Private In a Castle On a Cloud

[Fiora Di Angelo]

???
Train Cabin
Midnight

The train would have been her last option tonight. 'Dangerous', 'Reckless', 'Pointless', many of the things Nico imagines her mother would say. But it's precisely her displeasure what pushes her to do so, specially given how little of an issue it is. Despite how easy it would be to climb into a Mercedes with the crooked man her family paid for to be their designated driver, there was peace to be found in a nearly empty cabin.

Two women, three children, four men. Two of them dark haired, and one wearing a suit, the only one she could get a good look at really, and the one she knew the most, as the blocky man was one of two security personnel her father so insisted to accompany her.

Nico sighed, clasping her hands together. The manicure almost made them look alien to her, as much as did the dress she wore, a piece of clothing better suited on a garbage bin in her mind. Expensive silks and heels were never her vibe, with the latter dumped into her backpack in exchange for the ol' reliable, discoloured shoes.

Flashing lights illuminated the cabin for a moment as a fellow train passed by like a blur, making it hard to see just how empty it truly was. The next second, the city lights in the background are all there is. Houses and buildings, all clasped in either darkness from the distance, or dull colours as they started to get closer to their destination.

Focusing her eyes hard enough let her see her own reflection. A pink haired woman she couldn't recognize at all behind the layers of skin & hair care she's been through. She lost count of how many people said she looks just like her mother, and how much it disgusts her to know they are right. Specially now, as she has nothing to say, nothing to think over, and thus her face is mute.

Times like this is when she finds her fingers idling over her phone and the many chats she had left to collect dust, deleted ones imprinted in her memory, despite being completely deleted from the device.

She tilted her head up once again, non-chalant as she glanced over to the sides of the cabin to see just how the rest of the passengers were faring. At least the ones not being bodyblocked by the gorillas she had for bodyguards.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

The flight from Michigan back to Pennsylvania wasn't that bad. Really, it was just shy of a couple of hours, which in the grand scheme of plane flights, was a pretty short flight. The thing that always killed Ari was getting there on time, and surviving security. The man didn't know why, by he was always the one to get harassed by security as he went through. Couple that with long lines, general lack of sleep, and no coffee, Ari usually was in the mood to commit violent crimes.

At least he was almost back home now, stepping onto the train to take him to the station nearest his apartment. Thankfully, the train cart was mostly empty this time of night. Just a few late night travelers on their way home probably. Or getting out of Dodge. Two people in particular though, sticking out like sore thumbs. One stuck out purely for his sheer size. Despite being dressed in a full suit, the slab of meat that called itself a human being drew all but the children's eyes. Next to him a short woman, pink haired wearing a dress. For a moment, Ari had to do a double take. He almost swore that that woman looked like Nico but...nice dress, bodyguard, actually had makeup on. No, that couldn't have been Nico.

Then again...that sock and shoe combo looked rather familiar...

No one wore Hello Kitty socks and beat up sneakers like those. Especially not with a nice dress like that. "Nico?" Ari found himself blurting out, only half way through his descent to plant his butt in a seat.

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

"Ma'am..."

Nico peeled her eyes away from her phone, the delay finally registering as she heard her name, something neither of these two would have done. "What? Move Marcoh, I can't see with your bodybuilder looking ass next to me." Nico frowned.

Tilting herself forth at the same time Marco stepped back, she now had a better look at whose part of this train's passengers. It's as if fate had a twisted sense of humour when it came to getting people you avoid in one spot, but given the circumstances... She should have expected the 1-maybe 10% chance of meeting Ari on this train.

No one else would be going through this side of the country, and neither would she forget that expresionless face of his.

"Pretty late for you, isn't it." Was the first thing to blurt out of her mind, her eyes ending half-lid, having grown heavy enough by this time of the night. Her lips parted for a moment, as if to say more, only to then glance at her escorts. Both baldie and Marco had their eyes set on Ari, in a way that almost reminded her of how Lena did it to herself time ago.

The eyes of people ready to shoot should problems arise, but serene enough to prove it's duty rather than maliciousness. Which basically meant anyone who knew her that wasn't some snobby buffoon on dad's little list.

