A Friend...? Truly...? (Lust)

Cicilia loved Sayumi more than anything in the world, more than her own flesh-and-blood, more than the idea of finally trampling Elfrida.... but sometimes she just couldn't understand her! 'Friends' were as foreign to Cicilia as she was to Japan, a white-faced, elusive creature the always seemed to taunt the Juggernaut from afar but never quite having the balls to truly approach. Sayumi had... actually sent her out with a mission to find some, to bring some positivity into her own life by having FUN out there with someone new! God, it was infuriating... and she suspecting that was the problem. Cicilia's little angel, now apparently her guardian angel, was smarter and more perceptive than the German had thought... This wasn't to say she was dense, but rather occupied with her own affairs as much as the Juggernaut's, between her own matches, her creative talents and Cicilia herself... Feh. It was her own fault for underestimating her most precious one, something the German would have to avoid in the future. It was almost scary how much Sayumi knew... Heh... Another reason to love her, she supposed.

Cicilia leaned against the wall outside her apartment scrolling through her phone for people she could... "Befriend." Officials. All of them. People she had to talk to just to get by in this world including her manager, her doctor, trainer, Rhein-

"Wait."

Rhein... Cicilia stared at that name in her phone, a name she had added after she had received her card. The manager of Juno, one of the Juggernaut's most determined and utterly ruthless enemies, Rhein seemed to hold enough reason and empathy within herself to compensate for her client's utter demonism, contacting Cicilia completely independently to try and make amends! Granted, her motives weren't entirely altruistic, after all she had monetary and literal skin in this bloody game with Juno on the hunt... but her attempts were as sincere as they were appreciated... Cicilia, honestly, hadn't met someone so... considerate here since she had joined the AFW... at least, since Sayumi anyway. She was probably busy today, though, no doubt beating it into Juno's head how doomed her career was should her homicidal behavior continue. Cicilia frowned, her heart... actually aching at the thought of calling Rhein. Out of everyone Cicilia had affected in her life... She couldn't help but feel as if she had wounded Rhein the most. Drawing her into the conflict between Juno and herself, making her FEAR the result of a battle should someone as unpredictable and dangerous as Juno act against her advice... In a way, Cicilia was responsible for this burden now upon her shoulders, or at least for making it that much heavier.

...Still, she couldn't stop herself from dialing those numbers, each press heavy... apprehensive... as if struggling to follow through with the next.

"H...Hello...?" Cicilia would mutter, her voice barely audible over the static.

"Rhein...?"

Another day, another two hour conference call with the AFW higher ups and Rhein’s fellow managers. Apparently, the GM of the company liked to have these calls to make sure things were running smoothly and to act like the company gave a damn about anybody under their employ. It was a way to connect all of the managers and have them all network with one another to establish clients and have matches that would never have come about otherwise. An idea that seemed like a kind olive branch at first until they forced all of the managers into a single call and then never bothered to show up themselves. Once a month, Rhein had to sit at her desk for two hours listening to other people bicker about petty rivalries or personal grudges. Rarely anything was accomplished in these calls, as more often than not the speaker was filled with enraged debates, shrill laughter, or various perversions suggested in the open air. The entire experience gave Rhein a headache every time, even as she brought along her own work to keep herself busy. Truth be told, she had liked the conference call idea at first, but its poor implementation had turned her away from the idea completely.

The two hours had felt like four, as a manager who liked to wrestle with a ghost theme argued with the newest name to join the mismatched cast about Soy products and allergies in general. How this company was still standing, Rhein could only imagine, and after the onslaught of her patience in that room, she couldn’t even muster up the energy to do that. Without a word, she would simply enter her office, lock the door, and collapse into her chair. The folder she brought along with her filled to the brim with reports on her clients should the GM actually arrive in the call lay unopened on her desk as she stared up at the ceiling.

What was she going to do? She had been hired on to help these people, but half of them were insane psychos that didn’t want her help. Vespa lived in the Gym, Ruvik was a guilt riddled bomb just waiting to go off, and Juno hounded her enemy Cicilia to the point Rhein had to physically get involved before the police did. These people needed therapy, not a manager.

After her headache had subsided a bit, the woman with the jade colored suit sighed and slipped her reports back into the filing cabinet  at her feet and locked the drawer. It was time to get back to work before her mind began to wander. If she let that happen, nothing would get done, and she might just…

Bzzz bzz!

Bzzz bzz!

“Huh?”

