Polo dear and Jaynehkinz

Roman nodded, "Mute?" He mouthed to Bella.
Bella bit her lip before shaking her head. Roman looked back down at Tyson again and nodded his head politely before walking back into the house.
Bella let out a small giggle as her face lit up with a bright smile when Roman gave up and went inside. She then stopped abruptly hoping that she hadn't upset Tyson by laughing like that.

Tyson chuckled as Roman vanished back into the house. He watched the boy's retreating back until he entered the house, then shook his head in amusement, and turned his gaze back to Bella.
It was strange... Roman had assumed that he was mute, and that he could understand, but the way he had mouthed the word to Bella as though Tyson would not understand was what he found most amusing. Even if he had been mute, that did not make him blind, nor stupid. He could still read exaggerated lip movements as well as the next guy.

Finally, Tyson was jerked out of his thoughts as he remembered Bella. He clicked his pen, deciding he was probably expected to comment in this situation, and jotted down his thoughts.

He seemed pretty uncomfortable. Guess I scared him off.

Bella's lips curved up into a small smirk. "Guess so, you're pretty scary." She teased and pulled herself up so she was sitting on the railing and looking over at Tyson. "Do you ever do anything other then... wander around, saving damsels like me?" She asked, all of a sudden in a good mood. She waited for him to write something down or answer her with a head shake or nod. Brushing her hair out of her face again as he kept falling in front of her eyes she grunted and pulled a hair elastic out of her pocket. Gathering her long blond ringlets she pulled them up into medium height ponytail on the back of her head and tucked her bang behind her ear. Now her sapphire eyes could clearly be seen.

Tyson chuckled softly - pleased to hear the teasing note return to Bella's voice. It made the tense atmosphere vanish, which meant he could relax a little as well.
He pondered over Bella's question for a while, then finally put pen to paper.

I seldom bother myself with other people's problems, actually. I'm too selfish to be a hero.

Blunt as ever, Tyson said it just like it was, then shrugged slightly before continuing.

Usually, I'm wandering around trying to get my hands on any money I can so I can fly to France and start searching for my father.

He glanced up at Bella, and her sapphire blue eyes suddenly leaped out at him. He stared for a moment, captivated, then blinked and glanced away - paying it no mind.

"Oh," Bella said softly, "Why me then?" She asked him, she knew by the tone of his voice he would have rather not helped her those times and she wondered why he did if he was too selfish. Bella waited for his reply, bright eyes fixed on Tyson as she swiped her bang out of her eyes again with a growl. She remembered she had a bobby pin in her pocket and pulled it out. She pinned her bang behind her ear and sighed. That was much better. Her blond hair looked even more golden in the summer and little freckles danced across her fairs skin. Her long golden eye lashes were also lighter because of the summer sun.

Tyson shrugged, staring vaguely into the distance. He didn't know why he had chosen to help Bella... Perhaps simply because he wasn't the sort of scumbag who could watch somebody die in front of him without doing something about it...
Not that he hadn't done that before.
Maybe he was just going soft.
He glanced thoughtfully toward Bella than, and soon found himself staring at her again. She was quite pretty... Not that he cared, of course.
Tyson glanced away, taking to staring into the distance once more. He tended to do this often... As though staring could bring the horizon closer.

Bella noticed how he stared at her for a moment but didn't mention it, simply thinking he was just blanking out and she was in the way. She wished he had had a reason to why he had helped her but didn't care either way... why would she care about him?
She looked back up at him with curious sapphire eyes that seemed one's soul could be lost in them. "Roman and I could pay for your trip to France, you know to pay you back for helping me if you need it..." She said softly, for some reason wishing Tyson wouldn't go all the way to France but knowing he needed to if he ever wanted to find his father. She sat there with a sigh and waited for his reply, head tilted slightly she watched him.

((They're stubborn little brats aren't they? ))

((Very!! XD Haha! In Tyson's defense, he's also clueless. He gets that from me!! *Waves hand around excitedly*))

Tyson glanced at Bella in surprise, searching her face for some indication that she was joking - but he could find none.
She was honestly offering to pay for his trip to France...?
Tyson stared blankly at her, eyes wide with surprise, until he finally reminded himself that he was obliged to answer her.
He thought a moment, then hesitantly lowered his pen toward a blank page in his notepad.

Thank you... Really, that's an incredibly generous offer.

He paused a moment, pen hovering over the page, then went on writing.

But I can't accept. Kind as your offer is, I was raised never to accept charity. No good will come of searching for my father if I couldn't even look him in the eye in the unlikely event that I did find him.

