10/25 Instance: A Few Nights in Paris

[Starfish]

Timeline: Current.


Darren: Darren gently lowered Selene onto the head of the statue before perching himself on one of the points of it's crown a little away from her, rocking a little nervously.

Darren: It was a clear night, perfect for flying and it had been almost heavenly to fly with Selene again, even though it was kinda weird to be back here, where they'd had their first date pretty much, "You okay?"

Selene: "Very much so," Selene replied, showing Darren a small smile as she looked back at him. "Fortunately, I'm better prepared this time around." She sorted out the collar of the thick, black coat she wore that night. "I'd suggest making a cozy fireplace, but I guess that wouldn't sit well with the people watching this place."

Darren: Darren cracked a grin at that, "Yeah, drawing unessesary attention to ourselves never a good idea when we're tresspassing," he clambered off the spike and came a little closer to her, "that ... coat looks good on you," he offered.

Selene: "Thank you," Selene said, as she took a step closer to Darren - and the edge of the statue's head - peeking down at the island below. "Even though I'm sure almost anything would look good on me to your eyes." She glanced at Darren, the edge of her mouth curling in a smirk. "That doesn't mean I don't appreciate your compliments."

Darren: Darren blushed a little, "Yeah ... well," he returned her smile shyly, "the ... uh ... view hasn't changed much has it?"

Selene: "No, not really," Selene said. "Occasionally a new piercing here and there..." She showed a quick grin. "Or do you mean the city?" Her gaze passed over the distant skyline, brightly lit against the dark horizon. "In any case, you're right. I like this place at night."

Darren: Darren blushed again, she was much more foreward then he remembered and he still wasn't sure on how he was meant to act around her, she'd always been unpredictable, that was part of her charm, but he was still hessitant to do anything that might fuck up thier fledgeling relationship.

Darren: "I always loved the view ever since we first came here, if I got the chance after I left the school I'd come back here just to look and think ..." he scratched the back of his head, making himself comfortable on the spike.

Selene: "I'd have come here more often if I could," Selene commented, sorting out her coat as she settled down on the spiky crown of the statue. "Sadly, I had no one to fly me up here after you were taken away. And I actually was a little hesistant to hijack the jet for the one or the other aerial trip. I suspected it might have ended in disaster..."

Selene: She looked over at Darren, tilted her head to the side, and gave him a lopsided smile. "In that regard, it's definitely a fortunate event in my book that you decided to come back."

Darren: Darren winced, "Yeah, I'm glad you decided against that Sel," her started to kick idly against the statue with his foot that was hanging off the edge, glancing back at her, "You really missed me then?" he asked quietly, not able to meet her gaze.

Selene: Selene straigthened her back, watching Darren in silence, while she tried to decide whether her pride would allow to make such a confession. "Actually, yes, I did," she eventually admitted, looking out towards the city lights. "It's not like I was alone the entire time during your absence. I decided to take a break from isolationism and did have some... interaction with the other students."

Selene: "However, there always seemed to be something lacking in my relationships with others," she continued.

Darren: He gave her a shy smile, "You know I missed you ... it was pretty lonely out there," that wasn't a lie, SHIELD was nothing like the school, no where near as friendly, "but I'm glad you were able to make friends with other people, I ... never wanted you to feel bad."

Selene: "Oh, don't worry about me," Selene told Darren, chuckling quietly. "I always find ways to keep myself entertained. And as I found out, social interactions aren't always all bad and annoying. In fact, they can often prove quite amusing." She paused for a moment, sitting in silence. "Still, I'm... yes, I'm glad you returned."

Selene: She immediately turned to look at Darren, giving him a serious stare. "And if you even think about telling anyone else that I got this sentimantal, I'll drive you personally out of the school again."

Darren: Darren leaned back a little, "Hey, hey, I'm not gonna say a word," he managed a grin, "So we've established we really missed each other, and that you are awesome personified," he went back to looking over the scenery, "So ... what have you been up too while I was gone then?"

Darren: With all the drama that had errupted as he'd returned to the school, they hadn't really had much of an opotunity to chat.

Darren: *catch up properly, not chat ><

Selene: "Most of the time, just the usual shenanigans," Selene replied and returned Darren's grin. "Aside from that, things weren't nearly as exciting as they currently are. I certainly didn't get blown up, got stuck in deadly traps, or had to fight people with guns. Not as frequently as now, anyway."

Selene: "I did get the chance to travel, however," Selene continued. "Well, I believe road-tripping is the fitting term for this. In any case, I managed to see New Orleans during Mardi Gras, some backwater countryside in the south where the creepy people live, and met an undead Elvis in Las Vegas. Or just an impersonator; I'm not so sure there."

Selene: "So, what have you been up to in all that time, I wonder," Selene asked Darren afterwards.

Darren: "That sounds ... interesting," he kicked at the statue he was sitting on again, "remind me to take you to Roswell one day, I used to love going to that place as a kid, I think you'd like it too."

Darren: "As for what i've been up too ... well I told you, on the roof ... the whole army thing," he trailed off, looking at the lights reflected on the water.

