Thought you Could get Away? (Gabriel)

[Gabriel Seran]

It was quiet and he respected that the time he'd spent with her and consideration for Eva's feelings made him stop to consider but he could not allow it. He waited on her for a moment giving it obvious thought. A spark of anger shot out of him.

"No... I cannot allow it, your safety is of my concern!" He snarled in a brutal voice turning away not letting her see too much of it.

Truth was he was angry with himself not her asking, how could he have ever considered to let her get in harms way however capable she was. Matrim was a monster, dispite his appearence he was a ticking time bomb. That chess game revealed so much more.

"I'm sorry..." He mumbled in a low tone with his back still towards her. "I can't have you getting hurt. You have to understand... I..."

He stopped smoothly choosing not to say anything at all. He didn't know what he was about to say, though nonetheless he needed to protect her from harm. He cared for Eva, far too much to consider her being anything but safe.

[Eva Fortescue]

Eva’s lips parted to say something more, but nothing came out as Gabriel lashed his furies at her. Her eyes fell to the floor then, an obvious sadness in her features. He really was against her helping him…the thought itself seemed to be causing him pain. She became disheartened. She shouldn’t have said anything. Because of her negligence she had made him angry.

But…she would not abandon him. Even if it caused him to hate her, the one thing that made her shiver when she thought about it, it was better then letting him suffer alone. This time however, she chose not to speak her thoughts, she only listened. Gabriel was quick to apologize, his smooth voice dying down to a normal tone. He never did finish his sentence.

Eva lifted her head and stared at his back, waiting for him to finish. For some reason her heart was pounding furiously in her chest. She had never known Gabriel had cared for her so much.

“Gabriel….please just…I.”

She had taken a step forward, a hand outstretched towards him. She wanted to embrace him, tell him it was because she cared for him so much that she was willing to stay and help him. Her hand fell short, just before her fingertips could come close enough to brush his back. Since when did associates embrace their employers? Eyes to the floor, hand back to her side, she spoke.

“I understand. Please forgive me for speaking such unnecessary things. I didn’t mean to concern you. I will do whatever you say…”

[Gabriel Seran]

He nodded with a cold persona as his features dampened to reveal nothing but a blank canvas. Just as Eva began to refer to him in a less formal manner, but it wouldn't last. She apologized and was back to her original square concerned and protective once more. He had always wonder what lied behind her shield perhaps one day she'd let it down for him to find a way through. They were from a different era, good friends, closer than friends but then again that was another time.

"You have no need to apologize, I should not have brought it up." He gave another faked grin as he turned about to face her.

It took a second for his breathing to return to normal. In this setting he'd never taken the opportunity to realize how beautiful she actually was. Her hazel eyes seemed to twinkle in the dim lighting of the house. Gabriel had to avert his eyes to distract his order of thought.

"On another note... Would you mind dinning with me?"

He didn't exactly know what he had in mind here the words acted purely on impulse having no true direction or reason to them but something inside him fought against the awkwardness in the situation and sought through to the reason finding an understanding and actual joy.

[Eva Fortescue]

Eva nodded at his fake grin. She knew it was fake. They were pretty good at reading each other, just like she knew that he could tell she was refraining form speaking her mind. Even so, a fake grin was better then yelling and bitter words. At least he was trying to turn the mood around…again. Eva would try to as well.

Gabriel then turned to face her. Even after what they just went through, she didn’t have any trouble making eye contact with him. Which was what she did, while trying to find words to say to break the silence. Gabriel beat her to it. The poor girl was oblivious to his previous staring at her.

She was slightly taken aback at his request, but soon gave him a shy smile.

“I’d love to.”

She just hoped she didn’t have to get all fancied up for the part. She remembered in the past that she had to eat dinner with the Seran’s once…it was a very formal setting. Not like she wasn’t dressed formally now, she just wasn’t good at being…err well like the other girls. Aka dresses and fancy hair.

“Does your butler prepare the meals?” she asked curiously, as she waited for him to lead. “I wonder if he’ll let me help him cook one day…its been a while since I practiced cooking.”

A few knew it, but Eva loved cooking.

[Gabriel Seran]

Gabriel chuckled turning as he left his hand open for Eva to take. He took a slow long, graceful stride to his walk one which you could tell he was bred from royalty. He wondered how Eva would adapt to the sense of regality. He didn't have any doubts he was simply curious and humored by it.

"I feel almost insulted..." Gabriel joked lightly, "If I remember correctly, you were quite a fine cook, and I don't think my cooking is too shabby whatsoever."

He trailed the stairs courtly reaching the bottem to re-enter the kitchen with a cetain grace almost assured Eva was still at his side. He tried to resist any unnecessary thoughts though the heat about them increased. Once in the kitchen his lips brushed her hand releasing it gingerly as he approached the stove grabbing miscellaneus garb.

