Simple Kind of Life (Levi)

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

Hannah remained in her seat for a few seconds, even after she noticed his glass was empty and hers almost was too. While she did this, Hannah absorbed the new information Levi had told her, the look of slight surprise on her features. It was washed away when Levi mentioned the word 'prick,' finding it humorous, and yet intriguing. He had no qualms speaking negative about people and even himself, which made Hannah wonder if he wasn't actually being funny at all, but if everyone was a 'prick' or 'jack-***' or some other not so nice title. Which made her wonder how he viewed her in that moment, since they had started out weirdly enough and now they were here. At best she was the 'weird next door neighbor.' At worst...Hannah didn't want to even think about it.

She was just about to stand and offer a refill when Levi pointed out his appearance. Whether it was true or not didn't matter; at least on the comparison front. His dad was a mysterious figure and one she knew nothing about, but Levi-she knew. Sort of. At least better than the old lady neighbor and the pervert down the hallway. The comment he made had Hannah at a stand still (or sit-still in this scenario) while her eyes worked their way from the top of his head, to his neck and shoulders, then his chest, and ventured all the way down to his feet. She didn't know if he looked better in a suit, but he did look good in a suit and he filled it out well. His upper half of his body was impressive in the way that it was apparent that he did use it a lot, which reminded her of the swimming comment. It made sense and seemed truthful enough now that Hannah was sitting here, staring at his shoulders, the broadness of his upper arms and his chest.

She felt the warm heat of her cheeks rise before Hannah could prevent it, and so she finally stood and moved past the topic Levi didn't seem eager to talk about. The way he referred to his dad as 'him,' to Hannah, implied they weren't close, and there might be some bad blood there. Who called their dad 'him'? Hannah was fortunate enough that her parents were civil enough and had moved past the point of resentment she supposed they had with the divorce. Well, at least on her mom's end. Now that she had Terry, lived this eccentric life, and was happy, they were all the more better for it. "Uhm, let me get you more wine." Hannah said after she stood, but didn't give Levi a chance to say no before she collected his glass. In a way, she wasn't ready to let him bolt off yet, because they were making progress and she was learning more and more about her 'target,' but in the next breath Hannah found herself really enjoying this game of back and forth between the pair.

"So, Italy and Boston. You get around a lot." Hannah said as she made her way to the kitchen, but stopped as she realized just how that sounded. "Travel a lot." She added in, the color darkening due to her inability to think before she talked, and the fact that Hannah was just a little curious on a new front as well. "More of this kind, or did you want to try the other?" Hannah asked, slowly turning around to give her guest a quick glimpse, as if she were letting him know they weren't done yet by both the question and the look she cast in Levi's direction. This also let her know if he was about to get up and follow her into the kitchen again, or if he was content with sitting now that they had been talking for a while.

[Levi DAmico]

The less that was said about Levi’s father the better, especially if they were looking to keep this light-hearted energy flowing in the room. The Italian was pretty apt at applying a poker face, but, certain triggers pulled that mask right off and could make rooms darken and tremble – literally. He was an exceptional liar, and had an arsenal of tricks to stop people from digging too deeply into him. Deflection was a useful and well-used tool; if you didn’t want to answer a question, you changed the subject, maybe even asked a question of your own, but you didn’t revert back. Equivocation was yet another technique he’d developed; ambiguous expressions that easily mislead the stupid while invariably providing a shield of innocence since it wasn’t his fault that they misunderstood him. Fortunately, Levi didn’t have to employ any of these tricks this time around because Heather very kindly changed the subject for him. Though, he had to wonder whether it wasn’t for both their benefits.

It came as part of the package to be overly aware of his surroundings – people included. As Heather came closer to collect his glass, Levi tuned into the rhythm of her pulse and became very still. Just by instinct you could tell whether someone’s heart was beating above their normal rate, and Heather’s pulse had certainly kicked up a notch. A frown crawled unconsciously back into his stoic features, the same kind that meant Levi didn’t quite understand something that had just happened and was trying to figure it out. It was the softest in his range of frowns, and came with a keen twinkle in his umber eyes because he was captivated by what was going on. Levi enjoyed a puzzle. Why had the woman’s pulse quickened, and why was the complexion of her cheeks changing too? Had he embarrassed her in some way, made her feel awkward about something he’d said? It could just be that his negative point of view when it came to family had made her feel uncomfortable, but then, he hadn’t missed the direction of her eyes on him just a few seconds ago, which seemed to suggest something else entirely.

