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 Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 5:43 pm
Managing her university classes and her powered life was a lot more tiring that Eve initially thought it would be. For a while, she had to drop nightly patrols because she was simply too tired to fight, as she slowly adjusted to the workload. Of course, living with Rea meant that she couldn't forever neglect her duties as a senshi for the whole semester, despite a part of her wishing that she could. In a way, it was a good thing, because they could encourage each other to hang in there and focus on what they were doing, and the reasons they were doing this for. On the other hand, Eve Summers' social life greatly suffered; most of her time as her civilian had to be spent on studying so that she could use the remaining time for patrols.
That meant that her social circle was being greatly limited to patrol mates; not that she didn't mind of course, but there were people who weren't senshi that she had been neglecting lately.
One particular person was the noticeable 'very boring' back of a blonde guy absorbed in a book he was reading she inadvertently spotted on campus. A grin spread on her face as she ran up to him, curls bouncing as she practically threw her weight onto him and grabbed his arm. "Lucy!"
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 5:52 pm
Well, this was nice. He was so busy with schoolwork these days that he hardly had a chance to sit down and relax. Fortunately, since he was done with classes for the day, Lucien had chosen to go outside, sit down by his favourite tree (yes, he had a favourite tree on campus--shut up) and had begun that novel he had been itching to start.
Unfortunately, he had only managed to read the first few lines when a very familiar voice met his ears. He hadn't heard that voice in a while--they were both busy with their own classes and work, he was sure--but he could recognize it anywhere. Especially since she addressed him as "Lucy".
Biting back a groan, Lucien allowed his gaze to briefly flicker up at Eve, before it fell back down onto the pages of his book. "Hi, Eve," he greeted, knowing that his alone time was officially over, "How are you?" Despite his rather cold greeting, Lucien was sincerely glad to see Eve again. He wouldn't admit it, but he had been a little lonely without her nagging him all the time. Clearing his throat, he added,
"Nadia and Aidan have missed you."
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 6:04 pm
"It's been so hectic these days." Eve complained, plopping down besides Lucy by the tree. He would probably assume that it was due to school, for there were things he didn't know which she kept herself busy with; like the activities that had resulted in the bruises hidden under her pants.
Studying under a tree was nice, Eve decided, basking in the shade. Luckily, he hadn't bumped into her in the library, or she would have rattled on and on about how predictably boring he was. This was why he needed her presence in his life! If she continued not paying attention to him, he would drop to another level of boring, and that would be dreadfully horrible. At this thought, she shuddered and promised herself that next time, she would at least bother him by spamming him with text messages.
"Awww, I miss those two too." She sighed, reminded yet of another reason why she really should bother Lucy more. His siblings were darlings, and if she left them in his care for too long, his boring-ness might rub off on them. "And you? Did you miss me?" She pinned him with a gaze, the sparkle in her eyes declaring 'Of course you did!'
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 6:25 pm
"That's how university life is. You've got a lot of exams and assignments, I suppose?" Indeed, the thought of Eve being busy with anything else (except meddling in people's love relationships and being a nosy matchmaker) never crossed Lucien's mind. Sighing, he finally shut his novel and tossed it back into his backpack. "I just finished a couple of papers myself, so I have a bit of free time."
Well, for now. He was sure there would be new assignments by the end of the week from most of his classes, and there was housework and taking care of his siblings to consider too. Honestly, sometimes he wondered how he managed to juggle all of these responsibilities, but then he'd realize that he wouldn't want it any other way (if only because he was already so used to falling into a schedule of things).
Falling backwards, Lucien sprawled himself out on the grass. "Yeah, you should come over sometime to visit them. They'll probably like that, especially Nadia." His younger siblings were always excited to see Eve, treating her like the big sister that they never had. Not that Lucien could really blame them--he kind of saw Eve as a little sister himself.
Twitching at her question, the blond was quick to shoot a(n embarrassed) stare. "What? Not even a bit. It was so peaceful without having you around to call me a 'boring old lady'."
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 7:54 pm
"Yeah." Eve grumbled, crossing her arms. "I barely have enough time to myself these days; my social life is dying, Lucy! And I can't end up to be as boring as you!" The girl lamented, following his lead and laying downwards on the grass, staring up at the leafy foliage above them. Of course, that was a gross exaggeration; she really was busy fighting monsters and saving lives while he holed himself indoors to read and sew. And that could hardly count as being busy, she thought.
"She's a darling," Eve commented, a grin twitching at the corners of her mouth as she continued, "thankfully, not as boring as you. Luckily, she has a great role model like me!" It was a bit strange to look back on the times where she was so carefree and playful with both Aiden and Nadia... and to compare it to herself now. Now it was wrought with worries; would they be attacked by youma, would they have to take on the role of chibi senshi like some children had?
She bit back a sigh, and turned on her side to regard Lucy with a quizzical gaze. "Oh please," she retorted. "I'm the only one who will tell you this harsh truth in an attempt to better yourself and make you less boring."
