Please, pretty please? [Dom & Gwyn]

Okay, just take a deep breath, put on a brave face and ask him!

That was what Gwyn told herself, or rather had been telling herself for the past day and a half. Ever since she ended her meeting with Cadmus, she felt like she had to be more assertive and less meek. Take some matters into her own hands. Gwyn had gotten some motivation to try to regain some of her memories, though she knew it would be very hard and she’d likely would want to quit along the way. Maybe even more than once. It had also made her even more motivated to make it up to the Elite guy, since she felt like her verbal apology when she was still suffering from her migraine wasn’t sufficient enough. She had looked and probably sounded like a rat –and felt like a sewer rat too–, so in her mind it had sounded like her apology to him hadn’t felt heartfelt enough. Plus Dominic telling her off for getting a glass of water and disturbing whatever boy scout meeting they had been having hadn’t done her good either, so on top of that she might have sounded snappy too when she tried to sound sincere. Buying him something to apologise with wasn’t something she could do since Gwyn was pretty sure she wasn’t allowed to leave to go shopping and she also had no idea where his interests lay. There was also the fact that her wallet was still at her dorm. It was a pain to go there to retrieve them, since Godia warriors might still be walking around on campus and again Gwyn wasn’t sure she’d be allowed to leave to do that but blocking everything and then getting new cards was even more of a pain because she couldn’t pick them up nor get them delivered.

In the end Gwyn opted for what she thought would be the best apology, in person over lunch. Gwyn would treat him to lunch, apologise profusely and try to get to know him better while she was at it. The guilt she had started feeling after the meeting had started festering inside her. At first she thought the guy might have lived at HQ but aside from that one time last week, she hadn’t seen him around. Which meant he and the blonde guy had to live elsewhere. Because he too hadn’t been around ever since the meeting. She was sure she could pay for lunch through her phone with her banking app, so that would solve the payment problem. Though she had no clue where in Erast the nice diners or lunchrooms were.

Where the real problem lay, though, was the fact that ever since she had tried to get her painkillers from Dominic’s room and he had touched her hand that she had barely seen him. HQ was small enough to run into everyone multiple times a day but somehow she hadn’t seen Dominic as much as she had seen Cadmus, or any of the other refugees, around. It irked her, because she had to ask him for permission for her whole plan and the longer that he wasn’t around in the living area, the longer it would take for Gwyn to actually put her plan into motion. She felt like the longer she’d wait, the harder it would become for her apology to be accepted. Gwyn also still didn’t know the Elite’s name, and she very much wanted to know his name so she could call him by it –rather than calling him Elite Guy or something like that– and knew to whom she was apologising.

Her mental pep talk earlier had been a bit futile, since she yet had to see Dominic today too. She hadn’t seen him leave, because Gwyn would be in the living room day and night because there was nowhere else for her to go and unless he had sneaked out before she had awakened, she guessed that he was holed up in his bedroom. Her best option now was go up to his room –the same room she had been sleeping in last week to sleep off her migraine– knock on the door and hope he was in there doing who knows what.

Around her, some of the refugees had settled on the couch playing some video game on the tv that she had heard of but had no interest in. Something with stealing cars, selling them and then stealing even more cars. Gwyn herself was comfortably perched up in the chair with her book on her lap. But every now and then her gaze would wander to the door that led to the hallway, willing it to open and reveal Dominic walking in. Alas, no such luck ever since she’d woken up.

Her two nights sleeping in Dominic’s bed had done her good, being back on the couch not so. The bumps and lumps in the old couch seemed more prominent now and gave her trouble finding a comfortable position to fall asleep in. So her actual hours of sleep had been less too. It was cringe to admit, but she missed his bed and the comfort it had provided. Not that she’d ever say that out loud. It would make her sound like some spoiled little thing. Which they probably already thought that she was, seeing that she came in here with more luggage than the refugees all together had. In hindsight, her own version of packing light wasn’t that light. She knew that but her panic infused brain had found everything she had packed quite necessary. The only thing she wished she didn’t pack were the three other sweaters that took so much space in her suitcase. A part of her had wanted to take some more summery clothing with her since the days were already getting warmer but this was no vacation. Thinking about pretty and cute summer-like clothing was nothing but useless and materialistic. Softly, Gwyn shook her head and banished all thoughts from her head. Just do it now and if he isn’t there you can ask Cadmus, she told herself. Taking a deep breath, Gwyn put her bookmark on the right page before closing her book. She stood up and placed her book on the coffee table –not wanting to claim the chair by putting her book on it– before making her way over to Dominic’s room.

Somehow it felt odd to walk towards his room, because besides going to the bathroom and her meeting with Cadmus yesterday, she never went into the hallway. Absentmindedly she started worrying her lower lip between her teeth, suddenly feeling very nervous when she reached Dominic’s door. Ridiculous, Gwyn chastised herself. You got no reason to be nervous, you’re just asking him for permission to apologise in your own way. But lately thinking about Dominic has made her feel a little different. Where before she found him an annoyingly uptight boy scout with a permanent scowl but after he had carried her into his bed when he and Idés had found her hugging the toilet for dear life she guessed she had a bit of a change in judgement.

