Living Among Wolves (Closed)

[Ysabelle Bernard]

Waking up with a start, Belle's hazel eyes took in her unfamiliar surroundings with a sense of fear and bewilderment. Blinking softly, she lifted her head from the squashy pillow beneath her and pushed herself up to sit on the edge of the bed, moving her legs around and setting her feet upon the cold floor. She observed the bedroom swiftly, a sinking feeling of disappointment weighing heavy against her heart as she the events of last night came flooding back to her. A groan almost escaped her lips and she sighed.

She had called her father, like Dominic had suggested; had spun him some deeply fabricated story about how there had been flooding at the store and she'd decided to go stay with a friend in the islands until the plumbers had solved the problem. Being the eccentric that he was, he had accepted the story well enough - though it had taken her quite some time to convince him that the plumbers would do a good enough job without him on hand to show them how it was done.

And then she had been shown to this very bedroom, where she had spent the remainder of her evening without once coming out to speak to anyone. She didn't want to be here in the first place, but she had no choice. The brunette was so upset that she must have fallen straight to sleep, wondering when she would be free to go home and get on with her life; you know? Pick up where she had left of?

Getting to her feet and making the bed over neatly, she slipped her ballet pumps back on and wandered into the small bathroom just off the bedroom. Filling the sink with warm water, she splashed her face a couple of times before taking a towel and dabbing at her pale skin - wincing slightly as she attempted to avoid the grazes upon her cheeks. Running her hand through her long tresses, she took one last look in the mirror and shrugged before exiting the bathroom again and heading towards the door; she didn't care how she looked today.

Turning the handle slowly, she stepped out into the hallway quietly and glanced around; the place was much less crowded than it had been last night. It was practically deserted. Closing the guest room door behind her, she continued on down the hallway daintily, her hand grazing the rail as she wandered downstairs into the main room where she had been told to sit last night. She peered around curiously.

[Dominic Wolfe]

Damn, but getting shot sucks balls. First, there was the burning sensation after the bullet came out, then the dull ache that tore through his entire freaking arm, and if all that wasn’t enough, it itched like hell! All in all, it really wasn’t conducive to letting him get a good night’s sleep; that was for friggin sure.

The main room below was quiet and sunlight streamed through the dirty front windows. He squinted against the rays, hunching his shoulders slightly until his wounded side gave a shout of dismay. With a glare at the bar counter in front of him, he gripped the bottle of whiskey in his hands a bit tighter.

Normally, the place would be hopping with his boys; the Hoods who usually came in to check with their boss and get their orders for the rest of the day. However, after filing in as they usually had, only to be greeted with the mussed, bloodshot eyed and growly Dom, they’d immediately fled and left him to his own devices. Which, he was happy to note, tasted like FIYAH.

With a growl, he took another swig of his booze and swiveled around on the barstool, until he could rest back against the counter. Damn, but his place was fuckin’ fine, he thought as he took another gulp of the strong drink. A few more tugs of this shit and he’d be forgetting his own name soon.

…Crap, that probably meant that he should stop, before he got absolutely shit faced and got himself shot in the ass for his troubles. His boys had just tottered off- or ran to wait outside until the master was back in business- so he was a bit on the open side. He had to keep his wits about him, unless he wanted to get himself killed.

Not to mention the woman upstairs. Ah, little Belle the Bookstore Owner. She was a fine young thing; all legs and an easy smile. For a minute, he let himself wonder what it would be like to have that grin aimed in his direction…maybe see it in the morning, as he woke up…

The sounds of footsteps had him jerking from the reverie. Bah, back to friggin reality; of friggin’ course.

“Well, aren’t you the little mouse first thing in the morning,” He drawled. Spotting Belle’s face as she peeked curiously into the room, he waved her over. “C’mon, you’re safe. The boys are all out and I ain’t in the mood to jump your fine ass. Yet.”

