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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 10, 2019 4:03:43 GMT
Ciaran’s gaze only jumped back up to Rhea when she turned to go, knowing he’d catch her back rather than her eyes. WHY did she have to show up tonight…? He jumped a little at Nadya’s hand resting on his shoulder, her look of concern now masked by one of annoyance. She wasn’t about to let him see how worried she had been, after all…
“Stay there, and don’t fight it,” she instructed, earning a scoff. “What, you going to stop me?” he growled back in response, but his glare only stiffened as she replied simply, “I don’t have to.”
Ryder’s presence didn’t seem to help Ciaran’s mood at all, eyeing him suspiciously and immediately wondering what his relationship to Rhea might have been. Being drunk, it wasn’t hard to come up with bad answers. Nadya, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious to Ryder’s apparent interest, simply offering a smile and nod in response to his greeting.
“I don’t need help,” Ciaran finally stated, remaining firmly in place so he didn’t betray himself. Again.
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Post by Kelathi on Jan 11, 2019 0:54:20 GMT
Rhea had noticed Ciaran’s expression as he studied Ryder, and she had to admit, it gave her a small surge of satisfaction. When drunk, he was as readable as an open book, and it was clear to her what kind of assumption he had made. Of course, she wasn’t with, and had never been with Ryder, but it didn’t hurt to have Ciaran think that for the moment. On the outside though, she merely huffed at Ciaran’s response, having expected nothing less from the stubborn man. “Of course you don’t. Anyway, we’re leaving now. Are you going to leave with us, or am I going to have to drag you out of here myself?” Of course, she had to add that last jibe. If Nadya had thought it would be easier to get Ciaran out of her with Rhea’s help, he clearly hadn’t given the woman a correct impression of the thief. She was just as stubborn as he, sure, but she was also quite happy to make sure this was as painful to Ciaran’s pride as possible.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 13, 2019 18:29:10 GMT
Ciaran had been on the verge of simply stating that they could leave him there, but then Rhea had to let loose with one of her little barbs. This wasn’t intended to wound anything but his pride, obviously, but it still earned a narrow-eyed glare. As much as it was intended to be insulting, it was also a very clear declaration that no, he did not have any choice in the matter. Ciaran was under no illusion about how stubborn Rhea could be, and knew that she was willing and able to do whatever it took to make him do what she wanted.
Why else did he finally leave when he knew she was out for several hours? It was so she couldn’t stop him.
But of course, she’d found him again anyway. So much for any protection he had offered by leaving in the first place…
With a surprising amount of balance and control, Ciaran stood without so much as a wobble, as if the slip before had been a momentary lapse rather than an indicator of his situation. Nadya noticed the dark glance sent at Ryder, who seemed to have stiffened the assassin’s resolve. While she seemed to bring about the softer side in him, Ciaran was not about to let someone that close to Rhea see him as weak. It was a frustrating trait at the best of times, but given the situation around them, the banshee was for once glad of his pride.
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Post by Kelathi on Jan 13, 2019 18:52:01 GMT
If Ryder has seen the dark glare it would have clearly unsettled him, and led him to wonder why it was being fixed on him specifically. As it was, he was playing his role well, out-staring any patrons of the bar that looked even mildly interested in the drunken man’s departure. Even if Ciaran now did his best to appear perfectly capable, it was clear to all that he had sunk quite a few drinks by now. Rhea had a mix of emotions as he stood up to leave. On the one hand, she was pleased that the gamble she had played on his pride had had the desired result, and on the other hand she was disappointed that she was not going to be able to prove true to her word and drag him out, herself. Instead of waiting for him, she exchanged a few words with Nadya, inquiring as to where it was they would be taking him, then went on ahead, fishing her phone out of her pocket as she left.
