as written by Akita and Terrus
It was the first time in her life that Serenity Gray had stepped foot onto such a beautiful platform of land. As she arrived in the domed structure of the area, she glanced around, her awkward eyes scanning around the area to properly memorize it. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, a sigh forming at the end of it as a groan followed. "Some new stomping grounds," she huffed out under her breath with a semi-snarky tone. If sarcasm was her middle name, she'd own it, since that was her preferred method of verbal contact. However, at times, she did tend to run towards the humor-serious side. She was a one of a kind type of slinger, a gun slinger at that, and she wanted to be the only one the townspeople of this place would run to when they needed some real justice to take place. It was her calling.
Serenity stepped up onto a raised platform that lead to a long walkway that seemed to wrap around the entire area. It was an interesting place indeed, so perhaps it would be a great area to rebuild herself and give herself a new reputation for what she actually wanted to do. She approached a bench around a nearby garden area and sat down, basking in the open beauty that this place seemed to be choced with. The gunslinger glanced around, people watching like it was her day job, observing the patrons that passed by her.
At least it wasn't like the other areas she had visited, where everyone was always in a hurry. In this place, this new "Azure Park", the atmosphere felt mostly calm. Maybe that wasn't exactly a good thing...but where there's calm, there's a suspicious silence that followed after, and then that's when the real trouble would start. If it weren't for her ex-counterpart practically driving her out of the previous area she had pretty much owned, she wouldn't have to reinvent herself. But alas, here she was. Where was that Zen Chaos, anyways?
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Zen gave a sigh. Not a stressed sigh, not one of anger or depression or anything serious to weigh him down. Just...a sigh of relief. A chance to take some time off from wandering around. Looking around the domed area with a raised eyebrow. His hat hiding most of his upper facial features. The last place he was at his infamous counterpart and ex lover drove him out. Hopefully this place would be a lot more...calm.
Unfortunately for them both, they tend to attract the attention of many...darker...if not evil, enemies. Their own arguments be damned as they keep getting interrupted by different people. All he would like to do, for more than maybe 5 minutes is take a breather without having to be yelled at, shot at, or attempted to be stabbed with or blasted by people. Is it so much to ask for some calm, peaceful, quiet time to himself?
As he walked around the park he let out a long groan as his eyes eventually spotted his counterpart. "fuck" He thought to himself. Quickly turning around in an attempt to not be seen. Unfortunately for him his appearance is pretty....unique....in this day and age. Not many people dressed like he did, so he stood out quite well. But maybe she wouldn't notice him.
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It was just like any other time the vexed vigilante stumbled upon a new area. Her focus was scattered, and her eyes were darting from place to place, attempting to scope out the area so that she could get a better idea what it was all about. A low hum emanated from deep in her throat as she sat patiently, eyeing the patrons and feasting her gaze on the little gardens that sat about. She let out a small sigh and turned her head to the right as something caught her eye. Something inside of her had triggered a warning and instantly, she felt her heart race. Her gaze locked on one individual in particular, and it was almost like her mind was creating illusions to trick her.
It was absolutely impossible that with her attempt to find adventure and solitude in a new place, that she would once again, be accompanied by a nightmare from her past. She drew in a deep breath and then let it out gingerly, her mind counting backwards from five as she settled herself. As she continued to stare, she repositioned herself on the bench so that she would look more relaxed and uncaring of the world around her. He was always around her, some how, even when he wasn't physically present. Something inside her always kept a little piece of him, and it was a wonder how she ever completed any jobs. And here it was happening again - distracting her from finding work and giving her a purpose in a place where she could reinvent herself. What was he even doing here?
She shook her head at the feeling and attempted to relax a little more, her heart rate dropping some as the adrenaline inside her dimmed down. 'It's probably not even him,' she thought. It wasn't everyday that she ran into a complete stranger that stood out in a crowd as much as he did, but she did have to hand it to him for putting in the effort to at least try to blend in. They were mostly normal people just looking to serve their purpose and passion in life, but something always seemed to get in the way of their quarrel. Serenity couldn't remember the time when she hadn't missed him. It was becoming more and more frequent that her heart yearned for him, and with every strong feeling she had towards him, she swore she'd shoot herself in the foot.
