Not like the rest

Cain was for the most part a morning person, it was part of his schedule to get up early, before the city woke up and meditate. But some days, like this one, he skipped the meditation and walked around the streets taking in the silence, it was almost like a form of meditation, to see the city slowly come to life. He was supposed to do cardio that day but he really was not in the mood for it so he skipped it, telling himself he would just move it a day later. After some walking he ends up at a café he visits on days like this one where he is out early, mostly because its the only one he knows about that opened early enough to enter. The place was usually pretty empty, only having a few that started work very early, like certain construction workers, or those who had to work when there was no traffic, or preparing for people getting up, and of course the occasional travellers getting food before leaving or when arriving. But today was one of the more quiet days, which suited him just fine, less noise and a clearer head while thinking, taking in the nice smell from the new baked products behind the counter and the newly brewed coffee. But the smell alone would have to suffice as his fasting would not let him eat this early in the day.

He was sitting by the window further inside the café enjoying his cup of herbal tea, looking outside blankly not really thinking about anything, just being. So when the woman came in to the place he noticed her right away, shambling inside looking like she had been through a rough night by her appearance, it came as a surprise when he noticed it was one of his kind, a clergy. Most of their kind was very in order and proper, he considered himself very out of the norm, as hard as he tried to stay inside it, but she looked worse off, on the outside at least, but then again he didn't know what she had been through so it could have just been a one time thing, until he noticed her spiking the coffee she ordered. It made him smirk to himself as he now knew it wasn't a one time thing, she was more like him than the average of their kind. By the looks of her she didn't seem to have much, maybe this one was a lost clergy? Maybe she had never been taken in and taught their ways, regardless he felt bad and wanted to help. So he got up and ordered a newly baked still warm whole grain French bread with leafy greens, tomatoes, cheese and chicken in it and walked over to her. He placed the bread on the table and pushed it over to her side. "Here, its on me, i promise its a lot better than what you have there." he said with a warm smile, trying not to be too intrusive but at the same time trying to be a bit pushy, knowing she might be too stubborn to accept. The plain bread she had did not seem appetizing, nor did it seem to have any nutrients for her. "Do you mind company? You can keep the bread regardless" he continued with a slight chuckle, making sure she knew his company was not the condition for her to keep the food. He waited patiently for her response, if she refused he would just go back to his own table.

Cain was happy to hear she didn't mind him sitting down with her and he was not at all surprised that she wasn't interested in conversation as she didn't look it. "Fair enough" He sat pulled out the chair and sat down, watching her with a warm smile, almost bubbling with happiness, for some reason he couldn't stop smiling, its not like that day was different than any other day, it was more that he was excited to meet her, something he hadn't felt in a very long time. There was something about her that made his curiosity spike, almost having to force his mouth shut because he could feel she was not in the mood for questions. She seemed young, but appearances was always deceiving, he had been noticing that more and more lately, he definitely saw her as younger than him, but that could be the complete opposite for all he knew. He noticed how she studied him, probably trying to figure him out, to him she almost seemed like a wounded animal looking out for danger, deciding if he was a predator. He wondered how much she knew about being a clergy, how perceptive she was, could she read him for more than just what she could see with her eyes? Meeting new people of his kind was never really special, usually for him it had been through his duties, rarely meeting them in his off time, and he was sure she was different than his usual company. To someone reading him it might seem like he was watching her like an animal performing at the zoo, but to him it was far from it, it brought back some memories of him first meeting his mentor, one of the few times he could think back with happy thoughts. Even if they barely had spoken, he felt somewhat of a kinship with her, which probably was the main reason he was so interested in her.

He noticed how reluctant she was with the bread he gave her, again not a surprise but he wondered for what reason, stubbornness? picky eater? or just cautious of him? But then he saw it, the way she looked into his eyes, trying to figure him out, he kept his smile up and just kept eye contact with her seeing if she would read him, almost challenging her to try, but as a friendly test. So she was cautious of him, that was good, one could never be too careful with strangers, but he wondered if she could tell that he was like her, a clergy, she had to right? He thought about telling her the same old that he was used to, trying to help out the community and a fellow clergy, it wasn't a lie, but she seemed to be one that didn't care for BS or corporate answers, and besides, being brutally honest was probably only a healthy solution for her suspicions of him. "Honestly..? You look like you've had a shitty night, and you don't seem like the rest of our kind.. so I'm curious" He said all while still wearing his smile, unintentional at this point. "Believe it or not I've been where you are" letting out a soft chuckle at the end. Thinking quickly back to his days in Paesan almost fondly, noticing that the memories he recalled around her somehow had a different feeling to them. "Only i was lucky enough to have people around me for support, figured you could use some too. But I'll be quiet" He said only for his eyes to light up a bit and following it up quickly "Oh and the bread is free, no strings attached, promise, ait" Then clamping his lips shut, gesturing his hand to them as if he was closing a zipper then returning to his smile, crossing his arms continuing to watch her, fully aware that he probably seemed weird, but he didn't care because he found himself funny, besides no one ever brought out anything out of him that early so he was just riding the train, just waiting for her to get tired of him.

