[color=#8B8989][h2]¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸a collaвoraтιon вeтween rj and lιlιen¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸[/h2][/color]
[sub][@SecretlyDiscord] and [@sakurasan][/sub]
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[color=#6F4242]:-:Location:-: [u]Rosen-[/u]  Lilien's apartment --> The Lovely Sunset Diner[/color]
[color=#856363]NPC'S- Mary, the owner of the Lovely Sunset Diner - Calen, the motorcycle gang member[/color]
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Lilien awoke with her brother near her on the ground. He had blood on him. She sighed and stood up, ruffling her unruly hair. She had on a pair of black shorts along with a tank [url=http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0182/4159/products/SummerNights_MensTank_Back.jpeg?v=1458939425]top[/url] that was meant for men. Under it was a black sports bra due to the fact that it would expose some sideboob if she didn’t wear it. 

She sniffed and scratched her leg which had a scar on it. Heading into the restroom and carefully applying foundation to the marks and bruises on her body. Lilien hummed as she did so, making sure not to allow anything to be seen. 

[color=#81D8D0]“Good morning mother.”[/color] she whispered, kissing her mother’s forehead as she lay on the ground. Her mother blinked once before nodding and clutching Lilien’s hand, then releasing it. “I’ll make breakfast. You’d like some curried egg with spinach, wouldn’t you? You’ve been losing more weight mother…” her voice is quiet as she speaks into her mother’s ear. 

“Mmm… I just ate last night dear. I-I ate an entire pie. And a bowl of salad.” 

It doesn’t count as eating if you throw it all in the trash while you think i’m not watching. It doesn't count if you throw most of it up afterwards. It doesn’t count at all. “Alright. I’ll make you your breakfast.” giving her a faint smile before she walks into the kitchen. 

Right as she walked into the kitchen, she felt something in her foot and looked down. [color=#81D8D0]“Oh. Shit.”[/color] she says with a monotone expression after realizing that she had stepped on a shard of glass. She doesn’t bother pulling it out and instead goes over to the sink and washes her hands, humming yet again. She got out three eggs and saw that there were no spinach. Dang it. She also needed to head out to work. [color=#81D8D0]“Mother, i’ll have to have you eat a simple thing of toast for today. I do apologize.”[/color] Lilien calls out to her loudly yet it sounds so soothing that you wouldn’t even be able to tell that she was yelling. There was no response from her mother. Everything was just silent. 

Lilien went into her brothers room and got out a simple white T-Shirt that was a bit too big for her. It looked as if it was meant to be a dress on her. She took off the tank top and the horrendous scars underneath them showed. Lilien began humming as she placed a black sweater over the sports bra. She would keep the shorts on. Not that they were barely seeable to the eye after being covered by the top. She then grabbed her bag and just as she did, she heard the doorbell ring.

Her mother automatically ran into her tiny room and locked her door while her brother remained asleep. Lilien’s eyes unconsciously widened as she wondered who it could be. Her father isn’t home at these times so it could only be a salesperson or a loan shark. She grabs a knife and stuffs it in her back pocket before opening the door. Once she slowly opens it, she exhales subtly. This mans heart was purple. He hadn’t killed anyone before. 

[color=#81D8D0]“Goodmorning.” she says, a kind smile now on her face. “Is there a problem?”[/color] Slowly closing the door and taking out her key to lock the door. 

"Good morning, miss. Are your parents home?" RJ asked politely. He watched Lilien close the door. His eyes narrowed slightly and he tilted his head. "Unless, of course, you are the owner of this house?" 

She began to walk as if she expected him to follow. [color=#81D8D0]"I live here with my brother and mother. My mother left at 6 am for work so I apologize for that."[/color] She stopped and turned around to face him. [color=#81D8D0]"I take care of practically everything in the house though. What do you need?"[/color] 

RJ smiled, satasfied with the answer. He had glanced down at the knife in her pocket, but chose to ignore it seeing as he could probably get away if she pulled it on him. "I am from the local Social Working facillity and a few nights ago, we got a noise complaint from one of your neighbors. They seemed very concerned. May I ask what you and your family were up to on May 19th?"

