First Date (sort of) (Adrian and Kiera)

[Adrian Castella]

Adrian arrived at the place where they were going to be climbing rocks. He set a picnic basket with tons of food for when they wanted to eat as well as drinks on the beach. Then he cast a few charms and wards so only he could touch it or get within three feet of it. Drawing a circle three feet from the basket at each point, he wrote in the sand. It read, 'Touch This Basket At Your Own Peril'. Being an Auror, he knew some killer spells, though this would only cause a minor injury whoever touched it or got too close.

The cliffs were just about a mile and a half down the beach, they had everything from easy climbing to extremely difficult. This place was called Devil Beach because of the insanely strong riptides it got here. Currents were strong here for some reason, he'd never bothered to figure out why. Since he was here early, he went for a quick swim. His climbing clothes and gear were set next to the basket. Diving into the surf but making sure to have his wand with him and not go too far, Adrian started to swim. It was excellent exercise trying to swim back against the current, and he was pushed down about a mile by the time he got out.

Running back, he arrived back at his homebase about five minutes before the appointed time. Toweling off, he dressed in his flexible pants, t-shirt, and tough leather jacket so rocks wouldn't accidentally cut him. There was the rope and other climbing materials in his backpack, as well as gloves and an extra pair of climbing boots. Soon she'd be here, or at least he hoped so. For some reason he had a feeling she would be pretty punctual so she could hopefully leave as soon as possible, get away from him as quickly as she could manage. He took a sip of his water, and sat down facing the ocean.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

Shit. This was not supposed to happen today. Not today. Any day but today. But rather unfortunately, the fates were against her. Her (gulp)... date with Adrian was today.

The place was gorgeous. She looked at the sky-high cliffs, the crashing waves, the sea-spray. Then she saw Adrian and briefly contemplated suicide.

Stop acting like a coward, for Merlin's sake. Just face this thing head on.

Kiera walked slowly, mentally approaching her doom. She had picked black denim jeans, an almost flowy white, full-sleeved top with a black crescent moon across the back, and classic comfort shoes. She was rather uncomfortable about the top, it was perfect for the beach, and she kept telling herself she had chosen it because it was comfortable and not at all because she looked good in it. After all, she didn't want to impress anyone. Right?

Also, Kiera had her knives sheathed in her boots. It was not appropriate for a date yes, but old habits die hard. Her sword was in a magical vacuum, it would come to her when called.

Lost in her thoughts, Kiera didn't even realize when she was standing face-to-face with Adrian. Silence. Ready to do anything to overcome the awkwardness of the situation, Kiera said the first thing that came to her mind without thinking it through, "You look nice."

[Adrian Castella]

Adrian didn't notice Kiera's approach until he heard her speaking. He jumped, he'd been distracted by the beauty of the scenery. This place was so dangerous and amazing, it made him want to push himself hard and take risks. Now he couldn't wait to start their rock climbing expedition, and he felt his blood start to boil a little bit. There was nothing like the risk of injury and death to get your blood pumping.

Looking at her, he noticed her comfortable shirt and the black denim jeans. Kiera looked ready to go on an adventure too. Something was up with her shoes though, and he had a sneaking suspicion he saw the outline of knives. Most people wouldn't have noticed but he had seen a lot of hidden weapons in various things in his day. It was a simple look, but Adrian thought it suited her and looked very good on her.

His jaw dropped open as she said he looked nice. "You look great too, that look suits you." he said, blushing a soft pink. "Umm, if you want food or a drink I packed a ton of stuff in that picnic basket. I booby trapped it though so if you want something let me go. Just went for a swim and didn't want it stolen." he explained. "We can get going whenever you want on the rock climbing. Or swim if you want to do that instead."

[Kiera de Auvergne]

Adrian noticed the knives, as Kiera expected he would. She resisted a smirk at his calm acceptance of it though, it seemed as if he had really come to know her well. He almost looked like he expected it.

Then his jaw dropped open. Kiera absently wondered why, after all, Adrian was quite as good at concealing his surprise as she was. Then she realized that she had just complimented him. That too not a cloaked-within-an-insult, Kiera de Auvergne kind of compliment. The kind of simple appreciation that was expected everyday, especially on a date.

So quite typically of her, Kiera couldn't accept Adrian's compliment at face value. Even if he was......blushing? Rather, she ignored it completely and swooped down on another subject, "No thanks, I don't eat before any physical strain. Messes up my system completely." Then an arched eyebrow at the booby trap comment, "You think I can't avoid and break any traps you've set on that thing?"

"I think I'd prefer rock climbing." Kiera surveyed the scenery around her, and her eyes zoomed in on the tallest cliff. "In fact, I'm taking off for that cliff right now. Don't bother bringing any safety equipment, I won't be needing it." Kiera started walking towards the cliff, and then she turned her head, her messy black locks blowing into her eyes by the salty sea breeze, eyes lit up by the spark of competition. Her lips quirked up into an almost mischievous smile, "Lets see who makes it to the top first."

[Adrian Castella]

Adrian noticed the slight look of surprise on Kiera's face when he didn't bother to conceal his shock. Now it had worn off he cleared his expression and put on a slight grin. If she was going to act like...well what was expected on a date than this would be more fun than he thought. It would be a challenge racing up the cliff with her, and he had always loved a challenge. Unlike most people, he knew she could keep up with him and maybe beat him, which made it all the more fun.

