friendofcasper (friendofcasper) wrote in birthrightrpg, @ 2020-11-23 11:34:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | ellie sawyer, flynn russo |
A Vampire and Floating Cars
Who: Ellie, Flynn
What: Patching Up
Where: Searchlight, Flynn's Trailer
When: After 'A Speck of Green Paint'
Ratings/Warnings: Mention of Violence
That Galaxy black Nissan Juke felt as if it were going in slow motion. The odometer coasted to the right, climbing and climbing, and the world flew past the tinted windows. Dark expanse of desert and horizon lay ahead. Once in a while the bright lights of an oncoming vehicle shimmered in the blues of her eyes, but Ellie made herself focus. If she thought too much about what had just taken place she would end up in a ditch.
The idea of texting Flynn to offer a heads up for her impromptu visit never came to mind. She careened toward Searchlight anyway, wanting to put as much distance between herself and Vegas as possible. Of course she would see that bright skyline again - she lived here, after all - but the further she went the better she began to feel.
As she crossed the City Limit sign, Ellie made herself slow the vehicle down. While the town was small, she didn’t want to become familiar with any patrol unless she just had to.
By now she had the pathway memorized. A few turns would put her on Flynn’s street, another would ease the Juke into his driveway. The sight of his quiet car put her more at ease. It meant he was home. She felt instantly bad for flying there - what if he was sleeping? What if she was bothering him with all of this?
Ellie didn’t realize that she was still bleeding. The pain in her arm, shoulder, neck, all competed for attention. Droplets stained the collar of her shirt.
As the engine died, she found she was crying again.
The door would be thrown open. And then she would cross the space from the car to the door at a near run, as if something may have been chasing her. She didn’t realize she was pounding on the flimsy trailer door willing it to open. It nearly did, shivering in the frame though the lock was all that kept it from flying open.
’You’re psychic!’ John’s words echoed in her mind like a stamp on parchment.
Flynn hadn’t been sleeping, but he had been lying in bed, listening to music through his headphones. Even through the noise, though, he could hear the pounding on his trailer door. Concerned, he hopped out of bed and crossed the trailer. He threw open the door.
“Ellie?” His eyes fell on her neck, on the blood on her shirt, the tears streaking her face. Instinctively, he pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. “Are you okay? What happened?”
She could only manage an odd sound that she wasn’t really sure she had ever uttered in her life - a mixture of fear and relief. As Flynn materialized in the thread hold of the trailer her mental strain shattered like glass on a marble floor and she flung her arms around him. Ellie buried her face in his shirt and sobbed. Her fingers clawed at his shirt, desperate but grateful he was there and she was safe. Safe.
A mumble into his shirt. She took a deep breath to try to calm herself, pulling her face away and lifting her chin to turn those watery blue eyes up. “...vampire, in the arts district...I don’t even know..and these cars were moving…” Ellie managed in a breath. She was talking so quickly trying to get everything out it was nearly jumbled.
“Vampire?” He looked more closely at her neck, and the twin puncture wounds in her skin. Flynn led her inside, into the safety and warmth of the trailer. Carefully and gently, he guided her over to the couch, finding a blanket and draping it over her. He’d have to find something to clean the wound, but for now Flynn didn’t want to leave Ellie’s side.
He leaned against her, one arm around her, his other hand stroking her hair gently. “I’m so sorry this happened, Ellie,” Flynn told her, looking into her shining eyes.
She didn’t know what emotion out of the multitude twisting around in her chest was the most prominent just then - the fear or the guilt for trusting so easily. John had promised to let her go, but what if he hadn’t? What if he didn’t realize until it was too late and she became another missing person in the stream of life?
Her feet felt like lead but she made herself move and once fully inside the familiar trailer she felt the safety and comfort that began to outweigh her fear and panic.
Ellie accepted the blanket with grace, though she stayed as close as possible to Flynn. A sniffle. Fingers would lift to wipe timidly at streaming eyes.
“I made cars move,” she admitted, biting at her bottom lip. “I don’t know how, I — I think I did it with my mind, but they moved and he let go and I ran.”
Flynn listened to her closely as he held her, eyes casting downward as he tried to parse what she was saying. She made cars move. With her mind. And it saved her from a vampire. “There’s a word for that,” he told her gently, trying not to freak her out further. “Telekinetic.”
What would her mother say if she found out that her daughter was talented in more ways than just with art? Able to move stuff with her mind? Telekinetic. Ellie exhaled a slow, deep breath, in an effort to keep from a full blown panic attack. The ability had saved her - that was a positive side of it, anyway.
Her heart hammered in her chest. She could recall what telekinesis was and it explained a lot of the odd circumstances that happened once in a while in her life, but she had no idea how she even got the power in the first place.
Ellie only nodded at Flynn with understanding, laying her head down against him and finding comfort in his arms.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you, Ellie,” Flynn told her, trying to inwardly stave off the anger toward the vampire that attacked her. She didn’t need that right then. “You must have been so scared.” He held her closer to him, his fingers running through her hair.
“What can I do for you?” he asked her, planting a soft kiss on the top of her head.
Her eyes closed. A few rogue droplets of moisture tumbled down her face at the squeeze of skin, and she rested there with her face shimmering. The green fleck of paint was surprisingly unscathed by the moisture. “I don’t know.” It was the truth. She had no idea what to do or how to find comfort more than what she already had.
