Timelined directly after Acolyte Week
<@Fabian> "Later than I had realized." Fabian stated as he stepped out onto the sidewalk outside of the school. "It'll be pretty dark soon. Let me know if I'm keeping you from something."
<Clarice> "Don't worry, I'm not booked for anything this evening," she smiled at him, "and I can just teleport us back so you can wander where ever you want, okay?" Should she hold his hand? She wasn't entierly sure where they were after the whole Jess thing.
<@Fabian> Fabian's mind was as far away from that kind of situation as it had ever been. Actually, he wasn't even sure where his mind was at the moment. "Well, good, because I do feel like wandering tonight."
<Clarice> "Then wander we shall," Clarice chose a direction and started ambling in it, "So ... do you wanna like ... talk about it?" She asked after a moment.
<@Fabian> "That's probably be the sensible thing to do." He admitted. "I just don't really know where to start about the whole...everything."
<Clarice> "The begining is usually a good place, if you can figure out when that was," she suggested.
<@Fabian> "There's not really a beginning to these sort of things." He chuckled at the idea of that, shaking his head. "It's just...I should be there."
<Clarice> "Why? You realised you were wrong and changed to the good guys, right?"
<@Fabian> He made a frustrated noise as he walked a bit faster. "Well, that's not really how I meant that but it is still my crime. I should be there though, because it's my family."
<Clarice> Clarice lengthened her pace a little to keep up with him, "You wanna suport your sister?" She questioned.
<@Fabian> "She was wrong and she was stupid but she is my sister."
<Clarice> Clarice nodded, "Yeah ... so ... were you and your sister real close then?"
<@Fabian> He kicked a rock forward off of the sidewalk and into the street. "Well, maybe not as close as we should have been but she's my twin sister. We did everything together for most of our lives."
<Clarice> "That just sounds ... so strange to me, when I got put into care I was surrounded by other children but I was moved around so often I never really knew them that well, being so close to someone for so long ..." she shrugged, "it-it must be strange, being by yourself now, yeah?"
<@Fabian> "It's...a strange feeling...but Lukas is more my family than my real family so I suppose that does help. It just doens't take everything away."
<Clarice> "I did notice the lapdog act back there," she smiled to show she didn't mean anything by it, "how'd you guys get to be so close then? You sorta remind me of me and Jean-Pau."
<@Fabian> "Well, our backgrounds are rather different but we've gone through some similar things. We understand one another."
<Clarice> "He seems kinda ... I dunno, damaged," Clarice gave a small shrug, "I used to run into kids like him, there's just something in the eyes y'know?" She ooked thoughtfully up at the evening sky.
<Clarice> "But it's good he has you at least, he's luckier then most, I guess."
<@Fabian> "He definiately had things worse than me. God knows I can't complain about how I've lived." Fabian laughed even thought he sound was empty. "I don't know that I'm that good for him though considering what I got him involved with."
<Clarice> "You got him involved with Uncle?" Her eyes flickered to him and she sighed, that probably hadn't helped Lukas in the slightest, that whole mess.
<@Fabian> "He would have never met him if he hadn't been around me." Fabian admitted.
<Clarice> Fabian was probably feeling bad enough about all that without her adding to it, so maybe now was the time for a subtle change of subject? "Heh, you're just a terrible influence, first Lukas, now me, hmm?"
<Fabian>The wording of that made him cringe involuntarily. "A bad influence, hmm? In what way?"
<Clarice> "Doing this whole dating thing the european way," she gave a small shrug, still smiling, "I guess some people might say it was slutty, though I'm not sure it's possible to be a slut and a virgin at the same time," she pondered.
<@Fabian> "Slut is just a word that's thrown around by jealous people." Fabian replied automatically. "Though I don't really think Europe can claim that system of dating, either." He added with a bit of a chuckle. "I hadn't realized I had influenced you that way, though."
<Clarice> "Well, I thought about what you said, about getting to know people before commiting and all that, and it does make sense," she went to scratch her new tattoo but caught herself in time, "most people's ... I dunno, views about that sorta thing come from religious conditioning, whether they acknowledge it or not, but I don't think it would go against the Third Precept-"
<Clarice> She stopped and then chuckled, "And you probably don't wanna hear about my own personal moralising with my faith, sorry."
<@Fabian> "I don't know, you're probably better at moralising than I am. I could probably use some help on that, actually." Fabian said it jokingly despite being serious. "though I suppose that isn't really the topic I want to scratch morals over."
