The vixen was hardly oblivious to the effect her careful evasion had upon the man that trailed so sluggishly behind her. A part of her loathed to turn him down in such a fashion. She despised to see him so demoralized when it was her own doing. It was no secret that a part of her heart would always belong to him. She'd treasured those nights she'd spent between those bedsheets with him at her side, providing her with some hint of safety in a chaotic life with her mentor's demands. Once upon a time, he had become everything for her....and then he'd left with such abruptness, it had torn the girl asunder. She had refused to get close to anyone like that again - at least, not until Azrael. He was the first man since Brennan, the first one whom had invested within her when she had provided him with that prickly exterior. Choosing between those two men within her life was by far the most difficult task she'd ever had to do, particularly when Brennan lingered just behind her, within her very reach. How easy it would be to cup his face within her hands, to run her fingers down that toned chest, to kiss those very lips that so called to her. A small frown crossed her lips as the girl made every effort to chase those fantasies away. Azrael deserved more from her. Frankly, he deserved better then her.

It was surely that which prompted the young woman to speak, wholly hoping that conversation could keep those thoughts from straying so. Though truly, it hardly helped much. Even the rich tone of his voice was somehow...comforting to her, despite the horrors of which he spoke. She glanced towards the man at the mention of whiskey existing where all else was simply gone. Serafina's eyebrows rose at that glass bottle that appeared within his fingers, one that certainly had a touch of magic to it's simple existence. How...unexpected. Tentatively, she picked up the bottle that he placed down beside her, cradling it between her slender fingers as she moved towards that coffee maker. It was with that same goal of distraction that Serafina requested the lighting of that hearth, letting that task provide some measure of distance between them, even if her thoughts lingered solely upon him. Her lips pressed together in a thin line as she stared at the electric coffee maker, the whirling sound of that heating water was an almost welcomed backdrop to those scandalous thoughts that swirled around and around in her head.

She clutched those steaming mugs within her slender fingers, making her way towards the table only to place them on that wooden surface. Those stormy hued eyes turned towards her companion, simply watching him as he joined her with such an abnormal silence. There were so many words to be said, between the two of them. There were so many questions to be had, answers to be given and space to fill. She could sense his reluctance to provide her that story she asked for, that defeat upon his features was so strikingly clear to her, if only for the simple fact that it was a look she hardly ever remembered her suave, confident Brennan wearing. That knowledge of all of her faux indifference to his return and accompanying efforts to woe her caused those sweet heart lips to part. She was determined, at the very least, to provide her man with something to show how strong those affections for him still laid, even if she had resigned herself to keeping her hands to herself. It was such a rarity, that vulnerability she spoke of and yet, he needed to know the truth.

Those stormy eyes lingered upon the man as his own gaze turned darker and yet, his assurances that only a fool would leave her prompted little more than a small shrug from the woman. She had been left time and time again, particularly within her youth. The woman had been a orphan, abandoned even from a young age. It was just....how things tended to work for her at this point. Even so, Serafina hardly dwelled upon such a dismal thought, the woman instead ever inclined to prompt her companion onwards with an almost simple question. What had happened? She remembered enough of that evening he'd spoken of. It was a date Brennan had been planning for almost a week, though she had hardly known how he'd landed them reservations for such a restaurant in the first place. Still, why had that date made her mentor so angry, particularly considering the many others that came before it. Unless that date was supposed to be something special? A contemplative look crossed her features as her gaze turned towards that ghastly figure that still haunted the far corners of the room, as if her mentor knew they were speaking of him. He seemed cool and collected - everything unlike that cold fury she knew he was capable of bringing about. Even so, she hardly voiced what she saw or that which she considered, her stormy gaze instead drawn to that stone that swirled upon her tabletop.

The girl listened intently to that tale he wove, of what had existed within that other places he had occupied for so many years. Her cheek leaned against the palm of her hand, her elbow rested upon the table. One slender finger traced the rim of that cup, hardly indulging in that coffee she had crafted for herself. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her lips pressed into a hard line as she contemplated that tale and the man beside her's return. Although she had gotten over her initial anger at his disappearance, and though she was delighted to have him back, her mind still tumbled through those what-ifs and that utter certainty that he would leave the moment he found out about Azrael. It was selfish of her, to want him to stay, and yet...she did all the same. She wanted him here with her, she wanted him to help her with that shop she ran and those less than legal requests she fulfilled, she wanted him safe, she wanted...so much. There were some parts of her that she knew well Azrael would never truly accept, some parts of him that would forever clash against her very nature...and yet she wanted him too.

A soft sigh left her lips before those stormy eyes fluttered towards the man beside her. "Brennan..." She started, with a hint of hesitation. Frankly, she wasn't sure where she was going to go with this. He hand left that rim of her coffee cup only to settle upon the back of his own hand. "Look, It's definitely not....good that your indebted to a demon that dangerous...but....we'll figure something out...right?" Her thumb delicately stroked that rough skin. "You can stay here for a bit and....well, I could always use help at the store and...maybe we can reach out to my contacts to see if they know anything about this." Her stormy eyes fluttered to that ghastly man in the corner of the room, her eyes briefly meeting her mentor's own. At the very least, they still had access to the knowledge of where he had been sent in the first place...if that helped any. Still, she was determined - determined to try to keep both men in her life safe, happy, and, most importantly, in her life.

serafina dubois