[puglia] all fired up. [tag; roman]

This was supposed to be a legitimate auction.

It wasn't that Sofia had been planning to "turn over a new leaf" or anything stupid like that, there were just a few items she liked. And she was a bit bored. The term gatecrashing was vulgar but there were no ifs, ands or buts about it - she'd stolen an invitation.

The name embossed in gold ink on the black card was a miss Gabriella Romano thus, that was who she was to be for the night. Alarm bells started to ring the minute the steep path shifted downwards, looping around the shoreline so she could hear the waves crashing. No one had told her it was literally an underground event. Being afraid of dark, enclosed spaces wasn't something ideal in her line of work and she frowned, her plum coloured full lips puckering as she wrinkled her nose. She'd worn the wrong shoes for a caving expedition.

Sofia swept her hair over her shoulder, a hand lightly grazing the glass bannister as she descended, absently fixing the lapel of her jacket, her diamond earrings catching the low light. Sofia exchanged her invitation for a paddle and a smile and snorted absently at the number on the back - 24 - her lucky number. Music was playing as she slipped between the crowd, all dressed in their finery and she happily ignored the look an elderly woman shot her as she breezed by. It said formal wear, it didn't specify of which gender.

Her slim fingers plucked a glass of champagne from a nearby tray as she wandered to the edge, her dark eyes flicking across the programme in her left hand. She needn't bother because she knew what she wanted to purchase. Or steal, whichever; The Marie Antionette necklace. There was laughter that caught on the breeze, the clinking of wine glasses as the trophy wives clung to their husband's arms and laughed at every joke. Rather than make a scene, the grimace was hidden behind the rim of her champagne flute before a figure caught her eye and her heart dropped to her arse.

Sofia was suddenly shunted back six years as the familiar flash of red hair made her blink and take an instinctive step backwards. He'd tried to kill her. Well, she'd tried to kill him first but he had thrown her into a frozen lake and left her for dead and he did keep a pack of wolves as pets so really, he'd behaved a lot worse than she had.

Her big brown eyes narrowed as he chatted with someone, like he owned the room, before a man stepped into centre stage and began to talk. Sofia didn't listen. All of her attention was on Roman. She'd be lying if she said she thought about him but seeing him materialise again made her wonder why she hadn't. She tilted her head as a young woman in a tight dress stood beside the auctioneer, a beautiful necklace twinkling flirtatiously in the dim light.

It was stunning, a choker style with multiple strands of diamonds with precious stones set within it. The stones were set down the middle, big and heavy, making the centre of the flowers with the petals made from diamonds. The anchor of the necklace was a large pearl and as the bidding began, Sofia's paddle was in the air almost instantly.

The bidding was slow, as though the other patrons were wary. It was the first item of the night and the only one she really wanted. Sofia wasn't really into rings or bracelets but necklaces? Yes. Roman had his back to her as the room started to fill, all clamouring for a view at the jewels on show, leaving her on the outskirts. She was so shocked when he placed a bid that she almost toppled backwards into the sea.

Her jaw dropped as she bristled - what use could he possibly have for those jewels? For all she knew, he could be married by now but she found the idea highly unlikely because no one was that much of a masochist. Sofia's paddle was up soon after and the auctioneer acknowledged her, then Roman as he countered her offer. Anger was bubbling as she bid again, only to have him go one higher. She was stunned and frustrated and she was so distracted, she hadn't realised the auctioneer's gavel had pounded, sealing the deal.

There was a ringing in her ears as applause erupted around the grotto as people rushed forward to congratulate him, leaving Sofia in a stunned silence with her head spinning. She blinked before she downed the champagne and tossed the glass backwards, letting it shatter on the jagged rocks below. Without really meaning to, she took the chance and hurled her paddle with all her might across the room and at his back, turning around to face the sea again as though it wasn't her doing, whistling under her breath.


@Roman Nikula

[setting; Grotta di Palazzo in Puglia]

Roman Nikula did not exist for the night, well at least as far as the rich purses in the room were concerned. None of them would have known Roman existed at all anyway. Roman was what his closest friends called him, or those that had had the unfortunate experience of coming across him on his land. Even then though, he usually told him his name was Adam, Adam Piotrowski. Neither the given or surname was horribly memorable, and he’d spent a decent amount of time cultivating enough activity around the Piotrowski surname that nobody would be suspicious without real digging. He was thinking about retiring the name but hadn’t quite decided yet. 

