New Year's Day [for Aragorn]

[soulthatwanders]

Waking up in unfamiliar surroundings was never a good thing, even if life on Tabula Rasa sometimes necessitated getting used to it. Prior to even opening her eyes beyond her initial observation, Wanda went through a quick mental inventory:

Headache? Present, but manageable.
Memories of the previous night? Hazy.
Clothing? A man's shirt, which she never slept in even when she was one.
Overall prognosis? Troublesome.

Extremely troublesome.

Wanda wasn't about to over think any further. Once she'd ascertained that this was probably a circumstance brought about by man-made as opposed to island-made bad decisions (unless magically-appearing alcohol counted, which she suspected would be something of a stretch), there was really just the one course of action that came to mind: getting the hell out of there as fast as was humanly possible.

Rolling over to the edge of the bed, Wanda suppressed a quiet groan and reluctantly looked around. Her dress had to be here somewhere.

Comments

[somanytitles]

"I will endeavor to add things to the list I keep to avoid that eventuality," he said, giving her a small smile before he turned to busy himself with finding something to do while she changed.

[soulthatwanders]

"Heaven forbid," Wanda muttered under her breath, grinning to herself once the coast was clear, still too worn out to bother vetting her emotions to the degree she usually tried to. At least her dress was still in good shape from the night before, so she didn't have to look like too much of a human disaster during what was pretty much just going to be some pathetic Victorian walk of shame.

"How bad is my hair?" she asked as she reemerged, feeling considerably more at ease now that she was dressed.

[somanytitles]

"Your hair looks wonderful," Aragorn said. Of course, he might not be a completely objective source on that count, he thought her hair was especially beautiful. Had it not have made the situation terribly awkward, he would have compared it to moonlight or something similar.

[soulthatwanders]

It was just as well that he didn't, since Wanda was pleased enough by his comment as it stood to feel the need to roll her eyes to cover it up. "Real helpful," she said wryly, running her fingers through her hair to make sure she was as presentable as she was going to get. "But thank you."

[somanytitles]

"Take my cloak," he said, holding the garment out to her as she unnecessarily fixed her hair. As far as Aragorn was concerned, Wanda always looked stunning, even if she was just sticking her head out of his bedroom wearing nothing but his shirt.

"It is still cold and I would not want you to catch chill."

[soulthatwanders]

Wanda's first, inexplicably stubborn instinct was to decline, but even she couldn't pretend to find a justification for it and she took the cloak without a fuss. It was just a nice gesture, and since she no longer had an absurd amount of alcohol in her bloodstream to provide the illusion of warmth, it would likely prove to be a very welcome one once she actually got outside. "How many times do we have to go over this? Thank you," she said, trying not to flail about too much while she got her shoes on. "I'll be sure to get it back to you later."

[somanytitles]

"You are most welcome. And thank you again for accompanying me to the festivities," Aragorn said, giving her another warm smile while he gently placed his arms on her shoulders to help steady her while she stepped into her shoes.

"I truly had an enjoyable time with you."

[soulthatwanders]

Wanda assumed that there had to be a limit to the number of times a girl could get all warm and flustered over nothing in particular, but between that and a pair of steadying hands, she apparently hadn't hit her limit yet. "Well, there's another one like it next month, so if you're still around, we could always do it again," she nonchalantly offered.

[somanytitles]

"I would very much like that," he said. He had heard of the other party, Mardis Gras, and it sounded quite enjoyable.

"Though if someone else should ask you, please do not hesitate to accept. I would not want to monopolize myself as your escort."

[soulthatwanders]

"I really don't think that's something I'll have to worry about," Wanda laughed, shaking her head as she finished getting her shoes on and pulled the cloak around her. "Guys aren't exactly breaking my door down for the chance to hang out."

[somanytitles]

"What is their loss is my gain," he said, giving her a fond smile as he opened the door for her. It had certainly been a strange evening for him, but more enjoyable than many that were more what he was used to.

[soulthatwanders]

No matter how highly she thought of herself, Wanda remained doubtful of that, but who was she to argue? "Let's say it's our mutual gain," she said lightly, hesitating only a moment before she stepped out over the threshold.