stripping off the sugar coating

who: caleb and nic
where: starting on the phone...
when: afternoon

After Caleb left Rose's dorm room, he kind of felt the need for slightly different female company. And by different he meant someone who had an easier time dealing with little things like swearing. Also someone who wasn't ass sick, who might want to go for a walk or something. So, he called Nic. He did have to wonder if her mom was going to answer, remembering her warnings on the subject, but he was amused, and wanted to see for himself. He was also vaguely headed in the direction of her house, just in case she was inclined to hang for a bit.

Emily Haverstrom didn't get too many chances to be home in the afternoon, too often there was work to be done, a gap in the hospital's schedule to fill, but when she had the chance? She liked being home and being able to actually be in the house at the same time as Nic, especially with both of them awake. Granted, she didn't always see her adopted daughter much, but she remembered being a teenager and wanting privacy well enough to understand. Busy in the kitchen and mindful of the pound of music from her daughter's bedroom, Emily sighed at the ringing of the phone. "Okay!" she said to no one, "I'll get it!" Moving to snag a cordless handset, she raised it to her ear as she moved farther from the thrum of hard rock. "Hello?"

"Hi...is Nic there?" Caleb asked. He had to flash a grin at the sidewalk as he strolled along, too. Guess he'd get to find out how serious Nic was about her mom. Which he would find amusing, regardless. And so long as he possibly didn't have to tell his life story or anything, he'd be fine. Hell, even if he happened to meet the woman, he could be charming when he wanted to be.

Well this was a surprise. The elder Haverstrom had been half-expecting it to be her shift supervisor, asking her if she could come in early. Or maybe one of her co-workers trying to get a day off. What she hadn't expected? Well, a boy asking for her daughter was high on that list, though Emily always hoped she'd be wrong. "Who's calling, please?" she asked, trying to keep a conspiritorial tone out of her voice.

"Caleb." he answered, still walking along with an amused sort of air around him. "She home?" he asked. Basically he was waiting to get bitched at by Nic. That would be fun. She got...colorful, and he was looking forward to seeing what she might say to him to give him hell.

"Caleb?" Emily echoed, thinking on that for a moment as she reached out to stir the contents of a skillet. "Yes she is, Caleb. Just a moment." Cradling the phone, she moved from the kitchen towards Nic's door, knocking lightly at first. "Nic, hon? Phonecall!" she said, frowning after a few seconds and no reply. "Nicole!" she repeated, louder. "You have a phonecall! Volume levels, thank you!"

The pound of bass faded, followed by the soft rasp of a lock opening before the door cracked and Nic peered out at her mother. "What?" she asked with a small grin. "You. Phonecall. Boy." her mother repeated in a patient tone, aiming a look at her daughter that said they'd have more to say later. "And don't think I can't smell your cigarettes in there, young lady," she added, handing over the cordless and moving back towards the kitchen. "Aw Christ on crutches, mom," Nic groaned, putting the phone to her ear. "Uhm, hello?"

"I need to wash the sugar out of my system. Be cynical at me for ten minutes." Caleb said to her in lieu of things like 'hello' or the like. Hello was for other people, he just liked to jump into a conversation. That or maybe he just wanted to see what she'd say. He could hear at least some bass from her end, and he'd heard the bits about volume and the like. And the emphasis that it was a boy calling.

"Caleb?" Nic asked in a perfect mirroring of her mother, her brows drawing together darkly as she shut the door, grabbed the stereo remote, and turned the music up. She'd need some audio cover. "What the fuck?" she snapped into the phone, "Do you know what you just did? Do you realize how many times I've had to hear about condoms and boys and being fucking safe? Do you want me to hear it again, no matter how much I say we're just friends? Any guy calls, and my mom thinks I'm about to give it up. Jesus! Dick."
Taking a deep breath with one hand over the phone's mouthpiece in the wake of her tirade, Nic turned the stereo down before speaking again. "How's that?"

He laughed, grinning again. "That worked well, thanks." he told her, clearly amused as hell. "All apologies if you have to get the sex talk again, of course. Though somehow I think you'd be smarter about just about anything than oh...ninety nine percent of the rest of the school. Got any more bitching you can throw my way while you're at it here, or have you spent it all in one shot?" he asked. "I just spent like an hour with a sick girl and a rabbit. There's a lot of sugar going on there, I require being drawn back from it all."

"I recommend letting me kick you in the balls a few times. With steel-toes," Nic suggested with a dark smirk, wishing his laugh wasn't somewhat infectious. "And I always have shit to vent, or did you think you were calling someone else? One second." Nic turned, smacking a hand against her door out of sheer paranoia that her mother was eavesdropping. "Okay. So I think I'm going to neuter some of the hockey players with their skates, if you want to help. Cuntmonkeys made me waste half my lunch today."

"You know me, I'm a helper." Caleb commented, still heading vaguely towards her house. "Why did they do that? Or how? Are there asses that need kicking, or is this just their usual brand of retarded and it got on your shoes today? That shit never comes out, you know." he said.

Tucking her cigarettes away so she wouldn't be completely caught, Nic sighed as she sat on her bed, tucking her legs under her. "Just the usual brand, and yeah it got on me. Two of them talking shit, I turned around to tell them the best way to blow each other and tripped on some girl eating lunch. Wait..." she trailed off, smirking curiously, "My brain just caught up. A sick girl and a rabbit? Are you moonlighting on some kids' show about being a sweetheart?"

"Oh fuck off--a friend of mine was sick and needed some shit, and she happens to have gotten herself a rabbit. Fucker bit me and everything. I was wounded." he mock-protested. "I was just practicing the art of not being a dick. I know, it's a little outside my normal sparkling personality, but occasionally I try." he said. "What were they talking shit about? Just...you in general?" he asked.

"Probably. I wasn't close enough to hear, you know you get dumber just by being in hearing range of them." Nic sighed, figuring she'd probably brought the tumble on herself but not thinking she needed to say so. "If I could guess? I bet it was something like 'hurr hurr, she should eat my pizza roll. Excuse me while I shit myself'. And you got bit by a rabbit? Wow, dude. Seriously, good luck hoping I forget this." She obviously wouldn't, it'd be far too fun to tease him about on any odd encounters they might have in the future.

"There does seem to be a radius of intellectual decline." Caleb agreed. He glanced up at the street signs and made a left, heading closer to her house. "Wounded by a rabbit." he corrected. "There was blood." he added. Which was true, but he hadn't cared. It was just amusing to bullshit about. "So, what are you up to right now?" he asked, looking up as he caught sight of her house.

