[b][color=red][center]FLASHBACK[/center][/color][/b] [color=lightgray][center][h1][color=D0B4EC]Lottie[/color] & [color=lightsteelblue]Cas[/color] Part 6[/h1] [img]https://i.imgur.com/3xLx2dH.png[/img] [b][color=D0B4EC]Time:[/color][/b] Sola 26th [b][color=lightsteelblue]Location:[/color][/b] Rosegate [b][color=lightsteelblue]Mention:[/color][/b] [@Tpartywithzombi] Violet [/center] Cassius’s smirk faltered. His eyes fell away from hers. The word hung in the air, heavier than it had any right to be. Kind. He had been called many things in his life—most of them curses, spat from the lips of men and women who had every reason to hate him. A bastard. A brute. A mercenary. Even [i]scourge[/i]. But kind. It had been some time since anyone had used that word to describe him. His fingers curled slightly against the stem of his wine glass. The instinct to deflect, to joke, to turn it into something lighter was there. But he let the moment breathe, let the weight of her words settle into the cracks of his carefully crafted armor. Finally, he exhaled, his voice quieter than before. [b][color=lightsteelblue]“Not to everyone.”[/color][/b] he admitted, meeting her gaze with something softer than his usual arrogance. [b][color=lightsteelblue]“But I do make exceptions for those worth being kind to.”[/color][/b] His words drew a brief exhale from Charlotte as a wide genuine smile crossed her face. Grabbing his own fork, Cassius let his patented smile return and his eyes met hers once more. [b][color=lightsteelblue]“Speaking of kind… I’ve decided to be a [b]real[/b] gentleman and let you have the first taste of this—let’s be honest—perfect meal.“[/color][/b] Charlotte gasped as if she had been bestowed the highest honor of the land. [b][color=D0B4EC]“Really!”[/color][/b] she breathed, her eyes twinkling with delight. A determined little furrow formed between her brows as she bit her lip, setting her sights on the prize before her. With unnecessary enthusiasm, she carefully took up her knife and fork, cutting into the steak. Once she had a piece ready for the taking, she stabbed it and then lifted it triumphantly. Then perhaps, overdramatically, Charlotte placed it into her mouth. The moment the rich flavors hit her tongue, her expression softened into sheer bliss. Her eyes lit up and she swayed slightly in her seat, the fork lingering in her mouth. After a moment, she finally delivered a comment. [b][color=D0B4EC] “ Oh—Oh that’s simply unfair.”[/color][/b] She giggled and held up a finger, [b][color=D0B4EC] “I may need a moment. This is a life-changing experience.”[/color][/b] As Charlotte savored her first bite, Cassius dug into his own meal with no less enthusiasm. And damn it all, she was right. It was a life-changing experience. The steak was cooked to perfection, rich and tender, bursting with flavors that paired sinfully well with the full-bodied wine that just kept on flowing. They fell into an easy rhythm—forks cutting, glasses clinking, the air between them filled with warmth and quiet laughter. By the time the plates were cleared, and two had found themselves somewhere between their 3rd and 4th glass of wine, the tension of the day had unraveled entirely. The open-air was full with their conversation meandering as the drinks loosened their tongues and dulled the sharper edges of their worries. Cassius found himself right at home in this space, smack dab in the middle of a story. [b][color=lightsteelblue]"So, there I was, enjoying a peaceful night stroll—because, you know, I have such refined and cultured hobbies—when I found scraps of fabric on the ground. Now, most men would see that and keep walking, but I’m nothing if not a curious bastard, and it looked too much like a path leading to something [i]less than savory[/i]. And wouldn’t you know it, I hear a scuffle just beyond the trees.” [/color][/b] Cassius, tipping his wine glass slightly, watching the deep red liquid swirl lazily, leaned forward, eyes gleaming as he recounted the moment. [b][color=lightsteelblue] “I slip in, silent as a shadow, and what do I find? A bleeding man standing over a woman—her face pale as death, but mouth smeared in blood. And the bastard was about to lay hands on her. Now, I’m no knight, but I don’t much like the sight of a man towering over a woman like he owns her. So, I did what any self-respecting [i]hero[/i] would do.” [/color][/b] He grinned wickedly, gesturing vaguely with his hand. [b][color=lightsteelblue] “I pointed my axe at the bastard and told him to calm the fuck down—or else I’d color the rest of him with his own blood. Charming, I know. But here’s the kicker—while I’m making my grand entrance, the other fool comes running up saying something about guards taking down their men, and suddenly they realize their little kidnapping scheme is falling apart.” [/color][/b] Cassius exhaled sharply, shaking his head. [b][color=lightsteelblue] “Of course, being the intellectual giants they were, their master plan quickly devolved into ‘grab the girl and run.’ And that’s when the fun started. The guy with the sword thought he could outmatch me.” [/color][/b] He scoffed. [b][color=lightsteelblue] “Poor fool didn’t last long. Broke his nose, dodged a few panicked swings, then cracked his skull open with my axe. Messy business, really. Meanwhile, the woman is out here clawing at the other one like a wild animal. She was quite the spectacle, Charlotte—a vicious little thing.” [/color][/b] His expression darkened slightly, his fingers drumming against the table in dramatic fashion. [b][color=lightsteelblue] “The last one—the ringleader—he got away. Dropped some ominous threats before vanishing into the night, but by then, I had more pressing matters to deal with.” [/color][/b] He leaned back, shaking his head in mock disbelief. [b][color=lightsteelblue] “And do you know the first the poor girl—whom I had just saved from some rather nasty thugs—said to me?” [/color][/b] His lips curled into a smirk. [b][color=lightsteelblue] “Not 'thank you,' not 'who are you?' No, she looks me dead in the eye and says, ‘You should have let them kill me.’” [/color][/b] His eyes dropped to the swirling wine once again as he took a sip and pondered the weirdness of it all. [b][color=lightsteelblue] “What a hell of a way to meet my sister, eh?”[/color][/b] [/color]