The bump of her hip, the corset, the way she looked at him... The entire situation was decidedly un-friendly. Had he been a little more drunk than he was, maybe he would have done something stupid like reach out for her, let his hand roam and see if he got away with it. Had he been a little more sober, perhaps he would have talked more, flirted more, and things might have developed further in that direction. But as it was, Gabriel was a little horny, a little curious, and uncharacteristically submissive.

The prick at his finger wasn't painful but confusing. Why were they here again? It seemed like every time his mind settled for her explanation and reasoning, he picked up a signal that spoke of carnal pleasures. Nadine had always been flirty and a bit of a tease, even, or maybe especially, towards him, but something was different now and he couldn't tell what it was. Was she seeing him differently? Did [b]he[/b] see [b]her[/b] in a different light? Maybe one, maybe the other, maybe both, but that didn't cover all of it. What he didn't realize, not at that moment in the bathroom, was that she had changed, that her [i]aura[/i], for a lack of better word, was darker, more confident, more powerful, and it drew him to her, not only her person or body but also to what it was that had brought about that change.

[i]"Watch..."[/i]

It was like witnessing a transformation. The Nadine he knew left the room and somebody else took her place, somebody who didn't struggle with finding appreciation for her art, somebody who didn't share some of his issues at home, somebody who was so completely sure of herself that it spilled over to Gabriel. Only the faintest recoil, the natural, unavoidable reflex, went through his body when the flames started acting strange, as if they had a will of their own. But he wouldn't have met her hands halfway if the words he heard, and the glance she gave weren't familiar, almost loving, free of all malice and reservation. He was wrong after all - it was the same woman, only different, and yet the both of them had no idea that any change she'd been through was nothing compared to what they would experience together.

So he reached out and did as she told him, accepted her offer, put his hands in her's. The flames seemed almost cool to the touch, compared to the warmth of her palms, even as the snake-like flicker found its way through the gaps between his fingers. Gabriel felt his mind slipping back towards the tempting woman in front of him and immediately, the flames reacted and the heat rose slightly, but he didn't pull back. He focused on the entity of blood and fire and trusted the person in front of him, intertwined as they were, and the hint of pain receded.

His eyes searched for hers and when they met, a smile spread on his face and there was only one thing he could say, only one thing that was appropriate in a situation like this:
"Ho. Ly. Fuck."