Central City Park/Bonnie and Clyde

## feat. will

Alex Bellrose

Alex was standing in front of an ATM, pressing at every button that she could find. Even after everything, she was still terrible with anything related too technology. Suddenly, the words 'insufficient funds' flashed across the screen and her eyebrows scrunched together. *What?*. For all her problems in this place, Alex had never ran out of money. Her adopted father, thinking she was in some boarding school in Australia (and now, having graduated, living there), and would never allow Alex to be broke. Emotionally traumatized? Sure! But financially traumatised? Never. Of course, now with her biological father around, Alex still doesn't need to worry about money. So seeing those words was...rather confusing.

Will Deneris

"You pressed the wrong account," Will pointed out, leaning against the ATM, easily leaning over Alex to press a few buttons and a few bills slipped out of the machine. "Now I don't have to worry about you getting lost, do I?"

Alex Bellrose

Taking the money, her cheeks a light shade of red, frowned over at Will. "No! I'm fine. I've been here thousands of times. But you're leaving already? I thought you said you were free."

Will Deneris

"I thought I was but then I remembered I wasn't. I have a date Zero," Will said, lying smoothly, as he kicked off the ATM to stretch his arms.

Alex Bellrose

To Alex's credit, she took this rather in her stride, only pausing for a moment. "Should I be telling Brooke this?" She asked. Alex still wasn't sure where she and Brooke stood. They were talking, on good terms, but Alex still hadn't brought up the idea of getting back together. Of course, according too Will, they were actually back together and, in his words, it's probably best to cut off whatever other romantic relation she might have with someone else before Brooke finds out. Alex wasn't sure who else she was romantically linked too. She didn't think there was anyone else but who knows-maybe there was and Alex just didn't realise it.

Will Deneris

The image of Brooke barging into whatever area the two boy's were in, thinking something scandalous was happening, too only find tthem mucking about as friends, was actually rather amusing too Will. Brooke's face would be award worthy. "Best not. My day is going far too well too deal with that," he hummed out anyway. "Plus, not as if Zero really knows it's a date."

Alex Bellrose

Alex narrowed her eyes. Out of all her siblings, Alex was really the only oblivious one. Zero wasn't. "You're playing with me, aren't you?" Alex asked slowly.

Will Deneris

"Absolutely!" Will said with a grin, before whacking her on the shoulder as a farewell gesture. "I'll see you tomorrow probably. Now remember, we don't live in the penthouses anymore so don't walk back to that place and get lost." With that, Will was gone, moving through the crowds of people. Alex stood there watching him before sighing. She didn't really know how to get back to her new place (which she of course shared with the same people as before) but didn't want too tell Will. She knew she had to take a bus.

Brooklyn C.

Shopping. Is what she *should* be doing, honestly, but she's a bit distracted from getting started on her to-do list. Her mind's a storm per usual, and as she had been walking through the city (it was supposed to clear her head, but it ended up doing the exact opposite), she couldn't help but let the faces of the people she recognized haunt her mind. It'd been a couple months since all hell broke loose and then they graduated, and everyone was trying their best to get to or get back to some state of normal. It was especially hard for Brooke, who could never quite deal without having a good hundred different things to worry about, but also because her normal well... Wasn't there. Her eyes skittered among the oncoming crowd ae she crossed the street ans caught a mass of hair that looked something like Will. Probably Will. What was Will doing downtown? For a second, she considered following him, but reminded herself she didn't need to anymore. Whatever Will did beyond the typically dumbassery was no longer her concern. It was hard to remember that. She kept walking then, heading down the street Will had left and came across the ATM, and a familiar brunette. Oh. Her. "Alex," Brooke murmured politely, detached, she always was since then, and moved to use the ATM.

Alex Bellrose

It was a second of isolation before Brooke turned up. Alex really shouldn’t be surprised by this point. Her eyes, wide and doe eyed, looked up at Brooke, scanning her face. Honestly-she was over the whole enchantress thing. Alex has been after a fortnight. She was never one too hold grudges. But she never knew how to reconnect with Brooke. Especially when everything imploded. She’d been nice, tried to talk but...Alex could see Brooke wasn’t quite...here. She was worried. Really worried. But Brooke was stubborn and independent. Asking for help wasn’t exactly Brookes forte. “Hey, Brooke...” she said, wondering if she should walk away or if Brooke would accept her company. “How you going?”

Brooklyn C.

Brooke paused for a milisecond, exactly one, so short you could barely see the hesitation flicker in her eyes before she shrugged, connecting her account. "It's going," she said, trying not to focus on the hair out of the corner od her eye that she was sure was growing too long. Haircut, put that on the to do list. "How are you? Moving out go well?" She wasn't invested in the conversation at all, but a part of her was soaking up the relief of talking to Alex. Her normal.

Alex Bellrose

Her eyes narrowed at the answer. Not quite sure how too interpret the answer but she decided not too press it. “You’re hair is growing longer,” she noted, her eyes running over Brooke’s hair. Alex could do it. She did her own hair often enough. Her mum was raised in a hair salon and so Alex knew how to cut it. Sure, she wasn’t perfect but she was good enough. “Sure, if you count losing every other box the moment you pack it.” Alex hates moving. Not that she had a lot of stuff. But still.

