we're safe at the end [justin]

[NELL DOE DALE]

just frame the halves & call them a whole

Nell liked keeping busy, though in retrospect it could be considered detrimental in many ways. One of them being that she didn't have much time to be social anymore, which was her favorite thing to do. She loved talking to people, and while she did that anyway when she worked and volunteered and went to school, she didn't have much time to actually go out. She missed that. She'd always been a very active person, played as many sports as she could, but now responsibilities swallowed up a lot of her time. As always, she looked on the bright side. She was helping people, she made money, and her friends understood. And if they didn't, they hadn't told her about it.

Tonight was one of the nights she wished she'd had a little more free time during the school year. As she sat on the couch, doing her homework as she usually did whenever she babysat for the Farrens, she hoped that the fact that she did most of her work right away would give her a little more free time lately. Luckily there wasn't much written work anymore save for papers and homework for come classes, and she was doing very well in her elemental classes. She felt proud of that fact, especially since she'd started off way behind.

As she neared the end of one assignment, her phone buzzed with a text and she picked it up to check who it was. Seeing that it was Justin wanting to hang, she shot him back a text saying, "Babysitting for Farrens, I can meet you at the Main Street Pub in two hours?" Hopefully he wouldn't mind the wait, but she wouldn't be leaving the youngest sister until someone from the family returned. She started on her next page of homework, keeping half an eye on Emmy and the other on the paper. It wouldn't be very good should she ignore the child and end up having to call the hospital. She couldn't even think of that, it would make her cringe.

After finishing up the last bit, she left when Morgan returned, having a few words with her and then bidding goodbye to her and the little girl. Even if she would like more free time, she never regretted doing any of this. Babysitting, working, the time spent volunteering at a place she had once been terrified of. Her professors told her that she was doing very good work, reaching out like that, and it's a very good thing to have on her resume. While she was working, she knew they meant it for after she finished up college, when she had to choose a career. Had. Why did she have to choose one thing to do forever? That seemed too much like a rut for her, but one of her professors had made a very good point -- if she found something she loved, every day would be exciting.

But she knew what she loved already and she was doing that. She loved to help people, she wanted to help people for the rest of her life. There were no specifics beyond that. She'd majored in psychology for a lot of reasons, most of them she rarely acknowledged to herself. It was because of her history, her family, the influence of her father as a scientist. She'd used to want to be a doctor or a scientist but with her father's abandonment, she discarded those notions. She refused to be like him. And she cracked a smile as she drove into the parking lot of the dive bar. Now she was following a similar path. She would be a scientist, just like her father and his mother and other descendants down the Fuentes line. Nell didn't want to admit that she had always wanted to be one, even when she convinced herself that she didn't care much about it.

She checked herself in the mirror, wanting to look at least semi-acceptable. It wasn't anything upper-class so she didn't have to worry about the fact that she was wearing a denim shirt with some Doc Martens. Not to mention the bowler. She entered and headed to the bar so that when Justin came she could be easily spotted. Sliding into a stool, the bartender noticed her and of course carded her. I'm twenty, she thought mournfully as she returned her card to the wallet that she'd taken from her bag. She hadn't even planned on drinking, but since she'd been carded she figured why not and got a beer.

Nell had merely sipped the foam from the top by the time Justin arrived and she waved her fingers at him. "Sorry about that, didn't think splitting before Morgan got home would be fly," she told him, turning in the stool so she could face the blond. It felt nice to have a chance to hang out with him outside of school or her house. "Wanna split wings or something, I'm starving. Three-year-olds are exhausting, let me tell you." She gave a wave of her hand in a flamboyant manner, taking a sip of her beer. Of course that would be her first order of business. Food.

outfit.

[JUSTIN DANIEL DUVAL]

SHE'S LIKE A ROCK

[/color][/font]
and i keep chippin a piece to hold onto[/center]

That whole catching up with friends thing was getting better. Justin found that more time was on his hands that day than most. All the other days, he was too busy trying to get ready for this performance of his. This one was the more casual funny one. One that middle schoolers might have done instead of someone as advanced as himself, but even the audience needed some relief every once in a while. One of the biggest attributes was that it didn’t have any singing roles. Some students got a kick out of that. Not Justin, but he still sang on and off the stage quite a bit just to amuse himself. He liked to watch all the heads slowly turn as they wondered what angel had come upon them. That was the best part. The reactions. While he wasn’t singing in the actual play, there was a big thing that he was going to have to audition for. Some might of thought he thought of himself too cocky to practice, but that was a flat out impossible. Everyone needed to practice.

