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xp_logsAlison & Haroun, Tuesday night. Thanks to the romantically inclined Lorna making certain to kill their comms' alerts as they leave, they get to enjoy a night out on the town without any idea of what's going on at the mansion.
People everywhere, a sense of expectation hangin' in the air, givin' out a spark // across the room your eyes are glowin' in the dark...
Haroun took one last look at his reflection in the mirror? Sport coat? Check. White silk dress shirt? Check. Black tie, to be removed after dinner? Check. White suit pants? Check. He grinned at himself in the mirror, then forced himself to take and release a long breath. Keep it together, Haroun. He grabbed his wallet (double-checking to make sure that the loan from the First National Bank of Dayspring was all set), his keys, and his dressier watch, and then left his apartment to go retrieve Alison. Despite himself, he couldn't help but whistle a cheery tune as he walked.
He didn't even make it to her door before it was opened abruptly and Alison was shoved out with a startled yelp. "Lorna! No fair!" She whirled around, the short black skirt she was wearing flaring for a moment around her thighs, but didn't make it in time. "Eep!" The door slammed to her nose before she could get back inside, leaving her to stand facing an inch thick door of solid wood. She fiddled with the backless red top she was wearing, absently adjusting one of the thin shoulder straps, pouting at the door before turning once more to lean on it. And only then noticed Haroun heading her way, forgetting instantly all about her roommate kicking her out of her own room.
Haroun couldn't help but grin, and his eyes went wide at Alison's choice of attire. "Well, our evening hasn't even started yet and I'm already enjoying myself. You look - amazing." he said, admiring her openly for a few moments. "Anyway. You hungry?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye, and extended a hand for her to take. "That is, assuming that you're ready to go and don't have to go murder your suitemate..."
"Oh, she can wait," Alison replied airily, "I know where she lives." She took his hand although she kept a few feet between them for a moment, shaking her head slightly with a grin. "You don't look half bad yourself," was the return compliment, although the undertone clearly implied she thought he had pulled things off perfectly. Easy and light, she reminded herself, stepping closer. "I am starving, as a matter of fact. And I'm dying of curiosity as to where we're going."
Haroun grinned as Alison moved even closer. "Just this little place I know of in the City. Trust me, you'll love it. It's a little taste of home without the twelve-hour plane flight." he said. "You cool with some home-style Moroccan cooking?" he asked as he escorted her down to the Front Door of the Mansion. ~Please, Allah, let her be cool with it.~ he thought to himself, but kept as many traces of that thought off his face as he could.
"I'll try anything at least once," was the cheerful reply, "and you make it sound like something that shouldn't be missed at all." It sounded great, in fact, and she'd never had the chance to try one of the better restaurants serving that kind of food before. "I'm surprised Lorna hasn't gone on about my eating habits to the world at large yet, although maybe that's not entirely a bad thing." Alison grinned a bit sheepishly at that, remembering the episode involving prepared pancake mix only too well.
Haroun gave a little mental sigh of relief. He made a note to thank Allah the next time he prayed to Him. "Good." he said aloud with his fast-becoming-a-trademark Big Smile. "Borrowed the Jeep for the night, so if you'll just follow me..." he said as he escorted her to the passenger side of said vehicle. He then opened the door for her and gestured extravagantly. "Thy chariot awaits."
"Why, thank you!" Alison grinned and took her place in the jeep with a touch of satisfaction about the vehicle selection. It meant no awkwardness getting in or out of the car while wearing something this short. The leather of the seat was cool as she leaned back and fastened her seat belt while Haroun closed the door gently - the small purse she had was easily tucked away in the door's storage compartment afterwards.
Haroun, in deference to the serious nature of his date with Alison, kept his speeds and driving style down to "Man in a demonically-possessed hurry" levels, rather than his usual Pants Are On Fire levels of speed and recklessness. "Man, I hate traffic." he grumbled. "Two-dimensional movement stinks."
"And most people don't know how to drive anyway," Alison grinned, as they passed a few cars in the slow lane rather quickly. "You'd think they'd actually want to get from point A to point B. Not like there's that much scenery to look at around here." She glanced down at her purse, pondering the image inducer she'd brought along, just in case. He might already know, but it was only fair to make sure. God, was it only fair.
Haroun growled at a particular offensive old blue-hair who was doing around 10 under the limit. On the expressway. "Times like this make me regret that I can't just fly to where I'm going." he grumbled. "But we are in a Jeep..." he said with a slow manic grin. Then he thought better of it - best behavior, al-Rashid. You're with a lady. "Naah. Last thing we need is to get arrested. Good thing I gave it plenty of time to get to the restaurant." Out of the corner of his eye, he kept catching glances of smooth expanse of well-muscled leg, and it was driving him nuts.
She leaned her head back in the seat, laughing at the expression on his face as he obviously considered all the possibilities the Jeep offered. "I am so the wrong person to be talking you out of that sort of behavior," she finally said. "Lorna threatens me with death every time she gets in the car and I drive." Which only meant that Alison had more fun trying to find new ways to give Lorna premature gray hair. She shifted a bit, one hand coming to rest on her thigh, thumb brushing over the still visible scar left from the tunnel mission.
Haroun couldn't help but notice Alison's hand tracing the course of her thigh scar. ~Down, boy!~ he thought to himself, as his hormone implant dumped a fresh flood of chemicals into his bloodstream. ~At this rate, you're going to have to schedule a date with Madelyn for extensive blood filtering. Again.~ "That's an interesting scar." He said without actually looking directly at her scar. "Momento from the tunnels?" he asked.
She looked down as he mentioned the scar, silent for a moment. "Yes." The memory of that particular mission was associated with the scent of blood and death and she brushed her fingertips over the scar, deliberately this time. "Having your own power turned against you is a novel experience," she said wryly, with a light tone. "Most of the others with offensive powers similar to mine all seem to be immune to their abilities."
Haroun smiled bitterly. "You're not the only one with issues that way. Be thankful it was just a through-and-through blast." he said, remembering back to the day his entire life changed. He rallied, though, and tried to shake off his black mood.
Her eyes widened and she looked at him - oh, talk about a way to put your foot in it. "I'm sorry," she twisted in the seat slightly to better look at him. "That was thoughtless of me." To say the least. Any other explanations she could think of felt feeble at best so she simply smiled crookedly in apology.
Haroun waved off the apology. "It's OK. Over and done with, and I've been blessed by Allah to be able to walk, let alone fly. I have accepted it." Except that he hadn't, judging by the tide of hot, sick anger that always rose in him when he thought about what he'd endured, what he'd had taken away from him. His knuckles on the steering wheel turned white for a second before he could force them to relax.
The words said one thing and the body language said another entirely, Alison thought as she looked at him, still facing him more than the road. She moved a bit, nudging the seatbelt just enough to remain comfortable and be able to keep up the position longer and allowed her gaze to go beyond him, looking at the scenery unfurl. "Then you're doing a whole lot better than I am on that one, then," she mused. She very much resented being a danger to herself, in fact. Change of subject now, however. "Closest thing I've come to flying on my own is on a dragon," she grinned a bit, suspecting that the subject might not be all that bad an option to lighten him mood.
A good guess on her part. "Flying is ... it's a gift. I never feel quite so free and alive as when I'm in the air." he said, visibly relaxing. "If you'd like, I'll take you up sometime. The Mansion is beautiful from the air."
She leaned back, finding a comfortable way to do so when the door was mostly what was supporting her and smiled a bit - she'd dated a flyer before, and knew that expression only too well. They're all the same that way, she thought fondly, even as she nodded in acceptance. "I'd like that. It's one of the things I miss from Asgard," she admitted, surprised at the stab of longing that accompanied those words.
Haroun grinned. "Done, then." he said with great pleasure in his voice. He looked over at Alison, and smiled charmingly. Damn, she looked good out there. He didn't care about her color, or her religion, or her status as a single parent. She was a good person - very easy on the eyes, funny, charming. How Samuel ever let this one get away was beyond him, but he'd be damned if he was going to make the same mistakes.
"So - let's put some music on, shall we?" he said, flipping on the Jeep's rather excellent aftermarket stereo system. "Pick for us some tunes, mademoiselle."
