A Fame Detox... Through Kidnapping? (Cherry)

[Crow]

Bek looked away from the steering wheel and let the car go on autopilot while he looked at Cherry.​

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"And there is your problem. You can't run away without somebody stalking you, right? I wouldn't trade jobs with you for the galaxy."​

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He smirked a little as he went back to driving. At least the drink was probably helping.​

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[member="Cherry Ikon"]​

 

[Slot 18]

Cherry shot Crow a glare.​

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"This 'job' is my life. I need to sing. I don't care if I have breaks or if people watch me all the time so long as I can do what I love."​

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But it would be nice if she could act her age every once in a while. She never got to just be normal. She looked down at the soda, tracing the rim of the bottle with her finger.​

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[member="Crow"]​

 

[Crow]

"Wish I could feel that way about anything other than stealing... Singing is just a nice diversion for me. Makes me feel saner than Crow, Master Thief."​

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Bek found himself humming absently as he drove. His fingers tapped on the wheel as the air rushed past his face.​

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"Of course, the day I stop will probably also be the day somebody locks me into a casket forever. No rush."​

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[member="Cherry Ikon"]​

 

[Slot 18]

Cherry stayed quiet after that. She finished her soda. The headache pretty much went away. She watched the city go by out the window for a while. Finally, she looked back over at Crow.​

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"So... Where are you smuggling me to?"​

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[member="Crow"]​

 

[Crow]

Bek gave Cherry a wide-eyed, sarcastic, look and waved his hands around as he set the car to autopilot again.​

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"The Batcave!"​

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He sighed and put his hands on the wheel, deciding that it was better to simply tell her where they were going, in general.​

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"It's a little beachfront rat-hole on a medium-ish island that's mostly uninhabited. I live there, sometimes."​

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[member="Cherry Ikon"]​

 

[Slot 18]

Sounded fantastic.... But then again, Cherry was the captive here. Not like she got much of a say in the matter.​

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"You said you were a 'Ghost Thief'. What does that mean, exactly?"​

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[member="Crow"]​

 

[Crow]

"It means that I enjoy breaking and entering so much that it's like art. One, two, three, remove the window panel. Four, five, six, check for alarms. The whole bit feels a little surreal and relaxing, like a slow dance."​

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Bek mimed a waltz, humming again, and kept on humming as he put his hands back on the wheel.​

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"And then, on the very rare occasions when I get captured, I make like a crow and fly the coop. Escapes are another favorite activity of mine."​

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[member="Cherry Ikon"]​

 

[Slot 18]

"A thief who knows how to escape, and knows how to sing in-tune who also happens to have the nickname Crow? You sound more like a songbird to me."​

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Cherry said. She propped her elbow up on the window, leaning her head on her hand as she continued looking out the window. ​

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[member="Crow"]​

 

[Crow]

"Well, Berry Girl, somebody once told me that a good code name should be reflective of the person. I fly and wear black. And I crow. Often and loudly. So, I'm the Crow."​

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For the first time since they'd gotten in the car, Bek smiled at Cherry. At least she was relaxing a bit, no matter what she said.​

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"Soooo, I can tell why you'd be named Cherry, but is it a nickname?"​

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[member="Cherry Ikon"]​

 

[Slot 18]

Berry Girl? That was new. Cherry wasn't exactly sure she liked it, either.​

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"Nope. It's my actual name. My parents are so original when they're drunk..."​

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[member="Crow"]​

 

[Crow]

"Heh, 'least your parents named you."​

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Bek mentally grimaced at himself. Why'd he say that? Sure, he did sometimes throw random bits of information about himself away in conversation, but that was personal. Like childhood-scarring kind of personal. That was the thing that'd made him run away from home for the first time, hearing that out of his dad's mouth.​

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The Crow shuddered and went back to driving. If he thought about that, he'd end up drinking until he was a wreck. Not something he needed to deal with today.​

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[member="Cherry Ikon"]​

 

[Slot 18]

"Pretty sure nine times out of ten they weren't sober. But then again, it's kind of a thing in my family." ​

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Cherry wasn't proud of her Ikon heritage. She'd been to enough bars for family reunions to know that much. They were unanimously known for their shot-counts. ​

She normally didn't talk about this with anyone. Hell, she didn't talk about anything except her job. It felt like that was all anyone ever cared about.​

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[member="Crow"]​

 

[Crow]

"Tried the whole drinking thing, once. Only place it got me was out of a few jobs and in the gutter for a couple of years."​

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As Bek thought of it, a completely different question popped into his head. It'd never occurred to him that Cherry Cherry had an actual last name. Of course, he'd actually assumed that "Cherry" was a pseudonym in the first place.​

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"Your family... Anybody I should know of? Historical figures, or celebrities, or something?"​

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[member="Cherry Ikon"]​

 

[Slot 18]

Cherry gave him a sidelong glance. She wasn't entirely sure it was a good idea to start giving out her real last name. What if it somehow slipped out to the media or something? Nah... Crow didn't seem like that kind of a guy.​

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"My full name is Cherry Rosella Ikon. My a-million-greats uncle or grandpa or something was apparently this really big-shot admiral for the Hapan Military who got put in cryo-sleep for 900 years and woke up only recently. He was real friendly with women before all that, though. Which is why I and everyone else in my family exists."​

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[member="Crow"]​

 

[Crow]

Bek raised an eyebrow at the story Cherry was telling him.​

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"Well, y'know... Hapan women from Hapes all think they're little dominatrixes. 'Being friendly' was probably the only way your granddad ever kept his position."​

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He leaned on the door of the car a little bit as he drove. And then snorted when he realized how he'd ended his sentence.​

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"Position. Heh."​

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[member="Cherry Ikon"]​

 

[Slot 18]

Cherry rolled her eyes.​

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"Really? How old are you?"​

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She'd never been one to make stupid jokes. Or see humor in stuff like that. But that might've been because she was always expected to act like an adult.​

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[member="Crow"]​

 

[Crow]

Bek rolled his eyes back at her.​

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"I'm seventeen. I'm allowed to make stupid jokes."​

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He smirked again as he went back to driving.​

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"Of course, you don't think that. You've gotta be perfect frickin' princess Berry Girl, huh?"​

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[member="Cherry Ikon"]​

 

[Slot 18]

"There's nothing wrong with being mature. You should try it sometime..."​

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Cherry snapped back. ​

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[member="Crow"]​

 

[Crow]

"There's such a thing as being too mature, Fruit-head."​

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Bek scowled and grabbed a bottle of soda to take his mind off the fact that the most annoying girl he'd ever talked to was sitting next to him. And it was his fault. Goddammit, he wished he could go back an hour and slap the chit out of himself for even having this idea.​

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[member="Cherry Ikon"]​

 

[Slot 18]

"Well excuse me for being responsible and thinking logically."​

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Cherry crossed her arms and glared straight ahead. Crow was the most annoying boy she'd ever met! Even though he was technically the only boy she'd ever really talked to before. She also felt a little hurt. So what if she was too mature? It wasn't like being a kid was so great.... Right?​

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[member="Crow"]​