#elpida: gwyn

[soulsuckrrs]

This was usually how his love life went in recent years. Off on another business trip Kaiden found a stranger at a bar, it started as light, playful flirting and small talk but their interaction turned into something a little more genuine. Kaiden was used to people viewing his finer items, nice clothes and accessories he wore to appear the savvy businessman who successfully owned a vineyard and resort. He was that but the style was far from what he'd prefer to be wearing, jeans and a t-shirt playing with his daughters in the dirt outside was his personal style but that didn't mean he hated looking the part he had to play. Kaiden drew in all sorts of people and more often than not he was more noticed when he showed his wealth. At least, while on business trips. So attracting a lovely stranger at the bar wasn't an unusual thing and had become a sort of practice, one night stands were all he could really afford at this time in his life. Between running a dual business and taking care of two little girls, Kaiden didn't see himself getting into any sort of relationship off the first few dates and he had tried a couple times.

Finding this sort of easy conversation, though, was rarer than his one night escapades. He enjoyed it more. Sitting there listening to the woman that had caught his attention. After many hours spent listening to investors haggle and manipulate to get a better price, it was nice having this moment with Gwyn. He was seconds away from letting his fingers brush against hers to interlace them, a daring chance at testing their chemistry and connection when Gwyn spoke and Kaiden's heart lurched into his throat and he withdrew his hand, shifting to look at the woman, brow furrowed slightly as she admitted the crimes she apparently had been planning on carrying out only... she didn't seem like the type and Kaiden couldn't help feeling there was more to this admission than what she was letting on.

"Alright," he said after a moment or two of silent contemplation only a patient father could exude. Kaiden rubbed his hands on his pants before slipping them into his pockets, shifting back onto his heels then forward again. "-- let's go back to my hotel room," he licked his lips before chewing at the bottom one, a small smirk pressing at them as he continued. "There's a safe, I'll lock the temptation away." He offered because truly, Kaiden didn't feel that Gwyn was the type and he had known the sleazy type to swipe a wallet and max out cards. "It'd just be you, me and a couple bottles of wine..." he added, hoping she'd accept his invitation because he didn't want this interaction to end, nor did he want her going back to whoever put her up to this little stunt because as Kaiden watched Gwyn he decided that had to be the answer. Someone was making her do these things, call it a gut feeling and the fact she told him what her plan had been.

plot: gwyn has a manipulative boyfriend that doesn't work, so on the weekends when she isn't working he has her go out and sleep with rich men, to steal their wallets and valuables and disappear the next morning, to sustain the fact he doesn't work but your muse was too nice and there's something about them, so gwyn for once, cracks and warns your muse. it could go many ways! open to m, 21+, i'd be very down for age gaps too.

"don't invite me back to your hotel room." gwyn spoke the moment she'd stepping out of the bar that she'd spent the whole night sat happily flirting, only.. it stopped being silly flirting after an hour. it ended up where she spoke because she wanted to, talked because this person made her feel listened to for the first time in months. it was nice to feel heard, to feel wanted in some way at all but... for once, she'd rather face her boyfriends rage than steal from someone that actually made her feel valued and not some easy fling, even though that's what it'd end up, always did. they weren't cruel or pushy like most. "don't invite me back. i'd steal your wallet, i'd take your watch, i'd max the cards within an hour or two and not because i want to, because i don't... have a lot of choice anymore so, don't ask me to come with you." she swallowed thickly, hell they could call her every name under the sun and scream at her but she stood there, timid as ever, the cold breeze making her hold her arms around herself. "i'm sorry if.. if you feel like i wasted your time."

[musicallyiinclined]

@elpida | cont'd from here!

Riley had thought the party would be fun, and had insisted that Gwyn join her, even though she knew that large groups weren't her friend's favorite thing. Normally Riley didn't mind a crowd--she was used to regularly being one of thousands when she attended hockey games, after all--but in this small of a venue even she was finding it a bit claustrophobic.

