Music Means Everything [Hero/Mai]

[Hero]

Tristan Kurt

19 year old Tristan made his way through the streets of District 11. He pushed around and past people to get to the shops, where he needed to be. His work was there. That's where his income came from. Sunglasses protected his eyes from the bright morning sun. He stopped for moment in the middle of the road before continuing his brisk walk. He nearly knocked a few people down on the way there. His loose tank top slowed around him almost. his dark jeans and cheap high-top shoes gave him comfort. It all had to be cheap, he could barely afford anything. Luckily, his job had earned him enough money to buy the new outfit. He also had a second person to support, his mother.

His mother had gotten him the job, now he felt obligated to repay her in some way. He would give part of his earning to renovating their ramshackle house. That was enough for her. Better living quarters built by her own son. He would use the remaining either for himself or give it to the orphanage. Buy some toys for the younger ones or instruments for the older ones who wanted to learn. 3 weeks worth of pay had gone between him, his mother, and the orphanage. That was progress. But I really have to get to work, or I'm fired, he thought. Then the money he earned would mean nothing. And then he would be broke once more. That wasn't a place he wanted to be. For once in his life, he wanted to be able to have extra money in his pocket.

He found a clock somewhere in he square that red 12:52. 8 minutes and he would be late. He stopped to catch his breath and ran a hand through his black hair. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and started running. He managed to get to his work place in enough time for his shift. As he set up the shop for the day, he started humming some tune he wasn't even sure of. He just seemed to like it. He bumped into someone as he turned to move to another side of the store. "OH, I'm sorry." He leaned down and helped her up. "I didn't see you there. While I just started my shift, is there anything I can help you with?"

[/p]

[Lotus]

Nicolette, aka Cole, had been forced out of the house again. She didn't really stay inside for very long before she was forced out. Her step-mother and step-sister didn't like her, and she could never really understand why. She didn't have a clue who her real-parents were, but it sometimes made her wonder if the family she lived with did and they'd have problems with each other. Surely that would be the reason why she was subject to more starvation than necessary, screaming matches and physical abuse. No one could be that cruel just because they could, right? She didn't know, and after a few years she'd given up trying to figure it out.

She was shy and not in the least bit out going, so when she was made to run the shopping errand pretty much everyday, she felt out of her comfort zone completely. There were all these people that jostled her and stared at her slight frame and occasional fingernail scratches across her skin. She hated the attention, so she tried to hide in the background as much as possible. The true problem came when she had to actually buy the food, it meant talking to someone. If she knew the person she was absolutely fine, but as soon as a stranger came along it was like her whole body froze up and her mind wanted to make her look stupid. Or she could do the complete opposite and pretty much word vomit, which in turn made the strange turn and run in the opposite direction.

So, this was it. Cole was wandering around the shops with her head down as she tried to get everything her step-family needed without drawing attention to herself. But, that didn't happen. She smacked straight into someone and her feet went from under her. She felt her cheeks flame red as she looked around and saw people staring, but she tried to shake it off a little as she looked up to the guy in front of her. She knew which version of her shyness she'd be taking, she could already feel her mind freeze up as she stared up at a face filled with perfection.

He helped her to her feet and she smiled in thanks, before stepping away from him. When he asked if she needed any help she quickly shook her head and then looked down at her shoes. She'd forgotten about the fingernail scratches across her cheek from this morning episode. She sighed and turned away lifted her hand up to say goodbye. With that she turned and tried to walk away. She just wanted to go home; and that was saying something.

[Hero]

Tristan Kurt

He turned back to look at her to find some kind of mark on her cheek. He didn't want to know but then again maybe he could help. He doubted it but it was worth a shot. He brought a hand to the side of her perfect face that held the scratch of some kind. "If you don't mind my asking, what happened?" When he thought he might get an answer, she was gone. Not what he had planned. But maybe she just didn't want to talk about it. Maybe it was something personal. He wasn't about to press the matter. He knew what happened if you did tell a secret. He wanted her to stay. He saw that she looked like she wanted someone to talk to. Just not me, he thought.

