It was probably the best shot of the photographer’s career. Melissa Kobayashi was known as a bit of a party girl so whenever she was out and trying to do anything with a bit of class, there were always those waiting for some kind of slip up. So far there had been the standard fare: drunk, public smooching, etc., but nothing really tawdry. No upskirt or wardrobe malfunctions. The tabloids were just waiting for that next big photo to knock Red Pearl Publishing’s princess off the top rung.

And it happened -- all thanks to a clumsy EMT driver. Though he was credited (as ‘Anonymous’), it was his spilled drink and the transparency-like effect it had on Melissa Kobayashi’s dress that evening that grabbed the headlines.

There, on the front page of some of the trashier magazines, was Niko, or rather a perky, pointed part of Niko that had gotten wet by accident.

A certain EMT needed to be found. Luckily, Niko had the right contacts and the right sway to find this particular man who seemed to just continuously vex her. It was time that they had a little chat.

The park was quiet for this time of the day. A red, business suit-clad Niko strolled down the concrete path, her eyes roaming the surrounding area. There were joggers, children playing, and artists who attempted to look deep as they sat beneath trees with charcoal pencils in their hands.

But these weren’t whom she was after. Thankfully, she came across that target not long after, sitting at a bench with a large textbook opened up on his lap. Niko watched him for several moments. After asking around, his colleagues had informed her that he would more than likely be found at the park, studying for nursing school. It certainly appeared that was what he was doing.

Without further delay, the immortal walked towards the bench, her heels clicking on the pavement. Silently she slipped into the seat next to him and planted a tabloid magazine on his book, directly on the chapter he was reading -- it was her picture.

”Not a bad picture of me,” Niko said with a sigh. ”Have to admit, my makeup was fairly on point that night.”

Unfortunately, being in the medical field was more complicated than "the leg bone's connected to the foot bone." AJ turned the page back one as he re-re-re-read the same portion of text. He was tired. Not dead on his feet, but with a few more hours of banging his head against this text he would be.

Thankfully, or not so thankfully, someone slipped a tabloid between him and the incomprehensible text. What he saw now was far, far more understandable. Some might even say his response was primal.

Melissa spoke, which surprised him since he hadn't noticed her joining him on the bench and as far as the list of people he might expect to drop in to say "hi" she wasn't even on it.

He didn't bother looking over at her. AJ was pretty sure about what he'd see. And since she'd provided the chance to get a good look, he brought the magazine closer to really scope it out.

"Yeah. Could definitely have been worse." And after all that hullabaloo about the stain on his jacket, he'd shoved the damn rental at her so she could cover up... and then he'd left it.

"Come to play more stupid games?"

Why was she here? Why was she continuing to torture this poor man. Truth be told, Niko didn’t know why. He had been a thorn in her side since she met him while dressed as the Samurai. He was stubborn that entire night, put himself in unnecessary risk, and practically cursed her name. Then, after she had thrown a party as a sort of apology, he turned around and spilled wine down the front of her dress, in front of cameras.

And now he refused to even look at her or offer any kind of apology. Rather he...brought up a damn good point as to why he should be annoyed -- and she deflated. It was a reminder as to why she was here in the first place and why she put so much effort to track him down.

Leaning back against the bench, she took back the magazine and folded it up on her lap. After a long pause she pulled off her sunglasses, stared ahead and replied with, ”I’m sorry.” A pause. ”It wasn’t my intention to pull you into a ‘stupid game’. Those kinds of events can be...boring. And you were a welcome distraction.”

Great. She made it sound like she used him even more. She shook her head, against chastising herself for even caring what this guy thought of her. He was an EMT. A Stubborn one at that. And yet all she wanted to do was apologize to him.

”I...also know why you did it,” she confessed. ”Wasn’t hard to make the connection that Nat Pagel put you up to it because you trying to help me win my other stupid game.” She finally looked to him and lowered her gaze, offering a slight bow of her head. ”I am truly sorry you got pulled into it. That wasn’t fair of either of us to treat you that way. You deserve better.”

She took his magazine! He looked over to give her a 'hey!' kind of protest look, but... she looked almost tired. He'd been expecting a fight and instead... Instead, he felt a total rush of guilt.

> ”I’m sorry.”

"No, I-" He wanted to say he was the jerk here, but she wasn't done and he desperately didn't want to cut her off. He tamped down on his feelings because his weren't the only ones. She was just gearing to lay into him. And he deserved whatever justice she would mete out.

Except it was all apology. If his jaw was hanging a little open and his brows were a little drawn, it was just the confusion showing. Never. Not ever once had someone in a position of privilege apologized to him. AJ settled back and looked out past his text book toward the open park and the natural beauty of the little slice of nature here. He'd thought he'd known a thing and in assuming he knew, now he was... he was the ass.

> ”I...also know why you did it,”

His attention snapped back to Niko.

"Maybe. But it was my choice. Between my word of honor with no known consequence and your... virtue. I was selfish, ultimately." He slumped a bit on the bench, totally forgetting that his medical text was laying across his knees. It thunked to the ground.

Niko had said her piece. To be fair she wasn’t expecting a big response from A.J. He was essentially used by two rich people and if literary tropes had taught her anything, it was an unappreciated abuse of the less-than-wealthy. Niko had used him as a means of entertainment while Nat had used him for some sick attempt at humiliation. A.J. was a good man and deserved better than that.

He had every right to shout, scream, and snap at her with every name in the book. Had that been his path, Niko would have merely closed her eyes and accepted it.

But that wasn’t what happened.

Niko continued to look ahead, one leg draped over the over as she listened. He admitted that Nat had a hand in it but at the end of the day, it was his decision to follow through with it. He could have very well decided not to embarrass her, but he had. And it was that decision that he was taking responsibility for.

In all her centuries of existence, she could count on her hand the number of times she had seen people act with such maturity. It seemed that A.J. was making it a point to impress her time and again; the thought of which brought a small smile to her lips.

”Same,” she said with a nod. ”So...here we are...two selfish people...sitting in a park.” After a brief pause, a grin cracked her lips as she finally turned to look at him. ”Why don’t we start over?” she asked. She then offered her hand. ”My name is Melissa Kobayashi...” another momentarily pause. ”...but you can call me Niko.”

"Just a couple of regular jerks." An undertone of laughter colored his voice when AJ confirmed her sentiment. With a wry shake of his head, he grabbed his book up out of the dirt and brushed off the dirty side. Unlike before, their sitting side by side without looking at the other was no longer a source of tension. He could probably go back to studying, but somehow it felt a bit less important after what had already transpired.

> ”Why don’t we start over?”

"Let's." He received her hand, surprised again by the presence of calluses. He was not, however, worried about the name mismatch. He had a bit of an incorrect nickname himself. "Ajeet Kapoor, but AJ is what everyone calls me. It's nice to officially meet you, Niko." He had to tamp down on several sly remarks about potential PR spin for this as well as their previous indiscretions.

"No drinks in this do-over so that's a much safer and smoother introduction." He had to joke somehow rather than let the atmosphere drop. They'd only just become... friends... of a sort.

Rather than letting go of her hand when it was appropriate, though, AJ found himself pulling Niko's hand toward himself so he could scope them out. Her hand was still soft, probably the world's best moisturizers were involved, but his calluses were catching on his as he brought her hand up toward his face. "What in the world are you doing to get calluses like these?"