Sun, Surf, and Demons (insaney)

They were... starting to become pretty comfortable with holding one another, weren't they? But Cadenza was still surprised whenever Rain's arms wrapped around her, giving her that warm, safe feeling... maybe she was just finding it hard to believe that he really did care for her like this already... Then again, she'd boarded that ship a selfish, drunken woman, and by now, she'd risked herself time and again while either working alongside him or trying to protect him... where was this all leading?

She looked down at the rubies still clutched in her hands, and at his arms draped gently over her shoulders. The jewels were beautiful, but... she thought she'd much rather have the latter around her any day. His hugs meant more to her than any gift. She wondered if that... showed on her face, or in her voice, when she turned her head a little towards him, her cheeks still pink, and tried to ignore just how close his lips were now long enough to ask, "What... did you have in mind?"

Ahh…we’re so close again… I really can’t resist this so much anymore… Rain inhaled, taking in the her scent once more. He couldn’t help himself this time; his hand moved up her arm softly…over her shoulder, her hair flowing between his fingers. His fingers traced up her neck, gliding over her skin until his hand finally reached her cheek, and his palm rested against it, feeling the beautiful warmth coming from her pink blush. His lips moved a little closer to hers, and they touched for a brief moment, but he didn’t want to stop there…

He moved in a little more, gently pulling her into a soft kiss on the lips. Rain wanted to take her to a small club, a jazz place, even. Somewhere that had a piano he could play for her, but he didn’t imagine taking himself to heaven, and he wondered if she felt the same. When it was over, he wished that he had the courage to kiss her longer. There was a second or so of silence, but it felt like a lifetime, but he wanted to break it; and with his eyes closed, he gulped, and whispered, “Do…you like piano music…?

"Do…you like piano music…?"

She was already moving before she could stop herself--she hadn't wanted that moment to end. Her hands, wrapped loosely around him, pulled him closer again as her lips caressed his, kissing him softly, a little shiver running down her spine. She wasn't sure what it was about him that made her be so impulsive--maybe it was that she couldn't think too long when she was around him, because as soon as he'd whisper, or smile at her, all her thoughts and defenses would fade away... but she felt like she was dancing on the clouds in that moment, and it seemed like it stretched out until she'd almost lost track of time.

Cadenza could feel him... was he... smiling against her lips? She blinked, finally opening her eyes, and pulled away, gazing up at him... blush came to her cheeks again as she nodded, answering softly, "I... I love... piano music."

“You do…?” Rain smiled again, his fingers still on her cheek, shivering slightly. The world around them had disappeared, and only the two of them remained. His lips let out a soft whisper, “That’s too bad,” he inhaled, gently pulling her closer again, his hands trembling, “I...don’t think I could play right now…”

Who are you…? his nose touched hers, his lips trembled, softly brushing against her skin.

You’ve only been in my life for a few hours… what spell did you put me under, Gypsy girl…?

Softly, he took her hand in his and began leading her towards the closest jazz club he knew. A little music might help…in whatever way it could.

Was... this a dream? Had she closed her eyes on the ship... maybe fallen asleep for once, and was just imagining this all? It seemed too perfect to be real... she was being led by the hand by an angel, even, an unbelievably charming and kind-hearted angel, but... if she was dreaming, she never wanted to wake up. She followed behind Rain, squeezing his hand gently, hoping this would continue on as wonderfully as it had. All thoughts of the nightmarish turns from before... the appearance of the Fisher, or Death, or the monsters of the ship, were forgotten the moment he'd first kissed her. Now she felt as though they were gliding on air as they turned into the jazz club and Rain held the door open for the gypsy to step inside.

I... I didn't think... after Johnny passed on, that I would be lucky enough to find someone who made me feel like this again... and... never this soon...

She gave him a small smile with her pearly whites, and was ushered over to a table in the dimly-lit room as Rain went over towards the spotlighted stage. Cadenza's eyes trailed up to see the ebony grand piano there, sitting at center-stage, with a man dressed in a suit dancing his fingers deftly over the ivory keys. Could Rain play just as well? The gypsy found herself leaning forward at her table, resting her head in her hands and her elbows on the table, as she waited to see.

