A damsel in distress

It had been some lazy days. Usually, she wouldn’t be out drinking, yet she had decided to let down her hair; just enjoy the moment for a time. After all, some drinks at the bar with a colleague - what could go wrong? Turns out a lot…
At first, it had only been the colleague, Timo. After some awkward advances from his part, which she had shot down quite early on, he had decided to call for back-up. Or a wingman? Whatever. Joe, the ‘back-up/wingman’, had seemingly not understood that she wasn’t interested. It went from ‘pretty little lady’, to seemingly harmless attempts at getting her to go home with Timo. When she declined, got up to leave the party on her own, and pay for her drinks, the both of them got up. Seeing that they had been seated in the corner, she was now almost cornered by the two men; now insisting that she did as they said. Making comments like ‘it would be such a shame if something were to happen to her’, and ‘what if she didn’t make it home safely?’. Both of them were quite the deal taller than her, seeing that she was only just a smudge above the 5 feet. Her big blueish green eyes and long golden hair left her to look almost like a doll at moments, and since no one had ever seen her temper run off with her, they had gotten the idea that she had no temper at all. They were very much mistaken. However, she had no chance to stand up for herself, before a rather tough comment - dripping with lies, of course - sounded from a stranger behind them. Timo turned around, clearly displeased, and within moments he was thrown across the bar. Joe got an uppercut for intervening, and left standing was Lavender and this knight disguised as a stranger. She looked up at him, as she felt his eyes land on her. All she could think about was how she was going to need to find a new place to work after that. Timo was her supervisor… ‘’I’m perfectly splendid, thank you very much,’’ she said, smiling gratefully at him. ‘’I do not recall agreeing to put a label on our arrangement however? Since when did we become official?’’ she asked, clearly joking a bit about the ‘she’s my girlfriend’-lie. She didn’t mind the lie, in this case because she was clearly not in a position to object it. She fixed her dress, which Timo had been quite eager to slip a hand underneath. The rather short shirt had been moved up, revealing the pepper spray she kept at a clip in her garter belt. Living in Southside had made her painfully aware that Oregon was a quite safe place to grow up.

The words the men had spoken made Benjamin want to vomit. They were disgusting and didn’t deserve to see daylight again. But Benjamin tried to take the reins back form his moodswings, as soon as the hits had landed. He did not need to kill today – not today.
A slight smile formed on Benjamins lips at the blonde girl’s response. “Fantastic,” he said calmly. He turned his body towards her, almost towering over her with his 6’3 feet height. He chuckled at her comment, sending her a slight flirtatious smile, “Since you seemed to be in trouble, milady” he said in a charming voice, still slightly playing along as her boyfriend, if the two guys got to their feet and overheard their conversation. His eyes spotted how she fixed her dress, as if someone had tried to get into her panties. He sighed, trying to calm herself from beating both guys into unconsciousness. He was aware of her pepper spray, but it did not change his intentions of getting this unknown lady safely to her home.
“Were you about to leave?” he asked, shortly letting his eyes glance towards the exit. He would love to follow her home, making sure she wouldn’t get in any kind of trouble on her way, leaving her at her doorstop. As the tall beast he was, most troublemakers kept their distance to him, which was such an advantage.

It was quite clear to most people that attended the party at the bar, that Lavender had decided to leave. Apparently, it was only the two not-so-gentlemen who had objected to it in the first place. Calling it an early night was definitely what she felt the most like after that episode, and seeing as she had no apparent reason to stay - unless she really wanted trouble - she decided that it was for the better to get going.
Her knight in shining armor was quite a deal taller than her; over a foot, she guesstimated. As she stood there, looking up at him, she couldn’t help but smile as he played along just as well on the ‘lie’ from earlier. ‘’Oh, I was never really in trouble. I could drown them in their drinks if I needed to,’’ she said, trying to play tough. However, it most likely shined through her that she was anything but tough. She had been scared to her core by the thought of what Timo and his friend had in mind when they started threatening her, and it most likely showed.
As she had gotten her dress back in place, she looked down for a moment. She had clearly noticed the glance as she fixed the dress; now the stranger definitely was aware about what had been about to happen. Great…
‘’I was. I consider unwanted advances a great reason to excuse myself and retire for the night,’’ she explained, as he then asked if she was about to leave. She was indeed, and it could only be too slow. However, she knew that the possibility of him wanting to escort her home was in play - or, at least if he wanted to continue his knight in shining armor-appearance.

