[Leslie is glad that charity business event thing is over. It was like being tossed in to a ring with hungry tigers with only a whip and chair to protect yourself with!] -06:11 Jan 28
[Damion is about to reveal why he asked Lexlie if she’s afraid og hieghts.] -06:12 Jan 28
Leslie: Though, it was much, much easier to smile when she had a secret encounter right under the noises of stuffy, occasionally rude wealthy people. If Damion’s idea had been to completely derail her from kicking that golden peacock lady in the face, it worked almost too well. -06:18 Jan 28
Damion: He had piced her up and they were in yet another of his vehiles, this time a 4 wheel drive SUV and on thier way out of town. He had given her one instruction "Dress warmly" and he was too, in a blaiser , jeans, and hiking boots, not to mention a mysterious smile. "Have you ever flown?" he asked her his hands on the wheel as they drove through the night. "Ever dreamed of it?" -06:24 Jan 28
Leslie: "Outside of our trip? No, that was my first plane…" At least dressing warm wasn’t a problem for her, Leslie always tended to wear pants and long sleeves even during summer. Today she just added a jacket and a colorful scarf. That smile had her attention, and Leslie decided it might just be one of her favorites. "I’ve thought about it though! I like to try new things." -06:28 Jan 28
Damion: "I meant your hands in the controls… but that answers that." he flicked in the indicator and started slowly, they were a long way out of the city, the glimmering lights barely visible on the skyline. Then he was turning off the road onto a dirt track, the SUV bouncing as it electronically adapted to the rougher terrain. "And maybe this will be new for you too." Another mysterious smile and a glance at the back to make sure the bags and basket were alright with the offroading, then it was back to peering though the windscreen, and easing the vehicle over the bumps and following the clear path, the Damion knew so well. -06:33 Jan 28
Leslie: "Ha, no.. No, I can definitely say I have never flown something nor ever had the urge to." He was deliberately being vague and Leslie was amused. She had done this to him too, after all. Of course -her- surprise date wound up as a barely contained panic attack and the discovery of the Damion Rubrum-Hates-Forests fact. …which really had her curious about them being out at night in the middle of nowhere. "Is flying a hint to what we’re doing or a red herring?" -06:38 Jan 28
Damion: "You always were a smart one." he said concentrating on off roading and easing the car through a stream and powered up the other side. "Look up, that’s where we’re going tonight." he rounded a bend in the track and there in the headlights was a small building, very small it couldn’t contain more than a single room, and its two windows were small, and in top was a balcomy that took up the entire roof, then Damion killed the engine and without a word poped his seatbelt, opened his door, and stapped out to open the back and retrieve the baggage. -06:42 Jan 28
[(Timeout) Damion has been fed to the plot bunnies for failure to participate.] -06:47 Jan 28
Leslie: She had leaned, looking out the window. "That… is impressive." she mumbled softly. Once the car was stopped she was climbing out too. Shaking her hand through her hair and pulling it over her shoulder. Now she was beyond intruiged. "Your own secret getaway in the woods… I really wasn’t expecting that. Maybe a loft in the middle of the city, or a beach house on the coast somewhere. This is actually really pretty." And it helped she had a personal love of trees and lots of them! -06:47 Jan 28
Damion: "I’m rich enough to gave all three." he said closing the car and locking it, then he was walking over to the building and unlocking the door to pushe it open and turn on the light. Inside where was a bed, a table, a chair, a desk, a satellite phone, and a computer, the rast was bare. But Damion walked in and placed the basket on the table, opened it and checked the contants, then without slowing his pace he picked it up again and with one hand started climbing a ladder to the roof, stopping only to use his thum as a basket hook to free his ahdn to open a hatch. "Turn off the light when you come up." he said. "Poke around a little first though, I’ll get everything set up." -06:53 Jan 28
Leslie: "I don’t suppose your Butlawyer has to keep up with these places too, hmm?" Leslie doubt he brought people here. This had to be a Damion escape from the world cabin. No pictures, no personal things… she took a moment to sit on the best and bounce a bit as she looked around. It wasn’t as if there was a lot to snoop through! She liked it though… maybe a bit more if it wasn’t so empty. Leslie finally rose to flick off the lights, kind of glad there -wasn’t- much in the room as she fumbled to the ladder and climbed up to the roof. "What are you setting up, exactly?" -06:59 Jan 28
Damion: He had his back to her and was hand tighterning a nut on a tripod which held a long, sleek telescope, but when he heard her he turned, and then looked up. "Theres no light polution out here, it makes everything so vivid. I wanted to me an astrophisisist when I was younger… I long time ago. Just because I’m not doesn’t mean I can’t take a look every now and then. Tea?" he gestured to the table where the basket was open and a thurmos was sitting next to it with two mugs. "I’ll see if I can find you the pleiades." -07:05 Jan 28
