Doesn't take no for an answer

Rui coughed again, and began to laugh drunkenly. "Oh, just a lucky guess." She smiled a rather intoxicated smile and placed her hand on Zevran's cheek. Rui was surprised to find it was rather soft, almost like a soft rose petal. "You see, I'm pretty intoxicated right now." She chortled like a drunk, and stood up at once. Almost immediately Rui stumbled backwards, knocking her chair over.

"I think I really need to get home." The waterbender laughed again, reaching for her purse and parka.

Rui blushed, and mumbled a word of thanks to Zevran. She attempted to put on her parka, which she found more difficult than usual. Ah, well, I can go without. The waterbender grabbed a few coins out of her change purse, and slapped them on the table out of habit. Being a waitress herself, it made her upset when people skipped out on a tip. Though it hadn't crossed Rui's mind that they weren't actually at a restaurant. Many people stared at her after she'd placed the coins on the table, though she figured that it was just her obvious intoxication that they were noticing.

The waterbender gave a small laugh when Zevran asked about getting home. "Right now, I don't think I could tell the difference between the Fire Nation and the Southern Water Tribe!" She stumbled along with Zevran out the door of the tavern, and looked at him when he mentioned a place to stay. "Oh, you really don't have to--hiccup--I think I'll manage to find my way eventually."

Rui giggled as Zevran took her hand. She enjoyed the pleasant tingles he gave her every time they touched. When he mentioned his house, Rui's mind went wild. Though instead of the many sexcapades one would think she would be imaging, Rui was actually imaging what the inside of his house looked like. At first she considered him to have a sleek, sexy, and modern looking home. Then she remembered the assassin bit, and imagined weapons of every nature being scattered about his house. Maybe he'll pictures of his victims hanging on the walls..

Rui gasped a loud, drunken gasp and attempted to wrench her hand away from Zevran's. She didn't realize how strong he was though, and ended up just barely pulling his arm back. "H-Hey Zevran?" She stopped suddenly, giving a small hiccup as she did so.

Rui stood awkwardly, feeling embarrassed even though she had brought it up. "Y-you don't, y'know.." She struggled with her words, feeling as though her tongue was a weight in her mouth. "You don't have pictures of your dead hits laying around, right? Or anything of that manner?" The drunk waterbender turned away, feeling her face turn ten different shades of red. She turned to face Zevran's seemingly normal house, and hoped it was as normal on the inside as it was on the outside.

Rui nodded, exhaling in relief. At his inquiry, the waterbender began to think. If she entered Zevran's--this practical stranger's--house, anything could happen. She knew this very well, but knew the risk was worth it. He proved to be trustworthy enough, and Rui could feel that she was in safe hands. She hoped that whatever happened here tonight--good or bad--that she would remember it in the morning. Besides, Rui couldn't help but to fall for Zevran's charming words.

"I'm perfectly okay with this."

Rui walked through the front door, taking in the scenery as she did so. Not only was this man handsome and charming, but he knew how to decorate a house too? Rui sighed a soft, longing sigh. She felt her heart swoon in her chest. As a sign of respect, Rui took her shoes off at the door. She placed her bag next to them, assuming she wouldn't need it for the rest of the night. The waterbender looked around as Zevran led her along, admiring the relics that adorned his walls. There were swords everywhere, though not as Rui had expected there to be. They were nice and neatly placed, and Rui was interested to know the stories behind these swords. She figured that was a conversation for later--well, if there was a later.

She stopped for a second to admire the many photographs Zevran had. Rui had to admit she was a bit nosy at times. She should know who she's spending the night with, anyway. She began to admire a rather handsome photograph of Zevran in swimwear. He appeared to be at Ember Island, and beautiful women were hanging on to either of his muscly arms. She sighed softly, He's definitely a lady's man..

After she finished looking at his photographs, Rui allowed Zevran to lead her to a bedroom. It was simple and clean, and the exact opposite of what she expected. Though, she figured this was merely a guestroom. She watched as Zevran stepped out, and wondered if he expected her to de-clothe herself. Rui gulped nervously, not exactly sure of what to do. Nevertheless, she took off her parka, deciding that he'd figure out her confusion soon. She turned around to find a barefooted Zevran standing there, and Rui gave him a small smile. She moved over to the bed and sat down, not really sure what to expect.

