The Slurping Turtle - Black Market District (after Desolia)

[Overseer]

It was early in the afternoon and there were almost no people in this small noodlebar. In the streets a great many people walked past the small place ivy would meet Dave. When she entered the robot said:"Hello, please look at the menu and place your order." He continued chopping up vegetables as he looked at Ivy.

In the back was Dave, who looked up as Ivy entered. He stoodles up and with mixed emotions in his eyes he looked at Ivy as he walked up to her. "Thanks for coming..." was al he said, or could say and gestured to the corner where he had been sitting.
There was a Massanas spring soda on the table.

[Ivy Yang]

Ivy did not pay much attention to the noodlebar once Dave walked over. It was a place she had heard about and which she passed by multiple times without ever going inside. Maybe that was because of the droid driven bar. Ever since her father lost his job due to robots and especially after Desolia she disliked the things. There was only one thing comforting about robots and droids. They were predictable compared to humans..

Multiple thoughts played her mind and different emotions hunted her stomach as soon she saw Dave. For the first time after.. Well.. She didn't know what to call it. A near break-up? Or was it minus the 'near'? She had the feeling she would probably know after this meeting..

"Sure." Ivy's voice was soft as she slowly walked over to the table with the Massanas spring soda. She sat down on the chair opposite of where Dave had been sitting, putting her coat on the armrest. Looking at the soda on the table in front of her, she wondered if he would mind if she ordered something stronger. Clearly he needed a clear mind for this conversation.

Once she ordered cheap whiskey (no clue what it tasted like, but the had seen multiple people drink it now), she waited for Dave to sit down. "You wanted to talk?" Hmm, maybe that was too direct and harsh.. "How have you been doing?" She added with a soft voice and look in her eyes, which were slightly worried.

[Overseer]

Dave swallowed and managed a smile. he looked tired. There were dark circles around his eyes and it was clear he had slept poorly for some time.
"I could be better." He admitted with a painful smile.

The robot put the sharp smelling drink in front of ivy.
Dave's gaze softened as he looked at the drink and thenodded looked back at Ivy.

"I haven't been honest to you and I'm sorry for that. I did not want you to leave the ship or me, but I thought it would be better to break it off like that and be a dick then trying to make you understand why." He swallowed.
"I had a meeting lately with Isaac and he made me realise you would never forgive me if I made that decision for you." He gave her an open but sad glance and waited for her response

[Ivy Yang]

Picking up the glass in front of her, she could not avoid the sharp smell that greeted her. Twitching her nose and looking disgusted at the alcohol, she decided to throw the stuff into her throat in one shot. It was a good thing Dave finished his sentence, cause what followed was a loud coughing due to the stinging sharp dry feeling the whiskey left behind in her throat. Once she was able to talk again, she excused herself "sorry, still not used to this stuff.". She realized this wasn't the first time for not holding in her alcohol within his presence.

"Isaac has a great talent in understanding people.." Ivy responded to what he told her. "So... I take it you do care if I forgive you or not. Cause yeah you kind of acted like an asshole." Ivy put the now empty glass back on the table and the angry attitude drifted away a bit and made room for compromise.

"I havn't been honest with you either, so I guess we are even on that matter.. So lets start being honest with eachother.." Letting out a deep sigh.

[Overseer]

Dave nodded. It was clear her words made him feel a bit easier about this conversation, but not by much.
"I'll start." He said and he sighed before continuing.
"I have told you most things already though...you know about me. But when it comes to you..." He looked her straight in the eye.
"I've been coming across like I don't care about you. That's not true....I lo...love you." It was clearly hard for him to say and there were tears welling up in his eyes but he pushed them back.
"But since what Trevor did to me, I keep feeling...different...about a great many things." He quickly drank from his bottle of soda and continued as he stared at his hands.

"He made me see things. Things happening to Ivan, Jash....you." He looked up at her with a sadness in them he only showed there.
"And it made me feel like ....I wanted to Die. I wanted things to stop...I was willing to tell things I would never tell anyone to make it all stop..." His voice died out as he closed his eyes and tears slowly dripped along his cheek.

[Ivy Yang]

Everything Ivy had been preparring to say to him.. preparring to hear him say... was sucked into a black hole, robbed from her offense and defense. Completly caught of guard and by suprise, her eyes turned sad, showing that she felt sorry.

She had never thought he would hit the spot on which had hurt her. She was ready to make him tell her what he had been gone through during his capture, demaning he would tell her the truth about what was done to him. Or he would never see her again, if he didnt trust her with this, there was no hope for their relation..

But here he was.. Sitting in front of her, telling her the truth which he probably didnt want to confront. He was crying.. Ivy couldn't help it, but her eyes started to water as well. Biting her lip, contemplating what to do and what to say. Ivy finally reached over to him and caressed her hands softly against his cheek, whiping away the tears. Leaving his face to take his hands in hers, letting them rest on the table in front of them. "I'm ..so ..sorry.." She whispered with a voice filled with emotion.

