I'd Give It All To Not Be Alone-- open

[Tabitha Marie Krane]

Tabitha walked down the sidewalk placing one foot after the other, slowly. She was taking her time, that was obvious, but what wasn't obvious was why she was doing so. She knew that if she hurried up and walked home her mom would be there drunk, or half starved, and end up eating all the groceries Tabitha had bought. Luckily, she hadn't bought any today. No money. Sighing loudly, she flung her hands above her head with her arms outstretched, and looked at the night sky. It was probably past curfew, but she didn't care. Being anywhere else but home was perfect for her. There wouldn't be a loud voice shouting at her all the time about her father. Or critisizing her about her partying habits and not getting a job. I could just move out if I wanted.
The girl smirked at the idea. It was always something she had in mind, but knew she couldn't afford it, and knew that her mother couldn't survive without her. She'd be better off if SMILE took her.. All respect for her parents was gone, and she didn't care. She was twenty one, which meant she could do whatever she wanted, right?

Tabitha arrived at the park accidently. At the edge was some swings that were unoccupied. Delight flushed over her. She hadn't swung on a swing in ages it seemed. Without hesitating, Tabitha ran over to the swing and plopped down on it. Quickly, she pumped her legs, making the swing go higher and higher. A wanting inside her then creeped up. Cigarette.. Hoping she still had some left, Tabitha reached into her pocket and brought out a normal cigarette pack. She then reached in her bra and brought out a lime green lighter that never seemed to run out of lighter fluid. With one slick movement, with no hardships over the faint wind, Tabitha lit her cigarette and placed her cigarette pack back in her pocket. She now only had four left. Damn.
Tabitha looked at the sky while she inhaled cigarette smoke and thought about things. She liked it better by herself, it helped her think like this, and nothing could change that. The cold air brushed against her skin making her shiver, and she cursed. Should have brought a jacket. Tabitha swung there for a few moments until she couldn't stand the cold anymore. Unhappily, she jumped off the swing and landed on her two feet with surprisingly perfect balance. "Fuck it." She murmered, and turned to go home, yet hesitated. Something was telling her that she shouldn't go home quite yet..

[Melissa Clark]

Melissa's feet were pounding and flames were billowing out behind her. A building had partially gone up in flames, but not in the general way she had been hoping for. The flames were a result of a grenade being thrown in her direction. After she had been spotted rooting around in a SMILE warehouse she had been on the run to save her life. Unfortunately her running skills weren't what they should have been. She was quite slow, but she was decent with a firearm. Though she didn't have one with her. "Blast..." She mumbled, as an explosion of debris flew into the sky. The dark night clouds were replaced by bricks Melissa now avoided as she ran. SMILE operatives were jogging out of the building after her and Melissa laughed in disbelief. Why did they have to send so many people after just one insignificant person!? She hadn't even taken anything! She hadn't had the chance, having been too busy avoiding explosions.

Looking around desperately for somewhere to hide, an empty building, the back of a truck, anything. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye she saw a park. Oh, thank heavens above! The blonde thought to herself, cutting through a main road and diving into a bush in the park. She was near some swings, and from what she could see there was only one person around, surely they would be smart enough to know not to alert anyone to her presence?

Letting out a deep, smokey breath, Melissa sat down on the soft soil and held her head in her hands. Her shoes poked out of the bush's hiding place, as she breathed heavily into her palms. Sweat dripped from her forehead as she cooled off in the midnight breeze. Though the waves of heat from the flames not so far away still made their way over to the park. Along with one or two SMILE members that were quite insistent on trying to find her. Luckily, they didn't spot her shoes and seemed to just jog on.

Gazing up from her grubby hands, she spotted the person on the swings nearby. But chose to remain in the bushes for now, not at all creep like.

[Tabitha Marie Krane]

Tabitha spotted it now. The fire, the flames, the SMILE people that she could care less about. She resented them, blamed them, for what happened to her family. Without even acknowledging them, she let them pass by with her eyes focused on the ground below her. When the SMILE people had finally gone out of site, she sighed with relief. Curiously, she walked over to some bushes, unaware of the girl squated in them. She decided to light another cigarette.

In times like these, Tabitha would usually walk straight home, smoking her cigarette and minding her own business, but something made her stay. Then, she heard it, the heavy and then light breathing of another person. "Someone there?" She asked, as she parted some of the bushes. It revealed a girl, also with blonde hair like herself. She looked dirty.. Rebel. The word excited her, but also made her think of her father, which usually put her in a pissy mood. "Rebel, huh?" She whispered, and looked around casually, making sure no more SMILE members were around. Feeling paranoid, Tabitha decided to squat in the bushes next to the girl. She did so, and smiled at the girl. "I'm Tabitha." She said, naturally, as she smoked her cigarette. "You got a name?" This was the second rebel she had talked to today. How lucky am I.

