Post by Xavier Darnai on Jun 18, 2014 21:47:05 GMT
Xavier Darnai: Keeping attention off of him lately was less than successful, and as he parked the Bishop, he debated how much he truly wanted to go into the Belyi. It seemed like what measure of privacy he had there had lately been supplanted by drop-ins without any measure of respect for a calm meal. Stuffing his bandaged hand into his pocket for the moment, he stopped at the corner and looked up and down the street. Xavier was easy to spot on the empty intersection, dressed in a finely tailored light tan suit, blue button up, an a silver silk tie. Pulling a slow breath, he exhaled it into the night air, debating again with himself, head on to the Belyi, have a few drinks and maybe a meal, or get back in the car and find some cheap dive for the evening where he was surely not going to be bothered on purpose. It was coming to a coin toss.
Obvious Illusion: "I promise I won't be so brutal." Was said from behind him. Yes, in truth, she had almost appeared out of nowhere behind him. Whether it was a car she drove or a taxi she had gotten out of streets ago, the Toreador was not in her typical attire. No, instead, the woman wore long dark denim jeans, a V-neck white blouse, and a light blue sweater that went nearly down to her knees. It was open and it allowed for some coverage in the hazy evening. Reader, impervious to most temperatures around her, still looked under the weather. She had on dark glasses, a bit of blush upon her cheeks, and a splash of color across her lips. Her long legs certainly looked just that - long in the cut of jeans and the wedge heels she wore. "At least, as much of my memory as I can recollect." Around her was the hint of orange and pomegranate. It was her scent. A little dash of exotic and a spritz of citrus. Vanilla, after all, did not seem to fit the woman as her hair was free that evening, dancing at her proverbial waistband and still a little damp from her recent bath time.
Xavier Darnai: "Suppose that'd depend on the definition've brutal, wouldn't it love." Lifting his head again, he glanced to the stars once more. They were always going to be wrong for him, no matter what. Turning his head back, he looked over his shoulder at her, appraising her current state with a fair moment of time spent on it. She was dressed a bit more relaxed than usual, certainly, but that likely helped her look less impacted by her rather unfortunate case of food poisoning. Turning on his heel to face her fully, he reached up and undid the button of his suit jacket, sliding his hand in after. Out came a cigarette, set between his lips as he tossed his lighter into the air and snatched out of its fall with his bandaged left. Flipping it open, it was snapped to life quickly, pausing only long enough to watch the fire dance as he took that first hit. A flick of his wrist snapped the lighter shut again, and he took a step towards her. Exhaling as he pulled the cigarette free, turning the lighter over and over in his bandaged fingers, he spun the cigarette over and offered it to her.
Obvious Illusion: "Do you call everyone that? 'Love,' I mean?" She asked him quietly. She seemed to be a bit more demure than she had appeared the evening before. There was nothing like taking the anxiety out of someone than becoming ill and public and effectively puking up the dinner over someone else's tabletop. Embarrassment surely was part of the equation, after all. "You met Isis officially." Yes, the woman that claimed Nicholas could be a smidge of a handful when she cared to appear to others. Her chest still hurt, but the remnants were fading. She tipped her chin up, the dark glasses reflective. Gun metal gray would sizzle back at him, watching his every move just as she had. Though her stomach was still sour, she appreciated the offer of one of her more favored pastimes. "No, thank you." She kindly denied the smoke. No, her tongue would kill her for sure.
Xavier Darnai: There was a slight tilt of his head to the side in answer to the question about the shorthand term he used for women. It was something he had picked up as a young man, and it stuck. For the most part it felt like British slang, so it was rarely questioned considering his nationality. Isis. Interesting, he was right; Xavier hadn't ever asked her name, nor had he been properly introduced despite their game of questions the night prior, but he was certain it would come along at some point. When she denied the cigarette, he raised both brows in surprise, spinning it over again to rest between his index and ring finger before he took another hit. Exhaling off to the side, he gave a light pair of nods. "Suppose you could call it that. Had a bit've a discussion, more're less. She acts a bit like a force've nature personified."
Obvious Illusion: "She is. At least, she was. From what I can remember her. She used to come to the Inn. Watch. Sometimes participate. We aren't angels, I guess." Reader's back was aching. Her chest felt like someone had poured cement inside of the barren cavity. She decided against inhaling. After all, her body had taken enough brutality for the lat couple of days. "You had an interesting evening, no doubt." She took in his buttoned up appearance, the attempt at being casual, the bluster of his wide chest filled with the tension he carried in his shoulders. The long hair gathered up around one shoulder, the breeze coming to lick at the ends of her sweater. "What do you fancy this evening?" She hadn't even touched further on his slang. No, she accepted it and moved on. Moved, in fact, towards the doors of the Diner he was contemplating when she came upon him.
Xavier Darnai: Listening to her own assessment of the woman's state of being, he gave a light roll of his shoulders, accepting the state of it all. "I've had more compelling evenings." Though not for the reasons most might want to hear. Another hit off the cigarette was taken as he considered her question, watching her turn and head up the few shops towards the Belyi's door. "Suddenly I'm in the mood for the befstroganov..." Falling into step slowly after, he made no hurried movement to catch up to her, figuring his pace would do it naturally just fine. Exhaling slowly into the night air, he took another hit off the cigarette as a rapid-fire shot immediately after before tossing it to the sidewalk in front of him, crushing it under the ball of his foot in his natural stride. "Maybe a drink."
Obvious Illusion: "I'll be sure to try harder the next time, then." She said it as a tease. It brought the hint of a curve to her lips as she looked back over her shoulder. She waited. She held the door open. The headache was leftover. It was like a miserable, undue hangover. As she stepped inside, the coolness of the air conditioning took over. She was thankful she had decided upon the sweater to top her outfit that evening. She did not assume for Xavier, no. She let him figure out where he cared to sit. "A drink, hmm? Yes, a touch of alcohol to purge the system." Of toxins, of course, she said it not. She had gathered herself up in that bathroom that she had passed out in, curled into as much of a ball as she could manage on the cool tile flooring. That is why she ended up down there. Among the travertine n' all. She shook her head, as if she were talking to herself. Or making a comment to her own mind in passing. Food? No, not tonight, not on the sensitive Vampire's stomach.
Xavier Darnai: "Well, the interesting conversation'd been interrupted, hadn't it. Who knows where it might've gone otherwise." Downplaying her tease with a smirk of his own, he gave her a light nod as he slipped in through and gave Natasha a nod before waving of the need for a menu and rounding on through into the common eating area. Settling into a corner table hear the street side, he took a seat and immediately started rolling back his jacket and shirt sleeves, binding them near the elbows. Pressing at the front of the chair across with his boot, he slid it out for her, not bothering to motion to it. She'd made the invitation herself, there was no reason to offer for her to join. His ankle was rest over his knee with that same muted thunk, lifting his hand to flag down a waitress and put his order in. "I'll have the befstroganov, and a glass've the Balvanie Double Wood."
Obvious Illusion: "It had." She agreed as he kicked out the chair from underneath the table. She struggled not to sit, but to instead watch her tongue. Though, she hadn't ever purposely done it before - now they were in such another public place. It was earlier in the evening where dinner hour was commencing and she struggled to keep her voice from raising. Or, rather... She could struggle. "It was inappropriate. I had... issues. I'd apologize, but I'm not sorry." She said blatantly to that man across from her. With his metal parts and his red eyes and his strong, determined jaw. No... She wasn't sorry at all.
