RP:Flirting With Disaster

Summary: Tiber flips out, upon seeing that Lanara went ahead and did some redecorating, without his consent. After a heated argument, the pair heads to the Lazy Eel Lounge, in hopes of using the pretty elf's charm to woo unsuspecting males, while they are robbed of their wallets. The reason for such immoral dealings, is because Tiber spent fifty thousand gold to buy a 'slave' off of some drug dealers in Cenril. Lanara hopes to get him his gold back, though she defies him at nearly every turn. The club is packed, and after stealing three wallets, Lana spies a pretty redhead talking to her 'master' and jealousy strikes. In turn, the elf sits on the lap of some rich guy, and as he leans in to do a body shot, jealousy strikes Tiber and he drags Lana out of the club. Once outside, the two have an intense fight, and while the woman is vulnerable, the male is closed off, and they realize they may have a bit of an attraction to each other, though neither of them is ready for a relationship. The night ends after a mild game of truth or dare, and the dysfunctional duo heads home.

(Post 1 of 2) The door to Tiberius’ guest bedroom has been closed since Lanara had returned from running a few errands, several hours ago. She had returned with a plethora of items, haphazardly thrown into boxes and bags, and it had taken her two trips to bring everything into the apartment. The ice box had been filled with beverages, the fruit bowl had been replenished, a new curtain hung over the kitchen window, and Salem had his own little set up in the far corner of the kitchen, complete with food bowls, a placemat, and a litter box. The witch also had brought over a few decorations for the apartment, as it felt too much of a bachelor pad to her, and since she’d be living with Tiber for the next two weeks, she had made a few minor adjustments. The living room couch now holds a trio of hot pink, fluffy, pillows, complete with a shag throw rug. A few heart shaped frames hang upon the walls of the hallway, each holding a drawing of a cat, dog, or rabbit. The drawings look like chicken scratch, marring the wall with poorly scribbled beasts, and likely were gifts from the children at the orphanage. The final touches of the witch were placed in the wash room, and if the lycan had a sensitivity to scents, he would be repulsed by the aroma of lavender. Candles had been set up near each corner of the tub, the commode, and the sink. A full-length mirror is affixed to the back of the door, and garlands of fresh flowers have been draped over the towel racks and fixtures. The vanity now houses various bottles of perfumes, feminine products, and a make-up kit. All in all, Lanara had been very busy and put that permission slip to good use!

(Post 2 of 2) The witch is heard can be heard humming a popular tune of the Backstreet Bards as she gets herself ready for their evening at the Lazy Eel Lounge. It was a popular club in Cenril, and they often had a ‘VIP Only’ rule, however, Lana had managed to score two passes for tonight. The black kitten spent most of the day lounging at the edge of Tiber’s bed, though he wakes up hungry and claws at the guestroom door, wanting his fur mama to fill his bowl. The door opens, and Lana is dressed to kill in her silver stilettos, and strapless navy dress that ends inappropriately short, showing off her toned legs and slender thighs. The dress clings to the woman and one would wonder how she could breathe, as it’s practically painted upon her form, though it does wonders for the built in push-up bra, and showcases her legendary derriere. She had spent a good hour on her hair, which falls in loose curls to the middle of her back, lustrous, and silken to the touch. Dark kohl eyeliner accentuates her big brown eyes, and those impossibly long lashes have been painted in a black ink, to perfection. A clear gloss is dabbed over her sangria stained lips, before she tries to clasps a heart pendant around her neck, though she it proves to be a bit of a struggle. “TIBER!” She’s practically shouting, growing frustrated with the necklace, as she walks down the hall and into his bedroom, her heels announcing her arrival. “Can you lock this for me? I just painted my nails and they are tacky and I don’t want to keep bumping them…” Without waiting for an answer, she turns her back to him and brushes her long locks over her right shoulder, waiting for him to take each end of the silver rope. He’d notice that her fingernails matched her toes, painted in a pale pink polish, and that the witch was dressed to impress. They’d rob the men blind tonight!

Tiber lingered in his room at a desk up against a window. If Lanara would lean closer to the door, she might hear the sound of a quill tapping idly against a piece of parchment. The man had other work to do other than take care of a ‘slave’. He was working as a man that collected profit for doing sketchy deeds, and he was making bank from those tasks. He was scheming for his next mission that had to do with stealing some sort of valuable pendant with some magical powers or something. Later on, he decides to get dressed in a pair of grey slacks that fit his lean form quite nicely. He slips on a pair of black loafers and throws on a white button up and some sort of blazer that matches. A tie is thrown over his neck, but it is not in proper place, and he is not worried about it. What he is worried about is when Lanara shouts after him through his door. The wolf nearly rolls his eyes, but walks over to open the door to assist the woman who is helping him rob men blind. When he opens it, amber eyes dance upon her bare back as she holds those dark curls up. Her dress is scandalous, but all together she is… hot. He is stunned for a moment or two, but she would not notice due to facing the opposite direction. “Uh, you could knock,” he pretends to sound annoyed before fiddling with her chain and clip. His slender fingers graze the back of her neck as the necklace is officially clipped. He leans into whisper behind her. “All clipped,” and Tiberius would grin ever so charmingly. He then turns his head to the side down the hallway. Golden eyes grow wide at the heart-shaped frames that have fuzzy scribbled animals. “What the…” he extends his sentence as he begins to march down the hallway to inspect before he catches pink fluff in his peripheral. “No,” he storms into the living room exasperated. “No, no, no,” his voice is in a panic and his accent grows thicker where it is almost hard to understand behind the Catalian roots. He is slurring some bitter words. His hands are entangled in his curly hair, and the wolf almost pulls it clean out of his head, but instead he makes it stick out in different places. It was as if he was whipped and had a girlfriend, but he was not getting any sort of sexy surprise. He rips a pillow off the couch before throwing it at her. “This is sh*t. Not tasteful. It’s tacky and disgusting. It looks like if I had a sister, she puked up her birthday cake.” His eyes are tense. “Take it back. All of it, Lanara.”

Lanara turns around to smile at Tiber, once the necklace is clasped, “Thanks. You’d think they’d make this sort of thing easier. I mean… The cost of some jewelry! The least they could do is offer some sort of tool… Or an associate that would come at my beck and call to help me put it on and take it off.” She sighs, dramatically, as if putting on a necklace was the worst problem imaginable, before her eyes slightly widen and she takes in Tiber’s attire. He cleaned up good, and she gives him a lingering once over, before those hypnotic hues lift to lock on his face, though his amber hues are focused elsewhere. Oh dear. He spied the decorations! Lana is quick on his heels, sensing his blood boiling, and she’s mumbling apologies about how she has to have some sort of familiar things in his place, as she’s here for weeks, against both of their wills. The lycan isn’t hearing her, and she’s not understanding the Catalian he’s spewing, when he turns around and angrily hurls a pillow at her chest. “Tiberius!” She hadn’t expected the object, and it hits her and falls to the floor, a few strands of fluff tearing from the fabric. Lana looks sad, as her lips curve into a pout, and she bends to retrieve the pillow. He’s yelling, insulting her taste, and ordering her to return it to the small cottage she shared with her sister, and she absorbs all of his words. Something snaps in Lana then, as his words hit one of her triggers, and she hurls the pillow right back at him, using a little of her wind magic to hopefully knock him back a good foot or two. “We can play this one of two ways, Tiber… I don’t want to be here. You don’t want me here.” Silver heels click against the hardwood floor as she advances on the lycan, those brown eyes looking both hurt and intimidating at the same time. “You want my things out of here? Fine! If they go, so do I. Along with that fifty thousand gold you wasted on my life. I’ll be picked up by Skitch and his goons, and I’ll earn a good whipping. That should put a woman in her place, right? Except… I’m not anyone’s possession. And I have lost more than you’ll ever know, and I could honestly care less what happens to me at this point. You will have to pay another ten thousand to get me back… Or leave me to die. Do you really want to be out all that gold? Do you really want to lose your dream of living in Sage, all over some elf?!” Standing chest to chest with him now, she defiantly lifts her chin, hating that she finds him attractive and that he’s seeing her ugly side. Lana swallows, her cheeks flooding with color, as her hands are raised and she aims to fix his tie, “Or… You can take me out tonight, and we can work on getting you back some of your gold, just in case the hex falls through. And we can forget all about this little spat… And tonight, after the club… I will tell you why it’s so important to me to have a little bit of home with me… The choice is yours.” She’d pause, locking eyes with him, and with her fingertips on the knot of his tie, awaiting an answer. Should she stay, or leave?

