RP:Breaking The Habit

This is a Rogue's Guild RP.

Summary: Leo seeks out Khitti to ask the witch to ward up his ships, and in return, the pirate finds out Khitti doesn't exactly hate him as much as he thought she did.

The Apartment Above The Bakery

Khitti || As per usual during days that the bakery was super busy and Khitti was actually home, the door to the apartment was open, just in case Victoria or Albert needed something. Or, if someone came looking for her, Victoria could just easily direct them to the stairs in the kitchen and they could head on up to look for her. Both kids had just been put down for their nap and Khitti found herself with nothing to do, so she hid herself away in the apartment’s art studio, on the second floor, for the time being. The redhead sat at the adjustable work table, the table itself flat so as not to make her watercolors run. Today she worked with all the warm colors, with metallic ones used here and there where necessary to give it a nice shimmer, on her landscape picture of Cenril.

Leoxander stood in front of the bakery, hands in pockets, blue gaze studying the exterior for some time. He wasn’t really nervous to face Khitti, intimidating as the witch could be, it was more that he was on the fence on if this was a wise decision. The worst she could do (he hoped) was tell him to piss off and that would be that. No point in p****footing about; Leo pushed open the bakery door and raised his jaw in greeting if either employee spotted him, perhaps a subtle wink offered in Victoria’s case, since she had assisted in delivering that unsigned peace offering, as it were. He could confirm immediately, if lights in windows had not already clued in on it, that the redhead was in fact present, and his gaze lifted up the staircase toward the open door of the apartment. No gift in hand today, and he didn’t quite state his intentions or ask permission before he gripped the banister and started to climb those steps, and if either attendant tried to stop him? Well, they probably wouldn’t try, but a slow, steeled look in their direction would probably be enough to gain passage. Rather than barge right in, he hovered in the doorframe and even leaned his shoulder against it, scanning the first floor of the apartment and what he could see of it from that point. “Fancy…” He murmured mostly to himself, but if Khitti’s art area was close enough it might alert her to his presence.

Khitti || The art room was, unfortunately, not on the first floor of the apartment, but Khitti was still alerted to the lycan’s presence anyway. Though, in this case, it was by way of her clairvoyance, rather than just hearing him enter the apartment. Her stomach flipflopped a little, as it was wont to do when her intuition was warning her of something, and yet, it was not as tumultuous as it usually was. It was more… something was off, but it wasn’t something world-ending or threatening (well, for the moment anyway). Like maybe she’d left the stove on. Or something along those lines. She’d paused in her painting long enough to stare at it absently with furrowed brows, trying to discern without getting up what the problem might be and after coming up with nothing, she sighed and stood up, heading to the cherry wood staircase that lead down to where Leoxander was at, and when she finally spied him, she stopped and blinked a few times. “You know, I was expecting my kitchen to be on fire or my cat having escaped or someone was harassing Victoria again, but I was not expecting -you-.” Despite the emphasis on the ‘you’, her words didn’t seem angry or anything along those lines. Just… bewildered. She squinted at him for a moment, making sure she wasn’t hallucinating or dreaming before shaking her head. “Well, come on then, I guess. There’s whiskey upstairs if you want it. Shoes off though. If you wake my kids, I’m gonna throw you off my balcony.” With that said, she headed back upstairs and into the art room, the door left open for him to find it.

