Speeding down the twisting roads and lanes of Mercy Cove, Nick’s eyes occasionally flickered up towards the bottles safely strapped to his passenger side seat. While there were not many people that Nick would say it was worth racing anywhere too, Viv was increasingly becoming more and more one of those people for whom he would happily make that exception for. While she was hardly unfortunate on the eyes, it went so far beyond that for him.
There were not many people that Nick felt entirely comfortable with being vulnerable with, and while it was hardly his choice with the Pixies, she had more then proven herself someone worthy of such trust. At a time when she could have quite easily have taken advantage of him, she had politely declined it, without him feeling so much as a shred of shame for his behaviour.
Pulling his car up at the address she had provided him with, he smiled as he spotted her on her lawn in the deck chairs as she had jested she would pull up. Holding up a bottle of red in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in another, he flashed her a bright smile of greeting.
“Good evening Vivienne, it is good to see you once more” he nodded at her, pausing near to her not wanting to sit down without an express invitation to do so.
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The Fae, Elf to be more specific, in question, was in fact sipping at a rapidly dwindling supply of wine as she watched the two neighbours on either side of her war it out with unspoken terms of engagement and a number of dirty looks.
It was quite honestly the funniest thing.
The mere fact there were two deck chairs out when there could have been only one was in itself an invitation for Nicholas to join her, but she appreciated that he didn’t assume. “You as well, Nicholas, especially as you come bearing gifts which-” she held up the nearly empty bottle of wine resting in the grass beside her as evidence, “-as you can see is definitely needed.”
She swept her hand towards the empty deckchair. “Please join me, there’s a glass next to your chair and I’m more than happy to fill you in on what you’ve missed.”
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Giving a small nod of his head as she invited him to join him, he placed the bottles down in between the two chairs, before sliding into the seat next to her. Perhaps it was just his stupid breeding, and the rules he had been brought up around, however, he had always been taught that a gentleman never assumed anything of a lady, and Vivienne was most certainly a fine lady, that was sure.
Taking the already open bottle of red, he poured some into his glass before settling back into his chair.
“Now, I believe from your messages that there is some sort of dance between the pair of them, as they casually keep trying to one-up each other?” he asked taking a sip from his drink. “Also, do you think it is bad form to bet on who is the first to injure themselves?”
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Vivienne tipped her head to rest her very bright very clear blue gaze on Nicholas, a sly smirk catching the edges of her lips. “I don’t think so,” she admitted, lift of her shoulders. “My money is already on the neighbour to the right.”
Said neighbour was the one tangled up in his lights.
“The one on the left at least seems to have enough sense to not go wrapping himself up in lights.”
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“Ahh yes, that is most certainly going to be a recipe for disaster, if I ever saw one” responded, a coy smile playing across his lips.
Why on earth these people insisted on going to such extravagant lengths, he would never know. It was one month a year that these idiots seemed to jeopardise their lives for, and yet the rest of the year these same houses would not have the same care and attention paid to them.
Catching her gaze, he shifted himself slightly in his seat so that he could better see his companion for the evening.
“And how have you been? It must be pretty quiet for you if you have not had to run around town trying to save savages like myself from ourselves when bitten”
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Vivienne allowed her focus to drift from her stupid neighbours with the bright lights and overinflated sense of pride to Nicholas, reflecting on their first meeting. Less than fortuitous, for all involved that was for certain.
“This has been the most entertainment I’ve had since the Piskie invasion,” she admitted ruefully, sipping at her wine while regarding Nicholas over the rim. “Frightfully boring in comparison.”
Truth was she was actually been set on the trail of another wayward Fae who had thus far eluded capture, but that was something she kept close to her chest. “And you?”
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“Quite quiet, all things considered. With what I have come to learn of this town though, that is most certainly not a good thing. Generally when things grow quiet, defences are lowered and then we get something like the Piskies all over again” he chuckled, shaking his head.
