darknstormy | Cuddlr

[ she returned the smirk with a tilt of her head. ] Well, I'm not psychic but I am kind of lucky.

What were you shopping for?

Aren't you nosy.

[ Seth chuckled, unconsciously pushing up the sleeves of his henley already bunched at his forearms. The black flames of his tattoo on his right arm peeked out of both sleeve and neckline. He wore pants, not jeans with shoes that weren't dressy but neither were they loafers or sneakers.

He gave a glance around the place then brought his gaze back to the blonde. ]

A gift for a friend from home that I met here.

[ His answer was simple and easy though he felt anything but inside. ]

So you're a cocktail waitress? Somethin' tells me you make a killing at it.

I am nosy. [ she lit up at the little fact he dropped, and if they knew each other better it would be the right time to tease him. a friiiiend? but she let the moment go and smiled cheekily instead. ]

Even on a bad night - a good memory and a little flirtation will get you pretty far. [ she laughed. ] Or a lot of flirtation.

[ Cashmere eyed his tattoo, curious about what significance it must have to take up so much real estate across his skin. ] What'd you do at home?

[ Nosy but honest. He couldn't be mad at her. She wasn't hard on the eyes either, hence his remark about her doing well as a waitress. ]

I bet.

[ The quip came with a subdued smirk.

And then she was back to being nosy. His smirk grew. Her curiosity was amusing for the time being, not pushy or invasive. ]

Well, before arriving here, I was with a band of misfits, attempting to send the queen of Hell back where she came from. Before that, I was a professional thief.

You?

[ his answer was far more interesting that she was expecting, and she raised an eyebrow. yep, there would be follow up questions to that one. ]

Busy man. [ it seemed like he'd been fairly honest with her, so she offered her own bit of honesty. ] Former gladiator turned professional companion and gladiator-trainer.

Well, hell.

[ He wasn't expecting that answer. The idea of an escort who was a gladiator brought a certain vampire goddess to mind which wasn't a thought Seth wanted to entertain at the moment. ]

Afraid of you. [ More than a smirk, less than a smile. ] How long have you been here?

[ His drink arrived to which Seth glanced up briefly for eye contact and a slight nod as his only word of thanks to the server. He brought his gaze back to the blonde across him before taking a sip. Teasingly, he scrunched his face enough for his lower lip to protrude slightly and nodded to give approval over the old fashioned. ]

[ no one really expected an answer like the one she gave, Cashmere knew that. not that his answer was any less surprising - Queen of Hell? that had to be a handful. ]

My bark's worst than my bite these days, and even that's not so bad. [ Panem-Cashmere might not even recognize Eudio-Cashmere. she's changed a lot but it'd be lying to say she didn't appreciate striking a little fear in people now and then. ]

It'll be two years here in a couple months. Eudio's my home now.

[ his nod was met with a wink. ]

But I bet you've got something important to get home to, eventually?

[ Cashmere had an honest vibe to her. Other than Kate (and if pressed, Seth would have to give Kisa credit too), he wasn't used to anyone being upfront. Always a con to play. Not much to gain from telling someone you went from being a fighter to call girl to a trainer to a cocktail waitress.

She had to get enough dates or 'cuddles' from her looks alone where the story wasn't necessary. Her personality wasn't exactly tame either. If he were honest, Cashmere was slightly intimidating. Seth had his share of forward women. At most, they were a fling. He wouldn't stick around with anyone that felt threatening. ]

Two years? [ He repeated, the surprise obvious on his face and tone. ] Did you at least get what you came here for?

[ Seth took another pull from his drink, savoring it just a little before answering her question. ]

Something like that. It's why everyone but the natives are here, right?

[ she's got to remember to lead with that part of the story. ]

Yeah, I did. It's been a while a since I finished. When the time came I wasn't ready to go home. After a while I realized this was starting to feel a lot like home. [ she sips at her own drink. ] I asked about it and they said there's always a few people who stay.

It's been really good for me here. [ she paused, turning the conversation back towards him ] Are you here because of the queen of hell?

Edited 2017-02-19 01:45 (UTC)

Interesting.

