[ Closed | Not Quite Kidnapping | Complete ]
WHO: Kristoph Gavin [
myscarsmiles ], Rhode Kamelot [
dolcezzamacabra ]
WHAT: Exacting revenge for Tiki's offense, Kristoph decides to take advantage of the twins' new ward and her naivety.
WHERE: About the town, Kristoh Gavin's place of residence
WHEN: The Tuesday/Wednesday following Cowboy Night
She had awakened in a world without altered reality, pressed in the warm, safe space between the floor and the underside of her bed. Perhaps it was later that she should have been up and about, but she always felt sick and tired after- When she was like that. Rhode waited a few moments in the half-asleep dusk, rubbing her eyes with the back of one hand before dragging herself out to the open carpet.
Taking a shower and dressing was almost mechanical, an exercise she barely recalled as she pulled on the clothes Jasdero had demanded she wear and tucked a few Euros from the bedside table into her pocket. Her hair was a lot nicer with the help from the fashionable blond, cut into swept-aside bangs and short, black cuts of jagged hair that fell in layers to a few inches below her ears. It stuck out when she tied it back into miniscule pigtails, but her presentation wasn't much of a concern at the moment. She needed to get out, and she just wanted to be comfortable while doing so.
Rhode took care to make sure Debitt and Jasdero weren't lurking about as she snuck out the window, not wanting to leave the front door unlocked while she was gone. A few short sprints later, and she was out of the danger zone, standing in the middle of the cobblestone sidewalk in the open air. It smelled like humanity- Like life, something she'd never been able to smell past the antiseptic stench of the hospital.
She looked around, took a deep breath, and began walking; there was a lot to see, and not very much time before Jasdero and Debitt noticed she wasn't in her room anymore.
Out of all the things that Kristoph liked about himself, that perhaps he shouldn't have liked so much, was his own little habit to harbor grudges. Some grudges, of course, came fantastically in handy, especially when he was owed favors or had to do the occasional favor for someone else. Also, he liked his own memory, tracking names and faces and events and if a time came when he couldn't remember one of those three, he had his journal, of course.
One particular event that stuck out clean in his memory was this recent cowboy night. It had been amusing, to say the least, spending some "quality time" with Dean, admiring Claire's short skirt. He'd even gotten dressed down for the occasion, not wearing his vest, putting on boots rather than shoes, even if he really only did it for the spurs. The badge, too. Such mindless decorate was useless if not to frustrate someone else, and the fact that he'd put it on and went out to that bar rather than stayed inside and continued thinking about building his tea house (which was now done, and used, by the very man he hated so much right now) and it had been a nice bar, but still. He'd wasted his precious time, expecting to see a couple of people, and none had arrived.
Kristoph hated, hated, being played for a fool. He had already decided how to get back at all of this, at Monacello and Tyki Mikk for making an idiot out of him, and all that he needed was the opportunity. Tucking his journal into his pocket, he smiled to himself and headed out his door, towards he was knew Miss Rhode Kamelot lived. A little naive girl, a Monacello, one that she knew Mikk was fond of. Her episode also sat fresh in his mind, and he was very curious to see if she was still in such a strange state. Idly, he wondered if it would have been easier if she was, or wasn't.
She kept close to the side of the buildings as she walked, eyes on her feet as she moved along. It was the repetition of the action that she enjoyed, the regularity of the motion of one step, then another, moving out to some place she hadn't seen before or just somewhere away from where she didn't want to be.
Rhode found herself at a crossroads soon enough, standing back for a moment to rest her feet and look around. Leaning against the wall, she watched the other people moving about in the midday light, feeling like a child staring into some alien fishbowl. The sheer amount of people, how they just moved around and acted- It was completely new to her, and rather fascinating. There was only this world to them, no place to be trapped besides anywhere they chose to stay.
It was almost inconceivable that she was part of this fishbowl, now- As long as she could be until she was somehow found and taken back to the stark world of the hospital. She closed her eyes against the sun for a long moment, a rather sudden but mild headache making it difficult to keep looking at the blaring light. It was immense, this world; she just had to take it all in while she had the opportunity.
Interesting.
The vagrants and homeless of their little town ignored him, and they'd learned their lesson when he'd first really arrived here and became what he was now. He had no paitience for those who had to beg. They would work for their money, and if they touched him, he would break fingers. And he had broken fingers and a number of occasions, really, and it was all good and fine after that. They must have learned as a collective to leave him alone. He meandered down, away from pure Vescovo territory, where his house sat, now clean of that obscene tag. He saw here, too, looking a tad dishevelled and possibly in pain. Perfect, he thought, allowing his internal smirk to blossom just the tiniest bit. He wiped it away, though, and walked up to her, offering a hand, all gentleman. "Are you all right?"
She was obviously surprised by his approach, looking up sharply with something like confusion in her expression. It was... unexpected, really, but she recovered from the awkward pause after only several moments. "Just a small headache- Nothing, just the sun's really bright and I don't have-" She trailed off, wondering exactly how badly she could manage to pull off this conversation before it was over. "Just forgot my sunglasses." Rhode smiled slightly, a half-hearted, embarrassed tightening of her lips as she glanced down. It was a poor lie, but she wasn't exactly comfortable in these situations. Strangers were something she had yet to learn to handle well. "I'll be fine in a minute, really."
Could this really have gotten any better for him? Confused, and headachey. The god of luck would be smiling down at him if he believed in gods. He nodded, smiling a bit. "That's true, it is bright, isn't it? A nice day, though. Good for a walk through our fair city." He paused, considering, thoughtful, measuring her lie. It didn't matter, he decided, then spoke again. "You're looking better from that last time we talked. A little bit more lucid, if I may say such a thing without being too offensive." He brushed some hair behind his ear. "Though really, perhaps I can't."
Rhode flushed slightly at the comment, wondering if it was physically possible to melt into the sidewalk out of sheer humiliation. "Y- Yeah. Sorry, I wasn't feeling too well." There wasn't much of a way to explain that sort of thing, but she wasn't used to people bringing it up. "Weather's really nice, though. Something different from the rain we've been having." As blatant as the change of subject was, it was her best attempt to steer the conversation away from herself.
"It's fine." He smiled, apologetically, his posture open and accepting. "Everyone has their good days and their bad days, no?" He glanced up at the sky, the angry clouds that had possessed it having moved away to go harrass some other, possibily similarly-run town. Absently he pondered another place, other mob families, but dismissed it in another moment, preferring to focus on his task at hand, here. "That's true. I haven't been enjoying the sunshine as much as perhaps I should be, however. I'm a tad bookish, and all that." A beat. "Would you like to join me for a walk?"
He didn't press the matter; she liked that, perhaps too much, but when she smiled this time it was sincere. "I love books." Rhode paused as well, considering but having no thought of how silly it was to go anywhere with strange men. "Sure, I guess." She was going to be walking anyways, so why not walk with someone else? Talking to someone might make it easier to talk to others, and she'd never actually had company on her walks before. Pushing herself up from the wall, she brushed the front of her sweater awkwardly before shoving her hands in the knit pocket. "Which way?"
"How about this way?" He motioned back the way he came - the way she was heading. Right into the crocodile's toothy maw, his mind said, but he just internally rolled his eyes at his own bad cliches. "Me too," he said, smiling. "I have a pretty big library back at my house; it's where I spent most of my time, really, though my friends seem to often be on my case to see the sights of our darling city."
"Alright." She had been going that way, so that was convenient enough. She'd just wander back to the house in a circle when they were done, as always. Rhode took a few steps as he spoke, obviously expecting him to keep up. "I only have a few at home, but I used to get one a week to read. It was more fun than anything else there was to do." Poetry and fiction, with some cultural studies; She had just spent hours reading back at the hospital, and it was one of the only things she remembered fondly about the place.
He did follow, walking next to her and listening, curious. Mikk, he'd heard, was quite fond of this girl, but his caporegime duties didn't allow him to follow her directly; whatever caretakers she had were clearly not up to the task of making sure she wasn't kidnapped by nefarious Vescovos with angry grudges. Not his loss, he figured, smiling. "I could let you borrow some of mine, I suppose, if you'd like."
"What sort do you have?" She obviously had no idea of the intentions her walking companion, looking up to the sky as she walked along. "I've read all of Dickinson, and Frost, and a few other novels, too." Rhode had read the Bible, once- cover to cover. It wasn't that interesting until the New Testament, but it had been educational enough.
"Oh, I've got lots of books. Lots of poetry, too. Dickinson, Poe, E.E. Cummings, I've also got lots of other authors, like Shakespeare, and Chaucer and Faulker." He smiled, putting his hands in his pants pocket.
Rhode brightened slightly at the authors mentioned, finally making eye contact as she looked at him. "I've always wanted to read Shakespeare! There's a lot of references and stuff to his writing but they never actually gave it to me when I did ask- Hamlet and Othello were the ones I really wanna see. They're in practically everything!" She didn't notice how much easier it was for her to talk about books, but it was obvious how much she enjoyed the topic. "The entire novel Mrs. Dalloway was a parallel to Othello, y'know~"
"As a matter of fact, I do. I've got an fairly enormous anthology of most of Shakespeare's most famous works I'm sure I could let you borrow. Othello, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Taming of the Shrew...." He smiled at her, allowing her to go on and on.
"Do you have C.S. Lewis? I want to read the rest of his books, I only ever finished the first book in the Narnia series-" She was talking as fast as humanly possible, it seemed, almost skipping a few steps as she kept going on. "-and how big is your library, anyways? I've never seen a real one, besides pictures in magazines and things. I've always wanted one~"
"Well, it's not that big, just a room filled with books, really," He shrugged a big, wondering how to approximate. "A couple hundred books, maybe? I'm a member of a pretty large other library, but unfortunately, it's a bit exclusive." You know, like, not allowing a Monacello into the Vescovo manor. "I do, however, have C.S. Lewis."
"That's a lot of books." She was almost purring just thinking about it, but then her foot caught on a ridge on the sidewalk and she stumbled. Rhode caught herself, straightening with a slightly indignant noise, but she went right back to completely ignoring her surroundings. "I probably shouldn't be asking to borrow all of these, there's so many I want to read..."
"Are you all right?" He watched her regain her footing. "Well, I'm sure you can borrow some of them, maybe a couple at a time, then? Or you can stay with me and read them, really. I have very comfortable chair I'm really fond of."
"Grace issues." She brushed it off with a bit of embarrassment, but it wasn't unusual for her to space out like that. She'd walked into worse. "Debitt and Jasdero will get weird if I'm out for too long, and I really worried them yesterday."
"Debitt and Jasdero?" He echoed, internally in hysterics.
"Yeah. They... Debitt's the one who found me. They've been fixing me up." Rhode laughed almost sheepishly, a gesture with one hand taking in her hair and clothes. "Jasdero's got some obsession with fashion."