The wolf catches the pillow as it knocks him back a foot. He is stronger than the average human, but she did not know that. He is easy with aggression due to the itching of the beast that lingers inside of him. He recognizes her sadness, but his fumed flat line of a mouth does not budge. It was hard to see past all the anger that was pointless. The man locks amber eyes on her own brown ones, and he finds her speech like rustled wind. She is upset; he could register that, but he could not understand what she was actually saying. “You’re telling me that you can’t last two weeks without this garb—“ and she cuts him off with talking about putting a woman in her place. Tiber was a bad dude, but he would not hit a chick unless it was a brawl. Lanara was not some buff chick who did not give a rip. She had feelings, and she was an actual woman that liked to do lady things. The rogue registers how sensitive she is and he takes note before letting her stomp all over him with verbal threats. Her threats make him bitter, but as she begins to adjust his tie, his shoulders ease. They were fighting over decorations. “First of all, don’t threaten me out of wealth. That’s not a good game to pick with me,” he says rather flatly. “Second, I’m not a woman beater, and I don’t think I have to say anymore on that one because if I do, I will be pissed,” and his hefty tone said it all. He then exhales, “Third, this is my place. You’re here for two weeks. You could’ve just told me you wanted some stuff. Not asking fires me up because this is –my- safe sanctuary. Between all the bad shit, this is where I come, okay?” Tiberius has hard eyes on her, and he feels almost weak in the knees that she has such a hold on him. She was a girl with fluffy pink pillows with a rainbow smile. “Before you do anything stupid like get beat by a drug dealer and sold off to someone who would do worse, take me out. I’ll buy you a drink, and you’ll do what we agreed upon. We’ll come home, and you can unravel all those irritated and sentimental thoughts of yours. Deal?” There was a beat as he stared at her. “Now let’s hit the road, Stacy,” he rolls his tongue over the plain name before pulling the tie away from her. He walks and finishes with the adjustments by tucking the collar over the neck of the tie.

Lanara had expected him to tackle her, honestly, or insult her few belongings a little more. She didn’t expect him to verbally talk down the situation. He lists off the things that upset him, and she would do the same, if the fight hadn’t already gone out of her, and so she sadly stares up at him. Tiber hardly knew her, or her past, and she was a fool to think this would be easy. Sure, the lycan is struggling with having to share his space with a stranger, who happens to love girly decorations and animals. He’s out fifty thousand gold, and having to pretend to be her ‘owner’ to save both their hides. However, her side of things wasn’t rosy, either. She had to give up her freedom, which is torture in itself, for someone that enjoys exploring the forests, bathing in the moon, and generally being outdoors. She misses her menagerie of animals, and the idea of sleeping with only one kitten is sheer horror. Tiber has little knowledge about her family dying, and Taly being the only remaining relative, but he doesn’t know that she was homeless for the past decade, and so she has to bring a piece of home with her, wherever she travels. The witch wasn’t claiming a stake to his property; she just hated him abusing her items… Because what means so little to others, means the world to this woman. She could play coy, and enjoy the finer things in life from time to time, but deep down, she wasn’t just a beauty queen. She was an actual girl next door, with a big heart, that she rarely let show. Now, however, as Tiber’s expression softens, she finds herself caught off-guard, and she breaks eye contact, blinking back several tears. “It’s fine. You’re right. It’s just stupid stuff, and I invaded your private space. I’m… I’m sorry. I’ll be ready in just a minute.” She feigns a smile as he tries to lighten the mood, and she watches as he walks off to fix his own tie. Lana doesn’t open her mouth to say another word, she doesn’t trust herself around this man, as she had let him see her vulnerable side. And she hates that he’s seen her at her weakest moment, twice, already. The walls would have to go back up, and so she takes a step away from him and picks up the pillow from the floor, before retrieving the two others from the couch. She would not cry. She would not cry. She would not cry. Dammit. A single tear breaks free and spills onto her cheek, marring her mascara, which she’d have to reapply. Great. Heels clicking against the floor, she slips the frames from the walls, and marches into the guest room, where she deposits everything on the center of the bed. Salem is still loudly protesting, and he comes over to rub against her bare leg, as though sensing her distress. “Shh. I’m fine. I just thought… I don’t know.” The brush is dipped in the ink, and she waits for her lashes to dry, before slipping into the kitchen and pouring some kibble for the kitten. With a final sniffle, she clears her throat, puts her game face on, and meets Tiber at the door, though she’s unable to meet his gaze. “Stacy is ready to go. But we have to take the path, because these shoes will sink in the sand!” It was show time.

Tiberius was not the sentimental man that women dreamed of. There were times where he said the right thing, but most times his words were layered with a coated bitter shell. Although Tiberius was a smooth talker, the man could never keep a woman and it was probably because he did not put up with the emotional needs for women. The man could never deal with his own let alone another. He caught the hint of her anxiety creeping up on her, yet he continued waiting towards the door while she needed another minute. The only thing running through his mind was the thought of having two weeks with her. She was vulnerable towards him, but he could not give her that much in return. As she returns, he recognizes that she is not looking at him, but he is not phased. Instead, he leans a hand on the door handle and clicks it open. “The path… Okay,” he mumbles before holding the door open to her for exit purpose. The wolf was a gentlemen in some aspects. As they walk, they walk in silence and the itch is coming back to his neck. He should say something… anything. “Listen, I know change is hard. It seems like it’s extremely difficult for you due to our… uh… situation. I know you’re out of your element, and I apologize for my attitude. I’m just… so used to living on my own. First it’s you and then the cat and then the decorations. It was too much for me.” He paused. “By the way, you look incredible. Guys are going to be on their knees right at the door for you,” he smirked. Tiberius did not say that very often. He then continued back to what he was originally saying. “What I’m trying to say is, I’ll try to be flexible for these two weeks. Then, you won’t have to run up my alley ever again and me with yours.” They walk the path and there are plenty of people out tonight. Some drunk. Some on family evening walks. Some on extravagant dates.

Lanara walks beside Tiber, her hues sparkling as the moon lights their way towards the Lazy Eel Lounge, the hottest club in the lands. She’s excited to dance with some hotties, rake some coin, and have a much needed drink or four. The lycan was saying all the wrong things now, when she much preferred the silence, and she gives him a sidelong glance. The flicker of light dulls in her eyes as he mentions that she’s ‘too much of an emotional mess’ and that the kitten and the decorations topped the cake. He wanted them to be civil towards each other, but not cross the friend threshold. He wanted the next two weeks to be a breeze, and to never have to lay eyes upon her again. Never before had someone been so brutally honest with the woman, and though his words sting, she knows it’s all for the best. She’s still a work in progress, and though she has let go about a lot of past issues, a few still remain. The man was her type, therefore he was dangerous. She didn’t want to develop a crush on someone who would stomp all over her feelings, and as far as being emotionally high maintenance… Well, Lanara had baggage. If she were to ever find love again, she’d want it to be with someone that was putty in her hands, yet a tough guy to everyone else in the realm. She wasn’t one to put up with female friends, and Tiber likely didn’t have a shortage of women throwing themselves at his feet. Lana’s stunning to gaze upon, the perfect friend for a night on the town, and she’s fiercely protective about those she cares for… Yet, she has triggers, a quick temper, jealousy and trust issues, and at times her mood swings are unpredictable. It’s better for her to avoid this man that fits her dating criteria… Blonde haired, bad boy, who challenged her, yet disarmed her all the same. She was a fool to think it was ‘fate’ that had put them in each other’s path; it was nothing more than Tiber being a nice guy and saving her legendary ass from a life of servitude. Did he just give her a compliment? As he’s forming a half-assed explanation, she’s having racing thoughts, and remaining eerily silent. Why did she even care what he thought!? Lana’s angrily clicking her heels against the path, drawing the lingering eye of a few men that are waiting to enter the club, though she avoids meeting their gaze. “It’s fine, Tiber. I messed up, so please, don’t apologize. It’s not a big deal. I won’t be home much… Just keep giving me permission slips, and I’ll only be at your place to sleep. Also… Monday will bring a full moon. I’ll work on the spell, so that the hex works faster than originally intended. Maybe we can get out of this ‘arrangement’ before the two week marker.” They both fall silent as they are whisked past the red velvet rope, and the bouncer winks at Lana, earning a wink in return. Peering over her slender shoulder, only now does Lana meet Tiber’s gaze, though it’s hard for her to shout over the blaring music, so she grabs his hand, and tugs him gently through the crowd and to the bar. Sliding onto a stool at his side, she crosses her long legs, and leans in enough so that her words would reach his ears, “So… The plan should be simple. I can go and dance with a few random guys… I’ll get in their pockets, and deposit their gold with you, when I decide to come back and get a breather. Meanwhile, you will stake out the biggest target in the room. Look for a man with shiny, expensive, shoes. That should be our best bet, though he’ll likely have a few others with him, so I’ll distract him while you rob him, okay?” The bartender arrives with a tray of drinks, seven in fact, all from suitors that had caught a glimpse of the brunette entering the room. Lana asks which men they were from, and after the bartender points to each one, the witch would smile and wave as a means of gratitude. “This will be so easy! Here…” Motioning to the beverages, she lets Tiber take his pick, as she slips from the stool, intent on getting the party started. “We’ll regroup a half hour before closing… That’s when they play the sole slow song of the night. I’ll need you to whisk me out of here, so we aren’t tailed, and so no one tries to take me home.” She grins and pokes his shoulder, “Don’t get too jealous watching me out there with all those men.”

