(Untitled)

[agentmoreau]

Who: Elena, Zero
Where: The Starbucks
When: Thursday night (4/16)
Warnings: will be added as needed, but probably none
What: Zero wants to talk. Elena isn't sure she should be here.

Comments

[red_maverick]

The familiar engine telegraphed Zero's arrival, as he pulled the motorcycle into the lot and parked. His leathers creaking softly as he swung his leg back over, he walked into the Starbucks via the side entrance, placing his order as he scanned for Elena. He didn't seem to wear any particular expression on his face, just a half-blank, half-serious look that sat like it was painted on. You could call it stoic, but you'd be wrong.

When his order came up, he made his way to the front door, stepping back into the night air, letting the coolness play at his scalp. Then he saw her, sitting at her old table. The groove in the seat's probably gone, he mentally mused. Walking through the other tables, he finally came to hers, hanging his helmet on the chair across before unzipping his coat and sliding into the seat.

For a moment, he didn't say anything. Honestly, he didn't know what to say. Last time he'd run into her, he was on the floor, hands behind his back, beaten and apprehended by her employer's security detail. One of his best

[agentmoreau]

Elena took a drag on her cigarette to settle herself, and refused to flinch. So that's how it was going to go.

"If that's what you called me here for, I have a lot that I could be doing," she said mildly. She couldn't let him provoke her, couldn't let him get in too deep - if she gave away anything the whole plan would be ruined. And then where would she be?

...But that was rude. "...Sorry. Guess I'm kind of on edge."

[red_maverick]

"Would never have guessed."

Zero's voice wasn't exactly warm at the moment, but he wasn't trying to be antagonistic; at least, not actively. He hadn't called her out to verbally spar, and he hadn't called her out to yell, either. But what did he call her out for?

Because she was his friend, that's why.

"...You were just doing your job. I don't hold that against you, 'Lena." His eyes were on his coffee, steam swirling through the lid. Something in him knew he wasn't done, that he had a lot to say, a lot to ask; but at that moment, that was all he was letting out.

[agentmoreau]

To hear that come from Zero, to hear him forgive her after having him arrested... Elena swallowed hard. He really was a better friend than she had ever imagined.

"You have every right to," she said, also avoiding his eyes. "But for what it's worth, I'm glad you don't."

She took a sip of her coffee and pushed all thoughts of the raid to the back of her mind. "...Are you alright? Considering, I mean."

[red_maverick]

The blonde hairs wavered about as he shook his head. "I don't have any right. You're not the one we were trying to hurt, and you're not the one who got us arrested." His lips tightened as he sighed, looking back up at her. "You're not my enemy, Elena. Never were. I was... angry." Admitting he was wrong was something hard to do, and Zero found himself doing it more often since he first arrived in this city.

"You mean, getting arrested?" He leaned back, shrugging. "My time in jail was uneventful, if that's what you mean. When you can bench-press more than half what the other people can, they don't give you shit about long hair." Looking down at his coffee again, he seemed to get a little more pensive.

"If you mean what went down with my father... that's a different story."

[agentmoreau]

"...That's kind of what I was asking about," Elena said, transferring her gaze back to him. The cigarette was dwindling slowly, smoke drifting out of the corner of her eye.

[red_maverick]

Zero was silent for quite a few moments. He still hadn't gone over the details of what happened after his father bailed him out, not even with his older brother. No one had asked for the specifics, and he wasn't prone to talking about his personal stuff.

But he almost felt like he owed it to Elena to tell her.

After finally taking a gulp of coffee, he sighed, lifting his head. "Well, the good news is, he didn't disown me. But he might as well." His body shifted forward, arms folding over each other on the table. "I'm now the Wily Black Sheep. Probably never going back to his estate ever again, not that I'm really bothered by that. I'm not written out of the will, but at this point, it doesn't matter if I inherit anything."

"I knew he'd find out someday, that the guy helping to bust up his factories and expose his less-than-ecological business practices. Hell, I'd probably told him myself, after graduation." His face looked downtrodden. "I don't know why I still feel like a failure here. I'm doing what I want to be doing for once

[agentmoreau]

Elena swirled her coffee contemplatively. "I'm probably not the best person to come to for advice on how to deal with your family," she said with a small grin. "You know I'd sooner throw them out the window than have anything to do with them."

She took a short drag on her cigarette. "If you think that what you're doing is the right thing, I won't say a word against you. Well, as long as you stay away from the bossman's property - I ripped him a new one the last time, but there's only so much I can say to him."

[red_maverick]

Zero actually laughed. "If I wanted advice with my family, I'd know better than to ask for it. Nah, they're my problem to deal with, if I want it to be a problem."

"No, it's just... I guess all that shit I've felt about my father finally decided it was more trouble than it was worth. So for all intents and purposes, he's not my father any more. I'm... I'm just Zero. The last name's a formality." He still sighed, but waved a hand dismissively. "And for the record, I make no promises about Britannia operations, but mostly I'll be sticking to dealing with my old man. There's enough going on that I don't have to branch out from there." He smiled again. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't think I hated you, Elena. You're one of my best friends here, regardless of what you gotta do for money."

[agentmoreau]

Elena echoed his short little laugh, although it was clear that her heart wasn't in it. She stared contemplatively at the table.

"You're a better person than I could hope to be," she said quietly. "I don't know how you can forgive me after... just, after."