Detailed Roleplayers discussion
1x1
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Andra and Lara
"Eli," he replied shortly, but with a small smile. He offered up no last name. "I better get going; I have a job interview in a few." That was, of course, utter bullshit, but it was time to find out a few things about Lexi James and figure out his next move.
Marcella nodded. "Ok. Nice to meet you." She said, turning to go back into her house. She didn't think it was really nice to meet him. He was a scary looking fellow. She turned and rapped on Lexi's door however. "Honey? Can I come in?" She asked.Lexi stood and dried her tears, hastily trying to look normal before opening up and door and smiling weakly.
Marcella stepped inside and shut the door after her. "We need to talk."
Eli ran down the stairs lightly, pausing at the front door to glance back up the stairs, and then stepped into the darkening twilight. He needed to find out where she worked, where she spent her free time, who she hung out with. Did she have a boyfriend, best friends, close relatives. Unfeeling, emotionless mask back in place, he made his way towards the nearest bar.
Lexi looked up. "What about?" She asked somewhat curiously. Marcella paused. "That new boy..."
Lexi raised a brow. "You don't think I have... that I would...?"
Marcella shook her head. "No. I think you should stay away from him."
Lexi frowned, "What do you mean?"
Eli pushed the door open to the musty, barely lit bar. Along on wall, a few pool tables were lined up. The center was dominated by a bar, and the rest of the floor space was taken up by small tables. His kind of place. Dark, out of the way, no questions asked. He sauntered up to the bar and ordered a beer, then leaned back against the wall to observe the people for a little bit.A petite brunette in the bar chair near him turned a thoughtful eye towards him. "Hey, sugar," she called out conversationally.
Eli glanced towards her and then took the seat beside her. "Sweetheart," was his only, flat greeting.
Marcella frowned and wrapped her shawl tighter around herself. "He gives me the creeps." Lexi raised her eyebrows, "Marcella!"
She nodded, "I know. But he seemed so... cold." She said slowly, remembering their encounter. "And... dark."
Lexi sighed, nodding slowly. "I know, he did seem kind of strange, but that is no reason to avoid the poor man." She said softly. She walked over to the fridge and pulled out a cookie, offering one to Marcella.
She shook her head. "No thanks." She looked up at her. "I know, and this might be totally crazy. But just be careful around him... ok?"
Lexi nodded. "I will."
The brunette leaned over beer towards Eli appreciatively. "You're new in town.""Good guess. You're right," he replied, taking a sip of his beer. He scanned the other faces in the bar, trying to figure out who might know Lexi.
"No guess; I work here part time and I ain't ever seen you around." She had the slow drawl of someone raised farther south than New York. "I'm Lucie."
"Eli," he replied shortly, finally turning his attention to Lucie.
Marcella nodded, sighing slowly. She had been like family to Lexi ever since she had moved in beside her, and she felt bad leaving her alone. Especially with that.... boy on the loose. She didnt like him one bit. "I better get going. See you later honey."Lexi nodded, not looking up. "Bye. Thanks for checking on me."
Marcella nodded, smiling gently as she opened the door. "Any time dear." She left, closing the door after her.
"So when'd you get here?" Lucie asked, propping her chin up with one hand against the bar. "Three days ago," Eli lied seamlessly. He had only gotten to New York City that very day, but it was easier than telling her that, especially if he was planning on sticking around for a bit.
Lexi sighed and locked the door after Marcella before walking into her kitchen. She got out a box of kraft dinner and set it on the counter. Filling a small pot with water, she set it on the stove and turned the element on. As she waited for the food to boil, she looked over her mother's paintings. She missed her so much. If only she had known that her mother was the reson Eli was there at all. Things may have gone differently.
"Aren't you a talkative one," Lucie drawled. Eli looked back over the bar. "Alright, then, tell me. How well do you known is neighborhood?" If he could make friends with Lucie, his hunt would be that much easier. And Lucie didn't seem particularly averse to the idea of being friends, whatever her idea of friends was. Eli knew that his idea was vastly different from the average person's.
The water started to boil and Lexi leaped up. She ran over to her pot and grabbed the Kraft package. Slitting open the top, she pulled out the cheese package before pouring the pasta into the water. Grabbing a fork, she began to stirr.
"Like the back of my hand, sugar," Lucie bragged easily. "Been here going on five years. Why, what do you want to know?" She pushed her dark brown hair away from her face and watched Eli with interest."The good restaurants, who's the swindler, where does the Mafia live so I can stay away, the usual," Eli replied with a smirk, leaning forward.
"By the looks of it, I'd think the Mafia would come out on the bottom if they got in with you."
"You can lay off the flattery, sweetheart."
Lexi ate her mac and cheese in silence. After finishing her meal, she cleaned up the dishes and decided to go for a walk. Grabbing her beige leather jacket and slipping into some short uggs, she grabbed her keys and walked outside. Locking the door after her, Lexi walked down the stairwell and out into the fresh evening air. The stars were beautiful out tonight, and Lexi absent mindedly headed towards the park.
"Mmhmm. Whatever you say, sugar. So, what do you actually want to know." Lucie wasn't fooled."Alright, I'm trying to find myself a place; know any good apartments? Besides your own, or course." Eli smirked.
