forum The Most Wanted Woman in Town [Romance o/o] (Closed)

Started January 22, 2023 by @emilyevewrites group

tune

Ronnie nodded slowly, absorbing the information. He'd need to refamiliarize himself with the town. Eve's realization made him chuckle just a little. He also filed away the information about her not getting out much. Probably tired of being stared at and flirted with…
He glanced up as an older lady spoke to Eve, and watched as she out on her coat. He returned her goodbye with a smile and a nod.
"I'll see you around, I'm sure."
When she left, Ronnie headed upstairs. he unpacked what was in his pack and settled in for a bit. He fell asleep, thinking about that cat.
Eventually, evening fell, and Ronnie woke up from his unintentional nap. The ticking clock on the wall said it was after supper time, but he wasn't hungry. His meal at Marvin's had been huge, especially after Romulus insisted on buying him dessert.
He decided to head out and take a walk. See the town and what was different, say hello to people. He put on his stuff and headed out.

Eve made her way quickly through the cold, snow-covered streets to her house and shut the door behind her, locking it tight. There was only one key made for her door and, well, part of the reason she'd created the challenge the way she had. It put her in complete control, rather than leaving her potential partner up to luck and fate, like most people thought she was doing. Who would trust a feral cat with the key to their house?

Eve smiled to herself. If only they knew. As infuriating as it was to be overlooked as a brainless woman, it made it all the more amusing when she knew that they truly had no idea of her wit and cunning. Though if only she could devise a way to make her skin and clothes always warm. Oh, how she wished for fire magic so that she might never be cold again. She despised it so… But she made her way quickly to the kitchen to prepare a small meal before moving to stand before her front door.

She adjusted the string necklace around her throat. The key was hidden underneath her dress to keep anyone from growing suspicious of the truth – that Eve and her cat were one and the same.

The woman took a deep breath, tilted her head back slightly, and closed her eyes. In a few moments, she had shifted forms. The string of the necklace had been charmed by Eve so that it shrunk to the size of her cat form's neck and dangled temptingly for the suitors to see.

Abandoning the warmth of her home, the cat set out into the cold again. She shook herself for a moment as a blast of icy wind struck her nose about two seconds after she stepped off her porch. The cat meowed in protest, but she quickly took to the streets and padded down the lane.

"There it is!" came a cry from behind her. The cat's eyes seemed to widen before she bolted forward, narrowly missing the reach of Ji're as he lunged for her. He was quickly up and tried again, but she was already barrelling off down the street. The cool air filled her lungs and adrenaline filled her blood. She would not be caught, especially by such a pig-headed prick like Ji're Northman.

"There it goes!" another man exclaimed, lurching out of his walking path and making a grab for the key. "Catch it!"

The cat, however, was simply too quick and managed to dart out of the way each time one of the men got too close to her. Romulus had said it perfectly right: the little feline was fast and far too intelligent for her own good.

No sooner had Ronnie stepped out the door of the hotel than he was greeted with the sight of 3 full grown men, sprinting down the snow covered street, leaping and diving, all trying to grab a little cat with something dangling from its neck. One of them was Ji're, and the other two he didn't know.
They kept at it, with the cat leading them a merry chase, forcing them to dive into snow banks and run through slushy puddles and duck around horses and wagons and anybody out in the street.
It humiliated them, and eventually two of them gave up in exasperation. To his credit, Ji're kept trying, though Ronnie was mildly concerned what the red-faced man would do to the cat if he caught it.
He filed the information away and started off on his walk, taking in the sights but also strategizing. Ronnie was deeply competitive and-… well, this one was important.

Eventually, Ji're also gave up, too exhausted, cold, and humiliated for his own good. "Damn cat," he growled, shoving his hands deep in his pockets and sulking off in the opposite direction. He was determined to catch it, though it wasn't going to happen today. He made his way back into the Blondwood, muttering angrily to himself as he did.

The cat seemed to have a new air about her as she discovered that, for the time being, there was no one chasing her. She pranced down the street, her honey-colored fur dotted with little flecks of snow. A few moments later, she spotted Ronnie walking down the street. Against her better judgment, she bounded a bit closer to him, tilted her head, and meowed softly. Her eyes were wide and studied him, attempting to see if he would pose a threat to her or not.

