Thursday - October 2nd, 2008 Who: Nicanor and Hope When: Afternoon Where: Hope's office What: Getting acquainted over coffee.
Nicanor had made a point to find his way around campus very quickly, because he did not like not knowing where he was going. Unfamiliarity had not done him well in the past. So he knew where Hope's office was, even though he had always anticipated never having to go there. But as far as he could tell. living at this school was going to be vastly different than the others. The north really was as foreign as everyone had always told Nic it would be. People were in a hurry here, they didn't say hello as you passed, they did not even like to make eye contact. It felt isolating.
But Hope had been friendly. She was the very head of the school, the woman in charge, and she had been quite pleasant and welcoming. He was curious of her, in many ways. She was not as stony and uptight as previous school directors had been before. Maybe she would be more accepting of Nic and his ideals.
He knocked politely on her office door, a pink carnation in his hand. You did not meet a woman, especially a stranger, and not bring some kind of gift. "I must offer you apology," he said as soon as Hope opened the door. "I did not know you were a doctor when we before talked, I did not address you properly. Lo siento." He extended the flower to her, smiling softly. ~~~ The time had really gotten away from Hope. She had a lot on her plate these days, what with juggling the school, her ever changing personality, her work (which was seriously starting to falter), a boyfriend (whom she needed to have a discussion with about their future together), and the classes she had to teach. Right now, she was reviewing some papers that she had intended to hand back earlier this week but hadn't managed to get done and it wasn't until she heard the knock on the door that she realized it was time for her coffee date with Nicanor Soto.
"Just a minute," Hope called out, quickly tidying her desk so he wouldn't feel as though he had caught her at a bad time before moving to her feet. Hands smoothed down over her skirt as she stood and then she glanced at herself in the mirror quickly, just to ensure she didn't look as frazzled as she felt before she headed over to the door.
The last thing Hope had expected as an apology and a flower. The surprise showed on her face followed by a smile. "It's perfectly okay. I'm not one of those doctors so... Apology accepted." She accepted the flower as well before she took a step to the side and gestured. "Come on in." She left him to find a seat or otherwise entertain himself as she walked over to the tiny in-office kitchenette to find a tall beeker that she happened to have in the room and some bottled water to put the flower in. ~~~ Hope's office was like the kind of place you read in stories. Nic stepped inside, his hands in his pockets, looking around with curious wonder. She was a scientist, he had read about her, and she was very smart, quite pretty (that was definitely true) and a little bit "off". He did not know what that meant exactly, but perhaps their conversation today would reveal it.
"This is very interesting," he said, watching her place her flower in a beaker. That was unusual, but it also had a certain unique beauty to it. "Your office looks like it comes from a book, or a movie. It looks like you could become lost in work for days. Do you?" The state of her office indicated that she was quite busy, perhaps on experiments but perhaps on school related work as well. ~~~ "Sometimes," Hope answered honestly, putting the flower on a small table in the room where it was out of the way and safe from being knocked over by accident. There weren't many places around here like that. "Or at least I used to." She gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "Not as much anymore. I guess you could say I've discovered the value of having a life outside of work."
Satisfied with the placement of the flower, Hope turned her attention back toward her guest. "Did you want to go to the caf for some coffee? Or.. Well there's a pot in the foyer too if you'd rather avoid all the chatter." To say she didn't have a preference would be a lie. While Hope had become a lot more of a social creature now than she had ever been in the past, she still preferred to avoid crowds unless it was necessary to do otherwise. ~~~ Nic also had a preference, and it was to be away from the crowds. "We could stay close here," he offered, not wanting to force Hope to stay here if she didn't want to. "I would like to be able to hear you when we are talking." He gave her a reassuring smile and a nod. "I am not picky about my coffee, so long as I can pour sugar in it." ~~~ "Good," Hope laughed softly. "I was hoping you would say that." And she wasn't ashamed to admit that either. "So why don't we go down the hall and grab a cup and then we can..." She glanced around the office with a slightly furrowed brow. "Try to find the chairs in here somewhere and have a chat." ~~~ "This sounds like a good thing," he agreed, glad that Hope was on board with being somewhat antisocial. Her office might not have been the most ideal place to have a meeting, but maybe they could sit on the floor if chairs could not be uncovered. Nic was not opposed to sittingon floors.
