Nature of the Beast

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SETH BRANDER​
This time, she had him thrown, and rightly so. It wasn't a story about losing herself to a boy in a library. It was deeper... it was real in a way that hurt, maybe. But it was also what he wanted. To break her down. To see beneath that hardened surface that there was more than just an angry, bitter, hate-filled woman, wronged by a world she made the mistake of trusting. That she could be better...

His eyes flickered over to her when she finished, and as she set the glass down, a brow lifted. He should've cut the night short. In truth, he knew that he couldn't bring her in - even if he was a match for her enhancements, he was too close to it. The truth was, he liked her. He liked her a little too much, and if he arrested her, he knew that that would need to end. There could be no bantering, no more flirting. He would be the cop, and that was all he could be.

With a small sigh, he looked her over, "Depends... You gonna try to kill me, or you think you can hold off?" Because whether she had been joking or not, she had potentially meant it, and he was a lot of things, but he wasn't stupid. She might've shown a little vulnerability, but he wasn't ready to trust her fully... not without some assurance that he wasn't gonna wind up at the bottom of the Hudson.
 
SELINA STEELE

"I'd have a hard time killing you knowing who exactly is waiting for you to come home." Selina answered with the cross of her arms. It was tender and a lot more personal than she had ever expected to get from the moment she stepped out of his damn car. Most of all however, it was honest. She offered him a half smile and a shrug.

Selina stood up straight before walking over to grab her leather jacket by the stools. She returned to him, sliding it back on before motioning to an imaginary watch on her wrist.

"Speaking of home... it's getting pretty late. Your girl must be up and worried, or partying--both obviously present a problem." Selina chuckled lightly as she came up to him. Her eyes pausing on his lips before slowly making their way up to meet his gaze. "It's been fun but I think tonight is going to have to end for the both of us. How it does is... I'll let you decide."

Careful not to reveal the nature of their conversation to anyone, Selina quietly presented her wrists to the detective with another tired smile. "This will be the last chance I'll ever give you to arrest me, okay? So just... make a choice... because after everything in the tunnel and all of the talking we've been doing... I don't really want to think right now."
 
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SETH BRANDER​
He listened as she spoke, and a brow lifted. She was right... in so many ways, she was right. Tina was his whole world, beyond work and Odessa, and he knew that in the end of it, she was where his mind had to go. Every time. He had to think about what was best for her.

And normally, he did. Normally, he could. But there were those rare occasions when Seth was a man... a self-centered man, who just wanted to make a decision without worrying who it was best for, and as Selina turned her gaze to him, fixed him with that stare and extended her wrists, that part of Seth gave no mercy to his better compulsions.

Swearing. Swearing, because even despite what he wanted, he knew it was a stupid, stupid move, he reached forward and instead of slapping cuffs on her wrists like he should have, he grabbed her jaw between his hands and dove for the woman's perfect, spiteful, angry mouth, smothering her words with a fierce kiss.
 
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SELINA STEELE

It was every bit as intense as she remembered. To be kissed and know that the man doing it wasn't thinking of someone else. In a matter of just seconds, Selina's body tensed at his touch and then seemed to just flourish at his kiss. For a moment she fell into him, tired and caught absolutely off guard but the electricity between them surged her back to life. Suddenly, she was just as hungry as he was.

Selina held herself up, messing up his hair by all accounts as she ran her hands through it.

She felt alive. She felt happy. She felt...

Selina was the first to pull away. A whole bar full of people were watching them but their presence became little more than white noise to her. The blonde woman's eyes were wide as she tried her best to catch her breath. He had just kissed her and she had just kissed him right back. First she let a human on her territory live then the next thing she knew she was kissing one... and then next thing she knew she was remembering she was one.

"I..we...need to get out of here. Right now." Selina breathed, grabbing his hand before he could even answer. She didn't know where they were going--maybe his car, whatever. She just needed him and him alone, right that damn second.
 
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SETH BRANDER​
He was an idiot... and he was gonna hate himself for it, with every fiber of his being, but hell if he cared in that moment. She responded... first with her lips and then with her words and with a smirk, he shook his head, reaching for her hand to lead her to the exit. He wasn't a man who indulged... not often. Almost never, really, and with too many things in the way, it just made sense.

