Emily Sears (leftthemisery) wrote in playinghouse, @ 2012-04-28 12:01:00 |
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Entry tags: | 01-06, emily |
Breakfast for Lunch
Who: Ben and Emily
When: around noon
Where: outside Emily’s room // kitchen
To say that Emily was excited about getting to meet new people was an understatement so big, it could probably fit the entire house within it! And that was saying something, considering the house they had been placed in was very likely the biggest one she had ever seen -- and she had not even seen it from the outside yet! No, that would have to wait until it was not as cold and snow-drifty outside, thanks. Exploration was something that one did when the weather was nice, and from what Emily had seen from the window of her room, it might be a while before it was any sort of habitable outside. That was just fine by her -- that meant that there would be more time to get to know her new housemates. With a small little laugh, she logged off the computer and saw about finding her boots. Ben seemed like a really nice guy, but that was not anything that Emily could rely on until she actually met him. Which seemed the perfect excuse to not have to roam the house in search of food alone. If everyone was as friendly as the Texan was, then she had a feeling she would be alright, as unlikely as that idea was. Not everyone could be as nice, but she could still hold out hope. Whatever happened, Emily had to keep herself grounded -- there was no way she wanted to go home early when it meant having to come face to face with Charlie. She’d definitely need to speak with her lawyer about a restraining order, if it came down to it. Thoughts of Charlie always made her moods plumet, and with a huge effort, Emily took a deep breath and let it out. He’s not here, he can’t hurt me here, I am safe. The familiar little pep-talk filled her thoughts and she found a smile pulling back onto her lips. No time like the present to distract herself from any and all thoughts of her ex-husband! With a little bounce in her step, Emily found herself preening a little in the mirror before she went to her door.
Opening the door, Emily darted her eyes down the hallway. Pulling the door closed once she stepped out, she counted the doors, trying to orient herself to the staircase she could see not too far away. Second down the hall, on the left. With a nod, she committed that to memory, hoping she could find her way back once she had to come back up. Biting down softly into her lower lip, she found herself rocking back and forth on her heels, her fingers twining in the loose strands of her hair in an excited way. There was definitely a little bit of a nervous energy in the pit of her stomach -- what if nobody liked her here? Granted, she was not here for the sole purpose of making friends, but she knew herself well enough to know that she needed that support system. A year was not so short of a span of time to make friends, was it? No, not for her. She generally made friends easily, mostly just because meeting new people and getting to know them was exciting. Emily genuinely liked people! She just happened to like animals better -- they could not really be anything beyond what instinct dictated. Not like people. People could be cruel, for no reason. The anxiety began to creep up into her movements and Emily had to force herself to relax. Ben seemed nice, and if he wasn’t, she could just have lunch by herself, couldn’t she? That would involve finding the kitchen, a feat she was not sure she wanted to tackle alone. Deep breaths, relax, you are not in danger, nothing’s hurting you, you’re overreacting. Emily sighed out the breath she’d been holding and pulled her smile back up to her face. This was not the time to have an anxiety attack! Leaning back against her door, she busied herself with playing with her hair while she waited.
Ben had already been wandering the house all morning. He wasn’t the type to sit idle for long and not having a job when he’d worked almost his entire life was taking some getting used to. So, he’d kept busy trying to remember where everything was. The kitchen though, was luckily in a pretty central area and he was able to remember where that one was early. He’d worn his boots at first but once he went back to his room to see if he could talk to anybody through those computers every room seemed to have he’d ditched them and was just in his jeans and a t-shirt as he left and made his way to Emily’s room. He thought about trying to mark his door but decided to just leave the door open instead.
He was still in a fairly good mood-as long as he could keep himself busy. He knew as soon as things quiet down he would start worrying about his mama and his sisters and how the yard was doing but for now he was keeping his mind occupied and he was fine. Meeting a few new people would be good though, giving him something else to worry about and keep him from thinking too much about what was going on outside the house. He spotted Emily easily and walked up to her with a wide grin, dimple popping up on one of his cheeks. “Well hey darlin’ Emily I presume?” he asked, drawl thick as he bowed his head a little bit, almost as if tipping his hat.
