edanwinters (edanwinters) wrote in rrinitiative, @ 2012-12-02 17:58:00 |
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Entry tags: | day nine, edan, edan and evan, evan |
Sneaking Up on You
Characters: Edan and Evan
Setting: Music room, late afternoon
Edan had spent the morning with Matt, generally just being close to him, a newer thing for them, but after too long she really did need to get her day started, or she’d spend the whole thing curled up on his bed and forget to eat. So she’d left before noon, trying to put her day back into order, rushing through a workout and a meal. The chlorine from the pool hadn’t felt good on her eye, which was still puffy and bruised, but at least she got the few laps in before it was unbearable.
Not wanting to run into Pippa, Edan left A block behind, despite weather that made herself want to lock herself in her room. But the storm plus the threat of Pippa and being sought out as the culprit for the fire were reason enough to find somewhere else that was safer. If she was honest with herself she hadn’t felt safe in the basement, not until she arrived in the new block, eying the farm for a long few minutes before walking around until she found the music room.
While she would never claim to be good, it was almost nice to see the piano there, memories of one too many lessons that she’d hated at the time, but always appreciated later in life. It took a few minutes to remember the keys, but a lot of it came back as muscle memory, tapping out songs she remembered from repetition for a while before finding a stack of simple sheet music.
She let herself get lost in her own world, working through the song, a familiar piece she’d played before, using the music to block out the ever growing bad weather she’d left behind. Evan’s ice pick, as she’d come to think of it, was sitting against the pages of music, within reach but mostly ignored. She wasn’t even sure why she had it, just that she’d picked it up after showering and getting dressed in the short, strapless dress they’d given her. She had a jacket for the cooler weather, but she’d tossed it aside to play.
Evan hadn't had too shitty a day yet. It was raining, something he actually found soothing (even if he'd never admit that out loud), and he'd actually started looking through what was available on his computer. Which meant he'd started going through the music archives. Evan was a big fan of music. And certainly, his tastes were a bit out dated, but that didn't matter. What did matter was he had stuff to listen to, and that helped him get through the morning without winding up in a foul mood straight off the bat.
Eventually, he decided to take a little bit of a walk, however, deliberately walking in the rain, liking how it felt. Outside smelled good, something he appreciated. It was the little things, he guessed. Passing the music room, he heard the piano being played, and he stopped outside the door. It was left ajar, though not fully open. Moving quietly, he managed to get a view of the piano.
And Edan, there.
Evan had to debate with himself for a long moment. Did he just keep walking? That was probably the best idea. He'd run her off for a reason, after all. And yet he found himself walking into the room.
It took no time whatsoever to recognize that she was so engrossed in her playing that she was oblivious to him and the rest of the world around her. So, he ghosted up behind her. He spotted the ice pick he'd given her, right there by the music. A light little half smirk touched his lips at the sight of it. So, apparently she hadn't ignored him outright. But, she also had it sitting there where just anyone could grab it.
So, in a fast move, he put one hand down on one side of her, the keys making a discordant sound and with his other hand he grabbed the icepick. He had his chest up against her back to keep her in place, and he poked the ice pick's business end ever so lightly against her neck. "Annnnd you're dead." he told her. "You are so going to have to learn to be faster than that. And more observant. And to not leave this thing lying around where just anyone can grab it."
The off-key notes had her jumping out of her skin, eyes darting that way, but before she could properly react he had her pinned. Pushing back just rocked the bench slightly and left her more pressed against his chest, ice pick still at her neck and his warning still in her ears. It took a moment of panicked breathing to get her wits about her, to recognize the voice and realize he wasn’t actually going to do more than poke her with the ice pick. “Damnit Evan,” she blurted, his real name coming easier than the last name he’d told her he went by.
Her heart was still racing, but she let herself sink more against him, head near his shoulder before she reached for his hand. “What is wrong with you?” she chided gently, pulling the pick away by pushing his hand away. “I don’t even know why I have it. I picked it up before I left for some reason.” After another moment and once her neck was out of danger she rolled her eyes up to get a better look at him. “Did you need something?” she asked, surprised that despite the fact that her heart was still slightly pounding, she almost sounded like she was teasing him.
"Who?" Evan asked, what with her calling him Evan and all. He didn't stop her when she pushed his hand away, however. He sort of didn't expect her to be all leaning back against him and such, but for a heartbeat, he had to admit it was nice. She smelled good, at least, something he noted despite himself.
"And yeah, I need you not to leave this within reach of any asshole who happens by." he said, standing straight. He tossed the pick up, catching it by the business end, and he held it to her, handle first. "And I don't know why you have it today either, with that on." he added, glancing her up and down. "Where would you even keep it?"
Edan rolled her eyes with a little more flair than necessary. "Asher," she corrected herself thinking that if he kept asking her his name it was going to start sounding like something else entirely. And she probably shouldn't think of such things. "And here I thought you were just being flirtatious and not an asshole," she quipped taking the pick back before giving him a look for that obvious once-over. "Wouldn't you like to know."
"Good girl." he said when she corrected herself. He even smirked at her. "I definitely don't want to know." he decided, which was kinda untrue, but whatever. He backed away a few paces, and stared at her, making a show of it. "...okay, so, correct me if I'm wrong, here." he started. "But you have to wonder if a guy who sneaks up on you and puts a sharp metal pick to your tender little throat is flirting, and you want to know what's wrong with me." he said, since she'd initially asked him that. "...you don't want to take a second, re-think any of that? I'll wait."
She was starting to wonder if he was one of those types, the ones who liked to give orders and then respond with praise like she'd earned it. "Next time you 'good girl' it better have been for something more interesting." She smirked back though, shaking her head as she turned to look at him. She'd managed to cover up at least some of the bruise, even if it was still there, but that was probably why she'd worn the dress. She was feeling a little on the ugly side with the bruise. "Liar. You want to know." Mostly she was teasing, even if her tone sounded like she chiding again. "You were doing a good job almost-flirting up until the poking part," she explained with a shrug. "And calling my neck tender. Why are you sneaking up on me again?"
He backed up another pace, though it was mostly in response to the idea that she kind of seemed like she was flirting with him. Which he was sure he was misinterpreting, but that idea scratched at the surface of his mind. Which made him think he should probably make a quick exit. Even if he didn't yet. His eyes did fall on the bruise, though it didn't remain there too long. Just long enough to acknowledge that he was checking it, seeing how it was looking today. "Which part was the successful almost-flirting? Because it was kind of all rolled into the not-attack." he said. "'Tender' is truthful. Merely an observation. As for why I'm sneaking up on you, you were looking very victim-like. Thought I'd see if you were or not."