A moment later, his boss called him back to do some kind of work. After his little encounter with Blue Eyes, he couldn't seem to shake her out of his mind. Blue Eyes. That's what I'll call her, he decided. His boss gave him some papers that he needed to fill out. Not really inventory but something to make sure everything was in place. He kept glancing around corners, seeing if maybe she would turn up again. Odds are she wouldn't but it was something young Tristan could hope for. He picked up humming on a tune he wasn't sure of, but he had heard it from somewhere. He put things on shelves and hummed a bit louder this time.

People kept trying to shush him but every time they tried, he would hum even louder than the last time. A few people decided to leave because of him being a nuisance but he kept on humming. Soon, it turned into words. Now he had the attention of everyone around. Hopefully, that included Blue Eyes.

(( OOC: You can pick whatever song you want. I didn't want to choose anything right away. So yeah. You can pick. ))

[Lotus]

Cole kept her head down after that and tried to find things without having to ask anyone. The store had changed since the last time she'd been in this one and she was finding it difficult to try and find everything she needed. Some of the things on her list she'd had to alter because she didn't want to ask, and she knew she was going to get hell for it when she finally returned home.

Eventually she started hearing humming coming from the store, and the complaints that followed. She couldn't understand why they were complaining. The humming found her and she closed her eyes for a few moments, just listening. She opened her eyes and found herself moving closer to the sound, but she wouldn't go directly towards it; she was still that shy person. She stood one isle away from the sound and looked along the shelves; searching for anything she needed. She was just about to reach up to grab a box when the person started singing. She stopped midway, slowly lowering herself back to the having her feet properly on the floor as she started to recognise the song. It was one of her favourites; it was her life in lyrics.

She turned away from the shelf and rested against it as she closed her eyes and listened to him singing the first verse. The guy had a wonderful voice and it caused all her aches and pains to go away; even other customers had stopped complaining. He soon got to the chorus and she felt herself closing her eyes and starting to sing along softly in a voice that seemed to ring through the shop.

"But my dreams they aren't as empty,
As my conscious seems to be,
I have hours, only lonely,
My love is vengeance,
That's never free."

She continued to sing along after that, each verse and chorus getting louder. Eventually Cole and this stranger made it to the end of the song, but his voice died out leaving her to take the floor. But she was too lost in the music to really realise it.

"No one knows what it's like,
To be the bad man,
To be the sad man,
Behind blue eyes."

Her soft voice trailed off and she smiled softly before a weird sound broke her away from the sweet sounding music. She opened her eyes to people staring and applauding. Her face instantly flushed a deep shade of red and she dropped her head down. Some guy, she realised the one who'd bumped into her, stepped forward but she took a step to the side. She shook her head and her grip was lost on the basket she had. It went crashing to the floor just as she spun around and sprinted through the crowds to get out of there. What had she just done?

(OOC: The song is 'Behind Blue Eyes' by Limp Bizkit Never heard it before till now, but I thought it fit really well)

[Hero]

Tristan Kurt

He new he heard it then. The complaints stop once he began actually singing, but it was something else. Not something. Someone else. Another had miraculously recognized the song and decided to join in it with him. Maybe it was that same girl I ran into, he thought. He at east wanted it to be her.

He heard as she began harmonizing. It was a sweet sort of sound. Since her voice was much lighter than his, he lowered his voice an octave to better compliment the female. He still had no idea who she was. So, he decided to slowly make his way around and see if he could figure it out for himself. They both kept the lyrics going long enough for him to have sight of her. It was the same girl! Since that last little verse sounded better as a solo, he faded out. He began humming the tune to keep up with her but not loud enough to announce his presence.

Whenever she stopped singing, he was the first one to begin the sea of applauding patrons. She seemed shy and he knew it. He just wanted to make it known how good she sounded.

