|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 7:23 pm
It was relatively late, though still early enough if she was still away at a party. But Deste had been in Xuan since earlier that morning, and he hadn't heard about a new gathering at all while wandering about in the daylight hours. He'd managed to ditch Lenore for the day, as she was going to her grandmother's place, which, as she claimed, was her reason for coming into Chryseas territory from Albion. Hmph. The thief knew it was also to try and drag him back to his own country if that....certain event transpired. Troublesome girl. Deste disliked her enough to keep out of her company if he could help it, but couldn't begrudge her his company for the simple fact of their past involvement with each other. Which, it sounded worse than it did, but "involvement" was the only word he could find to describe their relationship, since she -was not- a friend. He didn't keep friends.
Damn girl had locked his window though. So he actually felt as though he were breaking into her home. Feh. He'd taken the privilege of cleaning himself up, as well as giving Kalei a good grooming and feeding before settling down to wait in her room. His spotted griffin chose to lounge out at the top of the stairs; he'd chirp when he saw Ma'at or the female griffin's human.
It was roughly 10:00 at night...Mmph. Where was that girl....And it occurred to him that he felt the need to see her face. His flame that she gave him. It was strange, needing something like that.
Suddenly, Kalei gave a friendly whistle, and it was returned by a surprised squawk, followed by the sound of footsteps running up the stairs. Seconds later and Iris burst into her room, looking vivid and lovely as ever.
He blinked at the thought, and to cover up his own surprise, said "...You're late."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 7:25 pm
God, her people pissed her off. Getting out of her carriage felt like a release from prison. Looking up at her home, she glanced at her window - just the same as it had been. Dammit. She might as well stop giving herself that little roller coaster ride every time she returned home. He wasn't back...and now, she wasn't so sure if he would come back. Sensing her discomfort, Ma'at chirped quietly from behind her. She looked back, gave her a little smile, and went into her home.
...something was different.
Maybe?
....maybe.
She stood at the bottom of the stairs, and saw that spotted griffin. The woman tore up the stairs like a bat out of hell, threw open her door...
"...You're late."
Iris just stared at him, mouth agape in blatant surprise...before she straightened, a look of fire in those dark eyes of hers. There he was, finally, after such a long time...he was back. As glad as she later knew she was to see him...he was in for it. "I'm late?! You've been gone for almost a month!! I'm the one who should be saying that!"
For a moment, he said nothing, he just stared right back at her. That really only succeeded in pissing her off more...but she found herself unsure of what to do when he got up. Blinking, she tried to maintain her fury when he walked right up to her. Right up to her. Something funny stirred within her when he murmured, "...so...you did miss me, hmm?"
She stared back into those slightly amused eyes, still trying to fight that calming effect....but a dip of the head and a sigh signaled her defeat. "Yes, I did...I could ask you the same thing. But I have a griffin I need to check on. So, if you would kindly get out of my way..." she said, smirking a little, anger replaced by a bit of playfulness
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 7:36 pm
"I was only gone for 15 days." he murmured, correcting her and returning her smile a bit. However, he refused to move; he didn't want to leave her presence just yet. So instead, he closed the distance between them and brought her into an embrace, though he didn't touch her lips just yet....Most of the time she initiated that sort of contact.
Might as well answer her unasked question. "I did, admittedly, think of you often." he said softly in her ear. She didn't need to know that part of the time, his thinking of her included a comparison between herself and Lenore and how much more his Egyptian flower fascinated him. "I suppose you could consider that as pining after you."
Deste stepped away from her after that, letting her go simply because he enjoyed seeing her expressions after he said some "nice" things to her. Or things that referred to his attraction for her, when they weren't playfully bantering. Turning away, his black eyes trailed to the notebook he'd been flitting through earlier. Hm...he'd ask after she took care of her griffin. Feh, as if that bird needed any more spoiling.
"If you don't mind, Kalei probably needs to be fed too." he voiced.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 7:40 pm
She closed her eyes and enjoyed his embrace. Mmm...that did make her feel better. He stepped back, and she smiled at him, blushing slightly. At least she wasn't the only one who missed someone...that made her feel good. And more easily keep from punishing him in some way for having her worried for what she was still going to refer to as a month.
"Alright...I'll be back in five minutes, then." she said, going to get food for the two hungry creatures.
