Can't Afford a Good Time [Open]

[Roxanne]

Roxanne wasn’t at all concerned about being overheard. It showed how comfortable she was with herself that she didn’t mind talking about being a demon in public. Granted, there weren’t many people out after dark but it was quiet. The torches that were dotted around were the only source of light, which she thought was great because the stars were easily visible. It would be a great night for flying if she decided to do so later.



The half demon turned her attention back to Sima as he responded with unexpected confidence. She raised one brow at him, waiting as he offered something of an explanation. He had taught before? She supposed that wasn’t all that surprising. The man was 100 years old after all. Hell she had assisted in teaching Serenity magic, and she was only 28. “That’s exciting. I’d ask what all you’ve taught but I’m assuming you have numerous experiences with it. Instead, I’ll just look forward to what I could learn,” she replied, smiling.



Sima’s answer to her question wasn’t quite what she was expecting. She suspected there might still be another answer in there somewhere but clearly he didn’t want to talk about it so she let it go with a simple nod.



Roxanne couldn’t help but laugh at his comment though and his question that sounded almost like a challenge to her. There was a seriousness behind his question that perked her interest but she was also sure that he made it playful for a reason. So Roxanne raised one delicate eyebrow, grinning with a mischievous look of her own, and returning his gaze. “Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to find out for yourself one day, though I’m sure you’ll find I’m more than capable,” she said, her voice teasing with only the subtlest of seriousness behind it. Roxanne didn’t play fair in any sense of the word, be it in combat or otherwise.



The conversation flowed naturally from that point to the next. She smiled as he said he wanted to tag along with her, laughing as he admitted his nose preferred her scent over the taverns. “I figured as much,” she said. As he asked her about her cabin and her stove, she smiled.. “Yes, it’s a cabin with a pretty basic stove, I guess. It’s nothing special, but perhaps you can work magic with it,” the half demon commented. It worked pretty well for what she needed but she wasn’t a gourmet chef either.



Roxanne’s thought was interrupted as he pushed lightly, making her laugh, but not moving her from her grounded stance. She laughed again as Sima seemed to quickly step back. “Sorry, it’s a habit from years of training. Here, you can try again. I’ll move this time,” she said, misinterpreting why he had moved back.



Sima insisted on cooking for her as repayment, a prospect which Roxanne found quite intriguing. “I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone cook specifically for me,” she said, musing and nodding when he asked her if she was hungry. “I didn’t eat before I came into the city,” she answered, then grimaced. “Shit,” she muttered, looking at Sima. This was a problem, how could she have forgotten? Probably because she didn’t think about it. Her cabin was located all the way out at Dragonbreath Falls. They’d never make it before dawn, not on foot.



“I’m an idiot, Sima. My cabin is on the edge of the lake at the bottom of the falls. It’s several hours trek outside the city on foot or even horseback. I flew here,” she admitted, looking appropriately apologetic and feeling like an ass. She looked Sima up and down for a moment, in a way most people would think was her checking him out but rather she was assessing his build. “Mmm”she muttered to herself. It was hard to tell with his clothing but he seemed to be pretty buff to her. That didn’t mean anything when it came to weight though. “I’m not sure if I could carry you or not, honestly. If you even agreed to that,” she sighed, “Do we have a plan B?” she asked, giving a sour chuckle.

[Sima Oratio]

Sima looked at her as she casually responded to everything he just did. For whatever reason he was hoping to at least surprise her, but that didn't seem to be the case. "You have a good attitude," Sima smiled, not being able to help himself to compliment her on it. He had been with many people who were the opposite, and it could often be a drag. 

When she spoke about being able to handle him, his mind flew to a few areas. At first, he could only think of what might happen even if that was true. Sima, was much weaker than he used to be. He had not been caught up in training, nor had he been in combat for some time. His body, which was now mortal, couldn't even take the power he ran through it. If he snapped on her, she would have a mere 5-10 minutes to try and survive. Although, having a mortal body was a drawback, but the power he could assert through it was terrifying at times. In the transformed, angered state. Sima wouldn't know how far he was pushing his body, and Roxanne would see him lift weights that would crush his arms, speed towards her with such fierce speed that she would have almost no reaction time at all, however surviving the brutal assault, was all she had to do. Sima had as much danger in that situation as she did however, he often came close to killing himself. 

