Eye seeee you [Daciana/Blank]

[Blank Edwards]

February 7th
Near St Pancras Station
12:08

It was that time of the month, new eye-patch day! It was unpleasant but the elastic eventually wore away and Blank wasn't exactly overly careful with his when he did have them, always ripping them off in Inferis. What was more annoying was that he'd not found any good local pharmacists, or at least not one he felt comfortable going into yet in Tottenham Hale so he had to go to the busiest station in London, King's Cross St Pancras. The gigantic hub of travel and commerce was the only place he knew he could get eye-patches from, fresh ones at any rate. As he walked through the glistening chrome and marble set-up and ignored the piano playing commuters (which he actually enjoyed, usually, but he didn't like being stuck in crowds). It was always interesting to see who was here, Kings Cross was very much a junction, people came and people went but they usually passed through here. He saw a few sleepy travelers waiting to get the train to France and tried to not feel jealous of the ones escaping the city.

The pharmacy was fairly typical, the giant commercial brand-name printed on the front, it had a series of aisles all sporting a variety of goods and medicine for nigh on all occasions. He idly scratched his head at the sight, it was a good thing he used to come here fairly regularly. He was sporting the leather-patch he'd gotten as a particularly unfunny birthday present from his aunt one year. He strolled past the vitamin supplements and other medicine to find the plasters and finally, hanging on a rack.. the white medical gauze style eye-patches. He understood why they were the most common, most sanitary, stayed on easiest, but they looked a little too dramatic for his taste, the black ones at least didn't draw attention. There looked to be a few left, Blank reached out a hand to take the first one available...

[Daciana]

Just like everyone else who wore eye-patches, Daciana had to buy them at a store. Unfortunately the last one she had gone to had only little ones with skulls printed on, which really wasn't her style, but the old one had been so worn and gross that she simply had to fold. HOWEVER, it did not stop her from searching a new one at the next stop. Walking through the store, she got some funny looks from people who seemed to assume she was some kind of delinquent. Rule 1) She did not make eye contact. Instead of that, she went straight to the aisle she assumed would help her.

Daciana was probably the least observant person around, because somebody else was looking exactly where she was. There was a single black eye-patch. SIMPLE and PLAIN. That's what she needed- right? Her hand reached out to grab it, but knocked into another hand. Her face instantly reddened. Eyes rolled to move and find a man attached to it, which was actually a good thing, because had there been no body, then she'd probably have fainted.

Her smile was weak and shy. "Y-you go on an take eet." The slight of her accent slipped within her sentence. Quickly, she withdrew her hand and looked at him gently, waiting for him to grab it. It wasn't like she needed to explain herself, but the stuttering accented english continued. "I-I uhmm j-just bought a new vone."

[Blank Edwards]

The hand touching had been a surprise for Blank too as he stepped back and saw the purple haired girl opposite him. He felt a smile tweeking at the corner of his mouth, although he couldn't say why. He could see her face easier now and the obvious eye-patch covering the same eye as him. Well that was... uncommon. He didn't think he'd ever met someone else who genuinely had a missing eye in the same spot as him, so naturally he'd already switched into friend mode. Which was unusual for him, he was pretty anti-social by nature so finding he was now keen to talk to someone was exacerbated by the fact he didn't really talk to anyone. And she was actually kinda pretty, well that was... damnit.

She seemed embarrassed too and indicated he should take the eye-patch (what was that accent? Russian?) but he felt somewhat guilty, she clearly needed it more, she'd bought a new one but it was covered in skulls. Just going by his own experiences, wearing a patch that DREW attention kind of sucked. His leather one was still in good enough condition, he could probably make do with the gross white ones for sleeping and just wear the leather one until the store re-stocked. He smiled and picked up the black patch as well as a white one. He paid quickly, slapping a fiver down, before returning and holding it out to her
"It's OK, I can come back later, I'll take the gauze one for now" he smiled again, a pretty foreign facial expression for him, he wasn't really sure why he felt like it.

He also kind of wish he'd gone more interesting than jeans, boots and a dark red T-shirt, he probably looked non-descript (usually his preference but not great for making yourself look good). He was struggling already, he didn't get girls and he usually had little to no interest but the eye-patch made him curious at the very least.
"So are you... are you from around here?" obviously not! What a stupid question! You deserve everything that comes next you idiotttt

((OOC: A cute story to tell the grandkids, assuming either lives that long))

[Daciana]

The man took the eye-patch and another one and left.  For a second she felt a twinge of sadness.  It wasn't often she met others with the same ailment as her, but hers was self-caused... in a way.  She looked over and started to leave, when the man had returned and held out the black eye-patch for her.  That was strange to her.  For a moment, Daciana was speechless.  She wanted to deny it; to tell him she couldn't take it, but she couldn't help herself.

She had hesitated at first, but her dainty little fingers grabbed it and moved it over her lips.  Her eye looked at him, clearly attempting to hide her blush.  "I-I zank you."  She smiled genuinely, but naturally it was half hidden by the eye-patch.  After her cheeks had tamed back to their normal color, she tucked it away into her bag.  

