Players:
Summary: The Vegas trio attempt to play games while at the hotel pool. As with any well laid plans, things go south.
Date: July 12. 2010
Log Title Marco Polo
Rating:PG-13
Las Vegas, NV - Paris Hotel and Casino
The 50ft Eiffel Tower replica lies nearby the two-acre pool. Nestled inside a manicured French garden, the pool offers ample room for swimming. Or, if you prefer, you can indulge with a dip in the spa. Poolside attendants, as well as an outdoor cafe (du Parc), are on hand to take care of your every need. Paris Spa by Mandara Offers the ultimate luxury: poolside massage. For guests who desire a more secluded sunbathing experience, private outdoor cabanas are available for rental.
It was the third day in the impromptu Las Vegas vacation. The weather had been holding out so far, not a cloud in the sky, and a slightly uncomfortable 90 degrees. What this sort of weather meant was that eventually the New Yorkers would stop lurking in the climate controlled environment, and find themselves pool side near the Eiffel Tower replica. The path to the pool revealed the outdoor cafe, the sunning chairs and the enormous pool that had to be at least the size of two football fields. There was also a carefully hidden water slide on the far side of the pool away from the tower.
Tony had managed to drag the other two out of the suites, to enjoy the pool before they ran out of time. It was strange to walk down the carpeted casino floor in nothing but a pair of flip flops, and swimming trunks. His reluctant personal bodyguard on one side, and his girlfriend on the other.
Alessia hadn't required much dragging, since she loves swimming. Hair twisted up in a lazy sort of bun, flip flops, and a bikini top paired with shorts that one can assume hides the bottoms. Whistling under her breath as she keeps to one side of Tony, letting her arm brush along his every now and again.
Kaji is walking along behind Tony, his arms crossed behind his head with a soft smile over his lips. He glances over at the two next to him and goes back to looking ahead of him. His swimtrunks are the rather bland kind, just a solid navy blue. His flipflops are the same color as he has a black towel slung over his shoulder. "Shame we can't gamble while swimmin'."
"I bet one day, they will bring tables outside just to solve that problem." Tony smiles as they approach the small hallway that leads out to the pool deck. His trunks are a simple black with diagonal zippers on either side. In one pocket is the card key to the hotel room and in the other the almost forgotten sunscreen. "I do know that there is a pool bar, because combining sun, drinks and water is always a good idea!" He laughs as he opens the door for the two of them to pass through.
Alessia rolls her eyes, shaking her head at the boys. "A little sunlight and regular air is good for ya after the windowless and canned air in the casinos. Besides, gives ya time to recharge and blink away visions of blackjack dancing before your eyes." A wink as she slips out the door past Tony, sliding her sunglasses down from the top of her head.
Kaji flips his sunglasses down over his eyes as he lets out a laugh. "You'll be the reason why." He glances over at Alessia and smirks a bit before he himself starts to head over towards the chairs next to the pool. "I do agree with the recharge."
Tony follows along behind them to the lounge chairs. "We have not done nearly enough damage in the casino, yet. Then, when they get tired of us taking them for everything they're worth we shall move on to another hotel and make millions." Tony slides his flip flops off under one of the chairs and sits down at the side. Unzipping the pocket he pulls out the sunscreen to drop onto the chair and flags over a pool attendant to drop off some towels for them all.
"Kaji, don't encourage him, okay?" Alessia's smiling though, even as she slips out of her flip flops and takes a chair next to Tony's. Stretching out with a groan as the sun hits her skin, the redhead looks to the 'boys'. "Shoulda thought to bring bottled water."
Kaji chuckles. "It's probably already in his mind actually." He plops down onto one of the chairs, just content with sunning himself at the moment as he looks over at the other two. "Just ask the bar."
Mention of the bar sends Tony off to just that location where he orders up three horribly tropical drinks complete with little umbrellas. When he has all three he walks back carefully, and sets two down on a small table between himself and Kaji then hands over the last one to Alessia. "So, to fortune and glory?" He asks raising his glass up in toast.
