Great and Unfortunate Things

[Elle Nora Taylor]

Elle didn’t mind Curran driving. She was fairly content to sit in the passenger side, watching him from the corner of her eye and sometimes peeking at him from under her long pale lashes. Her boyfriend the Loup Garoux was wearing the same contented perma-grin that she was, but unlike him, the willowy blonde thought that she might just be glowing. Every one that saw her would be able to tell, or at least guess at what she had been doing. She really didn’t care. She was radiant on the inside; positively, absolutely happier right now than she suspected she’d ever been. At least it was one of the few cherished memories. Baking with mama when she was knee-high to a grasshopper was pretty darned blissful too.

But that was neither here nor there.

They still had some more cuddling to do, and for this Elle was grateful, but right now they were headed towards some fun and excitement. -The- last night for the carnival where they had been headed on the very first night they had met. The off-duty waitress was looking forward to some cheesy photo booth snapshots, some really sweet or greasy carnival food, and maybe even some heart-pumping roller coaster to ride. Elle Taylor wasn’t a brave girl, but she sure did love her carnival thrill rides.

The drive was almost an hour as it was on the out-skirts of the city, but it seemed like only moment because the starry-eyed girl was too busy blushing and stealing glimpses at Curran and once in a while stretching her arm over so she could play with the hair on the nape of his neck as he drove. Every so often her boyfriend would catch her cobalt eyes and she would laugh lightly and nibble on her lower lip and turn her gaze out of the window; embarrassed and wanting him again for no reason other than his smile, her heart would start thumping so very fast.

When they finally pulled into the semi-populated car park the blonde was a pent-up explosive ready to blow. She didn’t wait for Curran but leapt from the vehicle and twirled in the lightly falling snowflakes. It was glowing; twinkling everywhere the descending sunlight stuck the pavement. It was possibly the last snowfall of the year and Elle let her eyes take it all in; the white glittering landscape; the color of dusk. She turned to Curran and smiled honestly, drifting back to his side of the car so she could wrap in a proper Elle hug. When the girl ended the embrace she laughed silly and grasped his hand, drawing back so she could use his outstretched arm to twirl herself. She wanted to dance with him right there in the parking lot. That was how ridiculous and dreamy she felt.

After a couple of twirls and dips and more embracing and perhaps a stolen kiss or two Elle kept hold of Curran’s hand to tug him after her, as she was fairly skipping to the main entrance of the carnival.

“First things first, we have to find the vendor with the candied apples.” She sang backwards to him and giggled, stopping short as the carnival worker at the gate exchanged currency for their tickets. And when they stepped inside it was as if they had stepped into another world; tents with signs for the bearded woman, vendors that taunted you to try your hand at their game, the FREAKSHOW, tarot card readings, mini roller coasters…it was exactly what Elle had expected. She jumped up and down like a school girl and pointed. “Oh my gawsh! Curran…Loook! There’s the tent where they keep the magical animals!” And she said the words magical animal with a little quote, end quote gesture with her fingers.

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Wearing: Peek!
Notes: Playtime!

[Curran Aiden Pettelli]

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Curran was going to thank Simmi for telling him to buy a car. Curran was one hundred percent a bike sort of guy – but he had t admit he liked that he could have Elle sat next to him, that he could glance across and catch her eyes as they drove. But he still liked the idea of having her behind him with her arms wrapped around his waist too. Still. Given the weather and the snow that was falling, the car, or rather, the large four wheel drive he’d bought specifically for the purpose of going off road and muddin’ (something he was quickly finding was as enjoyable in this vehicle as it was on his dirt bike) was definitely warmer than what his bike would have been.

”Silleh Elle” Curran laughed as he was pulled towards the carnival, pulling her closer to him and wrapping an arm around her waist once they were finally inside. Well. It smelled wonderful, it had to be said, and as soon as she mentioned candied apples he could trace the scent like Scooby doo could trace turkey to the dinner table. He had to laugh at her excitement as they walked – his Elle seemed to have lost about ten years from the second they had crossed the threshold of the carnivals gates, and it was adorable. He was going to win her a stuffed animal or something, just cus’, he decided.

”Magical animals?”Curran pulled a face. He didn’t like the idea of animals being in cages just for the entertainment of people – it was why he disliked zoo’s, theme parks like sea world and Busch gardens where they were exploited. The animals may seem happy enough, but he could hear in the wolves cry if nothing else the way the longed for the open space. Nature reserves were better, at least they didn’t have bars keeping them in place – but the constriction of their movement in zoo’s was evil.

