SWEET SUMMERTIME / ISAAC

[ALICE MADELINE VALKE.]

Summer time was in full swing around Carmel, CA, set off by the annual summer beach a thon that brought everyone out of their homes to lavish in the rays summer's beginning. Alice felt like she had lavished too much, despite the sheer covering from her tank top she hardly had any protection and she could feel the sunburn that would angrily appear when she went home rearing its ugly head. She cursed the sunblock she had put on earlier for being less than efficient; she smelled like sun, sunblock, beach and a hint of the frosted cupcake body wash she used. Summer has definitely set in. A smile pricked at the corners of her mouth, the methodic sound of her flip flops hitting the board walk echoing in her ear drums along with the low thrum of activity around her. it was less chaotic than before, mainly everyone had gone home to bring out picnic baskets and get dressed for the bonfire - Alice too would be heading home soon, but she couldn't resist watching the sun descend below the horizon.

Stopping at the only booth that was still open for the evening - the beer tent - Alice ordered herself some shitty draft from a keg and set out to walk around the board walk and ingest more of the scenery. Drink the scenery, drink in the people, drink the shitty draft in the stereotypical red cup. Everything seemed monotonous, yet so beautiful at the same time. She slipped her glasses back up onto her slender nose, lazing about along the walk aimlessly.



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[ISAAC LEE WATSON.]

Isaac never wanted to fall into that typical American stereotype. Wake up, go to school, go to work, come home, eat, sleep, repeat. If he had the choice, he'd be out in the world discovering scientific things. Not sitting in a booth for a fundraiser for the library. What were they using this money for anyway? That leaky pipe in the men's restroom? Likely. He didn't want to be here. Granted, he was sitting in the nicely shaded tent. It was still hot outside, though. And being beside the beach made everything more humid and windy. A couple of times throughout the day, Isaac was sent running across the hustle and bustle of people after some of the information pamphlets on the libraries goals for the future. Big deal, he thought as he set the fallen pamphlet holder upright and tucked the papers inside it. Who cares about a libraries future except the people who depend on their paychecks from it? Grabbing his lemonade (which was now watered down from sitting in the sun at the corner under the table) and taking a sip, Isaac told his boss that he was leaving. Six hours, he made a face at the faded taste of the lemonade. It tasted like bitter water. Six hours trying to persuade people to give us their money. He dropped his cup into the open trash can, which smelled sweet from soda and perhaps fried foods and pushed his sunglasses up his nose. He was hot and sweaty and didn't want to be around people. But right now he had no choice. Though, since he was off, he was planning on walking out of there until it was past city curfew and had to go home. That was, until he saw a familiar face.

She wasn't a friend or anything, but she was familiar. Isaac knew her from both work and school. He didn't know anybody else with such red hair. Actually, he was the only person he knew with red hair aside from her. And his hair wasn't really all that red unless it was hit directly with the bright afternoon sun. He didn't think she liked him, and he didn't know what he thought of her. All he knew is that spending time with her sounded much more appealing than going home, being alone in that house full of tense and disappointing memories. He didn't want to seem creepy, so instead of running over, Isaac casually made his way to her, trying to think of what to even say. How does one just start a conversation? Just hey? Should he compliment her? Would she take that wrong? He had realized he was almost standing in front of her when he focused on what he was doing and tightened his lips together for a moment. "Uh hey." What now? His eyes looked to her beverage. His hand motioned at the cup and one side of his lips rose in a smirk. "I didn't know you could drink." Was that stupid to say? Was that creepy?

words; wc here
muse; average
notes; he is trying not to be creepy
tags; alice
outfit; in banner
lyrics; all alright - fun.
credits; template by twilightbright @ caution

[ALICE MADELINE VALKE.]

Alice had been minding her own business, lazily looking out over the sunset when her moment of peace was shattered by the rather awkward greeting of an acquaintance. She had seen him through the library, worked with him on occasion and they seemed to have the same calc class (or maybe he just liked sitting in on random lectures.) Either way, there was little time for perplexities as he was standing right in front of her. "Uh, hey." Alice's smile dimpling her cheeks as she took another swig of the beer that he had just inquired about.

