Date of the Shy Ones (07-13-2011) [Axel & Dominique]

After having gotten up in the morning it took Dominique a few moments to make sure that what had happened on the terras last night wasn't a dream. Mainly by remembering the small things that she couldn't have thought up on her own, like Axel's scent, the way it felt having his arm around her while they where sharing her blanket and the touch of his lips on hers. And that the blanket she had used that evening still had some of his scent on it, which helped a lot with making sure that it had really happened.
Now she had to make sure that she looked good enough for her very first actual date, which made it a good thing that she woke up earlier then normal. Taking a shower, putting on a nice, but not over the top nice, outfit, fitting jewelery and putting on a subtle bit of perfume and make up.
Once she was done with all of that it was just about time for them to meet up in the hallway, giving herself one last check in the mirror to make sure everything was really just how she wanted it to be. Then with a deep breath she walked out of her room and into the hallway to meet up with her date, Axel.

Naturally Axel was early, at least 10 minutes, as if he was afraid he might get stuck in traffic on his way down the stairs. He'd dressed up nice and fixed up his hair a little but didn't look all that different that normal - ok maybe a little more nervous (which is a prestation in itself).

As Dominique appeared in sight his eyes widened; waow, she was so pretty! Just at her... just look at me?! (and so on, and so forth)
Fortunatly he managed to keep in his inner conflict under controll, and just smiled as his date neared him.
"Waow, you look great," he said as she reached the last step.

Not even half a minute later a car honk sounded, coming from the cab driver impatiently waiting in front of the Meinior gates.
"Perhaps we should go," Axel said quickly and apologetic, as if it was his fault the driver appeared to be in a faul mood. As they went outside he held the door open for her, not even purposely to be galant, just on auto-pilot.

A little surprised, but pleasantly, that Axel was already in the hallway waiting for her Dominique looked him over while she walked down the last few steps. Butterflies making their appearance in her stomach as she did, causing her to smile shyly with a matching blush, that increased a little after his compliment. It was a good thing she hadn't put on that much rouge.
"You look great as well," she reassurred him and nodded at the sound of the claxon, "let's go."
She was once again pleasantly surprised when he held the door open for her, granting him a warm smile and a 'thank you'.
During the trip up to Penrose she didn't really say anything, other then answering the few questions of the driver, not really knowing what to say.

Much like Dominique Axel was quiet during the ride, mainly because the cab driver already seemed in a bad enough mood without him trying to make half-forced pleasant small talk.
The cab stopped near the town centre, you could already see the fountain from there.
After paying for the ride Axel looked around.
"So..." he said slowly, "whereto now?" Feeling silly he smiled questioningly at Dominique; "you already know your way around don't you?"

At the end of the cab ride Dominique smiled and blushed a little when Axel paid the driver, she had been more then willing to chip in. She looked around to orientated herself seeing that they where near the fountain she smiled. Now that she knew where they where she looked and shrugged.
"Well I don't really know the way around the entire town yet," she answered, "but I can show you around the parts I already know if you want. Or I can show you my studio first, your choice."

"Let's start there," Axel agreed with a nod, even if only because he wouldn't know where else to start.
As they headed that way he became curious: "what's the reason you decided to do your study anyway?" he asked, already having forgotten what the name of her chosen study was exactly.

When Axel said that he'd want to start with her showing him her studio she started walking in the direction of it. "Right this way please," she said as she led the way, at his question she shrugged, "the study was created especially for goldsmiths that have graduated but want to learn more about design and marketing and stuff. And I fit that profile so yeah," she ended with a chuckle and a shrug, "why do you want to be a doctor?"
They where walking through the old part of Penrose, passing mainly houses of variating sizes and a shop every now and then. It was among one of these houses that Dominique came to a halt, in front of one of the smaller houses annoucing: "This is it."

"Ah," Axel replied with a nod, as he followed her in the direction she'd appointed their journey to, "aren't you lucky they have this specialisation?"
'And aren't I lucky that specialisation is given here?' he added smiling happily to himself.

Her next question was an obvious one, of course, and obviously had been asked him a million times before but he didn't mind anwsering it again. At least, not really... the point was that he found the anwser he usually gave a generally bad one; "if I say I like to help people, will that sounds terrible clishé?" he asked with a chuckle. He sure thought so. "It's not that it I think that's not a good reason to do something," he explained, "but of course there are tons of occupations with which you help people in one way or another. But I do like taking care of people, I always liked Biology and I like studying - at least I don't mind it - so this was what rolled out of most official- and internet tests I did. And I'm glad it did," he concluded with a smile, "because I like doing it."

