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Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 22, 2018 13:59:37 GMT -7
"Very much so" she admits and huffs out a laugh. Lexi was pretty sure that had been the reason why her mother had woke her up to make sure that she had a drink before doing anything stupid but her own mother wasn't as clued in as she had hoped to be. Jo worries so much more about her than she does the two boys that were doing things too. James was in the military and Jace was doing whatever it was that he done but it seemed like Jo had only worries for her and it made her feel very overwhelmed when it came to all of this. She never liked anyone worrying about her and she definitely didn't like her mother worrying.
But with a broken marriage behind her anyone would probably worry about her well being and with losing Teresa a year before she hadn't actually taken things well.
"Well I will use the information you gave me about all of this and try to put it down on my laptop at the hotel but for now I think this is all I will need for now" Adrian then spoke about sending her to someone that would be able to help her with the rest and with Amelia filling in her own life it would mean that this other man might be able to help with what had happened at Winterfell. "I think I will leave that for now, get used to what is down here and then decide after that" she smiled softly at him and then nodded. It was a lot to take in and she was definitely going to need a drink tonight but for now she shut the journal up and put it back into her bag with the necklace.
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Post by Ray on Mar 22, 2018 18:17:59 GMT -7
An inexplicable sort of relief finds its way creeping into his mind when Lexi turns down the offer, his shoulders relaxing just slightly, a smile ticking at just one corner of his lips. Adrian knows it might be petty, stupid, to still harbor a bit of animosity towards Jon. Especially when he knows that Katherine breaking his heart was never Jon's fault. He imagines the man never knew, doesn't know, about what had happened during those years that Jon had been fighting wars and he and Katherine had been cheating cards and tangling in sheets. He imagines it would hurt him to know the full truth. He imagines, from an outside eye, that he is the villain of the story, stealing Katherine away with only a letter left behind.
Yet it still twists his gut to even think of the man.
He hesitates for a moment, setting his bottle down carefully upon the counter. "There is..." he says, and thinks he might regret it. Stories of other people he can tell. He's told plenty his entire life -- most true, the rest pure fiction just for his own delight. But the number of precious things he still has is slim, and he has always been reluctant to share. But he pulls in a deep breath and shifts off of the counter. "There's something you might like to see." He finishes. He moves away, disappearing back into his bedroom for a moment.
A bit reluctant, he drops to a knee at the foot of his bed where the small trunk sits, worn by time and travel and indelicate hands. He unlatches it and reaches inside, taking a hold of the very last thing he looked at the night before.
In the sunlight, the gold lettering upon the leather cover glitters. He swallows, steels his nerves, and rises back to his feet.
He unwinds the leather strap that seals the book as he moves into the kitchen, saying nothing as he navigates near the last pages, trying his best not to look at any of the rest of them. He sets it down carefully when he finds what he's looking for, spreading the book out flat, letting the light touch upon the old, timeless page. Even seven hundred years later, the pencil still looks fresh. The lines crisp. The shadows perfectly shaded. Mahal's one good gift to him. The tall, stone walls of a forgotten castle look back at him, sitting in a snowy basin, banners drawn high and made to look like the wind still moves through them. He turns the book for Lexi to see and clears his throat quietly. "It's Winterfell." He tells her, flicking his eyes to her face after nudging his chin towards the page.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 22, 2018 18:29:41 GMT -7
Lexi was about to stand up and grab her bag before heading out for the day. There were parts of London that she would like to see and with the weather looking like it could change she wanted to make the most of a rainless day. But of course just as she was even about to do any of that Adrian spoke and it was a little reluctant as if he wasn’t sure if he should do it. He spoke about showing her something and then walked off in the direction of the bedroom.
She stayed where she was and then a little moment later he was back and going through the journal that she had remembered from last night. The one she had looked at and then put on the ground before then finding the page and showing her.
