But first, he had a patient to finish up with. "Everything looks good, at least on the surface. I'm sure the blood tests will come back fine." From the sound of it, she hadn't had to deal with much beyond the usual for construction. "If you've got any questions, you can shoot me a text, or cone find me. Most of the other ranking Mist are away or unavailable at this time."
Scarlett mulled the word over for a moment behind pursed lips but, in the end, decided his choice of wording didn't matter anyway. Even if she had been a more active member of their organization, she still didn't know any of her teammates well enough to be concerned with the many different meanings that particular word could have meant.
She slid slowly off of the exam table so that both feet touched the floor in unison, then crossed the room to stand awkwardly next to him and the open door. She still didn't trust that this wasn't an assessment of her mental state - would she be unavailable soon?
Pushing the thought away, her bright, acidic eyes swung up to meet his.
"What should I be doing right now, exactly, if you don't mind me asking? I usually know exactly where I'm meant to be." She didn't like idle hands.
He'd started to poke his head in when the sound of voices interrupted; had been planning on giving Zeke a hard time, and pushing him into getting his a** outside into the spring weather for a cigarette. So instead, with a little huff of a sigh (and the briefest flash of white hair before he ducked back out of sight) he settled, leaning against the wall outside the room, instead.
He blinked at her. "Doing?" Auburn brows shot up, and he did another quick glance at his watch before plucking his glasses off so he could rest them on his head again. "Taking advantage of this rare stretch of free time, maybe?" He offered helpfully, hands going to his pockets so he could fish out a worn pack of cigarettes.
Scarlett pursed her lips at his answer and leveled a gaze on him that said exactly how useless a response she thought that was.
"So nothing."
The pale haired woman was aware of her growing irritation but, too, aware that he didn't deserve to be the focus. It was released in a sigh as she turned and slipped through the door, giving him only the smallest of nods before she attempted to dismiss herself.
It was only the sight of Ever that gave her pause, first because he was in a very odd place (who hung around infirmaries like that?) and then because she was sure she knew him. Somehow.
"You look familiar," came the blunt greeting, "do I know you?"
Ever should, perhaps, have been offended by her blunt tone -- by the way she looked him over, and the flash of irritation in her eyes. Instead, he looked thoughtful, easy-going, tousled hair tumbling across one eye. He needed a haircut, probably -- but that was Ever's general state of being.
"I don't know, do you?" The question turned absent as Zeke appeared behind her, cigarettes in hand. His appearance made a wide smile flash across Ever's face, brief. He straightened from the wall and stepped in, easily, to pluck the case of cigarettes from Zeke's hand. It was a mistake. His left hand was still wrapped from the second knuckle to his elbow in a fadded blue plaster cast, rendering it completely unusable. There was no way he could fish out a single cigarette on his own.
"You're late." This, to Zeke, as he struggled valiantly despite the pointlessness of it all.
"Or, whatever you want to do," he offered in a sardonic tone, gaze sliding over to Ever as he followed Scarlet out the open door. There was more he could have said on the subject, but the apparent recognition effectively pushed it from his mind. Way more interested in learning how Scarlett knew Ever.
The cigarettes being snatched out of his grip didn't seem to phase him much, but he did reach out to take them back when it became obvious Ever wasn't going to be able to get into them himself. "It happens. I'm in high demand around here. " it came with a smirk that deepened into meet briefly, before evening out into an easy smile.
Ever's response earned the same contemplative stare that Scarlett leveled on everything. She didn't miss the cigarette packet he stole from Zeke or the amused way he took it back. Lime eyes dropped away from Ever to the cigarettes themselves, pursing her lips at the sight of their neat butts in their package. It was a good distraction from having to look at the tauntingly familiar face but a bad focus for someone trying to kick bad habits.
"Maybe." She flexed her fingers and tore her eyes away to look at Ever one last time. This was a conversation meant to be between the two of them, clearly. "Probably just from the dorms, I'm room 106. There's plenty of people I recognize and don't know."
With a shrug, she started turning away, content to let them discuss whatever they meant to. She had a lot of nothing to do.
"I live on the second floor." Ever shrugged at her as he said it, and satisfied himself with plucking a cigarette out of the pack once Zeke had it open, taking one step away down the hall. He rolled his shoulders in a slow shrug, injured arm loose and his side, as he turned his attention to Zeke "Who's this?"
