[IC] Fateful Convergence

[Vocalia]

Repulsed by the telltale smell of urine, Eryn backed away as the whimpering man was taken away by his embarrassed and flustered posse, beating a hasty retreat from the dressed up pair. Quietly following Sean away from the spot, she sighed with relief and felt her body quaking in fear. "Oh dear... T-That was too close for comfort..." she said and rubbed her chest, still not believing the fact that she had somehow gathered the courage and emasculated her provocateur.

[Daxam]

Sean smiles at Eryn and, unable to help himself, wraps his arm around her shoulders, saying, "You handled yourself pretty well, you know. I didn't think that a quiet girl like you would be able to step up like that." Finally realizing that he had his arm around her shoulders, he blushes and lets her go, albeit rather hesitantly. After a few moments, he says, "Do you still feel like hanging out? I wouldn't blame you if that little altercation took it out of you."

[Vocalia]

"P-Please don't worry about me. In fact, hanging out with you would help me forget about that unpleasant incident, but I thought that you would mind about being pulled into the problem I've caused..." Eryn replied, sounding somewhat frightened and timid, most likely due to how physical her response was to the harassers. Still, she didn't want to miss her chance of getting to know Sean, especially with his calming presence and cheerful disposition.

[Daxam]

Sean stops and places his hands on Eryn's shoulders, gently turning her around so he could look into her eyes. Smiling, he says, "Let's get something straight: You didn't do anything, Eryn. Those guys were just assholes who needed to be shown a thing or two, which you did an exceptional job of doing. Second, I don't mind getting mixed up in anything. I protect my friends, no matter what, and that goes for you, too." Deep inside, he knows that his desire to protect the timid woman in front of him ran deeper than the fledgling friendship they had begun. The fierceness behind said desire told him that there was more going on in his heart than even he wasn't aware of.

[Vocalia]

Eryn didn't doubt Sean's intent in the least, if his previous show of force was anything to go by. In fact, far away at the back of her mind, she felt as if, for a brief moment, something else had taken his place and protected her, or at least tried to, something powerful, yet almost primal and primordial in nature. It was as if it was supposed to be there naturally, but she couldn't put her finger on it, so she pushed her nagging feeling aside and smiled as she gently led him and walked alongside him. "Your friends are lucky to have someone like you by their side. You seem so dependable and knowledgeable, not to mention strong. You threw that man as if he was a plastic ball! I've never seen such display of strength!" It seemed that Eryn was now officially enamored of Sean and all of the aspects of him.

[Daxam]

Sean chuckles and, rather uncharacteristically, rubs the back of his head sheepishly, saying, "It's nothing, really. I've been practicing how to fight for as long as I can remember and I even started my own training regiment about eight years ago, when I decided I had enough of the bullies. You'd be amazed at what the human body's capable of if you only give it a chance to improve itself. That's what I'm trying to tell my friends, but they don't seem to get it. In the few months we've been training together, they still haven't hit me!" That moment, he notices another manga stand, this one not as busy as the last one, and points to it. "Let's try this booth," he says, leading Eryn over to it.

[Vocalia]

Eryn couldn't help but gasp with surprise as Sean told her another story about himself. Be as it may, she wondered if she could be as strong as him if she trained, or at least strong enough to defend herself, but she was soon distracted by the manga booth Sean pointed her to and followed him curiously, looking at the assortment of mangas for sale. "Whoa! There are so many of them! Hmm... I wonder which one I should get," she mused.

[Daxam]

Sean chuckles, seeing Eryn's face light up like a kid in a toy store, and says, "Get whatever you want. I'll pay for it." Turning to the booth, he looks at all the titles, occasionally picking one up, only to set it back down in disinterest. At one point, he looked at the booth owner and noticed that she was looking at Sean and Eryn with a knowing smile, as if she thought they were a couple. Realizing this, Sean blushes and busies himself with looking at the titles once again. When all was said and done, he found a couple of volumes that he had been looking for, but not much else. Turning to Eryn, he asks, "Find anything you like?"

[Vocalia]

Although Sean had made it abundantly clear that his money was at her disposal, Eryn still couldn't bear the thought of mooching from the kind man who not only befriended her, but also protected her from harm. In the end, she narrowed down her choice to four comics that she really wanted from the particular booth, along with a small keychain memorabilia. Nodding her head, she smiled at Sean and replied, "Yup! I think these are all I want."