Having his full attention on her he noticed her questioning how he could possibly know what situation she was in, but decided not to elaborate further on what he already said, if she was really curious she would obviously ask him herself. She did say she wanted peace and quiet so he was going to try to honor that, try being the keyword, testing the waters so to not overstep. Growing up he had extensive training in his senses and plenty of practise on countless people, and even with the recent problems clouding his mind, he was still very capable and thought he would not have much problem reading her. The only variable being how proficient she was in hers, as he knew basically nothing about her she could be outplaying him, or the complete opposite and almost being an open book mind wise.

His face had almost returned to a natural state until he saw her pick up the bread and took a bite, bringing the smile right back, if this kept up he could almost consider it a workout, not having used his face muscles like that in a very long time. He was happy that she finally started eating, her suspicions were obviously not gone, but at least she was eating, and that was a start, he could tell she was clearly starved by the way she was eyeing the bread. By the way she was chowing it down he was expecting hiccups would be arriving shortly after, holding back a chuckle, not wanting to discourage her in the slightest. "Yeah i really do" he said through a smirk, tilting his head slightly to his side. "When was the last time you had a proper meal hm?" The question was genuine but more of a point than a question, he knew she was not eating well, that was obvious, whatever situation she was in, she was definitely struggling with getting enough to stay above starving.
He had been in the café many times before so nothing distracted him from her, the only thing that kept his curiosity, so when she looked at her empty cup he let out a chuckle because he knew that look all too well. "Go ahead, i don't mind. If im being honest, that's what made me take interest in the first place." He said while leaning back into his chair, one arm hanging off to the side, feeling like he could be more casual around her, there was no way she would care if he was proper or not. "So what's your poison?" He said with a smirk, seeing how similar she really was.

His reply clearly wasnt what she had expected and it showed in an expression of confusion, a small frown and then her shaking her head like she decided that it was all up to him with what he did or didnt like. She had to focus on eating her meal instead and savour the fact that she probably wouldnt eat this well for a while. It wasnt that she had been starving but eating bad food has definitely become a part of her routine. Her cheeks were hollow, but not in a super noticable way, more as if she was just skinnier than most. His quesion made her frown as she looked down at the bread between her hands. “A week. Depends what you even think a proper meal would be. For me it’s enough to keep me floating,” she said, keeping her eyes on the sandwich before she felt like having her drink.
This guy really was a bit of an oddball wasnt he? Allowing her to drink as if he understood just exactly what she was going through? “You say that as if you know” she mumbled, but took out her hip flasl anyway. Instead of answering his question, she stretched out her arm and offered him a taste for himself. Surely it was a little unethical to be drinking. In the morning and without reason, but she hadnt considered whether he had special plans for today or a job that needed to be takan care of.
She frankly didnt really know what she liked, just anything that could numb her mind for a bit. He probably wouldnt like the content of the flask seeing that it was just a big mixture of anything of alcoholic nature that she could get her hands on. How old it may be was also only something the gods knew. But it was as if it was her way to determine whether he was trustworthy or not. If he didnt accept she would take a sip herself and barely react to the taste. But she would also stay tense and suspicous.
“So you’re a clergy too?” She finally asked after a while, hvaing put down the bread to let her stomach adjust. Downing a whole sandwich like that in no time would just make her throw it all up again and she thought it had been too good of a meal to risk it.