“Yeah, grazie…” Levi murmured, still watching the woman retreat into the kitchen.

For all Levi’s intelligence and wisdom, there were a lot of things that he didn’t understand, things that just made him angry to think about because there never seemed to be an answer or an end. Women still managed to baffle Levi because there was always that potential undercurrent of attraction that made them difficult to work with. Where women were involved, he almost had to remind himself that it was a possibility that there would be some kind of sexual tension between them. Strangely enough, for a man who figured himself to be a gift to all humanity, the Italian was almost always oblivious to inbound sexual attraction. Nine times out of ten, he was in business mode and when your brain’s in one dynamic so often, it can be difficult to remember that other ways of thinking were actually relevant. Still, Levi was convinced that he’d witnessed her take stock of him, even if he couldn’t determine a purpose for it immediately. Could he correlate her sudden sheepishness with that action too, and if so, what of it still? It might mean nothing and he was blowing **** way out of proportion.

Levi was distracted from his mulling when Heather spoke once more, but it gave him no less to think about. The woman seemed to be tripping over her words a bit, pretty much cementing the notion in Levi’s mind that something had gotten her flustered even if he couldn’t determine what. Hell, he wouldn’t have minded if a little flirting was exchanged – she was certainly decent company; smart enough, wit as smart as a whip, with big blue eyes, caramel skin, and a trim figure. There was definitely a danger to getting caught up in that kind of thing with Heather, though. In the end, Levi decided it was probably better if he just waited this moment out, didn’t highlight it, and changed the subject for her. Heather had been kind enough to alleviate them from having to discuss a subject that Levi would prefer to have shot and buried, so, maybe he could return the favour here. Just as he was about to answer, however, those sapphire blues peered at him making the words dry up in his mouth. He probably stared at her for a good couple of seconds with his lips just barely parted before her next question came. Obviously he didn’t wait to answer that one, avoiding the possibility that she could catch him off guard a second time in the space of ten seconds.

“That one’s fine. You might as well just bring in the bottle,” Levi advised. “It’ll save you having to get up again for the next couple of minutes anyway.” And while that was meant to sound like a charitable recommendation, it probably just made it sound like he didn’t want her to keep running away from him. Or that he was a lush. Or both. “As for travelling,” Levi said, deciding to turn back and face the living room rather than strain himself from twisting to speak to her. “I don’t do a lot. Aside from Canada, Boston and Italy are the only countries I’ve seen.” He wanted to wait for her to be seated again, or at least come into view before he asked, “And what about you? I don’t think that accent is Canadian. So where did you come from before moving to Japan? Where else about the world have you been?”

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

With Levi appearing to be content on remaining where he was; add in his suggestion, Hannah didn’t wait to vanish from sight. Being in a different room allowed Hannah’s mind to focus off Levi for a few seconds while she pulled the other bottle and uncorked it. The first wine was good and crisp, but not quite up her alley, and so in believing the other might be, Hannah decided now was as good as any time to waste time to collect herself, and find out how the wine tasted.

Her cheeks had faded into a light pink during her time away from the living room and Levi, her focus shifting from what had just happened to pouring herself a different glass of wine. His was poured afterwards; the bottle of what remained was tucked between her left side and arm, while each hand possessed a filled wine glass.

“No. It’s not Canadian, and obviously not Japanese either.” Hannah confessed as she sat her glass down on the table besides the couch she was on, then pulled the bottle out from under her arm with that very hand. She moved around the table and placed the bottle on the coffee table that was a barrier more or less between the two of them, smack dab in the middle, they made eye contact with Levi as she held out his glass to him. With a light, “Here you go,” the offering was made and Hannah’s eyes shifted away from Levi as she realized now that she shouldn’t have been so brazen as to look him in the eyes while so close to him as she felt her pulse start to speed up once again.

“I grew up in the mid-western part of the United States. Up until I was four or five.” Hannah moved away from Levi then, and reclaimed her seat before adding more depth to her answer. “Illinois, actually.” Her glass was finally collected from its resting spot as she took the first sip of the red liquid; a small one and let it sit on her tongue for a second while she decided if it was to her liking. It wasn’t far off from what she typically prefered, so she decided in that time that Hannah would keep to this one-should she brave another glass. “I visited ‘home’ every other year until I was sixteen, or maybe seventeen. Now I go there every three to five years. Though that could change since it’s probably cheaper to fly from here to there, then from Japan to there.” Hannah hadn’t actually given it much thought before now, but she very well might. “I just found it too expensive and I am closer to my family back in Japan, than I am with mom and Terry.” A shrug of her shoulders was done before another sip of wine was taken; this one much longer.