"Uh huh. And I bet you painted a little heart with the two drops of blood you lost, then your friend with a pet-fucking-bunny that I'm sure has floppy ears sang a little song about forgiveness," she rambled, grinning at her reflection in the mirror on her wall. Sure, she was on a tangent, but he'd gotten her started, so now he just had to listen to it all. "And I'm just stalling on homework. Rented the remake of 'Halloween', gonna try and make my mom watch it while we eat dinner. Why?" she asked, suddenly anxious. Why had he called? It wasn't just to hear her rant, or why would he suddenly be asking what she was doing?

"Yeah we did all that before she shit rainbows, and we both had a good cry." Caleb said, heading into the side yard of the house next door to hers, to walk round the house towards her window. Which could possibly be stalkery of him--being he'd noted which light came on when he'd walked her home the other night. "And why? I wanted to know, that's why. Paranoid?" he asked, ignoring entirely the fact that she had a right to be, considering he was walking alongside her house towards her window, deliberately not giving away himself yet.

She chuckled coarsely, just trying to imagine Caleb in a moment that tender, something straight out of a Lifetime movie. "Absolutely paranoid," Nic answered, thumbing her remote to flip between CDs. "We live in a town the size of Mayberry with a murder rate that kicked Detroit's ass, remember? And you like the fact that I'm a raging bitch. I'm pretty sure you're either crazy or constantly high. Except you're too clean to be a pothead, and you don't wear tie-dye."

"You're right, I fail as a hippy." Caleb commented, standing just beside her window. He leaned against the side of the house. "And are you worried about our impressive death rate? If you are, when the shit hits the fan, call me." he told her. Not that he wouldn't have enough people to watch out for, but she made the list. "Or, talk to me about weapon choice and let me know if you know how to use it properly." he added. "And yes, I like the fact that you're a raging bitch. I hang out with too many girls who send me into insulin shock." he informed her. "When's dinner?"

"Not for a while, I don't think," Nic answered, tweaking the volume as some Kidney Thieves started playing. She lounged back on the bed with one elbow supporting her, an easy smile on her lips. "It's still early, my mom's cooking." She didn't comment on the weapon choices or his half-offer to protect her, but both were morbidly nice. Nic wasn't an easy girl to compliment, but Caleb actually managed to succeed in little ways. "How do you know so many apparently-saccharine girls? Are they attracted to the bad-boy thing and looking to piss off daddy or their boyfriends or some shit like that?"

"...if I knew that, I'd be able to dodge them better, I think." Caleb said with a sigh, recognizing the song. "But they tend to gravitate towards me, I think. Not sure what the fuck it is. Let me know if you figure it out. But it's happened...er...quite a few times, actually." A lot. Definitely a lot. Ten, Jamie, Leija, Rose...yeah. Peyton had come to visit him a lot when he'd been in the hospital, even. "And it's still early, so you'd, say, have time to hang out for a while." he put in there, glancing back at the window a touch, just barely looking inside. Where he could see a little of her on her bed.

She sat up a little with that comment, frowning. He just doesn't quit, does he? Nic supposed that this was what it meant to be sorta-friends, actually hanging out instead of only getting together to skate or get wasted or both. Still, he was a guy, he talked to her about girls. It was weird? But at the same time Nic didn't think it was likely to turn awkward between them. She shot her reflection a frown, deciding that girl looking back wouldn't have that risk to face. "Probably, yeah," she answered finally, "Want me to meet you somewhere?"

That's when he reached out with his left hand and rapped his knuckles on her window. "Naw, I figured I could just drop by..." he said, looking round where she could see him, and he flashed her a grin as he flicked his phone shut.

It took a moment for her to pick out the knocking on her window, another to look over and see him there, then Nic rolled from her bed and hit the ground. Sneaking over to the window and dropping the phone, Nic undid the latch to lift the window open slightly. "Okay, Caleb?" she murmured in a stunned voice, "I don't like broken records? But what the fuck?" Sure, she wasn't the usual girl, but she still didn't like being surprised when she was lounging around in a pair of sweats and a ratty t-shirt, her hair piled high and pinned in place aside from the few braids she never undid. "Do not knock on the front door, you hear me? I swear, I'll feed you your toes if you meet my mom today."

He was smirking at her unrepentantly, and leaned his hands on the windowsill. "Why do you think I came to your window, and didn't knock on the front door?" he asked. "I figured I'd set you up for enough torture from your mom for one day." he told her easily. "So...you got time for me or not?" he asked. Yep. Amused as all fucking hell, and that was quite clear.

She stared at him wordlessly for a handful of seconds, only the top half of her head visible above the windowsill. "...I'm gonna go get my steel-toes on," Nic finally answered, tugging her window down and half-hoping his hands were in the way. Which is why she closed it somewhat-gently. Nic reached to close the blinds before she stood again, putting her face in her hands and sighing, then reaching for the baggy jeans she'd had on for school that day.

Thankfully a hoodie hid her hair well enough, and after a few minutes? The front door popped open and her voice carried out as she left the house. "I promise, mom! I'll be home in time! Don't start the movie without me, you don't even know who Rob Zombie is!" Trudging down the front steps, Nic rounded the house in search of Caleb with a scowl seemingly carved into her expression.

He was where she'd left him, just outside her window. He was leaned back against the house, hands shoved into his pocket, his backpack on the ground at his feet. He absolutely, positively could not wipe the evil grin off of his features. Nor did he try, really, and he was just waiting to see if she slugged him or not. He was kind of laying even odds on that. "So you do have time for me. Excellent." he said in far too jovial a tone for the stormcloud look on her face.

She didn't disappoint, either. Nic stalked over, slugging Caleb in the shoulder one moment, then kicking a toe into his shin the next. "Asshole. Like I'm going to miss the chance to give you that," she seethed at him. "I'm going to learn to sew, just to make you a fucking bunny costume." Which would actually probably look oddly terrifying on him, all things considered, but the threat was there. "You know how many questions I got hit with in the last five minutes? Seven. Seven versions of 'who's Caleb?'."

He couldn't help but laugh--though he did duck and play up a little bit of a wince for her from her attacks, and he brought one hand up. "Okay, okay--" he said, grinning. "And you poor, poor girl. I had no idea the trials and tribulations that were going to happen because I wanted to see you. Does that mean next time I should just hit the window first, and skip the courtesy phonecall?" he asked, smirking at her. His tone was of course, purely innocent, which didn't go with the look at all. Then he paused, as if something just occurred to him as he stood straight again. "How would you get me into the bunny costume?" he mused.

