Shake off the Chains -p-

[Gabriel King]

Gabriel looked up at the looming buildings with a little smile. "Honey, I'm home."
Humming a pleasant tune to himself the man wandered around to the back of the taxi, opening the boot to pull out his black duffle bag and swing it over his shoulder. It was time for a change, and a fresh start. Some would say that was the coward's way out, trying to ignore exactly where he had been the last few years; but not him. He had no regret, he'd atoned for his actions and it was time to move on. This was about the best (and only) place he could do that right now.

Gabe turned his back on the taxi as it turned away. Feet crunching along on the familiar gravel, he walked back towards Bellefonte for the first time in four years. What had changed, apart from himself?

Lucy James

[Lucy James]

Sitting with her back leaned against a tree, Lucy had just arrived out of the last class of today, which had been classic ballet. She was wearing a pair of grey sweats and a loose tank top and she could still feel her muscles ache after practice. However, all thoughts of today seemed to completely vanish from her mind as she sensed an incredibly familiar power - one she hadn't sensed in years, but was still familiar enough for her to know exactly who it belonged to.

Jumping up, the brunette walked in the direction of where the power was coming from and the second she saw the overly familiar face, she stopped in her tracks, her mouth forming in the shape of an 'o', and she completely froze; it was the last person she ever expected seeing back her.

And she had no idea how she was supposed to react.

[Gabriel King]

He'd almost forgotten that Lucy would be the age of a college student right about now. Of course since he'd only seen her once during his imprisonment, he hadn't had the chance to ask whether she'd even graduated. He felt a little bad for doubting that, but looking at the woman before him, well she looked good.
Also surprised. That was the kind of pure emotion she usually hid, and since he so very rarely got to see it, and since it had been a good four years since he'd seen her, Gabriel couldn't stop the small smile curling across his face.

Since she seemed a little frozen Gabe took it upon himself to close the distance between them. Ignoring the brief visit she had paid him, it had been a good long while since he'd set eyes on her, and if he honest with himself he was basically drinking in her image as he approached, trying to memorize every new detail he could spot. 
It had been four years and he had no idea where they stood; though with Lucy that wasn't anything new, and it had never stopped him before.

A little cautiously he stopped before her, the half-grin still on his face as he purred, "Lucy."

@tag

[Lucy James]

The brunette couldn't quite kick her brain in motion to move. Instead, she was still struggling with the realization that none other than Gabriel King was here, moving towards her. That idiot had managed to get himself locked up in jail, and yeah, she'd felt pretty bad about not visiting, but then again, the past four years, especially the last three had been... Hectic.

Yet, she couldn't help but to narrow her eyes at the dopey smile that formed itself on his lips as he stopped in front of her. Blinking out of her daze, Lucy crossed her arms across her chest and cocked an eyebrow.

"Sir Meows A Lot," she greeted him, and yet, despite the cruel nickname, the power mimic couldn't keep the small smirk from appearing on her lips. "Did you finally get the guts to escape from jail? I'm impressed." She could practically feel her natural defense mechanism kick and and serve the poor guy less than a warm greeting.

Then again, she'd only cleaned up some.

"Got tired of dropping the soap too many times, I take it?"

[Gabriel King]

Gabriel blinked in stunned surprise when Lucy actually smiled. Well, it was more of a smirk but he'd take what he could get. He'd been expecting insults and perhaps a kick to the gut, or even worse, being completely ignored. This was about the most pleasant surprise he'd had since learning Mamoru was actually Tuxedo Mask in disguise.

 "Sadly no. I was too nice to be a prisoner, apparently they had to let me go," he sighed. "I'm going to miss not having to cook my own disgusting meals." At least in the prison he could say they were doing it on purpose, he was just a loser in the kitchen.

"Me?!" He spluttered in surprise. "How do you know it wasn't the other way around? I was not born to be some gorilla's bitch!" On the one hand Lu looked like she'd grown up a lot, there was some kind of glow around her, as if she was...healthier maybe? Or just stronger. It was actually kind of a relief to find her sharp tongue still in place.

