Just Visiting [Alma]

[rin]

Normally, Rin would have resigned this to Varia business and left the matter alone completely. She had resigned her position, so what Arashi did or didn't do was not longer her concern and she couldn't be his babysitter. However, when that business happened to involve her former crush and friends, then she had to admit that it worried her somewhat. If anyone knew how strained the relation between Alma and Arashi was, it was the former Rain Guardian. Honestly, she would never understand the tensions between those two, but it always seemed to come down to some stupid contest of who had the bigger ego.

Besides, it had been a few days since her brother had suggested coming to visit, so it wasn't like she was interfering with Arashi's business directly. No, this was merely checking on an old friend and making sure that he was doing well. Not like Rin had to tell him that she was aware that he had an upcoming mission or that she knew Arashi had dropped by, even the suddenness of the visit was rather obvious.

Reaching up to knock on the door, Rin pressed her hands into her coat pocket, before glancing around. Hopefully, Alma wouldn't mind her dropping by unannounced, but school would be starting back soon and she wanted to see him before he went off on anything dangerous. Well, provided he'd accepted the mission, though she'd never known the Sun Guardian to turn down a challenge. Not that she didn't know how capable Alma was, but that didn't stop her from worrying. Most of the Varia were like a family in many regards, even if there was little or no blood relationships between them, and try as she might, those bonds were nearly as easy to break as giving up her position to pursue her path as a swordsman had been.

[Alma Alighieri]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background: url(http://i.imgur.com/8qnsq.gif); padding: 7px; width: 400px, bTable][atrb=vAlign,top][style=background-color: #303030; padding: 5px; float: left;][/style]

[atrb=vAlign,top][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; width: 300px; text-transform: lowercase; color: #bebebe; margin-top: 3px; margin-left: 3px;]words 649 · tags Rin · notes woooo awkwardness[/style][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #bebebe; padding: 5px; width: 290px; margin-left: 3px; text-align: justify; margin-top: 5px; height: 180px; overflow: auto;] Thick moist steam filled the ivory tiled room as a tall figured leaned, head first against the wall with no more than an inch separating him from the shower head. A relaxed sigh escaped past his lips as streams of water washed over his body ; quickly combing every inch of flesh as the man stood relaxed in the shower. So many thoughts ran through his head that Alma need something to just ease his mind, and help him relax. God only knew this'd be the last time he could do this for a while. Only a day had passed since his meeting with his twin, and the current leader of the Varia Assassination Squad, and yet it felt as if it had just occurred mere minutes ago. Sleep had been impossible after that meeting, and the young Italian had found himself working a double shift just to get his mind off other things. So many things had said between the trio; harsh words, half truths, and tearless apologies, all leading up to the point where Arashi offered him a job... No offered was the wrong word. Begged was better though only slightly, Alma was the perfect candidate for this job, and there was no way the man could have asked Alma with the bad blood still standing between them. The faint scent of watermelon filled the air as the man combed shampoo into his scalp; helping to wash away the built in stench of smoke, and alcohol that had cemented itself into his hair and flesh. A mixture of vanilla, and coconut came next as he applied a shower gel onto his body, his strained thoughts causing him to scrub harder than necessary. Yes Alma had a bizarre sense of body/hair scrub scents; while other may find the combined scents repulsive he found it better than what the bar stained him with. Even now Alma wasn't sure what possessed him to agree to the job, but before the Varia Boss had fully described the mission he had agreed without a second though. His answer had flabbergasted both Arashi, and Remo; the later having constantly answered for his twin with a "No." each time Arashi paused to take a breath. A sudden knock at the door interupted his thoughts as Alma quickly rinsed himself, and stepped out of the shower, plopping a towel on his head before exiting the bathroom. The man walked towards the down at a relaxed, uninterested pace as he dodged over obstacles throughout the messy apartment. Given that Alma spent a majority of his time at the bar, or the flat above it the former Mafioso allowed his apartment to fall to ruins. Dirty dishes clogged the sink, clothes cluttered the floor meanwhile take-out containers both empty, and half full populated the table, and counter top. He didn't even bat an eye at any of this as he opened the door to be met with the figure of a certain silver hair, and red eyed girl. A faint uneasy smile flashed on his face that slowly grew into a playful grin as his golden eyes fell upon the Sword Empress on his door. Saying her sudden presence there eased his mind was nothing short of the cheapest lie as Rin's arrival taxed his thoughts even more. "Ciaoo~oossu..." The drawn out greeting slowly crept out, as if it were some foreign word Alma had never used before. For both her sake, and his own. Alma had to keep his mind off the matters at hand, and act as if he had no care in the word like he always did. Most likely it helped that he was oblivious to the fact that he was stark naked in front of her save for the towel atop his head. Not that he'd care if he was aware of his own nakedness. [/style][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; width: 300px; text-transform: lowercase; color: #bebebe; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 3px; margin-bottom: -3px;]template by john of ote & btn[/style]

