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last online Apr 19, 2024 21:14:55 GMT -7
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Dec 26, 2016 11:32:57 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 26, 2016 11:32:57 GMT -7
She blinked at his question. She was glaring? While dancing? He was smiling as he asked her though... did he find this funny? Maybe it was a little bit. "Guess not," she answered. Trying to relax her face, but probably still looking really grumpy. That's just how her face was! Or... well, she didn't know. She just didn't have time for frivolities. At his second question she scoffed, trying not to roll her eyes. "No. Do you?" she asked back.
She tried to let him lead and follow that lead, but she really was nervous about looking ridiculous. "Like the person who that drink was really for?" she asked, her eyebrow arching upward again. She caught sight of the girl he had been with, and it looked like she was dancing with someone else now. Her eyes were still puffy and red. Callisto wondered why.
@brandon
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last online Apr 19, 2024 21:14:55 GMT -7
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Dec 26, 2016 14:06:26 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 26, 2016 14:06:26 GMT -7
He rolled his eyes when she said that she wasn't tired of glaring at him. Whatever. One of these times he was going to find something to bring out the smile that he knew she was hiding. Maybe she didn't like dancing and she wasn't about to smile while he was forcing her to dance, but everyone smiled for something and Brandon was determined to figure out what made her smile. Brandon laughed when she asked about overprotective friends. "Obviously not. If I did they would have come to my rescue when you were snapping at me earlier." He was still smiling, so hopefully she wouldn't get offended, but Brandon never knew what to expect with this girl.
She was starting to loosen up a little bit and follow his lead and Brandon decided not to comment on it, hoping that as they continued to dance she would get more and more relaxed. If he mentioned it, she might clam up again. Then she mentioned Elena. Brandon instinctively looked around for his friend and then smiled and nodded when he saw her dancing with another guy. "No, she won't care. That's Elena, a good friend of mine," he said, nodding his head in her direction. "She ..." he trailed off and then moved a little closer, deciding to tell the woman what happened but wanting to do so more quietly. "Her boyfriend broke up with her about thirty minutes ago." His expression darkened. If there was one thing Brandon hated, it was jerks who would do something like that. "So I've been trying to help cheer her up, but she's dancing now so I think she's alright." Not that this woman would care, but once Brandon started talking about it he couldn't help but finish.
@callisto
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last online Apr 19, 2024 21:14:55 GMT -7
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Dec 29, 2016 10:54:54 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2016 10:54:54 GMT -7
He mentioned how clearly his friends would have saved him sooner with her 'snapping' at him and she scoffed, rolling her eyes and looking away for a moment. She wasn't really that offended, but she couldn't just let him have that one. It was a pride thing. She turned back to face him. "Well, I'm not surprised. Not sure how someone as clumsy as you could keep friends around. You're probably running into them left and right until their all broken and bruised up," she retorted. It wasn't her best work, but she did give a small smirk of satisfaction after her comment.
She loosened up even more as the song went on, but she was having a hard time of it. He looked for his friend and found her, mentioning that she was a friend. A good friend. . She leaned forward as he leaned down, and she realized how tall he was. He went on, with a few pauses, to mention this break up of hers and that she was dancing with someone else now. "Guess your cheering up wasn't good enough," she said, her voice almost teasing.Almost.
@brandon
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last online Apr 19, 2024 21:14:55 GMT -7
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Dec 29, 2016 13:14:20 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2016 13:14:20 GMT -7
Something was changing. Really Brandon had no evidence of that or proof of it at all, but he could sense something different with her attitude. Her comments were no longer biting and vicious, though she wasn't being nice either. Maybe she was trying to keep up a reputation of some sort. That would explain why she practically refused to smile. Still, the challenge was interesting enough for Brandon. He might not get her to relax today, but someday. Maybe someday. He smiled at her when she tried to insult him again. "Now come on. We both know I'm not clumsy and that it wasn't just me. You and I just happen to have bad luck when it comes to running into one another. I'm starting to get used to it though," he finished with a wink. Why was she so intriguing to him? Couldn't Brandon find someone less angry to spend his time with? He probably could, but at the moment he didn't want to.