In true apparent Deste-style, she returned in fifteen. More casual clothing, but with two griffins making it difficult for her to walk for want of food. "Alright! Alright! Give me a second, guys!" she said, nearly laughing as they swarmed her, chirping and squawking. This felt normal, finally. Two big helpings of raw meat were left on the floor by the silent egg as she went to recline on her bed, watching Deste flip through the notebook she had been writing it. "Remember when I asked you why you were hired to kill that man, the one from our second meeting?"
"Yes."
"That's why."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 7:41 pm
The man 'hmm'd' shortly at her explanation. He didn't particularly care about the backgrounds of his jobs; he got whatever he was hired for done, and that was that. But these findings were rather interesting...plus it gave him more names that he'd might need to get familiar with in the future.
He eventually sat down on the other side of her bed, tossing the notebook towards her. A few things had occurred to him as he was reading through her research...some things had been rather disturbing. True, some of her findings were written down as guessed conclusions that she thought of from other facts she had discovered, but...still.
"Iris..." he started, turning to look at the Egyptian woman. He met her questioning gaze with his own, and he sighed, closing his eyes before continuing. "Be careful, if for no one else's sake but mine."
Becoming knowledgeable in secret dealings was never a healthy thing, especially when the people having secret dealings were powerful. Basic and most golden rule of thievery and assassination; everything was regarded with "don't ask, don't tell." If one knew too much, one might suddenly be sailing along the River Styx.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 7:43 pm
She stared at him, smiling a little after a moment of silence. "I will be...but I can't very well sit by if what I think may be happening truly is. Not only is it disgustingly wrong...if it goes under, it could take all of us with it."
He looked at her, the question in his eyes. She divulged. "A good number of us are interconnected with one another on more than just a political level. Johan and his employer happen to have a great deal of influence in the political world..and the economical. Nearly every single member of the upper class has a good deal of money invested into something connected with that politician. If even a small portion of it is going t'wards his research...well, the biggest investors will get hit the hardest, and then it's a domino effect from there."
She closed her eyes. Yes, she knew she didn't really need all the wealth...but, really, she had lived with it all her life, and she'd rather not be forced to adapt to something different. Her family and two or three others happened to be some of the most involved. It all made sense - the 'friend' of her fathers' was the one who wanted him killed. Johan and a few others fit that description...why else would he need to be killed?....
...but then, she could be wrong about the whole entire thing, and putting herself in more danger than was necessary.
Iris glanced quickly at the two contently feeding griffons, and immediately knew she could be doing nothing but investigating. God help them if Nikki found out about it - she seemed to be one of the few breeders being left alone.
"So...if I might change the subject." she said, closing her eyes again and putting her hands behind her head. "I'm guessing your return means you got your job done...either that, or I'm going to have to hire a bit of extra security around here for the pissed off people coming after you?" the woman asked, smiling and imagining the irritated look on his face at her wonder-if-he-managed-to-do-his-job comment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 8:00 pm
"Oh, and all of those in the domino effect would be -so- much worse off without money."
Sometimes Deste liked to see the big person fall, and see the squirming and squealing they put up for show after they had. And old, cultivated hate he'd developed from his childhood. And...part of the reason he had fled Albion in the first place. But on the other hand, cut off too many of the string-pullers and he'd be out of work. So as they said, don't bite the hand that feeds you.
Hmph. He hated those wealthy bastards and yet he was involved with the daughter of one.
And yet Deste couldn't help it. There was an acceptance that he felt she gave him that he enjoyed. And it was easy with her; she never asked prying questions, though her jesting could be rather...irritating at times. He snorted at her latest joke. "Thieving is my first specialty, assassination my second." he answered simply. There were a few hanging moments of silence, before he lay down beside her, stretching himself out upon her bed. Glancing towards her, he found that she seemed to be taking the moment to rest a bit. Hmph...fine then. He wouldn't bother her tonight. Though he himself couldn't seem to find his dreams. Lucky him.
He glanced at her again; still sleeping, and her slow, even breathing patterns indicated that she wasn't just acting. The gold at her neck caught his eye; hm. He supposed that their game - one sided for himself, currently - could keep him entertained for the time being. It was basically seeing what he could steal off the woman as she slept. Deste was good, yes, but Iris had a knack for sensing when he was near her; she usually woke up within seconds of him taking something from her.
