[FIN] Read Between the Lines

[TawnyAngel]

What? Was she...? Why was she smiling at him like that? This felt like a lot more than a coincidence but how had she found out anything about him, and why? Was she background checking her boyfriend's friends now? How much did she know? If she did know? Was this just coincidence? He was having trouble believing that it could be.

Taavi frowned, shifted awkwardly and started to fidget restlessly with his hair. "Um... yeah it's a shame Kodo doesn't have any rangers, I used to be one myself." He felt like she already knew that but it would look weird to Abel if he didn't mention it. Actually what was he going to say to Abel? 'I think your gf has been creeping on me'?... Actually maybe he would. Maybe. This was creepy, and he was feeling faintly sick with dread that she might know that.... No, no she couldn't know that could she? It wasn't like it was on record anywhere!

"Err... and, no, I can't say I have." Taavi, still fiddling with his hair, gave a small shrug. "I don't really go to the movies a lot, unless it's something I really want to see because... well it's pretty expensive and somebody's always talking or eating food really loudly and it just spoils it. I'd rather wait for the movies to come out on DVD usually. Uh. Have you?" What did she want from him?  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Oh, did you?" Alyssa said with a smile, though she dismissed the topic with a wave of her hand as she scoffed. "Really? That's so boring. You haven't either, have you?" The redhead asked of Abel, and he merely shook his head in response. She heaved a dramatic sigh. "Oh well. I have though, a really good one that stated off with the main character just living his ordinary every day life, until one day he just up and left," she gestured with her hands as if to demonstrate as much, "grabbed everything he could carry and ran off to live somewhere completely different. This guy that seems to live a completely ordinary, innocent life just up and flees as quick as he can. It makes you think he wasn't so innocent, doesn't it? It's the sort of story that catches your interest so much that you can't help but wonder why. You just wish you could walk up to him and ask," she leaned forward towards Taavi, eyes glittering with intense curiosity, a predator watching its prey to find a way to draw it forth from the safety of its den, "'What did you do that forced you to run away so fast to start a new life somewhere else? What were you doing?'"

Just as quickly as she'd leaned towards him for the question, she leaned back and resumed her innocently curious expression, even as she watched Taavi. "It's just the sort of story that makes you want to know what they did, isn't it?"

Abel felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, and for a brief moment his blood ran cold. He couldn't help but wonder where she was going with that story. That all but described his hasty departure from Sinnoh; she wasn't going to mention that, was she? That wasn't what this was about, right?  

[TawnyAngel]

As Alyssa talked Taavi felt his stomach drop and his heart seemed to freeze in his chest. She couldn't... she couldn't know anything could she? How would she- Maybe he was overreacting here, or maybe she was hinting at something other than that. His mouth had gone dry and he found that he couldn't actually make himself speak, how could she know and why would she have gone looking? Why did she hate him? That was it, right? She hated him and so- Why?

"That... sounds kind of like an arty movie, um, I probably wouldn't have got it," Taavi managed eventually, his voice coming out more tense than he would have liked. The way she had looked at him for that moment was- But she couldn't know right? It wasn't like there were records, right? And he'd only been an initiate. He wanted to glance to Abel for help but if he did his friend would know something was wrong and then he might find out! s**t. Why had she taken an interest in him? "Err... I usually prefer nature documentaries or comedies."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Alyssa's eyes narrowed very slightly and her self-satisfied smile widened a bit as Taavi spoke. "No? It was so good though," she sighed as she straightened up and tapped a finger against the side of her cheek. "Eventually the movie continued and the character was found leading a quiet life somewhere else, trying to hide from his past where he--"

"All right," Abel interjected, pushing himself away from the wall and flicking the remainder of his cigarette out onto the side of the street. He hadn't finished with it yet, but he was sure as hell finished with her. "That sounds like a cool movie," no it didn't, and he was pretty sure she wasn't actually talking about a movie at all at this point, "but we have to get back before it gets too dark out. I want to have plenty of time to figure out what kind of ramen noodles I wanna have for dinner," he added rather pointedly.

Alyssa had opened her mouth to object, but hearing 'ramen noodles' changed her mind, and she shrugged instead. "All right, fine," she said, heaving a dramatic, long-suffering sigh, "I guess I'll be on my way then."

"All right," the blond said again before she could sigh again or change her mind. He took a step back the way they came, then gestured to his friend to follow him while he offered his parting words to Alyssa, "See you." That done, he turned and started walking, hoping so hard that she would just leave them alone and not follow them or something.

When Abel turned, Alyssa shot Taavi a wicked grin, self-satisfaction written all over her face, before departing.  

[TawnyAngel]

She was leaving.

She had gone.

Taavi exhaled and turned to his friend. "Um... Abel? I need to talk to you."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Well that sounded serious, which meant it probably had everything to do with Alyssa. Although the clicking of her heels had faded away among the sounds of traffic as cars passed, Abel didn't trust her not to follow them or something - for a while, at least - and the last thing he wanted was to talk about her when there was a distinct possibility she was in earshot. "Okay," he said agreeably as he turned his head a bit and paused in his walking to make sure Taavi would follow. He added a gesture down the sidewalk in emphasis, just to make sure. "It's cold out here though, yeah? Let's talk back in the apartment where it's warm." And where Alyssa wouldn't overhear anything she could use against him.