Rui looked at him, a faint smile on her lips. He had been so courteous to her, and she hadn't done a single thing for him all night. Rui lost herself in thought for a while, and surfaced a couple seconds later. She had concluded that tonight was a night to take risks. Rui got off the bed, and began to approach Zevran slowly.

She took one step at a time, until she was close to Zevran. Reaching up, Rui placed her hands on the man's muscly shoulders. The petite girl stood on tippy toes, leaning against Zevran's body as leverage. She leaned close to his face, and softly whispered in his ear. "You're a very nice man." Rui began to lean away, but before she did so she pressed her lips to his cheek.

By this time, Rui had reached a new level of "blushing", but tried her hardest to keep the sexiness there. "Now you go ahead and get that snack, and I'll be here." There was a seductive purr in her voice, one of which Rui had never heard before. She watched Zevran leave the room; a smile of victory was on her face. Rui knew she needed to act fast, and immediately stripped down to her wraps and a simple pair of underwear.

She walked over to the bed, and positioned herself just right. Unfortunately, Rui found that as soon as she laid down, exhaustion engulfed her. She laid her head back, figuring it'd pass soon. Her eyes began to droop, and Rui found herself letting out an enormous yawn. Just.. For.. A second.. Rui closed her eyes, and found herself dozing off into a rather deep and blissful sleep.

Light shined in through the window, causing the petite, partially dressed woman to moan slightly. She rolled around, trying to avoid the light. Sighing in defeat, Rui Ching opened her eyes slowly. She put her hand in front of her face, blocking the rays. As she began to sit up in bed, Rui was met with a pounding headache.

What happened last night.. The thought bumped around her head like a pinball machine as Rui tried to remember, thus making her headache worse. After she'd sat up completely, the groggy waterbender allowed her eyes to adjust to the light. She looked around, and realized suddenly she was in very, very unfamiliar surroundings.

Rui shot out of bed like a bat out of hell, completely freaked out until she noticed the neat, folded pile of clothes next to her bed. "Zevran.." she crooned softly, a faint smile in her lips. Although she didn't remember much of what they did, Rui did remember every detail about him. Her heart fluttered, and Rui put a hand to her lips, remembering the one intimate encounter they had shared.

Looking to her right, Rui noticed a mirror against the wall. She looked like an absolute wreck. Also, there was the smell of cooked meat in the air, which made Rui's stomach growl, though not because she was hungry. The groggy Rui took out her braid, ruffling her hair a bit to reveal long waves the stopped just below her chest. She reached for her clothes and put on her pants and top that reeked of alcohol. Rui decided against the top mostly because of the smell, and walked out with her arms covering her wraps--or at least where her boobs were.

She followed the smell of meat until she arrived in a small but pleasant kitchen with an even pleasanter man. Her jaw dropped instantly as she looked at the man standing over the small stove. He was absolutely jaw-dropping in his boxers. I don't know what I did with him exactly, but for my sake I hope it was a lot.

So this man was now a charmer, handsome, a house decorator, and a cook too. Rui wondered silently if this man had been crafted by the heavens for all women to fawn over. She gave him a sleepy smile and murmured, "Good morning." Drunk Rui probably would've followed this up something witty like "beautiful man" or "handsome", but sober Rui was a turtle in its shell. It took a lot of patience before she would creep out of her shell. She continued to check out Zevran; although she was wasn't hungry, she couldn't help but to admire his tasty backside.

Rui nodded fervently, agreeing with Zevran. "I smell like someone pushed me in a tub of a liquor." There was almost a hint of questioning in her voice; if someone had pushed Rui in a tub of liquor, she had no way of recalling. "Oh.. No worries about any roommates questioning me. I live alone. And no, but thank you. I'm still a little queasy from last night." Nevertheless, Rui leaned up against the nearest wall and watched him cook. He moved so gracefully on his feet; it was quite mesmerizing to watch.

"Well, I'd say that I need to go to work, but seeing as it's already mid-afternoon.." Her sentence trailed off, partly because her head started to pound and partly because she didn't really want to leave yet. Rui didn't want to come across as creepy to the man; she didn't want to be "that lunatic girl." Rui had to admit, she was a little curious about last night's events. She began to massage her temples with her fingers, sighing as some pressure was alleviated.

