[giat] if the silence takes you, then i hope it takes me too. [blo]

September 2000

For weeks he'd been thinking about what he could possibly do to show Blo how he felt about her. There were plenty of ideas but nothing seemed entirely right. He wanted to show her a good time but he knew anything extravagant would set a precedent he didn't have the funds to keep up with. And besides, he wanted to show her the real him, not some fake show he put on to impress her. Finally after weeks of delay and talking himself out of doing it he finally decided to just send her an owl and figure it out as he went. If he waited much longer he'd probably talk himself out of it completely and that would be a shame. He kept the letter simple because a part of him felt like doing the hard stuff through owl mail was a cop out. He should of asked her in person the last time he saw her but he hadn't and it would be weird to ask her to meet up just so he could ask her out on a future date. So instead he asked her to meet him at his shop just before sunset tonight for a date and he planned to suprise her with the rest of it as the night went on. He made sure to be clear that he wanted it to be a date that way she'd know what she was getting into and if she wasn't interested he wouldn't be as pitiful when she declined. Much to his surprise though a scented piece of parchment showed up not long after he sent his saying that she accepted.

He'd spent the next few days getting things ready for this. He didn't have a crazy plan laid out but he had the basics. There was a street festival going on in downtown London and even though they were in the magical part of the city they'd still be able to see it from the rooftop of his building. He knew they'd have quite the firework display around midnight and he was hoping she would enjoy that. In addition to the fireworks he'd bought some really good whiskey and made them quite possibly the best meal he had ever made in his life (with a bit of help from Maia and Raj). He set up everything on the flat surface of his roof top as the sun reached its highest, soon enough it would start to set. He wanted to pick her up somewhere and take her someplace special but the more he'd thought about it he just kept coming back to the shop. It was the one thing he had and he wanted to share it with someone, and again he felt like she might think he was strange if he picked her up only to apparate them right back to his shop. She'd been inside before but no one other than him had ever been on the roof, the only access to it was the metal flights of stairs that hugged the bricks of the back wall of the shop. The stairs also led to his apartment on the second floor so he kept the gate locked when he wasn't around. After setting up the plastic chairs, some hanging paper lanterns, a magical music box, and the food which was charmed to stay warm and fresh Gregoire went down one flight to his apartment.

He checked his hair in the mirror, which was cut in the Mohawk he frequently sported through the summer revealing the tattoos that branded both sides of his skull. He had shaved this morning so his face and ink covered neck were clean. His clothing was paint free, a rare occurrence for the artist. Not only were his clothes clean but they were also way more proper than he was used to, in his own way. The plaid gray short sleeve button up shirt he had on was the closest thing to a dress shirt he owned. His shirt was paired with a pair of black cargo pants and far from brand new white sneakers. Feeling like he had prepped his appearance enough Gregoire went down to the ground floor that housed the tattoo shop and waited for a beautiful woman. He was a romantic, he couldn't help but want to wow her with all the things he had planned and that made the French man a bit nervous. He chewed on the silver ring hanging off his bottom lip as he waited for her, leg bouncing, eyes wandering across the room.

Smoke rose from both the purple tinted bathwater and from full lips as Blo relaxed in the massive tub. A joint dangled from long fingers before she brought it to her mouth to smoke again, deep brown eyes sliding closed as she leaned back against the edge of the tub. Her body was as relaxed as he could be as she sat in the just a touch above uncomfortably hot water, the smell of sandalwood and jasmine seeping into her skin. Today had been a long day, even with her taking half of it off. She’d managed to cram so much work into that half of a day, that her hands bad been cramped and sore once she’d left the office. A long nap had barely taken the lethargic feeling away, but sliding into the tub had both relaxed her and woken her up.

Blo was going on a date. Or she’d been asked on one. Whatever it happened to be, she was doing it. And she was excited, and nervous all at once. Instead of freaking out, which she rarely did, Blo had decided to take things easy. It was the first date she’d been on in awhile. A year almost of a quiet emptiness that she filled with parties and friends, and as much as she was looking forward to getting out of the house, she was nervous. If Blo was honest with herself, which she was usually, she kind of liked the tall Frenchman. He was funny, he was cute, and above all things he was genuine. She hadn’t really met anyone so nice in her life. And it made the butterflies in her stomach have boxing matches, but she was stronger than her nerves.

After almost an hour of soaking, Blo dragged herself out of the tub, flinging the tail of the joint in the ashtray. She  spent thirty minutes just picking out her outfit, and and rushed as she realized how much time flew when she was in the tub. She’d decided to go for casual instead of super fancy as was her wont, and felt relaxed by her choice. He wouldn’t expect her to be full force as she was at work, and she reveled in that fact. She twisted on one foot slightly, apparating to her location before pushing open the door to the tattoo parlour/art shop, and smiled up at her date.

“Hey.” She said, a blush on her cheeks. “I hope I’m not late…” Trailing off, she fiddled with her fingers staring at the ground, before looking up and sending him a bright, dimpled smile. “I’m nervous.” She admitted quietly. “You look nice.” She worried at her bottom lip before “Hi…” escaped her lips again, and she sighed. “I’m a mess.” She walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, before pulling away. “All better.” Big brown eyes focused upwards as she leaned with her chin propped on his chest. “How are you?”

