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A Bounty Hunter's Conundrum (BlisteredBlood x Candira)

She had gotten a good deal more drowsy than before thanks to the muscle relaxer she'd taken. Kelly was able to feel the drugs slowly taking effect, her past transgressions catching up to her in the form of pain. "Well...you did promise you wouldn't hurt me," she said, turning her head to look at him as he offered her something that sounded great. "I'm not sure how much it will help, but I'd appreciate it." She managed to sit up a little and turned toward him. "It's not from dancing--the pain. I mean, it didn't help, but...well, I guess I'll explain when you see it." She pulled herself up all the way now and moved so that she was on her stomach and left it to him to touch her as he needed.

Beneath the shirt on an otherwise smooth back there was a long horizontal scar, and the faint faint trace of a few others. The miracle of modern science had gotten rid of most of them, but not this one...her back and neck were knotted with stress and the strain of being on the run at all times. The muscle relaxers allowed her to sleep comfortably and wake up with a fresh start.
 
"Well, thanks to the rigors of both fields I trained in, I can point out exactly where the problem area is pretty easily. Granted, it might involve a little bit of bone to crack, but trust me when I say that while you might feel a little bit of pain, the relief afterward is gonna benefit you in the long run." Dante explained as he watched Kelly settle onto her stomach, basically giving Dante free access to her back. With that, Dante scooted himself closer to her and eventually moved himself to straddle her hips from behind her with both hands down by her sides on the bed.

"Just make sure you hold still for me, OK? I promise that this will not take long." Dante added in a gentle voice as his hands moved from their sides on her body then carefully placed them upon her back, feeling the knots of stress and strain there. "Christ..." Dante muttered to himself as his hands began to move up and down on her spine carefully. "I wouldn't be surprised if you have a bulging disc or remnants of a spinal contusion here, Kelly." He added.
 
She sighed and tensed just a little as his hands touched her back but she relaxed a bit with the help of the medicine and her need to feel better. "Mmmm, if it will help, you can lift my shirt up. No bulging discs or anything...but there is an old injury. So please, try to work your way up to adding more pressure, okay?" She closed her eyes and wondered if he would look at her. Would he ask where the scar came from? Would she be awake to answer?
 
Dante found it a little bit odd for her to ask him this, but then again, he was pretty much given permission to move an article of clothing of hers. "Alright, then. But I'll know if there's something else that's hurting you a lot worse than it is already." He said as he then lowered his hands back to the bottom hem of her pajama shirt, raising it upward carefully.

What he would see was that there was indeed a smooth looking back, but there was a heinous looking swath of a scar on it, making him cringe at it moderately. "Ouch..." He said aloud before looking up at her. "You weren't kidding. Just where or how this happen, anyway?" He asked as he then replaced his hands upon her back, massaging with steady movements.
 
"Unfortunately, not everyone is as level-headed as you are," she said shivering a little as he moved her shirt and placed his hands on her bare skin. It felt a little better this way, believe it or not. Drowsily, she looked back at him, not moving too much. "I was found out by someone in the organization when I was first pulling a fast one on them. It was only just after I'd managed to do what I'd intended that the head of the corporation found out. Let's just say there are anger issues that need to be settled." She paused as he found a particularly tensed muscle, her lungs sucking in a bit of air.

"Mmph...anyway, relations between that person and myself were strained to begin with. But after this? I was tortured. Most of the scars that were there are gone now. Gotta love modern meds." She smiled and rested against the pillow. "I escaped, but my back and my neck have never really been the same since the chase began. The one good thing about this is that maybe after they're finished torturing me this time, the pain will finally stop."
 
"Not as level-headed as I am?" Dante answered with a quirked eyebrow once he got her shirt completely upward but not off, exposing her back to him and then continues to work on her sore back. For the most part, Dante continued to listen to her as he worked, glancing up at her every once and again as he lightly pressed his palms into her back. Right when he found a tensed muscle, Dante glanced down to where his hand was as he heard Kelly take in a breath of air.

Dante only shook his head with a bit of a frown on his face as he continued on that sore spot on her back for a longer period of time all while listening to her speak. To he honest, he felt a little bit bad for this woman for having to suffer all of that. But at the same time, Dante began to dismiss it with a shake of his head, thinking that right now was not the time for him to be thinking about such things.
 
After a long pause, mostly from her little speech and also from the pain of him working the muscle, she let out another relieved sigh and relaxed a little. "But that's really depressing, isn't it?" she said with a chuckle. "Say, I know you said you wanted something to retire from when you got old, but why choose bounty hunting over something like being a massage therapist or a chiropractor? Seems like you could make a lot of money that way. Not as much as now, maybe, but it'd be safer."
 
