Love Like War

17 | | Daughter of Ares

[mr-dylanchase]

[Dylan is surprised. He shrugs and walks over the bed. He sits down adjacent to the girl.] I hope this suits your needs, milady.

[amanda-braddock-blog]

[She leans down onto the pillow and stretches her legs.] This'll do just fine.

[mr-dylanchase]

Anytime. [Dylan glances towards the single bed adorned with superman sheets, then back at the girl.] So what’s it gonna be?

[amanda-braddock-blog]

[She crosses the room and plops down on the bed.] We can squish. 

[mr-dylanchase]

Yeah. [Humbled, Dylan puts his hands into his pockets and walks down the stairs and out into street. A few blocks over they come to a older brick building. Dylan walks over to the fire escape and starts climbing.] 

[amanda-braddock-blog]

[Mandy easily climbs the fire escape, having done it nearly millions of times throughout her life. She follows Dylan into the window of the building and leans against the window frame.]

Thanks for letting me crash here again. I uh, appreciate it. 

[mr-dylanchase]

[After a minute of two of silence, Dylan looks around.] Well, it’s getting kind of dark, maybe we should go back to my place soon.

[amanda-braddock-blog]

Yeah, good idea. [She becomes self-aware, pulling her hand out of his and shoving it in her pocket.] 

[mr-dylanchase]

[After several more minutes, they arrive at a tall building. The door is cracked and Dylan pushes it open. They climb several stories until they reach the last set of stairs on the seventeenth floor. Dylan pushes open the door.] And here we are, my favorite place in the whole city. [They are on the roof and Dylan leads the girl over to the edge. The city is spread out before them, the lights are stars in the galaxy of Portland.]

[amanda-braddock-blog]

[She grips his hand a little tighter.} 

Woah.

[mr-dylanchase]

You’ll see. [Dylan smirks.]

[amanda-braddock-blog]

Living on the streets helps you appreciate surprises less and less, ya know.

That's all I'm saying.

[mr-dylanchase]

[As Dylan navigates through the rush hour traffic he glances behind her shoulder.] Dylan.

[amanda-braddock-blog]

Dylan, huh. Suits you.

[She glances around the busy streets.] So Dylan, where are we headed?

[mr-dylanchase]

[Dylan glances at the setting sun.] Actually I have an idea.

[Dylan takes the girl’s hand and leads out into the dusky city.]

[amanda-braddock-blog]

[She shudders a the touch of his hand, but she relaxes her fingers and follows him.] So, you got a name, loverboy?

[mr-dylanchase]

Wouldn’t want the dust to ruin your perfection.

My parents? Oh right, yeah they won’t care. Always room for someone new. [Dylan grins.]

[amanda-braddock-blog]

Cute. 

Well, show me the way Mister Smooth.

[mr-dylanchase]

The floor is no place for a girl like you. Don’t worry you can take my bed, I can take the floor. Or maybe we can both take my bed? [Dylan smirks.]

[amanda-braddock-blog]

A girl like me? 

I mean, yeah, that'd be cool with me though. As long as your parents don't flip. 

[mr-dylanchase]

Woahhh, I was just wondering. I just don’t want a pretty girl like you sleeping the streets after a day like today, you know?

[amanda-braddock-blog]

Yeah, uh, thanks. 

I can like sleep on the floor or something. Don't really feel like sleeping in the ol' shack tonight.

[mr-dylanchase]

Orphan? No kidding. You got a place to stay tonight?

[amanda-braddock-blog]

No. 

I mean no... What's it to you?

[mr-dylanchase]

[They duck into the secluded shadows of a nearby alleyway. After Dylan catches his breath he stares at the girl in utter shock.]  Holy shit. What the fuck are you?

[amanda-braddock-blog]

Ninja, orphan, convict.... Nothing out of the ordinary.

[witchlands]

(on female celebrities who don’t consider themselves feminists) “I don’t think they really understood what feminism is. It’s a right. Feminism, to me, is standing up for everything someone else has already done for you. Women have overcome so many boundaries. My mom has overcome so much in her life. She makes me want to stand up for myself. Stand up to the studio heads who try to tell me that I can’t have blonde hair; they want brown hair. Or I need bigger boobs, or I need to work out. Or I’m too skinny, so, like, ‘Eat a cheeseburger.’ I stand up for myself every day of my life. I grew up in a family of four boys. I’m, like, a born feminist. I’ve been a feminist since I was four years old.”

[lydiagrent]

A lot of people are like, ‘So you want to be f a m o u s.' And I'm like, 'No, I want to be good at my craft. I don't care about fame, I don't care if I even ever make it. As long as people know what I am as an a c t r e s s in this business, I’m set for my career right now.’ 

[mr-dylanchase]

Hey assholes! Is there something I can help you with? Maybe a straight punch to the face? [Dylan swings his fist into one of the men and kicks another in the gut. He stands in shock, unsure as to what just happened].

[amanda-braddock-blog]

[Mandy kicks the only one standing in the back of the knees sending him toppling over. She stamps on each one of their ankles, surely breaking them all. Brushing the hair out of her face, she glances up at the boy.] What? 

[She pauses only for a moment to catch her breath before grabbing his wrist and towing him out of sight]

[mr-dylanchase]

[Dylan is looking at the comics in a store. He hears a girl outside cursing profusely. He walks outside to see what is going on]. 

[amanda-braddock-blog]

[Mandy mutters curses as she steps backwards, the three men slowly gaining on her. Out of the corner of her eyes she notices a boy step out of the store. The men look too, and she sees this as the perfect opportunity to pull the pistol from her belt.]