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 Posted: Wed Jul 17, 2013 5:02 pm
Howl knew what had happened at work.
However, now he had to feign a sort of ignorance about the events which had occurred at Maize Maizier just an hour prior.
He had managed to slip back into the vicinity just as the police had arrived to investigate the cause of the dreaded assault upon the restaurant. Prior to making it back, he had decided which story he planned to use.
The lad had just finished speaking to an investigator about the matter. As was his usual manner, he spoke in a rather distanced and professional tone. He was not prone to speaking upon emotion, even in such an emergency situation.
Once the informal interrogation had finished, he managed to catch the glance of a pair of violet eyes upon him.
"...I am quite certain this is not how you planned to spend your evening, Miss Sfakianos." There was something about his tone which easily revealed it was not how he had intended to spend his own free time as well.
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Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 10:49 pm
Lydia, on the other hand, did not have to lie much. She could honestly talk about her actions after the terrorist attack on the restaurant, and her story was corroborated by the few patrons who had stayed in the vicinity. They attested to the fact that she helped with evacuation, making sure everyone was out of the building before leaving herself. A valiant act for a girl of seventeen, especially one who'd lived a rather sheltered life.
She wasn't exactly the picture of valor, however. While her coworker remained calm and professional, she was visibly distraught, and had to pause during her interview more than once to choke down sobs. Maize Maizier was, without a doubt, Lydia's favorite place on the continent. And now it was a mess, and it was at least partially her fault. If she had been more observant, or a better fighter, she could have minimized the damage. Now it would be closed for repair, and who knew how long that would take?
Once her interview was over, she found herself looking for someone. Mister Howl had gone missing when the monster attacked. She'd been briefly concerned for his well-being, wondering if he'd somehow run into the monster while she was changing, or maybe another monster nearby. Seeing him unharmed when she returned was a relief.
"I'm equally sure that it's not what you had intended either, Mister Howl." Lydia dabbed her eyes with a tissue one of the detectives had given her and surveyed the wreckage. "I'm glad you're safe. When I couldn't find you, when everyone was leaving, I was worried."
And, for a moment, annoyed at him for vanishing. But it wasn't his fault, she decided. Running from a monster was the natural thing for most people to do, especially people who didn't know that monsters were real.
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Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 6:57 pm
He looked over the girl as she seemed to inspect the wreckage from her spot. Soon enough his own eyes followed to the patch of broken glass as well. In a distant tone, he mentioned "I suffer from the condition called cowardice, Miss Sfakianos. It causes lapses in judgment."
Certainly, he had not been nearly as much of a coward as he was painting himself to be. However, his story to the officials had been that of a coward. No matter how noble or regal he had been, he had to play the role of the coward.
Just because he was a coward, did not mean he had to do what his coworker was doing. In a vaguely puzzled tone, he asked "Might I ask what is specifically upsetting you?" Perhaps it had been her first time encountering one of the youma in the city?
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Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 7:20 pm
"Is it cowardly to run from something that obviously means you harm? Something that you don't have a chance of fighting?" It was obvious from her tone that Lydia didn't think it was. Not once she stopped to think about it, at least. "Protecting yourself from imminent danger isn't cowardly; it's common sense. Just as what I did tonight wasn't an act of bravery. It was stupid and reckless and I was very lucky that nobody was hurt."
That may have been laying it on a little thick. After all, she had handled the situation reasonably well, at least at first. Her feelings were sincere, but they related to Irene's actions, not Lydia's. If she hadn't tried to be so high and mighty, could some of the night's mess been averted?
Her eyes widened slightly with the next question. "Are you not upset, then? I was thinking about how much damage there is, and about the number of people who could have been hurt, or worse. The people who caused this have no regard for human life." Despite her somewhat disorienting discussions with agents of the Negaverse, at that moment, Lydia had nothing but contempt for them. They were the ones behind the youma, not just that night, but at the carnival, in the park at Christmas, and every other time. "I hate them," she said vehemently. How could they live with themselves, doing such terrible things?
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Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 7:53 pm
Howl lofted a brow at his coworker's commentary about her own actions and the events that had just occurred. "You should be grateful that people were not injured, Miss Sfakianos. Physical damage to a building is able to be repaired." He once more looked to the pile of glass nearby. "It is an inconvenience, and potentially a financial burden. However, be grateful for what is and stop dwelling upon what could have happened."
