Path of the Vampire forum

Harvey buttoned up the black waist length wool coat, the brand new item contrast to his raggedy and ripped jeans, not to mention the worn t-shirt below. He hadn't been given new clothes since he joined the Legion. Thinking about it made him break rhythm in his step, a slight frown tugging at the corners of his lips.

He felt bad, bailing on those two strangers like that but hey, one tried to invite her back to whatever place like a creep and the other just sits next to random strangers and tries to befriend them. Sorry pal, no round *** or Legion rep? No Harvey.

He noticed the bar and began to pat down his pockets. Stealing was wrong, he knew that, but being an honest man didn't put clothes on your back in ******* winter. Harvey made his way inside and plopped himself down on a stool, eyes scanning around. It didn't take long, soon enough people dumped some bills and walked away, all he had to do was scoop them up before the tender even noticed. With a slight feeling of guilt he waved him over, getting himself a rum and coke.

Harvey drummed his fingertips on the bar-top, aware of the stranger looking at him. Either she saw him lifting bills or she's like one of those other wierdos. He stood up from his stool and made eye contact. Okay, act casual and don't **** this up. You're no thief, she didn't see ****.

He gave a casual nod, moved to the pool table and began to set up for a solo game of billiards. He did his best to seem unimportant, not too loud with the balls, no waving the stick around like an idiot. Fixating his blue eyes on the pool table he began to rub the tip with chalk, scratching furiously, demanding that the right amount be put on his cue.

Push the white ball into place, line up a shot, half leaning over the table. His arm surged forward to drive the tip of the cue into the white ball, sending it forward and splattering all the others into wild directions. Upon realising he had just gotten cue chalk onto his brand new black jacket he cursed under his breath, trying to wipe at it with the back of his hand.

He looked up at the stranger, didn't even notice her leaving the bar. He took note of her toned stomach and arms, deciding maybe he shouldn't have hung around here as long as he had. A little socialising wouldn't kill him and it'd be even more suspicious if he bolted, so he simply had to play it cool. Be calm, polite but uninviting.

"Not really."

He was already smacking the white ball around again, sinking in random colours left and right, not really caring for the game, just hoping she'd go away and stop bringing attention to him. His coat and pants did well to hide his physical description, though having no hat or anything covering his face as an issue. Black hair, bright blue eyes and a crooked smile, dimples visible through the 5 o'clock shadow occupying his face.

Harvey gave a sideways glance and noticed her still there. ****, she's hanging around too long. He ran through the possibilities. He could either tell her to **** off and cause a scene, play pool with her and maybe walk away after the game, or politely ask her to leave.

"Hey, mind giving me some space here?"

Aside from everything going to hell in a hand basket in terms of the Family, business and general life was working out well. It was almost too easy to make money out of people and Levi found that he was barely in the office, leaving him more time to devote to the other side of his life. He was learning new things, which developed his understanding of what could be and what couldn’t be in this new world he was privy to. His abilities were growing, opening up new opportunities, but even so he felt like he was at something of a loss as to what to do with it all. Being able to break into buildings and homes, to basically disappear from sight, manipulate the darkness to his will and summon the dead was all well and good, but what was the real purpose of any of this? It kept him busy and it helped him to develop further, but when he reached his limit, what was he going to do with all that he learned? Even the best of his opportunistic mind came up short when faced with the stark reality that everything he’d done and learned up until this point had to be kept hidden.

Levi thought about this dilemma daily, but he always ended up pushing those thoughts aside to focus on the present. He told himself he’d come back to this way of thinking when the time came and so he focused on business, Family, and other relationships. Frankly, thinking of the Family put him in a foul mood and he did everything he could to avoid thinking about them and dealing with them. He knew it was futile though, he knew he would have to deal with them, and Gino, and Shiro, and maybe even his own father. That thought alone was stressful. Levi never got along with his father; it was like they were always at war. Even when they were on the same team, with the same goals, had the same ideas and plans and strategies to get what they wanted, it was like they were competing rather than cooperating. The problem was that they were too alike. Each man had something to prove, things to gain, and hated to take advice from anyone. They always thought they were superior to everyone else, which was probably why when they came together, they clashed rather than complemented.

Putting these bothersome thoughts aside was a lot easier with alcohol, Levi concluded. There was a bar up the road – just a short walk from his place of work – so Levi decided to make that his destination for the night. Since he didn’t feel like heading back to his apartment or being around people who might ask something stupid, it made sense to head to the bar and drown out this overthinking. Levi sat himself down at the bar to try and keep his distance from the rest of the denizens. The usual bartender, Russell, was on shift tonight so at least he would have someone to keep him occupied. Every now and again Levi would come in for a quick drink and a chat. It was nice to talk to someone who wasn’t a complete idiot or had this burning desire to bug the hell out of you. Russell was a good kid, working his way through college with two part-time jobs. Levi liked the boy’s spirits and his inquisitive mind. He’d never seen Russell reading on the job, but he had seen a couple of books in his back-pack. Most were text books for his degree, but some of them seemed to be for personal use. Levi was something of a book-worm himself and being the arrogant sort, he liked to find similar traits in others. Another thing he liked about Russell was the fact that he was mortal and just now and again it was nice to forget about the supernatural world and try to be normal.

“Buonasera,” Russell said with a grin as he made his way around the back of the bar to face the Italian.

Levi smirked back. “Yeah, yeah… Buonasera.”

“So how have you been?”

“Good. You?”

“Yeah, good. Can’t complain. Say, how would you say all that in Italian?” Russell asked looking decidedly anxious about it.

Levi frowned. “I ain’t here to give you Italian lessons, kid. You’re here to give me booze though.”

“Right. Sure. Whisky I take it?”

Levi gave a nod and Russell worked on filling the order. As the boy was distracted, Levi’s attention drifted. As he looked around the room, he recognised a face. Valentina, or Isabeau as she preferred since it was her name, was standing over at the pool table again. Levi smirked to himself as she was leaning on the table, probably showing off the goods to get the male’s attention. The male, however, didn’t seem interested and actually looked as though he wanted her to **** off and leave him alone. That itself was amusing and Levi decided that he could work with that. Before he could make a move, however, he heard movement behind him as Russell put the drink down and starting cooing and grinning.

