((carried over from the Aimless Wandering thread))

Raphael frowned a little bit at her comments as he opened the door to her room and backed into it. He stood by as she passed him and closed the door behind him and gestured towards her bed, mulling over what she had just said. It did not sound like the sleep talking, even though he more than half hoped it was. "I thought I had," He said weakly. He wanted her to understand more than anything. "I thought I had Jenny. But the other day I gotta letter, don't ask me how 'e found me here, I don't know, that reminded me of an agreement I made when I left."

It sounded stupid to him, the sense of honor he was about to try and explain. "Lay down hun, on your tummy. Would you like a full back massage?" He asked, really wanting nothing more than to lighten the mood and enjoy the rest of the morning with her, not really explain himself... again.

"I'm a man of my word," he started. "And I gave my word to go back one last time..." he thought he sounded stupid. He knew she likely did not want him to go, but was saying it out loud that he was leaving anyways, even if it were only a day or two. He knew he would return unharmed and likely in better shape than he had left. He, however, did not know how to express this in words to her. "So... I have turned over a new leaf here, no longer that dark personage of my past... But I do carry my past with me and with that past comes the part of me that won't break my word... you know?" He asked, looking down at her, then abruptly changed the subject. "It's easier to give a back massage to a bare back, do you mind?"

"A letter? A bit odd, but whatever." She shrugged before she followed him into her room. Now that she was really thinking hard on what to do or what to tell him, she did feel like getting a massage. So she laid down on her stomach and folded her arms under her chin. "Well, I mean, can't you just shrug it off just this one time and tell him to leave you alone?"

Immediately after she had stated that, she rethought it. "Nevermind, it's not right for me to ask you to turn on your character. Then whatever it is, I'm going too. I mean, no reason for you to face this 'dark personage of your past' by yourself." She stated that she was going to tag along as if it was fact and it was not to be questioned.

"No, I don't mind." She sighed, noticing how he would change the subject and try and get her to think about a massage. However, he gave good massages and all his talk made her just crave one more and more. So she grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over and off of her head before she let her arms drop limply on her bed again.

Raphael mused over what Fade had said while his hands worked in slow circles on her bare back. She had almost asked him to betray a portion of his new character… even though the aspect was also a part of him that had carried over from his old life.

He shook it off as his hands continued to gently knead the muscles of Fade’s lower back, producing a soft pop every now and again as he worked a tightened muscle loose. He sighed softly trying to come up with a good reason… though that was not exactly true. He had plenty of reasons for his girlfriend not to attend the fight. She had never witnessed his feral side, and he doubted she would like it. Just the same, he doubted she would see him the same if he happened to kill in the ring again. In the same instance, he did not want to risk the chance that she might see him hurt.

Then there was the trip itself. He had made a sort of uneasy peace with Deathstar, but had his doubts about her and Fade. He was nearly certain the two women had not made any kind of peace. He stopped his fingers from moving over Fade’s bare shoulders as he realized something; she was bared to the waist, and trusted in him; trusted to keep her safe, and not to take advantage of her.

“Jenny,” Raphael said as his hands went back to rubbing gently over her back, shoulders, and neck. “I’d prefer if you’d not go.” He fully expected her to roll over, covering herself, and demand to go anyways. He, however, ultimately knew he could not deny her.

As his fingers kneaded into her muscles, she automatically felt relaxed and her mind seemed to slip into a complete state of relaxation. He was good, there was no doubt about that, and she was glad that he had no problem what-so-ever to give her massages. However, when he said that he prefered she would not go, she snapped out of her disarray and opened her now violet eyes, staring at the wall in front of her, contemplating what was going through his mind.

Why didn't he want her to go? Was there something he was hiding from her? Would he do something that goes against his character? Would he come back? All these questions flooded her mind back to reality and she bit her bottom lip, primarily because he hit a good spot on her back. Finally her thoughts became her words and she spoke up.

"Why wouldn't you want me to go? I'm not afraid of anything, nothing will happen to me." The fiery side of her had already made up her mind, she was going. Whether or not she was going with his permission was up to him. However, if he denied her to tag along, she would turn invisible and follow him.

Raphael gave a soft sigh and gave her bare back a gentle pat before removing his hands completely. “You’re not afraid of anything, but I am. Have you ever to the darker side of town? Down into the ghettos and underground fight clubs? The TV shows make a pale comparison to the reality… and it’sa reality I don’t want you to get wrapped up in. I am afraid that you will.”

Raphael was almost certain that Benny would try to use her against him. He felt certain of that, and he expected that he would try to recruit Deathstar as well. “I… I’m also afraid of what you may see there. I am a different person in the ring. What you saw in training yesterday was nothing compared to the real thing. What’s the brutalest thing you’ve seen?” He explained, and then finished his explanation off with a question.

He got the feeling, however, that she was not going to give up and walk away. “Roll over Jenny, and talk to me. What’s on your mind?” He said in a calm quiet voice. “You say you’re not afraid, but I think you are, maybe not for yourself, but certainly for me. Talk to me, and let me dispel your fears, yes?”

"I have lived my time in the 'darker sides of town'. I know what it's like, I just never got involved in anything but stealing for my survival. I won't get wrapped up in things. There is nothing about that side of town that would make me stay other than you. You don't have to worry.