[rin]

Rin lingered at the door, staring at her feet for most of the endeavor and glancing around occasionally. Perhaps he wasn't home, though if Alma wasn't in the bar, then this seemed like the most reasonable alternative. Still, the sword master couldn't help wonder if would he even want to see her after his little chat with Arashi. After all, her brother wasn't exactly the most tolerable person and apologizes were something that came very rarely. True, Rin was capable of overlooking them, but was the former Sun Guardian? What if he was still mad at her brother and her by association. Yes, it might have been childish and completely unlike Alma, but her mind always seemed to drag up the worst case scenario.

However, as the door opened and her gaze darted up to his face to greet him, Rin had very little inclination that nothing could prepare her for what she was about to see. Forcing a somewhat apologetic smile as he spoke, the Rain Guardian was horrible at hiding her awkwardness. "H-hey..." Rin replied shyly. Oh crap, her brother had done it again. Even Alma's normally greeting sounded somewhat stressed and out of place. Then again, she probably should have known this was a bad idea. She had a habit for getting tongue tied around him and now seemed to be no exception, despite not having noticed yet that he was naked.

Speaking of tongue tied, she probably should have something more than casual greeting. Come on, think of something. "I...I didn't mean to bother you, I just thought I'd stop by see how you were doing." She explained, all to aware of how stupid sounding. Jeez, one would think growing up in the Varia that Rin would be rather talented as lying, but it seemed that only worked with people she didn't know. "So, I-..." The Rain Guardian's words suddenly trailed off as she noticed that he was shirtless and the towel on his head still dripping wet. What the devil...?

She knew she shouldn't have looked down, but curiosity managed to get the better of her. To her shock, it seemed to suddenly dawn on Rin that Alma was standing there buck naked in the door way and in all his glory for everyone to see. The reaction was immediate as her face lit up in a bright shade of scarlet. There was no telling how many curse words went through her mind at that moment as she scrambled to gather some notion of something reasonable to say. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Rin blurted out, as her hands shot to face and she immediately scrambled back to turn on her heel.

"I-I can come back later. I should have called first, I'm so sorry." She added in haste, though the whole scene could have almost been cute, since it was rare to hear the sword master apologize, let alone so fervently and in such a girlish manner. Not that she had anything to apologize for, mind you, considering it wasn't common practice for many people to answer the door in their underwear, let alone naked. How was she suppose to know that he was in the shower? It wasn't helping that he face was still red and it was near impossible to remove that mental image from her brain. Damn, this was not how she intended for things to go after not seeing him for months.

[Alma Alighieri]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background: url(http://i.imgur.com/8qnsq.gif); padding: 7px; width: 400px, bTable][atrb=vAlign,top][style=background-color: #303030; padding: 5px; float: left;][/style]

[atrb=vAlign,top][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; width: 300px; text-transform: lowercase; color: #bebebe; margin-top: 3px; margin-left: 3px;]words 514 · tags Rin · notes woooo awkwardness[/style][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #bebebe; padding: 5px; width: 290px; margin-left: 3px; text-align: justify; margin-top: 5px; height: 180px; overflow: auto;] That grin only grew as the woman before him transformed from the feared Sword Empress to a bashful school girl; the amusing metamorphosis helped ease the stress from his mind. "Its nothing you havent seen before, il mio amore ". This couldn't be any closer from the truth, as many of the previous, and some cases current Varia had seen the young Italian completely in the buff. Yet this by no way was because Alma was an exhibitionist, or extremely promiscuous, but rather suffered from a server lack of caring. Seeing as none of the Varia had a shower in their own room back in the base they had to make use of a shared bathroom. While the others either brought their clothes with them, or wrapped up with a towel before scampering off to their room Alma was known to roam the halls nude. A habit that had obviously not changed in the years, as the man secretly roamed his own apartment in the buff as well, "Who'd thunk it that the revered Sword Empress would be this bashful..." The amusement in his voice could not be hidden as the man stepped forward, not about to let the young girl leave after coming as this way. Wearing only a grin, and the towel, Alma took a step further and reached to scoop Rin into his arms then proceed back into his home. Now normally being technically naked outside your apartment would alert the neighbors, and especially when you were naked, and about to pick up as young girl as Alma was. The only thing was that through the years Alma's neighborhoods at learned to ignore any activity going in or around his apartment to avoid situations like this. "Up ya go..." There was probably nothing like having your crush attempt to nakedly pick you up, and draw you back into his apartment though any perverse intentions this usually had were absent in his mind. Honestly he needed the former Varia there tonight more than she'd ever realize, and those reasons most likely would not fall from his lips. Truth be told, Alma needed a distraction from the mission ahead of him, and having Rin here would be the best distraction of all.,,, Now he just had to convince her to spend the night. Being naked may or may not help that. Depending on how much fight Rin put up she may find herself being carried into the apartment, and carried to the bedroom. Though keep in mind only innocent intentions were in mind, as it wasn't like he was carrying her in there to throw her down and mount her. Surprisingly his bedroom was the cleanest part of his apartment seeing as it was the least used since Alma typically slept on the couch, if not the flat above his bar. Perhaps the woman would be lucky enough for Alma to consider putting some clothes on, if not covering up with a robe, or blanket once successfully inside his bedroom. But then again this was Alma sooo..... this was doubtful. [/style][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; width: 300px; text-transform: lowercase; color: #bebebe; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 3px; margin-bottom: -3px;]template by john of ote & btn[/style]

