meant that Alison pulled ahead quickly, but it also meant he stayed off the ground and wasn't picking rocks, dirt, and his pride out from between his teeth. At times like this, he bitterly missed his original legs.
She noted the distancing in the noises behind her, slowing down almost as an afterthought to give him the chance to keep pace and catch up once he cleared that part of the path. Alison hit the smoother sprinting trail with an almost wistful feeling, waiting for the moment where he caught up so she could go full out, the night breeze sweeping through the wind tunnel the area created nearly breaking her resolve.
Once Haroun cleared the broken terrain, he turned on the speed. The 'ware complained, but Haroun told it to go fuck itself in no uncertain terms. His breath still came slow and regular - all of the really hard work was being done by the artificial bits, and they were anaerobic in function.
He was speeding up again and Alison smiled to herself as she opened up as well, ignoring another side path that took a turn to pure evil. Instead she went in a straight line down the entire length of the trail, eyes half closed with the wind in her hair and not much else in her mind but the pure joy of running.
Haroun followed Alison as closely as he could - using his longer legs and untiring lower body to his best advantage. If his memory was anything to go by, the lake should be around here somewhere. He grinned as a thought struck him.
The spring didn't last nearly long enough for Alison's taste and she slowed down slightly as she neared the end of it, presented with three options - up and back towards the normal jogging paths, a more tame trail with many twists and curves that might be interesting at high speed, or down once more.
Haroun quickly caught up to Alison, and settled back into his place only a few steps behind her. Her conditioning was excellent, he noted with great amusement - she was barely even breathing hard. "So which way?" he asked conversationally as they jogged.
That was asking for it, she decided, and offered him an innocent enough smile. "Down. Longer way 'round the lake," she tilted her head towards the path on the left and then sped up once more, taking the lead as she rather gleefully headed down another incline - albeit a considerably shorter one this time.
Haroun grinned like a loon as she led them both off towards the lake. ~Perfect.~ he thought with an evil grin. ~Just have to find just the right spot...~ he thought as he jogged after Alison. Judging by what she was wearing, this was going to be quite the experience.
She'd need to find the perfect footing if she was going to pull this off, she reflected - or else she'd lose her footing as well and that would be just plain embarrassing. She cleared the last bit of the trail with a skip and readied herself for the sharp turn once more, body angling to the side in anticipation of the weight shift that would be required.
Haroun was only a few steps behind her. ~Almost there...~ he thought with a satisfied smirk. ~Gotta make it look good.~
The footing was perfect - her running shoe hitting soft ground but sliding to rest on a rock at the base of the trail which opened into the lake, allowing her to counter her forward momentum and start to throw herself to the side.
Haroun saw Alison plant and begin her cut, and smiled. He kept jogging, and when he came up to right behind her, he stumbled. As he flailed forward, he made very sure that he had a good grip on Alison before tossing the both of them headlong into the lake itself.
The only warning was the odd change in the running sounds behind her, but it still wasn't enough for her to get out of the way in time. "Eep!" Eyes widening in surprise and consternation, Alison felt herself being taken off her feet one moment and landing in very cold water the next.
Haroun surfaced almost instantly - the lake was only perhaps two feet deep or so at this point. He looked at himself, he looked at Alison, he looked at Alison again, then he put on his best sheepish look.
"Oops?"
Gasping at the temperature of the water, Alison hauled herself up fast, trying to get past the fact that there was cold and then there was cold "Ah!" Alison knew that look - hell, it was one she used herself often enough. "Cold! You!" She didn't even think about it, reacting with a warm glow, light swirling closely next to her skin in an attempt to warm up a little, even as she started to laugh breathlessly.
Haroun lost it at that point - his rich belly-laugh echoed around the lake. "I'm sorry!" he choked out around his laughs - and to make matters worse, he swept his hand around in the water to splash Alison with more cold water.
This earned him another indignant squawk amidst the laughter and she returned the favor with interest, edging towards the side of the shore, the light not quite yet staving off the worst of the cold. "Sorry my sweet ass," she grumble good-naturedly, firmly intending to flip him right back in the water if she had the chance and not caring one bit if her intent was plain to see. It wasn't as though she hadn't planned something similar, after all.
"Yes it is." he shot back with a grin, splashing another cold-water wave onto Alison before she could retreat completely. He reached forwards, looking to grab her and throw her back in towards the deep end - he was having too much fun with their not-at-all-impromptu water fight.