[Melissa Clark]

Melissa's chest had slowed to the average breathing of an average person. Until it began to pick up again at the sounds of another person leering over her hiding place. Looking up through the leaves and twigs, she blinked. They didn't seem too...smiley for someone so out in the open. Melissa was actually about to just sit and chill, hoping she wouldn't be spotted, when the bush was parted and the blonde woman spotted her. With a dazed smile, Melissa waved up at her a little. Hoping that whoever this person was, wasn't going to rat her out.

"...I'm Melissa," she continued to smile, and rubbed the back of her head cautiously. "I'd say it's nice to meet you, but I'm not in the best place to have niceties." She chuckled lightly, then wiped some grime from her face. "Whatcha doing out here?"

[Tabitha Marie Krane]

"...I'm Melissa,"

Tabitha smirked at how the girl was smiling constantly. So she follows SMILE's rules? Confused thoughts went through Tabby's head. She thought that rebels were against SMILE and refused to smile, but it was whatever. She would just go with the flow like always.

"I'd say it's nice to meet you, but I'm not in the best place to have niceties."

Tabitha smiled politely, without laughing. Truth was, she didn't really get why Melissa was laughing. She could have been taken by SMILE or even killed by the fire. But it was still whatever. Rebels could do whatever they wanted, it didn't bother Tabitha at all.

"Whatcha doing out here?"

The question caught Tabitha by surprise at first, but quickly recovered. She needed to come off as smooth, calm, easy going, and collected. That was who she was, that was who she needed to be to survive. Or.. To feel like I belong. "Me? I should ask you the same question." She spoke smoothly, and laughed lightly. Tabitha looked at the grass below her and started plucking the grass from the ground like she did when she was younger. It calmed her. "Eh, I'm just hangin' around, y'know? Goin' home doesn't sound too fun right now.." Or ever. Tabitha managed to look up and give Melissa a natural smile so she wouldn't sense any tension.

[Melissa Clark]

Melissa's habit of constantly smiling was not one that came from the reinforced powers of SMILE. Rebels could smile, laugh, do as they pleased. They had no reason to be grumpy once they had their freedom. Melissa however, was generally just a happy person, and enjoyed being able to smile without having it to be fake and manufactured. Which would lead as to why she was laughing, the relief of not being dead, or captured. Of escaping SMILE's crazy ass explosions.

"How come? I hear citizen homes are real nice, assuming you are a citizien. I figure someone working for SMILE would have called for backup, but hey, that's people." She shrugged, leaning back against the shrubbery upon which she had become so comfortable. The bitter scent of burning materials floated in the air heavily, along with the sweet (at least to Melissa) scent of smoke from Tabitha.

Rubbing her knees softly, Melissa inspected any damage she may have actually received. There were only a few cuts and grazes here and there, nothing that would scar. Unless she picked at the scabs, but she didn't think that would happen, Melissa had self control.

[Tabitha Marie Krane]

"How come? I hear citizen homes are real nice, assuming you are a citizien. I figure someone working for SMILE would have called for backup, but hey, that's people."

Tabitha pondered over her question. Sure, they were nice, but that didn't mean she wanted to come home to the same shit everyday. Her mom screaming and throwing random stuff around. In some cases, those random items would usually hit Tabitha. Stupid bitch. "Heh." Tabitha breathed, kind of in a sarcastic way. "Eh, they're nice, I guess. I just rather not be home, y'know?" She said, and then looked at the grass again.

She thought about what Melissa said about SMILE and their backups. She had never got in trouble with SMILE, or SMILE had never caught her doing anything she shouldn't. Tabitha smirked. It's not illegal if you don't get caught. With that thought in mind, Tabitha got up from the hiding place and looked for SMILE operatives. She didn't spot any. Smiling, Tabitha looked down at Melissa and nodded, referring that the coast was clear, then reached down a hand. "Just stick with me. I'll make sure nothin' bad happens to ya concerning those boring ol' no fun SMILE people." She said, and winked playfully, followed by a giggle. Obviously, she was kidding around. She knew that Melissa probably knew her way around just as well as Tabitha did. But, Tabitha needed some fun before she went home to a huge mess. Hopefully her mom would be awake by the time she got home...

