Patch
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Posts: 25 
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Post by Patch on Feb 18, 2016 0:57:35 GMT -5
He was way out of her league. That was all she could think when she looked at him. It really wasn’t fair. That face, those eyes… His status as a wanted man in the eyes of the government was basically the only thing keeping him from getting any woman he damn well wanted. And that woman would be pretty much the luckiest one alive. At least knowing that she stood no chance with him gave her a certain sense of freedom. She didn’t feel the need to posture or pretend to be something that she wasn’t. And so far, they seemed to be getting along. Maybe they could even become friends. From the way he talked, it didn’t seem like there were all that many people in this world that he trusted. Nessa would like to be one of them if that was possible.
Nessa grinned victoriously when he agreed to let her take him back to wherever it was that he called home. His next statement made her laugh. “Hey now, that’s just my face… And anyway, I don’t have to do or say anything. You already know.” It was a relief to her that he’d come around to her way of thinking. “I’m honestly just glad that I’m not going to wake up in the morning to find you gone.” If that had happened, she wouldn’t be able to keep herself from worrying about him. After all, he did still have cracked ribs so he needed to be moving around as little as possible for the next day or so. Her abilities had sped up the healing process, but broken bones were much more difficult to heal than simple scrapes and bruises.
After another few precious moments, his hands stopped their work on her shoulders and pulled away from her skin. “That’s so much better. Thanks again.” She turned toward him and gave him a smile before standing up. “Well, I guess I should let you get some rest. If you need anything, my room is right down the hall.” At least he already knew where the bathroom was if he’d paid any attention to where she’d gone earlier, so he wouldn’t need to ask her for that. She was a pretty light sleeper, so basically all he had to do was knock. “Goodnight.”
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Post by Daeran Winters on Apr 2, 2016 10:32:04 GMT -5
Daeran chuckled at her comment, and shook his head. "Your face, is beautiful," he said with a smile. If ever there was someone that he wouldn't mind settling down with at some point, she'd be number one on the very short list. But he wasn't sure that would ever be in the cards for him. Hell, he wasn't even sure that peace was in the cards for him. His life was intense to say the least. Complicated would be the understatement of the year. But he did want Nessa to be a friend, at the very minimum. Finding a way to make that work wouldn't be easy either. But it would be worth it to have her in his life in any form or fashion. Just one evening with her, and he already felt this strongly for her.
"I'll still be here," he assured her. He then nodded when she mentioned where her room is and to let her know if he needed anything. "Thank you again," he said as he watched her go into her room. Part of him wanted to follow her, but he stopped himself. It wouldn't be right to do that, even though there was a chemistry there that was undeniable. Instead, he turned back around and leaned back, laying his head against the armrest and closing his eyes.
But sleep didn't come to him. He rested well enough, but his eyes didn't stay closed. He turned and tossed a few times, mostly from the discomfort of his ribs and not her couch. Even for someone as tough as him, things like that took time to heal. But he would keep his word and he'd be there the following morning. He sat up a few times and went to the window to look out. He wondered what his team was doing, but he knew that Franklin would keep them safe and would assure them that their leader was coming back. Not that they needed that assurance...as Franklin had said that morning, the whole team would follow Daeran into the mouth of Hell itself. That was enough to ease his mind. He went back to the couch for the final time, and finally fell asleep for the night. No doubt she'd have heard him stirring about, but hopefully he wouldn't have disturbed her rest too much. He already felt that he'd put her out way too much as it was. He didn't want her in the line of danger.
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Patch
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Posts: 25
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Post by Patch on May 15, 2016 21:51:42 GMT -5
“Yeah yeah yeah… I’m already letting you crash on my couch. No need to butter me up,” Nessa joked. It was nice of him to say something like that about her, but it really wasn’t necessary. If anything, it could potentially be troubling if she’d taken him seriously for even a moment. In a romantic way, at any rate. He probably meant it, just in a platonic kind of way. It was the only thing that made sense. Laughing a little, she lifted her hand to give him a little wave. “Sleep well, Daeran.”
