Political intrigue, fantasy, futuristic, sci fi lite, superheroes, historical fiction, alternate universes. Smittings of romance, but only as side plot.
"Hm." She tipped to kiss his cheek and Gideon turned her chin to press his lips to her mouth in return, holding her there for a moment before his fingers slid neatly to the back of her neck, pulling away to meet her eyes, "If something happens to you, baby girl, it's definitely my fault... Just be careful, alright?" Pulling her in, he kissed her forehead.
He didn't like the notion anymore than he liked it before, but he couldn't force her to promise to leave and he knew at least to a degree that she was right. She was the only one medically trained and if their trip was going to be as dangerous as promised, they were going to need her by their side.
"I think we're slowing down..." Ahead of them was a sprawling, captivating building, all terracota, tan and sunburnt orange, a clay roof of deep espresso brown. Wrought iron balconies clung to the side of terraces, climbing vines pooling over their edges. Tiles works the likes of which only Italy could provide led up to a large front entrance, and the cars rolled through the vestibule, before coming to a stop.
Sliding out, Gideon held out a hand for Enna.
CORRINA JACOBS
"Oh ho... Funny." She quipped, as he teased her, shaking her head, "Guess I should be grateful that it's not Lady Stuart."
With a wink, she released his hand in favor of his arms again, "I will absolutely ditch early. As far as I'm concerned, I just wanna see you in a tux and eat a few hor'duvours I can't possibly pronounce and I'll be satisfied. Besides... Everyone knows the best part of these functions is getting out of the fancy clothes."
The car lulled to a stop outside of the Hotel Orto de' Medici and looking out the window, Corrina smiled, "Looks like we're here..."
Enna was not usually the type of woman who thought she needed anyone else. She liked having her own apartment, her own income, her own life. She was never the woman who needed a man to carry her through life, financially or otherwise. She'd spent the entirety of her adult life caring for herself, and picking herself up when she fell. Gideon's words, then, went against the very nature of her being, but there was comfort in them. She closed her eyes as he kissed her, whispering those sweet assurances, before concluding them with another kiss, this time to her forehead.
"I'll be careful," she assured him. "I'm not usually the reckless type." She wasn't, except when it came to taking a complete stranger to her hotel room and sleeping with him, then going on to tease about running off to South America with said gentleman. All was well that ended well, though, and Gideon turned out to be an affectionate, honest gentleman and not a serial killer.
The town car lurched with the brake and slowed into a driveway, which was enough to cause Enna to pull away and glance out the window. The breath from her slightly parted lips fogged the window for a few seconds as she admired the rich, Spanish-style architecture. She'd been expecting a hotel, not a villa. Her eyebrows raised some, but as Gideon got out and offered her his hand, she accepted it and gladly pulled herself to her feet.
"I feel suddenly under-dressed," she admitted, coming up to his side. Fresh from the train, she still felt a little dirty and greasy, even though she squeezed in a shower. Her jeans were dirty, and her plaid button-up was wrinkled from being stuffed in her luggage for a few days. Against the backdrop of the romantic stucco building, she felt like Ronald McDonald among performers of Cirque du Soleil.
[/hr]
Orion Petrove
"Lady Stuart? Nah, you wouldn't ever have to worry. I've never known a woman to be as bonkers to fund an expedition like this after a mythical city," he said with a casual smirk, glancing up to the villa their car circled up the drive next to. He listened to Corrina, but didn't offer a response, because they'd already pulled to a stop and he was pushing open the door by the time he'd have a chance to. Their conversation ended and he leaned against the door of the car, hand extended out towards her.
"I think you're right," he agreed. "It seems like we're here. Nice place, too. Definitely better than our last hotel, and certainly better than the sleeper train." Not that either had been bad, but they certainly paled in comparison to the Italian-style rolling vineyards and exposed brick with terracotta clay.
