bound_by_honor (bound_by_honor) wrote in doorslogs, @ 2012-06-11 22:48:00 |
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Entry tags: | daenerys targaryen, eddard stark |
WHO Theo & Kitane
WHAT Awkwardness and dinner
WHEN Recently, before Simon's party
WHERE Their penthouse, then some Mongolian BBQ place
WARNINGS Kitane is a tease and Theo is a gentleman
It wasn't nice to tease. She'd been told that time and time again by people, her therapist, Therese, some of the guys at the shop. Yet this was wholly different. Theo had invited her into his home (she knew it was his, all the mail had his name on it) and he swore he wouldn't touch her. He hadn't, but Kitane knew the look he sometimes gave her, right before he looked away, or looked down, anywhere but at her. Men always wanted something, but it confused and surprised her that Theo didn't seem to want anything. He wouldn't let her clean, barely let her do the dishes, occasionally let her cook (she wasn't good at anything that didn't include meat and a fire), but otherwise asked nothing of her except to change the cat box (which she did twice a day because Viserion was an incredibly clean, picky creature). It was disconcerting for her, to say the least, but he never did anything more than look, and never for longer than a few seconds. She knew he had to find her attractive, why else would he look to begin with? But his refusal to do anything more, his sheer determination only increased her own and the mission was born. No man could possibly be as good as Theodore Winters tried to be, she'd seen too many looks on the faces of too many men and if there was a small, tiny piece of her that hoped that he was, she gagged it and threw it into the back of the closet. To reach her objectives, every time she came back to the penthouse, she would shower, change, and wear a little less. Try as she might though, the looks from him still never lasted more than a few seconds which only upped the ante for her. It also meant that more often than not, she was in the kitchen when he came home. She fully expected him to break down one day, and she wanted to be in the room with the most knives when he did. Just because she was tempting him didn't mean she was going to give in. Today though, she was dressed in a sheer, off the shoulder purple poet shirt. Already showered, Kitane didn't bother putting on anything under it, just used his lotion (the girly stuff that he'd bought, not his lotion that smelled like it belonged on a man) everywhere, but especially on the outline of her dragon tattoo. Pulling one of the fashion magazines she'd taken from the lobby downstairs, which would be returned in the morning, from her bag, she stalked through his penthouse to the kitchen. Despite what people said about bringing home strangers, Theo couldn’t seem to stop. Granted, Kitane was the first he’d helped off the streets, but she wasn’t the first person he offered to take care of. There was Raegan, his niece and arguably the reason for his abundantly charitable nature, Maren, one of Raegan’s step-siblings, Aubrey, his head of security, and kinda sorta Nell, if he tilted his head and squinted really hard. All of them were taken care of in some way, even if it was just the offer of a hotel room if they wanted. Kitane was different though. He’d offered both the Wynn and his penthouse and she’d chosen the latter. He honestly had expected her to disappear after a few days but then it was weeks and months and now there was a cat living there as well. He worked odd hours, sometimes coming home well after midnight and leaving before the sun was even up. That had nothing to do with the fact that she was continually testing his patience and resolve by wearing less and less clothing every time he saw her. Theo wasn’t sure what she was playing at but he was dangerously close to losing. He had promised her safety, protection, food and shelter. He offered to buy her clothes, accessories, personal grooming items. Whatever she wanted, she could have and Kitane hadn’t taken advantage of him. That was how he knew he could trust her and by the end of the second week, she had a key of her own. He was starting to regret that now because she knew his schedule and it seemed not a day would go by where she wasn’t parading around in short skirts and low-cut tops, daring him to do something he’d sworn he wouldn’t. Never mind the fact that she was nineteen and could be his daughter for crying out loud. She was the same age as Raegan, or just about, and the whole idea just felt so inappropriate to him. That wouldn’t stop the traitorous thoughts seeping through, like how smooth and long her legs looked or how flat her tummy was. Even that fucking tattoo of hers tormented him, starting at her ankle and then twisting its way beneath her clothes, making him curious about what it looked like. Stop it, he chastised himself, trying to dismiss those thoughts as he turned the key in the lock and stepped inside. Despite knowing that she would probably be in the kitchen, Theo made his way through the foyer and into the kitchen, seeking a snack or something. As soon as she heard his key in the door, Kitane was smiling to herself as she flipped open the magazine on the counter and bent over it, like she was reading it. While some of the magazines had good stuff in them, this one was only so so. It wasn't that she followed fashion closely anyway, but if she found something cute in one of them, then she tried to find something similar where there weren't quite as many numbers after the dollar sign. For all that money was a pain in her ass, she had a keen sense of value, and if she was going to pay multiple hundreds of dollars for anything it better be in gold. She was in the middle of flipping through some advertisements about some make up, one leg canted behind the other, her toes rubbing at the back of her calf when she heard him enter. The shirt barely covered her ass and it wasn't helped by her wet hair, keeping the material