What're You Waiting For? - - - [Angeline]

[conrad]

Oh, I want some more; what are you waiting for?
Take a bite of my heart tonight.

Conrad may have been a jerk, may have been insensitive and once you got him to talk, may have made you cry at one point. Most likely, actually. But another fact about him was that he was a loner, and a rather shy one at that. He spoke so little, he sometimes legitimately lost his ability to do so and could only speak in a raspy whisper until he regained it. He didn’t speak to strangers unless spoken to first, and rarely volunteered information, even when it was asked of him.

Which was why it came as such a shock when there was a letter waiting for him on the coffee table that morning.

The dusty blond paused by it, staring at the crisp white envelope with his name across the front flap, written in a fancy but standard cursive. Who would that possibly be from? Perhaps from Johan, though he was usually one to be more direct… With a shiver up his spine, more out of a sudden edginess, he thought it might’ve been from Magnus. He rarely sent letters anymore, but it was Valentines day… No, it couldn’t be. Magnus didn’t care enough anymore for that, so he told himself was the case. Magnus didn’t care, and that was why he left, so why the hell would he be sending letters?

But upon tearing open the top and scrolling through the words line-by-line, he found his trepidation warranted for more than one reason. A love letter, and an invitation, in neatly printed letters across a light pink paper. Conrad tilted his head and read it again, not knowing what to do and stalling for time. This was… unusual, to say the least.

Reading it a third time, tucking the location away in his mind, he folded the paper up and pushed it into his pocket, to be deposited in his room a little later. It would be only polite to go… but then again, why the hell should he? If someone was oh-so-interested in him, wouldn’t it have been better to come and speak to him? Or were they just shy. He decided he’d go, later that evening when he had finished a day’s work.

He switched into slightly finer clothes… as fine as he could get, anyway. A scarf was mandatory, and he wound it around his neck like a shield before heading out the door, knowing nobody was home and leaving a note just in case.

The place was loud. He didn’t like it. There were too many lights, too many distractions and too many… people. They crowded him, bumped into him occasionally and glared when they did so until he finally found a bench on the far east side and tucked himself down to that. A folded paper rose was held in his hands; it was impossible to find real roses on Valentines day, so he improvised and made them himself… A crisply folded red bloom on a long green stem. It was out of politeness, but also a sort of curiousity. Who would this person be?

Hush hush, the world is quiet. Hush hush, we both can’t fight it.
It’s us who made this mess; say goodbye to my heart tonight.

[ress4]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true]

[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]

Letters were, simply put, rare around the old Le Blanc home. Angeline was the only real occupant left, her parents off and moved into their own place, and she couldn't actually read a standard letter. A phone call made far more sense, so when a letter arrived, her initial assumption was that it was junk mail. Even so, it was valentines, and there was a chance it wasn't - so she released John, and had him read her the letter. Conveying the message right to her mind, Angeline was growing steadily redder as her face flushed. A love letter. Who would possibly be sending her one of those? Only, of course, there was only one person who could even possibly be sending her that letter. Only one person she had met would actually send a letter, rather then fielding any courting requests through her parents. The suspicion was only increased by the fact that it was a letter - most others had worked out she was blind, and thus far, Conrad hadn't. Of course, there was nothing to do but to go - albeit with escort. Returning John to his pokeball, she made haste to change - swapping into a blue and white dress with a large bow for her hair. She dressed nicely, after all, since it was, technically, a date. Yes, a date, a wonderful date, and her first with someone outside of her immediate social sphere. She'd been courted before, but that was not nearly the same thing. Of course, she could hardly go unchaperoned - which meant bringing out Jim. It was Jim, after all, who was the most fearsome and impressive of her pokemon. With one hand on the shiny Scyther's back, she approached the park, letting the pokemon guide her to the meeting place.

[conrad]

Oh, I want some more; what are you waiting for?
Take a bite of my heart tonight.

...would it be too late to go and back out already? Conrad shifted uncomfortably, playing with the end of his scarf, picking at the frayed threads. He’d been waiting for a good fifteen minutes past the scheduled time, and nobody had yet to arrive. Perhaps it was sent to the wrong person. Of course, that had to be it, right? Nobody in their right mind would be interested in the likes of him; he’d decided that a long time ago, so he wasn’t sure why he second guessed this time. He sighed, just about to toss the paper rose into a nearby trash can and leave when he saw someone approaching.

The person wasn’t that hard to miss in the first place. She did have a large, strangely coloured Scyther with her... And it was Angeline.

Oh.

His heart stopped cold and dead in his chest for a few seconds before coming back in double the force, causing his cheeks to flush a bright red. Her? Angeline had extended an invitation to the carnival... through a love letter... He wasn’t sure if that was entirely appropriate. Didn’t people get to know each other before confessing that the other occupied their mind? Didn’t they become friends first? It completely boggled him, being so unsure of a lot of social norms in the first place.

