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Post by Lyra Newbury on May 14, 2018 16:55:49 GMT -5
Sam had headed back to the school and Lyra had returned to the office. Settling into her work after her "accident" had been remarkably easy, at least outwardly. Internally, Lyra questioned nearly her every move - anything visible to others was a potential minefield for judgement and criticisms. Lyra took more breaks throughout the day than she normally would have; excusing herself to the toilets to chew at her lower lip as she paced the length of the stall and contemplated making use of her wand in a public loo just to ease the tension she felt. She didn't. She managed to keep herself together mostly, but she had also taken to visiting Dr Nadeer nearly every day. She needed someone to talk to, and with Sam at Hogwarts and Nik still off "sulking" only Merlin knows where, Dr Nadeer was the safest option for her.
He had been brought up again today, and just as she did whenever Julian's name left Dr Nadeer's lips, Lyra instantly stopped talking. No, she didn't see the correlation between her cutting her thighs and Julian trying to slit his wrists however long ago it was. Why would she? They were completely unrelated and as she had insisted both to herself and to Dr Nadeer (back when she spoke of Julian to him) Julian had done it over a woman he loved. Lyra's reasoning wasn't about love. It was about pain. Tearing open her flesh made the pain stop, even for just a moment, and she could feel the warmth of the sun again and she was happy. That was all it was for her. There wasn't any reason for the man to continue bringing it up. Had she anyone else to speak to she might have forgone the additional sessions with Nadeer, but she was left to her own devices in Montgomery Manor and it was far too large and far too empty for Lyra to feel anything of a comfort. Perhaps she should return to her flat. At least there the emptiness wouldn't be so overwhelming because there were fewer rooms for it to occupy.
Her heels clicked on the marble tile as she walked down the corridor towards her chambers. The sound echoed, bouncing off the walls with nothing and no one to absorb the noise. She flung her purse on the oversized bed as she entered her room and sat down at her desk, pulling an ink well and quill from a drawer and grabbing a loose scrap of parchment.
My dearest Sam,
I hope you are enjoying the normalcy of school. I still think you're bonkers for wanting to stay when you don't have a need, but if it makes you happy then of course I support it. Things are going well at Enchanted, but of course you are more than aware of that. It's the only update on my life I have to give you, sadly, but it's keeping me busy. I was thinking I might pack my things and return to my flat. There's no point in me staying at the Manor when I'm the only one here. I feel I am being selfish in making your staff fuss over me. I'm not sure yet, it's just a thought at this point. I may find I've changed my mind by tea tonight if Armand makes that delicious pudding again. It's just a little lonely here is all. Have you heard any word from Nik? He's probably still off enjoying his freedom. We should all be so lucky.
Yours truly,
Lyra
The ink glistened and Lyra blew lightly over the letter to speed along the drying process before she folded the letter and stuffed it into an envelope, addressing it to Samantha Montgomery. Standing from her desk, Lyra carried the letter to the door and headed out of her room, intending to travel to the local post office herself as a way to kill time.
Tag: Nicolas Everhart
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on May 15, 2018 1:39:35 GMT -5
"Master Nik, you're back!"
"Yes I-"
"I'll have the elves prepare your rooms and tell cook you've returned." she said with sincere joy on her face.
Nik grinned at the eager maid that welcomed his arrival with an easy smile and cheery countenance. Better than the silent awkwardness of judgement from his "fiance" at his behavior of late. He thought that maybe she would have been happy to see him, after all he had been gone for almost a month. But her silence spoke volumes, and after failing to cajole her at school (receiving a sound reprimand for being there in the first place), he returned to the manor.
Agnes was off as quick as she arrived murmuring something about having another person in residence, and how such a large estate shouldn't be so empty all of the time.
Nik smiled, then sighed. The manor wasn't entirely empty. There was at least one other person in residence that he knew of, and he had been avoiding her. Like a coward he wanted to avoid her some more, but the distinct clicking of heels against the marble flooring told him he wouldn't be so lucky.
"Miss Newbury."