Despite her wishes, it didn’t seem like he was able to do that. Whether because of the uncertainty of having a stranger in her house or because of the man himself, she had a bit of difficulty sleeping. There were a few times during the night where her sleep was disrupted, and she could have sworn that she’d heard him moving around in the living room during at least one of those times. Was he still in pain, or just anxious? It was hard to give it much thought when she was really only half-awake for it all. At least she was able to get some rest.
The morning came all too quickly though. It was a good thing she had the day off work. Sleeping in would have been the order of the day, if she hadn’t known that there was a guest in the house who may or may not be awake already. That meant she couldn’t just stay in bed all day, despite how much she might want another hour or two of sleep. Nessa rolled out of bed to get ready for the day, throwing on a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt before heading out toward the kitchen. That involved her passing the living room, where Daeran waited. “Good morning,” she said with a smile when she saw that he was awake. As much as she was anxious to ask how he was feeling, she figured that could wait a little while. “Would you like some coffee or something to eat?” She wasn’t sure how big a rush he was in to get back to where he’d come from, but she wasn’t going to get very far without at least getting some caffeine in her system.
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Post by Daeran Winters on Jun 12, 2016 9:15:13 GMT -5
Daeran laughed at her joke. Butter her up? He wasn't trying to butter her up. He was just speaking the truth. Daeran wasn't one to just say things. As a leader of a group, he'd found that being straightforward with people was the best way. People, despite their initial reactions, respected that. "Sleep well," he answered her.
But sleep hadn't come easily to him. It never did really. Daeran's head was always swimming with tactical and strategic thoughts. It had to be that way. He had to do everything he could to keep his team alive. No, not his team, his family. Because that's what they were to him. Family. Every damned one of them meant everything to him. Deep down, he wanted Vanessa to be a part of that now. She was just a good person. But he didn't want her life in the danger that he was in every day. Damn catch 22s.
"Good morning," he answered when she came out. He'd waited patiently, knowing that the woman, the angel, had to be worn out from yesterday. "Sure," he said. He got up and went over to her. Just a cup of coffee would do. He really had to get back to his family. He was patient still while she ate or drank her coffee, or whatever she needed to do. Then they'd be off.
At the junkyard, Daeran pointed out a spot where she could park her car and it would stay out of sight. They went up to a small area, and placed his hand on a small, hidden panel. "The whole base is run off of biometrics. Franklin's a technopath. Half the stuff he does I couldn't even begin to understand," he said with a smile as a door slid open. When they stepped inside, the door shut behind them. "Daeran!" a little voice rang out as Tommy rushed him, slamming into him with a huge hug. Daeran grunted from the impact and the boy pulled away. "Who's she? She's pretty?" Daeran smiled. "Go get the others, buddy," he told the boy, and the boy nodded and ran down the stairs. Daeran motioned for Vanessa to follow as he descended into the actual base. "They'll want to meet you."
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Patch
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Posts: 25
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Post by Patch on Jul 21, 2016 19:19:52 GMT -5
He seemed anxious, and Nessa could understand why all too well. That was why she skipped breakfast, making do with only a cup of coffee before they headed out. Using her powers last night had made her a little more hungry than usual, but she could wait until after she’d dropped him off and then have a nice, big breakfast somewhere. She was craving pancakes. Oh yeah, that was definitely happening later. “How are you feeling? Any better than last night?” she did remember to ask him while they were still at her place. If he needed a little extra healing, she would have the energy to do a more thorough job now that she wasn’t so tired.
Nessa allowed Daeran to guide her to the hiding place of the rest of his team and parked her car. After that, she wasn’t really sure what to expect. Would he just get out of the car, thank her for the ride, and then leave? Just go their separate ways and never see her again? It was hard to say considering the fact that he’d mentioned wanting to keep her out of trouble multiple times, but had also hinted that his group could use someone like her. Talk about mixed signals. At least she knew that his comment about her ‘beautiful face’ could be shrugged off as a joke. But what if he hadn’t been kidding? No. She really couldn’t let her mind go down that road. No point in getting her hopes up.