He shrugged when she told him that he didn't seem to be too good at cheering people up. "Well there comes a time when you need to give other people a chance to help out. Besides, if I stayed with her I probably wouldn't have been able to force you to dance with me," he teased. Granted, it was true. He was enjoying dancing with her and the feel of her relaxing little by little as they danced and he didn't want to give that up to help Elena. He'd feel guilty about that later. Right now he was going to try and enjoy his dance.
@callisto
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last online Apr 19, 2024 21:14:55 GMT -7
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Dec 30, 2016 13:58:35 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2016 13:58:35 GMT -7
That smile of his was... irritating. Because it made her want to smile too. But she didn't... yet. He said that they both knew he wasn't clumsy and that it wasn't just him, and it was easy to stay angry as he said that. Then the bad luck was mentioned and she knew he had a point. He said he was starting to get used to it and... winked at her? She leaned back slightly, her brows furrowing in confusing. "Uh, sure," she said. And Callisto didn't believe in saying 'uh'. It wasn't a word. "I guess I am too," she said, though she wasn't sure if she believed it.
He spoke about how there was a time to give other people a change to help out and then how he wouldn't have been able to force her to dance if he stayed with his friend. She narrowed her eyes into a glare, stiffening up a little again. "I have my own free will," she said, realizing she wanted to say his name at the end of the sentence. She rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath, "it's not as hard as it looks," she said firmly, trying to convince herself she was doing fine.
@brandon
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last online Apr 19, 2024 21:14:55 GMT -7
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Dec 30, 2016 21:22:57 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2016 21:22:57 GMT -7
All of a sudden she seemed to lose her control, or her confidence or something. In the very least, she looked confused. She wasn't stuttering per say, but she also wasn't responding with her icy comebacks. He was surprised when she said she guessed that she was getting used to it too. If it was any other person, he would tease them for saying they "guessed" but he really didn't want to do anything that would make her go all icy again. "Well at least we're on the same page," he told her, feigning confidence. Hopefully it would work.
He laughed when she got angry again. She went all stiff and told him that she had her own free will. He wasn't really laughing at her, more at the fact that she decided to focus on the word forced. Not that she would know that, but oh well. "Of course you do," he agreed, "Should I have said persuaded instead?" Brandon was teasing her. He couldn't seem to help it. Now that he'd decided to not be offended by her attitude, he was quite enjoying himself. She said it wasn't as hard as it looked and his eyebrows rose in surprise. "Have you never danced before?" He asked curiously. If not, then he was going to have to compliment her.
@callisto
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last online Apr 19, 2024 21:14:55 GMT -7
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Jan 2, 2017 11:27:08 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2017 11:27:08 GMT -7
He said that at least they were on the same page and she wanted to fight back, tell him that they weren't, but he was right so... she had nothing to say. Which was new for her. She didn't know why she wanted to fight back so badly, but it was just instinctual to her. With siblings like hers you had to hold your ground, especially since she disagreed with almost everything they all did.
He laughed, again, and she felt her blood boil for a split second until she realized that her heart was beating loudly. Did that laugh make her angry or not!? Her body just needed to make up it's mind. Or rather... her mind needed to make up what it was thinking and doing "persuaded..." she muttered, contemplating, her eyes casting away from him for a moment. Then she found his face again with her gaze, "let's say 'guided'," she said, her tone attempting humor again. But it always just sounded strained to her.
Then, he asked if she'd ever danced before and her shoulders tensed up again, but she didn't stop moving. "Maybe once-" she answered, but then one of her coworkers came over to her and stepped up, giving an awkward and slightly frightened smile.
