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 Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 10:11 pm
Zoe's attention fell away from her phone as Ryan began to lead her toward and up the fire escape, putting her attention into the climb they were about to undertake. She managed with relative ease, traversing the harsh metal with sure feet, as if she had been born in a pair of heels. No, not born, she thought to herself, awakened. Walking in a pair of heels was a hell of a lot easier than leaping across buildings or running from youma in them, even with the lack of dexterity and skill she had as a civilian. There were few things in the world that would surprise her as much as her own second life continued to and Ryan, whoever he was and hinted at being, would have to try pretty damn hard to make her bat an eyelash. As her gaze drifted over his back and across the set of his shoulders, she had to wonder if there was someone else lurking under the skin of her would-be suitor. A Senshi? Mm, she didn't think him the type and he seemed too sweet for the Negaverse. A knight, perhaps - Jupiter? Or Uranus? The consideration ended abruptly as he pushed open the door and the sound of the club swelled out into the night, bleeding through the opening like a fresh wound. It was at once both startling and comforting and she felt it jar her deep to the bones, drawing her in and promising everything she'd ever loved about the seedy nightlife. She followed him automatically as he stepped inside, drifting after him with the use of her peripherals, while her eyes turned out to look at all pieces that made this club what it was. It had a gothic cirque feel to it - and sex appeal in heaps. A small, pleased smile pulled at her lips before her attention was drawn back to the woman that had, once again, come to speak with him in Russian. "Alright, see you there," she chimed back, reaching out to take the hand of the pretty doll that had greeted them. She was intrigued by the mystery that seemed to surround them and though she could not be said to be over eager to explore it, she definitely seemed interested in digging through the layers. She tossed one last glance at Ryan, at Rurik, so that she could remember what he'd looked like when he showed up - polished and formal, the perfect suitor for her father's eyes. As she let the girl begin to lead her away, she found herself wondering what he'd seem like when she got back. It was an absolutely thrilling list of possibilities.
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 10:34 am
The black haired woman held Zoe's hand tight, fingers intertwined as the walked across the balcony. Ryan gave the two a small salute before they finally disappeared around the corner and into a back room. The woman's eyes were golden, sharp and feline like a cat's and were accentuated even more by deep smoked eyeshadow and pointed liner. She looked back at Zoe through long false eyelashes with a curious gaze. Her voice was deep and sultry feminine in a way unique to russian women. "I was frightened for Rurik, we all were very worried. But it seems like I was afraid without reason." She smiled Zoe's way, it was small and worried but very genuine, making her dark lips stretch out and appear even bigger.
"I am glad he brought you here, we were all very curious and the conspiracies were driving me mad." The doll like creature raised her hand to her head before she rolled her neck in an animated way to visualise insanity.
The room the two women found themselves was not large by any means, it was narrow, long and brightly lit. Across one side of the wall was a countertop with stools tucked underneath, on the marble surface was a range of body products, perfume, makeup and lotions alike. Above it was a mirror that was the length of the room and outlined with lightbulbs with accessories draping down from above - almost reminiscent of old films. On the opposite wall to the mirror they was a long wardrobe with a sliding door that once again ran from one end to the other. There were a few open chests further back, filled with props that varied from feathered fans to things that looked more sinister.
The black haired woman grabbed the handle with long fingers and walked the door from one end to the other, revealing a range of costumes inside: from latex dresses, jackets of all kinds, corsets, harnesses, skirts and a variety of costumes that all had a rather cirque du gothic theme. She backed up slightly and then grabbed a bunch of hangers from the far side.
"These are where we keep all our clothes for the shows, these are mine, feel free to pick what you like. I think we might be the same size?"
She grabbed three or four leather jackets: all varied in colour from black to light pink, but all of which were decorated in spikes, lace and small chains. From their uniqueness it was quite obvious that they had been heavily modified, but by no means did that mean that they looked cheap or poorly made. The woman laid the jackets out on the counter and waved her hand to indicate that the red head could examine and choose between them.
She then took a seat on one of the stools, taking this chance to look at the girl in proper light. "It might be an unfair question. But can I ask what you think of the young master? Of this place? Do you... like it? I might be able to reply to questions that he can not." She brushed her curled hair over one shoulder, running her fingers through it as she looked at the girl.
