psl; [the healing process]

[animalqueen]

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ELLE GRAYSON is generally a normal one, with enough variety sprinkled in throughout the week to prevent it from becoming a deadly dull routine. She lives in a flat in London, a charming little one bedroom and two bath, not particularly large, but cozy. It’s a strange fusion of modern and old fashioned, a dichotomy that reflects her own personality quite well.

Every morning, she wakes up and makes a cup of strong coffee. (Black, no sugar.) Her cat, a grey, long-haired, grumpy looking thing, lazes on her bed for longer than she does, only trotting out when he’s ready to be fed. His name is Paladin Leeroy. Sometimes she just calls him Lee.

When coffee and breakfast are a thing of the past, Elle usually hears chirping on her balcony, a structure small but laden with potted plants. She will open the doors, and sometimes, if she’s in a particularly energized mood, will announce, “Your Queen has arrived! Court will now be held,” and the little sparrows will chirp at her, and line up in a row. She’ll feed them birdseed, or bread, if she’s run out. Later, Leeroy will bound out, but she always tells him to leave the birds alone until they’re done eating. He listens. They always fly away before he gets a chance to do any real harm.

Lately, she’s been working part-time at an advertising agency, writing and tweaking copy that slides across her desk. It isn’t the most fulfilling job, but it pays the bills, and that’s what matters. Her real work is her own writing; freelancing for various websites, and poking and prodding at the idea for a book, slowly trying to force life into the narrative. Sometimes inspiration strikes her, and she sits and writes for hours at a time, until her eyes begin to strain, and she has to stop. Other times, she grows tired and can’t seem to string words together at all, and her word document looks a bit like this:

And then stuff happened. Everyone died tragically but it was fine, because it was thematically appropriate to the narrative.

ugh ugh you suck

That always gets deleted at the end, of course.

Crammed in the corner of the living area is an upright piano, white and well-used. Sheet music sits scattered on its stand, and an acoustic guitar rests on the floor next to it. There’s a television, of course, a flat-screen that looks larger than it actually is in her apartment. Connected to it is a Playstation 2, a blu ray player, and little else. On the shelves above, there are books — so many books. Mostly horror and old classics; copies of Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice look particularly worn.

The shelf next to it is stocked with board games. Tabletop and family ones, alike. One in particular is even out of its spot, instead spread out on the little glass coffee table. It looks as if a campaign hasn’t been started yet, though someone’s been flipping through the manual quite recently. Maybe quite frequently.

Her bedroom is small, but the bed is large and roomy. There are pictures of friends and family on the bookshelves in here, and a few on her nightstand. Beyond that, she keeps this part of the flat a little messier than the rest.

GENERALLY, SHE LIVES A RELATIVELY NORMAL LIFE, quiet and cozy. Sometimes living by herself is a bit lonely, and the time difference means that she cannot call her mom and step-dad any time she likes just to hear their voices. But like all things, these emotions pass like any other. Perhaps the only real oddity in her life are the strange surprises she sometimes finds on her balcony. There were a family of raccoons once. A possum. A falcon, who looked lost and confused when she opened the door, turning its head at her, blinking. There were even rats, but they only sniffed the air in her direction, and did little else.

Elle Grayson is just a normal 26 year-old, with a magnetism or two that might be considered abnormal. Perhaps that’s the extent of the oddities in her life. Perhaps this is all she could ever really wish for.

Perhaps she’ll be proven wrong, sooner rather than later.

----------

D I R E C T O R Y;

➤ a reunion
➤ a cat
➤ a novel
➤ an outing
➤ a resolution
➤ a sickness
➤ a home
➤ a boyfriend
➤ a horror

Comments

[animalqueen]

[The time she takes changing into her clothes proper is more than enough to tell herself that she's being silly. She calms down, reminding herself that this was her idea. It's just so... jarring when he's a man; a cat was easy to deal with, but that? That's a whole 'nother ballgame.

She reminds herself that he's an alien, though. It's not like that's what he really looks like anyway, so what did it matter? It doesn't. It shouldn't. Really.

Finally, she comes out from her bedroom, dressed in jeans, a high-neck navy sweater, and a black jacket. In her hands, she has a pair of sandals. They're more suited for the summer rather than the winter, but it's not like James left his entire wardrobe at her flat.]