And then she made her eyes open, shifting to sit up a bit. “I could use a bit of gauze if you have some, though.” She tilted her head to show him the still open puncture wounds. By now they’d begun to scab over and would look interesting for the duration of the healing process.
Flynn nodded. “Be right back,” he told her, before getting up from the couch and heading to his bathroom. He flipped on the light and opened the cabinet beneath the sink, removing a first aid kit. He brought it back to the living room, opening the box and setting up the supplies on the coffee table.
“This is gonna sting a little,” he told her apologetically, opening up an alcohol swab. Flynn brushed the hair away from her neck before getting to work cleaning the wounds.
Her frame would straighten but Ellie nodded. When Flynn left to get the gauze, her fingers lifted and she pawed around her eyes, wiping her face though all it managed to do was smear the tears and makeup around. She would need to clean her face later but for now it only served to compliment the mess she was in.
When he came back and sat down, she let the blanket pool around her hips at the couch and then leaned toward him. “It’s okay. I’d rather know it’s clean.” She didn’t know where John’s mouth had been prior to the bite and while she wanted to believe that there wouldn’t be infection or anything contracted, it was safest to clean the wound and bear the stinging.
As the swab with alcohol hit her wound she winced, sucking air in through clenched teeth in pain but she made herself relax and bear the pain and the process.
“Sorry,” he said as she winced. He replaced the alcohol swab with an antiseptic solution, then covered it with a sterile pad of gauze, securing it in place with some medical tape. “All done,” Flynn told her, then planted a kiss on her cheek.
“Do you want something to drink? Tea, coffee...booze?” He smiled wanly, trying to lighten the mood a little.
Her cheeks reddened a bit. She felt a slight bit of embarrassment for the situation overall but she was glad Flynn was taking good care of her. “Thank you.” Her neck felt better. “He pulled my arm behind my back pretty tight, but it’s feeling better now, too.” She extended the limb and twisted it around as if to work some of the tension out of it. She was going to be sore for a few days.
“Surprise me,” she offered, giving Flynn a small smile. Ellie didn’t have a preference right then, she needed something to calm her nerves and the processing of the events from the night.
“Okay.” He smiled more fully and kissed her again before getting up. Flynn made for the kitchen, scooping some coffee into a French press and setting the kettle to boil. He got out some chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and whisky.
When Flynn returned, he was carrying of mug full of hot coffee, chocolate, and whisky, covered with a small cloud of whipped cream.
His affection washed over her like a warm bath. She sighed with contentment. What she had done to deserve Flynn, she didn’t know, but she was glad for him all the same. He was a catch, as her sister would say.
She accepted the warm drink when it was offered. Ellie sipped from it slowly, savoring the mixture of tastes and finding comfort in it.
He settled next to her, one arm resting loosely around her shoulders. “Do you want to stay here tonight?” Flynn asked her. “Because you can, of course. You can stay as long as you want.”
Ellie nodded. She licked her lips free from the drink, finding the warmth of it comforting. “Yes, please. I’d like that.” She felt safe here. And Flynn hadn’t run for the hills when she told him about moving the cars with her mind - telekinesis - and didn’t seem to be phased at all by it.
“I’m glad you can move things with your mind,” Flynn told her earnestly, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. “And that you were able to use it to save yourself. If something had…” He trailed off, chagrined. “I mean, I know something did happen to you, but I mean, something worse…” He shook his head.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re Ellie, and that you’re here.”
He had a point. The surprise of an ability had thankfully come at a time where she needed it to be useful, and as he said she had utilized it for survival. Ellie nodded. “Thanks, Flynn. I hope I never have to use it for that again, but I guess you’re right, it’s good to know it’s there.” But now came the part where she needed to find someone to help her figure out how to channel the ability so she could use it if and when the need arose.
“I’m glad I’m here, too. I hope I didn’t wake you up, or bother you…”
Flynn shook his head resolutely. “You could never bother me,” he assured Ellie with a smile. “I’m here, always, for you.” And he leaned in and planted a soft, brief kiss on her lips.
“When you’re feeling a little better, I’d like to tell you something about myself,” he added. “I just don’t want to overwhelm you, right now.”
She wasn’t sure if anything else could shake her as much as the events of the night had, but Ellie nodded and left the conversation morsel to be consumed later. He was right; she felt frazzled and exhausted, plus her arm, shoulder, and neck were still throbbing.
That kiss left on her mouth was warm and she felt better because of it. “Thanks, Flynn,” she added, her cheeks reddening a bit as her smile twisted up and became more genuine, more like her.
“Is there anything else I can get you?” he asked, rubbing his palm over her back. “I’ll get you anything you want. Except a unicorn, I can’t swing that, I’m sorry.” Flynn grinned, hoping he could make her smile more. He figured they could talk more about what happened later; right now, it seemed like Ellie just needed some relief.
Ellie did smile. She laughed softly, wrinkling the end of her nose at the idea of him trying to get her a unicorn. And then she shook her head. “I have all that I need right here,” Ellie replied. She had feelings for him that were deep, and while she knew they were still getting to know each other she realized that she had never felt these same things for anyone before in her life.