нєαтнєя & Aηgєℓєηα :)

[angelena.]

Sure, that works! ^.^

[E M M A]

Hugh inhaled through his nostrils, curling his fists at his sides. She hadn't said anything, and if it hadn't been his job to make sure she was absolutely 100% safe, he wouldn't have touched that drawer with a HAZMAT suit. He bit his tongue, unable to seem to find any legitament excuse to explain why he had poked through that drawer with his eyes closed except for the fact that he had been checking for any foreign objects, any sort of hidden stashes of anything she could have possibly kept in there, or had been put there. It was a major possibility, and he didn't u derstand why she was so flustered that he had picked through it. It wasn't as if he had felt up her underthings, or lingered in that drawer for as long as possible. In fact, he felt guilty for not looking hard enough in that drawer and doing an efficient sweep of the contents. Without words to clearly elaborate the situation and his tongue tied with humiliation while Liva stood there with simply just a towel, he was silent.

It wasn't as if he'd be that upset if she had gone through his drawers given a situation she'd need to, and seen his boxers. That wasn't exactly embarassing, but it would just be dangerous. He kept a knife inside, as well as his wallet and keys when he was sleeping. He didn't leave that lying around. Why was she that hysterical? He figured it had to be something to do with royalty and being proper, but that was beside him. He didn't want to talk about this anymore. His face was more flushed than it had ever been, and on top of it all, his face burned with her hand print on his cheek. Having mentioned her towel and her nudity under it, Liva burst into another series of flames, practically shaking with fury. He wasn't good at dealing with girls, as he had established early on that morning. Miserable, Hugh hadn't even seen her hand flash out, the loud sound echoing down the hall. He found himself looking away again, his cheek pulsing with pain and heat.

She had slapped him again, tossing his face to the right. He may have been taller and older and stronger than her, but when he was slapped, Hugh had no idea how to take it. He couldn't fight her back, he wasn't going to yell at her for it either and risk another one. His jaw dropped, his hand flying ti his face and rubbing the raw tender skin. "I didn't even-! You're the one out here...! And why do you keep slapping me? I'm not twelve," he growled, scowling. "I'm 23, and this is violating the contract I have signed. There are cameras around the rest of the house, I hope you know that-!" Hugh spouted, his voice rising. It irked him that he couldnt do anything about her slapping him, the situation having been doubled in awkwardness. Was this going to happen every time he did something wrong? Could he slap her? Of course not.

Her thick accent accused him of being a pervert, and he was sure the boys back at the CIA were getting a kick out of the scene they were seeing from the camera situated at the very end of the hall by Liva's room. He just hoped they were focused on the dialogue, not on... Liva and her cotton plush cotton towels. Hugh opened his mouth to protest, snapping it shut as no sound came out. He wasn't a pervert, but the exact opposite of it, whatever that was. He had no interest in romances, or girls for that matter. Or guys. He never had any time for that sort of thing, and his personality conflicted him from having any sort of relationship. He wasn't the type to flirt, he didn't even know how. First kiss? Never had one. Liva was accusing him of something impossible, like calling a newborn a serial killer. "You wish you had that attention," he snapped, fed up and injured by her mistrust and accusations.

He felt like and joke, his face bright red to contrast with his flashing dark blue eyes. His lips twisted into an unhappy frown, his dark eyebrows scrunched over the bridge of his nose. "Gladly," he retorted with his teeth grit, growling as she marched away with that self righteous air. Maybe if she had told him about her special drawer he would have never opened it in the first place. Hugh withdrew to his room again, closing the door except for a crack to wallow in his embarassment, his misery. He didn't know why he was so embarassed. He sunk down into his mattress, pouting. It was just underwear. Everyone wore underwear, so why was it a big deal? Why was she so stuck on it? How did she evem know he had gone through that specific drawer? Confused and slightly upset, Hugh cradled his face.

Needing to stretch his legs and escape the atmosphere that had lingered at his doorway, Hugh nursed his feelings and his bruising face by deciding to explore the entire first floor. The house was giant, with plenty of space and accommodations, no doubt. Since the CIA had specially built the place, he knew that it wouldn't fail to have some surprises somewhere. It was a safe house, there was bound to be some interesting material here. His footsteps padded downstairs, his slender bony fingers trailing along on the beautiful black iron staircase rail. On the landing, he took more time to absorb the surroundings, slowly wandering in towards the kitchen. It was well equipped, with granite counters and a large refrigerator he later learned was stocked to the brim with produce and food to last them a few weeks. A microwave, a built in oven, and a walk in pantry. A kitchen island, with stools. The kitchen had been twice the size of his own, even three times larger.

Hugh forgot momentarily about Liva and the incident about the underwear, his sock feet sliding on the wood floors as he explored with a childish excitement. He discovered a secluded hallway at the end of the house, pushing his way into a movie room first. A large movie screen took up an entire wall, comfy plush seats with even the cup holders you had at movie theaters occupying the rest. In the back was a popcorn machine, and a snack bar that hadn't been filled yet. Such... luxury. In the next room, he was overwhelmed by how many things were in it. A pool table, a foosball table, a ping-pong fld up table in the corner, a couch, another flat screen television, and a low cabinet containing quite a few gaming systems for future residents. Breathing, Hugh took up the remote in awe, touching the screen in disbelief.

He'd always wished to have those gaming sets when he was younger, seeing as all the other kids on television had them, and it was advertised online, in books, everywhere. Could he actually... have one now? Checking the doorway to see that Liva wasn't there, Hugh quickly pressed the power button on the remote and dropped into the couch in anticipation. The screen made a noise to signal that it was on, before a Call of Duty home screen flashed, and the speakers exploded. Hugh jolted from his seat, his hands clapped over his ears in shock. Hugh slapped the remote volume to mute, his heart pounding so it made his chest jump with every pulse. He breathed heavily, before closing his eyes and falling back into the couch cushions. Who would do that. Turn up the volume like this? He suspected it was the very same ones who had planted all those cameras in Liva's room.

[angelena.]

Sir Casimir stormed through the gates on his mighty steed, rage and fear fueling his every breath as he barreled through the city of Galerinth to rescue his damsel. He vowed a silent, solemn oath that Lord Varius would not bother her anymore. Not after tonight. “Halt, in the name of - “ Unfortunately, the sentry posted outside the estate had no time to finish that thought before his head was removed from his shoulders by Cas’s blade. He kept going, even as he heard footsteps hurrying his way. The guards had surely heard his approach and they would be on him at any moment, but he would take on every last one of them if that’s what it took. Their blood could stain the Earth along with their master’s…

Boring, boring, boring… Liva always hated the really descriptive parts, where the hero’s inner turmoil was laid out for the reader. She wanted to get on with the fighting already. She scanned the page quickly until she caught the word arrows. That sounded promising. The princess soon became immersed once more as the brave knight descended from his valiant steed and began to take on the army single-handedly. Every close call had her sitting up a little straighter in bed, gripping the little mass market paperback in her hands as if it might disappear should she loosen her hold. Okay, maybe the book wasn’t that good. It was part of this medieval serious and heavy on action and romance, Liva’s two favorite things in stories. A lot of it was pretty cheesy, but she liked the idea of it all, liked battle scenes and kisses in front of sunsets. She continued to read as Cas climbed a staircase to face the evil Lord of the manor.

“What is it, Casimir? Giving up so soon? What a shame, considering the princess was so looking forward to seeing you again…” An evil chuckle escaped the Lord’s lips as he stared down at the Cas, watching as the bloodied knight tried desperately to rise to his feet again. Casimir felt the pain from his chest wound begin to blossom outward until his whole body felt like fire. He was sure he would have been engulfed in those flames…if it wasn’t for the woman he loved being so near. Princess Arlen was screaming now, tears running down her face in fat streams as she tried desperately to break free of her bounds. Finding new strength within him -

Blah, blah, blah. More emotional stuff…

The blade went clean through the Lord’s stomach and he froze, his blade still raised with both hands, ready to give out a deathly blow. But he would never get a chance to strike. He stumbled back, Casimir’s sword sticking out of his gut. For a moment, he seemed stunned, unsure whether it was real or not. Blood began to pour from his wound and out his mouth, choking him. The man fell to his knees with a gasp and Cas kept his face even, not daring to move until he was sure the job was finished. “You…will regret….” The dying Lord did not get to finish the thought before he collapsed. He was dead, once and for all. Casimir’s breathing was ragged as he took in the sight. He would have stared at the body all day if it wasn’t for the softest, most melodic voice calling to him from the other side of the room. “Cas.” The Princess cried out in relief. He hurried to her side, using his dagger to cut away the ropes that bound her to the bed. And then she was there with him, collapsing to his arms in a fit of tears. He wiped them away gently.

“My love, I thought I’d never see you again.” She managed.

Casimir chuckled, his arms encircling her waist. “I will always be here, my lady, until the sun stops shining and we are both but the dust of the stars. And even then shall I love you.” His lips descended upon her own, capturing her in a kiss that said more than words ever could. Cas moved his hands to entangle in her hair as he -

Nope. It was kind of hard for Liva to loose herself in a the steamy romance novel when the memory of Hugh and the Great Underwear Dispute still fresh in her mind. Even though she did enjoy The Armored Heart very much. With a drawn out sigh, Liva placed her bookmark between the pages and tossed the tome on her bed, glad that the cover was more modest than others of the same genre. No Fabio here, thankfully. She scooted off her bed and rose to her feet, leaving behind Casimir and Princess Arlen and their medieval world. If only princesses were still treated like that; the thought almost made her pout visibly. Of course, no amount of pampering would ever be enough for her standards.

Why was there nothing to do besides pace around her room like a moron? Liva huffed out her irritation, reaching for her laptop. All social media, of course, had been blocked for her, and she wasn’t allowed to have her phone. So, what was even the point? Maybe she could do some online shopping… Just as she started to type in the url of a shoe sight, Liva heard the most terrifying, obnoxious sound. Gunshots and yelling and some weird music? It was a little muffled, but it still startled her. Was there someone in the house? Was Hugh alright? Liva hurried to her bedroom door and cautiously peeked out to the hall. Empty. She swallowed hard, proceeding carefully down the hall, sure she had heard the noise come from downstairs. No one in the living room or dining room or kitchen or… Liva bit her lip, grabbing a knife from a set in the kitchen and continuing on her search. The sound had stopped now…which was, you know, a little confusing. Was someone dead?! Liva wanted to scream. Where was her freaking bodyguard?!

And then she found the game room, stumbling across it just when she had started to convince herself that the sound had just been in her head. It gave her a fright, as she first just saw the figure of a man. She raised the knife on instinct, but it only took her a second to discover from his scrambling around who it was. “You’re kidding me, right?” Liva raised one fair eyebrow, her arms now crossed with the knife dangling carelessly from one hand. It was actually quite a relief, seeing the menu of a game on the screen. If there was a real intruder, she probably would have peed her pants. Now, she just rolled her eyes, playing it off like she wasn’t scared at all - or, you know, running off freaky adrenaline. “Video Games? God, you’re just like my brother.” Though Mikkel hadn’t played video games since they were sixteen. “Can’t you at least keep it down? Some of us are trying to read.” Her voice took on an annoyed, nagging edge…until she realized where they were. Liva’s eyes scanned the room, growing a little brighter when she saw what he had uncovered. A game room?! Maybe she wouldn’t be completely bored afterall…

“Oh!” She exclaimed, rushing over to the game tables with a smile on her lips now. She did love games… “Let’s play something!” There was something very…normal about the request. For a moment, she didn’t look like some high-end princess. She looked like a normal young lady out to have a good time. And sometimes Liva was like that. She loved fine things and pampering, but she also loved to have fun. Maybe too much fun, even… “Hugh, please…” Her bottom lip puffed out in a pout. She may not have really cared for Hugh… But god she was bored!

[E M M A]

Hugh's heart was still pounding, his blue eyes wide as he stared at the screen with disdain. He felt silly for being scared of something like that, relieved that he at least hadn't screamed and alerted Liva. Surely, she hadn't heard it right? The last thing he wanted to do was attract her attention, especially after the underwear fiasco. His face still felt numb, like her slap had taken off a good chunk of his face with it. He didn't hear Liva's soft footsteps down the hall, carefully measured while she approached the room to an unsuspecting Hugh. He'd learned to breathe again, playing with the remote settings with his eyes squinted at the screen. Why was the remote on level 100? Turns out, the TV had been set to the highest possible, and as Hugh held his thumb down on the down button, he began to become very fed up with whoever had gone about and set up the house. They had left it on level 100. Was that on purpose? He bet the folks behind the cameras again were laughing at him, and he could only wonder what else had been rigged to make a fool of him.

Just as Hugh was to stand up from the couch to fuss with the remote controllers plugged into a fancy stand along with an assortment of others to charge, he heard an unmistakable tone on his right by the door. Hugh did jump this time, yelping. "Hah!" He gasped, his eyebrows high on his forehead and his arms up in defense. He saw that Liva had a knife in her hand, and that made him awful suspcious. Pressing his hand to his hammering heart, Hugh took deep greedy breaths. This wasn't good for him, and he already felt the onset of an anxiety attack. Puffing air from his lips in defeat, Hugh placed his hands on his waist, studying Liva with with a perplexed expression. Why did she have a knife? Was she making something in the kitchen? Or was she trying to kill him? Either were questionable for the princess. "What-?" Hugh blanked, staring at Liva. What was she upset about now? Had it been the loud blare?

Just as he was about to apologize for it, she stabbed at him with her words. The knife might have hurt more. Hugh looked at the screen, chewing on the inside of his cheek. He knew that video games were a kid thing nowadays, and that you were weird if you were an adult and played them. Hugh rubbed his arm, slightly embarassed once again. He'd just... wanted to try it out. Every kid played video games. Every single one. Back at the orphanage, there had only been one console, and even then, someone had always hogged it to the point where he didn't even want to try and pry the controller from them. He was put off guard by the princess having caught him in his moment of vulnerability, his tough guy facade broken down momentarily. Hugh straightened up, shrugging.

"My bad," he said carelessly, although he was pretty astonished that she could even read in the first place. She had seemed like just a ditzy blonde to him in the first place who didn't know the worth of a dollar and bossed everyone around, men wrapped around her pinky. Okay, so he was wrong about her being completely ditzy... or maybe she was kidding. "You need a knife to read?" Hugh raised an eyebrow, put off by her authoritative tone. He'd do as he pleased in this household. Her eyes brightened as she ignored his comment for the moment, her attention caught on the room itself. Liva seemed to forget about the current situation, again astounding Hugh with her inability to focus with what was convenient for her. "Let's?" Hugh turned about to follow her with his gaze, the remote still in his hand. He wasn't playing anything, there was no way. Hugh didn't play. He didn't have time for that.

He was sure there was something he was supposed to be doing at 10:57 am, he was positive of it. But what? His mind blanked on excuses to escape, his tall lean figure standing by the couch with a hesitant cringe on his tight lips. Liva spun around, her blonde hair tossed over her shoulders, as her blue eyes found his. Her red lips stuck out in a royal pout, her tone softened and pleading as she begged him. It was a weird sensation, but Hugh felt himself weaken as well, his stony features loosening as he considered her request with folded arms. "This is ridiculous," he growled under his breath, breaking his eye contact with Liva before he was completely sucked in to her soul. There was something about Liva that he couldnt put his finger on...

