ONCE BURNED was made by MEL. Copying, altering, or stealing any of the site's content is prohibited. All of ONCE BURNED's characters are the original work of their owners and may not be replicated or stolen. All images and graphics belong to their rightful owners and ONCE BURNED does not claim to own any of them.
True to his word, Carter arranged a little something for Luxanna When he asked her if she wanted to go on a date with him, he hadn't set anything in stone. Part of him had been curious as to her answer, but the other part had to be grateful she said yes. Despite the fact that he could have gone all out - and he really did consider flights out of Stagfort - he decided not to.
Carter pulled into the now familiar driveway of where she lived. This would be his third time there now, and at least he'd managed to remember where he was and how to get there.
Briefly, he messaged her to let her know he was here as he sat in the car. It was only after that that he left the safety of the vehicle, stepping into the cool air to approach the front door and knock.
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
This was, and had in many ways, always been uncharted territory for the brunette. And yet, she didn't feel nervous. She supposed she should have, though, she didn't know what to expect, which meant she didn't know what to be nervous about.
And perhaps she should have felt bad for Jack - maybe she should have felt guilty, but she didn't.
As she heard the text, all she needed was a brief glance on her phone to make the first steps towards the door. Fenrir, her beloved pet dog followed her heels. There was a knock and Luxanna opened the door, sliding through the crack so that the dog wouldn't get through and turned, closing the door behind her.
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Without a word, Luxanna appeared for him. Carter dropped his attention to the way she left the door. By now, he was acutely aware as to why she had to squeeze herself through the break. It was enough to make him smile, but he felt no need to laugh at her. It was so normal.
"I could take Fenrir out instead, if you prefer." He said, eyes drawing up to her face finally; "She seems eager to me, which I appreciate, of course."
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
Lifting her gaze, she was about to smile at the familiar face in front of her. Instead, the brunette's brows rose, eyes narrowing. "It's a he and somehow, you don't strike me as his type." A soft whine came from the other side of the door, making her retort completely moot.
Turning her head enough to lift her keys, Luxanna locked the door behind her. She'd always found it a hard thing to leave him when he so clearly wanted to be a part of everything that went on. She supposed it was only natural to feel that way, but even she appreciated how innocent it was.
With a inhale of breath, she turned to face the blonde. Eyebrows furrowed and her lips pursing as another whine escaped the locked door; The guilt of leaving her beloved pet behind apparent against her features. "Let's go before I change my mind."
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Carter immediately thought to point out how pointless gender was, but he didn't. She knew he had no real preference either way, and there was nothing to be gained by expressing it again. She locked the dog away and just as well; he likely wouldn't fit in where they might be going.
He frowned a little when it almost seemed like she didn't want to go with him. Understandable, he supposed, given the sad sound that filtered through the door.
"Hopefully your father will be home soon." He hadn't met the brother yet, so he wasn't in Carter's mind as a secondary offer, "Unless you really would rather hang out here instead."
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
Fenrir didn't normally make such a fuss about her leaving, but then, he normally had other company within the house to keep him company. Her father was busy with work, as always, but she had no idea where her brother was. It didn't matter, though.
"No." She replied, head shaking. "It's fine." She offered the blonde a smile. She didn't necessarily find the idea of yet another awkward dinner with her dad to be the way she wanted to spend her evening. "Let's go." She offered as she started moving forward and down the stairs.
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Willing to accommodate, Carter offered because it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to sit around and talk with her for longer. It mightn't have been what he liked to do when he was younger, but he certainly enjoyed any chance to get to know her these days.
But she was sold on leaving, and that was good enough for him.
"Next time, Fenrir. I promise." Carter offered quickly, "It'll be the longest walk of your life."
Striding towards his car, he unlocked it and slid into the driver's seat. When she joined him, he turned his complete attention towards her; "So, Luxanna, I have a very important question for you." He announced, still smiling. "What would you like to do tonight?"
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
Turning her head towards the blonde, she both rolled her eyes and laughed at the same time. "He'll hold you to that." She warned. After attention, the word 'walk' was on the dog's top ten list of things that turn him from a usually well behaved adult dog, to a uncontrollably happy puppy.
Following suit, the brunette took a seat next to the blonde, pulling the belt over herself. Her head turned to look at him, brows furrowed. She was surprised; She'd expected him to have some semblance of a plan for the night. It struck her as odd that he potentially didn't.
Still, she considered his question. "Show me where you live?" He'd seen where she lived. It was only fair, after all.
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
As she looked at him with surprise, Carter had to wonder why. She didn't look displeased with the way he handed her the power tonight. She could have said nothing and he would have gone with it, too. But he could make most things achievable, and if she had an ideal choice, he was happy to listen.
Eyebrows rose, but Carter refused to immediately go to the suggestive place with that request.
"I can manage that." He offered, wasting no time bringing the car to life and leaving her place, "Home it is."
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
It didn't even occur to the brunette how her request might have sounded. She was curious to see where and how he lived. She knew preciously little about him and while it was partly her own fault for never asking, he did seem more open about certain things now than what he'd done in the past.
She supposed it was only fair for her to take advantage of it. At least a little bit.
"Perfect." She replied cheerfully and leaned back in her seat. Her brows furrowed then, as if realizing something. "When you say home... You mean here in Stagfort, right?"
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Nodding in agreement, Carter was happy to settle in small silence until she spoke up again. He had to laugh at that.
"Well, I mean, I could take you to any of them. I have one in Paris, of course. And one in New York." But it hardly seemed worth visiting at the moment. Not now that Dom wasn't heading back to the states any time soon. "I assumed you didn't have a passport, else I might have actually booked tickets." Luxanna didn't seem the type to leave Stagfort, let alone the country. "So I assume you mean the one here. You'll be the first visitor I have."
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
In truth, she wouldn't have put it past him had he planned something like that. Still, the brunette couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved. Baby steps and all that. She looked at him as he spoke, green eyes studying his face. She wondered, only briefly, what it must have felt like to have the whole world so easily in front of you; Until the school had relocated, she'd never even left Montana.
"Really?" She asked, genuinely surprised. "Consider me honored, then." She added with an easy smile. She was tempted to ask, though decided it didn't really matter.
"Did you buy a place here or are you renting?"
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
OF course Luxanna would find surprise in the little detail he gave. This was Carter, after all. Having someone to casually bring back a club hook up seemed more important than having a place to sleep at night. It clearly hadn't bothered him the first night he got here.
"I thought about renting. You know, I've never done it before." He explained, and he couldn't help but grimace. "But the idea of letting someone loom over me was irksome. Plus I like the idea of cementing something here for the future, so I bought a house."
Luxanna Cross
Never to touch, and never to keep. You loved too much, and you dived too deep.
The bluntness of his statement made her laugh; she couldn't really see that being an option for him. After all, he didn't strike her as someone who'd be content with not having the option to do as he pleased, if he so chose. "Of course you did."
And he'd even made the decision to get a house, not an apartment.
"What about pets? Do you have any? Want any?" It was curious to think about. Had she thought about the sane question four years ago, she wouldn't have seen it as a possibility, but he'd clearly changed more than she'd first realized.
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
A house had indeed been a clever play for the person so often flippant about his own life. A little part of him was excited to let her see where he lived, if only because he knew it would surprise her.
Then she asked about pets, and he had to take a little time to muse on the subject. He even hummed in his idle stage.
"Maybe a dog." But there was always one other option. The age old debate. "Or a cat. Which kind of person do I seem like?"