Leoxander wasn’t known for his manners, but he hadn’t taken any official step into her territory until he was invited to do so, and despite the ‘I guess’ and the intonation of certain words, he accepted her edged welcome. Pushing off his lean on the doorframe, a hand recaught it when she announced the rule regarding his footwear, which caused his brows to furrow in annoyance. Reluctantly, he lowered on a knee to untie and loosen the laces on either boot, a hole in the heel of one of the black socks on his feet because despite that he could afford it… Leo rarely purchased anything new for himself. Then again he rarely -purchased- anything, at all. He didn’t respond to her warning at first, setting Donovan’s broken in and heavy treaded boots aside to trail after her to the third story, his steps practiced in stealth and not likely even to cause a creak, regardless of his weight. It wouldn’t be hard for the pirate to track down the whiskey, and after pouring himself a glass he passed any remaining rooms to the one she occupied, taking in the scene of the studio. His voice was a reasonable volume, but a baritone pitch that sounded all the deeper in his attempt to keep quiet. “Kids… as in more’n one.” He recalled her mentioning Dominic at the beach, but then it clicked as he lifted his glass, murmuring before he took a drink of the liquor he’d cautiously sniffed while he was out of her sight. “Ah. Khitt’s, yeah?” He still wasn’t sure how all that worked, but Leo had seen stranger things in his days. “Place’s bigger’n it looks from the street.” His gaze drifted toward the door that led to the balcony overlooking the garden but once again Leo loitered in the doorframe of the room she occupied, not quite comfortable enough to find a place to sit. “Guess I’m about as surprised t’ be here as you are. Wanted to dig a bit deeper into what you mentioned t’Lora…”

Khitti || If Khitti ever noticed anything “wrong” with his attire, she’d never mention it. She didn’t always have this house or the bakery. For a long time she didn’t have anything at all. And when she did have money, she usually spent it on other people, usually to her detriment because it meant living meagerly for a while until she got paid again, which back then, the pay was barely anything at all. She sat back down at the worktable and eyed what she’d painted so far, the paper now dry from the time it took to go fetch Leo and bring him upstairs. “Yeah, Khitt’s. His name’s Lucien.” She didn’t make any move to try to get him to sit. He was left to his own devices as she set to work again, painting gold over the lights on the lampposts that were filtered throughout Cenril’s streets, signifying that the lamps were lit. “And yes, it is a little bigger on the inside of this place. I’d tell you that it’s magic, but I know now how that conversation would go.” As Leo eyed the room, it was obvious that the art studio was for more than just one medium. The table she was at was clearly for painting and the like, as was the easel next to it. Another part of it was dedicated to music, where a chair was left and her violin case on top of it, as well as a stand for her sheet music, and a list of instruments her and Khitt wanted to try at some point that was tacked to the wall. And another section on top of that was for her writing, where a desk was left with stationary for the Necromancer’s Guild on top of it. “I said a lot of things to Lora. Things that probably should not have been mentioned, I suppose.” Like the stuff pertaining to magic. “What are you referring to?”

Leoxander slightly knit his brow at the name and the very distant memory it called to in his mind. Lucien. Tenebrae’s son. Who for a time he had thought his own. Fortunately, he was pretty skilled at masking his expression and she seemed focused on her painting, anyhow. He took another dose of whiskey from his glass, holding it in his mouth a moment to distract himself with the burn before he swallowed it down to respond. “The warding business. Tha’s not quite the only reason I’m here, but… I happened to come upon another ship. Losin’ Eternity was enough, an’ this one’s got some sentiment to it. Then there’s Nort’s pit we’re cleanin’ up for th’ fights an’ ironically enough, it might take some magic t’ keep the magic out of it. We all know I’m not the biggest fan o’ the stuff, but I got things to consider, now. Things t’ protect. An’ yer about the only one I know or could… trust… to maybe… fin’ a happy medium on th’ matter.” Finally, and boldly, Leo began to prowl the room at a patient pace, glancing over some of the artwork and parchment atop surfaces, memorizing some of the things he would see in a glance, maybe wandering to a window to check out the view of Cenril if there was one in that particular room. “I know yer a busy lady an’ all that, an’... I know I’m pro’lly the last person you’d wanna help. I’d try a bribe but you seem t’ be doin’ pretty damn well for yerself…” His statement underlined by another look around the space they occupied.

