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"Lora!" Ben called out desparately as he was fully aware of how late it was getting and how slim his chances were of finding her. "Lora please!" Ben called as he put his hands in his hair and the pain in his nose started to set in but he wasn't done searching yet. He had to find her.
"Lora!" Ben yelled again as his vision began to clear and he wiped away the small smear of blood that had trickled from his nose and continued on, turning again into an alley as he followed a flash of bare feet. |
As silence fell on the couple, Lorabelle heard her name called once more. Stopping, Lorabelle turned around and looked down the alleyway. "Ben?" Lorabelle called softly, curiosity and confusion in her tone.
"Who's Ben?" Maxwell asked as he looked at Lorabelle. "He's my friend," Lorabelle said as she continued to peer down the alleyway, "He's calling for me." "That's nonsense my dear, I do not hear anything. Perhaps you just miss him?" Maxwell tried to coax as he started leading Lorabelle forward again. His logic was reasonable. She did miss Ben, and she would miss his home and his company. She was growing rather fond of him and his apartment. He was very kind to her... "Perhaps," Lorabelle said softly as she turned back around and continued to follow Maxwell towards lower Downtown. |
"Lora!" Ben yelled in relief as he turned the corner and saw a familiar blond figure walking with a strange man. Racing to catch them, Ben put a protective arm around Lora's shoulders, his own sagging as he breathed long, strangled breaths. "Where-have....you been?" Ben asked as he worked to gain his composure. "I-I looked....everywhere for you."
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Lorabelle blushed a deep scarlet as she looked up into Ben's eyes, feeling much like a child who had worried her mother and was in for a long punishment. "I-I.. I went for a walk along the busy street outside of where you live. I met a man who was selling delicious apples and he gave me some for free and told me about currency and jobs. And then I met Maxwell and he told me he had a place where I could stay and work and he would help me understand this city more. He was once new here himself, and so he knows what it's like and knows how he can help me," Lorabelle explained with a smile.
"So you see, you don't have to worry anymore. I will be alright. Besides, does not your friend need a place to stay far more than I do?" Lorabelle asked softly as she looked down at her feet with a sad smile. "Look buddy, Miss Sterling will be just fine with me, I assure you. I got a place Downtown that had plenty of room for her and I know a guy who can hire her straight away. Besides, sounds like your girlfriend might get jealous if you have Miss Sterling living with you as well. Don't want to get her upset with you, now do you?" Maxwell said with a smirk as he linked his fingers with Lorabelle's and began walking down the alley way, guiding Lorabelle along with him. |
"Whoa, I don't think so buddy." Ben said as he quickly caught up again and put both arms around Lora, pulling her way though he was careful to be gentle as to not hurt her. "Lora?" He asked softly as he tilted her chin up with his fingers. "Remember when I told you that there were bad people in the world? This is a great example of that. Some people are going to try to take advantage of you." He explained softly before placing his forehead against her's.
"Please, Lora. Please come back with me. Adeline's not staying forever and I just want you to be safe. We'll work things out." Ben murmured softly. He should've been concerned with how close he was to Lora right now though he was just glad to see that she was okay. |
"But.. the couch is the only place to sleep other than where you sleep... If I stay, it will be too crowded and there won't be enough places for everyone to sleep.. There's not that much floor space," Lorabelle reminded as she looked up at Ben, her blush deepening at his close proximity. "Besides, will not Adeline be angry that I am there?"
"Miss Sterling, if you come with me you'll have a whole room to yourself. And I get it's bigger than that whole apartment of his," Maxwell added with a smirk, "Come on, sweetheart. Let's get going before the place closes and you have to wait until morning to see if there's a job opening." "I.. don't know what to do," Lorabelle admitted softly as she looked down at her feet, "I want to go with you Ben, but I do not see how there is enough room for me to be there without causing you more trouble and forcing you to make more sacrifices. You said yourself you would have to cut back in order to take care of me... Now you have Adeline to take care of as well.." |
"Lora-stop." Ben pleaded, full out begging now as he pulled her closer to him. "I'll sleep on the floor if that's what it comes to. Or Adeline can stay with Gina and Jack. Please, I just-I just need you to be with me." Ben whispered the last part, so softly that he would be shocked if she even heard. Hell, he was shocked he'd said it. It hadn't occured to him how much having Lora around meant to him but he suddenly didn't want to think about getting up in the morning without burnt pancakes or a messy kitchen.