“Oh I see how it is,” Russell said, making Levi turn around.

“See how what is?” Levi growled at him.

“It’s that girl again. The one who bought you the bottle of whisky that you turned down because apparently you don’t accept gifts.”

Levi quirked a brow. “You know you talk too damn much, right?”

Russell shrugged. “Go say hello.”

“Why?”

“Why not? She seemed like she was in a bad mood earlier, so, go be a gentleman and cheer her up.”

Levi laughed. “What the **** makes you think I’m a gentleman?”

Russell’s eyes went to the ceiling and he hummed as he thought up the response which wouldn’t get him barked at. Levi thought this was rather amusing, so he threw the kid a bone.

“Do it without being racist and I won’t revoke your tip.”

Russell frowned at him. “It’s not racist if it’s a good stereotype, right?”

“No,” Levi smirked and raised his glass to his lips. “Positive discrimination is still discrimination.”

“So you propose everyone’s equal?”

“Hell no. I just think it’s damn stupid to pretend that just because it’s positive discrimination that it’s somehow less fucked up. And I only set you that challenge to see if you could say anything that wasn’t about some Italian stereotype.”

“Now look who talks too much,” Russell said with a grin.

Levi’s eyes narrowed. “**** off and make yourself useful for once.”

Russell threw his hands in the air and stepped back from the counter, though he couldn’t quite wipe that grin off his face. He almost looked like he had something up his sleeve and Levi continued to frown as he watched him. Russell turned around to address the liquor shelves, one hand on his hip and the other on his chin. He found a decent bottle of whisky and took it down from the shelf, pouring a glass on the counter right in front of Levi. The Italian continued to watch him, but didn’t neglect his own glass. He didn’t for one minute believe that Russell was pouring him a drink and while he half-expected what was to come, he still watched it all unfold with a case of disbelief. Russell had poured a heavy glass of top-shelf whisky and had taken it over to Isabeau. He cleared his throat to get her attention and then held the drink out to her.

“Hi,” he said cheerily. He then looked back to Levi who was still somewhere between dumbstruck and infuriated. “From your friend.”

Isabeau St Martin: Bo arched her brow at the guy once more and then shook her head and turned just in time to see Russell standing there, offering her a drink. She took it but looked to who he was saying it was from and actually laughed a little. Nodding to Russell, she moved over to the bar, leaning against it near Levi. "Oh, so you don't take gifts but give them... Should I worry about it being poisoned? " she teased, taking a drink to show she really wasn't worried about it.

Levi D’Amico: Despite the warning glares that Levi was sending him, Russell looked pretty damn pleased with himself as he tottered off back behind the bar. He didn’t stand next to them, giving them the space they apparently needed to do whatever romantic crap that was filling the idiot’s mind. Still, he was within earshot and heard the gruff tone of Levi’s voice admit exactly what he hoped he wouldn’t. “I didn’t send it,” Levi said to Isabeau. “But I imagine I’m going to pay for it regardless.” He eyed the boy again then with a shake of his head before returning his focus to Isabeau. “So… enjoy.” He emptied out the remainder of his glass.

Isabeau St Martin: She looked from Levi to Russell and back again, giving a bit of a shrug before setting the cup on the bar. "Thanks," she said, leaning on her elbows on the bar as she continued to stand. "Apparently he thinks you need to get laid... And that it takes only one drink for me to open my legs," she said in a quieter tone, smirking a little.

Levi D’Amico: “Why, how many does it take?” Levi asked with a smirk. He wasn’t all that curious. Was he? Probably. He convinced himself that he was just making conversation though.

Isabeau St Martin: "To get to the center of this tootsie pop? The world may never know," she dead panned, smirking just a little, rocking back and forth, clearly not in the mood to sit still.

Levi D’Amico:Levi gave her a smirk and then a nod. He didn’t know what to say to her. He was never good with communicating with people at the best of times and this was most certainly not the best of times. Socialising required the kind of effort that Levi just had no store of.

Isabeau St Martin: Bo nodded as well and drank down more of the whiskey. "At least he has good taste," she said, still rocking back and forth on her heels, her backside popped out a little.

Levi D’Amico: “Sure,” Levi grumbled. “Give him all the credit.”

Isabeau St Martin: "Hey, I thanked you... That's not something I do often to anyone," she said as she looked at him.

Levi D’Amico: Levi had enough zeal in him to mutter a quick ‘prego’ and not much else. It took a few silent seconds for him to finally work up the idea of asking her a question out of the blue. “So what brings you to this little hole?”

Isabeau St Martin: She glanced around a bit then shrugged. "Needed to do something amusing, thought I could con a few saps out of their money," she said as she gave a nod to the pool table and the guy.

Levi D’Amico: Levi scoffed at her. “Didn’t think it in you to be subtle. Why don’t you just stab him and take his money? That’s much more like you.”

Isabeau St Martin: She smirked. “Too many witnesses... Plus... He's your pal," she teased, nodding to Russell.

Levi D’Amico: Levi scoffed again. “No. He’s an idiot.” He watched Russell disperse in the corner of his eye. That little victory gave him a swell of newfound confidence. Umber eyes glinted as he looked to Isabeau. “There are other ways to make money.” There was a definite suggestion behind that comment and he looked her up and down to emphasise it – just in case he’d been subtle.

Isabeau St Martin: She snorted and rolled her eyes. "I shark for the fun, not the money. I have jobs, remember?" she said and then leaned in a bit more and said, "if I'm going to ****, I'll do that for fun too, not for money."

Levi D’Amico: “Well, you did say you were bored,” he murmured, grinning. “A good businessman always makes money out of what they enjoy. If they can.”

Isabeau St Martin: "And I do, I enjoy working with cars, I enjoy racing through the streets," she said, finishing off her drink. "I only screw when I have no other way to relax, and I'm not going to get paid for that."

Levi D’Amico: “Fair enough,” Levi said. There was taunting in his words and in his smile that suggested he knew the real reason why she wasn’t going to get paid for it. Their current conversation, in Levi’s opinion, was harping back to an earlier one and Levi sure did enjoy talking in circles.

Isabeau St Martin: "Mhmmm," she said nodding, ignoring the clear taunt and smile. She licked her lips for a moment and then glanced over at him. "Bum a smoke?" she asked, smirking a bit.