At the moment, she watched him curiously as she chew on the inside of her mouth. She scoffed at his attempt to turn around after realizing that she was in his presence. "Way to ignore someone, Zen." She yelled across the way, and allowed a small grin to form across her thin lips. Her grin grew some more as she flicked her tongue against her teeth in a teasing manner. "Can't hide forever. Not when you look like that." Her words were plain, boring, and very monotone, but she made sure she added just enough bite to sting.
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Zen flinched at the words, slowly turning around."Yeah well..with a mug like yours people gotta try." he stuck out his tongue."What are you doing here?" He asked curiously, looking from her, to moving his eyes to look around the area in case things around him were about to change. It was always hard to tell when someone might try to attack them. So he remained on guard 99% of the time just in case. His hands able to quickly grab his gun and fire at anything that tries to attack. Although he'd prefer not to he if could.
His eyes wandered back to her, a smirk on his face as he watched Serenity for just a bit."I'm surprised you're here of all places. I thought you used to like the exciting hustle and bustle of the criminal underworld." He exclaimed to the woman. Moving closer to her so they didn't have to yell at each other and drag other people into the conversation.
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Serenity let out a soft sigh of amusement, followed by a light chuckle at his words. "A mug like mine?" she commented, and then grunted at the lewd comment. "You're awefully rude, aren't you?" She lifted a hand to her mouth and rested a couple fingers against her lips as she studied him for a moment before continuing on with her response. It was interesting that he asked her what she was doing here, considering she was wondering the same thing about him. How did he even get here, and how does he always manage to find her? It's almost as if they shared a brain, with the places they wound up in together. Her lips pursed some and she tapped her index finger against her plush bottom lip, her nail creasing it a little more each time the tip hit the soft skin.
"What does it look like I'm doing here? I'm fighting crime." She said with a bold tone, her daunting personality breaking through her relaxed demeanor. "I usually find myself in the places that seem like they'd be farthest from you, but here we are again... in the same place... Weird, isn't it? It's almost like you're stalking me."
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"I think we are stalking each other. Considering we always end up in the same place, at the same time." He gave a gentle sigh."Maybe its about time we put aside our differences and just work together?" He shook his head."Its been what...at least a century or more...hasn't it?" He asked curiously."I don't even remember how long its been...So long ago...my memory gets fuzzy going so far back." He gave a more world-weary sigh this time."I'm tired of fighting to be honest." Sitting down next to her without an invitation.
Taking off his hat, it was revealed he had short black hair, almost militaristic. His eyes a light, icy blue color. Almost a transparently white. A scar trailing from his jawline up to the edge of his lower lip on the right side of his face. A scar that....he happened to get from one of their previous fights. Serenity scoring a lucky shot with that one. Having dodged it wrong. It had faded over time, but it was still fairly noticable.
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His words were something that, usually, she wouldn't take to heart, but it seemed this time he was making a little bit of sense. She drew in a deep breath and nearly scoffed at his accusation of them stalking each other and his following statement regarding they put aside their differences. This guy had to be out of his mind. Had he forgotten the reason this happened in the first place? In fact, maybe he had, because it seemed as though Serenity had forgotten, too. She shook the thought from her mind and turned her attention to him, her eyes narrowing as she moved her legs for him to sit down. "You're tired of fighting? That's a joke, right?" She asked with a soft tone, her emotions pouring from her heart and causing her chest to ache, but she refused to let them come forward in an expression.
She pressed her lips together as she admired his handsome physique. He was a well built man that she really felt safe with once upon a time. Even now, she could still feel his strong arms around her, cuddling her close to his chest. She tilted her head a bit, studying him for a moment. Her eyes traced along his strong jaw line, dipping and appreciated each and every portion of his face. Her gaze traveled from his clean-cut hair, to his ice blue eyes, and then to the semi-prominent scar that she had given him a long while back. A tiny smirk formed across her lips as she stared at it, her mind entering a state of pure bliss as she vaguely recalled the event that landed that scar on him. In a way, she almost felt bad for him, but she would never let him know that... at least not yet.
"I don't know if I could ever work with you again, Zen." It was a truthful statement, but it hurt to say in such a serious tone that was coated with all sorts of strange emotion. She knew that entering a deep conversation with him was a trap for heartache, but perhaps it was time to just let it all go and be one with him again. After all, she was still ridiculously in love with him.