When Gwyn closed her eyes and let her mind wander, she could still feel his arms holding her. She could still feel his solid and warm chest underneath her cheek. She could still smell his woodsy and addicting scent. Because maybe more than once, she had buried her face more into his bedding whenever she thought the scent was fading. Truth was that thinking about that kindness hurt her a little, because of the fact that she hadn’t really seen him all week for some unknown reason. Or he could be busy with everything that is going on and you’re letting your fantasy run ahead and get the better of you, you foolish girl. Yes, that was also very much a possibility. Dominic could very well be cooped up with work and other things that kept him absent. Cadmus had assured her that he wasn’t mad over the whole walking-in-on-him-to-retrieve-her-pain-killers incident, so he wouldn’t be avoiding her over that, right?

Once more she shook her head, more prominent this time to rid herself of all thoughts again. Taking one last deep breath, Gwyn lifted her hand and knocked on Dominic’s door with her heart in her throat.
‘’Dominic, are you in there?’’ Her question ran through the empty hallway, making her cringe because she was pretty sure her voice had sounded pitched.  Please don’t let anyone walk into the hallway. Not while she was standing here waiting for someone who might not even be in their room, but somewhere else entirely.

Dominic must admit, it was nice to have his own room again. Those few days on the couch hadn't given him any sleep nor privacy, two things he had realized how much he needed. Especially after the unexpected visit from both Cassius and the woman wanting an interview for her client. An interview they had ended up agreeing to, because even though Dominic had no trust in the woman or her client, it really was their best opportunity to reach the people. Which Dominic knew they had to do, even though he dreaded the thought of it. He had little to no faith in their plan giving anything but backlash. After ten years taking care of poor Nachon refugees who had been mistreated by society and the people among them, he had lost all hope in anyone wanting to listen to them. But then again, as Cadmus had said - at least they could do something. At least they didn't just sit around and wait for the Godia Warlocks to find them. Or Alaric Seymour and his new hunting group that he was putting together.
Dominic had been in a state of constant stress ever since the meeting. Not that he had relaxed that often after the announcement of the crown prince's death, but he had his moments. And now those moments had been proven to have been nothing but waste of time. Time, he could have used planning and preparing.
So that was what Dominic had spend the last five days on - working. The interview was tomorrow, and after having contacted every decision maker and organizer in the EFA, all had agreed that Dominic and Cadmus would be the ones being interviewed anonymously by the journalist. Dominic was never going to admit this, but he was on pins and needles due to this interview. He had been in hiding since he was 15 years old, only leaving the HQ for missions and errands. He had no idea how to speak publicly, he barely had enough people skill to deal with meetings. Luckily, Cadmus was with him, that man had a way with words. But in the end Dominic couldn't shake the thought that if they messed up in any ways, said one wrong word, then that could be the end of the EFA. He couldn't afford to mess up, not even the slightest.

So he was preparing for the interview, reading former articles written by Irene Ford, the name of the client. He had actually read a lot of her articles before, he realized. She was a big journalist, known for digging through to the truth. That fact didn't ease Dominic's nerves, quite the opposite. She knew how to get the story she wanted. Who knew if the story she wanted was a story that helped them?
That was on Dominic's mind as he scrolled through yet another article of her. He was sitting in his bed, his pillow placed between the wall and him to get some back support. His legs were slightly bent, so he could rest his laptop comfortably in his lap. He had only left his room to have his morning piss and brush his teeth and that was several hours ago. After that he hadn't left his room, not even getting breakfast. This was his last day to prepare, so he would only take his eyes off his work when his body physically couldn't handle it any longer.

Or so he thought. But then someone knocked on his door. Dominic flinched, being so focused on his screen that the sound shocked him. He tore his eyes off the article he was studying to look at his door. Right after the knock a voice could be heard - it was Gwyn on the other side of the door.
Dominic wasn't going to admit this to anyone, but he hadn't just been cooped up in his room to work. He could easily work in the main room too, having the ability to focus on his tasks even with noise around him. No, he had also been more in his room lately, because he knew that Gwyn would be out in the main room, back on the couch.
He hadn't really talked to Gwyn, even though she had been at the HQ for over a week now. First of all because he had been so busy with work and had no reason to get to know her, especially since she was only her due to a favor to Idés, second of all because she had spend a few of her first days with a migraine.
And third of all because he had avoided her. It was easy to do since he, as mentioned, had no reason to get to know her, but he had done his best not to be in the same room as her the last few days. Since Monday, when he had touched her and something... off in her had triggered his Nachon powers. Powers, he did his very best to never use. The shock over suddenly feeling the energy flow through him and over the offness he had felt from touching her had been too much. He had enough on his plate to have time to process whatever had happened and to be frank, even if he did have the time to process it, he probably wouldn't want to. He didn't want to think about it.
So, it had been easier to delegate the responsibility to Cadmus - he was a lot more experienced anyways - and then to focus on his own work instead. And in that way avoid Gwyn.
Her knocking on his door was the absolute worst thing for his nerves right now.
"For fuck sake," he muttered to himself, looking down at the article on his screen. Maybe he could pretend that he wasn't here? Just not let her in.
Of course he couldn't do that. Both because that was fucking stupid, to hide like that, and because Gwyn might need help with something. He was the leader after all. Even when cooped up in his room.
He sighed deeply while pulling himself together.
"Come in," he called, so Gwyn could hear him on the other side of the door. Even in those words, it didn't sound like he really wanted her to come in. It could be heard how forced the words were.
He looked up from his screen, when Gwyn entered, meeting her with nothing but a sulky expression. He didn't greet her and he didn't stand up either. He kept sitting in the bed with his laptop in front of him, making it clear that she was interrupting him in his work.
She was nervous, he could see that. Which did worry him. What if she had noticed that he had avoided her? What if she wanted to talk about that? The last thing Dominic needed right now was someone needing him to have an open, honest talk with them. Just the thought of that left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Yes, Gwyn?" he said, raising an eyebrow at her, asking her to go on and say whatever she wanted to say. He didn't have the patience for her to be nervous about what she wanted to say or ask. Even if it was about them - at least she could rip of the bandage quickly and get it over with. So he didn't have to sit here and worry about what she wanted to talk with him about. So he could answer whatever he had to answer and so he could get back to preparing for that awful interview.

