At the Bookstore (tags: Nero)

The bell poised at the top of the door rang as it was pushed open and a young man entered, his eyes immediately landing on Chel as she stood behind the counter, her back faced towards him. A smirk came to his lips as he walked up to the counter, slipping through the little slot where employees could get behind it and wrapped his arms around her waist. "As always, it looks like I'm your first customer of the day." He purred into her ear and trailed kisses along her neck. It had been a month since he met her and started dating her and damn was she beautiful. A part of him never expected to see anyone else in this shop other than the guy who owned the place. Tulio had been a daily customer and business for the store had gotten slow ever since the king's proclamation over a year ago. When he first saw her, he thought her to be a part of his imagination, since he had been reading some rather...adultier books than he probably should have but there was no harm in imagination. "You know today marks one month for us...want to celebrate a little?" His voice deepened as he spoke in her ear, his hand traveling down her waist and a little lower on her body towards her area. Chel was making him wait and a part of him respected her for it but another...another wanted her right now.
Nero appeared in a plume of black smoke in the alley behind the bookstore, holding several books in his arms. For a month, he had kept his distance from Naveen and Nita, only showing up whenever Chel called him. Nita's condition was gradually getting worse and after she was beginning to cough up blood, he realized he was too slow at this research. Chel had been helping, especially after Eric gave her access to his collection, but even then, it wasn't enough. He had borrowed a few books from her and in a handful, he found bits and pieces that may be leading him to a clue. Nero grumbled as he pushed past a few people and walked around the corner, having to use his foot to open the door so he wouldn't drop the books in his hands. He could have easily used his powers but to fit in around here, Chel had made him promise to appear somewhat normal. Once he entered, Nero looked up to see a man holding Chel from behind and his eyes narrowed. He set down his books rather loudly on the counter and rang the counter bell way more times than necessary. "Knock it off Romeo and beat it." His gaze hardened and he crossed his arms, his muscles bulging as he did so. He had almost forgotten that Chel had been hanging around with this little human but he just thought he was a customer, not a...whatever he was.

Tulio jumped when a man appeared in the bookshop and he slipped back from Chel just slightly. He had seen this man around before and quite honestly, the man scared the crap out of him but he would never admit it to Chel. Nero glared at the man and when Chel said that it was her boyfriend, he raised an eyebrow and frowned. "Him? No it's not. Really? He's a creep." Tulio held up his hand and took a step forward. "Hey, I am not a creep." Nero merely gave hi ma bored look and gestured over to the corner where the adult books were. "Mhm, then why did I see you over in that corner, all. the. time. before you two started...dating?" Nero's lips curled into a disgusted look at the sound of the word and he uncrossed his arms. Before Tulio could even get another word in, he turned his attention to Chel. "And why do you need a boyfriend? Why don't you get a dog or a plant or something? You're welcome to one of my hounds, they've been getting on my nerves anyway. As for why I'm here...I think you know. Now can we talk..in private?" He shot another distasteful look over at Tulio and picked up his books. "Finish up with lover boy here and I'll be in my usual place." Nero pushed past her and into the back office, tossing the books across the desk and took a seat.
Tulio bit his tongue as the man pushed past him and he turned to Chel. "And who's the asshole? He acts like he owns you or something."

Tulio rolled his eyes at Chel's teasing and slid his hand on her waist as she kissed him. He kissed her eagerly, his member already showing his eagerness. Yet all too soon, she pulled away and left him alone in the store. He awkwardly figited and left the store, trying to hide how aroused he was as he walked down the streets.
Nero glanced up when Chel finally showed up and he waved his hand, a set of glasses full of bourbon appearing on the table. "I just don't see why you need a little human boy when you have me at your beck and call. Now sit." He tossed one book at her and slung his legs up, resting them on the table as he took a drink. "Page seventy three, halfway down. There's an underground grotto mentioned in quite a few of these texts but each one only has bits and pieces on how to find it but I think I figured it out." On the page was a rough map sketched in pencil. Chel had specifically told him not to write in any of the books but he ignored it. That Eric fellow seemed awfully protective of his books but it was easily fixed with a little magic.