"Sure," she leaned forward, flicking the radio on. "Anything in particular that you prefer in terms of radio stations, or I just pick a CD at random and pop that in?" Ororo had used the Jeep not long ago, which meant there would likely be an interesting selection of world music available, for one.
Haroun shrugged. "You're the passenger, it's your choice." he said with a solemn look. "Seriously, whatever you've got works." With his luck, he was going to get the live four-CD Yanni Live at the Acropolis concert, followed by a rousing encore from Zamfir Master of the Pan Flute. He just _knew_ it.
Alison grinned and went for the CD case, crossing her legs as she settled back once more and then flipping it open. "Let's see, who was in the Jeep last? Uh huh. That's so Scott. Ew." The radio played lowly in the background while she sorted through the CDs, finally reaching a satisfactory choice. "This has to be Jean-Paul's. Never heard it before." She slid it out of the case and into the CD slot, fiddling with the buttons so that the music wouldn't keep them from talking.
Haroun listened to the CD with half an ear as the music started. While not Yanni, it was a far cry from his usual wailing guitar, punishing bass lines, and incomprehensible growled lyrics. But somehow, he didn't think Alison would be much of a fan of Type O Negative - and he'd left the CD in his room anyway. Nothing to be done now but to grit his teeth and enjoy the music. With mercy, they'd arrive at the restaurant before too much longer. "Interesting choice. What made you pick this?" he asked pleasantly.
"I've never heard it before," Alison answered with a straight face. "I don't like not knowing something, music wise. Just not right." It was very ambitious to want to know every single song out there, but if anyone had the right to do so, she figured she did. "And usually when someone says 'interesting choice' it means they're not convinced about it all that much, " she pointed out innocently.
"Fair enough. It's not really my thing, musically, but I left the choice to you. And expanding my musical horizons is a good thing, right?" he said with a gentle teasing grin. He changed lanes in preparation for exiting the expressway. They were close now - maybe ten more minutes or so. "And isn't that bad, really." he added.
"Expanding one's horizons is always a good thing," she agreed solemnly. "Although I have to admit, I'm fairly easy," she glanced out of the window briefly, rolling her eyes at a particularly careful driver, "when it comes to music. Unless it's horrible." What horrible was might have spanned any number of things, really. "Or if I'm writing it. There's no end of criticism there." Which was how it should be.
Haroun stayed well away from -that- minefield - the last thing he wanted to do was step on her ego. Not this early in the evening. "Well, we're almost there." he said as he pulled the Jeep into a parking garage. "Place is only a few blocks from here. You OK to walk, or do you want me to drop you off and then go park the Jeep?"
"I'll walk with you, of course," she said firmly, "but thanks for the offer." She rested her hands on the front of the seat, leaning forward a bit to retrieve her purse. "You're the one introducing me to a new restaurant – wouldn't be right to end up there without you to show it off right from the start, mmm?"
Haroun parked the Jeep, got out, then walked around to open the door for Alison. He even extended her his hand to aid in her climbing out of the Jeep with her dignity intact - not that she needed the help. Arming the Jeep's security system, Haroun smiled dazzlingly at Alison and offered her his arm. "Shall we?" he said with a grin.
Taking his arm with a smile of her own, Alison nodded, stilling the faint flutters in the pit of her stomach. "We shall indeed," was the reply, and heavens this could be fun if only she didn't think to look up and check the rooftops. It was very cool outside, not that she minded in the least really, though her attire drew more than one stare since most were at least wearing a coat in consideration of the cold temperatures. "So, how far exactly are we?" she couldn't resist asking, eyes bright with curiosity.
Haroun queried his internal flight computer. "As a SWAG, not even a tenth-mile." he said with a grin. "It's right over there." he said, pointing to a fairly nondescript building perhaps a block or two away. He set an easy pace, as a concession to Alison being in heels. "You sure you're not cold?" he asked her. "You can have my jacket if you want..."
She tilted her head to try and spot the building, refusing his offer with a shake of her head and a smile of thanks. "I'm fine for now. And it's not that far away." And she didn't actually mind the people staring, at that. "I may take you up on that later on in the evening though. This outfit actually has a coat that goes with it, only my roommate kicked me out before I could get it," she told him, a touch of wryness in her voice.
"I don't get cold. Side-benefit to chemokinetic flight." he said with a grin. "I used to come here a lot when I was homesick." he admitted as he escorted her to the front door of the establishment. The maitre d' took Haroun's coat with a smile, said a few quick sentences in Arabic, bowed to Alison, and then escorted them both to a private table. Although table was something of a misnomer - more like a private low banquet table. "You sit on the floor here - see, they've given you rugs to sit on. And you eat with your hands." he said to Alison as he settled in at the place set next to hers.
Not quite rubbernecking but certainly looking around curiously while taking in every nuance of the place, Alison offered the departing maitre d' a smile, before considering her options. Well, that set-up left her with one way to sit down, and she did just that, curling up her legs to the side neatly, back straight and steady. "I can see why this would have helped with the homesickness," she murmured, closing her eyes for a moment, the very scent of the place utterly different from the moment you walked inside.
Haroun smiled and nodded, then washed his hands with the provided water and towel. "Yes, and the food is just heavenly. And there's quite a show that comes along with it. Just wait." he said with a fiendish grin. He flagged down a server, whispered some words in Arabic, and then settled back to enjoy things. Further on down the room was a little mini-stage area, which was just lit up. "Oh good, they're about to start. We didn't miss it."
She followed suit as he spoke, setting down the towel while he spoke to the waiter. "Quite a show?" she asked in amusement – clearly he was enjoying all of this, which made everything that much more fun as far as Alison was concerned. "I'm going to have to ask you to teach me Arabic at this rate," she murmured, stealing a curious look at the stage. Not knowing what was being said around her drove her nuts, every single time.
Haroun leaned back as far as he could and smirked. "Ah, here you go." he said as a young man, dressed in gauzy baggy pants, slippers, and a tiny vest, stepped out onto the stage. He began to dance in time with music being played over the surprisingly-good sound system. He whirled and gyrated with great agility, but most of his efforts were spent in showing off his quite amazing belly dancing skills. "Did I forget to mention the dancers?" Haroun said to Alison with real delight.
After staring in disbelief for a moment, Alison started to laugh, clearly enchanted with the entire concept. "Now that is something I've never seen," she chuckled, leaning back just a bit to watch the dancer, nodding in appreciation at a particularly complex series of movements. "Consider me surprised, and pleasantly so!" She smiled at him, before returning her attention to the stage.
Haroun let out another mental sigh - he was fairly sure she wasn't going to berserk, but she was an American. "He's really quite good. I know the guy, talked to him a few times after his set. Putting himself through college here in the USA before he goes back home to Lebanon. In about a half-hour we'll get another show. And by then, we should have food."
"You said you used to come here a lot when you were homesick..." Maybe this was a touchy subject, but she couldn't help but wonder. "You aren't anymore?" The question was asked with a touch of hesitation, Alison quite willing to accept that he might not wish to discuss the matter.
Haroun winced as he got caught in a careless word choice. "Only occasionally." he admitted. "I love my home, even if it doesn't love me right now. But I've made a decision to build a new home here, with all that that entails. Before, I used to really miss Morocco. Now - not nearly as much. I said my goodbyes when I was home last. And I still receive letters from my parents every so often."
There were a myriad things she could have said, but most of them she dismissed out of hand as trite. "Never look back and concentrate on the present," which was accurate enough, even though it nearly drew a wince from her in return. She hadn't quite managed that yet, after all, though she did her best. "I'm sorry." The dancer continued his performance on the stage, moving through the routine flawlessly. "We can change the subject if you'd rather." She smiled calmly as she made the offer.
Haroun nodded. "Sure." he said, then returned his attention to the dancer. He really was quite skilled, and he got more play than any one man should be able to handle. He decided, right then and there, to never, ever mention to Alison that he'd taken a few lessons in the art. A good thing, probably, that his cybernetics were incompatible with some of the moves required. "Ah, here's tea. Food should be coming shortly. Basically, you eat with your fingers. There will be multiple platters, so if you see something you want to try, just reach over and grab some." he explained.