But nothing about Selina made sense. He wanted her. She put a fire in him that he couldn't deny... couldn't resist, and he wanted her. But there were so many reasons he shouldn't. So many reasons to say no. It was a three block walk to the car and he had time to talk himself out of it - he just hoped to God he had the strength ...

Outside, he released her hand, because whatever had just happened between them, he wasn't a fifteen year old boy or a ninety-two year old man, and she didn't seem the sort to go for sappy, gooey romance. Tucking his hands into his pockets, he glanced over at her and with a shake of his head, laughed, faintly.

"Anyone ever tell you, you just make no damn sense, Selina?"
 
SELINA STEELE

Selina felt his hand part from hers and she spun around, her confusion quickly melting as she laughed with him. She was fully aware that today especially she's been all over the place. Normally she felt was quite consistent in her pessimism and snark... but there was something undeniable about everything that had occurred. She was still too scared to promise complete change but for the first time in a long time she felt it was possible.

She shook her head, resting her palm on her forehead in a moment of thought. Selina walked back a little bit closer to him and shrugged. "Trust me, detective. If you think you're the one who's confused... boy do I have news for you. I was expecting to spend the night trying to figure out how to break out of the precinct... not getting butterflies in my stomach because some idiot decided to kiss me."

"No offense." She added though Selina already felt like there was very little she could do to repair her coldhearted persona with him. The blonde continued, not missing a beat. She gestured to the bar they had just escaped from. "My turn to ask a question. Why? Why'd you kiss me like that back there?"
 
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SETH BRANDER​
"Butterflies?" He asked, with a grin that Odessa would have called 'cheesy as hell'. Shaking his head, he looped an arm around her shoulder, because maybe holding hands was too much, but he wanted to be near her, and that scared the hell of out him, but made way too much sense at the same time, "Been a while since I kissed someone and gave 'em butterflies. And you called me corny, earlier?"

With a teasing nudge, he shook his head, but as she continued, he shook his head again and sighed, "And I kissed you, because I'm an idiot. So... no offense taken. Thing is, you're a whole lot of wrong, Selina. And every fiber of instinct in me just wanted to slap those cuffs on and call it a day. But that's easy. And I guess I don't like easy as much as I thought. I'm a cop, and that's gonna come with certain expectations, but like I said... it's not my first choice in life, and hell if I don't get things confused sometimes. Hell if I don't like it that way..."

Looking down at her, he shrugged his shoulders, "I kissed you, because I wanted to. Because you're a mess, but you're gorgeous, and sexy, and fascinating. Because despite every wall you probably spent the last decade putting up, you were real with me. Really real with me, and that means something. And because despite the fact that you probably meant it when you said you were gonna kill me back there, you also told me I should go home to TIna. You put her first, and you don't even know her, and I don't know a lot of people that would do that. I kissed you, because sometimes, you just need to do the wrong thing, to find out what's really wrong is your perspective."
 
SELINA STEELE

Selina's heart had finally settled down but the corny butterflies seemed intent on staying. She was relieved to feel his arm wrap around her, in all honesty she wasn't sure how she would react if faced with another kiss like the one back in Carmichael's. So Selina just crossed her arms and buried her face where his neck met chest. She let out a long sigh.

"If and when you meet Charlie and Levi... since I'm pretty sure Odessa is gonna have to tell you all about them after tonight... if you ever mention anything about me and the damn butterflies I'm going to have to hit you." She grumbled. It brought up an interesting, if not troubling thought. Seth meeting the both of them would be one hell of a day when it came. It scared her to wonder if he'd still look at her the way he was right now if he knew the extent in which the three of them had fallen.

That thought scared her. It scared her more than it should. She reminded herself that this was man she had just met today.

Yet there she was... resting against him because in that moment she couldn't imagine being anywhere else. Selina looked back up at Seth, her eyes honing in on the details with an inhuman sharpness. "So what did you figure out, detective? I mean aside from the fact that you should probably quit cop work and become a philosopher?"

She laughed.
 
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SETH BRANDER​
It shouldn't have scared him... what she said, but it did. Seth was a man who preferred things to stay the way they were, but in truth, he knew that they were going to change. Odessa had secrets, and she was owed them, but there were some things they were gonna need to discuss... And these people, this Levi and Charlie... they were a part of her life she had kept from him. Awkward didn't seem a strong enough word for what that day was likely to be.