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:51 pm
Ahaha, she didn't want to be "as boring" as he is. Very funny. Choosing to ignore that part, Lucien snorted. "Oh, come on. Just a little longer and we'll have break, right? Just get through all your exams, and you'll be fine." He paused for a moment before adding, "And if you need help studying, let me know. I could uh...probably fit in some time to help you out. Maybe during Nadia and Aidan's tutoring sessions." The corners of his mouth twitched at the mental image of him tutoring Eve and his younger siblings at the same time, and he struggled to keep from chuckling.
"I am not boring," came Lucien's automatic grumble, "And haha, I don't know about that, Eve. Nadia could use a female role model who doesn't shop as much. My parents and I don't have wallets so big that we could afford to buy her a new wardrobe every time we go out, you know." The grin that head suddenly spread across his face indicated that he was teasing, and he reached out to ruffle Eve's hair. "Okay, you brat. Maybe I missed you a little.
But only a little, he thought, groaning when she called him boring for the third time. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Evette."
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Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 2:19 am
"In my life, I never really have a break." She sighed, making it sound as dramatic as possible even though it was partly true. One could never stop thinking about the perils and troubles that plagued one's alternate identity, no matter how she tried. How could she, when there were reports about Negaverse attacks here and there on news? Eve wondered what Lucy thought of it all, but wasn't sure if she wanted to bring the issue up. "Tutor me with Aidan and Nadia?" She repeated, laughing. "I don't think that will be very productive." Them diligently studying together at a table was certainly not a very plausible outcome; Eve would probably get bored and distract them all.
"Excuse me! I haven't been shopping much of late, you know!" She huffed, giving him a glare. The last time I went shopping, I got distracted by a youma! It almost spilled out of her mouth, but she managed to hold the sentence back, biting her lip. Keeping secrets was horrible. No wonder she found it easier to hang out with those she knew were senshi.
"Of course you missed me." Eve concluded, matter of factly, because it was obviously obvious. "Shut up, Lucienne."
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:03 am
Snorting, Lucien propped himself up with his elbows and raised a brow at the girl. "Aren't you being a little dramatic?" He laughed, shaking his head, "Come on, school doesn't drain all your time, does it? ...Or do you have a part-time job or something?" The last he knew, Eve wasn't employed (or uh, he didn't think so anyways) but she could have gotten a job since they last saw each other. It was kind of a weird thought, thinking about how long they hadn't spoken to one another. "It has been a while," He mused aloud, "I don't remember the last time you dragged me out and tried to make me by a new wardrobe." As annoyed as he had been every time Eve tried to drag him shopping, the memories made him laugh now.
"Not productive?" He echoed, unable to hide his grin now, "I dunno, Eve. Nadia and Aidan are always very focused on their work, so if they aren't because productive, it'll only be because you're not focusing, yeah?" It was this kind of teasing that proved how comfortable Lucien was with Eve. If she had been anyone else, he probably would have clammed up long ago.
Twitching at the nickname, the boy turned to shoot her a stare. "Lucienne, Eve? Really? As if 'Lucy' wasn't already bad enough!"
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:00 am
"...Kind of?" She ventured softly, furrowing her eyebrows. Sure, it certainly did fit into the category of a part-time job, although it would be hard to explain it. There were things he didn't know about, things she didn't think he should know because he would probably utterly freak out. It wasn't as if he would believe her either... Lucy would probably think that she was attempting to pull another one of her elaborate pranks on him. Could he believe that she had been fighting for around one and a half years already? "Yeah." Eve agreed with a sigh. "I should probably do that someday. And you should meet Rea! Y'know, my Crystal roommate whom I'm sharing an apartment with now!"
"I'm a very good distraction, you see." She declared with an impish grin upon her face. "Especially from boring things. Like you. Because I am not boring." She was getting serious though, thanks to a certain someone named Flora, and it was good to see Lucy and fall back into her usual teasing and carefree self.
"Oh darling, I could go on forever if you wanted me to." Eve bent down, a mischievous twinkle apparent in her eyes. "Lucienna, Luciennarie, Luciennarietta, Luciennariettaria." She was never one to concede defeat in arguments such as this, and Lucy knew this very well.
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 4:58 pm
Looking confused, Lucien shot her a puzzled look. "Kind of? You kind of have a part-time job--oh god." His eyes suddenly widened and he shot upright, staring down at Eve with a huge frown. He wasn't sure where this suddenly idea had come from but...please let him be wrong. "Eve, your part-time job...it's not like a night job, right? Something you only really do at night? I mean, I guess you could do it in the day, but if anyone catches you..." No, there was no way that she could be one of...those, right? Immature and sweet Eve, in a dangerous occupation like that?
