Perspectives

[Guest]

The Lotus Exige pulled into the parking lot of an apartment complex in a fairly nice part of London, tyres squealing upon the asphalt despite it being well into night. This could be seen as either a testament to Zen's sheer ignorance, or perhaps his burning hatred for his neighbours. Either way, he slammed the brakes and pulled the car in swiftly, opening the door, then rushing around to pull open Rebecca's, too.

Sooner or later, Zen locked the car, and moved into the main body of the building, all the while directing Rebecca and promising that it 'wasn't much further'. The duo ascended the stairs, the lift being far too much hassle, and quickly moved up to the third floor, whereupon the detective fumbled for his keys and slipped them into the lock, a look of sheer, grit determination upon his face.

"Chez Zen," He muttered with a smile, twisting the door handle and flinging the door open to reveal his humble abode. The apartment was small; being a single man with no real family links, he hadn't needed anything else. But it was well-furnished, and had character. The slender entry-way lead into a large bedroom with a double bed within it, ensuite bathroom attached, with a single towel, a single toothbrush, a single razor, a single sink... one of everything.

[INITIATE THEME]

It was fairly clear to anyone with an analytical mind like Rebecca that this place showed the sign of one male, a long-term bachelor, living here, and no-one else. The hallway branched off afterwards into a small study with a television upon the wall, and a desktop computer, files tossed about the place and littering the entire room thanks to Zen's run of work. "Yeah, that room's... uh... messy," He said quickly, pulling the door shut, chuckling weakly, and leading her then into the attached dining-room-lounge-kitchen combo.

It was the largest room of the three, with a slender dining table at the end of the hallway, and then a left turn into a room with twin couches, another television, and a laptop upon a coffee table. A humble bonsai plant sat upon a windowsill next to a few tapes from Zen's late-night Aerugese classes. The room moved off into a thin, tiled kitchen, which the Internal Affairs agent quickly shot off into, spinning around and gesturing to the lounge. The only real source of illumination was a humble lamp in the corner of the room, the main light having been turned off.

As messy as one would've figured Zen to be, he did manage to keep a refined element about the place. Of course, bundles of paperwork and dossiers were tossed around just about everywhere, showing something of a dedication, but aside from that, the place was functional, and nothing was in disarray. Decks of cards were just about everywhere, and a thorough multitude of gambling and casino posters were all Zen had to line the walls. "If ya'd take a seat," He gestured playfully to the first couch with a smile. "And I shall fetch you a drink, m'lady," Again with the mock upper-class accent. A grin, and Zen turned the corner into the utility room attached to the end of the kitchen, which also doubled as a room for 'shit I don't eat and drink'. Six bottles of wine sat in the corner beside a washing machine, along with a sack of assorted and probably now-mouldy vegetables he'd never gotten around to throwing out.

The detective shrugged, flicked the washing machine on, and grasped a bottle of white wine in one hand, and red in the other, exhaling to blow the dust that had collected from them. "Pee-nott Grid-gee-oh, and... does this say Merlin?" Zen inspected it a little more thoroughly, butchering the name once more with his horrific Rouenian accent. "OH! Mehrr-lott."

Grasping the two with that blissfully unaware grin of his, he pulled two glasses from the cupboard above the kitchen counter, setting them down and removing his tie and coat to hang upon convenient pegs just next to the refrigerator. With that, he rolled up the sleeves on his off-yellow shirt, and turned to Rebecca, who was hopefully sitting down in the other room. "Red or white, Morgana?"

[Csilla Angelis]

{BUMP}

[Guest]

What was going to happen this evening? Was this wise? Was this wrong? Should she actually try to feel guilty? For some reason questions were all that roiled around in Rebecca's mind as they drove up to his home, her chin resting upon her wrist as she leaned back in her seat. His driving did not bother her, she was used to riding her motorcycle around and that was far noisier than his tire squealing could ever hope to be. She was pleasantly surprised, however, when he opened the car door for her. Well, chivalry wasn't quite dead yet was it? It brought a little smirk to her face as she exited the vehicle, following after him once he had locked his car. He was a dork, but a well meaning dork. And a cute dork. With green hair. Heh... maybe she did just have a thing for guys with green hair. It was a funny coincidence, if not a little pin prick painful since it did remind her of Meno so.

