So what now? (Katydid50 x 5Bulletproof-Marshmellows)

[Katydid50]

Daniel huffed angrily and took a step back, knowing he wasn't going to win and, really, he wasn't sure he wanted to. After all, would it have been so bad for Elenore to see his house? The living room was a mess, filled with building supplies and sawdust, but it wasn't trashed or anything. And it wasn't like she was going to see the guest bedroom, which he hadn't touched since the day he moved in. Yeah, everything would be fine.

Judging by the look on Michael's face, the Brit was quite happy with the response he got from Elenore. The Englishman grinned widely. "Yes, it's fine with him," he said, to which Daniel raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. "Follow the road out of town westward for five miles. After you pass a dead oak that's burnt and split in 'alf-" It got struck by lightning a few years ago. "-you'll see a dirt road to the left. Take that until you come to a fork in the road. Go left and follow it to the end." Daniel knew that Elenore had his address but didn't say anything. His house was very hard to find, even with the address. There were no road signs out there to tell you where you were.

"Come over whenever you're ready. See you then," Michael said before hanging up, not giving Elenore the chance to change her mind. Daniel's mouth hung open before he glowered at Michael. Did he have no say in this? Apparently not. Then again, he wasn't really overly angry. He just had to seem like it or Michael would twist his balls to get him to do what the older man wanted, which would no doubt somehow involve Elenore.

Sighing, he shook his head and walked out to the kitchen to get something to drink. The idea of showering, or even changing into clothes that weren't covered in sawdust, never crossed his mind. He couldn't remember the last time he had dressed up for someone and he wasn't about to start now. Although, he did want to look presentable for Elenore. But he wasn't going to pretend to be something he wasn't and, if she couldn't handle him like that, she would never have been able to handle him at his worst. That was something he needed in a friend, if nothing else.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

She didn't hear Daniel say anything but it was possible that he was just quiet at the moment. Sighing, she heard the man's voice again and listened to his instructions, picture what it would look like once she actually got there.. hopefully she wouldn't get lost. She was about to say something else but then the phone clicked and she was left with nothing. Great.. so she had to come since she had agreed.. hopefully it wouldn't be that bad of a trip. Running her fingers through her hair as she slipped her phone into her pocket, she didn't bother changing into something else since she was fine with what she was wearing now.

Finishing off the glass of water, she then set the glass in the sink and walked back to her room, wondering if she should bring anything. Perhaps a cake? It was her first time going there after all and a gift would be nice. Deciding to stop by the store, she grabbed her purse since her wallet was in there and left the house, locking it, taking the small piece of paper with her as well just in case.

Her trip to the store was sort and she threw away the price tag that was on the cake, it was a gift and she didn't want them to feel like they should pay money to get a piece. Lemon cake.. she didn't even know if he would like it. Ugh. Driving her car out of the city, she followed Micheal's instructions as best as she could, hoping that she remembered them right. Seeing the oak tree that looked like it had been struck by lightening, she turned to the left, hoping that she was going the right way.

For some reason she was extremely nervous but.. maybe it would go away once she got there. Seeing his house up ahead after another left turn, she took in a deep breath and continued, parking her car not too far from Daniel's recognizing it easily. Turning off the ignition, she pulled out the keys and stuffed them in her purse before getting out, putting her back over her shoulder and holding the lemon cake in her hands, making sure all the doors were locked before she closed it with her hip since her hands were busy and she didn't want to drop the lemon cake. Walking up to the door, she hoped she didn't look like an idiot and hopefully she wasn't over doing it either. Knocking on the front door, she nervously waited for someone to come up to it.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel sighed deeply as he stood in the kitchen, looking out the window, nursing a glass of lukewarm tap water in his hands. He was nervous for a reason he couldn't quite grasp. Perhaps it was just because this would be the first time she saw his house. He hoped she didn't think too badly of it. He didn't exactly expect her to be in awe of it. The front of was pretty crappy. The whole house needed a new paint job. The railing on the front porch was splintering, and was pretty rickety to begin with. The roof was held together well but it would need to be re-shingled soon.

