cuddlecity | EVENT: SWIPER, NO SWIPING!

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EVENT: SWIPER, NO SWIPING!

As the blustery winds and steady snows of January give way to the cool breezes of February, the city begins to notice strange trends amongst its volunteer citizenry: an uptick of online searches for things like flower shops and cheap romantic meals, a surprising increase in chocolate purchases (though, perhaps more surprising, no increases in consumption), and a report from the local pharmacies regarding a sudden shortage in contraceptives, of all things! Consider the administration officially flummoxed — that is, until the city's favorite and only volunteer coordinators begin to investigate further.

You see, Valentine's Day isn't quite the thing in Cadelle. Here, St Valentine never led couples in matrimony under Roman rule, and so, no time-honored capitalist dream could be established. However, the date of February the 14th is still a special one in the city — it's the day that many honor as St Trifon's Day, or "Winemaker's Day". It's a day of celebrating the first pour of the prior year's winemaking, with the first bottle of each vintage reserved for drinking with one's special someone... preferably privately, where post-drink merriment may commence uninterrupted. (Scandalous.)

Not wanting to leave out any of their volunteers from the city's special day, the volunteer coordinators have arranged a collection of meeting locations, each perfect for getting to know a potential special somebody in advance of the big day. To help people get acquainted, they've partnered with that reclusive (and anonymous) mogul behind okCuddle to add a limited time special feature for the season — that's right, a matchmaker!

Simply press the bright red button on your app's home screen to be enrolled in a Match Meeting. There are five unique locations, each offering a different experience to appeal to those who might find true love or common ground in its midst, and each location will host a different couple each day to ensure everyone has an opportunity to meet their one-and-only... or maybe just their one-night-only. (We won't judge.)

▸ Any opportunity to incite a little romantic feeling would be remiss if it didn't include the time-honored date experience: a candlelit steakhouse dinner at the city's best dining experience, DeWolfe's. Whether you're hungering for a porterhouse medium rare or a more demure airline chicken breast, the wait staff here will be more than happy to attend to any needs you may have, and delighted to disappear shortly after, providing plenty of privacy for quiet conversation and those ever-important lingering glances. Feel free to extend your night with a walk through DeWolfe's famed gardens out back, or perhaps a nightcap... the only question left, then, is their place or yours?

▸ Let The Good Times Roll offers those who enjoy athleticism and coordination an evening of nostalgic fun under twinkling lights — courtesy, of course, of the disco ball hung prominently in the center of the risk, a perfect match for the classic jams that are piped out from the speakers on each wall. Strap on a pair of rental skates, and when the lights get low, be sure to hold your honey's hand tight for that all-important couple's skate. When you're done zooming around the linoleum, be sure to try a bite of the rink's famous pizza and popsicles meal, the perfect treat for summer campers and kids at heart alike! Groovy!

▸ The Vinery, while not necessarily a classic first-date location, offers a bit of non-traditional romance with its gorgeous hill country views and a seemingly endless assortment of local blends to sample. Visitors paired up for a Match Meeting here will have the opportunity to enjoy a rarely experienced grape-stomping session, during which they'll become bonafide vinters (winemakers, for the uninitiated) and the proud recipients of a complimentary bottle of the Vinery's own St Trifon's Day special blend — the perfect reason to ask for a second date, no? (And if you don't want to wait, there's always the cover of a gazebo or the fields nearby...)

▸ Animal aficionados, fear not: the expansive nature reserve at Nahtazu offers an opportunity to get up-close and personal with your favorite wild beasts — no, not the ones in your pants — and one of the reserve's most knowledgeable guides to show you the way. Of course, since it's an hour away aboard the local trains, the city has arranged a private compartment for two, where Match Meeting attendees will enjoy a catered lunch, the perfect way to fuel for a long day of hiking, climbing, and maybe even a few jungle swings. On the way back, feel free to enjoy the plush seats for a little post-adventure cuddling... or more, we won't tell!

▸ At The Worm Hole, nerds and geeks and casual gamers alike will find plenty to shoot and score on over pints of everything from sweet ciders to dark ales. There's no shortage of games here, so if your idea of a great night out involves beating your date at Super Smush Brothers — and no, that's not a typo — you'll definitely enjoy your time here. To help set the mood, a special booth has been set aside for Match Meetings in the far corner of the room: get cozy, play some Pong, and maybe make things interesting. Strip Marco Kart, anyone?