[Melissa Clark]

"Yeah, I know the feeling." She shook her head and pulled herself up. With the help of Tabitha's hand. "Should I ask why you aren't one for heading home?" She looked to the strange new person, finding that her attitude sent out odd signals. Was she, or wasn't she a friendly character. The pale blonde woman found herself pondering what this woman's story could be, and was curious to find out. But promised herself that she wouldn't be so intrusive upon just meeting someone.

"Hah, thanks. I'll make sure to cover your back too," Melissa shook her head with an amused laugh, this person's story.. their life, she imagined it would be quite interesting. Still, drifting away from that subject. Her thin eyebrow arched as she observed the wink and giggle. Melissa just couldn't understand this person. She could hold back no more, and just had to ask. "What's your story? Who are you?"

((Apologies on shortness, darn keyboard.))

[Tabitha Marie Krane]

Tabitha helped her up with ease. It was nice to have someone to talk to for once. Even if they were, in fact, a rebel. She pondered over that fact. What she didn't get was how Melissa wasn't scared of SMILE. Sure, rebels shouldn't be scared, but she couldn't understand how they couldn't be.

"Should I ask why you aren't one for heading home?"

"It's boring." Tabitha said, a little too quickly. She wasn't one to open up about her personal life. Sure, she was talkative, and sure she loved to be outgoing and adventurous, but nothing concerning her home life would ever be involved with that. Hoping to change the subject, Tabitha started to walk back to the swings. Maybe bringing up a memory of some sort would make Melissa forget Tabitha's awkwardness about her home life...

"What's your story? Who are you?"

Fuck. Tabitha stopped in her tracks, just a few feet away from the swing. She couldn't ignore these questions. It would come off as rude, or just make Melissa more suspicious. Tabitha had no other choice. Sighing loudly, she looked over her shoulder back at Melissa with a small smile. "I told you. I'm Tabitha. Tabitha Marie Krane. Not like my full name matters or anything." She said, but stayed in the same position. "Story is pretty simple. Moved from the U.S. a few years ago. Obvious enough. And I live with my mom, and my dad..." Tabitha cut herself off. Should she tell Melissa about her dad? Would that be appropriate? Tabitha decided to leave that open. If Melissa was curious enough, she would ask about her dad. She thought of the last name, but then remembered her dad changed it. Good. "Mom's a drunk." Tabitha then added, deciding to answer the home question. Might as well..

[Melissa Clark]

Melissa was actually quite terrified of SMILE, but adrenalin could make people feel funny and do funny things. Wiping the last few beads of sweat from her forehead, she strolled along behind her new acquaintance.

Ah, sweet sweet boredom and all the boring things in the world. Melissa really couldn't blame Tabitha for finding certain things about her life to be a little dull. SMILE, of course, struck terror into people's lives and would murder anyone that wouldn't smile for them. Still..Some people didn't find any thrill in that.

Letting out a small cough, she ruffled her hair and cleared her throat some. "Sounds tough," Melissa moved past her, not in an ignorant fashion, and sat down on a swing nearby. Like Tabitha, Melissa hadn't been on swings in years. As a child she'd quite enjoyed the swings, now though, it was just a nice place to chill. Sensing the cut off, she held her tongue and chose to remain quiet as she spoke about her mother's problem with alcohol. "My pa had a drinking problem." Melissa smiled, struggling to find some common ground here.

[Tabitha Marie Krane]

Tabitha was grateful that Melissa didn't press any further into her personal life. She liked to keep it closed off from people. It's pretty boring anyway. Noticing that Melissa took a seat on one of the swings, she did the same. Standing was starting to hurt her legs.

"My pa had a drinking problem."

Tabby smirked at the word "pa". But not in a rude way, just in a laughing sort of way. She would never use the word "pa", probably because she was American. But, who knew for sure? Curious now about her dad's drinking problem, she decided to pry a little. "He throw stuff at you?" She asked, softly. Tabitha looked around. It was midnight, of course no one would be around besides the occasional SMILE people. But SMILE didn't scare Tabitha. They left her alone, and that was all she cared about. If she stayed out of their way, they would stay out of hers. Tabitha thought about Melissa. It was totally different for her. Must be hard for rebels.

[Melissa Clark]

Unaware of her musings of Melissa's use of the word 'pa', she found nothing unusual about using the female equivalent. "Yeah, every now and then. My ma, mostly, but otherwise it was me. No big deal really; mum had it under control most of the time." She smiled warmly, and kicked her feet at the dirt. Causing little puffs of dust and soil to cough up into the air for just a few seconds. Melissa watched the dirt before casually glancing over her shoulder. It wasn't like she'd heard something, but the rebel had to live like that. Checking around corners, looking under doors, using mirror systems, it was crazy complicated to her.

