[log] they've taken in the battlefields with one last weary breath
[22:26] * Caius is already upstairs, as promised, when Mina gets there. The shower's running, warming up and ready, but he's not in it - a bath sounds fabulous, yes, a bath full of blood, less so. While he waits, he's been picking broken glass out of his hair and clothes, the knot in his chest loosening only slowly, by millimetres.
[22:37] * Citlalmina comes upstairs and immediately starts shedding articles of clothing, taking her hair out of its ponytail, rolling her shoulders. "Long day?" she asks, dryly.
[22:43] Caius: "Seemingly endless. None of that blood's /yours/, is it?"
[22:47] Citlalmina: "No, they harmed nary a hair on my head, fortunately. I was extremely lucky." She sighs, leaning against the wall.
[22:55] * Caius drops his shirt on the table - he goes to her like he's drawn there, inevitably. "Good."
[22:57] * Citlalmina touches him quietly and carefully, like she's reassuring herself he is all in one piece. "More killing. What did you get up to?"
[22:59] Caius: "There were children in the atrium," he says, briefly, "three boys and a little girl. We got them out a window and came to find you."
[23:00] Citlalmina: "You were heroic," she tells him, sliding her arms around him.
[23:09] Caius: "I'm fond of children." And intact Minas, such as the one he's holding to him now, heedless of little things like all that mess. "Shower," he suggests, quietly, "and you can tell me what you were talking about after."
[23:13] Citlalmina: "Of course." She kisses him, then, because while they're so restrained in public (generally)--in private, well... that's another story.
[23:14] * Caius sees no reason why they should have to separate, really, to get to the shower. Speaking of lack of restraint.
[23:35] * Citlalmina seems to agree with this sentiment. "I'm not going to sleep easy tonight," she predicts.
[23:35] Caius: "Nobody's going to sleep easy tonight," Caius replies wryly, touching her face briefly and reaching past her to check the water temperature.
[23:54] * Citlalmina apparently decides it's adequate, because in she goes.
[23:56] * Caius leaves her to it this time, having cleaned up while she was downstairs and fully intending to share her bath, anyway. While she showers, he rummages through his abandoned clothes for his cigarette case and lighter - and his phone, actually.
[00:25] * Citlalmina gets herself cleaned off--she doesn't take too much time at it--and then starts filling the bathtub. Yes, it's huge. Yes, that's one of her priorities.
[00:27] * Caius joins her after a short while, smelling of cigarettes and having foregone finding them something to drink on the basis he really, really wants to be sober for this conversation. (Eventually, he'll think back on this decision and be kind of glad!)
[00:28] * Citlalmina moves toward him without thinking. "Henry is annoyed with Alex, I think. Are you annoyed with me?"
[00:29] Caius: "...for?" Caius says, eyebrow raised, like he can't offhand think of why but isn't dismissing the possibility he's just missed something.
[00:43] * Citlalmina considers telling him, but instead she just smiles and kisses his cheek. "Just checking."
[00:44] * Caius leans on the wall by the bath. "It's always comforting to know that the things a man holds off worry with aren't illusory."
[00:46] * Citlalmina sinks down further in the water. "I can fend for myself. It's funny--I've been attacked more than hit on this past month."
[00:47] * Caius discards what's left of his clothes for the day to join her, quiet. "I'd happily do the fending for you." But he does trust her to do it herself, mostly, minor freak outs regarding assassination attempts notwithstanding.
[01:10] Citlalmina: "I know you would," she tells him, warmly, "and I appreciate it--when it's possible."
[01:11] * Caius nudges her with his foot, with a faint and worn smile. When it isn't, well. Things like today happen!
[01:24] * Citlalmina curls closer to his side. "I wish you didn't have any reason to protect me."
[01:26] Caius: "In a perfect world." There is no perfect world; even a world in their hands would be a world full of /people/, and people dissent. It's sort of something they're known for. Regardless: he wraps his arm around her, sinking lower in the water. "What'd I miss, earlier?"
[01:27] Citlalmina: "With Alex?" She's not sure how he'll react to this plan--her aggressive dismissal of Felix warrants a reaction. A strong one. Which is why she has to act /tonight/.
[01:30] Caius: "It's later, Mina, I want to know what you were talking about." He doesn't raise his voice, but his tone is a little more tightly wound.
[01:33] Citlalmina: "Caius. It's nothing to get concerned over--I found the number of one of the cartel heads in one of the men's phones. Since the cartel was responsible, and Felix Espinoza is particularly against my presence here, it's not hard to figure out who called the hit."
[01:34] * Caius gives the ceiling the look he feels is appropriate to 'nothing to get concerned over', considering. "And your response is going to be-?" These are things he likes to know in /advance/, Mina.
[01:35] Citlalmina: "He has two houses. I'm going to track down the location of the one I don't know, which is his primary safehouse. The warning call means he'll go skittering over to his /other/ one, the location to which I haven't identified. I'm going to blow up the first house, let him think he's clear, and take advantage of his complacency to kill him." There's a pause.
[01:35] Citlalmina: "I haven't decided whether I'll kill whoever else is in the house yet, but I suppose I'll decide in a few minutes."
[01:41] * Caius absorbs that, contemplating it- "We've still got press here," he notes, and starting to work mechanics in his head is as good as approval, isn't it? "That's going to be fun later." He thinks briefly on how much longer he can stay away from work vs how much longer than Alex stays he can get away with on the basis of really getting into the work his American friend obviously brought him here to distract himself with.
[02:07] * Citlalmina watches him work it through, knowing him well enough at this point that she can tell. "Ohhh, I don't know. Grieving UK ambassador saves tiny children from a cartel-invaded building?"
[02:12] * Caius chuffs out air - it's not exactly laughter, not after today, but the sentiment is...not awful. "That's one way."
[02:45] Citlalmina: "I've got all sorts of ways," Mina promises, almost-playful.
[02:47] Caius: "Many of which I'm familiar with," intimately.
[02:51] * Citlalmina laughs, tipping her head back. "I'd acquaint you with more, but with as long as the day has been..."
[02:52] Caius: "Just don't be long out of my sight for...mm, the next week."
[02:58] Citlalmina: "What will you do with me for an entire week, Caius?" She raises her eyebrows.
[03:02] Caius: "Sit very quietly." This is not true. ............................well, it might occur at /some point/.
[03:07] * Citlalmina makes a great show of doing exactly that next to him. Without touching. Yeah, that'll last.
[03:10] * Caius theorizes that no, it will not. He chooses to test this theory with his hands. (...what is wrong with you both.)
[03:29] * Citlalmina squirms around and tries to, valiantly! remain still. This fails. "Caius, I thought you were tired."
[03:30] Caius: "I'm tired," he says, plainly, "not /dead/." ...which sort of is the point, in a way, after a day like that.
[04:08] Citlalmina: "No," she agrees, after a quiet look his way, "you aren't." Kissing?
[04:15] Caius: As neither is she - yes, that.