Outside, by the time the others joined her, Rhea was just returning her phone to her pocket. She had been about to call for a taxi, but to her luck one had just pulled up, emptying it’s occupants into the very same bar they had just left, and she had stopped the driver before he pulled away. Ryder waited behind, keeping an eye on the street, sticking around until told he was no longer needed. Rhea turned to Nadya, she too was trying to avoid any unnecessary eye contact with Ciaran, as much as he was she. “Are you taking the same taxi?” She tried to ask the question casually, although it was probably clear what she was inferring. Would Nadya and Ciaran be going back the same way? She tried to steel her expression in case Nadya said yes. If she did, Rhea would certainly not be paying for their way home! But if the answer was a no, she wanted to make sure the woman got home safely. Ciaran hadn’t exactly picked a safe place to get wasted…
Also, if she said no, Rhea would be taking the taxi, too. Well, she couldn’t very well trust his drunken self to just go home as instructed, could she?
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 13, 2019 19:56:09 GMT
While a little slower than usual, Ciaran managed to keep his pace even and steady, hesitating only when Nadya slipped her arm around his. The position looked like she was going to him for protection, which physically made sense given how much of a waif she looked compared to… well, anyone else there. But it also presented a stabilizing presence, which seemed to help at least a little. She was not looking forward to having to deal with anyone from the bar, not after what Cathal had said about the last time he had gone to drag the assassin home.
Ciaran did pause again at seeing the taxi, sighing inwardly; of course it was a taxi. Couldn’t be something a little less obvious, getting a drunken man into a taxi. At Rhea’s question, Nadya pulled a face. “No, why would I leave my ride here?” she asked, again clearly relying on the fact that Rhea was helping in the first place to finish the job of getting Ciaran home safely. It was also rather humorous to see someone as delicate and lady-like as Nadya refer to her vehicle as her “ride,” again clearly being a term she picked up from someone else.
“I’m fine,” Ciaran growled, the first words he had spoken since it was decided to get him home. The irritation managed to drown out any vocal indications he was drunk, even if he was unwillingly “letting” them help him.
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Post by Kelathi on Jan 13, 2019 22:16:05 GMT
Rhea was relieved to hear that Nadya had a ride home, and would be safe. She was also relieved because that meant that she and… well, she pushed that thought away as soon as it surfaced. Ciaran was right, of course, a taxi was hardly discreet, but Rhea had no transport of her own. She had kept a motorbike for a short amount of time, but had had to abandon it after adverts started showing up reporting it stolen. The killjoys.
“Right. Ryder can walk you to your car if you wish…?” She let the question hang in the air, the man himself being far enough away so if Nadya chose to refuse, he wont have heard anyway, so there was no pressure on the woman’s choice. Ciaran’s growl was simply ignored, and as Nadya moved to coax him the last few steps into the car, Rhea went to say goodbye to Ryder.
Goodbye’s said, it might have looked like Rhea was just going to leave Ciaran to it, but suddenly, she was opening the door on the opposite side of the car. Climbing in, only the small middle seat separating the two of them, she tapped the back of the passenger seat to signal the driver to start the engine, before sitting back and making herself comfortable- well, as comfortable as she could be in a car next to the man that had broken her heart. Clearly, despite all of this, she was not going to be talked out of accompanying the drunken man home, no matter how angrily he proclaimed that he was ‘fine’.
But in the confines of the car, she was suddenly aware of just how strongly he did indeed smell of booze. “Jesus Ciaran… You smell like a damn brewery.”
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 13, 2019 23:39:26 GMT
Nadya glanced at Ryder at Rhea’s suggestion, and had he been paying closer attention, he might have caught the near shrug. “It’d be nice to not be alone going over,” she replied evenly, clearly seeing it as an opportunity for protection. She was, in her own opinion, ridiculously delicate enough. A bodyguard never hurt…
“Don’t be too stubborn,” Nadya shot into the taxi even as Ciaran finished settling in, he shooting her another dangerous glare. If only she wasn’t at such a weird angle… or the street. Damn, he had had a lot, hadn’t he? He’d have to remember to pay her back for being so vocal about his difficulties that night. And Cathal, for sending her after him and locating him in the first place… But before he could do anything, whatever that might have been, she had walked off and was now wrapping an arm around Ryder’s arm, again a move of familiarity that was more focused on the illusion of needing and receiving protection. Then she vanished behind the driver of the taxi, and Ciaran settled himself for a short trip that would end at his own place.