Enough for that day though. He felt like his voice was going to be over raspy if he practiced enough- which was among his problems on stage. Near a performance losing a voice was the worse. That’s why there was a point where practice was wonderful and then another where it was harmful. Physically. The rough life of a talented actor slash musician he supposed. Now it was time for a little relaxing. Justin believed in work and play. Yes, he believed in much more play than he probably needed, but work needed to be in there too or nothing was going to get done. Nothing bothered him more than someone who wasn’t doing anything with their lives. Just sitting there. Wasting away. It was a drain and quite honestly, more times than not, they were a bore. Maybe if they were actually entertaining, he wouldn’t mind, but Justin liked excitement in his life.

That was probably why he went over to text Nell. The girl was almost always ready to go and do something. She had to be bored beyond belief married and such, so she was bound to go and do something fun. Plus, she said she had wanted to go drinking with him. As long as Justin didn’t drink as much as he did during his night with Altair, he should be fine. Hitting on Nell wasn’t going to benefit him until about the third year she was married. Actually- with Nell- it’ll take longer than that. Justin wasn’t naïve enough to think it was going to last happily for that long. In under no condition was he going to ever mention that to her either. Newly-weds tended to be very feisty and offended whenever he was quick to point that out. It’s why he saved those conversations for people who were single and understood where he was coming from. Even if they were taken and knew where he was coming from though that didn’t happen as often.

Text back wasn’t surprising. Farrens. Man, he knew that name somewhere. Not just one of those celebrity common names, but like he knew the person. Justin thought for a couple of moments. What was it? He’d ask her when he got there. If he remembered. Justin watched TV for the remainder of the time, suddenly looking at the time and realizing he probably needed to go soon. Justin didn’t like arriving super early for events, but it seemed cliché to be fashionably late somehow. Just arriving whenever he thought was a good enough time was about the original place for someone like Justin. Unless it was an important formal event. That man was a different man than the regular relaxed Justin most people had come to know.

Still, there was a point where being late would be rude. Justin got in his car and drove over. Nice place. It wasn’t exactly a ‘club’ but it wasn’t super upper scale place that he might have normally went to. Nell probably wouldn’t have liked that. Walking in, he saw that she beat him there, already having a beer ready in her hand and waving. Justin took a seat next to her, ordering a quick drink before he greeted her. However, what she said just caught his attention faster than if she said ‘Justin, you me, sex?’ That’s where he had the Farrens! The only part he had remembered of her name was Morgan Jane. Because he found it as beautiful as her face. ”Morgan? Morgan Jane?” He asked. Some people were particular about middle names, but he didn’t think it was a large deal if someone like Nell. Morgan was an interesting topic. Justin had a date with her soon. Not really with her smiling and giggling, but hey- a date with Morgan was a fucking date with Morgan. He should have known Nell would know her. ”Yeah- wings.” Agreed. Of course wings. But Justin’s focus had just changed, ”Morgan’s baby sister? You babysit for her?” He asked with a mischievous grin.

WELL I'M SORRY TO SAY

[/color][/size]
i gave it away i'm empty you're empty[/font]
[/center]

[NELL DOE DALE]

just frame the halves & call them a whole

Even though Nell had school and work and volunteering and all kinds of commitments, she liked to make sure she never fell into a rut. She feared ruts considerably, because that meant her life would get boring. Some people felt comfortable in them, but she couldn't see herself doing the same thing every day. She even liked to change up the little things, like the kind of breakfast she had in the morning or what she did whenever she had breaks. Nell needed to keep her life interesting, else she would lose her mind. Of course, she would argue that her life would always be interesting since she could live it to the fullest now. The little things captured her attention the most, like the way someone smiled at her after she complimented them or how the wind felt on her skin.

Her favorite thing, however, was be with her friends. As sociable as she could be, she needed constant companionship. One of the reasons that she enjoyed being married so much was that fact; she'd never be alone. Not to mention she loved him, but that went without saying. They'd been married six months already and it still felt like the wedding had been yesterday, prominent as it was in her memories. She looked down at the rings on her fingers with a smile, twisting them with the tip of her thumbnail. She wondered what Josh was doing then, seeing as she hadn't spoken to him since she left for the Farren's house that day. Thinking of it, she took out her phone to text him and ask how he was doing before she took another sip of her beer. Hard liquor and she would be far gone soon enough, and she wasn't too fond of getting shitfaced when hanging out with friends. She didn't like getting shitfaced in general, as it was definitely not a good state of being for her.

He arrived soon after, though, and she waggled her fingers in greeting. She blinked when he spoke of Morgan Jane, pinning who she was talking about immediately. This intrigued her. "You know her middle name?" she asked first, surprised, before realizing the other surprising part of what he said. "Wait, wait, you know her?" she asked. It wasn't too surprising. Not like either of her friends were shut-ins who didn't associate with other people, in fact Justin was quite sociable. She didn't think that Morgan had a lot of friends, per say, she was more the solitary type. Or so Nell had conjectured, seeing as she didn't get along with very many people. Not like they hang out at school, save for the one time they met up in the gardens. It would be dangerous for the two of them, and Nell was very careful about what she did at the Academy. She had already been through two wars; she didn't want to go through another one because of her negligence of the rules.

