Oh.

[ she can't help but grin a little at his ears though, even if she's still down. The tiredness from being as upset as she has been for weeks now isn't going to fade away so easily, but at least she seems not to be totally broken anymore.

Or she's got a lot of practice making the faces she's supposed to. Even emerald isn't so sure any more. ]

That's even better, I can stop feeling like you're going to take it back.

[ Look years of resource guarding gives her anxiety even if she doesn't show it on her face as much any more. ]

I can cook, can I make something and just drop it off as payback sometime?

[ Not that she minds being in debt-- it's an excuse to keep seeing someone, but she isnt going to take advantage of that. ]

Difficult's one word for it.

[ Pain in the ass is another. ]

I don't mind. I'm not paying you back then.

[ So they're clear. She doesn't want him to pull some kind of debt out on surprise later. She tried. ]

[ She lets out a little snort of a single laugh at that. ]

Give him my regards.

[ She doesn't know who his roommate is, she doesn't feel any need to repay someone she doesn't know. If she knew it was Soubi, she would- she's met him once and he's probably been the closest thing to comforting to her, weirdly. But since she doesn't, screw him. Her motivations are very targeted when it comes down to it. Even when she tried to do good things, like she and Seimei agreed to be 'rivals' for, it had been because she had wanted to try to be a better person for someone else. That person was gone now. She still has and loves Chihiro, but he's.. not the kind of person who can offer direction. He's the kind of person who breaks through to people who no one else will speak up to, but when it came to Emerald, he was more of an enabler. Without direction, Emerald's track record is..

Well, as described. A starving street rat, unlovable- surviving out of spite, but not living. Desperate. She didn't want to go back to that. Emerald slowly finishes off the slice of pizza she was working on, her mind tracks back to that fact and her gaze, while briefly sidetracked, dulls again. Her appetite is pretty much gone after that, and she closes the box. She'll eat it later. ]

Why do you care if I'm upset anyway? I've been lying and teasing you since we met.

[ It's a surprising answer. While Emerald behaves as she needs to, Seimei keeps saying surprising things... she weirdly doesn't mind that he says he doesn't care. Right now, it might be more comforting. If losing someone who cares hurts, having someone around who doesn't is at least not something that will cause anxiety. ]

I'm not a good person either.

[ Wait. A beat passes, then she sits up a little straighter and looks at him. ]

Were you serious about the arson?

[ Is she a magnet for criminals or... ]

Maybe.

[ She gives him a teasing smirk. ]

I doubt most arsonists dye their hair red and orange and walk around flicking a lighter open and closed, what would I even be looking for?

[ She seems pretty relaxed about this conversation. Whatever, she's a terrorist. ]

What, you've got more? Hm...

[ She tilts her head down, eyes up like she's trying to judge him properly. ]

You don't look like much of a fighter, so I'm ruling out violent crimes. You borrowed your roommate's money, so you probably don't have much income.. no money laundering, or white collar crimes, or drug sales. Hm.. Voyeurism?

[ Since he's watching her eat. That's not really a crime. though. She adds: ]

Peeping Tom?

[ That's a crime, yeah. ]

Hm.. Well, what kind of criminal do you think I would be?

[ There are very clear answers, but she doesn't know if he'll just tease or try to really figure it out. She wonders what kind of impression she gives. ]

Why was your brother madder than your mom?

[ Maybe that is how it's supposed to be. She doesn't know. ]

Don't take too long.

[ It's just a game, after all. She doesn't think he'll guess she's got her face plastered across multiple kingdoms as an international fugitive for terrorism and mass murder. Maybe a thief. She hopes she doesn't come off as a street rat pickpocket any more, though. She's done a lot of work not to seem that way.

She does sounds genuinely interested in his family, tilting her head and finally setting her feet normally on the ground, moving the box to her lap. A little less closed off than before. ]

Are you? Your little brother caught you.

What'd you tell him for if you didn't want to get caught?

[ Not very sneaky! She doesn't really understand the relationship between brothers though. ]

It sounds like you get along anyway.

[ He definitely doesn't sound that upset about getting caught or told off by his brother. ]

I don't know, you got pretty close. Master thief Emerald Sustrai at your service. [ a last name that actually means "thief," funny enough. Her face lights up with a bright smile, as if she's introducing herself for the first time and actually a cheerful, peppy person. It's surprisingly well-acted. ] I specialize in jewelry and bank heists.

[ Okay, no, she rolls her eyes and shakes her head. ]

I've never actually done a heist, so that's a lie. But you're not wrong about the rest. I'll tell you if you want me to. [ She hesitates for a moment after saying that. ] I decided I wouldn't lie about things anymore, since I'm supposed to be putting it all in my past. Though that was because I actually thought I had a future, so you might be the last person I tell. I haven't decided yet.

[ Telling people makes her less dangerous, because they know what to expect. It's a handicap to make herself less of a threat, more normal. Without being able to see the future she did all that for, making herself more dangerous just in case she needs to be seems like a better option. She was miserable when she was dangerous too, though, so she just. Doesn't know what to do. ]

[ She glances over at him, not really sure how that's supposed to go. Emerald's problem has never been that she doesn't have feelings, it's that she does. She has way too many, and most of them are routed in a life filled with suffering. ]

I was a thief for most of my life.

[ She moves both of her hands over the box, just feeling the residual warmth. There isn't much left. She could reheat it, but she doesn't really want to ruin the pizza. ]

Things changed. Someone finally pulled me off of the streets and taught me how I could stop relying on theft to survive. I have since become a killer, framed someone for assault, actual assault, forced the world's favored hero-to-be to dismember a girl on live television to cause a panic and bring hoards of monsters down on a city.. Oh, espionage.

[ She tilts her head and gestures and counts with her hand as she kind of lists things off. That's the worst of it. Once she's done she looks over at him again, like she's trying to gauge whether he's about to freak out and shut down, shame her, or react in horror. It's rare it doesn't drive people away, and he already said he doesn't care about her- definitely not enough to try to look past it. So unless he was serious about the arson and really isn't a good person himself, she doubts he'll take it well. It's just as well. ]

I don't really care about any of that, or the reason for it, but I owe that person everything. I don't have any reason to do any of that here if you're worried.

That's the first time I've gotten that reaction. Usually this is the part people stop talking to me or need a couple weeks to decide if they're still scared of me or not.

[ He really is weird. She looks a little surprised, but she shrugs. ]

Your turn.