You say "The party went well, and by the end, one is ready to head home.
Zach has a remote control, and the little wizards have golden
snitches..."

Goldie nods, "Goldie has been keeping a careful eye on both Zach and
Harriet and seems to be getting the feeling she has a lot of explaining
to do when privacy is achieved...

Harriet nods and grins.

Zach snickers and looks innocently amused. And wicked.

Harriet looks slightly uncomfortable, and keeps /wiggling/. When she
thinks that no one is looking.

Zach sees Harriet doing that a few times, and wink at her. Smugly. ;P
Goldie gets the occasional, amused grin.

Goldie has a little more colour to her face than normal but seems also a
little amused at Harriet's actions, expecially judging by the way she
seems to occasionally 'escort' Harriet from one side of the party to the
other. That said, she does blush slight when Zac grins at -her-.

Harriet hmphs, and pretends to ignore them both. Although Goldie does get
a wink on at least one occassion, and Zach a sneaky, underhanded tickle
when he's not expecting it.

As the festivities wind down, and people start to leave (the mummy and
the cowboy leave together, to Zach's smug delight), Zach gathers his
"special girls". "I'm going to call for a taxi. We've got folks who'll
deal with the clearing up here in the morning. Ready to take off?"

Goldie seems to have relaxed a little at the winks and show of not being
offended by Harriet, so she pauses for a moment when Zach asks that
question. Her mouth quirking into a smile, she replies, "That must be one
expensive taxi if it can take off..."

Harriet chuckles. "The top end model," she agrees, then stretches and
yawns. "And I, for one, am ready to find someplace nice and warm to sit
down, you know? It has been a lovely party, but it'll be nice to rest."

Goldie smirks at Harriet's answer and asks, a little too innocently,
"You've been skipping around so much that your legs are going to give
way?"

Zach smiles and winks. "It's the batmoble, ladies. I've got Connections.
And Goldie -- don't make me push any buttons out here, please? HArriet
will kill me."

Harriet makes a meeping sound, and goes back to pretending to ignore both
of them. Well, maybe not, because her eyes glitter at Zach as she says,
sweetly, "Slowly."

Goldie laughs at Harriet's expression. She snaps her fingers and says, in
mock fear, to Zach, "Does that mean that you would otherwise have used
'Imperio'?" She grins, "Or just that if I had a duplicate 'wand' I could
arrange your murder?"

Zach ponders this. "Hrm... I'm not sure if i'm ready to answer that one,
G. Not sure at all..."

Harriet raises an eyebrow. "Good answer," she says approvingly. "I may
not have to kill you tonight, after all. It might even wait until
tomorrow," she muses, grinning. "Depending on how good you are the rest
of the night, you know?"

Goldie hesitates for a moment, despite her apparent confidence and her
joking words. Looking at Zach then Harriet then back once more, she
offers carefully, "If you want to be alone I can just walk home. I
brought a change of clothes in my bag."

Zach smiles softly. "No need to, Goldie. Unless you -want- to spend the
rest of the night alone. You're welcome to come with, you know," he tells
her warmly. He also reaches out and pats her shoulder gently. It's been a
long while since we hung out, the three of us, and I think this is as
good a time as any. Don't you agree, ladies?"

Harriet nods, with no hesitation. "Absolutely. And we've got hot cocoa
back at the apartment, you know? Hot cocoa with good friends is not
something you should turn down," she says, mock-pompously. "And I say
that as the Girl Who Lived."

Goldie lets out a breath she hadn't known she was holding, "Glad to hear
that... Potter." Grinning despite the sneer she tried to put into that
last word, Goldie adds with genuine amusement, "One condition though. I
get to witness Zach's reaction to how the 'under' version of these
costumes look."

Zach chortles. "It's a done deal. Even if I have to be Harriet's loyal
slave for the next two weeks to make it happen."

Harriet turns a no doubt entertaining shade of red. "Sure," she says,
after a barely noticible hesitation. "As the mastermind of this, you've
certainly earned that right, you know?" She snorts at Zach's offer.
"Bribery will get you...everywhere, actually."

Goldie stiffles a laugh at the look on Harriet's face, swallowing it so
she can give off a properly villanous cackle instead, "A mastermind? I
fear you underestimate me, young Potter..." A wry grin, "Just start
thinking up your 'revenge' for this to use next time you are feeling
bored."

The taxi eventually shows up, and Cyclops herds the young wizardlings
into it, naming the adress for his flat. The taxi zooms off, and
eventually our heroes find themselves entering the little apartment above
789 Minnesota, KCK.

Zach takes off the shades, and reaches up to ruffle his hair. "Aaahhh!
Finally. Anyone want a snack?" he asks hopefully. Knowing full well that
they probably won't...

Harriet groans. "Zach, love of my life and light of my heart, if I even
look at another piece of food, I will burst at the seams. And that's not
at all good for the carpet, you know?" She staggers to the couch and
plops down with her normal graceless enthusiasm. Then gets a rather funny
look on her face.

Goldie shook her head. Half sitting, half leaning her back against the
couch, she put down her bag and said, "No thanks. I had enough
earlier..." Even while saying this, she watches the other two very
carefully as though holding a nagging sucpicion one or other plans on
biting her without warning.