She would have to describe all of this in excruciating details to Lorna, she knew only too well. Her roommate would stand for nothing less and Alison knew better than to argue with her – besides, it'd be a pleasant surprise for Haroun in return, if Lorna took it in mind to have a hand at cooking something Moroccan. The glasses deposited along with the elaborate tea pot were brightly colored, with gilded swirling patterns. The waiter poured, expertly lifting the tea pot nearly a half meter from the tiny glass, a sweet and minty scent wafting from the hot liquid.
~*~
Haroun laughed as he walked up to the Jeep. "Oh, my, they outdid themselves tonight." he said with a grin. "I haven't eaten that much in a long, long time. The lamb was simply divine tonight. Delicious."
The walk back had done her legs a world of good, Alison not being used to sitting in such a position for so long. "It was amazing," she replied with a rueful laugh. "I always joke about having to be rolled home when the food is this good at a restaurant, but this is pretty much as close to that as its' ever got to actually happening."
Haroun grinned. "I'm really glad you enjoyed it. This place is quite possibly my favorite place to eat. I've never actually taken anyone from the Mansion here before now. It's kind of my place, you know? Now it's our place." he said, pressing his luck insanely far. "So - ready to dance off some of the food?" he asked with a laugh.
Never taken anyone from the Mansion there before... Our place... The pause was imperceptible, lost in the moment where she stopped by the passenger's side of the Jeep and turned to look at him. "Dancing sounds like the perfect follow-up to me," she agreed, setting aside the thought to consider later. And the feelings it generated along with it.
Haroun, having cranked his sensitivities to All Things Alison very, very high, caught the pause, but knew there was nothing he could do to help. So he put on his smile, opened the door for Alison, then once she was settled got behind the wheel and the Jeep moving. The drive to the club was relatively short, filled with talk of small inconsequential things.
The arrival at the club offered them another walk, a fair bit longer this time, parking downtown being what it was. This time Alison recognized the area, looking about curiously – it had been quite some time since she'd been to a club, and at least a year for this particular area. Their destination drew something of a reaction from her.
"Oh, you are kidding me," she breathed, staring at an only too familiar entrance.
Haroun looked at Alison. "Is there a problem?" he asked quickly, gesturing to the milling crowds outside and the pounding dance beats coming from within. "Too much?"
She shook her head, laughter finally escaping her, delight dancing in her eyes. "No! This is perfect! I haven't been here in ages, I love this place!" She shifted her weight, as though in anticipation of the evening to come. "I wonder if it's still the same bouncer working at the door?"
Haroun audibly released the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. "Well then. Let's go on in and dance!" he said, offering his arm for her to take. "Bouncer already knows we're coming, and they're holding a table for us." He wasn't going to consider the cost, no sirree Bob. Not when things were going so well.
She accepted without a second thought, leaning against him while she looked around with a smile she just couldn't wipe from her face, re-acquainting herself with the place. "Good thing you did, staff has changed," she remarked, a touch wistfully. She would have been able to waltz in and get any table she wanted before coming out, regardless of the line up. "This is wonderful. Thank you," she grinned up at him, knowing she wasn't even coming close to expressing how happy she was about this.
Haroun grinned back at Alison - and led her right past their table and out onto the dance floor. "Now, let's see if I can keep from embarrassing you completely out here..." he said as the next song came on - a nice fast dance number. He kept up with Alison as best he could, but it was very, very clear very early on who was the better dancer of the pair. But Haroun had a grin on his face the entire time, and from time to time pulled Alison close to tease her before laughing and moving away.
The sound was just as it should be, loud and likely nearly deafening for anyone else, but pure heaven for Alison as she danced, eyes half-closing as she tilted her head upwards. A quick scan of the lighting system and she smiled wildly, throwing herself into the music even as she let light spring to life above them in the room, blending it easily in the club's chaotic and pulsating lights. She flick a hand upwards at one point as Haroun pulled her closer, winking at him as she let him know what she was up to.
Haroun checked out the lightshow, and then grinned. "A shame that we can't take this dance into the third dimension." he said into her ear during one of his pull-her-close-and-dance moments. "Mmm, pretty lights." he said, pretending for just a second to be hypnotized by the display she was putting on.
The laughter that greeted his words was low and warm, barely overheard even as close as he was. "I missed this so much," she murmured, not meaning to be heard and utterly content with living every moment of the evening to the fullest, the lights above them shifting and merging with the beat of the music, radiating glimpses of something else every now and than as Alison's emotions bled through briefly.
Haroun accepted each moment as it was - he danced - to the best of his limited ability - with Alison, enjoyed her enjoyment, felt happiness at her happiness. But eventually he'd Had Enough - and his internal 'ware was starting to send him some Dire Messages about overstressing certain muscle groups. He looked at Alison, shrugged, and nodded back towards their table before walking off of the dance floor. She wouldn't hurt for partners, and he needed to give himself a break.
She rested a hand briefly on his arm before nodding, unwilling to leave the dance floor just yet. Maybe later, but not now, after so little time being there again. Being alone on the dance floor meant she could let go with some moves that were not meant to be used when dancing with someone else and she was soon lost in the music once more, the only thing keeping her aware of her surroundings the fact that she had to keep some measure of control on her power.
Haroun flopped into the seat at their reserved table. Oh, this was not going to end well. The 'ware was very, very unhappy. Dancing any more today was probably Right Out Of The Question. Still, he could take a vicarious thrill in watching Alison move - the clean lines of her body, the grace of her movements, the sheer abandonment of reserve or decorum. He smiled as he congratulated himself mentally for an evening well-chosen. And oh, how he owed Lorna. Owed her big. He grabbed a bottle of water and discreetly settled the bill to date.
It was easy to lose track of time as the music segued from one song to another, although she made a point of looking at Haroun now and then, offering him a smile that spoke volumes about how much she was enjoying herself before whirling off again. Eventually though she decided to take a break – not from need, but simply to not strand her date at the table for the entire night. The dancing had taken her a distance off on the dance floor however and she observed the crowd around her for a moment before starting to pick a path towards their table.
Unfortunately for Alison's desire to give herself some time with her date, a twentysomething wearing this year's hot J. Crew outfit intercepted her. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but aren't you Alison Blaire?" she said at very nearly a mile a minute.
"Wha- yes," she answered, more out of sheer surprise than anything else, tracking the girl's rapid-fire speech easily. Oh god. Brilliant. Just announce your presence to the world why not. Reflex and habit kicked in however and she smiled brightly at the girl, only shifting to the side slightly to avoid an energetic dancer attempting a rather daring move.
"Ohmygawd!" the girl squealed. "My parents are such huge fans! I grew up listening to your stuff!" she said. "Butbutbutbut - I kinda want to ask you a question, and please don't get all offended on me, okay?" she said all in a rush. "Because I totally have to know!"
I feel old. Torn between amusement and dismay, Alison settled for keeping the smile up and laughing a bit, wondering if she'd ever been that... bouncy. Good lord, the girl couldn't be that much younger than herself at that. "Sure, go ahead," she said over the music, trying not to look too nonplussed.
The girl squealed again. "So, anyway, I've got two questions for you. Are you ever gonna go back out on tour? I mean, it was a serious bummer what happened to your bodyguard and all that, but it'd be totally awesome if you went back out on the road!" she gushed. "Oh! OH! Please - can you wait right here for a second? Please?" she asked, almost begged really.
If she tries to take a photograph, I'm going to have to ruin it. That's kinda sad. Though she didn't care much, considering the possible consequences, which she had just been keenly reminded of. "Sure, I'll wait," she answered smoothly, the smile faltering. Ignoring the question about going on the road she spared a moment to look through the crowd to see if she might spot Haroun and their table. It was actually tempting to just make a run for it, really.
Haroun, for his part, smiled and waved at Alison. He looked like he was inhumanly amused by the entire affair. He raised his water bottle and tipped it to her by way of a salute.
She smiled wryly and made a face at him while waiting, moving a bit towards the side of the floor where the constant motion of the crowd was a bit quieter, the more enthusiastic dancers keeping to the center of the dance floor.
The girl came back clutching an Alison Blaire CD in her perfectly manicured hands. "Couldyoumaybepleasesignthis?" she asked before taking a breath. "And make it out to Patricia, please." She also brought her own pen - clearly, she was thinking ahead. Off to one side of the dance floor, a clutch of twentysomethings cheered her on. "Go PATTY!" one hooted at her, causing the girl holding the CD to turn pink with embarrassment.