He could have bit his tongue as soon as the formal greeting left his mouth. So they were back to formalities, perhaps that was for the best.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on May 15, 2018 2:01:15 GMT -5
There were voices in the foyer though Lyra couldn’t make out clearly what was being said, she could tell in the tone of the woman speaking that there was something cheerful being discussed. Lyra wondered if Samantha’s father or uncle had returned home, and whether she should find an alternate exit so as to not disturb an impromptu reunion. No, she could at least greet whomever it was and thank them for letting her stay while Samantha was at school. Perhaps Sam’s brother had sneaked away from his duties at Hogwarts and she could chat Caleb up for a bit and convince him she needed a handsome escort to the post office. Coming around the corner and into the foyer, Lyra saw the reason for the excited tone. She smiled instantly as her eyes met Nik’s but the expression was soon washed away as Nik greeted her in a formal manner that hearkened back to the days when he assumed she was a gold-digging whore hellbent on capitalizing on Samantha’s, Julian’s, and Mason’s wealth. Her feet stopped as her face fell. “Mister Everhart,” she replied, emphasizing the title. She was not sure as to the reasoning for the sudden change in their relationship, though in fact it wasn’t all that sudden. The last time she had seen Nicolas they had been at a nightclub in a foreign country and he had accused her of drinking too much. That was nearly a month ago. More than a month? Lyra wasn’t sure, but it had been a very long time in either case, and she had received no word from him in all that time. This abandonment wasn’t nearly as cruel as Julian’s had been, nor as scaring as her parents’ had been, but it hurt nonetheless. She had gone over that night with Dr Nadeer so many times, but she couldn’t make heads or tails of Nicolas’ reaction. They had been dancing. He gave her some drinks. And then suddenly he was snapping at her. Their little tiff didn’t seem, to Lyra, to warrant a month of isolation but it wasn’t as if their last evening together was the only stressor in their friendship. Their relationship had been built on stressors. Perhaps this time away made Nik realize that he didn’t want to be friends with Lyra. Maybe the distance was his way to start over. Fine. “I was just on my way out,” she explained, lifting the envelope she was carrying as if to prove her statement true. Tag: Nicolas Everhart |
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on May 15, 2018 2:12:50 GMT -5
To hell with formalities. Nik was too formal by half - something Sam had often pointed out. His calling her Miss Newbury wasn't an intentional slight. It was his upbringing, his way of respect - at least when he didn't attach the disdainful tone.
"Lyra." he corrected with a soft smile after hearing his name said so stiffly. When she said she was leaving there was only the tiniest panic that she meant for good, until he saw the letter in her hand.
He nodded.
"Will you be back this evening?" he asked, "I don't mean to presume, if you have other plans, I..." he shut his mouth, the words not forming as coherently as he wanted them to.
Lyra made him disoriented. He had left to get his bearings, and after a month of business and rationalizing he deemed it safe to return, yet here he was bumbling.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on May 15, 2018 2:37:45 GMT -5
Nicolas was fumbling over his words, something he never did. Perhaps he was drunk. Holiday was made for day drinking, and Lyra of all people wouldn't judge him for it but it was strange hearing him stumble over his sentences like a schoolboy. "You're rather an expert at presuming things," she commented coolly, but she quickly followed her retort with a proper answer to his question. "I had no plans for the day beyond going to the post office. Are you planning on staying or are you just dropping in to keep an eye on things? Sam's not here."Tag: Nicolas Everhart |
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on May 15, 2018 2:52:39 GMT -5
He laughed or chuckled rather.
He missed that mouth, that sass - although the mouth as well as the face and body attached to it did a number on him too.
But it hadn't always been that way. Truthfully Lyra wasn't even his type physically. She was gorgeous, any half blind idiot could see that, but Nik had a thing for brunettes or maybe he had just convinced himself that was the case due to the engagement. In any case it was Lyra's ability to call him on his bull in one sentence, and make him reexamine himself that drew his attention.
Most wouldn't dare. They were after his money, looks, or reputation, and for all the accusation he had tossed her way, Lyra was no gold digger. She may like the way he looked, but due to their relationship there was no pretense with one another. Nik didn't have that with anyone, not even Sam. He loved Samantha dearly, but there was a driving need to protect her and to always be the white knight - or the dark knight depending on who she needed. With Lyra, he was just Nik, whoever that was, and it scared him to think he didn't really know who "just Nik" was.
"I admit my presumptions have been false a time or two." he said with a nod her way.
"I should be in town for a while. Long enough for me to make a few more presumptions."