The man spoke again, this time with a question.  Daciana couldn't help but give a small laugh as she could feel his nervousness in the air.  It matched her own nerves.  Daciana had never had any friends and outside of Mr. White and a few other templars, she hadn't socialized much.  Even then, it had been mostly orders and plans for work.  So to talk casually with someone was a bit new to her.  "I- no.  I live in ze Americas, at zis time."  She paused and shifted.  Her fingers played with the bottom of her skirt.

"Vat about you?" After she'd finished fidgeting around her skirt, she fixed a strand of hair to go back beyond her ear.  Her head tilted to the side only a slight, but showed her intrigue with speaking to the young man.

(Yes 8D also don't mind my poor attempt at a Romanian accent)

[Blank Edwards]

The smile was met by another and Blank felt an odd warmth in his cheeks. That was strange, had he been punched recently? He didn't think he... oh great Satan, was he blushing? He could almost hear his father ranting at him now about being such a soppy bastard, he'd just met the girl why was he being so embarassed?! And what's more that question she just... she answered it, in her struggling English, why hadn't he ever learned Russian (or as an editorial note, to tell the difference between Russian and other baltic languages since she had a ROMANIAN accent, but hey, if he learnt languages he wouldn't have learned to be a badass, only so much room in that head). He felt a weird twinge in his heart, why did he care where she lived? It was more at the back of his head, was there a tear in America? No, he couldn't rightly move there and up and leave his duty, the other Hunters of London were a blend of rank amateurs (noisy rank amateurs, his usually hidden sarcastic side pointed out) and old men who were more fond of sitting in the pub regaling everyone with edited tall tales (Demon's were often 'Boars' or particularly large fish in these versions: there was actually an animal version in slang for each sphere but Blank didn't see much point in telling the other new hunters what was what unless it was directly relevant), so at the moment what little ego he had was saying he couldn't jet off to America just because he met a pretty girl.

Oh Jesus, he genuinely did think she was pretty. Oh he was in trouble... she kept playing with her skirt, damnit, why was he looking!? Stop that, you only have one eye it's BLINDINGLY obvious when you stare!

And now he had a question to answer and... and... oh come on, he was called Blank for a reason, why was his head full of stupid pictures and his memory was trying to write a permanent version of her face to it. He scratched his ear idly, while he thought how to answer it
"I... I'm here for work. Hey, would you like to get some lunch? I'm sure there's a good restaurant around here"
Interesting fact, within a few metres of St Pancras, once you're outside the station itself the closest and just about only restaurant easily visitable is McDonalds.

Blank was unaware of this.

He was more worried that he'd just asked a COMPLETE stranger out on a date and holy hell boy, how stupid are you!? You're a Hunter! This is exactly, word for word, what your father told you NOT to do! Remember your mother? No she was killed before you were born! And WHY was that? But he couldn't stop himself... such is hormones...

"Oh, uhh, my name's Blank. Sorry, it's a little weird..." he usually introduced himself as Wilson, Slade to girls who wouldn't get the reference but he couldn't make himself lie...

[Daciana]

The man's name was Blank, which was definitely an interesting name, but she didn't mind.  Unique names were always better, because they were usually a little easier to remember.. or at least that's how she felt.   She still gave her effortless smile and closed her open eye from her amusement.  "Blank?  Zat's somezing to remember, no?"

He then invited her to lunch, which normally, according to Mr. White, was a bad thing and meant that someone was trying to get dirt on her.  This was unlikely this time, though, because Daciana had just arrived in London the day before to do some errands for someone she knew.  "Uhmm- well I have nozing better to do.  I suppose I could do some lunch."  A soft growl came from her stomach as if in agreement.

Her giggle was light and brief.  "I am Daciana. Ni-nice to meet yo, Blank."  With a little curtsy, she seemed to begin to shade some of the shyness.  Maybe it was the fact this man too, had an eye-patch that lulled her into a sort of safety net, or maybe it was just her naive nature, either way she was oddly a bit comfortable with the man about her.

[Blank Edwards]

Why was she smiling? Oh for the love of christ, Edwards, stop being so weirded out by simple affection. She mentioned his name was something worth remembering and he managed to mumble somewhat feebly
"I-it's more of a nickname I guess.." which was a polite way of saying, my father didn't fill in my birth-certificate and my family refused to call me 'boy' and nothing else seemed to fit, because damned if they were calling me George. When she agreed to lunch he felt a small flip in his stomach (and almost immediately a small drop of shame for being that excited) and began wondering where would be best to take the fine young lady.

The curtsey was adorable and the name at least somewhat unique, he found himself immediately trying to memorise it while a voice in the back of his head said (Are you honestly prioritising this over the location of safe-houses in Bristol?). He smiled again (seriously, this was becoming a habit)
"Daciana? That's a pretty name, I like it" oh lord, your father is spinning in his grave, Edwards, you enormous sap.

