The Dead Savant

Deleted User - 819397

Giles frowned as Dante explained he had been detained by Quill about his threatening behavior. While he agreed that teamwork would be better if no one as at the others' throats, he didn't think any sort of aggressive behavior would endear any of them to the cause. Ah well, it seemed like the telekinetic was ok with how things stood, he wasn't going to push. Markus joined them, mentioning that he and Harper seemed close. The former aristocrat was about to explain that they'd come to a mutual agreement after spending time talking things out when the shapeshifter started on about them spending time together. The implications there were rather clear, or at least he figured that's how the other two would see it. It would appear that she had returned to her happier state for a more permanent amount of time, which was good.

Knowing that trying to explain things at this point would be fruitless, he instead attempted to latch on to Dante's question…only to realize that he couldn't. "My family is kind of separate from most of the upper class. We didn't really associate with anyone…we kept to ourselves. I'm honestly a little out of touch with 'normal' Savant procedures because of it, which is a bit frustrating, but hey, I knew I'd be learning coming into this job, what's an extra topic?" Harper then asked what everyone wanted to drink, and he requested water after a moment's hesitation. He was craving wine, but after a workout water would be best. Get rehydrated, then indulge.

It was as Harper walked away to grab the requested drinks that Dante congratulated him, saying that the circumstances made it more his style, but he wasn't going to cry foul. Giles initially thought about explaining the exact circumstances that Harper had alluded to, but then a thought struck him. From what the shapeshifter had said…the assumptions could very well be true soon enough. Thus, a different style of honesty was required, one that would be true, not deny the assumptions, and would allow for the possibility that the assumptions were correct. "I told her I didn't want to take advantage of her state, but she convinced me that even if she'd been sober the circumstances wouldn't be different," he explained, rubbing his sore shoulder, half-numbed from Dante's friendly pat. As he did so, he couldn't help but dwell on the fact that the assumptions were likely to become reality soon…which was a VERY heartening prospect. He couldn't help but be a little eager, and nervous. Well, no sense fretting just yet…for all he knew, Harper hadn't meant THAT by 'wanting something to happen tonight'…
 
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DeletedUser37114

Well, apparently Dante was the first one to see the rough side of Quill's tongue. If anyone was going to get reprimanded, it made sense that it would be him, given his behavior, but she didn't think Quill had it in him to reprimand anyone, let alone get away with it without Dante trying to tear him a new one. Definitely something to keep an eye on, though also not something that ranked as high on her list of important things as alcohol, Giles, singing, or figuring out what color Giles' underwear was, he'd brought a few different colors for his suitcase. Regardless, soldier boy ordered a bourbon, saying something about catching up, to which Harper grinned. Sure, he'd probably drink this body under the table without even trying, but that'd just make it even more fun to have Alice show him up. Or try, at least, Dante might be one of those people that could out-drink rocks. Giles requested water, which seemed a little odd to her, as she figured he'd enjoyed the wine before, but she wasn't about to question it. He was probably thirsty after his workout anyway, and her experience with hangovers had taught her dehydration and alcohol went together about as well as soldier boy and most people.

Snagging a tray and a quick visit with the kitchen staff, she had a bottle of Bourbon, a couple shot glasses, a cup of ice, a plastic bottle of water, a new bottle of a rather nice red, open now, and a few wine glasses. The kitchen never ceased to amaze her with how well stocked it was, not only on the food and drink, but also the dishes and glassware to go with it. It had taken them a little while to find a nice, normal bottle of water as well, probably not something they got requests for very often, but she wasn't going to grab anything that might have already been tampered with. As she got back, Harper plopped the water down at Giles' place, the bottle of wine down at hers, grabbed two wine glasses, and slid the tray over to Dante to do as he wished. She'd never really liked bourbon, though she'd drank it often enough. Too much burn. She'd made enough drinks using it though during her time working in bars, where the entertainment sometimes had to work as staff. She'd actually kind of enjoyed that part of the job, though the drunkards could get a little annoying. The wine poured nice and smooth into the glasses she'd picked out, one to go to her place, one for Giles. "Nobody's spending tonight sober," she said with a smirk to explain as she slid the glass over to him. "Especially not you, pretty boy." He'd already shown himself to have a fairly strict moral compass about sobriety and pushing "too far", better if that didn't become a problem later tonight. Not that she wanted to get him totally hammered, but her experience was that people were more willing to relax and have fun if they weren't quite sober. She went after her lasagna again with gusto, mostly leaving her wine to sit for now, she was already fairly liquored up, keeping an eye on Giles to make sure that he understood that the wine was for both of them this time.
 

