Disclaimers: All characters belong to rightful owners.
Story concieved by Lee.


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"Well, y'all are both really nice people, I'm sure y'all'll be able to find Love," Arvel declared. "I cain't imagine that y'all wouldn't!"

He was ignorant as to Kisoku's past, but he greatly liked the man and was convinced he could find someone wonderful and awesome and sweet and perfect. "But..." he added as an afterthought, "don't you think you're being hard on that prostitute? Most of them don't wanna be in that life. That's what Lydia says, she lives in my apartments and she's one." He offered confidentially, "and she's super nice. I'll bet he needs Love as much as anybody else. If you see him again, you shouldn't run away. You should, you know, behave like you would towards anyone. I mean, it must be hard to find anyone to Love you when your body is for sale to anyone. Nobody wants you to love you, they just want sex." He drifted off into silence. This was a topic he knew about: His mother had that same problem. Of course, it wasn't just her promiscuity that interfered with her ability to find Love; it was also his existence. If she didn't have a child...

He realized he was frowning, and pasted a brilliant smile on his face, "Maybe it won't work out, but you should give it a shot!"

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"Oh yeah?" Darran asked, putting on a brave front. Raising his own hands, he impulsively twined fingers with her-- but only to neutralize her threat, of course! "Well, if it's what I think it is, do your worst, I dare you-- though," he conceded with a slightly evil grin, "I think Miss Dateless over at the register might not appreciate front-row tickets to a tickle war."

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She nodded to his affirmitive, "Sophia." She didn't expect him to remember her name, since they hadn't had that much contact, really. But she remembered him, certainly, for all the anger and resentment seething inside him and barely supressed...

So seeing him laugh was really something of a shock to the girl, and though she had no idea what he found so funny, Sophia was fairly sure it wasn't her: no malicious thought could bring an expression so _innocent_ to a face so hardened. *Almost no one is irretrivably consumed by hatred,* she reminded herself, *though I wouldn't have been sure about this Dante, if not for that.*

But still, it wasn't surprising to see him slip back into sarcasm, and she responded as if she fully expected his words to be serious. The way his mind twisted his words, after all, was nothing she had to accomodate. "I won't."

It was strange. Despite his reflexive hostility, despite the fact that she sincerely doubted he'd appreciate it, somehow she... wanted to help him. His job would bring him to ruin, surely, but there were any number of people like that and she could hardly afford to devote herself to every single one she found. Moreover, she _hadn't_ wanted to be involved with someone as steeped in sin as he... but then he'd laughed. And now, it seemed, she could see some goodness in him that she truly did want to save. *If he'll accept help from someone like me. If I even have any in my power to offer him.*

"You work for the pimp, Barano Shittsui, don't you?"

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"Tch," Para sighed forlornly, though whether in response to the neutralization of her threat or to the mention of the girl behind the counter couldn't immediately be told. Not that she resisted the taking of her hands at all; quite to the contrary, she found herself smiling to the feeling of their fingers twined so intimately and, as if it were as natural as anything, she leaned her chin atop one pair of twined hands. "You've disarmed me entirely then you tell me to take my best shot; that's so unfair!"

"Still, if not a tickle war, then I'll just have to find another way, something that won't upset Miss Scowl over there." She giggled as she dipped her head toward the aforementioned girl behind the counter. Still, that was a distant concern as she turned her eyes back to Darran and, pouting just adorably, she all but begged him with her eyes. "Let this time be my treat? Please? If just to repay you for... well... everything?"

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"Sophia," Dante nodded as the girl gave her name. Really, he likely should have remembered it, but he barely remembered the name of even his regular clients. Beyond that, the whole experience in the pizza parlor was little more than a blur of trying to keep Barano from getting his grimy hands on that stupid old man. At least that had been accomplished, though, and, in no little part, thanks to the girl before him; idly, he wondered if he should thank her for that, but then he pushed it away. It wouldn't be his place.

Still, turning his eyes to the girl, this Sophia, he found himself again being slightly unsettled by the adult depth of that gaze. It was how a sinner must feel like under the eyes of his god-- only too naked and too exposed to the soul-- and, for his part, Dante had no lack of sins. Idly, he wondered what the girl saw when she looked at him like that, but he thought he knew the cold, hard answer without having to ask.

