Ring of Trust

[Weonna]

In the locker room of Hiro Takahashi's gym, Christina Perez is changing unto her casual clothing after an intense Sparring session with her roommate and friend (for now) Helen Andronike.

Christina had recently devolped feelings for Helen's ex, named Alexios and the Filipina woman was waiting for the best time to tell Helen about this.

Once Helen entered the locker room, Christina would start with the proper greetings.

"Hey Helen. That was quite the spar huh? You know how to make a girl sweat."

Christina chuckled before getting up from the bench with her duffel bag.

"Oh wait...umm...Helen...I forgot umm...I've been meaning to talk to you about something..."

Christina would say as she figured that this was the perfect time to tell Helen about Alexios.

[ScylliasExoter]

Helen had walked back to her locker from the shower, dressed in her sports bra and bottom. The two had been practicing submission grappling all morning. Helen found herself looking forward to their training together as a highlight of her day. And today was a good day. It was the best she'd ever done against Christina in that regard. In a good mood and looking to go out with her friend afterwards, Helen put on her casual clothes, starting with her jeans, but then stopped at Christina's comment. Raising an eyebrow, she replied,
"You seemed off today. While I am inching towards you in skill, I got a lot more taps and naps out of you today than I normally do. Everything alright?"
She gave Christina a friendly pat on the upper arm.

[Weonna]

The mention of having a couple of naps courtesy of Helen made Christina chuckled again as she said,

"I hope you didn't do anything while I was out cold..."

Christina then got back to serious as she would look Helen in the eyes and said,

"It's about Alexios...now I know that you two have history together, but, well, we've been in touch recently, and I've been thinking about dating him. But before I make any moves, I wanted to talk to you about it. You know, out of respect for our friendship and your history with him."

Christina would await to see how Helen would react.

[ScylliasExoter]

"I see..."
Helen turned to the side and pondered. The giddiness from talking to Christina was gone. Her voice was flat and emotionless.
"I don't think that''s not a good idea. Our history is him cheating on me. With that skank Rianne," Helen replied with an edge to her voice. Truth be told, she wasn't sure how she felt about it. On the one hand, she was concerned for Christina. On the other... she was getting used to Alexios being around them and suddenly a figurative grenade was just dropped into her lap. Regardless, Helen found herself agitated by the news.

[Weonna]

Christina took a deep breath before speaking, trying to find the right words to persuade Helen.

"Helen, I know your history with Alexios is complicated, and I don't want to discount the pain he caused you. But people can change, and our situation might be different. I wouldn't even consider this if I didn't genuinely believe that Alexios and I could make it work."

She looked into Helen's eyes, her expression sincere.

"I care about you, and I wouldn't want to do anything to hurt you. But I also care about Alexios, and I think there's a chance for us to build something meaningful."

Christina paused, hoping her words would resonate with Helen.

"I value your opinion, Helen, and I wouldn't move forward with this if I thought it would jeopardize our bond. Please understand that my intentions are genuine, and I hope you can support me in this."

[ScylliasExoter]

"THEN WHY DIDN'T HE CHANGE FOR ME?! WHY AM I NEVER WORTH THE CHANCE?!"
Helen had turned back to face Christina. She wore a face of rage that masked the pain beneath. Upon realizing that she snapped at Christina, Helen internally gasped at herself but kept it in. It was out there in the open now, and she needed to see how Christina would react.

[Weonna]

Christina's heart sank as she saw the pain and anger in Helen's eyes. She understood the depth of Helen's emotions and the hurt that Alexios had caused her.

"Helen, I'm so sorry,"

Christina said softly, her voice filled with empathy.

"You are absolutely worth the chance, and you deserve so much more than what happened in the past. I can't imagine how you must be feeling right now, and I never meant to make you relive those painful memories."

Christina's eyes reflected her sincerity as she looked at Helen.

[ScylliasExoter]

Helen's heart sank as well. She could barely look Christina in the eye. She truly had snapped at Christina out of nowhere and through no fault of Christina's either.
"Christina I'm- I'm so sorry I shouldn't have said that. That was wrong of me to take it out on you."
Helen sat down in the nearest chair, feeling defeated.

[Weonna]

In a moment of instinct, Christina reached out and caught Helen, pulling her into a gentle and comforting embrace. She held her friend close, offering her a sense of security and support.

"I've got you, Helen,"

Christina murmured softly.

"It's okay to let it out. I'm here for you."

[ScylliasExoter]

Helen leaned back into Christina and the tears began to flow freely. She sat there in Christina’s embrace for some time before turning around and returning the hug.
“I’m sorry. I don’t deserve you as a friend. But thank you.”

Helen parted from her and looked into her eyes.
“I’ll need some time to come to terms with it. In the meantime, you’re good. You do you. Just please don’t bring him around here. I’m not ready for that yet…”