Chemistry Overrides Good Sense

Who: Aiden & Eury
Where: Bar/The Island
When: Afternoon

It was about ten 'til three when Aiden left Amelia's house, leaving her a note to his whereabouts. He remembered the name of Eury's antique shop, and found it without much trouble, given the size of the town. He parked out front and got out of his car, throwing his cigarette away quickly. There were still people out and about, though not as many as earlier, and thankfully the amount of cat corpses had decreased considerably. He remembered the cats he had shot himself when they were attacking Delilah, and he hadn't even given cleaning up that mess a second thought.

He gave a glance into her shop before making his way up to where she lived above the shop. He knocked once and waited for a few seconds before knocking again. When there was no answer, he gripped her doorknob and found it unlocked. Being one who made sure to always lock his own doors, and even windows, Aiden was immediately on edge, although he knew he was probably overreacting. Marquette was a small town, and naive people were bound to leave their doors unlocked. Still, it never hurt to make sure everything was all right. He pushed open the door and stepped inside her home, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"Eury?" he called, wanting to make himself known if she was around.

Eury was around! She was just getting out of the shower, which was prompted by hearing a knock. "Aiden?" she called. Her apartment wasn't overly large, but it was very homey. It had a very comfortable, lived in sort of feel that had a lot of earth tones through out. She got a towel around herself and slid her shades onto her face again. Stepping into the short hallway that lead to the open kitchen/living room area she grinned around the corner. "Hey sweetie! You're like, a teeeeensy bit early! I'm used to people being late. So excuse me and the being wet and naked thing, I'll go throw some clothes on!" she said. "If you want anything, feel free to dig around." she added. She sounded terribly cheery, and really she was, so that was a plus.

Aiden turned toward the voice, only to be greeted by a grinning - and half naked - Eury. "It's excused," he assured her, his eyes drifting, though he couldn't see anything. And her offer was a bit dangerous, because hey, he was a guy, and she was hot and well...the things he might have wanted were off limits thanks to damn Dorian, so Aiden was determined to be good. At least she was in a good mood after spending who the hell knew how long cleaning up dead cats. He'd just wander about until she was ready and refocus his mind out of the gutter and onto other things, like food. Cats. Dorian. Fuck. "Take your time, I'm not in a hurry."

She laughed a little. "Okay. I don't take too long, either way. I mean, it's not like I have to do much with my hair." she said, then started across the hall to her room, though she paused and looked over her shoulder at him. "I'm glad you're here." she said, in a playful sort of tone, though she was being honest. She'd liked him, and she was happy that he hadn't been just pretending to have a good time when they'd met. She occasionally had bouts of insecurity, though it was easy to dispel them with her. "I'll be quick!" she promised, then bounced off to her room.

"I'm glad I'm here too," Aiden remarked with a smile. Dorian? Probably wouldn't be, but Aiden had warned him he planned to hang out with Eury if she wanted too. And he really hadn't been pretending. The only time he truly pretended when a girl was really dull was when he still wanted to get her into bed. And if he didn't want to get her into bed? He had no qualms about letting one know he found them to be boring. Eury had been lively, and interesting, and she'd managed to keep his attention. If she hadn't, he wouldn't be waiting in her apartment for her. Trying very, very hard to steer clear of her bedroom.

She smiled at that, and when she got to her room she took a second to fan herself. He wasn't the only one who's mind seemed to have dropped into the gutter, and she usually had a rich fantasy life when it came to people she was attracted to. So of course different scenarios of him barging in on her were fluttering through the back of her mind. You're an idiot, Eury! she chastized herself, then quickly went to throw on some clothes. Because it was stupidly hot, she went for one of the few cutsie sort of sun dresses she had. Or it was sort of cute. It had little skulls and crossbones in place of girly flowers. But she thought it was cute.

Then she tied her hair back as much as she could, put on a little bit of jewelry that matched the dress(which included a leather wrist cuff and a ribbon choker with a little silver crescent moon hanging from it) and big hoop earrings. Then she was back out into the main room, sans fanciful ravishing that hadn't happened. "Okay all done." she said. "Have fun rifling through my things? Do you know all my secrets now?"

If it hadn't been for his promise to Dorian, Aiden very well may have given the barging in a shot. It certainly had crossed his mind. Painfully so because he had to think about the damn dead cats again to cool his blood.

Focusing, Aiden grinned at her, taking in her dress. How many girls could pull skulls and bones off? She looked damned sexy, though he didn't think it wise to voice it. "You look great," he settled on and glanced around her place before he started detailing just how great she looked. "I was a good boy. Just looking." His eyes took on a mischievous glint when he looked back at her. "I'd rather you tell me all your secrets instead of me having to rifle for them."

Eury grinned at him for that. "Ooh, really? Well then. You realize you've signed yourself up for hanging out with me more then, right? Because I can't hand them all over to you in one sitting. It'll have to be far more than that. Tsk tsk, you don't know what you're getting yourself intoooo!" she singsonged the last bit. "But points for being a good boy. I bet you haven't wracked up too many good boy points in your time, have you sweetie? I'm sure you need all of them you can get. So consider yourself rewarded. So where we off to?" she asked.

Aiden placed his hand on the small of her back to lead her to the door. It was a habit of his with women he was attracted too. One some women took offense too, and others? Not so much. It was a good way to gauge the kind of woman they were, actually. "I'll be around for awhile, so I fully expect to hang with you as much as possible. Especially if you're promising me secrets, which I fully intend to collect. As for my good boy points, unfortunately I've been in the negative for the last few years, so it's nice to know I'm headed in the right direction for once. I was going to go for something a bit casual, if that's all right. Unless you're in the mood for something specific. You did spend the morning cleaning up cat corpses, after all, so the decision, love, is yours."

Eury, as an affectionate sort to begin with, which often included little touches wasn't adverse to the hand on her back thing in the slightest, in fact, she liked that. She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. "I am all about casual today as well, actually, so we're both in luck. I don't really do the fancy anything most of the time, that's special occasion for me, and besides. Half the time the food isn't worth the price anyways. Not that I have to worry about money much, and I'm not a penny pincher or anything, but I don't throw it away needlessly either. Wow, I'm rambling, sorry about that, it happens sometimes." she said with an amused tone.

"Ramble away," he assured her, opening the passenger side door for her once they got to his car. "It doesn't bother me in the slightest." It just meant he got to listen for awhile longer. Few women catch his attention enough that he's eager to hear them speak. Eury was one of those women. Even when she rambled, she did it with energy. He was getting why Dorian was so into her. "I've been sort of trying out all the places to eat around town. I don't cook worth shit, excuse my language, so I've been trying to find the best place to get my meals. There's this pub down the street I've sort of taken too. We can get some burgers and a few beers, unless you consider it too early to be drinking." Which some people did. Not Aiden. He'd have a whiskey with breakfast if he could get away with it.

Eury laughed. "No, after cleaning up dead cats all day? That sounds like a great idea, sweetie." she said honestly. "Besides we're going to be discussing tattoos for you, which should always be done over alcohol. It's just a thing. Trust me on this." she added. Looking out the window of the car, she saw that a lot of the bodies that had been on the street in the morning were cleared, so that was good. That didn't mean it didn't stink outside, but she was guessing that it would for a few days yet. "Sometime we should go to the Border Grill too. They've got good mexican, it's this tiny little place up the street. But not today. Today burgers and beers is more the way to go. Though again, I might wuss out and drink something fruity with silly names."

Aiden chuckled at that and drove toward the pub. "I have to say, I know what you mean about the tattoos. The first tattoo I got was when I was pissed and sixteen in Galway. Don't know how I got it, all I know is I woke up and there it was. The second? Completely sober. So maybe I can find a good balance for the next one." He glanced at her and smiled at the memory of Babylon. "Have as many fruity drinks as you want, love. If you feel the need to order the ones named after various sex acts, I'd be powerless to stop you." Head out of the gutter, Quinlan.

Eury had to laugh at that. "They're the most fun, of course." she said. "Though I really have to wonder who sits back and comes up with this shit. I mean, is there a job out there that's just naming drinks? If so, can I have it? Because I swear..." she shook her head. "It's like the trend of naming foods dangerous things. It's silly. Like Death by Chocolate or something. Really, do we need cake to sound ominous? People have too much time on their hands." And she was rambling again. "I have far too many to start naming when and where i got them, and in what state of consciousness I was in. I still want to see yours though. Does the one you got when you were sober mean anything?"

"Well, I challenge you to make up a drink on your own and give it a kinky name. I'm pretty sure you could do it." He was positive she could. She seemed creative enough. "Too many, or not, if I'm going to show you mine, I get to see yours," Aiden said firmly, pulling into the parking lot of the pub. "So I hope you're not overly modest, because when I say I want to see all of them, I mean it. We can jog your memory that way." Maybe it was a bold statement, he wasn't sure. Sometimes he had problems reigning in what might be inappropriate. But he did know he was thankful Dorian wasn't in the car, because he was pretty sure he'd be getting a fist in his jaw right about now. "The one I got when I was sober, yeah. It's a phoenix, which may not be the most original, but it fit the moment and it still does." He turned off his car to look at her. "I like my ink to mean something, as most people do."

"A phoenix, very nice." she said. "Is it big? Like your whole back, or smaller?" she asked. "And fair warning, if you want to see all of my tattoos, all pretense of decency will fly out the window. I have a lot of them, and some of them are in places that you'd have to see a bit more of me than you have already." she warned. However that wasn't a refusal. She'd be more than happy to show him, really. A smile lit her lips as she eyed him. "You've been warned." she said, then flashed an impish grin before getting out of the vehicle.