Damn, there was a reason why he didn’t drink in the morning…

^{TAG - Belle
WORDS - a lot
NOTES - lovin these two!
TUNES - the comedown, bring me the horizon
CREDIT - MUNZTAR * of caution 2.0}

[Ysabelle Bernard]

Belle took in the room properly this time around; considering everything that had happened last night, the last thing she had really been paying attention to was the decor. She felt a warmth at her back as a patch of yellow sunlight filtered in from a window, beaming down upon her, and she basked in it momentarily before being startled by a voice. She wasn't usually the jumpy kind, but she hadn't been expecting company so early in the morning; especially not from someone who'd served as a gunfire practice target the night before.

Glancing over to her host, the stench of alcohol was quick to reach her nostrils - whiskey. Was he basting himself in it? Making a slight face, she caught what he said about being alone but still chanced a glance around the area just in case; she had no idea what to expect. But ohwell. She was still alive and breathing, right? Maybe she could trust him just a little bit more for that very reason.

Stepping into the room fully now, she made her way nimbly over to where he was perched at the bar counter and raised a brow almost inquisitively at his remark about not "jumping her fine ass, yet." She didn't know whether to be offended or amused, instead opting for a faint smirk and a slight roll of the eyes.

"You're forgetting I have a gun on me, so don't try it, buster...", she began calmly, almost flippantly as though making decent, ordinary conversation. Drawing out a seat opposite him, she pushed herself up onto it and eyed the liquor bottle, it's amber contents swirling around almost hypnotically inside. She blinked up at him, noticing that his eyes were blood-shot. "Didn't get any sleep then? How's the arm?" She tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and tried not to seem too awkward around him.


Notes: It's lame, I do apologize ^^''

[Dominic Wolfe]

FUCK, there was another reason why he didn't drink in the morning; the freaking noise. Her voice, while oddly...melodic sounding, made his brain threaten to break his buzz and explode. Rubbing at his temples with his free arm, he growled when the bandages around his shoulder pulled. Dammit, this was getting old really damn fast.

Amusement flickered into his eyes as he watched her glance around the room a bit suspiciously. ‘Atta girl, he thought as he took another gulp straight from the bottle. Never trust anybody; his motto in life. There were just too many people waiting and willing to slit one’s throat just for the hell of it. He knew that fact first hand.

Hell, he was one of the ‘many people!’ But then again…he hadn’t killed her when he’d had the chance, had he? He could have left the bookshop when that stupid assassin came looking for his ass. He could’ve shoved her in the moron’s path, made a getaway and NOT gotten shot. Instead, he’d broken all his personal rules and…fuck, saved the little pixie.

That was just fucked up, man. Really fucked up; he couldn’t get over it. Or get the taste of ‘chivilrous’ out of his frikkin’ mouth. Gah, he needed another chug.

His mind was pulled back to the present as Belle spoke, and a chuckle rolled out of his lips. He kept forgetting that the kitten had claws, didn’t he? A gun…he wondered if she could even shoot the thing straight.

“I’ll remember that,” He drawled, pretending to be put off by the thread of being shot at. “You’re one scary lady when you want to be, Miz Belle.”

When the conversation turned to his shoulder, he took another chug. Almost curiously, he looked at her over his bottle. Didn’t she pick up on the ‘I might bite your face off’ vibes he was giving off that morning? Strange…most sane people stayed away from him unless invited to come closer. Either she was ignoring the signs, or she was even more…innocent than he thought.

Was it wrong to suddenly feel the allure to taint her? It probably was.

With nonchalant shrug, he put his bottle down and raised a brow at her. “It feels like rainbows and unicorns…what the hell you think?” He paused, sighed and sat back with a grumble. “Fuck…sorry. I haven’t slept, so I’m…grumpy.”

^{TAG - Belle
WORDS - a lot
NOTES - HEHE, you're post is bootiful, as usual. <3
TUNES - the comedown, bring me the horizon
CREDIT - MUNZTAR * of caution 2.0}

[Ysabelle Bernard]

Belle allowed a quiet laugh to escape her lips at his "scary" comment, shaking her head slowly and gently drumming her fingers upon the counter in front of her; somehow, she doubted that anything could scare the likes of him. He was a gang boss. That meant he'd seen some pretty heavy shit in his lifetime, right? Things that the petite brunette had only ever read about in the newspaper during her coffee break. Still, it hadn't been easy growing up where Belle was from. The village, although boring in comparison to the city, was just as dangerous sometimes. Especially for a young girl who spent most of her time looking after her "loony" father, as the other villagers put it. She'd spent all of her time and energy defending him against persecution, so it was only natural that she could take care of herself.