Xavier Darnai: "Then don't apologize either. I don't." Resting forward, he set his elbows on the tables and folded his fingers together, bandage and bare alike. "Besides, if I'd had to make ammends to everyone I've ever told to fuck off, I'd have to dedicate a portion've time I'm not willing to sacrifice. From the looks've things you weren't particularly up to the task've a back'n forth. Who'm I to argue for poking at the bear, neh?" Bouncing his brow once, he offered a partial smirk. Looking up, he gave the waitress a nod, adding quietly. "Make it two've the Double Wood. Either she's going to try'n steal mine, or I'm going to save you the trouble've a visit."
Obvious Illusion: "You did deserve it." Was all she managed to say to the man. There was a smirk of a grin at the corner of her mouth as he ordered another. Of course, she let her hands fall ever so lady-like to her lap as she crossed her long legs - left over right. Her top foot bounced a bit, giving way to the constant shimmer of those reflective sunglasses dancing the light off the wall behind him and across their table.
Xavier Darnai: "Probably. Wouldn't surprise me. Sure I've done something I'm just forgetting about." Watching the waitress head off, he turned his attention back to Reader again as he continued with their conversational game. "Maybe abandoning a worthwhile conversation for a shite one." Rolling his shoulder once, he sat back again, regarding her posture and the little movements. "Still, you are looking better this evening."
Obvious Illusion: "Yes well, I still don't think you know how to eat out properly. Most men lack that ability." And right there, she seemed to pick up where they left off. He couldn't see her eyes. He couldn't see her smile in them. Even though she had a horrific night, alone and in pain, she still gathered her wits and came about the next evening out. Her skin had taken on a pale tinge to the barely cream base. Not quite white, but certainly not grey. Her fingers stretched out of her the denim of her thighs. She kept her hands to herself, after all. She knew his status. She knew his take. She relaxed back against the bare comfort of the chair and watched the waitresses and people come and go around them.
Xavier Darnai: "It's all about knowing where to pick up the proper bite, sometimes it means searching about for a bit, making sure you're in the right neighborhood." It was rare that he wasn't here with some sort of research project involved. With only Reader to keep his attention, he kept his eyes on her as he sat back in the chair, turning away only at the sight of the waitress in the corner of his eye coming with both tumblers of the dual aged single malt. Taking his own up in the bandaged left hand, he raised it in salute. "Do poslednego vystrela."
Obvious Illusion: "You sound like you make it a habit of trolling street corners." She arched a brow at the man in the corner and certainly wouldn't have held back the smirk that came along with her temper. It seemed to flair just a little bit with her next breath. The waitress had dropped the drinks off and she eyed the one that Xavier had ordered for her. It did, after all, look delicious. And it wasn't blood. Her aversion to the freshness was heaved for the ever contained plastic blood pack. "I wasn't quite talking about a bite per say, though. More like ... a lick." Christ, she was dirty. Even in her not quite 100% of things, she eased forward enough to curl her fingers around the glass and drag it over to settle it in front of her.
Xavier Darnai: "I don't know that you could afford me." The smirk played out as he brought the glass down for a sip of the oak-heavy Scotch, taking a long sip. Pulling the glass away and giving it a slow stir, he lowered it to the table top, tilting it slightly to the side and spinning it on the edge of its base. "What, my rapier sharp wit's not enough to show you I'm good with my tongue. Tsk, and here I'd thought I'd proven myself already." With a careful balance under his bandaged fingers, the glass spun just slow enough to get the Scotch to pool at an even plane, gripping at the sides of the glass as it rolled.
Obvious Illusion: "Oh, I could afford you. And the metal you have in that body." She nodded, tipping her chin out to him as if to offer him something else to spar against. With a deep breath, she lifted the glass. Inspected it. Brought it to her nose to sniff it. She seemed quite weary of the liquid that was inside of it. Without tasting it, she set the glass back down in front of her. She wasn't smooth with her antics for the drink. No, she was the kind that didn't caress the liquid upon her tongue. She dropped it back, letting the liquid choke her esophagus. Perhaps that was the problem, she dispensed with pleasantries quickly. There was an art form. It was an art form all her own. It wasn't expected. It wasn't a social standard. It wasn't a norm. She simply uncrossed her legs and let her ass scotch down inches in that seat. Her back bothered her. Muscles were sore. They were deprived of her favorite food, after all. An evening of fruitless feeding and her fangs had not even retracted at the prospect of fresh...er blood. "There's enough to prove. You've done a decent job." In truth, Reader continued to sit their, watching him with her covered eyes.
Xavier Darnai: "So sure, and you haven't even heard my price. Confident, aren't we." Stopping the spin, he pulled it up off of the table again and looked at the glass for a moment, tilting his head to the side. "It's rare that I've got someone so quick with the back'n forth, Reader, but just like last night you don't seem yourself tonight. You may've eaten, but it didn't sit well enough to stick about, did it." Rust red eyes lift from the glass to her again as she shifted in her seat to try and find a way to be comfortable while being utterly uncomfortable in her body. After leaving the Book Nook he'd done a touch of research, comparing her symptoms to a reasonable list of ailments, and there were a few things that made sense. Still, this was a civilized business, and hearing that there were monsters in their midst could agitate a situation. He remained silent for a moment as the waitress came by and set down the plate of noodles and steak in gravy, giving the girl a nod as he took a sip of the Scotch, all while he kept eyes on Reader. When their immediate space was clear of prying ears, he would ask. "How long has it been now since you've had a true filling." After all, there was no reason their little game of taunts couldn't continue.
Obvious Illusion: "You sit there, so sure of yourself likewise. You look across from you and you see a woman, devoid of warmth and so full of honesty. You want money? I have it. You want power? You came to the wrong place. I could give you the power. But, would you use it like you are supposed to?" She arched a perfect brown brow at him behind the reflective lenses. She brought her arms up, tumbling her nails upon the table's edge just like he would the night before. Of course, she opened her mouth to continue upon that task at hand of raging her tongue along his person. No doubt his ears would be hot by now, but as the waitress came - she stopped. The lengths of her hair seemed to curl the tiny bit. The ends certainly seemed to pick up and the volume let alone the variances of color seemed to show through. From black to gold, to a hint of blonde even among some strands, the twenty different shades in the light seemed to echo the mirror she was. "A year. Two. Three... I lost count a while ago." Brutal. It was brutal. The freeing of that inner beast and the need. She certainly had her body driven to the brink of complete pain. She leaned forward, her lips in their pale pink glory seemed to smirk at him. "You sit there and act like you know so much." It was obvious, perhaps, her plight. "Was your research of good use to you?"
Xavier Darnai: "A man who sets his own price can always be certain that others can't meet it love. But I don't need money, or power, I've had both and all they're likely to do're get a man killed." Tilting the glass back again, he cleared out a fair measure of the Scotch before setting the glass down again and leaning forward to rest his arms at the table. Predatory eye to predatory eye, tilting his head just slightly to the side. "Well that's a bloody shame, isn't it. Shouldn't ever have to go that long without getting your proper fill. Sure to leave anyone strung out'n bitter." Lips pulled back in that same shark like grin as he tapped the bandaged fingers against the table top, utterly ignoring the food that had been set in front of him. "Is that the act you think I'm putting on, Reader. And here I'd've thought you'd've been able to look through it. Well." His voice dropped to a whisper for her, nearly devoid of his heavy British accent as he spoke almost entirely by forced breath alone. "Maybe the garlic has you distracted still..."
Obvious Illusion: She stopped. Every part of her being stopped. Her breath, her movement, her heels, the shift of those wedged heels against the floor. She swallowed tightly, her eyes narrowing behind the gun metal gray rims. "You are a soldier. A warrior. You have both already. Entertainment is a heightened cause. Someone to volley with. Someone to share a meal with. Someone to take nothing more than a brink of curiosity. I don't believe it." She whispered, her voice cold. The memories replayed like a stark white light, the sun burning her skin. She shook her head, denying the thoughts of the man in front of her. "There's a void that can be filled with ignorance. There's a void that can be filled for so long before the wound gapes even more. "Your dinner is getting cold." She said finally, as if she started to come to herself again. Her ass in that seat shifted. Her back seemed to straighten and then slouch as it had numerous times already within that seat across from him. "You aren't him."
