Falsehood (Hiyami)

[Hiyami]

Hiyami nodded when he explained to her the deal with the coin for turn order, and instead of complaining, she simply nodded again when he decided to go first. She was, after all, learning. And definitely pleased that she hadn't been handed the 'newbie goes first' card. Then again, she supposed that it gave him something of an advantage.

"Do you have any sevens?" he asked, a bit brusquely. Impatiently, even. Hiyami didn't blame him. He probably wanted to be done with the game and on with whatever it was that he'd been doing that was probably against school rules. Bah.

She winced when she realized that he'd asked her for a seven... Which she did, in fact have. She handed it over, almost reluctantly. Already, he had a pair of sevens. Which, by the way, was totally unfair. But still, that was just the first turn in the game.

She checked over her own cards. They essentially had an equal likelihood of being in his chance, but that didn't stop her from double-checking her brain work. At last she shrugged, pouting a bit as she decided on one of the cards. She hummed for a moment as she moved it to the front of her hand, and then she casually leaned forward on the desk - unknowingly giving the Hiyami-dubbed prince a rather unfortunately good view of her cleavage. She was wearing one of her way too big shirts. Unlike her regularly worn shirts, though, which had smaller necks, this one also had a neck that was rather... stretched. Though that may have been because she'd once fought over it with her father about it a long time ago. She'd wanted it, but he didn't want to give it up.

Yes, that's right. She was wearing her Daddy's old shirt.

"So...." she drawled out, holding up her own card, making sure to keep it facing away from Mr. Prince. "Got any twos?"

[Hunter Armitage]

The game had begun, as the cards were already in place. The hands were already set up.. It was time. Now that Hunter had made his move, he'd already asked for a seven. Seven was, in fact.. One of his lucky numbers anyway. So why not start with his lucky card, and build on from there..?

He leaned back, with satisfaction, as she slowly but surely handed over the seven that was in her hand.. Glad to at least have hit something on the first try.. This was going to be easier said than done. Faster than what he'd hoped.. At least.. So he though. He smirked, as he gripped the card in his fingers, sorting it out with the seven in his hand and setting it off to the side of his arm.

That was one pair down..

Now, for the re--

His eyes suddenly caught on to something showing off.. Albeit, Hunter was composed.. But in this case, under so much stress.. He couldn't help himself from staring at her.. Chest. Her shirt was giving an undoubted amount of cleavage for him just to view.. As he continued to stare.. He wanted to look away.. But he couldn't..

This.. Triggered something..

A slight gape was in his mouth, as he held it there for a moment, eyeing.. But even so..

"So...."

He didn't hear that, but it was there.. He was too busy at the moment, with other things that his mind was concerning itself with.

"Got any twos?"

Suddenly, he looked up.. With a bit of a shade on his face. His attention snapped back to the real world, as she announced for twos.. He looked down from his hand, to her again.. Then back to his hand.

There was indeed a two there..

He looked off to the side, as he quickly removed the two with two fingers, and flung it lightly at the table towards her, making it land in front of her. That feeling.. Still there.. Stupid mind..

He didn't know what to say..

His mind couldn't erase it, those eyes.. That.. Bit..

Finally, breaking his trance..

"Not bad, Princess.." He said, still looking off to the side to avoid staring at her chest more than he already was.. As if it wasn't noticed already.

".. Got any kings?"

[Hiyami]

Hiyami hummed to herself, pleased with the way things were going as she watched him put his first pair away. She'd been asking about her own card when she'd caught on to it. That feeling... at the edge of her mind.

She was being watched.

She looked around discretely, a bit confused. Who or what on earth was watching her? What was the point of watching her? She mentally scowled at the watcher. It simply wasn't fair. After all, she should see whoever was seeing her! And the only person she could see in the room was that prince-villain-male person. At that point in time, she allowed her gaze to fall on him, and she promptly narrowed her eyes.

Ignoring that niggling feeling, she requested a two from the prince. Still, it wouldn't go away.

She'd been correct. Someone was staring at her, alright. He was. Although... Not necessarily at her? She followed his gaze and then turned a violent red.

"Y-you pervert!" she squeaked in embarrassment as he turned away. "You male! H-how dare you?!"

She, despite her mind telling her it was stupid, reflexively covered her chest with her arms, squishing her breasts to herself, and, in the process, accidentally giving them something of a 'lift.'