Her cell phone was ringing? Her personal cell phone? She had calls on her business line all the time, but hardly ever did she get calls on her personal phone. She made sure to keep it away from her business to ensure whoever called her was someone she knew, as she herself was the only person who gave out the number. Even so, she rarely made such a gesture with anyone, and it had to have been at least six months since it had gone off since paying for it to be a private number to make sure telemarketers didn’t bother her.

Rhein didn’t recognize the number calling her, which was a bit alarming. She hesitated to answer the call, and thought about letting it go to voicemail before deciding she probably knew who was on the other line. With the tap of a button, she answered the call with a simple “Hello?”, and though the connection had a bit of static, another voice came over the line. It was barely loud enough to hear.

“H...Hello…? Rhein…?”

Rhein blinked as she recognized the voice, a cold shard of stress practically jabbing her in the chest the instant she heard the woman utter her name!

“Cicilia? Is that you? No wait, are you alright?!”

Rhein immediately opened her desk drawer, pulling out a pen and notepad as hundreds of scenarios of Juno attacking Cicilia played out in her mind. Did the Nurse finally succeed? Rhein had been watching her the whole time, how did she do it?!?!

“Just tell me where you are and what happened, and I’ll get to you.”

Rheins hand gripped her pen tightly, awaiting to hear what nightmare her psychopath of a client had unleashed on Cicilia as a familiar feeling creeped up the back of her neck...fear, stress…

Loss.

Cicilia winced at the sudden explosive fear that flashed through her phone's mic, completely disoriented by Rhein's sudden outburst! It sounded as if Rhein had foresaw the German's demise, that she had expected something utterly horrid to have happened to her in order for the boxer to have made this call! The tremble in her voice, the way the woman over the phone seemed to manifest the true epitome of existential terror, the boxer's heart couldn't help but ache... Maybe it would've been better if she had just... you know... left her alone... It sounded like she was on the edge of a breakdown, this poor manager! ...Even if that was the better option, it was unavailable to her now... If she just... cut the line, who knew how Rhein would react!? A moment of silence would follow before a heavy sigh could be heard on the other end.

"Y....yeah, I'm fine..." Cicilia stammered, thrown off by this woman's concern! There were many ways to care about a person. There was professional care where the client is important, but not someone to be emotionally invested in. There was love, where one's heart and soul is effectively gifted to the other person, a carrier for your most fragile self making them the most important thing in the world. Rhein... she sounded as she expected Cicilia had been.... sexually assaulted and left for dead, as if she had expected the WORST the whole time and, with this phonecall, had been given one last chance at hope! Rhein was a good woman, someone the German respected totally, someone who was doing everything she could to keep the boxer safe as a guardian angel... but even so... Cicilia never would have expected THAT kind of fear... for her sake!

...God, it hurt to hear...

"Rhein, nothing happened..." Cicilia explained, a faint blush flashing across her face! "L-Look....  I was wondering if... you know... you wanted to go out or something... If you're free and all, that is!" ...Damn did she sound like a fucking idiot... Who was she talking to, Sayumi!? The hell was she getting so nervous and flustered for!? ...A stupid question, seeing as she knew herself well enough to piece together a likely answer. She just... wasn't comfortable poking her head out of the iron-fortress-of-a-shell she hid within, to step out of her tough persona for a moment and try to be personable! Any moment, she could be exploited, her emotions trampled and her weaknesses ripped apart mercilessly. Any moment, someone could come by and strike Cicilia while her guard was down, cutting her deeper than any blow on a normal day. Cicilia was afraid that something would happen if... if she allowed herself to be a beauty... rather than the beast everyone else saw.

After all... Everyone knows you couldn't hurt a monster.

She stood outside, hood pulled over her head, her striped sleeves bunched up at her palms as she clutched at the anxiously, her sanguine eyes darting from the ground... to eye-level to the ground again as if struggling to hold the gaze of an invisible being!

"We don't have to or anything but... I dunno... Just asking..."

Spoiler:

“...What…?”

Rhein...was actually rather taken aback by the response she got from Cicilia. She had thought that there was a dire emergency, some sort of dark plan the nurse had managed to sneak past her and wreak havoc over Cicilia’s personal life like she had almost done before. All of the dark scenarios, the sharp pain of stress and guilt just hung in the air as the woman on the phone calmly explained she was fine. Rhein only just noticed she was squeezing her pen so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. As she released it, all of the stress, the fear and worry all dissipated at once until she only felt numb. The only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock, and the gentle sound of her pen rolling away from her desk.