Of course, those that opted not to sign up for the city's version of eHarmony won't be left out of all the fun! In preparation for the big day, Flora and Cornelius have put together what they're affectionally calling the single mingle: a weeklong invitation to enjoy the best in everything but romantic films and features at the local theatre. Feel free to come alone or bring a pal or two, and enjoy complimentary admission and select snacks each night — just don't let them catch you getting frisky! That's what the drive in is for!

Surprise! It's a Valentine's event that's almost not about Valentine's Day! For those of you that participated in our survey, you should have received a private message from our moderator journal with information regarding your character's match assignment by now. If you did not receive one, please let us know!

Because this event runs a little differently than many of our other events, we've opted to tweak our process a little as well. For your character's date, please locate your appropriate date and location in our BLIND DATE THREAD HERE. If it's still empty, your character has beaten their date to the punch (and maybe the free food, too). If there's already a reply, greet your date! (Pretty simple, right?) For all other threads, including pre/post date experiences, feel free to post traditional open top levels as usual!

For example: Flora may have a blind date with Cornelius on Monday at DeWolfe's, so she'll comment to the Monday thread's DeWolfe comment with her starter. This will make it easy for Cornelius to find her thread and reply. However, Flora may also be lingering outside beforehand looking nervous, or shopping in the mall the day before and looking for help in finding an outfit — these prompts can be posted as traditional open top-levels!

If you have any further questions specific to this event, we encourage you to ask away on our QUESTIONS COMMENT here in this post. If you have general questions, or prefer a more private venue, our GENERAL INBOX (and SCREENED INBOX) is always available for you. In addition, if you've got an idea for a future event, feel free to drop us a line at our EVENTS SUGGESTION POST.

Peace out, cuddle scouts!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Lydia wonders to herself why the place sounds familiar, but as soon as she walks into The Worm Hole on Tuesday, she knows why. This is the place Stiles said he's working in, now, and of course it is, she thinks with an endeared smile. This place is perfect for him. It isn't necessarily her cup of tea, but maybe after a couple of drinks, she'll change her mind.

It isn't lost on her that it's more than a little awkward being assigned to a blind date to happen in her ex-boyfriend's place of employment, but Lydia will just...keep that to herself. As long as she doesn't see him here while she's on said blind date, she'll feel better about it. They may have ended amicably for her and might not have even ventured into dating for him, but it still feels a little disrespectful to see someone else on Stiles's turf.

As much as she's been preferential to skinny jeans as of late, this is a special occasion. Lydia admittedly feels a little out of place in a gamer's bar wearing a short, black floral skirt and a black cami under a bright, solid cardigan. She feels over dressed, but on the other hand...maybe it won't be so bad to stand out. If her date comes, she can wow him. If he doesn't, she can wow someone else. That feels like a win-win situation.

So, Lydia tosses her long red hair done in soft curls over her shoulder and lifts her chin, heading further inside to look around for the Match Meetings booth. She likes to think she's hard to miss anyway, but she'll be especially so if she's settled in there to wait.

Okay. This is a date, but a date in a bar. Which Baby isn't exactly used to - he's not used to dating much anyway, even less blindly, but he is in Cadelle to fulfill a wish. He's got to put himself out there again, get past the hang-ups Isabelle leaving gave him. He's working on it - with Jo, but with this, too. With signing himself up for a blind date. Okay. He can do this.

He's nervous as he walks into the bar, dressed in what he hopes is not too casual, but also not overdoing it, because this is - a bar, for sure. With neon lights and loud music and arcade games pinging and beeping. The sound is overwhelming to him and he flinches, pushing up the sound on his iPod, the reassuring tone of Debbie Harry's voice settling past all the noise.

He walks straight to the back, where the dates booth is, and he can't help the grin that spreads out on his face as he sees who's already sitting here. She's prettier in real life, red fiery hair and short skirt, making Baby speed his step, until he's facing Lydia.

"Hi," he starts, holding out a hand, his smile turning cheeky. "I'm Baby."

Like she doesn't know.

For a second, she doesn't recognize the person approaching, what with the flashing lights from several arcade games distracting her, but as he draws nearer, Lydia can't help the smirk that crosses her lips. Evidently the Match Maker thought she and Baby ought to meet one another sooner than originally planned.

Wetting her lips, Lydia gets to her feet outside the booth and grins back at him. He'd probably be damn near a foot taller than her, she can't help thinking, if not for the three inch heels she's wearing right now. It's the first time she's worn heels that high in what feels like forever and she's glad she made that call, now.