Xavier Darnai: "You might be surprised to learn who I can be when I need to." As she sat up, so did he, looking to the plate of Yuri's signature dish. It was always quite delicious, properly seasoned and marinated, but he also knew what the man put into his gravy. Raising his hand to flag down the waitress as she passed, he picked up the plate and handed it to her. "Would you box this for me, eyes were bigger than my stomach but it'd be a shame to waste it." Watching as the woman took the plate away, he turned back to Reader and reached into his jacket to pull out the cigarettes and lighter, setting them on the table top as he took a sip of the Scotch. "You're a clever girl, Reader, and I'm sure that you've seen men try to hit that proper point of balance more times than you could count. It's not easy, that's the heavy've it. All work and no play makes for a very dull boy, grant you, but it makes for men who know what they want. Play's the byproduct. Play comes secondary. Play is just another way to describe the proper use've the power you've taken over someone else."
Obvious Illusion: Alarm slammed into her chest. She narrowed her eyes to him. Of course, he couldn't see it. She gathered a breath through her just parted lips and striven for an ounce of decorum. No. It was her mind playing tricks on her. It was the simple things. The suits. The color of the eyes. The verbal bouts back and forth. She shook her head, the waves of her hair falling over a shoulder. The leather bracelet - another addition for that evening - had her other hand going to turn the strap upon her wrist. She ignored him. She ignored the way the waitress slowed, giving her a look of concern before wandering off to do as her guest requested. She laughed. It started as a chuckle, but ended up to be a full fledged enjoyment of the way things fell into place. "Men often come short. Oh, so short, Xavier. Do you think you have the play and the power? Aren't you busy? Aren't you a man that has so much work after all? You don't have much time for these games. You play them, I must say, so -very- well. You have had a lot of practice. Too much, I would say." And still, she shifted. Still, she moved in that seat as if her bones were aching and her muscles begged for a relief that could not be obtained.
Xavier Darnai: Once upon a time a young man wore cheap suits with utter disdain because he knew they were required to work with people he had nothing in common with. But the more he wore them, the more he learned that working with those people simply meant lying about who he was, a task he was already committing gravely. The cheap suits were stripped away, the abrasive behavior was toned back-- albeit not eradicated --and he invented himself as a businessman, well educated and savvy, refined and sophisticated. The more time he spent with the lie, the more he realized that the face was becoming the fact. Long ago Xavier had realized that he was that man after all, and he simply was choosing to ignore it at the beginning. So he became busy, always moving, always working, always hunting for the next piece of the puzzle. As Reader's questions were posed, he sat back in his chair, slowly lifting the glass to his lips to take a sip of the well aged and complex alcohol, eyes focused sharply on her as she fidgeted. His answer was a silent one. So many times she had seen him here, working in some fashion, studying trends or patterns, preparing documents and financials, but tonight he simply motioned to the empty table in front of him with his empty hand. There was no work here, only the byproduct of a man who understood very well what he wanted, what he could have, and what it took to make those things his.
Obvious Illusion: She watched the man in front of her. He was just as good as she was. He was just as mysterious. Just as talented of a dancer as he was a man that took blood for a living. That spilled it, that watched the souls good or bad devoid the bodies they took up. She saw his silence. She raised him a temper. She pushed her ass back within that seat and she was about to break her promise. Of course, she was already on her feet and leaning forward. The splay of his hand was the last straw and her words were low with cause. The enunciation certainly did not break the bank as her lips curled into a pristine snarl. Those fangs were out, they were sharp just for him now. "Fuck you." Yes, she had a dirty mouth. She peeled herself away from that table, leaving his glass untouched. She was ever in a mood, it seemed. Not even a look over her shoulder as she stalked away. Where the surrounding customers of the diner seemed to quiet and the forks fell silent upon the plates. His waitress she passed with his boxed dinner and the sway to her hips was one of intent and malice. Deadly. He raised the game, after all.
Xavier Darnai: "Such language from a lady." It was said quickly enough a she started to move away from the table. Tossing back his own glass, he pulled his billfold free and set a series of twenties down on the table before he returned it to the inner pocket of his suit. His cigarettes and lighter were gripped as he took up the second glass on the table, tossing it back quickly while the small parcels found their proper home just in time for him to collect the packaged traditional pasta dish from the waitress. The ambidextrous and multitasking fluidity of motion continued as the empty glass was set down, stacked in his own as he spun away from the table and followed Reader towards the door. As ever, Xavier's pace wasn't unnaturally sped, but his long stride moved him towards the woman in so often in stiletto heels quickly enough. Not so presumptuous as to lace an arm through hers, he did take one step ahead to pull the door open, whispering for her as he did. "Best that whatever comes next at the very least happen outside of the restaurant, neh?" There was a grin, and it was hard to say that it was not self satisfied, but not so much that he could be called smug. No, self assure, confident perhaps, but not smug.
Obvious Illusion: "Such power plays for a competent component." She murmured to the man that came upon her swiftly. She had wound her way through that diner and had hit the night air. She still couldn't breathe. She still couldn't seem to open her lips and suck down enough air to gather the fulfilled feeling within her. Once outside, she hoped the man would hang onto his box of food. She thrust her hand into his chest and shoved him up against the outside wall of the diner. Oh, it was dark as the lights allowed it and she got into his face. Her breath of mint was no doubt tasted if he chose to inhale while she stood just about as tall as he. "Who are you?"
Xavier Darnai: Plenty of men could be pushed around, and with Reader's own condition she was certainly strong enough to push Xavier, but it didn't come easy. With a fair bit of resistance, he hit the wall without so much as a grunt. Even in the darkness those eyes stared right back into hers. He had been in this standoff before, and it couldn't help but make the man grin every time. The box was still held in his right hand, tightly packaged and carefully gripped. "That depends a bit too much on who's asking, love, and why." Slowly he moved the package from his right hand to his left, holding it just as carefully. "After all, the best hands're played when nobody's showing their cards. Shame I managed to get a peek at yours."
Obvious Illusion: "Walker already had confirmed that I was a creature of the night out for blood and sex." She smirked at Xavier. At the soldier. She tossed him a smile, sickly sweet and dripping bitter lemon drops. She smoothed her palm over his chest, her fingers catching on his buttons and feeling the fine fabric under her touch. She lowered her chin for a moment before letting her hand drop away from his chest. It didn't take much effort. He had no idea the devious thoughts. She took a step back, letting him have his personal space once again. "It was a pleasure, as always." She murmured to him, letting him out from her grip.
Xavier Darnai: "Walker's an idiot." It was a quick enough reply, though as she let go of his shirt, he pressed himself forward from the wall, watching her turn to walk away. "Really, only those two things. So which is it tonight, because from where I'm standing you look to have neither've'em at the moment." With his left arm hanging at his side, he tilted his neck from one side to the other in a slow pop. He was sure she could hear the thumping in his chest while she had him up against the wall, double time just as it had been the time before, and the time before that. Still, he wasn't sweating, he didn't look nervous, he just sounded like he was a fright away from a heart attack, or a quarter inch cut away from a mass hemorrhage. Even still he poked at her with the question, standing there and not yet capping their little dance with anything close to a goodbye.
