Re: Contemplations (Kiera and Adrian)

by **Adrian Castella** Wed Nov 07, 2012 3:43 am

Adrian considered what she'd said, perhaps what she called a relationship wasn't what he'd thought. It was hard to imagine her opening up to anyone about herself. Maybe it was more of a friends with benefits kind of arrangement. Whatever her past relationships were, he decided that he didn't really care right now. She had agreed to go on a date with him, and he couldn't help smiling at that fact. He was unused to relationships now, he'd only been in one serious one. There'd been opportunities, but he'd chosen not to take any of them until now.

What she said made sense, he could understand where she was coming from. "I get what you're trying to say, Kiera. The last couple years I've been the same way. Because I didn't feel like giving anybody the opportunity to hurt me, my heart's been through enough already." he said sadly, missing Felicity more than he had in a while. "It's true your profession isn't the most conducive to relationships."

He resisted the urge to laugh when he noticed her struggling to keep her face expressionless. There was a certain satisfaction in seeing her so flustered, she had done that to him when they'd met. "I'll have to remember that, it could come in handy." he spoke his thoughts out loud.

Other ideas about what could unnerve her popped into his head. What would happen if I kissed her? I'd probably be punched or gutted by that sword. It certainly was something that he wanted to try though, at some point in time. Then he stopped daydreaming about it and smirked at her. "Well, unless you want me to stay, I guess I'll let you continue your practice and go away."

by **Kiera de Auvergne** Wed Nov 07, 2012 4:43 am

Heart's been through enough already? Oh yes, Adrian had a girlfriend before. Someone he loved and someone who loved him back. That made Kiera feel......strange. She had never gone through such emotions, she didn't want Adrian to expect such intense feelings from her. It would have been obvious for him to expect. But he didn't. He wasn't holding high hopes, he just wanted a chance.

And then Adrian muttered a line that was obviously not meant for her ears. Could come in handy? What on earth was he........oh. Oh. Kiera was a warrior first and foremost, a strategist, a weapons handler. Put her in a romantic situation and she was as out of place as a fish in the desert. This wasn't that hard to figure out. Adrian wasn't possibly going to use this against her, was he? Kiera fixed her grey-black orbs on Adrian's face, voice promising dire consequences, meaning clearly implied, "You had better not. I have agreed to go with you, but if you dare to pull any stunts, I promise you, you will regret it.

And then, the expression. Kiera had faced terrifying people in her life, undaunted. But the expression on Adrian's face right now, the one when he was so clearly lost in thought and smirking........holy hell. Kiera didn't like that smirk. She didn't like it one single bit. It promised her of things to come, things that Kiera would rather not think about right now. Her voice perhaps betrayed how exactly unnerved she was, "Its....its up to you. I'd rather practice alone yes, but I don't know if you're going to be considerate enough to respect my wishes."

by **Adrian Castella** Wed Nov 07, 2012 5:14 am

Adrian watched her consider what he told her. Then he saw her remember what he'd told her about his girlfriend that had died. He was glad she wasn't the type to try and console him, he'd had enough of that over the years. "I don't know if you remember me telling you my girlfriend was murdered years ago. I was asked to identify her mangled body. That's not something you come out of unscathed." he told her, his voice filled with pain. It felt good to talk about it, but it still hurt. For some reason he felt comfortable talking about it with her.

There was a dangerous light in her eyes, she was mad at him for even considering to use that to his advantage. Honestly it was a little amusing to him, a wink was the least thing she had to worry about. It's not like that was even making physical contact. She was a strange one, and he let out the chuckle he'd been holding back. "Oh come on, a wink isn't that bad. I wouldn't call it a stunt. Since you're so obviously unsettled by it I'll restrain myself though." he told her, looking her in those beautiful, dangerous eyes.