Turns out, she hated the attention so she dropped everything and ran. A few swanky men went after her, but Tristan didn't. He had to stay behind and clean up. Once he gathered everything back in the basket, he replace bruise fruit with new ones. Also, he saw the list of things she needed. Since she had run off to who knows where, he decided to get everything himself. His boss was nice enough to let it go. Now, neither of them had to pay.

She had a head start on him but eventually, he would have to catch up to her again.

[Lotus]

Cole ran as fast as her legs would carry her. She heard people calling out for her to stop, but that only made her push herself faster. She didn't have the energy to keep going, her step-family had starved her too much recently and it was taking a lot out of her. Still, the sound of the people behind her made her push on. She glanced back briefly and saw how well-dressed they all were and she couldn't understand why they were chasing her; she hadn't done anything wrong had she?

She abruptly turned down an alleyway and hid herself against the wall as her pursuers carried on. She sighed and that's when the shaking set in. Her legs gave out beneath her and she sank down to the floor, gripping her shaking hands around her knees and hiding away from the world. She was stupid to have got lost in the music in public. She hated attention; her self-confidence was that low. Tears pricked in her eyes as she remembered what she'd done. She was never going to hear the end of it when her step-family found out. They'd berate her, chide her, punish her and starve her for what she'd done. She'd not only gone against their wishes of making herself known publicly, but she hadn't got anything they'd asked for and she was supposed to be heading home soon.

Cole couldn't help but still feel a sense of pride in herself at what she had done; even if it was only a glimmer that brewed within her. She sighed, it had felt good to sing with someone else and he had had such a wonderful voice. It surprised her that it was the person who'd knocked her off her feet. Singing with him made her feel free for the first time in her life. She felt like nothing could stop her, but as soon as that moment ended everything came crashing down on her.

She reached a hand up and traced the scratches her step-mother had made that morning. She had deserved them, she knew that; she always deserved everything they did to her. She'd grown up feeling worthless and they only treated her like it. She sighed as she felt tears prick behind her eyes. She tried to take a deep breath and calm herself, but it didn't work. She hid her head in her knees as the first tears fell silently.

[Hero]

Tristan Kurt

Lucky for him, the crowd of people had thinned out. Most of District 11 was now either at work or home. He was one of the few at work. The people that were on the streets gave him strange looks all down the way. What guy carries a basket? They don't, he answered himself. He still kept walking, determined to return everything to her. He knew that maybe she didn't want his attention. Regardless of what she wanted, she still captivated him. It didn't make any sense to him, then again, a lot of today didn't make sense. The wind picked up slightly, making him a bit colder. He hunched his shoulders over, bracing himself.

He had never gotten the girl's name. He had a feeling that it would be on the list. It seemed that any longer and paper would start scattering the street. He looked around for anything to keep away from the wind. He found an alley and decided to hide there for a moment. He didn't know it that the girl had been hiding out as well. But he picked up the small note and began trying to comprehend the scattered hand-writing. It consisted of the list, but also a small threat. He wasn't about to say it himself. But finally, he got what he was looking for. Her name. Nicolette. Such a beautiful name, he thought.  A little ways down the alley, he thought he heard a noise, but simply disregarded it thinking it was the wind. He laid the note back into the basket and set it down beside him. Slowly, he began singing another tune.

"Watch my life pass me by,
In the rearview mirror,
Pictures frozen in time,
Are becoming clearer,
I don't wanna waste another day,
Stuck in the shadow of my mistakes"

He slowly felt himself getting lost in the music when he heard the pursuers come closer to where he was. He stopped singing until he knew that they were gone.

"Cause I want you, and I feel you
Crawling underneath my skin,
Like a hunger, like a burning,
To find a place I've never been,
Now I'm broken and I'm faded,
I'm half the man I thought I would be,
But you can have what's left of me."

He heard another rustling noise nearby and stopped. He sighed, knowing he was somewhat paranoid. He laid his head back against the cold wall. He hummed the musical part to it, hoping for some pretend voice to join in with him. He understood that it wouldn't happen, but he still hoped.

((OOC: The song is 'What's Left Of Me' by Nick Lachey. I thought it fit well.))
 

