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Date Night Italiano; Cypher
Topic Started: Jan 27 2010, 06:54 AM (788 Views)
Cypher
Unregistered

Doug listened attentively to Rahne as she spoke freely and from the heart. It also didn’t escape his attention that she was eyeing the waiter rather hungrily as the man placed their dishes in front of them with a dutiful and professional air. Though he was listening to her every word, he couldn’t help but grin to himself.

If that man doesn’t hurry up she’s liable to take off his arm at the socket.

“Cute?” He said incredulously at the end of her explanation. It wasn’t exactly what most men wanted to be thought of as, but Doug thought it over. It definitely held connotations of adoration in its overtones. “Cute,” he echoed. Then he shrugged.

He’d take that.

“Okay,” he said after a pause to take a few bites of soup. “This is really good by the way.” Man, it really was. He savored another bite. “Okay, so switching gears…I want to know a few things. Important things.”

He held up one finger. “What is the one thing you love more than anything else?” He cut her off before she could answer too hastily. “Anything. Not necessarily a person…just anything.”

These kinds of things could be really telling sometimes.
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Wolfsbane
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Wolf Form
"No, very cute. There's a key distinction there," she said with a small smile. She took a good-sized forkful of food and slipped it into her mouth, savoring for a moment before swallowing. That hit the spot, indeed. Her relatively petite frame didn't give it away, but her shape-changing nature required a bit more sustenance than the average person needed. Her fluctuating form, after all, required the raw material to do so, and that reflected in a fairly healthy appetite.

"More 'n anything, hmm?" Rahne asked, pondering the question. Vague, open ended - it could be about music, it could be about movies, it could be fruits, meats, variety of Yankee Candle, television programs, or a pair of shoes.

"The one thing I love more 'n anything? Well, if it's things we're talkin' about, I may have t' say Frederick," she said with a small shrug of her shoulders. "He's a teddy bear, the one mum bought me the day she adopted me. He's a wee bit tattered at this point, and both of his eyes have been sewn back in several times over, but he's got sentimental meaning t' me, ye know? Like he's an important part of a truly happy moment in my life, maybe even the first happy moment in my life. I've still got 'im, he's set up on that shelf above my desk in m' bedroom. Yuir turn."
Posted Image

[size0]Say the dog and butterfly,
in the air they like to fly.
Dog and butterfly.
She knew she had to try,
and she float back down to the warm soft ground,
laughing - she don't know why,
but she had to try, she had to try.
Dog and Buttefly.


Avatar by Natalie, signature by Olga. My graphics set is complete again! Thank you so much!
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Cypher
Unregistered

Okay so it was very cute now. Not much more on the masculine side of things, but still the emphasis definitely proved to be very interesting on the physical attraction side of things.

Though Doug didn't really place paramount importance on things like physical attraction, it still was nice to know that she saw him as pleasant on some level or another in that arena. It was hard to discount its importance altogether, and for his part he definitely thought she was very attractive. More so when she was fleshy and less so maybe when she was hairy, but that wasn't the point. Deep down there was that essential spark that was 'Rahne' that Doug was deeply attracted to...

Of course he might be reading too much into all of it.

He tended to do that.

A lot.

Taking note of what she offered up as the thing she loved the most, and more importantly why, was deeply insightful to Doug. Keepsakes from family were truly important, and it told him that what Rahne cherished the most was in the arena of relationships.

Nice.

"Me?" He knew it was coming. Turnabout was fair play after all. "It's a little difficult to say," Doug said after finishing another bite and washing it down with a small swig of slightly acrid wine. "I have a lot of keepsakes from my family that are important to me too...a ball cap from the first game my dad took me to...a letter from my mother..."

Those things were definitely important. "But there's one thing that stands out lately more than any other." He looked up at her almost sheepishly. "It's a picture that Warlock made for me after he...well, after he was born." Doug smiled a little. "It's pixelated and somewhat grainy, but I think it's a self-portrait. And he's smiling."
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Wolfsbane
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Wolf Form
"Ahh, Warlock..." Rahne said with a small nod of her head and a smile. Warlock was... interesting, to say the least. He had many qualities to him that were similar to Doug's own, he was kind-hearted, he was intellectual, but there was that disconnect - a slight "uncanny valley" effect to him that made communication in its own way unnerving, as he was very humanoid, but lacked that extra bit to be fully a person.