Aiden watched her get out of the car, eyes drifting again, before he followed. Locking his car, he walked toward her. "It's just on my shoulder blade, not my entire back. Gotta leave room in case I get inspired for another, which I'm hoping you'll help me do." He was well aware she hadn't refused his request to see all of her tattoos and he was trying very hard not to think about that. But it was hard to be in town for not even a month and toss out all his usual instincts and desires. "Don't worry, Eury, I'm not one for decency, so we can throw that out the window right now. Consider yourself warned." His own grin was just as flirtatious as he opened the door for her into the pub. He kept checking her out, and it wasn't doing him any favors in staying focused.

She laughed. "I'll keep that in mind." she said, sounding terribly amused. "I was thinking your shoulder. Upper arm, something there. Tattoos there are both hideable if you want them to be, but you can show them off when you want too. Plus they're sexy, and give people something to reach out and touch." she added. Why yes, Eury did have the psychology of tattoos and what they might be viewed as from an outside perspective down to a science. "Besides, you look like you have nice arms." she added.

"Upper arm it is." His left arm was a blank canvas and it was getting to the point where he'd let Eury tattoo him herself. His hand was on her back again as he led her to an empty booth. Somewhere in the back, away from people where he could have her all to himself. "I never really thought about tattoos in that sense, but you're right. When I see visible tattoos on women, I sort of wonder about the ones I can't see. Which I know how that makes me sound, but why lie? It's all about the mystery, whether it's where they are, or the story behind them." He'd be touching her tattoos right now, if he could. He grinned at her compliment. "I guess you'll find out when I show you my ink. Hopefully they won't disappoint." Okay, so he was throwing that whole focused thing out the window. There was no reason why he couldn't flirt with her, and enjoy himself.

"Oh honey, don't even." Eury said, waving off his statement about how that sounded. "Everyone wonders that. It's part of what they do. And it's like scars, you just want to know more. Why'd they decide on that design? Why'd they put it there? What's it mean? All that is what tattoos are about, and that's not even touching the spiritual aspects of marking the flesh. Or the indications of putting up with a little pain for a permanent reminder of something. Or something beautiful." She rolled her eyes at herself. "Now I just sound like I should be sitting at a college coffee shop and start offering to read my poetry. Which by the way, I do not have, just for the record." Then she paused and looked at him assessingly, something that came through even without the benefit of being able to see her eyes."They won't disappoint." she finally said firmly.

"No, I like that you seem to know what you're talking about," Aiden told her. "Not only that, you're passionate about it, so even better. I get fucking sick and tired of seeing college girls getting butterflies on her lower back because it's cute and it's a surefire way to get guys to check out their asses when they bend over. A lot of people don't appreciate the process." Resting back in his seat, he assessed her just as closely. "I think I'm going to have a lot of questions when you decide to show off your ink, so be prepared. And I have to say, it's telling that you're willing to put up with a bit of pain for a satisfying outcome." His eyes locked onto hers - or rather, her shades. "Beer or fruity drink?"

"Fruity drink." she said, looking back. Then was one of those times when she wished she could get rid of the shades. She had them now and again, times when she wished she could just look into his eyes. See him without the tint the sunglasses gave the world. But she couldn't, and she knew that. Though maybe he was The One. She wouldn't dare test it now though. "A lot of things are worth a little pain for the end result." she added, she realized in a bit of a playfully cryptic manner.

"Fruity drink it is." He was getting a beer. One of many to follow, he was sure. Aiden had the same thoughts as Eury did - at least in regards to her shades. He wanted to see her eyes, but from his experience at Babylon, he knew he probably wouldn't be able to talk her into taking them off. "Agreed," Aiden replied with a knowing smirk. "It's just deciding which ones are worth it and which aren't." He tapped his finger against the table for a moment, knowing exactly where that line of discussion could end up. He tried to change the subject, for his own sake. "So, Eury, I don't know much about you, other than your penchant for tattoos and singing. I'm open to learning a few secrets if you're willing to tell me."

"That's far too open!" Eury mock complained. "I'll have to think of something, and I can't even narrow it down!" She paused, then tried to come up with something. "I adore my job, even though most people would find it incredibly boring. And through my job, I have a rather...strange collection, I suppose. When I get in interesting dolls, I keep them. And we're not talking 'pretty'. We're talking 'probably looks like it belongs in a horror movie'. I love them, though. Cracked faces, paint worn down, glass eyes, matted hair or no hair. I've got a few really old ones where real human hair was used for the doll. But yeah, people see antiques, and they think 'quaint', or possibly 'useless', but I don't see those things. I see history. I see objects that someone loved once upon a time, that had significance in one way or another. And they wind up with me because they've lost their way, or families have stopped their lines. I like finding new homes for them." She blushed a bit. "And now I sound insane."

"Not at all," Aiden assured her. "I have to admit, I hear antiques, I think of dusty old furniture, or useless knick knacks that costs more than an average person's paycheck. But then again, when I hear antique store, I certainly wouldn't picture someone like you behind the counter. So most of my previous assumptions have already been blown out of the water. You don't sound insane, just passionate, and there's nothing wrong with being passionate about what you do. I'd like to see your store, actually. See what things people leave behind or lose. Well, maybe not the dolls," he added with a wry grin. "They'd give me nightmares."

"Well, you can come by any time. It's not as big as I'd like it to be, there's a huge one in Negaunee that I'd kill for, but oh well." Then she had to laugh. "The dolls would give you nightmares?" she asked. "You're afraid of dolls? What, afraid they're going to see into your soul, or steal it? Or just come to life at night as an army of unwanted vessels, bitter that they've been cast aside and they'll do anything it takes to protect me?" she asked. "...now that sounds like a horror movie."

"I'm not afraid of them! Well, now I am because before you just said that, I only found them to be creepy looking," Aiden admitted with a laugh. "Now I'm scared. I mean, must be nice for you to have an army of dolls to protect you, but I hope you let them know there's nothing dangerous about me that they'd have to come after me and steal my soul. I'm perfectly safe, I promise you."

Eury had to grin at him for that. "Come now." she said. "I don't believe you're perfectly safe for a second." she said. "You have far too much of a bad boy air to you, you know. It's in just about everything. The way you walk, the way you phrase things, the tone of your voice..." she leaned slightly closer. "Your eyes." she added. "I don't think there's much you could do to convince me you're anything approaching harmless or innocent."

Aiden considered that for a moment before he let himself grin. She had him pegged so far. That was unnerving. He leaned forward slightly toward her. "Usually I try to be a bit more subtle about it, I didn't realize it was so apparent. As it is, if I were that much of a bad boy in any sense, would you really be out with me right now? Or do you consider me a bad boy in the sense that you find attractive."

"It's not that apparent, I'm just observant." Eury said. "I pay attention to people I like. I like you. And it's possible I have a little bit of a thing for bad boys in general. I like men who know themselves. I think you probably know yourself pretty well. Enough that you have a confidence about you that adds into all the other stuff. You're a little dangerous, or you can be. I'm willing to lay money on the fact that it really depends on the situation." she assessed.

She had no idea just how dangerous he could be in any situation. And it wasn't very important to fill her in on that aspect of his life. If she wanted to view him as a textbook bad boy, he was fine with that. Women generally were drawn to him because of that reason. "It does depend on the situation," he conceded after a moment. "I've learned to look out for myself, and I've spent enough time on my own that I'm confident in who and what I am." His lips quirked a bit and he wished again that he could see her eyes. "You read people pretty well, Eury. But like anyone, there's more to me than what's on the surface. Just like I know there's a million complex layers beneath your bright, energetic exterior that I don't think any man has gotten to see yet. I guess I'm drawn to women who have more going for them than meets the eye."

"Well that's very true." Eury said. "About there being things there that no one's seen." she added, for clarification. "So alright, there are secrets you have, things that you can't glean from observation. Share something with me. Tell me something. Something true, and something no one else knows." she said. So it was a tall order. She wanted to know if he would humor her, and hell. She really did want to know.

Something no one else knew? Where to begin? He'd been on his own for years, and he had done and seen things he wasn't sure he'd ever tell anyone. More than that, he didn't tell people he'd only just met anything that was personal. Hell, he rarely told Dorian anything and he'd known him for years. But he liked Eury, and it wasn't as if he had to reveal anything too dark from his past.

"Let's see." He paused thoughtfully before his eyes locked onto hers. Well, at least her glasses but he knew she was watching him. Deciding to be real with her, because he had a feeling that's what she was looking for - and his own curiosity had him wondering if she could handle it - Aiden ignored modesty and lifted his t-shirt just enough to show the long, raised welt that had scarred along his side. "I've had this since I was seven. I tell people who see it that I got it during a fight at school, even Dorian. Helps build that bad boy reputation that I carry around with me. Truth is, my dad was a religious fanatic who liked to beat Satan out of his son with his belt whenever I got into trouble, and sometimes when I wasn't doing a damn thing wrong. Even when he got angry with my sister, I got the brunt of it. This is just one of many souvenirs of my spiritual cleansings." Aiden lowered his shirt, his expression neutral, if a bit indifferent. "I'm not looking for pity, or any of that shit by telling you that, but you wanted something no one else knows, and so there it is. My secrets aren't pleasant, which is why I don't usually reveal them to people, especially people I like."

