paixaorpg | I'd do anything for love... but doing that may not have been the best idea [completed]

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I'd do anything for love... but doing that may not have been the best idea [completed]

Character(s): Vyers, Gwen, Genie, Urd
Content: Date + Contest = Disaster
Setting: Elysian Fields
Time: Week 28, night
Warnings: none!

His arm entwined with Gwen's, Vyers couldn't help but wonder just what he had gotten himself into. He hadn't been expecting so many offers to help over the journals. Really, all he had wanted was a suggestion so he would be able to take her out to dinner. Although now that he thought about it, he really should have known, shouldn't he? He himself had noticed a few similar entries on the network from time to time, hadn't he?

Vyers supposed he should be somewhat grateful for Urd and Genie's offers to help, but instead he felt quite nervous about the whole thing. There was some sense of foreboding deep down that he couldn't shake about this whole thing, as though something--or many things--were about to go horribly wrong. He tried to keep his worries to himself, however, and keep Gwen from noticing.

He needed to be more optimistic, that was all. Everything would go just fine.

He didn't really believe himself.

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Thankfully (or not), Gwen was clueless about the whole thing. She didn't have to have anxiety the same as Vyers, but she was getting more worried about her husband as they went along arm-in-arm. Yes dear, she noticed.

Well.

Not so much as noticed, as started to get a weird feeling.

"Honey, is everything alright?" she prods gently, resting her head against the arm she was linked with.

Maybe she should just brush it off. The stroll was nice, after all.

Urd needed this. It had been way too long since she meddled, that is, helped a couple in love. What kind of goddess of love was she if was sitting idle while Vyers so clearly needed her assistance? It wasn't any surprise to her that he struggled with romance as much as he did everything else. She was doing him a favor. And if maybe she got some ideas for her own love life...all the better.

Among the glowing grass of the Elysian Fields, a table had been set up, covered in a frothy white tablecloth. An elegant display of flowers took up the role of centerpiece and the glow from the fields reflected in the silver tableware. Urd, dressed in a navy blue Chinese qipao (http://www.world-of-elegance.net/shrine/images/Urd/dress8.gif), adjusted a wine glass just so...and smiled mischievously. Reaching inside the bodice of her dress, she pulled out a small tincture of lavender liquid.

"Just the thing for a happy couple," she mused to herself, pleased with her own cleverness. She let a drop of liquid fall into each glass, evaporating within seconds. The scent of lilacs filled the air for a brief moment before fading away.

"With this, you won't be thinking about dinner~" Urd whispered, dark purple eyes reflecting the light from the grass. "Time to satisfy a different sort of hunger..."

Genie examined each piece of cutlery carefully to ensure it was clean before placing it down on the table. He was dedicated to making every last detail of this evening perfect for Vyers and his lady. His placement needed to be exact, causing him to go so far as to measure the distance between things, such as the wine glasses, to ensure they were both within this same amount of reach. Both crimson napkins were folded exactly three times and propped up as triangles in front of each of the two chairs around the table. Like the table, they too were made from a thick and white woven straw. However, regardless of being made from straw, there was no doubt that they could support the weight of both Vyers and his date. With Genie’s magic, they could probably support the weight of an entire elephant – though he had no intention of ever testing this. Soft, fluffy cushions had been added to the two chairs to prevent any discomfort from their stiff or oddly textured structure. They were a dark red and matched both the napkins and red candles he had placed on and around the table. Genie had been tempted to add even more candles by creating a trail on the ground to help strengthen the atmosphere, but the way the moons light hit the grass and made the field itself glow, he needn’t bother. It did a remarkable job on its own. The table itself was set inside a curtained area found a secluded part of the field to convey a sense of privacy. However, such thin, white sheets did not offer much, especially when the tall patio lanterns around it lit the area enough to cast a shadow of those inside.

It was getting late and by checking his watch Genie realized his guests were sure to arrive at any moment. He had been so focused on details, he completely lost track of time. In a mad panic, he made all final adjustments; aligning a fork placed askew, straitening a napkin standing lopsided, and fixing his bowtie which had become crooked. He had been sure to dress his finest this evening in one of his many black suits fashioned with a matching cummerbund and bowtie. The genie slicked what little hair he had back with his palm before stepping back and proudly admiring his work.

Perfect. Everything was absolutely perfect. Romantic candle light, a beautiful dinning enclosure and an absolutely stunning view of the field and neighbouring table. … Wait. What neighbouring table? Looking out from his own, the genie did a double take, taking note of another table in the field, sitting close to his own. He blinked several times, wondering whether or not he was imaging things. But the longer he stared the more he realized that this was not a figment of his imagination and that there was in fact another table sitting maybe forty yards away from his own. Not only that, but that table belonged to none other than Urd. Now what on Earth was she doing all the way out here? Was she catering to someone out here as well this evening?