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"Why not?" he asked curiously. His words were more true now, than what they have ever been before. He was tired of the lies, tired of the fighting. Chaos maybe in his nature, as well as part of his name, but that doesn't mean he can't be peaceful as well. All he wants now a days is to just enjoy the time he has with the people he consider- ha...people...more like person....- he considers his closest friend. Of course, that would be the woman sitting next to him."Centuries of fighting, of seeing this world change. And all we do is squabble about our personal problems. For years its been this way, I'm ready to put my differences aside if you are."
"Besides, its crazy the amount of people we've put away together, because we've been interrupted time and time again. maybe we shouldn't fight, and just learn to work together like we did so long ago. We could make an epic team. We could pretend to fight each other to capture our targets. We may have different methods, but our goals have always been the same." He stated to her. Trying to make his case. He wasn't evil, dispite everything.
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The tired deputy sighed softly as she listened to his words of endearment flow out of him almost as if he were reciting a poem. She loved it when he spoke, mainly because his voice was more than soothing, and sexy with every word he spoke. She blinked slowly at him as she waited for him to be done talking. It was understandable that at this point in their lives, he was ready to move on. They had been at it for so long that now, it just seemed childish and was mostly a waste of time. She did agree that he has a point that all they did was bitch and fight about their personal problems, but it was all for good reason. It was what made them the fighters they were. All that pent-up anger and energy just waiting to be released was why they made a great team in the first place. However, their passion for fighting would probably be stronger and the outcomes of the fights better if they did work together.
Serenity parted her lips some, studying his face for a moment longer. She lifted a hand to her hair and brushed it back with her fingers, twirling the tip of it a little as she let the strands fall gracefully from her hand. Her pursed lips showed her annoyance in his offer to move on, but the settled expression on her face showed that she at least understood his mention of it. She snorted as he finished his sentence, and shook her head as a small grin formed upon her lips.
"You've always had a way with words," she admitted with a soft, raspy voice. "It's hard to trust you." She almost felt guilty for saying it, but if he wanted honesty from her, then that was her honest feeling. It was a lot easier to be honest with someone when you hated them, but in the efforts to possibly rekindle something that was so perfect and wonderful hundreds of years ago was going to take a lot trust and some possible lying to get through the rough patches.
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"Would you believe me if I told you that I'm being as honest as possible when I utter the words out of my mouth? That all the lies, and pain, that we put each other through...are tiring, and they keep me up at night. I haven't slept in days. My throat is dry, my eyes sting with each blink, because of all the turmoil we've had against each other. Its been nagging at me for a long time now. I'm not trying to hide anything behind my words, I'm speaking plainly, I want to end our fighting. I don't care if we're in a relationship or not, but at least stop our fights with each other. They've become...pointless...a routine...almost like clockwork. I want to sleep peacefully for once..." He pleaded lightly with her.
"I don't care if we need to patch things up, I'm being as honest as I can be." He looked right into where her eyes would be. Ignoring everything else for the moment, like the world around them had frozen in time while he reached up to remove her shades, so he could look into Serenity's eyes once more."Please?"
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Serenity leaned forward on the bench and crossed one leg over the other as she listened to his soothing voice spouting off about his feelings and honesty. She felt like it was something she had heard from him before, but perhaps that was just an illusion her mind was trying to play out for her like the many hypothetical situations she had playing in her head. She took a long moment of silence before she finally responded to him. Her hand dropped from her hair down her lap, and she let out a soft huff of a sigh. "Don't you sound desperate," she snarked below her breath, but then straightened up some and lifted her shoulders from her hunched position.
"I mean, I get it, I really do. But you can't just come over here and expect me to throw my hands in the air like nothing happened over the past... how many hundreds of years?... and say 'Okay, Zen, you're right, let's start over and be best fucking friends'. You're out of your mind." Her heavy tone of disbelief was very prominent at this point, and her annoyance only seemed to be growing. All she wanted was to make up with him and to move on and get over the past, but that was a long project that they both had to work on, and she wasn't sure just how dedicated he really was.