It was amusing that he kept assuring her it wasn't that far when she clearly was not that concerned about it, but then again.... she had to guess he didn't have women over very often. Much less any lady friends. Not with how he had been speaking earlier and his surprise when she agreed to come back with him for some wine. She lifted her skirt as they ascended the stairs, her eyes glancing about the building with a vague interest as the questions continued to poke at her. It wasn't until she heard the jangle of keys that she snapped out of it, watching as he fought with his lock with such a serious expression on his face. She chuckled softly to herself as he finally succeeded and opened the door, welcoming her into the place that he called home. "Chez Zen."

You could tell that he lived alone besides the fact that he only had one of everything. The style of his apartment and the furniture... it screamed bachelor. Heh, it wasn't like Meno's had been much better. As they passed by the one room, she couldn't help but peek inside since... well it was like she practically sensed technology. Though she didn't get to look very long, "Yeah, that room's... uh... messy." So that was his work room then. What kind of computer did he have.... She wanted to know! But that was the techno-freak in her talking, not woman. And right now, she needed the woman side more since she could only imagine what he thought the evening would be like. As they stepped into the three room area, her gaze immediately fell upon the laptop that was on the coffee table, which she started to take a few steps towards. He was already gesturing for her to enter the living room so she did, placing her purse down on the coffee table beside his laptop. Ohhh she wanted to touch and explore. Should Edi.... oh she didn't know.

"If ya'd take a seat," her eyes followed his movement, chuckling as he continued, "And I shall fetch you a drink, m'lady." An utter dork. And yet she was drawn to him nonetheless. There was always charming about someone like him, some inexplicable reason to be drawn to them. As he vanished from view, she took one slow look around before picking up his laptop, the surface smooth beneath her touch. It was a decent make and model, though it wasn't top of the line either. It would get the job done for someone of his position. She wanted to explore and speak to it, but.... There was movement in the kitchen so she quickly and quietly placed the laptop back on the coffee table, inwardly smacking her hands for being such a goofball. There was the soft clink of glasses which meant he had the wine out. "Red or white, Morgana?" Humming softly to herself, she tilted her head and leaned in the direction of the kitchen as she began to remove her shoes. "Red please!" White was nice, but... it felt like an evening for red. "You've go' a nice place here Zen. Be'er than the apartmen' I used to 'ave when I wen' to college here." She called, shaking her head slightly at aaaaall the memories that could crop up if she talked anymore about that time in her life.

[Guest]

"Red please!" Zen nodded with a minor chortle, grasping the nearby bottle of Merlot and a corkscrew. He regarded the contraption in his hand for a moment, before scratching the back of his head and beginning to peel off the little plastic coat around the top of the cork. Jesus, this thing WAS dusty. How old... nah, he didn't want to know.

"Whateva' tha' lady wants," He shouted back in a sing-song voice, jamming the corkscrew in solid after a couple of failed attempts carved little jagged zig-zags down the side of the bottle's neck. "How do I get this fukken..." He began to mutter, before grasping the handle at the top of the corkscrew and trying to pull it out with brute force. His face reddened like a tomato, but the cork wasn't budging. "This is why I don't drink wine..." He murmured again. "Couldn't jus' make it like a nice an' simple bottla' scotch a' somethin'..."

Finally, after around three minutes of wrestling with the damn thing, feeling a little bit like an idiot, Zen realised he had to lift the arms and twisted it. Making a noise of revelation not too different from the sort a child would make when he discovered a rather simple escape from his playpen, Zen felt like a bit of a moron for a moment, before blissfully brushing it aside, and pouring out two glasses. The deep red liquid filled each of them with a satisfying slosh sound, the bottle making a low glug. A burning hatred returned to him as he remembered the damp patch on his back, and the red wine incident earlier on in the night. "Fukken'... octopus-armed shithead,"

With that, he clutched the two glasses and the bottle, and began to move over towards Rebecca as she spoke, again. "You've go' a nice place here Zen. Be'er than the apartmen' I used to 'ave when I wen' to college here." He nodded slowly, setting the glasses down - on coasters, of course, even if he was messy, he was... COASTERS. The bottle touched the coffee table a moment later and he slumped down onto the couch beside Rebecca.

"Yeah..." He looked up to the ceiling, then to the wall, and then to the kitchen, then affectionately towards his many casino posters. He had one of Caesar's Palace, the MGM Grand, the Bellagio... just about every casino he'd ever been kicked out of. Ah, those were the days. Eating cold baked beans, sleeping in his car, getting shouted at and called a 'lousy grifter' every time someone with common sense turned up his 'Purest Anti-Ailment Elixirs'. In all honesty, that last one wasn't a con. Water is good for you. He turned back to Rebecca with a humble smile on his face. "It ain't a bad place," Fondness twinkled in his eyes; his pupils reset and focused on her properly.

