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Post by NAMI ROSEDALE on Mar 4, 2013 19:31:56 GMT -5
The day was late, and Nami was incredibly exhausted. Who wouldn't be after being on their feet for thirteen hours? She was starting to feeling the pressure build up in her toes and the feeling in her legs was something she could only describe as wobbly jelly. Normally, she wouldn't have been working so late, but today had been that dreaded inventory count that was done every year. She volunteered to work even later then usual, wanting her mother to have the chance to go home and rest. The extra pay was going to help tremendously as well. She took a deep breath, picking up her purse and looping it through her arm and over her right shoulder. Looking around the little shop one last time, she turned off the lights, walked out, and locked the door behind her.
The streets of Manhattan were dim although the street lights were bright. The walk to the subway always gave her an unsettling feeling after dark. It wasn't too often that she had to experience the unsettling feeling, because she was normally off work many hours earlier. All she wanted to do at this point was get home and dive into her bed with her fluffy pink slippers on. It was something to look forward to.
On her way down the stairs to the station, Nami pulled out the schedule from her purse. She was going to have a wait ahead of her. She took a deep sigh and continued, taking a seat on one of the uncomfortable chairs that were lined in a row. She let her purse slide off her shoulder and into her lap. She greatly disliked sitting underground like this, it was so dirty and everywhere she looked her eyes would lock onto something disgusting. Nami applied some of the hand sanitizer she kept clipped onto her purse before folding her hands in her lap and letting her day dreams commence.
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Post by BANE LESENT on Mar 5, 2013 17:21:03 GMT -5
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Old memories plagued Bane that night, of the year prior and his life in DC. Everything had seemed like it was going so well, the hunting had stopped and he had been able to stop hiding. Too bad it was all a farse. The government had never ceased their hunt on the morphs, just gone quiet for awhile. They let everyone lull into a false sense of security and then ripped freedom out from under their noses. He had been torn away from his home, sure it wasn't a great life but it had been his own, and brought to a new city. Forced to fight for the entertainment of others, given only brief respite to wander the city. There was no escape for him, the metal band around his wrist kept track of his every movement.
So for the time being he lay on a dirty bench underground, a waiting spot for people looking to use the subway. Of course, he had no use for the trains. The area was just near-empty at that time of night, not many people liked to travel alone in the dark. Those that did come and go generally stayed quiet and paid Bane no mind. Someone once tried to rob him, but the young man didn't carry any money. His living arrangements and food were provided by the government; he had very little in the way of personal possessions. They had even taken his pokemon, though he had managed to hide two of them.
Slowly, he started to drift off into a light sleep. The bench was hard, dirty, and smelled awful, but it felt worlds better than sleeping in the apartment he had been issued. Even if he knew they were still watching him, he felt just a little bit better in such a lonely place. His thoughts had begun to slip off when he heard footsteps echoing through the empty subway station. Cracking open an eye, he caught sight of a young woman looking at a schedule. She definitely wasn't part of the usual shady crowd that hung around in the underground. It wasn't as if the subway never saw any use at night, but it wasn't often that someone wandered in alone so late.
He watched her curiously for a moment, then closed his eyes once again. A minute of silence passed before he sat up and stretched. He had been shaken from his nap, no sense trying to get back to sleep right then. Glancing over to the young woman a bit away from the bench he was on, he chose to speak up.
"It's not often anyone comes here alone at this hour," he stated, giving voice to his earlier thoughts. After that...he didn't know what to say. It felt like it had been forever since he had made any real contact with anyone else. Why was he even doing it now? Perhaps curiosity and loneliness was getting the better of him.
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Post by NAMI ROSEDALE on Mar 5, 2013 18:56:59 GMT -5
Nami squeezed her eyes closed three times, some how believing that it was going to make her less tired than she was at the moment. She was incredibly stressed out, and she was really hoping that everything in the shop had gone according to plan. Nami really didn’t like making mistakes, and it would be a huge disappointment to herself and others if she had. She had assured her mother that she could handle it, insissting that she left, but now that she was sitting here, something didn’t seem right. There was just this awful feeling in the pit of her stomach that she made some sort of mistake. It was almost a good thing that she was so tired, or she’d already be on her way back. Nami took another sigh. She had to have more confidence in herself. She had been helping out with inventory for years. It wasn’t like she didn’t know what she was doing.