Returning to her regular attitude she blow off his compliment of her. Now that was more to what he'd been expecting. "Understandable, I normally don't eat before either. We can chow down after then, I'm sure we'll both be plenty hungry." Obviously she thought she would be able to get past it, which she might be able to. However, she had yet to back up her skills. It wasn't that he doubted her, he just hadn't seen her in action. "On the contrary, I think you probably can. But...I haven't seen you in action yet. I don't believe you're lying, but for all I know you could be." he explained.

"Me too, that's my favorite thing about this place." Adrian told her happily. Following her gaze, he saw her eyeing the tallest cliff, also his favorite. "Didn't think you would want the safety equipment, just brought it in case you wanted to be boring today. Normally I don't use it either." When she made the challenge like she expected Kiera would do, he let out a wicked grin. That mischievous grin of hers was really beginning to grow on him. "Oh you're on. Time to see who's all bark with no bite. Just...stay safe Kiera." he added at the end. If she got hurt he would never forgive himself.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

Adrian doubted her skills. He said that he believed her when she asserted her skills, but hr had never seen her performing according to her tall tales. Which was perfectly reasonable really, but of course Kiera felt that light prick of indignation inside. "For that comment alone, Monsieur Castella, I promise you, when we get back, I will crack every single trap on that basket without breaking a sweat." Now of course, if she couldn't stand up to her claims and actually do it, it would be horribly embarassing to lose face in front of Adrian. For whatever reasons that Kiera hadn't begun to comprehend yet, she wanted Adrian to have a good opinion of her. She had enough faith in her skills to break booby traps on a picnic basket, provided Adrian wasn't too paranoid.

Then came that wicked, challenging grin. All bark and no bite, was it? Kiera chose to reply with two words, "Watch me." She took off, sprinting through the sand, reaching the base of the cliff in question. For Adrian's sake, Kiera took a precaution she never had taken before, casted a silent Cushioning Charm in case she slipped. Stretching out her hands and placing them securely on an overhanging ledge, Kiera secured a foothold with ease. Almost like she had been doing it all her life, Kiera sprang from ledge to ledge, her slim-fit, athletic body making it halfway up in a record twelve minutes. Hoisting herself up, Kiera landed with a somersault, a carefree laugh thrown open to the wind. Her smug voice was carried down to Adrian by the fierce wind, her eyes alit with the fire of triumph, "Still going to stand there looking, or are you going to join me? C'mon, Auror Castella, lets see if you actually deserve that title. Show me what you've got."

I'm loving this already. I'm.....glad I decided to come.

[Adrian Castella]

Adrian had set some strong shield charms around the basket, as well as an incendio and bombarda, which would ideally explode and set the person on fire. It was pressure-sensitive, also could be triggered by movement in the air. If anybody not containing his blood stepped into it there would be trouble. The last set of defenses were that if anybody did touch the basket it would be sent to him with a summoning charm. Not just any, a modified one he'd learned, which sent it inordinately fast to him. Last resort was if she managed to catch it, the basket would simply fall apart while at the same time dissolving into a water. "I doubt you're going to be able to do it, but good luck. I have to admit I'll be impressed if you get by them. It would be nice to meet somebody smart enough to bypass them." he told her with a grin.

Sitting back, he watched as she showed off. Kiera was every bit as impressive as she thought she was, but he would never tell her that. She was like a lithe panther, every movement precise and on target. No momentum was wasted, and before long she was halfway up before falling back down. He would give her a run for the money though, Adrian Castella was not your average auror. An average auror would have probably arrested her by now, but he was going on a date with her. Not to mention the average one would get his butt kicked. "Oh, I'm coming, just enjoying watching somebody be completely full of themselves. Ignorance is bliss right, and you have yet to know I'm going to beat you!" he taunted back. Sprinting across the sand, he soon reached her.

Preparing to climb by putting some chalk on his hands, Adrian set himself to climb. "On you mark, Kiera. Let's each set our watches to time us. I want to see if I beat my record or you do. Whenever you're ready." This was already turning into his favorite date in years. Kiera may be prickly, but she knew how to have fun.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

Oh. Maybe Adrian was paranoid after all. Every self-respecting Auror was. But when Adrian mentioned that he would be impressed if anyone managed to break the traps, then that somehow cemented Kiera's determination to do it. Once the rock-climbing was done with, she would crack those traps. Even if she had to spend hours on it.

Full of themselves? Kiera knew that Adrian was simply teasing her, but her blood still got fired up at the jibe. She put her left hand on her waist, cocked her head to the left, and spoke in a smooth voice that lilted more and more towards a drawl, "Delude yourself all you please. You think you can beat me?" Kiera turned around, rubbing her hands, stretching her legs. Her voice threw out an open gauntlet to Adrian, "Actions speak louder than words. You think you can defeat me, go ahead and do it."

Kiera raised her wand and swished it, casting a non-verbal Tempus Charm. "On your mark, get set......go."

