bakerstreet | What if we were together? j/k, j/k...unless-

Oh yeah, gold tends to make all kinds of people feel very friendly. As long as you're good at what you're doing.

[He looks down at the guy with a pointedly wry smile, not remotely done giving him shit - this time for apparently needing a little more practice before he can get away with cheating. He'd like to keep an eye on those guys while he does it but you have to do a lot more glancing around when you have one eye, too much to really be subtle, and he wants any potential attack to come from someone who thinks they have surprise on their side. Instead he focuses on his new friend's hands - you steal one guy's gold, after all, you might just steal another's. He isn't going to worry too much about that, he never carries much, but it's not like he wants to lose it.]

[ fig sniffs delicately at the air, chin tipping up. ]

I'm very good at what I'm doing. [ he just wants to clear that up right now! ] It's not my fault my new friends don't take losing very well.

[ though, as soon as he says that, he skitters a look over his shoulders, flinching the moment he happens to meet the eyes of one of the men still tailing them. hastily, he turns back around, unconsciously pressing himself a little closer against the larger man.

now fig may be foolish at times, but he's not dumb. he definitely knows better than to bite the hand that's feeding him, so the bull can rest assured his gold is untouched. he's a little discouraged by his "friends" doggedness, so he turns his face up towards the bull, folding his lips into an imploring smile. ]

Why don't we go somewhere, ah, more private?

[That flinch and the way the Bull feels the man press more firmly against him does, at least, tell him what he hadn't looked around and seen for himself. He doesn't react to it much, though. The guy's so close because he's afraid, not because he's into him.]

What, private like some little shop with a back window you can climb out of and lose your tail? Or private like you rent a room with that money you won and hide out for a while?

[Yeah, normally talk of going somewhere private would have gotten at least one come-on out of the Bull, but - again - the guy's here because he's afraid, and between that and the 'act like you were waiting for your big tough Qunari lover' act that makes it kind of hard to judge whether there's any genuine interest there. And if there isn't, the position this guy's in, if the Bull isn't careful how he approaches this he might end up thinking he has to keep on pretending to show interest or lose his new protection. For now, at least, it's better if he plays it cool.]

[ look, fig won't lie here: he definitely sought the bull out for his imposing stature, and didn't really think much more on it than that. that said, it's definitely not the only thing that's made him stay. feeling safe isn't just found in another's power, after all, but in their own warmth and ability to convey that safety. fig's here because he feels that with the bull... and that's not something he can say of many people, let alone the ones he's just met.

also, yeah, he's hot as fuck. did fig happen to luck out for as unlucky as he had just been? he's not about to question it. ]

The latter, definitely the latter.

[ the feline nature in him wants to find someplace secure, where he has a sense of all the walls and possible exits. to him, being out in the open feels far too vulnerable. ]

I was hoping to meet your new friends some place where I wouldn't have to worry about any strangers interrupting, so I've been heading away from the inns. Most of them are back that way.

[He tosses his head, pointing a horn in the direction of the inns and taking the opportunity he hadn't a moment ago to try and glance behind them, trying to see if their followers have made any friends. They probably haven't had time yet, but you never know.]

We might have to walk back by them to get to one. How much of a show are you willing to put on to make sure they decide to wait a while before they jump us?

[ at the mention of a "show," fig leans his head back enough to be able to meet the other's eyes. his own flash coyly, a gold-green color that reflects the light around them. ]

If I were any taller, I would have kissed you by now.

[ a pause, and then a sweet smile. ]

With your permission of course.

[ he leans in again, resting his cheek along the bull's chest. he lowers his voice so only the other can hear, almost sheepish. ]

I hope you don't think I was making you fight my battles for me... That's not what I want. I was hoping they'd get discouraged by now, but it seems like they're really persistent.

Don't worry about it, fighting other people's battles is what I do. Usually for more of a fee, but I guess I could swing a little something on the side.

[There it is - interest that looks genuine, and that's always a nice sight to see. The Bull grins down at him, sliding the hand on his hip up to rest on his back, fingers spread to see how much of the guy's back his hand can cover. Most people seem to get a kick out of that when they're with him, that whole size thing, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't get a pretty big - ha - a pretty big kick out of it, too.]

How much of this battle am I going to be fighting solo? Do you have more under those clothes than money you won completely fair and square, or were you just counting on losing those guys in the crowd after?

