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Post by E U R Y D I C E on Dec 1, 2019 16:44:24 GMT -5
Nova decided right then and there that she quite liked his smile. She didn’t have a particular reason as to why, she just simply did. Following his finger as he pointed to the location of his car, she raised her eyebrows, impressed. It was much nicer than her ancient station wagon that had seen much better days. When he mentioned he had been on his way to grab food, Nova realized hadn’t eaten in hours—and a loud growl from her stomach confirmed this. Laughing at herself and the noise her stomach had just made, she took the wallet from him with a smile. “Thank you. And thank you for stopping to help me. Most people wouldn’t have. Though maybe this is just the universe paying me back for last night,” she mumbled as she pocketed her wallet before looking back up at him.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Dec 1, 2019 17:07:58 GMT -5
Nico tried to hide his next smile as he heard her stomach grumble. "You're welcome. And you're welcome to join me for a bite, too, if you'd like. As for helping you..." He trailed off, frowning slightly when he realized she was right. Most people wouldn't have tried. Finally he shrugged one shoulder. "I guess I'm not most people."
Her muttered words, words he probably wasn't supposed to have heard, made one brow inch up slightly. He wondered what she would say, what she might think of him, if she knew he was the wolf from last night. For a moment he was almost tempted to tell her, or at least ask her what happened last night. But he decided against it. He was a wanted man; the less she knew, the safer she'd be.
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Post by E U R Y D I C E on Dec 1, 2019 18:30:33 GMT -5
“Clearly you aren’t,” she affirmed with a bigger smile. “But as usual, I think that’s a great thing,” she added before giggling as her stomach growled again. “And while I don’t want to impose on you any more than I already have, I think my stomach is going to swallow itself if I don’t eat something soon, so I think I will join you if you don’t mind. But, uh, do you think I can clean myself up first? I don’t want people thinking you roughed me up,” Nova teased with a wink. She was sure she looked quite worse for wear, and even some fast food place would probably wonder what kind of trouble she might have gotten herself into before entering their establishment.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Dec 1, 2019 19:22:19 GMT -5
Her words made him smile. She had no idea just how true that was, in more ways than the one they were talking about. "I don't mind," he told her. "And of course you can." He let his gaze travel over her from head to feet. She had definitely seen better nights — last night, for example — but she was still lovely, he realized. She kind of reminded him of a warrior princess.
That though made him want to laugh — or cringe. Apparently, he needed to start spending more time with people, and less among wolves.
He led the way to his car without another word. He unlocked it with the key fob, then opened the trunk. A line of cardboard boxes lined the back of the space, filled with his research notes, photos, and other paraphernalia from his various jobs around the world. In front of it was a large duffle bag, filled with his equipment. And beside it, a smaller side bag, from which he pulled out a fully stocked first aid kit.
He popped it open and started pulling out what she needed. Disinfectant wipes, gauze bandages, a small tube of hydrogen peroxide cream. He also grabbed a couple of large bandages and held them up, smiling. "Think your knees will need these?" he asked, only half serious. He didn't know about her, but the thought of bandaged knees reminded him of when he was a child, coming home with a scraped knee that his mother would "cure" with a band aid and a kiss.
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Post by E U R Y D I C E on Dec 1, 2019 19:36:38 GMT -5
(Ok he’s adorable haha. Also just realized how adorable nico and Nova sound together)
Nova’s cheeks flushed a bright pink when she felt Nico’s gaze scan her over, and she looked away for a moment before following him to his car. When he popped open the trunk, she peered curiously over his shoulder as he rifled through his things. “Wow it’s pretty full back here. Now you’ve really got me wanting to know what it is you do exactly.”
When he grabbed the first aid kit, she back up a little so he could find what she needed. She laughed and looked at the large bandages, before glancing down at her knees. “Um...my left knee should be okay, but my right knee could probably use the extra padding.” Gesturing to his trunk, she asked, “Should I sit or...”