She had recalled many past attempts to try this same thing, and none of those seemed to work, so why would it now? She loved him, and she wasn't even sure if he loved her back, so what would happen if she, once again, fell into his trap of 'take me back, let's move on'? She rolled her eyes at him when he shifted his position to gaze into her eyes, denying him the right to actually lock his gaze on hers. She couldn't look him in the eyes, and perhaps that was because she was too nervous, too afraid to face him in this moment. He was being honest, sure, but how much of that honesty was going to stick around? How much of his heart was he going to give her this time, and how much of his love would he actually allow her to have before he ripped it away again?
"You don't care if we need to patch things up, because you're used to being the one trying to patch things up, Zen. We've been over this before, and quite frankly, I'm really tired of this game." She snorted and cleared her throat before continuing. "I'm old, Zen. Very old, as are you, and if you're really serious about this, I don't know if we could be anything other than work partners... Maybe." When she spoke, her words were as genuine as she could make them. Her honesty was definitely coming through, but it was hard on her heart to even say these things to him. She preferred to just insult and lash out at him, because having these talks were the worst thing she'd ever want to put herself through. There was no doubt that the emotional pain was far worse than the physical pain he had inflicted on her in the past.
"One of us is bound to die at the other's hands... One way or another. Only thing we don't know is how." With that, she stood up and stared down at him for a moment before turning sharply on her heel to walk away from him.
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He stood up, with a resounding sigh he followed her, hat in hand as he put it on her head."I'm not playing a game here. Not like before. I'm..." He sighed softly."I'm sorry I toyed with you. I played you for a fool and it was wrong. I know, i've made this speech a thousand different times and I'm making it again today. But look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want to patch things up? In a true, good natured way."
He watched her carefully."I'm really....I really do want to fix things. I'm not saying a romantic relationship, but, maybe as a friend? I gave up my status as an Agent years ago. I've walked away from that lifestyle. All I want is to enjoy life with the one person I know I can consider a lifelong partner. Romantic or not, I just want to live peacefully. I'm even willing to put down my weapons for this. Just...please...Serenity...." He said these last few lines a bit more softly.
Zen wasn't trying to coax her into anything bad, wearing his heart on his sleeve for...probably the first time since he was a kid."We're old, very old, like you said, and it gives one time to contemplate what that means. To have someone...to.../know/ someone who shares the same fate as I do...Even someone who started out as an enemy...We can work past any hardship. Because it means we won't be alone."
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It was almost impossible to get away from him, what with her following her and the like. She let out a loud, frustrated huff and haulted, turning to face him as she crossed her arms about her chest. She pursed her lips at his comments, an unamused expression showing obvious on her face. All she wanted to do was put her hand in his face and walk away, but she couldn't bring herself to do that. Instead, she just stood there and listened to what he had to say, just like every other time he had persuaded her to walk back into his life.
She wasn't certain if this time was a genuine offer to have her back in his life, but his words were stifling at best. Part of her wished he'd just shut up and say what he wanted to say in one sentence, rather than taking a million breaths to do so. Damn, did he talk a lot. The tired deputy shook her head at his comments and turned her gaze towards the ground, her eyes circling a small indent in the concrete. She allowed his words to fill her mind with all sorts of ideas and memories and a lot of regret, but that didn't stop her from at least considering his points.
He was right about a couple things, especially the points he made regarding their mutual want to move on and just be happy with someone, even if it was the other person. Part of her also wanted to tell him that everything would be okay, like she did in the past, but it was different this time. Her feelings were different; her heart was different. All of the feelings she had swirling around inside her began to burn against her chest, as well as swell some tears in her eyes.
Figuring it wouldn't be worth it to allow him to see her weakening at the moment, she drew in a deep breath and sniffed hard to suck up the start of her sad emotions. She lifted her head once more to stare into his eyes, staying silent for a long moment as she thought of what she could say to him that would even slightly make sense, and perhaps help them find a resolution to their issues.
"If I let you in, you have to promise me that you won't ever fuck with me ever again. You don't have to quit your job, Zen. I'm not. You should... Probably step to the left...." She motioned with her hands as a bird from above caught her attention. "I need to clean my guns," she said blandly as she turned her attention down to her gun holsters sitting at her hips. She didn't know what else to say to him. All of what she had to say was spat out in a few sentences or less, and everything else was just a 'we'll see what happens' kind of situation.
