Roze | My Blood, Bloody Valentine

[bloodrunner]

A communication bulletin goes up on the Wanted channel: He has been made aware, he says, of how rough some of the acts are that some people have to engage in. So he's here to offer his services as pincushion, such as they are. In exchange, all they have to do is take him around to see the sights and help him get more familiar with this place. After all, if he's going to find the truly worthwhile parts of the station, he might as well have someone to enjoy them with.

Scanning through the station's matchmaking app, he's already found a few interesting and colorful characters, and has left one in particular a little heart, but left her star rating for the time being. He would fill that in, he promises, after they've had a night or two. No pussyfooting, just proposition for whatever she might feel like at any given time. It's all separate from his initial bulletin, but perhaps it would encourage her cooperation. That's his line of logic, anyway.

He's found himself some stuff to do in the meantime, including activating the free trial of the Station's subscription channel. Let him get a preview of everyone, please and thank you.

Comments

[bloodrunner]

That grin curls his lips, nearly as manic as hers as he runs a hand right up her leg from knee to hip, then dragging her stool just a little closer to him so he can look her in the eye.

"Think I'd like t' see what else that mouth can do, darlin'. Love a woman that could break me in half." He laughs at that and sits back up as their next round is set up for them, the bartender stoic as he regards them then wanders off again to let them flirt. If this could be called that.

[fullofthorns]

Less flirting, more like two predators circling each other in a pen, trying to determine who was most likely to win a fight. She likes it, and ignores the bartender in favor of dragging her glass of fruity green cocktail over to sip from a straw, watching Tobias' hand as she does. She lets him slide her closer, grinning around her straw, eyes glittering with amused delight.

"You best take that literally. I could benchpress you, fold you up like laundry, and eat half of you before the night was through," she laughs, though she doesn't quite give off the implication that she's joking. She doesn't even sound like she's boasting so much as reciting a litany of facts. That said, she slides his Lake Water over to him, cocking her head to the side.

"I can show you a fun trick this mouth of mine can do, later. Provided you're not easily spooked by the unnatural."

[bloodrunner]

There's an excited shiver that runs right up his spine as he matches her gaze with a sort of impish glee. He takes his drink without looking around at it, taking a long sip of the curiously blue, very sweet cocktail that hits his sinuses after a second's delay.

"I mean everything literally, madam. And I certainly don't scare easy." Which could very much sound like bravado, just given his natural speaking voice, while being entirely true. "T'ain't nothin' born'a this world's unnatural. Only thing that is is denyin' the nature of things."

[fullofthorns]

"Cheers to that," she chuckles, clinking her glass against his before lifting it to eat a piece of fruit off the rim. Not even the hint of a buzz, she sighed internally. Just a lot of fun flavors and a little belly warmth. At least the tequila always cut a little fire in her gut, she mused, glancing at the bartender to indicate he should consider getting on those soon.

"So, in the interest of conversation to fill the gaps while we're getting warmed up for the main event, tell me something genuinely interesting about you. Who are you, what makes you interesting enough to be here, hm?"

[bloodrunner]

Regarding her from over the top of his almost flourescent cocktail, he seems to be considering his options for how to answer. He's getting up a comfortable little buzz, but that's not much considering how much they've already drunk.

Eventually, after he's finished his drink, he looks her in the eye and closes his teeth on the glass, biting down until a sharp little shard comes off in his mouth. Serves them right for taking away the pocket knife he always has on him...

"Watch the birdy," he says in a singsong voice, flipping the shard about in his fingers, then slicing it straight across his palm. The blood that oozes out is black.

"Mam called me a changeling child. Stolen by the fair folk and brought back different. Dunno what was done to me, but I've been livin' me best life since nineteen-oh-four. Can't be killed, only maimed." As he talks, the wound across his palm closes up, knitting together with no scar to speak of. "Served in wars, usually as a medic. Been all over the world, sold blood to vampire clans in most countries, had families and buried all my sisters meself. And you're maybe in the top five interesting things I've seen this century." He raises his empty, and now broken, glass to her.

[fullofthorns]

Startled by the biting of the glass and half expecting the man to eat it, she leans back a bit when he cuts himself, eyes narrowing to scrutinize the wound, nostrils flaring a bit. It irritated her that her sense of smell was so impeded by her human form; she really needed her tongue to pick up a good sense of people. Maybe she should just give up the charade entirely after tonight...

"Returned you? That's certainly uncommon among the fae," Roze murmurs, not seeming the least bit shocked or taken aback as she leans in closer to sniff his hand before the wound closes. She cocks an appreciative smirk at being called interesting, all considered, then takes his hand in both of hers, rubbing her thumb along the line where the wound had been.

