Where the Heart Leads Home

[Persephone]

It was no secret she loved the man, seconds after she'd severed she'd known it was a mistake. A mistake she would never forgive herself for, even if he could manage to do so, even if he would take her back as his wife. Which he had done, it'd been a lovely ceremony, he'd even expressed his unwillingness to let her go again this time by handcuffing her to his own wrist. A sentiment she both adored and found amusing. It reminded her of when he'd branded her hand with "Property of Koz" for her trips into the ghetto's back when they'd first started dating. Back after the Mafia had zeroed him, and her then daughter Tifereth had asked her to get to know him.

Well it was his turn now. In time the branding mark had left her hand, it had gone the way of all post-mortem injuries that were of the non-magic kind. Though she would not let this mark leave, no, she was going to mark him as hers for the rest of eternity, however long that was.

"Rosette...please ask Koz to meet me in my offices at Dischord. Tell him to wear the wine colored tux in his closet, along with the black button up and matching tie. There are also black dress shoes in his closet and socks made ready for him. Tell him to meet me at 10pm please."

She'd prepared a nice sit down for the two of them, then she would share with him the two things she had prepared for their wedding, the playlist of course of songs which seemed to travel through their history together and this marking business. A table was set, a table cloth and two place settings. Music was set to play with the opening of the door and she would be waiting for him at the table. Her own attire a little black number, corset top, of course though it was made mostly of lace over a sheer fabric, which extended to mid-thigh fitted against her form. Right crossed over left she seated herself at the table. A soft whisper from her lips and the candles were lit, almost as an after thought.

[Koz]

Koz had been working in Valis’ old forge for hours now. Through time he had been the constant variable in keeping alive all of the memories those walls held inside of them. Holding one of the blades up at an angle he gazed to the far end of the weapon. The curve of the blade itself seemed to come out perfectly, but he only had a rough estimate for the forearm bracers. By his guess they should be about his wrists’ width. Sliding his wrist inside of the bracer he nodded in satisfaction at the tight fit. It was then he heard a knock on the door.

Who the hell could this be? Surely anyone who knew of this location has either forgotten about it or been gone for some time now. Raising a brow Koz set the blade down beside the other and covered them both with a cloth. Moving to the door he cracked it open just enough so he could pull whomever it was inside. Reaching his arm out and grasping what felt like a neck, he retracted his arm quickly. “Who ar-“ he began, letting go quickly once he saw a woman standing in front of him. “Who sends you?” he asked, his mind racing to think of who this woman might be. A small chuckle came from Koz at the woman’s response, informing him of his wife’s request. “You can hang around if you want, if not make sure to lock the door on your way out. I only ask that you not touch anything.” He said with a slight bow, an attempt at humor on his part before he exited the building.

“Wine colored tuxedo, everything’s been laid out…wonder if the Charger will be in the garage…that would be impressive.” Koz started talking to himself on his stroll home, wondering where persephone found time to do all of these things without him knowing. Of course he found his answer when he started remembering all the things he had set up to surprise her without her knowing. They were good together. She was the firm hand against his back to keep him moving forward and he was her shield. Koz stopped to take a look over their home upon arrival, eventually wandering inside and upstairs to grab a quick shower. The next thing he knew he was standing in front of a mirror finishing with the last buttons of the vest. Catching a quick glimpse of another clock he quickly slipped on his shoes and grabbed the tuxedo coat, rushing down to the garage to hopefully find the Dodge Charger sitting in it’s spot.

A grin came across his lips as Koz jumped into the driver seat. Flipping the sun visor down he caught the keys and slid the appropriate key into the ignition. Once the garage door began to open he fired the engine up and started to back out. “Gods be praised that woman does love me.” He said, since he didn’t even know where he last left this car. He had tendencies of abandoning them all over the city to go on walks. After a drive that seemed like only a few moments even though he was going clear across the city, Koz parked the car somewhere out of sight. Almost running to the front door of Dischord he threw his arms through the sleeves of his tuxedo coat. Fumbling with the buttons as he searched for a room persephone might be in he laughed in victory over the buttons of his coat. Knocking twice he then turned the handle on the door, at first pushing it open just enough to see inside before entering. Seeing his wife seated at a table he didn’t even notice the music that began to play at the sight of her. Moving over to sit across from her he smiled now noticing the music.

“Good evening love, and how are you?” he said, slinking down in his chair a little.

[Persephone]

She could smell the traces of the workshop on him, she'd never truly understood the relationship between her husband and Valis, yet she knew it ran deep within his blood. A loyalty she had yet to see equaled in paralleled form as of late in the city. Such visions did the heart of an old Oracle good. It gave her hope that those with her own values still survived in this cold forsaken city.

As they fell upon him, those onyx orbs would not stray. Instead they took in every action of the man before her, his movements were anything but foreign to her, this man who knew her so intimately just as she knew him. Not a muscles twitch would surprise the woman, yet fascination still reigned her heart. To know one so well was to truly become one with the other, he was her equal and now her companion in all things. So few, she mused, knew a relationship as shared between she and Koz. So few could consider themselves so blessed by the hands of the Fates as this Dark Oracle could claim upon her own head.

His words twisted through the wind, a caress against her ears as it played over the softly tuned music. A smile turning up the corner of those precious pink lips, as goblet was swirled once, twice, thrice before being drawn to parched lips.

"Good eve my love. I am well, thank you for joining me....especially on such short notice. I simply well...I felt it was time we spent an evening just the two of us, there is something that needs...resolved I do believe." A wink of her eye, as a smirk twisted her lips, the intent of her mischief danced in her mind. She'd prepared a gift for him...something she knew he'd wanted quite badly, yet he would never have gotten it for himself. No, that simply wasn't his way. He was a man of simplistic needs, a life of simple values that sustained him. Whereas she, had grown in wealth, living a lifestyle of luxury when she had attained her own fortune through the guiding hands of the Fates.

