11-14-2018, 12:57 PM
[align=center][div style="borderwidth=0px; width: 55%; line-height:115%; text-align: justify;font-family: calibri;"]The first thing that caught Des' eye was the fact that the man seemed almost impossible easy going, much like himself in nearly every situation. It brought up a healthy dose of suspicion, his curiosity piqued and subtly seeking the answer to his newfound question: was he running too? Maybe he was just like that, but the similarities were too many to ignore, and it was the surest way to get his attention. That's how Gabe had managed - he had hell of a lot of problems of his own, and Des was too good for his own good, trying to help solve them before he could even solve his own only to realize that the old man's goal was the same as his and they eventually met at an impasse. He couldn't get anything out of Gabriel, and Gabriel still hadn't gotten anything useful out of him. He wasn't sure if he wanted the same with Hawke, so he didn't pry, his gaze telling nothing of his silent turmoil.
But they did tell of minute shock at the flirtatious quip, shoulders involuntarily stiffening and mind on guard. His smile didn't drop, but it was suddenly more like he was baring his teeth than actually grinning, with far too much teeth and none of the warmth reaching his eyes anymore. There was nothing but wariness, his past coming back to chase him in one, Hawke-shaped box. "I'd appreciate it if you found someone more worthwhile to flirt with." Not to say the man wasn't handsome and someone who had inadvertently caught Des' eye, but it was back to the whole idea of problems. A lot of Des' were sexual, and not because of sexual repression or questioning sexuality like others. They were far more severe, sending his nerves alight and reactivating that primal urge to either run or fight. But he wouldn't. He'd stand his ground, smile easy, but a subtle warning in his gaze.
Trust him to still be polite even in the face of trauma. He wasn't here to hurt anybody, and he had a lot of patience, but even the slightest signal of any advances sent the pots and pans banging inside of his head, warning him that nothing good would come out of it. Hawke hadn't crossed any lines yet, and although Des was warier of the flirtatious type he was far from someone that he wished to ignore... he just hoped the man got the message and didn't press. There was being a sly smartass, and then there was pushing limits. Des was accustomed to the former (he was one of them), but the latter would get no mercy from him.
Thankfully he didn't have to think of himself for too much longer. A sharp laugh left him at Bakugou's response, eyes glimmering with even sharper amusement as they shifted from the man back to the newcomer (Hawke - he had to stop looking at everyone and being unable to address them by name, although it was hard when you had a habit of running and not looking back. It was easier when you didn't know anyone, regardless if they knew you or not.) There was having something up your ass, dead or alive, and then there was him, and although Des had half a mind to warn Hawke that no matter what he said other than strictly business matters would be taken badly, he felt like the man already knew that and it'd be a waste of breath. He seemed the type to enjoy shoving a strong personality wherever it wasn't wanted.
Luckily for him, those like Bakugou were rare around these parts, and Des wasn't one of them. He took the comments in stride, grin still easy but the strain of his muscles disappearing minutely upon realizing that he was more in his element. Friendly banter was what he thrived on. It could deflect all the attention from off of his problems, and allowed others to do the same. Who could ask for a better distraction?
"Don't mind him, there's plenty of things you can kiss that aren't the ferals... unless, of course, you're into that thing, in which case I ain't stopping you," he mused, tilting his head back with an easy chuckle. "As for dragons... yeah, we've got one -" his voice was caught off by devil himself, grinning up at Lucifer at his perfect timing. "- right there. And, right here" with a few seconds of pause he shifted, bones changing and morphing, his skin turning far more scaled until in the span of a maximum of ten seconds he, too, matched Lucifer (if only a bit smaller.) "Not a curse, though, I promise. No need to kiss this out of me."
But they did tell of minute shock at the flirtatious quip, shoulders involuntarily stiffening and mind on guard. His smile didn't drop, but it was suddenly more like he was baring his teeth than actually grinning, with far too much teeth and none of the warmth reaching his eyes anymore. There was nothing but wariness, his past coming back to chase him in one, Hawke-shaped box. "I'd appreciate it if you found someone more worthwhile to flirt with." Not to say the man wasn't handsome and someone who had inadvertently caught Des' eye, but it was back to the whole idea of problems. A lot of Des' were sexual, and not because of sexual repression or questioning sexuality like others. They were far more severe, sending his nerves alight and reactivating that primal urge to either run or fight. But he wouldn't. He'd stand his ground, smile easy, but a subtle warning in his gaze.
Trust him to still be polite even in the face of trauma. He wasn't here to hurt anybody, and he had a lot of patience, but even the slightest signal of any advances sent the pots and pans banging inside of his head, warning him that nothing good would come out of it. Hawke hadn't crossed any lines yet, and although Des was warier of the flirtatious type he was far from someone that he wished to ignore... he just hoped the man got the message and didn't press. There was being a sly smartass, and then there was pushing limits. Des was accustomed to the former (he was one of them), but the latter would get no mercy from him.
Thankfully he didn't have to think of himself for too much longer. A sharp laugh left him at Bakugou's response, eyes glimmering with even sharper amusement as they shifted from the man back to the newcomer (Hawke - he had to stop looking at everyone and being unable to address them by name, although it was hard when you had a habit of running and not looking back. It was easier when you didn't know anyone, regardless if they knew you or not.) There was having something up your ass, dead or alive, and then there was him, and although Des had half a mind to warn Hawke that no matter what he said other than strictly business matters would be taken badly, he felt like the man already knew that and it'd be a waste of breath. He seemed the type to enjoy shoving a strong personality wherever it wasn't wanted.
Luckily for him, those like Bakugou were rare around these parts, and Des wasn't one of them. He took the comments in stride, grin still easy but the strain of his muscles disappearing minutely upon realizing that he was more in his element. Friendly banter was what he thrived on. It could deflect all the attention from off of his problems, and allowed others to do the same. Who could ask for a better distraction?
"Don't mind him, there's plenty of things you can kiss that aren't the ferals... unless, of course, you're into that thing, in which case I ain't stopping you," he mused, tilting his head back with an easy chuckle. "As for dragons... yeah, we've got one -" his voice was caught off by devil himself, grinning up at Lucifer at his perfect timing. "- right there. And, right here" with a few seconds of pause he shifted, bones changing and morphing, his skin turning far more scaled until in the span of a maximum of ten seconds he, too, matched Lucifer (if only a bit smaller.) "Not a curse, though, I promise. No need to kiss this out of me."
♔ — I want brimstone in my garden