In other words? If anything, they became more visible through the collar of her shirt, and she herself wasn't even aware of it.

And then her new card - his former - and the second half of her pair arrived on the table before her and she resumed a more casual position to rearrange her own cards, placing the new pair to the side. In the process, though, her shirt, slipped a bit lower. Because it was typically centered, she didn't really notice just how much of her breasts that it showed, but because of her erratic movements, the collar and shirt were no longer centered, but rather, slipping down a bit in the front, exposing some of her comfortable, black lace bra.

"Not bad, Princess..." he told her, and Hiyami was pleased to realize that he wasn't looking at her, but rather to the side. And then he asked her for a king.

Hiyami, a bit annoyed, was more than pleased to sing out her response toh im.

"Go fish~!" she chanted. Then, looking at her own cards, she took a stab and went for the ace. "Have you any aces?"

[Hunter Armitage]

His face turned bright red, although the look on his face was no different then what it usually was. Here she was, practically showing herself off to him, and now she had the decency to get all mad and up in his face about it, promptly pulling her breasts up as she then proceeded to yell at him..

"Y-you pervert!"

"You male! H-how dare you?!"

He closed his eye for the moment, and shrugged.. Right now, it was just being him. It's not like he could help it, between her eyes.. Now her chest.. This was certainly turning out to be one hell of an interesting card game.

"Hmph.." He scoffed, watching closely out of the corner of his eye, as she pushed herself up even more..

After she put her pair away, he watched as she readjusted her hand, oblivious still to the fact that Hunter still had a wonderful view of that cleaveage.. But what's this? Now he could even peek to see her bra?! What was this, a peep show?!

His face turned almost as red as his eyes..

"Go fish~!" Was her response when he asked for a king.. With that.. He reached over, looking.. Well.. Glancing down at her chest, back to her eyes, before drawing his card.. It was a six, before settling back into his chair.

"Have you any aces?"

"G-go fish.." He said, still a bit flustered.. His eyes couldn't peel away from her.. And yet..

Ugh.. Hormones..

[Hiyami]

She ignored his scoff - he'd stopped staring, anyways. For a moment? Well, it's not like she'd really paid attention to him once he'd made his call. She'd taken too much glee from the fact that she'd called on him to fetch a fish - a card.

She did, however, pout extensively when he told her to take a card of her own. Despite her own hopes for him to fail as epically as possible, she hadn't considered that she might fall to the same curse. But he still seemed a bit flustered...? She did her best to ignore it and grabbed a card - a four of hearts - and set it with her other cards. Then, looking over her cards, she decided on one randomly - "Any tens, Prince Charming?"

After a moment, though, Hiyami frowned, before realizing that his gaze, though it had been momentarily distracted, was now, once again, trained on her breasts. She'd been about to scold him for it, but she herself got quite the eyeful.

"Oh, no! It's been like that the whole time?!" she exclaimed, flustered. She promptly set her cards face down on the table to adjust her shirt and bra. The bra, she checked to make sure it was fitted properly - in short, she essentially checked the wire rimming that was inside the bra along the undersides of her breasts. Her shirt, she tried to center.... But as mentioned previously, it was an old shirt, and she was sitting on the edge of it.

When she'd tried to yank it back - a bit more forcefully than she should have - the result made her turn a color that she would bet had been on a tomato.

That's right. Her shirt? Yeah, it had ripped. Fortunately, it was towards the lower half of said shirt. Unfortunately, it was a horizontal rip somewhere near her stomach. And the whole strip hadn't come off either, so it was sort of awkwardly hanging there.

"Oh my god!" she said, embarrassed, as she brought her hands to her face, trying to hide her blush.

[Hunter Armitage]

Perhaps she was using some sort of way to confuse Hunter, using only her excuses, and shrieking as a way to just simply confuse him more.. By acting like she didn't know what she was talking about.. Or perhaps it was all just a ruse or something.. But come on, who couldn't help but stare at something like that.. Even so, this wasn't over yet apparently.

"Any tens, Prince Charming?"

She had asked, while he was busy staring at her assets.. However, she finally caught wind of what he was doing.. But this time.. It was something different, something he didn't expect at all.

What he did expect, was for her to get up and slap him across the face from the other side of the desk.

What he didn't expect.. was..

"Oh, no! It's been like that the whole time?!"

Hunter's eyes widened, as his pupils dialated from watching her trying to fiddle with that old shirt of hers, curiously he watched on.. As in just a few seconds..