"Shall we go check out the digs before we have to meet Mr Stuart and this ridiculous event?" Even if he did get fancy fingerfoods and the joy of seeing Corrina in a dress, he was most looking forward to getting out of the fancy clothes. Hell, he would have preferred never getting in them in the first place, but they were getting paid by the boss, and the boss was calling them all into his metaphorical office for a business meeting. He was obligated to go.
"Maybe he'll have some ideas about this next clue, too. Who knows."
Political intrigue, fantasy, futuristic, sci fi lite, superheroes, historical fiction, alternate universes. Smittings of romance, but only as side plot.
Underdressed. Gideon felt like an uncultured slob, staring up at the luxurious facade of Italian mastery. It was stunning, really, and coming from someone who didn't care much for the finer details that was saying something.
Looking to Enna however, there was no glint of dishonesty behind his gaze as he looped his arm around her shoulder, leaning in to press a kiss to the crown of her head.
"You look like a queen among the common to me, Ms. Sparks. Don't need anything fancy to impress, here." Giving her shoulder a squeeze, he released he before moving to collect their luggage from the valet.
"Now... Let's see where they've got us staying."
CORRINA JACOBS
Transfixed for a moment, Corrina eventually slid free of the towncar, her eyes shifting to look up at the building, still in awe. It was certainly not the quality she'd been expecting... Their last hotel had been decent, but this went beyond their paygrade. No doubt Stuart's idea of softening the blow from finding out it was no easy ride from here on out.
Looking to Orion, she chuckle dryly, "If you thought I was inclined to skip out early on the party before..." Grinning, she looped her arm through his, "You think they have a pool? Is skinny dipping legal in Italy?"
"Oh, hah!" she laughed at his comment, smacking him playfully in the arm as he came up and wound it around her shoulders. She flopped her weight against him, looking up with a smile when his lips connected with the top of her head. The touch was enough to send the same shivers she'd been experiencing since their first night together down the length of her spine, leaving behind a flush of cheek through her stomach. In return, she placed a small peck against his shoulder.
"You're very charming, has anyone ever told you that?" she inquired as he coaxed her along, up towards the hotel. Behind them, a trail of their companions streamed in. Moving up the stone steps, a doorman opened and held the door for them, waving them all inside. Enna trotted ahead. The floor was tiled with fine marble, which made every step echo. A chandelier made rainbow colour dance across the luxurious lobby. Embroidered silk sofas surrounded a large, flat screen television with a fireplace. The twin doors that led into the lobby were a pristine white, with golden handled, but were propped open, allowing them easy access from the hall inward.
Approaching the desk, made of amber-coloured wood with a green granite top, a single employee smiled like a brochure photo. She didn't need to ask who they were, she seemed to already know, and handed out keys to each member of the team as they approached.
"This place is really nice," she gasped at the splendid sight, having to pause to look up and admire. "Ever wonder how much like this you've missed in life because you get stuck in a routine?" Her question was more rhetorical.
[/hr]
Orion Petrove
The hotel was fine, sure, but what was really beautiful was the woman currently standing in front of it. She might have been in slacks and a little grimy from spending a few nights in a train, but he appreciated every inch of her figure, and the warmth of her smile as she looked upward. A curl of her hair fell down her back from over her shoulders, and Orion stepped up behind her, sweeping it back into place with a kiss to the side of her head.
"It's probably illegal," he mused with a smile. "But that doesn't mean I'm not willing to try a little later at night." Their hands linked together, they were ushered in through the main doors and into the hallway, which dumped them off into the lobby. Picking up keys for them both as they passed, Orion held out Corrina's swipe card towards her. "Looks like your room is right next to mine. Fancy that," he said, bumping her gently with his hip as they walked.
"Do I get to see you get ready, or are we going to do the big Anastasia stairway unveil scene?"
Political intrigue, fantasy, futuristic, sci fi lite, superheroes, historical fiction, alternate universes. Smittings of romance, but only as side plot.