Alessia giggles at the umbrella, taking it out of her glass. "Ah'd prefer to happiness an' health, personally. Ah don't much need glory." Holding her glass up next to Tony's.
Kaji lifts his glass up. "To fortune, glory, and the best friends any man could ask for." He smirks a bit, looking over at Al and says, "How bout a smidge of it? You're gonna get /some/ hangin' around this guy."
Tony smirks into his dacquiri, it also helps that he convinced the guy to poor a ton of alcohol into his glass as well as Kaji's. "Or, she could keep the fortune, and I'll take all the glory. I could always do with more of the latter." Tony glances back and forth between the two of them as he kicks back on his lounger. "Oy!" Tony exclaims as he sits forward to pull out the tube of sunscreen. "Got to stop forgetting where I put that."
Alessia reaches out to swat Tony, a mock snarl. "Oh hush. Anyone but Kaji finds out Ah was here with ya, among otha things, an' you'll have way too much fame to care about glory."
Kaji laughs. "Oh you two always make me laugh." Don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing! But, it makes Kaji smile. He takes a sip of his drink, a brow quirking before he just takes a bigger swig of it letting out a soft mmn of contentment.
Tony smiles into his drink, slowly draining about half of it before he sets it down on the small table between himself and Kaji. "Well, I don't need the sunscreen, Kaji doesn't need it, so…." Tony turns around to face Alessia, "Am I assiting? Or can I go fall into the deep end, not to be found again for an hour?"
Alessia arches a brow at Tony. "An' why is it ya don't need it?" Sipping from her much weaker drink, Alessia then moves to set her glass down. A wicked little smile, a cock of her head. "Assistin'? Ah thought maybe Ah could talk ya into doin' it all."
Kaji just smirks a bit, looking over at Tony before he just hms. "Never really asked them if they were… ya know. Mutant friendly here." He's resisting himself at the moment.
"Well, its all about the regenerating abilities," Tony shrugs. It makes some things impossible, for example, cancer. "Can you imagine if I try to help Kaji with sunscreen? He'd fur out on me, and eugh." Tony swings his legs around to face Al's chair as he pops open the sunscreen. "You might want to do your face though," he turns towards Kaji when he hears the comment. "I can find out, I don't see why not. This is after all Vegas, home of strippers, prostitutes, gambling and more." Now he must focus on applying sunscreen or Al will wind up as red as the Kool-Aid man.
Alessia puts her feet in Tony's lap, giggling at him. "Well, sunscreen is always a good thing for a girl like me. If ya wouldn't mind, Mister Anthony?" Drawling at him jokingly, a quirk of a brow over the edge of her glasses.
Kaji looks over at Tony, and hms a bit. "Well, I don't see why not either. But the last time I did it, I got in trouble. So, I'm playing it save this time." He sits up on his chair and stretches a bit before he takes another long swig of his drink.
Tony is glad his back is to Kaji or the near laugh wouldn't have been caught by biting his lower lip. As it was his eyebrows have shot up over the rim of his sunglasses as he applies sunscreen to each of Al's legs. "Of course, I am operating as pool slave today." As a worker passes Tony calls out to them and asks the pivotal question for Kaji, and the answer works out just as he had expected. The wolf could relax as he chose, "Though, I don't know why you would want to be out in this sun in black fur." Returning to his job he manages to meticulously apply sunscreen until he has to get up from the lounger to go behind Al's chair to finish the job.
Kaji grins as he shifts, and leans back on the towel. "Because it's easier to dry off fully when you're furred than when you're not. Don't ask how, it just is." His tail sways between his legs before he glances over at the two. "And the sun feels better."
Alessia smiles at Tony, just a little impish mischief there in her expression that he can see though her eyes are hidden. A purr as his hands rub sunscreen in, a tip of her head to look at Kaji. "You're just weird."