Here. [She walks up to him, looking a bit more confident this time than he last saw her.] Put these on. You can't go around barefoot.

[coalheart]

[She comes out properly dressed and when Elle hands him the sandals, Corvus simply nods and takes them without complaint.]

Thank you.

[Even if they belong to a certain distasteful man... But Corvus isn't picky. You aren't when you're more animal-like than human. He puts them on without much issue and then looks to Elle.]

And you're all prepared?

[animalqueen]

As prepared as I'll ever be.

[She grins down at him, any hesitation she had before completely gone (or at least very well hidden), for his sake. She offers him a hand, bidding him to stand and come along. He could stand by himself, obviously, but this was a gesture of friendship and a show that she was willing to cooperate to make sure he has a good time.]

Let's go. It's a short drive, and I have a shop or two in mind.

[coalheart]

[There's a pause. Corvus looks at Elle's hand. And then he looks at her. Incredulously.]

If I take your hand will you act strange?

[HE'S THE ONLY ONE MAKING THIS WEIRD]

[animalqueen]

[FUCK, DUDE....... does that imply he noticed her acting strange before? Shit. Crap. Shit. Stop making it weird!!

Elle, bless her, stands her ground, unmoving. Hand still held out.]

No.

[coalheart]

[Okay, okay, geez Elle. He does, however, pull himself up by grasping the very edges of her fingers. As if he doesn't really want to touch or rather he's not used to the concept of casual contact with a human.]

[animalqueen]

[It's with that gesture alone that Elle safely assumes he's not very used to human touch. She supposes she could have assumed that much when she tried to pet him as a cat, but Elle was quick to chalk that up to feline grumpiness.

Still, it was a nice little gesture, as stiff and awkward as he had tried to make it. Elle shoves aside that awkwardness, stuffing it away in a little box in her head to dwell on later.]

You're not gonna catch cooties from me, you know.

[She can't help but tease just a little.]

[coalheart]

I said I wouldn't touch you.

You're making it difficult.

[why does he make everything terrible

On the other hand, it does seem like Corvus takes his promises seriously.]

[animalqueen]

[...God, stop... phrasing things that way. It's hard for her to fight off a blush, even though she knows he definitely doesn't mean it in that way.]

Listen, when you said that... I figured you meant more like, you weren't going to hurt me. You can touch me if you want. [ER.] I mean, you know, don't take it so literally.

[coalheart]

[See, she's acting weird, Corvus fucking called it. On the other hand, he's... Kind of understanding there's a sliding scale of what's acceptable and what's not when it comes to touch. Kind of.]

... I see.

[He'll leave you to deliberate that Elle, time to head towards the door!]

[animalqueen]

[She watches him head towards the door, eyes on his back. She huffs. She can only assume he got the point? Maybe? "I see" isn't exactly a confirmation.]

Geez...

[But she follows him out, grabbing her keys and sunglasses for the ride over.]

~*~*~*~*~

[The ride in her car is a short one, which Elle is grateful for. She can't seem to find anything to fill in the silence, and despite her easy-going nature, the innate anti-social part of her is rearing its ugly head, and she struggles to find something to talk about. She's not very good with idle chatter, not if she's uncertain if the other party is interested or not. She wants to say that Corvus is decidedly not. She doesn't even know what station to put her music on.]

Here we are. [-she says, finally, as they pull into the parking lot. The storefront is large and fairly nice -- sure, not as expensive as what James' is used to wearing (she can't afford that, sigh), but it's nothing to scoff at. She has a few extra pounds to spend, courtesy of her family sending over a bit of extra income as a holiday present.

(She's not going to tell them that she's decided to spend it on buying clothes for an alien living in her flat with her, however. She can.... leave that part out.)]

Everyone out of the car. [She offers, an attempt at sounding light-hearted, even though it's only the two of them.]

[coalheart]

[As expected, Corvus has nothing to say or talk about. It's eerie really, highlighting his alien-like nature when he's actually in the proximity of someone who was actually human. Maybe he didn't find the talk necessary. He didn't even seem uncomfortable, just naturally brooding because of his face.

