Written Wonderland

"Ms. Williams' father is a business associate of mine," Juniper said at first but then remembered that certainly wasn't the only reason he had agreed to attend the party. He was almost tempted to use that as an avenue to tell Cory about the business venture he and Serio were embarking on, but it felt far too early for something as bold as that. And, giving another glance over Cory's posture, Cory looked a little on edge or maybe like he didn't know what to expect. 

Still, Juniper felt like his answer fell short and didn't provide any additional hooks for conversation. Juniper wanted to make Cory more comfortable somehow, but he couldn't quite think of a way. Unless...

"But anyway, I was just about to find a place to sit down." Juniper let the statement hang in the air for a moment, even turning partly away from Cory as if about to leave but then turned his head back toward Cory and said, "...unless you'd like to join me?" Juniper tried to make his expression as benign as possible. Juniper was just casually offering a new person the opportunity to talk with him. What could be more normal than that? Juniper had done that with ease with business client hundreds of times. Surely there was nothing out of step with his behavior? 

Juniper wondered if he had already pushed Cory too far out of his comfort zone and was skeptical about his decision to push a little further, but it did feel a little strange to be standing here each with a plate of food. Not to mention that some less conscious part of Juniper certainly wouldn't mind watching Cory finish the strawberry. 

Cory initially wasn't sure how to feel about Juniper leaving the conversation. It was on some level relieving, but also disappointing, for a couple different reasons. Thankfully, he didn't really have to figure out how he felt about it, because turned out, Juniper was inviting Cory along, and that in fact put a more relaxed smile on the brunette's face.

"Sure," he nodded, and took a step closer to Juniper to indicate he would indeed follow where the man was headed.

"What sort of business are you in?" He asked casually, only thinking after the fact that maybe he ought to know what sort of business Colleen's father was in... ah, hopefully Juniper wouldn't think anything of it. Cory did say he'd only just recently met Colleen, which was true. Mostly he just hoped it wouldn't give a bad impression. Though, Juniper wouldn't be the first to think Cory was a bit oblivious or air-headed... Cory let out a soft, sort of resigned-sounding sigh before he realized it, and scrambled a bit to recover once the sound hit his ears.

"Ah, unless you don't really want to talk about work," he followed up a bit hastily, "It is a party, after all. Have any fun plans coming up?" Oh my yes Cory was definitely nervous again, and went ahead and brought the rest of his strawberry up to his lips. At first the motion was mostly just a distraction - something to keep him from sighing absent-mindedly again, and to keep his expression occupied while Juniper replied. But, mm, his teeth sinking into the fruit and that taste hitting his tongue again was lovely, and oddly grounding. Cory's eyes closed just briefly, and when they opened again, they blinked at Juniper with genuine curiosity and playfulness, having managed if only for the moment to leave nervousness behind.

A warm sensation settled into Juniper's stomach as Cory accepted his invitation. Lovely, this was going swell. Now just to continue with this casual conversation. Thank goodness that Juniper was slipping into a more comfortable and confident rhythm. Small talk he could do, although he briefly thought about the conversation he had with Stephen and blushed ever so slightly. 

But... then Cory started tripping over his words--subtly, but Juniper was used to listening for such cues in negotiations--and Juniper couldn't help a small smile from spreading onto his face. With a delicate modesty, he turned fully from Cory and began walking toward the drawing room where Juniper knew there were some more comfortable seating arrangements. Plus, it was a smaller room with fewer people--perfect for further conversation. And then hopefully that would have the fortunate side effect of continuing to avoid the party's hosts. 

Over his shoulder, he was about to talk about business, but then, in his peripherals, Juniper caught sight of Cory's eyes closing again with the strawberry in his mouth, and Juniper unconsciously started walking a little more slowly. When Cory opened his eyes, Juniper remembered himself, chuckled at Cory's last question, and was impressed by his own ability to maintain a suave manner. Granted, he was very practiced in this type of chatter. 

"I trade and invest in various companies," Juniper began, finally reaching the drawing room and choosing the cluster of armchairs closest to the entrance. Best not to appear that they were looking for privacy. "Right now, my main offering is cigars, but I've never really liked the things myself. I'm actively looking for new ventures." Juniper thought fondly of investment he was prepared to make with Serio and was gratified at how real that all felt. He allowed some of that wistfulness to appear momentarily in his expression. 