"Well, you'd be the same if you'd grown up the way I did", she began, before falling silent momentarily and glancing around at the place. It wasn't long before her gaze fell upon him again. "Though, I doubt even that would faze a criminal like you? You're used to being shot at, right?"

Yeah, she knew him. He was probably on the Most Wanted list over at the police department for the things he'd done or been part of. It was common knowledge that gangs around this place were some of the most dangerous in the world, but never in a million years did she think that she'd find herself having a conversation with a leader, let alone being a party to whatever the hell had gone down. Yesterday was a blur to her; and although at first she had been willing to keep it that way, she was still curious. Not just about whatever this whole thing was about, but also as to why he'd decided to be all noble and save her. Was it even in a mob boss's nature to think like that? Not from what she had heard.

Catching his harsh tone, Belle bristled slightly against it at first, but furrowed her brows, feeling quite annoyed; if there was anything she found most ugly in a human being, it was bad-temperedness. She eased up a little as he apologized almost as quickly as it had come however, nodding her head faintly.

"Alright, but don't think for one minute you can frighten me with your temper", she replied, a little sternly, crossing her arms and resting them upon the counter as she leaned forwards; like she said, she wasn't one to suffer fools. Belle picked up the bottle of whiskey curiously, examining it. "How many of these 'you had already?"

[Dominic Wolfe]

Easing back against the bar, Dom couldn’t help the small smile that pulled at his lips. She was laughing at him, and strangely enough, he really didn’t care. He couldn’t stop comparing her to the boys, but…damn, but this was something of a rarity for him. Normally, when he cracked a sarcastic joke like his ‘scary’ comment, those around him waited for him to start off the laughter before chancing a chuckle themselves. No one knew when he was about to go ape shit and shoot someone in the face for going out of turn.

It was a damn good thing that he’d gone and dismissed the gang, because his rep would have taken quite the beating if they saw the cozy little scene right then. Not to mention that he’d be obliged to lean over and steal a kiss, if only to keep his ‘jack ass mofo’ image intact.

“I wouldn’t call it being ‘used to’ getting shot at,” He drawled in reply, toying with his bottle. “It just doesn’t surprise me when a guy tries to blow my brains out. Guy in my line of work tends to expect the unexpected to jump up and bitch slap ya more often. But seriously, lady…you’re tellin’ me that you grew up hard?”

An incredulous look came onto his face then, as he made a show of looking her over. She spoke as if she had a hard life, but everything about her screamed ‘sheltered!’ Had she had to fight off pimps and players because her mom got too indebted to a drug dealer and sold her off to the highest bidder? Had she killed her first man when she was thirteen, after deciding life on the streets was better than the orphanage?

The gangster’s jaw tightened as he took another gulp of the booze and shook his head. If she was going to defend herself with a ‘I was made fun of in high school!’ he just might smack her upside the head and throw her outside to get shot at.

“Either you’re really brave, or really stupid. You should be afraid of me,” He growled the words as the liquor burned its way down his throat. Raising a brow as she inspected his whiskey, he turned to eye the other empty bottle near the end of the bar. “Had enough. Why? You wanna shot?”

^{TAG - Belle
WORDS - a lot
NOTES - Rawr.
TUNES - the comedown, bring me the horizon
CREDIT - MUNZTAR * of caution 2.0}

[Ysabelle Bernard]

"Well, maybe not to the extent that you've faced. I never had any excuse to start up a notorious gang", she began, quirking her brow, her finger tracing shapes upon the wooden surface habituously. She peered up at him with her hazel eyes and shrugged. She didn't really talk about life prior to her move to the big city, because thinking about it alone made her angry again.

"I had a tough time, mainly with my father. It's been just me and him for so long now. I had to look after him, protect him against the prejudices of other people because of the nature of his ... illness. I never had any time for myself, but that was okay. As long as my papa was safe. They tried to put him into some kind of asylum. A nuthouse, even. So, we were forced to leave town."