There were a few seconds of silence before Gwyn thought she heard something from behind the door. But the sounds could also be from outside if the window were open, which she doubted. Anyone here seemed too paranoid to keep a window open and it was something Gwyn started to miss. To be able to have a window open throughout the day and get some fresh air clear out any lingering smells, not to mention all the light that would brighten her room. She felt like her room remained more fresh because of it. The EFA must have a killer ventilation system in the building for it not to start smelling.

Cleaning was something she didn’t really mind but despite the old and mismatched furniture that the EFA had, Gwyn really really itched to do a deep cleaning session someday. Throw the windows open, let in some light. Brighten up the whole place in general. No more curtains blocking out most of the light because all the gloominess that hung in the building was depressing. Sure, no one’s situation was anything to be happy about but it didn’t have to reflect on the place they lived in. Refresh some of the furniture, get some more plants and even a lick of paint over the walls after any mould was removed and cracks were plastered.
‘’Come in.’’ The voice was loud enough to be heard but not so loud that it was yelling.

He was inside. Hearing Dominic’s voice brought up a new flare of nervousness, making her heart beat into her throat. His tone didn’t sound too happy, surely she was bothering him in his eyes –which maybe she actually was this time– but this just had to be asked. Taking the doorknob into her hand, she twisted it and opened up the door just enough so that she could squeeze herself through. Her eyes immediately sought Dominic, finding him sitting on his bed with his laptop placed on his lap. After having barely seen him for almost a week, Gwyn noticed that he had somehow managed to look even more tired, but not less handsome. She winced, she was definitely bothering him while he was working and because of the fact that she thought of Dominic as handsome. He was, in fact but she had no need to remind herself of that. There hadn’t been much changed in his room, she noticed. Except for some more dirty laundry lingering on the floor and a change of sheets. Involuntarily she wondered if they’d smell like him again, or like the washing detergent they used.

Walking into his room all the way and closing the door behind him to give them some privacy, she started to play with the sleeve of the grey hooded sweater she was wearing. It had always been a habit, a tell-tale, to play with her clothing or tug on loose threads whenever she was nervous. Either that or she’d avoid eye contact and bite on her lower lip. Dominic raising his eyebrow after he asked what she wanted from him made her even more aware that she was taking precious time from him, and that she hadn’t said any hello yet. Letting go of her sleeve, Gwyn cleared her throat and took a breath.

‘’Hey… I uhm,’’ She nervously licked her lips and let her eyes wander a bit before she resumed, ‘’I wanted to ask if I could… If I can ask your eh, your friend out for lunch.’’ There it was, she had asked him. Gwyn focused her gaze on the floorboards underneath her feet, waiting for his answer while she started squeezing her hands together. Deep in her gut, she expected him to decline her request but another part of her hoped he’d allow her the freedom to do what she wanted to do. Having lunch and a personal conversation was kind of hard, since there was always someone there and unlike Dominic, Gwyn didn’t have the authority to shoo people away if she wanted some privacy. Where she was concerned, she was at the bottom of the EFA food chain.

Gwyn opened the door only just enough for her to squeeze herself into his room. Dominic considered if she felt the need to do that due to the last time she entered his room. Where she at entered without knocking and seemed surprised - maybe even flustered - to discover him shirtless in his own room. Dominic might not be a trained Nachon Warlock, but the widening of her eyes as she had looked at him and her red cheeks gave her away easily. Not that Dominic really had thought any further about it, only just remembering it now, since right after was a lot more remarkable memory. The offness he had felt.
He really hoped she wasn't here to talk about that. Or about her walking in on him. Or about how he had avoided her for different reasons ever since she had arrived at the HQ. Really, he just didn't want to talk to her. Just her closing the door behind her, leaving him and her alone in the room together, felt too intimate, too close for his liking. This couldn't be over quick enough for Dominic. Which he clearly expressed with his impatient glare, as he sat in the bed with his laptop, waiting for her to speak up.

