(Hey, I just wanted to let you know, Pyro hasn't been able to get onto Notebook, and has been inactive for a while. I don't know when she plans to be able to get back, but I still have contact with her if you want me to message anything to her.)
(Thanks for letting me know! I don't want to bother her if she's off nb, but if you get the chance, wish her well for me!)
(HI! Sorry to intrude, but if you were to re-reboot this rp, I would be interested in joining it.)
(HI! Sorry to intrude, but if you were to re-reboot this rp, I would be interested in joining it.)
(Hey! I would love to! Want to carry on this thread or start a new one?)
(Sweet! If you could start a new thread that'd be great. Thank you!)
(Sounds good! I'll get it up soon!)
(Heyo! Sorry for not responding right away. I would still love to continue this, if you're okay with it! My responses might be kinda iffy, though…)
(Heyy!! Glad to hear from you! I'd love to keep it going, and no worries about being slow, I will as well probably. I'll get a reply up soon!)
(Pff, it's fine. That's honestly all of my answers… a rushed job.)
"Me? Oh, uh, yeah, I am," Evly said with a small smile. "Thank you, though." She was oblivious to his stare. After all, what was so interesting about her? She was just a nobody…
She shifted the basket to her other arm. There was some tension in the air, that she wasn't sure she liked. She shook her head. "It was, uh… nice meeting you, I guess." She wasn't sure what else to say. Thank you again? Are you okay? How are you doing? Nice weather? Marry me?
She glanced at the items she had already grabbed and then down at the aisle. She had already forgotten most of the stuff she was going to buy…
This is why you need to write these sorts of things down, Evly, she scolded herself. Come on. This is the third time now that this has happened this year! Get a grip on yourself!
"Right," Arlath said, drawing back and forcing a smile. "Well, uh. I hope she wasn't bother you too much. I know the feeling."
He slightly regretted elaborating on the comment, but nothing to do now. He didn't want to just say good-bye and leave already, not without being sure the woman wouldn't come back and continue the harassment. Plus, if he was being honest, he didn't really want to back out of his first real social interaction in…. what felt like years, though he couldn't say for sure.
"I didn't catch your name?" he said by way of conversation, hoping to linger just long enough to ensure she would be left in peace, but not so long it got awkward.
The man seemed awkward, like he didn't quite know what to say to make her feel at ease. Although he looked intimidating, and could probably crush her with his bare hands, Evly couldn't help but feel pity and a sense of gratitude to him. Besides, she didn't want to stop talking to him until Alison left the store, so she wouldn't be approached again.
"I'm Evly," she said, most of her unease gone. Her voice was soft, warm, so that he would know that she wasn't bothered by his questions. "And you?" She held out her hand almost shyly. She hadn't talked to a lot of people in a while, or met new ones, but hey, why not try now?
She was becoming painfully aware of how much she needed to get out and not let shame rule her life. But she didn't want to be a bother to anyone…
Arlath blinked at the question, staring at her hand or just a second in incomprehension before he snapped out of it and smiled at her, taking her and and shaking it gently.
"Arlath," he said, happy that Evly wasn't afraid of him or minding his presence. It was nice to finally talk to another person again, and he found himself relaxing a little bit as his old social skills started to come back. "Happy to meet you, I hope I find you well?"
He stepped across the isle to stand on her side as a man with a cart perused past, trying to tuck himself out of the way. Murmuring an apology to the man as he moved out of the way, he did his best to stay respectful of Evly's space, even in the momentarily cramped environment.
Evly smiled ever so slightly when the big man seemed to relax. It was nice to see that her sincerity was misread, as it usually seemed to be these days. "I've been better."
The sudden appearance of the shopper made her jump, as if she had forgotten that there were other people around. Arlath moved out of the way of the shopper, making sure to stay away from her. The thoughtfulness in the gesture made her momentarily unable to speak, throat clogged with emotion that didn't make her way onto her features. No one had treated her like that. Not even- but no. There was no time to think of him.
"What brings you to this store in particular?" She asked, motioning around at the fairly overpriced food covering the shelves.
"A quest for flour," he said with a slightly crooked smile. "I'm afraid I don't keep well enough stocks and occasionally run out mid-recipe. Old bad habit. I used to have-" he cut himself off from what he'd been about to say, pain suddenly welling in his heart. To sense bringing up the past. He clumsily changed the end of his sentence instead. "…a list. A running list of my household. I've fallen out of that habit."