DeletedUser28032

"Well of course she said that Emerald...she's half out of her tree" Dante said rolling his eyes as Giles tried to explain what Harper had said to him whilst she was under the influence "...I was adamant that I wanted to get married, but luckily Tonya wasn't as drunk as I was and talked me out of it" he finished with a nostalgic chuckle as he tucked into his lasagne.
Harper arrived not long after with a tray of drinks; pushing the Bourbon over to Dante which he promptly cracked open and poured into a glass before then downing it almost as fast hoping that the liquor would erase the memory of how bad a situation he'd gotten himself into before then pouring another which he would drink at a more leisurely pace.
Meanwhile Harper was pushing a glass of wine towards Emerald stating that no one was going home sober tonight before calling him pretty "Hey now, that’s not fair...don't I get a compliment from the pretty lady?" Dante drawled with an air of mock hurt and a sad face to match. It was then that he had a rather evil thought with a grin spreading across his face to match "Say...who wants to play a little game?" he said fishing out a handful of change and placing it on the table in front of him "Down in one, catch the coin in your teeth, winner is the one with the most coins" he stated before dropping a coin into both Harper and Giles glasses regardless of what they said as well as Markus’ if he chose to join in. Glancing down at the small pile of change Dante figured that he had enough to get the pair of them comically wasted before the night was through.

 

Deleted User - 819397

Dante didn't seem to grasp the situation with Giles and Harper, which was ok…he supposed he would struggle too if he was looking at it from an outside perspective as well. Nothing worth arguing over. Harper returned with a water bottle for him, which he took gratefully. She also had grabbed a new bottle of wine, this one red, and two glasses, pouring him one. "Thanks Harper…I was going to have to go get some once I rehydrated anyway," he nodded at her, smiling. He quickly downed the water, not realizing how thirsty he'd been until he started on it.

Dante suggested they have a drinking game, one that would certainly leave them barely functioning for their meeting tomorrow morning, and in Harper's case would be downright dangerous, seeing as she'd had most of a bottle already. Smiling slightly, Giles shrugged. "If we didn't need to be up early and be ready to go, I'd have no problem accepting that wager. As it is, I'll have to decline…besides, I find wine is best savored…other liquor is better for such competition." So saying he picked up his glass and sipped from it. Ah...this was better…definitely not a wine to rush through. "Good choice Harper," he complimented the shapeshifter as he took another sip. He continued eating while he finished the glass, cleaning the coin Dante had dropped in and handing it back to the telekinetic. He then refilled his cup and began again, savoring the flavor. His family hadn't been exactly sticklers for the 'no alcohol until 21' rule…he knew how to appreciate wine. With a fine specimen like this, it wouldn't be hard at all.
 
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DeletedUser37114

At Dante's suggestion that he should get a compliment, Harper gave him a level look, asking, "Are you pretty, soldier boy? Then I'm not calling you pretty boy." Though he decided to get right back into her good graces by proposing a drinking game using a small pile of coins and their respective poisons. She hadn't played this exact game before, but it was similar enough to ones she'd played that she got the gist of it and her glass drained and a coin between her teeth practically before he finished explaining. Bit of a waste of a good wine, but hey, there was more where that came from. Giles spoke up then, saying that they needed to be functional the next morning... crap. They did have to get to work in the morning and examining the stock of coins... they would be getting drunker than skunks before they were halfway through. Even more so in her case since she'd started early. With a sigh, she picked the coin from her teeth and tossed it back in front of Dante, saying, "Greenie's right, we gotta be functionaliticalicious... where... oh yeah, ready to do stuff in the morning. Not gonna be able to do that if we be all wasted tonight." She joined Giles in refilling her own glass and sipped, enjoying the flavor. Normally she'd be all for people finding them passed out and hungover in the mess hall come sunrise, but they really did have work to do. Besides, "Fun with Giles" was still a scheduled event on her calendar for tonight. "Pass out from Drinking" wouldn't take precedence over that.
 

