we have a problem (dahlia)

First topic message reminder :

STOP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING RIGHT NOW AND GET OVER HERE! IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. I WOULD NEVER WRITE IN CAPITAL LETTERS OTHERWISE! MAKE HASTE! I CANNOT EXPRESS MY URGENCY ANY FURTHER THAN THIS!

He'd sent Dahlia the message hurriedly that morning, via crystal. He also added a floo location nearby his house and directions on where to go from there, then some other instructions:

Bring food. Do not knock at the front door. Message me on your crystal when you are close. Hurry!

Now he was stood outside on the grounds of his house, biting at the side of his thumb (which he hadn't done for a few years now), and waiting impatiently for Dahlia's arrival. That is, if she was actually taking him seriously and was going to make an appearance.

@Dahlia Travers

Dahlia trusted no one as a rule. It was why she made the warning to him that he had better not make her appear weak. Though, when he responded back she knew that she should remember this was all just an act but part of her hoped that he knew what he said was true. Maybe she would have never expected him to admit as much but it was the truth. Maybe aside from the beautiful part... She had never cared much about beauty even if her mother insisted on skin and hair regimens and all that nonsense. She held both of his hands as he had grasped hers and gazed up into his eyes, looking every bit the lovesick fool to anyone looking on.

"My darling, you're making me blush." It was a lie, her freckled cheeks weren't red as she claimed they should be but she had the tone down where he maybe fell flat. Then she took one of her hands from his and gently trailed her fingertips down his jawline. If he wanted to be over the top then so could she. She said nothing, though. What more could she say? Maybe she wasn't as good at this as she hoped she could be. Or maybe actions could just speak louder than words.

@Comarth Selwyn

Okay - this was all a little too convincing, he thought, feeling the coolness of her touch and finding he'd gone speechless. What worried him the most was this wasn't wholly bad. The pet names and the blushing and the wild declarations may have been a bit over the top, but the touching wasn't bad at all, really. There was something reassuring about it, that you hadn't escaped one person's notice, and they thought you were every bit as brilliant as you believed you were.

"..."

He cupped her cheek, and ran his thumb gently along the freckles underneath her eyes.

Then his stomach decided it was a fine moment to rumble, loudly and obviously. He sighed, and stood back from her in agony.

"That's convincing enough!" he murmured quickly, "Come on - let's go. Soon I won't be able to convince anyone of anything! Looks as though it's stopped raining, too." He glanced up at the clouds that threatened to fall again soon, and beckoned her urgently to follow him back through the maze.

@Dahlia Travers

Dahlia found that she wasn't entirely repulsed as her fingertips had trailed down his jawline, as he had looked down at her without a snide remark. Maybe he was just as surprised as she was that all of this didn't seem quite as bad as she had thought it would be. She had thought she would have to resist the urge to throw up all over his shoes but it wasn't nearly that bad. Sure, it was odd... She had never thought she would find herself in this situation. But maybe she didn't hate it as much as she thought she would? Not that she loved it or anything! She would never even deign to think such a thing!

She didn't pull away or knee him in the crotch as she might have previously done when she felt his warm hand against her cheek or when his thumb ever so gently caressed beneath her eyes. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling. She wouldn't admit it, though. No, she would swear it was all part of the act.

Then his stomach growled and ruined the moment. She actually found herself thankful for it as she let out a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding. "Yes, I think we've got it down well enough. They'll believe it." They had to. "I swear, Selwyn, that stomach of yours has a mind of its own." She rolled her eyes and then made to follow him back through the maze. "Lead the way."

@Comarth Selwyn