Cabriolet

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LUCY NIELSEN
Lucy had spent what was probably an embarrassing amount of time petting King, before her phone rang. As she pulled it from her pocket and answered, she was surprised to find it was Liliana on the other line, calling her back already. She did, in fact, have time to meet with Lucy, and before hanging up, the session was booked.

It wasn't the proudest moment of her life, but Lucy didn't regret it… not really. She knew what she'd said to Killian was right. She needed to talk to someone… to figure herself out, and this was, decidedly the most logical route to go.

Calling a cab, she spent the remainder of the afternoon tottering around in her room upstairs, and when her ride arrived, she left Killian's place for Liliana's office downtown. It was a lengthy ride, but not long enough that the nerves dissipated entirely. By the time she arrived, she felt it, prickig at the back of her mind, and knotting her hands together to keep from fidgeting, she approached the sullen looking man at the front desk

"Hey. Lucy Nielsen. I have a write in appointment?"

"Yes," the man replied, peering over his glasses that sat on the edge of his nose. He was not an old man. In fact, he probably wasn't even in his late thirties, but the way of dress and how his glasses perched, aged him. "Yes, Dr Roth said you can go right in when you arrive," he explained, motioning towards the closed door behind his glass desk. "Before you go, can I fetch you anything to drink? Tea, water, coffee?"

Smiling politely, Lucy shook her head, "I'm actually fine, thank you." Looking to the door he pointed out, she nodded and started towards it. Her nerves had not abated, but there was no point in turning back. Touching the knob, she took a breath, before pushing it open, "Liliana? Alright to come in?"

"Come on in," the woman's voice called from the otherside of the door. She wheeled around in her chair, her hands bracing against the glass top of the desk and sliding over the smudge-proof surface. "Take a seat, Lucy," she continued, gesturing towards the leather chair across from her before lacing together her fingers and propping her chin on to them. "So, what is it you'd like to talk about today?"

Moving inside, Lucy closed the door behind her. It was odd, being on the other side… seeing things from the perspective of a patient. Weird, and not altogether comfortable.

Moving to sit, she folded her hands in her lap, smiling faintly, "Not used to this side of the couch. I must say, kind of strange." Pausing, she swallowed and reaching up, she unwound the scarf from her neck, gesturing to the bruising around her neck, "Ah. This, actually…"

Somehow, Liliana doubted that Lucy had a couch in her practice, but she smiled pleasantly anyways. "I always say it's important that everyone gets therapy, even therapists. I, myself, see a psychologist every other week." She remained poised in her state, looking to Lucy through a beam of long, dark lashes and a half-smile.

When the scarf was removed, Liliana moved her eyes from the girl's face to her neck. The bruises were deep and severe. "Are you still in an unsafe place, Lucy?" she asked.

Meeting Liliana's gaze, Lucy smiled faintly, shaking her head, "No. I… I'm actually…" She paused again, as Killian's words returned to her mind. He was so sure Lil wouldn't come back. So sure she was gone for good, but it still felt awkward, explaining the situation, "Killian's given me a room at the house. I was going to stay at the Cabriolet, but there was some concern." Brushing a hand over her neck, she sat back, "It was my ex. Rob? He's the one who's been investigating the murders."

"Yes," she agreed, tapping his fingers gently. "So I've heard." Without saying anything further for a few moments, her eyes lingered on the bruises before rising and exchanging a gaze with Lucy. "I think it's a good match, as a friendship. You don't strike me as the type of person who has a lot of support, Lucy, and for all of his faults, Killian is a very good… friend." The word was said with extra emphasis. "What you need in your life, I believe, is the network of a good person behind you."

"Hm." Noting the emphasis… which was impossible to miss, Lucy nodded, "Yes. I've been thinking the same thing. I… I've been so careful, my entire adult life, planning… controlling everything. But I realized talking to Killilan last night, I've been so good at it, I've isolated myself. I have no one. And I know well enough it's not healthy… a life without a good support system. Maybe that's why I'm here, too. Just trying something new."

It would have been unnoticeable to anyone who didn't know Liliana intimately, but the corner of her lip twitched. Just barely, and never did her soft, warming smile falter. "It seems like you understand your own situation well enough," she commented, tapping her fingers again. "So, tell me, are you here to talk with me, truly, or are you here to ask permission to spend time with my boyfriend?"

Looking up, Lucy chuckled softly, shaking her head, "I can see where you might get that impression. But I think you and I both know what Killian would think about that, and I assure you, I've no interest stepping into your shoes. Really, I just… I'm not accustomed to asking for help, but I think after everything that happened, I'm ready to accept I need it. Getting through last night was difficult, but without someone there, it would have been impossible, and I need to find a way to move past this, now… before it gets worse."