Edan watched him back away and couldn't help but give him a curious look. "I'm not going to bite you Asher. You already broke the whole touching barrier by getting close enough for me to smell you, no use in going backwards." Before she'd wanted the space, but he'd blatantly ignored it today, both her wants from the day prior and his own insistences. Which had Edan wondering why he'd stopped in the first place. For pushing people away he was doing a terrible job. "Tender's a touch weird on the word choice. Tender makes it sound like you want to take a bite out of me." Which she half regretted saying the moment the words were there. "The sneaking up behind me and pinning me part, that could have been successful. Or it was if you figure it gave you an excuse to get close. I'm guessing I failed your little test?" She poked the ice pick against her thumb, watching him.
He hadn't thought about the fact that maybe she'd catch a scent off of him, like he had her. "...smell me? What do I smell like, rain?" he posed, since he'd been walking around in the rain and was kind of wet from it. Then he was thinking she shouldn't answer that. "And just because I broke it doesn't mean I can't reinstate it. I was making a point. Point made. We're all done with being in proximity." he decided. Yeah, this was probably a stupid idea. But he was actually in a halfways decent mood today. Clearly that impacted his judgment. Especially with him half wanting to ask her if that was the kind of man she wanted, one that would abruptly pin her against things. Because that...
He wasn't thinking about that was what. It definitely didn't bode well for her life expectancy in this place, though. Either way, he skipped over that part entirely and moved on to the last bit. "You epically failed."
"Smell you," Edan confirmed with a nod before turning her head slightly, tapping on one of the piano keys. "Rain," she agreed with another nod. "Soap. Different soap than they gave me." Definitely a guy sort of soap smell. She tapped a few more notes then got up, taking a step towards him. "What if I broke it?" she asked, watching him to see if he'd move away again. "Epically failed? Then you should probably take this back and just consider me done for." She was teasing, even if she kept the smile away it was in her voice, but she did hold the ice pick out to him, same way he'd handed it to her twice now.
She took a step forward, and he took a step back. And he was going to stop asking questions he didn't want the answers to. Again, he skipped to the part that he felt was relevant, utterly and blatantly ignoring everything else. He looked at the icepick, then back at her, focusing on her eyes. "That defeats the purpose of me giving it to you in the first place. And until I'm convinced you're somehow capable of not only defending yourself but really effectively, I'm going to think you should have it."
"I'm starting to think I make you nervous Asher," Edan pointed out, using his preferred name on purpose this time. Or so he seemed to be with the backing up and the blatantly not responding to answers to questions he asked. "Really? Because you just pretend killed me with it." She waited a breath, meeting his gaze. "Why don't you show me, how better to defend myself. How to not fail your test."
"You don't make me nervous." Evan said, not able to jump over that part. "Just keeping a healthy distance." he added nonchalantly. "Yesterday you seemed to be all for it." he added. "Which is the intelligent reaction." Shoving his hands in his pockets, he shrugged. "Like I said, it was to prove a point. And if I just showed you how not to fail the test, then that's all you'd know. Besides, there isn't that much to know." Self defense he knew could entail a lot, but he knew a few things that were pretty simple, easy to remember, and really fucked up someone's day.
"Not nervous," Edan said with a nod. "Good to know because this," she mimicked his stance tucking her hands into the pockets on the dress and rolled her shoulders the way his were, "looks a touch nervous." She waved off what he said about distance and went back to her own normal stance. "That was before you were all sneaking up behind me, which I'm choosing not to think of as creepy. And if there isn't that much to know you can show me. We could knock it out in an afternoon." She paused for a second then shrugged. "Because, I know you're not scared of me."
"Then you need a new rundown on body language." Evan told her. Then he had to pause, and eye her critically. "How exactly are you giving this a pass as not creepy?" he asked. "Because you-logic and real world logic might not be the same thing, and I feel like I need to know how that adds up. At all."
"Then the backing up and avoiding what I'm saying says nervous," Edan said, feeling like that probably explained it more than her attempt to mimic him. "Are you admitting to being all creepy-like?" she asked then shrugged. "You didn't actually stick my tender neck when you could and then you all but ran away from me. Sort of counteracts the creepy."
"Mostly I'm finding it a little alarming that you can stand there and acknowledge the fact that you could view something as creepy, yet for unknown reasons you aren't." he told her. "And I didn't run away--I backed off. There's a difference. Particularly in the 'respecting your personal space' arena." Which she hadn't actually complained about him invading in the first place, and she'd even leaned back against him, but he was ignoring that part. "I'm not sure me simply not murdering you counts as not being creepy. Especially with the whole stalking up behind you and pulling a weapon on you thing... Serial killers often are perfectly fine to their neighbors, and far less stabby, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t creepy."
"That personal space you were so eager to invade when you first walked in?" Edan asked before rolling her eyes a little again. "Stop worrying about it. If you were going to hurt me you would have done it by now, and instead you're just trying to inform me on how you're actually looking out for me." She let out a little sigh, almost frustrated. "But fine. You're being creepy Evan. Especially with the whole 'stay far away' bit which you followed up with getting up close and personal." She used his real name on purpose, but kept her voice low, just in case.
"Asher." he corrected automatically. "And can we be done arguing about this?" he asked. "It's getting old." he decided. Mostly because he didn't have much in the way of rebuttal. He had invaded her space, and he could reiterate again that it was to prove a point, and that was all, but he'd said it. More than once. She knew that. He turned to go, deciding that he should quit before anything went truly sideways.
She half rolled her eyes at him, but when he turned she realized she didn't actually want him to leave. It wasn't that many steps to close the distance between them, reaching out with her scarred arm for his, pulling him back. "Asher," she said softly. "And we're done. No more arguing. Promise."
He glanced back at her, then pointedly down at her hand on his arm, even if he didn't go so far as to try and wrench it away or anything. "Weren't you busy?" he posed, since he'd interrupted her playing the piano in the first place. He was the one who'd come in unannounced and all.
She took a small step back, still holding his arm and giving it a small tug her way. "Come be my audience. I'll show you how to play Heart and Soul," Edan told him, voice still quiet. The second part was half covered by a loud crack of thunder as the weather changed from rain to storm and Edan froze, hand on Evan gripping him tighter than before. That was not okay. Nor were the lights in the room flickering for an instant. Definitely not okay.
