Participants:
| Scene Title | Shock Treatment |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Zachery comes home to yet another shockng surprise. Secretly, Elle has also stolen his yellow hula girl boxers. |
| Date | August 18, 2010 |
Elle hung out until after Zachery went out to the liquor store, before making her move. Zachery will come home to find his lock looking charred, the door hangin slightly open. When he walks in, he will find the interesting sight of Elle, reclining on his leather couch with her bare feet propped up on the cushion. She's watching television, and is currently finishing off one of the Hot Pockets Zach had in his fridge.
Zachery's return to the apartment is announced quite a bit earlier than his actual arrival at the doorstep, with a faintly muffled CLANKs of bottles rattling in a newly retrieved bag of loot. And then - when the lock and door comes into sight - an exasperated groan.
"Oh, come on." The door is nudged open quite readily with one foot, before the man saunters in with the bag and around a corner to peer into the living room with a single brow raised. After Elle is spotted, he stands humorously, and mutters with a mix of redundancy and satire, "Honey, I'm home."
"Zachery, darling!" The little blonde sits up, lacking her sling today; she's finally gotten rid of it, her shoulder healed enough that she doesn't need the support of it any longer. "I was wondering when you would get home. I ate your last cheeseburger hot pocket, sorry." She giggles softly, raising to her feet and moving around Zachery quickly and shutting the door.
Then, her electricity crackles, the lock melting back into the doorframe. Well…at least the door is closed now?
For a moment it's hard to read Zachery's face as he stands there, observing the person who has once again forced herself into his home. His safe place, small and insufficient as it may be. But though he may care little about the eaten Hot Pocket or subsequent apology, the melting of his door gets a decidedly surprised look. Or maybe annoyed. Maybe equal amounts of both.
The booze bag is set down, contents leaning against a wall, before he speaks up again. And despite his now decidedly less than pleased expression, he still sounds fairly… chipper. "So, I assume this means I'm in for a treat." Then, after a brief inhale and a dry smirk in Elle's direction, he adds, "Only, you know, with an extra H somewhere between that T and R."
Elle leans against the now tightly sealed door, turning to lean on it and offering Zachery a bright smile. "Ooh, I like you, Zach. You're smart." She giggles softly, pushing off of the door frame and slowly making her way closer to him. "I came here to have a little talk to you. Y'see, I have this friend, and I asked him if he knows anything about you."
She attempts to essentially push him toward the couch, and back onto it, if he doesn't put up too much of a fight. "He tells me that you know some people that I am acquainted with."
She gets the opposite of a fight. She gets someone who is not all that much a fan of his personal bubble being invaded. Zachery is even less of a fan of actual physical contact, and thus forced back with ease. The smirk stays on his face, albeit very slowly fading, and his eyes lock onto Elle's. "I used to work at a morgue." He answers, visibly proud to retain a mostly steady tone of voice, "And you're surprised I've been in contact with one or two shady types?"
Once he's back on the couch, the little blonde settles down next to him, probably too close for comfort, and does what she does best: invades his personal bubble space, reaching out to drag the tip of one finger down his chest. All the while, she has a charming smile on her face.
"Well…I heard that some folks from an organization known only as the Company have spoken to you. Made you offers in the past." She leans ever-so-closer, looking like she's about to try and kiss him or something by the way she's drawing close. "And I wanted to see if you had accepted those offers. Apparently some fellows named Crowley and Thompson made the offer to you?"
Well, that's taken the joy out of it for Zachery. What's left of his smug facade melts away and is instantly replaced by a wry, nervous frown. He lifts an arm with the intention of stopping Elle from reaching closer, only to freeze entirely when she manages to, anyway. The eye contact is promptly broken, and an adjacent wall is suddenly deemed much more comfortable to look at. Intently.
It takes him several painfully silent seconds to come to his senses, breaths now more shallow and controlled. "T-Thompson. Yes." The lifted hand is drawn into a fist out of frustration, but then lowered helplessly. "Yes, I'd been told to see him. But I haven't heard from him in— ah, months. I didn't know what to—" His sentence trails off into nothing, as he dares a quick glance back in Elle's direction. And then away again.
Elle Bishop doesn't relent in her bubble invasion, suddenly twisting around and…well, laying back against the man, with the back of her head resting against his chest. Bright blue eyes peer up at him, a giggle escaping her throat. Her left arm idly drapes over that raised arm. She likes making people uncomfortable, and if just touching him works…well, she'll save the electricity for at least a little bit longer.
"Oh, so you have met Thompson! And what did you meet with him about?" She's practically draped across his lap by now, an amused grin brightening her features.