[rin]

Rin was still trying to push the memory from her mind as Alma seemed all to quick to remind her of his past behaviors. Sure, it had been funny then to see her grandfather get so mad about his indiscretion. In fact, it was almost laughable and kind of cute how fearless he was, but now... He was crooning Italian and every curve of muscle exposed to see. Damn it! Did he even realize how appealing he was when talked like that? It was ridiculous! She could barely think straight and all he seemed to make it rather clear how funny this was to him. Jeez.... All these years of working together and Alma was still to blind to see it.

"I-It's not p-proper for a lady, Sword Empress or not." She answered back, stammering a bit in embarrassment, though Rin didn't dare turn around to face him. Then again, the Rain Guardian was as much the heir to the Superbi family as an assassin and so still stuck by the old code and traditions of the mafia. The daughters of the mafia were to carry themselves in a respectable manner and heaven help him, if Arashi ever found out about this. Unfortunately, before Rin could argue the fact much farther, a hand swept beneath her knees and scooped her up in method that one only saw in romantic scenes from movies.

"Voi! What the heck are you doing?! Put me down!" Rin snapped in surprise, though no sooner had she looked up at his face than she seemed to remember that he was naked and her face returned to the same scarlet shade it was before. She wanted to curse at him and probably would have had it been anyone else, but being that close and in that position... All she could do was glance down as her brain seemed to shut down on some level. This was humiliating, but at the same time, Rin probably would have been lying to say that she'd never considered the possibility or the desire for a guy to do such a thing. After all, Rin might have been a lot of things, but deep down she was still only human.

"Alma... p-put me down, damn it!" The Rain Guardian stuttered as they entered his apartment, attempting to squirm a bit until they entered his bedroom and a million dirty thought raced through her mind in terms of deciphering his intentions. She really, really needed to stop hanging Arashi. He was getting to be a bad influence. However, for the first time in a while Rin had to admit that she actually felt a little... scared. Alma was about to go off on another mission, one he might not come back from and there was so much that she'd never said and wanted to tell him, but had never had the courage.

Wrapping her other arm around his neck, Rin proceeded to bury her face into the grove of his shoulder to hide the obvious blush as the scent of fruit and vanilla seemed to fill the air. It wasn't like her to be clingy, though she'd certainly been that way when she was younger. These days it was next to impossible, but then again it was like the Rain Guardian to be very feminine either and he had managed to achieve that already. "Idiot..." Came the chirped insult, as she attempted to hide her eyes, though an observant person could tell that something more was bothering her than simply his carrying her around naked, because the poor thing looked almost in tears.

[Alma Alighieri]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background: url(http://i.imgur.com/8qnsq.gif); padding: 7px; width: 400px, bTable][atrb=vAlign,top][style=background-color: #303030; padding: 5px; float: left;][/style]

