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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jul 3, 2017 5:17:33 GMT
It was going to be one of those hot, sultry days in Bellerouge that made everyone so uncomfortable. Despite it not even being noon yet, the air was heavy with humidity and the heat was oppressive. The sky was a sulky grey that might or might not lead to rain and the few people on the streets looked wilted. Yes indeed, everyone seemed unhappy.... except one figure.
Ralph was returning from a nearby grocery store he frequented, several bags of food slung over one massive shoulder and a large smile on his face. It was clear that despite the sweltering conditions in the city, he hardly felt it at all. Indeed, his step seemed light as he headed towards his apartment. His mind was clearly elsewhere.
He was thinking about Elsa. He was thinking about her and the evening they had spent together. Despite the rough start to it, it had been a truly wonderful evening and started to give the Giant hope that maybe, just maybe he and Elsa could be more...
His thoughts of their time together at the little French bistro did indeed distract him from the oppressive weather, but it also distracted him from where he was walking. Suddenly, he felt himself bump into someone and his attention returned to the street in front of him and he figure he had hit.
"Oh, sorry..."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jul 3, 2017 19:35:26 GMT
Yang wasn't sure what to think of all the recent events that had been going on in her life. On the one hand, her trip with Adrien had been great. There'd been a setback or two, but she was still glad she'd done it, and she'd made some progress on getting over her fear of water. On the other hand, Moses was on the back of her mind, and anytime she thought about the fact that he and Vanitas were in a relationship, her gut twisted. She still wondered if keeping quiet about it had been the right thing to do. Was letting Vanitas go free worth it, to keep Moses happy? She didn't know, and the question popped into her mind often, but no amount of thinking could provide her with a clear answer. Not to mention, finding out all the details of what Anna had done to Dorian and Sunshine were unsettling. Shadow had filled her in on what had happened after their visit to the hospital, and it was all hard to process. She was actually heading back from her second visit now, after finally dropping off a gift to perk Sunshine up a bit. She knew Shadow and Riku had already brought her stuff, but she felt like she had to contribute something. She'd ended up settling on a stuffed penguin that said "Feel better soon" on a shirt it was wearing. She felt like it was a little lame, but she kept reminding herself that it was the thought that counted. Her mind was still on it as she made her way through the park, and she didn't notice that someone was nearby until they ended up bumping into her accidentally. She panicked for a second, her paranoia kicking in as she spun around. But, it quickly died down when she saw that it was someone she actually knew. "Ralph?" she questioned, not having seen the giant since Sunshine's birthday party. And even then, they hadn't really talked much.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jul 4, 2017 3:02:49 GMT
The young woman he had run into seemed to tense up for a moment before looking up at him with purple eyes. Before he could ask if she was ok she said his name questioningly. Nonplussed, all Ralph could do was blink as he looked down from his greater height at the blonde.
"Do I....know you?"
Something about the woman did seem vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place where or when he had seen her before.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jul 4, 2017 3:19:12 GMT
"Oh, um, I'm Yang. We were at Sunshine's birthday party not too long ago," Yang said. Granted, they'd also met once before that, but that was forever ago. And all Yang remembered was talking about how some of the cops sucked. Still, Shadow seemed to be pretty good friends with him. Maybe not all cops sucked in Ralph's eyes now. She was a little surprised he didn't remember her, considering there weren't that many people running around here with one arm. But, then again, she had been in the background most of the time at Sunshine's party. That had been her first big social event and she hadn't wanted to push herself too hard. She'd been determined not to have an episode there, lest she ruin the mood.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jul 4, 2017 4:22:44 GMT
Slowly, the pieces of Ralph's memory began to pull together as he looked down at the woman and when she said her name, it all came back in a rush. Once he remembered who she was, he slammed his free hand into his forehead with enough force that it would have knocked a regular man off his feet.
"Oh Yang! We met outside the Nevermore that one time and I did see you at Sunshine's party. Damn, I can't believe I forgot who you were. Sorry about that. I've just had other things on my mind lately."
Yes indeed, and those other things on his mind were named Elsa. He gave the blonde an apologetic smile but while he did, his eyes couldn't help but flicker over her missing arm. However, he made no comment. Things like that were often very sensitive topics and if she felt like talking about it should would. No point in bothering her about what had happened.
"So what have you been up to lately?"