Her definiton of a proper meal told him what he already knew, she might not have been as starving, but from what she said she was not getting what the body needed, pairing that with alcohol and whatever else he didn't know about, she was not going down a healthy road. Not that it was any of his business, he didn't judge, partly because it was the way he was taught but also because he related to some degree, he could at least say he had positive influences keeping him on a good path, that being very up for debate of course. He felt bad for her but was not about to let that show, pity was not something she needed, nor something someone like her would want in the first place, so he let the thought pass.
Her reply was framed in a way of inviting a reply to it but he wasn't going to give one, not one that she wanted anyone. "Know what?" replying in a curious way, pretending not to understand what she was on about, but being rather obvious about it in a teasing way. As she offered her flask his first instinct was to say no, he related to her and didn't judge her for it, because he did drink often aswell, but never really outside a bar or his apartment. But he realised it would probably ease her suspicions of him if he accepted the offer, the main problem was really the public image. As he wasn't really worried if she could see his "bad" traits, there was only one person that could be a witness, the parson behind the counter, but if he turned to check on them, he would give off the impression that he was second guessing the drink, being too good for it or any other suspicions she had on him. So he kep his eyes on her and focused on his peripheals and his senses to feel if they had their eyes on him. Feeling out of sight he took the flask and had a quick swig of it, giving it back to her. The drink wasn't really stronger than what he was used to, but he could tell it was a mixture of things that definitely did not go together, his composure being fine but losing his smile from the ruined taste, knowing that was not the point. "Your mixing could definitely use some work" he said jokingly pulling his smile back like an idiot.
While she ate his mind started to drift slightly in the silence, thinking of ways he could help her out in a way she would accept it, he knew she was suspicious of him, but would that be the only reason to refuse help or would she be too stubborn regardless? He had to feel her out before even bringing it up, knowing more about her was cruical to finding ways to help.
"I am yeah" His face giving off some curiousity as he replied. If she had to ask then her senses was not trained, the only clergies he had met that had trouble sensing their own kind were students. Did that mean she had never been taken in by their kind before? It would explain why she was in a rough spot, whatever that was. But he did not want to question her about it, could be a sensitive subject so he put a pin in it for another time, if there would be one. "Been doing the duties for a long time now.. What about you?" He asked with a more serious face, leaning forward on his elbows, tilting his head. "What do you do?" having a very faint smile. Reminding himself about the treading waters, questions like that could be very volitile depending on what was going on in peoples lives. From what he had gathered there was no way she was a temple clergy, lacking training and struggling the way she was.

He scoffed through his smile at her harsh retort, he admired her brutal honesty, it was a rare and refreshing trait and the attitude came to no surprise to him seeing as the situation she was in, but it wouldn't stop him from being the opposite. Smiling, still unknown to him why he felt like he could lower his shoulders around her. There was the fact that she was not as serious as other clergies and that he could relate to her more in that regard, even though it wasn't a part of himself he liked. It was also odd to him still that the memories he always considered bad was thought of in a better light when she was the one making him think of them. It was obvious what the alcohol was for, he sought it out for the same reason and when tasting the different kinds in the flask that did not fit with each other it was pretty clear she just mixed what was available, he was familiar with the practise himself way back. "Yeah.." He said under his breath, if she stole it or not was of little consequence to him, especially when she was in a situation where just living would be a hardship.
He already knew that there was no way she had any experience in the clergy life, but actually hearing her questioning their duties removed any remaining doubts about the subject. He wondered what it was like, how could she not feel the calling, or the need to work, every clergy he had met had that uncontrollable honour and faith towards their god, so he was curious to how she could live without doing what she was made for. He mentioned earlier how he had been in a similar place, but even then he still did part of his duties, though bare bones and very lacking, it was still something, and only because of a compromise he did with the people he was staying with. Every Clergy knew about the absolute loyalty demanded by Justiae and the swift correction that would happen if that bond was broken, but personally he was never worried about it because he could never see himself breaking it, and not out of fear, but losing that admiration for them was impossible, there was nothing they or anyone else could do to change how he felt about them. So how did she feel about their God? She was alive so that had to mean she still had faith right? but then if she did why didn't she attend any duties, the only explantation he could think of was that she was never taught them and would therefore be lost.
It Sounded like she didn't have a job or even a place to stay, no friends that could support her through the struggle. He squinted his eyes slightly while processing what she said, letting her finish her meal in peace. After a better clarification about her situation he realised that it was around what he expected, though some details being unexpected, but was a scavenger that had nothing and nobody. "And how long have you lived like this?" His tone getting more serious as it was not the time to be funny. Judging by her character he assumed she had been a scavenger her whole life, getting by better sometimes but never truly in a stable position. He was happy to see she finished the meal, knowing it would boost her body for a while, but he knew that it was not enough to just buy her breakfast, he made up his mind that he was not going to let her go without finding a way to help her out. "Did you never feel a calling towards the temples? To Justiae..?" having a slight concern in his voice.

