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"I can teach you to act properly?" Ben asked. "I mean you've only been here a few days and you can't be expected to be perfect at being human." He smiled at the girl on his couch. "And if you ask me I think you're fine just the way you are." Ben encouraged.
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"But everyone looks at me so strangely, even your friends. They think me odd.. Foreign.. When I see a new thing, I cannot help but compare it to home and wonder how it works. I cannot help getting excited.. It seems how I act is wrong," Lorabelle added softly as she set the towel down and pulled her knees to her chest. "Do you think I'll ever fit in?" Lorabelle inquired as she rested her cheek upon her knees, looking up at Ben, her childlike features apparent in her gaze.
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Ben blinked a few times before his mind could form a coherent response. "If you want to I think you could." Ben said softly, carefully forming the words in his mind before speaking them so he wouldn't stumble over them like a fool. "But why would you want to fit in when you're so beautiful when you stand out?" Ben asked as he watched for Lora's response. She couldn't possibly believe it was a bad thing for her to be so different. Lora was incredible just the way she was and Ben didn't particularly want that to change, even if she did.
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"But.. if I don't fit in, people will continue to think me odd.. That cannot possibly reflect well on you, housing a lunatic," Lorabelle said softly, "Besides, everyone will grow tiresome of my ways, of my idiocy. They too will begin to shun me, as my own people have already done."
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"Don't say that." Ben frowned as he moved forward and wrapped his arms gently around Lora's shoulders. "The only people's opinions that should matter to you are the people who accept you for who you are. If you try to please everyone you'll lose yourself and I wouldn't handle seeing that happen." He said, trying to comfort her despite his lack of talent in the comforting field.
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"But how do I know who will accept me? What if those who accept me, look down on me as well? I hate being human.. It's so complicated.." Lorabelle said with a small laugh as she rested her chin upon her knee.
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"It is complicated but at least its never boring." Ben said, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "It gets easier though so don't get down so quickly, kay?" He asked before noticing the clock and just how late it had become. "Maybe we best get some sleep, I have class in the morning." He offered as he stood from the couch. Retrieving his alarm clock from the bedroom, Ben set it up on the coffee table in the living room so he could sleep on the couch.
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"'Kay," Lorabelle said with a small smile. Noticing what he had brought out, Lorabelle inquired with a furrowed brow, "Will you not need that in your room to wake up up in the morning? I've seen humans use those frequently to wake them up, they make a wretched sound," Lorabelle added with a laugh.
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"Yes I need it to wake me up but I planned on sleeping on the couch. That way you can sleep in the bedroom." Ben explained as he bent over to reset the time on the clock.
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"But wouldn't you be uncomfortable?" Lorabelle asked with a furrowed brow, "Would you not sleep better and be more rested for class if you slept in your own bed?"
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"I'll be fine on the couch." Ben assured as he finished fixing his clock and turned to Lora. "But I think you'll be more comfortable in my bed and I couldn't let my company sleep on the couch. Its bad manners." Ben said with a smile.
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Lorabelle laughed as she nodded and stood from the couch, "Very well. But I will not impose upon you for very long. It is your bed, after all." With a smile, Lorabelle headed towards Ben's bedroom. "Goodnight," Lorabelle called over her shoulder before shutting the door to the bedroom. Within moments, she was beneath the sheets and dreaming.
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"Goodnight." Ben yawned as he curled up onto his couch and wrapped himself in the blanket he kept out there for late night movie marathons. He couldn't help but think about how beautiful Lora was and he was glad that he had found her instead of some of the other guys on campus he had met. At least he could sleep knowing she was safe from anyone taking advantage of her.
*~* The next morning Ben reached over to slam the snooze button on his alarm clock, growning in the pillow from having to wake up so early. Reluctantly, Ben stood from the couch and shut off theclock before going into the kitchen and starting a pot of coffee. |
Lorabelle didn't awake from the alarm, nor from Ben rummaging through the apartment. Instead, she was happily dreaming for the first time since she came to this planet; recollecting upon the time she had had the day before.
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Ben began to sip his first cup of coffee as he made his way silently into the bedroom, hoping not to wake Lora as he searched for clothes for the day. He finally found a pair of black jeans and a blue button up shirt before sneaking back out of the bedroom to hop into the shower.
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It was Ben's stirring in the room that finally woke Lorabelle from her sleep. Stretching in bed, Lorabelle rubbed her eyes as she simply laid in the bed, trying to get awake before she got up from the bed. When she finally was awake enough, Lorabelle slipped from the bed and headed for the kitchen. Sitting at the table, Lorabelle waited for Ben to finish his shower.
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Ben dried himself off quickly and dressed for school before heading out the bathroom door, jumping a bit when he saw Lora. "Good morning." He said with a small smile. "Hungry?" He asked as he put a few slices of bread in the toaster and brought some eggs out of the fridge and began scrambling them in a small frying pan, still sipping from his cup of coffee.
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Lorabelle nodded as she brushed the hair away from her sleepy eyes, "Yes, I'm quite hungry. Would you hate it terribly if I asked you to make enough breakfast for me too?"
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"I planned on it." Ben teased over his shoulder as he paused from stirring the eggs to fill up his cup with coffee again. "What kind of host would I be if I let you starve to death?" He asked before taking a long drink of hot, black coffee, letting it burn his throat a bit as it went down before resuming his attention to the eggs.
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Lorabelle laughed sleepily as she teased, "A mean one? What is that you're drinking? It smells awful!"
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"Coffee." Ben smiled as he set his cup down and scooped the eggs evenely between two plates before buttering the toast and setting that on the plate as well. "It smells bad and it doesn't taste great but its got caffiene in it and that gives me energy for the day." He said as he turned to set a plate in front of Lora and a plate on the counter in front of himself along with his coffee mug. "What would you like to drink? I have orange juice or milk?" He offered.
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"I've never had either, so either is fine," Lorabelle said with a smile as she picked up the fork and tried placing it in her hand properly. Finally managing it, rather clumsily and awkwardly, Lorabelle tried to eat the eggs in front of her. It wasn't working well, but after a few tries, she managed to get a small bite into her mouth. Laughing, Lorabelle smiled at Ben, "I did it!"
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"Well done." Ben smiled happily as he poured a glass of milk for Lora before walking around the counter and taking her hand in his. "But this might be easier." He offered as he set her fingers on the fork and helped her pick up some more eggs before returning to his own plate to eat.
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Lorabelle laughed as she ate the eggs. "I still don't understand how you humans use these things. Why were they invented, anyway?" she inquired between bites of eggs and sips of milk
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"To make it easier to get the food in our mouths without getting our fingers a mess." Ben said with a smile before crunching into his toast. "I best be getting to class." Ben frowned as he threw the small remainder of his breakfast in the trash and downed the rest of his coffee before slipping on his jacket. "Uhm..." He said, looking uneasily at Lora. "I'm not sure what you want to do here but the tv is there and...I wouldn't suggest trying to cook anything but I have some stuff in the fridge or cupboards for sandwiches. I'll be back in a few hours, kay?" He asked as he put his bag over his shoulders.
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