Calla felt warm as Todd had laughed. It was a nice feeling, one she wasn't used to. "They don't mind them much, but it isn't their favorite thing in the world. As you can see, Willow enjoys getting muddy." She smiled and noticed the sun was beginning to set. "And I'd love the help with them, but I have a better idea. Would you like to go to the beach before it gets too dark? The part I go to is right around the corner, passed that little thicket of trees. The dogs enjoys chasing the waves a it will probably do a better job at washing Willow than I could." She giggled lightly, a shy, happy sound.

The sun had lit the sky up with beautiful colors as they continued their walk. She hadn't realized they had already walked together this far. Her comfortable home was in sight, but she couldn't help feeling that this day could be improved with a little time soaking in the sounds of the beach. Plus it gave her dogs more time to enjoy the evening. Her companions meant the world to her and she always wanted to do everything she could to keep them happy, healthy, and having fun. They all had already done so much for her. More than anyone would ever know.

Leon looked over as she began to look around his house. He smiled slightly, but he really had nothing to say to her compliment. It was a bit sad, but in reality to him, this was not a nice place to him at all. She asked him if his parents were home, which caused him to shake his head. "Nah...probrably at work.." he slipped a kettle from one of the cabinates within the large kitchen. It fit with the livingroom well, so did the joining dining room. He placed water in it, before putting it on the stove to heat up. In the meantime he got two cups.

There was a variety of tea within the house, his mother loved the stuff. He was not to sure what Lune would prefer though, which made him hesitate a bit. He rubbed the back of his neck. Man, he was not cut out to make tea apparently, and all it was was boiling water...then again, back home in Japan, it was so much more. He would totally fail at a tea ceremony. He pulled out a few of the kinds, placing them on the counter. He ran through the list of what one might like in their tea: cream, sugar, lemon. While the water was boiling, he slipped to the stairs.

"I'll be right back" he moved up, going to his parents room .She might have something that would work for the girl, he doubted she wanted to wear guys clothes, which sadly was all he had. He found some things for her to try, coming back down. "I hope they work, but it will allow you to clean up a bit" he sat them on the couch with a smile. "There is a bathroom there" he nodded to a door near them. "I'll meet you back here in a few and you can relax with a nice cup of tea" hopefully...he was still debating on his tea skills. He returned upstairs, to get cleaned up himself.


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One hit. Two hit. Three hit. Explosion. Tyson Delarobia had been focusing on the large red sandbag hanging from the ceiling before him, when the sound of an explosion rocked the gym. He glanced to the window nearby, to see a plume of flames and smoke rise in the distance. "Tch.." he turned, grabbing a dark emerald green hoodie sitting nearby, before he headed out. It did not take him long to reach the scene, the run was good for his body. He looked around, taking in the sight of the disaster. He noticed a child's doll laying nearby, nudging it a bit with the toe of his shoe. He did not even frown, his expression was quite blank as it always was, almost bored.

He slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants, looking towards the building that seemed to have been the source of the explosion. People rushing around, yelling and looking for survivors. He had already lost intrest, turning away. He walked down the street, heading around until he noticed a white haired girl get on a bus. He raised an eyebrow, watching it pass him. Did he know her? He wondered a bit, but again quickly lost intrest. He decided to head on himself, running once more. Why? No reason, it was probrably just because he could. Faster and faster, he pushed himself on, feeling his muscles screaming under the surface of his skin. He kept running, kept pushing himself.

He did not stop, until it was way darker out. He sighed a bit, he was a bit far from where he should be, it would take him awhile to get home. People would be pissed at him, but that did not phase him. For some reason, he found himself at the bus stop. He raised an eyebrow a bit as the bus pulled up. Why was he here? Stepping on, he glanced down the isle. That white haired girl from before, there she sat. His eyes lingered on her for a moment. He then moved to an empty seat, plopping down in it. He crossed his arms over his chest. His muscles still protesting from the run, he closed his eyes for a moment. He would be feeling it tomorrow worse than now, once his muscles had a chance to relax. But again tomorrow, he would be right back at the gym.

Todd perked up a little at the mention of the beach. He had always loved the ocean, and walking along the beach had always been one of his favorite ways to spend time. Especially around sunset, when the waves were painted indescribable colors and most of the daytime beachgoers had left. "I would be honored to take a walk on the beach with you and your delightful companions. It's one of those rare, beautiful days that seems perfect for just such an activity, don't you think?" He said, turning to grin at her.

