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

[Katydid50]

Daniel let his thoughts wander in the following silence, since he did not respond to her comment about Max being protective and possessive of him. He'd heard a few stories about cats, and pets in general, saving their owners from fires or burglars but he doubted very much that Max would do something like that for him. Max was a roamer, would come and go as he please. If something happened to Daniel, Max would probably just find someone else to mooch off.

In all honesty, he didn't mind the silence between them. He was used to the quiet since he lived alone and had for years. The only company he had was Max and the cat was all but silent, unless he actually meant to make noise. Then again, that was a trait all cats shared. Maybe he should get a dog. A dog would make noise and they were loyal, wouldn't abandon him like Max would. But, despite this thought, he knew he wouldn't. Dogs required extra attention and cats were pretty much self-maintained, much like Daniel himself.

When Elenore spoke again, he was pulled from his thoughts once more. He really had to stop doing that, letting his thoughts wander only to be pulled back to reality. It took him a moment to register what she had said but, when he had, he frowned. He wasn't angry and he didn't think the question intrusive. He just wasn't sure how to frame his answer in a way that didn't put him in a bad light. Then, deciding that it wasn't possible, he told her, "Probably. I was quite the wild one in my younger years so it wouldn't surprise me if I found out I've got a couple kids around the place. But as for any that I know of, no."  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Probably? Well, she wasn't going to judge him, it wasn't her place for that. Sighing softly, she tilted her head to the side so that she was a bit more comfortable. To be honest, she didn't know what to say in return. She hadn't told her ex-husband about Deserai and she wasn't planning to so in a way she knew what it was like to be on the other side. She could only hope that he wouldn't show up one day.. It would be horrible. It was scar Deserai that was for sure and she didn't want that to happen to her child.

Deserai had come up with her own image of a father.. someone that would be a perfect dad, who would take her out to the park and teach her how to ride a bike. To destroy her dream would be like crushing her heart but then again, perhaps it would be for the best. It would hurt Deserai even more if she continued to live waiting for her perfect father to come home and then one day realize that it never was going to happen.

James and Grace never talked about their father around her at least and she knew that whenever Deserai brought it up it probably hurt them or simply annoyed the two. James and Deserai had never really gotten along but that was probably because Deserai was always asking him so many questions, she was a curious child. Grace on the other hand just took care of her when it was needed and then went back inside herself.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel sighed deeply when she didn't respond. She probably thought he was a horrible person for not even knowing whether he was a father or not. He wouldn't have blamed her. In his younger years, he really had been a horrible person, preying on depressed, vulnerable women in bars. It wouldn't have been anything for him to take a different girl home every night. Heck, it wouldn't have been anything for him to leave a bar with two or three girls. No doubt he'd probably gotten some of them pregnant, make worse their already screwed up lives. What he regretted most was the fact that he couldn't make it right. He couldn't even apologize because one, there were too many for him to remember any of their names; two, he couldn't remember all the girls he'd screwed over; and three, he had no idea where any of them were.

Running a hand through his hair, he felt sick to his stomach when he thought of how much pain he had caused. He had done horrible things to decent people and for no other reason at all than to make himself feel better, or for money. It wasn't fair. A guy like him, who had caused so much pain in the world, ending up with a decent life when he had ruined who knew how many other lives. He wasn't about to go and ruin his own life just to soothe his conscience but he certainly wished there was something he could do. When he died, he wanted to be remembered for more than just the bad things he'd done. "What do you think happens to people when they die?" He wasn't afraid of death itself and he knew that whatever punishment he received in the life after would be deserved but it didn't stop him from being scared of it.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Deserai had come up with her own image of a father.. someone that would be a perfect dad, who would take her out to the park and teach her how to ride a bike. To destroy her dream would be like crushing her heart but then again, perhaps it would be for the best. It would hurt Deserai even more if she continued to live waiting for her perfect father to come home and then one day realize that it never was going to happen.

