Kira and Polo, staring at the purple sky. :P

Tyson took his time eating – being careful to be as neat as possible, and displaying the absolutely flawless table manners that had been drilled into him as a child, and had stuck for life.
Well, life until that point, anyway… For Tyson had a feeling that his life was far from over, even with Stix out on the streets…
He jumped slightly as Cora began talking – taken by surprise – but then he calmed down and listened attentively, watching her and waiting for her to finish before responding. He was surprised when she returned his apology, but he appreciated it nonetheless, so he offered a small smile in response.
Then Cora began questioning him on his reason for thanking her, and Tyson frowned slightly. How could he explain this…?
Oh hell, he had started it, he might as well just spill his thoughts in ink.

So Ty lowered his knife and fork for a moment, and armed himself with the pen instead.

Just… For being different, I suppose. I feel that perhaps you can understand me a little… You treat me like a human, anyway, which is more than I can say for most people I’ve known.

Feeling rather self conscious, Ty shoveled the last mouthful of his dinner into his mouth, then picked up his plate and carried it to the kitchen – rinsing it and the silverware in the sink before making his way back to where he had left Cora – his expression appropriately calm and indifferent.


((Hint – If you want to find out about Ty’s past in a hurry, it would be a good idea to try have Cora ask about his cooking… Or if you would rather wait and build up the suspense, go for it! Hehe!

The Polo does not give hints. You saw nothing. O.o ))

Cora thought about this for a moment.

"Well why don't they treat you like a human? I mean you are one. All people are human. So why not treat them like it?" She sighed and shook her head. She gave him another apologetic smile.

"Sorry, that just really bugs me." Cora sighed and looked down, then back at him. She flicked a bit of stray hair out of her eyes. Sometimes she really hated her hair, but it was manageable. And soft. And exactly how she had always wanted it when she was younger. So yeah, she actually did like her hair. Cora just then realized the time.

"Oh wow! Do you want to go home? I don't think those guys are out there anymore. But if you don't want to go home that's fine too! Plenty of room here." She then stopped talking because she knew she was bound to start babbling stupidly to ohm about things he definitely wouldn't care to hear about. So she just gave him a sheepish shrug and waited for his reply.

While she waited she turned to look out the window, hugging her knee obliviously. She became lost in her thoughts about a song she was writing. She wondered what chord she should put in next, and went over the lyrics in her head. Cora began to bob her head along with the rhythm she had going for the song, not realizing at all what she was doing and forgetting Ty was there. She took a breath and then looked back at him.

"Oh! Sorry, I got carried away there, didn't I?" She felt herself blushing. Today he had seen her at some very vulnerable points, and that was something she had never shown anyone else besides her family. She wondered why this was, but didn't ponder it to long.

Tyson hid a faint smile at Cora’s indignation, merely nodding and agreeing with her. She made him smile far too much… He was getting fed up with it, since he really was not the smiling sort, and he wasn’t looking forward to having stiff cheeks the next day.
There was silence for a while, and during this time Ty began to feel unpleasantly awkward and out of place, since he suddenly had nothing to do with himself.

Thus, it was with a bittersweet mixture of relief and disappointment that he heard Cora extend an invitation for him to leave. On one hand, he was keen to leave all this behind and return to his usual life so that he could return to his ‘mission’ – but on the other hand… He would miss this rare taste of civilization. And, though he would never admit it, he would miss Cora, too. Despite what he had originally thought, she had proved to be good company.

Well, none of that mattered now, since she had suggested that he leave. Even though she’d offered to let him stay, he knew that it would be rude to do so.
But before Tyson could take any action, his thoughts were disturbed by a soft, melodious humming sound. He glanced toward Cora to find her bobbing her head slightly, and when she caught him looking at her, she blushed and muttered a sheepish apology. Ty ignored her. He was busy going over the tune in his head.

He remained motionless a while, then picked up his notepad and jotted down a few words for Cora.

What are you sorry for? That sounded good. What was it?