Shit. One of [i]those.[/i] Lilien covered her mouth and chuckled. [color=#81D8D0]"Oh my. I didn't think... I told them to turn it down."[/color] Lilien put a smile on her face. [color=#81D8D0]"My mother has a habit of watching horror movies on full blast on Saturdays. She just [i]wouldn't[/i] turn it down. I'm sorry..."[/color] Lilien's voice is calm and apolagetic as she plays with her fingers. 

RJ's smile disappeared. "Right. Of course, horror movies are such a classic excuse, you know..." He looked at the sky for a moment and sighed. "We have over ten 'noise complaints' on your house. I just want to to know that we have the resources to help you, whatever is going on." He raised his hand to place it on the smaller girl's shoulder. His eyes softened considerably. "Could I take a look around your house?" 

Lilien's smile vanished as well and it was replaced with an expression of boredom and disgust. Fuck. This had happened before andthis excuse had worked. I guess they hired someone with a little more logic. This was why Lilien hated it when her father took his anger out on mother. It was usually Lilien but he just [i]had[/i] to choose mother. Fuck. She smacked his hand off of her shoulder. [color=#81D8D0]"No. I need to get to work. You'll have to come another time."[/color] I don't need protecting from a coward. Last night I couldn't help mother because of the fact that my brother went frantic. I could have hurt him. 

He didn't seem phased by her action. "That's fine,"  he said, digging through his bag and pulling out a notebook and a pen. He clicked the pen a few times and scribbled on the top corner of the page. RJ looked at the girl with an attentive expression. "Could you tell me where it is that you work and if your income is primarily supporting your family? I also need your mother's workplace, home number, cell number if you have it, and a time that would be best for me to contact you again." He didn't want to seem pushy, but yes he did. RJ decided that he wanted to protect this kid and her brother, if what she was saying was true and she did have a brother. He was not sure what to make of the parents, but he knew that the kids were worth potentially getting stabbed over. 

Agh. Just as she was about to respond, her brother came out of the door with a black sweater, jeans, and red sneakers. He had obviously just woken up and his hair was a bit messy. No. God no. Vincent locked the door quickly and went over to her. 

[i]"Who the hell are you?"[/i] Vincent had a nasty look on his face as he went behind Lilien and practically pulled her back, grabbing her shoulders. [i]"Sis, you shouldn't talk to creeps. You know that."[/i] 

With that, Lilien rolled her eyes. [color=#81D8D0]"He's not a creep Vince. Just some guy from social services. What are you doing? Wait. Do you have work today? I thought you didn't work on Sunday's."[/color] 

[i]"No. I'm just going out to the store to go and get some food. We're out of alota of shit so I thought i'd go and get it so that you didn't have to."[/i] he sounded calmer than before now and loosened his grip on her. He had too much strength for his own good. That might leave a mark. 

[color=#81D8D0]"Oh, alright. Thanks Vince. Anyways. You needed to know where I worked?"[/color] she looked back at the man that had asked a question. I work at about 8 different places but let's just tell him one. [color=#81D8D0]"I work at a diner. Lovely Sunset Diner, it's right by here. I can just ride a bus to the place and you probably saw it on your way here. My mom works at a new place. I forgot the name but i'll find out. But we get by [i]just[/i] fine so you don't need to worry about that."[/color] Most of the income came from her since she actually did make a good amount of money. Hopefully this was enough.

"Considering the recent attacks, I think it would be better if I gave you two a ride to wherever you're going." RJ smiled brightly. He put his pen in his left hand and extended his right hand to Vincent. 
"You must be the brother." He said, "My name is Robert Carr, from Social Works. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I take my job very seriously." 

