Social Butterflies

[andrav]

Juniper was pleased that his assessment of Cory had been accurate; he did certainly seem like an open book, but he could not have anticipated that Cory would repeat Juniper's words with such lavishness, giving the words weight and tasting them delicately on his own tongue as though savoring the first warm rush of a fine wine. It had the same effect as when Cory repeated Juniper's name, and it definitely struck him off guard. Sure, Juniper wanted his line to land impressively, yes, but having Cory so openly appreciate and acknowledge it was... 

When Cory sat back in his chair slightly, Juniper felt disappointment tug at the center of him. He wanted to be close to this man; there was no denying that now. Momentarily, he tried to tell himself that was simply because it had been a long time since he had been truly intimate with anyone, but... Juniper hadn't reacted quite this strongly in at least equally as long. The socialite watched Cory fruitlessly brush his bangs back from his face and wished to gently hold Cory's jaw from ear to chin in one hand...

Color me interested.

For a moment, Juniper thought that was directly in response to his own thoughts about touching Cory, and an enormous spike of surprise, desire, and excitement rushed down into his stomach. The ferocity of the sensation startled Juniper, but he maintained composure and reminded himself that it was ridiculous to think that Cory could hear his thoughts. 

Still, though, Cory was interested. In Juniper's "moments of awe." Juniper searched Cory's face for signs that maybe, just maybe, the two of them were truly interested in the same things, but Juniper was thoroughly distracted by the way Cory twirled his strawberry by its leaves. He found himself captivated even beyond how long it was really appropriate to stare on at a stranger, especially as Cory's face reddened. Should Juniper look away? He didn't have time to decide before Cory's eyes momentarily closed, only to open briefly once more with a smile that appeared as though to let Juniper in on some secret. 

Juniper swore he could almost taste the sweetness of the strawberry on his own lips as he watched Cory's lips and teeth close around it, and in an unconscious motion, Juniper touched his own lips with his index and middle finger as though to confirm that no juices where dripping from his own mouth. 

Maybe it was the alcohol, but Juniper could not stop a single word from escaping his lips, quietly with an out-of-breath quality that was surely only barely audible to the artist...

"Cory..." 

The sound of Cory's name across Juniper's fingers against Juniper's lips sent shivers all down his body. 

It only took a moment before Juniper remembered himself and his manners, though, and let his hand fall to the armrest once again, looking away from the sight of Cory even though it pained him. 

What in the world would Juniper possibly say now? What if Cory had heard him utter his name? Juniper resisted the urge to shake his head at himself as he looked over toward the rest of the party to ensure that no one was paying them any mind. Unfortunately, he caught Colleen's eye, and her face lit up at being noticed. Juniper turned away quickly, but he feared it was not soon enough. His face fell somewhat, but when he looked back at Cory, he regained some of his previous excitement. 

But, surely, surely after Cory's knowing smile and glance at Juniper, Cory was that kind of interested? But how to be sure? Regardless, he felt an urgent need to end this part of the interaction with Cory in the event that Colleen became curious. They had probably already spent long enough with each other to draw suspicion.

"I'd certainly enjoy writing your name on the invitation list." Yes, that was good, right? Cory had been flirting, right? At least playfully? Juniper attempted not to second-guess himself too much and just let the comment stand. After a brief pause, Juniper pulled out one of his calling cards, quickly scribbled something onto the back of it, and stretched out to offer it to Cory. 

"How should I get into contact with you about the showing? Will the dates be in the paper?"

((OOC: The back of the card has a date (three days from now), a time (8:00 pm), and the name of a upscale art gallery a few miles away. The front of the card simply has Juniper's full name and address on it. Also, if Amelia wants to come over with Colleen in the next little scene, that sounds fun. Whatever works, though, past this point.)) 

[Emily]

Cory was just ever so slightly disappointed to see Juniper looking away as he opened his eyes, but he held on to the whisper of his name he was sure he'd heard the man utter. He calmly followed Juniper's gaze, curious about what had drawn it--which he regretted at the exact same time Juniper did. Cory flashed Juniper a slight sheepish smile as he realized the two men seemed to be in similar boats regarding the approaching women.