"The last thing I wanted is for you to see me wearing this clown suit," She gestured back to herself, in both disdain and embarassment. Far more pissed than ashamed, as that always worked best to keep her cheeks from flustering.. "But if anything, shouldn't you be at home right now? Last I checked your workplace ain't in that direction." She pointed over to her left with her thumb, towards the direction the train came from.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"What? Move Marcoh, I can't see with your bodybuilder looking ass next to me." Unlike the woman, Ari did not need to see around the bodyguard to know for a fact that the woman was indeed Nico. Abort operation butt-seat.

What were the chances? In all honesty, not outside the realm of possibility, but what surprised Ari was the fact that Nico was even town. She'd left without so much as a word, and he'd assumed she'd skipped town, maybe to go to Ronja. He hadn't expected her to stay. Judging from the way she spoke to him, Nico wasn't entirely surprised to see him either.

Ari's eyes drifted between the two bodyguards, who were clearly eyeing him up but not in any threatening way. Just evaluating how much of a danger he was. Not enough of one for them to be worried, at least not in this world. Ari decided it was safe enough to take a few steps closer to have an actual conversation, but still remained respectfully away from the looming security.

"Looks good on you at least," Ari said with a slight nod. Genuine truth, regardless of whether or not Nico actually liked it. "Hello Kitty socks aside.

I'm headed back from the airport, anyways," the man said, his typically disgruntled expression worsened by the fact he was actually disgruntled from lack of rest. "Just got back from visiting Val. What's your excuse? Didn't know you were secretly rich and famous." Half a joke, in an attempt to not make things too awkward or hostile between them.

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

There was a clear hesitance on his step. Her eyes directed straight towards the cause instead of him, barely holding back a frown as she had to crank her head up quite a bit. "Hey Marco, why don't you take your minion and sit across us over there?" She didn't hold off her spite towards the blonde accompanying them, the man merely looking over to his superior in silence.

The air around them was thick with doubt and hesitation all around, Marco giving a good look back to Ari as his client would be put in a compromising position. "Come on you can shoot him if he tries anything funny, which he won't." She broke his train of thoughts with certainty.

The answer came as he stepped to the side, nodding his head to the side to his partner as he walked over towards one of the seats opposite of the pair. Surprise to no one, he wouldn't take a seat. It's not like the bobbing motions of the train even bothered him.

The carelessness however did reach the ears of the few passengers left, who only watched in disbelief to such an exchange.

"You were saying..?" She sighed, trying to recall for a moment until her braincells had enough friction between them to spark her memory. "Ah, yeah it 'looks' good but it doesn't 'feel' like it. Feels like a straightjacket." Nico lifted the skirt of her dress a little, if only to point down to her pink socks & hobo shoes combo. "I'd like to see you try and walk with heels while at work. These are the only thing keeping me sane. That, and the fact Marco here ain't a snitch about it." She shrugged. His job only extended to keep her safe from point A to point B. Hello Kitty socks weren't his problem, as far as he is concerned.

The fact he came from an airport was visible enough on his visage. Sure, she's seen him look like a truck ran over him every morning before, but this time it must have also backpedaled on him. It did make much sense once the reason came to light. "That explains why you look like a ghoul." And not precisely from the greatest head of all times even a vampire would be jelly of. "Some kind of event? A concert? Don't see why you couldn't have waited for a better flight unless they were all taken already if not."

"Piano practice, followed by a clown party." Bitter beneath the sore, defeated tone in her voice, "I play my part as the 'talented rich girl', mom pays me, we all win..." Even if swallowing her pride stings, she now has a reason to play along.

Nico looked around, aware of the silence that brew in a span of seconds that felt shorter than they were, quickly waving over to a near seat. "Don't worry they won't shoot you, take a seat." She added, leaning back against her seat as she got comfy like in his living room's couch "Being famous is overrated. Specially when no one calls you by your own name. It's just 'Hey, it's Anna's daughter, the one who plays the piano!'." Venomous mockery on her voice ended with a sigh. "And no one even knows what you playing. I could be playing Halo's theme on a piano and these idiots would think It's some timeless classic- Which it is," She quickly remarked with a finger pointed back at Ari. As a first person shooter player, it would be a sin to think otherwise. "But you get my point."

 

[Yugam]

Nico took a moment before decisively telling her two guard dogs to give the pair somme space, freeing up a seat for Ari in the end. When she mentioned that they could shoot him if he did anything funny, Ari had to make a mental effort to restrain himself from uttering one of his typical morbid jokes considering the fact that Nico's guards might actually follow through.