Obvious Illusion: "Sometimes all men are idiots. They have their ideals and their wants and aren't able to see what is right in front of their eyes. Blinded by expectations and you say the female gender is the worst with that? How we oogle and want and cannot fathom the alternate of choices. Are you offering, Xavier? Are you going to let me suck your blood and suck your dick?" Yes, crude. She got back into his space. She invaded his personal area once again. She smirked at him and still he could not see her eyes behind those reflective lenses. The aviator glasses took up most of her face and she was alright with that. "I thought you were otherwise involved, after all." She pushed him again. She nudged him back against the wall with her hand. She leaned into him, her lips hovering oh so close to his. "I don't take other women's men." And she let that situate within his brain for a moment. She let that roll over and broil before she started to pull away again.
Xavier Darnai: "As often as I hear you say fuck you it's either'n offer or a request, yet here you are telling me you won't take me." As she leaned away, he leaned in, straightening up and tilting just slightly to the side so that his cheek was nearly against hers. "Idle threat then, neh? Wouldn't've thought you'd've been the type, Reader, color me shocked. So, blood is it..." His right arm moved behind him and he took a blade from behind his lower back, flipping it in the air to their side so he could grab the length of it. Holding the blade against the soft flesh of his palm, he squeezed at it until the knife cut in, blade running down along its length and starting to seep down his wrist, threatening to approach the pushed back sleeve of his tan suit and blue shirt. "Or are you afraid that something every soldier throws away's spoken for too."
Obvious Illusion: "Are you involved? It is as simple as that." She hissed at him, the fangs digging into her lower lip with every syllable spoken. She narrowed her gaze, evident by the way the skin gathered into those worry lines between her brows. "I once was called a whore. I refuse to live up to the label that gets slapped upon our kind." Vampires. Toreadors. Pleasure. Sex. Need. Touch. Her mind swarmed. The red hot alert to her brain as she saw the blood pooling at the line he cut. She lowered her chin, her cheek grazing back against his. "You fool! Do you not realize what you are offering?" Blood. A bit of connection. He smelled so delicious. She hissed at him. She grabbed his wrist. She pulled his arm up, her tongue coming out to lave the trickle of the line that threatened to mar his suit. She gasped against his flesh, her tongue running upwards yet as her lips would smear too. Kisses? Teasing? The light lave of the tip of her tongue across parted flesh. She gave the hint of a moan, the rumble of her lips against his wrist and she barely could withstand the pleasure of his offered blood. Her fangs sank in, her tongue pushed against the artery there feeding her mouth while she became rather entranced in his very taste - flesh and blood mixed, her fingers clutched into his arm and nails dug to hold flesh to her fangs.
Str33t Magic: "Ugh, that smarts..." The words were whispered by the young Magician as she turned the corner, holding a hand against a bruised cheek while she made her way towards the diner. She told Xav' she'd be meeting him there... an hour ago, however she never made it till just now. Removing her hand from her mouth, she looked at her fingers as though she was bleeding, which she wasn't, before replacing her hand. Di was clad in a pair of black cargo pants, over a pair of Bred XI's, a black tank top and over that was a red hooded jacket. There was a tear in her pants near the thigh and she was looking a little worse for wear. Getting into a fight that caused some unforeseen events to occur tended to leave you looking kind of disheveled. Rounding another corner, she was almost to the Belyi when she stopped, spotting Xav and a woman she hadn't seen before. Doe browns would blink a couple of times as she stood there watching the two of them before she took a sidestep against the wall and just continued to watch them. "What is going on..?" This was said quietly to herself. She decided it might be best to keep out of sight for the moment.
Xavier Darnai: "Better than just about anyone's willing to admit." He didn't resist when she took his wrist, pulling it to her lips and even turning this hand to make sure she wasn't inadvertently stabbed with the knife he was still holding. His feet planted firmly, left sliding back just a touch to brace against the wall for leverage if it came to that, but for the moment he let her drink. Muscles tensed as her fangs pierced, but he didn't wince, nor did he react as so many men might have; breaking into moans and having their eyes roll back in their head. Watching with no shortage of intensity, his arm remained rigid, serving as a drinking fountain for Reader. Like tugging on a series of strings, he had pulled her along. He didn't care about the titles that came with her clan, the labels, the assumptions of their nature. That may have been a spring point for so many, but it had little to do with Xavier's own behavioral choices. Tilting his head in, he whispered for Reader to hear. "I thought you looked famished last night, but we were... interrupted."
Obvious Illusion: Did he expect her to take her fangs from his wrist to answer his whisper? She hoped not. In truth, she sank the morsels of her mouth deeper into his wrist, situating her anchor into his flesh. Her tongue worked, the lave up the split flesh while another came near. She nearly growled at the possessive hold upon his arm never mind the visitor. She refused for a moment more to unleash her victim. Bloody. Brutal. Well, she hadn't ripped open his wrist, instead she claimed it for a moment as her very own source. Swallow after swallow, letting the blood build up upon her tongue before dousing her throat with the delicious taste had her laving the wound before long. Disengage - her system warned her. S t o p - came the next internal dialogue. She carefully extracted herself from him, licked that wound, and let him have his arm back before she brought her shoulders back up and her sunglasses to gather his facial features once more. Her hands -almost painfully- started to unclench and leave his person.
Str33t Magic: "....." The look on Diana's face was reminiscent of a particular meme Dafuq did I just read? only replace the word 'read' with 'see'. Slender brow had risen while she silently watched from her perch at the moment, not moving just yet but observing. She'd never really seen this before and for her it was equal parts interesting and equal parts 'what the fuck?' to see this actually occurring in front of her. Her head would turn some, glancing back over her shoulder for anyone else walking up and seeing no one, she would turn her attention back to her associate and the woman he was with. Once everything seemed to be over with... for the most part anyways. Di was about to step out from her spot, but chose to stay there for a bit longer.. just in case.
Xavier Darnai: After she licked the puncture wounds on his wrist closed, he took the handle of the knife in his left for a moment, turning his sliced palm over and looking to it for a moment. It was continuing to bleed, but a slow drag of his thumb across the surface of the wound knit it together again as though it had never been opened. He was skilled in the craft, though even as he did the bloodied palm remained there in the open and up as though it was a near empty bowl. Tilting slightly, his suit and shirt brushing against her sweater, he turned his head enough to whisper faintly into her ear. "If you wish to know what it was like while my living heart made the beat you're hearing in my chest... I can arrange that any time you desire." Xavier had built up a reputation as a businessman, and so often that meant knowing how to give the customer exactly what they wanted, even if it meant a sample on the house. Slowly he pulled back, standing upright again, hand still out an open as he watched her take in the light meal he had offered, and the offer that followed for more.
Obvious Illusion: They were interrupted again. Had she not heard the approach and the call out, she still would have been feasting, fangs latched onto tendons and her tongue bathing in his blood. It seemed to dampen the pink across her lips, giving her a little more of a hint of warmth to her than the ice princess recovering from an all weekend party. She gulped, seemingly sucking down the last taste of his blood upon her tongue as she took care to get her hands off of him. Struggling with pulling away, with severing the pleasure - she took a step or two back just as he finished whispering into her ear. There was a shake of her own head, chin tossing those locks too and from around her shoulders. "I... I have to go." She left him standing their with his food and that new person. She turned and fled to her shiny, expensive SUV. It wasn't long - not even a backwards glance as she shut her door and started that engine. Confusion had swarmed her senses as she would be gone from sight. She didn't leave him even with an inkling of when he'd get to see her next.
Str33t Magic: Watching the woman take off, Di would tilt her head some and finally step out from her perch. Crossing the street quietly and making it over to Xavier, she'd stop infront of him but couldn't help looking back in the direction that the woman had just left in. "I'd ask what that was all about, but i'm not going to." Her head would turn back, facing him, that bruise on her cheek fairly visible. "I think we may have a problem." And with that she would touch her face once more with a light wince.