Apparently that was just now occurring to Nic as well, her lips pursing thinly as she dug out her cigarettes. "Well, I could skeeze my way into the jocks' good graces and have them do it," she suggested, slipping a smoke free. "But I think I could take you on my own, so I'll just kick your ass when I finish sewing that big, pink, fluffy tail." Nic lit up, not lingering near her house for long before she nodded for Caleb to follow and started off in a random direction. If he had a destination, she'd let him take the lead. "And try to avoid the window? I don't want to be to blame if you go blind."

He grabbed up his bookbag and shrugged it back over his shoulder as he fell into step with her. "Okay so you bitch at me--and hit me--if I call because it gets you questions, and yet I can't bypass by just going to your window. Now that's just not fair, Nic." Caleb tsked. "Though out of curiosity, why exactly would I be going blind? You going to set up traps now? A little bleach in the eyes, or magnesium flares?"

"No, I hit you because you were peering in," she corrected, smirking over at him. "And once I convince my mom that we're not dating or anything, you can call. I think I'll just tell her you're gay, it'll save a lot of time." She puffed on her cigarette as they walked, peering over at him from the folds of her hood. "Flares? Decent idea, actually. But no... there's a reason everything I own fits loose, Caleb. It's a dangerous window to spy into, let's leave it at that."

"Or, you could just tell her we're dating, and make her year. Though she might have even more questions at that point..." Caleb said, as if thinking over the idea. "Gay. Sure. But I refuse to start talking with a lisp or wearing rainbows." he added. "Flares'll knock out anyone's sight if it's close enough. Works for a good distraction." he said, that kind of just automatic. he thought in angles, after all. Then he paused for a few moments, watching her out of the corner of his eye. "If you're implying the sight of you might blind me, I beg to differ." he said casually.

"Well, when you've seen me naked you can disagree. Which I think is scheduled for 'never', for your own good." She smiled faintly, head hanging a little as they walked, and leaned over to nudge him with her elbow as they walked. "No rainbows, promise. You feeling like you've got some of the sugar-coating peeled away, yet?" she asked, eager to change the topic away from her personal joke about herself. "And do I get to see the fierce rabbit wounds?"

"You can't say that to a guy and not get him curious." Caleb pointed out to her, smirking a bit. Though he was definitely picking up on the whole Nic didn't think she had it going on in the looks department thing. He didn't necessarily agree there. But he wasn't going to start telling her he thought she was cute right now. He'd just get punched again, and while he was actually fine with that, he figured he'd space out the ratio of thrown punches in their friendship. "Yeah, some. There's still some lingering, though." he told her, and then held his left hand out, showing her his index finger which did in fact have a bite on it. The cut was scabbed, and there was some dried blood around it, since he hadn't actually done anything with it beyond wiping it on his jeans. "See? Wounded."

"Wounded and dirty," Nic added, reaching out to grab Caleb's wrist. "You should probably clean it, y'know? Critters all have nasty germs and shit, and there'd be some sick irony in you losing a finger to a bunny." She was glad he mostly let it go; Nic didn't need compliments like that. She wondered if they might ruin the friendship she was forming with Caleb, might make her feel awkward around him. Mostly? She worried that she might like it. "I've got a lighter, you've hopefully got your pocket knife. Let's purge some toxins and cauterize that shit," she joked, giving his wrist a little squeeze before releasing it.

He covered a twitch. It was there, though, internal. He didn't really want to alienate her or anything, so he bit it back, but he never did that well with people touching him unless he either knew it was coming, or he was really used to them. Though he had to admit, being around Nic was fairly easy for him. He was more relaxed around her than he was other people, and he hadn't even known her that long. Not reading into that, he just focused on what she was saying. "You're not going to get all nursely on me, are you?" he asked, arching a brow at her and quirking a disarming little smirk. "And I always have my pocket knife." he added. "I'm fairly sure I'll live, and not have to lose the finger, but y'know, whatever you think is best..." he trailed off, pointedly digging the knife out of his pocket as if he were going to go with her joking suggestion.

Always one to mix casual violence with her humor, Nic flicked her lighter to life, ghosting the flame at and along the tiny scab on his finger. "See, the danger here?" Normally people tell each other not to do things like that. You're encouraging me." Which was fun! But weird too. Even back home, this would've been odd. She'd had guy friends, but not who tracked her down and humored her quite like Caleb did. "We going somewhere in particular, anyway?" Nic asked at length, smiling to herself and putting her lighter away.

"What can I say? I'm a bad influence." Caleb said, re-pocketing his knife. "And no. I just wanted to clear out the influence of sweetness and light out of my system and figured the best and fastest way was to hang out with you. We can just circuit the block or some shit if you've got to get back to dinner and rob zombie." he added.

"You kidding?? The longer we take, the crazier it'll drive my mom." Smirking at the idea, Nic just shrugged her shoulders and kept pace with Caleb. "It's my pre-emptive revenge for all the questions she probably has. I think I'll tell her you just came out, that'll guarantee we can have a while." She liked the excuse, in theory it'd mean she could hang out with him more often without having to arouse any real suspicion from her parent.

"Okay you have to make up your mind." Caleb said. "Either you want to minimize the damage I'm causing by my very presence, or you want to exacerbate it as much as possible." he said. "Now I realize you're a girl and all, but really, Nic...I expected more from you than to be pulling Confusing Female tricks already." he teased, smirking as he kept an eye on her just a little out of the corner of his eye.

The punch to his arm was something Nic expected to become a reflex in time as she puffed the rest of her cigarette, dropping it and crushing it under foot. "Hey, it's not like that," she insisted. "And watch what you call me or we'll get more things cauterized. For one, it's my mom. And two, she'll still be wondering even if she thinks you like kissing boys. Figure I'm out to convert you or something."

Caleb didn't seem to mind getting hit again, though he made a show of rubbing his shoulder, just for her. "Out to convert me, huh." he said. "Interesting take. Does this mean I'm never really allowed to properly stop by?" he asked. "I can be this sort of vague, ghost figure in your life that she never gets to meet?" He wondered how that might work. But then again he dodged Leija's dad, too. It wasn't quite his thing to meet the parents, though he had some confidence that he'd be able to do okay with it. If nothing else, as much trouble as he could be? He didn't look like trouble.

That idea made Nic sigh, her hood twisting as she turned to look his way. "No. I'm sure she'll eventually want to meet you, probably invite you for dinner or something. Which'll be weird." Nic actually figured that plenty of people would like her mom? She just found the idea of her home life, where she eased up on the vitriol, and her outside life colliding to be a heavy one. "I'd like the vague, ghosty idea though. Especially if it's less you pawing at my window and more me just climbing out it to come meet you."