Oooh, what a lovely opportunity he was handing to her. Alison didn't think twice really, one palm snapping under his wrist in a move he had to recognize even as she fell into the rest of the motion smoothly, body shifting to aim him away from the shore.
Haroun laughed as he went flying back into the depths of the lake. "HEY!" he said, sputtering, as he came up for air. "I was going to do that to you!" he laughed, and then splashed her again. "You really do look stunning." he said, looking into her eyes.
"Ha," she replied, straightening up from the throw, not even bothering to dodge the water he splashed her way. The smile faded briefly as the rest of his words sunk in, but she regained her composure within the next moment, giving him a faintly smug grin. "Damn right I do," she agreed, before giving him a pointed look. "And you, are an incorrigible flirt, mister."
"Yes I am." he said with a grin. "Doesn't make anything I say any less true." he added with another splash of water. He sensed that his statement had fallen on deaf/unwilling ears, though, and so he stomped his way out of the lake and back onto dry land. "That was fun." He said with a grin, ditching his shirt so that he could wring it out before putting it back on. In for a penny, in for a pound, he thought to himself, then took a deep breath.
"Go out with me." he asked her. "Dinner and dancing the night away. I know this perfect little restaurant, and I've got a line on a great club for dancing. It will be an evening of romance to be remembered." he said with a smooth smile. "And no lakes to be thrown into for either one of us."
That... sounded like a date. Only it couldn't possibly be serious, right? And he kept taking his shirt off entirely too much, really. After a moment Alison remembered that getting out of the water was a good idea and she walked towards the shore more sedately, barely stirring up the water as she did. Confusion and yearning flickered across her feature as she stepped on dry land as well.
"I'd like that," she said, once she was next to him, blinking a bit at her response and then going on. "And give me your shirt?" Huh. That wasn't what she actually had been planning to say. But it was a nice way to go right onto other things and not linger for now.
Haroun took his time about shedding his still-wet shirt, and then handed it to her with a smile. "My pleasure." he said as his body heat combined with his power combined with the cool air to wreath him in a halo of steam. "Perhaps you will permit me the pleasure of escorting you back to the Mansion?" he said, holding out his hand for her to take.
Alison's lips twitched and she shook her head, laughing quietly. He just didn't do anything halfway. "I would indeed," she replied graciously, unable to not rise up to the occasion, although she quickly wrapped his tank top around her arm and then stretched it out. "Just a minute though." There was a trick to this, but she'd learned it a long time ago – practicality and necessity required mundane uses for her power that were just too useful to pass up. Light poured from her steadily, shifting to a far warmer intensity that was nearly too hot for a moment, the water in the shirt fizzing away nicely. "There," she handed it back to him with a slight shrug, already nearly dry herself except for a definite dampness in her running shoes.
Haroun took his shirt back but didn't put it back on. "Side-effect of my own power - I don't get cold easily." he said, tossing the shirt over his shoulder like it was a towel. He continued to smile at Alison, and kept his hand extended for her to take. "May I?" he said, nodding at his outstretched hand.
Showoff. Pure and simple. She snorted, unable to not appreciate it in someone else considering she was entirely unapologetic about being that way herself. "Absolutely," she replied with a smile of her own while placing her hand in his, light still glittering at the edges of her body, though it was starting to fade slowly.
Haroun took Ali's hand in a firm grip, then raised it to his lips to kiss the back of her hand lightly. "A lovely night for a stroll, don't you think?" he said with a dancing smile as they slowly strolled down the trail back towards the Mansion. "Cool night, a full moon, a beautiful woman - it could put a man in the mind for romance. Don't you agree?"
There was the lightest of thrills at the light touch of his lips on her skin but Alison ruthlessly ignored it. There was hardly anything more to this than something light and simple and yes, all that – a man hardly flirted openly quit that much if he was firmly interested in one person alone. It would be nice to do something social and just not worry about anything else, really. "I would have to say you have a point, without a doubt." She paused, briefly. "The squelch of water in your shoes detracts a bit from that, though," she purred, voice rich with amusement She smiled up at him in silent apology for the teasing, eyes nonetheless dancing with delight.
Haroun reached down, undid his laces, and kicked off his shoes. They went into his free hand. "There. Hate to spoil the mood with squelching." he said with a whimsical grin. He continued his slow saunter, keeping a light-but-firm grip on Alison's hand. "What sort of music would you like to dance to? Slow and stately, strings and candlelight, or something a little hotter, a little wilder with pulsing beats and flashing lasers?" he asked her.