at her back clinging to her skin. "Hi Theo," she said, not looking up from her magazine. He’d been expecting short shorts, maybe a mini-mini skirt that just barely covered anything. Hell, she could’ve been wearing a bikini for all he cared because it would have been better than what she was actually wearing. The little number she wore might’ve been a dark color but it was sheer. Her wet hair indicated that she’d recently gotten out of the shower and her body must have still been moist because the shirt, dress, whatever, was clinging to her skin in some places. It was just sheer enough that...was she not wearing underwear? Theo swallowed and walked quickly around the breakfast counter to the fridge. “Hello,” he greeted with a slight inclination of his head, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at her, not until he’d taken a handful of carrots from the bag in the fridge. Theo glanced at her feet of all things and was captivated by the way she was rubbing her foot against her calf. He shook his head and focused himself. This wasn’t what he’d promised her. What sort of man ogled his house guest? “How has your day been?” he asked, keeping his tone even as he made his way to the doorway separating the kitchen from the breakfast room with the intention of making his way into the formal living room and the well stocked bar that was there. His voice was carefully even, nothing at all to indicate that he'd even looked, except for when she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes and saw that he was looking... down? Her toes curled. Seriously, was Theo gay? Made of iron? Given the way that he would give little pieces of looks, nothing serious, and then keep going as if nothing happened was making her believe it was true. Only time would tell the complete truth. Turning, she grabbed her magazine and made to follow him out of the kitchen. "Good. I have an appointment with Nicki this weekend to get some of the color put on," she said, pausing to wiggle her foot at him. They'd start low, with the white and bronze of the tail. "You? How was your day, Theo? Have you eaten yet?" There was something about this headstrong young woman that Theo enjoyed despite her numerous attempts at getting him to behave inappropriately. She certainly knew how to take care of herself and over the past few weeks they had gotten to know each other a little more. He enjoyed her company for the most part, found it endearing that she spent more nights outside on the terrace than inside on the soft, comfortable bed. He’d covered her with a blanket and given her a pillow a number of times, warding off the chill of the Las Vegas night. He took his offer of taking care of her very seriously and he truly wanted to help her. There had to be some way to make this work. It seemed she was going to follow him, and that was fine. He didn’t stop until he reached the bar, pouring himself a liberal glass of scotch. “You’re going to start with your ankle? I hope it doesn’t hurt too badly,” he replied honestly, and his gaze had been drawn to her foot as she wiggled it. He had to stop himself from following the path of the outline. “My day was fine. Primarily customer complaints and shuffling of rooms and the like thanks to the attack last week. Things are starting to return to normal, for the most part.” He took a generous sip of the amber liquid before answering her. “I have not. Have you? I would be more than happy to cook for us, if that’s the case.” The kitchen was always well stocked, he made sure of it. "It didn't hurt last time," Kitane said as she peered down at her own ankle and the outline of the tail that was already marked into her skin. She noticed that while he looked at her foot, he didn't look any higher and wasn't sure if she should count that as a victory or not. There weren't any knives out here, but she did have her magazine. If Theo misbehaved, she guessed she could use that, roll it up and hit him on the nose like they did to bad dogs. Though Theo was considerably bigger.... it was at least a starting point. She kept the magazine for now as she followed him to the bar and leaned up against it, back to the edge of it, elbows on the lip so her chest was forced out, the sheer material failing to cover the points of her nipples. It worked for a few seconds until Viserion jumped up on the bar and she immediately gathered the cat up in her arms, clutching him to her chest. "No. Viserion is hungry too," she murmured and kissed the cat on his cheek. The fact that her tattoo didn’t hurt indicated to Theo that either she had a high pain tolerance or she could push through it for something she wanted. Considering where the rest of her tattoo wound over her body, he was betting the former, but it honestly didn’t mean much either way. It was just something to focus on other than her continued inability to wearing clothing appropriate to her body. He wasn’t immune to a mostly naked woman parading herself in front of him but he did have a problem with the fact that it was a nineteen year old woman he offered a safe place to. Theo wasn’t even sure of how to broach the subject with her. He’d tried purchasing clothes for her but it seemed that she didn’t want to wear them. Perhaps he’d ask Kate to take her shopping, or Raegan. She came to stand next to him and he made the mistake of glancing at her. With the way she was standing, he turned his head back quickly to the scotch, taking a long sip of the burgundy liquid. It burned a little going down but that was enough to distract him from the way her nipples were sticking out against the fabric of her clothing. Thankfully, that damn cat jumped onto the bar and Kitane gathered the beast in her arms. Most of the time, he didn’t mind the cat, but occasionally Viserion looked at him as if he was ready to claw his balls off. Even if he didn’t have his morals, that cat would’ve been enough to put him off of being inappropriate with her. “Is there something specific you’d like to eat then?” The