August 22nd, 1888 — Padmore Park
11pm, Summer Solstice Festival

"It's alright, Miss Lynch - I'll let you win next time." he said smugly.

After meeting face-to-face a little over an hour ago near one of the game booths, Edric and February had proceeded to play a game a cards under the watchful eye of a dealer whose tricks he was now beginning to question. A card-counter he was not, but he was sure - no, he was positive - that the same card from a single deck had shown up more than once. Fortunately, luck had ultimately seen him win, and with the win came a prize: a small stuffed unicorn that he immediately passed into the arms of Febby with a cheeky grin.

He'd managed to address her properly throughout the entire evening, and had done his best to avoid any alcoholic drinks; he would not be responsible for making a fool of himself (or worse, her) while under the influence. When the crowd had begun murmuring of the starting burlesque show, Edric had subtly nudged her arm and motioned with his head for them to follow, hoping that blending in would be the best way to avoid sticking out in the crowd.

"Have you ever been to a burlesque show?" he asked, turning his attention to both Febby and her chaperon for the evening, the Mrs. Harding. He'd never been before, and admittedly his understanding of what the show would entail was limited to the risque posters plastered around the carnival grounds.

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— set by MJ! —

With a very amused Mrs. Harding in tow for the evening, and thankfully none of her sisters, though September had started out with them, until one of her friends coerced her away with their chaperon, Febby had thoroughly enjoyed her evening this far. It was far more difficult than she'd anticipated however, to be appropriately distant throughout their adventure. Thankfully now with her prize in hand, a goofy-looking, if adorable stuffed unicorn, she could at least occupy her hands.

"Mhm, that would be the gentlemanly thing to do. But I am a wee bit competitive, so I'll not let you throw it on purpose." She passed him a fleeting, knowing smile, while Mrs. Harding snorted from her position behind them. Febs cast her a look over her shoulder, a hint of a smirk, knowing Mrs. H. was not fooled in the slightest.

Following the nudge to join the crowd, Febby fell into step beside Edric. "I have not, but I've heard good things. I'm quite intrigued." Judging by the posters around the fair, it did seem like something she would enjoy.

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Edric tried not to snort, knowing that it wasn't appropriate to do so in public. With her, he felt he could let his guard down and be who he really was, expect it wasn't who he really was; there was no time in Edric's existence where he'd been this comfortable with someone - even Sydney and his other friends - outside of an environment where drinks were repeatedly being put in his hands. It left him with a feeling that people just knew, and as such he felt oddly paranoid with every gaze he caught as they made their way towards the tent.

He had to be careful not to let his hand brush hers, lest people catch on that they were far more familiar with each other than they should be. While a publicly courting couple might be able to get away with a few harmless touches, he and Febby - Miss Lynch, he reminded himself - had not been seen together since the hospital, and even then they hadn't been friendly. They needed to seem like near strangers, but that was near impossible.

"In all fairness, I'm not even sure if I did win," he added casually. "I think the dealer was trying to cheat both of us out of a win - or at least take as much as they could before they let us." A simple game of toss might have been better for avoiding scamming carnies; it was hard to make that look fake.

"They're supposed to be parodying popular plays." He just hoped that they weren't as indecent as some of the posters suggested - the last thing he needed was to be staring at a half-naked woman with Febby in tow.

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— set by MJ! —

Febby merely smiled and shrugged. "Likely, they're all rigged to woo us out of money." But it was all in the name of a little harmless fun, so it wasn't as if she was taking it too seriously. As they stepped into the tent, Febs realized she missed if there was a poster indicating what the show would be exactly, but was also confident enough in her widespread reading interests, that she'd likely know whatever story it was they would choose.

The stands, she supposed she could call them (it wasn't like a normal theater after all), weren't all that full yet, so Febs picked out a spot near the middle, Mrs. H. making herself comfortable in the row behind them. She was just perfect in her chaperoning skills, clearly there, but rarely noticeable, until Febs noticed her laughing at them or rolling her eyes every once in a while. Thankfully it was Mrs. H's presence who reminded Febs to mind her manners when all she wanted to do was tangle her fingers in his.

"I'm curious to know which story they're doing." Febs settled her hands in her lap, wrapped tightly around her unicorn, making sure to keep an appropriate amount of distance between them. Merlin this was hard. She hadn't anticipated how hard it would be to pretend you were unfamiliar with somebody when you were anything but.

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Edric managed a smile at her comment, but no more and no less. He wasn't exactly known (nor was he really, all things considered) a cheerful sort of man, and he didn't wish to look too vibrant or too happy - or maybe he was just overthinking things. He followed her to the center, silently wishing they could have sat farther back; that they might have have at least gotten away with hold hands between the seats or something.

"Who knows," he replied with a light chuckle. He really didn't care, either; he knew he'd be spending half the show giving her little side-glances. He was already doing that. Luckily for him, the crowd soon began to pour through the tents, forcing everyone to sit closer together. With a quiet "pardon me" to the person on the other side of him, he took the chance to scoot closer to February so his arm might brush up against hers.

It was good enough given the circumstances.