Brooklyn C.

"It is," she agreed, but didn't say more about it than that. She should've gotten it cut a week ago but she was... Distracted. She was noticing that this was beginning to be her excuse for everything she wasn't on top of. "How did you manage to do that?" She said in reply to losing the boxes. She wasn't surprised and probably already knew the answer, but it didn't hurt to make more conversation. Especially since it's been awhile. She's just checking in. Distantly, sure. But she is.

Alex Bellrose

Alex was stupid in a lot of areas. But she made up for it with being emotionally intelligent. Especially with other people. She knows when someone's upset, knows how to read a person (even Zero). Does she speak up on this? No. No. She knows not to push people to talk about their feelings. Considering she's surrounded by so many emotionally damaged children, Alex knew it was like poking at a bear. So she wasn't going to press Brooke. Press the distant look in her eye. "I don't know? I'd pack it but then when I'd come back. It's gone! Then it suddenly reappears the next day. Also, I label something but when I open it up, it ends up being something completely different. It's very strange." Spoilers: It was Will messing with her but Alex didn't realise this. "You know, if you want, I could probably trim it. I usually do it on my own hair. But I could try yours? I know how expensive a hair dresser can be."

Brooklyn C.

Probably part of why they clicked so well, and why so startling it was not to have Alex be her normal anymore. It'd been a few months though, how had she not gotten over it. She cursed to herself and shook her head, finishing up her ATM withdrawal. She tried to bring herself back, just in time to hear Alex's response, though she had honestly forgotten what the conversation was about. "Someone's probably messing with you," she said after a beat of silence, recounting the words before and registering the words after. It didn't take a genius, especially if they the two, to figure it out. "I'll... consider that," she murmured as an afterthought, taking her money and putting her card back into her purse. "You still live with roommates?"

Alex Bellrose

"I keep forgetting to look for somewhere for myself," Alex confessed. "Will and Zero don't really care if I cra-" she cut herself off as it hit her. "It's Will messing with me, isn't it?" She said, with a small groan. "Oh, whatever. Anyway, as I was saying, they don't really care if I stay at his place for however long. Plus, I haven't..." Alex trailed off. *I haven't really lived alone since the overdose and I'm scared about being alone even though I try too isolate myself every other day because I'm full of contradictions.* "Well, I haven't really decided what I'm doing college wise, so you know...no point in moving out if I end up studying across the city."

Brooklyn C.

At this, Brooke perked up slightly. Will and Zero? Usually, by now, she would've known if they were rooming together, but this was new. Well, if this was all normal, Brooke would've been rooming with the three of them too. But this wasn't, and Brooke was in her own apartment on the far side of the city. She grimaced, trying not to think about it. "It's definitely Will," she sighed, twirling the long, blonde strands of her hair. "That's fair, I guess. I never thought Zero would willingly want to room with Will but here we are."

Alex Bellrose

Alex noticed the difference instantly. Of course she did, she knew Brooke-well, she thought she did. She thought she knew all of them. But...turned out, she was kept in the dark. She could understand why but...it still stung. "I think they're closer despite the exterior. You know...they have a history, I guess." Alex didn't really know what to say to that. Except she could see they just...work. Click.

Brooklyn C.

"They always did have that secret chemistry, I guess," she said, not really knowing what else to say, not really knowing how much longer she could drag out this conversation, how much longer she could keep Alex here. She's never been unsure before. She doesn't like this at all. "Well, good for them. Good for you, too. I'm guessing between you and Zero, the apartment is spacious enough. No stepping on any toes or anything." She didn't mean to talk about the apartment, didn't want to either. Just make her think about everything she was missing out on. She didn't get much of a chance to mend things before they all graduated. Before anyone could have asked about offering to room, Brooke left, that was her own choice. She was paying the price for it.

Alex Bellrose

"I'm only five foot, everything is spacious for me," Alex pointed out. "But you're right, you're right. It is big. Too big, if you ask me, but you know me...I'm not exactly the most extravagant person. You could come over, if you want. Will and Zero would probably like it. Neither of them would confess too it, but you know..." she trailed off with a shrug. Alex would like it too. But...Alex was pretty sure Brooke hated her now so she didn't say it. "So...where'd you end up moving too? No one really ever told me," she confessed. Alex blinked and Brooke was gone. It made Alex feel...hollow.

Brooklyn C.

"No." Brooke shook her head. Funny enough, throughout their whole conversation, Brooke hadn't once face Alex. Despite the fact that she was definitely done using the ATM. "I don't want to infringe on your space," she said, supplying a quick excuse. Really, it'd just remind her a bit too much of their dormitory days. And maybe that was nostalgia she wouldn't mind reliving. As long as everything is off... like this. "Besides, the last thing you need is me doting on the three of you like I have the last year or so. You deserve the chance to be more independent..." Brooke should leave, shouldn't she? It wouldn't be that hard. Just say goodbye, turn on her heel and go. But for some reason, it wasn't happening. Her nervous system could be short circuiting. Who knows? Maybe it's a good thing she isn't going, panicking, escaping. But she couldn't quite think of why right now. "No one really knows where it is," Brooke admitted. Besides Will, who had gotten it from Luci, who had gotten it from who the hell knows where. Brooke could never quite control Luci, unfortunately. "I never told anyone."