Khitti cast a sidelong glance at the rogue as he spoke, though her line of sight did not linger long. She couldn’t help but smirk when he mentioned the word ‘trust’, but she said nothing for the moment, letting him finish his thought. “You? Trust me? I feel like I should be flattered or something,” she said, that smirk still present and on display for him to see. “I can do it. As long as you’re fine with me chiseling runes into your ships. They can be hidden behind things or painted over, of course, if you think it needs it. I’d just need to keep a list for myself, in case I needed to repair them or something, so I don’t lose track of where they are. It’d be kept hidden though.” She finished with her painting, but still sat there, staring at it, that smirk long since gone and replaced with furrowed brows and a slight frown. “But, before I agree to it, I have to ask…” The frown worsened a little, a wave of anxiety washing over the redhead as she suddenly realized she wasn’t sure if she -did- want to ask and that there was no backing out of it now. “Why do you think I think so little of you?” She took up her own glass of whiskey and pushed herself up out of her seat, leaving the painting to dry before she would frame it and have it sent to Valrae’s office. “And to be perfectly honest, the only reason why I have all of this is due to two things: 1. Brand, and 2. I’m apparently a workaholic that doesn’t know when to quit and it’s probably going to kill me at some point, but better that than something else that I can’t control. I’d probably still be living in the inn in Frostmaw with very little, and likely still a vampire, if it weren’t for him.”

Leoxander sent a look right back for her remark. One that said without so many words, ‘Don’t push it’ with the trust thing. He wasn’t well versed at extending the primordial olive branch, so to speak, but here he was, making some effort. As she set up for that question, he finished off what was left in his glass in case he needed that extra helping of liquor to find an acceptable answer, but that wasn’t what he was expecting her to ask. There was a small stretch of silence to follow it, giving her the opportunity to speak on regarding her personal life, though she went into detail on that about as far as he would expect her to. “I’ve seen that look a lot. The one you gave me in the J.R. when Meri brought you ladies in about the ‘Compass’, or whatever the hell those blaggards called it. It’s funny…” It wasn’t at all, but sometimes a little sarcasm soothed the sting. “...I spent a lot’a time alone an’ people decided to talk a’lot a (censored) about me. Who I was, what I was, what I’d done…” He idly scratched the thick stubble growing in on the edge of his jaw and averted his eyes briefly before focusing back toward her. “Now I got the crew, go to these bloody prance aroun’ parties, -talk- to people now an’ then an’... nobody gives a damn anymore. But the way you watched me that night… nothin’ good comes from a look like that.” Whether she had a response to that or not, Leo did add a murmur of observation at some point that didn’t necessarily need to be addressed, but he did watch her expression carefully when he said it. “I’ll take a wild guess an’ say that day on the beach was the first time you’ve taken a minute f’yerself in awhile.”

Khitti turned herself around, still choosing to stand, leaning somewhat against the drawing table with her backside. Her line of sight never fully settled on the blonde, instead always finding something else to look at as he spoke and let that silence linger between them for a bit. “I suppose I’m a bit like you in that regard,” she said, not elaborating until she finished her drink and put down the glass. “Trust doesn’t come naturally to me. Never did. Not even back home. Sometimes there’s people I connect with instantly, -somehow-, but others… it takes a while. I think some of it might’ve been that you remind me of Brand sometimes. Of how he used to be. Of how I still am. Closed off. Wanting to rely only on yourself. All that. It’s like looking in a mirror I don’t want to look into. Which is…not your fault, so I’m sorry.” The redhead sighed and rubbed at her eyes a bit. “And no, I don’t usually take much time for myself, if any. And usually when I do, it just ends up being more work.”

Leoxander found it a curious coincidence that she used that phrase about not wanting to look in the mirror. Although she might have never had the chance to notice, those closer to the rogue had - he couldn’t meet his reflection in a looking glass for more than a skip of a beat, literally. What was more surprising was her apology, which caused his eyes to narrow and a knot to etch into his brow, but not due to suspicion or anger. He almost looked annoyed by the fact she was saying sorry, shaking his head to dismiss it at once with a raise of his empty, branded but wrapped palm while the empty glass hung from the fingerprints of the other at his side. “I didn’ come here for penance, Red. Truth is… had I known you don’t exactly crave to stick a knife in my skull, I’da come callin’ sooner. But it’s pro’lly foolish o’ me to be out here tryin’ to hire you when you’ve got a shipload of work a’ready on the horizon…” He glanced down at his empty glass and perhaps for his own habit of averting his gaze or to benefit hers, he turned to look out the window again. Also a subtle display of evidence of that trust, turning his back partly toward her as his nocturnal eyes scanned Cenril, the painted sky gradually darkening and spots of lamp lights popping up in the streets and buildings. He needed a view like that over the island.

