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Re: Gear Up and Buckle Down [message #2042 is a reply to message #2040] Sun, 29 July 2012 11:46 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
Tikatu is currently offline  Tikatu
Messages: 813
Registered: April 2012
Location: South Carolina
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Field Commander
Ubiquitous one
Sunday, April 1, 2068, 6:58, The boat pen, Tracy Island.

Tin-Tin looked around nervously. The cryptic note she had gotten with the beautiful tropical bouquet at breakfast said she was invited to dinner and she should wait for her escort in the boat pen at seven.

"Gordon, if this is one of your practical jokes, I'm going to wring your neck," she muttered as she waited in the natural cavern, the only sound that of the water lapping up against the concrete slips where the boats were anchored. She didn't know quite what to wear, so she chose a light sundress, not too fancy and not too casual, and had put her dark hair back in a matching headband. She hugged herself, checked her watch, and waited.

Christopher walked carefully up to the boat pen, and peered inside. He stifled a gasp when he saw Tin-tin standing there. "You look gorgeous," he whispered to himself as he walked in and coughed a little, then said aloud, "Hello, Tin-Tin."

"Christopher!" Tin-Tin cried. "You startled me!" She smiled shyly. "Were you the one who left those lovely flowers for me this morning?"

"Yes." Christopher blushed. "That was me. I hope you liked them." He moved closer, smelling her scent. "You look lovely tonight."

"Oh, thank you. You're so sweet. And the flowers are lovely," she told him, regarding him carefully. "I put them in a vase in my room." She smiled again, a bit more warmly. "You said something about dinner?"

"It's waiting for us at my place." Christopher smiled. "All cooked with my own fair hands. I hope you are hungry."

"I am!" she said. "I didn't know you could cook."

"I had to learn in RAF." Christopher held out the crook of his arm. "And I will say that I'm not too bad at it." He smiled again. "Shall we go?"

"Lead on, sir." Tin-Tin's smile was now almost coquettish as she took Christopher's arm and he led her to the monorail car.

As he sat in the monorail car with Tin-Tin, Christopher felt a mixture of elation and pure unadulterated nerves. He talked to her about various things, anything to keep the flow going. The monorail car stopped and the doors opened. "After you," Christopher said as he held out his hand.

"Thank you," she said, slipping one foot out gracefully. The other foot, however, didn't follow quite as smoothly. Her sandal's heel got caught in the small gap between the monorail and the terminal's platform. Not only did her heel break off, but she pitched forward. Christopher tried to catch her, but she fell to her hands and knees, scraping one knee on the concrete.

Christopher helped her to her feet. "I'm sorry!" he said, a look for terror on his face. "Are you okay? Can I look at that knee for you?"

Tin-Tin sighed. "It's okay. I'm just a bit clumsy today. If I can wash it off when we get to your apartment, and maybe put some ice on it, it will be all right."

Christopher picked up the heel, and helped Tin-Tin to his apartment. He bade her to sit then he went to the kitchen to get a clean cloth, some warm water, and some ice. He cleaned the scrape then placed an ice pack on the knee. "Would you like a glass of wine?"

"That sounds lovely," she replied, smiling, then wincing as she put the ice on her knee.

Pouring two glasses, he sat next to her and passed a glass over. "I've cooked something very Oriental in feel," he said. "Then for pudding I've made chocolate mousse."

"Oooh, chocolate mousse! My favorite!" Tin-Tin gushed. Then she gave Christopher a sideways look and a knowing smile. "Have you been talking to Father?"

"Well," Christopher said, giving her a deadpan stare. "I did ask him a few questions about what you liked, and he was right about one thing."

"And what was that?" she asked, taking a sip of her wine.

"Not much gets past you." Christopher smiled then sipped from his glass. His nervousness was subsiding. "Are you ready to eat?"

"Yes. I'm famished," Tin-Tin declared.