He watched her curiously – and it was clear from his expression that she had his full attention, which was somewhat rare for him, especially when he was the one asking questions. Usually he just let others go about their business. He kept out of their way if they kept out of his… But now, he was honestly curious!

((I got a little confused… So I assumed she was humming. O.o … If she wasn’t, just block it as best you can… Or let me know, and I’ll edit. [This is what happens when Polo pulls an all nighter]))

Cora was slightly relieved when he didn't answer her question about leaving. She didn't really want him to go. She would miss him, despite the aggravation he had caused for her.

"Its um..it's a song that I've been writing. I can go get my guitar if you want to hear the rest. But if you don't want to, that's fine." She started blushing again, but quickly covered her cheeks with her hands. Cora didn't normally blush, or sing in front of other people. That just wasn't her, but she actually di want him to hear her song. She had no idea why she wanted to, but it seemed like he wouldn't be rude about it or make fun of her, as most boys did.

Cora finally removed her hands from her cheeks and looked at him with her chin resting on her knee and her arms wrapped against her leg. She was glad she hadn't started rambling about how she wanted to be a singer like Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood or how she had gotten her first guitar and how now she hardly ever leaves home without her guitar.


[She was humming sorry I didn't make it very clear! It was pretty late while I was typing that]
Maybe someday she would, if someday ever came. She wasn't sure if she'd ever see him again once he left, which bothered her deeply.

((Sorrry! Shortness!))

Upon hearing about Cora’s songwriting endeavors, Ty’s eyes widened slightly, and he watched her with a spark of interest. When she offered to show him the rest of it, Ty nodded almost eagerly. Though of course, he was far too dignified to show any excitement.

Seeing her look so awkward and nervous was a little amusing, he had to admit… It was just so out of character. To him, it seemed she always felt at ease. Perhaps he’d hit on a nerve here… Either way, he couldn’t help but feel a stab of sympathy when he saw how pitifully insecure she looked, hiding her flushed cheeks.
Unless he was just imagining it… But somehow he didn’t think so.

Either way, Tyson decided to make an attempt to lighten the mood. He ripped a page from his notebook, and scribbled a single word on it.

Relax.

Then he scrunched it into a ball, and lobbed it at her with a casual flick of his wrist. The little ball of paper flew through the air – meeting its mark and bouncing off Cora’s forehead before falling to the ground.
With a teasing smile just twitching the corners of his lips, Ty jabbed out his arm and pointed determinedly in the direction of the door – obviously ordering her to fetch the guitar ’this instant’!

Cora looked up at her forehead, then started laughing. She unraveled the paper and grinned at him.

"Fine, fine. I'll be right back." She stood and went to go get her guitar. She came back a few minutes later carrying the beige case. It had the fabric used for suitcases, so she unzipped and picked up the black Acoustic. She pulled the chair out a bit and sat down, holding her guitar.

"Okay um..it isn't amazing. But..well...just listen." She took a deep breath, strummed and E chord, and then began to play. She became lost in the song and totally forgot where she was. She grew more confident in herself, and it showed. Her voice became less quiet and more loud, but not in an aggrivating way. Her hands weren't shaking, but steady as they strummed and her fingers moved fluently up and down the neck of the guitar.

When she finished she took another breath and then gave him a small smile.

"Whatd you think?" She asked, still holding her guitar happily. She was excited to hear his feedback. It had been a while since Cora had sang in front of anyone without other people drowning out her voice.

[sorry I didn't put any lyrics up xD I haven't got any in mind right now...so umm...basically it sounds like a Taylor Swift song.]

((Coolness. ))

Tyson turned his head aside slightly as Cora got up to fetch her guitar, and chuckled politely into his hand, hiding the amused smirk on his lips.
He sighed softly once she’d left the room – rolling his shoulders to loosen muscles stiffened by the tension this unfamiliar situation he had somehow landed himself in. He was glad to feel more relaxed now, though some part of him was worrying even more because of it. If being on the streets had taught him one thing, it was never to let his guard down… But he was doing just that.
A shiver scuttled down his spine at the thought, and Tyson forced himself to think about something else: Namely, the greatly anticipated performance of Cora’s song.