When he got out of his little daydream he felt her eyes upon him, watching him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an odd look on her face. It seemed she didn't like the expression on his face in the least. He could hear that she was unnerved by her voice, she didn't hide it as well as she probably wanted to. "Well..." he said, continuing to smirk at her, "I suppose I'll let you practice in peace. I figure I've annoyed you to no end already." Then he thought about how wonderful it would be to feel her lips on his again. "Just so you know, I was thinking how amazing it would be to kiss you." he told her softly.

by **Kiera de Auvergne** Fri Nov 09, 2012 12:59 am

There were things you could understand just by a person's voice and expressions alone, and Kiera understood, and sensed somehow that Adrian simply didn't go about talking about his dead girlfriend to anyone and everyone. He trusted her enough to tell her, she was special to him in a way. Knowing this fact, somehow Kiera didn't regret saying yes to Adrian, no matter what she might verbally profess. Her voice was somehow softer, less harsh, as she spoke now, haltingly, "I...thank you. For telling me. I know this makes no difference, but....I'm sorry you ever had to go through something like that." Internally, Kiera wondered who was speaking using her voice, the words sounded nothing like her. Or maybe.......they were the words of a Kiera which she herself was unaware of, a Kiera who was considerate and cared about others.

Then, Kiera found herself flushing. Merlin, the audacity! She had just agreed to go on one date with him, albeit reluctantly, and here he was, talking about kissing her........her tone had just the edge of coldness and awkwardness in it, trying to keep impassive but failing miserably, "For your information, when I was talking about stunts, I wasn't talking about winking, that is relatively harmless."Even if it makes me feel awkward. "I was talking about.....about....stunts like what you were talking about just now." Then Kiera's voice grew heated," I swear.......if you k-kiss me or pull any other stunt like that...I will kill you."

And then a voice that Kiera didn't really want to acknowledge whispered in her subconscious, Would you really?

by **Adrian Castella** Fri Nov 09, 2012 2:05 am

Adrian was surprised by the softness of Kiera's voice when she spoke. It made him pause, and he smiled sadly. So there was somebody who was kind in there after all, he'd hoped there was. She was acting like a friend for once, it felt good to hear her voice without the coldness in it. Made him think that no matter what people have done there's always good somewhere in them. "Thank you for listening, Kiera." he said sincerely. Then he nodded at her being sorry for him having to go through that. "I wouldn't wish it on anyone, not even on the worst criminals I've put behind bars." Part of him wondered if he would start to see more of this Kiera as they got to know each other better.

The sight of Kiera blushing for the first time was something he would never forget for the rest of his life. He knew whatever reaction what he said would get would be very memorable. Her soft tone disappeared in an instant and back was the coldness and awkwardness with this type of thing. Adrian just grinned at her like an idiot, trying not to laugh because he knew she was deadly serious. Schooling his features into just a small smile he listened to her. "I figured that was what you meant when you mentioned stunts. But I was thinking about it, and...well I just blurted it out." he said sheepishly. "Hmm, now that I believe. Now I just have to decide whether or not it's worth the risk..." he mused. "Might be worth it." he told her with a twinkle in his eye.

Would she really kill me just like that? Is she that cold-hearted? It's hard to tell, but she really might. I'll just decide when the time comes whether to risk it or not., he thought to himself.

by **Kiera de Auvergne** Fri Nov 09, 2012 12:53 pm

The sad smile Adrian directed towards Kiera made her feel oddly self-conscious. So her changed tone had not gone unnoticed after all. And the change hadn't been an unwelcome one, judging by Adrian's expression. He liked the fact that she had dropped her cold persona, even if it had been for a few seconds, for him. That faint smile made Kiera wish absently that she could be the cause of many such smiles.

Then, as quick as the wish had risen, it died away, as Adrian's smile morphed into a full-blown amused grin. He was laughing. At her. Well, not exactly at her, more like at her embarassment, but laughing nonetheless. He was trying his best to appear as serious as possible, but that telltale crinkle around his eyes gave away too much. The bloody gall of him! Kiera found herself flaring up yet again, "Well, you'd better stop thinking about it, because its never going to happen. Get that into your head."