The nervousness that had started to creep through her faded entirely at the last and she held her breath for a moment. "Oh god," she breathed, smiling a bit crookedly. "Clubbing. Music that's so loud the walls are threatening to tumble down and I have to add to the local light show no matter what..." Her hand tightened, without her really noticing. "That's be something else," she whispered, remembering more than one event of the sort, from the old days.
Haroun grinned. "I had thought you might say that." he said. "I've been to clubs like that, in Morocco. Shoddy little after-hours rat-traps, but the music was earsplitting and the people were all gyrating - it was quite the time." he said with a slight smile of memory. "And you're cool with letting me choose, right?" he asked her.
"I think you get as much fun planning these things as anything else," she grinned and then nodded. "Of course. Besides, I like surprises." She had a feeling she might be setting herself up with that statement, but the truth of the matter was that she did like surprises, very much so.
Haroun grinned. "If you're going to have fun, may as well have fun throughout the entire event, no?" he laughed. "And I thought you'd like it, and I like making you laugh, so it was just natural." he said more seriously now. "I know the perfect place to get something to eat. You'll love it."
"If we start talking about food now I'll be starving by the time we get to the mansion," Alison groaned a bit, trying to remember if she'd even eaten anything since the morning. First the mishap in training with Nathan, sending off Miles to go fishing with Sam and peeking out the window at them instead of going down for lunch, then Marie-Ange being upset... "I look forward to seeing what you come up with," she grinned, realizing that she did in fact look forward it a great deal.
"And we can't have that. The skeletal look is _so_ last year." he said, mimicking Monet's accent almost perfectly. "If you'd like, we can stop by the kitchen before we call it a night. Do you play cards?" he asked her idly as he slowly strolled with her, hand-in-hand, along the path. Really, this was far too fine a night to end it too quickly.
"Food is always good," she agreed peaceably, and now she was hungry. "And do I play cards?" she replied a bit wryly, waving her free hand a bit and only then realizing he was still holding on to the other firmly. Hrm. "Yep. It was the best way to while away time while waiting for auditions at the studios, way back when. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm good. But I get lucky every now and then."
Haroun smiled. "Well then. I just happen to know where a fellow such as myself could get his hands on a deck. Care to play a few hands while we eat? It'd be a shame to waste this gorgeous evening, don't you think?"
"If you can stand hearing old audition stories while we play, I would be delighted," she winked at him, unable to keep herself from grinning cheerfully. Uncomplicated and fun – there was a novel idea. "Name your game!"
Haroun looked at Alison with a devilish look in his eyes. "Strip poker?" he suggested, and then paused to see exactly how she'd react to that idea. He kept his "I am so funny" smile on his face, despite the fact that he knew she'd never accept.
"I don't play strip poker anymore," she answered without batting an eye. "Four years too late, I'm afraid." She remained dead serious as long as she could, although it had been the entire truth – but it was too amusing to lay that just to see the look on his face.
Haroun struggled to keep his shock off his face, but judging by her giggle he failed fairly abysmally. Instead, he just grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Aiee, just my luck. In that case, I will leave it as the lady's choice." he said, still reveling in the soft muscle of her hand in his. Even if she had just planted the most wicked images in his head. He swore she knew exactly what to say and how to say it to make his blood boil.
"Plain old poker why not? We can get silly about the stakes if you like, you pick those," she offered generously, pleased with herself for some reason. That had nothing to do with taking him aback like that, of course. "Although not jujubes. If I see another those in the next year I'm going to be very very ill."
Haroun nodded like this was the most natural thing in the world. "No jujubes." he agreed. "I'm not much of a candy person myself." he clarified. "Let's keep things friendly to start off with. If you'd like, we can always escalate after most everyone else goes to sleep." he said with an evil grin. "Still game?" he taunted, knowing that she'd never back down now.
"Damn right I am," she answered instantly, answering the challenge with a determined grin and utter aplomb. It might have been a few years, but when she'd played in the day, her lucky streaks had been scary good. Of course, the rest was another story. But she wasn't going to wince over that now that she'd committed herself to this. She grinned slightly – besides, this was going to be fun.
