Mixed Bath

First topic message reminder :

The mixed baths (thought I might as well change it to this)

Vertigo creased his eyebrows. "What do you mean by 'beneficiary act of goodness.'?"

"Pssh, don't take it so seriously." she muttered then closed her eyes. "There's this small manufacturing business that I easily took over. The owner didn't want to hand it over with a good price. So I made a time quota of bla bla weeks to produce bla bla results. If he can't do it, he'll have to sell it over to me. But well, he loved the business so much that he decided to just use his house and land as compensation. So I took it. But now, his business was totally bankrupt and he'll probably end up selling it to me some time soon." she explain then shrugged.

Vertigo's eyes widened then looked at her. "Don't tell me you used some of your 'plan' to make him use his house and land for compensation. As well as make his business bankrupt!"

"So? What if I did?" she shrugged. "That manufacturing business is small, yet a good support for the Van Houzen company. Taking it down will be one of the foremost steps." she muttered then yawned.

Vertigo looked at her. "But you didn't have to push it too far as to rob him off of all of his properties! He still has a family, for god's sake!"

Evangeline looked at him and lowered her eyebrows. "As far as I'm concerned, it's really none of your business of whatever I do." she said coldly.

Vertigo lowered his eyebrows as well. "Yes it is! I might not be one of your family, but I'm your friend! And you told me back then, didn't you? To promise you to stop you if you begin to turn like one of, one of them!"

"I'm not turning like one of them, darn it. I'm just doing what I have to do!" she yelled back. She sighed and closed her eyes, then stood up. "You know what, this is pointless. I don't want to have any of this conversation with you anymore." she walked towards the other far side of the hotspring.

Vertigo stood up as well and caught her arm. "I don't think so." he said coldly. He gripped it hard. "Stop this! You're driving the owner to his limits, and he'll end up having nothing. Nothing!" his grip tightened. "And you're telling me you're not turning into one of them?! You could have just simply took over his business and that's it!" he yelled and his hold of her arm became hard enough to leave a bruise.

Evangeline gasped as he caught her arm. "Ow, hey." she pulled her arm back, but her strength had never been enough against him. She didn't have time to respond to his statement as the grip tightened and she winced. "Tsk, stop it! You're hurting me!" she shouted, having no focus of what he's saying as her pain tolerance had always been low, and the pain was overwhelming. And when his grip tightened for the last time, her eyes immediately shut close. "Vertigo.." she muttered in a mild voice.

Vertigo flinched, having finally realized that he was hurting her. He released his hold and looked to the side. "I'm..I'm sorry. I just.. I just didn't want to lose the normal you." he sighed.

Evangeline took a step back away from him and she lowered her head, hair covering her eyes. Her hand reached for her arm where he gripped a while ago. It left a red mark, and probably a bruise later on. It hurt like hell. "Don't make me remind you again, that I'm not your property. I make my own decisions in life.", she muttered in a low voice.

Vertigo lowered his eyes. "It's not about me owning you. It's about you being you." he looked at her. "I care for you, Eve-chan. That's why I'm doing this. True, you make decisions in your life, but if those decisions are not for you own good, then anyone can interrupt."

Evangeline glared at him, her anger taking over. "You speak like you even understand! Do you even know why I wanted to achieve this dream no matter what?! Do you even have any idea why I'm doing all of this?! No! So what gave you the right to decide what's right for me?!" she yelled.

Vertigo's expression darkened. "You're right. I've always been living my own life without worries, but did you forget that I'm also treated as the black sheep of my whole relatives and family? Ever since I was young, they've been comparing me to my younger brother. And I had always been downgraded. So don't talk to me like I don't understand what you're experiencing."

Evangeline flinched and looked to the side. "I didn't forget that, Vertigo. That was very insensitive of me, and I'm sorry. But I need you to understand, that I can't simply stand here and do nothing of my situation."

Vertigo looked up. "I know. But every little thing you're doing, perhaps even most of your 'plan', you're not doing it the proper way."

Evangeline's anger flared up and she glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?!" she scowled.

Vertigo gave her a hard look. "Disadvantaging many people because of some selfish dream? Robbing people of everything they have because of a simple useless goal?! What part of it sounded proper to you?!"

Evangeline felt her teeth ground together and narrowed her eyes. "What gave you the right to say it was useless?! It's my dream and you don't have any idea how important it is to me! How and why I'll do anything! And you even have the face to say it was useless?!"

Vertigo returned her angry glare. "Oh yeah? Aren't you just using that goal because you're turning to someone who seeks vengeance? You're starting to want to inflict pain and misery on others for the rest of your life because you're starting to want them to suffer too! and every time you find yourself letting go for just one minute, you feel even guiltier of doing nothing and you shut down. You're starting to hate everyone because of your condition and you beginning to hate them because in ten years they're alive and you're dead!"

A hard slap hit Vertigo right across his face, and Evangeline glared at him with tears forming down her eyes. "How dare you." she said brokenly and her tone was dangerously quiet.

Vertigo had seen it coming and he let her do it. He knew he hit deep with that comment. He didn't like hurting her, but he didn't flinch under her fury and he wasn't going to back down because she needed to hear it. He turned his stinging face back to glare into her hard bright eyes. "How dare I what, Evangeline? Speak the truth? You know it too, don't you? You can lie with others, but you can't fool yourself. That's why I want to stop you."

Evangeline ran her hands over her face in frustration. She was giving in. She could feel her walls crushing down, and she broke into tears. She knew he was right all along. "I only have 10 years, Vertigo. And you will never know how that feels. I try hard to be happy. I want to. But everything I feel anymore hurts. And no matter what I do, there's always that thought of reality." she paused as she sobbed.

"I will only always have 10 years. And that will never change."

Vertigo pulled her into a hug. "That's not true. I won't let that happen. Just wait, and I will personally be the one to help you. Trust me. That's why I'm doing my 'dream' of becoming a cardio." he patted her back.