He glanced up instantly as she entered the room, seeming almost excited to hear her play, yet of course in the calmest and most dignified way possible.
As Cora stammered a few nervous words, Tyson felt the corner of his mouth lift into a smile again – recognizing a faint feeling of fondness for these simple little traits of Cora’s which were fast becoming endearing to him.
Then she began to play, and all other thoughts melted from Ty’s mind. He simply listened, enthralled, as the beautiful melody fluttered from the strings, complimented by Cora’s beautiful voice.

When she was finished, Ty stood with a grin and clapped politely – tapping just two fingers against his palm, rather than the typical hand clapping, as though he was applauding a nobleman’s opera rather than his friend’s beautiful song.
Wait… Friend?
No way, this was getting way out of hand. He didn’t make friends. That had long since been decided… Friends were just one more opportunity to be hurt, betrayed or even killed. In his life it was every man for himself, and as far as friends went… He wouldn’t even trust his own shadow to walk beside him.
Ty stiffened slightly, instantly closing off and reverting back to his previous emotionless state as subtly as he could.

He clicked his pen quietly, then wrote down his thoughts on the music.

It was really good. You have talent.

A moment ago he might have had more to ‘say’. He might even have launched a second round of applause, or flashed her an encouraging grin, but instead he sat with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders held defensively high, staring aloofly out of the dark window.

"Thanks! It's not everyday I get to sing in front of people."

Cora smiled, but he had done it again. He had shifted moods. Despite his subtleness about it, he still had. She could tell. She didn't know why. So she decided to ask him.

"Are you okay?" She asked, truly concerned. Cora didn't want him to be upset. He had seemed honestly content, but then when she had finished he had gone back to that emotionless person she had first met. Cora wondered why. If he was at all like other people he would lie and say he was fine, but because he wasn't like other people Cora wasn't sure what he would say.

She was certain they would be great friends, because she had actually gotten him to loosen up. He was even smiling quite a bit, which made her smile. That was what friends did, wasn't it? Smiled and talked and laughed together. They had done that, so she assumed they were becoming friends. Maybe she assumed wrong, but who knew?

Cora tipped her head to one side as she looked at him, trying to read him. Yet her efforts proved to be in vain. She couldn't read him any better now than before.

”Are you okay?”
The words echoed through Ty’s head again and again as though chanted by a mocking bird. And indeed, it did seem that they were mocking him. It was as though Cora intentionally tried to make herself as caring and considerate as she possibly could, just when he was trying to distance himself. Of course it made things more difficult, but thankfully his irritation regarding this difficulty made it easier again, and cancelled any added difficulty out altogether, leaving Ty just as neutral as before.

Still… She had asked a question, and he had to answer it. He could lie and say ‘I’m fine’ – But even an idiot could see through that. It would be like throwing her concern back in her face after she’d put in the effort to show it.
He could tell her the truth – but his pride would hardly agree with that.
‘Oh yeah, I’m fine! Y’know – unless you count the fact that I almost just made one of the biggest mistakes of my life, and now I’m regretting not making it…’
Yes, that would make perfect sense, and it would not be the least bit embarrassing, would it now?

Ridiculous.

Well, that left him with one choice. Tell the truth, but a different one.
So Ty grabbed his pen and hesitantly jotted down a short message.

Yeah, I’m just worried about Lizzie. You were right, before. I should probably be going.

Without waiting for a response, Tyson got to his feet, readying himself to leave the house, and half-wishing she’d ask him to stay – despite his best efforts to convince himself that he wanted desperately to get far, far away from Cora.

"Oh, um, okay." Cora cast her eyes down slightly, feeling fairly disappointed. She stood as well, setting her guitar down and gently leaned it against the table.

"I uh..nevermind. C'mon." She didn't really bother to hide the disappointment in her voice, or in her face. She really didn't want him to go. She walked over to the door, and waved for him to follow her.

"Are you sure you need to go? I mean...well..." Cora gave a nervous giggle, not sure what she meant.