Khitti’s anxiety demanded she overthink the look on Leo’s face when she apologized, but his brushing it off helped shove that need away, a little. “The difference with this is that I actually like the work I do with magic. I don’t like the work I have to do for all this politics nonsense that I’ve been pulled into again. So, taking care of these wards will be like a day off for me, essentially.” She walked off for a moment to grab the bottle of whiskey and returned, pouring herself another glass and leaving the bottle for him if he wanted more. I could use more like it from time to time, to be honest. It breaks up the monotony of things. Helps keep the annoyance at bay of having to sit through yet another meet and greet of someone in Vailkrin that supposedly wants my support for their cause that I’m not even sure if I can properly give because I’m neither undead nor a permanent resident of that region anymore.“ There was no sipping of her alcohol this time, as she properly downed it all in one go. “I miss going on adventures with Meri or Brand. And beating the hell out of people that aren’t undead slaves to a demi-god for once. Even with the Blood Bowl, Khitt’s getting a little stir crazy too.”

Leoxander turned from the window after a moment - about that moment she spoke of adventure and brawls. He could relate to that all too well. Leo might have settled down in the sense he established some security and claim on the island, but he was far from domesticated, and never would pine for the lifestyle of luxury and lounge. “Doesn’t matter how many times they switch the seats an’ crowns. They’ll always fin’ a reason to piss on each other’s feet.” That crude remark was almost more to himself than to her. “I guess I’m fortunate to have half a sea between them an’ us.” Tempted by the call of a second pour, he stepped closer to do just that, though he was mentally keeping track of the time and the general atmosphere of that room as to not overstay his welcome. It was a relief to know she didn’t hate him, could tolerate being in a room with him, but it seemed best to keep their interaction in small doses, for now. Especially since she had mentioned the comparison to Brand. “I’m sure I could find you plenty of distraction out there t’get you out’a the rat race. I know you got yer obligations, an’ I’d say things’d be jus’ fine without you for a spell, but I doubt this bloody place’ll ever be fine -with- you.” He mulled over that thought and paused for a drink before he added with a general gesture in the direction of the other rooms, where he vaguely scented the individual scents of her children. “Could even bring the lot.” He kind of smirked with that offer. Rynvale wasn’t exactly the most family-friendly place in all of Lithrydel but resident offspring were pretty accustomed to the chaos of their world. “Bet yer husband an’ Khitt alike would find some interests t’ dig into, an there’s quite a bit of vacancy for a stay, yet.” If he was trying to convince her, he was doing so casually. Putting that unseen invitation on the table as he replaced the whiskey bottle in a more literal sense.