She finished, not caring if her story seemed pathetic in comparison to his; to her it wasn't. She had suffered a great deal at a young age too, just in a different way. It was no wonder she carried a gun these days, after the things they had done to her in the village all those years ago. Those people; they were living way too far in the past. And just because she was quiet, and her father a little eccentric, that was no reason to treat them they way they had.

Eyeing him after his little warning, Belle almost laughed but managed to stop herself in time, instead raising her brows and taking in the guy's strong physique from where she was perched upon her own stool; she was tiny next to him. Not that he was too muscular, like those scary looking bodybuilders you read about in the newspapers. It was a good build. Normally she'd be unable to quit staring, but not now. A part of her, however small, was still wary of him; still a little frightened. Belle was just less judgemental than most folk, so she didn't let someone snarling in her face put her off.

"I don't doubt that I should be afraid...but I'm not", she responded, a faint smirk flitting across her face. "The worst you can do is kill me, right? And yeah, go on then. If this is breakfast, I might aswell take it."

She removed the bottle cap, the smell of the whiskey almost knocking her for six; she wasn't usually one for the spirits, prefering a few beers at a football game anyday. Scrutinizing the contents again, she shook her head and took a huge gulp of the stuff, her face screwing up only slightly as she replaced the bottle onto the counter.

"Hell this stuff stinks", she began, coughing and making a face as the liquid burned her throat. Once she had recovered however, she licked her lips. "Actually, it's not bad once you get over the first taste."

[Dominic Wolfe]

Fucking hell…was he actually having a civil conversation? Without talking shop, giving out orders or threatening his daughter’s little ‘friends’ when they listened to her commands over his? Holy fucking shit, the world was about to end; Dominic Wolfe was actually sitting next to a woman and not a) feeling her up, or b) getting ready to stick a knife in her eye.

God, he had to make sure he didn’t get shot too often, because this was just downright weird. A little flicker of surprise- and even uneasiness, though he’d never admit it- flashed into his eyes as he watched her a bit suspiciously. Was she trying to divert his attention with that melodic voice and haunted expression? She was going to use that gun on him when he really put his guard down, wasn’t she? Going in there and being all…nice and shit; giving him that backhanded compliment- yeah, he was gonna take that as a compliment- about the gang and not going into a tirade about drinking so early. She was fixing on killing him, wasn’t she?

…Damn, he hoped not. A girl like her was just too frikking pretty to get shot up and buried in some shallow grave outside the city. Too pretty and…something. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but she was different somehow. Huh.

When she started talking about her father, Dom settled back in the seat with a grumble, jaw clenching as his shoulder whined in pain. Realizing that the button-up shirt he’d thrown on the other night when sleep refused to come was gaping open, giving the girl a good look at the scars and tats that littered his body, he was tempted to pull the lapels closed. The urge almost made him laugh; he wanted to cover up for her? Damn, things were really getting fuckin’ weird…

And if that weren’t strange enough, the words that came to mind before he could stop them should have made him call the local white coats.
“You know,” He said, in a conversational tone. “If you want, I could always go and kill the fuckers who messed with you and your Pops. Fuckers like that, the ones that judge with their eyes closed; they don’t deserve to breathe the same air as you.”

Ah gah, that made him uncomfortable; he was actually bonding with her, or something. But hell, he knew exactly what it felt like to be ridiculed like she described. People looked at him and screamed ‘animal!’ despite the few good things he’d done over the years…like donate half his take to the local orphanage, for new beds. But when his name kept being associated solely with murderer and gangster, he’d stopped trying. What would it be like to have a woman like Belle protect his name?

He shook the thought off before it could take root. Ha…just like everyone else, the girl was around ‘cause she needed him for something. And when that something ran out, she’d be gone. It was the way of the world…and anyway, she didn’t belong in his world. Not even a little bit.

At her little admission of her lack of fear, an amused expression crossed onto his face. “You’re a strange woman, Belle,” He said with a small shake of his head. A wolfish grin slid onto his lips at her face as she took a gulp of the whiskey. “Damn straight; ‘s the good stuff. A few more gulps of that and you’ll be dancing on the table and feeling no pain.”

