Just dinner, right? {Elay}

Ryker took one last look at himself in the floor length mirror that stood in the corner of his room.  As a Beta’s room, it was slightly more lavish than the rooms belonging to the Warriors and others, but still a far cry from the luxury afforded by the alphess’s suite.  The décor was in a modern black and white theme that Ryker had specified shortly after moving in, accented by reds and gold here and there.  He himself was also wearing a fairly similar color scheme to his room, though slightly less ostentatious.  He had chosen a simple, black button up shirt underneath a finely tailored slate gray vest and black jacket, topped with a deep scarlet tie.  His pants were a simple and elegant pair of black slacks atop a pair of comfortable, yet suitably stylish, laced shoes.  “Not bad,” he quietly approved.  It wasn’t his best look ever, but it was still good.  He could feel Dante’s approval, as well.  Dante always enjoyed the stark contrast of black and red.

After securely locking his door, Ryker made his way to the parking garage, where he had arranged to meet up with Elay.  “Evenin’,” he greeted, giving a slightly lopsided grin.  “Don’t you look dashing.”  Leading the way to one of his less visually loud cars, Ryker unlocked a midnight blue Audi TT that looked recently washed, possibly even waxed.  A short (probably shorter than it should have been) drive later and he pulled neatly into a spot right outside of the restaurant.  Of course, it had been pure luck finding such a prime parking spot, but why shouldn’t he play it off as though it was all planned?  Of course he knew that spot would be open.

Inside, he approached the host station, smiling warmly.  “I'm Ryker Dahling.  I’ve a table reserved,” he said politely.  The man nodded and led them through the open maze of tables to a small-ish table tucked off to the side.  He thanked the host and took his seat, glancing down at the menu.  “Have you been here before?  They have terrific Coq au Vin,” he said, not entirely sure where to start the conversation.  Stop worrying so much, Dante growled.  You’re even making me nervous.

Elay did his normal routine of prepping and pampering before dinner. He had a rather large grin plastered across his face as he finished shaving and checked the clock. Time had flown bye and it was already time to get dressed. Pulling open his closet doors he grabbed his freshly steamed suit and slapped that baby on. Stepping into the bathroom he eyed himself closely and decided that he looked pretty good. Your tie is where it's at... Renner rumbled. Smiling wide Elay flicked off the lights in his apartment and headed down to meet Ryker in the garage.

Deciding to get there a few minutes early Elay stood there patiently waiting, his blue eyes scanning the garage for his Beta. His face changed at the sight of Ryker, a small smirk forming on his lips. "Good evening to you too. Thank you and you look damn good yourself." he said in return. Adjusting tie Elay looked at Ryker's car and nodded in approval. "If it's stick you'll have to let me try it out. I don't know what it is but once my hand grabs that shifter it give me shivers." he added as he glanced at Ryker over the roof of the car. Hopping in the passenger seat Elay sat quietly as they made their way to Griffen in no time. Plus they managed to find a open spot in the front, the night was going good. Stepping out of the car Elay glanced up at the big windows and the nice building. This is a nice place...it smells good too..lets eat. Renner snickered.

Elay took a seat in booth beside Ryker, sliding about midway he paused and settled. Grabbing a menu he looked over a few things and couldn't decide. There was a ton of choices paired with a ton of wines and liquors. Lifting his light eyes over the menu he looked at Ryker, "I've never been here before so surprise me, what is your favorite and then make it two. Remember it is on me and I insist, you got to drive here." he said with a half smile. Lifting his fingers Elay loosened his tie and attempted to get comfortable. Giving his attention to Ryker he took a deep breath, "So Ryker, when you aren't busy doing Beta things what is it you like to do?" he asked.

Pausing with his hand the handle of his car door, Ryker arched an eyebrow and glanced up at Elay. He couldn’t tell if he kept saying things like that on purpose or not. Given what he had figured out about the male, he guessed it was on purpose, which was kind of a good sign, depending on how one looked at it. Of course, he had heard all the jokes before, but usually from other racers or girls trying to get him to take them home. He ended up simply shrugging and climbing into the car, shaking his head slightly.

Once at the restaurant, Ryker strode with the confidence of a happy Beta of a powerful pack. Of course, the mortals filling the restaurant could hardly be expected to pick that up, but if there were other werelings in the room, they would know pretty quickly that he was not to be trifled with. At Elay’s deference to his meal, Ryker nodded and ordered two servings of the aforementioned Coq au Vin, along with a light, white wine and two glasses. As they waited for dinner, he pondered Elay’s question. “Sadly, there isn’t much time that isn’t taken up by my duties to the pack or by running my family’s companies. But, on the rare occasions that I am free, I enjoy a good bit of street racing. I guess you could say that’s my hobby. I also practice parkour, but that’s more to stay in shape and on my toes than anything.” The waiter returned then with their wine and glasses and poured the first round before placing the bottle in a small cooling bowl and leaving.

Ryker sniffed the wine appreciatively and took a small sip, relishing the smoothness as it slid down his throat. “And what of yerself? What does Mr. Luthern do to keep himself busy and occupied? Aside from killing people in alleyways, I mean,” he added with a slight smirk. Chances of Elay living that one down any time soon were pretty slim.