Adrian said that it was Winterfell and from the journal she had of her own she knew that that was Amelia’s Home. From the picture she could see that it was amazing. She actually felt her heart pound in her chest because she remembered reading that it had been blown up and it had taken Mia a long time to get over it, even after she had married her second husband. She pulled the journal closer and her mouth fell open and even though it was a drawing she could just about imagine everything happening there.
Lexi pulled her lip in between her teeth and then slowly looked up at her. “Thank you for showing me this” she said softly and let a smile pull at her lips as her eyes watched his.
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Post by Ray on Mar 22, 2018 18:42:27 GMT -7
Adrian watches as she pulls the book closer to her, willing himself to let it leave his hands. A far more difficult task than she probably realizes. But her hands are careful, and the wonder that suddenly crosses her face makes the apprehension building in his chest melt away just enough to allow a smile to his lips. She looks it over, and his own eyes fall back to the familiar strokes and scribbles. Bilbo probably would have blushed and squirmed and protested loudly about his art being marveled over like this, always so humble and shy, even after years of dealing with Thorin's stubbornness. But of all the relics and artifacts that Jon has collected and kept, this... this is the one that matters the most.
It holds the very heart that Adrian lost so long ago.
"You're welcome." Adrian replies, voice a soft murmur. "There should be..." he says, and reaches out to flip the page. The next shows the godswood, and the Stark weirwood tree. For this, Bilbo had used dots of red ink for the leaves, ever the perfectionist. But the face upon the tree seems to smile, though Adrian remembers it being so grim. And then he turns the page once more, lulled in to the memories. To the safety of them.
But Fili's face looks back at him, a smiling portrait of a man and his new, blushing bride.
Adrian clears his throat and closes the book a bit sharply, feeling a lurch in his chest despite the emptiness there. "Sorry." He apologizes, realizing he'd acted a bit carelessly. "I think that was... all of them."
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 22, 2018 18:57:51 GMT -7
He showed her all the pictures that were in the book and for a moment she could find herself getting lost there in the pages of this beautiful castle that was clearly surrounded by snow but it was the pictures after the castle that had caught her breath as to how pretty they looked too.
Then she saw the picture of a man and a woman and she chewed on her lip once more when he closed the book sharply and then apologised before giving some excuse. It can’t be easy living this long and losing people that he cared about and clearly he cared about this man or even this woman, she wasn’t sure which one it was, enough for it to hurt but she didn’t ask because it wasn’t anything to do with her.
“They were beautiful though so I’m just glad that you allowed me a peek to see the castle” she gave a warm smile before she stood up from the stool. She went to say something but instead she done something that she probably shouldn’t have which was slowly put her hand on top of his. His skin was cold just like a vampires would be and it made her jump a little bit she kept her hand on top of his for a moment, giving it a soft squeeze before she drew her hand back from his and grabbing her bag from the table.
Lexi reached into her pocket and grabbed old a small piece of paper and reached back into her bag for the pen before writing her number down. “If you need some company or if you want to get a drink maybe you can give me a call or even a text on this number” she put the pen back into her bag before sliding the number over to where he was and gave him a soft smile once more.
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Post by Ray on Mar 22, 2018 19:15:29 GMT -7
He knows the excuse is shitty. His reaction even shittier. For years now, keeping his anger and moods in check has been easy. He's distracted himself, built routines, found work though the legality of any of it is questionable at best, and forced himself to accept the world as it comes. For all its fuck ups. But a part of that meant distancing himself from the parts of his past that still leaves wounds. Locking those things in that trunk. Keeping it at arms length. He thinks of Fili often. Remembers his voice and his jokes and every second of it. But letting him slip back into his thoughts, and looking at his face upon a page...
There is a very distinct difference. A sort of reality that's hard to escape.
He rolls his jaw, trying to think of something else to say. Another joke, perhaps. Another beer. But her hand is suddenly setting atop his, startling him with the warmth of her touch. He looks down to their hands but does not move, feeling his own skin prickle, feeling the heat soak in deep. She squeezes, and he feels his hand turning just slightly towards her.
