Kedrick Suwa's Estate

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ҝәɖʁϊϲҝ Ś. Śűѿą & Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟

Dimitri gave Maria a grateful smile as she said she'd try to keep it from them. Who know what kind of teasing he'd have to endure otherwise? 'Besides,' Dimitri thought on a more serious note. 'If they did wheedle it out of her, they' probably want to know why she was so worried about me that she wouldn't leave my side....And then they might try and find out about Jared....about why he scares me so much....and nothing's worth that risk...Eneas and Ulisess can't know...I don't know why, but they just can't....I-I couldn't stand if they knew...I'm already so ashamed...' Dimitri could never place exactly why he was ashamed, it wasn't like it was his fault Jared had taken advantage of him. It wasn't like he hadn't tried everything to make him stop. But still, regardless, Dimitri felt a suffocating flood of shame every time the subject came to mind.

Dimitri looked up, pulling his mind back to the present as Maria quickly changed the subject to going back home. Frankly, Dimitri never really looked forward to going back to his empty little apartment. It wasn't a bad place, just lonely. He hesitated slightly, and then a small smirk touched his face. "Hey Maria," He said, stepping over to her and bumping his shoulder lightly against her. "I know you said a while back you wanted to see where I lived, Still interested?" He asked, "But I won't promise it'll be clean."

Kedrick laughed slightly, shaking his head. "You'll take your chances with that one." He joked lightly, wrapping an arm around Arielle's shoulder. "I've been to Dimitri's place, it's scary."

Dimitri scowled and stuck out his tongue, although he knew it was the truth. His apartment was a mess, and secretly, he was hoping that Maria might be able to help him with it a bit. "We could have lunch together," He prompted temptingly, giving her an openly flirtatious smirk.

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

Maria grinned excitedly at the idea that Dimitri was finally going to let her over to the apartment he stayed at. She had been dying to go before, but was just never really that concerned to bother him about going over. Of course, not that he was actually letting her come over, she was completely overjoyed of the idea of spending quality time with him.

She was going to say something when Kedrick had mentioned about Dimitri's house being a bit scary. Her smile fell a bit, but not completely once Dimitri spoke again and gave her a flirtatious smirk. She giggled and gently bumped Dimitri with her hip.

"Thanks for the warning Kedrick," Maria said with a calm smile, "But I'm sure it can't be that bad. Plus, I'm used to a mess made my a guy. I have two older brothers. Remember?"

"That is true," Arielle added, leaning her head against Kedrick. "Plus, her brothers used to share a room, so it was two times as bad. Just make sure your home doesn't kill her, Dimitri."

Maria laughed and shook her head, wrapping her arm around Dimitri's neck and pulling him close, playfully rubbing her fist against his head. "Won't you have some faith in my beloved Dimitri? I'm sure you're all just exaggerating the state in which his home is in."  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ҝәɖʁϊϲҝ Ś. Śűѿą & Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟

Dimitri laughed as Maria bumped him back, and flashed her a grin. The young boy gave a snort as she replied to Kedrick, "Oh it's that bad..." He murmured under his breath, but still smirked slightly. He wasn't sure why, but he was somewhat looking forward to Maria's shocked and horrified expression when she saw the state of his apartment, he was looking forward to hearing her scold him and reprimand him for it. Somehow, getting Maria comically riled like that made Dimitri's day.

Kedrcik shook his head and gave a quiet laugh as Maria made her point. "Okay, okay you win!" He said, holding up his hands in an surrendering gesture, before looking back up at her with a sneaky glint in his eyes. "But don't say I didn't warn you." He added in a jokingly ominous tone.

Dimitri grinned as Maria wrapped an arm around his neck, but he let out a yelp of surprise when she pulled his close and rubbed her knuckles on the top of his head. The boy laughed, squirming against her. "Hey! Come on, cut it out!" He laughed, finally freeing his head. He reached up, trying to smooth out the unruly pieces of hair that now refused that lay flat. Once again, Dimitri gave a small snort. "Actually, they're not..." He said quietly, but still in a lightly joking tone. The young man cleared his throat, and turned his attention to Kedrick and Arielle. "Well, If Maria and I are going back to my house, then I'll need to swing by the store to pick up something decent from her to eat. In that light, we ought to get going."

