The Morning After
♤ Darius M Cain ♤, & ☽Masha ☾
Time
Day 3~ Around 1 P.M.
Location
Darius' Manor within Ominar
The sleep after their ‘discussion’ had been lovely. Between the physical draining of energy, the clearing of her mind of all the little things she'd actually come there to talk to him about, and the rest of the Vodka that she'd padded downstairs to get afterwards, along with her bag, had been enough to make her sleepy again. Add in that laying in a bed with him was like having a human sized cat to curl up with. Which she was at least smart enough to not say out loud to him. She didn't think he'd appreciate that comparison.
Even after he had gotten out of bed, she slept well. Curled up under the covers with her hair a tangled mess fanned out around her slightly. When she started to come to, she wasn't entirely sure what time it was. All she knew was that she had a bit of a hangover and she was feeling the itch that came with having gone longer than she normally did without her numbing drug. Groaning, she rolled over onto her back, stretching out for a moment before she even opened her eyes.
She turned her head some at what she thought might be the sound of footsteps out in the hall. And that's when she noted that she was alone in bed. Pouting a little at the fact that he had left her, she sat herself up on her elbows and slowly cracked open her eyes to see how much light might be coming in through the curtains.
The feet came to stop at the edge of the doorway as it cracked open, widening to reveal Darius casually walking into the room. He looked ready for the day. Over his torso was a crisp, ironed long sleeved white shirt buttoned at the wrists and necked decorated with a tie that was folded over by the collar. On top of that was a vintage black vest with two sets of buttons falling down the front and completely sleeveless. It was completed with a pair of leather shoes and well made slacks, while allowed his twin tails to hang out loosely and unhindered.
Pausing a moment to adjust his collar then his wrist, Darius flashed Masha a courteous nod before he spoke,
“Good afternoon. When you’re ready, we’ll stop for a meal then get right down to business. It would be best to have a game plan before you’re introduced as the bar’s new owner and Cortes learns he’s working underneath you.” When she saw that it was him she smiled some and sat up more. “It definitely feels like the afternoon,” she murmured scooting back against the pillows some and making herself a comfortable little nest of them to lean against while she maybe ate. She rubbed at the remainder of her eyeliner, most of which she'd washed off in the shower anyways, yawning as she tried to get her brain to process the words out of her mouth into English.
“Not so bad working under me, is it?” she asked with a little laugh, her English heavily accented, the fact that Russian was her first language very obvious. She smirked as she looked him over more now that she was fuller awake. She very much approved of his wardrobe choices. And she also very much did not want to talk business right that moment.
Darius surveyed Masha’s actions when he noted she had made herself more comfortable in bed rather than getting dressed. For a moment, perhaps, he wondered if she hadn’t heard him correctly about ‘stopping for a meal’ and assumed he was going to bring some up. He even found the notion ridiculous. There was few individuals who had reached a certain level of respect to earn it and ignoring the fact he only did it occasionally, one lustful night only proved there was attraction and likely nothing more.
It was time to enlightened her misunderstanding.
He casually cut the distance between her and the bed, his figure moved with enough discipline to show he was in a business state of mind at the moment. With his hands in his lap, Darius’ golden eyes seemed to harden and nonverbally indicated his disapproval at her adjustment. His muzzle moved to make it perfectly clear they were heading out,
“You’ll need to get dress because we’re going out to a restaurant on the way toward the club. The reservation will expire in an hour and there is still things we must discuss.” Darius waited for her reply but his stance made it clear: he didn’t take kindly to his time being wasted when there was work to be done and their fun had already been had.
Masha watched the shift in his face and his stance. She hadn't expected him to be quite like this, especially as soon as she'd woken up. She was used to being the bossy one as well. So this was newfound ground for her and she wasn't sure that she liked it. But she figured that it was probably wise not to be too defiant to him. Especially not when she still needed his help.
Licking her lips some, she nodded her head. “I can have a few moments?” she asked, eyeing her bag for a moment while she shifted towards the edge of the bed. She'd get dressed, if that's what she needed to do, though she rather not. But she wasn't going to be leaving the house without a little pick-me-up. Even if it was in theory a ‘downer’.