"I'm not exactly a local either, though there seems to be no end to the party invitations regardless. Every weekend another place to be. For business, mostly." At this, Juniper gave a warm smile, not fully intending Cory to read into that statement but realizing it might be an awkward place to pause. 

"Not a bad life. But enough about that. Tell me, what is it that you do?" Juniper folded his hands in front of him, finally feeling ready to consume some of the other food on his plate. He selected a rye cracker and used his spoon to gingerly place some olive mixture--tapenade, if he wasn't mistaken--before placing it into his mouth. Having gotten a small amount of the oil on the tip of his thumb, he very slyly ran that part of his thumb against his tongue, aware that Cory was probably watching. It wasn't part of Juniper's typical manners, but Juniper couldn't help but imagine Cory might be amused. 

Cory did seem much more comfortable upon settling down into a chair, and he watched Juniper with interest as the man explained his work. Admittedly, the brunette's nose wrinkled slightly when Juniper mentioned cigars, though the motion was quite subtle and looked pretty unconscious on Cory's part. His expression softened quickly, right back into curious and interested as he continued nibbling on his strawberry, and a slight amused grin turned up when Juniper described receiving endless party invitations.

Ohh, but then Juniper asked about Cory, and nervousness bubbled up again, his eyes blinking a bit up and to the side as he contemplated his reply. His eyes didn't stay up there long, though, as they caught a glimpse of Juniper bringing his hand to his mouth, and Cory drew his gaze back, just in time to witness Juniper's thumb against his tongue. At first, Cory felt flustered, but he managed not to let it show past a very slight change in coloration on his cheeks. After that initial hiccup, Cory managed to convince himself that acting like Juniper's motion had been anything other than perfectly normal would just be counter-productive. To wit, that was really how he should treat Juniper's question - and his answer to it - too.

"Art," the brunette replied casually as he propped his elbow on his chair's arm rest and leaned his cheek lightly against his hand.

"In the process of landing a gallery showing; should have a date finalized soon."

A twinkle of excitement shown in Cory's eyes at that, and his free hand gingerly picked up the partially-eaten chocolate from his plate to take another bite, a rather glorious look of contentment taking over his expression as he let his eyes fall shut again while he savoured the taste.

If Juniper noticed the additional flush on Cory's cheeks, he didn't acknowledge it in any way. However, he could not help but lean in a little as Cory propped himself on his elbow and replied. While some part of him was, perhaps, disappointed at first about Cory's method of employment--not to mention curious about how Cory managed to score an invite--the more generous and eager parts of him were quick to take over control of the situation. After all, he did know a few artists, and it would never hurt to add another. For a moment, glittering Parisian salons appeared in Juniper's imagination; yes, art could indeed be a respectable pursuit. And, as he thought that, Juniper could not stop his mind from turning on the possibilities for including some of Cory's art in the lounge that Serio and he were planning to create. Wouldn't that be the perfect excuse to continue having Cory around? That is, assuming he was any good. And that whatever Cory's thematic approach was matched the overall ambiance that Serio and Juniper wanted to set. But, well, one could hope. At the very least, there seemed plenty of cause to keep Cory in Juniper's list of contacts. 

And then Cory went for the chocolate again, and it became absolutely clear that Juniper's desire to see Cory again was almost completely selfish at heart, business be damned. Still, it was a good excuse...

"Oh! That is exciting. I'd be very interested in attending the showing, actually." Juniper moved purposefully to a slightly lower tone of voice as if to let Cory know that he was divulging sensitive information. And, in some ways, given the early stage of the idea, he was. Seemed harmless enough, though, and Juniper wanted to catch Cory's attention. "In fact, if all goes well, I may need quite a lot of art to fill a new lounge that will be sprouting up here in town soon." Juniper then waited excitedly to see what Cory's reaction would be.

Cory wasn't quite finished revelling in his chocolate when Juniper replied. Just as well, because the part of him that was processing Juniper's words in real time went through some kind of dizzyingly rapid changes from relieved to embarrassed to anxious to surprised to downright curious. Thankfully, he was able to keep most of the expressive part of his brain focused on that chocolate, and by the time he opened his eyes again, he was able to jump right into curiosity, and he let it shine brightly with a wide smile as he sat up a bit and leaned subtly forward.

"Oh?" He replied smoothly, his voice softly and subtly sliding down and then up again as his eyebrows raised just a touch, practically in tandem with his tone.