Kedrick smiled fondly at his friend, nodding once. "Alright, Arielle and I will probably head back to the estate and relax a little bit, it's been a rough morning." He said, rubbing the back of his neck, all the tension had caused a nasty knot to form in the muscles of his neck...Maybe Arielle would consent to giving him a massage.

Dimitri smiled. "Okay, see you later then Kedrick," He said, and stepped forward, embracing his friend tightly. "Let me know right away if anything else turns up on this case." Dimitri said, and then turned to Arielle. "How soon will your invisible guard system be operational? When will they start keeping tabs on you?" He asked, hoping that it was as soon as possible.

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"Dimitri, you're not helping my defense for you," Maria teased with a sigh, still laughing. She grinned at Kedrick and gave him a small bow, still finding herself to be quite giggly.

"She'll learn in due time," Arielle said with a small smile, even though she hadn't seen the state of Dimitri's apartment so she couldn't really agree or disagree too much. Now that she thought about it, she would've loved for a chance to be able to visit Dimitri's home someday as well. The four of them always frequented the estate, so how come she never really thought about visiting where Dimitri lived or all of them spending time at Maria's house. And of course she couldn't forget about all of them spending time with her grandparents as well.

We always get side tracked by stuff like this, she thought with an inward sigh. Even the camping trip had it's own side of conflict... Just... Maybe someday...

The girls paid attention as the boys continued to talk, since there wasn't much needed for them to say. Maria sent her father a text message that she would be leaving with Dimitri and they would be hanging out. She didn't drive in the spare car since that would've wasted gas and she and her father were both going in the same direction. Her father would tell her mother from there, hopefully.

"I have no idea actually," Arielle said with a small sigh as she answered Dimitri's question. Her eyes shooting over to Maria as if she herself knew the answer to the question.

"As soon as possible," Maria answered with a small sigh. "Or to be more exact, as soon as my dad can find a group of men who are willing to do the task that's laid out for them. Hopefully it won't take him too long to do..."  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ҝәɖʁϊϲҝ Ś. Śűѿą & Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟

Dimitri smiled faintly. "Ah, okay..." And then Dimitri's smile widened a bit. "I'll just have to trust this girl here to complain to the chief if the task force isn't ready by tomorrow." Dimitri laughed, poking Maria in the ribs. He was joking of course, he knew that Maria's father would get to it as soon as possible, and launch the force at the best time possible and not a moment sooner. Dimitri tossed a few strands of black hair out of his face and then stepped forward, giving Arielle a quick hug. "Alright, take care then, we'll be seeing you two soon I'm sure." He said, saluting with two fingers, and putting an arm around Maria's shoulder.

Kedrick saluted back with a small laugh. "Okay, we'll walk you out then, I don't think there's any need to hang around here much longer." Kedrick said, ready to take Arielle home where she could relax, unwind, and hopefully, not think about the mornings events. Kedrick knew that he himself was looking forward to that.

Dimitri smirked slightly. "Let's go then." He said, and the four of them started out for the parking lot out front. Dimitri said a quick good bye to Maria's father as they passed, and lowered his eyes uncertainly as they walked by Ienzo, he wasn't sure he wanted to see his expression. He trusted that Maria had handled in well in convincing him not to ask, but he still didn't want to see the curiosity there. In the back of his mind, Dimitri knew that Maria would probably want to discuses exactly what had happened, and he knew he'd have to apologize. It had been a stupid idea, but it had seemed absolutely necessary at the time.

Soon, the four friends stepped out into the warm sunlight. The mornings clouds had burned off, leaving the day clear, and sunny. "Well," Dimitri said, smiling slightly. "See you later, Tomorrow maybe?" He asked, a touch of hopefulness in his voice.

Kedrick grinned, and slid into the front seat of his car. "Tomorrow," He agreed "Definitely."