"I've heard it once or twice..." Gideon mused at her question, heading with Enna into the hotel. In truth, though, he'd never actually believed much in his own charm. It was generally a front, a way to disarm. But with Enna it came comfortable... Naturally, and maybe that was a good thing.
Inside, his eyes briefly scanned the luxurious setting and with a shake of his head he made for the desk. Accepting his keycard and glancing briefly at the room number, he tucked it into his pocket, turning back to Enna.
"I've definitely never missed anything like this in life. I couldn't afford it. Let alone miss it." Laughing, he looped an arm around her shoulder, "We've got two rooms, Miss Sparks. I'm gonna be forward in proposing we pick one, and share, cause frankly, I've grown accustomed to seeing that face in the morning... And I'm tired of watching you leave."
CORRINA JACOBS
Taking her key from Orion, Corrina's face pulled into a bright smile, "Ooh. Neighbors. I like this development a whole lot."
Sliding an arm through his, she started for the elevator and laughed softly at his question, "You just now got a Facebook... Yet you know Anastasia? How are you real, Mr. Petrove?"
Chuckling against, she pressed the call button for the lift, "But I don't see why you can't watch. Hell... Play your cards right in the next few minutes, and I might even let you pick out which dress I wear."
"Yea, I' sure you have." In fact, she was sure he had heard it more than once or twice. He was the type of man that could have swept nearly any woman off her feet with his delirious good lucks and dashing half-smirk. There was a whiff of depression to him, however, that ran incrementally deeper than to what he'd already admitted to her about his past. Enna didn't push, it wasn't her place to, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it could be. There were layers to Gideon that didn't meet the eye at first glance and while it would have been easy to take advantage of him for what one could see and appreciate on the surface—a scruffy five o'clock shadow, a perfect hairline, and a white beam of teeth—Enna appreciated the little things more.
She smiled when the weight of his arm slung across her shoulders; a weight she was getting used to feeling. "Hm, I could afford it," she admitted in a tone that didn't lend itself to gloating so much as hesitant regret. "I make… made a lot of money in my profession, but I worked upwards of seventy, sometimes eighty, hours a week." She had savings to retire twice over because she worked so much, in such a high-paying field, and never spent hardly a dime. She lived in a small apartment and ate from a one-hundred dollar grocery bill every week. She didn't have internet or cable at home; she'd never been home enough to warrant it.
It was the free time that made the trip so interesting. She hadn't had so much time to do nothing since before her med school years.
"Is that so? Mm, I'll have to bust out my face mask one of these nights. Let you really enjoy the sight of that," she said with a smirk. "Maybe some leave-in curlers?" With a nudge from her elbow into his side, she waved her key out in front of them. "Let's go to this room." It was a lower level than the one that had been assigned to him, and that meant less stairs, because she wasn't getting on a lift.
[/hr]
Orion Petrove
"Mmhm, neighbors. Careful though, I may have to come back later and ask my neighbor for a cup of sugar." Of course, the cup of sugar he was referring to wasn't any that could be put in any brownies or chocolate chip cookies. Had his arm not been wrapped up in Corrina's, he may have attempted to get a little sample of her sugar by copping a feel on her butt when no one else was looking. Carrying that thought, Orion's smile softened as he moved towards the elevators, not paying anyone else in their group any mind. He hadn't interacted with Hadassah or her minion since before the train ride, and he was planning on keeping it that way.
"I'm real," he clarified, calling for the lift and tugging her on when it arrived. "I just never saw much of the point to Facebook. Everyone from high school posting pictures of their kids and their dinners. Like, who cares? But I did have a childhood. I watched all those Disney movies on VHS." Including Anastasia.
The elevator took them up, and when it spat them out on their floor, Orion continued to lead the way, maneuvering them around a few other small groups and couples that were on their way in various directions.