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 12:59 pm
So here, he was Rurik - not even simply Rurik, but the young master. It left her wondering where the line was divided between Rurik and Ryan and what could possibly, in all of Destiny City, earn him the title of master. Zoe felt her curiosity beginning to get the best of her, especially as she followed the woman into the room and took her first glance over the props and costumes that were so neatly arranged. She offered her a smile as she spoke, but for a moment was simply distracted, admiring the set-up and all of the pieces that were clearly altered by a deft hand. Zoe ran a finger across the lace and spikes of the jackets, the attention to detail not lost upon her. She wanted to greet the girl with the same joking demeanor, the hook and bait she had used with Rurik, but the cirque doll seemed like a kind heart. If she was worried about Rurik, someone she found herself questioning if anyone should be terribly worried about, then there was a sweetness here she didn't want to step on. "I think it makes sense to be worried about someone in a situation like this. I envy that not everyone he knows was so ready to throw him to the wolves." Her fingers stopped over a leather jacket, cropped short, with small studded spikes dotting the shoulders. It was easy enough to pull on - the girl had been right, they were very close to the same size. It settled over her shoulders comfortably and she tucked a hand into the pocket to deposit her phone. "Do you alter these yourself?" Her eyes were trailing down the sleeves now as she pulled them straight, though they lifted to look at her for a brief moment where she sat on the stool. She was crossing to the make-up station when the question landed on her ears and for a moment, she busied herself with picking through the bits and pieces of things that littered the countertop. Her fingers tightened around a bottle of liquid eyeliner and she leaned in to the mirror as she finally spoke, drawing on a flair of cat-eyes over her smoky makeup. The precision and steadiness of her hand suggested that she'd done it a thousand times. "I have to admit that I'm probably the one most in the dark in this.. deal. My father obviously knows something, has something that he wants from Boris and I've no doubt, by the way that he phrases things, that Rurik knows - or can at least guess - what that is." She had switched to carefully line the opposite eye now, though she spared a glance to connect eyes with the woman through the mirror before she began. "I'm not trying to pry into it. Whether I know or not won't make a difference in this deal and I feel as if.." she paused, for a moment, to figure out what it was she wanted to say, "as if it's in my best interest to be a little in the dark, as much as that grates my nerves." Zoe was a woman that liked to know everything from the tiny detail to the greater picture. Not knowing was killing her a little. She gave her eyes one last look over before she capped the liner and began rummaging through the different shades of lipstick - hers was in the car and now, after two prints left on different cheeks, it was faded. She plucked a dark plum shade and applied it - there was just enough purple to it to offset the green of her dress and it brought out the color of her eyes. Content with the look, she turned to face her escort again. "As for Rurik? He's handsome, I'll give him that, and charming in a rogue-ish way. This place is.. unexpected, I have to admit, but I like it." She let her gaze flicker around the room again, before settling on her once more. "My mother would hate it, and I love that too. They've spent a long time trying to tame me with boring politician's sons, so Rurik is.. an interesting change. A challenge I'm excited over, if I'm perfectly honest."
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Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 1:50 pm
"I think it would be more accurate to say we are the wolves. Our pack, our family, it is very precious to me." The woman grabbed a perfume off of the side and squeezed the poof to release the scent. It was a strong scent of vanilla with berries that made it sweet like candy. "You will become very precious to me." She stated, flipping her hair back out of the way before she stood up. The woman tightened the straps around her waist, she had been corset trained but not to the point of looking abnormal. She looked at herself in the mirror, picking and altering her costume and hair until she looked pristine and ready to return to the floor, where she would dance and serve drinks to the early hours.
"Some, the girls often decorate the clothes. Sometimes we decorate each others as a surprise." There were many times where she would return after a long night to see someone had altered her outfits and it always made her heart warm, like there was a bit of everyones personality within her wardrobe reminding her of her friends. Every costume they wore was unique and that was the goal; so people would never be able to find or buy the things they saw when visiting the club.