[ a small fee is not something fig thinks he can swing, considering how badly he needs the gold he'd just acquired. but he's more than happy to try his luck negotiating with the other than trying to give the gold back. he has a pretty good feeling that those men are not the forgiving type.

that said, the idea of actually confronting the men is low on his list of to-do's. the whole point of entangling himself with the bull had been an attempt to get away! needless to say, the smile fig gives the bull in response could be more accurately described as a grimace. ]

I'm more of a lover than a fighter. [ . . . ] And a runner. I'm usually pretty good at running. [ though that gets difficult real quick when he's outnumbered. like so.

but um. how does he be helpful here... ]

I have a knife?

[ oh. wait. the large hand spanning across his back suddenly makes him remember: ]

I can make you stronger. Would that help?

Edited 2020-03-27 01:18 (UTC)

What, like magic shit?

[For the first time in this whole little diversion, the Bull frowns. The thing about that weird crap is that you can never tell when it's coming until you're right there in the middle of it. To be fair, those eyes probably should have given him a clue.]

[He shakes his head with a sigh, his posture relaxing a little, letting it go.]

Let's not bust out the weird crap for three tipsy assholes just trying to win their pride back. Besides, that's the kind of thing I'd need to practice first, and we don't have time for that. Just keep your knife put away until we get away from people, I can handle things if we don't.

[He takes the shit he'd let go just now and packs it up a little more, putting it away, and gives the other man a smile, faint but genuinely appreciative, anticipating.]

So, are you ready to turn back around? I think you were saying something a moment ago about kissing me.

[ with the faintest of pouts, put out: ] It's just a simple power amplifier...

[ yeah, sure, it's technically magic shit but it's not the worst! it's essentially just working with what you already have... but, like. times ten. though perhaps he should have mentioned that, most of the time, it tends to work without even having to trigger it, but by just a simple touch...

anyway. they at least know there's the option, should they ever need it. the bull is right though - it's probably not needed for the likes of the men trailing after them. but that's fine, fig is adaptable. evident in the way his expression shifts into a coy smile the moment a kiss is brought back up. ]

I also said I wasn't tall enough to do it on my own.

[ he attempts to lift himself up on his tiptoes as their walking slows, but at best he'd just reach the bull's chin. ]

How about some help?

Oh yeah, no problem.

[The Bull sets his hands on the guy's waist and starts trying to turn them back toward the inns - and the guys behind them - while he matches that slower walking pace.]

What is it you want help with? I could, uh, let's see, teach you to dance, get something off a high shelf...

[His voice is pleased, amused with himself, and smiles down as if he's not watching out of the corner of his vision for any sudden movement. He can be ready and have some fun at the same time.]

[ the coy smile slips off pretty quickly, the former familiar lowering back down to his regular height. he looks unimpressed, but there's definitely no malice in the dryness of his tone when he responds. ]

You're hilarious. Who knew I picked out such a comedian?

[ the crowd parts pretty willingly for them, which makes sense, given the bull's naturally imposing nature. the men who'd been following them seem thrown off by their sudden about-face, coming to a halt not too far ahead of them. ]

Oh, I've got more where that came from.

[The Iron Bull grins. The years of telling the same jokes - ah, refining his best ones - to his men have only encouraged him. But he hates to disappoint someone who was just looking at him like this guy was and so he makes a move to try and lift him up, hoping to slip an arm under the other guy's ass and bring him high enough to give him a deep kiss, right where the guys who were following them are looking.]

[ the bull's arm provides more than enough leverage for fig to lift up comfortably. he doesn't even need to sling an arm around the other's neck and cradle his jaw with the other hand, but he does for the full benefit of their little show. maybe it's not the best idea to close his eyes while they kiss, but he's a greedy little bitch and wants to fully indulge. they've got a relationship to sell, after all, and so he doesn't hold back on deepening the kiss almost as soon as their lips meet.

to their pursuers' credit, they all seem startled by the sudden display of affection. if any of them had any doubt about their relationship, the intensity of the kiss alone is definitely enough to cast such doubts away. the kiss has also garnered the attention of other shoppers and merchants around them, creating a scene. one man whispers to the one seemingly in charge, and after a short back and forth they seem to all agree that now is not the time... so with a grunt, the leader leads the other two away. for now, at least. ]

[The Bull doesn't move to put the guy down once they're done, and doesn't move to put his other arm underneath him, either, leaving his free one settled over the guy's shoulders. Yeah he might be showing off a little, making a point of how long he can hold up the guy's whole weight with just one arm, but so what? He can show off if he wants to.]

So. Was that the kind of help you needed? Or should I go back to getting shit off high shelves for you?

[He doesn't move his head back much and his voice is slow, satisfied. That was a good kiss.]

[ if the bull wants to show off, fig is in no way complaining. this overt display of strength is a benefit to both their currently non-existent pursuers and for fig, reassuring him he's not only chosen well in terms of protection... but there may also be other advantages in other areas as well.

he's only a little breathless by the time they part, his tanned cheeks flushed, and a lazy little smile that he can't seem to lick off his lips. ]

Is there an option for both? I'd like to choose both.