Nero frowned at her words and nodded. She was right, ever since both Naveen and Nita found out about them, they were strict on the rules about what they could do together. Yes, Nero was helping search for a cure but he knew Nita was just thinking about Chel when she made the decision. Though with her and Ruby out of the picture...he was itching for a release. When she mentioned the drawing, he waved her off with an annoyed look. "I'll clean it off, don't get all pissy. An yes, we are going to check it out. I've been staking it out for a few nights and there seems to be an elf that lives there but it just left and hasn't returned for a while. If we hurry, we can slip in there and snag some of the water and see if that helps. It's supposed to have healing powers, some that are extremely rare nowadays." He took another drink and moved his feet off the desk. "This grotto is the only lead I've got...if this doesn't work, I don't know what we will do...unless.." Nero frowned as his words cut off and he glanced down at his glass. If he brought Ruby back...she could reverse it but he would have to be careful. "There is another way, if this doesn't work...but we need to try this first." He looked at her, letting her know that he was serious. If they didn't find something soon, Nita could go into labor anytime in the next three months and if that happened, they would lose all three of them.

Nero rolled his eyes and downed the last of his drink at her lecture. "It's a last resort Chel. How do you think Naveen will react if Nita and the children die? Do you want to find out? ...because I don't." He frowned and stared at his empty glass, wishing there was more alcohol in it. If he had any more though, he wouldn't want to go on this mission. "If it's needed, she will be locked away and I will only raise her under extreme circumstances. She won't be able to do anything other than what I say...but a resurrection like that does take a rather..large price." If Nero had to do it, he might have to tie his own life with Ruby's. If he dies, she dies and vice versa, she dies, he dies. The thought made him cringe but if it could save Nita then he would do it. He noticed how her eyes had turned red and he stood up, moving over to her side and started massaging her shoulders. "Relax, I won't do it unless you agree. At that point, we may even need Naveen's approval which is honestly something I am not looking forward to." Though at her question, he stopped and leaned against the desk beside her, a displeased look on his face. "Absolutely not. I've read that boy's mind and yes, I know you told me not to, but I've seen what he wants from you. Make him wait. That is all I will say." He frowned and moved away from the desk and walked behind her. "Besides, I'm always up for grabs." He teased as he leaned down and whispered in her ear.

Nero raised an eyebrow when she gave in and asked him what he saw and he chuckled. He snapped his fingers and her glass filled with more bourbon. His hand wrapped around her shoulder and he stole a drink from her glass before looking down at her. "Look at you little miss 'I want mystery'" He teased and pinched her cheek. "Adorable..but trust me, you don't want to know." Nero winked and pulled back before going back to his side of the desk and sorted through his books until they were in a neat pile. He knew Chel hated not knowing things but ever since she met this human, she was trying to act more...well, human. He hated that. "If you want to know, it looks like you'll have to come with me. Then I might think about it." Nero grinned before snapping his fingers and the OPEN sign at the front of the store changed to CLOSED. "And don't worry, I'll tell your little boss that I will reimburse him for whatever he loses in sales. Now come on, we don't have all day."

Nero grinned when she agreed and moved over by her, slipping his arm around her waist. "Well it's simple now that I've been there. We can just pop out and back in." He smirked and snapped his fingers, their bodies disappearing from the office and came out on a short ledge in the mountains. "Shit, sorry, I'm still not used to this area." Nero kept his arm around her to keep her from falling off the edge and he had to hold her tightly against his body, his waist pressing into hers. He shimmied their bodies along the side until they made it to the opening that lead to the cave and he released his hold on her as the area beneath their feet was large enough that they wouldn't fall off. The cave, unlike the rest of the mountain, was lined with vegetation, flowers and vines showing it off to the rest of the skyline. "Now be careful, I'm assuming this little elf must have left some traps around here. They never leave their homes unguarded." He leaned down and picked up a few pebbles, tossing one every now and then in different directions to see if there were any kind of elemental traps hidden under the grass. Once he was satisfied it was clear, he led the way into the cave. Ahead of them was a series of stairs that led deeper down into the mountain and he could faintly hear water running at the bottom. He turned to look at her over his shoulder as he walked and smirked. "Jackpot, if we get this to Nita, it should-" His words cut off as his foot took a step and he heard a faint click beneath his feet. Nero instantly shot his had up, telling Chel to stop and he cursed. "Shit...don't move." He looked down and swallowed, realizing that he had stepped on a trap. Suddenly, a tunnel of light covered his form and wind whipped around him, keeping him hidden from Chel's view. He felt a sharp pain shoot down his spine and he let out a painful groan and fell to his knees. After a few moments, the light and wind dissipated and Nero blinked, trying to get his vision in focus again. He looked up and his skin instantly paled. Everything around him was...larger. Like he had become smaller. Nero rolled his eyes, thinking it was just a trick of the light until he looked over where Chel was and she too was bigger. He pushed himself to his feet and sighed. "Oh you have got to be kidding me..."