pretty girl who stabbed him / cute guy who shot her

[Gupi]

"It happen often? It would make sense, people try and use you to get to Carter. I've done jobs like that in the past," Kloude mused.

 

[SpaceCase]

Aria snorted at that, shaking her head slightly. "I think it's probably more that I'm considered a general nuisance than that, but you never know."

 

[Gupi]

Kloude snorted, glanced at Aria from the corner of his eye. Sure, she put up a good fight for someone so unassuming but he couldn't imagine her really causing much trouble. "I'm sure."

 

[SpaceCase]

Aria shook her head slightly, staring out the window for a bit longer before letting out a sigh. "Look, is this all really necessary? I mean, it's not that I don't... Appreciate? ... Yeah. Appreciate that you're trying to..." Ari paused for a moment, before finally settling on, "... Worry about me. But it's kind of... Unusual. To drag a girl who once literally stabbed you in the back to your apartment to make sure she doesn't die, I mean."

 

[Gupi]

"You didn't kill me," Kloude said simply, "And you didn't hurt Nyx. I appreciate that."

 

[SpaceCase]

Aria finally turned away from the window at that, raising an eyebrow at him. "Okay, seriously, is there a trend of people trying to hurt your dog? Because you keep saying that and at this point I think you're aware that I wouldn't hurt Nyx. Like, alright, so you shot me. Big deal. That's not your dog's fault. Nyx is a sweetheart."

 

[Gupi]

"I've had a few angry clients take a kick at her, and even had her attacked when she wandered into the room and got too close to a job," Kloude said, with a frown. "You're a novelty, honestly. Most people treat her like some mutt on the street, but you didn't."

 

[SpaceCase]

Aria frowned at that, shaking her head. "What kind of- God. Who even does that. Especially the clients. I mean, what kind of jerk takes out their frustration on an animal."

 

[Gupi]

"The type of jerk who pays someone to kidnap people," Kloude said. "My clients aren't nice people. But I usually shoot the ones who touch my dog."

 

[SpaceCase]

"Good." Aria sunk further into her seat with a scowl. "She's a good dog. She doesn't deserve that kind of treatment. No animal does."

 

[Gupi]

Kloude fell silent for the rest of the drive, glancing over at Aria every few minutes to check she was still conscious. Parking in his usual spot, he was out of his seat and rounding the car to help Aria out quickly. "If you've got any leftover nuggets Nyx will love you for it," he said as he opened her door.

 

[SpaceCase]

Aria hated to admit it, but she'd been very close to drifting to sleep during the remainder of the car ride. She jolted back to the land of the conscious when he parked, and barely had a moment to note how expensive this looked for a parking garage before Kloude was rounding the car. She allowed him to open the door for her, with only a minor frown accompanying, although that softened as soon as Nyx was mentioned. "Yeah, I still have some leftover for her." She slid off the seat, keeping a hand on the door to steady herself.

 

[Gupi]

Kloude held a hand out to Aria, worried she might fall. "Do you think Carter or a friend could pick you up tomorrow?" he asked.

 

[SpaceCase]

Aria paused to think for a moment. "If for some reason I would not be able to go home by myself, which is unlikely, Lily would probably come get me." She let go of the door, pausing for a moment to make sure she was actually steady on her feet before continuing, "Anyway, I'd rather not die in a parking garage, so if we could go to your apartment that would be awesome."

 

[Gupi]

"Admitting this might be serious now?" Kloude muttered, placing a hand on Aria's lower back and steering her toward the elevator.

 

[SpaceCase]

Aria frowned at him in response, although she figured it wasn't worth it to actually argue with him on the point any further. "I'd like to get to sleep, at least."

 

[Gupi]

Kloude swiped his keycard to get into the elevator, making sure Aria was leaning steadily against a wall before pressing the button. "I was wondering, how did you get past the doorman last time?"

 

[SpaceCase]

Aria blinked at him as the elevator doors slid shut. It hadn't even occured to her that she would need an excuse as to how she got past the doorman, seeing as most people didn't see her again to ask her that question. "I- Uh." She glanced away, chewing on her lip as she tried to come up with an acceptable answer. "I told him I was friends with you?"

 

[Gupi]

Kloude frowned, crossing his arms. "I'll need to talk to the building manager, that's happened a few times now. He's really too old to be doing this now."

 

[SpaceCase]

Well, crap. Aria didn't want him to actually get the doorman in trouble, considering technically she hadn't even dealt with the doorman problem directly. "I, uh. Are you sure you need to do that? I mean, what if you have a friend who comes over and the doorman doesn't let them in? It's not like it's usually even a real problem, is it?"

 

[Gupi]

Kloude frowned, considering it. "I'll leave it this time, but if something like this happens again I'll report it. I can't really risk people being let in, not with my job."

 

[SpaceCase]

Aria let out a quiet breath of relief at his decision. "Yeah, that seems entirely fair." With a ding, the elevator doors slid open. She gave a quick glance at the number plate to make sure this actually was the right floor before stepping out. "Go ahead, lead the way."

 

[Gupi]

Kloude watched her out of the corner of his eye as they walked down the hall, still considered she might just pass out on him. He unlocked his apartment, turning on the light as he entered and doing a quick survey of the room to make sure Nyx hadn't destroyed anything while he was gone. There didnt seem to be any damage, but his dog was suspiciously absent. "Make yourself at home," he said, gesturing to the couch, "I'll get you some fresh sheets."

 

[SpaceCase]

Aria stepped into the apartment- Jeez, it's really weird to use the front door -letting out a quiet yawn. "Alright." She dropped into the couch, folding her arms over her chest as he disappeared to find her some sheets. Well, she knew she wasn't allowed to sleep yet, since he kept threatening her with a hospital visit, but it would be okay if she just rested her eyes for a bit, right? With that rationalization in mind, Aria let her eyes drift shut; within a few moments she'd dozed off.

 

[Gupi]

Kloude found Nyx asleep in his room and left her to rest as he made up the spare bed for Aria. It only took a few minutes, but apparently, that was enough time for the girl to pass out before he came back. "For fucks sake," he hissed, hurrying over and dropping to his knees beside the couch.

Placing a hand on Aria's shoulder, he shook her none to gently. "Come on, wake up. You're not dying on my couch.