DeletedUser

Time flew in the library as Renekan leafed through the pages of the classic, neatly bound in the finest quality of leather. When he finally put it down, satisfied after completion of major part of the book, he glanced at his watch. A good 20 minutes late for dinner. He wasn't upset. With a bit of luck he would have to avoid most of the table conversation that he found rather awkward to participate in. He got up and replaced the book in its designated place in the shelf among the other classics. The librarian looked pleased with this, probably a lot of the folk that came here left their books in the reading rooms, having other people clean up after them.

Calling up Ash and guiding his way through the numerous hallways to the mess hall took anither solid ten minutes and when he arrived he saw most of the folk were already finished with their dinner and starting on the drinks. They seemed to have engaged themselves in some fine camaraderie. There were also some coins bunched up in the middle which he guessed was some drinking game going on. Renekan grabbed a plate of lasagna and a glass of wine from the counter and took a seat at the table, deciding not to open his mouth unless someone wanted a conversation. He didn't want to interrupt their game or talk with them in the....state they were in right now. Most of them seemed pretty drunk, especially Harper the blondie. She seemed absolutely wasted. Did they forget about the task at hand or something? He for one wouldn't want to go headfirst into a daunting task tomorrow morning on a bad hangover. He dug into the fine lasagna and took a sip of wine along with it. The food tasted divine. Much unlike America's McDonald-ised stuff. It was made with utmost care and the the wine was of a fine blend as well. He thought about the food he had during his years alone, living on a financial restraint. Enjoy it while it lasts, he thought to himself.
 

Deleted User - 819397

Giles was well into his third glass of wine when one of the quiet ones…Renadon? Renaldo? No, Renekan, that was it…joined them. He didn't seem eager to talk, so the former aristocrat decided to indulge him there, though he did nod and smile at the man to let him know he was welcome…just because he didn't want to talk didn't mean he wanted to feel ostracized. On Giles' part, he was busy enjoying the not-quite-sober state of being. He could hold his liquor well enough, but he didn't like getting completely wasted…this state, where it was clear he wasn't fully there, but he was still mostly aware…that was the best. This would likely be his last glass, he didn't want to go farther…he did have to work the next day after all. No, best to enjoy the conversation more than the wine at this point, which for him wouldn't be the hardest thing in the world. Just relax and have fun…that's what tonight was for. Tomorrow they'd be at a crime scene…odds are there wouldn't be much fun in that.
 

DeletedUser13682

It seemed that Harper was slightly more into the drink than Markus had originally thought. It was a wonder that she was even able to walk at this point. But she managed to bring a tray with bourbon, water, and was that a nice Chianti? He didn’t know much about wine, but it wasn’t a bad drink. He preferred beer himself, but he’d drink it when the occasion called for it. Meanwhile, Dante was wondering about the family Eldar and complaining about not getting compliments from Harper. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about the Eldar family either. I do university work. But if you want some information on them, I’m sure I can whip up a few papers. Reading not your style, well I didn’t do any film classes, but I can make something up. Won’t be pretty, but it’ll do.” He shrugged before finishing his beer. It seemed that Dante wanted to play a drinking game involving some coins. Unfortunately, most of the table wasn’t willing to get into the game, citing responsibility and needing to perform well in their investigation. “In my opinion, the case is already solved. Our guy committed suicide. We’re here to convince the government of that scenario. I highly doubt we’ll find any evidence to the contrary, and if we do, well I like to eat my crow in some humble pie. And Giles, I don’t think everybody agrees with you. My university has a few winos, and they’ll tell you that wine is best for getting drunk off of. They don’t savor it, they drown in it. I’m not going to tell them they’re wrong.” Harper wasn’t going to make it through the night regardless, but she still felt that it was necessary to stop now. Just then, the Eldar that Dante was so curious about. “Welcome to the table. You aristocrats sure do enjoy your wine, huh? I’d think you’d want something more fortified, like port or sherry. At least it’s not sweetened with defrutum or sapa. Don’t think we’ve heard much from you yet; why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?”
 