”Oh... hello there, Angeline.” A small wave in her direction, though his shyness was beginning to prevail. He was practically hiding behind his scarf as he greeted her, still holding the folded flower in one hand and forgetting about it for the time being. ”You look... nice... tonight.” His voice was once again rasp, grating almost as he tried to get his words to come out right. Is that what people usually said to greet each other on a date? Wait, was this a date?

Hush hush, the world is quiet. Hush hush, we both can’t fight it.
It’s us who made this mess; say goodbye to my heart tonight.

[ress4]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true]

[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]

It would have been a lie to claim that she wasn't nervous. How could he not be nervous, after all? She'd never done anything like this, never really gone off on her own, to meet with a strange person. Even so, it was to her endless relief that she actually recognized the voice that spoke, mentally confirming that yes, it was Conrad there. Conrad was good - far better him then anyone else. Conrad was nice, after all, and more then a little ignorant about how this sort of thing was supposed to work. If it had been someone else, someone from her own social circle, the way the letter had ignored social graces would have been worrying. With Conrad, he simply didn't know any better. Jim didn't like Conrad from the start, but to be fair, he didn't like much of anyone. The Scyther shifted, wings twitching as if he was considering taking off at any moment, and simply taking his charge with him. Angeline was nice, at least, and had bribed him more then a little bit. She'd spoiled him rotten, and now he'd protect her, even if it was mostly just protecting his favorite source of treats. He made a tiny little growling noise, wings flicking up to make himself look larger then he was. Angeline nodded her head slightly, giving him a faint smile. "Hello, Conrad. I can't deny I was sort of expecting this, after all." Well, perhaps not the letter, but at least who it was from.

[conrad]

Oh, I want some more; what are you waiting for?
Take a bite of my heart tonight.

A habit that had stuck with him since he was a child, and one Magnus tried to break him of multiple times but never succeeded, was the fact that he hid behind his scarf when he was feeling any sort of anxiety. It probably didn’t look very manly of him and he knew it made him look childish, but he couldn’t help it. At least the tan strip of cloth hid his blush well enough as Angeline and her Scyther approached.

And he didn’t like how the Scyther was looking at him at all. Predatory, almost... Like it was watching him for any wrong moves and as soon as he made a single one, his arm would probably be gone. He’d never really worked with large Pokemon before, besides Pasha’s old Beartric, and even he was strangely grumpy most of the time. He almost regretted not taking one of his own Pokemon now, just as a safeguard. Then again, what could a sheep and two small dogs do against a beast like that Scyther?

Expecting what? Conrad shifted nervously from foot to foot, the paper flower in his hand almost entirely forgotten. She had sent the letter after all, she should have expected him to be here. He was still at a loss of what to say, and only a nod was given in return. He wanted to say something, just to break the nervousness in his head, and he knew he had to work his voice to get it at all to a normal level.

”Ah, your... letter... was sweet...” His voice was, once again, a rasp that would slowly get better as he spoke more and more. With that, he suddenly remembered the paper rose in his hand and immediately held it out to her on an open palm. ”I made this... for you...”

Hush hush, the world is quiet. Hush hush, we both can’t fight it.
It’s us who made this mess; say goodbye to my heart tonight.

[ress4]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true]

[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]

One of the great flaws of blindness was that, simply put, she would never see his blush. Even if he wanted her too, she couldn't. Jim, however, could, and waved his wings, trying to look even larger. How dare that little human blush at his mistress? She was... well, he didn't think she was particularly special, but she was the one who fed him. Her letter was sweet, though? That was enough to make Angeline pause, head tipping slightly to the side. It meant nothing, really, but it was instinct - shift her head so she could hear better, work out where he was better. "My letter...?" What letter was he talking about? The letter that he'd send her, maybe? Only no, that was strange - so odd and weird. Why word it that way, of all possible ways...? His gift, though (because it was obvious that was what it was), through her off. She didn't know where it was. From what he'd said, he was probably presenting it to her, only she couldn't tell where. Was it something heavy? Large? Where were his hands? She would only get one chance, really, so she tried - steadily reaching out and going right under his hand. She knew, already, that she'd messed up. She should never have tried to reach for it, and now it was obvious - she'd reached out, missed, and pulled her hand back. What else could it be. "I can't say I know what letter you're talking about. The one you sent me?" She said, hoping to distract him, even if it was no doubt already too late.

[conrad]

Oh, I want some more; what are you waiting for?
Take a bite of my heart tonight.

For a second, Conrad's blood froze still in his veins. He thought he'd made a terrible mistake; Angeline looked like she had no idea what he was talking about when it came to a letter. He took a deep, though shaky steadying breath, wanting nothing more than to try to keep his embarassment from going on for much longer.