Christopher offered her his hand, and helped her off his sofa, giving her support as she limped out to the balcony. Pulling the chair out, he helped Tin-Tin sit down. He poured another glass of wine before heading to the kitchen, where he was keeping the food warm. He brought out the plates and dishes and placed them on the table. "Voila!" he said as he removed the covers to reveal a sumptuous meal.

"Oh, Christopher! Everything looks so delicious!" Tin-Tin cried. "All my favorites!"

He picked up the chopsticks and looked at them with a degree of trepidation. "There is only one thing I'm not good at, and that is using chopsticks." Unwrapping them, he tried with little success to pick up some fish from the main dish.

"Oh, let me show you how," Tin-Tin said, taking the chopstick in her left hand. "See, you hold this one like you would a pencil, and you slide the other inside the fold of your thumb and forefinger." She demonstrated. "Then you use the upper stick for actually gripping, and the lower for support." She picked up a small chunk of fish, and brought it up easily, slipping it between her lips and chewing. "See? It's not hard. It just takes a bit of practice."

"You make it look so easy," Christopher said as he manipulated his chopsticks again. Finally he managed to pick up a piece a fish, his tongue sticking out of one side of his mouth with concentration.

Tin-Tin watched him surreptitiously, thinking how cute he looked with that tongue sticking out, just like a little boy who was trying to do something hard. She ate another bite, carefully lifting it with her chopsticks.

"I like living here," Christopher said, after finishing his food. "It's very calm and very nice and I have something to keep me going. And I'm happy to have met you."

Tin-Tin looked down at her plate. "I'm happy to have met you, too, Christopher. I remember when we first met and how interested you were in the Ladybird and how we sang those strange songs...."

Christopher was about to say something when a familiar 'Miaow' came from the kitchen. Asterix ran out onto the balcony, then leapt onto the table. "I wondered where you had got to," Christopher said as he stroked his pet's head. "Sorry, old boy, but I'm rather busy right now."

"Oh, he's so cute," Tin-Tin said, reaching out to pet the kitten. Asterix growled deep in his throat, and with a snarl, swiped a paw out, raking four parallel scratches down Tin-Tin's hand. "Ow!" she shrieked, pulling her hand away and pressing her napkin to it.

"Asterix!" Christopher shouted as he rushed around to where Tin-Tin was sitting "You bad cat! Go to bed, go on!" Asterix leapt at Tin-Tin, hissing loudly. His hackles were raised. He knocked the glass of wine over, the red liquid splashing over her dress. Asterix hissed again before he started to make choking noises.
Tin-Tin pulled back in terror as Asterix hacked and hacked and suddenly produced... a hairball. Right in the middle of the table.

"Oh, disgusting!" Tin-Tin cried, pulling back even further. The back legs of her chair caught on the balcony tiles, and despite Christopher's efforts to catch her, she and the chair fell over backwards.

Christopher helped Tin-Tin up. "I'm so so sorry! He isn't like this normally." Giving Asterix a look of venom, he decided to serve the pudding indoors. "I'll get some cleaning solution for your dress." Helping her indoors, Christopher cleared the table while Asterix sat there cleaning himself. "I'll speak to you in the morning you bad cat!"

Christopher took out the pudding, all swirled and chocolaty in a clear crystal bowl. Tin-Tin took one look at it and shook her head. It reminded her vividly of the hairball.

"I'm sorry, Christopher, but I... I don't feel well. I think I should go back to the Villa."

"Okay," Christopher sighed. "Would you like me to escort you back?"

"N-No, that's not necessary. I can make it back myself," she said, limping toward the front door and the lift. He sighed again, and called the elevator for her.

After Tin-Tin left, Christopher turned back into his flat, feeling very miserable. His evening ruined by a jealous cat!

Asterix was sitting on the sofa, looking very pleased with himself. "You ruined my carefully planned evening, you did!" the frustrated man said angrily before picking up the bowl of mousse from the tray. Shaking his head, he plunged the spoon in and began to eat.

Post by The_Wrong_Trousers1 and Tikatu on 29/01/2005

Jeff heartbeat Dianne plain My IR:TNP OTP!

[Updated on: Sun, 29 July 2012 11:46]

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