In the Next Year (open?)

[Leo]

(As he starts in the hallway, I thought to mark it as open?)

He had told her, in the letter, that he would see her in the next year and he meant it. There was hardly anything that he said which he didn't mean. (There were parts of his job that required him to stretch the flickering truth.)

The new year was already old by a handful of days when Leo was finally able to fall back on his bed in the Tel'Raneamyn Inn and breathe. In the long stretch of time that proceeded the dinner he had invited Gwendolyn too this man was due for more than a rest. The last assignment may have been hard but it was worth it in the end. Turning his head to look at his right hand he flexed it gave an inward groan to see that the markings were still there upon the back and inched past his wrist. It would fade eventually but until then he would simply wrap it. True that it could draw attention either way, the difference came in the explaining.  

As he laid there on the bed, looking up at the ceiling, he wondered how his Gaitto thought of the gift that he had sent. He knew it had been delivered and this place was not known for theft. Rubbing his hand over his chin Leo decided to shave before going to see her. 

Later that day Leo left his room and started towards that of Gwendolyn's being rather casually in a dark pair of jean pant and a vertical stripped shirt of earthen tones. On his way there he tried to think of what to tell her about why he had been gone for as long as he had - the ordeal of the butterflies not standing out as a priority. 

With his right hand behind him, Leo knocked on Gwendolyn's door with his left and waited. 

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

Leo might be knocking on Gwendolyn's door, but there would be no answer from inside, because no one was inside. Violet had yet to come back, and Gwen had to ponder on that one, maybe she would soon. Hopefully the Marques was not keeping her tied up somewhere as a prisoner? Or sold her into slavery like Ryan threatened to do with Gwen. But those thoughts would come later, for right now Gwen was in a very good mood. She had started to live again for a lack of better wording.

When she got back from the invite she had locked herself up in her rooms. She was upset and hurt, angry and confused, then something snapped in her. She couldn't just lock herself away because of what had happened, after flying back to the Inn, she had needed some rest. But once she started being social again, she realized how much she had missed it. And the meeting new people, that was even better, if she would of never went down she would of never met Mr Coat nor Mr Door. Without the duo her time wouldn't of been passing as well as it had. De'Ryanna helped as well, but it was different, because with De'Ryanna you never knew what you were going to get. Mr. Coat came around a lot and Gwen was fond of him, not in a way she shouldn't be, but yet watching him with his wife made her realize the things she missed.

Steps were taken, with a spring in her step, getting fresh air was always a mood lifter, and she had spent some time out as of late. It wasn't until she was on her floor, that she noticed someone was at her door. Her head tilted a moment, before she realized it was Leo, and for that moment, her anger was gone. She moved quickly and if he did not react to her she would be colliding into him. Even as her arms moved up to give Leo a warm hug, and a peck to his cheek. "Leo!!" Her voice held that surprise in it. "Your here!?" Okay she couldn't help it, she really figured it would be longer.

No sooner then that, she had a flood of the other emotions, taking away the elation at seeing him. She took a step backwards, and lifted her head to look up at him, her lower lip was bitten, as she watched him. But then her manners kicked in for the moment. "Thank you for the gift." She had worn it a time or three, but she wasn't wearing it now.

Because the walls had ears, she would open her door, and invite Leo inside. Gwen was not worried about rumors because of having a boy in her room. But she knew Leo was a private person.

[Leo]

He did not mind waiting. Patience was a good thing to have in his line of work and other aspects of his life. Though, this man Leo, was not perfect and there would be times that such things like patience slipped. This was not the case today and depending on how long he had to wait his stance would have switched from standing to leaning against the wall with the left foot crossed over the right and the toe of his shoe tapped downward on the floor. However, when he heard and saw her coming that changed. 

Leo was standing again and was in perfect form to catch the hug she presented, a bright smile there was on his face. He returned the hug in kind with an added bit of a loving squeeze given, that wrapped right hand being brought out when it was safe from sight and craftily being retracted when the hug was ended. There wasn't time to return the kiss. 

"Of course I am here!" He was rather proud of that too. "I had said that I would see you in the new year and already so much time has passed." It had and he knew the value of letting to much time pass when things were important. 

"If it could have been helped it would be that I would have delivered the gift myself." Leo had missed two occasions already of her opening gifts: the dress and now the diadem.  

He saw the slight change to her and he gave a soft smile and would even reach out to touch her cheek if he could as they moved indoors. "I would think to kiss you now would not be as well accepted until after apologies," saying after he was in, "I did leave rather suddenly and forgot that such departures are not rightly accepted."

As he wasn't accustomed to having anyone wonder of him save for the Marquès it was a fault. Even now he was keeping that right hand out of general view, it was more habit than on purpose and things such as showing your 'best face' was as natural as breathing, so this action was as normal as any person with a hand to their back pocket. 

He made a casual talking gesture with his left hand as he spoke again. "Forgive me if the question of the butterflies was misplaced." Asked in the wrong manner or wrong time. The Spaniard had people skills for business, but it was different when dealing on a more personal level. "I meant not to offend."