Then Juniper spoke, and the tips of the artist's ears warmed and tingled at the thought of Juniper enjoying writing Cory's name. Juniper probably meant it a bit more abstractly than the artist's brain initially wanted to take it, but oh, the places his thoughts could go with that! He was stopped from meandering too far down that train of thought, though, as his attention shifted curiously to the card Juniper pulled out and briefly scribbled on before holding out. Cory accepted the card gladly and cast his gaze lightly over it. His smile was calm and warm as he glanced over the front of the card, and then after he flipped it over his smile grew wider, if a touch more nervous. The artist blinked up to Juniper without lifting his head, and his eyebrow raised slightly in excitement.

He didn't let the glance linger, though, and quickly slipped Juniper's card into his breast pocket before contemplating the remaining food on his plate as he answered Juniper's question.

"I've been pretty hands-off about the marketing," he said with a light shrug, "but I'll make sure you receive an invitation."

At that he blinked up to Juniper again just briefly with another excited lift of his brow, but quickly returned his attention to his plate, and decided to finally go after the pastry. Innocent as his expression was as he lifted the treat to his lips, he certainly didn't radiate enjoyment of it in nearly the same way as he had with every other bite Juniper had seen him take, and it just so happened that Cory's mouth was full with something that required a bit of chewing right as Colleen and Amelia finished their approach.

[andrav]

"I'll look forward to it, my friend," Juniper said, hoping the added epithet would placate the women and detract from any unwanted attention spending time in each other's company might have provoked. It wasn't too difficult to believe that the men had seen each other around before, and certainly they had seen each other at the lounge at least one other time. He only hoped that Cory wouldn't see it as a slight or as presumptuous. 

Letting that thought go, he addressed his attention to the women as they approached, suddenly aware that Cory had gone silent in light of chewing his pastry, which Cory indulged in significantly less. Perhaps the second bite wasn't as enticing, but maybe he was also trying to avoid talking to Colleen and Amelia. Regardless, Juniper knew he would be responsible for directing the conversation, and maybe that was a good thing, since Cory looked like he was still reigning in his blush. Juniper didn't want them to look guilty in any way. 

"You're not growing bored of the party already, are you?" Colleen asked Juniper in a way that probably seemed playful to most people but felt laced with mild irritation to Juniper. "Hiding away in here." Juniper took a short breath to collect himself and lit a cigarette casually to stall for a moment as he slid on his charm. This was the daughter of his best business associate, after all.

With cigarette lit and leaning casually against Juniper's fingers, he answered Colleen, "On the contrary, I was so out of breath with excitement that I simply needed to sit down. And how are you this fine evening, Ms. Williams? I see you've put enormous effort into the decorations and cuisine." Some part of him felt like he should explain his reason for talking with Cory, but perhaps not mentioning it would draw less suspicion. 

Colleen gently jostled Juniper's right shoulder as he made his subtly sarcastic remark, but she did perk up when Juniper mentioned the party's features. 

"I see you've sampled the imported chocolate. Up to your standards, then?" Juniper was somewhat pleased that he was already developing a reputation for being discerning with his choices but understood the loaded question.

"Mi'lady, it was divine." Juniper hoped that this all seemed like a farce to Cory but worried about how much charm he should really be offering Colleen. He decided to change the subject regardless. "But, I'm being impolite. Ms. Rayne, correct? I'm not sure we've ever formally been introduced. I'm Juniper Lane." Juniper's heart skipped as he recalled the moment he introduced himself to Cory at the lounge, but he pushed it away quickly and waited for Amelia's response. Despite his distaste for the courting games he was expected to play, Juniper knew it was important to keep up pretenses, and he was always looking for ways to engage prominent members of society. 

[Emily]

Amelia hadn't seemed bothered in the slightest to let her friend have first go at conversation, though she certainly did seem pleased when Juniper introduced himself. She smiled pleasantly and curtsied just slightly, effortlessly balancing formality with warmth. Her reputation might've lead Juniper to expect somewhat less formality, but then again, she likely knew exactly the game she was expected to play tonight.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Lane. Hope New York has been treating you well." Amelia said lightly as she finished her motion, and then turned her gaze to Cory, seemingly perfectly timed for when the artist was done chewing and before he could even think to start going for another bite. If Cory had been thinking about it, he was very well stalled by Amelia's glance, though she turned it back to Juniper in short order.

"I see you've met my friend Mr. Carter," she said just as lightly as before, though her expression gained some excitement near the end, "Has he told you his news?"

"Matter of fact," Cory piped up, his tone carrying a bit of playful defensiveness with it, "Mr. Lane is eager to hear when the date is finalized."

