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Carter didn't need to see the curve her lips might have taken to know she was surprised. Her tone of voice gave it all away, but it was also clear she didn't necessarily think it was a bad idea.
"Thank you." He replied, bound to be polite when it was given first.
"You should do. I moved my college courses here, too, so I'm studying full time." A house was one thing, but he needed reason to agree to fully living there. "If you're on campus, that is."
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
She wasn't wrong about hobbies. What Carter perhaps enjoyed most about her was her life seemed so simple. That simplicity was something that had never reached him, high as everyone held him.
And he laughed at the idea that no one liked their jobs. Personally, he liked not having to work while he studied. For that he knew he was particularly lucky.
"Is your life's calling to be a bartender, love?" He asked her then, eyebrows raising in a stint of amusement. At least he worked to lighten the mood, "You could have it both ways, too."
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
With her question, Carter nodded once. It seemed ridiculous to live somewhere without somewhere for people to sit for months, but he was fortunate enough not to have any real company there.
"Unfurnished, yes." He admitted with ease. Aside from the bed he needed and the other necessities, the only other things he'd obtained were painting supplies. "Apartment, no. I have a house, but it's not anywhere near the heart of the city."
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
"A love of water might be the only predictable thing about you." Carter explained with care. Far be it for him to paint her in any different way than exactly what she was.
When she asked, he glanced back at where he'd come from. Empty handed, or so it would likely seem.
"I need a couch." He admitted then, looking towards her again. "I've lived here for months and I still don't have one."
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Now that he had her eyes, it was perfect for Carter. He preferred the obvious kind of connection that he could read; trying to map how someone felt based on how they spoke was next to impossible in most instances.
"Everyone has a vice I suppose, my dear." He admitted then, with a small shrug, "I suppose a little lack in confidence about this is mine."
His shoulder hit the frame of the doorway then, arms folded. "I don't think it's bad, I just think it's not what I was made to do with my life." The pressure had always been on to study and take over the business built by his father. Getting distracted by something so seemingly trivial was just that; a trivial distraction.
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Carter’s eyes were on her over the property he was showing off. It was rare for someone like him to be self conscious about anything in his life, and so he found himself more curious than anything else about her reaction. Her words were quiet in his ears and her eyes were wide. Somehow he’d managed to surprise her yet again; there was a little glory in that.
He stayed by the door as she walked in, letting her look at every single unfinished piece of work that awkwardly decorated the room. Like he was unhappy with every single thing he’d put to the canvas.
“I used to draw, mostly. Sketches and all that. My mother’s a famous painter, and that’s what my father built his business dealing, so it only seemed to make sense that eventually I’d take an interest in it.” He explained, well aware that she knew next to nothing about his family; “It’s just a hobby, though. Nothing great.”
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Carter had thought about her a little in the time since he’d last seen her. She didn’t exactly hit it off with Isaac, but then, most stubborn and headstrong people clashed with the man he called a friend. It had been funny to watch for Carter.
But this was entirely different. No harsh club lighting and no drinks flowing. It was like being back to normal. The steps towards her were fast and only took seconds. She was already being funny.
“Worse things could happen than getting a little wet.” He replied, a grin turning his features instantly. “I suppose you couldn’t care less. You’re probably praying for it to fall.”
Moving into his own home was a different kind of experience for Carter. Usually he didn't have to worry about how to handle everything that coincided with having his very own property unattached to either of his parents. He had his bedroom sorted, and for the most part he had the bare necessities sorted, but there were still a lot of things missing.
He stepped out of a furniture store and checked his phone briefly before he heard his name. The call made him turn around completely, eyes catching sight of a familiar individual who'd called out to him. He hadn't seen her since that night at the bar, and given the lack of ways to communicate, he hadn't heard from her either.
"Hey!" He called back, raising his hand in a quick wave before he took steps towards her.
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Carter looked at the way she smiled, taking in the genuine expression given to him. She was usually so quick to quip him for a lot of the things he said, but this was a little serious note he wasn't quite used to from her. It was nice, to say the least.
With a small nod, he indicated down the hallway, but he took steps that way first. "There's only one other room that really matters, and it's not my bedroom." He pointed out with a laugh.
