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

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Hearing his answer after a rather long moment, she then sighed. What was she supposed to do with him? Deserai and Grace stayed out of the conversation for their own good, eating silently. Taking a drink of the milk she had poured herself, she then looked at Nicholas again. "Is there a reason behind these late night walks?" she asked him as she cut up the pancakes that were before her into bite-sized squares. Back in the day when she had time in the morning, she would have made the pancakes into different shapes and animals. Nicholas and Grace probably remembered that but Deserai had never had one of those.. at least not yet. She wanted to save that for a Sunday when no one was busy.. maybe even bake cookies then as well. Homemade cookies were always delicious.
Taking a small piece into her mouth, she chewed and then swallowed before glancing over at Grace, finally realizing what she was wearing. Black jeans with a holes at the knees and gray sweater that went over one shoulder. It was decent enough, so she wouldn't force her to go back to her room and put on something different. She was just glad she didn't wear those miniskirts, five-inch heels, and a shirt that barely covered anything at all.
Returning her attention back to her plate, she continued to eat, breakfast was rather silent today.. usually there was more noise and cartoons playing in the background for Deserai if she wanted them. Elenore rarely watched the news except when she needed to check in on the weather.  

[Katydid50]

Nicholas cut off a piece of one of his pancakes with the side of his fork, dipping it into the syrup before shoving it in his mouth. He couldn't help but notice how his sisters chose to stay out of the conversation. That was probably for the best for everyone. He didn't want them to get in trouble for trying to defend him, nor did he want himself to get in even more trouble because of something they might say. Swallowing, he cut off another piece of pancake, dipping it in the syrup before putting it too in his mouth.
At his mother's question, he shrugged. Honestly, he went on his walks because they helped him sleep. They tired him out so that when he got back, he was too exhausted to do anything other than sleep. Plus, it gave him the chance to explore without anyone telling him not to climb that fire escape or not to go down the alley. For a few hours, he was free to do as he pleased.
They didn't know, but it had been that way ever since they'd left him. He refused to think of that man as his father. He wanted nothing to do with him after he betrayed them like that. He was sure Grace felt the same. Deserai would too if she had known him. Instead, she was constantly asking where their daddy was, why he wasn't with them. It took all his self-control not to tell her the truth but he knew she was too young for that. When she got older, someone would tell her and she too would be glad they no longer had anything to do with him.
As they ate, he noticed the near silence that had descended on them. It wasn't normally so quiet. Usually there was some kind of noise. Now, the silence seemed to ring in his ears. It was even worse than when Deserai had those stuff cartoons on. He hadn't watched cartoons since they'd left. Since they'd left, he'd grown up a lot.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Seeing him shrug, she slowly finished off one of the pancakes before speaking again. "Don't go off on your own again at night." she told him and then she took a another drink of the milk. "If you go out during the day warn me or at least Grace and how long you're planning on going for." she added. She had been thinking about buying a pet for him for a while.. since he always seemed to be locked up in his room during the evening but now she suspected that he had been outside this whole time. Now didn't seem like the time to get him anything after she had found out about his late night walks. Besides.. she didn't have any extra money due to her car breaking down last night as well.
"I don't want you going too far from home either. If you need to go somewhere, I'll take you once I come home." sighing, she went back to eating before glancing at the clock, they would have to leave in about twenty minutes if she wanted everyone to get to school on time and get Deserai to her aunt's house. Her aunt lived out in the country side but it wasn't too far from the city.. it was beautiful there.. Elenore would have loved to live there but she was sure her aunt wouldn't only be able to take so much of them at a time. Besides.. she had already helped her enough. Eating the rest of the pancakes up, she then finished her drink and took it over to the sink and rinsed them. "Once you guys finish with breakfast, we'll be leaving." she told them.  

