At Home In Santiago

[Seiji Lockard]

Seiji had made sure that everything was in order for their trip to the place that Selina called home before she had to go to the USA. Seiji had never been to Santiago before; he had been close to it but never in Chile before. He was looking forward to seeing the wildlife and just the different kind of people that would be there. Most of all he was excited to be able to bring Selina some happiness from begin able to visit her old home. He was trying to recall their conversation on just how long it had been since she had last been here. Hopefully she still remembers where everything was but Seiji had come prepared so he was not too worried about getting lost.

He had made sure she was all set with everything that she needed when he went to pick her up in his car and drove them to the airport. They were able to avoid the whole baggage claim, security, and just the drama of having to find their gate as they were given a ride to their own plane. The inside was how Seiji remembered it the last time he had called up a friend that owed him a favor to use his plane. The one who flew the plane was a mutant that had gone to BA and Seiji had helped him with his power.

"The trip should go by pretty fast but in case you get bored the plane has a few moves, there are a lot of snack and food so you can pick your meal. Oh, there is also water, soda, coffee, and a few alcoholic beverages." Seiji informed her as he dropped his bag down and took on of the seats. Akiko was along for the trip and she was already slithering off of Seiji and moving about that cabin to have a look at the new environment since this was her first time on a plane.

((Tag:Selina Taylor))

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina had a feeling she should really start getting used to the cars rich people drove, but she couldn’t quite seem to get over the beauty of the red Viper Seiji had driven to pick her up. She was slightly less nervous in this car, as she’d had brief practice with two others so far, but she still didn’t touch anything for fear of accidentally damaging something.


    The ability to avoid security and crowds and everything else was amazing to her and she couldn’t help feeling like she was in movie or something. This certainly didn’t feel like real life. She was determined to enjoy what she could of it before she woke up though, that was for sure. When they got to the plane, she took a breath and just stared, “…This is beautiful Seiji,” she admitted as she gingerly picked a seat. She almost felt like she shouldn’t be here, like some sort of law official would walk up to her and remind her she was too poor to be allowed such luxury.


    Selina glanced up to him when he spoke and smiled, “I doubt I’ll get bored with such company,” she told him honestly. He was a fascinating person, and one of the few she was genuinely interested in getting to know better. Selina knew well that she wouldn’t have to worry about boredom. She paused at the other information as she briefly wondered how much it would cost. Her mother had sent her some funds when she’d heard about the trip and Selina was grateful, but she didn’t know if typical air fare costs applied here or not. God, she wished there was a way to ask without being crass, but she just smiled instead, “I’m fine for now,” she told him sincerely. “But thank you.”

[Seiji Lockard]

Seiji did not like to flaunt his wealth around; it was not something he enjoyed bragging about or anything like that. He did of course assure people that he could afford things when they were worried about him paying for things but he didn't like to show it off too much. For the most part many would not know he was wealthy other than the clothing he worse and the car that he drove, because those were the two things that he actually spent money and cared for. The rest of anything expensive was either borrowed, lent to him, or he made it himself; when it came to food. He noticed how Selina seemed to be being really careful, but he thought it was more so nerves from going somewhere with a person who was still a stranger on some levels.

Yes, they had talked and gotten to know one another but while Seiji did think of her as a friend, he could understand how on some levels they were still strangers. The plane was not his, it was a friend that owed him a favor and that friend didn't own the plan completely. It was more of they were someone’s private pilot and that owner allowed and trusted them to fly others on occasions. This was one such occasion. It was not like Seiji could not afford a private plane, but he felt like it was not necessary. With clothing and a car, he used it often so it made sense to have them to his taste. "Thank you, but thank the guy that owns this plane. I think it was crazy to buy something that he does not use often but I think he makes up for it by lending it out to friends." Seiji said as he smiled at her.

He was just happy that she seemed comfortable and at least was not backing out of the plan to go to her home. This was all for her after all, Seiji was just going along for the experience and to see her happy. When other were happy, he was happy so in a way he was using her in order to have his own happiness. "Thank you. You also have Akiko too if I fail to be entertaining enough." Seiji pointed out as he pointed to Akiko who was looking out a window on the plane. Had Seiji been able to read her mind, he would have let Selina know that all of this was all on him, that she didn't have to pay for anything. Unless she really wanted to, but the plane and the hotel room was most certainly already paid for and thus free for her.

