I love everyone in this bar

Ray is delighted that Nico seems so much brighter now, chuckling, smiling. She beams right back with that infectious gap-toothed smile of hers and she goes to splay herself over Nico’s lap with a big ole stretch.

“I dunno if she’d ever give any of it up, Nico, she loves her hair a lot,” Ray sighs, going to fluff at her own ponytail. “Besides, you look really cute with your hair all short like that.”

She closes her eyes and makes a little yawn as she gives her arms another stretch.

“Ohh, the boys here, Nico, they’re like… pigs! I think that Donny guy is the only one I’ve met who hasn’t like, stared at my chest the entire time we’ve talked. Well, K too, but, y'know. K’s a gentleman. A gentleman who swears a lot and is super angry but that’s okay, because he’s got a good heart and he loooooves you!”

—

“Mmm, yeah, you’ve got the right of it. To both of those.” Nico’s still chuckling, especially with how Ray just makes herself at home. She places a hand on the girl’s hair, and gives it a rascally ruffle before smoothing it down.

Ray laughs and she turns her head to snuggle into Nico's belly, slinging both arms around her waist.

Nico holds Ray again, gently this time, rubbing her back. She stares at nothing as she considers the younger girl’s words. She’s apprehensive, yes, but not as filled with venom as she has been these past few weeks. She utters a little ‘mmmm.’ “I’ll think about it, honey.”

She chuckles a little in response to Ray’s laughter. “That sounds like we might need it, mm?”

She has to suck her lips in to stop herself from laughing too much, even, nodding along. Oh, Ray… “I’d have to be blind to miss it, don’t you think? Maybe I should ask her to give me some for a wig.”

Ray is delighted that Nico seems so much brighter now, chuckling, smiling. She beams right back with that infectious gap-toothed smile of hers and she goes to splay herself over Nico's lap with a big ole stretch.

"I dunno if she'd ever give any of it up, Nico, she loves her hair a lot," Ray sighs, going to fluff at her own ponytail. "Besides, you look really cute with your hair all short like that."

She closes her eyes and makes a little yawn as she gives her arms another stretch.

Nico holds onto Ray as tightly as Ray holds onto her, weeping quietly into her hair. K rattled her out of her funk, but only Ray could get her to let go like this. She lifts her head to avoid leaving the poor girl’s hair all snotty, sniffing loudly. She looks down as Ray moves back.

Nico gives her a sad smile. “Oh, honey, none of that’s your fault…” She brings a hand down to thumb Ray’s tears off her cheeks… though her gentleness almost falls at the mention of a certain someone “Dirt…” she sighs out the word. “That ain’t your fault either,” she shakes her head, and pets at Ray’s hair.

Dirt. She’s unsure what she’s feeling for a moment, and then she realizes she’s feeling a certain lack of bitterness at the thought of him. She’s not quite sure what to make of that.

"You should, uh, talk to him, you know? I-I don't wanna be nosy or nothin' but... I bet he'd like it." Ray crawls back over to cling to Nico, holding her tightly and pressing her still-damp cheek against a shoulder. "But for now, can we just hang out? And talk? About stuff that won't make us, like, cry or whatever?"

She pulls her head back to give Nico a demonstrative grin, laughing at herself. It lights up her face all over again and even puffy-eyed and a bit splotchy from crying, she's a pretty young woman. And you saved her, Nico. That's something to be proud of.

Ray watches Nico speak with her face growing more and more crestfallen. She tugs her hand away from Nico and huffs out a shivering sob. Her shoulders hunch up, and she goes to press her hands against her face, sniffling.

“No, no, no!” she whines, shaking her head and pressing her hands to her face tighter. “No, I don’t… I can’t… Nico, what am I gonna do? I hate it here, I always have. All the boys are always disrespectin’ me, I can’t go anywhere without bein’ afraid, I never get to see Nate… Dirt doesn’t even come by anymore… I’m useless, I’m not good for anythin’, and I thought you ha-ha-hated me!”

All the emotions come crashing out like a tital wave, and Ray is wailing, curled up on the bed, face pressed against her knees now.

“I j-j-just wanna go h-ho-ho-hooome!”

—

Nico’s heart breaks at every word, every sob, every tear. It kills her seeing Ray like this, and it’s her fault as much as it is Freeside’s. She had counted on Nate and Dirt to at least keep Ray company while she went off and sulked in her workshop… She did this. Nico lets tears of her own fall; there’s no use playing it stoic now.

But now, having her warmth, and even that apology, well... it helps.

Ray pulls back and she sniffles, wiping at her nose daintily and chewing at her lower lip. "I-I'm sorry, too. I know I'm not the... the smartest girl, Nico, and I've caused an awful lot of trouble... I mean, I saw the way you and Dirt, you know... I just... I bet he misses you a lot,  that's all, and I don't wanna be the one who made you guys go sour."

It’s all Nico can do to keep her face impassive.