When they pull into the parking lot, he examines the store in front of them and nods. He wouldn't know the difference really except for obvious markers, between stores for human clothing. He steps out, hands in his pockets, keeping close to Elle.]

... Before you ask, I know how to conduct myself in these kinds of places.

[You know, just in case she thinks he's gonna be weird. As usual.]

[animalqueen]

[She glances over at him as they walk to the entrance, allowing herself to raise a brow. Really, now.]

I'm sure you believe that's true. [She comments, highlighting her uncertainty about that. But she doesn't elaborate.

But they'll see, won't they? She's decided that she's just going to follow him around and let him pick out/try on a few things, until he's done. She won't interfere unless she needs to, though she might offer a comment or two here and there.

She's gotten it into her head that's how it's going to be, at least.]

[coalheart]

[His choices gravitate towards dark and plain clothing. Nothing patterned or overly textured, nothing saturated and bright. He even chooses himself a sensible pair of boots and naturally goes towards the dressing room area by himself without guidance or direction.

Corvus does everything in the most efficient manner which doesn't get him noticed or bothered by anyone else. As if he's done this before, more than once.]

[animalqueen]

[He never fails to surprise her. Whereas he had been so oddly alien (no pun intended) in the car, almost off-putting, here he's doing just fine on his own.

Still, she notes how he floats around wordlessly, not interacting with anyone if at all possible. There'a hardly any personality in how he moves, it's almost mechanical. It's as if this has turned into a chore, a required visit and nothing more, rather than something meant to be at least MILDLY entertaining.

She frowns. For some reason, his isn't how she wanted it to go.

Elle looks around, for something to subtly liven up his attire. Nothing to crazy, of course, but she's desperate to inject... something in him. Just... smile a little, Cor.

Her eyes settle on a scarf hanging on a display nearby. It's a deep scarlet hue, soft and cozy looking, and yet relatively refined. It would suit him, he thinks. It would stand out in a good way against all the dark colors. She grabs it and walks over to him when he comes out of the dressing rooms, grinning.]

Cor, what about this?

[coalheart]

[Corvus, having no remark about his shortened name, looks towards Elle when she approaches him with the scarf. He says nothing for a moment before taking the scarf and examining it closely.]

... It'll be very warm to sleep on.

[As a cat. Corvus...]

[animalqueen]

Sleep on? What-

[Oh. She frowns, shaking her head, when he gets his meaning.]

No, not to sleep on. To wear when you're... [Human.] You know. Like you are now.

[She wants him to like it, and is compelled to take it from him, and reach up to loop it around his neck as if to illustrate her point. She even ties it in a neat pretzel knot for him.] See?

[coalheart]

[He doesn't move when Elle wraps the scarf around his neck. He stands there for a minute unblinkingly and then touches the scarf.

He unties it.

And then wraps it around so that his mouth and nose are covered.

He looks at Elle.

Nods. He speaks with a muffled voice.]

Good.

[animalqueen]

[She watches him untie the scarf, thinking he's about to tell her that it's no good, that he doesn't want it-

And then he wraps it around his mouth, and his nose. She blinks up at him, and feels a laugh bubbling up. Elle covers her mouth with her hand, trying to hold it back.]

You... you can't...

[Okay, she does laugh at him, she can't help herself. She brings up a hand to pull down the part of the scarf that covers up his nose.]

You don't get to wear it like that unless there's a blizzard outside.

[coalheart]

[He actually shows some actual resistance and covers up his face again.]

It's warm.

[animalqueen]

[She raises a brow at him, obviously looking very, very amused.]

Okay, well. [She won't be the one to burst his bubble, if he wants to walk around with a scarf covering his face.] At least wait until we pay for it before you wear it.

[coalheart]

[To that, he concedes and takes it off, folding it carefully and putting it in Elle's hands.]

... You're going through a lot of trouble.

[animalqueen]

[She gingerly takes it back from him.]

What do you mean?

[coalheart]

Clothing me even though I will eventually leave.

[animalqueen]

...Oh. [She knits her brows together, idly feeling the scarf with her fingers, frowning. When he puts it like that, it's a little sad.] Well... at least when you go, you'll be leaving in style? I said I wanted to help, remember? That doesn't just extend to just when you're living with me.