[Kaliko]

Nic looked confused, like he had completely forgotten about last night.

Missy thought about it a moment before she shrugged. "Nothing was set in stone," she replied. "I guess whenever he finds what he's looking for."

[Rinrou]

Laurel stared at Nic for a moment, "Last night." she stated quietly, "I told you about my father and you started crying."

Frei blinked, "What has he told you?" she suddenly demanded.

[Kaliko]

Nic still looked confused for awhile. Apparently he had to dig deep to remember exactly what had happened. He frowned as he tried to formulate a response for Laurel. He was silent for several minutes.

Missy blinked before frowning. "Ask him," she replied.

[Rinrou]

Laurel went back to rocking back and forth a little, eyes never leaving Nic.

Frei frowned a little, "Has he told you details about us?" she asked seriously.

[Kaliko]

"... I don't understand why..." He ran a hand through his hair. Nic was having an awfully hard time expressing his feelings. "someone would let someone else abuse them..." He looked a little unsure if he got his point across or not.

"... Just what he thought I needed to know," Missy replied. "And what I've found out myself."

[Rinrou]

Laurel looked away from Nic for a long moment. When she finally returned her gaze to him she looked ashamed. "It's..." she paused but with a sigh continued on, "a coping mechanism, Nic." she explained quietly. "When someone feels like they did wrong to another person... when they're full of guilt..." she paused again, looking away as she couldn't stare into Nic's eyes anymore. "It's like a release to be punished. It feels like you're somehow atoning for... what you did wrong." she said in a soft voice.

Frei nodded again, "If Nic trusts you then so do we." she decided.

[Kaliko]

Nic was silent for a minute. "... I don't think I can understand that," he finally replied.

"Lava," Missy replied. "So what's the deal with this place and the secrecy?"

[Rinrou]

“I wasn’t always like this, Nic.” Laurel continued quietly, “When it first started, I fought it. I was lost myself when my mom left but I couldn’t fall apart. I had a little sister and a father who checked out of the world. I... I tried to defend myself but when I stood up to him, he turned to... to my little sister." Laurel swallowed, "She was so tiny, Nic. Like a little bird. She couldn't handle it so I let him take it out on me instead. And of course I hated him at first but then my mind tried to find a way of... justifying what I was allowing him to do. And my thoughts got so dark... and I remember it hit me one day that I was the cause of my parents' unhappiness." This would sound familiar to Nic. "I was the reason for their pain... the reason that my father had given up on the world. The reason why my mother had left. If I had just been a better daughter. If I had been kinder or been more helpful. If I had never been conceived... none of it would have happened. Without me my mom wouldn't have been banished from her family... without me my father and mother could have continued on in their happy relationship unnoticed and undisturbed. Without me my sister would have never been born and if she would have never been born then she would have never had her heart broken and would never have killed herself. I got to a point, Nic, where I honestly believed that I should have never existed." she stated seriously. "And... the guilt of existing only to cause my parents pain, allowed me to continued taking the beating silently and willingly." There was a surprising lack of emotion on Laurel's face as she ended.

Frei shrugged.

[Kaliko]

When Laurel ended, Nic looked lost again. Maybe he truly couldn't understand what could drive a person to act like that. After musing for a minute he asked, "If... he treated you so badly, why did you stay? Take your sister and leave?"

Missy gave a bit of a pouty face. But she shrugged it off. She'd get the information out of someone else.

[Rinrou]

Laurel smiled a little, "Oh, I thought about it. I thought about it a lot." she said quietly, "But I was eight when she left, Nic. How can a child that young take care of herself let alone a little sister? I had no other family to turn to." Laurel glanced away again, "I did leave though... when I was fifteen... after my sister selfishly left me behind. He had no control over me then." She let out a long sigh, "But soon after that he got sick..."

Frei looked at her for a moment, "A fox." she decided to herself.

[Kaliko]

Nic started to look confused again, but he let it be.

Missy cocked her head. "Hmm?" she asked.

[Rinrou]

"Did you cry because you were hurt I let him abuse me?" she asked as she slowly tipped back, laying on the bed with her hands behind her head.

Frei looked up at her, "You're the fox." she 'explained'.

[Kaliko]

Nic thought about it for another minute. "... I... guess so," he decided, sounding a little unsure.

"Fox?" Missy tried to clarify.

[Rinrou]

"Well don't be. I don't think that way anymore." Laurel replied before falling silent for a long time. Then suddenly, "Did you know I'm a stripper? Pole dancing and erotic dancing. Makes a lot of money from perverted old men. Also I'm a drug addict." She bounced her feet over the edge of the bed nonchalantly.

Frei turned, ignoring Missy as she counted on her fingers, "Frog, fox, rat, cat..." and walked off.

[Kaliko]

Nic paused a brief moment before nodding.

So Missy shrugged it off for now.

[Rinrou]

Laurel raised an eyebrow, "You really are good at finding things out." she mused, "Anyway, if I said I was considering going back to it, well not the drugs, but the dancing, what would you say?"