His enormous explanation was barely done as they already arrived at their destination. "Oh," Axel said studying the exteriour of the house building for a moment, "nice and cozy. How often will you be staying here, you think?"

Dominique listened closely while Axel told her why he wanted to be a doctor, she couldn't deny that his reason was a bit cliché but that didn't mean it wasn't a good reason. Unlocking the door she looked at him for a few moments before realising that he thought that was she was renting the entire house. She understood the mix up and knew she should have been a bit clearer.
"Oh no I'm not renting the entire house," she told him letting him go first, "I just have the two rooms on the ground floor. The upper floors belong to the elderly couple I'm renting the rooms from. The man used to be a goldsmith himself and the rooms that I'm renting used to be his studio."
As they entered the house they would be in a hallway that had two doors. One door on the side was locked and would lead to a pair of stairs to the upper floors. Passing that door she walked over to the door at the end of the hallway, unlocked that one and let Axel go first again.
"This is it," she said once again, "and I'll be here whenever it is needed for school or I feel like goldsmithing."

"Ah," Axel replied, letting his eyes slide over the inside of the house, "then you're definetly lucky! How many people can say they have their own private studio?!"

((can't really post much more, I don't know what he's walking into there =P ))

Dominique smiled at the sight of her studio, still finding it a little surealistic that she had access to all the tools here. Most she didn't have herself, which made it an extra bonus and it was all properly maintained. Causing it to be in a better state then the tools she had been used to working with from school, though they where probably at least just as old.
"Every proffesional artist and goldsmith?" she asked with a teasing smile Axel in responce to his question, "but yeah I'm lucky to have such a complete studio. I know most of it is just really strange to you but just take my word for it atleast 75% of the tools that is present here are a neccesity to be capable of making decent and variant jewellery. Which is usually a big surprise to people, most don't realise what all is needed to make a ring for example."
((to give you an idea, you need 13 different tools to make a basic, nondecorated, ring))

((and yeah sorry couldn't find any decent pictures of goldsmith studio's of this century, they haven't changed that much but there are some electrical things that have quite a bit of importants... that and I have no idea of how to describe a goldsmith studio for people who know next to nothing about goldsmithing, no offence, but if you really want to get a bit of an idea of what I'm talking about I suggest googling it yourself cause I really haven't found any link myself that really gives a good enough idea))

After letting out a small chuckle at Dominique's dry response, Axel looked around the studio, impressed by all there was to see. Crap, what was all this stuff for? Most of the tools he saw actually reminded him of a hospital's amputation ward out of his book 'Medical Care through the Centuries', but he decided not to share that unappetizing resemblance.

"You need that many things hmm?" he said, indeed surprised but as he thought about it for a little longer, realising that made sense. Looking over all the unknown instruments wondering how the hell to use them a funny memory came to mind; "looking at all these tools I don't know reminds me of my first time with a stethoscope," he remarked with a chuckle, "I looked at the thing as if it was alien technology. And for some reason I always put the thing in my ears the wrong way around."

After a couple more moments of snooping around equipment without understanding what he was looking at, Axel smiled and said: "you've got a really nice place here. I might come visit you when I've got a free hour in a school day~!" He then blushed a little again, "I- uhr, I mean... if you'd be ok with it of course?"

Letting Axel walk around her studio she remained by the door, not wanting to get in his way. She smiled at the look in his eyes, confusion and surprise, it was a look most people had when they saw a goldsmith studio for the first time.
She nodded when he asked if she needed this many things and chuckled when he told her about his first time with a stethoscope. She couldn't really say she had a similiar experience because when she had got and started using she got instructions of how to properly use it. She walked over to him and over to a door in her studio, passing him as she did that and telling him then: "Don't worry you'll get the hang of it sooner or later. Just practise a lot."
Giving him a small wink she opened the door that let too a small room that held a bed, a sink and a screened off toilet.
"And you are free to hang out here some time, if I'm here as well of course," she said smiling a small blush on her cheeks as well, "if you let Mrs. Nellis know when I'm staying over here. It can happen that I need to work late or loose track of time and I had to promise when I rented this place that I wouldn't go back to the mansion alone after dark." Rolling her eyes she quoted, "Because of the dangers of the forest holds, especially when the sun is down."

"Ok that sounds- wait what?" he asked a little confused at the idea of Dominique giving him a message he then had to pass on to mrs Nellis, "why don't you just tell her yourself?" he asked, wondering if she was being serious.