And when she finally did speak up, she said something Dominic had in no way expected. Asking him if she could go out and have lunch with his friend. What did that even mean? Here he was, working tirelessly to prepare for a crucial meeting with an interviewer that would could ruin the EFA if done poorly, and what she was standing here so nervous about was asking someone out for something to eat. Did she seriously interrupt his work for such question?
Maybe Dominic should have felt relief by the fact that the question wasn't about anything between him and her. Instead he felt a deep frustration over the fact that he felt nervous to begin with, when clearly it wasn't something on Gwyn's mind.
Dominic's initial reaction was furrowing his brow at her, showing clear disapproval already.
"Who?" he asked, not out of interest or friendly curiosity, but skeptically. He had no clue, who Gwyn had seen him with that she would think was his friend. It couldn't be any of the refugees, Dominic made sure to seem more as a supervisor than a friend to them. It probably wasn't Idés; Dominic was pretty sure Gwyn was better friends with him herself than Dominic was. Also, he still wasn't sure that they weren't dating already. That left Cadmus as the only possible option in Dominic's mind. How friendly had their session with each other been? Had they really become so close? If so, Cadmus had kept that from Dominic, a thought that made Dominic uncomfortable just to think about.
It also formed a new question in his mind, just as he had asked to first one. With an emphasis on the word and an even deeper frown, he asked: "Why?"
He couldn't find any reason to why she would feel the need to ask someone - maybe Cadmus - out for lunch. Unless it was to get away from HQ, maybe get away from Dominic. A theory that only angered him more - here he had been going out of his way to keep her safe and now she was asking for permission to risk losing what he had done for her. To go on a date, it seemed. What was going through this girl's mind?

Where her first thought was that he would flat out refuse her once she had asked him, she could not hide the surprise on her face when Dominic asked her ‘who’ instead of saying ‘no’. Schooling her features or putting on a poker face had never been her forte, though there were times she had almost succeeded at it during her life. Like when she confronted Emmett about his cheating without bursting into tears over her aching heart, it had been tough but somehow she was able to hold back her tears until she was back at her home with her closest friend who had come to dry her tears.

Gwyn blinked a few times, progressing the fact that she still had a chance and just when she was about to answer his initial question, he asked her a second question as to why she would take out one of his friends. The frown on his face had deepened, as if Gwyn had just presented him with the world’s most difficult puzzle by asking him permission to take out his Elite friend. Then it started to dawn on Gwyn that she hadn’t been specific enough in her description of the man. She had just assumed he was a friend, but he could very well not be a friend but just a fellow rebel of sorts. ‘’Your Elite friend,’’ she started, taking a nervous hold of her thumb before she continued, ‘’the pale man with the brown hair and grey eyes, he is a friend of yours, yes?’’ Because she was starting to doubt herself, Gwyn added a description of him in her question. She thought of Cadmus as someone who was a friend of Dominic as well, besides the fact that they both lived here and were in charge. Or did Dominic keep everyone at arms length and was a lone wolf on purpose? She mentally shook herself a bit, ridding herself of the questions whether Dominic had friends or not and gathered her words to answer his question of why.

‘’What I have said to him before at the meeting, I want to apologise for it. I know that I said sorry when I went into the kitchen to get some water but I was sick and I feel like those words weren’t good enough. That the heartfeltness and genuinity behind them was lacking.’’ Letting go of her thumb, she started fidgeting with her forefinger. Hearing her own words resonate in her head, she knew her case wasn’t strong and that she had to find more convincing words to make him comply with what she wanted.

‘’I know it could also be done here, but I’m not comfortable with apologising to him under the scrutinising eye of all the people living here, who already dislike me for what it is.’’ There was a piece of skin of the cuticle of her forefinger that had come loose a little and unknowingly she started to scratch and pull at it. ‘’In a neutral environment, I think I will be able to be more sincere and buying him a meal as part of my apology I guess.’’ Gwyn tugged a little bit too hard at the loose skin, resulting in painfully shredding it and making herself bleed a bit. Pushing her thumb against the wound hard, she tried to make the bleeding stop. ‘’Buying him an apology gift won’t do either because I do not know him, though I had thought about it.’’ A confession that had been her initial plan but swiftly wiped off the imaginary table. It was way too hard to buy someone a gift who you did not personally know. She also knew she wouldn’t not be let out to buy a gift and online shopping was no option either. Gwyn had no idea what the address of the EFA was but she knew that she could have never let it be delivered at the EFA and put these people at potential risk even more than they already were. Dominic would murder her if she had tried to do so plus she had no desire to put them in even more danger, no matter how much they disliked her.

During her pleading case, she had avoided Dominics gaze but rather had looked at the chaotic mess that was his room but now that she had finished talking and therefore hoped that she had made a strong enough argument, she dared to meet his eyes. His stare could have lasered right through her, with the annoyance he probably felt due to her but Gwyn could not help but let herself drown into his eyes a little bit. Even at just a few feet away she was able to make out the green around his pupils as some of the light coming from the window shone into his face, before a gorgeous shade of baby blue took over. How had she not noticed that ring of green before, when she had been looking at him from way closer?

Suddenly feeling like she had been staring for way too long –which in truth she might just have– Gwyn quickly averted her gaze and willed her cheeks not to change into any shade of red. You utter fool, she chastised herself as she awaited Dominic’s answer, hoping that she hadn’t missed it while she was drowning in his eyes.

Maybe it was surprising that he didn't just immediately say no to her request - it sure seemed like it from the way Gwyn reacted. In all honesty, Dominic hadn't even begun to consider whether or not he should reject her, being too puzzled by what she was even asking about. The rejection could come after he figured out what she was on about.
She started out by answering his who, mentioning his 'elite friend'. Cassius. Dominic's eyes darkened instinctively as her way of mentioning him reminded him of her first day at the HQ. How she had had the audacity to point her finger at Cassius, calling him heartless without knowing how much he had done to help everyone but himself. In all of the last week's chaos the meeting had seemed so much in the past that Dominic had almost forgotten about Gwyn's behavior. At least she had managed to show a sweeter side - even with all of their bickering - and he did notice her apologizing to Cassius last Friday during that horrible meeting. So the darkening of his eyes weren't in regards to what was happening right now, simply an automatic effect of the bad memory.
"You mean Cassius," he said to her after her description. If she knew his name, she could stop calling him the elite. Dominic hated that word, at least in regards to his friend. He didn't verbally confirm that Cassius indeed was his friend but by the way he said his name it was clear that he cared for him. And that Gwyn would be wise to only use his name from now on.