It was only when she heard a voice inserting it’s noise into her direction that she was snapped out of her train of thought. Her eyes trailed up to a young man with dark hair on a bench not to far away from her. There was something about his appearance that suggested to her that he wasn’t exactly ordinary. Nami looked to her left and saw nothing but vacant chairs. The same thing went for her right side. This could only mean one thing. Was he talking to her? Nami immediately felt her cheeks heat up as the small pink color set in as a result of her shyness. She had always been invisible for the most part, so when these types of situations came to pass, they usually just ended up awkward.
“Uhhh…U-U-Umm, well,” Nami stuttered and then cleared her throat, hoping it would help a little. “I-I got off of work late.”
Her light brown eyes trailed down to her hands in her lap. So uncool, Nami… She thought to herself with a disappointed expression on her face that might make others think she was scared out of her wits. She was so bad at this conversating thing, and others would surely think her a fool. She really didn’t understand why this was always such a challenge for her. She was beginning to think that she sounded rude after thinking over what she said. That gave her an awful feeling in her heart, allowing her to force out just a few more words of diolect. However, eye contact just wasn’t going to present it’s self again.
“U-uhh, What keeps you out so late?”
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Post by BANE LESENT on Mar 5, 2013 19:21:59 GMT -5
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He could see she was nervous, but then again who wouldn't be in this situation? Some strange man in a dank subway station starting to talk to a woman alone at night? Yeah, that didn't look suspicious at all. While mentally kicking himself for getting into the situation, Bane cleared his throat.
"Not much, it's quieter at night," he responded. As much as he wanted to avert his gaze, walk away, and be done with the conversation, he kept his eyes trained on her. Eye contact was important, he knew that much, and the last thing he wanted to do was making himself out to be even weirder by being rude after starting the whole mess.
"I just...like the night better," his statement came out as a half-mutter; he wasn't even sure if she would hear him. It was the truth though, he really did prefer the night time. Maybe it was influence from the Zoroark DNA flowing through his veins, or maybe it was true personal preference. It was something he would never know.
He sat there, fumbling around his mind for something else to say. After a long pause, he finally let out a heavy sigh. "Sorry, I'm no good at this. Don't even know what I'm doing." With that, he let himself slump back down on the bench. He missed having someone to talk to, but struggling for conversation with a stranger wasn't the way for him to go about fixing that. All he was being was a pest. Gritting his teeth, the morph cursed under his breath. He was annoyed; annoyed with the government for ripping him away from his home, annoyed with his parents for letting him be used for that experiment, and annoyed with himself for everything.
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Post by NAMI ROSEDALE on Mar 5, 2013 19:50:02 GMT -5
Nami nervously waited for his reply. Seconds felt like minutes. She had been told before that she should go to speech theropy when she was in one of these random conversating moments, but that wasn’t the issue. The stutter wasn’t at all a part of her normal voice, it just happened when she was nervous. Really, an annoying quirk if it needed to be described. She mellowed out in her thoughts just enough to steady her breathing, trying to make herself come off as a little bit less of an idiot.
He spoke about the quietness of the night and Nami’s eyed trailed up just long enough to see he was looking at her. He next statement sort of trailed off, and she wondered if everything was okay with him. After all, he did start and continue a conversation with a completely strange girl. With that thought, Nami now felt more impelled to keep this up. Helping people was something she always ended up trying to do when she saw even a hint of a problem. It was probably her most annoying quality. Although her cheeks were still flushed, Nami went for eye contact again. This time she forced herself to hold it. There was a pause between them while Nami searched her mind for a decent reply. She was relieved when he spoke again before she had time to say something completely irrelevant, causing herself to look dumb.
What she felt as relief moments ago now just felt like saddness as the male seemed to pull away from the conversation.
