Don't Want To Miss A Thing - - - [ Angeline ]

[conrad]

If you were a cliffhanger ending
I’m the one who doesn’t know anything

It was loud here; he didn’t like that. Granted, it was a polite sort of loud, a whole mass of voices talking at once in slightly hushed tones. It was night, but no time for quiet and sleeping. It was one of those rare times for luxury; of crisp suits and cocktail dresses and Champaign over a dazzling array of photos taken by some of the top photographers around the world. There was no other place to do this grand event but at Aether Park; the most beautiful place in the city. There were white tablecloths, fine wine and smart looking men and women who chattered among each other. Golden and silver ribbons, balloons and various other decorations were tastefully scattered around the place, making it look more like a banquet hall than a park.

But he didn’t like it here. Not at all.

Johan had been invited to this grand occasion, and he’d been allowed to bring a guest. Conrad had quickly been told that he needed to get dressed nicely for the event, and he knew protesting would do no good. He had found himself thinking, as he’d gotten dressed, that Johan would’ve rather invited Magnus if he was still around. Of course, there was guilt after this thought, and he quickly shut it out of his mind. He’d keep Johan safe in his big brother’s absence. He’d keep him out of trouble.

Conrad lingered quietly by their table, watching Johan in the crowd and scanning the people as they came by. He didn’t fit in here, and so he’d stay out of the affairs; he never really understood photography, but he understood how cameras worked. He patted his own hands in his lap, a sort of silent ‘grumbling’ without noise to convey his displeasure to himself. Blink once, then turning his head to try and catch sight of Johan again.

Like a magpie and a ring
I’m always going to be looking right to you

[ress3]

This is the birth of all hope

In truth, Johan didn't like parties much either. They reminded him of things he didn't have, and how absolutely insane some people were. Even his suit, nicely cut as it was, was a gift - he'd have never have bought something so expensive for himself. For all his money (neatly saved and invested, of course), Johan still lived in the same house he'd been living in since he was a kid, and still drove a car that he'd bought second hand six years ago. He wasn't one for splurging, for spending on so much, and if he hadn't been nagged by his manager, he wouldn't have come. She wanted to officially say that the great photographer Taubsi had been there, and she wasn't going to lie if it meant getting caught later.

He was, however, happy that Conrad was there. Going alone was always terrible, and it was rare he'd meet someone he could talk to properly without feeling the need to freak out. This time, though, he had found someone - a nice young lady who had had a wonderful conversation with him, specifically on the subject of pokemon. Apparently she had a Snivy, which he thought was cute, and the whole discussion was nice enough that he was, for the moment, guiding her over to Conrad. She kept up with him easily, and Johan was grinning widely as he finally reached Conrad. "And this is Conrad, my cousin - and escort for the whole Gala, I suppose."

To have what I once had

[conrad]

If you were a cliffhanger ending
I’m the one who doesn’t know anything

With Johan off and mingling with his crowd, Conrad found himself a little time to think, even if he was feeling a bit out of place and lonely here. He had brought Oberon in a Pokeball, but like hell he was releasing that little bit of hell lightening into a fancy place like this. That Mareep would attempt to shock just about everybody who came within fifty feet of him in all directions, and that was basically the whole park. Instead, he took to scanning the crowd again, trying to find Johan but unable to pick him out from the mass of moving bodies.

He heard Johan’s voice coming closer though, from his left, and he gave his hands another pat in distaste. Johan absolutely had to come from his left, his one blind side, right? Conrad brushed off his sleeves and turned his head to see. There was a girl with him though; very light blond hair, a blue dress and a bow. Ah, he’d never seen her before and admittedly, she was rather pretty.

Conrad stood when he was introduced, giving the girl a small nod. He gently offered his hand to shake, as it was supposed to be polite, and since he’d already been introduced, he really didn’t find much of a need to. Then again, he was definitely not accustomed to the things they did at fancy places like this, no matter how many times he went with Johan.

Like a magpie and a ring
I’m always going to be looking right to you

[ress3]

This is the birth of all hope

Johan was, for the moment, simply happy to have met someone who didn't bother him about who his connections were, who didn't want to know what brand of suit he was wearing, or where he got that tie. Everyone at the party just seemed to care about money, and that bothered him far more then it should. Angeline was, he supposed, a shared soul in that - she had seemed extremely bored when he first spoke to her, staring into space like nothing else. It had been easy enough to talk to her, and he felt a bit of guilt for leaving Conrad behind like that - so there they were.