Lucie grinned right back. "Shame. But yes. Two blocks down, Norell Street, the tall red brick apartment. Mention my name to the landlord, I went to school with him ages ago."
"Thanks. I'll see you around," he said with a wink and left.
"For sure, sweetie," Lucie called after him.
Eli pushed out the door into the cool night air and stood indecisively for a moment at the curb, looking across the street at a small park.
Lexi looked up at the stars, smiling a little. She liked how she could just forget about everything here. Everything was so beautiful, it was easy to forget. She was completely oblivious to Eli's presence. She walked a little ways before leaning back against a tree trunk and closing her eyes, just drinking in the night air.
A sliver of movement at the edge of the park drew Eli's attention, and peering through the shadows he recognized Lexi's red hair and pert features. That had been easier than he had expected. Stepping of the curb, he padded quietly towards the park, once again checking that all his weapons were in place and ready.
Lexi opened her eyes again slowly. She sighed. No matter how long she kept them closed to dream away the world, reality always cam back whe she opened them again. Straighting, she continued on her walk, moving through the park. She was hoping to stop at the drug stor on the other side before heading back to her apartment.
Keeping to shadows, Eli tracked Lexi's progress through the park. She was headed for the opposite side, and unless he ran, there was no way to get to her before she reached the well lit street. Rubbing a hand through his hair, he sighed. This was turning into a nightmare. What he had considered a one day job was starting to turn into longer. He didn't have time for this.
Lexi exited the park and walked across the street and into the drug store. She looked around for a bit, before settling on a pack of gum. She paid for it at the counter and slipped into her pocket. Exiting the drug store again, she headed towards the park, itching to get home as soon as possible.
Perfect, Eli thought, as Lexi emerged fairly quickly from the drug store. Stepping out from the shadows at a slow walk, hands in his pockets, he ambled across the path, feigning ignorance of Lexi's presence. However, he was too in tune with exactly where she was, more than normal. Odd, he thought to himself.
Lexi looked up, surprised when Eli emerged in front of her. She jumped a little in shock. "Oh gosh. It's just you." She sighed thankfully. "You never can be too careful in the dark." She shook her head slowly, relaxing some. "Did you get into your apartment all right?" She asked politely.
"Yeah, fine. There's a problem with the pipes, so I might not stick around," Eli lied without any hesitation. "Would you like me to walk you back?" They were still too close to the light of the streetlamps. Eli needed privacy.
"Sure." Lexi nodded, starting to walk beside him. She shivered a little, as the night was cold. She tugged her sweater closer around herself. "Too bad about the pipes." She said sympathetically. "Do you have somewhere else to go?" She looked up at him, genuine worry on her features.
"Yeah, I met someone who knows a guy with an empty loft apartment a block down." As they passed into the shadows of the trees, Eli hesitated for a second too long before silently sliding his knife into the palm of his hand. Berating himself, her readied himself to make his move. Why had he hesitated? That was idiotic.
Lexi nodded. "That's good then. I would hate it if you didn't have any where to stay." They passed by a park bench and a man sleeping there shifted and looked up at her. "You wouldn't happen to have any money, would you darling?" he asked Lexi, ignoring Eli.Lexi looked over his huddled and forlorn looking form with pity. "Yes actually. One second while I get some." She mumbled, pulling out her purse.
Eli bit his lip to keep from saying the first thing that came to his mind. As in, fuck, there goes my chance again, and then, he's not worth it, he'll only go spend it on pot or drink. He held the words back, but looked down on the man's figure with a derisive raise of an eyebrow.
Lexi managed to scrounge up a ten, which she quickly handed to the man with an apologetic glance. "Sorry, that's all I could find." The man beamed. "Thanks darling." He got up and wandered off through the park, probably to go squander his new found riches.
Lexi put her purse back in her pocket and continued walking. She sighed. "I can't help feeling bad for people like that. Just because.... well... I was very nearly one of them myself." She admitted.
This admission took Eli by surprise, and he glanced sideways at her suddenly. "A bum, wasting borrowed money on the next high? You don't seem the type." And quite honestly, she didn't seem the type at all, and Eli recognized with mild astonishment that for some reason he felt relieved that he didn't think she was the type. He scowled, unsure now.
Lexi chuckled softly. "Ok, maybe not the high part. I don't do drugs or alcohol. Or I try not to anyways. I have seen what they do to people." She paused, remembering the many long nights when her father was in one of his rages. "But the bum part? Yeah. I don't know if anyone told you anything about me, but I didn't exactly grow up in the, well, dream family." She said, looking down at her shoes. Why was she telling this to a stranger?
"Seeing as I've barely met you, no, I haven't heard much of your life story." Eli was oddly fascinated, and partly weirded out by the fact that Lexi would confide a all this to him, a guy she barely knew. A guy who was trying to kill her.