Eury had leaned nearly across the table to get a good look at the scar he was showing her. She even half reached out to touch it, but stopped herself before she finished the motion, then he dropped his shirt back into place. Listening, her mind gave her a little mini-movie of it all, which wasn't terribly pleasant. Then she turned her face, looking back up to his eyes. "You don't come of as someone who's had that kind of trauma in their past." she said. "Which in and of itself says a lot about you, Aiden." She smiled a touch, realizing that she was stil leaned over the table, and she sat back. "You've got to be very strong, to push past things like that. Good for you." And she meant that.

"It was either push past it, or let it rule my life, and I've never been one to give the bastard any kind of satisfaction, so that wasn't an option." Aiden gave her a wry grin. It felt strange to mention it, to tell the truth, given he'd spent so many years of his life lying about the various scars on his body. Lying about a lot of things actually. "So there's my secret for the day. Do I get one of yours?"

Eury smiled at him. "Of course." she said. Then she paused to think about it. He'd given her something she considered to be deep and important, when he hadn't really had to. So, she wanted to reciprocate. "My mother had the same condition I do." she said. "Before I was ever born, she ripped her own eyes out." It wasn't something that had been directly done to her, but it had effected her life heavily. She wished she could be more specific for him, but knew she couldn't. She was still well aware that usually the first thing a person did when they found out you were a gorgon(and not insane) was try to decapitate you.

He remained silent, his eyes fixed upon her face as he thought about what she'd said. It was gruesome, but then again, his mother had died in a gruesome manner as well, so he could suddenly relate to her in ways she probably wouldn't really understand. "I'm sorry," Aiden said finally, meaning it. He had spent many nights wishing it had been his dad who died instead. His mom had meant everything to him. "Your condition. Is it painful?" He was curious now, about her sunglasses, about her mom. It was none of his business and he wouldn't mind it if she told him so, but he felt he could ask.

She had to think about her answer for that, and she paused in thought, sipping at her drink. "Not in the way you might think?" she suggested. "I mean, it can be. In fact, it's probably caused me more pain than anything else, but mostly it's because there's always something in the way. People take little things like being able to look into another's eyes for granted, and I know that it's...difficult for people with me because they can't see mine. A lot of times, people haven't been able to cope, and I lose them after a while. They can't handle trying to look into me, and only getting a reflection."

"Eyes are probably the most expressive feature on a person, so I suppose when people can't look at yours, they don't know if you're lying, if you're sincere, what you're really feeling. And since I've been wanting to look at your eyes since the moment we met, I can understand their frustration," Aiden explained simply. "But I can understand yours too. There's more to you than those glasses. The people who really give a shit about you won't abandon you just because you have a condition you have no real control over." He took a drink of his beer and set it on the table before he let that glint enter his eyes. "Maybe this is another one of your secrets, and it's damned inappropriate, but do you wear those in bed too?"

That had her smirking at him. "I don't when I'm sleeping." she said. "And if I just happen to be in bed? Possibly with someone else? So long as it's dark, I don't." she added. "Here, do you want to see? You can't see my eyes, but I can take the shades off for a second, if you want me to." she offered. Usually she didn't, but that comment about wanting to see her eyes since he'd met her sort of had her wanting to.

"A lights off kind of girl, I see." His smirk matched hers. When she offered to take off the shades, he felt himself leaning forward slightly. "Yeah, I want to see, if you don't mind showing me." It wouldn't be her eyes, but he could see her entire face. "What color are they?"

Reaching up, she shut her eyes and took the shades off, setting them on the table between them. She couldn't help but smile as she did so, the faintest bit of a blush lighting her cheeks. "Green." she answered him. She'd been going to tell him, actually, so that worked out that he asked. "Green, with little flecks of goldish. Mostly green, though."

He studied her face for many silent moments, trying to picture her with her green eyes open and looking back at him. It was easier now, without the glasses. Maybe he'd try to get her into a dark room, just to see some kind of reflective glimmer from them. He suddenly wondered what it'd be like to go through life having to wear shades everyday. He thought of Dorian and his own penchant for wearing shades at night and couldn't even understand that.

"You have a beautiful face," Aiden said finally, not really trying to flatter since he knew it couldn't lead anywhere even if he had been. He was being truthful with no ulterior motives. For once. "Though I knew that when you wore the shades."

That blush got worse, darkening and she smiled, nose wrinkling cutely in a shyish sort of manner. She couldn't help it, he sounded so truthful. Maybe it was just something she wanted to hear, but god it made her feel good. "...see right around now would be when it's hardest, because I can't see your eyes." she said, looking down and she put the sunglasses back on. "But...thank you." she said, and it was clear in her tone that she really had very much appreciated the words. When he'd taken his time looking at her, she had almost convinced herself tha the was disgusted or something, so hearng the opposite made her feel worlds better.

"You don't have to thank me," Aiden said, taking another drink from his beer. Her blush had been telling, and he wondered if many men paid her compliments. She seemed like a woman who would have a dozen men approaching her in any given bar, so the way she reacted to his words surprised him a bit. In any case, he was glad he could make her blush. That was something. "And you can see my eyes now, so hopefully you can tell I'm sincere when I say that and I'm just not feeding you lines."

She laughed a little at herself. "Well, it's sweet of you, and I believe you." she said. "And if you're not being sincere, you have got a great voice for sincerity." she added. "But still. Thank you." Then she looked at him for a long moment, light smile remaining on her lips. "I like you." she said simply.

He knew he could project sincerity, even when he didn't mean it. It's what made him such a good liar. In this case, however, he wasn't lying. "I like you too," Aiden replied with a smile. "I'm glad Dorian decided to stop hiding you away." Yes, Dorian. Good friend, Dorian. Good subject change before he got himself into trouble. "Have you spoken with him lately, by the way?"

"Not much since we went out." Eury answered. "I figure he's been busy or something, we might go for dinner tomorrow though. Have you seen him?" she asked. Eury was a bit clueless on the Dorian issue. This was because he'd given her no indication that he had anything beyond a friend's interest in her, and a lot of the time she thought it might be because she forced him to take time for himself, and listened when he was having massive family problems. So the span of time it had been since she'd spoken to him didn't alarm her.

"No, I've actually been meaning to give him a call." He had promised to take Dorian out with him when he went hunting for the fiend, and the last couple nights, he'd gone alone. He lifted an eyebrow a bit at the mention of the two of them having dinner together, and he was torn between relief and irritation. "It'll be good for him to spend a night with you, away from things. I think he needs that kind of relief from his family every now and then. He's lucky to have you." He wanted, more than anything, to gauge her reactions about Dorian. It wasn't as if Aiden would consider doing anything if she didn't have any interest in Dorian, but it would be damned easier to resist if she did.

Laughing, Eury shook her head. "God does he ever." she said. "I swear, he makes a career of stressing himself out. So I try to make sure he occasionally takes a day off from it, though sometimes it's like pulling teeth to get him to let things go." She shrugged one shoulder. "That or to get him to see perspective. Between you and I, he's kind of...he has trouble seeing things sometimes from a perspective that isn't his own. Like he has trouble thinking outside his own head."

"He's a good guy and he puts the people he cares about above himself constantly. It was strange, coming to Marquette and seeing how much he'd changed since college. I give him a hard time, but it's admirable what he's doing. He's needs stability," Aiden said, lowering his gaze to the ring on his finger again as he continued cautiously. "I keep saying all he needs now to top it off is a good woman to keep him grounded."

She watched him look at the ring on his finger, and she was suddenly dying of curiosity over it. "That might require he would be able to let someone into his life. He's not exactly...pro-dating." she said. She reached over to tap a nail on the ring. "Can I ask about it?" she asked. "If you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. You've been an absolute dream today about humoring me. I don't want to push my luck."

He almost told her that Dorian was probably not pro-dating, but he was pro-Eury. Almost. But then she'd gone and changed the subject and it would have been rude not to humor her. "This?" He motioned toward the ring her finger had tapped against. "It's nothing, really. My mother gave it to me when I turned eighteen. Belonged to my grandfather. I tend to play it with it sometimes. Don't even realize I'm doing it half the time. Maybe it's a nervous habit or something."

"It's nice. And it's always good to have family heirlooms around. Reminds you you came from somewhere, and maybe you'll give it to someone important someday in turn." she said. Then she smiled at him warmly. "Make sure someone like me doesn't wind up with it on a shelf somewhere. I'm sure you'll have no problem with that." Well. Possibly. She had a feeling he was sort of as standoffish as Dorian could be, which made her a little sad. "Aiden are you staying in town long? Are you here-here, or are you just passing through?"

"Don't worry, this is staying with me unless I happen to die before I can give it to someone important," Aiden said, clenching his fingers into a loose fist before reaching out for his drink again. He had plenty of things to remind him of where he came from. Far too many. He avoided her question by taking a drink of beer before setting the glass carefully on the table. "To be honest with you, I don't know how long I'll be in town. I had only planned to stop in for a few days, but it's sort of become an extended visit. I guess you could say I'm going to be here for awhile, but I have no plans to make it permanent. Eventually something'll come up and I'll have to move on." His eyes lifted to her face. "Why do you ask?"

Eury shifted, propping her head on her hand as she sipped her own drink, watching him thoughtfully. "I don't really want you to disappear on me." she said. "I like you. I don't meet a lot of people who I..." she frowned slightly, trying to think of the word. "Connect? With. I just wanted to know if you were going to vanish. If you're going to, I wanted to be warned first."

"When I decide to leave, you'll be the second to know," he promised with a reassuring grin. "After Dorian, that is. I wouldn't ditch town without saying goodbye. Even when I do leave, I'll come back and see you both when I can." He paused, thinking for a moment about her request. "Have people vanished on you before?"

