Breakaway (Odysseas & Victoria)

Walking alongside a woman who had no idea who he truly was made Odysseas feel refreshed. It had been a while since the man was able to enjoy the company of a beautiful woman, without her being a Lady of status, looking for a prospective marriage, or simply wanting a night with him just for his looks, or his money. No, for the first time since the day he was born, Odysseas Venizelos liked being no one. And even though he knew that the moments of his freedom would eventually come to an end, he still found himself trying to enjoy this as much as possible.

As Victoria spoke once again, commenting on how insightful Odysseas was, a small smirk touched the man's features. He was a businessman, and a very good at that, plus, he grew up in politics. The power of money was well known to him, and he would be a liar if he said he hadn't used it as well. Though, when it came down to this beautiful woman, Odysseas couldn't understand why someone would wish to end her career like that.

"I insisted with one of our clients that he follow the correct protocol on a matter of his family. One that was somewhat unorthodox to simply permit without all the boxes being ticked. I was... just doing my job, in truth, and I got fired for it. Money talks, I guess, and the choice my employer made was not one he found difficult...

"As for why I haven't been accepted elsewhere... I could speculate, but I would rather just assume that I'm coming in for a job at the wrong time."

A small chuckle left Odysseas lips at that . It seemed like little miss Victoria was one of the good girls. Unwilling to bend to the power of money, or the power a name might carry. She was a fighter, and she wouldn't back down, if she considered herself right. Women like her were hard to find. Especially in the Pureblood society. Which left Odysseas wishing, once more, that he wouldn't stop looking until he found the perfect wife. Because he didn't deserve anything less.

"Pardon me, for what I am about to say, but you might be a little too naive, my Lady. The man was obviously displeased with you, because you followed the protocol. Meaning, he had obviously something to hide. But you should know, that people of power don't like being played. They will get what they want. Most of them, at least. It would be wise, if you refrained from going against them, from now on." Odysseas said, giving the witch a small knowing smile, before raising his bottle of Bourbon to his lips.

A compliment followed right after, and the wizard had to turn to look at the young woman, who had openly admitted she liked his company. Most people would disagree, if they were honest. Odysseas wasn't good company. He was much too serious, didn't like parties or social gatherings, unless he had to earn something from it, hated music and avoided dancing... He was simply not a Lady's dream, someone would say. But Victoria didn't know that, and perhaps, she would never learn.

Not unless he wanted her to.

"I am working at my father's business." Odysseas answered, not revealing too much about him, or his family. He was going to hold on to that fake identity for a little bit longer. "Though, if you like my company so much, your trip doesn't have to end in a couple of days.." No, Odysseas didn't really care for the woman, but a few more days of fun wouldn't hurt. After all, Clio was... otherwise occupied, and could definitely use the distraction.

Listening to Victoria speak about how money could buy and sell pretty much everything, brought a sad smile to the man's lips. She was, indeed, a positive spirit, and even if she had been struck by misfortune, she was still not ready to give up. On the contrary, there she was, fighting, unwilling to bend or break underneath the pressure. She was an extraordinary woman, but Odysseas wouldn't admit that much to her. No, true compliments like this was not something Odysseas voiced easily. He was, after all, a politician. And he knew when it was best not to talk.

"And, it is the fear of the powerful that allows them to grow more so. Why, in future, should I bow down to them?"

"Following your heart is the best thing you can do." Odysseas spoke, giving Victoria a big smile. Another lie he had to say on order to make the lady next to him happy. Because it was no secret that following your heart was never the right choice. The heart made mistakes, because there were always feelings involved. But the brain... Everyone should be rational when making choices. But Odysseas wasn't here to teach Victoria a lesson. No, her decisions would be her own. Whether they would end up being right... only time would tell.

"And what, pray tell, does your father do?"

"We have vineyards here, in Crete. We produce wine." Odysseas admitted. A little piece of truth in the fairytale he was building. After all, Victoria was American, and this was her first time in Greece. She wouldn't know much about his business. Or so Odysseas believed. For all he knew, he could be wrong.

"I don't think that would be a wise decision to accept a strangers offer of staying with him another day. You could be anyone!"

A chuckle escaped Odysseas. The wizard stopped walking as he extended his free arm slightly to grasp Victoria's arm and pull her slightly closer, to face him. No invading of personal space, not yet. But that didn't mean he could tease her. That didn't mean he couldn't give her a taste of what Odysseas Venizelos could make her feel.

A smirk touched his features as his eyes found Victoria's. One hand came up to brush a few strands of her away from her face, before softly caressing her cheek. Odysseas was a man who liked to admire, and Victoria was beautiful enough to be worth of admiration. "That is quite true, my Lady. I could be anyone." Odysseas spoke, his thumb brushing over her lower lip, eyes never leaving hers. "Anyone you want." It was only a whisper, but the man was sure Victoria would hear.

As the witch agreed with the fact that following her heart was the right path, Odysseas smiled but avoided her eyes. It wasn't a secret that following your heart was the worst advice someone could give. The heart didn't make rational decisions. It never has and it never will. No one should have their heart as a guide, because most of the time, they ended up defeated. Especially when it came down to business. The heart would never help. The brain, on the other side, was the only weapon you had to put into good use. But the wizard wasn't here to destroy dreams, or teach Victoria what was wrong or right. If she was as good as she said she were, she should have known that her heart would never give her a solution to the problem that was tormenting her at that moment.