Ready to get fucking slaughtered, Zen picked up the glass, and tipped it back, downing half of the liquid in one. He would have drunk all of it in a single glug, but fuck did it taste bad. It was dry, bitter... it tasted womanly. It didn't burn his throat. He put on a weak smile and made out like he enjoyed it, but inside, he grimaced. His stomach's rumblings and attempts to reject the liquid weren't helpful, either. "What about you, Morgana?" He smiled, surveying her once more, and fumbling in his pockets. He drew out Sidney and his cigarettes, and set them on the table aside each other.

He started to run through probabilities. The probability of him ending up in bed with her, the probability of her rolling over and making some inconsequential remark about how he was a loser she never wanted to see again, and the probability of him just making some offhanded remark at the most inopportune moment ever, and her slapping him, throwing the red wine in his face, turning on her heel, and leaving. Each had happened a copious amount of times (though the first, not enough).

It was a little depressing, really. Zen sort of just wanted someone to talk to; but he was... really finding her attractive. He wasn't sure what it was... but... fuck. "What's ya' place like?"

[Guest]

Now Rebecca had to wonder, what kind of red wine did he possess? He didn't exactly seem like a wine kind of guy at first glance. Maybe whiskey or gin, possibly even beer, but wine? It was a bit of a stretch in her mind. She looked off in the direction of the kitchen and tilted her head a bit, wondering if she should check in on him at all. "Whateva' tha' lady wants." Well, she couldn't deny that he was a gentleman of sorts at the very least. A very goofy gentleman, but she didn't exactly mind that. It was better than some of the stuffed folk that she had met before, or posers. He was... honest. Chuckling at his sing-song voice, she leaned back into the couch a bit more, her crimson eyes coming to rest on his laptop again. "Do you wish for me to run a scan?" Shit. Edi. "N-no! Don't you dare." She whispered in as low a voice as she could muster so he wouldn't hear, though she thought her ears detected some muttering coming from the kitchen (not that she could make it out). "I won't then. Interesting." And with that the line in her ear went quiet.

Now just what did.... "Edi, what is that supposed to mean?! Edi? Bitch." She muttered, a warm smile spreading over her lips as she could hear the clink of glasses which meant he was approaching. No need to seem crazy by seeming to talk to herself. Blasted AI, oooo just wait till she got back to South--! He seemed very focused as he set the glasses down on coasters. Heh, some traditions would never die hm? "Yeah..." She picked up her glass delicately between her fingers and swirled it, leaning her face towards it so that she might smell the contents. Mmm.... Merlot... of a decent year if she was any judge. Well well, he was just full of surprises wasn't he? She watched him as he looked over the place he called home, wanting to observe his expression as opposed to what he was looking at. She could see out of her periphery that his features softened at the casino posters that lined the walls, tilting her head ever so slightly as she wondered at what memories they held for him before sipping at her glass. "It ain't a bad place." Delicious, it was a good year. Her gaze met his and the tenderness that she saw there gave her some pause. Was it because of his posters or.... So she did what she always did in situations like this, she just smiled softly to him.

It was a safe reaction for it gave the impression you were at ease, and possibly pleased with something. Though it didn't last very long as he suddenly downed half of his glass so quickly, his weak smile saying exactly what it needed to for her to know just how he liked it. And it made her laugh. Not a hearty laugh like some drunken joke at the bar, just a pure laugh of amusement that was light and sweet. He really was such a goofball. She began to take another sip of her wine when he spoke again, "What about you, Morgana?" Hm? She paused as she lowered her glass to the table, the wine still fresh upon her lips as she licked them. As his cigarettes came into view, she picked one up and lit it, breathing in as she waited for him to clarify exactly what he meant. She figured that he meant what her home was like and that in itself presented itself with some... interesting possibilities. She could tell a half-truth and tell him about one of her safe-houses somewhere, she could outright lie, or she could just tell him the whole truth and add risk into the mix. Well, she had already lied to him about her name even if it was an alias she went by, so maybe... one of the half-truths?

Argh, she was finding herself wanting to just tell him the truth since he was so... fragile. Or seemed so to her. "What's ya' place like?" She leaned more into the couch and picked up her wine, sighing lightly as she propped her head up with her hand. Her body was now a bit closer to his, but whether or not it was on purpose or not was something she wasn't even sure of. She found herself glancing to the posters on the wall as she began to answer, "Well... i's a modest place. Single bedroom, kitchen-dining room, bathroom, living room...." She paused to sip at her wine, licking her lips afterwards before she turned her head to really look at him. The weariness in his face, the hope, the fear... She straightened a bit so she could puff on her cig before continuing, careful not to blow any smoke in his face. "Except I own the whole side of the bloody floor I live on. I've adapted i' to suite my needs. A room for my inventions, computers... high security system I developed myself. Bu' my job requires i'. I'd rather 'ave someplace like 'is to be honest." So she went with the full truth. Awesome. She could just tell that Edi was running scenarios in her databases, how much Rebecca had just put them at risk.

