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Post by Theo Anson on Jul 7, 2011 13:58:18 GMT -5
The younger Tora felt like he had to point something out, maybe not argue, but maybe just bring something to the redhead's attention. "B-but people go to see dancers all the time..." Theo decided to start, "At plays... or musicals, which are still plays, or at dances... you don't know their names but you like them..." He blinked. "Um, n-not you specifically, I mean, but, you know, that uh... the general term..." The teen decided to shut his mouth while he was ahead.
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Post by Hotaru King on Jul 7, 2011 14:55:07 GMT -5
Hotaru took a moment to listen to Theo, nodding and smiling soon after. "Yeah, you're right." she agreed. She noticed his uneasiness and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, loosen up a little, nothing wrong with speaking your opinion." she told him. He was obviously the quiet type, Hotaru wondered if she could change that, maybe even a little?
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Post by Theo Anson on Jul 7, 2011 22:03:09 GMT -5
Theo took a breath, she was right. There was nothing wrong with that anymore. He could speak his mind if he wanted to, and there wasn't anyone that would hit him for it... well, at least he was sure Hotaru wouldn't. The younger Tora nodded and gave a smile. "You're right, j-just force of habit." He barely thought as he spoke this time, feeling a bit safer as time went on.
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Post by Hotaru King on Jul 7, 2011 22:13:18 GMT -5
Hotaru blinked and tilted her head. "Force of habit?" she asked. She remembered being like that when she was little, afraid of saying something that might sent off her father's fuse. But the new Tora must have been like that for a different reason, not everyone had abusive parents like she had had, right? She shook her head. "Er, sorry, don't mean to be nosey." she told him.
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Post by Theo Anson on Jul 7, 2011 22:50:15 GMT -5
Theo shook his head. "I-it's fine." He said to the redhead, trying to be nonchalant about the whole thing. Still, it would be more suspicious if he didn't try to explain, so he began to fabricate an excuse. "I just, I had this one employer before I came here, and she wasn't exactly the nicest person..."
The Tora felt a bit bad about lying to her like this, but his father was... he was his problem. Not anyone else's. And he was over and done with and it was time to just forget about him and move on.
Karter gave a silent sigh, Theo was a little too hasty to try and forget the guy that had shown him what the real world could turn a person into. An important lesson to learn, and while Theo might forget it readily, his protector wasn't about to let it go so fast.
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Post by Hotaru King on Jul 7, 2011 23:03:54 GMT -5
"Hm." Hotaru muttered. There was something about his response that made her not believe him, but once again, it wasn't her business and there was no need to push it.
"I gotcha." she finally spoke. "I kinda had the same problem growing up, just with a lot of different people." It wasn't just her father, but Yusuke and other members of her old gang that weren't as pleasant to be around as Greg or Eva or Ben. "Eventually though I learned I had to speak up for myself at one point and actually grew a spine." she laughed.
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Post by Theo Anson on Jul 7, 2011 23:18:13 GMT -5
Theo gave a small laugh, though he was pretty sure that Hotaru's situation differed from his at least a little. She couldn't be too much older than him, but it seemed like she had done much more than he had. Made more friends, perhaps, or experienced more of the outside world than just a job and school and the commute to and fro. "Maybe I'll grow one soon then? It's long overdue..." It was a feeble attempt at a joke, and he knew it, but it was the best that he could do.
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Post by Hotaru King on Jul 7, 2011 23:35:17 GMT -5
The redhead grinned. "I'm sure you will, usually it just takes the right buttons getting pushed enough." Like with her, she could remember the exact day she decided enough was enough, but that was a story for another time. She laughed slightly and nudged his arm with her elbow. "So lighten up, if I could I'm sure you can." she told him.
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Post by Theo Anson on Jul 7, 2011 23:48:05 GMT -5
Theo smiled softly, if that was what it was, then he should have grown one by now... maybe he had a different set of buttons that needed to be pushed? Whatever it was, the Tora almost hoped that he didn't have to grow a spine, it would just mean he'd have to get hurt more to get it. What if it wasn't worth it?
He flinched almost imperceptibly as he was nudged, and hoped his thinness wasn't noticed beneath his sodden clothes. Suddenly he realized that keeping the way his father acted a secret would be much more difficult than he had anticipated. And he would have groaned if it wouldn't have been a dead give away that something was up.
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Post by Hotaru King on Jul 8, 2011 0:06:11 GMT -5
The Tora looked at him with a slightly concerned expression. She didn't think she nudged him too hard. "Are you sure you're alright...?" she asked him. "You're pretty jumpy..." she muttered.
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Post by Theo Anson on Jul 8, 2011 0:35:30 GMT -5
Theo smiled again, and attempted to wave her off. "Bumped my arm on a rock when I fell into the river, it's still kinda sore." That was actually true, so at least he wasn't a total liar to Hotaru...
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Post by Hotaru King on Jul 8, 2011 1:02:02 GMT -5
Hotaru raised a brow at him suspiciously. "You sure....?" she asked him. He was acting a little too strange, she was really wanting to know at this point. "You can tell me..." Well, considering the two had just met Theo probably didn't feel comfortable telling Hotaru whatever was making him so nervous, but she could always try, right?
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Post by Theo Anson on Jul 8, 2011 1:33:22 GMT -5
Theo nodded, trying to keep his expression nonchalant under the scrutiny. He was actually doing fairly well, although his typical opponent was generally a drunken man unused to the normal expressions of his son... "It's just a bruise..." He assured her, hoping that the redhead wouldn't pull some sort of seniority card and ask for proof. She'd see the scars. The cat would be out of the bag, game over.
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Post by Hotaru King on Jul 8, 2011 1:41:01 GMT -5
"Mhmm." muttered the older Tora. "Well let me see just how big the bruise is, I might be able to do something about it." A bull shit excuse on her part, sure, but she really doubted Theo was telling the whole truth.
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Post by Theo Anson on Jul 8, 2011 23:45:16 GMT -5
Theo took a small step back and his smile wavered. "N-no thank you, Hotaru... It's really alright!" His attempts to direct what little conversation they had had away from him had backfired, and now his excuse was having the same effect. Brilliant. Just... just brilliant. The gloved hand on the other arm gripped where Hotaru had nudged his arm, gripping the sleeve tight as if to make sure she couldn't pull it up and see for herself.
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