That was why she'd taken a moment to search out her friend, and immediately she could tell by the look on her face that she was nearing panic mode. Even before Gwyn shook her head Riley was already heading her way, slipping between bodies and fighting through the crowd to get to her. "Alright, I think we could both use some air, what do you say?" she asked when she finally reached her, placing a reassuring hand on the small of her back. "Do you want to follow me? I can get us out of here."

[erstwhles]

"Well, then it's a good thing I've got a local to show me around town, then, isn't it? Luckily for me I can no longer say I've never heard of it." With the conversation having taken a lighter turn, Will's smile comes easier, but his eyes keep landing on the discoloration across her face. "And if the milkshakes are that good, I'll be recommending Betsy's to everyone in my contact list before the night is over just to make amends. Trust me." At the very least, it would be nice to have a restaurant to suggest to his brother.

The kiss is barely more than a brush of her lips against his, but Will pulls back smiling. His original suggestion of a date may have been downgraded to only dinner, but it doesn't feel like he is missing out on anything. "So you have rules, then?" A single brow is lifted in interest while the corners of his lips curl upward. "No sharing a milkshake without at least a kiss first?" The flutter in his stomach rises until a fit of laughter streams from his lips and he reaches for her hand. "I wouldn't say no to a tour, but I'm already starving. I think you're right. Better to save that for next time," he says, eyes drifting back to her lips. "Hey, no complaints here. You've been trying to get into my pants since the first night we met. It was only a matter of time," he says, the same edge of teasing in his voice. "I'm glad you did do that, by the way. I only wish I'd had a little more warning so I could've really enjoyed it more."

"Well if you said that you didn't like milkshakes, I was going to proceed to tell you how much of a red flag that is. You know, huge deal breaker that." she was teasing him again, couldn't help herself. She gasped, mocking surprise with the hand to her chest. "You haven't ever heard of Betsy's?! You best not let the cook hear you say that, he'll take offence and Roy just so happens to adore me." she said that matter of fact, she clearly went there frequently.. and if she were honest it was her safe haven when things got real tough.

"Will? You look handsome, I think they're the least judging diner ever.. I mean I've been in there in my pajamas and nobody batted and eyelid but- but before we go- or at least-" Gwyn stepped forward one and edged up onto her tiptoes. She pressed her lips ever so lightly to his, a peck, a little kiss. Quick and clearly something she'd thought about. Gwyn hadn't kissed anyone before, it's why it was a quick little peck. "I can't share a milkshake with you if I haven't at least kissed you and.. and I'd suggest drive otherwise I might detour you to every amazing place around." she finally looked him in the eye. "Sorry if I shouldn't have done that but if you want a girl to be honest, n' I really like being truth embodied with you it seems, I've thought about kissing you from the moment you spoke to me the other night and I'm pretty sure the idea of not was slowly rotting my brain." she paused, her dark brows lifting. "Is that okay?"

[tyliocellier]

Reading between the lines, it was pretty clear to Tylio that she stood a chance of being physically harmed if she did not bring the money to whoever was pressuring her to do this. It could of course be a lie. She might be a very skilled actress who had spotted him and decided that he would be easy to convince. But did he really want to risk it? Did he want to risk the bodily injury of this woman, whose only crime would have been that she was too honest? The decision was easy to make for him. But he wasn't born yesterday. He knew the demands of this sinister chess player who was sliding her across the board would only ever increase. "It sounds like you need help, more than money." Just a half hour ago, he had thought her to simply be an attractive, clever young woman who was simply looking for a way to enjoy herself, but now he wondered if she was also a woman in distress. Someone in a desperate situation. And she was flattering him, whether it was intentional or not. He smiled faintly, there was genuine satisfaction to be derived from learning that he had made someone feel heard. "Does he know where you are right now?", Tylio asked, a more serious expression returning to his face as he wondered how much of her life was in the grips of this nameless person and how difficult it would be to wriggle her free. The thought of offering her a place to stay crossed his mind - he certainly had enough room. He just didn't know whether this would cause more problems for her than it would solve.