Stepping into the hallway, and holding the door for Hope, he fell in step beside her. "I looked up that word you said," he told her conversationally as they walked. "You know... posh? I looked on the internet to see what it meant. I do think you sound it, now that I am hearing your voice." ~~~ The chairs were there somewhere. Or they could always sit in the waiting room. It wasn't like there was anyone working in there right now since Cecilia had left again. That was one of the reasons why her office was covered once more. She didn't have an assisstant right now. She'd have to start shopping around for one before too much longer now that she knew the girl didn't intend to return.
Falling into step beside him, Hope quirked a brow when he mentioned looking something up. "Oh, that." She laughed softly. "So is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Speaking of accents, "You've lived in the South for a while now, right? I can tell. You've got a bit of a... twang, I suppose you could say." Though he sounded decidely Spanish as well, of course. ~~~ Nodding, Nic pursed his lips. "Mm, yes, the south for four years. All over, from the west to east and back. Texas first, Arizona, New Mexico," he said, the last one pronounced in true Mexican fashion. "It was there I learned English, among other things." Some things he would not get into, because they were things she was not meant to know, things Hope probably did not want to know. "This is my first time being in the north. It is... different. There are many different customs here, not like the south at all. For one, I saw there are many coffee places here. You must drink a lot of it." He grinned, giggling just a little. "Is that why y'all seem to be in such a rush all over?" ~~~ "You learned very well," Hope commented, leaving the "other things" alone. She assumed he meant things that adults knew. She could be wrong, of course, but she wasn't one to really pry too much. The comment about the coffee places made her laugh. "I assume so. I'm not from here either so... I've always preferred my tea." She had lived in Britain for quite some time, after all. "Why'd you move around so much? If you don't mind my asking." By this time, they had made it to the area where the coffee pot was. This area was open for all the staff to use, so there was already a pot made, along with a sampling of plenty of different types of cream, sugar, and sugar substitutes. She preferred the French Vanilla personally. ~~~ Because he was raised to respect his elders, and those in authority, Nic waited for Hope to offer him a cup instead of helping himself. It was strange enough being in an area obviously made for teachers when he was not one. "I did not find a place where I thought I fit," he told her, which was only half a lie. "The schools are not how you are set up here. A great many of them are only private farms where a family has taken in people and let them live there for safety. We did work in exchange for housing, and during the full moons we were sent outside in a large cage, to keep us from running wild. It was safe, but it was not comfortable. We were treated like animals much of the time." He shrugged a little, casually. "So I went to find a new place where I liked it more. I think perhaps I will like here." ~~~ "Help yourself," Hope said after she'd made her own cup, taking a step to the side so that he could better reach, leant against the wall waiting for it to cool. The way he spoke about the places he had been was almost enough to make her cringe. "That sounds awful," she said honestly. She sort of scoffed as she added, "And the students here think they have it bad." She shook her head as she exhaled a small sigh. "You know I can't change that. After everything I've done, I'm still met with, pardon my language, shitty attitudes." She raised her cup to her lips and paused to added, "It's incredibly frustrating." ~~~ Taking a cup and pouring the black bew into it, Nic frowned at Hope's words. "Your students are selfish, ungrateful and spoiled," he said with a small growl. Looking up at her, he seemed suddenly embarassed, smiling a little. "I am sorry. I should not speak that way of your students. You are a good woman and you obviously do all you can to help them. I also become incredibly frustrated sometimes." Setting his mug on the table beside the coffee pot, Nic grabbed a few packets of Equal and shook them out, then tore off the tops. "American youth has such a sense of entitlement that is not deserved. They feel the world owes them everything and yet they are not happy. You have given them a safe place to be that is not hidden far away from the real world. This school is a paradise compared to where I have been." ~~~ The sudden... passion with which he spoke caught her slightly off guard, and the look she gave him in response to what he said would have certainly shown that. She exhaled a soft laugh and shook her head. "No, no, you're probably right about some of them. But for others I think it's more... fear." That was something she didn't relate to before but now she understood it completely. "A lot of the students here have just recently comne into their... abilities, etc, and that's a lot to handle." She smiled softly, "And for the most part, they've not experienced what you have. This is the only side of this world that they've known so of course they feel... somewhat hostile toward it. There are exceptions to that too, however." Giving a small shrug of her shoulders she added, "I just try to look it at from their perspectives and not take it personally but... You know, like anyone, I have my moments." ~~~ Nic was quiet, stirring his sugar substitute into his coffee, listening to Hope's words. He knew well the anger and anguish of the newly turned supernatural, he had seen it many times. He thrived on it. It was that kind of person that he looked for, because they were the ones who felt they had something to fight for. Many of them felt, secretly, that if they lashed out against their opressors, they might go back to the lives they'd had.