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Dec 1, 2019 20:26:35 GMT -5
( Aye. xD And yes, you're so right. ;D ) In answer, Nico shoved the duffle further back into the trunk and slid to one side, making room for her. While he waited for her to sit, he grabbed one of the disinfectant wipes and toyed with it absently. He went back over what she'd said in his mind, head tilting slightly to one side. "Did I not tell you what I do?" After a beat, he answered his own question. "No, I didn't. Sorry. I'm a wildlife biologist. Freelance work mostly, but sometimes bigger companies contract me out for a season." He gestured at the boxes. "This is all my work. I don't have a permanent residence, so it comes with me everywhere."
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Post by E U R Y D I C E on Dec 1, 2019 20:43:36 GMT -5
Once there was a place for her to sit, Nova hopped up and got comfortable before pulling at the rips in her leggings to make the holes bigger so he would have room to clean the scrapes up easier. As she listened to him talk about his job, her eyes lit up. “Wait that’s so cool! What sorts of wildlife do you specialize in?” She asked as she brushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “What’s your favorite place you’ve been for work?” She asked, as she snuck a peek into one of the boxes in question. “Sorry for all the questions. I’m just super into nature myself, so it’s nice to meet a kindred spirit.”
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Post by E U R Y D I C E on Dec 1, 2019 21:37:34 GMT -5
"Yellowstone is amazing. I used to camp there for weeks every summer with my dad. But if you are a wolves expert, do you mind if I ask a question?" She asked, thinking once again to the night before. "You wouldn't happen to know much about the wolves in this area, would you? I didn't think they strayed this far, but I actually saw one last night, just a mile or so from my house," She explained, gritting her teeth a bit at the stinging of the disinfectant on her wound. But she knew he was being as gentle as he could be so she just ignored the pain, which subsided once he put the bandaid on. "He had been shot in the side, which I assumed was from someone trying to scare him off. But he was all alone. Don't wolves usually stay in packs? What do you think he was doing this far from the national park?"
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Dec 1, 2019 22:17:09 GMT -5
( Where do you want this to be set? Since it's Nova's hometown, you can make it wherever. :) ) As she spoke, Nico opened another wipe pack and picked up one of her hands so he could disinfect her palm. Then he did the same with her other hand. He tensed slightly as he realized she was asking him about himself. He kept his eyes on what he was doing, hoping she wouldn't notice his sudden unease.
After a moment, he took a deep breath and replied, trying to be as honest as possible. "I haven't met any of the local wolves yet, so I can't say for sure how these particular wolves travel or behave. But normally, yes, wolves will try to avoid people and their homes." He tossed the used wipes with the others and met her gaze. "Yeah, wolves are pack animals. But young wolves often leave their pack when they reach sexual maturity and head out to try and start their own pack. Some succeed; some don't. But it's... impossible to know for sure what this particular wolf was doing, or why he was so close to town."
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Post by E U R Y D I C E on Dec 1, 2019 23:16:21 GMT -5
(Maybe just some made up town in like southern Oregon kinda on the coast? Somewhere where there are wolves in the state but not many near where they are)
When he picked up her hands to clean them off, Nova couldn’t help but notice how much larger his hands were than hers. Hers weren’t dainty by any means, as they were covered in calluses from years of rock climbing, but still, his were almost twice the size of her hands.
As he told her that there was no real way of knowing why the lone wolf had been all the way out where she lived, Nova sighed in disappointment. “Oh. Well i just hope he’s okay. Surprisingly, he let me bandage him up, so that should give him a fighting chance. But still, I don’t like how close he was to civilization. If he’s risky enough to do something worth shooting for, then he might get himself into trouble again.”
