An assisted living facility for the mentally ill. Such a thing exists? Apparently so! So now, in the midst of all the drama unfolding at Green Oaks, Faith Tyler has her own place to live. This place comes equipped with a full medical staff and a gated community that is closely monitored. It is an ideal place for Hope to know that her sister is living.
After making a point to drop a package in the mail, Rose has decided to spend her first real evening in her own place actually indoors. Besides, she does have a curfew of 9pm now. All the same, she's been arranging furniture and hanging up decorations all day. The small home is basically a shrine to all things she loves which is surprisingly more adult than most would expect from her. There are only a few stuffed animals about, and most of the decorations are pictures of her sister and of Tripp. They're all pictures that will likely sadden the sane twin, but they were gifts from her parents.
Displayed in her own corner of the main room is none other than Tripp, the hamster. She's been rescued and is now reunited with Rose. The apartment carries a soft tune coming from a hope music player as the setup continues.
Gated communities. And yet… some folks just enjoy neatly sidestepping security. Perhaps Hiro is a hacker of reality? It would fit. The unobtrusive salaryman walks down to Rose's door, carrying a briefcase. Pausing, before lightly rapping on the door. *tap tap tap*. He knows she's there, he just hopes she's not aggressive.
If someone wants to see an aggressive Rose, they should have seen her around Ivan. The poor man had no idea how to handle her and she's almost certainly ruined his life. At least she's sent back his clothing! It all almost seems as if it were ages ago at this point. The detox program that she's on certainly seems to be working. "Hrm?" Rose looks to the door questioningly. Visitors already? Slowly she moves to the door, dressed in the same tank top and pants that she'd been wearing when she was liberated. They're good to sleep in!
Slowly Rose opens the door, forgetting that she has a peephole. Her head tilts slightly at first before she looks sad. "Mister Hiro!" There's a pause as she looks down at the ground. "I didn't mean to wander off."
Hiro smiles gently. "It's all right. I was worried, though." He pauses. "May I come in? I… wanted to check on you, make sure you were doing all right." She looks far better than when she was trapped in Green Oaks.
Of course she does! She's actually being cared for instead of abused. "Oh, yeah! Some weird guy got my sister to find me and she set me up here." How did he find her, anyway? Someone must have told him. Rose steps to the side to allow Hiro to enter. "Of course you're allowed to come in! You've been so nice to me." Even as she lights up, Rose is still looking to the ground. It was mean of her to just run off like that.
Hiro steps inside at her invitation, smiling as he reaches out to touch her chin. "Thank you. It's… all right. I had some things to take care of." His fingers brush her cheek gently, as he pushes the door shut. Looking around, his eyes flicking over the furnishings, he nods to her. "It seems you're doing well here. I'm glad."
For some strange reason, Rose's cheeks start to turn red at his touch. Her best guess as to why is because she's embarrassed. She left and didn't even tell him where she was going! Then again, she had no idea where to look for him to tell him that she had moved. Wandering around the city in a drug filled stupor is not exactly the best solution. To anything.
Once the door is closed, Rose points him towards her sofa. "Make yourself comfortable, Mister Hiro." She looks around as well. It isn't quite the way she'd like it but it looks like the place a normal person would live in. If he hadn't known what she meant by clone and doppelganger, he will now based on the pictures of the twins. "Would you like something to drink?"
Hiro studies the pictures for a moment, before replying. "No… I'm not thirsty. Thank you though." He sits down on the sofa, his briefcase set down next to him, looking strangely out of place for a moment — like a funny looking insect on a bed. His dark eyes follow Rose. "Rose," he says, clearing his throat. "Why do you think you are here?"
He doesn't look out of place to her, neither does his briefcase. All she sees is someone who has been really nice to her. Eventually the young woman moves closer to Hiro, watching him as he speaks. It seems as if he's going to be speaking in riddles and she is openly confused. "I don't get it."
Rose takes a seat on her coffee table, of all places. It at least gives her the ability to look him in the eyes without making either of them look to the side or sit uncomfortably on the sofa. "Why am I -here-? Because my family did something that made Green Oaks not like me anymore."