"You're just figuring out that he's weird? I've known that from the moment he wanted to go into a burning warehouse with me," Tony says smoothly. He rubs the last bit of sunscreen into the base of Al's neck with his thumbs, "There, burn free for at least a few hours." The sunscreen bottle is dropped onto the lounger allowing Tony to wander off toward the deep end of the pool. When he's about there he pulls his shades off to hold onto as he flings himself backward into the deep end.
Kaji chuckles a bit, sticking his tongue out for a bit before he looks over at Tony going towards the pool. "Show off." He glances over at Al with a wry grin, "Seriously. I'm a wolf shifter. I'm the oddest you'll find. Or not."
"Isn't he just?" But the empath is smiling at where Tony fell into the water, watching for him to surface from behind tinted lenses. "Ah don't think it's so odd, so probably not."
Tony eventually reappears in front of their chairs, folding his arms across the edge of the pool after putting his shades back on. "What, are the two of you still doing lounging? Don't tell me you're going to get a tan. There are tanning booths for that sort of thing!"
Kaji looks over at Tony as he resurfaces and laughs a bit. "Fine, fine." He looks around for a moment, getting up from his chair as he starts to go and find that waterslide that he heard about from other guests. His tail swaying behind him as he explores around the massive pool.
Tony quirks his finger at Al who is still reclined on her lounge chair.
"Ah have never been in a tannin' booth in my life. Nor do Ah intend to start anytime soon, sugar." Al lowers her sunglasses to look at Tony over the top of the rims. "An' Ah jump right in, the sunscreen will come right off. It needs a couple minutes to soak in." She laughs at Kaji, slowly stretching before crossing to Tony to steal a kiss. Don't look, wuffie!
When Al arrives poolside Tony slides back away from the wall allowing her to take up the space. "I've got to see this," he refers to Kaji going down the slide but he accepts the offered kiss as he turns around to face Kaji, Al's arms sliding over his shoulders.
It takes a bit of finding to locate the entrance of the slide, and an even bit more time to climb up to the top of it. The wolf humming the entire way before he looks over at the attendant up at the top; to make sure that people are safe going down and what not. He just gives a wave towards him before he launches himself down that slide. A whooping laugh can be heard before he splashes down into the deep end. And surprisingly? No loose fur is coming from him.
Alessia perches on the edge of the pool, her feet dangling in the water, arms around Tony's shoulders to dangle her hands against his chest. She's watching Kaji take the slide, glasses set down on the edge of the pool. Her laughter is cut short, the cheer for the Wuffie just it out when he surfaces, as one of the attendants approaches. "Mrs. Anthony, your spa appointment for this evening has been confirmed. So you need anything else?"
The sight of the wolf coming down the slide to splash into the water bellow rips a deep laugh from Stark. He's still laughing when a hotel employee steps up behind himself and Alessia, to relay some information. "I don't need a thing, but thank you for asking. Alessia?" Tony turns his attention back to the wolf, and offers a wave. Having never seen a shifter in a pool this was all very amusing to him.
Kaji breaks the surface of the water, letting out a panting breath before he starts to swim back over towards the edge. A bright smile plastered over his maw as he just resigns to floating on his back in some form of upside down furry deadman's float.
"No, thank you. So it's still at five?" The empath smiles as the attendant nods and heads off, left hand going flat against Tony's chest to pull him back so she can kiss at his ear. Light glinting, giving off silvery toned rainbows from her third finger.
Tony is stuck between staying where he is and submitting to the pleasant torture or to go over an attempt to drown the floating wolf. "If I go over there, to further our evil plot, will you save me when he tries to kill me?" His hands reaching up to grasp at Al's wrists, running the sides of his thumbs along the back of her hands.
Kaji can barely hear the ones plotting as he floats in the water, a soft smile plastered over his face as he just floats in the deep end of the pool. Pleasant~
"Which evil plot is that now, sugar?" Al chuckles, a nip to the side of Tony's neck before she presses her cheek along his. "An' can't Ah come?"