Luckily, the only thing that Emily had to worry about beyond Charlie was whether or not the people at the Disney Animal Kingdom were keeping things moving. And since there were a lot of dedicated people like herself that had stayed behind, she was sure that was only a minor worry. No, the real thing that occupied most of her time was wondering just how long it would take for her ex to realize that she truly didn’t want him in her life. If he was anything, then he was determined, and while she’d respected that at first, now she dreaded it. What had he thought would happen? He’d show up out of the blue and she’d want to fall all over him? That was definitely not going to happen, even as much as she did still love him. She couldn’t help it. No, this time apart would be great for her, to break herself of any residual attachment she still had to the man. Time and space and new people who she could distract herself with. Speaking of which, Emily’s gaze lifted as she heard the soft footfalls of someone heading down the hallway. When she spotted a shaggy head of brown hair, the smile on her lips curved slightly. Oh. Oh, goodness. She got fully to her feet as the man approached, wondering if it was Ben or some other member of the house. When he came right up to her and spoke, she was momentarily dazzled by his grin. Dimple. He has a dimple. Her smile turned a little lopsided as she nodded. “Yep, that’s me! Ben, right?” At least his Texas drawl was unmistakable, and Emily found she definitely liked it. The little bow of his head made her nose wrinkle up with a soft giggle as she reached out her hand for a shake. “It’s nice to meet you in person!”
Once he was up close, Emily found her eyes were definitely wandering over his face. Hopefully it wasn’t too terribly noticeable, but she figured she was allowed her moment of curiosity! It was not against any rules that she appreciate the finer qualities in life, was it? If nothing else, he was nice to look at, and his voice was pleasing, so it really couldn’t hurt to stick around. “You ready to tackle the kitchen? I’m so hungry I could eat an entire four course meal!” Her brows lifted lightly as grinned, shaking her head. “Well, maybe not, but I could definitely put a dent in whatever kinds of food they have here.” Emily could feel her ability to chatter cropping up, and instead of quelling it, she just went with it. “What do you think? Maybe breakfast for lunch? Can’t start the day off without a proper meal, and breakfast is the most important!” Oh, okay, so maybe she could find time to breathe before she spoke again. So saying, she just tilted her head to the side, waiting to see if maybe Ben was put off by her ability to talk up a storm. She hoped not.
“Yes ma’am, that’s me.” He smiled widely, both cheeks dimpled deeply for a moment before he took her hand, shaking for a moment before he bent to kiss the back of it. He was a flirt, completely and shamelessly and it had worked for him long enough, so why not keep it up here? It was such a deep part of his personality he didn’t think he could pull it back even if he wanted to. “Very nice to really meet you too.” He smiled, standing straight again. He didn’t much notice the way she took in his appearance, and frankly he did the same. He’d always been one to appreciate the company of a pretty girl.
“Well now, I can’t say I’m that much of a chef, unless they happen to have a grill down in that kitchen but I’m sure we could work up somethin’ good anyway.” He grinned, with a nod. “Breakfast for lunch sounds just perfect.” Of course his mama hadn’t let him leave without packing him full and then some before he left for the long and odd journey to come here but that had been hours ago and he was starting to feel that hunger again. He’d definitely miss his mama’s cooking-and his sisters’ now that they were taking over whenever there was a chance-but he’d picked up enough over the years that he’d hopefully keep from missing the home cooking too much. Growing up with three sisters and a Texan Mama definitely made Ben the type to not only not mind but completely understand the mile-a-minute talk. He was so used to it he barely registered any difference and just kept with the conversation, smiling along even.
He glanced around them with an appreciative nod, for a moment “You got yourself some nice real estate here ya know.” he told her, heading toward the staircase opposite the one he’d just come down.
Oh, oh holy crap. Not dimple. Dimples. “Good, it’s nice to put a name to a face.” And then any and all thoughts of continuing further with what Emily had been saying were effectively ceased. Not only had Ben given her the handshake that she’d offered, which she returned with a friendly sort of pressure, but he’d even kissed her hand. Her eyes flew wide for a moment as she blinked furiously. What is the matter with me?! If there was one thing she had just learned in that moment, it was that this man was flirtatious. And damn good at it. A nervous sort of chuckle came out as Ben straightened, soft spots of color coming to her cheeks. It wasn’t to say that Emily was uncomfortable, she had just not been expecting...well, this. “Talking on the computer is handy, but it's no real substitute for real human interaction, don’t you think?” She gave Ben’s hand a last little squeeze before she pulled hers back, her fingers going straight up to toy with her hair, the smile on her face not going anywhere.
