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Lunch
Feb 4, 2009 17:16:56 GMT -5
Post by Miles on Feb 4, 2009 17:16:56 GMT -5
"Am I going to choose everything we dine on? You're so dependent, László!"
Miles was laughing as he stood, offering his hand to help László up.
"Ne'ermind. I suppose I've complained too often about what other people chose to be permitted to sigh about this one. Shall we...?"
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Lunch
Feb 4, 2009 17:23:14 GMT -5
Post by László on Feb 4, 2009 17:23:14 GMT -5
He took the offered hand, feeling a bit awkward.
"Lead the way."
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Lunch
Feb 4, 2009 17:31:04 GMT -5
Post by Miles on Feb 4, 2009 17:31:04 GMT -5
Miles held a bit longer than he would if normally helping someone up. Well, László shouldn't have looked so uncomfortable and unsure of why Miles was doing it!... it only made Miles a bit giddy and confused himself.
Miles made a semi-awkward gesture towards the hotel, still smiling. "Same place? Or would you rather... ah, go out?"
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Lunch
Feb 4, 2009 17:33:47 GMT -5
Post by László on Feb 4, 2009 17:33:47 GMT -5
"Maybe we should dine in...the places that wouldn't mind how I look aren't, er, the most civilized."
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Lunch
Feb 5, 2009 10:08:58 GMT -5
Post by Miles on Feb 5, 2009 10:08:58 GMT -5
Miles pursed his lips, still smiling. "Well," he said, good-naturedly offering László his arm as they headed in, "you might consider that incentive to get a new suit."
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Lunch
Feb 5, 2009 10:30:13 GMT -5
Post by László on Feb 5, 2009 10:30:13 GMT -5
He tentatively took the offered arm. He knew it was silly to be awkward about casual physical contact, considering what occupied his evenings. But normal interactions beyond that rarely ever happened.
"I guess so...I wouldn't know how to act in a fancy place."
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Lunch
Feb 5, 2009 10:49:48 GMT -5
Post by Miles on Feb 5, 2009 10:49:48 GMT -5
Miles - who was probably more used to physical contact than László, as he had always been enormously touchy with everyone he'd ever known, although it made him a bit excitable - cheerily stated that the only people who did were not worth taking out. Miles belonged to a new generation himself, and although he really had no concept of just how low-class someone low-class could be, he and his friends had certainly gotten dirty looks from the Victorian lot in his time. Besides, he had it in his head that László was somewhat more natural than other people, like a wildflower that had bloomed magnificently rather than some strange greenhouse flower that would die on its own, and in his estimation, this exoticism was preferable to pretentiousness.
Not that Miles consciously had any sense of his own pretentiousness.
They went into the hotel through the front door this time around, whereas the previous night Miles had taken a back entrance to spare László any glances he might receive from the servants or guests at the hotel who might take note of his faded, worn-thin attire or mussed hair. He was oblivious to any now, though, talking as he headed for the elevator just as he might have to Agatha back home.
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Lunch
Feb 5, 2009 11:07:05 GMT -5
Post by László on Feb 5, 2009 11:07:05 GMT -5
The foyer of the hotel was a lovely as the building's exterior promised. It was a sort of understated splendour, rather different from the opera house (pleasantly so). They did get a few looks, a couple of them disapproving ones aimed at Miles, but the rest that were aimed at László were almost downright nasty. Not that it fazed him one bit--he just gave them a pointed glare back.
He almost wished the stuffed shirts would say something, just so he could have an excuse to smack one of them.
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Lunch
Feb 5, 2009 13:35:16 GMT -5
Post by Miles on Feb 5, 2009 13:35:16 GMT -5
How lucky it was for their lunch date that the stuffed shirts were rather too stuck-up to say anything, then, as Miles jauntily led László to the ornate black elevator and ostentatiously pushed a button, not knowing how many elevators László had ever been in, but expecting him to be impressed and holding his arm a little tighter.
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Lunch
Feb 5, 2009 13:38:18 GMT -5
Post by László on Feb 5, 2009 13:38:18 GMT -5
He'd been in elevators before, but nothing like this one.
"They didn't spare the expenses with this place, did they?"
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Lunch
Feb 5, 2009 13:55:57 GMT -5
Post by Miles on Feb 5, 2009 13:55:57 GMT -5
Miles shrugged almost modestly after the door had closed and he'd pressed the next button.
"I suppose the luxury of it has more than earned them back the amount they spent building it in wealthy customers," Miles said unassumingly. "Anyway, it's nothing so cozy as home. Where do you live, László?" He asked more kindly, but in real interest.
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Lunch
Feb 5, 2009 14:02:32 GMT -5
Post by László on Feb 5, 2009 14:02:32 GMT -5
"Used to be just...wherever I could find a dry spot to sleep in. Sometimes if I made enough I could splurge on a room somewhere. But uh, of this morning it's a...shelter." He couldn't quite hide his embarrassment.
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Lunch
Feb 5, 2009 14:25:55 GMT -5
Post by Miles on Feb 5, 2009 14:25:55 GMT -5
Miles couldn't quite hide his shock, or his concern. He let go of László's arm but reached out as though he were going to touch his face, then grasped his shoulder.
"Oh, dear, you know, you could always... " He stopped before going on. He had, of course, been about to offer to set him up somewhere - he was the only child of his family and beyond had the money for it - but, recalling László's staggered reaction to the last offer, he was suddenly defensive and worried about how he looked to László. And, well, László dealt with Miles' sort on a regular basis... and probably did not trust him an enormous amount. Miles met his eyes, hesitating and conflicted.
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Lunch
Feb 5, 2009 14:36:03 GMT -5
Post by László on Feb 5, 2009 14:36:03 GMT -5
He could tell what Miles had been about to offer, and even though he'd recently had nothing but rather good people with no ulterior motives genuinely wanting to help, it was still a bit of a surprise. A night and a day's worth of actual goodwill had a hard time overcoming years of the exact opposite.
It was apprectiated, though.
"It's all right. The shelter is a nice place--really." He said quickly.
"You offering food and...and clothes is enough. I promise."
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Lunch
Feb 5, 2009 14:46:34 GMT -5
Post by Miles on Feb 5, 2009 14:46:34 GMT -5
Miles turned rather red with embarrassment, vaguely wounded by László's choice of words in particular. Offering. It sounded so much like he was trying to seduce him, or whisk him away, or something ridiculous like that, like a man offering a courtesan he favored diamonds and servants and carriages and the like in the hopes that she'd cease to see the rest of her clients.
"I like to give gifts," he said, crossing his arms, with maybe the first hint of coldness he'd shown, although it wasn't really cold, just a bit sniffy and kind of dazed. "I enjoy to do it; it doesn't mean I want something back, you know."
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