Zach orbits around the room, and then plops down on a chair. He smiles at
Harriet and Goldie both. "So, did you have a good time tonight? Even with
the potion accident and all?"

Harriet gives Goldie a reassuring smile, then nods at Zach. "I had a
lovely time. It was a great party, no one got shoved into anything hard,
and we had plenty of friends around, you know?" She stretches again, and
tries to wiggle into a less distracting position. "We should do it again
next year, what do y'all think?"

Goldie manages to return the smiles before walking slowly, and with
cautiously measured strides, to where both the others are in easy view
and visa versa. Contemplating the question, she replies as lightly as
possible, "I did have fun, but if I agree to next year does that mean
that I get to work out the costumes again?"

You say "I definitely think we should all do this again next year. We
make good parties! And if you're nice, you might get to have fun with the
costumes again, Goldie."

Zach smiles.

A look flashes across Harriet's face, as if she was briefly taken aback
by something, but it's gone in an instant, and she smiles, as well.
"Quite possibly, you know? It went well this time, after all."

Goldie completely misses the look on Harriet's face, her attention
directed towards Zach at that precise moment, and so simply says, "I
think you'd better check with Harriet first, before you make -that- sort
of promise.... It was fun. -Much- better than the party I went to a
couple of years back."

Zach twinkes a smile, and peeks at Goldie. "I think we can deal, hon. And
now I want to hear the story behind those costumes of yours. The full
story..." He winks and tries to look all innocent and unsmug.

Harriet eyes Zach. Not buying the innocent act for a moment. "Well," she
drawls, "it began with a woman named J.K. Rowling, who had a dream..."

Zach pulls out the remote control. "Start again."

Goldie giggles at this byplay between Zach and Harriet, smiling even as
she watches the remote Zach has produced carefully. Under her breath she
murmurs, "That comic book costume has -pockets-?"

Harriet eyes the remote. "That is not at all fair, and when you least
expect it, I'll prove it, you know?" Then she relaxes and smiles lazily
at Goldie. "They're mysterious pockets! They hold all the wonders of the
earth, really. Too bad he can't find anything. And since the costumes
were your idea, you should get to explain. Lest he torture us with the
buttons."

Zach eagerly awaits the Tale of Two Costumes.

Goldie grins and counters, "But if I am going to give a verbal
explaination then is it not fair that you provide the 'visual aids' at
first then?" She tilts her head to one side, looking at Harriet
concideringly, "Or should we swap roles on that front?"

Harriet clears her throat, then blushes. "I could do that," she says, and
rises. After a little hemming and hawing, the robes are tugged over and
off, tossed carelessly to the couch. What's left is...leather. And
straps. A leather thong, a corset which accentuates her rather slender
frame, and a little box strapped to her upper thigh. A wire goes from the
box to under the underwear.


<<OOC>> Zach rolls an Emote, just for the heck of it.

<<GAME>> Zach rolls the d666 and gets 6 6 CHECK: 3.

<<OOC>> Zach says ".....fails."

And that's not all. There's a thin chain attached to each of her nipples,
a dog-tag like thing dangling between her breasts. Those who get close
enough to look, will notice it engraved on one side with 'Property of
You-Know-Who'. And there's a Dark Mark on her other thigh. Clearly
Harriet's not /quite/ a Death Eater.

Zach eyebrows this, and tries very hard not to grin like a loon. Or to
chortle. "That looks very lovely, my dear. Very lovely indeed." He looks
over to Goldie, trying to remain serene, "And you're wearing the same?"
His serenity and calmness fails miserably, and his voice is cracking up
with delighted mirth.

Goldie draws herself up to her full height, composing herself and falling
into a Malfory-esque manner. Behind this is a little uncertainty and
hesitation though as she carefully removes her own robes and emerald
blouse to reveal an identical set up.

Goldie gestures to Harriet, "The.... You-Know-Who seemed to be most
amused by the potions accident and so arranged for a more suitable attire
for 'Harry-ette' here. And myself. You may have noticed signs of the
'golden snitch' which we both seem to have caught?

Behind the sneering calm, Goldie seems trying not to tremble.

Harriet starts to giggle as Zach does, and her blush fades a bit as the
sound blossoms into full-blown laughter. "Isn't it neat?" she asks, and
turns all the way around to show off. The blush reappears at the mention
of the Snitch, but she still grins and winks at Goldie, giving the woman
a thumb's up.

Zach nods and now laughs with Harriet. "Yeah, I kinds did. I didn't
actually know it was /snitches/, but, well... The remote control kind of
made me suspicious. Have you tested it, Goldie?"

Goldie folds her hands together, a blush now developing on her face then
a little lower despite her slightly apprehensive look, "Err... only on a
tabletop? The batteries are fresh in though and the remote should work
over a fair distance, even through clothes or a door or something."

Harriet also stops and looks rather apprehensive. "I'm certain that it
probably works quite well, you know?" She eyes Zach.

Zach smiles a little, his eyes dancing with naughtiness. "I meant -- have
you tested the snitches?"

Goldie is definately blushing and a little flustered now, a rather rare
sight to see, "Not tonight and not the one that Harriet has."

Harriet casts Goldie a rather betrayed look. "Hey, now! Don't throw me to
the sexy mutant wolf, you know?" She crosses her arms over her chest, and
mock glares at Zach.

