(no subject)

[ellectrical]

Suresh really doesn't know Elle's father like she does.

This wasn't a surprise for her. It doesn't mean she was in any less a foul mood in the time after their meeting, as she stalked through the halls of the Facility, more acutely aware of her confinement than she could ever remember being before.

For whatever that was worth.

The appearance of the bar when she returns to her room is enough to slow her pace, at least, though it doesn't stop her from slamming the door. When she's settled on a stool, the Bar greets her with one of Bela's books.

She snatches it up without complaint.

Comments

[cutting_edgex23]

"You are studying?"

X seems curious as she approaches Elle, hesitating fractionally before sitting next to the other woman.

[ellectrical]

"Kind of."

She closes the book when X approaches, not with any attempt at secrecy, but because... well, X is approaching.

"I came back."

[cutting_edgex23]

"Good," X says, very firmly.

And then --

"Your world is okay?"

Considering everything X heard about the virus, she is a little uncertain.

[ellectrical]

"I guess."

She says this without a whole lot of conviction, but with a glance over to X, Elle adds, "It's okay right now."

[cutting_edgex23]

X considers that. Carefully.

"You are okay, too?"

She worries. But at least Elle does not seem hurt.

[ellectrical]

She shrugs one shoulder.

"I'm here."

There's not much of a pause before she asks, "What about you?"

[cutting_edgex23]

"I am okay," X says.

"There will be a mission soon."

Beat.

"The parameters are acceptable."

[ellectrical]

"The -"




"- thing from before?"

Which she totally remembers. Yep.

[cutting_edgex23]

"Yes. The Legacy Virus," X says.

"I do not know if there are variant strains."

That could be problematic. And initial reports indicate --

Well. There may be.

[ellectrical]

That thing. Not the thing with the people in the churches.

Or them with this thing.

Whatever.

"But you know how to get rid of it?"

[cutting_edgex23]

"There are containment procedures," X offers, after another long moment of consideration.

"Dr. McCoy is fully versed."

In fact, he probably came up with them.

[ellectrical]

Beat.

"And that'll... stop it?"

[cutting_edgex23]

"It will keep people from getting sick."

Beat.

"I do not know if there is a cure."

But pretty soon she'll find out!

[gavemea_45]

He spots her when he heads up to the bar for a beer.



"Hey, Elle."

[ellectrical]

At which point she's resting her head in her hand and leaning over the open book.

(She might not get the point of vampires, but at least 'decapitation' is straightforward.)

When she hears Sam, Elle does look up, her left arm moving over the book in what could almost be qualified as stealthy. At least, for her.

"Hi."

She doesn't sound all that welcoming.

[gavemea_45]

Not that he can blame her, really.

Sam stops a few feet away, not crowding her.

"Um, how's it going?"

[ellectrical]

This doesn't seem to improve her mood. She straightens in her seat, lifting herself away from the book and closing it.

"Why're you asking?"

[gavemea_45]

"... mostly just because I was interested? In how things were going for you?" he tries, awkwardly.

[ellectrical]

She finds his lack of malice disturbing.

"A demon didn't possess you and throw me into anything again."

Beat.

"If that's what you're asking."

[gavemea_45]

"It wasn't, actually," Sam tells her. "I mean, that's good, but it wasn't what I was asking."

A beat.

"Elle, you do get that I'm trying to be friends, right?"

[ellectrical]

Elle pushes herself of the stool, pacing right through the space Sam provided to not crowd her. It looks like she's doing this to get a better look at him, but she steps much closer than could really be necessary for that.

Then, without so much as a glance away: "I liked the demon better."

[gavemea_45]

Every muscle in his body tenses.

"Did you."

It comes out flat, and Sam's looking at her with a mixture of shock and sudden wariness.

"Okay. Why?"

[ellectrical]

"I knew it."

Even if it had lied about who and what it was.

Elle's expression doesn't change.

"I don't know you."

[gavemea_45]

She'd felt more comfortable with the murderous thing that had wielded his abilities or its own as weapons than with him.

Even as the shock of that spreads through him, Sam realizes just how much this says about how bad things might be where she's from -- or how bad they could get, the demon's anything like what Elle recognizes as normal.

If Dad was right, in other words.

"It doesn't have to be that way."

There's got to be something--

[ellectrical]

She'd felt more comfortable with something that wanted to hurt her.

At least it made its intentions plain.

"I didn't lie to you."

Her voice can be awfully flat, too.