“I’m sorry… I don’t mean to make you feel weird in any way. People just don’t usally bother me. It’s almost as though I’m completely invisible,” she let out a small chuckle and looked down at her hands, rubbing her thumbs together as though she was impatiently waiting for something. In attempt to make him feel less awkward, she brought that sad thought to her mind. At least she was speaking smoother now though, even if she didn’t realize it herself. Nami looked back up at him, hoping introducing herself wasn’t going to be too strange. She had made a promise to herself that she was going to start attempting to break free from her quiet shell, now seemed like as good of a time as any.
“I’m Nami.” She extended her hand out to him, hoping he would shake it. If he blew her off after she forced herself to make such a big leap, she would just die.
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Post by rhode weaver on Mar 6, 2013 17:31:57 GMT -5
Lids heavy and limbs sore from exertion, Rhode had made a point of dragging herself to the subway as hastily as possible. The girl didn't have any means of telling time, but the dropping temperature and near silence that had fallen over the city's typically bustling streets told her that the sun had likely set a few hours ago. With all the excitement the day had brought with it, now would be as good a time to settle in as any. She made quick work of her descent down the stairs (glad no one was around to see her awkward stumble mid-way), collapsing her umbrella immediately as she reached the bottom and tucking it back into the main pocket of her bag.
Her time in the city had been well spent, and she had made a good haul in the process; a new coat was the best of it, but a comb through of Times Square had yielded several bills of money, and while she couldn't identify them for their value, she knew that at least one or two of them had to be twenties or better. As far as she knew, she hadn't been spotted, but it was better to be safe than sorry, and it wasn't like she minded hiding out in Staten Island every once and a while. There were houses there, empty houses that nobody needed, and the place was about as close to home as it got for her.
The plan had been to sleep at the station through the night, but when did things ever go according to plan? Hearing voices was enough to make her stop in her tracks, and for a moment, she seriously considered turning around and leaving; she could find somewhere to stay and be back in the morning, but the trouble seemed like more than it was worth. Exhaustion outweighing her pride, she wondered if this situation could still work in her favor.
"Either of you going to Brooklyn?" She wasn't sure what she was interrupting, and she didn't particularly care, either. Circling her ankles a few times, her espeon guided her to the nearest accessible bench, letting her seat herself and get comfortable before climbing protectively into her lap. Focusing on the sound of her companion's purr, Rhode directed her empty stare downward, hoping she seemed absorbed enough in petting the creature to justify avoiding eye contact. The voices sounded fairly inoffensive, but regardless, it was better to not raise too many questions.
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Post by BANE LESENT on Mar 8, 2013 17:45:46 GMT -5
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Apparently Bane had gotten himself stuck in the conversation now; even with his attempt at pulling out of it, the girl was pursuing its continuation. He wondered why she was worried about making him feel awkward, when he could see she wasn't overly confidant. By the time he thought of anything to respond to her with, a hand was outstretched towards him and a name given: Nami.
"Bane," he said rather curtly, shaking her hand after a pause. The concept of a handshake never quite stuck right with Bane; it seemed like such an odd gesture to make and never quite felt right to him. After a quick shake, he retracted his hand to avoid any prolonged awkwardness.
It was then that a new voice caught the morph's attention. Another girl, this one considerably younger-looking, had entered the station with an Espeon at her heels. He had found it hard enough believing someone like Nami would wander this late at night alone, but a girl of that age was something unheard of.
"I've got no plans of going anywhere right now," he responded to the girl with the Espeon, pulling himself up into a sitting position again. This certainly wasn't a typical night for him. Maybe things would take an interesting turn.
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Post by NAMI ROSEDALE on Mar 10, 2013 15:08:37 GMT -5
A look of relief swept it’s self onto Nami’s face as Bane shook her hand. At least she now knew she was capable of getting this far with random strangers. Although it was a little bit weird, it was still socializing, and she was proud of herself for summoning the courage to do so. Oh, Nami, you are so lame! She thought to herself as she realized all the thought that swarmed through her head were incredibly awkward.
“I-it’s nice to meet you,” she spoke, before her attention was turned else where. Another female with gorgeous hair approached them with a pokemon at her heels. She asked a question and all Nami could do was shake her head no. Talking in front of one person was difficult enough for her, but this was two. Maybe she could handle this better if she thought of them as customers. She never had an issue when it came to her work. There, as crude as her thoughts on this might be, those people were just a number.
