Another quiet night (open) - Garage Apartment

The days seemed to blend together, gray and blurry. The nights much the same as she'd finally gotten off work a few hours before dawn to retreat to her apartment, to grab a glass of whiskey and sink into the couch without bothering turning n the lights.

She left the bottle on the table, she'd need it to sleep.

Vinnie jumped up on the couch next to her and cradled his had in her lap, which drew the day's (or night's for that matter) first genuine smile from the blonde.
"You leave me at least" Leo said softly, brushing her fingers over the dog's head. "You give me up..." God she felt stupid for having fallen for that again.'

Forty years...
She snorted and filled another glass.

It hadn't even lasted four months.

She leaned her head back and downed the second glass in one go, filling a third before closing her eyes as she leaned into the couch, still brushing her fingers through Vinnie's fur.

It hurt. It hurt like Hell.

The quiet knock came at her door.

What the Hell? People at this hour?

Vinnie's ears perked but while the blonde got up, he didn't. He was alert on the couch though as Leo, glass in hand, moved over to open the door, more or less ready to give whoever was on the other side a piece of her mind. Well, at least until she saw who it was.

Oh...

"Ma'am..." err... she looked around briefly and put the glass away on the nearest surface before stepping side. "Please, come in..." she was quick to lower her eyes slightly again, reverting to the solider like demeanor she seemingly normally kept.

She smiled and kissed the blonde's cheek as she came inside. She had a heavy bag over her shoulder.

"I just keep surprising you, don't I? I'm really bad at calling ahead. Sorry. Don't stop drinking on my account."

That was... rather in her personal space and out of the blue, which meant she froze briefly, but didn't otherwise react as she closed the door quietly once Raz0r had stepped inside.
"You don't need to call ahead, Ma'am" but no,s he didn't pick up the drink again, she did however politely turn to the Nos. "Can I get you anything to drink?" she didn't ask why she was there because she figure she'd be told.

She shook her head.

"Just popped by to drop some things off I thought you'd like."

She moved to the coffee table, set down her bag, and began to pull out books. All on the Industrial Revolution. There were at least a dozen of them.

Vinnie leaned over, sniffing curiously at the book as Leo walked over, looking over the books as they were placed on the table.
"You didn't have to..."

She stood straight and smiled.

"Nope, wanted to. These are all your personal copies. Write in the margins if you want."

She reached out to gingerly pick up one of the book, opening it to read a few lines as she remained silent for a few moments. Since honestly, the blonde wasn't sure what to really say except "Thank you..." she brushed her fingers over the paper before closing the book carefully.

And while she hated herself for even asking? The question escaped her none the less.
"Why though?" why bother? It made little sense to her.

She smiled.

"Because I like you, and after all the shit you've taken this past month, you deserve it."

"You don't have to you know? I mean, I appreciate it, but I know my place" she was property, a tool. "I've gone through this before, it's alright, really. It's my own fault" getting caught up in this all over again.

She waved that away.

"Okay, time for the big one. Can you answer a question while ignoring the effects of the bonds?"

She drew her breath and nodded.
"Yes, Ma'am" it took effort, but she could do it.

She nodded.

"Perfect world. Snap my fingers, and everything is great for you. What does that look like?"

"I get to make my own choices and have them mean something. I get to be treated like a person and not a pet or a tool. I don't get traded around like a dog because someone tires of me. I get to be who want to be with...." she paused before continuing. "In a perfect world I would've been dead now. I would've had a husband, children... I would've had a family and gotten to see them grow up, I would've grown old... I would've been loved and been allowed to love without fear having it thrown in my face as lie..." her voice weakened at the end of it. Because it was rough having to say it out loud, specially when she didn't like sharing her inner thoughts.

-----
*wp spent

She nodded.

"I can't do anything about the husband, but you could adopt. I can't do anything about growing old, because that will be an accelerated process at this point. So. What do you want? What choices do you want to make, right now?"

"There's nothing to do about a husband because love isn't real. I would never adopt because I'd never drag a child into this life" the blonde shook her head, the dream of a family had slipped through her fingers decades ago. Heh, she wanted that drink now. "There isn't any choices for me to make, Ma'am. The last one I made?" there was a strange kind of smile briefly gracing her lips. "Well, you know how that ended up. So thank you for the consideration. But my choices don't lead anywhere in this world"

She sighed.

"Okay, fair. Then let me ask a simple one. Do you think you can be happy with me?"

The honest truth?
"I don't know" a part of her fully expected to get hit for that answer. "I don't see you as a bad person. I have nothing against you. You're simply the one who got stuck with me when I was handed over. I wasn't your choice. You weren't mine..." she'd only ever "chosen" twice in her life. And both times...? She'd been given away like an unwanted dog,
"I won't cause trouble though. I promise... I don't know the future. I can't give you a better answer"

She nodded.

"I will try to never treat you like a tool. I will try to treat you like a human being. If you have wants and needs, you let me know, and I'll do everything I can to get it done. I will try to never treat you badly. No, I may not have been the one to bring you over. But there's a reason you were given to me and not anyone else. You and I fit."

There was probably a whole full minute of silence.

"Let me talk to him" she looked up briefly, though didn't meet her eyes before casting her own down again. "I need to talk to him. I got brushed off by my first Domitor. This time I want to know..."

She nodded.

"I would like to be there. Not in the room, but outside the door. It's not that I don't trust you. But at this point in time, I don't necessarily trust him. But yes, you can talk to him."

Leo nodded once.
"Thank you, Ma'am" given, that removed the privacy of a talk with him, but, it was better than being told no. It wasn't going to be pretty anyways as she doubted he'd give her any real answers. But, she was a different person now than she'd been back when her heart had been broken. She was older, much older, stronger in some ways and still all to fragile in others. But this time? She wanted to know....

She nodded.

"I'll do my best not to listen in. I'll ask him when I get home tonight if he's willing to meet with you."

She nodded quietly.

"Thank you" she owed her for that, though heh, as a ghoul she couldn't really owe her Domitor as such. She was already at her command, that kind of defeated the purpose of owing.