'Miss Wulfe - erh - Callisto, sorry to interrupt," she said, giving Brandon an apologetic and maybe overly friendly looking smile before turning back to Callisto, 'the gillywater refill spell is going wonky. It isn't refill instantly anymore but rather waits until the bowl has been empty for several minu-' before she could finish, Callisto cut her off.
She didn't break away from Brandon as she gave instruction, "switch the bowl to the blue one in the kitchens. The house elves will help you know which one, then perform the spell but make sure to to pronounce the 'A' with a soft 'awe' rather than a harsh 'aah'," she gave a firm nod, "go on."
Her coworker scurried off and Callisto turned back to Brandon, "maybe I should follow her and make sure she's doing it right..." but she found she was still dancing.
@brandon
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last online Apr 19, 2024 21:14:55 GMT -7
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Jan 2, 2017 11:46:23 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2017 11:46:23 GMT -7
She was quiet for a while, but at least she was still dancing with him, so Brandon took that as a good thing. Apparently she didn't like the word "persuaded" either. He waited for a minute as he watched her try to come up with another word, one that she liked more. He thought about giving more suggestions, but eventually decided to let her figure out a word that she approved of. Then maybe she wouldn't glare at him. Not that he minded. He was starting to think he was good at seeing the pretty hazel of her eyes, even when they were shooting daggers at him. He smiled and nodded when she finally suggested the word guided. "Guided it is then," he agreed cheerfully, though really he did more than guide her. Really, he had to tug a bit to get her to join him on the dance floor. Still, he had a feeling that saying that would just make her tense again.
She started answering his question about dancing, but they were both interrupted when another ministry worker approached them. The obvious nerves on her face made it apparent to Brandon that he wasn't the only one his hazel-eyed dance partner snapped at. Wulfe, she said. Oooh, then Callisto! Callisto Wulfe, then. Brandon grinned back at the ministry worker when she apologized to him. He would've said something, but she kept going before he could, talking about something that was going wrong. Brandon tuned her out, focusing instead on the fact that he now knew his dance partner's name. And she didn't know his. This could be quite fun, if he played his cards right.
He turned his attention back to Callisto when she interrupted the nervous-looking woman in front of her, instructing her on what to do without hesitation. Of course she would know what to do before the problem was fully explained. Before he knew it, she'd dismissed the ministry worker and it was just the two of them once more, dancing.
He shook his head when Callisto suggested that she should go. "You just told her exactly what to do. Maybe she needs a chance to do it on her own," he argued. Really, she could go if she wanted. He wasn't going to try and stop her, but maybe figuring something out on her own would help the ministry worker get some confidence. "Besides, you never answered my question," Brandon added, wondering if that would be enough to keep Callisto there.
@callisto
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last online Apr 19, 2024 21:14:55 GMT -7
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Jan 2, 2017 11:57:46 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2017 11:57:46 GMT -7
She was glad that he accepted her word choice, even if she knew that it wasn't entirely right. She didn't even notice that her co-worker had given away her name. He suggested that she not go after her, but give the woman a chance to do it on her own. That was the hardest thing for Callisto Wulfe to do. Let people do things without her guidance to make sure it went perfectly. Delegating was hard. If she was doing anything else right now she would have just walked away to do it herself, or show her co-worker how. But... for some reason she stayed.
He pointed out that she didn't answer the question and she took in an obvious breath before speaking, "once or twice, maybe. I don't recall anything like this, though," she admitted. "I don't really participate in activities that I don't see any value to-" she said, her tone businesslike and almost harsh again, but she stopped herself. She was growing curious now as to why she WAS indeed dancing with someone right now. It was so unlike her. She raised an eyebrow at him, "do you know what the value is for dancing? Is there a good reason to do it?" she asked him, trying to gauge his opinion on the topic. Maybe it would help her figure out why she was doing it.