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Post by Lyra Newbury on May 15, 2018 3:18:31 GMT -5
Lyra’s eyebrows quirked and her lips formed a little “o” as Nicolas claimed he was incorrect only “a time or two”. If anyone had made more false accusations on Lyra alone, it was Nicolas Everhart. They had passed that point in their relationship (hopefully) and she forgave him for the things he had said to her, though it was harder to forget than it was to forgive. “An expert at presumptions but a dullard at maths. Perhaps someone ought to go back to primary school and relearn how to count.” Her words were followed by a little smile. She had missed this. “Why don’t we try sticking to the facts for a bit,” she suggested. He was only teasing her, of course, but there had been too many presumptions about Lyra for her to encourage even foolish ones. “Does Sam know you’re back?” She hadn’t received word from her friend one way or the other, but had Samantha known that someone – Nik or anyone else – was going to be coming back to the manor where she knew Lyra had been staying alone, Lyra was certain her friend would have notified her, at least by letter. Oh, the letter. She would need to fix it up a bit before sending it out. There was no point in asking about Nicolas when he was standing right in front of her now. She stuffed the envelope into the pocket of her skirt as she shifted her weight, still smiling at Nicolas and happy to finally have someone to talk to socially. She hoped she wouldn’t muck things up this time, though she was still uncertain of what exactly she had done last time to evoke his rage. Tag: Nicolas Everhart |
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on May 15, 2018 3:26:33 GMT -5
"I saw her." he answered, "I didn't tell her I was coming back to the Manor."
Maybe it was childish, but her silent reproach had made him sullen and his vague disappearance was his dramatic revenge. Who knew Nik had such antics inside of him? Another thing Lyra managed to bring to the surface.
She challenged everything about him, and made him break from the lines he knew so well. It was inevitable that an attraction - even an annoying one - would blossom. He could fight it, which he did often, ignore it, which he had just tried to do, or run with it and let it run its course.
So what? He was attracted to her. She was beautiful, clever, funny, and kept him on his toes. It only disrupted things when he got jealous. But perhaps he had overreacted to her calling him Julian. She was still hung up on his former best friend who didn't deserve the clearly broken girl who loved him, and heaven knew he had a drunken night or two over a fling in the past.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on May 15, 2018 4:14:48 GMT -5
If there was something to read into about Nik not telling Samantha, his fiancée, that he was coming back to Montgomery Manor, then Lyra wasn’t aware enough to figure it out. His relationship with Sam was an odd one, arranged and not romantic despite Sam fawning over him whenever he was around. Lyra remembered that night when they had set up a double date between Samantha and Nicolas, and Lyra and Mason. The way Sam lounged on Nik’s shoulders and pressed herself against his chest as the couples stood in the rose garden and smoked was not the body language of a pair who were only together because it was a smart match. Lyra knew that Sam cared for Nik, but it wasn’t in a romantic way. Nik, sadly, could not say the same about his feelings for the brunette. He didn’t like to admit it, but Lyra had shouted it at him so there was no playing dumb to that fact between either of them. Nik loved Sam in a way that she did not reciprocate and perhaps not telling her that he was coming home was his way of easing some of that romantic tension he felt. Or maybe he was being a prat. Who knew! “I suppose it’s none of her business who is staying in her family’s home…” she quipped, the edges of her mouth curling in a teasing smile. Lyra wanted to ask where he had been all this time. She wanted to admit to missing him, though she was certain that with their ongoing battle of wits, that wouldn’t be the smartest move to make. He could easily exploit a statement like that and then she’d have to think for all of a second before hurling a comeback at him. But she had missed him. It wasn’t just that she was lonely, though that was part of it. Nik made Lyra feel good about herself, although in fairness he also had a hand in tearing her down shortly after on more than one occasion. Theirs was a complicated relationship. But she had missed him and was glad that he was planning to stay for a little while. Lyra fidgeted with her foot, turning it left to right as her weight pressed on the ball of her foot. There was so much she wanted to say, and to ask him, but she forced herself to be silent and not hurl it all at him all at once. Mostly, she wanted to know if he had missed her at all, and just behind that she wanted to know whether or not to expect a lecture about whatever it was that had pissed him off well enough for him to disappear for a month. Tag: Nicolas Everhart |
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on May 15, 2018 20:52:34 GMT -5
Nik's mouth curved upward at her continued sass. It may have been Samantha's family home, but he was part of the family. He had practically been raised a Montgomery in spite of his father's influence.
