It takes him a while (and leaving the apartment to practice juggling five balls while on fire), but he eventually looks out for Katherine and heads over to the place she claims as her own. Axel figures there are a few ways to go about this, and after their chats, he realizes that he might as well lay his hand out. The thing is: he doesn't have much proof that this woman is interesting. Some part of Axel is aware of the nagging guilt as just looking for entertainment-but somehow, this harkens back to his early days. Early days of being a Nobody, that is. They were better ones, days where he and Saïx clung to the absent reminders of humanity despite the ever-present vacant feeling inside
( ... )
"Only if it's the real deal," he replies as she comes back out. Axel reaches out to take the bottle from her. "An' then, it's not so much a matter of lookin', but stumbling across it in the end." He realizes in some way that it's a more sincere response than she was expecting, but the matter hits a little close to home for him. Katherine isn't interesting in the same way Roxas was, or in the same way Sora is. Or, hell, throw Naminé in there for good measure. They didn't live their lives that way.
"But I get the feelin' you don't buy what you're sayin', so why even waste the words?" That comes out somewhat sharper than anything he's said before. It's not that Axel is tired of this-he's not-but it's another way to push things along. There's no point in wielding this kind of behavior if it is ultimately going to lead to nothing.
Katherine doesn't sit back down, but instead observes him from her position. She has no plans to reveal anything to anyone who could be a problem later. At least, not at the present time. It's still far too early and she's way too new to put her cards onto the table. However, he, like her, appears to be the type to get bored easily. And while she's quite certain that she could find new people to play with, Katherine has no desire to lose this one just yet.
Well, he never said that she had to explain anything.
So she leans in close, staring straight into his eyes and murmurs, "Hey, Axel, please tell me that your hair is ridiculous."
The first thing he does: he leans back. Her getting this close suddenly isn't the response he expected, but at least she's dropping that part of the act. The next: he does as she says. "My hair is pretty ridiculous, but it really does grow out this way." Axel's eyebrows knit together seconds later and he blinks at her. What just ...
And then he switches gears putting down the bottle and glass he has to jerk up toward her, grab her arm, and tug her close. He carefully angles his face and half-closes his eyes so she can't pull that again. "What the hell was that?" he asks, tone completely harsh. His fingers dig sharp into her flesh as he waits for her response.
The look on her face is nothing short of amusement, and she can't help but let out a laugh. Oh, yes, that was the reaction she was shooting for. Things like this are what makes life so much more interesting, after all.
"You're so rough," Katherine practically purrs. "Be careful, you might bruise me."
Axel twists her arm back sharply as he turns his face more into hers. His eyes, for the record, are still half-lidded, difficult to reach in these conditions. "Somethin' tells me that bruising isn't exactly a worry of yours. What the hell did you just do, Katherine? 'Cause y'know, those flames aren't so difficult to turn on. I find most people are pretty flammable." His hand grips harder, and while he doesn't draw forth any warmth, he figures she'll get the idea of how fast that'll work.
Her smile tightens, and she takes a second to try and calculate how quickly he can set ablaze. It may be best to not take that chance-- the last thing she needs is for him to discover that particular weakness of hers. Katherine glances at the spot that he is gripping, and places her free hand on top of his. "This is no way to treat a lady."
"You wanna be treated otherwise?" he asks, freeing her arm a little. His head or position doesn't move, though. "Don't tell me you don't like it rough. That would just be a massive disappointment." His voice is low and biting.
"You want somethin' outta me, right? I don't give without a little ... incentive." And as sexual as all of this might be, Axel is sure she picks up that it isn't that kind of incentive.
She appears to consider this, and then shrugs. "Huh, you're right."
And with that, Katherine grabs his arm, her grip tight and painful. She leans in close, so that there is barely an inch separating their faces, and for a moment it appears as if she might kiss him. Instead, the vampire pushes him down onto the couch. "I told you before that I'm good at persuading people to do things for me. You weren't listening very well."