She wasnt expecting him to view her as someone who had their life in order. Because in all honesty, order was something that was probably on a far low of the list of things that she was supposed to be doing. Even though he asked his question, she didnt reply just right away, taking her time to finish the meal he had gotten her. She finished the bread and licked off the breadcrumbs from her fingers before wiping her hands in a napkin. His question seemed rather serious and she made a small sigh like she wasnt really sure what to tell him. “Well what day is it?” She asked before she shook her head and waved a hand on him like she didnt want the answer afterall. “It’s been a couple of years,” she said.
Another question. If she had heard a calling? The only calling she had ever felt was to do whatever she wanted. She hadnt felt the obligation she knew that most clergies would feel eventually. She had always just thought that she would feel it someday. But someday turned to most probably never as the years had gone by. This reminder just felt like it was being rubbed in her face. That she was odd, stood out and didnt belong. She lifted a hand and rubbed under her eye, smudging the dark lines of makeup leftovers that she always had. “No,” she said after having giving it some thought. Maybe a lie would have been better. “Never in my life have I felt the stupid calling,” bitter words spewed from her mouth.
But then she frowned and crossed her arms as a passing thought struck her mind. Was he pitying her? Was that why he had bought her a meal? Another thought crossed her mind but this time she spoke from it. “You think I’m homeless and starving,” she almost accused him with a voice of disgust at the mere thought. A small smile spread on her lips like she almost found it absurd. “I’m not homeless. I just dont like being home all alone!” she then said, before she looked down. Her eyes darted a little from different point on the table like she was deep in thought, but she looked up at him again after a while. “Just say it. You think I’m fucking weird,”

As he was about to humour her and mention the day she stopped him with her gesture, making him just close his mouth, letting out the air through his nose as he shook his head at her answer. Something he was taught very early on by his mentor was the fact that the relationship between them and their creator was something special that no one else could feel, that each one was private and different, so he took a risk by asking her about it knowing it could backfire. From her tone he could tell it was very fragile, either there was something wrong or she did not care about the clergy life, or more like hated the expectations that it held. But if it was the latter it raised the question to how she was there in the first place, Justiae having a zero tolerance for disobedience. He hadn't picked up anything special about her aura, and she was clearly a clergy, her even admitting that, so he was confused, but let it rest for another time, caulking it up to be a complicated relationship. "I see.." acknowledging it but leaving out his thoughts on the matter to make things worse.

He saw her tense up and cross her arms, knowing he had probably said something wrong or added to her suspicion somehow, waiting for her to lash out. When he heard what she said however made him relax his shoulders again leaning back into his chair because he made it no secret how he saw her situation, even though he didn't say it outright. "I mean, yeah? Maybe not in a literal sense but am i wrong?" he said with lifted eyebrows and an open questionable gesture with his hands towards her. "Yeah? And you scavenging and stealing from strangers just to buy a small piece of bread that wont stop your hunger, that's not being starving? And your home, that happen to be yours? and inside?" His tone might have seen sarcastic but it wasn't meant to be, it was more him questioning her honesty in her outbursts. He let out a big sigh "Look.. I'm not judging you, or saying that you cant handle yourself, put your pride aside for a second and honestly think about your life, then tell me you don't want something better." He was serious and spoke with a soft tone as to de-escalate the tension, he could understand feeling like being in control or wanting no help but in his mind there was no way she wouldn't mind having a safe place to live, not having to worry about food or stealing to get by.
Her accusation caught him off guard and made him laugh, tilting his head back a bit as he did. "That's what you're worried about?" chuckling a bit after his reply as well. Sure he could understand her worry, a lot of people he had talked to was scared to be thought of as weird or out of the ordinary, but to him that was a good thing. "That depends on what you consider weird. You stand out for sure. But why is that a bad thing? Do you want to be like everyone else?" He said with a curious smile

He looked down at the table, nodding gently with a vague smile after her outburst. "That's fair" With the way he pushed her he probably deserved what came back to him, aside from it likely feeling like some sort of integration, it might also have sounded like he was scolding her like a child saying she needed to get her life together. He had a lot of experience talking to all kinds of people from all ages and background, but his preaching side was probably something he could never fully get rid of, or maybe it wasn't him but the fact that he was a clergy in a comfortable position and that would just always seem like he was talking down from an ivory tower to certain people. He knew for sure that if he met her some years back the conversion would be very different to the one they were having now, him being in a much more relatable place. Everyone's definition of better would be different, so him rounding up things probably wouldn't mean much aside from maybe making her think about it. "You telling me you never fantasized about your future? Or another life?" he said calmly, leaving it at her own thoughts instead of pushing new ideas that might not even fit for her. Besides, he wasn't there to tell her how to live, if he could help her find a better way then that would be a good start. He wanted to make sure she knew he didn't want to control her life, only support it.