"Foosball?" Hugh suggested, running his fingers over the brand new knobs with the plastic wrapping still covering the table his eyes wandered to the other accommodations of the room, before he quickly left the foosball table. "Ping pong. Yes? Hand me the knife first," Hugh had strode to the folded ping pong table in the corner of the room, his hand patting the dark green edges. After Liva agreed and complied with his request, Hugh stuck the knife on top of the foosball table plastic, folding the sheet over to protect the sharp blade from catching on anyone. It took him a moment , but Hugh managed to single handedly tug out the table from its storage space, unfolding it in the center of the room where there was plenty of space. Although Liva had only seen the angry and uptight side of him, as well as the embarassed, now, she witnessed the lighter hearted of him.

It wasn't often that he got to let his guard down, it wasn't often that he didn't have anyone to impress or prove himself to, or to protect. Inside the house, he felt that he could sleep at peace knowing his client was safe, as was he, and he had nowhere to be, nowhere to go. It was... amazing, this new experience of having no errands t o do, not having to show up to work. Home was his work, and the mansion was plenty to keep him happy. In a place where there was everything provided and paid for, where he wasn't reminded that the pipes needed fixing and the carpet needed to be replaced and the fridge was empty, Hugh could actually relax. And play ping pong. In no time, he had located the net that he immediately attached to the tables ends, the paddles resting on the table with the ball. "There," hugh dusted his hands off on his pants with satisfaction. "Catch, Liva," he grabbed one of the two paddles, tossing it over the net to his opponent. He'd forgotten how to really play, although there wasn't so much to the game. He also bounced the ball over to Liva, allowing her to serve the ball first out of courtesy. He didn't know why he was doing this.

[angelena.]

The princess couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at her bodyguard as he worked to level his breathing. “For an agent, you’re very easy to sneak up on.” She smirked, completely insensitive to the fact that she had frightened him. She had no idea he had anxiety…and right now she couldn’t care less. She was too focused on being concerned by how easily scared he was! What if she had been a real intruder? “Good thing I didn’t come here to kill you or you’d be a goner.” She lifted her eyebrows up at him suggestively, teasingly. She just loved to tease, loved to make people squirm in uncertainty. It was the only sort of wholesome entertainment she would be getting around here, it seemed.

She had forgotten all about the kitchen knife dangling between her fingers and when he mentioned it, she looked confused for a moment. “Why would I need - ?” She broke off her stupid question as she felt the weight of it in her hand. Oh… She cleared her throat, trying not to look embarrassed even though she kind of was. “No.” She said sharply. What a great comeback that was… Liva bristled a bit as she tried to think of what she could say that wouldn’t make her sound like an idiot. “I thought you had been shot, actually.” She gestured carelessly with the knife to the television, where the menu graphics were still playing. Stupid video game sound affects. She crossed her arms again, staring at him with a very annoyed expression. “Next time I won’t make the mistake of coming to help.” She grumbled, biting back the urge to curse in her native language. It didn’t have the same effect now that she knew he understood her.

Liva waited expectantly for him to agree and a triumphant grin spread across her lips once he finally did. She always got what she wanted in the end…but she hadn’t been sure whether or not Hugh would agree to her silly little request. She honestly still wasn’t sure what she was supposed to think of him. Liva’s nose crinkled slightly when he suggested foosball first. “Even the name is disagreeable.” She smirked. Ping Pong on the other hand… A devilish smile met her features, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Ping Pong she could do. She was, afterall, great at Tennis and…super competitive sometimes. Liva didn’t like to lose at anything thanks to her own stubborn pride, but she liked to win on her own terms. Back at the castle in Denmark, everyone would always just let her be victorious so she wouldn’t throw any of her famous tantrums. And she absolutely hated that, almost as much as she hated losing fairly. She glared at him when he asked for the knife, still feeling like a fool for bringing it in the first place. It wasn’t like Liva was Sir Casimir from her stories. She wouldn’t have been any help. Liva handed over the knife to him, wondering if he was laughing at her on the inside for her silly attempt to save the day.

Suppressing a giggle as Hugh struggled with the table, Liva watched him until it was all set up, not once offering to help him. She didn’t help with things like that. No, she had people for that! And as far as she was concerned, Hugh was now one of those people. “Took you long enough.” She smirked as he finished fastening down the net, though this time she was only teasing. Her spirits had been lifted a bit by seeing the game room… but she did yelp a little when Hugh tossed her the paddle. He had to stop throwing things at her! Did he think she was some kind of American football player? She did not catch things…but she kind of caught the paddle. After fumbling it a little, of course. Liva weighed the thing in her hand, tossing her blonde hair behind her shoulder. Yeah. She had meant to do that.

“Ready to lose, suit?” Liva stopped the little white ball and paused for a moment, smirking at him, trying to intimidate him. And then she served the ball. Hard. It zoomed barely above the edge of the net and bounced pretty close to Hugh before hitting the wall behind him. “You missed.” She taunted. “One point to me, then.” Liva’s eyes held a challenge in them. She was really anticipating seeing what this guy was all about, seeing as she hadn’t been able to really get a decent read on him. Hugh did seem to have a bit of a temper… And Liva had no problem setting it lose just for some cheap entertainment. As the game went on, Liva continued to be brutal with her hits. She was small and quick, which made her good at things like this. She may not be able to catch a ball, but her hands were quick when she had any sort of racket in them. Liva had never been a big fan of sports, but she liked jogging and she liked tennis. Wasn’t a big fan of sweating, though… “What’s the matter, Hugh? I thought you were some kind of tough guy…” She laughed as she swung away on another of his serves, genuinely enjoying herself now. Little competitions like this were fun! But this would only entertain her for so long…and she had a plan to seek out a better form of entertainment tonight.

[E M M A]

Oh snapppp xD i love them. Brb shower

[E M M A]

He didn't like how satisfied Liva seemed to be with herself, teasing him about how easy he was to frighten. In reality, Hugh wasn't. He really wasn't, and Liva didn't know that. Who knew what other pranks she'd try? Hugh had let his guard down, simply because he knew this house was reinforced and protected. He didn't have to be alert, he didn't have to tense up and be ready to fight, he didn't have to look over his shoulder every five seconds. Currently, Hugh had been having a serious problem focusing on what Liva was trying to say, his heart swelling and contracting at an alarming pace in his chest. He wasn't scared, the intial shock had worn off, but his body refused to believe him. His eyes glowered over at Liva instead as he bristled in his silence, his hands on his thighs as he remained bent over.

"Liva. Enough," Hugh had snapped gruffly, his words faint and shaky. It wasn't as if Liva would be able to kill him anyway, not with that knife anyway. He wasn't in the mood to be joked around with, especially having been caught off his guard twice already and been humiliated for the entire CIA to see. His face was still stinging from her slaps, and he'd never forget that moment she accused hin of going through her underwear like some pervert. He wasn't going to encourage or supoort Liva's growing humorous behvaior, her evil teasing making him quickly uncomfortable when he was around her. It seemed to be something she could enjoy, making him miserable. It hadn't even been six hours, and he was already deeply upsetted by this insensitive blonde from Denmark. He could tell it would grow to be a very long few months, full of his discomfort and misery.

Liva had seemed to forget about having the kitchen knife in her hand when he pointed it out, her face slowly shading in pink. She looked unsettled by his remarks, and Hugh was satisfied with hismelf for scoring back at the princess. He could be mean too, and point out every little thing she did wrong. The edges of his lips twitched when she insisted that she had thought he'd been shot, already seeing her initial purpose in equipping such a small knife. It was sort of cute, to see the princess having been a bit concerned for what had happened downstairs as far as risking her own safety went. "And then I blasted some Call of Duty theme music," he added on sarcastically, pressing the matter on to Liva. Her own pride and self righteousness had been humbled just then, his own fear and fright having been forgotten.

That was what happened when you made fun of others, Hugh thought revengefully, pleased with Liva's sorry expression. "I'm touched you came to help me, Liva, but next time you hear gunshots, stay in your room please, or hide, yes? A knife won't do much to help you against a man with a gun ." He had tried to put it as nicely as he could, his tone simply one that was stating the obvious. It was Liva, for crying out loud, there was no way she would have been able to do anything against a 200 pound armed adult if he had been shot and killed. He just remembered her batting away the empty gun in the car with a disgusted shriek, and he knew that she was up to no good. She hadn't even been holding the handle correctly, were she to stab someone. It became an underlying worry to Hugh in that moment. What if someone had intruded the house somehow, and did manage to wound him or kill him? What then? The princess wouldn't be able to get out by herself, it had been princess-proofed. Although the house was large, it wouldn't take too long for a professional killer to find her at all. He sure hoped the CIA knew what they were doing.

Hugh didn't like to admit it, but he was a little... happy to see the princess smile, delighted that he had consented on ping pong. Although he had had to put the table down himself and readjust the Nets with his short temper, he hadn't felt too terrible about playing a bit of an easy game to pass the time. It would give him a chance to loosen up as well, a chance to relax the knots in his shoulders. "Terribly sorry for the inconvenience," Hugh replied without missing a beat, inspecting the paddle. It seemed brand new. Nobody had used it before, yet, it wasn't in a package. What else had the people tampered with here? He snorted good naturedly when Liva nearly dropped the paddle, impressed she hadn't been able to just catch it in the first place. Maybe she wasn't very coordinated. It wouldn't surprise him.

"Sure," Hugh stood with the paddle in hand, his eyes following the ball that she held in her hand. He had a name, but he didn't bother to correct her on her nicknames. It was too much effort to go through and in the end it wouldn't even matter. Probably. While he was watching her serve the ball, it didn't actually occur to him to hit it until it had whipped past his arm and hit the wall behind him with a light plastic click sound. She sang about him missing the first ball while he retrieved it, not in the least bit ashamed. Okay, maybe a little. It had been yesrs since he'd played ping pong last, it had to be in high school back at the boys school during his free hours. He'd never had anyone to play with to begin with, so it wasn't often he played and he wasn't good at it. Although it only took simple hand eye coordination and strategy, both which he excelled at, he couldnt seem to handle the paddle correctly with his large hand.

"I did miss, you're right," Hugh applauded her, tossing the ball back to her side indifferently. He'd already accepted that he'd most likely not do so well at this game, so he wasn't going to get that worked up about losing to Liva. Not yet anyway. Serve after serve, he seemed to miss, or come close to it. Her hits had been fast, and to react, he had to move and angle his body so his arm didn't have to be bent at an awkward position. For someone as tall as Hugh, the sport using the low table wasn't quote comfortable to begin with. "What does being tough have to do with being good at this game?" He grumbled, starting to become flustered with missing the hit he had to go retrieve again. Liva seemed to enjoy herself, regardless, and with the game her winning at 8-2, he knew he wouldn't hear the end of this today. Hugh let out an unhappy sigh of dismay, the ball he had just hit flying into the little net thing. He was already wanting to give up. "Is this... fun for you?" He questioned with a wrinkled nose, seeing how thrilled Liva was. He'd much rather be shooting empty cans off a fence in the backyard.

[angelena.]

“Excuse me?” Liva bristled. Enough? Enough? How rude of him! Did he know who she was? Hugh Miles did not get to say things like that to her. But just as she was about to inform him thusly, she noticed that he seemed to be having…trouble. He was all huffy and bent over, so of course her immediate reaction was to raise an eyebrow at him. He was joking, right? “Um…Hugh?” Some of the smugness left her expression for a moment as she watched him get his bearings again. Liva stood there awkwardly, unsure of whether or not she should go to him or, like, call an ambulance. Was he okay? Luckily, he was fine after a few minutes, his usually disdainful expression back in place. Liva schooled her own features in response. It wasn’t like she had been worried about him or anything. That was…stupid. She was just freaked out… Yeah.

Hugh soon had Liva mostly back to normal. She wanted to slap him again for making fun of her. “I don’t know.” She said defensively. The music could have been, like, some sort of victory song that the attacker’s played after gunning him down. Liva was really getting annoyed now. She liked to be better than people at everything…but she had no clue how to defend herself. She wasn’t some tough CIA agent, for crying out loud! But she hated being treated like a little girl because she didn’t know how to throw a punch. She was - she was tough enough! She could defend herself just fine, thank you…or at least she had this weird, false sense of confidence in her own abilities to do so. Too bad that whenever she got flustered and angry at the same time, she was anything but intimidating. Whenever that happened, she would stutter and blush and wasn‘t able to think up quick comebacks. Fortunately, she didn‘t get flustered often… Stupid bodyguard.

“Fine.” She snapped, completely fed up with this nonsense. “Next time I won’t come to rescue you.” She rolled her eyes, looking like an angst-ridden teenager. Though, she really didn’t like the way Hugh said next time. There wasn’t going to be a next time! Part of the reason why she was so annoyed was… Well, she had actually been a little scared when she had heard the noise, when she had grabbed that stupid knife and hurried down here. Yes, she had been able to keep a level head about her, which was probably a good sign. But for a moment, it had all seemed much too real. Liva shook her head, ridding herself of those thoughts. It wasn’t real. No one was going to come after her. No one was going to kill her or Hugh or anyone. They would be dead before they could even make an attempt. After reassuring herself, Liva was finally able to focus on the game.

And boy, did she love this game. Liva didn’t like most sports, seeing as trying to catch things freaked her out. She didn’t like when objects flew her way and…she had a tendency to panic when that happened. But having something like a paddle or a racket in her hand made her feel much more invincible. It was like an extension of herself and with it, she could defend herself from flying objects and keep them well away from her. It was like when you took all the threat of actual danger out of the situation, she could excel with it. During their little game, she kept one eye constantly on Hugh, assessing each move he made. She didn’t like being smart, didn’t like to use that clever little head of hers for anything but picking out fashionable things to wear. But this was a little different. It wasn’t like she was forced to be intelligent for the sake of a country or grades or life-or-death situations. It was just a fun game of ping pong and Liva was a pro at having a good time.

Liva was pleased to see Hugh getting all riled up as the game went on, as that was what she had been waiting for the whole time. “Oh, nothing. But isn’t hand-eye-coordination important in your line of work?” She asked innocently as she took the ball again to serve. Liva gave an easy hit over to him this time, but when it volleyed back, she sent it flying over the net. Hard. But after that, she sat her paddle down, stretching her arms as she gave Hugh a strange look. Didn’t he know what fun was? “Um…yeah, kind of.” She shrugged, not entirely sure how to answer him. Wow, someone was a party pooper. “It’s fun if you win, though I suppose you wouldn’t know that…” She taunted, unable to help herself. But Liva was done playing now, satisfied with her winning score. “God, live a little, Miles… Hugh, I’m hungry.” She whined, walking away from the table to plop down on the arm of the sofa.

[angelena.]

Aww! Imagine Hugh trying to teach Liva self defense later on! xD

[E M M A]

Awwww THAT WAS SO CUTE!!! SO CUTE IM DYING. ahhhh i fould defintely picture itttt hahaha xD this rp is bomb ily

Ill reply in a bit gonna eat first

[E M M A]

Hugh was just fine with Liva not rescuing him next time. It was probably better for the two of them, because if anyone was going to come out alive from anything she was involved in, it was Hugh. Although she had him as her bodygaurd, chances were slim that she'd be able to hold her own, and it would complicate the situation ten times worse than it already would have been. Liva's attitude would have been enough to push any attacker away, but then, perhaps they'd kill her instead. He would, if she were his enemy. For now... they were allies. Not friends, but allies. The two seemed to lighten up now that they were absorbed and concentrated on playing such a classic childhood game, one that anyone could play. Although Hugh was loosing by far to a girl, to a bratty princess, he'd even had a little bit of fun with it, more than he'd anticipated. She was agressive in her swings, which showed Hugh that she wasn't just a silly pansy. Maybe she had potential to at least ward off a simple attacker, some idiot in the parkinglot who tried to make a move on her or some such.