"Hi, Baby," she purrs back, taking his hand to shake it. "I'm Lydia."

Like he doesn't know.

"Whatcha listening to?" she asks, nodding to the earbuds. "Anything good?"

He gives her one of his best smiles, motioning for her to sit again, and he follows suit, making sure he can see and read her lips from where he sits. Lips, which are very full and red and looking pretty kissable, if you were to ask him. Not that he's going to do anything about that -

- yet, anyway.

"Blondie," he responds immediately, leaning over the table. "I'd offer you one, but I'm not a big fan of the noise in this place."

And she knows why; their first conversation revolved around his reasons. At least he doesn't have to explain the earbuds and the music and the tinnitus again, which is a nice change of pace.

"And, actually... It might sound extremely forward and way too early into this, but what if we got out of here?"

"Very retro," Lydia says approvingly, a smirk on her face when she shakes her head to dismiss his reason behind not offering her one of the earbuds. She prefers the club scene because the noise distracts her from the noise in her head, but this particular bar isn't really her cup of tea, even excluding that it's weird having a date in the place where Stiles works.

So when Baby brings it up, Lydia shakes her head again. "Not forward, please. Please lets get out of here," she laughs, getting to her feet without another question. She's more than happy to have a reason that isn't her own for why having the date here is no bueno.

"My turn to be forward: your place or mine?" she asks with a smirk that says she's kidding, even if she's only half-joking. "We could take a walk and find ourselves a new venue, just...you know, not a long one." Because it's cold out and she's in a skirt. He understands, she's sure. He seems like a smart guy.

He laughs at her question, glad that she's on the same page as he is when it comes to leaving the crowded, noisy bar, and he quickly gets out of the booth, offering Lydia his arm like a true gentleman. He was raised....well, mostly right, considering the circumstances, thank you very much.

"We can also drive around, if you'd prefer. My car's not parked very far."

An excuse to go for a drive? Baby is all over it. It'd tell her more about him than anything she could find at his place anyway - well, not entirely, but it'd still be pretty telling.

"We could swing by the diner and get some food, too. What do you think?"

Her eyebrows lift with interest as Baby offers his arm. Honestly, she's not sure anyone had ever done that for her before here, unless in jest. It's kind of nice, actually, when it happens; Lydia welcomes this particular brand of change. Her arm slips through his and hooks her elbow at his, her head tilting just slightly as she looks up at him.

"I could go for a drive," she agrees thoughtfully. She hasn't just driven to drive in a while. Allison used to do the driving, when they did that. She hasn't done it by herself since the bite and all the banshee stuff. At least, not intentionally. But she's happy to let Baby behind the wheel for the experience of it again.

Grinning slightly, she nods toward the door, more than happy to get out of here before running into Stiles and making this whole thing even more awkward than it had been when she'd walked in the door. "I think that sounds kind of amazing. You've been here longer than me...what's a place you haven't had a chance to try yet? I say we go there," she suggests as she starts to lead them toward the door and then out.

He and Lydia walk out together, arms linked, and Baby doesn't even try to hide the relief on his face when they step out and the music dies out, along with all the pings and aggressive noises, allowing him to drop one of the earbuds as he leads Lydia towards the parking lot and his car.

Yes, he absolutely opens the door for her when they get to it, giving it a little flourish with an amused grin on his face. He takes his seat behind the wheel once she's seated, and plugs in his iPod into the central console before anything else.

"Well, believe it or not, but I've yet to try Blaze. You can't go wrong with pizza, right?"

She can't help the little laugh that bubbles up and out of her when Baby opens the car door for her. Come on, is this guy even real, looking the way he looks and being as polite as he is? "Thank you, good sir," she says playfully before sinking into the passenger seat of his car.

"Blaze, really? I was recommended that place on my first day, how long have you been here and you haven't been to Blaze yet, Baby?" she asks, surprised. Truthfully, she wouldn't have gone if not for Malia's suggestion, so she really isn't holding it against the guy, which she hopes he can tell by the pleasantly surprised look on her face. "For what it's worth, their pizza is kind of incredible, so...I'm totally on board with going there," she says, leaning her head back against the headrest and turning it so that she can look over at him.

He's incredibly good looking, like stupidly and unfairly, if you ask her. It helps that he's a little older than she is; Lydia's had a thing for older guys for a while now. Stiles had sort of been an anomaly after Aiden. "After pizza, what would you say to coffee?" she asks, testing the waters.

