Compensation and Jewelry?

[Keith Richards]

Keith held the appearance of a teenager who either shot up within the last twenty four hours or hadn't slept for the previous eighty. The latter was true. Sleep came sporadically. Luckily for every pedestrian within thirty miles Keith didn't have a drivers license or he would have fallen asleep behind the wheel. Several times he found himself slumped against a wall in one of several neighborhoods no one in their right mind would walk through without a police escort.

How did he get away with it? I did mention he looked like a druggie, he was effectively in urban camouflage.

His vice was violence and self punishment through the same means. Purposefully going from one brutal fight from another. The only reason he hadn't been beaten into the asphalt was that he fought only leaders. He had chewed his way through a small gang of thirteen in those days spent awake, finding where the three leaders would be alone and then making sure the rest would think before extracting revenge. But instead of leaving it at that he went a step farther and declared to the rest of them that he was their leader.

The gang was split on the action. While some simply favored the fact that Keith was obviously smart enough to take down the gang without fighting them directly, and that the strongest was clear, while the others remained loyal to the original leaders. Eventually he won out after offering a round of drinks. Of course he expected no real loyalty out of the group, not in the long term sense anyways, but for the short term he could use them until they either lost their usefulness or decided to return to their previous style and leaders.

Keith, however, was fine with either option. He wanted them just for three days. Perhaps one if things went well. But of course that wasn't where he had placed his money. The first of the several steps was to send the one he trusted out of them, the only one who looked like a closet homosexual, to Valencia's apartment with a hand written message. Although Keith wasn't the one to write it. The point was simply to get the message into Valencia's hands.

Valencia my pet,
Been a while. This fag brought you the message for me, and obviously you know who I am without me saying. I doubt you'll believe that with no proof, so I chose a place to see you where you'll feel safe. The mall. Come to the mall at noon.

See you then.

Of course the message itself likely wouldn't be as odd as the person delivering it. Wearing full leather outfit, the only thing keeping it from looking utterly gay was the fact the leather did not shine like plastic and he had a trench coat that covered most of his body. With the message delivered the closet homo was instructed to just return to his apartment so he would not be followed back to Keith, or be mistaken for a stalker. Too simplistic was the messengers mind that he ended up going straight to a local bar instead, although it was the same idea of getting him out of the way.

Keith would be waiting on the second level of the mall, his forearms crossed on the circular glass banister, leaning forward as he looked down onto the lower floor. The middle of the mall, this is where most people seemed to meet when they came to the mall. Keith had members of the gang at each part of the mall, though. All with a cellphone, and he himself, it would be pretty simple to know where Valencia would be.

At that point it would be as simple as positioning himself above where he could watch her enjoy the gift he would have a casually dressed gang member would hand her a white and pink wrapped rectangular box. Inside would be something he had, in his twisted and arrogantly confident mind, thought Valencia would like. A black leather dog collar with a silver tag, shaped in a heart, that had the engraving of Valencia My Pet.

[Valencia Donahue]

Same song, different verse. You'd think that after so many boring and routine lapses in Valencia's life, she'd find something better to do instead of hanging around at her high school any longer. While there were quite a few interesting events that happened with or without her being directly involved, they just didn't measure up to this girl's expectations for an exciting young adulthood. Now that she's an adult, looking back at those childish, optimistic hopes seemed silly and she almost regretted continuing her work at Hircine if it weren't for that random meeting with Keith. That first encounter, in the most positive light, was an adventure. A romantic one that might even be described as bittersweet. In the most horrible way of putting it, it was just a different way for a potential suitor jump start the procedure of Valencia breaking his heart into a million pieces. She didn't need to act like she was interested. All she needed to do was adhere to her belief that love is nonexistent to her until she finds a nonexistent prince charming who believes in nonexistent women whose blindness is just as nonexistent. Keith wasn't a prince charming. While he had a messenger deliver his note to Valencia, the first line was enough to make it seem as though she was back to square one—resisting Keith with every ounce of her being.

That was then... This is now... I know that one-night stands are rude, but isn't there a reason why I'm under careful watch until you're detained then chucked into prison, Keith? I know this has to do with “love”. I doubt there's anything else to this. This is like a sick joke from someone who's been reading too much of Marquez's “Love in the Time of Cholera”.

A la, Valencia shared much in common with the stubborn Fermina Daza while Keith was the spitting image of Florentino Ariza, a stalker who does all sorts of psychotic things for the sake of love because he has a messed up mind. It goes without saying that Valencia half expected Keith to become a real danger should his “love” become twisted beyond human comprehension... So she donned her sunglasses, packed her extendable rod, and brought her white dog Riesling along. To anyone, she looked like any other blind person with her seeing eye dog. To Valencia, it was the only way for her to feel truly safe as she entered the mall. Her friends would just stop her and somehow, blind people can get away with anything, even bring their large dogs indoors.

