|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon May 24, 2010 6:35 pm
Who: Kenth and Alex
When: Early afternoon
Where: Durem Convention Center
Weather: A dark and stormy night cloudy
The 18th Annual International Biomedicine conference.
Fancy name for a big and boring science meeting. Kenth hated conventions, and he was glad that he had retired from the field of research or else he'd have to attend so many of them. The good thing was that there were a lot less invitations now, but the bad thing was that he was still obligated to go to some of them. As a renowned and independent scientist, Kenth had the choice of which convention to go to, so he picked ones that covered the most general subjects. The AIBC was among one of the few that the doctor attended regularly, and this year was no exception. Kenth was a little disappointed at the fact that it was not the best idea to bring his new subject to a conference where only results were shown, which meant he had to leave Xuelian all by herself for a few days. He taught her the way to shower so that she would not starve, and brought her enough DVDs to entertain herself. Kenth was confident that Xuelian would not cause him any troubles, but he could not help but to worry if troubles would find their way to the naive Raevan.
Regardless of various fears, the doctor found himself as a guest at the honored convention. Most guests had posters or speeches to share with the fellow scientists attending, but he was there to interact and learn, the former of which was, ironically, one of Kenth's weaknesses, at least on the social level. As such, the doctor avoided overly friendly conversations, and preferred being by himself and moved according to his own schedule. After hearing a short speech on new discoveries for fish nervous system, Kenth decided that he had enough work for the day, and retreated himself to the lobby, where he could take the elevator to his hotel room on the top floor.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 26, 2010 11:52 pm
More than once, she thought she'd heard the distant rumble of thunder, but it was hard to be certain over the low murmur of voices that permeated the lecture rooms. All the men and women in their thick, stuffy suits, speaking at the podium to the more casually dressed multitudes in fold-out chairs and any manner of flat surface, made it hard to hear anything going on outside the building. As usual, the seminar that she'd come to see - a panel on the evolution of research in her field of zoology - was over-crowded. It was extraordinarily rare that any type of panel was held in her field, drawing out the doctors such as herself to hear what had to be said. Alex was grateful for the opportunity to sit in with some of the brightest minds in her field of study, but she would only visit for two of the four days. As it was, she'd already been asked to speak alongside her firm, which she had politely (and vehemently) declined. She'd have to go home inbetween, and it was no short distance to travel.
The woman was dressed practically for the event, which loosely meant that anyone who knew her would not recognize her easily. She wore feminine dress slacks the color of ash and a matching four-button vest over a white dress-shirt, the sleeves rolled to her elbows (it didn't matter if they ran the air conditioning or if it was snowing outside - that many people crammed into one room was always so sweltering!). The vest was unbuttoned beneath her bosom as she exited the conference room with a quiet sigh, running a hand through her side-swept bangs, her long hair pulled back in a severe ponytail. Alex didn't enjoy the dressing up, but as she tugged at the small studded earrings in her lobes, she had to give thanks that she didn't have to wear a skirt. The heeled shoes were enough, and goodness knew they were murdering her feet!
One of her colleagues that she hadn't seen since she'd gotten the scar on her ribs had been at the event and has asked her up to her room for dinner, to which Alex could not decline. She just had to grab her cell phone out of her car - which was parked in the basement - and leave a message for Zul that she'd be a bit late getting home. She also wanted to talk to Aphi, feeling rather homesick after being gone with Lucia and needing to hear a friendly voice.
With the cell tucked in her palm and her keys snug against her leg in her pocket, she leaned against the back of the elevator as the doors whirred shut. Alex never liked elevators. It wasn't that she was afraid of them, but the foreign motion of movement that it gave her was always so disquieting, making her feel like she should be climbing to outrun the strange mechanism. The Italian smiled a little to herself, ruefully amused; it just went to show how out of touch she was with things, when she'd rather take the stairs than an elevator to make it up the eight flights of stairs to her friend's room. "Damn you heels," she remarked out loud, green eyes casing downwards to glare balefully at her unfavorable footwear. "Beauty is pain, my a**."
The contraption began to slow, making her smile fade into a neutral type of frown. It wasn't bad enough that she had to feel that god-awful motion, but she had to suffer the gravitational stop as her chariot prepared to admit another into its snobby hold: the thing was all posh interior with a painting - a painting! - on the back, and even the railing was painted gold. Of all the snooty things to waste money on, Alex mused to herself as the doors opened, lets throw it on a moving room that you waste thirty seconds of your life in! Her smile returned at her own inner monologue, eyes flicking up to meet and greet the newest passenger to the ritzy elevator room, a man with short white hair and eyes as blue as they'd been in every memory she had of him.
You have got to be joking!
Her expression froze, some of the color draining from her face before it returned in full force, bringing a pink spot of blush to her cheeks with the effort, feeling a chill run down her spin just as quickly as annoyance and a thinly repressed coil of excitement stole over her. Alex turned her head, arms still crossed, hoping he'd just get in and ignore her, though if he recognized her, he might not get on at all.
One can hope, she thought dryly, though a bitter part of her told her that wasn't the case at all. Thirty seconds of your life, she reminded herself, staring hard as the red velvet color of the elevator wall. You can both survive thirty seconds, can't you?