James and Grace never talked about their father around her at least and she knew that whenever Deserai brought it up it probably hurt them or simply annoyed the two. James and Deserai had never really gotten along but that was probably because Deserai was always asking him so many questions, she was a curious child. Grace on the other hand just took care of her when it was needed and then went back inside herself.

Hearing his question, she blinked. "To be honest.. I don't know. Perhaps you get another life and forget about everything in the past.. or you go to heaven or hell." she shrugged again. "Different people have different opinion and different things they believe. I just try not to think about it.. whatever happens.. happens." she paused for a moment. "I never really grew up going to church or anything.. I just have my own beliefs so to speak." Elenore lifted her head and opened her eyes to look at nothing since everything was dark. "What about you? What do you think?" she asked quietly.  

[Katydid50]

That wasn't the answer Daniel had been hoping for or expecting. Granted, he hadn't really been expecting anything but that certainly hadn't been it. She didn't know. He never went to church either, expect when it came to finding a place to sleep. Occasionally a pastor or priest would let him spent a night or two in their church but that was about it. He'd never really paid attention to anything they'd tried to teach him but he had a fair idea of what happened.

"The good get rewarded and the evil get punished. Everyone gets what they deserve." And that's what scared him the most. He knew what he deserved. He was a decent man but that didn't change all the things he'd done in the past. It scared him, the thought of whatever punishment awaited him in the afterlife.

"Remember me in paradise." He hardly knew Elenore but he was convinced she was a good person and he had no doubt that she would go to whatever Heaven awaited the good. His own future, he thought at least, was much less hopeful. He was terrified and it came out in his tone and in the shaking of his hands.

((I have to go T.T ))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

"There is not a single person that is purely good or evil in this world, so I don't believe that. Everyone has done something bad in their life but something good as well, so I seriously doubt that it's that simple as you say." she shook her head before looking up. Perhaps that was just what had been told to him.. after all she had heard that before him but she still didn't believe it. If a person felt bad about their actions and understood that they were wrong, why couldn't they be considered good?

She laughed when she heard his next words. "You think that highly of me?" Elenore shook her head as she lowered it before stretching her legs and crossing her arms. "Look, whatever you've done in the past, you obviously feel bad about it and from what I've seen of you, you really have changed. You brought a strange, a little kid home even though you didn't know him. A lot of so called good people wouldn't do something like that. Why stop for someone they don't know?" she turned her head towards him.

"You could have lost your job twice now and yet you risked it to help me. The rest of the people in that office wouldn't have done something like that, I would know. You may have been a bad person before but you've got a good heart now so stop being so pessimistic." she told him, her words were probably a bit harsh but she wanted him to understand that anything could be fixed or changed, no matter what.

((Aww >.< Bye ))  

[Katydid50]

When Elenore said that a person was neither purely good or evil, Daniel just shook his head. She could believe that. Of course she could. He couldn't. He'd met people that were purely evil, people whose very memory made his stomach churn. He truly hoped that she never met anyone like that. Despite what she might have thought, she was good in his eyes. Not perfect, no one was, but good. He, on the other hand, was not. He'd done too many bad things to ever be considered good despite how much he had changed.

At the sound of her laughter, Daniel blinked his eyes open before scowling and closing them again. At her question, he nodded but then remembered that it was pitch black. "Yeah, I do." Even though he hardly knew her, he already thought very highly of her. When she spoke again, he tilted his head before sighing. He may very well have changed, but it didn't change the fact that he had been a horrible person and had done horrible things and it didn't change the fact that he had hurt decent people who hadn't deserved to go through the pain he had caused them.

When she mentioned Nick, he smiled weakly. He would have told her that he had stopped because he'd hit Nick with his truck but they were stuck in an elevator and he didn't want to risk her killing him. He knew how protective mothers could be of their children. Unfortunately, it wasn't from personal experience but he'd heard stories. At the mention of him risking his job for her, he sighed again. "I can risk my job because I've got nothing to lose." His house was a hole. He may very well have been slowly renovating it but a good half of the house was still rundown. Besides, the thing had been so rundown when he'd bought it that he hadn't even had to take out a mortgage on it. He fully owned that house so he wouldn't end up homeless if he lost his job.