It was a good thing the inside of the house was in a better condition than the outside. The outside reminded him far too much of the condition of the house he'd grown up in. The kitchen was in pretty good condition, looking like an ordinary kitchen in any old country house. It had black and white checkered linoleum flooring and oak wood cabinets. The counters were white with speckles of pale brown. The living room was a mess but it looked like an... active mess. It looked more like a workshop than a living room but it didn't look like someone had just dumped stuff there and never looked at it again.

He didn't look up from the window when he heard Michael step into the room. Instead, he surveyed his front yard, which wasn't much of a yard. His house was smack-dab in the middle of a field. The nearest tree was a quarter mile away and the grass, aside from a ten yard radius around the house, was pretty damn long. He'd have to get Michael's horse over sometime and get to work on that.

He was pulled from his observations by the sound of an approaching vehicle. Blinking, he looked up to see Elenore's familiar car pulling up the dirt path that served as his driveway. "Is that 'er?" He didn't answer Michael's question aloud, simply nodding before downing the rest of his glass of water.

At first, he didn't move, simply watching as Elenore pulled her vehicle up beside his and climbed out. His eyes narrowed at first but relaxed again when he saw what it was she was carrying. A cake. She brought a cake. How... quaint. Walking over to the sink, he placed the glass beside it on the counter before following Michael who had rushed to the door like an overly excited child.

He watched from the doorway to the kitchen as Michael opened the door. He could only imagine how Elenore must see him. Michael had thinning gray hair that refused to be tamed and stuck out at odd angles. His eyes were a pale powder blue but could take on an icy glint when he was angry. His skin was decently tanned though not as much as Daniel's. Michael's clothes consisted of a pale gray shirt that had been patched up so many times, it was impossible to tell it apart from some sewn-together rags. His pants weren't much better. Daniel couldn't understand why Michael dressed like that when he could easily afford to buy new clothes. When he asked, Michael's only response was that they were 'comfortable'. He was also missing several teeth and the rest had a pale yellow tint to them, completing the look of him being a hobo. The only things that were missing was the purple, also patched, tophat and walking cane that he sometimes brought with him. Daniel silently dared the world to come up with an odder character.

"Well, 'ello there. You must be Elenore," he heard Michael say. He didn't need to see the man's face to know he was grinning.
((Did you have any plans for Grace's love life?))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Taking the time to take in her surroundings, she noticed his house looked like it could use a fresh coat of paint. She didn't mind though, after all it was his house and she knew how much work it could take to fix one room since Aunt Rose had to redo her bedroom due to the fact that the tree had fallen in on one cold winter. There had been a storm and Deserai was a few months old as well. Closing her eyes briefly, she lowered her head. Yeah, perhaps it wasn't the best idea to go out into the middle of the country to meet someone but she had agreed and she didn't regret it.

Hearing footsteps on the other side she wasn't sure if Daniel's neighbor was still there. She had seen a house or two on her way here so it was possible that he had left but then again.. she doubted that he had after hearing what he had said and the fact that he wanted to plan Daniel's future out. Only now did she realize that it was definitely going to be awkward. Letting out a soft sigh, she raised her head as the door opened, it had only been a few seconds since she had knocked.

Seeing a man that so obviously wasn't Daniel, she smiled at him since he was grinning at her. "Hi. And you're Michael?" she wasn't sure if he was alright with her calling him that so that is why she asked. He was definitely different than she had expected him to. Since Daniel had trouble getting the phone back, she thought he would be a lot taller and have more muscle.. and perhaps even younger. It was hard to believe that Michael was stronger than Daniel but she didn't want to test his strength.

She held out her hand so that she could shake his, guessing that she might as well start with formalities since she didn't really know him. He seemed like a nice person overall, even though he seemed to enjoy messing with Daniel's future, maybe doing what he thought was best, she didn't know and she wasn't about to dwell on it for too long either. Elenore silently wondered why Daniel hadn't gotten the door though.
((Couldn't think of anything that would make it longer >.< Sorry. The idea with Native American son sounds good though.. it's just going to take a while before we get that far.))  