"Well, I've got to get your attention somehow." Caleb said reasonably. "And I was hardly 'pawing'. 'Random Knocking' is more like it. Pawing implies...you know, I don't even know what that implies because I can't figure out a reference to the word that isn't sexual in nature, and I really don't have a thing for inanimate objects, definitely not windows."

"And calling me didn't get my attention?" she shot back, laughing to herself. "Believe it or not, I'm not complaining. It's actually kinda decent, getting out for a walk. My headphones are a good time, but you're not half bad either." Aside from accidentally calling him cute once before, it was the closest to a compliment Nic had made thusfar. "And I know you'd have to knock or something if you came by. But we'll figure something out if you're messed up enough to make this a habit."

"I'm that messed up." Caleb told her with a flash of a grin. "I have to have something to even shit out for me from time to time. And you have decent taste in music." he added. "Possibly films. I'm sold. I figure I'll just keep pissing you off and knocking, though it's a lot more fun cuz you got this look on your face....priceless." he told her with an unrepentant tone.

She stared daggers at him for a second, raising her fist halfway up to swing again before she decided better. "Let's just file that moment away with that other thing you said you'd never mention, hm?" It was good that he'd paid her a little praise before that barb. "And damn my right my music's good. I'm hoping your various sick girls and exes have decent tunes, too. Otherwise we'll just have to sit in my room with the stereo cranked, and that's boring."

"You know, you keep kneejerking on wanting to hit me every three minutes and you're going to wind up with a sore arm." Caleb said, not that he looked in the slightest bit concerned about such things. He looked terribly amused, though. "Might get yourself bruised knuckles...I'll have to explain the black eye you eventually give me because it's just not as satisfying to clock someone on the shoulder as it is their face..." he trailed off. "As for their tastes...Rose? No idea, really but I'm thinking she'd absolutely detest most of what I listen to. and Leija...I know she likes some of my stuff. she ganked a bunch of it before." Including most of his sex music but that wasn't anything Nic needed to hear.

"She stole your CDs? That's a death penalty in my world, ex or no," Nic informed him, nodding solemnly. "But I'm guessing you're such a softie that she gets to keep them? I should see if you have anything I'd want." Nic finally gave a full look his way, sticking her tongue out for a minute and chuckling. "And just for the record? If you do make a habit of this, I'm going to insist on you coming out drinking with me some night. Can't be much worse with a second person there, I figure."

"No, she borrowed my mp3 player and ripped a bunch of it." Caleb said. "It was voluntary, she needed to hear some music she never had before." And he had a lot of it. "There something about me that says I'm a softie?" he asked, arching a brow there. "Drinking some night...check. I can do that." he told her, because he was in fact, of a solid decision that he wanted to keep track of her, and he liked hanging out with her. So...he was going to do that. She didn't stress him the fuck out like, say, the rest of the world at large. "And I hear drinking with other people is more entertaining, yeah."

Nic nodded at his agreement, thinking she'd need to con someone into buying for her soon. Tomorrow was the start of the weekend, after all. And Caleb or no, Nic'd probably go out with a bottle tomorrow. "There is something, yeah," she pointed out with a shrewd smile. "Remember how you said I'm observant? Something like that, but I can't help remembering you being all concerned about how to stay friends with this girl without burning her? That says 'softie' to me, plenty of guys don't give a shit at that point."

"Aw, come on. Just by not wanting to be a dick, that doesn't mean I'm a softie." Caleb protested, making a bit of a face as he glanced at her. "There's no point in being a dick to her. I don't necessarily like to torch my bridges unless I have to, I guess." he said. Which was partially true. The other part of it was that he never actually made that many, so it happened to be important to him when he did. That was why the people who did get close to him held so much goddamn sway, whether he liked it or not.

"It kinda means you are," Nic pointed out, turning a corner after they'd covered a few blocks. A long loop sounded like a good start to a walk. "But it's not a total bad thing? I mean, it's a thin line between being a dick and being a sap who just drools about girls he knows. You seem like you're doing it, so kudos there. Don't worry, I'm not even being sarcastic this time, it's actually pretty cool of you." Which cued letting the hood hang as she walked again, eyes on the sidewalk ahead of her.

He watched her as they walked for a few moments as he let that sink in. "...alright, I accept that." he said, figuring it was better than nothing. And, maybe he appreciated the sentiment. Especially considering her default mode was sarcasm and she sounded genuine. "I've got more important shit on my mind than standing around drooling over girls, generally speaking. Though everyone else seems to still be stuck in that."

"What else?" Nic asked with a note of curiosity, "I mean I kinda had that impression? But if you're giving me the chance to hear more than venting about women, I won't say no." And she did wonder. He had a grim undertone, something that ran deeper than teenage anger, and she'd caught the vibe more than once. Then there were the scars, and the undetailed hospital stay. Something happened, and Nic wanted to know what it was.

He didn't answer her immediately, sort of half thinking about what to say. Hm. He didn't really want to get into anything heavy, not right this second. But that didn't mean he had to give her the brushoff either. "I don't know. Just...with the shit that's happened in this town in the past few months, there are things that are just a little more important." he offered. Which wasn't the underlying causes of anything but a valid concern. "Can I ask you something?"

Glancing over each shoulder mock-warily, she lit up a fresh smoke and leaned in towards Caleb with only a slightly slower pace. "You just did," she murmured, winking and leaning back into her own space. "But yeah, shoot. If I don't like the question, I'm sure you'll know."

"Because you'll hit me again?" he asked, tone light when he did. His pace slowed that little bit with hers. "I know you can throw a punch, and you come off like someone who knows how to handle herself, but do you really know how to fight?" he asked. And then hoped he didn't actually offend her with that, because he could definitely see her getting miffed with him over it.

For a second, it looked like she was going to be offended by the question, with the way Nic's shoulders tensed and rose. "What, like just in general?" she asked instead, "Because yeah, I know how to hit someone. I mean, it doesn't usually go very long. Either a teacher jumps in or the guy I hit won't hit a girl or the girl I hit runs off crying, but yeah. Why? You looking to start a Fight Club?"

"Knowing how to hit someone and knowing how to fight are different things." Caleb said as he shook his head. "And no, I'm not looking to start a fight club. I just want to know where you're at on shit like that. With the weirdness that's rained down on this town..." he trailed that off, because he didn't figure either of them would appreciate him putting too fine a point on the fact that he was concerned about her. That wouldn't go over nearly as well as anything else, so he just left the blank in and hoped she filled it appropriately in a nicely silent manner.

He was definitely getting a good idea of how to step around statements Nic wouldn't like. And as much as she put on a tough face, the things that had happened in town in the past had shocked the young woman. But still, he was silently right; Caleb's concern for her was somewhat awkward to acknowledge. "I can scrap a little, but if things got weird again? Yeah, I might not be much use. But I know when to stay home."

