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

[Katydid50]

At the permission to enter, Daniel grabbed hold of the doorknob, turned it and walked into the office. He could tell immediately by the look on Mr. Ruggles's face that he hadn't been hoping for Daniel, though he doubted very much that the man was aware that his expression was like an open book. The pervert's probably waiting for what's her face, he realized. No wonder she gave the package to me. It was no secret around the office that Mr. Ruggles liked women, even the women that didn't like him, which was all of them, except maybe the ones who were willing to use sex to get them a promotion or something.
"Package for you," he said needlessly. It was quite obvious that Daniel had a delivery for him though he felt the need to say something. Walking over, he set the package on the desk before the man. He nodded before making his way back towards the door, sincerely hoping that the man didn't want anything from him. The sooner he got away from the boss, the better.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

He grumbled when he realized who it was. Looking down at the package that was placed on his desk, he couldn't help but shake his head. So she had given the package to delivery boy to escape him. Wonderful plan, wasn't it? Well, she was only turning into a game. A game that he wasn't about to give up. Some women denied him but in the end they came back anyway. Sighing, he picked up the phone that was on his desk and began to dial Elenore's work phone.
"Alright, thanks." he said as he watched the man leave, waiting for him to close the door as he soon realized that the line was busy. It was pretty early in the morning. Most clients didn't call until two hours after they had opened. Who in the world was she talking to? Getting up, he decided to see for himself, he could easily come up with some kind of excuse on his way down through the elevator.

Elenore almost smashed her head against the wall. She already knew what the principle was going to say. This was the second fight in a week! Why couldn't Grace just stay out of trouble for once? Shaking her head, she rested her elbow on her desk and her head in her hand as she listened to the principle speak about discipline and the consequences of the fight. It wasn't long before she asked for the principle to hand the phone back over to Grace. "Pick Nicholas up from school and get Deserai from Aunt Rose. You're not going anywhere tonight." she told her. "Clean your room up as well." she added, hearing a protest from Grace.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel didn't need to be told twice. He left the office, closing the door behind him. The man creeped him out every time he saw him. There was something not right about Mr. Ruggles that made him uneasy. Then again, a lot of people made him uneasy, mostly women who tried to come onto him. Though, he got the feeling that those women tried to come onto any guy they found even mildly attractive. That did absolutely nothing for his self-esteem. Just because they found him mildly attractive, it didn't mean much. They were sluts.
Upon reaching the elevator, he pushed the button but had to wait for nearly a minute for the doors to open. Must've been busy. He stepped onto the lift and turned to press the button for the bottom floor when he saw Mr. Ruggles coming after him. He held back a grimace and hoped it wasn't actually him the boss was after. It could have just been a coincidence that the boss had to use the elevator just moments after Daniel had left. He hoped that was it.
((I got to go))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Frederico walked into the elevator as soon as the doors opened. A few people walked out but another woman joined then. Leaning against the stainless steel wall, he then pressed one of the buttons, going to the floor that Ms. Darling was on. It was an interesting name to say the least. It was silent in the elevator for a while, except for the elevator music to keep them from experience complete awkward silence. His eyes slowly looked over at the woman as she fidgeted under his gaze. It was obvious that she didn't want to in the same elevator with him but he didn't care. He wasn't going to do anything in the presence of another person. Men had never interested him to begin with. Why bother when he had plenty of females here that he could manipulate?

The doors opened after a few more seconds and he walked out, heading straight to Ms Darling's office. Standing the doorway, he tilted her head as he heard a few instructions she was giving over the phone. When she saw him though, she almost dropped the phone before saying a quick good bye. He guessed it was her daughter.. after all since she didn't happen to have a ring on her left hand, he knew she wasn't married but she did have a picture of her kids on the desk. "Are you busy?" he asked in a slightly sarcastic tone since she was supposed to be working and no talking to her children.

