As hell-spawn closed in the space between them, Dominic stared forward, unfazed. That was, until she mentioned someone. He assumed it was Cain, but her words hadn’t made sense. Squinting his eyes in confusion, he curiously considered what she meant. However, he had more pressing matters to attend to. That being the blade to his throat.
“Ah uhv ah gehr…”
He tried to clear out his throat after she sat up on him, yet remained cooperative at her hold. The taste of copper on his tongue made words more annoying than just the torn muscle.
“…hoo th ah ill theekeh.”
If she comprehended his words somewhat, then she’d have understood his sneer up at her, neon irises seeking that of gold. He bent a knee up, but not in an effort to throw her off him.
Her wild eyes narrowed in confusion, not understanding even a little of what he'd said. As Dom's knee raised, she slid forward onto his chest. Behind the gargantuan teeth, there was a blush burning her cheeks. What was this guy doing? Was he this desperate for some tail, did he actually find her attractive, or was he attempting to catch her off guard? For just a small moment, Tadi hoped it was the second- but she shook it off.
"Try a little harder, darling. I know you can do it." She eased up on the blade a little.
The man almost did himself a hot double take by means of blinking. There were two ways to take her statement, and he preferred the one best to his prior and first intentions with her. Sliding his other leg up, he pushed her further onto his chest, and closer. Whether it worked or not, wasn’t he supposedly heading to jail anyways?
Taking a little more time to speak through blood, he found pleasure in the pain.
“Ah… th-ed. Ah leh-vuh ah gerl who-th freekeh.”
He wiggled his eyebrows at her— knowing full well the blade would likely be pushed right back at him. Worth it, if she at least understood.
Tadi's face reddened, and slowly the rim of her mask peeled up from around her cheekbones. The smoke from her mouth dissipated. At this point, their two bodies were so crunched together, any onlooker wouldn't know what to think. No no no, come back! She yelled at the Spirit mentally as the Oni slithered away into her soul. Sighing, Tadi at last let go of Dominic's wrists and pulled her mask down. "I-I'm not falling for it, Dom. If that's even your real name." She glared down at him, still holding the blade in place.
"...I don't know what's got you so excited tonight, but," Looking away (which was difficult considering their close proximity), she lost her train of thought for a moment. In that stillness, she heard the trees. An owl cooed nearby. Tadi's eyes glanced from Dom, to his hands, to his chest, to his legs behind her. This whole thing was...Ridiculous. Slowly a smile began to appear on her face and she tried to hide it, but the laughter she could not. It came out in a funny burst of air, and little convulsions, her stifled giggling. She ducked her head away from him, trying to stop and doing her best to keep the sword in place.
Dominic watched as Tadi gave in, the mask unfusing from her face and revealing the beauty underneath. His snear shifted into a geniune grin, although it kept his pompous attitude within its features. As the warrior removed her hold of his wrists, he slowly brought an arm down to his side, using his other hand to wipe the blood trailing down his cheek. He took note of the blade, his movements slow, careful, and precise. Something he didn't do too often, but for the right woman...
Her giggles caught him from his thoughts, enchanting to the forest around them. While he didn't particularly mind being the end of a bad joke, he also wasn't really sure what Tadi was giggling so profusely from. Either way, her laugh was contagious. He snorted as he took joy in listening to her, almost choking on the blood which hit the back of his throat.
"Yehwu, beb."
He winked at her, just before she brought her head towards him. How unexpected, he thought, releasing a soft chuckle as he brought an arm up and around her. He rubbed at her back, waiting for the giggles to subside. Of course, sloppily throwing together another flirt for her to grow tired of.
Tadi's breath caught in her throat as she felt his hand run along her back, his touch invoking both fear and comfort in her heart. She didn't know this man, he was a crude stranger. A trespasser, possibly a predator. A harasser for sure. But with all that she'd witnessed that day, with the overwhelming, crippling consideration that her family could be murdered any moment, she chose to care a little less about what he might do to her. Slowly, she rested her head on his chest and watched the dark plants rustle around them. What am I doing...? She thought harshly to herself.
Resting. Came the unexpected answer, tenderly and shamelessly.
Hearing Dom flirt again, she turned her eyes up towards him from where she lay. "Is your name actually Dom?"
As giggles came to a complete halt, he slowed his hand. Until she actually rose from her luxurious seat, however, he continued the motion. When Tadi's eyes gazed up at him, he respectfully glanced down to her, meeting her during their odd moment of tranquility.
"Kendeh."
He admitted, tensing his shoulders as if he were to shrug them, but not fully doing so.
"Eth thort ferr Dehmehnek. Eth beb gehwud er yeh lehk thomthin ehth?"