Alex Bellrose

Alex suddenly went quiet as she thought about the past month living with Zero and Will. "You know, that sounds good in theory but I don't think it really translated into...reality," she said. There was only one brain cell between the three of them and Zero didn't like too share. Alex was realising how Brooke wasn't looking at her. God, did Brooke hate her that much that she couldn't even look at her? Swallowing, she rocked back on her heels and took a deep breathe. "Do you...do you want me to leave? I don't mean to, uh, hold you back or anything like that. You're probably busy with something...you know, it's really not that good to isolate yourself. In my experience, it, well...never really worked but then again-when does anything really work in my favour? Rarely ever." Alex was ranting but anything to stop herself from crying. "But you know, there are loads of people who would turn up if you called. Yunseo, Kit, Will, Zero, Luci...I was about to say Lucia, but she'd probably tell you to die if you called. I've tried and she's not really the most receptive to that sort of thing. So maybe not Lucia." Alex shut her mouth. She was rambling. She was also not breathing.

Brooklyn C.

Honestly, it was the exact opposite. Brooke loved her so much it was painful to remember what she lost. Though, Alex never was the best at looking at things unbiased. Unironically, out of the two that *could* read minds, Alex was quite convinced Brooke harbored some sort of dislike for her. "How so?" she said after a second, pursing her lips. She gripped the straps of her purse, not quite ready to leave yet, but knowing she would have soon. Or else, it'd just be suspicious. Then she remembered, she has no reason to be concerned about being suspicious. There's no watching her anymore. Well, except the government. "I'm... not... busy at the moment," she lied. She was definitely busy and probably should've left five minutes ago if she wanted to get anything done, but here she was. "You're right. Evil half-dead witch or not, Lucia and I still hate each other," she mused, ignoring everything else. She didn't want to discuss others. Most of which she had cut contact with. Luci doesn't even drop by despite knowing where Brooke lives.

Alex Bellrose

”I think she hates everyone. But Luci. I think she just tolerated him. But it’s not hard too get along with Luci, so you know, not surprised,” Alex said, getting lost in her head. She was also purposely ignoring the first question. Brooke doesn’t need to know the mess the three are. “But if you’re not busy, we can get coffee if you want? I should be heading back to the place but I’ve pretty much forgotten where it is and neither Will and Zero will be back until tonight. Will said they’re on a date but he also told me he was playing with me so I don’t really know. But it’s up to you. I don’t want to intrude.”

Brooklyn C.

She didn't know what prompted her to say it—but she did. "Luci wasn't always like that." She paused, looked up at the sky and fumbled with her bag strap again. "When I met him, he was afraid of his own shadow. We all were." Why was she talking about this? It's not like Alex asked for it. But maybe, subconsciously, it'd fix something if she did. "It's nice... Seeing him so outgoing. Even if he's friendly towards... concerning people." Finally she sighed and dropped her hands, figuring it'd do her good to go on her way now—that was until she heard Alex's offer and she realized she probably wasn't getting anything done today. "Coffee sounds good." Which was a lie. Brooke had never been a coffee person. They both knew. But she supposed anything to keep it going. Even if she hated the smell of coffee beans. Her mind kind of shut down after the coffee part, so she never processed the whole "forgetting the way to the apartment". Even if she did, it'd be typical Alex.

Alex Bellrose

It was confessions like that that made Alex know that she’d never really understand what it was like to be an assassin. Sure, she knew what it was like to be scared of everything (still was, really) but that didn’t surmount to their experience. “It’s always nice to see those you care about with a smile on their face,” Alex said after a moment, her eyes still looking at Brooke, maybe trying to make eye contact. She smiled, just a little, when Brooke said coffee was good. Because the idea of Brooke liking coffee was amusing. “I’m sure the place will sell other stuff if you don’t want coffee,” she said before scratching behind her ear. “Don’t suppose you wanna lead the way?”

Brooklyn C.

"It is," she agreed, nodding a little, and then she finally looked at Alex. Looked her in the eyes. She didn't smile or frown or really do anything with her face, just kind of looked down at her, like she was confirming her existence. She caught the smile, but couldn't bring herself to return it, just shrugged, turned and started heading up the pathway, expecting Alex to follow her. Quite reminiscent of their usual interactions. She made sure to walk slower for Alex and her short, stubby legs.

Alex Bellrose

Alex's heart...might have shattered. Just a little bit. When Brooke finally looked at her, Alex almost didn't recognise the face. She expected right, though, and Alex did begin to follow her, still having too move quickly to meet Brooke's long, spidery legs. "Have you applied too any colleges yet?" Alex asked, just out of curiousity really.

Brooklyn C.