"Well, I think Jasdero does have a pretty good sense of fashion. I like your haircut, and your clothes as well." He smiled to her, but mostly to himself as they entered the Vescovo-heavy area of the city. Less bums, mostly. Generally, bums didn't hang around gang families. "Almost there."
Rhode beamed at the compliment, apparently unused to such remarks. "Really? I mean... I just kind of let him shove it on me. He wouldn't stop bugging me otherwise." She didn't even really notice his remark on the distance, already walking pretty quickly
"I think you look really nice." Another smile.
She was easily flattered, but really. It wasn't entirely her fault she was blushing. "H- How long until we get to your library?"
"Just down here," He reached into his pocket, pulling out his key and unlocking the door to his house, unlocking it and stepping inside, closing the door behind him.
Rhode stepped in before him with barely a moment's hesitation to mount the threshold, stopping dead in something like shock as she took in the interior of the main hall. "Oh my god." It was like something from a magazine- or a book, an insanely fantastic one that had almost no chance of being true. "It's.... It's amazing."
"I live here." He said, folding his arms behind his back and smiling. "Do you like it?"
"How can you live in a lace like this.? It's like- like a photo, it's perfect!" Rhode was still in awe over the hall when a few steps into the house had her standing in its center, taking in the room like a starving child in a room full of food.
Absently, Kristoph wondered if she'd ever been to the Monacello manor. Surely it was more impressive than his humble abode? Well, if she'd never read Hamlet, and they must have had it, perhaps she hasn't been. Amusing, he noted, there were more important things right now. He turned behind him and quietly locked the door, coming up behind her and turning up the lights. "Would you like to see my library room?"
Rhode nodded, apparently stunned into silence for a moment as she looked up the ceiling along the decorated walls. She stepped back to turn, bumping into him with a soft sound of surprise. "S- Sorry! I wasn't paying attention, I didn't mean to-"
"No, it's fine." A gentle smile, as he touched her shoulder lightly. "It's clear you're not used to such accomdations."
It was rather clear she wasn't used to people touching her, either. She just kind of stiffened, looking nervous for a moment before realizing she'd been quiet too long. "I- I guess so. I just sort of moved- in with Debitt and Jasdero, and you know how they are..."
"Well, I don't, but I suppose they're not like this." He pulled his hand back, crossing them behind him again, and made a small gesture with his head. "Follow me. I"ll show you my library room, and set you up downstairs with my Shakespeare anthology. How does that sound?"
"Kind of... normal, I guess." She couldn't really think of a better word, but anything was dull compared to this. Rhode turned around and moved slightly past him, ready to follow. Going back wasn't really a thought at the moment. Debitt and Jasdero could wait, and they'd be out most of the day anyways. "Sounds great- I don't wanna be annoying, though, if you've got something else to do."
"No, it's fine. I'm sure you won't bother me at all, really." He smiled, leading her through the foyer and into the library room, a brightly lit, circular room with a skylight and a small chandelier. Unsurprisingly, books lined the walls. He tapped his lip thoughtfully, then selected a spot, looking for this particular book.
Rhode followed like a puppy, trailing along and doing her best not to be delayed by her fascination with the various pretty things along the way. The library was the ultimate distraction, however- She was at the shelves as soon as they were in the room, running her fingers over the spines and reading the titles with respectful awe.
He turned to watch her, his arms crossed as he leaned against a shelf. This was pathetically easy. So pathetically easy, he wasn't even sure if it counted as a kidnapping. This was the equivalent of painting free candy on your van and having kids run into it. Maybe it wouldn't make enough of an effect? He didn't exactly want Mikk to think he'd been nothing but cheerful to his little friend, but this was accompanied by a satisfying hunch that even if Rhode spoke volumes of his greatness, Mikk still wouldn't believe her.
She pulled a volume from the shelf after a few moments of creeping along the wall, propping it on one arm as she flipped through it. She was mouthing the words she was pausing to read, eyes scanning the pages in fascinated oblivion. She was off in her own world here, finishing what she'd wanted from the book and putting it back on the shelf with all due care before beginning her search for another. Rhode hadn't the slightest clue of her host's intentions, and she didn't have a reason to suspect- The only people she'd ever been distrustful of were those at the hospital, and those out here were a different breed completely.
It might simply be easier for him to lock her here, he mused, watching her, so wonderfully oblivious to the larger machinations of Reggio Calabria, and something small as a grudge for being shown up. It all mixed together, really. He tugged the anthology down from the shelf and brought it over, waiting for her to turn to him. When she did, he presented it: an enormous blue tome, with the words ANTHOLOGY OF SHAKESPEARE'S GREATEST WORKS stamped in gold on the front.
She kept him waiting for a few moments, absorbed in another book before catching a glimpse of him from the corner of her eye. Rhode almost dropped the book as she turned to face him, looking a bit embarrassed at her distraction. She caught her fumble, however, keeping it in one hand as she took the larger volume with care. "It's so big..." She almost sounded hesitant, but then she smiled. "This'll take me two days at least~"
"Take your time." He smiled at her, fondly, showing thin strip of teeth in his smile, all that he let slip from his inner laughter. Two days? Perhaps not enough, but most certainly getting there. "You can read it from cover to cover, if you'd like. It's very important to be well-read."
Rhode hugged the book to her chest with a little shrug, not quite sure what to say. "I- I guess I'll have to come back tomorrow to keep reading it, then..." It was a little uncomfortable to suggest, but he had said she could stay and read- She was just being awkward again. "If that's not a problem or if you'd just want me to borrow it and take it home..."
He decided, for convienence, that it would simply be so much easier for him to simply lock her in here rather than the basement; plus, she was such a charming lady, and the basement was so dreary, really, for those less-agreeable fellows who had to be knocked out and dumped there. She had made his job so easily, he felt she deserved such. "How about you start it now?" He asked, moving an enormous armchair from it's normal spot to near her. "I'll make us snacks."
The prospect of snacks was definitely more interesting to think about than the twins. Rhode smiled brightly as she carefully sat down, slipping her feet from her shoes before tucking them beneath herself and setting the book on her lap. "That'd be great! I didn't have any breakfast so I am kinda hungry."
"What would you like? I'm afraid I don't keep much candy around, but perhaps I could whip something up," He stroked his chin thoughtfully, leaning against the door, convieniently trapping her in. "Pancakes, perhaps? With blueberries?"
"Mm..." She bit her lip for a moment, thinking as he spoke and finally nodding at his last suggestion. "That sounds like it'd be good! With butter and syrup, right?" Rhode had no idea she'd just walked into her own prison; he seemed so nice, and she never suspected the worst.
"Sure," he said, and stepped ouside, locking the door from the outside. Most of the doors locked the other way, except the library and the basement, and he mused thoughtfully on this little idea as he pulled ingredients from his kitchen and heated a skillet. He prefer fancier foods, really, but Rhode was young and he had a feeling that her taste buds were slightly simpler than his. As they cooked he wrote in his journal about her, and about Tyki, and Debitt (another name he'd heard) and Jasdero (a new one, and he made a note of it) and when they were done, he pulled some butter and syrup, heading back to his uknowing prisoner.
She was completely absorbed in the book by the time he returned, curled up in the chair and reading away. Rhode didn't even glance up as he came back in, though she did straighten when she heard him approach. "That was fast!" She'd been living off of the takeout and microwave food at Jasdero and Debitt's for so long, and before that hospital food- It would be the first time she'd actually eaten homemade food.
"I'm somewhat talented at cooking," he replied, handing her the plate, fork, knife, butter and syrup. "Plus, I couldn't exactly leave a hungry lady waiting, could I?"
Rhode set the book to the side of the chair and took the plate with obvious excitement, practically bouncing as she cut into the pancakes and shoved the first bite in her mouth. It was obviously good, because she made a noise of contentment as she really tasted it. A mumbled remark on how much she liked it was not entirely understandable, but she looked like she'd just eaten some food of the gods.
At least she used a fork and knife. Kristoph thought fondly of a previous dinner guest, who lacked anything utterly resembling manners. Maybe the Monacellos were taking Vescovo advice in class? Doubtful, he mused, but he was at least pleased with himself that she was satisfied. "Don't talk with your mouth full," he said absently, out of habit. "Regardless, seems that you approve."
She swallowed quickly at the admonishment, taking a bit long since she'd taken such a big bite. Once she was in the clear to speak well, however, she was nodding and smiling as brightly as before. "It's really good! You made it yourself and it's better than all the bought stuff- How do you make it, anyways? The mixes they sell in boxes or something?" Rhode certainly was chatty when she curious, but she silenced herself with another rather large mouthful of pancake.
"Well, you add a couple of ingredients together, flour, sugar, baking soa, butter, eggs, the usual... and you mix them, a lot, and put it on a skillet and turns into a pancake." A smile. "I make almost everything I cook from scratch."
"That's so cool. How do you do it? I thought it was just... really old school to actually cook things." Another bite, pancakes almost half gone already. Such a big mouth for such a small girl, but she was hungry.
"I suppose I'm just very old school like that. I find food I cook myself tastes much better, plus, I really do enjoy cooking." He sat down across from her, folding his hands in his lap. It was sickeninly accurate. Plus, food he cooked himself had a much, much smaller chance of being poisoned by anyone out to get him. That one, however, he decided against adding.
"It tastes ama~zing." She practically sang the word, falling silent to wolf down the rest of the food. It didn't take long at all- It was kind of like watching a black hole devour minor planets, with just a little less speed. She looked disappointedly at the empty plate when she was done, but she'd eaten her fill. Rhode set it on the side of the chair and pulled the Shakespeare collection back into her lap, looking quite ready to disappear into the book again until she finished it.
He chuckled gently and took the plate and utensils from her, and left her to read, putting the dishes in the sink. He came back to the library, though, selecting a book for himself to read, curiously wondering if and when Rhode would ever realize that she'd been kidnapped.
It was her own absence of mind that kept her sitting there for hours; By the time she finally stirred, the day was reaching the dim light of late afternoon, and the change in the lighting was the only thing that alerted her to the time that had passed. Rhode stood up stiffly, letting the book slide to rest in the chair before stretching widely. A yawn, a slight scratching of the hair before she glanced around in search of some kind of clock. “It’s getting really late… I have to run home, or Debitt’ll be mad I was out so long.” She usually tried to get back in before he even came home, but usually he was just annoyed when she slipped in at a reasonable time in the afternoon. Walking to the door, she glanced over her shoulder- She didn’t even try to turn the knob when she put her hand on it, smiling slightly with no idea there wasn’t going to be any chance for her to leave on her own terms. “I’ll try to come back tomorrow, if that’s okay- whenever you would want me to come back, that is.”
Kristoph stood, folding his own book away and placing it where it was supposed to go. He brushed her hand aside, reaching into his pocket for the key was. He unlocked the door with a quiet click. "Allow me to grace us with departing drinks before you go? It's somewhat of a tradition of mine. You can work through a couple more pages, I think."