Levi D’Amico: “Again?” he asked, quirking a brow at her. “You already owe me two. D’ya really wanna run up your tab?”

Isabeau St Martin: She snorted again and rolled her eyes. "Bill me," she said holding her hand out.

Levi D’Amico: The Italian gave her smart-*** little comeback some serious thought. He nodded and rose from his seat at the bar, heading for the door. He hadn’t paid for the drinks yet, but Russell doesn’t mind. He knows the man will be back eventually and even if he didn’t pay, what was he going to do? Call the cops and chase the Italian down? No way.

Isabeau St Martin: She arched her brow but pushed away from the counter and followed him out of the bar, glancing around for a moment.

Levi D’Amico: The air was cold outside and Levi tugged the lapels of his jacket up so it could shield him somewhat from that bone-invading chill. Even a Vampiro had their limits against the cold, or, that’s at least how it was for him; his blood always did run that much hotter than average. Levi stalked toward the familiar alleyway and proceeded to light up a cigarette, waiting on Isabeau to join him.

Isabeau St Martin: Bo was just about to follow him into the alley when she heard a ‘freeze!’ and before she could even stop to turn, the ******** shot her, causing her to drop to the ground, gripping her thigh. "****!" she growled through gritted teeth, trying to pull herself back to her feet.

Levi D’Amico: Levi heard the shout before the gunshot and confusion stopped him from puffing on his cigarette. A deep frown set in his features and since Isabeau hadn’t followed him, he had to assume this shot was something to do with her. Obviously he wasn’t going to poke his head around the corner and take the next bullet. While it could have been an incidental hit – because maybe the real target was him – Levi didn’t think this had anything to do with Cosa Nostra. His record was bleached white after all and obviously Isabeau’s wasn’t. She raced cars, shot people, stabbed them, stole from them, so she’d probably had a warrant on her head. Levi didn’t know what the deal was with Canadian authorities, though he hadn’t expected them to shout then shoot automatically. Maybe all this supernatural **** made them antsy. Yeah, he definitely wasn’t rescuing her skinny ***.

Isabeau St Martin: Bo grunted as she pushed herself up to her feet, dodging quick into the alley before she looked at him, pressing her hand hard against her wound, trying hard to stop the bleeding. "And they wonder why..." She stopped herself there and then looked back at her wound.

Levi D’Amico: Levi was puffing on his cigarette when she came around the corner in a blurry limp. Two brows came down hard over his eyes and he looked her up and down, his attention lingering on her wound. “Oh, so it was you,” he mumbled. “You… ok?” Levi wasn’t entirely sure what to say, but a very large part of him told him to stop being so motherfucking casual and get the hell out of there. Levi leant his back against the wall and slowly peered around the corner to see if her attacker – the cop – was moving toward them. They were. Levi grumbled to himself, puffed in a few more drags then tossed the cigarette to the ground. He let the collected smoke stew in his lungs before letting it out in a long, thick stream. He stepped in close to Isabeau and looked her sternly in the eyes. “Your cop friend is on his way down here. You wanna stand around and chat or are you gonna run?”

Isabeau St Martin: Bo looked up at him with a look somewhere between a glare and fear. "Does it look like I could run?" she huffed out and then pushed away from the wall, stumbling a little before catching herself.

Levi D’Amico: Truth be told, he wasn’t really expecting her to, but he still rolled his eyes. He may have expected her to say that she could and then fail miserably, resulting in what he was going to now. “Don’t complain ok,” he warned her. And then, in one movement, Levi wrapped an arm behind her back and swept her off her feet. As soon as he had a firm grip, Levi was on the move, princess-carrying this woman out of the back exit from the alleyway. Since she weighed practically nothing, it was no mean feat to carry her with ease and speed out into the street before the cop even made his appearance on the other end of the alleyway. Still, that didn’t mean they were in the clear yet.

Isabeau St Martin: Bo raised a brow at his warning before grunting a little as he lifted her. It wasn't the fact that he was doing this that had her suddenly trying not to yell and punch him, but the fact that he was doing it while she was injured. Still, she bit down hard on her lip and took huffy breaths through her nose as he carried her. Bo wasn't a large girl but she was all muscle and muscle was heavier than fat so she had to say just to keep from screaming. "How much do you bench?"

Levi D’Amico: There was no need to make a response past an arrogant grin because Levi had to keep his attention on where he was going. Since he didn’t like Hospitals and refused to enter them – even if she probably needed one – Levi had to think up somewhere else he could take her. His place of work wasn’t far away, but he didn’t want people asking questions and since he couldn’t go to his apartment, he had to think on his feet and headed to the nearest hotel. They had alcohol, towels and hot water and he had a first aid kit on him with the basics to treat bullet wounds if the hotel didn’t have one. The snob that he was instructed his legs to carry him to the hotel he’d stayed in when he first came to Canada. When they reached the doors of the hotel, Levi paused for a moment to check her condition. “Hanging in there?” he asked her, hitching her up a little when he’d started to lose a bit of grip on her. He was starting to feel her weight now, but that was understandable considering he’d carried her for just over two miles.

Isabeau St Martin: She pretty much ignored where they were going, instead concentrating on keeping the blood flow to a minimum. So as they reached the hotel doors, she arched her brow but didn't say anything about it. "Well... Enough..." she grunted out quietly, leaning against him as the movement and blood loss had made her a bit dizzy. "Thanks," she said even quieter.

Levi D’Amico: Levi gave her a cool nod, he also whispered into her ear a few words of advice so they wouldn’t draw too much attention. “When we go in, act like you’re drunk or in love.” Leaning back, Levi waited for a sign of understanding from Isabeau before he’d take them in.

Isabeau St Martin: Bo gave a slight nod of her head and then inside she was actually smiling, this might really give her an in that she could work with. She's never been a big 'love' fan but she could give more than enough reason for the people not to look right at them. She leaned her head back against his shoulder and began to kiss and suck on his neck, using her free hand to undo a few buttons on his shirt so she could slip her hand in, teasing his skin with her nails.