Dimitri grinned in return, popping open the door to his own car. "Alright, We''l be there. Come on Maria! Hope in!" He said, sitting down, and closing his door.

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

Maria giggled as Dimitri poked her in her ribs, her arms defensively covering the spot that was poked. "If he's taking to long, then I'll get on him about it," Maria joked back, knowing that her father wouldn't delay on a serious matter like that one. She gave Kedrick a quick hug while Dimitri was hugging Arielle and playfully pulled on her best friend's hair before Dimitri wrapped his arm around her.

"And then we can all go back and relax," Arielle said with a soft smile, although she was more concerned about getting out of there right then and there. Even if her mind was as distracted as it was now, she would still be hearing Jonesy's threatening words in her head and kept a mental note to make sure to call and check on her grandparents when she got home.

Maria also waved a quick goodbye to her father, even if he wasn't really paying attention and then noticed Ienzo. She could tell that he was looking at them curiously, almost like he wanted to ask, but Maria just shook her head, as if forbidding him to even bring the question to life. As much as she hated the idea forming in her mind, she knew she would have to talk with Dimitri about his panicked out lash.

"Take care and have fun, you two," Arielle said cheerfully as she gave Dimitri and Maria a small wave before climbing into the passenger seat. Soon she would be home and soon she could relax, just a bit. Hopefully Kedrick would be able to keep her mind occupied or her thoughts would begin to think of the worst.

Maria felt her older sister vibes going off again as she watched saw Arielle leave with Kedrick. Despite the fact the girls were both the same age, Maria was actually older by a few months and she always felt like the older sister in their friendship. With a final wave, she opened Dimitri's car door and sat in the passenger seat, closing the door and fastening her seatbelt.

"Despite what you and Kedrick have been saying about your apartment," Maria began, looking over at Dimitri. "I really am excited to see your place. But what was your idea about lunch. Is it going to be romantic?" She giggled cutely, obviously joking. She wasn't sure they were going to have a "romantic" lunch, but the idea did sound adorable, and probably a bit too lovey dovey as well.  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ҝәɖʁϊϲҝ Ś. Śűѿą & Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟

Kedrick smiled as Arielle called out her last goodbye to their two best friends before she slid into the front seat of the car. The young man had always though it strange how things like that could work out. How Arielle's best friend could become one of his best friends, and visa versa with Arielle and Dimitri, and at the same time Dimitri and Maria find an unexpected love with one another. Things couldn't have worked out more perfectly for the four of them. Kedrick smiled over at her. "Alright," He said with a note of relief in his voice. Let's go home."

The two of them drove out of the police station parking lot, and Kedrick couldn't help but feel that they had gotten out of there just in time. He had had enough of that place for one morning. The feeling of coming home to the estate, seeing it quite, dark, and peaceful, waiting for them, was welcoming. Despite it's largeness, and sometimes emptiness, the estate was somewhere he always felt safe, and comfortable, and he hoped that Arielle felt the same.

Dimitri waited until Maria had sat down, and fastened herself in before he began back out of the parking lot. He flashed a grin in her direction. "Maaaaaaayyyyybe." He said mysteriously, flexing his fingers on the steering wheel. Honestly, Dimitri had no idea what he was going to do, but if he could bluff long enough, it would give him enough time to come up with a good idea. "We will be eating at my place, so I can't promise much as far as atmosphere goes, but I think I might be able to whip something up." He added with a wink in her direction.

Dimitri pulled the car into one of the stores parking lot, pulling the key out of the ignition. "Hang on here for a second, I won't be long I promise." Dimitri said, popping open his door and stepping out. It didn't take the boy long to get what they would need for lunch, and he was back within fifteen minutes, which was impressive noting that he didn't know the layout of the store very well. He opened the door to the back seat of the car, putting in three grocery bags. The lunch items had been double bagged so that Maria couldn't see though the thin plastic to it's contents.

