nextgenerationmarvel | Loose Lips Gossip

Entry tags:

Loose Lips Gossip - April 2, 2012

04.02.12 - 9:07 AM

Kisses for the Fools
A Few Pecks Before You Go

Here's some real gossip for you today, darlings. As opposed to what you all made blow up over social media yesterday and then had egg on your face because it was April Fools Day. I don't know why so many of you thought Tony Stark marrying me was the fabulous truth, but a girl can dream, can't she?

First in our salacious bag, we have socialite Roxanne Danvers getting back up on her horse. Or two of them at once, my pets. As I broke the news to you precious readers not long ago, our favorite socialite Danvers has Cadet America living with her. Though after a particularly dour dry spell, she seems to be back on the prowl. While her cut blond cutie is there, she also has a dark and mysterious man visiting often. It doesn't matter what time, day or night, girl's getting back on top.

Also seen about town is one Alistaire Shaw. While that's not particularly of note, what is is that he seems to have the same woman on his arm wherever he goes. It seems a Miss Alisa LeBeau has thrown her lot in with the one of the least mentionable Shaws. Sometimes, we forget he's even there, but he's out and about now. Of Miss LeBeau, we've picked up she's an art appraiser of some sort. She caters to the rich and famous. With her following a playboy about town, she's either in for a heartbreak or heavy pockets. I'd watch yourself if you're having anything authenticated by her and then it suddenly ends up in Alistaire Shaw's hands. Though let's just hope this is a nasty... rumor.

Speaking of Shaws, we come to the most prominent living one we have in town. Miss Stephanie Shaw has apparently moved on from being dumped by the Brazilian Bronco. First it was a string of boys at Columbia. Apparently none of them measured up to her former mug of hot chocolate. Further solidifying that once she went black, she never went back, she's been seen out romancing Brooke Wyngarde. They've been seen together frequently in public and on a romantic dinner date. They were so taken by Languedoc that they bought it. Shortly thereafter, they went to the Diamond District. Together. I hope to score an invite to the impending nuptials. Since it is legal here in New York and in Miss Shaw's native Spain.

It has come to my attention that young Miss Erin Sterling, daughter of Ambassador Maximilian Sterling, has been hanging around the young men of 890 Fifth Avenue. With Roxie Danvers oh so slowly getting back into the swing of things, (only two, dear? tut tut) it seems as though the Avengers have a new blonde minx who's been leaving a lot of wet in her wake. And we don't just mean her ability to control water.

And finally, our usual Monday treat, which eligible singletons should you try to score by the week's end? No surprise, the number one guy is Tony Stark. Dress yourself up in nothing but strategically placed iPads and turn his head, darlings. If he's not your thing, try someone a little exotic: Marcelo Alencar da Silva. Rumor has it he's been out at a lot of hot nightspots lately. For those looking for the female persuasion, let's not forget brains and beauty as I have it on good authority Valeria Richards is still single. She appears a little down right now, but the right man could turn that frown upside down. Equally as lovely but a bit more hot-tempered is Eva Worthington. While she has been seen dressing down a few cabbies lately, it's nice to know a girl who knows what she wants and has a nice set of lungs. Don't you think, my cinnamon sticks?

And that's the tidbits I have for this Monday. Let's be back on Wednesday with even more to talk about.
Mwah, darlings!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Alexander walked down the street, deciding to give Brooke a call. Hearing the voice of his muse might give him a stroke of inspiration, so he dialed her number.

Brooke was still a very unhappy camper, given the blatant lies given in the newspaper. She excused herself from the group of girls huddled in the room she shared with Danielle and stepped out into the hallway.

"It's a lie," she said, perhaps a bit too quickly. "Stephanie's just my best friend."

"Well, hello, my Muse." Alexander said, trying not to chuckle at her immediate denial of the article. She must have known why he was calling, at least in part.

"I saw the story in the paper and I assumed it was either a lie since we swore honesty to each other." he said.

