Like Seeing an Old Friend..

[Aureus]

The boy had missed Chi's momentary fluster, but could feel pure apprehension oozing from her. Maybe he shouldn't have come after all. He was only half paying attention to Emily's reply when he caught himself zoning out. Emily...alright. he thought, committing the girl's name to memory. Her eyes then turned away from him to meet the sunset. It would seem he wasn't the only one preoccupied.

Aureus was about to make a comment to his ex-girlfriend when Emily spoke once more. Where did that come from? He wondered for a moment before responding. "...Sounds like a crush to me." He stated plainly. The words were proof of his recent change. The old Aureus might have mentioned something about love, but now he knew better. Things weren't quiet that simple, nor should they be. Once more the boy was guided by logic, but experience had softened his original, overly tough shell. For one reason or another, Aureus now felt sure about what he wanted to say to Chi, but would wait for Emily's reply before switching topics.

[chihiro]

Oh boy...nothing like advising a girl about emotions and feelings with her ex-boyfriend...oh boy. Chi frowned uncomfortably before pushing down her feelings, her expression changing to one that was mildly attentive. Her knees fell to the sand indian style, and her leaned her elbows on her knees, looking at Emily.

"Those seem to be symptoms of emotion, not necessarily a disease."

She agreed with Aureus, her gaze examining the girl in question. A crush? On who, someone she knew? Unlikely, since she'd just returned to Long Beach, much less the west coast. However, she would do what she could to advise her, and besides, the longer they talked about this, the longer she could put off the fact that her former boyfriend was sitting right there on the other side of Emily.

[seishounohana]

It was then that Emily just noticed what she asked about. Egads!?

Well, she was curious enough to stay quiet and find out what they think... of how she'd been feeling about her employer since she came back. No idea where it came from. It just... happened like POOOF; out of the blue like the pedobear.

"...Sounds like a crush to me."

"A crush...?" Emily asked clulessly, having no idea what a crush is. "So... feeling like that around that person means... you have a crush on him? Infatuation?"

"Those seem to be symptoms of emotion, not necessarily a disease."

Emily laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "I'm... not exactly familiar with emotions I'm recently able to experience, ... and I'm... not really so sure on how to describe them."

She sighed, "I'm sorry (for asking) though, I thought... maybe... since you guys were older than me... maybe you guys could... provide me some answers..."

[Aureus]

Emily's last statement felt like a quick punch to the ex-pillar's gut and he wasn't quite sure why. Maybe it was the part about having the answers. It sounded too simple. No, he was just stumbling his way through life and trying to make sense of everything that tripped him up. His gaze shot over to Chihiro, dark eyes communicating the general sadness he felt because of everything. "Nah, I don't mind. I dunno about answers, but the best advice I can give is don't be afraid to feel. Just know there's good and bad, and it's normal. Have fun with relationships, but just know they'll probably end and it'll hurt. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try, but it's just...nothing's forever." Aureus said with a sigh. He missed Chi so much, but he still had something to say to her, and who knew how it would turn out.

[chihiro]

Chi caught Aureus' gaze and she frowned, her eyes falling to the sand at her feet. She didn't know what to think about him, about them. It had been so long...and much had happened. She didn't want to avoid him because she still cared about him, just...things changed. They would have to talk about it, but first Chi would need to organize something to say. A later time.

"And you're young still." She added to Aureus' 'nothing is forever' comment. "You have a lot more to grow and a lot of changing to make. I know it feels like you're grown up already, but trust me, there is so much more to learn."

It wasn't as awkward as she feared it would be, considering the two of them were contributing to a conversation on the very subject they themselves had yet to discuss/had not discussed in nearly a year. The way the girl was speaking, almost like she wasn't familiar either with the English words for such things such as emotion, or that she wasn't familiar with the intimacy of the emotion itself. Interesting, Chi kept this in the back of her mind as they spoke.

[seishounohana]

"Nah, I don't mind. I dunno about answers, but the best advice I can give is don't be afraid to feel. Just know there's good and bad, and it's normal. Have fun with relationships, but just know they'll probably end and it'll hurt. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try, but it's just...nothing's forever."

"And you're young still. You have a lot more to grow and a lot of changing to make. I know it feels like you're grown up already, but trust me, there is so much more to learn."

Mm... "If... that's what I'm feeling... then I suppose I shouldn't tell him how I feel... at least right now." She sighed, defeated by her own thoughts. "... I guess I'll just have to see where these feelings lead to for now. But... I guess... yeah. I really am still a bit young to conclude just yet."

Emily sighed, staring at what seemed to be a painting of red and orange; scarlet being overcome slowly by the darkest of black sky. "Mmm... it's getting dark."

[Aureus]

"Whenever you feel ready." Aureus added, feeling somewhat better for helping this young girl. For a moment his eyes shifted to the horizon. The last golden rays were swarming the coast before their owner would drop out of sight. It was then that the teen knew it was his turn to speak.

"I regret the way our relationship ended, Chihiro. I shouldn't have walked out on you like that." He said, turning to the Raven haired girl. "I've...grown up a bit since we last met. I'm not sure if things can ever be the same between us, but I'd at least like to be friends." Aureus finished, the words falling right into place. Now how would she react?