"Boris is. Well, Boris is a bit of a c**t and if was not for him, this situation would not be a thing." Her face twinged a bit, a sorrow in her eyes that suggested that she knew she should not be saying such things outloud. The woman can not remember the last time the two saw eye to eye, he had sold the goodness in his heart for profit. He was not the man he once was, she had lost that so long ago and the thought still made her heart bleed. "He is one that has been blessed with money, connections and power. For now, yes maybe it is best you do not ask questions. Not because it is in your best interest not to know, that is very false. But because, first you should understand the man Rurik is." She walked over to the other woman and rested her hands of the girl's shoulders, looking at them both in the mirror.
A smirk came on her face at Zoe's comment. "Rurik is the most handsome man in the world, I am convinced this is the case. He has the body of an acrobat, the style of a rockstar, an open mind and a kind heart. Everything that I ever could have wished." She gushed, though it was clear to see that every word she said she held true.
"I am glad you like it, that was another fear or mine." The black haired woman looked around the room, she was quite fond of the place herself. "When I was a girl like you, I lost many people and I was told how to speak, what to wear, how to live my life. When the world was dark I dreamed of a place that was meant purely to make people happy, to celebrate how unique the world was, that would inspire creativity. Rurik grew up around a bearded lady, a strong man, magicians, burlesque dancers, fire breathers, acrobats, clowns and every trope you can imagine. He sees the world as magical because he was lucky enough to be moulded by this place that was only meant for happiness - but that dark world that I saw, it is only ever just outside that door and we can never forget. Not really and he knows this too without us ever having to exchange words." She sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. Her tone was serious but after a moment she smiled, leaning down to put her head next to Zoe's so she was able to whisper in her ear. The music from outside continued to leak in the small dressing room that so many people used and bonded in.
"He has brought you to a most sacred place. So I ask you woman to woman, open your heart to possibility and you will not disappointed, just please do not hurt him."
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 11:05 am
Despite Zoe's natural inclination towards playful banter and diversions to avoid admitting her true feelings, something about the woman and the way she spoke was incredibly honest and soft. It wasn't the prickling, thinly veiled predator she faced in her mother's social circles, but something else. A woman who dreamed of happiness and creativity? Zoe felt her heart soften as the truth she heard in the words connected with her on a level very few ever did. Zoe was told how to speak, what to wear, how to live her life - that was the entire reason she was even standing next to this woman. Every word she said spoke to a part of her that was holed up, hidden away, so that the vicious social vultures had nothing to pick apart and consume. If she gave nothing, there was nothing to hold against her. She had become that same cold predator in her world of dog eat dog, of using words to cut deeper than swords. The playful smile faded from her lips and the rigidness in her stance softened beneath the hands on her shoulders, drawing her eyes to stare at the pair of them in the mirror. She searched the older woman's face for a sign of her age but found mostly that it was indeterminable - she didn't have Zoe's youth, but neither did she seem old. Whoever she was, in whatever relation she held to Rurik, she was calm wisdom and love. In the few minutes she had spent with Zoe, she felt more at peace with her than she ever had with her own mother. You will become very precious to me."I wouldn't hurt him," she answered softly, wearing her honesty open then, the facade of the strong socialite disintegrated in the safety of the room, "it would be unfair to hurt the only person that's sharing this burden with me." Yet she heard the distance in her words even as she spoke them, the detachment she had spent so long forcing that it was now just a habit. Avoid the feelings, admit to the situation. There was a small frown, a note of disappointment in herself, so she tried again. "And I mean to give him a chance, I really do. He's already surprised me more times tonight than I expected, between this place and.. well." She trailed off and smiled slightly as she remembered the way he'd pulled her back and pinned her to the car. That didn't seem like something she needed to share, though she remembered his flair of dominance fondly. She was always quietly pleased when a man had the gall to stand up to her. "and just being who he is," she finished. Her bright eyes turned away from the woman in the mirror, to look sidelong at her instead, to really see her with no illusion separating them. "Thank you, for this. I've known this was inevitable, for a long time, but maybe the universe has given me some kindness in my father's final choice."
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 1:53 pm
"That is all I wanted to hear... Thank you." The gratitude was clear to see on her face, her eyes aglow with life and hope. She nodded her head in approval and opened the door. The music came rushing through louder, the serious undertone that lay thick in the room was washed away with the light from the party happening just down the hall. "I will take you back. Come now - the night is running away from us." With that she exited the room and lead Zoe back to Ryan, she had wasted too much of the young ladies time. The golden eyed woman walked with a spring in her step, her spirits clearly lifted and made obvious by the fact she smiled and greeted everyone she walked past.