"See," he cleared his throat, pausing in front of her door, which was one up from his. "I almost prefer the surprise. As fun as it'd be to pick your dress for you, there is something delicious 'bout watching a girl approach you in something really beautiful. You know? Sometimes, there is something to be said about the magic of seeing a made-up woman… without watching her poke herself in the eye five times with her eyeliner, like in the same way most women don't want to see me futzing with my cuff links for forty-five minutes and still not having a straight tie."
Orion gave a devilish smirk, leaning on to one foot to press a kiss to her lips. "I mean… unless you need help getting in your dress." [/hr]
Political intrigue, fantasy, futuristic, sci fi lite, superheroes, historical fiction, alternate universes. Smittings of romance, but only as side plot.
He nodded, when she gave her keycard a wiggle, noting the lower floor designation with a small smile. Fear was a funny thing. No matter how strong a person was - and Enna was easily the strongest person he knew - there was always something... some small, seemingly insignificant thing, that just kept cropping up... the unconquerable challenge. Some day, maybe when this was all over and they could move on with their lives, he set it in his mind to help her overcome her fear of elevators. She deserved to be utterly free from fear.
A soft laugh escaped as he led her to the stairwell near the lifts and shaking his head, he gave her shoulder a soft squeeze, "You could break out flannel PJs and a mouth guard, Enna Sparks, and you would still be the best sight I'll ever wake up to." And he meant it. It was cheesy, and that surprised him - especially given her earlier comments about how charming he was - but he didn't care. She was gorgeous, through and through... and having a pretty face was just icing on the cake.
Up the stairs to her floor, he opened the stairwell door again and gestured down the hallway, "We've got a few hours to kill, before the party, tonight. I'm thinking I might catch up on some sleep. Nothing like a bed I can actually stretch out in..."
CORRINA JACOBS
"You can ask your neighbor for anything you like there, buddy." She teased right back, her lip curving in a small, satisfied smirk.
She laughed again as she headed for the elevators and shook her head, her expression softening, "I didn't think it was possible for you to become more endearing, but you definitely just managed it." It was funny to think about him sitting down, watching old cartoon movies, after along day of blowing holes in things or preventing bombs from going off.
As they continued out of the elevators and down the hall, she paused as he did and her brow lifted as she studied him for a moment, "Fair enough... I didn't actually think about it that way, but that's kind of a good point." Laughing again, she shrugged, "Nothing quite as sexy as a well put together guy, but watching him get there might kill some of the mystery."
He leaned in and she met him halfway, savoring the kiss for a moment before falling back with a grin, "Oh no. I think I can manage getting into it. Now... getting out of my clothes, that's something you can definitely lend a hand with. Later."
"Ah-hah, see, you say that until you see my Freshman picture with braces and greasy skin with acne and stringy blonde hair," Enna ended up laughing, putting on a lame shrug as they made their way up the few flight of stairs up to her—their—shared room. "My grandpa did always say I was a late bloomer." And late was a generous way to put it. Though she hadn't been pretty—awkward, a little greasy—she had always been smart. Puberty just happened to help out in other areas, thank goodness, because even she was a little put off by pictures of her highschool age self.
"A nap sounds like a good plan," she agreed as he opened the hallway door for her and she led the last few paces to the room door, swiping the key and stepping inside. The room smelled clean, but not of bleach so much as a pleasant lavender smell. The bed was made with a beautiful duvet and little chocolates on the pillow. On the walls, murals hung, wrapping all around the room except for the far wall, which boasted a large walk-out balcony. To the right of it was a spa tub, which Enna was confident she could have swam laps in.
"Our sponsor is really trying to butter us up, isn't he?" she said, kicking her luggage, which had already been delivered, to the corner of the room so she could rifle through it. Not in the mood to sleep herself, she was plenty in the mood to get some warm bubbles going in that tub and soak in it for a little while.
[/hr]
Orion Petrove
"Do you think I was never a normal kid?" he laughed. "I was a normal kid. I ran downstairs in my pajamas every Saturday morning to watch cartoons with my siblings!" Throwing his hand through his hair, he stepped into the hall that separated their respective rooms.