He was about to ask her if he really looked like a 'heart and soul' kind of guy when the thunder rolled and she very clearly reacted to that. And it wasn't really a startled reaction, so much as her entire body went stiff. That was something else. He frowned a little, noting the grip on his arm got tighter, though he didn't do anything about it. "...you okay?" he asked, not really acknowledging the power flickering a bit. The place had to have a backup generator, right? Emergency lights, if they went out at all? Something. It wouldn't matter.
She was going to answer, but then it crashed again, this time preceded by a flash of lightning and all she could do was move closer to him, shaking her head quickly. No, no, she was definitely not okay. Her mind was racing. The last storm hadn't left the power flickering. What if it went out? She had candles in her room, but not here, not in the music room. Could she even get to her room if that happened? As the thoughts raced her breathing got shallower, and her grip on his arm went from one hand to two.
Yeah, that was definitely a fear reaction there, and it wasn't fear of him. She was afraid of thunderstorms. Or some approximation thereof. Evan was completely at a loss as to how to react to that, being utterly unprepared for it. There wasn't even anything he could get in the path of, it was just weather. He looked down at the top of her head, seeing her shake just a slight bit. "Edan?" he asked, voice softer and gentler than it had been in recent memory. "Hey...what's going on with you?"
In the back of her mind she knew it was ridiculous. It was the damn weather. People didn't die of this sort of nonsense, but it was loud and with the door open it sounded like it was coming for her. Another crash had her hiding her face against his bicep, not caring who he was, just that it was something solid to hold on to. "We should get away from the door." It was half muffled from being against his arm, but solid enough to be heard.
Evan definitely was out of his element. He was the type of person who was geared towards things like violence. Not cute girls clinging to him because they were scared of thunder. He did hear her, though, and wasn't sure how that was going to help, but he didn't know what else to do. "Okay, pick a spot, I'll go shut the door, and come back." he said, not sure what the hell he was signing on for, but just like with last night...he was an asshole but not nearly enough of one to leave while she was looking this terrified. Hell, he thought she looked more scared now than she had last night.
For a moment longer she clung to him, not wanting him to go, but at the same time, she was too close to the door. Nodding against his arm she finally pulled away, grabbing her jacket and heading for the furthest spot from the door and sinking to the ground. It was stupid to be afraid, she kept telling herself that, but it was like she couldn't quite get past the fear.
Evan walked over and shut the door, the power flickering again. It died out, as he crossed back over to her, though it picked back up as he was looking down at her, trying to work out what he was meant to do now. He felt a little helpless. At least last night, there'd been the bar, so he could get her a drink. Which she sorta looked like she could use now. But he hadn't taken any alcohol back to his room or anything. So there wasn't any near by, even.
The power actually going out was not a good thing. So much that the sight of him standing over her almost terrified her. Distantly she wondered if that was what he'd been going for with the trick at the piano. Figured it would work now and not then. When the thunder crashed again it was quieter, muffled by the closed door, but it was still there. And that was enough to have her reaching for his hand, pulling him towards her.
He wasn't prepared for anything happening, apparently. Like her yanking him down to the floor with her. He got there, really hating the inept feeling gripping him. "It's okay." he told her, not sure what he was even soothing her from. Maybe talking would help. He sat down, leaning his back against the wall, and his shirt being damp was abruptly uncomfortable. He was much more aware of it then. "Tell me about what's going on here..." he said, attempting to distract her attention at least somewhat.
Once he was there she shifted closer, cheek against his arm despite the fact that he was still damp. For a moment there was a break between thunder and the power was staying on which meant she was able to answer his question. "The storm. I'm…afraid." It was silly to admit even if it the terror was rushing through her. "It didn't storm much in Arizona."
Evan shifted slightly, to get a little more comfortable if she was going to be...well. Clingy. He rested his head back against the wall, rolling it to the side slightly to look down at her. "Is it a phobia?" he asked. "Anything that triggered it? Or just...one of those things?" he asked. Some people were phobic about shit. Corrine had been terrified of clowns. Which sounded like a bad joke, right up until you met someone with a legitimate phobia of them. It hadn't been laughable in real life.
"Maybe," Edan said. She let out a shaking breath before leaning back to look at him. "When it stormed out there it really, really stormed. I have never liked them." And now she was practically shaking. "it's stupid. I know that." But that didn't quite help the matter.
"Is there anything that helps calm you down?" he asked, thinking in other circumstances, that would have come off as suggestive. But at current, it was merely a truthful question. If there was something that helped, he could always give a shot at either finding it or...something. He didn't know. Because stupid or not, the fear was real. He could see that much, and just because he didn't suffer from phobias himself didn't mean he couldn't recognize that she was clearly going through a lot right then.
She tried to think, running through circumstances in her mind. Matt had helped, by giving her something else to think about. "A distraction," she told him, hating that she didn't have a specific thing in mind. That wasn't going to help things. That he was someone she could hold on to flashed across her mind, how different that was, and while part of her felt terribly guilty she let herself focus on how warm he was, and managed to lower her heart rate a tiny bit.
Yep. If this was a bad porn, this was when the equally awful music would kick in. "Gotta help me out a little here, Edan. What's going to distract you?" he asked. He might have suggested he show her a thing or two about how to best use that ice pick, but she wasn't appearing to be into letting go of his arm quite yet. So that probably wasn't going to work. Beyond that, he was fairly certain she needed to quit trembling to play music of any description. He wasn't overly well versed in how to distract terrified girls.
She slipped her hand into his, closing her eyes for an instant. “Just talk Evan,” she said softly. “Tell me about you. Or your friend. Your first kiss. I don’t care.” If he started talking, that would help, give her something else to think about.
Great, the one thing Evan didn't exactly excell at. Or particularly like doing. Fuck. He sighed. At least that daunting idea distracted him from the hand holding. He was pretty sure he hadn't held a girl's hand since middle school. He wracked his brain for what he might be willing to share, even. "Fair warning, I don't like talking about me, and I'm not very good at this in general." he told her lightly. So he picked out Corrine. He could talk about her, he supposed. It would be more painful, but he would be less awkward.
"Corrine, I don't remember a time where she wasn't in my life. Our fathers were friends, so, I knew her since we were babies. She was the type of person who kind of had a fire to them, without it being too over the top. It meant she said what she thought, and she didn't really care much if people didn't like it. She had a confidence to her that I have to admit, I always admired. She was never afraid to try things. And don't get me wrong, it wasn't like she always succeeded. She didn't. But she never let failure really slow her down, and that was something to see."
