Gehenna's Gate

Soft Spine

"Can I take you to see Kokomi?" Xiao's voice was light, gentle and comforting as he took his time pulling back from her, reaching now to gingerly take her injured hand in his own and give it a good look over again.

"I think it's okay." Vena proceeded to give a dry laugh, feeling a little awkward now as she wiped the back of her other hand across her eyes, trying to hide away any evidence of previously fallen tears.

"Please?" The word almost sent a shiver down her spine. So coaxing, yet so gentle all the same, looking down at her through thick lashes as if it would help persuade her.

His other hand reached over to lace his fingers between her own, every intention of getting what he wanted.

"She's just upstairs at the bar right now. No hospital trip necessary." Dark eyebrows raised at her now, bringing their joined hands up toward his lips to kiss across her knuckles.

While Vena was fully aware he was doing this on purpose, she simply couldn't say no despite how badly she didn't want to be a bother to anyone. It's not like he was trying to persuade her of something he'd benefit from anyway- it was purely to make sure her hand was okay.

"Fine..." Vena playfully grumbled, yet it was impossible to keep the smile off her face.

"Thank you," Xiao returned her sentiment, pressing one last kiss to the top of her hand before he wasted no time gently leading her toward the doorway.

"Maybe I'll get the chef to make you a little something as a treat." The smirk he cast her over his shoulder almost made her knees buckle.

Although that was news to her too. She knew the bar had nachos and things like that, but she didn't think there was an actual certified chef back there. Maybe she'd need to actually spend more time around here after all.

"Want to tell me what happened with Damon?" The question finally came once they'd made their way out of the employee rooms, through the bottom arcade and back up to the top of the bar area, which was also now surprisingly.... Empty compared to normal.

Vena's eyes wandered across the few scattered people around the area, curiosity evident on her face but deciding to answer Xiao's question first once he'd turned back to face her.

This was probably going to go over like a lead balloon. She'd assumed Xiao and Scara had probably stumbled in after hearing her cry in pain, but neither probably knew what had happened prior to that.

Awkwardly, the girl shifted her weight onto one foot and lazily crossed her arms over her chest, now finding it hard to meet those sharp golden eyes, feeling as if he was analyzing her every movement and facial expression now.

"He- uh... Tried to, kiss me? I have no fucking idea why-" Vena nearly choked on her words, finally starting to realize how poorly that may have actually ended if Xiao and Scara hadn't been there.

She'd never felt safe or comfortable around Damon, but knowing he was that easy to set off was even more unsettling.

Xiao's facial features sharpened, eyes not straying from Vena's despite the fact that she wasn't able to meet his own due to her nerves.

"He's lucky you were there, otherwise I would have killed him on the spot. If I see him again, he's dead." A smile spread across the man's face after a few hauntingly silent moments, yet nothing about the expression was happy- it was sadistic and threatening.