"I don't think I could get sick of that scent." Leon murmured. "You'd probably get tired of it if you smell it everyday." She smiled. [i]Like I did.[/i] She added silently to herself.

[quote=Marx]
A long sigh dragged out of his lips as he wrung his hands together. "It's not a real pretty story," Leon said, flashing her a dreary smile.
[/quote]

At that moment, she regret asking the question. But just as she was about to tell him that it's alright not to tell her, he continued. 

[quote=Marx]
"but you asked. No backing out now!" 
"Around six years ago I started working in the food distribution center. I was part of the group that would butcher meat and send it off to be sold. There were a lot of us there, plenty of older guys, people who've been working with their hands their entire lives, people who're veterans with knives. We got along pretty well at first. I worked my ass off and they appreciated it. I wasn't paying attention one day and cut my hand open and didn't think twice about healing it. Word got out and spread like a wildfire. Apparently one of the worker's kids got killed by a guy with a mutation that let set people on fire or something. Guy wanted to take out his anger, I was there, and I wasn't able to fight back. A few guys held me down and..." Leon brought a finger up to his ear, then down to his collar, which he pulled slightly, flashing the beginning of a scar across his throat.
[/quote]

Her eyes widened a little, just enough for it not to be noticeable. A certain emotion that couldn't be read flashed across her eyes for a second as she watched the scar across his throat. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat as she tried to imagine how that would have felt. Although she was tough and brave, she had low pain tolerance which she always hated about herself because to her, weakness was not acceptable. Only the strong survive. She does a great job hiding it though when people are around and only then when she's alone does she truly express the pain that she feels. 

The sound of Leon's voice brought her back to reality, "My arm was hacked off, my throat slit, and well... There's a reason I dress like this. That was back when I was unable to create shields, back when I could only heal myself. My mutation hadn't really developed yet, so I did an awful patchwork job putting myself together. I'm still working on fixing things, like the dead nerves in my arm. A couple of months ago, I was still a mute."

She was about to say something when a sudden familiar voice that immediately triggered her to feel annoyed was heard. She turned to face the direction of the voice and she stared blankly at the boy who stood there, filled with contempt and rage. The negative aura that was radiating off him made her headache worse. Tollank came and brought him out of the train and she sighed in relief and gratitude. That was nice of him. 

[quote=Brasslazer]
."Listen, Tollank, or whatever your name is, I'm just trying to figure out where this constant, nauseating smell of vanilla is coming from. And I don't even begin to see why you would be friends with woman, or any in general. Woman are horrible beings who can't be trusted, and the biggest mistake a man can make is believing that one can show any honest emotions at all!" Alan was shaking, every shouting word filled with hatred. He began to walk back to the luggage "You'll find out pretty soon what it'll get you, I can guarantee that. Meanwhile, I'm going to stay here where I don't have to be near that vanilla-scented filth ."
[/quote]

His loud voice could still be heard and she smirked lightly. He was just as distrustful as she used to be although she was much calmer and in control. She hoped that he would soon learn to control his emotions. "Thanks for being listening, Aerira. I appreciate it, I really do. If you don't mind, could I ask you a question though?" Leon hesitated. She turned her attention towards him, wondering if he was gonna ask her a personal question. "Why do you try so hard to hide your emotions? You have a wonderful smile and it's not fair to keep it to yourself!" 

Her expression softened but it still didn't give away a hint about how she was feeling. She blinked and looked at him for a few seconds, studying him and trying to discern whether he was being sarcastic or not. She gave him a small smile and leaned against the chair, relaxing herself. Her smile faded and she closed her eyes, "The longer I live, I find myself becoming harder.." She said silently. She opened her eyes and for a second, it held an emotion. She laughed lightly and sat up straight, "Just kidding. I don't know why I do." she said with a smile but her eyes gave away that she wasn't exactly happy. "It's strange how someone like you who went through so much could still smile." She said with a feeling of reverential respect.