Come out and Play (Chase & Anna)

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase's brows rose at Anna's response, her obvious excitement tearing a small hole through his indifference. He could almost feel excited, too. "So it's an abbreviation," Chase repeated, thinking on that for a moment. That meant that it was probably t.v. rather than tee vee, though it didn't really matter. "I've heard of it," he clarified. "I don't even know where anymore. So I sort of know. In theory." He'd never so much as seen a drawing of one. Where was it that he'd heard of it?

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"I'm sure I have something in one of my books that explains it better, but it's not the same as having one to watch. And the telly's what you watch movies on too. I don't see how wizards can go without movies to watch, they're so entertaining and all." She could understand why wizards didn't need things like electricity and cars when they had magic and the ability to apparate, but she thought they were missing out on some of the fun things in life.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase cocked his head as he looked at Anna. "People-watching's the same thing, isn't it? Why would you want a box to show you what you can go outside and see?" It didn't make much sense when put that way. Chase had an interest in t.v. or telly or whatever it was, but more as an oddity than a way to be entertained. Why would people rather watch theater in a little box than simply go to a theater? It seemed the more that Chase learned about Muggles, the more confusing they were.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"It's not quite the same as people watching." Anna explained without sounding defensive. "There's so many different things you can watch: from cartoons, which are animated versions of comic books like the Matrix, to news, which would be reporters telling you whats going on instead of reading it in the paper. Then there are shows and movies. Movies are like acted out novels or the theater, but they look like real life, and telly shows are like mini movies that come on once a week and tell a continuous story. Then there's history shows, and human interest shows, and comedy, and music videos, and so on." Anna stopped herself with a blush, realizing that she was probably giving way more information than Chase cared to hear about. She inspected her nails as if she were suddenly interested in them. "It can be really entertaining at times, although I think people that watch too much are lazy."

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase let Anna ramble on with nothing more than a cocked eyebrow. When she finally stopped, he let himself idly notice her blush as he picked through what she'd said, all of which he'd listened to. She was entertaining. Interesting. "Sounds lazy to me." Probably hypocritical of him to say, but his inactivity wasn't due to laziness, but boredom. Lack of motivation.

"Why would you want someone else to read you the paper?" he asked, that question summing up his opinion of the entire thing. There was a lot of what she said that that sounded interesting, but maybe he was playing Devil's Advocate. It came back to the same thing he'd told her about reading. If you wanted to do something, you should do it.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna shrugged her shoulders, still staring at her cuticles as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. "I guess it's one of those things that grow on you. I think you'd be interested if you could watch it once. It's just another form of entertainment, Muggles go to dinner and a movie all the time for dates, and my mum likes watching the news as she cooks dinner. For me, I like reading novels and the theater, so watching movies falls right into that category." She wanted to look up to see what he was thinking, but was afraid that he might be looking at her like she'd grown a second head.

[Chase Firebrand]

The idea of cooking dinner--or his mother cooking dinner--was a foreign concept to Chase. In fact, it was downright laughable. Even so, he supposed that if he put aside the oddity of that thought that having someone read the news while one did something else could be useful. If one felt the need to be that busy.

"So Muggles will go and just sit somewhere watching this box on a date?" he asked at last, shifting to one of Anna's points that he wasn't able to figure out on his own. "It sounds like a waste of time to me." Why would you want to watch a box when there were so many more interesting things to do?

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Well, for dates they have these theaters, but instead of a stage, there's a large screen that the movie plays on." Anna blushed deep red at the images she'd seen of other couples in the movie came to mind, and how they hadn't really been paying any attention to what was playing on the big screen. She quickly added, "I've never been on a date to one; I've only gone with my family." She wondered what if would be like to sit through a movie with Chase, if they would actually watch it, or spend the time alone in the dark for other things.

[Chase Firebrand]

Chase cocked his head as he looked at Annabelle, trying and failing to decide what about theater had brought that teasing blush to her cheeks. It couldn't be that Muggle movies were more risqué than theater if she'd gone with her family, so what was it? From what Chase knew of theater, it was a boring occasion broken up with the odd interesting play. "What is it?" Chase asked, as though those simple words would be enough to prod Anna into confessing.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

The image of her and Chase sitting in a darkened movie theater grew stronger despite her attempt to shake it from her mind. She could imaging them embracing, doing things they'd previously enjoyed while those around them were oblivious. His question brought her back to reality, and she moved her hands up to cover her heated cheeks. "It's, um....nothing." Annabelle stammered, not able to think enough to even attempt an excuse for her reactions. She wouldn't even know where to start to explain how different watching a movie on a date might be compared to going with her family. In the past she'd always mocked people that wasted money to go to the movies and missed half the show. Now, however, she wished she could experience being one of them.

[Chase Firebrand]

"It doesn't look like nothing," Chase observed. The motion of Anna's hands against her cheeks had only served to draw his attention further. He had the sudden urge to catch her hands just so she couldn't hide it. "Tell me," he prompted, the words low, but interested. She couldn't have a reaction like that and expect him not to wonder, and Chase was beginning to suspect that Muggle dates were something more than the typical Wizarding date of boring small talk and feigned interest. Why else would she be so quick to assure him that she'd never been on one?

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"It's not." Anna hesitated on his persistence. She knew that resistance was a wasted endeavor, and that if he wasn't willing to let it pass, she'd end up having to tell him anyway. Wanting to get it out before it was made into an even bigger deal than she'd already made it, she quickly mumbled, "Couples make out and such during the movie." She still avoided looking at him, wishing instead that a rabbit hole might appear that she could slide down. She'd never been comfortable with kissing in public when she knew others were around, and even discussing the topic was embarrassing.

[Chase Firebrand]

There was a moment of surprise, not at Anna's words so much as the effort it had taken her to say them, then Chase's lips curved into a smirk that his eyes echoed with a light wash of scarlet. He couldn't stop himself from prodding. "You don't suddenly have a problem with making out, do you?" he asked lightly. He couldn't stop himself from pushing it a step further, either. He straightened a bit again, and brought one hand up to lightly stroke the edge of Anna's jaw.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Well no...." Anna instinctively leaned into his touch, allowing herself the excitement and comfort of the gesture while her mind worked to come up with an answer to his question. She didn't know how much to say, if he was really asking because he wanted to know. "There's nothing wrong with kissing and stuff, I've just never been able to do it with Mi-y ex when I thought someone else could be watching. And I get embarrassed when I see other people being.....Intimate." She didn't know what other word to use. She was sure what the couples in the theater were doing surpassed a simple make-out session; she'd figured that out from the novels she read, but the books only described the actions without giving them a name. Even after experiencing some of the things first hand, she still didn't know what other people referred to them as.

[Chase Firebrand]

Being intimate, Chase mentally repeated, his continued amusement showing in his eyes with another few sparks of color. He dismissed her near-mention of her ex entirely. As far as he was concerned, Michael was a nonentity now that he wasn't in the dorm anymore. He still wasn't sure if the Headmistress had pulled him or if the other guys had pushed him out, but it didn't really matter to him as long as the guy wasn't interfering in his life.

There were more interesting things to think about, though. Like Anna's assertion that she couldn't kiss when others could be watching. Or at least that she couldn't before. She certainly hadn't minded at the masquerade. "You read romance novels, don't you?" Chase asked. "Aren't those pretty much just verbal porn?" He wouldn't know, considering he'd never read one, but that was the assumption.