She paused, then nodded. "It's been known to happen." she said. Granted, sometimes it was known to happen because she accidentally turned people to stone, but that didn't change the sentiment. Some people had disappeared on her. "I appreciate that you'd say goodbye. I promise if I blow town, I'll let you know too. And you have my number, so you could call me." she added, basically putting it out there that she would like to stay in touch with him.

"Yeah, I'll do that. Just don't blow town while I'm here, okay? It's nice to have someone to hang out with that isn't Dorian. No offense to him, but he's not always available, and you know, he's a guy." Aiden's lips turned up into a flirtatious smile. "It's a welcome to change to be around the female persuasion every now and then."

That had her smiling and laughing a touch. "Well, glad that you're choosing me to be an injection of estrogen into your life." she said. "I'm honored." she said, and at that point, she would have fluttered her eyelashes at him had he been able to see it. As it was, she returned the flirtatious expression, impish little smile on her face.

"I thought that might make you happy," Aiden joked. "You know, it's not often I just hang out with women. Which makes me sound like an absolute cad, I know, but I really couldn't name one female I consider a friend, so you've at least broken the mould there." Again with the honesty. Aiden wasn't sure what had gotten into him lately. Or at least with Eury. It probably wasn't a good sign, but he wasn't going to deal with it at the moment. He was having too much of a good time to worry over the small things.

"Now that I very much believe." Eury said with a little giggle. She was giving him an affectionate sort of look, however, clearly amused. "You're very much a man's man. Or that's what you seem like. I'm willing to bet most girls couldn't hold your attention long enough to hang out with them. Unless it was of a sexual nature, in which case, you're not doing that much hanging out." she said. "But yeah, I'm pretty sure if I were the kind of girls who cared about my nails and started going on about whatever happens to be in fashion right now, you'd rather stick a fork in your eye than stick around and suffer through."

He couldn't help but laugh, because she'd be so incredibly right that it was as if she'd somehow tapped into his mind and read every single thought he'd ever had about women. "You're interesting to me. I could tell you'd be fun to talk to when we met, and I like hearing what you think about things. Most girls don't hold my attention very long, no. But, you know, the way I'd operate with those girls, if I wanted to sleep with them bad enough, I'd suffer through the fashion talk. No sexual interest on my part? You'd see the fork in both eyes." Aiden gave a slight wince. "So I probably just lost a few of those good boy points with you. But what can I say?" He gave a shrug and finished off his beer. "I just haven't met someone who can keep my attention both in bed and out yet."

Eury had ideas about that. Quite a few, actually, though she was smart enough not to share them. They had to do with she and him and dark rooms. Witness her not letting her mind directly back into the gutter again! Huzzah! ...it only fell most of the way. "Good luck in your search." she said with a slow, smirk of a smile. "What's the one thing you associate most with yourself, what might represent you at the core?" she asked.

"I'm not really searching, to be honest with you. You never find what you want when you look for it. Usually it tends to just fall into your lap when you least expect it too." Placing his arms on the table, he leaned toward her, his own mind racing with so many inappropriate images and thoughts that he had to take a moment to push them away so he could focus. His eyes were dark with mischief as he studied her face closely. "That's a good question, Eury. I'm not really sure of the answer. I don't think I've ever given it much thought, so I think I'll have to get back to you on that one. What about you?"

"A circle." Eury said. "I'm eternal, with no beginning, and no end, strong and simple but difficult to find naturally. I can ring around things, but there's always that hollow place in the center. And I'd probably be considered to be on fire, too. I can be passionate and life giving, warm and inviting, but I don't exist on my own very well."

"Wow, you've given that a lot of thought," Aiden mused after a moment. It was a much better answer than he'd ever be able to give. He knew his answer wouldn't be anything near as poetic as hers would have been. He was a killer - a hunter - at his core. He wasn't sure there was anything more to him than that. "But it fits you damn well. At least from what I know of you so far. Though I think you'd exist just fine on your own, Eury. You're more than capable. What do you consider the hollow center?"

She laughed. "Of course I have." she said, then stood up and moved to his side of the table, squatting down and letting her head drop forward. Her dreadlocks seemed to part of their own volition--though it might have been gravity, to reveal the back of her neck, where there was a tattoo of a snake in a circle, biting it's own tail to complete itself, and flames encircled that. "There are things in my life that are missing, and need filling in. That's why the center's hollow."

He reached his hand out to touch her tattoo before he could stop and think about it. His fingers traced the snake thoughtfully. "You'll find those things," he said, certainty evident in his voice. "And I think you'll be able to fill in that circle eventually. But don't let those missing pieces hold you back from experiencing life properly, not that I think you would." His hand drifted away from her tattoo reluctantly. "I'll have to give that question long and hard consideration to be able to match your answer."

She shivered a little belatedly, after his fingers came away from her skin, and she went back to her seat. "I don't. I just keep searching." she said, smiling at him. "I asked because I figured we could come up with a design for you like mine. Well. Not like mine, but conceptually." she explained. "So it would be something just for you, but that could be appreciated and meaningful. Something that maybe only you really understood the significance of." Then she paused. "...well. And me, but I'm a good secret keeper."

"Maybe you should stop searching," Aiden suggested. "Funny the things that happen when you're not expecting them too." Her snake tattoo was an incredibly spot on interpretation of her answer. He had always felt his phoenix sort of represented his core, in a strange way. Rising from the ashes, and all that. But he had a feeling she might like seeing his other tattoo and this one he could show her without taking off his shirt. He pushed up his t-shirt to his shoulder where the circular celtic knot was inked into his skin. "I got this long before every frat boy in the country felt the need to get them," Aiden explained with a quick roll of his eyes. "Represents reincarnation, the cycle of life and rebirth. Eternity if you will." He winked at her. "I guess that's been an ongoing theme with me so far."

She smiled as she saw it. "I like it." she said. "Simple but meaningful. You've got the phoenix too...why the theme of eternity, or reincarnation?" she asked. "Have you died before?" She really hoped not, but she knew it happened. People flatlined then came back, she hoped it was more of a metaphorical rebirth. Something less painful.

"No, never died," he said with a small grin, placing his t-shirt back in place. Close to it, though. "I don't know, it just felt right. I'm not sure where it started. Maybe after my mom brought me and my sister here, away from my dad. It sort of felt like a rebirth to me, to be able to start over. If you can survive shit like that, you can survive pretty much anything. At least, that's how I see it. So I guess that's why I got the knot, and the phoenix. Nothing's going to keep me down anymore, and it I get knocked down, I'll get right back up. No fear."

"That's a fascinating point of view." Eury said honestly. "I suppose I can't imagine being truly fearless. Not very much scares me, but somehow I think you're more fully encompassing with that than I am. That's good though, not being a fraid. There's too many people in the world who seem to let that rule their entire lives, where they won't do things or try, or anything because they're too afraid to." She gave a little half smile. "Like the people who decide that one bad example means they're never going to try again. Like 'oh no, I had a bad boyfriend, all men suck!' ...which isn't true. One never is the standard for everything." Like her. She was...different than a lot of her kind.

"Exactly," Aiden agreed. "There are things that scare me, like soul stealing dolls. But in truth, I have no reason to fear anything anymore. I'm going to live my life how I please, and if I happen to die in the process?" He shrugged one shoulder indifferently. "So be it. But I have to say, approaching things without anything to lose makes you fight harder, and longer. And so far, I'm still alive. And you're right, one is never the standard. Though I think I've been that 'bad boyfriend' on more than one occassion." He gave her a sheepish look. "But hey, everyone is different, and every situation is different. I'd rather be around people willing to take risks than those who just want to play it safe every day."

"Agreed." Eury said with a warm, pleased sort of expression on her face. "Do you have to fight a lot?" she asked, thinking about the wording there. "You're a...hunter?" she asked, remembering that's what they had told her he did for a living, so now she was picturing him wrestling bears or something.

That sort of took him by surprise, because he couldn't remember if he'd told her what he did for a living. More than likely, he wouldn't have. But maybe he drank more at Babylon than he thought. "No, I don't have to fight a lot," he lied smoothly, "but I'm always prepared if I do. Yeah, I hunt." And he left it at that because this wasn't the time or place to get into detail. "You think you can show me your shop when I drop you off? I'd like to see it."

That wasn't a shut down huge wall subject change, now was it? Eury thought to herself, and internally, she was disappointed. She managed to keep it off of her face, but it was there inside of her. Things had been going very well, and now there were huge walls. Siiigh. "Of course." she said. "If you really want to look at what I've got, you're more than welcome, and I have some fun things in the back that might hold your interest more. Like ancient arrow heads, and I've been known to get interesting weaponry now and then."

It wasn't that he wanted to place those walls up. But it was necessary. Aiden didn't feel like lying today, and if they discussed his job, he'd have to lie. What kind of girl wanted to hear the guy who was buying her lunch hunted creatures and humans alike for a buck?

"Weapondry? That I would love to see," Aiden said with a quirk of his eyebrow. "I have a bit of a collection myself. Not that I use them often." Another lie. Damn. "You wouldn't mind letting me nose around?"

"No." Eury said with a smile. "I trust you. Remember? I let you alone in my apartment to nose around all you wanted while I was getting dressed. So until you give me reason not to trust you, you're trusted." she added with warmth in her tone. Internally, she was forgiving him for shutting her out, figuring it was for some important reason.