Now she had to wonder, would it be so bad to let someone in on what her real job was? Not some information gathering pirate, but a Spectre who watched over world peace? He was a militant, he would understand the need for the fight. She couldn't help it though, her first instinct was to tell no one lest she put them (or herself) at risk. They were an organization that wasn't supposed to exist after all and weren't particularly tied to any country. It was terrible that she couldn't even remember if she had told Meno or not. Heh, she would move on eventually. She always had. Maybe.... maybe this would lead to somewhere new.

[Guest]

She took one of his cigarettes and lit it. For the first time in the night, Zen's concentration fell upon something; not Rebecca, in actuality, but how she handled Sidney. His lighter. With anyone else? He would have snatched it out of their hands and cursed them out. But the way her fingers moved, so dexterous, yet with so much care; he... was content with her movements.

A smile brought back upon his face as she set it down. He drew one of the cigarettes next, and picked up the lighter but a moment after she'd moved it. Trembling, of course, as he went to light the thing, he dropped it, and it clattered on the floor with a fairly loud noise. "...typical," He sighed, reaching down to pick it up. Yes. Care.

Finally lighting the damned thing, snatching an ashtray close to set between the pair of them and pressing the lighter back down, Zen took that signature first pull on the cigarette's butt, inhaling as much of the smoke as he could, letting it flow into and cream and thicken up within his mouth. Then, he removed the cig, and inhaled as much as he could with a steady, drawing breath, the nicotine flooding into him as, finally, he got his fix. Ah... a sip of red wine, and he was raring to go, despite the... unusual taste. Not... his cup of tea. Or wine. Or scotch, really. He preferred that over all else.

"Well... i's a modest place. Single bedroom, kitchen-dining room, bathroom, living room...." Another long drag, as he nodded with a smile. It sounded nice- "Except I own the whole side of the bloody floor I live on. I've adapted i' to suite my needs. A room for my inventions, computers... high security system I developed myself. Bu' my job requires i'. I'd rather 'ave someplace like 'is to be honest." Or... maybe a little more than nice. He should've guessed.

"Ya' really know how ta' downplay havin' a fortress for a home, eh?" A light, dry, quiet chuckle, and another drag. Another sip. It was routine, before, finally, he stared idly off into the middle-distance, sighing and making a comment. "It sounds nice. I'd like to see it sometime," It was only after he finished that he realised what he'd just said.

..fuck.

His ears began burning hotter than any star in the sky. His face flushed with a hue of red only fit for tomatos. This was easily the worst thus far. A combination of blissful ignorance and sheer idiocy that had so many times before gotten him almost-laid. Hoping she wouldn't notice, he inhaled and held his breath for as long as he could, before exploding, falling back into the couch with the longest sigh of his life. Then, unfortunately, he began talking. As if that hadn't done enough for him already.

"Look, Morgana," Was how it began. "I really like ya'," That was certainly a little more steam let off. "I dunno what it is, and we just met, but-uh..." That clump of brown-green hair swished gently from side to side in the breeze of a single ajar window. Her purple, straight, close-cut locks shimmered in the twilight. "...I just figured ya' should know that. Ya' know, so maybe ya' go a little easier on me when ya' throw that wine in my face and storm out," Defeated, he slouched back further. "I neva' had much luck with women," He muttered, the cigarette sitting, now-bent, on the brim of his lips as he breathed in, his head flattening to become almost-horizontal.

[Guest]

She found herself chuckling when he dropped the lighter for a moment, seeming frustrated at himself as he picked it up from the floor. "...typical," Oh he was just so amusing. She flicked the ash off of the tip of her cig into the ashtray he pulled over, suddenly wondering how long it had been since last she smoked. It had to have at least been..... several months. Maybe a year? Oh hell, she didn't even know anymore. With ease, she quickly sipped the rest of her wine into oblivion, leaving her glass empty which she placed back upon its coaster. She switched her cigarette into her other hand, resuming the position with her head propped on her hand from before. The last thing she had definitely smoked was a cigar-- No, that was a lie. It had been a blunt when she had gone undercover for a week. Ah that brought back memories.... A-hem! That was for another time!