His head nodded from side to side, as she said she never were in trouble and what she could’ve done to them. “You looked like a damsel in distress, sweetheart” he chuckled, still ‘playing’ her boyfriend. He didn’t want anyone to think that Benjamin was lying and punching people whenever he felt like it. Even though it was for a good reason; she had been in distress and needed saving! He did his best to convince her, that she didn’t look as tough as she might’ve thought.
Even though he played her girlfriend, he made sure to keep a distance to her, so that she hopefully wouldn’t get anxious, but close enough for people to think they were a couple. It was a difficult place to be.
He gave her a slight smile, as she confirmed that she was about to leave. “That’s reasonable,” for a short second he pulled on a smirk, before he shook his head a little, clearing his mind. “I know it might be a stupid question – But do you mind that I follow you home?” he suggested. Even though he didn’t know her, it seemed like she could need some company and someone to make sure other creatures kept their respectful distance to her. No, she wasn’t the queen of England, but she was a living being who had boundaries. “Please?” he added with an innocent face. He already cared too much for her – typical.

To some, it would have been considered offensive; his statement about her looking like a damsel in distress. However, she smiled gratefully at him, before she shrugged. "Then let us say I was just that. Thank you for stepping in," she said with a soft smile before she looked over at Timo who had gotten up on his feet and fixed his hair and clothes to try and keep a straight face. He did however look rather angry, and for some reason it terrified her slightly. As a result, she stepped closer to Benjamin, trying to keep up the appearance that they were a couple. "Whatever you were smirking for, I suggest you keep a straight face for a moment longer, so that Timo doesn't try to punch your head off," she said, looking up at Benjamin. Then, her knight asked the 'stupid'question of being allowed to escort her home. A please was added, with an innocent face, and she chuckled softly. "How can I say no? But I was about to leave, so I would prefer to do so before the two morons from before decides to join us again," she said before she took a step closer to Benjamin; a way to insist on them leaving right away.

//sorry for the length, I am answering from a phone (but I couldn't wait to answer!) <3

He smiled quite so charmingly, as she thanked him. It meant a lot him. He hadn’t been a douchebag, to step in, or at least that was what she made him think. “You’re welcome,” he said in a lower voice, just as if they had been a couple.
His eyes noticed who she was looking away from him, in the direction of one of the boys he had sent flying. He was just about to comment, that she didn’t need to worry about them, when he was around, but she stepped closer. Following her instructions, he continued to smirk and gave her a sweet look. “Alright, but I think he should worry more than I,” he chuckled, even though it gave a hint that he could be dangerous – but maybe she had gotten the hint at the first sight….
Just to put a cherry on top, he let one of his hands rest around her waist. “Is this ok?” he whispered, keeping his façade up, even though he was slightly worried that it was too much, now that the quys had been so uncomfortable.
His smile seemed to be slightly brighter, when she agreed to let him escort her and stepped closer. “Do you have a jacket or anything to keep you warm?” he asked, as he began to lead her towards the exit and the wardrobe.