It had been a long day. Most of it had been spent with his agent and publisher, discussing last details about newest book he had just completed. Now, it was out of his hands and on its way to readers. His agent was sure that it would be bestseller, even short excerpt released month ago had been driving people crazy with want to read it all. But it didn't make him excited, all Elek really felt was a certain emptiness. It always came after he had finished work. Perhaps because it was a certain time measurement for this man, as if he expected something to have changed during writing of a book. But of course nothing had. And did he really want it to?

Maybe not. After all, he had enough money to move to a bigger house or different city, buy a fancy car... And also looked good enough to get a companion for lonely nights, not even having to play out his fame card. But change for just having a change wasn't what Elek desired. And he knew he was closest to contentment here, in his current life. More than that he would probably never have. Couldn't have, really.

But Elek wasn't the type to grow melancholic or pity himself. In past, when he felt like this, he would rage and punch something, call life unfair and himself - a coward, but with time, had learned to accept things as they were, realized their true shapes and colors. And learned to throw himself into life and work for everything he had got. Workaholic? Sure, why not. But he enjoyed his work, both writing and at shelter. Surely enough, in a week's time, he would already set out to start yet another story. Maybe chain of short ones that link in magnificent chain in the end. He already had some ideas...

At this point, his thought pattern was torn apart by bus coming to stop in front of him. After leaving office, he had wandered around briefly, looking for inspiration, and then had realized he was on the other side of city from his home. Not feeling up to walking the whole distance, man opted to take bus. Good thing, too, this would be second to last one going all the way to Southern edge, where his home rested. He got in, payed his fare and turned head towards isle.

Bus was not very full, one particular individual caught his attention. Ivory. He knew her from shelter. Moving down the isle, he greeted her and settled down in the seat behind her. She wasn't the talkative kind, he wasn't the one to burst into someone's private space uninvited. Or, well, without reason. Elek could be stern and direct, if he found the need, shake someone up real good. Besides, he probably knew a lot more about her than she could imagine already. Tonight she seemed having lost some of her harsh demeanor, though, like he knew she could do when dealing with children at shelter. Did she even know where the bus was going? He had never seen her riding this way. But man decided it was best not to pry for now. He did contemplate starting a conversation, though, maybe she'd reply to his hello, at least.

There weren't many stops left on this route. The bus pulled to another stop. So far only one other person had gotten on at any of the stops, making the total number of people on the bus now four. But now someone entered the large vehicle that caught Ivory's attention.

Light grey eyes glanced over to see, whatshisname, from the shelter. She was surprised to have run into anyone outside of the place. When he turned her way, she quickly looked back out the window. Normally she wouldn't have even spared anyone the glance. But she'd let her rudeness down a little this evening. Oops.

She tried avoiding him entirely, even though she noticed he'd chosen to sit right behind her. She sighed. With all that space on the bus he had to sit there. She glanced around at said space, noticing the boy who'd gotten on a stop or two before Elek, for the first time. He seemed, nice. Of course that was immense sarcasm.

The other two people on the bus were a small Asian woman with a grocery sack, and a very old looking man with a scruffy mustache and a small Yorkshire Terrier dog in his lap. The bus pulled away from the stop and Ivory returned her attention to the window. The street names in this area were unfamiliar. Where was she now? Where was she headed? I didn't matter.

Ivory tried keeping to herself, really really hoping that Elek wouldn't try and talk to her. He seemed nice, and she really didn't want to have to be rude, and she would, of course. She couldn't afford to create relationships, bonds... No way.

At the next stop, a group of shady looking characters climbed aboard. Two of them were bald, the other with some shaggy looking dreads of sorts. One of the bald ones, the taller one, had a tattoo up his neck and the side of his face. It looked ridiculous. The shaggy one wore sunglasses, despite the time of day, and they all equally looked smug and up to no good.

They sauntered further in, smiling eerie grins at the Asian woman. The short baldy without the tattoo pulled her grocery bag open to peek inside. "Hey!" the woman protested. The bag fell open and her groceries poured out onto the floor. The three laughed and continued on. The little Terrier started to growl, and the old man held him closer.