And down goes the arm completely. It's not that Zachery is relaxed— oh no, far from it. He's completely still, muscles tense. He may as well have stopped breathing entirely, from the looks of it. "I haven't e-exactly met Thompson." He clears his throat, And takes a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. "I was meant to. But, ah, I. Never went. Doubts. Wasn't sure." His words come more freely now, so long as he isn't looking in Elle's direction. "I was expecting a reprimand, but it never came— they must have— lost interest." Something he very much wishes would happen again in this very situation, no doubt.
The blonde suddenly sits up in Zachery's lap, giggling softly as she gets way too close for comfort. One finger is lifted, and a playfule, horribly amused smile dances over the girl's lips. She kisses the tip of her index finger, and then gently places it against the man's lower lip. This is immediately followed by the tiniest of shocks, enough to make him go 'ouch', but nothing excruciating.
"So you were told to meet him…who told you to meet him? Did anything ever happen with those contacts?" She giggles softly, pulling her finger away from his lip.
Zachery leans his head back and into the couch as far as possible when Elle reaches for his face, but if anything, he should be grateful. The zap seems to help kick-start his movement again, and in reflex he sneers right at Elle. Bared teeth show for the briefest of glimpses before he lifts both hands to in front of his face. In defense? No, he knows it's probably no use. When the hands come down to his sides again a second later, there's a grin back on his face. A nervous one, but no less genuine.
"Hell if I know, by now." He answers, with newfound confidence and desperation all at once. "I was drunk. Terrified. There were two of them, but I only remember a— Crowley. Claimed to be Homeland Security. Ha." He pauses. A chuckle escapes him, sounding misplaced and entirely unplanned for. "They seemed curious as to my connection with a man who called himself Sylar."
The girl grins at his reaction. Awww, he's like a little puppy dog. She likes him. He's fun to mess with! She offers a small giggle, reaching a hand to stroke his cheek once he lowers his arms. No shock this time, she's just touching his face because she can, and he doesn't seem to like it.
Then, he says that name. Suddenly, the tiny lady grips at his shirt, pushing him back against the couch, pretty much straddling him. But it's not the coy, playful kind of straddle, judging by that intense look in her eye. "Sylar?! You know Sylar?" Her teeth grit. "Tell me everything you know about him, right now." Something tells Zachery that that little shock might get a lot worse if he doesn't start talking.
Oh, but he plans to. Zachery has been quiet for far too long a time. He'd have happily told her the story from beginning to end if she had just asked with her inside voice. Now, though… her response to Sylar's name brings forth another chuckle, awkwardly drawn-out. He's about to do something that he may very well regret later, but it may be worth it.
"Have I struck a chord?" He chimes, happily shoved back into the leather sofa. Violence is much more easily processed than feigned affection, and seemingly much more comfortable for the ex-coroner. He tilts his head to the left slightly, eyes narrowing as he observes Elle's expression and bodylanguage. "Personal matter?"
The little blonde narrows her blue eyes dangerously. Yeah…he's going to regret not talking to her nice-like when it comes to Sylar. Her teeth grit, and from her hands, a much larger shock than the one she put on his lips earlier. Not enough to injure him or knock him out, but enough to cause some pain and make his heart jump a bit.
"Yes, you have struck a chord. Yes, it's a personal matter. Tell me what you know about him." She's talking in a much more quiet tone, now, sounding as dangerous as she possibly can.
Erk. The already tensed muscles do not take kindly to the shock, expected or not, and Zachery winces after it hits him. Not enough to wipe the grin off of his face, however. Once he manages to suck some air back into his lungs, he lets out a short laugh. Then, as if expecting more shocks to follow, immediately continues speaking. "I loaned him some corpses. Evolved people. I meddled with the papers, forged signatures and held back whole bodies for him." It all seems ridiculous to him in retrospect, and it shows on his face. "I did this for— months?"
Elle's brows raise. Then, with a shove from her right arm, she stands, making her way away from him, the shocks over and done with for now. She rubs at her mouth with a hand, scowling at the television. "When was this? And do you have any contact with him?" She frowns over at Zachery, crossing her arms and generally looming at the man, looking as dangerous as such a tiny little blonde can look.
Finally. Zachery breathes a sigh of relief as Elle gets to her feet, making no effort to hide that he is very glad to have his space back. Still, he looks… satisfied to have upset Elle, somehow, though he knows not to push much further. He clears his throat again, and sits up. Elle is peered at again, while he tries to read her expression as best he can. "Over a year ago. Year and a half, perhaps." He looks down now, to straighten his clothes and rub the skin where he was shocked. His tone calms, and reverts back to almost purely clinical within moments. "Is this going to be a problem?"
He hasn't told her the whole story. But he's not sure how much more she needs to know.