Without waiting to see if Adrian had started or not, Kiera practically lunged at the rock face, flinging out her right hand above to grip a broken ledge, feet securing footholds below automatically. To the left, then up, then right, Kiera didn't pause even to break a sweat. Her heart was thumping erratically, adrenaline racing through her veins, her lungs expanding to take more and more air. To her right, she thought she could hear movement, which indicated that Adrian was probably level with her. Of course that should have made her get annoyed, but she simply threw her head back in another laugh. God, she hadn't felt this carefree in ages. Adrian somehow managed to make her relax, and challenged her at the same time. But this wasn't the time for these thoughts. She had a rock-climbing competition to win.

Closer. Closer. Oh c'mon........like the final dash in a race, Kiera waited until she was high enough, then stopped climbing suddenly. Then flattening herself against the rock face, she pressed down on the balls of her feet and propelled herself up, shooting up so high so fast like it felt like she was flying. Kiera barely managed to grip the precipice of the cliff, hanging on by the tips of her fingers, then pulling herself up, standing up and dusting her hands. A broad smirk decorated her face. A horribly risky, almost fatal maneuver. But totally worth it if she had managed to win.

[Adrian Castella]

Adrian knew that it was a bit much with all the protection on the basket, but it was fun. He liked trying to set traps that were difficult to get around. Sometimes he would set them as a challenge to himself, and he would try and crack them. Knowing Kiera, she would be very determined to get through it to the basket. If he had to guess, he would say she would too. She seemed very talented, at least he thought so.

Despite the fact he was joking he saw her get riled up by his comment. The woman was always so serious about everything, it was kind of unusual. "Yes, as a matter of fact I do. If I go into this thinking I'm going to lose then surely I will." he explained, smiling. "Oh I know they do, that's why we're going to start and you'll finish last before long. This will be a walk in the park." he said, keeping his tone nonchalant. In reality he knew it would be very difficult, and he had just as strong a chance of losing as winning.

For some reason Kiera had her wand out, probably casting some non-verbal spell. Crouching, he prepared to jump and start climbing. Tensing his muscles, Adrian jumped as high as he could on the word go. "Let the games begin!" he yelled.

Grabbing a rock that stuck out with both hands at the height of his jump, he glued his feet to the rock. Once he found a hold, which didn't take long, he took off up the cliff. There were plenty of holds, though it took an experienced climber to reach them and move as quickly as he did. His body was in excellent shape, and he felt like he weighed nothing because of all the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Across from him, he heard Kiera's breathing. She was indeed keeping up with him, which was quite impressive. Almost slipping on a rock that crumbled away, Adrian felt them both nearing the top.

Suddenly, Kiera fell behind, he wondered what was wrong but kept going. Knowing she probably hadn't made a mistake, the speed of his climbing increased even more. Soon he had his hands on the top of the ledge and he pulled himself. up. Just as he rolled up and over onto the top of the cliff, she landed beside him. He couldn't believe that she had jumped the last bit. His chest heaving in and out with deep breaths, he let out a huge grin. "I...I think we tied. It felt like we did...though I couldn't.....tell for sure." he said, between his breaths. "You can sure climb!"

[Kiera de Auvergne]

Adrian was still bent down, but he was on the top of the cliff, just like her, and grinning madly. Kiera almost let her jaw slack in shock. He had actually managed to keep up with her, and had landed on the cliff beside her, even after the stunt that she pulled. That was......that was......Kiera snatched out her wand, and checked on the Tempus Charm. Two sets of figures were displayed, one in shimmering green one in blue. Nine minutes, thirteen seconds for green. Nine minutes, fourteen seconds for blue.

There was absolute silence for a few seconds. Then suddenly, Kiera doubled up, sinking to her knees. She was laughing. Clear, joyous, honest-to-Merlin laughing. She was laughing hard enough to make her stomach hurt. This was.....was......

"Priceless." Kiera gasped, too out of breath to do anything but laugh. "Absolutely priceless. I don't know which timings are for whom! I bloody don't know! One of us did beat the other. But none of us will ever know who actually won." Kiera then turned to Adrian, her lips curving up in what was unmistakably a smile. "I don't want to say this, and don't ever make me repeat it again. But you aren't a half bad climber either."

This was astounding. Amazing. Kiera felt almost delirious, like she was in a dream. To think she was laughing, actually laughing with this guy......loosening up, letting go of her inhibitions, finding enjoyment in something other than fighting. It was too incredible to be true. Then suddenly, a wild, unimaginable idea struck Kiera's mind. Later on of course, she would blame it on her hysterical state, but that did nothing to deny what Kiera did next. Which was absolutely mad, even by her standards.

Kiera stepped forward towards Adrian, coming close, stepping into his personal space. Her black orbs were locked on Adrian's, an unknown, indecipherable tone layering her voice, "Jump down the cliff with me. Right now. If you trust me." These challenges, this competition.......if Kiera was honest enough to herself, then she would realize that they were her and Adrian's own brand of flirting. And Kiera, for Merlin-knows-what reason, was about to up the stakes. "If you jump down the cliff with me right now, with no charms, no spells, no safety precautions, just faith in the fact that I'm gonna get us down safely then.......then I'll kiss you."

[Adrian Castella]

When Adrian and Kiera reached the top he checked his watch, and realized he'd bumped the timer on the way up shutting it off. Kiera's Tempus Charm showed they were one second apart but not who had the one second advantage. Either way, it was a new record for him climbing the rock and probably the fastest it had ever been climbed before now. The woman was indeed an amazing climber, she could back up her bragging it seemed.