Sure, now Keith likes me, but that's probably much worse than him just picking off a random target... Love is SO RETARDED.

Valencia kept ranting in her mind about how stupid affection was, without really realizing how much it broke up the monotony of things, until someone approached her with a neatly gift-wrapped box. Her heart paused just enough for her conscience to reason that presents are always nice, no matter who they come from, because it's the thought that counts. She nodded to the gang member hesitantly, then opened it... Her dog looked up curiously at his owner, then instinctively shuffled a couple steps away. Valencia stared at the dog collar and didn't know what to think. Okay, it's a punk sort of look. She knows friends who wear cat bells and spiked collars all the time. It wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the tag alluding to blatant ownership. She twitched as she kept staring at the collar and the silver tag.

Riesling rarely wears a collar... I wonder why? Hmm! Is this some sick joke? This “my pet” needs to stop.

Keith's “crowned goddess” lifted the collar out of the box and held it in front of Riesling's nose... Valencia gave her dog the scent to track down this freak and settle this once and for all. Her canine led her towards the elevators and stairs where she no doubt went to the second level. While he sniffed the air in search of a trail, Valencia examined the collar once again before putting it into her pocket. She didn't know how all this would turn out, but figured that she might as well make the best of it. She followed her dog as he pulled her along.

[Keith Richards]

Keith, tiredly beaming as Valencia accepted his gift, would turn and walk in the opposite direction of her. Assuming she would either be looking for him or leaving. In either case Keith hadn't eaten more than a street sold hot dog in twelve hours. Turning in the opposite direction as Valencia he walked along the second floor walkway, passing several of the 'new age' stores that had either disgustingly loud heavy metal pouring out of the entrances or a smell that could only be described as putrid.

Taking an escalator down to the first floor he went into the food court. Dozens and dozens of people were eating in the central area. But that wasn't what got his attention. It was the fact an full restaurant, the only one in the chain of fast food restaurants that surrounded the food court. Keith flicked open one of the gang's cellphones and sent a message to each of the other thirteen cellphones. As all the cellphones rang at the same time through ought the mall he could hear them coming toward him. A tired grin showed as they came down the escalator together.

The restaurant has people in it. Fix that.

Keith had planned for Valencia to find him. This would make it very easy for her to find him. Settled in a corner booth, staring toward the main entrance, the hood of his sweatshirt on his shoulder. There was restaurant employees still complaining fervently about losing so much money. The gang made them an offer they couldn't, shouldn't, reject and they all went back to work. Sounds of arguments could still be heard in the silent restaurant.

When Valencia would finally catch up with him food would be placed at two ends of the table, for both of them, as well as a menu that had been marked off in black permanent marker. Food that was prepared for them to switch to. The joys of power. The gang members had set themselves up in the kitchen, grabbing the extra food, and alcohol from the back fridge. There was only two that weren't in the back and they were standing in front of the restaurant like they had been hired as bouncers.

Come pet, the food is getting cold.

[Valencia Donahue]

As the white German Shepherd Husky mix followed his nose and led Valencia along, the Asian's eyes hunted for any sign of Keith... While Keith slipped right under her proverbial nose, leaving behind a longer trail to follow. She looked everywhere she could, from inside the stores themselves to the very people around her, but Keith was nowhere to be found as the pair moved briskly along. She partially expected him to seize her out of the blue and she gripped her rod with agitation, almost itching to swing her cane at least once. With her attention primarily focused on finding her stalker, she hardly noticed his accomplices heading towards the food court. When she reached one end of the mall and Riesling insisted on following the trail directly, Valencia had a fishy feeling that Keith was doing all this on purpose... Why else would a person like him move farther away from the object of his affections? She didn't want to admit it, but he was stringing her along alright... And it perpetuated her annoyance.

This guy needs a life...

The trail upstairs led to the escalator going down and it must've been quite a sight for a blind woman and her seeing eye dog to not use a safer alternative to descending. Once they were on the ground floor, Riesling picked up the pace as the scent got more “fresh”. Valencia jogged beside her canine companion and they got closer and closer to their destination. When it came to expecting the unexpected, Keith always happened to find a way to catch Valencia off guard despite her suspicions. Wasn't this that one restaurant she seldom dined at unless she booked reservations in advance? Sure, it wasn't ubar-expensive fine dining, but everyone in the area as a consensus ate their at least once. She began to question how much did Keith really pay the restaurant to make it scarce until she heard her dog growling at the bouncers. Huh. That answered some questions.

She sighed through her teeth and entered the restaurant, pretending to not see Keith watching her from the corner booth... She couldn't stand being watched any longer and sat across from him as food was left on the table for their “enjoyment”. Valencia resisted wolfing down the food on the spot and felt a pang of guilt as her dog eyed a steak ravenously. She leaned forward onto her elbows enough for her eyes to be seen through her sunglasses as she spoke to Keith solemnly...

