WRETCHED AND DIVINE

However, she swallows any semblance of that homesick feeling when a somewhat familiar voice reaches her ears. Dakota finally tears her gaze away from the computer and turns her head almost lazily and sees Niko grinning down at her, his eyes on the pocky she’s got. ” ‘Sup, ‘Victory of the People’?” she greets, remembering the last time he had spoken he had mentioned that’s what his name meant. “‘Cookie stick?’ What ya mean pocky?” she asks between clamped teeth as she wags the pocky stick between her lips up and down. 

"Yeah. Sure. That one," he says, because he doesn't really know what that is, but it looks like a cookie stick and that's good enough for him. He comes to stand next to her, bouncing a little on his feet, but he doesn't move to steal the box. Someone else he might, but there's the uncertainty still that Dakota won't just take his hand off for it or something. Though he wonders if it wouldn't just grow back, and if so, would he end up with a weird baby hand for a while? He doesn't know the answer and he thinks that's one of those things he should've found out before being left on his own. "You gonna share?"

It’s odd to watch someone receive a death threat from the person you’re attached to, but Clara resists the urge to smack her palm against her face when Niko tells him his name, and what will happen if Brian does anything wrong. “Uh, nice to meet you,” Brian attempts, the nerves apparent in his voice as his eyes dart from Niko to Clara and back again. He stick his hand out towards her housemate in an attempt to appear friendly and less anxious than he truly is, but it isn’t really working out for him.

"Yes, normal people do that," Clara complain as she climbs off of Niko carefully, fixing her dress so it sits right on her frame once more. She sighs, disappointed in the greeting Brian had received only because it’s probably left him with a bad impression of her. And she had wanted this date to go well.

But when she steps up next to Niko, Brian gives her a kind grin. “You look beautiful,” he tells her, which brings a smile back to her face, sheepish but present and there’s a small laugh bubbling from her that borders between flattered and a smug triumph aimed at Niko, because maybe he had wanted to embarrass her, but her date still thinks she’s pretty. She’ll take that as a win.

"Ready?" Brian asks, seemingly eager to be away from the rather tall, lanky, pale guy his date had been hanging onto.

Clara nods once, “Yep. Just need to grab my bag.” With a grin, she turns back towards Niko, keeping her back to Brian while she mouths ‘behave’ to her friend before trotting off down the hall to collect her clutch and phone.

He frowns when the guy calls her pretty, because she is pretty, but who the hell is he to say so? He purses his lips, watching the brief exchange from next to her, fingers tapping against the door because he can't help his idle tics from making themselves known. Mostly he thinks the reaction's a little boring, and it leaves him a little bored before Clara turns to walk away.

'Absolutely' he mouths after her, watching her disappear down the hallway for a moment. But as soon as she's out of sight he's turning back to the guy, eyes narrowing as he gives him another once over. Just a guy, nothing special, except his heart was beating a little quickly and he found that more distracting than he should. He wondered briefly if Clara would be mad at him if she came back to find her date 'missing' and he thought the answer was probably yes.

"So listen, Clara's really special to me. She's my little cupcake, you know?" He offers him a smile and a shrug of his shoulders because he doesn't care how he takes it. "So if you're gonna eat my cupcake, you better be nice about it and you better fucking enjoy that thing because otherwise you don't deserve to even taste it. And if you just drop it on the ground and step on it or something then I'm gonna find you and rip your beating heart out of your chest before I make you eat it."

"Brian! Hi," Clara greets, her face shifting from wide-eyed deer to obscenely large smile in only a few seconds. Her arms tighten around Niko’s neck, either for support, because she’s still incredibly nervous, probably more so now, or to strangle him. Brian just stares wide-eyed as he nods slowly, hands shoved into the pockets of his slacks and the sleeves of his button down rolled up. She’ll appreciate the aesthetic later. When she isn’t clinging to Niko.

But she needs an excuse for the situation, especially before Niko makes up his own. “I, uh,” Clara stalls, eyes focusing on the ceiling above her with the hopes that an answer will be written there for her, “I just, uhm, though I saw a spider.”

Brian continues to nod.

"Hey Brian." His lips press together and he gives a small wave, aware that Clara's still clinging to his back. He opens his mouth but she's managing an excuse before he says anything, her arm tightening around his neck. It has him making a face, the words on the tip of his tongue that there was no spider, and even if there was, he's got that shit on lock down. But he stops himself before he does because that might really embarrass her, so instead he just nods, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at her. "Yeah... she's really scared of spiders."