It was the first time in her life that Serenity Gray had stepped foot onto such a beautiful platform of land. As she arrived in the domed structure of the area, she glanced around, her awkward eyes scanning around the area to properly memorize it. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, a sigh forming at the end of it as a groan followed. "Some new stomping grounds," she huffed out under her breath with a semi-snarky tone. If sarcasm was her middle name, she'd own it, since that was her preferred method of verbal contact. However, at times, she did tend to run towards the humor-serious side. She was a one of a kind type of slinger, a gun slinger at that, and she wanted to be the only one the townspeople of this place would run to when they needed some real justice to take place. It was her calling.
Serenity stepped up onto a raised platform that lead to a long walkway that seemed to wrap around the entire area. It was an interesting place indeed, so perhaps it would be a great area to rebuild herself and give herself a new reputation for what she actually wanted to do. She approached a bench around a nearby garden area and sat down, basking in the open beauty that this place seemed to be choced with. The gunslinger glanced around, people watching like it was her day job, observing the patrons that passed by her.
At least it wasn't like the other areas she had visited, where everyone was always in a hurry. In this place, this new "Azure Park", the atmosphere felt mostly calm. Maybe that wasn't exactly a good thing...but where there's calm, there's a suspicious silence that followed after, and then that's when the real trouble would start. If it weren't for her ex-counterpart practically driving her out of the previous area she had pretty much owned, she wouldn't have to reinvent herself. But alas, here she was. Where was that Zen Chaos, anyways?
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Zen gave a sigh. Not a stressed sigh, not one of anger or depression or anything serious to weigh him down. Just...a sigh of relief. A chance to take some time off from wandering around. Looking around the domed area with a raised eyebrow. His hat hiding most of his upper facial features. The last place he was at his infamous counterpart and ex lover drove him out. Hopefully this place would be a lot more...calm.
Unfortunately for them both, they tend to attract the attention of many...darker...if not evil, enemies. Their own arguments be damned as they keep getting interrupted by different people. All he would like to do, for more than maybe 5 minutes is take a breather without having to be yelled at, shot at, or attempted to be stabbed with or blasted by people. Is it so much to ask for some calm, peaceful, quiet time to himself?
As he walked around the park he let out a long groan as his eyes eventually spotted his counterpart. "fuck" He thought to himself. Quickly turning around in an attempt to not be seen. Unfortunately for him his appearance is pretty....unique....in this day and age. Not many people dressed like he did, so he stood out quite well. But maybe she wouldn't notice him.
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It was just like any other time the vexed vigilante stumbled upon a new area. Her focus was scattered, and her eyes were darting from place to place, attempting to scope out the area so that she could get a better idea what it was all about. A low hum emanated from deep in her throat as she sat patiently, eyeing the patrons and feasting her gaze on the little gardens that sat about. She let out a small sigh and turned her head to the right as something caught her eye. Something inside of her had triggered a warning and instantly, she felt her heart race. Her gaze locked on one individual in particular, and it was almost like her mind was creating illusions to trick her.
It was absolutely impossible that with her attempt to find adventure and solitude in a new place, that she would once again, be accompanied by a nightmare from her past. She drew in a deep breath and then let it out gingerly, her mind counting backwards from five as she settled herself. As she continued to stare, she repositioned herself on the bench so that she would look more relaxed and uncaring of the world around her. He was always around her, some how, even when he wasn't physically present. Something inside her always kept a little piece of him, and it was a wonder how she ever completed any jobs. And here it was happening again - distracting her from finding work and giving her a purpose in a place where she could reinvent herself. What was he even doing here?
She shook her head at the feeling and attempted to relax a little more, her heart rate dropping some as the adrenaline inside her dimmed down. 'It's probably not even him,' she thought. It wasn't everyday that she ran into a complete stranger that stood out in a crowd as much as he did, but she did have to hand it to him for putting in the effort to at least try to blend in. They were mostly normal people just looking to serve their purpose and passion in life, but something always seemed to get in the way of their quarrel. Serenity couldn't remember the time when she hadn't missed him. It was becoming more and more frequent that her heart yearned for him, and with every strong feeling she had towards him, she swore she'd shoot herself in the foot.