"Oh ouch, do I look twelve or something? I'm twenty one, hot shot." She winked, shaking her head as she placed the now nearly half empty cup on the railing next to her before turning her full attention to him, sliding her phone back into the waist band of her shorts as she reached out elegant fingers, touching the open flap of his biker jacket. "Although this doesn't look like formal beach attire." Narrowing her eyes behind her sun glasses she gave him another grin, much softer, definitely more sweet and waited for whatever would spring forth from him next.



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[ISAAC LEE WATSON.]

Talking seemed to difficult these days. To talk to a girl (without trying to annoy them) was harder than building a computer to Isaac. Women seemed so angry all the time. He had met his mother before, only to learn she really wasn't the dream parent he had always imagined. No, instead she was a bit too thin and bony and was only patient with Isaac for a short time (that only seemed to shorten the more days he spent with her). Women made him nervous, he was used to being around men who solved things by punching each other. But women talked things out, and Isaac wasn't the best at talking. He avoided talking as much as he could. "Oh, n-no. " He said quickly when she asked if she looked twelve. "No, you just look younger than you are I guess heh." Apparently not all women wanted to look younger.

As she reached for his jacket, he almost leaned away, but instead he merely raised his head a bit and eyed what she was doing. "Oh." As if surprised by her statement, Isaac grabbed the bottom edges of his jacket and tugged it to fit better on his shoulders. "Well, I wasn't planning on being here actually." Isaac pointed a thumb down the direction he came from, along with a slight nod. "I was working at the stall the library has up and just got off. Thought it was going to be later when I did though." Clearing his throat, Isaac tried to think of a way to change the subject. "Have you been here long?" He nodded at the cup a little. "Mind if I bought you a drink?" His heart pounded at this. What was he doing? Was this right? He never really knew how to do this. Hopefully she wasn't completely disgusted with him. Isaac was finding it hard to look directly at her now, and was looking toward the beer tent, and to the ocean.

words; no
muse; average
notes; no
tags; alice
outfit; in banner
lyrics; all alright - fun.
credits; template by twilightbright @ caution

[ALICE MADELINE VALKE.]

Maybe it was the new alcohol raging through her system that made her more touchy.. normally she wouldn't have reached out to grasp his jacket, the smooth leather sliding from between her fingers. It was one beer, she didn't even feel a buzz, she just felt relaxed - easy going - which was rare for a spit fire like her. Normally she would have actually pretended to be mad at him, maybe even made a scene so she could laugh about it later. But something about him didn't make her want to drive him away. Interesting. Ignoring the gnawing in her chest that she would readily assess in her alone time, she let out a curt laugh as she touched his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, I don't mind."

Isaac gestured to a half-collapsed booth in the background, down the board walk. The library insignia and name flashed on a banner that was quickly being torn down and folded up by some of the library administration, luckily she had managed to forgo manning the booth for some extra hours at work. "I think I just dodged working there with you." Raising an eyebrow she redirected her emerald green gaze onto him, being the direct person she was Alice aimed to gain eye contact. He seemed to be looking every where but on her, Alice suddenly felt so self-conscious. Was he looking for an escape? Did he not want to spend time with her? Was she ugly? But his words quickly snapped her out of her momentary self-conscious fuzz. "Well I've been walking around the beach for most the mid-morning and afternoon, playing volleyball and probably eating too much processed food." She shrugged, shooting him a award winning smile as she looked to the cup on the ledge. "Sure, do you fancy a drink, my dear Watson?" She put on a best of a fake gravelly accent, trying not to sound like a total loser and ditz at the same time. "You are such a fucking loser."




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[ISAAC LEE WATSON.]

Isaac looked over his shoulder back to the library's stand and let out a laugh that was lacking. "Consider yourself lucky, then." He didn't mind even sitting there and fetching papers that blew away or being annoying and sounding greedy all day. It was the heat that was the worst. Isaac never liked showing his legs with shorts, and he couldn't do anything else with his jacket that he so stupidly brought with him. Besides, it would be too casual to wear anything else. If he had at least worked in the morning, it wouldn't be so bad. He wouldn't think to bring his jacket since rain only really came around toward evening. And seeing the sky now, it didn't look like it was even going to rain.

