Participants:
| Scene Title | Shot Down |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | When Ash just doesn't get it, he's told to just forget it. |
| Date | August 21, 2010 |
Lucille's Apartment
Ash is careful as he moves through the apartment building, but then, he was careful last time. He creeps along, moving stealthily despite his size, remaining undetected as he makes his way up to Lucille's apartment. He's not seen either of the sisters in awhile, and curiosity as to their well being has been nagging at him as of late. A firm knock is heard upon the door, the man standing in the hall. He's dressed differently from when Delia last saw him. it being summer now he's in a simple t-shirt and jeans.
Delia had been relaxing in front of the television, dozing off after a hard day's work. Dressed in a pair of oversized flannel pj bottoms and a light t-shirt, she groans and rolls off the couch, onto the floor. Her bare feet make little patter sounds across the linoleum of the kitchen and then scuff along the carpet to the door. She's not expecting anyone this late, especially since it's after curfew.
Taking a look through the peephole, she catches her breath and slowly opens the door. There's a face she hasn't seen in a very long time. Not since the end of that very long winter. She opens the door, gracing Ash with a tentative half smile and then widens it. "Hey…" her voice is a little quiet and shy, as she hides behind the door to keep him from seeing her pajama bottoms. "D-do you want to come in?"
Ash closes his eyes, tilting his head down, and rolls it around a little bit, a few pops sounding from his spine as he waits for someone to answer the door. Shoulders roll a little bit, the man lifting his hands up and lacing his fingers together, then settling his hands against the back of his neck. Eyes lift up when the door is opened, a soft smile on the scarred man's lips. "Hey Delia…" He uhhs softly at the question tossed to him. "I don't have to I suppose. stopped by to make sure your sister and yourself are doing okay. Haven't seen either of you in a rather long while."
Ash shifts from one foot to the other, weight moving about before he settles back down and just peers at the woman with just her head showing.
Delia opens the door a little wider still, coming out from behind it and into full view. Yes, those flannel bottoms are rather embarrassing, powder blue with fat fluffy sheep all over them. Widening her smile, she reaches out and pulls Ash inside. "It's after curfew, you shouldn't be out this late. What if you got caught?" There's a nervous edge to her voice and before closing the door behind them, she peeks out into the hallway to make sure none of Lucille's neighbors spotted the large man going in.
When the door is finally closed, she leans with her back against it, her hands folded behind her. Her eyes drift to his shoes, then her own bare feet, then they travel up to his face. It's there that she smiles again, this time a warmer one though the glow of embarrassment still tints her cheeks and nose a light pink.
Ash blinks a bit as his arm is tugged on. He allows himself to be pulled into the apartment, using a foot to help her close the door behind him. He pauses then, crossing his arms across his chest, his smirk tugging the corner of his mouth up, the scars on his left cheek twisting slightly. "I really am not worried about the police and their silly curfew." He laughs, a light rumble before his eyes travel around the apartment, then back around to her, drifting downwards to the pants, and no, he can't keep the amusement off of his face, eyes lighting up with it, crinkling at the corners as he forces himself not to laugh. "How yah been Delia?"
"Good, I've…" Her voice cracks, she's lying. Averting her eyes, Delia's smile falters and in a bid to seem a little stronger, she pastes a wider, much faker one on. "I've been pretty crappy, actually." Her arms come out from behind her back and fold over her chest as she hugs herself tightly. "And you?" Her voice has melted to nothing but a hoarse whisper, but she keeps trying to mask her nervousness with a tight smile. Slowly, it fades to nothing.
Ash arches a brow, the man's head tilted to the side slightly. There's a disbelieving look on his features when she starts to tell him that she's been good. When she relents and tells him she's been crappy he nods his head, only for his lips to pull into a frown as she hugs herself. He pauses a moment, looking uncertain,t hen he steps towards her and wraps her up in his big embrace, the man a bit tense as this is not the normal kind of thing he does, but… he wraps her up in a snug little hug, holding it for a few seconds before he moves to release her. "I've been… about as well as I have in a long while, not much change really." Though, there are some fresh looking scars on his arms, a few that don't look entirely healed over.
When she's wrapped up in that hug, Delia's arms unfold and wind out around Ash's waist. She takes full advantage of the small comfort, actually curling into his frame for the duration. She's always thought of herself as fairly tall, standing at 5'10" barefoot, but he dwarfs her in comparison. When he starts to pull away, she holds on for a second or two longer before letting him slide out of her arms. Looking up, she gives him a small smile and then bites her lower lip. "Sorry… Felt good," she explains. The blush creeps back over her cheeks and nose again but fades slowly as Ash speaks again.
