Date of the Shy Ones (07-13-2011) [Axel & Dominique]

Taking his hand again Dominique walked a little closer next to him, the sides of their arms all but touching. She understood that whatever it was that it was a big deal and that he didn't wanted to talk about that while other people could overhear them.
"Back at the mansion?" she asked, "In one of our rooms?"
They reached the student cafe etc then, she looked over the building. Despite that it was clearly very new and she didn't really like completely new buildings, but this looked like it had a nice atmosphere. Giving her a different subject to talk about.
"It looks like a nice place, maybe we should come back here again when it's open," she said, unconciously possibly making it sound like suggesting that they could go here for a second date or something, "what do you think?"

"I think that would be better," Axel said with a nod and a small smile, grateful Dominique was willing to wait, even as she probably didn't fully understand why. Actually there probably wouldn't be much difference with him telling hre now, he realised, but somehow sharing a secret (one that wasn't even his own) with people around to hear it (not that they were likely to eavesdrop but still) felt wrong to him.

When they arrived at the big building with the cinema, the student cafe and some other recreational facilities*. He looked up at the big letters above the main entrance. 'BEAN' they spelled out in massive brightly collored capital letters.
"Bean," he read out, as if trying to puzzle out why anyone would name a place that.
Then he smiled and nodded at Dominique's subtle suggestion; "I'd like that," he said happily, "I'm curious... what's all in there. I'm guessing most of the local students spend a lot of their time in there."
He smiled again; "I really wonder what it'll be like when school starts."
Tilting his head he added: "the student job market around here must be hell...!" He himself didn't need a job really, having enough money coming from home to get around and with his studies taking up a lot of his time he was quite pleased with that... but he could imagine a lot of the other students might have great difficulty finding a job in a palce this small.

* a picture of the BEAN is being made

Looking at the brightly coloured letters also musing over who would call a studentplace like this 'BEAN', though Dominique had to admit she granted them points for originality. She smiled at Axel when he agreed on her suggestion of going back when the 'BEAN' was open.
She had to admit that she was quite curious as well when he uttered his curiosity of how it would be like when school had started. Letting out a small chuckle when he said that the student job market must be hell around here. Much like Axel Dominique didn't needed a job, getting some money from home and also got money from selling some of her selfmade jewellery.
"Yeah, I'm glad that I don't have to try and get a job here," she said her eyes going to the 'Personal Wanted' note on one of the windows, "I wonder how the local students do it..."

"Ah, enough money as well?" Axel asked. He knew it was pretty rude asking someone about their financial circumstances but hey; it wasn't like he asked her about her wealth out of the blue, right? Still he felt he should add: "I don't mean that as... it may sound."
He just hoped she'd gotten a good enough impression of him now to know he wasn't in the least interested in the money in her back.

Dominique let out a small chuckle when Axel said that he didn't mean anything by it when he had asked if she had enough money. She got the feeling she knew him well enough to know that the amount of numbers in her or her parents bankaccount wouldn't change his opinion about her. Taking his hand again she gave it a small squeeze as a reassurance that it was fine.
"Enough money that I don't need to compete on the student job market for a parttime job," she answered with a shrug, "my parents send me some money every month and every now and then I can sell some of the jewellery that I've made which is always a nice bonus."

"Ah," Axel said with a smile, mainly because he got reasured Dominique didn't mind his previous question - even though he didn't think he'd done anything wrong, he was the kind of person who'd still blame himself.
He then automatically wanted to bring up his own situation but just in time realised he didn't want to go into anything that could lead to explaining the endless twisting point between him and Aemilio; where he though of Aemilio's father as family, his stepbrother conisdered the two far from so and often called Axel a freeloader and his mother a cheap golddigger*

"So," he said, dismissing his own thoughts, "well I've got the same fortune. I wouldn't mind getting a job - I mean, I've had jobs before - but with my studies it's just really unpractical, unless I can find a job in the hospital maybe... that way I could count that as field work."
He looked at the Bean once more before he said: "so, shall we go? I'm all done here. Maybe slowly head back to the mansion?"

*admittedly Aemilio used fouler words

Dominique smiled at Axel when he said that he had the same fortune as herself when it came down to finances. It was good to hear that he was willing to have a parttime job and chuckled a little when he said that if he worked in the hospital he could use it for his study.
When he asked if she wanted to go back because he was done in Penrose she nodded; "Yeah I'm done as well, let's go back to the mansion."