He's asked to buy women drinks before. At clubs, parties, and events in general. But those times he was genuinely trying to get into their pants. He didn't feel like this toward Alice. Whether is was the cloud over his head from working all day, the ache in his lower back, or maybe he just (for whatever reason) respected her too much. A laugh left him as she took his offer, at least they were both mutually weird. "I'd be lying if I said now." Tilting his head a bit, Isaac began walking to the drink stand, being sure not to pace himself. His steps were typically longer than anyone else, especially a shorter womans. Though, he did stand up straighter than usual, looking over the crowd of people to see it wasn't actually that crowded around the tent, and that there was only a small group of people who were grabbing their drinks and headed on their way. Isaac ordered two beers and handed one over to Alice, paying (and tipping) the tender and turning to face the ocean. "Are you from around here?" She didn't seem to have a local accent, and that made him curious. Isaac took a sip of his not cold, not warm beer. Making a bit of a face, he lowered the drink to hold it about chest high and watched the waves as the sun neared the horizon slowly but surely.

words; no
muse; average
notes; no
tags; alice
outfit; in banner
lyrics; all alright - fun.
credits; template by twilightbright @ caution

[ALICE MADELINE VALKE.]

His laughter at her horrible Sherlock Holmes reference eased her mind. At least he didn't shoot her a quizzical look and contemplate about her sanity, man, that would have been awkward. But it definitely made her more comfortable, for a split second she thought about locking their arms at the elbow - but that was weird. She didn't even know this guy! Why was she considering this? Probably because that was who she was - no bars back, do what she liked even if it seemed ridiculous or obtuse and she went about her way. But this time she reserved herself, maybe it was the feeling of mutual coworker-ship that kept her from her overly flirtatious, outrageous self but if anything would spur that out of her it would be the alcohol and the dusk that seemed to be quickly favoring the horizon.

It was nice of Isaac to buy her a drink, a genuine friendly thing to do in her opinion. Especially because he didn't have the intent to get her hammered and then slide into her pants, or he didn't seem to anyways. For once that was comforting, not having to push off his uncomfortably close advancements or worrying about how much she drank or how much he drank, having to find a designated exit route if the scene got ugly. Alice for once in a long time felt relaxed, strange how a shift in company could do that to you. "Thank you, you know, for the drink." Her voice was low, a friendly smile curving her lips upward as she joined him back at the post to the board walk, her own eyes flickering over the dancing rays of the sun over the water. She might have been so entranced that she hadn't heard him, still holding the red cup between her hands without trying it before she responded. "I was born in Lexington, Kentucky but my parents immigrated from Scotland while she was pregnant with me, I've been back there a few times to visit family but I've never actually lived there." Taking a sip of her lukewarm beer and doing her best to conceal the grimace that threatened to contort her face, she placed back down the plastic cup and leaned over, admiring the beautiful scenery before once more trying to watch his gaze. "What about you? Have you always lived in Carmel?"








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[ISAAC LEE WATSON.]

He shifted a little where he stood, taking another sip of his beer. The usual ache in his lower back was starting to get worse, reminding him of his long day. Nothing seemed to help it, but it was never enough to stop Isaac from what he needed to do, therefore he never really thought twice about getting the pain checked. Maybe it was age, or stress. He wouldn't admit it, but he did have more reasons to be more stressed than his fellow peers at college. Isaac nodded as he listened to Alice, his brows lifting a little at the short past she gave him. "Scotland, huh? Wow. What... made them want to move to Kentucky? Do you know?" America never seemed quite as interesting as the rest of the world (or space, but that's a whole other subject to think about). It bewildered him why so many people from foreign countries wanted to move here. Of all places. Sure, there was the appeal of freedom. But with that freedom came dangerous living. Isaac couldn't help think of his uncle, and all the danger one man alone was. He sighed, realizing his eyebrows had furrowed, and raised the up again as he spoke.