This train of thought ended abruptly, though, as Sophia mentioned that he worked under Barano and, his expression closing again, he killed a wince before it could rise. Not that he was surprised that Sophia would put it together after the events of the other day, but it was like a slap in the face after his brief meeting with Kisoku and the thoughts which came to him thereafter.

"Yea," He admitted mildly as he nodded slightly. "I'm one of his pets, his whores. What's it to you?"

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"Stubby?" Tesu inquired, rather surprised that the other boy remembered the incident. "Um... yeah... he's fine... That Jeremy kid took him... I... couldn't really keep him in my place..." Glancing over at the other boy who still kept a death grip on the pink cactus-- apparently, the aforementioned Addie-- he blinked a bit before turning back to Alexei. He couldn't imagine why they would want him to accompany them-- it wasn't like he'd be much protection... but still, he didn't really have any other plans for the afternoon.

"Um... sure..." he replied, offering the other two boys a tentative smile.

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"I just don't know... if being around me... well, if being around me is going to make you happy in the long run. I love having you around. I do. It's just..." Lucia hesitated. The honest thing to do would've been to be honest with Sam and tell him what she had done to him. It had been a mistake. Surely, he would understand. But... her selfish wants always came first. And the truth was she wanted him around for the long run.

"Y'know what? Nevermind. I'm being silly. Let's just forget this whole conversation happened. I'm starved. I could really go for a cup of coffee or a pastry or something. I know just the place!" She grinned, latching onto to Sam's arm and tugging him along with her as she headed towards her favorite little bakery. "You're definately going to have to try their Devil's food cake. It's so rich!"

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Addie kept quiet during this entire exchange as he simply chose to watch the pink cactus in his arms. Really, it was a lovely thing and, the more he thought about it, the surer he was that it might be okay to keep it; Alexei didn't really seem to mind, anyway, and it wasn't like he'd kill it. He was good with plants and, if anything happened, he'd be sure to give Erik back to his friend.

Still, as Alexei invited the older male-- Tesu, was it-- to come along, Addie glanced up sharply, flushed, then managed a smile. It looked like he was going to have a whole train of followers by the time he got home, but, at the moment, he wasn't so bothered by that. Really, he was still a bit bothered by all that had happened with Nathan just earlier and he was no closer to understanding any of it.

"You two know each other?" He asked as he just now rejoined the conversation in progress. "Are you friends?"

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Though Sammy was quite curious how Lucia would have finished her thought, at the moment, he was only too glad to let the events of the past hour or so slip away from him. He didn't want to think about any of it nor of the solutions which seemed to be shouting to him from the back of his mind. He'd be happy to treat this whole situation much as he did his break-up with Kisoku; it was there, but it was hidden. It was something which his mind would simply gloss over whenever it came upon it.

"Mm, devil's food cake! That sounds so good!" He enthused, despite the fact that his stomach lurched sickly at even the mention of eating. It was a miracle, but, perhaps for the first time in all his years, Samezameto Yumeomiro was not hungry. Really, all said boy wanted was to find somewhere he could curl up into a little ball or someone with whom he could curl. Still, shoving these thoughts away, he offered Lucia a bright grin as he let himself be drug along. "I'll treat, okay? Since you got the candy and all..."

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Alexei shrugged, "We have met before. Chachacha, I do not think we have talked enough to be considered friends. Tesu is good, though, and we like him." He offered Tesu a friendly grin before continuing upon his way.

"Tesu, you do not go to school? Or are you going home, as well? We have not been to school in a few years, of course, but we were going by there and noticed Addie needed help. We like to help people. Erik, too. Erik likes Addie, oh, Addie, you should play tic-tac-toe with him. He will like that."

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"Well, I don't play fair when I know it's going to get me beaten," Darran grinned. Mentally, he was battling out the respective merits of keeping Para's hands in his, or dropping one to cup her chin and kiss her. It was pretty damn cozy already... but really, he couldn't ask for a better opportunity...

"Huh?" He blinked, flushing just slightly as the full power of Para's almighty puppy eyes caught him unprepared. "For... for what, babe?" He laughed a little sheepishly and admitted, "I haven't really done much of anything..."