"I'm sorry they printed that garbage about you. My sister's current...friend is staying with us at her home, so that's the other man at her place." Alexander said, by way of disclosure.

"How are you doing?" he asks her. "I was thinking of you, as it happened, before this article. After dinner the other night, I spent the rest of the evening working on sketches. You gave me a lot to work with, just sitting across from me in that chair and sipping wine."

"I'm sorry," Brooke said dryly, making her way down the stairs and out to the garden behind the mansion. "She and her friend must be humping all over the place like deranged, drunken rabbits." At least, that was the Roxie Danvers that Brooke remembered.

She paused at the doorway and allowed herself a small, shy smile. "Either you're all too easily inspired, Alexander, or I'm a far greater creature than even I give myself credit for," she said. "What did you come up with?"

"Oh, the imagery there is enough to make even my cast-iron stomach very, very weak. I may need alcohol to forget it. Or the pleasure of your company in the near future." he smiled.

"But considering that I'm a cynical, jaded creature that isn't easily impressed by the droves of humanity I meet daily, I think you're definitely a greater creature than you give yourself credit for. I actually came up with some evening dresses that could work. Also, I had a ball gown in mind, but I need to go over the idea again." he said.

"We should certainly make that date sooner rather than later," Brooke said, finally stepping out into the bright, sunny morning. "I think I'd rather like to see you again, too." At least around him, she could let her guard down a little and not always try so hard to be such a pleasant person.

Not that she was succeeding all that well in the first place.

"Lucky for you I'm no mere human then," she said. Because, well, mutant. They were the next stage on the evolutionary ladder and all. Supposedly. "I do love a good ballgown." Though it seemed as though there hadn't been too many places to wear one to, lately. "Are you simply sticking to formal wear for your first collection?"

"We should. Believe me, I could use the reasons to be out of the house, especially when the two of them are about to start their non-discussions of their feelings. It's like watching a soap opera." Alexander said.

"I had some ideas for casual wear but then I realized that 'casual' to some people means 'I don't care what I look like'. I don't do jeans or sweatpants, so those are out. Polo shirts are pushing it.

Maybe you could help me figure out how to pull off casual-yet-chic for a woman? I'm having some trouble with it." he said.

"Considering that most of Roxie's life has been a-" Brooke stopped herself. Roxie was, after all, Alexander's sister. "Really? She's discussing her feelings?" That was a change from acting on her incredibly banal urges.

"Jeans are fine if you're working on a farm in the middle of Noklahoma, I suppose." Granted, Brooke was someone who had spent the majority of her life in dresses and skirts. "I'm free whenever you want me," Brooke said. "I mean. Want my help. For the line."

"Noklahoma. I like that one." Alexander said, laughing a little. "Yes, she and Joe have non-discussions about their feelings regularly. I hope they'll get around to telling each other what they want at some point." he said.

When Brooke mentioned she was free, a thought crossed Alexander's mind. He remembered what Roxanne said about Brooke wanting romance in her life. Alexander really didn't understand romance so he did what any sane man would do in such situations: he would let the woman tell him what she wanted.

"If you could go anywhere in the world right now, I mean drop everything no questions asked, where would you go?" he asked her.

Edited 2013-01-18 05:07 (UTC)

"I firmly believe that New York is the center of the United States," Brooke replied. "No matter what Chicago and LA try to make of themselves." Her heels clicked and clacked on the flagstones behind the mansion as she walked towards the stairs that would take her out into the garden. "It's funny," she said, pausing to think about what Alexander had asked her. "With the sort of money I have, you'd think I'd be a well-traveled woman." In truth, the only places she'd ever seen outside of the country was London.

"France. Maybe Italy. Some place with history, culture, art, and fashion." Japan, in her mind, didn't count. The place didn't have what the European countries had to offer. "Why do you ask?"

"I see." he said simply, thinking over the plan. He'd heard she wasn't free-spirited or spontaneous but he needed to judge that for himself. Perhaps he could awaken such a streak within her.

