Work Text:
Making her way around the corner, Rhapsody hugged two jewelry cases to her as she made her way to Ezra's shop. The sun was beginning to set and she knew that if she were any later than she already was, Finn and Ezra would begin to worry.
She was two steps from Ezra's door as the darkness loomed at her back. When the door opened on its own, a grin spread across her face. Stepping through the door, she re-balanced the cases in her arms. The door closed and locked behind her and she could feel the securities for the shop go up for the evening as she made her way to the counter without looking behind her.
“Merci, Finnegan.” She set the cases down on the counter then turned to face him as she moved her cloak hood back.
“Aw, how'd you know it was me?” He smirked, stepping closer to the counter to stand next to her.
She reached out, gently brushing his ear with a gloved hand. “All the better to hear you with my dear!” She waggled her eyebrows, removing her cloak and setting that down on the counter as well. “The door for one and two, your footsteps are heavier than Ezra's.”
Finn's rich laughter filled the room. “Come on, Ezra could've sensed you too.”
“That is true but he would've stepped into the doorway letting me know it was him instead of making it look like the door opened on its own.” The left side of her left lip turned up as she crossed her arms.
Finn playfully rolled his eyes. “Yeah, ok. That's fair.”
“It's also true.”
She looked toward the kitchen as the second voice made their way closer to them. Rhapsody took the cup of tea Ezra offered her once he got near her. “Thank you, Ezra.”
“You're welcome.” He smiled and took a look at the cases she brought while she sipped her tea. Ezra asked her to bring by all of her blocking charms the next time she was home from a mission. He wanted to get a sense of what was comfortable for her to wear both in and out of battle. It would also help him with measurements for rings and other jewelry.
Rhapsody savored her tea and was about ten seconds away from humming out her joy at the flavor that hit her tongue. It was warm, soothing, and exactly what she needed after the last few days. She had been out of town on a mission and arrived back in town this morning. After checking in with August and finalizing her paperwork, she spent some time with Rose before she left on her mission and was reminded by her of Ezra's request on her way out the door.
Finn walked over to Ezra as he opened the cases. He could see that the case on the left were things she normally wore with her armor since it was mostly all silver and the case on the right were things she wore everyday. Some spots were missing in the right case and he glanced over to see what it was she was wearing at the time, smiling when he noticed that the lion bracelet she got from Ezra was among the items on her.
Ezra had already discussed with him giving her a set based on star themes. He personally thought it would be a wonderful idea. What she didn't know, yet, was that Ezra was quite serious about the give part. She got away with paying him for the salves she needed and the bracelet she was wearing but in the end Ezra was determined to win the game that had been played between them.
Finn personally found it cute, both of them being so stubborn about being so nice. “This is quite a collection.”
Rhapsody smiled over her mug. “Thank you. Mina did quite a wonderful job. Especially given that I have such strange tastes.”
“I've seen stranger,” Ezra said as he picked up a bracelet with various charms on it including a teddy bear.
“I'm more than willing to bet you've made stranger at this point, cher.” Rhapsody smirked, suppressing a chuckle as his cheeks began to darken. “I still find it cute you had an 'Empath phase'.”
Ezra huffed a laugh, throwing a mock glare her way. “You're never gonna let that g--”
“Not so long as this body draws breath, Traiteur, non!”
Shared laughter filled the room as Finn's eyes fell on the blocking charms she wore with her armor. He really wished he could touch it but fully understood why everything here was heavy with silver.
“Pound for your thoughts, Finnegan.” Rhapsody stood next to him, looking down at the case then back at him.
Finn smirked, gesturing to the finger gauntlet. “Reminds me a lot of one of my fingers when...the night in me comes out to play.”
“Ooo, I like that phrase very much. And yes, it should. I modeled it after a vampire's clawed finger. Rather, I should say my finger if I should ever embrace the night.”
“Any reason as to why?” Ezra's curiosity got the best of him as he picked it up, running his fingers over the writing and symbols etched into it. It was silver on the outside, but light and hallow so her finger could comfortably fit inside. There was writing in a language that looked familiar to him though he couldn't place it at the moment. There was also her family's crest near the base of the finger and the 'nail' was long and pointed – decorated with little emeralds and black diamonds. It was very expensive, very scary looking, and very Rhapsody.
“Would you like to hear the serious answer or the coy answer?” She tapped her fingers against the mug as one side of her lip started to lift up.
“Both,” came the shared response from the men in front of her.
She laughed, raising one hand in a surrender gesture. “Ok, all right!” She grabbed a coaster and set her mug down on it on a nearby side table. “We'll go with the serious answer first: My father was a Hunter and had a whole glove with those types of fingers on them. Different design, obviously but the writing was etched on the back of the hand and it was...quite impressive. Very scary yet inspiring. A friend of the family had given me the glove as well as a few other things of his when I graduated.”