There were other, more pressing matters to worry about. Like how he was going to handle everything she had just said. She knew her information business got her plenty of bank, and being a Spectre didn't suck either. But she never exactly liked to flaunt her good fortune except maybe with the gadgets she could create because she could afford the parts. And even if she started selling her devices, she would definitely make some more money than she already was. And here he was, living like a detective. Oi... she knew how to make things awkward, didn't she? This is why she often stuck to her 0's and 1's. They could not be wishy-washy in their meaning. "Ya' really know how ta' downplay havin' a fortress for a home, eh?" She laughed nervously and shrugged, dragging on her cig as the smoke swirled from between her lips. "What can I say? Talen'." She murmured as she leaned further into her hand. So she almost choked on her smoke at what he said next, "It sounds nice. I'd like to see it sometime."

He.... would? She sort of seemed to stop for a moment and stare at him, trying to judge if he was sincere or just saying that to fill the gap of awkward that she had made. But as his face grew as red as her eyes, she found herself smiling tenderly as she took one last puff on the cig before putting it out in the ashtray. Her hand came up to rest in her lap as he exhaled his breath, her crimson orbs never leaving his face. How quickly he had flushed at such simple words. He really must not be used to an evening like this at all. "Look, Morgana," She raised an eyebrow at her alias, tilting her head into her hand a bit more. "I really like ya'," Well that was obvious. "I dunno what it is, and we just met, but-uh..." Hold on now, she had just recently been through events similar to this but in a completely different country and climate. It had been cold, snow covering the ground making it difficult for her bike to get around easily. A white suite with a cigarette hanging between his lips, green hair spiking out from beneath the white fedora. Aye... she had known this sensation not too long ago.

This was alright, wasn't it?

"...I just figured ya' should know that. Ya' know, so maybe ya' go a little easier on me when ya' throw that wine in my face and storm out." .... what? "I neva' had much luck with women," Rebecca blinked twice as she looked at this fragile man beside her on the couch with his head bowed so far forward, the surprise fading from her pale features as her hand came up from her lap. It did not move to strike him, but instead slid through his hair very gently, sitting up a bit straighter as her other hand came out from propping up her head. She carefully lifted his chin so she could stare him in the eyes, seeming to search his gaze for a moment before she plucked the cigarette from between his lips and placing it into the ashtray on the table. What a goof of a man. "Now why would I go and throw wine on you hm? Tha' just seems like a waste to me." She murmured softly as her fingers trailed up the side of his face from beneath his chin, her other hand pausing its movements through his hair as she leaned forward. Her movement was fluid, neither too fast nor too slow as she drew close to place a soft kiss upon his lips, taking her time before pulling back ever so slightly. "Besides, you've 'ad enough wine thrown on you tonight."

[Guest]

"Now why would I go and throw wine on you hm? Tha' just seems like a waste to me." She plucked the cigarette from his lips and stubbed it out on the ashtray on the table. Zen felt her hand trail up the side of his face. He'd been touched before; but this... well, it was something different entirely. A gentle look back towards the ashtray with a smile.

"Ya shouldn't talk 'bout waste..." A hand drifted back through his hair. A gentle kiss upon his lips. His eyes widened; there wasn't doubt, any more. There was definitely something else here. A smile, as he let himself fall back into it. He'd been wrong; but, for once... he was happy about it.

"Besides, you've 'ad enough wine thrown on you tonight." A smirk crept onto his lips as she bucked backwards and away from him; maybe he wasn't such a bumbling idiot, after all. Or maybe the goof act was just working on him. He set his glass back down, and an arm slithered along the couch to drift around and rest on her shoulder.

"Now that's somethin' I can agree with," With that, it was his turn to move in, placing his lips against hers and trying his best to fall into it. The musty stench of cigarette smoke and old Merlot mingling together was strong; she smelt like both, with something else added. Mystery. She was an enigma; there was so much he didn't know about her, and so much he'd wager that she could get ahold of. Zen had seen people like this, before. Her outfit screamed special ops, that amount of thinking... she wasn't just your normal run-of-the-mill soldier. He presumed intelligence, but presumptions hadn't gotten him too far in the twenty-six year train wreck he called a life.

The chain of kisses stopped for a moment as small brown eyes dove as best they could into crystalline ruby pools, far larger than his could ever hope to be. "Well," He murmured with a contented look upon his face, followed by a heaving sigh and the makings of a chuckle. "We still haven't finished ya' tour, have we?" His hand fell down to loosely grasp her wrist as a glance fell upon the final unopened door leading out from the living room. What could it be?

