Life in City Streets [Solomon/Violet]

Violet's eyes narrowed again, but this time not in hostility. Instead, she looked curious, calculating. Some of the things he said, the rich family, his overall appearance. Yeah, there was no fucking way he was not...

She let him talk and carefully measured his words, his tone, his body language, the look in his eyes. Was he trustworthy? It felt stupid judging him like this when she was the thief, but men were fucking manipulative. She couldn't chance it.

"Your life has been easy, hasn't it?" Violet said, her voice calmed. "You may have felt some pressure from your family or your job, but you've never wanted for anything, have you? Always had everything handed to you, never wondered where your next meal was coming from? I bet your parents even give a damn about you...

Well, my dad liked hitting me when I got things wrong. My mom stood back and let him. I ended up on the street for months at a time... Then, when they were done, they shipped me here. There isn't an ounce of pOtEnTiAl in me. I proved it time and time again. In fact, failing and disappointing people, are my only successes in life. So, please, just stop trying to talk me up. It's irrational, and insulting."

"Correct. I cannot deny a word you've said. Even so..."

Solomon measured her words as closely as she did his own. As he expected, upbringing was bought up. He couldn't deny her words, though. Indeed, he never wanted for anything, never went unloved by his parents, and was given ample opportunity to nurture and cultivate his talents. Violet's history was the polar opposite. An abusive father. A mother who agreed with his actions.

An onlooker observing this conversation would have certainly agreed with Violet's words, but Solomon was a stubborn man. Upbringing held no meaning to him. After all, he was still nursing wounds from his own fractured family. His life back home was... interesting, to say the least. He didn't particularly know how he felt about his father at the moment, but none of that mattered right now.

"None of what happened back then has to define you now. You don't have to let them be right. What's irrational about believing in someone? If you feel insulted, fine. I don't care. This is a city where you can start over again, wash your past away, and show them that you aren't just some failure. Is it that hard to believe you can live a life where others genuinely believe in you? It's right here. I'm right here. No matter what you tell me, I'm not giving up on you. Feel insulted. Curse me out. I don't care. I refuse to believe no one has meaning if they try hard enough in life."

Violet stared at this man with a strong sense of disbelief. His attitude was right out of some hero movie or something. She could not tell if she found it endearing and hopeful or idiotic and cringe. His stubbornness let that heroic demeanor of his come off more believable than she liked. Her mind was everywhere. Trust, don't trust. Give a chance, don't give a chance. Run, don't run. What to do!?

"I... just...Wow, what the hell?" Violet said, taking a step back form him. For a moment, the idea of running felt smarter, but if he was serious about not giving up, wouldn't he just give chase? Did she have a stalker now? The City of Lights definitely provided her first very interesting encounter. Still, Violet was stunned silent for a a few more seconds. "I don't know how to handle you."

"You sound fucking crazy, are you aware of that?" Violet asked. "I get what you're trying to do and the message you're trying to get into my head, but don't you think the forceful, 'you don't have a choice, Violet' tone you're using is a little much? Are all the men of this City as pushy and stubborn as you? Or is this your Vandenreich, rich-boy-turned-hero, wannabe upstanding guy act? Cause it's a strong act."

Solomon raised an eyebrow in disbelief at her words. Didn't know to handle him? Him!? She was the one pickpocketing left and right, who celebrated it as if it was just some casual sport for a person to engage in! How was he the difficult one to handle? His disbelief turned into outright offense as she accused him of sounding like the maniac in this situation.

Did he handle it wrong? Absolutely. Was he trying to fix it? Absolutely. Was she making that an easy endeavor? No. Not at all. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed in frustration as he rubbed his temples. What was wrong with presenting her with an easy path? How was he the one telling her she didn't have a choice here? By all accounts, he could report her to the Vandenreich and then she'd be worrying about her life elsewhere. Women were... truly interesting pieces of work. There was no victory to be had with any of them.

"Why would I go through all this trouble if I was acting, huh? Do you forget that your the one who stole my wallet? If anything, I'm the furthest thing from forceful. If I conducted myself like I was supposed to, you'd be in trouble. Then, your entire life here is compromised in a new city. You're labeled as a thief. I walk away. End of story."

Slumping against the wall, presenting a path for her to run away to if she desired, he shook his head as he continued to rub at his hair. She was frustrating. He was presenting an ideal choice where she could operate freely and she was calling him the crazy one? Sheesh...

"I stepped out of line with my own actions. I get that. What I don't get is why your blinded by your level of distrust that you can't see genuine kindness being offered? I don't give a damn about what your perception is of me at this point. Wannabe hero? Fine. Upstanding rich boy? Okay. I'll shoot it to you straight, then. I just want to help you because I feel that's the right thing to do. Simple as that. Crazy, isn't it? You have a choice. You get to decide how to your live your life. If you want to spend it robbing others blind, fine. Just don't act like there wasn't one person who thought there was a possibility you could achieve something more than thievery."