Good grief, she lived on helium. Unable to help it, Alison laughed, nodding as she accepted both CD and pen – a permanent marker she noted. Good grief, talk about being prepared – then again, she reminded herself, that's how it usually was. Had it been that long? She popped the cap and started to write, one of many signature lines she'd use before coming to mind.
Patty bounced in place and clapped her hands. "And my other question - is that guy you're here with one of your new backup dancers or something? You're working on new moves, right?" she asked with great concern dripping from her voice.
And that's what she got for not answering the first question, although the way Patty was going about this puzzled her slightly. "No, I'm not going on tour again. He's my date," she looked up from the CD, trying to figure out what Patty was getting to.
Patty grasped for the CD that Alison wasn't done signing. "Ewww!" she said with a little-girl pout. "That's, like, gross! He's totally not even your kind! I'll bet that he's really huge and good in bed, right?" she insinuated. "That's gotta be it."
Unmoving, Alison slowly looked up, not quite believe that she'd heard what she had just heard. "You can't be serious," she said slowly, wanting to make sure that the girl understood her every word. She recapped the pen and stared at her, the way her spine was stiffening and the set of her shoulders being more than enough warning - for anyone who actually knew her.
Patty very clearly didn't know Alison very well at all. "I mean, you're a rock star! You can have anyone you want! So ... why him? Is this some kind of jungle fever thing? Because that's just totally gross, but kinda hot at the same time, ya know?" she said with an elbow into Alison's ribs. She looked over at Haroun with a predatory look on her face. "Well, for a darkie he's really well built." she commented. "Gotta give you that."
She didn't budge an inch as the girl elbowed her, standing stock still despite the overwhelming urge to react in a very inappropriate way. There were, Alison reflected idly, far too many people around for her to get away with bloody murder. Pity. Her cheeks were high with color as she took a deep breath, and then another, the pen slapped into Patty's hand only by the grace of god and pure will on Alison's part. "Yes. I could have anyone I want," she commented idly, not believing that in the least but certainly not about to try and educate the girl otherwise. "And I'm here with him. I don't think someone of your obviously deficient mental abilities would understand that what that means, however. Do have a good evening." She finished the sentence through clenched teeth before turning around on her heel and stalking away, cutting through the crowd in a straight line as she headed for Haroun.
Patty stared at Alison as she stalked off. "Bitch." she said then rejoined her gaggle of companions. A few minutes later, all of them were laughing and trying very hard to not stare at Haroun - who was apparently quite oblivious to the entire affair.
Thoughts still boiling, Alison glanced up, killing the light show for fear of letting that bleed through and affect the crowd in the club, even though nothing seemed to have bled through just yet. The last dancer in her path was redirected before he could crash into her, finding himself facing another person who seemed just as surprised as he was about the partner change. The last of the space between them was relatively clear and Alison sat down stiffly, trying to calm herself down – if she didn't manage it soon, they would likely have to leave or else the loud music would be too much and she'd start bleeding light whether she wanted to or not.
Haroun looked at Alison, and immediately dropped into All Business mode. "What's up?" he said, subtly tensing for action. "Your fan give you a hard time?"
"Something like that," she answered, unwilling to actually repeat anything that had been said. Ever. And then some. "If I start to glow or emit light of any form while I'm still angry, please stop me." She managed to say the words somewhat coherently, even though her hands where still trembling from rage.
"I'm not sure I can, but I'll try." he said. "You can tell me about what she said later. Dammit!" he said, slamming his fist into the table, making the drinks jump. "To Hell with a possible systems crash. You want to get back out on the floor, dance some more? Or do you want to bail, go somewhere else, or back home?"
"Systems crash?" she stared at him for a moment and well, he'd not mentioned that before. "No. System crashes are bad." She was irked again, although for a different reason. "We don't want a system crash." She paused, and then let her breath out slowly, trying to regain some measure of composure. "Dancing wouldn't fix this anyway." She smiled crookedly, leaning forward. "A walk would be good. Not nearly late enough to go back home."
Haroun nodded. "Walk would help the system cool down a bit." he added. "I wasn't designed to be a dancer. Come on, you can take my coat. Let's go." He offered her his arm again, to escort her out of the club. On the way to the door, Patty and her friends watched with a combination of disgust and naked envy on their faces.
She leaned against him as they made their way out of the crowd, a frown still taking over now and then although she was trying to shake the mood off as best she could. Stepping outside into cool air was a relief and she took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment and trying to clear her mind.
Haroun escorted Alison down the street and then around the corner. "So, you want to talk about it?" he asked her as they walked. "It might help." He matched his stride to hers, and then shortened it a little to make things a little easier on her poor feet.
"Narrow minded people are such a bore," she all but snarled, before stopping outright. Basic breathing exercises it was, because she couldn't keep being this angry. Didn't want to, really. "Dammit, get a grip," she muttered to herself, trying to banish the tension between her shoulders with every other breath she took. There would be no ranting. A nice walk and she'd calm down and the evening would end nicely. And the words she'd flung at Patsy might stop nagging at her, reminding her that there was much more to this than she was admitting to herself.
Haroun, deciding that Lady Luck was going to hate him in the morning, looked over at Alison. "Back tension?" he asked her. "Do you want a backrub?" he asked her. "I give enthusiastic backrubs. Or not - entirely up to you." he babbled slightly.
Alison opened her eyes and stared at him for a moment. The anger bled away in an instant and she started to chuckle quietly, looking down before taking a step forward to lean against him, unable to stop. "Thank you... I'm sorry, I'll be fine in a minute," she managed to say, trying to stop somehow.
Haroun hugged her back, firmly but non-threateningly. He hoped. Inside, he just revelled at Alison's softness and sheer feminity. She felt right like this. He could get used to it, yes he could. "Hey." he said to her. "Take as much time as you need."
Taking time was good and Alison did just that, working through the residual giggles until they faded, and then just breathing slowly, until she was finally in a calmer frame of mind. Saner even. "Better now," was all she said, unwilling to move just yet.
Haroun didn't budge. "Good." he said. He was enjoying this, oh yes he was. He made a mental note to schedule the blood filtering for the next possible timeslot. Get Maddy to do it - she always did enjoy listening to him babble incoherently at her. He looked forward to the day when he could do the same for her. He wanted to do things, many, many things, but something held him back. With a flash of insight, he realized what it was. Encouragement.
"We'll have to go to the club again when the crazies aren't around," Alison murmured absently, the words slightly muffled by the fact that she was speaking into the hollow of his shoulder. The fact that she was saying that was nothing short of entirely too amusing, but she didn't feel like laughing in the least right now. Calm and quiet was very, very nice.
"Okay." Haroun agreed. Right now, she could have asked him for his right arm and he would have cheerfully agreed. "Sounds like a plan to me. Let me know when is good for you."
She lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him directly, shifting a bit so she could wrap her arms around his neck instead of simply resting her hands on his chest. It was too late to even wonder if she could do this, she knew, suddenly. "You really were serious all along," she murmured almost contemplatively, studying his face as she waited for his answer.
Haroun nodded, not trusting his voice for a moment. "Yep." he said after a long second. "Is that bad?" he asked as he stared into her eyes as if to search for deep meaning there.
"Considering how spectacularly dense I've been about this..." she trailed off, shivering slightly for reasons that had nothing to do with the cool temperature. "No. It's not. Not bad at all," she finally whispered.
"Oh good. So I can do things like this..." he said before bending down just a mite to claim a kiss. A nice, long, intense kiss. Yep. Blood filter. Tomorrow morning, first thing. When he came up for air, he grinned at her. "Still not a bad thing?" he asked her with a rogueish grin.
"Mm," she managed, buying a little time to think up a coherent answer. "Well, you know they say practice makes perfect?" Corniest line in history, but it still had its moments. "I figure we can go from not a bad thing to spectacular thing with some work," she finished the sentence with a chuckle, wondering how in the world she could not have known.
Haroun grinned again. And then wondered if he could wake Madelyn and do that filtering tonight. "Is that so?" he asked her with a grin. "I'd hate to disappoint." he said, then tried to claim another - this one a little more intense, a little harder. His body felt like it was on fire, and not in the bad I'm-going-to-die-now way. Cool breezes, hot woman, and a perfect evening. What could be better in this life?