Lexi nodded and sighed. "My dad was abusive and drank a lot. He would beat my mother. When I was eight I couldn't take it any more, so I started to take the blows for her." She looked down biting her lip. "Still have the scars to show for it." She whispered. "Anyways..." She tried to gain her resolve again. "The moment I turned eighteen, I moved out and bought my place here, got a job, and have been trying to re-write my past ever since." They had reached the door to the apartment building again, and Lexi pulled out her keys. "But I guess my life story is a bore to you, isn't it." It was more of a statement than a question.
It was astonishing to Eli, something he had never seen before, how Lexi had simply poured her life story to him with something scarily close to trust. And he was the last person in this world or the one below that she should trust. He shook his head slowly, eyes dark in the gloom. "Not a bore," he replied simply, completely unsure of what to say.
She nodded, opening up the door and moving inside the building and uo the stairwell. "Well. Thanks for listening to me rant anyways." She said, smiling a little at him. She reached her apartment door and jammed her keys in the lock, twisting hard."it was nice talking to you." She smiled at him. Opening her door, she went into her apartment and slowly closed it after her, locking it as well. She sighed, and then walked into her bedroom to get ready for bed.
"Nice talking to you too," he mumbled as she closed and locked the door. Why- he had definitely had a chance right then, before she had gone inside her apartment. But he couldn't kill her like that, after she had told him her life. She had trusted him, a complete stranger, with that little secret of her life. And Eli couldn't understand it. So instead, he turned and walked out of the building with a deep scowl, and made his way to the street Lucie had told him about.
Lexi got ready for bed quickly, hitting the showers before curling up under her blanket. She was somewhat mortified by what she had told Eli. But there wasnt anything she could do about it now. He certainly was a strange man. Maybe Marcella was right and she should steer clear. Somehow that didnt seem a very nice thing to do. Lexi sighed and went to sleep.
It took him less than half an hour, a beer, and Lucie's name to convince the man, Joe, to let Eli rent the loft apartment. Eli didn't actually need sleep, but his human body did crave it, so he slept, only stopping to take off his leather jacket.
Lexi woke up the next morning bright and early, but still late for work. She leaped out of bed and got dressed quickly in her uniform, heading downstairs. She grabbed an apple and stuck it in her mouth, snatching up the keys before charging outside. She practically sprinted all the way to the diner.
Eli stepped out onto the sidewalk, shrugging into his leather jacket and sticking his loft key into his back pocket. He walked down the street, hands in his pockets, looking around for any small diner or café to stop at, for both breakfast and information gathering. Two blocks down he spotted a small diner and pushed in, and just like that, he had found out where Lexi worked.
Lexi burst through the back doors and into the kitchen, tying her apron frantically. She grabbed a menu and ran out into the diner, looking around for people she could serve. She stopped at a young couple first, before spotting Eli and walking over. She smiled at him. "Hi. Fancy seeing you here."
"Mmhmm," Eli murmured, feigning disinterest, but gave her a slight smile. He snagged a menu from a table and leaned against the counter. "Anything good here or am I wasting my time?"
Lexi shrugged. "Depends on your tastes as far as deep fried food goes." She smiled a little and pointed to his menu. "I like the pancakes though." Smiled a little and glanced around, noticing that more people had come in for breakfast. "Let me know if you aren't going to order anything though, because I need to get going."
"Just a coffee," Eli told her, sitting at a small table. He wondered when she got off work, because this was starting to annoy him.
Lexi nodded. "You got it." She scribbled something down on her notepad and moved over to another table with one more glance at Eli. He seemed restless for some reason... She briefly wondered what it could be. She felt bad for him somehow. He seemed so lonely. She looked away from him again and smiled at the couple sitting at another table. "What can I get for you?"
Eli leaned back in his chair, propping his foot against the leg of the table, and watched the people go by. Lexi stopped to pick up an order from a couple, smiling genuinely. He didn't understand how people were always so happy. It was beyond him.
Lexi went back to the kitchen for a moment before coming out with food. She served the others first before coming over to Eli and handing him his coffee. He looked so... depressed. She put the mug on the table, along with a couple creams and sugars. "Hey, you ok?" She asked softly, worried about him.
How could she be worried about him? Eli wondered if any of his frustration was showing on his face. "Nothing, fine," he replied airily, picking up is coffee, leaving it black. "When's your shift over?"
Lexi wasnt convinced, but she nodded anyways, not about to pry. "In an hour." She replied to his last question. She sighed. "Well. I better get going. Let me know if you need anything." She smiled a little and left him, walking over to the other tables.
Well, that was going to be a long time to wait, Eli thought dismally just as the little bell above the door rang again as someone came into the already bustling diner. And who else but Lucie would show up now. Glancing up from the stack of papers in her hand, she spotted Eli and made a beeline for his table, sitting across from him without invitation. "Well, if it isn't Eli." Eli responded with a raised eyebrow. "Heard from Joe you got your loft. How's it?" She dropped her papers with a thump on the table.
"Fine," he replied disinterestedly, leaning forward to read the paper on top.
Marcella looked up and nodded, catching the keys. "Thanks. Ill give them to Lexi." She smiled. "I dont think I caught your name..." she said, raising one eybrow. He certainly seemed like a strange fellow to her at least. She didnt believe for one bit that "what you see is what you get" applied in this case. There was something... dark.... about him.