Not that anyone really believed it, evidently, as he soon discovered he wasn’t going to be alone in the back. Drunk enough to not hide it well, he just barely managed to avoid rolling his eyes, frustrated that Rhea was insistent upon getting him home, but also that he’d have to keep up his mask that much longer. Despite a steady step, things were not looking as clear as they should, and the haze had returned to the edge of his vision. And he did not want her to know how difficult it had been for him to leave her. Weakness in their fields only hurt them.
Instead of looking over at Rhea as she spoke, he grimaced a little, even as the driver politely ignored the conversation. “You don’t have to ride with, then,” he replied, forcing the irritation into his voice a little too much to be subtle. All he really wanted to do was pull her in close, a feeling he had been pushing down since she walked into the bar, but that would just delay the inevitable.
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Post by Kelathi on Jan 13, 2019 23:54:11 GMT
His response was expected, and this time, it was her turn to roll her eyes. “No, I don’t have to. And by rights I should have just left you there.” She growled, the sentence coming out a little harsher than she had intended. She looked away, directing her attention outside, instead. She was fuming, and yet, - Agh! Why couldn’t she just leave him to get on with things? She was sure he was asking himself the same thing. Maybe it was just loyalty to Cathal, knowing how worried he must be about his ‘cub’ when the man managed to get himself in states like this. Sensing the tension in the back, the cab driver subtly slipped on some music. It wasn’t very loud, but it was either an attempt to ease some of the tension, or to give the two chance to talk without fear of being overheard.
Of maybe he just really liked pop songs.
Either way, Rhea felt a little more relaxed with something filling the silence, and for the moment, she felt it best she keep her mouth shut, for fear that she might say something that she’d regret. For what she really wanted to say was-
Why did you leave me?
Instead, she thought on the night’s events, and as she mulled them over, the angry façade she had been wearing began to slip. Was what Nadya said true? Was Ciaran really putting himself in danger because of what had happened between them? But that didn’t make sense! He was the one that had pulled away. Sure, it hadn’t been too much of a shock, things had been rocky for a while. But for him to actually up and leave, to decide that he would rather be without her…? She stopped that thought right there, it was too painful for her to revisit for the moment. But instead of flaring up the anger in her like it normally did, which was her first line of defence against feeling vulnerable… she just felt miserable.
She was sure to keep her attention directed outside of the cab, it meant her face was strategically turned away from him.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on Jan 14, 2019 1:29:10 GMT
Ciaran only just managed to bite back the words, “they why didn’t you,” instead opting to look out the window instead. He only glanced back towards the cab when the pop music began to play, only to roll his eyes with exasperation. The music back in the bar had been bad enough… now in a tense situation it was like lighting a match near a gas leak.
Somehow, the quiet lingered on long enough to last the ride, the taxi pulling up to the curb in front of a small apartment complex. It certainly wasn’t the flashiest place around, but not the bare bones minimum Ciaran would adapt to in order to save money. Primarily what it read was safe.
“Keep the change,” Ciaran said to the driver as he paid, the man not questioning the angry tone used on him or the solid tip. Neither did he question if Rhea would be needing to go anywhere, given how she had followed suit. Not happily, perhaps, but she seemed determined to escort him all the way. Still determined to avoid showing any more weakness, Ciaran’s steps were fairly steady up to the door, but he fumbled with the keys, his jaw tightening as he struggled, knowing the more stressed he became, the harder it was to focus. Not now… not now…!
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Post by Kelathi on May 12, 2019 22:28:42 GMT
Rhea didn’t bother asking Ciaran for his key, she knew exactly what his response would be, almost even down to every barbed retort of the back and forth that might follow. Instead, she casually took it from his fumbling fingers to unlock the door in one smooth motion. As she did so, she was once again drawn to the fact of just how intoxicated the man was, much more so, certainly, than she had ever been herself. If she did drink, it was minimal, all too aware of how easily it was for her to get drunk, and also very much invested in avoiding any ensuing hangover.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on May 13, 2019 0:39:28 GMT
Ciaran nearly complained about Rhea’s sudden snatch of the keys, but bit it back, inwardly groaning as anything louder seemed to only make his head ache. Funny, how Rhea seemed to be hastening his hangover…
With the door opened, she handed him back his keys, and fortunately seemed ready to leave him be. Why she had to end up at the same bar he was in, forcing him to go home… his way was a messy end, but at least it was simple. He began down the hallway towards his room, happy to show Rhea that she could leave and stop pulling on every guard he had managed to put up around her… but the drink had affected his step, leading his shoulder into the wall twice before he managed to recover his balance, forced to stop with a hand against the wall and wait for the world to level out again.
