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Post by Lovino Vargas on Apr 1, 2010 20:35:40 GMT -5
Lovino's eyes sparkled as she flushed and looked down at his touch. Damn... How much more adorable can you get, signorina? The slightest touch of red against ivory cheeks, masked by a flow of black hair over exotic eyes... It was hard to keep his smile from twisting into an arrogant smirk, but for this young lady, he would make the attempt... though he couldn't promise that he wouldn't stare. Not to acknowledge such beauty would simply be unkind, of course. And, unlike most women, this one seemed to take his flirtations in good spirit.
"Blackjack..." he trailed off thoughtfully, then straightened in recognition. "If I recall correctly, the one closest to twenty-one in value wins? But over that is shi--" Quickly censoring himself for the lady's sake, he corrected himself to, "No good, right?"
His eyes sparkled cheerfully again as he reached out to the deck of cards still in her hand, laying his hand gently atop them and letting his fingers just barely touch the soft skin of her wrist. "So, Signorina Veata..." he murmured, voice just slightly lower than normal, "Shall you deal, or shall I?" [/blockquote]
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Post by Veata Chea on Apr 2, 2010 14:18:17 GMT -5
A small nod of her head was all that the female could manage in her state. Flushed, embarrassed, and feeling extremely shy; Veata found that words choked in her throat and catching even a mere glance of his eyes sent her into a flustered manner. She was unaccustomed to being treated like this and it left her feeling vulnerable and unsure of herself in this strange land. If every male treated her so flirtatiously and casually like Lovino did, she wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to last without breaking in some way. If she and this male knew one another well enough to banter back and forth like this it wouldn’t be that much of an issue but…but…they didn’t know each other very well at all!
“Ye-yes,” Veata forced out in a quiet voice, “Eac-each card is…is…a different value and…we’re supposed to add them together.” Without thinking about it her dark brown eyes glanced up accidentally into his own eyes, catching the darker tinge to the golden orbs that had all the blood running to her ivory cheeks almost instantly. Veata snapped her gaze away and focused on the black fabric of her skirt, fingering it softly and shifting uncomfortably but it was a little too late. She could still feel his heavy gaze flittering across her form. “If...the value…is over twe…twenty-one it’s still fine as long as the other has a number further from twenty-one than you do.”
If a mere brush of their hands had done this to her, then the feel of his fingers upon her hypersensitive wrist just broke Veata. She couldn’t stop herself from raising her head and being caught like a young deer in the gaze of this Italian male as his low words danced in her ears. Her small frame was trembling slightly, her throat struggling to swallow as she found that there was no saliva left in her mouth.
“I-I’ll do it,” she muttered quietly even as she found herself frozen. A small noise passed through her lips, something akin to her attempting to clear her throat before she pulled her hands, cards still in place, a little closer to her body. Her mind struggled desperately to draw away her embarrassment and without thought she stuttered out her words, not caring of their consequences so long as it gave her something else to focus on besides her flushed state, “Le-let’s make this interesting, Mister Lovino. A bet. For every round that is won, the winner can ask one thing of the loser. It can be a question or an action so long as it’s reasonable. What do you think?”
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Post by Lovino Vargas on Apr 3, 2010 22:14:26 GMT -5
Lovino kept his smile to himself as he saw how flustered she was becoming. Damn, I'm good~ he complimented himself, and he would be lying if he didn't admit he was becoming just the slightest bit aroused from her chaste eyes and flushed skin. At this point, any request she made he would have followed without question, and this...
"A bet, huh...?" Leaning back, he finally let his wide smile cross his face. "I think that would be fun." Damn, she was so... so... He could barely think as he shamelessly let his eyes rove her body, already imagining what he would request if when he won. Nothing too improper... probably. It would thoroughly rely on exactly which of two body parts he was thinking with at the time.
And even should he lose -- twinkling eyes flashed up to meet hers with a genuine smile, free of lust or arrogance -- the fun would be in the playing of the game; anything else would be... bonus. [/blockquote]
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Post by Veata Chea on Apr 3, 2010 23:38:03 GMT -5
The slapping of the cards resounded through the air, dark brown eyes focused on the blur of colors of the well used cards in a desperate attempt to ignore the roaming of his eyes across her form. The movements of his eyes were clear but Veata's mind refused to acknowledge the motions. It was all just too strange and sudden for her to even process. Certainly it had occurred in Cambodia a few times but never so brashly and...and she wasn't repulsed by it quite as much as it would have been proper to be. Veata was still young, the curves of her body new to the female as was the gaze of this male. It was...almost intriguing...