Another chuckle escaped him as he moved up to her hair, messing it up a bit just for fun.
She blinked as her hair was disarrayed, soft strands falling all over their faces. "My name is Tadi." The girl sat up, pulled the sword away from his neck, and rested it on her lap. "And you are Dominic?" She confirmed, smiling a little. "I don't regret biting you, but I wish I had done so after we'd talked."
Tadi laughed shyly. Her defenses were down, but she remained on his stomach. "I felt if I didn't then, you would have pushed me against a tree and had your way." She gave him a slight frown. "You need to learn how to speak to a lady."
Removing his hand from her hair, Dominic rubbed where the blade held hostage, hoping it would distract him from previous pain inflicted upon him. To his dismay, it hardly did a thing-- but he expected so, after all. He wouldn't be able to treat himself until Cain had returned.
Propping himself up by his elbows, he nodded as Tadi confirmed his real name, while he also more or less noted her own. 'Babe' was better suited for her, especially in bed. If only she agreed. He mostly zoned out on the later half of her talking, enraptured by the mess he made. Of her hair, of course. Although she really was a bit of a mess, remaining on who was still considered a stranger to her.
"Ah dehdn't do ehnitheng yeh thed nah to. Yeh voeth wehth... wehru, ah thot mah thot."
Her mouth and nose crinkled into a hearty smile, "I can barely understand you." She laughed. Her smile faded into an intent expression. Tadi knew that look she was receiving, for she'd been given it before on late nights in the clan. "Look Dom," She started, "You really think I'm about to roll around in the ferns with you? You could have a disease." The girl joked, giving him an overly dramatic "Uh oh" look. "It's one thing to exchange a kiss, it's another to..." Tadi laughed and cut herself off, sheathing her sword and fixing her hair.
Pressing his palm against his lips, he tried to keep a straight face as Tadi voiced her concerns. All valid. She could have the same problems she voiced and he'd never know. That was a part of the game, after all. However, the thought of being called out in such a way was absolutely hilarious to him. It was obvious she was joking.
About when she cut herself off, he couldn't help but burst into laughter as well, snorting here and there. He removed his hand from his face, his bloodied self revealed once more. Their voices were loud together, compared to the quiet stillness of the forest around them. With how much he laughed, he probably got some more blood on her, to which he drew back some. If his lungs hurt from their wheezing, he imagined it was the same for her.
"Eth behtah then that."
He mused, half-joking, but half-serious.
"Whun nite of fun, er aht lehst whun nite tah get to nah yehw."
At his words, Tadi's heart melted. Her eyes lit up in excitement like a child, suddenly forgetting all of her concerns. She stood, dismounting and stepping away from the man. Reaching down, she grabbed one of his hands. "You can come meet the clan! They're my family!" She pulled him eagerly. "We're actually having a party right now, honoring Maelstromclan! Come! I'll get them to fix you up too!"
Completely dumbfounded, he used Tadi's assistance to hoist himself up, but was nearly dragged along with her. After a couple of footsteps towards the clan's direction, he resisted the warrior's pull, standing firm in place. He held onto her hand just as she had grabbed his, yet was mindful of the force to which he pulled back with.
Once he knew he'd gotten her attention, he shook his head.
"Threnger denger. Kent meet tha perenth en tha firth det. Ah don't wanna ruin tha parteh."
The air stung his tongue, but he finally started to get used to it a bit. His injury wasn't the worst he'd ever sustained, especially not during his time in Maelstromclan, all those years ago.
"Well," Tadi said, her smile growing a bit sad. "It's...It's not really a party, it's a sendoff." The magic in her eyes suddenly fogged over. She stared at nothing for a moment, all the memories of festering and bloated bodies arising from her thoughts and making her stomach turn. "Maelstromclan was murdered." The girl said quietly, letting go of his hand. "We...only just confirmed it this morning." Swallowing hard, she looked away and continued walking towards the clan.
"So this is important. Come with me! You won't be in any danger."
The news struck him off-guard, his eyes widening as Tadi's fogged over. He'd heard news of Kirai's revival, but not of Maelstromclan's demise. Although he was quick to put two and two together, the logic lacked.
Still, a sendoff? Without the remainder of the misfits, or the few exiled from the clan? It felt odd, that no one knew about it.
"Et wooden't feel rite."
He sighed, raising the hand she released to rub at the back of his neck. Instead of coming up with an excuse, he simply showed how uncomfortable he was. Ironic, considering how uncomfortable she was, only minutes before.
"Ruening yah nite, too. Mehbee we can do theth anatha nite, ah bettah deht."