Brooke didn't notice, though it's probably a good thing she didn't. Her heart would shatter too if she knew how Alex felt. If it hasn't already. She kept forgetting to slow down, used to walking at her normal speed without Alex tagging along. It was like training herself all over again. "A few here and there," she said eventually, but didn't seem to eager to share. "You?"

Alex Bellrose

"I didn't think I was going to go to a college, just figure something else out. Not like I did good in High School. But a couple have offered me scholarships. You know, for my heart. So I'm considering it now. But I don't know. Which ones? Have you enrolled into, that is." ALex was just trying to push conversation by this point. That and she was actually interested Brooke's life.

Brooklyn C.

Brooke listens mindlessly, only picking up on the details she feels like she needs to know. Which is long for well, all of it. But she pretends she only just barely paying attention, even if she really is keeping track of every word. She really should've been expecting it, but Alex's question catches her off guard and she grimaces. The truth is, she hasn't really applied to anything. She should, she knows that, but everything's been so hectic... and even worse, she doesn't know if she wants to leave Central City or not. In normal circumstances, she wouldn't because they're all idiots and they need someone to make sure they don't crash a train or something... but now... "Some in town, some out of," she eventually said, spinning a quick and easy lie as she kept walking and took a right.

Alex Bellrose

Alex would be lying if she said she didn't hurt at the idea of Brooke moving out of city. Be gone forever. Alex might just end up moving back too Paris. "Oh, that's good. Well, I hope you get in," she said, biting and tugging on the sleeve of her shirt.

Brooklyn C.

Brooke hurt at the idea of that too. Both her moving away and Alex moving back to Paris. Also the idea of both of those happening together. Her stomach knotted and suddenly she stopped. She couldn't do this anymore, it was killing her. She turned around, keeping her fierce gaze on Alex, but it wasn't intentional. She never gazes fiercely intentionally. It's just how she is. She believes it's called a resting bitch face? "I lied," she said simply. "I haven't applied to anything. I'm not going anywhere. The last person I talked to was Will and that was two days ago over HC when he tried to bring me pasta and I said no."

Alex Bellrose

Has she said something wrong? Did she offend Brooke? Those were the thoughts running through her head the moment Brooke turned on her heal to stare at her like that. The gaze that really was rarely directed at Alex. Everyone else? Sure. But Alex? Never. Thank god Alex was paying attention. Might have just crashed into Brooke the moment Brooke stopped walking. Hell, she nearly did and stopped herself just in time. It just meant that Alex was only millimetres away from the girl. Staring up at Brooke, her face fell as the words washed over her. Taking a moment to process it before lightly poking Brooke in the stomach, a smile emerging on her face. "You could have just said that," Alex said lightly, before going onto her toes, so they were almost face to face, "so what you're telling me is-you're a mess?"

Brooklyn C.

Brooke huffed indignantly because that was so not true. She wasn't a mess. She was just slightly disorganized right now. "No, I think the only thing that classifies as a mess is you, Will, and Zero sharing an apartment together with no supervision," she deadpans. She crosses her arms so she looks mad, but if you know her well enough, she's not. That, and well, she's kind of blushing and averting her eyes a little. "Besides, admitting things are wrong is a you thing. When's the last time I've ever admitted to well... anything?" she points out. Which, well... she does have a point. Though, it might not work in her favor the way she wants too. "Besides, I'm only *slightly disorganized* because I don't have my usual mess to cover for me. She's stuck being roommates with two idiots who would probably end up accidentally pitching each other off a cliff."

Alex Bellrose

As much as it hurt too hear how much Brooke was struggling now (even if she evidently wasn't admitting too it), Alex couldn't help but find a smile tugging it's why on her face as Brooke continued too speak. Alex poked Brooke again (maybe she was just finding excuses to poke Brooke now. What could she say? Alex was always a physical sort of person). Alex didn't think Brooke was mad. Not one bit. She knew the other girl and sounding kind of mad was her natural state. "I admit things are wrong because they're healthy and internalising everything and pretending everything was fine nearly killed me," Alex pointed out. "It's okay too admit you're not okay. And, you know, if that's the reason you're, in your own words, disorganised, you can always move in? You know, with us. Neither of them would complain. We do have a spare room."

Brooklyn C.

And then Brooke pouts, which is kind of a strange expression on Brooke's face because you must understand, Brooke doesn't pout. It's just not, like a lot of things, a thing that she does. It's such a strange and weird occurrence that it almost feels unnatural on her lips, but she keeps pouting anyway and crosses her arms. "No," she huffs, and it's not like she doesn't want to move in, but just the thought of moving in—into a spare room, makes her upset. "I am not living in your spare room," she says, but interestingly enough, she never denies living in the actual apartment. And honestly, while Brooke definitely heard everything else Alex said, the day she ever acknowledges that stuff is the day she died, and since it seems she's not dying any time soon, oh well.

Alex Bellrose

Gold. That'd be how Alex would paint Brooke now. If she was doing a portrait, that is. With the pout, the stance, Alex would use a bright shade of gold with a scatter of green to counterbalance it. Rocking back on her heels, she slipped her hands into the pockets of her jacket, still smiling, as if she had figured something out. Maybe she had. "I guess I understand, it doesn't have a very good view anyway," she said, "we do have the couch, though. I mean, my room is big enough for a double bed. I just stuck with a single bed but there's room for another one. It's up to you, though. I just know it can be rather lonely living on your own."

