#FreedomFalls – September 3, 2015

Damien turns up at the rough coordinates he was given in the message he received. He is dressed in his white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, blue jeans with a brown leather belt and dark brown boots. He scans around for Leah, unable to shake that feeling that he's due a serious ass whooping.

Leah cups her hands around her mouth. "You actually came!?" she shouts. Her voice comes from the top of the building. It's a three-story building, and her legs are dangling over the side of the roof. "Stairs are inside! All the way to the back, on your left. You can't miss them!" she shouts down.

Damien starts, looking around for the source of the voice. He looks up and cocks his head, gesturing up at her. "Why are you up there?!" He shouts back up, slowly making his way to the entrance.

Leah hops up to her feet, teetering right over the edge as she shouts back. "I-... Just get up here! I'm not going to shout a whole damn conversation, you doofus!"

Damien rolls his eyes, entering the building with some reluctance. "She's going to push me off...' He mutters, navigating to the back of the warehouse. He finds the stairs and starts to make his way up them, his shoes echoing with each step.

Damien ignores the abandoned rooms and offices, continuing his slow ascent up the stairs. "Would've been cheaper to have just turned this into the new HQ...".

Damien steps onto the roof, blinking as his eyes refocus after walking back into the sun. He slowly makes his way over to Leah, stopping a few steps behind her, a hand on his pocket and his hip slightly canted. "Hell of a location, Leah," he says idly.

Leah looks back over her shoulder and smiles at the new arrival. "Right?" she asks enthusiastically, "Take a seat. This-..." she gestures with a drink in her hand, "...is where I go to clear my head. Found it right after joining Redrock." she informs with a nod. She takes a long sip from the straw in her drink, swallowing hard before pointing towards the drink holder. "Got you one,

Damien raises an eyebrow, though he does sit down next to her. "Thanks," he says, plucking the drink and sips at it through the straw. He falls silent and simply gazes over the countryside, one leg dangling over the edge with the other folded up on the edge, his cybernetic draped over his knee.

Leah gives a couple of silent nods. "Wasn't sure you were gonna come. Thought I'd have a second drink all to myself." she teases, giving him a sidelong glance. "You didn't have to come. Hope I didn't interrupt anything. I seem to be good at that..." She begins tucking some hair behind her ear as a gust of wind blows it about.

Damien doesn't respond for a moment, simply keeling his sight fixed on the snowcapped mountains in the distance. "Why wouldn't I come? You asked me after all." He turns his head faintly to her, lightly shrugging. "We were only talking. Something we both needed."

Leah nods slowly, a loud, annoying slurping sound takes over for a moment as she sucks what's left of her drink from the bottom of the cup. "She's pretty." she says as she sets the cup down on the edge and returns her attention to Monroe with a smile. "Eat a burger!" she orders, sliding along the edge of the building fearlessly. She uses her hands to grip the edge and lift her ass up,

Damien smiles faintly, taking the burger that was so forcefully thrust upon him. "Alright, alright, keep your shirt on!" He unwraps the burger and takes a generous bite from it, chewing thoughtfully. He swallows, glancing at Leah. "She is. But...".

Leah tilts her head to the side, bringing one boot up onto the edge of the building. "Buuuuut....?" she asks, attempting to seem somewhat uninterested, but the speed in which she responded betrays her intent. She reaches into the bag and pulls out a burger of her own and begins to unwrap it.

Damien shakes his head softly. "She isn't you, Leah." He looks up at her, smiling tenderly and shrugging his shoulders. "Simple as that. And I'm sorry if I betrayed your trust. I understand what you saw must've looked like."

Leah turns a bright shade of red, dropping her burger. Her reflexes kick in and she quickly snatches it up with her other hand before it goes tumbling off the roof, although her eyes go wide and an embarassed look ovetakes her. "No, no, no, no..." she begins, gesturing with her hand- and burger- as she attempts to explain herself, "You didn't betray my trust! That would have to mean

Damien shifts closer to her, rewrapping his burger and placing it to the side. He leans over to her and gingerly takes her free hand in his organic one, locking his eyes with hers. "No," he replies to her her rather drawn out question. He chuckles, tilting his head to side with charming smile. "You're cute when you're nervous, y'know?"