"So what do you feel like?" Gabriel turned with a playful smile feeling a bit heated in the situation.

[Eva Fortescue]

Eva blinked a few times at Gabriel’s extended hand. Giving him a sincere smile, she took his hand gratefully and walked with him to the kitchen. It was odd holding his hand. She liked the feeling of it’s warmth and how hers fit nicely in his. As she walked with him, she couldn’t help but gaze at his face a few times. Everything about him shouted royalty and here she was…not royalty and walking in line with him. Eva felt…she felt…well she didn’t know how she felt, only that she was extremely happy.

“Oh don’t be silly, you’re cooking is great,” she said in a light tone, then giggled. “Save for that one time a loong time ago, when you burnt our meal and made me eat it anyway!”

A pang of nostalgia hit her as she treaded the stairs with him. They really did have a lot of history together and because of this, and with how he was holding her hand, she felt very close to him at the moment. It was hard not to think about their hands being connected. They never really made physical contact before.

Within a few more paces they were in the kitchen. What a lovely kitchen it was too. Eva was getting excited about being able to cook again. Feeling her arm being raised, she blushed lightly when he kissed her hand. Her heart was fluttering again. She couldn’t even speak, but managed a little smile.

Gabriel went to the stove and Eva took off her suit coat. Underneath it she wore a white dress shirt that was form fitted her body. Rolling up her sleeves, she washed her hands and stood beside, making a cute ponderous face.

“How about we start with an entrée? Like a caeser salad. Then we can make the main meal, perhaps with a side of vegetables and some pasta?! Course, it’s really up to you, I don’t know what ingredients you have here.”

As she said this she was busy looking for a salad bowl. Yep, she loved cooking. But this time, she'd be cooking with Gabe.

[Gabriel Seran]

Gabriel laughed at the memory. It'd been when they were much younger before he'd revealed his royal lines to her. He'd gotten the bright idea to join his families mafia for some odd impulse. He was within their ranks for a good month by the time he'd bustled in with her. Eva, they'd stumbled upon one of their local barracks and decided to splurg on the cupboards within the local kitchen. He'd yet to reeal to her that he was of royal blood and planned on keeping it that way. He'd wanted a friend without any false pretenses. And Eva had tbeen there through it all.

He flashed her a charming wink sliding over to the refridgerator to get a hold of whatever vegetables he could manage. Carrots, Lettace and some tamatoes. It was a good selection as for the pasta he had some packaged away somewhere looking exstatically about for it. Times like these he felt normal for once like he belonged.

"Ahh noo not quite this is your choice as much as mine." He said with a joking grin a beat in his step as a song came up in the speakers probably Marcus playing his own little matchmaker joke on them but Gabriel just went along with the beat playing with a certain humor to his cooking.

"Try not to let me burn anything this time." He smiled bringing over a large pot which he filled with water and slid over the stove with a warm jovial movement dancing along playfully to the movemnts.

[Eva Fortescue]

“How about I start the salad and you start on the pasta?” she asked, taking the lettuce and veggies out of his hands with a smile. “That should be a good enough dinner, unless you want something more. Oh what about desert? And it‘s pretty hard to burn pasta, you‘ll be fine,” she said with a grin.

Eva always fell into a jovial mood when she was doing something in the kitchen. It took her mind off all her other duties. Right now, she just felt like a normal teenage girl, something she didn’t feel very often.

She took the veggies over to the counter and began washing them, just as Marcus started playing a very catchy song. Eva laughed out loud. This was perfect, what a clever butler. Tapping her foot to the beat, she reached to one of the higher shelves and got herself a bowl for the salad. Then she began peeling the lettuce and cutting the veggies, all the while swinging to the beat of the music. It was such an awesome tune, there was no way someone couldn’t not dance to it.

The salad was done and now it was on to the sauce for the pasta. Eva danced past him, purposely nudging him playfully. Giving him a smile, she set a pot on the stove next to the pot Gabriel had for the pasta. Eva poured the sauce and began stirring it with a wooden spoon. It grew warm rather quickly. Taste test. Dipping the spoon in there she brought it to her mouth.

“Hmm, what do you think about this sauce? Need more spices?”

Without thinking, Eva dipped a finger into the sauce and slowly, brought it to Gabriel’s mouth.

[Gabriel Seran]

It was a cute sight to behold as Marcus stared out from behind the corner catching the cute pair jostle about in their carefree dancing about the question. The older man couldn't help but chuckle before he returned to his original duties. 'A job well done...

Gabriel was actually quite cheerful now actually enjoying himself to no end as he bounced about brushing against Eva in a playfl fashion. Smiling and laughing as he hadn't been able to in some time, not since he'd come here had he been truly at peace there was something always tugging at his mind causing some sort of chaos to his life. And now here he had this one time were he had fun, who was to thought it was to be in his own home.

“Hmm, what do you think about this sauce? Need more spices?”

