Warren and Tabitha in Rome

[x-highflying.livejournal.com]

After a party in Rome, both Tabitha and Warren spend the night with new friends. It goes remarkably better for Tabitha than it does Warren.

"At least have breakfast with me," Troy said with a cajoling smile.


Okay, so they'd been up all night, the flirtation he'd struck up with Tabitha at the bar lingering on after the party had been over, and they'd ended up sitting downstairs in the hotel lounge, talking into the small hours of the morning. The only thing that had kept him awake was the coffee they'd been brought at regular intervals, the hotel staff not wanting to upset the guest of a Worthington. He knew they should both sleep at this point, but he didn't entirely want to depart Tabitha's company just yet.


Even if he really, really should have. Hours ago.


"Please?"


Tabitha squeezed her eyes shut to summon the willpower to go up to her room and actually get some sleep, but she couldn't seem to get the stupid grin off her face. "Fine! Here in the restaurant? I really shouldn't go far."


"As you wish," Troy replied with a grin of his own. As much as his instincts were screaming at him to get out of there, he pushed himself to his feet, offering Tabitha his arm in an exaggerated show of chivalry.


"My lady?"


She stared down at his arm, and back up at his face. Instead of taking it, she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him after her. "You need to get your eyesight checked," she said with a laugh.


"Do I?" He laughed with her, letting her pull him along. "And why is that?"


She pulled him through the doors of the restaurant, passed the scandalized stares of the hotel staff. "I am just not lady material."


"That's not true at all," he replied, tugging on her arm and pulling her towards him. The grin was still on his face, but the look in his eyes was a little more serious. "I've met a lot of ladies in my time. And you, my lady, outclass them all."


Tabitha ducked her head to hide her blush. He was full of it, but cute enough she'd give him a pass. "Let's get a table."


Denied again! Troy was starting to get a complex. If it wasn't for the constant appearance of those blushes, he would have assumed he'd struck out with her hours ago. Now he couldn't help but trail after, a sad puppy dog expression on his face.


He let her pick the table, settling in and ordering a large pot of coffee for them, then breakfast for himself. He leant back once she'd ordered, a smile on her face and his gaze on her.


"So where are you going next?"


She held her coffee cup between both hands, savoring the aroma. "I'm pretty sure it's Attilan," she said. "I admit to being a little overwhelmed during the planning stages. I don't really travel unless it's job-related."


"Does a librarian travel so much?" He asked with a teasing smile. They'd covered occupations - oh, hours ago now. He'd entertained her with tales of bar tending around Europe, and they'd talked about cars for a ridiculous amount of time.


"The travel is usually my volunteer job," she explained. If pressed, she was quite ready to wax poetic about Red X. "It's not generally good for the tourist experience."


"That is such a pity," Troy said with a shrug. "There's nothing like travelling. Meeting new people, see new things... best thing in the world to do, honestly."


She gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I'm just not used to being without purpose," she said. "This whole wandering around shopping, seeing what there is to see... It's weird."


"That's not without purpose," Troy pointed out. "You're experiencing life, everything it has to offer. Rather than just focusing on work work work all the time. Where is the enjoyment in that?"


Doubt started to creep up on her. "I enjoy the opportunities to help people," she said weakly.


"And that's very noble of you, for sure," he said with a smile. "But surely you've enjoyed your time in Rome so far, have you not?"


Tabitha grinned. "It got way more interesting after everybody else went to bed," she said. That little reckless angel on her shoulder goaded her. (It may have looked a little like Warren.)


"That is very gratifying to hear," Troy grinned back, just as their breakfast arrived.


* * * * *


Warren, by contrast, was not having a good morning. He'd woken up far earlier than he'd really wanted to (he blamed Vanessa for that, somehow), and was somewhat disconcerted to find himself alone. Since he was fairly sure that hadn't been the case when he'd fallen asleep.


He remembered bringing someone up to the room. A female someone even, the memory of long dark hair falling over him starting to come back. Of throaty laughter, and teasing smile, and the flash of a camera.


It was that memory that propelled him out of bed in a hurry. He wasn't usually fond of cameras, but it had seemed like a joke last night. But now that she'd disappeared, he wasn't so sure.


