Claire was on edge that evening, more so than she'd been in recent weeks. Although she'd been invited to a couple of parties in the past month, she'd turned every single one of them down, intent on finding herself again in a way that she hadn't for months. Focusing on herself, rather than her relationships with those around her. If there was anything that she'd learned, however, it was the fact that people could only keep to themselves for so long, and after the encounter with Adam, Claire just couldn't stay in her hut. Not that evening. Not while all of this went on.
"Hey," she greeted first as she approached from behind, making sure not to startle Edmund as she hugged him from behind, not wanting to interrupt the strumming of his guitar. "Haven't seen you in a while."
The hug, truth be told, only startled him slightly, for he had been trained as a warrior once and even nice surprises made him react in a certain way. But when he realized, very quickly by her voice, that it was Claire behind him, he didn't mind the intrusion at all.
"I should say!" Edmund replied, a smile appearing on his face. "And still you're hiding. Let me give you a proper hug and sit down with me. If you dare come to a party, I'm not going to let you slip away."
"Hey! I have absolutely nothing against coming to parties, Edmund Pevensie, and I don't know that I appreciate you suggesting the opposite," Claire replied, feigning a peevish tone as she circled around to sit right by his side, wrapping an arm around his back. "Just because I've been more focused on my studies these past couple of months doesn't mean that I won't come out for fireworks. And friends. More the latter than the former, I guess."
Grinning, she exhaled contentedly, resting her head on his shoulder. "Seriously though, you don't get to hold this over my head if you haven't exactly come calling. Maybe I was hiding out because of how broken-hearted I actually was."
"Oh, how like a girl," Edmund scoffed, but he meant it in jest, for he had been on the island long enough to understand that attitudes had changed about that sort of thing. He still held certain opinions about how to treat girls and how girls should act, but he knew better, of course, than to pretend in seriousness that they were all the same.
"Of course I should have known that you staying in meant you wanted me to visit, not that it meant you wanted to keep to yourself. How ridiculous of me." His own grin rather content, Ed wrapped his arm loosely about her shoulders. "I am glad to see you, for all that. How have you been?"
"Look, I know that I come from a day and age where women should totally be more empowered, and you know, I have nothing but respect for the girls who actually manage to be fully independent. But I still think that there's nothing wrong with a girl who wants the guy to be the one to make the first step and who goes for the kind of guy who'd fight to make sure a friendship doesn't fizzle," Claire continued, raising her nose loftily in the air and pursing her lips, before breaking into a laugh again
( ... )
"Hey," she greeted first as she approached from behind, making sure not to startle Edmund as she hugged him from behind, not wanting to interrupt the strumming of his guitar. "Haven't seen you in a while."
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"I should say!" Edmund replied, a smile appearing on his face. "And still you're hiding. Let me give you a proper hug and sit down with me. If you dare come to a party, I'm not going to let you slip away."
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Grinning, she exhaled contentedly, resting her head on his shoulder. "Seriously though, you don't get to hold this over my head if you haven't exactly come calling. Maybe I was hiding out because of how broken-hearted I actually was."
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"Of course I should have known that you staying in meant you wanted me to visit, not that it meant you wanted to keep to yourself. How ridiculous of me." His own grin rather content, Ed wrapped his arm loosely about her shoulders. "I am glad to see you, for all that. How have you been?"
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