Crossfire (1x1 w/ Cloudsong)

[Cloudsong]

Nerea could tell by the way he replied, that Jacques was pleased by her acceptance. He spoke lightly to her in that strange accent that he did not recognize, and even had a note of laughter in his midsts. The brunette watched the man cautiously as he continued to smile at her for a moment, her own expression mirroring his in a forced, unhappy sort of way. No doubt he would overlook that, however, as Nerea was beginning to notice that Jacques was not very observant. He had failed to realize that she had Archer had been planning her escape for days now, and did not seem to notice the looks of loathing she would send in his direction when they were across the room.

As the leader snarled the request to the young boy, Nerea couldn't keep the forced smile in place. She frowned openly as she watched the men abuse the young boy, seeing them tug violently on his chains. It was unpleasant to watch, and she found herself for a moment almost losing the control that was so hard for her to remain in place. Her curse was itching forward, as if taking advantage of her sudden emotion, and with some effort, Nerea pushed it away. She couldn't afford to bring any suspicions down on herself, in this perilous time. In two days, she needed to be free to escape. If this man suspected the truth - that she was touched by a demon's hand - then she might be locked up along with the rest of the Flawed. Perhaps she would even be declared as one then and there. This was something she could not afford, as it would mean a lifetime of imprisonment. She so desperately treasured the idea of her freedom, and was so close already.

As the young boy approached her, holding the shaking platter towards her, Nerea's eyes softened. She pitied the boy - hated the idea that he was treated like trash. A small smile formed on her lips, this time one that was not forced. She leaned down and gently touched the boy's cheek, a caress that lasted only a moment. "Thank you, Robin," she said gently, with a soft smile. Although she was aware that the other two men would look at her strangely for treating a Flawed with such kindness, at that moment Nerea was too upset to care. She hated seeing him so scared, and wanted him to know that she meant him no harm.

When she returned her gaze to Jacques, the kindness vanished instantly, to be replaced this time with a neutral, cold expression. She sat down in front of him only because she felt obligated to do so, and even then took care to keep her distance. As the platter was pushed towards her, she silently took one of the offerings into her slender fingers, but did not bring it towards her mouth yet.

The question he posed was probably one to strike up a conversation, but Nerea was not keen to answer honestly. "I guess I just knew how to hide," she said calmly, her voice pleasant as the lie rolled off her tongue effortlessly. Of course she wasn't going to tell them that the reason the demons weren't alerted by her human presence was because of the curse that binded her so tightly - it gave off the aura of a demon itself, and allowed her to blend in to the shadows without them even noticing. It was the same presence that Archer had felt when they had first met - he had demanded to know if she was Flawed. Her eyes glanced over in the direction of the Flawed in question, and she saw for a brief second that he was looking her way - perhaps having been interested by her answer? She brushed off the thought before it even really registered. Archer wasn't interested in anything she had to say - this she had concluded after these days they had spent together.

She offered up no other conversation to the topic, but somehow anticipated that the man would continue to speak. After all, he had come here for a reason - that probably being to get her into his bed.

[R0be0]

Archer could tell that Jacques was being a bit dense to the fact that it was clear that Nerea wanted nothing to do with him. Of course he's going to act this way. He just believes if he could shrug it off maybe she would decide that it wasn't such a bad idea to get with him. Even though he had known Nerea for very long she didn't seem like someone that would change her thoughts so easily, and she seemed like someone that once she was set in her ways, she would be there unshaken. Of course this also meant that it would be more difficult for him to get her to conform to their ways, even if it were only for a few more days. This was evident when she called Robin by his name, and acted politely towards him. Archer could see Robin hide a smile, and shy away from it all, Jacques had looked a bit puzzled for a second, and then seemed to form a bit of a stiff frown. However it seemed like only a moment later when he was backing to smiling dumbly towards Nerea, like some hormone unbalanced teenager. Archer was desperately holding back to urge to roll his eyes, as it would be a giant disgrace. But that didn't mean that he didn't feel sick to the stomach at Jacques desperate attempts to woo Nerea.

