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

[Katydid50]

Daniel frowned when she said it wasn't his fault. But it was! He shouldn't have said anything, he should have just kept his big mouth shut. Or, at the very least, he could have put it in a nicer way. He'd never been very good at sugar-coating things, ever. That had gotten him into a lot of trouble in the past, and in the present, it seemed. When she spoke again, he blinked before tilting his head. It took him a moment to realize what she was talking about but, when he had, he smiled weakly. "And I didn't mean to upset you, but I have."

When she said that he had only been trying to help, he shook his head. He waited until he swallowed his mouthful of food before speaking. "I was saying what I thought, but I could have put it better," he said. He smiled sheepishly. "My mouth has a tendency to run off. I've always been in the habit of saying things in the bluntest way possible, and that's rarely a good thing."

He shook his head again before smiling. "They tend to do that," he said. "You know, I find that when I share a problem with someone else, it doesn't seem so big. Maybe your subconscious is trying to tell you something." He shrugged. He was no psychologist or whatever but he did know a thing or two about people and he knew a thing or two about problems as well.

Turning his attention back to his food, he severed off another piece with his fork before shoving it into his mouth. He would have had an easier time cutting up his lasagna if he'd used his knife but he... he just couldn't. Yes, he had used knives since he'd turned his life around but only when necessary. Holding a knife again, it brought back memories he would prefer to leave buried. Swallowing, he cut off another piece with his fork before popping that into his mouth.

Then it hit him. When he was feeling down, he didn't want to go to work. Casting a mischievous glance at Elenore, he wondered if she would be up for it. In order to keep himself from laughing aloud, he took another bite of his food. Biting his lower lip, he forced down his laughter before asking, "Elenore, how would you feel about skipping work the rest of the day?" Of course, there was more to it than simply not going back to work. His expression said as much. He was already formulating a plan. Hopefully it wouldn't backfire.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Elenore glanced up at him when he mentioned that he hadn't meant to upset her. She shrugged in response, things like that happened. It's not like he knew her well enough to stay off certain topics and he hadn't done it on purpose so there really was no reason to hold a grudge against him. Taking another bite of her food, she then swallowed after chewing it.

"At least you don't sugar coat everything to the point that the person doesn't even know what you're talking about." she pointed that out. She used to know someone like that.. Shaking her head, she took a small drink from her glass before looking over at him. He almost seemed nervous.. as if she was going to end what they had (whatever it was) just because of this incident. She wasn't that cruel or stupid.

A small smirk appeared on her lips as he continued. Subconscious. Who knew.. maybe he was right but she wasn't going to linger on that. Once she was sure her kids were safe then she would have time to think about those things. She continued to eat in silence for a moment, she didn't like eating pasta when it was cold, and thought over what he had said so far.

Her train of thought was stopped when she noticed that he was trying to keep himself from .. laughing? Tilting her head slightly, she looked at him, as if waiting for him to speak and he did the next moment. Swallowing her food, she smiled. She was slightly nervous as to what his proposal was but happy at the same time. "I'd be pretty happy about it." she answered him truthfully. "Why?" she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly, trying to figure out what was going on in that mind of his.  

[Katydid50]

When she mentioned his lack of sugar-coating, Daniel smiled weakly. That was true, painfully so. People that sugar-coated things beyond recognition annoyed him, like politicians. Even if it was a simple 'yes or no' question, they always gave a lengthy answer that he was never sure what their actual answer was. That made him feel stupid and that was not something he liked feeling.

When he asked about skipping work and she smiled, he grinned, looking more young and care-free than he had since they had met. He looked almost child-like, despite the few wrinkles he'd gained over the years and the gray tint to his hair. Life had not been good to him but he wasn't bitter about it. At least, he wasn't bitter about anything that had happened after he'd run away from his father. He would always be bitter about the way his father treated him and about the way his mother had abandoned him to the man.

"Oh, just an idea," he said enigmatically, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Already he had a plan formulated. All he had to do was wait and hope that one of the people he needed would show up. There was never a guarantee but he really hoped it worked out. It had all the other times he'd tried it but maybe he was pushing his luck. He pushed the thought away and forced himself to focus on his food. Even then, he couldn't rid himself of the grin that had formed at his mouth. He hadn't felt this good in years. Maybe Michael was right, though he was reluctant to admit it, when he said that Daniel needed to interact with people more. He seemed to be right, at least in that case.

