The next day, Hope headed to school, already planning to avoid her tour guide that was also an attractive waiter at the Mystic Grill. Her mind had been thinking constantly about all of the ways this could go wrong, the way Landon could end up dying even if they didnt get close. if one of her father's enemies tracked her down and thought she and Landon were closer than they were. Landon could be used against her, And while she could handle herself, she didn't want Landon to suffer just because of her. It was bad enough he suffered mundane pain. But this- this wasnt his world. And she didnt want to get him killed.

The tribrid headed to her locker and pulled out her books before hearing a familiar voice approaching her, both sending relief and frustrations into her, frustrations because he didnt understand just how dangerous time with a Mikaelson was. "Hope, hey" her waiter greeted with a broad grin as he reached her.

Hope closed the door of the locker and gave him a faint smile before it slowly began to fade. "Hey. Look. about the two weeks..." she trailed off, unsure of how to get it out.

"You're canceling after promising two weeks" Landon said with a frown.

"I appreciate you trying to help. But... its better this way"

"So much for promises" Landon said lightly with a friendly grin to let her know he wasnt that serious. "Im not gonna demand you spend time with me. But you shouldn't just live your life in fear. People die every day. Its not your responsibility. And the purpose of life is living it. Just think about that a bit. " He turned to leave

"Landon wait" The words were pouring out of Hope's mouth before she could stop them

"I want to get to know you. I want to spend time talking to you. And I will try. But it's going to be hard for me not to push you away."

"I know. But I'm here for you. There's something about you that... I just want to get to know you. Spend time with you." Landon said, offering her a warm smile.

Hope found herself smiling back, unable to resist the comfort it provided her. "Okay. Okay I'll see you at lunch and we can talk a bit. Maybe even hang out after school if you're not busy"

"I have a shift at the Grill, but if you're free at eight, I'll be there." Landon said with a smile as he looked at her, glad she had agreed to spend time with him.

"Maybe I'll see you there" Hope smiled a little and tucked her auburn hair behind her ear before heading to her first class, thoughts going in her mind.

Soon enough, it was lunch time, and Hope looked around for the human she had grown fond of. Suddenly, she saw him approaching a table and getting bumped by Connor. "Oops, my bad" the jock said as Landon dropped the tray he was holding.

Hope's face hardened a bit as she looked at Connor before quickly going over to Landon, whose face was hard but his gaze lowered. He slowly looked up as Hope helped him clean up, a small smile forming on his face. They didn't say anything to one another as they continued cleaning up before throwing away the food.

"Thank you for helping me" Landon said once it was all done.

"You're welcome. Come on" Hope said with a small smile before leading him out of the cafeteria where they could talk alone.

"Where are we going?"

"I have no idea" Hope laughed softly as she continued to walk. "I just figured we could use a place away from the crowd"

A smile formed on Landon's face as he opened the door ahead of her so she could exit the building. Hope looked around before finding a place away from everything else and taking a seat. Landon sat across from her with a fascinated grin. No one had ever wanted to do things like this with him. Nor did they even want to talk to him. But Hope was different, and there were no words he could use to describe how wonderful this felt. Though part of him was waiting for it to come crumbling down as every good thing that happened in his life did. However, he was not going to let that stop him from enjoying his time with this girl that intrigued him in ways he couldn't explain. This girl that was the first person to actually make him happy, despite the fact they barely knew each other and the fact she kept trying to push him away

"I just figured the less time around the dumbass jocks, the better" Hope said with a light shrug as she pulled out two sandwiches she had made and tossed him on in a ziplock bag."I hope you like ham"

"You don't need to give me your food" Landon said, not feeling comfortable about this

"Please, i dont need this much. Freya gave me it this morning, and i dont need both." Hope said with a shrug. "If you dont want it, I'll probably throw it out"

Landon nodded, slowly feeling more comfortable about it though still mildly felt like it was some charity but she didnt know his life so she didnt know enough to be too charitable. He slowly pulled it out of the bag and started to eat the sandwich. "Thanks again. So if you still want to uphold the deal by this weekend, I have Saturday off if you want to hang out a bit"

Hope's lips parted in surprise and she struggled to find words for an answer

"Or not. Its fine if you dont" Landon said. There was the other shoe.

"No" Hope said quickly. "I mean yes I'd like to hang out for a bit. I made a promise, didn't I? Two weeks. You could come to my house" It shouldn't be a problem if she kept him out of the witchcraft room and the cellar.

A broad smile formed on his face at her words. This really meant she was trying to not have her mind force her out of this. She was trying to keep her promise and wanted to spend time with him. "That sounds like a great idea" he said happily, taking another bite of his ham sandwich.

"Great. I'm glad you agree."