Zach blinks. "Hey, I'm just askin', here. It's a valid question, because
if I were to accidentally press buttons, I'd not want any of you to get
hurt, you know," he says. Sexily.

Goldie offers hurriedly, not meeting Harriet's glancing look, "It
shouldn't do anything bad. I pormise. If you don't know what the 'spells'
are I can tel you Zach? I kind of twisted what they did with something a
lot less... nasty."

Harriet mutters, "If you press those buttons, it's not /we/ who are in
danger of being hurt, love." Still, she looks more amused than actually
upset, and tilts her head towards Goldie, clearly curious.

Zach pouts and looks at Harriet with pleading eyes. "But...I have a
remote! And, well, we're here, we're safe and we're all friends. Just a
-little- push?"

Goldie says quietly, looking at the other two as they banter and don't
quite argue, "'Imperio' was a controlling spell. I made it so that just
'encourages' going along with what gets said, most because of being
distracted, for a bit."

Harriet giggles at Zach. "Don't pout at me. That's just not fair, you
know? I can't resist when you're looking all cute and sad like that," she
claims, then winks at Goldie. "Which I guess means that Imperio is
working already, hmm?"

Goldie visibly flinches at that suggestion, taking a deep breath and
trying to regain her previous mood, "It doesn't control you or anything.
Not really. I meant 'encourage', not do anything unnatural.""

Zach looks up at Goldie quikly, as he senses her flinch. "We know, G. We
know. Don't worry, we're only trying to out-tease each other." He grows a
bit more serious. "I'm actually, in all seriousness, very flattered and
touched that you trusted me with this thing," he tells her warmly and
holds up the remote. "That took a bit of courage on your part, didn't
it?"

Harriet sobers up, and nods along with Zach's words. "Yeah. I was just
playing around, you know? I know that you wouldn't give us anything that
would hurt us," she adds, with a gentle smile.

Goldie slowly lets her arms drop, perhaps not having realised that she
had crossed them protectively in front of herself. Giving as good a smile
as she could manage, she admits, "May courage for me... but I didn't
actually tell Harriet. Thought she would guess easily what with the
battery box, but didn't put it in so many words."

Zach chuckles. "I think our dear, sweet Harriet was too busy trying to
keep her mind from reeling, to think too much about the box. Am I right,
babe?"

Harriet clears her throat, and ducks her head. My, Zach's apartment has
such an interesting floor! She's never noticed that, before. Truly.
"That's about the size of it," she admits. "I had a sheltered upbringing,
you know? I wasn't really...I just thought the little box was there to
keep it from...well..."

Goldie gives a faint nod, walking slowly over to sit down on the couch.
Looking around vaguely at the walls, as though disinterested in them, she
comments, "...I know. I probably should have been clearer about that, not
held you to your word, and -explained- it all."

Zach smiles and puts the remote on the table. "Why don't you describe the
effect-meter on the two other buttons as well, while I get out of this
very warm leather jacket.." he suggests, and then proceeds to do just
that.

Harriet raises her head and smiles at Goldie. "Don't worry about it. No
harm, no foul, and all that, you know? Besides, it /is/ Halloween. It
wouldn't be the same without a little surprise or two." She settles
herself cross-legged on the floor, right where she was standing.

Goldie pulls her legs together and curls the up beneath her on the couch,
managing to joke, "I better not tell you my plan for Apirl Fool's Day
then..." Now smiling slightly, she returns to the subject at hand and
explains, "'Crucio' was a pain spell, so I made that into a setting that
might at least get a yelp, maybe a scream, at the very least leave you
gasping. The 'Avada Kedavra' just killed and I twisted the name so that
it could inflict a 'little death', making you possibly fall over but not
lay still"

Zach grins and shakes his head. "I'd be wary of the effects, though.
There's a very, very fine line between pleasure and pain in the area
where you've placed the snitches. Chances are, that a surprise 'curse'
would be extremely uncomfortable, and not at all good. Depends on how
well placed it is," Zach camlly explains as if he's done this a thousand
times before. And who knows...

Harriet sniffs, and /eyes/ Zach. "I'm torn, here. But, in the interest of
my innocent ears, I shan't ask you how you know this, you know?"
Something finally filters through, however, and she turns to blink at
Goldie. "You designed this yourself?"

Goldie nods slowly to Zach, saying to him, "The intensity goes up and I
thought you would be playing with the Imperio for a bit before trying the
other two." She glances over to Harriet and replies, "Not quite
-designed-. I just noticed that the manual said you could change the
frequences to control them and then I found this place that sold little
programable radio remotes. I got one of those, fiddle around for a bit
and there you go."

Zach goes to hang his jacket up, and wows as he returns. Okay, so it's
three steps one way and three steps back. Not exactly a long walk, in
this tiny appartment. "Hey, that's pretty impressive, Goldie. I didn't
know you were an electronics buff."

Harriet grins. "That's really pretty cool, you know?" She tilts her head
to watch Zach. And the box, of course. "And a very clever little
nomenclature, too. Goes with the theme, and even has the requisite pun,"
she adds, sounding satisfied.

Goldie tries not to show it, but from the pinkness coming to her face
either she is flattered by the comments or enjoyig the presence of the
'snitch', "It was't -that- hard. Just took a while with the book in hand.
And the only reason I though of it was because someone said that the
snitch was 'small and occupies the attention completely when it humms
about'."