Edward welcomed him home as a son, the entire family did. Edward would never have arranged a marriage for his daughter, he only hoped that Sam and Nik would inevitably hit it off, and while she was still much too young to be engaged, he understood the move was purely political and public. Nik was protecting Sam, as he always had.
It was true that Nik loved Samantha. She was perfect. Almost painfully so. There wasn't a thing in this world that she could ask for that he wouldn't die trying to get, but was that love or adoration? He always thought of himself as separate from the guys that typically fawned after Sam, she trusted him after all. She depended on him. But that wasn't love.
"Care from some company?" he asked not liking the direction his mind had begun to wander.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on May 16, 2018 1:20:00 GMT -5
Merlin, yes! Yes, she wanted some company! Lyra was so sick and tired of being alone. Sure, she had been surrounded by the Montgomery’s staff while at home – or rather, while at Sam’s home – and there were hundreds of people she spoke with or passed in the halls of Enchanted each day, but it wasn’t the same. They weren’t her friends. They didn’t know her like Sam and Nik knew her. Once or twice she had stopped in at Stu’s to see Vanessa but she didn’t stay long and both times she had felt awkward after having Nik come and scold her, picking her up from Vanessa’s friend Derek’s hotel room. She assumed Derek had filled Vanessa in on it all because of course anything humiliating like that was hot gossip. She had gotten to the point where she was legitimately considering owling Mason just to have someone to talk to, though a rare moment of common sense stopped her as she realized that after all she had put that sweet man through, she couldn’t just ring him out of the blue and expect things to be natural. She was certain Mason would indulge her, at least for a little bit. He was such a good man. But it would have been wrong and so she hadn’t bothered him. Instead, she focused a large sum of her free time on meeting with Dr Nadeer. Now that Nicolas was back, she was excited to see less of the good doctor. “If you’re not busy,” she grinned, “that would be lovely.” Lyra gave a half turn towards the door and gestured to it. “I was just going to apparate but if you’d rather, we can take a carriage.” Her eyes lit up as she thought of something much more exciting than a stuffy old carriage ride to the post office. “Or we could take your motorbike…” She let the end of her sentence hang, her tone innocent as she half-ass attempted to make her suggestion sound like it was just a casual afterthought and not the mode of transport she really, truly wanted to take. Tag: Nicolas Everhart |
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on May 16, 2018 2:12:47 GMT -5
Nik's laugh filled the hallway. It was a good hearty laugh, and it carried an unconscious weight off of his shoulders. The echo lingered down the open corridors making the obnoxiously grand space seem smaller and warmer.
"Well, as long as it doesn't matter to you one way or another." he clearly teased while shaking his head.
Nik didn't see it in the moment. He hadn't seen it in previous moments just like this one. But these were the moments that were dangerous to him. One day he'd look back at this day, at this second and realize that he was falling for her. But that day was not today. Today she was just an impudent minx that he rather enjoyed indulging.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on May 16, 2018 23:33:34 GMT -5
Nik had a good laugh. His head fell backwards slightly as he let out the sound and the angle of his jaw was sharper than ever. He was very handsome when laughed. And when he smiled. Even when he scowled he was handsome although typically if Nik was scowling around Lyra it meant he was also lecturing her, so the very last thing on her mind was whether or not he looked attractive in that moment. “Oh, definitely not. I’m totally open to doing whatever,” she said, obviously sarcastic in her mannerisms without being gauche about it. She broke into a wide smile and hopped forward an few times until she was hanging on his arm, their bodies close together. “Motorbike. Motorbike. Motorbike,” she chanted excitedly, much like a little child might chant “ice cream” until their parents gave in. Lyra laughed and then turned towards the door, dragging Nicolas behind her. “Do you still have that hairpin? I’m having a good hair day today. Don’t want to mess it up.” On her last (and first) ride on Nicolas’ motorcycle, he had given her an enchanted hairpin to wear that would protect her like a helmet would, without the hat-hair that came with wearing a helmet or the tacky look of such bulky headwear. “Oh wait… I had it last.” She frowned as she tried to remember where she had left it. Lyra had spent more than a week abroad, sleeping her way through an endless list of nameless men and women just to prove a point to two men who weren’t there. That was a month ago. Nik had been gone for a very long time. Spinning around to face him, while still walking toward the enormous garage where she assumed Nik’s bike was waiting like all the other vehicles and toys the Montgomerys owned were stored, she gave a little frown. “You wouldn’t happen to have another one, would you? I’m afraid I don’t remember where I put the last one.” Of course he would have another one. Nik was always prepared for anything, and that included a ditsy blonde who pissed him off so bad he had to run away for a whole sodding month. Tag: Nicolas Everhart |
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on May 16, 2018 23:50:29 GMT -5
Nik put a hand against his chest in mock indignation, it was his turn to feign innocence and exude sarcasm.