[atrb=vAlign,top][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; width: 300px; text-transform: lowercase; color: #bebebe; margin-top: 3px; margin-left: 3px;]words 586 · tags Rin · notes woooo awkwardness[/style][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #bebebe; padding: 5px; width: 290px; margin-left: 3px; text-align: justify; margin-top: 5px; height: 180px; overflow: auto;] Though the act was surprising, he was actually releaved when she buried her head into him even if it was so he wouldn't notice the blush creeping across her face. For Alma it meant she wouldn't see the utter disaster that was his apartment thus which luckily avoided a long nagging session, Not even the slightest bit of attention was given to her protests as the Italian carried her into his bed, Dark. That was the best way to describe his bedroom; every bit of furniture was pitch black, or carried a black, and white monochrome theme to it from the black block-out curtains to the ebony bedspread. Compared to the rest of the apartment is was so drastically different in both the theme, and the cleanliness you could have thought he carried her all the way to another apartment. His initial plan of action was to lay her her down upon the bed, and crawl atop it as well... A sudden ping of realization hit him like a brick across the face, and instead bent down to sit Rin on the edge of the bed waiting for the release of her grip. Based on how she had been situated, and clung to him, his previous plan of action would leave him on top of her which'd further hint towards intentions he simply did not have. It was not like he wouldn't enjoy that sort of thing as Rin was an attractive woman as she was with the silver locks, crimson eyes, and slender figure. The simple point of it all was that Alma himself was just not the right person for her, well more to the point he wasn't right for anyone. Someone with his past didn't get happy endings.. He had noticed hints of affection from the girl in the past, but for the most part chose to ignore them, or simply thought she acted that way with the thought of the Varia being family. Despite his forwardness, and carefree attitude, Alma never had romantically made a move for another soul, nor had he ever lustfully pursued someone. Of course he had those kinds of urges in both the past, and present. A hand held onto the edge of the bed to help steady himself as in this position knelt in front of the bed it was oh so easy for him to topple forward given the slightest nudge. "You gonna let go, or are you gonna hold on all night?". He wasn't completely clueless to her uneasiness... Well you'd have to be completely blind to see how embarrassed the girl was, and his current plane was to give in and put at least boxers on before planting himself on the bed. Alma had no plan of action after that, his only goal in mind was to have a companion for the night to relax with, and hold any form of conversation tonight. He just didn't want to be alone tonight. For once in his life Alma was finding it hard to be his usual self seeing as his future now seemed more uncertain, and grim than usual. After tonight he was completely unsure what would happen though a sagging feeling in his gut told him to expect the worse from his coming mission. Never the less he tried to hide these feelings of uncertainties from by keeping a sly grin plastered on his face as he stared into her eyes waiting for her to let go, or do something. [/style][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; width: 300px; text-transform: lowercase; color: #bebebe; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 3px; margin-bottom: -3px;]template by john of ote & btn[/style]

[rin]

Rin couldn't see much of the room with her head buried into him, though remained oddly quiet as he moved to place her on the bed. She really had to wonder what he was thinking in picking her up. No, that wasn't where the problem came, it was putting her down that situated him a little closer than most people would have preferred any naked person to be. No, if she just focused on his face then everything would be fine.... Well, it should have been. Unfortunately, Alma could be rather distracting when he was that close and the temptation to do something very, very stupid seemed to linger in the back of her mind.

"You gonna let go, or are you gonna hold on all night?"

The questioned managed to break her focus, as she blinked a few times and allowing the question to rattle around in her mind for a few moments. "Oh... yeah." Rin spoke almost regretfully, before moving to release her grip somewhat and easing a way a bit. Glancing around, she suddenly noticed that she was in his bed. Not that this was the first time she'd ever been in his bed, but it had been a number of years and back then, she'd really been to young to understand. Then again, she'd been little more than a child and far to innocent to really grasp why her grandfather got so peeved at Alma when he had only been protecting her from the bugs, of which she was still terrified, by the way.

Releasing him, Rin scooted back on the bed and drew her knees up, redirecting her gaze away from him for him to put something on. "Hey, Alma?..." She questioned curiously. "Are you sure it's okay for me to be here?... I spoke to Arashi the other day. He said, that he needed you for a mission." The Rain Guardian mentioned, though it was obvious that she was worried. Rin could be rather blunt and harsh at times with her words, no one would ever deny that. However, beneath all that bark, she was a lot softer than most gave her credit for. She didn't want to intrude on him if he was preparing for a mission, but truth be told, Rin could feel an uneasiness over the matter. For some reason, she needed to see him, if only once more before he left.

[Alma Alighieri]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background: url(http://i.imgur.com/8qnsq.gif); padding: 7px; width: 400px, bTable][atrb=vAlign,top][style=background-color: #303030; padding: 5px; float: left;][/style]

