Reminiscing about the time we all met.

Ethan was still giggling as Vanessa and Ayalla approached. He looked around as she spoke, not really seemingly listen, but as she turned to leave he just joined them, walking up on the side of the hybrid. "I'm coming wiv ya two, ya seem to be up to sumfing, and I wanna kno what that is," he chuckled in a hushed voice which only made Ayalla's frown deepen. "It's girls only," the hybrid snapped making Ethan chuckle, "good thing gender is a construct, and I don't have to fit in to a single box, huh?" he retaliated which made Ayalla grumble something incoherent about him being an idiot. He didn't mind though. He was getting a little bored with the usual people anyways, and he had a feeling that Gareth felt the same. "I kno this real cool pub where they usually have karaoke nights," he suggested.

"Smelly backroom? Please, I've got more style than that!" sounding cocky as ever, but he liked the back and forth he got with Vanessa. She seemed like the kind of person he would usually be friends with, so this was lining up quite perfectly if you asked him. Gareth had joined, and the human didn't mind it at all. He liked hanging out with the daemon, even if some people found him intimidating. He could just see the silly guy underneath it, even if he wouldn't admit it himself.
Ayalla remained quiet now that Gareth had joined them. She still felt quite fearful around the brother of Samuel, and she was not risking this limited freedom for anything or anyone. She just held on to Vanessa's hand, feeling a little sheepish as she looked around at the streets. It looked so different at night, huh?

Ethan jumped up, wrapping his arm around the tall daemon's neck as he chuckled, "Let the girl have sum fun old man," he chuckled gleefully, messing up Gareth's hair with a shit eating grin plastered on his face. He had noticed Ayalla being more quiet, but honestly he was just happy that she wasn't some loudmouthed bitch. She was just silent, so that was that. "Hey, is that your real hair color?" he asked the hybrid rather bluntly, and he saw the anger in her eyes. Wow, she actually looked a bit scary, huh? "I mean it's real cool, I've always wanted to try green, but pink is sorta ma favorite color, ya kno what I mean?" he blabbered on, meanwhile Ayalla was fuming. Couldn't this asshole see how little she cared about whatever he said?
Ethan continued to blabber on about some other shit until the hybrid finally had it, "shut the fuck up already!" she yelled, quite unlike her, but she was too mad to care. She pulled at Vanessa's hand, "can't we just go home?" she begged in a hushed voice and it made Ethan frown. "Why leave when the fun is just starting?" he grinned, wrapping his arm around Ayalla's waist, pulling her with him down the street, much to her dismay.
They arrived at the pub, and it actually looked quite nice. Stained glass windows gave it a cozy vibe, and inside it was clearly a hidden gem within the Western District. Some bloke was on stage, singing his heart out to a Celine Dion song that everybody drunk and heartbroken was singing along to. Ethan finally let go of Ayalla, going ahead to secure them a booth. "G, get some drinks, will ya?" he yelled, his hand raised in the air.

Ethan sat down, looking up at the stage as he noticed Vanessa texting again. He grinned, looking at her, "what's his name?" he urged her, and if she gave him a look he would roll his eyes, "c'mon, I ain't no snitch." She decided herself of course what she wanted to do, but he was curious. Only he could understand if she didn't find him trustworthy - it wasn't like he had proved himself besides hanging around Gareth.
Ayalla felt the tall daemon grab her by the arm and it was as if she felt the need to be silent again. Standing at the bar she just tapped the edge of the bar with her fingertips until the daemon decided to speak. She shook her head. "Just a water for me," she said quite seriously. It was clear she felt so far out of her comfort zone. This was her first time in the real world, and she was scared of everything. Besides that she could feel the metal all around her, and it was so strange when she had been used to that glass cage. "Losing control isn't an option," she muttered, and it sounded like something Samuel would've said. And it was. She was out here because he had deemed it alright, but she knew that if she stepped out of line it was right back to the facility, and then there was nothing Vanessa could say to save her.

