Expect the Unexpected

“Lori... I dunno about this...” Nicole whined, standing in front of a full-length mirror. Her hair was out of its usual tight ponytail, which caught slightly as she zipped up the back to a knee-length black dress. The item had come from Lori’s wardrobe. Although it fit Nicole as though it were her own, the witch couldn’t help but feel terribly uncomfortable in it. There was no place fit to tuck a weapon so that it would be concealed by muggle means.

“What’s wrong, hun?” asked Lori, peeking round the bedroom door to see. The slightly younger woman took in the barefoot woman before her. “I think it looks great on you! You’ll wow every man in the room!”

“That’s the problem...” muttered Nicole. “I only want to ‘wow’ one man - not become flirt bait for the entire place!”

Lori simply laughed at Nicole’s griping. “I gotta feeling that’s gonna be impossible, Nikki. You’re gonna turn heads no matter what you wear – I guarantee it!”

Nicole groaned.

* * *

Nicole stared at herself in the mirror, completely out of her element. Her hair was down, two pieces on either side of her head braided and gently laid to gather together in the back. The rest of her hair was loose. It felt weird to Nicole: as though she were preparing for bed rather than a date. Lori had styled it for her, and had added some beads to the dirty-blonde tresses where she felt a bit more flair was needed. Nicole really only had patience enough to wash it and comb it back – anything even this simple yet elegant had been generally abandoned as too much work.

Of course, once Lori got to work on Nicole’s hair it couldn’t simply be left at that. No. Lori insisted to give Nicole a full make-over. After the hair it was time to pick out what to wear. The military woman felt as though they had gone through five women’s wardrobes instead of just two – Lori had enough clothes for six of them. Nicole tried to fight tooth and nail not to be caught in a dress, finding the things far too vulnerable a garment for her taste. However Lori got her wish for to finally see Nicole in a dress much to the other woman’s deep chagrin. It was a knee-length black dress, somewhat backless, and sleeveless. A zipper closed the dress in the lower back, and the front had two straps which Lori crossed across Nicole’s chest and gently but elegantly tied into a bow behind Nicole’s neck. The dress was form-fitting at the top yet flared out at the skirt. Lori had to transfigure a pair of high heels to fit Nicole’s tastes, looking like a cross between combat boots, high heels, and sandals.

Nicole wasn’t sure whether to hope Julian’s surprise date could be enjoyed in a dress and heels, or if it was something which would cause him to insist she wear something else.

Not to let a dress hinder her from carrying weapons, Nicole resigned herself to donning garters for the sole purpose of tucking a pistol out of sight on each leg. She did this when Lori wasn’t looking, for the other witch most certainly wouldn’t have approved. It wasn’t that Nicole didn’t trust Julian which caused her to continue concealing weapons... more like she didn’t trust the world.

The process of makeup was also like trying to give a cat a bath. Nicole allowed Lori to mess around for a little while but after several tries to find just the right range of products she insisted to just not wear any at all. Lori, not to be deterred, eventually found a shade and style that would do – and it was minimal in amount so as to appease Nicole. Her exact words when Lori had finished were along the lines of being glad she no longer looked the part of a hooker.

As she stared at her reflection, Nicole felt the heat of a blush fan itself across her cheeks. This was not her usual style of dress at all. Her first official date with Julian was entirely casual and thus Nicole felt like her typical self. This on the other hand... Nicole felt like she was in a Wonderland the likes of which she wasn’t quite certain how to navigate through. While yes the witch did want to look nice she also wanted to be herself. Nicole supposed she would just have to give Julian the heads up that this was not at all a normal look for her. Although... the woman couldn’t help but picture him replying that he already knew that.

Deciding it was high time she stop gawking at the strange reflection of herself in the mirror, nervously and comically musing that such a thing would be Julian’s job, Nicole stood and walked out of her bedroom. The high heel-boot-sandals were something to get used to, but after a few laps around the second floor Nicole felt ready to tackle the stairs and meet a probably antsy and expectant Julian in her living room.

She stood at the upper landing, waiting for the butterflies and knots to subside. ’Just relax...’ the witch tried to tell herself. With a deep breath she set off at a slow pace down the steps.

Nicole just hoped this drastic change of apparel wouldn’t give Julian a heart attack or something...

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Julian automatically looked up, expecting it to be Lori again, reassuring him Nicole would be done soon. Instead he was surprised by the appearing of Nicole herself, looking absolutely heart-breaking beautiful with her silky hair left down, and at the unexpected black dress which hugged her curves in way which left Julian's mouth completely dry. All in all, it was quite an effort not to stare, and he was suddenly grateful that he'd chosen to wear his work clothes, which were a lot nicer than his everyday stuff. The simple black pants with a white button-down shirt and black tie were hardly revolutionary style-wise, but he wouldn't look out of place by Nicole's side, now.

A voice in his head told him he really ought to say something, but Julian was coming up desperately dry and sat there in panic for a moment, trying to make his lips move. All he could think of to do was to get up and hand Nicole the rest of the way down the stairs, and so he jumped up from his spot on the couch, nearly tripping over his own boots to get to her. He held out his hand, waiting for her to reach him and fully planning on picking her up when he saw the heels -- probably not the best plan, then. Finally, speech returned to him, although his voice cracked slightly.