It didn't take him long to finish his meal and drain down his water. Contented, he set his empty glass back on the table, licking his lips. He was so glad he'd allowed Elenore to take him out.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

She saw his grin. It was rather nice to see him so happy, she found herself wishing that she could see him like that more often. Who said there would even be another time? Lowering her head for a moment, she then raised it to meet his eyes. Elenore realized his eyes were blue.. She had always loved blue eyes.. not that it mattered or anything. Hearing him speak, she was pulled from her trance which in turn made her blush slightly and lower her head. When was the last time she had done that? It had definitely been a while. She could only hoped he hadn't caught it..

Before she had lowered her head though, she had caught that mischievous glint in his eyes. Taking a small sip from her drink to recover, she then looked back up at him. "Just an idea?" she questioned him, raising one of her eyebrows as she lifted her chin slightly, leaning back against the booth and crossing her arms, waiting for an explanation. Of course she hoped she would get one soon enough but until then, she continued to eat, lowering her head once more.

Elenore was still not too happy about the fact that she had blushed before. After all wasn't there a certain age limit to that or something? You have three kids, stop thinking about this nonsense! She ate calmly though.. trying to convince herself that it was nothing. What was so wrong about noticing someone's eye color? Nothing. Right? Right. But it was more than that. No it wasn't. How could it be? Shouldn't she know that it was stupid to continue arguing with herself like this? Oh, she did but she was helpless at the moment. Thinking too much.. that was her weakness. Taking in a deep breath, she finished off her food. Elenore knew she should be more worried about Nicolas at the moment.. but he was at school.. and well.. No. There couldn't be no excuses for thinking about something else. Yeah.. it was a guilt trip but she would think about that later. For now.. she still wanted to figure out what his idea was.. and manage to not look at his eyes again.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel lifted his gaze from his empty plate to Elenore, he raised an eyebrow at the way she was looking at him so intently. Was there something on his face? He couldn't feel anything. He didn't think he'd gotten any sauce on his face. However, when she looked back down, he pushed the thought away. Perhaps she'd just been deeply in thought and hadn't actually been looking at him, rather had just happened to be looking in his direction. He'd done that before. Then again... Was that a blush on her face? He couldn't be sure. The weather was starting to cool down and it was possible she'd just caught a brisk wind. But wouldn't he have noticed it before then, and wouldn't it already have been gone?

Shaking his head, he pushed that thought away as well. With her gaze down, he ran a hand over his face, just to make sure that he hadn't gotten anything on him. Just as he'd thought, nothing. When she questioned him, he pursed his lips before lowering his gaze, then peeking back up again. "Well," he said slowly. "Maybe an idea that I've tested out several times." He smiled sheepishly. "What can I say? My job can get very boring on a slow day." At least, that was his excuse. Some days, he just didn't feel like working.

He considered telling Elenore what his plan was but he was feeling playful. He'd let her guess, keep it a surprise. He himself didn't actually like surprises. He liked knowing what was going to happen and when. Again, he planned that on his past. Back then, a 'surprise' could mean someone's life, or worse. There were worse things than death. He forced down a shudder at the thought. He'd seen, heard or heard of quite a few of those things and they still gave him nightmares but, now, they were few and far between, for which he was grateful. He just hoped that Elenore and her kids would never have to experience things like that.

Instead of explaining what his plan was, Daniel simply sat there and watched as she finished off her food. Normally, it bothered him to eat in front of other people so he gave them the same courtesy but he wasn't really feeling like himself that day. He was feeling better.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Finishing off her drink as she heard him, she couldn't him but smile afterward. Of course she had realized that he had been watching her. She didn't really know what to think of it so she just glanced over at the waiter as he handed her a black leather bound note book. Taking it, she set it on the table as he took the plates and the glasses as well, she pulled out her wallet. "And what would that be?" she asked Daniel as she smiled, glancing over at him as she placed the money into the notebook, leaving a tip in there as well before she handed it to the waiter when he came back a few seconds later.

Putting her wallet back into her back, she waited for Daniel to speak about this mysterious idea of his. After all lunch break would be over in about ten minutes. She could only hope that it wouldn't involve running since she was in heels.. then again she could always go barefoot. That would be interesting. Placing her arms on the table, she looked at him intently, wanting to know what it was still.

"Does it have anything to do with the city?" that was her first question to figuring out what it was since that way she would know if it was out in the country or somewhere here. Movies? Circus? Another meal? Some other place that she couldn't think of at the moment? Elenore would be patient even though she didn't want to be but she had learned to be over the years with her three children.

To be honest she wouldn't mind if it wasn't in the city.. being out in the fresh air was always a good thing. She was an outdoor person but she hadn't gotten a whole lot of that lately.. Being a single mom did that to you but she didn't regret it as long as she was sure that her kids were happy.. lately though, she was starting to question that.  