"Ah, no. I actually haven't lived here for very long. I got accepted into the college here, and my family was already considering moving, so we just packed up and came here." Unlike many students, Isaac's eyes didn't light up when he spoke of his family. He wished he could have had a better start in life, but you work with the hand you're dealt. "We used to live in Nevada, that's where I grew up." Taking a drink of his drink, Isaac finally took his eyes off the horizon and looked over to Alice, an unintentionally weary look in his eyes. "Contrary to popular belief, Nevada is basically as hot as California is in the summer." With a little bit of a smile shining in his eyes, Isaac glanced back to the ocean. "It's just easier to cool off here, I suppose." He took another sip before deciding the drink was not going to taste any better, and lowered the cup a little more.

words; no
muse; average
notes; no
tags; alice
outfit; in banner
lyrics; all alright - fun.
credits; template by twilightbright @ caution

[ALICE MADELINE VALKE.]

Alice surveyed him, he seemed to shift as if to ease some sort of irritation in his lower back. She had the urge to take care of him for a moment, product of an overzealous maternal drive and her being in her sophomore year of her nursing major. Maybe it was a torn muscle or some other ailment that could be solved rather simply, but she stopped herself from actually commenting on his discomfort. He's probably just had a long day, sitting down for awhile can compress the spine and cause discomfort. Willing to not intrude and keep his privacy on something that seemed so small, Alice instead decided to answer the question of why her parents had bothered to come to America. "I guess like everyone else, the American dream. We weren't very wealthy back in Scotland, which was fine, but my dad had bigger entrepreneurial dreams and when his company gave him the option to relocate to the states for business he jumped at the chance to do so. Since then he's changed professions, he went to college in the states to become a lawyer and now he has a practice down in Kentucky." Alice shrugged her slender shoulders, her parents were the cliche awe-inspiring immigrant success story with them coming to the states with almost nothing and a baby on the way and now her father was one of the reigning lawyers in the judicial system. It's funny how things can change.

Alice suddenly felt self-conscious talking about her family. She hadn't realized how much she babbled, but instead she directed her focus onto how he came to Carmel and his further explain of his former home in Nevada. When Alice thought of Nevada she imagined a wild man's country, dry desert that eclipsed into grand mountain ranges - something that would make a good survivalists heart palpitate. Though she had never been there and was unfamiliar with the topography, she did wish to visit, and definitely some place more than the overrated Las Vegas. "What part of Nevada did you live in? I don't know if its those travel infomercials fueling my desire but it's always looked like a nice play to visit, although most places look like a nice place to visit - it's much different to live there." Taking a sip of her flat, lukewarm beer helped fill the silence that followed her further inquiry. The beer felt sticky on her lips, leaving behind a residue that was less than appealing. It was a friendly gesture so she didn't pour out the repulsive brew, but for the mean time she just cradled the quickly warming red cup between slender fingers. The wind pushed sea air back onto her face, peppering her body with its lavish squalls as she took in shallow breaths, savoring the scent of the ocean and the coolness of the wind on her sunburned face. The sun was quickly descending to kiss the horizon line, soon darkness would fall on the two. "I have to admit, Carmel is an interesting place all its own. Beautiful no doubt. But what are you majoring in college? Or do you not have one yet?" His mention of going to college spurred her interest despite seeing him in class, they had just one class together which was math and therefore pretty generic overall so she didn't think he was a nursing major but she shifted her gaze from him to the waves lapping at the shore - relentless.





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[ISAAC LEE WATSON.]

Isaac nodded as he listened to Alice's story. Well, her parents' story. Her story. He mindlessly took a sip before instantly lowering the drink down and swallowing it heavily. "Well that sounds like a good little success story." He spoke honestly, nodding a little to himself. It sounded like she at least still had her dad around, though there wasn't much of a mention of her mom specifically. He decided not to ask since he knew he would purposely avoid speaking about his family, and he wouldn't want to be asked about it. Even if she didn't have family problems, Isaac still wasn't about to ask. To be honest, he didn't really find it a relevant topic since she seemed to be living on her own here. He took another sip of the beer and cringed. "Ah. I'm sorry, I am just not a beer person." Tipping the red cup a little, he watched it dribble out and stop, then he tipped it more.