Hiro frowns. "Not quite what I meant… although it's not entirely your family's fault about Green Oaks. They've had some issues of late with how they treat their patients." He smiles at her gently, and reaches out to take her hand, his grip cool but reassuring. "So don't feel too poorly towards your family. No, I was referring to the fact that you're in an assisted-care facility — that you have doctors to help take care of you."
"You're cold." Now it's Rose's turn to frown. She looks about before finding the thermostat. "I can adjust the heat if you'd like." It doesn't even dawn her that he's actually touching her. So many people do, due to her condition that she's basically used to it. Slowly she tilts her head in confusion as she watches him. "I'm sorry, I don't understand."
A loud sigh comes as she tries to piece together what he's getting at. Eventually she looks down as the blush returns. He's making fun of her. "You're going to call me sick," Rose finally says. "I'm not as bad as what people say."
Hiro shrugs. "Sick is as good a term as any. You suffered a severe psychological trauma, compounded by someone injuring you in a very specific way." He smiles, but there's something a little scary in it this time. "If it makes you feel better, that someone will never hurt anyone else, ever again."
It's all she can do to not look away from him at first. Even though she knows that she's ill it is very hard to take. "I don't like being called that. I don't like remembering that." Once that scary look appears, however, Rose does look away. The hand that isn't being held moves to hold her opposite bicep as she does so. For the moment she looks innocent. "I don't remember what happened that night." At least she's being honest. "I don't think anything did but people keep saying it did. Those evil people were saying really bad things"
Hiro sighs. "Something bad did happen that night, Rose. I know it's unpleasant to think about it… and I don't know how much comfort it is, but I do have a little confession to make." He reaches out and touches her arms, stroking gently. "You see, I was the one who chased down the person who did it. I brought them to justice. I don't know if that helps you… I hope it does."
The woman shudders in his grasp. "I should turn up the heat." The poor girl just doesn't get it. None of it is making sense right now. Rose snaps her head back to look at him when he mentions that, the fear still present along with the confusion. Her life has just been so complicated and difficult that she tries to refuse certain things.
"I'm sorry. I just don't understand." As soon as she's off her medication, Rose's mind is sealed shut when it comes to certain events. "This has to do with my brother, doesn't it?" She turns to face the hamster named after him. "Why would you do anything?"
Hiro senses the fear, the worry. He slips off the sofa, moving over to sit next to her on the table, and his arms gently go around her. "Because that's my job. I'm something of a private investigator and bounty hunter." He strokes her hair, soothing her. "It'll be okay. The important thing is that you may be hurt… but you're not crazy."
It is comforting, it really is, but she's not used to anyone being this close to her. At least, she's not used to anyone being this close without needing to restrain her due to having an episode. "Did my parents hire you?" Rose sighs roughly and lowers her head. "I keep saying that I'm not crazy! No one believes me though. It's nice to know that someone does" Her mind works in odd ways, and only now does it cycle back to something. "Wait. That mean lady said that whatever it was that happened, it was caused by a vampire" He arrested one?
Hiro tsks. "No, your parents didn't hire me. I don't think they'd approve of me. As I said, it's just a job I do." He laughs softly at the implication. "Yes. It was caused by a vampire, and I hunted it down. It had gone feral and I was asked to bring it in." He smiles. "I am a man of many talents, after all."
Immediately she cringes. It's obvious that she does have something against vampires, even if she doesn't exactly know what it is. "Is that why?" A deep breath is taken before she forces herself to finish. "Is that why I don't like them? Just Michael has been trying to figure out why I'm the way that I am." Oh, if only she knew how many of 'them' she honestly knows. Rose pauses and turns to try and look at him, into his eyes. "Are you following me? I mean, why do you care so much?"
Hiro nods slowly. "I would say so. Even if you do not wish to consciously remember what happened, you still know what you know. The mind is a funny place." He lets her turn around to look at him, and he touches her cheek again. "Because someone has to care, Rose. There are many wondrous and terrible things in the world, but if a person does not care, they are not really a person at all — just an animal on two legs. My sensei taught me that."