At the mention of his good heart, he shook his head. "It doesn't change the fact that I've done horrendous things to decent people. I've ruined people's lives. You wouldn't be nearly so forgiving if you'd been in their positions."  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

To be honest, she didn't know why he thought so highly of her. She was just another person working in this office. Yes, she wasn't definitely not as bad as Mr. Ruggles but it wasn't like she was an angel or anything. Sighing, she ran her fingers through her hair before shaking her head. What had she done to make him think that way? "Why?" she asked softly, not understanding his logic. "I honestly can't see what you think is so good about me." she put the back of her head against the wall as she waited for him to answer.

Horrendous things? She blinked. She couldn't see him doing any of that. Sure, some of the people in the office gossiped and had said that he had been in a gang before, but she never believed them, what was the point in believing in rumors anyway? Hearing what else he had to say, she let her hand fall back down onto her lap. "Perhaps you don't know me as well as you thought you did." she said in a low voice as the lights flickered on. It had taken them long enough to realize the elevator didn't work. Slowly, Elenore got back up as the elevator began to move down again.

"Well it seems like our little trip is going to be over soon." she rubbed her eyes as they adjusted after almost being blinded by the bright light. It was nice to actually have talked to someone.. usually all she had was her kids and maybe some small talk with other people but it never got past that. Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes once more. What was going to happen after this? Daniel would go back to work and so would she.. would they just forget about this whole incident all together?  

[Katydid50]

Daniel sighed quietly at her questioning. Why? Why did he think so highly of her? Honestly, he didn't know. From what he had seen of her, she seemed to him like a good person who didn't deserve the hardships she had gone through and was still going through. "Only the cold can appreciate the warmth, and only those in darkness can appreciate the light," he murmured, very much aware of how enigmatic he sounded.

It was true what he said, though. He would know. He'd been in the cold and the darkness, metaphorically and literally. He knew what true cold felt like, and all the feelings that came with it: The physical numbness, the hopelessness, the misery. He knew what it felt like to be truly cold, to be truly lost. He would never wish that on anyone. He also knew what it felt like to be in the darkness, with no light at the end of the tunnel, nothing to light his path, stumbling blindly through the world. It was terrifying. He hoped Elenore and her children never had to feel like that, ever. They were too good.

When she spoke again, saying that perhaps he didn't know her as well as he thought, he smiled weakly. Maybe he didn't know her as well as he thought he did. "Isn't that true of everyone?" After all, despite how much a person got to know someone, they would never really know them. The only one that could truly know a person was themselves and even then it wasn't completely guaranteed.

When the lights flickered back on, he opened his eyes before quickly shutting them again, then slowly reopening them, allowing them to get used to the light. At her words, he nodded as he stood. "So it would seem." He was surprised by the regret he felt. He had quite enjoyed their talk, despite the memories it brought up.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

His words echoed in her mind.. he really had been through a lot, hadn't he? Looking over at him now, she couldn't help but wish that they could talk like this again. "In the end it is." she answered his question but there was still a big difference of knowledge of a person the first day you meet them and then ten years down that road. Biting her lip, she watched the number that was right above the doors, it was slowly getting closer to the second floor, where she worked.

"You know.. I wouldn't mind having lunch with you some time even though you denied me last time." she said with a small, playful and slightly teasing smile. "It's not every day that you stumble into someone that will actually hear you out." Elenore looked over at him. She expected another rejection but she still hoped that he would accept. She didn't give up very easily, perhaps that's why she was still alive today.

The doors opened and she couldn't help but frown slightly as she looked towards the opening. Placing her hand against the door, she waited for his answer as she hesitantly stepped out of the elevator. Who knew what he thought of her now, perhaps she was annoying him with her proposals but then again, it was worth a shot or at least that's what she thought.