Liliana chuckled softly, glancing away and towards the window. "I don't expect you would step into my shoes. I actually think it would be good for you, perhaps the both of you, to spend some time together. You need someone to be supportive in your life, and he needs a bit of taste of what it's like to be normal, again. He's gone too long being the high up, untouchable business man. He's lost all sense of reality," she commented. She squinted against the sun blaring in from between the sounds before glancing back. "I think you believe everyone around you hates you, from some unusual self-deprecating complex, but Killian doesn't hate you." Unfolding her legs, her heels clicked as they hit the immaculate wooden floor and she stood, stepping towards the window. Her pencil skirt flattered the supple curves of her body and the slit up the back gave just enough suggestion.

"It would be good for the both of you to build up a friendship."
 
Killian Hopper
Nodding,Lucy smiled again, with appreciation, "Definitely strange, this side of the couch. But thank you. I don't hear it enough, my own flaws. My real flaws. It's always easier to diagnose everyone else, isn't it?" Sitting up a little straighter, she unfolded her hands, "But I'll do my best. He's a tough one, isn't he? But he's definitely no who I thought he was… not under the surface, anyway." Looking down, she sighed, "And you should come home, Liliana. I realize that's not what we're here to discuss, but… but I think he needs you, too. Through all of this."

Liliana was still facing the giant pane of glass, looking down over the stretch of strip below her-- all the people, as small as ants from how high up she was. The clouds, tiny wisps against an endless blue sky that faded to white near the horizon. Again, she made no comment about the couch. "He's not that tough at all once you figure him out," she commented, turning back to face Lucy and strolling idly towards her desk. "As for that matter, you're right. We're not here to discuss it."

"Fair enough…" Lucy answered, her smile warm, but guarded. It wasn't her place to push, and she wouldn't overstep. Not when things were still tentative with Killian as it was.

"So… where do we start?"

"I think the best thing we can do is to give you two some time to be people together. For you, I think that will be far more therapeutic than anything you and I could talk about in this office. Mm, I am not keen to be friends with other women," she mentioned off-handedly, to exclude her from the possibility of ever being Lucy's companion. "I will talk to Killian, suggest he take some time off. It'll be better for the casinos if he's not there, honestly."

"Oh…." Blinking, Lucy frowned as she considered those words. It wasn't a suggestion she'd expected, certainly not one she'd ever give. But then, maybe that was the point. She hadn't come because she trusted her own instincts… she'd come because she needed to learn to trust others.

"Well… I guess it can't hurt, giving it a shot. Thanks. I suppose… if that's all, I'll just… See you around?"

"You like disappointed," Liliana moved back to her desk and sunk down into her chair. Her fingers laced together anew. "If you'd rather talk, we can. We can even set-up weekly meetings, if you'd find them useful." Her gaze found Lucy's bruises once more and lingered there with a silent, neutral expression.

Chuckling, Lucy shook her head, "No, no. It's fine. Just… not the advice I'm accustomed to. But maybe it's for the best. I've a tendency to overthink… overcomplicate. I tell you what. Let's give this a chance… See where I'm at in a few weeks, maybe?"

"Right," Liliana agreed with an air of indifference, wondering also where Lucy got her advice from. Perhaps her second rate public college degree? Liliana just smiled, almost pleasantly. "A few weeks, then."

Rising, brushing her hands off on her jeans, she nodded, before picking up her scarf to adjust it around her neck again, "Take care, Liliana." Turning to leave, she paused for a moment, looking back at the woman, "And if you ever need to talk to someone, too… My door is always open."

Slipping out, she closed the door behind her, but it was only a few minutes later, in the elevator that she released her breath, realizing she'd been holding it in the first place. Why on earth the woman should cause her such discomfort, she couldn't know… The tension had been impossible to ignore - and while she would never have said as much, there seemed to be an air of disdain coming off the woman that Lucy was fairly certain, this time, she'd done nothing to achieve. Jealousy, perhaps? Whatever it was, it was painfully clear Liliana wasn't interested in making friends, whatever Killian thought he saw...

Giving it a shrug, she pressed the button for the lower floor, noting the thoughts as they came to her mind that the lift could not have moved more swiftly if it fell straight down without cables. Decidedly, she would not be checking in, in a few weeks.

Calling for a cab, she took the lengthy ride back to Killian's and once inside, she discarded her scarf and purse by the door, before heading for the kitchen, hoping to find a friendly face… Maria's, King's… Any would do after the coolness of Liliana's office.

The call had come in a little after lunch and while it took some weasling and exchanging of favors, Liliana managed to convince Killian that the hotels would be better off if he were as far away from them as possible, at least until the whole controversy with the murders blew over. He had a good board and great staff, she reminded him, and a week or two without their CEO would not hurt any of them. The hotels were closed, after all, or slowly being closed as reservations ended and no new were accepted on.

"Go home," she instructed formally over the phone. "Rest, and spend some time with that little mousy girl."