"If you really really have to go then.." She trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging in the air. She looked up at him, her eyes flickering over his face as if searching for something. She wasn't sure what she was looking for. Possibly nothing, possibly everything. Cora was just taking it all in, in case she never saw him again. His eyes, his skin. His braid...everything. She gave a little start when she realized what she was doing, and she looked away.

"So um...if you're super intent on going...I mean I know you need to be getting back to Lizzie. But well...oh wow I sound pretty stupid, don't I?" She laughed again, but it was half-hearted.

Tyson silently followed Cora to the door, seeming decidedly more subdued than usual. He let his shoulders slump forward, not walking with his usual pride, simply because he could not muster it. He was confused, and annoyed because of it. He could already feel himself getting attached to Cora. Hell, in a careless moment he had nearly begun considering her a friend! And because of that he had decided that he should leave. But now that it came down to it, he really didn’t want to…
And though Cora’s nervous babbling invited him to stay plenty a time, Ty couldn’t do it. How stupid would it appear to say ‘I’m leaving’ one moment, then ‘On second thought, I don’t have to’ the next?
Then he might as well walk around holding up a banner saying ‘Hi, I’m Ty and I’m a compulsive liar and attention seeker’.
No, he could not use any of the openings Cora had given him. He would simply have to leave… And perhaps it was for the best.
His red-brown eyes swept over the house as he scanned it one last time, and then he turned back to Cora – only to find that she was staring right at him, evidently searching for the truth in his expression.
She knew…
He’d had a feeling she might, all along. She understood him after all, just as he had predicted, and she knew he wasn’t telling the whole truth.

Still, none of that would matter in a couple of minutes… Likely as not, he’d never see Cora again.
Finally, Cora stopped speaking, finishing with a half-hearted laugh, to which Ty responded with a tight smile. He glanced down for a moment, stalling and fiddling with the pen in his hands, then he raised it to his page to write one final thing.

I suppose I’ll be off then, unless you specifically need me for something…

He leaned toward the door, doing his best to look as if he was impatient to get out on the streets and back to Lizzie, yet failing miserably, since his ‘performance’ so obviously lacked enthusiasm. Thankfully, Ty had never been the enthusiastic type.
Well… Maybe once, but those days were long gone.

"Um, no. I don't specifically need you for anything." Cora said, giving him a small smile.

I still don't want you to go, though. She thought to herself, still looking crestfallen.

She went over and opened the door, then stepped aside so that he could get out.

"Well, I guess I'll be seeing you." She said this only because there was the slim bit of hope that this would, infact, be true. She did want to see him again, even if he did act like he didn't care about anything. Cora hated to admit it, but she would miss him. She wasn't sure how much yet, but she figured it would be quite a bit.

Cora's hand tightened around the handle until her knuckles turned white. She bit her lip, as if she wanted to say something but wasn't sure what. So instead she waited, looking at him, sadness clouding her pale green eyes.

[ewwwwww it's so short and bad Dx sorry it stinks!]

Tyson bowed his head respectfully, accepting Cora’s words, then raised it again as he heard the click of the door opening.
”Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you.”
He turned his gaze to Cora at these words, his burning brown eyes searching her expression. It didn’t take a genius to tell she was sad about the parting. He was, too, but that was exactly why he had to go. The way he saw it, he had no other choice. He simply had to stick within the lines he had drawn for his lifestyle. It was survival of the fittest, after all… Friendship would make him soft, and then he’d be a goner.

With this thought firm in his mind, Tyson prepared himself to leave. He took one last look at Cora’s sad face, and forced his lips into a bright smile. Stretching out his hand, he ruffled her hair affectionately, then simply turned and walked out into the night, raising one hand in a backward wave of farewell.