"Alright, let me know. We don't have people serving us on this one since it’s just the two of us so we have to get whatever food or drink we want ourselves." Seiji pointed out with a small chuckle. He made sure all of his things were put away before moving to help Selina with hers unless she looked like she was handling fine on her own. "I'm going to let the captain know we are ready to get going then when he is." Seiji said as he headed to the front of the plane to let his friend know they were a go when he was. His friend had his co-piolet friend with him and the two of them started to move through the front of the plane to get things ready as Seiji moved back to the main cabin, picked a seat, and sat down.

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina grinned at him, “I’ll make sure to do that,” she replied as she slowly acclimated herself to her surroundings so she wouldn’t be in quite so much wide-eyed wonder for the entirety of the trip. Wait… his friend had bought and owned a plane? Selina blinked as she came out of her own head and laughed, “I’m grateful he’s the generous sort,” she added as she allowed herself to relax a bit into the soft leather seat. Knowing the plane was owned by a person instead of a company somehow made it easier to feel more laid back.


    Selina grinned as Seiji pointed out Akiko, “She’s even prettier now that alcohol isn’t blurring my vision,” she replied with a smile as she glanced up at him with a smile, “And you’re as handsome as I remember you,” she offered sincerely. She wasn’t trying to flatter him, just being honest. Selina always appreciated good looking people. Part of her was also still questioning how she’d gotten here, but she ignored her own thoughts and focused on the man in front of her instead. “Have you both been well?” she asked. Maybe she was speaking a bit more formally than normal, but she also hadn’t seen them in a while.


    Selina grinned as he mentioned that they were alone, “I’m sure we’ll manage,” she teased, before pausing as she studied him for his reaction. She didn’t want to do or say anything that would make him uncomfortable, and she wasn’t entirely sure how her forward nature would affect him, if it would at all. Selina consoled herself with the fact that she hadn’t been too bold, just slightly suggestive. He could easily ignore it, or maybe he wouldn’t even notice.


    Selina nodded as he mentioned the captain, “Sounds good,” she agreed. Selina took in a deep breath to calm herself as he left her on her own. Her nerves were still getting to her, but part of it was because she wanted to be… presentable, for lack of a better word. Selina wanted Seiji to approve of her, to not regret his decision to go to Santiago with her. Selina rarely cared what others’ opinions of her were, or maybe she did and this time she just cared more than usual. Maybe the slight stress she felt because of that though wasn’t a bad thing. Did most people feel like this normally? She didn’t know.


    Selina glanced up at Seiji as he came back, “Have you ever done this before?” she asked, indicating the plane with her hand. This was her very first time on a private jet, but she had a feeling that he wasn’t as inexperienced as she was. Still, she was interested. She had only flown once before and that had been to travel to the U.S. from Chile for the move, everywhere else she’d traveled had been accessible by public transport or by taxi on the rare occasion that they could afford it or if they had to go somewhere otherwise inaccessible.

[Seiji Lockard]

“I’ll be sure to pass it along to him then; unless you want to meet him in person. Her is generally a nice guy but also the kind of guy that likes to flirt a lot with women. That is probably why he was so eager to help me out other than owing me a few favors.” Seiji said, now that he thought about it. There were just some guys out there that liked to show off their money for the ladies and just were all about the ladies. Seiji didn’t want to show off for anyone. Yes, he liked the ladies, and possibly the men since gender was not that big of a deal to him but he didn’t want to make people like him for the things he owned.

He wanted them to like him for who he was. Seiji chuckled a little when Selina complemented Akiko being even prettier than last time because she was sober now. Akiko did one of her fainting things, falling limp onto the seat below the chair at the complement. "She said she would blush if she could and that she is spending the whole trip on you." Seiji informed her what his snake was saying after she was done doing her fake fainting. Selina's other words had him turning red and blushing himself as he ruffled his hair a little. "Thank you. You of course are as lovely as I saw you last time as well. Makes me feel special that a beauty such as yourself is willing to spend time around me." Seiji said as he looked away to try and not be see just how much he was blushing as he didn't want to come off as a creep or anything.