She wasnt really paying much attention to Ethan so when he asked about the person she was texting, she lifted her gaze to look at him for a moment with her eyes narrowed. Was he serious? The roll of his eyes made her smile a little before she looked back at her phone. "He's some funny guy. I dont even know his name." she admitted with a slight shrug. She decided to mute the buzzing and put her phone back in her pocket. "But he wants to go on a date, so I'll see, could be that he was my Mr.Right-now." she said, her eyes moving around the place as she spoke before she looked back at him. "I guess a lone wolf wouldnt understand that."
Gareth didnt mind the silence but he was obviously curious as to why she seemed so tense around him. He knew she had been the same place as Vanessa, but surely Vanessa wasnt friends with a mute. "Water.." he mumbled, nodding though he did find it weird. But then she muttered and he looked at her with his head slightly tilted. "Ayalla." he said in a serious tone, looking at her. "Dont fucking worry about Samuel. He cant get you when you're with me. Okay?" he said quite sincerely. But he knew what it would mean for Vanessa if she lost her friend.

"Oh no, I get that, more than ya think," he smiled, leaning back in his seat, spreading his legs a little and leaning his head back to look up at the ceiling. The fancy lights always seemed so sparse up there, but he guessed most people never looked up. "But I'm not one for love, regardless of it being for a few minutes or a few years," he said, being quite honest with her from the get go. He liked her, she was easy to talk to and knowing she was out of reach for him meant he didn't have to worry too much. "I've had plenty a girlfriend, hell I even tried guys for a while to see if that was more ma style, but they be more tricky to figure out," he chuckled, shaking his head before turning to look at Vanessa. "But nobody wants to be alone, not even the lone wolf, but that's what booty calls are for."

Ayalla wasn't really sure what to say to Gareth's words, frowning as she looked at him. "I don't need your protection," she said quite stubbornly, taking the drinks for her and Vanessa before walking back to the booth, sitting down next to Vanessa. It was clear she looked miserable, getting adjusted to the outside world was tough, and she hated the way everyone was just staring at her. She knew she was a freakshow, but couldn't people at least pretend to not look? "It sounds horrendous," she muttered, nodding towards the stage, which made Ethan grin, "too bad I've signed us all up," it was a lie but the look of pure horror on Alyssa's face made the human crack down laughing his ass off.

She clearly had no clue about what he had experienced, but how could she when he hadn't told her. He just let the conversation drift off to some place unknown as the other's joined. Gareth left for a while, which was kinda like being left behind to babysit, but oh well, he could have fun regardless. His joke turned in to Vanessa actually signing them up, which just made him grin. He didn't mind one bit, but he also had a small trick up his sleeve.
As the daemoness left the table was kinda quiet, and he just bopped his head to the music, Ayalla giving him a death glare. She was rather protective of her friend, but it was mostly due to how they had been in the facility together, always looking out for one another. "I really don't like you," she seemed to have made up her mind and the human looked at her with a big grin. "I appreciate the honesty," he chuckled, taking another sip of his drink as Vanessa returned. "I hope ya picked a genius song for me," poking her side a little as he felt Ayalla's eyes dig in to him. She was rather intense, wasn't she?
Vanessa's name was called out as the next on stage and Ethan cheered as he raised his drink, messing with her hair as she got up from their booth.

Ethan had to admit that he hadn't expected the daemoness to have such a soft voice. In fact, he caught himself having to lift his chin up, closing his mouth because he was so surprised. He knew the jingle, everyone seemed to know, but he hadn't heard it like this before. It really made him reevaluate what he had thought about Vanessa up until now. Cheering loudly was something that came natural to him, so he raised his arms, yelling affirmations at the stage as she finished and got off. She sat down once more and Ethan was actually more talkative now that things were loosened up. "Fuck, yeah I will have that song stuck from now on," he giggled, finishing his drink as he was called up on stage. Wiping his mouth clean he got up, chuckling as he saw what song she had picked. Of course.
The song started playing and he grabbed the mic rather confidently. He was used to performing on the streets as a busker to make ends meet, and he had been told he had a good voice. He agreed of course, but mostly because he liked singing. His voice was raw, a little raspy and his lips seemed to pout at just the right words making his voice so distinct. People actually started cheering, a couple of girls whistling and he winked at them. Ethan's eyes looked towards the booth, sending a grin at Vanessa tossing his head about to make his messy hair move. He couldn't help but look at her from time to time, seemingly forgetting who she was related to for a few minutes. That was until the song ended, and he placed the mic back. "Fank ya for listening," he muttered, getting off the stage, heading up to the bar to get a new drink.