“I was about to ask 'why' again, but figured it'd be redundant. I also considered asking if you had anything better to do with your free time... Though, it seems to me that you don't... As do I.”

Valencia wasn't in the mood to get drugged again despite the degree of trust she has for Keith, so she allowed Riesling to stand up on his hind paws and snatch the steak off the plate with his fangs. The dog made a great show ripping the meat apart with his incisors as a warning. He had nothing to worry about because he was naturally confident (and cocky), his human trusted him more than she did other humans, and couldn't sense anything weird with the meat. Riesling didn't know too much about Keith and his history of harming animals, but the dog had the guts to tear the younger human apart if he dared touch Valencia without her consent. The Asian continued, just in case Keith accidentally took her words for a green light.

“I don't like wasting my time when there are better things to do. What free time I have tends to be wasted on trivial things that don't satisfy me as much as I hope them to. Cutting to the chase, what makes you think that you will make my time worthwhile?”

[Keith Richards]

Keith spotted her easily, and of course so did those he had brought along to make everything "special" for the two of them. The bouncers did nothing to stop her, but the person who tried to follower her was warded off by the look of a disgruntled thug itching for violence. Wearing a weak grin he watched, and waited, as Valencia tried to play hard to get. But pretending she couldn't see him didn't last long, and she came over and settled herself down on her side of the table.

While aware of the dogs presence he didn't really pay it any attention until he noticed that it was eying Valencia's steak. In a fleeting moment he considered kicking the dog in the throat for it's mistake. Instead Valencia had caught his attention pleasantly, leaning forward, resting her weight on her elbows. Keith mimicked her, although this could be seen as insulting he merely used it as an excuse to be that much closer to her. The need had been strong, he had been resisting it since the hotel, but he was exhausted. And tired of rejecting the urge for a reason he couldn't fully understand in the first place.

Keith's grin stayed in place quite easily as she spoke. Although it was quite the serious sounding tone he was just glad that she understood him, as he knew she would. Not only that he came to the understanding she had nothing better to do with her time, although that could have been a misunderstanding on the part of his tired mind. It softened the edges of his tired grin.

"Hey, you're ruining my date." He thought glumly as the dog got it's paws on the steak.

The grin faded, along with his desire to hold it. Deciding it was time to show the true seriousness of what he was doing, he let his eyelids droop comfortably, able to see the shadowed figure of Valencia despite it.

"You came without force, took the time to follow me, wearing a cute disguise to make the tracking faster." A light hearted chuckle sounded for a moment, the sight of her tapping her way over to him with a dog leading the way was just priceless. "Instead of leaving," he reminded, a quick grin showing and then fading.

Keith raised one of his arms off the table and motioned around the room smoothly, his eyes following it. "I was willing to go this far just to give you a present. And predicting you would follow me I found a place where we could talk, privately, in a mall." Another grin showed as he brought up something else. "With decent dog food for your rover..."

"All the trouble I am willing to go through to please you, or attempt to. I'm sure there is no one else that could make her feel just like I can. I'm sure that no one else has."

[Valencia Donahue]

The corner of Valencia's lip twitched at the mention of her “disguise”. If her eyes were visible enough through her sunglasses, it'd be pretty plain that she felt slightly bothered about this.

Am I really that obvious each time I change my appearance or try to elude detection? Jeez... From Stern, to probably Vince, and now this...

For the time being, she ignored the temptation to defend her reasoning and outright have Riesling snap onto his neck for inadvertently insulting her (presently nonexistent) blindness. Keith was trying to be serious and Valencia had to give at least that much credit. Her dog finished his meal and sensed his owner's lapse of irritability. The white dog bared his teeth, but before he could growl, Valencia reached for his neck and pulled him towards her. Riesling calmed down and rested his head on her lap. He still wasn't content enough to wag his tail and he had a strong dislike for Keith already, but he was willing to sit down by her side and trust in Valencia's orders. He's a well-trained dog and the two had a life-long bond. Valencia exhaled and closed her eyes in thought after Keith finished his response. There was a moment of contemplation as she scratched behind Riesling's ears.

Why must you make everything so complicated...

“I have to admit, the effort is admirable. It's almost as though you've got me down to a science even.”

She sat up straighter, feeling uneasy about the distance between she and Keith.

“But... That only causes me to raise more questions... Hypothetically, if I do make myself... 'Yours'... What happens then? Am I just a prize, something 'worth' all the sacrifices and expenses? Please enlighten me. I never did understand the point of romantic relationships when they just end up hurting one another with the relationship itself, causing a world of trouble for everyone else related, and eventually breaking up because they lose interest in staying together.”

