Patch
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Posts: 25 
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Post by Patch on Mar 11, 2019 23:56:36 GMT -5
Nessa was glad Tommy liked the facepaint. He seemed to be a real ray of sunshine down here. Well, everyone seemed friendly really. It amazed her the way the people down here came together and managed to keep such a positive outlook on life. They seemed happy despite their isolation. She knew that in part was due to the leadership. Daeran seemed to genuinely care about these people. And he was smart, charismatic… the list went on and on. No wonder they loved and trusted him so much. She couldn’t blame them one bit. She was in pretty deep already and she’d known him less than a day.
Daeran’s abrupt departure was a bit of a surprise, but not as much as the comment about the money. What the hell were they betting on? Nessa pursed her lips for a moment as she looked back and forth between the two men, but in the end she decided not to ask. If it had been about her somehow it would probably just make her feel way more self-conscious. Which would be quite the feat, considering how she felt just knowing Daeran was watching her. Everyone else was pretty much an afterthought in comparison to the effect his eyes had on her. It was ridiculous. There had to be some kind of downside to that man. No one was perfect. That was why it was so important for her to cling to the fact that he thought of her in a purely platonic way. If it wasn’t for that very sobering thought, Nessa would undoubtedly find herself falling for him even faster.
Tommy wanted to watch pirate movies. That was so cute Nessa couldn’t help but grin. Unfortunately though, her smile faded when he wanted her to stay and watch too. “I wish I could, Tommy, but I have to leave soon so I can go to work.” She had already stayed much longer than she’d originally planned. It was surprising to her how difficult it was for her to even remember that there was a life outside this bunker. She didn’t want to leave. Especially not to go somewhere like work. Unfortunately the world didn’t stop turning just because Nessa felt like her life had been changed. She still had bills to pay. And more importantly, she would need to be on the outside if she was going to help this group get back to the surface. “I’ll come back soon though, okay?”
“Promise?”
Nessa smiled and nodded. “Promise.”
After ruffling the boy’s hair, Nessa started cleaning up the paints and making sure she didn’t leave any mess. Hopefully Daeran would come back before she had to leave so she could see him again, even if it was only briefly.
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Post by Daeran Winters on Mar 16, 2019 9:39:12 GMT -5
The kid was enjoying the day, which was always a good thing as far as Daeran was concerned. Still, it broke the team leader's heart a little bit that the woman would have to leave. He took solace in the knowledge that she knew she was always welcome here, and just in being able to look at her beautiful face. He had left the room already, telling them he'd be back shortly. He sat in silence for a few moments on his bed, and he pulled a small gold necklace out of the drawer on his dresser. He wasn't sure this would ever come in handy when Franklin had created it, but now he knew it had a purpose. He came back in the room just in time to hear Vanessa promise to Tommy that she would come back soon. Tommy was happy about that, and so was Daeran.
"I'm just saying, it was a bet. He didn't get any paint on his face, so I lose. I owe him ten bucks," they'd hear Franklin explaining to Jen. The woman's head shook. "You two are ridiculous." She walked by and handed a ten to Daeran. The leader smiled and shrugged at Franklin, who was already tinkering with another object. Daeran knew though, that it was time for Vanessa to head out. He didn't want her to go, but it was the right thing. He walked with her up to the exit of the hideout and reluctantly opened the door, following her out and walking to her car with her. "Thank you, for everything," he said with a smile. She'd healed him of his wounds, she'd taken care of him that night and seen him home safely. And now, she had pledged to try to help his people, who she'd just met. They had come to care for her just as quickly.
Daeran reached into his pocket and pulled out the necklace. He then took her hand and placed the necklace in it. "It's fitted with a two way tracker and communicator. Franklin's design. Any time you need to, you can communicate with me." He wore a similar necklace around his neck. "You'll also always know where I am if you need to get to me, or vice versa. I can get to you if you're in danger." He knew she could take care of herself, but having someone with his powers at your back was never a bad thing. "You know you're always welcome here. Should you ever need it you have a home with us."
"I...," he started to say something, but the words just wouldn't formulate in his mouth. Instead, his smile faded for a moment, just long enough, that he placed a single, soft kiss on her lips. "Anything you need, you let us know, okay?" he said as he hesitantly pulled away.