A small ripping sound could be heard..

And her face, went red with oddity. As Hunter watched curiously to see what was going on.. Suddenly, she shrieked out;

"Oh my god!"

What was this..? What was wrong? Something obviously seemed to be bothering her, it must've been something to do with the shirt, as he watched closely.. That lingering blush still sticking on his face like glue.. But she was acting funny.. This.. This was weird.

That's when he noticed.. Her shirt was ripped all down the middle.. Giving full view now..

A small sweatdrop emerged from the side of Hunter's head. As he slightly shot back in his seat from the shock of the view of this girl..

He looked down, obviously she was troubled by this, sitting here in front of a total stranger to have your chest and upper body exposed like that.

He thought for a moment..

And he sighed..

The large trenchcoat that he wore..

With that, he pulled his arms out of his sleeves, and tossed it across the desk to her.

".. Here." He said, that same look on his face.

".. And go fish." He said, as he leaned back.. Now as his upper body his arms exposed.. It revealed his shirt looking body armor, with a skull design on the right shoulder.

".. Jacks, do you have any?"

[Hiyami]

Hiyami was completely and utterly mortified. This... This had never happened to her before! Obviously, the chances of it happening in general were still pretty low... But nonetheless, what were the chances of something like this happening to simple ol' lil' her?

But then Prince Charming had surprised her. It seemed that she, embarrassed though she was, had managed to provoke some form of pity or sympathy. She really didn't care.

"Here." he offered her his trench coat, and she was only too happy to slip her arms in the greenly tinted fabric and buttoned it up as quickly as she could.

"And go fish. Jacks; do you have any?" he asked her, and after a moment of consideration - she'd pretty much stopped caring. He was nice enough to let her use his jacket. That meant he couldn't be that bad of a person. And he probably was still worried on time. The sooner the better, right?

Instead of grabbing a card or answering his questions, she threw her four cards down face up. The ace and five, the four and ten - and crossed her arms.

"Forget it. I fold. What do you want from me?" she sighed out, leaning back to be a bit more comfortable in the teacher's chair. She nodded towards his cyberdeck, not entirely sure what it was, and the computer.

"I'm sure you have your reasons, right? And to be entirely honest, it's your life, right?" she frowned at the desk. She felt a bit weak - stupid, even.

Part of her mind wanted to demand to know why in the hell she'd given up, and what she gained from it, and the other part of her mind did its best to soothe the first. In a sense, he'd done her a good deed, so she'd simply wanted to return the favor. In another sense, she was just being nice. But the vulnerability - the free range it allotted him with - made her feel small, feeble - perhaps even as weak as she thought.

But at the same time, she felt a bit more at peace. Which was a really odd combination. Turbulent emotions, and somehow a chunk of peace? Hiyami decided that it would make sense several years down the road. Maybe when she wasn't a teenager or something.

She sighed, then, before nodding to him once more and reiterating her question. "Alright, what's question number one?"

[Hunter Armitage]

He watched as she quickly buttoned up her upper body to cover her exposed area.. How embarrassing for her, as he looked off to the side to wait for her to finish up. Waiting for the next movement in her play.. Waiting for her to pick another fish out of her barrel. When suddenly, she threw her cards down.. This caught Hunter off by surprised..

What was this..? What was she doing?

He cocked a brow, curious about her movement.

"Forget it. I fold. What do you want from me?"

What..? She was giving up? Just like that?.. Hunter thought that she'd bed something more of a stubborn one compared to her movement and activity earlier.. But this was sudden, perhaps she felt the need to pay him back..

He watched as she looked down at his Cyberdeck, and then it dawned on him.. There was obviously no way that this girl could have been working for the families..

"I'm sure you have your reasons, right? And to be entirely honest, it's your life, right?"

He sighed.. She that this was all about him.. Technically it was, but this was about survival, about money, and among other things keeping alive.

Was the whole point of the mafia.

"I don't enjoy doing this.. But I need to, if I want to live.. It's all I can do, after all.." He noted, under his breath.

Simple, but true.. If he didn't do this. He was in big trouble..

"Alright, what's question number one?"

He leaned back in his chair, Looking down at his cyberdeck.. It was almost finished by now.. He could tell as the matrix flashed on the front of the screen. He then looked up at her again, matching those eyes with hers.