Angeline was simply letting herself go with the flow. Parties were overwhelming. It was hard to hear, hard to focus, and she bumped into people if she wasn't careful. Her dress was a nice blue, and her bow neatly in place, but otherwise, she had no real clue of what was going on. She didn't know that Conrad had offered his hand, but instead went into a simple curtsy - almost always enough to make people drop their hands if they did offer, without the awkwardness of ignoring it. Johan paused, then casually waved his hand down, indicating that Conrad should probably drop his - all done out of Angeline's sight, of course.

"I'm Angeline le Blanc. It is very nice to meet you." She said, voice formal as always.

To have what I once had

[conrad]

If you were a cliffhanger ending
I’m the one who doesn’t know anything

They always travelled in packs of two or three, so he observed. Johan had been the only one to break away from his escort or bodyguard or whatever he was considered when he entered here. Conrad had then faded to the back, keeping a close eye from a distance until he lost him from his sight. He found him again soon after with a girl in tow. Once he got up and offered a hand, he saw from his good eye that she was rather pretty. Not beautiful, because that was an entirely different sort of animal, but attractive in her own right.

The curtsey returned for his offered hand left him standing there, puzzled and unsure of how to react. Weren’t people usually supposed to shake his hand? He was just left hanging there, entirely baffled, before Johan waved him down to keep the awkward tension from building. Conrad coughed uncomfortably into his closed hand, drawing back away from the handshake and trying to pretend that it hadn’t happened.

”O-oh…” Angeline was such a nice name, probably French, though it was more of a guess than anything. Conrad’s voice sounded a little raspy; this was possibly the first time he was attempting to speak in a couple of days. He never spoke much at home, and Johan had grown accustomed to his various hand signals that he rarely found a need to. ”I’m… Conrad.” He wanted to offer a last name like she did, but he didn’t have one. He’d never taken the Mikhaylichenko-Molotov name and found it might’ve been better that way, as Pasha didn’t like him very much, though he had adopted him, and so respected his wishes. Von Blitzkrieg had been another possibility, but he somehow never got to that either.

Like a magpie and a ring
I’m always going to be looking right to you

[ress4]

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Thankfully, Angeline was entirely oblivious to Conrad's own awkwardness. At least, she had been right until he coughed, at which point she was almost entirely sure she'd missed his hand. It was one of those standard cover-ups, pretending like she clearly hadn't seen his hand. Only this time, she hadn't. She hadn't seen it, and curtsying was the best possible way to avoid her sticking her hand out and missing someone elses hand. It had happened before, and it was always terrible, and she was eager to avoid it. It was immediately obvious that Johan was the one who'd been invited, because Conrad was extremely quiet, his voice was raspy, and he'd completely forgotten his own last name. Or, possibly, Johan was the socially acceptable escort, and Conrad was some sort of crazy artist. It was a possibility, and she'd run into one of those before - they always acted so odd, but then supposedly they were geniuses, or something. It wasn't as if she could judge, though, because she couldn't exactly see said art. "Conrad...?" Surely he'd just forgotten - or perhaps he was, in fact, a crazy artist with only a single name.

[conrad]

If you were a cliffhanger ending
I’m the one who doesn’t know anything

Things were getting more and more uncomfortable as the seconds passed. He had given his name and, as the regular response went, Angeline immediately asked for his last name. But he didn’t have one. The easiest way out was just to call himself a Von Blitzkrieg and get it over with. But then that felt rather wrong, and he didn’t want to be taking over Magnus’ last name while he wasn’t here. It was a pride-and-honour thing between them, he supposed.

”Just Conrad…” A small nod, as if he were trying to confirm the fact to himself. He shot Johan a brief glance, asking for help because he really didn’t know what he was supposed to be doing. Was he supposed to be having a conversation? Or was he just being introduced to the girl as an escort, and then they’d be on their way? The girl probably thought he was insane anyway, already feeling extremely self conscious and having barely spoken a word. ”I-it’s very nice to meet you…” He was trying, at least, but he obviously needed help. It had been a while since he actually interacted with anybody outside family.