It was a small while after the man had finished playing when Rain finally sat on the bench. It took a lot of convincing for them to let him play. He thought what was most held to them was when he said he was just playing for free; they won’t need to pay him. But that was okay, he wasn’t doing this for money at all. Something about her…it made him feel this way, he had to play. The lights around him died down, and the one over him brightened, creating a spotlight and increasing the silent tension.

He pressed his finger on a single key. Then turned to the pianist and joked, “Okay, all done.”

The pianist only chuckled as Rain sit himself in further, beckoning some of the band members to bring the microphone closer.

And sing, too? They must have thought. He whispered into the microphone, but he was sure everyone heard him well enough. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is…for someone special.” A sincere smile crossed his lips when he said those last words.

He inhaled, closing his eyes and began to play. He played through the whole song first, just on the piano, without singing, his hands gliding over the keys and the band members picking up on each note, figuring out when they wanted to come in. And then…the second time, he started.

Come on, come on
Put your hands into the fire
Explain, explain
As I turn I meet the power
This time, this time
Turning white and senses dying
Pull up, pull up
From one extreme to another

From the summer to the spring
From the mountain to the air
From Samaritan to sin
And its waiting on the air…

His fingers moved swiftly and gracefully over the ivory; the drummer picking up the beat first before the guitarist. And by the time they got to the second part, everyone was synchronized, moving perfectly in time with the piano and Rain’s voice.

Come on, come on
Put your hands into the fire
Explain, explain
As I turn I meet the power
This time, this time
Turning white and senses dying
Pull up, pull up
From one extreme to another

From the summer to the spring
From the mountain to the air
From Samaritan to sin
And its waiting on the air…

The rest of the band began to quiet down, now, letting Rain’s playing take the center. The lights around the club began to glow softly; the song was coming to an end.

Come on, come on
Put your hands into the fire,
Come on, come on…

There may have been other people in the room--they disappeared the moment the music began. There may have been waiters and patrons bustling about, leaving and entering, bumping into chairs, tapping their feet, drumming on tabletops--she didn't notice a single one. A crash in the alley outside? Completely unheeded by her ears; too full with the sound of Rain's voice, of the melody from his fingers gliding over the piano keys, and all of it, just for her. In a room full of people, it was a special, shared little moment between two.

The spotlights dimmed, spread out more evenly over the stage as the last note faded. People began to clap, some cheering even. But even as the song had died away, her heartbeat still went, beating out a tune of its own so rapidly... she had a smile on her face that just wouldn't go away as she looked at Rain, watching him walk off-stage. He needed no spotlight to keep her attention. As Cadenza waited there, she kept thinking... she... she couldn't believe it, she'd... really inspired him to play like that? He did that all... for a "special someone"... this gypsy woman who'd just stumbled into his life again maybe a day ago? How did she suddenly become so lucky as to deserve all of this?

She glanced at Rain again, seeing that he was almost over to her table. Pink spread over her cheeks as she smiled again, her eyes catching his. ...Whatever it was that I did to be this lucky, it doesn't matter--so long as it lasts...

The way she smiled at him when the lights came up, there was just something about it. He returned her smile with a bright one of his own, moving closer to the table as the band began their own soft instrumental, with the accompaniment of a saxophone. He put his hand on the chair and pulled it out; but that would mean sitting across from her… and he wanted to be near to her.

Rain grinned, purposely dragging the chair around the table, making heads turn towards him and an embarrassed Madrigal. As soon as things quieted down (the chair stopped, just a few inches away from hers), Rain sat gently down, speaking softly to her.

“Did you like it?” he asked. But before she could answer, Rain whispered another question.

“What did you do to me…?” he smiled a little, “What kind of spell do you have me under, Gypsy Girl?”

“What kind of spell do you have me under, Gypsy Girl?”

Cadenza blinked, finding herself staring at him in almost... disbelief, staring at the little smile he gave as he asked her that question. Her cheeks felt warm... just as warm as that light and airy feeling in her chest... "I..."