He'd inquired after if, and when, she'd be coming home, but she never gave a specific answer. Instead, she made him promise that he wouldn't go into work. He begrudgingly agreed and packed up his bag for the day. After informing his secretary, a modest young man with a widow's peak, that he'd be out for an indefinite amount of time, but would be available by mobile and email, he made the long lonely drive home.

"You're home in time for lunch," Maria exclaimed as he plodded into the kitchen. She was stirring a pot over the stove, one hip cocked against the counter. "You are never home for lunch."

"Yea, I know," he agreed, flinging his back across the breakfast bar and going to sit. "I got kicked out of my office, for 'my own good,'" he explained, air quotes and all. "I'm already bored, and I've only been home for five minutes."

"How can you be bored?" Maria scoffed. "You have a theater, a golf course, a pool… go do things rich, white men do."

Killian cracked a grin at her sass, sliding off his stool and going to peer over her shoulder and into the pot to see what she was cooking up. "I'm not exactly the khaki and golf kinda guy, you know," he pointed out, glancing up just in time for Lucy to make her way into the kitchen.

"I see you're back," he commented idly. "How was getting me kicked out of my own office?"

 
LUCY NIELSEN
As she stepped into the kitchen to see Killian, a brow rose at his comments and chuckling, she shook her head, moving to the range to grab a towel from the front, before heading to the fridge front to fill the towel with ice, "Oh no you don't. That one cannot be attributed to me. Apparently your girlfriend thinks we need to bond. She suggested I need friends... Someone to talk to. Though I suspect it's because she'd rather you deal with me than her."

It hasn't escaped her attention that Liliana had been fairly pointed in her desire to have as little to do with Lucy as possible. Whatever Killian had seen, when he told her Liliana liked her, he must've been mistaken. She wouldn't have been at all surprised if her efforts to push Lucy closer to Killian was an underhanded gesture... A way to get her out of the picture entirely.

Moving to the island, she sank onto a stool, holding the ice to her neck, with a soft grimace. The pain was definitely more noticeable than it had been the night prior... No doubt it would be a few days before it felt anything but awful. Shifting, her eyes moving to the woman at the stove, and she smiled, "Good afternoon, Maria. It's lovely to see you again. Can I do anything?"
 
Killian Hopper
Killian looked anxious, like a tiger that had been taken from the wild and thrown into a small carriage cage, forced to live out its days entertaining zoo guests. He paced through the kitchen with prowling strength and eyes dark, like there was a wall of thunderstorms gathering beneath him. He'd grown up with a strong belief that idle hands bred the worst in a man, and already, Killian didn't like being away from work. He lost his sense of purpose in life to be sitting around trying to enjoy the empire he built. Why enjoy it, when he could only build it up further?

Moving through the kitchen, he fetched himself a glass of water and picked it up, and put it down so many times, it was hard to keep track. He was anxious, painfully so, and after the murders and everything happening, taking away his work made it worse for him—not better. Finally, after a hard glare from Maria, he settled to lean against the counter and fold his arms across his chest. He merely grunted at Lucy's comments about Liliana, not particularly pleased with how she chose to pick her words, but he didn't bother to pick a fight. Not when they were going to be stuck in a house together for a while, it seemed.

"The only help I need," Maria replied, "is for you two to get out of my kitchen and leave me in my afternoon peace."

Killian turned his eyes to the woman, his eyebrows raising up in a quizzical glance. "Your kitchen? Are you claiming the kitchen?"

"It has been claimed," she shot back waving her wooden spoon at him over her shoulder.

Killian snorted and ended up smiling, though that made him even more upset that she made him laugh when he was trying to be moody. Pushing off the counter, he grabbed his glass, and proceeded out of the kitchen and into the hall, where he had to stop because he had no idea where he was going to go. So much to do, and so little that enticed him.

Finally, he decided on going to he library. He almost considered swimming, but he couldn't be bothered to change and deal with wet hair, so he wandered off, not seeming to care if the whole scenario had been set up so he 'bonded' with Lucy. She could bond with Maria, if she wanted.

 
LUCY NIELSEN
As Killian left the kitchen, Lucy shook her head with an amused smile. His temper tantrum might have upset her, once upon a time. In truth, she didn't really have much desire to talk with anyone. The meeting with Liliana had been, as far as she was concerned, a waste of time. He was no more interested in being her friend than he was having his hand slowly mauled off by fish in a Koi pond. Whatever the night before had been, whether spurred by compassion or guilt or whatever it was... it had been a fluke. She was an unwelcome guest, invited because he felt compelled, and no amount of prodding from Liliana or anyone else would change that.

Nodding to Maria, smiling pleasantly, she slipped out of the kitchen. She wouldn't follow after him like a sad puppy - not when he obviously preferred to spend his girlfriend-inflicted sentencing in isolation. For all she had hoped he might receive their mutual quarantine from the working life with grace, he was obviously more interested in sulking. She had been strangled. Physically strangled, by a man on a witch-hunt for Killian's head. But not even that could give them common ground. Maybe they weren't fighting anymore, but friends? She had her doubts...

