Back to the Nest (Leila)

Cross replied.
Sure babe you're welcome to stay

Leila easily found a cab in less than ten minutes which took her to Cross' very quickly. Once there the security guard opened the door for her allowing the cab in the property.

Leila waved to Cross' guard paid for her cab fair and hopped out. Then she headed for the door of his sprawling home and found herself really truly happy to be back there. She checked to see if it would open then knocked otherwise.

A few minutes after knocking the door Mary opened up.
"Good evening Miss. Welcome"

Leila smiled to the young maid and looked her body once over, almost seeing the girl in a new light.

"Evening Mary, hope the night is finding you well. Is Cross busy? Can you take me to him?"

"No ma'am, he's watching TV in his room. Follow me" Mary said and started walking upstairs.

Just before getting in Cross' room Leila received a text message from Tantra.
"I agree with Pillar's decision. You're not welcome in the Lair. Our training is cancelled."

Leila started walking into the home and her phone buzzed with a message.

She picked it out of her pocket and felt all of her emotions collide to a halt. If her heart had been beating it would have sank to a stop and her guts twisted in her stomach. What had she done?! She paused in the hallway.

"Fuck."

She muttered and clutched the device wanting to crush it, she held it tight for a second but released it to type a reply.

Tantra... I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I made such a terrible mistake. Can we all please sit down and talk about it tomorrow? I will do anything either of you want... I can be so dense, but I didn't mean to be a prude. I'm sorry I want to fix this.

Cross says from his room.
"Fuck what? Come on' in babe. What's up?"

Leila came in slowly, her face sagged and her entire body looked sad and depressed beyond anything he could expect from her. She clutched her phone desperate to see if Tantra would respond. Her body only made its way to his doorway and she brought her eyes slowly to look at him on his bed.

"I am a walking pile of shit Cross. You don't want to see me right now. All I do, all I've done since I've been here is screw up, use people and piss on everyone. I never meant to do that. I'm going to get my things and go Cross. I'm sorry for messing up your car and getting you injured. Thank you for what you have done for me, I didn't deserve it."

Fuck the setites not being vulnerable, or admitting to being weak, Leila was crumbling now. She couldn't handle the disproval of her sire. It was literally killing her again inside. She couldn't stand herself and she didn't expect Cross to either. She wanted to run, to flee and find a dark corner to cry into. Maybe she could sleep in the subway tonight. And catch a train or something when the darkness came again. She had been in such a rush to get to him she had lost almost everything that mattered to her in a blink.

She turned on her heels and started to walk to the room he let her stay in.

Cross reaction was none but the expected.
"It's almost dawn. You'll fry out there. Literally"

"Yeah..."

She grumbled and kept walking. The idea of frying in the sun almost had an appeal to it. She stopped still within his earshot.

"Would you care if I did that?"

She felt herself clinging on to whatever he was going to say. He'd probably already written her off as weak willed and worthless but she had to know.

Cross replied.
"If you don't care, I don't either. Just letting you know for your information."

Mary was shocked about the conversation, standing still near of the entrance of Cross' chamber, silent and looking to the floor. She was right in front of Leila within the reach of her hand.

His words cut through her like butter. She wanted him to care, she needed to care she needed to care. Leila looked up at the ghoul in front of her. Felt how weak and pitiful she looked.

She searched herself in that moment. All that she had been through these last few nights. Maybe she was losing herself inside. Disconnecting with the world, thats what it felt like and right now she was accepting that. She had to really start to consider why. She was afraid of facing her sire's wraith and afraid of venturing out of the world on her own. When she realized that she cursed again under her breath. She let fear return to her and it was vile this time. She knotted her tiny fist and faced down the invisible fears in her head still trying to hold her back. She was stronger than that, she'd just had one of the biggest triumph's in her unlife she couldn't lapse already.

Her gaze drifted back to his room and she turned around and walked into it. She looked at Cross, her face and expression a great deal colder than the last time he'd seen her.

"The nights are changing me. I do care, I just needed a reminder. How have you been holding up? I've been trying to get back to you for a while tonight and I was in such a hurry I pissed off Pillar. That's what I was upset about. I should have worked out my emotions alone for a minute before I came in here. Sorry about that."

She smiled getting over herself. She still wasn't close to Cross, physically or emotionally and he's seen her freak out twice now. She was prepared for his rejection of her as well, but she didn't show it.

Cross looked steady to Leila putting his ideas in order, he was very different to other Followers since Leila could see his emotions, his inner struggle expressed in her face.

Leila's phone vibed again.
We can talk about it but I won't intercede between you and Pillar in anyway. He is absolutely right.

Cross took his blanket off show his ripped body to Leila, pouring a bloodysubtances that covered his entire body, while his guts were still showing out, broken limbs and marks of claws everywhere. It was very disgusting to stare.
"And you are upset?" sarcasm.

Leila looked down at him, pitying herself and him. She'd done that to him in essence and she was complaining about a spat with Pillar and her sire.

"Oh Cross."

Leila knelt down next to his bed, she wanted to take his pain away to ease his struggles reminding herself that she couldn't but she would keep trying. Her hand went to his to hold.

"It's not only that, but its not important. Not when you are still suffering. I'm so sorry, have you been able to heal at all?"

She watched the blood pouring over his guts and pieces, then she looked into his eyes with care and concern.

Cross nodded
"Yes, Stein brought me something to drink last night and early this night. This viscous blood its repairing my body. Tomorrow I'll take a bath, you'll see how better I'm now.

So, what happened with Pillar?"

Cross shrugs with a worried expression in his face, like something was really wrong about that.
"I see." he says.

"I know I really screwed up. Any ideas on making this right?"

She tries to look like she could handle this.

Cross resolves to speak his mind whatever the consequences.
"I think that this is complicated right now, not so much about Pillar, he's a really nice guy but...

... Tantra took it to a whole new level. You're not allowed in the Lair? That's serious shit!"

Leila looked at her phone and finally the message from Tantra.

"She's at least willing to talk to me about it. Perhaps I can mend this with her."

Trying to reach an euphemism Cross said.
"She is.... Exhaustive about her lessons. I don't know how is she going to be with her Childe tho."

Cross says.
"I don't know if I should tell you this but...

Tantra once had a problem with Stein, I can't say what happened exactly but I remember that she was very intense about the issue. Stein had to work for month to mend things with her and according to him he managed to fix things faster than anyone before him."

Leila rubbed her forehead.

"Oh dear. Thanks for the insight. She's tough as nails. I wonder sometimes if I'm just the exact opposite of her."