".. Just your name. That's it." He stated.. That's all he really wanted.. Following that, a small smirk.

".. I mean, it's not every day that a girl shows so much of her chest to you on accident. I mean, I'm flattered.. You can show me more later when I teach you how to play strip poker, Princess." He joked.

Relaxing back into his chair..

"I just want to know your name, that's all Princess.."

With that he'd lean forward into the desk.

"And since it's fair, I'll let you ask something of me." He crossed his arms.

[Hiyami]

"I don't enjoy doing this... But I need to, if I want to live... It's all I can do, after all." he said. Well, it was more like he was talking to himself, and Hiyami was pretty sure that she wasn't supposed to be listening, but it wasn't as though she could close her ears, right? So instead, she simply made a note of it.

But something was off. She'd thought he as messing with the computer in order to falsify the records of his own grades. His words belied that idea. The fact that he didn't enjoy doing it told her that though he might've been talented, he wasn't doing something he liked - more evidence to his humanity, and on top of that, it told her that he wasn't working for himself. Saying that he needed to do it if he wanted to live told her that there were bullies involved. Big ones. And not the typical schoolyard bullies either. All the same, she hadn't heard or seen any in the area, and the only ones with the power to kill those that displeased them were the government or the mafia. When he mentioned it was all he could do, Hiyami empathized with him. She'd felt that far too many times, especially when she'd been enslaved.

And the concept of slavery brought several other thoughts into her mind. They always needed her information, and honestly? The government didn't need anything from public schools. That meant it was a rich bitch or the mafia, as she'd originally considered. She wanted to help, but she wasn't stupid. The most she could do here was extend her friendship. The underground was dangerous, and it wasn't as though she could help him out of it as she was now. Later, perhaps, but not now.

When he'd responded to her own question as to his first question, she was caught between grinning at him and scoffing. His kindness was going to get him hurt. If it hadn't already, anyways. He'd asked for her name, and nothing else. That was a risky move for him. Then again, it wasn't as though there was much you needed to know in the information world when the target wasn't necessarily hidden. And then he'd picked on her, and she considered smacking him.

Of course, her aim sucked, so she'd decided that to be a moot point. But then he'd said it again, being that stupid Prince Charming that he was.

"I just want to know your name; that's all, Princess..." he told her.

"Hiyami," she said, after a moment's wait. She'd been considering whether or not she wanted to lie... But whether he was bad news or not, she'd leave to find later. "Hiyami Sena Mitsukiri."

He leaned forward onto the teacher's desk.

"And since it's fair, I'll let you ask something of me."

And Hiyami decided she'd use this question very well... And find out who he was with a single incident. After all, she'd be able to find more on him if she knew his history rather than his name. Names were very dangerous, yes, but when in regards to those already immersed in the underground, they were just as dangerous as they were useless. You had a fifty-fifty chance of getting the person you wanted. Events were always more memorable.

"How'd you get involved with the not-so-legal Underground?"

[Hunter Armitage]

Finally, after all this time.. After all that pointless chatter, he'd finally get the answer that he'd been waiting for.. For quite some time now, and after all that posturing, he'd finally made it.

"Hiyami Sena Mitsukiri."

That was her name, Hunter registered it within his metal notes.. Besides the fact that it was a cute name to go with a cute girl after all. But still, it was her name.. That was really all he wanted.. Despite, his feelings were hurt by some hesitation, he knew that there was some merit to it.

"Huh.. Hiyami, eh?.. Cute name.. Princess Hiyami then.."

He'd lean back in his chair, only to be caught off guard by her question.. Suddenly, it didn't seem so bad.

"How'd you get involved with the not-so-legal Underground?"

His eyes widened, as he gazed over at her, with a bit of surprise, no less.. Especially since she managed to peg him right away with such a deed. Nearly falling out of his chair, but then again..

Yeah, what the hell.. She asked, after all.

"Hmph, you're pretty sharp, Princess.."

He then proceeded to step out of his chair, a deal was a deal after all.. This was only fair.

"As you can see.. I'm an expert with computers and intel gathering. I can hack, program, and erase anything that I can get my hands on in existance within a hard drive, with the help of my cyberdeck.."

He came around the teacher's desk.. Moving slowly, as the cyberdeck continued to process.. It was almost finished. Much like school was, and now, they seemed to be staying after hours.. This wasn't good, but he really didn't have a choice but to comply with the waiting time.