“If you can’t do it come up with something else,” Edan suggested, turning her face into his arm a little more as he spoke, relieved he was giving in, and actually speaking. “How did you fit in with that?” she asked. “Did you want to try everything? Were you just as confident?” After a moment she closed her eyes, relaxing just slightly. “She sounds wonderful in an intense sort of way.”
"I was the guy standing behind her, waiting to break her fall." Evan admitted, a faint trace of a smile on his lips that faded immediately. "She was the loud, social one. I was the quiet guy who was in the background of whatever production she was going with. It worked." he said. "I guess I never really thought about the trying everything thing. Maybe I was too busy following up on her trying everything. As for confidence, yeah, I had that. Just mine was much quieter than hers, and in different areas, I guess."
“She was lucky to have you.” There were hints of her Evan in how he described himself, but while Evan wasn’t loud and boisterous, he wasn’t quiet either. There were some similarities, but not enough to really count. Still, it was reassuring. “What were you confident about?” she asked instead.
He shrugged, though not enough to disturb her. "I don't know, I guess. Maybe that I had things covered. I might not have had a clear direction where I was headed in life but I was pretty sure I'd get there. And if anything ever went wrong, I was the one who handled it best. Corrine could get pretty crazy sometimes, but I always dealt with it well. But I guess I was always one of those guys. I always got along better with girls."
It wasn’t lost on Edan that he was saying he knew he could deal with things and yet here he was. “When did you get arrested?” she asked him, turning her head to look up at him, watch his eyes.
"The exact date?" he asked. "April fifth, two thousand five. I was seventeen." he told her. It wasn't anything harmful as far as information went, he didn't think. "After I did what I did, I went to Corrine's house, just sort of waited for the cops to show. I was in her room. She had this chair in there, that was my chair. This kind of ratty thing, but it was comfortable." He closed his eyes for a moment, picturing that room. It was practically wallpapered with band posters and other random shit, a ton of photographs. Corrine had really liked taking pictures. There was artwork up, her drawing of his 'aura' which he kept insisting looked like she'd just scribbled on a sheet of paper with dark red and black. She kept telling him he just wasn't in tune, and to shut the fuck up.
Edan listened, watching him. “So young,” she said softly then her eyes ticked to his tattoo, reaching out to trace the letters. “I was standing in the parking lot. Covered in soot and ash, empty gas can next to me.” She looked up at him, smirking slightly even if it didn’t reach her eyes. She knew what she’d done was illegal at that point. The building belonged to someone. The other fires, those she shouldn’t have been charged with but the Army office, that one she was more than willing to take responsibility for.
He looked down, watching her fingertips tracing over the words there. It was probably the fact that he'd been walking in the rain that gave him a slight case of goosebumps. "You didn't even attempt to get away with it?" he asked. He hadn't. He'd had no plans whatsoever to get away with murder. He didn't comment on the part where he'd been young. It was true. He had been.
“Nope,” she said softly. “Didn’t want to get away with it, since that wasn’t the point. Not entirely sure if it was really worth being illegal, but I suppose someone was using the building. The domestic terrorism charge didn’t help either.” She got to the end of the tattoo then realized that it was the scarred hand and arm which left her feeling self conscious about it, pulling it away.
He had almost gotten used to the light touch there, so when she pulled away, he looked at her, a pinch of confusion on his features. "...what?" he asked, not sure if he'd fucked something up, or what. At this point, it was entirely possible.
Edan looked at him, then back down at her hand turning it over so he could see the scars. “Not my best feature.” The scars were slightly puffy, obviously burns across the top of her hand and down her forearm. They could be worse, she could have been hurt badly, but she was still anxious about people seeing them. At least at this point in her life she didn’t have to lie about how she got them. The whole ‘setting things on fire’ cat was out of the bag.
He looked down, seeing the scars there. He'd noticed them before, but it wasn't something that drew too much of his attention. Of course, at the moment with her wearing a strapless dress and all, it probably should have drawn more attention, but he hadn't been focused there. "Everyone's got scars, sweetheart." he told her. "They're no one's best feature." he said, his version of being comforting.
He really didn’t need to call her sweetheart. It wasn’t going with his whole ‘dangerous’ routine and as soon as he said it she wanted to hear it again. “No. I like the one I chose to have better.”
"Chose to have?" he asked, figuring keeping her talking was just as distracting as him rambling about a girl who was long dead. And it was interesting, despite his internal insistence that this was kind of idiotic at best. But, she was talking, and not twitching every time lightning flashed outside, so he was calling it a win.
“Like this one,” she said reaching out to brush fingers against his tattoo again. “You picked to have this one. I have one too...” Edan leaned away from him, gesturing to her side. “I’d show you, but I don’t know if that would go over well.”
"Ah." he said, getting it. The tattoos, technically, were scars. He glanced at her side where she indicated, and sort of half wondered why it was she was deciding that it wouldn't go over well. And, against better judgment, he asked. "It wouldn't go over well with you, or you think it wouldn't go over well with me?"
Edan gave him a look, almost expectant. “Are you fine with getting me out of my dress?” she asked since the tattoo was clearly under her dress or he’d be able to see it already.
I'm twitchy, not fucking blind. Or gay. Ran through Evan's mind which he thankfully didn't share. "I think the question is, are you." he told her, batting the ball right back into her court. It would be distracting. That was his story and he was sticking to it. If she was stripping to show him ink, she wasn't clinging and terrified. Sure. That was a real excuse.
He really was interesting wasn’t he? And she was sorely tempted to do it. Stupid idea as it was, she really did want to show him, show him that he wasn’t alone. Or maybe just play into whatever ploy he was using to get her out of her clothes. “I’m the one who laid on a table mostly topless for an hour while the guy did it.” She moved away from him, surprised at how much colder it was away from him, goosebumps popping up on her skin which she was blame on the cold. Not on being embarrassed. Or the storm raging. She shifted, more on her knees so she could show off her left side, dropping the dress closer to her waist. She was still wearing a bra, but her arm went across her chest protectively. In her mind she told herself it was showing less than the bathing suit she wore, the one Aaron had seen her in.
"Okay, but it should be slightly different, a tattoo artist seeing, and a convicted murderer getting a glance at you." Evan told her. "Y'know, they're kind of not the same thing, so..." he trailed off. Mostly because she actually did drop the dress down, and to his credit, his eyes didn't hover on her chest, they did actually tick down to her ribs, to see the ink. He saw the date, and immediately could guess at what that entailed. The word 'swiftly' was more difficult to understand, though he read it clearly enough. And he didn't at all have the urge to reach out and touch it, like she had with his own ink. He kept his hands to himself. "What's 'swiftly' mean in this context?" he asked, eyes ticking back up to hers.