Tiberius walks with one hand in his pocket while the other one pulls out a cigarette from his blazer. He does not smoke it yet until she gives him the silent treatment. The stick is lit, and he inhales a puff of smoke and lets the smoke drag through his lips. The man keeps his distance to make sure she is not suffocating by the toxic fumes. The wolf feels the intense clicking of her heels across the path, and he knows he is saying the wrong thing, so when she throws a fit and suggests him giving her permission slips, he shrugs and takes another drag of smoke. Tiber is not pleased with what she is saying, but he figures the more he talks he is in the wrong, so he remains silent until they get closer to the door. The man notices the wink he gives Lanara, but after he winks towards Lanara he glares at Tiber due to the cigarette. “Fine,” he then takes the smoke between two fingers and lets it drop dramatically while giving him a smart-ass face before looking at Lanara with some sort of blank and sulky stare. He was a hoot—not. When she grabs his hand, he lets her lead him in. He plays the role as if things cool down and they are actually friendly. He sits and leans in. He looks over her head making eyes with the bartender before responding shortly. “Sounds reasonable.” He gazes her over and gives her a small smile, but it is short-lived. The man grabs a drink which seems to be like vodka mixed with something mysterious. “I’ll keep my distance and scope things out. You enjoy yourself in the meantime. I’ll find you towards the end of the night as well.” He shrugged and took a drink. He then looks at the suitors that are eyeing her from afar. “I’d go with the one with the darkest hair. He looks like he likes someone who plays hard-to-get, but at the same time he is easy because he likes to portray himself that way for girls,” he smirks and raises his glass towards him. The man he talks about is a man with dark, almost-black hair with intense blue eyes. The suitor has stubble and he is dressed in a navy button-up and grey slacks. His blazer is over one shoulder as if he is trying to attract different women, but he avoids gazes to remain ‘mysterious’. “How I know that is because whenever he looks at you and then you look at him, he looks away like he was looking over you or something. It’s pretty pathetic.” The Catalian then takes another swig of liquor before searching for the main target in the room for Lanara’s hunt tonight.

Lanara isn’t a fan of smoking, though she’s had a few cigarettes here and there, depending on the situation. She wasn’t one to become addicted to such things, and the smell gave her a bit of a headache. She scrunches her nose, and gently elbows Tiber, grateful that he was considerate and exhaled in the opposite direction. “Ya know… There are other vices out there… Why not become addicted to chocolate? Or adopting animals? Or se-“ Her voice trails off as her words hang in the air, a smirk lining her lips, as the bouncer asked Tiber to snuff out his smoke. Several minutes later, as the lycan is downing some vodka cocktail, she throws back a shot of tequila, which would be her only drink of the night. She had to keep her eyes on the prize, and she was such a lightweight with liquor. The last thing she needed was to be tipsy and throw herself into the arms of would-be suitors, unaware. A buzz, however, was necessary for such an occasion. Lana’s already forgotten about their spat, and Tiber would be able to see that she’s calmed down, as her eyes are scoping out possible targets, and she’s subtly swaying her hips to the music. Coming from a background of dancing, this was the next best thing, if she couldn’t have her forest and animals. The witch was in her element, and she shifts her attention from the men towards the women. Most of them were leggy blondes, human, and desperate. There’s also a redhead in the far corner, making eyes at Tiber, and a few dark-skinned islanders from Rynvale. Thankfully, Lanara seems to be the only elf, and the only attractive brunette in the place, so she’d stand out like a sore thumb on the dance floor. This would be an easy night! She pauses in her homework, as she hears mention of the well-dressed man with piercing blue eyes, and she cranes her neck slightly to size him up. He was handsome. Obviously wealthy. And he carried his blazer, as if he wasn’t sure if he should stay and chat up a woman, or leave the place, entirely. She scoffs and rolls her eyes, before catching Tiber’s gaze, “I –hate- men like that… He gets props for attempting to be mysterious. But I prefer a man that is aggressive in his pursuit that just grabs what he wants, and doesn’t beat around the bush. Mixed signals are –not- sexy… He’s used to getting what he wants, likely still hanging onto his mother’s apron strings, as he has the whole spoiled look down pat… Naturally, I’ll play hard to get. He’ll come crawling.” Flashing a grin to Tiber, she leaves his side, every footfall being perfectly placed, and she obtains the perfect sway to her hips. She walks in the man’s line of view, and for a minute his mouth opens, though he quickly glances away, until she passes him right by. Only then would his head tilt, and he’d eye her extraordinary assets, the way the dress inches up her silken legs, and the expert way the woman tosses her hair over her shoulder. She was ravishing. And she had walked right by him, without a care in the world?! The male is flabbergasted, rethinking his own habits, as he watches the woman sidle up to some dork on the dance floor. The guy was wearing suspenders and overly large glasses, along with a rash of bad acne on his cheekbones, yet the elf had taken both of his hands and rested them on her hips. Was she seriously grinding against that dweeb?! Lana feels his eyes on her, and she catches the male’s face for a split second, knowing her little ploy is working. Was Tiber seeing this?! Every deliberate roll of her hips, every arch of her back, and every smoldering look that is given to the ‘dork’ and not the spoiled rich guy, is making the man hot under the collar. Finally, he musters the courage to waltz over to Lana, “Hey, Sugar. Mind joining me at the bar for a drink?” The witch batts her impossibly long lashes, nearly giving the man pressed against her back a coronary, as she looks into those blue eyes. “Sorry. Not interested.” And she’s off, brushing against them both, as she walks over to another male, this one with buck teeth and reeking of cabbage. She knew she’d be tailed by the ‘mysterious’ rich boy, and she can’t help but be amused. Meanwhile, the redhead bimbo in the corner makes her way over to Tiber and lowers herself onto the stool that Lana earlier occupied, “Hey there… Want to buy me a drink?”