Cicilia was okay…

Rhein had only just noticed her heart beating in the back of her throat as it was slowing down to a steady beat as her muscles that were once tensed and ready to act relaxed. Rhein had no idea she had grown so tense, but as her body relaxed, she would clear her throat and adjust her glasses before composing herself in her seat.

“Well...that’s great to hear.” She said in her usual, gentle tone. “Sorry for sounding like that, I didn’t mean to-”

Before Rhein could finish, Cicilia would go on to ask Rhein if she was free to go out for the day. It was a gentle request, but one Rhein had never gotten before. The way Cicilia spoke with a quick and nervous tone reminded Rhein moreso of a shy teenager rather than the fully fledged boxer she had met a few months prior. It was clear the woman was guarded, as if she was already expecting to hear the worst and have her request shot down in flames. Truth be told, it made the manager feel a pang of sadness for her fellow German.

Looking over at her planner for the day, Rhein could already see a few different bullets written down at the top of the paper; The conference call, a meeting with Stella Rozino, looking over and approving match request forms, and replying to emails sent earlier in the day.

While each of these were important to deal with, none of them were particularly time sensitive. Rhein seeing Stella was more of a formality, one she was not even sure Stella would even bother to show up to. She was a problem client, but easily one of the more manageable out of Rhein's massive Client list. She could afford to reschedule, with the most important part of her day already finished and out of the way. She could push the rest off for tonight, or even tomorrow if she really wanted to keep busy.

“Well, I did just finish up here...Sure thing! Where do you want to meet up?”

Rhein answered quickly, shrugging off the beginning of the call to try and create a friendly atmosphere. Her answer contained a hint of excitement, an attempt to brush away any hesitation Cicilia may be feeling on the other end. Rhein wanted Cicilia to trust her, even if only a little. Seeing her fellow German reach out was a great opportunity to forge such trust.

“I’ve been meaning to reconnect with you for some time now, so this actually works out perfectly.”

Cicilia was starting to come out of her hardened shell, even if it was just a little. Perhaps, today the two of them could help each other make some fond memories, and break old bad habits of mistrust and fear with the others' help.

Cicilia felt as if she were a kaleidoscope in a world of clear, flat mirrors. The way she spoke, the awkwardness infecting her voice and stance of body was so utterly potent, it was as if she could taste it on her tongue! So bitter and gross, desperate and stupid, she felt like a dumb animal trying to convey a simple concept that would've been easily established by ANYONE else! How hard was it to say "Do you want to hang out"!? People were asking it all the time at work as if it were nothing, even more at the park as apparent strangers made friends with one another. How damn difficult was it to ask if she wanted to spend some time together!?

...Apparently very difficult. In fact, Cicilia couldn't remember a time when she actually asked for this... Almost every encounter she and Sayumi had outside of matches and before they actually.. you know... loved one another, she never made any of the opening moves. Whether she be at work, coming home, Sayumi was always there waiting for her, eagerly wanting to be a part of her life, to embrace the German with her divinity whether she intended to or not. Cicilia... was always on the accepting end, hardly the giving end, upon reflection. While she gave as much love as she was capable... she was rarely the one actually planning out events. She hadn't really visited Sayumi back when they were just friends, never really asked if she worked anywhere else other than AFW like Cicilia had done before... In a way, she hadn't taken as much of an interest in Sayumi as she should have, hadn't been as engaged with her... Yeah, once things had started, they were great and Cicilia had truly opened her heart to her...

...It almost made her wonder if their relationship was by luck... rather than fate... and if that was true, what were the odds of it continuing...? This whole "friends" thing was starting to scare Cicilia, make her reevaluate her relationships... if she could even handle them! How fragile even were they? Was she one mistake from her glass house of cards having a rock thrown through it? Could she be one little outburst away from everything she'd ever treasured crashing down around her? The very thought made the blood in Cicilia's veins freeze, the frustration in her heart icing over in a second... If she lost Sayumi... Hell, if she lost RHEIN...

"I... uh..." Cicilia muttered, her mind spinning like a blizzard of fear inside her skull! She couldn't make sense of the world around her, her perceptions condensing, forumulating into a crushing bubble of space... She didn't even think this far ahead when she called Rhein, that she might actually WANT to spend time with her! Where could they even go that wouldn't be more than awkward? Coffee?