At the moment, she watched him curiously as she chew on the inside of her mouth. She scoffed at his attempt to turn around after realizing that she was in his presence. "Way to ignore someone, Zen." She yelled across the way, and allowed a small grin to form across her thin lips. Her grin grew some more as she flicked her tongue against her teeth in a teasing manner. "Can't hide forever. Not when you look like that." Her words were plain, boring, and very monotone, but she made sure she added just enough bite to sting.
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Zen flinched at the words, slowly turning around."Yeah well..with a mug like yours people gotta try." he stuck out his tongue."What are you doing here?" He asked curiously, looking from her, to moving his eyes to look around the area in case things around him were about to change. It was always hard to tell when someone might try to attack them. So he remained on guard 99% of the time just in case. His hands able to quickly grab his gun and fire at anything that tries to attack. Although he'd prefer not to he if could.
His eyes wandered back to her, a smirk on his face as he watched Serenity for just a bit."I'm surprised you're here of all places. I thought you used to like the exciting hustle and bustle of the criminal underworld." He exclaimed to the woman. Moving closer to her so they didn't have to yell at each other and drag other people into the conversation.
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Serenity let out a soft sigh of amusement, followed by a light chuckle at his words. "A mug like mine?" she commented, and then grunted at the lewd comment. "You're awefully rude, aren't you?" She lifted a hand to her mouth and rested a couple fingers against her lips as she studied him for a moment before continuing on with her response. It was interesting that he asked her what she was doing here, considering she was wondering the same thing about him. How did he even get here, and how does he always manage to find her? It's almost as if they shared a brain, with the places they wound up in together. Her lips pursed some and she tapped her index finger against her plush bottom lip, her nail creasing it a little more each time the tip hit the soft skin.
"What does it look like I'm doing here? I'm fighting crime." She said with a bold tone, her daunting personality breaking through her relaxed demeanor. "I usually find myself in the places that seem like they'd be farthest from you, but here we are again... in the same place... Weird, isn't it? It's almost like you're stalking me."
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"I think we are stalking each other. Considering we always end up in the same place, at the same time." He gave a gentle sigh."Maybe its about time we put aside our differences and just work together?" He shook his head."Its been what...at least a century or more...hasn't it?" He asked curiously."I don't even remember how long its been...So long ago...my memory gets fuzzy going so far back." He gave a more world-weary sigh this time."I'm tired of fighting to be honest." Sitting down next to her without an invitation.
Taking off his hat, it was revealed he had short black hair, almost militaristic. His eyes a light, icy blue color. Almost a transparently white. A scar trailing from his jawline up to the edge of his lower lip on the right side of his face. A scar that....he happened to get from one of their previous fights. Serenity scoring a lucky shot with that one. Having dodged it wrong. It had faded over time, but it was still fairly noticable.
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His words were something that, usually, she wouldn't take to heart, but it seemed this time he was making a little bit of sense. She drew in a deep breath and nearly scoffed at his accusation of them stalking each other and his following statement regarding they put aside their differences. This guy had to be out of his mind. Had he forgotten the reason this happened in the first place? In fact, maybe he had, because it seemed as though Serenity had forgotten, too. She shook the thought from her mind and turned her attention to him, her eyes narrowing as she moved her legs for him to sit down. "You're tired of fighting? That's a joke, right?" She asked with a soft tone, her emotions pouring from her heart and causing her chest to ache, but she refused to let them come forward in an expression.
She pressed her lips together as she admired his handsome physique. He was a well built man that she really felt safe with once upon a time. Even now, she could still feel his strong arms around her, cuddling her close to his chest. She tilted her head a bit, studying him for a moment. Her eyes traced along his strong jaw line, dipping and appreciated each and every portion of his face. Her gaze traveled from his clean-cut hair, to his ice blue eyes, and then to the semi-prominent scar that she had given him a long while back. A tiny smirk formed across her lips as she stared at it, her mind entering a state of pure bliss as she vaguely recalled the event that landed that scar on him. In a way, she almost felt bad for him, but she would never let him know that... at least not yet.
"I don't know if I could ever work with you again, Zen." It was a truthful statement, but it hurt to say in such a serious tone that was coated with all sorts of strange emotion. She knew that entering a deep conversation with him was a trap for heartache, but perhaps it was time to just let it all go and be one with him again. After all, she was still ridiculously in love with him.