Still, if she wanted to see them, he’d go. And maybe plot ways to set them free, on the odd chance one of them might actually be magical. Heading towards the vendor, Curran get them both a candied apple and handed it over with flourish. ”For my carnie queen” he grinned, and took her hand, entwining their fingers as they walked around once more. ”Okay. What do you want to do first? See the magic animals? ” He used the same air quotes she did with a grin and a flash of his eyes, ”or go on a ride...” he paused outside a tent and laughed. ”Or get our cards read by Madame Mysterio?”

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TAG::Elle
WORDS::346
CLOTHES >> CLICKY<<

[Elle Nora Taylor]

Curran was absolutely right when he’d thought that Elle had shed at least ten years upon entering the carnival; she felt as giddy as a little girl and rightly so. It had been far too long since the young woman had felt carefree; as if the worst problem in the world was deciding between the magical animal tent and the roller coaster, or maybe a little tummy ache from eating too much fair food.
Between the death of her parents, her monster of an employer and coming up with the money pay rent on the hotel room she called an apartment, the slender blonde had been forced to grow up too fast, too soon, so times like this (devoid of worry) were moments for the girl to savor.

Pale digits pressed to her lips to hide the silly giggle, Elle bent at the waist in a bow as if she were a princess tendered her crown by a suitor, accepting the candied apple with a pink tint to her cheeks. She liked the way Curran’s finger’s felt threaded with her own and the way he swung their arms while they drifted past the colorful tents and vendors.
She was as much a magical animal rights activist as he was, of course, being that her boyfriend just happened to be a miraculous wonder him self; a wolf of the Loup Garoux variety. The off-duty waitress was having the same reflection that Curran was; how to set them free.

Sticking out her tongue and testing the bright red covered apple timidly, Elle smirked and tugged on his arm; wrapping herself around it. “Maybe the animals will have to wait until later. I’m thinking that we stage a break out right before we leave, after the roller coaster and things. If they catch us they’ll throw us out and I don’t want to miss The Gut-Clincher. I’ve heard one out of every three people that ride it throw up. I bet you I can keep -my- cookies.”

Snickering, the ringlet haired girl took as big a bite of the apple as her dainty mouth would allow, which was freaking HUGE, honestly. Red candy crumble was all over her face and now she -looked- about as young as she was acting, but Elle giggled and pressed a kiss to Curran’s lips, leaving the saccharine coating on him too.

“I dunno baby,” She responded, smiling guilelessly and twisting her gaze to peer within the darkened slit opening of the Madame’s tent. “You think she’ll be able to see the great magic animal escape and tell on us before we’d had a chance to set even one baby unicorn free?” Elle blinked her large sapphire eyes with an exaggerated innocent air, and then thought of something, gasping out loud at the same time it crossed her mind. “Oh! You think she’ll be able to ‘read’ what we did earlier? Oh..my…goodness…”


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Wearing: Peek!
Notes: Playtime!

[Curran Aiden Pettelli]

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”I knew there was a reason i kept you around” Curran teased as he licked the red sugar coating from his lips, mingled with the taste of her lipgloss. Goddamn he was –this- close to buying a tube of the stuff just so he could eat it or something – it tasted way better than the apple he was sinking his teeth into right now. Laughing as the coating crumbled and fell from his own lips to the grassy ground beneath them, Curr hip-chucked Elle and smirked.

He had truly gotten the prize with Elle, he thought as they paused outside the supposed psychics tent. She was truly beautiful, she was smart, and now she wanted to bust out the magical creatures from their cages? He could have picked her up and span her, declared to the whole world that none were as lucky as he. Grinning, the loupe garoux pulled her over towards the tent, dropping the core of his once candied apple into the bin on the way past.

”N’aaw Elle. I’ve met a few psychics... most would rather live on the street than work in one of these places. Usually its just some woman who picked up a tarot reading book when she was a teenager, and think she can now tell all the wondrous mysteries of the world. Come on, it’ll be fun.” Pausing just outside the tent, Curran caught Elle around the waist and gave her a quick kiss before tugging her inside the depths.

If he knew how wrong he had been, he would have never suggested they go in, let alone have their cards read by the woman inside.

The air was scented heavily with incense, and it took the dark haired man by surprise as he sneezed once, twice, three times in row in an attempt to clear his sinuses of the assault they were receiving. Shaking his head, Curran took to breathing through his mouth for a moment before he managed to get himself under control, flashing a toothy grin in Elle’s direction as they sat down, he ran the pad of his thumb across her hand for a moment and looked around.

The tent was done up as you might expect, with lace and dark colours, heaving hanging incense and cushions, with a crystal ball sat to one side and a pack of tarot cards just to one side. Curran grinned – Syrelli had tried tarot once, but had grown bored once the shop assistant said she had to take them everywhere with her for a month. He was pretty sure she had eventually left them somewhere, and forgotten. They were probably still hanging out in the malls public bathroom or something.

