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Post by Shade on Feb 23, 2011 13:01:35 GMT -5
********* (( from Blurring TracesDuring the last few minutes Shade had been fighting fatigue even more than she had during the last two days, because even though something told her that Gambit did not mean bad with her, she didn´t rule out the possibility that he was merely trying to make her feel safe and that had made her force herself to stay awake to see where he was taking her. When she got out of the car she looked around, noticing right away that this was apparently not a police station.Which didn´t mean much. There was still some waryness in her eyes and she didn´t feel completely comfortable to follow him into some sort of building, maybe an apartment that he might lock to keep her from escaping. But it looked like she had no other choice. At least for now it looked like she had to trust him. "Do you live here?" she asked.
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Post by Gambit on Feb 23, 2011 13:55:29 GMT -5
"Yes," Gambit replied. "The elevator," he simply nodded towards one for Shade, not wishing to waste time on ceremonies of explaining things. They'd be home in a moment and there'd be time for everything later. For now, he'd just keep an eye on her and remain half a step behind to watch her. Though she still looked pretty exhausted.
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Post by Shade on Feb 23, 2011 13:59:31 GMT -5
Interesting, Shade thought absently after they entered the elevator and she let her back lean against the mirror inside (she deliberately avoided her mirror image, not daring yet to look herself in the eyes, scared of how she must look now for sure). Interesting how easily, when thrown into extreme situations, one starts to appreciate little things when they are offered. Such as warmth. Right now, the prospect to get a warm place to stay and possibly some food seemed good, so good it nearly dominated her thoughts. As the elevator ascended, she allowed her eyes to fall close for a few seconds, but opened them again when it stopped.
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Post by Gambit on Feb 23, 2011 14:09:17 GMT -5
"Ya fallin' asleep," Gambit remarked. "You'll get your sleep, no worries." They left the elevator and he walked her to his door, wondering what she was thinking of this whole predicament. This could be pretty scary, to be lead into an apartment by a strange man, or perhaps she was too tired to care.
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Post by Shade on Feb 23, 2011 14:14:11 GMT -5
When the elevator door opened Shade hesitated. For a moment, she was tempted. Tempted to wait till he stepped out and then press a button, go down again. Run again. But he was having an eye on her and so she left the elevator, her body language telling she was tense now, more on guard. Something still told her that he did not mean harm but she did neither know him nor this place and had she been any less exhausted there would have been no way for her to have followed him.
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Post by Gambit on Feb 23, 2011 14:22:22 GMT -5
Gambit opened his door and let Shade in. "Be my guest," he said in a sincere tone and waited until she walked in.
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Post by Shade on Feb 23, 2011 14:42:01 GMT -5
Shade had probably never before paid as much attention to the short distance between the elevator and the door to his apartment. She had walked this way many times, the third apartment since she knew him, the last one abandoned after their escape from whoever had been on Gambit´s heels months back. Another thing that of course, she did not remember. There was not too much to see there, but the door made her scowl all the more. Shade could not remember ever having seen anything more complicated. It did not too obviously look like the fortress it seemed to be, judging the way he unlocked it, his fingers moving with a somewhat fascinating skill that she couldn´t help but stare at. What the hell, she thought. Whoever would have such locks on a normal apartment door?
The door swung open, on first sight leading into a normal apartment which almost surprised her. Yet, the locks had stirred her insecurity and fear and she tensed once more, shooting him a clearly half questioning half mistrustful look before she stepped in, slowly, ready to use her powers any moment, feeling her fingertip prickle the way they did when she only barely had them under control. It was a stupid thing to do, she knew that. By walking in she was either sealing her doom or deciding that it was the most beneficial option she had right now among a lot of other crappy choices. She had to trust him and she didn´t like that.
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Post by Gambit on Feb 23, 2011 15:13:45 GMT -5
Gambit shut the door behind himself, quickly flicking one of the less obvious locks into secure position. He wouldn't let her escape if she got any daring ideas.
This apartment was similar to his other apartments in that there was a large open space from the front door which lead to other rooms. Gambit liked to be able to observe the entrance.
He switched the lights on and, taking his coat off, revealed his thief's suit which was familiar to Shade... though probably not anymore. With one hand, he indicated towards the bathroom door, "The shower's there. An' don't fall asleep."
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Post by Shade on Feb 23, 2011 15:21:39 GMT -5
Shade didn´t notice what he did with the locks, slightly disoriented when he flicked on the lights, blinking after having spend several hours in darkness or near darkness. It was a somewhat fancy place, not what she had expected even though she had no idea what she had expected.
She gave him a look when he took off his coat, her eyebrow raising just a bit. Who on earth was that guy and why was he running around in the dead of night in something like a costume (even though, had she been less exhausted, less scared, less...everything she was right now, Shade might have described the outfit as ´badass´) and gadgets to track her down? She took maybe two, three seconds, careful not to stare too long but taking in his features closely, completely for the first time. He was taller than her and quite handsome. The thought seemed unnecessary right now and she discarded it.
She gave a curt nod. "thank you." she said, two words she had not really been thinking about but that seemed logical , the question what they were referring to exactly being secondary. She tossed him another glance and walked towards the door, but stopped. "I don´t have any clothes with me." she said. "I had a bag with me with clothes but I don´t know where it is now. I must have lost it." Maybe she had left it on the train?
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Post by Gambit on Feb 23, 2011 15:44:18 GMT -5
"There's a bathrobe in there," Gambit said, suppressing a sigh, "just your size."
This was difficult, he realized. He kept treating her like she was his Shade, and now it appeared she was to be treated as a complete stranger. Who, for instance, wouldn't be prancing around him naked or wrapped in a towel any time soon.
"Coffee or tea?" he asked while she was still here.