Slender hands placed the shuffled deck in the small space between their warm bodies with a slight tremble. Lovino was all too close and yet seemingly far at once. She could feel the heat rolling off of his strong frame and brushing against the exposed skin of her neck and arms. As much as she'd love to blame the red tinge to her skin upon the sun, even Veata couldn't deny that this Italian male was the one that brought it upon her. How could somebody that she barely knew even do something like this to her?
Perhaps...perhaps it was because that she didn't know him that it was so much easier for him to slip behind her guard. There was a point where one would come to know another so well that emotions, however odd and weak, like this would be impossible. Veata couldn't quite fully explain something like this but she was sticking to it.
Two cards were passed to the other before she lifted her cards to her eyes. The reaction was a small frown and a raised eyebrow as she felt into the familiar beat of the game. Only a 7 and an 8 for her first hand. If she took a hit, it'd be easier to fall past the 21 mark than if she just kept the hand. “I have 15, Lovino,” she muttered without quite realizing that she had allowed for the 'Mister' to drop, “What about you?”
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Post by Lovino Vargas on Apr 4, 2010 0:22:36 GMT -5
Lovino watched her skilled hands flip the cards with surprising dexterity. Captivated by the motions which seemed so mundane when he did them, but in the hands of this young Cambodian woman, they gained a new exoticism that seemed at once foreign and all-too-inviting. This was no woman who dallied with cards as a bored pastime; she was an expert. He would even go so far as to call her a gambler, like himself.
But that personality... far too easily flustered (as if he himself wasn't) by the simplest contact. It was refreshing, to say the least, and as his eyes skimmed the cards, then returned to her face, his smile widened. Keeping his eyes on his own cards, he frowned at the King and number 3 in his hands. "Another card." Momentarily serious, he took the offered card without looking at her and bit his tongue to keep from cursing violently.
A queen. Added with his previous thirteen, that made... "Twenty-three," he muttered unhappily, reigning in another slew of expletives, then glanced up, his former smile returning at the sight of her face. "It would appear..." he leaned forward slightly and set his cards down near her legs and gazed up into her eyes, "That the first request is yours, signorina," he fairly purred. "What can Lovino do for you...?" [/blockquote]
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Post by Veata Chea on Apr 4, 2010 4:03:30 GMT -5
Ah, perhaps her luck was looking much better than she had originally thought. Veata had been positive that this very first round would go to the Italian gambler rather than herself with a mere hand totaling to only 15 but it seemed that she had yet to lose her grace in Lady Luck's presence. The thought pushed an almost arrogant tilt to her features but for the sake of Lovino's pride she held it back the best she could. Despite his arrogant aura and wandering eyes he seemed like a male that could be sweet when he wanted to be as well as easily riled up. How far his temper may go was unknown to the female and she would rather not rile him up enough to find out in person.
A small shudder ran down her spine as he leaned forward slightly. The movement was subtle, just barely there, yet it was enough to make the female pause and wipe away at any confidence that may have gripped her lithe form earlier. Veata had agreed to the card game out of eagerness and a natural love of the cards, the little bet had been made to distract her from the touch of this stranger, and the space between their bodies had been made to keep him at a distance; all those preventions and yet none of it seemed to work. She wasn't sure if she should curse whatever had brought this male with his golden eyes to her or let out a cry of weak frustration.
As dark brown was enraptured by gold Veata felt herself losing the cool composure she usually held onto so tightly during card games. Try as she might she couldn't push away the blush that laid heavily on her ivory skin or the nervous flutter in her stomach. This Italian male with his handsome features and seemingly adorable personality was moving far too fast for her to keep track of him. What did the females of her age do in situations like these? Most fell over themselves for attention like this and soaked it up. They savored it and craved it, playing it as they wished but Veata wasn't like those other girls. Where the girls her age would have basked in Lovino's attention and likely teased out bits and snippets of it even knowing so little of the male, she found that it made her nervous and flustered.
The fluttering in her stomach almost reached an unbearable point and before she could stop herself, the words passed through her barely parted lips without a thought. “Ho-how many lovers have...have you had in your life?”
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Post by Lovino Vargas on Apr 4, 2010 12:57:58 GMT -5
Lovino watched her squirm under his gaze with some satisfaction, enjoying the thrill of excitement that wound its way pleasurably up his spine at her discomfort. What will she ask? It will be something simple... probably about my job or the creature I fought or...
Then his mouth dropped wide open at her bold question, sending him rocking back. "W-w-what kind of question is that!" Completely thrown off guard, he bit his tongue to keep anything else from emerging between his lips, leaning back in and forcing himself to regain his composure.