But it was also okay not to think about it... not to worry about it. Looking her over again, he chuckled and nodded, "Plenty of work for philosophers out there, right? Maybe I'll get my own YouTube channel. Gonna probably have to dye my hair some funky color, though. Hm." Looking away again, he breathed out, "But truth? I figured out that sometimes, the monsters aren't the bad guys, Selina. Sometimes, they're just lost and angry, and they needed someone to see them for who they are, so they can come out of the dark."

Pausing, he gestured to his car as they arrived beside it, "I'm not gonna ask you to come home with me. I want to, because God's honest truth? I want you. I want you, and I don't say that often, because a man like me... I can't afford to just drag every girl I'm attracted to back to my place. But the thing is... if I feel this way, now, I'm still gonna feel this way tomorrow... and you're probably used to being used a little. So maybe it's time someone did the right damn thing by you, and waited... Let you know you're worth it."
 
SELINA STEELE

Selina was content to just listen to him talk honestly--about hair dye, youtube, whatever, she was just glad that he was there. It had been a long, long time since Selina felt this way about anything really... she had almost forgotten what it was like all together. By the time they had reached the car the sexual aspect of their moment had long passed for her, though it was of course nice to hear he wanted her.

She smiled. She was beginning to smile so much that night her cheeks ached. Selina pushed him with her own shoulder but didn't break from his embrace. Instead she just shot him a look from underneath his arm. "No reading me like a book in front of those two either Seth. That's only for us, okay?"

Us. What the hell was she saying?

Selina's hand took his and gave it a squeeze before untangling herself from him. It lingered for a moment, but soon enough she took a step back. Maybe if she didn't actually acknowledge what she had just said then it would go unnoticed but the blonde had a feeling it wouldn't escape Seth's notice so easily.

"I understand... I actually need some time to think so I'm just gonna walk from here, if that's alright."
 
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SETH BRANDER​
He was afraid for a moment she might be offended, and in reality, it had taken him their entire walk for him to weigh the decision and whether or not he should do the right thing, or give in. But there were some cases were the right thing WAS the right thing, and this was one. The smile told him he'd done okay, and when she took his hand, he gave it a squeeze in returning, winking at her request.

"I'll do my best... but no promises. Something tells me I'm gonna need to bring out some impressive material if I'm gonna contend with these boys of yours." And with a small chuckle, he reached out, tipping her chin up to brush a kiss to her lips again, softer than the first, and lingering, his thumb running the course of her cheek, down the stem of her neck, resting against her pulse point for a moment, before he straightened again.

"You be safe, okay? And uh... No more kidnapping one-eyed scientists and tying them to train tracks, yeah? That crap only works on the first date." With a grin, he shook his head and moved around the car to the driver's side, giving her a nod before he slid inside, "Night, Selina..." and closing the door after himself, he started the engine... reluctantly putting the car into drive and pulling away.
 
SELINA STEELE

"I make no promises. Good night, Seth." Selina winked.

Did he really have to kiss her like that right after telling her he wouldn't be inviting her to his home tonight? Like back in the bar she hadn't expected him to do it but this time Selina was okay with just melting into the embrace. Things had accelerated so quickly she was sure as he drove off that she had been dreaming.

That at any moment she would wake up back at the motel, bitter and having forgotten what it actually felt like to be alive. But thank whatever god was listening to her that moment never came. That happened, that actually happened. The though would put itself on repeat in her head as she walked all the way over to Tribeca.

She approached the Sheraton--using the key card that she had swiped from Levi the last time she was in his suite to get all the way to the penthouse floors. Returning to the familiar house-inside-a-hotel, Selina broke in and silently made her way to the guest room that Odessa had stayed in how many weeks ago.

Selina showered and then fell asleep, the butterflies still fluttering at just the thought of their kiss.
 
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ODESSA CARRIGAN​
Seth had been mad. She wasn't surprised, really. She couldn't blame him, really. And after what was easily the most explosive argument of their partnership (that wasn't over one or the other stealing the last Kcup) Odessa had broken down into a sobbing mess over what had to be the most complicated love triangle since Archie, Betty and Veronica and it was all Seth could do not to kill both men then and there.

But the truth came out and she finally understood... Finally. There was Levi, reliable Levi... Safe, if only because he was predictable... Sturdy, if only because she knew she'd never hurt him. And then there was Charlie... The most terrifying puzzle box in the history or the world, and Odessa, with absolutely no idea what to do about the fact that she was head over heels in love with him.