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It startled Sophia, though she didn't show it; she hadn't even noticed his expression opening, just a little, until he guarded himself again. She couldn't help feeling stung by the rejection-- besides which, this would be much easier if he'd only stay open to what she had to say. *But he can hardly help going on the defensive against an approach so blunt. And he _was_ surprisingly civil, considering.*

Dante would think it was ridiculous, she was sure; he would laugh at her, or simply walk away. It was less likely that he would try to coerce her into giving up, since she was sure the hatred she'd seen him direct towards Barano was genuine. But nevertheless, the possibility that he'd take her seriously, and even realize she was asking for his help-- Sophia considered that least likely of all. "I'm going to stop him."

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"You know you're going to be beaten?" Para meeped as she offered Darran her best kitty-blink of innocence. Not that it'd likely carry much weight after all the flirting she'd done, but it was worth a try. Beyond that, she wanted to prolong this hand-holding as long as she could, and being cute seemed to be the easiest way to ensure that it would happen. Still, she soon broke into a grin and a wink. "I wouldn't give up just yet, hon."

"Not true! You've done a lot." She corrected him as she gave her head a quick shake. "I mean, you didn't get mad when Cordy glomped you out of nowhere last week. In fact, you were so nice that you even escorted he and his flighty sister to the Park to see a play and, throughout, you were totally fine with his sister flirting you up."

"Then, there's the whole Dannie situation," She murmured in a softer voice as she dropped her eyes a bit. It probably wasn't a good idea to bring that up, at this point, but she really should thank him for handling that so well. Not everyone would have wanted to see her after her brother pulled such a stunt. "I mean, it's not the first time that happened, but not only did you respond well, but you were even willing to see me again. That says a lot."

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"Stop him?" Dante repeated in a tone which seemed to imply that he couldn't understand what she meant. This little girl-- wise little girl, albeit-- was going to fell the pimp whom a good portion of the city wanted to kill? The pimp whom even one of his own pets was working against in private, though God only knew what could come from that, aside from the woman's death. Was she mad?

Still, there was a part of him that jumped at the idea of stopping Barano, even as another part of him cringed. It was a good thought, to be free of the man, but he _needed_ the money he made from the job. Without it, he couldn't support his siblings and if he couldn't support them then who would? They certainly couldn't do it on their own. Shaking these thoughts away, he glanced to the girl consideringly.

Yes, she had proven to be quite wise and quite perceptive for her age, but, against someone like Barano, he wasn't sure that such things would be useful. Really, wisdom and righteousness seemed to have nothing to do with this situation. If one were to stop Barano, then it could only end in blood.

"I see." Dante responded smoothly even as he killed a wince at the thought of drawing Barano's blood. Hadn't he done enough of that? With a firm shake of his head, he displaced that thought as he smoothed his features. "What are you planning to do?"

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"Well, I wanted to give him a shot. Honestly, I did. But he said it wouldn't be a good idea. If I had maybe waited to make a move, he might have at least thought about..." Kisoku sighed, letting his head ka-thunk on the table in front of him. "Ugh! I'm so stupid..."

He remained blinking at the table for a second or two before lifting his head up just enough so that his eyes could peek out at Lukas, who seemed more touchy about the subject of love than was usual. It didn't take a genius to know that love was not a topic that sat well between the Cajun and him. Kisoku felt guilty for it, but a part of him liked to bring the subject up. A part of him liked knowing that-- despite his floundering quest for true love part II-- he was still ahead of someone in the game of life. "I don't know why you'd say you're not an authority on love, Lukes. I mean, you could have anyone you wanted really..."

And while, to the observer, he sounded like a good friend adding a few words of encouragement into the conversation, every word was helping heal his battle scars from the flop of an encounter with Dante.

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"Yes yes, fine. I'll let you pay... this time. But no more of your chauvinistic tendencies for the rest of the week, okay? I have my tough female image to maintain, y'know..." Lucia giggled, glancing up at a street sign before continuing to lead the way to dessert. The joke had filled but a brief moment in the walk, and Lucia was-- for once-- at a loss of words. She had no idea what to say to make the overwhelming tension in the air go away. They were both skirting around the issue, and she didn't exactly want to talk about things. That still didn't make conversation easy...

"So... umm... are you alright? You're not hurt from... well, when he... ran into you?"