Her eyes wandered over to Levi then, not positive where to take this conversation next. While she sat there in relative silence, Hannah once again found herself looking at his facial features. The color of his eyes, the shape of his jawline and even the formation of his lips. And when Hannah recognized that there was not only silence, but her leering glance at him, Hannah once again found her voice. “So, have I saved you from boredom...or suicide was it?” Her eyes lit up with light humor before moving off his facial features and to the top of the couch that he sat on, and remained there as she sipped at her wine

[Levi DAmico]

While he had decided to put his suspicions about Heather’s unusual behaviour to bed, he still couldn’t help but recognise that she had yet to calm down. She moved with such rigidity, with her pulse proud and quick like a jack-hammer in her chest, that Levi was starting to wonder if someone hadn’t switched out his overly friendly neighbour for some kind of android. As ludicrous as it sounded, stranger things had happened in this city – he was a ******* Vampire after all, and there was nothing normal about that. In fact, the more Levi tried to convince himself to stop paying attention to the woman’s mannerisms, the more he found himself engrossed. The Italian didn’t even realise he was pulling this queer look, staring at her like he was expecting steam to come pouring out of the sides of her neck at any second. His fascination was even starting to interfere with his ability to pay attention to what she was saying, which was more than a little frustrating. The point of playing this game was to dig up some intel on the woman, to determine whether all things were kosher, and if he couldn’t absorb what she was telling him, then he really was wasting his time here.

To sharpen his focus, Levi took a mouthful of the new wine offered to him. Again, he couldn’t taste a damn thing, but he felt the liquid wash across his tongue, down his throat, and dry it out a little. The fruity, floral notes were stronger than the last glass she’d given him, but still managed to come off as crisp and acidic to the Italian – for a red. It wasn’t a terrible wine, but again, the alcohol content was the problem. He felt himself long for a tumbler of whiskey and a cigarette. Ironically, it was just as Levi was thinking about picking up his bad habits again that Heather asked whether she’d managed to save him from boredom and suicide. Umber eyes narrowed slightly as they looked up to her, mirroring the sharpness of that arrogant grin on his face. It was a bit mischievous, the look he was giving her, like he was aware of her game and was going to play ball for as long as it remained amusing to do so. In other words, Levi had ultimately decided to not drop the subject of why she was acting so oddly around him.

“Well, you’re definitely keeping me entertained,” Levi told her. “You’re a remarkable woman actually. Your life sounds like something you might read about and never truly believe, you’re pleasing to look at, and this whole… nervous routine you’ve got going on suddenly.” He motioned toward her vaguely with a wave of his hand. “That’s definitely got me thinking I haven’t wasted my time tonight. So yeah, I guess I should thank you for all that.” He raised his glass and bowed his head, toasting her achievements. “Salute.”

While it was quite probably one of his biggest problems, Levi always thought that his blunt and straightforward personality was actually one of his biggest merits. It wasted far less time, fewer games had to be played, and ultimately Levi saw it as a strategy to shock his opponents into weakness. It was particularly effective around other Mafioso. The big men always talked around in riddles, being so cautious to conceal everything that came out of their mouths that you weren’t quite sure whether they were having a mundane conversation about cat litter or if they were planning to off someone. Levi was definitely an untraditional capo in that sense. While he appreciated that you always had to be careful what you said, because you never know who was listening, he didn’t much appreciate all the posturing and the bullshitting. A lot of the time, Cosa Nostra just made threats and were disingenuous with their actual intentions. Take Gino Valachi for example; he kept claiming that he had never tried to get Levi killed, but, he had set up the perfect sequence of events on several occasions that would ensure just that.

Boldness was something Levi appreciated in spades, which was probably why he was a cat person. That such a thing was just as well too because if he wasn’t, Levi would have had to unceremoniously shoo Amarillo away from him. The white and ginger Tom had decided to vacate the comfort of Heather’s bedroom and patrol the living room suddenly. He paused near the coffee table when he had spied the guest in his territory, those wide eyes focused on the stranger in charcoal, his tail twitching cautiously. Although Levi had been outside of Bester’s proximity for a couple of hours now, there was a chance he still wore the scent of a rival male. Still, Amarillo didn’t seem fazed and he eyed the space next to the Italian with intent.

