Breaking Barriers: Carl Got Scammed?
Isabella's tears started falling down as after multiple years, she had finally met someone that gave her what she needed, a simple hug and the words 'I understand'. Carl's words hit the chord, making the young girl that had learned to create a barrier around her, never telling people how she truly felt and what she was really going through, finally break down.
She was shaking for a good couple of seconds, and Carl said nothing, he just continued stroking her head. His action spoke louder than any word he could mutter right now, and he understood that this was all that Isabella needed.
He was in her position before, well, he was in a familiar position. Back then, he didn't need anybody telling him how they knew how he felt, because they didn't, almost nobody in the entire world had gone through what he had gone through, and if there were others, there would have been only a handful of them.
Isabella's situation was similar. She was lonely, just like Carl was before, but what happened to her was wildly different from what happened to him. He couldn't tell her he knew how she felt, the only thing he could say was that he understood what she was going through, but that was all.
Isabella continued crying and continued, and continued.
[ Damn, this chick can really cry, huh? ]
'Shut up.' Carl said in a cold tone as he continued comforting Isabella.
After a good 10 minutes had passed, Isabella finally stopped crying and shaking. She took a couple of deep breaths before stepping back from Carl.
"I'm … sorry, that was probably not what you expected to see after coming to my lab, huh?" Isabella asked with a smile as she used her sleeve to wipe off her tears, to which Carl simply smiled and shook his head.
"No, it's alright, I would have believed you were a robot if you were incapable of showing even this much emotion, to be honest," Carl said before looking around the lab.
"But hey, I might have underestimated this place, it's small, and is akin to a room you get in an asylum, but it's kind of cozy, gives that homey vibe, you know?"
"Homey vibe, what kind of home did you grow up to think this is homey?" Isabella asked before laughing as Carl chuckled.
"One very different from this place, that's for sure." He shook his head with a smile before exhaling.
"So, have you made a decision, Miss Conti?" Carl asked Isabella who looked at him.
"Will I need to move?"
"Well, the main lab's location is unknown, I don't have the clearance to know something like that, only handlers that are S-grade and above get such information given to them, but if I had to bet on it, then yeah, you will probably need to move if you wish to join the lab."
"You still haven't told me, why do you have so much trust in me, the two of us never met before, right?"
"Correct, yesterday was the first time either one of us made contact with the other, and today is the first time we have seen each other face-to-face, our paths have not crossed before that." Carl's answer made Isabella chuckle a bit.
"Our paths have not crossed before that, what are you, an actor performing on a stage, just answer it normally."
"I like saying things in a more … refined manner if you'd like."
"Alright, but then seriously, why the hell are you so confident that I can join the lab, help out the many geniuses that are there and even find the cure that nobody has been able to find for years now?" Isabella's face turned serious as she looked at Carl who was staring at her with a solemn expression.
"That's because…" Carl's face turned more and more serious as he stared at Isabella who gulped in nervousness.
"I'm an incredibly good judge of character, as well as intelligence, so I know that you can do it."
"…" Isabella stared at Carl and blinked several times as she heard his answer. She sighed before turning around.
"Alright, keep your secrets, I guess you might answer me seriously in the future, huh?"
"Maybe," Carl said with a mysterious smile as he turned around.
"So, you're joining us?"
"I've already shown you that I've done nothing after years had passed, my equipment is, just like you said, shit, and I dislike being a villain, to be honest, simply going around doing crime, it's not for me, I don't want to hurt others just to get money and a rank." Isabella leaned against the wall and stared at Carl.
"If I can join the main lab, and get an opportunity to help out there, and also earn money and prestige by doing so, then I'm all for it, but if you ever try to force me to do something I don't want to do, I will leave, I promise that."
"And I promise that I will never do such a thing, nor will I allow anybody else to force you to do something you don't want to do," Carl said in a serious manner, making Isabella's lips curl up.
"You have that much influence, as a C-grade handler?"
"No, but I know somebody that has a lot more influence, she has more influence."
"Oh, you're girlfriend, you dating your boss or something?" Isabella asked with a smirk as Lyle shook his head.
"No, not at all, she's … well, it's complicated, alright?"
"Mhmm, sure," Isabella said with a chuckle before going to the elevator.
"Come on, I need to get my stuff and tell my boss I'm quitting."
"Get your stuff?"
"Yeah, I'm not going to stay here anymore, so I need to pack my stuff."
"You do know that you won't need to leave right away, I mean, it's going to take a couple of days for everything to get sorted out."
"Yeah well, my rent is due soon, and I don't want to pay and leave right away, and I don't want to continue working when I'm going to leave soon anyway, so until I get in the lab, you're gonna have to take care of me, mister handler," Isabella said with a sweet smile as she looked at Carl with a bemused expression.
[ So, you go to recruit a new villain, and you become her sugar daddy, how does that work? ]
'I'm not her sugar daddy, alright?'
[ Well, seems like she wants you to be one, so why not, Carla won't be mad. ]
Carl placed his hand over his face and sighed before exiting the elevator after Isabella who was giggling.
"Come on, you need to help me pack my things."
"Really?"
"Yes, really, I don't want to pack my things alone, and you promised not to force me do anything I didn't want to do, so you have to."
[ This girl's good. ]
Carl and Isabella got in his car and drove to her apartment, and then Carl helped her pack. She didn't let him help out with everything, she made sure to pack her underwear and other 'sensitive' stuff by herself.
It took them over 2 hours to pack everything up. Right after that, Isabella went to her landlord and told him she was leaving, to which the middle-aged man blinked several times, looked over at Carl, who was waiting at the car and sighed.
"Good luck, you'll always be welcome back here if things don't work out, don't forget that." The man told Isabella who hugged him deeply.
"I will, thanks for everything, Uncle J."
"Be careful out there sweetheart, alright?"
"You know it." Isabella, who actually didn't need to pay any rent, but did so because she didn't want to be a freeloader who was living in one of her uncle's apartments, said before giving him another hug and going to Carl, who was looking at her with confusion.
"My rent's due, I don't want to pay it and leave right away, that was a lie, wasn't it?"
"No, even though he's my uncle, I don't freeload, I pay the rent and everything, alright?"
"Alright." Carl then drove Isabella to her workplace, she had already called her boss, who was a middle-aged, sweet lady who was happy to see her.
"Hey Aunty Helen, how are you?" Isabella hugged her aunt, who was the wife of her uncle in whose apartment she was living.
"My friend will work instead of me until you find a suitable replacement, or if you like her, you can keep her working, she's been wanting to get a new job anyway, and she was quite happy when I told her about this place." Isabella hugged her aunt one more time, and the aunt, just like the uncle had done before, stared daggers at Carl, making sure he understood that they wouldn't be nice if he did anything to their niece.
"Why do I feel like I've been a victim of an elaborate scam?" Carl asked Isabella who laughed before getting in the car.
'This wasn't in the information you provided me, you knew this already, haven't you?'
[ I have no idea what you're talking about. ]