He continued pouring the dissatisfying beverage out as he listened to her question. "I came from eastern Nevada. I don't know. I guess it's like any other place in the world. It's just a place. I suppose people imagine Nevada as just Vegas, and that's probably the best way to imagine it actually. Vegas is much more satisfying than any other town in Nevada." He shrugged a little and tapped his upside down cup as it dripped its last drops. Inhaling the salty beach air deeply, Isaac listened and waited a moment before answering. "Ah, I've been going now for about two years, and I've finally decided to major in computer science. It's what I'm best at that this college offers, I suppose." Isaac looked down at the ground in thought. He never really had much of a passion for anything, he was just good at mathematical problems and he liked science. "What about you?And why?" He squinted at her in the corner of his eye playfully.

words; no
muse; average
notes; no
tags; alice
outfit; in banner
lyrics; all alright - fun.
credits; template by twilightbright @ caution

[ALICE MADELINE VALKE.]

Even the stale scent of the less than desirable fluid was enough to make her stomach turn. She did her best to conceal her disgust, he was kind enough to buy her it and she planned on muscling through the disgusting flavor. Her inward monologue about continuing to fight the rising urge to dump this all over the sand was cut short by his sentence. "Yeah, it's pretty cliche, but I'm glad it worked out for all of them." Taking another sip she couldn't hide the way her face contorted, shaking her head as she took the incentive of him dribbling the fluid from his own drinking receptacle as an approving motion to go ahead and dump out hers. Mimicking his own motion, she tilted the cup ever so slightly so it drew thin, watery lines on the sun-drenched sand. "I'm sorry about pouring this out, I feel terrible, but this beer was just... horrendous." Something about the SAT word made her giggle, shaking her head as she watched the last flimsy drops of her stale beer being greedily absorbed by the sand before tossing it in the trash nearby.

"Las Vegas is so overrated though. I swear the peanut gallery of the new generation would know that all Las Vegas is over-priced motels with cheap women and that the glitter on the streets is purposefully laid by the government to conceal the sexually transmitted diseases that actually crawl across the sidewalk." Even though she winked to Isaac in proof that she was indeed - joking - she couldn't hide the bitterness in her voice. She had been to Vegas all but once for a family vacation and she wasn't overly impressed, her family had left more torn than mended considering her father's drunken binge that enveloped into the fight of the century for her parents. The sun does set, even in paradise. But the sudden turn in her mood was changed as he talked about going to college, no wonder they took the same calc class - they were both in sciences. Although he was into computers and she was into aiding the unwell, couldn't find anything much more different than that. "Computer sciences? That's actually really interesting, you must be a smarty pants." Nudging his elbow with the tip of her own she chuckled, shaking her head at her lame joke.

What had gotten Alice into nursing? Maybe it was the overwhelming maternal drive to take care of everyone and everything. Children, hurt animals, the elderly, the drunk guy down the boardwalk who was legitimately barfing into the trash can. Weekend warrior he was not. Maybe it was because she knew every single one of these people had a story to tell, someone who cared about them, and she just simply felt so genuine for the safety of others. Oh yes Alice was definitely the motherly type, she would never consider herself a saint but when it came to the health and well being of the people around her - especially the people she cared about - she would go to the ends of the earth to ensure their security. "I'm a major in human sciences, I want to be a nurse - preferably stationed as a triage nurse in a pediatric ward." Pushing back the layers of hair that fell over her face behind her back she washed the suns rays grapple for foot hold over the darkness, a warm smile covering her face as she continued to speak about the passion that stirred within her. "I love.. taking care of people. Some people rise every morning knowing deeply burning in their chest is something they need to do, something they need to complete for the rest of that day to feel whole. Taking care of people, the genuinely of wanting to see over someones well being and knowing you changed them for the better. Making a difference, no matter how trivial it may seem. People are wonderful, beautiful mass of atoms and I feel like I'm on this self-conscious journey to heal people." Laughing now, Alice ran fingers through her hair as she dropped her head, staring at the sand on the ground and swirling it with her toe. When she looked up to Isaac's face once more her green eyes danced with wonder, mischief hiding beneath them as she moved a tad bit closer to him, just a half shuffle. "But enough about me, if you're not a beer person, Isaac, then what kind of person are you? An i for an i, a t for a t.


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[ISAAC LEE WATSON.]