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Darran wasn't fooled by that innocent blink, he knew she was just trying to disarm him... not that such knowledge lessened its effect at all, of course. But just for the record, he fell headlong into Para's trap-- again-- with eyes wide open. *I could get used to this sort of thing...*

"'Totally fine' with you flirting me up, huh?" he grinned bemusedly, "I could think of some other words... like encouraging, maybe..." He shot her a quick wink and added, "I mean, hey, I'm not stupid enough to turn down someone so cool."

But he sobered as she brought up the confrontation with Dante and firmly supressed a wince. Yeah, he'd handled it okay-- when she was there. If she knew what had happened after she'd left, how he'd pulled a gun on her brother, what had been going through his head... inwardly cringing, Darran steered himself away from that thought. "Well, y'know..." he murmured, "I'm not Dante's to command... don't think you are, either." With only a little effort, he called up another grin for her. "Why should I stop seeing you just 'cause he and I don't get along?"

And to hell with the perfect time; hardly even thinking of what he was doing, Darran leaned in and pressed a kiss on Para's lips.

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"Tch. But you know how common it is for men to want to do everything to keep a lovely lady around." Sammy tried to reason as he also did what he could to look just as absolutely heartbroken as possible. Of course, this was soon gone as he laid his cheek atop Lucia's head. Thuogh he was aware that they were both edging around the issue at hand as others would a dangerous man, he didn't care at the moment. He'd become quite at dodging issues in his years and he had even taught himself to be content with that, so it was alright.

"Hm? No, I... don't think anything was hurt." He replied to her latter question with a slight shake of his head. At least, he didn't seem to have hurt anything physical in his fall and the rest was expertly being ignored so no harm done, right? Shaking aside these thoughts, he forced up a bright grin. "You're free to check for yourself, though."

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Nathan smiled at the young girl behind the register as she handed him their orders-- two brownie fraps and a caramel one. He walked over to the two young ladies that sat patiently at the table. "Charlene, please don't mention anything about those questions I was asking you earlier," Eva pleaded with the young child. The girl looked up at the woman with a smile. "Can I have the rest of the candy?" the child chirped. Eva sighed as she reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out the bag. "You'll get it after this is over, okay?"

"She'll get what after this is over?" Nathan said as he handed the caramel frap to the Eva and one of the brownie fraps to the toddler next to her.

"Umm... I don't think frappacinos are good for kids," Eva replied in attempt to change the subject.

"Probably not," Nathan said as he began to sip on the brownie frap. "But I think a bag full of candy isn't either."

Eva laughed nervously as she took a drink from her cup. An awkward silence filled the table, contrary to the activity going on around them. Suddenly, it was broken by a standard nokia tune. "Eva reached into her pocket and groaning a bit as she caught sight of the number. "Forgot to call dad," she said quietly as she stood from the table. "Do you mind if I take this call outside, I'll be right back." Nathan merely nodded in response as he continued to suck up the brownie chunks in his drink. It hadn't taken Eva long to rush out of the coffeehouse, leaving Nathan with Charlene.

"Uncle Nathan," the girl said quietly as she stirred her drink with the straw. Nathan looked up in response to the young girl's call. "What happened to Ms. Eva?" the young girl asked. "She seems different."

Nathan looked at the young child curiously. "What do you mean?" he asked as he put down his drink.

"She's different," the young girl whispered. "I don't know, it's just a feeling when I look at her. She's not the same person that she was when mommy left me with her and after I fell asleep. What happened?"

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"Did I really need encouragement?" Para blinked to this in mock- confusion for a moment. Still, soon enough, she broke into a rather wide smile and, shaking her head, he gave Darran's fingers a gentle squeeze. "Besides, what else could I do when I meet one of the nicest, sweetest, coolest, most handsome men in all of Eden?"

"Especially when said man is willing to even overcome the trial of the great protective older brother." Managing to keep her tone light, she tried to communicate how glad she was for this fact through her eyes and her expression, alone. Really, she could understand her brother's motives, but it tended to get old when he chased away every guy who even showed so much as a hint of interest in her. It would have been especially bad in this case, since she was rather fond of Darran. Nodding to his words, she renewed her smile. "Especially when he does it with such a cool theory as that. You gotta love a guy who can think for himself."

Para seemed about to comment further on this when she found her lips otherwise occupied. A bit of a surprised squeak left her at this sudden change and, just for the briefest of moments, her fingers tightened over Darran's. This didn't last very long at all, though, and, soon enough, she was returning the kiss as it was offered.

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