Zach chuckles and flups down in his chair again, now only wearing a tight
x-manly t-shirt and leather trousers. "That's brilliant! I think it's
good that you not only use your throbbing brains on maths and serious
stuff.!

Harriet nods. "That's exactly true, you know? Toys are a good thing to
make...even if they happen to be toys for adults," she says, and laughs a
bit. She shifts in the leather corset, attempting to tug discreetly at a
corner.

Goldie looks at the others, at Harriet sitting crosslegged on the floor
then at Zach in his chair, and gives a smile, "Well, Harriet, they do say
something about the 'the greater the brain, the greater the need for
play' and you seem to be smart as well." She catches Zach's eye even as
she continues, "Care to try it out before you ask someone to help get you
out of that thing?"

Zach lifts his eyebrows smilingly at Harriet, totally at ease now.

Harriet coughs, and goes back to being a nice shade of red. "Er. I don't
know? Um. Sure, I guess, you know? Ah..." she trails off in confusion.

Goldie seems to be a little unsure of where she should be looking at the
moment, but settles for simply ensuring she didn't take up too much of
the couch and looking at Zach's face for the moment. Sounding mostly
amused, but with an undercurrent of uncertainty, she asked, "Zach? Care
to try and 'persuade' Harriet to sit somewhere more comfortable than the
floor?"

Goldie pages: Harriet may not be able to see it from where she is sitting
just now, but Goldie seems -very- nervous judging by her body language.

Zach looks down at Harriet, and back at Goldie. He seems to ponder
something, then rises and picks up Harriet. He takes her over to the
couch, seating himself, with Harriet in his arms, next to Goldie. And
then he takes the remote from the table. "I note that unless Goldie's
disabled her own little box, this is going to cause multiple
'suggestions'," he murmurs gently and rests his finger on the button in
quesion. "I'm not doing this unless you're -both- sure you want to try,
okay?"

Harriet blinks as she's picked up, but certainly doesn't resist. Although
the floor was more comfy than one might expect. "Um. Yeah, I'm okay with
it. You know, for a brief try," she adds, with a slightly uncertain
smile.

Goldie curls up a little tighter, relaxes, then tenses again. Keeping her
face turned away from the other two, she cautiously leans her back
against Zach's side so that she is in contact with both him and Harriet.
Quietly she replies, "Imperio only last for ten seconds after you let go
of the button. If he presses it once and you've only got ten seconds to
have to deal with."

Zach smiles, and shifts so that Goldie is leaned as comfortably as
possible against him and Harriet. "Take a deep breath, and try to relax
as you let it out," he advices them. The arm that supports Harriet is the
one whose hand has the remote. The other arm sends its hand out to take
Goldie's hand. Unless she refuses. And then, after they presumably do the
breathing thing, he presses the button.

Harriet closes her eyes, and takes the breath, obediently enough. She
can't help tensing up though, even before the button is pushed.
Afterwards, well...a low shudder travels all the way up her spine, no
doubt clearly felt by those touching her, and the breath comes out in a
rush.

Goldie shudders slightly as she inhales, holding the breath as her hand
very cautiously takes Zach's own. When the button is pressed she inhales
sharply then lets out the air slowly as she too shuts her eyes.

Zach lets go of the remote, and just supports Harriet and holds Goldie's
hand for the ten seconds of gentle torture.

Harriet swallows several times, and shivers throughout the time,
carefully making no sound except a small whimper of mingled relief and
frustration when the thing finally shuts off. Her head is bowed, her
breath just a touch elevated.

Goldie 's body is tense where she is resting against Zach and Harriet,
but slowly relaxes as the seconds tick by. As the time, and subtle
motions, end her head is resting against Zach's shoulder lightly. Her
voice is a quiet murmurs as she asks something.

Zach sits quietly, letting the ladies take their time. Big, warm, safe
presence.

Since this setting isn't terribly high, Harriet recovers quickly, and
takes a steadier breath. "Well. That was...nice," she says, softly.
Possibly understating the case, from her dilated pupils.

Goldie is a little subdued, letting out a quiet sigh of agreement.
Softly, she replies, "It was. Something you might like to try again?"

Zach gives Goldie's hand a little squeeze, then moves his arm around, so
that it rests on the back of the couch. He is very wary of Goldie, not
wanting to stress her with too much touching. Best to let her decide all
of that, just make sure to be available. Or something. "So, I guess you
both managed to place the snitch right. That's good. You're okay, then?"
he asks just to make sure.

"I'm okay," Harriet says, with a reassuring smile at them both. She takes
another breath, and falls silent for a while, thinking about Goldie's
words. "It was nice," she says, at last, although that's not really any
sort of an answer.

Goldie shifts for a moment, adjusting her position against Zach a little.
Her voice is still soft, but there is a hint of earnestness to it, "You
don't have to lie for my sake, Harriet. You can say yes... or no,
whichever is the truth." She manages to add an obviously, and jokingly,
faked taunting note to what she says next, "Unless you wish the gentleman
here to persaude it from you?"

Zach quiets to let Harriet answer.

Harriet thinks about it some more, then sighs. "...no. It's an
interesting sensation, but that's all it really is, you know?" She
gestures with her hands, trying to find the words. "In itself, it's
pleasant, but I don't really like the idea of being on the end of a wire.
I feel like I should be fighting it, and that's not a thing that I
enjoy."