He wondered what it was like, to trust that easily. He hoped it didn't get her hurt someday. "Fair enough. Though maybe you should hold off on trusting me completely just yet. I have to be honest with you, it took a lot of willpower to be good in your apartment." It was always safe to revert back to flirting when things got stuck in a tough spot. "It's not easy for many guys to be faced with a beautiful woman wearing nothing but a towel in front of them."

Damnit! I so would have wanted you to burst in and ravish me! Was the thought that ran through Eury's mind. She blushed, a little from the compliment, a little from her naughty thoughts. And of course, his statement of having trouble behaving. He was probably just saying that to be cute anyways. "Well then, you deserve a cookie for being so valiant and burning valuable willpower to be a good boy." she said, and leaned across the table to give him a smooch on the cheek.

Bad idea. he repeated to himself in a rush when she leaned across the table toward him. It was one thing to greet him in a towel, another to keep with the kissing of the cheek, even if it was a friendly gesture. She simply smelled great and her lips were soft on his cheek, and instinctively, damnit, he couldn't help it when he turned toward her to return to the gesture. Except it wasn't really on her cheek. And had he really been smooth and had more time to think about it, it would have been more on target, but as it was, his lips landed on the corner of her mouth instead. He let it linger before pulling back and grinning at her. "I like cookies. So thanks." Lame, but he was too busy trying to cool down than to think of something clever to say.

Eury's tummy gave a pleasant, surprised little drop and warmth spread out in her. She smiled as she sat back, half wondering if she leaned over again and planted a real kiss on his lips if he'd return it. Maybe he was just being friendly. Or maybe they were both really attracted to one another, and chemistry was overriding good sense. She knew all about chemistry, after all. It did funny things to people. Of course it also did things to people that could end in screaming orgasms. Bad Eury, stop it! The smile wouldn't go away though. "You're welcome." she said. "Cookies for good boys." And if he wanted to be a bad boy, then there might be better things than kissy-cookies in his future. Which was also a terrible, bad thought.

He would have kissed her back. In fact, he probably would have dragged her back to her apartment and had his way with her before they even reached the fucking door. He hated being attracted to a beautiful, interesting woman and not being able to do anything about it. It was almost against his nature in every sense. But he smiled back, though he was cursing extremely creative obscenities is his mind. Fucking Dorian. Fucking, goddamn, Dorian. That fucker. Selfish, dumbarse fucker.

Swallowing, Aiden composed his inner thoughts and wished he'd ordered another beer. His throat was entirely too dry. "I'll strive to be good," he finally managed, hoping he sounded casual and playful. The statement had so many different meanings. "But I can't promise you anything." Which could get them both in a shitload of trouble. "What do bad boys get?" Now he was entirely going down the wrong path. But he couldn't stop.

"It's a mystery." Eury returned playfully, grinning at him. She finished her drink, and set the glass aside. "Guess you'll never know, since you're such a good boy." she added, air of innocence to her tone, even if her expression didn't match that. She couldn't help it either. It was her nature, the way she was.

"Come on now, we both know that's a lie," Aiden replied, a glint of darkness in his otherwise playful tone. He had the warnings somewhere in his mind, to steer clear of temptation. He'd been pushing them to the forefront of his mind since he picked her up. But sometimes he just couldn't help himself. There was no change in his expression as he motioned lightly toward her. "You're just lucky there's a table separating us, sweetheart."

"Oh really?" Eury asked, smiling at him. "What would happen if there wasn't?" she asked, eyeing him and wondering how far he was going to take this. The banter was a whole lot of fun, it had been a while since she'd had a good back and forth like this. Playful, flirty, fun. She was a fan, most certainly.

Aiden chuckled at her question and shook his head. "Sorry, love. What fun is it to tell you? I suppose you have to leave some things to the imagination and what if's, right? Besides, if I sit here and describe it to you in detail, it leaves me in an awkward situation, forgive my bluntness, of not being able to get up from the table for awhile." Which he was already going to have a problem doing.

Eury blushed, thinking of course about that, and how really, tables didn't have to be in the way per se, but could serve as a nice sturdy surface to do other things. Things that probably shouldn't be running through her head like a runaway train while in a public place with a man she barely knew. But Eury was easily taken in by people, and Aiden certainly had. He was interesting, she enjoyed him, she wanted to know as much about him as possible. He was exciting, and not just in a physical sort of way, though she imagined he would be amazing in that capacity. She genuinely was interested, in a major sort of way. "You might not want to do that, my imagination can get pretty crazy." she said eventually, thinking that they could probably both use another drink. "Though I suppose we should spare you that sort of thing...wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable."

"You wouldn't want to deprive me of your imagination, would you?" Aiden asked, trying to sound hurt but his grin was giving him away. There was something about being able to get her to blush that way that Aiden found incredibly satisfying. It meant he was affecting her and then he was thinking of all the other things he could do to her that would get her to react that way to him. A lot of them had to do with table tops, or darkened rooms. Really any kind of solid surface. Damn. He really needed another drink. "Believe me, I've been pretty uncomfortable since I walked into your apartment. And that's not necessarily a bad thing."

She had to laugh, shaking her head at him. "Good to know." she said. "So, this whole complimenting, flirty thing you do isn't just with everyone with a skirt, or it is, and I'm special today and getting your attention?" she asked. Not that she really minded at current either way, though of course she wanted to know she was special. She made a show of looking around the bar, then turned her attention back on him, leaning conspiratorially closer. "Such as, you're not having interesting imaginative thoughts about anyone else in here, are you?"

Aiden leaned forward and lowered his voice, as if preparing to tell her a secret. "All my imaginative thoughts at the moment are completely directed at you right now." That was the honest to God truth. However, the whole complimenting, flirty thing? He did it with every woman he was attracted too. He couldn't help that aspect of his personality. And it was harmless, at least in his opinion. "Can't lie to you, Eury, I do have a tendency of flirting with women. I'm Irish. I think it's embedded inside of me as deeply as drinking ten pints a day is," he admitted then. "But I have to admit, while I'm currently wondering what it would be like to take you to bed, I'm also having a really good time listening to you, and getting to know who you are. So you are special, believe it or not."

Oh sure, he had to go mention taking her to bed, which was an idea she was far too enamored with. She stayed where she was, speaking with him quietly in a total girly way of getting to find out what he smelled like. Which currently, she was liking. "I knew you were a flirt." she said. "But a girl likes to know she's special. I believe you. There's a lot to get to know, I suppose...if you're inclined." And if they could get their minds off of sex. Not that she was terribly keen on that part right now.

"I'm definitely inclined, yeah. I would like to get to you know you while I'm here." And he had every intention of doing so. "If you want to get to know me, I'm fine with that, though I can't promise everything you find out will be to your liking, but I guess that's a chance I'm willing to take." He wasn't sure he'd be able to get his mind off of sex, necessarily, but he would try damn hard too. He should be focused on other things right now anyway. Right now, he was only digging himself a deep grave for which Dorian could throw him into later.

Eury propped her head on her hands, turning her face in towards his a little so she could draw in a breath. Yeah, she officially liked how he smelled. It was the little things, really. His voice, and how it sounded. She liked his eyes. All sorts of things, really. "I hope you're not assuming that there wouldn't be things about me you wouldn't like." she said. "I'm not perfect...no one is. And I've never expected anyone else to be either." she added. She didn't expect he was anywhere near perfect. But that was okay. People were supposed to love each other for their flaws, weren't they? Or was that despite them? Something like that.

"I'm not expecting perfection from anyone," Aiden said, his finger once again rubbing against his ring. "I've just found that women I tend to get involved with expect way too much from me, Eury. I only end up disappointing them, and hurting them in the end of it. Most of the time, I couldn't give a shit if I do. But regardless of what happens while I'm in town, I don't want to hurt you. You're a good person." That in itself was enough for him to leave her alone, but he knew that wouldn't be possible from here on out. "Not only for my own piece of mind, but I certainly don't want Dorian kicking my arse," he added with a small grin.

She gave a little half smile. "So don't hurt me." she said. "How about this. You and I agree right now, that we're just going to let each other be whoever we are, and whatever happens? Happens. You never know how things will go. Things might change, and they might not. But do me a favor, and keep an open mind." she said. "Just this once."

He returned her smile. He didn't want to hurt her. If only it were that easy. But he'd try hard to avoid it. He really would. "Fair enough. Whatever happens, happens. And consider my mind," he continued, tapping a finger against his temple, "completely open. But consider yourself forewarned. Do we shake on it?" He held out his hand to hers across the table, using it as a pathetic excuse to touch her again.

Eury smiled at that, and reached out to take his hand and shake it. Then she leaned across the table to give him a little kiss on the lips. Nothing too overt, nothing that was going to get deeper(even if she would have liked that), just a kiss that probably could have been construed as friendly. "Deal." she said, cheeks flushing once more, but she didn't regret her impulsive move there.

"I don't know, I'm not so sure that was binding enough." She was going to end up pushing him to do something he knew he shouldn't do, if she kept up with the so-called innocent kisses. He was already painfully aroused, so when she kissed him again, all thoughts of Dorian vanished completely from his mind, along with his self-control. Aiden kept her hand clutched in his and stood from the table before yanking her out of her seat to join him. No time for thought, his hands cupped her face, his thumbs sliding along her jaw before he captured her lips with his own. This one, unfortunately, couldn't be construed as a friendly kiss. It was anything but. Passionate, hard, with a bit of frustration. And mentally, he reminded himself that while he promised Dorian he wouldn't try to fuck Eury, nothing was said about "sealing the deal" kisses. And it sounded perfectly logical to Aiden.