"I know, I know." She snorted as he went in to talking about how different of a person he was in the ring. "I like brings out an animal in you or something, not you, but still you at the same time. I know, I'm not worried in the least." However, the thought of her boyfriend ripping someone's head off was not too appealing, she did not think it would come to that, though. "Worst thing I've ever seen? I dunno, I don't remember bad things, they bring me down. I guess the worst thing I've seen would be a gang bang, several, as a matter of fact. I have seen some bad things in my life and you're not one of them."

She sighed as she followed his suggestion and grabbed a sheet, covering herself, and not very well as she was laying on half of the sheet and could not cover too much, only what was necessary to cover, she turned and looked into his eyes. Her white eyes searched for some clue as to how she could tell if staying or going was right.

Raphael nodded some, and at the same time, knew he did not want to become a bad thing in her life. Especially since she just implied, and somewhere deep down he knew it, that he was something good for her.

He glanced upwards as she rolled over and then back down as she covered herself, a small smile spreading over his face as he did. He drew his gaze back up from her sheet covered form to her white eyes. He let out a soft sigh. “I just don’t you hurt, in any way or form.”

He dipped his head and kissed her gently. “And I fear you may be hurt. By someone there, we’ll be going underneath the dirty dangerous streets to a fight ring, a place I won’t be able to protect you for a time. And I also worry what you might see there.”

He sighed softly, still leaning down over her. “But, I know I can’t actively stop you from going…” He said, though he still wanted to hear her fears. He knew she had them, as everyone has them.

"I will just climb up a wall and stay invisible. No one will know I'm there except for you, of course. But you're right, I don't want you to stop me from going. I don't want you to face this alone. I want to be right there with you, reassuring you that you won't turn into whatever it was you were before." She sighed, however, his kiss made her feel better. She accepted it warmly but opened her mouth again to speak.

"You'll still be the same Raph to me, just as long as I am the same Jenny to you." The name Jenny rolled off of her tongue in a completely different manner than before. It was the first time that she had ever called herself Jenny out of happiness and it felt right, only when she was around Raph. Jenny was the name that she used when she was in trouble or in shame, rarely anyone called her Jenny and no one had made her refer to herself as Jenny either.

He could not think of a reason why she would stop being ‘the same Jenny’. He certainly could see how her perception of him might change after seeing him in the ring. She had not yet seen the brutal side of him, the one that goes all out in a fight, and does everything short of brandishing his elbow blades to win. Even though she reassured him that nothing would change, nothing could change, her perception of him, he could not shake the feeling that she may be wrong in that. Victoria had been taken a back and disgusted by his appearance in the hallway, and she had not even seen the things he had done to the S.W.A.T. style attackers.

But it was already decided, she was going and there was little he could do to stop her. “Unless it is someplace new and entirely different… there won’t be much of a wall for you to climb and hide on…” he said. “It’ll be crowded, stuffy; really the only room to freely move will be in the ring. And likely only myself and my opponent will be in there, with a crowd of jeering faces waiting for the next blow to fall.”

He gave a soft sigh and lowered himself to lying next to her. He chose not to mention the private booth that she could share with Benny. He definitely did not want her near him for longer than absolutely necessary. Though he did not want her to be pressed with the masses either, though he figured she could handle herself in such a situation. He pulled his hands up and underneath his head and stared at the ceiling.

"So I'll take my chances with the crowd. Doesn't matter where I am in that place, just as long as I am there." She shrugged. She rolled over onto her side, still holding the flimsy sheet over herself as she looked into his dazed off eyes.

"I want to be there with you, I don't want you to face this by yourself." With that, she smiled through her understanding yet percistant eyes. Her presently grey eyes were filled with questions yet she silenced them with her mind, allowing her to stare at him with waiting eyes, waiting on an answer, partially waiting on his submission.

He sighed softly. He could feel her shifting next to him, though kept his eyes towards the ceiling. He had given up trying to convince her not to go, and to convince her to spill everything going through her head.

“Alright…” he said, gently though. He knew her presence would comfort him after the fight, and might distract him during it. However, that would be a difficult thing to convince her of, and he knew she would not let it rest until he agreed to let get go. “You can go…”

Finally! She convinced him! Fade got what she wanted and she could go with him. She smiled, her joy shining in her teeth before she flung her arms around him, the sheet, although it was not a great cover, it held it's place and did not fall...too much.

"I'll stay hidden, keep myself safe. Don't worry about that. When do we need to go?" She asked as she pulled back slightly from his gazing body.

Raphael smiled slightly as she threw her arms around him, though the smile faded as he continued to gaze upwards. “Tomorrow, ‘round one or so,” He answered. He still suspected her view of him would be skewed, and even if it were not… there was the ride from Deathstar to the downtown meeting with Benny, and the fight, as well as the ride back.

“Do you have any other questions Jenny?” He asked, letting his head loll to the side and look at her. He just took a moment, while waiting for her to answer, to drink in the sight of her. She brought such calm to him, a calm he hoped to maintain no matter what happened. He smiled, and continued to watch her.

Fade's face scrunched up as she thought hard about if she had any other questions. Did she? No, not really, or at least, none that she could think of. "Nope, I got nothing, I have no need to question anything you say." She smiled as he turned his attention to her once more.

((gah! Short post!))

Raphael nodded some and sat up. He leaned over and pecked Fade’s lips then swung his legs off her bed getting ready to get up and leave. “If not, then I prolly should get another practice in before tomorrow.”