The flower still sat on his palm, not even grasped and he watched tentitively as Angeline reached for it. She seemed like she was hesitant to even touch it, let alone take it, and he hoped he wasn't going at this the wrong way. But it was to his great surprise that she... undershot the mark. Her hand seemed to slip completely underneath his, grasp at air, then pull back. Then it seemed to click; the way her blue eyes stared off into the distance like that... The night when he was talking to her at the photography exibition. It fit together, but he still wasn't completely sure, and definitely wasn't crass enough to ask out loud.

"Ah... here..." He took her hand again, even after she drew it back, and placed the paper rose delicately in her palm. Conrad then let go, hoping he was doing the right thing. He didn't really have experience with girls, after all.

That was, until she asked him about his letter. The one he seemed to be unaware to have sent himself. There was a long, tense pause before he finally spoke up. "I... got a letter from... you... I never sent... one..."

Hush hush, the world is quiet. Hush hush, we both can’t fight it.
It’s us who made this mess; say goodbye to my heart tonight.

[ress4]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true]

[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]

Had he worked it out? Most likely. How could he miss something like that? He had probably figured it out. Maybe he was just being polite, not blurting it out. Maybe he was completely oblivious. Who knew? Until he said something, all she could do was stew unpleasantly in her own mind. Of course, what he did next made it fairly clear - taking her hand lightly and placing the gift in it. It took her a moment to realize what it was, hands shifting to cup it between them, trying to work it out. It was made of paper, but the shape was odd - origami, or something. A flower? Ahh, a rose. It occurred to her then what it was - a flower, essentially. It was sweet, and she smiled, giving him a little nod. "That's sweet of you." She responded, smile genuine. She was pleased, really. Flowers were nice, and the origami rose seemed to indicate proper effort, rather then simply buying a rose. What he said next, though, only made her pause, Jim shifting curiously at her side. "I received a love letter from a secret admirer, saying to meet at this location. I assumed it was you...?" Was it someone else? Had she made a mistake? "I don't send letters." No letters at all - not just love letters.

[conrad]

Oh, I want some more; what are you waiting for?
Take a bite of my heart tonight.

In his mind, she was close to most definitely blind. He’d never utter it out loud unless she gave him an opening to, but she seemed to function so normally… Conrad couldn’t imagine what it’d be like, even if he himself was blind in his left eye from some injury everybody refused to talk to him about, and one he didn’t remember. His thoughts were only backed up when he saw her feeling the rose, as if trying to figure out what exactly it was before coming to her conclusion and smiling at him.

At least that was appreciated. It didn’t make up for the fact that her next word froze him in place. She didn’t send a letter..? And he definitely didn’t send one, so all his mind could think of was that this was some cruel prank. It was… upsetting. But not the kind of upsetting that usually happened, but a different kind that sort of sat in the pit of his stomach.

”I…” But what was there to say? He found it sort of strange that he was hoping the letter would’ve been from Angeline, but she had been his only friend in a very long time. That would’ve been too much to ask for, wouldn’t it? Conrad sighed in defeat, not so much hiding behind his scarf now that the main reason for embarrassment was gone. Now it was just awkward, and disappointing. ”I’m sorry for wasting your time… then…” His voice was once again beginning to fizzle out.

Hush hush, the world is quiet. Hush hush, we both can’t fight it.
It’s us who made this mess; say goodbye to my heart tonight.

[ress4]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true]

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One didn't need to see Conrad's face to work out what he was thinking. Angeline had thought the same things, just seconds before. Who had sent the letters? Not her parents, who would hardly approve of her going on a date with someone as rough as Conrad. She had no friends who would enjoy this sort of prank, and the only conclusion she could draw was that it was someone she didn't know. That didn't help the situation much at all, but she couldn't help but feel a twang of pity at the sorrow in Conrad's voice. For her, it was a matter of social obligation. She liked Conrad, all in all, but it would be rude to ignore that sort of social proposal. Of course, it would be rude to accept a date from someone her parents would consider 'beneath' her, but she certainly wasn't going to obey that part. Angeline shook her head, cutting him off. "That's unnecessary. We're both here anyway, and I've never been to a Carnival, so perhaps you'd be my escort?"

[conrad]

Oh, I want some more; what are you waiting for?
Take a bite of my heart tonight.

Conrad's initial embarrassment had subsided, only to be replaced by a bitter disappointment. He supposed he shouldn't have hoped for too much when she arrived, though he couldn't think of anyone he knew who would do something like this. Johan would never, as far as he was concerned. Magnus probably was busy with other parts of his life, and he didn't really know anybody else at all. So in turn, he tried to dismiss himself and save another beating to his barely-there pride. Angeline wouldn't have any of that however.