The rogue was intrigued by the way the witch moved up against the man with the thick frames and bad skin. He had a smile from ear to ear as she began to sway and rub against his body with her own. The way she moved had him almost falling out of his seat as he watched her move to the next dude. She was something else when it came to using men. The way she was casting her own spell on them with her attitude and movements made him find her all the more attractive. The lycan was trying to deny that Lanara was his type, so he decides to down the rest of his drink and scope out the male that is the prime victim of the night. In the corner of the counter-top of the bar, there is a man surrounded by a couple ladies and a few men. No, it was not him. He was too show boat-ish, and the way his tie matched the rest of his attire made it seem that he did not know how to dress himself. The redhead then moves into his line of vision where Lanara originally sat. Although a bimbo, Tiber was intrigued by the locks that flowed from her hair and her straightforward demeanor. Amber eyes glaze over her frame as if he was ready to devour her. “Well, aren’t you to the point…” his eyes trace over her frame until they rest on her. He extends a hand out to reach the bartender. “Rum with something fruity for the lady, eh?” Tiber is not easy, but he would play the girls game. The woman leans a shoulder forward and leans in to speak to him over the loud music. She is tossing her hair, feeling her leg up and down, biting her lower lip. “And what should I call you?” He grins playfully as she sips her drink. He was playing the game and he was going to collect the prize. Tiberius genuinely seems into her from an outside perspective: he is laughing at her jokes, leaning into whisper in her ear occasionally, eyeing other men around the room as they watch him flirt with her. Red heads were dangerous. Most were psychotic, but they knew how to have fun. On the other hand, Lanara’s man that has the blazer follows her while she moves to the next man. “Hey, hey, you haven’t even given a dude a chance. I may be unappealing to you on the outside, but I’m quite the catch,” the dark haired man grins and throws his hands out and does a silly spin on purpose. “Besides, I can buy you a drink. Would you really turn down free booze?” Blue eyes linger on her while she dances with the bucktooth fellow who is clearly disturbed by the dark haired man’s presence.

Lanara throws her head back and laughs as the man with the blazer does a perfect pirouette, and she can’t help but feel sorry for the poor guy. He thought he could impress her with charm, as if his looks alone were why she wasn’t interested. She only had one interest in this male. His coin. And she’s about to shut him down again, but the bucktooth with body odor gets somewhat brazen and lowers his hand from the small of her back, to cup her most pronounced curve. It’s not the first time she’s been groped, and it wouldn’t be the last, but she didn’t sign up to be pawed at by some man that would never catch her eye, even on his best day. Lowering her right hand, she aims for his pants pocket, to snatch his wallet, as she dips her figure to the floor, only to slowly inch upright again, with her long locks a tousled mess, spilling across her cleavage. The man is dumbfounded, and even the blazer male stares at the woman, as though he’s paralyzed in place. Lana however, has nailed the target, as she slips his coin pouch into her clutch. She gives the man a final wink, and looks for her next victim, though movement catches her eye, and she watches the redhead curl up against Tiber. That was –her- seat. That was –her- tray of drinks. She couldn’t lay any claim to her ‘owner’ though she’s a little annoyed at how he’s leaning in and giving his wolfish grin to the bimbo. Hadn’t she told him to stay away from red heads?! They were all troublesome tramps, and the only one in the realm who was a redhead and didn’t meet that criteria was her friend Khitti. However, that was –not- Khitti that he just purchased a fruity drink for, and Lana stands there, her eyes narrowed. Was she jealous?! Decision made, she grabs the tie of the man with the blazer, half-choking him as he’s drug across the dance floor and over to the bar. “What’s your name?” She hisses, and he nervously replies, “Blaze” while breaking out in a sweat. Lana went from ignoring him, to being all over him, and he wasn’t sure how to react. He digs the attention though, and as he aims to sit down, Lana climbs onto the stool and slides onto his lap, curling her arm around his shoulders. The witch makes sure she’s in Tiber’s line of sight as she snaps her fingers and calls the bartender over, “We’d like to do some body shots, please!” Breathlessly, she giggles, while fixing his tie, and leaning in to peer into his blue eyes, her lips dangerously close to his own. However, she doesn’t kiss him; she merely turns her head at the last second, and whispers something in his ear that causes him to turn ten shades of crimson. The redheaded woman beside Tiber can’t help but giggle as he eyes her body, and she slowly sips her drink, leaning in even closer, “My name’s Naomi… So… What’s your name? Do you come here often? I am here all the time, just looking for Mister Right. Tell me about yourself… What sort of woman are you looking for, I know you aren’t just here for the drinks.” Lana hears Naomi speaking, and she’s fighting not to roll her eyes. She was looking for Mister Right Now, Tiber! Don’t fall for it! Mentally, she’s cursing herself for caring. He was her type… So what? He didn’t want her in his home, let alone for a date. Those dark chocolate eyes seem even darker as she imagines herself scalping the poor redhead, and Blaze is calling her alias, “Stacy… Stacy, baby! The drinks are here!” Snapping to attention, Lana tilts her head and bares her neck and collarbone, the strapless dress hugging her curves, creating the most delectable elven display. Blaze’s eyes widen as he puts the lime wedge between the woman’s lush lips, and he finds himself shaking as he drags his tongue across her collarbone, just missing the dangling heart around her neck. Next, he sprinkles some salt onto his saliva, coating the line with the white powder, before he leans in and quickly licks it up, downs the shot, and leans up to press his lips against Lana’s, where he takes the piece of lime from her mouth. It’s hard to tell whether Lana is truly into the man or not, at this point, as she hungrily eyes his mouth, and leans in to whisper in his ear.

Tiber finds the attractive witch in his peripheral. The man peers around the redhead and frowns that Lanara is in his line of sight with Blaze. The beast within hears the glamorous, jealous girl holler that they needed body shots. Body shots? His brows furrow, but as Naomi questions his gaze, he pretends to act confused as if he forgot something to shake off the narrowed gaze. Actual touching was not incorporated in their plan. Was it? He did want her to woo the man, but he was obviously wooed before the shots. As the redhead introduces herself, he fakes the most sly smile he can muster. “Naomi? Beautiful, foreign,” he begins to speak a few fluent words in a different language. Preferably where the origin where her name is from. The redhead is all giggles and is eating up the language. “That’s hot,” she tucks a strand of red curls behind her ear. Her bright green eyes that have too much makeup glance away in shy behavior of his foreign words. Tiber then responds to her questions. “I’m Kel, and I don’t come here. First time,” lies. “I’m from Venturil. I don’t know what I find in a woman, but I do enjoy redheads,” he twirls a finger around her hair. “You’re so aggressive, I like it,” he crinkles his nose in a feisty grin. As he hears the call of Stacy, eyes fall on Lanara. The body shots begin and Tiber reaches over to grab a nearby drink off the tray. Eyes flicker back and forth between Naomi and Lanara. He watches how the dark haired man glides his tongue along her collarbone and his fists tighten around the glass of whisky he had grabbed off the tray. He takes a long swig before slamming the glass back down on the table in a bit of a rage. The last straw was when their mouths met. “Excuse me, Naomi. Perhaps I’ll see you around, I have to take my friend home now.” At this point he is gritting his teeth and does not wait for Naomi’s reaction. Instead, he strides over to Lanara and Blaze. A slender hand extends once he reaches the two and it grasps her arm to pull her off of the man. Whether she came or not, he was trying not to blow up. “Get up. We’re leaving, now,” he was stern, and his eyes were tense. Perhaps he was also the jealous type. Okay, he was not happy with the touching. That was obvious. The man would then begin to walk—either if he still had her in his hand or not.