The way Ethan had cheered her on definitely made her feel quite happy. "Well it's not so bad, compared to that one for dental care. That one really annoys me." she said, looking at him with a bit of a softer look in her eyes. He looked really pretty in the dim light here in the pub. He was called up and she cheered on, leaning her head to Ayalla as she bit her lip a little. She didnt have a lot of knowledge when it came to songs, but she did have a few that she had heard over the years that just stuck. And maybe she was a bit of a 2010 kid and that shone through.
But she hadnt actually expected him to be good at singing. At least not in such a distinctive way. She wouldnt ever admit that she was watching him with doting eyes, but there was definitely something there. But once the song ended, so did those feelings and it wasnt like she was that interested in going into it. He left for the bar and she spoke to Ayalla for a bit before her phone also rang. Gareth joined him in the bar, budding in and pushing him lightly with his shoulder. "What a rockstar you are, huh?" he chuckled, ordering some shots for them. "I have to go in a sec. You dont have to stick around with the girls, I'll have someone take them home or whatever."

"Don't tease me, ya dumbfook," he chuckled, shaking his head. He had never been able to afford lessons or anything, so he was sure he was probably singing in a way that would eventually fuck up his vocal chords. Regardless what Gareth said made him frown, "leaving already? The night's still young even though you're apparently old as shit," he said, downing a shot. He did appreciate what Gareth said about someone taking care of the girls, because Ethan wasn't really equipped to take care of someone besides himself. At least not in the state he was in right now. "I might hang around for a bit, they aren't too bad, but I gotta get up early to cover a shift at a job I might lose in a week anyways," he scoffed. Ethan had never been good at keeping a job, but he at least made some money. And sometimes he sold shit for Gareth so in the end he knew he wouldn't be homeless. At least not if he kept doing what he did now. A girl about his age stood next to him at the bar, tapping his shoulder. He excused himself, "lady's calling," he said smugly, winking at Gareth before turning his attention to the girl. They were chatting quite a bit, and she even managed to make him laugh.

Ayalla was feeling miserable at this point. She had wanted to stay home and yet she had been dragged along all of this adventure. She wasn't feeling it. "Are you going to go see him?" she asked the daemoness. She knew what Vanessa was up to, though she didn't really want to get involved.

"Business is business. Gotta keep it flowing." he just said to put it lightly, but Ethan probably understood. Samuel stood for production and some of the shit that Gareth did, but Gareth did most of it. Making sure the dealers were selling and not using the crap themselves. "You do you, I just need to get this deal down as quick as I can. We'll hang tomorrow after your shift." he said, to then look on as some girl tapped his friend's shoulder. He let him be and turned to head back to the booth.

"What if I am?" she retaliated, looking up at her friend as she frowned. She had noticed how Ayalla had been behaving up to this point and she could really only take as much. She didnt think Ethan or Gareth had been behaving in a way that was ruining the mood, but Ayalla had been sour as if. "You've been so angry and closed off all night, so how are we supposed to have any fun?" she asked, looking back at her phone before she left to take the call at that note. Gareth shortly after stood by the booth, looking at the hybrid that sat down. "Yo. I'm heading out. Do you want a lift?"

Ayalla sighed, because clearly Vanessa didn't have any regards for her feelings today. It was fair enough, the hybrid just felt so angry and tired. It was a shitty feeling, but she had warned her before they went out. She just remained quiet, feeling her eyes water a little, because she knew she would never learn to be social like Vanessa was. That was when Gareth approached the booth, the hybrid just nodded as she got up, keeping her head down because the last thing she wanted was to see another Prideux mad at her.
Getting in to the car she put on her seatbelt, having to struggle with it for a bit as her eyes were pretty filled with water at this point. Placing her hands in her lap afterwards she just looked at them, feeling droplet hit them as she cried with no noise. She was trying to hold back, trying not to be such a crybaby, but how could she not when everyone seemed so scary and different?

She appreciated the fact that he didn't say anything, mostly because she just didn't want to draw attention to herself. Not more than she had felt like she had all night. Being handed the phone she had stopped crying, sniffling a bit as she scrolled through the phone, not really sure what she was supposed to look for. "I don't know any of these names," she muttered, but she knew nothing of music regardless. It wasn't like the facility had a top 100 list that was being played through the speakers. She did however pick a song eventually, one that wasn't too loud and where you could still hear the lyrics. "Can I stay with you for a while? I'll just sit in the car and be quiet, whatever you say," she asked. She didn't like being around Gareth, but she hated it more to be alone. And going back to the apartment would just be more scary than being here with him.