Staying home might not be good enough. Caleb thought, but didn't share. Because right now? he knew that was truth, but she would probably just read it as paranoia. Which, to be fair, part of it was. "I could teach you a few things." he put out there, after another few moments of silence. He was careful not to put any actual inflection on his words. Nothing that said he was pressuring her for it, or he thought she needed it, or anything. It was just a simple statement.

"What sort of things?" Nic asked as she puffed. On most other guys, she would've accused them of backwardly asking her out with a line like that, but he was being so... flat about it. It was what it sounded like, nothing more. "Are you a secret kungfu master? Your lips match up with what you're saying, so that can't be it," she joked.

He laughed a touch. "That's definitely not it." he said. "But I do know how to fight. Mostly I just...would like to ensure that people can defend themselves." he explained. "Hitting someone is one thing, being able to disable them is better. Give yourself enough time to get the fuck out of dodge if you know what I mean."

She smirked, tucking both hands into her hoodie as they walked. "Time's normally not an issue, I always have my board." Glancing at her shoulders, Nic shrugged over the lack of a backpack. "Okay, almost always. But if you say you can show me something? I'll give you a shot. No reason I shouldn't learn how to whup your ass a little faster." Defending herself wasn't something Nic generally connected with fighting, after all. But disabling them? Well, that sounded fun.

"Good." he said, glad she wasn't going to fight him on this. It would make it all easier. "Now I've got another question." he said. "Got anything really resembling a weapon?" he asked. "Pocket knife...machete...twelve gauge...."

While she still wasn't resisting, Nic definitely gave Caleb a questioning look now. "A weapon? Seriously?" she asked skeptically. "Uhm... some spiked bracelets? Yeah, a pocket knife, kitchen stuff? But why? Nothing here's that serious, is it? And would something like that have made a difference before?"

"You never know what'll make a difference." Caleb said. "And...just put it this way, there's a reason I carry my knife everywhere I go. I suggest you get one too." he told her. Granted, his knife was a little cooler than anyone else's, but still. "Plus, it's hard to hamstring someone without something sharp on hand." he added, and sort of mentally braced himself for her to freak out.

It wasn't a freakout, but she did stop in her tracks, staring at Caleb's back for a moment as he got a step ahead of her. "I'm going to assume you're kidding? Because otherwise there's a lot of details you need to fill in, and I don't know if you want to." Internally, it was a different story. Was he kidding? Who would Caleb be cutting up? But he did have his knife, and plenty of scars on one arm. And if he wasn't kidding, should she be much more spooked than she actually felt in the moment?

He stopped after putting at least a few feet between them, more for her benefit than his own, and he looked back at her. He didn't say anything. Because he wasn't kidding, he figured she would figure that out for herself, and if she was going to ask him something, she'd need to actually ask. He had his hands shoved into his pockets, and just looked at her, aware she could in fact, fuck off right now and stop speaking to him altogether. But he didn't jump in for placation, either. Not with a girl like her. She wouldn't appreciate it.

They ended up sharing a long bout of silence as she looked out at him, frowning in consideration and eventually shrugging, steeling herself internally. "Okay, so I'll bite. How'd you get to be an expert on slicing people up? This something where you're trying to mess with me?" He wasn't, she could tell. This was tied into that grimness he always had with him, fueling his cynical smiles.

"I'm not an expert." Caleb said. "I've just...been in enough situations where it was a little more serious than someone throwing a punch, where some teacher's going to interrupt and nothing'll really matter or even hurt much. And with the shit around here, and what's been happening...I'm not messing with you." he confirmed. "If it's too much and everything, I understand, I'd just..." he shrugged one shoulder and glanced away. "I'd just feel better."

Nic figured it was probably the wrong time for a mixed bag of emotional reaction, but she couldn't help it. There he was, saying he was worried about her well-being, but also saying that he'd feel better by showing her how to cut people up. "Well, let's say it's not too much. And that you don't have to tell me today... but do I get to hear about these situations? I mean, if you're willing to try and help me, are you willing to tell me how you got here in the first place?" There wasn't much room for sarcasm or jokes, which made it harder on her, but Nic was sticking with it.

He paused, trying to think about that for a moment, and eventually he nodded, which was nothing more than a single incline of his head. "Yeah. At some point, I'll tell you a story or two." Because he could do that without telling her anything about his heritage. What he was going to teach her and some of the shit he'd faced had nothing to do with his bloodline. Therefore...some shit was safe to share. He just wasn't sure how he'd put it. What she knew, what she didn't. He'd have to figure that out too.

"So... when?" She was more eager for the possibly-disturbing insight than the actual lessons, still lacking any scope about the real dangers out there, but the lessons would probably be entertaining all on their own. "Do we have somewhere to do this? I can't see my mom letting us use the back yard for knife fighting practice."

He shrugged. I'm sure we'll find somewhere. You know this town better than I do." he pointed out. The paused. "...though there's always the orphanage." he stated, ignoring the little twinge that popped up. That was kind of he and Leija's place, but...it was an abandoned building with a shit ton of space that no one was casually going to wander through. Practicality won out over sentimentality.

Nic smirked, moving back to walk alongside Caleb again. "The orphanage? I haven't been out there in a while now. But that's not a bad pick." She figured there had to be other options in case that one didn't work out, but it'd take some thinking to figure out. Somewhere secluded, somewhere roomy... "Yeah, I'll try and think of another place just in case. What sort of knife should I get?" she asked, quirking a faint smile. Here I am, asking what sort of blade I should buy for pseudo-murder lessons. Yeah, dinner won't be awkward at all.

He shrugged. "Something you won't get in trouble for in school, but something that will stand up to pressure." he told her. "...I could just pick one out." he added. He didn't mind. He'd given Leija his old one. "It doesn't have to be anything that looks remarkable, or is even that big. I'm not going to be teaching you to gut things, after all. Just...enough that if anyone's trying to hurt you they're going to think twice about trying again, and they wouldn't be able to chase you." Because he wasn't going to teach her how to kill shit. Not unless she asked, and even then she'd probably have to do a little begging to get him to agree.

"Morbid but sweet of you to offer," she half-teased, "But I'll pick a blade out sometime soon. Go up to a sporting goods store or something. Not that I won't stick out in there, but whatever." That'd take a little money for a sturdy blade, but she could scale back her smoking to free up a few bucks every week. "And I'm cool with learning; I already know to twist the blade when you stab someone, keep the wound from closing." She grinned a little proudly, the few bits of violence she knew all came from movies and speed metal, but they were probably accurate.