Leah glances down at his hand for a moment and interlocks her fingers with his and tilts her hand over to inspect his arbitrarily, nodding softly to herself as he answers the question. She frowns as he laughs. "Don't be a condescending ass." she says, glancing over at him through a scowl, "Nobody likes a condescending ass!" After a slight pause, her smile returns and she rolls her

Damien laughs, narrowing his eyes at Leah. "How rude," he comments, gingerly guiding his cybernetic to brush a stray lock of her hair on her head. "And here I thought we were making progress, what with the romantic building and gourmet food."

Leah cocks an eye over at the bag of fast food burgers, then towards the mountains in the distance. "Hey! I spent, like, twenty credits on this meal!" she smirks, "This might be the most expensive date I've ever been on!" She immediately turns red once again, "Not that this is a date or anything-..." For a moment it seems as though she's going to burst into another of her rants, but

Damien quirks an eyebrow, clearly amused by her awkward change in demeanour. "Oh, so it isn't one?" He asks, sighing wistfully. "I see how it is then." He leans in closer, dropping his voice to a husky whisper. "You are a terrible liar, Leah." His cyber caresses her cheek in a surprisingly gentle manner.

Leah finally sets her burger down and places her hand over his cybernetic. She stares at it out of the corner of her eye for a moment before tilting her head slightly to kiss his palm. Just a quick peck. She scrunches up her nose as she refocuses on his face. "Sorry for acting like such a weirdo earlier... I don't have a lot of experience with this whole jealousy deal." She sucks in

Damien smiles, shaking his head with a gentle chuckle. "It's fine, Leah. It's in the past now, alright?" His thumb tenderly strokes her cheek, his smile warm, soft and genuine. "We good? Because I'm really not ready for another beat down."

Leah raises her shoulders before allowing them to slump back down. "I don't think we were ever-... uhh... not good? Sooo yeah." she nods, "We're-.... We're something. Suppose 'good' will do for now." She smirks and tilts her head to the side, batting away his hand, "Besides. Don't pretend like you didn't enjoy that beat down..."

Damien snorts, leaning back to resume his earlier pose. He pulls back his hands, jabbing a finger at her. "You enjoyed giving the beat down. My nose will never be the same again!" He declares rather dramatically, pointing to his slightly out of whack nose for emphasis.

Leah leans in closer, unlocking her fingers from his so she can bring both hands up to his cheeks and forcefully turn his head to the left, then the right, acting as though she's closely inspecting his nose. She whistles loudly before placing her index finger right on the tip of his nose and pressing on it softly, "Yeah... Did quite the number there, didn't I?" She gives a short shrug,

Damien crosses his eyes to look at the finger prodding the tip of his nose. "Of course you do," he says, flicking the finger away. "And all you got was a couple of bruises." He glances off to the side, watching the horizon as he falls silent.

Leah frowns and pulls back her hand, resting it on her ribs. She reaches down and grabs the bottom of her shirt, lifting it just high enough to show off a large mass of purple and browns tattooed across the palse skin of her ribcage. "That's more than just a bruise!" she spits, "I can't even sleep on that side! It was like getting hit with a sledgehammer."

Damien quickly covers his mouth to stop himself from bursting into laughter. Though a quick, single "HA!" escapes before he can do so. After taking a moment to compose himself(ish) he lowers his hand with his shoulders shaking in silent laughter. "Well... Guess we're even!"

Leah snorts loudly, giving a roll of her eyes. "For now..." she says. She lowers her shirt back down and shuffles a bit in place. "So." she begins with a shrug, beginning to look a bit uncomfortable, "I know you keep up with the Arena matches... Any interest in biotiball..?" she asks, sounding a bit as if she's fishing.

Damien folds his arms, quirking an eyebrow. "Is this you asking me out on a date that doesn't involve swearing at me over text?" He asks, smiling as he does so. Suddenly, a thought occurs to him. However, her uncomfortable look causes him to relax his pose slightly, concern creeping onto his face. "Are you alright?"

Leah frowns. "Shut up." she says, "Everything is fine!" she insists, although her uncomfortable posture persists, "If it would make this whole process go a bit smoother, I could throw a few 'assholes' and 'shit heads' in there." she shrugs, glancing over the side of the building as she kicks her leg back and forth nervously.

