A Trial In Trust

Naomi gave up religion long ago, yet she found herself praying in the living room. The young woman wore a nice shirt, cute capris, and a pair of wedge sandals. Her long, red hair was pulled back into a high ponytail as usual. She wore a touch of makeup just to look good for the visitor entering her home. She kneel before a television cabinet sparsely decorated. One of those tiny painted angels sat on top of the cabinet above the center of the TV. Her closed eyes fought back long held tears as she put her hands together. Her head bowed before the screen. In the kitchen next door, a delicious aroma seeped into the room; as usual, she prepared food beforehand. However, this time there was a bit more in case her guest was hungry. Speaking of her guest, the upcoming event she planned with him tonight was what made her start praying before he arrived.

"Whatever force is up there.....please don't let this be another mistake. I know I'm not worthy, but please don't let another fuckboy in my life. I've gone through so many trials these years, and I've worked so hard. I'm exhausted and scared. Please don't break my trust again...."

At this point, she wasn't sure what force she was praying to or what she really believed in, but she could care less. She spoke her prayer in Spanish, letting the beautiful accented voice she had shine through as she gently whispered to the skies. Something about doing this relaxed her just enough to not flip her shit when she heard the sound of the door. Her eyes opened. She put her hands down and glanced over at a nearby portrait. It was a family picture from before her father left. However, he had been removed from the picture entirely, leaving only her mother and herself smiling for the camera. Would this be her fate too? A sigh escaped her lips.

Corvo at least seemed better than the rest, but how could she know for sure? It was tough putting herself in such a vulnerable state. This is what her shields were meant to defend against; this is what she fought to avoid. Now she was putting her barriers down in the hopes that maybe he could listen. Maybe she could have another person there for her. Klaus opened the door to trusting more people. After having a fun but somewhat awkward meal at a local eatery, now it was time to take a chance. She stood up and walked towards the front door. Her mother was in the bedroom down the hall. Nao's face held a serious expression as she opened the door.

"Nice timing. Now get in here."

@Maximum_Fatalis

Naomi regularly did the housework. She didn't want to make her mother do it. After all, her mom kept having health problems at this point. Today she was particularly meticulous about cleaning. The previous subject from before made her nervous. It brought back so many terrible emotions that she wasn't sure she could handle. Her usual method was aggressively pushing them away. However, he was curious, and she was open to talking. Still her mind debated if it was a good idea to trust him. She shut the door behind him as he entered. Her eyes checked him out. She liked that he wasn't overly dressed. That'd be weird.

"You're not too shabby yourself."

She grunted lightly. It was really code for "You look hot". However, Nao never gave direct compliments anymore. She always had a roundabout way of saying it like it was a lesser insult. Her hand gestured to the couch. It was somewhat old but comfortable. She sat on one end of the couch. It wasn't that big; to be honest, it was only slightly bigger than a loveseat. As he asked about why he was here, she shifted uncomfortably. Good, he was to the point. Guess there was no beating around the bush.

"I need to talk to you.....it's going to get long, so I can make you a plate of food if you want."

In reality, she already had prepared a plate for him in case he was hungry. One finger gently pushed her bangs away from her eyes. Her legs were crossed along with her arms. His smile was cute....no, she couldn't let herself be deceived by his looks. She offered no smile to him. However, her eyes appeared less fiery than normal. If anything, they seemed to be more...sad. Depressed even. No scowl could make up for it.

@Maximum_Fatalis

He didn't want to eat now. She wasn't sure if it was because he wasn't hungry or if he was trying to listen to her. The latter provided her with vague comfort. He cared about her? Was that actually a thing? Knowing that the situation couldn't be delayed, Naomi now had to spill. He tried soothing her by saying that he went through some shit too. She wondered what crap he had went through and was even tempted to turn the question on him. It was her fighting instincts really. The woman lightly snorted.

"Then maybe you can relate somehow. I don't know."

She uncrossed and recrossed her legs. Where would she begin?

"You ever had a so-called 'parent' let you down? Well, my life went down a shithole when my mom's sperm donor decided to leave one day and marry some rich broad in China. I thought he actually gave a shit about me and her, but nope, he wouldn't even pay child support and put us in financial hell."

She disliked him so much that she refused to acknowledge him as her father. Even if he had been around for the first eight years of her life, it didn't matter when he indirectly destroyed the rest. It was because of him that she had to start working and took up a ridiculous number of hours in whatever crappy job they would give to a teenager like her. This also led to her running out of options after high school and having to take on the role of stripper, the job which she hated the absolute most out of all the ones she held.

"I had to start working because my mom couldn't handle it even with two jobs. I know she still feels heartbroken too....I never want to end up like that. Having some guy knock me up, tell me he loves me, and then fucking bail for someone else. Why are so many men so fucking garbage?"

The anger came back and lit the fire in her eyes.

"My thinking's been 'How can I trust males when so many of them have let me down?'. Yet here I am spilling my goddamn guts out to you. Look at how pathetic I've become...."

