[hider=Collabaritis post between Sten and Lucy]Sten flinched and stepped back a few steps as he collided with Lucy. His chin hurt slightly as they had bumped into each other. He rubbed the discomfort away before he actually looked at her. He left out a dull and emotionless. "Owch." To express his pain.

He remembered her from his class, except this time she stook out. The green dress, the jade bow, the scarf, and her prideful expression... all of it shouted "I am the Green King!" Sten found such pride and willpower to be admirable. Before he knew it he had breathed out an awed. "Beautiful."

He cleared his throat and looked her in the eyes, sincere apology in his expression. "Sorry. Are you hurt?"

Due to her fall just a few minutes before, Lucy was already hurting. This one just added even more pain. Thankfully, though, this time she didn't fall back. Instead, just ran into an elbow, chin, maybe a knee? A groan escaped her lips before she could stop it.

It was almost all forgotten when she thought she heard him call her beautiful. Of course, as she tilted her head to look at him in confusion, Lucy convinced herself she must be crazy. After all, they saw each other most days, and he'd never had that reaction before. So, she put it behind her and instead let out another, "Sorry!" at the same time he did.

This caused her to smile a bit. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you. You?"

Sten chuckled a bit, the simultaneous apology amused him. "I've had worse." He stated it pretty simply, mostly just to brush the bruise he'd be getting later off. "It's my fault really. I was lost in thought and wasn't paying attention. Trying to figure things out with DGO and all the mess going down there." He hadn't planned on speaking as much as he did, but he just let slip with his thoughts a bit there.

He scanned her over once more. Breaking dress code like she was certainly left an impression that the normal attire that everyone wore couldn't match. "Very brave to break dress code like that. I like that. Very admirable." He hesitated a moment as if he wasn't certain that these were the words he was looking for, but he didn't say anything after that as he wasn't sure of what to say either way.

At the mention of DGO, Lucy's expression fell. With the worry she felt for her Rangers, she'd gotten her mind of off most everything that had happened. Now, she was reminded. The Green City was [i]gone[/i], destroyed by those terrible Mayhem Riders and the dissolutions they could somehow control. But the worst of it was knowing that the Fanged Rangers had been targeted because of their weakness. Even with the help of the other kings, she had not been able to defend her territory. It was shameful. 

His words brought her out of her own head, but her expression did not change. Lucy responded to him much as she had to her earlier run-in. "What else can I do? I've let down everyone. Showing that we're still here, that we haven't been pushed down into nothing, and that we aren't afraid... It's the only thing we can do, and this was the only way I could think to do it."

The moment Sten saw Lucy's expression fall, he felt something like regret, or maybe it was sympathy whichever it was he wasn't certain. He kept mostly to himself and because of that his understanding of social interaction had been hampered. He doubted his choice to join the Ebony Strykers, but he didn't want to lose integrity by leaving them as soon as he joined them. Joining them also was the best decision for him if he wanted to figure out their plans, at least that was how he felt.

What else could she do, he wondered. Part of him wanted to give her some advice, but his own lack of experience left him doubtful that he could do anything aside from some words of encouragement. "I-I don't know what I can say." He admitted. "You're stong enough to make a bold decision like this. I have no doubt you and the Rangers can pull through this."

He thought for a moment as he continued working his brain to figure things out. What had been done was not something that was supposed to be done. It was an unspoken tabbo. A game changer. His expression went from uncertain to "eureka!" within a few moments. "I think I've figured something out. I need more evidence though." Why was he admitting this to her? There wasn't any point to it was there? Since when had he needed to speak to other people think?

A small smile graced her lips as she heard the words. Lucy knew that her and the Rangers would pull through, rebuild somehow, even if it took everything she had, but to hear it from someone else was... relieving. That was exactly what she wanted. For other people to believe that they would bounce back as well. For other people to know that there was no way the Fanged Rangers were out of the fight, not even close. 

During his quiet, Lucy took the time to actually look at him. Normally, she was so focused on her invisibility and keeping it, that she didn't even bother to get to know other people anymore. The only time she had any type of conversation was when it seemed like someone else was bothered by someone. Lucy had always had the type of personality that made everyone want to tell her their problems. Most people would be annoyed by this, but not her. It was something she took pride in.

Silently, she wondered what Sten took pride in. It didn't really matter, but it was something she was curious about. It seemed like most people didn't really have anything like that, and the ones that did usually had.... well not bad qualities, but more... selfish. 

Her mind had been sidetracked, Lucy realized, and she turned her attention back to the boy in front of her. She was just starting look at him again when she noticed his face light up with some realization. One he voiced seconds later. Her smile grew, though she also did not know why he was telling her this.

"Well it's always good to learn something new, but do me a favor, yeah?" Here she paused and gave him a serious look. "Be careful getting that evidence. Lately, both of our worlds aren't exactly safe."

Sten couldn't help but notice Lucy's smile grow. It was something almost entrancing. He had never really shown any interest in other people before, so why was this so fascinating? He nodded quietly as she requested he be careful. She was right about both worlds not being safe with the recent history of things going on in DGO. The murders. The hackers. What if those incidents were related to the battle that just happened? That was just another question to be answered.

Sten finally decided to smile slyly. "I'm always careful. I'm a solo player after all." Even though he had just joined a guild, he couldn't call himself a team player, yet and getting rid of that mentality would be no easy task. The facts were he was still likely to go off alone and hunt dissolutions or outlaws. Even if he was a team player, he doubted he'd forget the tactics he learned from his time soloing.

He still wanted to afford her as much respect as possible. He couldn't imagine many people committing to something like she did. It certainly sent a message out clear. He extended his hand for a shake and smiled. "Thanks for your concern though. Best of luck, and I guess we'll see each other around."

That smile was back as she held her hand out to him as well. It was strange to be shaking someone's hand when she'd met them plenty of times before, but it made sense in a way. It was like a hug between strangers or in their case, acquaintances. Mostly, she was glad that he was a solo player because it would be the safest place for him. Any guild he joined would be part of the war. The Ebony Strykers would be safe for now, but sooner or later, the rest of the guilds would get to them just as they had got to her. 

"Of course we will! If you need help with your evidence gathering, don't be afraid to ask. You know who I am in DGO after all." Lucy grinned at him before pulling her hand back and stepping around him. She was just about to continue towards the Ranger's meeting place when she turned around for a second, saying one last thing. "And try not to be so solo-oriented. It sounds lonely." 

One last smile at him, and she was racing down the hall just as she'd been before their crash.

Sten nodded once to her and waved as she turned back around and rushed down the hall. He shoved his hands into his pockets and stood around a bit thinking. That was the first extended social interaction he had had with anyone in his age group. It felt nice. He felt proud that he had been able to have such a pleasant conversation. He then began his leisurely walk around campus to consider the new ideas he had floating in his head.[/hider]