His hand comes up to try and tug her arm away from his neck a little, mostly because there's an uncomfortable memory in there of being hung from a staircase, but beyond that it doesn't bother him much. "I'm Niko. I'm the guy that's gonna kill you if you step out of line with my friend here. You wanna shake hands?" He tilts his head to look back at Clara before the guy has a chance to answer, because he's not sure if that's something he should ask, or just do, or if it's anything people still do. And while there's no real guilt for the position the guy found them in because it's just way too fucking funny, it doesn't mean he can't try. "Should we shake hands? You normal people do that shit?"

"No, wait!"

Once the initial surprise is over he just does his best to ignore the girl playing spider monkey on his back, yanking the door open to greet the man standing there. And he does his best to adopt an innocent look as he jerks his head at him, as though this is a completely normal, every day occurrence. Which is almost an understatement but he doesn't need to say that. "Hey."

"No you don’t," Clara whines, stamping her foot lightly somewhat like a child throwing a tantrum, "You wanna embarrass him and me and that’s not nice, Niko. I wouldn’t barge into your date and interrupt whatever it is that you like to do with girls. I don’t know." She shrugs lightly, refusing to allow her mind to wander down that path and she’s slightly terrified of the things she could come up with that Niko does on his dates, if he ever actually goes on any.

Either way, the doorbell ringing draws his attention back upright and he smiles widely before he's stepping around her. He turns to walk backwards down the hallway, pointing at her as he goes, and while the words are teasing he's also half serious because he's already forgotten what she called him. "What's his name again? Brad? Ryan?"

But Niko’s grin gives him away, a sly tip of his lips that is all the evidence Clara needs that he’s up to no good. And while she pauses to watch the expression for a moment, it only increases her determination to put him somewhere so she can grab her bag and her phone and race him to the car, hopefully beat him unless he cheats with vampire skills. Which would be unfair of him. She pushes against him once more. “No, no, no. He’s nice, I promise,” she tells him, and it’s almost comical as it doesn’t sound all that convincing when she’s tripping over her words and panicking over all the terrible things flying through her head that Niko could say. And she knows whatever leaves his lips would only be worse.

"Please, please, please, don’t scare him off. Please," Clara begs, and maybe it sounds slightly desperate. And perhaps she is. She hadn’t been on a date in a long time and she won’t admit to the fact it’s because no guy has asked her out in a long time. To have someone seem interested in her, it’s somehow new and exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time. And if Niko screws it up, there’ll be no free slices of cake for him next birthday party.

"What? It's not like I can't just get rid of it if I say something too bad. He won't even remember meeting me if I tell him not to." He grins when he says it, like that makes it all okay because in his mind it probably does. That and he's finding all of this funnier than he probably should, because it's possible that she's actually worried about this. He can't tell, but it makes him pause abruptly in the hallway, hands going to her shoulders to still her. 

"I just wanna say hi," he says. He's not sure it's true, but if she wants it to be then maybe he'll try. "It'll be fine."

There’s a quick sigh of relief when the clasp closes around the small metal pieces, hooking the necklace around her neck, and resting upon her collarbone. And the triumph would last longer if Niko hadn’t been going for the door. “Niko, no,” Clara calls out in slight horror, rushing after Niko, and it’s almost surprising she can see him when his frame had never reached the mirror to bounce back at her. Her heels click against the floor as she reaches for him, fingers closing around his wrist as she swings out of her bedroom door, hands gripping onto the door frame to keep her steady. “Don’t,” she instructs with a bit more force than necessary and the nervous energy in her throat might’ve just jumped into her throat. Or maybe that’s her heart beating so fast it’s traveled north.

"I will not. I just wanna make friends." The grin that follows probably isn't all that reassuring, especially when she's probably right about all of the above. Except the vampire thing. He wouldn't tell anyone outside the Tenebrae that he's dead, and it's not just because he's pretty sure it's against their rules. But he thinks it would make Mitchell mad at him, even if he could wipe the guys mind afterwards. Only once that thought occurs to him it has his eyes lighting up because he really could fuck with him. "And make sure he's gonna treat my cupcake right."

Her phone buzzes on the table then, a small notification of a text appearing to light up the phone. “Crap,” she mutters as she fiddles with the clasp on the necklace, an almost impossible task with curls getting in the way. “That’s probably Brian. He’s probably here,” she sighs, a bit frustrated that she isn’t completely finished getting ready and she couldn’t tell if he’s early or she’s late. All she knows is she might throw this necklace across the room in a few seconds if it doesn’t snap into place.