Elay's eyes focused on Ryker, they looked closely taking in every inch of his face. Dark eyes seemed a bit mysterious to the warrior and he found that quite intriguing. As the waiter approached Elay sat quietly letting the Beta order, nodding to his choices. His smile disappeared as he looked at the waiter, his shifty eyes made Elay's chest rumble with a growl. Now now Elay...we don't bite unless were told to...remember? Renner chuckled. Sitting up in the booth his fingers tugged on his tie uneasily, clearing his throat the warrior attempted to play it off.

"Street racing eh? I figured you liked something along those lines, your Audi gave it away. Parkour too? Now that sounds like fun I've seen it done before but I've never had the pleasure of trying it. Next time you get free time let me know, I'm always up for a challenge." he said smiling. When the waiter returned Elay didn't look his way instead he took the wine glass and lifted it up to Ryker. "To good instincts." he said with a grin.

Elay didn't drink much wine and at that moment he looked to Ryker sniffing the drink. Lifting it to his nose he took a sniff then a small sip, imitating his Beta perfectly. Pulling his lips from the glass he set it down on the table in front of him. A small sigh leaving his lips as his gaze looked over the crowd. He couldn't help but check out the area, it was a habit."I can tell you're going to be saying that a lot." he chuckled lifting his blue gaze to meet Rykers. "IF you promise not to laugh or tell anyone, I shall tell you. When I'm not killing people in alleyways, I find myself reading about Greek Mythology or just a good ole poetry book. Older literature suits me better but that is probably one of the main reasons I like my silence. To read."

He gave Ryker a soft smile and took another sip of wine, occupying his lips so he wasn't rambling. Poetry makes me gag...you're a pansy ya know. Renner shot. Elay let the wine slip down his throat, the cool liquid making his body warm up. Being a killer gets exhausting and even you can agree with that. Elay thought, waiting for a reply. But it seemed Renner had no other comment to make.

As the waiter took their orders, Ryker noted a slight shift in Elay’s scent, which was slightly puzzling, but he simply passed it off as him being somewhere new. He certainly hadn’t noticed any untoward behavior from the man, but he was fairly used to getting odd looks and supposed he hardly noticed them anymore. He could tell, though, that Elay was a bit more sensitive about things like that. He’d have to take that into consideration next time.

That thought caught him aback, slightly. It had come so easily and naturally. Dante, too, was surprised that such a thought had simply slipped out, but he didn’t disagree, either. Why wouldn’t there be a next time.

He smirked slightly at Elay’s comment about his car giving away his hobby. “Eh, she’s not bad, but you should see my baby. Lamborghini Revontòn. Ahh, but she’s wonderful. I’ll have to introduce you two, sometime.” He tipped his glass slightly at Elay’s realization that that little event was doomed to become a recurring joke, then listened closely to his answer about reading classical literature and poetry. While probably not as well read as his father would like for him to be, Ryker had read a number of classical authors, and even a bit of poetry. While he could care less for the poetry part, he did rather enjoy the rest of the literature.

“Who’s your favorite author?” he asked, interested. “I’d have to say that my favorite is probably Dante Alghieri. That’s where my other half took his name from, actually.”

"A Lamborghini Revontòn? Oh I've definately got to meet her, don't keep that beauty from me. I've never actually been to a real street race.Now that I know you race, I'd like to see you in action." he said smiling. Taking another sip of his wine Elay relaxed a bit more, no doubt thanks to the wine. But in Ryker's presence the warrior felt well content and their conversaiton was nice.

When Ryker asked him about his favorite author, Elay sat quietly. Closing his bright blue eyes he thought deeply before speaking.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. "

Opening his eyes Elay looked at Ryker  and grinned. Using his left hand he unbuttoned his jacket and slipped it off, setting it comfortably on his opposite side. Giving himself a reason to inch closer to the Beta, he let the words hang in the air between them.

"Shakespeare. He is my all time favorite and I've read all of his sonnets." Elay said in a soft tone. His arms stretched out as he leaned back against the booth, looking to Ryker for a response.

Ryker grinned slightly at the exuberance with which Elay greeted the idea of his pride and joy. “I don’t bring her out to race very often, unless someone’s convinced me to run a distance race. I’m a lot better at drifting, which I usually use the TT for. Nice and low and stable. I’ll be sure to let you know the next time I’m going out,” he said, smiling. “It’d be nice to race in front of someone I actually know, rather than just via reputation.”

He sat back in his chair, taking a sip of wine, as he listened to Elay’s recitation. As he thought about it, he realized that this was probably the first time that something like this had happened. Not that he made the mistake of assuming that Elay was reciting it “for him,” because that would just be presumptuous, but not many people that Ryker spent time with appreciated poetry enough to memorize it. He had to admit, there was certainly something captivating about listening to Elay quote such a sonnet. At the conclusion of the performance, Ryker grinned and gave a quiet round of applause. “Very well spoken,” he congratulated, using the movement of Elay inching forwards to take in his scent and study it. It was a good, strong scent, bespeaking exotic places and carried a distinctly masculine undertone that Ryker had always found more attractive than the subtly swirling scent of a female. He allowed his smile to relax into a more sincere smile than what he normally wore.