Making her way up to her room, she closed the door and flopped back on the bed, resting the ice up against her neck. It was a big house, with a plethora of things to do. She just needed to be creative, to think through her own funk. Eventually, maybe even sooner, rather than later, she would be back to work - back to life. But for now, she needed to push through the emotions to a place of calm... of control. But better control... Not like before. Her life was a barren wasteland, and that wasn't living... that was misery. Liliana had been right about that, at least, and she wasn't going to fall into the trap again.

Through lunch and even dinner, Lucy was content just to think on the idea of change, but that evening, after a cup of coffee and far too much attention paid to a narcissistic orange tabby, Lucy decided it was time. Making her way, via Maria's instructions, to the pool room, she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She hadn't brought a suit, and as appealing as the idea of swimming was, she wasn't going to skinny dip in another man's house, but settling by the side of the water, she rolled up her jeans and dunked her feet into the water, leaning back on her hands with a contented sigh.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she could see the city below, a valley of noise and lights, made ultimately a stunning visual by the silence in the room, the subtle lapping of water against the side of the tile the only sound in the world. Breathing out, she let her eyes fall closed. Change... she could do this. She had to...
 
Killian Hopper
Killian was all around, all day. He never settled into anything for long for he couldn't settle. His mind was restless and, by extension, his body. More than once, he tried to relax by reading, by watching a movie, by taking a walk around the house grounds… but none of it satisfied. The anxiety of his situation was building up within him. The feelings he felt were strange; too familiar, yet too strange. He couldn't define them. He wanted to smile and to kick out across a couch, jest with Maria, and enjoy good food, but something grabbed his heart tight, crushing it to pieces.

The brightness inside of him gulped by something dark. No, he would be wrong to call it dark—it was empty, nothing else.

He skipped lunch and dinner and after Maria went home for the day, he ventured into the kitchen and pulled together a peanut butter and banana sandwich. It was a comfort food and as he bit into it, sitting under the breakfast bar lights, surrounded by silence; it helped. He ate slowly and deliberately, enjoying the taste, but still not feeling particularly hungry. When he finished, he resumed his usual nightly routine, hoping that some return to normalacy would be good for him. After a brief workout in the gym, he changed from his gym shorts to swimming trunks and brought a towel across the powerful line of his shoulders.

Having not seen Lucy all day, he nearly forgot she was there, so he jumped in surprise when he stepped into the pool room, expecting it empty, to see a figure. It took him longer than he cared to admit to calm down and remind himself there was someone else in the house.

"Oh, hey," he said casually, dumping his towel on one of Liliana's pool side loungers and not hesitating to step into the pool, getting about waist-deep before diving under. When he surfaced, pushing the hair away from his face, he glanced towards Lucy.

"When we built this house, we designed a room that you can only access by following the pool river." He motioned towards a small tiled stream that led away from the main pool body and disappeared under a small half-moon dome. The lazy river wrapped through several rooms in the lower floor of the house, and even dumped into an outside pool. Originally, he'd wanted it so the river passed through their bedroom, but Liliana disallowed it, and insisted their bedroom be on the upper floor, instead.

"You should get in."

 
LUCY NIELSEN
Lucy had been deep enough in thought that she hadn't heard Killian enter. it was only when he spoke that she glanced up, a brow lifting. She was a lot of things, and none of them were particularly like most women - but one thing that Lucy had which nearly all red-blooded, heterosexual women possessed, was an appreciation for the well-toned physique of an attractive man. She stared, where she didn't mean to, and her cheeks flushed with color enough to match her favored shade of red lipstick.

She'd expected him to be avoiding her - if she were honest - and really, if he was so convinced that Lucy had been responsible for Liliana's suggestion that he steer clear of work, she couldn't blame him, but the tone of his words was pleasant enough, and he seemed interested in her company at least to the point that he hadn't left or asked her to. And it hit her, then... the reality of what Liliana had told her. She had a complex, even she knew it, but admitting it was another thing entirely. It wasn't that she wanted people to hate her, but it was easy enough to expect them to. Especially when she had spent the better part of her life alone.

But maybe it wasn't fair, reflecting that on Killian. He wasn't exactly Prince Charming, no... but he was willing to take her in, willing to help her, and that had to mean something. No one would open their home to a person they hated, no matter what their situation was. It was nonsense to suspect anything more than what was there... and again, she was reminded that she was taking the easy way out, assuming his feelings for him.

He explained about the river and she fought the urge to tease, because only a man with money to burn would want a river in his house... Instead, looking down at her rolled up jeans, she shook her head with a soft chuckle.

"I'd love to, but I didn't bring a swimsuit..."
 
Killian Hopper
He saw the jest in her eyes threatening to make its way out, but it didn't, and she instead went with something a little simpler. He lowered himself into the water until only his eyes were above the line, gliding around the pool with a gentle ease. Normally, he'd be doing a few laps before taking a swim around the lazy river and stopping in the room only accessible by water way—a private bar. Alas, he was occupied in a conversation, however unvocal it was, with Lucy as she gazed down at her jeans.