He seemed distracted simply by the name, and she gave him her usual half-smile with a hint of something else in her eyes. Very curious about Miss Morgan, wasn't he? "You're looking peaked," she told him with a sly smile to match his own, her voice taking on a teasing quality. Now why was he so eager about this? Before continuing on that train of though she hailed the bartender over and got some wings, before turning back to Justin to tell him, "Yeah, I've been babysitting Emmy for a while. They keep pretty busy so I like to help out. I'm guess you know her, too?" She had a busy life as well, she was a college student, but far be it from her to deny help to anyone in need. Even if it meant eating up more of her free time. She was just too much of a pushover, and she instinctively reached out when anyone was in need.

In any case, she was curious as to how Justin knew both Morgan and Emmy. It was interesting indeed, especially considering he was a college student. Morgan was supposed to be, too, at her age but Nell had a feeling she knew what had happened there. Not that she would be telling him, or anyone for that matter. Since she had found the truth out, she kept it very close to her heart and had never spoken of it again. She was just glad that she and Morgan could move past their argument over the matter, and Nell knew that had mostly been because she was a doormat and let her have her own way. Though, she had to say, she did a pretty good job in standing up for herself then, even though it wasn't like Morgan really meant her any harm. She didn't believe that, anyway.

outfit.

[JUSTIN DANIEL DUVAL]

SHE'S LIKE A ROCK

[/color][/font]
and i keep chippin a piece to hold onto[/center]

Usually Justin wasn’t the one to just openly talk about how he was interested in someone. It made him feel like it was a desperate act, and if anything- Justin was not a desperate man. If he was interested in someone, it might have also given the wrong vibe. The kind of vibe that said he wasn’t interested in anything else. That wasn’t true most of the time either. However, Nell had provided him the most perfect of opportunities. Plus, the vibe that he would be giving from that wasn’t really going to affect her since he really didn’t have a shot with her anyway. It was more for the women he thought he might eventually have someone different with. He also didn’t really like to discuss it with some of his friends since the majority of the people he got along with didn’t really believe in function relationships. It was for once he was lucky that Nell was married and believed in that theory. Made him feel less of a fool. Typically he didn’t care what people thought of him, but that was one category he thought that impression was everything. Especially since Morgan knew Nell.

That also worried him a little. Girls liked to talk. Though Nell got along with Justin enough, she knew his tendencies. He might put Morgan’s friendship and warn her. Not that Morgan wouldn’t already know really. It was one of the traits that seemed to ooze off of him. Still. It was different hearing the same thing from someone else. Justin put his worries aside for a moment. What was wrong with him? He was acting like this was his first time with women all over again. He knew how to handle them. He knew what to expect. There was no reason to have a sudden panic attack. Come on Justin, you can do better than that. Act cool. Act yourself. You know what you’re doing. Not new. Justin eased his racing mind a little bit with a miniature pep-talk, finding he hadn’t needed one of those since that long dry month he had a couple of years ago. Worse couple of months in his life.

Nell’s reaction made him laugh as he took another sip of his beer. She seemed to be surprised enough, and he didn’t blame her. By what he gained from her first impression, Morgan didn’t like people. Especially people that wouldn’t leave her alone without a name. Which is exactly what Justin did. Hence how he knew her middle name. ”I know everyone.” He teased, adding, ”I do know her. In fact, I’ve got a date with her very soon. “ Justin actually went on dates all the time. Usually they were with a couple of female friends seeing how well they clicked, and sometimes it was out of a spontaneous little chance from a stranger. What didn’t really change was the lack of a second or third date depending on the person. They had a good time, but Justin was picky. He had no shame in being picky, but it surely didn’t make for good dating material he supposed. It was all about trying things out. Seeing what you thought. He didn’t understand why he got such a hard time about it. The man was all about experimenting and trying things.

Was knowing Emmy as rare as knowing Morgan? He didn’t know her well enough to know that information. Which was why this was such a convenience for him. Justin wasn’t really the one to ask stupid questions, but it happened. Honestly, he had to say Morgan was among the most beautiful women he had ever seen in his life. He really hoped that this went well. For that to happen, he wanted at least some of the answers before he asked them. No questions that he would ask that would require uncomfortable answers. Something harmless, perhaps something about family, could turn into something rather awkward when she announced she didn’t have any left or something. Nothing that extreme happened, but he wasn’t going to start with Morgan. There had to be some reason this girl was so distant. Something. Maybe he could figure it out here. ”I like to know somewhat of I’m getting into. Morgan hasn’t exactly been open with me.” Yet. ”I didn’t see the girl for an awfully long time. I know what you mean by busy. I was at the store and Emmy wandered off and found me. So she met me I guess.” Usually he would stand tall about a story of how he found a lost kid and helped return it to the mother, but honestly Justin was scared during that time. There had been a very unpleasant man nearby and his heart had been racing. Generally for some weird reason or another, kids liked him. He silently hoped it would be the same for Morgan’s sister.