The wizard resisted the urge to tug at his collar, which was starting to feel rather tight in comparison to his beloved leather jacket, and instead he flashed the couple in front of him a winning smile, trotting out yet another tired joke that they’d probably herd at least thrice before, but had forgotten the punchline to, much like they would this time. The redhead plucked another glass of neat whiskey from one of the many trays floating around the room and sipped at it delicately, grateful it was available as he kept nodding, grinning, and otherwise commenting as needed, only half paying attention.

He wanted the auction to start already. As much as it was enjoyable to see that he still had it and could blend in with a class of people he so despised outside of necessity, it was just another job to Roman. He was here to obtain a necklace of some renowned for a client who was entirely too attached to their air of mystery to attend the event themselves. That part didn’t matter to the wizard much anyway, he’d become the fence in this situation, after he’d been approached by a much more lucrative and interested party, and he’d agreed to double cross his original client. Things were much more interesting that way.

The redhead eyed both the necklace and the woman wearing it appreciatively as she stepped out onto the stage and the auctioneer made the brief introductions and welcomed the guests before moving efficiently onto the bidding. Roman glanced down at the paddle in his hand as he was raising it to make his first bid, wanting to be sure of his number. He was the lucky holder of the number 13 paddle, and he found it rather amusing considering the circumstances.

Bidding was slow, until he found himself challenged, and then the real fun began. Roman didn’t turn to see who his challenger was, not when he had such a sightline on the auctioneer. Internally, he was surprised to find the bidding go as high as it had, a few hundred thousand quid. He was standing to make almost double that tonight. He knew something of jewels and jewelry from his years in the business, but not enough to appreciate the necklace in the way some would. As the gavel banged, and he lowered his paddle for the final time, Roman, or Adam, shook hands, guffawed and generally made it seem as though he was as surprised as they were. He was not.

Having wealthy employers made his pockets virtually endless on a job like this one. Just as he was contemplating asking the woman modeling the necklace if that wouldn’t be the only thing she’d like to take off, his train of thought was interrupted by the sensation of being struck. Easing himself out of the throng he picked up the likely weapon, a paddle. Frowning slightly Roman looked around the caves, his senses up. Then he spotted a form, standing apart from the rest of the crowd with her back to him and Roman had to stop a laugh from escaping.

It couldn’t be her, could it? Sofia. The assassin he’d almost assassinated for trying to hide a body in his damn lake. She’d tried to kill him, too of course, but he’d known the terrain better then. Now he wasn’t sure, but he also knew he wasn’t particularly afraid of her. He probably should have been, but he was also a confident man who trusted his instincts.

He clapped a few random shoulders and gave his insincere thanks to a few people who congratulated him as he continued to move away from the crowd and toward the crimson lady. He threw back the rest of his drink and set it on an empty table, not wanting to give her any weapons, or waste any free alcohol. He patted one of his many interior pockets, wanting to make sure the decoy necklace was still in place. He’d made arrangements for the actual thing to be packaged and shipped to an address directly and without delay following the closing of the lot, just in case something like this happened. He was feeling very clever, and just a little rich.

Roman was probably about a dozen steps away from the assassin when he was certain it was actually her, and even more certain that the paddle belonged to her. Part of him was surprised she hadn’t hexed him instead, but the other half knew she was oh so much more subtle than that. Which was why he was about another five steps away from her when he made his decision. It was bold, much like his last decision when they’d met, but the wizard felt that the age-old adage that one should keep their friends close and their enemies closer was particularly apt just now.

As he closed the distance between them, Roman didn’t bother to greet her at all and instead approached her from behind and penned her in as he rested his arms on the railing in front of them on either side of her. He dared not touch her more than was necessary, but he pressed his chest against her back so that it’d look like they were just another couple of lovers or acquaintances.