Stepping closer and leaning against one of the poles, Ari couldn't help but softly chuckle as Nico complained about her attire. How so very like her. What made it even more amusing was perhaps the fact that even though she looked just a tad bit more refined (or at least put together), she still spoke like an angry Argentinian who never got his fill of milanesas. "Good man, that Marco," Ari commented with a slight nod as if the guard were not there listening.

Being called was a ghoul was a new one. "Got delayed. Mechanical failure or some shit, I dunno. Was stuck in the terminal for like eight hours though." With nothing to eat but shitty, overpriced airport chain restaurants which somehow managed to not even be remotely as good as their non-airport counterparts. Maybe he'd stop for a burger or something on the way home.

As Nico began to explain her predicament though, Ari couldn't help but curl a lip in disgust, and raise a brow in skepticism. A classic 'what the fuck?' face. That wasn't to say Ari had anything against piano practice, considering he played himself (clown parties were another thing all together), but it just didn't seem to suit Nico.

Taking a seat at Nico's behest, Ari let the woman go on for a while more. The 'wtf' look faded as Nico joked about playing the Halo theme next time. "Do it, no balls," he dared the woman with an amused smile before that too faded to a mere ghost. "You don't sound like you're winning though. Sounds more like you're just dying a slow death," Ari said honestly, unable to see the reasoning behind why Nico was playing along with whatever her mother wanted. Why the trash-racoon had let herself somehow become someone's purse chihuahua.

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

The train begun to slow down, the speakers's beeps announcing they were reaching a station. Of course not theirs, yet it did follow a new wave of people. Very few really, yet it did take away some of the seats in the first place, save for the ones closest to them, obviously. Marco didn't budge, and the man grew more alert now than a few moments earlier, gloved hands kept close to his pockets.

"When I was a kid I used to get in trouble just to see if Marco would beat up someone's dad. Of course that would cause a scandal so..." He was good at his job, and quiet while at it, perhaps the only person she could really bond with in the claustrophobic environment that rich people tend to tighten a knot around their necks with.

The delay made more sense than her assumptions. Far more unfortunate than them, but nothing to feel sorry for either. "At least you got the opportuntiy to eat on Wendy's, given it's all fast food over there and you don't look like a mcdonalds boy." She commented, tucking a few locks of hair behind her ear. "Didn't miss your event though, so, better to have a delay when you comin' back than on your way there. Delays happen once in a full moon but they make you hate time sensitive crap when they do happen." Which is a plus of being rich: At least she wouldn't have her mom eaten her brain away if she arrived late. There's always some minion ready to take her to X or fly her to Y.

Nico clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes as the man thought she would fall for such a challenged in the first place... "I already planned to. Parties are one thing, since no one gives a fuck for the background music so long as it's there. I can just turn my brain off and play pieces I know of." Which was an entirely different beast compared to a proper performance.

"No shit." She sighed. The makeup did it's job to make her face look presentable, but if she had to honestly look herself in a mirror right now, all the anxiety, anger and exhaustion would be crystal clear behind these obnoxious beauty products. "Here's the thing. When Valeria is around, you are less of a prick. It may be like ten percent less, but it's there. We change for the people we really love, and I'm doing the same for Ronja." She admitted, with the bluntness of a pillow rather than a hammer as per usual, the only way she could show some 'tact'. "Because working at IKEA and lookin' like I live on an alley next to a trashcan ain't gonna help me win over her family. At least this way I'm making myself presentable and they may go 'Oh it's that chick who plays the piano real well and is prestigious and shit' and stop bothering her about me." Her resentment grew louder the more she thought about it. At the same time, she couldn't keep up this pace with Ronja.

Not unless she wishes for her brains to be scattered all against the wall, like it almost happened with that one Lena hitman accident...

"You gave me a weird look when I mentioned the piano..." She squinted, finally addressing the thing that tickled her off, a finger pointed right at him as if it held the power to send him to hell right now just by aiming it. "We all got that one quirky thing that puts us at peace. For some people it's drinking milk before bed, to me it's sitting my ass infront of a very expensive, atheist version of an organ."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

The screeching of the train's brakes created a silence between the pair, unconsciously waiting for the grating noise to subside and the train to start moving again before anyone dared to say anything more. It was almost as if whatever they said would remain a passenger on the train, forever in transit and never able to follow them home so long as it was said while in motion. Otherwise, their words might hang around in the air between stops, only to come back and whisper in their ears everytime they came to the station.