The baldy with the tattoo leaned over and let out a nasty snarl and a deep bark of his own at the little pet, causing it to whimper and shrink away. They continued on. As they moved to pass Ivory, the shaggy one slinked into the spot next to her. The two baldies moved just passed, but stopped, grinning wildly at Tyson. The boy looked ready for a fight, and that was what they specialized in. They began taunting him.

Meanwhile, shaggy scooted a little too close to Ivory. "Is this seat taken?" he asked with a stupid grin. "Yeah," she said, turning to look at him with a frown. "Piss off." His grin didn't fade, and Ivory noticed a silver cap on one of his front teeth and rolled her eyes. It was probably foil. These guys seemed to think awfully highly of themselves. A pack of figjams, as they would have called them back home.

"Aww, I only wanted the company of a beautiful lady," he responded. Ivory grimaced. "Because you've never had any before?," Ivory said rudely in her heavy Australian accent. "There's plenty of empty space on this bus, why don't you find a corna to crawl into?" she said. This guy was really pushing it, and pushing Ivory was a bad idea.

"She's got a mouth on her boss," she heard a baldy say. "Yeah," tattoo face pitched in. "Someone ought to show her how to use it." Ivory's skin was feeling hot. Too hot. Hotter than a normal person's skin should feel. She was repulsed by this trio, knocking a woman's groceries down, scaring an old man, taunting a boy, and threatening a young girl...

((Left it there cause I gotta run! But I figured this would bring the three characters together. Have fun!))

Calla nodded at Todd's response,"It is a perfect day for such a thing." A grin sitll played on her face and she whistled for her companions. All three dogs were quickly at their owner's side, "Change of plans, guys. We are going to the beach for a bit." With happy barks, they sauntered off again in the direction of the beach.

The beach was gorgeous as the setting sun lit the ocean with vibrant colors of orange and pink. The sand which was usually white, now held a shade of orange as well. "It is a perfect evening. Peaceful. I like the quiet." Calla smiled at Todd, the sunset spreading colors over them as well. She hoped it hid the pink that had spread across her face. She had never been to the beach with anyone before. Not like this.

Kunai, Willow, and Sapphire all chased and barked at the waves that crashed at the shore. And chased the occasional crab that had the misfortune of crossing their paths. The never hurt the creatures, but always gave them a bad scare. Usually Calla would watch her dogs play and enjoy the peace and quiet. She had never thought of coming here with someone else.

Todd hummed quietly as they walked along the golden sands, enjoying the sound of the waves crashing on the shore and the occasional mournful cry of a seagull. The dogs chasing waves and crabs made him laugh, and the thought that he was able to be there to share the experience with Calla was enough to make him happy forever. "I love the quiet, too. It's always nice to have the quiet just to think and reflect, or to share with someone special." He said, hoping the sunset would hide the slight coloring of his cheeks. He glanced over at her and smiled.

"So what brought you here?" Calla glanced over at Todd, "To this city, I mean.." Her blue eyes studying him, wondering what was on his mind. A warm breeze swept across the beach causing her light hair to dance behind her back in the high ponytail is was pulled back in. "I know this city can be a rough place to live, so what do you do here?" Her eyes revealed her curiosity that was now spreading throughout her. She realized she barely knew anything about Todd and wanted to learn more. She had never really been close to anyone except animals and nature.

Lune was content with quietly and politely looking around the house. When Leon brought her some things, for a moment she looked as if she might protest but instead she only nodded the slightest bit and slowly picked the items up from the couch. Another blush had found it's way to her cheeks. She held the clothing almost gingerly as she made her way to the bathroom he had pointed out. Once inside, Lune debated if she should take a shower or not. She decided against it, and took her time undressing and cleaning herself up.

When Lune exited the bathroom, she held her dress, very neatly folded in her hands. It would get wrinkled but that didn't matter, she carried it to where her parasol sat by the door and placed the dress neatly down next to it. The clothes that Leon had picked out for her were a bit big, a little loose and baggy, taking away from the slight feminine form that her tight dress had accented by being, well tight. Hesitantly she moved towards the kitchen to see how the tea was coming along.