Levi D’Amico: There definitely hadn’t been enough alcohol in his system to tolerate the physical contact. Levi growled low and strong so that she’d feel the vibration from his chest. “Wait until we get in first,” he grumbled. She might have rolled her eyes at him, but Levi didn’t wait to check. He hurried them in through the doors and up to the front desk. Public displays of affection generally made people uncomfortable so when he addressed the staff at reception, they did everything they possibly could to avoid looking at the pair of them for too long. “Good evening and welcome to The Rosewood. Can I help you?” asked the lady on reception. Levi wasn’t much of an actor, so he grunted at her. “I need a room.” Like it wasn’t ******* obvious. Why else would you go to a hotel? The woman smiled nervously and looked down at her computer. “To share?” she asked tentatively. Levi could barely hold back the sigh, so he bit his own lips and hummed at her. She smiled again and began tapping and asking annoying personal questions. He gave her his name straight-up – too arrogant to come up with an alias – and told her they would just be staying the night. This information seemed to make the women even more nervous. Levi rolled his eyes impatiently. She booked him a room under his name and – without making eye contact – announced the bill. Levi frowned, realisation finally breaking over him. His wallet was in the breast pocket of his jacket and obviously his hands were tied. He looked at Isabeau and covered his discomfort with a wry grin. “Mind giving me a hand there, hun?”

Isabeau St Martin: "Mmmmmhmmmmm," she answered, biting on his ear and tugging it with her teeth as she pulled her hand out of his shirt and slipped it in to grab his wallet. She wondered if he would feel it or if she had him distracted enough that he wouldn't even notice the grab. She did pull back though and opened it for him so he could indicate which card he wanted to pass over. Still she did this all one handed so she squirmed a bit as she did this.

Levi D’Amico: With the assistance of Isabeau to reach into his jacket and hand the receptionist the golden credit card he insisted on, Levi had the key to their room in about 2 minutes. Carrying cards wasn’t really something Levi enjoyed doing, but this modern world requested such wherever you went. Sometimes it was the only form of payment businesses would take so, reluctantly, Levi had a couple of bank cards on him with around $200 in his wallet. Levi knew that Isabeau was a thief, but if she even dared to steal from him, he would shoot her in the other leg and press the red-hot muzzle into her wounds. And when the gun cooled, he had a pack of 15 cigarettes at his disposal. Still, paid and sorted, the receptionist handed Isabeau back the wallet and Levi paused to have her slip it back into its place beside his heart.

Isabeau St Martin: Bo smiled to the woman, looking drunk she was sure and took the wallet and put it back in place. Once it was, she slipped her free hand into his hair and began to nibble along his jawline, pulling his hair playfully and giggling like a sorority girl on spring break. "Hurry... I'm hungry for some Italian..." she said, making it sound like she failed at whispering something only for his ears.

Levi D’Amico: Trying his best not to grimace and avoid the eye-twitching of complete rage, Levi ducked his head toward Isabeau and growled into the side of her cheek. “Be patient,” he said as he turned his back to the receptionist and headed for the elevator. Levi punched the button repeatedly, his lack of patience giving credit to their pretence. When the doors slid open finally, Levi rushed them in and began hitting the button to close the doors too. They had to play-act right up until the doors of the elevator shut them off to the outside world and at that point, Levi gave her a jolt like he was about to drop the ***** on her arse. “I said drunk or horny, not ******* both!” he roared.

Isabeau St Martin: She had kept up with nibbling and sucking on his skin right until the doors closed. The moment they did, she stopped but he jerked her hard at the same time, causing her to scream out, "****!!" And she was sure it echoed through the shaft. Then she growled a little as she said, "actually I believe you said 'in love' and you think I liked doing that any more than you did? I think I felt my IQ drop 100 points with that," she said, holding tighter to the wound.

Levi D’Amico: “IQ can’t go below zero, so, that’s not ******* possible,” he rumbled.

Isabeau St Martin: "Jackass!" she said as she 'hit' him on the chest. It wasn't really a hard hit, more like her hand falling against his chest as another dizzy spell hit her.

Levi D’Amico: Since Levi was in a mood, he hadn’t really been paying too much attention to her. Umber eyes set a steely focus on the numbers above the door as they were rushed to their floor. When she yowled and struck him, Levi gave her a little snarl, but again diverted his attention. It wasn’t until he felt her weight unbalance in his arms like she was falling out of his grasp that he really looked to her with more concern than he would a dead goldfish. Levi’s brows knitted themselves together and he grabbed the side of her jaw to pull her head toward him and check her eyes. They seemed to be swirling in her head, suggesting that she was losing a bit of blood. Levi sighed angrily and then glared at the doors of the elevator again. “Come on,” he said through gritted teeth. “Hurry the **** up already.”

Isabeau St Martin: "Cussing at it isn't going to make it go faster..." she said softly as she rested her head against his shoulder. "But it makes me feel better..." she said and sighed a little.

Levi D’Amico: Levi gave her a weak smile and continued to glare at the elevator doors. He wasn’t panicked – he didn’t care enough about her to be panicked and it wasn’t like he didn’t know how to get rid of a body. Levi was just uneasy with all this and frankly was wondering why he was bothering to help her in the first place. The ping and slide of the elevator door brought him out his brooding soon enough and Levi stomped down the hall in search of his room. The place was a labyrinth of corridors and he cursed a couple of times when he thought he’d found there room and was just directed down yet another hallway. When they did finally find their room, Levi didn’t waste any time swiping the key and shoving open the door. He made for the bed and put her down as gently as he could. “Stay here and keep pressure on it,” he instructed and his disappeared into the bathroom to prepare some hot wet towels.

Isabeau St Martin: In a way, she was shocked that this got them in a more private way. That cop might live after all when all this was said and done. As he set her on the bed, she was quiet and nodded her head, bringing her other hand down to help hold the pressure on the wound. Her head lowered a bit, causing some of her hair to fall in her face. Least this way he might open up more... Or at least... She hoped.

Levi D’Amico: The luxury bathroom was stocked full of supplies if you were looking for a nice relaxing soak in the four-person bathtub, but it didn’t provide much if you were looking to stop someone from bleeding to death. Levi had to improvise and use the bathroom’s bin for a bucket. He chucked the lid aside and filled it with hot water, soaking two of the four towels he had in the sink and then carting it all back into the room. He put everything down on the floor by her legs and then went to the mini bar and fetched as many of the little bottles as possible. Vodka would be best, so he made that a priority and put them down beside Isabeau as well.

