Record #15 [Voice; Private to Lenalee] History repeats itself.

[strike_for_you]

[Lavi's voice comes over the communicator low, steady, and void of any emotion.]

Lenalee, where are you right now?

[ooc: So I ended up dropping tags from last week. I'm really sorry, guys. And I'm not coming off hiatus yet; this is just for some much needed development between Lavi and Lenalee.]

Comments

[bootofinnocence]

[There is a bit of a hesitance before Lenalee replies.]

Coming inside.

[strike_for_you]

[He hesitates a moment before speaking again. If she was just re-entering the house, then she would be on the first floor, which is the same floor her room's on..]

Can we talk in your room?

[bootofinnocence]

[She stops in the doorway, thinking for a moment.]

... Sure.

[strike_for_you]

Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes.

[bootofinnocence]

[Lenalee gets there first, and walks inside, leaving the door open a bit to let Lavi know he can follow her in when he gets there. She takes a seat on the bed facing the door.]

[strike_for_you]

[He arrives a couple of minutes later, not looking at her at first as he steps inside and closes the door behind him. He's beginning to understandably fear for his safety in that place, so he didn't want anyone sneaking inside to attack him.

Lavi turns his gaze on her, his uncovered eye not betraying what he was feeling inside. It was dull and cold. But he closes it and sighs, crossing his arms since he needed something to do with his hands other than let them hang at his sides.]

It.. looks like it's just the two of us again.

[He hadn't heard anything from Road or Cross in a while, and Miranda is far from his mind, as much as he knew he needed to apologize to her as well.]

[bootofinnocence]

... It seems like it.

[She glances up at him and holds the look in his eye, suddenly feeling small with the blankness he used to look at her; not that she blamed him. She had been mean the last time they'd seen one another.]

Thank you for getting me out of Allen's closet.

[strike_for_you]

[She thanks him now, after having slammed the door in his face when they'd gotten back to her room? Then again, did he have the right to be upset? He had even chosen to stay long after she'd done that to keep an eye on her, going so far as to fall asleep outside her door.]

I didn't think it was right for you to be kept inside a closet like that.

[He walks across the floor to sit down on the vacant bed beside hers.]

And I'm sure Allen didn't, either. That's probably why he gave you up so easily.

[bootofinnocence]

Maybe.

[She sighs.]

You wanted to talk. I'm sure it's not about that.

[strike_for_you]

..Yeah.

[Lavi keeps his eye on her, the look in it softening slightly. He laughs weakly and sets his elbows on his knees, linking his hands together as he leans forward slightly.]

Right.

[It had been over a month since the last time they had talked normally, since he had unwillingly broken her heart and supposedly ended their relationship. He never wanted to make her cry, yet he always did and always was. The majority of her emotional pain in the house was because of him.]

I'm sorry.. for everything. For all of it. For hurting you, for saying what I did when my personality was switched, for not being there for you when you needed someone the most..

[And here is where he looks away, remembering the threat he'd received the week before. He still had no idea who that guy had been, but knew he was close to Lenalee.

When he wasn't there for her, was it Mr. Unknown who went in his place?]

I know words aren't much, but.. it's the best I can do.

[bootofinnocence]

It isn't your fault. You had no control over it, right? I can't be angry with you for that.

[She lowers her gaze a bit.]

I was hurt, so I was angry. I'm bitter now; with you, the House, and myself. It's both of our faults we haven't spoken in so long.

[She waits a moment before she glances back up at him.]

The only person I've had since is Cloud, and I haven't talked to him much about what happened. You asked me before to leave things like that between the two of us, so I've been trying... it's hard though.

[Her voice is nearly pleading.]

You don't remember anything at all?

[strike_for_you]

[He turns to watch her while she speaks. Would she still say something like that if she knew what else he had said about her that week? He's not sure if she's aware, and he doesn't plan on taking any chances.]

..Cloud?

[He repeats the name and thinks to himself. He didn't know anyone by that name and wondered if 'Cloud' was the guy who had seemed so protective of her. He wanted to know not only out of curiosity, but also for his own protection so he knew who to look out for.

Her question catches him off guard, though he should've known better.]

No. I remember.. all of it.

1/2

[bootofinnocence]

[She nods.]

Cloud is one of my closest friends.

[She says it, assuming Lavi has no idea who Cloud is. She'd never really mentioned him before, that she can remember.]

He came ba-

[She stops when he says he remembered everything, and before she realizes what she's doing, she's standing and her hand has lifted into the air and every bit of frustration and emotion she's had about the entire situation comes pouring out while she swings at him; the familiar sound of hand to skin is heard, and she swipes it back toward herself.]

2/2

[bootofinnocence]

How long were you going to keep that from me? I didn't think you were ever going to remember, that all that time-- what we'd done-- was all nothing! You remembered?

Did you lie to me, because of what we did? Was I getting too close?

[Lenalee tries to contain herself, but all this time-- if there was something she didn't like, it was a liar. She would never pegged him as someone to play with another persons heart, but how did you just forget for a moment, then suddenly remember and hide away for so long?]

Did you never care at all?

[She closes her eyes tightly to hold back tears; at that moment, she would have liked to run from the room to somewhere else, but she wanted answers. She needed them.]

It's my fault I was hurt- I was foolish. I knew better. I just...

[She trails off, and doesn't finish the sentence.]

[strike_for_you]

[She must have been feeling a damn LOT of frustration and emotion because her punch hurt like a bitch. There's no other way to put it. His head had turned from the impact, the entire side of his face where she had hit him throbbing with pain. He couldn't even remember the last time -Yu- had punched him that hard.

Lavi keeps his head turned, gaze averted, while she talks. He doesn't even lift a hand to rub at the aching, bruising area. In his mouth he can taste a small amount of blood. He wouldn't be surprised if she'd managed to break something.]

If you wanna believe I never cared, you go ahead and do that.

[He has no other choice than to lift his hand now to wipe the blood from his lips.]

It took me a few days to remember everything, and when I did, you think I knew how to approach you? Being tossed back into this place remembering nothing, and feeling nothing for you beyond a slight attraction that I'd been working to get rid of back in our world

[bootofinnocence]

[Lenalee's eyes widen a bit with the guilt she felt building up; here she was, trying to make him feel bad when the situation was just as difficult for him as it had been been for her. It was instinctive for her to react the way she did. It was how she protected herself. How she kept things that hurt her away.

The more she listened to him, the less she wanted to run him off and worse she felt. He hadn't been the insensitive one at all; it was her, for not considering his thoughts, his feelings, or his heart. If she'd been in his position, would she have reacted the same way? It had to have been hard for him too... someone who was probably more like a Bookman than she ever remembered Lavi being.

The look he gave her felt cold, and Lenalee inched away from him, eyes lowering to the floor. The regret that had been there before whens he looked at him still shown through at the ground, even though it wasn't the ground who needed her apology.]

Just friends...?

[There was a constriction in her heart, and Lenalee realized then that this