Vincent didn't like this idea but he also knew that the car was in the shop. He murmered something under his breath and nodded. [i]"Fine. Sis. Go with him, alright?"[/i] He said it as if she [i]had[/i] to do whatever he told her. But Lilien did listen to whatever he said. [color=#81D8D0]"Got it.. What about you?"[/color] she asks, looking up at him. [i]"I've got to go and do something else before I go to the store so i'm alright."[/i] with that, he leans forward and kissed his sister's cheek, almost kissing her on the lips. Then, he whispers something into her ear that wouldn't be able to be heard by the Robert. [i]"This thing's a human. He reeks. If he does anything, you [i]know[/i] what to do. Just [i]kill him.[/i]"[/i] he says before giving her shoulders another light squeeze and  off before the other man could say anything. 

Lilien narrowed her eyes at him as he walked off. He never liked how he was fine with hurting other's yet broke when it came to father. Goddamn blood thirsty, sister complex imbecile. Lilien herself wasn't too fond of violence. At least, she liked to say so anyways. [color=#81D8D0]"You heard him. Let's go, yeah?"[/color]

"Yeah..." RJ paused to watch Vincent walk away. "Right this way." He bowed and gestured to his car in a dorkily chivalrous way. He then walked all the way to the Nissan and opened the passenger door before opening his own. He got in and patted the passenger seat, smiling at Lilien so that she wouldn't feel threatened. 

Lilien followed behind him obediently and as quietly as possible. His smile made her unconsciously take a small step backwards until she figured that he was just doing it to seem nice or whatever. Lilien got into the car and turned her head to look outside. She was hoping that he wouldn't ask any more questions. These types tended to overstep boundaries but he probably wouldn't. 

RJ sighed. He was a bit disappointed that his new companion wasn't talking much. He started the car and turned the radio on to the popular music station. It was the safest bet he had. 

"You can mess with the radio if you want." He offered and pulled away from the curb. "What was it, Lovely somethin' Diner? You're gonna have to give me directions." RJ's stomach growled. He had barely even touched his breakfast this morning before the call came and he rushed out the door. He blushed a little. 

An awkward silence fell in the car and it drove RJ mad. He wanted so badly to ask questions, but he knew that, while this would be the perfect situation, it would probably not earn him the trust and respect that he needed from her to do his job correctly. He spoke up anyways. 

"So, how is life here? You know, I've only been in town for a few months, so I haven't had the chance to do much. And with work and everything, man... my coworkers are really working me and my friend. They send us out to do all of the rough jobs. Last night, with the attack and everything, they had us working till three! Do you ever have to work super late?" He rambled. 

Lilien didn't feel like having to listen about any of those Reaper killing terrorists. [color=#81D8D0]"Lovely Sunset Diner. It's on Lilac street and it's about 10 minutes from here. Just keep going straight."[/color] Lilien barely looked at him until she heard his stomach growl. Jesus. He wouldn't end up eating at the darn place, would he? Seeing him blush made her internally chuckle. Pft. How [i]cute.[/i] This specific diner that she worked at was a place home to a bunch of dangerous gang members. A while back, they made it their hang out spot and they even took a liking to Lilien. Of course, not her brother since he's a dipshit to any guy that she talks to. 

The question about how life was here made her smirk as she looked up at him. Had he not seen the shitty place she lived in? Or maybe he wasn't looking outside of the car enough to see more than 5 homeless people asking for some money. [color=#81D8D0]"It's just [i]great.[/i]"[/color] she says, not meaning to sound so rude and sarcastic. [color=#81D8D0]"Yea, the latest i've worked is probably 8 am."[/color] she responds. 2 am? Please. 

"Damn," RJ muttered, "Straight savage." He smirked at his own usage of street slang, "Do you at least get over-time?" He glanced over to her. A young girl like that should not be working through the night like that, he thought. That was the reality of the job, he supposed, meeting kids and people who wouldn't get much further than where they were at the moment. He looked back out the windsheild. RJ's confidence kept her tone from getting to him. 

"You can be yourself." He smiled softly, "It doesn't bother me. You forget what I do for a living." He laughed under his breath. "Some people try so hard to make their lives seem normal, but they also forget. Why do they think I'm there? Socializing? Hah." He joked, then realized that he sounded more like his dad than a 24 year old. 