He did all this without talking, his focus steeled to what he was doing. And since he was used to being shot up whenever he was invited out on ‘Family Raids’ he’d learned to carry a first aid kit on him. He took that out from one of his inside pockets and laid that next to the rest of the supplies. Levi knelt down on the floor before Isabeau and finally was able to check over the wound. He didn’t want to pry her fingers away without some kind of a tourniquet, so he quickly surveyed the area for some kind of noose. It didn’t take him long to realise he was basically fucked unless he wanted to use the sash from one of the fluffy bathrobes. The hotel was probably going to complain about the stain on the bed anyway, but, **** it.

Levi sighed heavily and unwound his tie, approaching Isabeau with it. “Lift your leg a little,” he said softly. “I just need to slip this under you and tie it.”

Isabeau St Martin: Bo watched him a bit, her eyes following him whenever he was in the room. When he came at her with his tie she nodded a bit but then put her hand out a little. "Wait... It will be easier if I get out of my pants first." She said and then slowly pushed herself up, trying to use one hand to hold pressure while the other undid the button and zipper. She slowly worked the pants down over her rather curvy backside, the waist hugging tight before sliding down to reveal a black thong. She pushed the pants down low enough that he could get the tie around her leg while she still held the wound.

Levi D’Amico: “I was thinking about cutting you out of them actually,” he said, but the words were falling on deaf ears. Levi shifted back onto his heels to give Isabeau some room as she struggled with getting free from her pants. He felt like he should give her a hand in some way, but they’d been close enough for a while. By the time she’d started to pull down the trouser leg and realised she couldn’t keep pressure while she was doing, Levi decided that he had no choice. “Look, you hold it and I’ll pull you out. Alright?”

Isabeau St Martin: Bo shook her head."That would make leaving a bit difficult without pants," she said with a soft grunt and then glanced at him and nodded sliding one hand then the other into the leg to hold her wound so he could get her out of her pants.

Levi D’Amico: Levi dropped the tie onto the bed beside her and waited until she had an appropriate grip on her leg before he began to slide the trousers from her. He was gentle, but quick about it; giving it the old ripping off a bandage approach as he talked at her to distract her from the pain. “In this kinda hotel, you can order them to get you a pair of pants.” He’d ordered them to fetch him shoes many times.

Isabeau St Martin: Bo arched her brow and then gritted her teeth for a moment to keep from screaming out. "Still, I like to keep the spending to a minimum. I like those pants," she said. She could save them, knew how to get blood out, could cover the bullet holes.

Levi D’Amico: “Suit yourself,” Levi said. The trousers were drawn carefully over her feet before being flung to the side. He needed the space to work and as soon as he had it, he took the tie from off the covers and grunted at her. When she’d lift her leg just enough to slip his hands underneath, he’d tie a noose above the wound to dam the bleeding.

Isabeau St Martin: She nodded and then watched as he went about tying his tie around her thigh, he was all business. A part of her was impressed, a girl is standing there in not much and he's still worried more about the wound. But that also meant that her body wasn't going to be something to help her cause. ****. She thought and then sighed softly as she lifted her hands from the wound. "In case I forgot or forget later... Thank you..." she said in a rather appreciative tone rather than in her usual bitchy sarcastic tone.

Levi D’Amico: Levi grunted at her again in appreciation when she lifted her leg on command and let him get to work. One hand held the base of her thigh to snake the tie through to the other side. Once it was wrapped around her leg, he finished things off with a knot that was probably on the excessive side of being tight. Truth be told, he wasn’t used to being on this side of the nursing and when he’d treated his own wounds, he had the advantage of sensation to guide him. Nevertheless, Levi wasn’t overly concerned with whether or not he was hurting her because he was just focused on making sure she wasn’t about to die… for whatever reason. Levi broke away from his autonomous motions when he heard her words and the sincerity of them. He paused to look into her eyes, a frown wearing heavy in his features; an indecipherable look that meant he didn’t quite understand what had just happened and was trying to decide which of his favourite responses – yell, brood or kill – was most appropriate. Eventually he just snorted and turned away to address the collection of supplies.

Isabeau St Martin: Bo bit down whenever the pain started to feel like more than she could handle. She was used to pain though. You didn't work on cars and not get hut. Burns, cuts, deep gashes... And then there was her criminal career as well. She just watched in silence as he worked on her, ignoring the fact that he had just snorted to a very rare moment of niceness. She just let him work without bugging him too much. Something she wasn't too used to.

Levi D’Amico: First things first, Levi had to see what he was treating, which meant that he had to clean the wound up. He reached for the hot towels, which really were more luke warm at this point and carefully began to dab around the wound. Again, his movements were quick and light, but effective. He knew this **** was going to hurt, but she was going to have to suck it up because there was nothing he could do but throw some booze at her. If she fidgeted too much, that was obviously going to be an option.

Isabeau St Martin: As he began to clean the wound, Bo inhaled sharply, the sound coming out more like a hiss than anything else, but she willed herself to be as still as possible. The more she squirmed the harder his job, and she figured he had dealt with enough of her **** down in the lobby.

Levi D’Amico: He was still watching what he was doing, paying close attention to the size and shape of the wound that was revealed with each wipe of the towel. It gradually became apparent that the bullet had gone through the top side of her thigh at an angle. Since he couldn’t find an exit wound he had to assume the bullet was still in there. She was lucky it was just a handgun and super lucky that she hadn’t nicked any arteries. Something that sounded like relief came out on the breath he exhaled and he looked up at Isabeau to encourage her. “You’re fine,” he muttered with a small smile.

Experience had taught him a lot over the years and reading books had taught him everything else, so Levi was pretty confident that she was probably going to be ok so long as she didn’t get an infection. There’d be some nerve damage and an ugly scar, but if she was anything like him, it wouldn’t matter all that much. If the wound was serious, she would have bled to death before he’d gotten her to the hotel. Isabeau had lost a bit of blood, but nothing a good night’s rest couldn’t sort. Levi would have had some rare steak in her position, but the days of him enjoying any kind of food were long over. Still, he had to determine the depth of the wound, ensure it was clean and prepare for bandaging.

