Handstands and Summersaults

The grandness of the hotel was worthy of, well, a Krum. The lobby was large, with white marble floors that produced a soft clicking sound every time Mira took a step. From the outside it hadn't looked like much - just another small inn settled into the side of a old stone building. Although it had started as a wizards hideout (giving it the wide open spaces where wide open spaces really shouldn't fit), the hotel was open to any muggles who happened to stumble upon it. Because of it's lack of muggle protection charms it had become a little too known in the non-magical community for some wizards. But even with the muggle presence Mira couldn't help but be swept up in the enchanting atmosphere of the space. On her back she had a small backpack that was magically expanded to contain several changes of clothes and everything else she would need for a weekend away. On her body was a dress that she had fallen in love with and succumbed to buying. And by her side? By her side was Elijah Nathaniel Krum. What a strange, wonderful world this was.

Mira still wasn't quite sure what she was doing here with him. He had invited her over breakfast one morning.. and she had accepted. Mira was still blown away by the kindness that the whole household had shown her over the last month by taking her in and accepting her as one of their own. And it had been so very comfortable there until the reality of the situation had set in. The most binding connection she in the house was Athena, who had no authority or ownership of the place. Elijah had been being too kind to her but she shouldn't be trespassing on his hospitality. Beyond their longstanding family bonds he owed her nothing. Sure, the couple had their moments of intimacy over the last months but Mira had wisely chosen to read nothing into it. Casual was their specialty. This was a trip of.. friendship?

But even with this knowledge planted firmly in her mind she couldn't help but have to consciously think about not reaching out and touching his arm. To stop herself from watching his lips as he spoke, wondering what they tasted like. These thoughts were dangerous. He wasn't hers to think about and never would be again. The pair approached the front desk, bags and identification in hand. Mira smoothed down her dress unconsciously. Being here in Paris was going to be amazing. Mira hadn't spent much time in the city but it had always held a certain mystery and allure to her. She wanted to be a tourist for awhile and forget what life was like back home.

Paris in the middle of summer stunk but that didn’t take away from the charm of the city. It was a smell of raw sewage, cigarette smoke, fresh bread and wine; that was what it was. Elijah’s time in Paris had been spent in perhaps one of the dingiest parts and suddenly he found himself in a rather upmarket nook that didn’t suit him at all but he figured he’d make some effort considering he’d wanted to impress Mira in some fashion or another, not just resort back to his old ways in Paris. He was going to relax, of course, and drink an almost offensive amount of wine, but he wasn’t going to treat Paris quite like he had done in the past. He had company now, and important company at that.

Elijah wanted to, as mentioned, impress Mira and he didn’t think the way to do that was to lollop around and get ridiculously drunk. No, he’d have to wine and dine her then get ridiculously drunk. But really, he had a plan at hand and as he neared the time he was becoming increasingly antsy and desperate to say things that he should have said years ago. He was nervous, granted, but he figured he really didn’t have anything to lose anymore. He knew what he wanted; it was just about getting it now.

Elijah left Mira’s side momentarily in the foyer of the hotel and moved to the front desk where he spoke briefly with the woman there who handed him the key to their room: a suite on the third floor. Elijah then moved back to Mira and gestured for them to take the lift, having already clocked the stairs and deciding against them considering their steepness. The entered the lift which whisked them up onto the third floor in no time. They stepped out onto the third floor and Elijah took her bag from her and gestured for her to go ahead, handing her the key to their room.

The room was white based but accented with gold and thoroughly beautiful. When they entered the room, Elijah placed their bags down by the door and slipped off his shoes, shrugging his jacket off and hanging it onto one of the pegs mounted on the wall and crossing the room to where the balcony was, opening the double doors and peaking out to find a table and chairs with, of course, an ash tray on top. Elijah was naturally tempted to have a cigarette but he decided to put it off, taking the pack from his back pocket anyway and tossing it onto the table. He then turned around and looked at Mira, smiling a little.

“What do you think?” He asked.

Being here in Paris felt like an infringement on Elijah's territory. It had always been his city without question, ever since he had spent time here as a youngling. For this reason his invitation to join him had felt even more special to her. Never before had he allowed her into even the fringes of his world. Mira knew this wasn't his normal standard of living while here. She had heard horror stories of the whores and booze and shady places that he indulged himself in while traveling to the city of love. A few years ago the idea of him in those conditions had amused her. He had always been an idiot, and frankly a whore himself, and she had no problem with him continuing those patterns. But now just the thought turned her stomach a little bit. She had gotten too soft around him.. Caring about him in ways that would only lead to disappointment. Elijah was incapable of change.