Heading out of the pharmacy, Blank started making his way to the exit, struggling to keep an eye (well... THE eye) on his new friend through the crowd so he slowed his pace to ensure he kept her in his line of vision. He reached out a hand to make sure she could see where he was
"Come on, this way. Is America like this where you live?" Blank was staying willfully oblivious of the various surprised looks they were garnering. Two eye-patched young people hanging out together, you'd be forgiven for assuming they were some kind of pirate enthusiasts rather than two former child soldiers with horrible facial injuries. Blank did his best to lead Daciana to the exit where he could get them clear of the crowd and began scouting around with his one good eye to spot a good restaurant. He saw one fast food place but surely there was a better one around...

[Daciana]

A nickname?  That.. would be a strange nickname.  Daciana had heard that kids were cruel, but would they really just call someone Blank?  It wasn't her business, though, so she sort of let it slip. It was something sort of personal and she HAD just met him, which made it seem sort of rude to ask about.  She dismissed the thoughts related and simply smiled at him softly.  

His hand was reached back to lead her.  She wasn't sure what he meant by it, so she simply took it.  Her fingers weren't used to the feel of skin on her own, but she pushed through it.  Likely he was afraid she'd get lost, which was a possibility.  It wasn't as if Daciana knew how to get anywhere or where anywhere even was, so the help was definitely appreciated.

"It is in a way, yes." Naturally, her voice was a hushed whisper.  The coyness in her face contributed to her shy factor.  Where would they eat?  "What about you?  Where are you from?"  As soon as she asked, she had regretted it.  "I uhm- mean if you d-don't mind me asking.."

[Blank Edwards]

Well, this was... a slight miscommunication. Blank had reached back solely so he could help her see where she was, grabbing his hand was... well, it was a pretty understandable reaction but he felt his face flush almost immediately from the contact. He didn't really get it, though as he thought back he couldn't remember ever being a very tactile person, especially not when it came to girls. He'd usually be uncomfortable with this kind of contact but it felt somehow... yeah, he should probably get off this train of thought. He'd been told to stay solitary for a reason, as evil a bastard as his father was, he'd only get her into trouble but then again she lived in America. Unless she lived IN Washington, she was relatively safe from any demons out to mess with him, and even then it'd be a lot of effort for them to go to. It's worth noting, despite his usually observant nature, Blank had not even remotely picked up on Daciana's past or training. The fact she'd likely fare far better than him in a real world confrontation had not even crossed his mind.

At least the crowds weren't new to her, Blank noted as she said they were relatively common where she lived. When Daciana asked the question where he lived he almost slipped up
"Bri- ahh, sorry, London. I live here, a few stops away" he'd nearly said Bristol, was he not used to thinking of himself as a Londoner yet? "I can't really... I think that place with the golden M on it is our best bet" Blank finished somewhat embarassed. He wasn't overly fond of fast food and McDonalds had a few unfortunate memories for him. It was the first place Uncle took him after he left the hospital that time he... yeah, lt's keep it light, shall we? Of course, remembering the incident where he'd lost his eye only made him curious about how Daciana lost hers but he wasn't about to get ahead of himself and ask her outright. It was always awkward for him when he got asked, he wouldn't put someone else through that.

Slowly walking through the much thinned crowd towards the fast food restaurant, Blank realised that he was still holding hands with this girl he'd just met. They weren't linking fingers or doing anything... well, romantic. It was just holding hands. But still, he kept thinking stupid things like how he only had one hand to fend off assailants or she might suddenly develop fangs and eat his entire head. Perhaps in defiance of his fathers strict drilling of rules into his head, Blank kept his hand firmly in hers.

[Daciana]

They were walking for what really felt a good ten minutes.  Daciana wasn't good with telling time, so maybe it was less than that.  Everything looked the same to her, but it seemed whenever someone was anywhere new, that they were a bit lost to the world.  A whole new country was a different world.  Even America was different than where she was raised.  the society she had been thrust into was far different.  There was so much she didn't quite understand.

As she glanced around, she could see those things called families.  What exactly WAS a family, was the mother and father that raised a person.  Daciana hadn't had that. She was surrounded by people in lab-coats as a child.  They weren't her parents, she knew that, but where her actual parents were, she would never know- or if she had siblings- or anything in fact.  For now, all she had was Mr. White and the Templars (Which sounded like a bad band name).

She brought her eye back to him, finally.  He was stumbling over his words.  Apparently he lived in London, but he looked as lost as her.  He decided that McDonald's was the best option and though Daciana didn't really like the golden-arches place, she wouldn't mind a small fry to tide her over until she could cook some stew- like she was excited to.  

As if to reassure him, she gave a bit of a smile That's fine. I-I don't mind."  His hand clutched hers tighter for some reason and it was a trigger to her.  As soon as his hand tensed, her heartbeat soared, even if it was only for a second.  He liked holding her hand, she guessed, but to her that was strange.  "Thank you." She finally managed words again.  "F-for taking me out, I mean."  She decided not to mention the only one who ever took her out was her boss, because Mr. White was always a dodgy subject.[/color][/color]

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