Oh my god. So… adorable… was her thought when Daeran immediately got pounced upon by a small boy. Their exchange was short, but then Daeran invited her in. Apparently he wasn’t just going to shoo her away like she’d expected. “Oh, alright…” Pancakes could wait for a little while longer. She followed him down the stairs, wondering how far down into the ground they were going. Or how many people were in this team of his that she was going to meet. Would they like her? Did it actually matter? Maybe not, but she wanted anyone who associated with Daeran to at least think well of her. Maybe that would mean she would be able to see him again. Maybe even become friends.
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Post by Daeran Winters on Nov 7, 2016 21:46:16 GMT -5
"Much better," Daeran answered. "You're a miracle worker." He was hurting still, but it wasn't like he'd never felt pain before. Not the first time, and damn sure not the last either. Daeran's life was damn near nothing but pain anymore. It wasn't easy leading a group of people who knew that it was unlikely they'd ever be able to live a normal life again. Especially those like Tommy, who was so young and didn't deserve to have to live his life this way. He should be out playing with other kids his age, running around the playground, or whatever it was that kids did these days. He wasn't sure. He didn't have, or want kids.
He'd be lying to himself if he said that he didn't want Vanessa to stay, but at the same time there was no way that he would ask her to put herself in this sort of life. She had a good one going. Sure her apartment was small-ish, but it was much better than living in a junkyard. And she had a job, people who appreciated her and what she did. But again, part of it was just that Daeran was lonely. Everyone needed companionship. Right? And she really was easily the prettiest woman he'd seen in a long, long time. There was no denying that.
Tommy had run off already, his footsteps were highly audible. "Slow down, Tommy," he heard one of his people call out. It was probably Katrina. She had the 'mom' thing going with Tommy. They met everyone in the mess hall. There was food, so Daeran pointed to the table. "You're welcome to eat if you want. I know we left in kind of a hurry. I'm sorry about that," he told Vanessa. Whether or not she would eat, he would introduce her to the group. "Guys, this is Vanessa. She helped me. Found me unconscious and brought me back to the world." The others were sitting down, some eating, some just sitting and listening. Either way, it was obvious that they all looked to Daeran for guidance and leadership. He went around the room. "You already met Tommy. That's Katrina beside him, then Rob, Jen, Franklin and Eric. There are a few others, out on missions right now." Everyone was cordial and nice to Vanessa, a few of them seemed that they wanted to talk with her and pick her brain a bit. Tommy was quick to sit next to her and just started talking randomly about everything he could think of. Cute kid that he was.
Daeran grabbed a few strips of bacon and sat down at the end of the table near where he'd pointed for Vanessa to sit. "Welcome back," Jen whispered as she went to sit next to Franklin, who had also taken an interest in getting to know Vanessa.
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Post by Patch on Dec 9, 2016 1:27:58 GMT -5
Nessa followed Daeran down to the mess hall, where it seemed that the rest of his group was currently gathered to share a meal. Most convenient timing in Nessa’s mind, considering he’d been in such a rush to get back that neither of them had anything more than coffee in their bellies. She couldn’t deny that she was hungry when he offered her food. “Are you sure it’s alright?” she asked. It didn’t seem like they had much. Obviously just the fact that they were hiding out and living in a junkyard meant that they were far from living a lavish lifestyle. But once introductions had been made, they reassured her that they had plenty of food to go around, so she sat down at the table. “It’s nice to meet you all…”
The group was understandably quite curious about her. Obviously their leader didn’t often bring strangers into their midst. Nessa would probably be quite flattered if she didn’t know it was only because she’d saved his life. Or, rather, he thought that she had. Who knew what would have actually happened to him if she hadn’t come along? There was a good chance that he would have woken up on his own, but after how long? Would the government have found him first? Those were questions that she didn’t have the answers to. So there was no real point in spending any more time mulling over what-if scenarios.
It was especially difficult to concentrate on much of anything else with Tommy tugging at her sleeve in between bites of her eggs and bacon. God he was cute, and well-behaved despite his insatiable curiosity. There was a lot he wanted to know about her. Where she came from. Why she had been wandering the street late at night. The revelation that she was a healer got the rest of the group’s attention as well, which led Nessa to further believe that this group did not currently have a doctor or anything of the sort among their group. Unfortunate, considering the great risk each of them posed of getting hurt on a nearly daily basis. A group like this could really use someone like her. “We’re really grateful for you helping Daeran out,” said one of the women. Jen she thought was her name. “How can we ever repay you?”