The Kitsune’s posture remained the same for several moments as if to consider her request. It was difficult to tell by his body language alone what he was thinking, this behavior often only shown to her father or brother in private rather than publicly and only when they were getting dangerously close to crossing a line he had established. Thankfully Masha pulled back causing him to visibly relax then reply,
“Of course. I’ll leave you to freshen up while I get the car ready, I think you’ll like where we’re going.” He had risen upright then walked toward the door before he came to a stop. His figure turned and added in a softer tone,
“One thing to remember: one sign of weakness and the gangs are like hunting dogs. Being the ‘fox’ isn’t just figurative, but literal for me if I seem too lenient. When I make a request of you, please keep that in mind.” If she had ears like Darius, she was sure that they probably would have lowered at the way he was speaking to her. She wasn't used to being talked to like that and she hadn’t expected him to be quite so business like when they weren't directly talking about business. But she couldn't muster up the anger just then to be a temperamental brat just because she hadn't gotten her way.
“Duly noted,” she murmured, sliding the rest of the way out of bed and heading for her discarded dress without any shame in her lack of dress. She gathered up clothes and bag and headed for the bathroom. She didn't take too long, and when she returned she was dressed, and looked a deal more mellow as well. Though her hair was still unbrushed, it was a bit more tame. But if he wanted to make it there in an hour, she'd have to brush it in the car. There was just too much hair for waiting around.
Darius was waiting calmly in the car. His hand rested under his muzzle as his eyes stared out into the landscape of his window, deep in thought. The Fox had been thinking about his behavior earlier and turned it over in his mind in the form of self evaluation. It had seem a bit more harsh than he intended, but he couldn’t risk her assuming he was weak. Even one mention of it outside the bedroom would have the gangs breathing down his neck before he could do damage control.
The world he lived in fed off the weak like parasites, there was no denying that.
Any sense of caring too much, without trust she wouldn’t slip up, would be enough to place a target on someone’s back. It would likely be hers, either from the gang or much worse, Szayeis himself. The latter was only going to happen if the Nightwalker become interested in his ‘son’s’ personal life. The notion pulsed a heavy dose of anxiety through Darius’ heart causing him to stiffen and jump to attention when Masha entered the car, shutting the door behind her.
His ear twitched as he began to word the apology he was building up to in his head,
“Masha,” using her first name for the first time since he met her,
“May I ask you how much of your father’s business you were exposed to? And what was your impression of what you witnessed? It will make sense why I asked these questions in a moment.” He turned his eyes into her direction, politely waiting for her reaction to his questions.
She settled herself in the seat and pulled out her brush right away to get started on her hair. She wasn't looking at him, but not intentionally so. So when he spoke, she turned to blink at him some while she processed what he'd said. “All of it,” she said, still trying to figure out where he was going with this, especially when actually using her chosen nickname. “I've been my father’s secretary since I was seventeen, and I knew most of what was going on from a very young age.” She went back to pulling the brush through her hair before answering his second question. “I've never been particularly bothered by any of it really, if that's what you're asking.”
“Not what I was fishing for. Mainly I was wondering how much experience you have had with dealings toward individuals that didn’t quite see eye to eye with your father,” Darius explained and inhaled, sharply, to clear his head of the thoughts running through his attention,
“Another thing to be aware of is that his methods are considered mild compared to mine when I’m forced to personally correct them. Trust and mistakes are a luxury I am not allowed to share with anyone. It’s now a habit to show a distant and business relationship with others, one I have developed over a span of two-hundred years.” Darius gestured for the driver to begin to pull out before he continued,
“You’re going to see facets of my personality, both good and bad, while you’re working under me. Currently, I took a risk with you last night and I hope it won’t turn out like the last one. A rare apology is in order from me for my behavior earlier, but please keep in mind my last words. You’re about to learn for yourself how dangerous Ominar’s underbelly is while trying to run the club.” Masha tilted her head a little curiously, lips pursed slightly as she thought through her answer. “I have seen my share of darkness and death,” she said with an unconcerned shrug of her shoulders. “I know it isn't exactly what you might do, but I'm no stranger to it either.”
“It’s easy to believe that now, but I assure you… that opinion could change in the future,” Darius commented in a non judgemental or sarcastic tone, but one of concern about when that time would come.
She tried not to think too much about their age gap. Because while she enjoyed older men in general, the two centuries between them was much larger than most of her other lovers had ever had. “I can keep my personal life out of my business life,” she said with confidence. “What we did last night will not be something that will affect my running of the club. And if Cortes thinks that he's going to be able to use what happened or what might happen against me he’ll have to learn I am just as much not to be trifled with as you, even if you are the bigger threat.”