<Clarice> "Buddhist is a thinking person's religion," she chuckled, "you have to interpret the Precepts yourself rather then just follow some commandments or anything, though I'm sure my momma would have something to say about what I'm doing," she shrugged, "don't think she would have liked you, no offense."
<@Fabian> "None taken." He laughed, slowing down in his walk. "Not many people do, not honestly anyway."
<Clarice> "Momma would've been honest in her dislike of you, white boy," she slowed down too to keep pace with him.
<@Fabian> "Oh yeah? what would she have said then?" He asked, not quite sure why he was curious about that.
<Clarice> "Probbaly tell you that her daughter's a good girl (even if she is a bit misguided an' not going to church nomore but Jesus still loves her), an' deserves a man who gonna treat her right an' not mess her 'roun' wit' his ungodly european ways," she giggled, "Daddy probably would have just given you the stink eye."
<@Fabian> His eyebrow quirked up as he turned around, walking backwards to better talk with her. "I've been treating you wrong?"
<Clarice> "Momma would have said so, she was very old fashioned. I just think you were a little thoughtless, not a crime," she glanced behind him, "lampost," she warned.
<@Fabian> He eased around it, smirking just slightly more naturally. "I like to think that over all I treated you quite nicely, actually. And apparently I've had a much more profound impact if I've actually had you questioning your own morality."
<Clarice> "The only mistake you made was not warning me about Jess before we found out, but on the flip side you opened me up to next experiences and ways of thinking, so I consider that a good thing."
<@Fabian> "And that would be the important part." Fabian smiled, though it slipped off as he thought he caught a glimpse of someone walking along on the other side of the street.
<Clarice> "Exactly-what?" She caught the expression shift on his face, "what is it?"
<@Fabian> "Nothing, just thought someone was over there. I think my paranoia's kicking up, think I'm seeing some black ops ready to come take me to trial or something."
<Clarice> "Or maybe it's a jilted lover, stalking you," Clarice teased, "though you should be safe so long as she doesn't sparkle."
<@Fabian> "I don't think I have anyone that'd actually follow me all the way over here....and oh god did you have to go to the sparkle place? That's terrifying."
<Clarice> "Twilight jokes will never get old," Clarice shook her head, "they just get bolstered everytime some more fanfiction gets published," she chuckled, then froze, "Oh heck, maybe it was one of those creepy internet people? We'll wake up tomorrow and they're be horrible porny fanfic of us doing the rounds on tumblr!"
<@Fabian> "I don't think I'm exactly internet famous considering I've not exactly done anything of note they'd know about...so sorry, the porn's all you." Fabian teased back half-heartedly but turned, forgetting his eyes playing tricks on him. "Clarice, is it horrible I'm not there?"
<Clarice> Clarice came to a stop and folded her arms, sucking her teeth thoughtfully before answering, "No, I don't think it is, if you were to turn up now it would probably just make things even more difficult for them."
<@Fabian> "I just don't think either of them would agree with that, though I know I'd be perfectly useless there."
<Clarice> "Your sister made her choice, she had to know this was a possibility, right?" She moved a little closer to him and put her hand on his arm, "It's not your fault, you couldn't have done anything, don't let anyone blame you for it."
<@Fabian> "Oh, it's definitely not my fault." He nodded to that, smirking over. "I'm good enough to weasel out of blame that I should know what isn't my fault so I don't have to put any effort into it. I'm just...not exactly in my place right now."
<Clarice> "No, but you'll get back there, people always do. You just gotta give it some time," she gave his arm a friendly pat.
<@Fabian> "That's just it, I don't think I will, not in the context of my family anyway. My sister isn't going to be coming out of this and this isn't something my father is going to forgive."
<Clarice> Clarice sighed, "Guess you're right, it is kinda a loose-loose situation, it's just ... well, we do learn to move past things. After I found out about my parents ... I didn't think life would ever be the same, and I was right, it wasn't. But you just sorta ... I dunno, you find a new normality, you adapt. You never forget though, you just keep on living."
<@Fabian> "I don't really think I have the right to compare your situations with mine." He shrugged it off, stopping in his walk as he thought for a moment. "Would you like to head back or would you rather walk a bit more and stop at the deli at the corner?"
<Clarice> "Yeah, but I have the right to compare it to whatever I want," she smiled and looped her arm through his, "Oooh, never been to this deli before. I can't leave without sampling potential deliciousness now."
<Fabian> "There's a horribly dirty joke about sampling meats that I am valiantly fighting back for you, I want you to know."
<Clarice> "Your sensitivity to my gentle nature is noted, Mr. Cortez," Clarice giggled.