Leon looked within his closet, for something to slip on. He discarded his dirty clothes, cleaning himself up. He decided on a pair of black sweatpants, and a white long sleeve shirt. This one had a red design, though it was in Japanese, so it would be hard to read for some people. He ran a hand through his hair, moving to go back downstairs, as Lune was moving to the kitchen. He noticed her dress was by the door, along with her parasol. He wondered if she would protest to the idea of getting it washed. He figured she would, so for now, he kept silent.

He moved to the kitchen opening, the kettle was beginning to whistle, as the water within heated up. "I was not sure what kind you would prefer" he says, hoping not to scare her. He nods towards the variety sitting upon the counter. "You can choose if you like" he smiles, moving to the stove, to get the kettle off of the stove. He flipped off the heat, turning to the counter. He poured the steaming water within the two cups. For himself, he chose a raspberry tea. He added a bit of sugar to his cup, stirring slightly. The water turned a light red color, as the tea began to spread. He glanced at her, from the corner of his eye, wondering what was going through her head at the moment.

-------------------------------------------------------

Tyson kept his eyes out the window, he did not even bother to look up a first as the men entered the bus. He heard the commotion however, which drew his eye slightly. A couple of jerks were stirring up trouble. His hands lightly clenched against his pants, he resisted the urge to send a hard punch their way. It was not long however, that they moved back to where he was. This is where they split, one of them beginning to harass a female, others choosing to target him now as well. He relaxed his body, looking back out the window to not give anything away. Their taunts were lame, he couldn't care less what they thought of him. Scum like them was better off scurrying back to the trash dump they crawled out of.

The one who was harassing the female though, was another story. His manner of speaking was eating at his nerves. He clenched his jaw lightly. One of the men moved to touch him, and he snapped. He grabbed the man's hand, twisting it backwards. He forced him out of his seat, and to his knees within the isle. Standing up, he delivered a direct kick to the man's chest. He turned away from the worm at that point, casually making his way towards the seat with the scumbag harassing the girl. Reaching him, he placed a hand on the back of his head, ramming his face into the seat in front of them. Luckily the more padded seats of the bus helped to avoid any serious damage to that ugly face of yours. "I can't stand trash like you" was all he said.

Todd put his hands in his pockets, his favorite relaxed/thinking pose. "Well, I came here when I was sixteen to find better learning and job opportunities. I love my homeland, but my father's farm just wasn't for me. He and mum encouraged me to follow my dreams. Unfortunately for me, people seem reluctant to hire an Irish farm boy, so I've been from job to job. Currently, I'm working at a convenience store." He said, flashing her a broad smile. He didn't mind working menial jobs, because as far as he was concerned it was just a step along the way to something better. "I chose this city because it seemed to have a lot of opportunities, plus the cheapest housing I could find."

With the last of her ice cream cone gone, Glimmer felt a sudden pang of emotion. One she didn't like. Boredom. Oh gosh, what was she gonna do? Grandmother's choir group was tonight, and she really didn't want to sit alone all night. Should she go home and do her homework? She had a project due in two weeks and it would be smart to get started. Would that be a decent way of spending her night?

Nah.

She could hear barking coming from the beach. She took a quick detour and saw three dogs chasing crabs and trying to bite the waves. What looked like their owners were not far off. A guy and a girl. What a cute couple. And what adorable dogs! Against her better judgement, who knows if they are friendly or not, Glimmer ran over to the playing dogs and held out hr hand to see if they were nice dogs. Dogs were so cute.

Calla tilted her head slightly, puzzled by what the Irish man had said. "You love animals and you didn't want life on a farm?" Realizing she was imposing on his privacy and history, Calla flushed and quickly remarked, "Oh, I'm sorry. I don't mean to impose. I'm sure you have your reasons. She laughed awkwardly, "And yes, there are some pretty low prices homes available.. You must live in the rough part of the city then." At that, Calla's blue eyes opened wide, "I..I'm sorry! I didn't mean to be so rude. Gosh...I'm awful at this." She sighed, worried she may have offended Todd in some way.

Todd tilted his head back and laughed. He didn't mean to laugh, but she was so cute getting all flustered over upsetting him. "Relax, you've not offended me. To answer your question, my father farmed vegetables, not animals. And even besides that, I do have my reasons." He said, getting his laughter under control. "Sorry to laugh, I'm not making fun of you. No, you're right, I live in a rough neighborhood, but I'm okay with it. I can handle myself rather well, having grown up getting into scraps with the village boys. That was how we played, back home." He said fondly, a hint of nostalgia in his tone. "Now what about you? Did you always live here, or did you move here?" He asked.