The last man Violet trusted hit her for like... years. Why the hell would she trust some new blonde hero wannabe on day one, especially after they started everything off with lies! In fact, his easy-to-trust-others mentality was part of the problem in Violet's eyes. It wasn't normal to trust someone so easily! To offer such serious support just because? Weird! Even a little naive!

Whoa. Hahaha. Violet watched his body language shift. Was she really stressing him out like that? The frustrated sigh, him rubbing his temples... Violet was almost proud that she broke that hero-boy demeanor of his. He actually seemed more reasonable for the moment, and even brought up a few good points. Frankly, the change was welcome. Before he was just too... good, like a puppy with his master.

Violet took note of the opened path, but didn't yet move. Why move now that things got more normal and his point was coming across much better? Then came the monologue... "blinded by your level of distrust" Yes. "Crazy, isn't it?" YES. This guys words were just unable to penetrate the layer of self-hatred and insecurity that Violet had. If anything, he opened himself up for her need to survive out here.

"Fine," Violet said, softening her demeanor a bit. If he wanted to be a hero, she'd use that. "How exactly are you going to help me then? How are you going to make me be anything more than a worthless little thief? You don't even know why I feel the way I do, so saying you can fix a problem you don't understand the depth of is either stupidity or over-confidence. I'll figure out which son, so... let's go. Give me a hint on how all of this is going to work. How am I going to fail you too, Solomon?"

"Stupidity. Foolishness. Over-confidence. Fine. Call it whatever you want at this point. I'm convinced I can't win with you no matter what I say."

Solomon wondered if this was the point of view Izumi shared when he offered to assist her months ago. He never viewed genuine kindness as some sort of sin, but this woman seemed to look at it as if he was some type of fuckwit trying to earn brownie points for his own pride. And then she called him son. Deep breathe, Solomon. Exhale. Inhale. You made your bed, now you must rest in it. Running a hand through his hair, he gazed at the woman as he reflected on their conversation. He could already discern this woman as the rebellious type. Didn't understand? She pretty much spelled it out for him when she lashed out at him.

"Well, first thing's first. I can provide you with a house of your own. With how difficult you've been, my better judgment says that's a bad idea, but to spite you and show you I'm genuine, I think it's more than an ample start. Getting a job after that shouldn't be too difficult to acquire if I put in a good word on the resume. That depends on if you'd want a job in the city to begin with. If you don't mind my asking, why did your parents... leave you here, so to speak? You mentioned them earlier..."

"My parents sent me here because they were tired of my existence. According to them, they regret having me." Violet said with a bluntness that rang in loud truths. "I don't live up to their standards of a stupid Quincy, because I'm pretty sure I'm not one, but they insisted I was. Instead of dealing with facts, they kept pushing me until I finally snapped back, so... no. They didn't leave me here. They put me on a plane and sent me off like a package to be delivered. I was supposed to meet my aunt at the airport, but I have no interest in dealing with her. If she's anything like Mom, she won't give a damn about me either, so what's the point?"

Solomon listed to the woman in acute silence as he listened to her words. Quincy. It all made sense when she uttered that single phrase. He had no inkling of the type of family she descended from, but if her currents actions were anything to go by, he assumed that she definitely lived under the roof of overbearing parents that wanted her to live up to her heritage, mindless of the weight they had unceremoniously forced on her shoulders. The next part made him curious. Aunt? She was supposed to meet her aunt at the airport? He wondered who that might have been. It could very well be someone he knew, so he decided to pursue that line of questioning next.

"What is your aunt's name? I travel around this city a lot. I might know who she is. Not that... I intend to force you to meet her. I understand family issues can be... troublesome." He noted softly.

"No, no, no," Violet said immediately, waving that line of questioning off and began rambling on as she panicked over the idea of meeting up with her Aunt. "You're right. I'm not meeting up with her. You're not contacting her. I am not going to go live with her just so I can be a burden under someone else's thumb because Mom and Dad can't handle their own shit. And the fact that you may know her makes me even more serious. I haven't seen her in a long time, and I doubt she'd even recognize me like this. If you want to help me, I'll go along with it. I'll do the house and job thing, but you are never allowed to get me to meet up with my family. Deal?"

Solomon noted the adamant shift in her mood the moment he pursued the second line of questioning. He understood wholeheartedly why she desired to avoid meeting face to face with another part of her family. Considering what she had to deal with as it stood, he had no intent of forcing her to endure any more stress than necessary. The fact that she agreed that she would accept his other terms, without hesitation, no less, made it overwhelming easy to accept her terms. Nodding his head, he shook his hand dismissively to assuage her worries.

"Deal. I'm more than alright with those terms. My intention was to help you, first and foremost in spite of the convoluted foolishness I engaged in earlier. As soon as you wish, I'll start working on the necessary routes. You should be able to live in your own home in a few days. In the meantime, I can assist in helping you stay in a hotel. We have a few of those in the city that can accommodate you pretty well."