He got the hint of her challenge. "Oh, is that so? Then you would understand any attempts to impress you, right?" he asked with an evil grin, standing up and approaching her.
She blinked at him, unsure of where he was going with this, but she decided to play along. A small smile played on her lips, and she feigned disinterest, looking at her nails half-heartedly. "I could understand it," she replied. "But any attempt to impress me will surely fail."
He put a finger under her chin, giving her a smug look. "My apologies, Ms. Abernathy. I don't know what's come over me."
She gave him a confused look. He would be able to feel her pulse with his finger, and her heartbeat was quick, like a small bird. "I don't know either," she said softly, still unsure.
He got close to her face, his expression was alluring. "Hm. Odd. It could be the fact that I really am hopelessly in love with you," he said, joking around.
She squinted at him, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "That's definitely what it is," she said, nodding. "I can think of no other explanation."
He frowned, pulling himself away and sitting on the bed. "I give up. I didn't expect for you to be that hard to break."
She gave him a cheeky smile and stretched. "I'm not the one in love here, so of course it's easier for me," she said pointedly. "Besides, what would getting me to 'break' actually mean?"
She laughed out loud, her eyes twinkling with delight. "That sounds painful," she said, raising an eyebrow. "And kinda gross." She drummed her fingers next to her and raised an eyebrow. "But I bet I could do it to you. After all, you are the one who's in love here."
"Oh, yeah right," he said sarcastically. "I'm sure you could. Totally." (Francis will never blush in front of anyone. Or at least visibly. He has too much pride.)
(Yeah, I thought as much. But he also has a HUGE crush on her, so I thought I'd try. ) "I could!" Poppy insisted, a smile spreading across her face. "Are you doubting me?"
"Of course I'm doubting you. Nobody has ever made me blush. Ever." He crossed his arms, tilting his head. (Hey now, I only said kinda and he doesn't even realize it D:)
(HUGE) She stood up slowly and went to go sit down next to him on the bed, her movements slow and deliberate. She turned to look at him, her eyes tracing his features intensely. She leaned in closer, so close that he would be able to smell her shampoo; lavender and rosewater. She opened her mouth to speak, met his gaze and then grinned, breaking character. "Damn it. I can't do this," she said, leaning back, laughing at herself. "You were right."
"Wow. That was a weak attempt," he said raising an eyebrow. "You've never done that before, have you?" he asked, chuckling and turning to look at the book she checked out earlier.
"Pretending to flirt with my work partner to prove that he's in love with me? No, I don't really make a habit of that," she said, lying back on the bed to stare at the ceiling. The book was fairly scientific, with various chemical equations and long winded explanations accompanying them. It was old and weathered, the pages thin and delicate.
"Hmm?" She turned her head to look at what he was pointing at. "Oh. Phos and I are working on a new experiment. The reaction wasn't doing what it was supposed to, though, so I had to check that reference out."
She laughed, shrugging. "Well, I mean, it is chemistry." "Attention all passengers." The intercom was sudden, and the voice echoed through the whole ship. "We will be landing in the Reaye Colonies in the next half an hour. At this time, we request that you stay on the ground floor of the ship. Thank you!"