It came to be quite alarming in how hard Liva began to hit at him, almost as if she were trying to peg him on purpose. "Ow!" Hugh inhaled sharply under his breath, the plastic ball grazing his skin on his arm painfully. The score now leveled at 10-3. Not bad, for a princess, he thought silently, squatting on his sore legs ever so carefully so as not to rip his pants, crawling to his knees so he could reach for the ball that had rolled off under the foosball table. When the ball was back in play, she teased him about his eye hand coordination, an injury to his self esteem and pride. "Yes. It is," Hugh muttered under his breath, avoiding her challenging sharp blue eyes while he fixated his eyes on the ball flying towards him. He wished he could have won, but he figured it was better to let Liva be better than him at something, or fsce a tantrum when she lost sorely. Hugh could take a ping pong defeat.

The last ball of that day was served at him, Hugh attempting to deflect the ball but missing after his bright blue green irises had been preoccupied with giving the room a sweep, soemthing that had become routine and ingrained in his mind. She dropped the paddle on the table with newfound boredom, shooting Hugh a smirk that was asking to be slapped. "That's too bad, I hope you had your fun, then," he snorted, setting down his own paddle on top of hers and resting the lightweight ball beside it. Once ensured it wouldn't roll away and get lost, Hugh let the table be, his hands on his hips. "Not everyone finds ping pong delightful, you know," he reminded her, lifting a thick eyebrow. She plopped onto the couch armrest, Hugh internally cringing. He absolutely couldn't stand it when people ruined furniture like that, too lazy to actually take two steps and sit in the couch itself. He made no comment, awkwardly making movement to turn off the TV he had turned on earlier.

He reached for the remote still on the couch cushion, the silent screen flickering with the same opening home page for the video game. Hugh shut the television off, replacing the remote on its proper shelf where two other remotes were collecting dust. It was then that Liva complained about being hungry, as if it were his responsibility to make her a little lunch. "Oh yeah? That's why we have a kitchen, you know," Hugh responded easily, watching Liva squirm. His hand grasped the knife that had been sitting on the foosball table, Liva's choice weapon of destruction. Absently twirling it by the handle in his fingers, effortlessly toying with the sharp kitchen tool, Hugh heaved a heavy sigh. "Get up, let's go see what groceries they've left for us," he consented, caving under Liva's distraught and perplexed expression.

She'd had everything done for her her whole life, so it would be no surprise if she didn't know how to make herself a sandwhich. Did she even know what that was? Although Hugh hated Liva's type, the rich posh types, he found himself rather relaxed around her. Perhaps it was because he didn't feel like he had anything to prove to her, no expectations, and the fact that she was shorter and smaller and hardly intimidating at all, he deciding being nice might have been the better thing to do. Besides, he was hungry. He was headed for the kitchen anyway. He hoped there were thing she could actually eat, since he'd been on a diet cleanse these past few weeks to get back on track with his vitamin count and energy. Especailly with the new responsibility to make sure Liva didn't get into trouble, he wanted to be on top of his game. One wrong move, and the Princess of Denmark could be snatched from his grasp, and how was he supposed to explain that to his boss? The humiliation and shame he'd bring to himself. It wouldn't be so surprising, considering that his own blood line was the same way. Disappointing.

With the knife still twirling and tossing between his long bony fingers, Hugh led the way from the game room into the dimly lit corridors, towards the kitchen. The smell of fresh wet paint and new leather furniture was making him practically drool. He blamed the beautiful house for his rather improving mood, that and the fact that his gas money, food, and lodging was being paid for by both the US and Danish government. He didn't have to worry about bills at the end of the month. Just... tax season. He was basically being paid to live here, paid to be Liva's playdate and making sure the doors were are well secured. Lifting an arm as he passed by the kitchen counters, he stabbed the knife block, sliding on his sock feet on the cool tiles to swing open the refrigerator. The huge sleek monster was packed, filled to the brim with anything he could have asked for.

Hugh couldn't believe it. Not a single space was empty! "Oh..." he breathed in awe, his expression softening. Back home, he would have always had to live paycheck to paycheck, since he had all these loans and bills and expensive housing to pay for, that, and payments he owed the orphanage from when he was living there. It was a struggle to ever go buy himself clothes, especailly since usually, with his long legged lean frame, he needed things customized to fit proper. And if you were working with government high-and-mighties, and you just happened to run into the president, or the queen of England... oh, shame on you if your pants reached halfway up your shins, or if your socks didn't match because the match had a gaping hole, or if your dress shirt had a faint stain from dinner.

"What do you want? There's... quite literally, anything you want," Hugh offered rather generously, still in a bit of a daze. This much food, for free. Oh, it made a poor little street rat like him so incredibly happy. Even at the orphanage, the crowded, run down place that could barely meet the state regulations, three meals a day had been difficult. The children were often malnourished, under fed, and in Hugh's case, where bullies had taken his food for themselves, he hardly ate at all. The habit carried on even today, since he couldnt est large amounts with his puny budget and tight schedule. Hugh groped around in one of the drawers, removing ingredient by ingredient for his own lunch.

((Creative ideas for lunch that could be fun?))

[angelena.]

Liva raised a delicate eyebrow in his direction. “And not everyone finds you delightful.” She retorted, smirking at him. She was…getting used to him, though, if that was any consolation. At first, she had kind of wanted him to go jump off the nearest bridge, but now she wasn’t imagining his death near as frequently. Liva knew she would get bored with annoying him and provoking him soon, because his reactions were…boring. She needed to figure out a way to get out of here, and fast. Hopefully before she went insane with said boredom. Liva was already formulating a plan, though. All she had to do was pay close attention to Hugh throughout the day and make sure that beige powder she didn’t like was still in her makeup bag. It would work perfectly for what she had in mind… And then she would be able to taste freedom.

The princess pressed a hand lightly to her stomach, pouting at Hugh. His response was…less than satisfactory. Yes, she knew there was a kitchen. What did he expect her to do with it? Did he… Did he think she was going to make herself something?! An incredulous expression took over her face. Liva didn’t cook, had no clue where to even begin in a kitchen. How exactly was the living here thing going to work? Did Hugh cook things? She couldn’t imagine him actually making her anything. Oh, how she missed Chef Rasmus and the glorious dishes he made! He was her personal cook back at the castle, even though the castle had dozens of them working in the kitchens. And he always knew exactly what she was in the mood for, it seemed. Though Liva often ate whatever was healthy and “in”, Chef Rasmus could always tell when she needed something sweet and rich to quell a heartbreak. And of course, even the princess had had a few of those. Liva had had a few steady boyfriends growing up in Denmark, mostly rich guys who turned out to be jerks. Except Silas… But that was another story.

Oddly obedient, Liva rose from her perch on the couch’s arm and followed Hugh out the game room and through the large hallways, wondering briefly what the rest of the doors held. She began feeling uncertain when he said the word groceries. Like food that wasn’t prepared yet? Ingredients? What was she to do with ingredients?! She couldn’t help but cross her arms, her features twisting into an annoyed expression… Though deep down, she was feeling quite homesick. She wondered if Chef Rasmus was getting this time off? He should; he deserved it after all she put him through. There were several people like him at the castle who, although Liva teased them and threw her little temper tantrums with them when she didn’t get her way, she valued them greatly. But she never told people when she cared for them… But people like Chef Rasmus knew. He had been with her sense she was a little girl and he saw right through her bratty exterior.

As they walked along, Hugh was twirling that stupid knife in his hand, tossing it around as if it wasn’t something deadly sharp. “Stop that!” Liva scorned, feeling her heart leap in her chest a little. What if he dropped it or accidentally threw it and decapitated her?! God, she still felt stupid for even bringing it down to the game room in the first place…and for everything that had really happened between them. Maybe the reason she kind of despised Hugh Miles was because he had seen her so flustered and vulnerable. She let herself forget all of that as they entered the kitchen, trying to be a little optimistic about the prospects it held. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as impressed as Hugh. The kitchens in the castle were huge, professional looking places… Liva had never been in a kitchen like this, an average home kitchen. Deep down, she kind of liked it. It was…cozier. A place where normal families might cook and eat breakfast at the little bar. Not an industrial machine like at the castle.

Not that she was jealous of this kind of life-style or anything. Because she totally wasn’t…

“It’s so small.” She said, rolling her eyes and looking away to hide the bitterness in her eyes. When Hugh asked what she wanted, her attention snapped to him and the open fridge. “I…I don’t know.” She said, perhaps a little defensively. She wasn’t very familiar with too many American dishes. And the things in the fridge… Liva didn’t even recognize many of them. She never went to the kitchens at the castle, had never seen milk in a gallon or cheese cubes in a bag. It was kind of surreal, really, seeing all this stuff not on a plate and ready at her disposal. Liva felt a little…helpless… So of course she made herself look smug to cover up for it. “You’re making something, yes?”

((I don’t know… Probably something simple and normal that Liva’s never had so it can be all cute and funny when she tries it for the first time. I think for dinner later though, they should like, try to make a pizza or something and he can have her helping with like cutting ingredients and stuff and it can be all cute. ^.^ ))

[angelena.]

Lol, the salad sounds good. I feel like they should get in a fight and start throwing ingredients at each other or something. xD

[E M M A]

Hugh was still bemused about how Liva didn't like the knife situation or the empty gun earlier, and her shouting at him to stop reminded him of just that. It was typical for a girl to be that way, but he couldnt apply that stereotype to every girl. He'd met some pretty talented agents already, ones that could very well come close to kicking his arse with their flexibility and agility. "Sorry, sorry-!" Hugh had apologized, hands up in surrender with the knife handle tucked into his thumb. He was surprised that he had obliged, the knife held securely in his hand at his side. He found himself not minding Liva's company after only a few hours from having met her, which was extremely unusual and an honor. Hugh didn't like people, he made it his motto to socialize as little as posisble.

Coming in to work this morning, he'd been dreading and hating his decision to accept the call to protect this spoiled princess, but now, as he walked with her trailing behind him, depending on him for her safety and for her life, for her meals and her housekeeping, he didn't mind so much anymore. It was a change to be needed, to have someone need your presnece to get by. When you were the only other person with someone, they seemed to open up and change, acting differently than they might have with their other friends. For example, had Liva been imprisoned here with her brother, or one of her other wealthy ambassador daughter friends, she might have been more snide, more disrespectful and unwilling to behave. This perhaps had to be the most he'd talked to a female before, a female who wasn't a coworker or a waitress. He was even... happier.

Although he still couldn't stand those who had everything given to them, he sort of was beginning to learn that they didn't have much of an option to pick their lifestyles, that they had just been born into it and knew no other, normal way, or like him, the hard way, to put it simply. Liva hadn't exactly chose to be a princess, born into a royal family who saw to it that she was pampered excessively and that she didn't need to focus on the simple civilian duties, like work, chores, and even making her own food. Hugh hadn't exactly chose to be a drug addict couples' son, their garbage, an orphan. He hadn't chosen to be bullied because he was a box baby, pushed around because he was skinnier back then without much muscle to hold his ground. He had, however, chosen to be a miserable angry little boy, starting fights with whoever crossed his sour attitude.

Crumpled in his misery and self pity, Hugh had missed out on all the positive things he could have enjoyed in life. Had he been a better person, someone who smiled because it was a beautiful day, or simply because he was alive and free, and not being beaten or threatened by who could have been his parents, maybe his life would be different. Would he have more friends? A different job? A wife, a girlfriend, kids? Would he have a nice house? Although Liva was plenty more wealthy and had her life on a silver platter, she didn't rub it in his face as much, and she didn't complain as much as she could have. Despite being one that liked to make fun of him often, he saw now that it was all in good light, that Liva was making good out of her situation unlike he had always done. Ripped from her home over seas and thrown in an unfamiliar house eith an unfamiliar American man who hardly spoke her language, Liva was holding up surprisingly well. He knew if that had happened to him, he would be sulking upstairs in his room, refusing any comfort or help from his own bodyguard had he been Liva.

"Small?" Hugh raised his eyebrow, the glow of the refrigerator on his face and casting shadows across his profile. She didn't seem too decisive in what she wanted to eat, and that was troubling to Hugh. He was worried that whatever he suggested, whatever he made, she would refuse, turn up her nose, and then he'd lose his temper after getting along with her so well so far. Hugh always ate healthily, occasionally splurging on something with a massive amount of calories. Thst was rare, since he had never seen the occasion to do so. Sometimes on his birthday he bought himself a nice dinner and a bottle of nice wine, but he'd gotten fed up with the waiters asking if he was waiting for someone, or if he wanted a table for two. Last year, he'd just taken out a pizza delivery, and gotten buzzed off what was left of his cheap little liquor supply. Depressing, he knew, but there wasn't much he could do otherwise. Have a birthday party at the bowling ally?

Liva folded her arms across her chest, posted by the kitchen island as if waiting for him to magically hand her something gourmet. "Me? Well- I wasn't planning on making anything for you," Hugh confessed, raising a dark eyebrow at her before turning hack to the fridge to find some chicken tenders and salad dressing. There were five different types of dressing, and that alone made Hugh extremely happy. Five different kinds! "If you're willing to eat a chicken salad, I'll prepare you a plate. But you've gotta do some of your own, you're an adult now. Surely you can take care of washing and cutting vegetables, yes?" Hugh plopped down a package of uncooked meat on the flat stove, impressed with the burners that were under, UNDER, the sleek dark glass. Wow.

Hugh launched into expert mode, washing his hands with soap at the sink and splashing it off in the sink before drying his hands on the dish towels. Rerolling his shirt sleeves to his elbows, Hugh scavenger ed for a pan and a collander, impressed to find a salad spinner along with three other strainers inside the cabinets. In the deep sinks, he set a strainer in each of them, multitasking as he turned to set up a cutting board. Hugh grabbed a knife from the cutting block, before thinking better of it. Shooting Liva a mischievous smirk of his lips, he set the exact same knife she had brought down to the game room on the chopping board. "Liva, I want you to wash these," he handed her the tomatoes, "and these," he gestured to the mushrooms sitting by the chopping board. "Tell me when you finish," he dismissed, turning around to find a big bowl for the salad.

[angelena.]

For a moment as Liva looked around the kitchen, she allowed herself to imagine it. A normal family sitting at the dining table as a mother brought out plates of food and sat them down. All of them sitting down to a meal together and exchanging tales of their day, smiling and laughing and genuinely enjoying one another’s company. The house would be filled with the smell’s of a home cooked meal. Then, afterwards they would go to the living room and argue over what tv show to watch or go have a family game night in the game room. Normal family things that all families were supposed to do… Liva trained her eyes on the tiled floor, hiding her bitter expression until it passed, until it all passed. She didn’t want that. That was just…stupid. Liva had everything and no way would she give up her pretty dresses or rich foods or expensive jewelry for a normal life.

It wasn’t like there was any point in even thinking such thoughts. Liva knew that one day she would marry someone her father deemed worthy, which probably meant some kind of politician. She would be Queen and he would be King, and they would constantly be in meetings and going over bills and policies and budgets. She would have everything she wanted delivered to her immediately and give birth to two kids who she wouldn’t have time for. And she would love ever minute of it… Yeah. Liva sighed. She didn’t really know what she wanted, if she were being honest. Liva loved the castle in Denmark and loved her money. She loved her privilege and her nice things. She did not love the price they came at. If she closed her eyes, she could remember how it felt the last time she went out partying in the city. Was it possible to feel completely alive and completely numb at the same time?