^{TAG - Belle
WORDS - a lot
NOTES - Rawr.
TUNES - the comedown, bring me the horizon
CREDIT - MUNZTAR * of caution 2.0}

[Ysabelle Bernard]

Belle smiled a little, a soft laugh issuing from her as he told her he could have those nasty villagers killed, if she wanted him to. In a sick way, it was sort of sweet. And totally unexpected, considering she had never expected that the gangster before her would even listen to her woes, let alone defend them. Still, it wasn't fair on her to judge him like that, even silently. The first day since they'd known each other had been just so completely overwhelming that she didn't know what to think about him; particularly when she found out about who he was.

Her immediate thoughts went back to those horrible people from her past; was he one of them too? Was he some kind of animal, who went around killing people and bringing trouble wherever he went? But now that she was calm and had time to sleep - to think about things - she didn't think that was the case. Sure, he was a little coarse and rough around the edges, and admittedly he still put the fear of god into her when he lost his temper, but she was also beginning to see a more civilized side to the man in front of her.

"No, it's alright. We're far away from them now, that's what counts. Maybe someone will burn down the place and they'll get what they deserve someday, but to be honest I don't care", she responded, shrugging before looking up at him slowly, as though seeing him for the first time, in a new light. Her expression changed, brightening a little. "Thanks though. I don't usually like to talk about it much...most people wouldn't understand."

Noticing that his shirt had come undone slightly, she couldn't help but see the ink-work he'd had done, not to mention the scarring. Intrigued, a part of her was tempted to ask about them, but then, realizing that she was openly staring, she felt a heat rise in her cheeks and looked away immediately. Great, she could add "perv" to her list of newfound skills, along with gangster's moll and party-to-crime. Belle mentally smacked herself.

"I'm strange? Why's that?", she responded, raising her brow but unable to shake the playful smirk that had now spread across her lips. She laughed slightly at his comment about dancing on the table and shook her head. "Considering the amount you seem to have packed away this morning, I'm surprised you aren't up there right now doing the robot."

Unable to help herself, she stole another quick gulp, this time reacting a little more gracefully to the taste. She nodded her approval, flicking a stray curl from her face and grinning a little before looking around at the place again. It was strange to see it so empty and quiet, compared with the craziness of the night before.


Notes: *is considering a drunken Belle* Scary, haha.

[Dominic Wolfe]

The new expression on her face was making him itch, he thought with a little grumble as he shifted in his seat. When he’d offered to kill whoever had hurt her in her younger years, he’d meant it…but damn, whatever the hell was flickering in those pretty eyes was definitely not something he expected to see. It was almost as if she…what? Respected him? Ha, yeah right; she was probably just really happy that he was a conversational drunk, rather than an angry one.

If that were the case, she ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Heh.

“Well, you’re a damn straight better person than I am,” He said, after stealing his bottle back with a little grin. Saluting her with it, he took a gulp and then passed it back. “I was never one to let things lie with people who pissed me off. Guess you can call it a temper problem.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought. Those who knew him would say that that was the understatement of the year…but it was a code he lived by; ‘you don’t start no shit, I won’t give you no shit. But if you bring the shit…you’ll die in it.’ After living a life like his, it was really the only road to take. Show any weakness- and forgiveness, mercy, sympathy; those were all signs of weakness in his line of work- and that was it. Caput; lights out and game over. He had worked too hard and bled too much to be killed because he’d let some mook get away with harassing him in some way.

…Then again, the same could be said for his harboring a civilian, but he wasn’t going to go into that line of thought again. He was having a hard enough time understanding exactly why he was sitting there having a conversation with the woman in the first place, when his modem operandi was to seduce her to death.

When she thanked him, the gangster only inclined his head in response. It was kind of weird; how the urge to grin was too hard to fight when he saw her expression brighten. With a low chuckle, he managed a shrug with his good shoulder.

“C’mon…you know you gotta be a bit strange if you ain’t tryin’ to kick my ass for dragging you to the Den. Not to mention that you’re the first woman I’ve met in a long time who actually wants to talk, instead of tryin’ to get a favor outta me, or stabbing me in the back. You’re strange.”