Leslie: Leslie paused there, looking a little dumbfounded for a moment. A glance from the telescope to the sky, back to him and then the tea… It faded to a slow grin, that got so wide she was on the brink of bursting in to giggles. Somehow she managed to contain it. Waltzing over to the table like a woman with a secret and pouring them both a mug. Even with the glass in both hands and touching her lips she couldn’t seem to take a sip. Leslie was trying to contain her delight! "Star gazing… that’s awfully romantic, you know. The sort of thing someone like me would plan to do with a boyfriend…" -07:11 Jan 28
Damion: "Romantic?" he asked looking as her before taking a mug and gesturing her towards the eyepeice. "I just do it because I enjoy it, and it gave me an excuse to buy this place from the military, budget cuts… recession, you know the drill." he sipped his mug and looked up. Theres a metior shower tonight, whould starts at about one, that’s why the date was important." -07:16 Jan 28
Leslie: "It’s very romantic." She moved and leaned to look, apparently having no problems with knowing how to adjust the telescope. "So much that I was kiiiind of planning to take you to the observatry outside of time when it was my turn to pick the date." Leslie and grinned at him. Rocking on her feet just a bit in an over-pleased gesture. "I’m glad to see I made a good guess. I was hoping to show something else I really loved, I didn’t know you liked stars too." -07:22 Jan 28
Damion: "They’re flowing balls of nuclear fire and the forges in whicj every atom in your body was forged… In the words of some scifi author I can’t rememebr We’re all starstuff." he had his arms folded and his eyes narrowed. "So this is your idea od romantic? I guess that answers that." he sipped his tea again before moving towards the table to pull out a wrappes sandwich. "I didn’t know you liked science." -07:28 Jan 28
[Leslie is alone with Mr. Rubrum in a small cabin and looking stars. Nothing could be sweeter then that!] -06:58 Jan 29
[Damion He waiting for Leslie to reply] -06:59 Jan 29
Leslie: "Carl Sagan, maybe." she grinned, once again looking through the telescope and balancing her mug in her other hand. "Can’t say I know a lot of the sciency stuff, but yeah… it’s romantic! A new frontier of discovery and adventure? And it’s pretty." -07:04 Jan 29
Damion: "People with more powerful telescopes that I can afford have seem this part of the sky already." He said. "We’re not going to make any new discoveries… about the sky anyway." his tone of voice had shifted from a dissmissive one to something else, the kind of tone he usually used when talking about Leslie in some new compromising position. "Besides this is your reward for New Yok." -07:09 Jan 29
Leslie: Leslie pretended she hadn’t noticed, or at least wasn’t going to comment on his tone or that subtle shift of his expression. She just loved the way his mouth would quirk when he was being devious. "Sure, we won’t get to find a new world or star… but oh! I think the shower is starting! We’ll get a glimpse of a falling star no one will ever see again?" Shifting over to the table, she set down her mug to snoop through his basket. "New York was rewarding all by itself, you know. I was glad to go." -07:14 Jan 29
Damion: I didn’t mean the trip." he said looking up. Sometime whale she had been busy with the telescope he had taken out a pair of binoculars. "I leant for what happened during the trip, that is exactly the kind of thing I expect from you.’ he reached out to sacture her chin with his hand and pull her into a kiss before pulling away to put his mug to his lips. "I really do like having you." -07:17 Jan 29
Leslie: All it ever took was a kiss. If she were a puppy, she’d be at his feet in an instant! Leslie smiled, abandoning her snooping to wrap her arms around his waist and hug him. "Expecting things like what? My completely inability to converse politely with rude women, or the fact I get surley when you won’t let me kiss you?" He liked having her! How many steps away was that from love? She had to bite her tongue to keep from asking. -07:23 Jan 29
Damion: He raised an eyebrow but just smiled. If that’s what she wanted to focus on instead of the sex, that was fine by him. Putting an arm around her he shifted on his feet, leaning against her slightly. "There’s one…" -07:25 Jan 29
Leslie: "I don’t have lipstick to keep immaculate this time." Or to keep silent so a hundred very prim and proper people didn’t hear her. Leslie buried her face against his jacket, hiding her wide grin. He had a crazy ability to get her doing things she’d never had even imagined. A though some of it she was still dubious about, some moments were… exquisite! "How many will I get tonight? One for every star that falls? I think that should be a reasonable number." -07:31 Jan 29
