comesfrompain | [ to-do list ]

Good. Besides, we're in Hell, what kinda moral police are gonna shake their fingers at us for casual ungodly sex?

[Not that Rumlow cares in the first place. Nor does he expect Kenzi to. They chatted online and hooked up after some drinks their first meeting -- chastity is clearly on a low rung of priority. But that's how he likes it.

That aside, Rumlow would probably sooner associate himself with a muscle car out of Mad Max, though he wouldn't mind the tank association, if he'd known that's what Kenzi's thinking. He worked hard to keep his body in this condition. Burns aside, at least he looked good when he died.

Which is why he laughs when Kenzi slips in the little cause of death in there. He gestures towards his face, brows raised.]

Had a building dropped on me. Burned to death.

[Not strictly the truth, but it was the cause, even if it had been a little delayed. No need to get into the details of his week-long suffering in a hospital. He dwells on it enough on his own.]

'S far as age goes. A lady never tells. [Rumlow tuts at her.] Favorite color is red, I like a bunch of music and now it's your turn.

I dunno, I mean... the sex is pretty godly. [This is the part where she blatantly looks him over and eyefucks the shit out of him. Listen, he's FUN! He's hot. Her fiancee DIED! The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. Mission... partially accomplished.]

Dropping a building implies it was INTENTIONAL! Did someone intentionally crush you with a fiery piece of architecture, Brock? Seriously? [She's smirking because that can't be the whole story. Even if he doesn't give her all the deets, she's gonna know he's leaving shit out and the real reason is probably way more interesting. Whatever. He can have his secrets. ALL his secrets-- really?]

That is such a cop-out! You literally answered ONE of my questions, half-answered another, and just avoided the two most important ones. You are such a shit. But FINE! Yellow, West Coast rap, incredibly brave self sacrifice, and... twenty-four.

[At least she's older than Chase?]

[Rumlow flashes her a grin. As far as he's concerned, all sex with him is godly. Best thing about an older partner. All that experience. Rumlow cultivates it, engages in plenty of different varieties, delves into darker, kinkier places. Kenzi could probably suggest anything and Rumlow could say he's looked into it.]

Technically speaking it was incidental that I happened to be in that particular building, but I'm still pretty pissed at the guy who did it, so unless you wanna watch me grind my teeth about it, I'd probably move to a different subject.

[He says it calmly enough, warning her that it's not done being a sore subject, and likely never would be. He likes Kenzi, likes the fun nature of their budding relationship. Getting into his bitterness isn't really the best way to foster that. He offers up a smile though, to reassure her there's no hard feelings about her curiosity. It's pretty natural, given the unusual way he'd died.]

All right, I like metal, classic rock, a few alternative bands. Used to like hard rock, but bands kept trying to go for edgy lyrics that sounded fucking retarded.

[A pause.] I'm 48. [So, twice your age, Kenzi.]

Self-sacrifice, hunh? I'll ask, but only if you wanna go into it.

Wow. Got that message loud and clear. [She holds up her hands defensively and takes another deep drink of her shitty alcohol. Ugh. Why is it always so bad? She's gotta be able to get the good shit down here somehow.

At least now she knows for sure there's a real story hiding there. Maybe she'll get it out of him one day. For now, she's fine with inconsequential banter and smiles and laughter, because he's oh so right about those edgy bands.]

Of course you like the hard shit, you were all... tactical. It's impossible to play Black Ops without something like System of a Down blasting in the background. God, did you pump iron to that shit? Damn.

[Mmmmmm, mental images.]

Never woulda pegged you over 35, Brocksteady. You look good for an old man. Stamina and everything. Nice.

[She finishes off the rest of her drink, tipping her head back to down it as fast as possible before slamming the glass down on the bar. Trying not to choke again, here, WOW it burns so bad.]

I'll get into deets if you grab me a drink that won't burn my throat out?

[Rumlow doesn't add anything to the subject of his death, firm on moving on. Kenzi's a little reactionary, but he doesn't feel the need to push anymore. She gets it. He's sure she'll poke around some other time, but he'll wait until they cross that bridge before he worries about how to explain himself without sounding like a revenge seeking psychopath.]

Definitely. Though I don't really call it pumping iron. [He chuckles.] Lifting, since that's less Schwarzenegger. But yeah, SoaD, Chevelle, Deftones. That kinda shit.

[Rumlow grins again at the compliment. He's at least somewhat susceptible to flattery. He does think he looks good for his age, though that's primarily because he keeps in excellent shape, but the age shows in the lines on his face -- half of which are erased by the scars. Lucky him.]

Now I gotta come up with a nickname for you, kid. [Rumlow laughs.] Christ, all I can think of is Kenzilicious and that's fucking dumb. Granted, true.

[A more lascivious smirk crosses his face, but he turns to grab the attention of the bartender while he finishes off his drink. He orders himself something that tastes less like ass and orders her something with the good vodka.]

[There's no chance in Hel-- ... here. No chance in HERE that Rumlow is into memes, so he's not gonna know what 'Bro, do you even LIFT' means. Also making fun of him for being massive is self sabotaging as fuck and that's just not how she rolls.]