Suddenly Kiera burst out laughing, instantly he felt himself joining her. Her laugh was a wonderful thing to hear, Adrian decided he wanted to hear it more often. It showed that she wasn't all ice cold expressions and ferocity. There was a person underneath all that, and she was starting to show herself a bit.

"Pretty crazy!" he agreed, smiling and still chuckling. "My watch was bumped on the way up so I don't know my time either. So we'll never know who won. I think you may have gotten me by a second though to be honest. When I rolled over you were in the process of landing already." he admitted to her. "Thought it looked like a tie, if one of us won I think it was you." he forced the words out even though he didn't want to admit she beat him. "Thank you, Kiera." he said, smiling widely at her.

Kiera's black eyes suddenly didn't seem so hard anymore, they weren't a black filled with pain and hate. Her barriers weren't preventing her from showing her feelings. Adrian watched a wild, adventurous look come over her face. Instantly he knew it was going to be a ridiculous idea, but found himself excited to hear what it was. Whatever it was, he was sure it would be a very unique and insane thing to do. This was Kiera thinking of an idea after all.

When she entered his personal bubble he was taken aback, she never got that close to him. He suspected she never got that close to anybody. She normally seemed to leave a comfortable buffer between him and other people. Her voice had a tone he couldn't understand, but his jaw dropped at the words. "Umm...umm..." he said, stunned. Thinking about it, he decided he would do it against all logic. If she really wanted to get rid of him this would fix him, but he found himself trusting her. "I'm in, Kiera. I don't know why I trust you, but I do. It might be the death of me, I'm going to risk it though. A kiss from you would be....amazing." he said dreamily. "Let's do it. Lead the way."

Adrian walked to the edge of the cliff and waited, he was completely at her mercy. This trusting her was idiotic, yet he couldn't stop himself. These challenges were almost their own way of flirting with each other. He couldn't stop now, not when he had this opportunity he would likely never see again.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

(OOC: I'll be back on the 27th regularly )

That must have been hard. Even if Kiera had never been able to make it on top, and Adrian had been standing on the top laughing, Kiera would never have been able to admit that he had beaten her. Adrian had a feeling that Kiera had won, and he actually told her. Hesitantly yes, but still told her. Which proved yet again to her that she and Adrian were as different as chalk and cheese. Which wasn't at all a bad thing.

Adrian was stunned, there was no doubting it. The smirk on Kiera's face broadened, her eyes grew brighter. Then he agreed. He agreed. He would actually jump down with her, with no chains, no harnesses. Nothing but faith in her. People never believed her, they seldom did, they were too suspicious and with good reason. To see this level of trust from a person........Kiera found it hard to keep the emotions out of her eyes. The newfound respect for Adrian's courage still shone through though.

Kiera took his hand in hers, then looked down. It was a dizzying height. Her head was buzzing, the deliriousness refused to fade away. It almost felt like she was drunk on the thrill, the risk about what she- no they, were going to try. And what made it all the more unreal was the fact that Adrian had no hesitance on his voice whatsoever. He was relying on her. Kiera jumped.

She was laughing again. Madly. She could see nothing, everything was a blur. The only thing which anchored her to the mortal world was the feeling of Adrian's warm, calloused hand clasped in hers. She felt invincible. The wind was buffeting her hair, the ground was approaching them with dizzying speed. Then just before the impact, she murmured a chant. Suddenly their speed slowed down, and like feathers upon the wind, Kiera felt her and Adrian's feet touch down on the golden sand. Safely.

She whipped around and stepped up to Adrian, placing her hands on his shoulders, eyes locked on his. Their breaths were mingling. Kiera raised herself up slightly, then leaned forward. Her lips placed a gentle peck on Adrian's jawline.

Then Kiera stepped back, tilted her head and smirked. Her voice was the epitome of roguish arrogance. "I said I would kiss you. I don't remember mentioning where."

[Adrian Castella]

Adrian smiled as he noticed how happy it made Kiera to know that he thought she'd beaten him. She was such a competitive person, and would have been devastated if he had won he knew. If it had been that close and she thought he'd won Adrian was not sure if she'd be able to tell him that or not. Even though he didn't know her very well he could see it would have been a tough decision for her pride to handle.

Being Kiera, she was obviously enjoying his look of shocked silence immensely and smirking at him. That expression rarely seemed to leave her face, it was kind of growing on him just a bit. Trusting her may not be the smartest decision, but perhaps if he showed a little faith she would save him. Looking at her eyes he could see that very few people, if any, had ever placed trust in her. For once Kiera's emotions shone in her eyes, and he was pleased to see she actually respected him for it. Letting out a large smile, he winked at her before they danced with death.

Holding Kiera's hand felt right, she had strong calloused hands from her experience fighting with Krusa. There was also something different about it from a swordsman's grip though, it was clear she fought with other weapons as well. His hand was still a bit bigger and just as strong, and he enjoyed holding onto it, giving hers a light squeeze before they started diving towards the ground.

Joining in, Adrian let out his own laugh at the exhilaration of falling towards the ground full speed. Anybody who had seen them then would have thought they were insane, and they might be. Somehow Adrian didn't fear the thought of dying, if he did this was one hell of a way to go. He didn't think he would though, despite all her venom and spite he trusted Kiera for reasons he couldn't explain. Kiera was beautiful with her hair flowing up behind her, this was where she belonged, doing crazy adventures. All at once they were slowing and their feet set down softly on the sand.