[Katydid50]

Nicholas didn't say anything when his mom told him not to go off at night anymore. Then, when she tried to meet him half way, he still said nothing. It wasn't about the wandering itself. Going on his walks made him sleep. When they'd first left him, he hadn't been able to sleep for more than an hour. One night, maybe six months after they'd left, he'd heard a noise outside and gone to investigate. He'd seen what looked like the figure of a small dog or something and followed it. He'd never caught it but by the time he'd gotten back to the apartment, he'd been tired and had the best sleep he'd had since they'd left.
He remained silent as she told him she didn't want him going too far either and that she'd take him anywhere he needed to go once she got home. He didn't see the point. He'd been just about everywhere in the city at least once and he hadn't gotten hurt. He'd had a few close calls with some hobos and drug dealers, accidentally coming across a few deals in progress, but he'd been fine. He didn't see what the big deal was. And as for her taking him places, there was nowhere he needed to go. Even if there was, she got home too late to take him anywhere anyway.
Without a word, he finished up his breakfast and drained down his orange juice before carrying his dishes to the sink. Silently, he walked down to the shared bathroom and brushed his teeth and combed his hair into a position that at least looked like he hadn't just rolled out of bed, which he almost had. Looking into the mirror, he was glad he took after his mom when it came to looks. He had her red hair and her green eyes, although his were darker. He couldn't stand the thought of looking into the mirror every day only to see him staring back at him.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Deserai handed her the plate since she could reach the faucet and Elenore took care of it as she went to go get the small backpack of hers that was filled with various different things to keep her busy throughout the day. Grace got her own backpack after finishing up with her curls. Grace had her father's eyes.. Elenore sighed but she didn't hold genetics against any of her children. It was only appearance after all. Grabbing her own purse, she slipped her feet into a pair of heels and watched as Deserai tied her shoes. Deserai was a fast learner which she was rather thankful for. "I have work today." Grace told her, and Elenore sighed. That meant Aunt Rose would have to pick up Nicholas from school. He would enjoy the fresh air though.. and she wasn't so afraid of him getting lost in the country as she was in the city since trouble was all over the place. "Nicholas you'll be joining Deserai after school. I'll ask Aunt Rose to pick you up." even though Aunt Rose was technically their great aunt, they still treated her like close family. Grace walked out after a moment and slipped her feet into a pair of black converse and they then were on their way out after Nicholas was ready to go as well. Locking up the house, she let them go down the stairs since she would meet them in a moment. Walking down, she glanced out the window.. it was sunny out... almost like it had been in her dream. Shaking her head, she wished she could get it out of her head.. she was dying to know who the other person had been but then again maybe she was better off not knowing who it was.
Reaching the car, she unlocked it and had everyone climb in. "Buckle up." she reminded them and Grace did with a small groan before resting her head against the window and closing her eyes. Elenore laughed lightly as she pulled the car out of the parking lot and drove out. She would drop of Deserai first and then the other two.
 

[Katydid50]

Nicholas left the bathroom, walking into his bedroom and grabbing his backpack. He took a moment to make sure all his books were in there. He'd gotten in trouble before for forgetting one of his books. More than he hated being fussed over, he hated having attention drawn to him. Scowling at the memory, he was convinced that teacher hated him. She was always picking on him to answer questions even though he never raised his hand and lots of other students did.
When he heard his mother calling out to him that he would be going to his aunt's, he grinned. He loved going to their Aunt Rose's house in the country. There was so much space and so many places to explore. It was like paradise! But he didn't often get to go even though Deserai got to go every day. It wasn't fair. But, then again, life wasn't fair. Nothing about life was fair. It wasn't fair that he got picked on at school. It wasn't fair that even his teacher picked on him. It wasn't fair that they'd had to leave because of what he he had done. Life had been great before that. Now, it was horrible. He half considered running away but he didn't want to upset his mom and sisters even more than they already were. It wouldn't be fair on them.
Leaving his room, he carried his backpack with him as he walked to the door. He pulled on his shoes and tied the laces before slinging his backpack over his shoulder and following everyone else out except of course for their mom who was always last to leave the apartment because she had to lock the door. Walking outside, he looked up to see that the sky was clear. Not a cloud in sight. He was glad for that. He liked sunny days. They always made him feel happier even when he knew the rest of his day would go downhill from there.
When he reached the car, he waited for his mom to unlock the doors before he climbed in. Pulling the door closed, his buckled up and set his backpack on the floor at his feet. He didn't need to be told to buckle up but apparently Grace did because she groaned before leaning her head against the window. He didn't understand why she did that either. Whenever he did that, he felt every bump they went over and he ended up with a sore head.
((I have to go T.T ))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

((Sorry it's taking me a bit to post.. I just have to think of something for both of the roleplays.))  