It is fucking dumb, you can do so much better. Never say that again unless you wake up as a teen girl one morning. [Haaaaa, but it's TRUE! Awh snap. She's not blushing, it's just the lighting. Shut your face.

AWH, THE GOOD VODKA? Rumlow, you sure know the way to a girl's heart. She perks up at that and her tail starts flicking wildly behind her, expressing how damn happy she is.]

Okay, so ... wait. Did I tell you my best friend was a succubus? I was very drunk that night and I feel like I need to start from the top and include all the shiny, shiny details.

[Rumlow's a little behind the times, having died in 2014, but he's definitely familiar with memes. Sometimes you just get bored with desk work and browse imgur for hours, okay? He used to do 4chan, but it got flagged for porn. Stupid SHIELD.]

Sorry, no Freaky Friday here. Hm. Not a pun, but дьяволенок seems to suit, given the- [Rumlow gestures with a nod towards Kenzi's tail. The drinks arrive and Rumlow wraps a hand around his, listening to Kenzi -- when she mentions a succubus, his head snaps to attention, tilting in a manner that resembles an attentive dog.] Your friend... was a sex demon.

Awh, I actually kinda like that. [It's fitting, and very few people are going to know what the frick it means OR pronounce it properly, which makes it even MORE adorable.

She's five seconds away from twirling her hair around her finger, but then the drinks show up and Rumlow asks the million dollar question that has Kenzi rolling her eyes.]

She was fae. We're demons. There's nothing demonic about her. But yeah, she boinked the chi right out of people with her sexy, sexy powers. It was pretty convenient sometimes.

[Rumlow marks the nickname down. He'll use it at an opportune time, to maximize Kenzi's reaction towards it. Really bring out the 'aw' factor.]

Fae? Like, what, a fairy? [Rumlow's not up to speed on supernatural beings, sorry. It was only a few years ago that aliens were definitively real, though he suspects HYDRA knew that before, somehow.] That's... gotta be useful. Y'know, as long as you don't mind fucking your enemy.

[At least he's pretty sure chi is still the same sort of life force whatever found in martial arts films. This succubus chick is taking their chi -- well, Rumlow can only assume they weren't her friends.]

You got it, gorgeous. Except it's a little more all encompassing than just fairies. There's pixies, sirens, kelpies, wisps, werewolves, vampires, mesmers, there's just... a lot of shit. You gotta take my word for it or study up on your mythology. Chase is way more all about this.

[Easier to talk about stuff when you don't have to break everything down every five seconds. Chase may have the supernatural shit background, but Rumlow is smart as all hell and obviously catches on quick. He got the chi part 80% right on the first try.]

She doesn't always have to fuck them. Sometimes it's touch, sometimes she just kind of sucks the life out of them with a kiss. Sometimes there isn't even a kiss! But they all die with a smile on their face if she wants them dead...

It's weird to talk about her in the present tense, but I mean. I'm the one that's dead so-- I guess I'd be past tense. But. Nevermind.

[She's just gonna sip at her drink, savoring the flavour of REAL alcohol made with something other than gasoline.]

But that's how she saved my life. Kissed a guy dead in an elevator.

[Hunh. Well, he supposes that might be why Kenzi has been relatively relaxed about the whole tail, horns combo thing. If it's something she's seen before, he guesses it wouldn't be that surprising. He's starting to think there might be something to the idea of the people he's met here being from other worlds, as well. Aliens are one thing, Asgardian God-beings, powered people -- vampires? A little different. He's pretty damn sure if there were vampires, HYDRA would have found them and figured out a way to exploit them.]

So, a literal femme fatale. Sounds like someone you wouldn't want to cross. Must've been nice, having a friend with that power in her pocket.

[Kenzi misses her, he notes. Easy to to tell in the way she speaks, goes quiet. Rumlow nudges his knee against her in a gesture of solidarity. As if he's lost friends too. He supposes he has, but few worth bemoaning.]

Were fae just a normal part of life then?

Mama always said find the toughest kid on the playground and make friends. Makes it easier to have a big mouth.

[Dammit, Rumlow. There he goes being sweet again! With the knee and saying nice things and just... being there. Listening. It's got her smiling despite herself and she shrugs, barely noticing that her tail just kind of wraps around his loosely.

Okay, she totally noticed, but that thing does what it wants! She can't be blamed for it! Give her a sec to put her glass back down before she tugs at it and tries to unwind the damn thing so people don't start staring or something. There we go.]

Yeah. I kinda got roped into it. It's like some secret society... humans are food to them. Or servants. Or ... pets. [The disdain she has for that last part is beyond obvious.]

Bo had to claim me to keep me safe. Before I died, I made her take it back. Stuff was getting pretty dark near the end. Really outta control. It was... it was shitty, you know? Like catastrophically shitty.

[Kenzi might not notice, but Rumlow certainly does. Her tail twines with his and he lets it, maybe even twisting around hers a little more. He smiles, easy, like he's content to be with her. Maybe he is, in a way. She's fun to be around, at least.