He was raised in the South, by a Good, Respectful man. Believe it, Lydia, it's only just the beginning. He shrugs as he settles, turning the engine on and letting out a soft sigh of happiness at the way the car purrs under his touch. There are some things that just can't be imitated in life, and this is one of them.

He shrugs, smiling at Lydia before getting the car into gear and out of the parking lot. "I tend to cook for myself a lot. Kinda habit, I guess. I'm not used to having a lot of spending money to go out to eat."

Delivery pizza barely counted.

He blinks at her question, unsure exactly what she's asking. But... this is a date, after all, and things go well... why should he say no to coffee, whether it's the actual drink, or more of an intimate situation? It doesn't sound like a bad plan, to him.

So he keeps his eyes on the road but smiles anyway. "Sure. Coffee sounds good," he replies, trying to keep his face neutral.

Edited (angry icon why) 2018-02-20 11:49 (UTC)

And he cooks? "Oh my God, I'm going to have to keep you, Baby," she says, only half-joking. "You're a gentleman and you cook? Be still, my heart," she laughs. "I cook for myself a lot, too, at home...but here, I've been going out more than I probably should. I need to get back in the habit of cooking," she adds, sobering a little as she looks over at him.

He doesn't seem to hesitate, but it takes him a beat to respond, making Lydia wonder whether he's uncertain of his answer or of what she's actually asking, the latter of which is totally fair.

With a little nod at his response and a small smile, Lydia finally looks ahead again, out the windshield as he drives. "Good, do you want to go out or stay in for it?" Another question to test the waters. "I have a coffee maker, but it doesn't make anything fancy," she adds, perhaps for more clarification.

He laughs, and then shrugs. "My foster dad needed help in the kitchen in recent years, so it's just been normal to me. We couldn't really afford to go out to eat or order in much, anyway. It doesn't feel like it's that special a skill to me, but it's not like I'm a chef, either. But if you want pasta or pancakes, I'm your guy."

She might think it clarifies, but it doesn't. Baby takes a turn into the street that hosts Blaze, wishing this wasn't something she'd asked; or at least not now. It reminds him of being in a car with Debbie and telling her how much he wants to but can't, and it's slightly overwhelming.

"Let's just - see how the evening goes, yeah?"

His response, in spite of the fact that he sounds and appears closer to neutral than negative, is perceived by Lydia as a soft no. She won't push, in that case. For whatever reason, right now, he's not sure he's interested, is how she takes that and while she's not exactly used to rejection, she figures that's fair. The whole point of this match making thing was to give people a chance to get to know one another and see if anything sticks, right? So she's willing to let things play out however they will.

Besides, if he rejects her in the end, nobody has to know it but the two of them and she tells herself no one will believe him if he blabs, anyway. It's a small consolation, just in case she needs it.

"That works for me," she agrees, wetting her lips and looking over at him while she waits for him to park the car. Admittedly? She'll be a little disappointed if she doesn't manage to get him into her bed by the end of the night. Neither here nor there, until after pizza, though. Doesn't matter right now, Lydia, let it go, she tells herself.

When the car stops, Lydia unbuckles her seat belt and offers him a small smile. "Shall we?"

There's a part of him that notices, of course. He's not that good at people - especially not girls - but he realizes he's put his foot in his mouth. He might have screwed things up before they even began, but - it reminds him of other similar conversations he's had while in Cadelle, how he isn't really good at gauging the interest, and what the subtext is. He's used to being told where to be, what to drive, where to go. And he was good with that. Now, trying to read between the lines of interest, he isn't... He wishes she'd just tell him what's on her mind. What she wants.

Still - he can still try and make things better. Climbing out of the car once they're parked, he jogs over to her side and opens the door, holding out a hand with a smile. It's not difficult for them to get a table once they're in, getting one in a corner, quiet and not crowded, which is definitely Baby's favorite. He doesn't even think of pulling his earbuds out again.

"This is better. I can hear you properly, now," he says gently, moving past the awkward moment in the car. If she's still interested in him after dinner...

"So, tell me about yourself. I know little, besides the fact that we both have tinnitus."

Lydia's head tilts down a little in a coy bow when she smiles as he offers her a hand before she can get out of the car on her own. She takes his hand and helps herself out of the car, smoothing her skirt down over her thighs when they ride up a bit as she moves. Following him inside, already she's starving at just the glorious smell. Lydia is plenty health-conscious, don't get her wrong, but the pizza in here is amazing.