Her eyes drift down to the new wounds on his arm and she reaches out, cupping the undersides where he's not cut up. Her blue eyes rise to meet his and the small twitch of her eyebrows suggests she might want to hear more. "Want me to clean these up?"
Ash pauses when she holds on to the hug, his arms sliding back around the smaller woman, trying to comfort her, though he's not good at it, and from the lack of soothing words or comments, he's also not used to it. "It's okay…" he offers in a soft tone. He sees the blush, and that only serves to confuse him further, the apology having started to do so. Ash's eyes glance down at the question and he smiles. "They're mostly healed up now. They were treated and cleaned, just letting them be now, though they itch like…" He trails off, then shrugs his shoulders. "Well they itch."
Ash leans back a touch, his eyes going to her hands on his arms, then back up to her face. "You need to talk about it Del? I've got all night if you need it… could hang out on the sofa again and I'll listen. I'm not very good with conversation and comforting, but I can try."
Delia's hands slide down Ash's arms until her fingers graze his and pause for a moment before finally falling away. "Yeah, they tend to do that." His explanation about the new scars is accepted as just that, nothing more. Once again, she catches her bottom lip between her teeth and chews on it lightly. She seems lost in thought as she stares up at him and finally her eyes drift down between them.
"I'd really like that," she begins softly. Her lips twitch into something of a half smile but she still doesn't quite look up into his face, she stops just shy at his collar. Taking a deep breath, she begins to move toward the living room, brushing past him and catching his hand as she goes by. She leads him toward the couch and waits for him to take his seat before moving to take hers. "Are you still fighting?"
Ash hesitates a few moments as the girl's hands brush against his arms, and down to his before contact is lost. His eyes linger on her hands for another few seconds,t hen break away and lift back up to her face, a light smile on his lips. He listens as she speaks, his eyes looking concerned. He lets his hand be taken and he follows her over to the couch, settling down onto it, then watching as Delia settles in nearby. He stretches some, strong body extended out, feet curling and arms reaching above hsi head before he relaxes and slumps into the couch. "So, tell me about what's made you have such a crappy time lately."
Ash glances back down to his scars, then back up with a light smile on his lips again. "Yeah, I'm still fighting… in more ways than one…" Were she a soldier or anything like that she'd recognize shrapnel wounds, but she's not and likely doesn't.
Delia takes the opposite corner of the couch, curling into a small lump and hugging her knees close to her chest. Unlike Ash, she doesn't stretch out, preferring to keep huddled in on herself. "It's hard to explain," her voice is so soft that she doesn't even hear herself over the din of the television across the room. Instead of raising her voice or repeating herself, she reaches over for the remote and mutes the volume.
The remote is tosses onto the floor with a small whump and then she curls her arm around her knees again. "It's really hard to explain," she begins again. "I mean… I…" She lets out a long sigh and furrows her eyebrows in frustration. "I'm getting better, learning to cope. It's just been —well you know. Just getting used to stuff. It's hard when you feel all alone."
Ash watches the controller fly before he turns his head and eyes upon Delia. He pauses then, a frown on his lips before he shakes his head. "Come over here. I already gave you a hug, there's no reason to sit so far away. I won't bite…" he leaves off the obligatory flirt that usually follows, deeming it inappropriate at the moment. He pauses for a long few moments as she speaks, the man looking fairly confused by everything that comes out, well, all the pieces of everything. "I really have no idea just what it is you're talking about Del… why don't you start from… well, the start? What are you learning to cope with?"
Ash looks well and truly confused, eyebrows furrowed together, forehead creased slightly with the emotion.
Taking the invitation, Delia untangles herself and scootches across the couch. It takes a little bit of maneuvering, but soon she's resting comfortably up against Ash with her legs stretches out alongside his. Whether or not he's comfortable with one of her arms wrapped around his waist and her head laying on his chest is another matter entirely. "Ash, what do you think about evolved people? I mean, do you think they're freaks? Or just… people?" The question is completely off the topic, at least as far as he's concerned. For her the question is very much relevant.
The young woman tilts her head up to look at him, her blue eyes half exposed through her eyelashes making her look quite lazy. Again, she's chewing on her lip nervously, the slow rhythm of her top teeth scraping along the skin displaying her nervousness.