She hadn't expected that, but she was more than happy to go with it. Go with it, throw herself into it, and with the way he kissed her, she wondered if she was even going to be able to keep herself on her feet when he was through. It wasn't often that she felt weak in the knees, but she certainly did right then. She also wasn't paying any attention to the fact that they happened to be in a public place, and were kissing like the world might be ending outside. Her arms went up around his neck, and she gladly pressed herself against him. She deepened the kiss, which she recognized was a bad idea, but she really couldn't resist.

This was such a bad idea. And he had every intention of stopping. Really. But then Eury deepened the kiss, and his tongue was moving against hers, and he suddenly forgot why he was stopping. Fuck it. He couldn't help it. He was attracted to her and he had a hard time ignoring his attraction to beautiful women. And Eury was responsive, and exciting, fun, and soft, and warm and tasted amazing and...

His hands tangled in her hair and he nipped at her bottom lip before reluctantly breaking the kiss. He was in a position where any other guy might be embarrassed, given how evident it was that he wanted her, but it didn't bother Aiden in the slightest. He opened his eyes to look at her. "I'm sorry," he said finally, though deep down, he wasn't sorry at all. "That probably wasn't the wisest action to take at the moment." Not that he gave a shit. He did give a shit, however, about Dorian. And he was torn between telling her all the reasons why it was a bad idea, and kissing her brainless again.

She breathed a soft sound into the kiss, then there was the nip which practically drove her insane in the good sort of way. When he broke the kiss, she so wanted to go back in for more, and while she was aware they were getting a few Looks from the other patrons of the bar, she couldn't be bothered to care. No, she was busy looking at his eyes from this close, and thinking he looked all the sexier all well kissed like this, pretty evidently aroused. Eury felt unsteady, and it was only belatedly that she realized she was holding onto him for support. Damn she wanted to kiss him again. Or y'know. Sit on the table and pull him down with her. "Probably not, but if we only ever do the wise thing in life, there's never any excitement." she said when she thought she trusted her voice, though it came out a little breathless regardless.

"You've got a point," Aiden conceded, his hands then falling to her hips. He meant to put some distance between them, but instead he found himself simply holding her there, not minding the physical contact in the least. He supposed it was luck that had them in a public place, rather than somewhere more private. He'd be in much deeper shit if that had been the case. Wishing he could look in her eyes, he settled for her shades, the tiniest of smirks on his lips. "I think you're going to end up getting me in trouble while I'm here."

She smirked back at him, absently playing with the hair at the back of his neck. "Think so?" she asked. Good god she liked the sound of that. She was thinking that trouble of the Aiden variety was probably an amazingly good thing. Like, wow-worthy. "Are you complaining?" she asked sweetly, bouncing on the balls of her feet the tiniest bit in a playful sort of manner.

Her fingers at the nape of his neck wasn't doing anything to help him focus. He was already imagining her fingers roaming along other places. "I know so," Aiden replied firmly, enjoying the current feel of her body against his as he considered. "I'm not complaining, no. But Dorian might." He left it at that, his eyes drifting down to her lips again. "He's not going to approve of...well, whatever this might be." Aiden knew he should let her go now. People were glancing their way, not that he cared. But if he didn't stop touching, they were going to be asked to leave for his inappropriate and indecent behavior.

Eury had to smirk at that. "He's overprotective." she said. He'd warned her before that Aiden was a ladie's man, though he'd put it in a bit of a different way. And alright, he was totally right about that, but Eury was still under the impression that things could always be different, if the right circumstance came up. And who knew, maybe this was it. "I know he won't, but I'm sure he'll be okay." At least, that was the impression she was under. But then she didn't know the full situation, either. "Besides...didn't we just agree to see what happens? It's not like we're exchanging rings or anything." Just some bodily fluids, which could become the more interesting kinds...

If only she knew exactly how overprotective toward Dorian really was. But it wasn't necessarily Aiden's place to tell her that. Lifting a hand, Aiden brushed his thumb over her jaw back to her earlobe. He thought for a moment about nipping at that too, but resisted. He liked the feel of her skin, smooth and flawless. "Yeah, we did." Though even the mention of exchanging rings, even in a joking context, had him flinching internally. Rings, commitment...love? Not in his future. At all. "But I promised him I'd not pursue you." Why wasn't necessary to explain.

Eury didn't need to be told why, she was just a little indignantly pissed off about that. What the hell? Dorian had told her not to pay attention to Aiden in the first place, then he'd gone and told Aiden he wasn't allowed to go for her either? Where did that make sense? His overprotective thing was cute and sweet, but right then it was more irritating than anything else. Where did he get off? There was something more important to ask. "Are you going to listen?" she asked. Then she sighed, and moved to speak softly into his ear. "We're just seeing how things go. Spending time together, designing a tattoo...don't jump the gun, sweetheart." she soothed him.

Yeah they were riding the line here, and it would probably become increasingly difficult not to jump him at the first opportunity, but really, so far they were okay. Sorta. For now. Something like that, she just didn't want him to go away. She nuzzled his ear just a little before pulling back again to see his eyes.

If it had been anyone else, he would have said fuck 'em and done whatever he wanted. Dorian had been his only real friend in college. And now, he was really the only person he trusted - as much as he could trust anyone anyway. But Eury was touching him, and he could feel her body heat against him and it was damned hard to think. She was right. They were just seeing what happened. Tattoos, spending time...whatever else she'd mentioned. It wasn't as if they were in her apartment tearing each other's clothes off right now.

His fingers flexed on her hips when she nuzzled his ear and he figured he should probably answer her. "You're right. We're not doing anything wrong." Dorian would disagree. Strongly. "Though you're making it difficult for me to behave myself, love."

She smiled at him, and gave him a wicked sort of look. "Sorry." she said. Her tone indicated quite clearly that she wasn't in any way shape or form apologetic. "Couldn't help myself. You smell good." she said. Playing with his hair a little more before she made the very reluctant (and very obviously so) half a step back, which was less a real step and more just making herself not pressed up against him fully, she kept her eyes up on his, even if they were still hidden. "Want me to start behaving better?" she asked. "I can try to be on my very best, I can even pretend to be sweet and innocent, if that helps."

Aiden nearly grabbed her back to him when she stepped away, trying to keep from frowning at the loss of contact. She knew exactly what she was doing to him, and playing coy was just making his heated blood pump faster to all the wrong places. "Please don't feel like you have to behave yourself on my account. Don't get me wrong, you've got the sweet and innocent going for you, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like this side of you too." He leaned toward her, his lips at her ear as he lowered his voice. "It's getting to the point where I'm about to forget, and not care, that we have an audience."

He really probably couldn't have said anything that would have gotten to her more than that. Seriously! That was just plain evil! In such a good way. She knew that probably said something about her, but she couldn't help it. "God, don't tell me things like that!" she murmured, her imagination going wild. "It just makes me want to drag you off to see if there's a lockable bathroom here!" Which after she said it made her wonder if she shouldn't have said that either. That might have been just as bad as what he'd said. There was a bit of a cleared throat off to their left, as a waitress was trying to get their attention, giving them a 'knock it off' sort of look.

Aiden smiled, his arm going to wrap around her waist again when the waitress interrupted. He'd nearly decided to drag her to a bathroom and at least see if he could get away with it. Sighing, he looked at the waitress briefly before shifting his gaze back to Eury, cocking an eyebrow. "I think our audience is getting bored with us, love. Or they're getting uncomfortably turned on watching us dance around the inevitable. I'm not sure which one."

Eury laughed. "One of the two." she said, grinning. "So what do we do? Knock it off and go back to what we were talking about, or find someplace else to go?" she asked. She was leaving it sort of up to him, not really putting emphasis on either option, though her hormones were clearly screaming for the leaving and finding someplace more private option.

"I don't even remember what we were talking about, to be honest with you." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet before dumping several bills on the table. Aiden then grabbed her hand to lead her out of the pub and into the sunlight. "Maybe if we have less distraction, we can have a proper conversation." All complete bullshit, since he'd actually nearly forgotten several times there were other people sitting around them. But even if he had no intention of taking her to bed - right now - it'd be nice to be able to talk to her without other people around. And maybe kiss her again. Maybe.

Eury was cool with this, and more than willingly let herself be pulled along behind him. "Of course." she said. Internally, she of course recognized that that was probably total crap. That them leaving to be without other people around or less 'distraction' was likely to make them more distracted, but wow did she not want to stop that. She also liked holding his hand, so she was positively beaming at him as they got back out into the heat of the day.

He led her to the car and took those moments of getting situated to cool his blood and refocus his mind. He had to tread carefully here, or he could fuck things up royally. Though he had a feeling if he did, it would probably be more than worth it. "Seeing as how I'm the non-local, I'll let you tell me where to take us," Aiden said, very nearly reaching for his cigarettes, but resisting. He'd been pretty good at not smoking around her, even if he was willing to murder for one right about now. "And believe me when I say, anywhere you want is just fine with me."

She giggled at that. She was fairly sure he was telling her the truth there. "Let's go to the island." she said. "It'll be cooler by the lake in the first place, and there's the woods trails we can walk around it so we don't have those...distractions." she finished. At least not a lot, most people drove around the island or walked around the road they didn't take the trails.

"The island it is," Aiden said, throwing his car into drive and taking off. He had to remind himself to drive somewhat patiently. It was different when Dorian was in the car. With a woman, he had to behave himself. As much as he could anyway. It didn't even take that long to get there, driving at a safe speed. Or maybe just a little bit above it. "So here's a question that shouldn't get me in trouble. Which tattoo of yours is your favorite?"