"When I was a kid I used to get in trouble just to see if Marco would beat up someone's dad. Of course that would cause a scandal so..." Nico finally said as the train began to move again, and they swayed with the movement. "Why am I not surprised?" Ari chuckled tiredly. It was a good thing that at least some people around Nico had more brain cells than she did. God knew how much trouble she'd be in now if that weren't the case.

However, when Nico accused Ari of preferring Wendy's over McDonalds, the man gave the older woman a look of abject horror. "Oh my god, it's like you don't even know me," he said. "I in fact prefer McDonalds. I've never actually had Wendy's before," he clarified. "Although I've heard it's bland as shit.

You're right about the delays though," Ari said with a nod. "Plus, gives me an excuse not to go into work tomorrow," he said with another chuckle. "I suppose you don't really have to worry about that though?" he asked, not bothering to hide that he was trying to poke around the life that she'd tried to keep hidden, even if it was just a little. He'd've respected it if she shut him down though.

"Here's the thing. When Valeria is around, you are less of a prick. It may be like ten percent less, but it's there."
"What're you talking about, I'm always a fucking angel," Ari couldn't help but cut in with the joke. He could feel the air growing heavy already with the serious topics at hand, and maybe at least the attempt at humor would help lighten the atmosphere.
"We change for the people we really love, and I'm doing the same for Ronja," Nico (eventually, presumably after giving him a tongue-lashing) went on, her voice rising.
"Look, I get that part," Ari said slowly, a hint of rare sympathy in his voice. "But...do you really think going so far as to make yourself unhappy matters? Why not just like...a normal person?" God forbid Nico ever be normal, but the sentiment was there. "And if that didn't do it, I mean...Do you think Ronja'd care?" Admittedly, Ari hadn't spoken in length with Ronja before, but she gave him the vibe of someone who loved unconditionally.

She squinted at him, the familiar look of accusatory skepticism accompanied by a finger shoved unceremoniously in his face. "I didn't say it was a bad thing!" Ari said, the slightest bit defensive. "It just doesn't strike me as the kinda thing you'd be into. You shoulda told me, I'd've gone home and brought my keyboard for you to play."

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

In exchange, it didn't surprise her that it didn't surprise him. It was surprisingly easy to tell his reaction in this regard. Maybe because, to no one's surprise, he is closer to a brother to her than the spoiled brat in her family. That, and she hasn't changed much from her youth, unsurprisingly.

What did surprise her though, had to be his trashtalking of Wendy's and praise over McDonalds, breaking through the monotony on her face at this revelation. "I thought you were normal. How are Wendy's bland when McDonalds can't even make good fries anymore. Shit's saggy, and the patty is just as disgusting to look at. Portions are smaller too." Nico shook her head, half-disappointed, half impressed he hadn't ran into any of these issues. He was smart, despite all the insults she flings at him about the opposite being the case.

"So long as you don't lose your job, go for it. Ain't worth sitting around on your apartment." Her worries more aimed over their obsession with Terrasphere. Having no obligations made it all the more tempting to spend her days away in the supposed virtual reality, and from that lesson she learned- "I do." She crossed her legs, train of thought snapped to his modest poke at her duties. "Can't say for how long, but piano is far from the worse in my day." Regrettably, busy or not, there was always some reason for her to feel anxious about, like a rusty nail one can't take off from their foot.

"What're you talking about, I'm always a fucking angel,"
"Nah you are a grinch wearing fuckboy skin. It's only when your latina waifu comes around that your ass starts looking less depressive." She smirked. That is a bit hypocritical of her, but it's not like she is known for fair play.

The advice is there. He isn't completely wrong, and it made her fall back to a thoughtful mood, yet for different reasons than consideration. "Good advice, but for the wrong problem- Yeah, Ronja doesn't care if I'm rich or talented, but I need money, and I'm not gonna be happy regardless of what I do. No money, no visiting Ronja. No time? No visiting Ronja either, nor time to play with her." Nico had gone past frustration at this point, she swallowed that pill long before the decision was made. "Her family also isn't exactly going to be very open to a neet, so I need to look presentable. I'm just using my mom for my own benefit as much as she's doing."