((Time skipping, feel free to block, and I can edit out. ))

Over the next couple of days, Ty spread his time between trying to attract as little attention as possible, and searching desperately for Lizzie – but with little success. He knew that he would find her eventually…
So Ty kept searching, and searching, and searching…

It was only a few short days later when, unexpectedly, Ty turned up on Cora’s doorstep – his fingers fumbling for the knocker. Only something was wrong… Tyson’s expression was completely blank with shock, his eyes wide and staring – as though he’d seen a ghost. He barely blinked at all, but simply stared, and stared, and stared… Yet completely without seeing.
His usually neat hair had come free of its leather tie and hung down his back in scraggly, untidy tendrils – proving once and for all that Ty was most certainly not himself.
But most shocking of all was the fact that his clothes, from top to toe, were spattered with blood. Thick, wet, human blood – dripping sickeningly from his damp clothes onto the ground underfoot.

Cora gave him a sad smile when he rumpled her hair, almost like an older brother would do, or a good friend. She waited until he was out of sight before closing the door. When she did this, she heaved a great sigh and went into the kitchen and grabbed an apple. She took a bite, and another, and another, until it was all gone. She washed her hands and went over to her guitar.

As she tried to finish the song, she got a new inspiration and ran to get her notebook. She flipped it to a clean page and began writing. She strummed her guitar every now and then to keep the tune in her head.

We keep on flying higher
Higher and higher
until there's no sky left to tread

Cora sighed and closed her notebook, wondering what else she could add to that. She figured it would make a good chorus, but she still needed more...a lot more.

[skipping is fun! rah-rah-rah-woah...what happened to him? 0-0]

Cora had been sitting on her cough, watching TV. She heard a knock on her door and went to open it, but cautiously looked through the window. She saw a figure, but wasn't to sure who it was. She went and slowly opened the door, and was surprised to see Ty. However, when she looked him over his face was in shock, and there was blood. Everywhere. She gasped and ran to get a towel, leaving the door open.

She came back with two, one that she put underneath him and one that she wrapped around him.

"Come in, please." She said, truly worried. She gave him a gentle push through the threshold.

Ty stood in the doorway, staring blankly into the house and not even noticing when Cora began wrapping towels around him. Even when she pushed him, he didn’t notice at first – but then his balance faltered, and he stumbled through the threshold and into the house.
At first he just continued to stare blankly in front of him, but then his dry eyes began to burn, and Ty finally blinked – then frowned slightly and raised his head, gazing at the walls surrounding him.
His lips parted slightly, and he drew in a deep breath, then gulped and dropped his head again. Slowly, he turned to face Cora. He raised his head and watched her for a moment, then dropped his eyes to the ground again. Another deep breath lifted his shoulders, and Ty slowly retrieved his notebook from his pocket, clicking his pen with numb fingers, then struggling to string together a few untidy letters on the page – shock stiffening his fingers.
When he’d finally finished writing, the dark ink shone brightly on the white paper, declaring the truth of the statement better than any words ever could.

Lizzie’s dead.

He held the note for a moment, then his fist slowly began to clench, until it had been crumpled into nothing. He turned away from Cora again, then slowly stepped over to the window and stared blankly out of it. Presently, Tyson reached up in an attempt to fix his messy hair – which by now was bothering him greatly – but as he raised his left arm, he winced, and clapped his right hand over it, clutching the limb tightly to his side. He held it there until the pain had subsided, then dropped his bloodied fingers back to his side again.

[I think this calls for a storm outside...if you don't want one, then just feel free to ignore this. ]

A bit of thunder rumbled from outside, and rain began to patter on the roof.
Cora read over what he had written, only two words, but they carried a lot of meaning. She covered her mouth with her hands in a silent gasp, then turned to look at him.

"T-Ty, I'm so sorry." She stuttered slightly and her voice was soft. This was shocking, even though she hadn't known the girl to well, and even though she had stolen her wallet, it was very shocking to find out. Then Cora noticed him wincing when he moved his arm. She went over to him.

"What happened?" She asked, putting a hand lightly on his shoulder. Lightning flashed outside, followed quickly by another rumble of thunder. That wasn't good, it meant the lightning was close. But no matter, she wasn't to bothered by the storm. She was focused on Ty.

"You need something else to wear." She stated simply, looking over him again.

"And maybe a hospital, if your arm hurts that badly."

