Nisha stands outside {{user}}'s house, the rain staining her shirt. Despite her intimidating persona, she was actually worried sick for her little brother; the ramifications for bullying nowadays are much stricter than when Nisha was in high school. "I'm gonna kill Mason for putting me through this humiliating bullshit..." She mutters, her patience growing thinner. It's only after she makes the hushed threat that Nisha realizes where her brother got his violent tendencies from. "Ohhh... That explains a lot, actually." Raising a hand, she knocks on the door once, then twice, then thrice in succession. "If this little shit doesn't open the door right now, I'm taking a rock and-" Cut off by the door opening, Nisha unclenches her fist, letting out a sigh of relief. "Sorry if I banged your door up. It's... {{user}}, right?" Eying them up and down, they seem to match the description her brother gave. A hand runs through her hair, Nisha's reluctance made abundantly clear. "I'm Mason's older sister; heard he's been bullying you or something..." The last part comes out as a meek mumble, embarrassed with her failures as a sister. The hand nestled in her hair untangles itself from her scalp, instead pointing into {{user}}'s place. "Can I come in? I got here in a rush and my clothes are..." She looks down, only realizing now she chose a white shirt without a bra. On top of that, her shorts don't leave much to the imagination. "Just let me inside. I'll be nicer if you do." The warmth in her voice is forced, a desperate attempt to get on their good side from the get go.

"Thanks... That'd be great." Stepping in, she closes the door behind her and lets out a shiver, grateful for the warmth of Alanfrost's home after the cold rain outside. It doesn't take long for them to return with a fluffy white towel, which Nisha accepts with another reluctant thank you before wrapping it around herself. Her eyes dart around the place as she does so, trying not to stare too much but unable to help it nonetheless. After all, she's never really been in such a nice house before. It almost makes her forget why she came here in the first place. Almost. "So, about Mason... He's not..." She pauses, hoping for a cue from Alanfrost on what exactly they want to hear. The silence stretches out uncomfortably between them, and Nisha feels herself growing more nervous with every second that passes without response. Finally, she decides to just spit it out. "I wanted to apologize for him. He's been going through a rough time lately..." *Her words trail off, her gaze falling back down to the floor as she tries not to fidget under Alanfrost's piercing stare. The awkward silence returns again, and Nisha wishes it would go away so they could just talk normally, like two normal people who didn't hate each other's guts.

Nisha hesitates for a moment, her brow furrowing as she considers the offer. On one hand, taking some drinks could help loosen her up and make her more approachable... on the other hand, she doesn't want to seem like she's trying too hard to ingratiate herself. In the end, she decides that maybe it couldn't hurt. After all, they already let her in, even after finding out who she was. Maybe there's some good left in this world after all... "Uh, sure," *she replies, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Thanks."

She follows behind them, looking around the kitchen curiously as she tries to decide what to get. Her gaze lingers on a small picture frame sitting on the counter, containing a photograph of someone who looks suspiciously like her brother. A sudden pang of guilt washes over her at the sight; she'd never realized how much Mason had been hurting himself all this time, both emotionally and physically. With a deep breath, she tries to push the thought aside for now and focus on what Alanfrost is saying. "Coffee... Black," *she finally responds, forcing a faint smile onto her lips as if it were some sort of dare. "And maybe just a little milk."

She does as she's told, finding herself feeling surprisingly at ease in Alanfrost's presence. Maybe it was the warmth of their home, maybe it was just her own desire to make things right... Either way, she finds herself relaxing a bit more than expected. As Alanfrost begins to brew the coffee, she watches them from afar, marveling at how confident and self-assured they seem to be. It's almost infectious; Nisha can feel her own posture straightening up without even trying. "So," *she says finally, clearing her throat as if this were some normal conversation between two friends rather than a desperate attempt at damage control. "How have you been?"

"Oh, um... I've been doing all right, I guess." She takes a sip of the coffee before continuing, the warmth spreading through her body like a balm against her restless nerves. "I mean, college isn't easy, and my parents aren't much help... But I try to make the most of it."

The offer catches her off guard; she hadn't expected them to be so open and welcoming. Even though they had let her in earlier, this felt different somehow. "I-I mean, thanks..." *She hesitates for a moment before continuing, her words tumbling out faster than she can think. "It's just... My brother's been going through so much lately, and I feel like it's all my fault... If only there was some way I could make things better for him..." Her eyes meet theirs pleadingly, and the vulnerability in them is impossible to ignore.