His tone was just slightly louder than a whisper “Ms. Rossellini. If you missed me, all you had to do was owl me…” he said smugly “Stalking me to an auction and attempting to out-dress me? That seems a bit extreme.” He chided her before he smoothly moved them toward the railing by another half a step in case she tried to pull anything clever, which he fully expected to be coming. It was just a matter of when, really. He continued on and leaned a little closer to her ear “Do you really think I was foolish enough to forget what you tried to do to me last time?” He told her, laughter coloring his tone. He’d wanted to put her on edge, to try and put her on her heels. But he had some distinct advantages the last time, this time he wasn't sure who the house favored. What he did know was that he was poking the bear, but he couldn’t help himself just then. She was so easy to rile up.

Sofia didn't care how unladylike it was, she allowed herself to indulge in an eye roll. The fake laugh he gave did nothing but grate on her nerves. Her fingers curled into a fist at her side. He was playing a part, the role of a playboy with too much money. One he played suspiciously well. People were more malleable if one chose to play dumb. She pulled a face that wrinkled her smooth forehead and pretended to gag at his show.

But she didn't need to see him to know exactly where he stood.

Her initial instinct was to elbow him in the ribs but being pressed up against him... wasn't terrible. "Oh hello," Sofia replied to his greeting gently, leaning back and into his chest as she watched the waves crash spectacularly against the rocks below. She laughed, her fingers wrapping around the rail. "And if you wanted to steal a necklace, you could have picked another one," she offered quickly.

As Roman stepped forward, she frowned as her hip bones were pressed against the cold metal, the sensation seeping through her clothes uncomfortably. Shifting carefully, she stepped directly onto the Finn's toes with her heel and applied pressure.

He whispered lowly and she closed her eyes with a smile, rather enjoying the closeness. He smelled nice, faintly of firewood and leather. "My nonna could outdress you and she's been dead fifteen years," Sofia replied lightly, moving a hand so she could trail it up the inside of one of the wrists that was keeping her locked into place. She caught him just in time as he dipped his head and flashed him a grin as she turned her cheek to catch a glimpse.

"Are you still upset about that?" Sofia asked Roman, genuinely flattered. Of course she hadn't forgotten - she'd almost died that afternoon, too. She heaved a sigh and tilted her head back, eyes closed as the seabreeze kicked up her curls, the picture of relaxation as the stars began to peek out.  "It was just a little bit of foreplay," she corrected him smoothly as she arched a back and let out a soft noise as the tension escaped her.

She rested back against Roman's chest again, shifting to get comfortable. Her hands went to his locked on the railing and carefully prized one of them off, interlocking their fingers. She looked down and examined it in the dim light - still no ring. Unsurprising, really. The man was barbaric. She didn't think he'd ever treated a lady to dinner and a gift. Swiftly, she flicked her wrist and heard the satisfying pop! that came from one of his knuckles and she squeezed down, hard.

"How have you been?" The brunette inquired innocently, taking the hand of his she was holding and placing it casually on her hip. "How are the dogs?" She asked with a slow smile. She'd be lying if she hadn't thought about hot-footing it back to Rovaniemi and torching his gorgeous little cabin in the middle of the woods. In fact, it had kept her awake at night for a while. At least, until the hypothermia wore off.

"As lovely as this is," she began, turning as much as she was able in between his arms to try and look at him. "You have the necklace I want." Sofia flashed him an easy smile, turning back around to look over the cliff's edge absently. "So, unless you're going to buy me another one or those matching earrings," she offered, "You and I are going to have a little bit of an issue." Here, she tapped the back of his hand. "Don't you think I'm worth the price?" She paused as she realised her mistake. "Be generous with the figure or I'll be offended." Roman knew damned well she was priceless.

Roman laughed at her quick retort and volleyed back “Stolen?” He tutted, clearly amused “I believe I won it fair and square.” It wasn’t his fault she was slow on the bid “Besides, I wanted this one.” He told her firmly. It didn’t matter that he could have cared less about the necklace personally, it was the money he cared about, and that was enough to ensure that the wizard would do his best to make her think he really did just want the necklace. The last thing he needed was an assassin coming along and trying to ruin his double cross.

