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 Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 2:41 pm
This was long, long overdue. It had been nearly a month ago that Labyrinthite had found her in the Rift, very lost and very alone. Since then Chase had been nothing but warm and welcoming, even through the tragedy that had befallen the household. Naomi felt her blood boil just thinking about it - if that disgusting senshi hadn't been behaving like the common criminal she was, it all could have been avoided. She hadn't known Samuel Black well, but he'd seemed like a good man, if demanding. Chase hadn't seemed particularly close to the man, but he'd been distraught by his death - killing your father was bound to break something inside, whatever the relationship. The funeral had been difficult for the blonde, especially with her still shaken from her corruption, but she'd tried to stay strong for Chase. As difficult as it had been for her, it must have been ten times as hard for him. She was feeling better now, at least regarding her corruption. She'd disappeared off to Negaspace numerous times just for a quiet place to sort through her thoughts, and was beginning to come to terms with the abhorrent betrayal she'd committed in the past. The knowledge that she'd done such horrible things, fought for such a terrible, revolting army, was hard to absorb. As difficult as it was, however, there was nothing she could do about her past crimes, and the best thing to do was to work as hard as she could now to repent for them. But anyway. Right now, none of that mattered. Right now, Naomi was determined to cast any and all such thoughts from her mind, and concentrate on the boy to her left. She turned to Chase, smiling brightly as she linked her arm through his. "C'mon, this is my treat!" A newly enrolled student at DCU, Naomi didn't have her own income. However, the Negaverse looked after their own, and Mrs Black had been particularly eager to contribute when Naomi had suggested the idea. She tugged on Chase's arm and pulled him towards the park, half skipping and half walking. Stepping onto the pathway that lead through the large green space, Naomi was grateful for the late summer sunshine that had graced them with it's presence - it was a beautiful day, perfect for what she had planned. Pulling Chase along the path, it wasn't until she paused when they were near the pond that her intentions became clear, a tattered tartan picnic rug and a large wicker hamper neatly lain underneath a nearby large chestnut tree. She looked to Chase again, eyes sparkling as she threw her arms open with a flourish. "Ta-dah!" Nuxaz Sorry if this sucks, Gaia deleted my first attempt ;;
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Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 4:10 pm
Chase hardly talked about what happened with his father, what happened at the funeral and he sure as hell didn't talk about the fact that his father was dead and it was all his fault. Naomi had found out about it by chance, she had caught him in a vulnerable moment and everything spilled out like an overflowing dam. It happened after the funeral, she had come looking for him because he had gone missing for hours. He had no idea if she overheard his conversation with Fiona nor did he really care to ask but when she had come knocking he had let her in. He didn't hesitate (as he had with Fiona) to let her hug him and he had clung so tightly.
Occasionally he wondered why he had let everything just come rushing out.
He blamed it upon the fact that he had been so emotionally drained, emotionally vulnerable and the fact that he wanted to tell someone, anyone. As she held him everything came pouring out; how the senshi snuck in, how he fought her and how Samuel stumbled into the scene. He proceeded to tell her how it wasn't the senshi who struck the damaging blow into his father but it was himself, it was his poor judgement and quick reflexes that resulted in the gaping wound in his father. She learned that the senshi weakly tried to bluff her way to safety, how she more or less begged for him to spare her life with her pleading eyes and how he ripped out her starseed without second thought. He told her how he still kept the senshi's starseed on his person when he was powered up.
He told her how both his father and the senshi were technically his first real kills. He had taken the starseed of a lowlife civilian once, but he hadn't shared that. He didn't tell her how this senshi wasn't the first one that almost died at his hand. He wasn't ready to share his encounter with Sailor Iris, or rather his multiple scrabbles and conversations with the senshi of rainbows. In a weird way he felt it was too personal to share, it was solely his business and would continue to be until he felt he could destroy her.
Since the funeral Chase had been scarce, Naomi had been lucky that she had managed to pin him down today because he was constantly working, training or patrolling. He hardly did anything as a civilian that wasn't centered around work and sometimes he felt bad that he wasn't helping her adjust as well as he should have.
But his mother had been more than happy to take the blond under her wing, it kept her distracted like work kept him distracted.
He let Naomi tug him along trying to keep an irritated expression on his face but found that he couldn't stop himself from smiling at her. "Okay, okay," he told her shaking his head as she lead him along. "Just this once," he told her running his hand through his two toned hair. He always felt weird when people did things for him, it was his job wasn't it?