"Oh I see," Jacques said after Nerea's brief and non-detailed answer as to how she managed to survive up on the surface. "Well I'm glad you did survive. Such a pretty girl like yourself, it would be a shame for you to die." Archer was starting to boil, he couldn't truly determine a reason why, but he was not happy with Jacques flirting with Nerea. Probably because she was the only one to want to help the Flawed in their peril (even though that was just silly), and Jacques was the one who was making him and all the other Flawed live like dogs. He didn't want to see someone who had so much potential lost because someone who was an utter fool was holding her back. Stop thinking those thoughts Archie! He snapped at his internal self. Jacques is the leader, whatever he says is correct, and if he wishes to be with Nerea than it should be her pleasure to want to be with him. He's a fine man, a great soldier, and...- No, these thoughts were wrong. Jacques was a fool, and a coward. Someone that was keeping everyone from facing the demons and succeeding. Nerea would be a lost cause if she went with Jacques, and in truth the man would probably forget she existed, even if she ended up baring him a child.

Watching Jacques moments, Archer narrowed his eyes when he saw Jacques slowly begin to shift closer to Nerea, a hand outreached to try and touch Nerea's arm. "Listen, I know you're new here, and no one has really showed you the ropes, so why don't you just come with me. I could show you something.. hehe, that you haven't seen before." That was just too far from Archer, lunging towards Jacques he whacked the man on the side of his face with all the strength that he had. Jacques fell face down onto the ground with a snort, and for a moment everything was quiet, and all Archer could hear was the racing of his own heart. That was until Jacques pushed himself up, blood dripping from his nose, a massive bruise under his eye and on his cheek. "You...." Jacques snarled, leaping at Archer and pushing him towards the floor, he held one arm at Archer's neck, and with the other hand continued to punch him in the jaw, over and over again. There was an intense pain running from his face, but he did nothing to stop Jacques. He had already done too much, he had done something that no one should have ever done. And why? Well he wasn't even sure.

[Cloudsong]

Nerea didn't seem to notice the uneasy look Jacques sent her way as she gently regarded the young Flawed. If she had noticed, it was obvious that she chose to ignore it. The brunette kept her gaze down as she slowly and deliberately ate the sandwich that the man had offered her, trying not to focus on the taste. After so many years of scavenging her food, the girl had long since lost interest in indulging. She ate only because it was a necessity, and didn't think much else of it.

Jacques' reply was polite - flirtatious, even. He complimented her looks, something that did not give her the flattery she assumed he had intended. Rather, Nerea just stared at him, once again forcing the cool smile onto her lips. He didn't impress her at all, and it was painfully obvious. If she hadn't made the promise to Archer to behave herself, by now Nerea would be yelling at the man to leave her be, but the Flawed's words echoed strangely in the back of her head, reminding her. This was her freedom, and she could not jeopardize it. She pretended to busy herself with smoothing her hands together, successfully taking off any crumbs that had remained from the morsel she had just consumed. Jacques continued on as she had expected, not seeming to even care about her silence. After all, as she was very aware, this man only wanted one thing, and it wasn't an emotional relationship. He cared not for how she reacted, only wanted her consent. But I will not give it to him, she thought fiercely, biting down hard onto her tongue. There was the familiar feeling of pain that was almost comforting - how sick, she mused - as the curse had become so deeply ingrained to her everyday life.

His next remark was more subtle. Nerea's eyes narrowed as he began to invite her to come with him, and for a moment she was tempted to slap him smartly across the face. The sudden movement from the sidelines distracted her however, and she stopped dead as Archer lunged at the man's neck, beating her to it. She was on her feet within seconds, a scream threatening to escape her lips. What was Archer doing - had he lost his mind? What had caused this sudden madness that would actually cause him to attack a human? He knew the punishment for that, and it seemed almost within seconds the Flawed gave up, simply allowing Jacques to punch him continuously in the jaw. Over and over Nerea watched the leader bring his hand down onto Archer's jaw until finally, she could stand it no longer.

