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COLBY GLANCED up from her sketchbook as Diego sat down in Marcel's usual spot across from her in the small booth. Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, her eyes scanning over the rest of the bar, looking for the familiar face of her friend.
"Hey, Diego. Where's Marcel?" Colby tilted her head to the side a bit, raising an eyebrow at the man in front of her.
"Hey, Colby. He'll be here in a few minutes. One of his old friends is in town." Diego said quickly, brushing the question off like he really didn't want to be discussing it. "What're you drawing?" He asked, and Colby's face began to heat up as a blush crawled onto her cheeks. She had been finishing a drawing of Diego, something she had been working on for a couple of weeks. Colby was never embarrassed with her drawings when gifting them, but being caught in the act made her want to hide her face. She was just shading in his dark eyes, putting the final touches on the shadows.
"Uh, well," She mumbled, turning the sketchbook around, carefully brushing eraser shavings off of the page. "You?" He grinned, something rarely seen, and usually only by his closest friends.
"You're as amazing as always, Colby! I'm definitely framing that one when you're done." Diego said happily, making Colby laugh as the door to Rousseau's opened, Marcel walking in. She gently placed her almost-full sketchbook back down on the table, smiling brightly at him.
"Hey, Colby! Diego giving you too much trouble?" Marcel gave Diego a light shove, laughing. Colby rolled her eyes playfully, pretending to scowl at the man sitting across from her.
"Oh, yes, he is the absolute worst." She said dramatically, rolling her eyes again. The three of them laughed, falling back into the usual comfortable silence they always held.
Checking the time on her phone and then looking outside, Colby saw it was getting dark, and sighed. Flipping her sketchbook shut and shoving it into her messenger bag, Colby stood.
"Well, boys, I must be going now. Lovely to see you, as always." Quickly giving Diego and Marcel hugs, Colby moved to the door, her hand resting on the handle.
"Colby, wait! Maybe you should let one of us walk you home? It's getting pretty dark." Diego said with concern, dark eyes looking at her warily. Colby smiled at Diego, his concern for her safety always taking precedent over anything else.
"I'll be fine, Diego. The apartment isn't that far." She reasoned, gesturing towards the direction of her home. Diego nodded hesitantly after a moment, frowning, and Marcel gave him a pat on the shoulder as Colby walked out into the night.
-•-•-
Colby never felt scared or uncomfortable walking home alone in the dark. While she knew there were possible dangers, she never felt like she had to worry about anything. Most people in the Quarter knew her, and she was well-liked among the locals. Colby had no reason to ever truly feel unsafe, sticking to well-lit sidewalks and the areas she knew like the back of her hand. She had been walking these streets since she was eight, and never had any problems before.