Can't you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 4:24 pm
With a crisp ding, the up arrow that was originally lit up had faded, followed by the elevator's door opening from behind where Kenth was standing. The doctor turned around and entered the opening lift without a second thought, unsuspecting anything unusual among the passengers. His time to be spent in the lift would be longer than others, Kenth thought he could use the brief time to review what he had heard in the presentation. His attempt was stopped however, when another wave of passengers entered the elevator on the next floor. Kenth frowned, finding the crowded and closed-off space irritating to both his body and his mind. The new group of people forced him to step backward, pushing him against the back side of the elevator. It was not long until the man met his obstacle at leaning against the other side of the elevator wall. He felt his back pressed briefly against someone else's forhead. Though he had immediately shifted away, the deed was already done. The doctor mumbled an awkward "excuse me", and ceased to pay more attention. He was aware the person behind him was a female with dark skin, but no parts of his mind paid attention who it could have been. It didn't make a difference to him, Kenth was not a gentleman, and had no intention of trying to embarrass himself further in the lift by turning and apologizing formally. Instead, the doctor focused on the increasing number shown on the Elevator's screen, counting how many more levels the lift had to move before reaching his destination.
Luckily, the passengers gradually decreased as the level increased. Soon, he was free from standing against the back. Taking the chance Kenth moved himself to the side, turning and leaning against the bar extending out from the left wall of the lift. Because there were less people to look at, his eyes eventually fell on the unfortunate female victim that was forced to endure close contact with him. From the way she was dressed, it wasn't hard to tell that the woman was attending similar conferences with him. Kenth narrowed his eyes, finding the woman looking awefully familiar to him. A part of his brain immediately provided him with the right answer, but was quickly rejected.
No, it couldn't have been her, why would she be here in the first place?
Still staring (quite blatantly), Kenth's mind boiled with the possibility. What was frustrating was the fact the more he rejected the idea, the more it became plausible. Kenth vaguely recalled the business card the woman gave him on the day his subject was first delivered. She too, was a scientist, therefore it meant it was perfectly normal for her to be here. She never dressed so formally before, but that was only from Kenth's memories, which was definitely not all parts of her life. In addition, the way she looked away...it was as if she was desperately trying to ignore his presence, something she would do.
The last reasoning left Kenth with a bitter taste on his tongue. He snapped his head sideways, refusing to stare at her further. Very well, if she was not willing to acknowledge him, he didn't have to greet her. After all, he was much easier to discern, dressed no differently than regular clinical days. If she accused him of being cold, he could simply use her odd clothing as an excuse. Kenth's attention returned to the elevator screen, and resumed his counting. The woman would no doubt leave the lift before he would, the doctor anticipated the moment it would happen.
The elevator stopped on another floor, this time taking away the final few passengers inside beside the dark skinned woman and Kenth. The doctor frowned, feeling the heavy awkward silence crushing at his shoulders. Why did this hotel have so many floors?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 9:07 pm
This is not happening, she told herself in a frantic type of inner voice, the pitch of which seemed to soar to a new high as he bumped into her. Alex could smell him, on the jacket and through it - the obvious scent of what she associated with his workspace, a sterile, cold smell mingled with his own, one she knew well from having worked so closely with him years ago. The tips of his short hair was practically tickling the bridge of her nose, making her want to sneeze. The irony that she had wanted to be so close to the man that she was now trying to avoid like the fel virus was not lost on her. Thanks, life, I hate you too.
The elevator populace began to thin, and with it, her anxiety escalated. He hadn't noticed her yet, and that would be desirable - or so she thought. She felt a small tick of disappointment, something she quickly smothered and ignored with a purse of her lips. Ten seconds, maybe, she told herself, hating that she was so riled up over just being near the doctor without him even knowing she was alive at his side. Then again, Alex reflected, it may not have been so different from college...
And then she could feel his eyes on her, that weighted, measuring presence that was undeniable. The Italian squirmed a little when the gaze didn't move for a while, feeling a bit of heat in her cheeks. Did he recognize her? Just as she was about to glance towards him, she saw his head suddenly snap away. Damnit. So he knew it was her after all. Alex bit her lip, and as the elevator came to a halt again, she willed it to be the floor he was waiting for.
Of course, neither of them were so lucky. In fact, it seemed life was laughing at her again, as they were the last two in the elevator's ridiculously decorated interior. The tension was palpable, something she felt she could feel against her skin, as though it could be moved if she lifted her hand. She could hear the distant roll of thunder over the whirling of the elevator, and for one moment, she wondered if the power would hold. Of course it will, Alex reasoned, they'd have back up generators and this isn't the movies--
Just as the light was ticking over to the next floor, there was a deafening boom of thunder, and the lights went out.
"Porca puttana!" the Italian said with startled disbelief.
The lights flickered back to life after a few seconds, and just as Alex was breathing a sigh of relief, there was another peel of thunder. The lights dimmed to black for a few heartbeats; they came back on, but this time there was a slight red undertone to them and the elevator's screen read an error. They were the emergency lights.