Once Nico had finished cleaning and bandaging her hands, she smiled up at him and thanked him once more before getting an idea. “Do you think you could help me find him again? Like track him down and put a tag or something on him so we can make sure he’s alright?” It was probably a long shot but she figured it was worth asking.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Dec 2, 2019 1:05:10 GMT -5
( Works for me. It's rainy in Oregon, yeah? Maybe we can have these two end up stuck in a cabin during a big storm at some point? :) ) Nico stayed silent, even when he knew he should say something. He should be showing surprise, and concern, that she had approached an injured, "wild" wolf. Most people, even a normal wolf biologist, would probably think that had been risky and dangerous. But he couldn't bring himself to say any of that, because it would be a lie. Or an act, really, and Nico wasn't a very good actor.
He started to tell her "you're welcome," but her next suggestion halted the words in his throat. His mouth snapped closed and he looked away, pretending to busy himself with collecting the garbage. He rummaged through one of his boxes, looking for a bag to put the garbage in, and thought frantically for a way to turn her down without being rude or acting weird. A normal wolf biologist would jump at this chance; heck, he would want to do it just to keep the wolf out of trouble. And if it was a real wolf they were discussing, Nico would have agreed to help, no questions asked. But she was suggesting they hunt him down. Obviously, that wouldn't work. They would never be able to—
He stopped, suddenly realizing he was freaking out for no reason. They wouldn't find him, so what harm was there in looking? He may even be able to make it look like "the wolf" had left the area entirely. Then she wouldn't go out looking for him herself.
Nico took a deep breath to collect himself, then turned back to her with a smile and what he hoped was a bright expression. It wasn't as hard to fake as he'd thought. "We can certainly try. Do you remember where you saw him?"
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Post by E U R Y D I C E on Dec 2, 2019 2:02:12 GMT -5
(Yes it is! And ooh yes that is a great idea, I’m always down for some forced alone time in a cabin haha)
Nico had been silent for so long after her questions that Nova has honestly afraid she had offended him somehow. Even if she hadn’t, she was sure he was at least going to turn her down given that he hasn’t jumped at the opportunity to look for this anomaly of a wolf. And she was about to tell him never mind when finally he spoke up. And said yes. Hearing his question, her face lit up and she grinned and nodded. “Yes! It was on the way to one of my favorite climbing spots not far from my house. I can take you there tomorrow afternoon, once I get off work. If you’re free, that is.”
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Dec 2, 2019 12:54:13 GMT -5
( Same. xD ) And at that, Nico hesitated again. He was supposed to be getting out of town tonight. The Organization was still looking for him, and he doubted they had left already. They would probably search under every rock and stone of this town before they left — if they were unable to find them. By leaving tonight, his chances of staying one step ahead of them were good. If he waited, even one extra day... not so good.
But looking at the bright, eager expression on her face... Nico couldn't bring himself to say no. Instead he felt an involuntary smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I'm free. Work my own schedule, remember? I'm between jobs right now, so I have nothing but free time." Well, that sounded lame when said out loud. Now he looked like he didn't have a life outside of his work.
Which... he didn't, not really. But she didn't need to know that.
In an effort to distract her, he grabbed the tube of hydrogen peroxide cream and put some on his finger. He lifted it toward her split lip, but before he made contact he met her gaze. "May I?" he asked quietly.
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Post by E U R Y D I C E on Dec 2, 2019 13:58:32 GMT -5
While she waited for him to answer—and by now she had realized his pregnant pauses were simply normal when he was replying, and not necessarily a sign that he was upset—she took some time to study him. He appeared to come from Native American descent, if she had to guess, given his dark hair and tanned skin, and he was quite handsome, in a rugged sort of way. She had found herself focusing on his lips as they parted in that little smile of his and she quickly raised her eyes to meet his and smiled when he agreed. Nova didn’t think anything of it when he said he had lots of free time. She herself didn’t have many friends, as she preferred to spend all her free time outside exploring and climbing, and not many people her age were into that. Most would rather spend their days partying away and hooking up with whatever stranger they happened to meet that night. But that just wasn’t her idea of fun.
