Vera painted. For days, she filled every canvas she could find in her father's-no, her-studio. She didn't quite know why. She didn't have any clients, nor did she have the urge to paint a specific person or landscape. No, maybe all Vera wanted was a bit of color in her life.
After the events of her trial, Vera struggled immensely. She wept for her father, and she wept for herself. She barely ate, and felt sick all the time. How could anyone recover from something like this? Seeing her father die, being blamed for his murder, and being poisoned; it was way too much in a short amount of time.
So she painted. Original works, of course.
The phone rang suddenly, disturbing Vera from one of her most recent pieces. She was running out of canvases, she knew. She would have to buy some more soon.
"…Hello?" Vera held the phone on her shoulder as she washed the paint from her fingers in the sink.
"Vera? It's me, Trucy. Daddy wants to invite you over for dinner tonight! Isn't that fun?" Friends. Vera had friends, now. She thought the feeling was odd, having never really experienced the sensation before. People wanted to be in her company; they enjoyed talking to her; they appreciated her artwork; they understood her pain. Or at least they tried.
"…O-Ok. I was running out of food in my fridge anyway…" Vera replied. Although leaving her house seemed daunting, she had been feeling exceptionally lonely lately, having the entire studio to herself.
"Perfect! Polly will be there to pick you up in 15 minutes!" Trucy hung up after that. What an energetic girl, Vera thought. She had initially been hesitant to share company with Trucy, but their mutual love of magic seemed to bridge the gap.
Shoot! Vera smacked her forehead. She had forgotten to ask Trucy who would be at the dinner. She wasn't sure if she could handle sharing a meal with that many people. Vera thought about calling Trucy back, but she had never particularly enjoyed phone calls, having never really used the phone before she met the Wrights. She decided that she would make do with the situation, whatever it may be.
Vera began cleaning off her brushes and closing up her paints when she realized that she would probably want to bring her sketchbook with her. Sketching when she felt anxious quickly replaced her habit of biting her nails. She knew she wouldn't be in danger anymore, but the experience had been quite enough to stop her from continuing her trademark nervous tick.
Soon, there was a knock on the door. Had it been thirty minutes already? Vera had lost track of time. Maybe Mr. Justice was early. She opened the door.
"Hey, Vera." The attorney attempted a casual lean on the doorframe, but his foot slipped, making his lean not-so-casual after all. Vera smiled. "Um, sorry I'm early. I just wanted to make sure we had enough time to walk over to Mr. Wright's place." He looked around the studio, still as unkempt and colorful as it had been while Mr. Misham was still alive. "Is there anything you need help with…?"
As glorious as Mr. Justice had seemed while defending Vera in court, he really wasn't all that godly in person. Vera quite liked that. Less scary, more…awkward.
"…No thank you, Mr. Justice. I-I think we can start walking."
"Great! You can call me Apollo, you know. We're nearly the same age." Vera tossed the idea around in her head for a bit. Yes, Apollo was just about three years older than Vera, but for some reason, she felt much closer to Trucy, who was at least four years her junior.
"…Ok, A-Apollo…" He smiled, just like that. Then they started their brief walk to Mr. Wright's place, which was inevitably where Apollo lived. 'So many offices, not many employees, Apollo. Why not live here with us? It's not like I'm paying you well enough for you to afford your rent.' Mr. Wright's argument had been pretty solid. Besides, Apollo didn't have much family or any friends, for that matter.
The two fell into a comfortable pace, but Vera couldn't help but observe her surroundings with apprehension, but also with awe. The outside world really was a beautiful place, filled with such kind people, but it still scared her a bit. Fear of the unknown, she guessed. A dog suddenly barked, far in the distance, but it was enough to put Vera on edge. She clung to her sketchbook for dear life and tried to steady her breathing.
"Are you okay, Vera?" Apollo asked gently. He thought of putting a hand on her shoulder to calm her down, but he soon realized that the action might not bring the results he was seeking.
"I-I'm fine, don't worry about me…" Vera replied, carefully. Apollo shook his head and tapped his wrist.
"Can't fool me. Bracelet." Vera recalled something about Apollo's magical bracelet, and while it intrigued her to no end, she was too shy to ask about it. Maybe later…Vera sighed.
"…You know I don't leave my home very much…" she explained. He chuckled lightly.
"I know that!" Apollo replied, maybe a bit too loudly. "Sorry, I just worry about you sometimes…" Apollo's face turned as red as his signature vest. He grimaced, then peeked a glance at Vera's expression. She seemed to be lost in thought, trying to form a sentence to explain her issue. "It's alright, you don't have to explain. Just know that I'm right here."
"We're here." Vera replied.
"Yes, as I said, I am here for you, and…" Apollo realized she had been referring to the door of the Wright Anything Agency, and not his sentimental statement. "Oh. The door." Vera looked at Apollo expectantly. "Oh, yeah, I'll get the key." Yikes, things weren't going so well for Apollo today, were they?
"A-Apollo?" Vera tried out his first name for the second time that day. "…Thank you."
"For what? Walking you here? It was nothing, really, I was already-"
"For everything." Vera smiled. A true, genuine smile, without the aid of her sketchpad. Apollo felt a certain emotion flood his senses. Was it… pride? Accomplishment? Yes, he was proud of Vera. That one smile meant that she had already recovered so much. Apollo smiled back and opened the door to the Wright Anything Agency.
Vera never meant to be rude, but interacting with strangers was never her strong suit. A young girl she had never seen before sat at the kitchen table, chatting with Trucy. Vera saw that this girl was a bit older than Trucy, but not older than Vera. She heard Mr. Wright's voice floating from the kitchen, as well as the scent of some delicious chicken and pasta cooking.
"Pearls? Trucy? Come and get it!" The two girls scampered to grab some plates and utensils. Apollo sighed and dropped his keys on the counter before turning to Vera.
