Participants:
| Scene Title | Count Me In |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Elaine's latest spot of trouble brings another well-wisher out of the woodwork. |
| Date | March 2, 2011 |
It's a little later in the afternoon, Elaine having forgotten how miserable lunch was. Things are quiet, the injured redhead herself flipping through a book. Nothing special, just something Quinn had grabbed her from the shelf. While she looks less pale than yesterday, she's still a bit so, occasionally taking time to rest in between people visiting.
While Elaine suffered the brunt of the previous day's surprise attack, she wasn't the only one hurt. There was that girl who got cut up on the broken glass as she moved to knock the attacker down - some others who picked up bumps and bruises from ducking down once the first shot was fired - along with some more psychological flak. Evan has worked through most of his, but not quite all, by the time he knocks on Elaine's door. "Hey. You decent?"
"Yep," Elaine replies, simply, her gaze shifting from the book towards the door. Sliding a bookmark into the book, she puts it back on the table on the side, shifting to sit up a little better to receive her visitor. "Come on in."
Evan eases the door open, shutting it with equal care as he steps inside, giving Elaine a quick once-over. "You seem to be doing well, considering." Even as he says it, he wonders how true it really is: she's been through some trauma before, but is she really the survivor she appears to be, or has she just managed to put a good face on it so far?
"I'm holding together alright. Nothing a little blood transfusion and stitches couldn't fix. I managed okay." Elaine peers towards Evan, offering a tiny smile. "Getting a lot of well-wishers and visitors, so…"
Ah yes, the harem entourage, no doubt. One or two of them were with her when it all went down, weren't they? "I can imagine. Seems like you've made a lot of friends along the way. And— well, these days I've got more colleagues than actual friends, so I figured I'd better keep up with the ones I've got." He pulls up a chair, looking around for the inevitable pitcher of water. "So who was that guy, anyway, another evil ex-boyfriend or something?"
That comment causes a frown. Elaine folds her arms defensively over her chest. "No. I don't even know his name. He's this guy in one of my classes. He wasn't doing very well." She shrugs. "I guess he was just angry. My ability makes it easy to take language classes. I tried to see if the professor would let me test out of the class, but…"
Evan … doesn't say anything right away. One more thing they have in common, then. "…well, he should have let you, but everybody suddenly catches a case of stupid when it comes to us." There, now the playing field's even again. "Like that guy the Yankees were working on signing last year? Or does your professor know?"
"Still, it's really the kid's fault in the end," he adds, shaking his head. "How someone can be smart enough to spot something like that, and yet stupid enough to go all Klansman over it— it makes me want to throw up my hands and give up, is what it does."
"Yeah, I mean, I asked to test out. You learn the whole language in a couple of days, doesn't make sense to sit still for a semester," Elaine explains. "But I guess that's apparently not fair to everyone else…" She shrugs. "I can't do anything about what happened. It was stupid, and now he's really fucked up his life, but…"
"I just hope someone finds him a good counselor. That could go into a downward spiral, easy." Evan shrugs, leaning back in his chair. "But it's good to see you're doing okay— I know you've been through a lot, even before this. Tell your groupies to count me in next time you need a hand with things?" He does need to come up with a better label for them, but that can be worked out later.
"Groupies? Not like I'm famous…" Elaine says, peering to Evan. "But I'll let my friends know. I felt bad for the guy, I mean, I was thinking of maybe asking if he wanted help, and then he just shoots me. I think college is the least of his worries now and everything else is gonna get hard fast."
"I wonder if that would've stopped it or made it worse, though. He might have just taken it as condescending." Evan glances away for a moment, picturing what might happen to the guy next— but they've pretty well covered that topic by now, he figures. "Well, I'd better let you get back to your routine. Or at least clear out so someone else can stop in. Call me when you get out, let me know you're all right?" he adds, taking out a card and setting it down on the side table by the bed. One of his own kind, a student at his school, attacked by another one— yeah, he takes it a little personally.
"I don't know. Either way, there's nothing I could do. I wish I could have, but…" Elaine murmurs, giving him a small nod. "I'll give you a call, yeah. I should be out soon, but I'll let you know when I'm doing a bit better. Moving around and such."