Sometimes... (open) - The White Tower

He smirked, folding up his hand. "Got me beat then, pair of two's" Charlie smiled as he reached to gather the cards again.
"And hey, we'll find out won't we?" the youth added with a wink as he started shuffling the deck for another round. "Just need to wait for the Harpy and the Lady to set a date"

"Oh, I won a hand?" she giggled. "Told you I was just warming up."

She ran a hand through her hair and adjusted the way she was sitting just slightly, her torso pressed fully up against the porcelain tub, but comfortably.

"Have you ever met the Lady? I hear she's a Toreador. But... never met her myself. Don't know anything about her. Meant to ask Estaban but, well," she shrugged. "Slipped my mind."

"Can't say I've met her. Or at least I don't think I have" Charlie smiled as he shuffled the cards with nimble fingers, offering her the deck to approve or cut if she wanted to before dealing another round. "Toreador hm? I'll keep an eye open, just in case. Don't want to touch anything that might earn me the anger of the Prince now do I?" he snickered.

Cass cut the deck, handing him the top half. She gave a soft sigh.

"I guess that's fair," she chuckled. "Though I have a feeling that it would take quite a bit to anger him. Have you met his... um... child?"

"Mmm maybe" he dealt each a new hand and leaned his head back to look up at her. "What's his name?"

Oh dear... he hadn't...

"Um... Her name is Rhiana. She's... not what you would expect. Can't be any more than 4 or 5 years old-- judging purely on her looks, that is..."

Cass watched Charlie for his reaction, idly changing the position of her cards in her hand.

He tilted his head to the side, not looking at his own cards but most definitively looking at her.
"You're acting like she might shock me or something?" Charlie chuckled, reaching up to touch her cheek with soft fingers. "What's so special about her hm?" because the Toreador's reaction had left him curious.

"She's a kid-- a bonfide, child sugar. Plays with dolls, doesn't appear quite old enough to be school age," she said as she leaned into his touch.

A child?
His features were briefly touched by a hint of disbelief though finding no reason not to trust her, he simply nodded as the brief change of expression faded away from his face.
"That's.... different I suppose. Wife and a child... the Prince must be a genuine family man then I suppose" he added with a ow chuckle.
Gentle fingers drifting from her cheek to touch her lips again.

"Go to his office in the Regency some time. I get the impression she's always there."

She traded in one card, still relishing in his touch and really only half paying attention to her cards.

"Maybe it's how he holds onto his humanity. I don't know... It's... not unheard of, I suppose. But it's not commonplace, either."

As before he traded in two cards after briefly throwing a sideways glance at his hand, taking his eyes off her no longer than what he absolutely needed to.
"Everyone deals with our state of existence in different ways I suppose.." Charlie smiled at her, his fingers brushing across her lips as he leaned in almost close enough to kiss her. "I personally find I prefer the things that remind me of how good it feels to be alive..."

"So tell me about those things, Charlie," she smiled a dazzling bright smile to him. Her head tilted a bit to the side a she breathed cold air onto his fingers, kissing them as they passed.

"I don't disagree with you in the slightest. You've just piqued my interest."

"Oh you already know some of them..." he smiled, letting his fingers move from her lips so to press his gently against hers in a warm kiss. "And you... make me feel very much alive..." Charlie whispered sweetly, placing his hand down on the table, face up, revealing two knights and three tens.

She noticed that she'd lost that hand horribly and merely chuckle. But she sighed into the kiss happily, her cards-- a mismatch of colors and numbers-- falling to the floor in a flutter as she placed her hands on either side of his face.

"If I didn't make you feel that way... then I would be oh so disappointed."

Slowly, he turned around so that he was properly facing her, moving up so that he was sitting on his knees while he kissed her.
"Oh you have nothing to be disappointed about..." Charlie smiled against her lips. Gentle fingers resting just under her chin, while his free hand offered him a bit of support as he leaned against the tub and into her touch.