[Lotus]

Cole heard the wind pick up, but luckily she was sheltered from it. All she got was the howling sounds it made as it passed by the alley in which she was hiding. She heard a thud at the other end and jumped slightly, before relaxing a little. Her shaking still hadn't slowed and silent tears were still trailing down her cheeks. But then she heard it; that voice. The voice from the store.

She shook her head, this couldn't be happening again. It couldn't. She'd already made a fool of herself once, she would not do it again. But she was drawn in by the melody. It wasn't a song she'd heard before, but the lyrics intrigued her. She found herself sitting up straighter and her shaking slowed down to the point were it was practically non-existent. The person stop singing though and she had a feeling they'd got bored, but then the humming picked up. It was definitely the guy from the store; but why was he down an alley way. She sighed and rested her head back against the wall, trying to calm her tears.

She didn't know the lyrics, but she did have a good memory. She remembered the tune of the chorus and the lyrics. She closed her eyes, listening to him and as soon as he hit the right note she knew when to begin.

"And I want you,
And I feel you."

She stopped suddenly, feeling rather self conscious and she clamped a hand over her mouth; but the humming carried on. She realised she hadn't quite been loud enough for him to hear. She sigh softly and just tried to listen, but that wasn't happening. It was like the music called to some part of her and soon she was joining back in, closing her eyes to the world and losing herself in a new world.

"Now I'm broken and I'm faded,
I'm half the man I thought I would be,
But you can have what's left of me."

She realised she'd got louder on the last line and noticed the humming had stopped. Her eyes flashed open and she was on her feet in seconds. She shook her head before stepping out of the alleyway into the wind, it nearly knocked her slight frame over, but still she turned and ran again.

[Hero]

Tristan Kurt

He heard her voice. That's how he knew she was there. He heard her soft, sweet voice harmonizing with his deeper voice. When he stopped humming, he figured out that she would run. He should've figured that out but he was too caught up in the moment to really think about anything else. When she ran, he threw his head back against the wall hard enough to cause it to bleed. He raised his hand behind his head and when he brought it back to his eyes, it wasn't stained red. Now, all he had to do was find her. He wasn't stalking her. He was just simply returning something to her.

He quickly stood and came out of his hiding place. He looked round for her, without much luck.  Soon enough, he head the pounding of footsteps going away from him.  He put the basket back on his arm and ran as fast as he could without dropping anything. He wanted to try her name out but he wasn't sure what that would make of him to her. Creepy, maybe. But he still ad to take that chance sooner or later. Soon, he caught onto the general direction she was going and found a shortcut. He came out in front of her, the wind to his back.

The wind nearly knocked her over a second time but this time he was closer and could catch her this time.  He reached out n arm to help steady her. "Nicolette?" Now he was just awaiting her reaction to him. He took the basket in right hand an held it out to her. "You forgot this."

[Lotus]

Cole stopped in her tracks suddenly, nearly falling over from the wind forcing and her sudden movements. She looked up to the person in front of her; the guy from the store, and her eyes widened. He knew her name. She shook her head, this wasn't good. She pulled her arm from his grasp and moved a step away as he handed her her basket. She shook her head softly and opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out; once again her body choosing to freeze up in the company of a stranger.

She reached out and gently took the basket, looking through it. It was in fact hers and her list was in there in the scribbled handwriting of her step-mother. She then realised how he knew her name, it was at the bottom of the list along with her threat. She knew her threat was coming true as soon as she got home; she'd taken far too long and she knew she'd hardly got anything from her list. She ducked her head down and nodded her head in thanks to the guy, but she was terrified of trying to talk to him.

She opened her mouth again and nothing came out so she shook her head, getting angry at herself. She closed her eyes, knowing he was standing there watching her; probably looking at her like she was crazy. She took a deep breath and spoke to him for the first time. "Tha-anks. I gotta go, before..." She stopped herself there. She could not carry on with that train of thought.