Selene: "Ooh, Roswell; where they keep the aliens," Selene asked, arching her eyebrows. "That should be exciting. Well worth a trip, I'd say." She sucked on her lower lip, looking at Darren. "Military types don't seem to be the most fun to be around. If that's all you got to do during all that time, it must have been boring to an almost physically painful level."

Selene: "Quite understandable you wanted to get away from there," Selene continued, showing a small grin. "I'm glad to see that they didn't manage to convert you to their ways."

Darren: "It was kinda tedious between the explosions and drone fights," Darren shrugged, shuffling a little uncomfortably, both at the small lies and the unwelcome memories it conjured up.

Darren: "But I think you'd really like Roswell," he tried to shift the subject onto something more pleasent, "most of the stuff is pretty cheesy, but all the crazy conspirasist make up for it, and I'm sure we could probably get onto the base and have a snoop around with our abilities."

Selene: "And play mischievous mind tricks on the crazy conspiracy people," Selene suggested, flashing an excited grin. "Just imagine the hilarity that would ensue." She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "If we go, do you think we should ask Bobby and Lorna to come along? I'm quite sure they'd appreciate to be shown the crazy people. It could be some kind of double date."

Darren: Darren couldn't resist the happy smile at the word 'date' "I think that would be awesome, we could use the jet and see how many people claim to have seen a UFO, it'd rock!"

Selene: "That would be most excellent," Selene commented, nodding at Darren's suggestion. "I wonder how many people will claim on the Internet to have been abducted and anally probed after our trip there." Selene was already excited by the thought alone. "Oh, now I can hardly wait to do something crazy."

Darren: Darren sniggered, feeling his nerves starting to melt away, "Then you'd get them saying about how it must be true since those wierd-ass kids in the courner of the internet cafe are sniggering at them."

Selene: "Perhaps someone should drop the hint that they should also make sure to search for hidden probes, so that the aliens can't control their thoughts." Selene chuckled, still grinning at Darren. "You know, I missed having someone to indulge in nonesense with. This is quite refreshing."

Darren: Darren chuckled, "Maybe I could sell them some of my tinfoil hats?" He was kicking out both feet now like a little kid, "Did we really used to talk such crap? I find it kinda hard to think back to then, it's like remembering being another person."

Selene: "No, I think the crap-quotient took a steep climb since the last time we were together," Selene mused. "However, it's a welcome change to simply fool around for a bit. And yes, we should definitely start selling tinfoil hats. Especially with the attention given to mutants lately, I sense that there's money in that business."

Selene: She looked at Darren and shrugged. "And given my somewhat dodgy mind, I might as well have been a different person back then. But there's nothing wrong with starting over as someone else, don't you agree?"

Darren: Darren shrugged, "Not like I have much of choice though, I am someone else," he looked skyward for a moment, thinking, "Sel ... this is probably really unfair of me to ask since we havn't known each other very long but ... did you prefer me when I ... I was just Warlock?"

Darren: His fingers tapped on the metal anxiously as he said it, it had been on his mind for a while now and he needed to know ... why in God's name had he decided to leave his cigarettes at the mansion? He could really go for one, but he was worried that his chainsmoking habits would put her off.

Selene: Selene turned to give Darren a long, curious look. "If it's an honest answer you want... maybe I did, back then," she answered a few moments later. "However, I was so estranged from what others might call normal social contact at that time, and you were so less different from anyone else - an outsider on your own - that we just seemed to naturally fit together."

Selene: "But I have changed since then, and so have you," Selene continued. "So, no, I wouldn't want you to go back to just being Warlock. In fact, I find you much more fascinating the way you seem to be now. Complex personalities intrigue me." She grinned. "Besides, I certainly like your new style."

Darren: "Complex, yeah, that's about right," Darren smiled, pleased with her answer, "but you're right as usual, no one ever stays static," after a moment's hessitation he shuffled down the spike, moving a little closer to her.

Darren: "I have to admit, I do kinda miss how you were, you had this kinda odd-ball charm, now I think you're maybe a bit less odd-ball, but much more charming," he watched her carefully to see how compliments like that went down.

Selene: "Poking you with an Indian pipe wasn't odd-ball enough for you," Selene asked, raising an eyebrow at Darren. "Careful what you wish for, however. Apparently I have to work on my attitude if I already come off as charming." Tilting her head, she put on a small smile. "Don't worry, though. I'm can still be moody unlike anybody else. Give it a day, and you might have me all odd-ball."

Selene: She paused for a second, glancing sideways as she thought. "Maybe I should open a school-wide betting pool where people can try to predict my daily mood."

Darren: "Well ... I think you're charming, who cares what anyone else thinks? But I don't think you'll get any takers, you're to unpredictable, classic case of 'all the bets are off'," he grinned in confidence, "that's one of the thinks I lo-like about you ..." fuckmustnotblush!

Selene: "That means you'doutright love me if I did something unpredicatble like, say, jump off that statue," Selene asked, smirking mischieveously. "Mmm, tempting... It did take me an hour to do my hair, though, so I guess I won't go splat just now. Would ruin all the effort I put in it. So, no need to worry."