[Gwendolyn Zoi]

It was true, patience was a virtue, and if one had dealings with her, it was best to have patience in abundance. And then some on reserve. Flights of fancy were a thing that she was accustomed too, in some instances, and others it was the things that she was drawn too.

It was probably for the best she had yet to see that had, because if Leo knew Gwen at all he would know she was going to ask a bunch of questions. Not that he would have to answer them but questions would be forthcoming.

She gave a soft nod of her head. “You did say you would…and it is already days in, but the year itself still has lots more days.” It was true wasn’t it? He did not say see you in the beginning of the year, the middle of the year or the end of the year. She looked down a moment, before she made her way into the room behind Leo. The door itself was still open because he had that oddness about being a in a room with her with the door being fully closed, so she moved it so it was only open a crack. The only thing with a door being opened a crack, people could still hear things, see things, and even open the door wide and let themselves in if they so wished it.

She gave him a soft small smile. “I am sure you would have. It really is a lovely gift. It works well with some of my outfits that I wear.” In that she was letting him know the gift was being used. Her fingers moved to the hand that had a ring, and twisted it upon her thumb.

She had felt his hand brush against her cheek when she moved into the room. It had brought a hint of a smile to those lips. She felt her lips twist into a pout. “You did leave rather suddenly right after the butterflies.” She frowned, she wanted to stomp her foot but she wasn’t, instead she paced just a little bit, a few steps one way a few steps another. “If you wouldn’t of been mad at me, would you still of left without so much as a word, not even a brief note?” Was that a way of saying Gwen was still hurt? Yes yes it was. After she flew back to the Inn, leaving the dress at the Marques’s Manor, she had time to think. Clear her head so to speak. Whether they were having a good time or a difficult time, Leo would of still left, and it was shortly after she finally got to see him for any length of time.

Her eyes widened, as she looked over at him, her hands went to her hips. “Leo!!” Not any pet names but actually his name. “You looked at me like I knew what was going on or what to expect.” She sighed, “But even the fly on the wall could tell that I was rather scared.” She had been scared, and then slightly in awe, and Leo, well he was worried about what people would think. Which meant he put people before her, and she knew men that did that, but she didn’t think she could do that. Still a bit touchy.

She motioned for him to have a seat if he wished, she would of earlier but it sort of slipped her mind, the room was set up like the others, and she made her way to the couch sitting on one end of it. Waiting to see if he sat or continued to stand. “Do you know De’Ryanna? She is Pip’s foster sister.” That was a just in case he didn’t know whom she was. As she spoke she fiddled with the ring of his on her thumb. “I’ve been spending time with her in the bar of the Inn. We have new friends named Mr. Coat and his wife.” She paused a moment. “I think I am jealous of their relationship.” She frowned a bit, looking off in the distance before turning to look at Leo. “It’s hard when I know your never going to just burst in the room some time.” She let out a soft laugh. “But I know that is not you…” She did know that but she was the sort that wasn’t so good at holding things in, one was suppose to share their thoughts right?

[Leo]

Leo listened, and he listened for he knew that it was the nature of females to talk of their problems and feelings that they had and it was this that he had been expecting. He listened with a calm expression and air about himself aside from the pacing that she was doing but, it was when she put her hands on her hips and shouted his name when he got a jump on the defensive side.

"I did not dismiss you from me!," He said with a step forward to her from his left foot. "I pulled you aside after you made the butterflies and dropped your hand so that they would stop and once we were settled in the thing that had happened I would have taken you in as I wanted to. You darted down the hall before we even had a chance to talk about it and I wasn't going to run after you and give panic for being chased." That is the way he saw it. Who is to know what would have happened had she not run back to her room?

Leo sighed and made a half a turn as he ran the wrapped up right hand through his hair. A moment to get a calmer attitude. "Gaitto, I told you that I would keep the secret of what you are, and I apologize if me pulling you aside as I did made you feel low and discarded, but I won't apologize for having done it." He had turned back towards her and would even go to block her pacing progress. "If we had continued into the room while that was happening with your hands I could not assure that you would be safe." He was only trying to look out for her in the way that he knew how and had momentarily forgotten about his exposed hand at his side.

"Mira, Gwendolyn." that wrapped hand was used to pat palm flat against his chest a couple times, "I'm not like these other guys that you know, or have known, and my way of doing things different but do not ever think that I'm treating you some way because I don't care."

He really as doing a lot of talking, wasn't he in comparison to times before. He did want her to know that he wasn't upset with her, even if she was still mad at him. The last part she said he understood and it was something that he had wondered - back at the shop when he gave her the ring - if she would get lonely. He knew of loneliness but it did not mean that she had to.

What he had said may have made her more the upset, but people were going to get mad at each other the same as how they would find joy and fulfillment in the same. He spread his hands shoulder width apart. "Come here," Leo said, even as he was already approaching her. It was her room and she could leave or order him out, even keep him from coming closer but, if she wouldn't do any of those things then Gwendolyn would find herself trapped in his embrace.

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