Crossing one leg over the other, he leaned back with a small smirk of his own. He’d caught her eyes on his chest and was half tempted to strip it off and really give her a show. The urge to cover up was gone now, after seeing the blush on her cheeks.

With a snort at her ‘robot’ comment, he just shook his head. “Nah, that ain’t enough to get me that plastered by a long shot. I’m practically immune to booze at this stage in the game. You, however…just be careful; I call that particular brand of whiskey the ‘Fire Brand,’ ‘cause of the potency. You’re such a lightweight that a few more gulps in and you will be face planted on the floor.”

A teasing light came into his eyes as he raised a brow at her and glanced down at the bottle in her hands.

---
((HAHA, do ittttt. >D Ah man, I can hear Dom now; ‘do take advantage of her, or not to take advantage of her…LOL ))

^{TAG - Belle
WORDS - a lot
NOTES - Rawr.
TUNES - the comedown, bring me the horizon
CREDIT - MUNZTAR * of caution 2.0}

[Ysabelle Bernard]

"Hm."

She considered what he said about her being the better person, but shrugged; to her, it wasn't necessarily being "better" than he was, as such, it was just that she didn't want to be tarnished with the same brush as those who had caused herself and her father such misery. Watching him take the bottle back, she traced some shapes softly against the skin of her arm with her forefinger, before speaking.

"There's nothing wrong with that way of thinking. Or having a temper, really", she began. "I mean, it's not pretty, but it's a perfectly normal human reaction. I just...I have a lot more patience than most people. Always been the same. Just don't fuck me over, and I won't need to bite back."

She smiled a bit, still trying her damnest to avoid openly gawping at his exposed areas; it was proving to be a little difficult, though she had to admit than even with a few swigs of that whiskey, he had been right. Man, was she feeling it. That was some lethal poison. Giving herself a little shake, she laughed at his explanation as to why he thought she was strange; it wouldn't have been the first time that someone had found her odd. People just didn't seem to get her. They got that she was a natural beauty, polite and caring, yes. But they couldn't seem to get their heads around the fact that there was more to her. That she was fiesty and unpredictable at times.

"Really? And, um...do you think that's a bad thing?", she quizzed softly, her lips curling slightly at the corner; again, she shook herself. Was she-? Was she flirting? Blinking a few times and shaking her head, she tried to shrug off the effects of the alcohol but it was proving impossible.

Well, when in Rome.

Her fingers wandered craftily across the wooden bar until she grasped the neck of the bottle and took another swig of the amber liquid. She failed to take notice of his little warning, instead grinning there like a cheshire cat, before laughing out loud.

"Oh c'mon. Live a little, it's not like anyone's here to judge you. Except me, and I...I'm not the type to...hic!"

She clapped a hand to her mouth, eyes wide and a rosy tint appearing on her cheeks again.

Notes: Hehehe. Let the games begin xD

[Dominic Wolfe]

Dom’s brows rose slightly in surprise when she spoke of his temperament being…good Lord, was she actually calling him normal? He didn’t know whether to burst out laughing or smack her common sense back into commission. The girl was just full of surprises, wasn’t she? She really wasn’t fuckin’ afraid of him…gah, he just didn’t know how to react to her. On the one hand, he wanted to embrace this new bout of ‘unexpected bitch slapping,’ and on the other, he could practically feel his reputation rotting away.

This was the first and last time he was going to play the good guy…in any sense of the word. Making sure one beautiful lady didn’t get shot up was enough for a lifetime. Gah.

Reaching out, he snagged the bottle for another chug as he gave her a thoughtful look. She talked like one of his own fold, he couldn’t help but think. “Guess we follow the same motto.”

When she laughed, he couldn’t help a chuckle himself, especially when he watched how her face scrunched up with each gulp of the whiskey. Was she trying to show off, or something; make sure he knew that she was as formidable as he in all ways? He knew that there were some very deep holes in the woman- holes that he was very interested in…studying- that he couldn’t begin to uncover, but to know that they had a belief in common was surprising.