She was hesitant for a moment, obviously unsure if being a few minutes later would make any difference at this point. "I... guess, if you want, but I really should go..." Rhode glanced back at the chair she'd been seated in thoughtfully, weighing the options. She made a soft sound of resignation at last, however, shrugging slightly. "Why not? Maybe they'll be asleep when I get there."
"Excellent." He slipped outside, stepping into his kitchen. A second key unlocked a hidden lock in one cabinet where he kept everything that he shouldn't put on his own food, and in a moment he selected the correct drug, dropping a bit into her cup and pouring himself some as well. Coke, spiked with rum (and sedatives) was the drink of choice, it's flavor and dark color good for these sort of thing. He handed her her glass when he got there, sitting back down in his chair. "I'm very glad you came with me." He said, and smiled, taking a sip of his drink.
"Special." Rhode didn't bother to inquire further, doing her best to not start reading again while sipping carefully at the glass. She was watching Kris, more in bland curiosity than anything else, but by the time she was almost to the bottom of the glass she was looking a bit too vacant to be just spacing out. "What are you writing, anyways...?" A hand reached into her sweater pocket, pulling out her phone to check the time before sliding it open. She was squinting at it, though- Having a little trouble making out the numbers, it seemed. "It's really late, I should call and tell them I'm gonna be late..." Or just text them, as she usually did. It would take a while, though; she had to figure out what she wanted to type and how to get it on the damn screen with the buttons so blurred.
"Oh, about you, mostly, Miss Kamelot." He smiled as he leaned forward, gently plucking the phone out of her hands and slipping in one his own pockets. "You see, it turns out that someone who's quite fond of you has really upset me - a lot, at that. So, I've decide that I don't feel like confronting him about it, as that could have negative consequences. However, allowing one of his wards to wander into my home is so much easier." He stood up, tucking the journal into his pocket. "How are you feeling?"
Her phone- Rhode reached out to try and grab it back, a bit too slow. Something wasn't right here, obviously, but she answered his question almost out of habit. Not very well at all, actually, but it came out as a sort of mumbled "Not- nots'good-" Pushing herself out of the chair to stand only made things worse, but she did her best to ignore her vertigo and stumble in the general direction of some sort of escape. She wasn't getting far, though- A stumbling step, a reel back to try and stay upright before she finally just sort of started sinking to her knees.
"You won't be able to walk. I wouldn't suggest standing, as it might hurt if you fall, plus, I wouldn't be very happy if you knocked your head hard enough to bleed on my floor. The ground might be a good place to stay." He stood in front of the door with his hands behind his back, still smiling.
Hands and knees, head aching from the sheer confusion and sudden exhaustion dragging her toward the floor- Rhode felt sick, nerves and fear, but she didn't try to get up again. Staying even slightly upright was a struggle on its own. "P- Please don't-" Damn it, she had to get it out- If she woke up again, if she woke up there-
"Don't take me back- there- please-" Falling, then, not entirely unconscious but unable to fight for much longer. Even lying on the floor her body felt like it was on the moving surface from hell.
"I won't hurt you. I don't need to. No, you'll stay here, with me." He crouched over her. "Though I wonder if you're yet another of the comission's experiments.. they're out of control, these days. And they say we're mad...." A little chuckle, as he stood up again, stepping over here and placing the Shakespeare volume on a small endtable.
Experiment- She'd heard that before, but it was- tests, something, she couldn't think- She didn't really need to. It was a bitter taste in her mouth and a weight in her chest as her eyes closed. Rhode didn't even have the chance to fight for consciousness, a soft sigh of breath escaping as she fell asleep.
She would wake up, he decided, in one of his guest bedrooms. Comfortable, but quite trapped, because with the room being on the second floor, the light afforded steamed through a skylight, with no windows. The Shakespeare volume would be on the desk next to her, next to the lamp and alongside a bowl of chicken soup. There was also a polite note in sharp cursive asking her politely to not escape, that the door was locked, and that he would be home tonight.
~+~
She came to with a bit of a headache the following morning- Well, the following midday. Rhode felt a bit sick with relief when she realized she wasn't back at the hospital, something that happened every morning. This time, however, she was enjoying the scent of the clean sheets and a soft mattress. Not to mention the pillows- She had the momentary fancy that she was sleeping like a princess, but it didn't last when she finally needed to crawl out of bed. A hot bath took only a few minutes to draw, but she stayed in for at least two hours. Dozing off in the tub probably wasn't very smart, but it was impossible to avoid. Her head felt better afterward, and the bowl of soup helped the bitter taste in her mouth left over from the night before.
Shaking the door and trying to get out produced no luck, and so she gave up after she'd worn herself out trying to shake it unlocked through some magic she didn't possess. Rhode spent the remainder of the afternoon propped up on the bed, pillows piled behind her back and the book pulled up in her lap. She was almost halfway through when the light coming through the skylight began to fade to red, the sun setting on some horizon she couldn't see. Another turn of the page, a sigh, and a glance toward the ceiling. She was so bored, and she couldn't even get out to do anything. Just had to wait and find out why she was even here- Who was supposed to get worked up about her being gone besides the twins, even.
Blooded his gloves again, damnit.
Being in a family could be such dirty business. Sometimes it was so nice and clean, slipping this and that into food, strangling someone and letting them rot, but sometimes it was bloody, and that was always unfortunate, getting dirty over people who didn't deserve to live. Or, as a matter of fact, people who did deserve to die. He mused on this for a moment, though his attention was eventually drawn to the fact that his house was actually very occupied even with him gone all day, between Vescovo "errands" and running his own businesses and whatever else he had to do. It had been a long day, and he was tired, and despite the fact he normally kept himself quite tightly wound, he prayed that this girl would be as easy to keep as she was to kidnap.
He dropped the gloves and his blazer in the laundry machine, leaving his tie there as well. That left the black vest and the white shirt and his blue pants, and he was feeling quite comfortable like that. With his journal tucked under one arm, he walked up the steps, musing on perhaps just leaving her for the night and writing in his journal and going to sleep. He knocked on the door.
"What." Rhode barked the word, obviously not enthused to have a visitor. She wasn't exactly pleased with the situation, but even her good behavior throughout the day didn't mean she needed to keep her tone civil. "Some more soda for me or something?" If her eyes could have burned a hole in the wood with mere looks, her glare would have set the door on fire.
"Well, if you would like me to leave, I'm very tired myself. I was going to ask if you wanted dinner, but I don't know if I should feed someone who clearly doesn't appreciate my hospitality." He leaned against the door, rubbing his eyes behind his glasses a bit.
She was silent for a long minute, staring at the door with something like spite before slamming the book shut and setting it to one side. "What's for dinner." Food was a motivator, but she didn't quite trust him after last night. Then again, she might be able to actually find out more about why she was here if she did...
"Roast beef and broccoli," He replied, amused by the spite he heard clear in her voice. Not like he didn't understand, really, but it brought a small smile to his face. "And whatever you'd like to drink with it. I have Coke, Diet Coke, and Doctor Pepper."
Another pause. "Am I going to be stuck eating it in here?" It was kind of a pointless question, but she couldn't really give in that easily. He'd enjoyed his powertrip too much already. She'd give him some trouble in return for his efforts.
"Well, I'm sorry to say, but I don't quite know if you'll make a break for the door. I'm very tired, and I don't feel like chasing after you tonight. And it seems like a promise isn't worth what it used to be." He opened the journal, absently writing.
"Like you're one to be talking." Rhode was ready to throw something at the door, but she kept her temper well enough. "Coming from the man who lied to get me to his house and then drugged me in his library!" She was a bit irritated, to say the least, and her raised voice betrayed the emotion. "And I don't even know why I'm here! Who's going to come looking for me except the twins, maybe!"
"So, where exactly did I lie, then?" He brushed hair behind his ear, trying to suppress his agitation. "You're here because you're a means to an end. I'm frustrated at your superiors, and to show them, I've locked you up in my house. I have no intentions of hurting you, though I would have thought you would have seen that as I've provided to you the book you wanted, food, a bathroom and a bed, but if this is not to your liking I do have a basement that fits the hostage situation slightly better."
She compromised this time- She just threw one of the pillows at the door with as much force as she could manage. "What superiors are you talking about? Debitt and Jasdero's- Whatever they called them?" This was just confusing now. "They haven't told me anything about anything, so if that's what you want you're out of luck. The twins can't even find their shoes in the morning, how can you expect them to notice I'm gone?" Rhode ignored the basement remark on purpose; She didn't really want to tempt that part of the threat any farther.
"Debitt belongs to a family I'm not quite fond of, as do others who I've heard have an eye on you. It's really a pity they haven't told you anything, because I doubt you would have come with me if you would have known the dangers that sit in suits around our fair city. If they truly don't notice you're gone, then I suppose we all come out where we started, and no one loses." He shrugged, pulling a chair over and sitting down in it. If this was going to be an extended conversation, he might as well be comfortable.
"What, like the family Ravi was talking about?" Rhode tilted her head a bit to the side, puzzling things together silently. They hadn't been telling her things, she knew that much, and when she'd talked to Ravi that first time... A family that he got nervous talking about, and that he changed the subject from when she'd asked about it. "... Tell me what's going on, then. Don't want to make the same mistake twice." The second half was muttered, but she had a feeling she'd been dragged into something she really needed to know about.
"A gang family," he explained, pulling over the accompanying ottoman so he could take his shoes and socks off and put his feet up. "A family who controls and rules our fair little city. They pull money from both legit and not-so-legit businesses. Not just a family in terms of blood, but also in loyalty. Did Debitt tell you none of this? Did he simply just expect other families to not notice the weak prey hanging off Monacello?"
"Um." Rhode bit her lip thoughtfully, trying to remember if he'd mentioned anything at all to her- And knowing all too well he hadn't said a word. "Probably forgot. Somewhere between picking the random crazy girl up off the street and everything else, things must've gotten hectic." She was going to slug him when she saw him again- Break his stupid little nose for getting her in this kind of trouble.
"That seems to be the problem with Monacello these days, the way they simply pull people in, it seems..." He closed his eyes again, then opened them, looking at his pedicure, wondering if he could go another week. "Would you like dinner, or not?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" It sounded just a little more than insulting, but she'd started that trend, she supposed. "Only if I get to know more."
"The family Debitt is in... they're slightly more welcoming to strangers than the family I associate with." He looked at the scar on his hand, thinking about how hard he worked for the name he carried, these days. He looked at the door, amused. "Why do you sound like you think I'm forced to feed you? I don't care if you don't eat, and if you want something, I imagine it'll be on my terms, not not yours, Miss Kamelot."
"Because I'm useless if I'm dead, and you probably like all the furniture in here enough to want me to not trash it." She knew she was playing dangerously with that comment, but she was hoping it would get her a bit more information. "But what makes you think I'm going to end up in this family? I don't think anyone even knows about me except Ravi-" A pause- Well, that incident, her episode... She hadn't been quite right then, though, and it wasn't as if any of it made sense to anyone else. "And if Jasdero and Debitt don't come for me, who will? You're obviously trying to get someone specific."