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jul 4, 2017 15:31:52 GMT
It only took a second, but Ralph soon remembered Yang. At his comment on having a lot on his mind, she gave a little laugh. "Don't we all? Seems like everyone has a lot to think about it lately." Some of it involved new lovers, some of it involved past trauma. Some good, some bad. Either way, everyone Yang knew had a lot going on inside their heads at the moment, she included. It seemed like things had just been piling up over the past few months. And while she'd made some progress on making the pile a bit smaller, it was still huge. When Ralph asked what she'd been up to lately, she gave a shrug. "This and that, I guess. Got back from vacation about a week ago. It was nice." Of course, that was putting it broadly, but gushing about her and Adrien's romantic endeavors didn't seem like the best conversation topic right now. She'd probably only do that with friends like Sunshine or Jane. Girls usually responded better to that sort of stuff. "How about you?" she asked.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jul 5, 2017 2:04:58 GMT
"Sounds nice, a vacation and all. Seems like you needed a break after everything you've been through."
Ralph was careful with his words, making sure not to mention the incident in which Yang had lost her arm. He might have not known her well, but news like that had spread like wildfire across the city when the demon Thrax had attacked and badly wounded the young woman. At the time, he had debated about sending a condolences card or something but had decided in the end that he didn't know her well enough to merit such a thing. Now, however, he wasn't so certain.
"Me? Not much. Just... trying to move forward in some relationships I guess."
He gave a smile and rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, but a small blush had crept into his cheeks as he spoke. Even now talking vaguely about his and Elsa's romance made him feel something giddy with a hint of embarrassment mixed in.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jul 5, 2017 3:18:40 GMT
"Everything you've been through." That was vague way of putting all the crappy stuff that had happened in Yang's life lately. Sure, some good things had been happening too, but she was still dealing with the repercussions of all the bad stuff. And it was going slow. Not to mention, it seemed like bad stuff was happening every time she turned her back. Who knew what was going to happen to Anna now? And she didn't even want to get started on Moses and Vanitas. Moses had said he would get Pitch in on this and figure out what to do. Was the demon going to accept this? Would somebody else find out about Vanitas and rat him out? It seemed like the only this romance could go was south, with Moses ending up heartbroken. It was a situation she didn't want to think about.
"Yeah, it was nice. Seems like some other people could use a break too, if this city could just calm down for a weekend or something." Bellerouge was starting to feel like the cities in comic books that were constantly in trouble, and superheroes had to spend all their time saving it. Bellerouge needed to chill out for a while, in Yang's opinion. But who knew if that would ever happen. Some cities were like this all the time, like New York or LA. Crime was always rampant in places like that. But, on a happier note, while Ralph's answer was a bit vague, his face did get a bit red. It reminded Yang of how Adrien got sometimes whenever she said something that made him blush. Was Ralph going out with someone? She couldn't remember Shadow mentioning anything, and it'd probably be a little too awkward for Yang to ask, since she barely knew him. Still, if that was the case, she felt like she could be happy about that. "Well, that's good," she said. "I think that's something everyone could learn a bit about." Heck, Yang was still learning that herself. Her friendship with Moses was strained right now, but she was finally learning that cutting her friends out for fear of screwing things up wasn't a good idea, and that they wanted her around, regardless of that. And it looked like some of her friends were trusting people a bit more too. Things may have gone sour with Anna, but Sunshine and Riku seemed to be progressing nicely in their relationship. And Shadow seemed more cool with it. That had to count for something.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jul 5, 2017 21:17:59 GMT
"No kidding. This city has been through the rigger more times then I can count on one hand. Still, it can't stay like this forever. I mean, nothing does."
Normally Ralph's attitude wouldn't have been more cynical, but of lately that hadn't been the case at all. Things might still be pretty rough in Bellerouge and yet he was feeling more hopeful then he had in years. And he was pretty sure he had Elsa to thank for that.
"Oh, you hungry? I just made a stop at the store and probably got more food then I can eat."
