[FIN] The Pain We Endure

[BlackFireKitsune]

The grunt did his best to try to interpret the look he'd been given in response to his question - he'd given similar looks before, when he really just wasn't sure how to answer a question, either because it was a difficult question or just a hard one to find the words for. Either way the look was enough, and he had no desire to push Jerome to answer a question he couldn't answer. Or possibly didn't even want to answer. That wouldn't be cool.

The gangster's sudden question caught him off-guard, and Inigo looked vaguely surprised for a moment or two before looking sad and a little depressed again. "Oh, ah.. Aila," he said after a moment, shoving his hands in his pockets. "She died during that one mission, I dunno if you were there." Even though more than a year had passed since her death, it was still difficult for him to talk about, and he didn't meet Jerome's gaze when he answered him.  

[Blood_Goddess]

"Aila" Jerome repeated, listening to the rest of the boy's story. It clicked when he said she died on a mission.
"Th'girl" He repeated "With the dark hair."
He knew her from Izaya, seen her only once, but heard enough about what happened from the mission, not that he got much out of his roommate, knowing that he was affected by it himself, despite his denial.

Jerome made a soft gesture with his hand, taking on a more sympathetic tone "She was a friend a yer's?"  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Inigo finally looked up to meet Jerome's dark gaze, and he pursed his lips a bit and nodded. "Yeah, she had dark hair. Pink eyes." The flowering plant he'd gotten for her as a gift, its petals were a similar pink to her eyes. That's why he bought it in the first place - and now he was glad he did.

"Yeah," he admitted after a few quiet moments of thought, "she was. First friend I had here. She recruited me actually," Inigo added with a small crooked half-smile, but it disappeared quickly. "It was.. the first big mission I'd ever been on." And what a terrible first experience that was. It haunted him still, and it had especially right before he went on his second important mission.  

[Blood_Goddess]

The gangster nodded while Inigo explained, showing that he understood.
"bein' part a' this group s'much different. still pretty much the same thing though..."
Jerome paused for a few seconds, letting a silence linger. "Look man, sorry 'bout yer friend. That kinda thing ain't really somethin' ya forget 'bout."

It was probably the most genuinely sympathetic sounding most people saw Jerome. He generally wasn't the kind to go wearing his emotions on his sleeve. usually just pretty laid back.
But what could he say? He knew what this kid was going through.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Yeahh," the grunt agreed, staring down at the floor again and kicking idly at the leg of one of the benches. No, it wasn't something anyone could really forget - watching one of their friends die - and for some moments that was the main thought in Inigo's head.

But then he looked back at Jerome again, curious about the tone of voice and the choice of words he'd used. They didn't seem like they would be used by someone who hadn't felt the same feeling, which made Inigo finally ask, "y tu? Who are you thinking about?"  

[Blood_Goddess]

Jerome stared quietly for a couple of seconds when Inigo asked Jerome who he was thinking about, he supposed that it wasn't something he could really hide, not from someone who went through the same thing.
Its not like the thoughts hadn't been weighing on his mind either.

"Yeah..." He replied.
Int he corner of his eye he could see Bro' from behind Inigo unfold his arms, watching them.
"Group who was M'family, before I was brought 'ere."
A hand moved to his chin, running hind fingers over the stud on his lip a couple of times. "all of em."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The only kind of group Inigo could imagine Jerome had once been a part of was more than likely a gang. The thought could have made him uncomfortable if it weren't for two things - one being that Team Rocket was similar to a gang itself, as well as the fact that Jerome was nice and he liked Jerome. So Inigo merely sighed, bent his head and nodded a bit. "Si, I know how that is too." He raised his gaze again to look back at the gangster. "How many were there?" Probably more than just the one he'd lost.

Oriana peered curiously at Bro before she made a very soft, gentle chime and rested on Inigo's shoulder for the time being.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Jerome shook his head at the question, taking a moment to consider it. "n'our block? Bout... Thirty comin' and goin', whole hood..." He shook his head, "Wasn't in charge a'th numbers, but a lot a'us round the city."
He licked his lips, eyes narrowing a little as he thought again. "Runners, 'were seven f'us. Just two by the end, died with Jayden. Now s'jus' me."

Jerome shook his head again, forcing his gaze back up to Inigo "S'the kinda thing ya know would happen. Like here."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The grunt sighed deeply at the numbers. He wasn't sure if all 30 had died or just the 7 Jerome had specified, but either way any number higher than 0 was too high, in his opinion. He took a step closer and placed his hand on Jerome's shoulder, as the gangster had done just a few minutes previously to him. "I'm sorry," he said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. Normally he would apologize or say bits of phrases in Spanish, but usually during normal conversation. Sincere talks such as these, however, warranted proper respect and a single language. His bits of Spanish inserted throughout his speech would only serve to sound disrespectful if used in such a situation. "Even if you know it's gonna happen, that still doesn't make it easier when it does happen."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Jerome shrugged a shoulder lightly, but even as he looked away, he reached up to place a hand on Inigo's shoulder at well, squeezing it gently.
He didn't say anything more though. either becasue he didn't know what to say, or becasue he didn't want to. He certainly looked troubled by it, but exactly what, he wasn't in any rush to say anything.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Inigo gave the other grunt a small, lop-sided smile, and he squeezed Jerome's shoulder just a bit before patting it a couple times. "If you ever need to talk to somebody about it, you can always talk to me. If you want," he added with a shrug as he put his hands in his pockets. "It's never really good to just not talk about anything ever."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Jerome glanced up at the kid, before shaking his head softly, but giving the younger grunt a faint grin "Naw, ain't really anythin' to talk bout' really."
Her patted the shoulder again before letting his hand fall.
Crossing his arms he nodded at him
"Real solid of ya' though."

Bro floated over to where Jerome was, peering down at the boy as well with his own arms crossed.
"Gar gar."  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Sometimes there is, sometimes there's not," Inigo said with a shrug and a small grin. "If there is, I'm not hard to find."

He turned to head towards one of the weight racks to find something suitable to lift, and shrugged off Jerome's last statement with another lop-sided smile. "Nah. S'just what friends are for, right? We gotta be there for each other."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Jerome blinked a couple of times at the offer, a small flash of teeth as he grinned and nodded before he took a couple of steps back.
"Yea, we gatta catch up s'm time man."
With that suggestion he lifted a hand in a wave. "M'ganna hit the showers, get on m'job here."

He wasn't in any rush, but he was feeling like he shouldn't stay. He liked Inigo, he was a good kid, and Jerome felt for him that he list his friend. But maybe Jerome just wasn't ready to go spilling things about himself, or his friends just yet to someone.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Okay," the grunt said with a smile and a hand lifted in good-bye. "Hasta luego!"

Oriana chimed at the gangster and his Gengar in parting as well.