Before he knew what was happening she was right next to him; all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and kiss her. Meeting her eyes, he tried to place what he saw in them but couldn't, they were beautiful black orbs though that sucked him in. Their breaths intermingled, but then she moved to the side and only kissed his jaw. It was a huge disappointment, and he frowned at her. Adrian couldn't keep the light blush from rising to his cheeks though, it still had been quite pleasant.

Back to her arrogant self, she stepped away and he followed her. Locking his gaze with hers, he searched for why she had led him to believe she would actually share a real kiss with him. Was it just to hurt him? "No....I suppose you didn't." he couldn't keep the sadness out of his voice. "Well I guess we can eat lunch now." Adrian turned and walked away from her towards the picnic basket, a couple tears falling down his cheeks.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

The look in Adrian's eyes was breathtaking. She saw liking, and admiration, and affection, and clearly what had just been a small prank for her, had meant a hell of a lot for him. For the first time, Kiera felt the fact sink in that Adrian liked her. Really liked her. He liked her for reasons she couldn't comprehend, and reasons that scared her, but that liking was there all the same. And now, unknowingly, she had just hurt him.

That moment, when they were face to face, before she had shattered Adrian's hopes, had been beautiful. And now, Adrian was walking away, and Kiera got a strange, hollow feeling in her chest. She had never felt this before. She had hurt so many people, in so many worse ways, and yet that slight undercurrent of hurt in Adrian's voice made her feel.....guilty? She didn't want Adrian to be hurt, to be disappointed. But he was still walking, and the laughter, the mirth was gone from his voice. She had to do something to stop him.

In a move, which she personally felt was crazier than jumping down a cliff, Kiera walked up to Adrian, placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him around. She meant to say something, but the sight of slight moisture on that stubble caught her off-guard. Shit. Her thumb came up of her own accord, and brushed the salty wetness on that jawline which she had kissed moments ago. Then for once, Kiera listened to her heart, raised herself up again, and kissed Adrian on the lips.

It was a chaste peck, barely lasting five seconds. But it seemed to stretch for centuries. Kiera's eyes widened, and she stepped back, hand automatically rising to rub her lips. Wow. That was like....like.....a jolt of something, something she couldn't quite describe. Kiera turned away, looking towards the sea, hoping like hell that Adrian hadn't caught a glimpse of that dumbstruck look on her face, and the rising redness. "I....I d-did it once. D-don't expect it a-again." Merlin, she was stammering. Then in a horribly obvious attempt to change the topic, "Lets see what t-traps you have on that basket of yours."

[Adrian Castella]

Adrian saw the realization of how he really felt about Kiera hit her like a truck. Suddenly they were sharing a moment more than just a simple kiss, but then it had been ruined. Something had been there, even if he was pretty sure it would never be explored. That moment though, was always going to be a memory he would have of her. When he got home he would make sure to extract the memory and store it in a vial, because right now it would only cause him pain. At least that's he thought at first.

For the first couple moments as he was walking away, there was a still silence. Did she feel guilty about it? He didn't care, if she did that would mean she wasn't completely heartless at least. Really some of it could be she had realized too late that he truly did care about her in a romantic way. Since it was Kiera he had to give her a bit of a handicap in the emotions department. It's not like she had a remotely normal upbringing or many other loving relationships.

Out of nowhere he heard soft footsteps behind him and then a hand on his shoulder. Turning to look, he tried not to let it show how hurt he was despite how obvious it already was. For the first time in a long time, he'd cared about somebody enough to cry for them aside from his dead girlfriend. His heart had felt something real instead of just passing fancies. To his complete shock, Kiera wiped away his tears with her thumb, a simple yet sweet gesture. And then they kissed...

Instantly when their lips made contact he felt a buzz run down his spine and a desire for more. Before he could really get into it she had already pulled away though. There was a chemistry between them, there wasn't any denying it anymore. "Kiera..." he said softly. She was so nervous, he hoped it would calm her down a bit. Reaching over, he grabbed her by the arm. "Sit...please?" he asked, pleading her with his eyes.

"We need to discuss what just happened. I mean what was that? First getting my hopes up for a kiss which was a peck on my jaw, then stopping me and actually kissing me...you can't..." Turning he locked eyes with her. "You can't play with my emotions like that. It seemed like a poor attempt to make me feel better, the kiss, but there was...something there. Did you really mean it though, or was it just pity?" At the end he couldn't keep all of the frustration at what had happened from coming out, and she needed to hear the truth, ask herself the tough questions.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

Kiera had always been the kind of person who faced situations headlong. She was reckless, uncaring of people and situations, jumping into a well without looking in. But at that moment, when Adrian was looking at her after the kiss, Kiera wanted to run away. She wanted to forget about it all, retreat back into safe ground, run away from Adrian's feelings..........run away from her own emotions.

But Adrian had that desperately entreating note to his voice, and his eyes simply wouldn't allow her to flee. Kiera sat down shakily on a nearby rock, feeling horribly out-of-depth. And an emotion she hadn't known for a long time stirring in her gut. Fear. Fear of letting Adrian down, of hurting his feelings. She heard all that he had to say without a word, not trusting herself to speak. But the moment he spoke about pity, she snapped.