Levi reached for the first aid kit he’d brought with him, sat patiently next to a few small bottles of alcohol from the mini bar. The kit was unzipped and opened up like a case, revealing a row of glinting metal, thread and antiseptic wipes. He kept the blades, tweezers and sutures as sterilised as he could, but he wasn’t going to use them immediately. First things first, Levi got the antiseptic wipes out and used the first one to clean off his hands, focusing particularly on the little finger – though in reality it wasn’t all that little. Levi had large hands and the scars of his hands had left him with a bit of nerve damage so he wouldn’t be able to give her the lightest touch. Still, they didn’t really have the time to **** about and unless she wanted to do this herself, she would just have to put up with it.

With sterilised hands and equipment, Levi gave Isabeau one last look to check she was fine with it and then got to work. He piled towels around her leg to catch any blood, another towel was shaped into a nest to catch the bullet – or what was left of it when he went in fishing – and of course a final wet towel was placed within reach across her other leg to wipe away any blood that might obscure his view. He had to go in with the scalpel first, but when he brought the sharp tip to her flesh, he paused for a moment. A thought of Lorelai made him frown, but he quickly got back to what he was doing – cutting his way in to make room for the tweezers. When the bullet was free, he’d get to work on sterilising her wound and then closing up.

Isabeau St Martin: She kept her blue gaze on him as he inspected the wound but as he did, she sort of zoned out so that her eyes may have been on him, but she wasn't really seeing him. However, the breath pulled her attention back to him. Oh yeah, she was real fine, she thought sarcastically but didn't say anything, just nodded. A short nod at that because the movement of it made her dizzy. Still, she willed herself to stay upright, to not squirm or make his job harder than it already would be. As he reached for the kit and unzipped it, her brow arched a little. "This sort of thing happen often to you?" She asked curiously, licking her dry lips, her voice coming out soft because she was concentrating on not falling over. She wasn't scared about anything in that kit, but she wasn't looking forward to any of it either. Then he was cutting into her and she bit down hard on her lower lip, muffling the scream that came from her. Still though, she didn't move.

Levi D’Amico: Levi was no surgeon, but closing up small wounds like this wasn’t too much of an issue. He wanted to focus on what he was doing rather than talk, but he acknowledged that some people could get anxious and certain pain could be difficult to tolerate. He didn’t want her going into shock, so he had to do what he could to keep her distracted and with him in the present. He hadn’t answered her earlier question, so that seemed like a good topic to discuss. So as he was sewing her leg shut, he divided his attention between looking at her eyes and what he was doing. “I’ll level with ya,” he began. “I sometimes have to get involved in… unscrupulous things.”

Isabeau St Martin: Everything he did hurt, but she managed to keep herself as calm as possible, making as little noise as possible, but she still hissed or gasped every so often. She took a deep breath before answering him though to keep from screaming out. "I think a lot in this city have... But you are good with this..." she said softly, her French accent thickening a little as she spoke. It was something to concentrate on outside of the pain.

Levi D’Amico: Levi gave her a curious look and a weak, wry smile that softened the gruffness in his face. “Oh yeah? Well,” he said, grinning more profusely now and looking back down to what he was doing. “I did tell ya that I’m good at everything I try, didn’t I.” He looked up to check her reaction then.

Isabeau St Martin: She gave off a soft hiss like breath before nodding "that... You did..." She got out between biting down on her lip or cheek. Then she closed her eyes and forced herself to relax, to concentrate on anything other than pain.

Levi D’Amico: It didn’t take too long for his features to sour again as he watched her writhe in pain. Talking to her turned out to be a bit of a worthless distraction – probably because he wasn’t too good with people – so Levi decided to try something else. He passed the suture kit into his left hand and put the right over her knee. The warmth of her blood between their skin made the touch strangely clammy. Still, he held his hand there until he was sure he was making an impact and spoke as gently as he could. “Look, you’re doing good. Two more stitches and I’m done. You can hang on til then and then I’ll let you get as drunk as you want.”

Isabeau St Martin: Her eyes opened and she looked down at the touch he was giving her. Her blue eyes focused on that for a moment before his voice called her attention and she lifted her gaze to his, giving a smile and a short laugh. "Thank God! I'll need it!" She then looked at the touch again for a moment before adding. "Thank you again, for this..." she said motioning to his work.

Levi D’Amico: So alcohol wasn’t the best idea considering its dehydrating effect and the last thing she really needed was to become dehydrated after losing blood, but Levi figured he had to promise her something. He’d keep her topped up with vodka and water and she’ll be fine. Levi gave a shrug to her words again. “Prego,” he murmured before lifting his hand from her knee. “Just two more stitches.” He gave her a look and a nod, expecting her to issue one back before he got to work again.

Isabeau St Martin: She gave a nod and willed herself not to move and not to make a sound. Bo closed her eyes, took a breath and mentally started converting bible phrases that she did know into French and then Gaelic in her head. She gripped the sheets tightly and held on, letting him work until he was finally done.

Levi D’Amico: Levi took up his work again on the final couple of stitches. He kept his actions quick and neat so she wouldn’t be left with too nasty a scar but also so she didn’t have to endure too much pain. He watched her a little anxiously as she gripped the sheets, holding her own against the anguish she must have been under, but he couldn’t hurry any more than he already was. Since physical contact had worked so well before, Levi considered holding her hand, but logically it was just better to get this done. Some few minutes later, it was over with though and Levi tied a knot in the end and snipped off the suture thread. He put the instruments aside and patted her knee again. “There, all done, sweetheart. Ya can relax now.” Levi smiled lightly and patted her knee with a few more gentle strokes before he began reaching for the towel and antiseptic wipes. Couldn’t leave it to get crusty and gross and infected after all.

Isabeau St Martin: As he tied off the thread, she glanced down at him, watching curiously as he rubbed her knee again, but it was the him calling her 'sweetheart' that had her barking out a short laugh that halted as he stroked her knee again. 'Sweetheart' oh yeah, she was real 'sweet'. Still she watched him, relaxing her grip in the sheets. "Am I delusional from blood loss or did you just call me 'sweetheart?'" she asked in a teasing tone though, because she was slightly out of it, it didn't sound quite that way. It was more, like she was serious.