//It’s alright, length doesn’t matter to me, the content does! And it such great content! <3 <3

It was easy to tell that she wasn’t comfortable with the situation at hand. If Timo decided to make a fuss about what had happened, it was sure to end with at least one of the men being implicated in drawing blood. So, quite naturally, she had decided to leave. She had not been sure on if Benjamin would allow her to leave alone, and since she was quite aware that Timo might wanted her for himself for the night, she was better off allowing her rescuer to escort her home. After all, she was living at Southside. Worse thing than some benevolent stranger escorting her home could happen.
As Benjamin placed his hand around her waist, you could sense her tensing up a bit. Not because it was unpleasant, but he was still a stranger to her. Being touched by a stranger wasn’t her preferred way to spend an evening. He was however nice enough to ask in a whisper if it was okay, to which she gave a simple nod. “As long as we can leave sooner rather than later, then yes,” she answered in the same whisper as he had asked.
As his smile brightened when she agreed to escort her home, he had gotten the hint that she really wanted to leave. To that, he guided her towards the wardrobe, while asking if she had a jacket or something to keep her warm. At first, she didn’t answer, because it was a stupid situation in itself. Timo had picked her up after his shift had ended, so she had forgotten to even bring a coat in the first place. However, she knew that she could take a long warm bath when she got home, so she didn’t dread the trip home too much. “Quite frankly, I don’t. This evening was kind of a mess, to be honest,” she said, calmly. “Oh, and I do live at the Southside.. just a warning. I completely understand if you are not up for going there, however,” she said, as they had gotten to a distance where Timo wouldn’t be able to hear them.

//awh, aren’t you a gem <3

The decency he displayed by creating some distance as she tensed up simply assured her in her decision about him. If he was going to attack her, however, it wouldn’t be in a place like this. She knew that she could protect herself - but she had been caught off guard as the two men had decided to make a night out of it.
She always forgot. To that comment, she smiled a crooked smile, answering with a tiny “I guess so,”. However, for a brief moment, he had sounded just like Tic. A small feeling of being homesick had begun to grow in her, making her eager to go back to her flat and just hide away in the bathtub for a couple of hours.

He didn’t mind that she lived at the Southside. Most people actually didn’t, but she had learned to warn people before they decided to get back to her place, since some people hated that place. Why, she had yet to figure out. As they passed the wardrobe, she was given no choice but to wear his way too big leather jacket over her shoulders. “You really are a knight, huh?” She asked, chuckling. Timo and his friend had decided to sit down and drown their defeat in liquor; giving an evil look towards ‘the couple’ as they left.
Finally did they get to exchange names, which had been quite needed if they were to pretend a bit longer. “Oh, that’s right! I’m Lavie,” she said - her slightly French accent shining through and making it sound like she said La Vie instead. “Or, actually, it’s Lavender.” She said with a crooked smile. “But it’s easier and faster to call me Lavie,” she said, shrugging. “And it’s nice to meet you, Benjamin,” she said, smiling at him; revealing a diamond on her left cuspid. She was a girl with many small hidden features; a diamond on a tooth, a poem tattooed on her back, pierced ears that added up to twelve piercings in total. She rarely displayed it all though, since she was working on becoming a professional ballet dancer - and looking alternative in that field wasn’t widely accepted.

She thought he was a knight, funny. He chuckled and shook his head slightly. “I guess I am,” But it was debatable. Being a blood demon could be the worst with the mood swings that followed. A few times he was the villain – and a very bad one of them. Suppressing his mood swings, was just a way to get even worse. It was slightly cute, how she could almost swim in his jacket.

Seeing that the two men had sat down, made Benjamin lower his defenses just a tiny bit. Maybe, and hopefully, it would be a peaceful walk to her place. Their evil glances didn’t really matter, eyes meant nothing, if they didn’t act upon it. The door man didn’t even notice that he had gotten weaker, with the amount that Benjamin had taken. It was better to have some extra power to give from, right? Just in case she needed more than he thought, even though it seemed like she was a siren. Her smell, looks, elegance and there was just something about her voice.

Lavie… Lavender… Lavie indeed was easier and faster. “Nice to meet you too, Lavie,” he said, reciprocating the smile. He noticed the small shining stone on her tooth. It was a beautiful detail, which people only would be able to see if she liked the whom she talked to. It seemed like she cared about the small details and bringing attention to when she was smiling, just to add extra attention and beauty to the already gorgeous face. Thoughtfully he bit his lip, before he looked at her. “Did you know them?” he asked. Maybe they were just strangers who had been allured by her voice or looks. Or maybe, she knew them, and he might have to play hero another day, if they knew where she lived. Had he been reckless to call her ‘his girlfriend’?