[atrb=vAlign,top][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; width: 300px; text-transform: lowercase; color: #bebebe; margin-top: 3px; margin-left: 3px;]words 425 · tags Rin · notes woooo awkwardness[/style][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #bebebe; padding: 5px; width: 290px; margin-left: 3px; text-align: justify; margin-top: 5px; height: 180px; overflow: auto;] Apparently Alma developed some sort of sense of shame as the man allowed the towel on his hand to fall and briefly cover his privates as he rose. Thought he was not about to admit it, Alma did in fact miss the young woman's hold on him, but even so he couldn't stay in that position all night. Tossing the towel in the connecting bathroom, he turned his back to her as he pulled on a pair of boxers which humorously matched the theme of his bedroom. Before joining Rin on the bed, Alma grabbed a robe from the opposite side of the bathroom room door attempting to cover up just a bit more to make the girl a little more comfortable. God knew he had already painted her face crimson to last her a life time by now so why not give her a break? Throwing a pillow towards the foot of the bed so he could face the girl instead of starring at the back of her head, the Italian slowly crawled close to his companion laying on his back. "You'd think carrying a woman into your bed room would show its okay for her to be there." Seriously? If it wasn't okay for her to be here right now then Alma wouldn't have nakedly carried her inside his apartment. Further to the point wouldn't he have closed the door in her face, or just not answered? Women... Her next comment actually surprised the man since had have been given the impression that no one else was supposed to know about his upcoming mission. 'That bastard...' His eyes rolled in faint annoyance at Arashi with the man having gone against his own word to keep the mission a secret between himself, Alma, and Remo. "Its nothing serious..." Smiling, he rose so that he could lean up on his elbows rather lay flat on his back while preparing to lie through his teeth. "Its not even really a mission, I'm testing a new type of ammunition for the Bovino Famiglia, and Arashi just stuck his nose in my business." Well okay, so it wasn't a complete lie as on this mission he would indeed be using a new type of ammunition created by said famiglia... The mission just wasn't solely focused on testing the new ammo. Slipping back to his previous position, a hand reached out to pat her leg comfortingly to try, and ease the sense of worry written all over the girl's face. [/style][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; width: 300px; text-transform: lowercase; color: #bebebe; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 3px; margin-bottom: -3px;]template by john of ote & btn[/style]

[rin]

Rin almost regretted making him get dressed, but in some sense was relieved. Not that there was anything, that was the problem. Alma probably hands down the most drop-dead, handsome man she had ever laid eyes on and while Rin was shy, she was by no means slow. Heck, even humans had instincts. Obviously, seven billion people weren't there by total accident. The balance was sometimes tricky though, since in one sense Alma was like family and the last thing she wanted was to make things awkward between them. However, there was that other side, the one that had wanted to kiss him two minutes ago and been to scared to go through with it. The internal war seemed almost constant whenever he was around.

Thankfully, he seemed to concede and put some clothes on. As he settled onto the bed, Rin's gaze finally lifted as he confirmed that her being here was no problem. Yeah, it probably was a stupid question, but the Rain Guardian didn't have the best level of self-esteem when it came romance. She was much better versed in swordplay than flirting. It seemed evident though, that he looked rather surprised at her knowledge that he had a mission. Then again, Arashi had only dropped the hint and hadn't bothered to tell her what it was.

Fortunately, Alma was a terrible liar. Her brother wouldn't have bothered coming to see him if the matter was really so simple. Looking a little annoyed, Rin soon pushed forward and drew closer to him, eventually leaning over him. With her hands on both sides of his head, she leaned down until they were little more than a few inches apart before flashing a faint smirk. "You suck at lying, ya know that?" Rin informed the man seriously, though her expression soon seemed to change from one of amusement to faint concern.

"If this were about a bullet, he could have asked Remo to test it. I know my brother and he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of coming to see you in person had it not been serious." She explained calmly, settling back to rest on top of him, so that her chin sat on his chest and she could stare up at him. "... It's dangerous, isn't it? That's why Arashi wouldn't tell me anything about it,... because you might not come back." Rin surmised with a saddened tone, though no one could ever accuse the young woman of being dim, at least not when it came to reading Arashi. It seemed obvious, though Rin quietly buried her face into his robe, the worst possible scenario continued to play over and over in her mind. What if he never came back? What if this was the last time she ever saw him?

Having already lost her own parents, it wasn't surprising that Rin tended to be somewhat overly concerned at the possibly. She knew better than anyone what it was like to have something to say, to want to express some sentiment to another, and never have the opportunity. That's why she needed to tell him the truth this time. The stakes had probably never been higher and while Rin was normally blunt enough to express whatever was on her mind at the time, it was the one secret that had remained unspoken for far too long. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure she had the words to express the matter, so gathering her courage leaned forward once more to press her lips to his gently, offering no warning or immediate explanation as her fingers caressed his cheek.

[Alma Alighieri]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background: url(http://i.imgur.com/8qnsq.gif); padding: 7px; width: 400px, bTable][atrb=vAlign,top][style=background-color: #303030; padding: 5px; float: left;][/style]