((No, no - I agree! Haha! By the way, I'm thinking of getting up early tomorrow for a spot of RPing... Reckon you can be on around 9PM - 11PM(ish), or is that too late...? O.o Haha! Methinks a 6 or 7AM start is in order.. I've been sleeping in lately. Bad Polo. ))

Lightning slashed the sky outside, and the thunder crashed against Ty’s eardrums with deafening volume – the sinister sound vibrating right through his veins. The thought of the violence of the storm brought a savage pleasure to Ty’s heart, and this strengthened him.
People were born, they lived, they died. That was simply the natural order of things… It was true that Lizzie’s death had been sudden and unexpected, but he had known it would happen some day… There was no point getting all emotional about it now.

Still… He could not shake the thought that, with Lizzie gone, he had no family left.
None at all…
Until he found his father.
A soft sigh escaped Tyson’s lips, and he tensed slightly as he suddenly felt Cora’s gentle touch on his shoulder – following her stuttered condolences. He would have liked to shove her away and tell her that he didn’t want her sympathy, but that would have been an outright lie. Right now, pride wasn’t as important to him as it usually was… And this fact was made blatantly obvious by how he had showed up at Cora’s house in such a state – covered in blood, only half his own, and with his hair loose against his neck.
This thought brought another flash of irritation – but as Cora’s next question distracted him, Ty forgot his annoyance – wondering instead how to answer her…
With a deep sigh, he raised his pen and studied it for a moment, then began to write.

Well, I was looking for her… Since I left here. She was with Stix. Don’t know why I expected anything else… But when I found them, and Stix saw me, he completely flipped out. I don’t even remember why he was so worked up – but I don’t think I’ve ever seen Stix that furious before.

Tyson stopped writing, his pen suspended over the page, and his eyes traveled once again to the window – watching the storm outside. He wished he could feel the pain of losing Lizzie… He wished he could feel the horror of all that had happened, but he just felt numb. Numb, and completely calm. He felt as though he didn’t care, even though he knew all too well that he did.
At least, he hoped so… Perhaps he’d become so accustomed to ‘not caring’ that he had forgotten how to care altogether. If that was the case, was he even human…?
To lose the only family he had and never shed a tear – could he still be considered a person?!
Disgusted with himself, Ty shook his head, then touched his pen back to the page and continued writing – stating the facts with callous bluntness.

One thing lead to another, and Stix pulled out a gun. It was my fault, I guess, since he was trying to hit me… But the closest he managed was grazing my arm. Lizzie, on the other hand… She got in the way – just like always – and wound up in the path of the bullet. Stix got scared then and ran off – bloody coward – and just like that, she was gone. She was dead before I could even think about getting help.

Tyson finished writing, then hung his head, his shoulders slumping in defeat. The pen slipped from his numb fingers and clattered to the floor, but he made no move to pick it up.
He felt nothing.
Nothing at all.
If he hadn’t known any better, he would have thought he was the one who had died…

[I think that would be great! I normally get on and stay on around that time, so it's great yippee!!!]

Another bit of thunder rolled in the distance, but the lightning was a bit to far off to see. She stared at him when she had finished reading the note, totlly silenced. She couldn't think of anything to say to that, so she sort of changed the subject.

"I'll...go grab some clothes for you. Stay here." Cora sighed and went upstairs and grabbed one of her uncles t-shirts and a pair of his sweats. They were probably the same size, if not there was a drawstring. She came back down.

"There's a bathroom down the hall and to the right. You can shower in there, if you'd like. Umm...here's some clothes. I'll wash those ones when you come back out." She handed him the clothes.

"I..I really am sorry. That's truly terrible..." She shook her head.
"We'll have to go to the hospital to get your arm checked...I'll go grab some gauze." She left him again, but only for a moment. She came back with gauze and a washcloth.

"I can clean it for you, just so you can have it wrapped and stuff. You might need stitches and I don't want it to get infected." Cora knew she was rambling, but she was nervous. He seemed almost...delicate.