A soft rumble issues from the back of Tony's throat as he slowly pulls away from the wall, hopefully taking Alessia with him. "You know, THE plot." He waves his hand out of the water so the palladium glistens. "I'll get him from bellow, if you want to try to dunk him back under when he splutters to the surface. This could be a very good tag team maneuver or you end up bit and I get kicked in the gut." Tony releases his hold on Alessia when he's a couple of feet out from the wolf. Pulling his shades off he stuffs them into his trunks pocket, sealing the zipper then disappearing underneath the water
Kaji is unawares of the plot about to befall him as he lets out a soft contented sigh, just floating in that nice warm water. Though under the water, his tail sways happily.
Tony has managed to arrive within grabbing distance of the wolf, carefully avoiding the tail that is acting like a rudder. Having not pretended to be a shark since he was 13 this was going to be quite fun, even if he did wind up dead in the end. With no warning Stark propels himself forward to catch Kaji about the waist, and drag him under water, the two probably ending up in a crocodile death roll.
Kaji sucks in a breath of air as he feels those arms around his waist, and he writhes and thrashes under the water to get out of Tony's arms! If he does, he swims up towards the surface to get a fresh breath of air, and right into Al's target zone.
Alessia tenses, a big ol' grin on her face, like a little kid getting let out to play. And once that dark, shaggy heads surfaces, she pounces to try and push him back under.
Tony has to surface because laughter is not very helpful in holding one's breath. Breaking the surface he laughs himself to death while he can for he fears that in the next moment there will be a swift retaliation.
Kaji actually lets out a yelp as he takes in another quick breath and is shoved back under the water by Alessia! He writhes a bit more, his hands coming up to grab at her hands and push them off of him.
Of course, if he pulls at her hands just right (Or wrong as the case may be), he might his scratched by some metal or gem.
Tony is looking for an opening, finally taking one when he sees that Kaji is coming back to vertical. Grabbing the wolf about the chest Tony hauls him backward into the water. If he succeeds they are both going under and in this position Tony is screwed, but it would be fun.
Kaji scratches himself on a few rings before he takes another breath, just in time to get another dunk under the water, and he rolls his body this time. He brings his feet up and shoves off of Tony to get himself up to the surface!~
Alessia lets out a half shriek before she's pulled under, working her way back to the surface without any help by pushing off someone, or pulling on. Laughter after Air fills her lungs again, wet red strands sticking to her cheeks.
With a swift kick from the wolf, Tony is sent to the depths of the pool. Pushing off the bottom with both feet he shoots to the surface to suck in a breath of air. As the chlorine water is wiped from his eyes he catches sight of Kaji now up above the surface. "You're lucky I don't bruise easily," Tony calls out with a hint of laughter to his tone. A quick two handed splash is sent in the general direction of the others as he swims back over to where they are. When Tony reaches them he tries to plant his feet on the bottom of the pool, only able to tip toe it at this depth. "Do you yield sir wolf? Or are you prepared to face the likes of the Anthony's?”
Kaji swims over towards the edge of the pool, panting heavily as he crosses his arms over the edge of it. Getting as much fresh air into his lungs before he looks back at the two. Glaring slightly, but he was having fun. As tells by the wagging tail in the water. He shakes his head; causing water to fly everywhere and he pulls himself up out of the water to sit on the edge. "I think… I yield… right now."
Alessia laughs, swimming over the the edge. That light reflects from her left ring finger again as she pulls the band from her bun to let damp red hair curl down over her shoulders and back.
Tony sighs with exasperation, his hands coming down to smack the waters surface before he slips below. Of course, it wouldn't be easy to get Kaji to flip out over something if he wasn't going to take the bait. When Tony resurfaces he realizes he's been ditched by both of them. A glare is shot in their direction, "Oh, that's just FINE!" Ducking back under the water he kicks off, propelling himself to come up just in front of where the pair at the wall were. "You never ever leave your wing man," he tells Al.