"Come to Paris with me, then. It's a city of lights, culture and romance. Romance is on that list, right? I think it was. Come with me and let's spend the day forgetting about silly New York gossip rags and crazy rumors. You can even send your friend a postcard and get home before it does." he told her.

"Bring yourself, your sense of adventure and a couple of outfits. I'll bring my sketchpad and I can sketch a muse on the Champs Elysee for fun." he told her.

"What say you, Brooke Wyngarde?" he asked.

"..." Brooke froze. Paris? Paris? Brooke had nothing Paris-worthy at the Institute. Besides, she'd need new shoes, new underwear, new luggage, new everything.

"You mean now?"

Because that was smooth.

And, oh god, her passport was in her apartment in the city.

"As in, say yes and we'll be in Paris before nightfall. In fact, don't worry about the clothes. We can shop when we get there." Alexander said. He tried not to smile on his end of the phone, but something told him that Brooke was on the other end of the phone weighing things in her head.

"..." Brooke turned and looked back at the Institute. Could she do that? Could she just get up and go like that? On a whim? She'd never been the kind of girl to do so.

Ever.

The most spontaneous Brooke ever got was ordering a dark chocolate almond biscotti at her favourite coffee shop instead of a vanilla hazelnut one.

And the thing about not worrying about the clothes? For a second Brooke thought that Alexander had meant to take that idea in an entirely different direction.

"...Yes. Sure. Okay." Pause. "I just need to get into the city to grab my passport."

"Are you alone right now?" he asked her.

Brooke looked around. There were some kids in the far distance of the property - Willow Woods communing with the trees, one of the many Guthrie offspring sitting on a bench doing some sort of written word puzzle, a couple of kids playing frisbee with a third whose power it was to turn into a thin, flat disc.

"For the most part? There's some people off in the distance of the property, but no one immediately around me." Also, no one who would generally willingly engage with Brooke in conversation.

"Oh good. That makes this simple." Alexander said.

Half a second later, Brooke is being tapped on the shoulder by none other than Alexander. He disconnects their call as it's now a moot point.

"As I suspected, you still look wonderful. So, shall we go?" he asked.

Brooke almost started. She whirled around, a blinking, trying to reorient herself to the fact that Alexander had just teleported over to Xavier's.

To see her.

That...that didn't happen.

Did it?

It just did, Brookie.

A multitude of dumb responses came to Brooke's mind and died on her tongue.

"This teleporting thing isn't going to make me feel all queasy, is it?" she asked, giving Alexander her hand.

Alexander took the offered hand, a show of her trust and smiled.

"While I enjoy giving you flutters in your stomach, my teleportation won't be among them. Now...you needed your passport?" he asked.

And in the space between eyeblinks, they were standing in Brooke's apartment.

"I love the decor here. When I get my own place, you simply must help me with the decoration." he said, looking around in admiration.

Brooke grinned. She really was quite proud of her apartment.

It was simple, tasteful, and elegant.

"There was a time that I had considered going into interior design," Brooke stated. "But that would lead me to follow someone's orders, and I'm not entirely that sort of woman."

She held up a finger then and rushed up the winding steps to her room, passing by Sharona's maid quarters, entirely ignoring the fact that Sharona was currently entertaining Timofey the doorman.

She was back down in a moment, slipping the little navy blue book into her clutch, along with a couple of credit cards. After all, all of her other monetary belongings were at the Institute.

"I'm ready," Brooke said, her confusion finally having given way to excitement. "Still not entirely believing I'm awake, but I'm ready."

Alexander smiled at Brooke's statement. She was adjusting quite nicely to spontaneity and he liked it.

"Very well. Hmm...let's try the Tower first." Alexander said.

He took Brooke's hand and after a moment, they were standing atop the Eiffel Tower, looking out over Paris.

"I love this view. It was the first place I ever teleported to when I was a boy. My mother was terrified because I'd vanished in the middle of our discussion about some of my bad behavior." he said.