A coy smile hit his face, and Zen Howler, for the first time that night, felt like things were maybe going well. Like he maybe had some semblance of control. Her accent was resounding in his ears. Morgana... odd name for a Creig woman. Then again... she looked... well... ah, fuck. He was just going to leave it. If he let his mind wander, it was just more margin for error, and fuck-up, both of which Zen was a renowned master of. He looked from the door back to her, that same coy smile very much still prominent as he grinned. "Shall we?" What was behind that door?!

The hints were in the process of elimination. Rebecca hadn't yet been shown a bedroom.

[Guest]

"Ya shouldn't talk 'bout waste..." Oh she was sure that he wouldn't mind. She had to say though, there was something different here from when she and Meno had met. She got thrown into helping him with his case moments after meeting him, and moments after that they were kissing in an alley so he could gather information. This.... was entirely different. Sure they were lacking in candles and soft music, but just a simple glass of wine suited her fine. This was certainly making up for the rather strange evening that they both had had earlier. She settled back into the couch with a light sigh, her eyes watching him as she pulled away from that kiss. Oh did he seem so very pleased, and somehow that warmed her heart. It wasn't like this was out of pity or anything, she genuinely liked seeing this man happy. Maybe at first there was some pity for him, but what did pity ever do for anyone? Nothing really. It was always better to do something than just sit back and feel sorry for someone. Especially when the person captured your interest.

So she smiled as she felt his arm slid about her shoulders, her hands drifting up his chest as he murmured, "Now that's somethin' I can agree with." With that their lips met again and again, steady and at their own pace. It wasn't hot fueled by passion, nor was it dragging along like taffy. How odd that he called out the balance in the situation. Either he was that talented, or there was something else at work that she didn't bother naming. After all it was farfetched and completely silly. She was too used to enjoying a quick fling before moving onward for that was how she functioned in her life, it was what she could allow. Whenever her parents mentioned the subject of marriage, she would laugh and look at them with a raised eyebrow. They knew she was too much of a free spirit to ever be tied down to anything or anyone. This is why she enjoyed where she had ended up in her life. She was an agent for a hidden agency that fought for ideals she could agree with, but she wasn't tied down to a desk or some headquarters. She could continue to lead her life as she chose to as long as she went on the missions she was asked to. It wasn't like she ever did anything that would put them in a terribly compromising position.

This evening was following a flow that she enjoyed so as the kisses slowed to a halt, her eyes opened enough to meet his, a smile spreading across her lips. "Well," HAH, she could just see how at peace he was now. Aye, this had been the right choice after all and she was becoming steadily more pleased that she had made it. "We still haven't finished ya' tour, have we?" She had to chuckle at that, sitting up a bit as she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I don't believe we 'ave. Now we can' 'ave tha' now can we?" She murmured softly as an almost seductive sly smirk rose to her lips to compliment his coy smile, her fingers slowly tightening about his wrist as he glanced one more time towards the door. She knew exactly where it must lead and she had no problems with that in the least bit. "Shall we?" Pushing herself up, she gave him a gentle tug onto his feet and drew close to him, leaning so that only a few centimeters separated them. "We shall." She whispered before pulling back to gaze up at him, wondering just how quickly he might lead them.

[Guest]

"I don't believe we 'ave. Now we can' 'ave tha' now can we?" Sly smirk and coy smile in tow, he pressed in for another kiss with that dumbfounded grin upon his face, laughing gently like a moron. The only thing to fit the mood further would be music, and he didn't really feel like typical Sinatra jazz. If only words began to play along to humble guitars in his head.

[INITIATE THEME]

"We'll certainly have to make it a grand climax," Zen muttered, putting the upper-class Cretan voice back on, and the emphasis on... well, the word he needed to. The deepest smile he could muster, and as she tugged him to his feet, he wrapped his hand around hers, and tried to pull her along, the cold brass of the bedroom door barely a few inches out of his reach.

"We shall." Bingo. The confirmation he needed. With that, his smile only widened, makings of yellowed teeth shining through within, the odour of cigarette smoke still hanging strong on his breath and hers. He grasped the handle and pulled it down, his smile shrinking back into two pursed lips being as coy as they could.

"An' this is tha' bedroom," Zen spoke with the same flourish anyone would who sounded as if they were leading another around their house, a bored housewife with nothing better to do. Zen's bedroom wasn't too bad; carpeted flooring, single double bed, single nightstand, single cupboard and single chest of drawers. Pairs of boxers and work jeans were slumped over a chair at the end of the bed, and more files. Spare magazines for Calamity on the bed, along with a few pouches of dice and folders, which, leaning in for another kiss, he brushed off with a single wide sweep, grinning like an idiot. "Fit for one, but can accommodate two!"