"Hah, don't feel bad. It's just beer." He had bought the beverage expecting he'd be doing this anyway. Pouring it out, wasting it into the fine granules of sand and being completely fine with her not getting drunk. In fact, Alice was appealing even without the help of alcohol. Isaac felt he didn't need to worry about her getting too nosy into his past, and he knew she would tell him as much as she was comfortable with. He liked listening to her, because they way she spoke seemed so carefully chosen that everything she said should have been cherished and admired. She sounded so smart and her skin glowed in the sunsets golden pink light. He couldn't help but have a little smile on his lips as he listened to her, even if she spoke bitterly about Vegas. "Mm. Yeah. I've never been, actually." He said simply and also tossed his cup into the trash.

As she began to speak about her major, Isaac could plainly see how passionate she was about it. He admired it, really. Maybe because he never really found a passion of his own, because he was relatively accurate at most anything he did (except parkour or gymnastics or anything that required physical grace). He couldn't help but stare as she spoke, wishing he could feel the same about anything at all. The smile on her lips was so genuine and he found it hard to peel his eyes off of them, and her laugh made a smile lift his lips. He shifted a bit and faced her more. "That is... really impressive." Being honest, Isaac felt like he may have sounded sarcastic, and nodded. "I mean it. I wish I could find something I love like you have. You're lucky." He squinted a bit at her and chuckled, fighting away the words in his brain. He wished she would just stay away from him. She had so much going for her and she was so lucky. And all he was... was this unlucky, ungraceful, dry humor, immature kid who never really felt happy. Why was she even around him? Was this pity? He sucked his bottom lip in when she asked him about himself. "Uhh. I don't know." He twisted a bit to face the sunset again instead of her and looked to the ground. Who was he? He never really thought about who he actually was. "I guess I'm just... a typical guy trying to find something to accomplish in life." His words felt numb compared to the life behind hers, and he was probably turning pink thinking about it. He was getting self conscious and could feel his self esteem dropping. His hands fell into his pocket and he stopped himself from saying anything more, staring with held back thoughts at the sunset.

words; no
muse; medium high
notes; no
tags; alice
outfit; in banner
lyrics; all alright - fun.
credits; template by twilightbright @ caution

[ALICE MADELINE VALKE.]

"I know but still." She shot him a reassuring smile that was meant to reassure her more than him, in the long run. Her words were softer now, the descend of the rays that brought out the lingering stares made her feel peaceful, like she shouldn't interrupt the silent patches between them. She wanted to stand here and become enveloped by her surroundings; the scent of the sea wind, the coolness that came with the oncoming of night, the lingering heat from the sunburn that wrapped around her pale ivory skin. Even the smell of the man beside her, distinctly musky and male in scent as she stood close enough to him that their forearms brushed occasionally despite his layers of leather. The silence was comfortable, not awkward as it had been when they had first started talking, maybe it was the alcohol in her system - even if it was probably all but absorbed through her liver now - but she couldn't help but recognize it might be something else.

Like the way the rays of the sun danced across his high cheekbones and dusted his eye lashes, how his hands - worker's hands - toiled into one another or gripped the plastic texture of the red cup and played with something on the railing of the board walk. By now they were the only two on the board walk other than the occasional whimsical couple that walked by holding hands. The flames that reached for the skies, urning and desiring to consume the oxygen around it. The bonfires had begun, but she was reluctant to pull away from the seclusion the two had found in otherwise a rather public place. "Oh.. thank you." She didn't have anything more to add in retort to his commentary about her passions, her pale cheeks filled with blood that fanned across her cheeks in a light pink. The darkness might have concealed a twinge of the color but nonetheless, her embarrassment could not be fully camouflaged from the handsome boy and the dazzling sunset.

His mood seemed to change at her playful jest and she felt bad for having cracked their camaraderie. Now he seemed fidgety, anxious, and she couldn't stop the way her hand molded over the top of his in an attempt to comfort him. Touching his left shoulder she made sure to try to catch the eyes which dismissively looked to the board walk panels. "Well I think you're on the right track." Shooting him another one of her lopsided grins she rubbed her thumb over his knuckles, releasing her feather weight grip from the top of his hand as she walked a few steps - heading back down the board walk. Although she didn't know if he would want to or not, she turned and flashed him a smile brimming with delight, excitement and joy seemed to spill from the unseeable aura surrounding the fair-skinned, fiery haired girl. Holding out her hand in an invitation to clasp it, or even not to, to just walk silently or not so silently beside her she spoke soprano notes with a gilded note of happiness. "Are you coming with me?"


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