Ronnie was just strolling, in no particular hurry. The evening was heading into twilight, and the sun was beginning to set.
He glanced up to see the cat stop moving several feet from him.
Maybe…. If I dove from right here, like dodging into a foxhole…
He tensed, considering his options… and decided against it.
You'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar… his mother's voice said quietly in his head.
Instead, he smiled at it. Not that cats understand smiling, but he did it anyway.

(Even though I'm super impatient, I was also planning on drawing this out, then later focusing on the romance between them. Twists and turns? Obviously. ;))

The cat's fur was illuminated golden in the setting sun, an eerily familiar shade to her owner's hair. Her eyes studied Ronnie intently, trying to guess what he'd do. She definitely couldn't read his mind, but his body language when he tensed was a dead giveaway of his thought process.

She sat back on her haunches, waiting to spring out of the way if he dove or lunged at her. But he didn't. Instead, he smiled. The cat tilted her head to the side, expressing something akin to confusion as she still observed him for any aggressive actions toward her.

The cat didn't move, other than to cock its head off to the side. Ronnie had to chuckle.
"Not used to being smiled at, huh, kitty?" The poor thing was probably just naturally wary of people after all the chasing.
Without really thinking about it, Ronnie took a step towards the cat, with his hand outstretched. He intended to just pet it, but that's certainly not what it looked like.
I don't remember seeing many cats with that color fur… matches her owner. Funny.

(glad we're on the same page ;)

No, definitely not. At least not while I'm in this form… You couldn't seem to stop smiling at me before.

Even though Ronnie showed no hostility in his movements, the cat was still incredibly jumpy. She darted off to the side, away from his reach, and again eyed him with doubt and caution. Her guard was most definitely up, especially after being chased by Ji're for the better part of twenty minutes non-stop. She was wary of any touch.

The cat dodged him, and Ronnie realized what he looked like from its perspective. He pulled his hand back, deciding he'd wait. The cat was on edge, as could be expected, and it was getting late. He could feel fatigue pulling at him, and he still had to finish his walk.
He gave a small smile, again, and walked away from the cat.
I can beat those idiots at this… just gotta plan.
…………………

The clock was showing 1 am when Ronnie sat up in bed, covered in sweat and breathing hard. He'd had another nightmare, and he didn't immediately know where he was.
It took him a moment to recognize the room, and he needed to get out to calm down. He grabbed his cloak and pulled it on, before heading down the stairs and back out into the night.
He'd finished his walk, memorizing the layout of the town, what was new and what was old, and had gone back in and fallen asleep.
Then the dreams had started.

There was a bench outside the Blondwood, and Ronnie plopped down on it heavily, rubbing his face with his hands, trying to keep from shaking.
The night was silent, the air cool, the town sound asleep. It was calm, peaceful.
Soothing.

The cat was prepared to leap out of the way again, but this time, Ronnie didn't even reach toward her. He offered another one of those dazzling smiles of his and walked away.

She relaxed her taunt muscles and blinked incredulously as she watched him go. No man had ever simply abandoned his task of trying to catch her after a single attempt. She always had to lead them on a wild goose chase through the streets. Her tail swished through the air for a moment before she padded off in the opposite direction.

Very interesting, Ronnie Vale.

–

Eve woke in the middle of the night too, but for a different reason. She stirred, wincing as a sudden draft of cold snuck in under her blankets. Her eyes flickered open to see the window on the opposite side of her bedroom was unlatched and swung wide open. She suddenly sat bolt upright and looked around her room. Her bedroom door was ajar as well. She always slept with it closed.

A creak came from deeper in her house, and before she could think, Eve slipped out of bed, crossed her bedroom, and eased herself out of her bedroom window. She shivered horribly when her feet hit the ground. She wore only her thin nightgown as she stumbled through the snow-covered streets, but while she was cold, her heart was also racing terribly and pumping her with fear and adrenaline.

As she retreated a bit further from her house, she noticed a lone figure on a bench outside of the Blondwood. Without any other options to turn to, she headed for the person. She sent up a quick prayer to Lilith that it wasn't Ji're, and as she grew closer, she recognized Ronnie, and relief washed over her.