Haroun grinned as, unfortunately, their hand-in-hand moonlight stroll was fast coming to a close. "Well, here we are." he said as they approached the back door to the Mansion. He let her hand go with great reluctance. "Go ahead and grab something to eat and a table - I will be -right back- with that deck of cards. And a change of pants." he grinned. "For some reason, the ones I have on got all wet. Funny how that worked out, isn't it?" he said, then opened the door for her to pass through.
Where: Jogging trails
When: Tuesday night
What Happens: They jog, have a close encounter with the Lake, walk back inside hand-in-hand, and then retire for food and cards. They flirt shamelessly.
Haroun jogged out onto the back porch, wearing sweatpants, a loose shirt, and running shoes. He stretched out his lower back and torso while he waited for Alison to arrive. Overhead, the night was crystal clear, with just a bit of a breeze to take the last lingering remnants of the heat of the day.
Still feeling a bit bouncy from her warm up, Alison made her way downstairs, gloves held loosely in one hand and bouncing off her leg with every step. She'd changed from her usual lycra jogging pants to fairly form fitting cotton pants however, in anticipation of this particular run and the fact that it would probably be best to protect her legs at least a little bit. The top was sleeveless however - there would only be so much she'd concede to from her usual outfit.
She grinned as she stepped outside, spotting Haroun warming up while he waited for her. "Evening!" she greeted him cheerfully, walking up to the edge of the porch steps, looking out towards the paths speculatively.
Haroun grinned as he looked at Alison. "Hey." he replied to her with a grin. "You know the paths better than I - once you're ready, you can lead." The view, he thought in the privacy of his own mind, would be spectacular.
"Sure," she answered smoothly - this suited her just fine, after all. The gloves, not the kind she used for sparring but a lighter protective model she wore when rollerblading, were slipped on and fastened easily, and she grinned at him. "I warmed up already, actually. You good?"
"I'm good. Lay on, MacDuff!" he said then followed her as she trotted out onto the first part of the jogging trail. To amuse himself, he watched just about everything but the trail - the clear moonlit night, Alison's posterior, the jade-green grass, Alison's posterior, the darkness of the autumn sky, and Alison's posterior.
The time it took to reach the part of the jogging trails which interested her were just enough to ensure a decent warm up for what lay ahead- her hands flexed idly as she kept a steady rhythm, rolling her shoulders lazily now and then. At the marker she used whenever she went for this kind of run, Alison grinned sharply, jogging a few more paces before digging in, taking off suddenly as she swerved onto a barely used path, and disappeared out of Haroun's sight thanks to the sharp downwards incline of the trail.
Haroun grinned and sped up his own pace. Sure, he could overtake her easily by taking to the air, but that would spoil the whole point of things. A quick query sent to the internal computer system told him that he had nothing to worry about - both legs could easily handle the strain, and while balance was working hard he had nothing to worry about for the time being.
She knew this trail by heart, which meant it made things both easier and harder - which of course just made it all the more fun. The run down merely accelerated her pace, giving her far too much momentum in theory for the sharp curve coming up at the bottom of the incline. She threw herself into it with abandon however, her outside foot digging in into the dirt and her opposite hand slapping on the ground briefly as she redirected her weight without hesitation and took off in the new direction.
Haroun followed with a less-elegant solution that would have been impossible to Alison - he simply planted on his outside foot, pivoted, and followed along. Only his artificial and strengthened leg bones and muscles let him get away with this stunt without causing severe damage. He sped up again, pushing the limits on how fast he could go before traction and balance became a real problem for him.
The next part of the path was strewn with roots and rocks, leaving only particular places for one to use when running at a normal pace - making taking it as such high speeds something of a challenge. Doing it at night added a whole new dimension to things. Alison snuck a quick look over her shoulder, unsurprised to see that Haroun was keeping pace, and created a faint trail of light to remain in her wake as she ran along a jagged terrain, although she kept the ground ahead of her unlit.
Haroun took one look at the broken terrain and immediately slowed his breakneck pace to something his 'ware could handle. Meant that Alison pulled ahead quickly, but it also meant he stayed off the ground and wasn't picking rocks, dirt, and his pride out from between his teeth. At times like this, he bitterly missed his original legs.
She noted the distancing in the noises behind her, slowing down almost as an afterthought to give him the chance to keep pace and catch up once he cleared that part of the path. Alison hit the smoother sprinting trail with an almost wistful feeling, waiting for the moment where he caught up so she could go full out, the night breeze sweeping through the wind tunnel the area created nearly breaking her resolve.