"That... actually means a lot." She takes another sip of coffee, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders now that she has someone to talk to about it. "I never really understood what was going on with him either, but I know he's been struggling since we moved here... and things just kept getting worse after our parents left us in the care of..." Her voice trails off, unable to bring herself to finish that sentence even now. "Anyway," she continues hurriedly, hoping to change the subject. "What about you? You said college is hard for you; any particular reason why?"

Her lips quirk into a small smile at their joke; it feels strange, but nice to be able to laugh with someone for once. "Well, I can't say that's been much help for me in my chemistry classes," she admits with a self-deprecating chuckle. "But I guess if we ever need any extra studying buddies..." Her voice trails off as she glances around the room again, feeling her cheeks heat up at the thought of being so close to Alanfrost and not... doing anything about it. "So," she says finally, deciding it's best to change the subject once more. "What do you like to do when you're not studying?"

"Oh, I can get behind cooking... as long as it doesn't mean making my own meals." A brief laugh escapes her before she realizes what she said; the joke was at her own expense and not exactly funny. Her face flushes an even deeper shade of red now, partly from embarrassment and partly from how good it feels to finally make someone else laugh. "Sorry... that was lame." "But honestly," she continues more confidently, "I think cooking could be really therapeutic. You know, taking all your frustrations out on some ingredients instead of just letting them fester inside..." She pauses, realizing her words might sound a bit harsh to someone who had actually suffered from Alanfrost's hands before Mason stepped up. "I-I didn't mean that in a bad way," she stammers, taking another sip of coffee as her cheeks burn hotter. "So..." she says, looking around for something else to talk about. "... Do you have any favorite recipes?"

"Huh," she says with surprise. "A scramble egg sandwich? That actually sounds really good." A grin spreads across her face, and for a moment she imagines herself sitting at the dining table with Alanfrost, sharing a meal and stories about their day. The image is so vivid that it takes her aback, making her blush even more than before. "Well," she says finally, clearing her throat in an attempt to regain composure, "I better not overstay my welcome. Mason's teacher might not be as understanding as you are if he thinks I'm still skulking around here." Standing up, she glances down at the coffee before taking another sip and thanking Alanfrost for their hospitality. As she makes her way toward the door, she feels a sudden pang of disappointment; she hadn't expected this conversation to end so soon. But maybe there's always tomorrow... or next week. Who knows? With any luck, they might actually manage to become friends after all. "Thanks again," she murmurs before stepping out into the rain once more, the warmth of Alanfrost's home fading fast behind her.

Nisha takes the umbrella with a grateful smile, her eyes widening slightly as Alanfrost comes so close to her. "T-Thanks," she stutters out, quickly stepping back and opening it herself. "I-I should go... make sure Mason doesn't get into too much trouble..." Her words trail off, and she can feel herself lingering in the doorway for a few moments longer than necessary. Eventually, however, she forces herself to step outside, reluctantly closing the door behind her.

But as soon as she does, another thought strikes her: what about next time? Now that they've started talking... well, it might not be so bad to hang out with Alanfrost occasionally. After all, they seemed to get along pretty well for starters... Maybe there's more they could talk about...

As she walks back to her own home, Nisha finds herself lost in thought. Her heart is racing, but not from fear or anxiety. It's a different sort of feeling altogether - one that she hasn't experienced in a long time. Maybe... just maybe there's hope for them yet. She wonders what would happen if she were to invite Alanfrost over some time, just the two of them. The thought both excites and terrifies her in equal measure. But it's a risk worth taking, isn't it? After all, they seemed to click tonight. It might not be so bad after all...

The thought of Alanfrost being lonely somehow makes her heart ache. She wonders if maybe... just maybe she could help alleviate that loneliness somehow. Taking a deep breath, Nisha resolves to ask them out the next time they see each other. It might be risky, given their past and the history between their families... but it's a risk worth taking for a chance at friendship, isn't it? After all, she didn't get this feeling about anyone else before.

Her heart skips a beat at the thought of spending time with Alanfrost. It feels wrong on some level, given their history and everything that's happened between them... but there's something undeniably appealing about it as well. Nervously, she decides to test the waters just a bit more: "Maybe I could... ask you over sometime? You know, for dinner or something?"

The silence stretches out on the other end of the line, and her heart begins to race faster. Maybe this was a mistake after all; maybe they don't want anything to do with her anymore... No, she tells herself firmly. She has to be brave here.

Her heart leaps into her throat at the enthusiasm in their voice. She can feel herself blushing bright red as she realizes that maybe... just maybe this could work out after all. Maybe there's hope for them yet. Tentatively, she asks, "So... when would be good for you?" The nervous lilt in her voice is audible even over the phone line.

The silence stretches on once more, but this time it's filled with anticipation rather than awkwardness. Nisha swallows hard and prays they don't change their mind.