Darius digested her words. He was slightly amused that she seemed to forget she had no reputation to show she could be one and he seemed to toy with the proper words to explain the truth of the matter. After a moment, he broke the silence that had settled,
“I have little doubt, but… It won’t be you he’ll be targeting.”The Fox adjusted to prevent stiffness from edging into his body.
“You have no reputation for Cortes to believe you will be a threat to him in any way, but you are a way to hurt my reputation instead. By having you replace him as the new club owner, you become a representation of my influence,” starting the conversation with the small clarification over her assumption,
“This means that any failures or successes reflect upon me. If you fail beyond recovery, I look weak and I will have to end up correcting it. So Cortes will try to make you fail, kill you or worse until you prove you’re not a pawn to be played. Then he’ll consider you a threat.” Masha looked at him with a surprising amount of sincerity in her eyes given the effects of the morphine in her system just then. “I will not let you down,” she said softly, placing a hand gently on his knee. Even if he wasn't willing to be outright affectionate to her just then, didn't mean she couldn't be a little. She could keep work and play separate, but it was just the two of them just now, so she saw no need for such a firm barrier to it. “I may not have a reputation now, but I will not let that mean I can't establish one quickly.”
A smile crossed his muzzle briefly in appreciation over her understanding. Darius seemed to envy her freedom to show affection and weakness without suffering the price for it, through it wouldn’t last forever if she rose high enough into the ranks. Not wanting to dwell on the facts of life, his words turn to a topic they had yet to address: her plans for the club.
“We shall see. It’s harder and harsher than it looks after all. Now, shall we talk about your plan for dealing with the club’s current… issues? I’m still curious to know why you believe Cortes might know what’s coming next in regards to your ownership,” Darius wanted to hear her impressions first before making his own suggestions,
“You made it seem like he specifically targeted you rather than Ms. Patel and I’m wondering if I’m missing information.” She smirked at his smile, glad he hadn't pushed her hand away. But she understood not returning it more. She just wanted him to know that she was interested in more of what they'd had last night. With a little squeeze to his leg, she resumed brushing her hair when he asked his next question.
When he put it like that, now that her brain was not so distracted as it had been the night before with other things, she realized that maybe she'd thought too much of herself. That she'd just assumed, after the fact, that he wouldn't do something so stupid over a bartender who might have gossiped about someone taking some stir sticks home from the bar. Her ego had made herself more important to the situation than just a coincidental bystander. But she could of course not say that to him. She had a hard enough time admitting it to herself, she didn't need him to think that that might be a problem for her.
So she shrugged a little and looked out the window for a second. “Maybe I just thought I heard something,” she said a little offhandedly, “I was a little drunk at the time and had just been awoken after all.” When she looked back to him she smiled and didn't seem at all like she'd just had a moment of internal crisis over her ego. “As for dealing with the problem at hand...that depends on his willingness to seemingly cooperate.”
“Indeed. Jumping to conclusions are just as dangerous as not being paranoid enough,” Darius commented. He seemed pleased with her reaction and acceptance so far, a few silent moments passed before he spoke again,
“I will tell you now, he’ll play nice at first. He’ll test the waters and you. The most important thing in Ominar is that all conflicts are played in shadows and from sight or I become involved. Even with my own people.” She nodded her head as she brushed her hair back over her shoulder now that she was finished getting the bed tangles out. “I like working in shadows,” she said, sounding very understanding. She was very used to that already from her father's work. It would be simple, for her brain at least, to continue on with that. She would just need to build her own little circle of people to fulfill tasks for her like Darius and her father had. So she added that to her mental to do list and looked to him with a smile. “I play nice at first, too. But I don't let people walk all over me.”
“This will be the first test of that then. I hope you can manage it,” He replied then noticed the car had grinded to a stop, the driver had pulled his head over the seat top to inform them. Darius merely raised a paw to quiet the man’s words.
The Fox’s attention turned to the door and popped it open, casually pulling out of his seat. He came to pause at the exit and continued to hold it, his other hand held out to assist Masha into the sidewalk like a proper gentleman.
Masha raised an eyebrow at his offer, but took his hand and his help sliding out of the car and let him lead her into the very nice restaurant. “My,” she murmured, smirking, “I think i could get used to more business breakfasts if this is the kind of place that you take people.”
