[IC] Fateful Convergence

[Vocalia]

"If you say so... You knew all this shit better than I do," Hayley replied, still unsure of the idea, but realizing that she would be stuck either way, she called back, "I hope you're right about this. I'm counting on you, 'other me'!" Another moment of silence before the distorted reply left her mouth, "Confirmation accepted. Registering 'Energy Output Education and Training' in the priority list." Blinking for a while, she muttered, "That sounds odd, relieving and creepy at the same time. I don't know what to say..."

[Daxam]

Unable to help himself, Isaac chuckles quietly as Hayley voices her thoughts on her other self. "I'm sure you'll get used to it," he assures her. "Just like I got used to having a psychotic murderer in my head." You may call me that, but I know you love me! Vincent says. Whatever helps you sleep at night, Isaac responds. Rising to his feet, he says, "I think I might make us a quick snack, if that's alright. Running from armed goons tends to make one hungry. Anything in particular you want, Hayley?"

[Vocalia]

"Anything that could help lessen the impact of me talkin' to what appears to be an AI inside my head would be nice," Hayley replied and threw herself onto the other chair, yawning and stretching her arms. "Fuck... and here I thought her wanting you was bad enough. Her surviving dogs would surely rat me out to her and hell would ensue..." Looking at Isaac, she began to wonder what sort of past he had, how he gained his powers and what he had done with them. As much as she wanted to know, not even Isaac himself knew the answer, so she felt that her own questions might not be answered for quite a long time.

[Daxam]

"Yeah, I found that pretty strange," Isaac says as he begins making a couple of sandwiches. "I mean, why me? What's so special about me, besides my power?" And me, Vincent adds. If it helps you sleep at night, Isaac replies as he carries Hayley's sandwich to her before sitting down with his own. "Oh, well, I don't think we're gonna get any answers just by asking questions. Let's just wait until she shows up again and ask her face-to-face

[Vocalia]

"Maybe she likes you," Hayley remarked, taking a bite out of her sandwich, then added, "Or maybe she just wants you in her rank. Hey, maybe she likes you and wants you in her rank. Given what you could do, I would see why she would do that, even going as far as that. From what I've heard, she's not exactly right in the head, although that could be just her Italian blood. Never thought I would wish for an angel's death, but that bitch is anything but heavenly!"

[Daxam]

Shrugging, Isaac says, "It's possible that she wants me to join up with her, considering Vincent's blood-thirstiness. But getting him to do something is like leading a horse to water and trying to make it drink. It can't be done." Then, with a self-depreciating tone, he adds, "As for her liking me, there's really not much one can find attractive in a scarred, amnesiac, half-psychotic, iron-and-carbon bender..."

[Vocalia]

There was something about the way Isaac talked about himself that didn't sit well with Hayley. She didn't know what part of it was nagging her, but she didn't like it anyway. "I doubt she'd ask him nicely. Knowing her, she'd probably try to brainwash you both or something..." she murmured. "As for your second part, while that might be true for most people, I don't really know the guy you're talking about. You're not as fearsome as you think you are, in a less violent sense. I could say the same about myself: no sane guy would find a scarred, abused, unstable and violent she-devil to be attractive in any way, shape or form."

[Daxam]

"That's not true," Isaac immediately says, his hand automatically going for Hayley's. Before he can stop himself, he continues, "You're not just those things. You're also talented, both in the kitchen and in the arena, smart, kind...You're just all-around amazing." Suddenly, his cheeks flare up as he realizes what he said. Looking away, he lets go of her hand to rub the back of his head sheepishly as he says, "I-I mean, that's just what I think..."

[Vocalia]

Compared to Isaac, Hayley was more oblivious to her feelings aside from anger, excitement or sadness, but she couldn't deny that she was feeling something, something unusual and only triggered by Isaac and whatever he did. Smiling softly, she chuckled and replied, "Thanks, I'm flattered. To be fair, I could say the same about you. You might be an amnesiac, but you're capable of doing things not many could do. You use your ability to defend yourself, your crazy asshole of another personality notwithstanding. You're understanding and knows right from wrong. Powers and lack of memories aside, many women would kill to have someone like you by their side."

[Daxam]

Hearing Hayley's praise, Isaac feels his heart skip a beat as his cheeks flush a bit more. However, he can't help but smile as he lays his hand back on hers and says, "Thanks...that really means a lot, especially coming from you." Tell her, Vincent says, surprising Isaac. Tell her what? Isaac asks, even though he already had a good idea what he was referring to. Tell her how you feel, comes the reply. After awhile, deciding no harm could come from it, besides Hayley suddenly hating his guts, he opens his mouth to say something, but finds that he can't form the words. Instead, to recover from it, at least slightly, he lifts his sandwich and takes a bite out of it, his cheeks now flushed from embarrassment as well.

