<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><strong>The Bet</strong></span></div><br/><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/eRBwTzu.png)</div><strong>NAME:</strong>Albion<br/><strong>DAY:</strong>June 12th, 2021, Mid Afternoon<br/><strong>LOCATION:</strong>SOPHE, Training Grounds<br/><strong>TAGGING:</strong>Nerissa<br/><strong>EXTRA:</strong><br/><strong>WEARING:</strong>As pictured<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Just a joke? So why did the laughter that left her lips sound like anything but? Time and time again, there always seemed to be those rare moments... That Nerissa looked nothing short of vulnerable and seemed to want something from him. It... Bothered him he needed to tell her he couldn't do such things... He didn't want to give her the wrong impressions. She dated others outside of SOPHE, they had a professional working relationship. He couldn't do something that could make her think they were anything beyond friends.<br/><br/>But... Was he trying to convince her of that, or<em>himself</em>? After all, what else are you supposed to do with the girl you've known for three years since joining SOPHE, who was involved with every major event in his life since he joined? The look on her face seemed playful, but underneath he could feel she was probably as disappointed now as she easy every other time. He should know, because he knew what that kind of disappointment felt like. Yet, what could he say?<br/><br/>As she pulled away, he she tumbled a moment before he pushed himself up. "Just a moment of sitting, I'll be fine. I wasn't expecting the ballbuster after everything else..." He winced and fell back onto his ass with a bemused chuckle. He'd never been beaten up by such a small, cute girl before. A tough guy like him... Well, he could think of worse ways to be embarrassed. "Come on, don't feel so down, I'm the one who pushed you to do that. I don't know what you concentrated on, but I hope you kicked their ass something fierce "<br/><br/>Patting his lap, he pulled himself into a cross-legged seated position (oh god it hurt to curl his legs) and took a deep breath. "Just... Sit with me a moment. I'll be fine after a chat."