Raindrops on my window

Eliza was crawling under the covers as he entered. She felt the heart in her throat as he went on the other side of the bed, and she pulled the duvet up over her. Was he angry? Was he a violent type of man? She laid still, waiting to feel or hear anything, but he soon enough left the room with a small goodnight. Blinking a few times, she looked at the door, wondering if he had finally realized what this was going to be for them. Turning over to lay with her back against the door, she didn't really know how, but she managed to fall asleep, cradling her phone where a picture of Xalvador was.

The next morning she got woken up by someone stroking her hair, her eyes opening she smiled softly. Her brother. "Bom Dia irmã," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Trouble in paradise?" he asked, having seen how Ismael was struggling to fit on the couch but still asleep. She avoided his gaze and he clicked his tongue, shaking his head as he looked towards the door. "Ele está te machucando?" he whispered, but Eliza shook her head. Ismael hadn't hurt her, at least not physically and the other hurt was more circumstantial than being his fault. "I just sorta told him that this marriage to be isn't in my favor," she said, a little hushed, but it wasn't something Ismael didn't already know. Thomaz sighed, laying back on the bed and looking up at the ceiling. Eliza scooted closer, laying her head on his arm, making her brother smile. "You haven't done that since we were kids ... What do you want?" he asked, chuckling a bit as he turned his head to look at his sister. He loved her dearly, perhaps because she was all he had left of the family that they had lost. "Could you find someone and apologize for me?" she asked. Her brother nodded, getting the information that he needed before crawling out of bed.
"Don't forget the event tonight; They'll be celebrating the two newest love birds," he said in a slight tease making Eliza throw a pillow at him. He chuckled, apologizing before he left the apartment. Hopefully Ismael was still sleeping so he wouldn't get in trouble.
Finding this guy was actually rather easy. All he had to do was ask around for a bit - and who said no to a perfectly fine bribe? Seeing as the guy wasn't at his address, he went to the other he had been given. Some warehouse it looked like. Walking in he turned around himself, whistling a bit. "Now isn't this some shitty superhero stuff," he chuckled, clearly finding this amusing. It made some of the people present walk up to him, one of them grabbing him by the shoulder to push him back. Thomaz was a lanky kid, he did have muscle, but he was better at hiding it. "Relaxar, I'm here with a message from Eliza," he said, looking around until he found a face that seemed to be curious enough to listen.

Gonzo? What hell kind of name was Gonzo? He chuckled as he pushed his shoulder out of the guy's grip to follow the hybrid. Once in the room he remained standing, the urge to close the door was ignored, "it won't take long." He looked briefly at the room before turning his attention back to the hybrid. "My sister has asked me to apologize on her behalf; While I do not know why I will give you a warning to stay away from her," he said rather calmly. He looked like a scrawny kid, but it was clear that he had money with the jewelry around his neck and the gold rings adorning his fingers. "She's engaged now, and whatever you two might've had will only cause her trouble if you keep in contact," he was being selfish in all of this, but he had to be. He refused to see his sister end up lifeless once more.
"Now I don't need to know the extend of the relationship; I know my sister and she wouldn't send me unless you meant more to her than anything," he said touching some paper on the desk, but not caring to read it. "But it's clear that you are a criminal, I mean who in the 21st century has a fucking fax machine," he chuckled before shaking his head. "The wedding is in a few weeks ... If you have something to get off your chest then don't, she doesn't need to be strung along in some fantasy world."

Why did she always have to fall for assholes like that? The broody type who seemed to internalize some ridiculous feeling and never act on it. He was just going to be another Deacon and Thomaz hated that. His sister had a type, but why did it have to be this shitty? Thomaz knew he was coming off as a brat, but he just had that façade when it came to protecting those he loved. Scoffing he shook his head as the hybrid hit back, biting his lower lip as he nodded a bit. What had he really hoped? Maybe that someone would actually fight for his sister for once. That she wasn't just being taken advantage of before he had to swoop in and pick up the pieces.
"I'm not happy about this either," he just said, sounding rather genuine for once. "But she's all I have, and she can't keep throwing her life away at guys that won't even stand up and be there for her when she needs it," was it too harsh? No, not if you asked Thomaz. His sister had been through enough, and he wasn't watching this hurt her again. Turning around to leave he stopped in the door, a cocky smile on his lips as he turned his head to look at the hybrid. "She'll be attending a rather nice event this evening ... Would be a shame if she had a good time, right?" He said before leaving, passing the group of thugs that had been lingering outside the room. He looked at the one that had been called Gonzo, gritting his teeth a little before digging in to his pocket, the rest of the group thinking he was digging for a knife holding him back. But as he revealed a small roll of money they let him go as he tossed the money to Gonzo. "I hope your fashion sense is better than your namesake," he just said, eyeing the room before he left. Hopefully the goon would get the hint that he wanted Xalvador to be dressed up and attend the party tonight.