"Where are you taking me?" He asked looking around the park. He didn't understand why they where there. Then he saw the picnic laid out beneath the tree and he found himself laughing. "Naomi, you didn't have to do this."
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Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 4:36 pm
The idea of killing someone still scared Naomi. She was in no doubt that she'd be expected to do it someday, but right now the thought that she'd be capable of crushing a starseed or snapping a neck was terrifying. She couldn't even begin to comprehend how Chase must feel, having had such a horror thrust on him unwillingly. In all honesty, Naomi had thought Chase himself had disappeared off to Negaspace or the Rift. With the clarity her time there had given her, she wouldn't have been surprised if he had visited a few times - either way, she'd covered for him a few times when his mother had asked where he was. As much as she'd wanted to track him down and hug him tightly and tell him it wasn't his fault and it was all okay, the blonde knew from experience that he had needed the time to himself, whether working or training in Negaspace or whatever. And today she was being rewarded for her patience with his company for the whole afternoon - he wasn't getting out of this! "I invited your mom, but she seemed to think it should just be 'you kids'." Smiling, Naomi began to pick her way through the grass towards the picnic site, dropping herself onto the blanket and patting the space beside her. "I did have to do this, Chase," she insisted, patting the blanket again in a more insistent invitation, "I wouldn't be here, like this, if it wasn't for you." She'd still be trapped in the Rift, and probably would have been attacked by some sort of horrible youma by now. Opening the hamper, she began to pull out various forms of picnic food, laying them out on the blanket, "Besides, you need a treat. We both do."
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Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 4:45 pm
Surprisingly enough most of his time had been spent outside of the subspace and away from the rift. While the deeper parts of the Negaverse still felt like home to him he preferred to spend his nights on rooftops scouting out the potential threats and gathering as much information as he could. There was more to this game than just strength, he needed to have the upper-hand. He needed to hold all the cards, he needed to be a step ahead. As much as he adored the place he considered a second home he knew he had to be out on the field. There was too much at stake to be hiding in the dark.
"That's my mom for you, whenever a pretty girl is involved she always tries to get me to spend time with them alone," he joked taking a seat beside her. He looked over the spread and shook his head again. "Seriously Naomi, you really didn't have to no matter what you say," he insisted grabbing her hand briefly to squeeze it tightly. "I appreciate it."
It still felt kinda weird to have someone doing something so...extravagant for him. It was usually his job. "You know I wouldn't have let anything happen to you," he told her seriously watching as she pulled various things from the basket. "Maybe, it won't hurt to take it easy for once."
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Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 4:57 pm
Naomi batted off the flirting with a smile and a wave of her hand, offering Chase some of the sandwiches she'd made. Getting Mrs Black involved had been a tactical decision, as Naomi was well-aware of her amazing cooking skills. She'd spent a lot of time with the woman in the past few weeks, enough to know that for anything food-related she was the go-to woman. Together they'd prepared a selection of sandwich flavors, as well as some homemade muffins that the blonde also produced from the hamper. The squeeze of her hand was taken a little more seriously, and Naomi's cheeks flushed pink.
"I really did." She wasn't a modest girl, but then again was there anyone that took compliments like that without feeling awkward? Anyone who did was a bit of a d**k. "I did this because I wanted to show you how grateful I am, and how much I appreciate you." She hoped the thought and preparation shone through - she'd worked super hard to show that she was super grateful.
Taking a paper plate, the blonde helped herself to a ham and cheese sandwich and took a bite, chewing gratefully. She'd skipped breakfast especially so she could pig out on all the picnic goodies without feeling guilty for it. "It's about time you took a break," she replied once she'd swallowed, "You've been working like crazy. Your mum's been really worried." The tone of her voice gave away Naomi's own concern as she watched Chase carefully.
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:23 pm
He smiled at her, a genuine smile not the well practiced smiles he gave to his father's former business associates. "I think you went above and beyond Naomi," he told her chuckling lightly as he looked over the spread she was unfolding. He let her have her pick of what she wanted before he picked up a plate and selected a blueberry muffin from the batch as well as a ham and cheese sandwich. "Thank you," he told her sincerely, staring at his plate before slowly looking up at her.