"Okay, ready." Dimitri said, staring up the car again. He hesitated a second, lapsing into silence for a moment. They had a while to drive before reaching his apartment, and all Dimitri could think of was getting the inevitable 'talk' over with. He didn't like the idea of putting it off till later and risking ending on a bad note, best to get it out of the way now and then be able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon together without it weighing on their minds. "Maria..." He said hesitantly, casting an uncertain glance in her direction. "I uhmm....I guess we kind of need to talk about what happened back at the station...you know...with Ienzo and everything...don't we?" He asked, knowing that he chances of her dismissing the idea was bleak. He could read Maria pretty well, they needed to clear this up between them, and there was no way she was just going to wave it off.

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

Home, Arielle mused happily in her thoughts, happy to return to someplace that was warm and comforting. She was probably just as relieved, maybe even more so, at the thought of leaving the police station. At least we got what we want and have a game plan for the future. But... I really wonder if that'll be enough without more information or evidence....

She lost track of the time again as soon as Kedrick pulled up to the estate. Her eyes gazed upon her home and she felt just about ready to go inside, take off her shoes and just plop down somewhere and relax. Or she could just curl up beside Kedrick with a nice book to read. It was like nothing else really mattered but relaxing and putting the current issue on a shelf for the time being.

"I don't know about you, Kedrick," Arielle said with a small smile as she got out of the car. "But I think the library is calling my name. As well as some tea, fuzzy socks, and a nice warm blanket."

Maria giggled at Dimitri's maybe and listened to him. "You know I was joking, Dimitri," Maria said with a soft smile. "You don't have to try and make it romantic. As long as I'm eating with you and enjoying our time together, that's all that really matters to me." She felt her cheeks flush slightly at his wink, but still found herself giggling some as well.

Once he pulled into the parking lot for the store, she nodded as he got up to leave, even though she wish she could've joined him. She just waited patiently, making sure her paranoia wasn't going to get the best of her. She hadn't told Dimitri much about it, even though she had a feeling he wasn't unaware, but after meeting Jared, she always watched her tracks as well as his own. She never knew when he would make an appearance again, whether it would be herself or Dimitri. It killed her that she couldn't alert or father yet, but she would just have to deal with the patience. Of course she now felt more like a protective mother hen whenever Dimitri was out of her sight, and all she wished was that he'd return to her the same way she saw him leave her sight.

I've gotta come up with some kind of plan before I lose it, she thought with a small sigh just as Dimitri had returned back to the car. She turned to him and smiled gently when he said he was ready before blinking and looking at him when he hesitated. Had he forgotten something from the store? Maria was about to question him when he spoke her name, making her keep the question to herself and give him her undivided attention.

When she realized what he was saying, she nodded, knowing that it was true. "I was meaning to talk to you about that," Maria responded evenly, looking back at him. "This is where I would normally say 'I told you so' because if you had listened to me, this entire mess would've been avoided. However, I will do my motherly scolding at you after you explain to me what happened when you and Ienzo were alone by yourselves."  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri bit the inside of his lips, waiting for her response, uncomfortable as this was, he was glad they where getting it over with now. He kept his eyes on the road, but couldn't help but glance over at her as she spoke. The young man's heart sank slightly as she reprimanded him in that even tone of hers, and his lowered his eyes slightly, feeling ashamed. It almost would have seemed more natural for her to sound agitated, but none the less, a small smile touched his lips as she said she would wait to scold him until afterwards.

Dimitri sighed slightly, checking his speed, and pushing his hair out of his face before beginning to talk. "Actually...it kind of started the minute you introduced him...I could tell right away that he was interested in you, and you know....that kind of...bothered me...a lot I guess..." Dimitri hesitated, thinking back. "When the two of you were bantering back and forth, and talking about the Russian lessons and everything, it was even worse...I knew you weren't interested in him...but he was. He was obviously flirting, and I didn't know how far he'd be willing to go to get you...." The young man frowned slightly, realizing that he had voiced something out loud that he hadn't even thought to himself before. He felt incredibly threatened by Ienzo, because he didn't know him. He had no idea what kind of person the other young man was, and weather Maria already being spoken for would deter him or not.