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Maxwell rolled his eyes at the mushiness. "Look Miss Sterling," Maxwell said with a warm smile as he continued his facade, "It seems like he really cares about you. You'd best run along with him. But just remember, you always have a place Downtown. Here's my card, stop by any time and we'll see about getting you a job," Maxwell said with a smile as he tucked a simple business card into her dress pocket that had his name and number on it.
"T-Thank you," Lorabelle managed as Maxwell walked away, too stunned to say much else. "Ben? A-Are you sure it won't be too much of a bother for me to stay with you?" Lorabelle asked hesitantly as she as she fiddled with the apple bag in her hands. "I don't want to see you suffer on account of me... Besides, is it not my punishment to be alone in a world I do not understand?" Lorabelle reminded him with a soft laugh, "It is as if Adeline's predicament happened simply to remind me of such..." --- When Maxwell was long out of hearing distance, Maxwell got back on the cellphone and told Joe what happened in the alley. "Watch her, Maxwell. I won't lose to some lover boy loser sweeping her off her feet. I want that girl working for me, so do whatever you have to to get her. Got it?" rampaged Joe angrily. "Understood," Maxwell grimaced as he held the phone from his ear a tad from the yelling, "I'll have her to you before the year is over." With that, Maxwell hung up and headed home to prepare a plan to get Lorabelle back into his hands. |
"Maybe the Council wanted to punish you but I'm here for you always." Ben encouraged. "It's getting late so let's get you home." He smiled as he put an arm around Lora's shoulders and started to lead her away from the darkening alley way. "And let's get some shoes on you soon." Ben said witha lopsided smile. "I know I must be a sight for sore eyes right now but we don't need your feet getting tore up on this pavement." He explained.
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Now that they were in the light, Lorabelle's eyes grew wide as she took in the sight of Ben. "Ben... you... your... your face... What happened to you?" Lorabelle asked worriedly as her fingertips gently touched his upper lips and cheek. "You're all red and cut up...."
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"I, uhm, may have run into a few things trying to find you." Ben chuckled softly as he felt his face, cringing slightly when his fingers passed his nose. "I'm fine, Lora." Ben assured her as they started walking towards his apartment. "Are you alright? The man didn't hurt you, did he?" Ben asked cautiously, giving Lora a once over.
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Lorabelle shook her head with a smile, "Not at all! Everyone has been very kind to me. I have learned so much watching everyone from meeting Maxwell and the man at the market! Have you ever noticed that female humans look longingly at children who pass by, and they give the same expression when they pass clothing that is very small? And male humans always stop what they're doing and stare and someone new and watch them to see what they could be up to. And everyone smiles and looks so happy! I've hardly seen one cross person," Lorabelle finished happily with a grin up at Ben.
"Are you really alright, Ben? Those red smudges and the broken skin do not look alright and look quite painful," Lorabelle added with a frown. "Is there anything I can do to help make it better?" |
"I'll be alright." Ben assured her as he opened the door of his building. "I can bandage myself up when I get upstairs." He said as he pressed the button to call the lift. "I hope you don't mind if we skip the stairs today. I'm a bit tired out from running." He teased as he leaned back against the door of the elevator which, inconvinently, opened at that moment and sent Ben backwards onto the empty elevator's floor.
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Lorabelle couldn't help but laugh as she walked into the moving box that Ben kept calling an elevator and set the bag of apples down. Kneeling beside him, Lorabelle poked his chest, "I have a feeling something else might be tired out as well." Standing as she giggled, Lorabelle held out her hand to Ben as she picked up the apple bag with her other as she teased, "I think I have walking with a human body down better than you do, and you've always been a human."