“He has penned some rather stirring words,” he commented. “Though, I can’t say that I’ve had very much chance to study poetry since coming here and most of the reading that I was permitted back home was more along the lines of Sun Tzu. Perhaps you’d care to share a few more of your favorites?” he asked somewhat hesitantly. Damn but this felt awkward. He wasn’t used to feeling like this, feeling his pulse course through his body. And, even more disconcerting, was the difficulty that he was having focusing. Normally if something like that were to happen, he would drink a glass of water and lie down for quite some time. But this time? There isn’t anything wrong with me, he thought to himself. He suffered an extremely discomforting but fortunately short lived flashback of speaking those exact same words once before, but that time to his father. Blinking to clear his thoughts, he took another sip of wine. His father was gone and had signed over control of the family’s assets to him. He didn’t matter any more.

Elay felt his cheeks get warm from the wine or maybe they flushed red from Ryker's sweet smile. Either way he decided he was having a hell of a night, lifting his bright blues to Ryker he smiled in return. "If you invite me I promise to be there to cheer you on and see you win at the end. Thank you Ryker, I don't recite much for anybody ever..I didn't think I could remember the whole thing. But to my surprise I did and I think I can give you one more. This is also a favorite...after that you have to give me a line, poem or sentence you appreciate." he pointed out taking another sip of his wine. Setting the glass on the table Elay turned his gaze back to Ryker, inhaling quietly he started to speak.

"When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possessed,
Desiring this man's art and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least,
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state,
Like to the lark at break of day arising,
From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate,
For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings,
That then I scorn to change my state with kings."

Finishing the sonnet Elay sat quietly, he thought about how long it had been since he had a good time. His guard was down but he still watched the doors and people, but Ryker kept his full attention. Loosening his blue silk tie a bit more the Warrior leaned back against the booth, relaxng. "Care to share some good childhood memories?" he asked in a rather soft tone. A smile laid no his strong face as he took another sip of wine and looked to Ryker. Elay couldn't help he was curious about the Beta, why not chat about the past. It defines us and there is no better way to learn about someone.

Ryker chuckled slightly at Elay’s promise. It was not like he needed much help to win, but he appreciated the sentiment. “Ya’ve got a deal,” he said. He nodded in silent agreement to the bargain of words and listened to the second sonnet that Elay recited. His expression shifted slowly from slight confusion, wondering why he would choose such a morose sonnet, to a slight grin as the second half was spoken. Aha, so that was why he picked that one. Again, he applauded quietly before taking a breath, considering what bit of literary history he considered important. Well, speaking of morose…

“I suppose one bit of literature in particular that has stuck with me is from Canto three of Dante Alghieri’s Inferno, part of his Divine Comedy. It’s the inscription above the Gates of Hell. At least, part of it.

“Justice moved my high maker, in power divine,
Wisdom supreme, love primal. No things were
Before me not eternal; Eternal I remain.

Abandon all hope, you who here enter.”

He took a moment, once he had finished, to arrange his thoughts about how to explain why he had chosen that bit of literature to share. “I suppose that passage has such meaning to me because it shows that some things in life are unavoidable and will not go away, no matter how much we may want them to.” he shrugged slightly and chuckled. “I’m sorry, I know it’s not exactly a sonnet about love or anything.”

The waiter returned then with their dinners and Ryker took the moment to sip at his wine, nodding his thanks to the waiter and dismissing him. Unfortunately, he still had that sip of wine in his mouth when Elay asked if he wanted to share some good childhood memories. His sudden laughter nearly made him spit out the drink, though me managed to swallow it before coughing a few times to clear his throat. “I’m very sorry, please excuse me. I’d be happy to, just you go first. I’ll need a bit of time to think,” he explained, flushing slightly. How rude could he be? Honestly, laughing at a question like that. Of course, Elay couldn’t know that Ryker had laughed because he would need to think long and hard to dredge up a “good childhood memory.” His childhood hadn’t exactly been flowers and prairies and rainbows, after all.

Elay listened to Ryker recite the words, transfixed on his lips he shifted in his seat. His accent was just a sweet topping to the way he spoke. It was enjoyable to say the least and that was why Elay had given the Beta questions. He just wanted to hear him talk, the warrior didn't mind sitting and listening at all. Grinning wide as Ryker finished his hands clapped together softly, nodding in approval. Right on cue the dinner was brought and Elay had his wine glass filled before he took another sweet sip. "I am impressed and I am a bit familiar with Dante Alghieri’s Inferno, didn't finish it all though. I can't say I've ever actually been in love, I just know that most of the poets speak of this emotion as overwhelming and wonderful. People do crazy things for love it seems, the unimaginable almost. Love is tricky I think and I don't know if it will ever bite me." he chuckled at his words. How long had it been? Much longer then he'd like to admit, the lonely road he walked. Never letting anyone get to close because he knew he would have to leave again.

Elay couldn't help but smile as Ryker started to choke and laugh, sitting up and leaning towards the Beta he looked confused. He wasn't sure if he should help him or let him help himself. Once Ryker had settled back Elay smirked and took a bite of his dinner, chewing slowly. It was delicious and the wine brought out the strong flavors, it was almost orgasmic for his tongue and stomach. Leaning back he sighed and looked back to Ryker, he huffed trying to think. Shifting closer to the Beta, the warrior smirked. "You may enjoy this story, I don't know why it came to my mind but it did. Back home when we first shift we are contained by chains for a day and a half. We are hungry and weak but I can't be sure if it helps us focus better because we're so young. Well, anyway the warriors go out and get a lion. Biggest one they can find and tranquilize them, soon after the lion is put into our containers. Once the lion wakes up our chains are released and we fight them, call it the true ceremony for becoming a man. Well, the lion pretty much tore me up and I still have the teeth marks to prove it on my calf. That's because we don't wear a lot of clothes, its more bottoms then a shirt. To hot to be all constricted by clothes, anyway I digress. I'm pinned down and his teeth are digging into my shoulder. In an instant Renner, that's what he calls himself. He shoves his fangs into the lion's jugular and rips it out. Our first actual meal fully shifted is lion, it's suppose to be good luck. Compared to some of the others In the tribe I did good, most of the time the fight gets stopped if the wereling looks like he will die. But apparently my father had high hopes of me surviving because..he left me in there. Becoming a man ceremony, one of my best times." he said with a grin and a small wink. Grabbing his glass he took another sip of wine and enjoyed a few more pieces of food.

