(no subject)

[ellectrical]

Not too long after this, Elle and X wander back into the bar. Elle's left shoulder has finally been cleaned and bandaged, and she's making a very diligent effort of not picking at it. Her eyes stay ahead as they make their way through the room, until she nudges X in the direction of a booth. X takes a seat first, and Elle slips in next to her, dropping the folder she'd still been carrying onto the table in front of them.

After a couple minutes of quiet conversation between them, Elle flags down a passing waitrat.

And not too long after this, she's lifting a tray from the rat onto the table.

Tomato soup and milk for X, grilled cheese and a chocolate milkshake for Elle.

Decapitation, explosions, and emotional fallout will make any girl hungry.


[ooc: This is an open, two-mun EP that is... milliwavily several days late! And as a warning, they may together be kind of the worst at being socially interactive at this moment. But if that sounds entertaining to you, feel free to tag!]

Comments

[cutting_edgex23]

X makes her way through four or five mouthfuls of soup before she sets her spoon down, head tilting as she turns to look at Elle.

"You brought the folder. Here."

Does she want to look through more of it?

[ellectrical]

Elle is halfway through one side of the sandwich, and finishes her bite before answering.

"It's you."

Beat. "It's for you."

[cutting_edgex23]

"Oh."

X reaches out to rest her fingertips against the top of the file folder, but she makes no move to slide it closer to herself.

She's still watching Elle.

"But I know. What is in it. What they did."

Beat.

"What I did."

[ellectrical]

"I know."

She leans back against the side of the booth, her eyes on the folder.

"I know you won't forget, but..."

Elle's not really sure how to explain it. The meaning of a written record, something that could be held on to.

"It's there and I didn't want it to just - burn up."

Something like that.

[cutting_edgex23]

"It is good no one else has it," X agrees at last. Not that it would have survived the burning, but --

"Many people already know. It is not a secret."

Even if she sometimes wants it to be. But -- maybe it explains some things X can't. Maybe it is relevant.

She takes her hand away from the folder a little too fast.

"You can look."

[ellectrical]

"Maybe not right now."

She'd like to finish her sandwich first.

[cutting_edgex23]

"Okay."

X sits quietly for a few moments, then leans her shoulder against Elle's -- carefully -- before going back to her soup.

[52_dropoff]

Charlie sees his friend X come into the Bar with one of those faces he's seen around but never met. He watches the two take their seats, and tries to guess (with little success) what they've been up to that's left them looking so exhausted.

"Laura?"

[cutting_edgex23]

"Charlie," X says after a long moment, looking away from Elle and up at him.

"I like X better. Now."

Beat.

"Please."

[ellectrical]

Elle blinks between them.

And then, unsure if she's supposed to say something, she opts to take another bite of her sandwich.

[52_dropoff]

"X is it." Funny. It took him ages to get used to her being a Laura. And now she wants X. He wonders what that is about.

"How are you? And, um, hi. I'm Charlie."

[cutting_edgex23]

"Yes," X says simply.

It's her name, after all, and it has been for a while. And sometimes it is important for other people to know who you are.

"I am okay."

She flicks a look at Elle as she finishes speaking.

Is this where introductions go?

[ellectrical]

She blinks between them again.

But this time, her eyes land on Charlie, and she answers, "I'm Elle."

[battle_butler]

Alfred didn't see the two girls when he initially arrived in the bar.

He had been looking for some of the white wines he knows are in the cellars of Wayne Manor, when one door lead him here. Wine was on his mind, so it made sense to have a glass. Then maybe, he can move on to something else, while he's here, like arrangements to replaster the ceiling in the grand ballroom.

When he looks up and around having got his glass of wine (white, Bordeaux, 1996, aged for 17 years for some reason rather than the 8 he'd been expecting), he can't help but notice the two girls sitting in the booth. Recognising both of them, he heads over.

"X. And Elle."

This is where he would say how are you? but the answer to that one is fairly obvious. So instead, he asks, "What happened? Or would you rather not talk about it?"

[cutting_edgex23]

"Alfred," X says, after swallowing one last spoonful of soup. "Hello."

Then she pauses to think about the answer to his question, flicking a quick sideways glance at Elle as if to check.

"We are not dead."

That seems potentially important. For multiple reasons.

[ellectrical]

Elle glances back at X.

"I think talking about it's your thing."

Or at least, it's X's call.

[battle_butler]

Well, that is a promising start.

"You could have been?"

Normally, he wouldn't be so direct. Then again, he is talking to two of the most direct people he knows.

[cutting_edgex23]

X nudges her leg against Elle's for a moment, as if to say 'okay'.

"It is never very likely," X allows. "For me. Or Elle."

Maybe for (completely) different reasons, but still.

[ellectrical]

"It's a little more likely for me."

Elle doesn't see herself as particularly infallible.

After a pause, though, she adds, "But I'm not."

[bisexualfury]

Smudge is drawn to the table by the glorious aroma of the grilled cheese.

He looks at it. Then he looks at the young woman eating it. Then he looks at it again.

"Are you going to eat all of that?" he asks.

He may or may not sound exactly like Sylar.

[cutting_edgex23]

The woman eating the soup looks up at him as well, head tilting slightly.

His scent is not reminiscent of Sylar's. Neither is his voice, really.

This is probably for the best.

"You can get your own. Sandwich. From Bar."

Beat.

"Or the waitrats."

[ellectrical]

Elle, however, maybe accustomed to Jamie Hamilton occasionally eating off her plate, picks up her already partly-eaten half of the sandwich, then slides the other half over.

Other than this, however, she doesn't say anything.

[bisexualfury]

omg sandwich :D

"Thanks!" Smudge says with evident joy and gratefulness, choosing to ignore the other person who expected him to actually go all the way to Bar for a sandwich.

Uninvited, he slides onto the seat next to Elle and starts happily munching away.

[cutting_edgex23]

X flicks a quick look from the newcomer to Elle, then returns her attention to her own food.

Mostly.

[ellectrical]

Elle gives X a shrug. As much as she can, at the moment.

Even for her, it quite clearly communicates, 'I don't know.'