Ayalla frowned, not really sure how to handle the question as she just leaned back in the car seat. He hadn't been against her staying with him for the time being, so she just thought it would be alright. "I don't hate you ... Or your brother," she said taking a little deep breath, "I don't really like either of you, but hate no," clarifying a bit. She moved her hands over to feel the wind coming out of the aircon. Listening to the song she found that she actually liked it quite a bit, nodding her head along to the beat, but not even attempting to sing along.
"You scare me, but being alone is more scary, so ..." admitting that took a lot of courage, but she thought that he would at least behave a bit. She wasn't really used to having conversations that lasted more than three sentences. It was always her being questioned and never really asking anything in return because she had never learnt how to properly speak with interest in someone else. "And when I'm alone the monsters come out to scare me even more," she muttered, looking out the window.

Ayalla shrugged lightly. She had been alone, but when Vanessa had come in to her life she never felt too alone. However ever since getting a taste of freedom she felt like it had driven them apart. She was genuinely scared of losing the only friend she had ever had. Scared that the fact that she chose her own comfort over her friends tendency to be wild in this new freedom might mean their friendship wouldn't last. Then the daemon spoke, ripping her from her worries as he spoke about his brother and himself.
Sometimes hearing what the villain had to say was dangerous. She knew they weren't villains in every story, but in her they sure was. However they were also her saviour in some way. If Samuel hadn't bought her or whatever he had, where would she be right now? It was a genuine conflict within her, because on one hand she wanted to run far away, never look back and see what life might hold for her. But on the other hand he was the reason she was alive, Samuel was the reason she had Vanessa and she would gladly choose the daemoness over her own freedom. "It's funny ... in the facility it was always me being protective of Vanessa ... but now that we're out I could really use that person who would press me a little closer at times," she said, looking out the window at the world blaring by them, slurring in to long lines of colors. "Not that I'm much of a hugger, but just knowing the option is there I guess," she said looking back at Gareth with a furrowed brow. Did he see her as property the same way Samuel did? "I wish I could find myself as easily as Vanessa had out here, she seems to know her way around and I'm over here still wondering how the hell anybody ever gets anything done when you have a sky above you with millions of stars shining down at night," she pondered. She had spent her first few weeks of freedom staying up late, just sitting in the windowsill of her room and looking out and up at the sky.
"I guess you've read my file at this point," looking at him he didn't give off any signs either or, but she wouldn't be surprised if he had. "I'm actually surprised you suggested taking me in to a hunk of metal that I could easily use against you," it was a bit of a musing thought to her, the fact that she could feel every single metal component buzzing and alive around them.

He listened to what she said but that was pretty much all he could do. He wasnt the kind you spoke about deep shit with, unless you were Ethan Spencer in a drunken and intoxicated emotional state of mind. "You're saying that like I'm the one who's got everything to lose if you do something." he simply reminded her, because he didnt give a shit. She could tear the car apart if that was really what she wanted, but she probably knew that if Samuel caught onto something, just anything to suggest that she wasnt in control of herself, she would be heading right back to the facility and lose her newly won freedom. "But no, I do want to treat you in a way that wont piss off Vanessa, you are right about that." he added with a small smile. It was Vanessa's friend so he wasnt trying to be too much of a douche bag, even if that radiated on default.
He stopped the car as they got to the destination, telling her to stay put.... or come along, muttering that he didnt really give a shit before he went out the car and moved towards a couple of guys who stood outside smoking. "Mr Prideux." one of them greeted the tall daemon, Gareth flashing a smile and exchanging a small custom handshake that they both seemed to know by heart. "So what's good?" the guy asked, Gareth shrugging before he lit a cigarette and they started talking, mostly about business stuff. If Ayalla followed, the guy would look at her and narrow his eyes a little as he was curious. "Dig the hair." he said as he pointed towards his own hair with his thumb, though his was just a boring regular colour.

For her it was just nice to talk. She didn't have to be heard, she just wanted a space where she could speak and the fact he replied was actually like a breath of fresh air. She actually couldn't help but crack a smile. He was kinda funny, wasn't he? At least he could joke it seemed.
The car stopped, and despite him telling her to stay put, she got out of the car with him. Remaining quiet, she felt like putting on her facade, her face turning more stern. The guy complimented her, or was he just mocking her? She scoffed, digging in to her pocket to take out her phone. She just pretended to be busy with typing, but she was secretly listening to what they were saying. Even if the business shit was boring, she felt like she needed to hear it to understand more about this world she had been released in to. She took her time to look through her contacts, only two in it; Vanessa and a scientist that were her supervisor, whom she should call if she felt unstable.