Valencia stopped herself from continuing. These words not only revealed her insights but also a hint of the last failed relationship she had. Once she composed herself, she mustered up her guts and tried to make the best of this meeting in the only way she could think of (off the top of her head).

“I don't mean to come off as greedy and selfish, but I want more than that. I want to be impressed, I want something new, interesting, different, anything that will keep me from regretting that I wasted my adolescence in that bloody school... And I'm sure you know which one.”

That sounded ambitious...

“I'm typically indifferent about these kinds of things, but as you can see, if you can make me care about something I hardly cared much about throughout my high school years... It may be easier for me to care about... Well, stuff like this... And people like you.”

Scarborough fair, anyone?

[Keith Richards]

Keith's attention was caught and pulled away from Valencia, a feat not many could accomplish, but the dog bearing it's teeth at him demanded attention. While he as confident he could cripple or kill the dog if it tried anything with him, it was Valencia's dog. Even if it pissed him off he would hesitate to behave in kind with it, although eventually he would show the dog who the alpha was. There was a mild surprise when Valencia reached for for the dog's neck and hauled it toward her, but it was quickly replaced with a smile.

When the dog had bared it's teeth at him one of the gang members from the doorway, apparently more interested in Keith and Valencia than his assignment, had leaned his body forward like he was going to charge the dog. Keith caught this movement and killed it with a firm stare. I don't need your interference. The stare lifted and he looked back to Valencia before she began her hypothetical line of questions. He listened intently, as always his deeply focused brown eyes nearly unblinking as he looked across the table to Valencia, holding her gaze.

When she was speaking he felt like she was taking the long way around to saying what he had suspected at the hotel. That she was afraid of relationships. Although he had a clearer view. Relationships did, or continued to, cause her pain. But the way she described relationships is nothing close to what he thought would become of the two of them. Along with that information he also gained knowledge of something he could possible do for her in the future. Helping with her lingering hatred of that school. Hircine High.

Keith absorbed all this information quickly, stored it to memory as best as he was capable, and without much delay he would set about responding to each of her concerns. "You want these things, hypothetically, so you can be convinced that I care for you. If what I have done isn't enough, I'll continue to try." The assurance was only a beginning however, as he also understood that she had fear that it was all just a game and she was a prize at the finish line.

"I don't have a full understanding of it all. But I wanted to give you that, and do this, because I hoped it would please you. I don't think I need to point out how much trouble I went through just to give you a present and offer lunch. You understand that. So understand how far I'll go to see you happy at my side. To do whatever I can to fill the needs you have." There was a moment when he took a deep breath, feeling the like the knives edge he had been walking since that night at the hotel was about to to tip and he would have nothing to keep him standing.

[Valencia Donahue]

Hearing Keith's words made Valencia feel horrible deep down. He didn't realize it, but he was bringing up all kinds of buried thoughts without using drugs. It made her think about all kinds of things seemingly irrelevant to the current topic... And it's always what makes her think that truly matters, right? She held onto Riesling as if he was the only sure thing she had in the world. She remembered the exact words when asked why she wanted a large and violent dog like this one for a seeing eye dog: “Because he's big, easy to find, and I always know where he is.” If only people were as certain, consistent, and didn't have so many unpredictable and confusing elements to them. Valencia took in Keith's thoughts carefully and responded the best way she knew how after meeting so much of the same thing.

“Well, hypothetically at least. Since when did anyone know for sure what they wanted out of life? There are no guarantees as to how all this turn out. I might hurt you much more than people are aware of when they are hurting me. Anyways... That's all I will say for now. Just don't get your hopes too far up for me.”

Her “polite mechanism” kicked in and she poked her food with a fork. It wasn't as warm as it was before, but it wasn't completely cold at least. Not one to waste food when offered, she began to eat it quietly (and quickly). Riesling removed his head once Valencia was in the swing of scarfing her food. He stood up and snatched something off of the table before eating it on the floor next to Valencia's feet, all the while gluing his eyes upon Keith's. Riesling's an intelligent dog, so when ordered by the right people to do something, he obeys. Unbeknownst to both Valencia and Keith, he's following orders belonging to another set of individuals right this moment and that was to watch over Valencia with his life. It took a lot for the canine to not appear openly aggressive, but like many others who worried like heck over Valencia's disappearance some time ago, he wasn't going to let Keith off the hook. The Asian finished several plates of food and after finishing a salad, wondered if she should keep eating... But stopped herself to ask something else...

“By the way, what exactly are your expectations? Ehh... Like, how do you plan these sorts of things? With a specific outcome in mind at the end? Or is this all done spontaneously to see how everything turns out?”

Weird thing to ask, but... What if he DOES try conquering the school or something because of what I said!? Is THAT what he means by doing “whatever he can”?!

[Keith Richards]

Fucking dog ate my steak!