...I was about to ask you the same kind of question. I'm... not a nice person. Not to... most people, anyhow. So what did you do to change that...?

She managed to gaze up into his eyes then for a moment... there was this silence lingering, even with the music in the air, where she realized she had to think of something to say, or do... how much of what she was feeling did she want to let on so soon?

"I... don't know," she said softly, looking down as she gently slipped her hand into his, not glancing up yet to see how he'd react, "but... maybe we could get some dinner and... find out? I... thought the music was beautiful..."

It'd been... quite a while since she'd opened herself up like this at all... maybe that would explain the bit of nervousness that ran through her as blue eyes met his once again, her gaze soft, and a little uncertain.

“Over dinner…?”

That’s right; they didn’t get to eat on the boat! They were mixed up with helping Tiffany and her mother. And when they got off the ship, both were just caught up with the Fisher, and then Death…and then after that…

Rain chuckled softly, looking down at her hand that had been slipped into his. And then he looked back up at her, into her shimmering, uncertain gaze. His smile grew a little wider as he leaned in a little closer, whispering, “I’ll play for you again another time, but let’s just go get dinner, now, then.”

He leaned even closer and lifted his head a little, pressing a soft kiss into her forehead. He looked down at her again, squeezing her hand and smiling.

“Where do you want to go?”

She looked up at him, her cheeks red, suddenly remembering everyone in the room... everyone that might be looking at them. And here she was, smitten like a little schoolgirl, being surprised by every little thing he did because she was always on her guard, looking for some sign to show her she should distrust, but those guards were down, and none of the signs were there... he was sincere. And for once, there was some hope outside her usual pessimism that believed that.

She smiled a little, starting to intertwine her fingers gently with his as she thought. Her gloves were still off... she could feel the pleasant warmth coming from his hand. "I was thinking... someplace with Italian? I... haven't eaten in a long time... Italian'll remind me of the food from home."

The gypsy had gotten her wallet back when she changed before leaving the boat... with her other hand, she patted her pocket to make sure it was there. Zorlo had said this job didn't pay, so... the least she could do was cover any bill, she thought.

“Italian?”

Rain thought; was she from Italy? No…of course not. He knew she wasn’t from around this world, but another—probably a parallel one, too. Kind of a hard pill to swallow, but after a while, looking into her eyes, it would just dissolve away, and he would accept it. He looked down at her hand as her fingers moved between his—had they really grown so close in such a short time? And how did they? What force pulled them together...?

“Are you thinking about paying for dinner?” Rain watched as she patted her pocket and smiled and shook his head; without waiting for her to answer, he spoke again, “I didn’t see any Italian places when we were coming in…I guess we’ll have to find one.”

He squeezed her hand again and moved closer, brushing his lips against her cheek, whispering, “Let’s go.”

The gypsy nodded a little, not wanting to move away as his lips lightly touched her cheek. As silly as she felt it sounded, her lips were jealous of her pink, flushed cheek at that moment... it was too soon to be thinking like that, she tried to tell herself. She focused instead on their hands as he whispered... but when she finally blinked, Cadenza realized Rain was already standing, still holding her hand to help her up. He was... clouding her mind, and filling her thoughts... and she just couldn't help it.

She rose to her feet to leave, letting Rain lead her gently through the small crowds. Onstage, there was another song going on, and even through the murmurs of the audience, she could catch a few of the softly-sung lyrics:

It might not be the right time
I might not be the right one
But there's something about us I want to say
Cause there's something between us anyway...

The words seemed to... resonate with her, a little. She glanced at Rain, wondering if he was listening too, but he just continued on weaving through the tables and other patrons, his hand still grasped in hers.

Back on the street, the pair started to walk around, glancing up every now and then at the signs they passed. Rain was... really willing to just go hunt around for an Italian restaurant, just because it had been what she wanted. And he wanted to pay, too... Cadenza almost wanted to tell him that he didn't have to do so much, because she already... well, he'd already charmed her, even back on the boat. But she let him search on, figuring that it'd just give them more time together...