"By the way this is delicious, you're picking out my meals more often." he added taking another bite and swallowing.

Ryker chuckled slightly at Elay’s description of being in love.  He nodded slightly, offering a slight shrug.  “It certainly is a strange experience,” he agreed, leaving it at that.  Now as not an appropriate time to talk about his experience with love, and he didn’t think that it would be an “appropriate time” for quite a while and certainly not at dinner.  Certain things were simply not discussed over a meal.

After his extremely embarrassing fiasco with nearly choking on his wine, he listened attentively to Elay’s story.  It sounded almost barbaric, the way he told it.  But, in the end, he supposed it was not much different than the slightly more civilized barbarism that he had grown up with.  “Renner, huh?”  He nodded slowly.  An interesting name.  “How did it taste?  I imagine that would be quite an unforgettable experience.  And all of the males of your tribe went through this trial?  You’ll have’ta show me the scars sometime,” he added with a grin.  “Ah, I’m glad that you like it.  It’s one of my favorites, though it usually goes better with a chardonnay, but I didn’t want to risk the sharper bouquet over this sweet wine’s taste.”

Well, now it was his turn to share and he thought he had the perfect memory.  “My brother, Realtan, and I used to hate each other.  We’d argue and fight, not the wrestling fighting that’s normal between siblings, but tryin’ to really hurt each other.  Father, of course, didn’t try to stop us because, in the long run, we were pretty evenly matched and fighting all the time only made us stronger.  So, one day, he and I snuck away from the castle and out to the coast with every intention of settling things once and for all.  We were well out of sight and the smell of the sea would cover up our scents and the scent of our blood, so we knew that we wouldn’t be found.  We started fighting, really goin’ at it.  He broke five of my ribs and my right shin and I dislocated his left shoulder and broke his right elbow and wrist, but we kept at it.  Eventually, we both collapsed on the sand, completely exhausted and in too much pain to keep fighting.  Well, to keep fighting physically, at least.”  As he spoke, his eyes took on a slightly hazed, distant look, as though he was reliving the experience as he described it.  “We started yelling at each other and throwin’ insults back and forth, since we couldn’t hurt each other’s bodies anymore.  After about ten minutes of that, we both realized something.  We each thought that the other had it so much better than we did.  Neither realized that we were both trained just as brutally and just as hard, just in different ways.  I was trained to be my father’s successor while he was trained to be my protector and support me behind the scenes.  Damn, we both laid on that beach for…hours, had to’ve been, just talking.  We’d never really talked before.  Least, not like this, without Father looking over our shoulders.”  He lapsed into silence for a moment, his smile growing slightly absent, but warm and sincere.  Blinking, he shook his head slightly, refocusing his black eyed gaze on Elay’s face and smiling apologetically.  “Well, we eventually dragged our sorry asses back to the castle, where the family’s physicians tended to us and set all our bones back to rights.  Ever after that day, though, R and I started lookin’ out for each other, how brothers’re supposed to.  I had to stop him from following me to the states, even.”

His cheeks flushed a bit, visible through his pale ivory skin.  “Ah, I’m sorry, that was quite a bit longer than I’d meant to talk,” he apologized, taking another drink and a bite of his chicken.  Let’s hope he wasn’t bored out of his mind, Dante commented, actually sounding slightly nervous, though Ryker, too concerned with his breech of etiquette, did not comment on that fact.

Elay smiled at the look on Ryker's face when he mentioned the lion, giving the Beta a nod he took another sip of wine. "It is lean and very tough, but when you eat it you almost feel empowered devouring the King of the jungle. The males have to try, at first we lost a decent amount to lions because my father felt only the strongest would survive. He considered them weak for losing but after some unexpected issues my mother stressed that the fights be monitored and if a life was in danger, he would stop the fight. Just remind me next time we're in a more suitable place, I can show you." he said with a smile. His forked picked up a few more pieces of food. He chewed and swallowed while Ryker relived a decent moment in his childhood. The way he says my name..I kind of like it, accent and all. It grows on you. Renner snorted.

His blue eyes watched Ryker's face closely, taking note of the his reactions. But the warrior didn't interrupt the Beta, instead he sat quietly and ate listening to his story. Pulling his lips away from the glass he swallowed his sip and smiled. "At least you and your brother came to a conclusion and mended your relationship. Even though it took years and a serious beat down it got solved. Do you two still talk?" he asked. "My older brother and I didn't agree on much except for the pack. I guess the way packs operate are really different, we lived very simple lives my people and I. But Cyress and I never got along, I guess it was better I got exiled. I did know my dad cared for him more, first born and getting the Alpha position. Then Sanaa she was going to be a gift to another tribe so she was useful.."