kitchen was kept well stocked, now with all organic meat and produce. That was because of a particularly embarrassing trip to the grocery store that he’d rather not remember. Another sip and his glass was suddenly almost empty. There were some nights when Theo would nurse his scotch until dinner, some nights where he'd finish it after dinner, but rare and few were the days when he finished it within five minutes of coming in the door. She smiled against Viserion's whiskers and left the magazine on the bar, forgotten for the moment as she snuggled with a murderous looking cat. "I already put the tuna in the refrigerator to thaw for Viserion, but I think I want..." Her voice trailed off, hip cocked to the side as she considered. They had plenty of meats, vegetables, breads and cheeses, plus all the things that she never used for cooking because she rarely had the chance to use them. Meat and vegetables though... She licked her lips. "I want skewers!" It was something she could make, theoretically, and had before, but he was better making them on the grill. She'd tried once, to talk him into a fire pit where she could roast something on a spit, but he'd not been at all amused by the suggestion. That has also been a night when the scotch was quickly down his throat and out of his glass. Nicki hadn't wanted to build one in her apartment, but they'd gone out into the desert and built one and had a wonderful time. They'd danced like wild women around the fire and under the stars and Kitane had laughed herself sick. A small private smile crossed her lips before she abruptly changed her mind. "Let's go out. You have those places where they have food and it goes whoosh," she said, gesturing with one hand to indicate flames, her other hand preoccupied with holding Viserion. "Yes, let's go out!" She said, beaming suddenly as she sat Viserion down and went running for her room. "I'll change!" The aftermath of the dragon, the Hulk, the zombies, and everything else had left Theo with a lot of extra work to do. Juggling clean up, construction, and customer service wasn’t impossible by any means but it was certainly stressful enough on its own without the addition of Kitane’s constant torment. He didn’t think she did it on purpose most days and that went a long way with how understanding he was trying to be. Generally speaking though, his evening drinking habits were in direct correlation to her clothing choice. At the mention of tuna, he wrinkled his nose and glanced at the cat in question. Theo would have sworn the beast was glaring at him. “Skewers?” he murmured, more to himself, as he tried to place exactly what she meant. Kabobs were the closest thing he could think of, which made sense. He was far better at grilling them than she was. Her idea of making kabobs involved an open fire and a roasting spit which they didn’t have the time or space to accommodate that particular desire of hers. Theo was thankful that she hadn’t tried to do it herself on one of the three balconies of the penthouse. He just happened to glance at her as a smile crossed her lips and he was curious about what she was thinking of. That, however, was pushed aside in favor of her sudden excitement. There was some confusion again as he tried to decipher what she meant. “Hibachi or Mongolian Barbeque?” he asked, because those were the only two types of food that went ‘woosh’ as far as he could recall. She was already moving though, saying she would get changed and that was a victory. There was a very good chance that whatever she was changing into would be more appropriate for public consumption. Hopefully that included underwear. He poured himself another glass of scotch and glanced down at Viserion. “Don’t look at me,” he muttered to the cat. “She’s your mistress. Tell her to wear some clothes.” The glass was finished before Kitane returned to the great room. Viserion only glared in return, the tip of his tail twitching at Theo. Kitane had either missed the question or not heard it, because she didn't respond as she ran into her room. She had plenty of clothes, she was turning in a clothes horse really, but Theo kept buying her clothes and Nicki usually gave her something, and then there were the clothes she bought herself so -- there were clothes everywhere. Half shutting the door, more in her own haste than trying to tease Theo, she stripped off the shirt she was already wearing and went searching for something to wear. She finally decided on a light lavendar dress that Theo had gotten her. It had some fringe, which she didn't mind, but also some beaded accents that she loved. Snagging a pair of glittering purple sandals with heels, she went in search of underwear. As much as Kitane might tease the man she lived with, she was not going out without it. That was quickly decided on though and less than five minutes after she'd torn from the room, she emerged again, hair down, dress on, heels giving her an added boost to her slight height. "We can feed Viserion once we return," she said with a little nod of her head and knelt down to pet the aforementioned cat. "Unless you want to change and then I'll feed him now." Theo’s gaze didn’t move from the bar in front of him except to glance at Viserion. He was too suspicious of her to trust that she’d close her door and since he had a clear line of sight into her room, he wasn’t about to chance a glance. Looking was just as bad as touching in his mind, if not worse. Touching was inappropriate, certainly, but she could stop that. Wandering eyes were harder to stop and he truly felt like he was invading her privacy by even thinking about looking. Maybe that made him old fashioned or maybe it just made him pathetic, but he couldn’t look and he absolutely could not touch. Even if she was making it damn near impossible. He would make it work. She came back five minutes later wearing a purple dress that actually covered her body, one Theo recognized as one that he’d gotten for her. He hoped to God she was