Melissa began to ponder why Tabitha had brought up the question of her father's violent antics. How many people knew to ask a question like that, or how many people knew that that was one of the leading problems in drunk violence? Looking to the fair haired human, she cocked her head in slight confusion. "Uhm..Does your mum throw stuff at you?"

[Tabitha Marie Krane]

"Yeah, every now and then. My ma, mostly, but otherwise it was me. No big deal really; mum had it under control most of the time."

Tabitha nodded her head, but stared at her feet that were swinging back and forth slightly on the swing. She looked at her cigarette, noticing that it was almost out. She took a hit, and then continued swinging. She really needed to get more. At least Melissa had a similar problem. She could relate with Tabitha possibly... Or not. After all, she was a rebel. Having a friendship with a rebel would be kind of difficult when she didn't want to become one. Stupid mom. "Right." Tabitha breathed, still looking at her swinging feet. The blonde stroked the underside of her forearm, where a scar still remained. It happened awhile ago, but it still brought nightmares. Her mom had gone on an overly drunked rampage, and decided to throw whatever she could find at Tabitha. One of those items just so happened to be a knife, that luckily only grazed Tabitha's arm, but still left a huge scratch that wouldn't stop bleeding. Tabby shivered slightly, but pushed the memory aside. It didn't hurt too bad. Not anymore.

"Uhm..Does your mum throw stuff at you?"

Tabitha finally looked up from her feet with a slight smile. It wasn't a happy one, nor was it a sad one, just a normal one. If that made any sense. "Yeah." She said, simply. Deciding to open up more, Tabitha showed the scar to Melissa. "Not too bad. But it's an example of how bad it can get at home. Kind of why I don't wanna go there, even though the rooms are pretty nice." She explained, and gave her a reassuring smile. Tabitha wasn't one to be depressed around people. She could do that on her own time, no use in bringing down other people.

[Melissa Clark]

Saying nothing, Melissa nodded slowly. She couldn't find able herself to say anything. Mostly because it was a sensitive subject not everyone wanted to talk about. And she understood that. Melissa didn't often enjoy talking about her father, she didn't like talking about herself in general. But when you spoke to people, and you got to know them, you had to let them get to know you. Her mother had sat her down once, after Melissa had had a fight with a friend and had given her a good lecture on how trust and friendships were always a new way street. Oh, how she missed her mum.

Relieving herself of her somewhat depressing reverie, she looked to Tabitha's arm and nodded once more. "Yeah, yeah.." Melissa had gone to speak, but had simply..Not found the words. Choosing to change track, she looked to the sky. She inhaled deeply. "I could really go for some pizza or something," she looked to Tabitha. "Would you like to come? It'd keep you out a little longer."

[Tabitha Marie Krane]

Tabitha noticed how she made the whole situation awkward. It was completely accidental, of course, but she didn't make it obvious that she was somewhat embarrassed. She flushed slightly, but turned so it wasn't visible. She hadn't been this embarrassed.. since, well she couldn't remember when.

The word pizza caught her attention, however. She was pretty hungry, and didn't have enough money to eat a lot for lunch that day. Or morning. I really need to get a job. She thought about the possibilities.

"Would you like to come? It'd keep you out a little longer."

She looked back at Melissa and gave her a big smile. She was starving. And the closest pizza place she knew had live entertainment, which gave her an idea. I could possibly work there.. After all, Tabby did love singing. "That's music to my ears." She said smoothly, and got up, starting to walk a few steps forward. Then realized something, and immediately felt stupid. "Um," she said, and turned back around to Melissa. "Which pizza joint do you have in mind?" She asked, with a nervous laugh. That was the second time she had embarrassed herself that night. I'm on a roll.

[Melissa Clark]

Melissa stood, kicking some dirt from her shoes as her body creaked and groaned as she stood and moved long behind Tabitha. The blonde woman posed a question just as Melissa looked up to her, away from inspecting a ladybug crawling over the shoes she wore. She shook it off, and shrugged. "Whichever's closest. This area is a little foreign to me. I'm only familiar with it through the magic of explosions." She rolled her eyes, but wore a smile that mirrored Tab's.

Melissa was glad to have some company as she went to get food. It might give her the illusion of being a citizen, going out to get a meal with a friend. SMILE were great at profiling, sizing up the loners that were a possible rebel. So it was great for her safety to be going somewhere with someone. Even at such an irregular hour. That, and Melissa enjoyed making friends and going to new places with people. That was who the scrappy young blonde was.

[Tabitha Marie Krane]

Tabitha laughed slightly and turned back around, heading to the closest one she knew. "Alright, follow me then." She said. The closest one had the live entertainment, which made her smile. Maybe she could pick up a job application while she was there...