"Do I appear the sort of man to have an endless supply of ladies' accessories to casually hand out upon a whim?"
He gave her a speculating look, "I must be quite the ladies' man if I'm always so well prepared." he waited a beat, "Or I'm gay." He seemed to think it over, "That would explain the immaculate style." he said with a confident smirk.
As he spoke he led her to the pristine motorcycle and flipped open a compartment on the side which indeed held a few hairpins. He winked at her.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on May 17, 2018 0:36:44 GMT -5
Their banter was enjoyable. The edges of her painted pink lips turned upward. “Yes,” she replied flatly to his first question. “Not in the slightest,” she remarked of his ‘ladies man’ comment. “That’s the leading bet in the office pool.” She giggled at the idea that Nicolas was a homosexual. He pined so hard for Samantha that there was no possible way he could be gay. Bisexual, perhaps, but definitely attracted to women. At least one woman, but what bloke wouldn’t be attracted to Sam? She was drop dead stunning in every sodding light. Lyra had seen her cry only once but even then she looked amazing, unlike Lyra who’s face turned red and puffy when she sobbed – something she hadn’t been doing as often these days. Finally. Inside the garage was a long row of muggle-style automobiles and wizarding carriages, but Nik brought her right up to the motorcycle she had last seen him on. It gave her butterflies in the stomach and she grew even more excited for another go on it as she stood before it. Nik lifted the top of one of the saddlebags and revealed a small collection of enchanted hairpins. Well, at least Lyra hoped they were all enchanted. Nik liked to look refined and well kept, but she doubted – or perhaps hoped? – that he didn’t use bobbi pins on his hair regularly. Maybe Sam has as hard a time keeping track of the little things as Lyra had, though she was fairly certain Sam hadn’t ever spent a week in an unknown city filling in as the village broomstick, so she probably just left them in her chambers and forgot to get them before coming out to the garage. “Don’t be cute,” she said in a playfully warning tone as he winked at her. She reached for his little stash on not-helmets and grabbed one, fixing it in her hair and feeling the charm surround her head comfortably. “How do I look?” she asked, striking a pose as if the invisible charm was a new hat. Tag: Nicolas Everhart |
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on May 17, 2018 0:57:50 GMT -5
Nik kept his affairs far from the public eye, but that didn't mean they didn't exist. Though his reason for carrying so many pins wasn't nearly as tawdry as Lyra's for losing hers. They, like many of Sam's accessories, were samples. Gifts from suppliers, designers, and anyone else who wanted to have a spotlight in Enchanted magazine - not that the editors could be bought. But sometimes the products were featured, and therefore they had access to many unique and ahead of the trend items.
The pins were set to hit the market soon as a bid for witches who wanted to keep their hair styled but were using a broom as transportation. Nik had even worked on the advertising campaign, because that's how Enchanted worked.
If you were clever enough to be featured in the elusive magazine, that magazine then had a say in your product. How it was produced, how it was advertised, and so on and so forth. Enchanted had a reputation of being ahead of the trends, but the truth was they created trends - only after rigorous testing and quality control.
And now Lyra was a part of that world. Of their world. And she was a part of Nik's world too, though he didn't like it at first, but now?
He smiled at her, genuinely. He admired the pertness of her nose, the impish and natural "come hither" of her eyes, on top of a smart mouth that could easily reduce a full grown man to a blithering idiot.
"I'm always cute." he retorted then sobered, "And you, my dear, are lovely."