"Maybe I'll get to see some of your famous art work while I'm there?"

Hope nodded. "Some" she said with a small smile. "I've done a lot of art work in my time. It's something that makes me happy, despite all of the moving around"

"Speaking of moving around, do you know how long it will be till you move again?"

"Honestly? I have no idea, though I'm hoping I can stay till graduation" The tribrid shrugged her shoulders a little and finished her sandwich

"I hope so too. I dont want you to leave" The words were out of Landon's mouth before he had a chance to stop them, and a small shy smile formed on his face before he looked down. little. This was all new to him, and he wasn't sure what was too much.

A smile formed on Hope's face at his words, and she relaxed against the wall."You really like spending time with me despite barely knowing me, don't you?"

"I've never really wanted to get to know someone this much before"

Hope nodded in understanding. "I feel the same way" Her voice was quiet as she looked at him before clearing her throat. "So what do you like to do in your spare time?"

"I like watching scifi movies a lot. Sometimes fantasy. Have you ever seen Star Wars?" Landon asked

"No. My family isn't exactly a movie watching family. The only thing I really watch is Cutthroat Kitchen"

"You've never seen Star Wars? Okay we are definitely going to change that when I go over to your house"

Hope found herself laughing at the determination in his voice, a smile on her face as she watched him. "Fine. But there are no promises that I will love it or remember the plot"

Landon pouted a little at the mere idea she wouldn't enjoy Star Wars but he nodded. "Fair enough" he sighed defeatedly.

"I'll make sure we have popcorn" Hope said, knowing that was a customary snack for movie watching. She pulled out her notebook and wrote the new address on a page before tearing it out and handing it to him. "All you need to do is show up"

He took the slip of paper, a smile on his face as he looked down at it before pocketing it away. "I'll be there. What time do you want me to show up?"

"Whenever you want. Just not before seven AM preferably"

"Great. I'll probably come around 7:30" He wasnt much of a morning person exactly except when he needed to be but he wanted as much time with her as he could get.

"I'll see you then" Hope said with a smile. "So besides watching movies, what else do you like to do?"

"I play the guitar and sometimes write my own lyrics. Though I'm a bit too shy to sing in front of anyone" Landon said sheepishly as he looked at her.

Hope smiled a bit at that. "Im sure your lyrics are amazing," she said as the bell rang. She sighed and pushed herself up, not wanting to head to class.

"I wouldnt say that" Landon said, getting up, shooting her a smile. "But I hope you're right. Come on" he said and headed towards the history class that they shared.

After school, Hope headed inside her house and went to the kitchen for a drink, thoughts flooding through her mind about the time she spent with Landon Kirby today. It had felt nice. She had never really had friends before and her only love interest had betrayed her. So she only really knew what it was like to spend time with family. Especially considering how she kept her distance from everyone.

She wasnt sure if this was a good idea but she couldn't help herself from wanting to spend time with him. It made her feel better than she had felt in a long time. And she wasnt sure why. But she knew she didn't want to let this go even though she knew she should.

Suddenly, she heard foot steps behind her and spun around only to see Freya walking in the house with some groceries. The tribrid quickly went over to help her with them before starting to put the groceries away.

"Thank you" Freya said, watching her niece with a small smile before moving to unpack as well. "How was school today? Any more time you spent with that attractive waiter at the Mystic Grill?"

Heat rose in Hope's cheeks. "Actually, yeah. We ate lunch together at school. It was... nice" she admitted with a small smile.

"I'm glad to hear it."

"We actually made a deal to hang out for two weeks so I'm gonna go see him tonight once he gets off of work at eight. And I sort of invited him over this weekend. So between now and Saturday morning, we need to make sure everything magical is hidden"

"You really like him, don't you?" Freya asked, looking at her, surprised but pleased.

"Yeah, I think I do. He makes me... happy. Something I haven't felt in a long time." Hope admitted

"Well, I'm glad that he makes you happy. And I hope nothing happens that causes us to need to move. Just be careful how much you tell him until you trust him."

"Believe me, I know. I know I need to be smart about everything. Cautious. I mean the last person I got close to... it didn't end well"

"That doesn't mean they will all be like that. Its okay to care about someone, Hope. I know you feel its dangerous to get someone involved with the Mikaelsons. And you're probably right. But sometimes its worth it. Its worth the risk"

Hope was silent and continued unpacking the groceries, thinking about her aunt's words and wondering what all was going to happen in her life the next two weeks. Would she grow too attached to this person that made her feel better than she had felt in a long time?

Once she finished, she headed up to her art room, magically closing and sealing the door behind her. She looked at her paints that she had hand mixed for a moment before picking out her colors and getting to work, letting her passions fly free. She was working on incorporating every small detail.