“Urd?!” he called out, staring out at the goddess in disbelief. “What are you doing out here?”

Urd nearly dropped the volatile sample in her hands as her name was called and she gave a guilty start. She pushed the tincture back into its hiding place before turning to stare at Genie. "What...Genie?" Frowning, she made her way through the grass, stopping mid-way with her hand on her hip.

"I thought once you saw me talking to Vyers on the network that you'd let me handle this! I've got it under control." Tilting her head, she smiled a patronizing smile. "It's best to leave this to the experts, right?"

While Urd head through the grass, Genie too made his way toward her, meeting her in the middle of the field and between the two tables. He looked confused at first, unsure whether or not their meeting had been mere coincidence. But once he took note of Urd’s posture he began to get a good idea. He folded his arms across his chest, mirroring Urd’s smile while she spoke.

To be honest, Genie had completely overlooked Urd’s conversation with Vyers. When he had discovered the demons request, he had been so excited to finally be of service to someone the idea of anyone other than himself helping Vyers completely escaped him. He hadn’t even thought to look at others responses. Genie could not help but feel a twinge of guilt for those he had overlooked. However, Vyers had notably made no mention of Urd’s decision to take on the task. The fault was not completely his own that he had come out tonight expecting to serve. Either Vyers had not the heart to tell him he had found someone else, or, perhaps, Vyers had decided Urd’s assistance was not enough. Maybe he needed both of them. True, unlike Urd he could not ‘make’ anyone fall in love. Not with the influence of magic. But that did not mean he could not encourage it in small ways. To mistake Genie as an uneducated romantic would be a great mistake. As an experienced romantic, however, that was another story.

He closed his eyes and looked away from Urd haughtily. “Right,” Genie said in agreement. “The experts: plural. If he thought you had this under control I don’t think I would be here.”

She narrowed her eyes. So he wasn't going to give in? That was just fine. "Vyers has issues when it comes to people who know more than he does. It's his pride," Urd scoffed, stepping closer. Even in her irritation, she couldn't help but notice how nice he looked. She always thought he looked good dressed to the nines. Not that she was about to tell him that...though she couldn't resist reaching up an adjusting his bow tie needlessly, just to touch him.

"Look, we both know I have more experience with this kind of thing," she grumbled as she fiddled with his tie. "Vyers is a touchy guy, freaks out easily. Why don't you sit back and let me handle this one? It's important things go right."

Genie showed no signs of protest when Urd reached to adjust his tie, though he could not help but feel embarrassed while she did so. He was a grown genie; he should not have needed her to adjust it properly for him. Besides, had he not just fixed it himself? Granted, he had ‘fixed’ it blindly but… Bah, he could never tie these darn things right. He was beginning to wonder if he ever would. He watched the goddess fix his tie for a moment, then look back up at her while she continued to speak. Little sign of his embarrassment could be seen through his scowl. However, he was sure to grumpily thank her for her efforts.

“And that’s exactly why he needs me, to make sure things go right.” He replied, refusing to abandon Vyers. “I can’t just sit back and watch when he needs me! If he thought I wasn’t qualified for the job he would have never accepted my offer.”

With a tug that might have been firmer than necessary, Urd tightened the tie one more time. Sighing, she folded her arms under her chest and looked up at him skeptically. "He didn't understand what he was agreeing to, obviously! You're fun and great at parties, big guy, but when it comes to the right romantic mood, fun and wacky just isn't the way to go." She smirked, turning away to walk to his display. Lifting aside one of the curtains, she passed her gaze over what he'd set up.

"This is great, but it has no passion!" She looked back at him over her shoulder. "You might as well be catering a retirement party."

A rather comedic choking sound escaped Genie when Urd tugged on the tie, tightening it to the point he could not breathe for a moment, but only that. A pout followed this, seen on his face while he listened to Urd’s words. However, just as quickly as it had appeared it had disappeared, a frown found in its place. He appreciated her kind words in regards to his parties but refused to agree with her when it came to his ability to create a proper date. Regardless what she said, as far as he was concerned, he had captured the perfect atmosphere. Genie had this in the bag. He knew this stuff like the back of his hand.