"For the last time, I'm not boring," He grumbled, though it really was just a reflexive response by this point. He had missed having Eve around for all the bright, happy atmosphere that she usually brought wherever she went, but he definitely didn't miss this part of their relationship.
Reaching out, he began to tickle her in retaliation. Never mind that they were on campus, surrounded by other students, and the fact that it looked just plain awkward. "My. Name. Is. Lucien." He said, emphasizing each word with a poke to her sides, "Not. Lucy. Lucienne. Lucienna. Luciennarie. Luciennarietta." Oh, he could go on and on.
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 10:09 pm
"Uh... well..." Eve said cautiously, the gears in her mind turning furiously as she attempted to salvage the situation with carefully phrased words. "It's not done exclusively at night!" Of course, she knew exactly where he was going with this, but how else did one explain the job description of senshi to someone who had no clue of the dangers at all. "And come on, I'm still alive, aren't I?" If only if he knew that she had been at the brink of death a few times before and that she had suffered more bruises than she could count. "I mean come on, remember the time I got into hospital?"
"I'm never going to stop calling you that, you know." She shot back, in between peals of laughter. "Never in a million years, Lucy. Neveeeeerrrrrrr." That was something that she was fully adamant on... besides, he would probably find it strange if she called him by his full name! "Stop it, Luciennariettaria!"
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 11:04 pm
There were absolutely no words to describe Lucien's horror. Inn fact, he was so horrified that he stopped tickling her, and didn't even react to the silly nickname she had given him. "Eve! Do you know how dangerous it is? Sure you're still alive now, but how long will that last? If you keep this up..." As much as he liked to insist that she was annoying and a brat, he never saw her as anything less than a friend or a little sister figure. The fact that she was going out at night to do this was like some kind of unspeakable horror.
When she mentioned the hospital, the young man froze and stared down at her. "...Your ankle, right? Did you get that while you were...ah, 'working'?" Suddenly remembering that they were in a public place, he lowered his voice, his expression serious. "But Eve...why? Why would you accept this kind of job?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 11:22 pm
It was good that he stopped, because Eve didn't think she could bear giggling away while talking about such a serious topic. More serious than Lucy could have ever imagined, because it had always been a matter of life and death. Definitely nothing close to whatever his boring imagination was thinking about. "I have friends, Lucy." She said wearily, letting her head fall back on the grass. Besides, she couldn't die. She couldn't let the Princess lose anyone else in their Court, couldn't leave Rea alone, couldn't leave Lucy transgressing back into boringness.
"Yeah." Eve confirmed, pursing her lips. "And I didn't accept it, it just... was something undeniable." Was that the right word for it? Was undeniable the right way to express the feeling she had when she had her henshin pen and knew that it was her destiny and she could do nothing to change it? "Argh, you won't get it!" She burst out, sitting up and glaring at him, not caring if her hair was tousled. "Look, Lucy, it's a lot more complicated, and it's definitely not what you think it is." She sucked in a deep breath, and then added quietly. "But if you want to know, you can meet me tonight."
She had no idea whatever had possessed her to blurt that out, but lying to someone whom she saw as an older brother figure honestly made her feel quite terrible.
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Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 11:49 pm
"I just...Eve, why didn't you tell me?" Was he hurt? Yeah. He thought that Eve trusted him, but she never told him about this job. Perhaps it was because she knew he would be against it, but he would have taken it better than he was right now had she told him early on. Maybe then he could have found some way to help her.
"How long...how long have you been doing this?" Was it only a few days? Months? Maybe even a year? The idea that she had kept this secret for so long bothered him, and her outburst didn't help matters. He stood up, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. "Of course I won't get it! I don't understand why you would do such a thing!" He shot back. Just as he was about to continue, Eve cut him off with an offer that make him choke and gape at her disbelieving.
Meet her tonight? So that he could...watch her work with his own eyes? A disturbed look crossed his face as Lucien put his hands up and shook his head violently. "Oh no, Eve. No. No way." He was completely against this.
"There's no way I'm going to come watch you and your 'friends'--" He made quotation mark gestures with his fingers, "--stand on street corners while waiting for some guy to pick you up." The thought had been disturbing enough, but for her to invite him to watch as people came to hit on--and do worse things--to his "little sister"? He didn't think he could bear it.
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Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 12:04 am
"It's not an easy topic to bring up." She grumbled, folding her arms across her chest with a huff. This was why most of her friends were senshi, and she was glad of it. It was much easier to talk freely around them, which probably contributed to why she wasn't as frequent a visitor to the Everard house as she was back then.
"LUCIEN EVERARD." Eve said loudly as he revealed his thoughts, sitting up as she regarded him with a glare tinged with repulsive horror and shock. "How... could... you... ugh!" The pause between each word was accentuated with a punch to his arm, and she wasn't holding back. It was lucky for him she wasn't henshined up, or it probably would hurt more. Frustration welled up as she grabbed her bag and started smacking him with it as well. "Assume... such... a... thing... of... me!"
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