"Kinda sounds a bit like me, in some respects." Dante answered with a hint of sympathy in his voice that sounded rather unheard of for him as he continued to rub his hands up and down her back, trying rather professionally to smooth out the kinks in her back and neck. Chances are, there was probably some nerve damage that wasn't brought to his attention with the way she had been fidgeting around on him before he put his hands on her in the beginning.

Regardless of which, his hands continued to busy themselves at her back for now before he heard her question. "I guess I wanted to see if I could make a difference in the world." Dante answered honestly with a shrug of his shoulder then shook his head with a scoff. "Unfortunately, it turns out there's more scumbags in the higher ups than there are out on the streets." He added.
 
"I think that's a fair assessment. At least the ones on the street are up-front about it though." She sighed and let him continue to work on her back, the more extreme tensions being washed away. "I think you could have made a bigger difference like this," she said, groaning softly as he worked on another knot. "I'm still trying to see doctors in higher field to see about my back, but it's hard when I'm on the run. I can never get my schedule perfectly synced with what they want to do. I can never give them a real phone number, either. But I've managed to get rid of most of my scars over the years." She rested her head on the pillow and wondered just how alike they were.

"Oh well, what's done is done. Let's talk about something else, okay? Where did you learn to dance like that?"
 
Dante began to think over her response to him, possibly wondering if the damage to her back and spine was probably more extensive then she had it pegged for as he continued to massage along her back for a little while longer before carefully guiding his hands under her shirt and moved them up to her neck, rubbing there all while erring on the side of caution. "When you put it like that Kelly, you probably might be right. Besides, I'm getting a sneaking suspicion that there's probably more here that you're not telling me about. I'm wondering if there's a disc or two in your back or your neck that might need to be realigned. If it's the case, then I'm probably the closest thing you got to seeing a chiropractor as of this moment." He answered as his hands continued to busy themselves at her neck.

"But, to answer your question, I guess I also took some dance classes when I was younger, before I got into all of this." Dante added as he looked around the expanse of the room as if it was providing him the example.
 
Kelly was a little surprised that he would worry about her at all--but it seemed as though he was really a nice guy. She smiled a little to herself. Letting him continue. It really did feel good, despite the fact that it also hurt. The muscle relaxers were probably helping as well. "Mmm, well if you know something that I don't, you're welcome to try and fix it, but if you don't know what you're doing, don't bother." She let him keep going, massaging her neck now as well. it hurt there, too. But when he was done, she felt some relief.

When he mentioned that he'd taken lessons she smiled and tried to imagine him as a kid. It was hard to do. She smiled at the image that she conjured, which was just a smaller version of the man he was now--still handsome, but a little happier, and a bit less graceful. She closed her eyes again and let him work. "I bet all the girls swooned for you and you didn't even realize," she said with a chuckle.
 
Dante gave a nods towards Kelly before he spoke. "Trust me, kid. I wouldn't have taken those classes if I didn't know what it is I'm doing. However, this is going to require you being able to stand up so I can see if I can realign your back to some extent. But since you're already where you are now, I suppose I can start on your neck instead." He added as his fingers eventually stilled on her neck and then brought them up to the sides of her head. "Think you can sit up on your knees for a bit? I promise this won't take long."

When she spoke of him being a lady killer at a younger age, Dante simply looked off to the side with an expression on his face that seemed to match his tone of voice when he spoke. "Not really, no." He answered before looking back to her. "I never really bothered with girls too much when I was a kid. Usually my folks are telling me to 'always do my best' or whatever kind of hair-brained reason they came up with. Ah well. I suppose that's all in the past." He added.
 
Kelly chuckled as he called her "kid" and let him get away with it. After all, she was teasing him a little more than she really had intended. He was, despite the fact that he was trying to take her in--and succeeding--a very sweet man. She blinked a little as she thought about his question. "I think so..." she let him move so that she could reposition herself on her knees in front of him, her posture natural and straight, though that didn't mean much. She let the shirt stay as it was, figuring that it was best if he didn't have to deal with it.

His objection to being interested in girls at the time made her smile a little. "Those poor girls. Losing their hearts to someone who didn't even know they were interested," she chuckled. "I bet you broke a lot of hearts." She closed her eyes and stayed up right. "Is this okay? For what you need to do?"
 