Maybe she wasn’t as soft and innocent as he thought. Words like those meant that she was willing to act if she were threatened. Good to know…very good to know.

He felt her eyes on his chest, as covert as they were meant to be, and felt the ridiculous urge to start flexing some muscles. Shaking his head at himself, he just watched her, enjoying the play of emotion on her face. It was strangely easy; sitting there so casually with her like this. He felt like he could say almost anything to her…fuck, that wasn’t strange, it was insane. Maybe he should cut back on the booze—

A bark of laughter escaped him. Damn, if anything, she knew how to meet him tit for tat, didn’t she? “I guess it ain’t so bad. You’re…interesting. I like that. Nowadays, everything seems to be the same thing over and over.”

At her smile, he couldn’t help but steal the bottle back and take another gulp. At her ‘live a little’ comment, he almost choked on it. “Live a little? Woman, I don’t need to live anymore; I’m already on my way to Hell,” Another chuckle rumbled out of his chest as she hiccupped and, a bit challengingly, he slid the bottle back across the counter toward her.

“You on the other hand; you look like you need some loosening up. Lemme guess; you’ve never gotten drunk in the middle of the day with a stranger, right?”


---
((HA, you so baaaad. >D ))

^{TAG - Belle
WORDS - a lot
NOTES - Rawr.
TUNES - the comedown, bring me the horizon
CREDIT - MUNZTAR * of caution 2.0}

[Ysabelle Bernard]

"Yeah, tell me about it."

She exhaled softly, shaking her head; he had certainly hit the nail on the head there. Everything was so repetitive and mundane; day-to-day life, activities, men. She was tired of everything these days; she wanted more out of her life than what other people expected. She had never been content with just settling down, and following the herd. It wasn't Belle's style. She liked the escape from reality that a good book could offer, and had chosen her business and freedom over a husband, three kids and a dog. Even when most of her friends had already flocked towards that lifestyle. That wasn't to say there weren't men; she'd had offers, plenty of them too. But her mind was set, and it seemed that the bookshop was the closest she would ever get to achieving her dreams, for now.

And along came Dom to shake things up a bit.

"Well I've been drunk at this time before, sure...but I don't make it a habit. And certainly not with a stranger."

She raised her brows, surprised as he slid the bottle back to her and laughed - a gruff but endearing laugh. Was he, challenging her? That's right; he must've thought this was all very entertaining, watching her foolish ass slowly begin to slurr as a result of the alcohol. Not that she cared, given the slight haze that had fallen across her features now, her face glowing a warm red. Eyeing him curiously for a second, her gaze slid to the bottle and she stared at it for a couple of seconds, poking her tongue out at the corner of her mouth slightly in concentration. It didn't take long, however, for her to decide. She was going to prove that she wasn't just some prissy little girl.

Picking up the bottle, Belle brought it to her lips again and took a swig. This time, there was no burning sensation, her senses completely numb to the taste. She placed it back onto the bar with a low thud and looked up at him - admittedly, seeing two of him. Shaking it off, she slid the bottle back to him and eyed him once more. Although she hadn't been quite as meek as he probably thought she'd be, in the short time she'd known him so far, Belle had held back from getting too personal with the gangster. She wasn't stupid, so she knew that it was touch and go with the likes of him. Now however, the brunette was anything but afraid. Still avoiding looking at his ... tattoos? - Belle tilted her head to the side.

"So, what's your story anyway?", she asked, in a hushed tone, before adding - as though in defense of herself. "I gave you mine."

[Dominic Wolfe]

Gabe raised a brow at her little agreement. Did she know? In his life, he prided himself on being the baddest baddy in the world; the one who could beat anyone in a fight and out think anyone in the great game of intrigue. But when one resigned himself to such a fate, the challenges he faced tended to…dull down a bit, over time. He’d been running The Hoods for almost ten years now, and it was always the same; the same bad guys, the same would-be usurpers, the same fanatical cops. There wasn’t anything that he feared anymore and truthfully, it was kind of sad.

Because emotions like fear made sure a man knew he was still alive. Hell, it was a fuckin’ blessing if he felt anything at all, anymore. Guess that meant he was more than halfway in the grave, huh?