Casually, he reached over, carefully moving her hair out of the way and clipping off her necklace. Nothing.
Hah - point for him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 8:28 pm
Something felt...very odd. Oh no.
Opening her eyes, she stared up at a slightly startled looking Deste. Well, she already knew that jewelry was missing, but this was also totally new - he was trying to undress her without her waking up. He almost succeeded..but alas, point for her. Surprisingly, she wasn't angry - just...very amused at the look on his face. He wasn't making a move toward or away from moving from his position of practically being on top of her....not that she minded all that much, honestly.
"...sorry." he murmured. She had to try to keep from laughing.
"That's a lie if I've ever heard one."
"..And if it is?"
She raised an eyebrow. Iris had expected silence. "Well...you could have just asked."
He shifted uncomfortably, like he was unsure of how to respond. "You already know how I feel about...that." he started. "So what if I asked now?"
As he moved off of her, returning to his spot at her side, she rolled over to face him. To say it was tempting was an understatement. In all reality, the most they had shared on her bed - or at all - was a few kisses. The woman stared directly into his eyes - he seemed to be almost bracing himself...she didn't know why. That is, until she realized what she just said. "Do you love me, then?"
He was silent. She was almost offended. "Well?"
"...please say you're toying with me again."
Ouch. That probably wasn't meant to sting, but it did, a little. She hid it though, because she had a feeling he didn't mean it that way. But...at the same time, she didn't say anything. What the hell was she supposed to say? It was obvious that either he couldn't answer, or he didn't want to, or the answer wouldn't be what she wanted to hear...
"I..can't tell you the answer to that question...because I don't know that emotion well enough."
Ok, that made it a bit better. She felt a wave sympathy for him, but again, didn't show it - simply because she didn't know if he wanted it or not. Probably not. But he still seemed put off by the question. Perhaps she had pushed too much?
"...I'm sorry," she began, softly. "It wasn't fair for me to ask you that."
"No...it is a fair question. You haven't been the only one to ask it."
Oh really? She wanted to ask, but she didn't - as per the usual. He seemed rather uncomfortable with this entire situation, so obviously she didn't want to do any more damage by asking. Besides, she wasn't the sort of person to ask - Iris figured that if people wanted her to know something, they would tell her. Which..probably meant that her snooping about in Johan's business was quite uncharacteristic, but that was different. If he wanted to tell her, she would listen. He knew that. Deste also knew that if he didn't want to tell her, all he would have to do was roll over and go back to sleep. Either way, she'd be happy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 8:39 pm
At some point, Deste rolled back over, and felt Iris shift her weight as well. Feeling uncomfortable was an understatement...though surprisingly, he wasn't pissed. Still...he owed her an explanation after blatantly blurting out what he had intended to keep secret from anyone. Turning over again, he found himself facing the mass of her long black hair.
"...Iris?"
No answer, but after a few seconds, she raised her head a little to signify that she was listening.
"...If you keep up this...relationship with me, then eventually you'll meet someone from my past....She's in the city."
Somehow, the thief dreaded her reaction to this, and yet she said nothing, simply turned to meet his eyes. She looked....he couldn't place the word. Damn near impossible to read her expression right now. But it was a mixture like she was expecting the worst, and some sort of expectancy...Hmph.
"A while ago...when I was still in Albion, this girl asked me if I loved her. Even back then she was as cold as ice...born under a good family and good money. Even then, my hate for people like her was incredible. How she could have come to the conclusion that I should love her, I was never able to understand."
The woman before him continued to simply look at him...."Damnit, Iris, what are you thinking?" he whispered, frowning out of sheer frustration. "Sometimes your habit of not expressing your questions is a blessing, but it leaves me in the dark to say anything else..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:19 pm
Iris closed her eyes, then opened them again,"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "It's hard for me to judge..I know you don't like prying, so I don't do it. But then...I'm afraid to ask the wrong questions, because I never know if something that I ask will leave me wondering where you are at night."
