"Socializing" - Open

"Oh..." Raicheal said, her attention turning back to Alabaster "He left... when on a training trip and wasn't sure when he be back..." She swirled the contents of her  cup, looking at it spin slowly and stop.

"He asked me to go with him but... I couldn't." Raicheal said softly more to her drink then Alabaster. "I wanted to but... I was still trying to deal with my... issues. I felt so bad. He's been wanting to train together for so long but... I just wasn't ready but he knows that. He is always so understanding but I still feel like it's my fault... like I am holding him back."
She looked up and out to the cafe, smiling slightly.

"We met here..." Raicheal said softly "He was a waiter here and our therapist, Miss Exagora had set it up. It was... a disaster. I was so nervous. I spilled tea all over myself and ending up wearing one of those maid’s outfit with the horrible short skirts. I was a mess but he still wanted to be my partner... it... it feels so weird.... him not being here." A few tears run down her face but she quickly wiped them away.

"I'm sorry." Raicheal said turning back to Alabaster and smiling lightly "You must think I am a muppet. Blathering on and all. I just miss him. You must understand. You and your weapon are  probably the same way."

OOC: it's ok. so long as your ok with my lateness. LOL XD

Raicheal's smile grew warmer as Alabaster told her not to do hard on herself but it soon faulted as he told her of his partner issues.

"That's horrible" she said her voice drenched with worry "and you have no idea what happened? I...I couldn't live with myself if that happened. I'm sure it wasn't your fault...after all, you're a lot stronger than me...if it was me...I'd understand but you..." she stopped and sipped her tea of a sec, recollecting herself.

"I am sure it wasn't your fault..." she finally said as she softly placed her cup back onto the table. "people leave... whether you want them to or not. Sometimes ever they leave even if they don't want to... but if we hold on to own memories of them... sometimes it can be like they never left at all. So do that and everything will work out." She smiled softly yet again at Alabaster in an effort to cheer him up. Despite, every present sorrow that she felt daily... she knew she could at least help others be happy, even if she could never be.

"So, what do you want to talk about next...umm...." Raicheal said before pausing for a moment and starting to blush.

"I...I just realized I never got your name or introduced myself" she said nervously to the table rather that to Alabaster himself, her face reddening more as she spoke.

"I am sorry...that...that was rude of me...I'm Raicheal...Raicheal Brennan..." she said beat red and looking at the table, embarrassed at her mistake.

Raicheal reached out and lightly shook Alabaster's hand while the blush lessen in her face.

"It's nice to meet you Alabaster..." She said softly, a shy embarrassed smile planted on her reddened face. She broke the handshake and the two sat there in an awkward silence with their red tinted faces.

"Ummm...Alabaster..." Raicheal said softly, breaking the silence "I have a question... your accent sounds... familiar. Are you from England? You sound like you are..."

"hmmmm...Oh... I grew up in a small farming village a little ways outside of Cork, Ireland..." Raicheal said softly stirring her drink once more. She thought about the village, the fields and gardens she played in as a child. She thought about her mother who never wanted her and her grandmother who raised her. She thought about the last time she was there. Working in the garden with her grandmother. The SUV pulling up in front of the small farm house as the men piled out. The yelling as they and her grandmother fought and then...the gunshot. Her grandmother falling to the ground. Raicheal felt drops of water hit her hand as she realized that she was crying. She quickly wiped them away before smiling softly at Alabaster, trying to play it off.

"S-Sorry... I am just a little homesick... I spend the years before I was rescued in Dublin. That's where I learn what an English accent sounded like. I met with a lot of English businessman in that time..." She said lightly with a sad undertone.

"It's ok Alabaster..." Raicheal said sweetly, smiling once more in an effort to reassure him that she was fine. "What happened... it's in the past... besides my good memories far outweigh the bad." She smiled at him again and took another sip from her drink.

"So...what else would you like to talk about?" she said trying to keep the conversation alive and well.

It was at this time that a group of three men who look to be in their late teens to early 20's walked through the door. They were dressed in a fashion that practically screamed nair-do-well. The one who seemed to be the leader of this little group was a thin man who was shorter there his more muscle-bound friends. He had short, spiked blond hair, as well as a pointed chin and crooked nose, that seemed to had been broken one too many times. They sat at a table close to the one Raicheal and Alabaster were at, the thin man propping his feet on the table as he adjusted the popped collar of his leather jacket and waited for the two giants with him to seat themselves. The three then started to talk loud and raucously to each other, though what they were saying was lost in the noise of the cafe. Raicheal, whose back was to both the door and the table with the newcomers, continued to carry on as if nothing new had happened. As for Alabaster who could see these new arrivals pass Raicheal, while they didn't look like they were going to be anything but trouble, they were not any cause for concern, at least not yet.

OCC: Setting something up here so bear with me as I do something evil to myself.