Lanara laughs at something Blaze said, though she’s not entirely paying attention, and the male frowns. “Stacy. I just told you that my grandmother died last week. Why is that so funny?” Her dark eyes look at Naomi’s red locks, and the woman is very much seeing red, as Tiber talks to her in some foreign language. Lanara was jealous! This was unexpected. She didn’t want a label. She had sworn off getting intimate with anyone. She was his ‘slave’ for the next two weeks, and they could barely manage to get along for more than an hour without triggering each other. Suddenly, this crazy plan of robbing men wasn’t sounding so great, and she feels sick to her stomach. Tiber wasn’t her pimp, and she wasn’t the type to parade around and hurt people. She’d figure out another way to get back his money after tonight, and it wouldn’t involve playing the part of a bimbo. Blaze reaches for the second shot of tequila, about to do another body shot and forget the slight about his grandmother when Tiber slams his glass against the table. All three of them look at the male, though it’s Naomi that rests her palm on his bicep, “Kel… Did I say something wrong? What… Friend?” Her green gaze shifts, and she finds him looking at the brunette perched on Blaze’s lap, and she frowns. “Oh. I see. Well… Thank you for the drink!” She finishes her beverage and is sizing up Blaze, as Lana is literally tugged from his lap, by the arm. ”Ouch! What the heck?” She’s so caught off guard by his random behavior that she lands awkwardly and there’s a crunching sound as her heel snaps. Thankfully, she catches herself and manages to slip her hand into the coat pocket of Blaze, using this moment to steal his wallet. “My heel broke! Dammit. Uh… I’m sorry, Blaze… My friend here is, um, sick?” With jealousy. Was that it? Was Tiber jealous of the body shot taken off her collar bone?! She’s secretly thrilled, if that’s the case. “I’ll see you another night, okay?” Blaze is pouting, wondering if he should protest or fight this man that had taken hold of ‘Stacy’ and as he meets that amber gaze, he knows to back down. The dude was fuming. And he didn’t want to wreck his designer suit. A minute later Tiber is half-dragging and half-leading Lana through the crowd of clubbers, as she awkwardly limps at his side, vowing to tear off the heels once they are outdoors. Blaze offers up a drink to Naomi, and those two strike up a conversation, as the band plays the sole slow song of the night. It was their cue to leave, anyway, after all. Once the door is opened and the salty breeze welcomes them to the outdoors, Lana yanks her arm out of Tiber’s grasp and hobbles over to a bench. “Wait. I have to take off my shoe. The heel snapped…” There’s a pause, as she studies him, and reaches down to undo the strap on the silver shoe. Once it’s off, she moves to remove the other one, and carries them both in her hand, while the other holds her clutch. “I managed to snatch three wallets. Though if we stayed a little later, I could have gotten you more…” She holds her purse out, as a peace offering, of sorts, as they lock eyes. Lana is smart enough not to poke at him here, as several people loiter outside the club, so once he takes the purse, she’d walk down the path, and slip beneath the rope and walk on the beach. The stars that lit up the sky were far too breathtaking to ignore, and she lifts her head to admire them, as she continues to walk halfway down the beach, where she then flops onto the sand. She pats the space to her left, and tilts her head, “So… What happened back there? You weren’t feeling Naomi? Did someone catch me stealing wallets?”

A hand is running through his hair as he tugs her out of the bar. Tiberius is not phased by her snapping her heel or her reaction to him grabbing her arm with sudden force. He was not violent, but he did have a controlling temper. When he had looked at Blaze, there was something darker that was buried beneath his gaze and Blaze might have saw his own reflection of a bad future if he were to intervene. As they move out of the club and into the streets, he lets her go with a simple toss of her arm. He almost swept her off of her feet, but he did not want to go that angry. “Well, hurry up,” he barks. He was jealous. Two jealous and toxic people. How great. The worst part is, Tiber would ignore that he was actually jealous over her interactions with the fancy pants Blaze. Tiberius was competitive by nature and the lycan liked to have titles over people even if they were only interacting for two weeks. Tiber had to be protective and not let Lanara get into any trouble. Plus, he might have underneath had a thing for her, but he was too arrogant to realize. As she talks about the wallets, his furrowed brows smooth out and his lips are flat. “Great,” he says briefly before walking again in silence. He wished that he would have snagged Naomi’s purse, but he was distracted. “Three is fine, more than fine.” He snags the purse from her and keeps it at his side. He then moves underneath the rope as she does and follows her trail before collapsing in the spot she suggests. Her questions keep him quiet, and he looks over her for a minute. He stares intently before he opens his liquor stained mouth. “I’m not fond of watching fire turn to ash. Letting him actually suck on your body? What the hell?” She was the metaphor. She was smarter than to let some man lick her body. He curses something in Catalian before continuing on. “All I’m saying is that the plan came crashing down on the both of us. I’ll figure out how to get the gold back without holding you as bait.” He gazed at her and the moon hit his face at just the right angle to make him look sharper. “And it’s not because I’m being nice. It’s because after just two days, you have been driving me crazy.”

Lanara isn’t sure what to say to Tiber, as he’s glaring at her and unleashing on her, verbally. He was jealous. He was pissed. She has the audacity to grin, so she turns her head away from Tiber, and stares at the waves crashing against the shore. For a minute it’s silent, as they both fume, and as he remarks about her driving him crazy, she quirks a brow and turns to look at his face. “He wasn’t ‘sucking’ on my neck; he was licking salt off of my collarbone. That is how a body shot is done. And I never would have gone to such lengths if that red headed tramp hadn’t taken my place! I upped the ante, and you couldn’t handle it.” Her words are honey, laced with venom. She admitted to being jealous of Naomi, and also blamed him for putting her in such a position. Blaze wouldn’t have gotten a body shot, a kiss, her on his lap, or even a handshake, if she hadn’t assumed he was super into Naomi. She had no knowledge that he was hoping to lift the woman’s purse. Nor did she think he would become jealous… Though she was a tad hopeful. Which was ridiculous, because they barely knew each other, and had another thirteen days to go with this charade. Lana sighs, and begins to play with the tips of her hair, a nervous habit. Nipping her lower lip, she ponders what to say next, unsure of her feelings, unsure of this mysterious bad boy that literally showed up one day and turned her world upside down. Was it for better or for worse? Were they just having a mutual attraction? Could it be more? “Ughhhhhh. You make me over think everything! You have been driving me crazy, too… I-I… I can’t figure you out. And it shouldn’t bother me, but it does. It’s been two days, and as much as I want the time to just hurry up and for it all to be over… I want it to slow down, so we can get to know each other. One minute you are charming and I think there’s a connection, and then you say things that just… Suck.” They both were difficult people, with similar personalities. “I didn’t mind being bait. I did mind –her- trying to stake a claim.” And him eyeing her like she was a piece of candy. “I’ll get your gold back. I promise. I’ll figure something out.” A pause, as she lowers her head, ashamed at her behavior. Even though her plan had worked, it somehow seemed to backfire, too. “I won’t bring home anymore animals or decorations… You’ll keep your sanity.”

Tiber takes a scoop full of sand and tosses it towards the waves. He watches the driblets of the water and circles form before they vanish with another sploosh. It was a frustrated dirt throw. He lashes back. “You know damn well that he was very into you. But hey, I’m not the one that looked bad,” he shrugged nonchalantly. That definitely might have ticked her off which was not new coming from Tiber. “Also, that tramp came into my line of vision and was an easy target to snag something. You didn’t need to up anything because you could not handle for one second me talking to another female!” His words were heavy with his accent. He becomes mute as he listens to her, but the word ‘connection’ slips from her mouth, and he finds himself rising from the sand to look down on her. “We can’t have a connection, Lanara, because I do suck. You talk about all this freedom that you want, but honestly deep down inside, you signal someone who is boyfriend material because you want someone. You’re always going to be that jealous girl who gets upset over the guy talking to another. You want someone.” He was bluntly honest. He had no will-power to be ashamed, and no one knew how to put him in his place for once. “At this point, you can bring a whole circus into my home and I wouldn’t be shocked.” He would not admit that he wanted time to slow down as well because he had not been this electric with someone in a long time. He yearned for stubborn. “You wanna know who I am, Lanara?” He kneeled down to a squat to get on her level. “I am the man you send for when you want someone beaten until they’re unconscious. I’m the guy who stalks into the corner of your bedroom to steal that precious necklace,” he taps her chest with a finger where her necklace rested. “I'm unpredictable," he cants his head as if he was a maniac. "I’m your mother’s worst nightmare.” He looks over her frame with cautious golden eyes. “I’m my own worst nightmare. I’m your worst nightmare. So do yourself a favor and stop trying to figure me out because you never will. I gave up a long time ago.” Brutal. The beast was coming out and controlling his tongue. He then says something in foreign that was not Catalian, but he makes a salute with two fingers as if he is about to walk away from her.