[Overseer]

Dave shook his head. "You shouldn't be sorry." He caressed her hand with his fingers.
"I knew the dangers, I knew what was at stake, but I involved you while you didn't know what you got into. That I am sorry for. I really am." He took a deep breath and looked at Ivy.
"I know that being important with the Clan is a huge responsibility which I do not want to burden you with, but when I met you....I just wanted this small thing for myself." He closed his eyes.
"It was selfish and stupid of me. You deserve someone else then my Ivy. Someone who is....not broken, or has to compromise your beliefs or passions...." He looked at her now, drying his cheeks with his sleeves. "I just can't do that...not with what I need to be. There are things I need to do, not because I want to but because I have to...and you disapprove of them."
He caressed her cheek with one of his hands.

[Ivy Yang]

"No." Ivy stopped his hand carressing her cheek. "You're doing it again. Deciding for me, which isn't fair." With her other free hand she dried her eyes so she could look at him through a more clear vision.

You deserve someone else. Someone who is....not broken, or has to compromise your beliefs or passions... There are things I need to do, not because I want to but because I have to...and you disapprove of them.

The words haunted her mind. Something inside her screamed that he might be right. That she wouldn't be able to accept this. That it would break their relationship. That she would keep on trying to confince him, despute his actions. Wanting to change him. But on the other hand, her heart was telling her she could do this for him. That her love for him was strong enough.. She wanted it to be strong enough. If she only put her own oppinion aside .. and accept things needed to be done differently sometimes..

"I..i'm afraid I have to prove you wrong. Destiny has a twisted sense of humor.." Ivy paused a moment before telling him the truth "I took this job before I met you. I was to keep an eye on this certain rich kid.." Hinting towards Ethan "and ensure he would held up his end of the bargain. Researching this artifact and make sure he wouldn't withhold any information." Ivy shrugged "I was send to Athos and stayed in this chinese hotel.." Smiling a little bit ".. Where I met you. Before I dragged you into a life threatening situation with invisible assassins who were after that artefact."

"Who got who in a dangerous position?"

[Overseer]

At first Dave had trouble accepting her words, but when she said that last bit, he laughed. It was a really laugh, probably let out because of the tension he felt, but it was an open laugh making him look much healthier.
"Now...I do recall I was the one who said we should infiltrate this Knights Templar dropship." He gave her a wet smile.

After a short silence he nodded. "You are right. I did try to decide for you again what is best for you." He groaned and leaned back for a moment and let go of her hand for a moment to drink a bit of his soda before reaching out to her hand again.

"I want to...get over...what I went through, for multiple reasons. I contacted someone who might be able to help me." He inhaled deeply and let out a ragged breath. "I can't just decide to end this...what we have...because that's not fair...so I will give you what it would mean if we would try and work on us." He swallowed and continued.
"I have responsibilities, you know that now. Most of the time I won't be able to actually come and visit you if you'd not want to come to the base. As you know, I will have to do, or make people do things you will not like."
He took a short moment to think of what to say next.
"It will take a long time to really forget what happened on Masanas, but I'll slowly work on it. And if you really want to know...to understand, I will tell you what it is ...he made me see." It was clear there was outright fear in his eyes. "Because I love you."

[Ivy Yang]

Ivy seemed happy with his words and seemed to lighten up. "Let's both try and see if we can work on us. Doing or best and try is the only thing we can do. I know it will be difficult for me understanding the decisions you will make, and it will take a lot of effort on my side to let it go and accept. But I want to support you in all this. I want us to work together and be a team instead of two individuals 'loving' eachother.. Do you think we could pull that off?" Looking at him with an uncertain but hopefull look.

"If I promise I will open up for your decisions, I only hope you would sometimes listen to my opinion and arguements as well and whatever you decide after that.. i have to accept." Throwing a compromise onto the table.

The warmth of the alcohol that was in the whiskey made her feel more mellow and comfortable. Especially now after hearing his words. Though she was still a bit scared of what he had seen during his torture. Ivy noticed the fear that was present in his eyes as he offered he would tell her about what he had seen. With a gentle and warm touch she placed her hand against his cheek and smiled softly. "I don't want to know the awfull things you went through and I don't like it that you have to go through it all again just to tell me, but.. I do want to understand, I would like to understand. So I know.. And maybe I can support you in this." After letting out a sigh she looked into his eyes "if you really don't want to, I can understand and I won't ask you about it. i won't understand either, but.. I hope you would talk about it to someone else.. This person you mentioned.. So.. Don't feel pressured. I only want this if you want to show me." Gently squeezing his hand.