"It scared me honestly...I didn't want him thinking that he could just move in on you and see if he could get you to like him..." Dimitri admitted, flexing his fingers on the steering wheel. "I was upset, and jealous, and stressed form what had happened earlier...and I had to get it out of my system or I thought I'd explode." He said with a bark of a laugh. The young man collected his thoughts, trying to figure out how he was going to describe to Maria what had happened when it was still a blur to himself. Dimitri wished it hadn't happened at all, but since he couldn't undo what had already been done, he just wished he could remember exactly what he said. Looking back, all Dimitri could remember was a heated, angry feeling, and all words irrationally blurred out. "When I took him outside to talk...I kind of lost it, like I said, it was a lot of stress, and jealousy trying to escape...I said a lot of things I probably shouldn't have, but I couldn't stop myself really...It was stupid of me...." The boy felt his face coloring slightly, and he focused on the road that would lead home.

"Ienzo tried to back me down pretty quickly...He didn't seem like he really wanted to fight...at first I got the impression that he hadn't heard anything I was saying, and that made me more angry...but I guess he just didn't really want to fight." Dimitri sighed, the feeling of shame creeping back into him as he thought of what had happened next. "When he was trying to make amends for the whole thing...He touched my shoulder...I was already so wound up that I completely panicked...I-I called him Jared...without even thinking out it." Dimitri's voice cracked slightly and he cleared his throat. Just thinking of letting that man's name slip from his lips made his stomach churn. He thought of Ienzo, of the questions that he would be turning over and over in his mind. 'why did that kid freak out like that?' 'who's Jared?' Dimitri tried not to think of that though, unable to face what would happen if either of those questions where answered.

The dark haired boy sighed softly, taking a right turn. "And then of course you came in...you know what happened from there..." Dimitri thought about every hurtful thought that had run though his head while he had been cleaning up in the restroom, every poisoned, barbed word Jared had spoken to him. It made his chest ache, but he decided that now wasn't the time to bring that up. He would let Maria scold him now. The though was a little bit cheering.

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

Maria listened and should've known that just the sight of Ienzo would've made him jealous. The young man was friendly and they shared a few things in common from what she had gathered from the conversation before everyone else showed up. She found herself feeling guilty, for probably unknowingly adding fuel to the flame of Dimitri's jealousy with her friendliness to the young man.

I should've noticed it sooner, she thought regretfully. Instead of hoping that nothing would happen and everything will be fine. I can't believe I was that foolish...

When he finished, she looked down at her lap and sighed. "I should've been more careful, Dimitri," she began slowly, "And so for that, I apologize. I just... Wasn't expecting you to blow up the way you did... I'd thought you'd give him some kind of menacing glance and just ignore him. I mean, I knew he seemed interested in me, but he wouldn't go after me once I introduced you to him. Some people just have really flirty aspects in their character. Take it from me. I still have it in mine, but..."

She paused there, knowing she was going nowhere. With another soft sigh, she leaned in and kissed Dimitri on his cheek. "Forget the scolding for the day. Let's just relax and enjoy lunch, maybe watch a movie with each other. Besides, telling you how you should've listened to me in the first place isn't going to help you feel less stressed. How does that sound to you?"  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

The young man looked up, somewhat surprised when Maria didn't immediately start scolding him. He had expected a thorough telling off, or at least an 'I told you so' but he response caught him off guard. He gave a bark of laughter as she said that she hadn't expected him to blow up. True, Maria had a terrible temper of her own, but Dimitri's heated much faster, it didn't take half as much to rouse Dimitri's temper, and that was not a good thing. He understood now that Ienzo wouldn't try to make a move on Maria now that he knew she was spoken for, but before he had been sure of that, Dimitri had been frightened that Ienzo would try and steal her from him. The young man shook his head slightly, telling himself he was being stupid. 'Maria's not going to leave you...she wouldn't let herself get stolen....'