"How is he doin' these days? I dinnae think I've spoken with him since... well, ye know, since the evening at the beach," she said with a small nod of her head and a shrug of her shoulders. Sure, it wasn't an actual evening at an actual beach, but... the sentiment was there. And it was, furthermore, a unique experience that actually would not have been quite as special if it really were at a beach.

"An' f'r the record," she said, spearing another helping of her meal, "I was very hard pressed t' choose between Frederick an' my copy of 'Abbey Road'. I mean, yes, Frederick's important t' me, but... I mean, come on, 'Abbey Road', perhaps the greatest album ever... ooh! That's it! We can stop by London, actually go to Abbey Road, just f'r a wee bit at least."
Posted Image

[size0]Say the dog and butterfly,
in the air they like to fly.
Dog and butterfly.
She knew she had to try,
and she float back down to the warm soft ground,
laughing - she don't know why,
but she had to try, she had to try.
Dog and Buttefly.


Avatar by Natalie, signature by Olga. My graphics set is complete again! Thank you so much!
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Cypher
Unregistered

The meal went along very nicely. The food was great, the company was even better. Before long the two of them were looking at empty plates and unfortunately an empty wine bottle.

Doug was the epitome of a lightweight, and he was well past his one glass limit.

That wouldn't have been such an issue were it not for the fact that he drove them there on his scooter. There was no way he was going to be able to drive them home right now...not in this condition.

So he paid the bill and requested that they head outside to take a short little walk. Immediately he realized the wisdom of this decision. He was definitely a little on the tipsy side.

The two headed outside and Doug pulled his coat up around his neck a little. Considering the time of year it was a fairly mild night, but not too surprisingly there wasn't very many people out and about.

Doug reached down and took her by the hand.

"There's a small theater not too far from here," he said with a smile. "We could head over and see what's playing..."

A movie would be about the perfect amount of sobering up time.
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Wolfsbane
Member Avatar
Wolf Form
"Like a stage show, or a film?" she asked as they walked outside. The cold didn't bother her too much. She'd been colder, she'd been warmer. It wasn't too big a deal. Her lupine nature made her somewhat resistant to cold, even in human form, so she was more or less comfortable in her thin jacket.

"Either way, it sounds great. Think we can just hoof it on over? I hardly think either of us are in any condition t' drive, an' I dinnae think I know a thing about how to drive yuir vehicle," he had a few more than he possibly should have, but hey, it was a night off, a night out - why not go all out? She had a bit of a higher tolerance for the drink than he did, but also drank a bit less as well, so she was feeling little more than a very mild buzz.

She intertwined her fingers with his own, glancing up to him and smiling briefly before looking on ahead.
"It's been such a lovely night," she mused, for no particular reason other than to just say something. "Almost makes me sad I dinnae get onto the dating scene earlier. Almost."
Posted Image

[size0]Say the dog and butterfly,
in the air they like to fly.
Dog and butterfly.
She knew she had to try,
and she float back down to the warm soft ground,
laughing - she don't know why,
but she had to try, she had to try.
Dog and Buttefly.


Avatar by Natalie, signature by Olga. My graphics set is complete again! Thank you so much!
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Cypher
Unregistered

"Like a stage show, or a film?"

"Like...either," he said as he thought about where they were exactly. New York wasn't exactly deprived of any form of entertainment, be it live or on the silver screen. "But I think the closest one would actually be on film," he admitted. And that just happened to be the direction that they were headed.

As a side note, the film version was a little cheaper. Not that it particularly played a part in his decision making, but there it was.

They were definitely 'hoofing it'. Doug was in no shape to be driving a two wheeled vehicle in some of the heaviest trafficked streets in the world. His shuffle step seemed to incline that he was barely in shape to hoof it down the sidewalks that ran adjacent to some of the heaviest trafficked streets in the world.