He could imagine people discouraging her from going back alone after dark though; not as much because of all the strange myths concerning the forest but out of a realisitc, practical point of view - why risk not being able to get a cab and walking all the way home in the darkness, possibly wind, rain or frost, if she could just as well stay in Penrose?
"I suppose they're just being protective," he said with a small smile, that then went on into a blush again as he said in a soft voice: "I'd advice you the same. I wouldn't want something to happen to..." and that was as far as he got.
"Anyway!" he quickly skipped ahead, trying to prevent the attention from lingering on what he's just said, "how about we continue exploring Penrose? I still have to find myself an icecream parlor after all."

Dominique laughed when Axel got confused by her little tease about him having to tell Mrs. Nellis when she stayed the night in her studio. Biting her lower lip she felt like teasing him a little further before letting him in on it. "Because it'll save me minutes?" she said with a sweet smile, but then she chuckled again, "No don't worry I'm just teasing you."
When he half said that he didn't wanted anything to happen to her she bit her lower lip again, looking away and blushing. She didn't mind that he changed the subject to exploring Penrose and ice cream then.
"Yeah let's," leading him back out she locked the doors again and once they where outside again she looked at him, "the biggest change of finding an ice cream parlor is probably in the shopstreet."
Walking back to that part of the town she started looking over the shopwindows.

Feeling silly about mistaking Dominique's tease for a real request Axel just looked down, blusehd and stayed quiet until they were outside again. Only once they were there the embaressement seemed to pass, and he could go into it normally without feeling like an idiot; "I don't mind passing on the message," he said with a smile (that weakened a little as he imagined how long it might not take him to pass on that incredibly compact piece of information to the ever chatty mrs Nellis), "if you just tell her what's up and why I'm telling her instead of you." He let out an uneasy laugh; "I'd just muck it up if I had to explain."

He then turned back to finding the icecream parlor. As his eyes passed all the small individual stores and the traditional buildings they were in he smiled; "I really do like the feel of Penrose," he said with a smile, "I feel like I've gone back through time a little. And it's so peaceful and green too... not at all like London. I mean, except the grouchy cab driver - that could've been an authentic London man." He laughed at the idea just as he saw a small icecream parlor showing up.
"I think we've almost reached our destination," he announced nodding at the place.

Dominique smiled at Axel when he said that he didn't mind passing on to Mrs Nellis that she was staying in her studio for the night if she would give him a clear enough message. She might take him up on that offer every now and then if she was really busy and didn't have the time to spend an hour on the phone or if her minutes where really low...
"Don't worry I already told Mrs. Nellis about me having a studio with a sleeping place here," she told Axel, "so if I ever ask you to pass on that I'm sleeping here you won't have to explain that all over again."
She had to agree with him that Penrose had a nice and peacefull feel to it, so different from London, pass for the cabdriver. But she also thought that it had a bit of a romantic feel to it because of how peacefull it was with all the traditional buildings and the amount of greenery. Blushing a little she took his hand, giving it a little squeeze, not really looking at him though.
"Yeah it's beautiful around here," was all she could think of saying glad when he announced they had almost reached their destination. She looked at the small ice cream parlor and started wondering what flavor she would like.

When Dominqiue took his hand Axel first thought it was an accidental collishion, nothing out of the ordinairy when walking next to each other. But as she squeezed it and continued to hold it his initial assumption was proven wrong and his cheeks went fire-engine red and for a moment he could only nod foolishly at her words.

But today he appeared to have a reasonable hold over his shyness and questionable self-esteem (around girls) and didn't let the collor of his face ruin the day. ((doesn't that almost make it sound as he's dealing with a racial matter? =P))
He gave her hand a small squeeze back, this being the best way he could express he was pleased she'd taken his.

He looked over the icecream parlor just before going in. From the outside is was a bright and appealing place with two small tables with chairs on the sidewalk. The entire was bright aswell, and colorfull, with a young man -around their age - was calmly sweeping the floor while whisteling a cheerful tune. Upon seeing Axel and Dominique nearing the store he put his broom away and stepped behind the counter, waiting to welcome them inside and get them their icecream.

"Hello there," the young man greeted, smiling at them, "what'll it be?"

Axel looked at the flavours for a second, noticing there weren't nearly as many as in the icecream store back home. At least they had all the standard ones, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, things like that. Then there was a mystery flavour with a strange neon pink collor that made him wonder if it was actually edible.
"Ladies first," he told Dominique with a smile, gesturing to the counter.