Her heart would never give her back her job, nor would it build a stable future for her.

But she was just a girl. And little girls like her often ended up broken.

"That sounds very interesting... I've never been to a vineyard before, actually..."

"You are not missing much." Odysseas spoke with a soft chuckle. Of course, he had never made wine himself, but he knew the process. Though, Victoria wouldn't know the details. It was a tiring job, and this is why Odysseas paid them well. He might not be the kindest of men, but he was certainly not cold hearted.
But the subject about wines didn't end there. No, the young woman made sure to inform him of the preferences of the British on French and then Italian wine, something that would have ticked Odysseas off, had he not been prepared for this. Yes, it was true. Most people took a liking in what the French had to offer, but that was because they had never truly tasted the divinity of Greek wine.

The Agiorgitiko, the Moscofilero, the Roditis... all different types of Greek wine that left people wanting more. Because the taste wasn't just... nice. It was much more than that. Sadly, not many people knew that.

"I could bring you a couple of bottles to try, if you'd like. As a gift." Was all Odysseas said and left it at that. Not much could be added, after all.

As they stood there, Odysseas looking down at the shorter woman, many thoughts passed through his head. If it had been any other woman, she would probably be begging for him to take her home, by now, and Odysseas would have complied to that. A bit of fun was never rejected by Odysseas, especially if it was in the presence of a beautiful woman. But for the first time in his life, Odysseas found himself stuck, unable to make any move. If Victoria asked for something more, the wizard would definitely not deny her the pleasure, but that didn't mean he would rush through it.

Because for the first time, Odysseas didn't feel the need to conquer.

"I want you to be the man I watch the stars with tonight."

The man took a good look at their joined hands, making a small face. He wasn't romantic, no, Odysseas was far from romantic and this type of... affection was not what he was used to. Nonetheless, he didn't pull away from the witch, and instead nodded at her words. "If that is what you truly want." He admitted, falling into step with her once more.
"Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"

Watching Victoria kindly accepting his gift brought a smile on the man's lips. She was a sweet girl, and the more time he sent with her, the more Odysseas found himself thinking of Victoria as a little child. She cute, tiny and naive. A child at heart, it was obvious to the older man. And for the slightest moment, Odysseas was frustrated that Victoria wasn't like the other women. Because, if she were, everything would have been much more simple, but now, the man found it extremely hard to think of Victoria as anything more than a teenager.

"And, if the wine is as good as you say, perhaps I can order some in future from your vineyard to share with my friends at home."

"Perhaps..." Odysseas agreed, avoiding her eyes. The wizard wasn't the type of man to open up or show emotions easily, and right now, his eyes were showing more than what he was comfortable with.

They walked together for a few more moments, before Victoria settled down on the sand, pulling Odysseas down with her. Of course, the woman wouldn't be able to pull him down, if he didn't allow her to, but Odysseas wasn't in the mood to argue with the petite woman. Instead, he allowed himself to be dragged down, sitting next to the witch with the smallest of smiles.

"Not unless you know anything about the stars..."

Odysseas allowed himself to lie on his back with a small chuckle, staring up the stars. The shining little dots that were scattered around the dark, endless sky, providing them with light. "I am certainly no Astronomer, but I happen to know a thing or two." The man admitted with a smirk, turning to look at Victoria. "Did you know that when stars die, all the elements they created in their cores are scattered to space, to become part of interstellar clouds of gas and dust? Those chemical elements are seed materials for new generations of stars, planets, and life."

As Victoria admitted she had not known any of the information he had provided her with about the stars, the male smirked. His eyes did not move from the sky, and instead, he stared back at the bright dots, scattered all over the dark horizon, whilst listening to the witch explaining that science is her school had not been very insightful. Odysseas would have asked which school she had attended, but decided against it. He was not here to learn all about Victoria's life, or judge it. He just wanted to enjoy the night, as much as possible.

"They always seem so far away, the stars, and yet... they're closer than they have ever been before, to the astronauts who go through the galaxy... I find it remarkable..."

Odysseas turned to look at Victoria, an amused smile touching his lips. The woman seemed to be far, far more... childish than what he had initially believed her to be. The fact that she found the whole situation so fascinating, made Odysseas feel as if he was talking to a little girl, who had no idea what was going on up in the sky. The wizard was not really interested in the astronauts or the fact that they were now freely wandering through space, but he did recognise their contribution to the world.

"You could almost touch them!"

The wizard burst out laughing, unable to hold the amusement in much longer. Victoria was different than all the other women he had met. She was tiny, sweet, naive and unbelievably drunk. For a man who drunk Bourbon for the most part of the day, it was easy to recognise when a woman was as drunk as Victoria was. And that, for him, was a good opening. If he wanted to get anything out of this night, he would have to make his move now.

Moving swiftly, the man pushed himself up and turned to look at the small in comparison woman before him. With a sly smirk, he leaned down, lifting her in his arms with ease before sepaking. "Maybe you can touch them now?" Odysseas offered, his eyes darting from her to the stars and back again. She was beautiful, and if things went according to plan, he would have her all to himself until the sun came up.