Xavier Darnai: "Generally. Hold this, would you." His left arm extended out to her with the sealed box from the diner filled with the befstroganov, and once she took it he started to rub his palm against the bandaging wrapped around his exposed forearm. It wasn't a perfect solution, but at least no one would question why there was blood on bandaging, and he didn't have a better method at the moment. Once he was sure that what blood was left wasn't coming off, he would reach for the food again, taking it back from her before looking to her in silence. It was a look that rang clearly of waiting for an explanation.
Obvious Illusion: "I promise I won't be so brutal." Was said from behind him. Yes, in truth, she had almost appeared out of nowhere behind him. Whether it was a car she drove or a taxi she had gotten out of streets ago, the Toreador was not in her typical attire. No, instead, the woman wore long dark denim jeans, a V-neck white blouse, and a light blue sweater that went nearly down to her knees. It was open and it allowed for some coverage in the hazy evening. Reader, impervious to most temperatures around her, still looked under the weather. She had on dark glasses, a bit of blush upon her cheeks, and a splash of color across her lips. Her long legs certainly looked just that - long in the cut of jeans and the wedge heels she wore. "At least, as much of my memory as I can recollect." Around her was the hint of orange and pomegranate. It was her scent. A little dash of exotic and a spritz of citrus. Vanilla, after all, did not seem to fit the woman as her hair was free that evening, dancing at her proverbial waistband and still a little damp from her recent bath time.
Xavier Darnai: "Suppose that'd depend on the definition've brutal, wouldn't it love." Lifting his head again, he glanced to the stars once more. They were always going to be wrong for him, no matter what. Turning his head back, he looked over his shoulder at her, appraising her current state with a fair moment of time spent on it. She was dressed a bit more relaxed than usual, certainly, but that likely helped her look less impacted by her rather unfortunate case of food poisoning. Turning on his heel to face her fully, he reached up and undid the button of his suit jacket, sliding his hand in after. Out came a cigarette, set between his lips as he tossed his lighter into the air and snatched out of its fall with his bandaged left. Flipping it open, it was snapped to life quickly, pausing only long enough to watch the fire dance as he took that first hit. A flick of his wrist snapped the lighter shut again, and he took a step towards her. Exhaling as he pulled the cigarette free, turning the lighter over and over in his bandaged fingers, he spun the cigarette over and offered it to her.
Obvious Illusion: "Do you call everyone that? 'Love,' I mean?" She asked him quietly. She seemed to be a bit more demure than she had appeared the evening before. There was nothing like taking the anxiety out of someone than becoming ill and public and effectively puking up the dinner over someone else's tabletop. Embarrassment surely was part of the equation, after all. "You met Isis officially." Yes, the woman that claimed Nicholas could be a smidge of a handful when she cared to appear to others. Her chest still hurt, but the remnants were fading. She tipped her chin up, the dark glasses reflective. Gun metal gray would sizzle back at him, watching his every move just as she had. Though her stomach was still sour, she appreciated the offer of one of her more favored pastimes. "No, thank you." She kindly denied the smoke. No, her tongue would kill her for sure.
Xavier Darnai: There was a slight tilt of his head to the side in answer to the question about the shorthand term he used for women. It was something he had picked up as a young man, and it stuck. For the most part it felt like British slang, so it was rarely questioned considering his nationality. Isis. Interesting, he was right; Xavier hadn't ever asked her name, nor had he been properly introduced despite their game of questions the night prior, but he was certain it would come along at some point. When she denied the cigarette, he raised both brows in surprise, spinning it over again to rest between his index and ring finger before he took another hit. Exhaling off to the side, he gave a light pair of nods. "Suppose you could call it that. Had a bit've a discussion, more're less. She acts a bit like a force've nature personified."
Obvious Illusion: "She is. At least, she was. From what I can remember her. She used to come to the Inn. Watch. Sometimes participate. We aren't angels, I guess." Reader's back was aching. Her chest felt like someone had poured cement inside of the barren cavity. She decided against inhaling. After all, her body had taken enough brutality for the lat couple of days. "You had an interesting evening, no doubt." She took in his buttoned up appearance, the attempt at being casual, the bluster of his wide chest filled with the tension he carried in his shoulders. The long hair gathered up around one shoulder, the breeze coming to lick at the ends of her sweater. "What do you fancy this evening?" She hadn't even touched further on his slang. No, she accepted it and moved on. Moved, in fact, towards the doors of the Diner he was contemplating when she came upon him.
Xavier Darnai: Listening to her own assessment of the woman's state of being, he gave a light roll of his shoulders, accepting the state of it all. "I've had more compelling evenings." Though not for the reasons most might want to hear. Another hit off the cigarette was taken as he considered her question, watching her turn and head up the few shops towards the Belyi's door. "Suddenly I'm in the mood for the befstroganov..." Falling into step slowly after, he made no hurried movement to catch up to her, figuring his pace would do it naturally just fine. Exhaling slowly into the night air, he took another hit off the cigarette as a rapid-fire shot immediately after before tossing it to the sidewalk in front of him, crushing it under the ball of his foot in his natural stride. "Maybe a drink."
Obvious Illusion: "I'll be sure to try harder the next time, then." She said it as a tease. It brought the hint of a curve to her lips as she looked back over her shoulder. She waited. She held the door open. The headache was leftover. It was like a miserable, undue hangover. As she stepped inside, the coolness of the air conditioning took over. She was thankful she had decided upon the sweater to top her outfit that evening. She did not assume for Xavier, no. She let him figure out where he cared to sit. "A drink, hmm? Yes, a touch of alcohol to purge the system." Of toxins, of course, she said it not. She had gathered herself up in that bathroom that she had passed out in, curled into as much of a ball as she could manage on the cool tile flooring. That is why she ended up down there. Among the travertine n' all. She shook her head, as if she were talking to herself. Or making a comment to her own mind in passing. Food? No, not tonight, not on the sensitive Vampire's stomach.
Xavier Darnai: "Well, the interesting conversation'd been interrupted, hadn't it. Who knows where it might've gone otherwise." Downplaying her tease with a smirk of his own, he gave her a light nod as he slipped in through and gave Natasha a nod before waving of the need for a menu and rounding on through into the common eating area. Settling into a corner table hear the street side, he took a seat and immediately started rolling back his jacket and shirt sleeves, binding them near the elbows. Pressing at the front of the chair across with his boot, he slid it out for her, not bothering to motion to it. She'd made the invitation herself, there was no reason to offer for her to join. His ankle was rest over his knee with that same muted thunk, lifting his hand to flag down a waitress and put his order in. "I'll have the befstroganov, and a glass've the Balvanie Double Wood."
Obvious Illusion: "It had." She agreed as he kicked out the chair from underneath the table. She struggled not to sit, but to instead watch her tongue. Though, she hadn't ever purposely done it before - now they were in such another public place. It was earlier in the evening where dinner hour was commencing and she struggled to keep her voice from raising. Or, rather... She could struggle. "It was inappropriate. I had... issues. I'd apologize, but I'm not sorry." She said blatantly to that man across from her. With his metal parts and his red eyes and his strong, determined jaw. No... She wasn't sorry at all.
Xavier Darnai: "Then don't apologize either. I don't." Resting forward, he set his elbows on the tables and folded his fingers together, bandage and bare alike. "Besides, if I'd had to make ammends to everyone I've ever told to fuck off, I'd have to dedicate a portion've time I'm not willing to sacrifice. From the looks've things you weren't particularly up to the task've a back'n forth. Who'm I to argue for poking at the bear, neh?" Bouncing his brow once, he offered a partial smirk. Looking up, he gave the waitress a nod, adding quietly. "Make it two've the Double Wood. Either she's going to try'n steal mine, or I'm going to save you the trouble've a visit."