Kaji sticks his tongue out at Tony before he waves a hand at him, flinging drops of water at him. He looks over at Al before he quirks a brow, then looks back at Tony before he says, "Even my regen doesn't cope for not being able to /breath./"
Alessia reaches for Tony to pull him in for a kiss. "Ah was persuin' the enemy. An' who says Ah'm /your/ wingman?" A smile at him as she turns to look at him, that left hand with the pair of shinies right in easy wuffie view as she sets it on Tony's shoulder.
Oh, they had been trying for awhile now to get Kaji to take the bait but maybe it was a hopeless cause, and they should just give in to defeat. With one last ditch effort to get some sort of reaction out of his friend, "I say you're my wing man, because you're shackled to me for life Mrs. Anthony, there's no way out of it."
Kaji is on vacation, do you really expect him to notice such things when he's out having fun and leaving the two of them to themselves? The Mrs part makes Kaji blink before he brings up a hand to slowly cover his forehead and eyes before dragging it down the length of his muzzle; mumbling into his hand. "Tell me. Engaged. Or married." It is Vegas…
"Ah don't know about /shackled/…and just because Ah'm missus, doesn't mean Ah have to let you lead all the time.." Al drawls, the humor bright in her expression before she looks over at Kaji. "Ya don't get called Missus until you're married, wuffie."
Tony smirks, "I wanted to do the Elvis skydiving wedding but I was vetoed for the Little White Chapel at the end of the strip. Did you see it on the way in? Not a bad place, actually." He's saying this all very straight faced, how… he has no idea. "I surfaced from the honeymoon just to mess with you a bit before I vanish again for another untold number of days. I have a reputation to maintain you know."
Kaji clicks his tongue a bit. "Uh-huh." He looks over at the two lovebirds, a brow arched as he says while pointing at Tony, "You're a jerk." And then he points over at Alessia with a smile, "And congrats to you. Shame I never got to have a bachelor party for Tony."
"Hey now, that's my husband you're insultin'." Al mock growls at the wuffie. "Oh please. The man's been havin' a bachelor party for a life for years." But Tony gets a kiss. "He just…thought gettin' married was the right thing, after Ah was…ya know, /late/ an' all. Musta happened when we were on the boat." Her face is flushed deep red, lashes lowered.
With eyes wide behind a pair of shades, Stark is taken aback by what Al has just told Kaji. Not the part about the bachelor party, that was true to a T. That last bit though, he about died, then slipped under the surface of the water to have his heart attack by himself. Course, Kaji might kill him in the next minute, perhaps swimming away quietly might be in order. /Oh dear, I'm a dead man, again./
Kaji quirks a brow, tilting his head as he looks at Al. And then he looks over at Tony, as he hides under the water and he shakes his head a bit. "Well, at least it was a beautiful view for it?" He looks at Tony under the water, lifting one of those massive foot paws up and planting it on the man's head to push him down more. "Also explains why I've been having loads of free time lately."
Alessia smacks Kaji's leg as he puts his paw thing on Tony's head. "Beautiful view for which day?" She teases, arching an eyebrow. "What did ya think we were doin', playin' tiddlywinks?"
Tony struggles to get the massive foot off his head for a minute before he's released to come back up to the surface. "What were you trying to do, kill me? You have to spare me, after all, I've got a kid on the way! Think of the poor innocent life that would grow up without my exceptional parenting skills." Yes, he barely got that out without falling apart.
Kaji is silent for a bit, looking at Tony. Then back at Al. Then back at Tony. Once more back at Al. "Oi vey." He sighs, and then takes in a deep breath before falling back into the pool; pushing himself down onto the bottom of the pool to just sit there for the moment. It lets him gather his thoughts.
Alessia draws tony in to rest her forehead against his collarbone, head dipped to just be close. "One thing is for sure, gotta teach our kids not to be so damn flippant like their Daddy." She even flinches at Kaji's sigh.