Kiera got up, and took a step closer, unable to help herself. Her voice throbbed with an unidentifiable emotion, "It wasn't pity. Please believe me. It wasn't."

Then what was it? Why did I do it? Why?

Kiera drew in a deep breath, steadying herself. "Look.....I.....I don't know why I did what I did. It just felt like the right thing to do at the time. I don't mean to toy with your feelings, I didn't want to encourage you but......." Kiera's frustration, directed at herself, clearly showed through her words. C'mon be brave. You can do this. Kiera breathed deeply again, not believing she was doing this, but she owed something to Adrian. "You say you like me. I......I....I've accepted that...that...you aren't a normal friend for me either. But as for anything more, I need...time." Kiera looked at Adrian, letting her barriers and pride down, pleading him to understand. "Please. Can you give me that?"

[Adrian Castella]

Adrian saw the genuine look of fear in Kiera's eyes, and it made him want to just hold her. She was a tortured soul, there was just a person like everybody else on the inside. If there was one thing he had learned about people, it was that everybody wanted to be loved, even if they acted like they didn't. Despite the fact he'd lost a girlfriend he cared about deeply he still wanted to be loved, and now...now he thought he may have found the right person.

What she did next surprised him, he had honestly expected her to run away from all of this feeling. Adrian was so grateful to her when she decided to stay though, it made him respect her all the more. All he wanted to do was help her learn how to feel again, maybe take her on some dates and see where that led to. Kiera was somebody he could see himself sharing a life with if things went well, underneath the cold exterior there was an amazing person.

Shocked by the tone of her voice, he nodded, accepting that fact. It was almost a desperate plea for her to believe him, which sounded so odd coming from her. "I...I do now, Kiera. Thank you..." he said quietly, touched by what she had done. '

If he had to guess, Kiera had done it because she didn't want to hurt him, and maybe because she felt something in there for him like he did for her. The heart that had been icy was finally showing a little feeling, and he chuckled a bit at how damn hard this whole thing was going to be with her. It really could only happen to him.

To her credit, Kiera was trying to explain herself to him. What she was feeling, which was probably the most terrifying thing in the world for her. "Often times when we aren't sure of what we're doing, that's when we're being the most honest Kiera." he replied. Then he was shocked when she practically admitted she kind of liked him back. "Aren't a normal friend." he muttered to himself, grinning. Reaching over, he grabbed her hand lightly in his and stared her straight in the eyes. "Kiera, take as much time as you need. I appreciate what you've just done, for you to say that...it took a lot of courage. Normally this is the time when I would hug you, but I figured grabbing your hand is more than enough contact, am I right?" he asked with a light teasing wink.

"Come on Kiera, it's lunch time." Adrian announced, letting go of her hand and wandering off toward the picnic basket. He undid all the traps and handed her the basket. "I decided that you have more than enough talent to open it, so just go ahead and take it, no need to waste time."

[Kiera de Auvergne]

Adrian appreciated the fact that Kiera stayed to explain, cared enough to confront him and her feelings. A little. That made the tightness in Kiera's chest ease a bit. It faded away, replaced by a warm glow upon the fact that Adrian was touched, in a way. For perhaps the first time, her words hadn't caused complete havoc. Maybe she did have a semblance of social skills after all. The fear drained away, encouraged by the respect and......affection in Adrian's eyes, and left behind.....embarassment. The truth slowly sunk in.

Shit. Did she actually do what she just did? Yes, she most definitely did. She almost, indirectly, confessed to Adrian she liked him. Liked him. Something she hadn't dared to voice to herself, and she spoke it on his face. She blamed it on Adrian's eyes again. They drew too much of her attention. They were too sincere and honest. Too unlike herself.

But that wasn't Kiera's concern. What was her primary concern was the unwilling words that had left her mouth without seeking prior permission of her senses. So when Adrian took her hand, Kiera twitched violently. She very much wanted to snatch it back, but the restored spark in Adrian's face was too important to just discard with one heartless gesture. So she grew stiff, her mouth working impromptu, muttering words out loud to herself, "Barking mad...that's what I am......an absolute numbskull....head's not working....you bloody idiot Kiera, what the hell do you think you're doing...."

After sometime the temptation grew too strong and Kiera withdrew her hand, none too gently, "None of that. I said you weren't a normal friend. That could have meant enemy." But her words were hollow and Kiera knew it. Then Adrian winked at her, and Kiera twitched again. God, he knew what actions like these did to her.......she turned away and started walking towards the basket. "If I knew you any better, I'd think you probably emotionally blackmail me and tease me just to wind me up. Jerk." But the insult held no bite to it. It was almost ....affectionate, and Kiera realized it, just as she was sure that Adrian did.

[Adrian Castella]

Adrian enjoyed the moments of bliss when Kiera and himself were just sharing in the fact that they liked each other. But then he saw the realization of what she'd just done hit Kiera like a ton of bricks. Her expression immediately changed and he knew that this moment was gone. Maybe they would have more, but this one was over.

Now she was trying to figure out if she could back out of the situation, at least that's what he would guess. If she could make it so he would forget about what she'd told him. It was too late though, Kiera had shown how she really felt to him. Before he may have stopped trying eventually, but how could he give up now she'd given him hope? This one she couldn't pass off as just a joke, she had been so obviously honest.