"So?" he mentioned when he rose up from the water to take a breath. "You have underwear on, right? There is no difference between underwear and a bathing suit. It's not like you have anything that would surprise me. I mean, unless you are too shy to show off your Dora the Explorer underwear." He shrugged, the water rippling as he did so before he dunked himself back under and pushed off to head towards the deeper end of the pool.

A waterproof light switch allowed him to dim the poolroom lights to a lower level, before he kicked off again, lazily moseying up and down the pool without any real purpose. He wasn't actually working out, like he intended, so much as he was just floating and gently sliding with a few casual kicks. From his childhood, the pool as one of his greatest memories. Every summer, his mother would buy him a season pass to the local community pool and he'd take his bike down and meet his friends, every day they could, to swim. He'd swim all summer long, nine, ten hours a day… as soon as the pool opened in the morning, to when they kicked him out at night.

He loved the water, always had, and just drifting around in it brought him into a happier place in life. It was different though, more pleasant. He opted for salt water instead of chlorine, so he didn't have the red-eyed burning sensation, and he enjoyed the privacy of not having a hundred other kids around him. To him, the pool was a place of perfect reverie, and for the first time all day, he felt truly relaxed.

"Well, suit yourself, I guess. I'm going to go for a swim. If you're hungry, you should grab some dinner. I think Maria left some leftovers in the fridge."

 
LUCY NIELSEN
Her jaw dropped at his words, a mixed expression of shock and outrage, all cloaking a mask of amusement, as she shook her head, "I will have you know... that I wear very grown up underwear, thank you. I left my Dora panties at home." It was a dare... whether he meant it to be or not. And she hated him for it, because damned if she liked being outsmarted by anyone. She would either give in and strip down, something that a few days... hell, a few hours ago, would have horrified her. Or give up and watch the smug satisfaction on his face as he swam away.

Eyes narrowed at the man, she rose and tugged off her sweater, down to the camisole beneath it, before unbuckling her jeans. She considered tell him to turn around, but there was a stubbornness in her that was determined not to show him how he got to her. How he always got to her. Wiggling free of the jeans, down to teal lace, she jumped from the side, into the water.

In truth, she hated him a little more, hitting the surface, because despite her protestations in her mind, the water felt incredible. Tiny effervescent bubbles filtered around her, tingling and cool, and pushing her way to the top, she emerged, raking her hands through her hair to push it out of her face, "Okay... that is nice."
 
Killian Hopper
An ordinary gentleman with good manners might have turned a blind eye to the woman undressing. Killian did not. He watched with his eyes just barely out of the water with amused interest, wondering if she really would follow through. He wasn't expecting it. She'd given up too much control already just agreeing to go gambling in exchange for driving lessons, but what would she earn by getting down to her underclothing and jumping in a pool? Aside from a nice swim, little. He smirked a dangerous expression as she leapt in and he kicked off, cleaving the water with powerful strokes to reach the other end on his continual drift back and forth.

"You've surprised me, Miss Nielsen," he admitted when he surfaced just enough that he could slick his hair back with his hands and clear the droplets of water from his eyelashes. He could agree that the pool was nice. He enjoyed it, relished it really, and spent at least an hour every day bathing in it. No matter how sick, how tired, how frustrated… he always found time for his poolside routine.

His drifting led him down the constructed river. The jets gentle pushing the water and his floating form down it as it wound around the ground floor of the house, entering and exiting each room via half-moon passages. In each room, a poolside ladder allowed a swimmer to come and go as he or she pleased. Well placed towel racks to the side of each ladder presented fluffy warm towels, heated by the bars, but Killian couldn't think of getting out. Instead, he kept drifting on his back, eyes closed, and arms out to the side, gently paddling himself as he went.

It wasn't until the pool dumped outside that he finally settled his feet below him and pushed off. The river continued on the otherside of the small, outdoor pool, leveled so it overhung a panorama of the Vegas desert. The desert at twilight was a vast undulating sea, punctuated by the shadowy cactus, like great ghost ships upon the sandy waves. The water was cool against the burning heat of the air, making it all the more inviting to sit.

He didn't care if Lucy followed him or not. He swam to the side of the pool where built-in benches were carved into the rock, and sat, his arms around the edge of the pool and his head lulled back.

 
LUCY NIELSEN
Truth was, she had surprised herself. She had never been the sort to care about impressing a person, to care about proving herself, but he brought something out in her that, while it annoyed her to no end, also brought her to life in a way she didn't really expect. He made her want to be someone she never had been before, because it frustrated her, how easily he had pinned down her personality... how easily he read her.