"NO!" she screamed, throwing herself down into the fight, not thinking at all of the consequences. In her desperation to get Jacques away from Archer, she got hit once in the chest by the leader, who was not paying attention to the woman in his sudden anger towards the man who had attacked him. Nerea threw herself onto the man, knocking down onto the ground a few feet away from Archer. Jacques was strong however, and she was thrown off within a second. Being a woman, it was impossible to hold him down. But her point at least, had gotten across.

"Stop, don't touch him!" she shrieked, her voice undeniably loud as she jabbed her palm into Jacques' chest. "He was having a fit! Are you not aware that this happens to Flawed?" Her words were like fire, and it seemed as though she had momentarily forgotten her promise to behave. After all, Archer had broken his own word when he had suddenly lunged at the leader. "Am I not his keeper, Jacques? You yourself appointed me to take charge of him." She paused for a moment, throwing her gaze over to Archer, who was still laying on the ground, badly bloodied up from the beating. "I decide his fate - I decide how to punish him." Never in her wildest dreams would she have ever harmed him however, despite her words. All of this was to protect him. "I don't appreciate your intervention, sir." She spat out the last word, her eyes like fire as she glared Jacques down.

[R0be0]

Archer was surprised when he felt the pain stop, and the punches cease from coming. Looking up he saw that Jacques had gotten off of him, and in one foul movement he spat down on Archer's face. "Fine," Archer heard the man say, probably to Nerea. "You deal with him." And with that he walked away in a bitter cold fashion, leaving Archer laying down on the floor, blood pouring from his nose, and mouth. He could taste the tangy blood, and he could feel it running down his face and chin, it was a disgusting feeling though he knew that he deserved it. He didn't know why Nerea had intervened, he had learned enough about the girl to understand that she would not do anything to hurt him, not physically anyways. So why would she opt to punish him? She should have let Jacques continue to beat me, it was what was needed, I made a mistake and I was going to have to pay for it. Lucky she's leaving in a few days or she wouldn't be able to understand that. This was the first time that he had ever lashed out at someone like that, one of the first times a Flawed had ever broken the law and attacked one of the humans. He would no doubt be marked as a fool, and an idiot by the rest of the Flawed, as they would no doubt tell him that attacking a human - especially a leader, for no real apparent reason was one of the worst things that could be done. In any normal reality you might think that they would laugh and sing and say that Jacques deserved a punch for talking to Nerea like he did, but not the Flawed, they knew their place, and they knew what they should and shouldn't do. It was like a second nature born into them.

Pushing himself up on his weak hands, he numbly wiped some of the blood from his face, which of course within seconds was replaced like he hadn't done anything about it. He would be given nothing for his cuts and bruises, and they would be left to heal however they did. So knowing this, he tore off some of the rugged clothing that he was wearing and pressed it up against his nose, trying to stop as much of the blood as possible. There would be nothing that could be done to help him ease the pain in his face, as he knew that he deserved it all, he had acted so brashly and out of line that he would have expected even more than this to go down. Jacques was generous in giving the punishment, because for all that could have been said and done, he could have ordered Archer to be killed right on the spot. Something like that wouldn't be deemed uncommon, and no doubt it wouldn't even phase any of the people. They're used to us Flawed having to be punished for what we do wrong, and the bigger the crime, the bigger the punishment. They know this, and they understand why we have to live like this. However it seems like Nerea really does not. The fact that she had stepped while he was being punished was like his worst nightmare, and she was lucky that he didn't consider that breaking their deal. She probably thought that he would be glad that she stopped Jacques from attacking him, while in all truth he was saddened that she had done so, and had stopped him from being given what was needed.