"I think... I think I'll give you the chance to ask one question, Chuckles, about anything you'd like about me," she said as they passed another seafood restaurant, and she had to cover her nose from the stench of the fish. Doing that was completely ruining the kind of sly grin she meant herself to be wearing right then. "I already got to look over your files at the Dome when I taught, so... it seems fair."

OoC: Blaaah post. <__<;;

"I think... I think I'll give you the chance to ask one question, Chuckles, about anything you'd like about me. I already got to look over your files at the Dome when I taught, so... it seems fair."

Rain stopped leading her around and turned around to look at her, a slightly surprised expression on his face. His lips were parted slightly, and he looked into her eyes, his own shimmering with curiosity. What would he ask her now? He pondered for a few moments, looking into the restaurant next to them, the seafood place. His mind then wandered to that’s not what we were looking for..

He looked at her again.

“Anything?”

She nodded.

He scratched his head, and smiled.

“What’s your favourite flavor of ice cream? It might be nice to get some for desert.”

...My favorite ice cream? She'd given him the chance to ask one question about anything he wanted, and... he asked about frozen desserts? Did he... not want to get to know her more, or... was he just joking?

Either way, Cadenza couldn't help laughing a little. "I... haven't had many, all ice cream I've had always melted too fast, but... I guess I like vanilla and doce de leite?" she eyed him a shade doubtfully, waiting as if she expected there was going to be more to this question. Another sign for a restaurant was coming up on their left--the red, white, and green color scheme to it made the sign look very likely Italian, and altogether pretty promising.

OoC: "Doce de leite" tastes like caramel.

"Doce de leite?"

Rain smiled, looking at her as he opened the door to the restaurant. "We'll have that after, then. As for the other questions...I'll probably ask you over dinner." He grinned as they entered the lobby, a man in a sleek black suit approached them.

"Ah, table for two?"

Rain nodded. The man smiled.

"Walk this way, then."

But instead of they following him, the man gently nudged the two in front of him, pushing them gently into the main area of the restaurant. And suddenly, he stopped, and protested.

"Sir, there is a hole in the back of your shirt--I'm afraid we can't permit that kind of attire."

The Grim Angel spun around quickly, "What was that?" he asked the man. But Rain had heard him the first time, and when the man began to repeat himself, the Grim Angel turned again, showing him the back of his shirt...with a crimson coloured butterfly clinging tightly to it, as if it patched up the hole.

"There's a hole?" Rain asked, looking over his shoulder. I almost forgot about that... his mind flashed back to when the Fisher had hooked him, and when Cadenza had saved him. He glanced at her as the man blinked and stuttered, "Y-Ye...well...there was... I suppose. I-It's okay now, I think..."

He showed the two to a table. It was close to a large window which allowed a wide view of the outside. On the table, there was a bright white cloth, illuminated by a creative 'champagne glass light', basically, a champagne glass with a light inside, and a white, elegant shade over it to dim it down, providing an air of romance.

"A waiter will be with you shortly," the man gave the two their menus and shuffled off, leaving the two alone.

Rain pulled the chair for her, watching and smiling as a slight pink appeared on her cheeks once more. They sat together, and opened the menus. But Rain couldn't really concentrate on that--he was looking on her, a silly smile on his face.

Cadenza tried to keep looking at the menu, her face going from pink to red as she pulled the menu up to hide it.

"Ah, what a beautiful couple!" The waiter had arrived, smiling all around, "what shall I get for you today?"

Something fun... and not boring...so how about...

"Pizza?"

The waiter took a step back, shocked. He put his hand on his chest as if he were just entering drama school and learning how to act.

"Sir," he gasped, "this is a FIVE star restaurant!"

Rain grinned, "Well, that's good, isn't it? That means you must serve some great pizza."

The waiter blinked, regaining some composure.

"And...and to drink? Beer?" he sneered.

"Champagne?" There is something that deserves some celebration here...

The waiter shook his head, writing it down.

The lights glowed softly, in the way of lights meant to be just bright enough for you to see the person’s face before you, but dim enough so that no one else could quite see the two of you alone at your table together. Each table illuminated by these little fancy lights was its own separate little place, with a rustic brick partition diving them from one another, ivy spilling down the ruddy bricks from where it connected with the wooden trellis along the wall or on the ceiling, and large windows to let the moonlight in through.