@brandon
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last online Apr 19, 2024 21:14:55 GMT -7
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Jan 2, 2017 12:18:56 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2017 12:18:56 GMT -7
Brandon was surprised when she actually stayed with him. Granted, that was exactly what he wanted her to do, but a part of him figured that since he told her to stay, she'd go. Maybe she was a little more complicated than he originally thought. Then again, she so obviously wanted to leave. She had to take a deep breath to keep herself from leaving, apparently. Really, she just needed to relax. She seemed like the kind of person who needed to be in control of everything. Which was exactly the kind of person that Brandon normally struggled with because he liked to be spontaneous and not have restrictions.
He nodded, not really surprised when Callisto said that she'd been dancing only once or twice. Not because she wasn't good, but because that seemed to fit with her personality. Then again, what did she mean by not "anything like this?" "What was it like when you danced the other times then?" He asked, purely out of curiosity this time. Where did she dance before? His eyebrows rose when she gave a reason for not dancing. Apparently there was no value to it for her. She was starting to tense up again and Brandon was trying to think of something that might help her relax a bit once more when she asked him another question. Two questions, rather and Brandon had to control his tongue. He didn't want to scare her away, or make her angry at him again. "Getting to know people in a different way?" he suggested. "You can learn a lot about a person by the way they dance. It's also a nice way to relax and let your hair down." He paused, wondering if teasing her was a good thing for him to do at the moment. What the heck, he decided to go for it. "I've also found it's a good way to determine whether or not you can get along with someone as a friend or ... romantically." He shrugged casually, making it see like what he said wasn't a big deal. In all actuality, dancing with her made him realize ... if he could get through that ice, he might be interested in looking for something with Callisto Wulfe.
@callisto
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last online Apr 19, 2024 21:14:55 GMT -7
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Jan 2, 2017 12:28:53 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2017 12:28:53 GMT -7
He asked what it was like the other times, and her eyes widened for just a second before returning to a normal. "I don't remember," she said flatly. She didn't want to ask herself what she meant by 'no anything like this'. She was afraid that she was making a big mistake. She pulled back just a tiny bit, almost as if she was about to run away, but she didn't. Not yet. Not yet.
He took a moment to answer her question, saying that it was to get to know people. Learning a lot, relaxing and letting your hair down. Her eyes narrowed at that, sure that it was another tease from him aimed at her. She was about to ask what he had learned about her from their dance, but she wasn't able to move her mouth yet. Especially when he spoke again.
"I've also found it's a good way to determine whether or not you can get along with someone as a friend or ... romantically." He shrugged, but she didn't notice. Her mind was suddenly spinning and Mina's words were in her mind. "At least I wait until they’re out of school. Same goes for you. No hitting on them.” On them. Seventeen year olds. This kid.
"How old are you?" she suddenly burst out.
@brandon
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last online Apr 19, 2024 21:14:55 GMT -7
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Jan 2, 2017 12:55:34 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2017 12:55:34 GMT -7
Callisto seemed to be taken by surprise by the fact that Brandon asked when else she danced, but she said she didn't remember. He kept a smile on his face, but looked at her more closely. Was she just saying that because she didn't want to talk to him about it? How could you forget your first time dancing? It didn't make sense and he felt like she was hiding something. What, he had no idea, but something for sure. She pulled away, but Brandon didn't want her to go. His hands tightened their grip ever so slightly. Not enough to keep her from leaving, but enough to show that he didn't want her to.
Her eyes narrowed at his teasing and Brandon was half expecting her to lash out verbally, but she didn't say anything. In fact, when he continued teasing her, she didn't say anything then either. Her eyes got wide and she didn't seem to be paying attention at all and Brandon wasn't exactly sure why. He continued to dance, waiting for her to come out of it, and wondering how long that was going to take.
When she finally did talk, she actually kind of yelled at him, asking how old he was. Brandon smiled, forcing himself to not laugh because it seemed like she was freaking out. Or something was wrong. What, he had no idea. "I'll be 18 in a week," he told her, wondering how she would react to that. "Why do you want to know?"