“Oh, me neither,” Emily mused. “I can do the basics, for sure, and I’m best at making breakfast, so I’d say we’ll do alright. And, judging by the size of this place, I’d be pretty surprised if the kitchen wasn’t stocked to bursting with all the handy gadgets!” Still, she wouldn’t be proved right or wrong until they went to find it. “Is the kitchen downstairs? Have you been exploring at all?” Emily could feel herself relaxing further, though she could definitely still feel the soft blush on her cheeks. The color there would likely stay there for a while, if first impressions were any indication. She let her mind linger over how nice it was to talk to someone for a moment before she turned her thoughts to food. “What sort of breakfast do you like? Are you a pancakes kind of guy, or do you like the eggs, bacon and toast approach?” From the way he talked and where he was from, Emily assumed he liked the traditional southern breakfast style. “They might even have grits, if you like that.” She took a breath, remembering that talking was not a race. “I’m more the blueberry wheat pancakes type, but I’m sure we’ll figure out how to fix up something we both like.” Because really? Emily was not the best cook in the world, but she liked cooking for more than just herself -- especially if the person was appreciative of it!
Watching Ben look around, Emily nodded, laughing a little. “Yeah! I came out earlier for a peak and the library is right there! The one that, uhh, Lark and Miles were talking about on the computer?” Good, she could remember people’s names at least. “Do you live on this floor?” At the very least, from her window, Emily could tell that she did not live on the ground floor. She had not bothered to go exploring past her immediate area for fear of getting lost. She moved along beside Ben as they turned the corner towards the staircases. She stopped for a moment, unsure of which one to take. It would make sense to have the kitchen on the main floor, but seeing as she hadn’t found it yet, she would rather not get lost. “After you!” She smiled up at Ben, gesturing at the staircases as a whole, so she didn’t look too silly.
“It is definitely nice to have a pretty face to put to that name.” Ben had been around enough blushing women in his life to know that the best course of action was to pretend he didn’t even notice. The few times he’d mentioned it to any of them had just let to further nerves and embarrassment and that was never how he wanted to make anyone feel. Her hand was soft in his, a pretty drastic comparison since his own were so worked and calloused no matter how much he tried to take care of them they stayed very much in the area of “tough”. Not that he exactly did much to take care of them, other than wear gloves for a few minutes a day while working out in the scrap yard. And even that was mostly to avoid needing stitches, again. “Oh yeah agree completely. Nothin’ against any of that technology and those sorta things but not a chance anythin’ could be better than a nice conversation with a nice girl.” he smiled again, and let her pull her hand away.
“Oh I’d bet my belt there’s plenty of odd little nonsense gadgets in there.” He laughed softly, nodding. “Yes ma’am, been wanderin’ round most of the mornin’. Haven’t been down to that basement or outside yet. Though, not so sure I’m gonna be headin’ out there anytime soon. I ain’t much of a cold weather kinda guy.” He glanced back to her with a lopsided grin. Hearing her talk about food though just made him really realize how much he was looking forward to a nice meal. “All of the above an option?” he teased a little bit. He may not much look it but Ben was still a Texan kid through and through and could definitely pack away much more food than anyone ever seemed to think. He laughed again, “If I like grits? What kinda question is that?” he grinned, obviously joking about it. Ben wasn’t much of a serious type and it, for the most part, was his way to make an impression and be friendly. Sure there had been a few times it had gotten him in trouble, when someone hadn’t realized he was just teasing and meant nothing by what he said but he was always completely ready to apologize if it came to that. “Hmm, blueberry wheat pancakes, sounds like we’ve got a plan.” He always had and always would leave the choice of something along these lines in the hands of any woman he was with. To some it may have seemed sexist but really, it was just the way Ben was. He respected women, didn’t think he was any better or stonger than them (if anything he believed just the opposite) but he’d been surrounded by chivalry and “gentlemanly” manners his whole life and if any lesson from his father stuck it was to treat the women in his life right.