Following closely behind the goddess as she head to his table, he immediately reached for his collar when the goddess turned away, slipping his fingers beneath the tie to loosen it. There was nothing wrong with a tight tie, it was just that he liked to breathe easily. But just when Genie had gotten himself out of one tangle he found himself in another – rather literally. Somehow he had managed to tangle himself up in one of the curtains while following Urd inside. He flailed his arms about, struggling to free them before pretending to act natural when Urd looked back at him. Though, how ‘natural’ one could really look tangled in a curtain was rather debatable. The roofless room instantly lit up when Genie set foot inside, a soft blue glow reflecting from the white walls.

“A retirement party?!” Genie repeated, clearly offended by her choice of comparison. “It must be a long time since you’ve been to one of those because this screams romantic. It’s remote, private, and has an absolutely enchanting view.” He tried to gesture to the open roof with his hand, however found it exceedingly difficult to move the way the curtain had wrapped itself around him. So, instead he gestured with his head. “You’re taking this too seriously.” Genie continued, attempting to free himself from the curtain. “This is supposed to be fun and allow them to relax. It can still be romantic, even if there is a little silliness involved.”

Finally freeing himself, he stumbled forward and further into the ‘room’. Thankfully he caught himself before he ran into Urd or the table, but there was not much he could do in regards to dignity he had lost during the curtains captivity. He decided to play it as though the event had never occurred, simply straightening himself, fixing his dress coat, and clearing his throat.

A laugh burst out of Urd before she could stop it. She couldn't help it, Genie caught up in his own romantic ambiance was too much. She schooled her expression into neutrality and looked away, letting Genie gather what was left of his dignity. "Maybe you don't know Vyers as well as you think you do," she sighed, lifting up a fork and inspecting it with a critical eye before placing it back on the table. "He takes everything seriously. And he has a thing about image." She turned to walk towards him, a mysterious look in her hooded gaze.

"Put yourself in his shoes. You've just been reunited with your one true love," she murmured, coming up to him and sliding her arms around his waist, pressing close. "You never thought you'd see her again but there she is. All the old feelings come rushing back, the desire and happiness. And, oh...she's missed you." She stood on her toes and put her lips next to his pointed ear.

"I'd take it very seriously."

Then she was gone, moving outside the enclosure and back out into the fields. "I'll show you how it should be done, handsome!" she called over her shoulder, grinning as she headed back to her own display. "You're just about to see me make the final touches."

She was laughing at him. And though Genie enjoyed a laugh, this was far from this sort he liked. He was trying here and determined not to fail Vyers. The demon had put great trust in him when he had granted him the honour of planning the evening. No, maybe he didn’t know Vyers as well as he thought he did. But honestly, he knew nothing about the man other than from the rumours that had been floating around. Not to say he believed everything he heard but… They gave him a pretty good idea of what this sad Vyers character was like. He needed to redeem himself and tonight was the very night to do so. Genie would make sure of it.

Urd’s further attempt to have the genie abandon his mission fell no more awry than her previous. Her touch proved to make him momentarily nervous, blush and turn him ashen. He dared not move as she spoke into his ear, barely able to swallow the forming lump in his throat. His eyes alone travelled slowly over to look at her. However, as quickly as she had appeared by his side she had vanished. A silent breath of relief escaped him when he saw her head into the field once again.

Women.

He gently placed a hand against his ear, another sight escaping him, though this softer, almost admiring.

Realizing he had begun to stray behind, Genie jumped to attention and flew after the goddess. “Good, I was beginning to worry you were all talk! I’d like to see you do better.” he challenged her saucily.

She scoffed at his challenge, tossing her hair off her shoulders. Oh, she was going to show him. Time for some divine magic to put the djinn in his place! Of course, unlike him, she couldn't just affect reality out of nothing. Urd would have to work with what she had.

She raised her hands, making a series of gestures as she spoke in a supernaturally commanding voice. "Eros and Astrild, hear my call! Weave together the bonds of love and create a scenery of romance fit for a king!" As she spoke, a breeze whispered through the grass, moving it like a luminescent ocean. Suddenly, the grass around the table she had set up elongated, weaving around itself and shooting upwards. As the grass formed itself in Roman-style columns, red roses bloomed in the vines that crawled out of the white grass, wrapping itself around the columns and forming a sort of canopy above the table. Petals floated dreamily down as the usual white glowing orbs of light from the fields turned a soft pink as they hovered into the night sky.

As the breeze calmed and Urd's hair settled, she posed with confident self-satisfaction. "This'll put them in the mood or I'm not the goddess of love!"

Genie curiously observed the display once it had fully immerged from the ground, knocking on one of the columns experimentally, as though to check whether or not it was hollow. The craftsmen ship was rather exceptional while the scene itself admittedly quite beautiful. The roses put an interesting spin on something so traditional and made it in many ways something her own. But the genie showed no sign of this. If anything, he appeared bored, unimpressed by the display. He didn’t want to encourage her.