((I'll make it longer next time >.< ))  

[Katydid50]

Daniel couldn't help but wonder what was going through her mind. She probably thought he was emo or something. He certainly had enough reason to be, not like those no-nothing kids who thought the world was a depressing place despite the fact that they knew nothing of the real world. They didn't know what real pain was.

At her words, he nodded slowly. He suspected she was referring to her ex-husband but he wasn't one to jump to conclusions. He'd learned quickly just how much jumping to conclusions could put a person in danger, even get them killed.

His eyes turned back ahead and he watched as the numbers above the door lit up and darkened as they descended. He really didn't want this to be over but he didn't have a choice. They both had to get back to work, and off the elevator before it broke again. When Elenore spoke, though, he looked over at her. He blinked in surprise before smiling when she, again, asked him out to lunch. He sighed before shaking his head, though still smiling. "You just don't give up, do you?" he asked.

In all honesty, he liked her persistence and he liked the fact that she wasn't afraid to disagree with him. Most people that he spoke to, the others that didn't really know him, seemed almost scared that he would hurt them if they dared to disagree with him. The talk with her had been refreshing.

When she slowly -perhaps even hesitantly, he thought- stepped off the elevator, he told her, "You know, I don't normally eat lunch, but I suppose I could make an exception. Name the place and time." He'd been lying when he'd told her he didn't know any places to eat. He knew plenty of places. The only problem was that they were all bars as well, pretty shady bars at that.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

She couldn't help but smile at his words. Yeah, it took a lot for her to give up on someone which is probably why she got hurt more than she needed to. "Nope." she answered before tilting her head to the side. Brushing a lose strand of her red hair away from her face as she waited for him to answer her own question.

"Noon.." she thought for a moment, wondering what would be a good place to eat lunch. She didn't like fast food places so that would just have to do. "Olive Garden?" she wasn't exactly sure of what he liked but they did offer a lot of different dishes. "See you then." she said as she let go of the door and they slowly slid shut as she walked back to her office.

Work, work, work. Well, she was going to have to work if she wanted to get food on the table. Sighing, she walked into her office and set the stack of papers on her dress before she sat down and began to dissect them slowly. If he had sent the material in an email it would have been so much easier to deal with.

Rubbing the back of her neck, she logged into her computer and began to work on the new project. To her surprise she kept glancing at the clock, waiting for it to turn noon but it seemed like time was working against her today.. what a surprise. She only hoped that she wouldn't fall asleep from boredom.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel smiled back at her as Elenore smiled at him. His smile grew into a grin when she confirmed his notion that she never gave up. Chuckling, he shook his head, his thumbs tucked into the front pockets of his jeans. It was odd. When was the last time he'd laughed? Like, really laughed? Probably when Max had fallen off the counter after being startled by the timer on the oven. That had to have been over a year ago. How sad.

When she spoke again, he nodded slowly. The Olive Garden at noon. That sounded perfect. He'd never actually been to the Olive Garden but he'd heard good things about it. Then again, how many places had he heard good things about and they turned out to be completely different? He guessed he would just have to wait and see the place for himself.

As she completely stepped off the elevator and pulled her hand from the door, he smiled at her farewell. "See you-" He broke off as the door closed before he could finish his own goodbye. "-then." Scowling, he glared at the door before shaking his head and pressing the button for the bottom floor.

The time between then and lunch passed by much more slowly than it usually did. He was sure it had to do with the fact that he was actually waiting for something. Normally, noon passed without him so much as noticing, probably in part because he never ate lunch. He also suspected it had to do with the fact that time always moved slowly when a person was waiting for something. Like when he'd been little, everyday when he would wait for the bus to arrive that would take him to school. That always seemed to take forever but it never took long to get home, if it could have been considered a home.  

[Katydid50]

((Bump))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

((Hey, I didn't know I was going to be gone for a few days. Sorry for my absence, I'll try to post in the roleplays as soon as I can. ))