But it was easy to pretend that he was. "You've outdone yourself." she responded with a easygoing smile. "I'm dutifully impressed." The fact that there was a single king bed as the centerpiece of the room didn't bother her at all. She was on a vacation with Elijah Krum, what else could she expect? She had known it would be this way and selfishly that had been one of her reasons for accepting. Somehow they had managed well enough while still back in the busy manor but out here it would be just the two of them. Mira would be allowed to indulge herself in her fantasies here. Just for a little while.

She crossed the room, dropping her bag on the bed as she passed and headed out on to the balcony that overlooked the street below. On it was a table and chairs with not much room otherwise. The view overlooked the city in all of it's glory. It was truly magical here and Mira began to wonder why she had never demanded to be taken before. "Do you have any plans for this afternoon?" she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. "Or do I have the honor of your company?" she gave him a cheeky smile. Mira knew she shouldn't assume that Eli was going to spend the whole trip around her and that it would be better to ask now, than to wait until this evening to find out that he was going out and she had to amuse herself for the night.

Honestly, Mira had no idea what to expect from the trip. It was very possible that he had just asked her to be polite and was planning on leaving her here in luxury while he pranced off to have heated affairs with every bimbo in the city. It wouldn't surprise her. But it didn't mean it wouldn't hurt her any less.

Paris was most beautiful for the flowers it boasted this time of year. Elijah could imagine the stalls in the market place, abloom with such beautiful buds that were all of different, intermingling aromas. Elijah couldn’t wait to take her down into the market, show her the foods and the jewellery made by both amateurs and experts but all to an inexplicably high quality. He knew that it was there that he’d spend a fortune on nonsense that mattered but would in years to come fall into disrepair, to the point where he questioned his motivations behind buying it. But as he stood there, he found himself listing dozens of places to go, the pair of them. He could only just prevent the silly smile from lighting up his face. It was there though, beneath his mild curiosity, brewing.

Elijah’s smile beamed across his face at her compliment and he bounced a little on the balls of his feet, rushing across the room to take her bags and jacket from her, hurrying to put them into their designated places – i.e. the furniture that corresponded with them. He smiled giddily at her before slipping off his jacket, draping it over hers on the chair tucked beneath the table in living area of the suite. “I’m glad you like it!” Elijah told her, genuinely, his smile continuing to widen across his face. “I wanted to make sure everything was perfect for you.”

Joining her out on the balcony, Elijah placed a tentative hand on her lower back as he drew in close to her. He glanced down at her and shrugged his shoulders a little before looking out at the gorgeous view that was presented to them. “I have plans for us. I have nowhere else to be. Unless of course, you saw something you’d like to visit?”

Despite being in the heart of Paris, the balcony was high enough that the view overlooked what seemed like the whole city. The sight was truly spectacular and Mira was sure it would be even more so by night. As she gazed over it she heard her traveling companion join her and she turned to greet him with a smile as he came to her. He pulled her close and she moved towards him gratefully. He smelled intoxicatingly lovely. But maybe it just seemed that way to her because she knew that smell so well. Elijah spoke and Mira smiled warmly at his words. 

"Oh, no. I'm happy to leave you as planner." Mira put an exaggerated hand to her forehead and pretended to swoon. "I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth!" she called dramatically before standing back up with a giggle. Mira slipped her arms around Elijah's neck loosely and looked up at him. She bit her bottom lip, constantly self conscious about how she acted. Was she being an idiot? Too easy? Too hard to get? For a girl who had a little too much self assurance, no one knew how to make her second guess herself like Elijah did. But at this moment Mira knew she was genuinely happy. The nervous way that Elijah bounced around the room put a warm in her heart and her nerves at ease. She couldn't help but love this boy. 

Mira followed Elijah's gaze out over the view of the city. There was a long moment of silence before the blonde spoke. "I don't think I ever thanked you properly.." she began, tearing her eyes away from the city and back to Eli. Realizing her vagueness, she corrected herself. "For letting me stay I mean. I don't know how to repay you." she gave him a bittersweet smile. "You're too good to me." Sure, for the longest time he had been an all around ass. But last year Mira had been the one to break all the promises. She had been the one leaving without a reason. So when it had finally come Elijahs turn to forgive and forget he had done so in ways that Mira would never have been able to. She didn't care what people said about him - Elijah Krum was a good man. So Mira offered him a soft smile and tentatively balanced on her tiptoes to reach up and softly brush his lips with a kiss. Because a kiss was worth a thousand words.