People everywhere, a sense of expectation hangin' in the air, givin' out a spark // across the room your eyes are glowin' in the dark...
Haroun took one last look at his reflection in the mirror? Sport coat? Check. White silk dress shirt? Check. Black tie, to be removed after dinner? Check. White suit pants? Check. He grinned at himself in the mirror, then forced himself to take and release a long breath. Keep it together, Haroun. He grabbed his wallet (double-checking to make sure that the loan from the First National Bank of Dayspring was all set), his keys, and his dressier watch, and then left his apartment to go retrieve Alison. Despite himself, he couldn't help but whistle a cheery tune as he walked.
He didn't even make it to her door before it was opened abruptly and Alison was shoved out with a startled yelp. "Lorna! No fair!" She whirled around, the short black skirt she was wearing flaring for a moment around her thighs, but didn't make it in time. "Eep!" The door slammed to her nose before she could get back inside, leaving her to stand facing an inch thick door of solid wood. She fiddled with the backless red top she was wearing, absently adjusting one of the thin shoulder straps, pouting at the door before turning once more to lean on it. And only then noticed Haroun heading her way, forgetting instantly all about her roommate kicking her out of her own room.
Haroun couldn't help but grin, and his eyes went wide at Alison's choice of attire. "Well, our evening hasn't even started yet and I'm already enjoying myself. You look - amazing." he said, admiring her openly for a few moments. "Anyway. You hungry?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye, and extended a hand for her to take. "That is, assuming that you're ready to go and don't have to go murder your suitemate..."
"Oh, she can wait," Alison replied airily, "I know where she lives." She took his hand although she kept a few feet between them for a moment, shaking her head slightly with a grin. "You don't look half bad yourself," was the return compliment, although the undertone clearly implied she thought he had pulled things off perfectly. Easy and light, she reminded herself, stepping closer. "I am starving, as a matter of fact. And I'm dying of curiosity as to where we're going."
Haroun grinned as Alison moved even closer. "Just this little place I know of in the City. Trust me, you'll love it. It's a little taste of home without the twelve-hour plane flight." he said. "You cool with some home-style Moroccan cooking?" he asked as he escorted her down to the Front Door of the Mansion. ~Please, Allah, let her be cool with it.~ he thought to himself, but kept as many traces of that thought off his face as he could.
"I'll try anything at least once," was the cheerful reply, "and you make it sound like something that shouldn't be missed at all." It sounded great, in fact, and she'd never had the chance to try one of the better restaurants serving that kind of food before. "I'm surprised Lorna hasn't gone on about my eating habits to the world at large yet, although maybe that's not entirely a bad thing." Alison grinned a bit sheepishly at that, remembering the episode involving prepared pancake mix only too well.
Haroun gave a little mental sigh of relief. He made a note to thank Allah the next time he prayed to Him. "Good." he said aloud with his fast-becoming-a-trademark Big Smile. "Borrowed the Jeep for the night, so if you'll just follow me..." he said as he escorted her to the passenger side of said vehicle. He then opened the door for her and gestured extravagantly. "Thy chariot awaits."
"Why, thank you!" Alison grinned and took her place in the jeep with a touch of satisfaction about the vehicle selection. It meant no awkwardness getting in or out of the car while wearing something this short. The leather of the seat was cool as she leaned back and fastened her seat belt while Haroun closed the door gently - the small purse she had was easily tucked away in the door's storage compartment afterwards.
Haroun, in deference to the serious nature of his date with Alison, kept his speeds and driving style down to "Man in a demonically-possessed hurry" levels, rather than his usual Pants Are On Fire levels of speed and recklessness. "Man, I hate traffic." he grumbled. "Two-dimensional movement stinks."
"And most people don't know how to drive anyway," Alison grinned, as they passed a few cars in the slow lane rather quickly. "You'd think they'd actually want to get from point A to point B. Not like there's that much scenery to look at around here." She glanced down at her purse, pondering the image inducer she'd brought along, just in case. He might already know, but it was only fair to make sure. God, was it only fair.
Haroun growled at a particular offensive old blue-hair who was doing around 10 under the limit. On the expressway. "Times like this make me regret that I can't just fly to where I'm going." he grumbled. "But we are in a Jeep..." he said with a slow manic grin. Then he thought better of it - best behavior, al-Rashid. You're with a lady. "Naah. Last thing we need is to get arrested. Good thing I gave it plenty of time to get to the restaurant." Out of the corner of his eye, he kept catching glances of smooth expanse of well-muscled leg, and it was driving him nuts.
She leaned her head back in the seat, laughing at the expression on his face as he obviously considered all the possibilities the Jeep offered. "I am so the wrong person to be talking you out of that sort of behavior," she finally said. "Lorna threatens me with death every time she gets in the car and I drive." Which only meant that Alison had more fun trying to find new ways to give Lorna premature gray hair. She shifted a bit, one hand coming to rest on her thigh, thumb brushing over the still visible scar left from the tunnel mission.
Haroun couldn't help but notice Alison's hand tracing the course of her thigh scar. ~Down, boy!~ he thought to himself, as his hormone implant dumped a fresh flood of chemicals into his bloodstream. ~At this rate, you're going to have to schedule a date with Madelyn for extensive blood filtering. Again.~ "That's an interesting scar." He said without actually looking directly at her scar. "Momento from the tunnels?" he asked.
She looked down as he mentioned the scar, silent for a moment. "Yes." The memory of that particular mission was associated with the scent of blood and death and she brushed her fingertips over the scar, deliberately this time. "Having your own power turned against you is a novel experience," she said wryly, with a light tone. "Most of the others with offensive powers similar to mine all seem to be immune to their abilities."
Haroun smiled bitterly. "You're not the only one with issues that way. Be thankful it was just a through-and-through blast." he said, remembering back to the day his entire life changed. He rallied, though, and tried to shake off his black mood.
Her eyes widened and she looked at him - oh, talk about a way to put your foot in it. "I'm sorry," she twisted in the seat slightly to better look at him. "That was thoughtless of me." To say the least. Any other explanations she could think of felt feeble at best so she simply smiled crookedly in apology.
Haroun waved off the apology. "It's OK. Over and done with, and I've been blessed by Allah to be able to walk, let alone fly. I have accepted it." Except that he hadn't, judging by the tide of hot, sick anger that always rose in him when he thought about what he'd endured, what he'd had taken away from him. His knuckles on the steering wheel turned white for a second before he could force them to relax.
The words said one thing and the body language said another entirely, Alison thought as she looked at him, still facing him more than the road. She moved a bit, nudging the seatbelt just enough to remain comfortable and be able to keep up the position longer and allowed her gaze to go beyond him, looking at the scenery unfurl. "Then you're doing a whole lot better than I am on that one, then," she mused. She very much resented being a danger to herself, in fact. Change of subject now, however. "Closest thing I've come to flying on my own is on a dragon," she grinned a bit, suspecting that the subject might not be all that bad an option to lighten him mood.
A good guess on her part. "Flying is ... it's a gift. I never feel quite so free and alive as when I'm in the air." he said, visibly relaxing. "If you'd like, I'll take you up sometime. The Mansion is beautiful from the air."
She leaned back, finding a comfortable way to do so when the door was mostly what was supporting her and smiled a bit - she'd dated a flyer before, and knew that expression only too well. They're all the same that way, she thought fondly, even as she nodded in acceptance. "I'd like that. It's one of the things I miss from Asgard," she admitted, surprised at the stab of longing that accompanied those words.
Haroun grinned. "Done, then." he said with great pleasure in his voice. He looked over at Alison, and smiled charmingly. Damn, she looked good out there. He didn't care about her color, or her religion, or her status as a single parent. She was a good person - very easy on the eyes, funny, charming. How Samuel ever let this one get away was beyond him, but he'd be damned if he was going to make the same mistakes.
"So - let's put some music on, shall we?" he said, flipping on the Jeep's rather excellent aftermarket stereo system. "Pick for us some tunes, mademoiselle."
"Sure," she leaned forward, flicking the radio on. "Anything in particular that you prefer in terms of radio stations, or I just pick a CD at random and pop that in?" Ororo had used the Jeep not long ago, which meant there would likely be an interesting selection of world music available, for one.