He had to be careful, here. She seemed to be a virgin, what with her modest eyes and quick blush at the simplest contact. She wouldn't believe him if he tried to tell her he was a blushing virgin, but perhaps...
With a sigh, he met her eyes and quickly glanced away as if embarrassed. "I have never met anyone I have truly loved," he murmured honestly, looking back into her eyes. "I tend not to think on it. But since the lovely signorina has asked... I have had one or two lovers in my past."
Breaking away in an effort to break the tension, he tapped the cards and smiled. "Shall we play another round?" [/blockquote]
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Post by Veata Chea on Apr 4, 2010 15:26:54 GMT -5
Regret flooded through Veata’s frame the moment the words left her mouth. There was no taking them back and to be honest, she was far too stunned by her own words to even try to do so. Of all the things she could have requested of the male, why had she chosen that question above all else? It just didn’t make any sense for the female to concern herself with something intimate like that. What was done was done though and there was no drawing the seemingly unreasonable question back to her tongue.
Veata’s shoulders slumped forward, her head almost hanging as she muttered out quietly, “I-I don’t know...it just...sort of came out of my mouth.” Even to her own ears the words were uncertain and ashamed but at least they didn’t sound like a lie biting through the air. Because if she honestly did want to know of any past lovers in his life then that might have implied that she had an interest in this Italian male which, she did not. Veata wasn’t a stupid girl, she wasn’t the type to go falling in love at first sight with people she didn’t know and Lovino certainly fell into the “did not know” category. Now if it was something like making friends at first sight, then the young girl had no issue with it whatsoever.
To his words she could give no real response. Of course Lovino must have had a few lovers in the past, who didn’t? Especially when he was able to pull her out and push these emotions onto her frame with just a few, simple touches. Something like that took experience and experience often took more than just a few partners or so. It was to be expected and really shouldn’t matter to her...so what was with the spark of curiosity in the back of her mind?
Their cards slipped back into the deck, flying in a fast-paced shuffle before they each picked up another two cards. In her slender fingers laid a nine and a seven, a total of sixteen. Last round she had allowed for herself to keep with a low number such as this but the word hit left her mouth this time around. Dark brown eyes took in the Ace and she cursed quietly. It was an automatic loss for Veata as she displayed the cards to the older male. “I lost this one.”
Veata stared expectantly into his golden gaze, focusing on the color rather than what may come with his little win.
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Post by Lovino Vargas on Apr 4, 2010 17:54:44 GMT -5
Lovino coughed as he looked at his cards, cheeks flushed with just the slightest red tint. He'd be lying if he said it wasn't embarrassed by the mention of his former lovers, but in all honesty he didn't remember much of any of them. Nights warmer than a city breeze, scented with a haze of alcohol and smoke passed through his mind, deft fingers and quick, sudden knife cuts.
Harshly forcing his attention back to the game, he smiled at the young woman, only to find that he'd lost a bit of interest in the game... as had she, evidently. The air between them had lost its playful edge, and Lovino tilted his head and grinned in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. "The past is past, signorina, and right now, there is nothing I would rather do than play cards with you."
Looking at the cards in his hand, he felt the delicious thrill of victory. As she conceded defeat, he threw the cards down on the ground between them and smiled. I believe it is my turn for a request, yes?" Letting his eyes soften, he leaned toward her and set the tomato down lightly on his bag. "If I may be so bold..." Extending his hand with a gentle smile, he finished, "I would like nothing more than to hold the hand of the beautiful signorina before me." [/blockquote]
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Post by Veata Chea on Apr 4, 2010 17:56:00 GMT -5
She was so stupid, she was so freaking stupid for having asked such a question and the thought refused to leave her mind. Earlier the playful teasings and her own enjoyment of it had given the air a light and friendly mood. The moment that damned question had left her tongue though; it had been like a knife dropping between the two of them and cutting away any welcoming auras. Now it was awkward and Veata couldn’t help but berate herself mentally over it. Really, she should have just asked him something about his job.
But...at the very least, Lovino was a sweet Italian. It was clear that he was trying to make amends for the way that she had ruined the atmosphere between the two. Any other person would have just allowed for it to hover there but at least he was making an effort. An effort that was enough to bring a lax smile to her lips as she waited patiently for his eyes to take in his cards.
Veata couldn’t say that she wasn’t surprised at the sudden softening of his eyes. It was wholly unexpected and caught the young female off guard, pushing away any of her uncertainty of what his win entailed. If it was something lecherous there was no way that he’d be able to look so...gentle. Perhaps she was allowing her naïveté to get the best of her but the soft glint in his eyes made it hard for Veata to care.