DeletedUser37114

Giles was now starting to get some wine into him, though oddly enough he seemed to quiet down more than anything as he drank. She would have bet he'd have been more of a happy drunk than a maudlin one, but she wasn't going to complain as long as he was still up for some tango-time. He'd cheer up, alright. Harper herself had continued to slow down, only barely having downed one glass in the time it took for Giles to down three. She'd also been crunching on ice stolen from the glass she'd brought with the tray of alcohol, the better to keep herself at least a little hydrated, though if this conversation continued any longer, she'd probably grab herself an actual cup of water. Hangovers really weren't ever her thing. That being said, Eldar joining them, as quietly as he had when he'd come into the meeting room, wasn't really her thing either. He came over to their table, looking at them, judging her like he was so high and mighty, and almost opened her mouth to ask him what he was looking at.

Fortunately for all of them, Markus chimed in by saying that they were going to have an easy time of this, that it was just a suicide, blah blah blah, and how they were just here to convince the g-men that that was the truth. "Our job is to investigate," Harper said harshly towards him, her tone leaking some of the belligerence she'd been about to aim at their newest joinee. "If the guy committedi- comment- ...killed himself, then we'll report that. If there's more there, we'll also report that and probably have to do more things." She wasn't going to mention that those things would also probably be quite unpleasant, no need to predict disaster before it struck. And then Markus asked Eldar to talk about himself using the biggest words ever and Harper decided that she'd had more than enough of this socializing thing. Normally she quite enjoyed being with people and talking like this, but there was a pretty guy sitting next to her who'd practically promised some fun and she hadn't gotten any in a while, by her standards. Talking interested her right now about as much as watching daytime television. Standing up, she placed her glass and Giles' now empty one on the tray, grabbed Giles underneath his arm, dragging him along with her out of the room. "Peace, I'ma go chill." She didn't offer any explanation why she was dragging Giles with her, though once they were out of the room, she told Giles, "Your room. Lead the way." Fun time incoming. Finally.
 

Deleted User - 819397

Giles frowned slightly as Markus explained he was convinced the case was open and shut as a suicide. Harper snapped at him for this, and Giles found himself shrugging. "While possible, I doubt our host would pull so many people here, where they're all paid well and get to use everything here if…wait, I already said this before, I think…meh, if it turns out to be a suicide, no harm…we get paid, get to have fun…if not, then we get extra money and some enteroyment out of it." The other man proceeded to deepen the former aristocrat's frown as he mentioned many of the people he knew would disagree with his assessment on what wine was for. "If the wine is cheap, then I would agree. Stuff like this is a waste to get drunk off of just for the sake of getting drunk. If it happens while you savor the flavor, so be it, but it shouldn't be the goal." Seriously, he'd have been slightly upset if he'd've seen someone slamming this wine…but no one had, and thus he needed to lighten up. He enjoyed wine, but it caused him to think too much about home, and that would put a damper on anyone's mood...

Fortunately, Markus turned the conversation to learning more about Renewhosawhatist, which hopefully would be interesting. Giles finished his glass and put it aside for the moment as he leaned over to listen. He might go back to it, he might not, it depended on how the night went. The unknown quantity hadn't had time to give a response, though, before he was quite literally hauled out of his seat by Harper, who rather insistently tugged on him until he was able to get his bearings. "Uh…wh…um, night all?" he called somewhat questioningly as the shapeshifter kept moving him away from the rest of the group. Once they'd departed, Harper instructed him to lead the way back to his room. Nodding amiably, he did just that. Upon reaching the requested location, Giles unlocked the door and strolled in, stretching a bit. "They're going to be a hoot to work with, eh? Between stoic as hell and ballistic as hell, what a choice." He turned to his companion, a slightly apprehensive, expectant look on his face. "So, uh…did you have anything in mind for the rest of the night?" He figured she did with how forcefully she'd lugged him off, but even so, it was possible it was spur of the moment…
 