[atrb=vAlign,top][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; width: 300px; text-transform: lowercase; color: #bebebe; margin-top: 3px; margin-left: 3px;]words 636 · tags Rin · notes woooo awkwardness[/style][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #bebebe; padding: 5px; width: 290px; margin-left: 3px; text-align: justify; margin-top: 5px; height: 180px; overflow: auto;] Okay so he was a terrible liar.. That fact was more than public knowledge by now, but that still did not stop Alma from trying his best to hide the truth from some people. At this moment though the only thing stopping was his thought process as bit, by bit Rin slowly crawled on top of him with those big crimson eyes starring right through him. Admittedly, his gaze didn't initially fall on her eyes as she held his head to look at her, as any man couldn't help but to glance downwards. It was almost hard to believe that this developed woman was the same small girl who followed him everywhere with a blush on her face, who'd chase him down to hug him from behind, or run to his bed whenever she found a bug in her room. Temptation rose, and eventually was given into to reach over and pinch the neck of her shirt together to hide the possibly unintentionally view she was giving him. Those golden spheres soon returned to her face watching her features twist from a smirk to faint concern before being obstructed from view as she buried it into his robe."Just forget about it for now. Push it to the furthest place in the back of your mind." This wasn't the usual Alma; there was no cheekiness in his voice, no sly smile on his lips, none of that carefree playfulness that he normally flaunted around so boldly. This was a man who had been made to know his mortality, and how in the days to come knew how easily it could be taken away. A sigh left his lips as his arms folded around her gently holding Rin trying to comfort her in some form though was there really any way to comfort someone who knew that someone they cherished could die. His plan of action was to tell her that she could stay here tonight with him, so they could enjoy each other's company on his last night as there was no avoiding she knew about the mission now. That was until she kissed him. At first contact there was more than just a little surprise until he settled into the kiss, and returned it, his arms still wrapped around Rin pulling her closer. Mentally he felt stupid for being surprised as throughout the past he did notice all the little hints of affection, yet wasn't sure if it'd be the best idea to return them. While it was a weak reason, Arashi was part of the reeason Alma had been unsure, that and Rin deserved someone better... Not someone who cared little for their own life who could either be killed, or returned to prison without a moments notice. None of that mattered now.... He just. Face with his own mortality, and quite possibly the end of it, Alma just wanted to have one night, one night where he could be wanted, and not the hated Sfortuna Alma. "Il mio amore.." As the kiss finally broke, the words so easily just leaked out, and while they had been used the first time to tease the young girl, this time it was an actual term of affection. Who knows should he survive the coming mission perhaps he would take Rin as his woman if she was this bold, and determined to hang on to him, and be this concerned about his life. For now his mind focused on the present, not the future as he closed the distance between them; this time taking the lead, and kissing her. Alma wasn't sure where this night would go but spending what could possibly be his last night alive holding, and kissing this woman... Well he couldn't think of a better way to spend it. [/style][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; width: 300px; text-transform: lowercase; color: #bebebe; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 3px; margin-bottom: -3px;]template by john of ote & btn[/style]

[rin]

Somewhere in the back of Rin's mind, she knew what she was doing was foolish. Arashi had warned her against not doing such things, but considering his own habits, he was probably the last person that should have been preaching or getting mad at her about at such things. At least, Rin's feelings for Alma went deeper than some stranger she stumbled across as a bar or lord knows where that Arashi managed to pick up some of the trash that followed him home at her age. Besides, what was wrong with being honest. She was scared and being a swordsman of her caliber, Rin didn't get that way very often, so this was something of an exception.

Rin wasn't the most experienced in dealing with men, so only flashed him a confused look and a glance down as Alma pull the collar together tightly. She genuinely assumed that he was playing, so said nothing on the matter, blissfully naive as she glanced down and unable to register what had grabbed his attention. It was ironic that someone who trained so much and had such an aware of the body in combat was completely naive to the fact that her shirt offered a rather nice view from where the Sun Guardian was sitting. However, Rin had turned out to be something of a late bloomer, which meant until a couple years ago hadn't really had any problems with the matter and had yet to grasp the dangers of certain angles in combination with a v-necked top.

Of course, his attempts to dissuade her from questions was rather annoying. Arashi had explained that he could tell her had Alma wished to do so, but the man was intentionally hiding details and that was more than a little concerning. After all, she hadn't quite mastered his talent for pretending everything was okay, when the world was falling apart. Rin was to connected to her emotions and what happened next seemed to prove that fact.

Honestly, she almost expected him to react with a good amount of shock, if she didn't end up on the floor completely given their position. However, to her surprise Alma soon returned the kiss and it was hard to hide the faint smile. His lips were so warm, but the need to breath finally caused her to break away as those red opened once more, settling on his face as the familiar words escaped him. She wanted to say something back, but couldn't really find the words as every ounce of what she felt and wanted seemed to be wrapped up into that single intimate act.

When Alma moved to take control and kiss her once more, Rin didn't fight him. After all, this was what she wanted. While they might not have seemed it, the two understood the life of an assassin and each other better than most ever could. The chance that failure would mean never walking away, of doing what few had neither the nerve or the courage to pull of, and the constant knowledge that in a single moment everything you had worked for could be snuffed out in an instance. They were the dark side of the idealized mafia that man knew, but even they needed something to cling to. No, he wasn't ideal man that she should have fallen for and this wasn't the most traditional means of a confession, quite the opposite actually.