Knowing that Melissa was following her she took a right down the sidewalk that led to a small cafe, the pizza joint she knew about, and two clothing stores. The town really wasn't all that big of a deal. The store was nothing special, in Tabitha's opinion. She could make better close than what they sold, if she wanted. Which, she probably didn't. She had enough clothes. Finally, she stopped in front of the pizza place. It read, "Papa Murphey's". Tabitha looked over at Melissa and smirked. "This place, O.K.? Their pizza is the best." She said, as she patted down her back pocket for some money, just in case she overlooked it. There wasn't, making Tabitha frown. "Um, I kind of don't have any money though.." She looked back at the sign in front of Papa Murphey's. It displayed a extra large pepperoni pizza that made her mouth water. Stupid money.. Having to pay for everything in this world.

[Melissa Clark]

Melissa walked along behind Tabitha, whistling a tune that was mostly improvised. Her shoes thumped against the floor softly as a cool breeze blew into the air as the fire and explosions from the previous festivities began to die down and simmer as a fire service was called out to sort it. The sound of running water could be heard as they attempted to extinguish the disastrous mess.

"Looks great, and if their pizza is the best, then it's the best." Melissa grinned, a growl coming from her stomach as the sign in the window enchanted her. "Money schmoney. If all else fails, we'll just run out. They won't care too greatly." Melissa nodded to herself, a miniature escape plan forming in her head as the thick scent of food and drink filled her nostrils. "Right, I'm not waiting anymore," she decided, slipping through the door and heading towards the main desk.

[Tabitha Marie Krane]

Tabitha returned Melissa's grin, glad that she picked this place. It was simple, and not the least bit over done or tacky; just the way Tabby liked it. Pizza places didn't need to be fancy. They needed to be run down and down to earth, along with that awesome pizza baking smell. Tabitha licked her lips, imagining it.

When Melissa mentioned not paying, Tabitha furrowed her brow. The closest thing she'd to not paying for something was shop lifting, but she had never not payed, and left. That just seemed... wrong. These people owned a business to support their families, and people worked here to do the same, and not paying would affect both those people. Tabitha shook her head from side to side slowly, not knowing what to say.

"Right, I'm not waiting anymore,"

Tabitha sighed, and followed her in. Not paying for some food would be a new experience for her, so she decided to try it. No use living life thinking about something you've never done. It was worth it... right? She ignored the question, and followed Melissa up to the desk, and smiled at the young guy standing at the main desk. He was pretty cute, cute enough to flirt with. She smiled warmly, and he returned it, then Tabitha glanced at the menu. The only thing she liked was cheese pizza, all the the other toppings seemed like too much. "Are we sharing one? Or getting individual ones?" She asked Melissa, still glancing around the menu pointlessly. Tabitha thought about SMILE, and felt suddenly paranoid. She looked around the small pizza join then, hoping no SMILE members were around. There were none.. as far as she could tell. Then she spotted them. Standing outside the pizza place. Tabitha's heart sank. They couldn't run out without paying now. "Uh, Melissa?" She whispered, and nudged her slightly. Then moved her eyes to where the SMILE operatives were, hoping Melissa would get what she was talking about.

[Melissa Clark]

Rolling her eyes softly at the slight exchange of affection between Tabitha and the guy behind the ordering desk, Melissa pinched a menu and raked her fingers through her hair casually. Looking over it as she walked towards a seat, she liked to grab a table, know what she was ordering and then return to the desk. That way no one else could grab the table she'd picked. Which was tucked neatly amongst the others, directly opposite the shop's front window. Pretty much in the center of the room, while being neatly disguised with the other customers.

"I reckon I could eat a pizza to myself," she announced as she returned, nose in the menu as she left her jacket hanging off the back of one of the seats at their table. Melissa had a light frame, but she could eat and eat and eat when it came to her being this hungry. Not like we're paying or anything, she smirked to herself as she thought.

As for SMILE being on her mind, those thoughts were practically non-existent. When Melissa was hungry, she was hungry. And hunger managed to swipe all other thoughts out of her mind. Snapping out of her merry food thoughts, she looked up to Tabitha as she spoke. "Mmm?" Melissa followed the other blonde woman's eyes, and spotted the SMILE members on the other side of the glass.

She froze. Her throat tightened and her lips became dry. Why hadn't she been more careful? Were the no other pizza places in more enclosed spaces? "Shit...," Melissa's eyes spun around the room, looking for some form of escape route. A bathroom struck her. "I'm gonna head into the bathroom, you could come in when they go?" She whispered.