And then she tugs her tail loose and his own sort of droops, as if disappointed. Whatever. She's probably just embarrassed.]

Hunh. Kinda sounds like something out of like, a vampire novel. Y'know with thralls or whatever. [Rumlow shrugs. He only really has peripheral knowledge.] Sorry to hear though. I can only imagine things involving supernatural beings would blow up pretty magnificently. Would've sucked to be stuck in the middle.

[He frowns somewhat and -- yeah, his tail reaches for hers again. Let people talk. He doesn't care. If someone makes a fuss, he'll just. Y'know. Kneecap them with his sidearm.]

And just what, exactly, would you know about vampire novels, hmmmm?

[Kenzi's pretty obviously content to be with him. He gets her jokes, he makes jokes of his own. Really, that's more than most people are capable of down here. Everything else he's got going on is just gravy.]

It did suck. But I died for her in the end. There was some stupid prophecy bullshit that didn't make sense, but it said... her heart could close the portal to the underworld or something. Bo's heart. And that was me. So I just kinda... walked into the weird, energy portal that was spewing out zombie warriors and got fried. I think I saved the world? Temporarily.

[She shrugs. No biggie. Just, you know, the end of her entire life. At 24. And she fucking CHOSE to do it like a MORON! Rumlow's tail winding around hers again helps shake her out of her downward spiral of negative self talk and gets a smile back on her face. If he doesn't care, she doesn't care. Their tails can just be a braid while they drink.]

Apparently Heaven's not cool with suicide. Who knew?

[Everyone. Everyone knew.]

[Rumlow shrugs in answer. He gets pop culture references, Twilight and all that garbage, but he's not a 13 year old girl or a middle aged woman, so he hasn't read them. He'll let the topic lie though, Kenzi having brought up something far more important. He looks at her, attentive, even as his tail swings slightly, making hers move with.]

That's... Christ, I don't even know how to address that. [He doesn't want to try and bring up the fact that at least this underworld is still actively sending people between here and there.] I would've thought that'd make you a martyr. Y'know, direct trip to Heaven, but I guess some asshole up there is fickle. I mean, I'm sorry you're dead, but hey. At least you've gotten to me some interesting characters down here. Present company included.

[Rumlow won't play like he's not glad to have met her. She's fun.]

Thanks.

[She's definitely not a martyr. Just stupidly loyal to the point of self sacrifice. When she finds friends, she sticks by them. No matter what. If Rumlow ever needed anything from her, she'd drop all the other shit and be there in a heartbeat. Same with Chase or Boss or Lloyd. The people she cares about are the most important things to her. More important than her self preservation instincts 100% of the time.]

Probably woulda been bored up there anyway. And you know, I'm really glad I met you, too. You're... a really good guy, Rumlow. Seriously, I mean it. [Wait a second. ] When you're not trying to get in my pants. You can be pretty bad then.

[That charming smile goes off again and Rumlow leans in, placing his hand on Kenzi's shoulder. She's so slight, it's easy for him to slide it up her neck, cup her cheek. His thumb brushes over the soft skin, eyes on hers.]

Thanks. Just like to leave a good impression. [His brow quirks up. Yeah, he means both ways.] Besides, you ain't no one to shrug off neither.

[He chucks her under the chin and sits back, hand returning to its place around his drink. He draws it up, sips, eyes looking her over, if only because he can. It's tough not to, she fits his type -- at least, where women are concerned. If he briefly imagines tossing her up onto the bar, she'll probably just think he's admiring her.]

[Her breath hitches when he slides his hand up her neck, but hopefully he didn't catch that. She can't help but lean into his touch, melting a little as she stares back into those brown eyes. Ugh. She's hooked. Sold. This crush is damn near painful.

It practically hurts when he goes back to his drink, and she can feel her cheeks heating up. She does love to be admired. How the hell would he know she's thinking about the same damn thing.]

Jesus, Brock. You're dangerous. One of these days we're gonna have a friendly drink where I don't wanna immediately go home with you, I swear. Stop that! Seriously, knock it off, I'm wholesome as fuck.

[As it often does, her response just makes him laugh, leaning back to keep his head (and his horns) from bumping her as he ducks it down in mirth. He peeks up after, still smiling. Sure, everything is going exactly as he plans it too, but it doesn't change the fact that Kenzi's delivery is perfect. He just likes how her sense of humor aligns with his.]

Somehow I doubt that.

[He says, voice pitched low. What he doubts, he'll leave up to her. Either way, he licks his lips, brows lifting in an entirely suggestive manner. Even tilts his body in just the right way, arm shifting so the muscles flex. He knows what she's about.]

[It's okay. She doubts it, too.

His calculated, little tweaks to his posture has her staring at his arm for way too long before she snaps out of it. Sighing heavily, she tosses her head back and the rest of her drink goes along with it. She sets the empty glass back down on the counter, hard, before she swipes Rumlow's drink and finishes that off, as well.]

Okay, we're done here. Let's go. Come on.

[Her tail untangles from his and she grabs him by the belt, throwing dracos on the bar before tugging him the hell out of there. They might not even make it back to the house. Fuck you, Rumlow. You son of a bitch!]

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