"Well for one," Dante answered as he watched Kelly rise up from her previous position to then settle herself on her knees in front of him then let his hands go to their sides for a moment as he began to look her over from top to bottom, wondering about this. "I'll need to realign your back." He said in a trustworthy manner, a nod of his head soon following it before inviting her to lean forward so he could wrap his arms around her.

Once more, Dante rolled his eyes at her comment before shaking his head. "Not sure what you're implying there, but whatever." He answered in mostly neutral voice.
 
She let him look where he needed to, not very shy about it at the moment. After all, if he'd wanted to take advantage of her, he could have done it by now. It wouldn't have been hard for him to do either. She leaned forward when he motioned for her to do so and let him put his arms around her. She smiled at the feel of him like this. Even if it wasn't real, it was nice.

Kelly chuckled as he answered her little comment and shook her head. "I'm not implying anything. I'm just saying--you're the kind of person who inspires crushes in people. You should see it as a compliment." She leaned against him a little. "Sorry, I'm getting sleepy, so maybe I just don't make sense. You can ignore me if you like..."
 
Once he saw that Kelly leaned forward to press her torso into his own, Dante would soon wrap his arms around the middle of her back before working his hands around so that the upper part of a fist he had made was now pushing into it and rested his other hand on the lower part of his closed fist. "Alright, here we go. One, two, three!" He said before applying enough pressure on the middle of her back then lifted her up enough for extra leverage which in turn result in her back giving out a couple of loud pops and couple of clicks, resetting the discs in her spine to be reset back into place.

"Nah, it's alright." Dante answered as he held her there for a little longer before setting her back down onto her knees. "It all goes right back to what I said previously, that I don't like talking about myself very much. But, the fact that you got me to open up to you this much is worth saying something, really." He added with a nod of his head.
 
Kelly gasped softly as he pulled up on her back, a series of pops and cracks hurting her a little--the relaxers helping in that regard. She groaned in pain and relief as he set her down again. "Oww..." Still, it felt a little more. "One, two, three, huh? I'll say..." She closed her eyes and took a moment to regain her composure, unaware for the moment that he had held her a little longer.

When he gave her a little bit of a compliment she smiled at him, letting herself gain her balance back. "Thank you. For everything, Dante." She sighed and then moved herself back down onto the bed, the shirt falling back into place. "I'm sorry. But I can't stay awake anymore. Thank you for your help." She looked up at him and smiled.
 
Granted, his movements were a bit sudden, but that was how things worked in the chiropractor business. Still, if it meant that her back would stop hurting her so much after he had settled her back down onto her knees, then it was probably the first random act of kindness he had given her all this time as he then slid his hands back and away from her, resting them upon his lap as he watched her plop herself back down onto the bed, looking a tad bit more exhausted from the whole thing.

At her thanking him, Dante simply nodded down to Kelly before he would eventually shuffle himself around on the bed so that his back was aimed towards her as he laid there on his side with a sigh. Apparently this whole day of trying to chase after a wild goose proved to be rather draining, only to be further exhausted from dancing with her. "Try and get some sleep then, OK?" He asked as he then turned onto his back, looking up to the ceiling.
 
His curt little nod and the way he carried himself told her that he was back to being fairly closed off. But that was alright with her. After all, she shouldn't have expected as much as she'd gotten in the first place. It was nice, though. While it lasted. A lot of things in her life were like that. She hoped that this pleasantness between them could continue.

The bounty-head was absolutely exhausted. Her head rested on the pillow next to him, her arms cuddling with it, rather than the warm body of the man who'd been after her. Kelly lay flat on her stomach, but her face was turned toward him. By the time he'd settled down and turned onto his back, she was already asleep, his comment about her getting sleep falling on deaf ears.
 
It wasn't exactly surprising to Dante that Kelly had already drifted off to sleep on him, leaving him there with only his thoughts. Still, he couldn't help but actually feel a little bad bad for the girl, for it seemed as though she was dealt about as shitty a hand as he was at this current moment. Granted, he could've been an outright dick about it and just hauled her off back to Zio Matrix's headquarters without a second thought, but maybe there was a grain of truth to her words, something that he would have to inquire about sooner or later. Judging from how things were going now, it was probably looking more like that the answer had to be sooner.

A bit of a thoughtful look was give to her as he watched her doze off beside him, nestled into the pillow for about as much comfort as she could possibly get at the moment. Slowly and carefully, Dante would then eventually bring a hand out to her, guiding it under her flattened stomach and then curled it when it reached her side once his hand was at its maximum reach as he then turned onto his opposite side then - hopefully, without disturbing her peaceful slumber - brought her over to his body, placing her as close to him as he could. It wasn't much, but it was the least that he could do for now.
 
