I wished I hadn't seen the slight glistening of tears in her eyes, but I did. I hadn't meant to upset her, but I suppose I should have expected as much. I never did anything subtly. I was glad to move away from the conversation, and instead I chuckled at her question. "I'll try to behave." In all honesty I hadn't considered it, but I enjoyed the thought none the less. As we moved towards the stream, I noted her tiny fingers entwining with mine, I couldn't hide the soft smile on my face in response, though I did my best to. The soft footfalls and my cane tapping the pavement seemed to echo with a hollow melody against the stone fences of neighboring houses and it intensified the feeling of solitude in this end of the park.

My eyes kept a careful watch around us as we moved towards the little bridge, my attentive watch only hindered by the soft voice of Yejide beside me. It would seem she was keen to have her brother meet me, and though the vast majority of my being was utterly against it, I found that I was far too pliable in the warmth of her smile and I sighed. "Ah, but I am such a miscreant." I paused a moment and continued on more seriously. "I'll concede to meeting him, if you wish it." If anything I could use the opportunity to assess his character and ability to protect her.

I stared into the water as she sat beside me, her feet entering my view as she added to the ripples. I could see little flips of fins here and there and I realized it felt good to share this little spot with someone, I'd been coming here most nights for about a year, alone and often pleased to be so. I was not often a lonely creature, my anti-social demeanor was well known to anyone who knew me in the slightest, and yet there were days when I found the quiet more distracting than others. My blue eyes flickered to my hand suddenly as I felt her touch me, I stared at her fingers critically for a moment before removing my hand from under hers and clasping it with my own and resting them on my lap idoly.

The silence ticked on, and I found myself listening to the soft exhales and inhales from her body, the way she seemed to rise and fall in such an even, calmed way. She breaths like the girl from the 7-11. I flinched inwardly at the thought and glanced away from Yejide and into the darkness. I didn't want to start this battle again, I was supposed to have conquered this guilt, and yet it would seem I had only set it aside by circumstance. If I was devoid of anyone to care for, I could focus entirely on myself, without guilt and without mercy, but Yejide swooped in carrying that all back with her like my Reaper. I knew she intended none of this, and yet a hint of blame seeped into my mind, and the seed could not be killed so easily.

Her voice draws me back, and I glance over at her, her face was sillouetted by the distant street lamps, her fly away hairs like flames that danced around her face. At first I am unsure what she means by her remark, but she clarifies shortly and I nod. "I'm glad." My voice is lower than it had been, more reserved as I let my eyes slip back to the dark of the water. As my name is dropped from her lips, I tense slightly knowing what would follow would be unwelcome. And it was just that, and I hated that I found it so grating, I knew she meant it purely out of concern, but it was a double edged sword. I could let her step into my life with the blindfold entirely removed, letting her truly see the creature she had chosen to pardon for his sins, or I could deny her that trust and let the connection wither away like a rose cut from the thorny bush.

"Perhaps." I'd chosen a neutral response, one for which she could not begrudge me and at the same time might satiate her concern. In truth I could feel the words on my lips, so close to release I had to reach up and rub my somewhat bristly face, draggin my hand over my face and chin briefly. There's a dead girl in my basement, probably about 17 and I think she's a crackhead. The image of her laying there on the unfinished cement basement was still very vivid, she'd stopped breathing this morning. I didn't frequently kill anymore, but some days I just felt like it, and I had done so without much hesitation. There had only been a sort of twisted compassion for the girl as she slept in the dark, her life ebbing away slowly as the blood loss eroded her organs. At least she had felt nothing, that was my gift to her.

I moved along casually, the thoughts in my head completely invisible on my face as I played a smile and looked to her once more. "The gazebo is a human fish bowl. It's much quieter over here. I suppose I just found it by accident one night, I hardly remember." I tried to quietly recall the night I found this spot, but honestly could not. I shrugged it off and continued. "I sometimes walk this way, and up into the town. There's a nice little pub on the East end, I like to go there and get peanuts." I chuckled remembering I had a bag of said peanuts still stuffed in my pants pocket. It wasn't necessarily customary to get peanuts at the pub, but I had haggled that I knew they had bags back there, and I damn well wanted one. Pulling the fairly small clear bag from my pocket, I reached in and grabbed a few, popping them into my mouth. I had always had a habit of munching on various little snacks, a habit I think I'd had my entire life..both living and dead. Offering the bag to Yejide I smiled and gave it a little inviting shake.