DON'T CHANGE, STAY BEAUTIFUL;; ace

Nell was in the middle of a text conversation with her friend about the importance of pickled items in today’s society when she heard a knock on the door. Finishing typing out her text she put her phone down on the table and another knock sounded. Then, she heard Ace’s voice, and called, ”I’m coming!” She maneuvered through the small space and unlocked the deadbolt on the door and pulled it open, keeping a curious Pablo at bay with her foot. She didn’t want him to get out and run around, especially not when she lived downtown—it was a place even dangerous for cats. ”What’s up, Ace?” she asked, the jar of capers in one hand. It was one of the foods that when she started eating, she could not stop until the entire thing was gone. She knew it made her breath stink, though, so she covered her mouth and apologized. ”My breath is kind of skanky, sorry.” It was the price she had to pay for enjoying certain kinds of foods.

By now she was wondering if there was any specific reason he’d come over. Usually, her friends didn’t like to hang out in her sleazy apartment and offered that she come to their place. She didn’t argue that. When Nell looked down, however, she noticed some bags at his feet. ”What’s with the duffel bags, amigo?” she asked with a large grin. Earlier, she’d been pissed at her father, so it was amazing now that she could be in such a good mood. Time and friends did that for her, she guessed. It was a near impossible task to keep her mad for extended periods of time. Pushing off from leaning against the door, she said, ”You can come in, if you want.” Surely he would like to, since he seemed he carried those bags all the up. She again wondered what they were for. The first thing that came to mind certainly wasn’t that he planned to move in with her. Maybe he just got back from somewhere or he wanted to show her something. Her thoughts never once leaned toward the idea of having a roommate, because she was pretty sure no one would want to live with her. Not that she was a horrible roommate, but she lived in a crappy place. Even though her apartment was better than most in the fact that she now had some nice things and it was very clean thanks to Josh’s tips and tricks, people still wouldn’t think of hers as an ideal apartment to crash unless it was for a night.

Walking back into the apartment as Pablo sniffed at Ace, she asked, ”You want anything to drink?” She was pretty good at this hostess thing, even though the last time Ace was over he was the one cooking for her. She hadn’t forgotten about the glorious sandwhich he’d made. Just how she hadn’t forgotten about the fact that they’d seen each other naked. What a wonderful day that was—she looked back with a particular fondness. Shaking off her disturbed thoughts, she called from the kitchen, ”I just ate lunch, but I can make you something.” She was an okay cook, and she knew that her father wanted to make her better by giving her lessons on Spanish cuisine, but she wasn’t ready to accept help from him. Instead, she made due with her memory of watching him cook and her love for food. Nell put the capers back in her fridge and pulled a pack of gum from her pocket so that Acce wouldn’t have to deal with caper breath.

Nell had to wodner why he was bringing up these bags but she didn’t question it further. Ace did some weird things, she wasn’t going to ask about this particular thing. Everyone was allowed to have their quirks, and she wasn’t going to bug him about why he was carrying around duffel bags. Instead, she listened to him as he said that he’d already eaten. ”You sure?” she said, ignorantly basing other people’s responses off how she would usually respond when it came to food. Even if she was hungry, she would politely decline anything given to her like Ace had. Usually they insisted, though. It reminded her of the Japanese tradition she had read about, that when someone comes over with a gift, you must always decline it first, and then accept it upon the second request. Maybe that’s how Ace worked. ”It’s not any trouble,” she continued, looking in the fridge which was actually pretty empty. That was usually thanks to her appetite. ”And I could always order out, anyway.” She certainly had enough money. Which is why she was hoping to move out of this shithole soon. Already she had a new job, now she needed a new place. As of right now, however, she didn’t have enough saved up—no way was she riding the tide of her father’s money to the good life. She did not want that whatsoever.

Walking back out out to the main room, she looked over at Ace with imploring brown eyes. ”Yeah, sure,” she said, because she definitely did. The whole Ace getting hammered, seeing each other naked, and him having a breakdown deal was not easily forgotten. Scrunching up her nose, Nell thought. ”I think I do…” She remembered him asking to be roomies, and her saying that he really wouldn’t want to live with her. ”Now I do,” she confirmed, bobbing her head. ”I told you that you would have to deal with my cat. And you said that it was a good thing because I wouldn’t be able to help throwing myself at you.” She laughed as she said this, putting her hands in her pockets. She wasn’t sure if Ace knew, but she had a boyfriend and so none of that would be happening. Not that it would have happened before—she didn’t have those kinds of feelings for him. Ace’s words, however, seemed to be a lead up to the fact that he wanted to stay with her. She blinked. ”You don’t have a place to stay?” she asked curiously, now realizing what the bags he brought were for.