Leon's approach did startle Lune a bit and she had jumped slightly when he spoke but she gave him a polite smile and moved towards the tea he had indicated. Lune watched him pick the one he wanted before deciding what she wanted, it wasn't really a decision, she just picked one at random. Lune was certain it would taste just fine, she almost carefully placed the tea bag into her cup and added only a little bit of sugar. "..I think when we have finished our tea, I should go home." Lune was frowning the slightest bit and staring into her cup, wondering what time her own parents might be home. Soon maybe? Lune wasn't sure, and they would be upset if they knew she had been out in this part of the city. She did wonder if maybe she should just stay as far from the dome as possible, but she had a duty to her family and she couldn't just turn her back on that.

He wasn't one bit surprised she didn't really respond to his greeting. Typical for her. And typically for him, Elek chose not to bother her. For now, at least. If it was like it seemed and she was just riding the bus aimlessly, he would probably say something when they came closer to end of route however, so she had time to get off and find another one, avoiding to be stranded out in suburbs until morning. Sure, she'd brush him off, more or less rudely, but that didn't phase him at all. His ears were used to worse things.

Man turned his face towards window, colorful windows and streetlight speeding by as his thoughts floated off towards some blurred concepts and ideas. However, soon they were anchored back in presence. Elek's jaw clenched as the trio stepped in the isle and approached, although he had not as much as glanced at them. For a short while, he ignored them, but when groceries poured out of woman's bag, he got up and helped her pick them up. The bullies were too busy with Ivory and red-headed man to pay him much more attention and if they attempted to kick him or anything of the sort, he would simply trip them, either with feet or nice pull by ankle.

When all the groceries were again in bag, Elek straightened up. By now, red-head had already lost his cool and fight was breaking loose. Third came to swing at Tyson from behind, but his fist was stopped by Elek in a steely grip and moments later twisted behind thug's back in painful angle. He himself ducked and elbowed backwards to fend off the guy that Tyson had kicked and then pushed onward, towards front of bus. "If you act like this, you're little more than thrash. And thrash ought to be thrown off the bus," he commented, pausing for a moment, to grab on one of the chairs as bus took sharper turn. Man stiffened up, insulted or just angry, before starting to struggle, but he was held tightly. "Who do you think you are!?" he called out.

Unfortunately, there were still two more and they were not going to just sit around. Elek could fend off one of them, though, and pulled the other bully in last second so that he was a shield of sorts, stopping a punch or two, but the winding street was working against taller man and he lost his balance, slipping in space between seats and back in wall, although his hold was not released, but next turn might undo that. "It wasn't any of your business, immigrant! But now we will make it yours!" one of the men hissed. Being called that didn't get to Elek in slightest, however.

Calla sighed in relief when Todd didn't get offended, a smile spreading across her face, "It sounds like it could have been a nice place there." Her gaze turned back to the ocean, her eyes growing a bit distant as she thought of the past. "I moved here a few years ago, actually. Job opportunities popped up and I had to take them. At first, it was rough here, but eventually I was able to afford a decent home. In my old town.. complications came up and I had to leave it, but that is all in the past now." Her voice hinted sadness, but covered up quickly as she added, "I could have lived in the bubble, errr, dome, but who wants to be cut off from the rest of the world? I know I don't want to be."

Todd laughed at her quick cover up. "I wouldn't, either. I'd much rather live out here, even with the danger, than in there with those stuffy snobs." He said, though it was clear he didn't really hold anything against the rich crowd. Todd was the kind of person who generally accepted anyone, and didn't hold grudges. "So anyway, it's great that you got the opportunity to move yourself up in the world. And running your own business now, that's really amazing for someone so young." He smiled at her brilliantly.

((Sorry for the long wait! *hugs all around*))

Ivory didn't appear afraid of this guy or the others, she never appeared afraid of anything. But she was wondering how to get out of the situation, and on the inside, she was a little worried. The dreadhead reached forward to grab at her, but before he could touch her, someone else was grabbing him.

The Aussie looked up to see a brown haired boy in a hoodie with a hold on the back of the scumbags head. He slammed it into the bus seat in front of him. Ivory was frowning, light gray eyes wide and mouth slightly open. She really hadn't expected anyone to intervene. People didn't care about other people like that.