Damn. And here he’d been hoping for one last fling before he died…maybe a drunken Belle would scratch that itch. He couldn’t help but smirk at the thought.

“You mean, after my getting shot to make sure you don’t get your face blown in, you still call me a stranger?” He couldn’t help but drawl in reply. Stretching his legs out next to hers, he crossed his ankles and watched her with a little tilt to his lips. She was so damn feisty; more so when she was drunk, he couldn’t help but notice. Where there’d been weariness and even a healthy dose of discomfort at being so close to him, now she merely looked at him with a clarity to her gaze that made him start shifting.

If this one wanted to, she could see right through him, he thought with an inner growl. It was official; he either had to fuck her, or throw her out of the Den. Either way, she was a danger to him.

…Not that any of THAT common sense stopped the wide smile from donning his lips, as she met his challenge and took a swig of the Fire. Hot damn, but she was frikkin’ cute when she was doing her best to defy him. Leaning over, he took hold of the bottle and took his own swig…and tried not to think about how he’d like to taste her mouth in a completely different way. For fuck’s sake, he really needed to get laid.

It took him a minute to fully process what she’d asked, and when he did, a scowl replaced the amused grin. What the hell did she care what his story was? He really did hate talking about the past, and there were just some windows that those soulful little eyes were not going to be peering into. Playing with the bottle, he took his time answering.

“Not much of a story to tell,” He said, sliding the bottle back toward her. “I grew up on the streets, worked as a runner for some small time drug dealer, then took over his operation when he got stupid with his suppliers. Been sitting pretty ever since.”

^{TAG - Belle
WORDS - a lot
NOTES - Rawr.
TUNES - the comedown, bring me the horizon
CREDIT - MUNZTAR * of caution 2.0}

[Ysabelle Bernard]

Belle raised her brow at that comment, giving it a once over in her head; it was true that he had kept her safe - even though his "nature" meant that he could have just chucked her aside and left her to die. But to be honest, she didn't think that was his true nature. She didn't doubt that he'd done some petty or ruthless things to strangers no better or worse than herself in the past, but there was something in his eyes - she thought as she looked straight into them while he was speaking - that just didn't sit right with his whole "big bad gangster" schtick. Being the silent, observant type as a kid, she'd picked up a knack for analysing those around her, to the point where she was almost always accurate in her views. No, there was just something different. Like he was so used to this life and of seeing people as nothing other than objects or jobs, that even if there was a side to him that wasn't so morally corrupt, there was very little chance of things changing any time soon.

"Why didn't you just leave me?"

The question had escaped her lips before she even had time to register it. She couldn't help it. Curiosity was certainly one of Belle's flaws. Not that it wasn't natural to be curious, of course. It just tended to get her into trouble sometimes, that was all. Shifting her gaze slightly, she braced herself for his temper to flare at her prying into his mind. He didn't say much about himself, and he didn't seem like the type to want to discuss thoughts and feelings - and she could understand that, to some degree. She didn't think that she was anything special though, so it wasn't a simple case of wondering whether or not he cared about her. After all, they didn't know each other that well, and judging by who he was and his reputation, he cared about no one. Well, except maybe his daughter? The brunette could only wonder.

Watching him take the bottle and bring it to his lips again, she reached a hand up to smooth back the stray strand of silky hair that seemed to fall into her eyes all of the time, rolling her eyes a little, before smiling serenely. The alcohol did a good job of calming her nerves, it seemed. It helped when she caught sight of the wide smile that had now graced his rugged features; she couldn't help but blush again. Of course, it was short-lived when his expression changed to a much darker one at her question. She bit her lip, even although the damage was done. As she listened, her hand automatically reaching for the whiskey bottle in turn as he passed it back to her, she took a swig, feeling sparkled now. She cradled the bottle in her hands and raised her brows at his brief tale, nodding slowly. A part of her wanted to poke further, but then that look he wore made her hold back; it was kind of scary.

"That must've been tough. I should feel privelleged, I guess", she replied, sensing his unease at talking about his past. "So, um...what is there to do here? For fun, I mean." The swift change in tact had been necessary.