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"Why not?" he asked curiously. His words were more true now, than what they have ever been before. He was tired of the lies, tired of the fighting. Chaos maybe in his nature, as well as part of his name, but that doesn't mean he can't be peaceful as well. All he wants now a days is to just enjoy the time he has with the people he consider- ha...people...more like person....- he considers his closest friend. Of course, that would be the woman sitting next to him."Centuries of fighting, of seeing this world change. And all we do is squabble about our personal problems. For years its been this way, I'm ready to put my differences aside if you are."
"Besides, its crazy the amount of people we've put away together, because we've been interrupted time and time again. maybe we shouldn't fight, and just learn to work together like we did so long ago. We could make an epic team. We could pretend to fight each other to capture our targets. We may have different methods, but our goals have always been the same." He stated to her. Trying to make his case. He wasn't evil, dispite everything.
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The tired deputy sighed softly as she listened to his words of endearment flow out of him almost as if he were reciting a poem. She loved it when he spoke, mainly because his voice was more than soothing, and sexy with every word he spoke. She blinked slowly at him as she waited for him to be done talking. It was understandable that at this point in their lives, he was ready to move on. They had been at it for so long that now, it just seemed childish and was mostly a waste of time. She did agree that he has a point that all they did was bitch and fight about their personal problems, but it was all for good reason. It was what made them the fighters they were. All that pent-up anger and energy just waiting to be released was why they made a great team in the first place. However, their passion for fighting would probably be stronger and the outcomes of the fights better if they did work together.
Serenity parted her lips some, studying his face for a moment longer. She lifted a hand to her hair and brushed it back with her fingers, twirling the tip of it a little as she let the strands fall gracefully from her hand. Her pursed lips showed her annoyance in his offer to move on, but the settled expression on her face showed that she at least understood his mention of it. She snorted as he finished his sentence, and shook her head as a small grin formed upon her lips.
"You've always had a way with words," she admitted with a soft, raspy voice. "It's hard to trust you." She almost felt guilty for saying it, but if he wanted honesty from her, then that was her honest feeling. It was a lot easier to be honest with someone when you hated them, but in the efforts to possibly rekindle something that was so perfect and wonderful hundreds of years ago was going to take a lot trust and some possible lying to get through the rough patches.
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"Would you believe me if I told you that I'm being as honest as possible when I utter the words out of my mouth? That all the lies, and pain, that we put each other through...are tiring, and they keep me up at night. I haven't slept in days. My throat is dry, my eyes sting with each blink, because of all the turmoil we've had against each other. Its been nagging at me for a long time now. I'm not trying to hide anything behind my words, I'm speaking plainly, I want to end our fighting. I don't care if we're in a relationship or not, but at least stop our fights with each other. They've become...pointless...a routine...almost like clockwork. I want to sleep peacefully for once..." He pleaded lightly with her.
"I don't care if we need to patch things up, I'm being as honest as I can be." He looked right into where her eyes would be. Ignoring everything else for the moment, like the world around them had frozen in time while he reached up to remove her shades, so he could look into Serenity's eyes once more."Please?"
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Serenity leaned forward on the bench and crossed one leg over the other as she listened to his soothing voice spouting off about his feelings and honesty. She felt like it was something she had heard from him before, but perhaps that was just an illusion her mind was trying to play out for her like the many hypothetical situations she had playing in her head. She took a long moment of silence before she finally responded to him. Her hand dropped from her hair down her lap, and she let out a soft huff of a sigh. "Don't you sound desperate," she snarked below her breath, but then straightened up some and lifted her shoulders from her hunched position.
"I mean, I get it, I really do. But you can't just come over here and expect me to throw my hands in the air like nothing happened over the past... how many hundreds of years?... and say 'Okay, Zen, you're right, let's start over and be best fucking friends'. You're out of your mind." Her heavy tone of disbelief was very prominent at this point, and her annoyance only seemed to be growing. All she wanted was to make up with him and to move on and get over the past, but that was a long project that they both had to work on, and she wasn't sure just how dedicated he really was.