wearing underwear, but that would’ve been way too inappropriate to ask. Instead, he simply set his glass aside and stepped towards the door. He was still dressed in his suit and the place he had in mind was certainly high class enough that they wouldn’t look out of place. “You can still feed him now if you’d like. It doesn’t make a difference to me.” He pulled out his phone to make a table ready for them when they arrived at the restaurant. He was still barely looking at her. The previous outfit must have gotten under his skin and she refused to smirk about it. Even if he was acting this way, he wasn't grabbing her, wasn't reaching for her, wasn't trying for something, wasn't doing anything untoward at all. It should have felt like a loss, like her plan was failing, but it felt more like a victory than a loss. "He can wait," she said quietly, glancing down at the cat to make sure he wasn't tearing into the kitchen to indicate his hunger. Viserion wasn't, he was sitting there, calm as the sea on a quiet night, watching them. "He can wait," she repeated, crouching down to scratch his head. She at least had the good sense to keep her legs together, making it impossible to tell if she was wearing panties if Theo looked. Kitane didn't bother to see if he did as she picked up the purring cat and gave him a kiss to the top of his head. "I promise tuna when I get back, Viserion," she whispered to her pet before setting him down gently on the floor. "And if they cook anything really delicious, I'll bring you back some!" She said happily and turned to Theo, leaving her own phone and wallet on the table. "Ready?" Ned, give me strength, Theo asked silently, and Ned was all too happy to provide, reciting a list of family lineages, banners and other facts that were complete nonsense to him and more than enough to quell the lingering arousal from her earlier outfit. It was easier for him to look at her now, though he kept his gaze carefully trained on her face or hands, entirely innocent to match his innocent, kind intentions. He felt much better now, bordering on relaxed, as he alerted his driver that they would be downstairs in a few minutes. “Very well,” he replied when she insisted twice that the devil cat could wait to eat. He noticed that when she crouched down she kept her legs closed, which relieved a small worry that he’d need to find a way to caution her about who got to see what part of her body. Perhaps he should, given that she seemed to think he should be seeing her body, but he was more concerned about the public seeing her in such a state of undress. “I am,” he replied, gesturing towards the door in a universal ‘after you’ sign. “Did you want to take your phone?” Theo asked, realizing she’d left it on the table. The fact that she had left her wallet wasn’t a concern, as he’d naturally assumed he would pick up the tab. Following his gesture, Kitane went out first, leaving Viserion behind at the door. He'd wait there until she returned, she knew. He'd done it often enough at Nicki's, even if the other woman was there, that she'd told Kitane about it and Kitane loved knowing that he'd be right there, waiting for her when she got home. She even wiggled her fingers bye to him before walking down the hallway, a little skip in her step. "No, leave it." Only Theo or Nicki called her anyway and as she was going to be out with Theo and Nicki was working tonight, she didn't feel like she needed to have it with her. And Maybe, if she didn't have hers, he wouldn't spend all evening on his. "Come on," she whined playfully at the elevator, doing a little impatient dance and gesturing for him to hurry up and get over here already. Theo didn’t understand the cat. He was very much a dog person, as evidenced by his good relationships with Greyson and Ghost. Viserion, on the other hand, had eyes only for Kitane and it seemed there was nothing he could do to get on his good side. He nodded when she said to leave her phone and followed her out the door, the lock automatically engaging behind him. Nick would be coming by to upgrade the security at some point, but he’d deal with that later. This was another opportunity for him to get to know the girl he took in off the street. “I’m coming,” he replied, more than a little amused as he stepped into the elevator with her. The doors closed and they rode down to the lobby. He was glad for the private elevator if only because it provided an added measure of security. Only a few people had access, which was just the way he liked it. “There’s a car waiting for us downstairs and we’ve got reservations in twenty minutes at the Mongolian Barbeque place you liked so much the last time.” It was a private table, primarily because their conversations tended to confuse a great number of people and he didn’t feel like getting looked at oddly today. Kitane paid very little attention to all the security measures that Theo had installed and only knew that she needed a key, and a key code to use the elevator. Everything else was filed under the weird things Theo did and promptly forgotten about. What did catch her attention was the place he mentioned and she did a little bounce on her toes, mouth cracking into a face splitting grin. Fire. The first time she'd gone with him, she'd started in awe at everything and hadn't heard a word he'd said. It wasn't until they were actually eating that she realized he'd said anything, because he asked her about something and she had no idea what he was talking about. The second time had been a bit better, with less awe and more listening, but as soon as the fire came out, she'd not heard a word he said. It was just -- fascinating -- and the girl in the back of her head that she sometimes heard liked it too. "I like that restaurant best," she said, beaming, and suddenly moved close so she was nearly tucked into his side. It was something she only did when the clothes were on and she was happy and it wasn't something she'd done at first. The first few days around the