She wasn't stalling, she wasn't thinking about running away, she was simply testing the durability of the sidewalk. Pak paced back and forth arms alternately wrapped around her and clutched behind her back.
Her long hair hung down her back, pulled back from the temples with a single braid down the center. She was dressed in a gold knit silk turtleneck that left her arms bare, straight leg black pants and red Feregamo T-straps with a medium heel. If she had to run, she didn't want a repeat of the whole zombie thing. She still missed the shoes Kem broke.
Speaking of Kem, his voice made her jump about a foot in the air. She hadn't even heard him and snapped back at him with an annoyed snarl.
"Bullshit!"Â?
Was that Kem? She thought it was, but it wasn't her Kem. Not with his hair back, not dressed like that. Those jeans looked good on him and the shirt showed him off. Too bad, he was her brother/uncle because it was not hard to see what Aishe saw.
She abruptly stopped thinking about that, it was sort of weird creepy and un-natural and she had more than enough waiting for her in there.
Again Pak wrapped her arms around her, hugging herself but some how managed to shrug and apology for her aggressive greeting.
"I didn't want to tell you."Â?
She valued Kem's opinion, very highly and was a little worried he'd think she was being an idiot. But Aishe had rather blown her cover. Well Pak had given her blessing to blow her cover, but still...
A Little Inspiration (Attn: Pakpao)
The decision hadn't been so difficult, not really. He supposed he could have stayed at home. He could have hung out nearby like Aishe had suggested, too. But Kem didn't really mind the House of Pain, and had frequented it in years past. When one's only real requirement for feeding was that one's food be willing, well, a place like this could be a literal life saver.
Hanging out on the sidelines just because Pak had some hangup about being independent wasn't right either. They were her friends, and they were there to support her even if they did it from a room away.
Okay. And Aishe was up there in a tiny, seductive leather skirt with thigh high leather boots that seemed to make her legs go on forever and ever. Don't think about that.
He shook his head as if to clear it, coming around the corner to the underground entrance of the building, and noticed Pak herself pacing back and forth, apparently undecided about entering the building. Kem watched for a moment, wondering how he'd feel in her position, and cleared his throat softly.
"You have to go in," he said. "You can't come this far just to back out."
He stood there with his hands in his pockets, not threatening, not pushing, just encouraging. In the meantime he sent to Aishe, letting her know he was just outside and planning to come up.
Pakpao
14 years ago
Kem`Raaisu
14 years ago
Kem cocked an eyebrow at Pak. "You told Aishe," he pointed out. "You must have known she'd tell me something."
Aishe had told him, in fact, that Pak was all right with her communicating to him what was happening tonight. Kem wasn't entirely all right with the whole "I don't want to bother him" argument but it wasn't his place to go barging into Pak's apartment or office and tell her off about it. He'd just figure it a stroke of luck, meeting her outside instead.
Kem had thought a lot about what it must mean to Pak to meet the man of her nightmares. He didn't know how he'd react in her place. Well - he had a good idea and it wasn't really pretty.
He leaned against the wall near the entrance to the tall building, doing his best to project an air of calm. Concentrating slightly, he sent that calm and confidence radiating out toward Pak, trying to ease her worry some.
"Are you afraid he'll try something?" Kem glanced up at the building in its enormity. It wouldn't be hard to get lost in here with the maze of rooms and hallways, the club spanning multiple floors. But Pak would meet her creator in a public area and she wouldn't leave without Aishe and Kem following.
((ooc: Permission to glamour Pak))
Aishe had told him, in fact, that Pak was all right with her communicating to him what was happening tonight. Kem wasn't entirely all right with the whole "I don't want to bother him" argument but it wasn't his place to go barging into Pak's apartment or office and tell her off about it. He'd just figure it a stroke of luck, meeting her outside instead.
Kem had thought a lot about what it must mean to Pak to meet the man of her nightmares. He didn't know how he'd react in her place. Well - he had a good idea and it wasn't really pretty.
He leaned against the wall near the entrance to the tall building, doing his best to project an air of calm. Concentrating slightly, he sent that calm and confidence radiating out toward Pak, trying to ease her worry some.
"Are you afraid he'll try something?" Kem glanced up at the building in its enormity. It wouldn't be hard to get lost in here with the maze of rooms and hallways, the club spanning multiple floors. But Pak would meet her creator in a public area and she wouldn't leave without Aishe and Kem following.
((ooc: Permission to glamour Pak))
Pakpao
14 years ago
"The whole bonded thing is cheating."Â?
Pak sulked slightly. If they hadn't been bonded Pak might have asked not to say anything. But they were and it just didn't make sense to try and keep it from Kem.
