[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]that's much more of what she expected, really. bitter and not surprising. actually, it earns a little laugh from her. she can taste the awkwardness in the air, the things left unsaid and implications hanging in the balance. it makes her fidget a little, hands uncertain of what to do so they twiddle around gloved fingers as if that's the only occupation they need.

"in mauville," she supplies, even if she didn't exactly expect to run into him again either. but that's just what she does, if she has to put a reason behind it. get involved for a night and then leave, escape off into the night like some animal and never return. it's safe, it's secure, it's emotionless. and yet, it's also like a bad habit. like smoking cigarette after cigarette despite saying every night that you'll quit the next day. funny how you never seem to quit, only return to the same vice.

"i see," she pauses for a moment, recognizing the streets they're moving down. it's close to her own home. huh, a small world indeed. "maybe you live near me, then?" she doesn't know what else to say and as usual, the first thing is fired out.

where he turns, she follows. the sirens are forgotten in the parts of a city left behind them and now, she can fully focus on him. her mask is slipped off her face and onto the top of her head. her eyes drift for a moment down to her catsuit, to the attire of her brand of thief. huh, right. it's not normal clothing, not in the slightest. whoops... probably not the best time to pull a heist either. it's fine.

"yeah, a run, we'll go with that," she lets out a soft snicker, as if it's amusing in itself. a run normally doesn't involve evading police forces but it's fitting enough and she doesn't feel like explaining herself or the suit. instead, she'll tilt her head toward him, an eyebrow raising. "what, did you just finish work or whatever?"

Finley Black

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]definitely more than fucking awkward now. confusion etches itself into the features unmasked and really, she's a little caught off guard. somehow, she had expected more than a friendly smile. something like yelling or a dirty look or anything, really, besides this.

and yet, it doesn't exactly feel like much of a surprise. expected but not? we'll settle on that.

"what're you doing here?" she murmurs, halfway between a jog and a trot to catch up to him as he begins crossing the street. the sirens fade a little with each step and she feels a little weight ease off her chest. more people, more camouflage. less of a chance of getting caught. although, this somehow feels similar to being caught anyway so is she really winning? no, definitely not.

when she settles into step a pace behind him, a thought rises. does she apologize? give an excuse? or ignore what happened? all of the above, none, unknown. she can't decide and maybe she won't have to. maybe he'll decide for the both of them and she'll go with the flow as she always has.

"i didn't expect to see you." okay, that's definitely not what she meant to say but it came out in an attempt to fill some space she wanted to get rid of. instead, she probably rubs salt into wounds and makes this harder. yikes.

Finley Black

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]okay, down this alley and around the block should lose them... right?

wrong, definitely wrong.

god, she's been running in circles for at least half an hour now. don't these cops know when to give up? apparently not. something they have in common, maybe. either way, it's exhausting and her feet are starting to ache. heels and running don't mix but she'll never understand the memo because apparently when it comes to that concept she can't read? imagine that.

fucking hell. the sirens are almost a little closer, the sound of annoyed shouting definitely closing in. and while she would love to say that she doesn't panic beneath this kind of pressure, she's still not at top notch and the suit is making this harder on her body. leather, zippers, and healing wounds absolutely do not mix.

she's distracted when she rounds the next corner, too caught up in the escape to realize she's knocking into a body before it's too late. her ass collides with concrete and she's scrambling, shooting back up before her mind can fully process. "hey, watch it," she snaps. definitely not panicking, right?

recognition clicks into a place a moment later and she's stunned into place, looking a little too much out of her element. "oh," comes next, soft and almost gasped? "it's you." finn, the journalist, the man she left behind in a hotel room without a word.

damn, that's fucking awkward.

Finley Black

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]at first, she's accepting of the closeness, of the arm reaching for her body. she doesn't pull away, doesn't even consider it. and at first it's warm and comforting and she feels herself relaxing a little further into sleep.

but something keeps her awake. the startling realization that this is intimate and not what she does almost has her jostling in her spot. she stills, almost on instinct, and a soft sigh escapes a moment later.