As she answered his why, Dominic were quick to realize that he had assumed wrong about her intentions. She didn't want to invite any of the EFA-members out on a date, she just wanted to make up for her wrong-doings towards Cassius. A really kind gesture actually, and now Dominic felt stupid - and silly, which was an even worse feeling. Why did he even care if Gwyn wanted to ask anyone out on a date? That was her own decision, only the safety measures being something he had to be involved with. So what if she and Idés were dating or she was interested in Cadmus? He didn't care about her so why would he care about her relations to the other guys?
Dominic decided that that wasn't something to ponder about right now, because really it was just some stupid thoughts. He had more important things to worry about than whatever he thought about Gwyn and her love life. Instead he focused on listening to Gwyn, his forehead smoothing out. It was actually really nice of her wanting to take Cassius out to eat as an apology. Though Dominic wasn't sure how much Cassius would be into going out to lunch with her, he was sure the man would appreciate the gesture.
But a nice gesture wasn't enough to justify risking the safety of the EFA. Just a few days ago it had been shown that their HQ could be found by strangers who looked closely enough. And Gwyn might be on the radar of the Godia Warrios. No way, he could let her out, even if it was to apologize to his friend. Even if it could be done fairly safe, he couldn't have yet another thing on his mind to worry about. His thoughts were too full of everything else.

He had looked at her for a moment, seemingly considering her request. But that moment was quick, before he broke eye contact to look down at his computer.
"No. Sorry." He didn't sound sorry. "It's too risky and you know that. You're hiding here for a reason."
He went back to his work, typing out another search about Irene Ford's work.
"If you want privacy when you apologize to him, you can use my room," he added in a way that made it clear that he wasn't going to discuss this. He didn't look back up at Gwyn, but simply continued his research. The conversation was over for him and he hoped it was over for Gwyn too. He was painfully aware of her in his room. It would be much better when she was out of it again and a closed door was between her and him.

Finally she was able to put a name to the man she had offended with her carelessness. Cassius. It sounded like the name of some ancient hero or some old ruler from a faraway empire, it befitted him somehow without making him sound arrogant.. The way Dominic had said the name was warm enough that she could tie the ends together and conclude that Cassius was indeed a friend to Dominic. How did they become friends though? She suddenly wondered how a man from seemingly high status had become close with a man who was a rebel leader. She knew nothing about Dominic’s past, maybe he too came from a prominent family. It would explain his bossiness sometimes, but that could also be his character or the fact that he was the leader of the EFA. Maybe she would find out one day, or if they liked her well enough she might be able to ask them about how they met one day. For now she was probably the most disliked person they had around.

While she had been explaining the how and why of her plan for apologising, Dominic seemed to actually listen to her. The crease of his almost ever present frown lessened, giving her an inch more of hope that he might comply and allow her to go. After she had said her last word, there were a few seconds of utter silence in between them. He’s going to say yes, he’s going to say yes, he’s going to say ye.. NO?!

He had actually said no while her reasoning had been perfectly fine? It wasn’t like she was asking him if she could go downtown and prance around like she wasn’t in hiding! Gwyn’s mouth fell open as she listened to his reasoning to decline. He hadn’t even had the decency to look at her when he had said no. All she could do for a couple of seconds was to stare at him, while Dominic had returned his attention back to his laptop, the conversation over. Was he really going to deny and dismiss her like this? She blinked away her dumbfoundedness and gathered her resolve. She was not giving up on this. While his room was an alternative, it didn’t offer the privacy from prying eyes –lurking from the living room– that she needed. Everyone here would know if her apology would go awry and she would have nowhere to hide her miserable self.

Mirroring his ever sour expression, frown and all, Gwyn walked up to Dominic instead of leaving. She stood at the side of his bed right in front of him, just a few inches shy of his feet as Gwyn put her hands on her hips to hopefully emit an air of stubbornness. Though she might have that normally without even trying where Dominic was concerned. Never before had she butted heads with one person this much in the short time that she had been staying at the EFA but she was not backing down from this just yet.

‘’No.’’ Gwyn said as a reaction to Dominic’s suggestion that she could use his room to apologise. ‘’It’s not like I am planning to go to the mall downtown and choose the most fancy place. Any place that sells food to guests here in Erast is good enough.’’ Nudging his foot with her knee, she tried to get him to look at her instead of that damned laptop of his. ‘’I know why I am here, but do you really think they find me significant enough, a warlock with no access to her powers whatsoever, to scour the city looking for me?’’ There were plenty of other people they’d be looking for, she knew for sure. So a mere ICU, or former ICU, student would not be high on their list of people to look for.

‘’And you also know that your room only offers so much privacy because once I walk out of that door, everyone will still judge me for my stupid behaviour. They’ll probably think I’m trying to win them over by apologising to Cassius on their turf. And it’s not like that. I want to apologise to Cassius to make up with Cassius for the things I said to him.’’ She looked at Dominic fiercely and unknowingly leaned forward a bit, hoping to finally get through to that thick skull of his and make him see her reason. He might think about safety, but he could not control how others thought of Gwyn. Their initial impression she deserved but she did not want them to think of her as some ass-kissing wimp.