Lazy river was a good word for the path that wound its way through the home. As she tread along, letting the current carry her, she barely noticed the world around them, barely noticed much at all. She couldn't think of how long it had been since she actually relaxed... taken a moment to sit, and do nothing. Maybe it was a rich man's fantasy land, but she couldn't complain when it gave her a sense of renewal that she desperately needed.

The water led outside, and the warmth of the air made the water on her skin cool and refreshing. Pausing, treading again, she eyed the view with a small, simple smile, "I can't remember the last time I did something like this. Just... rested." Running her hands through her hair, she glanced over to Killian again, silhouetted by the lights of the city, "I forget sometimes... how to just... be." A sigh escaped, and she pushed over to the bench, kneeling on it, so she could look over the view,

Leaning forward, she rested her chin on her arms, her eyes shifting to Killian again, "You indicated earlier that you don't wanna be home, Killian. So why are you?" It wasn't confrontational... just notes of curiosity rolling through the words, as she considered them, "It's just... I know she's your girlfriend, but I can't see even Liliana convincing you to do something you don't want to do. I guess I'm just curious why you'd take off...?"
 
Killian Hopper
"Hm," he acknowledged her wordlessly, but with a quiet sigh. He curled his arms around the stone even tighter than before, letting his chin rest against his arms as he stared out over the twilight, which was nothing more than a hint of plum fading into blackness. Stars, what few could fight through the distant city lights, glittered like a breath of sequins tossed out over black velvet. He yawned, his eyes falling closed when a cool breeze pulled the moisture from his exposed back, which turned a milky shade of white in the colour-stealing light of the moon.

"I don't really want to be here, no. I like working. I grew up to parents who worked two jobs, and worked hard, just to keep our bellies full. I built an empire. I have enough money that I could put another in charge of the business and retire for the rest of my life, but for what? My parents worked hard to get me here, and I can't just let myself not work because of their sacrifice." Maybe it was twisted logic. No one would actually care if he stopped working except himself. "I need work in my life. I need the structure of it, the sense of purpose. Without it, I feel I serve no purpose in life."

He could take vacations just as well as everyone else, and did a few times a year. He and Liliana would go somewhere for a week or two every so often, but that was different. This was mandatory and there was no telling when the crimes would be solved, or would blow over, and he could return. That's what made it hard: the not knowing.

"But Liliana can be very convincing," he explained. "And she made the point that it would be better for me to stay at home while the investigation is ongoing, since I'm one of the suspects, I suppose." He shrugged, the water sloshing around as he did. "Distancing myself from the crimes will be best, since Rob thinks I hired a hitman, or something. Why I would do that in my own hotels is beyond me, but… it's just better to be away for now. I'll return once the investigations are over."

 
LUCY NIELSEN
"Hmm..." Nodding, Lucy turned her eyes away again. It made sense... Painful, clear sense. The way he wanted to pay his family back for all they had done. In so many ways, it was the mirror of her own desire to avoid ever being anything like her own parents. She had worked her entire life to push past the stigma they had laid on her, while Killian fought to honor his own parents sacrifices. And for the first time since she had met him, she could see him in a different light. The kid whose family gave everything just to make a life for him. The kid who only wanted to impress... to prove his worth.

And someone was trying to take that from him. To steal it. To hurt him and by proxy, his family. Someone was trying to tarnish his name, and it wasn't right. It wasn't fair. Not when all he had done was give everything to someone that meant the world to him. His business wasn't just a way to make money, to build big fancy houses with lazy rivers and theaters. It was so much more than that. It was his legacy. His parents legacy.

He wasn't perfect. He wasn't even necessarily a good man, by definition. But he had a sense of decency to him - a sense of honor - that belied the hard exterior he put out. He had taken her in... when she was a self-righteous thorn in his side, and that meant something. It might not have, before, but it did now.

Her expression softened, and reaching out, she rested her hand over his outstretched forearm, "You want a drink? I could use a drink..."
 
Killian Hopper
"I'm not very good at entertaining myself either," he concluded after a pregnant pause. "Liliana says it's because I'm a giant child. Maybe that's true. Either way, I don't like sitting around the house surfing the internet, or watching TV all day. It feels like a wasted day." Some people might have liked house arrest, especially in a house like his, but not Killian. He built the grand house with all the bells and whistles, and hardly used them—except for the pool. He kept his eye out on the desert, only realizing he got lost in his own thoughts when her hand fell on his arm.

"Yea," he agreed. "That sounds good. That room I told you about? The only only accessible by the river? It's a bar. Come on." He kicked off the wall and returned to the lazily drifting water, letting the current drift him back inside and a little further. As promised, the little bar was nothing more than a single bartop, maybe four feet long, with a shelf of liquor behind it. A dart board was bolted on to the far wall, and four bar stools tucked below the bar.

The room itself was not particularly large and, as promised, there were no doors leading in or out. Only the pool river cut through the room's center, with the same arch for the entrance as for the exit, as it dumped back into the main pool.