"Get something that folds." he told her, then smirked a bit. "Yes, you twist the blade." It was just harder to do than one would think. Meat resisted that sort of thing. "Mostly what I'll teach you though is shit like...taking out the back of the knee with a good enough slice that it'll drop anything, and then they can't follow you either." Because trying to walk without the hamstring connected up right just wasn't going to fly.

"Something folding," she repeated, nodding and filing that away. It kept getting weirder, but Nic was actually kinda excited to go knife shopping. Some girls liked shoes or clothes or makeup, but she was anticipating picking out a knife that was hers and hers alone. "So... you know that when I cripple the jocks, I'm blaming you for showing me how, right?"

He smirked at that. "Yeah, I know." he said, as if this had been in his mind as a consequence the whole time. "It'll just add to my ever widening and confusing reputation." he told her. "I don't know if I can really pick out what people want to say about me beyond I'm disturbing or something. Maybe. Things get so convoluted, I occasionally wonder if they'll make up their minds on what image they want to paint of me."

Nic smirked, wishing she'd be so lucky as to not have a specific rumor in place. Greener grass and all that shit... "Well, they don't know, that's the problem. You're probably giving overlapping impressions or something. Like randomly being cool with people, and that conflicts with the disturbing aspect. It's probably not a bad thing, though. Keeps everyone on their toes, and probably helps against people from messing with you." The problem, as she saw it, was that he was a layered guy. Cynical, sure, but willing to stick with some emotional turmoil for the sake of an ex he obviously cared about, and to visit sick girls when they needed him. "Like I said, it's pretty cool. But it's going to throw off the people we see daily who can't even imagine having more than two sides to themselves."

"Hey, most sociopaths are considered charming on the surface." Caleb said, giving her a dark little half smile. "Not that I'm charming." But he could be, when he wanted to be. That was the thing, wasn't it? "Not sure it really keeps people from messing with me. More...it just keeps them getting creative, trying to figure shit out. Maybe that's my real issue. I keep people interested or something. Not sure how that happens, mind you, but..." he shrugged one shoulder. "And what, us being whole, three dimensional people? Surely not. But you're probably right. We're not cardboard cutouts." he said, automatically tossing her in there with him, because he very definitely didn't see her like that. "Shock and awe."

"Damn right you're not charming," Nic was quick to say, laughing to herself. He actually could be fairly compelling, but she wasn't about to admit that to him. "And what's this 'we' stuff? I kinda like being the stereotypical angry metal chick, thanks." Though it was a weak argument to make, and Nic was quick to shake her head at her own words. "At least... I like showing it. The rest? Not so much. My secret." She was quiet for a few steps, breathing deep from the cool air before looking over to him. "I think you might be right. Your issue? Everyone who knows who you are wants to see what happens next, to see if they guessed right."

"Nope. Not charming." Caleb agreed. "If you want that, you'll have to talk to my brother Mathias." Math, who seemed to have an inborn ability to charm everyone who came within a half mile radius. "And you play well at the angry metal chick shit, I'll give you that. You're just deeper than all that too. But I can keep it quiet. I'm good at keeping secrets." That was an understatement. When she put in her last bit, he looked over at her properly, not saying anything for a few moments as he studied her. "So what's your guess?"

Frowning as she mulled that over, Nic couldn't say anything for a minute, just walking and watching the faint fog of her breath. "I don't think it's finished yet?" she began, glancing sidelong at him. "But I think you're a really good liar, for starters. If you weren't, people wouldn't be so confused about you. I wish I could pull it off half as well." It wasn't the most flattering answer, and as she walked she slid another smoke free and fidgeted with her lighter.

"You... care," Nic said haltingly, watching the unlit sparks as she flicked at her lighter. "Not about what people think of you? But more about what might happen, and the people it might happen to. I mean, you've been strung out over your ex, right? But there's something else worrying you when you talk about that, I can tell. And you apparently decided it was worth potentially freaking me out, just to make sure I'd be ready in case some kind of random violence happens. So you care enough to risk me bailing on you, just to try and make sure something worse than my thinking you're a psycho doesn't happen. But you're such a good fucking liar that I don't think anyone but your ex and maybe your brother notices." She finally lit up, turning her head enough to let him see her smirk as she took her first drag. "How's that sound?"

He looked thoughtful as she spoke, paying attention to every word. Weighing it, taking it into account. What she thought mattered to him. And, he didn't take offense, either. Eventually he nodded. "Sounds like a pretty good assessment." he told her. "Where are you drawing it from? I get where you're drawing that I care from. Where do you get the part where I'm a good liar? I'm not telling you you're wrong--point of fact you aren't. But where's it come from?" he asked. It was interesting--most of the time if the subject came anywhere near him he bailed on it, turned it around, dodged round it. But not right this second.

She kept her eyes mostly on the sidewalk, head turned enough to give a partial profile; her nose, her half-smile. "It's weird, we've only hung out a few times?" Her lips pursed for a long inhale of smoke, exhaling a cloud before she went on. "But... I don't talk to people. I listen. So when we were at the harbor, it was weird. Because you were listening instead. And then I listen at school, and people talk about how you don't deal with anyone, how you just glare and move on. But that's not the you I saw. And it's not the person who gives his girlfriend a bunch of music, just because. Or asks me why I call myself Arachne, or what I'm painting." She plucked her smoke away, letting the hand hang low at her side. "And I figured it out, you lie like... ninety-five percent of the time. I get why? But I think it's gotta be tiring, too."

Caleb was quiet for a long while then, walking, but watching her. Because that? Was an intensely insightful answer. It was also dead fucking on. About the only thing that wasn't completely was her getting why he did it. Sure, she probably knew a version of it. Some slice of the reasoning behind it. But not the full reason. Not most of it. Still, though. that was...interesting. He had to force himself not to look away when he answered her. "It is." he said. It was a simple answer, but truthful, and basically confirmed everything she said. "I don't usually talk about myself. ...sort of ever, if I can help it." he added, finally breaking his gaze on her, but only for a quick glance ahead of them, to see where they were going, then it was back to her. "I get the feeling you do the same thing." he assessed. "Give people a good enough brushoff, make it so most people wouldn't want to bother trying to dig any deeper. Don't give anyone a real reason to put in the effort. What I'm still trying to figure out is if you do it because you genuinely don't like people, if you were fucked over at some point and now want nothing to do with anyone because so many of them are shitheads anyways, if you're just smarter than everyone around you and that's annoying as hell...or if somewhere deep down, you think you should be separate." He paused, and quirked a faint half smile. "Or E-all of the above."

