Missed Connection [Lenn]

His face practically belongs on the billboards... Hah, imagine that; going on a date with a sports model. That would just scream ‘bad idea’. If she didn’t want to be noticed before, then that stunt would have blown her right out of the water. Thankfully he wasn’t the sort…though she had to admit, he had the potential to be one.

Suddenly, the confidence seemed to slip from his features. What was wrong? Did she have something on her face? No—He seemed uncertain, but why was that? It was as if…Oh. He didn’t know how to interact with her in a sense of just being around her. Do they just walk side by side? Hand-in-hand? If so, then it really was an unintentional date. Then again, he probably wasn’t going to do that simply because this was his workplace and on top of that, campus grounds. What was it called again? Public…Display of Affection? That’s, right! She heard about schools not allowing such behavior so she could imagine what it was like for a teacher. Hell, it was probably ten times worse just because she looked young enough to be one of his students.

”Hm?”

Oh, his hand. He was waiting for her. She couldn’t be hesitant or else that would give him a hint that something was wrong when it really wasn’t. It’s just that…Well, what was holding his hand like without being under the influence? Curiosity and the interest in Jacob inspired her to take his hand.

It felt warm. It felt…safe.

It felt different than holding a gun. Sure, she felt safe, but not in a sense that she would have someone to watch her back. She already knew she could defend herself if need be, but she also knew he was a good man inside. He probably would protect her if the occasion ever came up. Hopefully not, but it was just the thought that made her smile just a bit.

He better not have caught that hint of a smile. This was going to be the second time she nearly missed his question. Good gravy she needed to pay attention because she needed to lie some more. ”Not much, but oy’ did hook up with them finally,” God, she found herself hating to lie to him. ”We’re gettin’ it all set up so it looks loike oy’ll definitely be stayin’ hea’ fer a while. Lucky you, roight?”She chuckled, ”Means you’ll be seein’ more of me!”

It was strange being in the center of all the attention. All eyes were on the two. She was used to being in the shadows, pretending she never existed. It made her a little nervous, but she was good at hiding it. Apparently hand-holding in public meant they really were an item—that they were on a date. It was official at this point and there was no sense in backing down. She just wished she didn’t get all those stares and people whispering ”who’s that? A student?”. After all, she probably looked like she’d be fresh out of college.

As for being on magazines and TV? She chuckled with a ‘yeah’, but the thought of being practically sold to the public unnerved her. Just to think that now she was committed to the idea of being a model, she had no choice but to make that front a solid alibi. Model by day, hit-man by night…At leas’ it’s got a noice ring to it..

The trip to the café was shorter than expected, but it really did look cute. It had that French feel to it, a warm fuzziness that even relaxed someone normally tense such as herself. Even the inside smelled nice, the scent of freshly brewed coffee and pastries had her shoulders relaxed. Honestly, she wouldn’t mind dropping by just to sit around with a cup of joe. Maybe a bagel to go along with it!

And there went Jacob being the gentleman he was, giving her the opportunity to sit before he did. “Woy thank you~,” Yeah, it was really nice. It sure as hell beat being stared at by the entire school. Once the waitress stopped by, she ordered a plain cup of coffee; straight black, no sugar. ”Sorreh for jus’ droppin’ by unannounced. Didn’ have a way of reachin’ ya so oy’ figgered oy’d surprise ya,” She started off the conversation and this time, it felt a little more natural. ”Th’ school is beautiful. Oy’ can see woy you loike wot you do. Jus’ seems…really peaceful.”

”Oh? Izzat so?” So this really was some special island after all. It was good to know this information. It was kind of weird though—the thought of someone turning into a dinosaur. The idea of putting someone that had the potential to turn into the size of a house into detention…Well, good luck with that. Maybe teaching at this academy was harder than she assumed. It made her wonder though; if majority of the students were ‘gifted’, perhaps the faculty staff was in their own special way? Surely they had to in the event one of the students decided to take a turn for the worse.

Then the questions were upon her. Great. Then again, she couldn’t expect him to not want to get to know more about herself. This was a date after all and normally it was a great opportunity to do so. Before she opened her mouth to speak, the coffee arrived and she thanked the waitress. What good timing. Maybe the coffee will help things go along smoother. Even if the beverage was steaming hot, she took a drink like it was nothing. Pain tolerance was a perk about being a guinea pig; not much could really bother her. Wow, this coffee really is good.

