[OTA] Shop Til You Drop

[falsepretences]

The trip to the outposts - they went to both Diamond and Spade - with Sophie had yielded a few sketches of buildings through a strange mist, but mostly it had cleared Jordan's head and made it clear to him that he was just so damn tired. Of being serious all the time, of keeping his head down, and of basically behaving more like he was forty six instead of twenty six.

The cure for this, obviously, was shopping.

Specifically the cure for this was hat shopping, though Jordan might also be getting distracted by a display of pocket squares too.

Comments

[falsepretences]

"Henry has a slight Shakespeare obsession." But given that Edie had been dating poor Alasdair DeWitt during the prime battle years, she probably knew that even better than Jordan did. "You were a beautiful Juliet, though. He probably would have tried to cast you as Cosette, anyway."

[heartvestment]

"Slight? I've been Juliet, Desdemona, Titania, Ophelia, and Lady Macbeth, Jordan. Trust me, I know just how slight Henry's obsession is." She giggles, pressing her hand to her heart. "Thank you very much. And good lord, no. I can't hit notes that high."

[falsepretences]

"I have seen you die tragically several times on stage." It was just as well Zoe refused to go on a stage, he thinks. She and Hadyn as Juliet and her Romeo would have retrospectively been incredibly creepy. "Eponine's more interesting, anyway. I always found Cosette a little...dreamgirl." Not real. Just a little too fluffy and perfect.

[heartvestment]

"Yeah, you must have. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at it." She laughs. "Oh, definitely too dreamgirl. And Eponine has the most beautiful line in the whole musical. I almost got a tattoo of it before deciding on something a little more, uh... optimistic."

[falsepretences]

"Which line was that?" He raises a brow at her. "Not that Eponine has any particularly cheerful ones."

[heartvestment]

She pauses for a moment, then says, "Without him, the world around me changes. The trees are bare, and everywhere the streets are full of strangers." And now just being very interested in this hat, yes.

[falsepretences]

His smile falters a little bit, and he looks at...nothing before looking at her again, at her bent head. He wonders if she's thinking of Alasdair.

It's not quite what he thought of Meghana, so maybe that wasn't quite love.

"It's a beautiful line," he says. "I can see why you thought of it. But I don't know if I'd want that much tragedy inked on my skin." He pauses. "I've got a tattoo, you know."

[heartvestment]

"Yeah, no. I didn't. I ended up with 'keep moving forward' instead, so all's well that ends well." She huffs, then looks back up at him, smile firmly back in place. "Do you, now? Am I supposed to be amazed at your badassery? I have two."

[falsepretences]

"Oh, but I bet you didn't get yours after Leona Matthews got you roaring drunk. It's surprisingly unembarrassing, considering the provenance."

[heartvestment]

"I was drunk when I got my first too. I don't know, I'm embarrassed by it, though." She lifts her chin at him. "Show me yours."

[falsepretences]

"Can't." He smirks at her and nods at the shopkeeper. "I think he might object to me stripping off in the store, mm?"

[heartvestment]

"And you're going to let a little thing like that stop you?" She asks, raising her eyebrows. "Fine. You can show me later." And before he can think about that, she winks and goes on. "What is the tattoo anyway?"

[falsepretences]

"Just this once. I've been a bad boy, you know." Clive was not happy about his challenge, and probably wouldn't be happy about the way he needled the new Queen of Hearts.

He was silent a moment, though.

"'Now in another world I could learn to forget.'"

[heartvestment]

"Well, let's be honest. I'm not a very good girl." Her lips twist, though, as he goes on. After a beat, she says, "I know that song." Another beat, and she tries to change the subject. "So where is it?"

[falsepretences]

He smiles a bit, taking off the hat. "Oh, nowhere scandalous, just on my shoulder. The side, but winding around the back."

[heartvestment]

"On your shoulder? You got me excited, Jordan Novak," she says accusingly, mock-pouting. "That's not very, uh... you know. Cool. Notat all."

[falsepretences]

"Oh, my most sincere apologies, Miss Huntly." He leans in a little, raising his eyebrows. "And where, may I ask, are yours?"

[heartvestment]

She's not one to back away from anything. Casually- "The back of my neck and my lower back. So, like, slightly more daring that you, I'd say. Just slightly."

[falsepretences]

Just slightly. He grins back at her. "Are you going to show me sometime, Miss Huntly?"

[heartvestment]

"Mm." She tips her head to one side. "I certainly wouldn't mind. If you'd return the favor."

[falsepretences]

"Oh, I think that can be arranged." Without much sacrifice on his part.. He wondered if Edie's love of all things floral went everywhere.

[heartvestment]

"I haven't done this in a while," she admits, reaching out to pluck at his shirt. "You should tell me when and where."

[falsepretences]

He hasn't done it for several months, either. Not since he started dating Meghana - and he'd been trying to charm her with picnics and hole-in-the-wall restaurants, then.

"You're living at Heart Castle, aren't you?" He asked quietly. "I'll pick you up tonight at eight."

[heartvestment]

She taps her lip with a finger, looking distinctly pleased. "That sounds really nice to me, actually."

[falsepretences]

"Good," he murmurs, and on an impulse leans in to kiss her finger.

"Until then, Edie."