You’re an adult now… Oh, he should be glad she didn’t use that knife to gut him after that statement! Why was he always speaking to her like she was a child? And the way he always ended his questions with the answer he wanted to hear infuriated her. That was something she was known for doing. Other people, however, were not supposed to talk to her like that. Commoners were supposed to speak to her like the ambassador had early that morning, carefully and softly as if they were afraid one wrong word would have them sent to a Danish prison. Of course Liva was a mature adult! But said adulthood didn’t have to be defined by whether or not she could chop tomatoes and use a knife. Those were tasks for simpletons! Certainly not for a princess. No, she was made for far more important things…or at least that’s what she told herself for reassurance. Lying to herself was better than feeling embarrassed yet again. “Chicken salad is fine.” Liva smirked, though she had absolutely no intention of helping to prepare the dish.

Perching herself on one of the stools by the breakfast counter, Liva watched him semi-curiously as he began to prepare the chicken salad. She wasn’t sure if she had ever witnessed Chef Rasmus in the kitchen…or seen anyone else cook, either. Whenever she was hungry, plates would be brought to her private dining chambers and she had never questioned it or given any thought to it’s production. As if it was just left around by magic little fairies, brought into being by the wave of a wand. She had never realized how much…effort it took. While Liva may have been working on her law degree, she was starting to realize how ignorant she truly was. And she didn’t like it one bit. God, she didn’t even know the names of the tools Hugh was using to cook!

“Excuse me?” Liva demanded as he shoved a plastic container of bright red tomatoes at her. Wash them? Who did he think she was?! Liva shot a glance over at the mushrooms that he had also instructed she wash, and then her eyes wondered to the sinks and the strainers. Is that what she was supposed to use to wash them? Feeling embarrassed that she didn’t know and angry that he would try to order her around, Liva threw the plastic container back at him indignantly. “No.” She said, her voice rising an octave in protest. Liva crossed her arm again, looking down her nose at him. No way was she going to lower herself to these standards… or embarrass herself by asking how she was supposed to be washing them.

[angelena.]

((Nah, go ahead! I don't mind. ^.^ ))

[E M M A]

Perhaps Hugh had spoke much too soon when he had said that Liva wasn't so bad. He had expected her, in this state, to have simply given him a nasty look or rolled her eyes, or whine that she had just had her nails done, and then gone off her little stool to wash the tomatoes with ginger pickings. He was in for a shock when she responded, such a horrified expression on her face. Excuse her? Her face had turned cold and unforgiving, irritated and upset at his simple, easy request. His jaw dropped visibly when she said no, her arms crossed. She seemed to pick up a royalty air about her again, the Liva in the game room that had seemed so normal and tolerable fizzling into thin air. He had definitely spoken too soon. What was he supposed to do now? Just humiliate himself by letting her step all over him, let her do what she wanted? That was unacceptable, and he wasn't going to cook anything for her. "Wash them, Princess. It's easy. Otherwise, I hope you can scrape something else together, since you don't seem to like getting your hands dirty," Hugh snapped, picking up the case of tomatoes.

He slammed it down in front of Liva a little roughly, the flimsy plastic button indetnion things that kept the tomatoes shut flying open. Bright red tomatoes popped out, as the case skidded and bounced on the kitchen island, spilling all across Liva's frontside. His heart skipped a beat in slight regret, but then he remembered that he was angry, and that the chicken was beginning to go bad left out like that. He fumed, his shoulders visibly tense and hunched over while his fist curled. Hugh swiped the package of chicken from the counter top, using the knife Liva was supposed to use for the mushrooms to stab the package brutally, a solid stab that could be clearly heard as the metal cut through the chicken and the Styrofoam board and hit the counter granite.

He left the knife in the chicken package, sending an ill warning to Liva to let her know how quickly his temper could flare. She was going to wash those tomatoes. He wasn't going to cook everything for her. She had to do her own little share. Compared to everything he had been through, washing tomatoes had to be easy for some spoiled brat girl. It was disgusting to even think about, her haughty attitude and her blunt and unquestionable refusal. She hadn't even challenged him, jsut expected him to give in and do it for her. No. This was Hugh Miles, he didn't stand for that garbage. He began to fumble around for the lettuce on the counter, his mood turned sour like the milk that sat in his fridge at home. What made her think that she could get away with this? With not helping? With everything? She had t understand, he was her bodyguard. It still injured hin to think that even after playing ping pong together, she was still like this, disagreeable.

[angelena.]

Out of all the things Liva was beginning to dislike about this man, the way he said princess seemed to leave the rest in the dust. It was supposed to be a respectable title and when people called her that, it meant they knew their place and knew how important she was… Hugh, however, seemed to spat out the word. He was mocking her, that imbecile. And it sent her over the edge when just a few moments ago, she had been smiling and laughing with him over an innocent game of ping pong. Maybe they could get along for a few moments every now and then, but it seemed like they were far too different to be friendly with one another all the time. He was just a peasant in a suit and she was royalty…and he needed to learn to respect that. She was so far above his level that even washing tomatoes was beneath her. It was - it was too easy for her…even if part of the reason she was having a fit was because she wasn’t exactly sure how to do it. Yeah, she was going to stick with the first excuse.

“Don’t you dare - “ Her words were cut off by a sharp gasp as Hugh slammed down the container on the granite countertop…and it, like, exploded. Little ripe tomatoes escaped their confinement and scattered across the table. And all over her. Her mouth hung open as she stared at the front of her, where tiny red spheres now lay in her lap. Her incredulity was burned away by anger as she turned to face him, watching as he moved around the kitchen, every move of his furious. Her eyes burned with a newfound hatred. How dare he! Now there was a little tomato juice stain on her shirt and she smelled like the stupid vegetables…or fruits…. Whatever, that wasn’t important! She wanted to take that stupid kitchen knife and cut out a few vital organs.

Maybe she should have been afraid when he slammed that knife down, stabbing right through the package of chicken. Fear would have been a completely acceptable emotion, but all she felt was this sort of vengeful calm all of the sudden. Liva schooled her features, fixing an innocent smile on her face though a fire still burned in her eyes. She said nothing as she hopped off her stool, tomatoes falling away from her as if they were droplets of water and she was rising out of the ocean, and strolled gracefully over to the other counter. She took the other plastic container in her hands, the one that held the mushrooms that she was also supposed to wash. Silently, she popped open the little snaps as if she was going to do as he said, as if she were really going to wash food and help prepare her own dishes. In absolutely no rush, the princess held it up and turned it upside down over his head, letting the little mushrooms tumble out and rain down upon him. “Oops.”

[E M M A]

Hugh slammed the pan down on the stove, clicking on the heat on the fancy burners with irritation. He didn't know if he was hungry anymore. Maybe he'd just give in, eat a little bit of some toaster waffle, down a glass of milk and call it a meal. The tomatoes had been wasted on his part, and now Liva was going to have the satisfaction of being able to say no to him, even after his embarassing flare of temper. He expected screaming, high pitched screaming, that yelled his name and other Danish words in anger. He expected her to go on about how she was royalty and how he was not, how his job had to be taking care of her and whatever other garage she could think of. He expected her to throw the tomatoes back at him one by one with her girly throws, then go upstairs and slam her door and lock it. Then she'd refuse to talk to him all night, refuse to eat until he broke down that door and forced fed her.

Liva still had yet to surprise him. While he drizzled the pan in vegetable oil, he heard her stoll scrape back on the tile floors, her bare footsteps level and steady. He dared a look at Liva, who surprisingly... was walking towards the sink. Now Hugh was interested. Was she really going to wash the mushrooms without a fit? That had been easier than he had thought. Too easy. Hugh turned his back on Liva with a scowl on his face. She poked the package of mushrooms open, as if she were about to wash them, and Hugh's tense shoulders relaxed with ease. He resumed with the package of chicken, gliding the knife down the plastic and the meat. He set the knife down on the counter, using his own fingers to pry the plastic apart and allow for him to get his hands on the raw meat. It was cold, rather disgusting in texture with the chicken juice and traces of blood on his fingertips.

Just as he was about to pick out the first piece to set in the pan, he saw Liva move suddnely, the mushrooms tumbling off his shoulders and face in a mass. Inhaling sharply, Hugh froze, the vegetables and their dirt dusting his white teeshirt. His fingers tightened around the raw chicken tenders, his skin heated as he opened his eyes. Some mushrooms sat on his shoulders, one had slipped into his breast pocket. "Liva." Hugh glowered coldly, removing the piece of chicken from the package as she began to move. Not so fast. He hurled the piece of meat as hard as he could, blinded by his anger for the princess. He hadn't thrown it directly at her, no but at her feet, where the meat slapped at her toes and soaked her foot in chicken juice. "Liva! Why can't you wash the tomatoes! Do you think you're so much better than everyone else, and that washing tomatoes is not your thing? Do you want to eat? You're a selfish girl, Princess, I don't know how you live with yourself!" Hugh had been subconsiously squeezing the second piece of chicken between his fingers, the meat tearing apart and oozing through his fingers. His blue eyes flashed, and his mushroom stained clothes made him look even more haggard.

[angelena.]

The princess let out a squeal when she saw Hugh's arm wind up and she held up her arms defensively, the action completely involuntary. But he didn't hit her or hurl a knife at her face. What he did was much worse. "Ew!" She shrieked in disgust, her voice rising several octaves as chicken juice splattered over her bare foot, coating it in that weird, slimy meant juice. Liva looked positively mortified. "I just took a shower!" And now she was going to take about five more so she didn't feel completely gross. And go get a new pedicure. And cut off her foot and throw it in the fireplace.

Without thinking about consequences, Liva reached for the lettuce, swiping up a handful and flinging it at him. Several pieces hit him across the chest, but they did not damage. It was just lettuce, afterall. But she threw it angrily enough to make a point. And seeing that little piece clinging to his hair was very, very satisfying. Rage still coursing through her every vein, she began to scream at him in Danish. She often slipped back into her first language when she was flustered and right now, she couldn't care less whether or not he could keep up. "Do you know who I am, you moronic ape?! I'm not washing those stupid tomatoes or those stupid mushrooms! And if you don't do as I say, I'm going straight to my father. God, you're such a - such a little - " She cut herself off before uttering a very fowl little word. Liva then let out a loud, exasperated puff of air, even stamping her foot on the tile floor.

His words hurt more than she would like to admit, each one like a stab in the gut with that kitchen knife he was so fond of. Liva knew she was an awful person sometimes...but wasn't that what people expected from the spoiled princess of Denmark. Sometimes it actually was hard to live with herself, unfortunately, hard not to constantly feel hollow and empty with the lifestyle she led. Some of her anger ebbed away, replaced by bitterness. "With you as a bodyguard, I probably won't be living much longer." She snapped, her features twisting into an ugly snarl before she stomped away, hitting his shoulder roughly as she passed him. Liva marched angrily up the stairs and returned to her room, slamming the door behind her. She still trembled with anger and her face still felt hot. Her eyes had begun to sting with the threat of tears, though she wasn't exactly sure why. She just hoped he hadn't noticed that. After locking her bedroom door, Liva walked straight to the bathroom to clean herself up...and find something to take her anger out on. The little clay soap dispenser seemed to work just fine. It hit the ground with a loud, sharp sound, shattering into many, many pieces.

[E M M A]

Hugh made a rude face at Liva in return to her shrieking, not sure he could care any less. "Too bad!" He snapped. She could just go take another one, that brat. She deserved it, if anything, and Hugh was going to make sure she knew that. His appetite had been ruined, he wasn't in the mood to eat anything anymore. Not with her irritating, selfish remarks, not with her screeching and her refusal to comply with anything he said. It frustrated him to see her act like this, because he knew that they could get along, if ever so briefly, as shown in the ping pong game. It had been nice to be able to have such a relaxed and loose experience like that, and it angered Hugh that he couldnt have that again. Subconsiously, he really just wanted... a friend out of this. A good one. Since nobody hung out with him voluntarily, and Liva was sort of forced to, he yearned to make something work out of this job. She was his age after all. But, as always, everything failed. He was just not cut out for friends, people didn't like him for who he was. Unless he magically changed into some charming kind young man, he was going to be the evil agent for the rest of his life, the old man who yelled at kids to get off his lawn or stop making so much noise.

Before he could react, she threw the lettuce from the package at him, many hitting his neck and chest before fluttering to the floor. The kitchen was a mess, it's own little salad of disaster, and Hugh couldn't help the guilt seeping in his chest from wasting so much food. That was an entire meal right there. It probably would have cost him ten dollars at the store, ten precious dollars that he wouldn't have been able to afford to waste. But now, with the mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, and a piece of chicken scattered on the floor, the whole thing seemed absurd and unnecessary. He bet that if the agents back the monitoring headquarters were watchinf, they'd be laughing at his food fight temper tantrum clash with Liva. So childish, Hugh scolded himself, frowning with his lips tightly pulled.

That's when Liva completely lost her mind, succumbing to an insane Danish speaking woman in front of his eyes. Her screeches rung in his ears, him visibly flinching. He could hardly understand what she was saying at the speed she was going, but he did manage to pick up that she was angry, at him. Something about stupid, a vegetable, her father and leaving, and a monkey. Nothing made much sense. Hugh's eyebrows knit over the bridge of his nose, his defensive glare shot back at her as he backed away. She cut herself off at the last minute, whirling on her heel to storm away in her flurry of mean emotions. Hugh had a collection of English words he had in mind for her, but he refrained from saying them. Well, he couldnt resist at least one... "Bi***," he snarled as he heard her stomping on the steps to her room. She was lucky she even had a bodyguard. He was so tempted to strap her to a chair or a street sign in downtown Los Angeles and see how she liked that. Or call up the assassin after her family line, let them know some coordinates they could meet up.

He couldn't stand her. On his hands and knees, Hugh sullenly picked up every last bit of food, throwing the tomatoes and mushrooms into the strainer collectively to perhaps be washed and saved from being thrown away and wasted. Why did he deserve this? Picking up after rich people? What had he done with his life that was so bad, that he was now looking after some stupid princess? He was foolish to have ever thought that she would have been a good companion, that he'd enjoy her presence around the house. He didnt. At all. It just made him ache for his own quiet apartment, as dingy and run down as it was. He felt defeated as well, feeling uncomfortable and disappointed for making her into an enemy. Just another enemy to add to his lengthy list. The brief light that had been in Hugh's cold eyes had disappeared from the moment they left the game room, and now, he washed the leftovers and the chicken tender from dirt, and threw the chicken in the pan. By himself.

He sort of wished he'd just dealt with her not wanting to cook, and not insisted it upon her to wash stupid tomatoes if she didn't want to. It was stupid, but even if he was subject to her rewuests, he would have preferred to keep her happy and in a good mood, to keep her his friend, as opposed to now being completely alone. Hugh ate his chicken salad, forcing the food down his throat for the sake of nutrition and energy. He needed to still be on his top game, always just in case. Half an hour later, and the entire kitchen was sparkling clean again, just like he'd found it. But now what? Feeling filthy, Hugh decided he'd go shower or something. As he put his hand on the knob of his door, however, something pulled at his stomach, and it bugged him. He found himself walking to Liva's door, raising a hand to knock. He figured things were already bad, he couldnt make it worse, right? Knocking briefly, Hugh leaned himself against her door in exhaustion. "Liva?" He questioned wearily. "Look, I'm sorry for what I did earlier, it wasn't right of me to force you to do something. You've got to understand, though, that I'm not going to take care of you, I'm just here to protect you. So I suggest you come to a compromise sometimes, it's not always your way," Hugh lectured through the door. Geez. He felt like such a parent looking after his delinquent eleven year old daughter.