[Hero]

Tristan Kurt

He looked at her with understanding. He understood what she had to deal with. Not necessarily with a step-mother, but more with a biological father. This beautiful girl he was looking at wasn't crazy. He had read the threat on the note. It wasn't really in English. That, or it was written horribly. Regardless, it was still the same. He knew it wasn't right to snoop in other people's business. Some rocks just don't need looking under. This one did need to be looked under.


"I didn't mean to scare you." When he saw the look of panic in her eyes, he understood why. She needed to be home within a certain  time, and make sure that she had everything on that list. "Don't worry about anything. I got everything on the list. And it's on the house. No charge to you. And I didn't mean to come off as creepy or anything. I just wanted to make sure you got this back. " He took a breath, giving her time to in his generosity. He wasn't sure whether or not she would take it, but he had to hope. He was only trying to help out. That was all. His intentions were good.

He shifted his weight to both feet now. "If you don't mind me asking, before what?" He wanted her to tell him but he didn't want to push her if she didn't want to talk. "Before I forget, your singing back there? It was amazing. You have a beautiful voice."

[Lotus]

Cole nodded her head in understanding at what he said, she knew he was just trying to be friendly, but that didn't stop her feeling terrified of the outcome from talking to him. She took another step away, "I... I have the money though, so just take it." She slipped it out of her pocket and handed it out to him. "I can't take this free of charge." her voice was quiet and hoarse, like she'd been crying, but she tried not to let it show. She hoped he'd take it.

She shook her head at his question, her eyes growing wider in fear. She knew she'd been stupid to let that slip, but it seemed like he was the first person to really care about her; or he was just curious. She sighed and turned away from him slightly, hiding her face from him. "Before trouble kicks in..." That said enough but gave nothing away about how she was treated in her house. No one knew what she went through every day and night and she doubted it'd change until the day she finally moved out or died from giving up with it all. "Please don't talk to me about singing, it was wrong to join in. I was foolish." She shook her head and took another step away.

"T-Thanks ag-ain..." She trailed off. She didn't have a clue of his name and she looked at him in hopes of finding out. She knew she shouldn't find out but he'd taken enough care to do this for her, so why couldn't she try and be kind back? She sighed. She knew he'd called her her full name, but she doubted she'd be seeing him again so there was little point in telling him what she liked to be called.

[Hero]

Tristan Kurt

All she had to do was force the money on his hand. He didn't want to take it. It wasn't to her. It was more of a personal favor, even though he had no idea who this girl was. The most he really knew about her was her name. Considering it was so long, he figured that she went by a nick name. "It's alright. But since you seem determined for me to have it. I wouldn't do this otherwise." He pulled one of the bills out of the bundle she gave him and handed one back to her. It was the least he could do.

He began to turn and walk off when she spoke back to him. He turned back to face her and raised his eyebrows. "Trouble?" She didn't necessarily seem like a people person, especially towards him. But he did understand that the word 'trouble' had multiple meanings to it. Slowly, he took small steps towards her. At least until they were the same distance apart that wouldn't freak her out. Sometimes, he just had a knack for it. "Follish? That was some of the best singing I've ever heard from another person. You seemed into it. I have never met one person around here who could actually seem about something that wasn't very depressing."

He realized that he had been playing with the dirt in front of him instead of looking at her. When he did look up, he was met with a pair of bright blue eyes. "I'd didn't introduce myself, did I? Tristan. But I can go by a nickname."

[Lotus]

Cole was thankful he'd taken the money from her, even when he did give a little back to her. She'd just try and say it was change and hope her step-family would believe her. She saw the look on his face when he turned back to her and she shied away from it a little. She couldn't full well tell him what happened at the house she lived in; she couldn't even call it her home. She didn't really know what to say back to him so she just shrugged her shoulders. She felt the ache across them from a fight a few days back where they'd put her in one of the smallest cupboards in the house as punishment; she'd spent hours in that cramped space.