Obvious Illusion: "You did deserve it." Was all she managed to say to the man. There was a smirk of a grin at the corner of her mouth as he ordered another. Of course, she let her hands fall ever so lady-like to her lap as she crossed her long legs - left over right. Her top foot bounced a bit, giving way to the constant shimmer of those reflective sunglasses dancing the light off the wall behind him and across their table.
Xavier Darnai: "Probably. Wouldn't surprise me. Sure I've done something I'm just forgetting about." Watching the waitress head off, he turned his attention back to Reader again as he continued with their conversational game. "Maybe abandoning a worthwhile conversation for a shite one." Rolling his shoulder once, he sat back again, regarding her posture and the little movements. "Still, you are looking better this evening."
Obvious Illusion: "Yes well, I still don't think you know how to eat out properly. Most men lack that ability." And right there, she seemed to pick up where they left off. He couldn't see her eyes. He couldn't see her smile in them. Even though she had a horrific night, alone and in pain, she still gathered her wits and came about the next evening out. Her skin had taken on a pale tinge to the barely cream base. Not quite white, but certainly not grey. Her fingers stretched out of her the denim of her thighs. She kept her hands to herself, after all. She knew his status. She knew his take. She relaxed back against the bare comfort of the chair and watched the waitresses and people come and go around them.
Xavier Darnai: "It's all about knowing where to pick up the proper bite, sometimes it means searching about for a bit, making sure you're in the right neighborhood." It was rare that he wasn't here with some sort of research project involved. With only Reader to keep his attention, he kept his eyes on her as he sat back in the chair, turning away only at the sight of the waitress in the corner of his eye coming with both tumblers of the dual aged single malt. Taking his own up in the bandaged left hand, he raised it in salute. "Do poslednego vystrela."
Obvious Illusion: "You sound like you make it a habit of trolling street corners." She arched a brow at the man in the corner and certainly wouldn't have held back the smirk that came along with her temper. It seemed to flair just a little bit with her next breath. The waitress had dropped the drinks off and she eyed the one that Xavier had ordered for her. It did, after all, look delicious. And it wasn't blood. Her aversion to the freshness was heaved for the ever contained plastic blood pack. "I wasn't quite talking about a bite per say, though. More like ... a lick." Christ, she was dirty. Even in her not quite 100% of things, she eased forward enough to curl her fingers around the glass and drag it over to settle it in front of her.
Xavier Darnai: "I don't know that you could afford me." The smirk played out as he brought the glass down for a sip of the oak-heavy Scotch, taking a long sip. Pulling the glass away and giving it a slow stir, he lowered it to the table top, tilting it slightly to the side and spinning it on the edge of its base. "What, my rapier sharp wit's not enough to show you I'm good with my tongue. Tsk, and here I'd thought I'd proven myself already." With a careful balance under his bandaged fingers, the glass spun just slow enough to get the Scotch to pool at an even plane, gripping at the sides of the glass as it rolled.
Obvious Illusion: "Oh, I could afford you. And the metal you have in that body." She nodded, tipping her chin out to him as if to offer him something else to spar against. With a deep breath, she lifted the glass. Inspected it. Brought it to her nose to sniff it. She seemed quite weary of the liquid that was inside of it. Without tasting it, she set the glass back down in front of her. She wasn't smooth with her antics for the drink. No, she was the kind that didn't caress the liquid upon her tongue. She dropped it back, letting the liquid choke her esophagus. Perhaps that was the problem, she dispensed with pleasantries quickly. There was an art form. It was an art form all her own. It wasn't expected. It wasn't a social standard. It wasn't a norm. She simply uncrossed her legs and let her ass scotch down inches in that seat. Her back bothered her. Muscles were sore. They were deprived of her favorite food, after all. An evening of fruitless feeding and her fangs had not even retracted at the prospect of fresh...er blood. "There's enough to prove. You've done a decent job." In truth, Reader continued to sit their, watching him with her covered eyes.
Xavier Darnai: "So sure, and you haven't even heard my price. Confident, aren't we." Stopping the spin, he pulled it up off of the table again and looked at the glass for a moment, tilting his head to the side. "It's rare that I've got someone so quick with the back'n forth, Reader, but just like last night you don't seem yourself tonight. You may've eaten, but it didn't sit well enough to stick about, did it." Rust red eyes lift from the glass to her again as she shifted in her seat to try and find a way to be comfortable while being utterly uncomfortable in her body. After leaving the Book Nook he'd done a touch of research, comparing her symptoms to a reasonable list of ailments, and there were a few things that made sense. Still, this was a civilized business, and hearing that there were monsters in their midst could agitate a situation. He remained silent for a moment as the waitress came by and set down the plate of noodles and steak in gravy, giving the girl a nod as he took a sip of the Scotch, all while he kept eyes on Reader. When their immediate space was clear of prying ears, he would ask. "How long has it been now since you've had a true filling." After all, there was no reason their little game of taunts couldn't continue.
Obvious Illusion: "You sit there, so sure of yourself likewise. You look across from you and you see a woman, devoid of warmth and so full of honesty. You want money? I have it. You want power? You came to the wrong place. I could give you the power. But, would you use it like you are supposed to?" She arched a perfect brown brow at him behind the reflective lenses. She brought her arms up, tumbling her nails upon the table's edge just like he would the night before. Of course, she opened her mouth to continue upon that task at hand of raging her tongue along his person. No doubt his ears would be hot by now, but as the waitress came - she stopped. The lengths of her hair seemed to curl the tiny bit. The ends certainly seemed to pick up and the volume let alone the variances of color seemed to show through. From black to gold, to a hint of blonde even among some strands, the twenty different shades in the light seemed to echo the mirror she was. "A year. Two. Three... I lost count a while ago." Brutal. It was brutal. The freeing of that inner beast and the need. She certainly had her body driven to the brink of complete pain. She leaned forward, her lips in their pale pink glory seemed to smirk at him. "You sit there and act like you know so much." It was obvious, perhaps, her plight. "Was your research of good use to you?"
Xavier Darnai: "A man who sets his own price can always be certain that others can't meet it love. But I don't need money, or power, I've had both and all they're likely to do're get a man killed." Tilting the glass back again, he cleared out a fair measure of the Scotch before setting the glass down again and leaning forward to rest his arms at the table. Predatory eye to predatory eye, tilting his head just slightly to the side. "Well that's a bloody shame, isn't it. Shouldn't ever have to go that long without getting your proper fill. Sure to leave anyone strung out'n bitter." Lips pulled back in that same shark like grin as he tapped the bandaged fingers against the table top, utterly ignoring the food that had been set in front of him. "Is that the act you think I'm putting on, Reader. And here I'd've thought you'd've been able to look through it. Well." His voice dropped to a whisper for her, nearly devoid of his heavy British accent as he spoke almost entirely by forced breath alone. "Maybe the garlic has you distracted still..."
Obvious Illusion: She stopped. Every part of her being stopped. Her breath, her movement, her heels, the shift of those wedged heels against the floor. She swallowed tightly, her eyes narrowing behind the gun metal gray rims. "You are a soldier. A warrior. You have both already. Entertainment is a heightened cause. Someone to volley with. Someone to share a meal with. Someone to take nothing more than a brink of curiosity. I don't believe it." She whispered, her voice cold. The memories replayed like a stark white light, the sun burning her skin. She shook her head, denying the thoughts of the man in front of her. "There's a void that can be filled with ignorance. There's a void that can be filled for so long before the wound gapes even more. "Your dinner is getting cold." She said finally, as if she started to come to herself again. Her ass in that seat shifted. Her back seemed to straighten and then slouch as it had numerous times already within that seat across from him. "You aren't him."
