[FIN] Tonight's Gonna be a Good Night

[TawnyAngel]

"Ah! That," Zevran gave Abel's waist a squeeze and smiled approvingly up at him. "I thought you meant something different, no, you have done very well with that and I have no desire to spoil it."

"Oh man, trying to quit? That's rough," Charlie shook her head as she fell into step with the pair at a friendly but not too friendly distance. "I only smoked for like, two years? But quitting was really hard still. Did you smoke for a long time?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

At first he thought to ask what Zev thought he'd meant at first but decided against it; no doubt it was something wonderfully inappropriate. "Ah, I thought you wouldn't want to, all things considered," he replied with a smile. Both of them knew exactly who had encouraged him to stop smoking in the first place, and how, and how hard he'd been trying to do so; Charlie didn't really need to know any of that.

"Yeah, it's been rough as hell," he said to her instead, glancing over at her as they walked along towards where he'd parked his car. "Quitting is hard no matter how long you smoked for, and two years isn't a small amount of time. I started when I was sixteen," he admitted; the age needed no pause for thought or recollection, nor did the reason why he started in the first place. Not that Charlie needed to know that, either.

And then they neared his car; he pulled out his keys and tapped a button on the fob that prompted the lights to blink as the doors unlocked. "Alright, who wants to sit where? Besides me, of course, since neither of you are driving."  

[TawnyAngel]

"Me too," Charlie said with a grin at the coincidence. "My Mom was furious! And then she used it as leverage if I wanted to go to college, either I quit or she wouldn't help me out... So I guess it's thanks to quitting that I got my degree and got this job! Worked out well for me. Anyways I'll sit in back, thanks."

"Ah, and she is a generous lady just as I was going to be a cad and call shotgun," Zevran chuckled as he opened the passenger door and climbed in. "Let's go then, I could really go for a coffee right now."


It was not 'right now' but it was only a few minutes later that they got to Charlie's hotel room and she stuck the little kettle on to boil. "It's pretty good coffee," she said as she went over to the little vanity table and picked up a cafetiere, which she then waggled at the two of them. "I always bring my own coffee and stuff on business trips, the instant stuff just isn't the same."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Ah, mine was too," Abel recalled with a chuckle and slight shake of his head, "though didn't use anything for leverage." Not that she had anything to use as leverage; not that she'd even think of trying to use anything as leverage considering the circumstances. Anyway.

The trip to the hotel was short and uneventful, full of idle conversation and occasionally Abel's hand found Zevran's to hold for a bit.

Once inside the taller blond took a moment to survey the interior of the hotel room. "I haven't stayed here before, this is nice," he noted, then grinned. "Ah, a woman after my own heart. I can't stand instant coffee anymore."  

[TawnyAngel]

"Right? We always had instant at home but then when I was in college I started drinking real coffee, haven't been able to go back." As she spoke Charlie picked up the half boiled kettle and poured some of the warm water into the cafetiere, which she swirled around as she set the kettle back on the power. "If you're going to do coffee, you should do it right," she said as she added coffee grounds to the warm water in the bottom of the container.

"Oh-ho, a true connoisseur!" Zevran crowed as he watched Charlie fuss with the beverage, she really must be picky about her coffee if she bothered with all of that.

Charlie winked, poured almost-boiling water into the cafetiere, and then stirred it with a teaspoon. "You bet! How do you guys like it? Coffee, I mean."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

As he slipped off his coat and set it in a nearby chair, Sonia slipped off to find somewhere comfortable to settle down for a while. Paying her little mind in favor of watching Charlie make coffee, Abel simply shrugged as he hooked his thumbs into his pockets. "I'm not too picky with my coffee, so long as it's not instant, but generally I don't put too much extra stuff in it. And my parents always have good coffee at home, I just didn't for a while." 'A while' as in two years, but that was neither here nor there.

Sonia finally nestled herself in one of the chairs, curling up and idly glancing around the room, over the various decorations, what effects of Charlie's she could see, and finally over the trio of humans.  

[TawnyAngel]

"I will have black, it is good to enjoy a thing in its pure form sometimes," Zevran decided as he tossed his coat over Abel's and then wandered over to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Okay I'll make that two white no sugar, on black no sugar," Charlie said as she pressed down the coffee and then poured out into two cups and one glass, obviously the room hadn't expected three for coffee. "Are you Spanish then?" Charlie asked as she passed one of the cups to Zevran. "Just, I know black coffee is traditionally popular there."

Zevran took the cup with an easy smile and nodded faked acknowledgement. "Si, the south coast, beautiful landscape and beautiful weather. The climate here I find not so good but the views," he glanced at Abel, "just as nice."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Sounds good to me," Abel said with an easy shrug and took a couple idle steps nearer the bed - and to Zev - but didn't sit on it, or at least not yet. It felt odd to sit on someone else's bed unless invited to do so. Her question made him rather curious and Zevran's response made him even moreso; he'd never seen fit to lie to him about where he was from, so he wondered what made Charlie different. Casual acquaintance, near-stranger maybe? Probably something like that. "The views around here are nice, yeah," he agreed with a brief nod, having missed Zevran's similarly brief glance. "So where are you from? Not anywhere in Kodo then, since you need to take a boat here?"  

[TawnyAngel]

"Yeah, no," Charlie agreed with a shake of her head as she passed the second cup to Abel and then picked up the glass near the top, so as not to burn her fingers. "I grew up in Vancouver, Canada, but the last couple of years I've been all over the place with business. This is the furthest out I've ever been though! It's a pretty interesting place, more pokemon than I've ever seen before I gotta say."