Shit, he really wasn't going to give up easily, was he? Kiera would have admired his persistence, only if he had not been persistent about such an....unacceptable thing. He had that thrice-damned twinkle in his eye when he told her that it might be worth the risk, and Kiera felt like smiling and hitting his head with something really, really hard all at once. She couldn't quite stop her voice from getting resentful as she muttered, "Oh, you'll understand if its 'worth the risk' when I've got my sword against your throat."

Oh I won't kill him. Not really. I'll just torture him to within an inch of his life. But somewhere inside her, Kiera couldn't help but wonder curiously what would happen if he, indeed, dared to kiss her.

"Good day to you Monsieur Castella."

by **Adrian Castella** Fri Nov 09, 2012 1:50 pm

Adrian noticed how changed Kiera looked when she didn't have her wall up. It felt like he was finally seeing the real her. What made her who she was when she wasn't acting tough, well it wasn't acting, she was tough. This was a part that he doubted anybody was able to see, and he felt lucky to see it. She seemed to be thinking of something, whatever it was made her happy because he noticed a small smile.

As quickly as it had appeared the soft side of Kiera vanished and was replaced by anger. Now he didn't have to force himself to look serious, it came naturally. Her loud voice was like a slap to his face. Part of him felt bad for laughing, but honestly it was kind of funny. She was so tough about everything except feelings and that kind of thing. They embarrassed her for Pete's sake. "Yea, I'm starting to get the message. A guy's got to have a dream though." he added on at the end quietly.

Kiera would never in a million years be okay with him kissing her. That was a tough thought to handle, but he would come to grips with it no matter how long it took. She seemed to be deciding whether or not to clock him right there. There was obvious resentment in her voice when she threatened him yet again. "Yes, then I would understand." he agreed, taking a gulp.

If I kissed her, she wouldn't just kill me. This woman would torture me, maybe leave me alive to feel all of the pain.

"I'm sorry Kiera, I shouldn't have said that. It was a mean thing to do." he apologized to her. "I shouldn't have made you uncomfortable intentionally like that." he said, rushing the words. "I'll see you Saturday Mademoiselle Auvergne." he replied, dipping his head a bit.

by **Kiera de Auvergne** Fri Nov 09, 2012 4:10 pm

Kiera felt like an idiot. Plain and simple as that. Merlin, she was acting like a dunce with no brains to speak of. She knew Adrian had been joking, teasing her, he obviously enjoyed winding her up. And she just showed him how she was incapable of getting a simple joke, how she got fired up for practically nothing. Well, it wasn't nothing for her. But Kiera understood that she was the one acting abnormal, not he. Women her age didn't make so much of a fuss on a single kiss. But she acted as if it was the end of the world.

Kiera felt the distinct, uncomfortable prickle of embarrassment. Shit, she never felt like this. She despised the feeling. She half felt like blaming Adrian again for making her feel this way, then thankfully realized she was lapsing back to her old ways. Being cold and angry at people was a defense mechanism to her really, it happened more and more frequently when she was feeling awkward and out of place, in order to hide her weaknesses. But Adrian didn't know that. That much was evident from his quiet, rushed voice. She even preferred his light, teasing voice to this. Hell, having a conscience sucked.

But what had to be done had to be done. So, feeling more idiotic than she had ever felt in all her life, Kiera cleared her throat awkwardly and started speaking, "No.....I.....you shouldn't be the one apologizing. I know you won't do anything which I wouldn't like, you were just winding me up. I snapped at you for no reason. I......" C'mon Kiera, you can do this "I...I'm sorry."

Feeling like she had just run a marathon, Kiera exhaled heavily. Then, almost as an afterthought, "But that still doesn't give you permission to kiss me though."

by **Adrian Castella** Fri Nov 09, 2012 4:51 pm

Adrian watched as Kiera was thinking, trying to figure this all out. He could see that she felt dumb now, hell she probably thought it was a joke. It wasn't just a joke, he did honestly want to kiss her. Telling her that was a mistake though, and now he was paying for it. She thought that kissing him was about the worst thing on earth to do. That hurt slightly, no matter the fact that he'd expected this reaction. In spite of himself he wanted her to want to kiss him as well, he hated his dumb feelings at the moment and wanted them to disappear.

