forum Heyo!// rp with FanficFanatic

Started January 25, 2021 by @ElderGodSwimwithGamers group

tune

"Okay, then. Feel free to let me know if that ever changes." Darius figured Mara had been able to survive on her own well enough, but he would like to help make things easier for her where he could.

“O-Okay.” she nodded a little, still unsure how Darius could help but she was grateful for the offer. It would probably take Mara some time to get used to the idea of asking him for help but at least, having that option… It didn't feel like a bad thing.

Darius looked up when Mara stuttered, wondering for a moment if he had said something to make the small woman upset. He bit his lip, pulling his leg up to his chest.
"Yeah…"

Mara wasn't really upset, just a little confused. Aside from her family, growing up, she never really had any help. Now someone who she was supposed to be almost instinctively fearful of was willing to help her. How? She didn't know but he was still offering. “So… What now?” she asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Darius admitted. "I… well, I have no idea at all, yeah." The man chuckled nervously, looking around the apartment with a soft sigh.

“Me neither.” Mara said, echoing his sigh. What did you do when your “predator” seemed like a pretty decent person? The fact that she wasn't in a fist or a cage by now was a welcome relief but this whole thing had been going differently than expected.

"We're in… quite the situation, aren't we." Darius had no idea. What did you do when you found a tiny woman living in your apartment walls? Catch her? That seemed cruel. Ignore her? That was rude. Talk with her? As Darius could see, it turned awkward.

Mara chuckled softly and nodded. “That’s one way to put it.” she agreed. “Umm… Did you have any other questions for me?” she asked, fiddling with the hem of her handmade shirt.

"None that I can think of," The man admitted. "Do… you have any for me?" It only felt right, after Mara had been so kind to answer his questions.

“Actually… One.” she admitted, looking over at him. “Why do you want to help me?”

"Ah…" Darius trailed off a moment. "Well, I don't really see you differently than I would someone my size. I'm not about to hurt you just because you're living in my wall- I'm the one who broke down into your house. Plus, I really couldn't bring myself to do anything like that to anyone."

Mara raised a brow but nodded a little. “Well, thank you. Though I don't know how you can't see me as someone different.” she said, looking down at her much smaller form. To her it was impossible to ignore the obvious distinction between herself and Darius. “Anyway, I know what happened was an accident.”

"Well, yeah, there is a size difference," Darius admitted. "But I don't see much difference at all between you and a woman a few inches shorter than me. There is a lot of variation in the sizes of humans, after all." The man let out a breath, looking at Mara.

“A few inches is all my height.” she pointed out. “I found that numbered stick you all have and compared myself to it. I only reach the four. How’s that for variation?” she asked with a dry chuckle.

"A… big extreme," Darius admitted. "But it doesn't make you less of a person, and I'm not going to treat you differently." Okay, maybe it technically made Mara less of a person, but only when it came to stature, not rights!

Mara hadn't been sure what kind of reaction she had been expecting from her self-deprecating comments but she definitely wasn't expecting that. Her face felt a little warm as she gave Darius a shy smile. “That’s very kind of you and I really appreciate it.” she said sincerely.

Darius offered a smile, in turn, resting his arms on the back of the couch and setting his head on them.
"It's the least I can offer to you," he said, tilting his head some.

Mara giggled a little at the posture he took and shook her head. “I think we have different opinions on that.” she commented since the littlest things to him could actually mean a lot more to her.

"Ah, really?" Darius tilted his head some, letting out a soft breath. He didn't think it was so hard for people to be nice, and it was the least in his mind to treat Mara like a person.

Mara shrugged a little. “I mean, some in my position would have run already and would agree that the least you could do is to forget that you saw one of us.” she told him. “We live on the little things that you don't even notice when they go missing. Saying that you’d be willing to help… Is way over my head. Something I never would have dreamed of.” she explained.

"Oh…" The realization of how much sense that made was… well, a bit worrying to Darius. That Mara, and others like her, had to be so worried about what humans would do to them.

“Yeah.” Mara nodded, a little relieved that Darius seemed to understand now. “I think I even remember someone telling my family that you had a word to describe how we live.” she mentioned, furrowing her brow as she tried to recall the actual word. “Para… Paras… something.”

Darius thought some.
"Paras..? The only word I can think of like that off the top of my head is a parasite, but I'd never say that's what you are." Darius tilted his head some as he thought, then shook it.

Mara snapped her fingers and looked up at him. “That’s it!” she said, though she became a little confused when he finished speaking. “You wouldn't? But isn't that the word for someone or something that lives off another?”

"It also means that the action of living off the host causes harm to them," Darius said. "If anything, I'd say it's more commensalism- you benefit, but I'm neither hurt nor benefited by your actions."