She laughed a little at that, not bothered by how he was driving in the least. But then Eury could be a bit of a thrill seeker when she wanted to be, so if he had gone with his usual mode, she would have been fine with it. "Oh god, that's impossible to say!" she said. "I've got so many. I suppose what happens is that one will connect with me more for a period of time, then another will at different times, so it changes." she said. "Depends what's going on in my life."

It was an interesting answer, and Aiden glanced at her again, more to her tattoos so he could see them. He really wanted to see the rest of them, underneath the dress. For more reasons than just curiosity of her ink. "So you've got tattoos to match different aspects in your life?" he asked. "Do you have one you're connecting to more than others right now?

She nodded. "Yes, I do. There's a representation of a grey dove on my right side, towards my back. It's flying up, and there's a moon behind it, so you can see it in the crescent." she explained. "It's strange, I can only ever really see it backwards, since it's on a part of myself that I can't see normally. But that one for now, definitely."

"I'd like to see it." Obviously. He could picture it in his mind, but there'd be nothing compared to seeing it in the flesh. Maybe even touching it. Aiden shook his head to keep his mind from going down that path again. "So you're feeling connected to a grey dove at the moment. Probably none of my business, but can I ask why?"

"I figured you would." Eury said. "So sure. I'll tell you. Currently I'm a little bit lost?" she said. "I've moved here, and I'm finding my bearings, but this is a very different place to what I'm normally used to. For the past few years I've been mainly sticking to cities and the like, so to come here has been a little jarring for me. Not in a bad way, mind you. Just...different. I'm still learning about it, what makes it tick, where the heartbeat of he town is in general." she said, getting out of the car when they parked, and she walked around towards where the paths started, waiting for him. She'd slipped her shoes off to leave them in his car for the time being, always more confident with her steps barefoot over uneven earth than she was with shoes.

He followed and began to walk beside her, considering her words. He didn't mind that she'd taken off her shoes. He found it cute in a sense, though he didn't know many girls who would willingly walk over the earth in their barefeet unless it was on a sandy beach. He had his own reservations about Marquette, though he was in no way lost in life.

He might not know where he was headed, but he knew the lure of mystery and uncertainty kept it exciting enough that he was pretty sure he never wanted to know. "I think moving from a city to a town like this would take awhile for anyone to get used too. But you also seem like the type to adjust accordingly to any situation without much trouble. People take to you, and you take to them. And you know, places like this are usually always more exciting than a big city. There's a lot more secrets in small towns, a lot more to discover. Maybe not about the town itself, but the people."

She smirked, glancing at him over her shoulder. "Oh, I know that." she said. "I've spent most of my life traveling, moving from very different place to very different place, I'm just switching it up again for myself. I usually do after a while, I want something different, and I've certainly found it. I just know that there's still things I consider missing in my life, and I hold out hope that I'll eventually find them, but...sometimes I feel lost. That's all. It's not terribly overwhelming, and I have my guide, of course. My dove helps my state of mind."

He slid his hands into his jean pockets, knowing what he was about to say sounded jaded, but in his mind, it was more realism than anything. "Even if someone has all those missing pieces, there's always something else they'll want that they don't have. It's just human nature. Just as no one is perfect, no one is ever completely happy." Aiden shrugged. "I don't want that to sound discouraging, but it's just what I've seen since I've been on my own."

"So you're one of those types then." Eury assessed, smirking faintly at him over her shoulder. "Never satisfied? The grass is always greener? One of those men who even if you were with the best girl in the entire universe...you'd wonder if someone else was better?" she asked.

He gave her a crooked smile and shook his head. "No. I'm satisfied with my life. I like what I do, and how I do it. No obligations, no regrets. I like living for myself. And to be honest with you, I've never been with what I might consider to be the best girl in the entire universe, so I can't really answer that one." Usually by the time he was done bedding a woman, he was already wondering what other kinds of women were out there waiting to be had.

"Well, just for an alternative perspective...what you just said isn't always true. There are people out there who can be happy with what they have who can appreciate things and be content. I'm sure that sounds really boring to you, but it's true. Maybe with your life, and the way you live it, that's just the kind of people you run into...the ones who aren't ever quite satisfied." she said, sounding very solid in her assessment.

"Maybe, but I've yet to meet anyone who is content with what they do have. Other than myself, but I don't count. For example, in Marquette? You said yourself there are things missing from your life. That you feel lost. And Dorian's not exactly living the kind of life he probably expected to have at this point. Maybe when you find those things, you'll be satisfied, but maybe not. Maybe it depends on how high your expectations are. But again, maybe not." He paused and laughed again. "I'm not making much sense at the moment, though I think I'm probably ruining all chance of you letting me kiss you again."

"I think you'll just have to see, someday. And Dorian isn't the only person I know in town, you know." Eury said, smirking at him. "Hm. Me letting you kiss me...I suppose you wouldn't know unless you asked, or took it upon yourself to just take what you wanted." she said. "Like you did at the bar." Since he hadn't exactly asked permsision, now had he? No, no he hadn't. He'd just grabbed her and kissed her.

"Slight misstep," Aiden remarked simply, turning to step in front of her. "Usually I'm more of a gentleman than that. But given that you kept kissing me on the cheek, I think you wanted me to kiss you. So that, love, was completely your doing."

She stopped when he stepped in front of her, and she clasped her hands behind her back demurely as she gazed up at him. "So you're placing all blame on me for your...impulses?" she asked. Interesting. I had no idea I was so compelling as to make a man lose control like that. She leaned slightly towards him. "Or maybe you just wanted to."

"Sweetheart, I didn't lose control," he lied smoothly. "But yes, I did exactly what I intended, and wanted, to do. You'd given me plenty of hints that you wanted it too." Aiden reached his hand out, his thumb sliding along her lower lip. "And I'd place a wager you're waiting, and anticipating, for me to kiss you right now too."

She didn't shy away from his touch at all, enjoying it. "Possibly." she said. Then instead of waiting, or trying to entice him into it, she kissed him. It was done by reaching up to put her hands around his neck, fingers curling into his hair and she pulled him in by that, even if it wasn't a long way to go or anything. She kissed him like she might need it to survive, throwing everything she had into it because she could.

It was like some kind of forbidden pleasure he knew he shouldn't, and couldn't want, yet he'd go out of his way to have it, regardless of the consequences. Aiden knew better. He really did. But they were alone now, away from prying eyes. No one had to know about it, but the two of them. Besides, they were just seeing what happened. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less.

He deepened the kiss immediately, painfully aroused again just by the contact. She really tasted amazing, intoxicating even. He could probably spend the rest of the afternoon just doing this and be completely satisfied. Aiden's hands roamed over her hips to the small of her back and he pulled her against him, not caring if she could feel what she did to him.

That was a nicely pleasing reaction. She was happy with it, ohhh yes she was. She even backed them up towards the nearest tree, to push against him. She made it substancial, enough so that he'd know it was deliberate. Then, when she absolutely had to breathe again she pulled back and grinned at him. "Now that..." she said as she tried to catch her breath. "Was my fault."

Too turned on at the moment to care about the tree at his back, Aiden reached for her again and pulled her back toward him, not letting her back away this time. He would have kissed her again if he hadn't needed to breathe himself. Instead he released a muted groan. "Agreed," he said, fingers digging into her hips to keep her in place. "Completely your fault this time." And he very nearly lifted his hand to take her shades off, but resisted. Barely.

Eury was happy with him not letting her go. She liked getting that sort of reaction out of people, where they wanted more, it was a rush. Which was of course a good thing, because she wasn't exactly unaffected herself. She smiled at him. "So see?" she asked playfully, voice soft and a little purry, "You'll know when something's my fault."

"I suppose I will." Wrapping his arms around her waist to keep her pressed against him, Aiden bent his head down toward her again. He was enjoying this far too much for his own good. He'd feel guilty about it later. Very guilty. But for right now, all he could focus on was Eury, and how great she smelled. And how soft she was. And how fucking fantastic she tasted everytime he kissed her. He began to kiss her again, not caring about asking permission, or goading her into kissing him first. If he was going to fuck things up, Aiden knew he might as well enjoy it.

Eury was pleased with that answer, and more pleased with more kissing. That worked out for her well, really. She kissed him back, fingers in his hair tugging the slightest bit, and she nipped at his lower lip while she was at it. That with a well timed push against him, and a soft little sound from the back of her throat.

Jesus. She was going to kill him. Aiden didn't mind the kissing at all. In fact, her lips were the only thing he was really focused on at the moment. His body tensed pleasurably when she tugged at his hair, his hips jerking against hers when she nipped at his lip. His desire to have her was becoming almost painful. His hands lifted to cup her face again and he held her in place, crushing his mouth against hers possessively, not caring at the moment if either of them could breathe. In one fluid movement, Aiden turned them around until he was shoving her up against the tree. His arms caged her there even as he tore his lips away. Dropping his forehead against her shoulder, he inhaled deeply, needing to find that thread of control again.

Eury's stomach was doing pleasant butterfly things, and when he shoved her against the tree, that nearly did her in right there. She loved when things were passionate. It was part of what she lived for, really. Those moments where things shifted into other gears that most of life didn't operate on. Something...primal. When he had her pinned there, she couldn't help but slide one of her legs to the side of him, inching her knee up his thigh towards his hip. She had to try to catch her own breath while he was breathing deeply at her shoulder.