Damion: He looked at her again. "I meant theres one flaaing star, you missed it, now the wish is miiiine." he chuckled and leaned in to flick his tongue against the tip of her nose. Then he was pulling away to pick up the basked and turmos and put them on the floor so he could sit and lean against the railing and look up at Leslie and put the floor next to him. "Come and get some blanket before you miss any more." Suse enough, in the basket there was a blanket, and he was pulling it out. -07:35 Jan 29
Leslie: She looked up immediately! Of course she was missing it. She was starstruck and it wasn’t over the stars. Leslie gave a small embarrassed laughed before she moved to railing too. This time making sure to keep her eyes on the sky. "Sorry. Sometimes it’s hard to take attention off my boyfriend. He’s an interesting soul, you know…" -07:41 Jan 29
Damion: "So you belive in souls now?" he glanced at her. "If there are such things, theres only one place I’m heading, and it’s not heaven." he draped the blanket around both of them before giving her another mug of tea. "I don’t thenk there are… but the sky is wondrous out here." -08:23 Jan 29
Leslie: "I believe in souls, yep." Leslie scooted close enough to be touching, and if she could she’d have been on his lap. Holding her mug with both hands to keep her fingers warm, she took a big sip. "I don’t really believe in heaven or hell though… That’s a little too black and white for my taste. Life is a whole lot of shades of grey." Leslie momentarily glanced at him to cast a wide grin, then her eyes were back on the stars. "But if there -was- a hell, I think you’re selling yourself short…" -08:27 Jan 29
Damion: He set his mug down and drew his knees up to his chest. "We shouldn’t talk about this." he said his voice taking on a new tone. "There is no other place for me, and that is all I’ll say. Now… what got you into astronomy?" -08:33 Jan 29
Leslie: There was that sudden shift of mood again. The one Leslie was well used to now… and exactly why she knew she couldn’t tell him everything she really wanted to say. That there’s no way she could fall in love with someone hell-bound. That he was a far more caring person that he wanted to give himself credit for. She set her mug aside too, and willingly let him change the subject. "Books, actually. My mother had an addiction for book clubs, so we had at least a dozen different kinds of encyclopedia sets. One of my favorites was the one with pictures of the solar system, galaxies and shots from the space telescopes." -08:39 Jan 29
Damion: "The pretty pictures then." he said glancing at her. "I don’t believe in god, in heaven, or hell, or souls, or that emotions carry mysticism. But everyone needs something bigger than themselves, and what’s bigger than the sloan great wall?" -08:51 Jan 29
Leslie: "Typical girl bedazzled by pretty things, I guess." Leslie gave a shrug of her shoulder and leaned against him. She was watching him again instead of the sky. "Love is bigger, right? For an intangible emotion, it’s caused wars, united people, lead to new discoveries by people with a passion." -08:56 Jan 29
Damion: "That’s still one planet, and the answer is the Huge large quasar group. Unimaginative name but it’s the biggest structure in the observable universe that we know of." he sighe. "You’re talking about love a lot, is it on your mind Leslie?" he turned and placed his thumb into the exact center of her forehead and pressed in it, as if that might enable him to read her thoughts. "Or is that your passion, the obvious one. Because theres many more things to be pasionate about that just love." -09:00 Jan 29
Leslie: "I’ve got passion for you." She tilted back away from his thumb, shrugging a shoulder. This time her grin was a little softer and a bit sheepish. "I read a lot of trashy romance novels. I guess occasionally they rub off on me. Don’t you ever think about love?" She knew better than to ask, but slipped out anyway. Now she was trying to redirect. "…or at least a love for something besides stars and motorcycles. What is on your love-list…" -09:07 Jan 29
Damion: He waved a hand as if to bat her question aside as his mind fixated on something else she said and he shrugge off the blanket to turn to face her fully his brow knit and his eyes peircing hers. Then his hands found her shoulders and he narrowed his eyes, hands lanled arounf her tight, not letting her escape. The his head tuened and tilted until her was giving her a sideways look. "You feel that you love me, don’t you." he turned his head back at her and stared into her eyes. "That’s what you’ve not been saying…" -09:13 Jan 29
Leslie: Her thoughts were flittering across her face again. Surprise, worry, sheepish embarrassment. Finally she let out a slow sigh. Of course she wasn’t going to lie about it! "Yeah… I do. And before you go off on me, I know it’s not something you’re ready for. It’s just how I feel. I am in love with you." And now she was closing her eyes. Waiting for the inevitable pulling away. The lecture. The cool brush off. The Damion Rubrum treatment. -09:20 Jan 29
Damion: There was a heavy sigh from him and then she was pulled forwards, then face pressed against his chest and his arms closing around her and his chin resting on top of her head. "I thought this might happen." he said, "There was another deep breath, his chest rising up against her then slowly falling. "I’ve never had someone say that to me and I feel like they truly mean it. Until now." -09:29 Jan 29