She had stopped presenting herself as Lavender to most people. Some would without a doubt know that she had ties to the Circle, and she wasn’t about to put her aunt and cousin in danger because she had a hard time telling if people would be taking advantage of her or not. However, Benjamin seemed to be trustworthy enough to know her real name. After all, she had allowed him to escort her home; if she was scared of him, it wouldn’t take many moments to just enchant him with her song and leave him behind. What a cruel thought, she thought to herself.
As they started walking towards her flat, he asked the question that would make her sigh slightly. “Sadly, I know the guy you so elegantly threw across the bar. He is my supervisor at work,” she said, shrugging. “I had agreed to one drink, since he wouldn’t stop asking. I guess I know his reasoning a little better now,” she said, noticing that he had bitten his lip for a moment before asking her. “But what about you? Is this your everyday thing - rescuing damsels in distress?” She asked with a crooked smile, that once again showed off the shining stone on her tooth. To most, it seemed like a childish thing to have embedded in your smile, but to her, it was empowering. The diamond was her birth stone; a jewel given to her by the Circle’s leader when she was given her name. Most sirens from the Circle had a jewel somewhere on their being at all times. Men usually got it tattooed, women wore it as a piece of jewelry. Lavender, on the other hand, had it embedded in her smile.
“And since we are asking personal questions... what are you? You aren’t human, that’s for sure. A human wouldn’t be able to throw Timo across a bar like that.” She said, reasoning with herself how Benjamin indeed couldn’t be a human.

The joking certainly did help on her current mood; how could it not when such a charming young man preformed the joking itself? Then, as Benjamin continued to explain how it came naturally to him when damsels needed help. To that, she could only chuckle. “Then you are unlike quite a lot of the people I have met so far,” she said, before she looked at the sidewalk they were walking on; effectively looking away from him for a moment. Why? Because she felt like they had turned from joking to being way too honest.
Then, as she looked back at him - asking what he was - it seemed like he was ready to crack a wiseass comment, but as she elaborated, he refrained from doing so. Instead, he chuckled at her statement, before saying that he was a demon. To that, she raised an eyebrow. So, sirens, werewolves, shapeshifters and demons. She hadn’t gotten to know all of the races yet, and demon certainly was a new one to her. As he then returned the question, guessing she was a siren, she nodded calmly. “You are quite correct on that assumption, Benjamin,” she said with a crooked smile, before she returned her focus to the path in front of them. “I must admit, I do not know terribly much about your kind. You are the first one I have met - at least that I am aware of,” she said; not looking at him as she found it somewhat embarrassing. Living a sheltered life growing up, she had only met the selected few sirens, and the rest was humans. How stupid it all seemed now.

Benjamin smiled slightly at her discrete compliment. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said and looked over at her, checking if she seemed alright. She seemed very focused on the sidewalk. Had he said or done something wrong? Maybe it wasn’t everybody that ‘saved damsels in distress’, but in general he was just a very caring person, and it seemed like she did not know many caring people. “Does it keep you warm?” he asked, glancing at his jacket. It wasn’t like he wanted it back, before she got home, he was just checking that she felt okay. Even though it was slightly cold, he knew no matter what he wasn’t going to get sick. The jacket was exclusively for looks.

He smiled widely, as if he had won a competition guessing her race, even though it really hadn’t been difficult. She confessed that she didn’t know much about his race, and even though she didn’t ask about an explanation about what she had just met, he felt like he was obligated to tell her. “It’s alright,” he tried to reassure her that he didn’t mind her not knowing anything before they met. Maybe he could warn her about harmful demons? But what could he say that wouldn’t scare her away from him? He pressed his lips thoughtfully together.
“There is many kinds of demons. Most of us feast on souls, but one kind feasts on blood. We can change into a demon form. Most of us are not very nice,” Everything was said thoughtfully. As soon as he realized what he had said, he tried to straighten things frantically. “But I’m very nice and I do my best to only feed from volunteers,” he explained scratching the back of his head, looking at her with a slightly nervous, but big smile. This was not good. Would she be scared of his company? Would she feel obligated to volunteer?