When Sofia stepped on his foot with her heel, the wizard rolled his eyes, annoyed at the sensation more than anything. It was unpleasant but didn’t particularly concern him considering what Sofia was capable of on the whole. He was considering the best way to retaliate when is focus drifted to her comment about his choice of attire again. Under normal circumstances Roman was not a vain man, but this was a nice Italian suit, well-tailored, and he looked damned good in it. Though rather than let his annoyance show, he snorted softly “I think your nonna would have been asking me for fashion advice. You just can’t admit that I clean up well...” She did too if he was being honest. Sofia wore the bold red suit without reservation, and it only served to complete the look. It didn’t hurt that she smelled nice too. The scent was something that had spicy notes in it that tickled his nose, but that he couldn’t place.

He would have been lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying being close to her again, but Roman also knew that the façade wouldn’t last forever, and was already contemplating his next move, but was still deciding when she began trailing her hand up his arm and he caught a flash of grin. The Finn couldn’t stop himself from grinning back, and while it was a partially genuine grin, it was also a sharp smile. The game had begun, but he wondered whose rules they were playing by.
 
A beat later Roman decided that it was probably by her rules as he felt her shift against him and made a mental note to change that, and soon. Was he still upset? No, not really. His outrage had reduced itself down to mildly annoyed over the last few years, and he held grudges. But he wouldn’t let her know that. Not yet, anyway “Upset? Oh, no…” He paused for a moment “What could there be to be upset about?” He teased her, playing the fool. “Like you said, just a bit of foreplay” He said dryly, but with a touch of amusement. Generally even Roman didn’t make a habit of picking women up after nearly murdering them, or nearly being murdered, and the memory still amused him.

The wizard wasn’t sure why the Italian witch intrigued him as much as she did. She certainly wasn’t the first femme fatale type that he’d come across in his many years and wouldn’t be the last. But he let the thought drift away before it could take root, content to breathe her in, and indulging himself by briefly nuzzling her neck. It didn’t matter why in the end, he decided, it was certainly nothing beyond an intellectual and physical attraction. As he reminded himself of this fact, Roman fully shifted his attention back to the woman in front of him, keenly aware that she was prying one of his hands of the railing, and very suspicious.

He let out a startled but muffled yelp as she broke his finger. He’d broken all ten of his fingers more than once, probably more than twice a piece, but he’d lost count. That didn’t mean though that breaking a finger still didn’t really fucking hurt “Sofia!” He half growled half whined and resisted the urge to snatch his hand away petulantly. He ignored the ache in his hand as he closed his hand around her hip firmly, resisting the urge to retaliate by doing something that would draw too much attention, like pulling her hair or shoving her over the railing. He pressed himself closer, his lips against her ear as he answered “The dogs are well, thank you..” he paused to grin at the memory of her terror “Still horribly vicious…” his voice lost it’s humor as he continued, but it was still as even and polite as it had been before “give me one good fucking reason why I shouldn’t hurl you over the railing, necklace or no necklace, darling?”

He wouldn’t do something quite so blunt, and they likely both knew it. But his irritation over his broken finger was making him testy. He didn’t wait for a response before he added “It would certainly solve this issue that’s seemed to arise, no?” He grabbed her arm with his uninjured hand and twisted it behind her back before spinning her around so they were facing one another, his hand with the broken finger still on her hip. He ignored the pain in his foot now that it was free of her heel. It was probably going to bruise, but it was a small price to pay for a bigger victory in the long-term.

The bidding had died down again, and another round of hors d'oeuvres was being brought out while a live band began to play. He used his leverage to pull her to him, keeping her back and her arm facing the railing, making it look like they were merely swaying along with the music, not having a disagreement. Now that he could see her properly Roman appraised her silently for a moment before smirking at her easily as she misspoke. He was silent for a moment longer, clearly deciding whether or not to offer her an insult or a politer, more gentlemanly response. He opted for something in between “I think you’re worth something” He told her antagonistically, clearly looking to get a rise our of her “But the real question is, Sofia – what do you think you’re worth to me?” He finished coyly. She wanted to control the situation, but it was his turn, he decided, and part of him was genuinely curious to see what she’d say.

