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dada_dragon • 27 December 2016 at 2:01 PM
"Yeah... you would know, wouldn't you?" She muttered.Maybe that was cruel... maybe she had crossed a line, but she didn't care. Didn't care that James could hardly look her in the face. Didn't care if Willow was slowly giving up on trying to cheer her up... Didn't care if she hurt Vladan's feelings...She just didn't care.@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 27 December 2016 at 6:21 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~He stopped moving when he reached the platform that split the stairs from the second to the first floor. "As much as you think I'm a terrible human being, I'm not." Vladan said, looking down at her. "They all end up thanking me in the end."
dada_dragon • 27 December 2016 at 6:24 PM
Vladan had certainly changed since she'd met him, but in her current mood, she wasn't interested in congratulating him..."Whatever..." she mumbled. "Set me down... I can walk..."@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 28 December 2016 at 5:42 AM
@dada_dragon ~~~Vladan put her down. It was gentle, though his movements were a bit rough around the edges. "Pretend to enjoy your time out at least." He muttered.
dada_dragon • 28 December 2016 at 11:29 AM
James watched as Kita and Vladan approached them. Kita looked incredibly frail and vacant... It was obvious she was not attending the dinner voluntarily...He wanted to say something to her, but he didn't know how to talk to her anymore, so he settled on awkward silence.@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 28 December 2016 at 2:41 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~Willow felt pity for forcing Kita to come along, but pushed it aside. She knew it was for the better. The woman clapped her hands together in an attempt to lighten the mood. She motioned for everybody to follow her as she opened the front door.Vladan shifted his weight from one foot to another. "Do you want to drive?" He asked James. "Doesn't matter who, I just need to promote the..." Vladan shrugged expectantly.
dada_dragon • 28 December 2016 at 3:33 PM
James nodded. "I'll drive."He climbed in the front seat, starting the vehicle. Kita climbed in the back, immediately turning away from everyone to look out the window. James looked away.This was stranger than when Andrew was in control... at least then, they could have assumed she was in a bad mood... This, on the other hand, was so out of character that it worried him immensely...@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 28 December 2016 at 11:48 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~Willow sat in the front, giving out lighthearted instructions to their destination."Willow where did you schedule the reservation at?" Vladan asked suddenly."The high end one with the balcony view." She answered. "Why?""We can't go there." Vladan said stiffly. He glanced over at Kita. "Remember what happened the last time we went?" The man asked smugly. "Pulled out a firearm, threw a few security guards off the railing and broke a lot of glass."Willow bit her lip. She cleared her throat. "What about the one named Vantage?""Can't go there either. I brought in Odilia and she bit a few waiters. They told me cats were allowed so..." He shrugged.Willow sighed in irritation. "Where are we going then?" Vladan leaned forwards, sticking his upper body into the frontal area of the car. "How about there?" He said, pointing down the road."Your elbow is in my face." Willow protested. "Oh my god can you sit back down? This is so dangerous." She palmed his face. "There's a cop right there." She hissed as Vladan cowered back into the back seat."Watch your hands." He muttered.
dada_dragon • 29 December 2016 at 5:50 PM
James was barely listening to Willow and Vladan. He kept glancing back at Kita, who was looking out the window with a vacant stare like he'd never seen before...He needed to find the time to talk to Willow... To see what she thought... He could just ask Kita herself, but she didn't seem to want to talk...@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 29 December 2016 at 6:22 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~"James." Vladan said. "James we're here." He leaned forwards again, ignoring Willow's protests. "There doesn't seem to be any parking." Willow interjected."Just park on the street." He replied with an eyeroll."There is no street parking." She said, annoyed."Double park??" Vladan said like it was the obvious option."You're gonna get a ticket or someone is going to hit the car.""Who cares about getting a ticket?" He put a hand on James's shoulder. "Just park here."
dada_dragon • 29 December 2016 at 7:39 PM
James snapped out of it as Vladan interrupted his thoughts."Sorry... um..." he looked around. "There's public parking a block away... We'll have to walk, but it shouldn't be that bad..."He drove past the restaurant, pulling instead into a public lot. Did he say one block? It was more like three... Oh well... Vladan was likely the only one who cared anyway...He got out, going up to a machine to get his parking slip.@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 29 December 2016 at 7:42 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~"This is so far." Vladan complained. He picked at a loose thread on his sleeve. "My hair is going to look like a complete mess by the time we get there." He said.Willow sighed in irritation. "Come on, let's go." She said under her breath before beginning the walk.