The little blonde pauses, frowning at the man for a long moment. He knows Gabriel. Sylar. Whatever you call it. He provided the man the bodies of evolved. That means…she frowns down at Zachery, shaking her head.
"No, not a problem. It's been a long time, so I'm really not too worried about you." She eyes the man. "Unless there's anything else you're not telling me. Is there? It'd be a pretty good idea to tell me everything you remember." She suddenly flops back on the couch next to him, and goes back to bubble invasion, draping her legs in his lap. She lost her control over the situation for a moment there.
And though this time Zachery is slightly less caught off-guard, he's still visibly displeased with this new bubble-breaking. And though he'd like to get up, he feels it's in his best interest to stay put for now. Awkward or not. "I didn't have much of a choice, did I?" He leans away ever so slightly, and rubs the back of his neck. "I mean, you obviously know the man. Sure, it was my idea to let him have at the bodies in the first place, but hey— it was either them or me. And they were already on the slab." Another wry grin. And whether that's the proverbial 'it' or not, he seems to be leaving it at that.
The little blonde frowns at Zachery, rubbing her chin. Then…suddenly, she's back in the man's lap, and that smile is back on her face as she strokes a hand over his cheek, leaning close. "That's okay…I can understand where you're coming from." Even closer, her face hovering inches from his, so close he can feel her sweet-smelling breath on his face. "Sylar is a pretty scary guy." And one of the few people who has really made her feel anything.
"Are you going to loyal to Warren, Zachery? Are you going to work hard for him and be a good member of his organization?" She giggles softly, not pulling away just yet. She does like how he squirms.
Damn it. Seeing her pissed off was much more fun than this. Zachery twitches, nose wrinkling as his eyes look past Elle once more, instead of at her. But hmm. Sylar, scary? Maybe. Probably. But the real reason he cooperated with the man remains unspoken.
He swallows as he's asked the question, hands digging into the couch on either side. This is why he stays inside. This is why he sticks to shaking hands and little more. Ugh. "I'm— just happy to have something to do." His eyes stay focused on a book shelf not far away, and he pulls back a shoulder in discomfort. "I don't care for what purpose, as long as it fulfills it. Results are what counts." He narrows his eyes slightly, annoyance flashing past. "That is… if I can even get started. I think your Warren might have overestimated my social capabilities."
Elle smiles, and does that little thing where she kisses her index finger, then place it on her lower lip with a nice little shock. Still sitting in his lap, she leans back ever-so-slightly, thoughtfully regarding him. She then stands, much more calm and in control this time as she offers him a little bit of relief from the bubble intrusions.
"First off, if you try to fuck Warren over, I'll kill you if he doesn't kill you first. Got that?" She smiles, though something indicates that the light manner in which she said that is quite possibly a facade; if it came down to it, she probably would kill him. Hopefully it won't, though. "If you feel you may have trouble getting a DNA sample from Richard Cardinal, I may speak to Warren. I'm closer to Cardinal than you, I'm sure." She shrugs. "Can't make promises, though."
Who knows what the future brings, but Zachery doesn't have a reason to get in Warren's way just yet. And he sure as well would welcome the change of scenery. "I'm well aware. I'm not and never have been in the business of 'fucking people over'." That phrase comes out out unnatural and forced, especially since he is still adamantly looking anywhere but at Elle. "That said, I like to interact with as few of them as possible. Hence, I'd— appreciate," this is even more unnatural and forced sounding, "any assistance."
The tiny blonde moves over to the bag of beers, two out and promptly zapping the caps off of both. One bottle is offered out to Zachery, the other tipped up to the blonde's lips, a long swig taken. "I'm glad to hear that, Zachery. Make sure you keep yourself to that, and I'm sure there won't be a lick of trouble for you." She giggles, sitting on the armrest of the couch now.
She raises her bottle once more, taking another swig of the beer she helped herself to. "I'll talk to Warren, see if he would mind if I helped you. But this is an initiation thingie, so if he says no, I can't do much to help you out beyond that."
"He came to me." Zachery states, taking a short moment to eye the bottle before accepting it. No swig for him yet, though, but he's sure the bottle won't stay full for long once the blonde is out of his sight. "As far as I'm concerned, that means he needs something from me, and not the other way around, you see." It all makes sense in his head.
The blonde takes another long swig of the beer, before suddenly setting it in the man's lap, hopping off of the couch. "Are you really so sure of that? I mean…if it weren't for the fact that Warren came to you, what would you be doing aside from sitting in here, drinking, and wasting your life away, hmm?" She smiles, moving toward the door, suddenly. "You would be just as stagnant as always. Keep that in mind when you're pondering things. I'll be nice and talk to Warren."