What else could he possible think when the dog went for food on the table a second time? Keith fought away the swell of aggression and briskly motioned for more food to be brought out. While he waited his attention turned to the eating Valencia. He was sure she would eat once she was comfortable, and her comfort seemed to always level out depending on how much she talked to him. Although that was an odd generalization to make.

"Hypothetically, you can't hurt me enough to make me want to stay away. You don't have the personality to cause that kind of pain."

His confident reply was a quick and firm. Keith had given this thought before then, what would he do if this or that happened, and the only thing that Valencia could do to kill his affections would be if he became aware of her cheating on him. Although that was if she agreed to be his. If they were just two people then he would only be jealous. Perhaps to a psychotic level. He couldn't guess because it never had happened before, but everyone knew the pain of rejection. Multiplied he was sure he could not handle it.

"And I don't have any expectations. Just goals. My goal is to grow to be close enough that you trust me in your bed. Can't sleep for shit without you." Keith whispered the last statement as it wasn't something he felt like the man who was bringing their next plates of food out to them needed to know.

A fresh plate of food was placed in front of either of them, a nervous looking man who was likely the manager if you guessed by how he was dressed. There was a quick nod and then he slipped away quickly and back into the kitchen. Keith made a point to eat a few quick bites at this point, as there was a pause for them both as they went to eat. The food was good. But not spectacular as it's reputation tried to take claim for.

"I don't stick to one method or another. No need to be too predictable. I can be spontaneous, or I can be methodical. This time, I was very methodical. It took me eighty hours to set this up properly," Realization passed over him and he tapped his plate once with his fork as he chided himself. "Did I mention that I intended to bring you to the movies after lunch?"

[Valencia Donahue]

Well someone here seems sure of the kind of person I am...

Truth be told, this thought only strengthened Valencia's claim that she would eventually hurt Keith in some way or another. Remember, she wasn't one for commitments after what she's been through. If suitors and interested parties take her out on dates, she'll go for the sake of being polite by accepting the generosity and not turning them down outright... Then turn them down if they take the direct approach. A modified gold digger. Who knows how Keith will react to that? It worried her and almost made her feel bad that she was reinforcing a bad behavior by pushing him further away.

Keith went into detail about how he planned things out and Valencia was, for lack of better words, glad that he changed up his strategies according to the situation. Cringed as he spoke about earning her trust in bed... It justed sounded wrong. It was only then that she noticed that Riesling was finishing Keith's steak and sitting beside her like an armed sentry. Speaking of reinforcing behaviors, she rewarded his steadfast and adamant nature by petting him on the head. By this time, the three of them have eaten their fill and Keith mentioned how much time he spent in making this day “perfect”. 80 hours... Equivalent to more than 3 full days without sleeping and probably even eating. It seemed weird for all that time to go into a collar and a lunch (and cooperating gang members) until he mentioned going to the movies.

Imagine this from another person's standpoint: He just asked a BLIND woman to go to the MOVIES with him.

Wait... Even THEN that's more time than it should be, right? Valencia was speechless and it was hard to tell if it had to do with thinking again or genuine surprise. She slid her sunglasses down a smidge so she could look over them... Not directly into Keith's eyes, but enough to show she wasn't ignoring him.

“It better not be a waste of my time or an inconvenience to me... I was only able to bring my dog into this mall because I'm 'blind'. I'd rather not be separated from my partner in a place that primarily relies on sight. Besides, what kind of movie is it?”

Do I even want to know why you want to “bond” with me in a place where I'll be more likely to watch the movie itself than “bond”?

[Keith Richards]

"Mm, that so? That makes me curious who you're hiding from. The dog can come," Keith eyed the dog then, made a light sigh, and looked back to Valencia. "And you'll have to wait to see the movie." Although the assurance would have probably been a bit more affective if he actually told her the movie they were going to see.

Keith slid out of his seat and moved to stand, eying the dog in case the thing had a mind to nip at him or something annoying like that. Although the dog was in the way it was only eying Keith in return as he reached a hand out to Valencia to help her out of her seat, as they were both done and she was speaking of the movie he had assumed they could leave.

Going with the most simplistic and basic method of keeping Valencia close Keith would hold onto her hand, although he would have preferred putting his arm around her waist, or over her shoulder, when he had attempted the dog had pushed it's way between them. Even though Valencia calmed it down once it started to growl at him he wouldn't give up all together.

"Next date, no dog."

When they left the restaurant the gang members from the kitchen and the entrance would split up to different entrances and take off to their next assignment. The next stop was already planned out, they just needed to do the last touch at the theater, getting the movie revving up by waking up the worker they had pulled off duty specific for that purpose. The rest merely made sure there was a screen available. And empty.

