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| - Initial Setting: At the Conservatory. Ardette notthatI'msayingheshouldcome/cough Reginald >:| Reginald Please don't make calling me that 'a thing'. Ardette Only behind your back, darling. Reginald Then I will make it my job to make sure that you can't tell if you're 'behind my back' or not. Need I remind you I can go invisible if I wish? Ardette Are you threatening to stalk me, Santiago? Are you a stalker, now, too? Reginald chuckles, "What if I were? What would you even do?" Ardette has to think about it; what WOULD she do if she were being stalked by an invisible Bandito? "Well... I might have to get Smiles involved." She shakes her head gravely. "You don't want Smiles to get involved." Reginald shivers slightly, no that wasn't someone he cared to have on his back. "You would be correct in that regard, Miss Bombaerts. I assure you I was only kidding. Seriously though, please don't call me that in front of other people." Ardette scoffs. "Do I ever?" Reginald "I don't actually know that. I just hope that you don't. I have a reputation to think of." Ardette rolls her eyes. "Relax. I vow to only ever call you 'Santiago' in polite company." Reginald smirks, watching her roll her eyes at him again, "Still, it's just 'babyface' sounds like such a pet name. It's like we skipped first name basis and went straight to old married couple." Ardette slaps a hand to her chest, as though perish the thought! "Oh, please! We've talked about this. You're not a babyface anymore, and prettyboy isn't a compliment." "Thank heavens. Though I'm still not sure how being a prettyboy isn't a compliment, I thought women liked that sort of thing." Perhaps Reginald's just projecting a little too much, but he was just going by what he'd seen in his old dance circles. Ardette drapes her arm over the back of her chair and glares at him with the impatience of an already-uttered answer. "Because. Some of us. Prefer. Men." She bobs her eyebrows at him as the closing punctuation mark. Got it, yet? Reginald "Ah, yes, you'd said that before. I suppose I just don't know where the line is drawn between reasonably attractive, and what's not." Ardette peers at him for a moment, and then scoffs. "You're doing it again." Reginald cocks his head at her, this time pretending he has no idea what she's talking about. "Doing what?" Ardette "Digging for compliments. What do you want me to tell you?" Reginald gives her a dismissive laugh, "I can go first, if it makes it easier?" He's only half kidding. She probably wouldn't take a compliment from him anyways. Ardette gives him an odd look; she's not sure if she's going to like the outcome of this. "If it involves a pet name, you're out of here." Reginald can't help but to smile to himself just thinking of giving her some ridiculous pet name, "You already hit below the belt enough as it is, I don't need you to start doing it literally." He's not sure if she's really inviting him to compliment her or not, so he seems to be waiting for her okay before he continues. Ardette tilts her head politely. "Is that your compliment? In which case, yes, I'm aware, and thank you." Reginald will allow that one, since she seemed to like it, "If you take it as one, then you're welcome. Honestly you should be proud that a Bandito like me has a healthy amount of respect for you. Or fear, whichever you prefer." Ardette smiles serenely at him. "...because I'm just a lowly Square whom you could take advantage of if you tried," she coos, nodding, and it's obvious that neither of them truly believe that. Reginald didn't expect that smile. It made him feel a little flushed, but he won't draw attention to it. "I'd be a fool to even try." It's a good thing there isn't anyone around, because he's probably going to embarrass himself again. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you too." Ardette's smile wilts and she furrows her brows. That was unexpected, and the sudden sense of familiarity between them makes her feel prickly and uncertain. "I'm... not going anywhere, don't worry," she says hesitantly. Reginald realizes he should really try harder to reel himself in, and tries to quickly save it, "Good, because no one else has a wit as quick as yours. Who would I argue with?" Ardette watches him curiously. She can never seem to get her footing with him; it's bickering or harmless flirting attempts, a tough guy image one day, and melancholy honesty the next. "Oh, I'm sure you'd manage..." She clears her throat and looks down. Quick, change the subject. "I suppose it's my turn, now." "If you wish, though I won't hold it against you if you can't think of something," Reginald teases. Ardette's expression changes, now. It hardens to one of scrutiny, dragging her gaze across the line of his shoulders. After a moment, she wags a finger at him. "Your posture is impeccable. It's a shame that ballet is probably too rigid for you. You must have a lovely port de bras." Reginald is actually quite pleased to hear that, it was something he'd honestly not thought of. It takes him a moment to really think of a response that didn't sound too ridiculous, "That is almost too much of a compliment coming from you, Miss Bombaerts. You're making me wish I hadn't quit ballet." Ardette wrinkles her nose; she remembers well his dismissal of the style the other night. "When did you do ballet?" Reginald actually can't believe he didn't mention this to her before, "Long before I met you. Long before I was in the Mafia, even. Just after V-day. I was trying to find what complemented me and my vibe. Ballet and I just... didn't work well. I lack the balance. Besides, they wouldn't let me wear my glasses." Ardette pays attention; it's rare that he talks about his history in any detail, however vague. She winces in acknowledgment. "Yes, those would be a problem when it comes to pirouettes, I imagine." Reginald shrugs slightly; he didn't mind talking about this sort of thing, it was so long ago that he didn't consider himself to even be the same person, "Well, I was much younger too, less disciplined, not as strong or agile. I still don't think I would work out for ballet, you said so yourself, didn't you?" Ardette tips her head to him in agreement. "I did. And I still do." She shrugs. It is what it is. The vibe works in mysterious ways. "Still," she smirks, "A waste of a good port de bras." "Perhaps I can still indulge you in private," Reginald teases. "Next time I visit, perhaps. Though I was very much serious about taking some form of lesson again. I'm just not sure where to start." Ardette shrugs again and shakes her head, the answer is so simple, too simple. "You start the way we all started. Pick a style, and try it." "I suppose. The question is that if I decide to have another bout of 'trying to find myself', would you be willing to teach me?" Back to this again. Reginald doesn't know why he keeps tormenting the poor woman. Ardette chews on the inside of her cheek thoughtfully; that's a subject he just won't drop, isn't it? "That's a complicated question to answer, and you know it. It depends." She sighs and stands up. "It depends on a lot of things."
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