Post by Dollface on Nov 28, 2015 17:40:39 GMT -5
Kelli catches up to Nathan, grabbing his wrist to slow him down. He spins on his heel with a twirl of coattails worthy of a Victorian vigilante, the anger creasing his features smoothing away as he identifies his assailant.
"Ah. I was wondering when you might find me."
"Oh, yeah, sorry!" She wraps her arms around his, leaning her head on his shoulder for a brief moment. "One of the interns told me there was candy at the catering table today, went to go see if there was any left. Have you eaten yet? You should go get some food before it's all gone, they're about to clean it all up." She stops them both, turning him to up at him. "You DO need to eat, you know."
Carefully extricating himself from her grasp yet remaining close, he mentally sidesteps her well meaning prattle.
"I must admit, I've been a bit... distracted from such earthly needs. Speaking of distractions, have you discovered the identity of your - admirer?" The final, snarled word drops the temperature in the small corridor by about forty degrees. With a bit of a shiver, Kelli shakes her head.
"No! I have NO idea and I swear I'd tell you if I knew. The dancing it was -" her eyes close for a moment as she remembers the sensations of the strange dance "- I didn't like it. I mean, he was a great dancer but I don't know who it was and the mask thing kinda freaked me out."
"I know she scares you, but you need to do your best."
Kelli blinks, and Nathan can practically hear her train of thought come to a screeching halt.
"Wait, what? Who? I mean, this was definitely a guy. Pretty sure it was a guy, anyway. Very - well, guy-like? Referred to himself as a man and all, so..."
"No no, dear, we've moved on from that. Haven't you heard? Your next match is going to be an Underground style match -"
"Oh come ON, that's easy. Like I can't kick some ass."
"- against Alexa Black." He continues, as if never interrupted.
Fear flashes behind her eyes but she crosses her arms, chin lifting in defiance. "Psht, I'm not that scared. Alexa likes to front with that 'Resting Bitch Face' but she really just looks like a constipated wombat."
The corner of Nathan's mouth twitches, whether a smile or a sneer is uncertain. "Crude, yet apt. Still, do not underestimate her, Kelli."
Kelli rolls her eyes. "Okay, a six-foot-tall, misanthropic and psychotic constipated wombat."
"That's quite enough of that, thank you."
"Got that visual? You're welcome - AND the thing is hellbent on killing me." She scowls, glaring in his general direction. "Now you know why I'm scared." Clapping her perfectly manicured hands over her glossy turquoise lips, Kelli stares across at Nathan, aghast at her admission.
He reaches over to gently take her wrists, pulling her hands from her face. "I already knew that. Why the attempt at deception?"
She shrugs, feeling small and awkward in the narrow space. "I didn't want you to know I'm still afraid of her."
He tilts his head, examining her face. "Fear in you is not weakness, it is an acknowledgment of threat. Weakness lies only in the refusal to face that threat head on."
"Well to hell with that, I mean oh my god, I would NEVER live that down." A faint sparkle catches her eye. "Ooh, where'd you get that?" Nathan follows her gaze to the midpoint of his chest, the glint of his new adornment winking in the after-hours lighting.
"Oh, just a bit of something the stylist thought would go well with my new look."
"So... do I get to know what's going on?"
His most charming smile in place, Nathan prods her nose gently with one finger. "What do you mean? Surely I'm not the first performer to change his costume or manner, am I?"
Kelli bites her lip in confused silence, not knowing how to divulge the information she'd been given by Naomi and Rasputin - or if she even should. "Well you know, you just seem - darker. More violent. I'm afraid you're going to really, really hurt somebody, and that's just not you."
He reaches a hand out, easily spanning her slender neck as he slowly backs her against the wall. Eyes wide with uneasy anticipation, her hands move to rest on his hips, not knowing whether to admire or be wary of the rarely seen power in his build. Nathan smiles down at her, his thumb lightly brushing her vulnerable throat as he leans in, lips a mere breath away from hers.
"Everything I do is to secure the future we deserve, Kelli. Never forget that."
With that he tips his head to her and makes his way out to the main arena - and presumably beyond. For Kelli's part, she remains against the wall for a long moment, biting her lip in a mix of exquisite frustration and real concern.
Why is it always the dangerous ones. Please let me not be wrong this time. Please?