Brooklyn C.

Brooke gave up. Probably not completely because Brooke giving up completely is a very rare occurrence. Even for her. But for now, she was giving up. She just sighed and turned around, staring to continue walking to the coffee house. She doesn't really think she can stomach anymore talk of sleeping separately when all she wanted to do was sleep with Alex in the same bed, in the same room. But obviously that was happening. So she figured, she'd drop Alex off at the coffee place and phone either Will or Zero to pick her up before she's off on escapades of her own.

Alex Bellrose

Alex watched Brooke walk for a moment, still standing there, before sighing to herself. And she messed up. Again. At least she tried. Right? Then she began to walk again, her hands slipping out of her pockets but they were curled into fists, her nails digging into her palm again. As bad as the habit was, she ended up doing it whenever she was stressed or worried or anxious. So most of the time. So, of course, there were permanent scars where her nails had cut into her skin. Alex didn't say anything. She'd probably just make everything worse if she opened her mouth.

Brooklyn C.

Eventually, they got to this coffee place, and Brooke, not being a giant coffee person, grimaces as she holds open the door for Alex and prepares to hold her breath at the smell of coffee beans. Did I mention Brooke doesn't like coffee? Because she really doesn't like coffee. And it's quite inconvenient having an ~~ex-girl~~friend who likes coffee. "You go ahead and order, I'll be waiting over here," she says, and then walks over to a high table by a window, despite knowing fulling well, Alex will probably struggle to get into her seat. That might be why she picked it.

Alex Bellrose

Alex took a quick look at Brooke, almost scared she was going to turn her back and Brooke would be gone. She might actually cry if that happened. "If you're sure," she said after a moment before moving to the counter to order. A few minutes later, she came back with a coffee and a slice of strawberry cheesecake that she slid in front of Brooke. One fork of course. Alex still didn't consume sweet stuff but she knew Brooke liked it. She stared at the seat, which came up to her stomach before pushing her mug of coffee onto the bench. It took a few moments but eventually she was sitting on the chair, her feet not reaching the ground or even the bar that were intended for her feet.

Brooklyn C.

Brooke kind of sniggered at that. But only in her head. Because she'd never laugh at Alex's height. Well, not to her face. She notices the cheesecake and kind of stares at it for a second, definitely not expecting it, before she slowly lifts the fork and takes a bite of the cheesecake. It's good, obviously, and she gives Alex a clipped "thank you" before she continues, taking small bits of the cake at the time, trying her hardest to ignore all the coffee around her. Ugh, coffee. How could anyone ever enjoy that stuff?

Alex Bellrose

"Can you believe this is only my second one today? And it's in the afternoon as well," Alex said, as she twirled her spoon into the coffee, mixing in the froth. Alex was so immune to the smell she didn't smell anything and was oblivious too how strong the smell of coffee beans actually was. "I've been trying to cut down on it and I don't know if it's going well or not. It's very strange. I've been sleeping more, though. Which is good. Kind of. I still get the nightmares of course, but I don't think they're ever going to stop." Well, they did for a brief period of time. When she had someone to hold onto. But then that someone moved out.

Brooklyn C.

Brooke looks up, and the surprise is clear as day on her face. Sometimes, Brooke just doesn't have the effort to mask her expressions. And that was one of those days. She has to admit though, that's an improvement. Only her second coffee. Usually she'd be on her fifth. Brooke always did have to wonder how Alex hasn't gone into cardiac arrest or something like that. "Sleeping more is good," she said, poking at her cheesecake. It still looked as appetizing as ever, but somehow, she'd lost interest in eating it. "That's unfortunate," she said about the nightmares, knowing just how bad they got. After all, she was there when they happened... for a period of time. And she has her own. Not that she ever speaks about them.

Alex Bellrose

"Will thinks I've been possessed by your enchantress or whatever you call her," she confesses as she sees Brooke's expression. "And that's why I've suddenly cut down. Who knows, maybe I have. I don't think I have. They all joke she's this zombie and I don't have any urges for brains so I'm probably safe." Alex shrugged as she took a sip of her coffee. "Yeah, well, I suppose it was too be expected after we-you know, after everything that happened."

Brooklyn C.

"The Enchantress," Brooke corrects her, her tone stoic. Sure, they like to joke about the Enchantress, but sometimes Brooke still feels like she has to put the respect and fear in her name. Even if she's gone. After all, she's been controlling everything behind the scenes for a decade and a half. That's gotta earn some serious clout right there. Brooke didn't have an answer for that because she just didn't feel like responding. It's not like the joke went over her head or anything, she just wasn't in the proper mood to find it funny. It made her uncomfortable to say the least. "You're definitely safe," she says, cutting her cheesecake with her fork and sliding a piece across the plate. "The likelihood of you being able to handle the spirit of a half-dead supreme mage seems quite unlikely," she points out, trying to make it sound like a joke, even if a lot of it comes out quite tired. "Besides, you're like... five foot. She's at least five six."