"So you're just going to steal until you get enough?" Bella asked him, voice somewhat hurt sounding. She almost said, I'm not stupid Tyson. But refrained. "It's not charity, it's payment." She told him voice firm but for some reason it was shaking slightly. She knew the chances of her ever seeing him again if he went off to France were slim but why would she care. Bella clutched the railing and let out a soft sigh before looking down at her feet which were swinging back and forth in a childish manner.

Tyson frowned at Bella's sudden change in tone, and the harsh words she chose.
Steal? Who had said anything about stealing...?
He shook his head brushing the thoughts aside. She was right, anyway. He had stolen on occasion... He had to.
Tyson considered Bella's offer again, and finally, reached hesitantly for his notepad.

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.

He glanced apologetically at her, then rolled his shoulders and continued, flipping to a new page.

If it pleases you, could I perhaps... Borrow some money? I don't need much, since I've already saved most of what I need... Once I make it to France, I should be able to pay you back right away. I hope so...

"No," Bella said sliding down off the railing and walking over to Tyson. "I'm sorry." She said softly, her blue eyes soft again. "I shouldn't have said that, it wasn't needed." She sighed and bit her lip before saying, "Yes, o-of course you could borrow some money." She nodded with a smile, a forced smile but hoped it didn't look forced. "You don't have to pay us back right away." She didn't even care if he ever payed them back. She just stood there looking at him with her intense blue eyes. It was getting late and she knew he'd probably want to leave soon.

Tyson sensed that something was a little off with Bella. A moment before she had seemed happy, but now it seemed to him that her smile was forced... He frowned slightly, but as she finished speaking, his frown vanished. Tyson's expression seemed to relax - his lips curving into an easy smile, and his deep brown eyes softening slightly. He clapped Bella on the shoulder, and with a crooked grin, silently mouthed a single word.
'Thanks'.

Bella nodded and scurried into the house before coming back out with her checkbook. "How much?" She asked sitting down at the patio table on the porch. She glanced across the street and over the open field at the sky which was turning a light pinkish orange color. She sighed softly and just stared for several moments. She turned and smiled, a small smile at Tyson. "Whatever amount you need, you can have it." She told him softly.

Tyson eyed the checkbook in faint disbelief. He couldn't quite comprehend what was happening... It was all moving too fast. One minute his goal had seemed like a fleeting dream, but now...? Now it actually seemed like a possibility.
Tyson thought for a moment, trying to work out how much he needed.
Then, finally, he picked up his pen. Gnawing nervously on his lip, he wrote down the amount.

$350.

He could cover the rest... But either way, it was still a lot to ask of a stranger.
It didn't feel right...
He couldn't help but think that karma would be back to bite him in the ass for this.

Bella nodded and then asked, "Do you even have a bank account?" When she saw the look on his face she grabbed her check book and when into the house for a minute before coming back out with wad of cash. "Here." She said handing it to him with an envelope and a rubber band. "Don't spend it all in one place." She forced a smirk and at least tried to lighten the moment that for some reason seemed to dark to her. Why was she sad he was leaving? She had no reason to be. He would be out her life... gone... she didn't like to think about that... gone was a bad word in her dictionary.

Tyson watched as Bella dashed back into the house, then returned with the money he'd asked to borrow in cash.
He took it from her with an expression of awe, turning the wad of notes over in his hand for a moment. Then he inclined his head gratefully. He stood thus for a moment, head bowed, then finally straightened - looking at Bella with a warm smile. He wished he could properly express his gratitude for what she had done for him... At least thank her out loud... But that was out of the question. He just couldn't do it.
So Tyson flipped open his notepad instead, and wrote the only two words that came to mind.

Thank you.

He tucked the money into his wallet, then slid it back into his pocket. Drawing in a deep breath, Tyson released it with a sigh, then glanced back at Bella for a moment, before starting to write again.

Really... Thank you so much. I can get on with my life now... I'll depart for France as soon as I can - most likely first thing tomorrow. And once I've found out all I can, and hopefully got my hands on a bit of money, I'll pay you back.

Tyson's hand hovered over the page a moment, as though considering writing something more, but then he decided against it.
There was no need to say 'I'll write', or 'I'll come back to visit' to a person who barely knew him, and certainly wouldn't care if she never saw him again. Yet for some reason, the thought of never seeing Bella again bothered him. It shouldn't have - but it did.
This was what he got for accepting charity...