When he started talking about her singing she took a step away from him. She knew music called to her in a strange way and she loved singing, but she knew she was no good at it; she'd been told often enough and she'd been pretty much banned from it by her step-family. She sighed and shook her head, "You can't have heard many people then 'cause I'm not good at it at all."

When she looked up after thanking him again she saw him looking at the ground. She couldn't help but look him over from where he stood. He was very good looking, but it could never work between the two of them. She was all wrong for him. Then all of a sudden he looked up and she felt her cheeks flush a tiny bit, worried he had caught her staring, but instead he told her his name. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Tristan..." She said softly, her eyes flickering away. She couldn't help but like the sound of his name coming from her.

[Hero]

Tristan Kurt

The change she gave back go him, surprised him a little bit. He didn't expect anyone to be either so generous or terrified of something. What it was, he couldn't name it, but he knew it was something. He knew that some people went to great lengths to protect someone. He could relate. With all his mother had gone through, he would do anything for her. Then he thought back to Nicolette. She must have a family. There must be someone with her.

"Do you have any family?" Dumb question, he knew. Of course she had family. But who was it. Maybe he knew them. "If I'm prying, I don't mean to. I was just wondering." the sun became hidden behind a group of clouds. The sky beyond that became dark, signaling rain. He knew he had to leave he didn't want to leave her. And yet she had simply told him that she had other places to be. There was still the unanswered question to her singing. "You may not think it's amazing but it is some of the best I have ever heard."

The moment she said his name, he loved it. It was different coming from another person. Sometimes his mom would say it in that disapproving tone so it slightly ruined the somewhat unique name for him. Every now and again, it was nice to hear it from someone was wasn't getting him into trouble. "I assume you can go by a nickname. Cole? Maybe?"

[Lotus]

Cole took a step back at his question, her eyes wide with fear. He'd asked such a simple question yet her answer was far from easy. Her life was complicated to bystanders, they tended to ignore what was right in front of them. When her step-family had friends over, she was treated like a servant and yet not one person batted an eye lid in her direction. Even the friends treated her like a servant and they all loved it. She shook her head slightly, leaning in to the wall beside her as she tried to get the breath back that she hadn't realised had slipped from her. She opened her mouth to speak, yet nothing came out.

She closed her eyes and decided simple was better. Opening her eyes again she looked to Tristan before looking beyond him. "I have a family, yes. Somewhere, dead or alive. But I live with my, my s-step-f-family." She ended up stuttering which showed her true fear towards them, even speaking about them. She shook her head as a tear slid down her cheek. She brushed it away, hoping he hadn't noticed it. "That's, that's why I can't sing or anything else..." She trailed off and pushed herself up off the wall, stumbling a little till she was standing incredibly close to Tristan.

She looked up just as he asked about her name. His eyes were so brilliant up this close and she felt her cheeks flushing all over again. She nodded her head softly. "I do, so you can call me Cole..." She said softly, her voice barely above a whisper from the nerves of being so close to him.

[Hero]

Tristan Kurt

He watched her. Not creepily, no. But in the way you watch someone when you know they have a million thoughts running through their mind. That kind of thing. He took a small step closer to her. "Tough subject I know, but what's going on inside that head of yours?" He noticed how the wind blew back her lengthy, dark hair. He saw how the dust around them only made her blue eyes look more prominent. The funny thing was, the sight if all if it slightly amazed him. The thought of someone being so 'perfect', per say, could live in a cruel place like this.

"Step family? If you don't mind my asking, what are they like?" He looked up and around. He glanced toward the clock, doing a slight double take as he notice they'd been standing there for about the last hour. Jeez, he thought. Time flies. "Why not? If you were a part of my family, I would love to hear you sing all the time."

Cole, he pondered. He looked back down at her again. "That's gotta be short for something. Nicole maybe?" He smirked a bit towards her, now noticing the even closer distance. Feeling a small bout of confidence, he slowly took her hand. Hoping for a miracle, he hoped she wouldn't pull away.