But the moment does not last long. And she's drawing away from him to get his bag. "Sorry I couldn't be more help." He tells her, shifting his eyes back down to the counter, willing himself to push away a thought trying to worm its way into the back of his skull. "Like I said, I was drunk and stu-" he's cut of when he sees her writing upon a slip of paper -- a string of numbers it only takes one guess to figure out what it is. She slides it towards him with the offer, and whatever he had been about to say is forgotten completely. A slight smile ticks at the corner of his mouth. "I might do that." He tells her, lifting his brown eyes to her face and giving a small nod.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 22, 2018 19:26:10 GMT -7
He speaks about not being more help and honestly she felt a little guilty that she had asked for his help especially when she saw the look he had given at the picture “You’ve definitely given me more than I had” she admits and knows that once she gets enough then she would head back to the States and show her mother what she had but at the moment she would be staying in a hotel room in the centre and would over look the Thames while putting everything together.
He speaks again and she nods “You really should because it’s the least I can do for you helping me out” Lexi looks around the kitchen and honestly she’s not sure that she would see it again because of the fact that she had hurt him more than she wanted too. Making him relive things that clearly hurt him before and Lexi felt like she should back off but she was more than happy to get a drink with him should he ever want one.
She looks at him once more and starts thinking again that Katherine was an idiot to let this man go because even though he was a vampire and she had pretty much only just met him... there was something about him thought told her any girl would be lucky to have him love them. Apart from Katherine because she didn’t deserve his love.
Lexi swallows hard for a moment and taps the counter before she grabs the lunch that she never ate. “Well then I’ll speak to you soon” she nodded and then started moving away from the counter.
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Post by Ray on Mar 22, 2018 19:58:28 GMT -7
His smile tugs a little further as he watches her, thinking once more how strange this whole occurrence has been. How strange it continues to be. Adrian won't pretend like this is some first. That he has never formed attachments quickly. It took him ten minutes to decide that he wanted Jeyne to journey with them across Rohan and beyond, an hour for him to decide that he was going to drag Bilbo out his door even if he had to do it kicking and screaming, a single card game for him to realize that he loved Katherine. But going from looking at her like some cursed mirage to this, standing here with her number written upon a slip of paper before him, after sharing one of his most precious of keepsakes... Even that is an extreme shift for him.
And he can't quite figure out how or why it's happened.
"Especially after breaking into my apartment." He reminds her teasingly, lifting his brows with a bit of amused accusation. "I think you owe me a drink." His smile spreads even further as he picks up the slip of paper and folds it carefully between his fingers. There's a beat of quiet as he does, her eyes shifting away from him to glance around the kitchen. And he looks at her. Seeing more and more of the differences.
But she says her goodbye, more of a promise, and begins moving towards his door. "You will." He calls after her, sure of that.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 22, 2018 20:14:14 GMT -7
Lexi can’t help but smile when he calls out to her and honestly she’s glad that he will call her or text her even because after breaking into his apartment the night before and causing him to get sad over a picture and that had been the last thing she had ever wanted. But she would make up for it with a drink.
She chewed on her lip. And then a grin pulled at her lip because she knew that vampires had perfect hearing and decided that she would tease him a little before she left. “Maybe after that drink I could maybe take you back to my hotel room and get you out of those clothes, maybe even kiss that beautiful chest of yours that I saw earlier” Lexi knew he was listening to her. Knew that he would be thinking about that for a little while and with that in mind and another grin on her lips she then said “I’ll see you later”
Lexi chuckled under her breath and pulled the door open and walked out the apartment. She was definitely going to love speaking to him and knowing that he would hear what she would be able to say from across the room. She could tease him while he was talking to someone else, make him hear what she would love to do. But of course that would require them to see each other again and while he said that she would speak to him soon that didn’t mean that he would actually ring her.
