Its me Dio!

Still, she resisted his temptations. Her goal was a little more important than landing herself a lover. She wasn't quite ready for that yet, even if she did dream of finding love one day.

Her career path just made it impossible.

There was a flinch when Dio correctly guessed she hadn't kissed anyone yet. In the moment, she was speechless and unsure of what answer to give without sounding defensive. Playing it cool was becoming more difficult the longer he continued to flirt with her.

She made a meager attempt to stop him from setting her dinner aside before shooting him a glare and pouting, her face still red.

"I-I already have a little secret. It's called strawberry shortcake."

“You didn’t answer my question though, which leads me to believe you haven’t kissed anyone…a shame really. Your lips look rather soft. The kind that once kiss is never enough.” His eyes lingered in them, Dio wondered what he should do, steal her first kiss? No such thing would only anger her, besides he enjoyed it far better when it was a mutual moment. “There are other treats you can have besides cake my dear. I know what you’ve been doing or at least trying to do…I’m not making it easy am I?”

“Have you ever kissed anyone?” He asks out of nowhere as he finishes drinking the broth of his ramen, with the intent of catching her off guard. “Not for a performance, or some kind of publicity mandate but for real. Has it ever happened? Have you ever wanted it to happen?”

Late-night ramen hit the spot after a long day... and it would be a little more enjoyable if she didn't feel Dio's eyes on her. Staring.

She tried to play it cool, like she didn't notice, though her right eye twitched involuntarily. The silence that followed, however, was a godsend. For a few moments, she was able to eat peacefully, and the blush on her face subsided...

"Mff—"

A personal question like that, and out of the blue, made her choke on her broth. She coughed loudly, covering her mouth with a napkin, and sputtered while looking at Dio with wide eyes and shock on her face.

"Wh-What—"

Like a rose in full bloom, her face turned bright red.

He remained quiet and listened listens to all she had to say, her voice alone soothing to him. The blonde then smiled before speaking “You come up with good ideas Kitty, alright let’s play this game of twenty questions.” He put both of his hands on her hips, resting them there as he gathered his thoughts. “To answer your question, it depends on the person. Sometimes people are as open as a book, you can see all they are from the first meeting but others are more tricky, people who are guarded, who hide their true intentions. I’ve gotten good at reading people over the years but I wasn’t always this way and I’ve been burned a few times.” Dio only looks into her eyes as he speaks, finding comfort in her presence that made him relax.

His question earns a much quieter response than anything else that has been posed throughout their exchange. Her posture goes slightly rigid, the first sign of discomfort that she's willingly conveyed. Her eyes widen briefly before blinking, as if to recalibrate herself and to bring her back into the moment.

The room feels slightly smaller than before, the air feels a little thicker.

This questions feels much heavier than the other. But, she did give him permission and her vow of honesty. Her fingers start to play with the fabric at his shirt collar, pinching it gingerly as she rubs the between her thumbs and forefingers. The gesture is idle as she chooses how to answer.

❛ Yes. I have. ❜ A sad smile takes to her lips and she offers up a small shrug, It would be a lie to say she hadn't. ❛ Once or twice, when I was younger. Not so frequently now. ❜

Katariina clears her throat and blinks again, shaking her head briefly. ❛ When you're young, admiration and love feel like they're the same. You see someone, they're larger than life, talented or just extraordinary in some way and then you start to build . . . little shrines to that person, inside of you. They're everything. But then you find out, you're not anything to them. ❜ Blue eyes flit upward, resting on his face. ❛ They didn't ask that of you-- to build them up. To care for them. Or, they saw you doing it and they let you do it anyway, because they do not care when you inevitably get hurt. ❜

There's a piece of her that feels very exposed and not in a way she's normally keen on displaying. ❛ Giving your heart to someone is very easy. But trusting them to take care of it, is. . . very tricky. ❜

This confession feels quiet, like a secret she had been keeping to herself for quite some time. There's a beat of silence as she looks pointedly downward, looking at her hands and at his chest. Her fingers play further, tugging open a button to idly look at a piece of his skin.