She silenced at that, she looked almost.. guilty in thought. What was going to become of her if she went home empty handed? Well, it didn't bare to think about because whilst most times it was just things being thrown her direction and words screamed at her, most times. It wasn't like that all the time. Some times it was worse and from experience... she didn't like to test whether she'd be lucky enough to just get something breakable thrown at her head. That was one of the reasons Gwyn had a small scar in her hairline, almost unnoticeable but if you looked hair enough, you'd notice eventually. "I think.. well if I were honest, I think I'd spend the whole week questioning the mess I got myself into and if in some way, somehow, it's my fault.. I'd question whether it's what I deserve." her lips pressed together briefly and she dared to let the words at the tip of her tongue tumble out, that'd be the alcohol making her lack her normal judgement to stay silent. "He's a bad man.. wasn't always, but he is now. People do change and I suppose they don't always change for the better but he's.. he's not a good man." her fingers idly moved to trace around the rim of her glass. "I do as I'm told.. or things get severely worse and I've grown to be able to handle the every day bad now. Like I said, pawn. Not that you are I reckon you're more... bishop, maybe knight." she brought her more eased laugh back.

"Normally the men at this bar are presumptuous and rude, I find them... the same level of bad if that makes sense? It makes it easier, it doesn't make it right I know that but you.. I don't know, I think it's nice to be heard for once, listened to."

[tyliocellier]

'I can't just ask, that's not fair.' That didn't make any sense to him. All his life, people had been asking him for money. That was just how life worked. He didn't see it as particularly unfair. Why, when he'd just spent the evening enjoying his conversation with her, would it be unfair for him to help her out? He wasn't completely blind to social conventions, of course he knew people generally frowned upon giving money to a person so quickly. But he didn't see a problem with it. Money was temporary, and he could always make more. In fact, most of his life was spent doing exactly that, so he was pretty good at it. He knew not everyone was, and he knew how desperate people could get when they were unable to get their hands on enough cash. As Gwyn described her situation with a metaphor, the amused expression faded from his face and made place for a more solemn one. A pawn, that was the status she ascribed to herself. Not a useless piece by any means, but the most expendable one in the game. The piece that was used to aid some of the other, more important pieces in their advancement. He followed along with most of her analogy, until she got to the part where she clarified that she didn't want to wipe him off the chess board. He didn't quite consider himself as a pawn - at least not in this situation. How could he be, when she just made him fully aware of her intentions? If this truly were a game of chess, she'd basically given away her strategy. For a moment, he remained silent, his eyes narrowing a little bit as he gazed at her face. Finally, he responded: "Listen, I can give you some money, it's not a problem for me, but...what exactly is going to happen to you if I don't?" The way she just explained it, it sounded as though she needed money not for herself, but to give to someone else. All of a sudden, he was starting to wonder whether he should be worried. Because if this plan to steal his money was not her own idea, who put her up to it?

"Oh I mean- well, yes and no? I'd never.." her fingers began to fumble together, knotting and twisting, rubbing. That was a habit she'd never managed to shake when she felt all twisted up inside. Did it make her a better person to steal? No, it just made it easier on her delicate soul to not have to look someone in the eye when she left with their wallet, their cards and all their valuables. "I can't just ask you, that's not fair." Life wasn't fair. She looked down at her fingers, how they avidly searched for anything to do. "I guess it means that-..." she sighed softly, wondering how she could even begin to explain what she meant at all. Tylio was tipsy that much she knew and if she were lucky, maybe he'd not remember a word she said, maybe he'd not get it at all but it'd be nice for just one person to even begin to understand how she felt. "You've played chess right? Everybody has played chess, and I think a lot of people picture themselves as the King or the Queen on the board and that they're in control of the movement and actions taken, but if I were on a chess board... it wouldn't be my game, I'd be a pawn, a disposable piece but a piece being used to take others either way. Does that make sense?" her shoulders lightly shrugged. "You were nice to me and.. I don't really want to wipe someone else off the chess board when they were nice to me."