"Once I brought her here, we both managed to calm down a bit." he said.

"You're the first person I've done this with, you know. I've never really dated before. It's been a far less personal...thing. If you get my meaning." he said.

She hadn't known what to expect when Alexander had said the Tower.

Granted, in retrospect, this really should have been obvious to her.

She gasped in a mix of surprise, pleasure, and exhiliration. Below her was spread the crystal roof of the Grand Palais, Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, Sacré-Coeur, the Invalides, the Panthéon, St. Sulpice - everything iconic and beautiful and historic about Paris just laid out before her like some sort of visual buffet.

"This is...I've seen pictures of the view on the internet - I've actually Googled them - but seeing it in person...and just...when I was in my apartment a moment ago!" She tore her eyes away from the view and looked up at Alexander, who was quite a bit taller than her despite her four-inch heels. "I used to go to the top of the Empire State building sometimes. To get away. But if I could have done this..." Brooke shook her head. "Thank you."

She turned back to look at the view, her mind trying to process that and what Alex had said about...dating?

She turned back to him. It was funny, she thought. Standing on the outside of a situation, she could tell when there was a romantic connection going on. Being in one though... "I've never dated anyone either," she admitted. Had she admitted that during their dinner? Brooke couldn't recall. "I've never even...well." She let his meaning slide, though. He was, after all, Roxie's brother. They were bound to have some things in common. She raised an eyebrow then. "What...are your intentions with me, Alexander? Beyond the part where I inspire you, artistically, I mean."

Alexander smiled brightly then, genuinely happy that Brooke was happy. He hadn't expected that. Most times he didn't care what his current bedmate wanted because said person was there to satisfy his particular needs at the time.

Right now, though, Brooke's enjoyment made him enjoy this place more than he usually did.

"The Empire State Building is fun, too, at the very, very top. Sometimes I go up there to remind myself that this world isn't just what we see...that there's a lot more to it." he siad.

When she turned to face him, he wondered if he'd said something wrong. Her question about his intentions gave him pause.

"You are not the first person to ask me that question. My sister also asked the same thing. You are my Muse and you inspire me. Do I want more than that? Perhaps I do. I admit that your lack of experience is alluring. You have not been ruined by the idiocy of human men who have no idea how to appreciate a woman." Alexander said.

"I want you to trust me, first and foremost. Beyond that...I told you that I would remain in your life until you told me to leave it, Brooke. I must warn you that I am not inexperienced. I have been with many women, but none that intrigue me the way you do." he said.

And now he waited to see if she was still interested in being near him.

There was a way that Alexander spoke about Brooke - words that he used to describe her - that made her feel as though she was more than she sometimes felt she was.

"I'm not looking for some emaciated, mentally and socially challenged Mormon vampire, so I assure you, I'm fine with your past existing," Brooke said. "The trust will come," She said, not wanting to lie to him by telling him that she implicitly trusted him right away. But he did make her feel certain things, and those certain things had made Brooke a curious young woman. "I'm drawn to you. It's the only reason I even approached you at Lanvin the other day, because that's not generally the sort of thing I'm prone to do." She reached up and gently adjusted her headband and added, "But, like I said, this is the first time I've ever dated anyone and..." she shrugged, "it's all very new for me."

"I was surprised at your willingness to engage me, I admit. But you seemed so confident that I thought you did such things all the time." Alexander said, looking out at the city for a moment.

"Well, it looks like both of us are learning something new together and that makes it much more fun. But I do find myself confused, Brooke. You're obviously very beautiful, you can carry on a conversation without repeatedly use of the word 'like' and you dress in way that shows respect yourself and those around you." Alexander said.

"I guess I don't understand why I'm the first of what should be legion of men fighting for the honor of your attention. I don't mean to insult or presume but I'm starting to wonder if men in New York really are blind when it comes noting a worthwhile woman in their midst." he said.

Loose Lips Gossip - April 2, 2012

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)