@callisto
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last online Apr 19, 2024 21:14:55 GMT -7
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Jan 2, 2017 13:02:01 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2017 13:02:01 GMT -7
Callisto noticed that his hands tightened just a little when she tried to pull away. Maybe that was why she didn't go. She felt... strange. In fact, just feeling anything at all was pretty strange. She wanted to say she felt sick, had a headache, needing to go, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
It was also strange to blurt things out without thinking, like she just did, asking his age. "I'll be 18 in a week," he said. Eighteen. In a week. THat meant now... he asked why she wanted to know and she spoke before thinking, "I promised my sister I wouldn't hit on any seventeen year olds," she loosened her grip on him again, her hand on his shoulder actually lifting up so it wasn't touching him anymore.
Then she realized what she'd said and her entire body froze, completely stopping the dance. At least the song was ending. "Not that I'm hitting on anyone," she said slowly. Now, she had no idea what to do with herself. What had she gotten into?
@brandon
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last online Apr 19, 2024 21:14:55 GMT -7
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Jan 2, 2017 13:14:16 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2017 13:14:16 GMT -7
She didn't go. Wasn't going. Brandon didn't know why he was so relieved about that fact, but he was. He didn't want her to go. Maybe it was because he was actually having fun for the first time at this Ball, dancing with her. Sure, he had other things he'd been doing, like helping Elena, but that wasn't fun. She was heartbroken. Dancing with Callisto, teasing her, Brandon was having the time of his life.
She seemed to be calming down now ... maybe. At least, her tone seemed calmer when she answered his question, saying that she told her sister she wouldn't hit on any seventeen year olds. So that's what she was doing? He smiled, holding back the teasing that was fighting to come out. She was already pulling away from him again and he knew that teasing her would probably only make that happen faster, so he held it in
Then she stopped dancing and Brandon paused with her. At least this was better than her walking away, right? The song was ending, so no one would be looking at them strangely, but he cocked his head to the side curiously. What put her so on edge? Then she told him that she wasn't hitting on anyone and Brandon couldn't keep himself from smiling. He leaned forward to whisper conspiratiorially, "Don't worry. I won't tell her," he started, pulling back and smiling at her. A few seconds later he added, "Besides, I turn 18 in a week; then you won't need to worry about that anymore." She was probably going to leave now, and Brandon tried to brace himself for the possibility.
@callisto
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last online Apr 19, 2024 21:14:55 GMT -7
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Jan 2, 2017 13:21:58 GMT -7
Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2017 13:21:58 GMT -7
He was smiling again. It seemed to be permanently on his face, but she could tell when it changed a little because of something she said. It was weird. People didn't smile because of things she did or said. Ever. Aside from her family on occasion. When she stopped, he did too, and he cocked his head to the side. She felt another jolt in her stomach at him doing that. It was... well, she would say 'cute' but she did not want to admit to herself that she was thinking that.
Then he was leaning forward and, to her surprise, she was leaning in too, to listen to what he had to say. "Don't worry. I won't tell her," he said, which caused her stomach to flip flop again. Suddenly, an unfamiliar sensation was playing at her lips and in her throat. She was... was she going to laugh? Then, he reminded he turned eighteen in a week and that she wouldn't have to worry, and she laughed.
She wasn't sure if she'd ever laughed like that in public before, especially not with co-workers around. She wondered if her two younger siblings saw this, her dancing with this guy, and how they'd think about it. About him making her laugh. The music stopped and she brought her hand that was once on his shoulder up to her mouth, trying to mask the sound. Her other hand was still clasping his in the dance position.
After a moment, she regained her composure, lowing her hand from her mouth. Her head turned toward their other hands, the ones that were together, "I guess this is good night, then," she said. "Maybe I'll look you up in a week," she found herself saying.
@brandon (Also since @koalasrdumb is at the dance, you might want to read this thread (or just this post) for reference sake if you want Bunny to have seen this
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