[angelena.]

Liva stared at the broken bits of painted blue clay littering her bathroom floor, her breathing beginning to level out as the anger left her body. She glanced up, her eyes finding the mirror. Her mascara was running, it seemed. She rubbed at her cheeks in frustration, which only succeeded in making her look like more of a mess. Liva did manage to wipe away a few still-wet tears, though. “Fantastic.” She muttered under her breath as she surveyed the broken soap dispenser. The sticky pink stuff was spilled all over the rug now… At least it made the bathroom smell like strawberries. She sighed, bending down to pick up the pieces and place them one by one in the sink, grumbling to herself as she cleaned up her little mess. Hugh would laugh if he saw her. Things only got worse when a sharp edge of one of the fractals cut into her hand when she reached for it too quickly. Liva sucked in air sharply, bringing her finger to her mouth. When she looked at it, she found that the cut ran down the side of her index finger, still bleeding steadily. The skin around the small injury pulsed red. It wasn’t serious, of course, but it was annoying.

After all the pieces were safely in the sink to be disposed of later, Liva threw her hair up in a messy bun. She then tore of her clothes and stepped into the shower for the second time that day, though this time she planned to only wash the icky feeling away from her body, hence the bun. She stayed in there a little longer than necessary, really, letting her sea breeze body wash rid her of all her problems. When she was finally finished, the scolding water was turned completely off, and towels were wrapped securely around her, she went off to her closet to change her clothes for the third time today. Not that that was unusual for her, though. Liva often wore multiple ensembles in one day. Presently, she found herself slipping into a new pair of leggings and a baggy purple sweater. It was getting late now and she didn’t really have the energy to spend twenty minutes picking out something new and fashionable. But her outfit still looked of high quality and it still looked good on her…But it also looked a little normal, like something any girl might wear in the comfort of her own home. And this was the closest Liva was ever going to get to a t-shirt and sweats.

The princess found herself pacing around her closet, replaying the scene between her and Hugh in her head. She was a little embarrassed with the way she had acted, screaming and throwing food and whatnot…but she was still more angry about the whole thing than anything else. Hugh had no right to talk to her like he did! And she was completely justified when she threw those vegetables at him. She didn’t want to admit it, but a lot of those things he had said hit home. Liva had ignored the ache in her chest during their argument, when Hugh had said he didn’t know how she lived with herself. Now, the words echoed in her head and caused that familiar pain to blossom right where her heart was. She shoved it all away again, not willing to confront her own demons.

It took a few minutes for her to realize that she was still pacing around like an idiot, but once she did she left the closet and went out into her bedroom again. She wondered where Hugh was, if he had cleaned up the kitchen, if he had ended up eating without her, if he was still angry… And then she wondered why she even cared. Why think about Hugh so much? He didn’t deserve to be in her thoughts, stupid bodyguard. She trudged over to her bed and collapsed onto her pale pink comforter, letting the squishy mattress swallow her whole. The ceiling looked blindingly light as she looked up at it. She had lost her appetite after their little argument and after the food started flying, and she had also lost her will to enjoy herself in this house. She wasn’t sure how long she could put up with serious Hugh. She could deal with the lighthearted version of him, the one she had glimpsed in the game room, but the other side of him made her want to bang her head against the wall.

And then, speak of the devil, there was a knock at the door. “Go away.” Liva groaned into her pillow as she slammed it over her face, as if that would someone transport her away from her spacious new bedroom and away from Hugh Miles. Good thing her makeup was durable or else that pillow case would no longer be white. But despite her first attempts at protest, she listened to him as he spoke, surprised to hear that one of the things he said was an apology. But then he started to lecture her again, earning another groan. Fortunately, she wasn’t in a mood to start another argument. Liva pulled herself out of the bed and over to the door, opening it gingerly. Her eyes were guarded when she looked up at him and it seemed that she was oblivious to the fact that they were still all glassy looking. She hadn’t realized she had started crying angry tears again in the closet…or maybe they were tears of sadness. It was hard to tell anymore. “That was a lame apology.” She smirked, though her voice lacked a bit of the edge it usually had. “And just in case I didn’t make it clear the first twenty billion times, I don’t need your care or protection, Hugh Miles. It’s not like I’m going to be here for long.” And she would keep clinging to that statement no matter what. It was the only thing that kept her from being affected by all that was happening around her, from caving under the fear and homesickness. “But whatever. Apology accepted.” She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

[angelena.]

Aww, I think so. ^.^ They can have a little bonding moment to set things up for later when they're actually getting along a bit during dinner... And yeah, that all happens tonight. :3

[angelena.]

Ooh, maybe he can take her out for a drive cause he feels bad about her being all unhappy and cooped up in the house, and he can let her drive and it would be her first time driving on an American road and she would have to learn how to drive on the "wrong" side of the road? Or maybe there's like a fitness room downstairs and he can try to teach her how to fire a gun as an alternative way to take out her anger? xD

[angelena.]

Omg that will be hilarious! xD

[E M M A]

As anticipated, Liva didn't greet his voice at the door with much enthusiasm at all. He pretended it wasn't embarassing, or that it didn't hurt his pride. He probably deserved it with the way he treated her so rudely, but then again, to justify himself, she had been rather rude on her own. He was just being the better person and fessing up to it. Despite the fact that she told him to leave her alone, he didnt, his feet planted firmly in front of her door. When he finished with his somewhat sincere apology, he heard Liva's bed shifting, and then footsteps that advanced towards the door. That was interesting. He hadn't thought she'd been listening to his apology at all, being the princess and all with a snobby attitude. Hugh straightened up his posture, fixing his messy shirt and crooked tie just as she opened the door.

He folded his arms and took a stance, peering down at Liva's shorter stature from where he stood. Her eyes were the first thing he noticed, puffy and pink, watery as if she'd been crying. Her clothes were differet, and her room smelled fruity for some reason. Had she been crying because of what he had done? Hugh knew how to read emotions on anyone, after being such an expert at hiding and masking his own completely. After just a short manner of time with Liva, he already memorized her mannerisms when she was tired, angry, sarcastic, happy, and now, sad. Melancholy, upset, hurt. It was something he felt all too often, but he never let it be displayed for anyone to see through his grit teeth and harsh blue eyes. He hadn't really cried before, not of recently, because he had gotten over everything that was upsetting and terrible in his life a long time ago. He dealt with his emotions by making himself bitter, shallow. Nobody liked him then.

Now to see Liva had been crying, Hugh was nervous. He'd never dealt with anyone crying before, at least not someone crying from emotions. Pain, yes, plenty of that. He'd had numerous occasions in which he'd had to haul off a coworker during a mission or drug bust who'd been shot or fallen, dealt with their hysterical cries as he pulled bandages roughly over their injury while gunshots echoed all around them. But crying, because they were sad? Because they felt injured by something he'd said? It was... new. "Lame? I spent the past hour on that," he lied, his emotions unchanging as his lips curled into a frown. She sounded extremely tired and drained. Maybe she needed a nap time, like toddlers did. Not that he knew first hand, but he'd always heard all his coworkers talk about their fussy kids and how to make them shut up. Not like he'd ever need it.

Hugh inhaled and rolled his eyes, exaggerating a a big sigh. "Here we go again," he muttered, removing a hand from his arm and resting his weight against the door frame. He didn't get the apology he wanted, but for Liva, it was a start. At least she was listening to him. "You need to get over it, I'm not going anywhere until those men are caught, and then some. If it weren't for me, and if you were still out there by yourself, you'd be ... probably gone, " he put it lightly, careful with his word choice. Anything that the CIA had on the group that was trying to put down the royal family of Denmark was confidential, they never told the king, prince, or princess what was going on for fear of complication. She had no idea what was going on, and it was a bit sad to see her so optimistic about leaving soon. No, she was stuck with him, for at least three months. Maybe until Christmas. Even if the group was found today, they needed to take special precautions much to his dismay that would ensure that the group was completely gone. Granted, maybe they were really good at waiting, and could pop out then, but that was another story. Hugh already wanted to move on to his next assignment.

As he ran his hand through his messy hair, grimacing as he felt a mushroom piece fall to his fingers, she accepted his apology. She accepted it. Hugh pocketed the mushroom to throw away for later in his breast pocket, figuring it could join the lettuce that already resided there. "Good," he pushed himself off the doorframe, hesitating to leave as the gears in his mind turned ever so slowly. "If it'll make you feel better, we can get out of the house for a bit?" He suggested slowly, mentally checking through his rules and regulations of how he was supposed to run this operation of making sure she was safe at all times. "But you can't roll down your windows and blast music this time. Maybe just a drive around the area, I want to see what's here," he pursed his lips, checking his watch. It was well past noon, the sun high in the sky and the world around them busy with errands and workers, kids at school. "It's up to you, but sooner or later today I need to get out of this house," he grumbled.

[E M M A]

Gonna be out all dayx sorry!!

[angelena.]

((Sorry for the delay! Happy 4th of July!!!))

The princess rolled her eyes, trying to forget the last time someone had stood in her doorway like that. Images of Silas came to her, unfortunately, images of him leaning on the doorframe as he flirted with her between meetings. Her shoulders slumped a little with the thought, but she was quick to fix her composure before Hugh could catch it. Of course, she didn’t realize that she still looked like she had been crying. Why hadn’t she stopped before the mirror before answering her door? Even if Hugh Miles was the only person she would be seeing, she should have checked. She would have checked, if she hadn’t been so upset about what he had said earlier. How could she live with herself? Such a though-provoking question it was…

“Excuse me?” She demanded. Liva seemed to be saying that a lot lately around him. She should really stop being so surprised when he disrespected her…but it was so unusual. She wished they were back in Denmark and she could have him thrown into a jail cell for a night just for looking at her wrong. But as Hugh went on, that painful weight began to settle on her chest again. She was stuck here, no matter how hard she tried to deny that. She was stuck until the assassins were caught and their organization was brought down. And then some! Liva started to protest again, clinging to her denial. But his last words stuck. Gone. The ambassador had said something similar to that, too, as if they were afraid of how much she could handle. As if she was a child that they had to tip-toe around. Hearing him say the word gone actually terrified her more than if he would have said dead.

Liva blinked. And blinked again. “A drive?” She repeated, disbelief coloring her tone. She had just assumed he was going to lock her into this house and never let her leave. It still wasn’t the sort of freedom she craved, but Liva longed for the outside world. She felt as though she had been held captive for years. Without meaning to, she cast a glance behind her, to the window on the opposite side of her bedroom. She hadn’t been able to get that stupid thing open no matter how hard she tried, and she didn’t doubt the glass was bulletproof. Through that window she could just glimpse the branches of a tall tree and the tall fence that surrounded the property. But the sky was bright and she could almost taste the warm LA air. From the brief time she had spent outside this morning, she knew that she was going to love the weather here much more than the chilly September Denmark was having.

“Fine, I’ll go with you.” She tried to make it sound like she wasn’t excited to get out of there, even though she was practically exploding with anticipation on the inside. And then, a plan began to form in her mind. She wasn’t just going to get out for a drive… No, what was it American’s always say? Go big or go home? “But I’m not going anywhere with you until you fix…that.” She gestured his way with a wave of her hand, her eyes scanning his body with smug satisfaction, knowing that his messy state of dress was her fault. Liva did feel a little bad about it still, but her frustration with her current situation was enough to cloud her remorse. She had to take her anger out on someone… and Hugh was the only one here. “Come get me when you’re ready to go.” Liva stepped back, uncrossing her arms so that she could close the bedroom door on him. She leaned her back against it, letting her head fall back as well. A slow, cunning smile spread across her lips.

Time to get to work.

Liva hurried off to her closet again, immediately going to a collection of handbags. She sorted through them quickly until she found the one that held that powder foundation that was a shade too dark for her skin. It would work perfectly. Another pocket in the bag revealed a thin plastic sheet that was no more than… Well, it was just a sheet of plastic, but she had plenty of uses for it. Liva pulled out a pen and a shopping receipt that she could write on and went to go figure out if Hugh had gotten in the shower yet. She stopped short when she saw the mirror, gasping at her own reflection. No wonder Hugh had sounded so weird when he was talking to her! She looked like a bloody mess! Liva wiped at her eyes, planning to fix it as soon as she had gotten the information she needed. And then she darted out her bedroom door and across the hall, pressing her ear against her bodyguard’s bedroom door.

[angelena.]

Maybe he can catch her after she's already got the stuff she needs to sneak out, and then it can be all awkward and she can have to make up some excuse about it.

[E M M A]

Liva seemed to question everything that Hugh had to say. If he wanted her to do something, she'd say in that thick accent of hers, "Excuse me?" It got old, and it got old fast. What did she not understand about it? He knew for certain that the princess didn't know much about work or self made success, but how could he blame her. Hugh sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yes, Liva, a drive. You know, driving a car?" He said slowly in exaggeration, hoping to frustrate the princess more. She deserved it, she had sure put him through alot more than he had her. It was jsut a little revenge game. One that he wanted to win, him, the poor orphan boy, over the wealthy, glamorous young princess and heirress. In society today, if you had money, if y ou were famous, you won. It was never the poor, it was never the needy, it was never the underprivileged class. It was disgusting how society worked, it made Hugh the bitter mana he was now.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," he reminded her, acting like he was going to change his mind with Liva's disinterest. She'd regret it if she said she wasn't going to come. This was about as generous as he'd ever get. Ever. Just as Hugh was about to leave to go get the car ready, Liva stopped him, her tone disdainful as she stated her requests. His eyes locked onto hers, narrowing. The smirk she gave him made him want to explode, wring her neck, but he remained calm. He knew without even looking that she was referring to how messy and un-put together he looked, his hair a rats nest and his clothes rumpled, wrinkled, and stained from their food fight. "Be ready in ten minutes," he grumbled, only agreeing to go shower and change because he felt absolutely filthy. When he was a kid he'd always been filthy, since showers were limited with the orphanage budget, and he'd always gone exploring in dirt, mud, grimy city streets.

There was always a smudge of something on his face. Now that Hugh was an adult with a profession, one that he wanted to be taken seriously in, Hugh dedicated himself to keeping himself clean and well groomed, as much as his tight ill fitting budget would allow. His bills and taxes were due soon, as well as his loans. He wasn't going to be able to pay for everything, and he was only so grateful that this job assignment had everything provided for him for a few months. He needed this job. He needed it more than he cared to admit, with his disgusting broken down apartment and empty fridge. He hated salvaging suits and clothes from outlets and cheap stores, sometimes even from his coworkers if he was humble enough to ask. His boss was always kind enough to permit him to have his boss' old clothes, although, the stomach from his gut was always a little stretched out. It's why he wore the same thing. Often.

Hugh stepped back as the door closed in his face, his hulking form stalking down the hallways to his own bedroom, he closed the door behind him, already stripping his clothes and kicking off his shoes as he dug through his drawers for clothes. He found a pair of athletic sweatpants, typically for soccer players, and a standard black cotton short sleeve Crew neck shirt from Hanes. He tossed these and a pair of boxers and socks onto his made bed, gathering his dirty laundry into his arms and dumping it into the laundry hamper in the bathroom. He closed the bathroom door and lcoked it out of slight paranoia that Liva would do something weird to prank him while he showered. In no time, he had the scalding hot water from the powerful shower head besting down on his skin, soothing his tense and sore muscles.

