sweethymns | Pictures in the Dark

Well... You know, eventually the normal people are gonna notice that the older they get, the weirder it is that I seem to stay the same. Oren's already kind of lectured me on this.

[And she looks down at her hands looking a bit glum.]

Best not to leave a lot of pictorial evidence. It makes the background wiping more difficult than it needs to be in the future.

[Oh, right. He had nearly forgotten about that, about how she would eventually have to disappear from the lives of her "normal" friends. He frowns, not knowing what to say, really. Maybe one or two pictures wouldn't do any harm, he thinks of offering, but perhaps it really wasn't his place to do so. In the end, it was her decision alone to make, and he doesn't feel like he's a prevalent enough figure in her life to attempt to persuade her differently.

The least he can do is make her feel better in the here and now. And so he just scoots in a little closer to her, gathering up all his boldness so that he doesn't find it terribly embarrassing to do so. He arches his brows at Iona, giving her a tiny, almost apologetic smile.]

Well. You can take as many selfies as you want with me... you know, to make up for it. Go ahead and get your phone out while we're up high now.

[Iona blinks at Michael as he scoots closer and she feels her cheeks... Growing warm?

Oh no...

Wait, wait, wait. It's best not to make a big deal out of these sort of things! That's what the witch tells herself at that moment (even though she's had her experience with those internal feelings that bloom seemingly out of nowhere, but it wasn't out of nowhere, the cause was certain and...)

She reaches into her pocket (thank god) and takes out her phone, giving Michael a small and appreciative smile.]

Alright, smile then! I'll make sure to send you this one.

[And holding it up so that the camera gets the both of them in the frame.]

[His eyes follow the phone and he smiles when told to -- his grin is shyly playful and a little goofy as all proper selfies should be.

He can see their images reflected in the phone's screen, but he just attributes her blush to the lighting in the carriage. What reason would she have to feel embarrassed, anyway? He's the one that should (and he probably will, once the picture is done being taken. But for now, he's gathered up all his courage for her sake. He'll give her a good selfie, since she's been so deprived of them so far.)]

[Iona adds a cutesy peace sign for good measure before snapping the picture. Her smile is glowing in the picture and she holds her phone in her hands, pleased.]

Perfect! You have a great smile.

[Oops, that escaped without her thinking about it... again... IT'S OKAY. She looks out the window and they're halfway up to the highest point.]

Wow. I forgot how high these things go.

[And now that the picture has been taken, Michael allows the flood of slight embarrassment to rush on in. He had been doing a good job of holding it back, but now he thinks on how close he was, and that smile of hers on the screen, and he moves back to his side of the seat, clearing his throat and looking out the opposite window. His ears are a little red, which is better than what he would have expected, at least. At least he has a nice picture to look forward to in his inbox.]

Y-yeah, me too. The lights are really pretty. I guess at night, all carnivals are.

[Don't do the blushing thing Michael!? Iona's began to notice that it's his ears turn red and it's such an adorable reaction, she wants to comment on it, but for his sake, she won't. Instead, she sits up straight and properly so that they can just have a conversation like normal.]

Yeah, some things are better at night, like cafes, some libraries, bars... If we went to the carnival during the daytime, I'd be so tempted to finish a whole fried blooming onion by myself.

[Oren does not allow his witch to eat terrible carnie food not when he can spoil her with good food himself!!]

[He waits long enough for the redness around his ears to subside before he turns to look at her again.]

You're either very courageous or have an iron stomach, Iona. [He's not sure he could eat an entire blooming onion without getting a stomach ache.]

But you're right about nighttime; it lends to some things that daylight doesn't. Certain atmospheres, more romanticism. [It's a shame that it's more difficult to photograph at night, he thinks to himself.]

Hm. Do you try capturing that in your photos? Or do you just snap at whatever tickles your fancy?

I try to. But night is tricky to capture on film, without the right lighting. [He motions softly at the windows and the view below.] Some things can only be really appreciated through your own eyes.

I see! I think I get it... Painting nighttime scenes can be a doozy, since you'd have to wing it or use a photo reference.

And I forgot! I'd like to look at other photos you made. I only saw the ones you took when we first met.

[The ferris wheel suddenly stops and they're at the very tip top. The world below seems small and now it's just the two of them with the darkened sky and the glowing lights of surrounding buildings and attractions.]

Sure, I've got a section for photography in my online portf-

[Portfolio, he was trying to say, but he's cut off when he feels a slight lurching of the carriage when they come to a stop. It isn't scary, but it's jarring.]

Woah. Full stop? [Good thing he's not afraid of heights, indeed.]