Ash looks down, his eyes on her, widening in surprise as the girl slides in close to him, pressing to his side. The man's muscular form tense, but slowly relaxing as he adjusts to her presence there, the arm around his waist and everything. An arm hesitantly lowers to settle about her shoulders, gingerly though, careful of the weight of his arm. "Uhhh…." he stammers a bit, taken off track by the question. "I don't think there's anything different about Evolved from normal people in the grand scheme of things. Yes, they have powers, but it makes no difference. A man that's willing to inflict violence on people is willing to do so whether he has a gun, a knife, or an evolved power." he sighs softly, and then shrugs his shoulders a little bit. "But then, people hate them for being what they are, hunt them like animals when they've committed no crimes. Half of the evolved we consider criminals are probably the way they are because of the way they've been treated." He gives her shoulder a light squeeze, pulling her closer for that second, then releasing the pressure.
"I've only told my dad the whole story." The hushed whisper of Delia's voice sounds just a little coarse, as though she has no choice but to speak so softly for fear of breaking down. She's still looking up at him, studying the angle of his jawline and chin. Eventually her eyes find their way to his and she smiles a little bit, nothing big, just an indication that she knows she's been caught looking.
"After the big storms, we had so many patients at the hospital. I was taking too many shifts so we could keep up." Her head is tilted down again and she closes her eyes. "There was this old man there, dying of lung cancer. When he was brought in, he tested positive for evolved, but we didn't know what he did. He could have been dangerous, not many people were willing to sit with him but I did… I don't know why, he just seemed so lonely."
Ash sits, and he listens, though he does offer a slightly smarmy sort of smile when he catches her looking at him like that, not something he's used to from women in general, not that he really has much of a social life to be looked at. A slight breath is pulled in, then released, his head nodding forwards a little to encourage her to go on as she speaks. "This seems hard for you." He whispers when she's finished. "Hard to tell the story, to get it out…" He tilts his head to the side a touch. "Would it help you get the story out and feel comfortable if I told you that I'm Evolved?" He hasn't guessed where the story might be going, but it obviously has to do with the Evolved, and he's taking a chance here telling her this.
Delia's eyes widen considerably at Ash's news and she parts her lips as though she's about to say something. All that happens is that a little gasp of air is taken in and held as she catches her breath. He might be able to feel her heartbeat quicken against his side when the news has been delivered. Her expression isn't happy, sad, or even angry, maybe disbelieving. Finally, one word is breathed out softly, "Really?" That's it, nothing else.
Her eyes drift over his face until finally her arm tightens a little around his waist in a firm hug. "He saved my life," she continues. "We were talking about his daughter and how she was dying of lung cancer. I— Dad said he was a healer. He saved my life, I didn't know… He died from a brain tumor before I woke up. He didn't have the tumor until we talked. He took it out of me." She pauses then and clenches her jaw a little before her voice cracks once again, "He never came out of the coma, Ash, not once in his entire stay."
Ash looks rather worried for several moments while she doesn't really react to what he's said, the man worried he's going to have to bolt, a slight tension building in his muscles, firming against her side, only for that tension to bleed out at the hug and the continued story. He listens again, his eyes on her as she speaks about what the old man did for her. He frowns when the story goes to the man dying, having taken the brain tumor from Delia, Ash's eyes sad as they gaze down at her. "But… according to propaganda, we're all demons that deserve to be imprisoned and locked away so we can't threaten the general populace." There's a lot of bitterness in his voice, with a hint of fire and anger, but not much. "So, he saved your life…" he whispers to her, gently pulling her a little closer to him to provide what comfort he's capable of.
"Yeah…" Delia's voice is nothing but a small squeak then and she nestles into his frame, closing her eyes when he hugs her a little closer. Clearing her throat, she buries her head into his chest until the only thing visible from his angle is the mop of thick red hair. "He saved my life and he never woke up in almost a month… but I talked to him." She shivers a little and swallows audibly. After another moment's pause she tilts her head to look back up at him and inches up to rest her cheek on his shoulder. The arm around his waist loosens a little bit until her hand is resting on his stomach. When she whispers this time, it's almost so quiet that not a sound can be heard coming from her lips. "My dad calls it dream walking. He said I'm a dream walker."
