Approach With Caution [Emma]

[james thomas leroy]

Things were more than a little crazy and James hadn't the inclination to deal with it all 24/7. He needed a distraction and looking at Eliza was making him feel sick. He hated her for letting Alek get to her like that. He warned her, he told her to stay away but no, she just wouldn't listen and look where that got her. It didn't matter though, he didn't want to think about it for now so we the slightest bit of re-con on this Emma girl who had gained his interests, James was off to enact a new plan.

With gift in hand, he moved to the courtyard. He had seen her come outside before and he assumed she would be on the grounds somewhere. It was quieter but the daylight would hopefully put her more at ease and with a few of the staff around, surely she would feel safer. The rest was up to him to try and work out. A test to see if he could pull off what seemed like a near impossible stunt, getting a girl who was afraid of men to feel comfortable around a sociopath.. Yep, definitely a bit challenge to take on but it was something to do.

"Hey," he said when he spotted her sitting on a bench. He made sure to put some distance between them and faked all the necessary emotions right down to the smallest micro-expression. "Don't be scared. I just wanted to apologize. I'm sorry about scaring you online the other day. I'm not gonna hurt you, I just wanted to let you know that I was kidding and here," he said, putting the package down on the bench beside her and stepping back with his hands up to show he wasn't gonna go anywhere near her if she didn't want him to.

In the package was a cook book and a pack of premium quality treats for that little rodent guinea pig he had heard she had. "Think of it as a peace offering. I just wanna start over," he told her, with a mixture of concern and hope. The expressions and feigned emotions were coming easily enough today.

[emmalise]

Her first week at Hawthorne and she was already scared to death. There were crazy people everywhere and everyone seemed like they wanted to kill someone else. Hell, even Leo, whom she wasn't super close to but growing fonder of, was slightly bonkers. He at least stuck up for when she needed it though, and he loved her food, which was a major plus in her book. But needless, she felt like she was sent to the loony bin, rather than to a high school for those who had no where else to go.

For the past two days she's found herself wandering the courtyard and just being alone. She didn't mind being alone in the slightest, in fact she preferred it. But only in the day time and when one of the female councilars were out and about. She couldn't help it that men put her on edge. It was a pretty legit fear so far as she knew, especially with what she had previously been through. She sat down on a bench and rested her chin in her hands. What on earth was she going to do with herself?

She adjusted her grey pea coat and put her blue mittens back on as she sat back and looked around. She had a matching beanie with a blue flower upon her head. She had a thing with matching... It all had to match. She was just starting to think about her outfit for the next day when she heard a deep male voice coming toward her. Her body immediately stiffened, muscles quivering from the tension. It took all she had to listen to what he had to say and not run. The guy had scared the living daylights out of her on a chatroom. And it was easier for her to talk over them than in person. She didn't ever look him directly in the eye, she never did with any man, but she raised her head to at least show that she was listening. Plus, she wasn't sure if her legs would give her the courtousy of running at the moment.

"Y-you... You didn't have to g-get me... anything." She looked at the little package and hesitantly reached for it, her tiny mitten covered hands wrapping around what portion that they would. Unwrapping it slowly, she couldn't help but smile ever so faintly. "Thank you... James. Bijou will love these. B-but, how did you know?" No one but her roommate knew she had a guinea pig, well her and the administration office. Her brow narrowed slightly, right, Cameron probably told him. Clearing her throat, her body was still as tense as ever and her voice still quivered when she spoke. She wasn't sure what to do or what to say. She sat there, holding the treats and the lovely cookbook, and debated on saying anything. Scooting over slightly, she gave him enough room to sit down if he wanted to. She was in plain view... which meant that he couldn't get away with a lot if he did try anything.

Tags: James!
Notes: Now don't go scaring the piss outta my little girl. XD
Listening To: Looks That Kill- Motley Crue

[james thomas leroy]

James smiled when she reached for the package. She seemed to hesitate, but that was to be expected from what he knew of the girl. She was afraid and really she should be when it came to James. However, as much as he love fear in others, he just wanted to fake some normalcy for a while to distract him from the incident with Eliza and that whole hatred of Alek situation.

James bit his lower lip lightly to curb the sheepish grin he had put on for her benefit. She wasn't even looking directly at him but he still liked to go all out with the act. It was just him making sure he still had it, that he could still blend into this boring mundane little world without arousing suspicion with his words or his behavior.