”Creeped out yet?”he said, turning his azure gaze once more to Elle, grinning with amusement. For Now, Curran was pretty sure this was all just a joke, a game. The way it should be.

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TAG::Elle
WORDS::346
CLOTHES >> CLICKY<<

[Elle Nora Taylor]

Her cheeks really were as bright as those candy crumbles he’d licked from his lips, and Elle couldn’t help but blush even deeper when her thoughts went back just an hour before, and the ghost of his hands haunted her curves. The ringlet haired blonde lifted a hand to her mouth to stifle a helpless whimper when tingles crept through her swift as the wind.
Good thing Curran was there to catch her hand before she followed that wind and floated right on back up to the heavens. Silly twitterpated girl! He snaked an arm around he waist and practically stole a kiss and her breath before pulling Elle into the tent.

As her wide cerulean eyes took in all the weird knick-knacks and rich fabrics she practically spun, inhaling deeply of that thick, exotic incense. It was magical, indeed, but not in the way Curran or his family was. It was old and…creepy and made the goosebumps that were raised on her peach skin get their own goosebumps. That’s how eerie it was.
Elle spotted a stuffed crow perching from a panel of blood red crimson and she shivered, curling into her boyfriend’s side as soon as they’d fallen into seats at the round table. Curran was insanely warm and immediately soothed her chills, and even drew a nervous smile from her when his balmy digit ghosted over the back of her hand.

Nothing bad could happen if he was there.
The thought in and of itself was foolish, but the girl was too far gone at the moment to consider any other thought. He was her hero. And the one to whom she’d spoken all her secrets to.

“No…no…not creeped out at all.” Elle hated to lie, but she didn’t want to admit to the charming young man that indeed she was -very- creeped out right know and it was only the feel of his knee beneath her hand under the table that kept her from shaking like a leaf. She gave his thigh a squeeze and then laughed a little, nervously. She reached out with her free hand and touched the crystal orb, dancing her fingertips across the cool circle as if her touch could cause some inner glow. It didn’t. She was about as supernatural as the big toe of the bearded fat lady two tents down. Elle snorted a little, and squeezed Curran’s leg again.

And then her worried orbs were directed to a clearing of the throat, and a woman dressed in traditional gypsy garb with long flowing raven hair and ah…look at that…no hairy mole on the end of her perfect nose.
The lithe blonde nearly wrinkled her own nose. Why did their fortune teller have to look like that chick from Jennifer’s Body? Dizzamn!
Miss. Perky Boobies sat down before them and arched a brow at Elle, and the girl nearly jumped out of her skin.

She actually did EEP a little, curling deeper into Curran’s side as those judgemental eyes scanned their young faces expectantly before extending her pale black finger nailed hand.
“Pay first, and zen Madame will read future.”
The woman spoke a thick Slavic accent that made her even more quixotic to the careful blonde. Elle snapped to attention, digging around in her little pink backpack purse and handing over a few waded bills. With this ‘Madame’ was pleased, and gave them a gold-capped smile.

Okay…that ghetto grin was -so- not sexy. Elle relaxed a little.

‘Ah….vere vere ve…” The ‘madame’ stuffed the money in her cleavage and looked back and forth between the pair. ‘Vat you vant to know?’



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Wearing: Peek!
Notes: Playtime!

[Curran Aiden Pettelli]

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Reaching into his pocket for his wallet, Curran arched a brow at the young woman before them, sniffing the air casually, and managing in doing nothing else but sneezing. Sometimes, he could smell the difference between people and well, people who weren’t all they seemed. But the incense in the crowded tent was overpowering and already starting to give him a headache, even as he turned away to sneeze. When he turned back, the gypsy woman was already tucking the small wad of notes into her cleavage. Well. There was interesting place to keep money, and Curran couldn’t help but wonder if Elle also kept money in her bra.

Smiling at the hand squeezing his thigh, he took Elle’s hand and grinned, linking their fingers, and for the moment at least, far too amused by this woman and her tent, her act. He couldn’t help but think she’d gone a little over the top, what with the stuffed animals, the silk drapes, the incense – even her getup. Her accent – who the hell spoke like that? Okay, Having an Italian accent of his won he couldn’t really say anything, but her transformation of w into v made his skin shiver. It was all very spooky, and he had to give the woman props for her effort.

”I dunno Elle.” he said, turning his head to look down at her a little, grinning. ”What do we want to know?”. He was still under the impression that this woman was nought but a fraud – she had nothing of the scent of a psychic, a witch or anything of the sort about her, the tell tale smell of the herbs witches used to brew their spells and potions, the tang that afflicted most psychics, sometimes sweet, sometimes sour. But then, he could not be sure, given the already mentioned incense, but if there was one thing Curran was proud and confident in, it was his nose. It was yet to the let the man down.