".. I need the money, to make it through each month.. My records of Foster care.. They don't net me normal jobs, like the government places them at. So this is what I do.. Naturally, word went even higher.. And with that, The pay became bigger.. But so did the demands.."

He turned away from the desk to look out the window.

".. I don't like it, but it's all I got." He sighed.

"Anything else?"

[Hiyami]

She blushed at his comment on her name. She was rarely, if ever, told that her name was cute. Typically, she was told that her name 'matched' her, but she was never sure whether that was a compliment, an insult, or a complisult - a backhanded insult.

Hiyami noted with some satisfaction that she'd been right. He'd given her all the right signs of surprise. Widened eyes, small pupils and a reflexive jerk that had nearly sent him from his chair.

"Hmph. You're pretty sharp, Princess," he commended her. It was a compliment she couldn't help but ponder in her mind. Was she sharp? Or was he simply easy to read? It didn't matter. She simply accepted it and waited for his answer.

He stood up - which Hiyami privately considered to be a good idea, despite the fact that she kinda wanted to see him fall - and then moved around it, eventually standing close to her.

She listened to him, frowning a bit. He'd simply given up. He'd tossed his hands in the air, throwing all of his problems away, simply trying to deal with them instead of fixing them. And yes, there was a difference. Were he fixing them, he'd be in a helluva lot more pain, but he'd be more at home in his skin and less resigned. As it was, he was only dealing with them, assuming that was his eternal reality when it wasn't.

She didn't doubt that word had gotten further and further as he'd succeeded. It was his fault for not hiding himself, but some were simply better at seeking than their quarry was at hiding. She assumed such was the case for him. If the demands and pay had gone higher, he should've been able to get more time in between, but realistically, if the mafia were involved, as she'd already guessed, then it should've been easy to amass an extensive sum of money, particularly because they were always in need of information and frequently. And then didn't necessarily take 'no' for an answer.

Perhaps he was being cheated? There were several ways to get out of his situation - any number of ways, really, considering his expertise - but he'd simply let himself sit. If anything, Hiyami would say that he was more of a princess than she was, except that she'd eventually been rescued as well.

"Anything else?" At this, she raised an eyebrow. He was allowing her another question? She reviewed what she'd already learned of him. It didn't really matter. She already had the high points. She bit her lip - it was typical of her to keep out of people's business, but something was odd - and then decided on her question.

"You're not so stupid that you'd be stuck forever," she started, "But I don't see you trying to get out of it either. Have you settled for being uncomfortable?"

Then, before he could really say anything, she threw in her own opinion. "It's hard as hell to get away from the Underground. I know that. I've been there, done that... But to me, it seems as though you're staying there by choice. You've got the options, but you're choosing to sit where you are. Is the princess going to run away? Or is she going to wait for her Prince Charming?"

Then, despite her own, long-held opinions on getting involved, she sighed: "And I'd be more than willing to help you get out of it if it's just because you don't know how, or even if you finally decide that you want to cut off your hair to pin it at the top of Rapunzel's tower so you can climb down instead of waiting."

[Hunter Armitage]

There was pretty much all she wanted to know about Hunter's involvement with his connections down at the mafia all summed up in one, albeit, strong.. But opinionated sitting. He really didn't care much anymore for his own little privacy, because it didn't seem like she wanted to harm him after all, just know about this one..

But still, she had something to say.

"You're not so stupid that you'd be stuck forever.. But I don't see you trying to get out of it either. Have you settled for being uncomfortable?"

Hunter glanced at her, from the corner of his eye as he turned his head to the side. She had some serious courage for asking such an up front and personal question.

"It's hard as hell to get away from the Underground. I know that. I've been there, done that... But to me, it seems as though you're staying there by choice. You've got the options, but you're choosing to sit where you are. Is the princess going to run away? Or is she going to wait for her Prince Charming?"

Hm..

So, she'd been around the block too? Not like Hunter had been of course, but that left something to the mind as he thought about the differences between her situation, and his. Not that he would know, but she wouldn't know about him either.. There was still so much to learn about this girl.. Still, he'd remain silent towards the speech for a moment. Any normal guy would have lost his cool on her by now.. But he listened.

"And I'd be more than willing to help you get out of it if it's just because you don't know how, or even if you finally decide that you want to cut off your hair to pin it at the top of Rapunzel's tower so you can climb down instead of waiting."

