fiery_ring | Reception

Reception

The reception takes place in the Big Top, which is more than large enough to accommodate the crowd. Outside, a large hog roast is taking place, with food and drinks aplenty.

It's a good time for Carlotta to catch up with her friends from school, most of whom she hasn't seen since the start of the war. A few of them have married in that time and brought husbands, some are in work or still at university. A petite, pretty woman, Alison, has brought a daughter of about two; finally a distraction from an incessant need to worry what her hair looks like. A tall, strapping woman, Mirabel, is sporting a burn scar on her face; rumour has it, she has been serving in combat.

The circus folk mingle among the guests, bringing food and occasionally breaking out into acrobatics. At the front of the tent, Fred the Bouncer sits with Wolf, his large guard dog.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's so rare that she can let herself be happy. Not just content, not just all right, but honestly lighthearted and free.

She's humming the song they danced to, once again trusting him to lead her true.

"How on earth did y'happen upon this?"

"Well...Will mentioned that he used to do a horse act with Carlotta, so while you were off dancing, I went out for a smoke, and I thought I'd wander around, see if I could find any horses out here in these trailers. Y'know, so I could bring you to see 'em. But I had to get back in case you started to wonder where I disappeared to, so. I didn't find the horses but I did think this was a good spot to sneak away to for a few minutes."

With his back braced against the side of the trailer, he shifts lower so that their height difference levels off a little, and grasping her lightly around her waist, he draws her in closer between his legs.

The smirk slowly slips from her face as she listens, something more akin to surprise taking over.

"Y'came lookin' for horses y'could introduce me to?"

And fretted about not worrying her by disappearing?

That's the sweetest thing he's done so far.

She laughs softly, pressing up between his legs until almost every bit of them is touching, and pulls him into a deep kiss.

...Well, this is a pleasant -- and totally unexpected -- reward for his efforts.

He'll take it.

As his hands roam her body, indulging in the curves that her dress does a great job accentuating, he deepens the already thorough kiss, his throaty, purring sighs muffled against her cheek.

He has this way of drawing her in, bit by bit, where the rest of the world just seems to fade away. She's not smiling anymore, but only because she's too caught up in his mouth, his hands, and keeping her lungs filled with air.

He'll need to comb his hair back in place before he can rejoin the party.

"Mmm — we shouldn't — no hanky panky — mmmmph, we shouldn't do anythin' that'd embarrass Carlotta."

She'll have to fix her lipstick.

And he'll have to wipe it off his face, too.

"Trust me," he murmurs between kisses, "we ain't gonna embarrass her."

He manages to hike her skirt up enough for his fingertips to graze her thigh.

She sucks in a sharp breath, and this time she does smirk.

"Trust you."

There's a playful spark in her eyes before she goes back in for another kiss.

"Says the man with red all over his face."

He pulls back for a second, frowning. "What d'you--? Oh. Right." Dragging the pad of his thumb across his lower lip, it comes away red.

"I'll worry about that later. Besides, it matches my tie."

And then he goes back in for another kiss as he squeezes her thigh, wrapping his arm around her and bringing her to her tiptoes.

She moans into his mouth.

"I reckon it does."

Her hand slips to his tie, fingering the soft material for a moment. And then she tugs, keeping his mouth firm against hers.

Uttering a muffled grunt when she pulls on his necktie, their mouths meet hard, their tongues tangle fiercely.

He lifts her leg up onto his thigh.

But they're not exactly alone anymore.

She wraps an arm around the back of his neck for support, but this dress is just too form-fitting for her to get her leg where he wants it. She pulls back, hiking up the material so she has a little more give.

"This is a bad idea. What is it about you?"

Somehow, every bad idea seems like such a good one when he has his hands on her. She kisses him again.

She doesn't even hear the shuffling of paws.

He only responds with a wicked grin and a tighter grip on her thigh before their mouths lock onto each other again.

From the roof of the trailer, a pair of little black eyes stare down at them.

Maybe she's making up for lost time.

Maybe he's just really, really good at this.

She hums softly, mussing his hair, and rolls her hips against his.