There's a buzz that has him glancing back at her, and the words just make a wide smile split his lips. He puts a hand on her shoulder before he's moving past her towards the door, a wave of his hand that it doesn't occur to him she won't see. There's no shortage of curiosity about what kind of guy she's going on a date with, but he can't help but jump at the chance to give some kind of 'hurt her and you're dead' speech. Though to be fair it's the kind of thing that should be directed at him. "It's cool. Take your time. I'll go get him."

"Oh, I’m nervous," she admits suddenly, an embarrassed tint to her cheeks then, because she hadn’t been on a proper date in what feels like ages. And there’s the urge to make a good impression as well as to have a good time. Dates always feel like job interviews to her. She straps the other heel on, pushing herself off the chair and nudging Niko the side as she grabs earrings from off the table and leans closer to the mirror to place them in her ears. "Why am I nervous? I shouldn’t be nervous," she begins to rattle, shaking her hands to rid herself of the anxiety as her eyes scanning over the few necklaces she has at her disposal, "What necklace should I wear?"

"Performance anxiety?" He shrugs his shoulders, reaching out to toy with her earrings. He doesn't have a real answer to the next question but it doesn't occur to him to try and offer one. "Pearl necklace? I could put it on you." It's an effort not to start laughing at his own joke, but he's not quite sure she'll catch it. It's funny to him anyway, because he's always been his own best source of entertainment.

Carefully, Clara slips past Niko, who had decided that standing in front of her had been the best place for him to be, and there’s a conscious effort to wriggle away from her seat without standing right on top of him. Once she’s free, she flattens the creases in the dress with her fingers, palms trailing delicately down the scarlet satin of the hanging fabric. “Well, I don’t think Brian will ask for that anyway,” she admits, fairly certain the words are true because her coworker is quite shy, and perhaps he only asked her out because she had handed in her two weeks notice.

"Is this dress too much?" Clara questions honestly, still trying to navigate between Niko and the mirror.

"If he's not asking for it then he's a dumbass." It's a weird sort of compliment, probably backwards and he's aware that 'grind up on me' is probably not something she'll be asked by anyone but him, but that's because of how he talks, not because of how she looks. Especially since she just said he probably wouldn't. There's the urge to ask if 'Brian' is coming by the house, if he gets to meet him, and probably threaten him, though he'd leave that part out.

He answer's her question first, a grin splitting his lips. "Yes. Way too much. You should take it off." He smirks before he bumps her under the chin with his knuckles. "You look nice cupcake."

Her spine straightens as the thoughtful expression on her face is replaced with a smile as she pulls the curling iron away from the last curl. Catching it was her hand, she cradles the warm bundle of hair before switching the iron off and placing it gingerly upon the table. “You jerk, you weren’t serious,” she reminds him with a laugh, reaching for the hairspray to set the arrangement of curls once more.

"What? Says who?" There's a loud scoff at that, and it never occurs to him that she's just teasing him on this one. He probably was just joking, but is it really fair to call it a joke when he didn't know there could be actual followthrough on it? "In what world would I ever say 'no, I'm just kidding, don't take your clothes off or grind up on me?' No world. Not any one of them. So I still call it first."

Except maybe the daddy kink comment. Her nose wrinkles in distaste. “Oh, gross. That’s just- that’s disgusting,” Clara whines, shaking her head as if to shake the thought away from her mind. She wouldn’t even entertain the notion, and considering Brian is only two years older than her, she’s fairly certain that isn’t anyone’s motives in this date.

"I wouldn’t date you because of some weird kink," she informs him, spraying the curls that are cooling before picking up the iron once more and taking on the last few strands of hair. "Also, he asked first, so that’s your fault," she jokes, quickly glancing up at Niko with a smirk upon her lips and her shoulders raising in some mock form of innocent that keeps a laugh down before she’s attempting to see her reflection once more.

His mouth opens at the next comment though, battling between trying to feign some kind of offense and just finding it funny. There's also a distant curiosity whether it's the truth or not, but he doesn't ask.

"Hey, I've asked for things. Mostly sexual things, but that's besides the point." He straightens his back before he gestures at her and then lets his hands settle on his hips. "Where's my lap dance? Where's my strip tease? I asked for those things first, I think it's only fair that if he asks for those things you gotta shell out in my direction first."