Yanking himself out of the water, he grabbed one of the towels and dried off his hair quickly before wrapped it around his waist and wandering behind the bar to inspect all he had. It'd been a while since he took a stop at the hidden bar. Usually, it only got use when he had guests over. "Anyways, whatever you can find is fair game. Help yourself." He grabbed two tumbler glasses. "There isn't any ice down here right now, though." Again, he didn't use the room unless he had guests, so he never bothered to fill the ice machine.

Without ice, with ice, it didn't matter. He poured himself out a stiff whiskey and coke and plopped down on to one of the bar stools, leaving Lucy to make her own drink. His friends always complained he made cocktails too strong, so he gave up trying to please people and left them to fend for themselves.

 
LUCY NIELSEN
Following after Killian, she considered his words. Liliana seemed like a decent therapist, but as far as whether or not she was a decent girlfriend, Lucy wasn't entirely convinced. It wasn't her place to judge - not really... but it was hard to hear the way Killian talked about her, and hold her tongue. He had his moments, sure, but he wasn't a child... not really. He was just a man worked too damn hard, held down by his own expectations of himself. If he expressed that in the occasional immature fashion, well... at least there was a reason for it.

Inside the hollowed out room, she glanced around for a moment, before pulling herself out of the pool, wrapping a towel around herself as well. She'd thought for a moment she might feel self conscious, bearing nearly all in the home of a man she wasn't sure even liked being around her, but there was an odd freedom to the moment, like the rules she instilled in herself didn't count. Like she could just.. forget for a little while all the stuff that didn't matter.

Moving behind the bar, she grabbed a glass and filled it with the same whiskey, before settling down beside him, holding the drink between her hands, her eyes fixed on the amber liquid, "Is it weird I'm glad it happened?" She asked, taking a sip before setting the glass down on the counter instead, so she could turn to Killian, "...This whole mess with Rob? Like... don't get me wrong, I could have done without, but if he'd never come to my apartment. Done what he did, I don't think I ever would have figured out what a mess I am. I'm just... disfunctional as hell."

Chuckling, she reached back for another sip, savoring the burn as it made its way down the back of her throat, the heady sensation of the alcohol, strong and rich. She never drank more than the odd glass of wine. But rules be damned, she was too tired, too beat down to care, "This...?" Gesturing to the bruises, still grim and dark, though they had lightened to a degree throughout the day, "This is just a reminder of how... how dumb I've been. All these rules and regulations I put on myself. The way I hold back, everything... because I'm so afraid to mess up. And what did it get me? A psychotic ex and an empty, meaningless life."

With a scoff, she downed the rest of the whiskey, shaking her head, "No more. I'm done... No one is ever gonna force me to change. That's what I told myself. And where did it get me? Hell with that. I'm done being this... stuck up, boring, bitchy nag. Ugh." Laughing softly, she looked to him again, "I think... I think the reason I'm so comfortable assuming everyone hates me... is because I hate myself. I think I always have."
 
Killian Hopper
Killian looked to her with eyes peering over the rim of his glass. "You sounds like a woman at a bachelorette party whose been wasted the last two days, and feels the need to stand up and be a strong, independent woman," he said with a sly, off-handed smirk and shrug. She was spilling thoughts about herself on to him that he didn't even know where to begin on processing. He couldn't offer any sagely advice; he wasn't a therapist. He wasn't even sure he believed therapy could truly help someone. Then again, he'd never had to ponder these thoughts about himself because he had always been decently happy.

He had a good life and he was fine of the sins he had committed in life. The relationships he had in life—friends, Liliana—were mostly artificial, and it didn't bother him. He didn't feel the same isolation she, and most others, felt. Some might have argued that made him have psychopathic tendencies. Maybe that was also true, but if one thing he knew for certain, it was that he wasn't a killer, no matter how bad Rob wanted that to be true.

"It sounds very freeing then," he continued. "Going out and deciding to change all who you are, but I can't imagine it'll be that easy. We're all victims to our personalities." He turned on his stool and swallowed the entire contents of his glass in a few gulps, before pouring himself another, because he could. It wasn't like he had to drive home, or anything, or even go anywhere. His phone hadn't rung all day and while he hadn't checked his email, he imagined all the casinos were running just fine without him.

"Well, whatever, then. You do you, female empowerment, feminism, yea, woo, go," he muttered. He'd never been a particularly supportive person but, he sighed after a moment and set the drink down on the bar. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. Have you thought about moving? Nothing is forcing you to stay in Vegas. Pack up and go somewhere else. Start over in a new city where no one knows your name. That's the complete clean slate."

 
LUCY NIELSEN
A clean slate. There were some therapists and psychologists who believed there was no such thing. That you weren't the product of your upbringing, but that your behavior was ingrained in your genetic code... written out before you even had breath in your lungs or a heart that beat. She wasn't of that unpopular opinion, but it was definitely more difficult than just starting new. Time made a difference, for sure... and the people you surrounded yourself with. Either way, whatever happened, she was ready for a change, but maybe not quite that drastic.