‘’You could have at least looked at me, you know. Instead of dismissing me without a glance.’’ Because that had irked her too. The easy dismissal like she wasn’t even worth the eye contact.

... Did Gwyn seriously just say no to him?
Actually, she didn't just say no. She had walked up to him, standing by the end of his bed with her hands on her hips, making it clear that she wasn't going to leave. Dominic didn't look back up at her, but he could see it out of the corner out of his eye. And he could feel her presence, annoyingly much.
At first he decided to ignore her. He had said what he needed to say, he had answered her question. It wasn't his fault that she couldn't take no for an answer. So instead of looking at her, he clicked on an article to read.
That strategy didn't last very long. Because then Gwyn nudged his foot with her knee, making his heart skip an unpleasant beat. He didn't want her to touch him. Not after how it had felt the last time. What if he couldn't control his powers around her and he suddenly saw more of her than he should have? He had already intruded on her Spirit enough. The unpleasantness quickly turned into irritability. He still didn't look at her - being even more stubborn about not wanting to now - but he had to say something. "Gwyn," he said as a warning towards her, his voice low and disgruntled.
He really tried to read the article on his screen, but the more Gwyn spoke, the less he could concentrate. By the end of it he simply glared at the screen without reading anything, his jaw clenched and the frown back between his eyebrows.
She ended her whole defiance speech by telling that he could have least looked at her. A request that honestly pissed Dominic off. Why should he look at her? She was the one interrupting him. She didn't deserve his attention anymore than what was on his screen.
Still, Dominic closed his computerscreen. He did so slowly and demonstratively while blowing hot air out of his nose. Only after he had done so, he turned his head to look up at her with a fed up expression.
"All of that doesn't matter," he said to her, trying - and failing - to hide his frustration, "Rules are rules. You're in hiding. You're not allowed to leave and risk bringing attention to the HQ."
Even through his annoyance, he noticed how close she was standing to him, even leaning forward a bit towards him. It felt even more intimate by the fact that he was sitting down in his bed. For a brief moment the memory of her lying in his bed and the warmth in his chest when he had carried her to it. And how his bedsheets had smelled of her perfume afterwards. He had cleaned the sheets almost right after, but the fragrance was still clear to him in his memory.
Quickly pushing those memories aside, Dominic put down the laptop next to him and stood up. Making it a lot less intimate, or at least it felt like that to him, even though his movement had gotten him closer to Gwyn now that he was standing.
"Besides," he couldn't help but add, "This is your own doing. You should have thought about this before pointing your finger at Cass."
She couldn't be mad at him just because he wouldn't accommodate her need to fix her own mistake. She could have kept her mouth shout. Like she could do right now. But Gwyn seemed to have a habit of getting herself in trouble just by not knowing when to quit.

It had taken her telling him to look at her before he actually looked at her. During her whole reasoning he had been staring a hole into the screen of his laptop but when she was finished he slowly closed the laptop. The way he did so told her that maybe she should be afraid a bit for what was to come, but she’d meet him halfway. Two could play this game of stubbornness. His expression alone told her that he was done with her, but she was also done with him denying her and keeping her cooped up. She hadn’t been inside this long since forever, probably never stayed at home the whole day voluntarily unless she was sick.

Frustration laced his words clearly as he once more told her the sole reason why she couldn’t leave HQ, she was pretty sure she could hear his molars ground on themselves by the way he gritted out the words.
‘’It does matter.’’ Gwyn countered stubbornly, frowning at his annoyed face. ‘’I get that there’s rules, a place like this would fall apart without them but what I am asking you isn’t to break the rules or to bend them. I am asking for permission so I can right a wrong.’’ She started to cross her arms in defiance, lacing them just underneath her chest as she watched Dominic put the laptop down next to him. He stood up and while she had been looking down on him just a second ago, he was now again towering over her and she had to tilt her head back a bit so she could look him in the eye. His woodsy scent descended over her like a cloud, causing her heart to skip just the tiniest of bits when it invaded the air she breathed. Stupidly tall boy scout.

Gwyn had held her ground when Dominic had risen from his bed, bringing their bodies closer to each other than they had been. Before only her knees were within gracing distance of his body and now.. Now most of her body was just inches away from his. If she’d just take the tiniest of steps, her toes would be touching his, her crossed arms would likely grace his stomach, his toned stomach. A flash of the naked upper torso she had seen appeared in front of her eyes, hurriedly she blinked the image away and focused on his words.

She knew bloody well she got herself in this mess with Cassius, but what did he expect? For her to be a meek, wee pathetic lump cowering in a corner? That was his mistake then.
‘’I know that I was wrong, no need to point it out any more than you already have. But what did you expect? How do you expect someone to react when you are suddenly under the loop, being interrogated in your own house, with roommates who’d surely spread the word that the freak has been questioned by the Godia warriors, panic strickenly going to find the only person who might help you only to be thrust into a meeting with agitated people who bark at him for trying to help and on top of it all encounter a person who you knew to belong to the Elite? The same Elite who have been making my life very much a miserable existence ever since they got wind about what my problem is? So excuse me if I didn’t know him to be unlike them, but he had been sitting there too when they had been sneering at me, calling me names. In my book not doing anything is the same as joining them. But tell me, since you’re so wise, how should I have reacted?’’ Letting out a long and frustrated sigh, Gwyn closed her eyes and brought one of her hands towards the bridge of her nose to pinch it. Word vomit, again. That would surely not help her case but the words had just flown out of her mouth, no restraint in sight. A flare of annoyance towards herself surged and she mentally slapped herself. Great job, well done. You just fucked yourself over.