WELL I'M SORRY TO SAY

[/color][/size]
i gave it away i'm empty you're empty[/font]
[/center]

[NELL DOE DALE]

just frame the halves & call them a whole

Nell smile and shook her head when Justin said he knew everyone, but before she could say anything more on the matter, he dropped a bombshell. She knew it was a bombshell since she instinctively did a spit-take with the beer, setting it down as she cupped a hand over her mouth to swallow the rest that had been in her mouth. Gently, she reached over for a napkin before wiping the counter, hand still over her mouth. A date? When the heck did that even happen? She felt crazily out of the loop, not that she felt a keen need to be in the loop. But honestly, she always had a good sense of what was going on between people. She paired people up in her own mind, encouraged her friends' relationships, but she had never done that with Justin because well...when was the last time he had a relationship? He had a different style than some other people she hung around with.

Balling the napkin up in her hand she took a breath. "Sorry," she said when she moved the hand from her mouth, sending Justin an apologetically sheepish look. "Sorry, I just... I was not expecting that." She said the last part flatly, with the surprise still apparent in her features. Why was she so surprised? Several reasons, one of them being that she had just found out two of her friends who she had interacted with separately apparently had a date. But the most prominent reason was... "You're not the commitment guy, are you? Unless this is just a one time thing." Just one date, though she couldn't imagine how that might work. With limited world experience, all she had was her friends, movies, and her own life to work off of. In her life, she had only one person. Ever. And she ended up marrying him, so there had been no other dates, no one-time-trysts, nothing like that. Still, she wouldn't judge Justin for that. After all, Josh hadn't been the commitment kind of guy and well...they were there now. Nell had to wonder what his intentions were, but not in the overprotective way. Morgan was independent, she knew what she was doing and could take care of herself. They were both her friends and she respected that, and she wouldn't go threatening Justin with warning words. Especially since there wasn't much she could do to him except yell real loud.

Maybe Nell had been expecting some fairytale encounter, and she could only blame Justin for her thoughts the fact that she was now imagining them together. She felt Morgan needed that, needed someone in her life. It had to get lonely for her, right? And Justin...even though he acted the way he did, Nell believed him to be a good person. Perhaps naivete was responsible, the same naivete that threw her and Morgan together, but having faith in him wasn't a bad thing at all. What you're getting into, Nell thought and almost wanted to laugh. He really didn't know what he was getting into. One dirty secret for a temperamental and closed-off Fire girl and Nell knew that wasn't even the half of it. However, she knew she wouldn't be telling him about that.

Nell scratched the back of her head, leaning her elbow against the counter. "Oh Justino," she sighed. "She's good. I mean she's not very friendly, though I'm sure you've already figured it out. She's just...assertive." That was the word for it. She could never say a bad word about her friends. Just because Morgan wasn't very friendly, it didn't make her a terrible person. Nell had a habit of making friends with the wrong people, and yet she would defend them to the death. After all, the Fire girl had let her stay, even after she found out the secret and held it as truth before confirming it with Morgan. That was the sign of a good person. "But you know, I think dating her would be fun! Like an adventure. She's really cool." She wouldn't be scaring Justin away from the girl. They could work out so well, even if neither of them were exactly relationship material. Heck, she was a murderer with some deep psychological issues and she had found someone to accept her for that. That had to mean everyone had a chance. "Even if she isn't open now, maybe you eat some nice food, good conversation, she could see that you're a fantastic guy. Oh, just not seafood, don't take her to eat seafood." She knew the girl didn't like seafood. She may not have a very extensive list on the girl in terms of what she enjoyed and what she liked, but she had a pretty decent idea from spending quite a bit of time with her.

Picking up a wing and eating it, she wiped her mouth with another napkin before asking him, "So what happened, she got Emmy and you asked her out because the dairy aisle had you all romantic?" Nell smiled playfully. She could see what a guy would see in Morgan, notably her looks and her aura. She gave an air of confidence, much like Justin did, not to mention that she was beautiful. Inside and out, actually, but one had to dig a little deep to see what she was really like. Or so the Earth girl assumed; Morgan was hard to get to.

outfit.