The two women made their way across the balcony like they did before, along one side were four of five doors and the older woman opened the one closest to them. It lead to a room that was draped in purple, the back wall was one giant mirror, in the middle of the room was a glass table which was surrounded by ornate loveseats. On the table were candles, two glasses and a bottle of champagne which was in a bucket of ice - there was also a large arabic looking bottle that was bubbling away, two long pipes came from its top. In the middle of the room hung a chandelier that glistened down and lit the windowless booth. The themes that were obvious outside were carried through, though this place seemed very intimate and small. It was also soundproofed in order to allow people to hold conversation, music however still played softly through speakers that must be hidden somewhere,
Rurik was sat on one of the seats, his arms spread across it in a casual way - one of the pipes hung from his mouth, releasing smoke above him. He was changed out of the suit and looking very different. For one he was wearing makeup, a pale foundation and dark shadow and liner around his eyes to make them look sunken. He had put on a tight pair of leather pants that tucked into some buckled ankle boots, secured with a spiked belt that chains hung from. He was wearing a black v-neck shirt that was tucked into his pants and a knee length jacket that was weathered and distraught, made to look almost post apocalyptic in style. He still wore his cross around his neck and a pair of leather gloves. He had had time to fix his nails too, which were now a solid matt black.
When the door opened he sat up straight, placing the pipe on the table before standing up. The black haired woman let Zoe through and then slowly shut the door behind her. Ryan walked over to Zoe, he placed his hands on his hips and leaned down to look dead in her eyes. "Welcome back." He winked at her again before he turned to pick up the two glasses on the table, they will filled with bubbling liquid.
"It seemed like you were gone forever, trust Mum to keep you talking."
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 2:50 pm
Even for all that she didn't know her well, that it was entirely unimportant to want to please her right now, Zoe felt a sense of relief that she had pleased the woman standing next to her. She saw the way her mood lifted, like some uneasiness had been unwound in her shoulders, and it was with a pleased smile that she trailed after her down the hallway back to her date. As the door shut behind her, Zoe turned to look, noting that the woman was gone. When she turned back to Ryan, he was standing in front of her, leaned down so that black make-up met black make-up. A curious glance started at the bottom of his feet and trailed up his legs, taking in the tightness of the leather, the jacket, the skin that peeked out beneath the V of his shirt. A single, orange brow rose as she finally met his golden eyes again. As she stared into them, she realized she had expected the words, almost before he spoke them. They had the same eyes. Even with all the darkness draped over him now, those eyes reminded her of his mother's, and all the kindness she had seen in them. "She's nicer than my mom, what can I say?" It didn't stop her from being surprised that she had a child Ryan's age, but it made sense, the way she had spoken of him and all the pride in her voice. She played it down with a cool smirk, practiced in her lack of over emotion. She moved as he turned to pick up the glasses, continuing her appraisal in a half circle around him, even sparing a glance for his butt in those leather pants as he leaned over the table. She was intrigued by the clothing - a flair he must have inherited from the woman that had left them alone now - and understood why, suddenly, he had hated the suit so much. Yet another surprise, though the smile at the corner of her lips seemed pleased. He certainly looked like men she'd brought home to give her mother a panic attack on several occasions - did her father know? She doubted it. The universe just kept on giving. As he turned to give her the glass, she stopped circling and came to stand next to him, close enough that their shoulders brushed. Her own darkly manicured hand grasped it delicately and brought it just beneath her nose, drawing in the scent of the bubbling liquid. Though she seemed interested in the drink of choice, her bright eyes looked up at him instead. "First question - how many piercings do you have? Out of completely innocent curiosity."
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 3:33 pm
Rurik raised an eyebrow as she circled like a shark. It was different to when she did it before, this time she was judging him on his own merit and that made it a little stranger. He circled the liquid in his own glass to distract himself from her gaze. She brushed against him and he lowered his head to look at her, finally getting to smell her hair like he wanted to do earlier. She had a lovely scent and he took it in with a small smile. "Oh God. Give me a second to count." He thought about the question for a moment and then turned to sit down on one of the loveseats, he crossed his legs and took a drink, fiery eyes trying to gage her mood and motives. The game of twenty questions had begun.