Turning to look in Nerea's direction there was an unknown look on his face, one that could not be put into one emotion. "Are you alright? I saw Jacques swing a hit at you." It was strange, even though he was furious with her, he could settle down enough to be able to feel genuine concern (which was a rarity within itself). It might seem a bit surprising but he did in the end care about her well-being, not so much as she seemed to care for his, but enough that he would have to hold back even more rage if he found out that Jacques had hurt her. No, don't think about him right now, that's not a good idea. You need to calm down, and thinking about Jacques won't help you any. It was difficult for him to try and settle down, and he felt his heart still racing, and his mind was spinning with a million thoughts. He figured that there would be no way that he would be able to cool down.

[Cloudsong]

Nerea watched Jacques go with a dignified, haughty expression on her face. She slowly raised herself to a stand, positioning herself in front of Archer, in case someone dared argue with her. The man that had been accompanying the leader with Robin shuffled after him, seeming honestly surprised that Jacques had backed down so easily to a woman. After all, it wasn't normal for someone of such power - the leader of the rebels themselves - to yield to anyone's word, and especially not for that person to be a newcomer. Perhaps it was because of the infatuation he held for Nerea, or perhaps just that Jacques was so revolted by the entire situation, that he had to escape. Because she didn't know him well enough, it was easy to decide that she did not want to know why he had backed down from attacking Archer. All that mattered now was that he was there, and that he was no longer in danger.

She turned her attention on to the Flawed man as he was slowly picking himself up off of the ground, his hand gingerly touching the blood that was now steadily pouring from his wounds. Archer was injured, but not in a very brutal manner. From what she could see, Nerea saw cuts and bruises forming - all mild. It was a relief that it was nothing serious, but the girl somehow could not slow her heart from pounding in her chest at twice its normal rate. She still felt the terror inside of her like a whiplash, and was unable to wipe the worry from her features, as it would probably only irritate Archer. Would he be breaking the bargain? She had stepped out of line.

But to her surprise, Archer was not angry. At least, apparently not towards her. He asked if she was all right, and Nerea felt herself freeze, surprised by his concern. She had barely realized that the man had punched her in the chest, and even now the pain seemed so inconsequential compared to his own blood. "I'm fine," she replied quietly, numbly almost. With a quick glance behind her shoulder, Nerea confirmed that no one was watching. Archer seemed to be in tough pain, and she didn't really want to think of the consequences as she approached him, seating herself down next to him.

Her dark brown eyes were full of concern as she reached out towards him, as if wanting to touch his face. It seemed as though she realized her actions too late, and hastily pulled back before they made contact. After a moment, she blinked. "What happened to you?" she said quietly, her voice barely audible as she posed the question. It was clear that she was not referring to the injuries, but instead why he had jumped on Jacques in the first place. After having experienced a fit from him first-hand back in the alley on the day they had met, Nerea knew that this had not been what she had told Jacques. This had been more - anger. But why had he acted on it?

[R0be0]

Grunting slightly when Nerea sat down by him, the man kept the ripped cloth pressed to his bleeding nose. Even though no one was watching it felt wrong to be sitting so close to one's master, especially after a fight had broken out. Not that many fights do break out... He thought with a small scowl, he would be considered a maniac for a few weeks, or maybe even more. Hopefully they would come around after awhile and he would be given back the rights that he no doubt had just lost. Or he hoped so, that was if someone attacked a regular member of the group, no one had dared lash out at Jacques before, and so what punishment he would recieve in the long run seemed yet to be revealed. Either way it's going to make sneaking out of here unnoticed a lot harder. They'll be watching me extra closely now, and possibly Nerea too. Jacques still hasn't given up on trying to court her - dispsite my.... intervence. But since Nerea was (sort of) keeping up her side of the bargain he would have to do to same, and hold up his. All their work scheming to come up with a way to get out of here wouldn't be lost just because he had gotten into trouble with the leader... Right?

