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Post by Dahlia Alexander on Jul 21, 2008 21:12:56 GMT -5
Dahlia firmly repressed a grimace at the boy's softly spoken demand. And it was a demand, her instincts told her persistently. "It's dangerous up there," she said, knowing that wouldn't stop a teenage boy bent on morbid curiosity. "Give me five minutes to see if I can clear a path?" She gave a sweet, hopeful smile that wasn't quite enough to hide the calculation in her eyes.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jul 21, 2008 21:21:13 GMT -5
"I'll walk with you," Michael said, "Easier to clear a path with two other people than by yourself." He looked at the door with a mix of yearning and fear, he wanted to go up, but what if it was bad? What if everything pointed to what Cleo had said. His hand tightened in Dare's, "You can't keep me away," he said. He wasn't going to leave until he had the chance to go up those stairs.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Jul 21, 2008 21:25:52 GMT -5
Dare could feel the tension creeping into Michael, and his own body tensed as well. He was less worried about what was upstairs at the moment than about a possible explosion between Michael and the woman blocking their path. He almost wanted to warn her, but then, that would be giving her an edge, so he kept silent, and hoped for the best.
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Post by Dahlia Alexander on Jul 21, 2008 21:32:40 GMT -5
Dahlia smiled sweetly, almost patronizingly at the boy. "I'm not going to keep you away," she said gently. "I'm just going to run upstairs, and I'll be back in five minutes. Are you in a hurry?" she asked, blinking suddenly innocent-looking eyes at him. Through it all, her wand didn't drop in the least.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jul 21, 2008 21:38:09 GMT -5
"I don't see why I should have to wait for you when he's my friend," Michael said, meeting her eyes. "Who are you?" Who did this woman think she was? She had no right to tell him if he could or couldn't go up there. What was she hiding that was so important that she needed to go up before them? His hand twitched slightly by his wand, ready to grab it if he needed to.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Jul 21, 2008 21:40:38 GMT -5
Dare's gaze jumped back and forth as though he were watching a tennis match. He could feel the tension in the room rising, and his hand tightened against Michael's, though he couldn't be sure Michael was even aware of him anymore.
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Post by Dahlia Alexander on Jul 21, 2008 21:42:56 GMT -5
Dahlia's false sweetness slipped, and her eyes flashed. "You can wait, or I can see you back out the way you came," she said, her voice laced with warning. She'd seen the motion of the boy's hand, as subtle as it was, and her hackles were raised, but she was neither backing down, nor afraid in the least.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jul 21, 2008 21:48:19 GMT -5
Michael had forgotten about Dare until he felt the tightening of his hand. Dare had a calming effect on him, keeping him from making decisions he would normally have made without thinking, the decisions that usually ended badly for him. He swallowed and backed down, he didn't want to leave. "If you're not back, I'm going up after you," he said, keeping her eyes. He would get up there.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Jul 21, 2008 21:52:18 GMT -5
Dare nearly breathed a sigh of relief. He could feel that something had been avoided there, and he was grateful for it. He squeezed Michael's hand again in support, and encouragement. He knew they wouldn't be leaving without somehow getting upstairs, but the less violence that occurred in the meantime, the better.
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Post by Dahlia Alexander on Jul 21, 2008 21:54:55 GMT -5
Dahlia would have rolled her eyes if she weren't so determined not to take her gaze off the boy. She wouldn't be intimidated. "Think of it this way," she said, "if I escape out a window, you'll have the place all to yourself." She'd be far more likely to put up her locks on the living room door. In fact, that wasn't a half bad idea. Dahlia felt her way back to the stairs, keeping her wand raised, and made her escape. magikal05.proboards46.com/index.cgi?board=jbedroom&action=display&thread=3541&page=7#70342 |
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jul 21, 2008 22:02:21 GMT -5
Michael watched her leave then turned to Dare, squeezing his hand lightly, "Thanks." He had almost lost it there, he wondered if Dare knew. He turned to one of the displays that was close to them, needing something to concentrate on. He couldn't just be there, he would have ran up the stairs if he stared at the door any more.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Jul 21, 2008 22:08:06 GMT -5
Dare sidled up closer to Michael, his free hand rising to smooth his hair away from his face. "That's what I'm here for, isn't it?" he asked. He'd come as support, knowing that was all he could do, and knowing that it was everything at a time like this. Dare couldn't help wanting to watch Michael, but he dropped his gaze to the jewellery display instead, giving Michael just that much space, as little as it was.
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Post by Michael Blackwood-Hardt on Jul 21, 2008 22:15:40 GMT -5
Michael gave a small smile and he nodded. "Yeah. Wish I knew who she was..." he said, his eyes trailing back up to the door. "She's acting security guard over the place." The glint in his eyes screamed that he didn't like it, that it wasn't right. He was more and more glad of Dare's presence as the minutes wore on, glad for the hold on reality Dare had for him.
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Post by Dare Blackwood-Hardt on Jul 21, 2008 22:21:24 GMT -5
Dare shrugged. "That's good, isn't it?" he asked, looking back up at Michael. "I mean, if it was the others, we wouldn't have gotten in, right?" And there would have been more of them. It occurred to Dare then that there could be even more groups involved than he'd known, but he hoped not.
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Post by Dahlia Alexander on Jul 21, 2008 22:26:53 GMT -5
Dahlia's wand was still out when she got to the bottom of the stairs, but it wasn't in full defensive position anymore. "You can come up," she said. "But keep your wands in your pockets, boys, and I want to see your hands." She waved her wand toward the stairwell, fully intending to follow them up.
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