“I think you’d be more likely to warn me about the whole being locked in jail for an awfully long time,” Edan said. She’d reached that point with him, where she expected him to try and protect her or warn her rather than hurt her. When she smiled it made it to her eyes. “It’s what your name means,” she explained.
"Hey, I've been a perfect gentleman." Evan said. "Even when I snuck up on you to show you how easy it would be to kill you, I never got grabby." he said. Which was true! And he wasn't going to be forgetting the image of her there, in the flickering light any time soon. But she didn't need to know that. He arched a brow when she answered the question. "Really? Huh. Never knew that." he said. Name meaning hadn't ever really come up in his life. "So what's Edan mean, then?" he asked, wondering just how long she planned on sitting there with her dress partially off. Not that he was complaining. Because he very much wasn't.
That made her smile again, nodding. “You have. Absolutely perfect,” she agreed. Once she was sure he was done looking she turned her back to him, working her way back into her dress. “You think you can?” she gestured towards the zipper. She couldn’t help but laugh a little to herself. “Fire. Talk about irony.”
With her back to him, he definitely had his eyes glued to her. It wasn't even something he intended, but there it was. He couldn't look away. Possibly going into lockdown at seventeen had done a little something to him. Or maybe he was just a guy, and she was a pretty girl who was half naked in front of him, and that was normal. Either way, he watched, then internally twitched when she asked about the zipper. Right. She hadn't had trouble getting it down, he noticed, but she was going to ask him to get it back up? He shifted, sitting forward, and he reached out to do as asked, wondering if she did it on purpose, just to see if she got a reaction. His knuckles brushed against her back just a moment, before he sat back again, safely out of reach. "Maybe your parents knew something about you." he suggested, to keep himself firmly on track.
So maybe it was a little on purpose, him doing the zipper. Part of her almost regretted it when he did it though, the light touch made her gasp slightly, hating that spending all that time with Matt, not quite touching had her way too sensitive to touch. When she turned back to him she settled against the wall, not as close as before, but still close. “Maybe. I’ve also seen that it’s commonly a boy’s name so there’s that too.”
Did she make a sound? went through his mind. He didn't know, he wasn't positive. It sounded like it, but maybe he was hearing things, or it was something outside, with the rain, or whatever. Either way, it made him all the more painfully aware of his current circumstances. Also that she'd sat farther away than she had before, which to him said that he'd overstepped. In response to that idea, he pushed himself to his feet, slowly strolling around the room, not looking at her, even if he spoke to her again. "Edan...doesn't sound like a boy's name to me." he said. "But then I hear it and I think...Eve. All Eden, and shit. Stuff like that. Not that I know much about religion."
When he moved away from her, she frowned, not sure what she did that had him putting space between them again. The thunder crashed again and she pulled her knees to her chest, watching him walk. It was a bad sign that he wasn’t looking at her wasn’t it? “You’ve said that, about not knowing anything about religion. It’s...Irish or Gaelic or something. Though I suppose it does sound like Eden and Eve.”
Evan stopped to glance through some books of music. "Yeah, I wasn't big on it. Always seemed like a lot of bullshit, I guess. My grandmother was Catholic. She really wanted me to be involved with the church and all, but it just wasn't my deal. Corrine, she was...I don't know. All over, I guess. She believed in a lot of things. I don't think she actually followed any specific religion either, though."
Edan wanted to go to him. She really did. The lights flickered again, power going out for a moment longer than before, leaving her closing her eyes. “What do you believe in?” she managed to ask, voice shaking.
Evan glanced up at the lights when they went out again, and back towards Edan when he heard the tremor in her voice. He didn't go back to her, but kept his eyes there, at any rate. "Not much." he answered. He moved again, leaning back against the wall. "I suppose...I believe people suck, the world will always find a way to fuck with you, and we are all doomed. Here, specifically, I mean. In this 'program'." He probably shouldn't have said that.
What he said made her look up, staring at him. “Doomed?” she asked. That sounded pretty terrible. More terrible than she’d heard anyone else say yet. Biting her lip she looked up at him then winced again at the thunder. “Do you think I suck? That I’ll fuck with you?”
He skipped over the first part. He didn't really want to explain why he thought this boat they were riding on was the Titanic. Not when she was already scared. That would just be mean. "You don't suck yet." he told her. "As for fucking with me..." he shrugged. "It's not like I'm going to see a lot of you or anything. In theory, you won't have the opportunity to fuck with me."
Pushing herself up off floor, using the wall as she leaned back against it. “Asher...you approached me.” Her tone was even, tremor still there, but her tone wasn’t accusing, just pointing out the situation. She waited a breath then shrugged. “I’m glad you did. I would have found you eventually.”
"Yeah, well. I was in a good mood." he said, shrugging. He had been. A weirdly good mood. "They don't happen all that often." he admitted. He frowned at her for a long moment at her last bit, however. "Why, exactly?"
“Was? Are you not anymore? Is that my fault?” she asked. If the good moods didn’t happen often, she’d feel bad if she was the reason he wasn’t in it anymore. “Why?” That wasn’t the reaction she’d assumed he would have, or a question he would ask so it took a moment to answer. “You’re curious. And when you aren’t threatening me, you’re not bad company.”
"I wouldn't say it was ruined, so, dial back the paranoia. It's fine." he told her. His mood was more on the strange side at current. Not bad, just...weird. He was still out of his element and trying to work out how he was meant to be reacting, alongside everything else. "I'm pretty sure you can do a hell of a lot better than 'not bad company', and there's a whole facility full of people who I'm sure can spark your curiosity as well."
“I’m not paranoid,” Edan said quickly, then blushed slightly. That was just a reaction, rooted in fear. “I didn’t say that I liked you because I knew you wouldn’t believe me,” she said. That had been what she was thinking. When he wasn’t threatening her, she actually did like him. “And you have sparked it more than anyone else.” She pushed away from the wall, moving closer to him, just a few steps.
"Okay, I have definitely not done anything that any sane person could consider 'likeable'." he insisted. He kept his gaze leveled on her, as she got that little bit closer. He wondered how close she was going to come. "Really? Out of everyone here, for some reason you're more curious about me than anyone else." he said, not sure how she got there.