However, sometimes for a single brief moment of happiness, even a saint could break the rules. Yet, despite knowing how furious Arashi would be with her... Rin couldn't quite make herself regret it, even if she knew she would likely get yelled at later. "Ti amo...." She whispered softly, between the kisses, closing her eyes once more as her fingers moved to snake around his neck, slipping into the damp black locks of hair lovingly.

[Alma Alighieri]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background: url(http://i.imgur.com/8qnsq.gif); padding: 7px; width: 400px, bTable][atrb=vAlign,top][style=background-color: #303030; padding: 5px; float: left;][/style]

[atrb=vAlign,top][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; width: 300px; text-transform: lowercase; color: #bebebe; margin-top: 3px; margin-left: 3px;]words 686 · tags Rin · notes woooo awkwardness[/style][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #bebebe; padding: 5px; width: 290px; margin-left: 3px; text-align: justify; margin-top: 5px; height: 180px; overflow: auto;] Funny how the human mind works. One moment you could be on the verge of depression knowing a job you were soon to begin could cost you your life only to be.... Honestly there was too many thoughts, and emotions running through his mind at the moment to properly finish that statement. Carnal desires overwhelmed his mind only wanting this woman, to kiss her, and hold her and to never let go of her. The moment Rin had arrived at his door had caused his night to do an one eighty, and just possibly made it even better than it could have possibly been. In-between kisses that sly carefree trademark grin of his just seem to grow bigger, and bigger. While always goofy, and grinning, this was the one first true time Alma had a good reason to be grinning like the madman that he was. Said grin only faltered as her words reached him before Rin once again wrapped her arms around him, and pulled him into another kiss. They say French is the language of love, but it was Italian that truly got the blood pumping, and the heart beating so hard, and fast that it nearly burst through your chest. Just once more he returned the kiss, and allowed himself to end it by lightly nipping at her lips, and squirming his hands between them to push her up. They couldn't do this all night long no matter how fun it'd be, and how nice of a send off it'd be for his next mission, and no matter how much Alma wanted to. They needed more then a few quick breaths at some point. Being just a tad bit forceful Alma pushed her up into a sitting position; so she was straddling him with either hand on both her hips to make sure she couldnt get up from sitting on him. "So is this what you planned when you decided to come over, Bella mia?" His classic grin could never have been any bigger as he stared up at her, hands slowly rubbing her sides before resting on her hips. Aftering being tossed around mafia families for so long in his life it was nice to have this feeling of someone caring for him, having love for him that wasn't his twin; Remo. One thing about this feeling was that it left you wanting more, and such a feeling could easily be enough motivation for him to make sure that he didn't just survive this mission, but that he also came back to Rin. "Guess this means I dont have to beg, or ask you to stay the night now." Yes, beg. If Rin had never came over than tonight would have been one of Alma's worst in which he probably would have drank himself to sleep all while thinking about the prospect of death. So naturally if need be it, he would have begged for her to stay the night here even if it mean sleeping on the couch while she slept in his bed. Simply put it was just one of those nights where Alma did not want to be alone at all. Just that thought alone about his upcoming mission, cause the grin to briefly fall from his face as he stared thoughtfully into those crimson eyes. But only for a moment did Alma allow himself to let go of her to reach around his neck, and unclapse the chain holding the Varia Sun Ring from his body. "I won' tell you the details of the mission, but I will promise I will come back to you from it.?" Without a second thought he brought her hands together, and place his ring in them while leaning forward to kiss her hands. "I'll have to get this back from you afterall." Well not that this was the only reason he had to come back. Rin would be the perfect person to hang onto his ring, as there was no way Alma could maintain his cover during this mission while holding it himself. [/style][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; width: 300px; text-transform: lowercase; color: #bebebe; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 3px; margin-bottom: -3px;]template by john of ote & btn[/style]