As they turned back, headed for the mansion Axel slowly but surely quieted down (no that isn't a physical impossibility) compared to his former self. The secret he'd promised to share seemed to weigh down his tongue as it lay on the tip of it but couldn't be spoken out yet. Then doubts came as an aggravation to that; should he tell her? Wouldn't she be better of not knowing? That last would fit into the patern he'd started to notice for young women; anything connecting you to Aemilio Valdez was bad news.

But finally a point came where they had to wait for a cab to take them back, 10 minutes at least was what the person on the phone said. "Unless you feel like walking?" Axel finished, his eyes showing he guessed Dominique's anwser would be negative.

Dominique noticed it when Axel became even more quiet when they where waiting for the cab to arrive. When he asked her if she wanted to walk instead of waiting for the cab she decided that it would probably be shorter if they waited. So she shook her head and just sat down on one of the benches, trying to come up with a subject to talk about to break the uncomfortable silence between them.
"So... how is your story for the 'Welcome Party' coming along?" she asked after some moments, uncapable of coming up with a different subject other then whatever it was that he would tell her once they where back in either one of their rooms again.

Axel smiled a little unhappily when Dominique asked about his story; "I actually haven't written anything since I last told you about it," he said. Then his face ligtened up a little as he thought out loud: "but then again... that was only yesterday evening...!"
In his head so much time had passed since then, but in reality it was only the night before that he'd told Dominqiue about where his story was up to now. So actually he was pretty much on sceduale with his writing.
"So much happened lately," Axel mused, "sometimes it feels like a week has passed when it's only been a day. Or... is it just me?"

Dominique looked a little embarrased when Axel said that it had only been yesterday evening that he told her where his story was now. Much like him having the feeling like so much more time should have passed since then, a week at the very least.
"I know exactly what I mean," she chuckled, "sorry I sort of forgot that it was only yesterday evening the last time I asked about your story. I guess that it just feels like more time has passed because it feels like so much has happened since then."

Finally the cab came. The cab driver was a lot nicer than the one from before though, making the drive home endlessly more pleasent. He asked them about their business in the village and about them too, but in a pleasent way, easily picking up whenever he was getting to personal or there wasn't much to tell. In short, it was a pleasent travel and despite the fact that Axel wasn't a sponaneous person, he was completely comfertable chatting a little.

Finally they returned at the Meinior gates, Axel paid the cab driver (adding a mentionable tip) and there they were. "Hey," he said before things might turn attention back to his stepbrother, taking Dominique's hands in his, smiling warmly at her as if cherishing the moment - lame as it may sounds to some... "I really enjoyed this."

Dominique was glad that the drive home was so much more pleasant then the drive to Penrose, answering the questions that are directed to her but mainly keep quiet. She blushed a little when Axel paid the driver again as well as giving the man a tip, she wouldn't have minded to pay this time or at least chip in.
Her blush increased when he took both her hands and told her that he had really enjoyed their date, smiling and giving his hands a little squeeze.
"Me too," she replied, leaning in to give him a small kiss, "thank you."

Axel happily kissed her back, then went into a full ((adding tongue,and putting arms around her and whatnot)) before he finally released her, went silent for a moment and sighed; "I'm guessing we should talk about... y'know?"

Taken by surprise when Axel pulled her into a full kiss Dominique froze for a few seconds, but she kissed back putting her arms around his waist. Enjoying the moment to the fullest, feeling very special and actually having forgotten about the Aemilio secret. Thas was until he mentioned it again after their kiss, biting her lowerlip she nodded.
"Yeah," she nodded, "so uhm where do you prefer to go to talk?"

"Well, any place Aemilio isn't likely to show up," Axel said - suddenly realising that telling Dominique about the secret in town would've probably actually been the safest thing to do anyway... considering the one person who couldn't find out he'd told her... lived here!

"Here is just as good as any other place nearby I suppose," Azel said, his expression betraying how unhappy he was about all of this, "so... about Aemilio..."

Still having her arms around him Dominique hugged Axel a little tighter and smiled reasurringly at him, hoping it would help him to feel a bit better. But when she noticed how unhappy he was her smile faded, feeling bad that he was feeling so bad at the moment.
"You don't have to tell me," she told him, even though she was curious as hell she didn't wanted him to tell her if it was such a heavy burden to him, "if you don't want to... or can't..."

Axel sighed; on the one hand he didn't want to tell her but on the other hand he thought it might be best to tell her... and with his feelings about the situation being so conflicted, he slightly hated Dominique for leaving the choice up to him.