"Well, If you can handle me, then you'll have to stay by my side and keep me in check of course. Morning, Evening, and Night." Although it seemed playful and flirty coming out of his mouth, his face showed no sign of it being anything other than serious. Sima was more than serious on this one, at least than he'd know someone could stop him from doing something atrocious. 

"The stove doesn't matter, " Sima chuckled. His great talent in cooking was actually attributed to his nose. The hyper-sensitivity made it quite easy to tell when food was perfectly grilled, cooked, simmered. It did keep him from cooking certain food that smelled questionable, or bold however. 

"I can work wonders on anything," Although that was gloating, and a bit playful, he was just saying it to judge her reaction. 

His eyes raised in almost anger as she spoke of her training, and how it kept him from pushing her. He however, chuckled lightly, almost not being able to contain himself. Sima, could lift quit a lot. In fact, he didn't doubt she weighted around 100lb, which he was more than capable of shoving through a few things with one hand. However, this did not in any way mean to cut her training short. Sima just felt that you could have all the training in the world, and you still won't be able to stop someone pushing you, it just takes one surprise.

He however was more than glad that she misinterpreted what had happened.

"Like what you see?" Sima added, before she started speaking about weight.

"I weight, quite a bit.." Sima scoffed. "You can try and carry me if you like, but I think you'll have a big amount of trouble. Unless you can sustain flgiht for another 200+ ish pounds..."  Sima didn't know why he felt bad speaking of his weight range, although it was hard to tell the fluctuations. For a tall 6ft man to pack on that weight in muscle mass, and it was difficult to sustain, the amount of food required per day was ridiculous.  However, Sima liked to be able to bend, twist, and lift, using almost all of his muscles. Having them at top efficiency was important. To him, not being able to push his enemy through three waves of other enemies with one hand would mean death, if something broke out. However, he liked to keep his physical shape off discussion. He preferred to discuss the things he enjoyed, and although training was one of them, and physical training, he preferred to keep that piece of him a small piece.

Sima looked at Roxanne, his face full of nothing but anger. This was a small flash, and they didn't often. However, he was drunk, and didn't quite think through what was happening. "What?" He didn't raise his voice, but you could see the strain on his neck muscles, as he tried to reign his own anger in. In fact, the hue of his eyes began to darken into a crimson red, before cooling back to blue.

He breathed lightly, in fact his internal heat was so high it seemed his breath was visible for a few moments. It was a few issues with being a full demon, and the anger part, was more mental than anything else, and alcohol.

"I apologize, I am usually very good at controlling my anger." Sima didn't yell, or scream, but that was still something that terrified him. It was a beginning of something that could have gotten much bigger, and it made him terrified that maybe Roxanne wouldn't be safe with him.

"I don't really have a plan B no, we can walk, or head back to the Inn. To be honest, if you want we can run. I'm pretty fast, and you know I don't keep my body in shape to show it off, so choose before I choose for you." Sima took a few steps forward as if to start to jog, after he gained distance from her he stopped though, turning to her.

"Your quite good at taking care of yourself right? You said so earlier." Sima had to be sure, before he continued any further with her. To be honest, if it wasn't for her race, he wouldn't be able to believe her words, not against him. Sima just didn't wake up with her lifeless corpse beside him, or nothing but a few scraps of hair and a pool of blood, if something like that anger flash ever happened again. Sima of course knew the chance was so minuscule, but he grew attached to people rather quickly, and it made losses very hard.  

[Roxanne]

Roxanne smiled at Sima’s compliment. It was rare that she got any compliments that didn’t have to do with her looks. “Thank you. I’m not sure anyone’s ever said that. It’s not often people say good things about me anyway, aside from physical compliments of course,” she said, smiling and shrugging lightly with the last half. She was more than used to it, kind of came with the territory of being a half demon.



Sima’s next comment was a bit confusing for her. He sounded like he was being sexy and flirtatious but his face said otherwise and the comment itself was a bit demanding. She looked at him for a moment, staring into his eyes and searching his face. She sniffed lightly, her eyes dilating in the dim light. What was he afraid of? As much as she wanted to, she didn’t ask, knowing that was probably quite personal for him. Instead she grinned. “Does that mean I have a new roommate?” she asked, trying for a teasing tone.