Nessa’s initial response was just a shrug of her shoulders. “Oh, well Daeran pretty much already took care of that. He gives great back massages,” she said with a giggle. It got quite a laugh from the group as well.
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Post by Daeran Winters on Mar 12, 2017 18:16:30 GMT -5
It was funny for Daeran, watching this woman interact with his group. She seemed just as shy with them as she did when they were alone. He smiled and chuckled with each joke cracked, with each time Tommy asked rapid fire questions, with each time Vanessa missed one of the questions in her attempts to rapid fire answer the boy. The group didn't get visitors, ever. So it was nice to see them able to interact with someone from the outside world for a change. He cared about his people so much, something that could be easily seen by anyone. He ate slowly, still in a little pain, but he was as tough as it got.
Katrina got up to go back for more, and on her way back stopped by Daeran and whispered in his ear. "She's a keeper." The leader chuckled, but he agreed wholeheartedly. Katrina moved on and sat down, handing a couple strips of bacon to Tommy. The boy took them and munched happily. "Don't run around while you eat, baby," Katrina told him, and he nodded, smiling with a mouth full of bacon. He'd really taken to her moreso than anyone else in the group. The woman couldn't help but chuckle at that. Daeran let out a small chuckle as well, looking to Vanessa then, the right side of his mouth curling up in a small smile. Tommy then asked another question, and the whole group laughed. "Have you ever healed someone who broke their buttcheek?" Franklin nearly spit out his coffee.
Daeran continued to listen for the rest of the conversation. Hearing Jen thank Vanessa for helping him was odd. Jen was usually the quiet type, so that coming from her was odd, but not at all unwelcome. Vanessa's response brought a bit of a wince from him, especially considering the look the entire group gave him. "Oh does he?" Eric chimed in. He was always the joker of the group. Franklin gave Daeran a sidelong glance, then lifted his fist for a fistbump. Reluctantly, Daeran complied. The laugh from the entire group was comforting though. They were a tight knit group, so little moments like this were a great thing.
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Patch
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Posts: 25
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Post by Patch on Apr 9, 2017 18:17:07 GMT -5
“Well, you can’t really break a buttcheek since it’s not a bone. But you can break your tailbone…” The kid probably didn’t need an anatomy lesson though, so that was where she stopped with that, choosing instead to shake her head. “No, I’m not a doctor or anything so I don’t… people don’t normally come to me for healing so I’ve never really handled anything like that.” She was a caretaker, so she mostly dealt with elderly patients. None of whom knew about her powers, though she had occasionally helped things heal a little. It made her sad that she didn’t get to help people more. She could have, she guessed, but there was always the limitation of her power itself. If she went into medicine full time and had to use it a lot, it would be very draining for her. It might make her stronger in the long run, but there was no way she’d be able to heal everyone and that reality would most likely just depress her. A group like this though… healing them wouldn’t be so bad even if several of them got injured at once.
Ehhh, she was jumping ahead of herself. Sure Daeran had sorta, kinda invited her to join the group already. Well, he’d said that they could use someone like her, but he also said that he wasn’t trying to recruit her. Talk about mixed messages. Maybe it was better that way, though. These people were on the run, hunted. Getting too involved with them would only complicate her life exponentially. Yet one look into Daeran’s blue eyes made her think it might all be worth it. Oh she was in trouble...
Uh oh… had she said something she shouldn’t have? Nessa hadn’t really thought him giving her a massage was a big deal until everyone else was laughing about it. Well, it still wasn’t a big deal in her mind. He obviously hadn’t meant anything by it, so his friends were obviously reading way more into it than they should be. Didn’t they see that he was way too good for her and would probably never look at her that way in a million years? It was so obvious to her. Poor guy even had to give Franklin a reluctant fistbump. She caught his eye and mouthed the word ‘sorry’ but hopefully the team wouldn’t give him too hard a time about it. Had he really never given anyone else in the group a massage before? Seemed a waste since he was so good at it, but that wasn’t really any of her business. “So Tommy, I never really finished getting the grand tour. Think you could help me out when you’re done eating?”