Time started to fly before Hope realized it, too caught up in her love of art. When she looked at the clock later that day, she realized it was 7:30. The tribrid cleaned up her brushes before heading out of her art room, ready to go to the Mystic Grill. It didn't take her long to get there, so Landon Kirby was still on duty when she walked in.

The human was working on serving a table, and Hope made her way to a table in his section. When Landon saw her, a grin formed on his face, and he made his way over to her. "You came" were the first words that came out of his mouth as he reached her.

"I told you I would" Hope said, looking up at him with a smile.

"Is there anything I can get you?"

"Just a soda to last till your shift gets off"

Landon felt a smile spread again across his face as he looked at the girl that for some reason wanted to spend time with him. "Sure. Any flavor in particular?"

"Not really. Anything is fine with me" Hope told him. Landon nodded, still grinning broadly as he walked away from her to go get her a soda. He came back with it, and she smiled at him. "Thank you, Landon Kirby"

"You're welcome, Hope Marshall" Landon said with a grin before heading back to go help other tables, Hope's gaze lingering on him as she sipped her soda, waiting for 8:00 pm.

Soon enough, Landon came back over to her, apron off. "My shift is over," he announced, causing Hope to stand up, setting down money on the table and giving him a tip personally.

"Then let's go for a walk" Hope said and headed out of the Grill as he pocketed the tip and hurried after her. "Is there anything to do in this town besides home, school, and the Mystic Grill?"

"We have a few small shops and a bowling alley. And then we randomly have events in the town square" He gestured around him. "Such as movie nights and music in the square."

"What kind of music?"

"It varies though I particularly enjoy when it is jazz. I dont usually go though. But I tend to hear it if I have my shift."

"You like jazz too?" Hope smiled. "I lived at New Orleans at one point and grew rather fond of it"

"You lived in New Orleans? I've always wanted to go. Its home to some of the greatest musicians of all time"

"I've traveled all over. But some places just keep a place in your heart more than others. And New Orleans is one of those places"

"Well, maybe we will be lucky," Landon said, "and Jazz will be the theme of the music in the square."

"Maybe you're right" the tribrid smiled at him, looking around at the buildings around the town square.

"If not, it will happen eventually. Things in this town don't really change. Its all the same events. Regular events like music and then the events that take place at certain times of the year." Landon shrugged lightly. "The people of this town love traditions."

"Well, at least it means you can help fill me in on the town events whenever they come around" Hope said, stopping at a stand for popcorn to eat as they walked.

"Yeah, I definitely wouldn't mind helping in that department" Landon said, reaching over and taking some of her popcorn. "its nice spending time with you, teaching you about the town. I guess I'm a tour guide even out of school"

"My own personal tour guide" Hope teased Landon with a grin. "Its a good thing. Otherwise I might get lost in this small town"

"Shush. It may be small but it's a nice little town even if I don't like the people in it" Landon chuckled. "Until you came around at least."

"Yeah I guess it's kind of peaceful. Quiet at least. In comparison to crowded places like New Orleans" Hope nodded and continued to walk, looking around at the shops, some of which were already closed. "But sometimes change is good, and change isn't something it seems this town is familiar with" She chuckled lightly with a smile and watched some people cross the street.

"You aren't wrong" Landon looked over at her with a small smile. "Are you liking the people in it?"

"So far" Hop said, her gaze now on him. "Certain ones at least"

Without thinking about it, the two had stopped walking and were just standing, facing each other, Landon subconsciously moving closer. Neither of them were thinking of how this could affect anything. Before they knew it, they were close enough so that they could kiss. It would have been as easy as breathing. Emotions that had collected over such a short time rushed over them both. Both overwhelmed by feelings they had never had before. Suddenly before they could kiss, Hope pulled away, clearing her throat a bit. She forced her emotions down and looked away from him, starting to walk again.

Disappointed, Landon walked alongside her, trying to collect his own emotions. Of course she didnt want that. But he was fine just being her friend. He just liked spending time with her even though they hadn't spent much time together. There was something about it that just felt... right. He couldnt explain it.

"So Saturday at 7:30 in the morning, you come over and hang out for the whole day and you introduce me to whatever scifi stuff Star Wars is" Hope said. "Any idea how long you can stay?"

"Probably most of the day. My foster family doesn't care too much if I'm there or not" Just if he did something wrong or if they wanted to punish him for one reason or another, he thought with a light grimace as he remembered his foster dad burning his arm with a cigarette. But he didn't mention that to Hope.

"Great. I dont know if my aunts are going to be there or not yet. But we'll see how it goes. Either way I should be free all day" she said satisfied as they walked side by side.

And they continued to talk until finally they had to go home a couple of hours later.