Why is that, have you got something important you'd like me to, uh... reach for?

[Was there a certain tone to those last couple words? Well, yeah. If you use the right tone of voice, you can make an innuendo out of anything.]

[ it's a tone fig himself knows well, having adopted it a fair few times in moments just like this... or when he wants to be a dick and tease someone. it prompts a laugh out of fig, light and genuine, and he shifts against the other so he's leaning his chin against his shoulder. ]

With your size? It won't take you much reaching at all.

[ glancing around briefly, fig takes note of how the others around them are regarding them. he doesn't know who this man is, being a foreigner, but he can see that it isn't just his imposing size that's garnering him some respect around here. and now people are looking at fig like he's his — which frankly doesn't bother him as much as it should. already, he feels safer.

and without their other audience in sight, he allows himself to relax a little. ]

I'm Fig, by the way.

Oh, hey, I love a guy who's named after food.

[That opens the way for so many puns. He'll keep an eye out for opportunities. Fig didn't seem to like the joking around too much earlier - partly because of the timing, maybe, he might have taken it as a rejection - but whether or not people enjoy hearing them isn't the point of a good pun, anyway. He hitches Fig a little higher up against his chest, sliding his other hand down Fig's shoulders, down his back, and over his ass, finally settling it to support the guy's weight.]

I'm the Iron Bull, and it is really nice to meet you. Do you still want to find that inn, or were you heading somewhere?

[ yes yes, get your puns in while you can. fig supposes it's the least he can do, after all this. his own humor is more mischievous than pun-related, but he can appreciate a good joke as much as the next guy. ]

The Iron Bull? [ he's never met a the before. ] That's a bit of a mouthful. Do you have any nicknames? Or should I just call you 'sweetheart'?

[ see? he's hilarious. ]

In any case, trust me - the pleasure of our meeting is all mine. [ he saved his hide after all, even if it might just be temporary. ] Those men seemed pretty resilient, though, so I'm inclined to hide out for a bit... But we're together now, aren't we? [ even if it is just for show. ] Shouldn't I accompany my darling on his... whatever it is he was doing before I bothered him?

Edited 2020-03-27 16:36 (UTC)

[Oh, he has all sorts of suggestions for what the cute guy in his arms can call him - but the conversation moves on before he can share them. That's alright. There might still be plenty of time to share that kind of thing later.]

I was doing some shopping.

[He shrugs, the motion making him move Fig around in his arms.]

The guy I'm sharing a room with wanted to bring in a little company for himself, so I thought I would find something to do, give him some privacy. Hey, you said you're a lover, not a fighter, does that mean you know about the kind of thing humans expect to get for like... courting gifts?

[ by now fig's sort of gotten pretty cozy getting carried around, one arm slung around the bull's neck while the other reaches over to lightly grasp at his wrist. so when he's jostled, he isn't really bothered. ]

Oh, are you courting someone? [ fig isn't frosty so much as he's disappointed. what a waste of a good kiss! he sniffs. ] I'm a lover, but I'm not necessarily a human either...

[ well. ]

Well not really. [ hashtag it's complicated. ] But I suppose if I had to guess... flowers? Sweets? [ ... ] Good booze?

[He laughs.]

Me, courting? Shit, no. It's for one of my men, she's interested in this guy but doesn't know how to approach him and, since I have some time on my hands-

[He gives what he's currently got on his hands a little squeeze, grinning.]

-I thought I might as well help her out. But you don't exactly sound like you know much more about this stuff than I do. I guess you haven't got much experience with human stuff?

[ oh. well that made him feel a little better. (and the ass squeeze didn't hurt, either.) ]

Mmm... Do two years count? [ give or take. he imagines he must have had some human interaction in his other life, but he can't say for sure... ]

But if it's a human man she's trying to court, I would definitely go with booze. Hell, it doesn't even have to be good booze. Men are laughably easy... Most of the time, all they need is your interest.

Edited 2020-03-27 18:07 (UTC)

[He snorts, amused, and starts walking toward the market. Believe it or not, his arms are going to get tired eventually, and when that time comes maybe if he gives Fig something to look at he'll climb out of the Bull's arms of his own accord without the Bull having to admit to anything.]

[He doesn't ask about the two years thing. He does file it away, though, assuming it dates back to some kind of expulsion from some nonhuman home he might have been living at before. Best not to ask for details about that kind of personal shit unless it becomes relevant.]

Hey, you say that like it's a bad thing. What's wrong with interest?

What if we were together? j/k, j/k...unless-

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