...Yeah but... that's... isn't that where people on a date go...? That or a bar. As far as Cicilia was concerned, hardly anyone even dated anymore. So many women having sex in front of a crowd or behind closed doors for the sake of their job... Ugh. No. She didn't want anything that... associated.

"I... don't know..." She admitted with a strained sigh, her sanguine eyes staring at her feet. "What... do you feel like doing?"

Cicilia’s stuttering and slightly surprised tone didn’t go away, even after Rhein accepted her invitation. The manager guessed that the boxer hadn’t expected her to reply positively, and so Cicilia hadn’t bothered to actually plan anything. Rather than irritation,  Rhein only imagined what was running through Cicilia’s head at the moment. Every passing second was likely an eternity as she could actually hear Cicilia practically panic over the phone. It was strange to know a woman who regularly pushed herself to her limits seemed to be terrified of inviting someone out. All the more reason for Rhein to accept and try her best to help Cicilia in her endeavor. She needed help? Then Kazahana would gladly step in and provide it with as kind a gesture as she could!

“Do you like to go to the movies?” Rhein asked, “There is one that just hit theaters based on an old book I read back in highschool. To Punish and Enslave. A bit of a romance, with some drama added in. From what I understand, they changed the ending, so I’m curious if it maintains the themes of the novel.”

The jade attired manager was scrolling through her nearby computer to look up showtimes of said movie, hunting around for the closest theater showing. Reviews of the movie were high, which made Rhein feel confident in her suggestion. Whatever they might have changed must have been for the better. Something she noted was that the closest showtimes had the movie end around lunch hours, adding another juicy idea to the ever growing plan to socialize with her fellow German.

“Oh, look at that? If we go now, we can see the movie and still get in just in time to catch the lunch special at Kremzeek Dinner. I don’t know if you’ve ever been there, but the Lunch deals and their drinks are the best in town, and the food isn’t too far down my favorites list.”

Oh, lookit that. I might actually be starting to enjoy myself~

Rhein smiled to herself as she continued to try and come up with actual fun activities to do, rather than scribble down some sort of meeting or try and iron out some paperwork on her tight schedule. Normally Rhein had to be all business, but it was interesting to try and carve up an event of sorts that didn’t involve sex and violence and...well, might actually help someone. Like she used to do.

“I mean, if you have time to eat of course. Did you have anything else planned for today, Cicilia?”

Rhein couldn’t help but crack a sly smile, her free hand pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose as she began to look forward to her unexpected meet up.

Cicilia just... ugh. Look at her trying to make a friend and all she could think of was "I don't know". How pathetic. Elfrida would be laughing at her right now if she could see, her Sister's natural charisma putting the Juggernaut's to shame... along with most things of hers, most likely. The closest things Cicilia actually had to friends were rivals, people who actually wanted to fight her. Now, those that wanted to spend time out of the ring...? That was something else. Different. Insecure. She had spent so much time fighting, so much time running... She never had the time to actually send out her roots and establish a social life! A plant on the move isn't a strong one, after all, so easily uprooted for increased mobility. The Juggernaut simply hid behind her desire to fight, perhaps even believing that was all she needed to be complete. It was, after all, her driving force since she had left Germany, her money-maker, the summation of her dream, the thing that made her strong.

...Little did she realize that it wasn't all that she required.

Rhein was patient with her, far more patient than Cicilia would have been had their perspectives been reversed, the German's blush BURNING ever hotter as the manager set up a whole afternoon for them! A movie... and a lunch. Such a simple suggestion... Basic even, something anyone would be able to come up with if they had half a brain! Why, just the other day, she and Sayumi went out to eat and the day before that, watched a movie! How the hell couldn't Cicilia remember all that!? Because her brain was scrambled, that's why. She wasn't talking to Sayumi, someone she had gotten used to living with, someone she was desperately, passionately in love with. She wasn't even talking to her family who she had grown used to hating, people she would sooner see in the camps of Germany's checkered past than make up with. These were feelings that have ingrained themselves in the boxer to the point of them becoming one with her being. For them to manifest was like the wind blowing or the sun shining.

...Rhein and Cicilia may have been on good terms but it was just a relationship of convenience. That changed today. And it changed everything.

"Sure- I mean, no I don't have anything planned... I mean... Ugh... Yes, that sounds like a good time."

Damn it, Cicilia... SPEAK LIKE YOU HAVE A PAIR!

"Think... you could pick me up or something or do I have to get a cab...?"