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Post by Daeran Winters on May 18, 2017 8:33:05 GMT -5
"Oh," the child said, not really sure what to think about it. He smiled and nodded and moved back to Katrina to get more bacon. "Thank you," he called back to Vanessa when he headed off to somewhere. "Where are you going, little one?" Katrina asked him, but caught a devilish grin in return. "Oh, shit," she said, shaking her head. Franklin was still wiping his mouth from the spittle that came out from the broken buttcheek question. Daeran patted his friend's shoulder, a physical "you ok?" Franklin nodded. "Tommy just caught me off guard there."
It was good that it seemed Vanessa was having a good time. Daeran gave her a small smile. He knew how bad what he'd said had sounded. One could take it as mixed signals, and he was almost sure that she had done just that. It wasn't his intention. He wanted her to stick around, he really did. But he didn't want to see her in danger, and her staying would do just that. She didn't seem like the sort who would want to stay at the base while the others went out on missions, nor would he want her cooped up like that. She had her own life to live, and this place had nothing to do with that. Daeran wouldn't force anything on her. So basically he was saying that whatever happened, it was her decision to make. She was welcome to stay but not obligated. So why couldn't he just come out and say that to her? He slowly ate for a bit more. He smiled again when it seemed she thought she'd said too much. A slight nod would hopefully give her comfort that she had not. This group wasn't above some bit of giving each other crap.
The group was of the mind, due to Daeran's leadership, that no one was too good for anyone. They all loved each other here, they were all one. Vanessa could easily fit into that. She seemed so sweet and kind, and obviously she was also very self-conscious. How? Daeran kept asking himself how someone so angelic had no idea that she was just that. "No worries," Daeran silently said back to Vanessa. He smiled. That's when Tommy came back a few minutes later, the same grin on his face, but nothing in his hands. "Did you just prank someone, Thomas?" Katrina questioned, and was answered by a vigorous shake of his head. He heard Vanessa's question then. "Oh can I? Can I?" he asked Daeran. "Sure," the leader answered. Tommy grabbed another piece of bacon, and Vanessa's hand to lead her into the rest of the complex. "You're gonna love it here. Plenty of room to move, huge medical bay, big television....that's my favorite. Oh! We have a pool!" he said excitedly as he dragged her off. Daeran stood up and patted Franklin's shoulder again. "Maybe I should go along," he said. "Maybe you should," Franklin teased.
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Post by Patch on Jun 8, 2017 16:26:26 GMT -5
Nessa probably should not have been surprised that she’d been immediately dragged off by the enthusiastic young lad. At least she managed to shoot Daeran a small, amused smile before trotting after Tommy. Thankfully she didn’t take too long or the youth might have pulled her arm out of socket. The way he talked about the base made it seem like he was assuming she was a member of the group now. It gave her a moment of sadness to think that her leaving would give him even the slightest ounce of pain, but what could she do? She had an entire life to think about back there in the real world, away from this underground kingdom with the gorgeous-but-unattainable king. It wouldn’t be possible for her to drop everything.
The number of amenities Tommy was listing as they walked down the hallway was quite the surprise. Sure, they were fairly deep underground so they had all the space they needed, but still. A pool? Wow. Nessa’s own apartment complex didn’t even have one. “Well, how about you show me all your favorite places?” She did briefly wonder why they had the huge medical bay if they did not have a doctor. Maybe they used to have one, but something happened to him? Considering this team had just lost two people and nearly their leader, it was possible that their numbers had once been much bigger. She didn’t like to think about what had happened to those hypothetical people. That would just make her worry about the future of those who were left. She hated the idea of anything bad happening to Daeran. Or Tommy. Or any of the others. Sigh. She was only going to drive herself crazy if she kept thinking about the endless hypotheticals.
