Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Mhmm." Derek hummed softly. "Laine. I wasn't around when they first met, so that predates me. I think you would have liked her though. You two have a lot in common." He said, gesturing to the others long hair. "I think hers is longer based on the length of the braid. But I've never seen it undone before."

Derek's gaze then dropped to the ground, refusing to meet River's eyes. "Ah... Uh." How to explain that... "He wasn't... tattooing when I met him. I don't know exactly when he stopped it, but..." He shifted, drawing his knees to his chest in the chair. "Kor was.. In a bad spot when I met him. I don't think he could have done any work back then, even if he had wanted to." It would have been to much, and the mental strain, even more so. The fights that broke out between just them were already intense. Things had gotten even moreso when Kraven reentered the picture. The taller man being even more of a hard a** on Kor then even Derek was at times. They didn't need outside people adding to what Kor was already struggling with. "He's done... some jobs, here and there. But, you know how it is when picking something back up after a long time..." It's an uphill battle. "He wants too but, he's still dealing with a few things.

Mostly tackling the demon that was cleaning the downstairs.

"He's doing good though. Getting better."

He probably shouldn't be talking about this. It would likely result in a fight if Kor found out.

"It was... bad. He might not be talking about it because he doesn't want you to worry. Doesn't want you upset." Derek watched as River fidgeted, playing with his hair. "When I say he fell into my life, I mean that... quite literally. Poor guy passed out shopping. Getting him back here was a bit of a blur... I don't really remember how the hell I managed to pull it off. It was touch and go for a while. Kor and I did not get along in the beginning. He tried to throw me out a few times but he gave up on that after I would literally scale the building to get back in." He glanced at River for a moment before giving him a crooked smile. "I can, and have scaled the side of the building to break into the bathroom. So just remember that next time you lock yourself in there. I will win that fight."

Derek shifted, sitting up once again. "He even hid from Kraven... which is fairly impressive considering he follows Kor around like a puppy. That in of itself was a whole can of worms. It killed them both... And then after that we all started this poly thing which added a bit more accidental stress then we all needed but... We made it work. We're making it work."

Derek winced when River withdrew into himself. Perhaps he had shared too much, too soon. s**t.. Derek ran a hand through his hair, glancing at the door.

He swore, if they walked through that door this second....

With a soft sigh, Derek moved from the chair, only to sit next to River. Keeping a small gap between them, he gingerly leaned on the other, careful of putting all his eeight on River.

"It's okay..." He said softly. "He's okay. Kor's doing better. He won't go back to what he was then. We won't let him, now will we?" Derek hoped that River understood he was just as apart of Kor's life then the rest. "Kor is indeed special,but you've got it the other way around. He gave me a reason to live."

Quietly, Derek removed himself from River's shoulder and the couch all together. Wordlessly, he retrieved a box of tissues before returning, only to sit on the floor next to the couch at River's feet. "Shhh... River, it's okay." He soothed, setting to box next to River if he wanted it. "River, look at me." He pleaded softly. "He's okay, and so are you."

Derek gave River a small smile. "Honestly? I think that still is you. He lovee you, you know? Kor and Kraven both. It's not every day someone just... pops back into existence. Yeah, things are a little different from how they were, but that doesn't mean you can't be around. They are your friends, as you are theirs. And, at the risk of being of being anymore sappier than I already am, I would like to be your friend, and for you to be mine."

Derek seemed to perk up for a second, when River didn't immediately push him away. He tilted his head curiously when the other went to speak, only to jump out of his skin when Kor all but kicked the door down.

Of course, that was when he chose to make a grand appearance.

Biting back a sigh, Derek let his shoulders sag. He supposed now was better then a few minutes ago... "Where's Kray?" The blonde asked, avoiding the question. "Is he emptying the car?" This time, he feigned a sigh, hauling himself up off the floor without glancing at either of them. "I'll go help him before he attempts to do that macho.... 'One trip thing.' with all the bags."

Derek had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from frowning when his escape plan was squashed. Well ********. Instead, Derek shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket and resisted the urge to throw himself back onto the ground. He huffed a little sigh, blowing a stray strand of hair out of his face, fixing River with a look that clearly said 'See, I told you so.' when Kor mentioned getting something everyone liked. He nodded at the other man.

"Remember when I said Red bulls and Monsters were a bit of a staple..." Derek mumbled, choosing not to comment further on his and River's earlier conversation. "If I had to hazard a guess... He snatched up the cases before Kor tried to tetris his way up the stairs juggling them.. Which reminds me, we need to put more in the fridge. River got the last cold one." Derek tossed a glance River's way once more. "Unless you're like Kray and will just... drink them warm."

"There's nothing wrong with a warm redbull... It's the same ******** drink kid." Kraven muttered, carrying the couple of canvas bags that held said drinks.