Keith would lead her, without pause at the ticket booth, into the movie theaters and all the way to their screen, which would have the title of 10,000 BC even though that was not the movie they were going to see. When they walked across the front of the isle Keith let Valencia skirt forward and released her hand so they wouldn't be too crowded, and motioned up toward the back.

There was blanket over a large section of the isle, while likely odd in Valencia's eyes, had been placed there so they could lay down when they watched the movie. His personal hate of movie seats and his sleepy mind had come up with the idea. Although as he approached the idea was shucked off.

"Your dog can lay down on that," Keith motioned toward the blanket before he stepped over it and seated himself one seat deep right next to it, that way the dog couldn't get in his way unless he jumped over Valencia's lap. After siting down there would be a series of loud clicks, a single chuckle, and the movie would begin to roll without previews. The title appeared on the screen a few seconds later and the lights would dim.

Keith had somehow hunted down one of his favorite movies, Brick.

[Valencia Donahue]

Valencia didn't like being led around, especially by Keith... But if he can guarantee that she won't be separated from her dog, she decided to bear with it for now. Besides, it wasn't as though he tried to hold anything else but her hand and Riesling made sure of that. Once they arrived at the indoor theater, she tried to figure out which feature they were going to watch, but wasn't given the opportunity to guess as Keith kept pulling her onwards. What a way to leave her in the dark... And make her wonder how the heck could he do so much with such a supposedly limited income. She almost wanted to applaud his resourcefulness. Almost. Riesling followed on their heels as Keith led the three through the doors to “10,000 BC”.

Huh. Dunno why, but I always wanted to see this... Not sure how the heck Keith'd know that, though.

The journey didn't stop there. Before she knew it, they were at an aisle where a large blanket covered the row of seats, creating a makeshift couch. She sat down and at Keith's suggestion, Riesling jumped up onto the seat next to her. The canine tested the cushion to see if he'd fit on it and when he noticed that Keith made himself comfortable next to his owner, Riesling leapt off of the “couch” onto the floor. He looked alert and ready to get Keith on the spot, but the movie began and caught his attention. He snuffed in annoyance and didn't want to distract Valencia, so he got back onto the seat and kept his attention solely on this young man who's in control of this “date”.

[red]Dickwad.[/red]

No trailers or previews...? And... “Brick”...? Never heard of it... Is it an independent film?

Valencia watched on and let Riesling keep his eyes on Keith for her. It was probably the first time the entire day that she felt genuinely safe with Keith nearby (thanks to the extra security). Maybe ultimately, that was the thing about dark places with her. The dialog was a bit hard to follow at first, but this film was different... And she's never one to look down something new. On the other hand, there was something distinctly... Familiar about the plot and setting of the movie. Not plot as in a “direct” retelling of one's life; something strangely “conceptual”. Not setting as in location; the whole scheme of things.

Do I even want to put it into words...?

[Keith Richards]

The movie rolled and quickly the movie fell into place. The storyline was laid out oddly, mostly because it made several backward jumps without warning, one of the flaws that Keith forgave. While fighting away fatigue Keith turned to see how his date was handling the movie. She seemed to be quite focused on it, but that only made him more content with his environment and therefor made it harder for him to stay awake.

Halfway through the movie this would change. It wasn't something he had wanted to do. No, it was, but he had wanted to make a genuine effort to enjoy the movie with Valencia despite his desire to sleep in her presence. While fading Keith had, oh so casually, grasped her hand. Soon after his head would tip toward her and his cheek would end up finding a place to rest on her shoulder. Keith, master of stealth sleeping.

Entering sleep mode...

... Exiting sleep mode.

Keith would wake up quite near the end of the movie, actually only a minute or two from the credits. Not all that distressed he would sit up and roll his neck in a circle around his shoulders, feeling comfortable and fairly refreshed. One of his favorite scenes in the movie was coming up, to which he grinned pleasantly, leaning back into his seat as he watched.

"Mother fucker." Was whispered to the protagonist by the bad guy. His ally came up behind him and asked what had been whispered to him, to which he gained the reply, "... Called me a dirty word." Which was enough to bring an amused edge to Keith's grin. It was one of the classic lines that he would watch a whole movie just to see.

Credits rolled up shortly after the lights slowly turned on. Keith turned toward Valencia, resting an arm on the back of the chair. The dog was still staring at him, of course, but Keith was more interested in hearing what Valencia thought of the movie, and how many time she would have left to mess around with at that point.

[Valencia Donahue]

As a connoisseur of most things related to the cinema, Valencia tried to watch the movie as a casual viewer and an esteemed critique: eyes glued onto the screen. It was only until she felt something on her hand that she was snapped back to reality. A reality that startled her. She found Keith's hand holding onto hers and as she subtly and carefully tried to pry his fingers off, Riesling's low growling brought her attention to something else. He lightly put his head onto her shoulder and fell asleep. Now, she hasn't been aware of how much (or how little) Keith sleeps on a regular basis. There were only so many assumptions to go off of, but once she gave it proper thought and adding up all the pieces, it made perfect sense somehow.