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

The sudden appearance of her cat didn’t go unnoticed, allowing her steely gaze to drop from the couch, to the cat as a welcomed distraction. She watched Amarillo curiously inch his way over in Levi’s direction, but stop right at the coffee table. This allowed her heart rate to slow just a little, finding the cat her main focal point for the time being and finding her common sense that had flown out the windows for a few seconds when in the space of Levi. When things took a turn for the very personal, the color on Hannah’s cheeks vanished and her breathing temporarily stopped. Her eyes moved back to Levi while Hannah took another sip of the wine in her glass, providing her with a few seconds of what she hoped was a tolerable excuse for her silence, due to the fact she now had a drink in her mouth.

When it was swallowed down, Hannah smiled and leaned forward to set her glass down on the coffee table between the two of them. “Well, it’s not as if my night has sucked either.” Hannah murmured gently before she continued. “What, with the whole imagery of you in a speedo and all.” She raised her shoulders in a casual shrug before her eyes moved back to the cat that was the more affectionate of the duo that Hannah owned. “Plus the accent isn’t too bad on the ears either, so this back and forth has been...both pleasant and stimulating. More so than the book I’m currently engaged in, I imagine.” Hannah added in as she pulled her feet up under her and sat crossed legged, eyes slowly flicking over to Levi’s direction once again. There was a genuine interest in Levi, but she wasn’t positive if it was because she had to be, or if it was because she wanted to be. Couldn’t it be a little bit of both? Not everything had to be so cut and dry-right?

“I wouldn’t go so far to say anything I’ve said about me or my life is remarkable-but if it is, then you can thank my parents for keeping you entertained tonight, Levi.” Hannah reclaimed the glass, and raised it to him, her tone and eyes both highlighting the amusement she currently possessed. “Maybe some other night I can entertain you with something else.” Hannah replied after taking a drink from the glass, then followed up with a more ‘decent’ proposition because Hannah shouldn’t have gone there. Couldn’t go there, even if the idea was tempting. “Maybe with tales of university life, as thrilling and awkward as that could be. Or the time I had to wear braces for just under two years.” That offer seemed more safe than the previous comment, but it really wasn’t what had been on her mind. Not when Hannah actually confronted what was the truth and what wasn’t.

[Levi DAmico]

It was Robert Frost who said that freedom lies in being bold. Incidentally, he was the same man who urged others to take the road less travelled by. Levi wasn’t much of a connoisseur where poetry was concerned, but he did appreciate philosophy, and for a lot of the time, those two things tended to coincide. Poetry was a reflection of life after all, and philosophy was all about attaining wisdom. The Italian was a touch too proud and chauvinistic to pick up a poetry book without the indignant intent to start a fire or launch it at some ******’s head, but, he’d happily read a book on philosophy from cover to cover. Nevertheless, he could agree with poet Frost’s outlook and was encouraged when Heather seemed to respond so positively. In the grand scheme of things, Levi’s comments were subtle even if they were sudden. He’d just called her a remarkable woman who was easy on the eyes; this was a massively watered down version of what he could have said. Considering the next most watered down version that came to mind was simply that she had a pretty mouth, one that could do more remarkable things than talk at him for sure. As for the rest of the comments, it was better he kept them in his head. Or, at least for now at any rate.

Levi had to laugh when she said her night wasn’t going all that horrendously either, followed by a confession that she’d been thinking about him wearing a speedo. She neglected to mention how long she’d actually been thinking about it though. That had to be some imagination she had, to put that picture together out of two comments he’d made haphazardly during their conversation. At least he could confirm his suspicions, that she had been checking him out. It was pleasing on two fronts to have that knowledge; the first being that Levi enjoyed being right, and the second being that he rather liked it when other people agreed he was a handsome ********. It didn’t take much to actually put the Italian in a good mood, which was something of a revelation to most people on account of them not believing that Levi was capable of such. Sure, he was often serious and grumpy, so much so that he had acquired many nicknames such as Jack-*** and Mr Grumpymitts – to name but a few – yet, perhaps that was because most people caught Levi in that certain mind-set. That’s all. He was plenty capable of being pleasant, or at least not so much of a douchebag, and sometimes all it took to make that happen was a gorgeous woman, an interesting conversation, and booze…