Getting out of bed wasn't the worst part. But it was a beginning. Walking over to the mirror she looked at herself, sighing as she pulled at the bags under her eyes. Her stylist was going to freak out at her, and he was coming in an hour or so. Walking out in to the apartment she looked at Ismael on the couch. When he was there sleeping so soundly he didn't look like a half bad guy. Instead of lingering for too long she went out in to the kitchen, filling the filter with ground coffee and adding water to the machine before pressing the on button. As it was going, she went to the fridge, pulling out some eggs and bacon, placing it on the counter before she grabbed some butter as well.
She liked cooking. Even if it was simple and not required a lot of skill. It just gave her time to not think and just do. While the bacon and eggs were frying on the pan, she started cutting some vegetables. Mushrooms, celery and some carrots, just to have some flavors and textures to play around with. Humming softly, she flipped the contents of the pan, a nice smell of food spreading in to the apartment.

He felt pushed up into a corner, because he was only hearing of the engagement just a second ago and now this guy that had been so quick to tell him to back off, was now insinuating for him to do the opposite. What a piece of work. It was already complicated enough and Xalvador felt like he was lacking with enough on his own plate. As soon as the guy left with the endnote of an event tonight, Xalvador was pretty certain that he wasnt going to go. If Eliza was engaged, even to a guy she didnt love.. She'd have a better chance with him. Right? He rubbed his face as his team came in with all bunch of questions and urging to know more about this mystery girl. Xalvador groaned and tried to brush them off, but they were persistent. One of them had also overheard the mention of an event and surely Xalvador couldnt not go. The hybrid sighed and rubbed his face, telling them all to mind their own business before he got annoyed - Though he was long past that at this point.

He had to admit that the sofa of all places to sleep wasnt exactly the best. But she had clearly seemed to want some time alone so he wasnt going to intrude on her. Besides, when he was finally asleep, he was gone. It wasnt till he heard the rustling in the kitchen and not long after the nice smell of food that made the human wake from his slumber. With a deep sigh he sat up, rubbing his face and his eyes as he made a soft groan. Lifting his arms, he stretched with a deep sigh, feeling his complaining bones get pushed back in place. He got up and went to the doorframe, looking at her for a moment before he swallowed to get some moisture in his mouth. "Goodmorning," he said in that typical raspy morning tone, walking over to see what she was doing. "That looks really good. Smells good too," he remarked, looking shortly at the pan before lifting his gaze to look at her. He made a small friendly smile before he moved away and stretched once more, "I'll go have a quick shower," he said, turning on the kettle before he went to the bathroom.

Despite how everything was, she knew she just had to play it nice from now on. Last night had been a bad idea, and the mood she had gotten from that type of rejection wasn't one that she had taken easily. But today was a new day, and she couldn't keep dreaming that someone would come and save her. She just had to live in the reality of things, and especially start to mend the relationship she was going to need to have with Ismael. He was going to be her husband, so she might as well start treating him as such. Even if she hated herself for thinking this way, it was just how she was going to survive.
But she wasn't really ready for him to be awake yet. Maybe she could've had just a few more minutes? But no. His good morning greeting made her nod, trying to pull her lips up in a smile that never quite reached her eyes. "There should be enough for the both of us," she said. Eliza wasn't one to cook for those around her, but this was perhaps her way of trying to apologize - even if Ismael would never find out what she had tried to do yesterday. He spoke of a shower and she nodded, "Our stylists should be here in a couple of hours," she said, but she felt like she could quite grasp her own voice, and it sounded more robotic. Breathing out in a sigh she shook her head, wafting with her hand to show that he could just go have that shower. Regardless of how she thought she was going to react, she clearly had some work to do before she could start acting more like herself.
While he went to the shower, she fixed up a plate for each of them, a cup of coffee with milk and sugar for her and the tea for him. She wasn't really all that experienced in making tea, but she did drink it once in a while. However today she needed caffeine more than anything, especially for staying awake until tonight. Her aunt had hired some great stylists - one for each of them - to help them get ready for tonight's event. She knew it was just to show her off as a wife to be. She knew that Ismael would be stuck with her for the most of the night and if she was lucky he fell in to talk with some other hunters and she could go sit outside. But that was only if he was talkative. Ismael seemed like the quiet type, so perhaps she would just have to stand and look pretty all night.
Poking her eggs slightly with a fork, she was more occupied with drinking her coffee, even if it was burning her tongue a little.