Xavier Darnai: "You might be surprised to learn who I can be when I need to." As she sat up, so did he, looking to the plate of Yuri's signature dish. It was always quite delicious, properly seasoned and marinated, but he also knew what the man put into his gravy. Raising his hand to flag down the waitress as she passed, he picked up the plate and handed it to her. "Would you box this for me, eyes were bigger than my stomach but it'd be a shame to waste it." Watching as the woman took the plate away, he turned back to Reader and reached into his jacket to pull out the cigarettes and lighter, setting them on the table top as he took a sip of the Scotch. "You're a clever girl, Reader, and I'm sure that you've seen men try to hit that proper point of balance more times than you could count. It's not easy, that's the heavy've it. All work and no play makes for a very dull boy, grant you, but it makes for men who know what they want. Play's the byproduct. Play comes secondary. Play is just another way to describe the proper use've the power you've taken over someone else."
Obvious Illusion: Alarm slammed into her chest. She narrowed her eyes to him. Of course, he couldn't see it. She gathered a breath through her just parted lips and striven for an ounce of decorum. No. It was her mind playing tricks on her. It was the simple things. The suits. The color of the eyes. The verbal bouts back and forth. She shook her head, the waves of her hair falling over a shoulder. The leather bracelet - another addition for that evening - had her other hand going to turn the strap upon her wrist. She ignored him. She ignored the way the waitress slowed, giving her a look of concern before wandering off to do as her guest requested. She laughed. It started as a chuckle, but ended up to be a full fledged enjoyment of the way things fell into place. "Men often come short. Oh, so short, Xavier. Do you think you have the play and the power? Aren't you busy? Aren't you a man that has so much work after all? You don't have much time for these games. You play them, I must say, so -very- well. You have had a lot of practice. Too much, I would say." And still, she shifted. Still, she moved in that seat as if her bones were aching and her muscles begged for a relief that could not be obtained.
Xavier Darnai: Once upon a time a young man wore cheap suits with utter disdain because he knew they were required to work with people he had nothing in common with. But the more he wore them, the more he learned that working with those people simply meant lying about who he was, a task he was already committing gravely. The cheap suits were stripped away, the abrasive behavior was toned back-- albeit not eradicated --and he invented himself as a businessman, well educated and savvy, refined and sophisticated. The more time he spent with the lie, the more he realized that the face was becoming the fact. Long ago Xavier had realized that he was that man after all, and he simply was choosing to ignore it at the beginning. So he became busy, always moving, always working, always hunting for the next piece of the puzzle. As Reader's questions were posed, he sat back in his chair, slowly lifting the glass to his lips to take a sip of the well aged and complex alcohol, eyes focused sharply on her as she fidgeted. His answer was a silent one. So many times she had seen him here, working in some fashion, studying trends or patterns, preparing documents and financials, but tonight he simply motioned to the empty table in front of him with his empty hand. There was no work here, only the byproduct of a man who understood very well what he wanted, what he could have, and what it took to make those things his.
Obvious Illusion: She watched the man in front of her. He was just as good as she was. He was just as mysterious. Just as talented of a dancer as he was a man that took blood for a living. That spilled it, that watched the souls good or bad devoid the bodies they took up. She saw his silence. She raised him a temper. She pushed her ass back within that seat and she was about to break her promise. Of course, she was already on her feet and leaning forward. The splay of his hand was the last straw and her words were low with cause. The enunciation certainly did not break the bank as her lips curled into a pristine snarl. Those fangs were out, they were sharp just for him now. "Fuck you." Yes, she had a dirty mouth. She peeled herself away from that table, leaving his glass untouched. She was ever in a mood, it seemed. Not even a look over her shoulder as she stalked away. Where the surrounding customers of the diner seemed to quiet and the forks fell silent upon the plates. His waitress she passed with his boxed dinner and the sway to her hips was one of intent and malice. Deadly. He raised the game, after all.
Xavier Darnai: "Such language from a lady." It was said quickly enough a she started to move away from the table. Tossing back his own glass, he pulled his billfold free and set a series of twenties down on the table before he returned it to the inner pocket of his suit. His cigarettes and lighter were gripped as he took up the second glass on the table, tossing it back quickly while the small parcels found their proper home just in time for him to collect the packaged traditional pasta dish from the waitress. The ambidextrous and multitasking fluidity of motion continued as the empty glass was set down, stacked in his own as he spun away from the table and followed Reader towards the door. As ever, Xavier's pace wasn't unnaturally sped, but his long stride moved him towards the woman in so often in stiletto heels quickly enough. Not so presumptuous as to lace an arm through hers, he did take one step ahead to pull the door open, whispering for her as he did. "Best that whatever comes next at the very least happen outside of the restaurant, neh?" There was a grin, and it was hard to say that it was not self satisfied, but not so much that he could be called smug. No, self assure, confident perhaps, but not smug.
Obvious Illusion: "Such power plays for a competent component." She murmured to the man that came upon her swiftly. She had wound her way through that diner and had hit the night air. She still couldn't breathe. She still couldn't seem to open her lips and suck down enough air to gather the fulfilled feeling within her. Once outside, she hoped the man would hang onto his box of food. She thrust her hand into his chest and shoved him up against the outside wall of the diner. Oh, it was dark as the lights allowed it and she got into his face. Her breath of mint was no doubt tasted if he chose to inhale while she stood just about as tall as he. "Who are you?"
Xavier Darnai: Plenty of men could be pushed around, and with Reader's own condition she was certainly strong enough to push Xavier, but it didn't come easy. With a fair bit of resistance, he hit the wall without so much as a grunt. Even in the darkness those eyes stared right back into hers. He had been in this standoff before, and it couldn't help but make the man grin every time. The box was still held in his right hand, tightly packaged and carefully gripped. "That depends a bit too much on who's asking, love, and why." Slowly he moved the package from his right hand to his left, holding it just as carefully. "After all, the best hands're played when nobody's showing their cards. Shame I managed to get a peek at yours."
Obvious Illusion: "Walker already had confirmed that I was a creature of the night out for blood and sex." She smirked at Xavier. At the soldier. She tossed him a smile, sickly sweet and dripping bitter lemon drops. She smoothed her palm over his chest, her fingers catching on his buttons and feeling the fine fabric under her touch. She lowered her chin for a moment before letting her hand drop away from his chest. It didn't take much effort. He had no idea the devious thoughts. She took a step back, letting him have his personal space once again. "It was a pleasure, as always." She murmured to him, letting him out from her grip.
Xavier Darnai: "Walker's an idiot." It was a quick enough reply, though as she let go of his shirt, he pressed himself forward from the wall, watching her turn to walk away. "Really, only those two things. So which is it tonight, because from where I'm standing you look to have neither've'em at the moment." With his left arm hanging at his side, he tilted his neck from one side to the other in a slow pop. He was sure she could hear the thumping in his chest while she had him up against the wall, double time just as it had been the time before, and the time before that. Still, he wasn't sweating, he didn't look nervous, he just sounded like he was a fright away from a heart attack, or a quarter inch cut away from a mass hemorrhage. Even still he poked at her with the question, standing there and not yet capping their little dance with anything close to a goodbye.
Obvious Illusion: "Sometimes all men are idiots. They have their ideals and their wants and aren't able to see what is right in front of their eyes. Blinded by expectations and you say the female gender is the worst with that? How we oogle and want and cannot fathom the alternate of choices. Are you offering, Xavier? Are you going to let me suck your blood and suck your dick?" Yes, crude. She got back into his space. She invaded his personal area once again. She smirked at him and still he could not see her eyes behind those reflective lenses. The aviator glasses took up most of her face and she was alright with that. "I thought you were otherwise involved, after all." She pushed him again. She nudged him back against the wall with her hand. She leaned into him, her lips hovering oh so close to his. "I don't take other women's men." And she let that situate within his brain for a moment. She let that roll over and broil before she started to pull away again.