“I’m not sure how I’m supposed to take that seeing as how your book seems to be about burying people in the backyard, but, I’ll pretend that was a compliment,” Levi said with a grin before swallowing down a mouthful of wine. “I guess it’s gotta be though if, in your head, I’ve been sat here all night long in a speedo... Dare I ask what colour?” An arched brow seemed to characterise that grin into something more sinister than simply narcissistic impishness. Levi could never let this subject go; it was an easy target and something he could definitely use to gnaw at her for the rest of their time together. “But, if we do get bored of talking about braces and school – two subjects I can’t say I have a ton of knowledge on – we could always see how your imagination compares to the real world. You said you could swim, right?” It really wouldn’t be that difficult to hunt down a private pool… but, maybe he would actually rent it this time instead of just breaking in. “So what do you think, Heather?”

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

He was grinning, and why shouldn't he be? Hannah had basically admitted to imagining him pretty close to naked. She had expected him to hone in on that, but it seemed Levi wasn't only honing in and letting her know he hadn't missed what was said, but now he was picking it apart. He wanted to know the details and perhaps hoped she slipped up and confessed a little bit more. The thought made her cheeks turn the same splash of pink minutes before she disappeared into the kitchen.

"Blue. Dark blue, actually." She said bluntly, but offering nothing more than that as she felt the warmth of her cheeks now. The woman lifted a shoulder, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. As if it were normal to talk about imagining someone as close as possible to their birthday suit after an hour or so of in depth conversation. She finished the rest of the wine, hoping to play off the color in her cheeks as the affect of the amount of wine in her system while Levi proposed something...else they could do. Once again, bringing up her interest in seeing more of him. Or more of his body.

Hannah nodded her head at the question about her swimming. For not doing it as much as say, hiking, Hannah was a pretty proficient swimmer. A great swimmer, actually. While she was a really good therapist and even good at jujitsu; swimming was something she was very good at. No matter how much time passed since she found a pool, lake or river, it was like she never missed more than a day in some sort of body of water. "For someone who has never been to school, you sure have managed to accomplish a lot." Hannah teased, believing he had been home schooled. Not that he had never been in some sort of school like setting with text books and homework. The empty wine glass was put down, as the air of the conversation got serious once again. "It would be a short story on both accounts." Hannah confessed before her blue eyes made contact with Levi's face again. "Yes. I can swim. I'll try my hardest not to put you and your swimming skills to shame. That is, if you can find a place." Her hands moved out to grab Amarillo before he decided to jump on Levi and leave some white and orange streaks of fur on his clothing.

[Levi DAmico]

With Heather’s subsequent confession came a moment of reflection for the Italian. She’d said she was imagining him in dark blue speedos, and here he was supposing that he would probably be more inclined to wear black or grey – as per usual. Since he was imagining her in a similarly coloured ensemble now, a strappy number that was clearly more for his taste than for practicality’s sake, perhaps he did have a favourite colour after all. Heather’s skin colour was that pleasant shade of blushing ivory, like peaches melting slowly into cream. Of course she could get away with wearing a whole range of colour palettes, but with those steely blue eyes and rich mahogany hair, she would look absolutely striking in black. That hard, full shade would highlight the softness of her skin, not to mention every supple and firm curve of her body. Her elegant neck, fine shoulders, and gentle collarbones suited a halter neck strapping, and a deep plunging neckline would pageant her seemly chest. Plus, because Levi was a bit of a sleaze and loved to explore the sleek arcs of a thin waist, flat stomach, and smooth hips, he imagined Heather wearing a specifically revealing swimsuit. Bikinis were all well and good, but a swimsuit featuring provocative slits between the breastbone and navel presented a veritable feast for those umber eyes. There was something to be said about the merits of leaving some things to the imagination; anticipation could make the unfurling reality a richer experience.