Elay's eyes looked away from Ryker and he stared out at the restaurant a moment. Maybe he didn't want Ryker to notice the flicker of anger that surged through him from his father. Maybe it was the sense of never being good enough that bothered him more. Taking a big breath Elay took another sip of wine. "Actually, I didn't mind the length. I'd like to hear more about you, if you didn't mind." he stated in a soft tone.

Elay was completely relaxed now and not as jumpy as when they first entered Griffen. Ryker's company and conversation made the warrior feel good, for the first time in a long time. Lifting an eyebrow he gave Ryker a devilish grin, "Unless you're up for the question game? No rules, anything goes kind though." he shrugged. "That's just how I normally play."

Ryker chuckled slightly and nodded his head. “I’ll hold you to that,” he said. He couldn’t say that he was interested in trying to eat lion, but the concept of eating the “king of the jungle” was certainly interesting. Although, he would probably stick to more traditional western meats, like beef and pork and chicken.

He nodded at Elay’s question. “Aye, we email pretty regularly and call once a week. He still wants to come to the states and live here, but I need him back home and he knows it, so he’s not asked again,” he replied. The phrase, “dad cared for him more” caused Ryker to smile slightly. Hadn’t he just talked about that? “Could be that he didn’t,” he said, hitching his shoulders in a small shrug. “Maybe he just cared differently.” He was careful not to insinuate that Elay was wrong or to seem like he thought he knew what happened in Elay’s family. It was just a hypothesis that, from his own experience, could prove possible.

Ryker couldn’t help but laugh a bit at Elay’s response. It sounded sincere, but that was the sort of thing that he expected someone to say that was just being polite. However, he did his best to reserve judgment on whether or not Elay was being facetious or not. He was trying to get to know him better, after all. “The question game?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Listening closely to Ryker's words, Elay took another sip of wine. He lifted his eyes to catch Ryker's gaze and smile. Feeling his pulse quicken from that simple glance, he inhaled quickly an felt an odd tickle in his stomach. "Will you ever let him come visit or do you travel home a lot? But with my family, everything is Different and nothing makes sense." he rumbled with a shrug. His eyebrows shifted on his face as he scowled at the thought of his father and his brother. Trying to not let the thoughts ruin his mood he exhaled deeply, running his hand over his hair and down his face. Maybe the wine was getting to him just a bit, but either way he was getting extra toasty. Or it could be the Beta... Renner smirked.

"Well when I had to work with others at my job, we would drink and play a killer version of the question game. Tips and tricks on how we would do things or how we would take out our victim.. But I figure we could change it up and make it more pleasant." he stated simply. He was happy to not think about the long dark nights of his job. Or the smell of fresh blood stuck in your nose because you were always covered in it. Too dark and depressing for a date, so he just gave him the shorter version of the story.

The corners of his lips lifted to a smirk as he stretched his arm out over the booth. Turning to Ryker he looked, "The rule is there is none. So I'll go first...What physical feature do you find the most attracting?" he asked while his head tilted. Lifting his hand he pointed out a few features eyes, lips, cheeks or anything else.

Ryker shrugged a little bit. “It’s not like I have anything against him vising, if he gets a chance, I’d be glad to have him come for a visit. He tends to stay pretty busy back home, though,” he added with a chuckle. He conceded the point about Elay’s family with a small nod and lift of his hands. Of course he didn’t know the specifics of how his family worked, so he wouldn’t make an attempt at interpreting them. But still, the possibility for misunderstanding was always there, as it had been between him and his brother.

The “question game” seemed interesting, if a little juvenile. But why not? Ryker considered his answer carefully. He had not really allowed himself to be attracted to people, male or female, before, so it was a harder question than Elay might have realized. “I think,” he finally said. “I would have to say that a person’s sense of presence is what I find most physically attractive, if that makes any sense. I’ve never been one to be attracted to anything specific about a body.” He shrugged slightly. Perhaps that was not quite what Elay was hoping for, but that was his answer. “My turn, then. What would you say is your biggest weakness?” Steepling his fingers, Ryker leaned his elbows on the table lightly, carefully on both sides of his plate, and leaned forwards, black eyes carefully studying Elay’s face. He was quite interested in what Elay would say to that.

Presence...eh? Elay thought as Ryker answered the first question. That was an interesting way to answer and it made the warrior feel good, obviously something about his presence Ryker enjoyed. Weakness? He wants to know our weakness...don't tell him that. Renner shot. You know our weakness is obvious... Elay thought. Taking a big breath his eyes flickered up as Ryker moved closer.

What was his weakness? Something that could possibly be the death of him? "My pride..." he answered in one shot. Leaning on the table his eye's trailed over Ryker's lips and jaw line. "My pride would have me running to the ends of the earth to prove something. It has hindered me before and even though I know it is bad. I still feel like my pride is all I have." His eyes flickered brighter when he returned Ryker's bold gaze. A loud thump rattled his chest over and over, his heart sounded like it was going to bust free. All because the Beta got closer? The distinct smell of Ryker tickled his scents and he took in a smooth quick breath. The distance between them closed and Elay dropped his hand down on the booth's seat, right smack between them.

"What is one thing you've always wanted to see?" he asked curiously. His hand lifted so his fingers could loosen his tie more, letting the fabric dangle from his neck. A tired but happy grin plastered on his tan features.