penthouse had been tense and she'd danced out of his personal space every chance she could get. As she grew comfortable though, she started coming closer, first with every brief, intense hugs that had eventually grew into this, with her arm around his back as she snuggled into his warm side. "I want to try all of it again." Kitane never ceased to confuse the hell out of him. At first, he’d been afraid that anything he did would send her running and when he’d dug into her background and came up with a Victim of Human Trafficking Visa, he was even more cautious and protective of her. He gave her all the space she wanted, but eventually she’d started to come to him. They started watching television together, it never really mattered what, and sometimes she would hug him seemingly out of nowhere. It was utterly confusing when compared to how she continually pranced about in as little clothing as possible but refused to touch him while dressed like that. Now though, when they were clothed, she was content to put her arm around him. He had only just started to feel comfortable putting an arm around her like this and after a moment of hesitation, he did just that. “I remember,” he replied with a smile, looking down at her smiling face. She was beautiful and he was pleased that he could make her happy like that. He couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped when she said she wanted to try everything again. “I think that can be arranged. We’ll have the same chef as last time,” he added, his hand squeezing her shoulder just slightly in comfort. He would never put his hand around her waist, unwilling to risk temptation and driving her away. The doors opened and he removed his hand from her, leading her through the lobby and then the front door, out to the black sedan that was waiting for them. The driver was already holding open the door to the back and Theodore offered Kitane a hand in getting in before following her. It took only another minute or so before they were on the road. The last time she had wanted to try everything, she really had. They'd given her a list of options to choose from, meats and vegetables and oils that they could use, so she picked her oil first and then wanted everything. She hadn't gotten through half of it before pronouncing herself done, but he had taken the rest back, given a very little bit to Viserion, and refrigerated the rest so she could have it the next day. As soon as they were in the car, Kitane seated herself on the far side, legs prudently crossed. It was one thing to tease Theo when they were upstairs in his penthouse, but she wasn't going to do it in public. Men could be weird in public. That didn't mean they couldn't converse. "Do you have a lot of repairs to make from what happened last week?" He'd mentioned earlier that they had to do a lot of shuffling rooms because of what happened last week, but she didn't know if the Wynn had been damaged, or the extent of those damages. Theo didn’t worry about her keeping her legs together considering she’d done so in the apartment when she was crouching down to pet Viserion. He set his elbow against the slight ledge at the window and turned so that he could face her better. “A fair amount, but we made out better than most of the other hotels. My security consultant is advising us on upgrades and the contractors are already working on repairs. We should be finished by the end of the month if everything goes smoothly,” he replied, obviously comforted by the topic of work. It was easy and was safe, two things that were not always reliable in the presence of the young woman next to him. “I might be late over the next few weeks. We have an influx of guests that were relocated from other hotels and there seem to be issues at every turn. Will you be okay on your own?” It was his way of asking if she needed him to make it a priority to come home, or if she needed to stay at the Wynn. "Upgrades? For what?" She asked curiously, tilting her body at an angle so she could look at him while they talked. Kitane wasn't honestly sure of what kind of upgrades could be made for what happened to Las Vegas recently, but that didn't keep her from being interested in whatever Theo's contractors had to say. Unless they were installing some kind of weapons, which might prove interesting, but she didn't really think Theo would go for anything like that at his hotel. "Yes, I'll be fine," she said with a small nod. She'd been alone for so long that it was strange to have anyone around most of the time, rather than the reverse. "I promise I won't go fishing in the decorative pond either," Kitane said, grinning. A soft sigh escaped him as he thought of all the things to do. “All of the glass is being replaced by safety reinforced glass material that will hopefully be able to withstand some pressure without breaking immediately. We’re hoping to upgrade the security system so that the cameras will remain stable if another event like this occurs. Thankfully it was only spotty in some areas and nothing seems out of place during those times. I’d rather not take any unnecessary risks in the future,” he replied. Theo smiled slightly at her promise. “Thank you. I’ll take you fishing after things quiet down,” he countered, knowing that would likely extract good behaviour from the brunette sitting next to him. Bargaining seemed the way to go with Kitane and he was slowly learning as much as he could about her without pressing too hard. He didn’t want to push her away after all. "That makes sense." It all did make sense to her, even though she was curious about the security cameras. Visnja had them at her house, but that was mostly because of her father and it never seemed to protect anyone anyway, only provide a video record of what had happened. "Do you have them everywhere at the Wynn? Do people watch?" She asked, curious, but also innocent. She wasn't interested in the number of cameras or where, just how he used them. Kitane beamed at the mention of fishing