Alex and Kenth were stuck in an elevator.
Stiff with disbelief, Alex pressed her back against the elevator wall and slowly tried to breathe. This is not happening, this cannot happen, THIS IS UNFAIR! Of all the people to be stuck in an elevator with! Of all the things to happen to them! Things like this were the reason she was agnostic. If there was a god, she was certain he hated her guts.
With a quiet groan, the Italian rubbed her hands over her face, staring dully at the ceiling and cursing in the three languages she knew the best, her words mostly muffled. Counting backwards from ten, her green eyes slowly slid over towards Kenth, ruefully acknowledging that she couldn't rightfully ignore him anymore. Please don't hate me, she thought to herself, her chest tight. Please don't be as awful as I am.
"Of all the places in the world," she finally said, her voice quiet and tired, "this is not how I wanted to find the time to talk again."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Sep 03, 2010 9:24 am
Alex was not the only one who was uncomfortable inside the elevator. In fact, to say Kenth was uncomfortable was an understatement. If possible, Kenth would not hesitate to break the elevator door and get out of the awkward situation even if the machine was still climbing. Now that he had thought about it, Kenth decided that he’d get off of the next floor, even if it was not the correct one, the only bad thing that could happen would be if the Alex stepped out too, but at least an entire hotel floor was bigger than the elevator room.
At least, that was what Kenth had planned. Unfortunately, the bad weather just had to ruin it. Kenth counted quietly to himself how many seconds may pass before they arrive to the next floor in order to ready himself, and that was when it happened. The doctor almost tripped himself in surprise when the thunder struck. He cursed in his mind at loosing track of his count, but soon realized the thunder did more than he had ever imagined. Looking up after what felt like an eternity, Kenth stared in shock at the error message flashing on the elevator screen. The light was quite dim, but the message appeared to Kenth with intensity no less than the summer sunlight. His mouth was left open for at least five seconds, his brain busying itself trying to figure out what actually happened. The expression must have looked quite silly, but it was not the time to worry about his appearance. At this time, his mind had finally hammered the fact that he was stuck on the elevator. What was even worse, was that he was stuck on the elevator with another person, not to mention this other person was someone he knew and would pay anything to avoid at this moment.
No, this was not happening. Kenth’s fingers clawed into the rim attached to the wall that he was leaning on. The painful sensation was clear evidence that he was not dreaming. No matter how much he struggled, the fact was not going to change. Denial was not going to help him, but it did manage to take Kenth’s attention away from the real problem. Unfortunately, Alex’s words dragged the doctor’s mind back to the reality. Slowly, Kenth’s head turned to face the sound source, the action itself was quite difficult for every muscle around his neck screamed and wanted to face the other way. But it had to happen; he could no longer play a stranger now that Alex finally realized who he was. Kenth even considered the possibility of feigning deafness due to the thunder. The idea, however, was soon rejected because it simply sounded too stupid in his mind.
Bracing himself to look at Alex in the eyes the doctor opened his mouth to reply. Instead of words, a heavy sign was heard, followed by another long period of silence. The elevator was still not moving, and Kenth could not recall how much time had passed before he finally spoke up.
“…Neither do I.” His voice was just slightly louder than his own heartbeat. His eyes had shifted focus a long time ago. Staring at the boring floor seemed much more interesting than staring at the dark skinned Italian.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 11:21 pm
Short, unhappy laughter followed the doctor's words. "I imagine you just don't want to talk, period," she said dryly, and immediately regretted it. Alex rubbed the back of her neck, unable to muster an apology for her words despite her regret. Glancing to the cell phone she had, she noted there was no reception in the thick-walled contraption. Drawing in a short breath, the pressed the communications button on the panel above the floor buttons but received no feedback. Undoubtedly, security already knew there was a problem. They just didn't know that her problem was in the form of a frigid doctor standing close enough to touch.
The only thing worse than being stuck with Kenth in an elevator was being stuck with herself.
She began to pace, anxious not over the predicament, but whom she was stuck in it with. Swinging her arms and idly thumping a balled fist into the palm of her hand, she did her best not to look at Kenth while scrambling for something to say to him that wasn't an insult. Alex was at a loss - without a professional cover or even ground to stand on, given that they were likely at the convention for different speakers - and didn't know what to say that wasn't too personal or too inviting.
The Italian stopped in mid-stride, running a hand through her bangs and turning on her heel slowly to look at him. "Trying to think around you is like trying to tight-rope walk with a leg tied to my neck," she informed him in her normal, blunt way of saying things. What she didn't say was that it was like Kenth was holding the end of that rope and could cut it at any time. Alex drew in a deep breath, still watching him with thoughtful green eyes. All they had was history. She couldn't run from him forever.
Shaking her head, she sat down right in the middle of the elevator, her legs tucked at her side and her weight resting on her palm, the other hand curled against her hip. Alex could have cursed her luck that she couldn't even wear comfortable clothes during the awkward moment. "So," she pursed her lips, sitting on polite conversation despite her previous jab. "How's work? Life? Being a doctor who cares for others?"
Alex smiled tightly. So much for polite.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