Leslie: He did it again! The exact opposite of what she was expecting. Leslie was stuck in that weird space between laughing and tearing up. She slide her arms around him again and nuzzled in to his chest. Finally settling on laughing softly as she mumbled. "Wasn’t exactly my plan. Just sort of happened… I didn’t want to say anything so soon, though. I like what we have…" -09:34 Jan 29
Damion: "And what do we have?" he asked not letting go. "As far as I remember it hasn’t been clearly defined, and in light of what you feel you can’t sign anything without emotional bias." he went silent realizing he could not let Lslie sign a contract with him, everything they did now would be… complicated. "Whatever it is, we’ll keep at it, now you’re missing the show." -09:40 Jan 29
Leslie: Leslie laughed, the tone sounding a little relieved. She didn’t want to break away from him, though, and took to turning in his arms so the back of her head was resting against his chest. "What we have is a relationship. And those don’t come with instruction manuals. …but I’m glad you’re not mad at me. I was really worried you would be." -09:47 Jan 29
Damion: "Mad about an involuntary emotion?" he asked. "That would be unreasonable, worried, maybe, concerned you have chosen the wrong person for your affection… I don’t know if I know what love feels like, so if I returned our feelings I wouldn’t be able to tell you.." he deflated slightly feeling isufficient for a moment before taking a breath and looking up at the streaks of light flashing across the sky. "A relationship…" -09:54 Jan 29
Leslie: "Don’t worry about me, Mister Rubrum. I have long since decided you were worth the risk." He was afraid, and she didn’t blame him. But she also had no idea how to fix him beyond just being patient. Leslie rest her hands over his and linked her fingers with him. "Try not to over think it. Or plan it? Or think about it! If you love me, you’ll know." She shrugged her shoulders again, lifting one of his hands to gesture at the sky. "In the meantime, make your wish. Shouldn’t let all these stars go to waste." -10:00 Jan 29
Damion: "i never let anything go to waste." he said. "Not even meaningless sentiments. And no just because I called it that doesn’t mean I’ll tell you my wish." he pulled her further up against him and feld her there. "I don’t think about it." he said. "If that makes me a heartless man then that’s what I am. I have never once had the worry of falling in love, and before you pout I said worry, do I look worried?" -10:13 Jan 29
Leslie: "No why would I pout? You never dated either, or did relationships and now you are here with me." She tilted and leaned so she could grin up at him. "You don’t look worried at all. You look like you could order the meteors to stop falling." -10:18 Jan 29
Damion: "because I implied I wasn’t worried about falling in lose with you, like it wasn’t something that would happen." he said "That’s why you’d pout. I’ll try to be clearer with my accidental implications next time." he looked up at the rain of right and shrugged. "I don’t want it to stop. I don’t want this night to stop." -10:23 Jan 29
Leslie: Maybe he wasn’t ready to think about love, and didn’t believe it could happen. …but when he said things like that it gave her all the hope in the world that he would. Eventually. She was smiling now, squeezing his hands gently. "I don’t want it to stop either. We could stay here forever, what do you think? I might have enough stars counted to make a wish." -10:27 Jan 29
Damion: "Then make one, since the number is arbitrary and you should get a wish too." he reached over to pull the blanket over them and then leaned back against the rail. "I think I know what I’m doing the next time I get to choose." he said slowly. "I hope you like itallian." -10:32 Jan 29
Leslie: "Planning already? I have to rethink my idea too, after you stole it. Falling stars is really hard to top.." It would be tough, but Leslie was pretty confident she could think up something. She resettled, pulling his arms around her under the blanket and making herself comfortable. "Hmm… and my wish. Done and done!" -10:40 Jan 29
Damion: "You should have guessed from the date, the events in the sky, and the romote loation." he said stretching adn getting comfortable beneath her. "Whatever you think up, if it’s what I have in mind then… I’ll just have to punish you." he grinned and squeezed her against him. "I’ll make sure I’m properly prepaired." -10:47 Jan 29
Leslie: "Well Mister Rubrum, I am smart, but sometimes not that observant!" She giggled and just to put up a fuss, she squirmed. …though that might’ve also been because it was so easy to think up exactly what sort of punishment he meant, and it had her stomach doing flips. "So I’m gonna get punished for planning the perfect date before you do? That’s not fair at all!" -10:51 Jan 29
Damion: "It’s ver fair." he said. "You inconveniece me into having to figure out another date and I get to change some parts of your date to suit me better and make you have a few surprises of your own. If anything it would be an improvment for both of us. It’s not like we havn’t had sex before." he took her earlobe between two of his teeth and gave it a tug. "You can’t say you’ll complain." -10:54 Jan 29