"We have, have everything settled for me to also be a teacher when I get back. How have you been?" Seiji asked, wanting to more so talk about her then himself. He was interested in hearing how the end of her test went and if she had any other plans this summer but he didn't want to get too personal with her in case she was not comfortable talking about such things. If she had been hinting to something else, Seiji missed it. He had a feeling that maybe there was because of the way she teased him but he figured that that it had to be his imagination. After all, he was a twenty-five year old virgin. Not that she knew that; he hoped, but it certainly made him think that he was not a catch or anything.

Yes, he believed people when they said he was attractive but he didn’t think it was beyond just being cute like a puppy perhaps. "I'm sure we will. I don't mind doing all the work of course." Seiji assured her, being literally about being fine getting anything to eat or drink that they wanted. The plan could be heard getting started up as it started to be pushed back so it could go to the proper runway so it could get into the air. Seiji was already seated and buckled up by now and figured Selina would be doing the same soon and if not the captain would make an announcement for them to get settled in for a little before they could go back to walking around. Akiko was waiting for Selina to sit down so she could slither up on the woman and make herself comfortable on one of her favorite humans.

"Yes, plenty of times by myself. This is only my second time going with someone in this manner." Seiji informed her with a small nod. "What about you? Any flying besides when you came to BA?" Seiji asked, not really sure of the story behind that besides what she had told him already.

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina laughed, “We’d probably get along well, as I also enjoy flirting with women,” she joked as she shook her head, “I wouldn’t mind meeting him sometime I’m sure, but I’m also positive you can more than do my compliments justice,” she offered with a grin. Besides, she didn’t really want to focus on another guy right now. She didn’t often care for show-offs, though sometimes it was fun to use them for a good time when they were determined to spend money on her. For some reason they seemed to think they could buy her affection, and while that was partially true in that they’d have her attention for a few hours until she couldn’t stand them anymore, she didn’t ever go any further with them. Selina would never use Seiji like that though.

    Selina chuckled at Seiji’s interpretation and smiled at the snake, “I certainly wouldn’t mind if she did,” she replied with a grin. Selina was fond of Akiko and the snake was quite the lovely adornment. Selina smiled at Seiji’s reaction, and shook her head, “If you compliment me so much, my ego just might overtake my common sense,” she teased as she laughed. He was so endearing. Selina almost felt like a bad influence on him. If she hung out with him, would he be somehow tainted by her character? Was it insulting to him to even think she could have that kind of impact? Selina wasn’t entirely sure, but she was also determined to be the best she could be while she was around him.

    Selina felt slightly conflicted when she heard he’d be a teacher, but mostly happy for him. Her own personal issues were easily shoved aside as she smiled at him, “That’s wonderful,” she replied sincerely. “What will you teach?” she asked in interest. Besides, he would be nothing like the teacher who’d assaulted her, that much she was sure of. “I’ve been busier than usual with the new job but alright. Luckily I passed my exams, so I don’t have to retake anything,” she offered. She’d studied as hard as she always had, so why she said it was luck she wasn’t sure, but she didn’t take it back either. “As for the rest of the summer, I might be headed to California with a friend, but I’m not sure yet,” she offered honestly. “She wants to learn how to surf,” Selina explained with a grin.

    Selina was simultaneously disappointed and relieved that he hadn’t caught on to what she’d been implying. She honestly didn’t care how much experience a man had, and even though she didn’t know he was a virgin, she’d bet good money he wasn’t too familiar with women, or at least not intimately. She still found him attractive regardless, as she was far more attracted to personalities than she was to anything else. She was just worried about potentially harming him in an emotional sense. Selina laughed gently when he said he could do it all and shook her head, “I can help out,” she offered. She didn’t want to be a burden for the trip that he had to constantly take care of. Selina buckled up as well and smiled at the snake, indicating Akiko could do as she liked.

    Selina shook her head in response, “No. I spent all of my life in Santiago before I came here. I left the city a few times, but only ever in a taxi, train, or by bus. We couldn’t afford a car, so we made do with public transport, which was actually reliable and relatively easy to access in Chile,” she offered.