When the wolf has fallen clean into the pool and is unable to hear, Tony falls apart. He can't help it anymore, this was just too great after all of the failed attempts to get Kaji to bite. "You about gave me a damn heart attack with that last bit," he growls at Al. He reaches up to cup the back of her head. "Got to get it together before he pops back up, or the jig is up."
The wolf stays down there for a good long moment, the only bit saying that he's alive are the bubbles that escape his maw and nose as he mumbles to himself. He comes back up for a breath, and looks at Al and Tony for a moment. "Congrats on that bit too." He reaches up to pinch at the bridge of his muzzle. "But, I don't do diapers." That's Happy's job.
Alessia looks up at Tony's face, blue eyes wide and solemn. "Get what back together, sugar?" Whispered with a serious expression before Kaji pops back up to breach the surface.
Tony blinks repeatedly, then removes his shades to set down on the edge of the pool. His eyes are asking a question that would only make sense to the two of them and not the wolf they had been tormenting up until now. "Areyouseriouslytellingmethatthelastbitisforreal?" Oh dear, Starks gone into that manic voice that will continue to babble on if no one puts a stop to it, or he manages to override his Extremis abilities and die right there in the pool.
"Sugar, calm down." A damp hand cradles Tony's cheek. "We'll talk later, when you're not all panic man." A tip of her head, a grin at Kaji. "We're jerkin' your chain, Wuffie. But the hotel /thinks/ Ah'm his wife, so we made it a believable cover." A wiggle of fingers.
Kaji looks back over at Tony, to make sure he doesn't spaz out in the water. Then he looks back up at Al, his eyes slowly closing slowly as he just sinks back down into the water. REaching over to dunk Tony for a quick moment as a vendetta before he goes back under.
"Kaji!" Al's voice holds just a hint of sharpness, almost like Panic, as she's reaching for Tony to try and pull him back up out of the water.
Tony is still stunned, so stunned that he can't tell what's going on anymore and completely misses the incoming dunking. Underwater he sucks in quite a bit of water due to a startled gasp. When Tony finally manages to climb back to the surface he's coughing up water, looking like he'd been hit by a train, and is generally not all there. Shaking his head he grabs for his shades, shoving them into place before shoving himself out of the water to go grab his towel. "Not funny," He mutters. Whether they heard it or not he doesn't know. He's shoving on his flip flops with the clear intent of running.
Kaji pulls himself up out of the water, grumbling and mumbling to himself as he grabs his towel as he moves past the two. He forgoes the flip flops at the moment as the anthro just storms towards the nearest elevator as he wraps the towel around his hips. Now both the boys are mad.
"Tony!" Al pushes herself up out of the water to run over towards him, a hand out on his arm. "Sugar…breathe. Please don't go harin' off." She flinches to see Kaji storming off without even his flip flips.
With eyes closed, Tony attempts to shut down everything. Every thought, every reaction to the last several minutes. He hasn't even noticed that Kaji has left the pool deck. About all he remembers was the last thing Alessia said, and then suddenly finding himself underwater. After a moment he glances over towards Al, "I'm sorry. This is not the," he coughs again and rubs at his chest as the burn starts to recede. The fight or flight reflex has given way to the collapse on the lounger instinct.
Alessia runs fingers over wet dark hair. "Tony..breathe, all right?" She reluctantly stops touching him, perching on the side of another lounge chair.
Tony hangs his head till his chin touches his chest. "Will you talk to him?" Clearly, he's not ready to handle trying to breathe and talk about what caused him to panic in the first place. For now the best thing would be to give him a second, and to make sure that Kaji understands at least the truth of their evil plan which had nothing to do with why he flipped out.
"Ah'll give him a little cool down an' Ah'll talk to him. Promise. Ah'll cheat if Ah have to, an' make him understand. Just…will ya talk to me? Look at me? Tell me to go the hell away, if that's what you're thinkin'?"