He was snapped from his thoughts when he saw something move towards his face, he glanced over to see Nerea reach out a hand, before carefully retreating it back, as to thinking better of her actions. Good on you. He wanted to say out loud, though decided to keep it as just a mere thought. It was bad enough all hell had broken loose, if a master was seen touching a Flawed in any way other than a slap, or a punch it would... well, it was unheard of. There was once even a rumor that if you touched a Flawed that you would become infected with the disease. This was of course; rubbish. But still countless guilable people around the camp believed it was so, and the Flawed were ignored for a couple of weeks, their meals being tossed from a distance, and no one even tempted to get too close to the cages. Of course this was all proven a myth when one Flawed touched his master and his master didn't fall ill to the taint. Everyone after that kind of felt stupid for believing in the rumors. But it had given Archer a good reason to laugh for once.

When she asked what happened, he scrunched up his face a bit, pulling the cloth away from a moment, to reveal that it had turned from a light grey to a very dark read. He then looked back at her, a sense of cluelessness in his eyes, as if that was an answer enough to her question. "I.... I don't know. I just sort of..." He tried to look for the word that he would use to describe the feeling that came over his body. "Snapped.. I guess. I don't know. It all happened too quickly." He pressed the cloth back to his face and looked away from her. He really couldn't understand why he had gotten so furious with Jacques, as it was a feeling of rage that he had not felt in awhile. He himself was curious to why he had snapped, why he had attacked the leader knowing full well that it was not something that was proper. "Though in all fairness..." He said in a low voice which only Nerea would be able to hear. "I figured you'd be glad I did so. Jacques seemed to be getting a little too... close, to you." It was difficult to tell the emotion that was on the girl's face, but he knew well enough that it wasn't one of joy or happiness. Of course not you idiot! You and Jacques just got into a fight right next to her!

[Cloudsong]

Nerea watched him restlessly tear apart the cloth, pressing them into his bloody nose. She seemed worried as she watched, as if she wanted to somehow help him out in healing. But seeing how he shied away from her hand, and jerked his gaze away to make sure no one had seen, she guessed that Archer did not want her help. It bemused her that a man who had so clearly told her that he did not want her friendship had risked his life to that extent to protect her dignity. Jacques had not even been physically touching her, just implying that he wanted to. These were words that had had little effect on her - words that had not bothered her at all. She could take care of herself - that much was crystal clear, as she had successfully hidden her entire life from the demons that roamed the streets. So why had he tried to protect her to that extent?

His weak attempt at a smooth reply was not one that Nerea bought. She watched as he scrunched his face up, as if the memory was one that caused him pain simply by thinking about it. Again she was under the impression that he was unsure of what he was trying to portray, as his actions went against the words themselves. He had just snapped? As if he had had a fit. Should that have been true, Nerea knew that Archer would not have allowed Jacques to punch him so badly. The Flawed were physically stronger than humans. If he had wanted to, Archer could have pulverized Jacques. Once again she found herself wondering why he stuck around in a place where everyone treated him like dirt. It took her a moment to process his words, but after a short while Nerea seemed to have organized her thoughts.

She edged forward slightly, leaning up against the cement wall once more, her legs tucked underneath her. "I appreciate your... gesture, Archer," she began, somewhat hesitantly. For a moment she seemed to pause, unsure of how to go on. "But you don't have to worry about me - I can defend myself against Jacques. He wouldn't have actually touched me. I never would have let him." It was true, as the man had only spoken his crude thoughts, implying what he wished to do with her. He had not outright attempted to touch her. It was a line that she would not allow the man to cross, as she was oddly repulsed by the idea of someone touching her - especially Jacques. "He's not very bright, anyway. I would have stopped him. But I don't want..." Her voice trailed off, and she seemed confused by her own sudden emotion as she continued. "I can't watch you take beatings like that - for me." Suddenly she no longer wanted to see his bloodied face. It was only a reminder of what had just happened - how he had gone limp, allowing the man to abuse him. How Archer still looked at himself.

"I just can't see it." Her final words he probably wouldn't catch - they were a mere whisper that she didn't really want him to even hear. They were more to herself.