A smile creeping across his lips at the tone of her voice, Nick found himself secretly glad to have heard of such a thing. That evening they had spent together, him practically rabid from the bite, and her standing guard by his side had stuck in his mind since. He had been so unused to being declined in any way, shape or form, to hear the word no from anyone.
“How unfortunate, had I have realised that things were so quiet for you, I would have perhaps stopped by sooner, see if I could not provide some sort of entertainment for you” he responded, trying his best to temper the smile, to not seem quite so self-satisfied with it all.
Taking a sip from his drink, he cleared his throat slightly before shifting back to look at her. “Quite quiet, all things considered. With what I have come to learn of this town though, that is most certainly not a good thing. Generally, when things grow quiet, defences are lowered and then we get something like the Piskies all over again” he chuckled, shaking his head.
“Still, quiet allows for guilty pleasures like this,” he commented, gesturing up towards the two men on the rooftops. “Though I must confess, I never thought quiet would be your scene. You always seemed like the more…determined and active sort”
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Vivienne’s gaze tracked back over to the men on the rooftops, eyebrow arching as one of them decided that now was apparently the perfect time to learn how to balance on one foot. Honestly, why? That just screamed trouble.
If she cared more she might comment, but… it was amusing and she was bored, go figure.
“It is definitely a change of pace from what I’m used to,” she admitted, tipping her head to regard Nicholas from beneath a strand of dark hair that had escaped the messy bun holding the rest of it in place. “When the New Year is here I’ll have to find ways to pass the days.”
She was after all a “rich widower” with money to burn.
“Any suggestions?”
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Pressing his lips together, Nick paused for a moment as he tracked the men walking across the roofs, wincing every time he watched one of them pull at a cable. It was only going to be a matter of time before one of them wrapped that cable around their ankle, and with a tug would find themselves in a rather sticky situation.
“Are you a fan of nature? I appreciate that the season is not the best for walks, however, there are some delightful trails not too far from here. In fairer weather, some of the creeks are quite lovely in Redwood State Park to swim. There are also some rather nice natural hot springs. Failing that, if that is not your thing, there are also some rather nice farmers markets nearby, there are even Whale Watching Tours when the weather improves from” Nick rattled off, straining his brain to think of other ideas.
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Vivienne’s lips pressed together as the one to the left did in fact wrap a cable around their ankle and she tutted softly. “Oh, this is definitely going to end in tears. Also, a trip to the emergency room.”
Fan of nature? She was Fae after all, that was a given.
Of course she had spent her whole life defying expectations.
“The trails are more my speed, I think.”
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Looking back up, a grimace crossed Nick’s lips as he watched the man perform a strange little dance on the roof of his house. Twisting and turning at odd angles, there were moments when Nick was quite sure the man was going to fall, before seemingly recovering himself.
A more sincere smile crossed his lips, he nodded his head before taking a sip of his drink. “Then, may I recommend you check out the trails towards the North East of the town? It is where the very best trails can be found. Also, if you follow the right trail, there is quite a beautiful hot spring to be found there. It is rumoured to have healing properties of folk tales are anything to go by”
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“So close,” Vivienne remarked with no small amount of amusement as the man recovered his footing, sipping at her wine with something approaching a mischievous smile. She was Fae after all.
Her attention did return to Nicholas however when he spoke of the trails, interest piqued by the mention of a hot spring.
“And you’re encouraged to bathe in the spring?”
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Turning his head to watch her as she smirked up at the men on the roof, Nick couldn’t help but find himself admiring her looks for not the first time. She was a truly exceptional woman, in the way she walked and talked, there was something appealing about her that drew him towards her quite naturally.
“You are encouraged to bathe. It is said that one of the original settlers in Mercy Cove was a witch, who enchanted the spring with healing properties. While it is not extraordinarily potent, it is said that bathing in its waters can relieve all sorts of minor ailments, aches and pains”
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That certainly would not surprise Vivienne, not in the slightest. Weirder and stranger things had happened especially as magic was well known and prevalent in the world at large even though so many people lived in ignorance of it.