He blinked in surprise as he felt Maria kiss his cheek lightly, and he looked over at her, smiling faintly. "Alright, I think that sounds like a good idea." He said, turning his eyes back to the road. There were other things Dimitri wanted to ask her, like why she had chosen him over any of the other guys. Guys like Ienzo, guys who were friendly, charismatic...unspoiled...He knew she would have a good answer, about why he had stood out because he wasn't perfect, but Dimitri couldn't find it in himself to believe it. He completely believed that Maria loved him, he had no doubt about that, but he what he couldn't believe was that there was anything in him worth that kind of love.

Dimitri dismissed these thoughts from his mind, resolving that now was not the time to think of them, he had an afternoon with Maria to enjoy. The dark hair boy turned down a lane of neat apartment building, pulling up in front of one and turning off the car's engine. "Well..." He said, breathing out a puff of air. "Here we are, don't say I didn't warn you about what's inside." He joked lightly and stepped out of the car. He waited for Maria to unbuckle herself and get out before walking up to the front door of the apartment. Shaking his head slightly, Dimitri pulled his keys out of his pocket, and opened to door.

The inside of the apartment was everything, if not more then Kedrick and Dimitri had described it as. The first room, was the living room. Piles of clothing, both dirty and clean were heaped on the floor, papers, old magazines, and text books for school where strewn about in haphazard piles. The cords to a small gaming consol where tangled in hopeless knots right where it lay in the middle of the floor. And extra pair of sneakers poked out from under the couch, a bath towel was draped over the coffee table, and there where dishes stacked on the end of the table as well. Seeing in though one of the doors, Maria could see what was obviously Dimitri's bedroom. The comforter and sheets for the bed where laying in a tangled mass, hanging off of the foot board along with a pair of pajama pants and a white tank top. The nightstand was just as cluttered as the floor and the lampshade was tipped drunkenly to one side. Pages upon pages of school assignments and pointless doodles crammed the little desk in the corner of the room. That along with photographs, books, pencils, pens, and other random objects ranging from empty Pepsi cans to a tipped over flower vase filled the remaining space The kitchen was equally messy, with dishes everywhere, food stains on the wall, dirt and flour on the floor, and leftovers from this mornings breakfast still on the table.

The only room that was different from the others was a second bedroom, which, while it looked like it had once been lived it, was much cleaner then the rest of the house. It was also dusty, it looked like this room hadn't been touched in some months. The door was open enough for it to be seen that the bed was made, the closet doors where neatly closed, and a pair or two of shoes where lined up under the bed.

The only thing apart from the second bedroom that was clean was the bookshelf in the living room area. The bookshelf stood as tall as Dimitri and was crammed as full as it could be with books. Thick and thin volumes, old and new, dusty and well worn, crisp and neat. Dimitri remembered telling Maria, Arielle and Kedrick before that he had always liked reading, but what he read was rather unusual in itself. Dimitri loved the classics, ‘The Tale of Two Cities,’ ‘Freckles,’ ‘The Girl of the Limberlost,’ ‘Shakespeare,’ ‘The Lord of the Rings’ ‘Asops Fables’ ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ ‘Pride and Prejudice’ ‘Peter Pan,’ ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ ‘Les Miserables,’ Dimitri loved them all. It was a secret pleasure of his, knowing that the kids in the public school would verbally tear him apart if they knew. The young man had always kept what he loved to read so much to himself, but for some reason, it didn't bother him if Maria knew. He would have felt perfectly comfortable if Maria were to read the titles of his precious books, he wouldn't even mind if she laughed that he was a 'Shakespeare Nut' as he might be known as.

"Well...."Dimitri said in a slightly hushed tone. "This is it, my humble abode." He flashed a quick smile over at her, and began picking his way though the mess, grinning in delight as he waited for the inevitable scolding it start.

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"Of course it is," Maria teased lightly with a grin. If she knew what thoughts were going on in his mind, she'd probably would start badgering him about it. Instead, the only thing that was running through her mind was trying to figure out a more polite way to explain the situation to Ienzo as well as getting the two of them to talk politely to one another and apologize. She wasn't sure how that would work out without Ienzo potentially wanting to know who Jared was, but if she had to, she would make up a clever lie on the spot.