Once Haroun cleared the broken terrain, he turned on the speed. The 'ware complained, but Haroun told it to go fuck itself in no uncertain terms. His breath still came slow and regular - all of the really hard work was being done by the artificial bits, and they were anaerobic in function.
He was speeding up again and Alison smiled to herself as she opened up as well, ignoring another side path that took a turn to pure evil. Instead she went in a straight line down the entire length of the trail, eyes half closed with the wind in her hair and not much else in her mind but the pure joy of running.
Haroun followed Alison as closely as he could - using his longer legs and untiring lower body to his best advantage. If his memory was anything to go by, the lake should be around here somewhere. He grinned as a thought struck him.
The spring didn't last nearly long enough for Alison's taste and she slowed down slightly as she neared the end of it, presented with three options - up and back towards the normal jogging paths, a more tame trail with many twists and curves that might be interesting at high speed, or down once more.
Haroun quickly caught up to Alison, and settled back into his place only a few steps behind her. Her conditioning was excellent, he noted with great amusement - she was barely even breathing hard. "So which way?" he asked conversationally as they jogged.
That was asking for it, she decided, and offered him an innocent enough smile. "Down. Longer way 'round the lake," she tilted her head towards the path on the left and then sped up once more, taking the lead as she rather gleefully headed down another incline - albeit a considerably shorter one this time.
Haroun grinned like a loon as she led them both off towards the lake. ~Perfect.~ he thought with an evil grin. ~Just have to find just the right spot...~ he thought as he jogged after Alison. Judging by what she was wearing, this was going to be quite the experience.
She'd need to find the perfect footing if she was going to pull this off, she reflected - or else she'd lose her footing as well and that would be just plain embarrassing. She cleared the last bit of the trail with a skip and readied herself for the sharp turn once more, body angling to the side in anticipation of the weight shift that would be required.
Haroun was only a few steps behind her. ~Almost there...~ he thought with a satisfied smirk. ~Gotta make it look good.~
The footing was perfect - her running shoe hitting soft ground but sliding to rest on a rock at the base of the trail which opened into the lake, allowing her to counter her forward momentum and start to throw herself to the side.
Haroun saw Alison plant and begin her cut, and smiled. He kept jogging, and when he came up to right behind her, he stumbled. As he flailed forward, he made very sure that he had a good grip on Alison before tossing the both of them headlong into the lake itself.
The only warning was the odd change in the running sounds behind her, but it still wasn't enough for her to get out of the way in time. "Eep!" Eyes widening in surprise and consternation, Alison felt herself being taken off her feet one moment and landing in very cold water the next.
Haroun surfaced almost instantly - the lake was only perhaps two feet deep or so at this point. He looked at himself, he looked at Alison, he looked at Alison again, then he put on his best sheepish look.
"Oops?"
Gasping at the temperature of the water, Alison hauled herself up fast, trying to get past the fact that there was cold and then there was cold "Ah!" Alison knew that look - hell, it was one she used herself often enough. "Cold! You!" She didn't even think about it, reacting with a warm glow, light swirling closely next to her skin in an attempt to warm up a little, even as she started to laugh breathlessly.
Haroun lost it at that point - his rich belly-laugh echoed around the lake. "I'm sorry!" he choked out around his laughs - and to make matters worse, he swept his hand around in the water to splash Alison with more cold water.
This earned him another indignant squawk amidst the laughter and she returned the favor with interest, edging towards the side of the shore, the light not quite yet staving off the worst of the cold. "Sorry my sweet ass," she grumble good-naturedly, firmly intending to flip him right back in the water if she had the chance and not caring one bit if her intent was plain to see. It wasn't as though she hadn't planned something similar, after all.
"Yes it is." he shot back with a grin, splashing another cold-water wave onto Alison before she could retreat completely. He reached forwards, looking to grab her and throw her back in towards the deep end - he was having too much fun with their not-at-all-impromptu water fight.
Oooh, what a lovely opportunity he was handing to her. Alison didn't think twice really, one palm snapping under his wrist in a move he had to recognize even as she fell into the rest of the motion smoothly, body shifting to aim him away from the shore.
Haroun laughed as he went flying back into the depths of the lake. "HEY!" he said, sputtering, as he came up for air. "I was going to do that to you!" he laughed, and then splashed her again. "You really do look stunning." he said, looking into her eyes.