"okay," she whispers. if only because she can't run right now. she doesn't want to but it's scary and she's never been a girl that spends a night just to actually sleep. his arm keeps her in place with the comfort of warmth and her eyes are too heavy to fight off sleep any longer.

eventually, she'll wake up before the sun rises and escape without remorse but for now? sleep is okay, sleep is good.

Finley Black

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]she hums acknowledgement to the gratitude, the meaning going over her head. it both does and doesn't make sense to thank her but hey, who is she to judge? if that's what makes him happy then so be it. maybe it's just because she's never had any of her own work to show off so the concept just falls flat. either way, she flashes a small, sleepy smile when the laptop is finally removed from the bed.

and then, he's settling beside her and getting comfy and she's shifting to make more room. is she a bed hog? probably. it's fine.

"maybe," she murmurs, even though it comes out a little more sleepy than she intends. damn, that nap really put her in the sleep now, fuck everything else mood. she tries to stay awake, though, if only because she's curious as to what'll happen if she does. probably nothing but conversation but that's not necessarily a bad thing. "i'll think about it." she settles on maybes instead and follows his eyes to the tv.

it's still some talk show rerun that she has no idea about but it's distracting for a moment.

Finley Black

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]the faint grin lingers, even as she meets his banter with more of her own. "who says i'm interested?" clearly a lie and clearly meant to prod at whatever it can but she's always been a little flippant in regards to, well, everything. she expects him to understand it anyway.

giada stifles another yawn, shifting until she's sitting up by the time he turns to her. wow, finally done! only took... however long it did. really, she's lost track of time. the nap didn't help but it's fine.

"sure," she murmurs. it'd be rude to turn down the offer and she's curious to see what kind of article it is. will it paint the situation in a certain light? or paint them in a different light? realistically she isn't too concerned about the public's opinion of her. she's here for a good time, not whatever the fuck people expect from her.

she leans into his space to read through the article, lips curling at the edges as she goes. it's good, really good if she's being honest. most of it focuses on her and the ranger--lance, remember?--and not much of the attacker himself. what gets her is the way they're portrayed. heroes, forces of good. funny, she's never come close to good before. it's never even been in the same realm as her.

"it's good," she finally offers, leaning away to look at him instead of written lines on a lit screen. "you're good." there's no angle to it, nothing but a genuine compliment.

Finley Black

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]the answer he gives her sounds like something straight out of a dictionary. or, better yet, the first result of a google search. it earns a soft laugh from her, as if she's amused by the textbook answer. to be expected, she supposes. he is a writer, after all.

it's not exactly what she was fishing for but she doesn't want to wrap her mind around what she really was searching for. instead, she'll lean toward banter because it's easy, simple, natural. "thanks, dictionary." it's light and probably teasing but she offers a slight grin to solidify that intention.

the next answer is cryptic and she scrunches her nose at the thought. someday. why not now? why not today? unknowns aren't her favorite thing. they leave too much room for uncertainty and there's little space for that in her line of work. unknowns mean danger and danger means handcuffs or worse. gross.

"are you always that mysterious?" comes out without warning and yet, she doesn't bother to take it back. instead she fixes him with another curious look, as if he's going to give her something like a hint or a clue into what he really means.

Finley Black

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]her mouth pops open into a little o shape. the comment catches her completely off guard. she hadn't exactly been expecting something along those lines, really. normally she's used to the usual comments about her appearance or her body, the mentions that make her into an object. and maybe she's always intended to be an object because it comes with less expectations and even less attachments. but that comment? that single sentence leaves her speechless.

and that, in itself, never really happens.

she falls into silence for a moment, simply doing nothing more than watching him. the smile he flashes her is about as warm as the covers she's snuggled under and it makes her face flare with heat. uncomfortable, if she dwells too much on it. embarrassment doesn't suit her and neither does fluster.

perhaps that's why she tries to ignore it with questions, firing off the first thing that comes to mind because the silence is now uncomfortable for her to exist in much longer and the tapping of keys isn't white noise anymore. "why captivate?" she murmurs. there's a shift and she curls a little deeper into herself before asking more. he's expecting questions and she'll give him some. "what does that even mean? to captivate?" her head tilts into pillows and she's genuinely curious. "and why me?" the last question is softer, almost laughed out as if it's in disbelief.

