She nodded, stepping out of the car. *** He paused before grinning. "I feel peer pressured." *** He started back down the stairs. "You heard me." *** She shook her head. "I really thought you were mad at me."
He came over to her, taking her hand. “Alright. We’re going to go scout out my home.” *** “You should,” she replied smoothly, tucking his hair behind his ear. “I have a lot of eventually’s for you, though, so it’s okay if you don’t right now.” *** “I love you,” she muttered. *** “That’s not as easy as it sounds.”
She nodded, her lips pursed. "Alright then." *** He leaned into her touch. "If you say so." *** A smile crossed his face. "I love you too." *** She looked up at him adoringly. "You are very handsome, by the way."
“That okay with you?” *** She watched him thoughtfully, giving him another quick, almost embarrassed kiss before pulling away. “I, however, am going to go be a badass and run across the rooftops.” *** “You complete and utter dink.” *** He raised an eyebrow, looking down at her. “What makes you say that?”
She nodded, walking along. "Okay with me." *** He grinned. "Fine. Go do that." *** "Dink, now? That's even worse." *** "What makes me say that?" She grinned. "All I have to do is look at you to think it."
He brightened, clearly excited. “Good. You’ll see where I grew up!” *** She pulled away, picking up her clothes and putting them under an awning to protect them from the rain. “Where will you be in about an hour?” *** She nodded, satisfied. “Good. You’re learning. *** He frowned, raising one eyebrow. “I don’t like this.”
She smiled at his enthusiasm. "It'll be good." *** "Inside, probably." *** He chuckled. "Got anything else?" *** She titled her head curiously. "Why not?"
They approached the base, his hand in hers. The entrance was concealed by tightly wrapped ivy vines, but as they entered, Blaise would realize that the entire camp was connected to the mouth of a cave. Wooden structures, small houses had been built, and although the Plaguers had been careless of their treatment of the buildings, she would be able to tell that they had been meticulously and lovingly built. Ellis looked around, his brows furrowed. * * * "Your room?" she asked curiously, tilting her head. Her brown hair fell over her face and she tucked it behind her ear distractedly. "Do you mind if I come to see you after I shower?" * * * "My insults," she said with dignity, "need to be preserved until they are needed." She began heading down the stairs again, speaking over her shoulder as she walked. "I imagine I'll be using them against you a majority of the time, so I need to maintain my element of surprise." * * * "Because," he said, sitting at his desk, "I don't like unexpected compliments to come flying at me out of nowhere." He leaned back in his chair and considered her with a small smirk. "I like to be prepared in all manners of my life."
She looked around curiously before looking over at him. "Is everything alright?" *** He nodded. "I'll be there." *** "Wow," he said, raising an eyebrow at her playfully. "I see how it is. Keep your secrets." *** She came over to his desk, standing behind him and resting her hands on his shoulders. She leaned down, kissing his jaw slowly. "Eh. Too bad."
He frowned as they approached the mouth of the cave, but looked down at her a little sheepishly. "I'm fine. I guess I'm just a little taken aback by how much damage they were able to do in six months." * * * She nodded seriously before kissing his cheek lightly, the warmth of her lips contrasting with the cold of the rain. "Go inside," she said gently, squeezing his hand before letting go. "I'll see you soon." * * * "I'm a very elusive woman," she said teasingly, picking up another box. "An enigma, really." * * * He took a sharp breath in surprise from her action, his hand coming up to cup her jaw. "I'm a planner, Rory," he murmured. "You know this."
She squeezed his hand. "Nothing we can't fix, right?" *** He gave her a gentle smile. "I love you." *** "I know," he teased. You mystify me more every day." *** She rolled her eyes playfully, trailing up with her kisses. "Not everything."
He looked down at her gratefully, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Right." * * * She paused before giving him her smile. "I love you too. Get dry." She turned away from him, pulling her hair back as she considered the roofs ahead of her. After a moment's hesitation, she sprinted for the edge, pushing off at the last second and landing safely on the adjacent building. She continued, quickly moving around structures and vaulting off old security bars to gain speed before disappearing around the corner. * * * "That's not how a relationship should work," she protested playfully. * * * He tipped his head back to look up at her. "Yes. Everything."
She squeezed his hand before going further to explore. *** He watched her go with a sigh, before turning around and heading back inside. *** He laughed, looking over at her. "It's all a ruse to get your secret insults." *** She observed him before giving him another quick kiss. "That's a shame. I like surprises."
Inside the cave was a wide cavern and four houses - each extremely different from the other - formed a circle in the center. The first one, the one right in front of them, appeared to be made of birch. A porch in front of it held planters with dying flowers and plants. There was a swing bench in the front and a brick chimney from the roof. The next house, the one on the left, was made of oak. It didn't have a porch, but was built right next to a small pond, and there was a simple bench right next to the water. The one in the back was built from stone. It was quite impressive, and it was evident that a lot of work had been put into it. There were even glass windows where the other houses had wooden shutters. The final house, the one on the right, was made from cherry wood. It was smaller than the others, but the windows were open and spots for candles hung outside the wooden shutters. * * * (Zoop?) * * * "I can't believe this," she muttered playfully. "You've broken my heart." * * * He looked at her with a smile. "Oh? Just because I'm a planner doesn't mean I can't surprise you."
She looked around curiously. "Wow.. What are these?" *** (Yoop!) *** He grinned at her. "I would never dare." *** She raised her eyebrows playfully. "Is that so?"
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "The houses of the first four members," he explained. He pointed to each one, naming them. "Lucy, mine, Emerson, and Aisling." * * * About two hours later, there would be a gentle knock on his door. * * * "Too late," she said flatly. "It's done." * * * "Of course. Most surprises are planned by at least one person."
She went to his, looking up at it with a grin. "This one is yours?" *** He got up, opening the door with a smile. *** "I don't like that," he said. "Can I take it back?" *** "Hm," she kissed his temple before pulling away and standing up straight, her hands still on his shoulders. "You still haven't surprised me."
"It was," he agreed, coming up to it. "I liked the pond." * * * She was standing in front of him, her dark hair wet. She was wearing standard sleepwear for the clan; a simple shirt and some baggy trousers. He would see her tattoos training up her arms and disappearing under the sleeves of the shirt and she raised one eyebrow. "Hi." * * * "How easily do you think my heart is mended?" * * * "What do you want me to do?"
She looked over at him. "I like it too." *** "Hello," he said, stepping aside. "Come in." *** "I never wanted to break it in the first place." *** "Wouldn't that make it less of a surprise..?'
He kissed the tip of her nose before looking up at the house. "The original four and all that. It's weird; it's kinda elitist now that I think about it." * * * She entered, turning to look at him thoughtfully. "What are you up to?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. * * * "Well, too bad. You did." * * * He paused before standing up and in one quick movement, picked her up bridal style, kissing her deeply.