Seth had revealed his own drama, and somehow, Odessa had managed not to strangle him on the spot. He'd gone home after making her promise no more secrets of the life altering variety, and she got ready for what was sure to be a strange evening... A date with Levi.
 
LEVI GARDNER

Levi had an interesting morning waking up to Selina laying his dining table out in room service once more. Wanting to do nothing but get away for awhile after their mission out in the woods, he hadn't expected her face to turn up soon. With that said he made no attempt to try and shoo her from his home--there had been something different when she shot him snark. Something that sounded like uncertainty.

Still, he didn't question it and he didn't question when she packed up and disappeared on him again. He was too busy trying sort out his own thoughts to try and delve into hers. Sleep hadn't given him any more clarity in regards to Odessa and it frustrated him. Though he made it a point to remain confident in what he wanted on their date, he was still uncertain on the inside.

That uncertainty hadn't left him even after he called her to schedule a meeting a week later, giving her shoulder ample time to rest, and it still remained the evening of. Levi made reservations at an upscale restaurant, Delilah's. It was a steakhouse known for their generous serving sizes and signature mutton chops. Clubby wooden paneled rooms, mood lighting, wine. Perhaps it was a bit much... but Levi as a man could be described as the same.

He kept the location of their 'doing it the right way date' secret but made sure Odessa was prepared to dress for the occasion in the form of a hand delivered notice. Levi was a man who took everything into account after all. He even rented out a car for the evening alone, a black Ferrari 458 Italia and it seemed without a doubt that no expense was to be spared.

Come sun down on the day of of their date the good doctor waited outside Odessa's apartment, leaning up against the hood of his sports car in a matching tailored suit.
 
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ODESSA CARRIGAN​
Odessa's idea of dressing up, generally, was a pair of black pants she'd owned since graduation and a pair of shoes that weren't meant for the gym. So needless to say, when Levi's note arrived, instructing her to wear something nice, she was slightly more than uncertain exactly what that entailed. It took a desperate phone call to Seth, half an hour before Levi was set to pick her up to figure out that the black gown she'd purchased for an awards banquet for their precinct was probably the best option she had.

The dress ran to her ankles, with shear black panels, detailed with white beaded flowers - entirely open in the back, in a way that was both subtle and sexy, and probably a terrible idea for poor Levi... but ultimately gorgeous.

It was fancy. Too fancy, and it made Odessa feel more inclined to hide in her bathroom, than it did rush out the door, but despite her anxiety, it wasn't a half bad look at all. When Levi arrived, she made her way down to the lobby of her apartment, and catching sight of him outside, standing beside the spectacular, exquisite vehicle, she shook her head, muttering to herself, "What am I getting into..."

But she had agreed to it... to give Levi a chance, and even if it wasn't exactly her idea of a date, he was trying and that was endearing, to say the least. Moving to the doors finally, she stepped out and with a sheepish smile, tucked a red curl behind her ear as she gave a small wave, "Clean up nice there, Doc..."
 
LEVI GARDNER

As Odessa appeared it seemed as though the good doctor was all smiles. He watched her with intensity in his usually listless gaze and he didn't say anything as she called out to him--all he did was wave right back. Levi pushed himself up from the hood and met her halfway, cracking another grin before kissing her cheek ever so softly.

"You look like a million dollars tonight." The good doctor breathed as he leaned away. Levi laughed though he hadn't intended to and suddenly he realized he was feeling a little nervous. Levi didn't do nervous. Recovering quickly, he cleared his throat and gestured to his car. "I'm really hoping you're a steak kind of girl, Odessa."

He slid the door open for her before rounding around to the other side. Levi's driving skills were impeccable despite having never owned a car for longer than a week, he was fast but smoother than Selina. Sharp in how he maneuvered through the late NYC streets but never to the point of bringing on discomfort. Levi looked over to her as traffic brought his little show to a stop, he sighed but there was a smile on his face.

"You should probably know this before we get to the restaurant but I don't exactly go on many dates so if I seem a little out of my element... its because I am."
 
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ODESSA CARRIGAN​
Somehow, she had expected confidence. A brimming, boiling over confidence... Something that edged into arrogance, that she would find compulsively attractive but at the same time unnerving and a little irritating. A reminder that this was 'steal yo girl' Levi. The man who had swept both Selina and, apparently, Charlie's wife away. This was Levi. The troublemaking doctor, who was just a distraction...