Ash looks somewhat uncomfortable yet again when the little woman, or well, little compared to him, snuggles in closer against him. Not that he minds the contact, but this man is… well… a terrorist, a killer, but he's also capable of human warmth, and compassion, it's just been buried for quite awhile beneath missions, coldness, justice. He inhales slowly, his other hand lifting up to gently pet her hair, thick strong fingers rubbing against her head as his hand rolls on down her hair. "You talked to him?" he asks, his tone soft, until that hand comes to rest on his stomach, that brings a slight squirm from the man before he settles back down and lets out a long breath. "Your father would know." he admits very softly. "I've heard of others like you. Sounds like a pleasant power…" he smiles a bit and continues to pet her hair gently. "They call my power peak human condition. Complicated words for saying I'm perfect. I'm as strong as a human is capable of being, as fast, as tough, as agile, coordinated, all of it. I can't do anything to superhuman levels. But because I'm stronger, faster, tougher, than almost everyone in teh world, they consider me one of the dangerous ones." The fact that they're right? Entirely besides the point.
Delia's lips pull into a warm smile that actually reaches her eyes, causing little crinkles to form around the edges. "Perfect, huh?" She teases in a soft whisper that's just a little stronger than her admission. Her blinks grow slower and slower as his hand moves down her hair. Her smile fades until it's finally gone with a wisp of a sigh. "I— There's a woman that used to own the bookstore that I work at, she did the same thing as me. Now she's sort of dead, but not… She lives in dreams." Her hand moves across and wraps around Ash's side again as she looks up into his face. Her lips twitch at the corners and she tries to smile again but the moment just doesn't seem right. "So, with yours… You're telling me that I should never try to arm wrestle you or race you anywhere?"
Ash sees the smile fading, and it's clear by his expression that he has no idea why, and is wondering why. Then she tells him about her friend who is dead but not dead. "There's others that have done things like that too. Rebel for one." Most people know about Rebel from the webcasts he's done in the past. "And I've heard of others surviving death. I actually have a friend who does as well, though she does it by jumping from body to body. She never stays in someone very long, but… it's how she stays alive." His shoulders roll slightly, only for him to hug her close to him once again. "It would be inadvisable. Unless you've got super strength or are a speedster you won't be able to beat me." He winks at her, an amused smile pulling across his lips. "But yes, perfect, and yes, I've had fun poked at me before for making the claim, but then people see me in action and well…" He shrugs his shoulders a little bit. Then his eyes narrow, and a worried look comes over his features. "Uhh.. Del… you.. can't tell your father about me. Especially now that you know I'm Evolved… has Lu told him about me?" He asks, sounding worried now, though not scared.
A small laugh is sounded out when Ash gives her a little wink and Delia squints a little at him. As he continues, the smile wanes and finally falls off her face. Her eyebrows furrow a little and tighten into a frown. "I don't know if she did or not." Her muscles tense a little as her hold on him tightens. "Ash.." she begins slowly. "… Ash, I wouldn't even admit what I am to my dad. I know what he does for a living and it scares me to death. He said he only goes after the bad ones, but— " She stops when her voice cracks and she begins chewing on her lips again. "When all those visions happened, I had one. I was on a boat and I was terrified. I was running away or being shipped somewhere, I don't know exactly which one. I didn't even want to tell my dad about me, I wouldn't tell him about anyone else."
Ash nods his head, very slowly when he's told that Delia's been told what her father does for a living. "That may be what he claims, but… it's not the truth Delia." He pauses for a long few moments before he lets out a long sigh and leans his head back. "When my power manifested I was in the middle of one of the underground fights. It was an accident, but I killed my opponent. I didn't know how strong I was and I hit him in the head, brain hemorrhage… he died, and I was sentenced to 10 years in prison for manslaughter." He looks down at her then, his eyebrows furrowing. "I'd been in for … just shy of a year when I was taken from the prison. They hit me with a negation drug, injected, and hauled me to a facility… well, somewhere, still not sure where it was. A prison called MOAB. Built by the government, and The Company. The group your father works for. There were dozens of us, hundreds maybe. Most of us had done nothing with our powers to be imprisoned there. I knew people that had done nothing, but their power was considered dangerous, so they were taken, drugged and sent there to live out their lives as prisoners for being different. I was sent there for the same reason. I killed a man, but it was an accident resulting from my power manifesting… but… I was to spend the rest of my life there. Something.. happened, and in the night there was some kind of time space thing, never did find out exactly what, and a bunch of us were freed, scattered around the country…" he sighs softly, and his eyes go downwards, then lift back up to her face, the man's features twisted in grief, anger, and bitterness.