His smile faded as she continued talking about how people saw her as weird and not like everyone else, the odd one out. His eyes drifted from her out to the room with his thoughts about back when he felt like that, and to the moments that still pushed that view to this day. But then as she accused him of the same thing as everyone else his eyes darted back to her quickly but as he opened his mouth to respond she got up from the seat and went outside. His eyes traced her out then slowly went back to the empty seat, closing his mouth with a sigh, biting down on his teeth. She wasn't wrong, he did look at her different, but not in the way she said, or not with the same view on mind at least.
He sat in the chair for a short while thinking, starting at the crumbs on the plate. Something came to his mind but he wasn't sure if it would be a good idea, or if it was possible in the first place, it would definitely be frowned upon, not that it would stop him from trying, but he would have to revisit the thought at a later date, it would be way to soon this early. He got up from his chair and walked at a slow pace out the café and leaned against the wall on the side with his shoulder, crossing his arms, keeping some distance between them, letting her have some safe space. He focused his eyes on her cigarette for a moment, tempted to pull one out himself but managed to tear his gaze up, maybe later, not now. "I know i probably came off as a pompous asshole, i apologize for that" He had a more serious but relaxed face on him now, ditching the overly happy act as it probably did more harm than good with her. "Can we start over? My name is Cain, Cain Hyde" He looked around outside, a family catching his eyes for a moment, seeing how happy the kid was made him feel some of it too. He never had that with his own parents as a child, but he was never bitter about it, he had forgiven them a very long time ago for it, and he could still recognize the feeling from others. "You know, it was never about pity, it was about compassion, for one of my own.." A small smile growing on his lips, but this one more of an uncontrolled action he didn't notice himself.

His question in the café had felt like an accusation, because it was as if what she had now wasnt enough for her. The only reason she seemed so sour about it as she had when he had asked about her life was because of all the others that had gasped or pitied her for her way of life. She was still walking and living, so why was she supposed to change? People could have their presumptions and their morals and whatever bullshit that they used to feel better than; But Mickey despised the way people looked at her when they did. And she was sure that was the way he saw her now too. What made him different from everyone else?
She lit her cigarette and smoked it rather aggressively, feeling her throat dry up by the extensive inhales that she took from the little bud. She would end up coughing in a bit if she kept going like this. She noticed him in the corner of her eyes but folded her lips instead of lashing out with some snarky remark. She was rather good at that otherwise. Remarks and pushing away, confront but for no gain than the quarrel. He apologized and it made her look rather confused but she wasnt looking at him not at first at least. She slowly turned her eyes to him, noting his name as he spoke it. Hyde. She thought about how it would sound if she tried to say it. Not that she had a better name, it was just a little peculiar in her eyes, or ears.
He looked at the family but she kept looking at him, like she once again needed to determine whether he was danger or safe. For some reason an inbetween wasnt an option in the matter. “Compassion for your own?” She asked like she couldnt quite understand. She realized he had made her pause from smoking so her throat wasnt drawing knots on itself. She sighed and looked back at the family just they were reaching outside her field of view. “I wasnt brought up like everyone else. Which probably is why I dont live like everyone else. But I dont hate the way I live life, it’s all I’ve ever known,” she said, unsure where the sudden urge to explain herself came from. Maybe she was just hoping that there would be a first one who understood rather than shunned her.

"Mhm" He he hummed back "You're a clergy, but more than that, there is something about you that is more comforting than others of our kind.." He said with a light frown on his brows, as lost in thought. "But i can't quite figure out why.. your lifestyle is a reflection but not the reason" He shrugged and turned his back to the wall, fully leaning into it and looked out into the open streets, listening to her explanation for the way she lived. The first things that came to his mind was the usual preacher responses like pond fish that never knew of the ocean and the other saying he had used before on people living in content with whatever life they had. He brushed them all away, he didn't want to talk to her like she was part of his duties, and even if he did try, he figured it wouldn't work on her, maybe because she would see through it or maybe because they didn't apply to her at all, like she said, she didn't hate her life.
Instead of trying to convince her he did the opposite, putting himself in her place for a better understanding, and without realizing it he had gone against what he had been working on forgetting for a long time. For a clergy living how you were taught was normal, the duties had remained the same for generations and would continue to be the same probably until the end of time, only the means adapting with new times and technology. But ones private life could be ever changing and adapting, exploring and chasing new things so it wouldn't really compare with her situation in his mind. But one part of his life was different to the rest, bad memories he had tried to avoid in the hopes of forgetting, now visited in a new light made him remember how he missed them, as bad as they were he still didn't want to change them and when he left with the change he was preaching it wasn't a nice feeling, leading to a downwards spiral he still felt he was in. Change wasn't always a good thing, and he realized regardless of what he would say, better would always be different in another's eyes. Maybe he didn't fully understand her view, he could definitely relate in his own way. He snapped out of his thinking and looked slightly in her direction with a faint smile "Well, you are still kin to me" He said with a low voice, looking back forward. "Regardless of how you chose to live your life, calling or not, that part won't change." He looked up into the cold grey clouds, smiling to himself feeling content in not doing what he originally set out to do. "But if you ever feel the urge to explore our world, i would be happy to teach you, i have a pretty good couch you can crash on should you ever want or need that as well" Then turning his head to her "No pressure, just saying the offer is there whenever" taking in a deep breath before exhaling it through his nose, seeing a faint cloud form from it. He knew he would seem really forward with the offer, but he felt a strange connection to her, and besides, he didn't fear death, nor did he have anything worth stealing in his place, so there were no real consequences in his mind.