"I think it's a little from each," Nic agreed, not quite ready to bear her soul today. But he seemed to already understand the motivations, if not their particulars. "And really? It's a litmus test. When I meet someone, if they can't be fucked to try and give me a chance? Fuck them, they're not worth the time they won't invest themselves. Everything else? Well, I don't know if I'm smarter than anyone. But I know myself well enough to just figure that I'm saving all of us a lot of trouble. My headphones are a lot less disappointing than putting myself out there over and over again, just so some guy can pretend he's listening to me long enough to stick his tongue in my ear." It ran deeper, all the way back to her time in foster care, but that was a little too tender for Nic to share.

He listened, picked out different things from her statements. One was that she probably had a bad run in or two with guys. Which...he could see happening. It kind of kicked up a bit of a protective urge in him, but he quelled it, both because whatever did happen to her he could do nothing about, and she was the kind of girl who wouldn't appreciate it. Or, at the very least, she'd be pissed and tell him she didn't need some asshole thinking he was going to take care of her when she could do it her goddamn self. But it was there. "I think you're smarter than most people." he said after a few moments of just watching her again. "I think just what you said there--knowing yourself--that right there says you are. You've got enough brains to have figured yourself out, and that's more than I can say for most people. And you're not only focused on you either. You've done a pretty good fucking job of puzzling me out, and like you said before--we haven't even hung out that much yet. But obviously, you pick up on things. You draw more from what you hear than the words themselves. You read deeper than that, and most people? They're all surface. They do that--the only listening long enough to interject their own bullshit. They wait for their turn to talk. They don't give a shit about what's going on with anyone else, because they're far too busy being wrapped up in their own drama." He walked a few paces, pushing back the examples in his own life. God, that one tendency with people, that one little thing, which wasn't little at all, it had caused him so much shit he couldn't say. Fuck it was what most of his issues stemmed from. Being ignored, people just flat out not caring about him or anything he was going through. That glazed over, blank look when he was speaking, them only looking for a break so they could interject their own shit. She didn't, though. "But not you. Which puts you on a separate level than everyone else to start with." Then, something he didn't actually mean to come right out with, something else slipped. "You're worth the time."

Thank god for her hood. It seemed like the combination of the cold, their fairly exposing talk, and that last compliment all rolled together to make warmth rush to her cheeks. Nic sighed, flicking her cigarette and shaking her head within its concealment. "Lockwood, you're a guy with weird fucking tastes," she chided with a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "But thanks. My drama's pretty non-existent, so it's tough to get wrapped up in it. And no one really asks me for advice, so when you suddenly want it? Well, I don't want to miss my chance to try my hand at it." She sighed again, dropping her smoke to tuck both hands in her front pocket. "And even if you're a strange one, you're alright too. Except for scratching at my window, perv."

And there it was, the joke to break the serious nature of their talk. He'd kind of been waiting for it. He knew she was uncomfortable, at least on some level. She liked to try and keep him at arm's length, even if she occasionally delved into other things. "Naw. If I were really a pervert, I'd have waited til night." he told her. "And y'know, not have warned you I was there. So look on the bright side. I'm not nearly as creepy as I could be." he teased. "And...I'd like to think they're less weird tastes, and just more refined." he added. "I mean, I know it's probably unfashionable of me to want to spend time with people who can hold up their end of the conversation both with random bullshit and things with depth. And y'know, someone who actually seems to want to pay attention to me now and again too, instead of existing in a purely superficial, ego stroking relationship where everything's just eye candy and trophy-based. But that's what I want, fuck everyone else. But thanks. I'm alright, good to know I've got a grudging stamp of approval so far." he said, quirking a half smirk at her. He also found it interesting that she chose to rib him about the window thing and didn't hit him up on the more obvious talk about her getting a knife and him teaching her to use it bit.

Stop! But she couldn't just say that, so instead she just smiled to herself. For some reason, his compliments definitely went the distance with her. It was another reason on a growing list that Nic was definitely going to keep an eye out for Caleb in the halls at school, and maybe even call him soon. "Well, I'm glad I'm fulfilling basic concepts of human interaction with you," she offered, "It's actually pretty gratifying? Having someone listen to me and be open in kind. " He had it perfectly right; the give-and-take of their talks was rewarding all on its' own, there were no games to worry about or appearances to keep up. "Plus I'm sure you need a break from being some poor girl's eye candy, you poor thing. Honestly, I think you might have a motto to live by there. Fuck everyone else."

He chuckled a touch, flashing her a grin for a second. "Eye candy? That a throwback to the you said I was cute thing?" he asked, not able to resist. Then of course he moved on. "And it's worked out for me so far, the fuck everyone else thing." He walked a few paces then continued. "And yes, it's gratifying. I've spent a whole lot of time with people who've only really got time for themselves. And the way I see it...if they don't have the time to give a passing thought to what may or may not be going on with you, then they obviously don't give a fuck. And just because not everyone in the world is so open, with a 'hey, I'm having an issue, can I please talk to you about it' doesn't mean nothing is going on. Basically what you said, on another level. People have to be willing to try. To dig a little, put in effort."

"Oh God," Nic groaned, shaking her head and flipping him off. "You're the one who brought up eye candy and trophies, jerk." She was smiling in spite of the harshness in her tone, though. "I guess I missed out on the self-obsessed types, which really isn't any loss. Though lately? I'm starting to think I missed a few pretty cool people too." Of course, it seemed like the ones she was meeting were all new to town; even Caleb himself was a relatively recent arrival in the area. "Never too late to make up for it, though. Anyone you think I'd be cool with? I mean, you don't totally suck, so you're a good starting point. But not the girl with the rabbit."

He laughed at that. "My friend Dean." he offered. "Though he's out of the country at current. He went back home for a while. Can't miss him though, just listen for the brit wandering the halls." Caleb told her. "And be happy you missed out on the self obsessed--that's all I seem to get. Maybe it's because I focus in. Like if someone's talking to me I want to hear what they have to say, and I'm a nosy son of a bitch and want to know everything about someone if I'm putting the time in. So...guess that makes it easy for them to just not ever try and shift that focus. And to be fair, I don't make it easy. But still." he shrugged. "Other people I know..." he trailed off. "Fuck, even one of my brothers." One incident stood out so clearly in his head and he really thought that was one of those things that people talked about when they talked about something scarring them for life. He wasn't ever going to forget it. Then, in typical him fashion, he brought it back to her. "Anyone cool I should know about?"