"I have two in my lips, one in my tongue, one in my septum, one in my nostril, eight in one ear, four in the other, one on the bridge of my nose. I have both nipples pierced, my belly button..." He recruited, playfully flexing his fingers as if to count, his foot also tapping along to the numbers he recruited. He had gotten so many so young, he hardly noticed them anymore. His piercings and tattoos were very much a part of him and something his mother only ever encouraged. When he did attend public school she would always stand up for him when the teachers criticised his looks, restricting his creativity was more offensive than disobeying the dress code in her eyes.
"22. I have done about half myself, so if you ever feel the urge to puncture your skin I am your guy." He stated, knowing full well that he had added one piercing on there that he did not state in his list. He winked at her and smiled, putting the glass to his lips and taking a long drink. "If you want to carry out an inspection I would be more than willing to let you." His voice was almost sultry, much more at ease in this new environment.
"My turn." He stated, putting the glass down on the table and leaning back in the seat, patting his hand on the cushion next to him to invite her close. The distance between them was unpleasant in his eyes, if he was going to explore her character he would rather do it close.
"Tell me Zoe. Do you have any surprises hiding under that dress of yours?" Girls with overbearing parents sometimes got tattoos in rebellion in places they would not look.
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 4:07 pm
She caught it, the small slip of the number, the one that didn't match what he had counted off in words or on his fingers. It made a single, well-sculpted brow arch but she buried her smirk in her glass, determined not to ask. At least not at that moment. She took a long, pleased sip of the drink before she crossed and folded herself into the seat at his side. With one leg tucked under her, she let the other drape to the floor, so that she could lean her side into the couch. The arm with the glass draped across the back and she faced him while he spoke, waiting for whatever question would be his first. It made her smile, again. "I would say that you're being very improper, but I suppose that's fair since I obviously don't have anything but ear piercings." And, because, her question had unintentionally covered the same subject. She hadn't missed it, and she wouldn't forget. "A belly button piercing that I got on a trip to Cancun when I was 16, and a watercolor mural that stretches from here -" she pointed at her right side, paralell to her belly button, and then again at her hip just below her pelvic bone, "-to here. And no, you don't get to see it right now." The words might have been sharp, but the tone was teasing, and she laughed into another sip of her drink. As she pulled it away and set her arm back across the couch, her eyes leveled on his. She couldn't deny that there was a sultry charm to the evening, nor could she deny that he and everything she had begun to learn about him didn't appeal to her. Had this just been a night for fun, she would have taken a great interest in a game of seduction and toying, but it wasn't. This was the rest of her life. There were more important things at stake, a sense of propriety she had never cared for but acknowledged was necessary. He wasn't a toy she could forget about and that meant knowing him, as his mother had asked her to. Understand the man that Rurik is. When it was her turn again to ask a question, she brought it back to a serious one. "How did he tell you?" She glanced at the glass propped on the back of the loveseat, running her thumb over the surface. "That you had to marry a stranger, I mean."
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 5:24 pm
"But I want to see it! No fair." Ryan smirked at the mention of her tattoo though his face became more serious as she asked her question. He sighed, picked up his drink, and downed the rest. "Now that is an inappropriate question." He chuckled, his voice soft but somewhat reluctant. What a hard question to answer, especially without no context or explanation.
"Zoe, forgive me if I am wrong. But you seem to have agreed to this because of a sense of family duty. There is politics and maybe to an extent manipulation on your parent's behalf, but it is something that you accept comes with who you are because of your name, and because having to make yourself miserable to appease them has become second nature by now. Maybe it happens so often you do not even feel disappointed anymore, I would not know." That is what he seemed to have worked out, the way she was with her father, the way she talked about her mother. You could never be sure and it might have been unfair to come to that conclusion, he had no idea what she had endured, nor did he want to assume anything. However this is the impression she had given him and for the sake of understanding his point of view it was something that he needed to say outloud. If she wanted to correct him then that was well within her rights.
"I am not like that."