DeletedUser

"I dont particularly care about the kind of beverage it is, I just needed something to wash down the food and the wine looked good. Fortunately, it tastes good too," he replied to Markus. The man looked sober enough to have an actual conversation with. And besides, he was almost finished up with his lasagna, he didn't want to go to bed yet. So yet another attempt at socialising, somehow he felt at ease near this guy. He wasn't flashy or loud like the others and was steadfast to his beliefs. Since the first day at the meeting room he was pretty sure the case was a plain old suicide and that the others were overlooking the facts right in front of them. Might be true, one can never say.

"As for myself, I dont think there's much to say really. We hail from those parts of the country where the city folk rarely visit, and we aren't the most friendliest sort of people either. I used to work at the Interpol earlier. Didn't get too many cases, was made to sit out on most of the high profile ones since people dont find my company comforting or necessary to the group. Hopefully this one doesn't end up the same way." At this point Harper and Giles exited the table, Harper almost dragging Giles with her, maybe she needed the support to walk. Good thing, he didn't quite like the woman so far. "Hey I saw you producing a pack of cigarettes earlier, might you still have some left? Think I need a smoke now before retiring to my room," he asked Markus. "And tell me, how are you so sure that there's no foul play involved in the Dead Savant case? Why do you think the FBI would bother bringing an elite team into the field if it was a plain old act of suicide? Surely they would see it?"
 

DeletedUser37114

As Giles walked in and stretched, looking absolutely delicious as he did so, Harper immediately got started on her plans for the night. He'd been so cute as she'd dragged him away, trying to figure out what was going on and whether he should be nervous or not. She'd have almost felt bad about it if he'd been really chatting with anyone else, but a conversation about wine or Markus' silly prediction felt more like politeness to her than interest. At least, less interest than spending the night actually having fun. Speaking of, she'd kicked her shoes off and dropped her slacks to the floor and was almost done with unbuttoning her shirt as Giles finished summing up the other team members, none of whom mattered at the moment. He turned around and asked her the most amusing thing she'd heard from him so far, whether she 'had anything in mind for the rest of the night.' Leaving the last couple buttons of her shirt as they were, Harper covered the remaining distance between them at a rush and jumped up, wrapping her arms around Giles' neck, legs around his waist, and kissing him hard. She trusted him to keep his feet or, if he fell, she wouldn't really mind. Not really a long way to fall, the floor wasn't all that hard, and if need be, she'd spin them so she'd end up on the bottom, neither of them would be injured by that. Withdrawing from the kiss with a giggle, she began nuzzling his neck, saying in a low, husky voice, "Oh, I got things in mind for the rest of the night, pretty boy. Things I've been wanting to do to you all day." She punctuated her statement with a nip to his earlobe, hard enough to cause him a little pain, but soft enough to know it was playful. It probably wouldn't be much of a stretch for him to figure out where she was going or what she was inviting him to do, but if he needed a little prompting, she'd be happy to get going and let his brain catch up later.
 
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Deleted User - 819397

Giles' question about any plans for the evening was answered rather blatantly by Harper, in a state of undress that was frankly impressive for how short a time they'd been in the room, jumping onto him and kissing him fiercely. The unexpected weight staggered him a bit, but he was able to recover, even through the kiss. The former aristocrat was barely able to process this when the shapeshifter broke off, nuzzling at his neck and informing him that she did indeed have plans in a voice that left no illusions about what they entailed. She further pushed her point by nipping his ear, something he hadn't expected at all…though that didn't mean it was unpleasant. His own voice having dropped into a timbre he hadn't used before, Giles husked, "I must admit I was hoping you would say something like that…" He managed to get them both to the bed, putting them down as gently as possible. From there, it wasn't long before a second set of clothes joined the first near his suitcase. Any insecurity he might have had was hidden behind the layer of alcohol, and whatever rational part of his mind left had reasoned that Harper had already BEEN him…there wasn't anything to hide. Instead of fretting, he busied himself with his companion, unable to resist any longer. The only stray thought he could manage for the moment was that this day had been amazing…it was goddamned GOOD having power.
 

