Fireworks (Claire)

[karen6]

Truthfully, Jem did feel badly for lying to Claire about exactly what the intent of his invitation to the poetry reading was, but he refused to let it get to him. Was it so wrong for him to indirectly as her on a date? It would be far less awkward for the both of them if they just pretended that it was simply and outing and friends--and as far as she knew, that was all it was.

But when he'd asked her to come, he'd said it was because he'd wanted company; and yet he'd already established plans to meet up with two of his sisters, the twins Melina and Selena, as well as his second-oldest brother, Luciano. He'd conveniently forgotten to mention they'd be there to her, and vice versa. Hopefully, things went over smoothly.

Jem wasn't entirely sure why he'd set this all up in the first place. It wasn't exactly like he'd gone and done anything wrong, per se. But why'd he been so secretive about it? That was the million dollar question. Even he wasn't sure about that.

Maybe it had to do with the fact that if he told his family that he was bringing a woman with him, they'd take the mickey out of him, and he was afraid that if he told Claire about their presence, she'd refuse to come. He hadn't thought this much about social relations in a long time. It made his head hurt worse than computers did, and he worked with those daily.

Regardless, Jem waited patiently in the loading bay for Claire to join him so that he could escort her to where the poetry reading was going to take place. Hopefully, this would go well.

[claire]

Although she wouldn't admit it, Claire was practically exploding with excitement that Jem had asked her to a poetry. She had never been to Beta Cygni and was incredibly exited to go, and with Jem none the less. He was downright adorable when he smiled. breathed even. She felt like a middle school girl around him, giddy and young. Not to mention Cute. He was certainly easy on the eyes and had attracted the glances of other girls on board. He didn't talk to many besides her, which only fueled the middle school feeling.

He had said it was just for company, but somewhere in the back of Claire's mind, she secretly hoped for more. Coming on board, she wasn't looking for a relationship. It wasn't that she chose women over men, or sworn off love all together, her priorities just lie elsewhere. Jem was slowly changing things however. This 'non' date as far too much like a date.

Claire primped and prepped as casually as she could without seeming to overdo it. With a short sigh, she smoothed down her dress and chose a pair of sandals rather than heels, remembering it was a water planet. She puckered her lips after applying a little bit of gloss in the mirror and headed out the door. She found Jem with a smile and rather than offering a handshake, she body walked up and gave him a hug. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in his warmth and heartbeat against her chest before pulling back,. "How are you?" she grinned broadly up at him.

[karen6]

Claire didn't keep Jem waiting long, and when she arrived a grin snuck onto his face. She looked lovely, as always, and, though he was mildly surprised, there was no objection of his part when she pulled him into a quick hug. He took a moment to appreciate how naturally she folded into his arms, silently inhaling the almost floral scent her hair let off.

"And I'm all right, thanks," he said brightly, being a proper gentleman and offering her his arm as they started off down the street together, "Yourself?" There weren't all that many people out--just the odd couple or two, like themselves, meandering down the street as no great speed.

"So... you've never been on Beta Cygni before, have you?" he offered as a conversation starter. He'd never been good at talking, but he was a good listener, and from what he'd found, Claire liked talking. It was a perfect balance. And unlike some guys who didn't like to talk, he actually listened. That was a plus.

Before long they turned onto the street where the cafe was and he heard two voices calling his name--two voices that sounded almost exactly the same. Melina and Selena. He looked around, finally spotting them a few seconds later, waving at him excitedly. He smiled and waved back, only to sigh and roll his eyes when they broke off into curious whispers at the sight of Claire.

"Buona sera, Jem!" a man's voice boomed next to his ear. With a stifled yelp he looked over to see his brother, Luciano, and used his free arm to swing at his head. Luc ducked and simply laughed. "Missed you too, bro," he guffawed. He then turned to Claire and dipped his head politely. "It's lovely to meet you, miss...?"

Well, time for introductions. He could tell by Claire's slightly stunned expression that she was entirely confused by this, and he hastily covered for her while she regained her wits. "Luc, this is Claire Dubrovskiy. She's one of my crew mates on the Venia. Claire, this is my brother, Luciano. And they"--he paused for a moment to gesture at the twins--"are Melina and Selena, my sisters."

As if sensing he'd mentioned them, walking in perfect sync the two girls traipsed over, each holding out their left hands for Claire to shake. "Hey there," they chimed, throwing Jem a side glance as they did so. He cringed internally. They weren't going to let this one go, he could tell.

[claire]

Claire embraced him tenderly, breathing in the scent of his cologne and the comforting scent on his shirt. He had a strange calming affect on her as if nothing in the world could hurt her, despite the rather rough trade she took. With her smile still in place, she pulled away and gingerly took her arm in his. "Quite well." she pipped in smoothly at his question, letting her soft British accent hang in the air. One or two heads turned, but they had probably never heard a British person in their life.

They walked quietly a few paces, before he asked another question. "No, I haven't. I've never left Earth. I've been all over the planet...just...never off it. Until Venia of course." She looked up at him with a tender smile and a slight blush. This planet was definitely exciting and she hardly knew what she was getting herself into. All she was aware of was that it was a water planet. James seemed to know it quite well, which relaxed her nervous mind. He would take care of her.

They enjoyed their walk, talking of their pasts, adventures and overall small talk. She laughed and giggled and felt too much like a middle school girl. After a while, they arrived at the cafe and were suddenly greeted. Claire was under the impression that it was just to be the two of them, but obviously not. Inside her spirits fell a little, but she would defiantly make the best out of her situation.

A large man, resembling James, approached them first. He worse the same warm smile and sparkling eyes. As James, answered him, she extended her hand to shake. Seconds later, he introduced the twins. They were full of smiles and it was obvious they loved their brother. She greeted them as well with a full grin. Claire gave a short chuckle to herself, watching his expression. She had seen the same look from her own sisters. They were going to give him heck, simply because they could. Siblings always played their games, it was their own way of showing affection. Mess with the ones you love.

[karen6]

Now that the introductions were over, Jem shooed his siblings off, telling them to go and take their seats. The twins had complained about wanting some froofy drinks that had names so long he wasn't sure whether or not they were making them up, but he told them they could get them later. The poetry reading was about to start, anyway.

He knew the two of them would rather be off shopping or whatever it was they usually did when they weren't working, but regardless they merely shot him furious glares. And then they did something that surprised him a little--they essentially kidnapped Claire from his side, Melina hooking onto the dark-haired woman's left arm, and Selena on her right. Jem could do nothing but stand there and watch, bemused, as they ushered her into the building.

"Don't let it get to you, fratello," Luc said, flinging an arm around his brother's shoulders. "They're just being their usual sisterly selves. In other words, they're going to chat with your lady friend and decide whether or not they think she's worthy of their brother." He laughed. "They did the same thing to me with Catalina."

"But you and Catalina were actually dating at the time," Jem pointed out, shrugging out from under Luc's arm, "Whereas Claire and I are just friends. They don't have to interrogate my friends, too, now do they?" Luc didn't seem to have a response to that, and so the two of them merely went inside to find the girls and enjoy the poetry reading.