As he said that he was sorry to hear that she was more used to meet the not-so-kind strangers, she shrugged calmly. "It is quite alright, I would say. Most of the time, I am able to handle the less pleasant encounters. I am just glad you were there this time, so that I didn't have to," she said in a soft tone. She wasn't quite helpless, but she preferred to not be a dangerous being. She had dealt enough with that in her teenage years.
As Benjamin then continued to ask if his jacket kept her warm, she looked at him with a bright smile. "It certainly does. Are you not cold yourself?" She asked. As a siren, she was were sensitive to the cold when not in the water. How did demons deal with cold?

When he explained about his race, telling her all about how his kind wasn't particularly nice, she raised an eyebrow. Then, he tried frantically to make up for it, while explaining that he was one of the nice and that he tried only to feed from volunteers, she chuckled calmly. "Easy now, Benjamin. You sound like you are scared that you dinner is going to run away from you," she said, jokingly, before she looked over at him. "At least you try to go for volunteers. That's a plus in my book," she said, smiling calmly. Then she looked up at the sky. "Sirens lure their prey into the water, paralyze them and pulls them down under the surface before they start to eat them alive." She sighed, before she looked back at him. Had she scared him off now? Most likely.

He sent her a crooked smile. She believed she could handle less pleasant encounters, so he had to believe her – right? “Well, I guess I should say; You’re welcome?” he said with a bright smile, chuckling a bit. He really didn’t mind being the big bad; if it was for a good cause, like saving damsels in distress. He just couldn’t stand looking a people hurting others, psysically or mentally. It reminded him too much of his father towards him or his sister.
Benjamin sent her a charming smile, as she replied. “No, not really. I mean, it’s chilly, but it doesn’t matter,” he said shrugging. “Don’t worry about me,” he tried to reassure her. It might have been his most used words in all of his life.

Her comment felt like she removed the boiling water from the heat. The nervousness fell with his shoulders, which he had elevated a bit. Scared that his dinner was going to run away from him? Was she suggesting that he drank some of her blood? He shook his head. No, she had to be more clear, if that was what she suggested. “No, no… I’m-” he shut up with a small frown. “Thanks. I’m just doing what I can,” he said, much more calmly than just a second ago. As she told about how sirens lured their pray into a trap, he just shrugged like it was nothing. “Lucky me that we’re no near water,” he chuckled. Such a smart-ass. He looked back at her with a calm smile. There was no need to worry; he wasn’t going to leaver her (or his jacket), just like that.

To most people, it would be quite obvious that Lavender couldn’t harm a fly even if she wanted to. She was soft, gentle and elegant. At least, that was what she was perceived to be - which was one of the contributing factors for Timo and his friend to think that they could do anything to harm her. They had been right - it would be a shame if she wouldn’t return home safely. Maybe it was for the better that Timo had been thrown across the bar by a stranger, rather than facing an agonizing death by the hunger of a somewhat feral siren. ‘’Please, don’t start singing about how you lassoed the sun,’’ she said in a chuckle, as he said his ‘you’re welcome’. Maybe she was just too big of a Disney fanatic, and he wouldn’t have the slightest clue to what she was referring to.
‘’I have to admit, Benjamin, that when you use such words… It makes me worry even more,’’ she said calmly, looking at the sidewalk on which they walked. She was so used to those words; ‘don’t worry about me,’ and ‘it doesn’t matter’. If her cousin wasn’t using them to describe his life before his fiancé, it was words used by her mother on the long hours at the hospital. All in all, she hated those words, truly. She then looked back at him, smiling softly.