Ryker watched quietly as Elay considered his answer. Judging by the small flicker in his eyes and facial muscles, there was some dissent among the ranks about the answer. Of course, as Beta, Ryker could simply order Elay to answer his questions, but it was much more fun if he cooperated. Besides, Ryker was not certain how he would feel setting that sort of precedent. He nodded slowly when Elay finally did answer and his lips quirked into a crooked grin for a moment, though his expression quickly straightened and his gaze became sincere. “That may have been true in the past, but not anymore. Ya’ve got a pack, now. Ya’ve got the Alphess and…” He took a breath, having to struggle against Dante’s will more than he was used to. “And I hope that I would enter into your considerations, too. At least as a friend?”

From the pounding in his chest, Ryker felt more like he was in a three vs. one pit fight, rather than just dinner. But he had said it and a funny thing about words was that, once they were given life, they never gave it back and settled for being forgotten.

He considered his answer to Elay’s question for a long moment. What was something that he’d always wanted to see? When he realized what his answer was, though, he could not help but laugh a little bit. “Something that I’ve always wanted to see is the Earth. But not from the surface, and not just from pictures, either,” he explained. “I know it sounds like a grade schooler’s wish, but I guess I’ve always wanted to go into space, just to look down at the Earth from up there. It is such a miniscule speck in the grand scheme of things, but of such paramount importance to anyone that happens to be scampering around on its surface. Strange.” By this point, Dante was fairly bristling in embarrassment, having revealed such secrets that Ryker and he had hidden for a very long time and Ryker had to admit that he was not entirely sure if it was such a good idea, himself, but, again, words never came back and Elay had a way of making Ryker want to trust him.

“Do you and Renner typically see eye to eye?” he asked as his question. Ryker had the atypical advantage of having been specifically trained to accept his other half from a very young age, and so he and Dante were most frequently of one mind about things, though Dante did tend to be a little more alarmist than Ryker, on average. He was interested to hear how Elay and Renner usually interacted. How a man dealt with his other half spoke volumes about his own demeanor, after all.

A pack and friends? Far off in Elay's mind those words remained foreign to him, as if part of him couldn't accept that he had responsibilities now. A pack worked as a unit, a well oiled machine so to speak. Each member doing their part kept the other one safe and Elay had vowed to protect that. He loved being a part of a pack and somewhere inside his heart, that would be enough to make him think twice. "It's been a long time since I've been in a pack, but I do ask myself more questions. And you do come to mind.." his voice was soft. Gentle in it's own way as he spoke to his Beta, assuring him that he wasn't so untamed. He had a set of rules to follow as a pack member and he did so, but not just because he was told to. But because Elay held respect for the man who had given him a chance in the alleyway, seeing that there was more to him then a killer. Very few looked past his outlook and such assumptions never worked out in Elay's favor before.

Elay set himself back in the booth and let out a breath, sitting so close to Ryker he couldn't think. But at the sound of his Beta's voice the warrior looked up, caught up once again in the sweet accent. "That sounds interesting actually, I don't think there is anything wrong with your wish. I think we could be useful in space, the damage space does to human bodies over time makes them frail. But we could end up being space explorers before we know it." he insisted in a warm tone. "The view would be breath taking I'm sure and we don't really realize how vast space is. I would go..."

Smiling wide at Ryker's question Elay chuckled, his blue eyes flickering brighter as he acknowledged his wolf. Did he just ask about me...or us I mean? No one ever has ever asked you that before. Renner shot in shaky tone. Yes, he did...that means something doesn't it? Elay thought. I don't know.. Renner muttered before keeping quiet.

"I think at first Renner thought I wasn't going to be strong enough to control him. I am stubborn and so is he but now we've come to a middle ground since I was younger. I am lucky I think, some never learn to accept their other parts. No one knows me better and at times he acts like my concience. Though I know he will not argue if my decision is not the one he wanted. He was happy to join the pack though...very happy. As was I." he added stretching his arm back out across the couch. He was a bit nervous and he couldn't keep still for the life of him. "What about you? Is he as great as you, I assume because he doesn't slip through at all." Elay's blue eyes dimmed and his gaze lingered longer on Ryker.

Ryker could not help but smile slightly at Elay’s response.  He didn’t quite know why, but hearing that made him feel a bit excited; almost like that feeling that you get standing on the edge of a big drop and there’s that little thrill that runs down the spine, whispering, Go on go on, jump.  He blinked, still smiling.  Don’t play coy.  You do know why that excites you, Dante commented.  Ryker nearly snapped back, but he caught a flash of a feeling from his other half and knew that Dante was far from displeased and felt a bit of that excitement, as well.

He chuckled quietly at Elay’s response to his answer, though he did find the idea interesting.  “Hmm, werewolves in space, eh?  That sounds like a B-level horror movie or something.  That is a fascinating idea, though.  I imagine that our muscles would be more resistant to atrophy than mortals.  Perhaps someone should write a proposition to NASA to send a team of fairy tale creatures into space, hm?” he said with a cocked grin, showing that he was, perhaps, only half joking.

