eight paintings burned (and many kisses received)

[thehangedrose]

[This is already starting to be one of the worst weeks in his life, in Garry's opinion.]

[He's been warned about what would happen by Ino, but it seems that avoiding the kissing going around is easier said than done. So many kisses he hadn't even meant to instigate...darn it, most of those people were his friends, he didn't feel that way towards them at all!]

[He opens the journal, and he can't really hide the uneasiness in his voice.]

If someone has a cure for sheer embarrassment...I think I would like to take it off your hands, if I could.

[And he shuts the journal, trying his best to keep his composure. He's trying his best to avoid people as much as he can, and is hanging out in the library, somehow stupidly sure that whatever magic is making him do this to people won't happen in a place like this. He's been noticing the nutcrackers around, but he's too frazzled to make the connection at all between his impromptu smooching and their appearance.]

[Too bad there's a nutcracker on the shelf above him where he can't see...]


[ooc: OPEN TO PLANNED AND UNPLANNED KISSES OF ALL KINDS! Make Garry's life even worse, you know you want to.]

Comments

[ino]

[peeks out from a shelf behind him. STEALTHY NINJA]

You're already that embarrassed?

[thehangedrose]

HYYEEK!

[Congratulations, Ino, you have received one (1) manly shriek from Garry!]

[Boy, he is not liking all these ninjas sneaking up on him, he isn't.]

Ino! You scared me!

[ino]

[she just puts a hand on her hip, looking vaguely amused]

Keep it down! We're in the library.

[thehangedrose]

I'd keep it down if I wasn't being ambushed by people!

[And a sigh.]

What are you even doing here?

[ino]

I didn't ambush you. I just talked to you.

[GOSH. and she'll hold up a book in her hand -- "A Garden of Words" by Martha Barnette] I was returning a book.

[thehangedrose]

By being all sneaky, sure!

[And he looks over at it, raising his eyebrows.]

...Oh. Well, um. [how do you shot conversation] Is it good?

[ino]

It was alright, I guess. [she'll stick it on the shelf above his head. totally not the section it belongs in, but she doesn't care LMAO] It's more of an informational book than a story.

[thehangedrose]

[good going ino, hero to librarians everywhere]

Really? How was it informational? I guess it was about words? The title did say something about that...

[ino]

It's about flower language, yeah. It varies between worlds sometimes, so I like to look at all the different books about the same topic, to see the differences.

[thehangedrose]

Oh! That sounds interesting, actually. I didn't know flowers had such a complex language...

[ino]

Of course! That's what's so great about them.

[thehangedrose]

What's your favorite flower, Ino?

[ino]

The cosmos! It means "harmony".

[thehangedrose]

Huh! I wonder how it got such a nice meaning...in fact, how did all the flowers get their meanings? I mean, I know a "rose" is love and all...but how did the rest get so complex?

[ino]

Actually, not all roses are love. A red rose is true love. But white is innocence, yellow is friendship, pink is admiration, black is death or betrayal ... so on and so forth.

[thehangedrose]

...

[There's something odd, really, about how he reacts to that. Because he seems to glance towards where there's a slight bulge in the inner chest pocket of his coat, eyes narrowing slightly. His voice is even a bit more serious.]

And blue? What does a blue rose mean?

[ino]

Well, blue roses are really rare, so ... usually it's used to represent a desire for the unattainable. "I want you, but I can't have you."

[she glances at him curiously]

Is something wrong?

[thehangedrose]

Desire for the unattainable...

[There's a long pause, his mouth a line. And then suddenly he's back to smiling ,as if nothing happened.]

No, no! I was...it just reminded me of something, that's all.

[ino]

Huh. Okay, then. [she'll blink, before glancing at the end of the shelf. is that ... a nutcracker ...]

[thehangedrose]

Hmmm?

[He follows her gaze. What is that thing doing there?]

There seem to be a lot of them around here, I've noticed...

[And then he glances back up at her, and...oh my. She's pretty, she really is. Why did he only just notice this now?]

You know, Ino...did anyone tell you you have pretty eyes?

[ino]

Yeah, it's --

[about to get her in trouble right now, but hey, who cares! those ... black squiggly hair things of your are just so darn cute, garry.

she moves to get down on her knees next to him, so she's at eye level]

You think so~?

[thehangedrose]

[Oh, she's getting closer. His heart beats a bit faster, and his cheeks burn a bit redder, but he is not complaining one bit.]

Yeah, I definitely think so! They really complement your smile, and...you're just really pretty, you know?

[But he can't help himself, and he lets out a pleased sound as he leans in to give her a kiss.]

[ino]

That's nice of you to say.

[she'll giggle and lean in to press her lips against his, letting a hand rest on his shoulder]

[thehangedrose]

[He smiles into the kiss, leaning into it and bringing a hand to cup her cheek.]

[Rapunzel who? There's only Ino now.]

[ino]

[hey, they both have long blonde hair, that's close enough, right?

the difference is that ino really seems to know what she's doing here. years of practice, aw yeah B) she'll just kind of be pushing garry back against the shelf, deepening the kiss]