His gaze followed the trail from the cigarette, seeing the smoke dissipate, then returning his look to her as she voiced her fear of being an outcast and unwanted by their kind again. He let her finish uninterrupted before he was going to make sure she knew that it wasn't like that at all, but as he opened his mouth to speak he saw the conviction in her eyes and he shut his mouth with a slight sigh. His words would probably not convincer her alone, it was something she had to experience on her own, he understood her worry because he lived it. When he came back from his pilgrimage he changed a lot and he could feel judgement in the people around him, it didn't last forever, but the time it did, was not a pleasant time. But he was confident that he could make the time better for her, because she would not be alone. She also seemed very adamant on the calling which was fully understandable for a clergy, but it seemed to him like she thought without it she would never be accepted, or would not be able to take the path it would lead to.
He looked down as he smiled faintly, maybe he was being weird, he knew he was definitely acting abnormal around her, he had not felt like he did then in what seemed forever ago, but he didn't think too much of it, it was an interesting development that he hadn't anticipated when starting the conversation with her. Then as soon as she hinted at maybe wanting to learn, his head perked up and he looked at her with feeling excitement but playing it cool to not overwhelm her with everything he could say. "Well, if I'm being honest there is probably a lot of things that might seem tedious before you understand how important they are.." He said in a thoughtful tone, the duties of a clergy was generally not a very exciting time, especially if someone was used to pretty much anything else, but it did have many truly remarkable days in there as well. "But before any of that you have to learn the natural gifts that you were born with" He said more confidently, remembering what he was taught, their gifts was the foundation of their being, and would help them perform their duties. He looked straight ahead again, looking at the cigarette on the ground, feeling a craving for one. "It all depends on how much you are willing to commit to it i suppose, if you want to just learn the talents our creator granted you, or if you want to go beyond that." He knew as well as any clergy that the learning did not have an end to it, there was always more to understand, ways to further develop their talents, even for a master. Thinking about it made him quickly remember how he had been struggling with his own gifts for a while, still trying to get back to when he had more control over them.

She would probably never understand where the kindness was coming from. He said they were kin and that there was something special about her. Only that she couldnt understand what he meant at all. It made her only feel that more suspicious of him and his intentions. Mickey wasnt that used to kindness so it wasnt weird that she was feeling a bit on guard over his continuous friendliness. The mention of natural gifts made her eyes flicker for a moment in a subtle way, like she realized she was supposed to have those. Only that she didnt from what she knew. Not that she had been actively looking but she knew of the current abilities that she had and how they had sort of always just been known to her. “Beyond and what? Devote my life to bettering horrible people?” She asked, almost mocking but it wasnt like she meant to. She just had a sharp tongue and a quick hand on the trigger when it came to speaking over thinking.
“I’m not sure it’s something for me,” she said but at the same time, it just felt safer to try and push it away rather than confront and deal with it. Mickey wasnt that used to defeat, at least not in things that she cared for. And he may have seemed patient and friendly now but she had seen patience and warmth switch to anger and cold. She made sure to know where she could go, if and only if she decided to go, to find him. She wanted to keep coming off as if she was indifferent to the matter. “You probably shouldnt expect to see me,” she assured him like she needed to, looking at the paper with the address. She sighed and shook her head before her phone started beeping in her pocket. She didnt even pick it up but simply told him goodbye. If she had had any manners she would have thanked him for the meal, but she didnt really have many if some at all.

Time passed and it took aproximately a bad night a week and a half after their meeting for her to gather her things and go. She had saved the paper in the casing of her phone so she wouldnt lose it, though it felt a little bitter to have to admit her wrong. She went to the area scribbled down and looked around. She was wearing or had been wearing a fresh face of makeup that was now smudged, if by hand or tears, it wasnt very clear. She felt cold but she hadnt been wearing much to begin with. It wouldnt have been bad if the night had gone like she had hoped for. She stopped at the apartment, ringing the door bell, hoping that he was home. But even if he wasnt, she would just sit down next to the door and pull her legs in to wrap her arms around her kneecaps. It had been raining so she was shivering, but also fighting the shivers to not seem cold. Her jacket looked warm but it really wasnt. It was just big and puffy but not isolating in any regard. One cold wind and she was bound to freeze.