Was that embarrassment on her face, it couldn't be. Of all the things he expected her to do that was not one of them. Until now he didn't she would be embarrassed about anything, not her. Maybe her angry or cold tones were just a way of defending herself. That was just an idea, a crazy one. Most likely that was just usual attitude toward people. Adrian wondered what had happened to her to make her this closed off from emotions and other people. It must have been tough to go through, whatever it was, if this was the end result.

Then the one thing he would have bet all his money on not to happen did. The woman apologized to him, gritting out the words despite how painful it was. He felt a newly found respect for her, and smiled wryly at her. "I wasn't just winding you up, I really do...want to...well, you know. The mistake was in telling you that, and for that I'm truly sorry. You had every right to be angry at me, I could have just left without telling you. Thank you though, that must have been hard to say." he told her. "There's a conscience in you after all." he teased.

Laughing when she said he still couldn't kiss her he grinned. "I swear that I won't kiss you...unless I honestly think you want me to. Seeing as hell would freeze over before that happened, you're safe." Jokes were his defense mechanism when he was a bit put out. "I guess you probably want me to go now, goodbye Kiera. It was a lot of fun seeing you tonight." he told her with a warm smile.

by **Kiera de Auvergne** Fri Nov 09, 2012 9:18 pm

"Stop apologising when its not your fault." Kiera snapped. Hell, here she was trying to apologize and Adrian just had to negate it completely by saying it had been his mistake. "I don't have the all the right in the world to yell at you!"

Wait a minute, isn't that what you're doing right now?

Kiera sighed in frustration, Merlin, she was incorrigible. Was there anything she could do without being aggressive? Making an obvious attempt to keep her voice civil, Kiera spoke again, "Even if you weren't joking, its......alright. Its not a crime to want to kiss someone. I could just have said no without overreacting. I'm...sorry again." Though Kiera refused to think it was her fault for assuming that Adrian was joking. He seemed to rely on a joking manner to cloak his true feelings much like Kiera relied on harshness.

Deciding that enough fights had been fought already, Kiera spoke honestly, even if she averted her eyes, "I......it wasn't as bad as I thought to have company tonight." Especially the match of wits that we had, the challenge. "Your company was.. interesting." That was the closest to a compliment that Adrian would get, and hopefully he understood that. "Good night."

Kiera turned back and lapsed into her routine, her sword making slashing noises in the cool air. She spoke aloud, almost to herself, the words meant for her ears alone:

"Maybe hell's closer to freezing over than I thought it would be."

by **Adrian Castella** Sun Nov 11, 2012 4:38 am

Adrian smirked when she said it wasn't his fault, and shrugged. "If you say so Kiera." he said, not apologizing any more. Then he laughed because that was what she was doing. "Alright, alright, calm down." he told her, putting his hands up in the air in surrender. "You shouldn't be yelling at me." he told her seriously, looking at her angry eyes.

For some reason the word incorrigible came to mind as he thought about the way she was behaving. Yes, that's as good a word as any for her. Almost all of her actions were some form of attack on him, or insult or something else similar. Were there any feelings for him in there, or did she despise him? "If it makes you feel any better I completely forgive you. Since you seem to think it's your fault hopefully that helps." he told her. Looking at her eyes, he tried to impress how he felt about her in his gaze. "I know I joke a lot and it's hard to distinguish them sometimes. I do like you though."

He watched as she averted her eyes and spoke, showing her softer side once more. "Thank you, from you I know that's a compliment. I enjoyed it very much Kiera." he said honestly. "Good night, and sweet dreams."

As she resumed her practice he started to walk away. That certainly was a meeting he would never forget. Before he was too far away, he heard her say something to herself. He couldn't believe what she said, and walked away grinning. Now he realized that there was a very small chance he would kiss her someday, perhaps one or two percent but still, improvement.

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