Her eyes widened slightly when she saw a shadow in her doorway. Usually it wouldn't bother her but this was the shadow of her boss. A chill ran down her spine and she quickly said good bye before hanging up. What was he doing here? "I'm finishing up a few things." she told him as she got up, deciding to get a cup of coffee. Being in her small office with him was not what she considered fun but considering the fact that he was leaning against the door frame, there was no way she could get past him without coming in with reaching distance. If anything, she would have to squeeze through whatever space there was left at the moment. Clearing her throat, she cautiously walked up to the door. "May I?" she asked, not really wanting to have to move that close past him.. hopefully he would get the hint and move over but no.. he didn't make things that easy. His hand moved up against the other end of the door frame, blocking her exit completely. He had a questioning look on his face though it was obviously fake.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel tensed the moment Mr. Ruggles stepped onto the elevator. Despite his best efforts to keep himself relaxed, his muscles were tense, poised for flight even though there was nowhere he could possibly go. Glancing at the woman out of the corner of his eye, he saw that she was obviously uncomfortable as well. She certainly had a reason to be. Mr. Ruggles certainly did have a reputation, and one that probably wasn't exaggerated. After all, people tended to exaggerate things -like people thought Daniel was the kind of guy that you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley just because he didn't have any friends and he didn't talk much. But with Mr. Ruggles, he was sure the rumors weren't made up or exaggerated. He didn't have any proof but he got a very bad feeling about the man.
When the doors finally opened and Mr. Ruggles stepped out, he expected himself to relax, but he didn't. That bad feeling he got whenever he was around the man hadn't gone away like it usually did whenever he left the boss's presence. He tried to push the feeling away but it didn't leave him. Something bad was going to happen. He didn't know how he knew it, he just did. Living on the streets, people instinctively learned how to tell when something wasn't right. It was how people kept themselves alive. Groaning, he stuck his hand in the elevator doors just a second before they closed. The doors opened back up and he stepped out.
Daniel wasn't entirely sure what he was looking for -aside from Mr. Ruggles- as he walked through the office on that floor. Perhaps a woman who looked furious? A man who looked disgusted? He just didn't know. But, as he walked through the floor, he found the person he was looking for. Standing in the doorway to an office was Mr. Ruggles with his back to Daniel. Inside, he could hear movement but he couldn't get close enough to see who it was without being noticed.
However, when the person inside the office spoke, he immediately recognized the voice of that woman. When Mr. Ruggles placed his hand on the other side of the doorway, effectively blocking the only exit, he realized what was going on. Holding back a dark glare, he stepped forward. "Hey," he said sharply. "You want to let the lady out of her office?" He didn't bother with pleasantries. He was straight forward and cut right to the point -a trait about him that most people found either refreshing or disturbing. Either way, it would most certainly get Mr. Ruggles attention off the woman and onto him.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

He opened his mouth to say something else but someone spoke before he could. Letting his arm fall, he turned sideways to see who it was. Ah, the delivery boy. What was he doing here anyway? Giving him a slightly confused look, he then glanced over at Ms. Darling. "We'll finish this conversation later." he told her with a small smile as he moved out of the doorway. "Is there anything else you wanted to say?" he asked him, his hands in his pockets. With his dark hair and light colored eyes as well as lightly tanned skin, he did look handsome.. but what lay behind those eyes was what caused people to fear him or be disgusted by him. So what if he was a player? It's not anyone was going to stop him.