"You being dead isn't useless, it simply is driving home the point a bit fiercer than I would like. Besides, not eating dinner one night, even not eating for three nights in a row won't kill you. There is a man, Tyki Mikk, and I hoped that I would see him a couple days ago, and he didn't show up. It was... very upsetting." He paused, rubbing the bridge of his nose, mentally disciplining himself for wanting to have this over with so damn soon. "It's him I'm really frustrated at, though I imagine that it was a plan on behalf of the Monacello house at large, so really, if only Debbit and Jasdero become frustrated, I'll be satisfied."
"You didn't say anything about the furniture." It was her last valid point on that topic, so she tried for the last word and sank back into the pillows with her arms tightly crossed over her chest. "So you want this guy Tyki to come for me, even though he's never met me before and has no reason to." Rhode seemed to be mulling over the thought, finally speaking again with a slightly less nasty tone. "Why me, though? This- Tiki, Tyki, whatever, and the twins. If I'm that sick rotting caribou at the back of the back waiting for the wolves, why're they bothering?"
"I would be very, very upset if you destroyed my furniture, though I might feel better if I shot out your kneecaps in response." His voice was casual, and he turned to the next page in his journal. "I don't really want Mikk to come here, no, and he doesn't know where I live, regardless, but I would like him to be upset about you being kidnapped. As for why they've taken you in- I have no idea. I most certainly wouldn't have. And nor would my family."
That made her quiet for a few minutes, looking at her knees where they were picking up under the sheets with a rather ponderous expression. She decided that she rather liked having them, though, swallowing a bit harshly before speaking again. "And once he is mad about it, what happens to me? You let me go?"
"Exactly."
"How long is that going to take?" She was looking at the Shakespeare book as she asked, gaging how long it would take to finish reading it.
"Probably a couple of days." He ran a hand through his hair, knocking it from it's twist, and played with an end absently. He needed a haircut, too. All of this was going straight to his split-ends. "I'll get you more books, and if you behave, perhaps I'll lock you in the library instead."
Rhode was chewing the inside of her lip as she thought, putting together everything she had suddenly been enlightened about and trying to figure out- Well, a lot. "What happens after... you let me go?" It was a rather stupid question, she knew, but she had a feeling asking was better than sitting and milling over it.
"Oh, well, I have no idea." He thought about this too, curious. "They might kill you, or maybe just punish you, or put you in therapy for being kidnapped... or maybe nothing? Maybe you'll be kicked from the family entirely? I have no idea, honestly."
"Punish me?" Apparently dying wasn't as concerning as being punished- or put into therapy. "What'd I do wrong? And I've had more than enough therapy- That's just stupid!" Rhode wasn't even sure she was officially 'in' this family yet; The realization kind of dawned on her that something she'd seen directed at the twins had mentioned a stray. Her? That... was a little weird to think about.
"Maybe they'll do nothing at all, Miss Kamelot," he repeated. This was it. He was tired. "I will get you some dinner if you would like it. For now, you're staying there, but we'll see how I feel in the morning. I had a very busy day today, but tomorrow shouldn't be nearly as busy. We'll see."
That hadn't really helped her anxieties at all, but she bit back another question with a whining sound. "Yeah. I'm hungry." Sleeping sounded nice, too, even though she had been up only half the day. Rhode just needed to think; figure out what she was doing involved in this mess.
"What would you like to drink?" He closed his journal and tucked it under his arm, thinking about perhaps he needed a journal pocket in his vest too, for times like this when he was not wearing a blazer. He stood up, moving the chairs back to where they'd been. "I have coke, diet coke, and doctor pepper, and of course, water."
"I kind of liked..." She stopped herself before finishing that stupid statement. "How about Doctor Pepper? Something new." Asking for the same thing she'd had last night was kind of redundant, seeing how he'd put something extra in there.
"That wasn't just coke, I should say, so you aren't let down." He couldn't help but laugh, either way. "That was coke and rum." He headed to the kitchen, then returned shortly after with food. Putting the plate down (and preparing to knock the girl out if she ran) he unlocked the door with one hand, holding the plate in the other. He realized that perhaps he should have put on his blazer and fixed his hair, but he looked fine as is. "Here," he said, offering the plate and the glass.
Rhode was still sitting in the bed, obviously having decided that it wasn't worth the effort to try and run away quite yet. She still had questions, after all, but she waited until he handed her the food to start in again. "This... Tyki guy. Why's Debitt freaked out about him?" Cowboy night, she remembered that argument- Debitt didn't like something about the man, though he wouldn't say what.
He closed the door behind him, sitting in a chair. "I imagine Tyki told Debitt not to go to the bar. On top of that... Tyki is, I'd imagine, Debitt's superior, or close to it." He intertwined his fingers in his lap, thoughtful. "Or perhaps in-house business I'm unfortunately not allowed to see."
She took a bite of her meat with a studious expression, sawing off a piece with the side of her fork. He'd seemed... scared, really, edgy and nervous. Maybe that wasn't something he'd know, though. "So how many families are there? What makes this... Mona-whatever different from whatever you're in, and why haven't I heard about it before if it's such a big thing?"
"Oh, there's a good number of families, though there are only really a couple who are important. Monacello, that's the one you're in." He made a small gesture. "and my house, well.." he paused, reconsidering his words. "The house I belong to has somewhat owned the majority of this city for some time. However, Monacello seems to believe they can take back some of the city from us, so, we're not really on good terms with them. What makes us different from them are our methods, the way we gain and lose people... that sort of thing. As for why you haven't heard about it, it's becuase it's a very quiet war." He smiled.
"Power changes hands every few decades in every kind of government, though." Eating away as hungrily as ever, she tried not to talk with her mouth full but didn't entirely succeed. At least she was understandable this time. "So no matter who's in charge it'll change again soon anyways..." Too many history books, really.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," he said, again. "And though that may be true, we intend on keeping power as long a we possibly can." His eyes flickered to the anthology, "You really are doing very well with that book."
"Why not?" She knew it was gross, but there wasn't any real reason to not talk with food in your mouth. "It's easy, but plays take me longer than stories. Don't flow as well on the page, and not as... artistic-wordish."
"It's rude and disgusting. I've no need to see the half-masticated roast beef in your mouth. It's certainly not the most charming part of your body." He frowned a bit.
Rhode took a few bites while she pondered his response, finishing off the meat and starting on her side dish of broccoli before speaking again. "So do I get my phone back when I go?" It was a rather poor attempt at starting conversation, but she rather liked it. The twins had gotten it for her, after all, and it was nice and pink.
"Absolutely," He smiled. "A cute little device. I most certainly wouldn't want to deprive you of it for more than I would have to." A small laugh, and he brushed his hair out of his face and reached into his pocket for his own phone, checking it absently. He placed it back in his pocket and nodded.
"Okay." She was easy to please, really, despite her bratty tendencies. Not to mention a fast eater- Rhode had her broccoli done within a few minutes, pushing the empty plate to the side of the bed and sitting back with a sigh. She sniffed her drink a bit suspiciously before taking her first sip, apparently deciding nothing was wrong with it. "It's not as... It's all warm-tasting, but that probably wasn't really how Coke tastes." A thoughtful pause, another, larger swallow. Sweet, though~" She liked the taste, and the bubbles. More than a little fun to drink.
"Do you like it? I could get you more." He stood up, taking the plate. "Yes, the strange tastes was not precisely the fault of the coke, but all the other ingredients." he watched her blow bubbles with a small, fond smile.
"I want something like... chocolate." She was having just a bit too much fun with the soda, but paused long enough to think about what she did want. "I dunno. How about cookies... or something."
"Chocolate cookies, then?"
"Yeah!" Rhode knew she liked those, since she'd had some before; she was obviously enthused about the prospect, eyes lit up like it was Christmas.
"Would you like to make them with me? I've got all the ingredients and a good recipe. you'd just have to promise you wouldn't escape. You wouldn't be able to enjoy the cookies if you left."
"Make them?" That seemed to stump her. "Don't they come in a package?"
"You can make them from scratch. Like pancakes." He sat down on the edge of the bed, motioning as he spoke. "Flour, sugar, chocolate, milk, eggs, and so on....." He rubbed eyes again. Tired. Goddamn, and he here was getting roped into making cookies. "And then you have cookies."
This was apparently quite confusing, since she looked like she'd just seen a rabbit eat a buffalo. "That's weird. Why not just buy them? And are your eyes okay?" Rhode could be observant, despite her naivete.
"They taste better when you make them from scratch. Plus, they don't have the additional preservatives and chemicals big companies put in them." He pushed his glasses up his nose, thinking. "I've just had a very long day, is all. I got a lot of things done today, but some of them were... trying."
"Oh." A pause, watching him curiously. "You look kind of tired."
"Yes, I am tired." He took his glasses up, allowing the word to slide out of focus for the moment. "I didn't get the luxury of sitting around, drinking soup and reading all day."
"Why don't you go to bed, then?" Rhode bristled a bit at the second half of his response, though. "If I'd had any say I'd be sitting at home on the computer or something, but you know how plans change."
"I think I shall." He stood up and put his glasses back on, smiling. "Cookies tomorrow, then? I don't have any plans. I kept the day open just for you, Miss Kamelot."
She couldn't really help but smile in return, though it was a bit half-hearted. "Yeah, that works." At least she'd be able to move around, but she was still nervous about the whole situation. That, and after all he'd told her... She had a lot to think about tonight. "You shouldn't stay up just to talk to me, anyways."
"There's no reason why not. You're my honored guest. Plus, you seem to be an interesting source of conversation." He headed back to the door with her plate and empty glass, smiling and bowing his head. "Have a good evening, Miss Kamelot. Sleep well."
Rhode shrugged a bit at his answer, not really bothering to respond to the statements. "Night." She slid down a bit in the bed now that the plates were gone, stretching out her legs and leaning her head back with a sigh. "See you tomorrow."
He locked the door with a quiet click, rubbing his eyes again as he dropped the plate in the kitchen, watching the rest of them absently. Oh, Tyki, he thought to himself with a quiet smile, thinking upstairs about his computer and the girl sleeping in his guest bedroom. His thoughts idled as he washed, then slipped the gloves off and inspected his manicure to make sure it was all right then dragged himself off to his own room. He wrote, though really he felt too tired for one of the first time. Closing his eyes, he slipped his glasses and his journal on his endtable, stripping down and falling asleep.
Rhode was awake later than she should have been, though she was lying down. Her mind was racing, puzzling things together and sliding facts into place as she went over everything she'd found out that evening. Though she'd been completely alert when he'd left her, by the time she'd finished she found herself mentally exhausted from the task. A wide yawn, setting the book of Shakespeare on the bedside table, but then she turned onto her side and pulled the sheets to her chin. She was asleep within minutes, one arm wrapped tightly around one of the pillows as she dreamed.
myscarsmiles ], Rhode Kamelot [
dolcezzamacabra ]
WHAT: Exacting revenge for Tiki's offense, Kristoph decides to take advantage of the twins' new ward and her naivety.