"No, it's alright," Axel finally decided with a small (still fairly unhappy) smile, "I promised I'd tell you and... I think it might be better if you know." Please ignore the fact that his tone of voice was less than confident.
"But promise you'll keep an open mind throughout all this... because it's a pretty surrealistic truth. On the other hand," he said, "what you saw was too."
He didn't add that last because he only just remembered but all the more to remind her. That way, when he would tell her the fantasy-like truth, she'd hopefully kept in mind what she'd seen and that might stop her from immediatly stamping it as 'insane'.

Dominique wasn't sure wheter or not she should tell Axel again that he didn't have to tell her despite the promise, but then he said that it was better if she would know. She nodded when he asked her to keep an open mind during his explanation, especailly because of what she had seen herself as he reminded her off.
"Okay, don't worry," she answered, "I'll hear you out, and I'll try not to judge until your done."

"Ok," Axel said as if to prepare himself, which may have looked a little weird in contrast with how simple, almost bluntly the next came out: "Aemilio's a cyborg."
He looked at Dominique, his eyes begging her not to laugh, call him an idiot or possibly even get angry because she thought he was making fun of her... but his face showed he was anticipating it.

Dominique stared at Axel for a few moments, he couldn't be serious, could he? But she could see in his eyes that he actually was serious, but how could that be? She felt like laughing at how rediculus that sounded, but she didn't having promised she wouldn't judge until he was finished talking and that she would keep an open mind. Assuming that he wasn't done with explaining she looked at him with a please explain look, hoping he would clear it further up.

He could read the disbelief on Dominique's face even when she didn't speak. 'Why wasn't she talking?'
"Euhm myeah," he said feeling very stupid, even though he knew he wasn't telling nonsense, "he had an accident when he was young and his father got a team of brainiac Japanese scientists and doctors to fix something up. And now he's like 60% robot."

It sounded even sillier and unlikely now he spoke it out, even more than it'd done in his mind and his expression showed he realised that. "I know it sounds like a Star Trek episode that never aired but... you might as well know..." In an almost desperate sigh, but also a small desperate smile to balance things out, Axel wondered out loud: "do you think I'm crazy now? Or lying?"

"Aemilio is for 60% robot? Seriously?" Dominique knew Axel was speaking the truth, or at least thought that he was speaking the truth, but come on! This was stuff from scifi movies/books/comics and the like. The robot science wasn't anywhere near being capable of replacing 60% of the human body without it being clear for anyone to see, right?
"How is that possible?" she then asked, "How is it possible that they can replace 60% of a human body but aren't capable of making a fully humanoid robot? Or are they afraid the matrix will actually happen?"
She was babbling she knew it and so she stopped herself, confusion all over her face. A part of her wanted it to be a lie just because then she wouldn't have to deal with that. Walking over to the fench she sat down, her back resting against it, her head shaking slightly. No matter how much she wanted to dismiss the idea it did explain why he had been so inhumanly fast.
"I don't think your lying or crazy," she then finally answered Axel's question, "but it's just... difficult to except that such technology already exsists but it's kept secret. Suddenly those conspirity ideas don't seem so farfedged."

"Probably the same way there's no cure for cancer but there is a singing toilet on the market," Axel replied when Dominique wondered how it could be possible. He sounded quite blunt and bitter there for a moment, but that was mostly because he was on edge with the whole situation (not with her whatsoever).
At least she believed him... well, sortoff...
Points for making an effort.

"I know it sounds insane," he said with a small smile, as he followed her to the fence and leaned against it as well. "I can tell you from experience... it helps not to think about it. When I first learned...." he let out a short, ever so slightly bitter laugh at the next: "I didn't know what was up and down anymore...! It was so unrealistic."

Not thinking about it? Yeah that sounds like a great idea. With a sigh Dominique nodded at Axel's suggestion. "Ignorance is bliss," she said with a slightly wry smile, "now I understand why Aemilio didn't wanted to tell me when I asked about it. It must be hard to keep something like that a secret..."
It still hadn't really sunken in yet, she doubted if it would any time soon. Especially because she was planning on not thinking about it ever after his conversation would be over. But despite how confused she was over this all she appreciated that Axel had told her the truth, so taking his hand giving it a small squeeze she looked at him. "Thank you," she said, "for trusting me enough to tell me and I promise I'll won't tell anyone."