Antoine in Wellington

[piwakawaka]

The door opens onto a patio that's full of a huge family working on a barbeque and other things.

There's a view over a city with a horseshoe harbor and a wind that threatens to blow you over if you walk the wrong way.

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[ecrivez-moivite.livejournal.com]

A broad grin is immediately on his features, and he takes care in moving, gust blowing his dark hair this way and that.

"It's beautiful," he says to Tiwa, trying his best to be inconspicuous. How well this works out, it remains to be seen.

[piwakawaka]

Three women who are full of bustle come over, one scolding Tiwa as they drop a bit into Maori as the oldest one descends on him,

"You're a Dreamer, good. Now what's your beer?"

Tiwa can be seen in the background chopping potatoes and throwing them at one of the boys. The family is a strange mixture of Maori and a bit of everything else you can imagine. They may not all be related in obvious ways but this is family.

[ecrivez-moivite.livejournal.com]

It's fairly overwhelming.

"Ah --"

Flail.

"I have no preference, whatever is, ah, available?"

[piwakawaka]

His cheeks are patted once more as a cold Tui is put into his hand,

"Can you cook or can you chop? Tiwa, what's the dreamer's name?"

"He's Antoine and be nice to him, he's been in a desert."

One of the boys who just got tackled looks at Antoine, there's a bit of something incredibly elegant in his muddy red hair,

"Which desert?"

Tiwa answers back with a potato,

"Liam, you can ask him yourself, but no riding, he's broken enough things."

[ecrivez-moivite.livejournal.com]

"I can do either," he offers, a little timidly.

He's itching to get to his sketchbook. These people are so, so distinctive, he imagines they'd be remarkable to draw.

"The Sahara," Antoine says, in reply to Liam.

"I crashed there a few days ago."

[piwakawaka]

Liam somehow gets out from under the large Maori and he comes over to help Tiwa with the potatoes,

"You crashed, what did you crash?"

He has a smoothness to him that Tiwa doesn't. Tiwa laughs and puts a knife and a mango into Antoine's hands,

"Cut that up for dessert and don't mind Liam, he wishes he had a flying horse so he could fly and ride at the same time."

"Not all of us have wings, Ti."

"Or fancy names."

"Least I'm trusted with a sword."

"Not fair."

And Tiwa throws a potato, Liam ducks and it heads towards Antoine.

[ecrivez-moivite.livejournal.com]

Antoine is about to reply when there is a rogue potato flying at his head.

One thing to note about Antoine is that he is a gangly sort of individual. Opposed to his Bond-verse doppelganger, he is bordering on six feet, but like his Bond-verse doppelganger, is made out of bones, muscle, and skin.

Watching him dodge the potato is something like watching a swan suddenly uproot itself from the water's surface and go charging somewhere else.

It catches him on the back of the head anyway.

[piwakawaka]

Tiwa giggles and comes over, "Oh sorry, are you alright?"

Liam shakes his head, "Don't mind her, she's too fluttery."

"I'm not fluttery, I'm a bird."

"See, that's my point."

[ecrivez-moivite.livejournal.com]

"I - um!"

Fortunately, he is only disoriented, not floored, so he doesn't have to embarrass himself trying to get up.

"I'm fine." He grins, just to prove his point.

"Just warn me the next time the air raid goes by."

[piwakawaka]

"Of course."

Tiwa's mother looks over at them both and sighs,

"Be nice or else you'll all be washing dishes."

A chorus of yeses are heard as Tiwa goes back to finishing the potatoes,

"All done, Mum. I'm going to show Antoine the city."

"Yes, but be back for dinner.

"Yes, Mum."

She grabs his hand and brings him through a gate and out towards a few of the city.

[ecrivez-moivite.livejournal.com]

Antoine barely has time to say, "Thank you for having me here," before he's whisked off.

He keeps good pace with Tiwa, his other hand held out from his side in an attempt to keep his balance.

[piwakawaka]

She stops when they're at the University and grins at him,

"Hope that wasn't too crazy."

[ecrivez-moivite.livejournal.com]

"Wasn't too bad," he says, with a crooked smile.

"I've been through worse."

[piwakawaka]

"They like you."

Students flow around them, laughing and worrying as Tiwa starts to lead into down the hill to the main city.

[ecrivez-moivite.livejournal.com]

"You think so?"

This seems to make him a little happier, and he does his best to keep close to her and out of the way of the students.

[piwakawaka]

She turns to start walking backwards, just missing students,

"Of course they did. If you're not careful, Liam will corner you and ask you tons of questions."

[ecrivez-moivite.livejournal.com]

He can't help but worry once she turns, but at least it facilitates conversation.

"I'll try to watch myself, then," he says, nodding slightly.

"Does he - does he train horses? I think you mentioned something about them ..?"

His English: occasionally lacking.

[piwakawaka]

"He's training to be a knight so he goes riding."

She just dodges a group of loud girls as they move out of the University and she heads towards some steps to the city.

[ecrivez-moivite.livejournal.com]

"It's lovely here," he says, a little absentmindedly.

"Have you ever visited Paris?"

[piwakawaka]

"No, been to Australia a few times."

[ecrivez-moivite.livejournal.com]

"Remind me to take you some time when my door does not open onto a desert."

[piwakawaka]

"Really? I've heard its so big and just full of artists."

[ecrivez-moivite.livejournal.com]

"Ah, but that is the tourist view. I know Paris like the back of my hand."

[piwakawaka]

"Only way to see a city is with someone who knows it."

As they start going down the steps, she turns forwards and in a moment they're in the midst of a busy shopping street full of all sorts of people. A large Maori man with a full facial tattoo walks by and greets Tiwa who grins and says something to him in Maori before he moves on.

[ecrivez-moivite.livejournal.com]

He just grins and nods in response to that.

As they pass the Maori man, he bobs his head in what he hopes is an acceptably respectful manner, and, all in all, seems fairly overwhelmed. There's much too much to see.