The uncertainty... The nerves. They were endearing and sweet. Like a young man on his first date, the girl's father watching from the driveway with a death-glare in his eyes... She smiled, and hated herself for it, because it felt genuine and warm, and Levi was just ruining everything.

"Well, considering this car probably cost half a million, just to rent, I guess I'll fit right in. And I'm sure not a salad girl... So you're in good shape." Sinking back against the leather seat, she sighed, contentedly.

"Thanks, then..." She said when he'd finished, "For doing this. It's unconventional, but what exactly isn't about our relationship?"
 
LEVI GARDNER

"I like to think the night we sat in the guest room eating mac and cheese was rather normal... even if the circumstances leading to that point were definitely out of the ordinary." Levi mused, a grin on his face as traffic picked up and he moved the car forward. The doctor was comfortable enough to drop one hand to the side as he steered, stealing a glance as he continued.

"You don't have to thank me, Odessa. IIt should prove to be an interesting experience if anything. I'm pretty sure the last time I've been on a proper date... god, it must've been before the I had the whole mutant thing going on for me. Flirting and sleeping with pretty girls? Yeah. Dining out with gorgeous women?" Levi paused, smirking ever so slightly in her direction. "I'm gonna need to get a little acclimated."

He laughed under his breath and with a shake, turned to look at her with a quirked brow. "Too flirty for our first date?"

The good doctor drove his date into the heart of Midtown, the iconic luxury taking up the scenery from outside the windows. They arrived at Delilah's shortly after, the prestige steakhouse looking exactly the the type of place only the finest dined at. Despite her attempts to reassure him, Levi couldn't help but worry she might feel uncomfortable in the presence of all the alleged important people out tonight.

Entrusting the car to a valet, Levi stepped out and made his way round to Odessa where he offered his arm. The good doctor gave her a wink. "Just say the word and we are gone."

He paused once again, eyeing her from head to toe before chuckling. "And then every single man with eyes inside that restaurant will be heavily saddened."
 
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ODESSA CARRIGAN​
He was good. He was good, and she hated him for it. It was supposed to be easy. A night out to confirm that Charlie was the only option that made sense... That Levi was bad news, a distraction to avoid her feelings for the former.

But as he talked, those impossible eyes drifting her way, she felt a heat creep up her bare spine that had nothing at all to do with his complements. He wasn't fair, and she wasn't even sure he realized it. Which just made everything worse.

It had taken time to sort out her feelings for Charlie... To come to a place where she could admit that she loved him, even if she wasn't entirely sure why... And knew it came from a place they would need to build on. A place that needed a foundation. But she's thought for sure she had Levi figured out, and now he was changing the rules and it hurt to admit how confused she really was.

Slipping out, she took his arm and glancing up at the place, shook her head, "No way, fancy pants. I got all dressed up... We're going in there, and I'm gonna make you blush with how tasteful and elegant I can be." Looking over to him, she winked, "Now come along, Doctor."
 
LEVI GARDNER

"Now don't take my word for it but I'm pretty sure fancy pants is something like a curse here." Levi quipped in the form of a whisper only she'd be capable of hearing. He had leaned in to speak but stood a little straighter as the crowd waiting outside the steakhouse grew closer. He assumed a certain kind of persona--the transition was awfully subtle.

Levi moved with focus among a crowd of well of socialites and he made no apologies as he maneuvered Odessa and himself through the sea of a waiting line. They came to the front and the look on the French man running the door's face was enough to signal that he was a regular. They were let in without hassle, much to the distraught of the people behind them and only then once he was inside four wooden paneled walls did he let himself relax.

The smell of spice and steak was familiar and Levi said very little as he led her to a scenic little booth set off in the corner. It was nice, just like everything else in the establishment, but it was design to foster conversation... and chosen specifically by the doctor for tonight. If Odessa's challenge for him was to pursue her the right way but she never said anything about making resist him easy.

He was nervous yes but he was smart enough to know what she wanted. Honesty. She wanted him to be genuine to her... and Levi couldn't explain it but he was willing to try. He sat down, shooting her another one of his signature moony looks. Elegant candles warmed the space between them and he shook his head--doing his best to stifle a laugh.

"So have you given it some thought? How exactly you intend to make me blush?"
 
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