With that, he fell back upon the mattress with a smile, the bed bouncing up and down, trying as best as it could to absorb the shock. Hadn't really been built for tomfoolery of this calibre. Immediately, he began to loosen his tie, pulling it off and casting aside, diving in for more kisses intermittently as best he could. It had gone from being playful to just downright passionate in a split-second, the changeover just as prominent. A stark grin struck his idiot face as he began to tug at her clothing, hoping desperately for it to come off.

Another hand grasped the back of her head and pulled her in for more kisses, just about as deep as he could get; and that confirmed it. Well, just about as much confirmation as he needed, anyway. He knew he was getting somewhere tonight; he just didn't know how far, his heart beating in his throat as it did, blood surging faster around his body with every waking second.

Reaching out to the single floor-to-ceiling window that his apartment's bedroom possessed, Zen tugged at the blinds to close them, the only source of illumination the faint yellow light of the lamp outside. In here, it was dark... dark enough. "Wouldn't want any unwanted spectators, now," Zen murmured with another smile.

And from there, things were just as simple.

((From here, you can either cut to black & wake up in the morning, or keep going until we have to impose a limit. Your call.))

[Guest]

"We'll certainly have to make it a grand climax." ..... In her head she had to groan since multiple meanings flooded her mind though one stuck out in particular and she had to beat it away with a mental stick before she started snickering like a high schooler. Some things would never change with her it would seem. She followed after him easily, glad she had already taken her heels off earlier so that would make this all the easier. She wouldn't have to worry about tripping or having to take the time to do it now. Now how easily would he be able to pull off her dress.... She chuckled to herself as she followed him into the room, glancing about as he introduced the room. She was not at all surprised by what she saw, except that maybe there weren't enough files laying about. But then again Meno's room had been a lot more cramped than this, and had been home to a little kitten as well. Oh she hoped that she was doing well....

No. This right here was her moving on. Not clinging to memories. Clinging to memories was bad and non-productive. Would she ever be able to separate the two in her mind? Or would Meno always haunt her? It had to be because he was just on a case and could come back. That had to be the reason. It wasn't like anything like this had happened before, and she had been through plenty of random shit. "Fit for one, but can accommodate two!" Oh he was such a goof. She chuckled as she lifted up her skirt to be able to follow him onto the bed with no issue, her hands sliding down to the base of his shirt as he fumbled with his tie, her lips meeting his every time he went looking for them. And so the tempo increased with passions touch, but it was befitting of such a stage and mood. Worse comes to worse? She has a night of fun with a goofball. Her dress did fall away relatively easily beneath his hands, revealing just how little her dress had allowed her to wear. A bra would have been plain awkward. Her hands made quick work of his shirt and pulled it away from his body, her fingers pressing into his chest as he drew her close for those deeper kisses.

Her eyes glanced over as he shut the blinds, the darkness swallowing them even with the faint glow of the lamp outside. "Wouldn't want any unwanted spectators, now." Here she couldn't help but chuckle as she slid on top of him easily, leaning so close her lips brushed against his as she spoke, "Let 'em watch." With that she kissed him with a passion befitting the shift to mood lighting, a hand touching her earring to disconnect her from Edi. No need to have to hear more about it later hm?

[INSERT TIME SKIP BECAUSE REBECCA IS LAZY]

Sweat tinged her skin in a fine sheen, her bangs clinging to her forehead even as she pushed them away from her eyes. Her breath came in pants that she willed to slow down to normal, currently climbing back into bed after cleaning herself up in the slightest. Why did bodily fluids have to be so messy at times hm? She slid up next to him and propped herself up on her elbow, her crimson eyes looking over his face as a smirk began to spread across her own. "Been a while, hm?" Hopefully he wouldn't take that the wrong way. Chuckling softly, she leaned over to peck him on the cheek, her bare body pressing up against him. Mmm... what a good night.

[Guest]

Well that was fun. "Been a while, hm?" She'd just spoken the very words on his mind. A long while. Murmuring with another spent smile on his face, a hand flicked over to the nightstand and rifled quickly through drawers, diving in, and reaching for anything that wasn't an empty packet of cigarettes.