Finley Black

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]she's comfy and content and warm by the time he settles in beside her. the clicking of keys fades into white noise, mingling with the far-away sound of the next rerun on the tv. and while she'd like to say that she's simply laying there to let him finish writing, she's slipping between sleep and awake with each passing minute.

at one point, she drifts off into a mild nap, head sinking a little further into pillows. body curling a little tighter, knees tucking into a chest. her back is to him when she falls asleep but when she wakes up to the sound of his voice, she's facing him and there's a barely there smile completely covered in sleep.

"hmm," she mumbles, words not yet coming out just yet. sleep still clogs her eyes, her body, her mind. but the information he murmurs does the trick of waking her up a little faster. she yawns, unable to hold it back, and stretches while he continues. only when she settles back into the pillows does she respond, does she offer him the raising of an eyebrow and a curious look. "is that so?"

she's always tried to be the distraction. it's her role in most things. the siren, the bloody creature hidden behind pretty makeup and nice clothes meant to be nothing more than something to pass the time. and yet, she's curious about this moment. "can i ask why?"

Finley Black

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]she groans, even as he presses a kiss to her cheek and his hand moves to her neck. damn, she really thought she could go on like normal as if her body wasn't ripped to shreds? next fucking joke, apparently.

"i," she tries to speak and stops because he's moving her body and pulling covers over her and being too nice for her to get a word in. it's a little curious, if she thinks about it. odd to be on the receiving end of kindness, especially like this. no one's been there to take care of her before. not when she's sick or injured or dying. never. it tugs at strings on a heart she didn't know she had and there's no protesting in her. not anymore.

"fine," she murmurs. it's half sighed, as if her eyes are finally heavy enough for her to give in to the urge to sleep. her body shifts to get comfortable beneath the covers, wincing when sheets rub against wounds the wrong way every now and then. ugh.

Finley Black

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]a soft sigh is breathed into their connected lips, as if she's been waiting for this since meeting him at the hospital. and maybe she has or maybe it's just she's content with the way his hands roam. spurred on by his hands, she presses a little closer. body against body, even as he leans forward to meet her halfway.

and really, she shouldn't be ignoring the way her body is screaming or the way her wounds are growing more irritated the more she moves. but when will she get him like this again? when will he allow her to distract him? probably never, if she stops to think about it.

she uses a little more force than she should, continuing to press and move and shift in his hands until it's too much for the wounds to handle and she's breaking away with a pained gasp. her head finds his shoulder and stays there for a moment, eyes screwed shut and body tense. "fucking hell," she whispers, voice muffled by his shirt.

well, apparently he was right. damn, she hates when they're right.

Finley Black

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]she's used to being a distraction, enough to know how to play the game. which strings to pull, which moves to make to ensure maximum success. it's easy, fun, thrilling. and yet, he makes it difficult. if only because he understands what she's trying to do, what her goals are. damn, if that doesn't make it more exciting though. well, as exciting as failing can get.

"and are you distracted yet?" she's fishing, that much is obvious. confirmation, denial, whatever she can get.

and it comes in the form of his hands squeezing her thighs a little more. the grin widens and she shifts closer, eyes darting between his eyes and his lips and she's getting herself distracted in the process.

"gladly," she whispers. there's no hesitation when she tries to close the distance, when she aims for lips on lips and hands roaming up a chest to find his neck.

her body protests and the wince follows but it's ignored because she's a woman on a mission.

Finley Black

[attr="class","giada"]

[attr="class","giada b"]

[attr="class","giada i"]"what would you call this then?"

her head tilts with the question, as if halfway between innocent and coy. she doesn't settle in either, however. instead she's a little more devious than she should be and it shows by the way she leans in. there's enough distance for him to pull away but will he? she's about to find out.

"the article can wait," she murmurs. his hands on her thighs and he's still considering the article? annoying but not surprising. she knows better than to assume he'll abandon the article for her but man, if this isn't fun anyway. how many buttons can she push before she has to relent and let him get back to writing?

"i'm in perfect shape, thank you." a laugh follows and she's choosing to ignore the way her body yells for her to sleep and not do whatever she's trying for.

Finley Black