"Sure!" Raicheal said happily as she smiled widely at Alabaster. "I've only heard of those books but I have never read them. I haven't really read a book for fun in a while. I mostly just spend my time in my dorm room or in the gardens around the dorm. I love the flowers they have there...they remind me of home." She said smiling blissfully as she continued to recount about her fondness for flowers.

Meanwhile, the group of men at the other table continued to talk loudly to each other until the waitress that had serviced Alabaster and Raicheal walked up to their table to get their order. The men smirked and sneered at her while she stood there, her lips fixed in a smile that seemed to become more and more forced the longer she talked to them. When all was said and done, the waitress turned to leave but as she did the leader of this group took his hand and smacked her squarely on the butt. She in turned cried out slightly in shock and dismay as she jumped a little before turning and scowling at the man. He in turn smirked and said something that, while unheard by Alabaster and Raicheal, was distasteful enough to cause the waitress to stare at him angrily before spinning on her heels and walking as quickly as she could from the group. All three men laughed loudly as if what had just occurred was funny to them before the two bigger men high-fived they leader for what he had done. Raicheal, who's back was still facing the men, did not see what had happened but Alabaster was given a front row seat to the blatant degradation and harassment for the young waitress.

Raicheal smiled wide as she continued to talk to Alabaster "My favorite? Ummmm... I would have to say...The Wild Irish Rose. They grew all over the fields...back...home... Alabaster? Is everything ok?" She said concerned with his sudden shift in behavior and worried that she might have caused it. When Alabaster excused himself and started to head for the waitress, Raicheal turned to see where he was going. This would prove to be a mistake because as she turned to watch Alabaster, one of the two gorillas at the other table spotted her and got the attention of the thinner man before pointing at Raicheal. The thin man grinned broadly and gestured to his friends before all three men got up and walked over to Raicheal's table.

"Ummmmm.... can...can I help you?" she said confused and nervous as the men faced her.

"Sure you can Nancy. My Friends and I are big fans of yours." the thin man said smirking as his two larger friends snickered behind him. All color drained from Raicheal's face the instant he said those words as her body began to shake and her eyes widen with fear.

"I-I-I'm s-so-sorry, y-you h-have m-m-me m-m-mis-mistaken w-w-with s-so-someone e-else..." she stuttered edging away from the thin man only to find that his friends had circled around her and boxed her in.

Meanwhile, as this was happening Alabaster approached the waitress.

"What!?" she said her mood certainly fouled by the events that transpired earlier but has she listened to Alabaster her foul mood lightened a little.

"Oh, they are getting kicked out whether they like it or not, " she said malice lacing her voice "I'll make sure of that and if they put up a fight. Good. First, I'll punch that skinny asshole and then I'll throw those dumb giants of his on top of him and then I will hunt down the bastard who designed these uniforms and give them the beating of a lifetime. I mean smacking my ass is one thing but that little creep had the nerve to tell me it would look better bent over the table and filled with his co..." it was at this point that the waitress came to the realization that though he acted incredibly mature, she was still, in fact, ranting to a child. She brought her hand to her mouth before clearing her throat as a slight blush spread across her face.

"Sorry..." she said whilst looking to the side as to not make eye contact with Alabaster. "I will go get the cafe's master and we will deal with this problem. Sorry for the interruption and please enjoy the rest of your time here." With that, she left Alabaster and headed for the back of the cafe. His conversation done, Alabaster would turn to find that the men in question were no longer at their table but rather at his with a very nervous and shaken looking Raicheal.

OOC: I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY!!!!!! I have been so busy and life has given me little to no time to post... it took me three days just to write this. I am hoping things will calm down soon but still sorry for the delay. Also, I am evil and the rating of this thread may be jumping up to OT. You have been warned.

As Alabaster was fetching Oro, the men continued their conversation with Raicheal, much to her displeasure.

"It's no mistake, Nancy." The short man said grinning "Like I said, me and the boys are big fans. We've seen all your movies. I must say, you look better without the clothing." The two men snickered and Raicheal blushed deeper.

"W-W-What do you w-w-want..." Raicheal said nervously and slightly defeated as she looked away from the men.

"Just some one on three time..." the short man said smiling as the two men grinned "why don't we four go back to my place and you can strip down to show us your..." but he was cut off by the sudden arrival of Alabaster and Oro who announced loudly for the men to leave or else. The cafe seemed to quite slightly as onlookers focused on what was happening...Raicheal could feel their eyes on her...she didn't like it. After a few seconds of shocked silence, the men burst out into fits of laughter.

"What's this?" the short man said while giggling "Your knight in shining armor with his trusted steed?" the men giggle more before finishing up.

"Piss off, kid. the grown ups are talking," the short man said making a shooing motion with his hand before turning back to Raicheal.

"Come on Nancy, Let's go," he said moving to walk away. Raicheal looked at Alabaster through the men and then mustered up all the courage she had.