[ The one word wasn't a brush off or condescending. Seth had something of an expressive nature and his expression was genuine. He never had once considered Eudio as a place for someone to stay permanently, even if this wasn't the first he heard mention of it--Cashmere was the first to disclose she had done just that. ]

You could say that. [ Now that was said with a lot of contempt. Seth had to take another good long sip of his drink before discussing that bitch. He set his glass down, eyes following it for a second before looking up with a dark and dangerous gaze. ] She took two people I care about even though I found one of the two here.

[ His eyes moved from her face for his surroundings once more before continuing the conversation and returning his gaze back to Cashmere. ]

But it's more than just that. Let's just say I had a pretty hefty list of demands.

I know the feeling. [ the contempt in his voice, that look, losing someone only to find them in Eudio. her list had been short: save Gloss. that's all that mattered. is it weird to feel somewhat comforted by the fact that someone else came from something of a hell hole at home? ]

Well I hope you get it all taken care of soon. It can be hard being here waiting to fix what's there.

[ If it was weird to find comfort in that kinship then Seth was weird right there with her. That part seemed... right. Commiserating over going through hell created something of an understanding. In part, that was the reason his cuddlr was blunt. No one needed to mistake his presence as anything more than means to an end.

Finding Kate in Eudio had thrown enough of a curve ball at him. Cashmere was... engaging, to say the least. He wasn't sure yet what to think of her. Outwardly beautiful while internally broken? That was a way he would consider describing the preacher's daughter.

Seth had moved from sitting lounged back to slightly hunched forward over the table, his glass cradled between his hands with forearms perched on the table surface. His gaze hadn't wavered from the blonde in front of him. ]

You can say that again. I don't know if a promise to... [ He couldn't help but make a face at the one word that came out next. ] cuddle more will get them to bring my brother here too. Or at least let me see that he's okay.

[ Seth was intense, but not in a way that was off-putting. it's was nice to be able to let her guard down, even just momentarily. life at home wasn't easy or pretty but Seth hadn't even blinked.

she wasn't looking for anything serious, but she never said no to a little company or a new friend who wasn't immediately traumatized by hearing about Panem. and it didn't hurt that Seth was a very good-looking guy. ]

I wouldn't bet money on it and saw it was because of my expert cuddling, but my brother showed up here after a few months. Besides, if cuddling isn't your style, handholding counts. And conversations like this count, too. I don't tell every about my years working in oldest profession.

Your secret's safe with me.

[ He winked in an effort to lighten the conversation but the sadness in his eyes probably gave him away. Seth could have a good poker face in stressful situations. His armor was only thick in battle. There was a softness he couldn't hide, no matter how his father tried to beat it out of him while growing up.

It wasn't as if Seth was opposed to sex. Hell, he even liked affection and had a tendency to touch those he cared about--be it a hand on an arm or shoulder or back. Given his mother abandoned him and his brother, he was careful when it came to sex. The last thing he'd ever find was someone claiming he was the father of their kid.

Yet there was no worry in Eudio over pregnancies or even STDs. He was starting to realize it was more than a physical aspect, as much as Seth tried thinking otherwise. Someone, not something, had a hold on him. She wasn't the wiser. He could try to blame her wanting them to 'socialize' all he wanted.

Here he was in the midst of a good conversation with a beautiful woman but wasn't trying to end the conversation for cuddle points she seemed to be on board with. Or maybe his own dilemma had him reading Cashmere wrong. He held a smirk between bashful and awkward, glancing down to his drink then taking a sip. ]

I mean that.

[ It wasn't the right time to make light. Seth realized that. His eyes picked up apologetic even though an apology didn't leave his lips. Cashmere might have been forward and nosy, there was something in what she said that he identified with: they were both damaged goods. There was no making light of that. ]

Your brother's okay though? Was it months for him or...?

[ He couldn't help but remember what Kate said. It was impossible to forget. The last Seth had saw her, she walked into Hell--his brother supposedly already there according to Amaru. Yet according to Kate, Richie had walked her out of Hell. Months ago. At that time, Seth had been in Eudio for a day--less than that. ]

Cuddlr

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