Not untrue, he told himself. It just had never been his list.
"And you?" he asked, hoping to change the subject. He hadn't missed her comment on being not as well as she could be, and was eager to turn the conversation back to her.
Evly, of course, noticed the falter in his words, but politely didn't comment. She assumed that there was some sort of brokenness, some sort of sad story, that he didn't want to get into, and she understood that completely. She nodded and smiled ever so slightly at his words. "Just some light shopping. I'm missing a few ingredients for meals I want to make but never get around to, so why not waste my money on good quality food instead of the bad kind."
This, also, wasn't exactly a lie. This was also the place where she had met her ex-fiance, and she was hoping that by visiting here, some of the ache would ease. It also sounded like something a therapist would tell her to do, and while she didn't actually go to one - her troubles weren't important, after all, she didn't need to burden people with them - she wanted to be better so that she could help others.
Arlath nodded in understanding. He knew too well the feeling of having a plan, then finding out you were missing some crucial aspect and then just watching that plan fall to the wayside.
Reaching for the needed flour, he smiled at Evly, realizing he didn't at all regret stepping between her and the aggressive woman from earlier.
"I'm hope your shopping goes well from here on out. I'm glad I was able to be of assistance."
(I had an idea to maybe keep them hanging out together at least until the end of thier shopping trips. What if Alison is hanging around waiting to talk to Evly again so Arlath stays with her until she's done shopping?)
(Ooh, I like that idea! Sure!)
"Thank you. It was nice meeting you," Evly said, sending him a small, warm smile. She didn't want him the leave - he had provided a feeling of security for her that she hadn't felt in a while - but she had to let him shop. She continued on her way, picking out the food she needed, and a little bit extra. Kane's Grocer did, after all, have great cookies.
As she was heading to pick out her cookies, she spotted Alison, wandering around. She seemed to be looking for something, and Evly had the sinking feeling that it wasn't food.
She took deep breaths, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart. Once again, she saw that horrible sight in the back room of the church, her almost-husband kissing her former best friend with so much passion it was a miracle she wasn't eaten alive. Evly pushed the memory away, straightened her shoulders, and pretended like she didn't notice the other woman.
It was hard. So hard. She could almost feel when Alison spotted her and started to march over, although her back was turned.
Arlath rather reluctantly took his leave. He'd actually enjoyed his conversation with her without reservation, which was a rare thing for him. But he forced himself back to the task at hand and continue on his way. There was no point lingering. Evly had a life to get to, whether or not he did.
He wandered the store for a few more minutes, carefully selecting the items he needed, not in any rush to get home. There wasn't much waiting for him, so he took the time to enjoy being out and about. He left the house so rarely these days.
He was just about to head home, when he caught sight of Alison, and unconsciously made a slight face. The woman was unpleasant, he knew that just by looking at her vindictive expression, focused on…
What was she so focused on? He turned to look, and his gaze fell upon Evly, resolutely turned the other way.
Oh, no. Not on his watch. He did an abrupt one eighty and stepped out of the isle, not at all bothered that he cut off Alison. He didn't even look her way, too focused on getting to Evly before her. He stopped at Evly's shoulder, physically blocking Alison's path.
"Sorry to bother you again," he said as lightly as he could. "But it looks like you're quite popular tonight."
For the first time he cast a glance at Alison, trying to silently convey that she needed to leave.
"Is this your new boyfriend?" Alison sneered, although one couldn't deny that she took a few steps back at his massive size and intimidating appearance and glare. "You got over Marco really fast, didn't you, slut?"
Evly clenched her jaw, fighting back the tears that rose to her eyes. Why had she ever been friends with this woman? If it hadn't been for Arlath, she probably would have… done what, exactly? Something stupid, probably, like cry. She took a deep breath, smoothed over her face, and turned to Alison, taking strength from the man next to her. "You got over my brother really quickly, too, after he broke your heart. I don't see what the issue is here."
Alison looked outraged, as if she had forgotten that little bit of steel in Evly, something she rarely showed. She opened her mouth, but then glanced at Arlath and huffed, stalking away.
Evly let out a shuddering breath, shook her head, and smiled at the man. "Thank you," she said softly. "You just keep helping me. I owe you now."
Arlath's heart ached for Evly. Few people deserved treatment like that. He gave her a small smile, and glanced after Alison to ensure she wasn't still hanging around. The least he could do was make sure Evly got out of the store without anymore drama. He hesitated before asking, however, wondering if he would be offering too much. Perhaps she'd rather just be left alone. He didn't want to seem like he was forcing his company on her.