”Are you sure?” she asked skeptically. It was a studio apartment, with limited space and only a couch for someone to crash on. He had slept on her futon when he got hammered on her birthday, but those were special circumstances—she hadn’t slept that night (she’d actually passed out after the whole ordeal of Ace’s breakdown) and that had been for one night. He was asking to stay for a month. She wasn’t worried about having to live with him or anything. She was worried about how he felt needing to stay here. ”I have no problem with it.” Maybe she should have for the fact that she was going out with Josh and she shouldn’t be letting guys move in with her. But this was Ace, he was like family, proven by the fact that they’d only been flustered and embarrassed when they’d seen each other naked and they’d later joked about it. ”I’m just wondering if you’d be able to deal, living here.” It wasn’t the nicest apartment, or in the nicest area, and it certainly wasn’t your first thought when you wanted to move in with someone. ”Hopefully I’m a pretty good roommate. I’m not high maitenence or anything and I’m not going to make you pay any rent since I know you don’t have a job.” She shrugged. Nell really didn’t mind living with Ace—as a matter of fact, she’d love to help him out. And she certainly wasn’t about to kick him out on his ass.

Nell scoffed. ”A whopper!” Then she reminded herself that Ace was a normal person who consumed normal amounts of food and that was probably filling for him. ”Okay, okay, I’ll lay off,”

Two whoppers, now that sounded more like it. Nell usually got doubles when eating, because she knew one wouldn’t be enough. And sometimes she even went overboard. ”Plus, fast food is unhealthy,” she said, revealing her inner health nut. She wasn’t the kind of hippie who only ate salads and looked down on anyone who did otherwise. Josh had a rather admirable sweet tooth, but he stayed healthy and so she couldn’t scold him for that. ”Don’t eat it too much, or I might have to do something about it.” She lifted her eyebrows as if challenging him. She was serious in the fact that she liked to make sure everyone around her was healthy. It was a big concern of hers, though she didn’t realize if a lot of people noticed it. But she was the first to make chicken noodle soup for sick friends and she liked to make sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to be, getting vaccines and eating healthy… ”You are freaking amazing,” she said when he told her he’d make dinner. She really had nothing planned and she knew that her father wouldn’t call her up for dinner like he sometimes did since they just fought, so it would be great to have a cook. ”Our first dinner as roommates,” she commented. ”What do you plan to make?” She’d be happy with anything—she was definitely not a picky eater, and she could consume insane amounts of food. Hopefully Ace kept this in mind. She didn’t do tiny portions. Nell was shocked to hear that Ace had been left to living in his car for a month. ”Jeez, you were like a squatter. That must have been pretty uncomfortable.” She was wondering if her next question would be too personal or anything, but he did tell her some very personal things before about himself, so this didn’t seem too bad. ”Are your parents around?” Probably not, but the question could be taken in different ways, asking whether they were alive or whether they just lived somewhere else.

”Are you friends with him?” she asked curiously. She knew Josh didn’t have too many friends, and since Ace was a Water student, it’d be especially surprising to know if they actually did get along. But she’d be glad for it, too. Her boyfriend and best guy friend being friends would be very nice. She tilted her head a bit when Ace voiced his approval, and she gave him a small smirk. ”I know.” It was a bit surprising to hear since a lot of people did not approve their relationship. Not that she cared about those people. She knew that Josh was good for her because he was the best thing that ever happened to her. Even if Ace had disapproved of her and Josh being together, she still wouldn’t change her mind. It wasn’t like he was a father giving his blessing. Even her father’s opinion didn’t matter—actually, his mattered least of all. Nell didn’t know how to approach the question of bases. She had always been a personal girl and she never really talked about certain things. But this was Ace, and she trusted him. ”First, I guess? We're taking it slow,” she added, for which she was thankful and actually surprised. Not that she doubted Josh’s intentions, really, just because of his history. ”I don’t really get the whole base thing outside of baseball.” She rolled her eyes. A lot of the times, lingo went over Nell’s head, but she had been doing some research lately. Then he brought up the ‘incident’ and she eyed him warily. ”You didn’t tell Josh about that, did you?” She knew what Ace could be like sometimes, and even though she did trust him, he was still a joker. But then she laughed, and said, ”Ashame you stole my eye virginity. That’s a form of rape, ya know.”

