Closed / In Progress

[dolcezzamacabra]

WHO: Kristoph Gavin [ myscarsmiles ], Rhode Kamelot [ dolcezzamacabra ]
WHAT: A conversation about excuses, behavior, and lies.
WHERE: Kristoph Gavin's super-swank house
WHEN: The afternoon of this exchange.

Comments

[myscarsmiles]

There were times when he wished, sincerely, that Rhode was not under his wing. He wished that he had his house all to himself, that he could sit and read or do a puzzle or plan his next scheme. She was a handful at best and a disobedient little brat at worst, and right now seemed like one of those disobedient brat times. Did she really think he was unaware - that he hadn't spent all this time around her and wasn't capable of cutting through her poor lying

[dolcezzamacabra]

Rhode sighed quietly when she heard the door, tensing and waiting for the sound of his approaching steps. When it didn't come, however, she slouched back down with her book, watching the door and trying to decide what she should do next.

Delaying it could make it worse, or give him time to cool off. With Kris, it was more likely that the delay would make him madder. And by drawing it out, she was only going to make it harder to remember her stories and keep it straight. The stories she couldn't even think of, but she could come up with something.

It took half an hour, but she finally set the unread book aside and made her careful way to the kitchen. The girl paused before actually entering, realizing that she could still go hide somewhere until he finally called for her, but she stepped out, sort of creeping in to stand on the other side of the kitchen counter.

"Do you need any help?" Rhode kept her voice soft, careful; She did want to help, but she was fully expecting him to start lecturing her.

[myscarsmiles]

"I'm trying to decide what to have for dinner," he replied, looking up at her. "What do you want tonight? I was thinking some kind of pizza, but I don't really feel like making it right now. It was a long day."

Half-hour. That was a pretty good time for her. He mentally complemented her on this patience. "The temptation to go out is almost overwhelming, but I feel safety is more of a necessity than laziness."

[dolcezzamacabra]

"I can make it, if you tell me what to do." She managed to seem far less nervous than she was, only her fingers edging along the edge of the counter betraying her. "I want to learn how to do more than just bake, anyways. And if you're stressed, I can get some wine for you..."

Long days didn't really bode well, but if he was tired, he might be too tired to talk. Delaying and wanting it to be over at the same time was rather contradictory, but she was hoping it could be pushed either way.

[myscarsmiles]

"Wine would be lovely - there's an open bottle of red in the cabinet, if you could pour me and perhaps yourself someone, that would be wonderful." He continued to flip through the book, paying barely any attention to the recipes. Now, he was watching Rhode out of the corners of his eyes. "What did you do today, my dear? Anything interesting?"

[dolcezzamacabra]

"Not really. I cleaned my room and changed my sheets and towels, and did my laundry. I even exercised, and then I decided to read instead of doing anything useful for the rest of the afternoon."

Rhode took down two wine glasses and the bottle carefully, retrieving the corkscrew and standing a few feet from Kristoph's side to fill the glasses to just the right level. Pushing one toward him, she smiled, waiting for some small sign of his approval.

[myscarsmiles]

He took the glass and continued to leaf through the book, though it was clear that he had entirely lost interest in it, at least for now. "That's very good to hear. I'm glad to see that you're keeping clean and exercising. Though I would say that reading is very useful. For example, how would I ever know what's for dinner if I didn't read this cookbook, mm? And," he tilted his head towards her, a faint little amused smile on his lips. "How would we have ever met? I can just see you, wandering the treats and selling your prowess to the highest bidder."

He took a sip of wine. Good red. Good choice, Gavin, he thought to himself. "I'm quite glad you're with me instead. You need a little discipline and honesty in your life."

[dolcezzamacabra]

Rhode shrugged slightly, letting her guard down for the time being. He didn't sound like he wanted to talk about the problem, at least yet. "You would have promised me cookies and I would have come running. Or you would have dragged me off." Back when she'd first come out into the city, with no idea about gang families and mafia politics- Living with Debitt and Jasdero.

Rhode leaned forward on the counter, resting on her elbows as she sniffed at her own glass carefully before taking a drink. "Besides, you drugged me. That doesn't really count as a good introduction. Or very honest."

[myscarsmiles]

"Apologies." He chuckled a little at that, standing up and looking through various cabinets and the refrigerator to check if he had all the necessary ingredients for some recipe. "I take appropriate measures for appropriate situations. And, obviously, it's all turned out all right - so it doesn't seem like something to worry about, mm?"

He stopped to slowly unbutton his jacket and tie, leaving them on the back of the chair. He thought of Gin and wondered how he was doing, how he might of liked Rhode know or then, how she might have been. If Mazikeen was here. Idle thoughts, really, but they were good for waiting.

[dolcezzamacabra]

"Your reputation would be ruined if I told everyone about those cookies." She reached over to pull the cookbook closer, looking to see what he was planning to make. It didn't seem like anything she wouldn't want to eat, so she pushed it back.

Rhode watched him move around carefully, glass at her lips as though she were about to drink and had forgotten to. It was impossible to figure out what he was thinking, but she had the strange feeling that he didn't plan on saying anything. Was he just going to act like it didn't happen?

"Can I help? We can..." She trailed off, changing her mind about bringing it up.

[myscarsmiles]

"Oh no," Kristoph looked up at her and laughed gently, "Kristoph Gavin blackmailed by such a dainty child. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. With such information, I imagine I will be bowing at your feet."

He shook his head and began pulling ingredients from shelves. "I have a feeling, my dear, that regardless of what you tell people, I will be safe. Many people around me already know my special baking talents, and quite a few wouldn't believe a strange little child like yourself."

"And I would love your company. Preheat the oven, hmm? And boil some water."

[dolcezzamacabra]

Rhode moved to do as she was told, bending down to make sure the oven was set just right before getting a pot out. She could hold a conversation like this; it was easier to hold out if she was distracted.

"I'm not dainty. I'm getting taller." Putting the water on took a few moments, and so she turned to look at Kris again. "And why wouldn't they believe me? Besides the fact that I live with you."

[myscarsmiles]

"Why would they?" He brushed his hair out of its twist with his hand, then moved to braid it down his back. "You're a little girl in a big, frightening city. A little girl with no resources, at that, if you were going to do something like that. There's nothing special about you, nothing out of the ordinary. You don't have any weird powers, no guardian angel - and our lovely Reggio di Calabria is a city of skeptics. This place has shooed famous generals out with its inability to believe another person; what makes you think you're greater than that incredible skepticism?"

He paused, leaning against the countertop to watch her. "I would imagine you're just making up a silly story about a man who wronged you."

[dolcezzamacabra]

That made her pause. Rhode glanced at her feet as she thought of an answer, going over what he'd said.

"If I didn't have anything special about me, you wouldn't have me in your house." She smiled a bit when she said it, though it was a careful expression. "And I'm not completely defenseless. You've taught me a few things."

[myscarsmiles]

"That's true. You have potential, but not much more, I thought? Unless there's..." He turned back to the refrigerator, taking out some ingredients, and more importantly keeping his back to her. "something you're not telling me? Have I picked the golden egg unknowingly, dear?"

[dolcezzamacabra]

"Well, that's what I wanted to ask you about." Rhode kept her composure, despite that momentary flutter of fear that he knew. There was no way he could. She did her best to sound like she was just asking for a treat or something equally casual.

"Everyone has all these enhancements and things, and I was thinking it might be something to consider. I mean," she moved to get some salt, sprinkling just a bit in the water, "if I could do more, then maybe I'd be able to... do something besides just soldati work."