Alex Bellrose

Quite honestly, Alex never had it in her to be afraid of someone. If she met this woman, the Enchantress, and had been threatened with death, Alex would have just shrugged and told her to go ahead. "Glad to know my height is an advantage in one case scenario," Alex responded into her coffee. "Say...on the topic of sleep, when was the last time you slept?"

Brooklyn C.

To be fair, Alex doesn't have in it her to do a lot of things, but no one's saying anything. Except Lucia. But Lucia talking shit is to be expected. She dropped her fork on her plate and pushed it towards the middle of the table, crossing her legs and glancing out the window. How do you feel so far away with some you were so close to? It's such an uncomfortable feeling. Practically suffocating really. "Last night," Brooke said with a roll of her eyes. Yeah, her sleep schedule wasn't the most admirable, but there's no fucking chance she'll start pulling a Zero and run on the two hours of sleep she got two days ago.

Alex Bellrose

"Oh, come on, it's a fair question. I don't think anyone in our social circle has good sleeping habits," Alex said when she saw Brooke rolling her eyes and poked her tongue out slightly. In Alex's defense-she knew this was...awkward, strange. But she was trying. Trying to be normal and maybe rebuild whatever they had. Even if they were just friends.

Brooklyn C.

"I had perfectly fine sleeping habits," Brooke pointed out. And for the most part, she did. Up until shit hit the fan. Not the first time she's been awake for days without sleep, but certainly the longest. And the only time she ever drank coffee. "When's the last time you slept?" she retaliated. Okay, she'd admit, she was giving Alex a little bit of a hard time, but to be honest, she didn't really like this at all. But at the same time, she was tired of being the one fixing things. She figured if Alex really had such an interest in getting back together with her, she wouldn't casually trying to be playing it up as if they're friends at a coffee shop just hanging out. Or maybe this is Alex's way of "fixing things". Knowing Alex, it might be.

Alex Bellrose

"I slept last night," Alex responded quickly, maybe a little bit too quickly. She wasn't lying, per say, it was just that it only lasted one hour. And thirty seven minutes. Basically two hours. It really was Alex's way of trying to fix things. An olive branch. However, Alex could tell it might not be working and Brooke really had just moved on from her. "Are you seeing someone?" The question shot out of her mouth without a second thought and Alex barely processed it. The idea had just come into her head. Maybe that's why Brooke was acting so cold. She has fallen in love with someone else and just thinks Alex is a nuisance now.

Brooklyn C.

"Really now?" Brooke asked, not to be skeptical but knowing Alex, her version of "slept last night" was probably a nap that just happened to happen over night time. "Must be why this is your third cup of coffee and not your sixth." She might've gone on maybe, but then Alex blurted out the most unexpected thing. And Brooke had to admit, she never in a million years would've expected her to ask something like that. Even if it *was* Alex. "Usually, if someone asked me that, I could say you," Brooke pointed out. "But the roles are certainly different now. Well no, I am not seeing anyone. And the only person I want to be seeing dumped me." Brooke took note in the fact that she sounded slightly bitter but honestly, couldn't be bothered at this point. When has Brooke ever been subtle? "Though we're doing this thing where we sit in a coffee shop and pretend we're over each other. Or maybe it's just me."

Alex Bellrose

Alex went silent. Very silent. As she tried too process what Brooke just said. "I'm not pretending to do anything. I'm just trying to..." Alex trailed off. No matter what explanation she gave, it probably wouldn't have helped. Alex wasn't trying to pretend to be over Brooke. Just... "I'm just trying to take things slow because I don't know where we stand. For all I know you could be over me." Alex could also ask 'do you blame me for dumping you?'. Sure, maybe she did regret it. However, she liked to think her reasoning was justified. "But I'm assuming you still want to date me?" She asked, a small smile tugging itself onto her face. Maybe just out of relief.

Brooklyn C.

"You're just?" she asked, giving Alex a look. Brooke's not the type of person to let someone breathe, even between responses and trying to think of words. Reflex she supposed. Typically, if you'd spared even extra second, it could cost your life. But Brooke has to constantly remind herself that's not her life anymore. "Okay, and? What's your stance? If you're not interested, I'll take my leave, Bellrose." It was clear, patience wasn't a strategy Brooke employed a lot. Especially when she was uneasy and emotionally upset.

Alex Bellrose

If Alex were anyone else, she might have bit back. Started up an argument. Bickered. Went on the defensive stance. However, she wasn't anyone else. And her reactions...rarely matched up with the normal reactions. She cringed, shrinking back as if Brooke had hit her. Going back to digging her nails into her skin, she could feel the sharp burn of her skin breaking, and she took a deep breath. Alex...Alex never liked this side of Brooke. "I never said I wasn't interested," Alex pointed out, her voice quiet and careful. Obviously, she felt as if she was walking on thin ice. "Of course I'm still interested, Brooklyn."

Brooklyn C.