The nervousness he had displayed seemed to simmer down as she joked about his dinner running away. To her, him feeding on volunteers was quite the normal thing. After all, she had done far worse when following her instincts, so that he tried to control his urges was quite impressive. Then, as he proceeded to shrug at her statement about how sirens would hunt and kill their prey - effectively showing her that he wasn’t scared of her on that account - she sighed rather relieved. '’I try my best to only be in the water when I’m alone. I prefer it that way,’’ she said, smiling calmly. ‘’No one around equals no one to harm,’’ she then added, even though it was quite obvious. ‘’So, Benjamin. What are your plans after you have delivered me to my doorstep?’’ she asked with a crooked smile. ‘’I would offer you a drink, but since I am quite unaware of the procedure, consequences and such, I guess that offer would be best reserved for another night,’’ she added. In all honesty, it was the least she could do, since he had saved her from her idiot of a supervisor.

Benjamin smiled at her, “So I shouldn’t’ tell you about how I I pulled up the sky or the islands I pulled from the sea?” he chuckled as he understood the hint from the Disney movie, saying it with just a bit of rhythm, even though it wasn’t near the song she was referring too. No, he didn’t know the lyrics by heart, but he knew some of it, mesmerized by the animation of the ‘demigod’.
When she expressed that she was worried he kept his eyes on the sidewalk just for a second while he thought of what would be the best words to come out of his mouth, but anything he came up with, might just lead back to where they came from. “You really shouldn’t be worried about me,” he said with a slight smile, hoping it would lighten her worry for an unknown person. He knew by experience that it could be quite problematic to care for strangers – even though he still did that himself. He was a strong demon, and he was going to be alright, as long as he didn’t give too much power away.

Benjamin listened to her, as she told about her and when she was in water. ‘No one around equals no one to harm’, seemed very logical, but it would certainly be a rather lonely world for some species, especially vampires and blood demons like himself who got that strong hunger for blood all the time. He nodded slowly. “That’s one way of keeping people safe,” he commented, keeping his eyes on the sidewalk.

His eyes glanced over at her, as she mentioned his name and he chuckled lightly when she mentioned she would offer a drink. “Another night can be arranged,” he said with a calm smile, already looking forward to meeting her again. She seemed nice and like a person he would want to be around, “But I’m planning on heading home when I know you’re safe and sound,” he explained and nodded, “What are your plans when I leave?” he asked tilting his head slightly.

“Oh, so you are a Disney fan as well?” She asked, smiling softly by the thought of sleepovers with snacks and dozens of Disney movies with unforgettable music and almost too boring plot lines.
“But don’t you see?” She asked, as he once more stated for her having no need to worry about him. “I worry because I care,” she explained in a soft tone. “It is not a matter of being intrusive or needing certainty in your well-being... it is a need to express that your well-being is something I care for,” she added, before she looked at him again. “Just as you cared for my safety when you threw a stranger across a damn bar,” she chuckled, before she looked ahead again. There she goes, developing attachments to someone she had no notion of would even want such an arrangement.

As she had explained how she tried to keep everyone out of harms way when it came to her in the water, he seemed to agree upon it at least being a way to keep others safe. It was, however, against her nature. Sirens lived in groups, yet she feared that tremendously. What if she harmed someone else? No... she would have to stay in this arrangement; her bathtub being the only place she would be in water.

Her offer of saving a drink for another night seemed to please him. Of course, who wouldn’t be pleased by the notion of free sushi? “It’s a date, then,” she said, not knowing that most people would consider a date to be something romantic. However, that was how she had ended up in that mess in the bar in the first place. “I appreciate the effort,” she then added, as he had mentioned going home after making sure she was safe. He was quite the gentleman, in her opinion. As he then asked what she planned on doing when he left, she chuckled. “I will be stripping off all my clothes and most likely fall asleep in my bathtub,” she said in her chuckle. She was a siren after all. Wearing clothes was so very unpleasant for her in general when she was close to her limit of when to be out of the water. “Do you live nearby?” She asked, smiling softly as she looked back at the sidewalk once more.