[Katydid50]

When the waiter came back and gave Elenore the bill, Daniel felt his hand twitch. It wasn't right, a woman paying. It may have been slightly chauvinistic to think so but that's what he thought. But she was paying him back for something, so shouldn't that make it alright? A person would think so but that didn't make him any happier about it. Besides, she had three kids to look after and he, well, he was more able to pay for it than she was, he was sure.

When she asked what his plan was, he smirked. "You'll see," he said in a sing-song voice. Yes, he was feeling very different from himself that day. At the question, if it had anything to do with the city, he shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not." She would just have to wait and see. He got the feeling she would be pleasantly surprised. He certainly had been when he'd first stumbled across it. He doubted very much that many people knew about it, otherwise it would have been thoroughly trashed by the time he'd found it.

"But first," he said. "we have to get out of work." That would be the interesting part. Either it would work, or it would fail horribly. "I hope you don't have a problem with lying." If she had a problem with it, it wouldn't work. Of course, she wouldn't actually have to say anything until someone asked about it from her personally. That wasn't likely to happen that day. He could only hope that she would think the risk of getting caught would be worth it.

Sliding out of his booth, he motioned for her to follow him. They wouldn't be going very far, at least not right away. At the door, he paused and looked up at the sky. The rain had gone down to a light sprinkle. Then again, even if it had been pouring out, his plan still would have worked. Glancing back over his shoulder, he told her, "Stick close." Pushing open the door, he led the way out and onto the sidewalk before following it away from the restaurant. As they walked, it became clear that the surrounding buildings were becoming older, more run-down. And that was only within two blocks. Finally, he stopped outside a shady-looking bar.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Putting her bag over her shoulder, she listened to him. She frowned slightly when he said she would see. How long was it going to take? He wouldn't even tell her where it was located. Biting her lip, she couldn't help but wonder.. Well taking her out on a nature walk definitely wasn't going to happen and now that she thought about it, he probably wasn't going to take her into the country.

"Get out of work?" she blinked before nodding her head. Lying? She didn't like to lie and she didn't like being lied to but if it concerned lying to her boss she was completely fine with that since she didn't even consider him worthy of walking the planet, that was just her opinion though. So she shrugged in response. It would just have to depend on the situation.

When he got up, she went after him, her heel clicking against the floor for a moment before she continued. Crossing her arms as she walked, she noticed that it wasn't raining as hard as it was earlier. Hearing his comment, she nodded her head once again in response before she went outside as well. As they walked the loose strands of her hair curled slightly from the rain and she guessed that they weren't going that far since they were walking.

Noticing that he was leading her into the more run down part of the city. She swallowed slightly. Of course she wanted to trust him but then again she hadn't even known him for that long. He certainly didn't seem like the type that would try anything and since he had brought her child back safely.. She sighed, not finishing her train of thought. She had trusted her ex as well and look where that got her. By the time she had collected her thoughts, they were already in front of a.. bar? Giving him a questioning look, she looked back at it once more.  

[Katydid50]

Seeing the questioning look Elenore sent him, Daniel smiled weakly. "Don't worry," he said. "I'm not trying anything. We're here for the drunks, not the drinks." He didn't bother to explain. Instead, of walking into the bar, he walked around the side. The alleyway that led to the back of the bar was much like any other alleyway in the city: Smelly, damp and filled with trash and rats. Luckily, the rats didn't bother them, simply peering out at them before swirling around and disappearing back into their trash heaps with unhappy squeaks.

The area at back of the bar was much like the alleyway. There were piles of garbage everywhere. Puddles of liquid were dotted all over the place though he knew that the puddles were not made from the rain. Wooden crates were scattered all over the place, some still closed while others had rotted and broken open. There was a phone box attached to the back of the bar.

He cast a glance back at Elenore, smiling reassuringly before turning to face the door when it swung open. "Right on time," he murmured. The man that stumbled out of the door was thin to the point of starving but his face was bloated, from all the drinks, Daniel assumed. His hair was graying black and his clothes were ragged. A drunk. A drain on society but even drunks had their uses.

"Stay here," Daniel said to Elenore before walking over to the man who looked ready to spill his guts at any moment. "Excuse me. Mind if I borrow the sound effects?" The man looked up at him, confused. Without a word, Daniel grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the phone box. Pulling out some change, he slipped enough into the box before picking up the phone and dialing the work number. When it was answered, Daniel said in the most pitiful, sick-sounding voice he could manage, "This is Daniel Marks. Yeah, the delivery guy. I went out on a lunch meeting with Elenore Darling. I think the food wasn't good. Neither of us are feeling too well." As the woman on the other line started to speak, the drunk emptied his gut. Pulling the phone away from himself, Daniel held it closer to the vomiting man, only close enough for the woman on the line to hear.

