Cian (thebettingsort) wrote in emillion, @ 2013-11-02 18:10:00 |
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Dinner had been enjoyable. Actually, her company was just generally enjoyable, which was a balm of sorts on his frayed nerves considering everything else in his life was such a fucking disaster lately. He still liked her, which was nothing short of a miracle, considering how quickly his interest tended to wane. Maybe it was the way she moved. It was an unending effort, this desire to forget and move past something too broken to pick up again. But those were dark thoughts; he pushed them out of mind, making sure they didn’t play across his face. He’d been doing better lately, and this evening he’d almost managed not to think about that clusterfuck at all. It hadn’t been flattery when he’d said she was good for him, or at least, it hadn’t been only flattery. It had been a sunny autumn day, but with the onset of darkness, the temperature had dropped precipitously. He could see his breath as they exited the restaurant, and after a moment of thought, he offered her his jacket, which looked to be warmer than anything she had worn, by draping it over her shoulders. The cold air felt good on his bare arms. The jacket practically drowned her delicate frame, an amusing and rather pleasing image all in all. “It’ll be colder once we get up in the air,” he said, by way of explanation. “That should keep you warm.” Rin conveyed her thanks with a smile as she slipped on the jacket, the leather still warm from the heat of his skin. The sleeves, she did her best to roll up. “So,” she said as they walked back to Cian’s bike, “You taking me home?” The wine from dinner had flushed her cheeks, and buoyed her spirits. And the company had been good. Rin thought idly that she wouldn’t be opposed to the night continuing. He put his arm over her shoulders, setting a leisurely pace. The bike wasn’t far -- and the evening nearly over, if dinner was the end of it. He thought, though, that she might be amenable to extending their time a little, in one way or another. Still, as always, he would let that way be her choice. He was an asshole, sure. He freely admitted it. But not that kind. “I can take you home, if you’d like,” he said amenably. “I was thinking we could go for a ride, first, if you’re up for it. I like the beach at night.” Especially now that it was too cold for enterprising teenagers to use the darkness as an opportunity to drop their clothing on the sand and take a dip. He preferred the crashing of the waves to be the only thing to mar the quiet. “Oh, that would be wonderful,” Rin said softly, her eyes lit up. She’d always loved the water at night. It reminded her of her childhood, but in a way that soothed. In a way that kept homesickness at bay. The breeze picked up, and Rin shivered even within the confines of supple leather. She zipped the jacket up to her throat. “I wonder if it’s too cold to wade in,” she added wistfully. Even in the summer, the water surrounding Sako Island had been far colder than the water on Valendian beaches—and she and her cousins had gone for dips even in late autumn. Of course, Rin hadn’t done any cold water swimming in about a decade. Her tolerance now was no doubt lacking. He had to chuckle. “Too cold for my taste, gorgeous, but if you decide to go in, I’ll see what I can do about warming you up after.” The flirtation was easy, as was the implied offer of something more than his jacket. Whether she took that offer or not… Well, that was going to be up to her. But he’d make sure to plead his case well. “Guess that’s settled, then.” As they approached the bike, he disabled the security and swung his leg over the seat. He still missed the old one sometimes, but he had to admit that this new model was pretty sweet and stood up on its own merits. “Hop on and hold on tight,” he said, waiting until he felt her arms solidly around his waist before turning the ignition and taking off. They had had dinner in Commoners’; now, they flew over the bustle and lights of the Theatre District, then skirted the quiet, dark edge of the Tenements and cut diagonally across the main street of the Bazaar. The warehouses, next, then the docks, low enough to hear the creaking of moorings. The palings didn’t extend here, so he followed the line of the water until the last of the ships was past and the sand was white in the moonlight below. They’d picked a perfect night for this; though the wind was brisk, the sky was clear of clouds and the light was good. With one final loop over the black sea, he grounded the bike, landing it a good distance away from the water, far enough that it was unlikely to get wet as the tide crept in. It was quiet -- as he’d hoped, no people, and no monsters. “Looks like we have the place to ourselves.” Rin hopped off the hoverbike eagerly. With one hand grabbing onto the bike for support, she relieved her feet of her strappy heels, setting them in a safe place before taking off toward the water. The cold sand between her toes felt oddly freeing, and even the brisk wind couldn’t detract from the way her spirits lifted at the sight of the black waves. She looked back over her shoulder for Cian, waving for him to join her. He shook his head as he watched her take off toward the water. He was rarely cold, but even so, he’d never have chosen to go in of his own volition in the middle of Scorpio. But when she waved him over, he came, activating the warding on the bike in case some creature showed itself and decided to get acquainted. He stopped just behind her where she stood at the edge of the water; he looped his arms loosely around her waist, watched the waves come and go. “They tell me I’m crazy sometimes,” he told her, his voice low, amused. “I’m starting to think you’ve got me beat, gorgeous. I’m pretty sure this isn’t skinny dipping weather.” Rin leaned back, resting her weight against Cian’s body. She breathed in deeply, and closed her eyes. She inhaled the salty sea breeze, took in the crashing of the waves. “Maybe not skinny dipping,” she said, eventually. “But—” She trailed off, extending her left foot carefully, and dipped her toes into the icy water. The cold went bone deep. A shiver, her foot quickly drawn back to the safety of the dry sand. “Nope, you’re right,” Rin admitted, laughing softly. “Too cold for that, too.” He couldn’t help a chuckle. He’d really wondered for a moment if she was about to actually do it. “Raincheck,” he told her. “It’ll be warm enough eventually. And for now, I guess this means moving on to the warming up after part of the evening.” He tightened his arms around her waist and leaned in, placing a kiss high on her neck, just above the collar of the borrowed jacket. “You’ll have to let me know what sort of warming you’re in the mood for,” he murmured against her skin. A soft, pleased sound escaped from her mouth. “Hmm,” Rin began, pretending to think as she turned around to face him. She latched her arms around his neck, and looked up through her eyelashes, teasing. “You know, I’m no scientist, but I’ve heard body heat is supposed to be quite effective.” She smiled mischievously. “Sound like a hypothesis worth testing?” He returned her smile with one of his own, though his expression held more promise than mischief. It was, after all, exactly what he’d been hoping to hear. He’d give her warmth -- and hopefully a good time, besides -- and she’d offer distraction in return. Everyone won. “Sounds like an experiment worth performing.” |