"Oh, wonderful!" Amelia exclaimed happily. "I'd love to see you there. I adore Cory's art. Beyond ecstatic that he's finally come to New York so he can get some recognition. I've been trying to lure him out here for years, but he was afraid of the big city." She tossed Cory an obvious playful smile to ensure that everyone present knew she was just giving him a hard time.

"I'm a country boy at heart, what can I say?" The artist gave a somewhat melodramatic sigh and lightly touched his fingers to his chest, eliciting a giggle from his friend.

"But anyway, enough about me," Cory lightly waved at the air in front of him, eager to move the spotlight elsewhere if he could manage it. Though... he couldn't very well prompt Juniper to talk about his news. And... he really hadn't gotten comfortable with Colleen yet. He panicked very briefly, and either sensing or anticipating that, Amelia happily stepped in to his rescue.

"Oh, I know! Colleen, you should tell them your news!"

((OOC: Colleen and Cory at least hung out in roughly the same group of friends at the lounge the other night lol. But I think they've probably met on at least a few occasions before, likely generally always at events Amelia was attending. I think Cory's mostly successfully kept off most folks' gaydar, and Colleen has probably witnessed Cory and Amelia engaging in pretty flirtatious behavior at various points. Tho to be fair Amelia engages in flirtatious behavior with lots of folks lol. Colleen probably doesn't think Amelia is remotely serious about Cory. Uh, lkm if there's other stuff you may need to know about what Colleen would probably know about Cory? Cuz she certainly would know a bit more than Juniper at the immediate moment lol.))

[andrav]

Juniper listened to the conversation politely, grateful for the opportunity to see Cory interact in a more relaxed way with a more familiar face. There was some part of Juniper that could not quite fathom why anyone would be afraid of a big city; he had only ever lived inside moderate-sized ones and could not help but imagine that "the country" would actually be quite... boring. What, without elegant tailors and lounges, parties and fine cuisine. Yes, it was certainly not the place for Juniper, but perhaps Cory would appreciate being shown around the city, seeing it in a new light. The thought excited Juniper. 

He had just returned from his daydream when Amelia turned the attention back to Colleen.

"Oh, yes! You'll never guess who I happened to meet the other day," Colleen said, looking pointedly at Juniper. 

Deciding she wouldn't leave him alone until he played into her games, Juniper said, "I haven't the first guess." 

"I ran into George Edwardes-Hall, you know, the silent film director, and he had a drink with me. He really wanted me to seriously think about an acting career, said I would look fabulous on the screen, but of course I turned him down. You know how those girls have a reputation. But, he did say he would model one of the characters in his latest film after me and even wants my input on the character's fashion choices!"

Juniper expected to be bored by Colleen's inane chatter once again, but that was the first interesting thing he might have ever heard her say. 

"Well, then, I believe some congratulations are in order. He's a powerful influence in the film industry, or so I gather. You've got friends in high places, Ms. Williams. Well done." He did, however, hope that would be the end of it and was already plotting escape strategies from the conversation. 

Colleen frowned, unconvinced, as though she might have expected more commentary on her appearance or taste, and Juniper suspected that several people at the party had probably already told her that she would be a fantastic actress, laying on the flattery, but Juniper was not interested in playing that game with her and chose not to take the frown personally. Colleen then sat on the edge on one armrest of Juniper's chair and her frown turned into a pout.

"I really assumed you would be more interested given your personal interest in fashion," she said. Juniper was startled by the comment as it had nothing to do with his typical business dealings, but he did take enormous pride in his own attire and had on numerous occasions made key suggestions to clients. Perhaps even that was circulating in the rumor mill. But, lest Colleen be insinuating something else, he casually dismissed her remark.

"Clothing is, first and foremost, an experience, not only for those who see it but also the one wearing it. It is often the difference between exuding confidence and shying away. It's how someone knows when an outfit you're wearing is new. Fashion is a key part of setting the stage. Which is why it is a high honor that Edwardes-Hall wants to put yours up on the big screen." Juniper hoped that, by turning the conversation back to Colleen, she would let whatever had upset her rest so Juniper might move on with his evening. Colleen seemed placated and got up off the armrest once again, much to Juniper's relief, which danced lightly across his face while she was turned away. 

Juniper suddenly had a thought that made him want to continue the conversation with present company, however. Turning to Amelia, he said, "Ms. Rayne, you seem to know just about everyone in this city and yet I know very little about you." It seemed as though Amelia and Serio had some kind of history. Juniper had seen them conversing earlier during the party in a way that looked too familiar to have just met. Plus, someone had to have extended an invite to Serio, and Juniper had a hard time believing it had been Colleen. Perhaps he could ask Amelia about Serio to get more information about his new business partner.