Zeke seemed a little quicker on the up take, though that was likely due to having the knowledge that Scarlet had been gone for years, and on my just returned.
He fished himself out a cigarette, holding it loosely in his lips as he smiled after the girl's retreating backside. "Your neighbor from when you were on the first floor." He had his lighter in his hand, flipping it between his fingers. "She just transferred back. "
To Scarlett. "You want a smoke?" She'd been staying at them fairly intently.
At Ever's dismissive shrug, Scarlett seemed content to leave them to their meeting. If he didn't know her then she could have simply been mistaken - her memory wasn't what it once was.
Zeke's voice reached her before she had gotten too far away and she stopped, back to them, while she considered it. She had done such a good job of quitting but now, faced with an endless 'nothing' as her assignment, having something to occupy her hands was appealing. As was the company, unknown or not.
"You know, actually, I would," she turned back to look at the pair of them and tried her best to reel in her resting b***h face. "I don't have anything better to do, right?"
"I'm sure you could find something to do." Even flicked the cigarette between his fingers, and it could have been mocking -- but his expression was oddly serious, as he looked her over. "There are all kinds of s**t jobs out there for trainees. I remember that pretty solidly."
Zeke lifted a brow at Ever' s suggestion, features thoughtful before he turned that easy smile back on Scarlet. "He's right, but why jump into monotony prematurely, when you could avoid it?"
He held the pack of smokes out to her, but had glanced back at Ever. "Unless you're trying to get rid of her for some reason." There was a heavy dose of innuendo in the last. "Still hungry?"
Scarlett glanced from Ever's unreadable, serious expression to the easy smile pulled across Zeke's lips and then down finally to the peace offering of the battered cigarette packet. It felt like she was butting into a meeting where she didn't belong but, honestly, she didn't belong anywhere so what was the difference now?
"Maybe there is, but I know ******** all about this island."
Her own shoulders rolled in a shrug as she made her way back to Zeke, plucking a cigarette from it's sleeve with deft fingers.
"I'm just saying, I had to spend months basically shoveling poop from strange creatures that more qualified hunters were doing experiments on." Ever shook his head at the pair of them, and then started for the door. Probably better not to light up in here; someone would definitely object. "Other people should get to experience that charm as well."
Smirking, Zeke fell into step behind Ever, cigarette tucked up behind one ear. "Sounds fun. I got to skip the mini pets." Mostly. He'd had a couple of days helping out with the little monsters before they'd shoved him into the infirmary for the majority of his time.
Add they reached the doors he'd step ahead to open them for the other two, lighting up as he waited for them to slip past. It wad sunny out, warm as always, but there was a gentle breeze coming in off the water in the direction of the beach.
Scarlett smirked lightly at the s**t shoveling comment but chose not to counter it with her own farm experiences - a job was a job in rural nothingtown but she didn't often like to talk about that. Plus, she had learned, magic had a way of making everything a little extra - she was sure s**t was no exception.
"Spend eight hours in construction with a man that's already sweated off his deodorant or, worse, had none to begin with and we can talk about charm."
It was said with a weak smile as she slid past Zeke and out into the open, sunny afternoon. Her fingers rolled the cigarette between her thumb and forefinger before she held out her hand into the air between them. "Would one of you mind lighting me?"
"Zeke's in charge of all that." He held out his own cigarette, meaningfully, eyeing the one that settled between Zekes lips, obviously tempted to steal it for himself. If the man wasn't fast enough on the draw. He shot Scarlett a look, resisting the urge. "What's your name?"
When he had a nice cherry going he'd turn his attention to lighting the other two cigarettes that had been held out to him. Scarlet's first, though he kept his eyes on Ever, expecting the other man might get impatient.
He spoke around his own cig as he worked on the other two. "That sounds just lovely," he commented dryly, nose wrinkling, before tucking his lighter away and taking a long drag. It was released in a rapid huff, head tipping back, as he finally took the cig from his lips. He'd let Scarlet introduce herself.
"Scarlett Grace," she answered, automatically tacking her middle name onto her introduction, as was customary for the culture she had been born into. As she reclined against the wall, she drew her cigarette to her lips and inhaled her first real taste of nicotine in many, many years. It was as thrilling and vile as she remembered and she smiled around her exhale.