Still, he took note of the look she had on her face and decided that the appropriate response would be to avoid mentioning Cameron. Cameron was for the most part fine by him but only because he saw her access to certain information rather useful. Unfortunately she was on the wrong team and being associated with Alek could only go so far. Sooner or later she was going to be the enemy but for now, he would tolerate her presence.

"Hawthorne isn't exactly the size of a city, stuff like that isn't difficult to find out," he told her instead. He knew that she knew it was all Cameron's doing but Cameron was the enemy and with his little act taking place, he knew better than to be associated with the enemy or to remind her of anything that happened or was said online.

As soon as she moved over slightly, James smiled when he felt more inclined to smirk. It was all going according to plan and seemed almost a little too easy. He was only glad that no one else was here because he had no doubt that a third person who put some major dents in his little play and go way off script by telling her to stay away from him.

She was letting him sit, should he chose to and James slowly moved forward not wanting to spook the poor girl and ruin his chances of having at least one person believe that he was relatively sane. Sitting down, he still kept to the end of the bench, giving her enough space to feel at least somewhat comfortable with the situation.

"So what are you doing out here? It is kind of cold and all," he spoke as though he actually cared. Like he wanted to have this conversation, but then it was true, even if his intentions were far from what he was portraying at the moment.


NOTE: Haha, nah I promise he just wants someone to think he's normal and trust him. He's got enough drama so he just wants a distraction ;]

[emmalise]

Sitting there with the gifts in hand, Emma-Lise was a mixture of emotions. She was confused as to why he was even bothering to talk to her. She was scared because he knew exactly why she was Hawthorne and who she was afraid of. She was nervous because she didn’t know what his plan was with her. But she knew he had one… he had to of had one. He was of the crazy sort, which meant he had to have had something in mind. He wasn’t going into this empty handed. She let out a low sigh as all of this ran through her mind. What was the purpose of even worrying about it? It would only get her into trouble and make her freak out even more than she already had.

”That is… true…. She does squeak q-quite a bit. So I’m sure the neighbors h-hear her.” She let a soft giggle pass her lips. If he was going to be nice and seem like he wasn’t going to hurt her, the least she could do is also be nice. It wasn’t like she could hurt him anyway if he did try anything. She shook that thought from her head. No, he wasn’t going to try a thing. She wasn’t going to trust him completely, but she was going to give him the benefit of the doubt at least.

Sitting there, Emma flipped through the cook book as best as she could with her mittens on. Upon being spoken to again, she shrugged lightly and brushed her long blonde hair over her shoulder. ”I… like it… out here. N-not many come out wh-when it‘s cold… so I-I get the chance to think. What about… you?” She had hoped that he wasn’t fallowing her… but at the same time, if he had wanted to give her the gift, he could have easily seen her walk out here and then went to give it to her…. She sighed softly and shrugged once more, looking down at the page she had flipped to. It was gorgonzola penne. Smiling faintly, she pointed at the picture, ”Have you tried this before? It’s… one of my favorites.”

Tags: James!
Notes: She's adorable. XD
Listening To: Hell Boy. Hahaha!

[james thomas leroy]

James could tell she wasn't giving in right away. She was a little apprehensive about the whole thing but appeared to be willing to give this a try. That was really all he could ask for and certain all he would ever expect, but still he would try.

"Yeah," James said with a half-smile. The atmosphere here seemed to call for a more solemn mood rather than a cheerful and positive one. Generally, the way James worked things out was in one of two ways. Either he would look at a situation and decide on an appropriate way to act or he would mirror or react to someone else's reactions and emotions or even thoughts on a subject. The last thing he needed when trying to act normal was to come out and share a thought that would make others gasp in shock. That was always the reaction he liked to avoid when placed in these kinds of situations.

"I like coming out when its quiet too but usually I avoid it when it's too cold," he explained, knowing he would tell to tell her how he ended up out here today. Having the gift with him did narrow down the list of lies quite considerably. "I saw you come out here so I figured I'd go get that," he said, gesturing to the book and treats,"And give it to you," he told her. It was the least creepy thing he could tell her and with his intention to make himself appear normal, it was the best response to give her.