[Daxam]

Sean nods and turns to the woman, trying to ignore the smile on her face, as he pays her, once again leaving a very generous tip. Turning away, he leads Eryn from the booth, carrying his bag of manga. Checking his watch, he sees that it was already nearly time for the convention to close up for the night. "That's a shame," he mutters, having wanted to spend more time with Eryn. Turning to her, he says, "You wanna come with me to get something to eat before we head to the hotel? There are some great restaurants around here."

[Vocalia]

"That sounds like a good idea. The food at the hotel is a tad too expensive for me and I don't know a lot about any good food around here," Eryn replied sheepishly, gently rubbing the back of her head with the other hand carrying her bag of mangas and trinkets. "Do you have any sort of preference, Sean? Or perhaps you have any allergies I should be mindful of?"

[Daxam]

"I'm not allergic to anything, but thanks for your concern," Sean says with a smile. Then, as they walk towards the main doors of the convention center, he says, "Well, since we're at an anime convention, we can go for Japanese. I know a great Japanese restaurant nearby." Then, remembering that they were still dressed up, he chuckles and says, "We should probably change, though. As much as I love this costume, it'd look weird if I were to show up in this. We can meet each other in the hotel lobby, deal?"

[Vocalia]

"Deal," Eryn replied with a bemused giggle as she left with Sean for the hotel, upon which they parted to their separate rooms and changed from their precious, fantastical dresses and costumes into a normal set of clothes. As Eryn waited for the elevator, dressed in a simple blue, knee-length, short-sleeved dress, black leggings, and white sandals, her green eyes patiently looked at the display on the elevator monitor as she waited for the elevator to head into the lobby. Having taken off her wig, she had kept her long, auburn-hair with a blue headband with white flower motif.

[Daxam]

By the time Eryn was on her way to the lobby, Sean was waiting in the lobby, patiently leaning against the wall. He had traded his long, red coat for a black jacket, open to show the blue t-shirt underneath, jeans, and black shoes. Finally, the elevator doors open and Sean sees Eryn without her costume, making his eyes widen in shock, realizing that she looked like someone who had tried to kill him and his friends a few months prior. Quickly recovering from his surprise, he smiles and says, "Ready to go?"

[Vocalia]

Eryn didn't notice Sean's shock as he saw her exit the elevator, so she obliviously smiled at him and nodded. "Yup! I'm sorry to keep you waiting," she replied, noticing how different he was without his costume. Despite his different appearance, she could still feel the air of security whenever she was around him and knew that he was her new friend and protector.

[Daxam]

"Ah, it's no problem," Sean replies, opening the door for Eryn. Following her outside, he points to his jeep and says, "This is mine." Walking over to the vehicle, he opens the passenger door, letting Eryn climb inside, before he walks over to the driver's side and climbs in. Soon, he was driving down the road, window down and his arm resting on the door. Glancing at Eryn, he can't help but notice the similarities she had with the other person, which prompts the question, "So, do you have any siblings?"

[Vocalia]

Upon hearing the question, Eryn paused and frowned with a great deal of thinking going on inside her head. On one hand, such a simple question was something that was rather significant to her, given that she had a sibling and who that sibling was, and she didn't want to end up divulging her way into mortal danger. On the other hand, she had a feeling that Sean wouldn't take very kindly to any lies and she still felt indebted to him for what he had done. Taking a deep breath, she nodded after a short few seconds and replied, "Yes, I do have a sister."

[Daxam]

"I thought so," Sean says. Glancing at her again, he smiles to show that he appreciated her honesty and everything was alright as he says, "I've met her. Granted, it wasn't a very nice meeting, but I know who she is. Arlia Medici. I never would've thought she had a twin sister." A few moments of silence pass until he asks, "You know what she does, right?"

[Vocalia]

Eryn gasped with shock when Sean revealed that he knew of her supposedly elusive twin sister, but nonetheless realized, after seeing his smile, that telling him the truth was the right decision. "I don't know about her work in detail, but yes, I'm aware of what she does... and how it goes against the law. I was actually quite surprised to know that we were twins when she first tried to get in touch with me..."

[Daxam]

Sean nods, having figured that Arlia would've told her what she did, but spared her the details, figuring the woman wasn't as heartless as she seemed when she and Hayley fought. After a few more moments, he says, "Well, the Medici's are no more. I had some contacts in the Family and one of them told me that they were splitting up after sustaining some heavy losses at their headquarters. He mentioned something about a demon clad in black flames. He also said that he thought he saw said demon fly off with your sister. If that was who I think it was, then I think Arlia's in good hands...well, as good as they can be, given who he works for. As long as they don't find out, though, your sister's safe."