“Yeah that’s them...I think.” Ben chuckled, he could have a little trouble associating people to their names but he’d catch on pretty quickly. “And over there..” he gestured to one of the doors to the game rooms, “you’ve got some sorta get together, game type rooms. Two of ‘em. Sure they’ll be pretty popular.” He told her, hoping he was remembering the right rooms. “I don’t, there’s one more floor up over ya, I’m up there. Got some sorta laundry room and a big ol’ linen closet, should ya ever need somethin’ like that.” He told her, headed toward the stairway that would take them downstairs. Normally he would have countered her with a ‘Ladies first’ but her knew he was leading the way here so he took a step ahead of her to start down the stairs. “Just don’t go runnin’ off on me when I ain’t lookin.” he teased her, glancing over his shoulder.
When Ben remarked about Emily’s face being ‘pretty’, she couldn’t help but duck her head a fraction, the smile on her face softening slightly. “You’re awfully nice to say so.” It wasn’t to say that Emily did not think she was pretty -- she liked to take care of herself just as much as the next person -- but it was something altogether to have someone else bring it up. She had long since given up trying to make herself anything that she was not, but there were certain things she was proud of, her appearance being one of them. Emily definitely took note of the hard calluses on Ben’s palm -- a mark of hard work, if there ever was one -- but instead of finding it displeasing, she found it reassuring. Her hands weren’t the softest in the world, but in comparison, she could definitely see how Ben might think her on the “soft” side of things. She generally wore gloves most of the time while she did her work at the zoo, and only went without them should the need arise for greater dexterity that gloves prevented. “I know exactly what you mean. Nothing can really beat a friendly conversation with a handsome man.” Emily looked up and smiled -- if Ben could be complementary, then Emily could certainly be honest, right? “I can’t imagine that the people who are attached to their phones are having a good time of it here. I wonder how long it will take them to go insane?” Emily was not the sort of person to cling to her cell-phone like a lifeline. Sure, it was good for keeping in contact with people, and in a pinch or an emergency it was handy, but it was not on the list of her “necessities for living.”
Talking to and hearing Ben laugh, it was easy to see why Emily was in much better spirits, already. She laughed, too, quite excited to see just what the kitchen looked like and if it was as big as the rest of the house. “Oh, so you definitely must know your way around here, then. Seems I picked the right person to eat lunch with! Maybe we can go explore the places you haven’t been to once we eat?” Shaking her head, Emily brought her hands up to her arms and made a show of shivering. “I agree with you, I certainly don’t see myself going outside unless I have about five layers on and you can only see my eyes! I’ve lived in warm places most of my life, so I understand. The snow and I are not really on speaking terms.” Which was one of the truest statements Emily could make. What snow that they did get in Virginia had been so sporadic as to make it very hard to get accustomed to. At his question, Emily giggled a little bit. “That’s definitely a possibility, provided you can eat it all.” And okay, so maybe the whole grits thing had been a no-brainer, seeing as it was a Southern thing, after all. “Okay, well you’re right. Probably a silly question.” Her nose wrinkled up a little as she laughed. “Blueberry wheat is probably by far the best kind of pancakes in the world -- or at least I think so. And I have tried quite a lot of different kinds. Banana nut comes close, but I have to go with my gut on this one.” Really, pancakes had to be one of the greatest inventions in the world. “But I’m sure we could make a bunch of things, just so we’re both happy. Breakfast can be a pretty big deal, you know.”
“I’m sure it’ll be easier once time goes on. There are just so many people to meet and I think I may just be too excited for my own good!” Following where Ben gestured, Emily lifted her brows and nodded. “That’s neat! Is it all just video type games or do they have cards and the like?” Emily wasn’t very into many video games like a lot of people were, but she definitely liked the older ones. That and card games could be so much more fun when you got to play with other people. Listening intently, Emily filed away the bits of knowledge for future reference -- both where it was Ben was staying in case she wanted to visit him and the location of the laundry and linen rooms. “Is there only one place to do laundry, then?” That could get interesting, having to lug up her laundry from the second floor. As they neared the stairs, Emily followed right behind Ben, laughing at his little quip. “Oh no, I won’t. I’d get lost, I’m sure! Can’t wander a huge mansion without a gentleman to help me find my way around.” Really, it was just a fact. Coming down the stairs into the foyer, Emily turned about in a slow circle, trying to orient herself. Turning back towards the stairs, she saw a huge door and wondered if that might be the kitchen. “Is this the right door?” She moved forward without waiting and opened it, poking her head in. “Oh. Oh wow.” She moved all the way into the kitchen and just stood, staring. “Some kitchen,” she mused after a while, turning to smile with an almost childlike glee at Ben. “This is going to be fun!”