She smiles to herself and hums, meeting his crimson gaze again. She's back in the game. ❛ My turn. You've been burned before, right? So, tell me, what is the worst thing someone has taught you about people? ❜

The blonde places a hand on her cheek, a gentle warm touch as he looks into her eyes, not saying anything out loud but speaking volumes with a look, not one of pity but of admiration, she had suffered and still persevered but not only that she had not let the pain of the past stop her from opening up to someone new, someone like him. “Thank you for that…” he says softly knowing the significance of what she had shared with him.

The blonde then let out a sigh as he heard her question “That sometimes the one that can hurt your life the most…is yourself….” As she played with his buttons she can see more of the scar on his neck that goes all the way around. “For as greedy and untrustworthy some people can be…being unable to accept genuine love is one of my biggest regrets from my past. I had ambition that clouded my judgement, hate that fueled me, goals I needed to achieve under any cost….and it did cost me more than I care to admit…” he then stopped, eyes looking away as he gathered his thoughts and continued.

She opened her mouth to protest his tightened hold, but was interrupted by the knock on the door. Rather than words, she released a relieved sight and carefully got off of him. Her eyes refused to meet his as she quickly turned around and with hurried steps went to the door.

Procuring a facemask from her pocket, she slipped it on before opening the door and greeting the delivery man with a closed eye smile. She paid for their meal, tipping generously as well, before closing the door and returning to the living room.

She gently placed the bag down on the coffee table and sat herself on the floor to take out the takeout containers with broth, noodles, and their toppings. She wasn't about to give Dio another chance to fluster her. Again.

“Have you ever kissed anyone?” He asks out of nowhere as he finishes drinking the broth of his ramen, with the intent of catching her off guard. “Not for a performance, or some kind of publicity mandate but for real. Has it ever happened? Have you ever wanted it to happen?”

“You’re terribly certain that you’ll be allowed more than just a taste.” Irene turns her head to peer at him over her shoulder, cheeks still rosy with her blush. She’d scoop a bit of the dessert, placing it into her mouth. Any venom and stubbornness in her gaze immediately melts as her eyes flutter close, a heady moan escaping her. Before his very eyes, the dessert would disappear in record time after the first languid bite.

“I could shower you with sweet words and promises but I feel actions would be alot more convincing~” he vanished right before her eyes only to be behind her once again with his lips to her neck, covering it with soft teasing kisses. “Let me have you fully, in anyway I want and I promise to make you feel even better than when I drank from you~”

“True, I don’t mean to put expectations onto you, after all you have already exceeded all of my initial expectations…right now I’m just curious to see where we end up.” He was about to make another comment when she stood. Dio’s eyes followed her every move , not knowing where this would end up and not expecting what happened. Her touch made a fire within him ignite, heart beating faster and faster as she took off her heels and got so comfortable in his lap. His body reacts in ways he can’t control and he stares at her eyes as she smiles, oh how devilish.

Kitty doesn’t move to leave him, nor does she lean in further-- this was her chosen spot, after all. So, she simply settles instead, as though she’s decided that comfort is something she can figure out later. His hand at her back earns a faint shift of attention from her, not alarmed, just . . . aware. It's not the first time a man has placed his hands on her curves and she's certain it won't be the last-- awareness was an instinct she had cultivated a long time ago.

And yet he still refers to himself as a gentleman.

The statement drifts in her mind and Kitty can not help but to hum, smiling softly in answer. The reaction is less amused than prior, leaning more into her inner analytics.Her gaze lingers on his face for a moment longer than necessary before she exhales softly through her nose, giving a sound that suggests she’s still deciding what she thinks of him.

❛ Mm. . . ❜ she hums, voice light, almost absent-minded, like she’s thinking more than she’s speaking. ❛ You don't think we are moving a little fast for a conversation that’s supposed to involve words? ❜

There’s no real complaint in her inquiry. If anything, there’s a faint curiosity underneath, like she’s watching him rather than resisting him. Her fingers shift idly against his chest, not clinging, not pushing away either, just there in a way that feels more like observation than affection.