She really didn't mean to frustrate him, but in all honesty, she wasn't an investigative reporter. Normally, that was just fine with him, she thought that's what he wanted..but maybe she overdid it. Iris was just trying to do this right. It wasn't like one of those generic situations anyone could handle - it was fragile, it was complicated...and it involved much more than just the two people in her bed. And his response really didn't bother her - was he expecting her to be mad? Blinking, she continued in her silence for but a moment more, just so she could decide what to say.
She smiled lightly. "If you want to know what I'm thinking, I'm thinking that I don't mind. I don't care what kind of past you have, or who it involves - I mean, I care, but....I'm not really sure what I'm trying to say." she said, chuckling a little. "But it doesn't bother me. It's not like learning more about you would make me angry."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:20 pm
Deste sighed, somehow knowing that he had expected that answer. Part of him -wanted- this woman to judge him, purely because it would have been easier for him to deal with. He wouldn't have to act differently than normal, step out of what he thought was right about him...bah.
"You don't care that I could have killed hundreds of people? That I...might eventually get you killed?" Or worse...kill her himself. Of course he would never take a job where he was asked to target her. The brother he wouldn't mind, since Iris obviously hated him, but...her, never. Not even if they stopped "seeing" each other. It felt strange, considering that anyone else, even Lenore, he could kill in a heartbeat and not feel remorse. Well, that wasn't entirely true...his safe list consisted of two people. Hmph...this was distracting, thinking that he was going soft and feeling it.
She was mocking his questions, he knew that. She wasn't answering, but her expression clearly said that if she found him to be a threat, she wouldn't have continually allowed him to see her anyway. But there was one other thing he wanted to know....If she wanted him as he felt he was wanting her.
"I feel like I need to return your question, Iris...Are you in love with me?"
Kalei took that moment to look up and chirp, as if in an affirmative. Damn bird....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:21 pm
"Do I care that you may have killed that many people? The act in and of itself bothers me. Do I care that you will kill more? Same answer. Do I disapprove of your job? No, because it's what you do. In my world, people do what they have to do. Dying might be a part of that, but we all know it, and we participate anyway...and in saying that, I can say that no, I don't care if you might eventually get me killed. Hell, I might get myself killed one of these days, I probably will..but it's a risk I choose to take. I can't hold you responsible for that. But I don't hold you in some..disgusting light for killing people. If I did, you would have seen it the day I got blood splattered all over me from your kill, and we wouldn't be where we are now..."
"...are you in love with me?"
That was a good question. Did she think of him constantly? Want him there when he wasn't? Enjoy life so much more when he was? Be happy with nothing more than just lying next to him, like she was now? Accept the fact that he was a killer, a thief, and probably wouldn't change that for her even if she wanted him to? Was she fascinated by the myriad of different standings he expressed every day? Did she look forward to every time when he surprised her with an embrace or kind words to make her feel better? Was she in love with him?
Was she deathly apprehensive of what would happen when she told him the truth?
"Yes." she said simply, quietly...not afraid, but getting there. She just kept staring into those black eyes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:22 pm
The man returned her staring with his own, boring into her own dark irises, as if attempting to challenge what she had just said. He believed her...he didn't want to, but he did.
"...What did you say...?" he muttered, as if believing that he'd heard her wrong...and knowing that wasn't the case.
Her next answer was -very- quiet. "...Yes...I love you."
She was trying so hard not to seem...afraid...and yet he could tell by her whisper that she was frightened that she had just pushed him away. Deste wanted to act like she had, so that he could get away from this woman that was turning his universe inside-out. He never in his entire existence had faced something like this...something that he so desperately wanted to run from, and yet at the same time wanted -not- to. Iris was still his fascination...she was where he felt safe when he needed to be, evidenced by the fact that he had unconsciously made his way to her home when he was poisoned. Damnit. Damnit damnit damnit. She wasn't supposed to....
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. He wanted to ask why, but he already knew part of the answer. She would say, again, that she didn't care about his past, about what he did, about what he would do, the danger his presence presented to her. Upon opening his orbs again, he found her eyes asking for something, even though she was keeping her face relatively calm. Her eyes betrayed her emotion...she needed reassurance.