Selene: She leaned a little closer to Darren, keeping her gaze right fixed on his eyes. "However, now you made me curious about what other things I could have about me that make you like me."

Darren: "Well, actually I'd probably screech in a decidedly unmanly way and then run off to find you a cow or something to suck the life out of to heal, so yeah, not a good idea," he smiled shyly and glanced at her, scratching at the back of his neck, "Oh, you know there's fuck loads of stuff I like about you Sel, don't tell me you want me to be all sappy and tell you about them?"

Selene: "Mmm, beef," Selene uttered and glanced upwards with a slightly bemused expression on her face. She then looked back at Darren. "Oh no, that's probably not a good idea. Flying up here didn't make me get sick in my stomach; I wouldn't want to risk changing that by exposing myself to unhealthy amounts of sappines."

Selene: She shifted a little bit close to Darren, until her shoulder rested against his. "So, are there any other places planned that we're going to visit tonight? Not that I wouldn't like it up here. But I like random variety:"

Darren: "Oh good, you got me worried for a second there," Darren chuckled, watching her move closer before carefully placeing am arm around her thin shoulders, okay he had carried her up here but this was different, he also didn't pull her any closer, just kept his arm lightly around her, just to see what she'd do.

Darren: "Well, dunno, depends on how long you wanted to fly for, I can go anywhere after all," he answered.

Selene: Selene leaned a bit more comfortably into Darren when he put his arm around her. She realized how secure that made her feel. Of course, she had gotten physically close to Kyle and Hector during Darren's absence- quite a bit so, in fact - but sitting up on top of the statue with him like this made it obvious how superfically carnal those encounters had been.

Selene: "Hm, I actually wasn't thinking of anything particularly far - say, the Central Park at night, for example," she replied, tilting her head until it rested on Darren's shoulder. "However, if we're limited only by how much juice you got in you, we could escape to anywhere we please, no?"

Darren: Darren couldn't help the warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest as he felt her warmth against him ... not that he'd ever admit to it even under torture, "Yeah ... we could go anywhere ..." he looked at the atlantic ocean behind them without turning his head and thought for a moment.

Darren: Suddenly, he had a mad flash of inspiration that he was sure Sel would approve of, it was unpredictable and well ... to be honest pretty old-school romantic, "You know the Statue of Liberty was built by the French? Well ... why don't we go and see some other French landmarks, like Notre Dame! It'd only take me a couple of hours to cross the Atlantic."

Darren: He turned and gave her a wide grin, "What ya say Sel?"

Selene: Selene gave Darren a wide eyed look, before obvious excitement crept on her features. "Ooh, that sounds like an excellent idea," she commented, a grin appearing on her face. "We could even take the old giant lady along and ask of the French would like it back." She paused for a second, frowning. "Nah, probably not. They have the Eiffel Tower already and wouldn't know where to put it."

Selene: "Can we go now?" Selene turned around to straddle Darren's legs, clasping her hands in excitement, and giving him a toothy grin. "What more fitting place could there be for a first date than the so called city of love? Or... our second first date, for that matter." She nodded a few times. "And we could even hunt hunchbacks in Notre Dame."

Darren: "Woah! Woah!" Darren grabbed hold of Selene's waist when she moved to sit on his lap, "I thought we'd already agreed falling off national monuments was a bad move," he laughed, pleased that she liked his idea, "Sure, we can do all that stuff if you want and more, it sounds like a blast."

Darren: Once he was sure that he held her securely enough he morphed his feet so that they resembled tentacles and wrapped them around the railings he was seated on, and leaned forwards, tipping them both over the edge and holding them in place, playfully, "You sure you don't wanna head back to the school for half an hour, just to pick up some spare clothes or anything?" he asked, nose to nose with her.

Selene: Selene put her arms around Darren to hold on to him, frowning. "Why," she asked in return. "All we need is love... and someone elses credit card. Then we can go shopping in Paris. Really, if we're going all the way to visit that city, I'll use the chance to get myself a new wardrobe. It's also the fashion central, you know? If there are outlandish things to be found, it'll be there."

Darren: "Eh, good point, also a good thing that I can hack ATM machines without being traced as well, but I'll only do that if you take me with you when you'll need to buy a change of underwear," he grinned wickedly, leaning them further down so that he now held Selene at about a 75 degree angle.

Selene: "Oh, I'll have to bother with wearing underwear," Selene returned, smirking at Darren, then added overly dramatic: "Oh well, if you insist." She tilted her head backwards when Darren leaned down, so she could get an upside down view of the dark ocean. "Ladies and Gentlemen, prepare for lift off. Move your seats in an upright position, quit smoking, and silence your screaming children."

Darren: Darren laughed, shifting to his techno-organic form, "The pilot would like to thank you for flying with Warlock Airlines, next stop, Paris!" He let go of the rails and they fell headfirst for about a few feet before his thrusters cut in and with a whoop he circled the statue once before zooming off into the night over the black sea.

[steyn]

it is true! there is cracky cute!