[ AW ] By the Sea

Between the two of them, Isolde was always the most professional of the two. Tiberius liked to balance right on the line of being completely inappropriate and seriously respectful so many times that it was often hard to tell when he was simply playing around. It was as if her paw moved in slow motion, only coming into view as it reached for the top of his head. He didn't see it any longer, but once he felt the soft pat pat on his head, his heart sank into his stomach. He knew there was no chance she would go galivanting around the countryside with him, but it was worth a shot at least to try. But to be pushed aside, cast into the friend zone of all the places, that was something he would not tolerate. She may not see him in the light he had hoped for, but that could change. Being the self-boosting confident male that he was, he shrugged it off. Playing it cool as if she had never laid her paw upon his knightly head.

She didn't like his head on approach, but there were other way to woo a lady. He had many tricks that he had watched in others, many tricks that he himself had done. Isolde was much like a rose, guarded by her thorns to protect the delicate flower of her heart. But what was more worth going for? The item that could easily be plucked from the ground and discarded, or the one guarded by nature to protect it at all costs? Tiberius could be patient, and he knew he was charming, ravishingly good-looking was another tool in his tool box. Going the more "heart-felt" route, Tiberius did not pull away from her. In fact, he planted himself there. "You have changed my life." He said in a low tone. "You make me better."

@Isolde
"He speaks." | He thinks.

table ; bunny

He would not move away, his green eyes holding hers with a warmth that was unexpected. Isolde's earthen ears would twitch, her eyes blinking as she slowly lowered her paw. She'd tried to laugh yet the sound faded awkwardly as the profound feeling of being wholly seen prickled along her skin. It was not that his gaze was piercing or particularly intense but it... didn't let go, didn't wander. Tiberius regarded her as if he would never enjoy looking at something else quite as much.

"You have changed my life."

At this, Isolde's brow furrowed slightly. Had he tried to be anything other than a thief, she might have been touched. But, at least on paper, it was hard for her to understand. Yet... he looked so sincere. Was this a tactic? He'd used plenty on her in the past, albeit in a more happy-go-lucky, devil-may-care kind of way. It had always been easy for her to side step, such as by the way she'd patted his head. Never had he tried again.

"You make me better."

"Tiberius," she breathed, suddenly very aware of how close he was. But she didn't feel unsafe or uncomfortable beyond the echoes of attorney-client privilege that seemed to seep between them. She wasn't his acting counsel now but who knew how long it'd be before that'd change. "What's gotten into you? Why are you saying these things? To... make me feel better?"

Of all her clients, Tiberius was the one she understood the least. Yet he was special in the sense that, in many ways, he got to see more of her true thoughts than any of her other clients. That did lead to confusing moments such as these, however.

Even with her attempt at shoving him into a corner, Tiberius was not going to give up. He did petty crimes, something people really wouldn't miss. He mostly tried to rob those that were in better standing than others around them. He wasn't lying. As he looked over her features, he could see the confusion across her face, as though she couldn't hide that she had no idea what he was doing. Was he being sincere? Was he lying to her? This was real. This was Tiberius trying to make a true connection with a wolf he had known for a long time. Maybe it was a stretch to even attempt to get this far with Isolde, or even further. But he didn't want to be seen as a joke, or a brother - whatever she was seeing him as before. Tiberius knew that females like her were few and far between, hard to come by. She was a rare flower in a field of daisies. She needed to know her importance she held in his life.

"Because it is true..." he said softly. His eyes still locked on hers. He swore he could hear her heart pounding in her chest, but it could also have been his own. "Nobody has had such a lasting effect on my life, than you have. Nobody cares about me." His eyes moved around her face, sensing a source of comfort in her. "But you do. You always have. Why else have you saved my tail so many times?" He wanted to say more, wanted to profess possible feelings he was feeling in this moment, but it could have been the season. He was not sure. He knew there was a sort of electricity between the two of them. Perhaps because she was on the right side of the law, and he was on the wrong side. He wondered if he swore himself to her, if he would be able to leave the life of crime behind him. But the moment of thinking of that was fleeting. Not even lasting more than a minute or two. Being free was too much fun, and though he did feel a strong amount of something for Isolde, he knew it was probably one-sided. He would not be so foolish to throw his life away for someone who he was not certain would do the same.

"I care about you a great deal, more than as a friend or family... I always have.." I am also wildly attracted to you - was something he wanted to say, but he allowed his eyes to do more of the suggestive talking for him. "If you ever need me, I will always be there for you."

@Isolde
"He speaks." | He thinks.

table ; bunny

Isolde did care about him, that was true. She cared to keep him out of facing punishments that were too severe for someone that seemed so... harmless, deep down. That, and she cared that he one day find something more fulfilling than this true freedom that he chased. Her dream for him was to finally walk through the streets of Rionna with enough that he no longer felt the need to steal. "I am sure that many care about you," Isolde answered, recalling the effect he seemed to have on women. While it was not all of them, plenty were drawn to his dashing looks. Had she not been his lawyer, she probably would have been the same. After all, it was hard to ignore those emerald eyes when they were settled on you and you alone.

But she was his lawyer. Isolde had been forced to put up a wall between them and had, thus far, kept things quite professional. Yet he was trying to tear that wall down.

There was a softness to his gaze as he walked the line, never saying it directly yet hinting at it with a boldness that caused her cheeks to flush. "I care about you a great deal, more than as a friend or family... I always have.." Isolde wanted to tell him that lust was no replacement for love but found herself unable to—it meant admitting that he wished to bed her, something that caused her ear tips to burn. To this day, she'd only been with one man in her life, a first boyfriend that... well... Isolde didn't want to think about him.

Besides, Tiberius' gaze was not one that could be easily ignored.

"If you ever need me, I will always be there for you."

Isolde sucked in a deep breath of air, trying to steady herself against the wave of his confession—and the fact that she didn't share in those feelings. "I can't be more than a friend but thank you Tiberius," she murmured, trying to be sensitive of his heart. Isolde would assume that he was being serious for now lest she hurt him by being callous. "But I will always be there for you too." With that, she offered a small smile—and if he allowed it, she'd give him a small and short-lived hug.

"I do need to go though, I am sorry. I wish you luck with your science experiment." Then she would step back, eyes echoing an apology she didn't say: I'm sorry.

And at last she would step away, for once enjoying the windy highlands for stealing the heat from her skin.

- exit Isolde -