Some part of Cory was certainly nervous, in a different way than he had been. This nervousness was much lower, not really affecting his posture but rather just subtly twisting in his gut. It was just that... he knew he wasn't the best at keeping secrets, and it seemed that Juniper might be sharing one. But Cory certainly didn't want to turn down the chance to learn about a secret new lounge! That was terribly exciting, and that much certainly showed on the artist's face.

While Juniper was growing accustomed to the warmth that settled in his stomach every time Cory so much as looked at the chocolate--or anything on his plate for that matter--he was not prepared for the lilt in Cory's one-word reply. What was it about the way Cory seemed as though to emphasize or even add an extra syllable to a word--Juniper's name, for instance--that flustered Juniper so? Not to mention the way Cory also leaned forward. Though he was worried about keeping up appearances, Juniper could not help wanting to be even closer to Cory, though now they couldn't be more than a couple feet away, sharing the same breath between them at this point. 

With that, Juniper had a rather inappropriate image cross his mind of actually sharing breath with Cory, getting closer and closer until the moment when their lips would meet... 

Juniper cleared his throat to bring his mind back to the moment actually at hand and did lean back a bit, not much, reluctantly, though he could not stop a light blush from adding color to his face. 

Gratefully, all Juniper's charm seemed concentrated in his vocal cords and came out without stammer.

"I can't really say more than that, unfortunately. And I wouldn't be able to commit to anything before seeing your work, of course," Juniper said with a light wave of his arm as he searched Cory's face and wondered just how interested Cory would be in the new lounge, "but I'd be very pleased if you took an interest in it, given that it will be substantially different than the other lounges in town.

"But before I spill secrets," Juniper said, genuinely worried that he might say more than he really meant to if he allowed that thread of conversation to continue, "what was it that called you to art?" Juniper couldn't help that he leaned forward again. The part of his mind that was paying attention to appearances desperately hoped that no one from the other room would read too much into their proximity. 

Cory nodded gently at Juniper's initial deflection - it of course made sense that Juniper would need to keep cards close to his chest still. There was a lot he didn't know about Cory, and-- well, it was perfectly reasonable to be uncertain about some things. Though Cory also assured himself that the context of the conversation - of being at a pretty high-class party, where basically everyone was keeping cards close to their chest, really - was probably a large part of Juniper's coyness. And, really, wasn't it a good sign that Juniper wanted even just to tip his hand to Cory here?

Warmth swelled and splashed down from the artist's heart into his stomach and his gut at the thought that he had caught this man's attention, though he had no idea why, or what kind of attention it was, exactly. Still, Cory could at least say it felt flattering and exciting.

Especially when Juniper went and asked Cory about his art. And not even the business part of it - Juniper wasn't asking about the work Cory had available; Juniper was asking about Cory.

Right?

Cory's cheeks reddened just ever-so-slightly further, but he reminded himself (again) of the advice Amelia had given him.

"I've always wanted..." The man started slowly, his voice smooth and light, but cautious. His eyes blinked down to his plate, and his fingers lightly started tapping the food on it into a slightly more aesthetic arrangement.

"To... Honour things, I guess. Items, people, nature, experiences... I feel so much gratitude to the beauty of it all… I don't know how to show it except to paint. Plus, it's like… I want to share these beautiful things, as best I can. I want to give everyone a chance to see them."

The artist smiled lightly at his plate. His subtle scooting of things while he talked hadn't changed it all that much, but it was fun to have nudged it towards a more intentional arrangement, especially given that their initial arrangement had been motivated more by haste and fluster than beauty. Cory took it in for a moment, before blinking back up to Juniper, and then admittedly regaining a touch of nervousness to his expression. He regathered himself with just a brief blink to the side, though, and looked more confident once he blinked back.

"I'm sure you feel at least some of that, if you're motivated to open a new lounge. It's a place you can bring people together, and try to give them beautiful experiences - experiences they may not be able to have elsewhere. Yeah?"

Course, it was possible the lounge was merely a business venture for Juniper, but that didn't seem like the way Juniper had broached it with Cory. The artist expended some willpower to keep his expression confident and pleasant while he waited anxiously to see whether he'd gotten off base with that remark or not. But after all, he was here to be confident and take risks, yeah? Yeah, Cory resolved mentally. Even if this backfired with Juniper specifically, this was what Cory wanted to be doing.

He, ah, certainly still hoped that it did land well with this particular man, though. Fingers crossed.