[tyliocellier]

"Ah, you need money? That is what you are saying, right? And I am supposed to be shocked by this?", Tylio joked. At this point, he was a little tipsy, which was probably why he didn't take her statement quite as seriously as he ought to. But he also wasn't completely shocked. Everyone wanted money. And in his experience, most people stole. Some were just sneakier about it than others. "If you need money, you can ask me. It's okay." He had just met her but giving money to people he liked was not something he was unfamiliar with, either. She was quite a bit younger than him and he had assumed that him having money must be at least half the reason their conversation lasted so long. The only thing he didn't quite understand was the part where she said she didn't have much of a choice anymore. She sounded a bit distressed when she said that, almost as if she'd resigned herself to the fact that she did not have any other options. "What does that mean, Gwyn? You don't have a lot of choice?"

plot: gwyn has a manipulative boyfriend that doesn't work, so on the weekends when she isn't working he has her go out and sleep with rich men, to steal their wallets and valuables and disappear the next morning, to sustain the fact he doesn't work but your muse was too nice and there's something about them, so gwyn for once, cracks and warns your muse. it could go many ways! open to m, 21+, i'd be very down for age gaps too.

"don't invite me back to your hotel room." gwyn spoke the moment she'd stepping out of the bar that she'd spent the whole night sat happily flirting, only.. it stopped being silly flirting after an hour. it ended up where she spoke because she wanted to, talked because this person made her feel listened to for the first time in months. it was nice to feel heard, to feel wanted in some way at all but... for once, she'd rather face her boyfriends rage than steal from someone that actually made her feel valued and not some easy fling, even though that's what it'd end up, always did. they weren't cruel or pushy like most. "don't invite me back. i'd steal your wallet, i'd take your watch, i'd max the cards within an hour or two and not because i want to, because i don't... have a lot of choice anymore so, don't ask me to come with you." she swallowed thickly, hell they could call her every name under the sun and scream at her but she stood there, timid as ever, the cold breeze making her hold her arms around herself. "i'm sorry if.. if you feel like i wasted your time."

[musicallyiinclined]

Riley was relieved when they finally made it outside, the chilly night air helping to cool her flushed cheeks. It had been way too crowded in there to be enjoyable, and it was no wonder that Gwyn had nearly panicked. They were still holding hands, but Riley found that she was in no hurry to let go, wanting to give her friend comfort in any way she could. "Please, I'm the one who's sorry. If I had any idea how crazy this party was going to get I never would've made you come with me." She reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind Gwyn's ear. "And you didn't embarrass me, okay? Not even a tiny bit."

Nodding in agreement, Riley took a deep breath and released it slowly as a sigh. "Neither did I. Luckily all I had to do was show my face and since that's done we don't have to go back in there," she said, giving Gwyn's hand a reassuring squeeze. "We can go get food, or go watch a movie at my place, or whatever you want to do. Just name it."

When Riley was closer Gwyn instinctively moved to be closer to her, as opposed to anyone else because of everyone in this venue, Riley was what she viewed as safe. Gwyn hated it, this feeling of tightness in her chest, this feeling of drowning in people. It wasn't like she was in water, it wasn't like she couldn't breath it was just something that'd always been in her that couldn't deal with this many.. voices, people, all of it. "Yes, please." she mumbled, feeling quite frankly that she shrunk amongst all the people, a mouse amongst giants.

She followed, keeping her hand wrapped around Riley's as they maneuvered and got out of that crowd. Once outside she took such a deep gasp of air, the cool night air felt like breaking the surface of water, air rushing into her lungs and that tightness easing. "Sorry." she managed to get out, god it was embarrassing to be seen like this, fretting. "Sorry I'm just.... I'm not great with people, not that many people. I didn't mean to embarrass you or anything like that."

This was why she liked to paint, create her own world with color, imagine a million worlds different to this one, peaceful and calm. "I just didn't think thre'd be so many all at once."