OOC thread:
The White Roses: OOC Thread
IC:
She heard the knock at the door. “I'm coming!” She yelled down the stairs as she rushed back to the mirror and fixed her soft black hair for the seventeenth time. It was one of her first times wearing makeup, and she thought she looked okay. She wasn't used to her eye lashes being so long, but all the older women wore make up. They were the women that got all the attention. She smoothed her emerald green dress and fixed the bow in the back as best she could. She slipped on her new shoes and put a ring on. She heard the knock again. “I'm coming, I'm coming!” She yelled as she slid down the hall, down the staircase and nearly tripped over herself running to the door. She stopped short and took a breath before opening the door.
“Belle,” the blond haired man said as he looked down at the girl with a half smile. Her wide eyes and habit of biting her lower lip let him know that she was nervous; that she was waiting for a response. He could hear her heart beat quicken, and saw his own reflection in her light brown eyes. “You look so beautiful tonight.” She smiled a bit, but stopped herself. She wanted to jump up and down but it wasn't proper.
“Oh, you shouldn't tell such lies,” she said with a slight blush to her cheeks.
“I'm not lying,” he said, bent down and kissed her cheek. She placed her gloved fingertips to where his cold lips had brushed against his skin. He offered his arm and she took it. “We can't stay here all night, we'll miss the show.” She nodded her head in agreement. She couldn't speak. She clung to his arm as they walked down the cobblestone pathway to the carriage at the end of the winding path from her house. Belle's parents had died when she was young, and she lived alone in their old house at only seventeen. Money had been tight. She had to work a few jobs in addition to her school work that she persisted to carry out. Many girls her age weren't interested in school. Then she met Vincenti. He gave her what she would accept, but it was never much. He didn't ask how she managed to afford her dress. He knew she had been skipping meals, and had lost a few pounds by doing so. While she didn't need to lose the weight, he knew how much it meant to her; to have been able to buy that dress.
Vincenti opened the door of the carriage for her and climbed in afterwards, closing the door behind him. He ordered the driver to set out, and wrapped one arm around Belle.
“You don't have to do all this for me, Vincenti...” she said quietly. “We could have gotten there by foot. I wouldn't have minded. I can walk for a long time in heels.”
He smirked. “I told you already, Belle, it's no trouble at all.” He kissed her forehead. She folded her hands in her lap and looked out the window. All the women had such pretty dresses. Here she was with a plain emerald green gown, which was the best that she owned now, but it didn't have the same flare that the others did. He watched her as she gazed outside, her eyes scanning all the people that walked by. “I have a gift for you, Belle.” She looked back into his gray eyes with a bit of shock. He pulled out a blue velvet box and handed it to her. Her hands shook slightly as she opened the lid.
“Vincenti,” she gasped and looked down at the necklace. It had a simple chain with three diamonds in the center one dangling beneath the other. “You shouldn't have,” she scolded. “I can't take this...” He lifted it from the box and clasped it around her neck.
“Yes you can,” he whispered, and she opened her mouth to protest when he kissed her.
“We have arrived, Master Valtieri,” the driver's voice came from outside. He waited a few second before pulling away from the kiss. She blushed and he got out first, offering his hand to her to make it easier for her to climb out. She took his hand, and almost stumbled out of the carriage. She wasn't
that used to walking in heels quite as tall as these. She was about to apologize when she looked up to see him smiling, and he took her arm in his as they walked towards the theater. She had been so self conscious that she had not realized what he was wearing. It was a custom suit, black with subtle silver accents. His short blond hair had been combed stick straight. He was so beautiful. She could feel the eyes of the other women upon him, which made her even more self-conscious.
“What are you worrying about Belle?” he asked as they found their seats in their own private balcony. She had quickly been distracted by the magnificence of the theater that she was unable to answer his question, let alone worry about her self. She was so small in a grand theater like this. He intertwined her hand with his and watched her expressions change as the opera progressed. His eyes didn't move from her countenance. He saw her joy, sorrow, anger, and laughter as the scenes went on. He had already seen the opera numerous times, and had had a century to do so. Many things changed, but here things remained preserved in time. She unexpectedly leaned her head against his shoulder.
“Promise me...when I get a bit older,” she whispered to him as her hand trailed to the necklace around her neck. “You'll let me spend eternity with you. Promise me...”
“Belle...”