Escort her? Like he had with Johan to his parties? He supposed that sounded well enough. Hoping for a date seemed like a bit much though, so just escorting would be alright. It seemed to be turning into one of those few things he was good at. He wasn't particularly intimidating though, and he definitely didn't know the town as some did.

"Alright... If you don't mind it. I'd be glad."  Because he would be. The Scyther was going to loom over the both of them all night, if he could take a guess. Still, the lights that flickered nearby and the noise and colours had
a certain degree of appeal. He wondered why Johan wasn't here. Lately, he looked to be getting a bit more cheerful, which was good for him, though Conrad sensed it wasn't just because. 

Conrad thought for a split second to reach out and take her hand. The place was loud and he didn't know if she could follow him without trouble, or if she'd get lost. So he refrained out of politeness. "Where do you want to go?"

Hush hush, the world is quiet. Hush hush, we both can’t fight it.
It’s us who made this mess; say goodbye to my heart tonight.

[ress4]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true]

[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]

For Angeline, being escorted was, for all intents and purposes, a date. He could call it what he pleased, but that was what it was - a date. Two young people out travelling a Carnival? It was downright romantic. Jim twitched, wings fluttering slightly as he nudged at Angeline's hand, doing what could only be described as whining. It was obvious he wasn't eager to let Conrad anywhere near her, but Angeline simply patted his head. "It's alright, Jim. Conrad will look out for me." She added, drawing out a green pokeball and withdrawing the shiny scyther to his pokeball. "I apologize about him. He's very protective... and aggressive. I have to keep him close, or else he'll start slicing to ribbons anyone who looks at me." Despite the seriousness, her voice was obviously in good humor, and she was smiling. "I really wouldn't know. I've never been to a carnival."

[conrad]

Oh, I want some more; what are you waiting for?
Take a bite of my heart tonight.

Conrad kept a careful eye on the Scyther, almost feeling the disapproval radiating from the beast in waves. He was sure that if given the chance, he’d be given a while new scar and perhaps he’d need a new scarf on top of it. He was relieved in no small measure when the thing was recalled to it’s Pokeball; an oddly coloured one at that, but he wouldn’t be complaining.

”Ah, I know how that is… the latter, at least.” Like heck his own Pokemon were protective of him, but they were all a bunch of aggressive little buggers who thirsted for blood, it seemed. He contemplated turning them into a hunting team, but he’d need more time to train them into that.

Conrad eyed the explosions of colour coming from the nearby carnival warily. He wasn’t sure how to go about it either; such events weren’t his ‘thing’. In fact, if not for the letter, he’d prefer to watch the fanfare from the news the next day, avoiding the event itself altogether. ”I don’t usually go to these things myself, so…” And there was a slight smile then, a memory suddenly opening up in his mind of his childhood. He held out his hand to Angeline. ”Wing it as we go?”

Hush hush, the world is quiet. Hush hush, we both can’t fight it.
It’s us who made this mess; say goodbye to my heart tonight.

[ress4]

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Apparently, she wasn't the only one who lacked experience in such things. She had absolutely no experience at all, really, and finding out that he had none also was a bit... surprising. Conrad wasn't nearly as shut in as she was, trapped in her own rooms, unable and unwilling to leave without assistance, even if it was only from her pokemon. Why would Conrad not have been before...? She supposed simply because he didn't want to. She nodded, happy to agree. "We can... yes, wing it." The phrase sounded so odd to her, and in her blindness, she completely missed the offered hand, waiting instead for the sound of his footsteps. She could follow those, at least.

[conrad]

Oh, I want some more; what are you waiting for?
Take a bite of my heart tonight.

Conrad’s arm extended into the air like a branch of a tree for a little while, still offered before he soon realized that Angeline probably couldn’t see it. Now that was embarrassing, was it? He pressed his lips into a tight line, suddenly feeling rather bad. He may have been blind in one eye, but at least it was only one. Angeline couldn’t see at all... and he had to wonder if it was from an accident, or if she was born like that. It would be unfortunate if it were the former though.

Having Angeline follow him around all night didn’t seem so gentlemanly, even if that had worn out over the past couple of years, with everybody gone. Still, after his hand wasn’t taken, Conrad took her hand anyway. He was gentle, even though his knuckles were rather calloused and the palms of his hands rough from work. They did plenty to ward off splinters and cuts, but compared to his, Angeline’s hands were rather delicate and small.

The sounds only grew steadily louder as they headed towards the more clustered areas of the carnival. People shuffled around them, marvelling at the sounds and the colours that the girl probably couldn’t see... There were couples too, strolling about and heading towards the quieter areas of the parks. There was a sort of contagious joy in the bright atmosphere, and a tiny smile finally cracked his face. ”So is there anything that... sounds appealing?” Because she probably couldn’t see anything appealing.

Hush hush, the world is quiet. Hush hush, we both can’t fight it.
It’s us who made this mess; say goodbye to my heart tonight.