It was positivly unfair that he could look so calm right now. Pak carfully, so as not to snag her shirt, slumped against the wall next to him. Not being overly tall the slump made her look even smaller and wilted besides. It was a hard to stand up under all the different emotion going through her these past two days. And she'd been too nervous to eat. Well, at least she wasn't starving, she'd had something to eat the night before she'd met Mara.
Shaking her head Pak gave up, she'd tried to keep from bothering Kem with this, but she gave up and threw up her hands.
"Yes. Hell I'm afraid of verything. What he'll do, say, think. I don't know what made me even -think- about doing this. I should have just stopped thinking about him and moved on."Â?
Not that she'd ever been able to stop thinking about him. She'd thought about this man off and on, more or less since the day he'd bitten her.
Somehow just talking about it seemed to relax her a little bit and Pak unslumped a bit.
Pak sulked slightly. If they hadn't been bonded Pak might have asked not to say anything. But they were and it just didn't make sense to try and keep it from Kem.
It was positivly unfair that he could look so calm right now. Pak carfully, so as not to snag her shirt, slumped against the wall next to him. Not being overly tall the slump made her look even smaller and wilted besides. It was a hard to stand up under all the different emotion going through her these past two days. And she'd been too nervous to eat. Well, at least she wasn't starving, she'd had something to eat the night before she'd met Mara.
Shaking her head Pak gave up, she'd tried to keep from bothering Kem with this, but she gave up and threw up her hands.
"Yes. Hell I'm afraid of verything. What he'll do, say, think. I don't know what made me even -think- about doing this. I should have just stopped thinking about him and moved on."Â?
Not that she'd ever been able to stop thinking about him. She'd thought about this man off and on, more or less since the day he'd bitten her.
Somehow just talking about it seemed to relax her a little bit and Pak unslumped a bit.
Kem`Raaisu
14 years ago
"Hardly," Kem replied mildly to Pak's opinion on bonding. He permitted himself a slight smile. Maybe once he would have thought the same, but being bonded to Aishe was a misnomer. It didn't bind him, it set him free. With her comforting presence just flickering at the corners of his awareness all the time, he was constantly reminded that no matter where he went or what he did, there was at least one person in this world who'd never judged and would always love. It was a powerful motivator.
Pak joined him in leaning against the wall and he listened quietly to her. When she wound down he asked, "Did you ever think that maybe meeting him and talking to him will allow you to do just that? To forget about him and move on? Your questions will all be answered and you'll know."
He'd thought the same thing himself. Knowing nothing about his own creator but remembering a soft laugh in the dark, Kem had often wondered if that unknown person in his nightmares would go away if the mystery were solved.
Since Pak seemed to be easing slightly, Kem continued to radiate calm and confidence. He was almost certain Pak wouldn't know he was doing anything; not now, anyway, being so upset. Maybe later, if she thought about it, she would suspect.
Pak joined him in leaning against the wall and he listened quietly to her. When she wound down he asked, "Did you ever think that maybe meeting him and talking to him will allow you to do just that? To forget about him and move on? Your questions will all be answered and you'll know."
He'd thought the same thing himself. Knowing nothing about his own creator but remembering a soft laugh in the dark, Kem had often wondered if that unknown person in his nightmares would go away if the mystery were solved.
Since Pak seemed to be easing slightly, Kem continued to radiate calm and confidence. He was almost certain Pak wouldn't know he was doing anything; not now, anyway, being so upset. Maybe later, if she thought about it, she would suspect.
Pakpao
14 years ago
Pak stuck her tongue out at Kem in response. She wasn't jealous of Kem and Aishe's relationship, well maybe a little, she was happy he had some one. It had been slowly but surely making a big difference in him. Of course it also tended to remind her she was alone and make her feel little bit more hesitant and/or guilty about leaning on Kem. But the good far out weighed her little hang ups so Pak didn't dwell on it.
In a very un-Pak-like move she thought about what he said, turned it over in her mind several ways before responding. It would be nice if that were true but Pak shook her head in the negative.
"No. Well I never thought about it that way but..."Â?
Even if she had it wouldn't be true. There was far too much at stake here, and it wasn't just her. One wrong answer and this would get infinitely worse. It was like that dream where you were falling and you woke up just before you hit the ground, only Pak thought she might not wake up in time. Her voices had been oddly quiet since agreeing to meet with this Bao guy. Her -children- had gone silent. She took that as a bad omen. What if he'd gone back and hurt them? Killed them?
Instead she just stared at her shoes.
"Yeah he's so caring he'll tell me every thing I want to know, apologize for ripping me out of my life and then we'll kiss and make up."Â?
Pak was a bit of a pessimist on the best of days. But at least she was calm. Calm and relaxed, but negative. It was a start.
In a very un-Pak-like move she thought about what he said, turned it over in her mind several ways before responding. It would be nice if that were true but Pak shook her head in the negative.
"No. Well I never thought about it that way but..."Â?