Xavier Darnai: "As often as I hear you say fuck you it's either'n offer or a request, yet here you are telling me you won't take me." As she leaned away, he leaned in, straightening up and tilting just slightly to the side so that his cheek was nearly against hers. "Idle threat then, neh? Wouldn't've thought you'd've been the type, Reader, color me shocked. So, blood is it..." His right arm moved behind him and he took a blade from behind his lower back, flipping it in the air to their side so he could grab the length of it. Holding the blade against the soft flesh of his palm, he squeezed at it until the knife cut in, blade running down along its length and starting to seep down his wrist, threatening to approach the pushed back sleeve of his tan suit and blue shirt. "Or are you afraid that something every soldier throws away's spoken for too."
Obvious Illusion: "Are you involved? It is as simple as that." She hissed at him, the fangs digging into her lower lip with every syllable spoken. She narrowed her gaze, evident by the way the skin gathered into those worry lines between her brows. "I once was called a whore. I refuse to live up to the label that gets slapped upon our kind." Vampires. Toreadors. Pleasure. Sex. Need. Touch. Her mind swarmed. The red hot alert to her brain as she saw the blood pooling at the line he cut. She lowered her chin, her cheek grazing back against his. "You fool! Do you not realize what you are offering?" Blood. A bit of connection. He smelled so delicious. She hissed at him. She grabbed his wrist. She pulled his arm up, her tongue coming out to lave the trickle of the line that threatened to mar his suit. She gasped against his flesh, her tongue running upwards yet as her lips would smear too. Kisses? Teasing? The light lave of the tip of her tongue across parted flesh. She gave the hint of a moan, the rumble of her lips against his wrist and she barely could withstand the pleasure of his offered blood. Her fangs sank in, her tongue pushed against the artery there feeding her mouth while she became rather entranced in his very taste - flesh and blood mixed, her fingers clutched into his arm and nails dug to hold flesh to her fangs.
Str33t Magic: "Ugh, that smarts..." The words were whispered by the young Magician as she turned the corner, holding a hand against a bruised cheek while she made her way towards the diner. She told Xav' she'd be meeting him there... an hour ago, however she never made it till just now. Removing her hand from her mouth, she looked at her fingers as though she was bleeding, which she wasn't, before replacing her hand. Di was clad in a pair of black cargo pants, over a pair of Bred XI's, a black tank top and over that was a red hooded jacket. There was a tear in her pants near the thigh and she was looking a little worse for wear. Getting into a fight that caused some unforeseen events to occur tended to leave you looking kind of disheveled. Rounding another corner, she was almost to the Belyi when she stopped, spotting Xav and a woman she hadn't seen before. Doe browns would blink a couple of times as she stood there watching the two of them before she took a sidestep against the wall and just continued to watch them. "What is going on..?" This was said quietly to herself. She decided it might be best to keep out of sight for the moment.
Xavier Darnai: "Better than just about anyone's willing to admit." He didn't resist when she took his wrist, pulling it to her lips and even turning this hand to make sure she wasn't inadvertently stabbed with the knife he was still holding. His feet planted firmly, left sliding back just a touch to brace against the wall for leverage if it came to that, but for the moment he let her drink. Muscles tensed as her fangs pierced, but he didn't wince, nor did he react as so many men might have; breaking into moans and having their eyes roll back in their head. Watching with no shortage of intensity, his arm remained rigid, serving as a drinking fountain for Reader. Like tugging on a series of strings, he had pulled her along. He didn't care about the titles that came with her clan, the labels, the assumptions of their nature. That may have been a spring point for so many, but it had little to do with Xavier's own behavioral choices. Tilting his head in, he whispered for Reader to hear. "I thought you looked famished last night, but we were... interrupted."
Obvious Illusion: Did he expect her to take her fangs from his wrist to answer his whisper? She hoped not. In truth, she sank the morsels of her mouth deeper into his wrist, situating her anchor into his flesh. Her tongue worked, the lave up the split flesh while another came near. She nearly growled at the possessive hold upon his arm never mind the visitor. She refused for a moment more to unleash her victim. Bloody. Brutal. Well, she hadn't ripped open his wrist, instead she claimed it for a moment as her very own source. Swallow after swallow, letting the blood build up upon her tongue before dousing her throat with the delicious taste had her laving the wound before long. Disengage - her system warned her. S t o p - came the next internal dialogue. She carefully extracted herself from him, licked that wound, and let him have his arm back before she brought her shoulders back up and her sunglasses to gather his facial features once more. Her hands -almost painfully- started to unclench and leave his person.
Str33t Magic: "....." The look on Diana's face was reminiscent of a particular meme Dafuq did I just read? only replace the word 'read' with 'see'. Slender brow had risen while she silently watched from her perch at the moment, not moving just yet but observing. She'd never really seen this before and for her it was equal parts interesting and equal parts 'what the fuck?' to see this actually occurring in front of her. Her head would turn some, glancing back over her shoulder for anyone else walking up and seeing no one, she would turn her attention back to her associate and the woman he was with. Once everything seemed to be over with... for the most part anyways. Di was about to step out from her spot, but chose to stay there for a bit longer.. just in case.
Xavier Darnai: After she licked the puncture wounds on his wrist closed, he took the handle of the knife in his left for a moment, turning his sliced palm over and looking to it for a moment. It was continuing to bleed, but a slow drag of his thumb across the surface of the wound knit it together again as though it had never been opened. He was skilled in the craft, though even as he did the bloodied palm remained there in the open and up as though it was a near empty bowl. Tilting slightly, his suit and shirt brushing against her sweater, he turned his head enough to whisper faintly into her ear. "If you wish to know what it was like while my living heart made the beat you're hearing in my chest... I can arrange that any time you desire." Xavier had built up a reputation as a businessman, and so often that meant knowing how to give the customer exactly what they wanted, even if it meant a sample on the house. Slowly he pulled back, standing upright again, hand still out an open as he watched her take in the light meal he had offered, and the offer that followed for more.
Obvious Illusion: They were interrupted again. Had she not heard the approach and the call out, she still would have been feasting, fangs latched onto tendons and her tongue bathing in his blood. It seemed to dampen the pink across her lips, giving her a little more of a hint of warmth to her than the ice princess recovering from an all weekend party. She gulped, seemingly sucking down the last taste of his blood upon her tongue as she took care to get her hands off of him. Struggling with pulling away, with severing the pleasure - she took a step or two back just as he finished whispering into her ear. There was a shake of her own head, chin tossing those locks too and from around her shoulders. "I... I have to go." She left him standing their with his food and that new person. She turned and fled to her shiny, expensive SUV. It wasn't long - not even a backwards glance as she shut her door and started that engine. Confusion had swarmed her senses as she would be gone from sight. She didn't leave him even with an inkling of when he'd get to see her next.
Str33t Magic: Watching the woman take off, Di would tilt her head some and finally step out from her perch. Crossing the street quietly and making it over to Xavier, she'd stop infront of him but couldn't help looking back in the direction that the woman had just left in. "I'd ask what that was all about, but i'm not going to." Her head would turn back, facing him, that bruise on her cheek fairly visible. "I think we may have a problem." And with that she would touch her face once more with a light wince.
Xavier Darnai: "Generally. Hold this, would you." His left arm extended out to her with the sealed box from the diner filled with the befstroganov, and once she took it he started to rub his palm against the bandaging wrapped around his exposed forearm. It wasn't a perfect solution, but at least no one would question why there was blood on bandaging, and he didn't have a better method at the moment. Once he was sure that what blood was left wasn't coming off, he would reach for the food again, taking it back from her before looking to her in silence. It was a look that rang clearly of waiting for an explanation.