At that point in time, however, it was difficult for Levi to imagine Heather actually swimming, though the brunette seemed supremely confident in her abilities. Levi had to smirk when she said that she would try not to embarrass him too much by putting his swimming skills to shame. He didn’t consider himself an Olympic grade athlete – predominantly because he didn’t have the time to compete and didn’t want the attention – so he officially couldn’t, but since he leisurely managed tasks that would level a normal man, he was pretty damn confident too. The Italian had been built for stamina even before his turning. Keeping fit and healthy was just something you did when you had to be on your toes at every moment of your life and wanted to stay that way – or at least alive. Swimming had become a way for Levi to keep fit whilst letting his energetic mind slow to the tempo of the waves. With the Boston coastline practically on his doorstep, he used to be able to get in a few hours’ worth every single day. It was better than smoking and drinking, even if it was easier to just knock back a shot of booze or blaze through a cigarette. Given a choice, Levi would make the effort to go for a swim, and now that there was competition and engaging company, there were even better reasons to opt for a quick dip.

“I’m sure I can manage to find a place,” Levi smugly reassured her. Did he need to remind her that he had people to do these kinds of things? Probably not, she seemed to enjoy teasing him about that crap and was likely just waiting for her next opportunity to rub it in. “Unless you prefer a trip to the coast sometime. We can make it interesting too, add a challenge, like the last person back to the shoreline owes the other a favour.” There was probably a need for an explanation on that one, to explain just what he meant by a favour, but Levi paused to watch Heather bend over to snatch Amarillo off the ground. By the time those umber eyes were back on her face from their little trip across her chest, Levi was smiling darkly. “Say, you won and you wanted to know something about me real bad. I’d have to tell you. Or, you wanted something shipped over from Japan. I’d have to get it. Basically, whatever you wanted, though I draw the line at $1million because that’s about how much my pride is worth.”

What a bare-faced lie... His pride was worth at least ten times as much.

[Hannah Lynn (DELETED 8242)]

With the cat safely on her lap and getting the attention he was seeking from someone, Hannah listened to Levi's proposition. The grin on his face didn't go amiss, and small, subtle warning bells were going off. But they were quickly disregarded when Hannah weighed the pros and the cons. Or more specifically how things appeared to be in her favor. While it was true she didn't spend a lot of time in water these days, she felt as if Levi spent even less time than she did in some form of water. And to be painfully honest, Hannah supposed that she sort of started this little 'game,' between the two of them.

"If you can manage to take a day off from work, then I'd love to check out the coast and swim in it." Hannah didn't know where this 'coast' would be, but it provided a sense of adventure that the woman had within her. And, also gave her the opportunity to explore more of Canada, seeing as she suspected she was going to be here not only past Christmas, but through the New Year, and probably until early spring. "As for your proposition..." Hannah captured the frown that dared to cross her features by biting on her lower lip as she thought about it just a little bit more. "You have a deal, contingent that you don't ask for something worth that much in return. Not all of us are CEO's." Hannah laughed before she released the cat to curl up on the couch cushion next to her. "I honestly couldn't afford to get you anything at even a fraction of that price. If I could, I would probably have someone that could get my cats and me food every week." Hannah brought her left hand down on the cat, and gave him a small nuzzle under his chin, which resulted in a fit of purrs. "So, if you happen to win by some sort of divine intervention or something, I'll tell you anything you're absolutely dying to know about me, or get you whatever you want, but my cap is ten percent of your offered one million dollars." It was still a lot of money for Hannah, but since the majority of her paychecks from the hospital were free and clear, she had been able to save a great deal of money with not having to pay rent, parking, or a car payment.

Her hand found its way back to her side as she put out the potential one million dollar question. "Do we have a deal?" Hannah asked before she rose from the couch and offered her hand, signaling that he was agreeable and if they had a deal, the handshake would seal it and each would be bound by their word. That was, if that was good enough for Levi. "It's okay to think about it or take the offer back. If you're not sure you have a shot at winning. You could just tell me you're not sure when you'll have a day off, and no one will be the wiser." Her eyes remained fixed on Levi's face, her hand still there for the taking.

[Levi DAmico]

The merits of being vague were in the opportunities it presented. Heather was willing to smile, laugh, and shake on a deal that wasn’t remotely iron-clad, with fundamental details such as the location, time, and date of their little challenge being completely absent. If this were a business deal, Levi would be sure to get everything in writing before he even considered agreeing. Verbal contracts were only as valuable as the trust shared between the parties in the first place, after all. You tended not to be able to bring that **** to court. Levi never relied on anyone for their word, even if they had shown themselves to be trustworthy up to that point and had been so for years. Having been around total ******* cut-throats and back-stabbers all his life, it was difficult for Levi to trust anyone. These were the type of men that devoted decades to forging relationships with people just to pull the rug from under them at the most opportune moments. These were also the type of men that held no allegiances, not even to their own blood. The Mafia was a unit of self-serving pricks in all actuality, and sure, the Italian understood that not everyone was cut from the same cloth, and that not every single person on the ******* planet was out to screw you over, but, why take that risk?