Swinging to the left, he dragged a door open and flicked the light on. Various canvases laid against the wall; some empty, some half finished. Two sat on the pair of easels in the middle of the room. "This is where I paint, mostly." He said finally, "It gets great light during the day."
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Why did it matter? It was actually a very good question. Here was someone who never gave her an ounce of caring for such things in the past. She probably only knew him to care for his brother in this life and that was it.
"I don't know, I suppose it all boils down to a feeling." He admitted to her then. In any other instance, the power of moving even man-made things from earthly creations absolutely made him feel like a God. He'd never shied away from its strength before.
"It's easier to connect when fewer hands have molded the work. It feels just a bit more genuine than a heap of metal that's heated and treated to serve its built purpose." Reaching out, he eased the coat from her hands and was already taking steps to hang it up. "Don't get me wrong; I never thought I'd like anything less than an apartment on the eleventh floor overlooking the city. But the feeling I got when I walked in here was... Inspiring."
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Carter was grateful on some level to be able to humour her. He supposed that was all part of spending time with someone in a pressure-like setting that was a date.
"Consider that I wouldn't have to touch an ounce of dirt, my dear." The world would move itself around his needs. Such was the way with many things in his life, both pertaining to his power and not.
"But I mean that it's a very earthy home." He added, pointedly slapping his hand down against a cool rock that helped shape his precious fireplace. "Sure, metal gives the same sort of vibe, but its highly mutilated by human design."
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Grinning back at her, Carter unlocked the heavy wooden door, refusing to swing it open just yet. Instead, he had to give his attention back to her, kind as her words were.
"Hey, these are legitimate stone walls." He replied, waving his key in her direction idly. Even he had to admit that masonry wouldn't initially seem to suit his interest. Every other piece of property he had a name to was as sleek as she expected. "But the whole place has an eerily earthy feel. So I suppose the interest makes sense."
Drawing the front door open finally, he reached for the nearby light switch and stepping through. He held the door open for her, waiting past the brink for her to follow suit. Stepping in immediately gave way to the living room, seating centred around the fresh stone fireplace.
"Perhaps I'll give up my glamourous life and... Be an Oregon farmer instead." He mused, laughing to himself as he watched her again; "But then, I'd need a new home with much more land. What a dilemma."
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Luxanna had a good point; one he didn't want to outrightly admit. No one wanted to express how odd it was to give up power on a daily basis, but there she was, looking right through him. "You're right." He admitted then, trying to make it look easy. "But you're worth the extra effort, I suppose." And the entire situation was wrapped extra effort for him.
Finally, he pulled into the driveway knowing she must have been relieved at that. Despite the fact that everything about him screamed an interest in modern life, the house he'd chosen was far more rustic. "There, you can finally escape the enclose space with me." He teased, dragging himself out of the car. He fiddled with his keys as he walked up the steps and across the wooden porch. "When I thought about moving here, I was so sure I wanted to live in the heart of the city. But when I found this place, I guess I figured the distance wasn't so bad."
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
At the idea that Carter couldn't actually bore her so intensely, he chose to take it as a compliment. A smirk beamed from his features, because he wanted her to know that he found it so funny, and so ego-boosting.
Humming idly, he wondered just how much he should give away. "Well, I did consider being traditional. You know, dinner, something like that. Then I thought something that'd force you closer to me, like ice skating, but I considered that you're a clumsy wreck from what I remember." He shrugged his shoulders with a small laugh, letting it dwindle down naturally; "There's a place just north where you can see a lot of the sky without the city lights. I considered that too." Among so many other options.
"But I like the idea that you could have some power over things." Rare as that might have seemed for her; "Dating isn't something I do often, and my understanding is that its a mutual exchange, so not every choice should be mine to take."
Carter Chevalier
Usually I hold the power with both my hands tied behind my back
Politeness didn't really seem like something in his wheelhouse. Not unless he absolutely needed to use it. Carter had the charisma of a different species, and it made feigning politeness a breeze. So she knew to scrutinise his attempts. That was clever of her.
"It's all part of my master plan to bore you to sleep so you'll never actually see where I live." He explained, waving a hand in the air between them while the other stayed fastened to the wheel. "It couldn't possibly be that we live at opposite ends of the city, or something like that."