When he heard the door open he nearly jumped out of his seat, he was anxious and nervous but he was trying to play things cool. Watching her move across the room and say hello he couldn't help but smile back at her. The fact that she was nervous made him feel less nervous but the butterflies churning in his stomach were no where near gone. As soon as she walked up and wrapped her arms around him for a hug he felt a bit better about the whole thing. Long arms returned the soft hug and he was almost sad when she pulled away. He thought the first minute of the date was going quite well. "You look amazing," he whispered back to her since she was still standing so close to him. She could of been wearing a chicken suit and he would of thought she was beautiful but that wasn't really the point. She was gorgeous and Gregoire wanted her to know that. "I'm.." he trailed off for a moment before letting a throaty laugh escape his lips and shaking his head. "I'm a bit nervous too." He confessed to her with another toothy grin. He let his hands rest casually on her waist as her chin hit his chest. He liked being around her, she made him feel younger than he really was.

"But I have good things planned for tonight." He said kindly, a tattooed finger running innocently along her side. "You like pasta right?" He asked as his hand moved away from her side and found its way to her hand. He locked his fingers in with hers and turned slightly toward the hall way that led to the back of the shop and out into the alley behind it. He wanted so badly to impress her but he had to keep reminding himself to just be real. There was no point in faking it, she'd find out sooner or later and that just wasn't his style. He had a good heart, he was loyal, and romantic, and yet some how he was still single. He tugged gently on her hands, the artist in him admiring the way the color of her skin clashed with the pale and dark ink on his. He pulled her down the hall past the room where they'd first gotten acquainted. The professional in him was curious about how her tattoo was healing but he decided to wait til later to ask. Instead he kept moving and when he reached the door he held it open for her and then led the way up the old metal staircase that went to the roof of his building.

When they reached nearly the top he spoke again, "Close your eyes?" He said with excitement on his voice, he wanted to surprise and entertain her. After all if the date wasn't fun then what was the point really? The smile playing on his face danced across his pale blue eyes as he took her up the last few steps and with a wave of his wand the rooftop was illuminated. The paper lanterns sent colored glow and shadows across the black tar, light music began to play from the wireless in the corner and a few candles were lit. He let go of her hand for a moment and moved to stand behind her so she could have the full view of everything he had done just for her. Two metal patio chairs sat with a small round table in the center of the roof. The settings on the table weren't particularly fancy, because neither was the French man, but the paper plates, brightly colored napkins, and plastic cutlery would do the job just fine. The food wasn't set out yet but it was sitting in boxes that were enchanted to keep it warm and fresh until they were ready. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his hands around her waist but he'd wait for her to make the next move. Wait for her reaction because if nothing else Gregoire was a gentleman.

She’d wanted to tuck her head underneath Gregoire’s chin and just sit there for a moment, but she was there for a date. A cuddle date sounded more than appropriate to her, but she was sure he’d planned something, and she was excited to see what it was. Her hands slid down his side to rest on his hips for a moment before she sent him the sweetest smile in her arsenal. She forwent hiding a shiver when she felt his fingers grazing her side, and moved closer to him. “Yes, I love pasta…” She hummed low, biting her bottom lip.

As he led her up the stairs, her excitement overrode her anxiety, and she almost bounced in place. When he told her to close her eyes, she chuckled, and did so. “If you’re planning on kidnapping me, I’m sure you need it to not be willing, dove…” She said thickly, rolling her eyes below her lids. She gripped his fingers tight, traveling behind him carefully, her heart beating a tremendous drumbeat in her chest.

When he told her to open her eyes, her eyes didn’t shoot open like she wanted them. Slowly sliding open, brown eyes stared at the scene in front of her. She stared. “…goddess…” Blo murmured, softly, almost reverently. She bit her bottom lip, the blush darkening her already warm cheeks just a bit, and she turned to stare at him.  “It’s….beautiful. I’ve never…I mean…” She swayed in place, staring at the floor.

“…I…Okay…” Her hand reached out to grip his. “…I…I love it…”

He felt like for the moment before he told her to open her eyes time had slowed down. For that moment he had the chance to just stare at her, which he'd been wanting to do since the first time he set eyes on her. He was also insanely anxious to see her reaction to what he had set up for him. The tattooed man was a classic romantic and this was his style, well maybe not the cooking part, but the 'trying to find something she will like' part. He could not contain his smile when she finally opened her eyes and seemed to melt a little. He saw her looking over the rooftop before turning to stare at him with those gorgeous eyes. She was something else, he wondered if she even knew.

He rubbed a hand over his neck somewhat nervously when she said it was beautiful. He hoped she was being honest, he'd worked hard and he wanted to make her happy, but he couldn't help but feel a little like a teenager here. But all of his irrational fears were wiped clean when she reached for his hand and he smiled brightly at hers. The moment he had a hold of her hand he pulled her in close for another warm hug before leading her toward the little table he'd set up.

"Are you hungry now?" He asked eagerly. He hadn't realized it until that moment but he was starving. He'd been way to anxious to eat earlier but now that his anticipation had calmed down a little and he caught a whiff of their dinner on the light breeze he was almost sure she could hear his stomach rumbling. "I don't mind waiting though." He said, chuckling at his loud stomach and rubbing it as he spoke. Really he didn't. He'd do whatever she wanted for as long as she wanted.