[Lotus]

Of course Cole realised how close they were standing. She shied away from it a little, only for her back to hit the wall they were standing near. She felt trapped, but at the same time she wanted to stay exactly where she was with this boy. Tristan. Someone that had noticed her for the first time in her life in a good way. She knew it was an odd question, yet it made it seem that he understood her. That he knew her life wasn't as simple as it could be and there was a lot of turmoil within it. She cleared her throat and looked away. "A lot of things... I..." She fumbled for words. "It's hard to explain so I won't bother you with it."

She laughed dryly at his statement about her singing, trying not to cringe away from having to talk about her step-family. She noticed him look around, and she sighed, knowing he'd have to leave and that would be the end of this conversation possibly forever. She would miss him. The little amount of time they'd spent together and she wanted more of it. It was silly really. "My step-family hate it. I abide by rules or I'm in trouble; one of those being I'm forbidden to sing. I think that says a lot about my step-family..." She took a deep breath as tears came to her eyes. "There's my step-mum and step-sister, and I'm...I'm..." Tears streaked down her cheeks. "I'm the servant..."

She looked away at that point, shying away from him stepping closer as she tried to calm herself down. Even then she felt his hand slip in to hers. She jumped from the contact and stared wide eyed down at their joined hands. Slowly, she let her gaze wander back up to his and she jumped again from how close they were. "No..Nicolette..." She breathed, as a few more tears streaked down her cheeks. "But you know that...you called my name..."

[Hero]

Tristan Kurt

Tristan slightly down and smiled before looking back at her again. "You wouldn't be bothering me at all." He stepped back slightly, giving her some space while looking at the clock. He turned to find her and mid-sentence and tried his best to catch up.

When she got to the part about being a servant. He nearly freaked. "That isn't right. You shouldn't have to work for the people who are supposed to love you." he brought a hand up to her face, wiping away a stray tear. "That does say a lot about them. But listen, just know that even though we barely know each other, you can come stay with us anytime.

He looked between the bustling square, her, and the clock. "I did know your name. I just figured that 'Nicolette' may have been just a cooler way of 'Nicole'. But Nicolette." He let her name roll off his tongue, loving the way it sounded. "it's beautiful. And listen, I have to get back to work. But here's what I want you to do. Meet me by the clock at 8. And maybe we can talk a little more? And dress kinda nice." He lightly kissed her cheek before turning and running off. He turned back and waved, hoping she could still see him. He then turned and ran back to his place behind the counter.

[Lotus]

Cole simply nodded her head in reply to him, not really understanding what was happening. She managed a small smile though when he turned back round and waved at her. She sighed though after his figure disappeared from her sight, because she was terrified of going home at such a late hour and terrified of trying to sneak out of the house to meet him again. She definitely wasn't going to blow him off, especially seeing as he wanted to talk to her. He was the first and she didn't want to give that chance up. The dressing 'kinda nice' part was going to be a challenge though, she didn't own nice clothes. After all, there was no point in having anything nice when there's no one to show them off too and she'd only dirty them whilst slaving upon her step-family.

She turned round and headed home, as quickly as she could. When she neared the house though the calm feeling Tristan had lulled her into feeling rapidly started to drift away. She was only left with terror and obedience. She reached for her key in her back pocket and slowly, and as quietly as she could, opened the front door. It didn't work though. The door was flung open and there stood her step-mother with a glare etched into her features. Cole was hauled inside and pushed against the nearest wall whilst the front door was slammed shut.

"How dare you come home at this time! It does not take hours to pick out our shopping! We've been waiting all this time and you missed making us our lunch!"

Cole was just about to apologise when a palm connected with her cheek. Tears rimmed her eyes and she whimpered, before trying to straighten her back. "I'm sorry ma'am. The shop has changed so everything is different." Yet still that excuse wasn't good enough, in other words, she'd wished she'd stayed quiet. Another slap resounded on her cheek and this time she felt thee sticky fluid of her blood dripping down from her step-mothers fingernails.