But there it was.

"Freeze. The money."

The voice came from behind them, and Doug stopped dead in his tracks. Rahne and Doug were pretty much the only two on the street as far as he knew, but the gravelly voice just over his shoulder seemed to imply differently. And if Doug wasn't mistaken the voice had traces of Romanian in it.

Still clutching Rahne's hand, Doug stopped in his tracks and slowly spun to face the assailant and found himself looking down the barrel of a handgun.

"Money," the man said. Definitely Romanian. English was barely what you would call a second language for this guy.

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Wolfsbane
Member Avatar
Wolf Form
"Either sounds great," Rahne said with a light, yet contented sigh. This was good. She'd long imagined what an actual, honest to goodness date was going to be like, and while this hadn't quite matched up to her imagination, it was still a very pleasing experience.

She should have noticed the man attempting to rob them sooner, but she had been... distracted. That, and mildly tipsy, so she wasn't at her usually alert top form. She stopped dead in her tracks. As Doug spun around, she let go of his hand only so she could turn herself, rather than get swung around, and carefully examined the man leveling a gun at them.

"Ye know," she said, slowly and cautiously, looking him straight in the eyes as she did, her hands raised up near her head. "Normally, I think I'd take pity on someone desperate enough to try an' rob people f'r their money, but... I'm goin' t' give ye one warning. Put yuir gun away an' go home. Ye may not realize it, but yuir very close t' makin' a big mistake, an' it's more in yuir best interests t' just... walk away. So please, f'r yuir own sake, go. I'm beggin' ye."

She didn't want to hurt him, didn't want to hurt anyone if she could help it, but she would if she had to.
Posted Image

[size0]Say the dog and butterfly,
in the air they like to fly.
Dog and butterfly.
She knew she had to try,
and she float back down to the warm soft ground,
laughing - she don't know why,
but she had to try, she had to try.
Dog and Buttefly.


Avatar by Natalie, signature by Olga. My graphics set is complete again! Thank you so much!
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Cypher
Unregistered

Doug licked his lips nervously as he stared down the barrel of the gun. His eyes flicked toward the man’s hand, lingering especially on the index finger that was curled around the trigger.

With just the flick of his finger I’d be gone…

It was then that he noticed the way the man’s hand was slightly shaking. Doug looked back up at his eyes. There was determination in them, but they weren’t cold. In fact, if he wasn’t mistaken they were almost…pleading.

"Normally, I think I'd take pity on someone desperate enough to try an' rob people f'r their money, but... I'm goin' t' give ye one warning. Put yuir gun away an' go home. Ye may not realize it, but yuir very close t' makin' a big mistake, an' it's more in yuir best interests t' just... walk away. So please, f'r yuir own sake, go. I'm beggin' ye."

Doug recognized the warning in Rahne’s voice for what it was: deadly serious. She was more than capable and prepared to take down a lone gunman, especially in close range like this.

The man didn’t seem to understand her words, and he only squinted his eyes a little as he looked over at her. But he must have understood her intent because the gun suddenly was aimed at her. Doug put a hand out to Rahne to stop her from acting. Then he put his hands up and tried to get the man’s attention.

The gun swayed back his direction with a definite quaking to it.

“Nu trebuie să facă acest lucru,” (You don’t have to do this.) Doug said in Romanian. The shaking stopped as he listened to the words, but he didn’t lower the gun or say anything in return. “Care este problema ta? Am putea fi în măsură să ajute.” (What is your trouble? We might be able to help.)

The man dropped the gun a little, but not all the way. He looked confused now, unsure if he should believe them. Then he looked back up again with an almost childlike bewilderment in his eyes. “Tu nu vorbesc limba română?” (You speak Romanian?)

Doug just smiled in return.

“Da.”
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Wolfsbane
Member Avatar
Wolf Form
As the gun came in her direction, Rahne straightened up further, eyes wide as she glanced quickly from the man to the gun back to him again. Primal instincts urged her to just take him down, hurt him for daring to threaten her and her man, but she had alot of experience in dealing with her primal instincts, for knowing when to act and when not to. She stayed back for now, opting to not cause him any harm for the time being.