When the man had finished throwing up, Daniel brought the phone back to his own ear and groaned. "I won't be coming back to work. Miss Darling won't be either." When the woman went on to assure him that was fine, he said a weak thanks before hanging up. He shot a bright grin at Elenore. "Done and done."  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

"The drunks?" she blinked, but of course he decided to not explain anything once again. She wasn't too sure about this but she went along anyway, her shoes clicking against the cement that was cracked in more than one place. The place didn't exactly smell that great either and when she saw the hungry rats that could have very possible grown to be the size of cats, she decided to keep a close eye on them. They were cute when they were clean and in cages but out in the city.. well she was sure they had stolen more than one finger or toe.

Looking around, she made sure to stay out of the pools of.. well she wasn't quite sure what they were. Vomit perhaps? Biting her lip once more, she glanced over at Daniel but he was still his cheery self. What was he planning on doing here? For once she wished that she could read minds. When he smiled, she gave him a weak smile back before waiting.

Hearing the door, she glanced at Daniel again. The man looked rather.. well drunk. He probably didn't eat or drink anything besides what they offered here and she was surprised he wasn't in the hospital yet. She had no problem staying in her spot as he went over to the man who looked like he was turning green.

Rubbing her arm, she waited patiently, wanting to leave the place already. Listening to the phone call, she narrowed her eyes as the pieces began to fall into place. It all made sense now... So this wasn't really where they were going, was it? They had just come here for the person. When the man threw up, she grimaced and turned around. It wasn't a pretty sight. She might as well be the one throwing up now.

When she was sure he was done, she turned around to see Daniel grinning. "Where to now?" she asked him as she shivered slightly before letting her hair down since she was tired of having it up in a bun. The man vomited again and she swallowed. Hopefully he would feel better later.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel hung up the phone and walked back over to Elenore, completely ignoring the drunk who emptied his stomach again before stumbling back inside the bar. When she asked where they were going now, he told her, "Back to the cars. Where we're going, it's a distance from the restaurant." They could probably have walked it if she hadn't been in heels. He'd never warn heels personally, though he'd listened to women complain about how painful they were to wear, which made him wonder why they wore them in the first place.

Casting a glance back at the area behind the bar, he frowned at the sound of sharp squeaking. The rats were getting restless, probably because of the strange presence. "We better get out of here," he said before quickly ushering her back towards the sidewalk. He knew from personal experience just how dangerous rats could be, just how much damage they could do. Many was the drunk who woke up in an alleyway missing a finger or toe.

Once out on the sidewalk again, he looked past at the alleyway to see some rats peering out at them. If he hadn't known any better, he could have sworn they were glaring at them. Shivering, he started walking back towards the Olive Garden.

"You know," he said, to fill the silence between them. "I think you're really going to like this place." It had a great significance for him too. After he'd left his father and before he'd left the city, he'd slept there many times. He'd felt safe there and warm. It was one of the few places in the city where a person could go and not be surrounded by concrete and asphalt, both of which sapped a person of warmth quickly if they laid on it too long.

He could still remember how he'd felt when he'd first stumbled across it: Relieved, exhausted and safe, which was not something a street kid could come across readily. In the years since then, he'd come to realize that nature could do that to people. Why did they think there was so much misery in cities? Because there was nothing living there, nothing but lifeless buildings and metal. The country was so much better.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Watching him as he put the phone back, she shifted her balance slightly since her toes were starting to hurt. That usually happened when she stood in one spot for too long. When he said that they were going back to the cars, she guessed that they were only here to be excused from work. She would have remembered the spot if it wasn't for the fact that it probably wasn't a good idea to go here alone.

Walking towards the sidewalk, she noticed that the rats were slowly starting to get closer. Definitely not a good idea to stick around. Who knew.. maybe they would be brave enough to actually go up to them. Finally getting to the sidewalk, she glanced back as well to see the rats. They weren't too happy but she was glad that she still had all her toes.

Hearing him when he spoke as they started to head back, she tilted her head to the side slightly. "Really now?" she said with a small playful smile. "It would be nice if you at least gave me a hint." she told him as she looked up at him, after all he was taller than her even though she was in heels.