Yet this was no victory, only a trade.

Nico snorted as Mr. Lottery pulled defensive cards and brought up the idea of a keyboard, as if that would save his skin from the ass whooping she wanted to give him for doubting her skills. "'Waste of talent' as my mom says. I hate piano because I hate the people I play it for, and If I had to play one, I rather play it for a friend, or to keep myself busy." Truly, she might just adopt his challenge and start playing meme songs on the piano. Perhaps one day the snobs will catch up that her 'unique pieces' are all but internet shitposting.

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"I thought you were normal. How are Wendy's bland when McDonalds can't even make good fries anymore," Nico said. If anyone was looking at the two of them right now, it was would've been clear from the strained smile on Ari's face that he was doing his best not to strangle the woman right now, if only because her accompaniment of bodyguards were only a few feet away. "The fries aren't as good as they used to be, but at least they put actual condiments on their burgers. Wendy's is just a loaf bread and some too greasy meat shoved between," the man countered. "I don't even need to try it to tell you that shit ain't good. Plus, McNuggs? C'mon, even you can't hate on those."

Nico crossing her legs was...probably the most feminine thing Ari had ever seen the woman do, and he was momentarily taken aback by the action, completely losing track of the conversation for a moment as he did a mental double take. He'd half expected her to be man-spreading all over the seats, not demurely crossing one leg over the other. Ari gave the woman another once over and couldn't decide if he liked this version of Nico or not.

The following slew of invectives was sufficient to bring Ari back to the real world though, and pointedly ignore the more womanly posture of the least womanly woman Ari had ever met. The fact she said 'grinch', 'fuckboi', and 'waifu' all in the same sentence definitely helped.

"So, normal person job is out of the question then?" Ari asked, never having actually figured out if Nico had bothered with getting her a degree in anything. Hell, some days he wasn't sure if she had finished high school. "Could always save up, move out there," he began to suggest, despite knowing that it would be a long and arduous road. "Get your life together; for yourself," Ari said, trying emphasizing that she shouldn't be beholden to anyone, "and maybe you'll look less like a NEET and more like...whatever it is you want to be I guess?" The man sighed briefly and leaned back into the seat of his chair. "Might take a while, but hey. Could always speed it up and start selling feet pics," he joked, knowing full well Nico was probably gonna knock his lights out.

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

"You look as salty as mcdonald's fries." She couldn't ignore the look on his face. If anyone could tell better than strangers it had to be her. A daily routine by now for them, and of course, this went both ways, as her own gloating smile flashed back at him. By now the burgers mattered little compared to the satisfaction from poking fun at him. "Actually though, I don't eat mcnuggets. Ain't that big of a deal to me. Nuggets in general are kind of eh." She added a shrug just then, hands propped onto her lap. "I guess we gotta settle with burger king being the middle ground. They don't disappoint in my experience."

A hand reached out for her temples, rubbing as if that would make the headache from earlier go away. At least Ari had good intentions by deepening said migraine with his suggestions. "Nope. No 'normal' jobs for me unless I graduate or consider customer service normal, which it's not by the way." She couldn't deal with people, compared to Ari. Impressive how he could be a barista, but perhaps his regular clients weren't as shitty as she is. "I have too much in my mind every single day. I rather not get more baggage in the form of a shitty job, a shitty apartment, and having to move my whole life there in the first place." Frustration tingled in her voice. It just wasn't a lifestyle she could afford now, not without eroding mind and body away.

"Besides, I don't hate playing the piano, and I rip all the benefits. It's intense, but even my mother knows she can't push me too hard. I want to try and see Ronja once a month at least, not once every three or five. A shitty job ain't gonna get me that, nor the free time to play." She dropped both feet on the ground once again, looking down at them then back at Ari with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Who you think I am. Valeria?" Nico then waved over to Marco, locking eyes with her babysitter- "Give me your gun, I'm shooting his kneecaps off then you do chinese water torture on his ass."

"No."

Laconic as only he could be, but she didn't lose anything by trying for the eleventh time to make him do something more interesting than being a mute.

"Unless I start giving you my lottery tickets. Who knows, maybe I get lucky and we can split the pool."

@Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"You look as salty as mcdonald's fries."
"Yeah, that's just my face," Ari deadpanned back, despite the big shit-eating grin that Nico was wearing, clearly garnering some kind of enjoyment from their banner. Almost like nothing had changed between them. Like he hadn't slighted her by choosing to capture Szofrit instead of killing her. Like she hadn't just disappeared one day. Like she hadn't completely changed.

"I don't really like nuggs either, but McD's man. They're just something else," Ari shrugged, turning and settling into his seat a little more. "Can't go wrong with some BK though, you're right there." It wasn't as if burger king was exceptional in anyway (even for a fast food chain), but it was decent. And sometimes that's all that really mattered. "Except their fries, those fries suck ass."

Ari almost laughed as he watched Nico begin to rub her temples. Although he knew it wasn't true the man liked to think it was a habit she was beginning to pick up from him, given how many times she had induced a headache for him.

It might not have been what Ari would have chosen, but he respected Nico enough (shockingly) that he nodded quietly as she explained why she'd gone back to her mother's and to playing the piano for people who couldn't give a rat's ass. But then again, maybe he would've made the same choice she did. It wasn't so wild of an idea, sacrificing a bit of soul for someone you loved. Maybe that was just too romantic an idea for reality though.

"Give me your gun, I'm shooting his kneecaps off then you do chinese water torture on his ass."
"No."
"Thanks Marco," Ari said to the man with a thumbs up, only to turn and grin cheekily at Nico. "I feel like I'll regret this, especially since I know you used to steal my credit card, but if you ever do need a hand, you can count on me." Even if it felt like half a lie. She'd asked him to kill Szofrit, and he'd gone back on his word. For what he hoped was everyone's benefit.

@Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

Unfortunate how it didn't have as much of an impact as she expected, but he wasn't wrong either. It was his face. But perhaps Val likes salt just that much to kiss it.

'MC D's, heh' She giggled, keeping the thought in for herself. Wasn't a good enough roast, but it was stupid enough for her five year old brain to laugh at. "I mean... I rather have a good burger than good fries. Can always just make a delivery for the burger, and another for Mc fries." She couldn't lie, these sucked ass, but each fast food chain had it's pros and cons. Except Wendy's, that was all pros, which apparently Ari couldn't see, and almost tempted her to simply buy him some to try. "Still, don't be surprised if one day you get a delivery man at your door and it's a square burger." She could just chalk it up and steal her mom's credit card for that one. Old geezer wouldn't even see it coming in comparison to Ari.

Or just care as much as he does: Zero.

"..."

It was not the thanks given from Ari what made him keep an eye on both of them, but rather, the nature of the interaction. Wariness was second-nature at this point, and he could tell when everything is treading on thin ice, as if enough walls were put between reality in the interaction these two had.

As if it shouldn't be, but it is, simply because it's easier to ignore than to address, or because addressing it would force him to act.

"I feel like I'll regret this, especially since I know you used to steal my credit card, but if you ever do need a hand, you can count on me."

She held back a frown, stopping herself before ugly lines could warp the contour of her face with sourness. "You won't have to regret anything." Nico lifted her hands for a moment, dropping them on her lap non-chalantly. The train begun to slow down yet again as it begun to approach the next station. "That's my stop. Try not to go walking around at these hours. Call a cab or something." If anyone regrets, it had to be her. Regret for trusting others in the first place, knowing how that usually goes. That made her an idiot.

"Take care."

Marco was the last to get up from his seat once Nico had to wave at him to do so, following up by the blonde on the other side of the cabin. The train begun to beep to warn it's passengers of the station they arrived at. More bodies came in, but only five left, three of them being Nico and her mother's guards.

"The driver will take a few minutes to get here. He was parked two stations away."

Marco informed, tilting his head over to his partner who picked up the phone to make a call.

"Don't tell my parents about this at all, alright? It's nothing to make them paranoic about, just an acquaintance."

"You sure?"

"Fuck do you care? He is partially why my parents got to see my face again, so if anything, mom can go and kiss his ass for it." She frowned, shooting a glare back at Marco, who knew better than to indulge in his curiosity, one she knew came from a protective, fatherly attitude moreso than that of a bodyguard. At least in her case.

Even if he meant good by it.

@Yugam (Fin?)