The truth of the matter was that he was out of his depth at the moment. Too much was going on at once, and he needed a moment to try and sort out what was going on. Blindly he reaches out his hand to set next to hers. "I don't want you to go away, nor do I know what to say right now. Let me try to regroup myself, and we'll work this out." His head turns just enough so that she can see that he's looking at her before he picks up his towel to wipe off his chest.
Alessia curls fingers over his, squeezing tightly for a moment. Worry makes little furrows between her eyebrows, as she bites at her bottom lip.
Tony returns the squeeze to his hand before he focuses on calming his racing thoughts. It wouldn't do anyone any good if he started lashing out, especially since he didn't want to lash out at the people who were here with him in Vegas. Yes, playing the game had been good and fun but when things changed, somehow it got out of control. He climbs up to his feet, draping the towel around his neck, "C'mon, I need to get the hell out of here."
Alessia nods, letting go of his hand to get her flip-flops and towel, wrapping it around her and carrying her shorts, sliding her sunglasses back on as they head inside.
The walk from the pool into the casino seemed nearly three times the length that it had been on the way out. As Tony and Alessia pass the guest desk in the lobby of the casino Tony informs them that the spa appt set for later that day would have to be set on another day. With their understanding, he heads with her towards the elevators that go upstairs. Unfortunately for them, it takes them right past Kaji who's sitting at a nearby poker table.
Kaji barely acknowledges them past a flick of his tail as he lays down a Royal Flush onto the mat, and grins. And from the symphony of moans and groans from the table, it seems he won that hand.
Hearing Tony canceling her spa appointment makes a heavy knot form in Alessia's stomach, and a lump in her throat. She's quiet, silent in fact. A look at Kaji, eyes hidden behind her sunglasses as she keeps moving for the elevator.
In the middle of cross traffic, Tony stops. He turns about to glance over at the poker table where Kaji seems to be fairing well, and without a care in the world. "I've tried to say something at least half a dozen times. Tell him whatever you want to tell him, whatever you think he ought to know. Leave out whatever you don't want him to know." Tony looks down at Al's hand in his, "But for everyone's sake, I need to go upstairs. I'll be in one piece when you're able to come up."
Alessia freezes, looking up at Tony. "Ya…don't want me to come up with you?" Her voice is quiet, slightly wavering.
"I do, but I can't handle him right now." Tony appears tense, and agitated. "Also, he's more likely to listen to you than me." With a slight shrug of his shoulders he leans down to kiss her. He releases her hand back to her, and turns to walk off toward the elevator.
A flick of an ear before Alessia even reaches him lets Kaji know of her approaching, and he doesn't bid into the next hand as he turns in his chair. "Hey, Al." He has his shades on, and he lifts them up to rest them on his forehead as he looks up at her. "Want to talk over in the atrium? Or is here good."
"Here is fine." The redhead says softly. "It was just a joke, Kaji. Ah wanted to stay in Tony's room with him, he came up with the idea to tell them Ah'm missus Anthony to get me a key card, then Ah joked Ah didn't have a ring, then we were just gonna show ya rings…we're not married. it was just a joke that spun outta control."
Kaji smirks slightly, though most likely unseen on the black fur. "I wasn't really sure what to think. I rarely see you two with each other when I'm around, and when I'm gone I don't know if you two are up to something or not." He just shrugs, kinda helpless before he looks back at his chips. "Least I know I'm good at poker when I'm slightly annoyed."
Alessia blushes hotly. "Ah try not to be with him when you're around. Ya know, a little respect. But truth is..Ah'm crazy about him, an'..he wants to be with me."
Kaji waves a hand, trying to dismiss her blush. "Don't worry about it, Al. I've figured that out a good bit back. It's just the joke took me by surprise and smacked me for a loop." He shrugs slightly before he looks back at the table, moving to gather up his chips and winnings. "Think I better cash out before they get too mad."