[Seiji Lockard]

Seiji just chuckled at her response, not sure what to say at that. He of course had no problem with her liking woman as well. She was free to like whoever she wanted and he personally felt it was wrong of anyone to expect that someone could not love the same gender or both. Emotions and physical desires were simple enough to understand and when you considered that such 'taste' had been around for years and that people just hid it was proof enough that it was something perfectly human. "I can, certainty." Seiji assured her with a small nod, unable to get rid of the smile on his face. She seemed in a good mood and thus it was impossible for him to not be in a good one.

"You have her permission then, Akiko." Seiji assured his snake. Since Selina was okay with it, he was not going to order her to leave the girl alone. Akiko took that with as much joy as she could handle, even if her outside appearance didn't change any; emotions were not easy for her to convey after all. At any rate, she did plan to spend the whole trip; and then some, on Selina so long as she seemed alright with having a permanent reptile wrapped around her or on her person. "I'm just being honest, I assure you. Nothing is wrong with having a bit of an ego boost. Not that I think you need it or anything. Your radiate confidence and only a person who was angry with you would not find you absolutely stunning to look at." Seiji said, blushing then when he realized he might have been making her uncountable.

Some people were not okay with getting too many complements so he would make sure to not be honest too much when it came to her physical appearance and in general the kind of person she was to ensure she would not feel weird around him or anything like that. He did not see her as a bad influence; he didn't really see anyone like that. He had no worries about any of this and was just pleased that she was even talking and hanging around him. He smiled when she seemed pleased that he would be a teacher now too. "Mutant 101. That’s what the class is called and I'll be teaching just basic information that we know about mutants. Of course I'm still going to be mainly doing my side-effect specialist job, but I figured being a teacher would expand upon what I could help others with." Seiji said as he ruffled his hair a little.

He was pleased that she seemed alright with talking about herself, because he knew he could talk a lot and didn't want to talk her ear off about thing on himself. "Oh, congratulation on passing your exams. If you ever need help with any of your classes, your power, or well anything you can always let me know and I would be happy to help you." Seiji assured her. He really did want to help her, so long as she allowed him to. He listened as she talked about what she might do for the rest of the summer, and was slightly jealous of how fun it sounded. "That sounds wonderful and I'm sure you will be a great teacher. I will keep in mind asking you to teach me sometime and even trying out something in Chile if you are up for it." Seiji said as he looked out the window as the plane started to speed up for the take off.

"Only if you are sure. I don't mind doing it all, this is a trip for you and I want you to enjoy yourself." Seiji said as he looked to her and gave her his best smile. He was fully focused on what she was saying other than getting distracted at seeing Akiko slither her way up the girl's form and around her neck like a necklace. "I see. Well I hope all of this does not stress you out too much, but if it does let me know and we can take a boat back perhaps." Seiji said. He wanted her to be comfortable after all. The plan was already high in the air, with the captain letting them know they could move about if they liked.

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina grinned as she welcomed Akiko over before glancing back up at Seiji, and she could have sworn she felt her face heat up slightly at such genuine words. She was used to playing the Game and tossing innuendo back and forth was easy for her. She hadn’t blushed from anything having to do with sex since her preteen years, and she probably wouldn’t. But hearing such sincerity from another wasn’t something she had much experience with. Selina offered him an honest smile, “Thank you, Seiji,” was about all she could say. Accepting compliments like that was much more difficult than she’d ever thought it’d be, but she couldn’t deny the warmth in her that came from hearing them.


    Selina nodded to him and noted to herself to take his class. She had a feeling he’d be one of the very few male teachers she would actually learn something from. And he wanted to help others… if it had come from almost anyone other than Seiji, she would have had her cynical doubts immediately surface, but Seiji had been genuine with her from the start, and she wanted to believe him. Selina was briefly distracted from her thoughts as he ruffled his hair. It was the little things sometimes… and damn she needed to focus her mind back on the conversation.


    Selina grinned at his offer, “Thanks, Seiji. I promise you’ll be the first to know,” she added. Of all the school staff she knew so far, he was the only one in a teaching position that she actually trusted to some degree. Selina perked up as she realized that she’d been slightly misunderstood, “Oh no, I don’t know how to surf either. We’d be taking the lessons together. And… I think that could end up disastrous or fun or a hilarious mixture of the two,” she replied with a laugh. Selina was used to getting bruises though, so falling off of surf boards shouldn’t be too hard on her body. She also loved anything having to do with the water, so a large part of her was looking forward to it.