"But Huruma said…" Delia draws a quick breath in, protesting and at the same time, gripping Ash even tighter. "She said he would only hunt me if I did the wrong thing with my ability. He doesn't hunt her— He did, but he doesn't anymore. Wouldn't he try to put her away if all he did was hunt evolved people?" Her voice is cracking intermittently when she speaks, like a teenager working the drive-thru. Her eyebrows are furrowed, not in anger but confusion. "What about the people that helped get me out of— When they took Lu and me during the storm. They were with Huruma and my dad… A really strong man, and that other guy… He helped me take a bullet out of Huruma in the hotel. Why wouldn't he just let her die? Why would she help him?"
Ash gives his shoulders a very slow shrug. "Maybe because he sees in shades of gray now and not black and white? Before we became public knowledge they worked in secret. For decades. I worked with the man that started them, and who was betrayed by them. They hunted all evolved before. They didn't imprison very many. They would tag all of us though, keep tabs on us, watch us all our lives. The ones that proved to be dangerous were taken and put away. No trial. No jury, just imprisoned. They betrayed the man that helped them form the Company, and locked him away. He's an immortal. Can't die. They locked him away for 30 years. But once we became public knowledge? They've hunted us, helped the government hunt us. They helped the government build MOAB to contain us. Helped them construct a facility to falsely imprison people for being different." He shakes his head slowly. "They work in teams, or they used to. One evolved, one normal person, that way they could handle the evolved. I'm sorry, but any group that operates in secrecy and keeps secrets like the existence of the evolved from the general public is not a good thing. If they had told the world… maybe the Bomb could have been avoided. I wouldn't have gone to prison because my power manifested… the world could be an entirely different place. But instead, the world had to come to learn about us in the way it did…" he sighs sadly and his head is given a shake. "Sorry… I'm not meaning to… preach or anything. It just frustrates me so much…" He looks down at her, his eyes concerned. "I hope you're not angry at me."
Her eyebrows are still furrowed as Ash speaks on and on, telling her what he knows about her father's work and what he does. Slowly, her eyes fall and she stares across the room at nothing while she huddles tightly against him again. "No— " she starts, her voice cracking it to a stop. She sniffles and buries her face in his chest, finally closing her eyes. "Ash, I don't want to register. I don't want to register but I don't know what I'm going to do if I don't… They'll card me and I won't have one and then they'll force me to test and they'll all find out. I don't want to do it…"
Ash nods his head very slowly, a soft sigh escaping the big man as his arm remains snug about her body, keeping her close and warm. "Shhh… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you Del. I don't know that your father is a bad man or participates in the bad things that the Company has done. But I know that the Company is not a group of good guys. Maybe they once had good intentions, but black deeds have changed things since then." He leans his head in and lightly bumps his forehead against her own, unless she pulls away. "I'm fighting against stuff like that Del. I can understand teh need for registration, but it shouldn't be public knowledge, you shouldn't have to carry a card around. It's no different from registering to carry a weapon. It's not public knowledge who is licensed and who isn't." He sighs again, his eyes going up towards the ceiling. "Your father won't force you to register. He has to have known you might have manifested. Adam told me that they have tests to tell if someone carries the gene, whatever that means. So he had to have known you might one day have had a power. Not definite, but might. He won't turn you in, if anything he'll protect you. If Huruma likes him, then he's worth liking, she doesn't like very many people. She's a comrade in arms, has been for awhile, and she doesn't like me…" he chuckles lightly, his lips curving into a smile. "I'm sorry that I took the conversation to such a bad area… I didn't mean to. Why don't you tell me more about your power? It sounds like a wonderful power, something that could be beautiful and used for wonderful things."
She doesn't pull away, in fact she even smiles as the tip of her nose touches against his until he pulls away. Laying her head against Ash's shoulder, Delia closes her eyes and he can probably feel her shrugging. "I don't know that much about it," she whispers softly, "It only happens when I'm asleep and it's not like I sleep with anyone, so, I don't know." Her voice drifts off and she lets loose a long sigh, "The first time it happened was with that guy in a coma. Then the lady that lives in the dreams, Hokuto, she pulled me into my dad's head. That's how he found out…" She smiles as her eyes remain closed and her voice strengthens just a touch to allow him to hear her clearly. "Then there was last night, with Huruma and my boss… I remember bits and pieces of it."