Hearing Cicilia stutter like she did over the phone made Rhein chuckle softly, already seeing her fellow German’s embarrassed, beet red face as she tried her best to strain out an answer to Rhein’s questions. Of course, the manager meant no ill will by her laughter. If anything, the Jade suited woman found Cicilia’s efforts charming. The boxer hadn’t expected to get this far and every action after her initial invite was reminiscent of an introvert trying to socialize. The “Warmachine”, as Rhein had once heard Cicilia be called, was effectively stepping out of her armored plating and taking a step out into the open field. Truth be told, there was a hint of curiosity on Rhein’s part in all of this. Cicilia was a rather interesting woman, even without the long history of combat she had to endure. A part of Rhein wondered just how much of the woman that lay underneath that guarded exterior might be brought out into the light after today.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll swing by real quick and pick you up. The place we are going is on the way. I’m leaving real quick, so I’ll see you soon, Alright Cici?”

--

It wouldn’t take long for Rhein to arrive at Cicilia’s apartment complex. She had been there a few times before due to various circumstances so arriving on time was hardly an issue. Truth be told, Rhein had dug into the various routes to the complex in case anything were to happen and managed to find a rather speedy way from her office! It was minor, but Rhein couldn’t help but feel a bit proud of herself as she parked into the very tiny lot with a gift in hand. Yes, she had even managed to snag a quick gift for the household, Rhein smiling smugly to herself in accomplishment.

It wasn’t hard to spot Cicilia. Rhein had never seen her in that outfit before, but her raven black hair and red eyes were a distinct giveaway. There was also the matter of her being the only woman standing around outside the complex, but that was just nitpicking. After Rhein had finished parking her vehicle, she stepped out to greet her...well, it was Cicilia’s idea, so perhaps “host” would be the proper word to use.

“Heya! Hope I didn’t make you wait too long.” Rhein said with a smile and a wave.

Before too much could be said, the manager reached in and plucked her gift off the passenger seat. Rhein held a smaller sized basket in her hand, filled with two dessert scented body wash soaps and a pair of soft scented candles. She passed the basket over towards Cicilia, her mouth cracked open in a slight grin.

“Thanks for inviting me, by the way. I got you a few gifts, if that's alright. Just some relaxing scents and sweet smelling stuff I thought you might share with you-know-who.”

Rhein would watch Cicilia look through her basket for a bit before peering at her watch, clicking her tongue as she noticed the time.

“Ready to go Cici? Need anything before we head out? If not, I got a passenger seat with your name on it~”

...And like that, it was over. As the silence of the call ending fell over the German, she could only very slowly bring down her phone, staring at its blank screen in shock... It was... surprisingly painless, this conversation. Every second the German spoke, she was expecting some kind of stab to the back, some kind of punch to the gut to punish her for letting down her guard. She expected something to come out of nowhere, beit from Rhein herself or some other ungodly force, to come and smack Cicilia upside the head for believing that she deserved the kindness of another! Even now, Cicilia was slightly wincing, her back distinctly aware of the breeze lightly pressing against it as if awaiting something to come and RUN through it! Paranoid... anxious... expecting for something to strike when she least expected it...

...And nothing would happen...? Cicilia wouldn't hold her breath. Things were moving along a LITTLE too smoothly for the German's comfort, almost as if she had been getting exactly what she'd wanted from some kind of wish-granting demon. Something was out there, lurking within the shining radiance of a promise of a good day, a creature of the utmost abyssal black just waiting to step out behind its screen of benevolence. She was going to, somehow, screw this up if nothing came for her directly.... She just knew it.

Almost as if to smack Cicilia across the face for even believing such nonsense, Rhein would arrive in a car all her own, something rare for city folk, stepping out with a smile... and casualness the German had never seen from her before! The smile she wore had possessed very few of the stress-lines along the edges of her lips, lines that indicated some measure of forced motion meant to cover up the pain inside. Her eyes possessed not the bags that suggested a long, hard and worrisome day at work, those that suggested a schedule both tight and stressful, those that suggested someone overworked and exhausted! No, if anything, Rhein looked... younger! A new woman, one might say, fresher than Cicilia had ever seen with with a glow about her that was almost... alluring! A kind of "New-Woman" look Cicilia wanted... Rebirthed from a chrysalis of hardship... Alive.

"No I..."