WHERE: About the town, Kristoh Gavin's place of residence
WHEN: The Tuesday/Wednesday following Cowboy Night
She had awakened in a world without altered reality, pressed in the warm, safe space between the floor and the underside of her bed. Perhaps it was later that she should have been up and about, but she always felt sick and tired after- When she was like that. Rhode waited a few moments in the half-asleep dusk, rubbing her eyes with the back of one hand before dragging herself out to the open carpet.
Taking a shower and dressing was almost mechanical, an exercise she barely recalled as she pulled on the clothes Jasdero had demanded she wear and tucked a few Euros from the bedside table into her pocket. Her hair was a lot nicer with the help from the fashionable blond, cut into swept-aside bangs and short, black cuts of jagged hair that fell in layers to a few inches below her ears. It stuck out when she tied it back into miniscule pigtails, but her presentation wasn't much of a concern at the moment. She needed to get out, and she just wanted to be comfortable while doing so.
Rhode took care to make sure Debitt and Jasdero weren't lurking about as she snuck out the window, not wanting to leave the front door unlocked while she was gone. A few short sprints later, and she was out of the danger zone, standing in the middle of the cobblestone sidewalk in the open air. It smelled like humanity- Like life, something she'd never been able to smell past the antiseptic stench of the hospital.
She looked around, took a deep breath, and began walking; there was a lot to see, and not very much time before Jasdero and Debitt noticed she wasn't in her room anymore.
Out of all the things that Kristoph liked about himself, that perhaps he shouldn't have liked so much, was his own little habit to harbor grudges. Some grudges, of course, came fantastically in handy, especially when he was owed favors or had to do the occasional favor for someone else. Also, he liked his own memory, tracking names and faces and events and if a time came when he couldn't remember one of those three, he had his journal, of course.
One particular event that stuck out clean in his memory was this recent cowboy night. It had been amusing, to say the least, spending some "quality time" with Dean, admiring Claire's short skirt. He'd even gotten dressed down for the occasion, not wearing his vest, putting on boots rather than shoes, even if he really only did it for the spurs. The badge, too. Such mindless decorate was useless if not to frustrate someone else, and the fact that he'd put it on and went out to that bar rather than stayed inside and continued thinking about building his tea house (which was now done, and used, by the very man he hated so much right now) and it had been a nice bar, but still. He'd wasted his precious time, expecting to see a couple of people, and none had arrived.
Kristoph hated, hated, being played for a fool. He had already decided how to get back at all of this, at Monacello and Tyki Mikk for making an idiot out of him, and all that he needed was the opportunity. Tucking his journal into his pocket, he smiled to himself and headed out his door, towards he was knew Miss Rhode Kamelot lived. A little naive girl, a Monacello, one that she knew Mikk was fond of. Her episode also sat fresh in his mind, and he was very curious to see if she was still in such a strange state. Idly, he wondered if it would have been easier if she was, or wasn't.
She kept close to the side of the buildings as she walked, eyes on her feet as she moved along. It was the repetition of the action that she enjoyed, the regularity of the motion of one step, then another, moving out to some place she hadn't seen before or just somewhere away from where she didn't want to be.
Rhode found herself at a crossroads soon enough, standing back for a moment to rest her feet and look around. Leaning against the wall, she watched the other people moving about in the midday light, feeling like a child staring into some alien fishbowl. The sheer amount of people, how they just moved around and acted- It was completely new to her, and rather fascinating. There was only this world to them, no place to be trapped besides anywhere they chose to stay.
It was almost inconceivable that she was part of this fishbowl, now- As long as she could be until she was somehow found and taken back to the stark world of the hospital. She closed her eyes against the sun for a long moment, a rather sudden but mild headache making it difficult to keep looking at the blaring light. It was immense, this world; she just had to take it all in while she had the opportunity.
Interesting.
The vagrants and homeless of their little town ignored him, and they'd learned their lesson when he'd first really arrived here and became what he was now. He had no paitience for those who had to beg. They would work for their money, and if they touched him, he would break fingers. And he had broken fingers and a number of occasions, really, and it was all good and fine after that. They must have learned as a collective to leave him alone. He meandered down, away from pure Vescovo territory, where his house sat, now clean of that obscene tag. He saw here, too, looking a tad dishevelled and possibly in pain. Perfect, he thought, allowing his internal smirk to blossom just the tiniest bit. He wiped it away, though, and walked up to her, offering a hand, all gentleman. "Are you all right?"
She was obviously surprised by his approach, looking up sharply with something like confusion in her expression. It was... unexpected, really, but she recovered from the awkward pause after only several moments. "Just a small headache- Nothing, just the sun's really bright and I don't have-" She trailed off, wondering exactly how badly she could manage to pull off this conversation before it was over. "Just forgot my sunglasses." Rhode smiled slightly, a half-hearted, embarrassed tightening of her lips as she glanced down. It was a poor lie, but she wasn't exactly comfortable in these situations. Strangers were something she had yet to learn to handle well. "I'll be fine in a minute, really."
Could this really have gotten any better for him? Confused, and headachey. The god of luck would be smiling down at him if he believed in gods. He nodded, smiling a bit. "That's true, it is bright, isn't it? A nice day, though. Good for a walk through our fair city." He paused, considering, thoughtful, measuring her lie. It didn't matter, he decided, then spoke again. "You're looking better from that last time we talked. A little bit more lucid, if I may say such a thing without being too offensive." He brushed some hair behind his ear. "Though really, perhaps I can't."
Rhode flushed slightly at the comment, wondering if it was physically possible to melt into the sidewalk out of sheer humiliation. "Y- Yeah. Sorry, I wasn't feeling too well." There wasn't much of a way to explain that sort of thing, but she wasn't used to people bringing it up. "Weather's really nice, though. Something different from the rain we've been having." As blatant as the change of subject was, it was her best attempt to steer the conversation away from herself.
"It's fine." He smiled, apologetically, his posture open and accepting. "Everyone has their good days and their bad days, no?" He glanced up at the sky, the angry clouds that had possessed it having moved away to go harrass some other, possibily similarly-run town. Absently he pondered another place, other mob families, but dismissed it in another moment, preferring to focus on his task at hand, here. "That's true. I haven't been enjoying the sunshine as much as perhaps I should be, however. I'm a tad bookish, and all that." A beat. "Would you like to join me for a walk?"
He didn't press the matter; she liked that, perhaps too much, but when she smiled this time it was sincere. "I love books." Rhode paused as well, considering but having no thought of how silly it was to go anywhere with strange men. "Sure, I guess." She was going to be walking anyways, so why not walk with someone else? Talking to someone might make it easier to talk to others, and she'd never actually had company on her walks before. Pushing herself up from the wall, she brushed the front of her sweater awkwardly before shoving her hands in the knit pocket. "Which way?"
"How about this way?" He motioned back the way he came - the way she was heading. Right into the crocodile's toothy maw, his mind said, but he just internally rolled his eyes at his own bad cliches. "Me too," he said, smiling. "I have a pretty big library back at my house; it's where I spent most of my time, really, though my friends seem to often be on my case to see the sights of our darling city."
"Alright." She had been going that way, so that was convenient enough. She'd just wander back to the house in a circle when they were done, as always. Rhode took a few steps as he spoke, obviously expecting him to keep up. "I only have a few at home, but I used to get one a week to read. It was more fun than anything else there was to do." Poetry and fiction, with some cultural studies; She had just spent hours reading back at the hospital, and it was one of the only things she remembered fondly about the place.
He did follow, walking next to her and listening, curious. Mikk, he'd heard, was quite fond of this girl, but his caporegime duties didn't allow him to follow her directly; whatever caretakers she had were clearly not up to the task of making sure she wasn't kidnapped by nefarious Vescovos with angry grudges. Not his loss, he figured, smiling. "I could let you borrow some of mine, I suppose, if you'd like."
"What sort do you have?" She obviously had no idea of the intentions her walking companion, looking up to the sky as she walked along. "I've read all of Dickinson, and Frost, and a few other novels, too." Rhode had read the Bible, once- cover to cover. It wasn't that interesting until the New Testament, but it had been educational enough.
"Oh, I've got lots of books. Lots of poetry, too. Dickinson, Poe, E.E. Cummings, I've also got lots of other authors, like Shakespeare, and Chaucer and Faulker." He smiled, putting his hands in his pants pocket.
Rhode brightened slightly at the authors mentioned, finally making eye contact as she looked at him. "I've always wanted to read Shakespeare! There's a lot of references and stuff to his writing but they never actually gave it to me when I did ask- Hamlet and Othello were the ones I really wanna see. They're in practically everything!" She didn't notice how much easier it was for her to talk about books, but it was obvious how much she enjoyed the topic. "The entire novel Mrs. Dalloway was a parallel to Othello, y'know~"
"As a matter of fact, I do. I've got an fairly enormous anthology of most of Shakespeare's most famous works I'm sure I could let you borrow. Othello, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Taming of the Shrew...." He smiled at her, allowing her to go on and on.
"Do you have C.S. Lewis? I want to read the rest of his books, I only ever finished the first book in the Narnia series-" She was talking as fast as humanly possible, it seemed, almost skipping a few steps as she kept going on. "-and how big is your library, anyways? I've never seen a real one, besides pictures in magazines and things. I've always wanted one~"
"Well, it's not that big, just a room filled with books, really," He shrugged a big, wondering how to approximate. "A couple hundred books, maybe? I'm a member of a pretty large other library, but unfortunately, it's a bit exclusive." You know, like, not allowing a Monacello into the Vescovo manor. "I do, however, have C.S. Lewis."
"That's a lot of books." She was almost purring just thinking about it, but then her foot caught on a ridge on the sidewalk and she stumbled. Rhode caught herself, straightening with a slightly indignant noise, but she went right back to completely ignoring her surroundings. "I probably shouldn't be asking to borrow all of these, there's so many I want to read..."
"Are you all right?" He watched her regain her footing. "Well, I'm sure you can borrow some of them, maybe a couple at a time, then? Or you can stay with me and read them, really. I have very comfortable chair I'm really fond of."
"Grace issues." She brushed it off with a bit of embarrassment, but it wasn't unusual for her to space out like that. She'd walked into worse. "Debitt and Jasdero will get weird if I'm out for too long, and I really worried them yesterday."
"Debitt and Jasdero?" He echoed, internally in hysterics.
"Yeah. They... Debitt's the one who found me. They've been fixing me up." Rhode laughed almost sheepishly, a gesture with one hand taking in her hair and clothes. "Jasdero's got some obsession with fashion."