"Even when it is Zach and you are letting him?" Goldie asks, almost
immediately overiding that with rushed words, "I know, I know... I hate
the idea of being controlled, of someone messing with my head, and making
me do or want or act... I just though if it was someone I could trust,
with you or Zach, I could just let go. Not -have- to keep control. And
share that with you."

Zach courageously resists the urge to cuddle Harriet and Goldie. He
settles for placing a light kiss on Harriet's head, and a slight shift
that makes him lean into Goldie's lean. Just a hint. It's been a while
since he's walked this kind of tightrope. One wrong word, one wrong
move... "Toys can be a lot of fun, but like you say Goldie, only if
there's trust and a willingless to relax and be guided. Plus - most of
these things to take a littlebit of getting used to." His voice is
serious, but not in any way strict or disapproving. Just calm.

Harriet stares. Utterly befuddled. "Me?" she squeaks, the idea clearly
having not occurred to her before. "I...I...oh. Oh, dearheart, I..." she
looks helplessly from Goldie to Zach and back again, her eyes owlish
behind her glasses. "It's...you and Zach...I mean, that's fine...I..."

Goldie stops for a moment, her breathing halting and her eyes till
closed. A moment later she exhaled and says, pensively and searching for
the right words even as she started to grow more tense and frustrated, "I
didn't mean... What I meant was..." Beginning to try and sit up, she
struggled to find the right words, "Not -with- you, but -with- you. I
mean, I know you wouldn't be interested in -me-, your too good to want
me, I meant simultanously. Or like showing you a sunrise which ca be
shared like that. A sunset? I mean..."

Zach lets out a sigh so faint that it probalby goes unheard. "Hey, you
two... I'm hearing a lot of things here that I feel the urge to adress
and clear up. But..." He pauses, and gives Harriet a comforting squeeze,
and lays a steadying hand on Goldie's shoulder. "But -- I think we need
to start at the core. Namely, this: There is nothing, I repeat, -nothing-
wrong or bad or even remotely negative about geing fond of, in like with,
crushing on or loving someone. Nil, nada, nothing. It is a purely good
thing, but the feeling isn't always, or even most of the time returned in
the same manner. That has nothing to do with the being better than or
lesser than anything. Mkay?" Not the response one would expect from mr
Joe Average Mechanic. But then, Zach isn't.

Harriet frowns, her voice firming as she moves to ground she's more
familiar with. "That is not it, Goldie. I am not 'too good' to want
anyone, and you are a wonderful woman, one who I am pleased and proud to
call a friend, you know?" Scarlet spots bloom on her cheeks as she moves
out of the realm of the easy questions. She nods to Zach's words, "And
he's right. There's nothing wrong with it. If you want, and if Zach
wants...I mean, I wouldn't...I'd be o-okay with...but I...me..." Coherent
language escapes the artist again.

Goldie folded her arms around her body, heedless of the rather
uncomfortable 'costume' she has on as she sat up straight. There is a
torn expression on her face as she tries, without much success so far, to
explain what she meant, "What I feel for, towards, or about you ain't
what I mean! At one point I got lustful thoughts about everything from a
french loaf to a walking advert for 'Zit Cream Anonymous'. I could go
away entirely, which might be better, because it is the -understanding-
of the feeling I wanted to try and understand at the same time as you.
Satori." Troubled and frustrated, she starts to stand up and look around
for the dicarded robe.

"Harriet is as timid as you are skittish, Goldie," Zach murmurs gently.
"But let me get this straight. You want to explore the feeling of arousal
and orgasm, is that it? Feelings of sexual attraction? And you feel safe
enough around us, that you would like to do that here?" The calm Zach's
radiating is almost tangible. He really doesn't seem to be weirded out at
all, or minding this. There's a warm glow in his eyes, that shows his
deep affection for both women, if they care to look.

Harriet hops up off of Zach's lap, clearly also edging towards serious
upset. "I don't want you to go away, Goldie! God, I'd never want that,
you know? But...I...I don't understand what it is..." she shakes her head
and starts pacing, the leather she's wearing creaking with her agitated
movements. "I'm not timid, either! I just..."

Goldie looks almost physically pained at how upset she seems to be making
Harriet, gaze moving between Zach, Harriet, and the floor without
stopping long enough for anything to properly register. Trying to be
soothing, and seemingly on the edge of loosing control one way or
another, she says to Harriet, "I didn't mean to upset you, I'll just go
away for now and we can pretend this ever happened. I don't want to
bother you..." She looks to Zach for a moment as he speaks then away
again, troubled but nodding embaressedly.

Zach gets up, and moves over to pick up Goldie's robe. He wraps it
tenderly around her, resting his hands lightly on her upper arms,
standing close enough for her to feel his warmth. "The only thing amiss
with that, Goldie, is that you should have come and asked about it right
away. Instead of setting up this whole play. But at least, now we know
what's what and what isn't. Please stay, Goldie. Let's talk this one
through, and see where we get, hm?" he asks her. And looks over at
Harriet over the top of Goldie's blond head. It's a pleading, conserned
look of the 'please work with me' kind.

"I don't want you to go away, Goldie, and you're never a bother," Harriet
says, her hands searching for pockets to hide in and finding none. She
meets Zach's eyes rather helplessly, but works to hold her agitation down
to low levels of fidgeting.