Juniper was still contemplating Cory's initial response when he pulled Juniper back into the conversation by mentioning the lounge. His mind leaped at the opportunity to think of something else for a moment and needed a response quickly. He turned his face from Cory a little and frowned slightly. 

The truth was that Juniper wasn't sure he had ever thought of his line of work that way, let alone the lounge itself, though, of course, aesthetics were certainly always very present in the background. And, the lounge itself was very selfishly motivated, though that was not strictly monetary. But, come to think of it, why did he enjoy aesthetics so much if not for the feeling, the joy it brought to a space? Wasn't that an act of honoring? Objects of beauty need someone to notice them. Juniper turned back to Cory then and saw the subtle nervousness, the veiled anticipation of Juniper's answer, the way Cory found beauty even on a plate of party food, the gentle slant of Cory's chin, the light and playful color of his hair, and...

Sure, perhaps he seemed a little out of place, this artist, but he was undeniably... beautiful.

Juniper coughed into his hand to buy himself a little time. He was tempted to light up a cigarette but thought better of it for the moment. The alcohol was kicking in with what would have been a pleasant rush to pass time at an otherwise dull party, but it was not exactly what Juniper wanted at this moment as he thought of some way to answer. 

"You know," Juniper said carefully, "I think that is exactly the reason for the lounge." He smiled mysteriously then, terribly tempted to tell Cory more, but Juniper was extremely unprepared for what would happen if the nature of the lounge did not appeal--or even appalled--Cory. It would ruin the venture even before it began, not to mention Juniper's own reputation. He knew how rumors could fly. 

Juniper paused for a moment, his tongue holding back what his rushing mind ushered toward his mouth. Then, with a somewhat wistful look at the--granted, sub-par--decor of the sitting room, he said, "I enjoy orchestrating moments of awe," before again meeting Cory's gaze. Juniper hoped that, in leaving the conversation at that, Cory might offer up more information about himself. After all, Cory had answered very personally with the last question. 

The initial frown that crossed Juniper's face as he blinked away worried Cory. As did the cough, though some part of Cory's brain did try to argue that maybe the cough was some nervousness on Juniper's end, and that... maybe, that was good, on some level.

Still, the artist was absolutely terrified when Juniper first started to speak - albeit managing to keep up his expression for the most part, though it took a lot of effort - but then Juniper agreed with Cory, and smiled.

The artist couldn't stop the warm, relieved, excited smile that danced across his own face in response even if he'd wanted to. He was still on the edge of his seat, though, as he took in Juniper's expression, sensing the man's hesitance and wondering what else he was about to say.

The next words that came out of Juniper's mouth settled light, warm tingles down Cory's arms and a splash of sunlight in his chest.

"I love that," Cory replied without missing a beat, all the warmth and excitement he was feeling nearly radiating out from him. "'Orchestrating moments of awe...'" the artist's lips repeated the words delightedly, loving the sounds that rolled off his tongue and the meaning that vibrated with them.

After trailing off he gave a soft, amused hum and reigned himself in a bit. His expression certainly remained happy and warm, but radiated less, and he relaxed back into his chair just a bit. His hand reached up to brush his bangs behind his ear, though only a few of the strands were long enough to actually stay.

"Well," the artist spoke up again, his eyes trailing down to his plate as his fingers descended and gently rolled one of his remaining strawberries forward just a touch. He then picked it up by the leaves, and twirled it just slightly as his eyes blinked back up to Juniper. "Color me interested, for sure."

He started to raise the strawberry to his mouth, but then hesitated as his cheeks gained just the slightest new shade of red. Whatever it was, he shrugged it off quickly and let his eyes shut as he finished the motion of bringing the strawberry to his parted lips. He paused just a beat before actually biting into it, though - just long enough to open his eyes slightly, and to turn up the tiniest little knowing curl of a grin as he met Juniper's gaze. None of that lasted long after he bit down, though; his lips focused on capturing all of the taste of the strawberry for his tongue to enjoy, and his eyes fell shut once more as all of Cory's senses focused in on the experience of that taste.

The artist managed to open his eyes casually once he finished the bite of strawberry in his mouth, and he gave Juniper a perfectly innocent smile--that is, aside from the yet deepened shade of red on his cheeks. Each change of color over their conversation had been pretty subtle, but by now it was fairly impossible to deny some amount of blush was present. Perhaps it was just liquor setting in, but Juniper certainly hadn't seen Cory drink anything, as it wasn't as though the artist was showing any other signs of being tipsy.