[Katydid50]

((Alright))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

It didn't take too long before they were driving down the familiar country road that she always took then down to drop Deserai off at her aunt's house. Running her fingers through her hair, she avoided running over a dead skunk, driving around it, though it did stink up the car nonetheless. Opening the two front windows a bit, Grace glanced over at her before leaning back in her seat. Biting her lip, she wrinkled her nose as well. "What's that smell?" Deserai asked after a moment, looking out the window, hoping that she would be able to see what it was but they had already past the striped mammal. "Skunk." Grace answered before Elenore had a chance. Shaking her head, she hoped they wouldn't run into any more of those, she didn't want to smell like that once she got to work but then again the breeze should be able to take it away.
Once they finally got to the house, she parked the car. Rose was already standing out there, waiting for Deserai to run out. Of course they greeted each other with big hugs. "Hey.. would you mind picking up Nicholas from school today? Grace has work and you already know my schedule." she told her with a small smile. After agreeing and asking how everything was going, Aunt Rose said hello to everyone and Elenore pulled pulled out of the gravel driveway. Rose would meet Nicholas after school and then he would probably spend a few hours over at her house. It almost sounded like a good idea to stay over for the whole night but then again.. she couldn't remember if she had work tomorrow. Most likely was probably the answer.
Half an hour later, she had dropped everyone off and was sitting in the parking lot of the place she worked at. To be honest, she didn't want to be anywhere near her boss and she was going to wait for a few other people to show up before she entered the building.

((Sorry it took me so long and that it's short. I've been brain dead with this. I'll make up for it in the next post.))  

[Katydid50]

((It's ok))
Nicholas stared out the window as they rode down the familiar country road that they took every morning to drop Deserai off at their Aunt Rose's place. Looking wistfully at the rolling hills and the shadows in the distance that promised forest, he just knew that that afternoon he would spend his time exploring. He couldn't help it. It was almost as much a need as eating and breathing. If he was in a new place, he had to explore. He didn't even think of the possible dangers of getting lost or hurting himself and not being able to go back for help. Or even the possibilities of animal predators. Much like in the cities, he was aware of the dangers but it didn't occur to him that anything bad could possibly happen to him.
When they got to their Aunt Rose's, he stayed in the car, knowing very well that if he got out he would start exploring and then they'd never get him back in the car. At least not in time for school. Sighing, he watched as Deserai climbed out and their mom asked if Rose could pick him up from school. He smiled when she agreed and just knew he wouldn't be able to focus on much today, far too excited at the prospect of exploring the country land surrounding his great aunt's home.
When they got back on the road, he continued to stare at the window, frowning as the hills and forests turned into buildings and concrete. He hated the city. He much preferred the country, and not just because it was bigger and had more places to explore. The air smelled better and the water tasted better.
When they stopped at his school, he reluctantly climbed out of the car with his backpack in tow. He watched the car pull away from the curb before turning to look over at the crowds of students waiting to go in. He gulped when he saw Gus, the school bully, and his friends smirking at him. Just another day at school.

Daniel stared ahead, tapping his finger on the steering wheel in time to the beat of the song that played over the radio. He was actually quite happy that morning though he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the prospect of seeing Elenore again. Maybe it was the fact that, having been to restless to sit around and read, he'd gotten some work done on the bathroom. Maybe it was both. Actually, he was sure it was both.
Pulling into the parking lot of the office building, he spotted Elenore's car but frowned when he realized she was still inside. Pulling into the empty spot on her right, he turned off the ignition before locking the doors and climbing out.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Elenore flipped through the different radio stations but there was nothing good on at that exact moment. Frowning, she finally stopped when she realized that they were talking about the weather. It was boring but useful information. If a tornado was coming, she would want to to know that. Unbuckling the seat belt, she leaned back onto the seat and closed her eyes for a moment before she heard the familiar sound of a truck pulling up. Cracking her eyes open, she looked over to see that it was Daniel. A few other cars had pulled up by this time as well but they were all fancy. She didn't know how they could stand spending so much money on one vehicle but she didn't question them.
Rubbing her neck, she turned off the radio and pulled out the keys as the car became silent. Getting out, she grabbed her purse as well before closing the car door behind her and locking the Toyota. Letting the car keys fall into her black purse, she tugged at her vest slightly before biting her lip, hoping that today would be better than yesterday.. Her eyes turned to look at the tall building before they stopped at the logo. If she had the time to look for another job, she would definitely do that.
Walking towards the double doors, she already saw the receptionist standing at her spot. Sometimes Elenore couldn't help but wonder if she ever even went home at night. Walking up to the elevators, she pressed the little arrow that pointed up and leaned against the wall as she waited for it to come.

