Tᕼᙓ ᕼOᒪIᗪᗩY ᑭOᔕT

[formidable]

Let's celebrate. ➤ For all holiday related madness. ➢ "Obligatory Christmas Music".

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[infusion]

You forgot to say, "S'il vous plaît."

[Her expression and tone of voice is cool as cool can be. She is unflappable and immovable. Clearly.]

[pragnanz]

[ He still keeps up his veneer of sweetness, though it falls apart slightly at the seams at how stone-faced Iona is. There's some genuine amusement tucked around the corners, there. ]

S'il vous plaît, chère mademoiselle.

[infusion]

Mm. Good enough.

[She sets her cup aside on another table so... That she can plop herself onto the table, right in front of Claude (don't worry, she moved his coffee aside too.)

Her arms and legs are crossed, as if to say, "Your move."]

So you are all talk, right?

[pragnanz]

Without a doubt. I'm completely incapable of making good on my threats— I'm just a doctor, after all.

[ But he gets up on his feet (it's the only thing he can do, rooted to this spot as he is), cranes inwards with his palms flat on either side of Iona's knees. ]

So you've nothing to worry about.

[infusion]

[She doesn't budge from her spot or break her current position, except to raise a brow at Claude as he breaks his to move in near her.]

I don't know... Seems like you could give yourself a little more credit.

I worry somewhat.

[If nothing else, Iona has to admit that this is getting interesting. To put it mildly.

Up close to her, there's a faint scent of a floral and sweet perfume mixed with the bitter notes of coffee and herbal leafy tea... It's very, her so to speak.]

[pragnanz]

[ Claude smells as artificial as the rest of him: lacquered wood, sterilizing alcohol, pressed laundry. He smells exactly the way he should— nothing more, nothing less.

Iona, on the other hand, seems to radiate warmth. Claude doesn't seek it out, exactly, but he leans in an inch closer. Examining, with that same smile on his face. ]

Should I give you my word that I won't move? Besides, you're the one helping me. It would be untowards if I helped myself.

[infusion]

That would depend on how good you are with promises.

[She lets out a sigh releasing one hand so that it can move her thick, wavy hair to one side. And with that one hand she gestures as she talks while glancing at the side (because if she looks into his eyes, it becomes even more difficult to keep her composure and they're not a half-bad shade of green and god what has she gotten herself into)]

And also, I kind of wonder if you ever worry about what I can do.

[pragnanz]

Not very good, on a case by case basis.

[ He has no difficulty admitting to that, and he breathes a short half-chuckle to himself while he tilts his head and looks at Iona expectantly, like a particularly self-assured cat.

(At this point, he's not sure what he's proving, except for the fact that he'd like to prove it.) ]

As for worrying about what you're capable of, certainly. But if your intentions were to harm me, you would've done so a long time ago, I wager.

[infusion]

[There's a half-snort from her, but she smiles regardless.]

Yeah. Maybe. I won't lie and say I wasn't half-tempted to do so before.

[That's what the nose pinching is for!]

But, I'm dangerous in other ways too.

[pragnanz]

Are you. A regular wolf in sheep's clothing, then.

[ He plays along, the operative word there being 'playing'. Goads, even. ]

How are you dangerous, then? Or is that a secret that you'll use against me when I least expect it?

[infusion]

I got you rooted here don't I?

[Brown eyes look into his green ones, finally.]

I'm off to a great start.

[The fact that they're the only two people in the cafe is palpable, a tension that would have been too much if it were anyone else that didn't have the poise and composure of this pair.

She makes her first move...

Which is ruffling his hair again.]

It's nice to see you're trying so hard though.

[pragnanz]

[ Oh, for God's sake. He would have laughed if he weren't playing the part of the innocent, though that in itself is getting tiresome— how do people keep up being coy, is it even worth it?

But he feels her fingers in his hair and she's finally made eye contact, which is as much of an opportunity as any to crane his neck and get even closer. His nose almost touches Iona's.

(This really isn't that difficult, he thinks to himself.) ]

I'd like to think I'm being attentive.

[infusion]

[Well, shit. She feels like she's done for and it shows in her face and the warmth radiating from her cheeks. Iona finds herself slightly scooting backwards after putting her hand down from Claude's head and leaning away.

Not so close, not so close...!]

Right. Right...! So you're showing that you give a damn sometimes, great job!

[More coyness or nervousness? Maybe a bit of both in this case.]

[pragnanz]

Yes, yes. My cold, hard heart, inadvertently thawed by the lessons of an attractive and vibrant young lady.

[ There it is again, that undercurrent of patronization. It's a light breeze through the whistle of his words, and he chases Iona as much as the restrictions of the mistletoe let him, braced on his hands with his back arched. ]

He didn't think she could look like this, admittedly.

[ Embarrassed, slightly sheepish. ]

[infusion]

You make me laugh. Ha ha.

[God... What were they supposed to be doing again?? Iona feels slightly dizzy as she depends on her hands to support her as she leans away and Claude chases her.

She does, however, reach up with her left hand (her right arm will help her balance) to pat his chest, where his heart should be.]

Still feels like it could use a bit of thawing out if you ask me.

[pragnanz]

That [ he says in between looking amused, self-deprecating, cynical ], would require a patented Christmas Miracle.

[ One that won't happen, he's very much aware. He doesn't harbor any illusions about himself, but still? He won't be able to get out of here without a kiss.

So, of course—

—he's going to milk it, just because he can. ]

[infusion]

. . .

[Flicking his forehead with her left hand, she is so mature.]

Look, I didn't pinch your nose this time. We've gotten so far, don't you think?

[pragnanz]

...Dieu, you're really making me fight for this.

[ And, as suddenly as he fell into character, he suddenly falls out of it; an abrupt transition that's only heralded by the exasperated rise of his brow and a return to his usual flippant self.

He hardly wastes time, once it comes down to the wire. He cranes forward with one hand braced on the table, and the other moves to scoot Iona back closer towards him by looping around her waist and pulling inwards.

What was that about being all talk, again? ]

We've gotten very far. Now, do close your eyes.

1/2

[infusion]

[HA, she's way more amused than she should be by the fact that she made him exasperated. So when he pulls her closer, Iona puts her hands on his shoulders, letting out a laugh and shaking her head.]

Hell yeah, I'm making you fight for it.

Which is why...

[infusion]

[... Which is why she places one hand behind his head to tilt it towards her so that she can place a chaste, but sweet kiss on his cheek.]

... You're only getting that.

1/2

[pragnanz]

[ What was he expecting, he wonders. Compliance? Embarrassment? Mortification?

Whatever it was, it wasn't that: not the soft touch of her lips to his skin for a fleeting second, or her sly smile looking down at him from her perch on the table.

For a second, he's speechless. Finally. ]

[pragnanz]

[ A moment later, he scrapes his chair back (he finds that he can) and flicks the end of Iona's nose before getting up. ]

This cafe has terrible service.

[infusion]

Booo. And you're a bad sport.

[Iona does, however, look pleased with herself and she sits back with crossed arms and a smile that is dangerously close to being smug.]

[pragnanz]

For you?

[ He says, amidst a sweep of his jacket against the floor and a smile as wide as it is fabricated: ] Always.

[ It annoys him to no end, that he's let her rattle him like this— it's not in his character to be swayed by gestures, and that thought annoys him more than he can articulate.

But, of course, he doesn't show that in his expression, and only smiles before showing Iona his back. ]