It's a Date

[Nox]

Nox could feel the power coursing through his veins. It was intoxicating. The shear power it took to do what he'd done, the feel of it wrapping against his skin. It fought his very command yet it bent easily. Nox knew why the gods of old became worshiped. He could feel the power it gave him.

In one last push. Nox spun around and looked down at the dazed creatures. They were slowly gaining their bearings and running down them. Nox threw his hands towards the ground and it felt like the power sank deep into the earth as he raised them up a wall of earth sprang up and with a giant push of the wall he sent it scrapping down the corridor. The creatures catching beneath the edges and the sides howled in pain as they became pinned and squashed beneath the massive weight of stone barreling over top of them.

The cavern shook as the wall crashed into the one they'd run from. A few creatures escaped the cataclysm and rushed towards them aimlessly. But Nox felt the power drain from his body as he let it go. He didn't trust himself to another bout. He could feel the searing pain of holding too much. Nox leveled his gun again at the creatures. There were only a few left. Nox counted the bullets to himself as they fell.

[Elyse]

The cavern collapsed again burying most of the beasts beneath rubble. Elyse was quick, turning her desert eagle on the few creatures that were left. Between the two of them, the rest of the creatures were eliminated.

Elyse took a deep breath when the last of them fell. She dropped her pistol to her side and replaced it in the holster. She looked towards Nox, hoping that he was okay. He looked tired and weak. The power must have drained him.

”Nox are you okay?”
she asked, but before he could answer, she wrapped him in a hug. ”You protected me - and risked so much to do so. Don’t worry. I won’t let anyone know. Your secret is safe.”
She hesitated nervously. ”I have a secret too. I’ll tell you - so you know you can trust me.”

[Nox]

The tunnels felt empty and it was dark. There were no pretenses now. Elyse knew what he was. He shouldn't have brought her down here. He knew it. At least with Aria she had a death wish. Elyse...wrapped her arms around him bring him out of his revelry. He smiled weakly down at her as she spoke. He could hardly hear her. He hadn't protected himself from his own weave. The blinding light was only diminished for the protective coating on the landwarriors.

"I'm okay. And thank you. Secrets can be shared when we are away from here."
He pulled away from her embrace and leaned down and kissed her forehead. Nox wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her after him. "Let's get out of here."
Nox grabbed the power and wove a ball of light and let it float behind him so he could see mostly see what was in front of them. His head hurt. His body ached.

"I don't think I can take you dancing tonight. Dinner is still on though. I'm famished. Need to shop though and get a shower."
Nox shook his head and felt the dirt fall from it and sprinkle on to his shoulder.

[Elyse]

Elyse only nodded at his suggestion. She wanted to get out of this cave. Besides, she had enough to make a report confirming Nox’s other reports. ”Yes, lets get out of here.”


She smiled brightly when he kissed her and wrapped an arm around him. She like how it felt to be held. It was a foreign feeling to her. She followed him out. She pointed out the light as they neared the end of the tunnel. ”We’re close.”
Elyse removed her land warriors.

”My place is close,”
she said. ”If you want you can clean up there, and I’ll clean up while dinner is being prepared. Does that sound good?”
She had originally assumed they would be going to his place, but she felt more comfortable sharing her secret at her apartment.

Nox grinned. "Sounds good."


Elyse gave him a smile and let him get some clothes at a nearby market as well as groceries for their dinner. Elyse then led him to her apartment. It was decorated but not much. Her home was of a decent size, and nicely furnished with a sofa and armchair. The kitchen was clean and functional. Elyse took the groceries and said, ”I’ll put these away, so you can get cleaned up. The shower is that way,”
she said before wrapping him in a hug again. ”Thank you for having my back back there.”


Nox hugged back and kissed the top of her head. "Anytime Duckling. Let me clean up before I get more dirt all over your floors."


She smiled at him again and let him head off to the shower. She waited until she heard the water running before putting the groceries away. She then washed her hands, arms and face. She felt a little a little less grimy then. She cleaned out her sink before pulling out a contact lens case and solution. Elyse removed her contact lenses. Pulling out a hand mirror, she looked at herself. She was still a little dirty, but that would soon be remedied. Her golden eyes gleamed though and she smiled at that. She thought they were very pretty.

Elyse leaned back against the counter. She really couldn’t sit down without making something dirty, so she just waited until Nox was done. She had promised to share her secret with Nox, and now he would see when he came back. It would be the first Atharim she told. She was nervous, but ready.


Edited by Elyse, Aug 2 2016, 10:26 AM.

[Nox]

Nox wondered if Elyse could tell he was nervous. The hunt had been the easy part. Nox didn't feel like going back to the hotel he shared with Cain, it was on the other end of town and too far for him to contemplate - and he didn't exactly want Cain tagging along for the rest of the night.