DeletedUser37114

As Harper's breathing slowed, she let herself relax and trace the muscles of Giles' chest with a gentle finger, enjoying the sensation of skin on skin. It was nice to have someone to be with, to touch, and she knew from past experience that the warm fuzzies she was experiencing right now wouldn't last. That the satisfaction and affection she was feeling for the man laying underneath her now would fade with the morning light and they'd get up again, individuals, regardless of the experience they'd just had. It was almost enough to make her cry, regardless of the number of times she'd been the one doing the leaving and bond breaking. That this bliss, this feeling of togetherness was just the product of chemicals and not some unbreakable connection that they alone shared. And Giles... he'd be experiencing this for the first time now, wouldn't he? Probably a good idea... "How was that?" she murmured quietly as she lay her head on his chest, listening to his heart beat. "Any regrets? Ready to go again yet?" It wasn't like she was searching for a way to prolong the glow, she was just doing this for Giles' benefit. Let him try some new things, expand his horizons, get a little more practice in... Not that he'd done badly, of course, though she'd had to encourage him a couple times when he'd started drifting out of his comfort zone. He'd probably need to learn that there was very little she wouldn't enjoy when she was in the mood, and that there was no real reason to be nervous about anything. Except her leaving, of course, but uncomfortable questions could wait until the morning. For the night, she was his.
 

DeletedUser28032

"No, but you must admit I do have a certain something" Dante replied, leaning to look past Harper and smile at the group of girls on the next table; prompting some whispered conversation and a few giggles. He didn't know if they were agents, admin staff or even Savants, but the redhead was kind of cute and the brunette wasn't too shabby either.
With none of the group knowing anything about the Eldar family other than Renekan who he wasn't going to ask for obvious reasons, Dante to drops the entire topic for the time being; refusing Markus' offer of research papers with a shake of his head "Nah, I was just curious is all...nothing to warrant any effort" he drawled before lifting the drink to lips once again.
It was at this point that Markus once again resurrected his theory that the case was just what it looked like; a suicide with Harper taking it as her cue to leave with Emerald in tow "well, I am glad that my room is nowhere near theirs" Dante said as he watched the pair of them leave before draining the rest of his drink "...either way she's right...this is no cut and dry suicide" he continued, drumming his fingers on the table as he tried to reach a decision through the alcoholic haze that was beginning to descend "Markus...I may have a little field trip for you tomorrow, may be a little...risky...either way let me know if your game in the morning and I'll let you in on a little more, now if you'll excuse me..." Plucking the bottle of bourbon from the table Dante heads over to where the girls were sat with a roguish grin set upon his face leaving Markus and Renekan to their conversation. Hey who said Emerald was the only one who was going to have some fun tonight?
 

Deleted User - 819397

Giles found himself gently rubbing Harper's back as she lay atop him, simply enjoying the moment. He wasn't aware of what time it was anymore, and he couldn't care less. All that mattered right now was being close to the shapeshifter, and he was accomplishing that quite nicely. He had to admit, even without the last period of time, he would've been drawn to Harper. She was witty, helpful, and charming, and he wasn't sure who could've resisted her. It of course helped that her current form was rather attractive, but he couldn't help but smile slightly as he realized how little that defined her, being what she was. However, for all her contented motions, her eyes seemed troubled, to the point that it knocked the former aristocrat out of cloud nine and closer to earth.

