milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Santino moved into the bar with the usual dancer's (hunter's) steps and settled himself into a table. A rather open table, with several empty chairs for company.

Hair uncut tonight- back to it's full length and majesty- black curls rolling down to nearly sweep his shoulders, the crowning glory his beauty. Jacketless tonight, merely in a white, collared shirt with the top two buttons undone and his usual dark suede pants. Black, well-polished and expensive-looking shoes.

The usual fare.

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"Hello," she replies - breathing easy and slow now, eyes a calm blue.

Fingers tangled slightly in the material of his shirt - real and here and safe.

"Have you been well, Salvatore?"

"Yes, as well as usual." A pause. "I fear you have not." Although merely a comment, his tone of concern obviously meant he wanted her to talk.

And that makes her nose wrinkle slightly - very and terribly hard to pretend when it is him.

"I have not been well very often recently."

It is, perhaps, a thing. Those do happen, yes?

Hedging? Of course not - Lethe doesn't hedge.

Santino smiled sadly, soothed her hair in a fond gesture.

"No, you have not. And that is enough cause to weep as it is." He paused, turned her chin (fingers against her cheek) to look him in those infitely black, too many shades to be human) eyes.

"But something's happened recently."

Oh, his eyes and she is simply caught - her first time here, first time anywhere and he was beautiful - trapped and she cannot deny him answers.

Roiben is back, she thinks. He is back and I am not brave enough and I miss how things were and I do not know what to do. Shattered me - she shattered me.

"Styx," she whispers - helpless. "And everything was broken."

"Styx is here?" He asked, concern growing in tone until his face took the empathetic shape of sadness.

"Dark waters follow," her voice is wistful, hollow and disconnected - eyes a hazy, dizzy whirl.

A blink - blue eyes on his - wide and confused.

"Sometimes," she murmurs. "Should have thought - should have known."

"It isn't your fault." Santino said, attempting to calm her.

"But she followed me," Lethe insists - eyes narrowed angrily, down at her fingers.

Followed - trapped.

"We really mustn't be keeping secrets, little nymph."

She echoes, voice pitched low in a borrowed purr - strange and sensual.

"Lethe, she followed you. You did not lead her deliberately."

"Yes, but she followed me here."

And that is what is worst of all - anywhere else and Lethe is bound, she knows that there is nowhere to run.

"Here is supposed to be safe, Salvatore. Here is supposed to be wonderful."

Santino nodded, embraced Lethe.

"I will not let her harm you."

"Here," her voice is mournful. "You can say that here, but not everywhere. At my place I am alone and I have always been her favorite. It is how things are."

"I will make sure this place is safe for you." Santino promised. "So that you can flee from your sufferings."

She does not say that they seem to follow her - that they return with empty eyes.

She merely settles back against him, lips pressing softly underneath his jaw - where she can reach.

"Thank you."

He turned his head downwards, gaze following hers.

"My strength is yours."

The smile widens and she lets out a tiny laugh.

"I suspect that I may need it," she raises one slender arm in demonstration. "I am not a terrific example, to be honest."

Santino flashed her a grin and held her arm in the classic flexing pose. "Now clench your arm-muscles. Like this." Santino flexed his own bicep- he was muscular, a peasant's strong build born of hard labour and crystalised by the Dark Blood.

"It is not going to do very much."

She narrows her eyes at him dubiously, before obediently following his instructions.

It is a mere matter of seconds before she snickers helplessly, burying her face in one hand.

"T-told you."

"That is certainly something." Santino replied, grinning. "I had my entire life to get this way."

"I have had for always and this is all that you will get," she makes a vague sweeping gesture with her hands - still giggling slightly.

Santino laughed, then looked Lethe up-and-down in an extremely overt, near-leery manner. Tone suddenly taking a dirty, seedy quality, "I'm not complaining."

Then let loose laughter, dropping the obvious facade.

A tiny hiccup of a gasp - cheeks a brilliant shade of red and both hands firmly clasped over her mouth.

Wide, bright blue eyes war somewhere in between terribly, horribly shocked and impishly amused.

Santino laughed, a full, warm sound.

"Oh, Lethe, you are too easy and I am too cruel."

He tried to pry her hands away from her mouth, by curling his fingers into hers.

Lethe lets go reluctantly, narrows her eyes, and for a split second the fingers in his feel like - embarrassment, utterly mortifying cheeks flushed and eyes wide and horrified.

Eyes glint impishly and she giggles - kissing his cheek once more.