Bad Language [OPEN]

[Norah Byron]

[norah]She seemed to think about that quite seriously, watching him with her silver-green eyes wide, surrounded by the smeary memory of the night's mascara. "I think," she said finally, "that it makes you mysterious. And maybe dangerous."

Not looking away from him, "You describe yourself like that and you sound like a fantasy. The perfect man, too good to be true. Rich, powerful, down to earth, kind. Likes children, grows roses, inhumanly handsome and can wear a suit like you're born to it. And here you are. My genie. Swooping in like a guardian angel, fixing everything that's wrong, the perfect gentleman, right down to the roses and the big white smile. You're dangerous, you are."

Norah watched him, solemn and a little bit concerned. "You scare me a little. You're too wantable. Like the fairy tale king. Dangerous to believe in." She finally picked up her tea and took a sip. "Are you dangerous, William? Are you going to turn out to be too good to be true? Am I going to find out that the genie turns into the Monkey's Paw on the third wish?"[/norah]

[William Doyle]

[will]He had paused to watch her, unreadable while he took in her words. “And that, Norah, is exactly why I’m not married. I’m too good to be true. Except, not really. I don’t turn into a Monkey’s Paw, but I am not perfect. Don’t think of me as an imaginary Prince Charming. I’m not. I get angry and hurt and selfish just like anyone else. But I understand your concern. I shall try to be…less genie? If that will help?” He scowls ferociously, although the effect is positively ruined by the hand toying with his pocket watch.

Dropping the scowl, he frowned. “I’m not really a genie, either. Just a man with ten years of experience in the world of entertainment. I retired early, so I’ve got a lot of time on my hands.” He shrugged inelegantly, not really sure how to soothe her concerns.[/will]

[Norah Byron]

[norah]She watched him with that same solemnity, still wondering a little whether she should trust in anyone this clean, this good. Norah had met some actual heroes in her life, people who'd saved the really-and-for-truly world andd they didn't have this level of...she didn't know the word. Clarity. There was a purity to William that she wanted to believe in, and maybe feared her own draw to it more than she feared that it might turn out to be false.

And yet when she considered breaking their plans for the next day she just didn't want to. She didn't want to lose the chance to know him, even if he turned out to be something other than the genie she'd laughingly named him. And so she smiled and reached across the table and laid her hand on top of his. "Come play with me tomorrow? I'll lay off the manic pixie, you skip the genie, and we'll see how we do just being tourists in Chicago with a bit too much money and a bit too little sense?"

It was hard for her, letting the persona drop. Chances were she'd slip up a time or three over the course of a day. But that just meant she'd forgive it if he slipped up as well. And maybe only another mask-wearer would understand what a terror and relief it was to take it off with one trusted person.[/norah]

[William Doyle]

[will]He pursed his lips in thought. “I think I might actually own a pair of jeans and a hat. Hats are good. And sunglasses. I might even own one of those annoyingly colored Hawaiian shirts.” William grinned like a child, already looking forward to the next day. “Thank you for giving me a second chance? I can be very non-genielike. Especially since I don’t know Chicago very well personally.” More out of habit than anything else, he flipped his pocket watch open and ran his thumb over the face, smoothing the polished surface without need.

He checked to see how she was doing on food and picked up his glass of tea. “Let’s get you fed and in bed. You won’t be doing much of anything unless you get some sleep. I don’t do tourist things with zombies. No offense. But I like a little conversation with my walking. Eat up.” William pocketed his watch again, having not even checked the time.[/will]

[Norah Byron]

[norah]Norah settled back a little easier in her chair and picked up a quarter of her sandwich. "Fine, be right at me. See how far that gets you." But she grinned and took a bite, and in the way these things sometimes go that first bite reminded her that, oh yeah, she was starving to death. The sandwich started disappearing rapidly. "What do you want to see? And no 'as you wish', plz." She somehow managed to pronounce it so that it sounded like chatspeak. Amazing what all those years of vocal training will do.[/norah]

[William Doyle]

[will]“Yes, you’re right. I’ll remember my place on the right-wrong scale next time.” William picked up his own sandwich and demolished it in several large, neat bites. He used his fingers to find crumbs. “In talking with you, I’d forgotten that I haven’t eaten since six this morning.”

He considered her question solemnly. “The American Girl tower. Don’t laugh. I want to take a look, because surely there can’t actually be an entire tower dedicated to a line of dolls. Also, the museums.” His tone crept towards wistful. “I love museums. I just don’t go often enough. Them and zoos. If I could spend the rest of my life wandering from museum to zoo, I think I could die a happy man. Well, that’s not necessarily true. But it’s certainly a nice thought.”

Using some tea to wash the sandwich down, he searched his memory. “And anything remotely touristy. If we’re going to do it, we might as well do it properly.” Besides, he never did the touristy things. He travelled for his job; his idea of a vacation was relaxing at his house.[/will]

[Norah Byron]

[norah]She groaned. "Oh, God. You're going to have to actually keep an eye on me. I stayed emotionally invested in Kit and Molly for way longer than I had any right to. But I definitely want to hit the Field Museum. For Sue, obviously, but also for all the other dinosaurs. Brothers, they made me into a dino-nerd right along with them. And if we go to the Art Institute, I want to see the Miniature Rooms. History like that, the kind that's daily life instead of kings and wars? Completely thrills me."

She kept working on her sandwich. "Zoos I'm not so fond of. I can never forget that one Saki short story long enough to enjoy them. Though I do love aquariums."

"So," she grinned at him. "Art and music and fish? And some really good food? By 'good', understand I'm meaning Italian Beef sandwiches and fried things from food trucks run by hipsters. Not haute cuisine at Tru.[/norah]

[William Doyle]

[will]He smiled, quick and amused. "I'll keep you from getting lost in the American Girl tower. Remind me to focus once we get to the museum. I have been known to spend an entire day in other, smaller museums. I think dino-nerds are cool. I was one eons ago. Well, maybe, I'm not too clear on the early years, but the years I do remember...I was obsessed with digging holes to China."

Will sipped his tea mildly. "Ice cream too. I'll have you know that I am the best ice cream truck hunter in the United States. And I don't make that claim lightly." He was grinning, though. "I accept your conditions. I am not familiar with the Saki short story, but I'll locate it tonight." He sat back and watching her eat, slowly draining his glass of tea. When she'd finished, he shooed her off to take care of whatever pre-bed activities she needed to do and moved the food cart to the door so he could take it out when he left.[/will]

[Norah Byron]

[norah]She finished her sandwich and soup, drank two glasses of tea. Performing is physically demanding, especially when you're running on too little sleep. But she got there in the end, then ducked into the bedroom and changed into pajamas that were, for a miracle, actually rather modest (she'd had to scrounge for them) and had shoved her glasses up into her hair so that she could do a little reading before she crashed.

When she returned she smiled at William and stepped directly up to him, wrapped her arms up around his neck and kissed his jaw with soft lips and the scent of her toothpaste lingering on her breath. "Thank you, William. You're the perfect genie. But I have to admit, I'm really looking forward to getting to know the human version tomorrow."

A step back and she reached up and brushed his hair back, watched it fall forward again and reflected that it wasn't fair for anyone to have hair that behaved so perfectly, feathering forward in attractive lines of bright and dark. "Have a very good night. Sleep well, dream of high-maintenance redheads."[/norah]