Hugh took this time to relax, although he did strain his ears every time he thought he heard soemthing in the house. He always brushed it off, thinking that it must have been Liva or a figment of his imagination. He scrubbed down taking his time with the wonderful smelling soaps left for him, then shampooing his dark hair. A piece of lettuce went down the drain, and that only disgusted him further. To think of what else could be in his hair was appalling. After his prolonged shower, one that occupied only six minutes, from his usual four, he cut the water with satisfaction at the steam that floated to the high window. The bathroom appliances shone with newness, still strongly smelling of paint like the rest of the house. He hadn't had something so new and expensive in his entire life. Everything had always been hand me downs from the older boys, or second hand used things from that he borrowed. So to be here... it was amazing. Wondrous.

Hugh stepped out onto the plush bath mat, a small smile on his lips as he felt the soft material between his toes, and he dried himself down with an even more comfortable towel that he was sure cost plenty to afford. His towels at home were so overused, the material had become thin, worn, unraveling, and seedy. With the towel around his waist, Hugh rubbed at the mirror to observe his reflection from a few angles like he always did, contemplating his life. Hugh Miles. Why did everyone hate him so? Was it the intense stare of his blue green eyes? Or was it his dark unruly wavy hair? Or maybe it was facial hair. Was it better to have it? Or not at all?He just wanted to be accepted for once, but like everyday, as he looked away from the mirror, it wasn't going to happen.

Hugh twisted the door knob unsuspectingly, walking out of his bathroom to his bedroom in his towel. He'd been just about to remove it from his waist when his eyes adjusted to the room, and he caught a blonde head of hair by his computers. "Hey-!" he roared, defensively storming to the bed and snatching his clothes from it, feeling suddenly extremely self consious. What was she doing in here, tampering with his things-! Did she think she could get away with this? Did she not know how important that computer was for them? One wrong button press, and she could give out the coordinates for their position to anyone who wanted it. "Liva! Why are you- Liva! Don't you have any respect- you're- how long have you been in here-! What are you doing!" He snapped, getting worked up as his pulse rate skyrocketed, his clothes clutched tightly to his chest. He'd never been used to seeing someone in his room after he got out of the shower after jis apartment, especailly, girl. This was just humiliating. "Get out. I trusted you. Get out, get out now." Hugh was cold, his tone dropping dangerously low. His eyes flashed at her, irritated that she would go and do this now that he trusted her.

[angelena.]

((I'm so sorry about my absence this past week. Something happened with our internet provider and they just now fixed their tower-thingie, so I haven't been able to get on a computer. I'm going to try to have a reply up later tonight!))

[angelena.]

((Thanks for understanding! ^.^ ))

[angelena.]

Liva typed away at the keyboard with the efficiency of any skilled hacker. The skills she had acquired through years of sneaking around the castle were quite remarkable. With a few quick cheats she had learned back home, she managed to pull up the codings she needed. It seemed Hugh’s computer was connected to the house’s security system so that he could control everything from this point, which was extremely fortunate for her. It was all a little hard to decode, but it only took her a few minutes to find the proper passwords to the doors. She quickly scribbled the one she needed down on her scrap of paper, quickly - and not so gracefully - shoving it in her pocket. She continued to look through the computer files, though, thinking it might be useful to learn everything she could about her new “home”. She had already formulated a plan for if he emerged from the shower earlier than she anticipated, but that plan was stowed away in the back of her mind. After a few moments, Liva actually forgot all about Hugh being in the adjoining bathroom, as if the steady sound of showering water was only in her head.

Maybe it was some weird CIA stealth, but Liva didn’t hear Hugh exit his bathroom and join her in the main room. If she hadn’t cast a paranoid glance behind her at just the right time, she would have been a second too late. But, fortunately, she managed to see him just a moment before he laid eyes on her. And he was in nothing but a towel. About to take off said towel. Her cheeks turned fire-engine red, but she managed to keep her mind in the right place, turning back to the computer with a near supernatural swiftness. It was really amazing how quick she could be when she knew she was about to be caught doing something she wasn‘t supposed to. With a few clicks and a swipe of her hand, the page she had been on was closed Google maps was pulled up. As the sound of Hugh’s gasp filled the air, Liva turned in her chair, grabbing a page fresh off the printer as she moved. She was on her feet in an instant, looking startled and flustered, which wasn’t entirely an act. Seeing him in such a state did manage to fluster her in the worst ways and the blush on her cheeks was anything but false.

“It’s not like - I didn’t - !” Liva tried to excuse herself between his outbursts, but he didn’t give her enough time. Wasn’t this a major inconvenience? If only she could have been a little faster and they could have avoided this awkward mess! Oh, well. At least she now had the information she needed and could spend the evening away from this hellhole. “Calm down. It’s not - it’s not like I just came strolling in here like some pervert! I was just printing this off, you imbecile!” Liva exclaimed defensively, looking just as embarrassed as he did. She thrust her the printer-warm paper towards him, shaking it vigorously. There, displayed in black ink, was a little map of the surrounding few blocks, each street clear and visible. “You said we were going for a drive and your stupid agency didn’t trust me enough to put a computer in my room! God, that’s the last time I try to help out around here! Sorry, I betrayed your trust, you - you - Ugh!” Liva knew how to throw a fit, knew how to be melodramatic. She excelled at being a drama queen. To top off her little act, she crossed the room, shoved that paper into his chest, and stomped away, slamming the door just for good measure.

Her face still felt hot even as she crossed the hall to her own room, but after closing the door and taking a few deep breaths…she smiled. She reached into the pocket of her sweater, pulling out the receipt she had written the code on. As soon as she could manage her big escape, she would be out of here and experiencing all that LA had to offer. Excitement began to build inside of her but she pushed it down, pocketing it and the paper for later as she moved to examine her face in the ceiling to floor mirrors in her closet. Liva tried to focus all of her attention on making herself look less wretched as she had earlier… while also trying to get the image of Hugh Miles in a towel out of her head. When her makeup again masked her, Liva edged her way out into the hall again to wait anxiously for Hugh.

[E M M A]

Liva snatched something off the printer, looking very much startled and alarmed at how his tone had risen. She had the deer in the headlights look, scrambling this way and that as she shoved his office chair away from her and clutched a fresh page of printed material in her fingers tightly. He was livid, every muscle in his arm and neck coiling tightly as his face reddened. This was an outrage! Moreover, he was embarassed, to be caught so vulnerable in just a towel. She wouldn't take him seriously! He couldn't think proper in how to go about the situation, and it wasn't a good position to be stuck in when he was around Liva. Her brief little interjection were ignored in his fury, his blue eyes bulging from under his dark eyebrows in incredulity. He'd never felt more exposed and humiliated in his life. Him, Hugh Miles, embarassed? No, this wouldn't do at all.

She finally managed to throw her words in amidst all his yelling, defending her case with a shout. The paper she had been crinkling between her tightened fingers the entire time made an appearance, shaken in front of her as she approached closer. He automatically took a cautionary step back, uneasy about how close she was getting, before he focused on what the paper actually said. It wasn't even words, it was an image. A large image that nearly took up the page. Did she use color ink? Did she know how much that COST? "I'm the imbecile? Me? How am I an imbecile! You came in here without my permission, you used the computer without my permission, and you just- you- urgh!" He failed an arm, throwing his clothes to the floor. He held on to his towel protectively, scowling.

She printed a map. She printed a map for him. While the gesture was generous, he was largely irritated by the terrible timing she had to do it. "You printed a map," he stated through grit teeth, unimpressed. At this point, he felt like just tugging her into the hall and slamming the door in her face so he could get dressed. For a few minutes, Liva explained her side of her blonde logic and reasoning, while Hugh tried not to explode as he bit down on his fist exchanged stern glares about the room. In her dramatic display, she told him that she had been trying to help. Oh, he was touched. Liva was helping him. "I don't need you to print a map -! The car has a-a-a GPS, Liva, do you understand what that is? Why am I going to need a map! You can't be in here-!" Hugh shouted as she stomped her feet at him, threw the paper into his chest, and went on her way.

Stupid. Stupid, stupid girl. That's all he could repeat in his mind as she carried out the rest of her melodramatics, the door shuddering in the frame once she'd swung it shut behind her on her way out. Hugh muttered a few expletives under his breath, crumpling the paper to a ball and swiftly moving to lock the door before she could make a reappearance. It clicked, and Hugh closed his eyes with his forehead against the cool wood. A heavy sigh released from his lips, his skin hot from the argument and the embarassment he'd just endured, all in a plush towel. Fantastic. He'd never known the job description would have been dealing with a brat with poor judgement. Hugh gave the computer a long stare from where he stood against the door, before making hesitant efforts to get dressed.

He was still paranoid that Liva was goijg to break down that door somehow or pop out of his closet and catch him. It was a ridiculous fear, nevertheless it was all he could think about as he tugged his shirt over his head or laced his running trainers. The sweatpants and the refreshing smell of his Old Spice deodorant and body wash was comforting, just the sensation of being clean alone made him feel plenty more relaxed and less hostile to Liva, although he wasn't about ready to buddy up with her and be so sweet to her. Absolutely unacceptable, this invasion of privacy. His client had seen him in a towel. A towel. His client was a girl. A princess. The entire ordeal still didn't sit well with him even after he'd finished tousling his hair in the natural sweep, and straightening out his bathroom.

Tucking his gun in to his waistband and his phone, wallet, and keys into his sweatpants pockets, Hugh sucked up his pride and ego to go fetch Liva. He cleared his throat and rapped his knuckles on her door, standing as tall as he could manage without twitching or squirming, as if nothing had just happened. "Liva," he cleared his throat, his hands clasped behind his back in an orderly fashion. He kept his chin high, his eyes inevitably narrowed as he braced himself for the beloved princess' hormonal emotions to flurry in his face. "Are you ready? I only want to look around the block, see what's going on around here, and that's it. No stops, no visits," he clarified sternly, laying down the rules before it was too late for Liva to change her mind. Otherwise, he'd have to deal with her whining the entire way around.

[angelena.]

When Liva opened the door and was greeted by the sight of her bodyguard, she had to fight against her rising blush, remembering the scene earlier. He seemed just as eager as she was to put it behind them, fortunately. And it was easy to forget the sight of his bare chest when he was no fully clothed, though seeing him looking so casual made her feel a little uncomfortable, too. It was…weird. As if they were just casual friends going out for a drive and no lives were at stake. The more she thought about it, she found that she preferred this to his suits. It was easier to forget everything this way. No flashy badges and black jackets today. “Are you kidding me?” Liva raised a delicate, incredulous eyebrow at Hugh. “You have got to be the most boring person on the planet, you know.” She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest in an indignant manner. Liva reminded herself that it didn’t really matter, that she would get what she wanted later that evening. She could survive a few hours under his watchful vigilance if she absolutely had to. It will all be worth it, she told herself.

“Visits? Who would I visit? My father’s in England and my brother’s in Switzerland.” Only after the words were out of her mouth did she realize what was wrong with them; she wasn’t supposed to know that information. The only reason Liva had any clue about her family’s location was because she had overheard the agents talking at the agency, the ones who weren’t aware that she was bilingual. “Um, I mean… I’m ready.” She chirped up innocently, plastering a cheery smile on her face as she slipped passed her bodyguard on nimble feet and started down the hall. Her eyes scanned the corridor as she went, noting the digital pass code locks by a few of the doors. She wondered if she could get the other codes from his computer some other time, though preferably not while he was taking a shower. Curiosity burned through the princess’s veins. What was behind those doors? What secrets did they hold? Why wasn’t she allowed access? She was the bloody princess, for Christ’s sake! Unfortunately, Liva doubted Hugh would leave his computer so unprotected again. Though her story about the map and her acting were both believable, he no doubt had his suspicions.

But that wouldn’t matter. The secrets of those locked rooms could wait, for the princess had what she needed for now. Liva would use her code to escape the house that night, and she would feel absolutely no remorse when she was experiencing the LA lifestyle. She needed the kind of thrill that only the night life could give her. Liva was incapable of sitting idle in a house all day long. She needed thrill and adrenaline rushes and anything that could make her feel more…alive. She would continue to get dangerously close to that chaotic fire just to prove to herself that she was indeed a living, feeling being. That there was a way to fill the emptiness inside her and maybe one day that hollowness would disappear for good. Plus, clubs and huge parties were a fantastic way to meet cute guys, and she supposed she could settle for an American man if she really was to stay here for a long period of time.

“We should see if there’s any good stores around here.” Liva said as she descended the stairs to the lower level of the house. “Ooh, do you think there’s a mall around here?” She mused aloud, as if completely disregarding his earlier instructions. It wasn’t like his rules would matter later on. As Liva approached the front door though, she paused, turning to look at Hugh as he caught up with her, regarding him almost like an after thought. “Can I drive?” She asked suddenly, a little girlish spark in her eyes that seemed out of place on the face of a haughty princess. Though Liva had her license in Norway, she never got to drive back home. She had people for that, of course. And Liva had never driven on an American road either, where they drove on the wrong side for some reason unbeknownst to her. Besides, she realized that if she was going to manage her big escape, she would need a get away vehicle…and need to know how to drive it.

[E M M A]

And of course, Liva questioned him. Hugh crossed his arms staring right through Liva's soul as she complained about his boringness after he had told her that they wouldn't be getting out of the car for anything at all, that they wouldn't be making stops at the mall or some rubbish like that. "Good," he grunted, resting the urge to roll his eyes as well to mock Liva and her teenage hormonal princess attitude. He leaned himself again the door frame temporarily to rest the aches in his sides and his shoulders, as well as in his neck, while Liva continued to back talk uim. He didn't give it much thought, but it wasnt too hard to see that he was already starting to become irked once more. "I don't know princess, I was just laying out the rules so we wouldn't have this argument in the car," his words came through grit teeth, his tone extremely dry.

He narrowed his eyes at Liva in mild suspicion. How did she know where her family members were? He didn't even know, and he was her bodyguard. The information could be a little dangerous, but he didn't think much of it. Maybe it was just the family who knew each others whereabouts. He wouldn't question it. "Wait for me by the front door," he instructed, peeking inside Liva's room before he closed it behind her. He checked the window at the end of the hall to see that it was locked sceure, then he made a stop in his bedroom to activate the house security system. It was programmed to go into action as soon as he pressed a handy little button on the app in his smartphone that was linked to the house system. Airtight windows, pick-proof double locks, monitoring, and motions sensors everywhere. Hugh thought that it was a little excessive, but he wouldn't turn down the CIA's expensive toys.

Hugh joined her going downstairs, following her taking two steps at a time. His fingers ran along the smooth railing, his other hand tucked inside his pocket as they descended the stairs together. His eyes flashed up from where he had been fixing his watch to be on his other wrist. She wanted to what ? "We're not going in any stores, right?" He clarified for her, raising an eyebrow sternly. "We'll see. For now, get in the car, yeah?" He suggested pointedly. He just wanted to get going, and get out of here. He was an impatient man, he didn't have time for waiting around like this. Hugh would have a few words to say if that dark, tinted SUV that looked very much like the one the CIA had gifted him that was parked down the street followed them around town.

Hugh halted abruptly and almost barreled into Liva as she whirled on her heel, her bright blue eyes sparkling up at him. Startled, he inhaled sharply, taking a step back from the princess as she stated her idea. Can she drive. Can she drive! Hugh almost started laughing, a bewildered expression on his face. Ha! Could she drive, instead of him? His jaw dropped, his lips moving without sound as he struggled to answer the question right. "No," he decided, although there wasn't too much certainty in his decision. Immediately Liva's face fell, her childlike excitement fizzling and growing sour. He closed and locked the front door after them, his jaw clenched as he fought the sympathetic side that dwelled in his mind. He had to remind himself repeatedly that Liva had come into his room and used the computer without his permission, that she had snuck around, that she had seen him in a towel.