Luckily for him, he didn’t have to worry too much about the fine details of his arrangement with Heather. If her story was to be believed – and Levi considered believing roughly 50% of it now – then she wouldn’t exactly have any power he couldn’t overcome if – by some divine intervention or peculiar choice on his behalf – Levi happened to lose their little bet. Because that’s what the Italian believed it would come down to for him to lose a swimming contest against Heather. It wasn’t even because he was supernaturally enhanced; he was just an arrogant ********. Levi didn’t need her to goad him into agreeing, didn’t need her to sweeten the deal in any way in order to get him to agree either. Again, if this were a business transaction then Levi would aim to milk his competitors for all the credit they were worth. He was Mafia, after all, and their whole ethos was about taking money from people who were too stupid to keep hold of it. This thing with Heather, though, this was personal. This was off the books. He didn’t need her money and didn’t want it. There was more value in just taking her to the coast for a swim.

Now that they were on the subject, Levi paused to consider which coast he could actually take her to. Harper Rock was a land-locked city, so, they were going to have to travel. The question became how far they would travel to be beside the sea side. The waters in Canada tended to be frigid, but, would that really have made a difference to the Vampiro? It wasn’t like temperatures mattered that much to him anymore – the cold being all in his head. It might slow her down though, and that seemed like a somewhat unfair advantage because they would also be going at night. Explaining that one was going to be a feat, but, maybe he didn’t have to. Maybe he could get away with just designing an impromptu day or weekend out that just so happened to start at night. His schedule was a ******* mess at any rate, so if he wanted to get **** done on a leisurely basis, he did have to just force it.

“I’m never sure when I’m going to have a day off,” Levi informed her, and as if to illustrate his point, his phone began to ring in his jacket pocket. Levi rolled his eyes with a smirk and immediately cancelled the call, not even taking a moment to see who it was (though he figured it was Shiro). “But you don’t have to worry about that. Provided nobody’s about to die, they can run the business without me for a day or two.” Though, to be fair, if anyone was to die, Levi probably would have had the day off in any event. That was just the reality of their world: people died. “One thing to note about me is that I don’t back down. I’m stupid and arrogant like that. So, we’ve gotta deal.” Levi took hold of the brunette’s offered hand, shaking it confidently, but not immediately letting go as her warmth leeched into his skin. “Provided you leave the locale, date, and time to me,” Levi added in a controlled tone, his eyes set on hers like he was inspecting the colour of her irises.

Whether he had her consent or not, Levi didn’t want to extend their contact for too long and so let her hand go, exchanging it for the wine glass. Sustaining a Human-like body temperature was a challenge at the best of times, and he was fully aware that she was at least five degrees warmer than he was. Besides, he didn’t necessarily need her consent in that moment. The Italian was prepared to remind her that she was offering a substantial discount on the reward if she refused at any point to agree to his adjusted proposition. While Levi appreciated that her career didn’t exactly cater for spur of the moment decisions, it would probably be a lot easier for her to take a day off at his beck and call. He had just too much to shift around and too many variables to even consider letting the leash of control slide right out of his hands, just because he wanted to be nice. Nah, **** that. She was pretty and fun to be around, but, he wasn’t in love with her. There was a limit to how much he would sacrifice for other people, and since that limit usually happened to be 99 to 100%, Heather was actually quite fortunate in the trade even if she didn’t realise it.

“I guess I could give you some leeway though. Like, what type of water do you like to swim in, what days are better for you to up and leave at a moment’s notice, and **** like that,” he said, his voice warmer than his handshake had been. “I can consider those things while I make my decision. Probably.” He paused to drink down another mouthful of the wine, but was hardly paying attention to it because his attention was still on her. The perfume of berries and flora was a distant fog behind the foreground curiosity of whether Heather would just sit down next to him now, or would she retreat back to a safe distance. Maybe he should give her a nudge. “D’you wanna sit down so we can talk about?” He signalled the space next to him with a flicker of his eyes. “I don’t bite.” And while that was probably something creepy men across the world said when they wanted pretty young women to sit next to them, at least it was vaguely telling of his personality. Levi could be creepy.