The sound of the shower going as she just sat at the kitchen table was somewhat comforting. Maybe because it sounded so homey. It was hard to put a finger on. As he returned she had expected them to just sit in silence until one of them finished their meal and began to clean up. But he thanked her and then he seemed to want an actual conversation? It seemed a little strange, but she tried to remind herself to keep her mind open and to at least not judge him too hard. Even if he had admitted that he had only agreed to this because he needed some daemon hunting partner.
"Uhm, I don't know," she had to admit, frowning as she looked at her half eaten plate. She thought about it for a good few minutes, taking a sip or two of her coffee. Then her gaze went back to him, seeing him in these baggy clothes she wondered what had made him wear that. But that was maybe a bit strange of a question. "What's your favorite meal?" she asked. Okay, it was pretty basic, but to be fair she knew very little about him. At least not enough to know if she disliked him yet.

Sitting with him at the kitchen table felt like it made him a real person. She couldn't really tell why she had built him up as some sort of persona hellbent on making her life a living nightmare. But maybe it was because she didn't know him, she didn't love him. And when she looked at him she just wished she was sat across from someone that she at least knew. His reply was a little bland, but she couldn't really blame him for it. He did just seem like a simple guy. "Well I like eating with others ... And cooking if you couldn't tell," she said, not sure if she sounded confident. She just felt a little in her head.
Frankly she thought she would have to continue asking him questions, but he seemed to realize that she was trying to get to know him. Gesturing for her to answer she bit her lower lip as she looked in to the room thinking it through. "I really like seafood," she said, looking back at him as she nodded a bit to herself. "But I don't think I'm that good at preparing it, so I usually order it when I'm out to eat," she confessed. She could do a lot with chicken, but seafood was just a bit harder for her to manage. "If it's something I have to prepare for myself, I actually prefer just eating deserts," she chuckled, taking a bite of her eggs before washing it down with coffee.
"My favorite desert is Pastéis de Nata, I don't know if you've tried it, but it's a little egg custard tart," she said, before shaking her head if he hadn't tried it. "I'll make it for you some time," it was almost like a promise.

No he could see the appeal in social eating, it just wasnt something he himself indulged in. Mostly because of his strict schedule and him not seeing eating as anything else than something that had to be done. But he didnt want to be reminded too much of how bland he was in many regards, he’d rather hear about her. “Seafood like sushi? Or just generally anything from the sea?” He asked, a little curious. If he ever had seafood it was mostly a fried fish to make sure he got his omegas, which he probably didnt even have to say.
The mention of deserts made him raise his eyebrows a little surprised. He didnt know why, he just hadnt thought she’d have a sweet tooth like that. “Pastéis de Nata?” He repeated, seemingly never having heard of it. He pulled out his phone and tapped fast on the screen before he looked at pictures, nodding to her promise. “It looks delicious, so I'll take you up on that” he admitted, turning off his phone again before slipping it into his pocket. Scratching his neck a little he obviously had something on his chest. “I really really liked sweet stuff as a kid. I used to steal cookies and candy from the pantry and share some with my little brother, and we were caught every time by angry parents who had just prepared dinner for us all,” he explained before he chuckled at the memory and shook his head. “But I had to stop eating sweet stuff when my training began, mostly because I wanted to stay in really good shape all the time, and my little brother isnt around anymore, so I didnt feel motivated to keep up the stealing habit,”

"Sushi is nice, but I prefer - okay, this is going to sound snobby - but I really like lobster," she said, a small smile appearing on her lips. She didn't have it often, but it was one of those treats that you'd get for a special occasion. "But like a fried mackerel or tuna is also fine," she chuckled, looking down at her plate before he seemed to look up the desert she had mentioned, nodding as he had found the right one.
For some reason it felt good to just talk. After all they were kinda in the same boat so to speak, although she had a feeling he had much more say in his life than she had. Taking another sip of her coffee she frowned a little surprised as he went on to speak more. He usually kept everything so brief and to the point, like some sort of robot. But this really showed his human side. He seemed a lot like Xalvador on some points, at least the whole staying fit part. Just thinking about the hybrid made her stomach hurt, so she tried not to. It will pass, she told herself, but she wasn't sure if it really would right now. "My brother was the same when we were kids, always trying to break in to the pantry at my grandmother's to steal some of her homecooked snacks," she smiled, relating to what he said a lot. But the mention of his brother not being around made her tilt her head a little.
"Is your brother busy training like you?" she asked, almost innocently because how could she know what had happened to him.