As they walked through the open air market to Elyse's place Nox picked up clothes - a pair of knock off jeans, a white t-shirt and a button down long sleeved shirt in a burgundy. It wasn't like his closet was brimming with clothes, everything though was still new except for the clothes he'd been wearing the day the warehouse blew up. He sighed at the memory. He also bought seasonal vegetables - which pretty much amounted to root vegetables as winter was finally drawing to a close richer vegetables would start hitting. At the butcher Nox couldn't decide steak or chicken but decided he'd do better with chicken and white wine. Steak required a grill to be awesome - he could do whatever with chicken and it be great. And he was looking to impress. He smiled at Elyse while they waited for their preparations - he still couldn't believe he was doing this - setting a date and following through.

Though they'd have to go dancing another day he was drained. As they walked through the streets of Moscow Nox got another text. He opened it quickly and read the contents. I can't wait to meet. I need to share now. The key to the encryption is the first name of our mutual friend. Inside is everything.

Nox stopped his walk as he opened up the file attached to the text. "I gotta check this out. It's important."
He'd met Dorian through Sebastian blowing up his house but the only friend they had in common was really Ivan. So that's what he typed in and he watched the file magically decode itself.

<dl>
<dt>Inside encrypted message</dt>
<dd> </dd>
</dl>


My son is like you. Ivan has assisted in the sickness stage, but we are busy fighting this war inside the city. I have given Atharim information to the CCDPD and I fear for my family's life. You have no reason to trust me, I am hoping that my son's plight will endear him to you and you will help him if not me. Ivan is unavailable to assist in answering Cruz's questions. I need allies to keep my family safe from the Atharim and in preserving the life of my son. I have enclosed the coordinates of my home - please stop come by and speak with Cruz yourself. I will not be home for sometime to alleviate his fears.

Nox sighed but he looked over at Elyse watching him and smiled at her. "Seems my plans for tomorrow have changed."
Nox sent Dorian a reply I can't be there today. Tomorrow bright and early. After the text fully sent and Nox erased everything but the address to Dorian Vega's home he started off again with Elyse.

Her apartment was nice - a little sparse but she was a hunter, the fact that she had one at all was a good thing. They could be doing this date thing with a bunch of strangers at HQ or in a hotel room which was presumptuous on his part. Aria's place could have been ideal, but Asha was likely still crashing there. They really should check in on the Sentient and change the locks! Dane getting in would be bad.

Nox took a shower as quickly as possible. Which wasn't very fast at all. His body ached from the use of that much power. It took a toll on his body and the warm water spraying his body felt good. Too much power use in too many days. Not to mention it kept him away from the girl outside who now knew exactly what he was. She claimed to want to keep his secret, but he still had his reservations. She was Atharim. He wouldn't put past one of the zealots to tell him one thing and then cut his head off when he least expected it. It's what he'd do, or rather that's what Aria would do if push came to shove.

Nox turned off the water and pulled on the new clothes. It felt good to be clean. He still felt awkward as he put the dirty clothes in the bag the new one had come in but he opened the door anyway.

Nox found Elyse in the kitchen leaning against the counter. Her eyes were downcast. Nox was glad he wasn't the only one who was nervous. He stepped close and stopped in front of her and put his finger under her chin to make her look up at him. Golden eyes blinked up at him. His eyes went wide and he grinned down at her. "That's some secret you got there."


He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. Softly he added when he pulled away, "Go clean up."



Edited by Nox, Aug 2 2016, 11:03 AM.

[Elyse]

Elyse heard the shower turn off and Nox’s footsteps down the hall. Reflexively she looked down. Her nerves were taking over. Elyse had told Nox that she would share her secret, but it was still a new idea for her. Nox’s footsteps came closer and stopped right in front of her. She felt a finger under her chin and she tensed a bit, but looked up.

Nox grinned at her and said, "That's some secret you got there."


Elyse almost smiled at that, but before she could, Nox placed a kiss on her lips. Her lips did curl into a smile at that and she placed a hand on his shoulder. The kiss was quick, but her hand lingered as they finished. As Nox pulled away, he told her to go clean up. She smiled at him. ”I’ll be back soon.”


She went first to her room and got some new clothes. A fresh pair of jeans and a light blue button up blouse. She grabbed a towel and headed into the shower. At first she just let the water run over her, feeling the grime wash away from her. She soaped up and cleaned the knots out of her hair. Stepping out, she felt a lot better. She dressed and gave herself a look in the mirror, once more smiling at the golden eyes. Nox had liked them.

Elyse left the bathroom and headed back to the kitchen where Nox was working on dinner. She had smelled the chicken down the hall. ”It’s smells wonderful,”
she said with a knowing smile on her face.

