Lauren's footsteps were shrouded in silence as she crept past her parents room. She rested her hand against the door frame outside their bedroom and peered in with, what she hoped wasn't, a parting glance. Yoko and Benjamin Ritsu lay together on their black futon, covered in a thick, warm looking blanket which hid both their naked bodies from their escapades the night prior. Benjamin tightly held onto his wife from behind, who stirred, only a little, to snuggle closer to the man who held her. Lauren's small mouth turned up into a smile, one bittersweet enough to leave a sour taste in her mouth. Then, without ceremony, she pulled on her pack and moved silently down the stairs and out of the Clinic. Today would be the first day she'd ever skip a morning 'run' with her squad. As she moved out of the large maw that was the opening, she looked around at the bizarre style mall with a sigh. She'd have to avoid climbing in her usual manner, that being swinging like a lunatic from one pole to the other, or using the holes in the walls to leap upwards towards the opening that was the entrance to the refuge. It would just draw too much attention and eventually alert her father to her whereabouts. Instead, with heavy feet, Lauren trudged up the many stairs to the way out of the refuge.

--

Lauren continued this way all the way to the rendevous point, keeping her head low like a dog that had received a swipe to the head for being bad. When she heard a man talking however, she looked up with a heavy heart.

And turned around midstep.

[i]Oh no, He's Hot![/i] Her eyes had practically bugged out at the sight of the attractive male talking almost down to the others and her heart thudded loudly in her ears. Since when did men get so attractive?! She could have sworn most of the people known for their career as 'models' had died according to her mom. She considered approaching him, her cheeks beat red... but then a thought trickled into her head like a small pool of dark ill will.

[i]You're not pretty enough for him.[/i]

The thought set her shoulders to a slump and for her blush to fade just a little. Her calloused hand raised up to her right, chocolate colored eye and traced the curved scar beneath it. It was ugly; or so she believed. Besides, the fatigues on that guy just screamed loner. An attractive, mysterious, tall, dark....

She shook her head to dispel the less than pure thoughts in her head. [i]He's WAY out of your league girl[/i].

With a small intake of breath and an attempt to adjust herself, Lauren slunk into the crowd... perhaps almost purposefully straying to the front, where he could see her in all her black-jacket-black-sweats-black-hair-pale-skin-'glory.'

---

Time passed as Eli said his piece, noting to her that she would in fact be the first to go, and the other scout to be the one which followed up behind her. She blinked. Wha... senpai had noticed her? SENPAI HAD NOTICED HER! She could barely contain her small squee of happiness as the other scout eyed her curiously, thinking he'd seen her before but not quite able to put a name to the face.