solo (soloing) wrote in wtnvgame, @ 2021-04-27 03:29:00 |
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Entry tags: | !action/thread/log, ₴inactive player: rae, ₴inactive player: squid, ₴inactive: napoleon solo, ₴inactive: zatanna zatara |
could do with heating up
Given the hour - Zatanna half-expected the knock at the door to be Strange, eager to share a particular book or theory about Night Vale. It was damn near criminal having to leave a warm tub, but she climbed out and threw a robe on regardless - not wanting to be a rude neighbor.
To her surprise, though, it was Napoleon at her door instead. Zee smirked faintly as she finished fastening the tie of her lavender robe. Had she not spent most of her week working on magical favors for friends - she would have known who was at the door before she even left the water. But Zatanna couldn't remember a time where she used her magic so heavily for... well, material things. It typically wasn't her motif - but here in Night Vale the rules of magic were.... different.
For the most part she figured as long as she kept her magical karma footprint relatively tame and otherwise good... she had nothing to worry about. There was enough of a balance in town, which chaos and order, that a little tip of the scales for some interior decorating shouldn't really matter. Still, Zee knew her luck would run out -eventually- when it came to Night Vale's luck.
As a testament to how ragged she felt, magically speaking, Zee actually opened the door the old fashioned way - pulling it open and letting her gaze settle on the handsome spy. "Isn't it a little late to be selling housewares?" she asked teasingly with a kind smirk.
The process of rebuilding a life, a life with freedom and choice at least, was somewhat daunting at times. As much as Napoleon didn't mind working with UNCLE or the policy that seemed in place there—more freedom to work within his own skill set at least, there was still a great unknown that came with it. Life in Night Vale, although unknown, certainly didn't have those restrictions.
He was largely free to both friends at will, to make friends even, without the oversight and scrutiny of their lives or indeed his intentions within them. And although getting used to the jump forth in technology was decidedly difficult at times, it did make a great many things easier. Including picking up food to stop by a friends home unannounced.
Which wasn't his usual trick, at all. It was impolite at worst to just arrive on a doorstep, but so far Zatanna had never really indicated that she minded his random visits. "No housewares, but can I interest you in some Thai and wine?" He held both up, something of a peace offering for the late night and the request he was considering making.
Again, impolite, but something he trusted Zatanna with more than most.
The magician's gaze flickered from the bag and bottle up to the chiseled jawline and dark hair. Even if she wasn't feeling up to company she wouldn't turn Napoleon away. There were few people who held that elite status - but most of them were currently in Night Vale. "You may," she told him, her smirk softening into more of a smile as she motioned for him to come inside.
Zee gently shut the door behind him before leading Napoleon toward the kitchen. "Something troubling you or are you just that good at reading that I've had a long week?" she joked warmly, her hand reaching down to slide the bottle of wine from his grasp. Not because she was going to scold him about the alcohol - but because she wanted to read the label and free up at least one of his hands.
Once in the kitchen, Zatanna took her time in fetching two wine glasses from the cabinet and an opener from the drawer. Was there already an open bottle of wine upstairs next to her now-cooling bath? Yes. Was she still going to open this one and finish it with Napoleon? Absolutely.
"Nothing troubling, exactly," it wasn't like anything was weighing too heavily on Napoleon's mind, not really. He'd been managing rather well in Night Vale, the lack of a CIA leash and no new UNCLE missions meant a cool down he hadn't had in a long while. Which ultimately, at least, led to a better awareness of the new, fun, heart condition.
Following Zee, Napoleon didn't bother to try and hold onto the wine - he was being conscious about his alcohol intake, he was monitoring everything fairly well he thought, but it also brought up certain other restraints that might be put on things now. "But it did occur to me that I haven't been dazzled by your sparkling wit all week, and I felt the need to remedy that rather quickly." Hence the Thai food and wine.
"What about you, why's it been such a long week?"
She was glad to hear it honestly - not that Night Vale was particularly troubling for anyone unless you’ve accidentally woken up and found yourself a llama or with colored sweat. But Napoleon’s heart condition was always at the back of her mind now. She’d been in the superhero circles enough to know that something like a heart condition had the chance of putting someone out of commission. He wasn’t a superhero, though truly his physique could argue otherwise, but he was an old school spy who relied heavily on the physicality for multiple reasons.
His dazzling comment warranted an outright grin from the witch. “Well I never mind seeing that handsome face,” she retorted.
Zee set the glasses down carefully and poured out more than enough wine in each. “I think I overdid it this week,” she explained simply, pulling a small face and giving her fingers a playful wiggle as if miming magic. “Favors for friends, some of them a lot larger than I anticipated. I’m not used to using my magic primarily for such materialistic things - I’ve been rather crummy with keeping a balance lately and it’s caught up with me.”