Dude... If you just want sleep, you seriously need a healthier way to do so instead of concentrating on a fixation... I can't be the only thing in the world for you to find comfort in.

As much as she wanted to tell it to him straight, since he wasn't one to take a subtle “no” for an answer, she felt sympathetic. Valencia really didn't want to be too polite after everything that happened, but to be genuinely “good” is a tough full-time job that she knew she had to commit to... Though reluctantly. She let time go by and she had trouble concentrating on the movie. Every few moments, she wondered if the opportunity was right to remove his hand as though it was a complicated secret mission. Will he notice? Will he wake up? Can he feel anything? What if he wakes up? What if she left now? With trepidation, managed to get Keith to let go, leaving his head against her shoulder. Valencia didn't want her unease to awaken him, yet didn't have to worry too much as the end of the movie was approaching.

Keith stirred as the credits rolled and placed a hand behind the “couch” as he looked her way. Valencia certainly had trouble figuring out what he expected of her, so she merely turned to pet her dog. She was mostly doing this to avert her gaze yet also for the purpose of stalling. Once she felt like an adequate amount of time passed by, tried to articulate her thoughts...

Dammit... Must the world keep dragging me out in the open...

“At least it was something different. If I must say something—I just don't know what to say.”

She stood up and Riesling got off of the “couch” to stay by her side.

“I'm still having trouble understanding why you're doing this for me when there may be someone else out there for you... And even then, someone who can convince you that you don't need anyone, so to speak. It's hard to put into words... It's like you mustn't need anything before you...”

Love is stupid and it's like I'm trying to explain it to a smart kid who isn't getting it.

“Anyways, to sum it up, I think there's something... Unhealthy about you. It's not entirely you, it's also just me. I simply can't see this working out and you must understand my doubts here. It's not only 'taboo'... I... Ahg...”

Valencia shook her head and began to walk down the row towards the aisle. So much for trying to tell it to him straight... She stood at the end, seemingly waiting for Keith. She only did this in hopes of showing that “helping” Keith was going to be the utmost extent of her relationship with him in situations like this. Call it pity if you'd like, but it was the only real thing she could describe amidst all the confusion. Riesling merely watched the young man, partially expecting him to provoke an attack.

This wouldn't be happening if we never met... Darn it all... What a way to make me face all this.

[Keith Richards]

Keith turned and eyed her with indecision. He didn't know what expression to put on quite yet because what she was spouting off was confusing him. Having just woken up from such a pleasant nap he thought she would be calm. But it looked like it had invoked a good bit of thought. Which left an odd question floating in his mind, did she even watch the movie?. There was a sense of sadness that filtered into his eyes slowly. He had hoped she would enjoy it, even if he wasn't awake too.

OK so lets recap. She thinks she isn't special, that something is wrong with both of us, and doubts that we'll work out. How wrong could one person be? Keith side stepped out of the row of seats and stood in the isle with Valencia, and her damn annoying puppy that he was seriously considering to neuter. The moment he was out of the isle the thing was already glaring at him, and he didn't realize that it had been staring at him through the whole movie.

"Since I just woke up what you just said is from left field, so don't take offense when I get blunt," Keith warned, something he would usually avoid because he would mean offense, but Valencia had been a special case for a good while. "You're the only one I care about, there's nothing wrong with either of us, and we will be together despite your incomprehensible fear of being with me," Taking a step forward, not caring if the dog got in his way, Keith would reach out and clasps his hands onto the outside of her shoulders as though he was thinking of shaking her to her senses.

"You clearly pointed out what you needed as proof, if I haven't given it to you yet then tell me what I failed to prove to you!"

[Valencia Donahue]

Valencia had a weakness when it came to direct confrontations, especially verbally. While it's easy for her to get to the point in most situations, she's considerably less articulate when it comes to her own thoughts... Especially in delicate matters like this one. It was bad enough that she felt uncomfortable around Keith, but what just transpired then and there truly frightened her. Valencia came to this “date” to get things settled and over with, finding some kind of bright side at the very least. As the charade continued, she learned more about the volatility of Keith's mind regarding her and was having trouble keeping up with the confusion this was causing. She just couldn't handle it any more and didn't know how to deal with it. This was betrayed by her eyes more than her expressions and her dog picked up on this as the cue to attack. Riesling lashed out and slammed his fangs onto Keith's leg to get him to let go of Valencia as she fought herself free. If anything, it was a painful distraction to help Valencia escape a far distance before Riesling followed his owner. If she deliberately ordered to him to attack, he'd fight it through with tearing instead of a single chomp. Should this effort be successful, Valencia will run towards the exit and make it as far as the snack bar before her canine tries to catch up.