[Emily]

Cory watched the conversation quietly and curiously, happily taking another bite of his pastry to munch on while others talked. He shifted just slightly in his chair while conversation turned to clothing, though, as he suddenly remembered how uncomfortable he was in his current attire. His hand absent-mindedly reached up to fiddle with his already-loosened tie.

Right about then, Amelia lightly sat herself down on Cory's armrest, quite casually mirroring her friend's motion. She took it a step further and playfully reached down to the plate on Cory's lap to steal a chocolate, which she quite promptly popped into her mouth. That got Cory to loosen up and relax a bit, as he tossed her a mock-indignant glance, and she grinned victoriously in reply.

It was about then that Juniper addressed Amelia, and she lightly brought one hand up to her mouth and raised the finger of her other hand, indicating that she'd need just a moment to reply while she finished enjoying her stolen piece of chocolate.

"What would you like to know?" She asked with a light shrug and a bright smile once she finished. "I'm an open book."

Cory couldn't help raising his eyebrows a bit incredulously, though playfully so.

[andrav]

Though it was, at first, comforting and enjoyable to see Cory in a more relaxed state, the further looseness of Cory's tie made Juniper begin to question whether he had made the right call about Cory's interest. Amelia and he were certainly friendly, and while Juniper pushed Colleen away, Cory seemed to welcome Amelia's closeness. Come to think of it, hadn't they been dancing together at the lounge when he first saw Cory? Juniper internally shook his head at himself as he thought about having handed Cory that card. The event Juniper scribbled on the back of it was at a well-known gallery, though, and perhaps Juniper could play it off as an attempt to help Cory broaden the audience for his art. Yes, that would make a decent cover story, at the very least. 

Juniper could not help looking just a little deflated, however. Still, there was a conversation to keep up.

"Well, how did you come to know Mr. Carter's artwork for starters?" Surely that didn't sound like he was fishing, right? And, he couldn't just ask about Serio right away. Oh dear.

[Emily]

"Oh, we've known each other since we were kids," Amelia answered happily.

Cory sank just a little in his chair and regained a shade of red as, much to his surprise, he returned to being a topic of conversation. He didn't necessarily look too distraught about it, but it was certainly something he wasn't used to, and there was also clearly something about the current situation that did make him a little bit nervous.

Amelia, however, was perfectly comfortable and unfazed.

"The Carters own land a ways outside of St. Louis, right down the road from my grandparents' estate. I visited most summers, and ended up close friends with the Carters, so I got to watch Cory's work progress from early on. I'd gush about how much I loved it from the start and how much he's grown, but if you're already sold on checking it out, I'd just as soon let you form your own impressions. Much as I'm certainly rooting for Mr. Carter, I do want to let his work speak for itself."

Cory looked at least marginally relieved by something in Amelia's reply, and he brought his attention lightly back to Juniper, curious where the man was going to take conversation next.

[andrav]

Juniper wasn't sure whether to be relieved or more concerned about Amelia's comment. It had really been naive of him to think that Cory would... Probably Stephen's openness had set Juniper's hopes too high, and then he had gone and acted rashly himself. Although, Cory didn't look like the type of person who would eagerly out Juniper, even if he suspected... 

"I'm certainly looking forward to considering it myself." It was an understatement if there was one. Juniper rarely trusted the opinions of others, and he was definitely more critical than most audiences when it came to art. But, he did wonder what this artist painted. He wanted to see the world through Cory's lens if only to get to know him better. 

"You must have lived in New York for a while, then, I assume?"

[Emily]

"Mm-hmm, born and raised, though I've certainly travelled a lot." Amelia replied happily again, though she paused briefly after and tilted her head just slightly, perhaps trying to feel something out about Juniper, but without being too overt about it. She carried on conversation quickly enough, either finding what she was looking for or deciding to move on without it.

"I've been staying put more since my father passed a couple years ago; helping out my mother with the lounge and also making sure she doesn't get stuck in business mode all the time." The blonde smiled lightly, effortlessly assuring everyone present that her father passing was not a subject that needed to be heavy. "I certainly get to meet a lot of amazing people and have lots of amazing experiences through The Black Butterfly. I'll likely take it over once my mom is ready to pass the torch."