Khitti actually laughed. She laughed! It wasn’t often she did it of late, but she couldn’t not at the thought of bringing the whole family over to Rynvale. “That’s just begging to have the whole island set on fire. Or worse.” What could be worse than setting the whole island on fire? Well. Khitti doesn’t elaborate. She’ll just let Leo come up with things with his own imagination. “Dunno if Brand would come along anyway. He’s been sort of… going through a midlife crisis, ever since Annette had Lucien. It uh… gets complicated when you share a body with someone else… It’s the equivalent of being shut up in a room for nine months with nothing but yourself and your thoughts. He was okay with it going into the whole ordeal, but coming out of it wasn’t so great.” She just sighed and shook her head. “He’ll come out of it eventually. Maybe. I dunno. But, I’m sure Khitt would be interested in the fighting you mentioned, of Nortengaal’s.” She stopped and side-eyed nothingness, like she was thinking of something. “Correction. He is -very- interested in joining.” Just then, a black-haired four year old wandered up to the art room’s door, rubbing his eyes with his fists. “Mommy… Kevin laid an egg in my bed again.” The redhead promptly facepalmed, embarrassment written all over her face. “He has pet chickens,” she explained. “Who is this, mommy?” Dominic was obviously speaking about Leo and Khitti could only give her son a few blinks before she set down her glass and went over to him, picking him up so the two of them could eye the blonde. “Well. He’s a friend of your Aunt Meri. And mine too, I suppose. He’s the one I got that tattoo from, for you, a few months ago.” The still semi-sleepy kid perked up a bit at the mention of the tattoo, while his mother tapped her chin in thought. “You could call him Uncle Leo, if he’s fine with it. Seeing as how your actual Uncle Lio has disappeared on us again. But, that’s up to him, of course.”

Leoxander | Now that, Leoxander could not relate to. While the kid’s name brought up memories that might share some similar emotions between two men already deemed alike, he could only imagine how difficult it would be to share a wife, even under those strange circumstances, particularly since he was betrothed to Loravelle. “Someday yer gonna have to explain a little on how that all works between you an’...” He didn’t need to say Khitt’s name, and wouldn’t be too disappointed if she said it wasn’t something she wanted to discuss. Curiosity at war with his common sense of ‘I don’t need to know’ basis. Especially when Khitti seemed to take a moment to commune with something he couldn’t see or hear. It was cause enough for him to finish his glass and recognize it was about time to end that unexpected visit. Just as he set his empty glass next to hers, his gaze snapped up to see the sleepy boy’s approach and he hoped his mother didn’t make good on that promise to throw him off the third floor. Leo never was very good with kids, even if he had one somewhere out there in a realm of existence, recently confirmed. Loravelle’s nephew San Bao was tolerable, but that was most likely because the boy reminded Leo of himself, or what he could recall from that age.maybe slightly older than the kid standing before him, now. Dominic’s arrival had caught him somewhat off guard, but that didn’t compare to how shocked he was to hear the witch introduce him as ‘Uncle Leo: a friend’. “Sure, sprat. Call me whatever floats yer boat.” He didn’t approach the mother and son pair for any sort of formal handshake but he did make his way to the door to pause a moment there. “A’right then, -sis-.” Sarcasm on the emphasized word, but in good humor. “I guess I’ll expect you to drop in, sometime. Simon, at the inn, he'll know where t' fin' me.” No thanks was issued for the beverage, but the look in his eyes had shifted from cautious and pensive to a lighter version laced with amusement and satisfaction, that bit of weight he carried in relation to thinking she disliked him lifted. Unless she stopped him, his right hand raised in a gesture of farewell with a click at the side of his mouth to accompany a faint wink for the two, and down he went to retrieve his boots and leave the property.

Khitti just shrugged at Leo. “Yeah maybe at some point I’ll explain. But like I said before, it’ll probably give you a headache. Certainly gave Meri one. Chrono and spatiomancy’ll do that, I guess.” She made an face when he called her ‘sis’, one that obviously meant she wasn’t exactly keen on it. “None of that. I’m not adopting anyone else into this family. The last one’s given me enough trouble as it is.” The last one, of course, being Quintessa. “And yeah, I’m sure I’ll come and find you at some point. Send me a list of things you want the ships warded against and I’ll get those sigils worked up in the meantime, so I can copy them easier.” The talk of work was tiring for the kid who just wanted to play, so tiring he was already falling back asleep again. “Looks like you lucked out. I won’t be tossing you off the balcony today. Maybe next time!” Sorry, Leo, casually threatening people with violence is one of her love languages (though obviously this one was intended platonically). She wouldn’t stop him, as he went to leave, giving him time to do so before she followed after him to put Dominic back in his room on the second floor of the apartment. She’d contemplate more whiskey, but would forego it for now, deciding to go and check on Lucien instead and returning to her art.