“Now you see why I didn’t say it?” she asked, giving him a look since he’d essentially done just as she thought. “And yes, more curious about you. You’re the complicated one who swears he’s a jerk, but keeps being concerned for my well being. Who insists I stay away and yet...here he is.” And he hadn’t run when she freaked out either. There was an opening, when he was going to close the door and she’d let go of him, he could have just walked right out of it and he didn’t. Or when he’d managed to distract her enough that she wasn’t wrapped around his arm, he could have left then too. She ventured closer again, just another two steps, to see if he’d avoid her again. If he moved she’d give up, stop trying, but if he didn’t...well she’d just see where it led.
"The two aren't mutually exclusive." Evan told her first, referring to his being a jerk and having the ability to be concerned about her well being. One didn't necessarily negate the other. "And being worried about you getting yourself killed or whatever doesn't mean I still can't be an asshole. It doesn't even require me to be nice." he pointed out.
“Not entirely no, but usually being a jerk means not caring. Which is what you’re doing.” He hadn’t moved away which had Edan taking another step closer. “Plus...you don’t know me. And yet here you are...worried.”
"What exact point are you trying to make?" Evan asked, thinking he might want to move again here soon. But he didn't know how close she planned to get, and he wasn't quite sure why she was getting closer to begin with. Another harsh clap of thunder hit outside, and the power flickered again.
Edan shrugged. “Just that you’re curious.” She was going to move again, but the thunder with the power flickering made her jump, then freeze. Edan wrapped her arms around herself, trying to control her breathing but it came in gasps anyway.
"There really isn't anything all that interesting about me." he told her, though it was more because he wanted to say something and get her attention back than anything else. Distraction time again, apparently. "Just a walking dead guy, end of story."
His voice was barely cutting through, but she was shaking her head, probably a little too forcefully. “Don’t look dead. Or feel dead.” Not her best answer, but the fear was clouding her thoughts.
Evan stepped a little closer, knowing that had helped her last time. "Yeah, well. I figure this is just a strange detour on the way to the execution." he told her, thinking he really ought to come up with something slightly less morbid. But he wasn't all that great at being positive in the first place. He was a pessimist, a cynic, and generally didn't do fluffy happy anything.
“Shouldn’t you make the most of it?” Edan asked, not sure why she was asking it, but it seemed like a good question. She wanted to point out that this was supposed to be a second chance, for him like it was for Brady, for herself, but the reassurances didn’t quite make their way to her voice.
"What would that entail?" he asked. "Do...what, exactly?" He had rebuttals for just about everything, but he did kind of want to know what her idea of making the most of things would be. That, and it would get her talking more substantially. Lightning flashed out there, and another bone rattling clap of thunder followed. Yeah. Talking would be good for her.
She shook a little more, feeling that last clap of thunder under her skin. It took a moment before she answered, one hand going out to him, grazing his arm to ground herself, pull away from the fear. “What did you miss? What did you want to do?”
He didn't stop her when she reached out for him, and he was half surprised that she hadn't latched back on. He was waiting for it. He even turned his hand a little towards her, even if he didn't go so far as to take her hand. "That's kind of the rub." he told her. "I went in when I was so young, I don't know that I miss. I never quite got to do much. The one person I really miss is dead. I hadn't worked out what I was going to do after high school."
“There’s got to be something,” Edan said watching his hand turn, wondering if he wanted her to take it. He might just be being nice. Which again went against him being a jerk. “Maybe that’s what you should be thinking about.”
"Not really. Most people I think don't really know what they want to be when they're that young. I sure didn't. And then there was the horrific shit with Corrine, and then there were dead people. Then I was in jail, and being told I was going to be put to death. Any dreams you're talking about are old at best, and not really anything relevant. As for now...I don't really believe this is going to pan out. Why would I set myself up for a pretty crushing disappointment, have to come to terms a second time with being put to death if I don't have to?"
The thunder clapped again and Edan let her hand find his, holding onto it tightly. Her breathing was still shallow, tremor in her shoulders, but she tried to focus on what he was saying. “Then start small. If you don’t think this will really pan out, think about something small you wanted but couldn’t have. Something that won’t require this panning out.”
"You don't really get it." Evan said, voice quieter than it had been a moment before. Maybe it was because he could feel her shaking, or maybe it was because the lights seemed to be dimming down and flickering again, the 'off' time seeming longer than the 'on'. Or maybe it was because he meant what he said and it was nothing if not depressing. "Talk about you. That's got to be a brighter topic."
“Then explain it,” Edan said stepping closer again. He was so grounding, but maybe mostly because she could actually touch him. It made it seem all the more real. All the more solid. “What do you want to know?”
He skipped the part where she told him to explain it, opting instead to answer her question. "What's your middle name? What kind of music do you like? What did you want to be when you were a kid? What happens after prison for you?" he rattled off questions.
“Elizabeth,” she told him about her middle name, drifting closer. “Most kinds. Probably lamely what comes on the radio. I like girl singers though, good ones. I wanted to help people. And I have no idea. Ten years is a long time. There’s not much for someone after that.” She’d be in her thirties and even now that still felt old.
Why do you keep getting closer to me? went through his mind, but he kept that quiet. "Wanted to help people how?" he asked. "...and you're what, twenty something? You wouldn't even be middle aged by the time you got out. So, yeah, actually, there is a lot of time for someone after that." he corrected her. It was a little pinch of grating, the idea of her sighing over not getting out til she was in her thirties, when he was going to be cut so much shorter than that, and in his case, it wasn't freedom, it was death. Just...gone.
Edan made a face. “However I could I guess. I worked for a nonprofit before I got arrested.” She glanced up at him then shrugged. “Twenty-five. I never thought that far. There’s little to...little to care about.” The feeling of being lost overwhelmed her, swallowing up on her like a tidal wave.
"And what did the nonprofit organization do?" he asked, since they usually had a schtick, or something. So, there had to be some specific purpose in there. "Little to care about." he repeated. "And why is that?"
“Helped raise funds for local children’s and veterans’ hospitals,” she answered. She’d really liked her work, even if it wasn’t quite what she’d studied in school, it was still something she was good at. “It feels that way. With Evan gone. Like...this whole part of me is missing.”
"You could always go back to that." Evan offered. He wanted to tell her that she'd get over her brother's death, that later it would feel better. That was what you were supposed to tell people, after all. But he knew for himself it wasn't really like that. He knew what it felt like to have a missing piece. To have someone so hugely part of you, then they were gone, and they were never coming back. There was no replacement. He wanted to think that she'd be fine, that she was less of a broken person than he was. But he couldn't know that for certain. "Would he want you to give up?"