[color=#81D8D0]"Ah, i guess.. Sometimes."[/color] The late night work wasn't for the diner. The diner was owned by a sweet guy around 30 years old. They made sure to pay her and besides, they knew her father. The nice cop that went around town protecting them from bad guys. 

The mention of being herself made a smirk form on her lips. At times like these, a lot of people would say stuff like "You  don't know what i'm going through." or "You don't know anything." but she knew that she also knew nothing about him. "I wasn't trying to make my life seem [i]normal.[/i]" she says, looking back out the window. After that, she turned her head, finally actually looking at him. [color=#81D8D0]"How old do you even think I am? Just wondering."[/color]

Rj was stunned by the question. He slowed down and stopped at a red light. "I don't know." he admitted, "Young. Maybe older teens..." He looked at her, making eye contact. "I'm gonna guess in the 17-19 range..." He noticed that the light had turned green and accelerated again. "How close was I? Close?" He thought for a bit and then asked, "How old do you think [i]I[/i] am?"

[color=#81D8D0]"19."[/color] she says, moving her eyes away from his gaze. Eye contact wasn't something that she was a fan of. [color=#81D8D0]"You?"[/color] with that, Lilien looks back at him but not at his face or anything like that. She looks straight at his chest and through to his heart. "24." she says as a matter of factly. 

"Right!" RJ grinned stupidly, "Fantastic! God, I love reapers. So amazing." He looked back at her. "You're amazing, you know that?" He stated in a serious tone. RJ, at this point, had abandonned all civility and respect for personal boundaries. He smiled out the windshield.

His sudden outbursts caused Lilien to flinch as she looked over at him. Well, not everyone loves Reapers so dearly. His unexpected compliment made Lilien turn her head back outside of the window, her hair covering her face a bit more now. I swear to god. I will [i]not[/i] get embarrassed by this shit. "That's the place right over there. You see it? Just turn left here." The Diner looked run down and it had more than 4 motercycles outside of it along with a few classic motercycle gang guys that were just hanging around the place. The cars looked actually pretty posh due to the fact that a new gang had been hanging around and they seemed to have some cash for nice cars.

The sign was barely even holding up, the u in Sunset not anywhere to be seen. It seemed like a shitty place but the inside was better than the outside. Not that you could see that from the outside with the black curtains covering the windows. 

RJ did as he was directed, not entirely oblivious to the now straigned atmosphere in the car. He pulled in to a parking space at the far end of the parking lot. His clean white car looked enitrely out of place in the parking lot, but RJ had been in rougher parts of town and didn't feel nearly as phased by it as he should have. 

As he took the keyes out of the ignition, he shifted to face Lilien. "Hey, do they serve pancakes here?" He smiled. 

With this question, she brightened a bit. [color=#81D8D0]""Yeah! Mary makes [i]really[/i] good pancakes."[/color] she toned it down a bit, surprised that he even wanted to go inside. [color=#81D8D0]""...You're going to eat here? I mean. It's alright but..."[/color] She opened the car door but still faced him. 

"Well, yeah. It's only, what 8;45?" RJ said, opening his own car door. "I haven't had breakfast yet, and those pancakes seem promising anyways." He stepped out of the car and hit the 'lock' button inside the drivers door before closing it. RJ purposefully avoided the obvious 'but you're super white bread and these guys could seriously kill you,' statement that was inevitable. He started walking towards the diner. RJ nodded at the men who were standing outside. 

"Beautiful day, Gentlemen." He called out, but didn't further engage. He hoped his comment would show that he isn't afraid of them and that he wasn't a threat to them. 

Lilien chuckled. They weren't bad guys but they sure as hell looked terrifying. Upon opening the door, one of them called out to her. [color=#81D8D0]""Oh, sweetcakes!"[/color] he yelled, coming over to her and giving her a smack on the butt. Lilien kissed his cheek and smacked his hand. "What'd I tell you about that? I'll tell your girlfriend. And she's a feisty one, ya know." Lilien has obviously brightened up a bit. [i]Sweetcakes.[/i] That was the worst nickname ever. 