Dominique smiled when Axel gave her hand a squeeze back, glad that he didn't mind that she had taken his hand in her. The ice cream parlor looked nice and cute, she made a mental note of if the ice was good she would have to come here more often. Once inside she was a little dissappointed at the limited amount of flavours, but that was something she could have expected in a small town like this. The neon orange mystery flavour did draw her attention though, it making her very curious to what it would actually taste like.
"Am I going to get an actual answer if I ask what the mystery flavour is?" she asked the guy behind the counter with a curious look.

Axel was glad Dominique'd asked; he was quite curious to the mystery flavour himself. But to his disappointement the young man couldn't really help out either; "well name on the box it came out of just said: 'party'," he replied apologetically, "so I don't really know. The mystery flavour changes every week and this is my first day of the week in the store so I haven't gotten around to licking the last bits of icecream out of the containers at closing time yet," he joked at the end.

"That's alright," Axel laughed, "I'll just take a cone with uhm... I think I'll go for strawberry," he concluded.
"One strawberry for you," the guy, who's nametag stated he was Jennifer (causing Axel to chuckle so more) said with a nod. Then he turned to Dominique with a questioning look, waiting for her order.

Dominique did seem a bit bumped out that 'Jennifer' couldn't tell them what this weeks mystery flavour was. When it was her turn to order she looked a little longer at the neon orange ice before looking at 'Jennifer' with a slightly challeging smile.
"I'm in the mood for a 'Party'," she ordered, too curious about the strange ice to not find out the flavour one way or another.

"One party for the lady," 'Jennifer' announced, seeming amused by how that sounded. He scooped the orders up and handed both of them their icecream.
"Can you hold mine for a sec?" Axel asked before handing over his cone so he had his hands free to pay. Once he was done with that he thanked 'Jennifer' and took back his cone to head outside.
But before he'd turned around the young man behind the counter was curious to know: "so, are you two on vacation here?" leaning over the counter to engage them into a conversation of which he'd probably do most of the talking, "I'm just staying with my aunt for a couple of days... working in the store for a bit. It's so boring here though, all the young people have plit...! Well I guess it's nice here as a couple," he concluded, obviously talking about Axel and Dominique as an exaomple when he said that.
At that Axel's cheeks went the same collor as the mystery flavour. "We- we're not..." he stammered, not to finish. Why didn't he want to finish that sentence?

While holding Axel's ice cream for a moment Dominique held a small staring contest with her own, would it be rude if she would take a lick of hers before he even had his own in his hands? She was glad when he took his ice cream back and they started walking out of the parlor, but just as she wanted to take a lick 'Jennifer' started talking. She blushed crimson red when 'Jennifer' called her and Axel a couple, taking a lick of her ice cream to cool her blush a little. Discovering that the flavour was sweet blood orange and she liked it quite a bit, she would have to get another one of these before the week was over.
"You shouldn't make assumptions," she told 'Jennifer', "we're not on vacation, where staying in the Meinior Mansion and uhm yeah Axel and I aren't... yet..."
She couldn't look at Axel when she said that last part and just took another lick of her ice cream which gave her an idea of changing the subject.
"Oh and the mystery flavour is sweet blood orange."

EVerything was perfectly in (extremely blushing) control before Dominique uttered the keyword 'yet'. Despite Dominique's continuation of speech, both Axel and 'Jennifer' stared at her with big eyes.
'Jennifer' was the first to snap out of it, letting out incontrolable chuckles at Dominique's accidental choise of words and Axel's reaction to it. "Alright then," he said in between held-back laugher, "thanks, come again!"

At that Axel finally woke up, his face this similar to a ripe tomato, he smiled awkwardly at Dominque and suggested they'd go. As they left, as a litte getting back he waved; "see ya Jennifer," at which the young man looked at him confused, only to find out at the end of the day his aunt's shirt had her nametag on it.

"Nice girl," he remarked dryly to Dominique as they got outside again, nodding back at the boy who would now forever be known as 'Jennifer' in his head, "but a little too much facial hair to my taste."
He then fell silent for a bit, stood there, then decided 'why the hell not?!' and gave Dominique a kiss on her slightly icy and sweet lips in front of the store, leading to great cheering and applause from inside.

Though avoiding both 'Jennifer's' and Axel's eyes Dominique's cheeks still coloured a bright red because of the stares she was getting. And the held-back laughter didn't help much with that either, she was glad when they made their way out of the parlor again, this time succesfully. Just because it meant that she wouldn't be stared at like that anymore. She bit her lower lip to keep herself from laughing when Axel called 'Jennifer' a nice girl with too much facial hair.
Taking a lick of her ice cream just before she got pulled into a surprise kiss, which she didn't mind at all. Ignoring the cheers and applause they got from 'Jennifer' she wrapped her arms around his neck, closed her eyes and kissed back.