(no subject)

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

Characters: Ariadne and Gawain
Date/Time: Starting Friday, August 5.
Location: Lincoln, NE
Rating: TBD
Warnings: Potential weapons-grade cuteness
Summary: Ariadne comes to Lincoln for a weekend visit.

After a long flight, the plane finally touched down in the city. The view below hadn't been much to look at once they had gotten over the mountains, but the city itself seemed bustling enough from what she could tell.

Walking into the airport, Ariadne looked for Gawain among the people milling there, both on the upper levels and looking over to the balcony.

Comments

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

Gawain's spirits lifted as soon as he saw Ariadne approaching on the balcony. Arms outstretched, he called out to her, "Hello, Denise!"

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"Jonah!" she called back, and rushed over to see him. "Oh, it's good to see you. How've you been?" She walked with him over to the luggage carousel to collect her bag.

"So... this is Lincoln, huh?"

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"It's so good to see you," he said, gently touching her shoulder.

"Yep, this is Lincoln. It may not look like much to begin with, but I can assure you it's full of many interesting stories ... and characters."

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"Yeah?" she asked, toting her bag. "So, what's first on the list for introducing me to its charms?"

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"Depends," he said. "What do you feel like doing? You hungry? Feel like walking off the plane jitters a bit?"

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"I am up for whatever you want to throw at me," Ariadne replied with a grin.

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

He grinned back at her. "Do you like Indian food? I know a very nice restaurant not too far from my place."

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"Yeah, I suppose. I haven't had a lot of it, but I'll give it a shot," she agreed.

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"I think you'll like it," he said. "That's me over there." He pointed to a gold Ford Taurus parked in the lot beyond some steps.

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"That's... very sweet," Ariadne said, blushing a little. "Thank you."

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

With that, Gawain gently took her hand and kissed it. "Sorry, couldn't resist," he said.

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

Ariadne laughed.
"I see. In that case, hang on..." She did a rummage through her purse, and pulled out a length of slender gold ribbon. "This is just a bit of scrap from one of my knitting projects, but..."

She cleared her throat.
"For you, good knight, I present a favor as reward for your loyalty and gallantry." She then proceeded to tie it around his upper arm.

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"Wow!" he exclaimed. It felt so right to have her tie the ribbon around his arm. He admired its golden hue in the fading afternoon light.

He knelt on the ground in front of her. "Thank you, Your Highness, for such a lovely reward. It is indeed an honor to be with you and to be your friend."

He rose and opened his arms, offering an embrace ....

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"You're welcome," Ariadne said smiling. She walked into the embrace, accepting it.

It was nice. Gawain's arms were strong, but gentle.

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

The subtle, flowery scent of her perfume and the silkiness of her hair against him awakened feelings he had not felt for some time.

He tightened his hold ever so slightly. Before long, he found himself pressing his lips against her soft cheek.

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

Awww. How sweet! Ariadne lightly brushed her lips chastely over his cheek.

"So, good knight... Will there be challenges to defeat or jousting to happen while I'm here?" she teased.

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

He laughed and gently patted her on the back. "These days, about the only challenges I defeat or jousting I do is of the virtual kind. Not very exciting, I suppose."

He looked at her slyly. "When it comes to beasts, though ... I know a certain feline familiar of mine who would be delighted to make your acquaintance."

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"Wow. Very full service. I can't wait to see it."

As they went through downtown, she frowned.
"Is there always this much traffic down here?" Ariadne asked.

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"Sadly, there is frequently this much traffic here," Gawain replied as he pulled into a parking garage. "To be perfectly honest, downtown Lincoln is something of a pain; however, there are some good things here, so it is worth the effort."

He pulled into a parking space and shut off the engine. "That's our destination," he said, gesturing at a building across the way on 14th Street.

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"Well, as long as the good overshadows the bad, I guess," Ariadne said, and followed him into where the gallery was.

"Wow. Are these all done by local artists?" she asked.

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"Indeed, they are," he said. "Frankly, some of the art here is kind of hokey, but within these walls lies some very real talent. I hope those artists are successful outside Lincoln as well."

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

Ariadne paused at a pastoral scene. "Hmm. Yeah. Not really my style. But there are some in here that aren't bad. You have any favorites?"

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

He gestured toward the open door of a gallery in the corner. "The painter in that gallery has some of my favorites. As you can see, his work is greatly influenced by fairy tale imagery, as well as fantasy films such as The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth."

The irony of what he just said dawned on him. "Have you ever seen Labyrinth?"

[tangledmaze.insanejournal.com]

"It's been years, but yes," Ariadne said, chuckling. The reference was not lost on her.

[greengawain.insanejournal.com]

"I highly doubt you encountered a flatulent swamp in the Minoan labyrinth," he said. "Or perhaps I'm wrong?"