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[ She pauses, letting those words sink further in before she offers a small, warm smile. ]

I'm glad to be back, too. And that you're here.

[ As much as she misses home, she misses the more peaceful times. The downtime in between training or missions where she and the rest of the 104th goofed off or watched as Eren and Jean got into petty arguments, or when she and Connie would start fooling around where their superiors couldn't see them.

She can't say she would rather be home right now. Not when there's a titan bigger than the Colossal Titan headed toward the city and they've got to find some way to kill. Not when she can't seem to get a proper night's rest for fear of something lurking in the shadows threatening her friends' lives and hers. ]

Why did you say you had to apologize earlier?

[ Oh. Right. The little smile and the warmth that's built up in her expression crumbles under that question. She looks instantly embarrassed, hunching her shoulders and ducking her head. ]

Oh, yeah. That. Um... [ Alright. Sasha didn't seem angry before or anything, and she's obviously not worried about it now, so she could do this! She looks up again in an attempt to be direct and totally not a wimp about it, reaching up with both hands to tuck her hair behind her ears. ] Just-- You know, the whole Reggie thing. I'm sorry I made out with your, um... Your guy that you're seeing. That. First and foremost.

Oh... ah!

[ Both hands rise as if to tell Laurie to relax. Her own eyes widen with surprise and there's a tint of red in her cheeks that wasn't there about five seconds ago. ]

Reggie isn't— he isn't my boyfriend! We're not seeing each other really so...

[ It had been an awkward scenario to stumble upon, but she's nowhere near angry about it. ]

I thought you liked him.

What? No! God, no. [ So, okay, even if she's come to certain conclusions about the sort of person that's going to find her worth the time of day, Reggie's still abrasive-seeming and potentially a pretty questionable guy. She doesn't want to air any of that, though. Her judgement's probably flawed for various reasons. ] I barely know him! And even if you're not seeing each other, I wouldn't normally come onto a guy who's interested in my friend.

I just... It was part of the whole Lucifer thing. It made me more pathetic and desperate than usual. That's all.

You both looked like you were enjoying it so I wasn't sure!

[ She waves her hands fretfully. ]

You're not pathetic or desperate! Don't say that about yourself, Laurie.

[ Laurie's blush darkens a little at that. Sure, the attention and the act had been pleasant enough, but the circumstances were all wrong and she still feels as if she should have had more control over herself. ]

Well, that's-- No, it's true. That's how I feel about it, anyway, I did a bunch of stupid stuff and Reggie was, like, the climax of my stupid.

But you're feeling okay now, aren't you?

[ She hopes so, but if Laurie's been stewing in these feelings for weeks while Sasha's been gone she can't help but feel bad despite it being out of her hands. It was just a kiss. What's so shameful about that? ]

What else happened?

Yeah. I'm fine. [ It comes out flatter than she'd intended, but she really is! She feels better now that she's gotten an apology out and confirmation that Sasha doesn't think she's a total jerk. She'll feel relieved soon, after she gets over feeling a little pitiful.

But okay! The rest of the stuff? ] I just... I held hands with somebody, with Ken, and I got Dorian Gray to kiss me, and I tried to kiss Jaime, but that was a bust. I mean, it obviously would be. I knew that.

I was just thinking about things that I'd wanted to feel, and how to get them, and--and not caring whether anybody's feelings were honest or not. But I'm okay now.

[ What Laurie is trying to convey doesn't go past her head. Truthfully, Sasha doesn't think about those sort of feelings often (although when survival is your priority it's hard to). It's only in this world she's given some thought to it. Going on a date was nice and kissing someone was exciting in ways that actually had her wonder if she had missed out on whatever thrilling experimenting the other trainees did in the bunkers. ]

Jaime... oh.

[ Traci's boyfriend? Now Sasha understands better. ]

But it was because of some other imPort we were all acting weird, wasn't it? You wouldn't do that to someone.

Edited (finds typo hours later...) 2015-08-03 12:44 (UTC)

Yeah. Some Horsemen of the Apocalypse themed thing. The same guy behind you and all those other people to fall asleep for three days. [ So at least she's off the hook, basically, with Jaime and Traci, and now with Sasha. At least for that. ]

Speaking of which I... You weren't awake, so you don't know, but I also wanted to apologize 'cause I tried to go all Sleeping Beauty mythos on you. I felt kinda... Well, you shouldn't do stuff like that to unconscious people, right? Not when it's obviously something stupid that's not going to help the situation. I just felt bad for not saying anything.

[ That's all. Nothing to see here. She's aware, though, that Sasha might not be familiar with the story. She's just hoping she brushes it off without delving any deeper into it, if she doesn't get the reference. ]

[ She doesn't catch it, so Laurie gets a confused look. ]

Sleeping Beauty?

[ But she says she was trying to help her... ]

I made you worry then, didn't I? I'm sorry for that.

It's a fairy tale. There's this princess that gets put into a magical sleep.