He stood there, looking out the window, still as the Cyberdeck suddenly bleeped a few times, before the USB cord connecting to the computer retracted itself, and the computer shut down. Hunter would then walk over to it to pick it up.

"Hmph.." He scoffed. ".. You sure have an odd way with words, Princess.."

He'd then, pull a seat up right on the teacher's desk itself. Sighing and looking at her.

"I appreciate the concern, you wanting to be by my side and all.. But there's no need for the emo speech.. I'm just doing my job, for now.. It's not like I have anywhere to go anyway. Besides, if I don't get this money.. Mary, the old lady that was nice enough to take me in. She'll be forced out of her home.. She doesn't have enough money to keep up with things there."

He then shrugged.

".. It's not like I want to stick around with the bunch either, but for now I don't have a choice. My hands are tied, and if this is what I have to do for now, then so be it.. Besides--"

The sudden sound of the twisting of the knob on the door handle would sound, as Hunter looked over towards the door, surprised. He'd then leap off the desk onto his feet, as the door swung open slowly. He grabbed his Cyberdeck as he leaped off.

.. There stood a figure, wearing a varsity jacket. He was tall, well built with greasy black hair. He walked into the room, with both hands in his pockets of his blue jeans. The door closed behind him..

"You the guy that's doing my grades..?" The figure asked.

".. Phoenix's boy, I presume? Dawson?"

"In the flesh, baby!" He put on a dopey smile, Hunter was not amused. He held a hand out to Hiyami, as if to tell her not to do anything while he took care of this.

"So is it done?" Dawson asked.

"Yeah.."

"Good, where's the chip?"

Hunter pulled his cyberdeck out, a small chip popped out of a slot. Holding it in his hand hunter showed it to him from a distance.

"Awesome, give it here!" Dawson approached Hunter quickly, holding his hand out, as Hunter closed it quickly.

".. My money."

"Give me the chip first!" Dawson demanded.. At first, Hunter was reluctant, but he then handed over the chip. Dawson then pocketed the chip.. With an odd smile across his face.

He was up to something..

"Now, my money.." Hunter demanded, Dawson just shrugged.

"Ya know, kid. I figured that this'll just be charity work! Get yourself some volunteer hours!" He blurted, out as he then ran to the door. He was backstabbing him! Right on the spot, Hunter's face went furious! Baring his teeth, he aimed his cyberdeck at the computer, and shot the USB cord at the computer, right into the slot.

"Mainframe! Automated locks! 3rd floor! Activate!" He spoke into the Cyberdeck.

.. CONFIRMED ..

Suddenly, the door locked on Dawson, he pulled and yanked with all his might, but nothing happened. Hunter then began to approach Dawson slowly, as Dawson turned around with a stupid grin on his face.

"What're you gonna do?! Beat me up?! I'm pretty sure a shrimp like you couldn't hurt me!"

Hunter then brandished his Cyberdeck with his right hand, pressing a button as sparks began to fly at the edge of it.

".. Ten Thousand watts, through your body. Do you want to piss me off more?!" Hunter growled. As Dawson suddenly became nothing more than a frightened little animal backed against a wall, sliding down the door.

"O-okay man! Alright!! Just.. Don't hurt me! Please!" Dawson then reached into his pocket, pulling out 2 giant wads of bills, and tossing them to the ground.

"Six Grand, like you asked! J-just.. Leave me alone man!"

Hunter then picked up the bills, from the floor, staring him down. He then held the Cyberdeck close.

"Mainframe, disengage locks."

.. CONFIRMED ..

The unlocking sound went off, as Dawson clambored up, near in tears as he opened the door, and ran out. Closing the door behind him. Hunter then shut off his Cyberdeck. Sighing, and shaking his head.. He felt bad that Hiyami had to witness that.

".. Sorry you had to see that, Princess."

[Hiyami]

"Hmph.... You sure have an odd way with words, Princess." he said, and all at once, Hiyami knew that it was his way of turning her down. Her eyes narrowed. He was more easy-going than she'd thought if he was till keeping his cool... But he didn't seem to earnestly believe her. Yes, perhaps he could understand what she was saying - perhaps he was even committing it to his mind... But ultimately, he was refusing to take her hand.

That was fine. She had more patience than most, and if he decided to take it, it would be there.