“Perfect! I’ll text you my address and you can just come over any time after four,” she said with a grin, before realizing he had just asked to put the medication on her lip. Parting her lips slightly, she just nodded and tilted her head upwards so he could apply the cream, and her silvery blue eyes almost glowed in the street light as she up at him through her lashes.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Dec 2, 2019 14:21:29 GMT -5
Once he had her permission, Nico moved his finger closer to her lip. But he paused again just before making contact, distracted by her eyes. They were a very unusual colour. Bright and lovely and mesmerizing. It took an effort to look away and refocus on his task, though he soon discovered that looking at and touching her lip was a distraction in itself. He applied the cream as quickly as he could, without sacrificing gentleness. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her more after everything she'd been through tonight.
When he was done, he lowered his hand. That's when he realized he was standing much closer to her than he had been before. He took a swift step back and cleared his throat. "Done," he said quietly. He tried for a teasing grin, but ended up with a crooked smile instead. "I think you can pass for someone who had an unfortunate incident with a tree, if you still want to avoid the truth," he teased.
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Post by E U R Y D I C E on Dec 2, 2019 14:53:26 GMT -5
Though she had already been a witness to his gentleness, Nova still found herself surprised by how closely he was standing to her and how tenderly He applied the cream to her lip in a way that almost made the action seem intimate. But of course it wasn’t. She had just met the man and all he was doing was helping her after a traumatizing incident. Once he had finished, she smiled at his comment and shrugged. “Sounds like me. I’ve fallen out of more trees in my life than I can count and have gotten way worse injuries than a few scratches,” she told him before reaching up to pull out her ponytail. Her long blonde hair cascaded around her shoulders and she flipped her head over so she could gather up all her hair into a tidier ponytail. Once she was done, she got out of his trunk and smiled once again. “Alright. Now let’s go get some food before I pass out.”
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Dec 2, 2019 15:06:36 GMT -5
Nico found himself mirroring her smile even as he turned away to pack up the things they hadn't used back into the first aid kit, and then the kit itself back where he'd gotten it. But the whole time, though his attention seemed elsewhere, he was listening to her talk and watching her out of the corner of his eye. He caught a strong whiff of her scent when she adjusted her ponytail, and the wolf in him automatically memorized her scent and filed it under "friendly" in his mind, so the next time he came across it, even if he didn't immediately remember who the scent belonged to, he would know she was friend, not foe.
He grabbed the garbage and stepped back to shut the trunk as she hopped out. He hit the lock button, and the car beeped once at him. He chuckled quietly at her comment. "We wouldn't want that," he said by way of agreement. He gestured for her to lead the way, then fell in beside her as they crossed the parking lot.
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Post by E U R Y D I C E on Dec 2, 2019 15:13:42 GMT -5
(Just gonna say this is like a Taco Bell or something) As Nova followed Nico into the restaurant, she inhaled deeply as she took in the scent of tacos filled the air. Cheap tacos, of course, but tacos non the less. Walking up to the counter, she sarcastically said, “I could eat a whole moose,” before smiling at the employee at the register. “I’ll have three tacos and two burritos please.” It May have seemed like a lot of food for a girl her size, but Nova had an incredibly fast metabolism, and thanks to her active lifestyle, could eat all day and not gain a pound.
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Dec 2, 2019 16:19:41 GMT -5
( Fine by me. xD ) Nico opened the door and held it open for her. He also breathed in the scents of the restaurant, but he didn't enjoy it as much as she seemed to. Underneath the smell of food, Nico also smelled the overwhelming scent of grease, cleaning supplies, body odors, and rotten food floating about beneath it all. He had to resist the urge to wrinkle his nose. This was why he tried to avoid fast food places.
He followed her up to the counter anyway, hands tucked in his jacket pockets. He looked up at the menu board, scanning it for something that looked appetizing enough to eat despite the grease. He was momentarily distracted by the girl's order — and by the fact that he didn't know her name. Hadn't he asked her for it? He thought back, and of course, he hadn't. He'd been too distracted trying not to crowd her.