Her brows wrinkle as he continues to talk. It absolutely makes no sense to her. "Your sensi? Isn't that a bit stereotypical, or are you actually some kind of kung fu guy?" Again, despite the heavy nature of the conversation she has a way of appearing so innocent at times. If she were truly smart she'd be trying to get away from this near stranger who has done so much for her already. "But why now? Why be here?" Obviously her family has taken to setting her up in this nice place. "Just because of what I don't remember."
Hiro grins. "Well, it's appropriate. She taught me everything I needed to know." Yes, he did say 'she'. "And I do know something about close combat, but I don't think this would be a good time to practice. Wrinkles the trousers." At her confusion, he merely shrugs. "Why not? Is there some law against caring? Some convention against trying to assist others?"
"Practicing right now would be a bad thing." She doesn't much enjoy the idea of being used as a punching bag. That's exactly what she thinks of herself as becoming, too. The woman has no self confidence, but there are reasons for this. Rose looks down again, then away. She isn't trying to be rude but has had a lot thrown at her the past few days. "They said I should be careful of people trying to be friendly. They say someone hurt me a couple of days ago." She's meaning that she was bitten, but even when seeing the marks the young woman is in denial about it all. "I like the friends that I've made but Hope says that being out after dark makes people dangerous."
Inwardly, Hiro winces. Who would have thought it would have gotten her into trouble? Outwardly he remains composed. "Well, if you want me to go, I will… I don't want you to be in trouble with Hope." He brushes a fingertip over her knuckles. "But if you push away everyone trying to be friendly you'll be kind of lonely."
She's done enough to get herself into trouble recently, and it hasn't ended yet. The things she doesn't know won't hurt her for now. "I didn't say that. I'm just confused." There's so much to be confused about! He seems so affectionate for someone who just arrested some vampire that she doesn't remember existing. "I'm always lonely. People don't get me. They just are nice to me because they think I'm sick." Sadly it's the truth, and she knows it. "I just don't want people being nice to me because they feel bad."
You paged Hiro with 'Well, she'll likely found out sooner or later anyway, due to Will wanting to meet with her.'
Hiro just shakes his head. "Perhaps I am just nice to you because I want to be." He looks into her eyes again, smiling. "It'll get better, Rose. I promise." Then, impulsively, he leans close and kisses her on the cheek. He really is a nice fellow.
He may be a nice fellow but it's only serving to confuse her more. Rose continues to be confused as she watches him. There's just too much for her mind to process. "You think so?" She can't keep meeting people like Ivan. He did help her but he was so mean and said such bad things! Rose looks down at herself, at how close Hiro is before looking back at him. "Are you flirting with me?" Poor girl. The last time she was kissed is a day she can't even remember.
Hiro arches an eyebrow. "Yes. Do you want me to stop?" He will if she wants him to. He does have standards, after all, and prefers to be a gentleman. "But yes… I do think so." Just an innocent little flower, that's what she is. Fortunately he won't uproot her.
Well now, that wasn't an answer that she was expecting. At least he's being honest. Rose blinks, uncertain of what exactly to say. "I don't know what to do." It isn't as if she's begging for help, but she's being honest. "No one's ever tried before. I don't know what people are supposed to do." She is so innocent, but all of that can change at any moment with the company keeps - and that which she still has to meet. "Thank you, by the way. For everything."
Hiro gently touches her face again, letting her look into his eyes. "It's all right. This isn't the sort of thing you need a manual for." He puts his arms around her again, embracing her, and he murmurs, "You're welcome." Just holding her, like she's so fragile and easy to break, drawing in her scent as he rests her head against his shoulder.
Actually, a manual would be helpful. Then she might actually have a clue as to what is going on, or how she should react. It saves him from maybe thinking that she's cold or distant. "You say that now" Rose allows him to hold her close, to move her as he would. "So you're not going to go away just because I'm here now? I don't want you to."
