The scent of clay

[Aria]

She did better this time, not forcing the bowl as much, letting the mistakes become part of the design.

Cygnus sat back once finished, arms starting to feel tired from molding and working with the clay. "I see now why you wear clothing you do not care much about." She looked at the clay on her arms and clothes with a wry smile.

[Anonymous]

"Beautiful!" Jordan smiled again, teeth white against his dark skin. He stood, stretching a moment, back sore from sitting like that so long, "We just have to fire these. That will take some time, so we can clean up and you can decide if you want that offer of dinner."

He held out a hand to help her up. He knew she didn't like the contact, but he enjoyed touching her. Soft and prickly and beautiful. It was hard to not tease her a little until he saw the thorns.

[Aria]

Cygnus paused a moment, staring at Jordan's smile. "Very well, that seems... prudent."

She looked at his hand, then slid her green eyes up to his face. With a wry smile still on her lips, Cygnus pointedly stood without his help. Flexing her clay caked hands,"Where can I clean up?"

[Anonymous]

"You can use my shower if you like. It's just off of my bedroom. Clean towels are in there. And I promise I wont try to peek." When he saw her naked, it would be because she let him. He began taking the pieces over to his kiln, "I've got to clean up a bit in here."

[Aria]

"I'll help you clean first." Cygnus said this firmly, and it was obvious in her steady gaze and the stubborn upwards tilt of her head that she would not be budged on the matter. It was rude to leave the mess to the teacher. She did not like to seem ungrateful.

[Anonymous]

"You don't have too. It is mostly my mess anyway." He had been working and the little bit he had done with Cygnus had hardly been any of it. "Besides, the sooner you have showered, the sooner I can shower."

[Aria]

Cygnus glared a little, not happy to have her offer turned down. But then, after a long moment, she turned, trying to act nonchalant and not offended. "Very well." And she exited the shed.

She retraced her steps and found herself back into his bedroom. Muttering in her language under her breath irritably, and making sure the door was firmly shut, she pulled the soiled clothes off. Still annoyed, she dropped them in a heap. After locating a towel, and the clothes she'd worn before the lesson, Cygnus figured out his shower, and washed the clay from her skin.

It felt a odd to be in someone else's bathroom, too intimate for her taste. So she was quick about her washing, drying, and re-dressing. Much to her irritation, the faint scent of his clothes lingered on her skin.

Cygnus emerged from the bedroom when she was finished dressing, long hair uncovered and wet. Looking around, her eyes narrowed slightly. She called out, "Mister Van Der Aart?" She disliked the length of that, and made a face. Cygnus paused, then tried again as she walked forward, unsure of how she felt about the word as it stumbled off her tongue, "Jordan..?"

[Anonymous]

"Ah! Done already?" Jordan was just heading back into the house, his studio cleaned up when he heard her call out. His eyes slid over her, loving that lean look of her, all that beautiful hair of hers. "Wonderful. Make yourself at home. I'm gonna shower real fast before I cook. As much as I love clay, it doesn't taste very good."

Heading into his room, Jordan took a quick shower, changing into a similar outfit, though the clay stains on this one were old. Padding barefoot into the kitchen, he opened his fridge and looked inside, "Do you care what I make? Anything I should avoid?"

[Aria]

Cygnus watched him, leaning against the doorframe carefully. Did he forget that there had been the possibility she would stay for dinner. With a slight frown, she decided she was hungry anyways.

"I prefer meat such as seafood or poultry over what I believe you refer to as... orange meat?" That didn't sound quite right to her. Hmm.

[Anonymous]

"So meat then." Jordan didn't actually eat much meat, but he was pretty sure he had some shrimp, "I'll whip us up something amazing." He stood up, leaning against the door of the fridge, relaxed and pleased, "Now go watch TV or something. I want to surprise you with my culinary genius."

[Aria]

Actually, Cygnus preferred fruits, vegetables, and grain based foods- over most any meat. But he'd asked what to avoid, and she didn't really catch everything implied in a conversation. Language barrier and all.

She tilted her head, watching him lean on the fridge in that relaxed manner. He seemed like such an unflappable individual. "Well. With such words, I will expect to be surprised." She went to explore his living room, eventually turning on the T.V.

[Anonymous]

It took him about half an hour to pull together a simple dinner. Flaky bread from the store, a light shrimp and pesto pasta and a simple salad. He began setting the table, calling out to Cygnus, "Foods ready. Do you like wine? I have a bottle of decent white wine."

[Aria]

Cygnus rose from the couch. Wine? She thought for a moment, as she did not drink often. She called back, "A little would do no harm, I suppose." She made her way into the dining room, eyes falling upon the spread. "Simple, and light. That is not necessarily bad, though."

Her voice was approving, at least in comparison to her usual criticism, but that could have been chalked up to the fact that she was hungry.

[Anonymous]

"Have I finally done something you like then?" Jordan smiled and grabbed the bottle of wine, bringing it out to the table, "Here I have been trying to impress you with wit, charm and pottery. When all I needed was food."

[Aria]

"Mmm." Cygnus made a noncommittal noise. But her eyes crinkled at the corners slightly, hinting at a smile. "Perhaps you have just been trying to hard." A teasing smile played on her lips now as she sat at the table.

[Anonymous]

"True, but I get the feeling I wont get anywhere if I don't try hard." Jordan started to serve up the food and poured two glasses of wine to go with it. He rarely got drunk, but he enjoyed a good bottle of wine.

"How did you enjoy your first lesson?"