The reaction of twitching away from his hand touching her hurt Adrian. It was her reaction to contact by most people probably, but he had hoped....well maybe that was the problem, perhaps he shouldn't have hoped. Kiera was so complicated, but he couldn't stop himself from trying to win her heart. Why couldn't he just find somebody else? The truth is he didn't want to, not in the slightest. She left it on there for a few more seconds, even though she was uncomfortable. "You aren't mad, Kiera. Definitely not a numbskull, you are very intelligent actually." he said, trying to get her to talk to him.

Finally she withdrew her hand, and Adrian let out a sigh. That she had been forcing herself to hold it there and not enjoying it wasn't an encouraging sign at all. "If I were your enemy you would have let me die when we jumped from that cliff. My life was completely in your hands." he told her honestly, he had trusted her to save him. If she hadn't slowed their momentum, he would not have been able to survive the fall. There was another flinch, but he wasn't going to stop showing he liked her. "Well I would never do such a thing. When I am joking, well I make it obvious. I never toy with emotions though, it can be too hurtful." Adrian said, half to himself and half to her. Her insult didn't have the icy tone it usually did, she almost said it like she wanted him to act that way.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

Kiera realized that perhaps, she wasn't the only unstable one here. The way Adrian continuously jumped from one emotion to another was.....confusing. Seconds ago he had been grinning and winking at Kiera, and now his face was strangely closed off, apparently hurt by her hesitance to place her hand in his. Kiera felt more than ever before on how strongly she impacted Adrian's emotions, and her eyebrows furrowed. Merlin, she never asked for this. She never wanted Adrian to like her, really really like her, and now under the influence of her own emotions, Kiera found herself unable to deny Adrian anything, even if it was leaving her hand in his for a few seconds longer than she was absolutely comfortable.

There it was again, that strange feeling which leaped in her chest when Adrian complimented her. Kiera had always been more on the psychopathic side, and this new emotion which twisted and curved in her heart felt more out of place than ever. Hell, she just wanted to chop his head off to get rid of this, but then again, that new feeling would probably choke her if she dared do such a thing.

"Of course you're not my enemy, I was kidding." Kiera's mutter was scarcely audible, but she said it all the same, too proud to step back from the thrice-cursed confession she had made. "And I'm not going to toy with your emotions either. If I don't want it, I'll say it, I won't lead you on." Then Kiera turned towards the basket, sliding out a mayonnaise-dripping chicken sandwich, and biting into it. Her eyes closed in delight. Mmmmmm. Hell, that was good.

She opened her eyes, and the words flew out of her mouth, "I love food." Somehow, she suddenly realised that for all their feelings, Adrian and her actually didn't really know a lot about each other, likes or dislikes. She didn't think they'd had a normal, proper conversation in their life.

[Adrian Castella]

Adrian saw the look of concentration, what she was thinking about he wasn't sure. He had a feeling that she was trying to figure him out. Which was a difficult task, because he was still trying to find that out for himself. Kiera may have been more awkward with all of this than he was, but he was just as confused as she was in some ways. One thing he noticed was that she truly did care about him and didn't want to hurt him. Even though there was a lot of work to do, that made him think that they might just find a way to make it work, somehow.

Now she was looking at him like she kind of wanted to kill him, though why he wasn't sure. She had smiled a bit when he complimented her, then all of a sudden she became really uncomfortable. This was definitely the most confusing person he'd ever met, and he had a feeling she thought the same about him. He couldn't help but smile though, despite all the twists and turns of their conversation he was enjoying his time with her immensely.

"My mistake, it just didn't sound like that at first." he said with a shrug. One of the things he liked about her was her confidence and that she didn't back down on what she said. It was a challenge sometimes with her, and he loved that. "That's encouraging. I know I'm a bit all over the place right now, this is just confusing for me too. I have enjoyed our time together though." Adrian told her as he went to make his own sandwich.

Since he wasn't sure what Kiera liked he had put some basic sandwich stuff together, cheese, some lunch meats, mayonnaise, as well as apples, carrots, and celery. There was lemonade and water to drink. He made a ham and cheese sandwich and took a large bite out of it, it tasted great. Her sandwich was completely drenched in mayonnaise, his own had quite a bit less on it. He laughed a bit at the look of rapture that came over her features. "I can see that. Glad to see I packed something you would like. There's some napkins in there as well. You'll probably need them after that messy sandwich." he teased.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

"Messy? I beg your pardon, but I happen to consider this sandwich as extremely delicious, not messy." Kiera took another scrumptious bite of the sandwich, allowing the sweetish flavour of the mayonnaise to flood her mouth, a faint genuine smile on her face, tone almost lighthearted. She plucked an apple out of the basket, biting into it, savouring the unripe juices. "Be it gourmet dining or plain picnic sandwiches, food happens to be one of the few things I find true pleasure in, besides...."

Besides fighting and shedding blood. She completed the rest of the sentence inside her head.

Adrian had a bit of mayonnaise on his upper lip, and without really thinking about it, Kiera picked up a napkin and bent close to dab it off. Just as the napkin made contact with his jaw, Kiera realized what exactly she was doing and froze. The smile faded from her face. The sound of her thudding heartbeat filled the next few moments. Gathering a breath, Kiera swiftly dabbed it off and turned to her own sandwich, refusing to meet his eyes. Hearing a fluttering of wings, Kiera looked up and saw an owl diving towards her, dropping an envelope in her lap and flying off. Seizing the opportunity to divert the topic, and the attention from what happened moments prior, Kiera cleared her throat awkwardly in what she hoped was not a very obvious manner, "Uh...I..give me a minute."