At some point, Daeran caught up with them despite the quick pace initiated by the group’s youngest member. Nessa had assumed he might have something more important to do, but she was glad he was there. Since she’d requested that Tommy take her to his favorite places, they of course went straight to the room with the large television. “Wow, you weren’t kidding!” It was pretty damn impressive, she had to admit. Watching a movie on that thing would be like actually being inside the scenery.
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Post by Daeran Winters on Jul 17, 2017 18:47:49 GMT -5
Yep, so Tommy had just totally stolen Vanessa away. The boy's voice tended to carry, so Daeran heard everything the little one was saying. The television room was definitely the boy's favorite, and Franklin's too, but that wasn't something he wanted everyone to know. "Nope! Not kidding at all!" Tommy shouted, a big smile coming over his face. "I love watching sports, especially football. Did you know the Sapphire City Monarchs drafted Samuel Franklin? He's gonna be great for them!" The fact was that the team had a pretty good life here. Sure, there were dangers, but those dangers made the downtime, the fun, even sweeter, even more enjoyable. Daeran smiled. "Tommy says he's going to play for the Monarchs one day. I can't wait to see that." Tommy bounced around the room and grabbed a football from a chair. Franklin had left it there the night before.
"It's pretty much a rec room for all of us. Katrina likes to watch cooking shows. I hate them, really irks me when the cook says how good the food smells, like we can smell it through the television," Daeran said with a furrowed brow. He shook that off. "Jen is big on martial arts films, and don't tell anyone, but Rob loves chick flicks." He pointed to the large rack in the corner where a moderately large sized collection of movies sat. "Daeran doesn't watch a lot of television," Tommy said with a small frown. "He's usually pretty busy." Daeran could only shrug as he patted the boy's shoulder. It was a big job keeping everyone here safe and comfortable.
Tommy started out of the room. "The pool is next," he said as they continued on. It was just a few rooms down the hall. Each room was decorated in some way that gave away who stayed there. A couple of them just had names on the doors. It was hard to remember who's room was who's when you lived with so many people. Tommy somehow remembered them all though. "Daeran's room is down that way!" the boy shouted as he went into the pool area. The pool wasn't that large, but it was big enough for them. And it was actually built into the place by Daeran after he realized that the team really needed a release sometimes. "Tommy has actually become a really good swimmer," he said with a smile. Tommy was nodding quickly. "Wanna see?" he asked excitedly.
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Post by Patch on Sept 14, 2017 21:34:11 GMT -5
“That’s too bad. I actually really like cooking shows. I’ve learned a lot from them over the years…” Nessa prided herself on being a pretty damned good cook, if she did say so herself. Of course, not very many people could say they’d experienced her fine cuisine so she really only had her own opinion to go on. Still, she was damned good at following a recipe and was her ability to improvise on the spot was growing too. She laughed a little when he told her not to tell anyone. “And who exactly would I tell?” No one she knew at home even knew any of these people so they wouldn’t care. And this group… well, there was still a good chance she wouldn’t see any of them again after today. God that feeling made her uncomfortable. She couldn’t help it.
Nessa didn’t doubt for a second that Daeran was too busy to watch much tv. He was the leader, after all, and with a group like this one that undoubtedly meant constant planning. And constant worrying. He obviously really cared about these people. A group this close knit were a family, for all intents and purposes. Nessa wondered briefly if that business was the reason he was single. At least, she assumed he was single. None of the women she’d seen down here had given any indication they were his lovers. She could only assume that one of them would have at least made that important distinction considering he’d been out all night and had brought another woman with him back to their base when he did return. So no girlfriend, then, as difficult as it was for her to believe. If he and his group didn’t have to hide from the world in general, she was sure he would be spoken for by now.
