Participants:
| Scene Title | Damsel in Distress? |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Trask and Elle say hello again. |
| Date | March 23, 2011 |
Central Park - Belvedere Castle
The bushy transient in the park still has the pint-sized power plant over his shoulder as he breaks from the chaos of the Central Park brawl. He shakes the police rather quickly, knowing where to bob and when to weave to avoid his former co-workers. He ends up of all places at Belvedere Castle. He slips inside the museum with his parcel and ends up toward the top floor, in the Observatory. There he lets Elle down finally.
Elle is a fairly good kidnap victim. She doesn't fight or kick or squirm or anything of the sort. In fact, she seems to be quite happy to be kidnapped by one Norton Trask. The only thing she is doing is shivering, by the time they reach the castle. So much so, in fact, that she's attempting to also tug Trask out of his jacket, once he sets her down.
"Shit, I forgot what cold feels like." She grumbles this out as she tugs at Trask's jacket. "What the hell, Norm, you disappear forever, I hear rumors that you're working for the damn Institute that I really hope were false, and then you appear out of nowhere and help me get away from the cops. So what's the story here?"
Partially speaking to herself, at this point, she continues. "What is it with men swooping in to save me all the time? Am I really that much of a damsel in distress?!"
Norton chuckles from behind his beard. He opens his jacket, but instead of taking it off he pulls Elle in close, where she can get warm from his body heat. "You know you really should dress warmer in the winter. Do you know how cold it is out here?" He shakes his head. "Well no one ever said you were sane. I heard the rumor about me working for the institute too…that is what I am doing here…I want to meet this Norton Trask on their payroll."
Oh. Oh, he's hugging her. Oh, this is nice. After a brief moment of 'WTF' stiffness, Elle relaxes against Trask, shivering as she absorbs body heat. "When you're not right here, bundling up is almost unbearable. It's like…wearing a heavy winter coat when the weather is perfect for t-shirts. Long…long long story." She squeezes Trask, turning to peer up at him with wide blue eyes.
Then, one of those hands, with the fresh red mesh-like scars around her wrists, reaches up to touch Trask's cheek. "Is that really you? Like, did you just totally appear out of nowhere and then tackle me and bring me here? Or if I pinch myself, will I wake up?"
Trask raises an eyebrow, "Is it that bad of a nightmare?" He grins softly, his voice still heavy with the Latin accent. "Sorry I figured I should talk to you before you go blabbing to everyone I am in town. Apparently my disguise wasn't as good as I thought it was."
The petite blonde blinks up at Trask a few times. "Definitely not a nightmare." She smiles faintly. "Your eyes…and your forehead." She taps his forehead once, a small smirk on her face. "What— what have you been up to? It's been so long since I saw you…"
Trask squeezes her a little in the hug and sighs softly, "Mostly evolved rights in South America. With Internal Affairs, Homeland and your friends the Company all after me I needed to lay low a while."
"They're not my friends any more." Elle shakes her head slowly. "Company is dead. And I put my dad into Institute hands." She sounds a little guilty when she admits this, frowning as she nuzzles her face against Trask's chest. It's either stay a good distance away, or hug. Hugging is kind of nice right now. "I work with Liz and Richard Cardinal, now…they took me in."
Trask blinks and takes a step back to look at you, his head cocks to the side, "Ok…. Who are you and what have you done with Elle? Because if your Sylar I am so going to beat the crap out of you for this Gabriel."
Elle blinks as Trask steps back, reluctant to let him get away. He's warm, dammit. "Nope, definitely not Sylar, though this scar on my forehead?" She points to the offending scar that peeks out of her hairline. "That's a new one from him." She decides to introduce him to her other wounds, holding up her hands to show her wrists, which appear to have 'bracelets' of scar tissue covering them. "This one is from Humanis First."
She takes a breath, scooting closer again. "No, I'm Elle Bishop. It's just…a lot has changed. More than you even know…it'd take me forever to tell you everything."
Trask smiles softly, "You know last time I saw you…I figured I hadn't had any effect on you at all. We got back and you went right back home. I'm glad someone else was able to get through to you at least."
Elle's expression softens slightly. "Richard helped. He's good at that, sowing seeds of doubt. And then…I just kind of made my own decision for once, you know? And then…I found things out about my past, with my dad…what happened to my mom, what happened to my grandma…" She shakes her head. "I want to try and be a good person." It's just that she doesn't quite know how.
Trask smiles and his hand cups her face. "You are a good person, you always have been, you know I have always believed that, right?"
Elle smiles faintly up at Trask. "It's…complicated. A lot is complicated." She takes a breath, fiddling with Trask's shirt. "I was with the Institute for a while…for a while, I did go back to my old ways. But Richard and Liz…they've been great to me. I dare say that I call them friends." And she adores Cardinal a little more than she adores most.
After a moment, she tips her head up toward the man. "You haven't changed much. Still the sweetest guy I've met…"
Trask grins softly, "You going to call me a Puppyguard again?" He leans down and kisses her nose. "Sorry I manhandled you back there without asking first."
The blonde's cheeks color slightly as Trask kisses her nose. "Maybe. And, it's okay. I didn't mind so much. Lot of good I'd do, hobbling away from the cops on a cane." She smirks. Then, after a moment, she reaches up and pokes Trask's nose. "I should tell you things before you and I start getting all kissy face again."
Trask raises an eyebrow, "Tell me things? Don't tell me you have a boyfriend too? Did someone go and make Elle Bishop a real girl while I was gone…."
"He's not really my boyfriend…but…well." She fidgets. "I have a love-crush on Richard Cardinal that I will never act on ever because I don't want to ruin our professional relationship and I have this guy that I knew from back when I was kid with the Company and then there's this guy who used to be crazy and he got sane and is trying to win me back again and now you come along and…" She finally takes a breath after talking at Trask almost a mile a minute, before continuing, "I don't know what to do."
Trask quiets her a second, stopping the rambling with a soft, tender, but intense kiss. When she comes back up for air he puts a finger to her lips and holds her eyes for a moment. "I'm not here to complicate anything. I've been gone a long time, I'm not walking back into anyone’s life and demanding to take precedence. So don't worry about that pressure…ok? You need advice, you need anything you can come to me, and I will be honest with you. So close your eyes, take a couple deep breaths and Hakuna Matata, because Daddy's home." He grins and puts his arms around you, giving you a nice warm hug.
Elle quite promptly stops talking when Trask captures her lips in a kiss, her eyes closing. She even does that foot pop thing, where one foot pops up. Then, as soon as it started, it's over, and the blonde is staring up at Trask with big blue eyes. Oh. Okay. That was nice. That was very nice. After a moment, she breathes an airy sigh; a faint smile is on her face. "So that's how Trask says hello these days." She can't help but smile a bit.
Trask chuckles softly, "Only when I think you need something to focus your attention." He winks. "So…. You think we are going to be ok? Just friends is all I'm asking, nothing more. Something more shows up, so be it, but no promises, no demands…. You ok with that?"
Elle can't help the girlish giggle that comes up at Trask. He just kissed her and now he's saying friends. She giggles a little bit more. Impulsiveness takes over, and she's on her tiptoes, planting another kiss on Trask's lips. Brief but passionate, before she's pulling away again. "We'll see." She grins up at him.
Then, she's pulling away from him, a small grin on her face. In the same instant, a business card is pulled from her pocket, and tucked into Trask's pocket. Then, she's stepping further and further away, looking fairly cheerful for once.