"Ronnie," she whispered, her voice wavering terribly despite herself.

Ronnie was staring at the ground, thinking, trying to clear his head, when someone said his name.
He looked up, startled, and was greeted by the sight of Eve, lovely Eve- barefoot in the snow, wearing a nightgown.
"Eve?!"
He stood up quickly and yanked the cloak off his shoulders in one fluid motion, draping it around her and fastening it in front. "Tulkas above, what are you doing?" He glanced down at her feet, and didn't think about what he was doing. His head was still slightly hazy from his nightmare, and he didn't realize that picking her up and carrying her back into the Blondwood might not be the best move.
It wasn't until he set her down and his hands settled on her waist that he realized exactly what he'd just done. His eyes widened, and he blushed so furiously, he was surprised his skin didn't burst into flame.
"I-I'm sorry, I just-… I was-… What are you doing out in the snow like this??" he asked incredulously.

Eve sighed quietly as the warmth of his cloak enveloped her. It smelled of him – earthly scents and spices. She breathed it in to ground her from her terror. Her entire body was shaking with the cold and fear.

At once, she felt herself being lifted off the ground, and she clung tightly to Ronnie as he carried her inside and set her down. She noticed his reaction – the way his eyes widened and he blushed something fierce. But while she appreciated the way he was so modest, she waved away his apology. There was a much more important matter at hand.

"There's someone in my house," she explained, her voice quiet and timid. "I panicked. The window was open, so I escaped through it."

Ronnie's concerned, blushing face immediately darkened, and something cold flashed in his eyes.
"Give me just a moment." He turned and sprinted up the stairs to his room, returning just a few seconds later. He was pulling on a set of fingerless gloves, and had something that looked suspiciously like a knife hilt sticking out of his pocket.
"Which house is yours?" he asked quietly. His voice had changed. It was as if much of the emotion had been sucked out of it.
For Ronnie, he was doing his best to clamp down on a vicious urge to kill something. Anybody who would dare come after Eve deserved-… well.

Eve waited patiently for him to return, trembling underneath his cloak. As if she needed another reason to hate the cold. She was just glad that Sylvia wasn’t at the desk. It was such an obscure hour of the night that there was no reason to have someone stationed there. Eve realized she had no idea what time it was.

When she heard Ronnie’s footsteps descending, and she immediately noted the hilt in his pocket. She swallowed heavily, hearing the change in his voice. His entire demeanor was void of emotion.

“It’s only down the street,” she answered softly. “There’s light blue shutters and flower boxes on the windows.”

Ronnie nodded at her, some part of him aware he was probably scaring her, but…
Well. Better to be a bit scared of a friend than terrified of an unknown, intruding enemy.
"Stay here. I'll be back." There was no doubt in his voice. He would be back, and the threat would be handled.
He turned and headed out the door, making his way back down the street. He saw the house that matched the description, a window on the side open, the wind blowing in.
He went and climbed in, moving with quiet, lithe movements. He looked like some woodland predator, stalking its prey.
Bedroom. Like she'd said.
He heard a noise out in the hall and tensed.
Here we go.

Eve nodded and exhaled shakily. "A-Alright," she stammered, burrowing herself deeper into Ronnie's warm cloak. The thought barely even crossed her mind that he might when going back out into the cold. She was still too riled up from hearing someone in her house. Someone who had entered through her bedroom window while she was sleeping. She shuddered in disgust and fear.

–

The man who'd broken into Eve's house went casually by the name of Treavor Wes'ling. He'd been one of the men who'd been trying to catch Eve's cat since the beginning like Ji're Northman. But unlike Ji're, who at least knew when to quit in a day and try again the next, Treavor was determined to catch the cat. And he was also frequently drunk.

Once most of the townfolk had gone to sleep, Eve included, the man had been able to pry open the latch on her window and sneak into her house. From the time he'd entered to the time Eve had woken up, it had been the better part of twenty minutes. Treavor had spent about ten of those minutes sitting at her bedside, staring at her.