Still, his genuine smile hadn't slipped an inch through the familiar encounter. "It is nice to see you again, Lu. I suppose it's too much to assume you're my welcome party? Do I get a guided tour?"

@tag

[Lucy James]

"Right," the brunette chuckled, not believing a single word of what he was saying. If anything, they'd probably gotten sick of him. Although. even Lucy had to admit, not openly of course, that it was nice to see him. She didn't at all agree with his choice of turning himself in, but she figured he had to do what he had to do in order to feel better about that messed up situation four years ago.

It was something the brunette was better off not thinking about.

Cocking her eyebrow at him, as if saying "yeah, right", Lucy shook her head. No, she could definitely see him being someone's bitch. Sure, he was forceful when he had to be and had proved many times that he was a force to be reckoned with, but something told her he wasn't quite the kind of person who'd force someone to be his bitch. "Yeah, yeah, whatever makes you sleep better at night, biscuit."

At that, she had to snort. Her, anyone's welcome party? Hardly. People didn't trust her, with all the shit she'd done over the years. Heck, most people hadn't expected her to graduate, let alone survive. But, here she was. "Sorry to disappoint you, but nah," she shrugged. "Just came outta class when I saw you," she drawled. And yes, she was going to ignore the 'nice to see you' comment.

[Gabriel King]

Maybe it was the fact that Lucy seemed to be in such a companionable mood that had him relaxing. But it wasn't entirely that either. He'd missed their....bickering? Banter? Constant onslaught of insults? Whatever kind of a relationship it had been, and whatever it could have become someday, he had truly missed Lucy's company behind bars. He wasn't so much of a prideful dick to assume she felt the same though.

"Hard to sleep when you've got guys constantly trying to feel you up," he retorted with a wink. "Apparently in jail terms, I was so hot I could have been 'Queen Bitch' if I'd let them." Subconsciously he rubbed a few drifting strands of hair between his fingers. Because of the so called 'attention' he'd received he'd actually grown his hair and stubble out to give off a more homeless look and avoid attention. In some cases the opposite had happened, and even funnier, he'd grown attached to the scruffy look.

"And you came right on over to give me a big hug and say 'I missed you so much, never leave me again', right? I'm still waiting for that part," the man teased, letting out a laugh. "Really, no tour? I am actually lost right now. And it'll mean I'll owe you a favor too."

@tag

[Lucy James]

"Sorry hun'," she began, tilting her head. "But you wouldn't be a Queen Bitch even if you started barking instead of meowing." She had to admit though, that he had changed a lot from the last time she'd seen him. Especially the way he looked; he looked older and more ragged. Sure, the facial hair and the long hair didn't exactly help his case. It seemed as if jail had taken its toll on him. She supposed that's what you got for turning yourself in - although, this could all have been avoided if this guy wasn't so damn rash.

Not that she could really speak.

"More like, came right over to make sure you weren't here to throw me under the bus." Not that she hadn't had problems with the law before, but Lucy didn't think she'd last in jail. Not because she was too weak, but because her large mouth would make far too many enemies. "And no, don't even think about giving me a hug - unless you want your eyes clawed out. No pun intended." She had to smirk some at that. There had been previous instances where Gabriel had used any excuse to either hug or stay close to her, like that party by the boat house four years ago.

Looking around, the brunette shrugged. The school had changed a lot and been reconstructed a few times the past four years. She could hardly blame him for feeling lost. "If you're feeling lost, then you should ask someone for a campus map."

[Gabriel King]

"And for that, I will forever be grateful," Gabe retorted, hand on his heart. He could brag all he liked, but he hadn't enjoyed the attention, and he hadn't enjoyed the measures he'd had to go to to keep people away from his space and his body. It reminded him too much of his childhood and the broken personal space during his experimentations.

