Chained - Jenlisa

Fluffy Like Cotton Candy

Lisa rights the hood of her jacket and stares at me. "Are you going to get your hair done?"

"No, not- Wait. You noticed?" I thought my little indulgence went on under the radar. It's the one thing I do for myself since I never did anything like it down below at the Facility.

"Of course I noticed," Lisa says. "You look beautiful. Well, you're always beautiful, but when you get your hair done you seem to be happier. I like it when you're happy."

Lisa never told me before that she thought I was beautiful, or that she enjoyed seeing me when I came home from the hairdressers. It's more than flattering and all I can manage is a "Thank you."

Smiling, Lisa fetches the car keys and hands them over to me. "It's my pleasure." Then she opens the front door for me and patiently waits for me to join her out in the hall. After locking the door, I lead Lisa to the elevator and we ride down to the ground floor in silence. From the corner of my eye I notice Lisa smiling to herself. It's charming, and a part of me wants to pat her shoulder or arm just because. But I've worked too hard to keep my distance. I don't want to disturb her or give her a reason to lash out at me. She's never attempted to touch me outside of a professional capacity, either, so there's no reason for me to break our silent deal.

We hop into the car, parked right out front, and I begin to drive with no destination in mind. It's a cool, relatively sunny evening, and the warmth isn't wet, thankfully. Surely there's some kind of event going on today that Lisa and I can attend for a little fun.

"The city is wondrous," Lisa comments as she looks out the window, her mouth open slightly.

An amused smirk takes over my face. "Why's that?" Sure, the city can be eye-catching, but mostly it's a little dirty and there's more smog than there should be. The people aren't winning any awards in polite contests, either.

"The buildings are sky high and technology has advanced so far that machines inside combat the heat easily," Lisa says, still looking out the window. "There are lights on every corner and rules that only the inhabitants of this city seem to know. Have you seen the city at night?"

I want to laugh and say 'of course' but Lisa's mindset is... Well, the way she talks is endearing and I don't want to spoil her mood by laughing at her. "What do you think of it?" I ask instead.

She sighs with enough emotion to make me glance at her. "It's marvelous. I want to walk the streets and see who's awake with me."

"That could be dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

Oh. Seems I've ruined the moment without thinking. "Yeah..." I mumble, changing lanes. "You know, muggers and the like. The city has its downsides."

Lisa hums and leans back into her seat, spreading her knees and resting her hands on her thighs.

"Muggers and the like would not survive an encounter with me."

I would chuckle if I didn't think that were true, but I know it is. Any mugger dumb enough to try something with Lisa would instantly regret it.

"Have you been robbed?" Lisa asks suddenly, softly. "Mugged?"

I hesitate, clicking on my blinker. "Once, a long time ago."

Lisa's hands bunch into fists and I regret my words. Her need to protect me obviously still stands even with past events.

"It wasn't a big deal," I say hurriedly. "I wasn't hurt or anything. I just canceled my credit cards and that was that."

Hands relaxing, Lisa adjusts her feet. "I won't let this city be dangerous for you anymore."