"I'll be leaving then." The attending members barely moved their heads to send her an acknowledging glance, a nod was seen among the sparse movement. It was a particularly lethargic evening. A familiar kind comrade smiled and offered her a modest umbrella with an absent comment about the weather and the direction it appeared to be heading towards. In response, she refused the offer with a polite gesture of the hand and an upward twitch of the lips. Her name was called out followed by a laugh, muffled by the gradual closing of the door. Mammon's fingers slid off the cold brass knob, the chill immediately seeping through the material of her clothes. Quickly, she swept off the steps and started out onto the sidewalk to continue her journey home. Though the residence wasn't astonishingly far and was well within walking distance, she began to realize the truth in Luce's observation. The sky had been overtaken by gloomy dark clouds and a mist was barely touching her skin. Her breath came out in visible clouds of her own. The rhythm of her footsteps increased in tempo, but she was not quick enough. Nearly frozen water dripped over her head and rolled down her amethyst strands, meeting the concrete with a slap. The precipitation increased in volume. The surrounding cars that swished past her in the street and the boisterous natural melody were not enough to block out the distinct noise of another set of footsteps not too far behind. There was no fear, but a sense of wariness and irritability. The idea of battle was not one that made her particularly enthusiastic. As soon as the door was in view, she rushed to the entrance. Once her hand was on the handle, a change in the environment paused her actions. The sound had ceased. With a click, the door closed behind her figure and the lights flickered on over her head. A figure moved in the darkness of the living room and a crash sounded.
"Is this how you always treat your guests?" Mammon's head snapped upwards at the familiar voice, deep and with a lilt of amusement. Her hasty attack with the fireplace poker had been blocked with a familiar umbrella.
"Reborn." Her barely parted lips released a quivering breath, adrenaline edging its way into her blood. The familiar pattern of rain sounded on the floor. He lowered his gaze, the shadow cast by his fedora casting a blindfold of darkness over his gaze.
"Hmm, in the future you should listen to Luce-" A clang cut sharply into his sentiment as Mammon attacked again, regardless of the lack of threat. From within the next cacophony of violence, a soft short chuckle floated into the icy air. The following thud of an object hitting the wall was accompanied by a fleeting ragged gasp.
"You're being particularly hostile." Reborn's head rose, the shadow lifting to reveal an equally flat midnight stare and an enticing smirk.
"What do you want?"She pushed at the poker, now firmly planted across her body with her arms bent forcibly and uncomfortably at the elbow. He kept his position effortlessly with a single hand. The smile dropped off his features within a single moment.
"Luce requested that I follow after and deliver the umbrella, yet-" He stared at her features and slowly ran his fathomless stare lower.
"It appears that it was too late" Mammon's breath, short and heavy by excitement began to slow as she followed his gaze. The wall, which had unceremoniously received her back, cooperated with the pressure and movement the push had created and pulled the soaked material of her shirt barely upwards. Porcelain skin was now faintly visible from the upraised cloth. Her face flushed with deep color, her arm straining to launch another assault. The makeshift weapon was promptly knocked out of her grasp, both objects meeting with the floor. A surprised flinch flickered over her eyes when a thump sounded on both sides of her head and her lips parted to protest, but he interrupted as per usual.
"Have you considered what we spoke about, Mammon?" His warm breath fanned alluringly close to her lips, her throat constricting her own ability to do so. Struggling to find her voice, she managed a broken and unconvincing string of words that barely made up a response.
"Yes, and my answer is – no." The usually clear amaranthine shade of her eyes fogged with an uncharacteristic cloud. He released a single rumbling laugh from his throat and began to lean in towards her. His lips innocently met the soft skin of her neck, eliciting an inaudible intake of air and insincere attempt to resist.
"So be it." He murmured against her, all forms of applied pressure off her body leaving with a graceful and smooth gesture. He curled a single finger, tapping the brim of his fedora to adjust its cast of shadow and turned to leave. There was no trace of humor in his expression, only a faint smothered disappointment.
