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Post by Zuyuri on Sept 6, 2016 16:56:42 GMT
Shadow kept walking, but that didn't mean he wasn't listening. Aqua's pleas were reminding him of Molly, the intern wh had gotten him into the tangle of the vampires. The intern that Rouge took under her wing and left while he was being beaten left for dead. If it weren't for her...then, well, one good thing came out; he had met Sunshine.
Also, Terra's treatment of Aqua was not unlike Rouge's treatment. She had always been out for number one, in more ways that Shadow was. His fist clenched tightly.
"I'm sorry that Terra played games with you. Anyone who treats their partner like dirt doesn't deserve that alignment."
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Post by skyeknight on Sept 6, 2016 18:33:38 GMT
"No... I guess not," she agreed softly.
She just assumed that if Sunshine trusted Shadow as much as she did, then he couldn't be that bad of a guy. Sunshine just seemed to exude trustworthiness that along with a cheery disposition. It was hard not to like her. Aqua hadn't exactly done anything to prove to Shadow she wanted to get to know him. He was right. She did just throw the word out there casually. He barely knew her and she barely knew him. The only time they ever spoke was when they were in the gym together.
"Sorry for bothering you," she said.
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Post by Zuyuri on Sept 6, 2016 18:59:26 GMT
"You learned one thing." He looked through the bag he was holding, looking for a leftover roll. He gave it to a man with pleading eyes. A scar in the shape of four gouges were raked in one arm; a victim of an Eclipse who managed to get away, become a were in the process.
"You learned I can't stand by and let people get hurt."
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Post by skyeknight on Sept 7, 2016 13:10:08 GMT
"I could have told you that from your job choice," she said, with a little good humor.
Aqua then passed the man one of her care packages. A warm blanket, a small gift card, warm socks. Things that other people often forgot were small luxuries when you lived either on the street or in poverty. She smiled at the old man, placing a hand on his shoulder and a small good luck charm as she passed. Hopefully things would turn around for him. She hoped the spell was enough to send him in the right direction to get what he needed.
"I think it's why we both do what we do." she said.
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Post by Zuyuri on Sept 7, 2016 18:43:11 GMT
Shadow nodded in agreement. Aqua had two reasons; trying to make up for the past and because it was in her Seelie nature. He did it from coming in tough places, being in the school of hard knocks. Had he not acted when he did ten years ago, he would be like these people getting food and clothes from an undercover cop.
Unknowingly, he said out loud, "It's what you wanted, right Maria?"
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Post by skyeknight on Sept 8, 2016 15:14:59 GMT
"Maria?" Aqua asked.
It was a name she was unfamiliar with. Certainly not Aqua's name. She wasn't sure who he was asking that or if she should pry but because she had already asked, he probably didn't mean to ask her that. Maybe he was confusing her for someone else. There wasn't a Maria on the force, or anywhere else that Aqua knew, but Shadow had a life outside of the police force and a life before he became an officer.
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Post by Zuyuri on Sept 8, 2016 15:25:32 GMT
Aqua's voice of questioning snapped Shadow out of whatever state of being he was in. The present was right in front of him, where people crowded outside due to destroyed homes or a reluctance to stay in shelters. Now, the bread he had handed out was just a bag full of crumbs, which he tossed aside where it was immediately attacked by pigeons.
"Sorry, just...thinking out loud."
He said it casually, as it was to him. He kept thinking of Maria, desparate to find whatever memory fragment he had that specified what exactly it was she wanted him to do.
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Post by skyeknight on Sept 8, 2016 16:05:27 GMT
"If you want to talk, I could listen," Aqua said. "Sometimes it helps to have a soundboard."
She should be taking her own advice. She was, but in far smaller, baby steps. She could at least say Terra's name now. She used to just refer to him as Him and while it confused some, others knew exactly who she was talking about. He was her last partner after all. The one person who made her feel like being faery wasn't so bad after all. So much for that boosted confidence. It was wiped away just as easily by his actions.
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Post by Zuyuri on Sept 9, 2016 4:39:19 GMT
Shadow hestitated. Was he ready to talk to Aqua about Maria? He had only told Sunshine because they had been stuck in a room together and just having something worth having a conversation about kept them both from going insane. He didn't know much about Aqua except for her heritage and her iron allergy. As for the whole Terra thing, that was something very slowly coming from the cracks. And she seemed trustworthy. She had backed him up during the La Llorona Killer rampage and he had backed her up in the training grounds. Maybe it was time to let the seams pop just a hair.
"She's the reason I joined the law...She was just a poor kid who did nothing wrong, but the government thought otherwise. I tried to save her, but there were too many things for me to stop...I never saw her again."
The image of the narrow escape replayed in his head over and over. How her hand never slipped from his until the bullet was fired. The wince of pain she emitted being louder than anything else. How she got him into a pod despite her mortal weakness, and how she crumbled after releasing it with her dying breath.
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Post by skyeknight on Sept 9, 2016 14:32:55 GMT
Shadow was obviously not the hugging type. He was likely to recoil if she tried. Aqua settled to put a hand on his shoulder. If anyone knew what that felt like, it was her. Her parents were the reason she joined the force. She had lost Terra because of what accusations came up. They had been happy and then things just went so wrong that she had felt helpless in the wake. Shadow must have felt the same about Maria.
"I'm so sorry," she said sincerely.
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Post by Zuyuri on Sept 9, 2016 16:13:29 GMT
The good was Aqua didn't try to hug him. If Shadow ever gave hugs, it was rare and had to be done on his own terms. That and he didn't want to impale someone meaning well. He nodded at Aqua as she settled her hand, a silent thanks for the sympathy.
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Post by skyeknight on Sept 11, 2016 23:22:19 GMT
"It's not... easy losing someone." she said.
She had her fair share of loss. First her parents at a young age then her partner. But a kid... That was something Aqua wasn't sure she was okay with. The case with the La Llorona killer was hard on her. Kids were innocent. They didn't deserve to suffer for the choices of cruel adults. Shadow had done everything within his power to save her. He didn't have to say it for Aqua to know that was true.
"It gets easier with time," she added, "Or so I've been told."
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Post by Zuyuri on Sept 11, 2016 23:57:34 GMT
"Yeah," Shadow shrugged out of Aqua's grip. It had started getting awkward for him. "Well, time hasn't been on my side my side."
Time hadn't healed many things. It hasn't healed the sadness of Maria's death. It hadn't gotten rid of the fear of vampires since the Thorn Manor incident. It hasn't gotten rid of the constant anger he had been feeling on and off; anger of lost memories, anger of prejudices, and anger of feeling useless. The only difference was one emotion coming out had been positive.
"Sunshine helps," he said simply.
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Post by skyeknight on Sept 12, 2016 2:31:01 GMT
"Me neither." she admitted.
Aqua let her hand drop. Stupid of her to let it linger for so long. She could feel a little jealous of him. He at least had a circle to depend on. Her own reluctance was because she had hurt so badly and trusted so few as it was. She played her cards close so she didn't get hurt, but because of that, she also cut people out. It was her greatest fault.
"That's good," she said. "Just remember, you've got friends who do care about you. Bottling all that stuff in doesn't help. Trust me. I'm trying to take my own advice."
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Post by Zuyuri on Sept 12, 2016 2:39:58 GMT
Shadow said nothing. He was curious, though, about what she meant by taking her own advice. At least she was doing something to keep her occupied, unlike him who hardly ever left home unless he was dragged out by Sunshine or by work.
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