As Zatanna got the drinks poured, Napoleon set about emptying the containers from the carrier, giving her an almost worried glance at the inference that she was drained from providing favours. "Well then, it's just as well I was struck with the notion to stop by, hmm?" He had no intention on asking her for a magical assistance, and given the news that she might've been a little depleted energy wise, Napoleon could back burner anything strenuous for a later date.
"In which case I can provide food, wine and handsome company," unless Zee opted to kick him out, but he was fairly sure he could convince her otherwise anyway.
He had it on good authority he gave wonderful back massages.
Given Napoleon’s stance on magical aid in terms of his health - she didn’t anticipate him asking much about magical favors. But food, wine, and unmistakably good company did sound good right about now. “It’s like you read my mind,” she said, reaching over to softly tap the tip of his nose.
Zee took a quick drink of her wine before settling on the stool next to his. “Although you did interrupt my bath, which I’ve half a mind to convince you to make up for,” the magician added teasingly from behind her wine glass.
The ease of being in Zatanna's company had stopped being a surprise. As much as Napoleon was very used to being in the company of beautiful women, it was regularly just for a short period of time. Gaby fell into a different category as a work-mate but something else; he didn't hold hostility towards her, but there was a margin of a barrier there in his mind.
Zee was entirely different; fun, beautiful, caring, an actual friend without concern for motives.
"Well, far be it from me to interrupt." Napoleon just smirked softly, leaning a little over, "There's absolutely nothing stopping you from resuming it."
Zatanna mirrored his smirk - automatically letting her mind drift to simply, making the tub bigger to allow for two bodies to lounge with ease. But that would require magical assistance and she didn't want to push herself any farther than she had. Still, the antique clawfoot tub could fit the both of them.
The magician leaned in, letting her free hand slide up against Napoleon's back before settling on his shoulder. "Only if you join me," Zee countered. Setting her glass down, she reached for the top button of his shirt and popped it open. She almost commented about his heart condition but she decided to leave it be until he said otherwise. "I don't want to short myself of your handsome company," she insisted with a little glint in her eyes, her fingertips lightly brushing against the newly exposed skin on his chest.
Though she did keep in mind that he'd said nothing troubling, exactly - meaning there was a reason for the late night visit.
In a great many ways, Napoleon was rather glad that the heart condition didn't come up. It really was a bit of a reminder on some things he'd yet to properly process anyway. And Zatanna wasn't bringing up the wine, or edging away from their more flirtatious nature. Which indicated that she was, at least, trusting him with knowing his limits.
"I don't see a downside in this situation at all." His hand moved to brace her, although he doubted she had any issue with grace and balance, as she unbuttoned the top of his shirt, his palm curving around the warmth of her hip through her robe. His eyes darkened, probably imperceptibly to anyone else, as a smirk tugged at his lips. "You are far more decadent than even the finest foods on offer, after all."
Couples baths were not a regular occurrence in a Cold War spy time, but there was a certain lure of acres of perfect skin on display under sleek water and an availability to map it out. "And we do need to be sure you are suitably rested."
"Should there be?" she asked rhetorically with a tiny smirk. Zatanna wasn't necessarily all for believing in win/win scenarios, but she could appreciate when she benefited from them. Which, given that Napoleon was in her sights, Zee was just as much interested in keeping his attention as he was of hers. Part of her was curious as to just how much strenuous activities he could handle - and if the drug cocktail that Bruce had prescribed him helped at all.
She took his hand on her hip as encouragement - and the subtle shift in his expression even more so. Zee's gaze coyly dropped to Napoleon's shirt once more, fingers folding another button out of its sewn loop as innocently as possible. The magician leaned in enough so that her nose was hardly touching the tip of his. "Would you like a taste, Mr. Solo?" her tone quiet and velvet-like as her hand slid beneath the collar of his shirt.
"I'm more than willing to leave myself in your very capable hands." Thai food could be heated later and well, she was sure that they would both suitably rest once all was said and done.
There was nothing quite so invigorating as mutual interest; sure a chase was enjoyable at times, the push-pull that came with it, but sometimes those dances weren't the ones needed. And as Zatanna continued down his shirt, buttons slipping from their homes, barely a breadth between them, Napoleon was firmly cards on the table; there was no need for coy assurances or sweet nothing's, Zatanna was a brilliantly capable woman and pure honesty was an easy task. "Now that is the easiest question to answer in history."
The hand on her hip tugged a little closer, while the free one looped some hair over her shoulder, fingertips skimming lightly over her jawline before his hand flatted against her back and smoothed down to her other hip. "Well, if I am being permitted to drive," his nose brushed against hers, considering there was barely a breath of space between then, the smallest movement would have their mouths meeting easily, "I really must insist we resume your pampering."
Bathrooms weren't always the best place to indulge, but Napoleon had no doubt that Zatanna's bathtub would be the exception to any previous conceptions on bathroom shenanigans. Not that Napoleon would be adverse to any as such shenanigans with Zatanna, he would be just as interested in having her legs over his shoulders in the kitchen. "I dare say the water could do with heating up."