"No" She said meekly

"No? the short man said turning on her as his buddies move to block Alabaster from the two of them

"No" Raicheal says back a little stronger "I...I am not going...I am not that kind of girl anymore."

"Fine." The short man said sneering at her "I was trying to be nice to you slut but if you going to be like that... then I guess I just have to tell everyone here just how good you look with every hole of yours filled with c..."

"Have you no decency! There are children here." Raicheal says in a surprisingly anger-filled tone, cutting off the man and motioning to Alabaster. He looks sideways at him and smirks more.

"What's the problem, Nancy?" he says a devilish tone to his voice "The kid looks about the same age as you did when you started. Maybe if I show him some of your earlier work his balls will finally dr..."

The last part of that statement was lost as a resounding slap echoed through the cafe as Raicheal unknowingly slapped the man across the face. However, Raicheal would soon regret this instinctive reaction for not two seconds after she had slapped him he had grabbed her by the wrist.

"YOU BITCH!" he spat in anger "HOW DARE YOU SLAP ME YOU, WHORE! YOU WON'T PUT OUT? FINE! YOU LIKE PAIN IN YOUR VIDEOS, LET'S SEE IF YOU GET OFF WHEN I BREAK YOUR WRIST!" With that, he squeezed hard around Raicheal's wrist causing her to whimper and cry out in pain.

OOC: Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry SORRRRRRRRRRRY!!!! I am so sorry. Life sucks. time is Limited and I had to stay up late to finish this. I will try to be quicker on the next one.

The two bigger men initially didn't react to Alabaster's and Oro's charge having been distracted by the short man's screaming.  However, their attention was redirected by the scalding hot liquid of the tossed cup of tea as it landed onto the face of the left man. His hands flew to his face as he howled with pain as the second man turned to look at the oncoming attack. The second man when to punch Alabaster but instead suddenly found himself being bitten by Oro, who latched onto his forearm and caused the man to fall to the ground. The first man removed his hands from his face to reveal a burned, reddened face framed by mattered black hair. He began to swing blindly, wildly trying to punch anything he could. Alabaster would be able to easily dodge these blows giving his small nature and land one or two blows of his own. However, by doing so, the man would be able to locate him and with one swift strike from his muscular arms would be all needed to send Alabaster flying backwards. Meanwhile, the second man and Oro would be locked in a wrestling match on the ground as the man screamed in pain, trying to punch at the dog in order to make it let go of his bloody forearm.

As this happened the short man was doing his best to crush Raicheal's wrist and doing a good job at that. Raicheal cried out more as his anger spiked because he was watching his friends lose to a child and a dog.

"Come on! You bastards are losing to a Mut and a Brat! Ohhhhh!!! Step Aside! I'll take care of this..." The man said angrily as he used his free hand to reach into his jacket and pulled from it a silver handgun. He turned to point it at Alabaster before his arm was grabbed and brought upwards by a tall bearded man in a dress shirt and vest who appeared behind him.

"That's enough!" The man said in a loud commanding voice "I don't appreciate you turning my cafe into a fighting ring and disrespecting my employees as well as my customers. The police have already been called so unless you want to explain to them why you almost shot a child... I suggest you and your pals get lost and never come back." The short man turned to the cafe's master, looking at him with pure hatred before ripping his gun arm out of the man's grip and stowing his handgun.

"Let's go, boys..." the man snarled as he let go of Raicheal's wrist ruffly and started to walk out. The other two men followed slowly, the one still holding his one hand to his reddened face whilst the other man finally freed himself from Oro and started wrapping his jacket around his bleeding forearm. The cafe master watched them as they walked off and still more as they crossed the street and disappeared into an alley. The cafe slowly returned to normal as the cafe master walked over and helped Alabaster up.

"That was the most stupid, idiotic move you could have done kid..." He said disappointedly "but at least you did it for the right reasons." He helped Alabaster back to the table where Raicheal was sitting holding her red and bruised wrist.

"I'll get you two some ice for your wounds and some more tea. I think it best if you stay here till the police arrive, they'll want to know what happened." With that, the cafe master headed to the back to fetch the promised items, leaving the two of them alone.

Raicheal looked at the floor sadly and rubbed her wrist softly, wincing at the pain. She didn't want to look at Alabaster. Didn't want to see the results of her past coming to light. However, more than anything else she didn't want to tell him why this happened. She knew he had heard enough to piece together a rough idea... if he didn't out right guess it, he would have questions. Questions she wouldn't know how to answer with him being so young.

"No... Just bruised..." Raicheal said softly still looking at the floor rather than Alabaster. She continued to rub her wrist as the skin began to swell a little causing her to wince.

"Maybe sprained..." she added even softer. There was an awkward pause afterward in which the only sounds were the noise of the other people in the cafe and the heavy panting of Oro.

"Thank you..." Raicheal said softly glancing slightly up at him "I'm glad you helped me when you did though I am sorry you got hurt in doing so." With that she returned her sorrowful eyes to the floor beneath her.