"Kaji…he wasn't expecting me to add on that last bit. He…it shook him. So when you dunked him, that wasn't good timing. He sucked in water."
Another ear flick at that part, and he licks his lips. "Then I guess it's time for me to say I'm sorry to him." He starts to head over towards the Cash Out. He looks back at Al, to make sure she's following. If not, he motions to do so. "I figured he'd suck in water like that. But, when he's babbling like a maniac. It takes something rather drastic sometimes to snap him out."
"Drownin' him is not gonna help. Ya should let me handle it, if Ah'm there. Ah tend to be able to get through to him, even when he's all wound up like that." Al follows the wuffie, fingers twisting the rings around her finger.
Kaji nods a bit, shifting human to let the attendant know that it's actually him cashing out and not someone under his name. "I'll keep that in mind." With that squared away, he looks over at Al. "Did you get a keycard to his room? Without that, we're going to be knocking."
Al fishes in the pocket of her shorts she's carrying to produce her keycard. "Though knocking isn't a bad thing, ya know." Her stomach still hurts, knotted up tight as she walks with Kaji to the elevator.
On the way to the elevator, he shifts anthro again; the cold tile against bare feet is a bit more tolerable when it's against paws. He looks down at Al, and says, "I'm sorry for how I acted." He slips an arm around her shoulder, if she allows it, and gives her a soft hug as they wait for the elevator.
Alessia allows it, just a hint of a nod. "Just Tony Ah'm worried about, Wuffie." She finally says, once they're in the elevator to wait.
Kaji nods back, "Aye." His voice is soft as he continues, "Let's hope he's had enough time."
Through the door they'd be able to hear music playing, an old song called 'Shake the Disease.' If they knock, Stark probably won't hear it, nor would he expect a knock as Alessia had a card to open the door. He's sitting in the small plush chair on the far side of the room with his eyes closed, the tv playing the music on a all music channel.
Al mutters and cusses at the key card as it doesn't work first try, before she's letting herself and the wuffie in. A glance over at Stark, before there's a warm, familiar feeling pressing on the edges of his mood, the empath's affection shyly knocking.
Kaji vanishes from Alessia's peripheral vision as he shifts into his wolf form, kicking off his shorts with a shake of his back leg before he pads over towards Tony. Once he's next to him, he just softly rests his head on Tony's knee and lets out a rrf.
With an expression devoid of emotion, Tony drops a hand atop Kaji's head. Whether its to say /my bad/ or /I accept the apology/ or something else, who knows? At least in the future any brilliant ideas like this last one, wouldn't get past the conceptual phase. He's aware that Kaji was let in, so his head lifts from the back of the chair to catch sight of Alessia.
Alessia is there, watching him from over by the door. Sunglasses get pushed up, a worried and half scared expression on her face.
Kaji tilts his head a bit under that hand, letting out another rff before a huff of air. He was hoping for a bit more than that. His hazel eyes drift over towards Alessia and motions her over with a raised paw. Using it like a hand to motion her.
The hand atop Kaji's head is removed, and set back down on the arm of the chair. "I'm glad that something's been worked out, and that we all might not end up like this again, but beyond the idiocy of the game that we…" and he pauses saying this to gesture towards Alessia. "Heh-I apologize, it wasn't very funny to lead you on like that nor was the outcome of it." His gaze falls to Kaji, who is still sitting there in wolf form, for which Tony knows is the mans way of saying that he's sorry. "I'll talk to you later. Now is just not a good time, for me."
Sorry Wuffie, Al's not going anywhere near that chair until Tony gives some sort of sign he wants her to. "He knows it was a joke, an' he didn't mean to make you choke on water." Eyes glance to the floor. "Ah'll just grab somethin' to wear."
Kaji lets out another rrf before he noses up at Tony's hand and starts to pad towards the door, only stopping to nudge his hand against Al's and bowing his head to pick up his trunks as he walks out of the room, down the hall a bit to his own.
