[IC] Fateful Convergence

[Vocalia]

Hayley winced when Isaac hit his head in surprise, but quickly chuckled with relief when he pulled himself back up, looking mostly unharmed. "Hey, I can't blame ya. Some food in the early hours of dawn is always nice," she replied as he finally regained his composure and tried to save face, only to finally pay attention to his appearance and try to cover up in vain.

Upon seeing him instinctively pull his shirt up as if the sight of his bare torso was a scandalous sight, the blonde broke into a fit of laughter, so much that she had to lean against the table to keep herself from rolling on the floor while laughing. "Isaac, chill out! I'm used to seeing barely clothed men and women! Just relax, will ya?" she said to him between her fits of laughter.

[Daxam]

Isaac looks at Hayley for a few long moments before realizing what she meant. She's a fighter. Of course people would wear as little clothing as possible for maximum range of movement, he thinks as Vincent scoffs. I could be dressed in full plate armor and still be able to fight the same way I always do! he boasts as Isaac looks down at his shirt and eventually pulls it over his head. Sighing, he says, "Sorry about that. I'm just not used to people seeing my scars and...well, this." He holds his right arm out, showing her the markings, unaware that she had already seen them.

[Vocalia]

Hayley took a few deep breaths to compose herself, then stood back up and walked towards him to have a closer look on his scars and markings. "I've never seen this sort of tattoo design before... Looks pretty neat," she replied with regards to the markings covering his right arm, resisting the visible urge to trace every inch of the black patches with her fingers. "Looks like you've got some battles under your belt. Almost makes me feel challenged. Almost," she said with a light-hearted grin on her face.

[Daxam]

Feeling his face color slightly as Hayley steps closer and looks at the markings and scars on his arm, Isaac can't help but feel somewhat surprised that she isn't put off by them. Now's when you say, "I'd love the chance to see those scars," Vincent advises Isaac. Ignoring the 'advice,' Isaac chuckles and says, "Don't worry, I'm not trying to assert myself over you with these. They just kinda happened." He stands there for a few more moments, looking into Hayley's eyes, before he feels his face flush once more, having caught himself staring again, and turns around, saying, "So, uh, what do you want for breakfast? I'm pretty sure I could whip something up, if you want."

[Vocalia]

The more she heard him talk, the more she found amusement in his reaction. Despite his numerous scars and toned musculature, he seemed rather even-tempered and appeared to have a decent head on his shoulders. "Eh, I can always whip up some food for breakfast, but nothing too fancy. Fancy some bacon and egg? I normally have an egg in a basket or sunny side up. How would you like yours? My treat, by the way." Backing away to give Isaac his personal space back, Hayley moved towards the fridge and grabbed a carton of eggs, some bread and a pack of rasher bacon, putting them near the cutting board as she waited for his response.

[Daxam]

Isaac watches as Hayley starts moving to make breakfast. Shrugging, he takes a seat and says, "I actually prefer it scrambled, but I'm fine with whatever's easiest for you." Wrong! Vincent yells. A man has to know exactly what he wants, when he wants it! You'll never impress her with this lackadasical personality of yours! Isaac responds, Like you can impress people with your violent tendencies? Vincent lets out a bark of a laugh and replies, Exactly! Sighing inwardly, Isaac asks Hayley, "So, how long have you been on your own?"

[Vocalia]

"Scrambled? Sure, that should be easy!" Hayley replied without missing a beat as she grabbed a bowl, cracked two eggs into it and started whisking them up. When Isaac asked her about the period of her solitary life, she hummed for a while, then turned back to him and said, "Technically, I've only lived on my own for two years, but if we're going for more details, I've been surviving on my own ever since I was twelve so that's like, what, seven years?" The way she talked about it made it sound as if being independent wasn't something she found particularly surprising or uncommon, giving her shrouded background a touch of mystery.

[Daxam]

Isaac looks at Hayley, unable to hide his surprise. Did she just say seven years?! he asks Vincent. Yeah, his counterpart answers, seemingly unperturbed by the revelation. Clean the wax outta your ears and you might be able to hear her better! Ignoring him, Isaac says, "You've technically been on your own for that long? It's no wonder you're so accustomed to this lifestyle." Then, a thought strikes him, making him ask, "No one took care of you for that long? What about your parents, what happened to them?"