“I’m not sure I could with a criminal record,” she said softly. Which was part of why she hadn’t thought past the day ahead. What was she going to do beyond that? It seemed better to just get through the day ahead, hope that she made it out of the day alright. “No. He was specific about that. I guess that’s why I’m still here.”
"Last time I checked, they were hooking people up with different identities, and all that shit." Evan said, thinking she could very definitely 'graduate' the program. Or whatever. He still thought they were all doomed, but that was him. And he didn't feel like bringing her down so far when she was already looking fragile. He didn't so much lie as just didn't go with his own opinion. He leaned back against the wall again, but kept his eyes on her. "If he thought your time around was worth it, you should too."
“You’re the one who said it wouldn’t pan out. And that we’re doomed I think,” she told him, looking at him as he leaned away again. “Who am I if I’m someone else anyway? I barely know who I am without him.” Evan had helped her determine who she was. She was the other half of him, and vice versa. She hadn’t felt like a whole person since he died, probably since he left for his first tour. “You sound like me. I’m guessing that Corrine would say the same thing about your second chance.”
"Yeah, but it's been said I'm a cynic." Evan told her. "What the fuck do I know?" he posed. "I haven't even been here that long. So, if anyone would know more than me, it would be possibly literally anyone else." he added. "Then you get to decide who that person is. Who you will be." he told her. "Which, I get, might be daunting, but you don't exactly seem like a pussy quitter, either." He shrugged, and glanced away. "Corrine, I don't know what she'd say. All she had to say to me in the end was that the monsters in her head were going to eat her."
She almost laughed at him saying she wasn’t a pussy, the laugh not quite getting out, and wound up being little more than a huff. “I guess I’m not really a quitter no.” Edan gave him half a smirk then shook her head. “Sounds like you’re in the same place she was. Giving up on fighting.”
And I said you didn't get it. "What's there to fight for?" he posed. "Nothing, in my case. In yours? Yeah. I could see you with a future a hell of a lot quicker than I could me." he told her. "And that's okay." He did accept that. He accepted his fate in general. He hadn't been someone who had tried to even work his own case, because he knew there wasn't one. He'd killed two people. He'd been sentenced to death for it. Seemed fair, in his head.
“Nothing in your case?” Edan asked. “Handsome, not a moron, and a jerk? You could do anything you wanted,” she told him. She didn’t really believe he was a jerk either, or at least not to everyone, but if she said otherwise she knew he wouldn’t believe her. That was his term for himself and maybe to everyone else he was. “I think you’d have your own future just fine.”
"I'm handsome, now?" he asked, arching a brow at her. "Gotta say, your taste in 'curious' company sucks, sweetheart." he told her. "And see..." he sighed, and dragged his fingers through his hair, walking away from her again, more towards the door, because he felt like he needed some air. "This is what I'm talking about, with you not getting it." he said. "Do you understand that when I got put away, it wasn't even just a life sentence without possibility of parole? It was 'your days are numbered'." he said. "When they tell you that before you've even quite started real life out, hell, I wasn't even a legal adult, then the concept of a future dies. Because there isn't one. You don't have dreams anymore. You don't have hopes. You don't think about the 'next' step, because the next step is death." Evan looked out the window, and opened up the door, to let a gust of cool, damp air in. “I keep thinking they’ve just kind of fucked something up here, and they’ll send me back when they notice.”
“You’ve looked in a mirror. You don’t need me to tell you you’re good looking,” she said softly. When he moved away she frowned, sitting on the piano bench again, turned to face him. “I don’t think you’re the only murderer here. I’m sure there are others.” She shuddered when he opened the door. “How long are you going to wait for them to notice? When do you decide that they want to give you a second chance?”
"Not that many mirrors at the prison, and not a lot of people around telling me shit like that." Evan pointed out. Or maybe the concept of him having gone to prison as young as he did still was hard for her to wrap her head around. He'd gone in before he'd even really stopped growing. Before he'd filled out, before...well. Everything. "...no one I would want to tell me shit like that, either." He leaned in the doorframe, back to the storm outside, but he felt a little better with the wind coming in. Even the light mist of rain felt good. "I'm sure there are other killers too. Doesn't mean they were all on death row. There's a difference, there." he said. "Just with outlook, how the world looks." He shrugged at her last questions. "I don't know." he said honestly. Because he really didn't. "Maybe I'm stuck. Can't see past what I already know, and that's that."
“There’s a mirror in your room here, probably one you saw after your shower,” Edan pointed out but let it drop. “If you’d want me to say it, then I will. You’re painfully good looking Asher,” she smiled with it even if she didn’t raise her head to meet his eyes. “Then maybe start seeing past it. You were on death row for a long time already. Find something you want and work for it. Even if it’s just learning how to do your own laundry or making your favorite food. Or a girl or a guy or whatever it is you might want.”
He didn't have a whole lot of a concept of what he looked like. It hadn't ever been all that important after he'd been put away, and he didn't know what girls found attractive anymore, either way. It was nice to hear that she thought he was good looking, though. He wasn't quite sure he bought 'painfully', but it did actually earn a smirk out of him. "...thanks, I guess." he said, not quite sure what to do with the compliment. He was clearly not used to getting them. "Not into guys. And I'm pretty sure any girl I cared about I'd want pretty far away from anyone even remotely like me, so...I'm at a bit of an impasse, on that."
“You’re welcome,” she said, glancing up to see the smirk on his features. “Alright, into girls. There’s the whole ‘let her make her own decisions’ thing, but you aren’t going to listen to that either.” Edan paused for a moment. “Is there anything you regret not doing?”
"Not really." Evan agreed on her assessment of him not going to roll with a girl's decisions. Was it unfair? Yeah. He knew that. But he also knew himself, very very well. There was a good reason for his reactions. At her question, he gave it proper thought. He paused, considering. "I guess I don't know anymore." he said honestly. "I think with everything happening the way it did, I...remember I said you don't dream anymore? That's true, for me at least. I don't. I haven't, for years. I don't sit and think about things I haven't done or want to do, because I know I won't get to. It's not even like having a disease, where maybe there'll be a cure, or something. Everything was a done deal for me. Over. I just had to wait for the clock to run out."
Edan nodded, sadness creeping into her expression. “That’s terrible.” Probably worse than Brady being suicidal and thinking he didn’t deserve to live. “I wish you could. I wish I could help.”