Before he could discern how to breach the topic, Harper asked him how it had been for him, if he had any regrets, and if he was ready for another go. Chuckling as softly as he could so as to prevent her falling off him, Giles replied, "I'll need a couple minutes, but a round three would be lovely. I'd say that answers your other questions quite nicely as well, as if I wasn't enjoying myself I wouldn't have even agreed to round two." After a moment's hesitation, he added, "What about you? You keep looking…sad. Not for very long, but…if there's something I can do to help you…please, just tell me. Regardless of what the last while means for us..." here he paused…he hadn't considered that they wouldn't stick together for at least a while, but depending on what her thoughts were…it was very much unfortunate, but he didn't want to force her to stick around if she didn't want to…but to not mention it would imply he wasn't expecting it to last longer, so..."…but regardless of anything between us as…well, this…we're going to be working together for a while, and anything I can do to help you do a better job is something I'd consider worthwhile. Taking the events of the day since I walked into the meeting room into account…then we can add that I'd like to as your friend, and as your lover…" The former aristocrat hesitated again, though throughout his exchange he never stopped gently massaging her back. "…and, depending on where you are with things, possibly something…erm…more than even that…" he flushed slightly, his tone uncertain but earnest. He wanted to help her however he could, even if she was just looking for this to be a one night stand. She was a good person, he was sure of this, and in his experience good people had to help each other, or else there was the chance they'd become something else. He tilted his head to kiss the top of hers, waiting for her response…both about what was troubling her, and hopefully where she saw this going.
 

DeletedUser37114

Giles was, as usual, quite perceptive and Harper sighed at the deluge of stumbling questions from him, though the back rubbing was quite nice. Thankfully, he'd apparently enjoyed himself, she'd have been insulted if he hadn't, with the number of times he'd moaned her name. Thankfully he didn't ask her if she'd enjoyed herself, which would have been stupid considering the number of times she'd screamed his, along with several different obscenities. Instead, he went along a more worrying path, asking her why she'd looked sad earlier, questioning about the future... all the things that you wouldn't want to mention at a one-night stand. Granted, this wasn't anything as one-and-done as that, and Harper wanted to make that clear to him, though the kiss to the top of her head and his words had made it clear that Giles would be accepting either way. Moving herself up so that she could snuggle her head into the hollow between his neck and his shoulder, Harper breathed in, and out, enjoying his scent as she thought about what she wanted to say. Honesty would probably be best, no need to get this new phase of their relationship started with lies, but she didn't think that telling him everything about her past relationships was really a good idea.

"I can be a bit of a sad drunk at times," she started quietly. "It's nothing to do with you, but if I get off on a tangent, it's kind of hard to stop myself from following it. If the tangent's a happy one, like they were for most of the period I was lusting after you, I'll have a smile on my face. If the tangent's not..." she let that sentence trail off, not really comfortable with saying that most of the time, she'd still be smiling. "I'm not sure how this... thing we have is going to go, I've slept with team members before, most of those didn't even make it to the end of the job, some only made it a little past... I tend to leave people," she finished frustratedly. "And it's usually not a clean breakup, with arguments and people freaking out and telling me I'm an alcoholic and such a nympho and that they want more than that, excuses and..." Tears leaked from her eyes, hot with pain from old wounds and she wrapped one arm tighter around Giles while the other gripped his other shoulder, just short of being hard enough to hurt. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this, it's not your business or your problem, I know you'd never do anything like that to hurt me, even if I freaked out and took off, you'd probably be there to pack my bags or something..." She let that thought fade into an ugly, sniffly silence. "And now I've killed the freaking mood," she finished with a tired sigh. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought up things best left buried, I told you I'm a sad drunk sometimes, nothing to do with you. Give me a little time and I'll be happy to go for another round, just... hurts right now."
 

DeletedUser13682

This guy, he was a man of few words, and those few words were quiet. There was a difference between not trusting people and just not socializing at all. This guy seemed like he’d be a bit hard to get along with if all he did was sit down quietly and not say a thing. It was a bit unnerving. He seemed to confirm that notion when he talked about being on Interpol and being excluded from high profile cases. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but if you just sat down next to people and silently ate, not even a hello, I can see why you’re a bit unnerving to other people. Say something. A simple ‘hey there, what’s up?’ would help break the ice. Still, I’m surprised they’d bench you only on personality. I think Interpol would keep you on a case if you’re good. Oh well.” It seemed that the Eldar guy wanted to have a smoke; maybe he was finally opening up. “Yeah, here you go.” Markus pulled out his soft pack and flicked out a cigarette for Eldar. As Dante left to hit on some random women a few tables over, Markus returned to the subject of the suicide. “It fits all the points,” Markus said, as he lit his own cigarette. “Unfortunately, I’ve known a couple people that have committed suicide. Both cases are pretty close to what this guy did. They acted strange, they sent strange messages, one of them even killed themselves the same way. The only thing that’s different is the way he got rid of the data. But, he was working on something and it’s possible that he found something that drove him to suicide. Course, if it’s not really a suicide, I’ll believe it. But the evidence must be present. But the Bureau doesn’t see it, I guess. Sometimes an outside perspective is needed. The shift that first encountered the casualty at TMI 2 didn’t realize that their PORV was stuck open. In fact, they actively discounted that possibility. The relieving shift, however, discovered that problem nearly right away. We’re that relieving shift.”
 