Rui nodded her thanks. "You've already done so much for me--I couldn't imagine asking anything else from you." She looked at him, a smile of gratitude on her lips. The waterbender knew she needed to make it up to him; not that she was obligated, but Rui wanted to show him the same courtesy he'd shown her. What exactly could she do for him, though?

She looked over at him while he ate, trying to ignore his occasional glances at her breasts. The petite girl was inviting stares, what with her being in her wraps. Rui flipped her long waist length hair over her shoulder, and sighed in quiet frustration. If she wanted to do something for Zevran, it needed to be memorable. Not that she wished to upstage him; she merely wanted him to know her gratitude. Also, the idea of him sticking around was promising.

An idea came to Rui suddenly, and another smile grew on her face. "Hey Zevran? What's your favorite meal? In her head she giggled manically. Rui loved to surprise people.

"Oh, no reason. Just curious is all," she replied nonchalantly, waving her hand. Rui said this, though she already had a plan forming in her head. In the back of her head, Rui was sure Zevran would figure out her intentions, but she figured she would try to surprise him as best as she could. She gave a large stretch, moving her arms high above her head. Rui was yawning as she did so, and had to wipe away from her face what her mother used to call "sleep tears."

She excused herself from the kitchen, and walked back into the guest room. Rui pulled on her clothes, trying to ignore the stale alcohol smell. Even the thought of alcohol made Rui want to vomit everywhere. The waterbender fixed her hair back into a simple braid, and tossed it back over her shoulder. Before she stepped out of the room, Rui looked on the nightstand to find some parchment and a writing utensil. She scribbled a note and tucked it into the mirror. She gave her reflection a confident smile before strolling back into the kitchen.

When a fully clothed Rui appeared in the kitchen again, she cleared her throat before speaking. "I think I'm going to go back to my house and shower. If you'd like, I'd enjoy it if you joined me later." She paused, realizing it sounded like she meant that she wanted to shower with him. "Erh, I mean, I'd love it if you stopped by my house this evening!" She laughed nervously, holding her hand up to her mouth.

"Bring nothing but yourself." Rui winked at him before walking out the door. She poked her head through the door once again and called to Zevran, "Oh by the way, I left you a note in the guest room!" The note itself was nothing fancy, just her address. After she knew that Zevran had heard her, Rui closed the front door and leaned up against it. To say she was ecstatic for this night was an understatement. She skipped along like a school girl who'd just been kissed after her first date.


Rui arrived at her small home hours later, groceries spilling out of her arms. She struggled with the door for a bit, finding it hard to maneuver with groceries up to her eyeballs. When she got inside her mediocre home, Rui placed the groceries on the counter nearest to her. After she'd done this, the waterbender merely flopped on the couch and breathed deep. It felt like an eternity since she'd been home. After a couple minutes of this Rui got up, stripping down to nothing as she walked into her bathroom. Before her was a large lion claw tub that Rui held near and dear to her heart. Whenever she needed to contemplate anything, she'd simply lay in this tub for hours─with or without water. She drew herself a bath and decided to use her more expensive oils and soaps; this was a special occasion after all.

After she'd scrubbed herself down and lathered herself up in spearmint-smelling oils, Rui decided it was best to start making dinner for her special guest. She'd decided upon a stew her mother had taught her to make; a concoction of steak and pork along with several different herbs. Along with it she planned to make a nice herbal tea. When she was able to let things sit, Rui dressed herself in a simple, light blue kimono along with a gray obi. She left her hair down to air dry, allowing her beautiful obsidian waves to show their true form.

When everything was finished, Rui sat for the worst part: waiting. She knew there was a small chance that Zevran wouldn't show up; though she didn't take him for the stand-up kind of man. Rui looked around her house, sizing things up. It was an open concept house; as soon as you walked in you were faced with the living room and kitchen to your left (seperated by a counter lined with barstools), and the hallway to your right. It was a two bedroom one bath house, but since Rui lived alone that was really all she needed. The house was sparsely decorated due to the fact that Rui wasn't one for photos. She did keep pictures of her family up on the walls though. Perhaps the most noticeable thing about Rui's house was the amount of books she had─Rui loved reading more than anything.  

Rui sighed, and picked up a random book to read. She decided it was better to find a distracting way to pass time instead of letting nerves swallow her up.