She resisted the urge to pull him into the tub with her-- oh, but she wanted to. She pawed gently at his face, adding intensity to the kiss, but in fits and spurts-- slow and soft and the hard and fast before teetering back into the gentle, agonizing stage.

"I'm just glad I could help you feel a little better. I hope that I was successful?" She grinned as she batted her eyelashes at the Brujah.

Her touch was returned by soft lips and a low moan under his breath as he matched her caress, mentally cursing in the back of his mind that he didn't trust her enough to invite her to his bedroom.
"Very much so" he whispered, before returning her gesture from earlier and snatching her lower lip between his teeth with a light touch. Grinning up at her as he kept it for a few moments before letting go somewhat reluctantly. "If I'm ever out and wounded again, I might just have to give you another call..."

She smiled a wide smile and nodded to him.

"You're more than welcome to do so, you know. I'll have new and exciting ways to keep it interesting," she gave him a wink. She was more than content to just rest her lips against his at that point, wrapping her arms around his neck-- but carefully so as not to hurt him where he was injured or to drip too much water onto him.

"I think if there's a next time, we should get you out of the house," she grinned.

"But I like it here..." he grinned, kissing her again and easing his tongue into her mouth with a murmured sigh of pleasure. "And I get to have you all to myself..." the youth got up, moving his arm around her and pulling her out of the tub as if she truly weighed nothing while reaching for one of the towels with the other. Careful to move the soft white fabric around her without breaking away from her lips.

She could have held tightly to him. She could have feigned fear that Charlie would drop her. But she didn't. Her arms around him were light and comfortable and relaxed. She really could care less about the towel. She was too busy with her lips and her tongue.

"Mmm, that's true. And the surroundings are quite nice to look at. You have it all right here at your fingertips," she smiled, tracing light circles on the back of his neck.

"Now that I got you here... I do indeed" the youth smiled, licking at her lips again as he finished wrapping the towel around her and then shifted his hold of her so to properly carry her as he stepped down from the small elevation on which the tub was situated and walked towards the door without really looking or letting his lips drift too far from hers.
"Can you stay a while longer?" Charlie asked softly, pushing the door to the bathroom open with his shoulder and carrying her down the hallway. Seemingly not caring too much about the fact that they were leaving a light trail of water drops along the way.

She nodded with a grin, nipping at his lips softly. "I'm not in any hurry," she said with a pleasurable moan against his mouth. A hand caressed the skin of the side of his neck to just behind his ear and back down. Her lips brushed effortlessly against any part of him she could reach. "I'll hang around for as long as you want me to," she laughed.

Well, they still had a few hours until he'd need to kick her out, now didn't they? The youth still not comfortable with sharing his Haven with another Kindred anytime soon. That was, after all, asking for a lot of trust. A lot more than he was willing to give anyone anytime soon.

"Then stay a while longer..." he smiled as he pushed the door to his bedroom open, carrying her to the bed and carefully laying her down before laying down next to her and pulling her close as an arm wrapped around her waist. Soft lips finding hers again as he licked and teased with a lingering smile against hers while his free hand drifted up her back and across her shoulders before easing to the back of her neck with a gentle touch.
"You're better than painkillers by far" the youth chuckled.

"You think so, huh?" She smiled, trapping one of his legs in between her as her hands sought his hips to pull him closer with a rough tug.

"Maybe I have a healing touch-- the ability to kiss and make it all better?" Her tongue snaked out of her mouth slowly, seeking his mouth while fingers crept up just under the hem of his shirt to brush against his bare skin.

He didn't cringe this time, even if what she found was more bandages carefully wrapped around one too many cuts. Instead he simply closed his eyes and leaned into her touch as his hand grasped her hair gently and pushed her lips a little harder against his own.
It was a temporary fix to a problem that wasn't going to go away anytime soon, he realized that much. Though for the time being, he would settle for what relief and comfort he could find and forget about things he would have plenty of time to worry about later. And Cass was... good at taking his mind off things.

The youth murmuring with a content sigh as he returned her kiss with a touch of desire. Enjoying the feeling of her body close to his.