”Well…Woy not? Oy’ mean…all ya gotta do is take pik’chas n’look pretty behind the camera,” She shrugged nonchalantly and took another drink. Always best to control the situation first. ”So far, so good. Oy’m not up there yet with all the top models…” It was a good enough reason as to why she wasn’t known. Just starting out she heard was a brutal business. Lots of competition…Although in her opinion, there shouldn’t be any for her—Not like she was going to mention that. ”Wot made you wonna teach? Not much people have patience fer kids, oy’m curious.”

To be honest, she had no idea how the modeling business even works. That assumption was pulled out of her ass although she did see advertisements on modeling. There were even modeling advertisements for companies that sold weapons. Swords and babes seemed to be a trend and that was something she considered. Modeling should be easy, right? Well she was gonna find out in a couple days. Besides, it seemed like a decent cover. Who would ever suspect a potential high-profile model as someone who kills people for an additional living? Nobody, because the idea probably sounded like the dumbest thing ever.

Anyway, she listened to him and how the way he spoke about his career and the kids involved. She supposed it would feel liberating knowing that he had a helping hand in making these kids successful. That was probably a good enough reason to keep doing what he was doing. It was enough to make her smile anyway. Make that..,What, two sober smiles for him now? She wished she had some kind of guidance like that. Instead, it was ruthless training, brutal experiments, and confinement in a shitty cell where they served her tasteless crap they called meals. Maybe…Just maybe if she had guidance like that, then maybe she really would have taken a different path than the one she was on now. However, there really was that small bit inside of her that actually enjoyed killing for a living. She considered it self-served justice, taking out the trash of society that nobody cared to have around. There were a number of people she had no problems taking out or beating into submission. She had seen a lot of shit that many people had the privilege of being oblivious to. It was times like those that kept her going down such a bloody path.

She was the one that did the dirty work for the benefit of everyone else and that was fine with her.

” You…seem t’really enjoy your job. Oy’ can see it in your eyes when you talk about it. These kids’re luckeh to hav’ someone loike you wotch ova’ them.” That was perhaps the most genuine compliment she had ever given someone. Ever. There was even a glimmer of warmth in those naturally cold eyes. So there were good people in this world after all.

VShe was one of those people that needed a reason to smile. Smiling didn’t come…naturally and the two times she did smile for him, she felt awkward doing it…Like her face was going to get stuck that way or something. Those muscles in her face were rarely used. Hell, what she was doing now was completely out of character. This was the first date she ever had and she was actually allowing someone to touch her without threat of serious bodily harm or dismemberment. Briefly she wondered if he was some kind of double agent sent to observe her or catch her off guard. If that really were the case? Then she’d admit defeat hands down. She’d probably be more than happy to cut off her own head just for him. Good grief, why did he come off as so…special? When did that ever happen? How did that even happen? She couldn’t blame everything on alcohol again because there wasn’t a single drop in her system. Her coffee wasn’t spiked either, so why did she let him hold her hand?

Maybe it was because…He treated her like a normal girl…although technically he really didn’t know a thing about her. That was probably why, but she just couldn’t help but feel just a little special in his presence. The direct eye contact she had with him instantly broke when she felt the warmth of his hand over hers. This…This was an affectionate sign and it made her nervous. A big part of her wanted such affection but…How could she? It hit her then just how risky this situation was—dangerous even for the both of them. She was in a dangerous line of work and if they ever found out about her relations with Jacob, he could possibly be put in danger. Surely he had means to defend himself, but people in her line of work were unpredictable.

Her instincts screamed no, but her heart said yes and the ice all around it was slowly giving way with the time she was spending with Jacob. Well, it was now or never and she couldn’t dwell long because she knew he was testing the waters with her, seeing how far he could move forward and if it was worth investing the effort. She didn’t want to lose this opportunity.

For once in her very controlled life, she was going to take a risk.

She returned the affection, grasping his hand in a gentle hold. That’s when she realized she could never tell him about her darker side. There could be that chance she might lose this. Huh, to think she had something to lose for a change. She was beginning to like his presence a lot and if this ever moved forward, this was going to be a very new change for her and she’d have to balance a possible life with Jacob and her bloody path. Could she do it? She took a deep breath and smiled. Jus’ one step at a time, Lenn…

”Woy oy’m glad to be th’ one to relieve the stress. Speakin’ of this place in general…It’s supposta’ be some place for..’special’ people..So, wot makes you ‘special’?”. Surely he had some unique quality about himself that placed him on this island.