Loosening his tie a bit, he sighed as he looked around his office. Last night wasn't quite what he expected it to be but he wasn't complaining too much. Running his fingers through his hair. He would make sure that things would go better today though.. She should have learned that denying him would only cause more trouble for her.. and in the end, he could threaten her with losing her job.

((Failed at making it longer again -.- ))  

[Katydid50]

((It's ok ^_^ ))

Daniel watched as Elenore climbed out of her car at the same time he did. She didn't speak to him and he wondered if maybe he had insulted her last night, but he pushed the thought away with a mental shrug. If she didn't confront him, he wouldn't go jumping to conclusions. There had been a time in his life when jumping to conclusions could have gotten him killed. So, without a word, he made his way inside the building.
Inside, the woman at the front desk was still there. It wasn't usually his place to wonder about the lives of the people he worked with but he couldn't help but wonder if she ever went home. Maybe she lived at the office. He'd heard of people doing that so it wasn't entirely impossible or anything. Maybe she had nowhere else to stay.
Shaking his head, he pushed such thoughts away. It was none of his business. He'd learned long ago to mind his own business, except in certain situations. Walking over to his office, he pulled out his keys and unlocked his door before walking in. Already there were at least a dozen packages for him to deliver. Sighing, he stuffed his keys back into his pocket.
Grabbing the packages, he set them on the table before looking over the people and places they needed to go to. He sighed when he saw several that needed to go to the boss. Didn't these people understand that he didn't like the guy anymore than he did? Apparently not. They probably thought Daniel was just the creepy, silent guy that delivered the packages.
Grabbing all the packages for the boss, so he wouldn't have to make more than one trip to him, Daniel left his office and made his way towards the elevator. He'd seen Elenore go that way earlier but she was already gone. Not surprising. After all, it didn't take five minutes for the elevator to get anywhere. Walking up to the elevator, he used his elbow to press the button, waiting patiently for the doors to open. Once they had, he walked in, completely ignoring the woman who got on with him.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

As the elevators finally opened, she stepped in along with a few other people, thankfully none of them were the boss. To be honest, she didn't know of a single person that liked being around him besides their clients but they all faked it. No one wanted to lose their job and she couldn't really blame them. Listening to the strange elevator music, she leaned against the stainless steel wall, waiting for the doors to open up on the floor that she needed to be on. Once it finally opened, she walked out along with another woman that worked not too far from her. Sighing, she made her way through the lobby and then down the hall to where she worked.

Unlocking the door with another key that she had, she then walked in, leaving the door open behind her for now since it was still rather quiet out there. Most of the time she could only hear the woman gossiping and the sounds of fingers tapping against keyboards. Looking at the list of things she had to do today, she frowned slightly as she let the computer turn on.

Blinking when she heard the phone ring.. she almost didn't want to answer when she saw who was calling.. but then again, she didn't really have a choice. Picking up, she swallowed, letting him say the first words.

Picking up the phone, he dialed the number that went to her office. They never denied him if he asked them to meet him in his office. After all, he could always ask them to discuss a new project or something along those lines. "Good morning, Ms. Darling." he said in a smug tone, knowing that she had already picked up the phone since it had stopped ringing.

She shivered slightly. His voice wasn't the most pleasant if you knew what thoughts were hidden in that mind of his. "Good morning." she answered, before adding, "Is there a reason for this call?" Elenore probably shouldn't have said that but she could take it back now.

He smirked at her question before speaking. "I want you up in my office in about five minutes. We need to discuss what you turned in yesterday.." or rather what she had turned down but he was sure she would get the point.