Taking in a deep breath as it started to rain a bit more, she tugged at her jacket and crossed her arms as she walked. She was slightly cold but she loved this type of weather so it didn't really matter. Of course most women were worried about their makeup smearing or their hair becoming all frizzy but she just enjoyed walking in the rain. Perhaps it was an odd thing to like but no one was there to judge her and even if they did, it didn't matter to her.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she then heard another set of footsteps. Opening her eyes, she saw a man walking in their direction.. maybe he was headed towards the bar or maybe he was going elsewhere. Taking a step to the side, she continued, leaving enough space for him to pass by.  

[Katydid50]

As they walked and Elenore spoke, Daniel smirked and nodded. "Yes really," he said. At the comment about giving her a hint, he looked thoughtful for a moment, as if he was seriously considering it, before shaking his head. "No, I don't think so." Oh, he was loving this! He hadn't felt that carefree since... ever. He was sure he'd felt it once or twice but he couldn't actually remember any specific times. He would definitely have to keep this incident in his memory.There was no way he wanted to forget it.

He glanced down at her, as he was taller than her even when she was wearing heels. Despite how much he tried to keep it forced down, the corners of his mouth curled up in a smile. He wouldn't admit it but he really liked being around her. He knew it wasn't a good idea but he couldn't help it. When he was with her, everything seemed ok. He could forget about his past and just enjoy himself.

Feeling something heavier land on top of his head, he tilted his head back and looked up to see that the rain drops were becoming larger. Shaking his head, he looked back ahead before glancing down at Elenore as she tugged on her jacket and crossed her arms. He would have offered her his jacket, if he'd been wearing one. She didn't exactly look very warm and he knew just how miserable it felt to be cold. Actually, he probably knew a lot better than she did but he pushed the thought away.

He wasn't overly surprised, though, that she didn't freak out about the rain ruining her makeup. Actually, he wasn't even sure she was wearing any. Good. He didn't like women that wore makeup. In his mind, it ruined them, made them fake. He couldn't stand fakes. But, really, was he any better?

When he heard another set of footsteps, he looked ahead to see a man walking towards them. When Elenore took a step to the side, he slowed his pace and did the same so that he walked behind her instead of beside her, giving the man enough room to comfortably pass. He didn't like getting too close to people in that neighborhood. It wasn't safe.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

She watched as he seemed to think about her proposal. Please say yes, please say yes.. and then of course he said no. She frowned slightly and nodded her head. She was started to think about it even more. Perhaps it wasn't in the city at all.. but then again the city was a big place. Sighing, she brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. This was going to drive her crazy until they actually got there.

When he smiled, she couldn't help but return it. It seemed impossible to not smile when he did though she didn't know why that was. She didn't know what she would have done if he was in a negative mood. It was obvious that they wouldn't be here now.. A few rain drops landed on her face as she continued to think about random things.. or rather Daniel.

As the man walked by, she continued to look ahead at the long stretch of sidewalk. They weren't that far from Olive Garden now. The soft yellow lights were glowing on the inside and the people there looked happy, their stomachs full and their lungs filled with the good smells of the restaurant. Not too long ago that was them. Licking her slightly dry lips, she walked into the parking lot, avoiding the moving cars.

Realizing that she didn't know if they were going to take one car or each drive their own, she looked over at him. "How do you want to do this?" she asked him as she stopped at her car, leaning against the trunk to give her ankles a rest for a few moments.  

[Katydid50]

As they walked, Daniel couldn't help but wonder what Elenore was thinking about. Was she wondering what her kids were up to? Was she wondering where it was he wanted to take her? Was she starting to rethink this whole thing? Or was she thinking of something else entirely? He hoped she wasn't regretting agreeing to this. He knew he certainly wasn't regretting doing this. He didn't think he could ever regret spending time with her, despite the fact that it wouldn't be any good for her to get involved with him.

When the man passed them, he stepped back into place and quickened his pace to, once again, walk beside her. He found he much preferred walking beside her than to behind or in front of her. As he looked ahead, he realized how close they were to the restaurant. Casting a glance inside the windows, he smiled weakly at how happy they all seemed. Of course, it most likely wasn't true but it was nice to think that some people in this world could possibly be truly happy. It wasn't often that people were truly happy but he believed that it was possible to find true happiness.

When they finally reached the parking lot of the Olive Garden, he walked beside her over to the cars. At her question, he looked back over at her. He shrugged. "It's completely up to you," he told her. "Personally, I don't care whether we take one car or you follow me there. The question is: Do you trust me enough to get into a car with me and allow me to take you to an unspecified location?" He wasn't trying to be a smart-a** or anything. It was an honest question. He wouldn't have been offended if she didn't trust him enough. It wasn't like they were the best of friends or anything.