[Katydid50]

Daniel watched over Michael's shoulder as the older man stepped forward and enveloped Elenore in a large hug, the corner of his mouth twitching at the sound of the man's laughter. "No need for such formality," he heard Michael say. "Any friend of Daniel's is a friend of mine!" Daniel rolled his eyes skyward, wandering why on earth Michael had to be so... He let that thought slide away. Michael was a good person and a wonderful friend, no matter how much Daniel complained about him to him. He also didn't smell, which might have been a miracle considering his appearance.

"For goodness' sake, Michael," he said, deciding to come to Elenore's rescue. "Let her have a breath. It wouldn't do to have you suffocate the first friend I've had over since... ever." Pushing away from the doorway to the kitchen, he walked over to Michael, placed a hand on his shoulder and gently pulled him back. Michael, however, had lost interest in Elenore and had turned to Daniel wearing a pout.

"What? Don't I count as a friend?" he asked, looking at Daniel with wide eyes that might have been considered cute had Michael been a few centuries younger.

"No," Daniel said flatly. "You count as the annoying neighbor who has a nasty habit of sticking his nose where it doesn't belong." He ignored the hurt look on Michael's face, which he knew immediately shifted into a mischievous one once his back was turned. He knew Michael far too well.

"Please, come in," he said to Elenore, stepping back and none too gently pushing Michael out of Elenore's way. Michael didn't seem to notice though, his eyes focusing in on Elenore again. Daniel could only guess what was going through the old man's head. Despite himself, he really did hope that Michael liked her and vice versa. He would never admit it aloud but Michael was the most important person in the world to him and he valued his opinion over anyone else's.

"Sorry about the mess," he said. "I have a habit of not cleaning up after myself when I really get into something, like fixing a wall or whatever." As well as rebuilding the living room, he had to maintain the kitchen, bathroom and his bedroom which kept him pretty busy.

((It's alright))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Her eyes widened as she was suddenly pulled into a hug. She moved the cake so that it wasn't between them. Holding it with one hand as she smiled a bit, returning the hug as best as she could with one arm and tried to get some air into her lungs as well. As far as she could tell he was a good person with a sense of humor. "I'm glad you see it that way." she said, a warm welcome was always good. Sure she didn't know Michael that well but she liked him already. He reminded her of her father... that is before be became a drunk man with a broken heart.

Letting out a small laugh as she heard what Daniel had to say, she then let go of Michael as Daniel pulled him away and she brought the cake back up since her wrist was starting to hurt from holding it with one hand. The two argued for a little bit and she couldn't help but smile. This was definitely better than staying at home and watching some boring TV channel.

The two seemed fine with insulting each other if they had to, but they were fine right after that. Looking at Daniel before he pushed Michael out of the way, she stepped inside, they had a violent friendship that was for sure. "Thanks." she told him as she stopped a few feet into the house, not exactly knowing where to go since she had never been here. "It's fine." Deserai tore up the living room at times and she was used to messes though she liked to keep things neat, she wasn't a perfectionist about it. Nodding her head as he explained, she glanced around, taking in the area.

"Well, this is for both of you." she handed the cake to Daniel. It was kind of her way of saying thanks for letting her come over and spending time with her. Hopefully he wouldn't hate the flavor, she really should have asked what type of food he liked yesterday when they had a chance to talk. Sticking her hands into the pockets of her black pants afterward, she wasn't sure what to do now. Might as well let things set their own course and go with it.

((Do you want me to take on the grandfather or father? ))  

[Katydid50]

When Elenore said she was fine with the mess, Michael's eyebrow shot up. Daniel smiled weakly. It seemed, as much as Michael's informant had told him, the fact that Elenore had three kids obviously had not been one of those facts. Well, Daniel wasn't about to ruin the surprise so he pretended to miss the confused, and slightly concerned, look on the older man's face. No doubt Michael thought she was some kind of slob. He would let Michael think what he wanted. He would find out eventually anyway.

When Elenore handed the cake to him, he blinked in surprise, looking down at the food object before looking back to her. He had seen the cake but he hadn't really thought about it beyond the fact that it wasn't a weapon of some kind. He didn't know why he had even considered the idea for the half-second before he'd realized it earlier but he had. Perhaps he was still thinking more like his younger self than he had realized.