"You look incredible." Truthfully, she always did, but that dress did nothing to conceal the inviting shape of her body, and was making coherent thought nearly impossible. The only way it could possibly look better was if it was crumpled up on the floor, and with this errant thought Julian knew he had go reign in it very quickly because reading his thoughts would not take Legimency at this point. If he kept thnking like that, their date would only make it as far as maybe the couch, and he'd promised her a surprise, after all.

Julian tried again, his mouth still dry. "I wasn't expecting a dress," he admitted, his eyes full of the sight of her, "but I have to say, you don't disappoint. Not by a long shot." Stop talking about how she looks! he commanded himself desperately, shaking his head slightly. He was fully aware of how ridiculous he was acting -- he'd seen plenty of beautiful women wearing dresses, out on dates, even, but there was something about the mixture of defiance and self-consciousness in Nicole that was utterly beguiling. Also, the fact that he was pretty sure she wasn't the type to wear a dress in the first place; it meant she liked him enough to make an effort and that, too, was enticing. The woman was just so full of surprises.

"I hope you're up to a little bit of a trip? We're going out of country, actually -- not terribly far, though. Just over the channel," he hinted with a mischievous smile. "Tell me, are you afraid of heights?" These were the only clues he'd planned on giving her, and even then just to make sure he wasn't stepping out of line. Julian wanted to make their date as much of a surprise as possible.

'So far, so good...' Nicole thought as Julian watched her descend the stairs. He hadn't fainted or anything, though by a couple of subtle clues it seemed as though the wizard was parched. She wondered why Lori hadn't offered him a drink while he waited for her. Unless he refused the offer... That was plausible.

It was as Julian made his way, stumbling slightly, to meet her that Nicole noticed he too was elegantly dressed. Her intended outfit for their date made the witch feel a touch guilty: she had planned to go casual once again. Clearly this was meant to be a special occasion. But how did Lori know? Nicole decided to shrug it off after one amusing thought: Julian may have conspired with Lori to get her to dress nicely for the occasion. Yet why did he seem almost surprised by her appearance? Julian's offered hand boosted Nicole's courage somewhat and she accepted his hand without question.

The crack of his voice was noticeable. "Thank you..." Nicole almost whispered, blushing. She didn't think she looked good in a dress, but Julian apparently liked it. Further examination of his expressions made the wizard quite readable. The mere notion made Nicole blush all the more vividly. Had they not already surpassed that particular milestone, it would have made the witch extremely on guard. Assuming Julian could wait that long (a thought that made her smirk), Nicole had an inkling of how their date might conclude. A possibly predictable ending, yet a pleasant one.

Her face flushed a further shade as she once again murmured her thanks. Curiosity to his questions helped the color evaporate some. "I don't mind..." she began, a little cautious purely out of habit. It crossed Nicole's mind to ask where they would go. As their second date was a surprise, Nicole decided she'd best not ask. The word 'heights' made her blink and shake her head in a no. "You're talking to a woman that jumps out of airplanes from time to time for fun, remember?" she asked playfully, finally finding her voice.

"I... I wasn't sure what to wear. Should I go change?" she asked, trying for the life of her to hide the hint of protest she felt for the dress and her nervousness. She wanted to tell him the dress had been Lori's idea, that she hated dresses, and so on... but by his words Nicole figured he would be disappointed if she told him. Because it was so unexpected he had to of known that it wasn't typical of her to dress this way. Nicole hoped Julian would know that she didn't waltz around in a dress on the ground or in the air for just anybody...

Julian would have had to have been a real idiot to forget that particular conversation from their first date -- especially considering the proposed broom ride that had never quite materialised -- but he figured it might be a bit of a hint. Judging from Nicole's surprised reaction, she didn't quite get it -- all the better, as she would be totally surprised, then.

"Of course I remember, but I wanted to give you the courtesy of opting out if you so desired. As to your outfit...I see nothing in the least objectionable about it, but if you're uncomfortable, by all means, get changed. I don't want to give too much away but I can tell you that your choice of attire won't hinder my plans in any way. You don't have to dress up, but I just figured if I wore something decent that I could take you someplace a lot nicer than a pub tonight. You know, take advantage of spending the night in France," he explained with a shrug. There was nothing more he could say on the subject without completely giving their destination away, so he leaned down slightly -- the heels shortened the distance between them considerably -- and finally gave her the kiss he'd been yearning for.

"I see no reason to opt out," Nicole replied immediately, giving Julian's hand a gentle squeeze. His offer to let her go change - to be made to wait even longer - was sweet and quite tempting. If the woman were to be any means of honest she was terribly uncomfortable in the thing. He had already been quite patient enough... Nicole would look out of place at Julian's side if she changed into what she had had in mind.

At the mention of spending the night in France, Nicole blinked her delighted surprise. Now she felt even guiltier: this was supposed to be a very nice evening out. In the end it was Julian's kiss, and the fact he didn't have to bend too far this time thanks to her heels, that did the trick. Although the kiss was romantically tender that didn't mean it wasn't also energetic, and Nicole just as enthusiastically kissed Julian back.

"It's fine... Ready when you are," she answered once the kiss had ended. To show him she was absolutely sure Nicole rested her free hand at Julian's elbow and took a tentative step forward.