Brooke tensed at the sound of her full name. People don't call her Brooklyn often. The only person she could think of that consistently did that were one or two professors and well... TE. She didn't let it show, just pursed her lips. "That wasn't very difficult, was it?" she responded slowly, drumming her fingers on the table. It almost felt like she was conversing with a stranger, but what stopped it from completely feeling like it was just how well Brooke knew Alex. Even if the tension between them was thicker than a brick. "Lovely." She clasped her hands together. "Are we getting back together then or would you like this to be more formal? Or dare I say, romantic?"

Alex Bellrose

Alex was beginning to realise being not that emotionally bright was a common thread with every assassin. Including Kit. Alex didn’t know if he knew genuine emotions existed and was allowed to feel them. She stared at Brooke, expressionless, before taking a sip of her coffee. “Romance never hurt anyone but yes, I suppose we are back together.”

Brooklyn C.

Brooke stared at Alex blankly for a few seconds before a smile sprang onto her face, a very pleased one, and she pulled back her plate of cheesecake and proceeded to finish it up. "Great, now that's been dealt with, we should take a nap," she announced. "I don't much care for Will and Zero so you can crash at my place and then I'll go inspect whatever mess of an apartment you three have managed to rent." If you didn't know Brooke very well, that sounded very insulting and commanding. And even if you did know Brooke, I suppose you could say the same thing, but that's just Brooke. Bluntness seems to be a universal trait of assassins. Though, it was interesting to see how quickly Brooke seemed to slip into a more normal version of herself. Though, she'd probably still never admit just how much the breakup had really affected her.

Alex Bellrose

Alex stared at Brooke before sighing. What else could she do? This was Brooke. Far too willing to shove down every emotion and pretend nothing bad ever happened. Sounds like an Alex move. "One day, we're all going to have a normal sleeping schedule. But apparently, that's not today," Alex said as she slipped out of the chair. At least she was...well, it seemed she was happier. However-she was curious too see Brooke's place. It could be the most luxurious, cleanest, place or a place that looks as if no one lives there.

Brooklyn C.

"I don't know what you're talking about, my sleep schedule's perfectly fine." Lie. "It's yours I'm worried about." Well, not a lie but... It's deflection. Brooke was eager to leave the stuffy cafe and walk out in the open again. Of course, she still had to walk slower for Alex, but now it was done in happier taste. She had Alex back and that's all that mattered.

Alex Bellrose

"Mine is under control in the sense that I'm so use to it that I don't question it anymore," Alex said, walking out of the cafe, trying to go as fast as she can. "And you worry about everyone else but yourself."

Brooklyn C.

"Doesn't mean it's under control, control," she pointed out. "You're in this weird range where you pass out at ten, but I might catch you up at two," she said matter-of-a-factly as she walked. She shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand as she got a look down the next two blocks. Maybe they should take another route if they want to get to her apartment quicker. "And sure I do, it's like, my job. You guys can barely take care of yourselves. It's as ridiculous as it is amusing."

Alex Bellrose

Alex had nothing to say to that-Brooke was right. But it was better than no sleep like someone else they knew! "You know, if I were anyone else, I'd argue about it but after spending the past few months with both Will and Zero...I really can't." Alex had almost come to the conclusion that Will and Zero spoke in their own language that sounded like bickering to everyone else but flirting to them.

Brooklyn C.

"You poor child," Brooke sighed. "I apologize first and foremost for leaving you with those two... for lack of a better word, idiots. I wonder how Will didn't implode and Zero didn't fade into dust." She shook her head like it was a tragedy, but it was well-known fact among all of them at this point, that Brooke seemed to be the only one with any semblance of independence. And even then, after meeting Alex... that slightly changed.

Alex Bellrose

“Zero might have, actually. He rarely leaves his room so who knows,” she said in an airy tone as she thought about it, “guess he healed from a Thanos snap to go look at the college today. But you’re back, so that’s what matters.”

Brooklyn C.

"So, same old Zero essentially," she said with a click of her tongue, content with the information until she heard the second part. And then it suddenly became a whole other story. "Zero's looking at colleges?" Brooke asked, clearly surprised and somewhat perturbed. "Where? I didn't think he'd be interested in that type of stuff. Not that he shouldn't be—but y'know, it's *Zero.*"

Alex Bellrose

Alex didn’t realise that was a touchy subject so she blinked in surprise, hoping Zero hadn’t intended that as a secret. Oh well. “I think it was somewhere in Basincross,” she said slowly. It was something to be happy about that Alex remembered the name. “I guess we’re all at a point we should think about it. Will even went with him. Maybe they’ll both end up going to college.”

Brooklyn C.

Zero looking at colleges was one thing—but Will? William Deneris, *looking at colleges*. She wouldn't lie and say she honestly didn't expect him to live past twenty-one, but she guessed that was all changing now. Everything was changing now. It irked her to think about it. Next thing you know, someone's going to tell her she has a long lost sibling or something. "Huh. Never thought I'd see the day..." she muttered, sounding lost in herself, but she kept walking, knowing how to multi task well enough. "I guess you'll go to art school, then?"