After those words were said, she grumbled to herself bitterly. The anger turned to resentment. At who, it was hard to say. But in all likelihood, it was resentment towards herself. Looks like she wasn't necessarily as prideful as she made herself out to be.

@Maximum_Fatalis

Her tough look nearly dropped completely when she heard what happened to his mother. She imagined what if her own mother died. Even if her mom was sick and could barely help herself now, she couldn't imagine...she just....no. Not to mention her mother also almost died because of her drug habits. It was why she was so sick now, and it was also why Naomi had to monitor her painkiller usage. The idea shook her to the core. She didn't dare say a word as he went on to share more of his memories. She listened intently.

Then he admitted to having been a thief. He stole from people in order to survive and eventually got caught. He was thrown in jail for a while. Probably not for long since it was thievery, but he was marked as a criminal. Most people at that point would judge him. They would avoid him or fear that he would do something else. What other crime was he willing to commit? Would he steal from them? Would he hurt them? What did he do that got him caught? Was he one of those thieves that carried a weapon? It would be enough to make people run.

But not Naomi though.

Her hand suddenly grabbed his. Her eyes stared straight into his with utter seriousness as she held on tightly to his hand.

"Any man that is willing to admit that he's done bad things in the past, and that he has gotten locked up for his crimes can stay in my home."

A mild smirk broke out on her face.

"You take anything from here though, and getting locked up is the least of your worries!"

The second part was entirely stated in a joking tone complete with a grin and a cute chuckle. Her fingers gently stroke his hand.

"It's fine. I'm actually glad you admitted that really. It's a lot more noble than some of the shady shit people hide in their closets. You know how many liars there are in this world? I would've kicked you out if I caught you in a lie. I'm tired of liars breaking my heart."

The grin faded. She closed her eyes and gently cringed. Now it was time to tell him the horror stories that were her exes.

"I'm not exactly the cleanest girl either. Back in high school, I did a lot of drugs. I was a pothead along with a group of friends I hung out with. We did stupid shit, legal or not, and got high off of our asses. My boyfriend at the time was apart of that group."

She opened her eyes and glanced downward at the cushions.

"Even though my dad left me, I was still a really naive girl then. I still believed that there was hope and in stupid concepts like true love. I thought my boyfriend really loved me. He kept telling me he did."

Her voice cracked at the last sentence. She had to take several deep breaths before she could continue.

"And he said....that if I really loved him, then I would show him how I looked naked."

At this point, her hand squeezed his as if she was trying to suffocate it.

"I was scared. Never had sex before. Never even had a guy look at me naked before. But after some pressure, some attempts where I chickened out, and just enough weed to get myself a bit high, I took a bunch of nudes. I sent those nudes to him, believing that he wouldn't spread them. Believing that he wouldn't lie to me."

Her grip loosen. Her head was fully tilted downward. Her eyes watered as she stared down into her lap.

"He didn't just show the whole school. He fucking posted it on the Internet. You know, one of those porn sites where they take amateur photos of nude girlfriends. He humiliated me. I had the entire student body calling me names and harassing me. To make matters worse, he lied and said that those were taken before he fucked me. He bragged about me being 'easy'. He ruined my social life."

Nao gritted her teeth.

"All because I was stupid enough to trust him. I felt so bad that I went on a cocaine binge and O.D.'d. I had to be sent to the hospital and then transferred into rehab. I got left back in school because I was busy trying to get off all drugs. I ditched my idiot friends after I got out of rehab. Those hospital bills weren't cheap either. Almost gave my mom a heart attack. She told me that when I was unconscious, she prayed that I would wake up again. She couldn't handle watching her daughter die."

She shifted uncomfortably on her side of the couch. Now she kept her hands to herself. Even so, she kind of wanted a hug but wouldn't dare ask for it. She struggled to keep up the tough demeanor after reopening that wound. The woman fought back tears and scowled as much as she could.

@Maximum_Fatalis

Normally having someone touch her out of nowhere, especially a male, would cause her to push back. However, it was the method he did it and her need of a hug that made her hold back. She tensed up as she felt his arm wrap around her. Then she was pulled in close to him. Noticing that he wasn't touching her anywhere inappropriate, she relaxed. Feeling his warmth as he held her close, she mellowed out further. Naomi picked up his words. She wasn't fooling anyone; she was ready to cry. No tough expression could cover up those watery eyes. She stared up at him with a blank expression.

After a few moments of nothing, the woman suddenly burst into hysterics. Two rivers rapidly ran down her face. Sobs left her throat. She was a crying mess, yet there was something adorable about her teary blue eyes. Sad but adorable.

"Why was I such an idiot? Why would he do that to me? Why are people just so cruel?"

Her mind was such a mess that she was verbalizing her thoughts. They were stated in rapid fire fashion. She had a habit of speaking fast when she was upset. That combined with the sobbing and waterworks made it a challenge to understand her. All of that pain was boiling over to the outside finally. This provided her with a release.

"He wasn't even the worst one. That award goes to the asshole that raped me...."

Her sobs eased up, but she was still crying a lot. She remained within Corvo's arms. Considering her ordeal, that was a big sign of trust.

@Maximum_Fatalis