Rhapsody finished that explanation softer than she originally intended to. Those items were supposed to be split between her brother and herself. After her family was killed and she was critically injured, the friends of the family went through the house and saved everything they knew her father would want her to have, to know about him and the Hunter life. It was a bittersweet moment but in many ways it made her feel closer to him even after all these years. To this day she can't help but wonder if he would've been proud of the Hunter she was, the choices she made.
“Yes,” the soft reply startled her as her eyes landed on Finn.
“I'm sorry, that wasn't supposed to be so loud.” Rhapsody ducked her head, cheeks darkening slightly.
Finn gave her a soft smile, locking eyes with Ezra in promise to explain later.
Ezra nodded his understanding, turning his gaze back to Rhapsody. “And the coy answer?”
She smirked and Ezra could swear he saw an almost wicked light enter her eyes as she crossed her arms. “I have a hand fetish and I find clawed fingers aesthetically pleasing.”
Finn barked out a laugh. “Just clawed fingers?”
“Nothing else is up for discussion right now, Vampire.” She stuck out her tongue which brought a chuckle from Ezra.
“I see. That explains a lot actually.”
“Oh no, Ezra. That explains everything actually. Tell me, Hunter, is it the danger they represent or something more?” Finn raised his eyebrow, incredibly amused.
“Mais la, you sure do enjoy pushing don't you?” Rhapsody playfully rolled her eyes, giving a loud sigh.
“Oh you have no idea...” Ezra muttered a little too loudly.
Finn pouted as she laughed, shaking her head. “In any case, now you know why. But. You haven't seen the best part of that finger yet.”
Ezra did a double take between her and the finger. “Oh, what's the best part?”
Rhapsody grinned, going to the kitchen and could be heard foraging around. Ezra and Finn shared a puzzled look before she came back with a bowl full of ice. She took the finger gauntlet, placed it in the ice, and let them watch as it began to change colors. “One of the reasons I'm glad I came to a place with actual winter is that one of the key features of this gauntlet will now be utilized.”
Both men stared in awe as it went from silver to green, the etched writing in silver became more pronounced, and the green and black gems started to sparkle more vibrantly.
Ezra grinned, picking up the finger and bringing it closer to his face for a better look. “This must've really cost you a pretty penny.”
Rhapsody nodded even though he wasn't looking at her. “Oui, my first bonus check but it was worth it. I wanted something that spoke to not only what I stand for but also who I am.”
“And what do you stand for?” Finn looked from the gauntlet to her. He already had a good sense of who she was but she was a Hunter at the end of the day. Hunters were supposed to fear and, at times, even hate people like him. Yet since she arrived in Lunaris, she had proven herself to be nothing short of level headed, loyal, dependable, ready to assist both human and non-human alike. It baffled him and endeared him to her even more.
“Justice. Protecting those who need me the most. Hunters are supposed to be about 'cutting down Monsters' because they're the 'bad guys' but if there's anything I've learned? Humans can be monsters, at times are monsters. But more importantly...” She walked over, gently taking the gauntlet from Ezra and running her fingers over the writing before continuing.
“What Hunters seem to forget is that our powers awaken something in us and for better or for worst? Make us Monsters too. We shouldn't be able to do the things we can and yet? Here we are doing them. Some even going so far as to think they're better than the ones they cut down on a daily basis when they're not!” She spat out the last of the sentence, looking at Finn. “Papa? Knew this. He had his made as a reminder that at any time someone could deem him worthy of being killed, that his own could turn on him. He embraced the Monster inside of him and I embrace the Monster inside of me.” Trailing off, she turned away and set the finger back down into the case.
“Don't tell August. I think they'd have a heart attack,” Finn quipped to lighten the mood, giving a dazzling smile in the process which turned into a grin when she laughed.
“I'm sorry, it's just a double standard that I really can't fucking stand.” She shrugged helplessly, looking at him and then at Ezra.
“Don't be sorry. We have no problems hearing it or anything else you'd like to talk to us about.” Ezra offered her a reassuring smile which she returned.
“Thank you, I really appreciate it. Both of you.”
They nodded their acknowledgment as Rhapsody reached for her tea again. Ezra contemplated as Finn changed the subject and offered to refill her mug. He knew that Finn was afraid the reason she was holding back her feelings was because he was a vampire and perhaps she felt guilty but after the moment that had just passed, he could literally see the hidden tension leave Finn which also caused him to relax. The more they found out about Rhapsody, the more everything they hypothesized changed. She held herself back just enough to appear uninterested yet her heart rate and breathing would change whenever they got near her or smiled according to Finn.
Ezra hoped he could talk her into going on a date with them soon. He knew that Finn was eager for more time with her as well. In the mean time, he would begin crafting new blocking charms for her and would continue to hope that she would keep opening her heart to them.