"I cannot understand hostility toward a person who only tries to help," he said softly. "But I can understand being slow to trust something. For many, that must mean they are rude to others." He didn't want Hope thinking that he thought badly of her students, or this area, so he smiled shyly at her. "It is also much likely the area I am from. People are kinder to their neighbors, want to know them. I have not seen that here. I mean in this state, not in this school. Most are nice in this school." ~~~ "Sometimes, yes. It's.. a defense mechanism for some people." Hope's had been to simply hide herself away. And now.. she wasn't really sure what it was now. Not caring, perhaps? Or trying not to care, rather. Because she did care, sometimes she just felt... overwhelmed by it. "You don't have to say that just for my benefit. I know that a lot of the people here are fairly abrasive but... You handle it well enough from what I've seen." A few of the students had tried to bait him in the journals, after all. But he hadn't allowed it, and she was pretty impressed by that. It showed a maturity that was quite uncommon amongst the student body, and sometimes staff, here. ~~~ Her compliment was not expected, and Nic's smile deepened, a faint blush tinging his cheeks. "You are kind," he told her, sipping his coffee. Sugar, no cream. "The hostility is different, I think. In the south there are fist fights and harsh words, cursing and other things. These people are more subtle, they are... how do you say...mordaz. They are tame words but they cut deeply." He wished he could think of the term, but for the moment it was escaping him. "I like your words you speak, though. I was right to say your speaking is musical." Her accent was extremely pretty, much more pleasant on the ear then the women in the south with their twang and nasal and overly eager grins. ~~~ "Sarcastic, I think is what you probably mean." She didn't know for sure if that was the right interpretation of the word that he had used, but that's what most of the kids here were. With a smile she added, "We're much more passive aggressive here in the North." It was her turn to smile shyly now. "Thank you." Casting a somewhat shy glance in his direction she remarked, "I like the way you talk too. Your accent is... Well, at the risk of sounding a bit forward, it's quite sexy." She paused before she managed to look at him directly and add, "It suits you." ~~~ Her words were extremely forward, and for a moment it was obvious that she had shocked Nicanor into silence. His mouth opened to speak, but nothing came so he closed it again. She was most certainly not what he had been expecting. "Gracias," he said finally, eyes looking down into his mug, though he did manage to glance up a few times. "Thank you." One hand rubbed the back of his neck as he bit his bottom lip. "I admit I was not prepared for that. You surprise me too easily, señora." ~~~ Hope wasn't used to men responding that way when she said things like that, though most of the men that she said things like that to were rather forward themselves. It was quite obvious that that was not the case when it came to Nicanor Soto. While he was stunned into silence, she was searching out a way to back peddle inside her mind. "I sorry," she finally managed to blurt out. "That was.. inappropriate and I've obviously made you uncomfortable so... I appologize. It won't happen again." ~~~ This seemed to be going so wrong, so quickly. Nic looked up as Hope apologized, and his heart sank in fear. He hadn't meant to make her feel as though she had done something wrong, she hadn't. It had just been possibly the last thing he would have expected from the head of the school. "No, do not... I am not uncomfortable. Please, por favor, do not look that way." A fine impression he was making now. He stood before her, looking her in the face so she would know he was serious. "Do not be troubled any more, si?" ~~~ Hope exhaled a soft laugh as she shook her head. "Don't.. You shouldn't be worried. I... uhm... Hmm." She was trying to figure out how to word what she wanted to say, for one, but that could only happen after she figured out what she was trying to say in the first place. "I've been in a weird place." That was one way of putting it. "I went from, well, not really interacting with people at all to... interacting with people of a certain type, which you're not, and... Now I'm rambling so..." She smiled a little as she said, "I'm going to just sip my coffee and be quiet for a minute until I think I'm capable of not... doing that." She laughed softly before she added, "I'm a lot less awkward in type than I am in person." ~~~ She was rambling, and clearly flustered, and she was very cute doing so. Nic could only watch her a moment more before he was smiling and shaking his head. She was certianly not awkward, she was endearing. Lifting a hand, he