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Dite's Decadent Delights, Thursday

The chairs had moved. In fact, half the store had moved.

Overnight, things seemed to have shifted from right to left, leaving the right hand lower corner of the store open, empty of everything but the chairs and the fishbowl.

Which now sat on a bookshelf, the fish happily staring down at Hercules, who looked up at the greater height with annoyance.

"Just wait, Herc, you'll get bigger, and then what am I gonna do?" Aphrodite grinned down as she paused in her work. "I'll have to get bigger bookcases."

Then she happily continued hanging three new paintings on the wall.

Decadent Delights is open.

(ooc: Open store, open post, open mind . . . the OCD stayed home.)

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Somehow, Cal really got the feeling that she wasn't talking about the pterodactyl, and the color in his face promptly drained at the suggestion that they'd be basically double-teaming to get him out of the restraints.

But what could he do? Wasn't like he could get himself out. So he just stood and waited and wondered what the heck to do with his eyes while they got him out. He decided that they would stay trained on his wrists and, subsequently, Dinah's hands as she'd be unbuckling him.

Dinah was fumbling with one buckle when she got a look at his face, and frowned. "Hey. You okay?" Not thinking about it, she rubbed at his wrist, thumb brushing over his pulse. "Just give us a sec, we'll have you out of these," she said, her voice low so as not to draw 'Dite's attention. Maybe they'd pushed this too far, and Cal was reacting. She concentrated with her TK, and the clasp on the handcuffs worked its way free, and she squeezed his hand.

It didn't take long for Aphrodite to remove the leather restraints from Cal's ankles. When it was done, she glanced up to see Dinah whisper to the young man, a frown on her face.

She rose swiftly, first noticing the buckles working themselves free, and then the way Cal was keeping his head down. Waiting till Dinah pulled the last strap free, Aphrodite gently put her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Dinah, there's some water on the counter; would you pour Cal a glass? I think he could use a drink." Well, there was water on the counter now. "Take these?" She lifted both sets of restraints. "Just leave them next to the register."

She hoped Dinah would take her time pouring.

"Sure," Dinah said, taking the restraints. She shot Cal another look of concern, unable to read his expression exactly, and went over to the counter, carefully putting the two sets of cuffs down.

And while she was pouring the glass, the word duh went through her mind, and she slowed down, realizing 'Dite wanted some time with Cal over there, and kept her back turned while she poured a glass for herself, too.

Not that her throat was dry, or anything.

Cal would have been a bit more fine if it weren't for Dinah having rubbed his wrist like that; it postponed his muttered response, "I'm okay, I'm okay," wishing that it didn't suddenly feel like they were making a big deal out of the fact that he probably was showing a lot more than he had intended.

When he started gingerly rubbing his own wrists, it wasn't because of the cuffs, but rather the lingering feel of Dinah's touch, but he was trying not to think about that.

He didn't really know what else to say except for a fairly lame, "Thanks for helping us pick those out."

After a glance at Dinah to make sure she was distracted, Aphrodite focused on Cal. She gave him a moment to collect himself, then gently touched his chin, to raise his eyes to her. When she spoke, her voice was very soft, so as not to carry.

"First, you're welcome. I'm glad you chose to come here.

"Second, I want you to know your secrets are safe here. All of them." He could take that as he would. She wouldn't pry, even though she wanted to.

"And third, if you want someone to believe you're okay, try looking in their eyes when you tell them that." She winked at him. "Now. Are you okay?"

Cal hadn't really been expecting that, and his first instinct to pull his chin back took over first and foremost, but he only did so a little, and the attempt to hold it back put a weird strain between his shoulder blades. It got a little worse the more Aphrodite talked, color starting to fill in his cheeks again, and a sense of dread straight to his gut. If she was a goddess, of course she would know, right? But what did she mean by actually bringing it up, mentioning it?

Thankfully, that last part allowed him to fall back into his sarcasm and apathy, rolling his eyes theatrically as his shoulders relaxed. He shook his head a little bit and then looked Aphrodite straight in the eyes and frankly lied through his teeth.

"Yes. I'm okay."

The fucking goddess of love just took restraints off my legs and dangled the little I Know Your Secret carrot in front of me. Of course I'm not okay.

Her face, raised eyebrow and all, said very clearly I don't believe you. But after holding his gaze for another long moment, she nodded, accepting the lie.

"Good. Think you can stand?" She offered him a hand, figuring it would be better to let him off the bar stool before vanishing it back to where ever she'd brought it from.

"Dinah, what are you doing, drinking all the water yourself?"

"Thirsty!" Dinah protested in an injured tone, then turned around to hand Cal a glass, not quite meeting his eyes. Still pink. "Hang on. There's a book I want." And she marched over to the erotica section. Ha. She could do that in front of Priestly, so... no problem.