He smiled when she spoke, this time it was her initiating the next bit of the conversation. Things were definitely progressing quite nicely. "No, I've never tried it," he told her, looking down at the page and at the recipe she was pointing at. "My mom was always a meatloaf or casserole kind of person, nothing too fancy," he told her with a shrug, wondering if she was going to bring up the fire or ask if it even happened. He wanted to deny it and to get as far away from that as possible but he knew it wasn't going to happen. At least 5 people had heard about it and that was 5 too many, so instead he decided he would go with a 'I'm upset about it but I didn't start it' story.

[emmalise]

Emma-Lise was actually okay with the way things were going. He wasn’t being harmful toward her in anyway. In fact, he seemed like he had just wanted a casual conversation. Nothing more, nothing less. She wasn’t sure why exactly, but she couldn’t find herself able to turn him down. Everyone needed that calm atmosphere, right? So why couldn’t she allow that for him? Even if he were a guy and fully capable of doing whatever he wanted to her.

Smiling softly, she nodded. She could understand where he was coming from. Most people didn’t like the cold and she had found that the only way to get away from her problems were to go where they didn’t like to be. Which was out in the cold. So after awhile, she had grown used to the cooler tempetures, preferring them, actually. ”I can understand that. I quite like the cold, actually. It’s nice… and when there is snow on the ground, it’s gorgeous outside. The prettiest season, I think.” She shrugged slightly, looking at his chest. It was the closest she could get to actually looking at him. Which was better than not looking at him at all.

Emma tilted her head to the side as she heard what he was saying about his mom. She had remembered what was said in the chat room about the fire and such. She thought it was best not to bring it up though. If she made him upset, things could easily turn for the worst for her, and she didn’t want that at all. Nodding her head slightly, she spoke up, ”Casseroles aren’t too bad. I love pasta, personally. I’ll have to make you some sometime.” Pointing toward the picture once again, she smiled, ”I’ll try this recipe and give you some, yeah?” Men loved food, and she knew that she could always make a man happy if she offered him food. Especially if it were good food.

Tags: James!
Notes: She’s adorable. XD
Listening To: Mars Attack

[james thomas leroy]

James certainly was a master manipulator. He used whatever he learned of human behaviour and what little he could understand of human nature to guide others into believing whatever it was he wanted them to believe. This meeting was only a testament to his skills. He had managed to convince a girl to have a conversation with him without running away and this was after she had heard all about the horrific things he had done in his past. He had said that it was all a joke but clearly no one believed him and of course he didn't expect them to. James had gone too far with that one and even he knew it.

"I guess it is," he said, looking up thoughtfully. Faking an interest by pretending to think deeply about what she was saying for a second. Any casual interest in her or what she was saying would help lead her to the conclusion that he was alright and perhaps not quite as dangerous as people seemed to think, which was exactly what James wanted at this moment. Of course, there was the extreme. Paying too much attention to her would surely make her feel uncomfortable and James knew that only too well. In fact, he had used it for just that kind of reaction in the past.

"With snow flakes and ice skating and Christmas, I guess it really does have a lot going for it," he suggested, turning back to a girl with a light smile at the thought of all those happy and common childhood memories most people looked back on fondly. James couldn't care either way of course but he had to pretend. For a little while when he was younger, James had tried to adopt the 'fake it till you make it' attitude, hoping that pretending to enjoy making snow angles and snow men and sliding down a small hill in a make-shift sled, would actually make him enjoy it in the end. It never worked but he did learn two things from it. One, he was definitely not like the other children and probably never would be, and Two, it was much easier and safer to pretend he was like them because it gave him the chance to do whatever he did in secret without persecution.

"Yeah, I'd love that," James said with a smile as though he were grateful for the offer when in truth it was more like he was interested in the prospect of seeing her again and figuring just how far he could go with his little act of his. It was all fun and games for him and she was just another toy to play with..Perhaps one that might be better than Eliza who was more and more starting to become such a disappointment. Emma was just shiny and new and very interesting. He was good in that way though, he took care of what was his and protected it, especially from the evils of one Aleksei Jakobs. Who by the way, James knew for a fact (at least that's what he claims) to be far worse and much more a threat to the general peace than he was.