Stifling a yawn he stepped underneath the canopy of roses and looked up at them. “You don’t think you’re over doing it?” He asked, examining one of the roses with mild interest. “You know, showboating? Or are you just trying to overcompensate for something?” Suspicious, Genie moved closer to the table and observed her spread. Had she been chinchy on the wine, perhaps? He brought one of the glasses up to his face and waved it under his nose to catch a whiff.

Urd's arrogant smile fell at Genie's disinterested expression. She went into an outright scowl as he stifled a yawn. Dropping out of her pose, she crossed her arms and watched him in annoyance as he continued. Who did he think he was? Overcompensating? What did she have to compensate for? Not one to stay silent for long, she was just about to tell him where he could shove it when she saw him lift the glass to his nose.

"Ah! Don't touch that!" She took a step forward, hand outstretched to snatch the glass out of his hands. Placing it back on the table, Urd watched him nervously. Of course, one had to drink the wine for her potion to take affect fully, but even the scent, once fully integrated, could do unpredictable things. And with Genie's unique physiology, there was no telling what could happen. "It's...very expensive wine," she muttered to try and explain her extreme reaction.

Well, that was certainly unexpected. That must have been some very, very fine wine to get a reaction like that out of the goddess. He raised a brow, undoubtedly suspicious of her actions, but said nothing. Instead, he simply linked his fingers behind his back and continued to inspect Urd’s display. He had caught something in that wine, a scent in which did not belong. Surely this was the odour of magic. Although his sense of smell may not have been as great as that of a Mukhtar, it was still fairly impressive. Genie could detect enchantment like nobody’s business. And though he was sure there was a good reason behind the magic’s presence, he could not help but wonder whether that reason was ‘good’ for everyone. Was this magic present to enrich the wine with certain flavours or was it there for another purpose beyond taste? Perhaps it was to persuade their guests. He wondered. Did Urd intend to force them to fall in love? It seemed a bit much. Then again, when Urd was determined… He bit his tongue.

Genie paused from his walk around the display and turned back to look at Urd curiously. “What year?” he asked testingly. He was talking about the wine, of course.

She nudged everything back into place, using magic to absently pull together roses from above into an elegant floral display in the middle of the table. She could feel Genie's suspicious gaze on her -- casually tossing her hair off her shoulders, she turned in place and leaned against the table, arms crossed.

His question almost caught her off guard but she managed to smile serenely. "Côtes de Beaune...1971," she replied smoothly. "A very deep red vintage." She smirked, satisfied she had passed whatever test this was.

“Côtes de Beaune,” Genie repeated slowly, his gaze falling back on one of the glasses. “Côtes de Beaune...” He left it at that, leaving little indication as to what he had been thinking. Although, he did seem rather amused by her response. This would likely leave Urd uncertain whether or not he believed her. But maybe he intended it that way. After all, it was best to keep ones opponent guessing, was it not? He too leaned against the table, looking across at Urd through a sly smile. Did he know?

“I’d hate to see all your hard work go to waste… But I don’t want to call anything early. Our guests will be the ultimate judges here. Which scene truly shouts romantic, whose meal will leave them ultimately satisfied, and which host is the most gracious.” He clenched his fist and shook it challengingly at Urd. “Our guests will prove once and for all who the real god of love is!”

Urd smiled wider at Genie's challenge, feeling the usual thrill she always got when their competitive spirits clashed. His reaction to her naming her wine had been a little off-putting, but now they were back into familiar territory. "Mmm...that's fine. That's just fine!" She tilted her head back, glancing sidelong at him with a hooded gaze.

"When they arrive, they'll choose what table they want to sit at. No holds barred, handsome. And why don't we make it interesting?" She tapped her finger to the side of her lips, smirking. "Loser has to do anything the winner wants."

In one smooth motion, she was suddenly in his face, leaning towards him, both her hands on the table behind him. "Anything."

Challenge accepted. Overwhelmed with a familiar sense of excitement, the genie’s grin widened. This was just the sort of thing he needed to test his skill. If he passed this, he knew he could no doubt sweep Urd herself off her feet too. A retirement party, hmpf! He’d show her. He was a natural romantic. Why, he could be just as romantic as Rhett Butler, Mr. Darcy, and Walt Whitman! …or was Whitman just a writer during the Romantic period in American Literature? Oh, who cared? Point of the matter was that he was more than prepared to show Butler and his possy up. He would kick them to the curb.

