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[color=darkgray][indent][indent]The journey back to the hotel wasn’t necessarily long, but with the thoughts in his head, it felt like it took Leon ages to get back to his room. He had travelled back with Nate, but hadn’t really said much, partially because he had a lot on his mind, but also partially because it felt like Nate was leagues elsewhere himself, the two having split up somewhere along the way back having nary said a word to one another. Leon wasn’t sure whether that was the room itself or somewhere in between there and the gym, but regardless he had found himself in the same spot as when he first got to Vegas; the balcony. The young man leaned over the railing, looking out to the city below, trying to sort out where his mind was at, which happened to be with Sami, whom he left behind.

He knew Sami was tough and very capable of taking care of himself, but even so, fending off some jacked up dude in a fight club was a little over the top, even for him. Leon wanted to jump back in, to help his friend out, after all he was the one who caused the fight to break out, even if he still wasn’t sure [b]why[/b] it broke out. Sami was insistent though, he always had to take care of things himself, which got Leon thinking. Sami was like the grown adult big brother everyone could rely on, even when Leon was dealing with his own demons, Sami was the one to always offer him a place to stay, to recuperate, to recover and yet, he never really seemed to take care of himself, let alone anyone take care of him. It made Leon really wonder if Sami really had everything under control or maybe..just maybe, he didn’t really trust anyone to let them take care of him if the going got rough, then again, maybe it was just Leon he didn’t trust? He really did have to wonder…

While her three friends had decided to take a trip to the gym (yuck), Val had done exactly as she'd said before: spent the last hour soaking in warm water and bubbles while snacking on her strawberries. She had emerged from the bathroom in a fluffy white robe with the hotel's logo on its back, a matching white headband that held back any stray strands of hair that had escaped her messy top bun, and leaving a trail of fruity-smelling soap behind her everywhere she went. She'd been on her way back to the bedroom when she spotted Leon at the balcony, and decided to pay him a visit.

[color=D52759]“You’re back already? And here I was thinking we’d lost you to the gym for the next three hours”[/color] she teased her friend with a curious smile. But when she noticed just how pensive Leon was, her playfulness turned into worry, and she frowned with concern. [color=D52759]“Leon? Are you okay?”[/color] she asked him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Feeling the hand on his shoulder he turned to look who it was and was pleasantly surprised to find Val, [color=1E90FF]“Oh, hey V, didn’t see you there.”[/color] He paused a moment to look her up and down, was this some kind of new fashion, or was that just Vegas style in general? Man his internet searches were severely off point if monogrammed fur coats were the thing to wear, though wherever she got it from clearly misheard ‘Baleria’ instead of [i]Valeria[/i]. [color=1E90FF]“You look fancy, planning on going out or something?”[/color]

The short girl laughed and shook her head. [color=D52759]“Not really, no. I [i]was[/i] planning on ordering a bunch of room service and on demand movies under AJ’s name and spending the whole afternoon watching them while pigging out, but after I realized how lame that sounded, I thought 
of doing something else. What that something else is, I have no idea yet. Why?”[/color]

[color=1E90FF]“You just looked all gussied up so I thought I’d ask, though I could see the appeal in your plan,”[/color] Though why someone would wear something so fancy while eating and binge watching he didn’t really understand; again it was probably some Vegas etiquette he didn’t get. [color=1E90FF]“Thought I’d be gone longer, before that I was thinking of touring the city, but to be honest, the view up here is plenty tour enough. Hard to believe that people like Mel Gibson could see this kind of sight every night.”[/color] Leon mostly mused, his head propped up in his hand as he leaned over the balcony taking in the view, [color=1E90FF]“Wonder if I’ll get famous enough to come back here.”[/color] It wasn’t a serious thought, more something to ponder on.

[color=D52759]“Oh, [i]definitely[/i],”[/color] came Val’s quick reply as she positioned herself next to Leon. [color=D52759]“I doubt a guy with mad basketball skills, a huge heart and super humble like you would ever be anything [i]less[/i] than famous. If anyone deserves that, it would be you, bud.”[/color]

Was Val being...nice? He had to raise his eyebrow a bit, [color=1E90FF]“Who are you and what have you done with Val?”[/color] He asked jokingly. It wasn’t all that odd, deep down, past the glares and the nut shots, Val was actually a really nice person. What made it more odd for him was that she’d practically been avoiding him since prom, and less than six or seven hours ago she'd seemed less than pleased with him. Things seemed, at the very least, going back to more of a standard norm. All in all, though, he couldn’t help but laugh.

The short girl couldn’t help but laugh at his joking suspicion. [color=D52759]“Shut up! You act like I’ve never been nice to you before,”[/color] she shot back, lightly elbowing him in the ribs.