Cursing in Gaelic, Aiden turned his face just so until his lips were against her throat. He had the mind to lick her pulse point, just once, but resisted. Her knee was driving him mad, and instinctively, he pressed against her, his hand coming down to grip her knee. His palm began to slide upward, gliding along bare skin. He had a feeling she'd let him do whatever he wanted at that moment. They were alone, with no one around for quite some distance, as far as they both knew. But something held him back and he lifted from her shoulder to look down at her. "I think if we don't stop, I'm going to end up fucking you, and despite how badly I want too, I'd prefer 'whatever happens' to be someplace a bit more comfortable for you." Maybe he shouldn't be so blunt, but he wasn't caring about tact at this point.

Eury wasn't someone who could be offended very easily, and really, his words sort of only shot through her and made her want to encourage him. However, there was some logic in her brain, that said that them both getting themselves arrested for a public sex act probably wasn't the sort of thing they wanted to do. Or, more, her, considering she lived in Marquette, and it was a small town. Word traveled fast. "...I really don't want to, but I think we probably should." she said, when she finally got her voice to work for her. And witness how she didn't make any sort of move away from him.

Aiden nodded, though his hand was still grazing along her leg. He'd said they should stop, but he was having a tough time actually following through with it. But he knew it was for the best, and he reluctantly let go of her, his hand releasing her leg to hold onto her waist again. "I know you said we should see where this goes, and believe me, I'm fine with that." Because he knew exactly where it was going to end up and it had more to do with sweaty, naked, writhing bodies rather than rings and marriage.

But he felt it was important to tell her how it was, because he at least wanted her to understand why he wasn't ravishing her brainless at the moment. It had more to do with Dorian than the possibility of getting caught by someone. "But at the same time, I need to talk to Dorian before anything else happens with this. Physically at least. I made him a promise, and I've already glossed over that several times today." It was hard for him to admit that, because generally he didn't give a shit if he hurt people, as long as he got what he wanted. Dorian was different. With a wry smile, Aiden let his hands wander a bit, refusing to release her completely from his grasp. "I'd rather avoid getting a broken nose because I couldn't control myself around you."

Eury was still a little fuzzy on everything, considering she really wanted to continue, and she was having difficulty convincing herself it was the best idea too. There was the Dorian thing again. She nodded, not wanting to come between friends. Even if she did want to drag him off somewhere private and comfortable. Or y'know. Drop to her knees right there. She really needed to get her thoughts off of that sort of thing. "Okay." she answered, realizing that she needed to vocalize an agreement there.

Lifting his eyebrow, Aiden searched her face, well the best he could with her shades on, trying to make sure she meant what she said. His hands moved up and over her hips. He may not be able to have her yet, but that didn't mean he couldn't touch her. "Are you sure? I want to make sure we're on the same page."

She smiled at that, thunking her head a little back against the tree behind her, and she lightly played with his hair again. "I'll survive. I'll be frustrated as hell, but I'm fine. I don't want to make things hard on you, or make things bad between friends. That's..." she shook her head. "That's not right and I don't want to do that to either of you. Wouldn't be fair. And while the world isn't a fair sort of place, that doesn't mean that I have to contribute to that." she said, warmth very much in her expression and tone. She meant it, even if her hormones were screaming bloody murder at her.

At least she seemed to understand. But he knew Dorian wouldn't, and that was a conversation he wasn't prepared to have just yet. For good measure, Aiden kept his body pressed against hers, just so she knew without a doubt that it wasn't an issue of him not wanting her. Because he did. And more so now because he was resisting every male urge inside of him to take her. "No, the world certainly isn't a fair place," he said, lowering his lips to her throat. "Besides, I think everyone needs to experience a bit of frustration every now and then, just to see how they handle it."

Eury groaned a little, tilting her head to the side automatically to give him better access to her neck. She was fond of that. "You know I'm sure that's a perfectly agreeable statement? I'll back you up on it later. Right now I'm terribly busy trying to convince myself I'm doing the right thing by not going with my impulses." she said, tone lightly teasing even if she sooooo was telling the truth.

He laughed lightly against her neck, his teeth nipping at the flesh there. She smelled great. He needed to stop. He would. In a minute. "What are your impulses telling you to do?" he asked, lifting his lips to her earlobe. It was just a question and he wanted to know the answer, even if it would be complete, and utter torture. Maybe he was just a masochist at heart.

It wasn't fair for him to expect her to speak to him when he was nipping at her. It got a little moan from her, and she pushed lightly against him. "Has something to do with reversing our positions, and me on my knees, at current, though there are other ones in there too. That one's just got the strongest mental imagery at current." she informed him. Internally, with a 'there, take THAT' considering what he was doing to her and not doing to her all at the same time.

Evil wench. It was his turn to groan, realizing that this entire situation wasn't fair. Not at all. He straightened to look down at her, his hand reaching out against the tree behind her for support, though he tried to pass off the motion as completely cool and casual. He was rock hard and nothing, so far, was working in cooling his blood. "See, now why do you have to go and say things like that when I'm already battling with myself? I'm not purposely trying to frustrate you, am I?" Yes, yes he was. "Your imagery is about to make me a really bad friend."

Eury looked up at him. "So the nipping at my neck like that, that was trying to discourage all this talk of fucking, and everything else?" she asked, looking up at him again, and she had to give him a wicked sort of smirk. "It was only fair." she added. See? She liked to be fair. Really. It just didn't always work out for the best for all involved. Such as right now? When both of them were about as turned on as they were ever going to get, but had decided not to do anything about it? Yeah. But she couldn't help it, she really did want to do that. Or possibly take his hand and slide it elsewhere on her body, so he would be better aware of the fact that she was just as bad off as he was. But witness her not doing that! She was behaving. Sorta.

She had a point. So all Aiden could do in response was shrug, his hand moving along her throat, and over her collarbone and shoulder. He sort of wished she wasn't so soft. Then maybe he would stop touching her. Aiden himself wanted to slide his hands downward, to places his entire body was screaming to touch, but he knew if he did, he wouldn't be able to stop then. And they'd end up against a damned tree, or on the ground and all his good intentions would fly out the window before he could even consider the aftermath. "Sorry," he finally managed. "In my head I've done the right thing and stopped, but my body just hasn't caught up yet." With a small sigh, he dropped his hand from her body. "It's going to be extremely hard to resist having you, Eury."

Eury made herself stay where she was, even if she was dying to follow him, drift into his wake to keep him in contact. That, however, wasn't allowed. "Remember that somewhere buried in there under the hotness, there's a guy who really wants to know me as a person too?" she suggested. Not that she was terribly convinced that that was a good reason. He could get to know her afterwards too, of course. "...or..." She sighed. "Aw, fuck it, it's not gonna be easy resisting you either." she admitted.

He gave a small laugh at that, thankful that he wasn't the only one about to go completely mad from sexual frustration. God help him, he didn't know how long he could go without taking her. He wasn't used to denying himself his desires in any sense. He didn't quite know what to do. "I do want to get to know you, Eury. Every fucking inch of you. I'm just trying to remember the whole 'we'll see what happens' deal we made. If we fuck each other now, how can you be sure you'd want to get to know who I am under all that...what was it you said? Hotness?" He gave a small smirl. "I mean, once that tension is gone, what's left?" He wasn't sure, and at this point, he wasn't sure he wanted to find out just yet. He was having too much fun with her. Aiden held out his hand for her to take. Holding hands - that was an innocent gesture right? Friendly yet intimate in it's own way. He hadn't held a girl's hand in that way since college.

Eury blinked at that. "For one, I'm better than that, I don't give up on people after I've known them physically. There's far more to people than that. Why...is that what you do?" she asked, watching him carefully. "Trust me, Aiden...I want to know you, and I mean that."

Aiden let his hand drop back to his side. "Truthfully? Yeah, that's what I do. I've not found anyone yet that held my interest past sex. Though that in no way means that I don't find you interesting because I'm attracted to you in more than just a physical sense." He could have lied to her, but he didn't see the point. If he didn't tell her the truth, Dorian could easily fill her in on Aiden's reputation, at least from college. "That may not be what you meant by wanting to know me, but like I said, not everything you find out about me is going to be pleasant." Slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he rocked back on his heels and watched her as carefully as she was watching him. "So maybe we're both taking a chance here, not knowing how this works out. I'm willing. The question is, are you?"

Dorian already had filled her in on that, really. In the same breath as him setting up the going out thing. She nodded. "I'm willing." she said, without hesitation. She paused. "More than."

He half expected that answer, though he wouldn't have been surprised if she'd decided that the whole situation wasn't a very good idea. Then again, most women said they were fine with no promises of a future, but quickly changed their tune once sex entered the picture.

Satisfied, Aiden reached out to take her hand this time. "Then we're on the same page and any surprises here on out will hopefully be pleasurable ones."

Eury gave his hand a squeeze, and smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me." she said, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Now c'mon. Let me show you some of this island...it really is pretty." she promised.

There she went with the kisses on the cheek again. And he'd just gotten himself cooled down and under control. Inhaling deeply, to resist the urge to toss her onto the ground and have her, Aiden managed a smile. "Lead the way, love." He was in a tight spot. Seeing how it was taking all of his willpower not to fuck Eury right now, he knew he wouldn't be able to resist it much longer. Attraction did strange things to people, and as mentioned, Aiden very rarely ever denied himself the things he wanted. So the only way to fix this would be to talk to Dorian. And that was one conversation he was not looking forward too. At all.