Without waiting for an answer, Ralph reached into one of his bags and tossed a bright red and green apple towards Yang.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jul 5, 2017 21:30:43 GMT
Ralph seemed pretty hopeful that things would change. Maybe they would. Yang wanted them to, although she had no idea how. And she wasn't sure if there was anything she could do to help short of becoming a cop herself. But she doubted that would ever happen. Her friends on the Others Unit might approve, but others probably wouldn't. Besides, she couldn't fight like they could. Anytime she tried, she got nervous and scared and the risk of triggering a flashback went way up. No, she had to find something else to do with her life. Ralph asked if she was hungry, and before she could reply, he tossed an apple towards her. She instinctively moved her right arm for a second and the apple bounced off of what was left of it. She gave a startled squeak before managing to catch it inches above the ground. She let out a breath, glad her reflexes weren't completely dead. It seemed like all her years of fighting still left her with semi-decent coordination, despite not stepping into the ring for several months. "Thanks," she said, trying to ignore any uncomfortable feelings that stirred in her stomach. It was just her reaction to getting gifts and attention. She still felt like it was just steeping her more into debt sometimes, a debt that she felt like she could never pay back. Of course, her friends constantly reminded her that they helped her because they wanted to, rather than out of pity or expecting something in return. And she'd gotten better with dealing with feelings like that. They just weren't completely gone yet, and who knew when they ever would be. She bit into the apple, surprised at how good it was. Apples were more of a fall fruit than a summer one. Still, it was tasty.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jul 5, 2017 21:41:35 GMT
Ralph watched silently as Yang moved to catch the apple with her dominant right arm only to realize that arm was gone. She managed to catch the fruit before it hit the ground but he could see from the expression on her face that it was hard. He could only imagine. Losing a limb wasn't something that people could just brush off and adapt to quickly. Something as traumatic as that always left deep marks on the person, oftentimes going far beyond just the physical wounds.
The Giant pulled out another apple as Yang took a bite out of hers. He stared down at the gleaming surface of the apple, the skin changing from red to green as he turned it in his massive hand.
"I know this might sound kinda strange since we don' know each other very much, but you're a strong person, Yang."
A brief silence followed this before Ralph took a bite of his own apple, allowing the sweet juice to fill his mouth. He didn't know where the words had come from or why he had spoken at all, yet somehow they felt right to him.
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jul 5, 2017 22:02:14 GMT
Yang glanced up as Ralph spoke. The words were familiar to her, ones that had been spoken to her many times throughout the months. "That's what my friends say too," she said. "'You're so strong, Yang. You've made so much progress. You've come so far.'" She gave a little sigh. "I guess I just wish I was coming along little faster." Getting over her fear of the water was one thing. Tackling her other fears were still an issue. She felt like she'd made almost no progress when it came to them. Fighting still made stomach churn, her paranoia problems hadn't been completely solved yet, Thrax himself still terrified her. She felt frustrated sometimes that she could make progress in other ares, but not those. Part of that was because she really did want to get better. The other part of it was that old fear of hers that her friends would get tired of helping her eventually. She knew it was irrational, but it still liked to creep up on her sometimes, no matter how much she tried to think about it. She wasn't sure if Ralph wanted to hear all her drama, but she'd been getting better at being honest about things with her friends, especially when it came to how he was doing. Maybe Ralph deserved at least some of that same honesty.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jul 5, 2017 22:14:07 GMT
Ralph, however, shook his head slowly at Yang's response before swallowing his mouthful of apple. He looked at her with his brown eyes, eyes that could be filled with a terrible fury like fire or a kindness as sweet as cocoa. In that instant, it was the latter.
"No, I don't mean strength in the way your friends mean it. This is something different."
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Post by angelofmusic1992 on Jul 5, 2017 22:23:50 GMT
Yang raised an eyebrow. "Different as in...?" Did Ralph mean physically? She doubted that. Sure, she still had some quick reflexes left, but that was about it. Her friends had mentioned trying to get her back into some basic exercising, and her doctors always mentioned how it was a great way to cope with depression. She wasn't sure if she could ever get into that though. She felt like it reminded her too much of what she had lost. Sure, she hadn't been the healthiest person in the world back in the day, but she was still fit enough to throw some punches whenever the situation called for it. And running from the cops every now and then had made her decently fast. She felt like most of that was gone now.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Jul 6, 2017 9:28:12 GMT
Ralph shrugged a scratched absently at his cheek, the half-eaten apple still in his hand while the others continued to hold his several bags of goods at ease.
"Most people tend to think of strength as in strength of body or mind. And oftentimes they think that to be strong is to never be broken or beaten, but that's not right. Not completely."
Here he paused, watching the young woman before him in silence. Most people would scoff or make light of what he was about to say, but he knew that Yang wouldn't.
"I'm just a Giant yet it seems to me it's not your body or mind, but your spirit that is the strongest."
Here he paused once more, uncertain as how Yang would react to this. After all, they weren't close and didn't even know each other very well from the few encounters they had had. Heck, he hadn't even recognized her when he ran into her only a few minutes ago, but he didn't doubt his words.
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