lapelduviide:
it seems he’s crossed a line in the dirt, and leon makes a note of it. arrogance might be an inescapable part of his being, but he knows when it’ll benefit him and when it won’t. so leon raises his brows and raises both hands, palms facing the other, in an act of temporary defeat. “i’m sure i don’t,” he assures, voice syrupy sweet, but he’s also sure that yennefer will learn to find him very useful.
leon grins from ear to ear, eyes curiously looking over the other. “oh, absolutely. if you have a critique on my performance, i’m all ears, darlin’.” this time, he steps over the line on purpose, feeling out where he is welcome and where he still needs to put in more work in charming this group of wild beasts. but specifically, the beautiful creature in front of him.
the longer he spends in rak’s company, the more leon finds to like about them. they don’t even bat an eyelash as he steps closer, and leon finds himself imagining that confidence in the face of real threats. what will you do to keep living? he wonders. what have you done to have this life? “rakesh,” he repeats, and the name tastes unlike anything he’s ever experienced on his tongue. addictive. “lucky me,” he says with a grin, “that all depends on whether or not you want to watch me get cleaned up,” his grin becomes toothy, a small laugh escaping him, “i’m not against putting on another show.”
x
a part of rak is unwilling to admit, but leon is hitting all the right notes so far. there's an arrogance to the way he holds himself, but he also seems agreeable enough to recognise the lines rak is drawing. there's a chance that hubris will eventually fill his mouth up until he chokes on it, that this act will be grating more than it is enticing, but for now, the grizzly sinks their teeth onto the bait.
"you were a bit messy." it's another lie, a well-practiced sort of snobbery that drips from their tongue, as he holds onto the illusion that they still have the upper hand in this conversation. leon was pretty impeccable with his fighting, tearing apart clickers with impressive ease, but he didn't need all of that air going up to his head so soon. "sloppy. i could tell you were struggling."
they knew what was coming when they made the offer, which is why his own lips tug up into a lazy grin, eyes still watching closely as if the newcomer was living prey. "i'll enjoy the show, but don't expect a happy ending," his shoulders raise in a shrug, his head tilting to the side. quite frankly, the one thing that makes it easy for rak to keep their distance is all the dark red gunk covering leon's body; they're equal parts excited and wary to no longer have that barrier between them. "i'm not keen on you getting blood everywhere, so clean up first it is." their hand gestures vaguely towards all the gore that covers the other's body, before he makes a turn and beckons him to follow along, without looking back to check if he's keeping up.