Ash holds her, and holds her close, savoring the the human contact she provides, and the simple conversation as well. He can relax around her in a way he can't the members of Messiah, show weakness that he doesn't feel he can around the others. "Sounds really interesting…" he whispers softly, lifting his hand back up to pet her hair just a bit more, then letting his hand fall back to his side, though the other arm remains around her shoulders. "I'm sorry that you've been scared, but if you are truly frightened I know people that can hide you Delia. There's a group, called the Ferrymen. My compatriots and I work with them from time to time. They hide Evolved from the government and the company." He looks down and smiles softly, encouragingly. "Not saying you should do it, but it's an option if you feel you must okay? So don't be afraid, don't worry… relax okay?"
When Ash smiles down at her, she takes a quick breath inward and gives him a bright smile right back. "I don't know what I want to do," she starts, her tone matching his. "I don't want to hide, I don't want to register… Not until after… After the visions either come true or don't. I was thinking about saving a few of my paychecks and trying to buy a registration card, one for a regular person. If they didn't do the test while you're sitting there, I would have just taken someone else's blood and sent it to a lab while I was on shift. But…" Delia drifts off and stares into his eyes for a long while. "I can't do that. I just have to think of something."
Ash tilts his head back, closing his eyes and resting them as he listens to the small woman next to him, curled up against his side like that. He breathes in, slow and steady, his breaths can be felt by her, there at his side. "None of us want to hide either. And hopefully, soon we won't have to." He smiles warmly, bumping his forehead against the top of her own again. "This is… weird… I'm not used to being able to relax like this. I'm a hunted man now. After MOAB i started fighting back. Against the government, against the Company. Humanis First. All of them. I'm not used to relaxing, to trusting to… normalcy. But when I come here, and hang out with you, or your sister… there's… a semblance of it. Just relaxing with a friend…" He smiles, his lips pulled into a soft and honest smile.
"…Yeah… friend," Delia agrees, though her voice has a rather distant edge to it. She sighs and closes her eyes too, "You don't have to worry about being hunted here. I'm hoping my dad doesn't have me tailed by anyone but Huruma… I don't think he does. It's not like the last time." Slowly her hand draws away from across his waist and she sits up as best she can beside him. "If you want, you can stay here tonight. You can have the bed, I'll stay on the couch."
Ash looks down at that, the man's eyes confused again. "You don't want to be my friend?" he asks her in a voice that he tries to keep the potential hurt out of. He doesn't have many friends, and would hate to lose this one. He doesn't stop her from pulling her arms back to herself, nor doe she force her to stay near, letting his own arm slip from her shoulders as she sits up. "I… don't know if that's a good idea. But were I to do so, there's no way I would take your bed from you…. I'd sleep out here, or on the floor or something."
Tilting her head a little bit, Delia gives Ash a sidelong glance and wrinkles her nose a little. "Of course I want to be your friend, don't be silly." Her tone is warm, quite honest but not honest enough. She laces her fingers together and nervously tucks her hands between her knees. She shrugs her shoulders and leans forward to lean her elbows on her thighs. Turning her head fully, she looks at him over her shoulder, her face half hidden by her hair. The half that is visible is quite red from blushing and she's pursing her lips together tightly. "I just really like you, Ash. You're really sweet."
Ash looks even more confused now, his forehead lining heavily as his eyebrows draw together and he ends up staring over at her. "Then… why the comment? Yeah… friend..?" He lifts a hand up, scratching his fingers against his scalp in a clearer sign of his confusion. The man is rather dense when it comes to women, and the blush doesn't even hint to him anything. Calling him sweet has him blinking several times rather slowly. "Sweet? You think I'm sweet?" He asks it like it's one of the craziest things he's ever heard, but it's also something pleasant. He frowns then and looks over, then back. "I'm confused, maybe you could enlighten me?"
Heaving a very heavy sigh, Delia leans back on the couch and places both of her hands over her red face. "God, I feel like a thirteen year old…" she groans. Behind the hands, her eyes close as she tries to put the exact right words together. The hands slide off her face and clap against her lap. Her blue eyes slide to the side and she examines his features for a long time. "I just… You know… I think you're really nice, I mean, and sweet." She clears her throat to attempt to stop her own stammering and then she gives him a rather weak smile. "Let's just forget about it, okay? Friends?"