and she couldn't stop the happy little squeak that came out of her. "Do you need me to help so you can be done sooner?" Nevermind that she couldn't put up glass and knew next to nothing about security cameras, all she wanted was to go fishing and the sooner things were finished, the sooner they could do that. Theo nodded. “We have cameras covering most of the property. Bathrooms and hotel rooms are the only places not covered. We keep archival footage for one year and there are people monitoring the feeds, along with a state of the art video monitoring system, running 24/7.” He saw no reason to keep things from Kitane, who had no reason to use that information against him. He trusted her that much. He laughed at the obvious pleasure she had at the prospect of going fishing. “No, no, you can’t help with this. I appreciate the offer though,” he replied, clearly amused. The car pulled to a stop, effectively ending the conversation. Theo opened the door and held his hand out for Kitane, waving off the driver’s attempts to do the same. It all made sense to her, but with her lack of knowledge regarding security systems, she was very willing to agree with whatever Theo said he needed. He could have made the argument that they needed to be in the bathrooms, and she would have wanted to make sure that they weren't watching what was going on in the stalls. Some things didn't need to be seen, ever. Seeing Theo hold out his hand for her was not one of them. She smiled warmly at the man, stepping out carefully as her hand slid into his. For once, Kitane was not quick to let go as they walked inside and were seated at a rather private table, as opposed to one of the bars, or the larger grills where several couples and families sat. It was fine with her, as they still had a small grill of their own, and she would be able to feel the flames on her face when the Chef began to cook. "I'd still come help," she murmured, her eyes already wide and gleeful at the prospect of what was coming. Theo had reached for her out of instinct, but he was glad all the same when she took his hand. It was a surprise that she didn’t pull away immediately though he tried not to show it as they walked into the restaurant. They were seated immediately at a private table, just as he’d requested, and he pulled out her chair for her before taking a seat next to her. They’d have a few moments before the waitress came to take their orders, but he could tell her eyes were only on the grill. “I know you would,” he replied. He couldn’t help but feel as though she only offered so that they could go fishing that much sooner. That was probably exactly it, but that was just as well. Theo realized he quite liked her the way she was and gave her a warm smile. The waitress came then and took their drink orders. Before she could ask about their food orders, Theo quietly requested that they have one of everything. She was a bit surprised by the order, but nodded and scurried away. One of everything. Kitane beamed at him as they continued making small talk about the Wynn, and about the few people in Theo's life that she knew. She never mentioned people from her own past, only Nicki, and she was a rather recent addition rather than an old one. It did not stop her eyes from dodging to the grill, waiting perhaps a bit impatiently until the chef appeared. All conversation stopped then, her attention consumed by the chef and the hot range in front of them. Each new flame brought out a gasp from her, a little wiggle in her seat as the air filled with the sound of their food sizzling, and the scent of it cooking right before them. Even the voice in the back of her mind was silenced by the whoosh of the flames, but it wasn't until the food was finished, two steaming plates in front of them that Kitane bothered to speak again. "It's my favorite," she declared happily as she picked up her fork and stabbed her food onto the prongs. It was the small things that made her light up and they were simple in the grand scheme of things. Once the chef came, he knew he’d lost her attention to the show but it was a joy to watch her watch the fire as it danced along the grill. This was not one of his preferred cuisines but he did enjoy the chicken they offered so that was what he picked at on his very full plate. One of everything was a large order but whatever was left over would be eaten between Kitane and Viserion. “I remember,” he replied with a smile, working his way through his own meal in comfortable silence as the chef cleared the grill and made to leave after asking if everything was acceptable. Theo simply waved him off, leaving them to their private table once more. “Is it as good as last time?” he asked, taking a sip of his cola before returning to his meal. "Yessssss," Kitane replied, the s hissing out of her like a snake. It was a trial to remember her manners -- eat with a fork, don't slurp, don't shovel food in her mouth -- but after her initial fork full of food, she slowed down, eating delicately, like a lady should. Like Therese taught her. She took care with each piece of food she speared, licking her lips after each morsel to gather up every bit of flavor she could. "Better, maybe, because I get to eat it now," she said passionately as she forked a shrimp and promptly snagged it off the tongs with the tips of her fingers. She shouldn't, Kitane knew she shouldn't, but it tasted so much better this way, as if the metal from the fork somehow changed the flavor of every bite. Theo could only grin, knowing full well that she would much prefer to eat with her fingers. It was her usual way of eating in the privacy of the penthouse. He had caught her one afternoon and simply smiled. From then on, he’d watched her eat with her fingers and occasionally indulged in it himself when the meal allowed for it. “You will still enjoy it tomorrow, eating with only your fingers,” he replied, comfortable enough now to tease her just slightly. It was amazing what just a meal could do in