Maybe he hadn't been as clear as he should have been, but he had always seen it as very up in the air and up to each one to find out and understand in their own way, so i was difficult to explain, but from what he had gathered from her so far it could also be personal things, yeah that was probably it, maybe she wasn't ready, or wanted more control over the offer in some way. It didn't matter too much what the reason was, if she lived in this city it was only a matter of time before they would find each other again, maybe things would be different then. So he let her be and just kept a slight smile and nodded as responses. "Well, ill give you the address so you at least know where i am should there be anything" He said as he got out a small almost empty notepad and a small pencil, writing the address to his apartment and held it out to her. He noticed the phone making noise but didn't think anything of it, darting his eyes to her pocket automaticity as a reaction but then back up front of him again as she left. "See you around.." he said under his breath, sure that he would at some point. As she faded in his peripherals he reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a cigarette pack, pulling one out, placing it on the edge of his lips as he put the package back and pulled out a lighter, holding a hand over as he lit it. he put the lighter back and did a big inhale of the smoke before blowing it out again like a sigh. "Yeah.. I'll definitely see you again.." speaking softly as he looked up into the sky, knowing she would either come to him, or he would find her, wherever she was.

It had been raining most of the day, but lucky for him he had been inside the temple most of the day, spending most of the day studying and reading up more on history, both on stuff he knew to keep it updated and making sure not to forget it, but also some areas he was less familiar with. On his walk back it was still raining, though the umbrella he brought with him kept it mostly off him, halfway home the rain seemed to stop and as there was no longer a need for the umbrella he closed it, getting closer to his home. As he got closer to his apartment building he could see someone sitting against the wall next to the door but couldn't tell who it was, with a worried face he got closer to them wanting to see if anything was wrong, they where clearly wet and cold seeing as they were shivering and he wondered how long they had been sitting there, and why there, it wasn't like there was much shelter outside the building. He was surprised when he got close enough to recognize her but didn't say anything, just smirked as he tapped his folded wet umbrella against the ground shaking off all the water from it before taking it inside. He put in the code to get inside the door and it being on a short mechanical timer he just walked inside towards the stairs "You coming?" He said rather indifferently as he passed her, leaving it up to her if she really wanted to follow. After walking up a couple staircases to get to the top floor without saying anything, he unlocked the door to his apartment and walked inside, leaving the door open behind him. He hung his umbrella and coat on the hanger next to the entrance and gently fixed the cuffs of his shirt before turning left to the open kitchen and tossed his keys on the counter. "You can get refreshed in the bathroom over there" He said pointing toward the bathroom door to the right when coming in the apartment, it was not big and pretty much a studio one, only having the bathroom and another small locked room further inside. His bed was in a corner at the far end only covered by some light sliding panels put up by him. the rest of the apartment was one big room, the small kitchen to the left of the entrance and more living room stuff further in around a big window overlooking the streets.

He filled up a water cooker and started it up, walking a bit in the room when remembering that her clothing was probably soaked. Thinking about it he did have shirts she could use, but the only pants was some very loose ones he used for training and meditation. He walked over to the bathroom door or to her depending on where she was "If your stuff is wet you can throw it in the basket and ill get it dried later, i have something you can wear but it definitely wont be your style" he said with a soft chuckle to himself, walking back to the kitchen and took out 2 mugs, placing them on the counter. When the cooker was done he placed infusers with green tea leaves in the mugs, filling them up with boiled water, then squeezed some of a half cut lemon in them, leaving the mugs to cool and soak up the leaves extract while waiting for her to be done with whatever she was doing. That's when it just occurred to him, he still didn't know her name, he knew very little about her still.

When she came out of the bathroom wearing the clothes he offered her it almost made him crack a smile as they were indeed too big for her, but still wearable so it didn't really matter. As he bit down to avoid smiling it didn't last long as he noticed bruising on her hands as she leaned in against the frame. He didn't look directly at it, only catching a glance as he moved his eyes from her to the two mugs on the counter, not acknowledging what he just saw. "Green" He said gently before taking out the infusers and placing them in the sink, taking out a small spoon to swirl the tea, then also putting that in the sink right as he picked up the mugs and looked at her with a smiling face, but no smile on his lips."It'll be good for you, warm you from the inside" Then tilted his head slightly to gesture towards the living room then walked off. He placed the mugs on opposite sides of the small empty table between the two couches facing each other and being next to the window going from the floor to the ceiling. He gestured with an open palm towards the couch opposite of him before walking to the panels covering the sleeping area, grabbing a light blanket out of a drawer, dropping it off on the edge of the couch he gestured to earlier, then took a seat.