Goldie arm muscles are tense under Zach's hands and she looks this way
then that as though searching for -something- that will solve everything.
Her face slowly assuming the somewhat bland look she so often wears as a
mask against the world, Golide states, "I tried to go slowly, to make it
so that I was sure of my footing and I wasn't scaring or doing something
really wrong. I was mistaken. I won't both... trouble you about this
Harriet. I'm sorry."

Zach loosens his already very gentle grip on Goldie, and rug her arms
comfortingly. "Hey... You kept your footing, but you never told Harriet
where to put hers. Or me. Consent can only truly happen when all parties
know what's what. And consent is the alpha and omega to all intimacy. And
exploring something as deeply personal as arousal and ecstacy, is all
about intimacy. Has to be, or it's not worth jack. Won't you please come
sit again, Goldie? And Harriet too? Let's get this train back on its
rails again..."

Harriet runs a hand through her hair, watching Goldie. "You don't /scare/
me, Goldie. I'm...I'm a little surprised, I guess, and I'm still not sure
that I know what's going on, you know? I...I..." she swallows. "Sitting
down is good." Sitting down is done.

<<OOC>> Zach .oO( Women. Trying to make sense of 'em is worse than
herding cats! )

<<OOC>> Harriet is perfectly sensible! It's the rest of the world that is
insane, clearly.

<<OOC>> Goldie offers to fill out your transfer form to Jordi's service
for you...?

<<OOC>> Zach laughs.

Goldie pulls her robe around herself, as though it were a cloak or a
baricade against the rest of the world. Cautiously she moves back over to
the couch, sitting herself on it's arm rather than the couch proper, "I'm
sorry."

Zach lets her go, and returns to the couch himself. "I've a suggestion
for now; tell me what you think, mm? Let's be blunt and straightforward
with what we want to say from now on. This is too important to obscure
with overly careful words. It's easier to deal with straightforward than
winding and curling for now. At least, I think so..." He looks
questioningly between Harriet to Goldie.

Harriet takes a deep breath and lets it out, slowly, before smiling at
Goldie. Despite the way the situation seems to be affecting her, there's
nothing but genuine affection and warmth in her smile. She turns and nods
to Zach. "I think that's a good idea, you know? I would prefer it, for
one."

Goldie keeps her arms, and the black robe wrapped, around herself as she
looked at the other two. The look on her face is... guarded and somewhat
hard to read, but she at least makes an attempt at relaxing as the other
two seem not to ave begun yelling at her yet. Taking a deep breath, she
asks, "Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to insult, worry, or get you
bother mad at me..."

Zach reaches out and gives the hem of Goldie's robe an affectionate
little tug-tug, and smile warmly at her. "Hon, we won't get mad. We're
already past the 'Hey?! What's going on??"-stage, and we did that without
any madness whatsoever. Since we all want to sort this out, and deal,
there's no place for anger. Or point."

Harriet nods in agreement with Zach. "He's right. We're not going to get
angry at you, Goldie. We love you, you know? But," she sighs and smiles a
rueful little smile, "if we're going to get anything accomplished, we'll
need to speak plainly. Preferably in small words with few syllables," she
holds up her hand in the itty-bitty gestures, "because it's late and I
had some of that punch."

"You probably shouldn't have." Goldie remarked a little distractedly as
she tried to find the words that to try and explain all of this in a
manner someone could understand, "I saw at least two people spiking that
punch kinda heavily." For a moment she shivered then looked between the
two smiling faces, starting to actually believe what they seemed to be
saying. Goldie sighed and slipped down the couch arm until she sat on it
properly, "What do you want me to explain first?"

You say, "I think Harriet has a couple of questions, so how 'bout we
start with that. And if any of you speak non-plainly, there will be
merciless tickles."

Harriet reaches up to run her fingers through her damp and tousled hair.
"Personally, I'd like to know exactly what you're proposing, you know?"
She slumps back against the back of the couch, and raises an eyebrow at
Zach. "I've got armor," she remarks, gesturing at the leather.

Zach . o O ( Not for long, you don't... )

Goldie managed a small smile at Zach's half-joking comment, but the
expression soon slipped away into a faint caution as she answered
Harriet, "In general, at this precise moment, or something else? I mean,
I maybe should have been more honest an' direct about a lot of things.
You don't even know for sure what my name is and I trust you two more
than about anyone else."

Zach looks to Harriet.

<OOC> Zach will let Goldie and Harriet talk, without interference. Unless
things get foggy. :)

Harriet nods. "That's all true," she says, quietly, "but right now, I'm
more concerned with what you're looking for with...this," she says, and
makes a wide gesture to encompass the three of them. "Just in general,
you know? Or specific. Which ever."

Goldie fell silent for a long moment before answer, her voice slow and
steeled as though making herself speak clearly on the matter, "I... I
think, more than anything else, to -try- and learn to let go a little
like this. To know what it feels like to -allow- someone else that
control. An... And to have some I can trust going in it with me to say if
it is actually too much or if I am just fooling myself." Shifting topic,
she tries to joke about the matter, "That and the way you blush is fun to
see."