On the subject of her neighbors and their sex life, she laughed. ”Hope you’re a screamer.” She’d fully support an idea like that. It would be harmless fun, and she sure her neighbors wouldn’t mind. They were on friendly terms, and Nell helped them out sometimes, so it wouldn’t be vindictive or anything. Nell hugged him back, before letting him go with a smile. This is why she did it—knowing that she really helped a friend out made it all worthwhile. ”No problem,” she said truthfully. Nell followed Ace’s gaze to Pablo and shook her head. It had been the cat’s fault that Nell’s eyes had been raped, but who could stay mad at a face like that? And as for falling for Ace… ”I’ll try my best,” she said dryly. ”If you stay clothed, I won’t feel the need to jump your bones.” She laughed after saying this, thinking of some real things he needed to look out for. ”There’s a soft spot next to the TV,” she said, nodding her head over to it. ”Try not to walk on it, because it’s probably going to collapse soon and I don’t want you to do some Loony Toons routine.” There was nothing she could do about that, but she would like to figure something out. ”Sometimes the light short circuits, and if you touch the plug when it does, you’ll get shocks. So just leave it.” Again, it wasn’t her fault and there wasn’t anything she could really do, short of calling an electrician. ”And when you are cooking, the smoke alarm will most likely go off.” Another thing she really couldn’t do anything about, and that really sucked, but she could deal. Nell had lived in worse conditions. She wondered if Ace could,as well. ”Still want to live here?”

Ace’s question made her think a bit. ”You can have three meals a week that are fast food,” she decided, thinking that was all right. It was okay to go a little over sometimes, since it wouldn’t hurt that bad. But health was serious business to her, and that meant limiting of bad food. ”I always have ground beef. And meat.” Then she remembered her empty fridge. ”Actually, maybe I have to run out to the store to pick up some stuff.” She definitely needed restocking, and even though she needed a lot off food to last her, she chose not to really use her father’s money for it. Because that would be like relying on him for something, and she didn’t want that. But it seemed like Ace didn’t have anyone to rely on if he was living in his car. It was kind of a sad thought actually.Nell blinked when he started talking about being an orphan street kid, and laughed when he talked about naming himself after the card. She tilted her head, and then nodded when Ace told the real story. ”I’m from right next door,” she said, finding it funny that they were both American. ” South Bronx, New York. Though it’s probably pretty different than Pennsylvania.” She’d heard that Pennsylvania had a lot of farmland, in which case it was very different from New York City. She’d never told Ace about that personal detail, but it was like quid pro quo. Besides, they could somewhat relate with that. What she didn’t mention was the fact she had family back there, too. He didn’t need to know about those people.

Apparently the two weren’t besties or anything, but she guessed allies was still enough. At least they got along. She ducked her head to try and get away from Ace’s hand, and patted it back down after he messed it up. Rolling her eyes when he sung the nursery rhyme, she tickled his stomach with a grin. She’d actually never had sung the rhyme before—she’d never had a childhood to do it. ”You need a girlfriend so I can annoy you,” she said, because she certainly would enjoy teasing him about a girly. Besides, she wanted him to find a person that made him happy like Josh made her happy. ”I don’t think you can preach that to me,” she teased about his hypocriticalness. She knew Ace ewas just being a big brother who probably didn’t want to think about her having a sex life. But she had no reason to wait till marriage, and she knew that Josh didn’t have those morals either. Then again, she wasn’t thinking too hard about her future. She had dreams, but there was the roadblock of the trial preventing her from looking forward to anything. ”Well despite your obvious charms, Josh has nothing to worry about,” she said with a small sigh. It wsn’t like Josh hadn’t told her his dirty little secrets, she just knew the way Ace would have said it would have made it worse. She didn’t want Josh to be jealous, though, especially of Ace. Nell wouldn’t deceive herself into thinking everyone could get along, especially when it involved Josh, but she still could wish. ”Whatever. I just forgave you because of the hangover and your cooking.” It was only a half-truth—Nell forgave easily enough.

