You Can't Hide...

[Adara Snow]

Adara's eyes widened briefly, then flicked down to glare at the paper. Her lips pressed tightly for one moment before she forced her face clear. Adara looked up at Emilian, one pale hand smoothing lightly against Emilian's jaw, then turning his face toward hers to look into his eyes. "It is ridiculous," she said. "You know this. I am yours. Only yours." Love and determination shone in her dark eyes as she looked at him.

[Emilian Sota]

Emilian smiled softly at the look in Adara's eyes, and nodded, "Yes, I know. But I'm not the only one that reads the paper." Just because they knew she wasn't like that, didn't mean that others wouldn't give her looks because of the implications of the paper. He closed the paper and put his arm around her waist. He didn't think that she would do anything, but that meant little when everyone always believed whatever was in the paper.

[Adara Snow]

"If that woman writes anything about me, it will be a lie," Adara said, her soft voice firming with the words. "We know the truth, do we not? And is that not the only thing of importance?" She had said those words to Emilian before, in regards to his own reputation in comparison to their relationship. She believed it now as much as she had then.

[Emilian Sota]

"I still don't like the idea of people thinking that about you," Emilian said, having an uncomfortable flashback to her father saying similar things about her relationship with him. He knew how people would think, they would think however the paper told them to, and he hated the idea of her getting grief because of it, she had already been through so much for being with him.

[Adara Snow]

"They can think what they wish," Adara said. She shifted, pressing her body against Emilian's, and smoothing her hands up his chest. She rose up slightly to bring her lips to his, hoping to distract him from his unpleasant thoughts, and hers as well. She did not truly worry about what people might think, but she understood that Emilian might, and that was trouble enough.

[Emilian Sota]

Emilian accepted what Adara offered, even if the thought was still in the back of his mind. He let his hands rest on her hips, holding her lightly to him and letting himself be distracted for a little while. He rocked slightly with her, wanting to get the most out of it, since he knew that Dare would be coming up soon, it had been too long since hearing the alarm, anyway.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare's hand was on the doorknob before he remembered one of the cardinal rules for Emilian's shop, or so he thought of it. He paused, released the doorknob, then lifted his hand to knock firmly. Then he looked over his shoulder at Michael. They'd walked in before, but...Dare hadn't forgotten Emilian walking in on him and Michael. He figured he'd be cautious and try to show some respect.

[Emilian Sota]

Emilian sighed as he slowly broke the kiss and glanced over at the door. He pressed another light kiss to Adara's lips before pulling back slightly and wrapping one arm around her waist. "Come in," he called, certain that it was Dare, no one but him and Michael knew how to get in beside Emilian and Adara.

[Adara Snow]

Adara was dazed when the kiss ended, and she hardly heard Emilian's words. She made no move to shift beside him, at least not for some moments. Then she realized that Emilian wouldn't have pulled away without reason, so she looked up at him, then followed his gaze to the door. Even once she realized what had happened, she couldn't seem to pull away from him, though.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael followed Dare into the room, glad to see that, while they had obviously interrupted something, they hadn't walked in on anything going on. One thing he was very glad of. He squeezed Dare's hand lightly again as his eyes caught on the Daily Prophet laying on the table and then flicked up to Emilian before concentrating on some spot on the table.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

For once, Dare decided that avoidance was the best decision. He said nothing about the Prophet, though he knew that Michael had noticed. "I have the portrait," Dare said. He reached past Michael to set his sketchbook directly on top of the newspaper, then hitched his book bag up higher on his shoulder and reached for his wand. He summoned the portrait, in miniature, catching it from the air with his wand hand. Then he glanced at Michael, gave his hand a supportive squeeze, and forced himself to let go. "It expands like the other," he explained, bringing the portrait to his other hand. He tapped the portrait with his wand, expanding it and its frame, and offered the portrait to Adara.

[Emilian Sota]

Emilian couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Dare, the shirt and the nails combining to give him an odd feeling, bringing back a memory of someone, a guy he remembered not liking very much. But then, that could have been the memory of Silver popping up for a second. He didn't immediately notice anything about Michael, but it wasn't long before he noticed the bright green on his nails. He just barely kept himself from saying something, biting down hard on his tongue because something in how Michael was standing said that something had happened. He glanced down at where the paper was covered by Dare's sketchbook before looking up at Adara to watch.

[Adara Snow]

Adara thanked Dare softly as she took the portrait with both hands, then dropped her gaze. It was Emilian, exactly the way she loved him, with a hint of that wicked smile and that gleam in his eyes that brought a blush to her cheeks. There was his robe, parted to show just enough of his chest to tantalize without melting her completely. Adara's teeth moved against her bottom lip. He was looking at her as though he were thinking of...

Adara blushed softly and blinked, drawing the portrait closer to her body and forcing her gaze up to meet Dare's. "Thank you," she said again, those words all she was capable of at the moment. She wanted to hide the portrait, to keep it close to herself. She wanted... Adara looked up at Emilian, her lips curving, eyes shining for one brief moment before she lowered her gaze again. "It is perfect," she said softly.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael had looked up in time to see Adara's reaction, and, upon seeing it, looked over at Dare with a small smile and a strange surge of pride for Dare's work. He didn't know where it came from, but he felt it, pride for something he hadn't done, but that Dare had done. It was a weird feeling, but he didn't push it away, instead he let it come and push away some of the negative thoughts that persisted at the edge of his mind.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare inclined his head lightly toward Adara, his lips curving slightly. "You're welcome," he said. There was no need to explain for her, and so there was only the feeling of a job well done. Dare lowered his head slightly, letting his hair shield him just that much, and reached for Michael's hand again as he tucked his wand away. He linked their fingers together and gave a light squeeze. "So...I guess that's it, right?" he asked. He'd been told to expect getting kicked out, so that was what he fully expected.