Except no, not letting Cal see the book (http://www.amazon.com/Seductions-Erotic-Persuasion-Lonnie-Barbach/dp/0452280591/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252799671&sr=1-1) in question. Nope.

Okay, Cal had felt a little antagonistic against the suggestion that he needed water, but the nice thing was that he could now use drinking the water as an excuse to not say anything. He figured he could also try to put a feeling or a thought or two about this whole thing in order, but decided that it was just easier to try not to.

He took Aphrodite's hand to help him up not so much that he needed it but because after all that, he didn't want to refuse her hand and seem even more of a mess than she already assumed him to be. He muttered a thanks and took the glass of water, and then set to drinking it while Dinah got her book.

What the heck kind of book did she want to pick up while they were here, anyway?

Aphrodite didn't think Cal was a mess -- just a mortal with a lot to deal with. Nothing she hadn't seen before. Mostly.

She was a little surprised at Dinah's quick jaunt into the book section, and had to raise an eyebrow when she came back so quickly. "Are you sure you got the right one? I could make some recommendations . . ." Chuckling, she put an arm around Dinah as the girl's blush turned darker. "I'm kidding. Just let me sneak a peek at the register, okay? So I know what I need to reorder."

Speaking of the register, she began leading the way to it. "Let's get you two rung up and on your way, okay?" There'd be some major kind of discount, but she didn't feel right giving away this kind of merchandise.

For some reason she didn't mind vibrators being free. Huh.

Dinah swallowed and got out her wallet, handing over a twenty and trying not to blush any more. "So." She slid Cal a look. "You're still going to try out for the play and taunt Geoffrey on Tuesday, right?" Because oh yes, she'd be there.

"Is it just Tuesday?" Cal asked. "Because I think Thursday might work better; is he still doing two audition days?"

He couldn't explain why, but he just had a feeling like something ~~date with a redhead omg~~ might end up happening on Tuesday...

"I'm not sure, honestly. He didn't last week. But maybe you should call the theater and find out," Dinah said idly. "Just remember to call so you'll have a bodyguard for whatever day it is."

See? Everything back to normal. Dares back on. Or something.

Cal always had been good with repression.

"I'm sure we can manage Tuesday, then," Cal said with a nod. "But you promise you have my back, right?"

"Of course. If anyones defenestrating or eviscerating you, it's me. I swear." Dinah dimpled at him with just a tiny smirk as she took back her purchase.

Aphrodite took a peek at Dinah's book before sliding it into a bag. She smiled, but didn't even wink at her.

"Maybe I should try out. I played Lysistrata once." She shrugged. "But it was a long time ago." A loooooooong time.

She gave Dinah her change, finally giving in to the urge to smile knowingly at her. Then she reached for the restraints to bag them, giving Cal a ridiculously low price for the items.

"What play is the audition for anyway?"

"A Midnight's Summer Dream. I auditioned last week, so. I'd just be showing up for protection and moral support," Dinah said, grateful for a question she could answer without blushing. "Geoffrey's crazy. But it's a lot of fun. You never know, he casts a lot of different people." Keeping her eyes completely off those restraints, yup.

Oh, God, Lysistrata. Cal was not even going to go there.

"My favorite was the one where I died in, like, the second act. No one dies in this one. Another reason the Greeks do it better."

The goddess of love tilted her head. "You know, I don't mind if there's death in a play. But why do so many have to be about war?" She grimaced. "There's enough of that in the world already."

She wasn't bitter, no.

Dinah shook her head. "Art imitates life... and thus we have a silly sitcom of a Shakespearean stuff for thie semester." She rolled her eyes at Cal. "So, you don't get to die this time. Lots of open roles for anything else you want to be, though."

Cal had one of the best summers of his life because of a war. He couldn't really be bitter if he tried. He still remember all too well that joyous burst over the phone where he got to inform the Obscure Object that he could go up north with her, because Turkey just laid the smack down on Greece...

Cal snapped his fingers. "My talents are going to waste in this town, I'll tell you."

"Well, then, I hope this Geoffrey character listens to you and gives you a great role in a Greek tragedy so we can all see your brilliance." Aphrodite smiled, leaning her elbow on the counter, her chin on her fist. "By the way, Cal, I should tell you. I have kind of open door policy with Dinah and a few of her friends, and that extends to you. If you need anything, if you wanna talk, or rant, or just . . . " she motioned to the bag with the cuffs, "pick up some acting gear. Door's always open, whenever you need it. Okay?"

She wanted to talk to him, but it had to be his choice. Aphrodite could wait.

"Open door policy," Cal looked over at Aphrodite and blinked, because after her little comment about secrets, and now she was throwing this at him...

...she might be waiting a good, long time.

"I'll have to keep that in mind. Thanks."

Dinah picked up on something, but hey. Not really her business. "Thanks, 'Dite. For the, um. Help. See you around soon." She took a breath and headed for the door. "Ice cream?"

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