Damien shuffles slightly closer to her, moving the almost forgotten burgers and drinks to the side. He furrows his brow and prods her gently in the shoulder. "You are a really bad fucking liar," he says. "Say your piece. And throw in a few names while you're at it. You're clearly bursting at the seams trying to hold them all in!" He teases.

Leah shakes her head as she watches over the side. She winces a bit at his poke and glares at him before returning her attention to the long drop. "No piece to say. Really. This is just-..." she shrugs, "...New territory for me, I guess. And you're certainly not making it easy on me!" she says, muttering an 'Asshole' for effect. "Yes. This is me asking if you'd like to catch a game

Damien blinks. "Ahhhh." He nods, understanding now. "I get it now." He gently places a hand on her shoulder, smiling apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't know you were new to this. I would love to catch a game with you."

Leah shakes her head. "I didn't say I was new to this!" she says defensively, "It-..." She pauses and frowns at the man, "Maybe some of us just aren't as experienced as you with the whole-..." she begins gesturing with her hands, "...flirting with everything that has a pulse and-.... And... waking up with trashy doctors in our bed every morning." Her frown deepens momentarily

Damien frowns, the sudden attack disarming him so. He lowers his hand and sighs. "And you said you weren't the jealous type." He follows her gaze down, shaking his head softly. "So, when and where shall we meet? I never watched a biotiball game before."

Leah frowns a bit and wipes at the hair blowing about in her face. "I'm not!" she assures him, "Just... a lot going on right now. Think it's just all starting to wear on me. I'm sorry..." She lets out a deep sigh and gives an apologetic shrug, "I was thinking you could stop by my place...?" she asks, wincing a bit as if that might sound like a dumb idea, "I don't really keep up with

Damien nods. Understandable, considering what they both have been through. "For what it's worth I'm sorry too." He nods, opening up his omni-tool. "Alright, sounds good. Send me your address and I'll bring the booze!" He ushers forth what cheer he can to lighten the situation.

Leah perks up slightly upon realizing she hadn't upset him. She snickers at his comment and fishes her omni-tool out from her pocket. The haptic interface ejects upward and she prods at it for a few moments. "Annnnd, sent." she says with a nod. "It's nothing fancy. Just a little house outside of town, so don't go expecting to be impressed." She suddenly recalls something and frowns

Damien blinks in surprise. "Oh, really? Well, alright then. Is there anything you do want me to bring for you instead?" He asks as her address pings onto the interface. He closes it down and leans back on his hands.

Leah shuts down her omni-tool in turn, the bright interface dissipating as she shoves it back into her pocket. "No. I've got everything I need at home." she says as she climbs back to her feet, but remains right on the edge of the building, peering over the side. "Question..." she begins, glancing over at Monroe with a mischevious grin, "How do you feel about heights...?"

Damien looks up at her, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Fine... Whyyyyyyy?" He asks. He doesn't like where this may be going. He slowly gets to his feet, peering over the edge as well.

Leah puts her hands behind her back and takes a step towards the man. "Jusssst curious." she drawls with a smirk, "Wouldn't want to give you a heart attack." She leans down and scoops up the bag before extending it out towards Monroe. She balances on the outer edges of her boots, lifting her up an inch or so momentarily before she plops back down onto the bottom of her boots. "Take

Damien slowly takes the burger bag, holding it by his side. "...are you going to push me off? Send me to hell with a bag of burgers? That's the vibe I'm getting." He verrrry subtly tenses up, ready for... Whatever she's about to do.

Leah steps past him, putting her back to the edge of the roof, heels dangling dangerously over the edge. "You caught me." she snarks, "I invited you all the way out here to kill you, far from prying eyes." she says, followed by an evil 'mwahahah'. She rolls her eyes and extends her arms out to her sides. "Put your arms around me. No butt action." she warns.

Damien stares at her with a slightly confused look. "Uh... Kay." He steps forwards and wraps his arms around her back, faces only a few inches apart. He blinks and shrugs his shoulders. "So... Now what?"

Leah smirks, giving Damien a toothy grin as she lowers her arms and wraps them around him in turn. "Now, make sure you hold on to my burgers. Because if you drop them, I will kill you." she says calmly. She props herself up, balancing on her tippy-toes as she leans forward and plants a peck on his nose. Without warning, she leans backwards, throwing her full weight off the edge and,

Damien | "I wasn't planning on dro- waitwaitwaitohshit!" He clings onto her as she falls backwards like his life depends- wait, his life does depend on it!