As he leaned closer with an outstretched hand and a friendly smile, Veata felt a gentle flush rising to her skin. Not out of embarrassment, not of shyness but rather out of pleasure. His request could be easily fulfilled without the female feeling as if it was inappropriate. It was unusual and almost gentlemanly. Lovino could have asked for so much worse and comparing it to the lecherous requests others would have made only put him in an even more positive light in Veata’s eyes.
A gentle aura overtook the female’s frame and a pleased light shone in her eye. There wasn’t much more Veata could do to show her appreciation that he had not asked something of her that she could not give as her slender hand slipped into his, their fingers intertwining.“You’re such a strange male, Mister Lovino.” The pleased flush and gentle smile pressing at her features became more pronounced as her dark brown eyes flitted back towards the deck of cards. “I suppose it’s your turn to deal.”
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Post by Lovino Vargas on Apr 4, 2010 18:25:08 GMT -5
A warm, happy glow suffused him as she gently laid her hand in his, wrapping slender fingers around his own calloused ones. Lovino grinned and held her a bit tighter than necessary, just to make sure she could feel the warmth of his skin, but not enough that she couldn't pull away should the need arise. She was... cute was not the right word, yet 'exotic' was not quite enough. So different from any of the women in this town; they were all high-born rich snobs fit only for pocket-picking, or low-class girls with just enough desperation to keep existing.
Taking the offered deck, he shuffled them smoothly with one hand, giving her a smile that said clearly, yes, be impressed, I am amazing, thank you. Dealing with his thumb, he laid out one face-down for each of them, then another face-up. Setting the deck on the ground, he used his one free hand to smoothly lift his cards and analyze them.
A queen and a two... Twelve. "Hit," he muttered, reaching for the deck and drawing another card. "God damn it!" Throwing the drawn king to the ground, he glared like a child as if the cards had betrayed him. "Twenty-two." Lips sticking out in an almost-pout, he glanced at her. "It seems the request again belongs to you, Signorina Veata." [/blockquote]
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Post by Veata Chea on Apr 4, 2010 18:41:20 GMT -5
One could watch the shuffling of cards for only so long and in the immediate vicinity of Lovino, closer to him because of the intertwining of their hands, Veata found it hard to not watch him instead. The gentle squeeze he had given to her hand had brought a smile to her lips, the way that he held on even as he shuffled one handedly had amused her, his arrogant and egotistical smile had made her want to laugh; how could she knew so little of a person yet smile so readily for him? It was strange and a little odd but not completely unknown to her. Hadn’t there been at least one boy back home that had done the same?
In the quiet air, interrupted only by the cards slipping together, she took in his features once more. His features were sharp with an elegant edge to them and yet...seemingly childish all at once. There was a bright glint to his unusually colored eyes that drew her eyes away from everything but his admittedly handsome face. A strong, pointed chin and lips pulled into a small line of concentration gave him a somewhat serious look. Deep brown locks of hair hung loosely about his face but...there was something a little odd. One strand that seemed to not follow the pat-
The suddenness of his curses biting through the air started the female a bit and tore her gaze away from his face and to the cards within her view, a perfect nineteen. In her embarrassment her face had returned to its’ flushed state. For a moment Veata had thought that Lovino had caught her staring but when she peeked up shyly at him the comical sight of his face brought a giggle to her lips. Veata met his glance with a friendly smile that barely concealed her amusement.
Lips opened in another question, one less embarrassing than the first, when she saw it again out of the corner of her eye; that stray strand of hair that seemed not to follow the rest of his hair. It was unusual and caught her curiosity immediately, her question forgotten on the very tip of her tongue only to be replaced by another. “This...” For a moment Veata paused and reached out instinctively for the stray strand of hair to curl around her finger. “What on Earth is wrong with this piece of hair? It doesn’t fall like the rest of your hair does.”
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Post by Lovino Vargas on Apr 4, 2010 19:04:53 GMT -5
Her smile almost salved the Italian's wounded pride at his loss... almost. The soft shuffle of fabric against grass echoed in his ears as she moved forward just a bit to touch --
Lovino's pout instantly disappeared, breath catching in his throat at the sudden burst of warm tingles that erupted across his skin as her fingers brushed his stray curl. "Heh..." emerged from between his lips breathlessly, brown eyes widening as her fingers wrapped fully around it. Oh damn oh damn oh damn oh damn...! He almost thought that she had shoved a wad of cotton in his mouth, so difficult was it to swallow. His tongue poked out to lick his lips, suddenly overcome with the desire to lean forward and taste her, run his fingers through her hair and --
Oh god if she didn't let go he was going to do something he'd regret. Breath coming in quick pants, he raised both hands to try and protect the strangely sensitive curl. Signorina, I -- aaah!" All the air that had been in his lungs burst out in a sudden rush as her other hand, held tightly in his own, brushed that strand of hair.