Like a magpie and a ring
I’m always going to be looking right to you

[ress4]

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[style= font: 25px/5px Impact; color: 060057; text-shadow: -1px 0 #c9ffff, 0 1px #c9ffff, 1px 0 #c9ffff, 0 -1px #c9ffff; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 1px; margin-top: -10px;]ANGELINE LE BLANC[/style]

Johan winced as she asked for a last name, but at this point, he'd mostly expected it. There simply wasn't a nice way to warn someone 'by the way my cousin has no last name, don't ask'. It wasn't a subject that was never going to get any better, was always going to be awkward. The only way for Conrad to escape it wasn't much of an option - after all, he was almost thirty and had expressed little to no interest in anyone. Simply put, barring a miracle, marriage wasn't exactly in Conrad's future. Angeline's suspicion that Johan was simply a nice boy escorting his crazy artist cousin was cemented. Who didn't have a last name, after all? The only people she could think of were vagabond orphans with no history (which Conrad was clearly not, because why would he be here, in that case?), and artists who were making a statement, so clearly he was the latter. The way he spoke only enforced the belief, because he seemed almost unused to speaking. "It's very nice to meet you as well. Are you enjoying the party? Personally I find it rather trite. The whole thing is just a bunch of rich old men, talking about how rich they are and showing off. Dull." She shrugged her shoulders, making no attempt to hide her distaste. It was possible he'd dislike her for it, but anyone who didn't feel the same way... well, why did she want to talk to them anyway?

[conrad]

If you were a cliffhanger ending
I’m the one who doesn’t know anything

Conrad shrunk back a little, his surname always somewhat of a touchy subject and he only hoped that she wouldn’t nose in on the issue. Most would ask why he didn’t have a last name, and then things just went to hell. He didn’t like people nosing around in that sort of business. What was he supposed to say to a stranger? That he was an orphan who didn’t have a paper to his name when he was dropped off one winter night on a porch? Heck, he knew that Conrad wasn’t even his real name; it was one that Magnus gave him and it just stuck.

He sort of wished he’d never come, even if it was just to escort Johan. He was getting nervous as the people came in and out of crowds, drawing nearer to them, and then away. The movement that was out of his sight was also making him rather edgy; being unable to tell what was on his left was a source of anxiety almost all the time. He was snapped out of his wary state when Angeline started talking to him again; her voice was easily picked up among the polite din of the crowd.

”I...” He tried to figure out what words were the best; verbal communication wasn’t his forte. ”No... There are too many people.” Furrowing his eyebrows, he tried again. At this rate, he wouldn’t he surprised if Angeline thought he didn’t know how to speak English. ”I don’t like it too much here. I am only... an escort.” A glance at Johan, asking if he did it right. He also hoped that he wasn’t coming off as rude, if it were a test.

Like a magpie and a ring
I’m always going to be looking right to you

[ress4]

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Parties were always so tiresome. Some people thought they were relaxing, but for Angeline, they were anything but. She was used to just talking to people, to occupying her mind with working out all the different meanings of what they were saying. In parties, that was next to impossible. The sounds of conversation all around just distracted her, made her miss little queues, and it took all of her focus to hold a proper conversation. The way he spoke was so odd, and that took even more focus. Even so, it was sort of nice, because it gave her plenty of time to pick up on the finer details. People who spoke too quickly, when it was too loud... well, it all just got lost in the hubbub. The fact that he really was an escort, though, made her glance in the rough direction of Johan. He simply shrugged, offering her a grin, but she certainly couldn't see it, and after her momentary faux-glance, she turned back to Conrad. "I see. Escorting your cousin, then? That's rather kind of you." She had used to have escorts, but she'd long ago moved past the need for them.

[conrad]

If you were a cliffhanger ending
I’m the one who doesn’t know anything

Conrad had to try and listen closely to her voice; it was getting a bit louder here, now that soft, classy music was playing in the background. Something with a piano and a violin, maybe some other string instruments along with that. Then again, the Slavic mix was definitely no musician. The polite chatter seemed to raise in volume a little, and the corner of his lip twitched a little in distaste. He couldn’t quite hear her over how close some of the people were talking.

He took a small breath and took a very cautious step forward, closer to Angeline and Johan and hoping the girl didn’t find him offensive enough to step back. However, as soon as he mentioned that he was an escort, he saw that Angeline took a glance towards Johan. Conrad immediately bowed his head, feeling awfully humble and out of character in a place like this. He felt like everything he was doing was wrong, and that he was about to mess up big time any second now.

”It’s… n-not a problem. I do it… all the time.” His words were once again strained, staggering like he hadn’t spoken in a long time. ”Do you come to these events often?” There, just a little better.