"I don't know that there's really anything anyone could do." he said, though there was a part of him that actually appreciated the sentiment. That she wished she could help. He looked back out into the rain, seeing more lightning flashing, and the lights with it, as thunder hit again, it was gentler this time, but he could see the blackness out there. This storm wasn't going anywhere. "Don't worry about me." he told her, tone light.
“Will you think about it? If there is something I could do?” she asked, not looking up because the storm was all too evident in the open doorway, not with the lights flashing. “Too bad. Already do. Just like you worry about me.”
Probably not. "What would you do? Just...don't worry about it. It isn't worth your time." he told her, looking in her direction again. "And you're cute, sweet, and you're willing and able to kick someone when they've got you down. But you're also a little on the reckless side with your choice of company, and this place doesn't exactly feel safe to me. So, yeah. I worry. But I also armed you, so that's helping. Or, it would, if you didn't put it somewhere anyone could get it off of you."
“Anything you could want,” she offered. She felt herself smiling at him saying she was cute and the kicking someone when she was down, but the rest had her shaking her head. “At least I had it?” she tried. “You worry, I worry. You’ve done bad things, but you had a reason. Maybe I’m not a huge fan of the death penalty either.”
Evan looked over at her immediately at that point. "...Edan, do not say that to me." he said firmly. "Or anyone, Jesus. You don't go offering 'anything you could want' to someone who's been in prison for eight years and some change. And I'm positive that I'm not the only guy here who's been away for a long time." he added. Because good fucking christ, that was a statement that was loaded. And it wasn't like he couldn't picture shoving her up against the nearest wall, or anything. So, yeah. She needed to never say shit like that again. "Everyone has their 'reasons'. Doesn't make them right. Or good people, or anything like that. And I am." he said, about the death penalty. He was a believer in it. He'd executed a few people himself, after all. He definitely got behind the idea that there are some people who just shouldn’t be sucking down air anymore.
She wanted to protest, to point out that the people she got closest to were a soldier who seemed to look at her like she was his kid sister and a librarian who couldn’t touch her, so the offer wasn’t really getting her into trouble. She knew better though, and he was right. She was giving him a lot of ground that he didn’t need. Though for someone with his concerns he had a hell of a lot of restraint when she was half naked earlier. “Fine, not anything. Something within reason. Or giveable after a proper conversation on the matter.” She frowned more, looking up at him. “You are? You...you were fine with that judgement?”
He still thought that sounded loaded to him. He was pretty sure he was clear on what exactly the issue was, and she'd not exactly backpeddaled and said 'no, not that!' or whatnot. Which...he wasn't sure what to do with so he ignored it. It was easy to do, considering he seemed to have caught her off guard there. "Yeah." he said. "I played judge, jury and executioner. I killed two people. They don't put people to death for rape. I decided they deserved it. So...seemed fair. Clearly I'm someone who has the ability to make decisions like that and not rethink the matter. Makes me a dangerous person. Probably not one who should be allowed to wander around unchecked."
“But a person who deserves to die?” Edan asked. “Would you do it again? To someone else?”
"I did in prison." Evan said. "Three other people, actually." he said, looking back outside as thunder hit hard again. The power flickered more, and didn't seem as bright when it came back. "Can't say I'd trust myself not to." He looked back at her. "Pretty sure no one else should, either."
Edan bit her lip, looking at him. “Who?” Because that was unsettling. She hadn’t protested part of what he’d said earlier, because it didn’t sound awful. He was handsome and he could actually touch her which as much as she liked Matt was a nice change. As much as she didn’t want to do anything, she also couldn’t say that part of her wasn’t interested. But that news, that was something else. Was he really that big of a monster? What did that say about her?
"Does it matter?" he asked, seeing he'd struck a nerve. And, like the night before, he had that desire to exploit it, to drive home the idea that she needed to back away, and keep away. Which really didn't fit in with the fact that he'd been the one to initiate contact today, but he'd have to work on that himself, then. Make sure he stayed away from her, or something. He was winging it, he guessed. "And would it matter if you knew their names? Which were Wayne, John and Greg."
“Yes it matters,” Edan said, voice forceful, though she blamed that on him rattling her already frayed nerves and the fact that the power seemed determined not to stay on. “Why? Why would you kill them?”
He looked at her, keeping his gaze steady. "I had my reasons." he said. Which, of course, was meant to needle. It was meant to come back to the fact that she'd said he'd had his reasons previously. He could tell her that two of them were pedophiles. And the other guy, he'd killed some kids. But he didn't.
“Which were?” Edan asked, voice stern. She was all but demanding, needing to know and knowing he was avoiding.
Evan pushed himself off the wall, framed for a moment as lightning flashed behind him, as the power died out for another brief moment. He walked right up to her, and leaned over, watching her eyes. "What're you going to do if I don't tell you?" he asked, voice light.
Despite her fear and the fact that she wanted to demand that he shut the door, she held her ground, looking up at him. “Beat it out of you.” Okay, probably not, but it was only fair to counter his half threat with a threat. “Unless you had something else in mind?”
"And what would that be?" he asked. She really did like playing with fire, didn't she. Not just in the literal sense. This girl, he couldn't decide if she was just stupid, or if she couldn't help herself. If she really just couldn't not reach out to touch the flames.
“It’s supposed to be in your mind isn’t it?” Edan asked, not giving him ground yet. Not that she could, he really did have her kind of pinned where she was. “So technically, that would be you telling me.”
"You were the one who made the offer." Evan said. "So, what exactly do you think I might have in mind beyond, apparently, you beating information out of me about people I killed in prison." he said. "So, I'm curious. What exactly do you think I would have in mind for you?" he asked.
She could play with the boys just as well as anyone else. “I figure you didn’t have me beating you in mind, unless you’re into that. As for what you have in mind for me? I think you like me so either you make a move on that or you actually kill me this time.”
"You haven't done anything to deserve it." Evan told her. "I kill people, but like I said. I have my reasons. I'm just not delusional enough to think that my reasons are for some reason above reproach." Or above the law, really. It wasn't that he didn't catch that she made mention of making a move on her. And he had to wonder if that was what she wanted. With everything she said, how she'd shown him her ink earlier, everything...did it play in together? Was he reading in? He wasn't sure.
“You’re a vigilante,” she told him. “What...Batman?” Tilting her chin up she looked him in the eyes. “What did they do?”
"Batman didn't execute people." Evan said, though her statement there had him laughing, just a little. He grinned and shook his head, stepping back again. He looked at her for a long moment, then relented. "Terrible things." he answered.