He glanced over at Michael and gave the cake up without a fight when he saw the hungry look on his friend's face. Michael absolutely loved lemon-flavored anything. Daniel didn't like it but he didn't dislike it. Actually, that was his feelings towards most cakes. He preferred pies himself, which was odd considering that he'd never really had much of either during his childhood. As Michael disappeared into the kitchen, Daniel focused back in on Elenore who looked a bit out of place and unsure of herself, an expression he had seen on her face before but still seemed so odd.

"We'd better follow him," he said, motioning towards the kitchen doorway. "Make sure he doesn't inhale any of it. Plus the couch in the living room is as unpredictable as a wild animal. Wouldn't be surprised if I got a spring up the a** one of these days." It wasn't that he actually meant to swear. In fact, it was second nature to him. In his childhood house, his father had sworn like a sailor for as long as Daniel could remember. When he ran away, the company he occasionally kept wasn't much better. In jail and in the gang, it was the same.

Walking into the kitchen, he saw that Michael had already gotten the cake out as well as three plates and cutlery settings -which had surprised him. He'd half expected his friend to just eat the whole thing himself.
((Actually, I'd really like to play both of them. I just have this image of them in my head that I really don't want to break))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Noticing Michael's reaction to what she had said, she was fine with messes, didn't mean she liked them. Looking back at Daniel as he glanced at the cake and then at her. Did he not like cake? She wasn't exactly sure what had surprised him about it but then when the cake was handed over to Michael, she guessed that Daniel was just going to let him deal with it besides Michael looked like he was going to devour that cake anyway.

Now that she thought about it.. Aunt Rose didn't live too far from this place. Perhaps they knew her, after all she did love company. The thought of Michael and Aunt Rose sitting outside drinking homemade lemonade and just talking made her smile. The two would definitely get along though she didn't think that Aunt Rose would approve of his choice of clothing but she was never quite sure with her. It would interesting to see the two together sometime in the future.

Being pulled out of her thoughts by Daniel, she smiled when he said that Michael could inhale the cake. She didn't doubt it since she had seen the look on his face. Raising one eyebrow in surprise when he said the couch was like a wild animal, she would rather stay away from it then. It wouldn't be a pleasant sensation to get hit by a spring. It was the first time she had heard him swear, she was just glad he didn't do it around her kids. If he kept it away from them, then she was fine with it.

Walking into the kitchen with him, she noticed that the cake was still there and Michael had just finished getting out silverware and plates. Smiling a little bit, she leaned against the doorway that lead into the kitchen. "Would you like some help?" she asked him, guessing that she might as well offer it. She didn't like being told that she was the guest and had to sit there doing nothing, she would rather help out.

To be honest, she liked Daniel's kitchen. It was bigger than her own and it was lighter as well. She had tan counter tops that almost looked like granite except for the fact that it was all shaded in is as brown. The floor was off white and most of the kitchen appliances were black. The walls were dark blue and the sunlight never reached the kitchen.
((Alright ^^ ))  

[Katydid50]

Daniel raised a skeptical eyebrow at Michael who just smiled innocently. He didn't know why but the idea of the older man actually setting out plates and silverware and waiting for them to join him seemed suspicious. But, after a few seconds, he shook his head and turned his attention to Elenore when she spoke. He tilted his head slightly, just looking at her. She seemed to belong there, standing in his kitchen doorway, which was odd since she'd never been there before. And yet she looked as if she should have been there all along.

"Nonsense," Michael said, pulling Daniel from his daze. "your the guest. Now you just take a seat and Daniel 'ere can get a knife and cut it up so we can start eating." It took him a few moments to register what it was Michael had said before he walked over to one of his drawers and pulled it open. He dug around, considering which knife would be best for cutting a cake -something he'd never had to think about before and had would have imagined he would ever have to think about- before deciding on one.

Grabbing the knife, he picked it out before shutting the drawer and walking over to the table. Michael had already taken a seat but Daniel remained standing as he cut the cake into surprisingly even pieces. Whenever he had held a knife in the past, he had never had to worry about making even cuts. Usually, the point had simply been to inflict as much damage as possible, except the time that he hit a deer on his way home from work. It had died immediately and he'd ended up bringing it home and butchering it.