[R0be0]

Archer grumbled slightly when he heard what Nerea had said. Did she truly think that he only lashed out due to her? He narrowed his eyes slightly at this, "you may be my master, but I did not lash out at Jacques because I thought that you wouldn't be able to handle yourself. You're not all that important yet." This was perhaps one of the most foul things that he had ever said to someone outside of the Flawed. Why? Well, because he was still pouring with anger. You couldn't just get beat up by someone and not continue to feel anger for awhile. Plus with him being a Flawed it would be likely that he could lash out at anyone, at any time. That was what he was feeling right now, like he could attack anyone, at any given time. That nothing that anyone said would cool his fueling temper. The man gritted his teeth, trying to stop himself from saying anything that he would regret. However he was coming to the realization that Nerea wasn't going to be true to her role, and rat him out if he snapped at her a bit. Still he didn't want to tempt her to change her ways. Plus, he wasn't really mad at her, she was just trying to communicate with him at a really bad time. You've got to try and keep calm Archie, self control remember? It was something that you've managed to master for your life so far. Why would it change now? This was true, naturally the man was gifted with keeping himself controlled, as was expected from any Flawed. Today was the first time that he had ever let the anger get the best of him.

Anymore explosions like that and they're going to think that you're starting to turn early. Generally men didn't turn into husks until they were about forty or fifty, though there had been some rare occasions when a younger Flawed would turn into an abomination. That wasn't what was happening with him right? He wasn't turning... was he? No, don't be silly. You're just paranoia because you almost got your skull beat in. You're not turning, you're just having a little spat.. Yes that's what it is. You're having a little bit of a downfall. Nothing that time won't fix! He had to think positive like that, when you were in the position of having your life ultimately end as you knew it you have to let yourself believe that it's not happening. As with anything it would take acceptance over time. Archer decided then and there that it wouldn't be a wise idea to tell Nerea any of this though, as she might start something up. He needed her to trust him for their arrangement to work, and that trust might be broken if she found out that there was a chance that he could turn into some kind of demon controlled monster. But usually one could tell when they were turning, they would feel as if they were coming off of a drug withdrawal, shakes, intense pain, and the need to be doing something to keep their mind occupied. If he was turning he would know a week or so before the change.

"Look," he said, about to apologize but not sure how he'd go on about it. "I'm sorry that I snapped. It's just..." He trailed off, unsure how he could continue. He kept his glaze averted from the girl, he really wished that he had not met her now, since she had come nothing but trouble had come from Archer. He had rarely ever been beaten in the past, but in the past couple of days he'd been beaten twice, and had attacked the leader! He couldn't help but think that all of it could be somehow related back to Nerea, and her actions. Of course, the beating he had just received had pretty much been all of his fault, but still. Had he attacked Jacques because he felt that Nerea would be unable to defend herself against Jacques' lust? No- that would make no sense. Yes, she was his master and he needed to respect that, but still one would not attack the leader over their master, that was.. Well insane.

Fiddling with the bloodied cloth, he took a deep outtake of breath, which hurt his lungs slightly. "We need to get you out soon. I can't wait another two days." His voice was low now, however he still refused to look at the girl. "We will go tonight, no matter who's on guard, I'll think of something. I can't have anything more like this happening. The sooner you leave, the sooner the both of us will be a lot more happier." This was true, though he almost found it difficult to tell her that he wanted her to leave sooner than they had thought, as if it would offend her. Why would it? She wanted to leave, and no doubt she would be happy that he opted to help her to do sooner rather than later.

[Cloudsong]

Nerea didn't allow the hurt cross her features as he told her coldly that he did not care about her. Of course he did not - how could she ever have believed that his actions had been fueled by his will to protect her? In that moment, she had believed that perhaps... perhaps Archer did care. Maybe a little bit. But with the few words that he spoke now, a cold understanding was beginning to creep up through her spine. He did not. The thought stuck in her throat like a needle, and the girl brushed her gaze upon him, seeing only that he was deep in thought, an unreadable expression on his face. No doubt he was only thinking about himself - how this would all result in his favor. Would Jacques beat him for this - even after she had pulled him off?