Deleted User - 819397

Fortunately Harper decided to open up…though it had the unfortunate side effect of causing her to break down as she explained that she wasn't sure where they were going, that she tended to leave people messily, as they tended to focus on parts of her personality that they didn't like, and while she didn't think Giles would be like that she was still concerned. Saddened that he'd caused her pain, the former aristocrat rubbed her back more firmly so as to help her relax, while keeping his other arm still so as to not jostle her head. "Harper…it may not be my problem, but that doesn't mean I don't want to help…I've known you for less than a day, and already I know there's so much more to you than a single trait, let alone something that doesn't define anyone completely, much less you. As far as we're concerned…let's take it day by day, see where we're feeling and stick together so long as we both agree it's best for us." He squeezed slightly with the hand he was rubbing the shapeshifter's back with. "If it helps, I was disowned by my family simply because my ideology didn't mesh with theirs, so I've not got the best track record with people sticking with me either…maybe we'll help each other learn sometimes people stick around…it's certainly possible, anyway, right?" He didn't like bringing anything about that up, but she'd opened up to him…it was only fair he let her in in part as well. Besides, there was truth in his thought that maybe they'd help each other learn to be more trusting with things beyond surface level…Giles got along great with people, but he didn't tend to leave them with a ton of knowledge about himself…maybe Harper was someone he could do so with though…not now of course, but over the next few weeks perhaps…
 

DeletedUser37114

It was frustrating to have someone be all nice and understanding after she poured her heart out to them. It wasn't like she wanted to be miserable at the moment, and Giles was doing a good job of being comforting and comfortable and opening up to her and him rubbing her back like that was actually really nice and she really didn't deserve this and- Unable to really take any more, Harper buried her head in his shoulder and started to sob in earnest, keeping everything but the sniffles as silent as she could, though noises slipped out here and there. It was just too much, Giles being understanding, revealing what was obviously something fairly painful for himself... She'd just wanted a nice, fun evening spending plenty of time cuddling with a pretty coworker, not any of this awkward... painful... scary... intimate crap. And she wasn't nearly a good enough person to deserve Giles, not even close. He was innocent, kind, honest... Everything she wasn't.

As her breathing settled and she managed to calm down enough to talk, Harper croaked out, "S... so.... sorry, I don't know why... or maybe I... you're too good for me." She chuckled darkly as a thought struck her. "You get left by people, huh? And I leave people? We're just a match made in hell, aren't we?" The chuckle turned into full out giggles as she extricated herself from him and scooted over to a tissue box on one of the night stands to clean herself up with. "Ohhhhh devil man, won' ya hook me up," she sang, putting as much of a growl into her voice as she could. "To a pretty boy, wouldn' that be my luck? A man who's just too kind for me, so you'd remind me o' what I couldn' be." It wasn't fantastic, she'd have been embarrassed to do an impromptu tune like that on stage, but for the cozy room that wouldn't have been out of place in a hotel it was enough. It cheered her up, too, music usually did. Not enough that she was feeling normal, but at least enough to get back in the mood. "You wouldn't be put off by me being all red-eyed and sniffly while we're going at it, would you?" she asked lightly. "I've been with folks that got off on that, but I'm not sure about you..." It probably wasn't fair of her to tease him like that after what he's just done for her, but she also wasn't feeling up to going back and talking out her issues. Not quite yet, at least.
 
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