Kelly managed to stay asleep through all of his delicate operation to bring her closer to him. She still had her pillow with her, but that was alright. She felt his warmth as she slept, somehow comforted in her dreams. Her face looked so peaceful as she lie there. And whether or not all the details had been given, she had very real back pain and very real damage. She could dance like there was no tomorrow, and she could keep up with the best of the boys on obstacle courses and things of the like, but she'd pay dearly for it later. Hopefully now, after Dante had finished with her tonight, she wouldn't hurt so much.

When she woke up it was still morning, not too early--they'd been out rather late--but not too close to noon. She opened her eyes to see just how close she'd gotten to her captor. Had she moved this close to him in the night? She took in his face and then slowly took in the rest of his shirtless body. Blushing just a little she wondered if he had minded. It never occurred to her that he'd been the one to reach out to her. Still, that he'd let her be so close made her smile. He really was a nice guy under it all.

Slowly, carefully, she pulled away from him and sat up, her back not giving her any problems this morning. Well, he must really have been good. Deciding that it would be best to thank him somehow, she decided to get started packing her things. she got some clothes ready for the trip and packed a few of her toiletry items and a little bit of make up, before tossing in her mp3 player and a game counsel. Last but not least was a little stuffed fox that she put in her bag. She left it on a chair and started to get dressed, thinking of what she had for breakfast.
 
After some time later, Dante would soon awaken next, noticing that his arms were now empty. His first thought was that Kelly had bolted on him in the middle of the night which made him sit up suddenly. But even after that, he also heard someone scuttling around in the living room, narrowing his eyes for a moment as he spotted Kelly starting to get herself packed for the trip. As much as he wanted to breathe out a sigh of relief, he figured now was not the best time to do so.

Soon enough, Dante would soon pick himself up out of the bed next, first stretching himself out as he opened his arms out wide with a groan. He remained that way for maybe a few moments before he let his arms flop down to their respective sides of his body, huffing out afterward as he then looked around for his shirt, seeing it on the floor near the nightstand. Reaching down to grab it then standing back up with it in hand, Dante would then pull the thing over his arms and head before smoothing it out once he got the thing on before heading out into the living room, seeing Kelly there.

"What's the rush? I know I said we were gonna start early, but not right now. We can at least get a coffee or something first." Dante spoke up.
 
Kelly had just finished getting dressed when Dante came into the living room. she jumped a little when she heard his voice and saw him standing there. She laughed a little, her hand over her chest as she regained her composure. "You scared me. I didn't realize you'd gotten up. I wasn't sure when you wanted to head out, so I just started packing. This way, we can just grab that and go whenever we want."

His statement about getting coffee sort of threw her off. What was he trying to do? Not that she was going to look a gift horse in the mouth, but really? He was being very, very nice and she wasn't at all sure what the reason for that was. "Well, we could use up my groceries--which are not very many--or we could find a place in town. It's up to you." She smiled and got her wallet as well, putting it in her purse and setting that on top of the bag she'd packed. She turned to face him again and waited for him to say something as she stood in the little room that had been her home for only a few months. Yet again, it was time to say good bye. Hopefully this time, if she came back, she could stay.
 
"Well, you can relax for now. Besides, it's still kinda early." Dante answered as he went over to get his jacket from the coat rack then brought it out with him as he moved over to the couch and sat in it, taking his phone out of his pocket and then fiddled with it for a moment. Soon enough, he saw that he had two voice messages, both of whom were from the same client. Narrowing his eyes at this in a quizzical way, he soon shut his phone off and stuffed it back into his jacket with a sigh.

"Well, we can always hang around here for a little while. Besides, I think the lunch time traffic's gonna be crazy to navigate through." He explained as he settled back into the upholstery before turning his attention back over to her with a more thoughtful expression this time around.
 
She blinked and tilted her head curiously. "We don't have to get going? Do they not think that you're here for me? The best bounty hunter they could get their hands on?" She raised an eyebrow and sat down next to him, sure that by now Zio Matrix was curious that they hadn't heard from him. After all, he'd looked at his phone like one would look at something unpleasant on the back of one's shoe. Still, he was being very nice to her, so why ruin it. "Well, if you're sure, I don't have a problem staying a little longer." She smiled and let him look her over, the expression on his face a bit more pensive than she might have thought.

"Well. Breakfast? Coffee? Brunch? I can make a pretty awesome breakfast burger meal," she said, chuckling at what she had left in her fridge to make.
 
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