He definitely made a mental note to remember her favorites, even if lobster did make him chuckle. It did sound snobby, but on the other hand, would it have been expensive if it was bad? He caught himself a little by surprise as he had spoken so openly about his brother. Normally it was just a thing he never spoke off and got angry if anyone ever mentioned it. But he had brought it up himself, so could he really blame her curiousity as she asked about him? His eyes did however turn a little sad as memories came flooding. It was inevitable for him to not feel something that showed his hurt. "Uhh... no, he's not," he said with a small sigh. But instead of answering, he just sent her a small trying smile. "I'll tell you some time, I promise. It's just very hard to talk about him," he explained. But he had also been rather thankful that he had somehow been able to mention him on his own without getting sad about it. Only that he wasnt going to admit that now. He ate some more and drew in a deep breath. "Your brother really cares for you though, doesnt he?" he then asked, now that they were talking about brothers anyway.

As soon as she asked about his brother. That look. She recognized it. Not knowing what compelled her, she just reached her hand over the table, placing it lightly on his, nodding as he promised to tell another time. "You are not obligated to tell me everything," she said, smiling at him rather emphatically. When she felt it was enough, she removed her hand, remaining seated with the last bit of coffee she had left in her cup. But she didn't even dare to get up, because it felt like they were finally going somewhere, at least conversation wise.
"Yeah, he's always acted like he is the big brother," she chuckled, biting her lower lip as she swirled her coffee around her cup just staring at it. "Things changed a lot after we lost our parents; One of them having a very big impact on me ... And since then he's always looked out for me," she said, clearly not wanting to go in to detail either. She wasn't sure if it was ever something she wanted to talk about with anyone. She just knew that those thoughts were always in the back of her head. "I think you'll like him once you get to know him; He might not act the part, but he's really smart, and he's strong too." Perhaps she was biased as he was her brother, but alas wondering about it wouldn't help much.
"I know I spoke poorly of our situation yesterday, but I do want a family of my own some day," she said, having referred to herself as some sort of incubator. It felt like that at times, at least when she had thought about Ismael being the father. She couldn't even imagine sleeping next to the guy. "I just want to be sure I have myself together by then."

He looked at her hand as she reached out, narrowing his eyes slightly at her words. He just felt like he was, at least at some point if they really were going to be married at some point. Wasnt that the point of it all, a marriage? Those thoughts were confusing on their own and as she removed her hand, he was ready to talk about something that wasnt directly at him. Hearing about her brother and the loss of their parents made him wonder if they both shared that feeling of loss that he sometimes felt as if it was going to eat him up on a bad day. "I honestly dont know what I've signed up for with him. I feel like we're too complete opposites and I kinda worry what the teamwork would be like," he said, smiling a little defeated as he wasnt sure what to think but also made light of the situation. Because it really just was a wait-and-see thing.
He hummed at her next words, leaning back as he grabbed his cup of tea and took a sip. He thought that most people shared that dream. A family of their own. Surely he would have been among them under different circumstances. "Well, I know everyone is trying to put a lot of pressure on us. But this marriage will be between us and not us and your aunt, or anyone else. Just us. So we can decide what we want and when we want it," he then said, knowing that her aunt had seemed rather strict when they had been sitting around the table making arrangements. "I just want to say that I'm not here to force you into doing anything that you dont like in this marriage. Like even knowing that you're not completely fine with being married is making me worried," he then admitted, taking a sip of his tea.

"He'll just have to warm up to you first, as he can be a little shy to show the real him," she said, although she couldn't tell what would happen when they would start working together. Eliza had been trained a little when she was younger, but her mind had always been the weak point for her. So instead her brother had taken up the task. Luckily Thomaz was a natural, so she didn't have to worry too much.
He spoke of their marriage, and while what he said might be sincere, she just didn't know him well enough to know for sure. His final admittance made her sigh, shrugging as she felt there was really nothing that could be done at this point. "I always have a choice, but I also know that I am not that desirable to those in our midst," she said, shaking her head as she just looked down. "I was engaged before you, but when my parents died the engagement was terminated and well-," she said, but didn't finish the sentence. It wasn't something she wanted to think or say, because wouldn't that just guilt trip him into thinking that she was worse? "Either way, rumors are tough ... But I assure you that I haven't been with anyone," how she hated saying that. But she couldn't just go around and say how she had tried giving herself to a certain hybrid the night before only to be turned down.
"I guess my biggest fear has always been ending up alone, and this arrangement at least makes sure I wont," she said, smiling a little sadly at the daemon hunter across from her. She got up from her seat, taking their plates and started cleaning them off. She could feel her heart beat loudly in her chest from the heartache she felt, but there was really nothing to do about soothing it. Deacon hadn't fought for her, Xalvador wouldn't fight for her, so where was the point in fighting for herself anymore? "I'll clean this up; You have training, right?"