Levi D’Amico: “Force of habit,” he said with a lazy shrug, patting at the wound with a gentle pressure. “Why, you don’t like ‘sweetheart’?” He looked up from the area he was cleansing, his eyes lingering somewhat between her thighs before making their way to her blue eyes.

Isabeau St Martin: She shrugged as well, "I just don't think anything about me screams 'sweet' but don't let me stop you." She said as she watched him, though she was now trying not to fall asleep at the moment. She knew that wasn't a good sign at this point. "*****, maybe..." She said with a slight smirk.

Levi D’Amico: His lips drew into a line as he watched her eyes kind of glaze over and begin to roll back. That was not a good sign. She was talking and trying to stay awake, but she clearly was just hanging by a thread. Levi neglected cleaning her other knee because, frankly, he had more important things to do. He got up, grabbed a glass from the bedside stand and moved into the bathroom to fill it with cold water. Upon return, he sat down by the side of her and gave her a nudge. “Here, drink. You hungry?”

Isabeau St Martin: His quick change in movement helped her snap a bit out of it, but she could feel that lingering feeling of tired nagging at the back of her mind. When he returned, she had to concentrate on taking the glass so she could obey. She lifted the trembling glass to her lips and took a slow but long drink before her eyes turned back to him. "I am... Actually." She hadn't eaten all day now that she thought about it. She took another drink of the water and then lifted it a little, nodding, a silent thank you, she had said those two words a bit more than her liking this night.

Levi D’Amico: Levi stayed at her side, watching her like a hawk when she took the glass from him and began to drink. He had to be vigilant in case she lost her balance or started going under again and end up pouring the thing all over either of them. Still, she looked steady enough and her desire for food had him frowning and thinking of a way to help her out. He didn’t really question why he was helping her, just that she had a problem and he could fix it if he put his mind to it. Next to the mini bar there was a few packets of chips and cookies, so he made his way over and grabbed a packet of each before presenting them to Isabeau. “Start with them. You need the calories. I’ll call room service if you want. What do you like?” he asked, standing over the bed.

Isabeau St Martin: She continued to sip the water, watching him as he moved over to where some snacks were. When he returned and held them out to her, she glanced at the cup, willing herself not to drop it in one hand, resting it against her good thigh before she took the offered packages. Normally she would hold the glass between her legs, but right now it hurt to move said legs... Or rather the one. "Thanks..." she said softly and then glanced up and gave him a little smirk. "I'm French, I could eat anything you put in front of me."

Levi D’Amico: He gave her a shrug then exchanged the snacks for the water so she didn’t have to juggle. “Never can tell these days. People have intolerances and all that other crap about not wanting to eat anything with a face,” he said with a growl. “Considering you need something protein rich, something with iron, I hope you like red meat.” He put the glass down on the bedside cabinet, replacing it for the hotel’s room service menu which they conveniently have placed next to the phone.

Isabeau St Martin: She nodded as he took the glass and opened up the packages. Pulling out one of the cookies. Before she put it in her mouth though, she stopped and looked up at him. "**** that, if it's food I'll eat it, as far as I know I don't have any allergies or intolerances, and **** those hippy bastards that won't eat a face. They need to grow some balls. It's going to die eventually, might as well eat it when it does." Then she stuffed the cookie in her mouth to shut herself up.

Levi D’Amico: She seemed to be doing better already and Levi switched his focus from the loud mouthed French girl and to the menu again. It quickly occurred to him that he was going to be paying for everything tonight and aside from the bullet he’d tugged out of her leg tonight, this was probably something of a holiday for Isabeau. He didn’t suspect that she had a queue of men lining up to take her on fancy dates, not because she wasn’t worth spoiling, but because of the crowds she ran in. She surrounded herself with stupid people, children really, and her own comments about her lack of a love life suggested that Levi’s assumptions were probably right on the nail. He disregarded his brooding and called room service, ordering up a rib eye, which to him was the King of steaks, and asking for it on the rare side of medium. Sure, it was a lot more fatty when not cooked as much, but she’d need that in her system. Once he was done, he grabbed a chair from the other side of the room and sat it next to the bed watching her eat.

Isabeau St Martin: She sat silent, munching on the snack food he had given her, as she listened to him making the order. She would pay him back for it when she felt more herself again, but for now, she just stayed on the quiet side. When he pulled the chair over next to the bed and sat down watching her. She glanced over to him and gave a slight smirk, despite her mild annoyance at being watched eating. "Am I an amusing show?"

Levi D’Amico: He didn’t have much to say and he swallowed the instinctual need to apologise for staring because that was just stupid. In its stead, Levi sat back, laying his arms over the armrests and shook his head.

Isabeau St Martin: She shrugged a little as she finished off the one packet and crumpled the thing, tossing it at the trash can, but sadly, she missed because she didn't have the full strength she normally would have. Then she looked down at herself, at her hands for a moment, before she looked back at him. "Tell me something about yourself?" She asked quietly, it wasn't demanding or rude in tone, just needing something other than her breathing filling the dead air.

Levi D’Amico: Levi remained exactly where he was, even with that same deadpan expression. Watching her wasn’t entirely awful, even if he was making her a little uncomfortable. He didn’t have a reason why he was watching her, just that it seemed like a good idea. If something happened and she started having a fit or needed medical assistance that was beyond him, all he could think to do was call for an ambulance and then get the hell out of there. He didn’t need to be connected to some random girl and a shooting after all. At her question, he just sighed and finally drew his gaze away to look around the room. The one thing he found he liked about these hotel rooms was the lack of any mirrors. “Ain’t much to say about me. You know where I’m from, what I do for work. I don’t got a lot of time for anything else.” He knew that wasn’t very helpful, so he tried to be. “You wanna know anything specific?”

Isabeau St Martin: There wasn't much too him, yeah she didn't believe that but she wasn't going to say that out loud, instead she just shrugged a bit and bit into another snack. The food did seem to be helping more than the liquor would have, but the liqueur would have loosened her up a little. "Not really, just not a big fan of the silence at the moment." Usually she didn't mind it, but right now she felt completely on display and wasn't too thrilled about it.