After the TV room, the pool was next. Not that it really mattered where they went. She just couldn’t get over how damn cute this kid was. Still able to be content and upbeat despite everything that was going on. It was a truly admirable quality in a person. Maybe it was just that this kind of thing was easier for children, but she didn’t think so. This was an all-Tommy thing, helped along by the fact that everyone who surrounded him obviously loved him and had his best interests at heart. “I would love to see you swim!” she said with a brilliant smile since the child himself was obviously enthusiastic about the idea. “Are you any good at holding your breath? I used to be pretty good at it, I think I could maybe even beat you…”
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Post by Daeran Winters on Jan 6, 2018 21:03:48 GMT -5
Daeran smiled and laughed when she said she liked cooking shows. To each their own... Everyone had their tastes. It interested him that she'd learned a lot from the shows. He wondered if she was a good cook. It had been a long time since he'd had a good meal, a home cooked meal anyway. More and more she was seeming like the perfect woman. He shrugged when she asked who she'd tell. Rob really wouldn't appreciate it, that's for sure. But yeah, it was just an expression. He chuckled. "He likes to try to hide it from everyone here. Tough guy can't be seen watching a love story, you know?"
He'd always found it unfortunate that he didn't have time for any sort of relationship. The truth was that even before all of this, he never had the best luck with women. It seemed that he was always falling for the wrong one, the one he couldn't have, or one that would betray him. Too many of those, that was for sure. But there was no time for him to even dwell on that anymore. Daeran had been through a lot of hurt and heartbreak, but now it was all about his team. Still, he had to admit that he would feel that heartbreak again if and when Vanessa had to leave. Maybe she'd come back and visit often. She already knew that she would always be welcome. Daeran just hoped that if she did visit, he'd be there and not out on a mission or out scavenging for supplies. That would be a damn shame. He'd hate to miss that smile.
Tommy had led them to the pool. It was funny, because for all of the enjoyment that the pool gave the group, they'd never wondered, or at least never asked, how the hell a pool got down here. Daeran remembered the amount of work he'd put in when he found the pit digging it out to shape it. His team deserved the r and r from time to time, especially given what they were dealing with on a daily basis. Tommy perked up even more, if that was possible, when Vanessa said she'd love to see him swim. "Can I, Daeran?" he asked. Daeran nodded. Before the kid had left the room, he turned quickly when he heard her challenge. "No way could you beat me! Challenge accepted!" The boy ran off to his room to change into his swim trunks. "I think he really likes you," Daeran said with a chuckle. Of course, so did he. But he was a bit nervous about admitting that. He thought he'd have a few minutes to talk before Tommy got back, but that wasn't to be, as the boy came running back in the room yelling, "Cannonball!" He leaped up into the air, grabbing his knees and dropping into the water, splashing it everywhere. He bobbed back up and gave a wide smile as he wiped some water from his eyes. "Come on in," he invited her. "You should too, Daeran. Everyone come in here!" he yelled.
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Post by Patch on Jan 17, 2018 19:58:30 GMT -5
The idea that the small child had already taken a liking to her was enough to bring a smile to her face. “You think so? The feeling is definitely mutual.” She watched the entrance to the pool area where Tommy had run off for a moment more before turning her attention back to Daeran. Between these two, it was going to be incredibly difficult for her to leave. She could just imagine the heartache she would feel if Tommy were to turn on the pouting when he found out she wasn’t staying. Ugh. Not all kids were her cup of tea, but this one really got to her already. Probably because he’d obviously been through so much already in his life. For him to still be the lighthearted little ray of sunshine that he was… she hated the thought that she would ever be one to cause him any kind of pain.
By the time Tommy came back, Nessa had come to the sad realization that she did not currently have a swimsuit on her person. If he’d waited for more than a split second after Daeran gave the nod, she might have thought of it in time to give him a warning about it. No sense in thinking about what might have been. The fact remained that now she had a decision to make. She could either strip down to her undergarments and jump into the pool, or she could ask for a suit. The first option was a little too daring for her, especially considering the fact that she barely knew these people. Luckily, Tommy wanted Daeran to come into the pool as well and she was fairly confident he was not wearing trunks at the moment. She looked up at him with a smile and a bit of a shrug. “Think there’s an extra swimsuit somewhere I might be able to borrow?” Maybe Daeran would have to show her where it was. Maybe it would be near his own swimwear. Was it bad of her to want more alone time with him? Of course nothing was going to come of it, but she couldn’t help herself. Unless she found some kind of excuse to visit occasionally, this might be the last time she ever saw him. And how could she possibly resist when there was even the slightest possibility of getting to see this man shirtless? She couldn't. Exactly my point.
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