Although, where that confidence had gone once a certain goddess was in his face was anyone’s guess. Genie tried casually distance himself from her but found his back met with the instantly with the table. He looked back at Urd, eyes open wide. “Anything.” He agreed slowly, almost cautiously. Urd already knew she was going to win, didn’t she?

It had taken Vyers a good portion of the trip to convince Gwen that nothing was the matter, and he wasn’t entirely certain he had actually managed to succeed. Once or twice he had wondered whether or not it was too late to turn around and take Gwen somewhere else. There was still time, wasn’t there? A quick turn, telling her he had changed his mind…

In the end it was the fields that had made him continue onward. The place itself was perfect. The atmosphere, the lights that slowly fell like snow… It was all so beautiful. Even if things went a bit awry, as far as Vyers was concerned, it was nothing he couldn’t fix. Not with an environment like this. Romance was in the air, and with his charms it would remain. They had never failed him before, had they? His confidence fully restored, Vyers looked down at Gwen with a small, sly smile and summoned a rose to his hand, holding it out to her and giving a playful wink. “Do you not see? It is as I said. As long as you are here, my beloved, everything is…”

He trailed off, catching a hint of movement out of the corner of his eye. “…perfect,” he finished weakly, having turned to look in that direction. Two tables… He had thought Urd and Genie would be working together on this, as they lived together if he remembered correctly, but it seemed that was not the case. Vyers’ heart sank all over again. Both tables looked absolutely wonderful (especially the one with flowers and wine--ah, but someone knew him well!), but something told him this couldn't end well.

Gwen finally had finally accepted Vyers' answer, even if she still had her doubts. He was up to something, sure, but she'd let it slip. It was kind of cute, after all. She took the offered rose and smiled sweetly, holding it close to give it a sniff.

However her doubts returned and reshaped themselves into suspicion and a teeny bit of unease when they made it to their apparent destination. She blinked from one table to the other (she was partial to the other one, actually...) and then, slightly baffled, looked up at her husband.

Of course, it was like him to sweep her off to a date. And despite the extremes of their options... it didn't hurt to indulge a bit, did it?

She raised a brow and smiled at him. "Well. Shall we?"

Urd, her own face hovering mere inches from Genie's, paused and slowly turned her head to look at the arriving couple. Suddenly she was out of the djinn's personal space and making her confident way towards the two, hair sweeping behind her. "There's the lucky couple~!" she called, smiling as she approached.

She gave a practiced, elegant gesture towards her own table. "As you can see, we've prepared two tables for you to choose from. You're welcome to pick the one that stirs your passions..." Urd jerked a thumb to Genie's display.

"Or that one."

Edited 2011-01-31 18:50 (UTC)

Genie did not miss a beat and was found behind Urd on the arrival of their guests. He greeted them welcomingly with a smile and a courteous bow. Would they still consider themselves the ‘lucky couple’ by the end of the evening? It was debatable and the night had yet to even truly begin.

Without pause, the genie continued where the goddess had left off, going into further description of his table. “The acme of romantic locality; a remote and private escape in which two may be entertained without entertaining others, should you catch my drift.” He smirked at this and elbowed Vyers playfully before gesturing to his table. The candles surrounding the scene appeared to ignite on their own and send a sweet vanilla scent their way, almost inviting them over.

Vyers smiled back at Gwen weakly and began to lead her toward one of the tables, only to be set upon by both Urd and Genie. The demon could only stammer out responses that barely even resembled words as each began to attempt to convince the couple to go to their respective tables and by the time Genie and Urd had finished, Vyers' hopes and dreams for the night lay shattered.

He didn't respond to either one, mouth still slightly agape from the entire spectacle, but after a few moments, the demon turned his head to face Gwen, a pleading, slightly desperate expression on his face. It was only gentlemanly to see what the lady would like to go to, wasn't it?

Gwen's nerves kicked in by the time the two were finished, and she looked back and forth between the choice of tables, then at their apparent hosts, and then to her husband with quite the flustered expression. And of course he was leaving the decision to her! That - !

No, she supposed. It was a bit gentlemanly to do so.

It was also a bit cowardly.

Internally, she may have just sulked a little.

But, they had to sit somewhere - although a petulant part of her thought maybe they should just sit on the grass between the two tables. Ha! And they'd have the best of both worlds then!

"W-Well..." She cringed, but this was their date (yes she got that, honey) and no one was allowed to berate her for her choice, and so with her head high she marched over towards Genie's table, indeed led by the vanilla fragrance and the candles.

She was sure her husband could pluck some roses from the other table to feel more at home. It was in his nature, after all.

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I'd do anything for love... but doing that may not have been the best idea [completed]

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