Ash snorts aloud when he's asked to forget about it, the man's face twisting into a bit of amusement as well as thorough confusion. "No, because then I'll…." He pauses then, his eyes widening a little bit as he finally gets it. Then it's his turn to look bashful. he doesn't blush, just looks bashful for a few seconds, only to shakes his head some. "I see. Uhh… I'm more than flattered, but trust me, you're far too good a person for me Delia." He looks up, and sad as it is, his voice rings with truth. He thinks himself beneath her attention. "Girl like you? Deserves something really special…."
There's that easy smile on her face that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Heh.. Yeah… too good, right." Reaching up, she runs one of her hands through her wild hair and pulls her fingers through. "Like I said, just forget about it." She pushes herself to her feet and grabs up one of the many pillows on the couch. "C'mon, I'll show you to Lu's room, you can take the bed in there, okay?" She waits for him to answer, hugging the pillow to her chest. The deep shade of red on her face still hasn't calmed and she can't quite meet his eyes.
Ash shakes his head to her response, and rises to his feet, reaching out with his big hands to settle them on her shoulders. "It's not a line Delia. You are. I'm…" he frowns a bit, trying to think of something to say. "A monster. I've been shaped by what's been done to me, but I am. I will probably get myself killed fighting the government to bring equality and fair treatment for our kind, but I'm okay with that. You deserve someone special, someone who actually deserves the kind of happiness you would bring them." He smiles, warmly to her, then lifts a hand to gently cup her cheek. "People like me don't end up saving the day, getting the girl, and living happily ever after." He whispers it, a sad tone to his voice as his hand slips away and he steps back.
Delia's head jerks a little as she nods to what Ash is saying, really it's just rushing through the blood pounding in her ears. She doesn't look up at him once, not even when he cups her cheek, though she does try to smile. "It's cool, really, girls like me don't get the guy either. We get the loser, or the stoner, or the guy that's just a jerk, but yeah, it's okay." She looks up at him, the tense expression on her face is her best attempt at giving him a smile. She turns then and lowers her head, her shoulders slouching just enough to let her hair hang over her red face. "Lu's room is this way…"
Ash stares for a few seconds at the little redhead, before a heavy sigh leaves his lisp and he steps in towards her, wrapping her up in a tight hug again. He doesn't know what else to say at the moment, and so he just does the only thing he can think of, hugs her good and tight, his powerful arms wrapped around her body and holding her in close to himself. He doesn't try to speak, knowing he'd just blow it by trying, so remaining silent.
Delia squeaks as she's grabbed, the pillow dropping to the floor as soon as Ash wraps his arms around her. She closes her eyes and tries to smile again, even letting out a single quiet laugh as her arms wrap around his waist. "You don't have to do this," she murmurs against his shirt but she doesn't push away or even let her arms drop. "Really Ash, it's okay. I didn't have anything going on except work and school before tonight, it's not like anything's changed, right?" She lifts her head and looks up at him, her lips twitching up a little on one side. "C'mon, I gotta hit the sack and unless you want me falling asleep in your arms and crawling into your head by accident…" Her voice drifts off and she gives him a genuine smile.
Ash hugs her for a few moments after she mentions going to bed again. He pulls back and looks down at her, his eyes sad. "In another world, if I wasn't a wanted evolved terrorist…" He smirks, but it fades quickly and he nods his head a little bit. "I wouldn't mind the first, but trust me… you don't want the second." He smiles, and pats her on the head affectionately. "Lu's room?" he asks, pointing to a door. "And is Lu's room the only room and you're tricking me into taking the bed so you can have the couch?"
Once released, Delia bends down and grips up the pillow. "C'mon Beefy," she utters, slipping her hand into his and pulling him along behind her. There are a few closed doors down the hallway, but she leads him to one in particular. Swinging the door open, she presents the room like a game show hostess, even going so far as to voice a little 'tadaaa'. Then she passes him the pillow and folds her arms over her chest, waiting for him to actually collapse in the bed. "Scout's honor," she says solemnly, even holding up her hand in the scout sign.
Ash follows her into the bedroom, his hand giving hers a very gentle squeeze. He walks into the room, taking little look about. "So, is Lu going to come home and smack me good and hard?" he walks over to the bed, and sinks down onto the end, looking up to her with a soft chuckle. "Thank you Del."
"Nah, Lu hasn't been home for a while. I think she's out of town doing something or other… Probably another model thing." The redhead gives Ash a final smile before closing the door and heading off toward the couch. Yeah, she swore on scout's honor… lucky thing she's not a scout.