[Vocalia]

The moment the word 'parents' left his lips, Hayley, who had now moved to cutting a loaf of bread for herself, stabbed her knife into the bread. At first, she gritted her teeth in a raw show of deep-seated fury, her eyes darkened with a burning hatred, and her hands curled into a hard fist, even the one holding the grip of the knife. After a while, Hayley gradually calmed down as she took a deep breath and managed to bring herself back in self-control.

With her composure back, she turned back to her stabbed loaf of bread and replied, "My dad's an absolute scum. He's the reason I have to survive on my own for seven years. I've lived with him since I was ten, but he would barely stay at home for a day. The bastard's too busy getting his ass drunk, conning suckers left and right and fucking bitches like a dog in heat. By the time I was twelve, he'd only come home every few hours or so so the social service didn't grill his slimy ass for leaving a minor unattended. I gotta thank the old fucker for one thing though. With him beating me most of the time he was home, I learned to fight back pretty quickly. By the time I was old enough to be considered an adult, I ditched him right away. Mind you, I tried turning to whatever 'help' I supposedly have, but things didn't change no matter how hard I tried to get 'help'."

Letting what she told Isaac sink into his mind, she came to the one part she still recall with anguish and despair. "As for my mom, she's busy being six feet under nowadays. I used to live with her after she divorced that fucking poor excuse of a sperm donator until I found her dead the night of my tenth birthday. All I was told about was that she didn't die of a natural cause, but nobody had the balls to investigate her death further." Her voice no longer bore the carefree, cheerful tone she had previously and, instead, took a dark and vengeful tone.

[Daxam]

Damn, Vincent says, his usually energetic, boastful voice now notably subdued. Poor chick's had it rough, hasn't she? Looking at Hayley, Isaac can't help but feel something stir inside of him as she mentions her mother's death, as if a memory were threatening to break free, but it vanishes as soon as he notices it. Instead, he stands up from the chair and gently lays a hand on her shoulder, his eyes and voice sympathetic as he says, "I'm sorry I brought it up, Hayley. I didn't mean to make you remember those things. If it's any consolation, I hope that poor excuse of a man who was supposed to be your father gets what's coming to him."

[Vocalia]

Hayley knew no words would ever relieve the swirling sorrow she felt upon having to recall the memory of her late mother's demise, but she took a small comfort in Isaac's sympathy for her past and mustered a small smile. "Hey, now. No need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong anyway. Isn't it natural for anyone with a brain cell to ask that, given what I've said? I mean, I know I would!" With a bemused chuckle, she gently placed one hand on top of his own and looked at him in the eyes, seeing his own guilt written all over the steel grey orbs. "Besides, I couldn't care less about what happened to that dick anyway. Don't worry about that. Now sit back down and let me finish cooking our food. I'm not about to let any of us go hungry, after all!"

[Daxam]

Isaac looks into Hayley's steel-blue eyes for a few moments longer, still able to see the grief swirling within. However, he still manages a smile and says, "Alright. Sounds good." Taking his hand off of her shoulder, he sits back down as Vincent says, You know she's not exactly alright, right? Isaac gives Vincent a mental nod and replies, I know. But, I'll be there if she wants to talk. It's the least I can do for her after being so nice to us...well, me. To Hayley, he asks, "So, what do you have on your schedule for today?"

[Vocalia]

"Dunno... I'm pretty much free, so maybe I'll take a break and rest at home. As much as I love to kick ass, I can't do that everyday, y'know? Maybe I'll just chill out for today and go watch some online show or something. Maybe I'll get some groceries as well..." As she started preparing Isaac's share of the food, she popped in the bacon along with the scrambled egg and, with a few tosses to even out the cooking food, she set them on a plate beside her before cooking her bacon and egg in a basket. "What about you? What will you do today?"

[Daxam]

As he waits for Hayley to finish making her food, Isaac shrugs and says, "Seeing as how I don't have my memories, I guess I'll just walk around town, see if I can't find some work so I can get something to eat later today." Why not ask her if you can stay a little longer? Vincent asks, sounding disappointed that Isaac would pass up the opportunity to stay another night. I don't wanna be a burden, he replies. I'm not gonna stay another night unless she wants me to.