No karaoke. She couldn’t help but giggle by the thought. No one would want to do karaoke with a siren after all. ‘’Alright, no karaoke then,’’ she agreed, still giggling slightly. She did enjoy the calm atmosphere they seemed to be engulfed in as they walked to her place. As she lived at the Southside, they didn’t have to walk that far - even though she enjoyed his company. They had now entered the more shady part of the Southside, but as per usual, she wasn’t nervous. She did however want to keep an eye out. She had previously been cornered by some ruffians, but she had managed to get past them by charming them.
‘’Why I care?’’ she asked, raising her eyebrows slightly. ‘’You know what? Let’s just forget I mentioned it, okay?’’ She wasn’t going into detail with something she didn’t even understand herself. She did care, but why was a bit hard to explain when she didn’t know the reason. She wasn’t trying to sound rude or crossed, she simply wanted to spare the both of them a bit of misunderstanding.

As she realized the smirk on his lips was because of her choice of words, she couldn’t help but chuckle. ‘’I need to think a bit about my phrasing, huh?’’ she mumbled with a crooked smile. She had obviously not meant it as a romantic thing, even though she wasn’t going to deny things to happen if that was how things were to be.
He seemed to be rendered speechless by her comment, which made her smirk at him. ‘’Easy now, don’t choke on your words,’’ she said, smiling teasingly at him. ‘’And it is lovely. The lukewarm water feels amazing after a stressful day,’’ she said with a soft tone in her voice. ‘’Maybe it’s just a siren thing - or a me-thing? I don’t know.. But I love to take a rest in the bath,’’ she said, almost sounding like she was reconsidering if she was making any sense at all. With a curious smile, she looked back at the sidewalk. ‘’Aston, huh? I can’t say that I’ve seen much of that area yet,’’ she said with a shrug. As they neared her street, she began slowing down a bit, before looking at him.
‘’Hey… You know, we’re almost back at my place.. If you want, I could just find my own way for the last stretch so that you can get to Aston a bit quicker?’’ she suggested, suddenly stopping in the middle of a step. It wasn’t like she needed to hide her address or something, but she did somewhat feel like it was better to keep her flats’ location slightly private for the time being. Calmly, she took off the jacket, before handing it towards him. ‘’Oh…! Do you want my number or something? I do owe you a drink, after all,’’ she said with a careful smile, since she knew how she could be somewhat weird at the moment, like she was changing her mind over and over again - which she somewhat was. She knew that it was for the best to keep to what they both had said; he would go home once she was home as well, although a more instinctive part of her wanted him to follow her up to her flat.

It had not been to deny him understanding regarding her reasoning to care for him. She simply couldn’t answer any question on the matter truthfully, since she did not know the answers entirely herself quite yet. His ‘fine’, together with how he pressed his lips together, did weigh down her heart just a smidge. She did not like to make others upset… Calmly, she smiled at him, to ensure him that she meant no offense by the decision not to elaborate on her reasoning.
Not only was the Southside very different to where she grew up; it was truly an unpleasant place to be if you weren’t careful. It did made her feel safer to know that Benjamin had escorted her for most of the way - and the fact that he was a pleasant man how converse with just added to the experience.

As he showed by a hand gesture that he agreed on her need to think about how she phrased things, she smiled teasingly at him. ‘’Regardless of the nature of the appointment, I assume that calling it a rendezvous would make it seem even more intimate than what either of us had in mind,’’ she defended herself, still with a teasing smile. The way the french word passed her lips gave a tiny hint to the fact that she spoke french herself - and fluently, at that. As he reacted to her plans on getting naked and sleep in the tub, and she had told him not to choke on his words, it seemed like they had gained some sort of trust in each other to not misunderstand too much. He agreed to it sounding nice, as he looked up at the sky. She did the same, only to realize that it was rather late. Then, as he spoke again, she looked back at him. ‘’Oh! Well… It’s the only water I allow myself to be in, you see, so I spend a couple of hours there every day to prevent dehydrating,’’ she explained with a soft smile. Why she didn’t go near open waters, she had explained slightly earlier, but not completely. It was a secret only a selected few was entitled to know about.