[sorry it took me forever to reply! I'm cooking brownies and watching My Fair Wedding ]

Cora said something about getting clothes and told Ty to stay put – not that he was likely to do anything else, anyway. So he simply stood by the window, staring out at the lightning, and wondering if his father was out there somewhere, seeing the same storm, and perhaps even thinking about him… Or if he’d met with Lizzie at the pearly gates, and Tyson was the only one left behind.
They were gloomy thoughts, and Tyson was ashamed of them, but he could not motivate himself to dismiss them, so he let them play out in his head like a stuck record – until finally, Cora reappeared. He turned to face her, his expression dull and blank, and took the clothes from her with a grateful nod, turning to gaze in the direction she had indicated. He did not leave just yet though, because something told him Cora wasn’t quite done.
Sure enough, she resumed speaking a moment later – offering pointless, if kind, condolences and fussing about his arm.
He did not appreciate that. In fact, he relished the pain. Had it not been for that tiny little bullet graze, he might have wondered if he existed at all. To him, the pain was the only sign that he was still alive. It was an ally, and he would treat it thus.
So when Cora returned, rambling on about treating the wound, infection, and goodness knows what else – Tyson laid a hand on her shoulder to silence her, then shook his head simply and walked away – heading toward the bathroom she had indicated.

Some time later, Tyson emerged again – clean now, and calm. The new clothes felt cool and unfamiliar against his skin, but in a way, he was glad. For things to remain the same even without Lizzie… It seemed wrong. He needed a new start – a new life.
But definitely not a new hairstyle. Thankfully, he had managed to secure his braid again after much frustration and even a few near-misses where he nearly gave in to the temptation to begin cussing at the top of his lungs. Fortunately, his injured arm had eventually become numb enough that he could use it, and as such – his hair was fixed, much to his relief. That had been one of his top priorities after all, and somehow everything felt better now.
With a faint sigh, Ty stalked off in search of Cora, heading to the room where he had left her. He seemed fine now – the death of Lizzie behind him already. Tyson didn’t waste long in mourning… In his opinion, once something was gone – it was gone. No amount of sorrow would bring it back, so he would not bother moping for long. It was pathetic, after all.

Cora blinked in surprise as he left.
She grabbed the mixing bowl full of brownie batter that was sitting on the counter and started eating some.
She savoured it's sweetness, despite the bitter circumstances.
Then he came back, and she licked the rest of the better off her spoon and dropped it in the sink.

"Feel better?" She asked, washing her hands.
"I mean...like...physically. I'm sure that...well..nevermind." She blushed slightly.

"Umm...we should probably go to the hospital...because I'm pretty sure you'll need stitches..."
She walked over to him and looked at his arm.
She sucked in her breath as she looked at it.

"Yeah, that's pretty bad." She said softly, still looking at it.
She moved her eyes up to his face, and searched his expression.

"I'm happy to see you again." She murmured. Truly she was, despite the reason why he was here.
Well, actually she wasn't sure why he had picked to come back here.

”Feel better?” Tyson glanced up at Cora’s question, then listened patiently as she rambled on awkwardly for a moment. He smiled slightly too put her at ease, and assure her that it was okay, then he nodded simply.
When she began speaking about the hospital, however, Ty’s faint smile slipped from his face, and his expression darkened. He didn’t want to go to the hospital. Not only was it a pointless waste of time, but he would absolutely hate the attention, and the questions… Not to mention the fact that he wasn’t keen to give up what little money he had on hospital bills…
Ty was jerked out of his thoughts when he suddenly realized that Cora was beside him – studying his arm. He stared down at her, watching her fondly as she mumbled something about his arm looking bad. He didn’t care about that… It could have been a lot worse.
Then Cora looked up at him, and Ty felt a jolt like an electric shock run through him. Her eyes searched his face for a moment – his own eyes holding them – then Cora softly murmured, "I'm happy to see you again."
An overwhelming combination of gratitude and affection gripped Ty at that point, and before he even thought about what he was doing, he stepped forward and pulled Cora into a hug. His right arm encircled her, holding her close against him, and for a moment his chin rested on her shoulder as he bowed his head.
Then the closeness began to get to him, and he slowly released her and stepped away, feeling slightly awkward.
Tongue darting nervously over his lips, he grabbed his notepad and scribbled a single word:

Thanks.