She had recalled many past attempts to try this same thing, and none of those seemed to work, so why would it now? She loved him, and she wasn't even sure if he loved her back, so what would happen if she, once again, fell into his trap of 'take me back, let's move on'? She rolled her eyes at him when he shifted his position to gaze into her eyes, denying him the right to actually lock his gaze on hers. She couldn't look him in the eyes, and perhaps that was because she was too nervous, too afraid to face him in this moment. He was being honest, sure, but how much of that honesty was going to stick around? How much of his heart was he going to give her this time, and how much of his love would he actually allow her to have before he ripped it away again?
"You don't care if we need to patch things up, because you're used to being the one trying to patch things up, Zen. We've been over this before, and quite frankly, I'm really tired of this game." She snorted and cleared her throat before continuing. "I'm old, Zen. Very old, as are you, and if you're really serious about this, I don't know if we could be anything other than work partners... Maybe." When she spoke, her words were as genuine as she could make them. Her honesty was definitely coming through, but it was hard on her heart to even say these things to him. She preferred to just insult and lash out at him, because having these talks were the worst thing she'd ever want to put herself through. There was no doubt that the emotional pain was far worse than the physical pain he had inflicted on her in the past.
"One of us is bound to die at the other's hands... One way or another. Only thing we don't know is how." With that, she stood up and stared down at him for a moment before turning sharply on her heel to walk away from him.
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He stood up, with a resounding sigh he followed her, hat in hand as he put it on her head."I'm not playing a game here. Not like before. I'm..." He sighed softly."I'm sorry I toyed with you. I played you for a fool and it was wrong. I know, i've made this speech a thousand different times and I'm making it again today. But look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want to patch things up? In a true, good natured way."
He watched her carefully."I'm really....I really do want to fix things. I'm not saying a romantic relationship, but, maybe as a friend? I gave up my status as an Agent years ago. I've walked away from that lifestyle. All I want is to enjoy life with the one person I know I can consider a lifelong partner. Romantic or not, I just want to live peacefully. I'm even willing to put down my weapons for this. Just...please...Serenity...." He said these last few lines a bit more softly.
Zen wasn't trying to coax her into anything bad, wearing his heart on his sleeve for...probably the first time since he was a kid."We're old, very old, like you said, and it gives one time to contemplate what that means. To have someone...to.../know/ someone who shares the same fate as I do...Even someone who started out as an enemy...We can work past any hardship. Because it means we won't be alone."
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It was almost impossible to get away from him, what with her following her and the like. She let out a loud, frustrated huff and haulted, turning to face him as she crossed her arms about her chest. She pursed her lips at his comments, an unamused expression showing obvious on her face. All she wanted to do was put her hand in his face and walk away, but she couldn't bring herself to do that. Instead, she just stood there and listened to what he had to say, just like every other time he had persuaded her to walk back into his life.
She wasn't certain if this time was a genuine offer to have her back in his life, but his words were stifling at best. Part of her wished he'd just shut up and say what he wanted to say in one sentence, rather than taking a million breaths to do so. Damn, did he talk a lot. The tired deputy shook her head at his comments and turned her gaze towards the ground, her eyes circling a small indent in the concrete. She allowed his words to fill her mind with all sorts of ideas and memories and a lot of regret, but that didn't stop her from at least considering his points.
He was right about a couple things, especially the points he made regarding their mutual want to move on and just be happy with someone, even if it was the other person. Part of her also wanted to tell him that everything would be okay, like she did in the past, but it was different this time. Her feelings were different; her heart was different. All of the feelings she had swirling around inside her began to burn against her chest, as well as swell some tears in her eyes.
Figuring it wouldn't be worth it to allow him to see her weakening at the moment, she drew in a deep breath and sniffed hard to suck up the start of her sad emotions. She lifted her head once more to stare into his eyes, staying silent for a long moment as she thought of what she could say to him that would even slightly make sense, and perhaps help them find a resolution to their issues.
"If I let you in, you have to promise me that you won't ever fuck with me ever again. You don't have to quit your job, Zen. I'm not. You should... Probably step to the left...." She motioned with her hands as a bird from above caught her attention. "I need to clean my guns," she said blandly as she turned her attention down to her gun holsters sitting at her hips. She didn't know what else to say to him. All of what she had to say was spat out in a few sentences or less, and everything else was just a 'we'll see what happens' kind of situation.
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