She didn’t drive, huh? Well, it would have made sense for her to take a limo or something to wherever she needed to go. Even so, she likely would have mentioned her having a limo if that was the case. Other options included buses or taxis, but both were likely beneath her, and she didn’t seem like the type of person to enjoy public transit.
He stopped to think about that. Person. Despite her being covered in fuzz and having a wolfish face, she was still a person in his eyes. When he first tried making it by himself about 10 years ago, he most certainly would have hightailed it out of there upon seeing the ears, teeth, and claws. Of course, he didn’t worry about having to pay rent back then. Now he didn’t have to worry about it for a completely different reason.
Of course, since it was a big city, the area was more pedestrian friendly than some of the smaller towns around Pennsylvania, he figured. Her walking everywhere, especially with such a fit physique, was quite plausible. It wasn’t difficult to think about what kind of threats could arise from walking around Philly close to the evening. He would have offered to protect her, but he didn’t need his potential new roommate laughing at him.
“Trust me, nobody is raised in Harlem without seein’ some shit. I been around.” It wasn’t his aim to sound cocky, but rather to reassure her that he was no pushover. Perhaps the size difference between the two reinforced the need to assert his capability in his mind. “And, uh, if I decide ta stick around, if ya need a lift somewhere, I could give you a ride. Least I could do for ya.”
And perhaps another part of him was desperate to try to make himself seem equal to Sylvia. She was doing so much for him and didn’t expect much in return. With his checkered past, he knew that not many people just did things out of the kindness of their hearts like that. With what Sylvia was doing, she’d already exceeded Sergio’s expectations. He had to do something to make sure he was pulling his weight…even if there wasn’t much weight to him in the first place. “I’m, uh, ready ta go if you are.”
Is this how normal ma-fuckas express gratitude? I don’t think I’m that good at this. How is it some brolic-ass wolf chick the most normal person I done talked to in the last 10 years?
Sergio wasn’t sure if he’d call Sylvia a friend just yet, but if that time came, she’d be the second person to have earned that title. The first was far from normal, and a large part of him hoped they’d never cross paths again…
The Forresters did have a limo driver they hired every now and then, but not often enough to consider hiring him permanently. Neither Sylvia nor her adoptive father liked showing off, after all, and it was in both their best interest to keep a relatively low profile. Public transit with total strangers was even less of an option, not because of a lack of luxury but purely because Sylvia didn’t want to be in an enclosed, moving space with people she couldn’t trust.
At least here, with Sergio, they both had ways of backing out without having to put up a fight -- and that alone had made their first meeting much more relaxed than it could have been.
With initial impressions out of the way, she could tell he wasn’t necessarily scared of her anymore, too. Wary, maybe... but that feeling was mutual, even if their difference in size and apparent strength would have made it seem silly to some outside observers.
At least her appearance alone was often enough to ward off the kind of people that roamed the city after hours. Even if they thought it was a costume, her silhouette was frightening enough.
Sergio’s comment was met with a thoughtful huff. “It’s better here than in the small town I grew up in. That’s true. I don’t feel like these people are talking shit behind my back like back home.” They probably had more pressing matters to worry about, Sylvia figured, like the stock market, minimum wage, or whatever else it was rich people got themselves worked up over.
“You’d do that?” she continued, her expression shifting from calm thought to mild surprise. To be honest, she hadn’t even assumed he had a car, although she wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was just because she didn’t have one, despite having the means to get one if she truly wanted to.
“Uh. Thank you. If you’ll drive, I’ll show you around.” A tour of the neighborhood, even by car, was bound to come up sooner or later -- and why not kill two birds with one stone? Besides, they’d draw a lot less attention if she was telling him all about the area within the confines of a vehicle instead of on the sidewalk for everyone to hear.
Sure, the part about her not wanting to be in a confined space with people she didn’t trust still held true... but if it was just her and Sergio, she was inclined to think things would be fine. Not just because she had a feeling she could hold her own against him if need be, but also because she didn’t think she’d end up having to. Their conversations thus far, both remotely and in person, had given her a decent impression of the guy.
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