[JUSTIN DANIEL DUVAL]

SHE'S LIKE A ROCK

[/color][/font]
and i keep chippin a piece to hold onto[/center]

Justin had been watching and anticipating the shock and reaction. If Nell knew Morgan at all, she probably hadn’t been expecting something like that. Justin however was really that good. It hadn’t been an easy task, don’t get him wrong. He was perfect, but it seemed that even the perfect wasn’t able to get it without some bribes and much talking. Being part actor, he also knew how to be persuasive. That was probably the only way he pulled that through. Morgan had been one of those women that Justin spotted right away, and wanted her right away. So bad. He had seen beautiful women, but hot damn, this woman took his breath away. Her attitude had given him a bit of a shock, but that didn’t change the fact she really had the one of the kind faces. Of course, Justin knew that he deserved the best. That was the original thought. Honestly, he had not a clue where the they would end up. Justin was kind of hoping sex, but stranger things had happened. He was never the one to pass out on something like that.

Out of all the reactions, he hadn’t been expecting that. Justin started laughing slightly to himself, knowing he should have been offended, but understanding where she was coming from. He wasn’t exactly the one looking to go ahead and settle down. In all that Nell knew him in, Justin had been the type to lead them on only to leave them stranded because he knew if he stayed any longer he would be as bored as hell. So far so good on Morgan keeping his attention span pretty well. ”Yes, Nell, I am that good.” Even if things didn’t work out the way he wanted, there was a sense of pride he got knowing that he managed to get a date with someone like her. When was the last time she had accomplished something like that? Something rude to ask on a first date if she didn’t say at the end. Maybe that was part of the information he needed to get from Nell. At least if he was rude, she knew Justin enough to know it was just him being… him. Not a good first impression for someone who already didn’t seem too fond of him. Probably the first time he had said that about a date.

Nell was right on that. He was not the commitment type of guy. If he wasn’t completely however, he would have dated as long as he had in the past. Although that had been a long time ago. ”I try not to label myself. It’s usually a one-time thing.” That wasn’t a complete lie. Nell was his friend, but she seemed to also be Morgan’s friend. Which also meant she knew the secret to that because of what Justin knew, that wasn’t exactly very likely. Thinking that Morgan had a side that was friendly actually intrigued him. It was like he was a small boy digging in his backyard looking for dinosaur bones all over again. Except this time hopefully he would be able to find something instead of twigs. He watched Nell carefully to see how far he could push this. This had to be something she had gone through before, but Justin admitted this didn’t happen too often. In fact, he couldn’t remember a time where he asked someone else. This was one of his biggest challenges yet. That just pushed him even farther. It may have seem wrong to see Morgan as a goal- but at the moment, that’s what she was.

At his nickname, he tilted his head and picked up a wing, munching on it as he listened to her. Assertive wasn’t quite the correct word he would use for it, but whatever worked. When he heard the description of her, he was hearing what he was hoping to see at the date. It would take a little bit to wean in of course, but that was just expected. He hadn’t come that far to just except her to be smiles when first picking her up. The not friendly part was true. ”But she’s not like that all the time, is she? You seem to like her enough.” He doubted she was. If she was, he had another thing coming. Again, he didn’t think she’d be friends with Nell. Justin was very aware of the relationship between his best friend and Nell. It did happen. Anything was possible. He was a hard believer in that.

An adventure? Justin laughed at that, not really picturing that to be one of the adjectives of dating Morgan. He never knew. It had been quite the adventure so far. He had already gone through three wings as they were talking, seeing that he was inhaling them pretty good. Also not something he did very often. There were ton of people that just sucked it in, and it was gone. Justin was the clean chew slowly and savor it type of person. This was really effecting him. He put his hands on his drink instead, focusing on the label and the conversation he was having with Nell, hoping that it wasn’t too noticeable. Most of the time, it was the little things that Justin changed to show that something was obviously in his head messing with him. He wasn’t as worried because… well, it was Nell. He still tried to watch himself a little more, ”That’s what I’m hoping. Figured if I could convince her I’m not completely terrible.” He grinned, knowing a joke in itself that he thought he was made out of perfection and she had to love him, ”No seafood. That’s a good one.” It didn’t occur to him to think of what places to actually go. He figured a universal food joint would be good. But Nell had a point.

Justin laughed at the scene. No, it was a little more serious, tense, and scary than that before he found out Emmy had been Morgan’s sister. ”Try a very concerned sister running around the aisles, and finding someone that she talked to previously saving poor Emmy from any creepy monsters out there. Well… she wasn’t too happy when she found out it was me. I left quite the impression first time we met.” It had given her something to think about though. He hoped. He had defiantly not left her alone until she almost took off sprinting toward the door in the other direction. Justin had been very persistent.