"Why?" Sofia countered him quickly when  he insisted he wanted this particular necklace. She huffed and shook her silky dark hair, not bothering to hide her pout. "Is it a gift for someone?" The brunette inquired before she snorted derisively. "Don't tell me anyone is dumb enough to get involved with you?" A twang of jealousy bubbled up before she realised and hastily pushed it back down. "It's probably cursed anyway," she muttered under her breath. And if it wasn't, it would be before he left.

Sofia liked that she'd hurt him, even a little bit. If she got to annoy or inconvenience him, even just a smidgen, it was worth it. "You scrub up fine," she admitted with a melodramatically heavy sigh. "And don't talk about my grandmother," Sofia snapped sharply, glaring at him over her shoulder despite her being the one to bring her up. "Merlin forbid you summon here. You think I have an attitude problem," she trailed off with dark eyes wide in warning.

"Nothing," she was quick to agree with Roman as she nodded, careful to move her head a little as she felt his lips behind her ear. Him? Nuzzling? He definitely didn't hate her as much as he pretended to. "I am annoyed you didn't put out, though," she admitted. Sofia had seen a glimpse of his cabin before he'd dunked her in the lake. It wasn't really her style, she wasn't a big fan of exposed woodwork, but it had a roaring fire. And a sheepskin rug. "Your loss," she added with a shrug. "I'm an excellent house guest." Then she grinned.

A zing of excitement shot up her spine as he hissed her name, her fingers gripping the rail harder as her toes curled in her heels. "Say it again," she urged Roman with a laugh as she gripped his finger, laughing loudly as he gripped her hip in retaliation. His wolf-dog-hybrid-creature-things were fine. Good.

Sofia was still laughing as he pressed her against the railing so she could see deep into the swirling sea below as the waves crashed against the jagged rocks. "Because it would be impolite?" Sofia replied innocently. "Do it," she goaded him, her breath coming a little faster as her heart sped up. He didn't take her up on the offer and the surge of adrenaline was wasted - boring. "You'd miss me," she finally settled on with a sure smile. "And that's now how you do things, is it?" She whispered, turning her head a fraction to see him. "Far too barbaric and -- ow!"

Sofia gasped as she was spun around, her back arched and her pretty face contorted in pain as Roman clicked her wrist. "Ow, ow, ow, ow," she whispered to herself as she tried to wriggle free but much to her dismay, the hold he had on her wrist just seemed to tighten with every move she made. Roman held her firmly and uncomfortably, keeping her locked in place with her back arched in an unusual and painful way. Her skin was tingling and her muscles were screaming - he'd placed her in a stress position and she hadn't seen it coming.

She was distracted momentarily by the music. Sofia panted, her chest rising and falling thinly as she stepped back. "Go on," she smiled, nodding to the cliff drop. "I'm a great swimmer," as soon as she pushed him, her pretty face creased with pain as she attempted to stand up to her full height again. She flexed the fingers Roman held behind her back and was pleased to see them all in working order. If she just got a minute, she could pull out her hair pin and jab him in the eye.

Sofia blinked slowly as Roman began to sway, both surprised and amused and annoyed by his tone. What was she worth to him? She narrowed her bid dark eyes in suspicion. "You can't afford me," she answered gamely with a shrug, her eyes flicking over his shoulder as the partygoers coupled up. She knew discretion was the name of the game but she and the Finn must have been making a commotion.

Then she changed her mind. Sofia flashed Roman a grin and took a step forward towards him, their chests just brushing as she let out a hiss of pain at the awkward grip he had on her arm. Her eyes flicked back and forth across his face as though she was weighing up her options. Suddenly, she pushed forward, ploughing her shoulder into his chest to get a bit of space and neatly stepping forward again to close the gap, meeting him step for step.

"A dance," she announced, quickly rubbing her injured arm as the blood rushed back into her muscles. She took Roman's uninjured hand and intertwined their fingers, placing the other on his shoulder politely as she swayed, stepping into his space. Her hand slid from his shoulder to rest between his shoulder blades, her fingers softly touching the hair that curled at the base of his neck. "See?" She chided him in a light voice with a sarcastic smile. "You can be a gentleman, despite you being the blueprint that idiots are made from. Spin me," she demanded with a bright smile.