[omg that made me squeal ^3^ eeeppp]

Cora wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but it seemed like he had hugged her. She wasn't sure, only that her mind had gone completely rigid with surprise, and a bit of pleasure. He gave nice hugs, even with just one arm. Then he pulled away, almost to soon for her. She looked at him with surprise, then read his note.

"Thanks"

That single word said a lot to her. She merely nodded, and smiled.

"You're welcome." Cora said quietly, then looked at the bowl of brownie batter.
"Want some? It's pretty good. Best part about making brownies is eating the batter, you know." She grinned at him, trying to lighten the mood a bit. She could tell he was uncomfortable about the hospitals, and she wasn't going to push it.

"I still think you'll need some gauze though...for your arm, I mean." She ran a finger through her hair, which was down because she had been far to lazy to braid it.

((Haha!! *Claps* ))


Tyson hovered uncertainly for a moment, then relaxed slightly as Cora offered him some brownie batter – glad for the distraction.
He peered suspiciously at the strange concoction, wondering if it could really be safe to eat. It certainly seemed like it would be messy, and he didn’t like mess much. Check that, he didn’t like mess at all. Not in the slightest!
Shaking off the thought, since he knew he was purely stalling anyway, Tyson simply shrugged at the offer – honestly neither knowing nor caring whether he really wanted to eat some of the batter. He didn’t particularly mind, in any case.

When Cora mentioned finding gauze for his arm, Ty glanced at the injury, then nodded in agreement – offering a grateful half-smile. He was honestly glad to be here with Cora. It was certainly better than being alone outside – feeling the loss of Lizzie more than ever. He wasn’t sure why he had thought to come here… He had just been unable to think of anywhere else. Cora was the only person he’d had any interest in seeing.
He supposed it made sense, really… He had no friends – but despite his efforts not to, he had let Cora into his life. She was his friend now, whether he liked it or not. And for once, he was completely and utterly surprised to find that he did not mind at all.

[oh yay friendship! makes the world go round *spins*]

Cora picked up a spoon and scooped some brownie batter into a small bowl. She then started eating some until she saw his nod. She set the spoon and bowl down, licked her lips, and ran to go get some. She soon came back with a roll of gauze.

"Okay, let me see your arm." Cora said as she walked over and started to wrap the white fabric-y stuff around his wound. She winced as she did so, even though it wasn't her arm.

"That really must have hurt." She stated, looking up at him as she wrapped the gauze around and around in a rythmic motion. She let out at a small sigh while doing so, not really for any reason. She finally finished wrapping it around, and she grabbed some scissors and cut it, then tucked the end bit into on of the folds so it would stay.

"So do you want some brownie batter, or what?" Cora asked with a small giggle.

((Indeed! –nodnod- My poor little character is becoming less socially retarded. Haha!))

Ty watched with vague interest as Cora bandaged his arm, her fingers working quickly and neatly. Honestly, he was a little surprised at how skilled she was. Before, she’d always seemed a little… Unfocused, to him. Something of a dreamer… Not that he minded… In fact, he was glad she wasn’t the stiff, uptight sort. He certainly was.
Hearing Cora’s question, Ty dismissed his thoughts and shrugged vaguely. It had been sore, he supposed, but he hadn’t minded much at the time, and he didn’t now. Pain was no stranger to him, for he had gotten into his fair share of fights on the streets…
All the same, it was troublesome.
He winced slightly as Cora pulled the bandage tight – clearly not quite as tough as he’d like people to believe.
He glanced up at her with a slightly shy, grateful smile tugging at his lips and, upon hearing her offer the brownie batter yet again, he chuckled softly and shook his head incredulously.

Seizing his pen, he scribbled a response.

Sure, what have I got to lose? Bring it on.

He shrugged, and flashed a quick grin.