The look that spread across Elay’s face was interesting, to say the least.  Apparently, he had not been expecting a question about Renner.  His answer was more or less what Ryker had expected, though it was on the good side of the expected.  He nodded slowly, listening carefully.  “What, stubborn?  You two?  Nonsense,” he said, grinning impishly.  He leaned back in his seat, considering how to describe his relationship with his other half.  “Dante and I are usually in fairly close accord.  Sometimes he disapproves of the way I do things, but he tends to be even more cunning than I am, when he puts his mind to it.  After our first shift, we’ve never really argued or had any serious disagreements.  I knew what I was in for, and I think that such a thorough knowledge of what was going to happen to me might have helped my outlook be slightly pliable and helped shape Dante’s demeanor to more closely match mine,” he explained.  “I’ve seen a number of werelings that just couldn’t seem to come to an agreement with their other half, or those that refer to it as “the beast” or some similar moniker.  It’s sad, really.  They’ll never be as strong or as fast as they could be if they were in concert with their whole self.”

He finished off his chicken and washed it down with a bit of wine as he considered his question.  Dante, who had been monitoring the whole conversation, as well as keeping close track of Elay’s rather pleasant—occasionally disconcertingly so—scent, made a suggestion and Ryker grinned.  “This one comes straight from Dante,” he said, leaning forwards slightly and smiling conspiratorially, though his cheeks were colored ever so faintly red.  “How many mates have you had up until now?”

Elay noted Ryker's calm demeanor and settled into the same pattern, this was the first time he had seen the Beta so happy? Pushing his fork into the last bit of chicken Elay took a bite and chewed it slowly, savoring the taste. The space comments made him grin and he shrugged. "I'm not saying it has to be a fairytale adventure in to the milky way. I'm just saying we could probably get some serious space exploring done with our muscle stature. If I have the extra money ever to spend on something frivolous, I'm sending a werelings to Mars. Maybe even three of them...prove all them poor bastards wrong." he stated, lifting his wine glass to his lips for a drink. His dinner was finished but part of him wanted to order dessert, he wanted to drag out this night. At least for a little while longer.

Renner gave a content rumble that vibrated Elay's chest as it passed, signaling he was impressed with the Beta. When had Renner ever been content with another person besides Elay? God if he could remember, still Elay listened in to the conversation at hand.  Giving a good laugh to Ryker's words, his blue eye'd gaze found his way back to the Beta. "Anything that one can do to prepare for shifting helps, for the most part. Being chained freaked me out but I know it was for my own safety. I feel bad for the ones who lose their minds, it is crazy to watch. Dante is his name? You seem to mesh very well, I can sense it."

Pausing as Ryker moved closer Elay blinked, did he really ask him that? Dante..wants to know. Are you going to tell him? Renner mused. Might as well..what do we have to lose? Elay thought, letting his hands tug on his tie he cleared his throat. His blue eyes flickered from light to dark every time he blinked, was Ryker blushing? He couldn't be sure in fact, Elay was sure that his own tan cheeks held a red  tint. "I told you that I've never been in love, remember? But I've never had an official mate so to speak in our terms. I dated a bunch of women as I traveled. But I couldn't stay long so nothing ever came of them, plus they were humans. I could never tell them...what I was. But then I met John at a bar one time, I might've had to much to drink. I was all alone and he approached me and we started talking. I never thought I could develop feelings like I did for him, he helped me get into the job I had when you met me. I cared for him and took more then a few bullets to protect him, but I think he knew I was different. One full moon night, I told him to stay away. Leave me be in my silence alone, but he didn't want to listen. He snuck over to my house when I had changed and at that time I was going long periods without drinking blood or killing humans. I wasn't as strong then I was weaker and still angry inside. Renner just snapped from being so contained and attacked him, but the fool unbolted my basement door. He opened it and let me out and I killed him. It took me awhile to realize I would be alone because of who I am. Then I ended up here..so that kind of changes everything. What about you?" Elay asked curiously. A part of him hurt still knowing that he killed someone he cared about. That was probably the reason he stayed away from humans. Moving his hand across the table Elay calmly put his over Rykers and gave it a soft squeeze. Feeling like he might've done to much, the warrior pulled away and put his hands back in his lap.

He chuckled slightly at Elay’s clarification of what he had meant. “Aye, I wouldn’t mind going to Mars,” he said, and found, somewhat to his own surprise, that he was completely serious. He imagined that such an adventure would put anything that he could do on Earth to complete and utter shame. Of course, there was not a whole lot of call for business managers on a space mission. Maybe, by the time they were ready for a manned mission to Mars, he could become enough of a xenogeologist to be of use. Hmmm…

“I can imagine that being chained would make that situation a lot more stressful,” he agreed, nodding slightly. “I was just locked in a bunker. Completely free to move about and destroy things, but very securely locked inside that one room. Of course, my brother was there, too. I think his first change was easier, because our relationship had developed a lot further at that point, so I was able to talk to him and he actually listened. Even though his self-control has always been very admirable, he did try once or twice to take my head off that night.”

He listened closely to Elay’s tale of his past attempts at finding love. It rang painfully familiar, though with one or two differences. He had stopped paying attention to as wide a range of things as he normally did, and so jumped slightly when he felt the hot pressure of skin on his hand and his muscles tensed slightly, but he took a breath and forced himself to smile, assuring Elay that he had not done anything expressly wrong. “I know you said that you had never been in love, but one doesn’t have to be in love to have a mate. Especially in the position that you used to be in. I’m very sorry to hear what happened, though. I do know at least a little bit of what that must’ve felt like. Like you, I had never had much success building a relationship with any of the girls that my father tried to set me up with. Of course, back then, I figured it just wasn’t a match, you know? I’d never dreamed that it was…” His voice faltered slightly, but then he took a deep breath and forced himself, with Dante’s help, to speak. “I’d never dreamed that it was because I was gay. But then, of course, I met this boy, Chris, and felt the way that all the songs talk about and after about a week of hanging out with him, I guess it just clicked.

