Incomplete

[im_not_a_rookie]

Who: Elena, OPEN
When: This evening
Where: Walking the streets
Rating: TBA
Warnings: Angst, language, touch of blood?
Summary: Elena is out punching walls taking a walk after finding out Reno’s gone poof.

Comments

[el_legendaire]

It had probably been a mistake to leave the safehouse, what with everything going on. Always things to keep track of these days. Always problems to follow, on the outside of the filter, champing useless at the bit when he had to hear after the fact about a death, a disappearance, a department feud.

They were his children and they wouldn't thank him for his interference, not now or ever, but that didn't change his duties to them.

And Marri had brought up Veld's name. It had to have been more than a month since he'd even spoken to the man, but still, all it took was the hint of suspicion, of fear, to call him like a dog.

There were days when Duke hated his partner, and this was one of them. As if wandering the streets was really going to do any good. As if he might somehow magically stumble upon the problem, when he didn't even know what had happened. An abduction. A murder. A dismissal. Veld simply, as Marri had said, running late. Duke certainly didn't honestly expect to find him, hunting uselessly like this, but the

[im_not_a_rookie]

Elena’s ears perked up first at the whistle, then at the words. She was already grinding her teeth, her eyes narrowed darkly to confront whatever threat life had decided in this wonderful moment to toss her way. She marked that by having her good hand reaching for her gun, a quick motion that was blurred only by skill and length of time perfecting it.

And then she stopped, the surprise filtering into her face and destroying the anger that had set up camp there.

Duke?

Duke.

She tried to think of the last time she saw the deserter, wondered if it was the night with the bourbon, then decided it didn’t matter. The soft patter as the blood dripped from her hand stretched the moment between them, and she was left looking at him with large brown eyes and little to say.

“It looked at me funny…?”

She tried a small smile, failed, and let her shoulders sag with a long exhale. “What are you doing out, sir?”

[el_legendaire]

"Ah." His gaze went from her injured hand to the impact crater and, though his expression didn't change at all, something clicked. He'd seen enough of Jisella's handiwork to recognize a difference.

"Definitely a reason to administer a beating." He smiled for her when her own crashed, his best Charming With a Touch Of Sympathy smile that usually led to the other party telling him their woes. "As to your question, could I possibly answer that I had a sudden, overwhelming desire to see your pretty face again, darlin'?"

[im_not_a_rookie]

Duke was one of those people that she loved to see and hated to be around all at the same time. He made her comfortable, like any good friend, like Reno or Rude or Ondrea or Tseng did, and it was forbidden with a defector as far as she was concerned. Especially a defector that had taken up a habit of freeing their enemies.

She smiled a little though, in spite of herself. Damn him, damn his sweettalking, damn everything about him.

"You could answer it, but you'd have to forgive me if I didn't believe it one hundred percent, sir."

Raising her hand up, she cradled it as discreetly as she could with her other arm. "Are you doing well, sir? You've been quiet as of late. At least, with me, you have."

[el_legendaire]

A lot of people felt like that about Duke. It was something he'd gotten used to, really.

"I suppose I could hardly blame you." He pretended not to notice the injury, since she was going to such lengths to not mention it herself. "Me being one of those untrustworthy and unscrupulous types."

Her question didn't so much catch him off guard as did the geniune stab of regret when he realized she was right. "I do apologize for that, miss Elena. I'll have to make it up to you somehow."

[im_not_a_rookie]

"Well, Duke-sir, do you expect any less when you're out releasing evil criminals?" No, she hadn't forgotten about Wesker and the daring escape, but in the same go, she couldn't be happier about it. After all, Wesker was her only hope for helping Schuldig, and him locked up wasn't going to save anyone.

Besides, they had a mutual, albeit shaky, understanding, she liked to think.

She cocked her head to the side, sighing a little. Dancing around the subject was helping nothing, and he might understand more than she thought; after all, he had to have loved ones back home he was missing. Right? Maybe? Hopefully?

"Reno's gone. I think he went back home." Saying it did nothing to ease the pain, and it showed itself in the frown dancing over her lips.

[el_legendaire]

"No. Not really." His amiable expression went distant, but only for a moment.

Duke was fortunate in his lone wolf persona. He didn't have too many people that he'd left behind on Gaia that he hadn't already left behind when he'd still been there. Most of the people he cared for were here.

All except two.

He looked at her soberly. Another one vanished. "...the line to say here would be that he's better off, of course, but that doesn't make anything easier for you. How are you holding up?"

[im_not_a_rookie]

How was she holding up? That was almost laughable. She raised her bleeding hand, the knuckles split clear enough to show the pale bone beneath, before she glanced at the wall. That spoke more than words could ever convey, and she wasn't going to breath the moment with something almost laughable by trying to put feelings into the prisoned confines of syllables.

"I didn't want him to go."

Such selfishness, she knew, Such wretched selfishness that consumed her in guilt, but she couldn't help it one bit. So, she spoke the words again, with conviction, snarled them with her eyes narrowed. "I didn't want him to go!"

She started to pace a little, her steps hard, solid. "He and I didn't talk much after we...broke up, but...that didn't mean... Duke-sir, I loved him. As a friend, as a lover, as everything I could. A teammate, a Turk."