Winking, Curran lifted his palm from under the table and held it out to her, palm up, lines clearly visible ”Okay. Tell me what you get from that, prove your real first.” he said, amusement behind his words, eyes sparkling with the test, the tease, the mischievous intent behind his action. Would you ever guess he was still high after the actions of the house previous? Of course, he’d never believe the woman would guess half the truth, half of what the man kept in his chest and close to his heart, away from the world.

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TAG::Elle
CLOTHES >> CLICKY<<
Sorry it’s so short, and it took me so long to reply!

[Elle Nora Taylor]

Elle let out a breath of relief at the feel of Curran’s hand around her own; the gentle, but reassuring squeeze could have been an embrace surrounding her whole body. Merely sitting this close to the Loup Giroux was always like that for the twitterpated girl; his aura was that strong.
The blonde had already dragged her wide sea blue gaze from the chesty gypsy and was staring wistfully at his profile, blushing sheepishly when suddenly he turned to face her, inquiring as to what they would like to know from the fortuneteller.
Lifting the hand that had made a home in her lap, Elle tugged on a ringlet anxiously and secretly wished the gold toothed woman might tell them about a prince and a princess and a bunch of fair-furred little bouncing pups.

Where the heck had that come from?!

The blonde shuddered and giggled quiet to herself, thankful Curran had been prepared before when she had so clearly not been. She certainly did -not- need a handful of puppies, not now. Not ever!

The off-duty waitress stiffened a bit when the gypsy reached across the table for his hand, running a long ruby painted fingernail along the lines of his palm.
There was a low possessive growl coming from somewhere in the room and the curly haired girl turned a deeper shade of crimson when she realized the sound was rumbling in her throat.
“Tell him he’ll live a long and happy life!” She squeaked, and then pressed pale fingertips to her lips as if to hold back any lingering outbursts. The gypsy had a dark brow lofted at her, and then snorted, shaking her head as she refocused her attention on the hand within hers.

“Joo vill leeeve a long …extremely long life.” The prophet glanced up at Curran curiously, her jade eyes darting to Elle and back again. “But unfortunately, it vill not alvays be healthy.”
Elle’s hand dropped in slow motion from her mouth and confusion colored her sapphire gaze.
“The vone you have been searching for vill find you…” The fortuneteller continued, pausing dramatically before nodding her raven head at the waitress. “If she doesn’t find your voman first.”

Elle heard no threat in the gypsy’s divination, instead hearing only one word; woman, which flamed her cheeks more than before. She took it to mean the gypsy had seen their previous activities, as Elle had absolutely transformed from a girl into a woman today. And it made her giggle. And the giggle bubbled up and danced around the darkened tent like a melody, and she grasped Curran’s bicep and buried her face there; thoroughly mortified.




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Wearing: Peek!
Notes: Sorry for the wait babydawl >..<

[Curran Aiden Pettelli]

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Any misconception the young man had that the woman in front of them, with her clawed and ruby painted hands, her heavy smell of perfume and incense and her strong accent was anything but a fraud soon faded with the words that tumbled from her mouth. Curran felt his blood run cold when she mentioned the woman he was looking for. His features dropped into something akin to a person’s who had just seen a host, only to then twist into anger with her final sentence. With this unbidden anger, Currans eyes darkened to amber, staring at the woman’s whose words had pulled a string in the mans heart, and for a moment he was oblivious of all but the two of them – even of the blonde beauty who curled into his arm.

Elle may have seen no threat in her words but Curran heard nothing but in her tones. His head reeled as he tried to understand what she meant in her words and Curran snatched his hand back from her, curling his fingers into a fist. He wanted to run. He needed to get out of the tent anD the suffocating fumes of the woman’s incense. He needed fresh air and he needed to run to clear his head understand what the woman meant with her cryptic words. How could his life be unhealthy? Loupes didn’t get sick – his family did not get sick. Everything could be cured, unless inflicted by silver, by a shift. Sure, they got the cold and other human virus’s, but it was never anything that their higher temperature didn’t already burn off, never anything that would be classed as ‘unhealthy’.

And wht the hell did syrelli want with Elle? His Elle? Syrelli, as far as Curran knew, did not even know of Elle’s existence, let alone of her importance to him....

It was with a cold realisation that Curran discovered he was scared... and not only scared but truly terrified. It gripped his heart in a cold hand as the young loupe curled his fingers against his knee. Swallowing, and not without difficulty, he looked towards Elle, and took comfort from her closeness and the head buried in his arm. The sooner they got out of here better... but for the moment he found himself unable to talk, let alone move.

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TAG::Elle
CLOTHES >> CLICKY<<