Forcibly trying to pull away, his foot slid against the slick grass and toppled him over backward, pulling the young woman down with him. Her hair fell over her shoulder to brush his face, and for a moment, her heart-shaped face so close to his own, he nearly gave into his desire to pull her down and kiss those marvelously full lips. "Damn, Signorina," he managed, a twinkle almost hiding the desire she'd inspired in his eyes as his face flushed with arousal. "It's sensitive, you know?" His hands deftly reached around to hold her wrists, keeping her down as he smiled mischievously. "Comfortable?" [/blockquote]
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Post by Veata Chea on Apr 4, 2010 19:44:13 GMT -5
Dark brown eyes widened in surprise, her body falling into inexplicable trembles at the flickering heat beneath golden orbs. Moments ago her eyes had taken in only the lock of hair curled around her slender finger. Veata had been blind to everything else but the object of her attention. At the small noise that had left his parted lips though her eyes had fallen back instinctively only to find this within her hold.
A bead of sweat pressed against his flushed skin, the quickest flash of the pink of his tongue just barely brushed against the skin of his lips. But it was his eyes, oh God, it was his eyes that she couldn’t tear herself away from. The bright gold darkened, lidded and heavy, yet burning with a fire she had never felt roving her lithe frame. Beneath she caught the flickering flame, the unchained desire that spoke volumes of what the Italian wanted. His gaze intensely focused on her lips, her neck, her eyes. For the barest moment she could almost feel the wet of his tongue pressed against her flushed frame, sending the deepest blush to her skin yet.
Veata wanted to run, she wanted to turn away from that gaze and take off through the plains...and she wanted to see if this carnal male would follow. An age old instinct rising to her mind and overtaking her mind for just the barest moment. She forgot, forgot for just the slightest seconds everything that she had been taught; the customs of her people, the expectations of society, even her own uncertainty caused by not knowing him and the strangeness of it all. Their lips were almost touching and if he had not cried out, bringing her back to reality, Veata would have let the age old instinct take over.
As it was, that second cry was all it took to snap Veata back to reality. Shock ran through her frame and she struggled to step away from the male, to let Lovino go and hide away but their feet entangled in her desperate steps and they fell to the ground. The fall left her breathless in a different way and stunned the female’s mind. For an incoherent moment she struggled to understand what had just happened when his words brushed against her ears.
All at once the awkwardness of the situation and of what had almost happened with this male came crashing down upon Veata. A flush of embarrassment rather than her own carnal urges sent her face pressed into the fabric of his shirt and away from the desire in his eyes. She struggled desperately to find her voice and after a few small chokes she let out a small squeak. “I...I se-see...”
A silence fell between them when his hands wrapped around her wrist, taking her by surprise once more. She couldn’t bear to look up at the male and after what had just nearly happened, hiding her face in his shoulder was certainly much more appropriate than looking at him at this point. “....um....I...” She struggled with this words. “No-not parti-particularly...per....perhaps you could let me go and....and we could finish our car-card game?”
Anything but lying in this position for much longer, please.
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Post by Lovino Vargas on Apr 4, 2010 20:07:09 GMT -5
Her hands finally released from his hair, Lovino managed a small chuckle, trying at once to put her at ease and calm his too-fast heart. His own heartbeats echoed in his ears, almost muffling the sound of her rapid breaths against his chest that sent waves of desire pounding through him. Her body pressed against him perfectly with a warmth the hot sun above had nothing to do with.
A series of curses lurked just behind his lips as he realized just how careless he had been to let things devolve to this point. He'd be lucky if she even wanted to look him in the eye again, let alone have a decent game of cards. Face flushing, he released her wrists and carefully helped her to sit down. "Sorry..." he muttered with a wince, running a hand angrily through his brown hair, through habit avoiding that traitorous curl. "I didn't mean to... it just... I couldn't..." With a hiss, he broke off his words and shook his head, lips sticking out in a pout.
It's your fault for touching it, dammit! his mind raged, but with difficulty he suppressed his words and smiled weakly. "Please, Signorina, I... dammit!" he cursed, slamming his hand against the ground. "I didn't want to scare you or anything, I just couldn't help it because you touched my hair and I was trying to get away and then you fell and now you're going to hate me!"
Pressing his lips together, he looked away and glared, crossing his arms and trying to convince himself that he didn't sound like a child or anything. "Dammit... I just wanted to play cards... dammit..." [/blockquote]
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