[color=#81D8D0]""What's that you've brought? A boyfriend? Freshmeat?"[/color] he asks teasingly as he looks over at RJ. "You know I don't do boyfriends. [i]But[/i] he's not freshmeat either you bloodthirsty idiot. You're acting like my brother." at this, the man looks back at Lilien. [i]"Your[/i] brother? That guy with the major sister complex? Nah. He's just an idiot. Me, baby, i'm sweeter than him." He says confidently. 

Lilien punches him pretty hard but gives him a playful smile. [color=#81D8D0]""That's my brother you're talking about. Watch it. Remember what happened the last time you pissed him off? How's your arm, [i]baby?"[/i][/color] with that, the man that was named Calen put a hand to his heart and acted hurt. [i]"Ouch sweetcakes. Ouch."[/i] He soon went on his way and Lilian said hello to a bunch of the other guys and gals that were hanging around. No one there didn't look like they hadn't killed anyone.

[color=#81D8D0]"They're idiots. They won't hurt you."[/color] Lilien then walks into the Diner and a sweet older lady that was 49 years old and had white hair smiled at her. "Hey darling. Get your uniform on and get to work. Business is booming this morning." she says kindly. [color=#81D8D0]"Morning Mary."[/color] Lilien goes over and kisses her on the cheek. "This guy wants some of your [i]devine[/i] pancakes." Lilien loved this place if it wasn't obvious enough. She smiled and put on an apron. 

[color=#81D8D0]"Looks better on the inside, does it not?"[/color] she asks him. The inside looked like a classic Diner that had been around for a while. They even had a jukebox in the corner that was playing Fooled around and fell in by Elvin Bishop. Lilien swayed to the music a bit as she gave him a glass of water with a professional smile. 

RJ reached out to shake Mary's hand. "Good morning, ma'am. It's a beautiful day out." He gave a charming smile before looking back at Lilien. He had an expression of serenity on his face whenever he looked at troubled people in their comfort zones. It wasn't often, mind you, but RJ reveled in it. He liked watching Lilien enjoy herself in this place.

"It's beautiful." RJ exhaled. He had a soft spot for diners like this, the ones that reminded him of the old dives back in Washington. His dad always told him that diners are where friends and family can be found, and RJ believed it. It was in a diner like this that he went on his first date and where he had his first kiss. Not that it was different from anywhere else he went, but RJ felt comfortable. He did a 360 survey of the place before finding an empty stool at the counter. 

"You seem more chipper now." RJ mentioned. "Does Mary treat you well?" His question seemed more casual than the questions from before, less of an interview and more like a passing remark. He sipped his water and looked up at Lilien with puppy-dog eyes.

It's a beautiful day out? She hadn't heard anyone say that in a while. Lilien slightly smiled when she heard him compliment the Diner. For some reason, a compliment to the diner made her feel better than getting a compliment meant for herself. [i]Much[/i] better. His remark of her being more chipper didn't surprise her but she felt like she should tone it down. [color=#81D8D0]"Mary? Mary's lovely. She's like the mother for all of us."[/color] she says, her eyes nearly closed as she wipes down the counter. 

Mary speaks up then. "You're too sweet. Your fa-" with that, Lilien quickly cuts her off and begins speaking. [color=#81D8D0]"Oh! Mary! Do you have any apple pie? I don't know what you do, but it tastes better when you make it."[/color] she says, giving Mary a smile and turning back to RJ. Wait. What the heck was this guys name? Oh yeah. Roberto. Wait no. Robert? Yeah. 

"Yeah I have some dear. Freshly baked too. I'll go and get it." with that, Mary dissapeared into the kitchen and Lilien internally exhaled, glad that she got around the mention of her father. She barely even said father before she cut her off so it was fine. 

RJ put his elbows on the counter and leaned forward. "How long have you been working here, then?" He asked, making eye contact again. His mouth was formed into the shadow of a smile. He appeared to be much more relaxed than he was earlier. Perhaps the tiredness from last night was catching up to him again. He yawned, covering his mouth with his fist. 