Nell winked at him and spoke innocently. ”Sorry, but I don’t think you can make me scream.” A virgin she may have been, but she was certainly not a prude. Especially not when it came to joking around with friends. ”Really? That’s funny, because sometimes I get this weird urge to shoot naked guys in my apartment with Nerf guns.” It was a light-hearted threat, but she definitely did not need a naked Ace running around and she did have a Nerf gun. Talk about her apartment was a bit more serious, since this was where he’d be crashing for the month. Nell had once believed that she couldn’t subject anyone to living with her, and yet here she was with Ace. Paradise? ”Yes, I like to serve tropical drinks with umbrellas and fan you with leaves.” Then, a more serious thought crossed her mind. ”It is the summer, so to make up for the lack of central air I have a fan.” She gestured to the standing fan that was only on the first level it had, since it wasn’t too hot. When she first moved in during wintertime, her goal was to buy a space heater, but that didn’t happen. ”I’m paranoid of an actual fire happening. The microwave gives me problems sometimes…” It was her fault with the tin foil before, and there was the fact she also didn’t really understand the contraption. ”Do you want to come with me to get some stuff for dinner?”

Nell shook her head when he talked about his consumption of fast food. ”Dios mio, what am I going to do with you, Ace?” She dissolved into more ramblings as she ran a hand through her hair, successfully pulling a few strands out of her clip. In her mind, that was a bit too much, but she was also a health freak in her mind. It couldn’t have been completely fine for him to eat that much, but she was ridiculously paranoid when it came to other’s health. At his next comment, she sighed. ”No really, what am I going to do with you?” But then she laughed, of course. She did not at all mind Ace’s immaturity, it was something she liked about him, actually. Then came the topic of where she’d come from, and she nodded. ”From the projects, no less,” she said, shaking her head. She had been raised in the Hispanic part of the ghetto, even though that hadn’t really been part of her life. Her life had been the halls of a house like hell. ”I would much rather be a country girl,” she said with a grin. ”Though that’s just my element talking.” The city certainly wasn’t too good a place for her to develop her powers, and she’d preferred Pennsylvanian farmland to the grimy little parks that were more suited for homeless than for Earth elementals. She didn’t linger on how her life could have been different, because that only made her sad. She’d lived and moved on from those days, that’s all that mattered.

She smiled successfully as he cried out from her tickling. Immaturity was something she liked to indulge in, since she tried to be the mature one most of her life. She’d been taking care of herself for so long she couldn’t remember any sort of childhood—since she never even had one—and now she was on her own even though she wasn’t even an adult. She moved her life forward with maturity, but a lot of the times she wanted to act like the kid she never was. Perhaps that was why both she and Ace had a Nerf gun. He took out his own and her eyes grew comically wide. ”The gods shine upon your weaponry,” she complimented, before her face settled into a cocky grin. ”But I can still kick your butt, anytime, anywhere.” A surprise assault should be expected from her, since immaturity was her indulgence. And she supposed she should have warned him about Pablo’s love for aerial assaults, but she kept that information to herself. The cat was another matter entirely, but the fuzzball was too cute to even hate. ”In any case, I wouldn’t advise you to walk around in your birthday suit, traumatizing my cat.” She said this humorously, since Pablo didn’t need any traumatizing, the little demon.

He asked the question and she looked anywhere but at his face, fussing with her hair again. Admission of obvious stupidity made her anxious, but she sure it was the same for everyone. ”I didn’t know about tin foil and I put it in the microwave and…” She flushed, as if he were attacking her. ”I just wanted Chinese food, okay?” Now she understood how bad of a decision that had been when she replaced the microwave—that she still had trouble with. Dumbly, she finished, ”I don’t like mirowaves.” For that, she could understand Ace and his fast food. She didn’t like to use the microwave and reheat leftovers and when she didn’t want to cook the easiest thing to do was order take out or go to Burger King. The convenience and cheapness was far too tempting. Nell was glad for the change of conversation over to the store, and she said, ”Not too far. We could walk if you want to work off that Micky D’s.” It was a good way for her to get exercise, at least. With all the food she ate, an impressive metabolism wasn’t the only thing she could rely on. Luckily she was energetic all of the time and it was hard for her to keep still.