That was unacceptable. He tried to harden his resolve, but seeing Liva so crushed and grouchy as she sulked by the passenger seat door and remembering how upbeat she was when they'd been playing ping pong... "Liva," Hugh called out as he came down the driveway, a flash of silver in his hand. "Catch," he murmured, tossing the keys to her once she had lifted her sorry head. He wasn't too happy about choosing to let Liva get her way, but he figured that it would be easier for them both. Liva could learn how to drive and learn the area in case of an emergency, he could focus more on the surroundings. Hugh could direct her, and make sure she listened to him, a test of trust, and she could get a little release from the stress. Hugh thought she would know how to drive, a spoiled rich princess like her who probahly had multiple cars at her disposal. It was supposed to be a win win situation, why did he feel so guilty?

Hugh climbed into the passenger seat, settling down into the leather with a soft content sigh. The car still smelled like brand new. It was a contrast from what he was used to, the digesting musty smell of the ripped up seats of the old pickup, one that smelled of gunpowder and sweat from all the car chases he'd been on, the road trips, and sometines, even stake outs where he'd needed to sleep inside of it. The car was otherwise neat, although it reeked from its previous owners spills and stains as well. "Well, let's go, we're going to go out that way," he pointed across her out the window, to the left. They would pass the other CIA agents who were watching them, and Hugh would get a good look at who was out there, even challenge them to follow them. Hugh buckled in his seat belt, his hands fidgeting in his lap. This was unusual, for him to not be driving.

[angelena.]

“Ugh…” Liva groaned, rolling her eyes as they walked out to the car and LA’s fall heat bared down on her. She didn’t think she could ever get tired of this warm weather. “What’s the fun in looking at things from the outside, Hugh Miles? And why do I get the feeling that’s how you live your entire life?” Liva raised an eyebrow at him, the smirkish smile on her face making her look like a know-it-all. That was a pretty big leap to take when they were only talking about going inside clothing stores, but Liva was pretty sure she knew his type. He was so…so closed off! So, serious. Didn’t he ever just live in the moment? “And that’s incredibly irritating, you know? Ending your sentences with the answer you want to hear…” She grumbled to herself, her eyes downcast as she pouted at his refusal.

Much to her dismay, Liva caught the keys he tossed in her direction in her hand, right before they would have hit her square in the face. Her reflexes were quick and her hand-eye-coordination accurate… But Liva didn’t want to be the kind of girl that caught things. She always did whatever she could to make herself seem less intelligent, less capable and cunning and all the things she had been molded to be. Liva wanted to just be a girl, not a queen. To cover her tracks, to maintain her bimbo image for as long as humanly possible, Liva scowled over at Hugh. “Careful where you throw things!” She made a scoffing sound, flipping her blonde locks over her shoulder. It took her a moment to actually realize what he had said and why she was now holding the keys, but when it finally clicked together, her eyes widened in delightful surprise. “Really?” She demanded, hoping this wasn’t some cruel joke. “You’re going to let me drive this thing?” She let out a little, surprised laugh as she swaggered over to the car, twirling the keys by the key ring and holding her head high enough to suggest she owned this whole city.

It was a bad sign that she first made to get in the passenger seat of the car. Luckily, Hugh beat her to it, his actions reminding her that the driver sat on the left side in this country. So, she walked aroundd to the “driver’s” side and slid into her sit behind the wheel. Liva had to adjust the seat, moving it forward so that she could reach everything, seeing as Hugh was a pretty tall guy and she was a female of average height. It felt nice to be behind the wheel, even if she did prefer smaller, cuter vehicles. To be honest, this was the most freeing thing she had done in a long time. Plus, knowing how to operate the SUV would be pretty useful later on, when she used it to make her big, temporary escape. At least Liva was smart enough to know that she had to come back… And the fact that she planned to - Well, she thought that at least had to earn her some brownie points.

Liva stuck the key in the ignition and with one turn, was greeted with the familiar sound of a purring engine. She was reminded of her days back in the Norway, of the specific day when she had first gotten her license. That was the day her father had given her her first car and looked at her like she mattered… She was allowed to leave the castle that day and even though a vehicle full of royal guards followed closely behind, she felt…free. She drove through the chilly green countryside with the windows rolled down, letting the air blow her hair this way and that. The radio had blasted out the latest Danish pop music and the blood in her veins sang with freedom. It had been…the most perfect day. Liva, fully clothed and sober and alone, had felt more free driving that car than she ever had partying with strangers.

As the princess pulled out of the driveway and onto the street with it’s pathway of palm trees, she cast a glance over at Hugh. In that moment, her fair hair blowing free and her eyes sparkling with adventure, she looked just as happy as she had been when they were playing ping pong and all her worries were forgotten. She tried to reign some of her giddiness in, though, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had caused it. “You look nervous.” She grinned mischievously, noting how he seemed uncomfortable with being in the passenger’s seat. Of course he would be; he was an agent, used to being in control of every situation. Liva’s grin widened a tad…before she realized she was driving on the wrong side of the road. It was a good thing the boulevard was empty. Liva turned the wheel swiftly, jerking them to the other lane and onward in a manner that suggested she would make one good heck of a stunt driver…or a daredevil. Liva gave a nervous little chuckle. “Oops…” She muttered as she drove in the direction he had directed. Liva looked comfortable behind the wheel, without a care even after that little mishap. “Are they going to follow us?” She asked suddenly, carelessly, as she adjusted her mirror with one hand and steered with the other. She was, of course, referring to the SUV that was parked at the end of the street, surveying the house. “I’d think they’d be more useful here. Making sure there are no break ins and whatnot…” It was an insult to say a CIA agent would be better at stopping petty thievery than an assassin, but it wasn’t like Liva cared who she insulted. Besides, nothing was going to happen, right? There was nothing to be worried about.

[E M M A]

((Are you online?))

[angelena.]

((Yep! Just got on a few minutes ago. ^.^ ))

[E M M A]

((Yay! Okay ill type yours asap))

[E M M A]

Almost done! Um, so they just dirve around right? Did you have anything in oarticular about the drive that happens? I forget

[angelena.]

((I didn't have any plans. We could probably skip a large portion of it if you want to.))

[E M M A]

((Im just so stoked to get to where she escapes! Care if i ff to when maybe they get gas or somethinf and have a cute moment??))

[angelena.]

((Me too! And yeah, go ahead. xD ))

[E M M A]

Hugh sat grimly in his seat, all buckled up, with regret apparent in his emotions. Let her drive. Let her drive-?! What was he thinking! She did not have her American licence, as far as he knew. Even if she did, she didn't carry anything with her. How did he know that she even knew how to work a car? Hugh scolded himself not to be ridiculous, that of course, a princess in her twenties would know how to operate an SUV. He just prayed that she used common sense for American road signals and traffic rules. She couldn't be too stupid, right? He clenched his teeth and kept his eyes flickering between the rear view mirrors, trying not to yelp and change his mind when she jolted the car backwards towards the lawn. She could handle this. She had to be able to drive. Either that, or he was dead in this tank of metal.

For the moment, Liva was an alright driver. For his standards, she drove too slow, without too much confidence s she adjusted to the vehicle, and with too much concentration. For Hugh, driving was like walking, running, swimming. It was natural, something he didn't have to focus on. His attention when he was driving was more about what was in his mirrors, what kind of cars were around him, who was driving too fast with a suspicious vehicle, who was stalking him, who he was looking for. It was just a habit he'd picked up in the training he'd been through, it was now jsut becoming muscle memory. Automatic. Even as he sat in the passenger seat, the SUV leveling out on the quiet residential street, Hugh's blue eyes glossed over windows and cars, doors, lawns. Whatever he could see, he memorized as much of it as he could handle, from under those dark speculating eyebrows.

"Nervous? I've got every right to be, you're driving," Hugh muttered glumly, his hands restless in his lap as he continued to watch everything go by through the dark windows. Thank goodness for insurance. They would probably end up needing it. While simultaneously watching the neighborhood and Liva's driving, he tried to settle the jittery nerves in his stomach as the SUV kicked up speed. What if she forgot what country they were in and turned to the wrong road? What if she disobeyed a traffic signal? What if they got a ticket, who would pay that? He was an idiot for letting her drive, his boss would kill him if she didn't first! A battle waged inside of his mind, explosions left and right. If he didn't pay attention, they'd be one of those explosions.

Liva was excited, clearly displaying plenty of her ecstatic countenance as she drove. He was tempted to have her just pull over, switch sides. He couldn't handle the stress and agony of being in someone else's driving hands, especially Liva. Regardless, he said nothing, narrowing his eyes as Liva swerved into the wrong lane... and kept driving. There was no oncoming traffic in the area, but, Hugh was starting to grow a little antsy. Many foreign countries drove on the left side...! He choked on his breathing, looking about frantically for any signs of other active vehicles that would come lumbering down the street and kill them. "Liva-!" He complained, gesturing to the road in disapproval. This was a big mistake. Let her drive? What was he thinking!

She immediately corrected the car's course by jerking the wheel, Hugh's eyes widening as he gripped the door arm rest with horror. Maneuvers like those were something he was used to, but coming from Liva? What, was she crazy? Hugh recomposed himself, grumbling snippy comments under his breath about princesses and driving. "Slip up again and we're switching," he warned, huffing a sigh. He should have just taken charge, what was wrong with him! It was pathetic, really, how he seemed to find that sliver of generosity that dwelled deep inside of him just for her, to go out of his own way just because he felt a little bad for the poor girl. It was ridiculous , childish-! Hugh didn't like it, how he couldnt be rough with his client like he normally was, how he had to be mindful and sensitive so he wouldn't do or say something to make her harder to handle as a female and a spoiled brat.

They passed the other government SUV in a blur, two dark sunglass- shielded faces holding Hugh's gaze. They were CIA, he could identify that much. He'd seen one of the men around the offices, and vaguely remembered the same licence plate sequence trailing them on the way here. Hugh's head had swiveled over the arm rest, his eyes narrowed at the red taillights of the government car as the vehicle turned on, the agents swerving to turn around to follow their precious princess, to make sure Hugh wasn't disobeying protocol. As if. Hugh was distracted by Liva's question, surprised that she had even noticed. The whole blonde thing, he still wasn't so sure if the dumb blonde concept was accurate. It seemed Liva was still full of surprises, and she wasn't finished yet.

Hugh raised an eyebrow, trying to hide that he was mildly impressed with the girl as he sunk back into his seat. "Of course they'll follow us. They've got cameras all over the house, and a response team less than ten minutes away, I'd imagine... let them follow us. For now," Hugh instructed, murmuring as he glanced at the car following him in the rear view mirror. He sighed, dragging his fingers through his hair. Liva's driving had smoothed out, and he felt a little more at ease. "Turn right up at the stop sign," he grunted, trying to shake off the distracting sensation of seeing a dark object in the mirrors. Why did they insist on following them anyway? Did they not trust Hugh enough? Did they think he was some creep, who'd abuse the advantage he had of being in the presence of a royal? A girl? If so, Hugh had to laugh. He had to. They didn't know the slightest about him, and assumed so much from him. As if he'd ever touch a female without needing to. Voluntarily.

The next hour consisted of Hugh systematically mapping out a route around the general neighborhood, around to the park for a little view, past a few shops, and a grocery store. He and Liva had lightly argued over which way to go, and with Hugh stressfully passenger seat driving and instructing her with a raised voice in worry, it had been a rather stressful and draining drive around their side of the city. The car stalking them no longer bothered Hugh. Liva, when she wasn't being chided by Hugh for not turning on her blinker or for going too slow or too fast, she was laughing, she was smiling. At some point, she'd turned on the radio, belting out the lyrics to some song per usual, just like earlier. Hugh, although he wasn't too pleased, he didn't show it, he didn't scowl. For once, they weren't arguing, and that's all he wanted.

"Pull up here, we need gas. The tank is on your side," he waved, his eyes set on the gas station they were about to pass on the main street. As soon as Liva managed to park parallel to the filling station, Hugh exited the car, digging into his pocket for his wallet. "Gentlemen," Hugh greeted through grit teeth pointedly, flashing the two in suits that stared at him a disturbed and disgusted glare while they whispered and murmured under their breath. While he filled the tank, he leaned against the car his elbow resting on the car frame, while he peered inside the car from Liva's partially opened door for the fresh air. "Your driving isn't so bad, hm?" Hugh found himself saying, despite his previous antisocial antics. Perhaps it was the nerves, the ones that had returned when the agents that had been following them this entire time had the audacity to pull up directly behind them and start filling their tank.

(No idea what the cute moment is but go for ut and then take them home)

[angelena.]

Liva fought her growing grin at first but eventually let it consume her features. “Oh calm down, skat. My driving is perfect.” She smirked, using the Danish word for darling to taunt him…and just to see if he understood it. Liva wasn’t sure how much her bodyguard knew of her language. He seemed to understand the all the curse words just fine, which made for a lot of irritation on her part when he called her out for directing using them. “I’m sure I can drive just as well as you can, as a matter of fact.” Liva glanced over at him, a challenge in her eyes just like the one that had been there when they had had their little ping pong match earlier. The princess had never put her skills behind the wheel to any sort of test, but she was in fact a good driver. Liva drove without fear or hesitation and had quick enough reflexes to save her should she make a mistake.

“If you would I could lose them…” Liva offered, a mischievously glimmer in her eyes as she glanced up at the rearview mirror, glimpsing the black SUV following from far enough behind to not be suspicious. She didn’t know the roads here, but she was pretty sure she could shake them off if she wanted to. Back in Norway, Liva had made a game out of losing her bodyguards when she was driving, often pulling dangerous stunts even though it only bought her a few spare minutes of privacy. But it wasn’t really about that so much as it was about the adrenaline rush it gave her. Just like when she went partying in the city or kissed a stranger in a crowded club or drank so much she felt all buzzed and floaty and invincible.

But, knowing that Hugh would not be happy if she drove off the road and straight through someone’s yard to get to the highway, Liva obeyed and followed his instructions, turning in the directions he pointed, merging in the lanes he gestured to… Why did he have to be so boring? At least Hugh didn’t say anything other than instructions and because of that, Liva was able to let herself forget she was under his constant surveillance. This way she could focus on the way the wind kissed her cheeks and the way the drumbeat of the song on the radio mimicked that of her heart.

As she pulled up to the gas station, Liva had almost forgotten all about the SUV that followed behind them…until that SUV coincidentally also had to stop and get gas. Liva let out a sigh as Hugh got out to pump and pay, though she was relieved he hadn’t tried to make her do it. Liva didn’t pump her own gas. Whenever she wanted to go for a drive, she always found her car’s tank was already full for her. She had no idea how to use the pumps worked. Liva kept her window rolled down at the station and craned her neck to look out at Hugh. “You sound surprised.” She accused, smirking slightly. But Liva was only half-paying attention to him, as much of her focus was on the numbers on the screen as the count went up and up.

Disappointment flooded through her at the thought of returning to her temporary residence with him. She would miss the open air and the sounds of the city… But when Hugh climbed back in the passenger’s seat and gave her the instructions, she knew she had no choice, even if a small part of her was tempting to just ignore him and keep driving… But Liva knew she needed to be on good behavior right now so he wouldn’t think she was going to do something drastic. And then, later tonight, she could have a taste of the freedom she craved without worrying about his watchful eyes. The only thing scarier than losing her life, she thought, was never being able to live it in the first place.