Of all the sounds she's making, however, the shrill EEK EEK is not one of them.

Abruptly breaking the kiss, Tommy looks up toward the sound.

And the last thing he sees is a monkey in a tiny suit diving off the roof--

"Holy sh--!"

--and landing on Tommy's head.

"GAH!"

Chattering rebukingly, it clings to his hair and ears and nose.

Kate looks up at about the same moment Tommy does, and —

and has the presence of mind to step back.

"Oh my god!"

She stumbles a few paces, pulling her dress back in place. And then she just stares.

It isn't exactly the sort of thing one expects to see! Her outlaw instincts will kick in eventually.

Probably.

Imagine your head is being attacked by a swarm of bees. Your first reaction would probably be to duck and wildly flail your arms around to try to swat them away.

Now imagine that the swarm of bees attacking your head is actually just one monkey. Your first reaction would probably be the same as if the monkey were bees.

At least, this would be Tommy's first reaction.

So, there is much ducking and flailing of arms.

Along with calling the monkey every name in the book.

This goes on for a while.

Finally, the monkey springs away with an EEK EEK EEK that sounds suspiciously as if it wants Tommy to kiss its posterior. And Tommy is left thoroughly frazzled and rumpled and so, so, so very annoyed.

He shoots Kate a Look.

"Gee, thanks for the help, sweetheart!"

Edited 2012-08-20 07:11 (UTC)

"I was just about t'jump in!"

Honestly!

Truly!

Just as soon as she stopped laughing.

She glances over her shoulder in the direction the monkey scuttled. He's crouched at the opening of their little getaway, huffing. He flaps his lips and gives Kate a withering look, to the point where she imagines his little monkey voice learning English and shouting a YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES at her. And then he bounds off.

Hand to her chest, she returns her attention to Tommy.

"Oh, sugar. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, well, you could've jumped in anywhere between the time he had his fingers up my nose and his ass in my face."

GRUMPY NOW.

He runs both hands through his hair.

"'M fine."

Pout. Grump. Grumble.

"Well, y'were dancin' around so wildly. An' you're so very tall ... "

Beat.

"An' I did warn you earlier that he might be sneakin' about where y'couldn't see."

That counts for something, right?

Probably not. All right, new tack.

"Are you hurt?"

She comes in close, gently caressing his face.

"I wasn't dancing around wildly..."

Grump, grump, grump, pout.

She was right about the warning but he's not about to admit that.

Because moar pouting.

"No, 'm not hurt," he mumbles as he lets her touch his face.

He'll be okay.

He then reaches into an inside jacket pocket for a handkerchief (the suit conveniently came supplied with it).

"Do I still have lipstick on me...?" He rubs vaguely at his lips to check.

"That's what you're worried about right now?"

She gives him a Look, and shakes her head.

"I hope it's lipstick, an' not blood. Here — "

She holds out her hand, offering to take the handkerchief and help clean him up.

"Well, it's a concern," he gripes, giving her the handkerchief. "And I've bled before and it don't feel like I'm bleeding, so."

He pauses, eying her.

"I ain't the only one who's got red on 'em. You gotta fix your lipstick."

She carefully wipes at his face, smirking through all his grumbling.

When he points out her smudged lipstick she pauses, eyes flicking to meet his. She sucks on her bottom lip.

"S'it bad?"

Maybe she could get a job at the circus as a clown. Her free hand experimentally wipes at her cheek.

"Uhh..."

A slight grimace flits across his face before he takes the handkerchief back, and holding her chin in his fingertips, he makes a few swipes under her lower lip.

Then a little more at the corners of her mouth.

Then a little more at the indentation between her upper lip and her nose.

"Yeah, that's good."

Wait, a just little more under her lip.

She endeavors not to laugh.

"Y'sure?"

She spies a spot she missed along his jaw, rubbing the smudge away with her thumb.

"Does this happen t'you with every gal you're with? All the woodland creatures flock t'you?"

Re: Dancing

gavin62truck - 2012-08-21 05:50 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Dancing

ikissdhimbck - 2012-08-22 23:43 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only