She moved away from the apartment and headed back towards her hotel room. Feeling a little bit happier.
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Post by Ray on Mar 22, 2018 20:44:40 GMT -7
Adrian reaches for his beer as Lexi makes her way towards his door, his brown eyes following after her, still trying to work through this odd puzzle of circumstances he's found himself in. He doesn't know whether to curse whatever god might still be listening or not, doesn't know whether he should be entertaining whatever sort of unceremonious friendship he's struck up with his girl, or leave it to fade into the city noise. A part of him truly does not want to do the latter.
He lifts the bottle to his lips right as she speaks once more. But her voice is hushed, quiet, a teasing whisper. He halts before he can take a sip, eyes flicking back towards her, brows jumping upwards. Adrian is no pious saint. He's had more women back to this apartment in the few years he's lived in London than he could care to remember, he's said worse things to overly eager ears, done more scandalizing things in the back of bars, or alleys, or cars. But he was not expecting that from her. Especially from her. After all else that has been said in the day he's known her.
And he finds himself slowly lowering the bottle of beer from his lips as she chuckles quietly and finally pulls open the door, leaving him with just that like some playful game.
"I'm going to hell." He mutters, setting his beer down all the way with a sort of defeated huff.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 22, 2018 21:00:59 GMT -7
Lexi made her way back to the hotel that she was staying in and honestly when she got there she put the key down on the cupboard by the wall and put her bag on the chair before she fell back onto the bed. It had been a very strange day and her mother ringing her up early had caused tiredness to settle into her veins and she will actually get some sleep. She moved up the bed and pressed a button on the bedside cabinet and it shut the curtains up because she was too lazy.
Her dreams had then been plagued by Adrian and it was different things like his soft laugh or the way his hand felt under hers or how his skin would feel under her own. Lexi ended up having a sex dream that had left her feeling a little bit bothered so of course in the end she ended up using the gym downstairs to get her brain back to normal.
But she didn’t hear from him until the next night after the day she had which was putting most things together she knew she would actually like to hear his voice and now that she had it felt so good to know that he did in the end call. Adrian spoke about the drink she had promised him and Lexi said she would meet him in the pub that wasn’t far from her hotel. It meant that she wouldn’t have far to walk back later.
At the pub she got him a drink and smiled when she saw him. “I got you that drink that you asked for” she smiled once more and got herself a glass of wine and not the tequila that she had been tempted to buy.
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Post by Ray on Mar 22, 2018 21:25:59 GMT -7
It takes him a day to finally decide to call in that drink, almost hoping that a bit of distance will get him to start thinking clearly again and stop whatever sort of game the two of them are playing at. A game he had not intended to start. But that whole time, he found himself looking back to the slip of paper with her phone number jotted across it, convincing himself that a drink could not hurt. Figure out more about her. Settle the score. Ignoring that his most rash decisions always have to do with pretty girls who caught him off guard.
But even as Adrian steps into the pub, he wonders if this is at all a good idea. Lexi may not be anything like Katherine, may be more bubbly and sweet and recklessly curious, something he can relate too, but they still carry the same face. The same lips, though Lexi smiles more. The same eyes, though Lexi's are still glow with sunlight.
He's setting himself up for another heartbreak.
She sees him though before he can change his mind and disappear back out into the street, smiling wide and calling him over. He scratches lightly at the short stubble upon his jaw, willing himself to accept his decision, and moves towards where she sits. A pint already waits for him on the table, and he smiles at the sight of it. Seven hundred years later, and tavern ale is still ready to spell trouble for him. He shrugs out of his black jacket, draping it over the back of the chair before settling down beside her with a slow sigh. "How'd you know my favorite?" He asks, looking towards her. "Going through my things again?" He says in a tease, reaching out for the pint to pull it closer. The smell of hops fills his nostrils. As well as the few dozen bodies crammed in this pub.
