Topher couldn't help the laugh that left his lips as he took in the sight of the weapons dealer who seemed eager to enjoy the fireworks. With a hand on his hip, he shot her a look up and down before he dared to give her any sort of reply.

"Well I certainly am now," he said, unabashed.

He seemed bold enough to make the step forward and join at her side. As he leaned forward, Topher caught sight of the Lampent at her side and gave it a little wave as a smile graced his features. For once, he found himself at a loss for words. How long had it been between the time he'd gotten to know Onze a bit better -- no, how long had it been since he'd gotten to know Camellia a little better? He felt himself at a loss of words to say. What was there to say?

"So you got stuck working tonight too?"

Smooth.

His attention fell on the fireworks display overhead as he took in a deep breath. Maybe it was better for him to be a bit more vulnerable with his fellow associate. It was embarrassing that he felt this entangled to someone he thought was no more than a fuck buddy. His mouth moved faster than his brain did as the words came out like word vomit. He couldn't help it, and he couldn't help the way that he couldn't stop thinking about her. Goddamn, was he this whipped?

"What are we?"

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Camellia Lemaitre

"Just got back from taking care of someone with a loose tongue. Sometimes you just gotta cut them out, y'know?"

A laugh shook his shoulders as he stated his reason to her. He politely declined the cigarette, not necessarily a fan of smoking on his own part. But maybe it would have helped with the awkward air that lingered. Despite the way they sat next to one another, he felt as though they couldn't be farther apart. It took him a moment to truly decipher what he wanted to say, what he felt about the situation. Her question left only more in its wake. As he opens his mouth to speak, he can't help but hesitate. Just what was his deal?

"Well, I'm hoping that wasn't just a one-time thing," he began. "This feels wild for me to say, but I haven't felt that alive in quite some time."

Topher had to stop to laugh at his own words. God, here he was sounding like a total simp, and for what? They both agreed the situation was just for their own selfish desires. No more than that. He was known for sleeping around with others and able to keep feelings out of the equation. The finest example of that came in the form of his friend Jasmine. The two were able to keep a friendly disposition while maintaining a friends with benefits sort of situation. He took a deep breath before he worded himself carefully.

"I guess I want to say that I want to be friends with you, too. I want to get to know you better on a personal level."

It felt like such an intimate request. Maybe that's what had his nerves all jumbled. A deep breath and he allowed himself to relax. Somehow he managed to go back to the same old Topher the moment the last question left his lips. The cheesy grin that he typically had when he gave stupid answers came soon after.

"I'd also dig being able to sleep with you again, on several more occasions."

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Camellia Lemaitre

For a moment, Topher felt his heart sink a bit. An unusual sensation, but one that he knew he found no comfort in. He looked away for the briefest of moments to take in a sharp breath as if to ready himself to stand up. It was her latter words that made him stay anchored to the ground. The pain that kept his heart in a chokehold dissipated in absolutely no time as he gave a laugh -- one of relief. He couldn't understand why he felt relieved to hear her say those words, but deep down part of him feared that he'd ruined their partnership as both business partners and friends. (Was that the right word for the two? They knew each other through work and mutual gatherings. Friends felt like a very strong word for what the two were. Perhaps that's why he felt it necessary to ask for clarification.)

"Patience has never been my strong suit, but I'll do my best. I'm sure you've got one hell of a story to share one day, Camellia."

He spoke to her on a personal level now. They were outside of work, so there was no need for formalities. Lips curled into a smug smirk as he looked back at her once again. It was only fair that in the same tandem, he share a bit about himself. Like her, he had secrets he'd rather take to his grave, but people like them knew they'd never be able to outrun their demons. Palms rested comfortably against the grass at their side before he decided to break the silence once more. Maybe he liked to hear himself talk, but it didn't help when his conversation partner had such a lovely voice.

"Suppose we'll start with the basics, huh? I was born the younger of two kids. My parents put plenty of expectation on me just because my older brother was nothing but a burnout." A pause, followed by a shaky breath in. "He uh... Well, he died of an overdose when I was thirteen. After that, my parents doubled down on me and insisted they weren't going to let me be like him. But despite all that, they pushed me forward and it's hard to say that I have regrets. I don't think I have any."

He brought his hands to his lap as he nervously began to pick at his fingernails. What seemed like forever passed, and he finally looked to the weapons dealer and spoke almost meekly -- something uncommon for Topher.

"Do you have any regrets?"

He wasn't talking about her life.

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Camellia Lemaitre

For some reason, he held onto her words like they were some sort of lifeline. It was the first time he truly felt it necessary to listen to someone and what they chose to share about their life. Brows furrowed as he reached out and placed a comforting hand over her own. He felt more at ease after she admitted that their own tryst wasn't a regret in the slightest. (A weight he did his best to simply ignore and failed desperately lifted itself from his heavy heart and made it just a bit lighter.) His thumb brushed against her knuckles as he spoke up again.

"Abandoned, taken, orphaned -- those are all past tense that won't bring them back," he stated bluntly. "But I feel like I speak for all of us in the group that we won't be leaving you anytime soon, or we'll do our best not to. We've all got a fighting chance I like to think, and hate to break it to you that you won't be getting rid of me any less. I'd fistfight Arceus if it meant I get to taste you again."

A bold proclamation, but his horny ass meant it. It was safe to say that after one try, he found himself addicted and hilariously down bad for his fellow syndicate member. But that's what he drew it down to -- there weren't any feelings (at least in his mind,) and that his libido was just overclocked. But despite how much he wanted to reason that the pair were just friends with benefits, it didn't stop him from staying afterwards. Fuck, he even found himself eager to embrace Camellia too. And that sickening truth came in the way he leaned down to rest his head against her shoulder.

"Maybe I'll tell you more at another time," he insisted. "I'm not the best at this shit, and I can tell you aren't either."

His eyes closed as he simply allowed himself the opportunity to enjoy the fact that as they sat there, it was just the two of them. It felt comforting.

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Camellia Lemaitre

She made a point in the aspect that it was hard to say whether or not the others felt the same. Perhaps Topher simply cared too much about his fellow numbers. It was just business, but to him, it was a bit more than that. They were all seedy individuals brought together for the sole purpose of greed. They all came from varied backgrounds but managed to form something so fluid at the hands of Alphonse. Part of him could dream that they all cared about one another on a deeper level than business, but he knew he was being too optimistic with such a situation.

While typically the promise of sex would have had him on hands and knees, ready to move at her beck and call, somehow he didn't really feel the appeal in that moment. The closeness was enough for him. He could feel his heartbeat in his throat the moment that she rested her own head on top of his and soon managed to breathe in a little to calm down. Any other instance, he would have been quick to run, so simply ghost her like he did anyone else. But somehow he felt that this was right where he belonged.

"Nah, let's just spend a few more minutes like this, if you don't mind."

A simple request, but one that was offered in a low voice. For the briefest moment, Trois was vulnerable. And part of that scared him.

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Camellia Lemaitre