"I appreciate the concern, you wanting to be by my side and all.. But there's no need for the emo speech.. I'm just doing my job, for now.. It's not like I have anywhere to go anyway. Besides, if I don't get this money.. Mary, the old lady that was nice enough to take me in. She'll be forced out of her home.. She doesn't have enough money to keep up with things there."

She thought as he spoke. She ignored the first two lines - it wasn't a matter of being by his side or not. She was someone that wanted to help; isn't that what most people did? And it certainly wasn't an emo speech. He was disbelieving again. Just doing his job... He was resigned to it, much like a pop singer would be to begging off the streets. They might dislike it, regret it, absolutely hate it... But they were stuck with it. But saying that was like... ignoring oneself. Just as the singer could sing for their money, he could find an alternate route for his. But Mary.... Mary was the one point that suddenly made things click for Hiyami.

That was the reason he continued to need money. If she'd taken him in, no doubt he felt indebted to her. On top of that, if she was running low on money, then he was probably keeping them both alive.

He began to repeat that he was stuck once more - as if he were trying to remind himself as well as her - when the door opened. Hiyami had immediately gotten to her feet. She was in the teacher's chair, for cryin' out loud! How would that look to any newcomers? She moved until she was standing beside Prince Charming, already having decided that she'd protect him if it was a teacher.

She wasn't stupid - she could come up with some sort of lie, no matter how she disliked it. Lies were weak, stupid, and ridiculous. Entirely hurtful, but unfortunately there. At least white lies weren't so terrible.

It was a student, and Hiyami sighed, taking a step back. As Prince Charming and the newcomer began to interact, she realized that this was his client.

And then she scowled. Fucking cheater should work for his own goddamned grades!

And then Prince Charming was holding out a hand - signaling her to keep still - when she was considering ripping the boy to pieces. What an ass. The boy, not Prince Charming.

And with their next exchange, Hiyami took a step closer, ignoring Prince Charming's signal. Something was off.

And suddenly, Prince Charming was furious and the boy was running. He hadn't made the payment...? Hiyami's own eyes darkened. From her slave-days, she knew damned well that you didn't back out on a deal. Ever. That was like asking to get shot through the eyes.

But she paused, waiting to see what Prince Charming would do. This... interested her greatly. He's shot the USB cord - the one that had previous been in the computer anyways - straight into the port, and began spouting off orders into it.

Orders she was surprised to see come true. He threatened the boy with volts of electricity - to which Hiyami mentally nodded - and then, having received his money, let the boy go.

"Sorry you had to see that, Princess." he said to her, but Hiyami shook her head.

"I would've done worse, if not somethign along similar lines." she told him, nodding at his cyberdeck. "Obviously, I don't have the same things you do, so I would've probably had something nice and pointing - or a projectile. Or, if I could get in close - assuming I didn't get knocked back.... You'd be surprised at what people would do to keep an eye."

She sat down again, sighing. "But it must suck if they're always running out on you like that, huh?"

She began to processing and filing data in her mind. Phoenix's boy.... Dawson. That told her he had dealings with shadier characters than she'd original thought. Characters that couldn't necessarily afford for secret information to get out.

She began to grin, almost evilly, as she processed what she'd seen. "You know, you're more than capable of both getting away and getting some damned good pay." she told him, shaking her head. "I would do it, if I had the option. Probably."

After all, things were always less scary when they were in another person's point of view.

And then she remembered the amount. Six thousand dollars? Per job? Or simply for this? Still, for something so simple... She supposed it was something along the lines of sensitivity and danger rating that decided his pay. It seemed reasonable enough, anyways. After all, no pain, no gain, right?

"School's going to end soon." she noted. "Good thing I didn't have a last class today."

[Hunter Armitage]

He'd proven his point. Hunter didn't play for any stupid tricks, or anyone that tried to double cross him. He despised people like this.. People that attempted to push him around, thinking that they were bigger than him.. That was their first mistake. Thinking they could best him in a game of wits, or other things even.. He had skill. That was all it took anymore.

A crushing blow to anyone's confidence.. They would add

"I would've done worse, if not something along similar lines."

He smirked.. Wasn't exactly what he expected to hear, but he had something that instantly hit his mind within an instant, laughing about it mentally.. Picturing something in his mind.

"Obviously, I don't have the same things you do, so I would've probably had something nice and pointing - or a projectile. Or, if I could get in close - assuming I didn't get knocked back.... You'd be surprised at what people would do to keep an eye."