Then, he'd gone through the house in search of her cat and the key. The only one was on the string that was still around Eve's neck, but Treavor didn't know that. He was currently in her kitchen, quietly opening and closing drawers to seek the key. It must've been hidden somewhere…

He scoffed quietly and headed back down the hall. Since he couldn't find it, Treavor decided he'd simply wake his beloved Eve and find out the location of her cat from her own lips. He swayed dreamily as he walked just thinking of the woman's sweet lips and what it would be like to kiss them. In his alcoholic-induced haze, he staggered and bumped into the wall. "Shite," he cursed under his breath as he approached Eve's bedroom. His hand reached up and pushed the door open.

The noise he'd heard was a bump, and then someone swearing. Slurred swearing. Ronnie stayed crouched, waiting, as the door pushed open. Whoever this idiot was, he was clearly drunk.
And clearly the vile kind of drunk. Because he went straight for Eve's bed. Stumbled over to it and leaned over, like he was planning on leering at her.

What he got instead was a flying elbow to the head.

Ronnie came out of his crouch, leaping across the bed, and driving the point of his elbow into the intruder's temple. The drunk dropped like a rock. Ronnie stared at him for just a moment, trying to calm his heart. It was racing, not because he was scared, but…
But because he wanted to finish the man. Right here. Right now.
Slowly, with some long deep breaths, he controlled himself, and fought down 8 years of soldiering.
He grabbed the man's collar and dragged him out the bedroom, out the front door, and into the snow. He dragged the guy all the way down the street, and left him in the snow outside the Blondwood. The drunk didn't stir, and Ronnie wasn't entirely sure he hadn't already killed the guy.
He stepped back into the hotel and gave Eve a small wave.
"Got him. Do you know this guy?" He tried to sound less dead inside, tried to look less cold, and turned so she could tell the knife hadn't left his pocket. Now that the threat was taken care of, he didn't want to scare her more.

Eve paced back and forth across the Blondwood's lobby area. Ronnie's cloak was still wrapped around her, and with it, she gradually began to warm again. She thought of rekindling the embers in the fireplace but decided against it. She wasn't sure exactly how long she'd be here, and she didn't want it to get out of hand if she and Ronnie both went back to bed.

She jumped in momentary terror as the door opened, but she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was only Ronnie. "You're back," she murmured with a little wave in return. The small smile that had appeared on her face disappeared, however, when she steeled herself to approach the door and see who it was that had broken into her house. Her eyes noted the way Ronnie shifted, and she caught the hilt again. She calmed a bit seeing that he hadn't needed to use it.

But as she stepped into the doorway and looked at the limp body Ronnie had dragged back through the snow, her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hand. Chills of pure disgust shot through her, and she took a step back. "Yes," she answered meekly. "I know him."

Ronnie schooled his features to keep from glaring. He still didn't want to scare her.
"I'll drag him down to the police station." It had occurred to him as he was dragging the drunk down the street that they should have alerted the police force, but… it was dealt with. "If you wait, I'll make sure you get home safe." She still didn't have shoes, and he wasn't going to let her traipse through the snow barefoot.
He walked down to the police station and deposited the drunk in a cell. The night watchman didn't question him, especially not when Ronnie described what had happened. He quietly locked the door and thanked Ronnie for bringing Treavor in. He'd asked if Ronnie could come back in the morning and file a report, to which Ronnie had agreed. He'd hurried back to the Blondwood afterward, feeling more and more like a jackass. The guard had looked at him with fear, and he realized how he must look to these folks. To Eve.
She's got to think I'm crazy… some loony psycho with killer tendencies…
He stepped back in the door, head down, and didn't look up.
"So, I can, uh, give you my other pair of boots, or I could just, uhh… well, you know… I could just… carry you…"
He trailed off, feeling too many conflicting things to be confident just now.

Eve nodded in agreement. "Yes, I'll wait," she murmured. Though her bare feet were the last thing on her mind. She was more worried about the potential of being seen alone at night by the wrong person… someone like Treavor. A subtle shiver passed through her body despite the warmth of the cloak.

She waited even longer, resuming her pacing pattern from earlier. When he finally returned for a second time, Eve noticed the changes in his demeanor. His head was down, and he wouldn't look at her. Did he think she was too much trouble to be around? That it was too much of a hassle to get to know her with all the problems she had?