By the time he'd dressed, folding his wings into the harness, and throwing his jacket over the top, he was considerably more calm. Or at least, far more focused. Perhaps someone had seen her leave. Or knew who she was. If nothing else, Poppy should know, it had been her party.


Discreet enquiries at the hotel reception about her had brought him to nothing, and then his attention was distracted by the smell of coffee and breakfast. He wandered into the dining area, catching a glimpse of Tabitha and moving over to join her.


"Morning Tabs," he said with less than his usual cheer, before his attention focused and he realised she wasn't alone. He couldn't help but grin a little at that, pausing rather than taking a seat.


"Sorry, didn't realise you had company." And such good-looking company at that.


The grin was in danger of getting stuck on her face. "Hey, Warren. This is Troy," she introduced the two. "You're looking a little ragged, bud."


"Late night, early morning," Warren explained with a shrug, before extending a hand out to Troy. "Nice to meet you -- though, weren't you on the bar last night?"


"I was," Troy replied with a grin, shaking Warren's hand. "Surprised to see you upright, man, after how much you drank."


"Great metabolism," Warren brushed off the comment. "Neither of you have seen the woman I was with last night, have you? Tall brunette, curves to die for?"


Tabs frowned as she scanned her memory. "I remember the chick with you. Haven't seen her since you two snuck off, though."


"Spanish, mysterious, completely captivating?" Troy grinned at Warren. "I remember her. I've seen her at a few of these sorts of parties around the place. Did you misplace her?"


"Something like that," Warren said somewhat ruefully. "There's something I need to speak to her about, and she seems to have disappeared."


"That sounds like her." Troy laughed. "I don't think you're the first person she's disappeared on like that. I'm not sure you'll have much luck in finding her again. She's in a different country just about every time I've seen her."


"But you have seen her before," Warren pressed. "Do you know anything about her? Where she might have gone? It's extremely important that I find her."


"I'm just a bartender, man," Troy shrugged.


"And if I know bartenders," Warren said with a suddenly charming grin. He did know bartenders, partially because they were usually the most interesting people to talk to at the parties he frequented, and partially because he'd dated one. "Then you know far more about her than you're telling, and probably far more than she realises."


Troy blinked a couple of times, then relented with a laugh. "Okay, you have me there. I heard her mention a couple of times she had circus friends she was going to visit. Some sort of mutant circus? I didn't really catch the name."


It wasn't much. But it was something. He looked at Tabitha, cocking his head to the side for a moment.


"Can I borrow you for a moment? Then I'll let you get back to your breakfast." Yes, there may have been something of a wicked glint in Warren's eye with that promise.


Tabitha rolled her eyes, though she did love to see Warren turn on the schmooze. She smiled at Troy. "I will be right back."


"Not a problem," Troy said with a grin, his eyes staying on Tabitha as she moved away.


Once they were out of earshot, the grin on Warren's face fading a little.


"Do you think he's bullshitting?" Warren didn't think he was, but then he was something of a sucker when it came to a good looking guy. Tabitha had a tendency to be far more suspicious than he did.


Tabitha didn't look back as she thought. "He's up to something," she said slowly. "I really couldn't tell you what. But I don't think he's lying, either."


"Something other than trying to get you into bed?" Warren couldn't help but tease with a grin.


She pressed her lips together, but it didn't help. Her face flamed anyhow. "You are a bad, bad man."


"I call it like I see, gorgeous." He glanced over at Troy again, who unabashedly waved back at Warren. "There's a couple of other avenues I'll check into to see if I can find her, but if they don't pan out, it looks like we might be trusting him after all." He grinned at Tabitha again. "Which means you should go back and finish your breakfast and get to know him a little better. Just to be sure."


She pursed her lips at him. "I *should* tell you that the only reason I'm doing this is because it was in the plan anyhow," she said.


"Whatever helps you sleep better at night," Warren grinned. "Or in this case, not sleep at all." He winked playfully at Tabitha. "Scoot, go eat. I'll let Kurt and Monet know what's going on, and see if I can dig up some more information about this woman."


She blew him a kiss and did her best impression of a sashay back to the table.