Doug was in control here, and it looked like he was about to successfully talk the man down. He definitely had the guy confused, uncertain. She didn't understand the words, but the tone was clear. Doug was going the compassionate route, the path of kindness in the face of danger. It was commendable, admirable even. But would it work? Would Doug be able to talk this man down and keep him from making a terrible mistake?

So Rahne remained ready, not quite changing yet, but prepared to do so at any moment. It would be better if Doug could get it to work out, could talk the man down, but if he couldn't do it, if he couldn't convince this man to walk away, then Rahne would have to act.

Posted Image

[size0]Say the dog and butterfly,
in the air they like to fly.
Dog and butterfly.
She knew she had to try,
and she float back down to the warm soft ground,
laughing - she don't know why,
but she had to try, she had to try.
Dog and Buttefly.


Avatar by Natalie, signature by Olga. My graphics set is complete again! Thank you so much!
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Cypher
Unregistered

And there it was.

The man continued to hold his gun up, a faltering wall between Doug and himself. The resolve seemed to have been dimmed in his eyes, and Doug could clearly see the skepticism in regard to his current course of actions as he stared at Doug as something less adversarial.

For a moment it seemed that he was going to drop the gun and everything was going to be back to all right again, but with a brief glance over his shoulder at a shadowy alley, the man seemed to remember his cause and the gun came back up held by taut and corded muscles. The way the man clenched his jaw had Doug a little nervous.

“Numele meu este Doug Ramsey,” Doug said with determined calmness. “Acest lucru este Rahne Sinclair,” he continued with a gesture to his left. “Suntem la data de primul nostru.” Perhaps letting the man know they were on their first date could break the ice.

Doug glanced over to the alleyway. Whatever was back there was very important to the man.

“If I no pay,” the man said with brimming eyes as he glanced to Doug and Rahne for forgiveness, “they kill my…” Whether he was having trouble with the right words or if he just couldn’t bring himself to say it was unclear, but Doug suddenly knew exactly what the man was hiding away in the dark alley.
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Wolfsbane
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Wolf Form
Rahne watched with worried concern in her eyes as the exchange continued. This was looking like it could go badly at any moment. Not to mention she didn't care for being completely out of the loop, so to speak. She didn't understand the language and that left her feeling like a third wheel. Clearly there was something going on here, something he was trying to hide maybe? Protect? She couldn't be sure.

She flinched when he brought the gun back up. Her knees bent, her lip curled, her muscles went taut. It was a reflexive action, an instinctive reaction to a potential threat. She reigned it in well enough, restrained herself from shifting and pouncing on the man, but she was still ready to act should it become necessary for her to.

The broken English, however, she understood perfectly. If he didn't pay a certain someone, that certain someone would kill someone or something he held dear to him. And that? That wouldn't stand. No, no, no. Wouldn't stand at all.

"Who is this 'they' an' where do I find 'em?" she growled. She wasn't planning on being a superhero tonight, no she wasn't, but there were some things that just would not stand. Not at all.
Posted Image

[size0]Say the dog and butterfly,
in the air they like to fly.
Dog and butterfly.
She knew she had to try,
and she float back down to the warm soft ground,
laughing - she don't know why,
but she had to try, she had to try.
Dog and Buttefly.


Avatar by Natalie, signature by Olga. My graphics set is complete again! Thank you so much!
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Cypher
Unregistered

There was something especially dangerous about the way the man was vacillating between stark terror and desperation. In particular, the desperation seemed to stand out to Doug. A desperate man was a very very dangerous man. And if Doug's assumption was correct that this man was desperate about protecting his family?

This needed to be handled with the utmost of delicacy.

Doug's already keen sense of perception kicked into overdrive as he looked the man over. He had a knack for not only looking at someone and a situation, but seeing it.

The man was sturdily built, and his clothes were of a fairly fine cut. The knees on both legs were soiled and seemed to have small amounts of dried blood on them. Doug unfocused his eyes and saw the hand that held the gun between them. The white shirt had grease stains on the cuff and also had small amounts of what looked to him to be blood on them.