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 22, 2018 21:36:19 GMT -7
“I put a PI on you to find out stuff and of course he was able to give me everything I needed including what you drink” she teased softly before grabbing her wine glass and taking a sip. It’s not every day that she drinks wine now especially when she had tried to drink other things but here she was nursing a glass of wine. Lexi gave him a soft smile before putting the glass back down on the table.
The pub was busy tonight but she guessed that even the British weather didn’t stop them from coming to the pubs and restaurants that she had passed. Lexi was lucky enough to get a seat and she felt a nudge at the back of her head and sighed softly as she glanced at the man who apologised before she looked back at Adrian “I wasn’t sure if you would actually ring” she admitted and watched him.
She might’ve given him her number the day before but not everyone calls and she had thought that maybe he wouldn’t ring either but he had. Lexi has been the one to suggest coming here but if she knew how busy it was then she probably would’ve said about going somewhere else. “But I’m glad that you did” she said after a moment and smiled at him. Her honey coloured eyes on his face before she dropped them down to look at the table.
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Post by Ray on Mar 22, 2018 22:06:34 GMT -7
"So that's who I saw rummaging through my trash this morning." Adrian replies, giving half a grin her direction. "Hope he didn't find anything too incriminating. I would hate for my reputation to be sullied." He teases, and sets his elbows upon the table as he lifts the pint to take a sip, getting mostly foam on the first swallow, but there's a strange sort of nostalgia about that. A strange sort of nostalgia about all of this. And not in the way he would have expected. It's not a sleazy underground speakeasy he thinks of as he sits here amongst the crowds and the smoke and clanking of glasses. It's not the humid city air or shuffled cards or the dark pair of eyes watching him avidly. It's something else entirely.
He darts his tongue out to rid his upper lip of the foam as he sets the pint back down, eyes returning to her as she changes the subject from light teasing to the phone call that brought them both here. She smiles, glad, and his own softens a little. "I am too." He admits, unable to deny the fact that he feels at ease here. Even with the noise and the bodies. Somehow that makes it all the more favorable.
She lowers her eyes away and he does as well, taking the opportunity to glance around. It's a normal night in London. Tourists crowding in for the true English experience, while the locals are just trying to get a pint and maybe get a leg over. Same as it's always been, for as long as he's been old enough to sneak in to places like this and steal tankards from idle hands. He turns his gaze back towards her, and clears his throat quietly. "So." He begins, tapping his fingers against the side of his glass, "I have to ask." He smiles a little more, watching her. "Do you often go out for drinks with vampires, or is this a new for you?"
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Post by Snowglobe18 on Mar 23, 2018 8:33:24 GMT -7
“It is very possible that he was who you saw going through the trash” Lexi laughs softly, playing along. She then laughs softly again “I’m not sure you have a reputation to worry about” she grinned before chewing on her lip. If she’s being honest she feels like she could easily sit here with him for a little while and talk but of course this wasn’t what she had come here to do. Lexi has come here to find out about her family history and she just happened to bump into him.
The silence between them lingers but of course the noise around the pubs continues on around them and it’s strange hearing all the accents here when she is so used to the American accents that she has heard throughout moving away from Texas.
Adrian speaks and draws her eyes back to him and she takes a sip of her wine when he asks her about whether she has been out with a vampire before and she grins softly before scratching at her cheek. “Oh no not my first time, well not with a supernatural being anyway, last week I took a spirit out to dinner but I could see right through him” she smirked at Adrian before laughing and then biting on her lip gently. Her eyes moved down to the glass on the table and she put her hand around the bottom.
“Honestly? It’s definitely the first time taking a vampire out” she admitted and looked up at him once more “how am I doing so far?” Lexi was a little nervous but honestly she wasn’t sure why because it was one drink and she was making up for breaking into his apartment and for making him feel sad the day before.
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