Her step-sister turned up at that point with exactly the same glare spread across her face. Her beating and berating went on for a good half an hour before she was dismissed into the kitchen to prepare their dinner. After Cole's so-called bad behaviour she had to make it up to them by making them a three course meal, that consisted of potato and leek soup for a started, chicken and vegetable main and apple pie for dessert. The whole of Cole's afternoon was spent preparing their meal and by the time she set them dishes down and was dismissed for the remainder of dinner she was exhausted.

Two hours later and all the washing up was done and her step-family had retired to their rooms for quiet time. Cole sank down to the floor of the kitchen and let her head roll back against the cupboards. Her feet ached and so did the rest of her body. Slowly, she pushed herself up off the floor and made her way to her room, in the basement. She flicked on her light and saw the state of her face. She cleaned it as best she could with her tiny bathroom, but still her cheek was swollen and her lip busted. She looked a state and her bed looked incredibly inviting, but she couldn't give in because she had to see Tristan.

Slowly, and carefully, she stripped her dirty clothes and washed herself down before finding a hand-me-down floral dress and baggy cardigan; the best she owned. She brushed out her hair and used it to hide her swollen cheek before going to her window and opening it as wide as it would go. She slipped out and left the window unlocked before walking into the night to meet Tristan by the clock. She just hoped the was on time.

[Hero]

Tristan Kurt

After his encounter with the girl, he went back to work smiling. His boss stood out front simply wanting and explanation. However, Tristan just walked right by him. Now in possibly the best mood of his life, his day went by a breeze. He took orders, stocked shelves, and everything in between perfectly. After so long, he had come down to the thought that no one could possibly dampen his mood. Except her not showing up, he thought to himself. Just as the thought had come to mind, he pushed it away. Not even wanting to have the idea planted in his mind.

Before he knew it, 7:00 rolled around. He began his evening run home. About 10 minutes later, he came thundering through the house. His mother looked up from her work and raised her eyebrows at him. "Hot date there boy?" Tristan walked by down the hall and faced his mom. "I do actually have one mom." He disappeared before he could see his mother's reaction, which was simply a smile. When he went back down the hall, he went into his room and looked over his relatively small closet. He finally agreed on one of his nicer shirts, vest, and dark jeans.

Before he went out, he checked his hair in the mirror, fixing each small curl to sit atop his head. He threw his high tops back on after cleaning them off. He decided he would walk back to the clock, not wanting to get sweaty. Then again, he was sweating bullets from nervousness. About 20 minutes later, he made his way into the square directly under the clock. On his way there, he strolled through a small florists shop and bought a small rose. He held the hand with the rose behind his back and shoved the other in his pocket, double checking that the money he had brought for dinner was still where he had left it. He checked the time on the clock.

Just as he looked back across the square, he saw her. Floral dress, cardigan, and all. He began walking across the square to meet her halfway. "Nicolette, you look beautiful." He brought out his hand from behind his back. "I hope this isn't too much."

[Lotus]

On the walk to the square, Cole kept her arms wrapped tightly around her waist and let her hair fall across her cheek that held the marks from her step-mothers nails and the cut on her lip. The cold wind kept blowing it though, and she eventually gave up trying to hide it as she walked. Cold got a fair bit of a shock when she saw someone walking straight towards her, but her body relaxed slightly when she realised it was Tristan. She was too busy staring at how good looking he looked in the light from the square and the way the wind swept his hair, that she missed what he said. It took her a good few minutes to clear her throat as her cheeks turned a bright pink. "T-Thank you." She stuttered out, not used to ever having any compliments sent her way.

When he pulled the red rose from behind his back she gasped slightly before shaking her head. She slowly unwrapped her arms from around her waist and took the rose in her shaking hands, "It's lovely, t-thank you." Her voice barely above a whisper. "Y-You look mighty nice yourself Tristan." She managed a smile, but it turned into a slight grimace from her busted lip and scratched cheek. She saw the concerned look on Tristan's face as his eyes tried to see the damage her hair was hiding, instead she tried to turn away.

"What d-did you ha-ve planned for to-night?" Her voice kept cracking and she cleared it, shaking her head as she berated herself.