Deja vu... I don't care if Keith has gang members with him, I just want to get away!

[Keith Richards]

OK then, the direction approach fails. Scrap that date, game over, etc. Keith found himself looking the eyes of confusion and fear, wearing a mask of Valencia. It wasn't something he expected, and it was all the more surprising because before he realized it the dog had bit his leg. The impact was worse than the bite itself, and it gave Valencia enough time to get away because Keith turned and smacked the dog in the neck hard. The bite hadn't sunk in enough for it to stay latched on and Keith made a point to turn and kick the bastard for bitting him, Valencia's dog or not. Besides, it was a good stress relief.

Once the dog was running away, probably going after Valencia, Keith was rubbing his leg firmly. Mother %$#!ing dog! Turning he kicked one of the seats, again again, then decided the chair didn't bleed enough to satisfy his anger. What had he said that was so bad that she would look at him like that and then run. A cackle came from somewhere above, in the projection room, and another followed it. Keith found his target, and lost his use for the gang. "Ready or not, here I come." He muttered as he made for the exit, once more out to smack the gang members down.

What the hell did I do wrong this time?

[Valencia Donahue]

Valencia was a far distance away from the screen and near the exit of the theater when she heard the sound of her dog catching up. He swaggered as he ran, proof that he sustained damage while distracting for his owner's sake. She slowed her pace just a smidge to let her canine companion catch up, all the while thinking only of escape while Keith hovered in and out of her mind. It was only when she made it to the parking lot that she started thinking straight again, lest the adrenaline would lead to traffic accidents in her departure. She sat into the driver's seat as Riesling hopped into the back and shook off the shock that still dizzied him. Valencia backed out of the parking space and drove off on her way. Only when she reached the red light of an intersection did Keith come up once more.

He didn't follow, nor did he order those gang members after me... Nonetheless, there's still something very, very wrong about that guy... He seriously needs help, but what can be done about that? Gads, I feel like I just made things worse. Like, I just made him much more potentially dangerous.

She kept fretting as the red became a green and she made a left turn. One of the reasons why she wanted to stay the heck away from relationships of any sort was because of the guilt she feels whenever it doesn't work out... Which happens a lot. Valencia wanted to push it out of her mind, move on, and forget that she made a huge mistake by coming to the date, but the collar that was still in her pocket wasn't going to let that happen any time soon.

[Keith Richards]

Keith didn't need to look for a reason to not run after Valencia long. The moment he stepped out of the theater three of the gangs runts, the ones who were somehow running the movie reel above his head while he was asleep on Valencia's shoulder, had decided to confront him. Keith didn't look all that good still, dark circles under his eyes and all that, and that seemed to have given them a bit of confidence. But even he hadn't guessed how cocky they got. Not many could blame them, it's not like they saw him knock around their three best fighters.

"So, we take it the date didn't go well." Yeah, they were really not starting this off on the right foot. The corner of Keith's left eye was twitching, the muscle spasm too small for them to take it as a warning and beat feet. But after a moment of Keith not moving they took it like a confirmation. "Don't worry about it, we can catch her before she gets away, we already sent…" That was about as far as their ring leader got before he had a knee jammed in his nether region.

The other two, not being the more courages of the bunch after finding out what Keith did to their strongest fighters, simply turned and bolted oh-so-bravely. Keith, looking like walking death, ran after them. He could see blond hair far in front of him, but that wasn't what he was going after. Keith was going after a fairly muscular guy that had flaming red hair spiked out of the top of his head, and the one with ice blue corn roles behind him. The dog was running in front of them, following behind it's owner, stunned enough that it didn't notice being chased.

Not that it would matter.

Keith grabbed some old man's cane and continuing forward. Catching up would arguably be the easiest part, but after making some old guy fall face first to the floor it was going to be less entertaining in the end. Jabbing the cane outward and then pulling back he swept the leg of the lead runner out from under him, causing him to drive face first into the ground, instantly shattering his nose. The second runner would hop up to avoid his gang buddy and plant his feet awkwardly a few feet away.

But the time he turned with balance he found an elbow in his face, followed by two more once he hit the ground. By that time everyone in the lobby was looking at him and the two boys obviously dressed like punk gangsters who needed the beating, but from the police or their parents, and several of the employees were cautiously approaching to tell them all to get out. Keith would get up before hand, ignoring the blood on his elbow, and walking out and into the mall. Mall security would probably have caught him if it weren't for the fact the first two to bolt had left during the fight and were struggling with them.

Keith would leave with the one question still on his mind, and trying to understand what to do about it. The fact he had gone through all the trouble for nothing more than about an hour worth of sleep didn't yet click with him, but once it did he probably wouldn't find much good in it. At least he had a pissed off gang to hold him over, right?