Though perhaps it was a selfish gift for him, she loved to watch him, to observe as those tender fingers, who's touch she knew so well, danced over strings, painting images in the air to her delight. But that may wait. She was not one to dine, no that was for lesser creatures, but rather a nice refreshment was placed before each and a nod of dismissal before she spoke once more.

"I trust all was in order? Or must I have a chat with Rosette? I do hope she didn't surprise you my love."

[Koz]

Koz brought his attention back to Persephone. He had inevitably gotten lost in the music as she spoke and had to try to remember what she said. “Ah…uhm…” he murmured as his chin rested on the knuckles of his fist. “Hm…she was okay. Kind of shocked me that someone actually showed up.” He suddenly remembered he left Rosette alone in the forge. “Oh, she comes with insurance right? I might have…and this is a rather large possibility, forgotten to tell her not to touch any of the scrolls on the back bookcase.” Koz’s thoughts wandered a moment before he shrugged it off.

“Oh! Yes a quiet evening is good. The best of times. The short notice was enough, I wasn’t really into anything too important.” He finished. Not mentioning he noticed Persephone’s wink he figured she had something in store for him. Of course knowing Persephone she already knew he suspected something. With that in mind he tried to remain oblivious.

He also knew the matter of which she spoke. It had been a little friendly wager the two had made between themselves. Persephone had fulfilled her end of the wager and Koz did not. Thus the tuxedo, he decided to take whatever she had in store for him with a grin. He had to let her win sometimes, right? “Resolved? I thought it was already resolved?” he stated, tugging at his overcoat gently. “You’re not going to tie my hair in ribbons are you? Because…that would not be super.” He shook his head with a grave expression upon his face.

[Persephone]

"Hmm...ribbons...I suppose that could be arranged...I hadn't thought of it...though I could...I'm sure I could get Riski and Uri to do it...or Kiia...they'd enjoy themselves really. However, for now love, I was thinking perhaps of another resolution."

The button beneath her seating was depressed, and the chair in which Koz was seated immediately responded with its purpose. Two pairs of restraints were released, each adhering to his extremities. Legs and arms were restrained in turn, followed by a belt across his abdomen. Surely he had not anticipated this from her, but the chair had always been in place for her various guests. Whether he had known this previously, or not, she did not know. However, he certainly knew now.

A smirk turned up those perfect pink lips once more, as heels gripped the carpeted floor, causing her form to be propelled forward into risen step. The click of her heels ate away the distance between the two as she moved to stand behind him. A slow trace of the tongue, over his ear lobe, accompanied a whisper, as fingers moved to the pocket behind his chair withdrawing a blindfold. "You have three guesses love...three guesses and thirteen questions, in order to claim your prize. A prize....I promise you both want, and will enjoy...greatly."

Persephone had always been a woman who enjoyed games...games of the mind being her most prevalent specialty. And this was no case of peculiarity in that regard. You see, behind him, packaged in such a disguise was the guitar he had wanted, the one she had offered to get him if he won the wager. Now, he would be gifted it if he could simply guess what it was. She wanted simply to see that smile upon his lips, and to watch him as he played. There was something so very mesmerizing about watching his fingers move over the strings, and the music which was loosened upon the air as he did so. She loved it, perhaps akin to how much she loved and adored him. A secret few knew with any degree of certainty.

[Koz]

Koz chuckled as he moved a bit against his restraints. “Ah…you know most people ask first….” He started to joke. After the blindfold was put over his eyes he laughed some more. “Three chances to guess and thirteen questions to ask? I don’t know about that one dear, we might be here for a while.” Koz then started thinking of questions to ask her. He wasn’t used to getting surprises but he figured he wasn’t very hard to get for. If it wasn’t cigarettes it was alcohol and if it wasn’t those two it was muscle cars. He certainly didn’t see any cars on the way in, but he had never been here before so there may be a garage somewhere close by. So let’s see, what could it be? Koz sat still for a few moments remembering his surroundings. He was in an office at the back of a night club. He concluded that you could not fit a car in an office at the back of a club. At least not any car that would’ve been worth the effort. He almost always had a steady supply of alcohol. Cigarettes were just simply out of the question. Koz would buy cigarettes before he would remember to feed. “Okay, so…is it cigarettes? Or a bottle of something with way more alcohol content than there legally should be? Does it go “vroom” real loud when you stomp your foot?” There went his three guesses. The thirteen questions were going to be a bit more challenging though.

Not waiting for Persephone to reply he continued to ramble on. “Uh…is it red? Black? Is it bigger than I am? Will it devour my arms and legs?” he then suddenly burst into laughter. “Devour my arms and legs, wow I better quit while I’m ahead huh?” shaking his head a bit he wrapped his hands around the arms of the chair. Moving against the restraints once more just enough to stretch out his muscles a bit. “Oh! Is it you?” he tried to tilt his head to look for her even though he couldn’t see. Koz knew that wasn’t the surprise Persephone had meant, but he liked to tease her anyway. He also knew he wasn’t going to figure this out anytime soon. She had gone too far for it to be that easy for him. This was twice in a row she had bested him. First on the wager and now with the guessing. This just would not do. Koz had decided to admit defeat here and begin plotting to get Persephone back. “So I’m stumped. I have no idea, but I know if I ever get out of this chair soon you’d better be moving pretty quick lady.” He stuck his tongue out hoping his face was turned so she could see him.