[Vocalia]

"If you're heading out today, let me make some food for you before you leave... just in case," Hayley said, abruptly adding the last part to try and reduce the awkwardness of her sudden offer. She was conflicted about whether or not she should ask him to stay for another night, finally deciding that Isaac was definitely independent and mature enough to be able to decide on his own. A soft crackle reminded her of her food and she turned off the stove, thankfully with her food still intact and edible. Serving hers on another plate, she put the pan into the sink to let it cool and sat down on the other chair, placing each plate and utensils in front of them. "Dig in! I hope you like them," she said with a light-hearted smile.

[Daxam]

Vincent pleading him to ask if she'll let them stay another night, Isaac thanks Hayley and picks up his fork, ready to dig into his eggs. However, he hesitates, lowering his fork a bit as he struggles with the wanting to ask Hayley to let him stay another night and his desire to not be a burden. Even without Vincent trying to make him ask, Isaac knows that he'd still probably be tempted to. In the end, looking down at his plate, he finally decides what to do and, uninfluenced by Vincent, asks, "Hey...I was just wondering if, um...if you'd let me stay another night...Like I said, I don't have anywhere else to go and I had the best night's sleep I can ever remember having last night. But, if you'd rather I leave, I'd understand. I don't wanna be a burden on you, anyway..."

[Vocalia]

"Why would I kick you out? You've been a good guest, Isaac. That, and your beef stew was a total knock out! I've never eaten something so delicious! I totally wouldn't mind you staying for another night." Trying not to sound or look rude to the raven-haired man, Hayley took a bite out of her egg in a basket to stifle her laughter, but a faint grin clearly showed how she felt about his hesitation. "I know it's definitely daunting having to ask for help from a complete stranger. I've been in your shoes before, so the least I could do is make sure you have some support, regardless of how small that is."

[Daxam]

Even though he noticed Hayley's stifled laughter, Isaac can't help but feel immensely relieved that she would so readily take him in yet again. "Thank you, Hayley," he says, finally spearing some egg with his fork, "for letting me stay again and your compliment about my stew. I still feel like it could use some work, though. If you have any ideas, don't be afraid to let me know!" That said, he eats the egg on his fork and lets out an appreciative sound. "This isn't half-bad, either," he says, eating some more eggs before trying the bacon. "You're an awesome cook, too, Hayley!"

[Vocalia]

"You might not want to listen to me when it comes to food... Most of the time, I just grab the closest things I could get, cut them up, mix 'em and hope that the end result wouldn't give me food poisoning. So far, I've been winning that lottery," Hayley replied with a sheepish smile, cutting her bacon and eating them bit by bit. "Glad you like the eggs and bacon though. Those are two of the very few food I can cook without messing up, among other select dishes..." Taking a bite out of the 'basket' of her egg in a basket, she looked at Isaac and curiously asked, her eyes perking up with interest, "What dishes can you cook, aside from the beef stew? I'd imagine that you know more recipes than I do."

[Daxam]

Isaac thinks for a long moment before responding, "You know, I'm not sure, actually. In all honesty, until I started making that stew, I didn't even know that I could cook, let alone what I could make. I just grabbed some random things and knew that they went together, almost as if I've done it so much, in ingrained itself into my head." Shrugging, he finishes his breakfast and rises to his feet. After putting the dishes away, he sits back down. The rest of the day passes with the two of them just talking, learning more about each other, until the time finally comes to go to bed. Once he lies down, Vincent asks, Admit it. You've gotta thing for her! Isaac only sighs, wishes Vincent a good night, who takes the aversion to his question as an affirmative, then lets sleep take him.

---------------One week later---------------

No, you don't understand! Vincent was saying to an exasperated Isaac as he climbs the stairs to Hayley's apartment, returning after insisting that he would go get groceries. I'm telling you, it was huge! As big as a fucking bear with teeth to match! If it weren't as calm as it was, we would've been torn to shreds! Isaac sighs and asks, You really expect me to believe that there was a chihuahua like that around here? Vincent, sounding offended, asks, Why don't you believe me? When have I ever lied to you?! Deciding it was better not to answer, Isaac opens the door and steps into the apartment, calling out, "Hayley, I'm back!"