    Selina granted him a genuine smile, “I’ll enjoy this trip no matter what happens, Seiji. Besides, I like helping people out on occasion as well,” she replied. She’d been born and raised to be polite and helpful to others, and though the lessons hadn’t survived high school in terms of how she treated figures of authority or anybody who thought they could use her, those instincts were still in the forefront of her mind when dealing with people she genuinely respected and appreciated. Occasionally she used her upbringing to keep attention off of her or to make her life a little smoother, but with Seiji, she actually wanted to be there for him in some way.


    Selina let out a small huff of amusement, “It doesn’t stress me near as much as regular plane travel would.” Ok, so maybe that was partially a lie, but compared to the stress of having to get baggage checked and everything else that came with normal airfare, this was quite relaxing in comparison. She enjoyed the feeling of Akiko around her neck, there was something soothing about it, and she could easily understand why he wouldn’t go anywhere without her or one of his other snakes. “Though boats are fun too,” she added with a laugh. Really, whatever was easiest for him would work fine for her.

[Seiji Lockard]

Seiji could not help but to be honest, he just was that kind of guy that didn't see the point in telling a lie and generally wanted to make people happy. So he was telling the truth as he gave Selina a complement, even if it made him blush a little. He just hoped she did not see him as a creep for making that observation and that she would be okay hanging around him. If there was one thing that Seiji didn't want most of all, it was to make someone uncomfortable around him. "You are very welcome, but I'm just being honest. Plus I get a nice bonus of seeing that pretty smile of yours." Seiji informed her as he personally kept smiling.

His face would have hurt if he was not used to being the kind of guy that smiled often when in others company. He was not an official teacher yet, he just finished with college after all and they wanted him to do a few test before he would start teaching. Summer classes were his test run and then he would officially start teaching when the school year started up again. He just gave a nod when she said she would let him know if she ever needed his help. He blinked when she cleared up that she didn't know how to either; okay, so it was something they were learning together.

That still made sense and did sound like it would be fun even if he didn't know this other person. "I hope you too have a blast." Seiji said, wanting her to have fun no matter if she knew how to surf or not. A blush took over his face again for a moment as her voice how she was going to enjoy the trip no matter what. That made him feel good because he really wanted people to just enjoy themselves and life itself. If he could do something to help out with that, then he felt like had done some good in the world. He chuckle at her opinion on how this was less stressful hen normal plan travel but how boats were fun too.

"I will keep that in mind if you ever want to go on another trip with me in the future." Seiji said, relaxing in his chair now that they were up in the air and free to move about as they pleased. He didn't really need anything and honestly planned to just lay there for most of the flight unless Selina needed anything, then he would be happy to get it for. His mind was busy with the work that he had to do or felt like he needed to do and if he would be able to make this an excellent experience for Selina. "Let me know if you need anything and if Akiko squeezes at all, just rub her head a little and she will loosen up." Seiji informed her, knowing how Akiko got when she would likely end up getting a little too comfortable around Selina's neck and feeling the woman's heartbeat and blood flow so clearly.

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina didn’t see Seiji as being creepy in the slightest. Honesty didn’t scare her. Selina couldn’t help the grin on her face as he spoke. Being around genuine people was always so refreshing. Selina was pretty blunt and straightforward herself, so she always appreciated that quality in others. Part of her honestly wasn’t sure how to react to Seiji though. She rarely, if ever, spent this much time with a guy without flirting and a part of her was slightly uncomfortable with being around a guy she wasn’t having sex with. Selina didn’t do relationships that went anything past skin deep, and she wasn’t entirely sure how to keep things as shallow as she preferred it without the use of the physical to distract.


    Selina nodded, “Thanks,” she answered sincerely. She could always wait and see how things happened. Selina studied him briefly as she thought about how to handle this type of situation. Of course, it would always be his choice. She would stop anything if he felt the slightest bit uncomfortable, but she wondered if maybe this time she could hold back her own instinct to keep Seiji at arm’s length.


