They walked beside each other in silence, Andre empty handed, and Noni with a coffee. She touched her lips to the cup to catch the last droplets of brown before she spoke. It barely cut through the humid quiet. "She's going to fall over herself for you from now on, you know that right?"

Andre rubbed the back of his neck, shaking his head as if suffering from a migraine. His look of anguish melted to a sheepish smile of embarrassment. "Who, the counter girl? Heh, I hate it when that happens. Breaks my heart, sometimes." Andre admitted, his head shaking as his hand rested on the back of his neck comfortably as they walked. It looked odd, but it was in fact something he could keep up for a while with no complaints.

"You mean you don't do it on purpose just to see if you can?" Noni chuckled as she asked, dark eyes flickering with the faint lights scattered here and there. The night was cool, but not cool enough for coffee, and she found herself doing the same thing as Andre, if only to free her hair from her damp neck.

"I do it on purpose. But I don't want to take it that far. I don't want...any girls being hurt." He admitted. He laughed, since it was a foolish thing to say. But it was an honest thing.

"Someone has a generous amount of pride in himself." She nudged him with her elbow, then trained her gaze straight ahead. It's not like his confidence was ill-placed. Because he had that girl wrapped around his pinky even if she didn't admit it. Learning about Andre was amusing. "So it's a game for you?" she asked, not at all judgmental, but genuinely curious.

Andre proceeded to unbutton his white collared shirt. Just enough for his neck to have no possible constraints. He smiled wider. "It's not pride. I think it's the opposite, actually." She was taking it the exact opposite direction. It amused him how off she really was. Usually, others were quick to catch on to the opposite direction. But he didn't hold it against Noni. It was to be adorable to him. "It's an act. I do it so I don't get judged." He never in a million years would've thought a killer could be so naive. Or with a mind so far from the gutter.

Another sip of coffee had her coughing behind her hand. Her steps paused as she tried to clear her throat. As she was doing this, she had an epiphany, and it was probably the very thing that caused her to choke in the first place. She was surprised she didn't see it before...

"It's.. way too hot for coffee."

Andre burst into feathery laughter that was hearty but far from obnoxious. "I sure hope that didn't burn you or anything." In between chuckles, he placed a hand on the small of her back and gave small pats that were pointless in meaning. But they were thoughtful. "But it is quite hot, isn't it?" His smile showed that he knew better.

She nodded vigorously, shifting around so as to shrug from her jacket. Beneath it was half of a shoulder holster where Luvvie sat comfortably, and a dark spaghetti strapped top that revealed pale flesh. Without the confines of her jacket, her perfume drifted around them, filling the air with lavender. She slung her coat over her shoulder and enjoyed the gentle breeze that picked up. It seemed like it was just for her. "I didn't know that the Bohannon's son could be judged."

"I don't let them. And father does his fair share.... We don't." The -we- was said as if it was jammed into his mouth with reluctance adding as sandpaper to the channel. "Yet...Father does. And Fio does just when she feels like causing a trainwreck." Another laugh and a roll of his eyes. "It's tricky sometimes..." He tapped his temple, smiling like magician boasting about executing his greatest trick.

Her tiny fingers worked at a loose piece of thread beneath her jacket's collar as she walked. "So you like to flirt with girls to avoid being judged by your family. I'll tell you, regardless if you want anyone to get hurt, I'm glad you're my cousin because if that happened to me, I couldn't be responsible for my actions." She eyed him sideways, a dark brow lifting up on her forehead. "Do you not like girls or something?" It was asked incredulously, like she couldn't really believe it. A pointed look was given.

Andre grinned yet furrowed his brows. His head remained forward, yet it swayed from side to side. A soft core version of an upside-down pendulum. "I don't like to. I have to." Corrected almost as if he was offended. But he wasn't. He was adamant about keeping things clear. "I'm gay, Noni." Said as if he had cancer, he lowered his chin and closed his eyes, smiling a painful smile. Like any malignant cancer victim, he accepted his fate long enough ago to be comfortable with sharing it vocally.

Behind closed doors, Noni was just a regular woman. The assassin, the lurker in the shadows, the one who was always silent... had troubles doing so now. "What?!" She instantly clapped a hand over her mouth and looked around. She was also glad they were plunged into near darkness because then he couldn't see how red she was. Her steps faltered, and she finally just stopped, looking at him like she'd never seen him before. She'd strained her throat doing that.

Suprised that she stopped walking, he kept walking and turned on his heels to walk backwards. He, too, slowed to a stop. Andre, getting fearful, softened. He peeled away the thick layers he worked so hard to build over his years of living. Moreso, of living with himself. The tender insides had him vulnerable. So very prone to bruisings at the slightest incorrectly applied touch. "...Noni..." He paused, grinning as his voice seemed dreary. "..Not you too."

"Well no, I-.." She was finally confident enough to pull her hand away from her mouth. It hovered, cupped, before her lips as she spoke. "I just.. I never would have guessed, you know..? It's um.." Noni was having trouble finding the words to voice her feelings. Probably because she didn't have any regarding either extreme. " .. h-how many people know..?"

Andre sighed heavily in relief, shrugging. Now, he was boasting. "Well, then it's working." As if he were a budding actor, he grinned with pride. Boyishly, of course. "It's just you, Fio, and Papi." Nodding, he shrugged. "And, well..." Finally, Andre himself was blushing. "Others that are kept behind closed doors. They don't count, though." He shrugged.

She chewed on her bottom lip as she strode forward. Truth be told, she hardly knew why it would matter to anyone else. Noni slid up beside him and gave him a sideways hug with her arm. Andre was still Andre to her. "I think it's great.." She spoke as if she were once more truly smiling. You never know, though.

At the hug, his brows rose upwards gently. As if she had grown a second head on the top of her original one, he blinked several times. A blank yet ghostly surprising expression was on his handsome face. Yet, like was, it oozed away to expose a newborn layer of a relieved smile. Metaphorically, Andre was glowing. His own hand wrapped around her shoulders, holding her to him as he planted yet another kiss on that head of hers. The imaginary second one had gone away. "Do you really?" Laughed through words, he shrugged as if complimented on imaginary weight loss. Much imagination was in Andre's life. "I need to hide it. I may have to..." He grimaced a moment. "I may need to keep her hoping for the sake of the Family." Said in a dreary voice, he shrugged. They walked as if they were lovers. Or just best friends. Andre enjoyed Noni. He couldn't help himself.

Andre and Noni's players in The Back Alley. Permission granted by both players. ]