WELL I'M SORRY TO SAY

[/color][/size]
i gave it away i'm empty you're empty[/font]
[/center]

[NELL DOE DALE]

outfit.

just frame the halves & call them a whole

When Justin said that he was that good she grinned. Was that it? What was going through Morgan's head? She hadn't a clue about it, and that made her even more intrigued. In a way, she could get it. Everyone needed companionship, even the most isolated of people. She thought of her father, the reclusive Thunder elemental, rich and lonely. Or rather, she thought he must have been lonely after his latest relationship falling through. Her desire to help him find someone to be with confounded even her, what with all he put her through, but she supposed she knew him well enough to understand it was something he needed. That wasn't to say everyone had the desire to date, to have at least one night of companionship with someone else.

And speaking of just one night, Justin told her that he was usually the one time type of dude. "Usually?" Curious now, she asked, "You think you'll ever settle down? I mean, I know it's not for everyone..." She hadn't thought it'd been for her in the way that when she first met Josh her future had been blurry. Uncertain. Add to that a mountain of issues for her then-boyfriend to climb and there hadn't been much thought of settling down until he popped the question and she realized that it's exactly what she wanted to do, settle down. Though she couldn't imagine life without her husband, she knew that people may not want that for themselves. They might not even think of the future. She could definitely relate.

Was she always like that? Truth be told, Nell would make friends with anyone who spoke a word to her. It wasn't hard for someone to end up in her good books. So she was incredibly biased. Pursing her lips, she tried to think of how to spin it to Justin. "So you know To Kill a Mockingbird, right? Boo Radley was ostracized by the neighborhood, but he was just misunderstood and actually had a good heart!" She nodded her head as she held up a finger before going on, "So yeah, Mo...she can come off as a Boo Radley and it may turn people away but she's a good heart." Nell wriggled her nose, realizing it may not have been the best way to put it. She was about to go with The Scarlet Letter but that implied something she didn't want him to catch onto, even if it was an accurate description. "She's funny and awesome to be around! And unpredictable...in a good way." Just with some rough edges, but people were like that. Never judge a book by the cover and all that.

She laughed at his reaction to the seafood deal, wiping her fingers off on a napkin. With a lot of her dishes coming from the Iberian Peninsula, she had gotten used to the price of it; the curse of being half-Spanish. "Hey, you gotta treat a lady right." She winked. "So I supposed you're lucky getting out of that one. Maybe take her to Northern Lights, it's the nicest place in town." You needed reservations, of course, but it would be a very nice sentiment. Plus they had good food. Though she was wondering if Justin would have enough money for that kind of thing. "Whatever you do, don't take her to Applebee's or something like that." That was generally a no-no, as far as she knew with dates. Of course, dates had been a learning lesson for her considering at first she hadn't let Josh pay for her, stubborn in her pride (and the fact that she consumed about the same amount of food as a giraffe). He eventually wore her down to be a gentleman. "Just be yourself, though I'm sure you know the whole dating rulebook better than I do." She waved her hand before taking another wing. Justin must have had loads of experience on her, at least when it came to having different partners when she only ever had one.

She nodded her head as she listened to what Justin had to say. Children were wild like that sometimes, she had a lot of experiences when she worked in the day care. Still had them sometimes in volunteering at a home. "Wait...what did you do?" she asked, her tone coming off as playfully suspicious. After all, she couldn't imagine that he was that bad, since this was her friend and all and she was just so terribly naive.

outfit.

[JUSTIN DANIEL DUVAL]

SHE'S LIKE A ROCK

[/color][/font]
and i keep chippin a piece to hold onto[/center]

He probably not ought to mention he managed to get her on a date via blackmail. That wasn’t important. That was something that Nell might be offended. Surely, if the two were friends, she might mention it. Although maybe not considering blackmailing was one secret that was usually kept between two people. Hence the whole purpose. Plus, the curious cat was going to ask what he was blackmailing. Not a very noble moment for Justin, but he was just going to have to make it up to her during the date? Morgan had already had the misfortune of seeing the bad side of him. Now all that needed to happen was for her to see the better side of Justin. Maybe even the deeper kind, but not likely on the first date. No one really understood him without spending an enormous amount of time trying to figure him out. Nell seemed to do it quickly just because she’s had experience with so many people, it was hard not to know a type of person.

The trying to reassure the friend didn’t seem like it was working. Nell didn’t sound like she was concerned, but she continued to ask about his commitment. Her question really set him un-easy. Like most typical guys, the thought of settling down hadn’t really entered his atmosphere of thoughts yet. Once upon a time, he thought ‘if I would ever settle down, it would be this one’ and they broke up. So Justin didn’t have a clue what was going to work out. Who suddenly was going to change into this raging person. When someone was more jealous than him, there was some other problems. That was probably one of the more un-attractive qualities when it came to relationships. Justin was a jealous person in general, so when he had a girlfriend, it seemed to show even brighter. He didn’t mean to be. He wasn’t insecure about it. He was just wanting to make sure that people knew what was his and off-limits. Justin had no time for cheaters. Even at times he had been the cheater.