"You trying to get rid of me, Hopper?" She asked, a brow quirked as she smiled faintly. She reached behind for her glass and the bottle, refilling it, before taking a slow sip, "I'll have you know, I've never been to a single bachelorette party in my life, but I am... more than capable of holding my alcohol. And I'm a damn strong, independent woman..." She took a pull from the glass, grinning around the rim as she tried and failed in only a moment, to take her own words seriously.

Setting down her drink, she shook her head, and with a sigh, the smile faded, "I don't think that's the answer, though. I dunno... I wanna change, but I don't wanna rewrite, you know? I just want.. more. To be less close minded, less cynical about everything and everyone. That's the worst part about my job. I see so much crap... and it's hard not to expect everyone to have some deeply rooted psychological problem. But I just... I dunno. All work and no play... you know?" Her eyes shifted to the dart board and the smile returned as she stood up, looking him up and down, "...Come on. Up you go. I'm gonna kick your perfectly shaped ass in a game of darts."
 
Killian Hopper
"That sounds like you're trying too hard," he yawned, then sipping his drink, only to yawn again a short time later. He snorted at her comment. For a guy his size, he wasn't that great at holding alcohol, or at least as good as he could have been. He just didn't drink enough and, when he did, it was one drink and no more. The passing weeks had proven to be the exception, and he'd been using strong liquors as a coping mechanism for the increased stress in his existence. "And for the record, no, I have no idea what you're talking about."

She kept asking him 'you know?' like he'd understand what she was getting at, but he didn't. It didn't make a lick of sense to him either way, really. "I'm confident you'll figure it out one way or another. Or, you won't, and everything will go back to the way it was before all this happened." Eventually, an end would come to the mess between Rob and the murders. Someone would eventually get caught, and the drama would recede. He couldn't even begin to guess when it would happen, but it would. Some things might change, maybe even Lucy would change, but many would just go back to the same way they always had been.

Whatever she'd said about holding her alcohol, however, seemed to be a lie. He shook his head at her exuberance. "I don't play darts," he said, "Hate the game, actually. Find it pointless. You can play though. There is a high score board on there." The comment about his ass had not gone unnoticed, though he declined to comment on it.

Returning to the bar, he propped his elbows against the veneered wooden surface and rocked his cocktail around on its bottom, glancing back to watch and see what Lucy would do. "Well? You going to grab those things and play or what?"

 
LUCY NIELSEN
"Ooh..." Shaking her head, she tossed back the rest of her drink and rose, "I had no idea you were so boring. I mean... I guess I just figured a guy with so many casinos had to have some sense of competitive spirits. But wow. You just..." Stifling a fake yawn, she turned to find the darts and tossing her towel onto the bar stool, she looked back at him, slyly, "It's okay, Gramps. You rest right there. Wouldn't want you to throw a hip."

In reality, completely and utterly sober, and on her best day, Lucy had no concept whatsoever of how the game of darts actually worked. But tossing the pointy end at the board and getting it near the middle sounded like a good enough challenge. Positioning her toes on the line, she bit the edge of her lip, studying her angle for a moment, before she tossed the first dart - and hit the outside edge of the board, "Bam! I should go pro..."

It was a terrible shot. Atrocious, really, but there was a levity to her that she hadn't felt in... possibly in her entire life, and for the first time, her smile came natural and warm not hindered by a sense of responsibility or control. Winging the next dart, she hit closer to the center and gave a small squeal, "Ah! Did you see that?? I'm on fire..."
 
Killian Hopper
"Nope," he replied. "I'm competitive only when it counts, usually in money." He rested his cheek into his curled fingers, watching her toss her towel aside with a quirked brow. Apparently, she was not joking when she said she wanted to be a changed woman… at least in that moment. She was flouncing around in very little clothing, and what clothing she did wear was less than opaque once soaked in the pool water. If she noticed, she didn't seem bothered by it, so Killian decided to allow himself to be unbothered by it, as well, and watch her play her little game of darts.

The first shot, unsurprisingly, was terrible. He snorted at her and took a wash of his beverage. "A pro in being terrible at darts," he agreed in a dry tone, setting his glass down to watch her second throw. It wasn't as bad as the first, but it was far from a good shot, even if she managed to land the thing a bit closer to the center that time, on a fluke. "Have you ever actually played darts? Here…" His drink set down, Killian slid off the stool and slapped his towel around the back of his neck.

Coming up behind Lucy, he took her hand and picked up her fingers, one by one, to position them on the dart. "You're not in school; don't hold it like a pencil. There, try that." He sat back on his heels, hands falling on his hips. "Also, you are the complete opposite of being on fire, but sure, whatever you need to tell yourself."

He turned to pick up his drink, letting it slide down his throat. He was going to need to be drunk if he was going to have to deal with dart girl any longer, that much was certain.

 
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