Edited 2016-06-15 02:58 (UTC)

[She's getting on her knees again to look outside. Whooooa, they're so high up! It's almost making her dizzy.]

Full stop indeed! Damn, look at everyone! They're ants!

[She's such a little kid!]

[He moves a little to peer out the same window she's looking through. She's right -- everyone below is so small.]

You think Oren is down there somewhere in that crowd? [It's funny how detached you feel from the rest of the world when you're up so high. He's hardly worried about being stuck up here, given that he knows this sort of thing happens all the time. Right now, he'll enjoy the isolation with her. It's like their own little moment in time, and he doesn't even have to use his powers.

While her excitement is that of a kid, his is more restrained, reigned in by his introverted nature; it makes him pull his attentions away from the gaze below and look at her profile, illuminated softly by the ferris wheel lights. Always so positive, so bright.]

He can probably see us from where he is. He's got good eyesight.

[She glances at Michael and idly thinks about how the lights make him look warm and inviting even though he was quiet and reserved. And they're so close...

Iona plops herself down on her bottom again, feeling shy. Wasn't there something else she was supposed to talk about? ]

... So about my arm!

[He's pulled out of the quiet moment when she sits down, and he blinks at the transition, attempting to pull himself back into reality and out of his more contemplative state. He glances away, a little embarrassed, hoping he's not acting weird or making himself look like a fool for no reason right now.]

Right, your arm. You never really went into detail about how you... got it. [He's not sure how much she would want to tell him, and he's fine if she's uncomfortable talking about anything, so he's careful about how he asks.

He takes the seat next to her again, hands in his lap.]

It's a long story.

[She pauses and rolls up her sleeve where her arm is, but doesn't cast off the glamour.]

Basically, it's made of a material you can't find on this earth. But the crystal itself is super magical or at least magic compatible. When I lost my arm, it was Oren who put the crystal onto what was left and it bonded to me.

Make sense?

[Well, about as much sense as magic could be anyways.]

Well, I mean, I don't know how any of that works, but it makes sense if I use my imagination.

[He's learned that when it comes to magic, he doesn't have the know-how or experience to overthink how it works. He's just come to accept that he isn't part of the magical community, and therefore he won't ever really understand much of it. He can appreciate it from afar, at least.

Her arm looks normal now, of course, but he's seen the hidden glow more than just once.]

When you say that it isn't from this earth, do you mean it's like, from space? [He can't think of what else that might imply.]

[She nods.]

Mm hm! Could be like an asteroid or something that fell to earth years and years ago. That's why I said before that you wouldn't be able to find anyone else like me.

And to be honest, Oren wasn't even sure it was going to work, but he tried it anyways.

I'm glad that he did, in any case. [He offers a smile, a little playful.] Otherwise, when we first met, you wouldn't have been able to punch that wendigo so hard in the mouth. [But then he shrugs.] Crystal arm or not, I'm pretty sure there's still no one else like you out there.

[Of course, the words are out of his mouth before his brain can label them as "a bit embarrassing, don't speak them". He quickly corrects:] Er, sorry, I don't mean it, like, as a bold way, just as... you being a unique individual, you know?

[Damn his big mouth.]

[She raises her brow, but her smile is just as, if even more, playful as she leans forward to place her elbows on her knees and look up at him from an angle.]

I'll take that as a compliment! You can afford to be more bold, so don't worry about it.

[Noooo, Iona, don't say such things and look at him in that way-! He looks down at her, her face a bit closer and angled at him, and he leans back in response. Not because he's sensitive to his own little personal space being encroached upon, but because so embarasssing!!!

His face may or may not be turning red this time, way to go. He tries to give a laugh -- it ends up sounding awkward, much like Michael feels right now.]

Wh-what do you mean I can afford to be more bold? [That's a confusing statement, he has to remember to breathe normally now.] That's not something you say to a guy, Iona. [Unless you're trying to give them the wrong idea!]

You figure that out smart guy.

[It's almost unfair, he makes it seem like she's cornering him and they're stuck at the top of a ferris wheel which doesn't help matters for him.]

And if it hasn't been clear already, I tend to say what I want.

[Now she's just teasing him, and it only adds to his confusion. He even stammers a bit.]

I- you... What do you- I mean-

[Stop. Breathe. Start over.]

I know you do, but you'll give someone the wrong idea. [His mind is racing back to other times he's met with her; had she acted like this before? He's so confused. And yet, he's not exactly trying to fend her off, which one might find interesting.]

... Hm.

[Iona straightens herself up again and leans back into her seat, closing her eyes, still smiling, but calmly and serenely this time.]

I'll stay quiet for a minute then. Give you some time to think before we get to the bottom.

Pictures in the Dark

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