The gentle music, meant only to set the romantic mood, poured in from speakers too hard to find in the dark, dim reaches of the ceiling. There was a piano, that much you could tell, and some woman’s melodious soprano voice flowing through some Italian lyrics, but you had to whisper to one another so that you could still hear it… Cadenza suspected that was the whole point.

Even the names of the food on the menu, the woman thought, were meant to be romantic, with their smooth-sounding Italian names. She could understand every single one, and there wasn’t a title without some flowery word like “amor” in it.

With every new observation she made about the restaurant, her cheeks turned redder and redder—part of her wanted to smack the waiter, even, when he approached the two and just assumed they were a “beautiful couple”. Everything about this place just seemed perfectly set up to… to embarrass her. Make her want to say silly things she knew she shouldn’t be saying… at the very least Rain was still sitting a few feet away to her right, not too close… and she had a window to look out of and a menu to hide her face.

She had to try to stop herself from giggling behind her menu when Rain ordered the combination of pizza and champagne.

“Champagne?” she said, once the waiter had gone, “what are we celebrating—that we just got a five star restaurant to make us a pizza that’ll probably use up enough tomato sauce for ten of their fancy little dishes?”

With her face covered all but her little smirk, she could sound a lot less shaky than she felt, with her cheeks still warm, and her heart still racing a little… with the piano music going in the background, all she could remember was Rain playing for her… and… what he’d done before that. The necklace, the kiss, now this dinner… and that was just after all the incidents they’d helped one another through. How long could she hide this blush… could keep in what she felt…?

“What are we celebrating—that we just got a five star restaurant to make us a pizza that’ll probably use up enough tomato sauce for ten of their fancy little dishes?”

Rain rested his elbow on the table and leaned forward a tiny bit so he could prop his chin with his hand. Above his chin, however, a smile was plastered on his lips. He thought that everything on the menu seemed too uptight—as uptight at the waiter who was serving them. A pizza would be a little…’looser’. And the champagne? Well, that was easy to answer.

“Your…er…peat-zah will be brought shortly,” the waiter cut in, sneering as he pronounced the word, “in the meantime, I’ve brought this.”

He held up a small silver pail, a bottle sticking out of it and the sound of ice shuffling around inside. He placed it on the table and opened it with a loud pop. He poured a little for the Latina and a little for Rain and was about to take it away, but the Grim Angel insisted that the bottle be left at the table.

Rain took the glass delicately between his fingers and looked at the woman across from him. He smiled, raising the glass.

“To…us.”

It took Cadenza a long moment before what he'd said sunk in and she rose her glass a little as well, her blue eyes still a little wide with surprise. To... them? Them... as what? she asked herself. Not just as business associates... she'd nearly forgotten that arrangement altogether. Not just as new friends... they had probably crossed that line a while back, she knew she had to admit.

But then... what?

Maybe it... wasn't important yet. Things weren't completely defined, but... she'd figure out where to consider them as time went on... the gypsy couldn't deny that she liked the sound of "us" though... and so quietly, she tinked her champagne glass against his, "...To us."

The bubbles of the champagne tickled her nose as she sipped, cooling down her burning cheeks... it was no tequila, but it was good all the same. Rain was still only on his first glass when she was reaching for the bottle again to refill her own once more.

Rain watched as she poured herself another glass, and he was immediately taken back to when he had saw her asleep on the deck. He remembered how she looked—and though she looked beautiful, she still smelled of alcohol.

Something tugged at his heart, and his smile faded. Gently, he reached across the table and held the bottle for her, pouring out the champagne into her glass. She looked at him, and he looked back at her.

“You shouldn’t drink so much…” he said softly, “I’m sure there are a few people who don’t wish to see you drown yourself so.”

A small, but fake smile grew on his lips; and for some reason, he felt sad.

“Tell me,” he continued with a low whisper, putting down the bottle, “what sorrows are you attempting to drown, Latina…?”