With more care than he had thought he possessed, he slid a piece onto each of the three plates before taking the seat across from Michael. There were four chairs but, either way, Elenore would be sitting between himself and Michael. He wasn't sure he liked having her sitting next to Michael but he forced himself not to do anything about it. He trusted Michael more than he trusted himself but Michael was a weird one, prone to invasion of personal space, as Elenore must have already learned. He also very good at making people feel uncomfortable. But, he just hoped that Michael could behave himself and not scare her off.

"So, Ellie," Michael said as he dug into his slice of cake. "What is it that you do? For work and such." Daniel sighed inwardly, robotically severing a piece of cake from his slice with the side of his fork before piercing it and dropping it into his mouth. He had never been good at small talk so he would let the two of them go at it.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Elenore let out a soft sigh when he responded. Why couldn't he let her help? She didn't want them doing everything so then she could enjoy it. Oh well, it seemed like that was going to be the case anyway. Biting her lower lip, she straightened her back and walked over to the table, staring it for a minute. Three sets of dishes for three people. It reminded her of home since she rarely ate alone. Smiling a little bit, she decided she wouldn't argue with Michael since he seemed so intent on doing things his own way.

To be honest, she did like Daniel's home. It was in the center of a field and the tall grass- wait. Tall grass, she had a dream about that not too long ago. Sure it seemed foolish, but she remembered it nonetheless. It had been sunny.. she had been rather happy as well. Her eyes looked out the window and it was almost the same exact setting. Was it possible? Deserai had to wake her up before she had seen who the man had been that had walked up behind her. Maybe it had been Daniel.. but why had she been dreaming about him back then? Placing her hands back into her pockets, she leaned back onto her heels for a brief moment.

So what if it had been him? What did it mean? She didn't know and she probably wouldn't find out either. It was a simple dream.. right? And this definitely wasn't the place to be thinking about it with Daniel and his neighbor so close by. Lowering her head for a moment, she pushed those thoughts away and pulled her hair over one shoulder so that it wasn't all over the place. Looking down at her shoes, she then looked back into the kitchen to see Daniel already coming with the slices of the lemon cake.

Sitting down between them.. wonderful. She didn't mind that much though, but she did hope that Michael wouldn't randomly hug her again. It had been alright the first time, but she didn't want to choke on her food or anything. "Thanks." she said to Daniel since he had brought over the cake before she heard Michael speak up. A smile appeared on her face. It seemed as if Michael wanted to know more about her and it was obvious that Daniel hadn't said a whole lot. She was also now being called by the nickname her mother and ex-husband had called her.

"I work as a graphic designer for a commercial company, FR Inc. to be exact." Ruggles had used his initials to name his company. How creative. She really didn't want to be thinking about work at the moment but she was too polite to not answer Michael's question. She severed of a piece of the cake before bringing it up to her mouth and chewing, slowly working on severing off another piece with her fork again. It had been a while since she had taken a day off and of course on that day, she still had to be thinking about work.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel smiled at Elenore when she thanked him for the cake, which was odd because she didn't have to. As well as swearing uninhibitedly, the company he had kept all of his life -either by his choice or otherwise- had been decidedly short on manners. During his childhood, the only time he could recall anyone actually thanking him for anything was when he'd been seven. His father had just finished beating on his mother before passing out. The seven year old had gotten his mother the bottle of aspirin from the bathroom cupboard. The memory pulled his eyebrows together and the corner of his mouth twitched as a thoughtful frown formed there.

What would Elenore think if she found out about his history? She'd probably pity him for his childhood. If she found out about his early adulthood, she'd probably want nothing to do with him. He wouldn't have blamed her. There were times when he didn't even want to know himself and he usually ended up buying a few packs of beer, quickly drinking himself into a drunken stupor. He didn't like it, fearing that he could become violent and end up like his father, but it was the only thing that worked. He absolutely refused to resort to drugs, remembering quite clearly the looks on the faces of the addicts that had sometimes come to them for their supply.

