[D7EE] Sudden Yet Inevitable (expecting)

[Usagi Rei]

"Oh? Thank you." Rei cast her a sidelong smile. "Well, I do believe you offered your medical care if I should succumb to stress. Perhaps I should offer you mine if you suffer another strain."

He was, in fact, rather good at this, mostly by being aware of and responsive to her. As the muscles relaxed, his fingers pressed a little harder, relaxing them thoroughly. Casting her a smile, his hands began to inch higher, ever so slightly...

And then he stopped, gently releasing her ankle. "Is that sufficient, Bayushi-san?" Rei asked, still smiling.

[Bayushi Mariko]

Mariko chuckled as she looked up at the moment. "I did...I'm sure not the sort of care that any doctor would approve of. I am one of the few that might recommend things like a drink or smoke, only to temper those habits so that it doesn't get out of hand. Too much of something is bad but abstaining is likely just as bad in the long run, I would say. I'm very much an expert in the field of internal care and spiritual balance. Dragons hate me."

"Ohh..." she gasped faintly with a bit of her lip, certainly sensing enough pressure and a climb of his hands that could be constituted as a tease. There might have been a blush that could begin forming on her cheeks before he stopped.

"...Yes." She said after a moment's hesitation before she gave a self-conscious look around her surroundings. "I think I might do better back on my feet now. Better than just sitting around and being a target, right? Can you help me up, please?"

With than, she offered a raised hand for him to take the cue.

[Usagi Rei]

A quick grin at her comments; as much as he appreciated the flirtiness of their banter, he also appreciated the humor in it as well. "I shall be sure to enjoy my vices in moderation, then." Rei promised her with a slightly sly smile.

The sly smile grew at her reaction, a little thrill going through Rei, watching her. He, too, gave a glance around, very much wishing it was just the two of them. That quiet drink couldn't come soon enough...

His eyes were warm when he looked back to Mariko. "Of course." A brief pause, and a sigh. "As much as I enjoy these chance meetings, it might be best for us to split up again." Rei's lips quirked. "For now."

Rising, he took her hand, pulling her gently to her feet.

[Bayushi Mariko]

"At the very least, they shouldn't be enjoyed alone," she would quip back as a follow-up as she mirrored the smile slightly and gave a shrug of her shoulder. "I'm sure that's conventional wisdom from somewhere."

Rei helped her up easily enough back on her feet and she smiled softly at the gesture once she was standing once more. "Thank you, for everything. I will remember this..."

"15 minutes remaining for Sole Survivor." The announcement would come blaring in from the speakers that were installed at the edges of the walls.

Mariko would give a glance around her surroundings and let out a small sigh, taking a moment to run a hand through her hair. "Of course, all good things do eventually come to an end. We can't stay together forever if we have any hope of winning the game, Usagi-san. They've really stacked this against our friendship. So, I really hope you don't take this so personally..." She would say before raising her pistol at Rei.

[Usagi Rei]

"I won't." Rei murmured as he pulled her up, his voice pitched for her ears alone. For a moment, it appeared as though he might say more, but the announcement made him look up, grimacing. Well, duty always got in the way of pleasure, even if it was a weird fake duty, and the pleasure of a nice conversation with Mariko.

It took him a moment to register as she pointed her pistol at him. Surprise flickered across his handsome features, followed by... nothing. Blankness, as Rei controlled his expression. Inwardly, Rei could feel his heart pounding, surprisingly intense for such a little thing. Why? Why did he have the sudden feeling of deja vu?

How bad was the first sting? He remembered her asking him that.

Finally, he smiled, ever so slightly. "If that's what you want." Rei said, tilting his chin up, just a little. It was just a game, he reminded himself. It wasn't like she was actually betraying him. Still, he couldn't deny that it felt strange...

[Bayushi Mariko]

As awful of an act it was to betray someone, Mariko felt admittedly a little home in the role of the villainess here. Especially, when it seemed like she had all the power here with her pistol at Rei and him being entirely caught unawares. There was a small smirk on her lips as she slowly circled him while keeping her pistol at him, some enjoyment bleeding into the dastardly betrayal that was in progress. "Oh? If that's what I want?"

She clucked her tongue with a slow shake of her head. "Aww, Usagi-kun. I honestly expected a little bit more of a fight from you. It just doesn't seem like you to give up all that easily. You've been very helpful, and all too trusting. The first rule of surviving, never holster your weapon in front of any enemy. I will miss you but...I must also win too."

[Usagi Rei]

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, something began to spark, and Rei's smile became more genuine. Something about her manner made him realize this was another game. Possibly one he could play. Still smiling, Rei shook his head. "If I wanted my gun, I'd have it. But I don't." It was true, he had a very fast draw. If Kuni Sumie saw it, she might say that he had the Quick Draw feat, or that he could draw his gun as a free action or something else nerdy like that.

He closed his eyes. Not being quite the actor she was, he had to fall back on imitation. "Sure, shoot me. Go ahead. I won't stop you. Accomplish your mission. Take my life. No matter the cost, isn't that right?"

Rei opened his eyes, meeting her gaze, his pale eyes bright. "But if you do, one day, you'll look back and regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life." His voice took on a bit of an old-timey twang. It was almost certain that Mariko would recognize the very famous old movie he was quoting; it was Scorpion-made, after all.

[Bayushi Mariko]

Mariko pressed her lips together pensively at first before forming a smirk at the corner of her lip. "If I'd wanted to just shoot you, I could have done it a hundred times by now. I mean, it could have been easy but where's the fun in that? I managed to get something out of you. You managed to help me and I might just win the rest of the event now..."

"But what about us?" She said with a raised brow as she said the follow-up line. "Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea. You'll be eliminated and I'll be the winner. Are you trying to get me sentimental?"

[Usagi Rei]

Oof. Even if she was just playing a game with him, it was hard not to feel a bit chilled by the words. Rei'd been tricked before, and he thought he'd gotten better at guarding himself. Apparently he was right about his weak points. "I should have known you were trouble the moment I ran into you." Rei said, smiling wryly. She definitely was, at the moment, a Dangerous Dame.

"I guess I was." Rei shrugged, affecting a casual air. "What can I say? I'm a Hare. We're all about making the risky play." He took a deep breath, then sighed. "Well. Time to find out if I was a fool or not." He closed his eyes...

[Bayushi Mariko]

Mariko narrowed her eyes and strengthened her shooting stance on Rei as she raised her pistol square at him. She partially did expect him to go for his pistol and make this a stand-off. Certainly, extra drama points there. However, shooting someone who was defensiveness and fond of her? That was a trickier proposition, even if it was a very easy one to take. Did the Scorpion hesitate to sting the frog?

"Oh, damnit, Rei," She groused at the situation and quickly bolted from the 'forest' clearing.

There would be no sign of her, save for the heels she unceremoniously left on the floor in her haste.

/exit

[Usagi Rei]

Rei kept his eyes closed even as he heard her depart. It seemed like the thing to do.

Finally, he opened them. Not a trace of her, except her shoes.

"Huh." Rei said to himself. Well. There was a lot to unpack in that little encounter. But not right now.

Smiling, he bent to pick up her heels; he'd return them to her next chance he got. That, too, seemed like the thing to do. And then, with one last glance off the way he was pretty sure she went, he jogged off in the opposite direction.

/scene