“He was a wereling, too, so there wasn’t a lot of worry about keeping that secret. We did have to be careful, though, because my father believed in the strictly traditional family structure. One night, I came home and hadn’t been careful enough to wash everything and he smelled him on me. He used a few of my family’s contacts to hunt Chris down and bring him back to the castle. Since we do live in an actual castle, it came complete with a dungeon, stereotypically enough. Well, Father brought me down to the dungeon and I could smell Chris all over the place, so I know he had been there for a lot longer than one or two days. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he saw me, but then realized that there was nothing I could do. Father made me watch while Chris was beheaded. Judging from the way his body looked, that was the kindest thing that had been done to him in that dungeon.” He closed his eyes for a moment and took a couple steadying breaths before looking back at Elay and smiling apologetically.

“I’m sorry, I know that’s not really dinner conversation. How about some dessert and then a nice stroll? Or maybe a trip down the street to Rapture?” he suggested, his black eyes sparkling slightly.

Elay felt Ryker jump from his touch and he knew that he caught him off guard, feeling foolish he looked away at the people walking around. It was only after Ryker's story that Elay could look up, his blue eyes were dark. He couldn't believe that Ryker's father would do such a thing. Well, maybe he could actually family and traditions were before all in his family as well. "I am sorry." he said in a soft tone. He tried to give Ryker a half smile as he played the story over in his head, he to felt his pain. "It is unfortunate that your father took him away from you. At least he did not have to suffer further, I know that is no an easy pain to live with. And you're right about that being considered a mate. I just never considered it myself always being a loner, but thank you."

Pulling his wallet from his back pocket Elay pulled out four hundred bucks and tossed it on the table. Looking to Ryker he gave him a better smile, "I think a walk would be nice but we can go where ever you want. I do want to be away from the humans though." he said sliding from the booth. Pulling on his jacket his blue eyes watched Ryker's every move, the fact that Ryker was hurting. Upset him greatly and Elay finally understood why. You like him... Renner commented. So do I.

Turning to head for the exit Elay straightened out his tie and jacket. He waited for the Beta to take the lead and followed behind, feeling like the night was just beginning.

Ryker’s smile regained a little bit of the warmth that it had held before his tale of woe. “It’s fine. It’s all in the past and all that the past if for is to shape our present,” he replied, though, if Elay was paying attention, he may catch just a hint of a forced tone to Ryker’s words. No matter how many times he told himself that, he still did not completely believe it.

He arched an eyebrow slightly at the amount of money that Elay tossed on the table. Sure, the Griffen was a fancy place, but not nearly that fancy. Elay had just made that waiter’s month, probably. Chuckling slightly and not calling attention to the gross overpayment, since he did not really want to embarrass Elay (if he wanted to pay four hundred dollars for maybe a sixty dollar meal, that was certainly his prerogative), Ryker nodded. “A stroll it is, then,” he agreed, standing from the booth along with Elay and straightening his vest and jacket. Though he did his best to hide it, the ghosts of the past still clung to his mind. He kept seeing the look in Chris’s eyes, that little spark of hope flare to life, only to gutter and extinguish as he realized the truth of his situation. The absolute worst part of that particular memory, though, was the twitch of his lips into the barest of smiles just before the end. Why had he smiled? Ryker had asked himself that question thousands and thousands of times over the course of his life, but had yet to find an answer and doubted that he ever would.

But that was neither here nor there. Giving the bottom of his vest a little tug, he buttoned the single button of his jacket and led the way out of the restaurant. “So, away from humans, eh?” he repeated, climbing into the driver’s side of the car. He couldn’t leave it there, after all, or else the restaurant would have it towed and there wasn’t a chance in hell that Ryker would trust his car to the impound lot. “I can probably find one or two places that fit that bill,” he said, smiling and turning the key in the ignition, letting the car roar to life as Elay climbed in.

Though Ryker remained calm in front of Elay the warrior couldn't help but frown, he could tell the change in his tone. He found himself drawn to Ryker's words and mesmerized by his nice lips they suited him, so the warrior was always paying close attention. Heading out to the car Elay hopped in and leaned against the back of the seat, not saying much he was only thinking. But instinct told him to attempt to comfort Ryker, after all the question game was his idea. Reaching across the console Elay's fingers went for Ryker's shoulder, squeezing softly he spoke in a low tone. "The past does shape us for the future, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't still pain us. I am sorry Ryker, for Chris. At least he got to see you one last time." Elay had to pull back away and look out the window,
a large knot formed in his throat stopping him from swallowing. What did he remember of that night? Anger, fear, screaming and blood. Damn Elay was covered in so much blood, the next morning his nose burned with the scent. For decades he walked around smelling that man. He was just a man...you need something that can take a hit..or a bite...you did not know what would happen. Renner spoke from deep inside.

Pushing the voice back Elay shook the self-loathe from himself and stared at the road ahead. Turning his head his blue eyes watched Ryker closely again. "I do enjoy quiet but a stroll with you, I would enjoy more." he said lips curling in to his friendly smile. "You've got a few places? Good because the night is young and it is not time to head back to the hotel. At the same time our game isn't over, do you have any lovers now? Or anyone else that has that potential?" he asked wondering.