Haroun shrugged. "You're the passenger, it's your choice." he said with a solemn look. "Seriously, whatever you've got works." With his luck, he was going to get the live four-CD Yanni Live at the Acropolis concert, followed by a rousing encore from Zamfir Master of the Pan Flute. He just _knew_ it.
Alison grinned and went for the CD case, crossing her legs as she settled back once more and then flipping it open. "Let's see, who was in the Jeep last? Uh huh. That's so Scott. Ew." The radio played lowly in the background while she sorted through the CDs, finally reaching a satisfactory choice. "This has to be Jean-Paul's. Never heard it before." She slid it out of the case and into the CD slot, fiddling with the buttons so that the music wouldn't keep them from talking.
Haroun listened to the CD with half an ear as the music started. While not Yanni, it was a far cry from his usual wailing guitar, punishing bass lines, and incomprehensible growled lyrics. But somehow, he didn't think Alison would be much of a fan of Type O Negative - and he'd left the CD in his room anyway. Nothing to be done now but to grit his teeth and enjoy the music. With mercy, they'd arrive at the restaurant before too much longer. "Interesting choice. What made you pick this?" he asked pleasantly.
"I've never heard it before," Alison answered with a straight face. "I don't like not knowing something, music wise. Just not right." It was very ambitious to want to know every single song out there, but if anyone had the right to do so, she figured she did. "And usually when someone says 'interesting choice' it means they're not convinced about it all that much, " she pointed out innocently.
"Fair enough. It's not really my thing, musically, but I left the choice to you. And expanding my musical horizons is a good thing, right?" he said with a gentle teasing grin. He changed lanes in preparation for exiting the expressway. They were close now - maybe ten more minutes or so. "And isn't that bad, really." he added.
"Expanding one's horizons is always a good thing," she agreed solemnly. "Although I have to admit, I'm fairly easy," she glanced out of the window briefly, rolling her eyes at a particularly careful driver, "when it comes to music. Unless it's horrible." What horrible was might have spanned any number of things, really. "Or if I'm writing it. There's no end of criticism there." Which was how it should be.
Haroun stayed well away from -that- minefield - the last thing he wanted to do was step on her ego. Not this early in the evening. "Well, we're almost there." he said as he pulled the Jeep into a parking garage. "Place is only a few blocks from here. You OK to walk, or do you want me to drop you off and then go park the Jeep?"
"I'll walk with you, of course," she said firmly, "but thanks for the offer." She rested her hands on the front of the seat, leaning forward a bit to retrieve her purse. "You're the one introducing me to a new restaurant – wouldn't be right to end up there without you to show it off right from the start, mmm?"
Haroun parked the Jeep, got out, then walked around to open the door for Alison. He even extended her his hand to aid in her climbing out of the Jeep with her dignity intact - not that she needed the help. Arming the Jeep's security system, Haroun smiled dazzlingly at Alison and offered her his arm. "Shall we?" he said with a grin.
Taking his arm with a smile of her own, Alison nodded, stilling the faint flutters in the pit of her stomach. "We shall indeed," was the reply, and heavens this could be fun if only she didn't think to look up and check the rooftops. It was very cool outside, not that she minded in the least really, though her attire drew more than one stare since most were at least wearing a coat in consideration of the cold temperatures. "So, how far exactly are we?" she couldn't resist asking, eyes bright with curiosity.
Haroun queried his internal flight computer. "As a SWAG, not even a tenth-mile." he said with a grin. "It's right over there." he said, pointing to a fairly nondescript building perhaps a block or two away. He set an easy pace, as a concession to Alison being in heels. "You sure you're not cold?" he asked her. "You can have my jacket if you want..."
She tilted her head to try and spot the building, refusing his offer with a shake of her head and a smile of thanks. "I'm fine for now. And it's not that far away." And she didn't actually mind the people staring, at that. "I may take you up on that later on in the evening though. This outfit actually has a coat that goes with it, only my roommate kicked me out before I could get it," she told him, a touch of wryness in her voice.
"I don't get cold. Side-benefit to chemokinetic flight." he said with a grin. "I used to come here a lot when I was homesick." he admitted as he escorted her to the front door of the establishment. The maitre d' took Haroun's coat with a smile, said a few quick sentences in Arabic, bowed to Alison, and then escorted them both to a private table. Although table was something of a misnomer - more like a private low banquet table. "You sit on the floor here - see, they've given you rugs to sit on. And you eat with your hands." he said to Alison as he settled in at the place set next to hers.
Not quite rubbernecking but certainly looking around curiously while taking in every nuance of the place, Alison offered the departing maitre d' a smile, before considering her options. Well, that set-up left her with one way to sit down, and she did just that, curling up her legs to the side neatly, back straight and steady. "I can see why this would have helped with the homesickness," she murmured, closing her eyes for a moment, the very scent of the place utterly different from the moment you walked inside.
Haroun smiled and nodded, then washed his hands with the provided water and towel. "Yes, and the food is just heavenly. And there's quite a show that comes along with it. Just wait." he said with a fiendish grin. He flagged down a server, whispered some words in Arabic, and then settled back to enjoy things. Further on down the room was a little mini-stage area, which was just lit up. "Oh good, they're about to start. We didn't miss it."
She followed suit as he spoke, setting down the towel while he spoke to the waiter. "Quite a show?" she asked in amusement – clearly he was enjoying all of this, which made everything that much more fun as far as Alison was concerned. "I'm going to have to ask you to teach me Arabic at this rate," she murmured, stealing a curious look at the stage. Not knowing what was being said around her drove her nuts, every single time.
Haroun leaned back as far as he could and smirked. "Ah, here you go." he said as a young man, dressed in gauzy baggy pants, slippers, and a tiny vest, stepped out onto the stage. He began to dance in time with music being played over the surprisingly-good sound system. He whirled and gyrated with great agility, but most of his efforts were spent in showing off his quite amazing belly dancing skills. "Did I forget to mention the dancers?" Haroun said to Alison with real delight.
After staring in disbelief for a moment, Alison started to laugh, clearly enchanted with the entire concept. "Now that is something I've never seen," she chuckled, leaning back just a bit to watch the dancer, nodding in appreciation at a particularly complex series of movements. "Consider me surprised, and pleasantly so!" She smiled at him, before returning her attention to the stage.
Haroun let out another mental sigh - he was fairly sure she wasn't going to berserk, but she was an American. "He's really quite good. I know the guy, talked to him a few times after his set. Putting himself through college here in the USA before he goes back home to Lebanon. In about a half-hour we'll get another show. And by then, we should have food."
"You said you used to come here a lot when you were homesick..." Maybe this was a touchy subject, but she couldn't help but wonder. "You aren't anymore?" The question was asked with a touch of hesitation, Alison quite willing to accept that he might not wish to discuss the matter.
Haroun winced as he got caught in a careless word choice. "Only occasionally." he admitted. "I love my home, even if it doesn't love me right now. But I've made a decision to build a new home here, with all that that entails. Before, I used to really miss Morocco. Now - not nearly as much. I said my goodbyes when I was home last. And I still receive letters from my parents every so often."
There were a myriad things she could have said, but most of them she dismissed out of hand as trite. "Never look back and concentrate on the present," which was accurate enough, even though it nearly drew a wince from her in return. She hadn't quite managed that yet, after all, though she did her best. "I'm sorry." The dancer continued his performance on the stage, moving through the routine flawlessly. "We can change the subject if you'd rather." She smiled calmly as she made the offer.
Haroun nodded. "Sure." he said, then returned his attention to the dancer. He really was quite skilled, and he got more play than any one man should be able to handle. He decided, right then and there, to never, ever mention to Alison that he'd taken a few lessons in the art. A good thing, probably, that his cybernetics were incompatible with some of the moves required. "Ah, here's tea. Food should be coming shortly. Basically, you eat with your fingers. There will be multiple platters, so if you see something you want to try, just reach over and grab some." he explained.
She would have to describe all of this in excruciating details to Lorna, she knew only too well. Her roommate would stand for nothing less and Alison knew better than to argue with her – besides, it'd be a pleasant surprise for Haroun in return, if Lorna took it in mind to have a hand at cooking something Moroccan. The glasses deposited along with the elaborate tea pot were brightly colored, with gilded swirling patterns. The waiter poured, expertly lifting the tea pot nearly a half meter from the tiny glass, a sweet and minty scent wafting from the hot liquid.