That being mentioned, he turned towards the officials wandering about the vicinity, still evaluating the damages. "It would seem as if we will not need to tend to the clean up, though I am certain Mr. and Mrs. Yates would prefer us to linger until they arrive."
He began to walk, as if he was attempting to join in the inspection. As he walked, he mentioned "It is not cowardly to run, but it is cowardly to hide in the restroom to remain out of sight."
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Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 9:52 pm
Since she had mostly stopped crying, Lydia quit dabbing at her eyes. Instead, she began to tear the tissue into tiny pieces, tucking each one into the torn pocket of her ruined apron. It gave her something to focus on other than her slightly self-destructive thoughts. "I am quite grateful that nobody was hurt. And it's true that as long as someone is healthy and able, they can rebuild things. And yet..."
She paused, rolling one tiny piece of tissue into an even tinier ball, which she let sit in the middle of her palm. "I know that this place is just a paycheck to some of the other employees, and just a charming neighborhood restaurant to many of our customers. To me, it has always represented a dream. It's a chance to be someplace far away, a path to doing something I find meaningful. Dreams can be resilient, but in some ways, they're much more fragile than buildings or people. And I..." She trailed off and stuffed the tissue ball into her apron pocket. "I'm not quite sure what I was trying to get across with that, but do you understand why I might be upset at the ones who caused this?"
Inconvenience indeed. Lydia fought the urge to roll her eyes, and instead followed Howl, unwilling to be left alone on a night like this. She still wasn't sure how she would be able to face the owners, but she knew she would have to tell them what had happened. And while she couldn't agree with her coworker on everything, he was right that dwelling on her failures wouldn't help. She would just have to make sure she was prepared for next time, so as not to repeat her mistakes.
With that decided, she wondered if there was a way to return the favor of offering good advice. "There are always other choices you could have made. But there is no shame in knowing when you can't do anything to help. Staying out of harm's way is the best thing you could have done. As you yourself said, the most important thing is that nobody was hurt. That includes you, Mister Howl."
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Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 11:00 pm
Perhaps if he were less agitated with how the evening had played out, he might have faked a sort of sympathy for the girl's plight about the destruction of her work place. However, his ability to sympathize seemed to be lacking. As he made his rounds about the vicinity, he had placed his hands within his pockets.
It might not have been what Lydia wanted to hear, but he confided "I cannot say I truly understand, but you do not need to explain further. Personal sentiments are frequently difficult to explain." He was in no mood to humor the younger girl.
Her efforts to try and comfort him fell quite flat, but it was because his whole assumed situation was false. He did not seem to acknowledge her advice and consolations. Instead, he asked "Do you have a ride home this evening?" It wasn't as if he could offer her a ride, but he figured he could at least ask.
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Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 11:28 pm
How could anyone be so cavalier about this? Lydia was surprised, but then, she knew that Maize Maizier did not mean as much to everyone as it did to her. Maybe to Mister Howl, it was just a way to pay the bills. That was disappointing, but not particularly surprising. "I see. Thank you for your honesty, then, and for letting the matter drop." If he didn't have any personal investment in this, she didn't want to go on talking about hers. And if he wasn't listening to her, then she wasn't going to make an effort to make him feel better.
"I have the number for a cab company," she answered simply. Cabs felt less exclusive than car services, which was why she used them more, despite her parents' preferences. She hadn't called them after the incident, and was dreading explaining it to them. The night didn't really need to get any worse, but she knew that she was in for a battle of a different kind once she got home. To win, she needed a battle plan.
Since Howl seemed otherwise occupied, Lydia felt no need to stay with him. "I think I'll wait inside. The night air is somewhat chilly." It wasn't, really, but she wanted to think, and to be left alone to do it.
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Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 4:12 pm
The lad barely even acknowledged her response about the cab with half a nod. And eventually Lydia had dismissed herself with a pathetic untruth. It couldn't have been more obvious if she had tried.
However, it didn't harm Howl's emotions that she wanted to give him some space. He was quite content with the idea that he would no longer have to tend to someone else's emotions as he attempted to sort out his own.
He just could not decide if he was annoyed due to the time he had to spend this evening dedicated to work, or if he was content because this ensured that he would not have to show up to work until some repairs were made first.
With that, he continued to wander about the premises, letting his mind mull the subject over and over until his employers arrived.
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