She hadn’t pictured it going this way. She wanted it to have been a happy reunion, Ray prattling away about her boy Nate or how immature the Kings were or how she’d been getting along with Lienna. Not this. She grinds her teeth. She squeezes Ray’s hand.

“Ray.” Her voice is flat. “Gomorrah would take you, yeah, as a workin’ girl. And The Tops… What d’you think we did to Benny?” She waits a beat, but she’s not gonna let Ray agonize with thoughts of murder. “We beat the tar out of him, ruined his suit, and took Maria. You think he’d be happy seein’ you again?”

Nico hates it, she hates shattering little Ray’s dreams, but it’s better than Ray’s dreams shattering her.

Ray watches Nico speak with her face growing more and more crestfallen. She tugs her hand away from Nico and huffs out a shivering sob. Her shoulders hunch up, and she goes to press her hands against her face, sniffling.

"No, no, no!" she whines, shaking her head and pressing her hands to her face tighter. "No, I don't... I can't... Nico, what am I gonna do? I hate it here, I always have. All the boys are always disrespectin' me, I can't go anywhere without bein' afraid, I never get to see Nate... Dirt doesn’t even come by anymore... I'm useless, I'm not good for anythin', and I thought you ha-ha-hated me!"

All the emotions come crashing out like a tital wave, and Ray is wailing, curled up on the bed, face pressed against her knees now.

Ray’s all sorts of excited, spirits lifted now that Nico has finally come to visit. She’s dressed in a loose white top and high waisted jeans, hair pulled back in a ponytail, freckles vibrant on her face without any makeup to dull them. There’s a bit of sickness under her eyes from simple exhaustion, and her hand is clammy in Nico’s, but the brilliance of her smile seems to be ebbing the misery away.

She flops down onto the bed and pats for Nico to sit beside her. Her smile falls a tad.

“Ohh, you know, it’s nothin’ bad. I just hate bein’ back here, is all. Everythin’ is so… grimy, you know? And I miss all the fancy stuff back on the Strip! Gosh, I just really hope I can go back soon…” Yes, she’s still grasping onto that illusion, fingers dug in, stubborn.

—–

Nico can’t help but smile a little big wider, a bit more genuinely. Ray really is one little ray of sunshine. She obediently sits herself onto the mattress with an exaggerated little ‘oof!’ and shifts around to make herself comfortable as she faces Ray.

Her eyes are all starry from remembering the bright lights and the cleaner streets and all those pretty dresses she had. She touches her cheek where only the faintest bruising remains and she smiles.

Nico doesn’t get another word in before almost getting knocked off her feet, keeping her balance by holding on to Ray. She laughs herself, and echo rather than a genuine laugh.

“Same to you, kiddo. It’s been a while, mm?” she plays it cool, bring up a hand to pet at Ray’s hair. “Let’s sit ourselves down and you can tell me everythin’awful that’s been goin’ on, yeah?” She pulls herself away to look at Ray’s face, smiling, and then steps to Lienna’s bed, holding Ray’s hand to avoid completely breaking contact from her so soon.

Ray's all sorts of excited, spirits lifted now that Nico has finally come to visit. She's dressed in a loose white top and high wasited jeans, hair pulled back in a ponytail, freckles vibrant on her face without any makeup to dull them. There's a bit of sickness under her eyes from simple exhaustion, and her hand is clammy in Nico's, but the brilliance of her smile seems to be ebbing the misery away.

She flops down onto the bed and pats for Nico to sit beside her. Her smile falls a tad.

Nico’s not been in a good spot herself, but K is right. Wallowing’s not gonna do any good, especially when there’s someone else who needs her. A someone she has been rather unfair to, really. It’s with these thoughts in mind that she steps into the School, waving off whatever surprised greetings she receives. Had she been gone that long?

Nico proceeds to also wave off the suspiciously eager boys offering to escort her when she asks about Ray. Giving them a questioning tilt of her head and raise of her brows, they know that look well enough to back off, and she goes deeper into the building.

She can hear the singing, and a pang of guilt twists her gut. She keeps her face straight as she knocks on the room door, and gently pushes it open. “Ray?”

"The way your smile just beams, the way you sing off key... the way you haunt my dreams, no, no, they can't take that away from me--"

The knock startles her, and at first she thinks it's a, err, a gentleman caller. A few of the Kings like to stop by and chat her up when Lienna’s out cooking. She fusses at her hair and glances in the nearby handmirror, realizing she doesn't have her face on. "J-just a minute..."

But then the door's opening, and she recognizes the voice as Nico's. Startling. She half-expected never to see her again, which was heartbreaking on its own. Nico had spirited away so quick that night, when she saw Dirt, and Ray was well on her way to convincing herself that it was because she hated her.

Now, her whole face lights up, and she pushes off of the mattress, barreling to wrap her arms around Nico and laughing. Tears spring to her eyes.

Day 18 A song that you love but rarely listen to

I didn’t know I’d loved you so much-REPO The Genetic Opera soundtrack

rathianrosa:

>:3c