Lanara sighs heavily as he turns on her, when she was trying to be open and vulnerable. Again, her words had backfired. All they managed to do was trigger each other. They weren’t getting anywhere, but she wasn’t one to back down. Stubborn to the core, she allows him to say his piece, and she glares as he presses his finger against her pendant. However, when he rises in an attempt to leave, she is quick to her feet, and she grabs the arm that made that two finger salute, clenching onto his wrist. She is aiming to bring his face towards hers, so that she can look him straight in the eye, her dark hues full of unreadable emotion. “Listen to me, Tiberius. I am not some beauty queen that needs a good guy. You want to know why? Because I am –damaged- on my best days. I have seen horrors. I have lived through a hell of a lot. You want to talk nightmares?! Let’s talk.” Glaring into his eyes, he can tell this isn’t easy for her, and though she knows that he isn’t the type for a therapy session, she was going to let him have it. “I was sent away at three years old. To live amongst strangers, because I was unpredictable in my magic. The academy wasn’t a nice place to pretty women. Use your imagination, but assume the professors did more than teach me to wield a broom and read a spell book. Moving on. I returned home, to find my entire village torched, my mother beheaded, and my sister possessed and missing. I gave up my powers, and lived silenced for years, to save her from the darkness. During that time… I met a man. He saved me after I lost a baby and nearly bled to death. We had an affair. I-I… I later found out that he wasn’t a just a healer… But my very own father. He had seduced me, and then tried to kill me… And in an effort to save the realm, I killed myself. The Goddess gave me another chance. I came back, and so did good old dad. Except this time, he had unfinished business. My father threw me from a third story window, and I snapped my spine in several places. I died, a second time. I had to have my bones fused back together. I had to endure emotional and physical pain, in a healing center, for months! I never thought I would dance again… I hit rock bottom. Depression set in, and after a visit to the Shadow Plane, I was never the same woman. So… I took a job as an exotic dancer. I robbed men blind, and when my boss tried to get me involved in prostitution, I finally woke up and, uh, blew up his boat. I took a teaching job. Then I moved to where I am now… I’ve had my heart broken, thrice. I’ve died, twice. I helped bring a woman back from the dead. I’ve hexed those that deserved it, and turned a blind eye to criminals that I respected.” She pauses, as a single tear trickles down her cheek, and she lessens her grip on him. Never had she revealed so much to a stranger. Only her sister knew every detail of her life, and here she handed it to this man on a silver platter. “Is it so wrong to want to form a connection with someone? I don’t trust, anyone. I have insane jealousy issues, yes. And… You’re right. As much as I value freedom… As much as I fear giving my heart away… I do hope it happens for me one day. I hope that I find someone who cares about me, and only me… I just want that bond with one person, and for it to last. For us to share our demons, and our best moments…” Lana lets go of his arm, completely, and her hands fall to her sides as she looks down at her painted toes. The moon shines on their faces, like a spotlight, and she speaks in a softer voice, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you all of that… If you want to leave, fine, then leave. I won’t be coming back to your house if you leave, though… Just know that. I’ll just head to the sanctuary and not leave for the next two weeks. And I’ll figure out how to get us both out of this jam.” A pause, “I didn’t want you to offer me your heart, Tiber. Or make any promises. I’m not quite ready for a commitment, as we don’t know each other… I was just hoping to build a connection and see where it goes, if it ever goes anywhere, as… You’re someone that I’m attracted to, despite those nightmares you speak of… I’m not intimidated. I’m a damn warrior in my own right. But, if you aren’t up to the challenge… That’s fine. We can part ways, right now.”

The palm that snatched his wrist almost made him lash out in an actual rage. Her fingers grazed over the numbered scars that were burned into his skin. Tiberius was seething as she tugged him down close to her face. Golden eyes were like flames as they aggressively searched her face. At this point, she should be nervous playing with the flame that was the rogue. She addresses him by his full name, and the formality makes him actually listen to what she has to say. “I am not here to tell you that you need a good guy,” but she interjects on his own sentence, and he becomes mute. Here comes the therapy. The sentimental tales that everyone told about themselves. The heart-wrenching truths of every individual that made Tiberius Lowell nauseous. Tiberius Lowery would have been kind and gentle. He would have accepted every piece of that story and gobbled it up like the rest of the folks that walked the land. Words flowed from Lanara’s mouth like lava, and the story burned. The wolf gave a stone, hard gaze as she told the tale. Though, nothing made him twitch until she talked about killing herself. Prickles began to rise on his arms, but his face remained cold. The narrative of her father seducing her made him want to throw up, and the thought of a parent doing that to their daughter was sickening. She was strong, and he knew that. Tiberius could not deny the strength she possessed, but the feelings she spewed all over him made her weak to him. The archer looked emotionless as words went in and out his ears. It was a lot to handle, but Tiberius was letting it soak in. The tear that trickles down her face drops onto the ground, and he has no intention to touch her and wipe it off. He is heartless in that moment. Ill by the idea of any sort of connection. “It’s not wrong. Some people yearn for that connection for all their life and never receive it,” he adds with a monotone voice. As she makes him an offer about building something stronger than what they have, the man takes a step back. His arm is released and the tension in his shoulders is gone. He stares at her in that eerie silence they seem to come back to. He watches her like she is some sort of pathetic lost animal. The lithe man is speechless by everything that she gave to him. Her heart was on her sleeve, and Tiberius knew it was dangerous. He looks as if he is about to turn, but his legs cross and he slowly lowers himself into the sand. He sits there patiently. The silence continues, but his actions show that he is not leaving. He waits a while as the waves fill their ears before he actually says something. “I don’t know what to say to everything you just said to me, and I don’t want you to expect me to do the same,” he finally looks at her. “But I just want you to know that I’ll be here, and you are welcome in my home. I want you to bring your decorations even if they are silly to me. Anything to make you feel comfortable. I’ll try to adjust these two weeks, and it’ll be a good start to something that may be needed.” He paused. “I think you think that I hate you, but I don’t. I want these two weeks to go by because I’m not in college, and I don’t need a roommate,” he smirked. “It pains me to say this, but I’d be willing to try to build a friendship. I don’t have many friends and it’s probably good that I start with someone,” he shrugged. “It’s just been me and Nadine for the most part.” He lets the waves crash again. “I don’t want you to expect me to say the right thing because I won’t.” He exhales and he looks up at the sky as if he is exhausted by this conversation. His tone is flat again. “I just want you to know that you’re safe with me.”

The woman watches his expression through everything that she tells him, and when she sees that he’s void of any emotion, she inhales and looks away. What did she expect? She didn’t want his pity, nor did she want a man to ‘save’ her from her past. She was a product of her past, but she would not be a prisoner to the demons that would continuously haunt her, she was much stronger. Lana doesn’t understand the mixed signals he’s sending, as he lowers himself onto the sand, and they both remain silent. The waves crashing against the shore fill the void and she’s regretting spilling her secrets, and being vulnerable. She lowered her walls, and he reinforced his, much to her dismay. Now, the witch is on edge, and she begins to dust the sand from her legs and her dress, realizing she wasn’t going to be able to do this for another eleven days. It had been two days, and so far they had three fights. It was exhausting. Both of them were stubborn as mules, and bore similar personalities. The last thing she wanted was to catch feelings for this man, so perhaps distance was key. Swallowing, she rises, the dress rid of any debris, and she looks at Tiber, his offer of friendship, somewhat a surprise. “Okay.” Rejection was a hard pill to swallow, but she wasn’t even sure what she was hoping would have come out of all of this… She doesn’t know what else to say, and she’s feeling beyond foolish, so she remains quiet, and looks up at the stars trying to focus on the pretty scenery above and beyond. Eventually, she lowers her head and toys with one of her curls, wrapping it around her pointer finger, and sighing. “You don’t have to say anything, Tiber. I wasn’t looking for sympathy. I was just trying to explain that I’m not ‘afraid’ of you or whatever you get involved in… I’ve faced a lot. I’m not some damsel in distress that is scared off easily, nor am I looking to fix you or have someone fix me.” Swallowing hard, she lifts her hand to swipe at the rogue tear that had fallen earlier, to clean any stain that it may have left. Seeing that he was now staying, she kneels on the sand, a good four feet away from him, as she didn’t want to crowd his space. “So… You, uh, speak a few languages, I take it?”

Awkwardness filled the air between them. To him, Lanara was impossible to talk to and everything he said she rejected in a different way. It was toxic. Her shortness in her comment throws him off guard. Was she expecting him to have more than friendship? She wanted a connection, but not a commitment, but she was also jealous. She was confusing to him, but he lets it go. He lets everything go like he normally does. Women were impossible. He stares off to some other space on the beach. “Will you just stop?” He almost snapped because the conversation was hard for him to have. He understood that she would not be afraid of him, but that was not what he was getting at. He then blinks as she mentions the languages he spoke. He raises a brow. “Yeah, I studied quite a bit over the years. I've always been fascinated with languages. Makes you become a whole different person if you wanted them to.”