But she knew one thing for certain: Ronnie Vale had saved her tonight. She thanked Lilith that he'd been sitting on that bench. It was like the goddess put him there, just for her. Without thinking, she took swift strides over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Thank you," she whispered, doing her best to keep from trembling.

The hug caught Ronnie completely off-guard, and he did the first thing that instinctively went through his mind.
He wrapped his arms around her with the same intensity.

He'd nightmared, which always left his body wired. Then his adrenaline had kicked up again as he'd tried to control his urge to end the drunk who dared violate Eve's privacy this way. Then he'd walked back, feeling shame and frustration and so many other things and-

And Eve was soft. Soft and warm and gentle, and soothing to his jumbled mind and his overstimulated body and now he didn't want to let go and-

At some point in the hug, he'd dropped his head onto her shoulder, and the realization of exactly how intimate a position that was snapped him out of it. He stepped back, just a little, moving his arms from where they'd landed around her waist, to the more neutral position of cradling her arms. Friendly. Less like he needed her, needed her so badly his breath froze in his chest as he pulled away, needed her so much his skin crawled is it lost contact with her…

"Of course." he said quietly, the smile coming easily to his face. He wasn't sure what else to say, though another idea came to mind.
"Like I said, I could walk you back… or you could just stay here with me. My room is open." He paused, then realized what that sounded like. "I don't mean 'with me', but like with me here, in the Blondwood. I'll sleep down here! I'll be down here, and you can have the room, and you'd be safe, and-… yeah… that's what I meant…"
Had he ever stammered this much before? Had he always been this bad with women? It was hard to remember just now.

Eve closed her eyes and savored Ronnie's touch. He was so solid around her, a rock she felt that she could anchor herself to. She closed her eyes and sighed quietly. At the feeling of his head resting against her shoulder, she smiled subconsciously. It felt… right.

But before she could indulge in the action any further, he was pulling away and stepping back from her. It was then that she remembered her predicament. Her challenge. All the other men who sought after her. So she settled for clutching his arms gently.

She listened to him stammer through his words and offered a reassuring squeeze where she was holding onto his arms. Her soft waves of honey-colored hair swayed around her face as she shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, Ronnie. Thank you. But I really should be getting back to my own house. I wouldn't want to displace you from your room. However, if you wouldn't mind… could you accompany me back to my house? I should like to have a look at my window and see if I can make it more secure."

Eve squeezed his arms, and Ronnie managed to glance up. She wasn't flinching from him, so that was a good sign.
"You wouldn't be displacing me, I'm offering… but if you'd really prefer to be home, then of course. Give me a minute, I'll have those boots for you." He lingered for just a moment, not wanting to let go of her entirely, before turning and heading up the stairs to his room. He was wearing his combat boots, but he had a set of warmer, fur lined snow boots. He only wore them when the weather got really bad.
Back down the stairs to Eve. "Put these on, they'll at least get you to your house with warm, dry feet. And I'd be happy to help fix your window. I can work on it while you're at work tomorrow." He was running through some of the latch mechanisms they'd used for bunker windows during his tours. There were several that were easy to operate from inside but impossible to break from outside.
He could even start putting them together tonight, and just install them tomorrow. After this, he wasn't going to be able to sleep. It was 2am, which meant he'd probably crash midafternoon tomorrow if he wasn't careful.

Eve smiled shyly as he looked up at her, hoping that it looked at least a bit reassuring. She waited patiently for him to get his boots, thinking about if it was her imagination whether he'd lingered holding onto her or not.

She nodded and slipped her feet into his boots. With his cloak and boots, she was sure she looked a sight. "Thank you, Ronnie," she whispered softly. "That would be wonderful. I don't think I can say thank you enough… would you mind walking back with me? I can give you your cloak and boots back once I'm inside."

Ronnie nodded gently at her, before stepping back out into the snow. He escorted her back to her home, glad it was so early in the morning, nobody was up. He wouldn't have wanted her to feel mocked.
They got to her house, and he stayed just outside the front door initially.A sudden thought occurred to him.
"Your cat! I didn't see it… is she out and about? He might've done something to the little critter."
That would be a bad situation. On a couple levels.