Ryan leaned back in the seat and grabbed his shirt, pulling it up ever so slightly to reveal the skin above his hipbones. Two old, circular scars lingered slightly pink against pale skin. He let his shift fall back over his pants without retucking it. "This was the last time I refused my uncle. I know this must seem cowardly, submitting to a man like him. Things are complicated and so is he. Does it make me less of a man to admit I am afraid I wonder?" He shrugged, not knowing the answer to his own question. Maybe he had been ashamed of the fact, but Zoe had a look in her eyes that seemed to demand honesty. So he was going to give her what she wanted. How that was going to turn out was anyones guess.
"My mother came to me and said that I had to do something, and that asking me to do so might very well kill her. So I told her that she did not have to ask, I agreed to do whatever she needed. She has suffered and she had sacrificed, if I could do anything to make her pain go away, I would give it." Rurik sat up and budged closer to her, he reached out and grabbed the hand that was rubbing the surface of the glass so rhythmically. He brought her fingers towards him and kissed the back of her hand, the tone of the conversation seemed to have switched from playful to serious.
He hated talking like this, he smiled regardless, but he hated it.
"I do not resent you Zoe or this situation, some might see it as having their freedom taken from them. Some might hate the fact of not being able to chose their partner: but I am optimistic and I think being abrasive without even knowing you would be foolish. We are both in the same boat, you are just as human as me and have your own scars and reasons for being here."
He paused, releasing her hand back to her.
"Besides, how much would it piss them off if we got along?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 6:01 pm
Though she had intended to ask a question that was more serious, she hadn't realized how deep it would take her down the rabbit hole of Ryan's life, but in the end she was glad she had asked. She was mildly surprised that he had figured her out so quickly but then, as birds born of similar feather, she supposed he must have known what to look for in her. A small smile, though dulled somewhat by the solemnity in his words, pulled her lips as she listened to him. When his shirt came untucked to reveal the pale skin of his stomach, her eyes dropped immediately, uninvited. It was a stark contrast to all of the black he was wearing now and though it took a moment for her to focus, she noticed the pale scars. She only looked away when he dropped the shirt again, meeting his eyes. Her brows had furrowed slightly and the smile he had won turned, pursed in a worried frown. Mentally, she remembered all the things that had been said about Boris, how she'd taken them lightly. The smiling man she'd met was hard to connect to what she was seeing now, but she didn't doubt Ryan. Those eyes were honest and his words were kind. The tension in her shoulders relaxed as his lips pressed into the back of her hand and the smile returned, timid and perplexed, but it was there. She didn't speak for a moment, but brought her glass to her lips and tipped it back, draining it with a practiced ease before she set it down on the table. When she looked back at him, she released a long sigh, resigned. "You're wrong, you know. You're doing this out of loyalty to your mother, because you love her." Her hand fell to the couch and though she did not have a glass to stroke methodically, she traced her thumb along the seam. "I'm the heir to a fortune and my father doesn't want to see me marry someone that wants my money, or who has less at stake should things go sour. He doesn't want there to be an option for things to go sour." Her eyes dropped from him as she considered everything, the situation, the gravity of the truth in his words. "I have never expected to marry someone that I loved, so I've spent a long time trying not to love anyone at all." She laughed as she said it, realizing how melodramatic it must seem, but expressing how she felt always seemed melodramatic to her. Yet he'd shown her his physical scars and somehow, that demanded she share her emotional ones. When she met his eyes again, it was with a sadness she didn't know how to express. "I promise that I don't mean to be abrasive, but I also don't know how this dance works, even if it were.. not an extremely abnormal situation." She shifted so that she could move her opposite hand, reaching out and carefully placing it against the skin just above his hips, where she knew the scars lingered. "But I don't think you're a coward, for what it's worth," the mischief returned, lighting her eyes before she even finished what she was saying, "and I really like your piercings. So there's that."
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 6:41 pm
"I have always been a bit of a momma's boy." He admitted, ruffling strands of long white hair between his fingers.
Zoe was right, he was loyal out of love, but was there any other reason to be loyal? Maybe he was just too much of an idealist. No, he knew how dark the world was, he just forced himself to see the roses so he did not get lost in it. It was a fool's prospective but one that made him happy - he would be the fool for as long as he could.
