poly_chromatic | a c t i o n ][ 016

[ Though the lights that have been set up in the square for the dance are still casting the streets in festive, multi-colored swaths, it would appear the curse has ended-- at least is has for Yusuf. Gone is the baby-faced stubble he'd relived a certain amount of pride over, in addition to the casual finery he'd donned for the dance. He's back in the loose kurta he regularly dons, beard slightly fuller and less boyish for his age.

Sitting on the back of a car (Yusuf is not entirely sure who this vehicle belongs to, just that it was nearest and didn't sport an annoying spoiler on the trunk) is Ariadne, hair slightly mussed and hands on his shoulders.

What had seemed like such an urgency as two teenagers is... actually a very public display. They're not being indecent-- should anyone come looking for them, or simply be passing by (or... trying to get in their car...)-- but they are being pretty obvious. ]

[ ooc: backdated to a couple minutes after midnight (or whenever the high school curse ceased its effects) the night of the dance! ]

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[ Breathing is one of those important things that's pretty important, and while Ariadne at 16 may have better lung capacity, Ariadne at 24 has had an on-and-off again (now mostly 'off') smoking habit. She has to break the kiss, hands still on his shoulders. For some reason or another, she's still wearing that strapless red dress and heels; possibly because she hasn't exactly changed much in size from 16 to 24.

It's while she's catching her breath that her brain catches up to her and she slowly tilts her head back a bit to look at him. She's still a bit disoriented, brain trying to sort out which memories were real and which were just from the curse, but Yusuf definitely did not have that beard a little bit ago. ]

[ His lips have the recognizable but fundamentally unfamiliar feel of lipstick on them, shared from one set of lips to another. In their previous kisses- and he's not in the habit of looking too closely at the fact that this is now a reoccurring theme with them- she hadn't been wearing any kind of lipstick or lip balm. If anything, it certainly made avoiding the subject afterwards a smidge easier. ]

Should I, [ Yusuf makes motions that are actually too vague to mean anything. ] Help you off this strangers car?

Um.

[ Ariadne licks her lips once, trying to collect her thoughts -- only to make a slight face when she tastes the lipstick herself. She glances down, as if noticing for the first time that she's sitting on a car (not one she recognizes, at least) and then nods as she looks back up. One hand finally moves, this time to rub the back of her neck. ]

Yeah, that would be great. Heels and everything, after all...

[ She won't break, but Yusuf's hands are gentle at her waist when he moves her, whether by habit or skill set is debatable. When she's steady, he removes them.

Looking back to where the dance is, Yusuf shifts, unable to remember if they had announced their departure. Something tells him the answer is likely not. If the curse happens uniformly, the clusterfuck that is likely happening in there right now is something Yusuf would really rather stay away from- but he offers, ] Did you want to go back?

[ All of a sudden she has to relearn how to stand in heels, her body taking over while her mind tries to sort out the hodgepodge of memories that comes from a curse like that. Muscle memory keeps her up and she gives him a slight smile, still a bit awkward but, at the moment, mostly thankful.

There's a pause as Ariadne looks back at the square, lips pressing together in thought before she shakes her head. ] No, it's probably pretty crazy in there. Eames and Arthur know how to get home, they'll be okay.

[ Well, Yusuf will agree with her on two of the three comments.

On her heels- being one of the many accouterments Yusuf has never been forced to or interested in figuring out- Ariadne looks, for the most part, about as steady as anyone can be expected to look in them. Yusuf gives her a moment to regain her bearings before nodding to the sidewalk that leads to the house. ] Let's get out of here then, before Fischer comes out to demand his dignity back or some such.

He'll have a hard time getting it, I think I took pictures. Maybe video, too.

[ Now her grin is more genuine, happy instead of awkward. She contemplates taking her shoes off for a moment before deciding that she'll be okay to walk (she probably won't be). ]

[ If they need to stop for her to lose the shoes, they will. Chuckling, Yusuf falls into his leisurely gait. ]

I can't tell if that is going to make my life better or worse...

Better, I think. It's not like he has a team of lawyers here, and even if he did, I don't know that they could do anything about this. You'll have the memory of teaching Robert Fischer how to Dougie immortalized in crappy phone video format forever.

[ She does reach up to start pulling her hair down the rest of the way, tugging some pins out before realizing that she doesn't actually have anywhere to put any of them. ] Do you have pockets?

True, and so long as it doesn't end up on the network, he can pretend he doesn't remember. [ Even though... everything ends up on the network at one point or another. ]

Of course. [ Yusuf holds his palm out for her, allowing the pins to pile up as she pulls them out one by one. When she shakes her hair out, still curling here and there from being twisted and pinned in such a manner, Yusuf slips the flimsy metal pieces into his trouser pocket for safe keeping. ] Did you do that yourself?

He can pretend he doesn't remember either way. He's had enough face-twins running around here. [ ... and that makes her giggle slightly, because she's very suddenly remembered that Raymond had a massive hickey.

Once Yusuf has the pins and her hair is down, Ariadne sighs in relief, running one hand through her hair and tussling it slightly. ] Yeah, when I was done slicking Arthur's hair back. [ That was an ordeal. ] I'm not entirely sure when I got this many bobby pins.

It would seem, for the various situations we find ourselves in, The City has a way of providing. [ It is a phenomena Yusuf has given more thought to than anything else- because the theory of alternate universes would not provide for unlimited supply- be it in bobby pins or housing or wealth or what have you.

So as not to allude to anything in particular, Yusuf corrects himself, ] The royal 'we', that is.

We haven't found anything that takes scorch marks off the floor yet. [ And that's definitely not the royal 'we'. ] I swear Eames has been scowling at it suspiciously in the morning, but that could also be a general morning scowl.

[ Because unless either one of them brought it up to her, she has no idea that he found that picture, either. ] It's hard to tell.

[ Well, Yusuf has several thoughts on that, but they've left the royal we and it hardly seems the time to start expounding on possible theories that have little empirical backing and no control to test against. Instead, he'll just keep taking even steps. ] Yes, we actually spoke about that, a couple weeks ago. He hasn't mentioned it to me since, but he is notorious for pouting.

You spoke about the floor? [ Ariadne's steps are suddenly a little less even, one heel catching in the crack of the sidewalk. She wobbles, grabbing onto Yusuf's arm for balance before she ends up splatting into the pavement. ] Hold on a second. [ Time to take those shoes off. ]

a c t i o n ][ 016

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