~*~
Haroun laughed as he walked up to the Jeep. "Oh, my, they outdid themselves tonight." he said with a grin. "I haven't eaten that much in a long, long time. The lamb was simply divine tonight. Delicious."
The walk back had done her legs a world of good, Alison not being used to sitting in such a position for so long. "It was amazing," she replied with a rueful laugh. "I always joke about having to be rolled home when the food is this good at a restaurant, but this is pretty much as close to that as its' ever got to actually happening."
Haroun grinned. "I'm really glad you enjoyed it. This place is quite possibly my favorite place to eat. I've never actually taken anyone from the Mansion here before now. It's kind of my place, you know? Now it's our place." he said, pressing his luck insanely far. "So - ready to dance off some of the food?" he asked with a laugh.
Never taken anyone from the Mansion there before... Our place... The pause was imperceptible, lost in the moment where she stopped by the passenger's side of the Jeep and turned to look at him. "Dancing sounds like the perfect follow-up to me," she agreed, setting aside the thought to consider later. And the feelings it generated along with it.
Haroun, having cranked his sensitivities to All Things Alison very, very high, caught the pause, but knew there was nothing he could do to help. So he put on his smile, opened the door for Alison, then once she was settled got behind the wheel and the Jeep moving. The drive to the club was relatively short, filled with talk of small inconsequential things.
The arrival at the club offered them another walk, a fair bit longer this time, parking downtown being what it was. This time Alison recognized the area, looking about curiously – it had been quite some time since she'd been to a club, and at least a year for this particular area. Their destination drew something of a reaction from her.
"Oh, you are kidding me," she breathed, staring at an only too familiar entrance.
Haroun looked at Alison. "Is there a problem?" he asked quickly, gesturing to the milling crowds outside and the pounding dance beats coming from within. "Too much?"
She shook her head, laughter finally escaping her, delight dancing in her eyes. "No! This is perfect! I haven't been here in ages, I love this place!" She shifted her weight, as though in anticipation of the evening to come. "I wonder if it's still the same bouncer working at the door?"
Haroun audibly released the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. "Well then. Let's go on in and dance!" he said, offering his arm for her to take. "Bouncer already knows we're coming, and they're holding a table for us." He wasn't going to consider the cost, no sirree Bob. Not when things were going so well.
She accepted without a second thought, leaning against him while she looked around with a smile she just couldn't wipe from her face, re-acquainting herself with the place. "Good thing you did, staff has changed," she remarked, a touch wistfully. She would have been able to waltz in and get any table she wanted before coming out, regardless of the line up. "This is wonderful. Thank you," she grinned up at him, knowing she wasn't even coming close to expressing how happy she was about this.
Haroun grinned back at Alison - and led her right past their table and out onto the dance floor. "Now, let's see if I can keep from embarrassing you completely out here..." he said as the next song came on - a nice fast dance number. He kept up with Alison as best he could, but it was very, very clear very early on who was the better dancer of the pair. But Haroun had a grin on his face the entire time, and from time to time pulled Alison close to tease her before laughing and moving away.
The sound was just as it should be, loud and likely nearly deafening for anyone else, but pure heaven for Alison as she danced, eyes half-closing as she tilted her head upwards. A quick scan of the lighting system and she smiled wildly, throwing herself into the music even as she let light spring to life above them in the room, blending it easily in the club's chaotic and pulsating lights. She flick a hand upwards at one point as Haroun pulled her closer, winking at him as she let him know what she was up to.
Haroun checked out the lightshow, and then grinned. "A shame that we can't take this dance into the third dimension." he said into her ear during one of his pull-her-close-and-dance moments. "Mmm, pretty lights." he said, pretending for just a second to be hypnotized by the display she was putting on.
The laughter that greeted his words was low and warm, barely overheard even as close as he was. "I missed this so much," she murmured, not meaning to be heard and utterly content with living every moment of the evening to the fullest, the lights above them shifting and merging with the beat of the music, radiating glimpses of something else every now and than as Alison's emotions bled through briefly.
Haroun accepted each moment as it was - he danced - to the best of his limited ability - with Alison, enjoyed her enjoyment, felt happiness at her happiness. But eventually he'd Had Enough - and his internal 'ware was starting to send him some Dire Messages about overstressing certain muscle groups. He looked at Alison, shrugged, and nodded back towards their table before walking off of the dance floor. She wouldn't hurt for partners, and he needed to give himself a break.
She rested a hand briefly on his arm before nodding, unwilling to leave the dance floor just yet. Maybe later, but not now, after so little time being there again. Being alone on the dance floor meant she could let go with some moves that were not meant to be used when dancing with someone else and she was soon lost in the music once more, the only thing keeping her aware of her surroundings the fact that she had to keep some measure of control on her power.
Haroun flopped into the seat at their reserved table. Oh, this was not going to end well. The 'ware was very, very unhappy. Dancing any more today was probably Right Out Of The Question. Still, he could take a vicarious thrill in watching Alison move - the clean lines of her body, the grace of her movements, the sheer abandonment of reserve or decorum. He smiled as he congratulated himself mentally for an evening well-chosen. And oh, how he owed Lorna. Owed her big. He grabbed a bottle of water and discreetly settled the bill to date.
It was easy to lose track of time as the music segued from one song to another, although she made a point of looking at Haroun now and then, offering him a smile that spoke volumes about how much she was enjoying herself before whirling off again. Eventually though she decided to take a break – not from need, but simply to not strand her date at the table for the entire night. The dancing had taken her a distance off on the dance floor however and she observed the crowd around her for a moment before starting to pick a path towards their table.
Unfortunately for Alison's desire to give herself some time with her date, a twentysomething wearing this year's hot J. Crew outfit intercepted her. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but aren't you Alison Blaire?" she said at very nearly a mile a minute.
"Wha- yes," she answered, more out of sheer surprise than anything else, tracking the girl's rapid-fire speech easily. Oh god. Brilliant. Just announce your presence to the world why not. Reflex and habit kicked in however and she smiled brightly at the girl, only shifting to the side slightly to avoid an energetic dancer attempting a rather daring move.
"Ohmygawd!" the girl squealed. "My parents are such huge fans! I grew up listening to your stuff!" she said. "Butbutbutbut - I kinda want to ask you a question, and please don't get all offended on me, okay?" she said all in a rush. "Because I totally have to know!"
I feel old. Torn between amusement and dismay, Alison settled for keeping the smile up and laughing a bit, wondering if she'd ever been that... bouncy. Good lord, the girl couldn't be that much younger than herself at that. "Sure, go ahead," she said over the music, trying not to look too nonplussed.
The girl squealed again. "So, anyway, I've got two questions for you. Are you ever gonna go back out on tour? I mean, it was a serious bummer what happened to your bodyguard and all that, but it'd be totally awesome if you went back out on the road!" she gushed. "Oh! OH! Please - can you wait right here for a second? Please?" she asked, almost begged really.
If she tries to take a photograph, I'm going to have to ruin it. That's kinda sad. Though she didn't care much, considering the possible consequences, which she had just been keenly reminded of. "Sure, I'll wait," she answered smoothly, the smile faltering. Ignoring the question about going on the road she spared a moment to look through the crowd to see if she might spot Haroun and their table. It was actually tempting to just make a run for it, really.
Haroun, for his part, smiled and waved at Alison. He looked like he was inhumanly amused by the entire affair. He raised his water bottle and tipped it to her by way of a salute.
She smiled wryly and made a face at him while waiting, moving a bit towards the side of the floor where the constant motion of the crowd was a bit quieter, the more enthusiastic dancers keeping to the center of the dance floor.
The girl came back clutching an Alison Blaire CD in her perfectly manicured hands. "Couldyoumaybepleasesignthis?" she asked before taking a breath. "And make it out to Patricia, please." She also brought her own pen - clearly, she was thinking ahead. Off to one side of the dance floor, a clutch of twentysomethings cheered her on. "Go PATTY!" one hooted at her, causing the girl holding the CD to turn pink with embarrassment.