"I have no idea either, but you could say that about most things. Life is a big unsolved mystery that you just make up as you go along. I think it makes it less intimidating if you think of it like that. So since we are both clueless, let's just take it one meeting at a time and hope for the best." He hit his fist into the palm of his other hand, optimistically and enthusiastically. He did not want to bring her down, not when she seemed to be starting to enjoy herself. This was meant to be a date after all, what kind of loser made a guest this uncomfortable? He laughed nervously. He was messing this up, he was sure he was.
Her fingers on his mid-region made him pause to look at her, a softer smile coming onto his face. "That is good to hear, I think?" How was he meant to look out for her if she did not think he had a backbone? For this to work, for them to get through this, they needed to trust each other. That meant facing scary situations together if need be. Rurik often feared for himself, but found a strength when it came to protecting or serving those he cared about. Maybe this loyalty she spoke of outweighed his fear? He realised this string of throat was getting into all kinds of psychological musings that he was too sober to handle.
He clearly needed more alcohol.
Her touch was soft and her words meaningful, so this was Zoe? He did not expect her to show this side of her so soon, maybe it was because he had shared first, who knew. He was good with people, in theory his whole profession revolved around people so it was natural he played well with others. Maybe he had not messed up so much, she might of been falling for that rumoured charm of his.
"Goddamn it. You know, this is getting very intense and I prefer it when we are being oddly affectionate rather than sitting around reminiscing old wounds... I can already tell, I am really going to hate seeing that sad look on your face." She was trying to lighten the mood, he could tell. The soft way she touched him, the way she tried to reassure him. He was touched that she genuinely seemed concerned and for some reason it pained him to see her look so glum, he knew that moment he needed to change that or it would drive him mad. He rested a hand over the one that lay on his hip, then leaned forward to rest his forehead on her own, so he could feel her breathe on his face.
"Hey, I got us a pipe filled with cherry flavoured sheesha, if you have never smoked one before I can show you how and I think we both need something stronger than champagne to get us through the night, I can mix us some cocktails?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 8:37 pm
I am really going to hate seeing that sad look on your face.The words hit her in an unexpected way - she rarely let her emotions show openly and when she did, she certainly didn't let anyone think she was sad. Something about his mother had unsettled her concrete foundation and softened her to charm, letting him worm under his skin. Maybe it was, too, that she knew inevitably that she would have to depend on him one day - even if that day was far from now, after countless trials. What use was hiding something meant for a partner to see? When he finally leaned forward to rest his forehead into hers, she felt herself stiffen at the sudden invasion of her personal bubble. Her family wasn't affectionate past formalities and she hadn't expected him to close the distance - though it was, again, that brazen attitude that he had showed her in the beginning. She forced her shoulders to relax and her eyes half shuttered, content with his proximity, for all that it felt foreign. This was only the beginning in the things they had to share, after all. Yet she was completely aware that she needed to get the upper hand back - and there would be no better way than with a bit of liquid courage. "I know how to smoke a hookah, silly boy," the hand he wasn't holding raised, drawing one long, dark and pointed nail along the edge of the piercings in his ear before she settled it flat against his cheek. "But I'll take anything with vodka." She pulled back from the contact of his forehead against hers just enough to look up into his eyes, drawing her playful smirk from where it had been lost beneath actual, pesky emotions. "It's your turn."
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Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2015 6:31 am
"I can never remember the American word." It was a rather odd thing to say, since Rurik himself was himself Californian - Yet, he kept a lot of European company which meant despite everything subtle differences in language occurred. He remembered some horrible moments where a word escaped him in both Russian and English, being bilingual had its moments of comedy if nothing else and humor filled arguments between him and his parents. His mother always reminded him how funny she found his accent and how oddly he pronounced words. "See I am not that inappropriate. I am really tempted to kiss you, but I'm not going to." He smirked, his tone was cocky but never lost that playfulness, Rurik was not a threat. He grabbed one of the pipes from the table and put it on her lap, breaking the eye contact they shared for now.
"That sounds good to me. One moment." He nodded his head as she moved away from him, taking that as his moment to go get them some more drinks.
Rurik was nothing else if not comfortable with breaking physical boundaries, he had noted that Zoe might not be as comfortable as him but that would not stop him from pushing them every so often. He could not lie, he had taken part in plenty of flings over the years with both girls and boys, more so than he could really remember. There was about a years break in his activities whilst he was with his former fiance, but he soon got back into his stride when she went missing. People handed grief in different ways and Rurik had always found the most comfort in people.