He laughed about it. This was obviously going to say that she was something special about the way she handled things. This was a devious way of just putting that small picture into his head.. Maybe he shouldn't mess with her.

"But it must suck if they're always running out on you like that, huh?"

Hunter raised a brow, he thought about it for a moment..

"Actually.. They don't. That one just wanted to prove he could be scum like his father.."

"You know, you're more than capable of both getting away and getting some damned good pay."

Hm..

He turned to look at her, obviously she had a bit of concern for this poor whelp. But, it was all he could do right now. It sounded like she had some sort of plan in order for him to pull that off. What was her fascination with him? Perhaps the fact that she shared a somewhat similar past with him?.. Who knew..

"I would do it, if I had the option. Probably."

He crossed his eyes, gazing into her eyes once more. This time giving a friendly smile with a scoff.

"Hmph, well since you're pressing it on me so much, Princess.. Fine.. I suppose you could assist me if things get too hairy.."

"School's going to end soon."

Duly noted, but Hunter really didn't care about the time. This was a mess in itself, the job was done.. It was time to leave the scene at least. He nodded.

"Good thing I didn't have a last class today."

Hunter shrugged.

"Good.. That saves me the trouble of having to go into the system and mark you present from whatever it would have been." He laughed. But there was one thing amiss.

".. What I don't understand though, why are you helping someone you don't know the name of? A complete stranger.. What's that all about?"

He approached the door, it was time to leave the scene before they would be accused of anything suscpicious. He would then open the door for Hiyami.

".. Come on.. And don't forget your bag this time, Princess." He joked.

[Hiyami]

"Actually.. They don't. That one just wanted to prove he could be scum like his father..."

At this, Hiyami raised an eyebrow. That was interesting. It also meant that the generation he'd worked for was introducing a second generation. This would make things a bit more... challenging. If he decided to get out, anyways. She noted it in her mind and set it in the mental file it matched. Yes, she has a mental filing system. Don't judge be her.

"Hmph, well since you're pressing it on me so much, Princess.. Fine.. I suppose you could assist me if things get too hairy..." And then he was suddenly saying he might. Try to get away, anyways. Given the means, the plot, the plans - whatever that would secure his door to freedom. Still, he'd said it with a smile and a scoff - he didn't truly believe he could get away. That was fine. It would come with time.

Hiyami only smiled sweetly at him. "No worries, Prince Charming. The time will come sooner or later, but I'll definitely help. Just let me know, ne?"

"Good.. That saves me the trouble of having to go into the system and mark you present from whatever it would have been."

At this, Hiyami simply shook her head, amused. "There would've been no need even if I did have a class," she said, grinning. "Most of my teachers like me. And besides, what they've got of my records is clean."

"What I don't understand, though... Why are you helping someone you don't know the name of? A complete stranger... What's that all about?" he asked, and Hiyami could see that he was truly curious. She looked at him for a moment, pausing in her bid to gather her things and throwing the cards in her bag.

She was caught between answering him and simply letting him wonder. Part of him wanted to tell him that she'd also been dealt a bad hand by the Underground, but the other part wanted to keep that part of her life hidden. Forever. Admittedly, she couldn't really blame that part of herself, because those two years had been the most degrading years she'd faced. After a while, she'd been almost entirely dehumanized. Trying to fight it had only gotten her hurt, and when she'd stopped caring about that, they'd started hurting the girls around her.

She realized that it could've been worse - life can always get worse - and that's what was helping her to get over it - which she kind of had done and was doing - and live life. The memories were still there, but, undoubtedly, they'd always be there. Still, she'd managed. She'd survived. The gang had been dispersed and now she was happily going to high school. She mentally shook her head, and finally decided on an answer.

"You don't need to know a person's name to know them," she said, smiling wryly, "And if you were going to hurt me, you'd have done more than squish me when I came in, especially with your toys." She nodded at his cyberdeck.

"Come on... And don't forget your bag this time, Princess," he joked.

She slung her bag over her shoulder, and, as she walked out of the room and into the hall - he was holding the door for her, true to his nickname - she lightly smacked his stomach with the back of her hand. What? He'd made fun of her. She couldn't possibly forget her bag twice in one day, could she?

Then, nodding, she added - a bit brusquely, because she didn't want to tell him, but felt she owed him at least that much [she'd pretty much pulled his history out of him, after all] - "I remember some of the Underground made for bad owners. That's all."