”Not a clue. I’m sure eventually, but right now, my attention span with women won’t last long enough. Who knows? For now, I plan to experiment quite a bit.” That probably didn’t help the impression he was trying to give, but Nell wanted an honest answer from him. Justin was going to try to give it to her. ”But you don’t know if you don’t try.” Which was something among the lines of what he told Morgan. A chance was all he had ever asked for from her. After that, he promised that he would avoid her gaze if the pair were ever to run into each other again. She’d probably scowl at him angrily, but hopefully not say anything. It was all about the night turning out. Justin wasn’t exactly… nervous for it. He was determined to show that he wasn’t, as he told Nell, ‘all that terrible’. The guy was a douche. Somewhere in his head, he knew and accepted that. However, he didn’t want others to judge him upon the first couple of meetings. It was annoying.

Who hadn’t read that book? It was like the law against all nature. Even if someone didn’t like reading, they would have been forced to read that. Justin enjoyed that book despite it’s weird twist. The entire time thinking it was all about this man in a house, and then diverting into an intense court case between white trash and honest black citizens. Now that was the most common story, but then it must have been quite the read. One of the things to admire. Even with these thoughts in his head, he wouldn’t have imagined that Morgan would have been compared to Boo Radley. At the descriptions Nell gave her, he smiled widely. A true smile without a trace of that cocky boy within him. That was the type of description he was praying for. Man, he wanted to see it. Perhaps his luck would fall on the date. ”I knew it!” He exclaimed, ”No one that beautiful could be that harsh to everyone around her.” The whole beautiful inside and beautiful outside thing appealed to him more than the common belief. Perhaps it was just his own looks he was hoping for. Beautiful was also a word he hadn’t used for a lot of women. In all honesty. Beautiful was showing up at the door and letting his breath be caught in his throat.

Justin indeed knew how to treat a lady right. Most people didn’t believe it until he started speaking about how he did it. He knew that when she was having a bad day, turning on her favorite show with a bowl of icecream would make it better. Whenever he told these stories, an echo of ‘awwws’ filled the room with his head up with pride. It was similar to that. Justin nodded at her, knowing somewhat of that rule, but glad to get any information he could- even the repeats. At being himself, he bit his bottom lip. Well he kind of had been himself around her. It was hard… not to be himself. That was usually his problem. ”I need everything I can get. This is defiantly my biggest challenge yet.” That was for sure. He had been left to the dirtiest of resources. Nell then continued to ask and he sighed. Well he actually hadn’t done anything. ”Oh nothing bad. She told me to fuck off, and I didn’t. That can’t happen too often for her. Plus, I was pretty damn charming.” For once, that was all he did to leave an impression. He also didn’t realize how much ‘I’M A PLAYER’ vibes came off of him. He thought he was too collected for that.

WELL I'M SORRY TO SAY

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i gave it away i'm empty you're empty[/font]
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[NELL DOE DALE]

just frame the halves & call them a whole

Nell's naivete served as both a blessing and a curse. Painfully oblivious to how a lot of people could have bad intentions, she imagined that Justin could never do anything bad since he hadn't done anything bad to her. She knew she shouldn't have thought this way, what with being related to a master manipulator who most people loved. Still, she always believed it better to trust that to think that everyone out there was evil and out to get her. Justin as an evildoer who seduced women? She didn't want to believe that. And even if she had evidence, she would still be friends with him. Naive and far too easy to forgive.

Nodding her head as if she completely understood, it couldn't be far from the truth. Well, she did understand the sentiment. He didn't want to settle down. Still, as someone who had only ever been with one person, the idea of that frightened her. So much so that she had to say, "Just be careful! You never know what anyone's got out there." She said this with a nod, before picking up another wing. She had lost count of how many she had, as she could down much more than acceptable. "Not that Morgan is one of those!" She stopped, blinking. "Actually, I don't kn--just be safe!" Nell finished that off certainly before taking a bite. She was sure Morgan had to clean, though she wasn't going to pretend she knew everyone's personal business like that. At least she believed most people believed in safety, and that was another generalization she had made up in her own mind. Who knew if it was actually true?

Nell had to say, she was a bit flustered. While she wouldn't say that Morgan was cruel or anything, she also knew that her entire demeanor was...well, stand-offish. "W-well..." she said, lifting a finger to scratch her cheek. Oh, she was doing good at explaining this, wasn't she? "I mean, it just takes a while with her! She's like an ogre, she has layers." She thought it a very good comparison, until she realized that she was comparing the girl to a giant green Mike Myers sounding monster. "Except much prettier than an ogre, though you know that, and...yeah." The layers thing was spot on, however, though she believed her to be more complicated like that. It was obvious in how difficult her personality was to explain, especially for someone like Nell who didn't ever believe in insulting someone else.