"My turn, huh?" He thought, as he walked around the other side of the glass table, pulling a draw out from under it. These were usually locked in the other rooms but had opened this one before Zoe arrived when he realised she might not like what they were drinking. He brought out some bottles, a shaker and a couple of glasses. The white haired boy had been working at the bar downstairs for the past few of years, he was not too sure if that was legal but he never got called out on his age. He supposed it did not matter anymore, he had recently turned twenty-two. People back where he parents came from drunk regularly from the age of fifteen, they to this day though the drinking age in America was extremely excessive.
Not that anyone stuck to those rules anyway.
He went about making the drinks, adding the ingredients together before pouring them into the two glasses he had brought out. He had everything he needed to try making a few drinks, if nothing else he was always well stocked and he was sure Zoe would try a variety of things before she left. "Here, try this." He leaned over the table, holding out the glass to her. He was pretty generous with the size of the drink, making it probably twice as large as the recipe said but keeping the proportion so it still tasted like it was meant to.
"Okay then. Tell me about your dreams. Your own dreams, not your parents. I want to know the hobbies you want to pursue. What kind of job you see yourself doing or none at all. Where you would like to live. The places you want to see. Tell me what makes you happy."
Rurik took a seat on the loveseat at the other side of the table from Zoe, picking up the other pipe that extended from the bottle and putting it to his lips as he waited for her reply.
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Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2015 9:33 am
It might of seemed an odd thing to say, given that even Zoe could hear the Western-American in his voice, but she had a good understanding of culture and the way that it worked. This community that he belonged to seemed very inclusive and bound together and if his mother was at all any indication, she suspected that he had been raised within it almost exclusively. She preferred European terminology to the Californian, anyway. "I applaud the effort," her fingers closed around the pipe with a smirk, drawing it to her lips and sucking in an inhale of smoke with a practiced ease. She blew it out, watching the smoke as it furled through the dim lighting of the room, rising and dissipating into the rafters. "The faster we move, the less surprise there will be." Because it wasn't a short affair - they weren't a fling. Yet there was a mischief to her eyes, suspended behind the cloud of smoke she exhaled. She was curious. Though she'd admitted to never having found someone she truly loved, she'd had flings and even a few short-lived relationships. The best part of getting to know someone was in the physicality. Words could be lies, but the body gave away truths. She drew another long inhale of smoke from the hookah pipe as she watched him work, noting the things that went into his drink with approval. When he finished, she reached forward and took the glass from him, putting it to her lips. As knowledgeable in her liquor as she was, it didn't taste far from what she'd expected, and he earned a pleased smile as she drank. It was sweet, with a burn. Her tongue ran gently over the caramel lingering on her lips as she set it down, then settled herself back into the loveseat - one leg crossed over the other as it had been when she first crawled into the car. "My dreams?" She laughed, as if it were the most ridiculous thing he could have asked. Yet she knew he wanted to know, and it wasn't as if she hadn't had them, once. "I love fashion," she began, "designing it, putting it together, learning about it. You can change who you are with a wardrobe switch, it's the easiest way to become someone else for a night." She watched him over the table, through the haze of smoke that was beginning to accumulate in the room. "I double majored in fashion and business, at my father's request, with a minor in cultural anthropology. I like to know what makes people the way they are too." She paused what she was saying to take a deep draw of the smoke, holding it in her lungs until she thought they might burst, then blew it out through her dark-stained lips. "I want to see the places where culture began. The first cities in the Middle East, and the places the modern world hasn't ruined completely, like the South Pacific islands or what's left of the Sami in northern Europe." She leaned forward to grab her drink and took another long sip, then set it back neatly on the table. Accustomed as she was to drinking, she felt the first tickle of heat at the base of her skull, the first sign that her blood alcohol level was rising. "Travelling isn't as big of a problem as dreaming, for me. I'll get to see whatever I'd like at some point, but I'm already apprenticing under my father. I suspect he'll probably want you to learn the ways of the business too, eventually." She spoke like a woman resigned, who just knew the truth of her worth and the expectations that tethered her down. She ran a finger over the edge of the pipe, then let it loll gently against her lip. "What about your life? What do you want?"
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