"I've had to negotiate the return of children before. It tends to get ugly. It's rare to send a child back. And you're sure you're not the replacement?" she asks, looking up into his eyes with a curiosity borne of personal experience.

[bloodrunner]

He watches as she smudges the blood across his palm, just letting her examine. She certainly wouldn't be the first to be utterly fascinated by that small parlor trick.

"Well, mam insisted I was still her boy so even if I was the replacement they never did anything about it. Probably more certain than they should've been, all told. Not like I could argue with it, too small t' do much besides roll with it an' make the most of it."

[fullofthorns]

"She just took you in and raised you as her own, regardless?" she asks, smiling slowly, expression softening just a bit. "That's...really lovely, actually." Puffing a sigh and letting his hand go, Roze leans back a bit and sips her drink to the bottom, letting the irritating rattle of bubbles and ice be her signal to the beleaguered bartender that it was time for the next round to get laid out.

"In my line of work, I see a long of genuinely good people that aren't exactly human treated like absolute shit by ungrateful parents all the time. It's depressingly rare that a human accepts what they have is a blessing. Hm. But! It's nice to know you're sturdy, for a rail-thin bloke," she drawls with a cheery grin.

"And not likely to lose your shit when I turn into a big-ass monster and get you off with a seventeen-inch tongue." Because yeah, that's a thing.

[bloodrunner]

"Just between us? I think she was bitter about havin' her only son taken so she coddled what came back regardless of whether'a havin' birthed it."

When the next drinks are handed over, Tobias leans his elbow against the table and tucks his fist against his chin, looking up at her with all the good humor in the world. He's not a stranger to the sad reactions to hearing his circumstances, when he talks to those few soft-hearted people that even care to ask.

"How big-ass of a monster are we talkin' here? I'm already imaginin' you got at least a head on me."

[fullofthorns]

"Oh, honestly not as big as all that. It's mostly the mass and the extra appendages," she replies with a soft laugh, gesturing around herself vaguely. "I'm only 195cm, relaxed. If I stand on my toes I can usually make 210cm, so definitely able to reach the top of the fridge on my own," she smirks, tossing pink curls out of her face and fixing him with that unearthly green stare.

"I'm not fae, but I'm half-dragon, which I wager is close enough in a fight."

[bloodrunner]

He grins into his drink before draining it. He's definitely starting to feel a little bit now, and hopefully the absorption rate would counter the regeneration his body was always doing when he made bad decisions for his health.

"Color me intrigued." He leers at her, and is struck by an impulse to run his hands through her hair just to see if the smell she gives off is all her or just her shampoo. He imagines that it feels like candyfloss, without the stickiness.

[fullofthorns]

She lets him have his moment, watching his hand briefly before sliding her gaze away to focus on her new drink, turning to prop her weight on her elbows against the bar, glossy nails tapping on her cup.

The scent isn't shampoo at all, just a combination of what he finds most attractive as a smell, and her own strawberries and cream. Pheromones and skin.

"Then take me home," she smirks, raking her eyes over the wiry scoundrel with a snorted laugh. Candyfloss wasn't even as soft. If any comparison could be made, it was like the powdered strands of Dragon's Beard candy. Heavy, voluminous, yet somehow also light as air, like a whisper on the skin.

[bloodrunner]

In a quick, almost-smooth movement, he was up off his stool and holding his arm out to her to take.

The wonderful drift of scent that hits him when she moves is like honey candy, slightly floral and richly sweet. He's actually a little bit hungry, and wondering if they should order something in for after the fact. Dessert, so to speak, after the main course.

"Perhaps a hotel," he suggests, knowing the size of their starter capsules. "Easier to make use of wider open facilities, righ'?"

[fullofthorns]

"Up to you," she shrugs, immediately losing interest in her drink when he takes her straight up on her suggestion. She's off the bar and sliding her arm around his without any fear of the hook-up in the least. After a second thought, she turns around and grabs her glass, slamming the remains of the drink and dropping the upturned and empty glass onto the woodtop.

"I'll take personal offense if you don't stop several times on the way to the sleaziest looking place they have to offer and try to get yours before we even make it there. Spoiler-alert, you're not getting anything until the doors close....but I invite you to make your best efforts."

[bloodrunner]

"Madam, I am shocked and appalled that you would think me so uncouth as to start trying to molest you on the way to a more appropriate place." The outrage painted all over his face is as fake as can be. The grin is toothy and the tone is snarky and his hand has already crept up to attempt to honk the closest soft bit of her he can reach.

He's enjoying her company, plain as anything. He's happy to be here. Try finding that in 90% of the current station occupant list.