She didn't have a whole lot of time to think over the situation, for it has escalated incredibly quickly. Elek, had stopped one of the men from getting the brown haired boy from behind, and it looked as if there was about to be an all out brawl. Wasn't the bus driver aware? Ivory peered up at the old woman.

The leathery skinned lady paid no mind. Perhaps she didn't care, or perhaps she had earbuds, or hearing aides that weren't helping much. She drove along the roads unaware of the brawl. Ivory, still frowning, only looked back to the others when she felt the dreadhead's presence gone.

He pushed himself out of the seat and launched himself at one of the unexpected opponents. Ivory stood, too. She should do something, right? The brawl wouldn't last long enough though. The bus lurched to a stop and Ivory grabbed onto the seats to keep from falling. The doors of the bus had automatically opened, and the woman with the groceries and the old man with the dog were but a memory, having exited the bus in fear for their lives.

Ivory looked up in time to see the old bus driver wielding a shotgun. She pumped it, and the clicking sounds the gun made made Ivory's heart race. The old woman was crazy. But how crazy? Ivory really didn't want to find out. The old woman was pointing it at the group of brawling men now. "Get the hell off my bus," she demanded in a voice that revealed she was clearly a pack or two a day smoker.

The trio of goons scrambled to get out the door, one with his hands up, another holding his shoulder and one with a gash over an eyebrow. When their feet hit the pavement, they were already running, disappearing quickly into the night. The old bus driver waved the gun at Tyson and Elek, too. "Off! Everyone off!" Ivory was unaware that this was actually the last stop of the night anyway, but really it didn't matter.

She hurried off the bus ahead of the others, glad to be out of the suffocating heat of the city's transportation system. It probably hadn't felt so suffocating to anyone else, but for some reason, Ivory's skin was still feeling hot. Too hot. Her cheeks were red, as if she'd been running for a long time, and she pulled at her tank top, trying to cool off.

The temperature was cool enough, that the sudden heat flash wouldn't make sense. It didn't make sense. Ivory frowned deeply. What was wrong with her? She needed to get away from here. She glanced back as the bus pulled away from the curb, it's tires leaving melted bits of rubber behind. How strange. She stared in disbelief for a moment before noticing the others.

Quickly she turned and headed towards... towards... she looked around. She was in a part of the city she didn't recognize. Where was she even at? It still didn't matter. She wasn't going home. She continued walking, still pulling at her shirt, staring at the ground as she tried to figure out what was wrong with her. What had she eaten? Was it really so hot out?

Not surprisingly, fight escalated quickly and came to abrupt conclusion, although even Elek didn't anticipate just how it ended. He had delivered some good blows, some struck in spots that caused loss of breath and pain, but nothing to knock one out - at bad angle, such hit could also kill. And now he was thrown off the bus, along with every other passenger. With sigh, he rubbed temple, glancing over shoulder to bus that hurried off as if something was burning somewhere. Then again, it made sense, since bus driver probably just wanted to park bus and head home herself, since this was the last stop. The other bus coming around these parts hour and half later was under different number and it didn't even come as far as this stop.

"Good moves you've got there," Elek said to red-headed guy, before nodding good bye to him, and began walking towards his house. It was still a walk away, but that didn't really worry him. With his large steps, he quickly caught up with Ivory, who was going in same direction and looked thoroughly bothered, both mentally and physically. Elek moved hair out of his face with heavy hand, just now realizing that his sunglasses had slid down his nose and now he was peering over them in funny manner. He pushed them up, covering his bright, teal eyes again, perhaps a bit too hurriedly. Really, he had to be more mindful of these things. Was he growing too careless?

Man turned head slightly sideways, towards Ivory. "In case you're wondering, I am not following you - my home's up ahead. And that, by the way, was last bus to come to this side of city for the night, unless you walk some bus-stops back to catch another in hour and half." Elek had a feeling she had no idea where she was, nor how to get out of here, even as much as to get to shelter where they both volunteered. And she was probably going to be angry or rude at him, but she seemed kind of... lost. Even if angry-lost. "They didn't get to hurt you, right?" He just wanted to make sure.