"It is no inconvenience for me," he tried to reassure her after a moment. "You don't have to owe me anything. If you'd like, I can stay nearby until you're done shopping. No need for you to have to keep looking over your shoulder for her."
He waited for her to laugh it off and move on. That would be fine. He would rather offer and be turned down than simply walk away and leave Evly to potentially be attacked by Alison again. He could see how upset he was, and wanted to help if he could. He knew what it was like to be looked down upon and scorned. It hurt his heart to see someone else going through the same thing. He'd been lucky enough to escpe that and start over, but Evly clearly was still in this place.
The woman offered him a smile. "No, no, I insist. Alison is… not someone who can be dealt with easily, and you scared her away both times. Please, let me."
Evly wasn't sure if what she was saying was pushy. Was it? Was she being too rude? Maybe being thanked made him uncomfortable. Maybe he was just being polite. Maybe- Shut up, brain, she scolded, giving herself a mental shake. There was no need to be self-conscious right now.
But maybe he-
She cut off her own thoughts by answering his request. "I don't want to bother you," she said. "You probably have your own shopping to do, and I don't want to distract you from that." She smiled, and it almost reached her eyes. "Thank you for the offer."
(so sorry for the lateness, I just got a little busy there, and I wanted to spend time writing up a worthy reply haha)
"Oh, I was happy to…" was Arlath's only attempted protest. "How about I walk with you and we call it even. I'm done with my shopping, really. I'd hate for her to bother you again, she seems so dead set on it."
He bit his tongue against asking why. He could infer enough from the snide comments to guess at least a little, and to know that prying wouldn't be a good idea. Either way, it wasn't his business.
He wondered if he was pushing too hard. Maybe she'd just been trying to politely turn him down. He didn't want to insist if she was uncomfortable. He subconsciously took a tiny step back, wanting to make sure he wasn't crowding her space. He'd stepped much closer than he'd intended when getting between her and Alison. Was he making her uncomfortable? He knew he was big and scary looking. He forced himself not to blurt out an apology. He had nothing to apologize for. Right?
(THESE TWO IDIOTS ARE SO CUTE I LOVE IT)
(You're good! It's the same for me lol. Either that, or laziness, but we won't talk about that…)
(I KNOOOOOOWWW!! I love them so much.)
He sounds like he means it, the logical part of Evly's brain, the part that she rarely listened to about matters of herself, whispered. Take him up on his offer.
He doesn't really mean it, he's just being polite, went the other part of her brain, the louder voice.
She chewed her lip indecisively before finally nodding hesitantly. "That would be really nice, thank you," she said quietly. "I don't want to have to deal with her again." She glanced up at the man. "It doesn't affect your shopping, does it? I don't want to take up your time." Maybe she would buy him coffee or something as a thanks.
(I FOUND IT AGAIN!! my computer crashed hard and my old slow laptop wouldn't let me search for it so I've been scrolling through the rp threads looking for it fffff sorry it took me so long!)
"Please, it's no trouble," he assured, suddenly quite excited about the prospect of being some use to someone. It brought back the ghost of a sort of happiness he had not felt in years. The faintest recollection of a better time. And in this moment, he was abe to just enjoy it, rather than instantly spiral into negative and guilty thoughts. "I'm done with my shopping anyway. It's nothing out of my way."
He smiled at her, trying to convey his sincerity. He wanted to make sure she got out of here safe, and wanted to make sure Alison didn't come back, or even try. It was something he knew he couldn't possibly screw up, and he wanted a chance to prove it to himself.
(XD oh no!! I hate when that happens! You're good.)
Evly relaxed at his reassuring look, but only slightly. Doubts still swirled around her head. She didn't want to bother him. She didn't want to be an inconvenience, and she didn't want him to be doing this because he thought he had to.
But he had insisted, and it would be rude not to say yes. She smiled at him, trying to mask her thoughts from her face, and slipped her basket over her arm. "All right. But I insist on buying you coffee afterwards, as a thank you."
(Me too! xD Ty!)
Arlath knew when to pick his fights. If she really felt it necessary, he wasn't going to try and argue otherwise.
"Thank-you," he said, and he meant it. The offer was a kind one, and certainly appreciated. He couldn't recall the last time he'd done anything special with anyone. He really had no one to go out with, or spend time with. The prospect of spending more time with Evly was especially enticing. He liked her, there was no denying that.