He took the shot in stride as he rubbed his side, [color=1E90FF]“There’s the sugar cube I knew was in there.”[/color] It felt good to laugh with Val, realistically it hadn’t been all that long since prom, but to him it felt like ages since Leon got to actually spend a good moment laughing with Val. He still wasn’t sure what upset her to begin with and he was slightly apprehensive to even bring it up, fearing he’d ruin the good mood. At the end of it all though, he was just glad to see Val smile again, [color=1E90FF]“I’m glad you came along y’know? I thought at the last minute back at school, you’d changed your mind about coming. Not sure what Sami did but…”[/color] his mind wandered back to the Latino, hoping he was okay and wasn’t fucked up or passed out in the street, or worse. Shaking the thoughts, he returned his attention back to the girl beside him, [color=1E90FF]“Anyway, I’m happy you’re here, it’d be kind of boring otherwise.”[/color]

His sweet words brought a warm feeling to Val’s chest. It was nice to be reminded of the reason she was choosing to put up [s]somewhat[/s] voluntarily with the likes of Reyna, Ava and Emilia. After so many years together, her and her boys deserved to have a whole lot of fun before life and growing up inevitably separated them. [color=D52759]“You have to give Chris some of the credit too. His patience with me was a crucial part of me standing here right now,”[/color] she laughed, smiling at how the one people were quick in deeming the ‘troublemaking hardass’ was probably the most considerate of her feelings out of them all. He deserved hell of a lot more than the shitty card he sometimes was given to. [color=D52759]“Anyway, I’m sure there’s a few people here who wished I’d stayed back in California, but you know what? They can suck it. I’m here to stay, and I’m happy to be here.”[/color] How long would this good mood last, however, was anyone’s guess.

[color=1E90FF]“Damn straight!”[/color] Leon exclaimed, raising his arms above his head to stretch, before lowering them and using his interlocked hands like a head rest. [color=1E90FF]“Guess I’ll have to thank Chris at some point for convincing you to stay on board,”[/color] Chris was one of those people Leon wasn’t too sure about, he generally didn’t have a problem with anyone, but that guy always seemed to give him the evil eye whenever Leon looked in his general direction. He wasn’t entirely sure what Chris’ issue was, but if Val trusted him, then that was all the opinion he really needed, especially since some people did take issue to Val’s...impulses from earlier.

Staring out at the skyline, he continued to take in the aura and vibrancy that emanated from the city below, [color=1E90FF]“Any idea on what the night is going to bring us?”[/color] He asked offhandedly, [color=1E90FF]“I heard the city looks even better when it’s all lit up.”[/color]

[color=D52759]“I’ve heard that too…”[/color] she noted, eyes still glued to the fast-paced, extravagant view stretching out in front of them. [color=D52759]“And I have no idea, honestly. It’s hard to know what any moment will bring considering the [i]fabulous[/i] group we got with us,”[/color] she said with a chuckle.

[color=1E90FF]“Definitely right about that…”[/color] Leon stated, rather far more morbidly than he intended, nearly having his teeth knocked in at the gym. His musings were cut off at the sudden growl in his stomach, finally realizing just how hungry he was feeling. He knew what his calorie intake was, he knew what kind of foods he [b]should[/b] be eating, but… Well...when in Vegas. [color=1E90FF]“I know you mentioned ordering room service would be kind of boring, but that’s actually not sounding like a bad plan right about now...think AJ will mind? I really don’t want to be rude about it.”[/color]

At the mention of food, Val’s attention was quickly shifted from the view to Leon. But instead of a conspiratorial smile, she was raising her eyebrows at him. [color=D52759]“Did you miss the part where I said room service is a lame idea?”[/color] she asked him. [color=D52759]“We’re in fucking [i]Vegas[/i], panther. Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen is literally [i]right across the street[/i]!”[/color] she pointed out, grabbing his muscled bicep with one hand to stir the rest of his body in the direction her other hand was pointing to. [color=D52759]“If we’re eating anywhere, then that’s where I wanna go.”[/color]

Despite the incredible size difference, Val had strength where it counted and in his hunger addled state, and was easily ‘shown’ the direction of the restaurant she described. [color=1E90FF]“Oh damn, it really is! Wait, Ramsay, he’s that British dude who’s always screaming right...or was he Scottish? I think I read that somewhere.”[/color] He scratched his head to think before shrugging, [color=1E90FF]“Screw it, why not? Hopefully they don’t discriminate ‘cause I didn’t think to bring a fancy monogrammed fur coat...if nothing else you could claim I’m your bodyguard or something, since you look the part.”[/color]

The thought of showing up to a fancy restaurant like Hell's Kitchen dressed in nothing but a white bathrobe and a matching headband with a poorly dressed 'bodyguard' like Leon definitely amused the young woman, but not enough to go through with it.  [color=D52759]"Give me ten minutes to get ready and we'll be on our way,"[/color] she told Leon with a smile, lightly punching his shoulder as a parting gesture before disappearing back into the hotel room.
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