"Iris..." suddenly he was smiling softly into her eyes. Before he knew what he was doing, he was bringing her into him, resting his chin lightly on the top of her head. Chuckling slightly, he said, "Of all things to be afraid of...you do not fear death, and yet you fear....this?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:24 pm
She almost didn't believe the fact that he wasn't freaking about this. Or getting up and leaving. In fact, it was just the opposite. She found herself being pulled into his arms, welcomed into him instead of being pushed away. Iris didn't question it, just let herself be pulled into that warmth, burying her head into his neck. Wow, that had the potential to go much worse than it did....she didn't have a clue why that was so, and didn't much care. The happiness he had just given her shut her up.
"Yes, it's rather stupid, I know." she said in response to his rather humorous question, one that really did point out her rather ridiculous fear. Ah..."But....thank you."
"...You don't need to thank me for anything. I should be thanking you."
That was a joke. "For making you go soft, you mean?"
"For tolerating me."
Iris nearly laughed, but instead of doing that or saying anything, she just wrapped her arms around him and relaxed, waiting for sleep to overtake her. She didn't feel as if any of her dealings with him were 'tolerated'.....though, with anyone else, they would be. But he wasn't just anyone. He was the thief that managed to steal her most valuable of possessions without even trying.
The silence was no longer uncomfortable - it was warm and inviting. She fell asleep to the thought of how happy she was that he was back where he should be, with her.
~~~~~~~~~
A soft chirp awoke her as daylight poured through her window. Yawning, she sat up, petting the feathery mass next to her. She didn't even need to open her eyes to know that he was gone...but opening her eyes to Kalei was a surprise. Hmm, normally he didn't leave the bird with her...oh well. Iris went to rub her eyes, and nearly jumped when she felt something other than her own skin touch her face. It was a piece of paper...blinking, she opened it, greeted with sharp handwriting that she attributed to Deste.
I'll see you tonight. Wait for me.
-Deste
She smiled, folding up the paper and looking at her new charge. Kalei just kind of...stared at her. That is, until Ma'at jumped on the bed right next to her feathery brethren, leading to a squawking match that only the gods could produce.
"I guess I have to take care of you two clowns all day, hmm?" she said quietly, getting up and leaving the room to let them squawk out their differences.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 13, 2006 10:25 pm
This was so incredibly irritating.
But Deste had to remain passive, lest he "jeopardize" Lenore's "business" with these....people. It was difficult to not think of words better suiting the politicians who dabbled in black-marketing money, but in order to keep himself from just stabbing one of them, the thief had to refrain from thinking any unpleasant thoughts. Feh. If Lenore wasn't so vulnerable in a city where she was visiting - or soon to be permanent resident, damn her - he would probably be out doing some more scouting right about now. The man wasn't about to let the woman be alone in the company of this....b*****d, though.
Iris was right; her brother was a perverted sodomite if there ever was one.
They were chatting pleasantly about business transactions and whatnot over lunch in the marketing district. Rather, his "employer" and the Nefretiri son were talking as warmly as Lenore could allow herself to be. Amun was all smiles and flirts, but to know avail; the woman beside Deste trusted no one on first meeting, and few even in her regular company. She was a cold and tenacious b***h, but cunning and not lacking in the common sense that most of her class was bereaved of. For that, Deste was "protecting" her from being taken advantage of.
He glanced over to her face, once again allowing himself to make the contrast between this woman and her. Lenore had a pretty, if pale, face, fine hair, and crystal blue eyes. Her platinum-blonde tresses, however, were cut short to the shoulder and pulled back in a neat bun, perhaps to signify that she was not a girl to be messed with. Mmm....if only she weren't blind. Those azure eyes, cold to the extreme, held no emotion because the noble had been born with faulty sight, which she had eventually lost by the age of ten. Deste had a feeling that her bitterness towards the world was attributed to the fact that she could not see it, but on the other hand, he recalled the girl as being mean-spirited even before that. Two years his junior, Lenore had constantly irritated him even as a child.
But even if she was horrid to most people, her face kept many attracted to her, mostly men. That, and her excellent breeding of rare "crested" griffins. Her own Auster, lounging at the hem of her mistress's dress, was the second successfully hatched chick of a line where only one breeding pair existed in the word. Nikki Audirenne's Darkfeather was the first hatched that had grown past childhood; Lenore had high hopes for Auster, who was as much a business tool as she was a "guide-dog" and protectorate.
Luckily he'd left Kalei at Iris' today. Deste had a feeling that Amun might find out more than he needed to if he recognized the spotted avian.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