Elenore sighed with relief when someone distracted Mr. Ruggles from looking at her with his menacing gaze. Once he moved out of the way, she realized who it was. Giving him a grateful smile, she would definitely repay him with a lunch or maybe a cup of coffee depending on what he wanted. Slipping through the door, she headed down the hall since it would be rather strange if she just stood there when she got the chance to escape. Today had definitely gone downhill but hopefully things would be better by noon. Brushing a loose strand of her hair away from her face, she walked up to the coffee maker that was in the lobby area. Closing her eyes for a moment, she waited for the coffee to fill the styrofoam cup that was available to everyone in the building.
A chill run down her spine as she wondered what would have happened if someone hadn't shown up. He wouldn't do anything during the work day though.. right? Shaking her head, she dismissed the thought before picking up the cup and putting two cubes of sugar into it and stirring it. She could only hope that this wouldn't continue later on throughout the day or even after that.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel watched as Mr. Ruggles turned to face him, his arm falling away from the doorway. However, he frowned when the man told the woman that they would finish their conversation later. That definitely didn't sound good. He could only hope that she would stick around other people so the boss didn't get the chance to catch her alone. He knew how dangerous being caught alone could be.
When Mr. Ruggles turned his gaze back to Daniel, he had to force himself not to swallow nervously. Even though he was almost positive that Mr. Ruggles didn't swing both ways, he wouldn't put it past him to try and manipulate him the way he did with women. He glanced over at the woman as she hurried out of her office before looking back to the boss. He shook his head. "No, sir," he said quietly. He was probably already in trouble, he didn't need to make it worse.
As he stood there, he couldn't help but think of how Mr. Ruggles reminded him of someone he'd known when he was living on the street. Damien Sanchez. Despite his last name, he'd only been a quarter Mexican but he played off the fact that he looked fully Mexican. He wasn't sure why, maybe to make himself seem tougher. That was always Daniel's opinion anyway. Damien had had a problem with power. He'd liked asserting his over other people. Some gave in, others fought Damien. Still, other people like Daniel avoided Damien altogether. But, no matter how much a person tried to avoid people like Damien or Mr. Ruggles, it was impossible to stay away from them completely. Eventually, Damien had caught Daniel and tried to control him. That hadn't ended well, for either of them, though Daniel liked to think he got the better outcome.
Bringing himself back out of the past, Daniel watched Mr. Ruggles warily before turning and slowly making his way back towards the elevator though he longed very much to run. His instincts were screaming at him to run but he forced himself to walk.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Frederico decided to hunt down someone else after Daniel left. Going down the long hall, he glanced at the various women that worked there. Some he had used, some he hadn't. A woman could never get promoted (or even get a job) unless she was talented in doing something that would benefit the company.. he just fooled them that they had to go through him to get that job. It always worked out rather well. His mind was still on the delivery boy and Ms. Darling though. Why had he even stood up for her? Grinning.. he then came up with an idea on how to get her back for escaping his grasp twice today...

Seeing the man from before walk past her, she slowly walked over to him before tapping his shoulder as he headed towards the elevator. It was obvious he wanted to make a run for it and she didn't blame. Working here was like walking on needles but she had to live with it. The reason that he was here was unknown to her and she didn't want to ask since it was kind of a personal question. "Hey.. I wanted to thank you." she told him as she let her arm fall to her side.
"I'll buy you lunch." she said with a smile. It was truly just a wake to thank him, after all he could have continued walking without a care in the world and not a whole lot of people stood up to their boss. "It's not much, but I thought it would be appropriate." Elenore was slightly rambling before she took a drink of her coffee to keep herself quiet for a moment. "Just name the place." she just hoped it would be reasonable but then again, it didn't seem like he was the type to take advantage of the situation completely and make her broke for the rest of the month. If he declined she would be left there standing like an idiot, or maybe he had plans.. she didn't know. She hoped he didn't think this was a date though either. The last time she had tried something like that it had turned out terribly when they found out she was a mother of three kids.. he had thought it was only one. She forgot about dating after that and focused on raising a family that wasn't quite complete. Elenore doubted that Grace or Nicholas would want to have another father..  

[Katydid50]

Daniel jumped, startled, when he felt something touch his shoulder. Spinning around, he relaxed when he realized it was only the woman from earlier. "It's not nice to sneak up on people, you know," he muttered even though she'd hardly snuck up on him and, if he'd been paying attention, he could have easily heard her come up behind him. When she thanked him, he shrugged. "Don't mention it." Seriously. He would prefer if she didn't mention it. He had a reputation of being a mysterious person and that was enough to keep people away, just the way he liked it. He didn't hate people, he just hated being around them.
That hadn't always been the case though. When he'd been a kid, he had liked being around people. When he was around people, his dad couldn't hit him. But as he grew and after he'd left home, that had changed. When he'd been on the streets, he'd only gone near people when it had been too cold to sleep alone. He and some other kids would huddle together in an alleyway. Then, when he'd been thrown in jail and the only company he'd had were other prisoners. They'd never raped him or anything but they certainly made it obvious that he wasn't welcome. After he'd gotten out and he'd joined up with the local gang, and the things he'd had to do. They all still haunted his dreams.
Daniel was pulled from his thoughts when the woman spoke again, offering to buy him lunch. He raised an eyebrow when she said that it wasn't much. It was more than anyone had done for him since... forever. But he was still uncomfortable at the offer and it showed on his face. "Ah, I don't know," he said slowly, trying to figure out a way to decline without seeming rude. He really did appreciate that she wanted to repay him but he didn't feel very comfortable around people. He'd managed to get used to coming to work and going to get groceries every other week but that was the extent of his contact with other humans. "I appreciate it, really, but I, um, don't know any places to eat around here." Well, it was the truth. He never ate in town, ever. He spent as little time in the city as possible. "Anyway, you don't need to thank me," he said. "You obviously needed help and I was there. What else could I do?"  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

