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Post by Loki Odinsson on Jul 15, 2019 20:59:56 GMT -5
"Of Vei- oh."
He looked startled, but pleased.
"That's good, I suppose- I haven't much experience with this, to tell you the truth."
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Post by Teja on Jul 15, 2019 21:04:16 GMT -5
"I've never gone dancing," she confided. "Not even to a club, actually. I didn't even go to prom. Well. I didn't go to high school."
She stopped herself right then and there.
"Oversharing, huh?" And she laughed self-consciously. "Sorry-"
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Post by Loki Odinsson on Jul 15, 2019 21:06:24 GMT -5
"Neither did I," he blurted.
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Post by Teja on Jul 15, 2019 21:11:05 GMT -5
"Really?" she asked. She was glowing and trying not to. "Were you homeschooled too?"
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Post by Loki Odinsson on Jul 15, 2019 21:14:15 GMT -5
“Yeah,” he said, nodding with bright, eager eyes. “My whole life, actually-“
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Post by Teja on Jul 15, 2019 21:17:05 GMT -5
"Oh, wow," said Teja, laughing.
But then the smile slipped right off her face. She glanced away, her cheeks burning uncomfortably hot.
"- Bet you loved it," she mumbled.
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Post by Loki Odinsson on Jul 15, 2019 21:21:07 GMT -5
Ashton seemed to have to pause and weigh the question.
"I managed," he said, with a brisk laugh. "You know how fathers are-"
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Post by Teja on Jul 15, 2019 21:23:23 GMT -5
She felt an embarrassing flood of gratitude and sympathy. She knew it was ridiculous - he had no real reason to assume she'd had problems with her father. But that only made her like him irrationally better: after all, he was projecting wildly. Couldn't she relate to that?
"All too well," she said, voice sticking in her throat, it seemed.
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Post by Loki Odinsson on Jul 17, 2019 2:27:05 GMT -5
As the song came to an end, Ashton stared at her, his thin dark brows curving into sad little inverted arcs of sympathy.
"So... so you can imagine..."
Someone just to his left coughed, and Ashton suddenly realized he had frozen gazing into Teja's eyes. He scowled at them, then gave her a quick, placating look as he started walking her back toward the table.
"I know I shouldn't really complain- heaven knows I had a better life than anyone here-"
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Post by Teja on Jul 21, 2019 14:20:28 GMT -5
"- how's that? Everyone here is rich. Almost everyone."
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Post by Loki Odinsson on Jul 21, 2019 14:25:15 GMT -5
"So was I," he said gently.
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Post by Teja on Jul 21, 2019 14:27:22 GMT -5
"Then how did you have it better?" she asked, amused. Her hand was very lightly and very briefly on his arm. She didn't want him to think she was going to hold it against him, being rich.
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Post by Loki Odinsson on Jul 21, 2019 18:49:21 GMT -5
"So was nearly everyone else," he admitted. "My family did sort of run things, but I suppose it was probably better for us to not come of age learning to ignore unfortunates on the streets."
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Post by Teja on Jul 21, 2019 19:11:29 GMT -5
"So simultaneously sheltered, and not sheltered all the same? Enough to be protected, not enough to become arrogant?"
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Post by Loki Odinsson on Jul 21, 2019 19:12:52 GMT -5
"That's not really for me to judge, is it?"
He looked out over the crowd.
"Though it really did make this place a rather nasty shock."
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