"I had not seen many before I came here either; they are quite fascinating creatures, good friends many of them," Zevran said, and as he spoke he fetched a pokeball out of his pocket and released Amigo who - after a glance around - trilled a friendly greeting and settled on the bed beside Zevran. "This is Amigo, he was the first pokemon I caught!"

"Aww, how pretty!" Charlie cooed happily and waggled her fingers at the Butterfree. "Hello there Amigo. Mmh, you know I'm tempted to capture a couple for myself before I head off, I can really see how they could make life easier- and more fun right? So, how many do you guys both have?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The taller blond accepted the cup with a word of thanks. Mmm, coffee... Not that he could drink it yet, of course, but the promise of hot, delicious coffee was enough. "That's pretty awesome; I've never been there. Hey Amigo," he added with a warm smile. It was always nice to see the Butterfree.

Their conversation continued for a while longer as they all slowly nursed their coffees, and only after they'd finished were alcoholic drinks suggested again. More drinks necessitated ice though, and Abel didn't hesitate to volunteer to fetch it. "I think I remember where the ice machine is anyway," he added thoughtfully, as he tried to recall where it was. "I'm pretty sure we passed it on our way in, so I'll be back in a minute." Sonia perked her head up but he waved her off - she looked too comfortable all curled up in the chair still - then grabbed the container meant for ice and slipped out the door.

Plus, being alone for a minute or two gave him the opportunity to think, to reflect... and to try and puzzle out his feelings.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Ah, I hate to see you go but I love to watch you walk away!" Zevran grinned and winked as Abel headed for the door.

"He does have a cute butt," Charlie agreed thoughtfully as the door closed behind Abel. "I mean aesthetically, not the team I bat for but I can appreciate a nice a**. Right now though I gotta appreciate a pee, you really needed to know that right? But, small room, let's face it you'll probably hear me."

"Ha!" Zevran laughed and threw a cushion at Charlie as she headed for the bathroom. "I had been told that ladies never pissed, and that is why they cry more than men. Are you to shatter my illusions?"

"Nope," Charlie caught the cushion and threw it back, "I'm no lady!"

The door closed and Zevran occupied himself with his phone, or at least he started to when he heard a yelp and then a thump followed closely by-

"Ow. Uh. Could you give me a hand in here? I still have my pants up promise!"

"Hu?" Zevran raised an eyebrow and slipped his phone away as he got to his feet and headed to the bathroom. "What hap-?" He had expected, if anything, to see Charlie on the floor but she was not there, he couldn't see her at all and then the door slammed shut and the lock snicked into the place. He started to turn but she moved faster, slammed him back against the door with a knife in her hand and a knife-sharp grin slashed across her face.

"The Antivan Crows send their regards!"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Sonia had started drifting off to sleep but the unexpected thump caught her attention. She jerked her head up and looked towards the bathroom door, but since Zevran was going to help, she remained curled up in her chair.

She'd had experience with hearing someone fall down somewhere before and requiring assistance to get back up, and thus had a general idea of the sounds that should follow. None of the sounds that abruptly emanated from the bathroom were any of the expected ones - in fact they were quite the opposite - so with a sense of alarm that multiplied exponentially the dark-type practically threw herself out of the chair in her hastiness to dart to the bathroom door as quickly as she could. "Zor?!"  

[TawnyAngel]

At words froze his mind but instinct moved his muscles; deflect the blow, the knife scraped up his ribs instead of driving into his heart and then he twisted it out of her hand. She fought back with a curse, and the blow of her fist to his face dazed him and she managed to reclaim the knife. She struck again but he grasped her arm, used her momentum to throw her over his shoulder but in the confined space her body hit the wall and they both sprawled on the floor as her weight bore down on him.

The knife skittered away across the floor and both scrabbled after it but Zevran moved faster this time.

He didn't think about it any more than he had thought about deflecting the blow that should have ended his own life moments before, he didn't need to, it was as natural as breathing to stop her from breathing. She gasped, that familiar gasp you never heard anywhere else and grabbed for the knife but he grabbed her arms and forced them away, he didn't want to get blood all over the place! As she gasped and fought for air Zevran panted and snarled down at her. "Keep your regards for the void." Oh, he had missed this!... Had he? Really? The Crows. The Crows knew he was here.

As the woman's gaze went vacant Zevran released his grip on her arms and scrabbled backwards across the floor until his back hit the wall. They knew. They had found him.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

For as infrequently as she heard them, the sounds of a scuffle were no less familiar and distressing. With a vicious snarl the dark-type hurled herself against the bathroom door, struggled with the doorknob and even tried to slip illusions under the door, but the door was far too thick and heavy for her to do much to it, and before she could even think of completely destroying it with a legitimate attack, the sounds stopped. She stopped as well, her alarm reaching a peak. What happened? Was Zevran okay? Hesitantly the Zoroark jiggled the door handle again to see if it would open this time. "Zor..?"  

[TawnyAngel]

The taste of copper was filling his mouth; Zevran swiped the back his hand across his upper lip to clear away some of the blood running from his nose and he stared at her silent form.

Charlie.

Friendly Charlie the architect.

Prey was always unwary.

When had be become prey?

The scrabbling at the door tugged at a thread of his awareness, and then there was a thump against it and he heard Amigo's voice added to Sonia's. They were out there. Zevran pushed himself to his feet and stepped over the body to reach the door. His hand was steady as he unlocked it and opened it and his gaze was steady too, steady and sharp and indifferent to the blood still running down his face.

"Ah. Sonia. Amigo. We have... There have been..." Zevran exhaled and closed his eyes. "Complications." The Crows. She was- she had been a Crow. She had been sent to dispose of him, as they disposed of all traitors. How long would it be before more found him? There would be more, he had no doubt of that. He had to run.