He snorts out in realization of it. Axel breathes heavy and thinks about how useful this would be. Hell, even Saïx would get a kick out of it, and he's pretty sure his old best friend wouldn't remember how to find anything interesting anymore. But this, someone who can make anyone do what they wanted-well, that was certainly beneficial. It wasn't like Marluxia and his haphazard attempts at manipulation that could easily go awry. This was the real deal.
The strength, of course, is another thing. She isn't built like Lexaeus or even Saïx. The fact that she's strong really is just another piece to the puzzle.
"And hurtin' them if they don't go along with it," he says, grinning up toward her. "But let's just say that I'm not so fun if I can't have my way. And you wouldn't want that, would you?"
"Please," she rolls her eyes. "Part of the reason that I like you is because I can't get in your head. Where's the mystery and intrigue if I make you do everything myself?"
She returns to her original seat, grabbing the bottle and her glass. While pouring herself more liquor, Katherine inspects the spot that Axel had grabbed. As expected, there are no bruises, but she still makes a bit of a show out of it. If there's one thing the two definitely had in common, it was a need to be overdramatic.
"Unless I want you to buy me something, of course." That part is, at least, completely honest.
"The lady in charge of the estate has a tighter leash on things than you could ever imagine," he volunteers, because it's not like she'll ever realize what's actually going on there. Axel's relationship with Naminé is far too convoluted for the casual eye to pick up on. And the history there, even with digging, is never going to be released. "I wouldn't bother trying. Just ask. Sometimes things go your way."
Well, that's not an answer that she had expected. Granted, Axel did know people from back home here, that much has been obvious. Katherine contemplates this for a few seconds before brushing the thought away. While they could be useful in the future, she really doesn't care about them at the moment.
"Well," she takes another sip. "I saw some really nice shoes that I liked."
"Can't you just do your mind thingy on the guy running the shop?" Axel asks. It seems like a more logical conclusion than sending him to do it-or using Naminé's money. "Why can't you just handle it yourself?"
"Because I could be using that time for something else instead," she replies briskly. But honestly, it's more because of the fact that Axel shopping for lingerie would be a hilarious mental image.
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"But I get the feelin' you don't buy what you're sayin', so why even waste the words?" That comes out somewhat sharper than anything he's said before. It's not that Axel is tired of this-he's not-but it's another way to push things along. There's no point in wielding this kind of behavior if it is ultimately going to lead to nothing.
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Well, he never said that she had to explain anything.
So she leans in close, staring straight into his eyes and murmurs, "Hey, Axel, please tell me that your hair is ridiculous."
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And then he switches gears putting down the bottle and glass he has to jerk up toward her, grab her arm, and tug her close. He carefully angles his face and half-closes his eyes so she can't pull that again. "What the hell was that?" he asks, tone completely harsh. His fingers dig sharp into her flesh as he waits for her response.
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"You're so rough," Katherine practically purrs. "Be careful, you might bruise me."
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"You want somethin' outta me, right? I don't give without a little ... incentive." And as sexual as all of this might be, Axel is sure she picks up that it isn't that kind of incentive.
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And with that, Katherine grabs his arm, her grip tight and painful. She leans in close, so that there is barely an inch separating their faces, and for a moment it appears as if she might kiss him. Instead, the vampire pushes him down onto the couch. "I told you before that I'm good at persuading people to do things for me. You weren't listening very well."
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The strength, of course, is another thing. She isn't built like Lexaeus or even Saïx. The fact that she's strong really is just another piece to the puzzle.
"And hurtin' them if they don't go along with it," he says, grinning up toward her. "But let's just say that I'm not so fun if I can't have my way. And you wouldn't want that, would you?"
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She returns to her original seat, grabbing the bottle and her glass. While pouring herself more liquor, Katherine inspects the spot that Axel had grabbed. As expected, there are no bruises, but she still makes a bit of a show out of it. If there's one thing the two definitely had in common, it was a need to be overdramatic.
"Unless I want you to buy me something, of course." That part is, at least, completely honest.
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"Well," she takes another sip. "I saw some really nice shoes that I liked."
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