His head cocked in surprise, eyebrow arching at Lucy's comment. "Throw you under the bus? Lu, I came in a taxi." He couldn't believe she was worrying about something like that. He couldn't even tell if she was joking Lu, but he had hoped she'd known him better than that. Though it had been four years, and he'd definitely changed. He added instead after a small sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What kind of an asshole do you think I am? You should know what I'm about by now." The hug had been a joke, and he was actually rather relieved she'd turned it down in her usual fashion. It was going to take some time to get used to everything in Bellefonte all over again, and he was glad he could at least start beside a familiar face. Though she seemed eager to ditch him.

"Wouldn't dare," he promised, hands out to show his sincerity. He glanced around and shifted his bag onto the other shoulder restlessly. He'd never had a head for directions, but he'd been hoping Lucy wouldn't have been so adverse to helping him. Well, she walked right into it really. Holding out his hand, Gabriel grinned. "You're trying very hard to run away from me. Did I do something?"

@tag

[Lucy James]

Snorting, Lucy crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't quite picture it, but oh well. It hardly mattered. She supposed it was only a good thing that he'd managed to stay out of trouble. He seemed to be terrible at that whenever he hung around her, but then again, the power mimic seemed to be good at getting others into trouble around her. Or rather, she had been good at it. She'd grown up a little the past few years.

And he was as annoying as he'd ever been. She wasn't sure why this even surprised her anymore. "Funny," she replied dryly. The next part had her shrugging again; she knew he wasn't an asshole, but that didn't mean she was ready to run into his arms and deem him a saint quite yet. "I don't know," she said, her grip around her chest tightening ever so slightly. "Who knows how much you could have changed the past three years." After all, she'd changed quite a bit, so why wouldn't he have? It seemed fair - and even probable to her. People changed. It was fact.

Scrunching her nose, Lucy pursed her lips. "I'm standing right here," she said, cocking her head to the side. Well, he wasn't entirely wrong, but that was only because she wasn't entirely sure how to handle this situation. It was like meeting a ghost from the past - a ghost she hadn't even thought of dealing with, yet here he was.

[Gabriel King]

He could admit Lucy's point was a fair one. She wasn't trusting by nature and he had been gone for a good long while. "You thought I'd rock up and groan is a deliciously husky voice: 'Prison changed me bitch; life is too different on the outside. Let's hit a 7/11 on the way to school and fuck shit up." He guessed, making the exaggeration with a smirk. He sobered a little then, offering Lucy an apologetic glance. "I wont lie, I've definitely changed; but I'm not a sell-out."

He folded his arms, eyebrow raised perfectly. That alone should have conveyed his skepticism. "And drifting further away every second," he said. "If you're planning on running, take your balls out of your purse and say it." Gabriel drummed his fingers along his forearm, irritated by her casual brush-off. It seemed so like Lucy and yet not, so she'd quite clearly changed as he had, but in what way? "For a moment there I thought you had actually come out to greet me, I guess I kind of freaked out." Gabe laughed, implicitly self-deprecating. It had been a strange sense of panic first seeing Lucy, and that in itself had been a surprise. "Not worried having a killer on campus are you?"

@tag

[Lucy James]

Shaking her head in exasperation, the brunette's gaze dropped to the ground as she issued a sigh. "Not exactly," she said with a low voice. Honestly, she wasn't entirely sure what she'd expected. Well, she hadn't expected to see him again, but part of her was glad that she had. "Haven't we all," she added as she looked back up at him again. It seemed like most people had - which Lucy supposed was a given. The past three years had taken a toll on everyone.

"I'm not running," she said and put her head up defiantly. The same old fire that used to flow through her eyes seemed to return if only for a split second. She still didn't enjoy being portrayed as weak; she was still very much the same old spitfire, with a little more self-control. "I'll have you know I'm still very much capable of kicking your ass," she added with a smirk. "Well, that's what you get for getting your hopes up, Sir Meow A Lot." Ah yes, she still remember the nickname she'd given him. And what better situation was there to use it than now?

The last part had the brunette shrugging as she shook her head. "Why would I? I mean, even if you did try something, I'd just whoop your ass." She'd probably not win, but she wouldn't go down without a fight. Not that she honestly thought Gabriel would actually do anything.