Then, he asked is she had been in Aston besides that very day, and she shook her head slightly. ‘’I moved her less than a week ago. I do truly not know where anything is. I could get lost with a GPS embedded in my brain,’’ she admitted with a crooked smile on her delicate lips; a smile that showed off that diamond that was resting on her tooth once more.
As she stopped and suggested to walk that last few meters alone, he seemed displeased. He even frowned at her, which made her look down for a little moment. ‘’I know you don’t,’’ she said, as he stated that he wouldn’t mind escorting her to her very doorstep. ‘’It’s not that, Benjamin. It’s just… One step at a time, yeah? I know you aren’t going to eat me - or so I assume - but I like my privacy. And hey! Since I told you what my plans are for tonight, I wouldn’t want you to stand outside my window and peek at me!’’ she joked; winking at him to truly show that she simply jested. The wind was indeed a bit colder without his jacket on. However, she had deemed it for the better not to dwell too much; or else she might change her mind!
No phone? - that part surprised her. Had he escorted her all this way without a phone? - oh well, she didn’t have her own with her, after all. No place to put it in that little dress of hers. ‘’You threw it away, huh? - that sounds like an interesting story for another day!’’ she said, smiling softly at him. ‘’How about this then?’’ she asked, as she pulled up in her dress to show where her pepper spray was sitting in her garter belt. Next to it was a pen, and a key which had been tucked in under the lace belt to keep it safe. ‘’Do you have something I could write on? An old receipt or something?’’ she asked, as she picked out the pen from the belt and placed the tight skirt of her dress back in its place.

Benjamin smiled back at her, as he sensed her calm smile. He hadn’t taken anything personally, and neither should she. But the way she smiled, somehow gave him the impression that he might’ve said something wrong, and that weighed a tiny bit on his heart. But it was okay.

He chuckled shaking his head a bit, as she teased him back. “You’re right,” he chuckled, “That might just be a bit too early,” he added, not denying that it could be a possibility, but not saying it would be a possibility. The French word indeed gave some hint of the language was easily spoken. Benjamin was not in the same boat. He was a klutz with French.
He nodded to show that he was actively listening, “I actually didn’t know sirens would dehydrate if they weren’t in water,” he said thoughtfully. “Is it too difficult to drink the amount of water you need?” he asked, letting his thoughts run away with him.

He smiled a wide crooked smile, as she told him about how new she was to Gaia. He chuckled, “Well I guess you were lucky I showed you the way to Southside, new girl,” he teased with a smile that showed more of his teeth. Her smile was appealing, and he would love to see her smile more like that.
He smiled gently at her, as she looked down for a moment. He wasn’t trying to be mean or pressure her to let him follow her home. He nodded with an accepting smile as she spoke, which got wider as she assumed he wouldn’t eat her, and at last he started laughing when she spoke about her plans. “Alright, alright, I’ll keep my distance,” he chuckled, smiling widely and loving the way she winked at him. “Do you really think I’m perverted?” he chuckled, even though he didn’t really want to know the answer. Slowly his face got more neutral, “How long do you have home from here?” he asked and glanced down at the jacket in his hands, “You can borrow it all the way if you want?” he suggested and handed it to her.
Benjamin smiled and shook his head, as she wanted the story to be told another day. “Deal,” he said smiling. Benjamins eyes followed Lavenders hands, and was slightly surprised when she lifted up her dress. He looked away, like if he was scouting for anyone who might gain interest by the way she moved. He patted his pockets as she asked if he had anything to write on. Nothing. He looked back at her. “You can write it on my wrist?” he suggested handing it to her. “Uh, you might want to write it so I don’t have to read it upside down,” he chuckled. If she was confused about how she was going to write her number on his wrist, he would simply and gently guide her to stand in front of him, with left arm under her left arm; he assumed she was righthanded.