"Sorry, could I get some coffee?" He asked. "Gotta get that caffeine rush." RJ flashed another charmingly dorky smile and sat up straight. He ran a hand through his hair, which was relatively well behaved, though still a bit on the crazy side. He attempted to make the best of the situation by rustling it a bit and parting it slightly. The effort was futile, his hair morphed right back to its original appearance, much to RJ's frustration. 

[color=#81D8D0]"I've been working here for... about 5 years now."[/color] she says, her eyes widening at her own words. Time flew fast. [color=#81D8D0]"Yeah, sure."[/color] she says, going over to the coffee station and pouring him a nice and hot cup. [color=#81D8D0]"There."[/color] Lilian looked at his hair which he kept messing with for whatever reason. [color=#81D8D0]"What are you doing? Your hair looks fine."[/color] she says, handing a man nearby his order. 

"Hm?" RJ focused on her. "Oh, thanks, but I let it dry while I slept so I think it dried funny..." His voice trailed off. "Not that I can do anything with it right now, but-" he cut himself off by drinking some coffee. "Long hair must be nice. You can do a lot with it to keep it out of the way." He remarked. "Did your parents let you dye it, or was it a spur of the moment kind of thing?" Again, trying to make his questions sound as casual as possible. Afterall, RJ was still on the clock, working his hardest to gage what kind of life Lilien was leading. Now that they were in this diner, RJ felt confident that he could get more out of her. She seemed to be more open and responsive to either the place or his new, calmer tone, and RJ knew it. 

[color=#81D8D0]"Oh."[/color] she says, not really getting it since she doesn't touch her hair much. [color=#81D8D0]"Yeah. My hair's beautiful."[/color] she says before getting a man another thing of beer. [color=#81D8D0]"Well, my brother says so anyways."[/color] The mention of her parents didn't make her feel great bt it was what it was. "My brother said that it would look good if I dyed it this color. So I did." 

"And your parents didn't get mad? I know my dad would have killed me if I dyed my hair." RJ smirked at the idea of himself with blonde, or maybe even green hair. "He's a great guy, but he's all about being genuine and.. I guess not dying hair. 'He's got two girls though, so I can't imagine what that's gonna be like for him." He laughed. "It wasn't a problem for me and my brother." His mouth smiled, but his eyes did not at the mention of his brother. 

"Now, your brother," RJ began slowly, so as to not set her off, "You two seem to really get along." He smiled and took another sip of coffee. "Does he work too? Or is it just you and your mom working?" 

[color=#81D8D0]"They didn't mind. They said it looked nice."[/color] Lies. That's a lie. Her father nearly killed her. Saying how it would mess up his image if both of his siblings went around with that obscene color. But she didn't care. Lilien's eyes automatically shot up, meeting his when he mentioned her brother but she cooled herself down, writing down orders. "He works as well." she says, looking back down. 

"I didn't mean to pry." RJ said, putting his hands up in mock surrender. "I don't want you to think I'm one of those guys." His eyes were apologetic. RJ silently cursed himself. He was sure he'd just taken one step forward and two steps back in this small investigation. His hands rubbed the mug in his hands. "You seem busy now, I'll let you do your job." RJ smiled at Lilien warmly and took his phone out. 

Lilien raised an eyebrow. [color=#81D8D0]"One of those guys? I hadn't assumed anything. So far, you're a 24 year old male that is frustrated at his hair and a classic social worker that has a job that requires you to ask questions."[/color] she sounded a bit irritated as she spoke. [color=#81D8D0]"Yes. I do hope you enjoy your meal, [i]sir."[/i][/color] she says, flashing him a fake and professional smile before walking off to take a man's order. 

RJ watched her walk off. He turned back to his phone and texted his friend. 
-'Hey, man. Can't pick you up. Having breakfast.' 
Along with a hilariously unflattering selfie. His friend texted back,
-'I said I was calling in sick. I'm going to assume you're having fun on the job. Beautiful as always, RJ.'

RJ sighed, bored. He dug out a sketchbook and began to draw nothing in particular. 
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