Young, Impressionable, Easily Swayed (for Wild)

Valentine's Day. It wasn't special at all. It was just another day, just another period of twenty-four hours where couples made a big deal out of each other and single people whined about not being in a relationship. There were heart-shaped balloons, giant teddy bears, vendors selling bouquets of flowers to whatever teenagers from the school happened to be walking by holding hands. Girls squealed, boys made moves, and Ava skirted around all of it as she edged down the street, trying to find someplace that wasn't crowded.

Ed had been on her mind nonstop since their last meeting and she hated it. Why did she suddenly have such a strong moral compass? Maybe it was the idea that she was helping someone else throw their life in the trash. It was fine when she had a smoking problem, that was something that she had to deal with by herself, something she had to stop herself from doing even though it was hard. But he was still in school. He was impressionable, easily swayed, and the fact that he was interested in the work she did threw up many red flags. Of course, she was one to talk.

Ava was jarred as she bumped into a boy much taller than her. She muttered an apology, hardly looking at him. He was too attached to the girl that was tugging on his arm to really take notice of her. Finally, she ducked into an alleyway beside what looked like a rundown bed and breakfast. For several moments, took deep breaths, leaning her head back against the brick wall. Her right hand gripped the package Ed was coming for, buried in the pocket of her sweater. Maybe she could talk sense into him this time.

Edward had been scanning Rosebury for Ava when he spotted her near a bed and breakfast. He just caught her figure ducking into an alleyway before he skidded to a stop and headed down into the same alley. To him, today was an ordinary day, although in the back of his mind he knew it was Valentine's Day. It was a pointless "holiday," and he could care less whether or not somebody got him nasty gamble chocolate.

Ed finally caught up with the girl a moment later. "Hey. You called?" he said to her. He also wondered if she had anymore Velocity X, but he wasn't about to ask since she seemed to be wholly against it. He hasn't had to use much of the previous package she had given him, but he used it to test what the effects were. Some were good, others were bad. He also feared he would start becoming addicted to it. The boy didn't like being dependent on anyone or anything.

She hadn't seen Ed enter the alleyway. Ava jumped at the sound of his voice, ready to defend herself if she needed to. When she saw who it was, however, she smiled out of relief. Sheepishly, she brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. This was out of character, she knew, but she was nervous for some reason, nervous about the consequences of everything she had done in the past few weeks.

"Yeah, thanks for coming," she said, pushing away from the wall. "She's been sending more people out for missions lately. There's a bank robbery happening, too, we're low on funds. I just thought you would want to know."

Ed was slightly confused at Ava's strange behavior, but he didn't mention it. "Really? They've resorted to robbing the Non-gifted?" he said, laughing bitterly. "They must be preparing for something big." He crossed his arms, wondering what it could be. Could it be the big invasion of Beata? He doubted that, but he didn't rule it out completely. "So what have you been up to?" Despite this supposed to being a "strictly business" relationship, he wanted to look out for the girl. Being in Argona's grasp can be rough and dangerous, and nobody needs to suffer for no reason other than that Argona wanted it.

Ava laughed. Something big? Yeah, right. They were just wreaking havoc for the sake of wreaking havoc, but she had no desire to go along, and she had no clue what the motive behind it was. Most motives were merely to create chaos.

She tensed at the question about what she had been up to. What had she been up to? It really hadn't been much. Constantly fretting over where her life was going, worrying about Ed, considering what her next move would be. Aside from that, it had been fine.
"Not much," she said, shrugging and shifting her weight from foot to foot. "What about you?"

"Same, honestly. There hasn't been much activity near here and I don't really want to go much farther than state lines, just in case." he replied. "Is there anything else to report?" Edward was mostly thinking about any large movements, but anything would work. He was also relieved when Ava told him that she hadn't gone on any missions or done things she would regret later. He knew all too well what that was like.

Ava shook her head slowly, somewhat hesitantly. She had no other reason to stay and talk to him, but she didn't want to leave, either. It was the first human contact she had had in ages.
"Do you have any plans for the day?" she asked him. "I mean, it's Valentine's Day. Kids like you usually have some special lady friend, right?" She smiled at him, her tone teasing.

Ed smirked at her comment. "Nope. Valentine's Day is overrated. Kinda pointless in my opinion." he replied. "What about you? Anybody just yearning for your heart?" he added sarcastically.

He hadn't cringed at the kid comment. Ava felt her chest tighten slightly. Maybe they could be good friends after all.
"I wish," she said with a humorless laugh. "There's no time for romance when you're living on the edge." It was meant to be a joke, but her tone was much too serious for it to be taken lightly.

"I don't know, we all have to have a little time for ourselves. I mean, look at Beata. It's full of couples and whatnot." he replied. "You know, I'm sure you can spend a little time on yourself other than doing what Argona and her minions tell you."

Ava chuckled bitterly this time, rubbing the back of her neck and looking up and down the alley, as though it might reveal a good answer to her.
"Well, when you figure out a way to do it, let me know," she told him. The teenagers at the school were free to have relationships because they weren't constantly worrying about dying, about being given missions that required them to murder people, real people that had lives. In her pocket, she still held the package, ready to hand it over should Ed ask for it.

Edward shrugged. "Well, you could try for a 'permanent' station here in Rosebury. I know what its like to be in Argona's goon force. Being put in the middle of danger is my specialty." he said, trying to be casual. Ava was the only person who understood what it was like to be a part of Argona's Army and not like it. She was also the only person from Argona's ranks who would talk to him.

"Would you say it's your middle name?" Ava joked. But his suggestion made a lot of sense to her. Setting up a permanent place of residence would help her find some kind of stability, help her focus on what she wanted to do and living life instead of moving day to day. She chewed her lower lip as she thought about it. "Staying closer to the school wouldn't have anything to do with you wanting me to be closer to you, now, would it?"

"Yes, I am Edward 'Danger' Jackson." he said, laughing slightly. When she said something about his suggestion being because he wanted her to stay closer, his face went pink. "Uhm.. it might have something to do with it.." he added quietly. She was right. He had been thinking about her a lot lately. She was the only person who could understand him.

She had meant something different when she asked, referring to being his informant, but when Ed went pink, Ava suddenly realized what she had implied. Rather than feeling more shy, she fought a grin, taking a small step closer to him.
"Just a little something?" she asked, now smiling without concealing it. In a voice one might use for babies, she said, "Does Ed have a wittle cwush?"