His mood decidedly dampened, he cut off another piece of his cake slice and shoved it into his mouth, accidentally stabbing himself in the tongue but not hard enough to make it bleed. Chewing, he listened as Elenore told Michael what she did. His eyes drifted from his plate to his friend's face, trying to read what lay there but unable to. He'd never been able to read Michael and doubted he ever would.

"FR Inc, 'uh?" Michael asked before looking to Daniel. "Isn't that where you work?" At Daniel's nod, he turned back to Elenore and asked, "Is that perv Ruggles still running the place?" Daniel raised an eyebrow at Michael's question but didn't answer it. He would leave this one up to Elenore. After all, he wanted to see how she reacted to Michael. If there was any chance of them getting together, as Michael hoped, she would have to be used to interacting with him.

Sighing quietly, he finished off his slice of cake. It was unusually sweet, at least when compared to what his usual diet was, so it left him feeling slightly sick but not in an altogether unpleasant way. He settled back in his chair, letting his eyes slide down until they were hardly more than slits. His arms rested over his stomach and, unless someone looked at him closely, he might have been mistaken for being asleep. But Michael knew him better and so the Englishman ignored his younger companion.

Michael had never liked Ruggles, despite never meeting the man in person. He'd even tried to convince Daniel not to work there but Daniel had looked and been unable to find anything else so he'd been forced to remain there. It wasn't like Daniel minded much anyway. He rarely interacted with Ruggles.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Her fork picked up the piece of whip cream that was on the edge of her slice before placing it into her mouth. It wasn't long before Michael responded, making the connection that Daniel and her worked at the same place. How much did Michael know about her then? It didn't seem like Daniel had said a whole lot but she couldn't never say for sure. Hearing his next question though, she was glad she hadn't been chewing on anything. So he knew Ruggles.. Well she was glad that he didn't like him either, personally she would have preferred if Ruggles didn't even work in the same building or even city as her but she couldn't change that.

Daniel wasn't answering the question so she might as well, Michael's attention was on her anyway. "Unfortunately, yes." she told him before placing another piece of cake into her mouth. What else was she supposed to say? That she hated the man? She didn't want to bring all of that up now. It would be better to keep things on the happier side. Glancing over at Daniel briefly, she noticed that he looked like he was sleeping. She wasn't quite sure if he was or not. Finishing off her piece of cake, she placed the fork on top of the plate and leaned back in the back for a moment.

Finding another job still sounded like the best idea but she didn't have the time to do that. Sure she could have done that today but Elenore had wanted to relax. Tomorrow she could probably start doing that and check on her kids as well. The mood had seemed to dampen, or slow down.. why? Possibly because everyone was full or the topic that they were on wasn't exactly pleasant. She didn't know what else to bring up, what was Michael interested in anyway? The silence wasn't really bothering her though so she could let it just sit there for a while.. if she stayed like that long enough she would fall asleep and that wouldn't be the greatest thing to do in someone's house on the first visit.

((Sorry it keeps taking me so long to post and that it's short sweatdrop ))  

[Katydid50]

Daniel waited patiently for Elenore to answer, curious as to how she would respond. If he was blunt, Michael took it to an extreme, as he was sure she was starting to realize. Michael had spent too much of his life being subtle and, Daniel guessed, the man was trying to make up for it. He supposed, to a lesser extent, he was doing the same thing, although he certainly wouldn't call Ruggles a perv to his face, something he was sure Michael would have no inhibitions about doing. Of course, Ruggles wasn't his boss so he could afford to.

When Elenore finally answer, Daniel shifted his gaze from her to Michael. He watched with amusement as Michael's face contorted into a mixture of contempt and disgust, as if someone had just shoved a rotten orange under his nose. "That man should be castrated," Michael said plainly before reaching over to grab another piece of cake. Daniel wasn't overly surprised by Michael's reaction but he couldn't help but speak up.

"Oh come now, Michael," he said, opening his eyes slightly. "You have to admit, we weren't much better in our younger years." In fact, he was sure they were worse, in some aspects.