Like a magpie and a ring
I’m always going to be looking right to you

[ress4]

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[style= font: 25px/5px Impact; color: 060057; text-shadow: -1px 0 #c9ffff, 0 1px #c9ffff, 1px 0 #c9ffff, 0 -1px #c9ffff; text-align: center; letter-spacing: 1px; margin-top: -10px;]ANGELINE LE BLANC[/style]

Angeline hated the noise, hated how loud it was. Why did they need that music? Why couldn't people just shut up and talk in a tone that was audible, but not loud? She shifted lightly away from the noise, and paused for a moment, breaking in before he could even speak. "Would you like to move to a side room? It's too loud in here, for my tastes, really." She wasn't going to force him to move, but it sure as hell seemed nicer. Johan paused, glancing at Conrad before giving him a little wave. "I'll leave you two. I need to go check in with Lily." He explained, giving Conrad a discrete wink before vanishing into the crowd. It would be extremely obvious that he wasn't going to go just check in with his manager. His voice was shaky, yes, but it was sort of nice that he was speaking slower. It was easier to hear, in the noise of the room, even if it was irregular. "Sometimes. My parents drag me out. They want me to socialize." It never went well, but they tried anyway.

[conrad]

If you were a cliffhanger ending
I’m the one who doesn’t know anything

”…side room?” There were side rooms? Conrad glanced around; it looked like a big park to him, with some areas more crowded than others, but he spotted a little hill just beyond the fences that seemed like there were no occupants. That would do, he supposed. ”How about… there?” He made a vague sweeping gesture in the hill’s general direction, hoping she didn’t think he was trying to kidnap her or something.

That’s when Johan said he needed to check in with his manager. A sort of panic gripped Conrad for a second, staring off after his cousin as he melted once again with the crowd, perfectly at place in this environment, unlike him. And what was that wink for, anyway? Once again, Conrad found himself alone, but not quite. He still had Angeline’s company, even if he’d never met her before, and she seemed nice enough. She hadn’t asked him about why he didn’t have a last name or why he spoke like he was choking on something.

”Um… H-here, let’s go.” He once again nodded towards the hill before heading towards the entrance, rather slowly because he didn’t want to go bumping into anybody. It would be much quieter up there, away from everything. He didn’t know what they’d talk about, but he’d at least try. Johan seemed to want to have him make friends, so he’d try.

Like a magpie and a ring
I’m always going to be looking right to you

[ress4]

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Angeline couldn't be sure if there were side rooms, but there normally were. Normally there were little tents set up with benches, quiet places to sit and talk, away from the busy hubub. She liked those places - and liked them far more when she was in a nice ballroom, where there were rooms with doors that would close. It wasn't hard to work out that he was pointing, or gesturing to somewhere. She had no idea where he was pointing, though, so she was forced to assume that wherever he was pointing out was fine. "That's fine." She said softly, giving him a little nod. He could lead. She was fairly good at following, even in busy places like this. Easy enough to listen to where he moved, and even better if he spoke. The disappearance of his cousin seemed to make Conrad edgy again. He'd been almost alright, for a moment, and now he was right back to stuttering. It was just as well - she didn't mind, as long as they were getting away from the far noisier party. He was walking slowly, as well, which was nice. It was far eaiser to follow along when someone walked slowly, and the farther they got away, the easier it was to follow. "Much better." She said, only halfway there. Even so, the sounds were fading, and that was nice. "I don't suppose you're into art?" She wasn't, for obvious reasons.

[conrad]

If you were a cliffhanger ending
I’m the one who doesn’t know anything

As the two got further and further away from the bustling crowd, it gradually got quieter and much more agreeable. They were within hearing range when they got to the top of the hill, but it wasn’t so loud anymore. As far as he was concerned, all that was left was the quiet din of music and faint whispers that were alike to chattering, but not so any longer. On top of that, the hill had a nice view of the park and the woods off to the distance.

”No… I suppose I’m not.” His voice had become a little less rasp now, and he was talking better. Still, there was an edge of nervousness to his voice that he couldn’t avoid. He cleared his throat and tried again. ”Johan is the family artist. My brother and I… are not really interested.”

However, the view from the hill was pretty as a picture, and Conrad couldn’t help but smile just a little. Even though his days in the orphanage were horrid, sometimes if Magnus wandered far enough and he came along, there would be the woods with a small hill. It sort of looked like this… but it had been a very long time ago, and his memory was hazy at best.

”It’s very pretty from here, isn’t it? Kind of like a photo.” Ah, there was his voice.

Like a magpie and a ring
I’m always going to be looking right to you