Roxanne smiled in earnest as Sima assured her that the stove didn’t matter, boasting about his prowess in the kitchen. “That sounds quite promising indeed. I keep a lot of basic cooking supplies and you’ll be welcome to use whatever you can find,” she said, sounding a bit excited.



It usually wasn’t in her nature, but Roxanne found herself flushing a little at Sima’s question to her obvious appraisal of his body. “Actually, yes,” she said simply, giving him a saucy smile. Her smile faded however as he continued and she realized that she might have insulted him. Her admittance about her cabin seemed to tip him over the edge. Though he never raised his voice, the anger in his tone would have been a dead giveaway even without the scent and the change in his eyes.



Roxanne’s own eyes hardened, her stance shifting slightly to something more defensive, one hand hovering over the katana she kept at her waist. It was a natural and fluid shift, clearly something she didn’t even think about. Sima’s reaction put a lot of pieces into the puzzle for her where he concerned. Sima was the type of demon whose transformation was triggered by emotion, She’d met a few of those and they got downright nasty when they were demons. Unlike her form, they actually did gain strength and other increased physical attributes making them very dangerous to anyone around them. He wanted her around to prevent that since she seemed to be capable.



The half demon waited patiently, watching him as he cooled himself down. She was impressed with his self control and nodded when he finally spoke normally, apologizing for losing his temper. She relaxed herself, smiling. “I understand,” she said simply, though there was a lot of emotion behind the word.



“I didn’t mean to offend you and I’m sorry that I didn’t mention this sooner. I wasn’t thinking that That was rude of me. Sometimes I’m a bit too blunt for my own good, mostly because my demonic nature doesn’t care about feelings. It’s a constant struggle for me, and probably the reason I don’t really have friends,” she apologized, explaining a little more about herself that she hoped Sima would understand.



He had calmed down enough now to discuss their options. Roxanne nodded, thinking for a moment. When he mentioned that he didn’t keep in shape to show off, she laughed. “I didn’t know that but now I do. I suppose I should have guessed based on your attire but you have been traveling so I didn’t want to assume,” she said. His words felt like a challenge to her, which was only enforced when he jogged forward a bit. It seemed like he really wanted to run.



“I guess we’re running then. It shouldn’t take too long between the two of us, though I’m sure you’re probably faster than me,” she said, her eyes becoming more focused. She shifted her weight on her toes, bouncing back and forth a bit and stretching her legs. “Once we get out of the city, head towards Dragonbreath Falls,” Roxanne said, nodding as he asked her about taking care of herself.

[Sima Oratio]

Sima looked at her curiously, and then again down to his bottle of whiskey. It was so tantalizing to have another sip. However, when Sima looked up at Roxanne, he knew doing so put her in a precarious position, and him. Sima was terrified right now, he understood very well when he eventually found a place to sleep, he would wake up with nothing but a hollow feeling in his chest. He was after all alone in this world, he had no family, friends or even siblings. What would happen with this new acquaintance? He couldn't be her roommate, not yet. Sima knew he had to take this world in sips, rather than gulps, and Roxanne was a dangerous gulp. Sima, was like a dog in very many ways. Protective, Loyal, he tracked, and even decided if he wanted to talk to someone by scent! 

"I'm not going to lie and say you're not attractive, but there is much more to you than what I see. One of the most important qualitiesis obviously scent." Sima had a feeling she'd chuckle at that, there was a sense he meant more in his speech. He could tell her about how she had a great personality, and skills or talents. He could say all the words in the world, however, Sima felt that by saying this, he wouldn't have to, and that it made it hopefully a little more impact-full. It was good enough on it's own, and a little funny.  

"And no, not yet. But, I mean your welcome to hang out with me as much as you want. I mean you don't mind looking at me, so you'll always have a good view." Sima just felt like teasing her, to see if he could make her uncomfortable. 

Sima looked at Roxanne in surprise afterward however. Yes? Sima didn't think she would just outright admit something, but it seemed he got a little bit of what he wanted to see. 

It made him smile more genuinely, reminding him of how fun socializing with someone was. 

When she responded to his rage, his heart only sunk into his chest. She understood? When she began to apologize Sima felt a little more enraged.

"Hey! Shut! Up!" Sima scolded her. "You have nothing to apologize for, you ridiculous woman!" Sima laughed quite loudly.