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Post by Kelathi on May 14, 2019 22:19:07 GMT
She should have left then. She had certainly fully intended to. But intentions don't necessarily lead to actions...
Seeing Ciaran stumble down the hallway and sway into the wall twice, was enough to halt her departure. As much as she was angry with him, she didn't actually want to see him get hurt, hence why she had come here in the first place. In his drunken state, him being hurt was beginning to seem pretty damn likely, especially if he were to be faced by a set of stairs on the way to his place. Not to mention the fact that this was a block of apartments, which meant there was no guarantee that an optimistic neighbour wouldn't try their luck with robbing him between the front door and his, and he could hardly fight them off in this state.
With a quiet sigh, she made her way after him, closing the door behind herself as she went. He was so drunk he didn't even seem to notice she had followed until she hooked her arm with his. "Let me help you." She spoke, voice sounding surprisingly level and without a trace of anger... for the moment.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on May 17, 2019 3:40:35 GMT
Ciaran visibly jumped as Rhea’s arm hooked with his, even though it didn’t get him very far. He grimaced at her words, gritting his teeth as he responded, with far less venom than his words would have otherwise suggested.
“You should just go…”
It almost sounded like a plea, pained in its own way, but he didn’t fight her as she helped him up the one flight of stairs, again having to handle his keys to open the door. Unsurprisingly, what they were met with was a very basic flat, little more than a studio, minimally furnished and decorated only in scattered weapons and papers. A safe location without any sense of being a home.
As they stepped inside, Ciaran tried to free his arm from Rhea’s grip, still finding it difficult to meet her eyes after his earlier plea, either expecting or hoping desperately that she would choose then to leave. Before he did something really stupid…
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Post by Kelathi on May 18, 2019 22:17:11 GMT
Hearing Ciaran refuse help was nothing new to Rhea, it didn’t even warrant an eye-roll or a sigh of exasperation anymore. She knew he was only ‘letting’ her help because if he didn’t, it was only a matter of time before he was likely to fall face-first into the floor. His plea for her to leave was swiftly ignored as she helped him to his door nonetheless. Once he was safely up the stairs and inside the place he was staying, Rhea let him pull away this time. But instead of immediately leaving, she let her eyes rove casually over the apartment. “So this is where you’ve been hiding.” She mused, half to herself, but loud enough for Ciaran to hear.
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Post by Red Irish Dragon on May 25, 2019 4:49:44 GMT
Ciaran ignored Rhea’s remark about his apartment, grateful at least that she had let go of him. Her touch was… not making things any easier. Wordlessly, he moved into the space, intending to head for the bedroom in the back and simply crash into the bed… maybe just die there if the amount of alcohol in his system was any indication of his hangover in the morning…
But gravity had other plans. He’d only gotten as far as the couch, pulled away from the wall to sit near a table littered with wanted posters and assorted pieces of junk mail, when his step wavered again. Somehow, Rhea ended up near him as he twisted, trying to catch his balance but in the end they both tumbled onto the sofa, Rhea’s body lying across Ciaran’s as they both took a moment to try and recall what on earth just happened.
Ciaran’s mind, so addled with drink and repressed emotions, never actually got to the point of figuring out how they had ended up like this on the couch. Heart hammering, Rhea’s presence warm against him… either his mind snapped, or he lost it completely.
One hand came up to the side of her head, just enough to keep her from pulling away as he pushed up and into a kiss, all of his desperation and fear and pain and need poured into it. He was breathless by the time their lips parted, and not simply from the duration. His gaze was pained as his eyes opened again, conflicted in his need for Rhea, and in his desire to keep her at a distance, to keep her safe.
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