Dresden: J.J. #Heart-To-Heart 2015 Remix Feat. Nomei

Nomei raised a single eyebrow in response.

Whatever attempt at integrity Juliet was going for died in a matter of seconds and she just falls apart, "I got someone killed," tears start pouring down her red face as her breathing shifts back into a series of gasps, "it was my fault."

"Yes. It was." Nomei said, looking out the window. "But, do you know why?"

"I was... high."

"Yeah. You were." Nomei looked Juliet up and down with a cool expression. Nomei bit at the inside of her lip in contemplation as she tried to figure out how to approach the young woman in front of her. She let out a small sigh befoe continuing, "Do you know where I'm from?"

Through the gasps of air and flooding face, Juliet doesn't know what to make of the remark. With frequent gulps of air, all she could muster was a flimsy attempt to shift the conversation, "What does... that... have to do... with anything!?"

"I was born in, as far as I can tell, Chicago." Nomei's voice was calm, but Juliet could tell that any attempts to shift the conversation would be futile. "I spent the first few years of my life sorta... drifting through foster homes. Then I wasn't, and I was out on the street alone. I didn't manage to pull my life together really until I was 17, and by then... well... the first time I fed on someone was.... intense, and not something I ever want to repeat."

Nomei looked deep into Juliet's eyes and spoke calmly, "As far as I'm concerned, you're an adult, you've been through enough to realize when you've done something wrong. I'm not here to coddle you, or tell you it wasn't your fault, because no matter how much I tell you that it's not, deep down you know that it is. You'll always know that."

The young vampire leaned back in her chair and looked off, crossing her arms. "The difference between a child and an adult isn't whether or not they make mistakes, it's whether they get bogged down by their mistakes or accept them and learn from them," Nomei turned back to J.J., staring her down. "Am I wrong about you being an adult? Are you still some kid who's going to hide behind her own mistakes?"

As Nomei speaks, Juliet becomes more and more still, her face more rigid. As she listens to Nomei's words, she hears the point that she is trying to bring across and knows exactly what she means. She knows she was being childish, avoiding her problems, sidestepping them, and failing that, drugs; an option she has frequently skipped to as of late. After all, what kind of self centered prick gets other people to help with their problems? Isn't that right?

She was hearing full well what Nomei was saying, but when the pause comes around and Nomei expects a response, all Juliet can do is avert her eyes and, with her red, wet face mimicking a stone, remain silent.

"I'm not telling you this because I think you're a child." Nomei said firmly, still staring intently at the young teenager.

"Then why?" she asks, her voice staggering, "What am I to you, to the Vanguard?'

Juliet's posture becomes more assertive as she speaks with more frustration and distress, "You say you don't see me as a child, but is that even true? Elli doesn't even trust me to open a door without consent and Inigo always behaves more like he tolerates me!"

"I got someone killed!" she starts to getting visibly angry, "Someone is dead because of me and all you guys did was send me home! That is the kind of fucking treatment you give to a child that said some mean shit in class! WHAT IS THE FUCKING POINT OF ACTING LIKE A GODDAMN ADULT WHEN ROYALLY FUCKING UP IS MET WITH BEING PUT IN THE CORNER?"

The tears in her eyes start flowing again, spilling on the table as she stand up, "LOOK WHERE I AM! SEND THE CHILD HOME, OH SHE'LL FUCKING LISTEN IF WE JUST TELL HER WHAT TO DO, SHE'S JUST A FUCKING CHILD! OF COURSE I WON'T GO HOME, I HATE MY FAMILY! FUCKING ALOOF SHITS WHO DON'T GIVE A FUCK IF THEIR DAUGHTER IS SKIPPING SCHOOL, OUT TILL 2 AM DOING GOD KNOWS WHAT, COMING BACK WITH SCARS AND BRUISES! I WENT STRAIT TO THE ONE FUCKING PLACE WHERE THE FIRST THING I HEARD WALKING IN THE DOOR WAS 'IT'S OKAY, WE'LL WORK THROUGH IT', SOMETHING I SURE AS FUCKING HELL DON'T REMEMBER HEARING FROM ANY OF YOU!!"

"That's the entire reason I'm here, because they're wrong.” Nomei stood up, and walked around the table so that it was no longer between them. “I'm here becauseyou're not some child who needs to be sent to her room. We're gonna fucking work it through, and not with drugs or by running away.” Nomei's eye's flickered to the door as she mentioned drugs. “But...”

In a flash nomei was right in front of Juliet, eyes burning holes through her's"It. Will not. Happen. Again. You want to indulge yourself, or use as some sort of escape mechanism, fine, but you will not bring that to our job. If I catch the slightest hint of you using before coming with us, I am going to call you out and bench you myself, not as a punishment but as a matter of safety.”

Nomei's hand rose... and came to rest on Juliet's head. Nomei was smiling now. "We've all fucked up, Juliet. Seth and Kyeung once thought it was a good idea to assault a house of ghouls... alone. Dave once jump the gun straight down a chimney and into the waiting arms of a fallen fucking angel. And even though it wasn't his fault... Inigo didn't realize that his own sister was a warlock, none of them did..... Fredreich... well, I shouldn't even need to say anything. Sam has blown up more walls than anyone else in the Vanguard not named “Seth” or “Fredreich” and Nightfalcon once actually got stuck in a fucking ventilation system. Ellie...”