He leaned back into the backrest of and looked out the window for a bit, seeing the lights through the dark wet streets below, wondering how long she had been waiting outside the building for him. "Hope you didn't wait long" It was first when he looked back at her across from him that he noticed the bruises clearly, seeing they were more severe than he thought from the glance in the kitchen. But even so, he just kept eye contact, if she reciprocated it, if not he would just look at her face, trying to get a read on her. It was late, and she had come there for a reason, for safety, comfort, company, whatever she was coming from, was probably not something she wanted to discuss, and it wasn't like he needed to know. He offered her a safe place to stay back then, and it was meant to be exactly that, a place where she could get away from worries. So he was going to make sure she could relax and settle in, feel comfortable under his hospitality. He was curious to what made her change her mind, but whatever drove her to come there could be brought up the next day, or whenever she would talk about it, it's not like it would make a difference when she would reveal it.
"Your clothes should be dry and ready in the morning, but you're free to stay for as long or little as you want." He assured her with a calm tone, he had already assumed she was going to stay the night, and it looked like she had a rough go of it so he figured she would probably sleep in, giving him enough time to  wash and dry her clothes before she got up. But even though he had his assumptions about her, he didn't actually know what her intentions were, if she just needed a place for the night or if it was something longer, or something else entirely, he had come to realize she was unpredictable. He leaned forward and picked up the mug, taking a sip to test the temperature, noticing that it had just cooled down to where it wouldn't burn the throat. After taking a bigger sip he placed it on the table and leaned back into the couch, breathing in heavily to let out a big sigh, relaxing more, it wasn't too long before his usual time for sleep, but his main priority was obviously to stay up with her until she felt comfortable enough to let her guard down to sleep in his place, a stranger to her, and if there was something he had learned from their last encounter it was that she did not trust easy. "Anything you need?" he asked looking back to her, being very vague with the question to feel her out.

Her thank you caught him off guard, it was the first time she had said that and not something he thought would be a thing coming from her. Not that it mattered if it did or not, he didn't offer anything so that it could be reciprocated in some way, he could say that it was just part of his duties to help out, but that wasn't really it either. It was always meant to be a selfless deed spawned from memories of his mentor, but there was also something else hitching a ride on the reasoning behind it all, and he was set on finding out what that was. He didn't expect her to actually ask for anything, she seemed to be too proud for that, if he were to guess how she felt about coming here it would probably be along the lines of unhappy, angry, guilty or weak. He just smiled in a pouty way and nodded gently to her reply then looked down at her mug, at least she trusted him enough to drink the tea he made.
He followed her eyes to the window, without a doubt the best feature of the apartment in his eyes. Not counting the sleeping, the area in front of the window was probably the most used place in there. He didn't have much technology at home, no tv, pc, tablet or anything like it, he had a phone but nothing on it, using it primarily for communication and music. The free time spent at home was either in front of the window, the extra room in the apartment or kitchen area, not really having a life outside his work since long ago.
What did he do for a living? Felt like an odd question from her, wondering what in her mind he looked fixed his eyes on hers with a piercing look, narrowing his eyes slightly. "What i do..? Is that really what you want to know?" he said in a serious tone, planting the seed for later, leaving the question in silence with his eyes fixed for a short while. But it couldn't have been more than 3 seconds before he cracked the face with a quick exhale and a smile, breaking the eye contact. "For the most part the regular duties of a clergy, which has become more lax over the many years. Teach and guide the people through their history and spirituality. And strive to keep the balance.." He narrowed his brows a bit as he thought about it. "Which has become a bit troublesome lately" Thinking about the severe problem going on that had been going on as of late. He snapped out of it pretty fast to get back to her, the mentioning of their duties and the clergy life was from what he recalled last time they spoke a touchy subject for her, which was fully understandable to him, it was complicated. "But don't worry if that is all foreign to you, you'll find your path in this life" He said with a cheerful yet quiet tone. If she was alive it meant that Justiae didn't see her as lost, so he was sure they had plans for her, he had always believed that they never abandoned any of their children. "So, i got an offer for you." he said with a smirk, leaning forward in the couch. "You tell me your name, and I'll answer any questions you have about anything, told open book, full honesty." He waited a second to see how she would react, then picked up his mug and drank more of the tea, feeling the warm refreshing water run down, curious if she would grab the hook.