"Well, I think Jasdero does have a pretty good sense of fashion. I like your haircut, and your clothes as well." He smiled to her, but mostly to himself as they entered the Vescovo-heavy area of the city. Less bums, mostly. Generally, bums didn't hang around gang families. "Almost there."
Rhode beamed at the compliment, apparently unused to such remarks. "Really? I mean... I just kind of let him shove it on me. He wouldn't stop bugging me otherwise." She didn't even really notice his remark on the distance, already walking pretty quickly
"I think you look really nice." Another smile.
She was easily flattered, but really. It wasn't entirely her fault she was blushing. "H- How long until we get to your library?"
"Just down here," He reached into his pocket, pulling out his key and unlocking the door to his house, unlocking it and stepping inside, closing the door behind him.
Rhode stepped in before him with barely a moment's hesitation to mount the threshold, stopping dead in something like shock as she took in the interior of the main hall. "Oh my god." It was like something from a magazine- or a book, an insanely fantastic one that had almost no chance of being true. "It's.... It's amazing."
"I live here." He said, folding his arms behind his back and smiling. "Do you like it?"
"How can you live in a lace like this.? It's like- like a photo, it's perfect!" Rhode was still in awe over the hall when a few steps into the house had her standing in its center, taking in the room like a starving child in a room full of food.
Absently, Kristoph wondered if she'd ever been to the Monacello manor. Surely it was more impressive than his humble abode? Well, if she'd never read Hamlet, and they must have had it, perhaps she hasn't been. Amusing, he noted, there were more important things right now. He turned behind him and quietly locked the door, coming up behind her and turning up the lights. "Would you like to see my library room?"
Rhode nodded, apparently stunned into silence for a moment as she looked up the ceiling along the decorated walls. She stepped back to turn, bumping into him with a soft sound of surprise. "S- Sorry! I wasn't paying attention, I didn't mean to-"
"No, it's fine." A gentle smile, as he touched her shoulder lightly. "It's clear you're not used to such accomdations."
It was rather clear she wasn't used to people touching her, either. She just kind of stiffened, looking nervous for a moment before realizing she'd been quiet too long. "I- I guess so. I just sort of moved- in with Debitt and Jasdero, and you know how they are..."
"Well, I don't, but I suppose they're not like this." He pulled his hand back, crossing them behind him again, and made a small gesture with his head. "Follow me. I"ll show you my library room, and set you up downstairs with my Shakespeare anthology. How does that sound?"
"Kind of... normal, I guess." She couldn't really think of a better word, but anything was dull compared to this. Rhode turned around and moved slightly past him, ready to follow. Going back wasn't really a thought at the moment. Debitt and Jasdero could wait, and they'd be out most of the day anyways. "Sounds great- I don't wanna be annoying, though, if you've got something else to do."
"No, it's fine. I'm sure you won't bother me at all, really." He smiled, leading her through the foyer and into the library room, a brightly lit, circular room with a skylight and a small chandelier. Unsurprisingly, books lined the walls. He tapped his lip thoughtfully, then selected a spot, looking for this particular book.
Rhode followed like a puppy, trailing along and doing her best not to be delayed by her fascination with the various pretty things along the way. The library was the ultimate distraction, however- She was at the shelves as soon as they were in the room, running her fingers over the spines and reading the titles with respectful awe.
He turned to watch her, his arms crossed as he leaned against a shelf. This was pathetically easy. So pathetically easy, he wasn't even sure if it counted as a kidnapping. This was the equivalent of painting free candy on your van and having kids run into it. Maybe it wouldn't make enough of an effect? He didn't exactly want Mikk to think he'd been nothing but cheerful to his little friend, but this was accompanied by a satisfying hunch that even if Rhode spoke volumes of his greatness, Mikk still wouldn't believe her.
She pulled a volume from the shelf after a few moments of creeping along the wall, propping it on one arm as she flipped through it. She was mouthing the words she was pausing to read, eyes scanning the pages in fascinated oblivion. She was off in her own world here, finishing what she'd wanted from the book and putting it back on the shelf with all due care before beginning her search for another. Rhode hadn't the slightest clue of her host's intentions, and she didn't have a reason to suspect- The only people she'd ever been distrustful of were those at the hospital, and those out here were a different breed completely.
It might simply be easier for him to lock her here, he mused, watching her, so wonderfully oblivious to the larger machinations of Reggio Calabria, and something small as a grudge for being shown up. It all mixed together, really. He tugged the anthology down from the shelf and brought it over, waiting for her to turn to him. When she did, he presented it: an enormous blue tome, with the words ANTHOLOGY OF SHAKESPEARE'S GREATEST WORKS stamped in gold on the front.
She kept him waiting for a few moments, absorbed in another book before catching a glimpse of him from the corner of her eye. Rhode almost dropped the book as she turned to face him, looking a bit embarrassed at her distraction. She caught her fumble, however, keeping it in one hand as she took the larger volume with care. "It's so big..." She almost sounded hesitant, but then she smiled. "This'll take me two days at least~"
"Take your time." He smiled at her, fondly, showing thin strip of teeth in his smile, all that he let slip from his inner laughter. Two days? Perhaps not enough, but most certainly getting there. "You can read it from cover to cover, if you'd like. It's very important to be well-read."
Rhode hugged the book to her chest with a little shrug, not quite sure what to say. "I- I guess I'll have to come back tomorrow to keep reading it, then..." It was a little uncomfortable to suggest, but he had said she could stay and read- She was just being awkward again. "If that's not a problem or if you'd just want me to borrow it and take it home..."
He decided, for convienence, that it would simply be so much easier for him to simply lock her in here rather than the basement; plus, she was such a charming lady, and the basement was so dreary, really, for those less-agreeable fellows who had to be knocked out and dumped there. She had made his job so easily, he felt she deserved such. "How about you start it now?" He asked, moving an enormous armchair from it's normal spot to near her. "I'll make us snacks."
The prospect of snacks was definitely more interesting to think about than the twins. Rhode smiled brightly as she carefully sat down, slipping her feet from her shoes before tucking them beneath herself and setting the book on her lap. "That'd be great! I didn't have any breakfast so I am kinda hungry."
"What would you like? I'm afraid I don't keep much candy around, but perhaps I could whip something up," He stroked his chin thoughtfully, leaning against the door, convieniently trapping her in. "Pancakes, perhaps? With blueberries?"
"Mm..." She bit her lip for a moment, thinking as he spoke and finally nodding at his last suggestion. "That sounds like it'd be good! With butter and syrup, right?" Rhode had no idea she'd just walked into her own prison; he seemed so nice, and she never suspected the worst.
"Sure," he said, and stepped ouside, locking the door from the outside. Most of the doors locked the other way, except the library and the basement, and he mused thoughtfully on this little idea as he pulled ingredients from his kitchen and heated a skillet. He prefer fancier foods, really, but Rhode was young and he had a feeling that her taste buds were slightly simpler than his. As they cooked he wrote in his journal about her, and about Tyki, and Debitt (another name he'd heard) and Jasdero (a new one, and he made a note of it) and when they were done, he pulled some butter and syrup, heading back to his uknowing prisoner.
She was completely absorbed in the book by the time he returned, curled up in the chair and reading away. Rhode didn't even glance up as he came back in, though she did straighten when she heard him approach. "That was fast!" She'd been living off of the takeout and microwave food at Jasdero and Debitt's for so long, and before that hospital food- It would be the first time she'd actually eaten homemade food.
"I'm somewhat talented at cooking," he replied, handing her the plate, fork, knife, butter and syrup. "Plus, I couldn't exactly leave a hungry lady waiting, could I?"
Rhode set the book to the side of the chair and took the plate with obvious excitement, practically bouncing as she cut into the pancakes and shoved the first bite in her mouth. It was obviously good, because she made a noise of contentment as she really tasted it. A mumbled remark on how much she liked it was not entirely understandable, but she looked like she'd just eaten some food of the gods.
At least she used a fork and knife. Kristoph thought fondly of a previous dinner guest, who lacked anything utterly resembling manners. Maybe the Monacellos were taking Vescovo advice in class? Doubtful, he mused, but he was at least pleased with himself that she was satisfied. "Don't talk with your mouth full," he said absently, out of habit. "Regardless, seems that you approve."
She swallowed quickly at the admonishment, taking a bit long since she'd taken such a big bite. Once she was in the clear to speak well, however, she was nodding and smiling as brightly as before. "It's really good! You made it yourself and it's better than all the bought stuff- How do you make it, anyways? The mixes they sell in boxes or something?" Rhode certainly was chatty when she curious, but she silenced herself with another rather large mouthful of pancake.
"Well, you add a couple of ingredients together, flour, sugar, baking soa, butter, eggs, the usual... and you mix them, a lot, and put it on a skillet and turns into a pancake." A smile. "I make almost everything I cook from scratch."
"That's so cool. How do you do it? I thought it was just... really old school to actually cook things." Another bite, pancakes almost half gone already. Such a big mouth for such a small girl, but she was hungry.
"I suppose I'm just very old school like that. I find food I cook myself tastes much better, plus, I really do enjoy cooking." He sat down across from her, folding his hands in his lap. It was sickeninly accurate. Plus, food he cooked himself had a much, much smaller chance of being poisoned by anyone out to get him. That one, however, he decided against adding.
"It tastes ama~zing." She practically sang the word, falling silent to wolf down the rest of the food. It didn't take long at all- It was kind of like watching a black hole devour minor planets, with just a little less speed. She looked disappointedly at the empty plate when she was done, but she'd eaten her fill. Rhode set it on the side of the chair and pulled the Shakespeare collection back into her lap, looking quite ready to disappear into the book again until she finished it.
He chuckled gently and took the plate and utensils from her, and left her to read, putting the dishes in the sink. He came back to the library, though, selecting a book for himself to read, curiously wondering if and when Rhode would ever realize that she'd been kidnapped.
It was her own absence of mind that kept her sitting there for hours; By the time she finally stirred, the day was reaching the dim light of late afternoon, and the change in the lighting was the only thing that alerted her to the time that had passed. Rhode stood up stiffly, letting the book slide to rest in the chair before stretching widely. A yawn, a slight scratching of the hair before she glanced around in search of some kind of clock. “It’s getting really late… I have to run home, or Debitt’ll be mad I was out so long.” She usually tried to get back in before he even came home, but usually he was just annoyed when she slipped in at a reasonable time in the afternoon. Walking to the door, she glanced over her shoulder- She didn’t even try to turn the knob when she put her hand on it, smiling slightly with no idea there wasn’t going to be any chance for her to leave on her own terms. “I’ll try to come back tomorrow, if that’s okay- whenever you would want me to come back, that is.”
Kristoph stood, folding his own book away and placing it where it was supposed to go. He brushed her hand aside, reaching into his pocket for the key was. He unlocked the door with a quiet click. "Allow me to grace us with departing drinks before you go? It's somewhat of a tradition of mine. You can work through a couple more pages, I think."