Her temperature was cooling slightly already, when she looked over to see Elek. Was he following her? It seemed he wasn't, so he said anyway. What, was he a mind reader, too? She only frowned and continued walking, trying to ignore him. Trying to tell her about the bus stops, like she didn't know.

Ivory didn't know. But he didn't know that she didn't know, how would he know?! She shook her head lightly. "I'm fine," she snapped in a heavy Australian accent. "I can take care of myself." She'd avoided looking at him. "I'm not an infant," she grumbled.

After a moment, she curiously looked his way. Had he been hurt? Well, she certainly wasn't going to ask. The last thing she needed anybody thinking was that she was some kind of softy who actually cared about other people. No, she didn't want anyone thinking that. She wanted people to think of her as rude and moody and someone to stay away from. That's how it had to be.

He seemed amused by what she said, low laugh rumbling in his chest. But it wasn't insulting kind of laugh, although she may perceive it as such, especially with that little note about her pouting. More like a content man's laugh about her good joke. Elek also had meant no harm and, honestly, how could he know what she would take as offence or not? They didn't really know each other that well. "No, you most definitely are not a child. Although pout quite like one. But that is beside the point, even weathered warrior can get injured, don't have to be an infant for that. So, it is good you're fine."

When she glanced sideways, he looked quite like always, no cuts or bruises on his face. His hair was pulled in messy pony tail as always, curls falling around his face and with his held high, Elek stared ahead. Apparently, only harm done was nearly hitting his sunglasses off. Clearly, he knew how to take care of himself as well.

If he wanted, he could have passed her by now, but there was no harm in keeping up the same pace, was there? It would maybe 10 more minutes of a walk, until they would reach his house's gates. Unless she huffed and left now in hurry, maybe he'd offer for her to rest there. If she walked away any further in this area, she might not find anywhere else to settle down for the night and not make it back in time for bus and go to shelter.

He cared, in his own way, for his co-workers and although, as they had both agreed, Ivory was no child, even this peaceful suburb area could be dangerous for young woman wandering through it at night. Sometimes the worst monsters came from the best middle-class houses... What was urging her to nearly flee like this, however?

The dogs' owners seemed preoccupied. After playing with them for a minute or two, Glimmer headed back towards the way home. It was getting pretty late, an she didn't want to get in trouble for being late...again. Then again, as long as she got home before her grandmother, she should be fine. But...what time was it anyway? She lost track of it.

Not wanting to risk being late, Glimmer headed back home.

((Gamer, Glimmer could always run into Tyson who just got thrown off a city bus!))

Ivory sighed and half rolled her eyes at his comment about her pouting. It was true, she was really good at that. Pretending to be upset, annoyed, angry. It was the pretending to be happy thing she never could quite master.

Light grey eyes scanned the surrounding area. Very unfamiliar. That was fine. Ivory wasn't worried. She'd just keep traveling on. Maybe she'd sneak into the dome. Yes, that's exactly what she'd do. Maybe she could make a life for herself there.

She imagined herself in a huge dress like Lune, with a parasol, and a look of horror came over her. Ivory, in a dress like that? It was disgusting. She was much more of a converse and tank tops kind of girl. A parasol? What was that even for anyway? Ivory didn't know what she'd do if the sun couldn't kiss her skin.

She snapped herself out of the image before she hurled. "How far is the dome from here?" she wondered aloud. If Elek asked, she'd say she lived there, or that she had relatives there, or that she was staying there with her relatives, yeah, that was the one.

He nodded slightly, looking over at her. He noticed the look crossing over her face and sighed a bit. "Did you need a bit of company on your way? I would feel bad letting you walk home at night, especially after the events of today" he says. The day had been anything but average, for him at least, and probrably for her as well. He was not about to just turn his back on her though if she needed him either. It did not feel right to him, his parents might be mad if they found out the whole story, but they also trusted him...enough...mostly. He took a sip of his own brewing tea, the bitter and yet sweetened taste was odd to him.

As he had thought before, he did not usually drink it much. He absentmindedly began stirring it as he thought, watching the liquid go round and round within the little cup. He wondered what this girl was thinking, what would her parents say hmm? He doubted they would approve of him on first glance. His appearance was a bit more...rebellious, though it was a bit contrasting to what was on the inside. Not all of it however, which was kind of hard to explain to someone. He would not force her to accept his company, but he would not let someone's opinion of him stop him from doing the right thing either.