Not the Best Time

Participants:

cameron_icon.gif eve_icon.gif

Scene Title Not the Best Time
Synopsis Cameron and Eve have a little heart-to-heart about their relationship… or lack thereof.
Date September 8, 2008

Condemned Tenement

Once home to dozens of working-class families, this building has long ago been officially evacuated and condemned after it was partially gutted by a fire. The brick exterior is covered with layer upon layer of graffiti, the windows are boarded, and some sections of the roof are less than sound. The fire took hold on the fourth floor and expanded upward. Below that, many of the apartments are still intact.


It's early evening and Eve Mas has decided to finally talk to Cameron, nevertheless she is still nervous to do it. She is wearing a pair of black jeans and a dark purple tank top with a pair of black boots. Her hair is tied into a long ponytail and she bites her lip as she looks at the door to Cameron's apartment. Then after taking a deep breath she knocks on the door, "Cameron?"

The door to the apartment opens and Cameron Spalding, half his face covered in shaving lather, pokes his head out into the hall. His blue eyes narrow, squinting into the darkness. One of these days, they really need to get around to tapping into the city's power grid; with only candles and electric torches to light the way, navigating the old tenement can be downright hazardous after nightfall. "Eve?" He reaches up with a towel and, squeezing one eye shut, begins wiping the white gunk off of his jaw. "Something wrong?"

Eve chuckles at the sight of Cameron's face and then grins up at him, "Nothing is wrong, can I talk to you about something?" she cants her head and digs her hands in her pockets. Her dark hair moves to the side and she sweeps a strand of it off her shoulder.

"Yeah," Cameron says, stepping aside to make room for Eve, "sure. Come on in." Inside the apartment, one of the smallest units in the building, is a simple cot, a metal basin for washing and a series of plain, unmarked cardboard boxes. Nobody ever said that the leader of PARIAH lived in luxury. Of all the rooms on this floor, his is probably the most sparsely furnished. "You can take a seat if you want," he tells her. "Assuming you can even, you know, find one. Sorry about the mess."

"It's no problem, you should see my apartment all the paintings everywhere." She grins and takes a seat and shoves some of the mess aside. Eve then looks to Cameron and swallows. "Ok, so the thing that I am getting ready to tell you, I need you to listen and I hope this doesn't affect our friendship in a negative way but I have to say, here goes" Eve places her hands in her lap and looks back up at Cameron, "I like you Cameron." BOMB DROPPED!

On his way back to the basin, Cameron tosses a sidelong look at Eve, one of his dark eyebrows arching so high that it causes furrows to appear on his forehead. "I like you too, Eve." He crouches down in front of the basin and dips his razor into the water to wash the foam from its edge. "Did I do something to give you the impression that I didn't?" Clueless.

Eve rubs her forehead and then shakes her head at Cameron. "I don't think you understand what I'm saying." She stands and walks over to Cameron, "I like you, meaning I've liked you since the first time I saw you in that vision, no matter how cliche that sounds. I want to be in a relationship with you." She bites her lips and then untucks her and stands up taller, it is time to act like the woman she is, not the little schoolgirl. "I didn't want to ruin things for the whole team by laying this on you, but I couldn't hold it in any longer."

"Oh. That kind of like." Cameron shifts his weight from foot to foot a few times before he once again stands, setting the razor aside. He places both his hands, still a little damp, on Eve's shoulders and gives them a light squeeze. How to put this nicely? "Don't take this the wrong way, babe, but this isn't exactly news to me. It's not that I don't feel the same way— You're a pretty girl, Eve. Real pretty. I just don't think now's the best time for… well."

"And I think you are a handsome guy," she chuckles. "I kind of suspected you would say that. But we have to have some kind of happiness in this shitty world we are living in right now right?" Eve looks down and then looks back up at Cameron, "I just had to let you know how I feel, ya know?" She blows air out of her mouth and then swings her arms, "Okk.. awkward. I'm sorry I bothered you." She begins to take a step back.

As Eve steps back, Cameron's arms fall from her shoulders and settle slack at his sides. "You're not bothering me," he grunts, slipping his hands into his jean pockets. "Look. I get where you're coming from, but relationships— they complicate things. They cloud a person's judgment. If I had my way, Clairebear and Superboy wouldn't be sharing a room, either. We start putting our emotions before our cause? We may as well pack up our shit up and go home."

"And I understand where you are coming from, but sometimes you just have to take that risk. What's the use of trying to save people's lives if we ourselves can't even enjoy life?" Eve takes her hair out of her ponytail and runs a hand through her hair. After a moment of thinking she walks back to Cameron and places a quick and small kiss on his lips. After that she backs away again, "Well if you ever change your mind, I'm not going anywhere" she says and puts a hand in her pocket. She cannot believe she just kissed Cameron. Bravery indeed.

To be fair, Cameron can't believe she just kissed him either! He wrinkles his nose and screws up his face, scowling at the woman in a very strange way. One of the reasons he hasn't told her that he isn't tempted is because it would be a lie, and — under most circumstances — Cameron isn't a good liar. He swallows with great difficulty, and when he speaks his voice comes out in the form of a croak. "Get out of here, you stupid little minx." Before I change my mind!

Eve looks at Cameron for a second and then shakes her head, "You know you have to play the jerk leader role around me. I thought we were at least closer than that." She plays with the strap of her tank top, but not in a flirty way! "I just- nevermind" she begins to leave and sighs as she does.

Cameron doesn't pursue her. Not this time. He's tempted, yes, but he's not that tempted. Besides, if he goes after Eve he won't be able to finish getting ready for Peter's meeting — or, perhaps more accurately, finish getting ready to dodge Peter's meeting. He closes the door behind her, and if she listens carefully, she may detect the sound of the deadbolt clicking into place. Locked.


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September 8th, 2008: The Artist Returns

Previously in this storyline…
Arrival and Artwork


Next in this storyline…
A Meeting Crashed

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September 8th: It's Not a Matter of Want
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