"Do you not realize how little of a mistake this was?! I have made much worse, and my mistakes have cost people lives! The only thing to blame is my lack of control. Believe me when I say I wish anger wasn't in my nature, and I have lived my entire life to gain the control I have over it now, and trust me it was much worse. That was nothing, and you shouldn't apologize for it, what's next? I freak out over a spilled drink? in fact you should be yelling at me." Sima glared at her.

"Go on then, yell at me.. Go ahead, tell me what an idiot I am! I'm waiting, and it better be genuine!" Sima looked at her with a serious grin. He crossed his arms standing there, waiting for her to get angry at him. 

This was actually a tactic of his, he had done this before. Telling other people to be harsher to him. It put more strain on him, more of a load. People expected more, and Sima tried to give more. It was also how he trained himself, he was punishing himself, so eventually he could be able to control himself more easily. It had worked thus far, and that little outbreak of anger used to end lives. It was working, and it was very hard to stay determined in this goal. Sima however was a very determined man, and he wanted to reach that goal. He wanted to be able to protect the people he cared about, without having to protect them from himself. 

"So, go ahead. Make me a big ass, and then when we are running you are not allowed to look at my fine ass!" Sima spoke loudly toward her, in a 'dick' like tone, in order to invoke some sort of anger from her, she was after all supposed to scold him. 


 

[Roxanne]

Roxanne watched Sima as he looked at her, wondering what sort of thoughts were going through his head. He seemed to have decided he wanted to save the rest of the whiskey for whatever reason, but she went ahead and finished off her wine. It took her a minute to chug what was little less than half the bottle, which she then threw in a nearby trash bin.



She listened as he explained his comment, smiling widely. “That’s very nice of you to say. Your nose really must be quite sensitive for that to be a determining factor,” she said, making note of this quality. It was certainly an interesting way to judge people but then you really could tell a lot about a person by their smell, if you had the nose for it.



When he denied her offer to be a roommate, she shrugged, laughing a little. “I didn’t expect you to agree. But I do like the sound of hanging out more. I’ve rather enjoyed your company tonight. And you’re not bad to look at either,” Roxanne admitted, grinning. She took his teasing in stride and returned it. She liked that her forwardness had surprised him and didn’t bother to hide her delight.



Roxanne quickly became the surprised one though, staring blankly at him as Sima told her she had nothing to apologize for and started explaining about his temper. His demand that she be angry with him was confusing. What was she supposed to be angry about? That he was angry? “I can’t be angry at you for losing your temper. As you said, it’s in your nature. However, I can tell that you work hard to try and control that. Yeah, it was a little mistake but you stopped yourself. I don’t think you’re an idiot at all. I think you’re just trying to be a good person” she said, looking very confused. “Besides, you seem to be upset enough with yourself for both of us.” she added, looking at him solemnly.



She knew well that her reaction wasn’t what he wanted or even expected. That seemed to be a growing trend here with the two of them so far. She wasn’t sure if was a good thing or he’d just be mad that she wasn’t mad. How could she be when she had similar struggles against her own demonic nature? In her past, she probably would’ve just killed him for that little outburst but she had come a long way since then.



Sima’s insistence on her being angry was odd but his comment about her not staring at his ass was downright hilarious. The half demon burst out laughing, the sound echoing in the empty street. People gave her crazy or annoyed looks for a moment. “How exactly are you going to know if I look at your fine ass if I’m running behind you?” she challenged, giving him a saucy grin. Her eyes twinkled with mirth as they walked down the street, heading towards the forest.

[Sima Oratio]

Sima blankly glared at her. "Fine, don't 'punish' me" he shrugged, trying to get her to do what he wanted, while slightly flirting in the process. 

"Oh, and my nose can pick up hormones.." Sima glared at her with a look that didn't look very innocent. 

"It's pretty easy to tell when certain hormones rise, and I've had a lot of practice learning how to tell." Sima smirked with a slight cocky attitude. 

He wasn't entirely telling her the truth, it was not as if he immediately knew every time she glanced at his hot cakes. Sima could tell a few minutes after, by piecing together enough viable information. Even then, the glance could be done and over with by the time he can put together all of the information. There were a lot of smells to sift through on the human body, perfume being a difficult one, though to be honest he wasn't quite sure if she was wearing any. Probably for the better, thick perfumes can hurt his nose. 

"Let's go," Sima darted off towards the location, moving decently fast, but not faster than most humans, ready to follow Roxanne when she caught up. 

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END THREAD