Harriet smiles, and her cheeks actually do pink a bit. "Ahem. Yes...and
thank you, you know? It's a tremendous honor to be trusted like that by
you." She takes another deep, slow breath, and looks up at the ceiling.
"I admire your courage in tackling this sort of problem, Goldie. I don't
think, however, that I'm a good person to help you with it." Her voice is
regretful, but firm. "I would feel very uncomfortable in that sort of
role, with /anyone/, and I think that if I was not completely comfortable
with it, I would end up doing more harm than good."

<OOC> Zach says, "Just go on. I'll hop in if needed or when asked. :)"

Goldie took a moment to compose herself before saying anything more,
glancing from Harriet to Zach before giving a seemingly negligent shrug,
"'Snot your fault. I should have been more careful ta see what you might
have wanted before. Kinda thoughtless of me." She struggled, trying to
remain outwardly dispassionate and disinterested, before adding, "I just
thought... I just thought you -would- be a good person to help because of
that. That you'd not be the sort to rush in and that you'd go slower,
more carefully, than a more 'experienced' person. That I could trust in
this, like I kinda do for other things."

Harriet grimaces and reaches up to rub the back of her neck with her
hand. "I can understand that. And it's good reasoning, you know? But..."
she trails off, trying to find words, "I'm just not really all that good
at that sort of thing. I think of you as a sister, and I love you, but
not, not like that. And there are other factors, too," she adds, and
shoots Zach a rather unhappy look.

Zach listens quietly, watching from Harriet to Goldie and back again
intently. "What factors, Harriet?" he prompts her gently.

Goldie follows the look from Harriet to Zach, distractedly brushing a
strand of hair from her face as Zach returns it with a question. She says
nothing immediately, simply waiting to hear what Harriet has to say.

Harriet turns the look at Zach up to something that isn't quite a glare,
but probably lives next door to one, and occassional steals its mail.
Then she looks away. "I have no desire for Goldie to be hurt any more
than she already has been, and involvement with me /will/ get her hurt,
you know? I'm trying to keep the amount of pain that I cause to a
minimum, thanks," she says, her voice dry and a touch defensive.

For a split second, Zach glances at the table, longing to beat his head
against it. But instead, he reaches out and takes Harriet's hand. "You
know, Harriet. That's the same thing Goldie kept telling me about herself
the first few times we tried to talk. Ain't that so, G?" he asks, and
peeks up at Goldie.

Harriet pages: Poor Cherukite!

Long distance to Harriet: Zach muttermuttermutter.

From afar, Harriet petpetpet.

Long distance to Harriet: Zach nibbles unhappily.

From afar, Harriet aww!

Goldie manages a faintly sardonic smile, dropping back into familiar
defensive habits despite the rather unsuitable attire. For some reason,
the expression she is wearing has less effect when donned by someone with
her current 'clothing and accessories' on. Turning a little to face
Harriet properly, Goldie tells her, "You do know I've been trying to be
careful around you, avoiding you when I first met you, because I didn't
want to dirty you or end up with -you- being hurt?"

Harriet nods, to both of them, her own expression settling into pleasant
and stubborn lines. "And you had valid reasons, you know? As do I."

"So I should leave you entire alone?" Goldie asks, her voice very quiet.
Although her expression doesn't show it, the way that she tenses hints
that she herself is none to happy with having to ask that question.

"Of course not," Harriet says with a sigh. "And that's not even the real
issue. It's a consideration, of course, but I honestly do not believe
that I can help you with this, you know? I would feel...wrong. You are
significantly younger than I, and I don't...I'm not attracted to you in
that way, and I'm not comfortable with acting in that capacity for
anyone." She pulls her hand out of Zach's, and hunches her shoulders
defensively.

Zach avoids, by sheer force of will, to look like a martyr. "I think," he
says carefully, "That the two of you will have a much better outcome of
keeping in touch, being close and share victories, woes and ...stuff.
Especially since you've both been through some heavy shit. So no keeping
away from each other, please?" He looks pleadinly at them both. "That
said, there's lines that shouldn't be crossed before everyone's ready to
cross them. For some lines, this may be never. For others, who knows."

Goldie listens to Zach's short speech, a small irreverent part of her
mind wondering if that look on his face meant he needed the toilet in a
hurry. Shaking off the random though, she swallowed her own potential
protests and asked, "What now then? I probably had better leave, at least
for now, and leave you both alone for the night..."

Harriet winces. "There's no need for you to go, Goldie. It's late, you
know? And Zach makes a killer breakfast, as long as you don't let him
attempt to feed you," she mock shudders, "fruitcake."

Zach shoots Harriet a mock glare when she mocks his fruitcake, then
sombers up and turns to Goldie. "Goldie, would you trust me alone to be
there for you, when you try figgering out the sexual stuff?"

Long distance to Harriet: Zach is now praying that Harriet won't
immediately Smite him. :)

From afar, Harriet grins, and is actually relieved that Zach brought it
up. She didn't want to look like she was offering him like a sacrificial
lamb or anything, but she thinks that he'd be much better at it than she
would. :P

Long distance to Harriet: Zach hee! Pimp Harriet!

"I will be fine." Goldie insists, starting to get up despite Harriet's
generous offer, "I'll get dressed into the clothes I brought with me and
out of this." She pauses as Zach asks her that question then picks up her
bag and replies, as though there had been no hesitation, "I'm not sure."

Harriet pages: Nooooooo!