Levi D’Amico: Frustration made him bring a hand to his face and begin rubbing along the bridge of his nose. He was also trying to breathe and think. He wasn’t good at this and he hated that in much the same way as he hated being in this situation to begin with. He didn’t think throwing the ball back in her court was particularly bright given her condition, so he had to think up something to say rather than ask. “Did I tell you I don’t like dogs?” he asked, but obviously he expected a quick answer. Umber eyes watched her beyond his knuckles.

Isabeau St Martin: She glanced up at him, it was a rather odd choice, but beggars can't be choosers. "No, you didn't... Though mildly amusing given our first 'date'." She said with a bit of a teasing tone that probably didn't translate well because of how she was feeling. But the food was helping.

Levi D’Amico: “Yeah…” he said, sliding his hand down from his nose to rub his chin. “Dogs don’t like me much. Or maybe they like me a little too much. They look at me and see a T-bone or something.” He laughed a little, his arm coming to rest in his lap. “You think a Rottweiler is bad until one of those little Chihuahua jumps up on your lap and makes your balls into a chew toy.” Shaking his head, he took a moment to watch her reaction. “Yeah, it’s all fun and games until you kick that ****** across the room and then suddenly you’re the ********.”

Isabeau St Martin: She had managed to keep it together, keep her face calm as he told her how they hated him or liked him, saying that he looked like a t-bone. "I would guess filet minion..." she started to say but when he mentioned his balls being used for a chew toy, she lost it. She broke into a fit of giggles. "Aww your poor balls! Should I kiss them better?" she teased as she continued to laugh, though she knew that had had to hurt.

Levi D’Amico: Levi was expecting one of two reactions from Isabeau. Either she was going to laugh like a Hyena on crack or she was about to launch something at his head. He was kind of relieved when she broke into laughter and he smiled back at her, some charismatic and dark thing that seemed to do his Italian heritage proud. “Considering how much I’ve spent on you tonight, you’re gonna pay me back some way,” he said with a wink. He was teasing. Mostly.

Isabeau St Martin: And just like that, her laughter stopped as if someone had flipped a switch on her. Her eyes hardened for a moment and she was tempted to throw the snack she was nibbling on at him, but he was also right, he had spent a fortune on her tonight when he could have just told her to get lost. She glanced away from him and sighed, needing the cleansing breath before she spoke. "I'll pay you back..." She said, almost sounding beaten in that moment.

Levi D’Amico: When the atmosphere changed, Levi quirked a brow. He was expecting her to unleash hell on him, frankly. Women were like that. Feisty women like her were especially like that. Instead, Isabeau turned away and turned meek on him. Levi’s curiosity turned into disappointment. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, his voice cooling. “You needed help. No big deal. We’ll call it my good deed for the year or some ****.”

Isabeau St Martin: "It was good of you... You could have easily just ditched me or hell, even helped the greasy son of a *****," she said, her voice strained. "But I thought we cleared it up last time... I'm not a whore," she said, that last word coming out in a bit of a hiss. She was a lot of things, but she wasn't the kind of ***** that sold her body for money. She did have some breeding.

Levi D’Amico: “I’m just screwing with ya. Chill out,” he grumbled.

Isabeau St Martin: She sighed and looked at him for a moment, then nodded.

Levi D’Amico: Levi kept his frustrated look. He was running out of ideas about how to help her. Umber eyes made their way slowly over her body, recognising how she hadn’t tried to cover up at all. “You warm?” he asked, concern in his tone.

Isabeau St Martin: She hadn't even noticed until he mentioned it but she was actually cold, be it from her lack of pants or the loss of blood, she didn't know, but when she looked at her legs, she could see the goosebumps all over her, though it was sort of amusing when she noticed how that sort of thing made the dragon tail that was barely visible look like scales or spikes. "Actually, no... I'm cold..." she said and then went to grab the sheet, trying to pull it around her without moving. It wasn't working out to well though.

Levi D’Amico: Watching her struggle with the sheets made him roll his eyes. He wasn’t good at playing nurse, he just liked fixing things. He got up eventually and decided to give her a hand, pulling out the sheets which had been tucked under the mattress for neatness and letting her do the rest. While he was up, he figured he would clean up a bit too. He piled what he could into the trash can that he’d been using as a water bowl and then dumped it in the bathroom. It would be good to not have that **** on display when the room service people got here – whatever time that was.

Isabeau St Martin: She watched him for a moment before she was able to pull the sheets up and around her. But as she watched him cleaning up, she felt as if she should help clean up and pushed the sheets away, struggling to stand up for a moment before she walked over to pick up the bit of trash that had missed the can. When she stood up, she had to wait for the room to stop spinning, before she deposited the trash in the can.

Levi D’Amico: Isabeau’s actions were revealed when he came back from the bathroom. He frowned first and then moved over to grab her arm, help take some of the weight off her leg. “Lie down, dumbass,” he scolded slightly. “You need to rest.” He began to guide her back to the bed and have her sit down again.

Isabeau St Martin: She arched her brow at him and then went to pull her arm free, of course the action of it, caused her to tumble onto the bed, laying with her *** in the air for a moment before she was sitting upright again. "Fine, but I didn't think you should be doing all the cleaning."

Levi D’Amico: “I’m not,” he grumbled at her. Even as she tumbled onto the bed he still had her arm, forcing him to lean over her somewhat. “That’s what maids are for.” He softened his voice on that part, realising that their proximity required him not to shout her ears off. He could have let go and retreated, but that thought hadn’t occurred to him right away.

Isabeau St Martin: She looked up at him, licking her lips a little before she nodded to him. "Maids don't get paid enough to clean up a lot of the **** they do," she said softly, her eyes not leaving his.

Levi D’Amico: His attention switched between her eyes and her lips and the small action of her tongue made him question the meaning. She could have been dehydrated still, which meant she needed more water. He finally released her, just to grab the drink on the bedside cabinet. “You need to keep your fluids up,” he said, passing her the glass before turning his back on her to collect the tiny bottles of alcohol. “How much pain are you in?” he asked, making his way back to her.

Isabeau St Martin: Bo was actually surprised that his eyes had dropped to her lips when she did that but made sure that she didn't let him see the surprise. When he pulled back, she wrapped the sheet around her again. "Thank you," she said when he handed her the glass, downing the rest of it before her eyes shifted back to him. "Quite a lot actually, but I'm a big girl..." she said in a calm tone before asking, "they have any whiskey in there?"