(no subject)

[themidnightson]

Edward made it down the stairs and had his foot halfway into the main room when it happened. It froze him midstep for the hundredth of a second while he looked down at his new accoutrements.

Lips twisting in an expression equally smirking and chagrin, he stepped into the room, brushing the ruffle at the end of a sleeve. Glancing across the parade of people in a similar situation, he commented to no one at all, "Alice would have words with your tailor."

Comments

[dazzling-future.livejournal.com]

"Indeed. This whole situation is rather annoying."

The person who invented this dreadful theme should be punished. Harshly.

[themidnightson]

Edward's not above agreeing with that thought there.

"Is it common? No one appears to be surprised, only reluctantly annoyed."

[dazzling-future.livejournal.com]

Bella shrugs.

"The Bar itself changes its form on various occasions, but I've never seen anything on this scale."

[themidnightson]

Edward, even bedecked as he was, looked completely calm as he surveyed the room with its varying degrees of shock, amusement and chaos over the change.

"What other occurrences have happened here?"

[dazzling-future.livejournal.com]

"A few months ago, the Bar and surrounding environs were transformed into what I am told is called "steampunk." It appears to be some sort of Jules Verne-inspired representation of the nineteenth century, combined with some ideas and technology from the future. It was quite strange, as I am used to everything here looking...different."

She pauses.

"I'm terribly sorry! I have been coming and going here for some time now, and I am still awkward with introductions. Bella Moriarty. Heidelberg. 1891."

[themidnightson]

"That does sound strange." He simply smiled, and inclined his head. "Edward Cullen. Washington, 2005."

[dazzling-future.livejournal.com]

"It was, believe me."

Bella does not attempt a curtsy, mostly because it would look ludicrous in her current apparel.

"A pleasure to meet you."

[themidnightson]

That she considers it causes Edwards expression to soften, even though he averted his gaze down and then back up to her face.

"Have you been here long, then?"

[dazzling-future.livejournal.com]

"I first arrived a few months ago, and was Bound here for about a week. Since then, I seem to randomly appear here every so ofen. And you?"

[themidnightson]

"Many years ago the first time, and I was bound then. I returned home, then returned here a few days later, to find two years had passed here in my few days."

His expression drew slightly. He did have a habit of running into Bella when he made his presence down in the main room. Which was disconcerting just as a though.

"I've come a few weeks now regularly."

[dazzling-future.livejournal.com]

"Hmmm. Can you come here willingly, or is it always by chance? I have heard about a few individuals who can choose to be here via their own willpower, but I have not yet seen any proof of this."


Because Bella, being something of a geek an intellectual, is curious.

[themidnightson]

"I had heard of it before, but I have not tried it yet."

[dazzling-future.livejournal.com]

"I have attempted it, but with no success. If it is possible, it would be extremely convenient."

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

Having woken up entirely too early, Bella wandered into her kitchen for a drink of water...

... and wandered into Milliways wearing this (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/viridian/00266k10.jpg).

She did fairly well, all things considered. She got an entire five steps before she woke up enough to realize that she was wearing absurdly high heels, and to trip over her own feet.

"... what the crap is this!?" came the indignant shriek from somewhere in the vicinity of the floor.

[themidnightson]

Edward is going to pretend the first thing he noticed about Bella Swan tonight was that she was somehow on the floor or that her voice sounded indignantly pained.

(Anything but the fact that a lot more of her skin across her shoulders, chest and throat was showing, which caused the beast inside of him to roar at the easier availability of her skin and blood before he'd even considered breathing.)

As it is, just getting to that pretend state she probably has the time to push herself up and be looking around before he can form a sentence. He forced himself to look bemused, swallowing venom as he stood feet away from her. "A bad joke one hopes."

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

Oh, great. Of course her crazy pirate dreams would involve Edward Cullen. Who else?

Bella was quick to get up, in fact, because she wasn't really hurt, and she wanted to minimize time spent looking like an idiot in public. Even if it was only dream-public.

"What are you wearing? What am I wearing?!" she exclaimed, frantically attempting to make sure the top of her ridiculous floofy shirt was pulled up enough to cover everything that needed covering, and turning distinctly red in the process.

[themidnightson]

Edward was paying far too much attention to flush of her skin and turned his attention to ruffle at his wrist. If he needed to breathe he would have been expelling it now in an urge to calm his heart.

He didn't have a heart, but it didn't mean he didn't feel the need.

"Do you know what today is?"

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

"Um... Tuesday?" Bella guessed, not really sure what that had to do with anything.

she grumbled for good measure.

[themidnightson]

"Wrong." Edward said it forcing himself to sound arrogantly cheeky. Was he allowed to look up yet? Would she still be flushed? His gaze darted and settled again.

Bunnies were chum in comparison.

"Here it is Talk like a Pirate Day, where people are forced into costume. You've managed in a rare sort to avoid being forced to talk like them."

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

"No one's ever forced me to do anything," Bella said, lifting her chin defiantly. She'd managed to stop blushing, but only because Talk Like a Pirate day might just be the stupidest thing she's ever heard of.

"Anyway, you're not talking like a pirate, either."

[themidnightson]

"Nearly everyone else is. All avast and me'hearty and thar," Edward looked positively disgusted, glancing at the alliance of pirate looking people all around them everywhere.

He looked back at her slowly, with a disdained curiosity. his right fist was clenched tight, but he looked resolutely fine outside of it. "What was the first?"

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

Bella glanced around as well, feeling at least marginally better when she noticed a number of other women dressed as ridiculously as she was, if not moreso. At least the boots made her taller, so Edward couldn't look quite as far down on her.

"Huh?" She frantically wracked her brain for a minute to figure out what he was talking about, retracing the conversation in her head. "Oh! Um. The jury's still out," she mumbled. It was probably even true - it was a safe bet that whatever embarrassing thing she'd done most recently was sure to be trumped in short order by something worse. She was just leaving room for it.

[themidnightson]

Was she lying to save herself humiliation? It was such a strange mutter to be dissolved into nothing.

Edward stared at her, trying to discern if it was a cover or the truth. Yet all there was there was that face and those brown eyes, and neither gave him any answer except that she was embarrassed by his referencing.

His eyes lingering, darkened, on the empty wall behind her, he posited. "How is Forks today?"

[yesthatbella.livejournal.com]

"Dark, with a probable forecast of cold and wet?" Bella guessed, considering that, well, it was Forks.

"Y'know. Same as every day, except most days I don't stumble in here before dawn."

Nope. MOST days Milliways at least waits til after school.

[themidnightson]

She hated the cold and rain and snow. He remembered. They were nothing like Phoenix, where she would be happier, were it not for her care of her mother.

"The sun is bound to come out sooner or later."

It would be a good divider between them.

The way the universe wasn't.