easing the tension between them. She was another person when they were outside the penthouse. "Yes," Kitane agreed, and this time she snagged a small piece of the chicken off his plate and it held it out to him. The next bites would come from the fork, but this was good too. And though she was grinning impishly, this was nothing like the teasing of earlier, but far more playful as she wiggled it at him. "You should try it this way," Kitane said pointedly. Though little could actually make the food better, there was simply something about forgoing all the silverware, all the little rituals of civilized people to eat food as it came out. Of course, for her that usually meant eating meat straight off a spit, or vegetables that had barely been washed clean before they found their way between her teeth. They were best that way, Kitane thought, but these were good too. She did this to him every once in a while and he always responded the same way. Theodore reached with his own hand and took the piece of chicken from her, popping it into his mouth. It was tasty sure, but he was too used to utensils for him to find any great pleasure in the act. “You say that every time and every time I say I prefer my fork and knife.” He went back to his plate, though he nudged it over so that she could have some if she wanted. There would always be a thought in the back of his mind, wondering why she ate with her fingers or wanted to try everything, but those were questions he thought were best left alone. “How much do you think you will finish this time?” he asked curiously. It hardly mattered considering they would take home whatever she couldn’t finish. “And should I ask them to make more fish to take home for Viserion?” He would never win favor with the damn cat, but perhaps he could curry some with Kitane. "So..." Kitane paused, sucking the juices off her fingers as she considered the word she wanted. It was happening less and less often, but she still had those moments where words escaped her. Wiping her fingers off primly on her napkin, she picked up her knife and fork again and began stealing morsels off Theo's plate to mix with hers. "Proper, Theo." But she liked that about him. It reminded her a little of Therese. Glancing back and forth between their plates, she sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I think I will finish as much as fits in my belly," Kitane said, rather sure of herself. "Yes. Tuna or salmon, no eel and no eggs, he didn't like those last time and kept spitting them out." She'd cleaned the roe off the floor before anyone else could see though, mostly because Viserion refused to eat anymore until they'd been removed. He tilted his head and waited to see how she would describe him. It wasn’t all that odd for her to pick up her fork and knife again after relapsing into fingers but the way she wiped her fingers off on her napkin was different. Like she was trying to match his way of doing things. It made him smile, which only grew when she settled on ‘proper’ to describe him. “Yes, I suppose that’s a good way of putting it,” he replied. She never ceased to amaze him, not in the way she spoke, the way she acted, even the way she carried herself. He was learning something new every day about her and it was getting easier and easier to see that she was a very special young woman. “Eat until you’re full,” Theo agreed softly, chuckling. It was something he’d said during their first meal together, when he saw how big her eyes got just at the sight of a heaping plate of food. At her words, Theo waved over the waitress and requested tuna, no eel and no eggs, to be ready when it was time for them to leave. The waitress nodded and left them to their meal again, leaving Theo to smile at Kitane. “There, that should hold him over for a bit. I suppose you’ll be taking credit for bringing him food? He’s never going to like me.” He wasn’t all that surprised, exactly, that Viserion didn’t like him. The animal was quite taken with his mistress and with the way she carried on, he probably thought Theo was encroaching on his territory. She smiled at the phrase. He'd said it to her the first time he set a giant plate of food in front of her and told her it was hers. Even at the shelter, or Nicki's, she never ate that much. It could have fed a whole army or her entire family in Zadar for a week. She barely even finished a quarter of it that time, but she'd gotten better about eating more frequently and was less inclined to stuff food into her mouth when she saw it. "You should give it to him if you want him to like you," Kitane replied, politely spearing a larger chunk of meat onto her fork. While she hadn't noticed Viserion taking a particular dislike to Theo, she knew her cat wasn't as warm to him as he was to her. The one time she had told Viserion to "get him" the cat had looked possessed as he went to attack Theo's feet. She'd never said it again and luckily managed to grab him before he turned his toes into little kitty sausages, but it had been a near thing. "Maybe you should try playing with him," she added after snagging the food off her fork. "Or try ignoring him completely, cats don't like that." Money was just paper and plastic, worthless without meaning and thoughtfulness behind it. Giving Kitane what she needed, what she deserved, that was the very least he could do. Theo found himself spending more time and money on providing Kitane with the necessities and comforts that she needed and wanted. This was due in part to his inability to offer the same comforts to Raegan and, by extension, Maren and Hunter. There was still much to do in regards to that, but it would need to wait for a more opportune time. For now, Kitane would be more than receptive to his guilt as far as he could tell. “I don’t think that would matter,” he replied with a low chuckle, spearing a piece of chicken and eating it. Her suggestion to either play with the damn cat or ignore it would have been met with an eyeroll if he were the