So there it was, he took great care of what he considered to be his... At least until they did something wrong then it all went out the window. Fortunately for the girl, it didn't seem as though she was the type to do anything stupid. On top of things, this girl could cook, or so he heard. As it turns out, asides from the quiet mousey attitude (which he happened to like), this girl could cook too and she seemed awfully easy to manipulate.. This made for a pretty damn attractive package.

[emmalise]

Okay, so everything was going okay so far. Even her little stutter had gone away. At least that meant that she was growing a bit more comfortable. However, she was still skeptical about James, and probably would be for awhile. But she was going to give him a chance. She hated men because of one foster family she had lived with. Yes, the pain and torture had gone on for years, but it was one family. One family out of millions. Who’s to say there wasn’t a good guy out there, right? She didn’t want to fall hook, line, and sinker for the guy and believe everything that he had told her, but she couldn’t be like the rest of them and despise him for what he may have said. She knew that Cameron was bad news, and maybe he was just playing along with it in order to keep on her good side. Think positive, it was all she could do at this point.

”I was thinking about going ice skating today, actually. I remember going with my parents every Sunday and Wednesday.” Emma-Lise smiled to herself as the memories bubbled to the surface. Those were the days off that her parents had and during winter, for family time, they would go ice skating and drink hot cocoa by the fire place afterwards. These memories made her sad though. It made her wish that her parents were still alive and with her today. She raised one mitten covered hand and brushed at a tear that had escaped her clouded eyes. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she closed the cook book and brushed at the cover lightly.

She needed to lighten the mood before she drowned herself in sorrow, which was never a good idea. Looking over at him with a smile on her face, she spoke up sweetly, ”How about this weekend? It’s easier to sneak into the kitchens that way and then you can try it when it’s fresh.” She crossed her ankles and held the book and the snacks to her chest comfortably as she sat there. Her mind was definitely on cooking at the moment, and how she was going to pull everything together. She would probably have to go to the store to get some of the ingredients. Actually, she should probably just buy all of the ingredients fresh. For the fact that the kitchen rarely had the good stuff stalked over the weekends.

Tags: James!
Notes: I rambled. I’m sorry. Haha!
Listening To: Heavy Metal the movie

[james thomas leroy]

"Ice skating? That sounds like a great idea," he told her. He had been ice skating a few times but one of the more memorable occasions was when he crushed a bird's skull in with one of his skates. James decided that this wasn't the sort of story he should share with a girl like Emma, especially considering the image he wanted to keep.

"This weekend's perfect," he told her. "Maybe I can help or something," he suggested. He could probably cut things up since that was where his expertises lied. Anything to do with slicing or dicing, James could do. Of course, once again what he thought and what he said and appeared to feel were two very different things.

She was definitely a nice chance from what he had been preoccupied with lately. Having limited access to fun little experiments, James had decided that Eliza would be an appropriate distraction but when it became obvious that the weak minding little tramp wouldn't stand a chance against Aleksei, James decided a new distraction was required.

Sitting out here with Emma was nice and all but he wanted to see where else this could go. James wasn't pushing for anything nor was he expecting anything but he wanted a chance of atmosphere, at least for now.

"It's getting colder. What do you say we go inside for a while?" he asked. His request sounding innocent enough as he looked back at her expectantly, waiting for her response.

[emmalise]

”Y-you would go ice skating with me?” Her voice as well as her looks were hopeful. She hadn’t been ice skating in ages and she hadn’t had anyone to go with for that matter. Not to mention that ice skating by yourself was exceedingly boring unless you actually wanted to be alone. She had never managed to pull herself to go by herself. Ice skating lead to happy memories, and if she went by herself, she would end up thinking about all the bad things that had happened to her. So if he were willing to go with her, she wouldn’t have to think of the bad memories. Only happy ones.

Turning slightly on the bench to face him, she nodded her head. ”You could definitely help. There isn’t much to it, but a lot of chopping, I guess…. Like the chicken and vegetables and what not.” The sauce was easy enough to put together, and boiling the noodles was preschool, which left sautéing the chopped veggies and chicken. Nothing that she couldn’t handle, and with a little help, she’d be able to get it done faster. Plus she hated cutting things up… she always seemed to knick her finger every time.