"My friends used to call me Scar," but the shrug of her shoulders said it didn't really matter to her. Her tattooed fingers held the butt of the cig delicately. "I know Zeke's name, but yours?" Both white brows rose with her question.
"Ever, Life." He started to raise his free hand, and then paused, flashing her a smile instead: all teeth, distantly amused. "I'd shake but..."
The cast on his left arm really rendered him useless, over there. He wiggled his fingers a little. "It's a rough gig. Not that bad if you're just sitting on your a** for a bit, though I suggest figuring out how to use your weapon if you don't know already."
Zeke stayed quiet as they exchanged pleasantries, though as Ever was already aware, he was listening very intently, despite the casual way with which he slumped back against the wall, ankles crossing.
Filling it all away. Not just what was being said, but how. Tone, inflection, even smarty might have been going unspoken. A human sponge with a knack for details.
"Being useful is always a plus. Especially in Mist."
The immediate shift back to discomfort at their combined words was easy enough to see - Scarlett managed an appreciative smile for Ever's ability to laugh at himself but it faded as she glanced away from them and out at the edges of their island. There wasn't​ much to see but open nothingness but she stared none-the-less. It was easier than facing them while she recalled her many failures but they were written on her face, in the furrow of her perfect brows and the slight purse of her lips.
The hand holding her cigarette brought it up for a drag but the other trailed a thumb, fidgeting and anxious, across the winged ring on her middle finger. As she exhaled a stream of smoke into the sunny afternoon, it sounded too defeated, too much like a sigh.
"If I were good with my weapon they probably wouldn't have sent me to set up duty for five years. I'm not that useful when it comes to the fight, I've been consistently awful."
She tossed her eyes sidelong at Zeke again and did her best to smile, even with self deprecation in her words. "Does my medical file include the repodding?"
Ever made a dismissive sound, as he drew on his cigarette. He cared exactly nothing about her podding, or cleanup duty, or anything like that. He had, after all, just admitted to his own stint serving as a glorified zookeeper.
Absently, he waved the cigarette in her direction. "You think too much about the past, and bullshit that happened before. Should focus more on doing something about it."
The Mist offered a small shrug, unsure of what would or wouldn't have someone taken off the island to be a part of a glorified construction crew. It could have been skills she lacked, or skills she possessed. Hard to say which.
As for her having been repodded. "It mentions that it happened, not why, which I took to mean it wasn't medically relevant, and none of my business." There wad a short, weighted pause. "Which isn't to say I'm not incredibly curious." It would have been odd had he not been.
"Ever's right though," he added, voice a little muffled around the butt of his cigarette. "For the most part, the past isn't all that important."
"I disagree," she said after a pause, dismissing their assertions that her thoughts weren't in the right place with a lazy shrug. "I obsess a little too much, I'll give you guys that, but I like to think it's a good way to learn what I shouldn't ******** be doing here."
A smile cracked around the butt of her cigarette as she settled back to lean against the wall again, doing her best to actually be friendly after the dark, pouty turn her conversation had taken them down.
"I'm really not so much of a drag, I promise. It's been a shitty week."
In response, Ever hummed -- slow and thoughtful, flicking ash off his own cigarette and tipping his head just a bit to look down his nose at her. "When's the last time you went off-base for fun? We could haul you off somewhere crazy."
A pause, an assessing look sideways at Zeke, and then he raised both his eyebrows. "How do you feel about clubs?"
Zeke opened his mouth to elaborate what he meant by the comment, but instead just rolled his shoulders in an easy shrug. Whatever his point might have been, it wasn't important enough to rekindle that particular thread of conversation. Not when they were moving past it, and onto something with more potential.
Scarlett had to take a moment to think very seriously about when the last time she took vacation was. She rarely chose play over work if there was work to be done, which meant.. almost never.
"Not for a few years, at least? I don't even remember."
But the suggestion had her smiling brighter now which was a good sign that she wasn't discouraged by big crowds and loud music.
"I haven't been to a club in a basically forever. I might have to go shopping first but I'm down."
"I just got back so I don't have leave for a bit." Ever sounded faintly distracted while he thought about it -- his eyes narrowed, cigarette settled between his lips, musing a bit. Finally, he turned his attention onto Zeke instead, head cocked to the side and smoke hissing between his teeth. "Do you know anywhere good? I shouldn't really go back to any of the places I know in New York..."