    Selina laughed and nodded as he explained how to get Akiko to loosen her grip. The snake was fine for now though. Selina tried to think of something to talk about that didn’t involve innuendo, but she wasn’t used to carrying on a conversation that didn’t involve the physical in some way. Sure she could manage it, but it certainly wasn’t a strong point of hers. Besides, she was unused to this. Seiji was someone very different from those she normally dealt with, which was part of the reason that she liked him so much. He made her feel like she wasn’t too dirty or dark to relate with genuine kindness.


    The only trouble was: How did people even do the traditional friendship thing? She knew friends-with-benefits really well, and she knew how to do dirty or dark humor with a sort of comradery thrown in… but that was about it. Pain. She supposed she could talk about pain as well. Selina almost grimaced as the thought crossed her mind. She wasn’t exactly a ray of sunshine. “Seiji,” she started, before pausing briefly, trying to figure out what she wanted to say, “how- how are your other snakes going to be with you gone?” she finished, not sure what she’d intended to say, but knowing that that question wasn’t it. At least it was a relatively safe topic, she supposed.

[Seiji Lockard]

Seiji really was just being honest, he could not help it. He had always been the kind of person to tell the truth even if it meant someone was going to beat him up for it alter. He didn't see the point of lying or being fake to anyone when he didn't want them to be that way with him. He had no clue what was going through Selina's mind but from what she had said before he could tell that she was not used to people treating her like she deserved. He didn't know if she was the cause of that, if she liked it that way, or she just happened to hang around the wrong people. In truth, it didn't really matter to him because he was going to do his best to show her that she was indeed special and deserved to be treated right.

He already considered her a friend and the plane was high up in the air on the way to their destination which they could arrive at any moment (Raku was mainly leaving to Fuzzy's call for any possible time skips or not). True it was going to be several hours, but time flew by when you were not really paying attention to it. She had a pretty laugh and he was pleased that he had been able to make her laugh over something so simple as being dead serious about how to make Akiko loosen up if her grip got too tight. If he could read the minds of people like he could snakes, he would be flattered and also be trying to assure her that she didn't have to behave a certain way for him. That she could just be herself and he would adjust to it and support her.

That was all he really was good at after all, just being that person who would help others to the best of his ability. He looked over to her with a smile when she called out his name. She seemed to be deep in thought and then a question came out about his snakes which had him thinking about them for a moment. "They should be fine. Leevi has a way of annoying Sapphire and she might try to kill him, he might try to eat her, but Ghost is pretty good at keeping the piece since he can literally eat both of them in one bite." Seiji said, chuckling a little bit and was honestly not too worried about it. All his snakes had gotten used to one another and knew how to deal with one another without killing each other.

Even if Leevi did eat his last mate, but Sapphire was not his mate so Seiji was still not worried. "You are going to make Akiko jealous when you ask about the others." Seiji pointed out, to which Akiko did not her head a few times but she stayed right where she was, all comfortable. Seiji then hesitated a moment, not sure if he should prey. "Anything you want to talk about? You seem to be lost in your thoughts...or are you just nervous about the trip?" Seiji went ahead and asked, slightly worried that he might be pushing it.

((Tag:Selina Taylor))

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina grinned as Seiji described his other snakes before glancing down and gently running her finger along Akiko’s spine, “She shouldn’t be, after all she’s the only one around my neck,” Selina replied with a teasing smile. Selina then glanced back up at Seiji as her asked her the question she was simultaneously dreading answering while being relieved to finally say something. For some reason it was easier for her to talk about when he was the one who started the conversation.


    “Yes, actually,” she replied to his first question, “It’s not nerves though… well not exactly,” she added honestly. “Um, Seiji, I don’t exactly know how to say this either,” she started as she glanced out the window to see the clouds rolling by underneath of them. Selina then took a breath and looked back up at him, “I don’t usually have… relationships with guys,” she began before pausing and shutting her eyes. Damn it.


    “Or at least, not any that go deeper than sex,” she added hastily, deciding to just be straightforward about it. “Not that I’m saying that this is a deeper relationshi- shit,” she stopped herself before she could dig herself into a hole any deeper than she already had. This was why she didn’t do emotions or friendships. She wasn’t any good at them. Had she offended him? Scared him off? Disgusted him? She wasn’t sure, and part of her was almost preparing for him to tell her that she should just go back home, despite the fact that they were already on a plane.