Despite wanting to hold Nox, she only leaned against the counter again. She didn’t want to disturb the chef, but at least she was close.

[Nox]

Elyse left him alone in the kitchen and Nox started searching her kitchen for the things he needed. But his thoughts wandered from the hunt to the brief kiss he'd given her. Fuck! What the hell am I doing?

But the kiss felt good and she hadn't pulled away anymore than he had. But he had other things to worry about. Nox chopped up the yams, carrots, potatoes and squash he'd bought from the market and put them on a pan with olive oil, garlic and a little salt and through them in the oven while he prepared the chicken. He intended to have a garlic and white wine sauce. He poured a glass of wine for himself too, and set aside another glass for Elyse. He wasn't a wine guy, but it was a special occasion.

The thought set his nerves on edge again. He heard the water turn off and poured the second glass of wine and waited for the little wolf, he grinned at the thought, she joined him in the kitchen praising the smell.

He grinned at her and handed her the glass of wine. "Almost done."


Nox could feel her eyes on him as he moved around her kitchen finishing up the last bit of cooking. The chicken was smelling divine as he plated it and set the remaining sauce in the pan aside for when everything was on the plate.

The timer went off as he set the plates near the oven and pulled out the hot pan and separated the vegetables on to two plates next to the chicken. Pouring the remaining sauce over top of both. It wasn't his go to meal, but it was impressive enough. And he'd never had any complaints before. Aurora was a better cook, and he could feel the wave of grief that washed over him. "Let's eat."
Nox could feel the nervousness washing over him again. What the hell was he doing?

[Elyse]

Elyse smiled, the scent of the chicken and sauce mingling together almost erasing the horrible stench of the underground city. Nox handed her a glass of wine, and that sort of surprised her. Nox didn’t seem like a wine guy. She’d likely offer him a beer later. She took a sip and it was a fine white wine.

When dinner was done, Nox handed her a plate and she took a seat at her table, Nox followed along and they clinked glasses together before settling down to eat. Elyse took a bite of chicken first. ”This is very good,”
she said taking another bite.

Elyse didn’t want things to remain quiet. Awkward silence was bad, and she had smelled the changing emotions that Nox was going through. He was likely nervous and she remembered that he might have troubles connecting with people. Nox seemed to like her, and that probably scared him. She didn’t want to scare him, and conversation might help him relax a little.

”It’s nice not having to hide them - my eyes that is.”
she said. ”It’s like I don’t have to wear a mask anymore.”
She took a bite of vegetable and ate before continuing. ”How does it feel? Using your power?”
It was genuine curiosity.

[Nox]

Nox ate quietly, he still wasn't exactly sure what was going on. He didn't do this normally. The thought never left the forefront of his mind. But Elyse broke the silence and Nox was more than happy to talk about the power. He was thankful his gift was easily hidden. He smiled when she confided in him about liking not to hide. He spoke softly "You shouldn't have to hide."


He picked up his voice as he answered her question about his power. "Glorious. It's almost better than sex."
He grinned playfully at Elyse. "I can see why the gods of old were worshiped for it. I feel it in my bones. I know why the Atharim hunt us."
Nox didn't look up at Elyse at his confession. He tried to focus on the food as he lifted his fork to his mouth.

Nox sat back in the chair and looked across the table at the supposed monster that sat across from him and gave her a wry grin. "Power corrupts - sure. But my sister could heal injuries - she saved my life more times than I can count. My fault usually, but still she did. I don't use my power to do evil things. I don't want to be worshiped."
His grin grew wider "At least not like that."
he added with a wink.

"I just want to hunt. It's all I know."
Nox asked, "What exactly does it mean to be wolfkin? It's not like we ask what people get from the curses we are born with. Same goes with Aria's. I never knew what a Sentient went through until I met her."



Edited by Nox, Aug 2 2016, 02:10 PM.

[Elyse]

Nox liked to grin, and it made him look even cuter than he had before. ”I can’t imagine much being better than sex.”
she said coyly.

Nox was still flirting and with each one interesting thoughts came into her head. She was able to keep herself from blushing, however, and instead she just gave him a smile, and giggled when he mentioned worship.

”Being a wolfkin - well it starts with dreams. Dreams that seem so real, you don’t believe you’re dreaming. Then my eyes changed and I developed different abilities. Mostly heightened senses - smell, hearing, and vision. When we were in the tunnel, I didn’t even turn on my night vision. The other thing is I can talk to wolves.”
She gave a smile. ”Not like I’m talking to you. They communicate through images - like a rising sun is a greeting.”


She gave him a slightly seductive smile. ”Sometimes we have to deal with more - primal - feelings.”
She gave him a wink, took another bite of chicken, and sipped her wine.