For Nic, it was easy to think through the list. She'd actually been somewhat sociable lately, which was odd, but it wasn't burning her yet. "There's this girl, Drea? Probably short for Andrea but whatever, I'm not Nicole." Nic grinned, shrugging before continuing. "She seems like she might be kickass. I tripped over her, think I told you about that, but then she called the hockey cocks 'cuntmonkeys' before I was even back on my feet. Which is a win." She was grinning at the brand-new memory, deciding she'd have to call Drea sooner rather than later. "And this girl Lily? I think she might be a little girly, but she seemed okay. And for me, being able to name two people who don't suck is crazy." Still, something he'd said was lingering, and Nic finally looked over as she decided to ask. "What about one of your brothers? Is this the one you were out of town with? Or the one who owns the store in town?"

He noted the names, though hadn't met either of them. "I'll keep them in mind." he said. "So if I meet them, do I drop your name, or keep you out of it? I don't imagine you mentioned me, so it might be a little out of the blue." Caleb said. Social he wasn't, but he'd be slightly more apt to give someone a shot if Nic said they were okay. He glanced away and walked that way for a few long moments when he had to deal with the question about his brother. "The one who owns the store." he said. "Dorian."

"If you meet Drea, tell her I said hey. Or cuntmonkey, or fuckknuckle. She'll know what's up," Nic told him with a grin. "As for Lily? She seemed okay, but she might not be your speed. Your call there." She was happy to let a few wordless moments pass between them before lightly giving the question one more press. "What happened with him? You know you can tell me to fuck off if you don't want to say."

"I just hung out with a girl with a rabbit who fuckin bit me, Nic, my speed is a many varied thing." Caleb pointed out with a light smirk. When she said the last bit, he looked at her again. "You know? I do know that, and appreciate it more than I can say." he told her. Which wasn't his first choice of words, but his first choice of words wasn't going to fly by any stretch of the imagination. So...he just put it like that instead. then he went on. "I was in the hospital." he told her. "...psych ward, technically." He was watching her very damn closely as they walked now, and even very subtly slowed their pace. "And he came to see me. And I had a lot on my mind. This was before the ex was even a girlfriend. I was having a lot of issues with that, and her, and...all that shit. And I'm not real open, don't just offer up shit. Especially not with him, it's not like we were close or anything, and he wasn't much one for heart to hearts. So it was kind of a big thing for me to bring up in the first place. And...all he could do the entire time he was there was talk about his own bullshit. That's it. He ignored me when I tried to talk to him, the most acknowledgment I got at all was a blow off of 'oh, well, I don't know anything about women. Anyways...' insert more bullshit about his own women problems. I swear to god I might as well have not been in the room." Caleb said. Then he was quiet for a few long moments, feeling raw. Vulnerable, and he hated that all to hell. "I was in the fucking psych ward and all he came there to do was dump his problems on me. Cuz, y'know, clearly I didn't have enough of my own. I don't even think he asked me how I was, but I'm not positive on that. I could just be drawing that from the overall feeling I got that he didn't actually care."

She didn't even catch the slight change in pace he'd set, just falling into it easily as she listened to him talk. Nic stole an odd glance at him from under her hood as she listened. She could see the vulnerability, edged with an honesty that she hadn't seen before. Whatever other details she didn't know? Caleb was being fully honest this time. "Y'know, I used to wonder what it'd be like, having siblings. Doesn't sound like it's really all that great," she said with an understanding, albeit meager smile. "Seriously, that's just cold. And... whatever your history with him is, I don't know. But if it was my mom? I don't think I could have room for my own problems in my head. Maybe I'm being too harsh, but I hope you don't see him too much these days." Anyone who would treat family like that didn't even know what they had, what they were spurning. No, it took someone without it to see it being really taken for granted. Plus, psych ward? Damn. It raised a whole new host of questions that tied themselves to his offer of training her to bleed people. "I'm glad you're not in there any more," she added in a softer tone, looking straight his way to smile without the cynicism that usually framed her.

"We don't, much. He's still fuckin finding himself or whatever the fuck it is he's doing. I see my other brother more but then Math actually cares." He wasn't there his whole life or anything, but he did know at this point that he could call on Mathias for anything, and his brother would come through. Somehow. Including kicking his psyche back into gear, even if it wasn't in the most constructive of ways. Horrifying him back into emotion worked, even if he still hadn't let go of anything he'd experienced that night. He was watching her when she said it, and looked over with that smile. And right then and there he knew he'd be keeping track of her long term. He wanted this girl around. And not really in just a passing sort of manner. No. That clinched it for him. So, he gave her a touch of a smile back. Small, but just as genuine as hers had been, even if he couldn't hold it for very long, before he looked down again. "Me too." he said finally.

Leave it to Caleb for provoking some very un-Nic feelings. Like wanting to squeeze his hand, just for a little show of support. There was something cathartic about him exposing his vulnerability, and if it was to get her trust? Well, he'd earned it in spades by now. Nic didn't have anything to add for the moment, but didn't feel like she needed to either. She was okay with just walking, feeling the smile linger on her face for a while as she gradually realized that they'd indeed done a long loop and were working inexorably back towards her house. "So, um.. you wanna hang out sometime soon? Like, actually plan it? I could call Drea, so you could get a chance to meet her and everything too. Or would you rather just call and surprise me in the moment again?"

"So far I think I'm a fan of calling and surprising you in the moment, but I can be game for organized gatherings too." Caleb told her, wondering how adding another person to his hanging out with Nic would work. He knew it would cut out any in depth conversations they seemed to have, they'd have to shift things back into guarded gear, but that was probably normal. As she'd said before, the him that she saw was different than the one everyone else did, and so much of that was because it was one on one. It was them, hanging out together, alone, where there wasn't pressure from any other sources. But if she wanted to hang out with him and this other chick, he wasn't going to tell her no. Though in the back of his mind he had to wonder what Leija would say about that. "Just so long as if I agree to this whole hanging with you and others that it doesn't mean I have to stop with the random encounters with just you."

"I'm not dictating any terms here," Nic teased, reaching under her hood to scratch at her hair. "If you're still amused by messing with me, I won't stop you. I'll just kick your ass every time it happens," she warned with a grin, "And maybe you can introduce me to some people too. Even the rabbit girl, if you feel like seeing me on a bad day." Sure, she'd gone back to safe territory, but it wasn't because she was uncomfortable. Just that she would end up standing outside all day otherwise. And with someone else in the mix? Sure, they'd be less open, but it'd still be fun. "I'll hit you up next time I talk to her," she said, nodding up the street towards her house, "But I should probably run. My mom's most likely already watched enough of the movie to be too grossed out to keep going."

Caleb flashed a grin. "Alright, I release you back into your natural environment, then." he told her. "See ya later, thanks for rinsing the sugar out of my system. I appreciate it." he said and he dropped her a wink, before backing up a few paces, and turning to take off. He glanced back at her, but not immediately. He just hoped he saw her again sometime soon.