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Post by E U R Y D I C E on Dec 2, 2019 16:31:33 GMT -5
Once she had payed for her food and gotten her number, Nova looked back at Nico and raised a brow. “Well? Aren’t you going to get something?” She asked, before walking over to the drink station and filling her cup up with lots of ice and water. She didn’t drink anything other than water, not for any diet reason. Just because she simply loved water. Once Nico had ordered, she held her cup close to her chest and asked, “Any preference as to where we sit?”
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Post by E U R Y D I C E on Dec 2, 2019 16:50:15 GMT -5
“By the window it is then,” she said with a smile, before grabbing a handful of napkins and leading the way to a booth by the window. Once in the booth, she sat sideways, so her back was against the cool glass of the window, and her legs were pulled up to her chest while she rested an arm on the table. “So, Nico. How long have you been here for?” She asked curiously before taking a long sip of her water.
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Post by E U R Y D I C E on Dec 2, 2019 17:14:47 GMT -5
“Yesterday? Why’d you come here in the first place if you are in between jobs?” She asked as she rested her chin on her palm, before chuckling and shaking her head at his question. “Sort of? But not really. My dad and I have a house out in the outskirts about half way to the national park. But we were only there for a total of maybe four to five months a year. The other half we spent traveling around the world. He worked as a nature photographer and would take me on all his work trips. So while I live here, I’ve also not been involved enough in this community to really call it home.”
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Post by E U R Y D I C E on Dec 2, 2019 17:42:15 GMT -5
Nova smiled and opened her mouth to reply when she heard their numbers get called, so she held up a finger for him to wait and she went and grabbed their food before returning to the table. “Yeah I had the kind of childhood most people only dream of. And i wouldn’t change it for the world, although I do miss having someone to go on adventures with.” Ever since her dad had passed away, she’d been doing everything solo, and while the outdoors were stunning as always, they had a way of making someone feel even more alone than they already were.
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Post by E U R Y D I C E on Dec 2, 2019 18:45:59 GMT -5
(Oh ok so idea: what if she thinks her dad died in a car accident but the organization actually killed him?)
Nova looked down at her food, and didn’t reply for a moment before looking back up at Nico. “He died last year in a freak car accident. He was working a job in Washington that for some reason he said i couldn’t tag along for. He was driving on this winding road down a mountain and somehow he drove off the side.” It hadn’t made sense because her dad would have been driving in the lane farthest from the side of the mountain, but somehow he drifted—at least, that’s what the police told her—all the way over, and went crashing down the mountain. Taking a deep breath, she purses her lips. “The strange thing was he had been acting weird for a few weeks leading up to that trip. He was hiding things from me and taking calls late at night when he thought I was asleep...I just can’t help but think there’s more to the story...” she trailed off before laughing bitterly. “Sorry, that’s probably way more than you wanted to know.”
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Heterosexual
✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧
"You never have to prove yourself to anyone who doesn't accept you for who you are."
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Post by ✧☽ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏᴇʀ ☾✧ on Dec 2, 2019 18:59:07 GMT -5
( *reply coming soon* Oooh, yes. What if he was looking for Nova's mom? Maybe we can say she was part of the Organization, but tried to get out when she fell in love with Nova's dad. She kind of succeeded, bit then when they found out Nova had been born, they came back. So Nova's mom left Nova with her dad, then went on the run to try and lead the Organizstion away from her daughter? That would give Nova's dad his reason for bringing her on all his trips: to keep her from being in one place for too long, where the Organization could find her. AND... what if they're not actually in town for Nico now? What if they caught Nova's mom a year ago, then her dad caught wind of it and tried to go rescue her? We can say it took this year for the Organization to get info out of her mom about Nova's location. Now they're looking for Nova, and Nico's appearance is just a bonus for them?
OH! And what if it's even more complicated, and Nico was THERE when Nova's dad died? That can be the catalyst that set Nico on his mission to bring down the Organization. :D )
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