[Locked to Nick, forward dated a couple of nights]

[wordoftheroses]

Meet me on the rooftop when you come in.

Comments

[to the prosemobile!]

[silentmovielife.livejournal.com]

It's still early, only a couple of hours after sunset, when Nick gets back, fighting a headache but satisfied; his days in the library are starting to pay off, and he's beginning to understand the basics of how to use recent technology.

He heads straight up to the roof when he gets there, curious about the note, and stops in the stairwell, letting his eyes adjust back to the darkness and scanning the roof for Aurora.

So, there's something really ufnny about writing this tag to the Ballad Of Maxwell Demon

[wordoftheroses.livejournal.com]

He'll come to the roof and be greeted with a roaring fire and a table set out with all manner of tasty food and drink. Aurora will be standing far off by the edge, watching the streets below but as soon as she hears the door open, she'll look up, smile and wave him over.

There will be a kiss on both his cheeks as he arrives and she'll take his hands pulling him forward into the warmth and the light.

[silentmovielife.livejournal.com]

He gives her a kiss on the cheek in response, smiling as he looks around, following her willingly. He lets go of one of her hands to gesture around, giving her a questioning expression, a silent what's all this for?.

He could pull out his notebook and ask properly, but even with the fire it's still pretty dark and sometimes the charades are just easier.

[wordoftheroses.livejournal.com]

"I thought we could use a little celebration in our lives," she says grabbing a glass and pouring it to the brin with wine before passing it to him. "Since we did nothing for the holidays, I thought we could maybe make our own."

She pours a glass for herself. ":What do you think?"

[silentmovielife.livejournal.com]

He grins, nodding his agreement with her statement. It does sound nice, to relax and try to enjoy things for a night -- not that it's been unpleasant, exactly, but settling in to a new place has never been his favorite part of travel, and settling in here is like turning that up tenfold.

A question occurs to him after he takes the glass from her, and he pulls out his notebook, juggling things carefully and sipping at the wine to keep from spilling. "Do you celebrate Christmas, normally? Or a different winter holiday?" If he'd been thinking about it, he would have asked her on the day, but he hadn't really marked the holiday passing -- it hadn't been winter yet, before he came here, and he hadn't been keeping track of the date that closely.

Hopefully she doesn't mind the question; he hasn't been asking too many, but every now and then he remembers that not only is she from a different world, but she's not human and maybe she does things differently and, well, he's curious.

[wordoftheroses.livejournal.com]

"I celebrated a number of holidays," she says with a smile. "When I was younger I celebrated the Solstice,. When I moved into the city, not Chicago, my city before it ws ever considered a city at all," she smiles fo9ndly. "I was roped into celebrating Christmas and I knew people who celebrated other holidays around this time. So it really became a matter of who I was with at the time."

She's apparently supposed to celebrate Christmas Here though considering she received a gift. Well, sort of.

She doesn't mind the questions and she smiles, taking one hand into hers and giving it a squeeze before pulling him in close for a quick kiss against the corner of his lips before she's darting away, the wine sloshing about int he glass as she twirls around the fire.

[silentmovielife.livejournal.com]

He watches her answer closely, tucking his notebook away when she takes his hand.

He laughs as she darts away, watching her move, leaning against the edge of the table. Already he's finding himself cheerful; the night is nice, the company appreciated, and Aurora's good mood is infectious.

He's reminded, absently, that he still needs to find a way to thank her for all she's done for him, but it doesn't seem to matter much, at the moment.

[wordoftheroses.livejournal.com]

She spins and dances around the fire until she makes her away to the other side of the table,, picking up a bit of fruit and easting. "You can have whatever you want," she encourages. "Eat, drink, enjoy yourself."

She pops in another bit of fruit and goes back to the fire, warming herself with the flames. One hand reaches into the pocket of her coat, fiddling with something but she doesn't take it out. She wants to give ti to him already but she's trying to be patient.

Soon. Very soon.

This tag is ridiculously short but I couldn't think of anything else to add. >< Sorry?

[silentmovielife.livejournal.com]

He follows her encouragement and her example after a minute, picking at a few bits of food before he joins her by the fire. He rests his chin on her shoulder, standing behind her -- her easy and frequent contact has rubbed off on him, a bit, at least with her.

[wordoftheroses.livejournal.com]

WHen he rests his chin against her shoulder, she leans into him, smiling a little. Turning her head, she leaves a kiss against his cheek before she turns around.

"I have something for you," she says with a smile. "We'll call it a late Christmas gift."

[silentmovielife.livejournal.com]

The kiss is not a surprise, but her words are. He smiles at her, confusion and something close to embarrassment on his face.

She's done a lot for him already, and he hasn't found a way to pay her back. She really doesn't have to do anything else, in his opinion.

[wordoftheroses.livejournal.com]

She smirks at his expression, then laughs. "Don't look like that," she insists. "You're supposed to be excited."

She pulls the box from behind her back and hands it over. It's simple and black but within it resides a shining silver wristwatch. It's not her usual fare, she prefers pocket watches but it was a gift to her and she only assumed that it was meant for this purpose.

The watch will feel warm against his skin, despite it being metal. It hums with magic she's infused into it, both protective and binding. She's spend a lot of time weaving things into that watch, wards to keep him safe and ties to keep him close. It's not quite the artwork of Iris' w9ongs but it was a nice, small project for her to work on.