"I know," he mumbled. His mother liked to worry, she had always worried about her son especially during Samuel's tirades. She rarely spoke up however, Lara could be a meek woman. Especially when it came to Samuel and Chase. As much as he hated to admit it, Chase knew he was similar to his father especially when it came to his stubbornness. Slowly he peeled the wrapper from his muffin, focusing on the paper instead of the girl sitting across from him. "Mother always worries," he stated glancing up briefly before fixating his gaze back on his treat. Just because he knew she worried didn't make him any less uncomfortable with the statement. "I'm fine though," he insisted pulling the wrapper completely off and setting it on his plate.
"Really," he told her looking up. "It's nothing that I'm not used to," he stated because it was true. Before he had..."run away from home" his father had him working non-stop and he had been going to school on top of that. After he had slipped away, well he had successfully worked two jobs AND kept on top of his negaverse duties. He still pretended like he hadn't had a problem. He still hadn't admitted to the fact that he was a voluntary insomniac and that he still hardly ate.
Old habits died hard.
"I like working so much," he confided in her nibbling at the muffin. "It keeps me distracted."
He didn't mention that he sat awake most nights threatening to be overwhelmed by his own thoughts.
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Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 3:45 pm
Her cheeks flushed pink, and she looked down at her food instead to spare herself a little embarrassment. "I've already told you, no need to thank me," she scolded good-heartedly, still avoiding his gaze as she finished her sandwich triangle with another swallow and moved to attack the cocktail sausages, helping herself to three at once. She admired Chase. While his attention was firmly on the muffin - she'd had to get Mrs Black to help her with those, Naomi and baking weren't exactly the best combination - she stole a quick glance, which turned into a longer gaze as she watched him closely. Whilst he viewed his stubborn traits as a fault, Naomi couldn't help but wish she was a bit more robust. Chase didn't take s**t from anyone, he did what he liked without a care, and she really admired that. It meant he wasn't a pushover, and he could stand up for himself, and as far as she was concerned that was nothing to be ashamed of. Hurriedly returning her gaze to the cocktail sausages in her hand, she chewed on one intently as he looked back up. "I don't believe you." The blonde's voice was quiet, but still audible, and she looked back up with flushed cheeks. "I'm not stupid, Chase." Distraction wasn't a good thing, not always. "You can't keep distracting yourself - that's just you running away. You have to face the truth eventually." The third cocktail sausage found it's way to her belly, and Naomi hurriedly wiped her hand on the blanket before placing it gently over Chase's and giving his a quick squeeze, accompanied by a reassuring smile.
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Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 4:58 pm
It was hard to catch Chase in a lie, he prided himself on his ability to lie almost seamlessly but when someone did well, to say he didn't like it was an understatement. It frustrated him, caused him to crinkle his brow in irritation, grind his teeth as he struggled to remain calm and resulted in him falling absolutely quiet. Which was exactly what happened when Naomi opted to call him on his bullshit. He stopped talking, tensed up and averted his gaze from hers. He had wished that she would have left well enough alone, though he had seen it all coming.
He knew he should have appreciated that she cared enough to push the matter, instead he was angry with her.
He fixated upon the half-eaten muffin in his hand weighing his options in his head. "I never claimed you to be," he said finally, voice quiet and near inaudible. "I never said you were stupid Naomi," he reiterated slowly lifting his head to look at her. "I enjoy working, really. I'm at my best when I'm constantly busy," he insisted glancing at the hand she chose to touch before pulling it to himself, distancing himself from her. It was his natural reaction, his defense mechanism as it were. When she accused him of running away his expression turned stony and his amber eyes narrowed slightly in irritation.
He was far from a coward.
"I am not running away," he snapped, fingers digging into the blanket beneath them as he struggled to remain level-headed. "I know what the truth is, I was there when everything happened. I know what happened! You think I don't think about it every single day?" His irritated tone turned into a full on snarl when he addressed her. "I ******** up, like I always do, and I'm ******** aware of it. I don't need you telling me to stop running away or that I need to face the truth. You don't know what the truth is, you don't know anything outside of what you're told. You're a lost puppy who's struggling to figure s**t out leaning on a support system that is just as unstable as you are!"
He had lost his temper and out came the ugly words he never meant to say. He always did have a habit of screwing things up at first.