As soon as they pulled up on the parking lot, Maria unfastened her seat belt and looked over at Dimitri, rolling her eyes. If he wanted to continue over exaggerating the state of his home, then she would let him. She made sure to grab the bags of food, glad none of them were too heavy to carry, before following behind Dimitri.

Once Dimitri opened the door, Maria just blinked and stared at the state of his apartment. Her eyes taking in everything, from the clothes to the magazine. If there was one thing that Maria couldn't understand, it was how some people could live in their own mess. The only room that seem free from the ridiculous mess was the second bedroom. She carefully made her way through, trying to find a good place to sit the bags down.

Probably should've listened to their warnings, Maria thought sullenly before looking over at Dimitri and catching his smile. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, even more confused on how he was perfectly alright with this.

"Okay...," Maria began slowly, after finding a decent spot to sit the bags down. She turned to Dimitri and grabbed his ear, giving it a quick yank. "I take back what I said about scolding you because you honestly need a scolding right now, young man."

She had her arms crossed, waiting for him to face her before hitting him on the back of the head. "Ты такой грязный идиот," she muttered in Russian before looking at him, with a light frown. "Dimitri Jameson Hunter, I can not believe you can actually live in this mess. This is absolutely ridiculous! This is probably even more worse than my brothers' rooms combined when they used to live at home. If your mother or even my mother saw this room, I know that you wouldn't hear the end of it. But you have me here, and I'm going to make sure you clean up every ounce of this apartment. No hiding anything under the couch or the bed. Your dirty clothes will be separated from your clean clothes, and you'll probably have to wash your clean clothes too because they're probably filthy as well. And you need to organize those text books and magazines into a neat order."

"You obviously weren't joking about this," she said with an agitated sigh as she rubbed her temple. "And you were so close to me not loosing my cool today. I'll help you clean, but I feel like I really need to start coming over more often to make sure that. Now wipe that smirk off your face dummy and let's get to cleaning. We aren't eating until after this place looks less like a tornado, tsunami, and hurricane passed through here. Alright?"  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri looked over, catching the look on Maria's face as she rolled her eyes at him. He flashed her a grin, going to take the bags from her hand before she set them down. He let out a sharp cry of alarm as she grabbed his ear. "Ow, Ow, Ow! Maria!" He whined, squirming slightly to get away, but there was still a playful gleam in his eyes that told her he was loving every second of it. The dark haired boy listened to her, holding back a snicker. So he was going to get the scolding he so richly deserved. Dimitri sighed, shaking his head as she spoke Russian again. "Can't Understand you Ria." He said in a teasing voice, and then shut up as he let he continue to scold him. He bit his lip, trying to to smile too much.

Dimitri assumed a very serious expression as she gave him instructions on how exactly how they were going to go about cleaning his living space. It seemed kind of ridiculous to him, he had lived in this mess for over two years now it was normal, it was comfortable. The young man sighed and shook his head. "If you say so," He said in a resigned tone, but the small smirk suddenly left his face as she announced that they wouldn't eat until they had cleaned. His eyes widened. "What!?!" He asked, staring at her in shock. "You know how long that'll take!?!" He sighed, running his fingers though his hair and studying the mess that lay around him though new eyes. This was years of....things....just lying around! It would take forever to clean it up.

Dimitri tossed Maria a near panicked gaze, and then swallowed. "Well...." He said quietly, looking around. "I guess....If you really want to tackle this...I guess we should start in my room..."

 

[x_Ultra_Panda_Luver_x]

Arielle Shore

"There's nothing to understand, at all," Maria said with a sigh, although her cheeks warmed up a bit when she heard him use her nickname. She didn't remember him calling her "Ria" before, but she figured after her brothers and Arielle continued to use that nickname around him, that he would eventually pick it up. It was the same thing she had noticed with Arielle's nickname and Kedrick's use of it.

