[Open] In the kitchens with Eliot

[distinctive_guy]

CHARACTERS: distinctive_guy and YOU
DATE: Dec 05 (Day 22; Afternoon)
RATING: Possible swearing?
SUMMARY: Eliot's back in the kitchen cooking. Or making food anyway. For once it's not big portions.

Comments

[partnerinheels]

She appreciated his backing off, and caught his gaze in silent thanks before returning it to the sandwich. The silence he offered her acted like quicksand, the more she attempted to forget, the more she became entrenched in the memories.

Flashes of a younger her, no older than ten, shooting a gun for the first time returned vividly. The events around her parents' murder crackled in and out like cruel static, skipping to the more painfully depressing memories. All the good ones had become so overplayed that they too skipped, faded and silent. The hand on her sandwich shook, and her breathing picked up the more she became lost in them.

When he spoke again, it indeed worked to pull her from her thoughts, but not immediately. Dull at first, his voice pulled her back to her perceived reality. The faraway look disappeared slowly, and she turned to focus on Eliot's words, blinking several times while battling the anxiety back. All while trying to put together a coherent sort of response to whatever he had said.

It didn't come fast enough.

[distinctive_guy]

He gave her shaken expression a knowing look and smiled kindly, teasing even, for the sake of pulling her out again. "You know, I'm not used to bein' ignored by women."

Seeing Sheva was back with him, he gave her a pointed arched eyebrow as if showing he was still waiting for her to say something. He bit into his sandwich to give her more time to formulate that response, and smirked throughout his slow chewing.

[partnerinheels]

As everything finally sharpened back to within normal standards, Eliot's comment registered, and she snorted automatically. Apparently her filter hadn't loaded yet. "Poor baby. I think you'll be alright." She didn't smile, but instead appeared relieved for her mind to be back with her.

Though, try as she might, she couldn't remember the entirety of his question, and instead of asking, she flicked him enough of a worried look that maybe he'd repeat himself.

[distinctive_guy]

He made an irritated noise for show before he decided to help her out. "I was sayin', your roommate came up with a good idea. But I guess she must be gettin' stir crazy if she just commanded her whole team to paint signs." Eliot knew that sometimes things just had to be done for the greater good. Serving that didn't just include fighting and going on missions. The small things counted too, though he wondered if her annoyance at being room arrested might have prompted that decision.

[partnerinheels]

The mock irritation softened the mood, and she found herself letting out a few chuckles. "It makes sense. Those network warnings don't help terribly, and I only went out when someone I knew arrived." The look in her eyes indicated that this occurred recently enough to still frustrate her. "Anyways, I think the idea stems mainly from her hating the network being overrun by feeds from the new arrivals. It makes it easy to miss more pertinent ones." Though, stir crazy might have something to do with it too.

[distinctive_guy]

"I've heard that complaint before," he chuckled while he pulled a wry grimace, his thoughts straying to the hacker and his weird expressions. "I know someone who's tryin' to deliver them directly to each new kidnapped person."

Although lately, with how things went, Eliot was more worried about said someone than any new arivees.

[partnerinheels]

"Good for them. Even if it reaches only a handful of people, it'll be worth it." She nodded, watching him as she took another bite of the sandwich, which was slowly disappearing from her hand.

Abesently, she leaned close enough for their arms to meet, an odd way for her to silently say thank you and to try and keep them both from dropping into unwanted thoughts. Herself more than him, she'd admit.