[Vocalia]

Oblivious as she normally was, Hayley noticed how Isaac's cheeks were changing color. "Isaac, are you okay? Your cheeks kept on changing colors lately." She put down her sandwich and did the one thing that she considered natural: she placed her hand against his cheek, then forehead, to see if he had contracted a fever. "Doesn't look like you're sick... Maybe it's the sandwich we ate outside? I'm not sick and you don't seem sick either..."

[Daxam]

Feeling Hayley's cool hand against his forehead, Isaac closes his eyes, unable to help but lose himself somewhat in the feeling. After a few seconds, he opens his eyes and meets her steely-blue eyes with his steel grey ones. Tell her, a voice within says, surprising him once he realizes it wasn't Vincent, but himself saying it this time. Reaching up, he removes Hayley's hand from his forehead, taking it into his own, and, gazing deeply into her eyes, he says, "Hayley...there's...there's something I have to tell you..."

[Vocalia]

Hayley wasn't sure what was happening to Isaac and now his behavior was, admittedly, beginning to confuse her. One moment, his face began to blush and, the next moment, he was now holding her hand with a serious look on his face and apparently something to tell her. Still, she saw no reason for alarm and asked back, "What is it, Isaac? I'm all ear." Her mind began to imagine different scenarios, from him telling him of some deep, dark secret to him just pulling her leg. Imagination aside, she decided to wait and see.

[Daxam]

Unwillingly, Isaac takes a long, long time to get his jumbled thoughts in order while ignoring the fact that his heart was beating so fast that it felt ready to explode. Eventually, he takes a deep breath and says, "These past few weeks...Hell, maybe even shortly after we met, I've been feeling something strange. It wasn't a bad kind of strange, but it actually felt pretty...good. All this time, I've been trying to figure out what it was and, I think, I finally figured it out." Meeting Hayley's gaze as he summons all of his courage, he then says three, simple words: "I love you."

[Vocalia]

Hayley remained silent for a moment as Isaac's words sink into her mind. Her eyes blinked with disbelief and her face a more subdued mask of curiosity. However, the silence was finally broken with an exclamation of shock coming from her.

"WAITWAITWAITWAIT!!!"

Now it was her turn to blush. Her entire face gradually turned into a shade of red, her hair began to stand on its end and her heart was racing inside her ribcage. "Isaac... You're pulling my leg, right? ... Or are you actually serious?" Now that she thought about it, everything made sense to her. The reddened face, the stuttering, the strange behavior and his overall protectiveness and care now had a logical cause. The blonde looked down onto the table and murmured, "I-I don't get it..."

[Daxam]

Hearing Hayley's exclamation, Isaac suddenly feels like an idiot. Here he was, telling her how he truly felt, and yet it seemed like she didn't reciprocate it, even though she looked about as nervous as he did. I've come this far, though, he thinks as he gently curls his fingers around Hayley's chin. Why back out, now? Gazing deeply into her eyes, he says, "No, I'm not joking. I really do love you, Hayley, more than I thought possible. I don't know whether it's because you're so kind or because you can hold your own in a fight. All I know for sure is that I love you with all of my heart."

[Vocalia]

Hayley's mouth gaped wide with disbelief as Isaac reaffirmed his feelings for her. The concept of love was something she understood on an intermediate level, but she was unable to properly comprehend his romantic love towards her. She had spent seven years loving nobody but herself, in a very basic sense, so having him proclaim his love for her was something she was unprepared for. However, a part of her nudged her, telling her that now was her chance to learn how to love others the way he loved her. She only realized how crazily oblivious she had been to his feelings and those of her own and it made her feel like bashing her head against the wall multiple times. "Isaac, I... I don't know what to say... I don't exactly understand how you could love me like that... Still, I... I want to return that feeling. I definitely w-w-want to do that..."

[Daxam]

Hearing Hayley say that she wanted to return his feelings for her, Isaac can't help but gaze at her in surprise. He had been so certain, after who knows how long of things not going his way, that she would laugh in his face and kick him out, that this possibility had never really occurred to him. Still holding her hand, his sandwich all but forgotten, he leans in a bit closer, his cheeks feeling so warm, he wouldn't be surprised if they caught fire, and quietly asks, "A-are you saying that you...you feel the same way?"

[Vocalia]

"Maybe I do," Hayley sighed and timidly looked back at Isaac, "I don't know what it feels like to be loved and to love other people the way you love me now. Maybe I do feel the same way, but if I really am, I can't tell..." Feeling embarrassed and fearful that she had hurt his feelings unintentionally, she said to him, her eyes filled with uncertainty for once, "I want to feel the same thing you do, but I just don't know how or if that's possible for me. I want to love you, Isaac..."

[Daxam]

Rising to his feet from his chair, he takes a step forward and gently wraps his arms around Hayley, holding her as close as he possibly can. After a few minutes of holding her in his arms, he leans back and gently cups her cheek with his hand, looking into her eyes as he smiles softly. "I understand," he whispers. Leaning forward, he gently touches his forehead to hers and continues, "If that's the case, then I'll be more than happy to help you learn. If you really want me to, that is..."