[ And now it's Laurie's turn to wave her hand in dismissal. Don't worry about it, Sasha. The worry is done with. Laurie pushes up a little smile, even. ]

No, it's fine. This part of the conversation already happened, right? I just... I wanted to try to clear the air of the rest.

[ She smiles back at her, shaking her head. ]

Don't worry, I'm not mad about anything. You were just trying to help back then.

[ Who knows what would have happened if Laurie hadn't been around? What if Sasha had been by herself when she fell asleep? ]

[ She almost feels like she's unfairly ducking out of a confession with an actual degree of meaning, but that hypothetical total truth is way scarier than letting it go at this. ]

Yeah. Good. I'd hate it if I totally wrecked everything between us in one week.

I mean, I'd hate it if I accomplished that over any period of time, but a week would basically beat my standing record for ruined relationships. [ Ha... ha. Anyhow! ] So what now? Do you need anything?

I don't think that's even possible!

[ She shakes her head adamantly. There's only a couple of ways Laurie could do that, but she's not a titan shifter, a cannibal nor has she tried to kill any of Sasha's friends so she's in the clear. ]

Hm... [ Sasha has to think about her response. ] I'm kind of still settling back in. Maybe a movie? Summer is when all the cool new movies come out, yes?

[ She isn't in the mood for a heavy meal or doing much outside of sitting around. ]

That's true. It's blockbuster season.

[ Laurie sinks back into smiling easily. It's not so difficult with Sasha around, asking about nice, normal things. This place can be deceptively simple sometimes, and she doesn't mind falling for the act. ]

Did you want to go to the theater, then? Or, like... Rent something?

Let's rent something.

[ The movie theaters do have amazing air conditioning and popcorn is sort of tempting, but they're also loud and can vibrate the seats. For once Sasha isn't keen on sitting through that. ]

Your choice!

Alright. [ She perks up and hops down from the counter. ] Let me go change, and we can run to the supermarket. There's that rental machine, and we can get some snacks and stuff.

Okay! I'll go find my wallet.

[ She looks around for a moment, half-expecting someone else to be there. ]

I guess Tobias is sleeping... but if he wakes up he can join us. Maybe we should rent two movies in case?

Oh. Sure. I... [ Renting two movies? Why not! As for Tobias and his whereabouts or goings-on? ] I don't know what he's doing, or if he's asleep or whatever. I'm not convinced I want to know. But yeah. He can join us if he's up. Definitely.

[ She lowers her voice as she's talking, in case he is asleep, and the discussion trails off as she make her way into the bedroom to change out of her Wallflower ensemble and grab her own wallet. She returns to the common area wearing the pedal pushers and sleeveless button-up she'd been wearing this afternoon. Hair still up, way more innocuous. ]

Ready?

[ Sasha disappears in search of her wallet she's left somewhere in room, but it isn't a long search before she finds it tucked into her jacket pocket. She doesn't need the jacket or anything else, so she slips her wallet into the back pocket of her shorts and heads back out.

When Laurie reemerges, she nods. ]

Yep!

Don't tell me Tobias still sleeps all day. Are we sure we shouldn't check on him to make sure he's alright then?

I'm pretty sure. [ He's an adult, after all, and-- Well. She slips her hand under Sasha's elbow to tug her gently towards the front door. When she's closing and locking it behind them, she starts speaking again, in a soft tone as if she's afraid of being overheard. ]

So... A little while ago, we came out to do our laundry and the same time, right? And he had all these clothes, like, covered in blood. Not just his, either. He also had ladies' clothes.

I mean, I guess they could still be his. Maybe he cross-dresses. Whatever. But he said it was an accident with a dinner guest or something?

He's been totally normal since then, or... You know, normal for him. I get weirded out if I think too hard about it, though.

[ Like, are they going to die? Is she going on her third round of being murdered? ]

[ Sasha knows when she's being ushered out because of a secret. She leans her head in to listen closely to what Laurie has to tell her, her stomach lurching when she discovers what it is. ]

Blood?!

[ She almost yells, but manages to keep her voice down despite them being outside now. ]

Why would he have someone else's clothes? Has he had women over? [ That wouldn't be an issue except for the fact there's reports of blood. Blood doesn't find its way onto clothes unless something has happened. Something unpleasant. ] Was it fresh...?

[ Even if the volume's suitably low, Sasha still carries an air of exclamation, and Laurie winces (for no real reason) and moves to catch Sasha by the arm again. She then proceeds to walk as if getting away from the house is actually a great plan, and not just for snacks and movies. ]

I don't know. It had dried, I think. Or close to it. He had to pre-treat it and everything.

I haven't seen any women that he's had over, or heard them, or anything like that. So I don't know what's up.

[ There's no protest from Sasha. She peeks over her shoulder, looking back at the house as if expecting Tobias to be peering out the window suspiciously and keeps going. ]

Do you think he got into a fight? How much blood was it?

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