Harriet watches Goldie. "I know you would be fine. I would like you to
stay, though, if it wouldn't make you feel terribly uncomfortable, you
know?" A flicker of relief crosses her face as Zach makes his offer, but
she remains silent, watching the two of them for now.

Goldie hesitates, her bag now dangling from one hand. Shaking her head,
she mutters, "And people call me sneaky and manipulative..." In a louder
voice, she replies, "Okay, okay. I'll stay the night, but I have to be
off in the morning." Trying to lighten her mood she adds, a faint smirk
somehow plastered on, "You just have to promise to show -Zach-, in
private if you want, that 'dog tag' you're wearing."

Zach speaks softly. "Hey, G. We really, truly do want you to stay,
y'know. There's room, even if this place is small. I have an extra
inflatable mattress in the closet, and stuff." And with that, he gets up
and rummages in the closet to produce said inflateble mattress. "Dog
tag?" he asks from within the closet.

Harriet coughs and blushes again. She waits until Zach has returned and
set the matress down somewhere before standing up and playing with the
dog tag. With a wink at Goldie, she shows him first the known
side--"Property of You-Know-Who", then she flips it over with a dramatic
flourish to reveal, "We mean Zach, of course!"

Goldie 's fake smirk becomes a small smile at the look on Harriet's face.
A little too innocently, she asks Zach, "Don't you think that it is a
little... fitting? Or do you need to examine it closer?" Shoving the
recent conversation to the back of her mind, she began digging through
her bag for nightclothes.

Zach peers at the tag, proddling it with a finger and then leans in and
kisses her smilingly. *smooch* "I like that tag. I really, really do..."

Harriet kisses Zach back, and smiles up at him. "This, does not surprise
me, you know? I'm rather fond of it myself," she says, then steps back
and clears her throat.

Goldie pages: Sorry, but I don't have a description on of the 'second'
costume. Goldie was wearing what looked to be a copy of Harriet's though.

You paged Goldie with 'Does she have a dog tag also?'.

Goldie carefully avoids looking directly at Zach and Harriet's little
byplay, regardless of any personal thoughts or interest she might have on
the matter. When Harriet cleared her throat, Goldie asks, "Yes?"

Zach peeks over at Goldie, and smiles impishly at her. "What's it say on
your tag, G?"

Harriet grins, winks at Goldie, then wanders back to floomp back on the
couch, stretching and yawning a bit.

Goldie, somewhat suprisingly, blushes at that question and hurried says,
"Never mind. It's about the same as Harriet's does." She pulled her
scattered wits back together and asked, "Anyway, won't Harriet get
jealous if you tried to take a look?"

Harriet shakes her head. "Nope. I've seen it, you know? If I'd had any
objections, I assure you I would have brought them up, then." She flaps a
hand. "Go forth, have fun, and with my love."

Zach smiles. "One of the many wonderful things about the Harriet, is that
she isn't much prone to jealousy." He now looks quiet curious about this
mysterious tag, since Harriet and Goldie knows facts he does not.

Goldie reddened a little more as her words were turned against her.
Carefully she put aside her bag and reached down in front of herself to
carefully hold the tag in question, still on its chain, up for Zach to
see if he cares to move close enough.

Goldie pages: The tag reads 'Property of You-Know-Who' on one side and
'Is it Zach or Harriet?' on the other side.

Harriet blinks as a sudden thought occurs to her, and she turns a more
intent look on Goldie, sitting up a bit, perhaps to see Zach's reaction
to the tag.

Zach steps over to inspect, and smiles as he sees what it says. But he
doesn't smooch Goldie, as he just did Harriet. Yet. "The answer is not
for me to decide," he says. Probably in answer to the question on the
tag. "However, please remember that my offer to share your quest stands.
Mull it over, keep it in mind. I'll be here if and when you need me, k?"

Goldie gave a slow nod, her blush not yet having faded, and removed the
chain from herself before closing her hand firmly around the tag. Leaning
down as well as the corset would permit her, she picked up bag once more.

Harriet squirms. She doesn't remember a question being involved on her
tag, and is suddenly very curious. She does her best to restrain it,
however. Zach gets a raised eyebrow, however.

Zach smiles and goes to get a spare pillow and bedsheets for the guest
'bed', not satisfying Harriet's curiosity. Let her burn. :)

Eventually, after a long day and an even longer evening and night, people
get into comfy nightclothes, get rid of more uncomfy, ahem, thingies, and
get some sleep. Well, the mortals get sleep. The angel gets to patrol, as
usual.

The End...

*******


[And a little out-take. Reading and memorizing descs is important, kids.
Painful mistakes can happen if you don't. Behold...]


Zach peers at the tag, then grabs it and the chain, pulling Harriet's
head closer and kissing her smilingly. *smooch* "I like that tag. I
really, really do... Now, my next question is, do you have one too, G?"
he asks innocently.

<OOC> Harriet owies! That chain's not around her neck! :p

<OOC> Zach says, "What??"

<OOC> Zach 0.0

<OOC> Harriet says, "It's attached to her nipples. *coughcough*"

<OOC> Goldie grins, "Recall the the description of what the 'costume'
was?"

<OOC> Zach says, "Oh crap. :) Retcon, please."

<OOC> Harriet's Breasts thank you. ;)

<OOC> Goldie nods.