[chihiro]

Chihiro nodded as Aureus spoke, and again as Emily noted how dark it was getting. Her gaze too shifted to the horizon, watching the last of the suns golden rays make way for reds and purples streaked with the blue of oncoming nightfall. Slowly, she climbed to her feet, dusting the sand off of her.

When Aureus spoke up again, she lifted her gaze to meet his, her expression a mixture of relief and a tinge of sadness. "I would like that as well, Aureus. Really." A flicker of a smile. Besides John, Aureus was the only remaining friend Chi had in Long Beach, even Max couldn't exactly help her with the mess she'd gotten herself in. They'd both done some growing up, in more ways than others. They had much to catch up on.

"Do you live closeby? Are you alright in the dark?" Chi asked Emily, inquiring of her comfort walking alone or whether she would prefer company. The streets of Long Beach were relatively safe...if you stuck to the main roads. General gang bangers and crooks often loitered about at night, but they weren't too hard to take care of.

[seishounohana]

Emily watched and listened as the two older teenagers talked. She was dumbfounded at learning that these two were... well, old lovers. The Filipina decided to listen.

Well, the conversation didn't last very long. "Do you live closeby? Are you alright in the dark?" Chi asked.

"Mmm... I live just a block from here. I'll be fine." she said, assuring the two that she'd be fine. Well, Emily figured she aoughta do either one of two things - leave and let the two talk, or just stay here to be invisible and listen.

[Aureus]

The dark haired boy had been holding his breath waiting for Chi's response. Once she had finished, he let out a sigh of relief and a smile to match her's. At least they had made it through the preliminary. There was still much left to discuss, and Aureus wondered if they would even get that far with Emily present. Sure, he wanted to talk about it, but would feel bad about pushing the Freshmen girl away. She seemed like she could use a few friends at the moment. "Hmm...how 'bout we grab somethin' to eat? My treat." The senior proposed before getting to his feet and stretching.

[chihiro]

'How 'bout we grab something to eat? My treat.' Oddly enough that sounded like a fantastic idea. Chi hadn't eaten since lunchtime and well...these days she seemed to be eating for more than just herself, and her stomach was growling.

"That sounds good right now, actually. Emily, are you hungry?"

She turned to the freshman, a mild smile in place. It had been so long since he had done anything..normal. Sitting by the beach, getting food with friends...yes, the more she thought about it, the more she knew that Long Beach would be rejuvenating to her. Her years working for Valekin had turned her cold and hard, but now, and in her present state, she was finding she wanted to do things that made her happy.

[seishounohana]

Emily smiled a bit, a bit happy they were offering her to come with them for something to eat. However... it seemed like these to had something serious to talk about... and this girl wondered if she would be in the way.

"Sure, but... you guys alright with me hanging around?" she said, "you two seem to have some catching up to d-"

Her stomach growled. What timing. It then struck her how she barely ate anything today. Aye...

[Aureus]

Chi seemed thrilled by the idea, and Emily's stomach betrayed her. "Well then, that settles it. What do you guys feel like eating? Burgers? Pizza? Pasta?" Aureus inquired while adjusting his hat. The night was young, as they say, and the teen felt that there was much to do. It felt good to be out with people like this again. He would start walking back towards the parking lot where he had left his shoes, sure the other two would follow him. For a brief moment he looked back towards the sun, practically gone. Eyes shifting to Chi and Emily, he flashed a soft smile.

[chihiro]

"Pizza sounds great."

The more they talked about it, the more hungry Chi felt. Luckily the pizza parlor was about a block or so away from the beach, prime location for hungry tourists and beach goers. She could almost smell it...and suddenly, she felt 16 again. Walking down the street with some friends, out for some pizza and some aimless chatting.

Chi had always had friends when she was younger, but now that she was older she would look back to see just how close they were. Max would always be Chi's best friend, even though they were both..infatuated with the same boy even though he was two different people. And Aureus..he was always a good friend once their initial cool meeting passed. Would he still be there for her when he learned the news? Bottom line was that he was nearly the only friend she had left from her younger days. John was still around, but preoccupied with this Barker nemesis and his insidious plans. She had promised to help him if he vowed to break his Brimstone habit..but their friendship was different, more like an ally than anything...

"What do you guys like on your pizza?"

She asked, breaking her train of thought and returning to the topic at hand as her stomach growled again. They should be nearly there...

[seishounohana]

Well, darned stomach spilled the beans... so what else could Emily do? There's nothing more filling than a free meal. Emily giggled, her hunger caught in the act.

"Well then, that settles it. What do you guys feel like eating? Burgers? Pizza? Pasta?"

"Pizza sounds great."

"I second that." She said, standing up a bit and dusting her clothes from the sand... one thing she could complain about sand is that they go EVERYWHERE... and it gets stuck in places unmentionable. Ack.

"What do you guys like on your pizza?"

Emily blinked and thought for a moment. "Mm... as long as there isn't much soya-based stuff on it, I'm fine with anything!" Emily told them, shifting her foot so that sand would get off it.