"You coming?" He asked, not impatiently.
"…Um…"
"Oh! Pearl!" Apollo had completely forgotten that Vera had never met Pearl before, and he figured she probably wasn't good with meeting new people. "Sorry, that's my bad. Wright has this friend named Maya, and she has a sister named Mia, who was Mr. Wright's mentor, and they have a little cousin named Pearl, who is Trucy's friend, from Kurain village…" Vera stared at him with a vacant expression. Apollo realized that he was throwing too much information at Vera. Probably not his best idea yet.
"…Oh…" Vera tried to respond.
"Sorry. Will you be okay, though? Meeting Pearl? I swear on my badge, she's less rambunctious than Trucy. If you can handle Trucy, Pearl will be a breeze." Vera let out a sigh of relief. She drew a smiley face on her sketchpad too, to show Apollo she was ready. She could handle one dinner. It's just a few hours.
"Vera! I'm so happy to see you!" Trucy ran up to Vera and gave her a big hug. Apollo's eyes widened with concern at the action; he didn't want Trucy scaring Vera away, she just got here! But Vera seemed to be alright. Repeated exposure therapy, maybe? "Come meet my friend Pearl!" Trucy dragged Vera into the kitchen and sat her at the table next to Pearl.
"Hello, I'm Pearl. I'm visiting from Kurain Village this weekend! Nice to meet you…"
"V-Vera. I'm Vera, visiting from down the street." She drew another smiley face on her sketchpad, just for kicks. Apollo thought she was handling this very well.
"Pasta time!" Phoenix announced from the kitchen. He loaded everyone's plates with fresh pasta and chicken slices. He had even steamed some vegetables, not knowing what Vera enjoyed eating. Vera thought this looked like a feast rather than a small family dinner. She was going to enjoy everything tonight, she told herself. Why not be optimistic?
Vera thanked Mr. Wright for his hospitality, and decided it was time to head home. Seeing so many people at once was pretty exhausting. After saying her goodbyes, Vera began her short journey back home. Just as she was leaving the building, she noticed Apollo behind her.
"Oh! Where are you headed?" She asked.
"I'm walking you home, Vera," he replied, with a smile. Vera felt her face flush. Maybe it was the way he said her name, or the fact that he wanted to walk her home, despite it starting to get a bit chilly outside.
"You don't have to… It's just down the street," she started.
"It's no problem, really," he insisted. Vera decided not to argue, and simply allow him to walk her down the street back to her apartment. Suddenly, Vera felt a bit sad about returning back to her home, since it was filled with so many memories of her father, and it was quite lonely without him. Apollo seemed to notice her face fall. "If you really don't want me to walk you home, I promise I'll leave you alone," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Vera's face flushed again, and warmth flooded her body starting from where his hand was resting on her body.
"No, it-it's quite alright…" Vera stuttered. She felt like a mess all of a sudden! "I really do appreciate your company. I'm just feeling a bit sad, that's all…" She looked up at Apollo, and noticed that they had already arrived at her door.
"Do you want to talk about it?" His eyes were so soft; Vera felt that he was genuinely concerned for her. It reminded her of the care he showed her when he was defending her in court. He looked like he would do anything to save her, and it made her feel a bit dizzy. She slowly nodded her head.
"I guess I haven't really tried talking to anyone about it yet," she reasoned. She moved to sit on her couch, and Apollo joined, leaving a comfortable amount of distance between them. He placed his hands awkwardly in his lap. Vera loved how he could look like a gallant hero in one moment and an insecure boy in another.
Vera took a deep breath and began telling Apollo about her struggles, from before the incident, through the case, and up to the present. She didn't quite understand why she trusted Apollo so much. Maybe it was because he was just so nice to her. He made her feel safe and warm, and she noticed that she craved those feelings so much. Quite a bit of time passed as she told her story, and Apollo was an amazing listener, reacting at all the right times. As she neared the end of her story, she noticed that she was rather sleepy, and that she and Apollo had at some point in time closed the distance between them on the couch, so that Vera's head was now resting on Apollo's shoulder. His hand was rubbing circles on her knee. Suddenly very aware of the situation, Vera sat upright and looked at Apollo. Apollo seemed equally as surprised, and coughed nervously.
"Um… I… Would y-you like some tea?" Vera stuttered.
"Yes! Absolutely," Apollo nearly shouted. He seemed nervous, or eager, or maybe both. Vera quickly prepared some tea and returned to the couch in silence. She didn't sit as close to Apollo as before, but not too far away either. "Vera, I just wanted to say that I think you are so strong for being able to get through everything recently." Apollo said, focusing his gaze on Vera. "I'm really glad you shared this with me tonight."
"I still can't thank you enough for helping me in the case. You truly saved my life." Vera responded. There it was again, that warm feeling in her chest, and that desire to be close to Apollo again. What was happening to her? She felt herself leaning closer to him, and it may have been her imagination, but she felt him leaning closer, too.
"It was truly my pleasure…" he whispered. They were extremely close now. Vera glanced at his lips, and realized that she really wanted to kiss him. She had never kissed anyone before. She looked up at his eyes, and noticed that they had darkened a bit. "I-Is this okay…?" He asked, waiting for her permission.
"Yes," she breathed, letting her eyes flutter shut as she closed the remaining distance between them. She was surprised by how soft his lips were, and how amazing his hands felt on her waist. When he moved his hand behind her neck to angle her head just so, she gasped at the new sensation. When Vera placed her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, Apollo took this as a positive sign and deepened the kiss. Eventually, though, the two parted for air.
"I-" Apollo started. "That was nice," he stated, smiling. Vera smiled back, the brightest she'd smiled since Apollo had met her.
"It was. We should do it again."