    “I like you Seiji. I think you’re a good man,” she then admitted quietly, and that was a hell of a compliment coming from her considering her history. “I just don’t know how to… how to interact? with good men.” Or good people in general she supposed. Selina had never been the type to attract the sweet or the innocent to her, and at least part of that was completely intentional. It came from a sort of protective instinct she supposed. If they weren’t around her, they couldn’t get hurt or tainted by her.

[Seiji Lockard]

"See Akiko, nothing to worry about." Seiji said to his snake who of course had been listening to the whole conversation the whole time. She simply gave a nod of her head and remained right where she was, planning to take a quick nap right there. The human neck tended to be very warm, plus Akiko liked how she could feel the blood flow and heart beat from such a location as well. That left Seiji and Selina free to talk amongst themselves, even if it was likely Akiko was going to wake up every so often to say something or check to make sure everything was alright. Seiji currently was more so worried about what could have been going through Selina's mind and if there was any way that he could make sure that she had a pleasant trip.

There was something wrong and already Seiji was changing his position so all of his attention and focus was on her and she was saying. She was not nervous and didn't really know how to say what was wrong it seemed. Seiji just remained silent, figuring that with time she would be able to come up with something and sure enough she did. A statement about not usually having relationships with guys which Seiji first assumed that meant that she didn't get along with guys that often and then assuming that she could have meant that she was a homosexual; which was fine by him He had no problem with peoples sexuality, especially when it was something that had been around for years that it might as well been counted as a part of human nature for some.

Not deep then sex? Seiji had a confused look on his face now as his brain was already working to analyze that and figure out what she meant. Did she want to have sex? Surely not with him so it had to mean that she was not used to just hanging out with a guys without sex being involved in some way. That made much more sense, especially considering what she had told him back when they first met one another. He didn't say anything the whole time, remaining silent so she could get everything out and also for him to be able to fully process what she was getting at. There was a pause then and as he was about to open his mouth she spoke of how she liked him, that he was a good man, and that she figured the problem was that she was not used to dealing with good men.

The last bit actually had him frowning for a moment. "That makes me sad to hear. That bit about you not knowing how to act around a good guy makes me think that you don't meet a lot of them; which you did sort of tell me before." Seiji said as he moved around in his seat a little before just unbuckling his seat belt. "I think you are an amazing person Selina. I know we have not known one another very long but I think you are very sweet, charming, most certainly beautiful, and clearly honest since you told me this." Seiji said as he gave her a warm smile. "I want to assure you that with me, I'm not expecting anything in return besides for you to enjoy yourself. I think every woman deserves someone who treats her like she is royalty and makes her feel special." He said before blushing a little once something clicked in his mind.

"N-not that I'm sexiest or anything because guy’s should get that too but I just feel like woman should be treated far better then what many make them out to be. I mean, in many of the species in the animal kingdom the females are the ones in charge and when you think about it woman are literally the ones who help further the human race. Anyways; before I go on a tangent, I guess I'm saying that just be yourself. You don't have to really worry about upsetting me or worried about how I will view you. I just want you to be yourself and if yourself is not used to talking to good guys that is fine. We can work on it together and I'll also make sure to adjust if I do or say anything that makes anything difficult for you." Seiji assured her. He then ruffled his hair a little as he looked away. Yet again he felt like he had talked too much but he wanted to make sure Selina knew that she didn't have to worry about anything with him.

[Selina Taylor]

    Selina stared at Seiji, genuinely unsure of how to respond to him. Damnit. He seemed so sincere, and for once she didn’t worry about someone’s intentions when they were being kind… which was why she was so confused in the first place. She knew how to tear men down. She knew how to rip them apart piece by piece exposing their bullshit for what it really was. She was used to that, sometimes even enjoyed it. But Seiji wasn’t like that, and she had a hard time figuring out how to handle it.



    Selina smiled at him and shook her head, “Don’t be sad for me Seiji. Life merely is what it is,” she offered simply. She’d accepted that a long time ago. No matter what she did, or how hard she tried, things would never change… or at least not solely through her effort. “And what’s past is past.” When he complimented her with such earnestly though, she almost blushed again. What the hell was that? Maybe it was just the fact that she knew that he actually meant what he said and that he didn’t say it expecting to have sex with her afterwards. Maybe it was because he didn’t seem to be saying such things out of naivete or ignorance, but actual goodwill. It was probably a combination of both.