Even if she had it wouldn't be true. There was far too much at stake here, and it wasn't just her. One wrong answer and this would get infinitely worse. It was like that dream where you were falling and you woke up just before you hit the ground, only Pak thought she might not wake up in time. Her voices had been oddly quiet since agreeing to meet with this Bao guy. Her -children- had gone silent. She took that as a bad omen. What if he'd gone back and hurt them? Killed them?
Instead she just stared at her shoes.
"Yeah he's so caring he'll tell me every thing I want to know, apologize for ripping me out of my life and then we'll kiss and make up."Â?
Pak was a bit of a pessimist on the best of days. But at least she was calm. Calm and relaxed, but negative. It was a start.
Kem`Raaisu
14 years ago
"Huh. I don't remember saying he was caring or apologetic, or anything about kissing and making up now that you mention it," Kem replied. "I just said you'd have some answers."
He shrugged his shoulders at her. It was tempting to use his abilities to encourage her to go into the building, but that wasn't ethically or morally right. He wasn't here to influence her choices. He could help make sure she made them with a level head though, and so far he thought he was accomplishing that.
"What's the worst case scenario? You walk in, you realize he really is a monster, and you go on avoiding him for the rest of your existence."
In Kem's opinion, Pak didn't have much to lose, really. He conveniently ignored the fact that if it were him meeting his creator, he would never be able to discuss anything levelly or calmly. But then that had always been a failing of his - his ability to give advice but not take it himself. It was always much easier to see reason from the outside.
He shrugged his shoulders at her. It was tempting to use his abilities to encourage her to go into the building, but that wasn't ethically or morally right. He wasn't here to influence her choices. He could help make sure she made them with a level head though, and so far he thought he was accomplishing that.
"What's the worst case scenario? You walk in, you realize he really is a monster, and you go on avoiding him for the rest of your existence."
In Kem's opinion, Pak didn't have much to lose, really. He conveniently ignored the fact that if it were him meeting his creator, he would never be able to discuss anything levelly or calmly. But then that had always been a failing of his - his ability to give advice but not take it himself. It was always much easier to see reason from the outside.
Pakpao
14 years ago
Pak gave a rather derisive snort, one that should be interpreted as 'Fine be literal about this.' About then she realized she was again leaning on Kem. She had to knock that the hell off. She stood up, straightened her hair, brushed off her shirt and took a few steps away. She -was- going to stand on her own two feet her damned it.
She still didn't think he was going to give her any answers, and her worst case scenario was a lot worse than Kem's. But what was she going to do? Whine about it? It was what it was and she either went in and tried to deal with it or hid and just shut up for the rest of her un-natural existence. And if she was going to hide she wouldn't have gotten this far.
"Yeah, now all I have to do is figure out what to say to him and I sure as hell am -not- shaking his hand."Â?
Apparently some where in that sentence Pak had made up her mind to go in. Scary, but true. She dubiously eyed the entrance to the House of Pain, this was going to be -so- much fun. She rolled her eyes at herself.
She still didn't think he was going to give her any answers, and her worst case scenario was a lot worse than Kem's. But what was she going to do? Whine about it? It was what it was and she either went in and tried to deal with it or hid and just shut up for the rest of her un-natural existence. And if she was going to hide she wouldn't have gotten this far.
"Yeah, now all I have to do is figure out what to say to him and I sure as hell am -not- shaking his hand."Â?
Apparently some where in that sentence Pak had made up her mind to go in. Scary, but true. She dubiously eyed the entrance to the House of Pain, this was going to be -so- much fun. She rolled her eyes at herself.
Kem`Raaisu
14 years ago
Kem smiled as Pak steeled herself and pulled away from the wall. He followed suit, prepared to go in with her if she preferred or just wait outside until the coast was clear. Either way there was a gorgeous woman in a ridiculously sexy skirt upstairs and she had a date with him.
He checked himself before he projected "horny" to Pak instead of "calm" and smiled reassuringly at her. "Don't worry about what to say to him. He screwed it up, not you. If he sweats, let him sweat."
Leaning down to Pak's diminutive level, he kissed her cheek lightly. "I'm proud of you, Pak. I told you you were strong. You should have just believed me when I first said it."
He continued to be a beacon of confidence since it seemed to be helping. The ability was still new enough that he did have to pay attention to it a little to keep it going, but he suspected the fact that most of his other skills were focused on mind tricks instead of physical attributes was helping him acclimatize to this new skill very quickly.
"Now, do you want me to go in with you and pretend I don't know you, or wait out here for a few minutes and then pretend I don't know you?"
He checked himself before he projected "horny" to Pak instead of "calm" and smiled reassuringly at her. "Don't worry about what to say to him. He screwed it up, not you. If he sweats, let him sweat."
Leaning down to Pak's diminutive level, he kissed her cheek lightly. "I'm proud of you, Pak. I told you you were strong. You should have just believed me when I first said it."