Men were always trying to forgo conversation for something more physical, at least in her experience. It was rare she ever indulged them fully-- she was a woman of standards and dignity, after all. But what fully separates Dio from other men, then? Maybe his sincerity, if one could call it that.

❛ Alright, then. I have a suggestion, ❜ she adds after a beat, her posture straightening. Her palms clap onto his chest, patting him in a brief, double tap as if she's found the solution to the problem.

❛ I want to know you. You want to know me. So, just ask. Anything. And I'll answer you, honestly. I promise. ❜

The words are simple, but they don’t feel like a request. More like a structure she’s placing between them, something she can use. If she's to do anything, she'd like to have a larger base of information to work with first.

Her brow lifts, complexion intrigued and seemingly waiting. Her tail does another flick behind her and a scalloped ear twitches, seemingly anxious for his reply. But before he can answer, she's already adding to onto herself.

❛ Tell you what, let’s cut the formalities, mm? ❜ She adds at last, tone gentling in a different way now. ❛ Miss Kitty is for marquees. ❜

Her eyes flick back to his, steady again.

❛ You can call me Kitty. Or whatever else you'd like to call me. ❜

It's not a request or a demand. It's a question in its own manner, seeing how he wishes to truly perceive her.

A beat passes before she exhales again, more lightly this time, settling back into the rhythm she’s chosen.

❛ I'll even ask a question first, since you asked the last one. ❜ Her head tilts again, like she needs to think her question over. She doesn't. But she can act as though she needs the extra time to formulate herself properly. ❛ Are you always certain of people? Are first impressions important to you? ❜

He remained quiet and listened listens to all she had to say, her voice alone soothing to him. The blonde then smiled before speaking “You come up with good ideas Kitty, alright let’s play this game of twenty questions.” He put both of his hands on her hips, resting them there as he gathered his thoughts. “To answer your question, it depends on the person. Sometimes people are as open as a book, you can see all they are from the first meeting but others are more tricky, people who are guarded, who hide their true intentions. I’ve gotten good at reading people over the years but I wasn’t always this way and I’ve been burned a few times.” Dio only looks into her eyes as he speaks, finding comfort in her presence that made him relax.

He was putting her in a risky position. The takeout could arrive at any second, and Dio was more preoccupied with flirting with her. He was risky to keep around her, being a flirt and a clear bad influence.

Her face flushed a deep, rose red. His crimson eyes were indeed captivating, dangerously so, but she wouldn't let herself drown in them. Her mismatched gold and silver-blue eyes quickly darted to the side, finding the wall much more interesting suddenly.

He was so close to hers, she could feel his breath nearing her lips. Her hands shot up in an 'x' formation in front of her lips as a barrier, and at the same time, she turned her face away.

"A-Ahaha!~ Why do I get the feeling you say that to any lady who catches your attention?"

Send one of the symbols for a scenario involving your muse and my muse and I will write my muse’s reaction!

♨ For your muse to come across my muse naked in a hot spring ( “+reverse” to reverse muses)

🌊 For your muse to come across my muse skinny dipping in a lake ( “+reverse” to reverse muses) 

🧺 For your muse to come across my muse changing clothes ( “+reverse” to reverse muses)

🛁 For your muse to come across my muse in the bath ( “+reverse” to reverse muses)

🚿 For your muse to come across my muse in the shower ( “+reverse” to reverse muses)

🏃🏻‍♂️ For your muse to come across my muse streaking ( “+reverse” to reverse muses)

😆 For your muse to come across my muse after they lost all their clothes due to a prank ( “+reverse” to reverse muses)

💲 For your muse to come across my muse after losing their clothes in a betting game ( “+reverse” to reverse muses)

😏 For your muse to come across my muse naked because they are a nudist ( “+reverse” to reverse muses)

🛌🏻 For your muse to come across my muse naked because they sleep naked ( “+reverse” to reverse muses)