Alex Bellrose

"I guess I will. I have a few schools trying to recruit me but I'm not sure on any of them, I think I want to go visit campus before I make a decision, though," Alex said with a shrug. "Two of them are in central but it seems like everyone is moving out of the city, so I might look at one of the other cities. But I feel like I'm going to get terribly lost if I move."

Brooklyn C.

It hit Brooke then, that she had no idea where she was going to go after this. All the talk of colleges and future and recruitment made her realize this hadn't been stuff she was thinking about. Could you blame her? She just helped save the world like a few months ago, and just now started talking to (ex?) girlfriend. And after being an assassin for half her life, she never really had anytime to explore her own interests. Did she even have any interests? The only things she was good at was killing people and making sure certain people didn't kill themselves, and that hardly qualifies for any degree or 9-5 job that she knew of. Alex had art, Zero had writing, even Will had music, or, although Brooke hated to admit it, comedy under his belt. Her? She... well, she existed. "You should go," she started, taking a deep breath. "Outside the city, I mean. Xena is really beautiful. But I get it if you stay here."

Template:ALex2

Brooklyn C.

Brooke nodded her head. Typical Alex answer. For as much as Alex likes to keep to herself, Brooke knows the lack of human interaction ~~especially considering how helpless Alex can be sometimes~~ wouldn't do her any good. Usually, this is where Brooke would suggest that Alex come with her to her school, except for the fact that Brooke hasn't looked at any universities and definitely hasn't applied anywhere, so she couldn't offer anything. "Yeah, let's," she sighed, stretching her arms. "Only a few more blocks to my apartment," she announced, swinging her arms at her side. "The money from Way Point, has kind of helped. Speaking of... Have you..." she paused, nibbling at her lip as she thought about the question one more time before asking it. "Have you talked to Luci recently? After the whole... Enchantress mess, it's like he completely went off the grid."

Alex Bellrose

"Has he? I spent three hours on the phone with him yesterday-" Alex began then stopped when it clicked that Luci might not want her saying anything. "I mean...I guess it's been difficult to get into contact with him lately. I think he's been busy with Lucia or something. Don't know. We mostly talked about end game and black widow. Nothing, um, of importance. And really? The apartment is that close? I bet it's really pretty. I can't wait to see it. It's just you in there? Does it ever get lonely?" Has she already asked these questions? Maybe. But now she's trying to draw the conversation away from Luci.

Brooklyn C.

Brooke's never been deturred at people's attempts to distract her, and she certainly isn't going to start now. Plus, it was way too obvious Alex was trying to change the subject by asking her irrelevant questions. "Ah, just as I thought," Brooke said suddenly, cutting Alex off. "He's ignoring me." Was she surprised? No. Annoyed? Definitely. But did she know why? Not... really, actually. It was frustrating not having her usual network of information, not in reference to Luci but more in general. Not having tabs on everything irked her. "You said he spoke to you yesterday? Can I see your well..." She paused, thinking of what to call it, knowing fully well that it's actual name meant something completely different on Earth. "...phone?"

Alex Bellrose

Alex contemplated throwing it into the bin that they just passed. Pretend to be as clumsy as ever. "Sure. I don't remember my password, though. Will changed it last week. He told me but I don't remember it," Alex admitted, passing it over. Brooke probably already knew it was changed.

Brooklyn C.

Brooke did not know it was already changed. In fact, Brooke did not know any of these things, and that fact bothered her. She decided right then and there, she was no longer going to be out of the loop. The idea of not knowing bothers her down to her core. Which is why it bothered her even more, that Luci had cut contact with no explanation. She stared at the looking glass for a good few seconds, wondering if she should try something out. She doesn't know why Alex would just *let* Will change the password on her phone, but also... it's Will. And it's Alex. She's not surprised. Regardless of not knowing, she decides to try something. When it works, Brooke... genuinely wants to facepalm. "If you're wondering what Will changed it to..." She takes a giant sigh in between, just to show how dumb it was. "It's 'Will is my husband, not Brooke' with no spaces, and the first letter of every word capitalized. So long, ugh."

Alex Bellrose

Alex narrowed her eyes. She had a few questions, like how on Earth Brooke decided to try that and why on Earth Will would say Brooke isn't her husband-clearly, she's not- but she decided not to question anything because her brain wasn't big enough to process that. "Can we change it back to 1234, I remember that quite easily. Oh, and Luci is under Tony Stark."

Brooklyn C.

Brooke blinks twice, one for the incredibly idiotic suggestion of 1234 and the fact that Alex keeps her contacts under comic book character names. Though out of curiousity, she asks, "What hero am I saved as?" slightly hoping it's something cool like Captain Marvel or Black Widow. She Hulk would also work too, though Brooke doesn't know how well she looks in green. "Also, seriously... 1234? When Will changes your password again, I reserve the right to tell you, 'I told you so.' Remember that."

Alex Bellrose

"Oh, no you're just Brooklyn. It's just Luci. I'm put down as Scarlet Witch in his," Alex responded before scrunching her nose up at her. "I don't really remember anything else. I keep on getting mixed up with the letters and numbers a lot of the time. But fine-you can say I told you so." Brooklyn always does anyway.