He continued to be a beacon of confidence since it seemed to be helping. The ability was still new enough that he did have to pay attention to it a little to keep it going, but he suspected the fact that most of his other skills were focused on mind tricks instead of physical attributes was helping him acclimatize to this new skill very quickly.
"Now, do you want me to go in with you and pretend I don't know you, or wait out here for a few minutes and then pretend I don't know you?"
Pakpao
14 years ago
That was a damned fine point. He didn't get to judge her. He might have turned her but damned it she made herself. She was the one who'd come out of this alive, not only alive but also more or less functional (most days). If he didn't like what he saw, well screw him she'd leave. She'd done without him for a damned long while now and could continue to do without him.
Realizing she was the one with the power right now is finally, what made up her mind. Why she hadn't realized that before Pak wasn't sure, perhaps her fear of this bastard had held her in some sort of thrall. Well that was over now wasn't it?
She smiled up at Kem.
"But if I believed everything you said, you'd have me believing that the archives were more important than IT."Â?
That little bit of humor had been surprisingly natural and not at all forced as it would have been a few minutes ago. She still might not feel strong, as Kem said, but she did feel a bit more like herself. I am T-Rex hear me roar. She just had to stop focusing on her stubby little arms and concentrate on her big teeth and she'd be fine.
"What you're going to follow me in to make sure I don't chicken out?"Â?
Pak shook her head.
"Nope. You go in first, go find Aishe. I'll be along in a minute. Just don't get so wrapped up in her you don't hear me scream if he does turn out to be a monster after all."Â?
Realizing she was the one with the power right now is finally, what made up her mind. Why she hadn't realized that before Pak wasn't sure, perhaps her fear of this bastard had held her in some sort of thrall. Well that was over now wasn't it?
She smiled up at Kem.
"But if I believed everything you said, you'd have me believing that the archives were more important than IT."Â?
That little bit of humor had been surprisingly natural and not at all forced as it would have been a few minutes ago. She still might not feel strong, as Kem said, but she did feel a bit more like herself. I am T-Rex hear me roar. She just had to stop focusing on her stubby little arms and concentrate on her big teeth and she'd be fine.
"What you're going to follow me in to make sure I don't chicken out?"Â?
Pak shook her head.
"Nope. You go in first, go find Aishe. I'll be along in a minute. Just don't get so wrapped up in her you don't hear me scream if he does turn out to be a monster after all."Â?
Kem`Raaisu
14 years ago
Kem shook his head at Pak. "It saddens me that you can't see the truth in that. My archives will always be more important than IT."
Pak seemed a lot more sure of herself now, but he didn't drop his glamour. He wasn't certain how close he had to be to Pak for it to work, but he figured he'd keep it up as long as he was able. He didn't want her suffering any doubts halfway through the building.
Her warning to him made him laugh. "When you see what she's wearing, you'll understand the whole wrapping up thing." He was pretty sure his eyes glazed over a little bit but he did, to his credit, do his best to remain focused.
"Don't have to ask me twice. Remember. I'm a sending away."
With that, he made his way into the House of Pain.
((ooc: Kem out))
Pak seemed a lot more sure of herself now, but he didn't drop his glamour. He wasn't certain how close he had to be to Pak for it to work, but he figured he'd keep it up as long as he was able. He didn't want her suffering any doubts halfway through the building.
Her warning to him made him laugh. "When you see what she's wearing, you'll understand the whole wrapping up thing." He was pretty sure his eyes glazed over a little bit but he did, to his credit, do his best to remain focused.
"Don't have to ask me twice. Remember. I'm a sending away."
With that, he made his way into the House of Pain.
((ooc: Kem out))
Pakpao
14 years ago
Pak openly rolled her eyes at him. At least he was happy. Maybe she'd tackle some likely looking guy for the hell of it after this. Probably not, well not for anything more than dinner. How long had it been? Not the time to think about this Pak! She told herself and refocused as Kem walked away.
Wanting to be sure there was a good amount of time between Kem's arrival and her own Pak started through the Fibonacci sequence until she couldn't hold them in her head any more. She tried four times but couldn't get past 1,597 without nerves causing her to start dropping digits. Usually she could get considerably further.
"OK here goes nothing."Â?
Pak slid through the entrance and decided whatever was going to happen was going to happen. But if it went bad, she wasn't going down without a fight.
((OOC... Pak out))
Wanting to be sure there was a good amount of time between Kem's arrival and her own Pak started through the Fibonacci sequence until she couldn't hold them in her head any more. She tried four times but couldn't get past 1,597 without nerves causing her to start dropping digits. Usually she could get considerably further.
"OK here goes nothing."Â?
Pak slid through the entrance and decided whatever was going to happen was going to happen. But if it went bad, she wasn't going down without a fight.
((OOC... Pak out))