Liva said goodbye to the bustling city and all it’s people, passing them by on the drive back to her prison. Soon, they were cruising down the right drive, with it’s lined palm-trees and rich houses that were far too inadequate for a princess. This was good, Liva told herself. She was able to get a feel for the vehicle and mentally map out the roads in her mind. She had all the information she needed now. Feeling giddy with that thought, Liva had trouble resisting the urge to grin like a full as she pulled up to their house and parked, yanking the keys out of the ignition and tossing them to Hugh without looking his way. “Well, that was fun. Though it might have been more fun if we could have went actually went in somewhere.” She rolled her eyes, though she did seemed pleased with this turn of events. Liva climbed out of the SUV and started towards the door. “Hugh!” She called back to him, her voice practically a groan. She paused in front of the door, turning around to face him with her arms crossed. “You know, it’s really annoying that I have to wait for you to open the door. Maybe you should just give me a keycard, yes?” She raised an eyebrow at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Liva wanted to make it seem like she was still looking for a way in and out…despite the fact that she had already found one. Liva leaned her back against the door and looked up at Hugh as he approached her, blocking his path for the moment. “You always look so grumpy…” She said casually, studying his features. She was provoking him again, trying to get a reaction out of him just to amuse herself.

[E M M A]

Liva had insisted that she possessed impeccable driving skills, skills that were a match for his. Did Hugh believe her? No. Did he want to find out? No. He immediately buckled down on the rules of the road and his strict directions, not allowing for Liva to do much of anything at all except turn here and there and stop at all the lights. He would always make a displeased click of his tongue whenever she cut others off on the road or sped up a little recklessly. That was only okay when he did it, because he was trained and certified and practiced in this sort of thing. Liva? He had his doubts. Big ones. He didn't want to find out how great the princess who drove on the wrong side of the road was, if they wanted to get home in one piece. She offered to lose the agents who crept behind them, and the idea seemed to process in Hugh's mind with some mild interest.

However, just as quickly as the idea appeared, it disappeared, replaced with disapproval. "Keep driving," was all he had said, ignoring the fact that he itched to piss off those high and mighty agents who thought it was their jobs too to take care of Liva's safety. If Hugh hated anything more than cats, it was the fact that half of the office thought he was incapable of handling such a job by himself, just because he was temperamental, boring, mean, Hugh. On the roads, Hugh said little besides instructions, too focused on mapping out the neighborhood. He located the shady buildings, the grocery store, a convenience and liquor store, a car accident, and then the gas station. The neighborhood was overall safe, though he knew that beyond the parameters that they had just explored would be different. Much different. This was Los Angeles County, things weren't always as it seemed, especially at night. He wasn't so sure why the office would choose this city of all places, but he supposed it was because it was so busy and Liva could blend in.

"I am surprised," Hugh murmured truthfully, still uncertain how he felt about Liva as a whole. It was so two sided, he could never know when she'd tick, what would set her off, and when she'd make him angry. They weren't exactly compatible, but for the first day, he thought they were doing pretty decent. She obeyed the majority of his rules, the ones that mattered most, anyway, and they could get along for a good few hours before things went sour. Not too bad, considering that he had always hated Liva's kind because of their haughty attitudes just because they had so much material wealth. But then again, Liva didn't know he was just a street rat, an orphan, someone who didn't talk to people much if at all. "I wasn't expecting little Miss Princess of Denmark to be good at something like this," Hugh shrugged, pushing himself off the car window to finish pumping the gas.

The drive home was very much the same as earlier, except there wasn't as much conversation as Hugh dwelled on the thoughts on his mind. He was still trying to sort out what living inside 24/7 was going to feel like, since the agency had a strict anal policy about Liva not being outdoors for more than a handful of hours that were barely enough to do much at all. It was reserved for shopping for groceries, going to doctor appointments at the agency hospital, or occasionally for the extras that Liva would love so much. Movies, dinner, malls... It would be excruciating to pace around the house all day, he knew that for certain and it hadn't even been a full day yet. What would he do? Why had he signed up for this? He figured he could do an awful lot of training, practice shooting bottles off chairs outside with one of his newer guns, or take apart the clocks in the house and reassemble them. That sounded thrilling.

It was some time in the afternoon, and the roads were beginning to get busier with those early people who got off work at three. They avoided most slow traffic, arriving home within ten minutes of leaving the gas station. The SUV still followed them, staring at the car through their dark sunglasses that made Hugh squirm. They were watching him just like the cops had when he was little, when he walked past the busy outdoor markets. Hugh had been notorious for stealing things with quick nimble hands for himself, like fruits or freshly made breads, tshirts, jackets. It was a little contradictory that he would work for the law now, even though all his childhood and teenage years, he was constantly butting heads with it. The agents behind them didn't trust Hugh one bit.

They thought that Hugh, being the dirty rat that he was, would try and use Liva's wealth to his advantage, kidnap her, ask for ransom money that would deem him filthy rich. It was precisely why they made sure not to lose Hugh, because they thought that it was their responsibility to watch out for Liva, to rescue her when Hugh took her. Of course, that was Hugh's personality, everyone knew that was Hugh's personality. Mean, selfish, grumpy, angry, and bitter. It was because of their preconceived notions that Hugh hated people, always being so judgemental when they didn't know what he had been through. Supposedly he'd inherited his traits from his parents, as told from the boys who would tease him at the orphanage. Although they didn't have proof, it was very well possible. After all, his parents were drug dealers, addicts, alcoholics, and idiots. It's why he rarely drank alcohol, and if he did, it was behind a closed door so he didn't go and do anything stupid.

Hugh caught the keys, satisfied with their little round trip through their surroundings. He had an idea of where the essentials were, although he did plan to look around a little further tonight on his computer where everything was. "I'm not the one who has to be under protection because she's a princess," Hugh shot back pointedly, raising his eyebrow right back at her. He didn't feel comfortable around Liva enough to take her out in public quite yet. She probably knew nothing about defending herself from an attacker, and she still had a mind of her own when it came to following precautions. Taking a glance at Liva as she sprung away from the car, she looked... happy. It was that same expression from when they played ping pong, her blonde hair bouncing at her shoulders while a pearly grin situated itself on her lips.

Hugh climbed down from the SUV and locked it, slowly trudging with his long legged stride to the front door with his hand searching for the key card in his pocket. "What is it now?" He groaned back, clutching the card at his side as he mounted the low front steps. He arrived at her side, trying to ignore how she complained about not having a key card of her own. It irked him, a bit of anger in his eyes as he shot her a look. She still persisted. Did she not understand? Her eyes glimmered with her pleading, and Hugh immediately looked away. He wasn't having any of that. He slid in the card and a few gears turned inside the heavy door, the air pressure releasing as it popped open for them. Hugh took a step forward, but was immediately hindered by Liva blocking his way.

"Liva, I'm not giving you a-" he had begun, huffing a heavy sigh as he attempted to nudge her gently aside. But then, she spoke to interrupt him, saying something... he found himself speechless at. He always looked so grumpy. Hugh always had looked grumpy. As a baby, as a toddler, as an adolescent, as a teenager, as an adult. He'd never gotten over the fact that he was given up as a baby, that he was thrown away in a musty box because he was too much for his parents, because he was unwanted. It wasn't fair, Hugh had always thought, and it shaped his life for pessimism, anger, and jealousy. He couldn't enjoy himself because he didn't know how.

He didn't know what normal kids did with their lives, he didn't know what normal adults did every day, what it was like to be normal. What it was like to have a family behind you who cared about you, called you late at night with their problems, forced you to go to reunions or ask a girl out. He was hurting, deep inside, and never really forgave his parents, or any of the boys who had been so rude to him at the orphanage, made him feel worthless. To make things worse, his shady figure and his quiet, brisk behavior led others to make their own conclusions, and he just couldn't have his own identity. Everyone else made his identity for him. Although it was a simple question, it had hit home for Hugh, and pain flickered through his eyes. "I'm just tired today," he grumbled, and he shouldered his way past Liva into the front entryway. He tugged her inside and closed the door roughly, struggling to keep his sour emotions under wraps for the sake of himself. If Liva knew how to get under his skin, he was in trouble. Hugh left Liva to go up the staircase, supposedly to change. Really, to bury his emotions under his plush pillows. Pouty, he knew, but he wasn't in the mood anymore to talk to anyone. She didn't know that even a little question like that could make him so upset.

[angelena.]

As she studied his expressions, her own face began to fall, her cockiness and teasing air beginning to vanish. “Hugh - “ She started, though she really didn’t have no idea what she was going to say. She never found out what words nearly slipped from her lips, for Hugh was already pushing past her. Liva stumbled out of the way as he opened the door, letting him pull her inside. She stood there dumbly, watching as he trudged up the staircase and left her behind. Liva felt a twinge of guilt in the pit of her stomach. Had she said something wrong? Hugh hadn’t made any sort of sarcastic comment and his expression… He had looked so surprised. Didn’t she insult him on a regular basis, constantly calling him boring and lame and all sorts of nasty words in her native language? She had clearly struck some kind of nerve this time, though she wasn’t entirely sure what it was. Liva was cruel to nearly everyone; she shouldn’t care about upsetting a lowly bodyguard. But she did, for some strange reason.

Liva marched up to her own room after a brief moment of contemplation, feeling like children do when they accidentally say something unforgivable to a parent. They understand that their mother or father is upset, can see the tears and realize they are the cause of them, but have no clue how to make it stop. And that just left guilt. She was very curious about Hugh Miles now, which was strange for her. Usually she didn’t concern herself with anyone who wasn’t of rich or noble blood. In her defense, she was going to be living with this man for an undetermined amount of time. It was natural to want to know more about him. Did he have a family? A wife and kids? A girlfriend? Siblings that he was close to? Grandparents that he went to see on Sundays? It was strange to think that he had a life outside of protecting her. Bodyguards were just people in suits who shadowed her throughout the day. The fact that they could have lives and families and emotions was unfathomable. That was just like her tutors having real homes rather than just living in the castle library! Unthinkable…

But Hugh was stuck here with her. He wasn’t out living his own life, but rather was being forced to babysit a princess at the cost of said life. The thought made her feel a little guilty, which was, again, unusual for her. Liva shook her head as she shut herself in her bedroom, trying to rid herself of those thoughts. No use thinking such depressing things. It wasn’t like any of that should matter to her. Hugh Miles was just one of thousands of agents and faceless servants to the crown. Feeling satisfied with that fact, Liva plopped down on her bed and reached for the book she had been reading before they had went for their ping pong game downstairs. Remembering it made her smile slightly as she opened up the paperback and began to scan the page with her eyes. There was no room to worry about the feelings of a bodyguard in her mind when she was absorbed with daring adventures, passionate embraces, and dastardly villains.

Unfortunately, just as she had immersed herself in the story, she felt a grumbling in her stomach and the realization dawned on her that she had skipped lunch, thanks to their…little disagreement. Liva cursed under her breath, pouting slightly as she pressed her hand against her stomach to try and silence it. She sighed, tossing her book down for the second time today. It seemed she would have to swallow her pride now and go ask Hugh about dinner plans… She thought momentarily about their earlier encounter, when he had looked so upset at her comment at the door. But then that thought vanished to make way for the image of him flinging raw chicken at her. Grumbling slightly under her breath, Liva slipped out of her room, closing the door gently behind her, before taking a deep breath and approaching Hugh’s door for the millionth time today. She knocked twice, her knuckles thudding softly against the painted white wood. When he opened the door, she faltered for a moment. Unfortunately, before she could speak, her stomach spoke for her, deciding to imitate the mating call of a whale. She pressed her hand against it once more, her cheeks flushing slightly. “I’m hungry. For some reason, I missed lunch today.” She said accusingly, using her haughty behavior to cover up her embarrassment.

[E M M A]

Hugh shut the door with an air of finality, leaving Liva behind. He figured she'd be okay by herself for the next hour, right? Not like there was anywhere to go. Hugh slipped off his trainers, letting the shoes fly across the room with biterness. She didn't know him, it wasn't fair for her to be treated the way she had with his harsh mood... but at the same time, he felt no sympathy. She was one of them, the rich children, the spoiled, petty ones. He had sworn when he was younger that he'd never associate with those types, he had promised himself. He had to remind himself that this was his job, that he didn't need to be getting close to people like her. You couldn't trust them. You really couldn't trust anyone, but them, particularly. They didn't know what you'd been through, and even if they crippled you somehow, it would end badly, you'd be battered into humiliation and mortification.

He already felt disappointed in hismelf for showing that faint glimmer of pain and sour emotion. What if she asked that question again? He knew how she could press him for answers, how she could wheedle and persist. He could imagine it now, him pressed up in a corner with his hands over his ears, and her haunting him with those words all over again. He shouldnt have acted so supsiocus! He shouldnt have reacted at all, jsut replied with his usual smart comments. Hugh sat himself down in his room on the floor, his arms on his bent knees. "Get over it," he snapped at himself, his cold, tough exterior flickering on and off as his emotions battled with themselves inside his head. To keep hismelf from delving too deep into his sorrows, Hugh got to work rearranging things in his room, moving his duffel bags, and checking all his weaponry.

It could only do so much to distract himself, and before long, Hugh found himself lying limp on his bed, Liva's words stinging like that hand that had crossed his cheek twice. He felt so useless at times like these, and he wondered... was there really a point of him existing at all? Why was he even here? To be an embarassment, a walking reminder of his own worthlessness? They said that you parents loved you unconditionally, but apparently, there were conditions on his birth. His parents had chosen drugs over him, it was a wonder why he was healthy and strong with all the toxic chemicals they probably inhaled on a daily basis. Hugh always knew he'd never fall in love with anyone or anything, animals included, and he'd never cared much for females anyway.

People... just weren't his thing. His position suited him well, because he went around killing and capturing them, making them miserable, making them pay for what they did wrong. He wished he could find his parents, make them see what kind of person they'd created. He felt like a monster who couldn't even hide from himself. He wanted them to see how miserable he was all the time, how sick and tired he was of being avoided, looked at differently. Often, when his new coworkers decided to bravely strike up conversation with him in the office or in line to see the chief, they almost asked him where he was from, or what his family was like. Then Hugh would give them a nasty look he'd later regret, and say it was none of their business. He got defensive real fast, because he hated talking about his childhood. He hated it. It was full of nothing but distress, torment, heartache. And of course, they never struck up conversation with him again.

It had been well over an hour or two, before he heard a sharp knock at his door. It startled him, his head jerking off the pillow he'd been resting on. His eyes were a little pink from what he refused to acknowledge as crying, and his cheek was imprinted with the creases of his pillow case. Reminded of his intial conversation with liva, he scowled, getting to his feet warily and wiping his fsce with his shirt. "What?" He demanded, opening the door cautiously. What could she possibly want now? The blonde met his gaze, but before she said anything, her stomach growled dramtically. She was hungry? Hugh almost grunted at her dilemma and slammed the door in her face, but he refrained. "Let's find something to eat," he grumbled grudgingly closing his door behind him and stalking off moodily downstairs to find something for the princess.

He wasn't even going t argue for her to find something by herself, because they'd alreayd had this conversation that had ended in throwing raw meat. He hid his face from Liva, refusing to walk at her side as he tugged open the fridge. "Well, what so you want?" He ducked his head inside the well stocked fridge, allowing the cool temperature to air off his face, his eyes.

[angelena.]

(view spoiler)[I'm going to be on vacation from now until Monday, but I promise I'll type up a reply the second I get back! (hide spoiler)]