touched her shoulder, holding it there for a moment while he spoke. "You are not awkward," he told her firmly, though gently. "And you will not worry about it more because it does not have any need for more to worry, comprendes?" With a nod, affirming this so, he turned to face down the hall back to her office and offered his arm. "Digame, señora, how you came to arrive here in Boston from Edinburgh?" ~~~ And here Hope had thought she had figured out the intricacies of social interaction, but apparently she had been wrong. She knew how to have playful, flirtatious banter with men who appreciated it, but as for someone more.. modest, she was somewhat clueless. But Nic was incredibly sweet about it, and she couldn't help but to smile. "Comprendes," she replied, then laughed softly. "I'll never understand how Spanish speaking people roll their R's." The offered arm was taken so they could head back down the hall to her office. "Tiberius, actually. He uhm.. was a fairly close friend of a man that I met while working in England, and after hearing about me and my abilities, as well as my.. areas of interest in scientific research, he contacted me to offer me a position here. I would teach and, in exchange, he would support my research." ~~~ "Not all can," he assured her, which seemed to be a widespread myth. Just as some English speaking people could not properly pronounce the "th" sound.
Nodding as he listened, Nic sucked up as much information from Hope as he could. "So... people knew about you?" he asked, trying to get a feel for her background. "What you were, I mean?" ~~~ "No," Hope replied with a small laugh. "Not at all. I mean I told my adopted parents that I could.. feel what others were feeling but... They didn't believe me, of course, so I just stopped talking about it." They were back at her office now, and she left his arm in favor of trying to clean out a chair for him to sit in as she spoke. "Ethan, the guy I mentioned before, was the first person I ever really confided in and that was just because, well, he wasn't exactly average either. And after we started talking, he introduced me to this whole world of beings that I never really knew existed. I mean, gifted humans were just the tip of the iceburg and I was... fascinated by it all." Chair emptied, she gestured for him to sit before moving around to pull her own out from behind the desk and near to the one she'd left for him so it would be more like a conversation and less like a meeting or something. ~~~ Hope's story was very typical of the places Nic had been, and he nodded eagerly. He knew exactly what it was like to feel as though an entire new world has opened up beneath you and swallowed you up. It was jarring, and sometimes scary, but amazing too. He took a seat, clearly riveted by her story, his coffee forgotten for the moment. "You were not a vampire then?" he asked, not wanting rumor through the school to be the way he got information about Hope. He had heard a few things, but he didn't know how much was true and it was better hearing it from her directly. ~~~ It was actually nice, for a change, to talk to someone who was interested in what she had to say and not just because they thought it would help them get into her pants. This made Hope realize that she definitely needed to upgrade the class of men with which she associated with. Aside from Godric, of course. "No, I've only been a vampire since..." She paused, a frown pursing her lips. "Hmm. You'd think one would remember the date of something like that but... I honestly don't." Godric may know, and she was sure it was documented somewhere but, off the top of her head, she couldn't honestly say. "It's only been a few months. I had cancer, incurable, and.. one of the professors here saved my life." That was entirely true. ~~~ Nic chuckled a little, a quiet agreement that she should probably know a date like that. He remembered exactly the day that he had been turned, but then again it had been his birthday. Still, perhaps remembering something like that wasn't so important. Did it really matter when it had happened? Nic was a bit more intrigued on how it had happened, and the story Hope gave was incredible. His eyes widened in surprise. "Oh," he said softly, gripping his mug with both hands. "That is amazing, that you have a friend close enough for that. Were you close to her before you... before she turned you?" ~~~ The friend part of his response was enough to make her laugh softly. "He," she corrected him. "And no, not at all. We could.. hardly stand to be in the same room with one another but... A lot's changed since then." She laughed a little as she added, "Actually the fact that he sired me has been quite a scandal since our dislike for one another was rather public as well. But what most people don't really get or see is that.. he's really an extraordinary person. He... Well he could have