type. “Viserion attacked me once. I’d rather stay in your good graces and hope he follows suit then try to buy him off or risk angering him further. I suppose you’ll promise to not send him after me again?” Theo was teasing slightly, considering she’d said as much after his toes were safe. "You can try, I will help," she promised as she stole another bite of food off his plate. It wasn't really stealing, since he'd offered it earlier and she was quite content to take food off both plates indiscriminately. Chewing slowly, Kitane appeared to consider Theo's remark. "Yes, if you try," she finally said, straightening her back as she delivered her decision. "He will use his claws as skewers and you will have no toes left," she added, nodding to herself. That much was true, given the way that Viserion had looked at Theo's feet the one time she had mentioned going after the man. Of course, that was also assuming that his toes were the closest thing to the cat at the time the order was given. If something else was closer, that might be very bad and Kitane gave him a shrewd look. "He only attacked you because I directed him to." Theo arched an eyebrow but he took her at her word. If she said she would help him with this lost cause, then he believed she’d do what she could. It was her cat after all. He ate a few more bites off of his plate and then decided that he was done eating for the moment. He’d take what was left home and if he was lucky, he’d get to it before she did. It hardly mattered; Mongolian Barbeque was her favorite, not his. “I quite like my toes, so I suppose I’ll be trying,” he replied with a smile, leaning back in his chair. The waitress came to refill his drink and he waved her off before she could ask if he wanted the check. She wasn’t finished yet, so it could wait. “I still don’t understand why you set him on me in the first place. It wasn’t as if I anticipated you choosing my bathroom to shower in when yours works perfectly.” He was still a bit sour about that, but at least now he knew that she had no sense of personal space and boundaries. "Yours is bigger," Kitane pointed out. "And the shower is," she gestured with her hands to indicate the change of space in his bathroom, compared to the bathroom in hers. It wasn't such a significant amount to notice, but she also noticed how his bathroom was completely stocked, plus it had the removable shower head. And she liked his razor, but hadn't told him that. Not to mention that his bathroom had two sinks that he surely didn't need, because he lived alone. She certainly wasn't going to tell him that even if she didn't completely trust him, if she got in the shower soon after he did, it still smelled like him and made her feel a bit safer. "I didn't think he was going to attack you," she said with a little screw of her lips. Viserion had never done that before, but he seemed to understand when she spoke to him. After that, she was careful about what she told her cat to do. He couldn’t ignore that considering it was true. The master suite had a his and hers bathroom, though he cheated and used the ‘hers’ side because it had the jacuzzi tub and it wasn’t as if he was sharing the space with a lover. Kitane had just decided that she was entitled to anywhere in the penthouse and she had the confidence to astonish him into acceptance. After the first month and a half, when it became clear that she wasn’t going to be giving up the bathroom, he’d offered to get her shampoo, conditioner and soap for herself. “I’m glad at least that we’ve been able to come to an arrangement,” he replied honestly. There were days where he wished she didn’t use his shower, but at least she used the robe he’d gotten her. Small victories, and any time when she wore clothes in the penthouse was a victory. While he didn’t doubt that she hadn’t realized Viserion would attack, he did have his suspicions that it wasn’t the first time the cat had attacked on her order. “Well, I suppose it’s a good thing you’ve learned that he will respond to your orders.” Theo didn’t want to be attacked again. "He's a good cat," she said mildly, taking a few more bites of food before pronouncing herself done as well. "And it was delicious," Kitane said, drawing out every syllable of the word like she was was a cat playing with a mouse. Licking her lips, she grabbed for her glass of water and took a small sip before delicately dabbing at her lips with her napkin, like Therese had taught her to. For all that she could be an extremely picky eater at home, when taken out to a restaurant she would nearly eat anything put in front of her. And, as evidenced by their dinner tonight, she'd help others if offered. Too long ago, she'd learned not to turn down food unless it came from a less than trustworthy source, like a grocery store. “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Theo replied with a smile, gesturing to the waitress for their check. He just handed her his credit card without looking at it and she brought it back a few minutes later. Their food was put into a to-go container and their extra food was brought out as well. It took only a minute to settle the bill and then Theo was standing, pulling Kitane’s chair out for her and then offering his arm. “Would you like to stop for ice cream on our way back?” he asked, though he was just as comfortable returning to the penthouse. They’d need to put the food in the fridge sooner rather than later anyway. She considered it for a moment, her hand slipping into the crook of his arm before she shook her head. "No, not unless you want to," Kitane replied. Ice cream wasn't her favorite, though she had a rather knee melting preference for baklava, and strawberries with cold cream would make her orbit the moon. Theo didn't offer any of those though and at the moment, she was far too full to even think about trying to stuff anything else into her belly. Grabbing the containers in her free hand, she tucked herself close to Theo as they left the restaurant. |