He struck gold on the third drawer, plucking out a fresh packet of Marlboro Reds, taking one, a disposable lighter from the nightstand's top along with it, and setting the pack back down with another sigh. A cigarette after sex was perhaps a little clichéd, but, fuck it, he was addicted. "I told ya'," Zen murmured in that goofish way he did, the smile still permanently glued to his face. "I'm not too good around women,"

The would-be detective lit the cigarette without much event, taking a long, steep drag, that first drag on the the clean end of the stick; to a smoker, it was divine. That first puff of cream-white smoke flooding into the mouth and circulating, then that rush, that restoration, that subtle bringing of the nicotine levels in his system back up to the norm, as he inhaled, knocking his head back. Paradise.

The sun was beginning to poke through the blinds, jagged rays of yellow light piercing the blanket over the room, but it was a weekend. Looking down to her, and taking another drag, Zen was sure the pair of them could stay there with only a sheet to cover their naked figures in the steadily rising Cretan summer heat. The sun was glowing outside, and he was just as exhausted as she was. But feeling her close up to him didn't avail feelings of awkward confusion and misplacement as it had every time before; lying with women post-coitus usually gave Zen the urge to leap out of bed under the pretense of something ridiculous like 'turning the oven off' or 'finding his cellphone'. In reality, that was probably why there were no second dates.

Looking steadily to her with that moron grin upon his face once more, the stench of cigarette smoke lingering and clinging to him like his own personal smell, Zen murmured once more, the lit cig still hanging out of bed in one hand, idly trickling ash all over the floor. "Thank fuck it's Saturday," He exclaimed quietly with an exhausted chuckle, reaching in to kiss her once more as she begun to cling close. Much as it was moving on for her, it was something of a different milestone for him. This felt right. Zen had no intention of leaping out of bed and making 'subtle' signs that his partner should leave as quickly as she could. With this... no problems whatsoever.

As for Menoitos? Zen had no idea of who he was in Rebecca's eyes or his own. Someone more experienced with people would have perhaps been able to decipher the problems in the special-ops agent's crimson eyes, but, alas, for now, as always, Zen was blissfully ignorant of the truth and what it entailed. And in this bliss, he appeared to be both devoid of any higher information... and happy, just lying there, cigarette in hand, lover clinging to his body, with the jagged sunlight piercing the simple darkness, and the sun rising behind them.

Thank fuck it's Saturday indeed.

[Guest]

She didn't bother looking up when he began to rifle through the drawer, her mind drifting to places that she knew it shouldn't. Absentmindedly, her hand lifted to switch back on her communicator with Edi which just looked like she was messing with her ear (possibly fixing her hair or earring or something). "There you are. Enjoy yourself? I noticed some differences in your body than last-" And that was when she clicked it back off, pointedly brushing her hair behind her ear to cover that whole thing up. It wasn't like he would be able to hear her AI tease her creator, nor would he see a visible communicator for there was none. Another one of her nifty gadgets that was rather... er... permanent. She didn't want to think of last time. That was last time. Man, this really shouldn't be affecting her so much. She always had kept people at a relative distance, banishing away things with idle banter or poor jokes, maybe a smart-ass comment. She couldn't do that now. There was nothing that she could say.

The smell of a a freshly lit cigarette drew her attention, glancing up as she briefly weighed whether or not she wanted one. Mmm.... Not quite enough. "I told ya'," She looked back up at him and had to resist chuckling at the smile that was still on his lips. "I'm not too good around women." Then she did allow the chuckle to roll out, shaking her head slightly as her hand ran lightly across his chest. "Just not the right ones." She murmured softly without even realizing she had slipped into her more normal tongue. Who cared about being suave all the time? There was definitely a charm to being clumsy and a monkeybutt. He was sincere when it counted though, and that was worth its weight in gold. She knew better than anyone how quickly such things got lost for a job or amongst the fray of living. She had done it herself. Drove her parents nuts when she was younger. Hah.... How were they to know that their daughter would be so much trouble?

Her eyes focused on the light that was peeking through the blinds, the light making the red of her eyes a prism of hues as she just... zoned out. How long had it been since she'd done THAT huh? She was always running from one place to another with rarely time to relax like this. And she was, she was actually at peace. Very few people brought that feeling up within her over the years and Zen was probably the..... fourth? That sounded about right in her head. Lord knows Edi would be keeping track that trickster. But she had programmed her that way, so she really had no room to complain now did she? Their chests rose and fell at their own paces, both feeling their own senses of serenity within the situation. And thus a new day dawned, and by god would she make it a new day. Who knew where they were going to go after this. "Thank fuck it's Saturday." "Amen to tha." Her eyes tilted upwards to him, her head soon following with a smirk of her own, returning his kiss that was tinged with nicotine. Mmmm nicotine...

Today was going to be a good day.

[EXIT THREAD]

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