082.

[hexuality]

[ accidental video ]

—here! I'm here, sorry, sorry ...

[The feed starts with a jolt, the image jerking all over the place as if the device is being held in a fist of someone running. Which it is. From what you can see between Ginny's fingers, it's a clothes shop—Passione, which she now co-owns with Angela, who is on holiday as of today.

Of course, today is the day Ginny is late to work.]

Overslept, must've hexed my alarm clock when it went off—

[The video finally comes to a halt when Ginny does, the device set down face up on the counter that she's leaning across, speaking to Ellis the NPC who has been assigned to be her extra pair of hands and eyes while Angela's away. Thank Merlin.]

Hey, you're fine. It's okay. [A hand creeps into the frame and points at something, a clock, offscreen.] You got five minutes.

I'm not late?

[There's a self-congratulatory yes quickly followed by Ginny's hand and arm reaching across the device and yanking Ellis to her over the counter; and without preamble, she plants a hard, bold kiss on his mouth.

Poor Ellis startles and his hand knocks the device off the counter and it goes clattering to the floor, ending the feed.]



[ooc; Come at her, bros. Ginny will be working at the shop, out getting coffee, and probably flying later today, as usual. She's a Gryffindor, she celebrates small victories all the time. WON'T YOU COME AND JOIN HER. (P.S. she's 20 years old now, no one has to feel creepy.)]

Comments

[hexuality]

Probably for the best. Or not go out at all. Though what a thing to suggest on a curse like today's.

[Oh. Oh, Merlin, that shirt probably shouldn't go in Chase's wardrobe at all. The pattern, for one, and the colour's a bit... time to quietly make her mission to ease it away. Ginny picks out something in a deep red, holds it up for inspection with a quirk of an eyebrow that says, This?]

[intheblanks]

You think hiding today would be a bad idea? I guess it's one way of meeting new people.

[He relinquishes the purple shirt reluctantly, holding up the red. It's not a bad colour on him (better than some) but it's not quite his colour.

Particularly when, for the past year 'his' colour has been a dull monochrome.]

How about the same in blue?

[hexuality]

[She laughs and goes about picking out the blue shirt as requested.]

So you don't remember how we officially met before?

[intheblanks]

[He holds the blue shirt against himself when she hands it over. Faded blue, not enough like scrubs to remind him of the office. What does she think?]

I didn't even know it had been a formal affair.

[hexuality]

[Ginny takes a step back and considers the shirt with a tip of her head, then moves back toward him as if to say she absolutely approves and feels quite pleased that they've found a shirt that works—and it seems like the curse deems that victorious enough to warrant a kiss because Ginny's tugging Chase down by his collar and planting one on his lips instead of actually answering.]

SORRY for hideous slowness, feel free to ignore.

[intheblanks]

[Honestly? He's not sure the shirt warrants that degree of celebration - but far be it for him to argue. He's tried arguing with Ginny before: no good can come of it. So he agrees instead, kissing back in something a little less like the simple smooch it might have been intended to be. His hands find her waist to tilt her onto tiptoe to meet his inclined head.]

NEVER

[hexuality]

[No, she doesn't think the shirt is that spectacular either, but given her absolute lack of experience in clothes, maybe it is a victory. Not that the shirt matters at this point—they're reliving that moment in the coffee shop sans mistletoe: Ginny rises on her toes easily enough and leans up against him to take this kiss a fraction further. And yes, it seems her free hand has found his hair.]

\o/

[intheblanks]

[Oh has it. Because, while he was thinking perhaps the polite move would be to gently pull away, that makes him do it sharply–and only for a fraction of a second, long enough to blink his eyes open and then tug her in tight, kissing her again.]

[hexuality]

[Oh, Merlin, that's embarrassing, that little sound of protest when he pulls away—but he's leaning back in and there's a half-second where she wonders if the curse is allowed to do two kisses or if Chase has something to celebrate, too. Not that she really minds at this point, not with the way she is sort of wrapping around him.

Hopefully a customer doesn't need her right this second.]

[intheblanks]

[No, absolutely nothing to celebrate at all. Except perhaps avoiding crumpling the row of shirts behind her by blindly navigating them back against one of the rails.]