Having only just returned from a trip to Hawaii, Zeke was also island bound for the freest of the month. Which was fine, it gave them time to plan a bit. He glanced side long at Scarlett. "Shopping first maybe." They could refresh her wardrobe, grab a bite, then head to where ever.
"There's a lot in Florida, and I didn't spend much time neat the southern tip." Only drove through it a few times.
Scarlett just shook her head as the boys quickly took to planning, leaving her in the dust with her ignorance. Apart from her travels for work, Scarlett still wasn't used to many places outside of backwoods Tennessee. The southern tip of Florida might as well have been Neverland.
"You boys sound like the experts," she laughed on an exhale and smudged her cigarette out on the side of the building next to her. "I guess I just have to trust you, hm?"
It made Ever blink back in her direction -- and then flash a grin, sudden and wide and amused. Maybe he wasn't completely trustworthy. Maybe it wasn't the wisest idea to put her faith in him. "We could head to San Francisco. I've never been there, you know."
Ironically, Zeke was trustworthy. Although he want exactly nice. Scarlett, so far, had only been privy to his more professional, not-bored side. Of course, her being interesting on her own, and willing to put herself in their hands, helped a bit.
"San Francisco would work, I've never been there either. "
The woman crossed both arms over her chest as they debated, silently amused. At least she had found someone to entertain her for the time, though the look on Ever's face suggested he was probably much more entertaining than she suspected. It was probably too late to back out of it now.
"Then it sounds like that's settled then. I haven't been either."
"Zeke, can you do some research, find us someplace exciting?" And then he hesitated a little, musing. "I haven't done anything harder than cigarettes or vodka in a while, either, I could definitely get behind some little pills with hearts or smiley faces on them, too. Does X even still work on us?"
May 25, 2017
Zeke was in the middle of a deep pull from the cigarette between his lips, and he'd finish it, letting it sit in his lungs for a moment, then blow it up and overt their heads before answering. "I'll see what I can do. Dunno about the extras though, or even if they still work."
A clean, arced brow raised at Ever as he began his list of requests - simple enough, though she was typically not the type for party drugs. Impractically expensive for where she had grown up.
"Alright," she offered, amusement tinging her words, "well when you boys figure it out you know where to find me." She pushed herself off of the wall and looked out at the island around them, like it might have more to offer than it had just moments before. "Thanks for the cigarette, I appreciate the pep talk and all."
"Is that what this was?" He looked back to Scarlet with a flash of amusement across his face, his chin tipped up and the cigarette burning down between his fingers. It was teasing, casual, and he leaned in thoughtlessly toward Zeke as he said it.
Zeke smirked, grinning after the girl as she pushed away from the wall they had both been leaning against. "Feel free to seek me out whenever you might be in need of another." Whether he meant a cigarette, or a pep talk, wasn't specified. Maybe both. He would look into the club thing later.
Ever's lean had him glancing sidelong at him, and he reached out to hook a finger into the belt of his coat, drawing him in closer.
Scarlett only smirked back at Ever, wise on the teasing nature she had only needed the last few minutes to figure out. She turned away from them as Zeke pulled the other man close and offered one last glance over her shoulder, coupled with a wave.
"Yeah, yeah. See ya."
Both hands shoved into her pockets before she stepped away, disappearing around the building.
"She seems depressing." It was idle, more amused than really judgmental, as she slipped out of reach. Ever turned his head to peer up at Zeke, chin lifted and smoke still hissing out between his teeth. "Where'd you find that one?"
"Mmm, maybe. I think she just hasn't adjusted yet." The hand still holding his cigarette came up, thumb and the bend of his finger nestled under Ever's chin, the cheery carefully held away. "She's been bouncing around from construction site to construction site, helping to set up or repair bases." But enough about that...
Leaning in, he inhaled the smoke leaving the other man's mouth, before pressing against it in a kiss.
Ever let it linger for a long moment, humming contentedly against Zeke's mouth -- and then patted him on the cheek, tipping his head back with a flash of amusement in his eyes. He pushed Zeke back a step, fingers curled around his wrist.
"Still got ten minutes or so left in your break, I'd say..." So they'd take advantage.
and be blue
felyn