Lanara is equally confused with Tiber’s behavior, as he grew angry and jealous at the club, and then pushed her away on the beach. This game they were playing with each other wasn’t healthy, and she’s equally agitated. He didn’t understand her, and she was misreading him. She wanted a commitment, just not anytime soon. How had he misinterpreted that? She’s trying to focus on something safer, so she nods in response to his comment about knowing several languages. The guild could use a translator. “Perfect! The Adventurer’s Guild needs someone that is able to speak a few languages. I speak the common tongue… And Sylvan, of course.” Clearing her throat, she tries to lighten the mood, “So… Want to play some Truth or Dare?” She gives him a disarming grin, hoping he’d take the bait. Lana couldn’t fault him for saying the wrong thing, or for not desiring more than a friendship. She wasn’t his type, clearly, or she was and he was covering it up? Whatever the reason, she wants to move past their fight. “Pick! Truth… Or… Dare?!”

Tiber frowned as she automatically assumed that he would join her little guild. “What do you mean perfect? You automatically think I’m going to play along?” He looks her up and down. His nose is crinkled. Man, he was bitter. This had been a rough night. Tiberius was long gone. “I’m not playing truth or dare…” He mumbles like a grumpy old man. But as she gives him that grin, he shakes his head and falls for the trap. “Dare. I’m not doing any truths.” Okay, a poop head, but at least he chose an option.

Lanara nods, totally assuming he was going to go along with being the translator of her guild. That was a step up from being the owner of an elven slave, right? Despite feeling drained from their constant bickering, she laughs as he caves and says he’ll play Truth or Dare. “Pfft. With the dares that I dish out, you may be safer picking truth… Though, one can’t do more than two truths in a row. It’s the rules.” Rubbing her hands together, she looks straight into his amber gaze, sizing him up. How far would she take this dare? They were on a somewhat isolated beach, and he foolishly agreed to a dare. Dark chocolate hues sparkle as the moon casts a faint glow on her face, and her lips curve upwards into a silken smile. “I’ve got it! I dare you to… Take a dip in the ocean.” The water would be cold, though he was welcome to go into the sea with his clothing on for some added warmth. Lana leans back, her long legs stretching out, as she giggles and waits for his reply.

Tiber deep down thinks that the truth is the dangerous side of things. Dares were nothing. He had done a lot in his past. “Done. So just dares all game, eh?” He smiles and cants his head to the side. An actual smile. As she peers into his soul with a mischievous gaze, he lofts a brow at her. The man takes in the glow of the moon. It highlights her face in all the right places. It makes her cheek bones glimmer. She looks like a mystery, and he is intrigued by her again until she mentions the dare. His pale lips twitch, and he snickers. “A dip in the ocean?” He eyes the waves that crash to shore. “Such a teenage dream dare,” there is light in his gaze as if he is a boy again. He stands and slips off the loafers that hug his feet. He is tall and broad. Tiber has a crooked, close-mouthed smile perked on his lips as he begins to walk backwards from her. He pulls his blazer off, and the wolf unbuttons his shirt in a playful seductive wiggle for her. The garb is tossed to the side. He is defined, and the scars on his back and chest shine in the moonlight. He bends and rolls up his pant legs before pivoting to run to the water. The water hits his feet and then soak his slacks and the ice hits his legs. “Holy shit!” He yelps and his body tenses as he goes deeper into the ocean until he vanishes under the dark abyss. He could be fun when he wanted to be. After a few seconds, he pops up in a gasp and skips out in a shiver before plowing back into the sand. The beach sticking to the driblets on his pallid skin. “Holy hell that’s cold,” he chatters. “A mistake, really. Y-your turn,” he gives her a devilish gleam. “Truth or dare, Lanara?”

Lanara isn’t all that surprised that he would prefer a dare over a truth… She also would prefer a dare over a truth, any given day. However, she’d struggle to come up with so many ‘dare’ options, so they may have to move the game elsewhere after a few rounds. Leaning back, she watches as he walks backwards to the sea, putting on a little show for her, and she can’t help but laugh. This guy was something else! Clapping her hands, she catcalls and yells, “Take it all off!” unable to keep from giggling. The witch stares at the male, giving him a very long up and down assessment, and she eyes each scar, each taut muscle, and the way he wears that self-assured smirk. He was a handsome specimen, and she finds herself forgiving his earlier lack of emotion after their mutual outburst. The faint blush that rises to her cheeks is thankfully hidden, as he turns to step into the ocean, his pants likely weighing him down as his pockets fill with water. Lana’s laughter continues as he emerges from the water, his hair slicked back, his pants sticking to his pale form, and skipping towards their place on the beach. “That was hilarious! Aw… You’re shivering!” She feels a little bad now that she gave him such a dare, and that now he’d have to sit there until his clothes dried on his damp form. Without even thinking, she shifts closer to him and rubs up and down his biceps, trying to create friction that would help him to warm up. “I –almost- feel bad for making you jump in the ocean.” Grinning, she looks into his eyes, and realizes this is the closest contact they’ve ever had, but she wouldn’t be the first to break away. She was feeling more and more comfortable around the male, though less sure of her own actions, of course. “When we get back, you can cuddle up with one of those fluffy pink pillows, you’ll be nice and warm.” She’s teasing, “And… Alright. I choose dare. Give me your best, Lowell.”

The charmer lifts his shoulders up as if he does not mind the chill. He would warm back up in a second. On the inside, he was frozen, but his skin was very warm. Once she reaches for him, he flinches, but he pulls off the interaction smoothly. His shoulders ease; furthermore, he lets her rest on his bicep. The witch might notice the contact of his skin is hotter than usual which is abnormal because he just came from the chill of the ocean. The blonde does not mention anything. The interaction is surprisingly soothing, and he does not get to feel skin unless it is from a punch in the face or a business handshake. Tiberius gives into Lanara. The wolf had put her through a mess this evening, and the rest of the night should come to rest. Maybe perhaps he was becoming more comfortable with her around too. “And she feels awful, my goal is complete for the night,” he grins flashing white teeth. He then furrows his brows but keeps the smile dancing on his plump lips. “Oh, I just can’t wait to use a pink fluffy pillow,” he says sarcastically. The Catalian then looks up to the sky as if in deep thought. He glances around at the bare beach. “I dare you to…” he trails. “Well, I would make you lick your name in the sand, but that’s just too mean and little boyish of me. I want you to rhyme your sentences until your next turn,” he grinned. “That’s entertaining. Like a child’s story book,” he nodded in firmly with a crinkled-nose smile.

Lanara notices that his skin is unusually warm to the touch, and for one that had literally just sprang up from the frigid waters, he should have felt chilled. Her brows furrow in slight confusion, and for half a second she wonders if a fever is settling in his bones, but hypothermia didn’t work that fast, did it? Her dark eyes lift to scan his face, and he’d notice that she’s staring at him quite intently, looking to see if his eyes are focusing, if there’s any unnecessary twitching, or if his lips are turning blue. Crap. He was going to think she was about to plant a kiss to his lips! She doesn’t though, as she diverts her gaze and lowers her hands from his arms, as she’d never be bold enough to make a first move on any man. And… What if the heat was radiating from her own skin?! Had he felt the blush flow through her from when she earlier watched him undressing before he got into the ocean?! Lana scowls, and it’s perfectly timed, as Tiber tosses a dare her way, one which she’d struggle through, likely. The witch falls silent, not wanting to screw up this dare, or else he would be deemed the winner. Finally, when she has the words mapped out in her mind, she clears her throat, “I’m ever so grateful that you didn’t have me lick the sand. Because I’m an elf, and we prefer to walk, not lick the land.” She stammers, nearly forgetting her next line, and the fact that he’s giving her such a boyish grin is downright disarming. The pressure was on! “You said you’ll give me no truths, and you’ll only choose dare… And so that’s what you’ll receive from this maiden, who is oh so fair.” She grins, pointing to herself, in case he didn’t notice she was beautiful. “You suck at giving me this dare; you know I’m a hot mess… Your task will put your body to the test. Lift me up, count to fifty, and show me how you bench press!” Proud of herself, Lana giggles, prepared to stand up, and see if he’d accept the dare. If he would, she would wait for him to lay on his back, ready his arms, and assume position.

