Loose Lips Gossip - April 2, 2012

[ngm_miscellaneous]

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!

Comments

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander wondered if Brooke would answer his question until he felt the shift in perception between them. He felt the arrogance, the vanity and the pride in their full measure and saw Brooke as the ice queen she was, or that she at least allowed others to see. He juxtaposed the current feeling to the one he'd felt moments ago where she'd been accessible, gregarious, or at least approachable and his eyes narrowed...but not in anger.

In wonder.

"Yes...I understand where many men would perceive you as being 'out of their league' or simply 'unattainable'. Had you used it upon me, I can't help but think I would have wanted to know more about you. I would have considered it a challenge to get you to smile for me, even once." Alexander said, reaching out to take her hand.

"May I ask a personal question? Do you ever get...lonely?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

[hellfire_empath]

Brooke allowed Alexander to take her hand. She didn't tighten her grip or anything, but she did let her guard down the moment that their hands touched, after briefly considering keeping that swirling clouds of emotions up. She considered the question thoughtfully, her eyes now fully focused on Alexander instead of the view beneath and around them.

"I was raised to be a queen," Brooke replied. "To rule all of the Inner Circles of all of the Hellfire Clubs, combined." Let it never be said that Regan Wyngarde didn't have lofty, impossible ambitions. "Queens don't have friends, only minions and those who might backstab her at any cost." And she'd lost the only real friend she'd had to stupid high school politics. "I'm always lonely."

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander nodded in understanding. He didn't know what this 'Hellfire Club' truly was, but it sounded like some important mortal institution. He reminded himself to research it later so that he wasn't blind-sided.

Brooke's comment about minions and backstabbers brought an odd expression to Alexander's features that he quickly covered but he secretly wondered exactly which she expected to him to be? He'd been warned long ago that humans often looked for reasons to manipulate and betray each other; when they couldn't be found, sometimes they created them out of whole cloth for justification of their lack of character.

Still, he understood how lonely she was because he'd always felt lonely as well, since before his mother's passing.

"I understand that, believe it or not." he said, looking around. His attention focused on a couple in the corner. The woman was elegantly and tastefully dressed in a Louis Vuitton evening gown with a string of expensive pearls about her neck. She might have been a model for all anyone knew.

The man with her was dressed in an Armani suit with Italian leather loafers. He wore a gold Rolex watch and smiled easily at his date. The pair looked like newlyweds, having eyes only for each other as they seemingly ignored everyone else.

Alexander pulled Brooke gently toward him so that he could lower his voice and be heard by her.

"The couple you see in the corner is riddled with a thousand little fears that I could spend all night telling you of in several languages. That woman is not his wife. She's someone he's been carrying on an affair with for several years now. He wants to end it but he's terrified that she'll tell his wife about them out of spite and that he'll lose his family in the process." Alexander whispered.

"The woman, on the other hand, has always been insecure about her looks. She's had several costly operations to fix perceived defects all over her body. She knows that her lover wants to leave her. But she's pregnant and knows the stigma attached to being an unwed mother in this country. She's afraid that her family will cast her out and that she'll have to give birth to her child in an alley with no one she loves around her. Moreover, she's afraid that she'll die ugly and alone, no matter how many times she goes under the knife." Alexander finished.

"I know these things because I can sense them. From everyone. Everywhere I go. Every minute of every day without ceasing. I can look at anyone and pluck their deepest fears from their souls. So yes, I know what it is to be lonely because I don't know a single person who would ever want to live the way I do."

[hellfire_empath]

Brooke stared at the couple. It was romantic, she noted, even a little dramatic, to be having that sort of conversation up here at the Eiffel Tower. Almost as though they were in a private movie of their own. She watched them, wistfully for a moment, and then opened herself up, allowing her to feel their emotions. She realized then how strongly she kept her shields up, show much she didn't let herself feel what others were feeling.

How much she didn't usually care what anyone but herself was feeling.

"It's funny," she said. "A handsome Greek god, a family that's spanned centuries and still alive, one would never stop and think that you're lonely." Brooke reached up and stroked Alexander's cheek with the back of her hand. "I didn't realize. I'm sorry."

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander's eyes closed as Brooke touched his cheek. He was unfamiliar with this level of closeness with a woman; normally his interactions with the opposite sex (that weren't his sister) usually started and ended with sex. There was no time or inclination for talking or deep feelings, just the fulfillment of a primal need and then moving on.

Alexander now realized that he'd held himself away from that kind of interaction because of the vulnerability it implied. He didn't want pity from anyone.

Yet he didn't get pity from Brooke. Only a simply acknowledgement of his feelings and understanding.

"I'm not lonely now, though. I'm with a amazing woman in one of the most romantic places on Earth." Alexander said. "It's more than enough to inspire a man to create some excellent work."

He allowed himself to relax a bit more, his own guard lowering for Brooke. She would feel his admiration for her.

[hellfire_empath]

The only time Brooke ever pitied someone, it was a mocking sort of pity, and Brooke wasn't mocking Alexander. She felt that admiration shining through from Alexander and a faint flush crept up her cheeks. Her hand dropped and she turned away from him, not really sure how to react to that. She'd never felt that from a man before.

[call_me_phobos]

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked, watching her turn away.

Admittedly, he liked the view but he wasn't sure if she was all right.

[hellfire_empath]

Brooke smiled a little wistfully, though he wouldn't be able to see that. "Wrong? No. No, you're doing everything right. Whisking me away for a spontaneous romantic getaway, saying all the right things, connecting with me on an emotional level...it's all the things that someone like me dreams about." She looked down at the view beneath her and for a moment let herself imagine what it would be like to sit atop a throne on Olympus.

"I'm just waiting to wake up now and find myself back at Xavier's, my roommate softly snoring away and finding out that none of this actually ever happened."

[call_me_phobos]

Alexander nodded.

"Have you pinched yourself recently? I assure you that you are not dreaming, but if this were a dream...you would know it by being able to do something that you normally would not or could not." he said, smiling.

"Try it."