'The hordes of hearts you've broken' – Geoff Vampire, to Van Helsinki
It was dusk by the time he arrived. She had been sat, waiting for him, for far too long. Her eyes were drooping, her spirits flagging, by the time he came. And he hadn't changed. He never seemed to change. Though he looked smart, his suit worked for him, he fact she knew he always wore it took away some of the smartness. Hell, if she hadn't known better, she'd have thought he slept in that suit. Casually looking him up and down, she noticed the bulges, under his left arm, at his left ankle, and on his right hip. Sophia sighed. Why did he always have to be armed. He was armed when they slept, his bloody Glock had poked her in the side enough to know that. But it was gone now. She looked up, her eyes questioning. She meant to ask him why he was so late, what could have kept him, but, in typical Van fashion, he seemed to assume she was looking at his guns. Which in fairness, she had been. Van brushed back his suit jacket, to reveal his now familiar Glock 19 hanging under his arm, and then on the other side, an Uberti revolver. Sophia sighed again. Him and his guns. He was obsessed. Van looked at her, and she reluctantly pulled aside her coat to reveal her own hip holster, and the USP inside. Van moved closer, and stretched out his hand. For a brief moment, she shivered, wondering if he was going to try something, and not being sure what she would do if he did, but all he did was to run a hand along her jacket pocket, and fondle the clear outline of her SIG-Sauer P230 inside. He seemed transfixed for only a second, then grunted and sat up.
'You've changed it', were his first words to her. She shook her head. Why had she even agreed to this at all. She'd known it would end up something like this.
'Yes, I've modified the magazine release so it's on the main body, not the heel. Happy now?' she snapped back, not a little irritable.
'Yes' came back the response. Taciturn as ever. Sophia rolled her eyes, This would be a long night indeed. Van edged a little closer, and sat down opposite her. She watched his eyes scan every exit, mentally calculating in case of emergencies. Sophia sighed for a third time. Van looked up at her. 'Am I boring you' he asked, a little more 'human' than before. Sophia summoned up her reserves of patience.
'No, no, I'm just a little tired. It's been a long day'. She just wanted it to be over now. But Van leaned in, and looked at her, and suddenly he was transfixing. Suddenly, the alert, alive mind behind the taciturn face was revealed. Sophia stared into his eyes as he looked at hers. She had the distinct sense she was looking at a sea, both raging and calm simultaneously. It both scared and enticed her. Sophia remembered why she'd agreed to this. He was bewitching, sometimes, when he tried. Van smiled at her, a little. It was rare enough to see that. Almost unconsciously, she held out her hand. He took it, and held it, not too tightly, not too loose. They continued to stare into each other's eyes. Then a noise, just a small one, and Van flicked his eyes aside, one hand sliding down to his boot, to the compact SIG-Sauer P250 he kept there, and the moment was broken. His lip curled, slightly, into something between a smirk and a scowl. His spell was stopped.
But in that time Sophia had remembered why she worked with him. She had remembered why she loved him. It was enough to make her stay. She knew enough women had seen that little spark, and she knew how many had paid for it. Sophia hoped she wouldn't be among them.