Before Cicilia could even remark on how SHORT-A-TIME Rhein actually made her wait, the manager would suddenly withdraw from her car a pair of gifts all contained in a small basket! Instantly, the German's cheeks flashed as her sanguine eyes shot WIDE, her jaw dropping slightly as she took the gifts... the smell alone informing her just what to do with them... Rhein would remark that she just... "picked them up" on the way here... but Cicilia knew better. One didn't just bring things this sweet, this... tender to someone on a whim. No, Rhein must've been thinking of this... planned it at least in part... and the German only further believed this was the case with the tone Rhein used.

You know who...

"Uh... Thanks, Rhein I... I don't know what to say..." Cicilia mumbled, her shellshock intensifying with each passing moment! She... She didn't ask for this... Heck, she didn't even know she WANTED something like this until she had it! Effectively, Rhein, without even being asked, gave Cicilia something that would not only make her evening better... but her girlfriend's as well!

...Something Cicilia wouldn't forget...

Thanking Cicilia for letting her come along, Rhein would gesture to the car and remark how she had a passenger seat waiting JUST for her... in such a gentle tone, it almost made the boxer's breath seize in her chest! Is this what Rhein was like out from behind her desk? The all-business, no-nonsense Rhein was actually this... bubbly underneath...?

...Just like how Cicilia was this anxious...

"O...okay..." The German mumbled, her eyes flicking up to meet Rhein's, a small, thankful smile flashing across the boxer's face as she stepped inside the car, taking the seat that apparently had her name. Once comfortable, her senses alive with the fragrent yet gentle scent of the soaps and candles she had been gifted with, the boxer would turn to the manager with a smile, a genuine warm smile reserved for very few, her gaze alight with not an inferno... but a sweet, radiant sunshine.

"Thank you..." She murmured only slightly louder than before.

Okay, so maybe the gifts were a bit overboard for a first-time meet up, but after seeing Cicilia’s eyes light up, Rhein couldn’t help but feel like she made the right call. Rhein wanted nothing more than to make a good impression, and while Cicilia calling her out for a simple social request was a massive sign that Rhein was already on her fellow German’s good side, she wanted this trip to be really special for Cicilia. Besides, Rhein needed to buy things other than suits, basic necessities, and drinks with her money. Sometimes cashiers looking at her receipts gave Rhein a strange second look, and while that didn’t particularly bother her, it would be nice if they didn’t look at her so much.

Still, it felt great when Cicilia got in the passenger side door and nestled in comfortably. Rhein could still remember the first time they met, and how Cicilia wouldn’t get into the car without a thorough inspection to ensure it wasn’t booby trapped. Rhein had to stand to the side as Cicilia used her keys to check each of the locks and windows, only satisfied it was safe after almost twenty minutes ensuring the car’s safety. Rhein understood why Cicilia felt the need to do so, and she didn’t blame her for it even slightly. It was simply nice to see how much Cicilia has grown to trust Rhein. The manager knew how hard it could be to trust a stranger after all Cicilia had been through. To trust someone even like Rhein like this must have been a very hard thing to do, speaking from personal experience.

Knowing how nervous her fellow German had been on the phone was part of the reason Rhein’s tone was as gentle as it was. Sometimes, hearing someone’s calm voice could ease other’s panic just a little. Knowing that someone else was calm made others feel better, and after dealing with stressed out clients and scared customers, Rhein had developed a tone perfect for helping calm down those that were in distress or unease. A tone that sounded like a friend who knew exactly what to do, or how to help. She often meant it, but never had it sound so genuine before as it did now.

As Cicilia thanked Rhein for the gifts multiple times, both verbally and non-verbally, the manager just cracked a grin and gave her passenger a wink.

“Hey, Don’t worry about it! Just think of it as thanks for inviting me to hang out. Or as an apology if I make a wrong turn and we are late for the movie.”

Rhein caught Cicilia’s smile in the corner of her eye as she adjusted her mirror. She hoped that she hid her surprise, because the girl in her passenger seat looked nothing like the woman she had spoken to in that gym a few months prior. The woman in the passenger seat glowed in a way Rhein hadn’t thought possible, had a sort of innocence she didn’t think that the boxer could have, and had a smile that was more beautiful than the scowl that was so often in front of it.

“...!”

Rhein actually had to pause, and submit to giving up a glance in Cicilia’s direction. Looking at the Cicilia’s expression as though she may never see it again. It was an awfully kind looking face Cicilia had, even with the sad scars that lined her beautiful face. It reminded Rhein of a desert flower, enduring the hardships of its environment and yet somehow managing to bloom despite all of that.

“Well...I guess we better get going if we want to get there before a line builds up at the snack stand. Say, what is your favorite snack anyways?”