‘’Forget everything I just said, I’m sorry. It’s frustration rearing its ugly head.’’ Dropping her hand back to its previous position and once again looking at Dominic, she took a deep breath. ‘’Just, please, let me make up with Cassius like this. At some point I have to leave HQ anyways, if I am going to be on the roster for doing the groceries.’’ How come she didn’t start with that argument, instead of everything else she had said. It could have saved her from having to bicker with Dominic again. Gwyn had cleaning and cooking duties like everyone else, so her doing the groceries would also be a possibility. Her ‘powers’ were still nowhere in sight and since she had lived her life as a human she pretty much acted like one too. They wouldn’t be able to sniff her out as a potential Nachon warlock, or a warlock in general. Probably making her the person who had the least to fear while walking through the aisles of a supermarket picking out toiletpaper.

‘’I won’t endanger him or the EFA. Not that Cassius would ever let me, I think I’d be silenced in a gutter before I can even try.’’ Because it seemed to her that Cassius was like that, he’d fiercely protect the EFA, and everyone in it. Every one of them would.

By Iosta, this girl could talk for forever. How many words did she say in a day? Probably more words than Dominic said in a week.
She went on a long rant towards him, clearly done with him being done with her. Dominic placed his hands in his jean pockets and looked down at her, while her words left her mouth quickly and angrily. It could look like he wasn’t truly listening, just waiting for her to be done, even though that wasn’t the case. He did listen to her. Dominic might seem like he didn’t want to hear what people had to say, but he actually took great pride in listening to people’s arguments. Besides, how would he be able to argue back, if he hadn’t heard the points he was arguing against?
The only time where he was about to interrupt her, was when she talked about the elite making her life miserable. She knew nothing about having your life made miserable by the elites. It wasn’t her that they were gathering a group to kill. To eradicate. Dominic’s frown lowered, and he opened his mouth to talk back at her, but Gwyn spoke to fast for him to get a word in. He closed his mouth again, pursing his lips instead. His hands came out of his pocket and he crossed his arms. Showing his disapproval of her point since he wasn’t able to tell her.

Though, her anger did resonate with him. Dominic wasn’t against use of anger – to no one’s surprise – and when someone like Gwyn had the need to go off on him like that, that had to mean that it was something that really meant something to her. That she really found it important to apologize to Cassius and to do It right. And her question about how Dominic would have reacted also put things into perspective for him. Remembering how he didn’t react any better when he first arrived at the EFA. Of course he had only been 15 years old back then but he couldn’t say that he wouldn’t have reacted the same if he had been standing in the same situation now. It wasn’t as if he was known for being mild-tempered.
And when Gwyn ended up apologizing for her anger – which Dominic saw no reason for her to apologize about since it was clearly there for a reason – Dominic softened up. Just a bit, and he didn’t change the way he was standing or looking at her. But his frown eased up, his jaw relaxed as well as the arms he was still crossing.
She had a point about grocery shopping as well. Amid all the chaos, Dominic and the most of the other EFA members had been way too busy to buy groceries, Idés ending up being the sole provider in that regard. Which wasn’t fair to him, since he also was very busy with… well, with whatever it was that he was working on. Dominic wasn’t even sure what his job title was, but as far as he could understand, it was a job that Idés had to spend many hours on. It would be nice to take some of that responsibility off him and let Gwyn do the grocery shopping. And then it would be good to let her out of the HQ for the first time with someone like Cassius who knew how to keep low-profile and which places to avoid. Dominic trusted Cassius to be able to keep track of Gwyn, protect them both if something was to happen.

Finally, Gwyn was done talking. Dominic snorted over her last point, because she was very right about that. Then his eyes stopped focusing on her, as he considered the situation. He was actually torn.
Then, he decided. With a sigh to show that he was done being angry, he raised his hand that said ‘that’s enough’.
“Okay,” he said,  “Fine. You’re allowed to take him out in Erast to apologize.”
He turned his upper body towards the bed to reach his arm down towards the laptop. Still leaning a bit sideways like that he stopped and raised his hand in the air again to interrupt her before she could thank him.
"But I swear to Iosta,” he added as a minor threat, like a parent or a boss would give, “If something happens to you or Cassius-" He was very quick to add Cassius’ name, even though Dominic knew that he didn’t have to worry about Cassius’ safety. He didn’t finish his ’threat’ and he didn’t need to. His point was clear.
He continued his movement and reached down to grab his laptop. He had it one of his hands as he straightened his back, his eyes turned to look at Gwyn again.
”Are we done here then?”
He really hoped the answer was yes and that he could go back to isolating.