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Patch
character
Posts: 25
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Post by Patch on Apr 13, 2019 13:59:27 GMT -5
Nessa was relieved when Daeran returned quickly, as he’d said he would. There was no telling when she would actually be able to come back to this place or see him again in general, so the idea of having to leave this place before he’d returned did not sit well with her. Leaving at all made her uneasy. Why the hell was this so hard? She finished saying her goodbyes to the rest of the group, and then let their leader escort her back out into the sunlight. “You really don’t need to thank me. Anyone would have done the same thing.” She believed in the general goodness of people. How could anyone have seen him lying there and not at least tried to help him? How could anyone hear his story and not want to do whatever they could for the group? He’d been lucky she had healing powers, but that was all that really set her apart in her mind.
Seeing him reach into his pocket made Nessa a little curious about what was going on, but her eyes widened when he pulled out the necklace. Oh, it was for tracking and communication. That made sense. She hadn’t even noticed him wearing his before now. That was a really cool design. “Wow, that’s brilliant! Thank you.” She took a moment to examine the gift before fastening it around her neck. This way if he or anyone else in the group needed healing or something he would have a risk-free way of contacting her. Franklin wouldn’t design something like this and make it easily traceable, after all. Once she was sure the clasp was secure, she looked back up at him with a smile. It was really sweet of him to offer her a place to stay if things went badly while she was trying to help them get their lives back. “I know. Hopefully that won’t be necessary, though.” It was comforting to know that she had somewhere to go if the worst happened.
Then suddenly, Nessa found herself completely frozen. What was happening? Her eyes came back into focus just in time to see Daeran pulling away from her. Her lips felt warm and a little tingly, but nothing compared to the acrobatics her stomach was pulling off. All symptoms pointed to Daeran having kissed her, but that just didn’t make sense. Why would he have done something like that? Now more words were coming out of his mouth, which the poor blindsided brunette could only nod dumbly at in response. “Right… let you know.” Such a smooth talker she was. Her eyes were locked on him as she took a couple of steps backward, which is why bumping into her car startled her. That seemed to shake her out of the sort of haze her mind had been in for those few moments, and she pulled open the car door. Knowing her face was probably red as a tomato by now, she still looked back at Daeran one last time. “I umm… see you… bye...” There were so many questions running through her mind right now, but there was no time. She had to go. Even knowing that, driving away from him was one of the most difficult things she’d ever had to do.
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Post by Daeran Winters on Apr 20, 2019 8:54:02 GMT -5
There are a few times in everyone's life when the hurt gets so much that it turns into heartbreak. Right now, Daeran was experiencing one of those times. Watching Vanessa drive away, he couldn't help but note his shoulders slump, his head loll to look at the ground. Had he just pushed her away? Had he been too forward? "I shouldn't have kissed her," he silently scolded himself. Things were going well. Why'd he have to go and fuck it up? Chances were that she'd already torn off that necklace and tossed it somewhere in the road. She wasn't ever going to come back now. "Way to go, dumbass," he scolded himself again as he stepped back into the hideaway.
He passed by the group, still in the common area, and a small smile passed his face as he noted most of them were still in there, laughing and enjoying their day. They'd enjoyed Vanessa's visit, and now the person who was supposed to protect them, supposed to provide for them, had ruined that. The guilt was only growing. He slipped past unnoticed and went to the kitchen area. Pulling the refrigerator open, he took out a couple of beers and went to his quarters. Closing the door behind him and locking it, he sat quietly there, nursing back one of the beers. Where had this all gone awry? In his head he played back the entire day, the entirety of his knowing Vanessa. Hell, he'd wanted to kiss her when she found him and woke him up from his unconsciousness. Her couch, a little lumpy but it was comfortable enough for a man with the injuries he'd sustained, and just knowing she was close by that night had given him comfort. Not only comfort, but for the first time in a while, peace of mind. She'd given him that, and now he'd pushed her away. He hoped that she wasn't hurt by it.
After finishing one of the two beers, he lay back on the bed. For hours he lay there, feeling like an elephant was sitting on his chest, tears welling up, rimming his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. How could he have done this? He'd known better. This life, it wasn't for her. He knew he could never provide the right life for her, it was stupid to even think it. A couple more hours, and his eyes closed, drifting off to sleep. This was going to hurt for a while, he knew. But he was going to have to push it aside and lead this group. That's what was expected of him.
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