Good grief, she lived on helium. Unable to help it, Alison laughed, nodding as she accepted both CD and pen – a permanent marker she noted. Good grief, talk about being prepared – then again, she reminded herself, that's how it usually was. Had it been that long? She popped the cap and started to write, one of many signature lines she'd use before coming to mind.
Patty bounced in place and clapped her hands. "And my other question - is that guy you're here with one of your new backup dancers or something? You're working on new moves, right?" she asked with great concern dripping from her voice.
And that's what she got for not answering the first question, although the way Patty was going about this puzzled her slightly. "No, I'm not going on tour again. He's my date," she looked up from the CD, trying to figure out what Patty was getting to.
Patty grasped for the CD that Alison wasn't done signing. "Ewww!" she said with a little-girl pout. "That's, like, gross! He's totally not even your kind! I'll bet that he's really huge and good in bed, right?" she insinuated. "That's gotta be it."
Unmoving, Alison slowly looked up, not quite believe that she'd heard what she had just heard. "You can't be serious," she said slowly, wanting to make sure that the girl understood her every word. She recapped the pen and stared at her, the way her spine was stiffening and the set of her shoulders being more than enough warning - for anyone who actually knew her.
Patty very clearly didn't know Alison very well at all. "I mean, you're a rock star! You can have anyone you want! So ... why him? Is this some kind of jungle fever thing? Because that's just totally gross, but kinda hot at the same time, ya know?" she said with an elbow into Alison's ribs. She looked over at Haroun with a predatory look on her face. "Well, for a darkie he's really well built." she commented. "Gotta give you that."
She didn't budge an inch as the girl elbowed her, standing stock still despite the overwhelming urge to react in a very inappropriate way. There were, Alison reflected idly, far too many people around for her to get away with bloody murder. Pity. Her cheeks were high with color as she took a deep breath, and then another, the pen slapped into Patty's hand only by the grace of god and pure will on Alison's part. "Yes. I could have anyone I want," she commented idly, not believing that in the least but certainly not about to try and educate the girl otherwise. "And I'm here with him. I don't think someone of your obviously deficient mental abilities would understand that what that means, however. Do have a good evening." She finished the sentence through clenched teeth before turning around on her heel and stalking away, cutting through the crowd in a straight line as she headed for Haroun.
Patty stared at Alison as she stalked off. "Bitch." she said then rejoined her gaggle of companions. A few minutes later, all of them were laughing and trying very hard to not stare at Haroun - who was apparently quite oblivious to the entire affair.
Thoughts still boiling, Alison glanced up, killing the light show for fear of letting that bleed through and affect the crowd in the club, even though nothing seemed to have bled through just yet. The last dancer in her path was redirected before he could crash into her, finding himself facing another person who seemed just as surprised as he was about the partner change. The last of the space between them was relatively clear and Alison sat down stiffly, trying to calm herself down – if she didn't manage it soon, they would likely have to leave or else the loud music would be too much and she'd start bleeding light whether she wanted to or not.
Haroun looked at Alison, and immediately dropped into All Business mode. "What's up?" he said, subtly tensing for action. "Your fan give you a hard time?"
"Something like that," she answered, unwilling to actually repeat anything that had been said. Ever. And then some. "If I start to glow or emit light of any form while I'm still angry, please stop me." She managed to say the words somewhat coherently, even though her hands where still trembling from rage.
"I'm not sure I can, but I'll try." he said. "You can tell me about what she said later. Dammit!" he said, slamming his fist into the table, making the drinks jump. "To Hell with a possible systems crash. You want to get back out on the floor, dance some more? Or do you want to bail, go somewhere else, or back home?"
"Systems crash?" she stared at him for a moment and well, he'd not mentioned that before. "No. System crashes are bad." She was irked again, although for a different reason. "We don't want a system crash." She paused, and then let her breath out slowly, trying to regain some measure of composure. "Dancing wouldn't fix this anyway." She smiled crookedly, leaning forward. "A walk would be good. Not nearly late enough to go back home."
Haroun nodded. "Walk would help the system cool down a bit." he added. "I wasn't designed to be a dancer. Come on, you can take my coat. Let's go." He offered her his arm again, to escort her out of the club. On the way to the door, Patty and her friends watched with a combination of disgust and naked envy on their faces.
She leaned against him as they made their way out of the crowd, a frown still taking over now and then although she was trying to shake the mood off as best she could. Stepping outside into cool air was a relief and she took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment and trying to clear her mind.
Haroun escorted Alison down the street and then around the corner. "So, you want to talk about it?" he asked her as they walked. "It might help." He matched his stride to hers, and then shortened it a little to make things a little easier on her poor feet.
"Narrow minded people are such a bore," she all but snarled, before stopping outright. Basic breathing exercises it was, because she couldn't keep being this angry. Didn't want to, really. "Dammit, get a grip," she muttered to herself, trying to banish the tension between her shoulders with every other breath she took. There would be no ranting. A nice walk and she'd calm down and the evening would end nicely. And the words she'd flung at Patsy might stop nagging at her, reminding her that there was much more to this than she was admitting to herself.
Haroun, deciding that Lady Luck was going to hate him in the morning, looked over at Alison. "Back tension?" he asked her. "Do you want a backrub?" he asked her. "I give enthusiastic backrubs. Or not - entirely up to you." he babbled slightly.
Alison opened her eyes and stared at him for a moment. The anger bled away in an instant and she started to chuckle quietly, looking down before taking a step forward to lean against him, unable to stop. "Thank you... I'm sorry, I'll be fine in a minute," she managed to say, trying to stop somehow.
Haroun hugged her back, firmly but non-threateningly. He hoped. Inside, he just revelled at Alison's softness and sheer feminity. She felt right like this. He could get used to it, yes he could. "Hey." he said to her. "Take as much time as you need."
Taking time was good and Alison did just that, working through the residual giggles until they faded, and then just breathing slowly, until she was finally in a calmer frame of mind. Saner even. "Better now," was all she said, unwilling to move just yet.
Haroun didn't budge. "Good." he said. He was enjoying this, oh yes he was. He made a mental note to schedule the blood filtering for the next possible timeslot. Get Maddy to do it - she always did enjoy listening to him babble incoherently at her. He looked forward to the day when he could do the same for her. He wanted to do things, many, many things, but something held him back. With a flash of insight, he realized what it was. Encouragement.
"We'll have to go to the club again when the crazies aren't around," Alison murmured absently, the words slightly muffled by the fact that she was speaking into the hollow of his shoulder. The fact that she was saying that was nothing short of entirely too amusing, but she didn't feel like laughing in the least right now. Calm and quiet was very, very nice.
"Okay." Haroun agreed. Right now, she could have asked him for his right arm and he would have cheerfully agreed. "Sounds like a plan to me. Let me know when is good for you."
She lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him directly, shifting a bit so she could wrap her arms around his neck instead of simply resting her hands on his chest. It was too late to even wonder if she could do this, she knew, suddenly. "You really were serious all along," she murmured almost contemplatively, studying his face as she waited for his answer.
Haroun nodded, not trusting his voice for a moment. "Yep." he said after a long second. "Is that bad?" he asked as he stared into her eyes as if to search for deep meaning there.
"Considering how spectacularly dense I've been about this..." she trailed off, shivering slightly for reasons that had nothing to do with the cool temperature. "No. It's not. Not bad at all," she finally whispered.
"Oh good. So I can do things like this..." he said before bending down just a mite to claim a kiss. A nice, long, intense kiss. Yep. Blood filter. Tomorrow morning, first thing. When he came up for air, he grinned at her. "Still not a bad thing?" he asked her with a rogueish grin.
"Mm," she managed, buying a little time to think up a coherent answer. "Well, you know they say practice makes perfect?" Corniest line in history, but it still had its moments. "I figure we can go from not a bad thing to spectacular thing with some work," she finished the sentence with a chuckle, wondering how in the world she could not have known.
Haroun grinned again. And then wondered if he could wake Madelyn and do that filtering tonight. "Is that so?" he asked her with a grin. "I'd hate to disappoint." he said, then tried to claim another - this one a little more intense, a little harder. His body felt like it was on fire, and not in the bad I'm-going-to-die-now way. Cool breezes, hot woman, and a perfect evening. What could be better in this life?
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