Leah loosens her tight grip around Monroe as the pair plummet through the air, opening her hands, palms pointed towards the ground. A bright shine envelopes Leah for a split second. After deadfalling for about 15 feet, the pair very rapidly slow down until they're drifting very carefully towards the ground, as if dangling from a parachute. Leah lets out a loud burst of laughter as she

Damien 's eyes hold nothing but pure terror, still clinging on tightly to Leah. As they slow down, his senses slowly return to him as he looks directly at Leah. He first lets out a nervous laugh. Then it descends into a warmer laugh. Finally, a loud burst of laughter similar to Leah's powered by the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Leah slowly touches down to the ground, wrapping her arms tightly around Monroe once more as her boots make contact with the floor. "Ho~ly~shit." she exclaims, sucking in a deep breath as she pants a bit. "I've never done that with someone else before." she says between chuckles. She pulls her hand back and wipes at the mess of hair hanging in her eyes as her chest heaves with laughter.

Damien laughs between breaths, the bag clutched tightly in his cybernetic hand. He wipes away a bead of sweat from his forehead, hand going back to Leah's waist. "That was. Awesome. Holy hell...". He looks down at her, a wide smile on his face. "Awesome...". He repeats.

Leah 's hand gently moves over to his side and slowly creeps down his ribcage. She gives another quick chuckle, "Told you it would be fun..." she says. As her hand reaches his belt, she snatches the bag out of his hand, "Gonna need another burger after that one." she grins.

Damien releases the bag without much resistance. Without the bag now in the way, he moves his hand to her chin, taking it between index and thumb. He raises her face to look up at his and he smirks down at her, a sly smile on his face. "You have a strange definition of fun," he says softly.

Leah snickers softly. She looks a bit uncomfortable as he touches her face, or perhaps just out of her element. She purposely avoids his eyes for a few moments, biting the inside of her cheek. "So I've been told..." she mutters, bringing her hand back to his side as the bag slips free and falls to the ground. As she brings her big green eyes to meet his, she tilts her head slightly,

Damien chuckles lightly. "Allow me to make it up to you," he says softly. He lowers his lips to quickly meet hers in a single, tender kiss. It only lasts for a second, his face moving back from hers as his own green eyes search hers, a charming smile etched on his face.

Leah 's cheeks redden a bit at the gesture but her hand curls around to his back. As he pulls away, she bites her lip for a moment as she moves her focus from one eye to the other, first staring into his left, then into his right. Finally, she props herself up on her tippy toes and returns the kiss, just a quick peck on the lips, before she lowers herself back onto the heels of her

Damien hums a laugh, nodding as she manages to spit out her out sentence. "Alright, sounds like a plan," he says with a wink. He releases his hold on her and scoops up the bag, dangling it in front of her eye level. "And I'll bring beers for your dad."

Leah snatches the bag away and pulls it open, glancing down into it with a nod. "I'm sure he'll be pleased." she smirks. "Speaking of which. I-..." she cocks a thumb over her finger, presumably in the general direction of where she lives, "...should probably get home. Doubt dad has even eaten yet." She lifts the bag a little higher, "He'll love some cold burgers." she chuckles.

Damien nods, tapping two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute. "Better tend to the old man then. Nothing better than cold burgers, after all." He smiles. "See you around then, Leah."

Leah 's smile immediately fades away and she blinks awkwardly a few times before regaining her composure and straightening back up. She gives an exaggerated nod. "Yeah-..." she says, continuing to nod as her eyes glaze over a bit, "...See you around, Damien!" she spits out.

Damien waves, though he is slightly put off by her sudden change in demeanour. "Um, bye?" He furrows his brow slightly as he turns and starts to walk away. What was that all about?

Leah gives a wave. "Take care, Monroe!" she calls out before turning on the heels of her boots and marching off. Quickly. Tears immediately begin to run down her face once she turns away.

Damien glances over his shoulder as he walks away, Leah's actions raising his suspicions. Something has been off ever since she left hospital. But what could it be? The thoughts mull over in his mind as he starts his slow walk to the hospital.