She was hesitant for a moment, obviously unsure if being a few minutes later would make any difference at this point. "I... guess, if you want, but I really should go..." Rhode glanced back at the chair she'd been seated in thoughtfully, weighing the options. She made a soft sound of resignation at last, however, shrugging slightly. "Why not? Maybe they'll be asleep when I get there."
"Excellent." He slipped outside, stepping into his kitchen. A second key unlocked a hidden lock in one cabinet where he kept everything that he shouldn't put on his own food, and in a moment he selected the correct drug, dropping a bit into her cup and pouring himself some as well. Coke, spiked with rum (and sedatives) was the drink of choice, it's flavor and dark color good for these sort of thing. He handed her her glass when he got there, sitting back down in his chair. "I'm very glad you came with me." He said, and smiled, taking a sip of his drink.
"Special." Rhode didn't bother to inquire further, doing her best to not start reading again while sipping carefully at the glass. She was watching Kris, more in bland curiosity than anything else, but by the time she was almost to the bottom of the glass she was looking a bit too vacant to be just spacing out. "What are you writing, anyways...?" A hand reached into her sweater pocket, pulling out her phone to check the time before sliding it open. She was squinting at it, though- Having a little trouble making out the numbers, it seemed. "It's really late, I should call and tell them I'm gonna be late..." Or just text them, as she usually did. It would take a while, though; she had to figure out what she wanted to type and how to get it on the damn screen with the buttons so blurred.
"Oh, about you, mostly, Miss Kamelot." He smiled as he leaned forward, gently plucking the phone out of her hands and slipping in one his own pockets. "You see, it turns out that someone who's quite fond of you has really upset me - a lot, at that. So, I've decide that I don't feel like confronting him about it, as that could have negative consequences. However, allowing one of his wards to wander into my home is so much easier." He stood up, tucking the journal into his pocket. "How are you feeling?"
Her phone- Rhode reached out to try and grab it back, a bit too slow. Something wasn't right here, obviously, but she answered his question almost out of habit. Not very well at all, actually, but it came out as a sort of mumbled "Not- nots'good-" Pushing herself out of the chair to stand only made things worse, but she did her best to ignore her vertigo and stumble in the general direction of some sort of escape. She wasn't getting far, though- A stumbling step, a reel back to try and stay upright before she finally just sort of started sinking to her knees.
"You won't be able to walk. I wouldn't suggest standing, as it might hurt if you fall, plus, I wouldn't be very happy if you knocked your head hard enough to bleed on my floor. The ground might be a good place to stay." He stood in front of the door with his hands behind his back, still smiling.
Hands and knees, head aching from the sheer confusion and sudden exhaustion dragging her toward the floor- Rhode felt sick, nerves and fear, but she didn't try to get up again. Staying even slightly upright was a struggle on its own. "P- Please don't-" Damn it, she had to get it out- If she woke up again, if she woke up there-
"Don't take me back- there- please-" Falling, then, not entirely unconscious but unable to fight for much longer. Even lying on the floor her body felt like it was on the moving surface from hell.
"I won't hurt you. I don't need to. No, you'll stay here, with me." He crouched over her. "Though I wonder if you're yet another of the comission's experiments.. they're out of control, these days. And they say we're mad...." A little chuckle, as he stood up again, stepping over here and placing the Shakespeare volume on a small endtable.
Experiment- She'd heard that before, but it was- tests, something, she couldn't think- She didn't really need to. It was a bitter taste in her mouth and a weight in her chest as her eyes closed. Rhode didn't even have the chance to fight for consciousness, a soft sigh of breath escaping as she fell asleep.
She would wake up, he decided, in one of his guest bedrooms. Comfortable, but quite trapped, because with the room being on the second floor, the light afforded steamed through a skylight, with no windows. The Shakespeare volume would be on the desk next to her, next to the lamp and alongside a bowl of chicken soup. There was also a polite note in sharp cursive asking her politely to not escape, that the door was locked, and that he would be home tonight.
~+~
She came to with a bit of a headache the following morning- Well, the following midday. Rhode felt a bit sick with relief when she realized she wasn't back at the hospital, something that happened every morning. This time, however, she was enjoying the scent of the clean sheets and a soft mattress. Not to mention the pillows- She had the momentary fancy that she was sleeping like a princess, but it didn't last when she finally needed to crawl out of bed. A hot bath took only a few minutes to draw, but she stayed in for at least two hours. Dozing off in the tub probably wasn't very smart, but it was impossible to avoid. Her head felt better afterward, and the bowl of soup helped the bitter taste in her mouth left over from the night before.
Shaking the door and trying to get out produced no luck, and so she gave up after she'd worn herself out trying to shake it unlocked through some magic she didn't possess. Rhode spent the remainder of the afternoon propped up on the bed, pillows piled behind her back and the book pulled up in her lap. She was almost halfway through when the light coming through the skylight began to fade to red, the sun setting on some horizon she couldn't see. Another turn of the page, a sigh, and a glance toward the ceiling. She was so bored, and she couldn't even get out to do anything. Just had to wait and find out why she was even here- Who was supposed to get worked up about her being gone besides the twins, even.
Blooded his gloves again, damnit.
Being in a family could be such dirty business. Sometimes it was so nice and clean, slipping this and that into food, strangling someone and letting them rot, but sometimes it was bloody, and that was always unfortunate, getting dirty over people who didn't deserve to live. Or, as a matter of fact, people who did deserve to die. He mused on this for a moment, though his attention was eventually drawn to the fact that his house was actually very occupied even with him gone all day, between Vescovo "errands" and running his own businesses and whatever else he had to do. It had been a long day, and he was tired, and despite the fact he normally kept himself quite tightly wound, he prayed that this girl would be as easy to keep as she was to kidnap.
He dropped the gloves and his blazer in the laundry machine, leaving his tie there as well. That left the black vest and the white shirt and his blue pants, and he was feeling quite comfortable like that. With his journal tucked under one arm, he walked up the steps, musing on perhaps just leaving her for the night and writing in his journal and going to sleep. He knocked on the door.
"What." Rhode barked the word, obviously not enthused to have a visitor. She wasn't exactly pleased with the situation, but even her good behavior throughout the day didn't mean she needed to keep her tone civil. "Some more soda for me or something?" If her eyes could have burned a hole in the wood with mere looks, her glare would have set the door on fire.
"Well, if you would like me to leave, I'm very tired myself. I was going to ask if you wanted dinner, but I don't know if I should feed someone who clearly doesn't appreciate my hospitality." He leaned against the door, rubbing his eyes behind his glasses a bit.
She was silent for a long minute, staring at the door with something like spite before slamming the book shut and setting it to one side. "What's for dinner." Food was a motivator, but she didn't quite trust him after last night. Then again, she might be able to actually find out more about why she was here if she did...
"Roast beef and broccoli," He replied, amused by the spite he heard clear in her voice. Not like he didn't understand, really, but it brought a small smile to his face. "And whatever you'd like to drink with it. I have Coke, Diet Coke, and Doctor Pepper."
Another pause. "Am I going to be stuck eating it in here?" It was kind of a pointless question, but she couldn't really give in that easily. He'd enjoyed his powertrip too much already. She'd give him some trouble in return for his efforts.
"Well, I'm sorry to say, but I don't quite know if you'll make a break for the door. I'm very tired, and I don't feel like chasing after you tonight. And it seems like a promise isn't worth what it used to be." He opened the journal, absently writing.
"Like you're one to be talking." Rhode was ready to throw something at the door, but she kept her temper well enough. "Coming from the man who lied to get me to his house and then drugged me in his library!" She was a bit irritated, to say the least, and her raised voice betrayed the emotion. "And I don't even know why I'm here! Who's going to come looking for me except the twins, maybe!"
"So, where exactly did I lie, then?" He brushed hair behind his ear, trying to suppress his agitation. "You're here because you're a means to an end. I'm frustrated at your superiors, and to show them, I've locked you up in my house. I have no intentions of hurting you, though I would have thought you would have seen that as I've provided to you the book you wanted, food, a bathroom and a bed, but if this is not to your liking I do have a basement that fits the hostage situation slightly better."
She compromised this time- She just threw one of the pillows at the door with as much force as she could manage. "What superiors are you talking about? Debitt and Jasdero's- Whatever they called them?" This was just confusing now. "They haven't told me anything about anything, so if that's what you want you're out of luck. The twins can't even find their shoes in the morning, how can you expect them to notice I'm gone?" Rhode ignored the basement remark on purpose; She didn't really want to tempt that part of the threat any farther.
"Debitt belongs to a family I'm not quite fond of, as do others who I've heard have an eye on you. It's really a pity they haven't told you anything, because I doubt you would have come with me if you would have known the dangers that sit in suits around our fair city. If they truly don't notice you're gone, then I suppose we all come out where we started, and no one loses." He shrugged, pulling a chair over and sitting down in it. If this was going to be an extended conversation, he might as well be comfortable.
"What, like the family Ravi was talking about?" Rhode tilted her head a bit to the side, puzzling things together silently. They hadn't been telling her things, she knew that much, and when she'd talked to Ravi that first time... A family that he got nervous talking about, and that he changed the subject from when she'd asked about it. "... Tell me what's going on, then. Don't want to make the same mistake twice." The second half was muttered, but she had a feeling she'd been dragged into something she really needed to know about.
"A gang family," he explained, pulling over the accompanying ottoman so he could take his shoes and socks off and put his feet up. "A family who controls and rules our fair little city. They pull money from both legit and not-so-legit businesses. Not just a family in terms of blood, but also in loyalty. Did Debitt tell you none of this? Did he simply just expect other families to not notice the weak prey hanging off Monacello?"
"Um." Rhode bit her lip thoughtfully, trying to remember if he'd mentioned anything at all to her- And knowing all too well he hadn't said a word. "Probably forgot. Somewhere between picking the random crazy girl up off the street and everything else, things must've gotten hectic." She was going to slug him when she saw him again- Break his stupid little nose for getting her in this kind of trouble.
"That seems to be the problem with Monacello these days, the way they simply pull people in, it seems..." He closed his eyes again, then opened them, looking at his pedicure, wondering if he could go another week. "Would you like dinner, or not?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" It sounded just a little more than insulting, but she'd started that trend, she supposed. "Only if I get to know more."
"The family Debitt is in... they're slightly more welcoming to strangers than the family I associate with." He looked at the scar on his hand, thinking about how hard he worked for the name he carried, these days. He looked at the door, amused. "Why do you sound like you think I'm forced to feed you? I don't care if you don't eat, and if you want something, I imagine it'll be on my terms, not not yours, Miss Kamelot."
"Because I'm useless if I'm dead, and you probably like all the furniture in here enough to want me to not trash it." She knew she was playing dangerously with that comment, but she was hoping it would get her a bit more information. "But what makes you think I'm going to end up in this family? I don't think anyone even knows about me except Ravi-" A pause- Well, that incident, her episode... She hadn't been quite right then, though, and it wasn't as if any of it made sense to anyone else. "And if Jasdero and Debitt don't come for me, who will? You're obviously trying to get someone specific."