Michael snorted at that as he took a bite of his second slice of cake. "We never used force, blackmail or threats to get women into our beds," he replied, pausing before adding with a smirk. "We didn't 'ave to." Right. They just used money or alcohol.

Daniel rolled his eyes before slitting them again. "All the same, I'm sure there are still people out there who, to this day, would love to see us castrated."

Michael paused before shrugging. "Probably." As if the previous conversation had not just taken place, he turned his attention to Elenore. "So, I 'ear you got some kiddies of your own. What're they like?" Daniel looked back to Elenore, wondering how she would answer. Most parents would talk up their kids but he really couldn't imagine her doing that. He glanced at Michael, trying to read the man's expression. His face was curious and open, or at least that's how he seemed. A person could never really tell with Michael. Either way, he was sure Michael was expecting to hear her talk her kids up and, no doubt, he would ask Daniel about them after Elenore had left.
((It's ok. I know how life can be))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

She didn't say anything to Michael after he said that Ruggles should be castrated. She didn't think that would help anyone in the end since he would probably still drag women and for all she knew men, into his bed and sleep with them whenever he got the chance. Placing her hands on top of her lap, she stayed silent as the two talked. They were speaking between each other and she couldn't help but feel like she shouldn't be here to listen to this but she was anyway. Did they mind her knowing? Probably not since they were so open about it.

Crossing her legs just so that she was more comfortable, she lowered her head slightly and bit her lower lip, staying out of the conversation that they were having about women, she would let them talk it out. Well it was obvious that they both had slept with people before and she stayed indifferent to that. At least now she knew they had never raped anyone.. not that she had thought that they had in the first place. She simply wanted to get off this topic. They could talk about it later. She wouldn't have minded as much if she had known Michael a bit longer.. but still.. she didn't want to know about his sex life.

Hearing Michael mention her kids, she lifted her head and smiled a bit. "You really want to know?" she crossed her arms. "The youngest one, Deserai, likes to interrogate people." she smiled softly, the house was quiet without her there. "The middle, Nicholas, is quiet for the most part but he's always thinking about something. Then Grace, the oldest.. well she's a fighter. Stubborn to the bone just like the rest of them. They all are troublemakers as well but I love them." she smiled once again. She really did miss them even though it had only been a day so far. Her children all had their hobbies and their good traits and bad ones, but everyone was like that. Not a single person on this planet was perfect.
((Thanks for understanding =) ))  

[Katydid50]

As they spoke, Daniel was very much aware of Elenore's unease, and Michael probably was too. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable but it was impossible to change the subject from a conversation like this until it was finished, which didn't take too long to do. As he settled back again, his eyes narrowed to slits and fighting to either open up or close completely, he listened as Elenore asked Michael if he really wanted to know about her children. Like Daniel, Michael wouldn't ask a question he didn't want an answer to. Besides, Michael loved children and Daniel found it a shame that he had never gotten the chance to be a father, as far as either of them knew.

As Elenore went on to describe them each in turn, he smiled weakly and closed his eyes totally. Images flashed before his mind's eye. Deserai standing in their living room in her pajamas, holding a stuffed kangaroo and asking if he was her father. Coming across Nicholas after hitting him with his truck and being forced to walk him home. Grace standing in the stairwell with her back to them, obviously having been up to no good. That reminded him, he would have to ask how things had gone after he left. Not that it was any of his business but he was curious, and concerned, even though he had no right to be.

Really, he thought Elenore had downplayed her children completely. Most people, he thought, either talked their children up and only mentioned their good points or completely dismissed them as he imagined his own father had done at one point or another when teachers phoned up or asked after him. He was sure that his elementary school teachers must have realized that something was going on but they hadn't followed it up as closely as he wished they had. Perhaps if they had paid more attention, he wouldn't have screwed his life up the way he had.

When Michael spoke up after Elenore had finished, Daniel could hear the smile in his words. "Ah, yes. The eldest two sound a lot like Daniel," he said. "Thoughtful indeed and most would think him mute but don't let him fool you. A better fighter I've never seen and stubborn as a mule too." Daniel didn't deem the comments worthy of a response out of him so he kept his eyes and mouth shut.