"Alright.." she said before hanging up. Well, she might as well go now to prepare herself while she was standing in front of his door. Of course she wouldn't let anything happen.. but that could also mean losing her job. Other women had been fired for 'unknown' reasons..

Walking of her office, she locked the door behind her and then walked down through the lobby again. It wasn't long before she reached her destination. Pressing the button that pointed up, she blinked when they opened the next second to reveal Daniel. "Hi." she said with a small smile before stepping. "Going up?" she asked him as she pressed the top floor button.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel leaned against the wall of the elevator, laden down with the packages and papers he had to deliver to the boss. The annoyingly bland elevator music rung in his ears, wanting to make him do nothing more than hurl one of the packages at the speaker. He probably could have gotten away with it since the woman he'd gotten on with had gotten off a few floors below. Why could they play good music in elevators? Or even half decent music? Classical would be better than this! And he hated classical! Sighing deeply, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, waiting patiently for the door to open, signaling he'd reached his desired floor.
But, when the doors did open, it was much sooner than he'd expected. Blinking in confusion, he lifted his head to see that the doors had opened to let someone else on. He wasn't overly surprised but what did surprise him was who the person was that got on. He smiled back at Elenore. "Hi yourself," he said, nodding when she asked if he was going up. "You?" He was curious as to where she was going since, as far as he knew, office workers didn't often leave their office. But, then again, maybe things had changed. He didn't exactly keep up with what office workers did during their day.
Sighing deeply, he adjusted his grip on one of the packages before leaning his head back against the wall again. This time, however, he didn't close his eyes. Instead, he turned his head to the side so he could look at Elenore. He wanted to ask about Nicholas but held his tongue. It was none of his business. Besides, he hadn't hit Nicholas that hard. In fact, he'd probably just pushed him over. He was fine. Yawning largely, he turned his head back ahead before closing his eyes. Even though he hadn't stayed up for hours like he'd expected, he was still quite tired. That could have been from the dream he was convinced he'd had but couldn't remember.
Then again, maybe he hadn't had a dream but was just remembering a dream he'd had previously. That had happened before. And it wasn't like he needed anymore dreams to interrupt his sleep. He had plenty already and he didn't want anymore, especially since all of the dreams were nightmares or memories. He never had any pleasant dreams anymore. When he was a kid, he used to have dreams of leaving his parents and finding a new family that would love him and take care of him. He hadn't had a dream like that since he was eight.
He immediately pushed those thoughts away. Thinking about his parents just upset him and he didn't need someone -even someone as kind and good-hearted as Elenore- sticking their nose into his business. He didn't need anyone to comfort him and he didn't want anyone to comfort him. He was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, physically and emotionally.
When the doors to the floor finally opened, Daniel pushed himself away from the wall and stepped off the elevator, stepping onto the floor and slowly making his way towards the boss's office. He really didn't want to have to deal with this guy but he knew it was like ripping off a band-aid, it was better just to get it over and done with.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Elenore smiled a little at his response before nodding her head to his question. Well it didn't really seem like he wanted to talk and to be honest, she didn't really know what to say to him at the moment. Rolling her shoulders back for a moment, she tried to block out the annoying elevator music as she wondered why in the world Mr. Ruggles would need her at a time like this. Sure, there were the obvious answers but that wasn't going to happen. If push came to shove, she would file a lawsuit on him even if it meant loosing her job in the end. Looking for another job would be the next thing.. but before she actually got one, she didn't know how long she would be able to pay for the apartment they lived in.

Running her fingers through her hair, she tugged on it gently, frustrated with the way things were going lately. Realizing that the elevator was stopping on the top floor, she sighed. "You have to go see him too..." she said in a low voice, knowing that neither of them were happy about it. Elenore followed Daniel out and watched as he made his way up to the door, taking his sweet time. She would have loved to go first so there would at least be someone on this floor that could help her out if something happened, but sadly that didn't seem like it was going to happen.

Frederico was sitting in his leather chair, holding a pen in one hand and more than a few pages were lying in front of him on the table in small stacks. Everything about the room was neat. There were windows covering the whole right wall of the office but at the moment, blinds covered them. Two light colored chairs were on the other side of the table that were meant for clients and what not. Popping his neck, he patiently waited before yawning a bit, bored with all the paper work he had to do and like usual, he wanted something else to start off his morning.