"Sorry.." she said softly when she heard him mutter a few words. She hadn't meant to sneak up on hm.. she thought it would have been obvious by the sound of her heels against the tile floor. He was a bit jumpy.. she didn't blame him though, after all he had just been around Mr. Ruggles. Most people were uneasy around him. Clients thought he was funny and all that over stuff because he acted differently around them. Of course, that was just business. His workers were something else to him.. though she never understood that part of him. Sighing, she lowered her head as he continued.
It was a simple offer.. she hadn't expected it to turn out this way. Her mind went through a list of different restaurants that she had been to. It was mostly just for birthdays or special occasions that she went to restaurants but sometimes she just didn't have enough time to cook dinner for her family due to work or something else. She was about to say that she could take him to a Chinese place that she knew, but he spoke again. "You could have walked away." she told him, her eyes serious for a moment but they held something else as well. Some people didn't care if they hurt others.. or if they let other people get hurt without doing anything to stop it. She had lived with someone like that for around ten years.
"Anyway.." she lowered her head again, swallowing before speaking once more. "The offer is still open.. I know a few good places near here and depending on what you like, I can take you there." she told him as she glanced up at him since he was taller than her. Realizing that she was holding him back from work, she took a step back. "Just stop by if you want to get something to eat during the lunch break." Elenore nodded a little as a small gesture of a good bye before turning around and walking away. Why did that pain keep resurfacing? Her head hung low as she walked down the hall, headed to her office.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel frowned when she said that he could have walked away and shook his head. He couldn't have walked away. He physically couldn't have done it. Someone had once walked away from helping him. He would never want someone else to feel like that, like they weren't worth saving, like they weren't worth a few precious seconds of someone's time. He would never wish someone to feel that, to feel the hopelessness he had felt, the defeat. Even now, years later, he still felt sick at the memory of it. "No, I couldn't have," he said quietly, maybe even quietly enough for her not to hear. It didn't matter if she did or not.
When she said that she knew of a few good places and that the offer was still open, he made a note of that. It would be good for future reference if he ever found he was lonely, not likely but possible. Looking down at her, he realized for the first time just how pretty she really was. No, not pretty. Beautiful. She seemed nice enough as well. Maybe it was possible...? No. He'd turned his back on people when they'd turned their back on him. If he ever did take her up on the offer, it was just so she could know that she had repaid him for saving her. That was all. He couldn't think of it as anything else. He might get attached and he knew that that led to getting hurt.
He was pulled from his thoughts when she took a step back. At her words, he nodded. As she started to walk away, he found himself simply standing there, watching her leave. She looked so disappointed with her head hanging low. Pursing his lips in thought of what he could do, he realized he still didn't know her name, nor her his. Taking a deep breath, he called after her, "Wait!" Quickly walking after her, he waited until he'd caught up to her before speaking. "Look, it's not you. It's me. And I know how cliche that is but I really mean it. I don't like being around people. I'm not a people person. The only time I ever come into the city is for work and groceries. So, basically, don't hold your breath on me taking up that offer of yours. But, you know, I never did catch your name. If you're willing to consider it such, your name would more than repay me." He still couldn't believe he was doing this.  