She was ready to retort with a sarcastic comment, but the look on Dimitri's face after she had said that they weren't eating until after a reasonable amount of his mess was clean made her smirk somewhat. At his protest she only shrugged her shoulders and took a few steps forward, trying to figure out what she could actually tackle. "Well this wouldn't be such a nightmare of a problem if you actually understood the word, cleanliness," Maria responded with a huffy sigh. "This obviously wasn't my idea of quality time with my boyfriend, but somebody just had to live in a pigsty."

Even though she was trying to scold him still, her tone of voice was slowly beginning to pick up a teasing manner. When Dimitri mentioned that they would handle his room first, she looked back at him and realized that it would be the second time she would step foot in Dimitri's room, even though the location was different. She thought back to the night when she was at his old home and how they shared a bed before finding herself blush again. Despite the fact that she had suggested that idea, it still made her feel embarrassed just thinking about it, but at the same time, she felt like it was right, that it was something she'd enjoy doing. Just the two of them laying side by side next to each other.

Oh great. My thoughts are becoming foolish again, Maria thought with a small sigh before looking back at Dimitri again. "Okay," she answered with a small nod. "Let's get to it."  

[Tobi-chan Lissesul]

♟♞ ♝ ♜ ♛ Ďȋɱȋŧʁȋ Ĵ. ᾟűηŧȇʁ
Can you keep a secret?...

Dimitri sighed softly, resigned to his fate. He knew Maria well enough to know that she wouldn't just let this go, his house would be clean before she left here today. The dark haired boy glanced over at her, blinking in surprise. "Hey," He said in a teasing manner. "What are you blushing for? Don't tell me you're getting all embarrassed about being in my room!" The young man grinned at her and then assumed a mock-serious expression. "Of course it's completely understandable, we're about to clean up two years worth of junk, I can't think of anything more romantic." He said sarcastically, and then smirked to himself and pushed open to door to his room a little farther. He grunted slightly, shoving it as it got stuck on something behind the door, most likely some long forgotten pile of garbage.

Dimitri finally got the door open wide enough for them to walk though and stopped abruptly, realizing that he had no idea where to start. "Uhhhmmmm...." He faltered slightly, looking around as he stepped over a pile of dishes that had been forgotten on the floor. Hesitantly, Dimitri yanked the covers off of his bed, figuring that was the best place to start. The mattress was littered with CD's, books, crumpled papers, pens, and other assorted trash, how he managed to sleep in there Maria may never know. Once again, Dimitri was fumbling. Now that the mess was reveled, he still had no clue what to do with it. Finally, after a moment of though, he found the best approach. "Okay," He said, holding up his hand, studying the mess. "Here's what we'll do," Dimitri grabbed a handful of old candy wrappers, a piece of string, the crumpled papers, and several globs of lint. "Trash," Dimitri said, setting it down in a small clean-ish part on the floor, and then picking up the CD's, pens, and books, stared a new pile. "Keep," He verbally labeled, and then, scouring the room, snatched up a few other random objects from around the room. "and give away."

Dimitri looked at the three tiny piles. It wasn't much, but it was a start. With the mattress itself cleaned off, Dimitri straightened to covers, much as he had seen his mother do when he was a child. He never really 'made his bed' so to speak, but it would have to be just right if he wanted lunch. He tucked in the sheet and laid the thicker comforter over top, finding various things tangled in the covers as he did. These, like the other things, where sorted into one of the three piles.

Now that the bed at least look presentable, Dimitri picked his way across the cluttered room to the desk, beginning to sort the papers that cluttered it. Dimitri found that surprisingly, cleaning his room after so long could actually be interesting! He found so many things that he thought had been lost forever, papers he had forgotten about, old doodles, and school tests that he'd rather not remember. Dimitri picked up a drawing on wrinkled paper that he had done some months ago. It was a quick, loose sketch of Maria, her thick russet hair done in a red colored pencil though the rest was just regular graphite. Dimitri smiled faintly, and set the drawing aside on the 'keep' pile. He wasn't a fantastic artist, but the doodle was of Maria, and hence, he kept it.