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Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 10:58 am
Naomi missed the crinkling of the brow and the grinding of the teeth, but it was hard to miss the silence, the averted gaze and the removal of his hand from underneath hers. Her initial reaction was confusion - had she done something wrong? Oh god, the muffin was cooked wasn't it, if she'd given her officer food poisoning and taken him out of action for a week that'd be an awkward conversation with their superiors. When he finally did speak it was barely more than a whisper, and she leaned in with a frown as she tried to listen. "I know..." she responded slowly, unsure of where this was going. He was trying his very hardest, but if there was anything the blonde had learnt by living beside the Black family for the past few weeks it was that they were all pretty guarded people. Mrs Black had been very good at keeping herself composed - not as good as Chase, but still very good - but then the blonde had caught the odd moment the woman let her guard down, and her eyes glistened with tears. And she was sure that one night she'd heard Chase crying in his bed. It wasn't so much that she could tell he was lying - he was almost convincing her otherwise. It was just that she knew better, you couldn't go through something like that in your life and be fine. And then he snapped. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers and she flinched back, almost as if he'd made to hit her. And it was like a punch, a punch to the gut, as he snarled at her and ranted to her and full let into her. She was shocked, her mouth slightly open. "I-I'm sor-" she began but he just kept going, and as the initial shock wore off she felt tears spring up into her eyes and start rolling down her cheeks. What was he saying? He'd been the one who'd offered the hand out to her, offered to help and look after her. Had she really been this much of a hinderance? The silence after Chase had finished stretched on for a few long moments as Naomi ducked her head down and furiously fiddled with her fingers. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, b-but," she coughed through her tears, sniffing in a rather unattractive manner. "I've started looking for other p-places to stay, so I won't be around much longer." The tears were still falling thick and fast and her voice was barely a whisper as she flattened her hands on the blanket and pushed herself to her feet. She had to get away from here, she had to leave Chase alone - he wanted to be left alone, that much was clear. How had she managed to break him like this? Her broken-ness was obviously catching, and a slight sob broke out at the thought as she looked around like a lost sheep, reaching for her jacket. She wasn't sure where she was going to go, but right now she didn't care as long as it was away from here and no longer in Chase's personal space.
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 2:48 pm
The words were said, meanings misconstrued, and the damage had been done. She had taken in a way he had not meant it, but could he blame her? The one support structure she had was crumbling, caving under the stress and pressure Chase endured after Samuel's death. Were he a weaker man, Chase would have succumbed to the pressure much sooner.
Still he was weaker than he would like.
He watched, expression as stony and as harsh as when he had first snapped, her eyes widen in shock and tears well up in her eyes. He gazed on impassively while she twiddled her fingers and stumbled with her words, he should be reacting. Apologizing and reaching out to comfort her, to tell her he was sorry and he really didn't mean it. Instead he did nothing, reacting the way he always did when emotions ran high. He shut down.
It wasn't until she scrambled to her feet, turned on her heel and moved to run off that he did anything beside sit quietly and watch. He let a flurry of emotions flicker across his face; anger, sorrow, contempt, disappointment and finally concern. He hadn't meant to hurt her so viciously, he had been tired of constantly being told that it was okay to freak out, that he couldn't keep hiding. He had never reacted well when others tried to tell him what to do.
He didn't let her get far, in fact she had hardly stepped away from the blanket when he reached out and grabbed one of her arms.
"Naomi, wait."
He wasn't going to have a repeat of Kaia, he wouldn't let her walk away.
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 1:03 pm
Where was she going to go? She couldn't go back to the Black household, not in this state. Mrs Black was a lovel woman, and the sad thing was that Naomi had no doubt that the woman would fuss over her. But the family had suffered enough, and she couldn't face breaking the news to Chase' mother that it had been his own words that had caused her distress. Lara would be heartbroken. He wasn't reacting, and Naomi wasn't sure whether that made the whole situation worse or better. She didn't care, she just wanted to up and leave and not come back for a very long time, if ever. She wanted to make the hurt go away, she wanted to pummel the ground until her knuckles were red raw and bloody. It was horrible, the blonde had never felt so self-destructive, and for a moment she almost felt as if, for the first time, she fully understood how the dark-haired boy felt and why he acted like he did. It didn't make her feel any better though. He caught her by surprise, and her arm jerked away from his hands as if it was on fire. Her eyes were wide and full of a mixture of emotions - sadness, fear, hurt, confusion - as she watched him, bottom lip trembling. Her whole body felt as if it was bearing a horrid weight, and she choked out the only words she could think of. "I'm sorry." Naomi wanted to stay, she wanted a hug and she wanted him to say he hadn't meant it. But she couldn't bear the thought of being wrong, and so turned and ran. How was she supposed to remain standing now she had no support? Nuxaz :C i think that's naomi gone, so feel free to leave it as it is or wrap it up with another from chase! want me to start the next one?
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