"This is significantly better," she agrees with a smile, tucking her hair behind her ear with one hand. He asks to hear about her and Lydia pauses a moment to consider just how much she ought to say in that vein. Hi, I'm a banshee and yeah they're real; no I'm not crazy might have gone over fine with Spence, but it really doesn't seem like good first date material. Then again, maybe saying so and gauging the reaction would weed him out of the dating pool if he's not cool with that and they can avoid wasting one another's time.

After a moment, she settles on leaving the banshee thing out. "I'm a tested genius who happens to be a huge chemistry nerd and documentary geek," she confesses, something that a few years ago, she would've worked really hard to protect from being shared. It's something she's grown more proud of and less afraid of people knowing. If he's intimidated by her intelligence, fuck him, has been her mentality the past year or so.

"I was part of the way through my first year at MIT when I decided to come to Cadelle. I'm majoring in biochemical engineering. Here, I've started going to classes for organic chemistry and statistics just to keep my mind sharp... I'm also teaching a self defense class at the women's center on Sundays." Lydia pauses and looks up when a teenage boy approaches their table to take their order and she looks to Baby, gesturing for him to pick. "Also, I'll eat anything on a pizza. Even anchovies or pineapple.
I know, I'm a real catch," she adds with a smirk.

Baby doesn't even attempt to try and hide how impressed he is. As soon as she starts talking, he leans back on his chair, eyes focused on her and absolutely showing his awe. He is not - he's never considered himself smart. Street smart, sure, a survivor, in many ways, but he's never been the kind to excel at school. So, sure, he's intimidated, but not in a way that makes him disinterested, or scared of her. More in a way that makes him even more intrigued.

But obviously, she's this smart and doing all of these things and he's a criminal that's working in a record store here to keep himself and his dog fed. He's not exactly prime dating material for a girl like her, who probably needs constant stimulation.

"You are," he replies to her little quip, leaning back over the table, showing her how seriously he means it. "You really are. Wow, what - what do you want to do, then, when you're done studying?"

Admittedly? It's kind of nice to be looked at like that again. She can't remember the last time that someone looked at her with that sort of awestruck expression. Likely, it was Stiles at some point or another before they became as close as they had. She hadn't realized how much she missed it until just now when she's seeing it again. Dimples cut into her cheeks when she smiles, bowing her head a little bit for a second before looking back up at him.

"Thank you," she replies humbly. He looks genuinely interested; that's a nice feeling, too. "I haven't...actually decided, yet," she admits. "I have several years to go before I get my doctorate — which is the end goal — so I figure that'll give me a lot of time to decide. Ideally? Ideally, I'd be somehow changing the world, but that's really broad and vague, so I'm not sure that really counts as an answer," she laughs.

Lydia's eyes move to the waiter again and she smiles. "Do you have a preference?" she asks Baby, looking back at him once more. "And after we order, your turn to talk about you," she tacks on with a little smirk.

Compared to her accomplishments, Baby doesn't feel like there's that much to say about him. He barely finished high school, and it'd just been because Joe wouldn't let him drop him. He's got nothing to show for himself, really, besides a bunch of mixes he's made on outdated equipment that he doesn't even have here.

He tries not to let his thoughts show on his face as he looks at the menu, making a face at all the choice, before settling. "Yeah, okay, I'll have the Fiorentina, please," he tells the waiter, because there is nothing wrong, ever, to go with a classic. And then he attempts to chuckle, sounding a little self-conscious.

"And there really isn't anything that interesting to talk about when it comes to me," he says, genuine. "Definitely nothing of note when it comes to academic accomplishments."

Lydia smiles a little as Baby orders. She can't say she's ever tried that type of pizza before, but it sounds interesting. She's game. Waiting until the waiter heads off again, Lydia looks back at Baby and shakes her head.

"Academia isn't for everyone. I excel at it because I'm both interested and competitive. Without both, I'd probably be a mediocre student at best, so that's okay, sweetie. What do you do back home?" she asks, a reflexive question in the vein of getting to know one another a little better. "I know you work at the record shop here, did you do the same thing back home, or...?"

Call her curious. Maybe they won't ever move past tonight, or maybe they will. All Lydia knows is that he's a good looking older guy with tinnitus just like she has. He's worth getting to know a little before making any sweeping assumptions about their future relationship, platonic, romantic, or otherwise...or lack thereof, for that matter. That's what tonight is about, after all, isn't it?

Sweetie? Baby raises an eyebrow, looking at Lydia. He can't tell if it's just because he's so used to being condescended to, but the word makes him fall back to his carefully neutral expression, the ones he's worn for years around criminals who'd want him to be terrified of them. While he doesn't think she's really looking down on him for not being into school, just that word, however it was meant, stings a bit.