Other than the overcoat which did not look to be particularly something that would be purchased in any of the better known American retail clothing stores, the man's attire and general state of hygiene seemed unremarkable.

Doug started, not at Rahne's words particularly, but at the throaty growl that pushed out with them. He could sense through holding her hand that she was tense and angry. He knew he had to say something and he set the tone of his voice to be just a tad bit more on the calming side.

"Avem ... prieteni influenţi. We have influential friends," he began, translating his own words for Rahne's sake. "Spune-ne ce avem de-a face cu. Tell us what we are dealing with."

They were at that point, committed to helping in some capacity.

The man finally lowered his gun completely, but his shaking did not subside in the least. "Mafia." The word rang out between them. Doug listened patiently as the man explained his story. They were new to the country.

This was supposed to be a land of opportunity, but his family was met with poverty like they had never before known. When things were as bleak as they had ever been, an opportunity presented itself to make some money, but it put him unknowingly in a very illegal and dangerous predicament. For six months he had worked for the Mafia and when he realized the extent of what they were doing he tried to get out.

Now they threatened to kill his family. Just like they killed his best friend.

Doug relayed every word to Rahne while the man trembled and watched the two.

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Wolfsbane
Member Avatar
Wolf Form
"Well, it's not bloody right, that's what," she snarled, baring her teeth slightly. She staved off a shift, but only just. It was one thing to be coerced into working for unsavory people, it was another entirely to threaten innocent women and children in order to get that result. And anyone who cared enough about his family to do dirty work must have been good enough on some level at least.

But could they really try to get the X-Men in on this? If they did, what kind of precedent would that set? And if they didn't, what would they do? Could the two of them actually manage to pull mafia attack dogs off of this guy's family? And if so, how?

Rahne certainly felt out of her element. Funny how mutant supervillains and schoolchildren with abnormal superpowers were perfectly within her element, but normal human thugs with normal human problems felt... alien. Had she become so removed from regular humanity?

No, no, it wasn't that. Couldn't be. Superpowers or no, she wasn't removed from regular humanity. She just didn't know what to do in regards to mob stuff. Organized crime... way outside of her sphere of influence.

"I've not a clue what t' do here, Dougie... I don't know what the right path is."
Posted Image

[size0]Say the dog and butterfly,
in the air they like to fly.
Dog and butterfly.
She knew she had to try,
and she float back down to the warm soft ground,
laughing - she don't know why,
but she had to try, she had to try.
Dog and Buttefly.


Avatar by Natalie, signature by Olga. My graphics set is complete again! Thank you so much!
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Cypher
Unregistered

Doug’s mind was already spinning as he listened to the man and his problem. He hoped he hadn’t already overstepped the bounds by assuring him they could help before he knew the full scope of the situation. But how could they not help?

By his personal estimation they were being trained to use their powers for good. Perhaps the policy was not to flaunt their gifts openly and publicly, but rather to find ways to employ them in ways that would show people that some mutants were good and could be trusted. It was at times a goal that seemed impossible to achieve, so great was the initial public prejudice and distrust toward mutants.

"I've not a clue what t' do here, Dougie... I don't know what the right path is."

Doug glanced over at her, his mind already spinning with scenarios and likely outcomes. They didn’t necessarily have to take on the mafia here. The real goal was to protect this man and his family. He wanted to address the man by name, so he asked.

“żCómo se llama usted?”

With only the slightest hesitation, the man cleared his throat. “Lucian,” he said after a moment’s pause.

Doug glanced back at the alley. “Your family,” he said in Romanian, “get them out of that alley. They are not safe just because they are behind a grease trap. It is better to bring them with us.”

Lucian looked shocked that Doug knew where they were, and while Doug explained to Rahne what he’d just said he just stood there. Then Doug turned back to him. “How much do you owe?”

Drawing in a deep breath, Lucian hung his shoulders. “Ten thousand, American dollars,” he said with a thick accent. Doug looked at Rahne for a moment as he thought about it.
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