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Post by Lyra Newbury on May 19, 2018 0:26:44 GMT -5
“Hardly,” she retorted, giving her head a gentle shake as she grinned at him. It was strange and yet also very comforting that she and Nik could fall back into their taunting friendship so easily despite not having spoken for a month. It spoke volumes about the lack of progress she had made in attempting to find herself and stand up for herself that she simply ignored the fact that Nik had scolded her in that nightclub for drinking too much (after he supplied her with each and every drink she had) and then abandoned her for a month. His disappearance was nothing compared to the one who started all this drama in the first place, but Nicolas was sorely missed and his re-emergence in her life was so welcomed that she wouldn’t attempt to assert herself by calling him out on his previous treatment of her. At least not now. Unlike the other disappearing act in her life, Lyra could at least see that what Nik had done had hurt her. That was progress, she supposed. She would mention that during her next session with Dr Nadeer. Nik complimented her, and she raised her chin confidently. “As always.” Yes, she looked her usual attractive self and she was going about her day as if she were a fully independent witch but Lyra still craved the attention that her naturally pretty features brought her. Seeing her worth through the eyes of others was unhealthy, Dr Nadeer had expressed that so many times but it never really stuck with her, and Lyra didn’t care. It worked for her, except when it didn’t. Sliding onto the seat behind Nicolas, the motorcycle rumbling beneath her, Lyra wrapped her arms around Nicolas’ waist. “Let’s take the scenic route,” she purred into his ear. Tag: Nicolas Everhart |
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on May 19, 2018 1:04:28 GMT -5
Nik's version of the night that caused him to get out of dodge was slightly different, but that didn't mean Lyra's version was wrong. Looking back on it now it seemed almost childish. He had supplied the booze, and Lyra didn't owe him anything, but his pride had been stung, at least he told himself it was his pride. The truth was a bit more murky and infinitely more complicated.
Complicated but alluring.
He too would have been surprised at how easily they fell back into their own pattern, if he weren't too occupied with other thoughts, namely how lovely she looked. When she sat behind him and he felt her arms tighten around his waist he kicked the bike into gear, "As you wish." he replied. He was in no hurry to change their current position.
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Post by Lyra Newbury on May 19, 2018 3:03:34 GMT -5
At first the tilt of the bike around the curves felt a little unsteady. It wasn’t that Nik was driving poorly, on the contrary he seemed to have a good handle on how to make their journey a smooth, exhilarating ride, but Lyra had only ever ridden on the thing once, and there had been a long delay between then and now. As she had the first time, Lyra’s grip tightened around Nicolas as the turns approached, preparing herself for the strange sensation of purposely moving closer to the ground and letting the massively heavy vehicle beneath her cruise forward without a care in the world. It took a few bends to become accustomed to leaning into the curves but she soon had the hang of it and her grip became less fearsome as thy approached the next bend in the road. The rolling countryside of Montgomery Manor faded into the distance. Trees, homes, farms, and lakes all whipped by as Lyra pressed her cheek against Nik’s back and admired the view. It was an amazing way to travel and she couldn’t understand why more people didn’t use these marvelous contraptions. The wind had pulled her hair off her shoulders and the blonde curls floated out behind her like a honey colored wave of shining water. Lyra pointed out a large hill off to their right. A road, clearly visible as it was cut into the earth and broke apart the rolling green hillside, curved back and forth. It seemed the perfect place to take this magnificent machine for a little adventure. “Let’s go there,” she said into Nik’s ear, her voice being pulled away into the wind as they zoomed down the road. Tag: Nicolas Everhart |
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Post by Nicolas Everhart on May 20, 2018 0:51:43 GMT -5
As a habit, Nik had charmed their voices to carry over the sound of bike and rushing air. There was no need for her to speak so close to his ear, but he didn't dislike the sensation, or perhaps he did, perhaps it disturbed him greatly were he to truly think about the situation.
He slowed the bike to a gentle roll taking stock of where Lyra was pointing. Despite riding for a short while, passing trees, homes farms, and lakes, they were still on Montgomery property. There was a short cut through the property, built specifically for family, guests, and on special occasions opened to the public, but the property was set deep in isolation, and Lyra had asked for the long way.
He grinned when he recognized where Lyra wanted to go, it was a few more miles of curvy road, which suited their current purpose, and then a quaint village that Nik had been away from for far too long.
He masterfully guided the beast beneath them toward the road Lyra had indicated and kicked the speed up a bit - he liked the way it made her tighten her grip.
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