"Ha," she replied, straightening up from the throw, not even bothering to dodge the water he splashed her way. The smile faded briefly as the rest of his words sunk in, but she regained her composure within the next moment, giving him a faintly smug grin. "Damn right I do," she agreed, before giving him a pointed look. "And you, are an incorrigible flirt, mister."
"Yes I am." he said with a grin. "Doesn't make anything I say any less true." he added with another splash of water. He sensed that his statement had fallen on deaf/unwilling ears, though, and so he stomped his way out of the lake and back onto dry land. "That was fun." He said with a grin, ditching his shirt so that he could wring it out before putting it back on. In for a penny, in for a pound, he thought to himself, then took a deep breath.
"Go out with me." he asked her. "Dinner and dancing the night away. I know this perfect little restaurant, and I've got a line on a great club for dancing. It will be an evening of romance to be remembered." he said with a smooth smile. "And no lakes to be thrown into for either one of us."
That... sounded like a date. Only it couldn't possibly be serious, right? And he kept taking his shirt off entirely too much, really. After a moment Alison remembered that getting out of the water was a good idea and she walked towards the shore more sedately, barely stirring up the water as she did. Confusion and yearning flickered across her feature as she stepped on dry land as well.
"I'd like that," she said, once she was next to him, blinking a bit at her response and then going on. "And give me your shirt?" Huh. That wasn't what she actually had been planning to say. But it was a nice way to go right onto other things and not linger for now.
Haroun took his time about shedding his still-wet shirt, and then handed it to her with a smile. "My pleasure." he said as his body heat combined with his power combined with the cool air to wreath him in a halo of steam. "Perhaps you will permit me the pleasure of escorting you back to the Mansion?" he said, holding out his hand for her to take.
Alison's lips twitched and she shook her head, laughing quietly. He just didn't do anything halfway. "I would indeed," she replied graciously, unable to not rise up to the occasion, although she quickly wrapped his tank top around her arm and then stretched it out. "Just a minute though." There was a trick to this, but she'd learned it a long time ago – practicality and necessity required mundane uses for her power that were just too useful to pass up. Light poured from her steadily, shifting to a far warmer intensity that was nearly too hot for a moment, the water in the shirt fizzing away nicely. "There," she handed it back to him with a slight shrug, already nearly dry herself except for a definite dampness in her running shoes.
Haroun took his shirt back but didn't put it back on. "Side-effect of my own power - I don't get cold easily." he said, tossing the shirt over his shoulder like it was a towel. He continued to smile at Alison, and kept his hand extended for her to take. "May I?" he said, nodding at his outstretched hand.
Showoff. Pure and simple. She snorted, unable to not appreciate it in someone else considering she was entirely unapologetic about being that way herself. "Absolutely," she replied with a smile of her own while placing her hand in his, light still glittering at the edges of her body, though it was starting to fade slowly.
Haroun took Ali's hand in a firm grip, then raised it to his lips to kiss the back of her hand lightly. "A lovely night for a stroll, don't you think?" he said with a dancing smile as they slowly strolled down the trail back towards the Mansion. "Cool night, a full moon, a beautiful woman - it could put a man in the mind for romance. Don't you agree?"
There was the lightest of thrills at the light touch of his lips on her skin but Alison ruthlessly ignored it. There was hardly anything more to this than something light and simple and yes, all that – a man hardly flirted openly quit that much if he was firmly interested in one person alone. It would be nice to do something social and just not worry about anything else, really. "I would have to say you have a point, without a doubt." She paused, briefly. "The squelch of water in your shoes detracts a bit from that, though," she purred, voice rich with amusement She smiled up at him in silent apology for the teasing, eyes nonetheless dancing with delight.
Haroun reached down, undid his laces, and kicked off his shoes. They went into his free hand. "There. Hate to spoil the mood with squelching." he said with a whimsical grin. He continued his slow saunter, keeping a light-but-firm grip on Alison's hand. "What sort of music would you like to dance to? Slow and stately, strings and candlelight, or something a little hotter, a little wilder with pulsing beats and flashing lasers?" he asked her.
The nervousness that had started to creep through her faded entirely at the last and she held her breath for a moment. "Oh god," she breathed, smiling a bit crookedly. "Clubbing. Music that's so loud the walls are threatening to tumble down and I have to add to the local light show no matter what..." Her hand tightened, without her really noticing. "That's be something else," she whispered, remembering more than one event of the sort, from the old days.