been petty, most people would have, but instead, he allowed his professional respect for me and the well-being of the school itself to dictate his actions rather than allowing the personal issues that he and I were dealing with at the time to be the deciding factor." Hope smiled a little as she added, "I'm very lucky to have him." ~~~ Nothing about what Hope was telling him was even remotely expected. He hadn't known why he had assumed it was a woman, but he had. Maybe because it was such a personal thing to do, he had thought it would be a very close friend, a female friend. The only way he thought that the circumstance would work would be if she and this man were lovers. And from the way she spoke of him, while they certainly hadn't been at the time... were they now? She seemed to light up as she spoke of the man, a small smile on her face. "I see," he said, brushing a hair off his forehead. "You and he are... you are together?" ~~~ The question seemed to come out of left field and Hope looked entirely stunned for about half a second before she replied. "No. We... No." She laughed softly. And then she had to ask, "Why would you ask that?" She was curious, was all. ~~~ No? That surprised him a great deal. "Well... because of the way you speak of him," he said, as though it was obvious. "You smiled when you mentioned him, and the way you speak of him is... it seems you are very in love with him. That is just how it sounds." ~~~ To have someone mirror that thought, one she had perhaps been thinking about since last night, back to her was like a slap in the face almost. Hope looked almost affronted for a moment before she focused her gaze on the cup of quickly cooling coffee in her hand. "Well I do love him, I think. No, I do but..." She frowned a little. "The relationship between a sire and their childe is very... complicated and I think.. Well we're both still working on figuring it out." There. That was it. She wasn't "in love" with Godric, though she certainly felt differently about him than she did other men, but that was only because of who he was to her now. ~~~ "I am sorry if I have offended you," he said softly, looking at her with deep brown eyes. She seemed troubled by what he had said, and since he knew almost nothing about vampires and their connections to one another, he did not want to say something that was offensive to her. ~~~ "No," Hope replied quickly, giving him a reassuring smile. "You haven't offended me. I'm just... confused, admittedly, about a lot of things." And while he wasn't a vampire, he himself had gone through a transition before, a major transition, and so, "I'm sure you understand how that feels. I mean, assuming that you weren't born as you are now. I haven't really had a chance to read up on your file or anything," ~~~ Quirking a brow, Nic sipped his coffee, looking at Hope. "I did not know I had a 'file'," he admitted with a little grin. "But I will tell you what you will ask, because that is why we are here, no?" Licking his lips, he paused a moment, thinking. "I was not born as I am," he confessed. "Nahual. A werecoyote, as you say here. I was bitten on my eighteenth birthday as I was coming to America. I am a wetback, as they say." There was obvious distaste in the word, as Nic's expression darkened with it. "Confusion did consume me for much of the first year, because I did not know what to do, or... what I had done wrong." His gaze dropped into his mug, looking down in thought as the black liquid swirled. "I do think vampires have more problems, though. I am torn inside one time each month, you must do it every day. It is no wonder you must be in conflict much of the time." ~~~ "Everyone here has one," Hope replied with a small smile. "Just basic information really. Name, race, etc. And then there's the ones we make up for the outsiders." Hopefully they wouldn't need those again for a while but she intended to keep them up to date just in case. She didn't want to have to go through that same mad rush yet again. As he told his story, she listened intently. His misfortune made her frown and then the term he used for himself made her cringe. "I know that feeling," she remarked, though hers had had less to do with her gifts at the time and more to do with what had happened to her parents. "I'm sure it gets easier in time. For both races, really." She paused for a moment before she asked, "How old are you now?" ~~~ Hope was a woman that Nicanor felt he would be able to trust, at least as much as he felt he could trust anyone. She was kind, and sincere, and he felt certain that if he asked her for help she would do her best to give it. It wasn't a typical feeling he got from someone with such authority over others. It sat strangely in his chest. "I am twenty two," he told her, knowing that he looked younger than his age. "I have been in America for four years now." ~~~ "You seem older." Hope