[Katydid50]

((I have to go.))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

She continued to walk, her mind going through what had happened years ago.. The day she came come to find him there with someone else. Yeah, she didn't want to think about it, and she had let it go.. but the fact that he had actually done it.. the shock.. it was still there with her. Hearing him again, she stopped in her tracks before glancing over her shoulder as she slowly turned to face him. Had he changed his mind? Him? What? It took her a second to take in the information that he suddenly gave to her. Ah.. he wasn't a social butterfly, she could relate to that but it had been a simple offer to eat lunch. It didn't surprise her that he wasn't a city person.. after all she wasn't either but she had to stay here due to financial issues.
A small smile appeared on her lips as he asked for her name. Something about him, she didn't know what, made her want to get to know him better. He was friendly.. honest, and he wasn't afraid to help others. He even had a bit of humor in him as well. "Elenore.. Elenore Darling." she hoped he would realize that the 'darling' part was her last name.. not her calling him that. "And you would be?" she asked, she had finished her cup of coffee by now and was she holding the empty cup with both hands.
It finally hit her.. she couldn't really even think about ever being with him some time in the future. If he wasn't a people person.. he probably wouldn't like kids and giving up her kids wasn't something she would be willing to do for anyone. Her fluttering heart settled as she waited for him to answer her question. It wouldn't hurt to be friends though.. right? Perhaps she was just thinking about the future too much.
((I do too >.< ))  

[Katydid50]

When Daniel did receive her name, it took him a moment to realize that Darling actually was her last name. He tilted his head slightly, causing a lock of hair to fall into his face. Frowning, he flipped it back into place before saying, "Daniel Marks." Actually, that wasn't his legal last name. His real name was Daniel Oxley but he used his mother's maiden name since he wanted nothing to do with his father.
Looking down at her, he noticed, also for the first time, the lack of a wedding ring which surprised him quite a lot. A gorgeous girl like her? He couldn't understand why she wouldn't be married, engaged, something! Or maybe she had been but it hadn't worked out. He'd heard of a lot of cases like that which saddened him. Most of them were that they had just grown apart, or one had cheated but he couldn't imagine someone cheating on her if for no other reason than she was just too beautiful to cheat on. Any other woman would seem a hag compared to her. Not that he noticed.
"Very well, Elenore Darling. It has been a pleasure to make your acquaintance but, alas, I've got packages that need to be delivered. So, until we meet again, farewell." It took all his self-control to not crack up as he turned and walked away. He'd been laying it on pretty thick but he'd done it on purpose, hoping to make her laugh. He imagined she would have a very pretty laugh, or maybe he was just letting his imagination run away on him, again. It tended to do that. His neighbor, when he visited, said it was because he didn't spend enough time around people. Daniel thought he was insane.
Then again, most people thought Daniel's neighbor was insane. After all, he never had been the same since he got bucked off his horse and landed head first on an electric fence. Daniel swore he'd never met a man with worse luck. If anything bad was going to happen, it would be to him. But, that's not to say good things didn't happen, it was just that bad things happened more often, but he never let them get him down. That was one of the few reasons Daniel tolerated his visits.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Daniel Marks.. she repeated the name in her mind so it would stick better. She always remembered people by their faces, not their names which could be problematic at times. The name fit him, if he had been named anything else, she wasn't so sure it would have been as good as this one. Some people grew into their names though.. She remembered when she had changed Grace's last name as well as Nicholas' to her maiden name. There had been a lot of arguing but in the end she had succeeded. Her light green eyes stayed on his own before he spoke. He could probably be in a Shakespeare play with the words he had chosen to say to her. A grin appeared on her lips as well as a small laugh. When she had been a child, her father had said that her laughter reminded him of bells, and thus gave her the nickname Bell. That was before her mother had died though. "It was a pleasure to meet you as well." she replied before he walked away. Her mood had definitely improved but she was still worried about Grace. How in the world did she manage to get into fights that quickly?
Turning to go down the hall, she threw the empty cup away into a nearby trash can before disappearing into her office. She doubted that anything else would come up today before noon, she so closed her door and worked on the project, turning on some music as well. If she had her guitar she would have played along but she would have gotten more than a few strange looks from her co-workers. Elenore still missed playing music all the time.. it was a part of her soul in way and she had been forced to give it up but as long as her children were happy, she knew it would be worth it.
((Do you want to do a time skip until the end of the day when they get out of work or lunch break? Or do you have something planned?))