Eyes scanning over the letters on the page, Kiera stood up suddenly, mind working furiously. Rin was in town. This couldn't possibly indicate anything good. Rin was probably at the top of her 'People-I-Don't-Trust' list, and she needed to make arrangements for her, and fast. This meant cutting short her date with Adrian. Turning to him, in an almost apologetic tone, Kiera spoke. "I...something urgent has come up. I need to go now. I'm....sorry."

Hell, she was sorry. Because for reasons incomprehensible, Kiera was feeling a ridiculously sinking feeling in her heart on the thought of ending this mad, confusing, beautiful day.

[Adrian Castella]

"I can tell you are enjoying it Kiera." Adrian said, laughing. "Which is good, I'm just teasing you because you practically have more mayonnaise than sandwich there." He wasn't making fun of her or anything, just being a bit silly. "Oh I enjoy food quite a lot myself. That's good that you do. It's crazy how some girls hardly eat anything at all. Food is definitely one of the finest pleasures of life." Finishing his sandwich, he got his own apple out and took a big bite of the slightly sour tasting grannysmith. "Mmm, grannysmith apples are my favorite."

Her incomplete sentence was noticed but he chose not to comment. He had a feeling he already knew what else she took pleasure in. Adrian had seen how much Kiera loved competition, and the way she was with her sword. Something told him the weapon had been used quite a bit over the years.

When she grabbed a napkin and reached to dab his lip all he could do was sit there stunned. It was not a gesture he had expected from her at all. The napkin was on his jaw before she realized what she was doing. He wouldn't have minded her cleaning off the mayonnaise but it wasn't something he thought she would be comfortable, and as it turned out she wasn't. Unconsciously she had started to do it then caught herself, but it made him smile that she had almost done it anyways. She dabbed it off quickly and turned away before an owl dropped a letter into her lap. "Thanks Kiera, I hadn't noticed. Take all the time you need." he told her.

As she read it, he saw that there was clearly something wrong. Whatever the news was it wasn't good. Perhaps one of her enemies was going to be coming into town, he would make a bet that she had made some. His face fell a bit, but he'd expected it from her reaction. "I hope that whatever's wrong isn't too terrible. Go ahead...I understand." he said, frowning a bit. She seemed to genuinely want to stay though and that was a good sign. "I'm sorry you have to leave too. Today was, well I enjoyed myself quite a bit. Thank you for coming Kiera, I know you didn't want to in the first place." Adrian told her politely.

"Owl me to let me know the next time you're free. Maybe we can go grab a drink or something Kiera. Would that be okay?" he asked hopefully.

[Kiera de Auvergne]

Her change-the-subject tactic had not worked, if Adrian's stunned expression was anything to go by. He seemed to appreciate the fact that she had actually gone through with it though. Kiera cursed herself inwardly, like she had done a million times already today. It seemed like her body was in possession of someone else, if her antics were anything to judge by. Here she had promised Adrian that she wouldn't do anything to lead him on, and here she's wiping off food from his jaw, which is a......girlfriend-like action if there ever was one. Girlfriend. Kiera winced at the word. How utterly daft and cheesy.

Adrian wasn't happy either for this day to come to an end, that much could be understood from the frown on his face. He was merely being polite. Kiera suddenly realised that she didn't like 'polite Adrian' much. She liked him so much better when he was arguing, or teasing her about messy sandwiches. Kiera brushed the sand off her clothes, mind spinning with thoughts, focusing on the realisation that even if she didn't want to encourage Adrian as a romantic interest, he definitely was a good friend. The next time when she spoke, it was with full understanding of what she was doing, "Brimstone. Next weekend, 8 pm. That alright?"

Without ceremonious farewells, Kiera turned and started walking away. She walked a few paces, then stopped. Without turning she spoke again, her voice carrying on the sea breeze, "I didn't want to come. But I'm glad I did." And then she was gone.

[Adrian Castella]

Adrian was still shocked by what Kiera had done, she had acted in a way that a girlfriend might have. It made him realize that she really did like him, even though she was fighting against it. He really hoped she wouldn't make him fall in love with her and then get so scared or uncomfortable she backs out. To be honest, he wasn't sure if he could handle another broken heart. It would probably break him, he'd been through too much for it to happen again. That was why he hadn't dated, because he was scared to fall in love again. This might not ever turn into love, but whatever it was....Adrian knew he wanted to find out.

He'd been really hoping that they could keep talking, but there was no use fighting it. Whatever was in that letter was clearly serious or she wouldn't be going, at least he didn't think she would be. When Kiera told him a time and place he grinned like an idiot. He couldn't it believe it, they actually had a second date. "It's a date Kiera. More than alright, quite happy about it actually." he said with a wink. Leave her with that, he couldn't wait to see her reaction.

She turned and walked away without a second glance, which was kind of disappointing. But what she said made him grin and feel a bit of...something. Making him feel anything good these days was quite an accomplishment though. Before he could answer her he apparated away. Adrian finished eating and picked up his own things, then apparated back home. This was a lot to think about, and he couldn't help but feel this was the start of something good.

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