was certain that wasn't something that he heard terribly often because, yes, he did look young. But he was very mature for being only twenty-two. "Though perhaps that is because I am accustomed to dealing with spoiled Americans," she added jokingly, a smile forming upon her lips along with a soft laugh. She wasn't done asking him questions, however. There was at least one more thing she was curious about. "What happened with your family?" She'd told him very little of her own, but she would remedy that if he asked. ~~~ He was certainly not expecting to be called older than he was, because everyone told him how young he was. But he did feel that he was older than many Americans in spirit, because they had such priviledge that did not even know about. The middle class of America, even some of the working class, had a charmed life and they complained so much for all they didn't have when there was so much they did to be grateful for. Nic tried to keep in mind that he was far more blessed than some, even when it did not seem so. "Thank you," he said, quietly, feeling quite humbled. The humility soon turned to sadness, though, as she asked about his family. "They are still in Mexico," he said, fingers drumming around his mug. "I have not contacted them since I was bitten." His voice was soft, almost ashamed. Usually when people asked about his family, he told them very little, keeping it brief by saying they were still back in his home town in Piedras Negras, and they were fine. But he wanted to tell Hope more, and he did not know why. "I am hoping that my mother will think I am dead. It would break her heart to know the truth. I would rather she pray for me and wait to see me in heaven then for her to know I will never be there." ~~~ "No, thank you." Hope wasn't sure what she was thanking him for exactly but it was probably for being... a refreshing break from what she normally dealt with here. And for being kind and just... listening, in general, expressing interest. She appreciated that more than he knew, perhaps. Hope could feel the sadness overcome him almost immediately. It was.. overwhelming and.. the last words he spoke really hit home for her. If what they said about vampires was true, she never would see her parents in Heaven, even if eternal rest finally claimed her many, many centuries from now. "And what makes you so sure you never will be?" ~~~ Nic had been lost in his own mind a moment, remembering his mother's face, his father and brothers, his sisters. One might have a husband by now, a baby. They both could. Who knew. But Hope's voice brought him back, made him blink a few times and smile at her, shyly. "I am Catholic," he said, which to Americans explained a great deal. "I know my fate now, what has becomeof my soul. I am, how you say, abominación. A monster. Soulless, perhaps." ~~~ Hope pursed her lips in a small frown, quiet for a moment before she concluded, "I don't believe that." But faith was a strong thing for most people. And belief in faith was even stronger. It didn't matter if she believed it or not, it was what he believed that really mattered. "I lost my parents too." It wasn't the same thing, exactly, but in a lot of ways, it was exactly the same. His parents were as lost to him right now as hers were to her. "It was a car accident. Neither of them managed to pull through, just me." She smiled after a moment, deciding to look on the bright side. "It's because of them that I was able to buy this place, keep it from being sold and shut down." Maybe that's what she needed to think about when it felt like it was too much, her parents, and how she was doing this to honor them in some small way. ~~~ Taking one hand off his coffee mug, Nicanor took one of Hope's hands in his, squeezing it gently. "They are proud of you," he said with a great deal of certainty. And indeed, they probably had much to be proud of. She was a fine young woman. "I am glad to be here, doctor Naomh Hope O'Shea. You are a good person to know, I think. Very surprising." He gave her a small, cheeky smile. "I like some surprises." ~~~ Hope was a bit surprised when Nic reached over to take her hand, but she smiled at the gesture and refrained from sighing at his words. "I hope so." It was her turn to be slightly embarassed, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks. And then she laughed. "Ugh, don't remind me. That was embarassing." She shook her head softly. "But I'm glad you're glad." And to expound upon that, "And I'm glad that you're here too." ~~~ It was a strange sensation, but Nic swore that he could feel her bashfulness flowing through him. He smiled despite it, the sensation almost a tingle flowing through him. "Oh," he said in a breath, looking into her eyes and smiling. "What is that I feel? Is that... are you inside me?" ~~~ "Oh," Hope withdrew her hand quickly from his own, though that wouldn't