Hearing his next question about moving inside, she bit down on her bottom lip. There were so many hidden placed when it came to moving inside…. So many places that something could go wrong and she could end up in a panic attack. Swallowing and letting out a soft sigh, she nodded her head slowly. She comforted herself by knowing that he hadn’t tried anything yet. Standing up, she placed the treats and cook book into her messenger bag and nodded once more. ”I… yes, I can handle going inside.”

Tags: James!
Notes: (:
Listening To: Roxanne- The Police

[james thomas leroy]

"Yeah, of course," James said with a warm smile. "It wouldn't be any fun going by yourself, would it?" he said. This was a role he knew how to play. Being the friend was easier than being something more realistic. A real person wasn't perfect. They had flaws and so they wouldn't get along with everyone but James couldn't develop one static personality so his was tailored to each individual person he dealt with. That way he was nice and friendly to everyone and in one instance he might share a love of rock climbing but as soon as the next person came along he might have a fear of heights.

The contradictions were what made his 'friends' back at his old school figure out that something was wrong. They didn't know how bad it was, only that something didn't feel right about James. He was still the great guy they knew but everyone seemed to have a different idea of what that guy was like. Coming here, James had dropped the act for the most part, not caring enough to keep the mask on 24/7. He needed his down time to be able to just do what it was he wanted to do and soon that time was extended.

"I can do that," he told her with a smile.. Yes, James with a knife in a kitchen with a girl... Nothing new or unusual about that at all.. It wasn't as though he hadn't happened before and he hadn't killed anyone yet so clearly, this was a safe thing for anyone to do.

James watched her reaction to his question quite closely. She seemed nervous about the idea of going inside which was understandable given the phobia she had. James was doing well so far but there was still the risk of jeopardising it with just one wrong move.

When she stood, James offered her a smile for her bravery. "Great," he said, standing up as well. He kept his hands in the pockets of his jacket and made a note leave enough distance between them so that she might feel comfortable enough with the situation. Walking toward the building, James would glance over at the girl every now and then, still not wanting to stare at her because he knew the effect it had on people.

[emmalise]

As she walked next to him toward the doors, she thought about what he was saying. Naturally, it wouldn’t be any fun going alone. And she really did plan on going today. Since he was being so nice for the time being, and making her feel like she wasn’t in as much danger as most proclaimed him to be possible of, she figured it would be a nice idea to invite him to go ice skating with her. And if he was kind enough to do so, she’d even make them hot chocolate afterwards to warm them back up. ”Do you want to go ice skating now? I mean, uhm, I’m done with classes for the day… and if you don’t have anything planned. You don’t have to if you don’t w-want to. If you’d rather be in the warm building and all….”

Feeling like a slight fool for asking, she lowered her head to look at the ground only to trip herself up on a slick spot and falling right on her ass. She landed with dull thud and soft whimper. Lifting her hands to look at them, she brushed them off, frowning slightly. ”I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to slip.” She sighed softly, she was always apologizing for everything. Even if it were something as little as falling over and causing no damage to anyone but herself. She was used to doing so though, having been beaten every time she messed up in the slightest way.

Looking up at him, she swallowed, half expecting to be slapped for her idiocy and half expecting him to laugh at her clumsiness. Either weren’t very pleasant, but one was definitely better than the other. She slowly got up, making sure everything was in working condition and nothing was too badly injured. Biting onto her lower lip, she shuddered softly. ”I’m sorry for falling.” She started walking again with her head hung low. Maybe it were best that they did just go inside. It was obvious that a slick surface was not n her best interest at the moment.

Tags: James!
Notes: Sorry for the wait! Work got in the way of my muse. XD
Listening To: Repo the Genetic Opera

[james thomas leroy]

James looked as though he were really considering the idea of going ice skating with the girl, though in reality he already knew what his answer would be. "Yeah, that sound like a great idea," he told her with a smile.

She was a beautiful girl and she was incredibly quiet and timid but James liked that. It just meant that she would be easier to manipulate, at least if he used threats.. But James didn't want that for now. She was starting to look like a good alternative to Eliza who had just recently proved herself to be a big disappointment. She had gotten in between the little rivalry.. (Though some might call it a war) that he and Alek had. Now she didn't stand a chance, she chose that road and now she would have to walk it.

James had been quite protective of her when she didn't just went on doing everything he had warned her not to do, James gave up. She wasn't worth the effort if she wasn't going to listen so he was beyond caring now. He had moved on and he would continue on until he found someone else to distract him while he was here.