At this point, the wolf is laughing hysterically. The man leans back with a palm resting on his gut. The chuckle is hearty, and he almost leaks out tears. He coughs to gather the control of his spew of laughs, but he ends up blowing air out to laugh a little more. He then calms down. “Wow, Dr. Yuess,” he points a finger at her. “You are a natural,” he beams. As she points to herself with her comment on how fair she is, there is a softness in his gaze. It was true. She was, and he could not deny with the look he gives her. The mood changes as he has to bench press her, and the frown engraves his lips. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he is annoyed. Though, he is defeated, and his eyes roll back as he leans down. Once she assumes her position and hovers over him. He presses one hand on her belly and the other on her thighs. “Pardon my grope,” he says slyly and gives her one of those stupid smiles. Once she becomes dead weight, he lowers his arms down with an inhale and pushes her up with an exhale. She is surprisingly light, but fifty was going to be tough. “One,” he gasps. Time ticks, but after twenty-five, he is struggling with shaky arms. He lowers down with shaky arms, his face turns a shade of red before he extends her up again. “Twenty-six,” he then squeezes her belly as if to tickle her for her to get off. “Twenty-six take your kicks... and get off,” if she does not get off, he will eventually just toss her. Might as well let him be. “You win,” he gasps.

Lanara can’t help but laugh, as his giggles are contagious. He was mocking her attempt at poetry, but the two of them were laughing like little kids, as she aims to impress him and excel at the dare. She really thought that he would back down from the dare she had given him, but he agrees, and she gracefully lies over his waiting hands. The hand upon her thighs is fine; however, as he settles his palm against her torso, it nudges her belly button piercing, and tickles her, mercilessly. Every time he extends his arms, she spastically jerks, and bursts out in hawkish laughter. She wanted this dare to be over with, and fast, or she was going to jet off of this beach and let him claim that he won. “Oh my gosh. What was I thinking giving you this dare?” She’s grunting and twisting within his grasp, her fingers trying to shift his hand an inch higher so that it wasn’t hitting her tickle spot, though she can see that his cheeks are turning red, his hands are shaking, and he’s a little breathless. She peers down at him, her expression softening, though the mischief in her gaze is undeniable, “Bet you’re reallllly regretting making me into a poet right about now, huh? And I’m not fat, so why are you huffing and puffing?!” Lanara was lean and toned, the body of a dancer, and she weighed about a hundred and twenty pounds. Part of her wonders if Tiber is faking it, as she had seen the way he defended her against the pale vampire in the alley. As he calls an end to the game, and declares her the winner, she waits until he lowers his hands and she climbs off of him, grinning. “So! I win, huh?! Twenty-six… Well, we’ll have to work on your strength training and stamina for the guild.” Clapping her hands, she quirks a brow, “So what’s my prize? You have to give me something, right? How about a truth? I promise not to make it anything terribly embarrassing.” Lazily, she sinks in the sand beside him, lying on her side, and propping her head up on a crooked elbow. “So… What’ll it be, Lowell? Do you have something I’d want, or do I get my truth?”

As she struggled, it made it harder for him to lift her. His muscles changing every time she squirmed. He let her go. “You’re not fat, you just keep moving and it’s not consistent. You try lifting yourself. Strength is different than lifting endurance. My arms are strength, my legs are endurance,” he breathed. He ignores her about the guild. The man thinks he could get away with not going if he ignores her. He then brushes his hands together before leaning over to grab his shirt. He slips it on, but does not button it yet. “Eh, a prize, huh?” Prizes. He was not about to give her squat. The man side glances her before moving his fingers to fiddle with the buttons on his shirt. “Fine, you get a truth only because you won,” he gives her a small smile that is unsure. What could she possibly ask? It was one question. “Shoot it at me,” his eyes remain on his buttons before grasping his tie and wrapping it around his neck. He was distracting himself from the realness that was about to come his way. Unless it was simple. Please Sven, let it be simple.

Lanara rolls her eyes as he tells her to try lifting herself, “Um, hello?! I’m a dancer. I could lift myself quite easily. I’m used to climbing poles, hanging off of ropes, and contorting my body in strange positions.” She grimaces, as she should have thought before speaking, as her words sounded as though they were laced with something sexual. She remains rooted in place, mulling over what ‘truth’ she could give him, though she knows that –all- of her questions will be loaded, and evolve into a ten part answer. Lana wouldn’t be satisfied with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and her first thought is to ask him why he had gotten so jealous back at the club… But then he completely changed tactics once they were on the beach, so she thinks that maybe it was just the liquor talking and he was hoping to save her from the creep. He wasn’t jealous… Right? “Hmm…” She’s deliberating, really trying to make this something that would matter to the both of them, and he can practically see the gears turning in her head. “Okay…” She’s a little nervous, and it’s endearing that she went through such lengths to think of something that they both could benefit from, so she takes a breath before proceeding. “Alright. This question is something that I think you’ll like… It’s a win-win… I’ve been getting in your hair a lot, so this is my way of giving back a little something. And it’s your way of not having to answer a loaded question, plus you’ll have a wish granted.” She pauses as they lock eyes, “Name one thing that you want, a wish if you will, that I have the power to grant you, tonight.” She smiles, imagining he’ll ask for a dance lesson, an animal companion, or even give her another dare. He was seeing the softer side of the brunette, tonight, and it was rare for her to be so open and accommodating.

Tiber finds himself looking up as she talks about her body, and her strength. It does sound sexual, but it caught his attention like the average male. He cannot help but to gaze over her like he has done many times over the past days they have been together. The man was jealous. The man was possessive. Whether he liked it or not, Lanara had some sort of hold over him that he would not be able to shake if he tried. Though, he did put a stake in the ground for friendship that she was not fond of. “You want a win-win. You don’t play as dirty as I thought, do you?” He smirked as if calling her pathetic. He finishes wrapping his tie up and he starts to tuck his shirt in his slacks. Her question is not loaded. In fact, it is simple, and he is shocked by it. “Tonight? For me?” He paused. “I’m not supposed to get a prize,” he muttered as he finishes pushing the cotton down. “Tonight is about your winning, but if you want to please me, I want you to choose what you want. I don’t wish for a single thing. Things are perfect the way they are. It’s simple. I don’t get simple very often and sitting here makes me feel surprisingly content.” Odd that those words flowed from his mouth. It was always about his greed, but tonight he just wanted to keep it simple. He then stands up and holds out a hand. “Should we go home?” He would let her imagination run wild like he usually did. He was slowly starting to get comfortable, but not quite as much as she was.

Lanara hadn’t expected him to not take advantage of the situation, and she’s quick to snap back, “Oh… I play dirty, depending on the situation. I was merely being nice for a change, since I’ve been putting your through the ringer.” She flashes him a grin, “I actually thought you’d have asked for something terrible, like making me stay up all night cleaning your apartment, or have me do your laundry.” She rolls her eyes, teasing him, “I guess you’re losing your nerve a little bit too, eh, Lowell?” The elf doesn’t want anything for her winning, she was merely content with having lightened the mood and that they had moved past their bickering. Maybe one day in the near future she’d use that token for a loaded truth question, if one came up. For now though, she finds herself staring at his offered hand, and he can see the hesitance in her eyes. Lanara was a woodland witch, and the thought of leaving this beach, with the moon hanging low and the stars out, was nearly tortuous. Sure, she was exhausted, as she hadn’t slept in two days, but she wouldn’t have minded spending the night on the sand, like she did sometimes. New rules, and a new life, Lana, she’s mentally telling herself, as she slips her hand into Tiber’s and rises to her feet. “Thanks.” She smiles, as she drops his hand and lifts her heels, glaring at them, as though she could glue the stem back onto the sole with a mere glance. It was going to be a long walk back to his place, but she’d manage. “All set? Or did you want to take a final dip in the sea?”

Tiber’s hand encloses on hers as he pulls her up to her feet. For Lanara to think him terrible, he grinned at that. He preferred her thinking he was a monster in disguise of a handsome face. Well, he was, but that was another story. “A little witch is getting under my skin, I guess,” he smirked. He then begins to walk. “Oh, wanna see me strip again?” He nudges her before they walk and continue to tease each other on this simple crisp night. Side by side, Tiberius realizes the long walk home was worth the travel with the pretty, stubborn elf.