[silentmovielife.livejournal.com]

He laughs at her insistence, smiling sheepishly. She's right, after all; gifts are usually a good thing. They're just also an unexpected thing.

The smile grows when he opens the box and slides the watch on. Without the ability to notice the magic, of course, all he can tell is the warmth, though it takes its hold on him immediately.

He pulls out the notebook almost immediately, writing quickly. "Thank you. You really didn't have to, I think I owe you enough for but thank you. It's great." The scratched-out portion is not blacked out heavily, and could still be read without much trouble.

[wordoftheroses.livejournal.com]

She just smiles when he puts it on, watching as it reflects the flames around them. She thinks it suits him and the thought of her magic being curled around him as a constant thing is quite a pleasing thought indeed.

It's the final mark, the final way she claims him as hers until they actually speak on the subject which well, she will do but not quite yet.

Looking at the page, she just laughs, moving forward to kiss him lightly on the lips, no magic involved, just for the fun of it.

"You'll find ways to repay me," she says when she pulls back. "I know you will. I don't mind waiting and for now, your company is good enough."

She grabs his hand and pulls him close, resting her hands against his hiips. "Besides, now's not the time for thanks, it's the time for celebration. Dance with me?"

[silentmovielife.livejournal.com]

He only nods at her assertion. He may not be as utterly certain on that point as she is, but his determination goes a long way to make up for that. Nick doesn't let his debts go unpaid, when he can help it.

He puts away his pad as she takes his hand, his hand settling on her sides as he watches her talk. The look he gives her at her question says what the hell and you seem to be forgetting something as clearly as if he'd actually spoken.

He's never danced in his life. Of course, nobody's ever asked before, either.

[wordoftheroses.livejournal.com]

She swats lightly at him, laughing at the expression on his face. "Don't give me that look," she tells him. "I"m not asking you to listen to the music, I'm asking you to dance."

She starts moving against him, her body falling into a rhythm she knows he can't here but hopes he'll follow along with anyway.

[silentmovielife.livejournal.com]

The skepticism doesn't fade, but he follows her anyway. It's odd, at first, but it's easy enough to follow her rhythm. His arm rests lightly around her, his hand on her back, and he watches her moving.

It becomes comfortable more quickly than he expects, to just follow her lead.

[wordoftheroses.livejournal.com]

She considers something for a moment, clearly unsure of what she's about to do but she leans forward, resting her lips against his hear and starts to hum.

There's magic to it though, magic that penetrates his disabilities and lets him hear it, even if it's only for a few minutes. Call it a part of the Christmas gift, call it whatever you'd like, she thought that maybe, just maybe, it would be a nice treat.

[silentmovielife.livejournal.com]

He's startled, at first, and his hand tightens on her arm for a moment before the shock of it fades. Not entirely, but enough to let him enjoy it, closing his eyes and leaning in closer to her, focusing entirely on the sound.

He doesn't move for a moment when she finishes, and then he turns his head and kisses her on the cheek. He's smiling when he moves back -- not all the way, just so he's not against her quite as much anymore -- though it's small and wistful.

[wordoftheroses.livejournal.com]

She's going off the books now, running with whatever her mind fancies but she's all right with that. The best things come when you're going off the cuff.

Do you want it," she says looking at him. "Just for a while. Do you want to hear the world for a few minutes." She could make it longer but she doesn't know if that's what he wants and she's almost scared to make the offer.

It's an odd feeling for her, the nervousness but she thinks she's dealing with it well.

[silentmovielife.livejournal.com]

The offer is paralyzing, and he doesn't answer for a minute.

He's always been this way, he's used to this and normally it doesn't bother him, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want it sometimes. To hear, to speak, to be like everyone else. It's only ever happened in dreams and moments that felt like dreams, never in times that feel real. To get that, even only part of it, even for a minute --

It's tempting. And it's strange. And it means that he'll really know, from now on, what he's missing every day.

But the temptation is stronger than anything else, and he nods, almost holding his breath, waiting.

[wordoftheroses.livejournal.com]

"Do you want all of it, to speak, to hear. Are you sure?" She can give it to him for these few minutes, let him taste what it's like and, if he so chooses, they can come to a bargain maybe. He already belongs to her,, she doubts he'll have anything more to offer.

What's odd, what's almost disturbing to her is that she might be all right with that.

[silentmovielife.livejournal.com]

He closes his eyes for a moment, blocking everything out so he can try and think, but the anticipation leaves him antsy and it's hard to stay still and calm and try to consider now that he's answered.

He opens his eyes, meeting hers as he nods again.

[wordoftheroses.livejournal.com]

She moves forward, kissing him on the lips, her arms wrapping around his neck as she holds him close. There's magic laced in the kiss,, magic that wraps around him and weaves itself into all the crevices and problems.

When she pulls away, he'll hear the rustle of her skirts and the traffic below. He'll hear the sounds of the city all around them and even her soft, pleased laughter.

[silentmovielife.livejournal.com]

He stands there after she moves away from him for a moment, his eyes closed, just listening. He doesn't know what most of the sounds are, he can't entirely tell where they come from and the noise of the city is almost overwhelming because he can hear it.

He smiles, and then he starts to laugh as he opens his eyes, looking around, trying to figure out what's coming from where and what doesn't make a noise and he can't really tell, but he doesn't care.

He reaches out to Aurora as the laughter stops, enveloping her in a hug. "Thank you," he says, and he's surprised when his voice sounds the same as it always did, in dreams.