He might not have meant to but by crossing his arms Dominic’s biceps were flexing. For just a split second it snagged her attention. If it weren’t for the fact that they were lowkey arguing then she might’ve guessed –or actually hoped– he was doing it on purpose. Alas, it was anything but that. Even though their forms were the same, his whole bodily language nearly screamed that he wasn’t trying to impress her with his bulging muscles, but rather trying to hold himself back from strangling her or something. It didn’t come to a surprise because Gwyn was sure she could annoy him to the world's end by just being herself, since he too managed to get underneath her skin. What did surprise her just the slightest was that Dominic hadn’t interrupted her while she was once again hashing out her reasons like a priest was serving their sermons. Not that she could recall ever seeing one in real life, but movies were good enough of a course for Gwyn when it came to religion. Not her forte, not her interest.

By the end of her rant it somehow seemed like Dominic stood less stiff. She noted that his arms weren’t as flexed and the ever present frown seemed less angry. It might have been a bit embarrassing that she knew the difference between his scowls already, even though he’d known him for a short amount of time but she felt like she did. Apparently she’d been watching him more in the moments when they were in the same room than she had realised. But who wouldn’t watch him when he walked into a room? His presence was demanding without him even trying. If he walked into the room, you didn’t need to see him to feel him enter. It could be his warlock power, but it could also very well be him as a leader.

She felt her eyebrows shoot to her hairline when an unexpected sound came from Dominic. Had he just…. Snorted at her?  He dared to snort, while she was seriously trying to convince him to let her out! How rude! The words to call him out on that were on the tip of her tongue, but when he sighed she quickly swallowed the words. Better await what he was going to say first before she’d sabotage herself again. Even with the little space in between them, Gwyn watched him like a hawk as he raised one hand. She wasn’t quite sure what he meant by it, but he surely wasn’t going to use it on her right? Like a smack or something, because she’d be ducking and punching his dick faster than he could utter the actual word of his third leg. Or at least, she hoped she would be fast enough.

Readying herself to duck if she needed to, she nearly leaped when Dominic spoke.  A massive grin nearly split her face. Uncrossing her arms from underneath her chest, she jumped forward and erased the distance in between their bodies by tightly wrapping her arms around his middle.
‘’Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!’’ She rapidly exclaimed.
The whole movement was done before she actually knew what she was doing. She was hugging Dominic. Well, more like side hugging but still she had her arms wrapped around him quite tightly. The fabric of his shirt felt soft against her skin where she had it pressed against his body, and his scent once again came to her. Musky and a bit cedary maybe? When her brain caught up, making her realise the error she quickly let go of him and took a big step back. Don’t blush, don’t you dare to blush!
Trying to school her features to not give away how flustered she was by her own actions, she opened up her mouth to actually thank him this time around, but he beat her to it by giving her one final warning. It didn’t go unnoticed by Gwyn that he addressed her first instead of Cassius. You’d think that one would place the name of the person they liked the least the last, or not mention them at all, right? Not allowing herself to mull over it, Gwyn placed her hands behind her back as she watched Dominic. Hopefully he wouldn’t scold her for her little attack hug.
‘’Yes, we are.’’ Gwyn replied when Dominic asked her if they were finished. She got what she wanted, permission to go outside HQ and apologise to Cassius. ‘’Bye.’’ She said softly, before turning towards the door and hurrying out of Dominic’s room. There was an apology she had to plan and work out, and of course hope that Cassius would allow her to do so.

Suddenly Gwyn had her arms around him. Dominic hadn't seen it coming, not even as she had stepped towards him, and now she was hugging him tightly, embracing his upper body while expressing her gratitude with a rain of 'thank you's. Dominic's body stiffened immediately, keeping him in the position of being turned half away from Gwyn, leaning a bit down towards the bed, with his computer in one hand. He couldn't even get himself to hug her back or to push her away. He couldn't even get himself to breath. Not with Gwyn so close to him that he could feel her warm through his clothes and with the scent of her perfume now in the air around him, a blend of floral notes with a hint of sweetness. How had Dominic already been around her enough for her perfume to smell so familiar to him? The warmth in his chest came back, but even then he couldn't reciprocate the embrace. Not when he feared what might happen if he were to touch her skin again. Not when he knew that he really wanted to touch her.

The hug didn't last long but still it felt like an eternity before Gwyn released her hold and took a step back, creating a visible gap between them. Dominic subtly adjusted his stance, shifting his weight to one side, as if gathering his composure and maintaining a distance from her touch. He couldn't look directly at her, so instead he looked down at the laptop in his hand, that he in laid down in bed, letting go of it a bit before he should, just because he couldn't move his body right now enough to lean more down.
"Uh, you're welcome," he managed to say, his voice only slightly strained. He then cleared his throat and straightened his back while he finally dared to look at her again, "Just be careful out there."

They were done here, Gwyn agreed, and while that was what Dominic had hoped she would say, he noticed how the warmth in his chest got mixed with a bit of disappointment. A disappointment he wouldn't have felt moments before, where she hadn't hugged him yet. Where her perfume didn't still linger in the air between them.
Gwyn said goodbye, and Dominic didn't answer but nodded her way before turning away to get back into the bed. However, he didn't sit down just yet. He waited to hear the door close, making sure Gwyn had left the room. Then, he could let out a heavy breath. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to regain his composure and push aside what had just happened.
"Focus, Dominic," he muttered to himself. It wasn't like him to get so thrown off balance by a girl. And not just any girl, Gwyn. It was probably just because of his stress. And his lack of sleep. And the very nice perfume she had.
He shook his head over himself and then sat back into the bed, refocusing his attention on his research on the laptop. He had work to do after all.