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Post by Shade on Feb 23, 2011 15:53:42 GMT -5
Her eyebrow rose just a little higher. So he probably wasn´t living alone, she thought. It could of course have other reasons as well, but she didn´t go into that. "Tea." she said. She had never been too much of a coffee person even though right now she would not have denied one either.
She entered the bathroom and switched on the light, closing the door behind her and instinctively grabbing for a key. There was none which did not really help much to make her feel more at ease, even though she was starting to have an idea that maybe a simple bathroom lock was not really anything he would have troubles with. But then again, she always had her powers, should he decide to play creepy.
Giving in to a simple urge, Shade for a moment just leant her forehead against the door with a barely audible small thud and close her eyes, letting out a deep sigh. This was messy and there was potential it was not going to get any easier. Sooner or later this guy would likely start to ask questions and there was just a limited number of questions she was ready to answer.
She turned around and had a look. A spacious bath that did not just have a shower but also a rather nicely sized tub. Normally, SHade would have gone for the tub. Definitely the tub. But not like this. She looked around further and found the bathrobe he had been referring to, walking closer to have a look at it. It was dark red, a colour she immediately and randomly approved of and that seemed indeed to be her size. Well, maybe at least one good thing she decided, still avoiding the mirror as she stepped out of her clothes, her jacket first, then her pullover, jeans and underwear.
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Post by Gambit on Feb 23, 2011 16:15:14 GMT -5
Gambit went to the kitchen, putting the kettle to boil. He also had some Chinese takeaway in the fridge, which he put into the microwave oven to heat it. Tea wouldn't be enough, Shade was obviously hungry and he wouldn't have her suffering while he talked to her.
This also gave him time to think how to talk to her. He didn't know the particulars of the murder. He was 90% sure that Shade actually killed someone, that she was the one described by the police, and it had driven her to run away and hide. There was always that 10 per cent chance that it wasn't her, that she was merely involved by accident and that it was all just a big uncomfortable and difficult to prove coincidence. Whatever it was, he probably couldn't go for 'I know everything, you can't deny it'.
Still, she was afraid of something and she was running away, and that was a fact.
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Post by Shade on Feb 23, 2011 16:29:17 GMT -5
Gambit´s warning to not fall asleep proved to be very real. Once Shade stepped under the hot shower, fatigue was starting to wash over her in a new and all the more powerful wave so she put a hand against the side of the shower for a moment to keep hersef from swaying. She took her time, feeling her tensed muscles slowly relax under the water and then slowly, very slowly, relaxing so much that she dared to close her eyes and hold her head under the water so she could wash her hair.
She had spent her time outdoors for two nights and not only that. She had been running around dirty places and cold, around places that had a lot of dust which was now sticking in her hair, giving it a strangely greasy feel. Half blindly she felt for something to wash her hair with, finding shampoo and using it, not much caring that it was obviously a men shampoo but in fact for some reason finding its smell to be rather pleasant. She took several minutes to wash her hair before she even started to wash the rest of her body. Therefore it took her a full ten minutes or so until she noticed that something had changed.
In the very first second, the shampoo foam half coating her eyes, she took it for a stain, maybe some bruise or dirt, but that impression faded at once when she wiped her eyes clean and had a closer look. "What the..." she murmured as she spotted a tattoo. It was just above her right hip bone, some sort of artificially designed pattern, similar to a tribal but not completely, two elements, one looking like a version of a sun of star. She could feel her heart beat faster again. She was absolutely sure she had never had a tattoo made. That was...unsettling to say the least.
Her ease was gone. She finished showering quickly and dried, wrapping her wet hair into a towel, not even considering the fact that this made her look somewhat funny and looking into the mirror for the first time. At least her face was clean. Still what she saw was not a nice view. There were shadows of fatigue under her eyes but what was more irritating was that restless flicker in her eyes. She didn´t linger on it but dried herself and wrapped into the bathrobe, then hesitated a moment before opening the door.
She didn´t find him in the hallway but heard something from one of the other rooms. Feeling somewhat awkward in just that bathrobe and her hair wrapped in the towel she made it to the kitchen barefeet, stopping in the door frame, tugging the sleeves of the robe, a habit of hers and it had always been that, when she was either thoughtful or anxious. She noticed there was the smell of food in the air and it made her notice that her stomach was growling savagely.
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Post by Gambit on Feb 23, 2011 16:42:13 GMT -5
Gambit was already brewing the tea for Shade. Noticing her presence, he turned to find her standing in the kitchen door dressed in the towel turban and the robe.
"Much better," he said. Opening the oven, he took out the box with Chinese food and put it on the table along with a fork. The decision whether Shade was at the moment able to handle chopsticks he had already made for her. Then he put the tea cup next to the food box and sat down with his coffee across from her side of the table, waiting for her to join him.
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Post by Shade on Feb 23, 2011 16:50:46 GMT -5
Shade nodded. "Yeah." she said. The shower had felt good, very good.
The last time she had eaten something had been somewhen in the morning, a hotdog she had nicked from a hotdog stand and considering that another morning was probably not too far away, that meant there was a reason why her stomach was protesting clearly at the mere sight of food. Giving him a look across the room she walked over and sat down, her hunger at least for now letting her decide that she could let down her guard at least a little bit and for the next two minutes or so she concentrated on nothing else but the good, then she looked up.
He was sitting across from her, occasionally taking sips of his coffee and she felt somewhat awkward. The manner he behaved around her was completely relaxed and confident and nothing he had said to her so far had been harsh or tense or in any way even somewhat in a way that showed suspition towards her. Maybe that was what bewildered her. She took a long sip of the tea. It was well sugared and she inwardly approved of that, before setting the mug down and asked the one question that had been at the very front of her mind all the time now. "How do you know my name?"
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