milliways_bar | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"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."

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--

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.

Edited 2009-08-19 07:27 (UTC)

"Guess not."

A beat.

"You're pretty good at not answering questions, but no, I guess you didn't lie. Then again, maybe I didn't either. I just didn't tell you. Until you asked."

"I asked if there was anything like that in your world."

Of course, it was the first time they'd met, and he'd given a perfectly ambiguous, non-lie answer. But she may not like the next part.

"Your brother told me."

And even had the decency to look ready to shoot her over it.

Of all the things he might have, could have possibly expected, this was nowhere near any of them.

Sam looks as though he's been punched in the gut, even as his jaw drops open.

"Dean told you about me?"

No way. No way in hell, and a second later he's figured out what she's got to mean.

"Or just about the job?"

It takes Elle a moment to even sort out what he means. 'Job' and 'me' are not concepts she has to disassociate very often.

"Your job," she answers, finally.

And just as quickly as the world had tilted underneath him, it's righted again.

"Yeah, well. Neither of us was supposed to do that, but things are kinda different here."

It's not really even about his job. It's about the sense that he knew more about everything, knew more about her, and didn't tell her.

And she can't begin to explain that.

Unable to come up with any point to argue, she just replies, dully, "I don't know what you want."

"What I want," Sam tells her, "is to try to be friends."

For a whole slew of reasons, among them the fact that giving up on Elle would be weirdly like giving up on himself.

Edited 2009-08-20 04:02 (UTC)

And she doesn't know what that means. At least, or especially, when it comes to Sam.

She's not going to be saying that. Really, it's her first instinct to just say no.

But -

"Why?"

Edited 2009-08-20 04:34 (UTC)

Now it's Sam's turn to look frustrated.

"Because, okay? Do I have to have a reason?"

He sounds it, too.

"Maybe you remind me of someone -- you kinda do. Maybe I just want to do something about the fact that the idea of having a friend seems to be such a totally alien thing to you, 'cause if your life sucks that bad, well, it shouldn't, okay?"

Her composure, which she'd kept relatively even until this point, quickly deteriorates as he goes on, until her fingers are curled up against her palms and, quite suddenly, small sparks actually snap up at the ends of her hair.

It makes her jerk back, and probably stops her from hitting him. She looks down at her hands, and slowly loosens them, before walking away (without turning away from him, ever), to retrieve her book from the bar.

Once she has it, she steps back, though not as close as she had before.

"That demon didn't tell me about you."

Her voice is very, very low.

Sam stares at her.

"It didn't?"

Beat.

"Wait-- then how did you know?"

"It wanted me to know."

She's gripping that book rather tightly, maybe to keep her hands in place.

"But it didn't just say it. Some girl from your world told me, I didn't know she meant you until then."

"Some girl--"

There's only one girl he knows who comes here that might possibly have the first clue about this.

"Ava? You know Ava?"

Elle at least doesn't really have to struggle for this; all that yelling that went on the first time makes that name click easily enough.

"Yeah."

She doesn't add the homicidal demon-summoning one, because she honestly doesn't realize this is a secret.

With no change in her tone, "You might want to shut her up, if you care that much."

He opens his mouth.

Shuts it again.

Shit. Ava, dammit--

"Yeah." Quietly. "Guess I'd better talk to her."

Elle doesn't say anything.

She just turns, and starts to walk off toward the stairs.

He doesn't try to follow her, but --

"I'm not giving up on you, Elle."

That -

That's the last of it Elle can stand. Her frustration boils over, and feeling as constrained as she had back in her hellhole home, Elle does something stupid.

She whips around sharply, and flings Bela's book at him.

Not even caring if it does any damage, she turns away again, and very quickly, disappears in the direction of the stairs.

He's got good reflexes; pretty much has to, in his line of work.

Sam knocks the book away, sending it flying to one side and against a nearby chair with a thump.

Elle's gone. With a sigh, he picks the book up, glancing absently at the cover -- and then frowning at it.

After a few seconds, he takes it to the bar.

"Can you hold this for Elle, please?"

The book disappears.

"Thanks."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only