He leans back to rest against his chair, fingers playing with the folded towel by his hand. "No, I didn't. Back home, I'm a driver."

He stops there, before reconsidering. Not giving this a chance just because his feelings are hurt by something she probably didn't mean is dumb. So, he takes a breath, and makes himself continue.

"I started driving very young. Made some mistakes, fell with the wrong crowd. Became a getaway driver. I had a debt to pay off."

He moves forward again, looking over the candles before looking down, the guilt and shame still burdening him every second of every day. "I'm not exactly what you'd call a 'good guy', basically."

The negative shift in his body language isn't lost on Lydia, but she tries not to read too far into it, just yet. It could be significant, of course, but it could also just be that he's more comfortable leaning back. Her eyebrows lift a little with interest at the mention that he's a driver. That could mean anything where she comes from. He could drive limos or a cab or he could just be an Uber driver trying to make it sound more interesting than it is. But then he goes on and surprise registers on her face. Not because he's been a getaway driver, but because he's willing to be honest about it.

"You're not a good guy or you weren't a good guy?" she asks, looking genuinely interested, because there is a difference, in Lydia's mind. When one considers someone like Peter Hale, one has to consider gray areas. It's a little reassuring that he leans forward again; suggests to her that there wasn't any real significance to the change in posture.

Lydia leans forward, herself, lacing her fingers together on the table top as she looks back at him thoughtfully. "I think that if we define ourselves by our shortcomings, we're bound to drive ourselves crazy. I should know, I damn near did that to myself," she says quietly. For over a year, she quite nearly drove herself into insanity with the guilt of not being a good enough banshee to prevent Allison's death. She'd had the luxury of a support system. Lydia doesn't know whether Baby is afforded that same luxury.

The candlelight dances on the table between them, casting dancing shadows over Lydia's face as she speaks and he listens, reads her lips, bites the inside of his own as he thinks on an answer. For a long time, he preferred to think of himself as the good guy in a sea of criminals. But things had changed. Now, he was just trying to make amends, and right his wrongs.

"I'm trying to be better. It's easy, here, without the influences I had at home," he replies, thinking back of Doc, and how he was like a second father, for a long time, until Baby's eyes were opened to exactly what sort of man he was. "I didn't realize for a long time, how bad it was."

He did, because Joe reminded him constantly, but Baby was good at denial, when he wanted to. Taking a deep breathe, Baby looks down for a moment.

"It's just... complicated," he says, softly, wishing he'd found a way already in how to explain himself. "Before I got to Cadelle, I lost everything that made me who I am. So right now, I'm trying to find out who this new me is. I'd hope he's a good guy."

She's quiet when she listens, genuinely interested to hear his take on that question. The fact that he takes a moment to consider before actually responding to her suggests to Lydia that he's actually considering it before giving her an answer.

A small smile creeps over her lips as she looks back at him. "Well, I might not know you that well, but for what it's worth? He seems like a pretty good guy to me, so far," she tells him sincerely. It's true that she hardly knows him, but the fact that he wanted to consider his answer alone suggests thought as opposed to reflexive self-defense.

If he wasn't a good guy, he probably wouldn't have cared enough to ponder an answer before opening his mouth to give it. At least, that's what Lydia thinks. "It's scary, losing the things that make you who you are. That happened to me, too. I think it's the journey to the next person you're going to be that decides it. If you're trying to be a new you instead of instantly falling back into bad habits, then...you're already making an effort. It'll pay off with persistence. You might like the new Baby even more once you figure out who he is. God knows I like the new Lydia a lot more and so, probably, do my friends." Especially considering none of them were actually her friends until she embraced them as such when she essentially had to start over on the social ladder.

He smiles, but it's sort of reflexive. As she said, they don't really know each other. And while he truly believes and knows he has good sides, and there are commendable parts of him, the fact remains that he's done what he's done.

He's a thief, and a murderer. There's no other way to describe what he's done, and that is something he has to live with, every day of his life. It's something that keeps him awake at night, still, memories and thoughts and fears wrapped up in his head.

"I thought it'd be liberating, for me. It was supposed to be. It was supposed to free me," he says, looking up at the waiter as he brings them their food. He starts cutting the pizza up, breaking the egg yolk to spread over the rest of the toppings. "It didn't, not really. Instead, now, I just feel guilty for how things went down."

THE WORM HOLE.

lydia martin

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