Thread: The Midnight Masquerade (Atroxa & GrinningGentleman)

Lydia wasnt completely broken down yet, she still had some spirit left in her, but it wasnt much. Another year and she might be like so many of the other women she saw every day, more shells of a person than an actual one. That didnt mean that she was a ray of sunshine, or that she was a particularly optimistic person. The last year had changed her, hardened her, anyone who had known her before her fall from grace would probably barely recognize her. And not just because of physical changes, but of mental ones as well. Lydia had always been witty and even funny, people had always been laughing around her, her wit meaning she was always able to make a joke about any given situation. Now though, she was too bitter to joke unless she was doing it in a mean spirited way. So when the stranger spoke of this being an era of romance, it took everything in Lydia not to snort at how ridiculous that was. An era of romance? She had been used and discarded like a cheap piece of trash, and now she had to endure that same treatment every day from strange men. Romance was dead. Lydia didnt tell him any of this though, he didnt want to hear it, and she doubted hed have a very great reaction to it if she did. Men didnt tend to like a woman to disagree with them, it was seen as arguing. And getting slapped more than once had taught Lydia to just keep her mouth shut. She watched the stranger start to circle around her, not liking that at all and turning with him to keep her eyes on him at all times. Lydia really just wanted him to go away at this point, she was going to have stop coming to the park it seemed. She didnt want to come here if it meant being bothered by strange men on the rare down time she did have. She had to deal with that during most of her waking time as it was. Lydia frowned when he started talking about her beauty and resourcefulness, not sure what he was going on about, he didnt even know her, and it only served to increase her feeling of unease. But her attention was caught by the green apple he produced, her stomach giving a soft growl. She hadnt had fruit of any sort in a year, and her mouth started watering immediately at the thought of actually getting to eat an apple, but he didnt offer it, instead the stranger toyed with the piece of fruit and then took a bite out of it. Lydia couldnt help but glare at him, watching as he leaned against a tree and pointed at her with the apple in hand, and asked her what she thought. I dont think you want to know what I think, but I will say I think its time for me to go, she told him, trying not to sound too hostile, but this man made her both uneasy and enraged. Why was he bothering her? What in the world had she done to make him come over here and harass her? And he kept talking a bunch of nonsense about beauty and romance. She was a whore, if he wanted to fuck her all he had to do was offer her some money, hell shed even settle for that apple right now. But she wasnt going to beg for it if that was what he wanted. Lydia wasnt that desperate. She turned a bit to head for the main trail, but refused to turn her back on the stranger, not trusting him in the least.