    Selina grinned as he talked of treating everyone like royalty. She couldn’t help herself as it was such a sweet sentiment… but even as she appreciated the feeling behind it, she couldn’t help but know that she didn’t fit in that worldview. She blinked briefly as he said he’d accept her as she was and her heart wrenched at the thought. He didn’t even know her true self, but he seemed to be fine with that and willing to work with her regardless, actually willing to adjust to make her comfortable because he wanted her to relax and have a good time… so why couldn’t she just accept that? She supposed she just didn’t know how.



    “Seiji. I’m not sweet, or honest and even the devil can be beautiful and charming,” she told him, her tone calm and even. “I’m kind to you because I like you, and because I’m selfish,” she offered. She wanted to believe that men like him actually existed and she wanted to believe that they wouldn’t be disgusted by her. “With others, I’m harsh, judgmental, and downright cruel,” she admitted easily. “As for honesty… there are things I’ve done Seiji that you probably wouldn’t approve of and that I’ll likely never tell you about. I show you the side of me I think you’ll accept or that I think will be least harmful to you. I may not often lie outright perhaps, but every mask and face I wear is dishonest in one way or another and that’s not likely to change anytime soon.”

    Why wasn't she tearing into him? Why wasn't she ripping apart the image he had of her with all the strength she had in her? "I'm not even being honest as we speak. I want to tear you apart Seiji. I want to make you hate me so you won't ever come near me... but I also don't want to hurt you, even for the sake of protecting you from myself," she admitted slowly. "That's part of my selfishness and my cruelty I suppose."

[Seiji Lockard]

He listened as she told him to not feel sad for her, but that didn't really make it easier and it was not like he was going to stop. He wanted to for the sake of her wanting him to, but he knew that would be impossible for him. Seiji cared for her and honestly wanted her to be happy so of course he wanted people to treat her better and for her to feel like she deserved to be treated better. "Indeed but...I'm still going to want better for you. If you don't think it will happen, I'll just have to do what I can so that it at least happens on my part and aim for you to at least feel like you do deserve all of this." Seiji responded, his warm and caring smile never leaving the whole time.

Seiji easily could tell that this was weighing a lot on her and he felt bad but knew that she had to get it out. If she kept holding it in then she was not going to be able to fully enjoy herself and that was what he wanted. It was why when he met her he had been willing to take her all the way here in order to get her to feel what it was like for someone to care about her. To know what it was like to meet someone who just worried about her happiness and not too concerned with their own, because everyone needed someone like that in their life. Not to stomp all over, but to just feel like they really mattered and were cared for. Selina was then pointing out how she was not sweet or honest and how even the devil could be beautiful and charming.

He was aware of this and was about to point out that none of that mattered because to him she was sweet and honest because of how she treated him. However; she was saying more so he sat their silently and tried to listen and understand everything that she was saying. She was kind to him because she was selfish? She spoke of how she was with others, how she did things he would not be happy about, and only showing him side of her that she figure that he would like and accept. That made him a little sad to hear, but he understood adjusting yourself to make someone like you. "Go ahead and try, Selina. If you want to be mean and cruel to me, the go right ahead. Show me this side to you, this side you claim is your true self and I will accept and take it all. No matter what you do, I will never hate you." Seiji assured her. Well, if she hurt one of his snakes then yes he probably would but he doubted she would do such a thing.

"I want you to be comfortable and happy. If you need to wear a mask to do that, then so be it but I want you to know that you don't have to. I will accept you however you really are deep down and adjust to be supportive and help you out." Seiji assured her, unbuckling his seat belt so he could get up and go over to her. He wanted to hug her, but he held back not wanting to do such a thing without her permission. "Honestly, I think deep down that the side you show me is real. That you really are a sweet person who can be very kind. Just because you also can be very cruel and hurtful does not meant that what you have shown me is not real." Seiji concluded, yet again feeling like he was talking her ear off. He just didn’t know how to say all of this in a shorter version or in a way that was quick but enough to convey everything. He was not even certain if the long version got it across the right way.