"I hope you've been enjoying yourself. These sort of things -" At least the magical sort. "- don't regularly come around." And they wouldn't come again, presumably, after the carnies were stranded during the fog.

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— set by MJ! —

It was strange to Febs to see Edric so reserved, even their last public scene had been a lot of bickering, but she supposed they both needed to watch themselves this evening, just to make sure they didn't give anyone anything to gossip about. She also felt rather privileged to be the one to get to see the other sides of himself that he clearly didn't often share with people (or at all), though sometimes she wished he would open up a little. She knew that was asking a lot though. Not to mention she kind enjoyed getting more of him all to herself. After tonight however, sure would certainly need a late night visit just to get all her snuggles in.

As more people filed into the stands, Febs slid closer, feeling a rush of warmth through her system when they accidentally bumped up against one another. She'd used one hand to help adjust her position and she subtly brushed her fingers against his as she brought that hand back to her lap. "I'm having a lovely evening, thank you." She cast him a sideways, subtle look and a sheepish smile. This was pretty reserved for her too, though she was always quite expressive and straightforward, she was trying not to make any kind of spectacle of herself tonight. She just wanted to enjoy his company and not have too many curious glances cast their way.

Trying not to get too wrapped up in her own head, Febs took a moment to look over the set for the evening, though a castle could mean any number of tales, she thought that was a good start. About to say something further, her query went unsaid as the lights dimmed and things got rolling. All she could do now was smile at him and keep stealing glances or of the corner of her eye.

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The feeling of her fingers brushing against his brought him goosebumps. It was silly, he thought, that despite the nights they'd spent together - sometimes completely nude - the simple feeling of her hand against his could evoke such thrill. He rationalized that it was the secrecy, the taboo, of what they'd done, and how they were now parading around as if they were strangers or mere acquaintances at most. It was almost like a game.

He tilted his head towards her and flashed a knowing smile; with the lights dimmed and everyone's eyes on the stage, it would be easier to steal glances and innocent touches.

Then the show started, and Edric's eyes widened uncharacteristically at the characters that came marching out onto the stage: a woman whose bare legs showed, an older woman dressed in gentleman's clothes, and - was that a man as a woman? He cast Febby a sideways glance, trying to to catch her gaze.

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— set by MJ! —

It was hard to keep her hands resolutely in her lap, she'd probably already been a little too daring, but it was ever so hard to go backwards in so many respects that she had to remind herself that if they were going to make this work, they had to play the part, just for a little while. Merlin she couldn't wait to actually get her hands on him again. It was terrible really, but she supposed there was some kind of fun to it. Trying to steal a look or a touch here and there, hoping nobody noticed. Like a game of chance with just enough thrill to it to keep her interested.

The show started and Febs was momentarily distracted by it, laughing along with the crowd as the cast came along the stage. It was highly amusing, and Febs rather thought this was going to be a Shakespeare parody of some sort. She wasn't overly familiar with his set of work, but hopefully it would be one of the more popular ones. It wasn't quite as funny if you didn't know the real story, or so she'd been told.

She watched for another moment before chancing a glace at Edric, only to find him doing the same. A little shiver went down her spine and her slow smile was pure reflex by now, but she had to remember that was all she could do in the moment. With Mrs. H. right behind them (laughing loudly at the antics on stage no less) it wasn't too hard to forget to be good, but it was more that she didn't want to. Someday soon, they wouldn't have to worry about things like this and that would have to suffice for now.

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The thought of doing this for months - parading around in public with her without any touches or any indication that they were as close as they truly were - was was depressing one, but he would do it if it made February comfortable. Despite reassuring her that he could find a way to make it work if need be, she'd been determined to have a public relationship before tying the know; he supposed he'd have to manage.

(Though, if their public outings continued to prove painful, she might begin to believe he didn't want to marry her. They needed to find something they could do together, where they could be seen but had a better opportunity for privacy, so they might not bore themselves to death - and be able to steal a kiss or two.)

He leaned towards her through the laughs of the crowd.

"I must admit, I'm not really one for plays." Not when the alternative was having her in bed right now. "I might big you goodnight once it's over," he added, his smirk an unspoken message that she was welcome, too.

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— set by MJ! —

It turned out that the story of the show was not one she knew and therefore wasn't quite as enjoyable as she'd hoped. Mrs. H. on the other hand was roaring with laughter; Febs had no idea her housekeeper read Shakespeare!

She marveled at that notion for a second before her thoughts were interrupted with the best thing she'd heard all night. Rolling her head to the side to look at him, she felt a little jolt of anticipation run through her veins. That smirk on his lips, she knew exactly what it meant, an invitation. Just the notion of getting out of here and into his bed made her heartbeat race.

Febby leaned toward him conspiratorially, a small smirk curling her own lips. "I don't know this one, I'm afraid, it's not as amusing if you don't know the story. Mrs. Harding seems to be enjoying herself however. She's been such a good sport, I'll let her enjoy her fun for a little while." She paused and added in the softest of whispers, barely audible over the buzz if the crowd. "Then it will be my turn." Thank Merlin for that!

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