[rin]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][style=font-family: arial; font-size: 10px; color: 121212; text-align: justify; text-transform: normal; font-weight: 100; float: left; width: 120px; word-spacing: 1px; border-left: #000066 solid 3px; border-right: #000033 DASHED 2px; background-color: ececec; height: 334px; ] Tags: Alma Notes: None [/style][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][style=font-size:9px; line-height: 13px; background-color: #ececec; color: #1f1f1f; padding: 10px; width: 280px; text-align:justify; height: 309px; border-bottom: #ececec SOLID 5px; text-transform: normal; overflow: auto; float:right;] Rin seemed to loose all train of thought, slowly sinking into the passion of the moment and the warmth of his embrace. She couldn't count how many years she'd wanted to tell him what he meant, but even as a teenager, Rin had known that Alma's flames were oddly befitting. From the moment that he stepped into a room, it seemed to light up and while he was known for telling a few tall tales, that warmth and comfort that he exuded was all that seemed to consume her now. There wasn't a man alive that Rin wanted to be with more than Alma and probably would have given her right arm to have had the courage to tell him sooner. Why had she been so stupid? She'd allowed so much time to pass and allowed the fear of what her brother and grandfather would say override her own feelings. It was ironic. All those years together and it was only after they had left the Varia that she'd managed to work up the nerve to tell him, and on what could very well be the last time she ever saw him. God, she was such a blasted fool. Upon feeling his hands snake between and pressing her upward, Rin finally broke away and moved to sit up as her eyes dropped to his face in confusion. Straddling him with his hands on her hips, she blushed lightly at his question. "N-not really... But I'm not complaining." She answered hesitantly, unable to hide the faint smile that rose to her face. His mention of not having to 'beg' her to stay the night caused her expression to widen into a grin in amusement. "Of course not. Then again, if it were up to me, you wouldn't be going anywhere tomorrow either." Rin explained seriously, attempting to suppress the faint shudder as his hands slipped down her side and settled onto her hips. No, if Rin had her way about it, Alma would have stayed right there next to her, somewhere he was safe and out of danger. Unfortunately, she knew better than anyone that such a thing were impossible once a mission had been assigned. Still, that didn't mean that Rin had to like it. When he finally moved his hands away, the Rain Guardian had to admit that she was rather surprised when he reached up to remove that chain had held his ring. Alma still refused to tell her any details about the mission, but promised he would come back before bringing her hands to together and placing the ring between them. "Alma... You better come back... I won't forgive you or Arashi, if you don't keep your word." She answered, looking almost in tears as her fingers coiled protectively around the ring. Still, where could Alma possibly be going that he wouldn't have to use his ring? [/style]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][style=color: 1f1f1f; font-size: 8px; margin-top: -10px; text-align: right; margin-right: 5px;]made by REECE of OTE[/style]

[Alma Alighieri]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, background: url(http://i.imgur.com/8qnsq.gif); padding: 7px; width: 400px, bTable][atrb=vAlign,top][style=background-color: #303030; padding: 5px; float: left;][/style]

[atrb=vAlign,top][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; width: 300px; text-transform: lowercase; color: #bebebe; margin-top: 3px; margin-left: 3px;]words509· tags Rin · notes woooo awkwardness[/style][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; color: #bebebe; padding: 5px; width: 290px; margin-left: 3px; text-align: justify; margin-top: 5px; height: 180px; overflow: auto;] "Well Bella Mia, at the moment I can't go anywhere, and if you stayed like this then I wouldn't be able to." Usual Alma... To most it seemed like nothing at all phased this man as he'd make light of even the most grizzly of situations. Now was no different. Though true enough if Rin kept them like this, if she kept straddling him, then it might be a little difficult for the man to leave her for this new mission. He could do no more than simply stare up, and smile at the young woman with one of those sheepish, 'arent i innoncent', toothy smiles that Alma was all too known for. It had always been his own personal motto to laugh at everything, or else.... or else he might actually think too much about it, and get afraid. "Could tie me up to keep me from going." A small wink lingered at the end of his words trying to lighten the mood some for not only Rin, but the both of them. If this possibly was the last night he spent with this young woman then he wanted it to be a pleasant one for the both of them. It was amazing how her actions had sparked such passion between them, this wasn't just some spur of the moment thing, Alma knew he had feelings for her. This was the same little girl who was always following him, always had to be near him so of course she had managed to wiggle into a special part of his heart. This thought alone caused Alma to lean up for a soft kiss with his smiling fading from his usual sheepish smile to something far more gentle, and loving. "I can guess what your feelings are from your actions. But, I gotta wonder why The Sword Empress would settle for a bad luck attracting man like myself." His hands rubbed up, and down her sides then moved on to slowly rubbing those legs that hugged either side of his body keeping him pinned underneath the swordswoman. While the pieces of the picture that were Rin's feelings were slowly falling into place, Alma just could not understand why him. It was obvious from the sudden kiss that the girl like him more than just a friend despite being quite a few years her senior. Surely the beautiful woman could have her pick of any man that she laid those crimson orbs on so why did she want this man who sat so very far beneath her. A chill pierced through his thoughts suddenly as his body made to remind him in force that he had just gotten out of the shower mere moments ago. He was wet... He was wet, and now he was beginning to freeze, and no doubt Rin would soon feel the same chill as after being pressed against him, that her clothing was as soaked as his body was. "Heh, Bella Mia, would you mind if we took this under the covers?" [/style][style=background-color: #303030; font-family: tahoma; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; width: 300px; text-transform: lowercase; color: #bebebe; margin-top: 5px; margin-left: 3px; margin-bottom: -3px;]template by john of ote & btn[/style]