dada_dragon • 29 December 2016 at 9:05 PM
James ignored his complaining. Kita was still sitting in the vehicle, looking sullenly out the window.He opened the door for her, holding out his hand."Come on..." he said quietly. "Let's go."She didn't look at him as she took his hand, but she didn't let go either. He smiled gently, though he was greatly hurt by her disinterest.@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 6 January 2017 at 7:32 AM
@dada_dragon~~~The walk to the restaurant was rather uneventful, save for the moment Vladan had to stop in the middle of the street to angrily yell at a man who had stepped on his shoe. "I did enough walking in Russia. This was completely unnecessary." Vladan said angrily under his breath.He made his way inside the restaurant. The interior greatly contrasted from the crowded city sidewalks. The walls were nearly all glass, and each table had it's individual bouquet of flowers acting as a decorative centerpiece.The restaurant was relatively empty, which saved them the issue of waiting for an table to open up. Vladan could make out a couple of other small pairs or groups eating dinner in the large restaurant. He overlooked the other diners, and instead focused the center of his attention on the large collection of liquor decorating the bar wall.Willow gave Vladan a light shove when the waittress motioned for the four to follow her to their table. She let out a tiny yelp when she bumped into the chair occupied by a man, looking probably mid 20s. She made eye contact with him when she apologized, but noticed that he shrugged her off and focused his attention on the other 3."Hey." She said towards Vladan when they were seated. "Do you kn-" Willow stopped speaking when a server stopped by with their menus.It probably wasn't important anyway. She would ask him about it later.
dada_dragon • 6 January 2017 at 11:02 AM
James sat next to Kita, who seemed content to stare at the flower arrangements on the table, scratching her scarred and tattooed arm as though trying to rid herself of an incredibly persistent itch.He noted that the skin there was particularly raw... She'd obviously been scratching it for a while. When had she started doing that? Of course he already knew the answer... Kita did that when she was trying to avoid thinking about things, and there was a lot she'd been avoiding lately...He'd been noticing little things like that lately... How she never made eye contact... How she always seemed to have the same vacant expression...He sighed, taking a drink from the glass of water the waitress had poured while he was busy thinking.@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 6 January 2017 at 11:20 AM
@dada_dragon ~~~The silence was thick as the appetizers were served. It was deafening really, but even Willow had decided it best not to break it. Kita seemed out of it, and James was obviously deep in thought. Vladan decided to break it."Kita I need you to stop being such a--""Vladan." Willow said suddenly, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence.The man grit his teeth, taking an unusually long sip of water.
dada_dragon • 6 January 2017 at 11:56 AM
Kita looked up at Vladan, no obvious reaction on her face."I told you I didn't want to come." She said quietly. "So forgive me if I'm not overly enthusiastic about being here."James shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He could almost feel the tension... He suspected Vladan wouldn't back down for long... he wouldn't listen to Willow's warnings forever...@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 6 January 2017 at 6:18 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~"You need to get over yourself." Vladan said bitterly. "It's not like Andrew did anything exceptionally terrible to you after all."Willow put a hand on Vladan's arm, but he shook it off. The waitress stopped by with their main course, and Vladan waved off the woman rudely before turning back to Kita."Realize that what happened, happened. No one got killed. Stop acting like it's the end of the world."
dada_dragon • 6 January 2017 at 9:19 PM
"You have no idea..." she said quietly. "You have no idea what it was like... To watch yourself destroy everyone and everything around you... and not be able to stop yourself..."James looked over nervously. "Kita...""No... it's... I'm fine..." She said, her voice shaky. She stood up. "I'm going outside. I need to... I'm going to get some fresh air..."James watched as she walked away. He wanted to get up and follow her, but she would only be angry if he did..."Just let her go... she needs time to think..."@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 7 January 2017 at 5:36 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~"It's been one week. James." Vladan said angrily. He stood, and his chair screeched noisily against the floor as it pushed back. "She's had more than enough time to think. Her attitude has been upsetting me, you and Willow." The man said, raising his voice.Willow bit her lip, making no move to deny his words. "You're being too loud." She said quietly, glancing over at the men several tables away. One of them was giving her a look, but she couldn't tell what he was trying to convey. It seemed dark, yet questioning. A bit menacing, so it definitely wasn't meant to be friendly. "People are looking."
dada_dragon • 7 January 2017 at 6:08 PM
"Vladan... She isn't the type to mope around like this... Even when Xavior died... her childhood friend... She at least tried to fake being okay." He said, a look of concern crossing his face. "If she's like this... then what Andrew did was worse than the death of her closest friend...""I've never seen her like this before... It's terrifying..."@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 8 January 2017 at 8:50 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~Vladan sat back down, though obviously frustrated. He buried his head into his arms, sighing angrily into the silk table cloth. "She can't be like this forever." He said, looking up at James. "I can't stand it..."