He turned his head just to catch the perfect concoction bypass his lips curiously. His tongue and lips seemed to taste it curiously in a near sensual fashion, something that would have made the situation awkward if in fact it didn't feel quite so right. Gabriel was unashamed as he took his time savoring the flavor and bringing his grip to her wrist removing her hand slowly keeping his grip at her wrist with a tender grasp.

"hmm.. Actually quite perfect." The was a small moment of silence and an endearing stare as Gabriel locked eyes for a moment. Peering deep into the hazel eyes that had captured him.

*beep beep beep*

Gabriel's attention shifted as a plume of smoke began hovering over the pot of pasta. Apparently he'd left it too long and innevitably was left to burn. HE shot off to attend to it turning the stove off quickly and removing the pot as he waved off the smoke.

He let out a jeering laugh, "Well I guess you were wrong about not burning pasta."

[Eva Fortescue]

Before she realized what she was doing, her finger was in Gabriel’s mouth. She thought she would immediately pull away and become flustered with embarrassment, but surprisingly she did the opposite. It didn’t feel wrong. He was very gently with her and the way he held onto her wrist made a small shiver run down her spine. A burning feeling erupted in her chest.

"Hmm.. Actually quite perfect."

Their eyes held and she found herself holding her breath. Those green hues of his were enchanting her again. Could she even articulate properly?

“Y-yeah, I suppose it--”

*beep beeep beeeeeeep*

Eva let out a gasp, which quickly turned into laughter when she saw the pasta burnt at the bottom of the pan. She was laughing so hard there were tears in her eyes. Opening a window to let out some smoke, she turned to face him.

“Only you could do that!,” she said teasingly, prodding at the burnt pasta with the wooden spoon. That was okay though, there was lots more pasta where that came from. It was all just a matter of putting on a new pot. “I guess I’m partially responsible for not supervising you properly, tsk tsk.”

Offering to take the pot from him, she emptied the burnt pasta and put new water and pasta on the stove. She’d be watching this one this time. There was a smile on her face as she did this, for she was still in fits of laughter over Gabriel and him managing to burn something.

[Gabriel Seran]

Gabriel chuckled heartily this time assured his gaze wouldn't come offf of the pasta for but a moment. Though somewhere along the lines he cheated to sneak a glance at Eva. It was odd in that one moment just a few minutes ago. Assured it was awkward how would they have handled if it hadn't been for the bell. Would things be different? Or was the fate of the world stacked against them?

Gabriel stood there looming over the pot till the pasta appeared ready enough to be presentable or even edible but that was to be the next test. He pulled out a sheet to let the water wash out through the many holes while the pasta remained within the pot. He wasn't gonna let luck beat him this time again it was a war with an unstoppable force.

Success he set down the pot and raised his arms in victory an apparent smile spred across his face.

"And I do so believe that I have won, victory over the pasta..."

As the moment of silliness passed he strode aside grabbing two luxury plates and exquisite looking glasses from the other room distributing a fair share of pasta to each of them.

"Now comes the real test to see if I've managed to go without poisoning it." He shot another teasing grin nudging her softly and resting at attention.

It was a rather odd mix of formality and leisure as they would eat on fine plates and fine dinning yet they stood in the middle of the kitchen cooking heir own meal and joking childishly. It was a fun mix of things that made something unbearable into something nostalgic.

[Eva Fortescue]

Patting Gabriel reassuringly on the shoulder, she left his side to set the table. The pat she gave him was for good luck. Heaven’s forbid he burn this batch again. Eva had cleaned off the table so that it was respectable to eat on and placed napkins, and utensils in two different spots. She also brought over the salad and pasta sauce she made and set it in the middle of the table. All the while she was humming.

She tried not too, but her mind kept replaying the scene that took place moments before the smoke detector went off. She knew that, that particular moment would be a memory she wouldn’t be forgetting in a long, long while. It was sweet and tender, yet mysterious all at once. If the pasta didn’t burn, what would’ve happened--

Her thoughts were dismissed when she heard the straining of water. Looks like this turn around was a good one. Letting her eyes linger on him for only a moment longer, she went into the fridge and searched for something they could drink. Her eyes beamed when she found a bottle of Merlot. Boy did Eva love her wines. Reaching for the bottle and hugging it, she turned around and came face to face with Gabriel holding his arms in the air.

Eva laughed.

“Congratulations! You earned yourself a drink of wine!”

Giving him another admiring smile, she set the wine on the table and took her seat. Gabe came back with two plates and wine glasses. He distributed the food while she did the same for the wine. Now, it was time to eat.

“If I die, I swear I’ll come back to haunt you,” she retorted, nudging him back with equal playfulness. “And you probably won’t like that very much!” Pulling up her chair, she took her fork and took a bite of the pasta….then she smiled. “It’s really good!” She only took a few more bites and Eva was already at her wine.