Haroun grinned. "I had thought you might say that." he said. "I've been to clubs like that, in Morocco. Shoddy little after-hours rat-traps, but the music was earsplitting and the people were all gyrating - it was quite the time." he said with a slight smile of memory. "And you're cool with letting me choose, right?" he asked her.
"I think you get as much fun planning these things as anything else," she grinned and then nodded. "Of course. Besides, I like surprises." She had a feeling she might be setting herself up with that statement, but the truth of the matter was that she did like surprises, very much so.
Haroun grinned. "If you're going to have fun, may as well have fun throughout the entire event, no?" he laughed. "And I thought you'd like it, and I like making you laugh, so it was just natural." he said more seriously now. "I know the perfect place to get something to eat. You'll love it."
"If we start talking about food now I'll be starving by the time we get to the mansion," Alison groaned a bit, trying to remember if she'd even eaten anything since the morning. First the mishap in training with Nathan, sending off Miles to go fishing with Sam and peeking out the window at them instead of going down for lunch, then Marie-Ange being upset... "I look forward to seeing what you come up with," she grinned, realizing that she did in fact look forward it a great deal.
"And we can't have that. The skeletal look is _so_ last year." he said, mimicking Monet's accent almost perfectly. "If you'd like, we can stop by the kitchen before we call it a night. Do you play cards?" he asked her idly as he slowly strolled with her, hand-in-hand, along the path. Really, this was far too fine a night to end it too quickly.
"Food is always good," she agreed peaceably, and now she was hungry. "And do I play cards?" she replied a bit wryly, waving her free hand a bit and only then realizing he was still holding on to the other firmly. Hrm. "Yep. It was the best way to while away time while waiting for auditions at the studios, way back when. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm good. But I get lucky every now and then."
Haroun smiled. "Well then. I just happen to know where a fellow such as myself could get his hands on a deck. Care to play a few hands while we eat? It'd be a shame to waste this gorgeous evening, don't you think?"
"If you can stand hearing old audition stories while we play, I would be delighted," she winked at him, unable to keep herself from grinning cheerfully. Uncomplicated and fun – there was a novel idea. "Name your game!"
Haroun looked at Alison with a devilish look in his eyes. "Strip poker?" he suggested, and then paused to see exactly how she'd react to that idea. He kept his "I am so funny" smile on his face, despite the fact that he knew she'd never accept.
"I don't play strip poker anymore," she answered without batting an eye. "Four years too late, I'm afraid." She remained dead serious as long as she could, although it had been the entire truth – but it was too amusing to lay that just to see the look on his face.
Haroun struggled to keep his shock off his face, but judging by her giggle he failed fairly abysmally. Instead, he just grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Aiee, just my luck. In that case, I will leave it as the lady's choice." he said, still reveling in the soft muscle of her hand in his. Even if she had just planted the most wicked images in his head. He swore she knew exactly what to say and how to say it to make his blood boil.
"Plain old poker why not? We can get silly about the stakes if you like, you pick those," she offered generously, pleased with herself for some reason. That had nothing to do with taking him aback like that, of course. "Although not jujubes. If I see another those in the next year I'm going to be very very ill."
Haroun nodded like this was the most natural thing in the world. "No jujubes." he agreed. "I'm not much of a candy person myself." he clarified. "Let's keep things friendly to start off with. If you'd like, we can always escalate after most everyone else goes to sleep." he said with an evil grin. "Still game?" he taunted, knowing that she'd never back down now.
"Damn right I am," she answered instantly, answering the challenge with a determined grin and utter aplomb. It might have been a few years, but when she'd played in the day, her lucky streaks had been scary good. Of course, the rest was another story. But she wasn't going to wince over that now that she'd committed herself to this. She grinned slightly – besides, this was going to be fun.
Haroun grinned as, unfortunately, their hand-in-hand moonlight stroll was fast coming to a close. "Well, here we are." he said as they approached the back door to the Mansion. He let her hand go with great reluctance. "Go ahead and grab something to eat and a table - I will be -right back- with that deck of cards. And a change of pants." he grinned. "For some reason, the ones I have on got all wet. Funny how that worked out, isn't it?" he said, then opened the door for her to pass through.
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Date: 2004-10-06 08:02 am (UTC)