James wasn't always so dangerous, he could be nice and he could pretend to be the perfect guy but it wouldn't be real. When she stumbled, James reached forward to stop her fall but with the distance between them, he wasn't quite quick enough.

"Are you alright?" he asked and he moved forward to help her up, deciding that that 'normal' thing to do was to ignore her fears for now and to try and help. People were always doing that, being concerned and caring much too much and always trying to help. He never understood it but he would do it if it seemed like the thing to do. James always had a method to his behaviour.

Kneeling down beside her, James gave her a half-smile to comfort her and try and cheer her up. She looked a little down and perhaps a little worried and afraid. though with a rough idea of what happened to her, James knew to expect such a reaction.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, taking her hand gently and helping her up. He knew there was a chance she might not like it but he was being nice about it and he was being kind and gentle and James was certain this would work to his advantage and perhaps get her to trust him a little more.

"You shouldn't apologise for something like that," he told her with a smile. It was an accident, and while there might be a chance James might have been annoyed by the hold up were in any other time and place, right now he needed to make a particular impression on the girl.

"Are you still up for ice skating?" he asked, giving her the option to chance her mind and find something else to do. With her slipping, he wandered how stable she would be on skates. James decided skates would probably be the easier but there were plenty of other things they could do.

[emmalise]

Nodding her head slowly, Emma-Lise smiled faintly. Her eyes rested on his hand as he knelt down beside her for a few moments. She didn’t really like being touched, for the pure fact that it was never a nice touch that she was used to. Hesitantly, she raised her hand and grasped his, allowing him to help her up off the ground. She brushed off her clothes quickly before turning to him and nodding her head once more. ”Y-yes, I’ll be alright.” Shrugging lightly, she placed her hands into her pockets. ”I’m sorry… I’m just… used to apologizing, I guess.”

Looking down at the ground, she heard him ask if she were still up for ice skating, and she pondered an answer. Ice skating meant that she could stay out side and continue getting to know James, which were both positives in her book. She nodded her head and looked up at him, or rather, at his chest and smiled. ”I think ice skating is still a good idea. D-do you mind waiting while I grab my skates? I’ll meet you right back here in about five minutes, if-if that’s all right?”

Emma smiled sweetly and moved toward the door to head to her dorm and grab her ice skates. She had saved up her money to get a new pair of skates and was now highly excited to try them out. Moving quickly through the building, she bolted up the stairs and to her dorm room, grabbing her skates under her bed and running right back out the door. She paused to grab the treats from her bag and fed one to Bijou real quick before running down the stairs. It didn’t take her longer than three minutes, and she was hoping that he would be waiting for her or be on his way back down by the time she returned.

Tags: James!
Notes: I’m having a lack of muse moment for her. “/
Listening To: Running water in the kitchen.

[james thomas leroy]

"That's alright," James said with a smile. He never apologised for anything unless it was absolutely necessary to do so. He couldn't understand her need to do it so often, it was something that was just beyond him but then a lot of very normal human behaviour was beyond him. He couldn't understand it. James had a lot of trouble understanding people and their motivations and intentions. He could watch a nice movie and people helping a completely strange and be very confused as to why they even bother. He'd see people falling in love and be at a complete loss as to why they even felt anything like that. It was so strange to him and he couldn't relate to them at all but he could at least mimic it and pretend which was what got him this far in the first place.

"Sure," he said with a smile, "I think I know someone I can borrow some skates from," he said, ready to head off toward the east wing to find some skates. James hadn't thought to bring any. It wasn't something he thought he might do with all the other interests he had and other things he needed to get done but here he was with a girl he should go with to the lake and no skates to use. He knew a few people who might have some of the right size so he went off to find them.

Finding the person he was looking for, James borrowed the skates and moved back down. Reaching her a moment after she got there. "Shall we?" he said, gesturing at the path. She was so quiet when she there, but then all day she had been so quiet and she would barely even look at him... It was intriguing and James wanted to spend more time with this girl and get to know her a little better. He was used to his act but he liked being himself at times too. He needed a nice balance and with Cameron he didn't have to hide or pretend and now with Emma, he could just as easily use his 'normal' act and he would have the best of both worlds.