“No, not me.”
A reply! That meant that her theory was working.
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Post by rhode weaver on Mar 11, 2013 4:33:08 GMT -5
The young man was the one to speak up first: a negative answer, hardly a surprise, but the way he answered it was cause for more annoyance than concern. She needed at least one of them to vouch for her being out this late if she was planning on getting anywhere; if the woman didn't pull through to help her out, it seemed like the male was planning on sticking around, and spending any more time than necessary around either of them was an undesirable outcome.
Turning her attention to the female voice with perhaps a bit more hope than she should have, and upon hearing the similar response, did little to mask the defeated sigh that escaped her. "Great." So she was stuck here, then, and possibly with company, at least until curfew lifted and she was free to roam again. If she could have anticipated this, she wouldn't have even stuck around, let alone made her way into their conversation. She regretted settling in now; it wasn't until she was allowed to rest that she realized exactly how tired she was, and the thought of packing up and leaving again drove her energy into the ground. Combing her mind for ideas that would lead toward some other alternative, she addressed the girl once more. "Are you going in that direction though? Southish?" She thought it was south, anyway, if memory served. "Like, at all?"
"And you, you're just like, staying here? How come? You're not going anywhere?" Confusion and frustration were woven obviously into her tone as she again turned her attention to the older boy. It would have been better, she knew, to let the attention on her fade away and eventually taper off, but dissatisfied with the current situation, things couldn't get much worse if she pushed her luck a bit. She was stuck here to stay out of trouble; at her age, there was no better way to raise suspicion than by wandering around alone at night, but he was an adult. He was free to go wherever he wanted, at least in this sense.
Her hypocrisy, of course, went right over her head.
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Post by BANE LESENT on Mar 14, 2013 15:09:21 GMT -5
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Pausing for a moment, he considered Nami's words. 'It's nice to meet you' was nothing more than a formality; he doubted there was much behind it other than simple politeness. Debating momentarily if he should respond in kind, he was almost thankful for the diversion the other girl caused. He didn't much care for false politeness.
Bane's attention was entirely diverted from Nami for the time being anyway, so any awkwardness on her part was lost on him. The newcomer seemed strange, though he couldn't place it he felt that something was off. She obviously wanted to get somewhere, or at least wanted himself and Nami to. Remaining quiet as Nami was addressed, he watched the younger girl warily.
It wasn't long before she was questioning him again though. "Like I said, I have no plans of leaving right now. Why does my reason matter?" he grumbled. He noted the hint of frustration in her voice; it only served to make him more curious. "What is someone your age doing out, alone, at this time anyway?" A stern tone entered his voice, hoping to get some sort of answer out of her.
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Post by NAMI ROSEDALE on Mar 22, 2013 18:20:25 GMT -5
“I’ve just got a quick trip home from here,” Nami spoke, letting out a sigh of relief for herself. Talking to two people at once was a step up. This wasn’t as hard as she’d thought of it in the past. Maybe it had something to do with growing up. She wasn’t sure, but she was incredibly please with herself at the moment. She wondered how people would react if she had ever spoke her thoughts out loud. They’d probably be laughing hysterically in disbelief that no one could actually be so strange. It saddened her to think of herself such a way, but it created a drive even stronger then her previous. She was going to start fitting in with people. She didn’t want to live out her days sheltered and alone forever like her mother had.
Nami frowned at a realization. She was surprised that she’d never come to this conclusion before that maybe it was her fault that her mother was born. After all, if it wasn’t for her, her father wouldn’t have abandoned her during the pregnancy. Her mother would still be married. Sadly, she’d still be with someone who had the potential to be so cruel, but maybe if she had been born later, he would have been ready. Then they could have had their fairy tale life.
The dark blond shook her head and then looked at the others around her. She had gone into her own rambling thoughts once more, probably looking like a fool with her awkward actions to both of them. She was rather good at that she’d found. Sometimes she did so at work when ringing people’s groceries up. She felt like such a mess.
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