Nell's lips worked into a small but amused smile at Justin's words, as if wondering if she should be smiling at all. She couldn't help it. Though she was still curious about what had actually gone down between the two of them. She supposed she would need Morgan's input on it, though the girl was highly unpredictable. Who knew when she would do that? Maybe I should tell him. He was dealing with a hurricane. "Oh, I bet you were," she said lightly about how charming he was, leaning back as she took a sip from her beer. It was almost gone, and she would get another one but that was it. She rarely drank as is, she didn't like to test her limits. "You know, most guys don't pick up girls in the supermarket, or so I've heard." Her mind went back to a game she had once played with Josh, and his jibe about picking up ladies in the supermarket. "But hey, if it works for you. Is it your first time hitting on shoppers or are you a serial supermarket seducer?" She was sure he wouldn't mind her teasing him, of course. The girl didn't mean anything by it.

outfit.

[JUSTIN DANIEL DUVAL]

SHE'S LIKE A ROCK

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and i keep chippin a piece to hold onto[/center]

Nell did have a point. There were those type of people out there. Most of the critical damage people heard about was a bad male stranger to a female, but there was nothing against having a bad female stranger. Not to say they were going to use the date rape drug or anything like that. It was more like the thieves or gold diggers. Trying to steal identity and ruin lives. Very smooth and charming, he bet. Thank the lord in heaven he hadn’t met anyone like that. Justin was a dick, but he wasn’t anything like that. Being a dick was sort of expected. Anything else was just… creepy. Avoiding them hadn’t really been on purpose, but he was glad for it. It was probably because people as smooth as he was made him somewhat suspicious. Not very many people could really get that grove thing going on. The generations today were much too awkward and didn’t know what to say on a whim. The secret was not to think too much about it.

Still, hearing all of this from Nell almost made him chuckle quietly. Almost as if she were rambling nervously. ”Don’t worry Nell. I’m careful. People like that are way too smooth.” Except for him of course. Justin was just perfect. But someone else acting as if they were perfect? Shame. Not to mention really embarrassing when people actually found out the truth. Justin wasn’t sure that he could take that guilt. The man could take quite a lot. There was so much he brushed off of his shoulder and had to say ‘ah well’ to. If he fretted over it too much, then where would he be? If he fretted over the fact the only reason he got on a date with Morgan was by having to blackmail her. Justin honestly wasn’t even sure what he blackmailed. It was like a gambling bluff blackmail. She was talking about something and he had been talking about nothing. Pretending that it was something. All he mentioned was ‘I’ll tell everyone’ and she flipped out. He wasn’t even sure what she was flipping out on. Clearly people like Nell knew it.

Here he was worried that Nell was going to go ahead and be over protective about Morgan. Even if she was, it seemed there was a part of her worried about Justin. What, she didn’t lurk in the shadow and suck the blood out of her victims did she? If she did, Justin and Morgan were going to have more serious problems than her refusing for so long not to go out on a date. He was silently applauding Nell for the movie reference, but watching her closely all the same. It seemed the pair of them were both like layers. Different layers. Morgan got better the more you peeled away, and Justin got worse the more you peeled away. At least, that’s what he thought. Which is why he typically didn’t say very much about it. ”Don’t worry. I understand what you mean. I understand she’s layers. It’s why I went after her.” Someone that was open all the time was… alright. He had dated one that was now one of his good friends. She was just so nice and perky to everything that came across her mind. Justin hadn’t known what to do with her and became rather bored rather quickly.

It was true, he hadn’t picked up many girls in the supermarket in the past. Still, there had been stranger places. He heard of obscure places to propose things, so why not have this one on his record. At least it made for a good story for the rest of society that may want to hear it. Although, according to their deal, Justin couldn’t mention too much about it. Nell was different. The girl had to know everything anyway because she spoke to so many people it was ridiculous. That was coming from a guy who was a social animal running around the campus. ”That’s got to make something special.” He said, grabbing the last wing and was overly amused by how interested and curious Nell seemed to be. Oh this girl. ”Well…” He trailed, ”It wasn’t exactly our first meeting. Our first meeting was much worse and I tried to hit on her there. It was walking around on campus. Saw her and decided she had been among the best things I had seen all my life. She was much more relaxed at the market.” Could have been because the little sister was there but Justin would like to think that all of that time and effort actually made her ease up a little bit. Just a little, that’s all he needed to break this shell of hers. ”Don’t worry. I’ve got a plan.” As Justin did.

WELL I'M SORRY TO SAY

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i gave it away i'm empty you're empty[/font]
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