[hexuality]

[Right, well, that's slightly more tricky because she's got to kiss him but she's got to move and the choice has her stumbling in her heels and clutching onto him for balance and he might have to either dip her or drop her or something at this point because she's not letting go, either. She mumbles something that sounds vaguely like his name against his lips like it's something urgent.]

[intheblanks]

[Drop her? What kind of man does she think he is? But he's an expert steadier, getting her secure on her feet before tipping her back - just a little - because, well, the opportunity's there.]

[hexuality]

[Oh, well then. Don't mind her when she curls her fingers more tightly through his hair before letting her hand slide down to cradle his cheek, and that might be a slip of tongue and it really doesn't seem like this kiss is stopping any time soon, except—

Someone wolf whistles and that's enough for Ginny to break away, eyes fluttering open, warmth washing across her cheeks.]

[intheblanks]

[He doesn't even hear the whistle (have they accidentally become a window display? He hasn't noticed that, either) and as she pulls back his hands go to her waist to make sure that straightening up doesn't equal a trip. He blinks a moment in the suddenly overbright shop lights, curling one corner of his lower lip between his teeth.]

So... do you want to get a drink after work?

[hexuality]

[She blinks back at him, a little thrown by the whole thing, and maybe today has been the first time in months she's properly snogged anyone so of course her heart is going about a mile a minute as she shakes the curse. And Chase is—her brows knit a fraction; no, he's not asking her out. They're friends, had been before, should be now.]

I—er, sure. Yeah, alright.

[And she settles her hands on his shoulders and gets properly onto her feet. Is her hair tousled? It feels tousled.]

[intheblanks]

[His is, and he knows exactly whose fingers are to blame. He clears his throat, faintly.]

Great. Should I wear the shirt?

[hexuality]

[Then she laughs, colour flooding her cheeks.]

You can wear whatever you like, I don't care.

[She pauses, smoothing a hand through her hair, adding in a lighter tone,]

And sorry about that.

[intheblanks]

Are you? [He raises an eyebrow.] I wasn't planning to be, but in the light of that I might have to change my mind.

[hexuality]

What? No, no, I mean—

[CHASE. STOP IT. SHE'S TURNING THE COLOUR OF HER HAIR.]

Not that it was terrible or that you're awful at snogging, it's just— [Weird because you used to date my best friend ages ago and I feel like she's watching or something.] I didn't expect to have a repeat of the first time we met.

Like I said.

[intheblanks]

I haven't heard it called snogging since I was fifteen.

[It's making him grin. For that matter, so is the colour she's turning, and he determines to see if her skin can outdo her hair.]

Fine. I'm sorry I didn't ask you out the first time we met. Or did I?

[hexuality]

[I was seventeen, so. No.

Yeah, like she's going to say that. She clears her throat and crosses her arms, huffing out a breath and a smile.]

No, you didn't. I was sort of dating at the time. Besides, I got the feeling I wasn't your type.

[intheblanks]

[She's been twenty (almost) as long as he remembers knowing her. To be honest, it's still a little young, but not quite enough to be a deterrent. Especially as the city is near devoid of women his age (that he hasn't already divorced). He tilts his head.]

I've dated redheads before.

[hexuality]

I bet none of them were witches.

[She studies him a moment, unsure what to make of all this. Surely he's not suggesting—well, not that she is totally disinterested, she's just never considered... Ginny raises an eyebrow at him.]

You're not actually asking me out, are you?

[intheblanks]

Not in the magic sense of the word.

[But then he just looks confused, folding the shirt he really should be paying for right now over one arm to study her.]

Was there a part of 'do you want to get a drink after work' that was confusing for you? I mean, I guess we can drink here, if you like. Or at my place.

[That last part sounds far too much like an invitation.]

[hexuality]

[If he's confused, Merlin knows what she is. This is Claire's ex-boyfriend. Yes, it's been years, and yes, maybe she fancied him for a second (who didn't, though?), but this is a little out of nowhere and she actually doesn't know how to respond properly beyond laughing it off. And that's rather rude.

Or at my place. Bloody hell.

POLITE FACE GO.]

Nothing wrong with the Blue Light for some catching up.