((This idiot doesn't have a clue. o_0 ))

Bella nodded and didn't really know what to say, "It was the least I could do." She said softly, very softly. She looked up at him, her eyes somewhat dull after looking at the last thing he had written. Her heart wrenched, she would probably never see him again and she didn't even know why that mattered to her. But it did. She wanted to see him again. She brushed the thought away. She wasn't falling for someone again, especially not someone who didn't even talk.
She sighed when Tyson walked down the stairs and her eyes filled with tears and she was glad he was facing the opposite direction. Then her little voice broke the silence when it said, "Don't forget me." It was more like a plead, she didn't know where it came from. Her head was screaming, just let him go, while her heart was telling her to grab his hand and not let him walk any further but she just stood there and waited for his response to her words. She wouldn't blame him if he didn't even say anything, or didn't even hear her for that matter.

"Don't forget me." The soft words were spoken in a small voice, and had the evening been any louder, Tyson might have missed them.But as it were, he stopped. He stood for a moment, shoulders tense, then slowly turned his head to stare back at Bella. He met her eyes, and the next thing he knew, his legs were moving of their own accord.
He turned, and dashed back to Bella. As he reached her, he opened his arms, and pulled her straight into a warm embrace. His arms wrapped around her, and he held her close - just for a moment.
Then he pulled back, and his fingers slipped a tiny, crumpled piece of paper into her hand.

He turned away without another glance, and walked back down the stairs - willing himself not to look back.

On that little piece of paper, a few simple words were written: An answer to Bella's final comment, or perhaps a reassurance... Either way, they were the truth.

I'll never forget you. I promise.

Bella held the paper and closed her eyes not willing to watch him walk away. "I'll never forget you either." She whispered, somehow hoping it would carry to his ears. She couldn't keep the tears from water falling down her fair skin as she stood there. When she looked back up, he was gone. "Gone." She hissed the word and swiped at her tears. Brushing her bang from her face which had fallen out of the bobby pin she sat down on the steps and leaned her head against the railing. Now she knew she would miss him and she didn't deny it.

((Want to fast forward some Polo dear? I had to fast forward last time your turn now. ))

((Sure ))

The next day, Tyson never made it to the airport. Why? Well, as he would put it, 'something came up'. Or in the words of Stix, 'something went down'. Though both meant the same thing, the feeling behind each was different.

Stix had lost a girlfriend, and though he already missed her bitterly, he felt no regret. She had cheated on him, and he stood by his decision that she deserved to die. It was just as well, too, since he could never take back the bullet that had killed her.
Yet still, he cried for her. He mourned for her.
The love that he had lost, and the life that he had stolen.

Tyson, on the other hand, had lost a sister. Yet he did not shed a single tear, he did not miss her, and he felt no regret. In fact, he felt nothing. Nothing at all.
Lizzie was gone, and Tyson did not care at all. This disturbed him more than anything else...

Perhaps it was due to this confusion that his feet lead him to Bella's house, or perhaps it was for a different reason entirely. Either way, that was where he stood - staring up at the familiar building, and thinking. Wondering how it was that he could lose the only family he had left in the world, without feeling so much as a hint of guilt.

Bella looked out her bedroom window and looked out through the rain. Her breath caught as she stared down at someone down by the porch they were down there, not even up the stairs. Just standing there. She looked closer then ran downstairs her blonde hair flowing behind her. She swung the front door open and her eyes fixed on the 'stranger'. She watched the guy who was standing there looking up at their house. "Excuse me who-" She stopped when Tyson turned his head and she saw his face. "Tyson." She gasped under her breath.

((How long did you fast forward? Just a day? Or was it more then that?))

((Just a day. Sorry, I didn't make it very clear... But I didn't feel like typing up the whole story. XD Haha!))

Tyson glanced up at the sky as rain began to fall. It splashed off his face, and he enjoyed the feeling of the moisture running down his cheeks.
Hearing approaching footsteps, he turned, and saw Bella approaching. He accepted this - finding himself neither pleased nor displeased by her arrival; merely accepting. Neutral. It was as though he couldn't feel anything any more...
He managed a faint smile, and made his way toward her - his footsteps sounding loud and lonely in the empty street.

Bella stepped down off the last step and onto the walkway. Letting the rain soak her. "Why aren't you gone?" She asked him, practically yelling over the sound of the rain. Her blonde ringlets were already clinging to her neck as she stood there, sapphire eyes glued to him.

Tyson walked up to Bella, then stopped - reaching into his pocket to withdraw his notepad and pen. With an expressionless face, he wrote a simple answer to her question:

I have to stay for the funeral.

Rain fell onto the page, and the droplets of water smudged the ink - making it seem that even the note was crying... Yet Tyson's eyes remained dry. He didn't feel... Anything.

Bella looked at him in confusion. Lizzie. She bit her lip and looked at the ground, she knew he hated pity but she felt an urge to hug him. "T-Tyson?" She asked softly, "Can I hug you?" Her eyes were dulled, not for her pain, but for his. She didn't know why she was feeling pain for him, but she was.