The girl allowed herself to fall back a step, going to lean up against the wall once more. She felt humiliated, even if she would never have dreamed to let the feature cross her face. He didn't deserve to see the pain she was going through - he would probably only take advantage of it. And all this time, I had only confused him for someone else. She had falsely believed that perhaps this man could take up the place in her heart that Jack had left a gaping hole in. But rather than doing so however, it seemed as though Archer had just opened up the wound that she had so long ago buried. Nerea blinked, letting her gaze fall onto the floor once more. She didn't want to look at him, for some reason. It seemed as though he felt the same, as his eyes were glued onto a fixed spot somewhere below her.

He began to speak again, this time apologizing for what had happened. She felt the urge to laugh bitterly, but contained herself. The last thing she wanted was for him to suspect insanity in her - even if everyone that was still alive was a little bit like that. For some reason, Nerea did not want to tell Archer anything anymore. It hurt too much to open up to someone, especially if it was someone like him.

So he wanted to get her out as soon as possible? Tonight, even? The thought brought a slight bit of adrenaline pumping through her veins, and Nerea instantly perked up, her momentary disappointment fading. The idea of getting away from Archer in that moment was very appealing, and she met his gaze evenly. No doubt he would be happy to see the last of her. That was one thing Nerea was sure about. "If you think it's best," she said finally, her voice taut with some emotion that was unclear. She narrowed her eyes slightly, standing up straight once again. "The sooner I go, the sooner you can forget about me."

[R0be0]

Archer did not need to look at Nerea to sense her saddness, it seemed to flood from her and melt through the air. Why was she so let down? He hadn't spoken that cruely against her (or at least he didn't think so). Had she been expecting more from this partnership? Had she been expecting that he would become her friend? What nonsense! Why would she think such thoughts? It was not like he implied he wanted anything more than a mutual partnership that would go no more than a few pointers and tips here and there. What had he done that had made her think of anything else? I mean I've been mean to her ever since we've met. I haven't done anything that you would expect someone who wished to befriend you would do. In fact I've done all the things that enemies would have done to one another. The fact that she wanted this to become a friendship is just... so odd. That was the best way that he could put it, he found the idea of her wanting to be friends with him just odd. How did she even expect it to work out anyways? They were only going to know each other for a couple more days, and then they would part their seperate ways. It would be foolish to get close to anyone when you weren't going to know them long enough for it to truly matter. But he would leave the what's, and how's to her mind. He had to make sure that she knew that they were nothing more than business partners.

"You were being an idiot." Archer growled, still not looking at her, he couldn't, he honestly found it to be near impossible for himself to be able to turn in her direction and look at her. Even if he didn't care much for her, it didn't mean that he wanted to see someone when they were sad. Though it would be argued, he was still human. "We can't be friends, I won't look out for you, or whatever little twisted fantasy you thought up in that head of yours. I only want things to go back to the way that they were, and so do you. That's why we were working together, nothing more, nothing less." It was the brutal truth that he was speaking of. As he wanted to get it all out without cutting any corners. She needed to realize that Archer only wanted his life to be kept normal, and whatever standards of normal that was, was his business. If he wanted to allow himself to fall to the beatings of many others, then that was his choice. And he was realizing that Nerea was complicating everything that he was planning for the rest of his existence.

There was a pause before he spoke again, "and yes we're going to leave tonight, it's the best idea. I do want you out of here, and I'm not going to hide that fact." Did he actually want her to leave? Yes, yes of course. Why would he have any second thoughts on that? But indeed he was thinking that maybe there was a small part of him which had taken a liking to the stubborn girl who happened to get him into more trouble in a couple days than he had ever gotten in his entire life. But it was something that was being hidden away from the main sector of his mind. Right now he just wanted to make her hate him, and to erase all the feelings of future she had no doubt had been harbouring.