"You being dead isn't useless, it simply is driving home the point a bit fiercer than I would like. Besides, not eating dinner one night, even not eating for three nights in a row won't kill you. There is a man, Tyki Mikk, and I hoped that I would see him a couple days ago, and he didn't show up. It was... very upsetting." He paused, rubbing the bridge of his nose, mentally disciplining himself for wanting to have this over with so damn soon. "It's him I'm really frustrated at, though I imagine that it was a plan on behalf of the Monacello house at large, so really, if only Debbit and Jasdero become frustrated, I'll be satisfied."
"You didn't say anything about the furniture." It was her last valid point on that topic, so she tried for the last word and sank back into the pillows with her arms tightly crossed over her chest. "So you want this guy Tyki to come for me, even though he's never met me before and has no reason to." Rhode seemed to be mulling over the thought, finally speaking again with a slightly less nasty tone. "Why me, though? This- Tiki, Tyki, whatever, and the twins. If I'm that sick rotting caribou at the back of the back waiting for the wolves, why're they bothering?"
"I would be very, very upset if you destroyed my furniture, though I might feel better if I shot out your kneecaps in response." His voice was casual, and he turned to the next page in his journal. "I don't really want Mikk to come here, no, and he doesn't know where I live, regardless, but I would like him to be upset about you being kidnapped. As for why they've taken you in- I have no idea. I most certainly wouldn't have. And nor would my family."
That made her quiet for a few minutes, looking at her knees where they were picking up under the sheets with a rather ponderous expression. She decided that she rather liked having them, though, swallowing a bit harshly before speaking again. "And once he is mad about it, what happens to me? You let me go?"
"Exactly."
"How long is that going to take?" She was looking at the Shakespeare book as she asked, gaging how long it would take to finish reading it.
"Probably a couple of days." He ran a hand through his hair, knocking it from it's twist, and played with an end absently. He needed a haircut, too. All of this was going straight to his split-ends. "I'll get you more books, and if you behave, perhaps I'll lock you in the library instead."
Rhode was chewing the inside of her lip as she thought, putting together everything she had suddenly been enlightened about and trying to figure out- Well, a lot. "What happens after... you let me go?" It was a rather stupid question, she knew, but she had a feeling asking was better than sitting and milling over it.
"Oh, well, I have no idea." He thought about this too, curious. "They might kill you, or maybe just punish you, or put you in therapy for being kidnapped... or maybe nothing? Maybe you'll be kicked from the family entirely? I have no idea, honestly."
"Punish me?" Apparently dying wasn't as concerning as being punished- or put into therapy. "What'd I do wrong? And I've had more than enough therapy- That's just stupid!" Rhode wasn't even sure she was officially 'in' this family yet; The realization kind of dawned on her that something she'd seen directed at the twins had mentioned a stray. Her? That... was a little weird to think about.
"Maybe they'll do nothing at all, Miss Kamelot," he repeated. This was it. He was tired. "I will get you some dinner if you would like it. For now, you're staying there, but we'll see how I feel in the morning. I had a very busy day today, but tomorrow shouldn't be nearly as busy. We'll see."
That hadn't really helped her anxieties at all, but she bit back another question with a whining sound. "Yeah. I'm hungry." Sleeping sounded nice, too, even though she had been up only half the day. Rhode just needed to think; figure out what she was doing involved in this mess.
"What would you like to drink?" He closed his journal and tucked it under his arm, thinking about perhaps he needed a journal pocket in his vest too, for times like this when he was not wearing a blazer. He stood up, moving the chairs back to where they'd been. "I have coke, diet coke, and doctor pepper, and of course, water."
"I kind of liked..." She stopped herself before finishing that stupid statement. "How about Doctor Pepper? Something new." Asking for the same thing she'd had last night was kind of redundant, seeing how he'd put something extra in there.
"That wasn't just coke, I should say, so you aren't let down." He couldn't help but laugh, either way. "That was coke and rum." He headed to the kitchen, then returned shortly after with food. Putting the plate down (and preparing to knock the girl out if she ran) he unlocked the door with one hand, holding the plate in the other. He realized that perhaps he should have put on his blazer and fixed his hair, but he looked fine as is. "Here," he said, offering the plate and the glass.
Rhode was still sitting in the bed, obviously having decided that it wasn't worth the effort to try and run away quite yet. She still had questions, after all, but she waited until he handed her the food to start in again. "This... Tyki guy. Why's Debitt freaked out about him?" Cowboy night, she remembered that argument- Debitt didn't like something about the man, though he wouldn't say what.
He closed the door behind him, sitting in a chair. "I imagine Tyki told Debitt not to go to the bar. On top of that... Tyki is, I'd imagine, Debitt's superior, or close to it." He intertwined his fingers in his lap, thoughtful. "Or perhaps in-house business I'm unfortunately not allowed to see."
She took a bite of her meat with a studious expression, sawing off a piece with the side of her fork. He'd seemed... scared, really, edgy and nervous. Maybe that wasn't something he'd know, though. "So how many families are there? What makes this... Mona-whatever different from whatever you're in, and why haven't I heard about it before if it's such a big thing?"
"Oh, there's a good number of families, though there are only really a couple who are important. Monacello, that's the one you're in." He made a small gesture. "and my house, well.." he paused, reconsidering his words. "The house I belong to has somewhat owned the majority of this city for some time. However, Monacello seems to believe they can take back some of the city from us, so, we're not really on good terms with them. What makes us different from them are our methods, the way we gain and lose people... that sort of thing. As for why you haven't heard about it, it's becuase it's a very quiet war." He smiled.
"Power changes hands every few decades in every kind of government, though." Eating away as hungrily as ever, she tried not to talk with her mouth full but didn't entirely succeed. At least she was understandable this time. "So no matter who's in charge it'll change again soon anyways..." Too many history books, really.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," he said, again. "And though that may be true, we intend on keeping power as long a we possibly can." His eyes flickered to the anthology, "You really are doing very well with that book."
"Why not?" She knew it was gross, but there wasn't any real reason to not talk with food in your mouth. "It's easy, but plays take me longer than stories. Don't flow as well on the page, and not as... artistic-wordish."
"It's rude and disgusting. I've no need to see the half-masticated roast beef in your mouth. It's certainly not the most charming part of your body." He frowned a bit.
Rhode took a few bites while she pondered his response, finishing off the meat and starting on her side dish of broccoli before speaking again. "So do I get my phone back when I go?" It was a rather poor attempt at starting conversation, but she rather liked it. The twins had gotten it for her, after all, and it was nice and pink.
"Absolutely," He smiled. "A cute little device. I most certainly wouldn't want to deprive you of it for more than I would have to." A small laugh, and he brushed his hair out of his face and reached into his pocket for his own phone, checking it absently. He placed it back in his pocket and nodded.
"Okay." She was easy to please, really, despite her bratty tendencies. Not to mention a fast eater- Rhode had her broccoli done within a few minutes, pushing the empty plate to the side of the bed and sitting back with a sigh. She sniffed her drink a bit suspiciously before taking her first sip, apparently deciding nothing was wrong with it. "It's not as... It's all warm-tasting, but that probably wasn't really how Coke tastes." A thoughtful pause, another, larger swallow. Sweet, though~" She liked the taste, and the bubbles. More than a little fun to drink.
"Do you like it? I could get you more." He stood up, taking the plate. "Yes, the strange tastes was not precisely the fault of the coke, but all the other ingredients." he watched her blow bubbles with a small, fond smile.
"I want something like... chocolate." She was having just a bit too much fun with the soda, but paused long enough to think about what she did want. "I dunno. How about cookies... or something."
"Chocolate cookies, then?"
"Yeah!" Rhode knew she liked those, since she'd had some before; she was obviously enthused about the prospect, eyes lit up like it was Christmas.
"Would you like to make them with me? I've got all the ingredients and a good recipe. you'd just have to promise you wouldn't escape. You wouldn't be able to enjoy the cookies if you left."
"Make them?" That seemed to stump her. "Don't they come in a package?"
"You can make them from scratch. Like pancakes." He sat down on the edge of the bed, motioning as he spoke. "Flour, sugar, chocolate, milk, eggs, and so on....." He rubbed eyes again. Tired. Goddamn, and he here was getting roped into making cookies. "And then you have cookies."
This was apparently quite confusing, since she looked like she'd just seen a rabbit eat a buffalo. "That's weird. Why not just buy them? And are your eyes okay?" Rhode could be observant, despite her naivete.
"They taste better when you make them from scratch. Plus, they don't have the additional preservatives and chemicals big companies put in them." He pushed his glasses up his nose, thinking. "I've just had a very long day, is all. I got a lot of things done today, but some of them were... trying."
"Oh." A pause, watching him curiously. "You look kind of tired."
"Yes, I am tired." He took his glasses up, allowing the word to slide out of focus for the moment. "I didn't get the luxury of sitting around, drinking soup and reading all day."
"Why don't you go to bed, then?" Rhode bristled a bit at the second half of his response, though. "If I'd had any say I'd be sitting at home on the computer or something, but you know how plans change."
"I think I shall." He stood up and put his glasses back on, smiling. "Cookies tomorrow, then? I don't have any plans. I kept the day open just for you, Miss Kamelot."
She couldn't really help but smile in return, though it was a bit half-hearted. "Yeah, that works." At least she'd be able to move around, but she was still nervous about the whole situation. That, and after all he'd told her... She had a lot to think about tonight. "You shouldn't stay up just to talk to me, anyways."
"There's no reason why not. You're my honored guest. Plus, you seem to be an interesting source of conversation." He headed back to the door with her plate and empty glass, smiling and bowing his head. "Have a good evening, Miss Kamelot. Sleep well."
Rhode shrugged a bit at his answer, not really bothering to respond to the statements. "Night." She slid down a bit in the bed now that the plates were gone, stretching out her legs and leaning her head back with a sigh. "See you tomorrow."
He locked the door with a quiet click, rubbing his eyes again as he dropped the plate in the kitchen, watching the rest of them absently. Oh, Tyki, he thought to himself with a quiet smile, thinking upstairs about his computer and the girl sleeping in his guest bedroom. His thoughts idled as he washed, then slipped the gloves off and inspected his manicure to make sure it was all right then dragged himself off to his own room. He wrote, though really he felt too tired for one of the first time. Closing his eyes, he slipped his glasses and his journal on his endtable, stripping down and falling asleep.
Rhode was awake later than she should have been, though she was lying down. Her mind was racing, puzzling things together and sliding facts into place as she went over everything she'd found out that evening. Though she'd been completely alert when he'd left her, by the time she'd finished she found herself mentally exhausted from the task. A wide yawn, setting the book of Shakespeare on the bedside table, but then she turned onto her side and pulled the sheets to her chin. She was asleep within minutes, one arm wrapped tightly around one of the pillows as she dreamed.