She takes another strand of hair, curling her hair into it and holding it closely to her head before looking up back up at Niko. “He’s a boy,” she tells him, before squeezing her eyes shut in quick frustration, “No, he’s not a boy. That sounds like I’m a pedophile or something. I’m not. He’s a guy. He’s older than me. Not that much older! Just a bit. I work with him.”

"Yeah, okay. So is this some kind of daddy kink thing?" He sticks his tongue out between his teeth, more amused by that then he should be. "You know I work with you. And I'm older than you. Probably older than him too, if that's what you're into." Probably old enough at this point to be her father, but even with that many years behind him it was still strange for him to think in those terms. In vampire years he was still a child, something most of them loved reminding him of.

"No," she scolds lightly, voice hanging onto the vowel a bit longer than necessary before she turns back towards her own reflection, a girl with half-curled hair staring back at her. Picking up the curling iron, she wraps a straight strand of hair around it, eyebrows shooting up as she attempts to look at Niko from the sitting position and the curling iron making her stiff. And it’s a pity she couldn’t just look at him in the mirror, an image, or rather, lack of an image, that makes her jump slightly each time she forgets he won’t be there. "I have a date,” she clarifies for him.

But he's not, so he just shifts in the next moment, so that he's in front of her, watching her continue curling her hair. He can't resist playing with each one after she's done, as much because he finds it entertaining as it is because he can't keep his hands to himself. Because then he won't focus so long or so hard on the veins in her throat. "Boy or girl?" he asks, cheerful grin back in place. "Please say girl. Please say I can come."

The curl falls from the iron when she pulls it away, carefully cradling the lock in her palm to keep the curl in place while it cools, burning the skin of her hand. She wrinkles her nose in discomfort, watching her reflection make the same expression before she slowly releases it, spraying it with some hairspray and it’s only then that she hears the creak of her door, like someone had pushed their weight upon it. “Oh,” she states once in slight alarm before grinning widely, turning in her seat to face the individual, “Hello.”

There's only so long he can stand in place and not do anything though, and it finally has him nudging the door with his foot to see if that gets her attention. He grins back when she turns around, and he doesn't make a secret of eyeing her up. "Do we have a date? No one told me we had a date." The greeting is enough of an invitation for him, and trots over towards where she sits in front of the mirror. He gives the curl a tug, grinning at it as it bounces back into place. "Cute."

Dakota had her old stomping grounds back when she was at Mount Holly, but things were different now. New place meant she had to find new places to eat, shop, get away from it all and while she found a good share of those things already, she still hadn’t found a shooting range or at least gone out looking for one. She was a damn good shot with both her left and right hand, there was no denying that, but just because she was good didn’t mean by any means that she wouldn’t and shouldn’t keep practicing. Thinking like that would get you fucking killed faster in this life. Dakota continues down the list of reviews for one particular shooting range before biting down on the pocky stick between her lips and muttering a quiet “Nah,” before moving onto the next option. 

His mouth opens to ask what she's doing, what she's looking for, whether it's pron, and if so, was it the weird stuff? All those things get derailed when he notices what she's chewing on. It makes him pause, brow furrowing momentarily before a wide grin splits his face. "What is that? Is that a cookie? Can I have a cookie stick?"

But watching her fix her phone screen isn’t all that exciting at the end of the day, and she feels sorry that she suddenly isn’t more fun. Clara picks up a small screwdriver and begins unscrewing two very tiny screws from the bottom of the phone, depositing them in a small bowl beside her. “Well, this won’t take me long,” she tells Niko in all honesty, listening to the tiny clink of the screw dropping into the bowl, and she’s prepared to swat Niko’s hand away if he tries to mess with those. They’re too small to get lost.

"How can I help cure your boredom?" she asks him, popping the sim card out of the side of the phone, "We can do whatever ya like." And it’s only after the words leave her lips that she thinks she’ll probably regret them.

He watches her drop the screws in the bowl, fingers itching with the urge to mess with them. He keeps it to himself for the moment, drumming them off the counter instead and it already feels like he's been stationary for too long. Still, she said it would only take a minute, and while there wasn't really a promise that they'll do something more fun afterwards that's how he takes it as.

A smarmy grin follows the question, and already there are a thousand things he could say to that, only about two of them clean. "Well... since you asked." He sticks his tongue out between his teeth before he jerks his head at her. "Margarita shooters and a lap dance? From you, not me. Unless you'd be into that."