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"Ah, but did I ever say I was a graceful human?" Ben asked with a laugh as he stood up and leaned back against the elevator wall and hit the button for his floor. "Or perhaps I just have an awful lot of bad luck today." Ben pondered.
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Lorabelle laughed, "Well I would gladly give you part of my good luck and take some of your bad. After all, it is the least I can do. Ben? I still don't like you having to make sacrifices in order for me to stay..." Lorabelle added softly as she fidgeted with her bag of apples. "Does offering a few apples help?" Lorabelle asked seriously as she held up the bag.
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"Lora, you don't need to offer me anything. I'm doing this because I care about you and I want you to be safe." Ben smiled as he reached out and took her hand that held the bag of apples and lowered it. "Just promise me you'll be more careful about men you meet on the street? Not all of them have good intentions." He warned.
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"What other intentions could they have?" Lorabelle asked as she took an apple from the bag and took a bite, still very hungry. "How can someone not be kind and good?"
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"I don't know." Ben shook his head as the elevator reached his floor and he led out and to his door, opening it and gesturing for her to enter first. "Sometimes people are just born bad." He explained as he slipped out his jacket and grimaced at his torn t-shirt. What had he run into?
"I need to clean up." He said, giving her shoulder a soft pat. "Oh my God, Ben!" Adeline gasped when she saw him, leaping up from the couch with a worried expression. "Adeline, I'm fine. Really." Ben tried to convince her to no avail. "I just look awful." He winked. "Let me clean up." He urged before disappearing into the bathroom and stripping his ruined t-shirt. "What happened?" Adeline whispered to Lora once Ben had left the room. |
"I do not... quite know," Lorabelle said truthfully as she took a bite of her apple, "All he said was he was a bit careless and kept running into things when looking for me.. Perhaps it is not as bad as it seems? Though he did fall into the elevator.." Lorabelle recollected through giggles.
"Apple?" Lorabelle offered as she held out the bag with a warm smile. |
"Thank you." Adeline smiled as she took the apple and took a bite. "Man, he's terribly clumsy sometimes. Men." Adeline rolled her eyes before walking back to the couch and turning on the television.
Ben looked in the mirror as he applied his ninth bandaid and grimaced when he saw a bruise that made a straight line across his abdomen. "Must have been the trash can." He mumbled, shaking his head. When it came to his nose however Ben winced just looking at it as it was clearly broken. Knowing he had to set it back in place, Ben lifted tentative hands to his face and quickly cracked his nose into place with a long groan. "Oh my God." He hissed as he removed his hands from his face and looked in the mirror once again. |
Hearing Ben nearly scream from the bathroom, Lorabelle set the bag on the table and ran to the bathroom door. "Ben? Are you alright? Are you sure you should not see a doctor? I am so very sorry for putting you through this Ben... It was never my intention... I was trying to make things easier, better.. But it seems all I have done is make them worse and get you severely hurt...."
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"Lora, I'm fine." Ben assured her, reaching out for her hand. "Really, don't fret about this. You haven't done anything wrong and now that I'm all bandaged up I'll be fine." He smiled as he put one arm around her waist and brought her back to the living room.
"You still look gross." Adeline smiled playfully from the couch, making Ben stick his tongue out. "I could say the same for you but at least I have an excuse." Ben countered teasingly. "Oh, Ben the charmer. Watch out ladies." Adeline laughed as she flipped through the channels. |
Lorabelle blushed a deep scarlet as Ben held her hand and then put his arm around her waist. Feeling her cheeks, feeling them grow hotter and hotter, Lorabelle's face grew even more worried and a frown fell upon her lips.
"Ben? Why are my cheeks so hot? Am I sick?" Lorabelle asked as she looked up at Ben, "They've been like this ever since I saw you in the alley with Maxwell," Lorabelle explained as she felt her blush deepen. "Is this normal when you get all nervous?" |
"Its perfectly normal when you're nervous." Ben said as he made his way to the kitchen and pulled out cheese and bread for grilled cheese sandwiches. "But what are you nervous about?" He asked curiously, Adeline engrossed in her phone as it buzzed with a text message.
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