“Is clothing optional or mandatory?”
She assumed that the less clothing you had on the better the effect.
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Unable to resist the urge to allow his eyes to appreciatively sweep over Viv’s form, his eyes moved back up to her eyes.
“Clothing is optional, though if you are shyer, I am sure that I could certainly recommend times when a person might find themselves with a little more privacy if that is to your taste?”
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Shy was certainly not a word that Vivienne wo uld ever associate with herself. She was selective in who did get to see her in a state of undress especially as her glamour was meticulous to the point where it was even easy for her to forget what her Fae form looked like.
She met Nick’s gaze confidently as it came back to her eyes after having passed an appreciative look over her form.
“And what if I’m not shy?”
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Oh, how he enjoyed her boldness, unashamed and confident in her appearance. He had never done well with shy and retiring women, or even worse, those that feigned shyness in an attempt to extort compliments from him.
A coy grin crossing his lips, he paused for a moment to take a sip from his wine, as if contemplating her question for a brief moment, before returning with his response. “Then I would recommend a good swimming companion to keep away unwanted attention”
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Vivienne’s lips quirked in the corners when Nick suggested what he did. “You think so? Anybody you would recommend?” She knew exactly what he was thinking, but it was fun to pretend otherwise.
Fun was not something she’d indulged in for a very long time.
A lifetime ago.
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Placing his glass down on the floor, Nick shifted in his seat to face Viv a little better, his attention fully on the fae for the first time since he had arrived. Reaching out, he used a single finger to draw a line across the top of her hand, a coy smile on his lips.
“One or two names might come to mind, I would recommend that with a woman as beautiful as you might want to have a strong, alpha type person to fight off unwanted intruders”
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Strong alpha type person to fight off unwanted intruders? The lift of her eyebrow indicated just what she thought of that statement especially as an omega who had spent a vast majority fighting the expectations of her rank.
“I think you know better than that,” she countered. “But, I do agree that company would certainly be good.” Vivienne had spent a large majority of her life alone after all and that had worked for her, but possibly just possibly it was time for a change.
Vivienne sealed her teeth around her lower lip and tipped her head. “Would you care to join me?”
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Perhaps it had been a rather misjudged comment of his to make, perhaps there could have been a hundred other ways for him to have phrased it, but Nick was a little….rusty with this sort of thing. Since he had gotten bitten, he had struggled to reach out to anyone, to feel any sort of version of his old self.
Still, when it came to Vivienne, he was at least willing to give it a chance, to take that risk and put himself out there a little. “I would very much like to accompany you on such a trip. Perhaps if you could suggest a day you are free, we can make arrangements to go together? Perhaps take a picnic basket with us, make a trip of it”
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When she wasn’t working or following up on a lead Vivienne did find herself with a lot of time on her hands so her diary was very open and flexible in that regard.
“I’ll double check my calendar and look for the right day. One where we can make a trip of it.” She would like that, it definitely sounded like a nice break from the mundane.
She reached down for the wine bottle, uncorked it and offered it out to Nick. “Refill?”
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Smirking at her when she agreed to them going together, he gave a small nod of his head before he slowly withdrew his hand. Reaching down to get his glass, he offered it out towards her, before his eyes went back towards their entertainment from earlier that evening.
“Well, I must say, they have both lasted far longer than I would have given them credit for” he commented, smirking as he watched them both nearing the end of that house decoration.
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And as if by magic or more likely jinx there was a sudden cursing followed by what was a loud crash and Vivienne grimaced as all that could be seen of one neighbour was them hanging off the side of the house while tangled in lights.
“I think, dear Nicholas, you just jinxed that man.”
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Grimacing as he watched the man losing his footing, Nick found himself struggling to try and keep his attention fully on Viv as the man seemed to hang there. Feeling somewhat guilty that he had allowed that to happen, and he might have jinxed the man, he shot Viv an apologetic look.
“Apologies, allow me to make sure it is just an ambulance and not a morgue he requires” he offered, before running off to the house.
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