necessarily prevent him from feeling things just.. lessen it perhaps. "Sorry. I... Well since I've turned I don't seem to have the same control over my abilities as I did before." She exhaled a soft laugh. "There's a bit of.. emotional bleeding, so to speak." ~~~ "Oh." He had never heard of such a thing, emotional bleeding, or whatever it was. He had never met an empath before, it was incredible. Setting his mug down on the floor by his feet, he took her hand back in his, setting himself at the edge of his chair and leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Do not be sorry, I liked it. I have never felt something like that before." His excitement and interest was obvious, something he was sure Hope could have felt even without being an empath. ~~~ A brow quirked slightly when he set down his mug, and even moreso when he reached over to take her hand once more. When he spoke, a small laugh parted her lips. "Your enthusiasm is infectious." She was a little uncertain of this, a little bit nervous, which he could probably feel. As an empath, when you left your emotions unchecked, it was like allowing a person to be inside of you, and vice versa. It could be an incredible experience, a deep form of intimacy that couldn't be replicated in any other way. "It goes both ways," she explained, not wanting him to not know what this meant or how it worked. "Just as you can feel what I'm feeling, I can feel what you feel too." She smiled. "Your excitement, fascination... Curiosity." She laughed as she added, "You're like a kid on Christmas who has just opened up some completely unexpected and wonderful gift that you can't wait to take out of the package." ~~~ Maybe Hope felt nervous, or perhaps he felt nervous as well. This was new to him, and he did not know how it would turn out. What if she could overtake him completely? He doubted that she would, but what if another empath could? It would behoove him to know what he was up against. Hope he felt he could trust, she was good on the most basic levels. Her skin was cool against his, calming and soothing like a mother's hand on a fevered forehead.
Looking up to her, his eyes were playful and a little smoldering. "I promise I will not tear you from your packaging," he said suggestively, the tiniest smirk tugging the corner of his lips. ~~~ That statement was enough to make her gasp, her laughter erupting immediately after as she playfully smacked him with her free hand. "Nicanor Soto!" She was clearly shocked, but amused at the same time. She clicked her tongue and shook her head in mock disappointment. "And here I thought you were such a nice boy. I completely misjudged you." ~~~ Hope's laughter was infectious, and not because she was empathic. It was because it was clear, and bright, and she was so pretty when she smiled. She looked the type who did not smile often enough. "I think you may have," he agreed with a grin. "Though if you are going to scold me, you must do it properly. Nicanor Perez Soto. The last name of my mother, we use both in Mexico." ~~~ "Oooh, well.. I'll remember that next time," Hope replied with a wink and then a giggle. She liked him. He was funny, oddly charming, and cute bordering on adorable. Of course she meant it when she'd said that his accent was sexy though there was no way in the world she would ever repeat that. And he also had lovely eyes. She felt suddenly shy again, and then slightly embarassed when she realized that he could feel that, all of that perhaps. ~~~ Since her guard was down, Nic was getting a great deal coming from Hope, and as she became shy he, too, blushed slightly. This was quite possibly the most open and in depth and honest conversation he had had in a very long time. "May I ask, are you a señora, or a señorita?" It was suddenly seeming urgent that he find out if she were married or not. Initially he had assumed yes, but now he was not so sure. ~~~ His blush just made it very obvious that he had felt that too and that just made her feel even more horribly embarrassed than she did in the first place. Thankfully the question gave her a bit of distraction, though not much. "Uhm... which one is which?" She knew a bit of French, and though it wasn't Spanish, they were similar enough that she could deduce that the additional syllables made her an unwed woman. "Senorita, I think." And then, just to be sure, "I'm not married." ~~~ "You are not married?" he repeated, sounding surprised by this fact. "I see. That is good to know." At least now he did not feel so guilty flirting with her. Because that's what they were doing now, it seemed. Flirting. He had never flirted with a woman in power before. In fact Nic often made a point not to flirt, because he never stayed in a place long enough for a relationship to truly blossom. Not that he was thinking of Hope in that manner. Not that he wasn't, either. And now he was getting flustered