Nomei struggled to find something to criticize the object of her affections for before blushing, ”She... Uhm... she once got “seduced” by a high ranking White Court vampire while on a mission. T-the point is... you're not the only one who's really fucked up J.J. And... listen, if you ever need someone else to talk to, just come to me.” Nomei grinned as she said, “Think of me as a big sister, here to listen when you need to talk, and beat your ass when you fuck up to bad.”

During the exchange, the door to Keen's room, Who is rather concerned now, opens before he walks towards the dining room, stopping just before the corner to listen in. This is only really apparent to Nomei.

Juliet has to pause a moment, "Sister," she croaks under her breath. Slowly, her face turns into what Nomei guesses is supposed to be a smile. A small little laugh starts to build out of Juliet. At first it's a series of low grunts, but it builds into a gargled cackle, indistinguishable from crying. She then slumps back into the chair, letting her head flop over the top. she continues her pathetic laugh for a moment before suddenly snapping silent. With a quick sniffle and a wipe of her eyes, she looks over at Nomei.

"Do you want to hear something funny?"

"Shoot."

"I told you how my I was raised by my uncle until he was killed by a warden," she begins, "I found out when I came home to find his bleeding body in a circle with two empty circles around him. Now, I was eight at the time and didn't really know what magic was and that warden confiscated the book when she left me in that room. what she didn't take was his notes" she leans forward, pausing for a moment and resting her elbows on her knees, eyes at the ground, "A few years after I was adopted by my Step-Freaks, I finally got curious."

She pauses again, more to gather her composure, "He was going to kill me. Some fucking ritual to summon and bind a demon. The blood of a relative needed or some shit. Some old and obscure ritual, the more blood in the circle, the stronger the bind. That's all I was to him. He was the last family member I had and all I was to him was an ingredient."

Slowly her head raises to look over at Nomei's direction, she lets out a quick, shallow, sad laugh before continuing "So... if I'm keeping track: my father abandoned me, my mother died, my uncle tried to kill me, and the replacements lost interest in me a long time ago. I'm... I think I'm good when it comes to having family," She locks her eyes to Nomei's with a piercing intensity, fully intending to initiate a soulgaze and leave nothing up for debate, "I don't need you to be my big sister, but... I don't mind looking to you for help."

Nomei raised her hands, "Fine, but, that wasn't family. Any of it." Nomei made to leave but turned around and gave J.J. a hug. "Real family are the people who make the choice to care about you." Letting go of her she stood and made to leave, and, still facing away from her, said, "Regardless of whether you see me as a sister or not, you're still my family. And I'm willing to die for that."

After a long held silence, all Juliet can find to say was a short wispy, "Yeah," as she looks off to the side. A part of he is curious if anything in the conversation was even accomplished. If anything, she feels she can trust Nomei; to what extent, she doesn't know but it's something, something she really only shares with the one other person in the room, "We... we should probably get going."

Nomei paused at the door and turned to look back at her, grinning, "You coming, Juliet?"

She waits for a second and takes a deep breath before standing up, "let's," just before she moves she looks at the hallway and halts as she figures Keen is around the corner, "just.. give me second to wrap up here. If wan't to wait outside, I'll just be a moment."

As Nomei left she briefly paused beside Keen, "I'm not the one you need to be afraid of, if the other two find out what you did to her, at least one of them is going to have a "chat" with you.

Keen stoically stand there leaning on the wall with his arm crossed, just glancing at her as she passes before looking back to Juliet , who starts walking towards him. He pushes himself off the wall and gestures his head towards his room, "Common," he starts, "I've got your clothes ready."

they retreat to his room, a minute or two passes by as Nomei waits at the basement entrance, she can hear them talk quietly but they aren't saying anything important. When they emerge, Juliet is wearing her loose T-shirt, red hoodie and black beanie; her shield is on her back. She looks much happier and calmer as she makes her way to the exit. Her pace is stopped when Keen suddenly grabs her arm, turns her around and embraces her. She responds a little caught off guard but then returns the embrace, burying her face in his chest. After a moment, she tilts her head up to kiss him slowly as her arms wrap around his shoulders. Nomei makes note of how his hands slide gently down her body till they are resting on her hips, making the scene look like something on the cover of a cheep trashy romance novel.

"Do you have to go with them?" is what he says after locking eyes with her for a moment.

She just smiles at him, "Play nice, Keen Isenberg," she then pecks him on the lips.

"I'm trying my best," he responds, "your friends don't make it easy."

Juliet let's out a quick chuckle, "Mmmmmm, your best sucks, " she says plainly, "try harder."

"Fine then, I'll get on that," he says as he releases her, they both head for the exit, "just remember you're mine on Sunday, maybe we'll finally finish that poetry project you need to hand in!"

"I already gave you something," she retorts.

"Sweetheart, everyone and their dog knows who Edger Allen Poe is and you ain't fooling me nor you teacher," He says with a grin. His eyes quickly after shift over to Nomei and  he takes a quick sigh, "I may not like your little operation, but... keep her safe."

Nomei nodded, her features shifted to serious, "Come on Jules, we have work to do."

Keen looks back at Juliet and they both share a quick smile before he closes the door. Juliet stretches her arms as she looks away and heads off with Nomei, "Yeah, Let's," she grunts out as he arm extends over her head. They both head off to do, as Juliet would put it,' whatever shit comes next.'