Creative Creation! ]
It really was one of those days fit for a walk. Light, but lacking the piercing winter sun. Cool, but comfortable. The buildings they passed went from modern to renaissance to Victorian in a matter of minutes. He stays silent as she speaks, taking him through the series of events from beginning to end. Even after she's done, he doesn't really have any idea what to say. To compensate, he tightens his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry." That was the best he had.
Her eyes closed at that, before she leaned into it, and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. A full one. Not just a shoulder squeeze. "It's not your fault. It's probably just the seemingly bad luck that follows me everywhere." she said thoughtfully, before she released him from her hug. "Plus.... guys can be complicated sometimes. Or difficult." She brought her arms up in a shrug, before dropping them.
He wasn't expecting that! He stumbles at the sudden embrace, recovering in time to return it. He was smiling by the time he stepped back. "Yeah, we can. Most guys suck, but girls aren't much better." He snickers. "You know, there's something I've been thinking about. Through that whole story, you never once said how you really felt about Drake. Do you like him?"
She snorted at that. "Girls are very complicated. But considering I'm one, I tend to understand others more than you do." she teased, before she stuck her tongue out at him. Then, the expression melted away at his question. "Do I like him?" She repeated dumbly, before her shoulders were brought up in a shrug. "I don't know. I mean... He's sweet and all. And I enjoy being around him... Just... It's strange in a way, getting kisses from him." Her eyes flickered up towards him. "And don't ask." She knew Toby. It was something he would do. "But... It's not the way it was with Xero. Or Lucas."
He pokes her shoulder, then continues on down the street. His pace is lazy so she can keep up. "I don't pretend to understand men. Most of what I know about them is they like boobs and always want to get closer to them." He thinks over her answer to his question before he even tried to ask another. "--Like a brother, then?
"Or just, a really good friend?"
She snorted at his description of the Male mentality. "Sounds about right." Then she went quiet, considering his words. Then she nodded. "More like a really good friend. That sounds about right to me. And It's something.... I'm going to have to voice to him... I just. It's going to hurt him." She mumbled the last part, before she brought a hand up to rub at her forehead. "I don't... really like hurting people, unless they deserve it."
He bunches his mouth up, briefly mimicking a duck. "Well, do you want me to make it easier on you?" His eyebrows go up as he looks over at her.
Pause. She arched a brow in response. "Sure." There was a slow bob of her head that followed that word.
"He's not worth it, Nikia." He faces forward again, looking between the left and right forks of the road they've come to. He picks right. "From what you've told me, you were just hanging out with him. You weren't giving him any signals to tell him 'Hey, I like you!' He seems to think you really do, though. But at the same time, I don't really know how true his feelings are. Do you know he's been hanging on Mayu like she's--well, a clothes hanger?"
Well. That did make things simple. The words didn't take long to sink into her mind and make sense. "I don't believe I was... I was just treating him like I treat most people. " She fell quiet once he finished the rest of what he was saying. "No... I didn't know that. It's definatly... an interesting tidbit of information."
He nods slowly, a couple times. "It's not just that. When he met her, he just--he was all over her. He was all about hugging her and smelling her, and being around her. His story for wanting to work at St. Agnes' was that he wanted to help out, but it was too much of a coincidence. He knew Mayu worked there. So that's why I told him to talk to you instead, 'cause I knew if I deat with it, I'd kick his ass." He snickers, giving her an apologetic smile. "He kissed her the last time they met up. Nothing serious, just on the cheek. But she doesn't want any of his attention, and she's told him that. If he's willing to do that with another girl when he supposedly likes you--" he shrugs. "My friend Claire told me to butt out of this. But I don't think I can.
"For one thing, you don't deserve someone like that. All the girl stuff aside, if he saw you being talked down to, and he didn't say anything? Sh*t, you can always get another job."
"I suppose... I'm definitely.... going to have to talk to him about it. Not... That I mention you or anything. I mean.." She paused, before a scowl over came her features. "It seems like they're all the same. Guys in General.They all think with the wrong head, and hurt those they supposedly care about." She huffed, before her eyes dropped down to the ground. "I'm glad you're not butting out. You're doing what a good friend does. And Hopefully Later, You'll, be by my side if I ever decide to kick his ass." She smirked there. Then... Blink. "Why would I want another Job? I enjoy what I do for the Church, and Marlena. And lately... I keep getting more donations, than I know what to do with."
"And As for the whole thing.... with him Standing right there, and not saying anything, or defending me... It hurt, a lot."
"Oh, you can mention me." He grins broadly. It was a knee jerk response and, unfortunately, he thought better of it immediately afterward. "On second thought--just go through everything I told you and tell it to him in your own words. If you said 'Toby said' it just makes everything lose credibility." A shimmering display in a store window catches his eye, and his head turns as they pass it. "I understand that it's intimidating to stand up to your boss, but I'd give up my job in a heartbeat if it meant that my boss wouldn't call my girlfriend names. And I meant him get another job, not you. The city's got enough of them, he could always find something where his boss isn't a dick."
"I figured at much." A grin found its way onto her face here. "Plus... I'd rather not be caught in that whole Drama of He said She said. I would probably just Disappear for a few years." she mused. Then she blinked a few times, and nodded. That.... made a lot more sense. "Yeah... But Apparently.... he'd rather just... stand by, and let her trash talk me and blah blah blah."
"I can't--did he even *want* to? Was there any indication that he, like, was just too chicken to say anything? Did he tell you he wanted to stand up for you?" He takes a left this time.
"Not really. He made excuses for her, because she's not used to being 'Above' ground and all that happy stuff." She stopped talking long enough to follow his direction. "And no... He didn't... But then.. Taking off and running like that probably didn't help."
"You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, because it's pretty obvious why you were so upset--but why did it get to you so much? You said it was bringing back bad memories or something?"
Ahh. He did catch that Earlier. "Because... when my village was attacked nearly four odd years ago... It's what my.. ah.. Attacker called me, while he...Yeah." She muttered, before she bit at her lower lip.
His eyebrows slid together. A lot of her answer was left up to interpretation. And he couldn't fill it in, nor did he want to ask. So he nods. "Gotcha."
It was probably safer that way. Definitely. "M'kay." she sounded softly, before nodding.
"So!" He claps his hands together. "You were really serious about this Xero guy?"
"I was. I was engaged to him and everything. We were planning our wedding. Then he started disappearing and stuff. And when I asked him about it, he wouldn't give me a straight answer. I ended up punching him."