dada_dragon • 9 January 2017 at 12:06 AM
"I can't either... but what am I supposed to do?" He asked, digging into the food that the confused and nervous waitress had left on the table before making a prompt exit. "Besides... I thought you didn't care about her."He turned to Willow."How was she this morning? Did she at least eat something?"@bunnyshadow
bunnyshadow • 9 January 2017 at 4:34 AM
@dada_dragon ~~~"She's the same as usual..." Willow admitted. "But she's trying, I think." She pursed her lips, poking at her food with her fork.Vladan sighed, grunting grumpily as he sat up once again. He took another long sip from his glass, before standing up noisily. "I'm going to go talk to her." He stood up, making his way towards the exit.Willow watched as Vladan turned the corner towards the exit. She was about to turn back towards James, but noticed the men at the other table stand up and head outside as well. The woman felt a sinking feeling in her gut."Is everything okay?" The waitress asked.Momentarily distracted, she turned to face the sever. "Yeah... Just fine." Willow turned back towards James when the waiter retreated."She's eating, but not much. It really isn't healthy for her to continue on like this."
dada_dragon • 9 January 2017 at 5:42 AM
"I agree..." he said, not looking up from his food. He hadn't bothered stopping Vladan... Maybe it was for the best. He was being a coward, not going after her himself. "She hasn't been getting much sleep either... Sometimes I hear her screaming from the next room... I've been going in to check up on her, but she usually just tells be to go back to sleep..."
bunnyshadow • 9 January 2017 at 11:38 AM
@dada_dragon ~~~"What are we going to do about her?" Willow said quietly. "Vladan won't let her mope around forever." She took a bite of her food, chewing slowly. "He likes to think of himself as a strong man, but it seems that he's been unusually....weak lately. Moody, angry and sad at the smallest of things.""He can't do this forever. Vladan has responsibilities that he just hasn't been addressing. As for Kita... it's best we find out how to recover her quickly.""Her attitude and moods have been affecting all of us."---Vladan sat down besides Kita, though there was an obvious gap between the duo. He sighed, fingers tapping gently against the bench's surface. It was getting late, and he could see that the pedestrians on the sidewalk had thinned significantly since they first arrived."It's hard." He finally said. "Being around so many people and yet feeling so alone." Vladan stared at the assortment of plants and flowers planted decoratively in the dirt. The leaves swayed gently in the wind."I'm quite the professional at that, really." Vladan chuckled, more at himself than to himself. "You have several people that want to help you. Willow... James..." He hesitated slightly, considering even mentioning his own name, but stopping himself before he could do so."Don't let yourself turn into me. A self pitying, hopeless fool that pushes everybody away."
dada_dragon • 9 January 2017 at 11:52 AM
"He won't admit it, but he cares about her as much as the rest of us... Her behaviour wouldn't bother him this much if he didn't...""I just... What am I supposed to do, Willow?" He asked. "I'm terrified being around her... Worrying that I'll say the wrong thing... Afraid that I'll hurt her..."
bunnyshadow • 9 January 2017 at 12:25 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~"There's no way of knowing if you don't try, right?" Willow said, giving James a small half smile. "She's hard to get to now, but I'm sure you can chip away that shell in time."---"Yes." Vladan admitted. "I do know how that feels." He turned towards Kita, head tilted curiously as he spoke. "I'm afraid of kindness...and the more time passes the more justified I feel it is." He sighed. "James convincing me to allow Andrew to tag along is another example that adds onto the growing pile."He closed his eyes, allowing the cool breeze to sift through his tussled hair. "I'm afraid of affection." He added a little hopefully, before laughing lightly. "Both giving and getting it." He pursed his lips thoughtfully now."Maybe not affection, but what it can bring. I don't know how well I would be able to fare if I cared about someone as much as I did Kirah and Ero again. How I would be able to live if I let something I caused destroy them from the inside out. Or them getting caught in the crossfire of something I'm involved in."He leaned back. "It's sad isn't it? How I can have everything and nothing in the world. How I have a double life like this. One that the media portrays and one that I live out in misery."
dada_dragon • 9 January 2017 at 2:05 PM
"I guess you're right..." He said thoughtfully. "I guess it won't be any worse than it is now..."
bunnyshadow • 9 January 2017 at 2:57 PM
@dada_dragon ~~~Willow hummed agreeably at James's words. "That's right." She said, focusing on her meal. ---"Head back inside will you?" Vladan offered. "You haven't eaten that much lately, I've noticed. The food here isn't bad, and it would be healthy for you to have somb of it." He stood, reaching out a hand as if to help her up."I'll stay outside for a quick smoke...I'll be right behind you."