"Yea, especially me," he admitted. "I'm terrible at getting in to those fancy suits and such. I just sort of bumble through it until it looks OK." Plus, the train hadn't boasted huge shower facilities, meaning his face had grown out a little scruff that needed to be taken care of. He really could have used a hair cut too, come to think of it, but he figured it was a little late in the day to find a barber, and he wasn't the type to hit up a shaved head style.
Their kiss of parting was simple and sweet, causing him to smile as he swung around on a heel to head to his own room. "I'll definitely help you get all that off later. Don't you worry."
Political intrigue, fantasy, futuristic, sci fi lite, superheroes, historical fiction, alternate universes. Smittings of romance, but only as side plot.
Laughing faintly, Gideon shook his head, "I've got you beat. I was five-foot three when I started highchool... and Nasa once asked if they could use the craters on my face for one of their moon-landing simulations. Late bloomers we may have been, but hell if we aren't pretty people, now."
Stepping into the room, he whistled faintly, his eyes following hers as he took in the well dressed bed, complete with complementary chocolates, the plush, cozy furniture... To the left was the bathroom, with an enormous walk in shower and separate soaking tub, all glossy marble and shining bronze. Their last hotel had been luxurious... It looked like the Motel 6 by comparison.
Chuckling, he shook his head and discarded his own luggage with hers in the corner, "...If they keep puttin' us in ritzy places like this, we're never gonna be able to handle backpacking through mountains or camping out in the middle of deserts. Definitely trying to impress us, that's for sure." But there was a sour note to his words as he turned back to the bed, sitting on the edge of it. It felt a little too much like his silence was being bought, and that shouldn't have bothered him, but strangely, it did.
CORRINA JACOBS
"Hm..." Chuckling faintly, Corrina looked him over, studying him closely, "I'm not really sure what kind of kid you were, but I guess I can believe you were normal at least to some degree. But you were also definitely one of those kids who lit ants on fire with a magnifying glass. I can just see the mischief in you..."
Pushing her keycard into the door, she nudged it open with her food and with another pleasant smile, she nodded, "Alright... I guess we'll just go our separate ways for the afternoon then, and meet at the stairs in say..." Glancing at her watch, she considered it for a moment, "Three hours. Then we can go to this party, make an appearance and sneak off before anyone notice we're gone."
With a wink, she pushed the door open fully, "See you, soon... Dimitri."
"It sounds like you might have me a little bit beat," she mused with a smirk as she took a turn about the room, admiring all the expensive details crammed into the space that felt wide and open, not at all like a hotel room normally was. "But I still have the orphan trump card," she reminded him, her ever-playful smile widening as she looked his way. She stopped her slow saunter, fingertips brushing against the glossy finish on the oak desk in the far corner and studying him. In her head, she'd always pictured him growing up one of the high school jocks: dangerously good-looking, athletic, popular.
He sometimes wore that air of confidence about him, so it came as a surprise to her to hear his childhood was different than she imagined it. Enna ended up laughing at her own stupidity for assuming.
"I've never been backpacking in my life," she admitted. "I went to school for emergency medicine, and travel medicine, but I never put it to practice for things like this before. I've traveled a lot… stayed in some real dives, but never went backpacking. Or camping, really."
She noted his sour tone and pushed off the desk to approach him. Her hand curled across his chest, giving his shoulder a small nudge. "Maybe they are," she agreed to his sentiment about them trying to buy their silence. "But right now, I think you said you were going to nap."
[/hr]
Orion Petrove
"Mischief? Me? Never," he scoffed defiantly, giving a firm shake of his head before tipping towards her to place a kiss on her lips, though Corrina was nearly half-way through her door by the time he landed a hasty kiss to her mouth. "I'll see you in a few hours, then," he agreed, rocking his weight back onto his heels and resting against the frame of his own door. Orion watched her until her door clicked all the way closed before turning and proceeding into his own space.