with himself. ~~~ "Not for lack of trying?" Hope suggested, then laughed softly, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at herself because that was.. really not even a funny joke. "Is it?" She asked, a small smile pursing her lips before she asked, "And I'm assuming you aren't either. I mean I don't.. see a ring or anything," And yes, she could feel that too, though she wasn't sure if that was his or her own. "I sort of have a boyfriend though," she admitted after a moment. "But it's really not anything serious and.. I dunno." She frowned a little as she said, "I really don't think it's going to work out. I just don't... feel it, ya know? A sustainable spark, it's not... it's not really there." ~~~ Despite her joke not being funny, Nic chuckled poilitely anyway. "No, I am not married," he said. "I have hardly had time to be." He was still young, still too unstable to consider something so serious. When she mentioned a boyfriend he tensed a bit, suddenly feeling as though he had done something incredibly wrong. He sat up a little straighter, as though trying to seem as though he weren't doing anything potentially unsuitable. Despite it not being serious, a boyfriend was a boyfriend. Still... it was a shame that she felt no spark with him. Why be with him if there was no spark? "Why are you with him?" he asked softly, not wishing to pry but curious all the same. ~~~ Hope could tell that he didn't think the joke was all that funny. And it wasn't, though if he had been around during the whole Blake saga, he might have understood it at least. Then again, she was glad that he hadn't been. The reaction to her having a boyfriend was, well, also different than the way most of the men she knew would have responded. And that only made her like him more. He had respect, something that a lot of people lacked. "Honestly, I don't know. He.. asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes and... I've sort of been second guessing it ever since then." She caught her lower lip between her teeth as she thought for a moment. "I suppose it's just something that I feel as though I should want but... I really don't." But just to clarify her intentions, "I intend to break it off, but we've not really had the chance to catch up to one another much recently and.. I'd rather do it in person if at all possible." ~~~ Clearing his throat a little, Nic drew his hand away slowly, clasping both together in his lap. Even if the relationship was on the rocks, perhaps Hope was not invested in it but he didn't know how the other person felt. And while Nic already knew that he was going to hell, couldn't stop it, that didn't mean that he had to make matters worse for himself.
"I respect that," he said to her. "Many people are cowardly, and they hide behind their technology. Send an email, or a text message. No one speaks to another person anymore, they type. I have much respect for you, señorita." ~~~ Hope felt the slightest sensation of emptiness when Nicanor pulled his hand away, accounting for that as nothing more than the absence of his touch. She respected his choice to do so though. He was definitely a far different type of man than she was used to dealing with. He was a true gentleman. There were very few of those left in the world these days.
"Very true. But, at the same time, if the opportunity to meet up doesn't present itself, I'd feel it was far less terrible to get it over and done with in a slightly more informal way than to keep stringing him along waiting for the moment to come." Hope gave a small shrug of her shoulders. She was quiet for a moment longer before she remarked, "I like you, Nicanor. I hope that you and I can be friends." She could use more of those. ~~~ Perhaps she was right. It would be bad for this man to think that his relationship was going well, to deny himself other opportunities to be happy with someone because he was certain he and Hope were together, when she did not feel the same in her heart. Perhaps an email would be better than weeks of unknowing.
"I like you as well, Miss Hope. You are a good woman. I am glad you are the person in charge of this place." Getting to his feet, Nic picked up his mug and held it in his hand. "I should go," he told her. "You seem to be very busy, I do not want to be in the way. Thank you for meeting with me, it has been... very informative." ~~~ As much as Hope didn't want Nic to go, he was right, she was rather busy. She really needed to get back to work and he probably needed to get to class. "Thanks for coming," Hope replied with a small smile. "We should do it again sometime." She would very much like that. And then she noticed he was holding the coffee mug in his hands. "Oh, you can just leave the mug here, I'll take care of it later." She moved to her feet so that she could grab his cup and put it, alongside of her own, on the edge of her desk. "See you around."