the unexpected truth:

“I need someone’s honest opinion. Should I adopt a cat or a dog?”

“Crap!” Maeby looked around sheepishly before her hands curled around the entryway’s handle, “I thought it was a push door.” 

“Anyone ever tell you that you kind of look like… shit, what’s that celebrity’s name?” Van furrowed his brows. “Give me a second.”

“A young Leonardo DiCaprio?” Elijah finished for the boy. “You know... I get it all the time, honestly, but I don’t really see it.”

“Why does everyone always using ‘saving lives’ as an argument when I try to say being a doctor is a bad job?” He thought for a moment, “But I guess in this particular matter it just might overpower a suit.”

“Oh, is that considered, like, a bad part of the job? ---I was unaware.” Elijah mused sarcastically. “I mean, before realizing that saving lives is somewhat of a sham, I liked to think it probably overpowered a few things. ---What’s so shit about being a doctor?”

She stopped and looked at him as he playfully tried getting away from her, “Who says you’re not artsy, hm?” She listened to him try to give her excuses but she wasn’t having any of it, “Please, Elijah, you look great right now!!!”

“Well, I dunno... I think that was a pretty good point I made---” he trailed off for a moment to laugh “---about me looking like I just rolled out of bed and into the store.” Which he had. “Unless you’re going for an abstract sort of art, then fine, maybe you’re onto something.” He stopped now, turning to look at her again, narrowing his eyes at her, unconvinced. “Do I though?” He asked, gesturing to the obvious wrinkles in the fabric of shirt. “Are you really gonna look me in the eye right now, and lie to me, Scarlett?”

“Hey, you!” Finn called out to the person who just passed him. “Stop right there, you are under arrest.”

Turning his head as quickly as he was addressed; confusion knitted his brows together and he lifted his hands slightly before dropping them back to his side, approaching the officer slowly. “Uh, ‘xcuse me?”

“I should have jut became a lawyer. Suits look so much better on me than scrubs.”

“I guess in terms of leaving work and swinging by to get a coffee on the way home, sure but I think maybe the ability to save someone’s life probably overpowers the outfit...”

“C’mon! I just want to start taking up photography. Let me take a picture of you!!!!”

“So how bad do you think it is to eat a whole jar of peanut butter in approximately… three days?” The redhead wondered out loud, an awkward smile on her face as she finally stopped staring into empty space. Orion had always been a dreamer – a hopeless one, perhaps. Living in fantasy provided by books and films, in an attempt to keep her sanity as she dragged herself through life. She’d always been odd, had always been anxious and always been trying. She loved people, yet they terrified her, so she was usually locked away in her apartment, having only her cat as her company. But times like these, she craved contact. Human interaction. So she found herself saying something awkward, as usual. A slight blush appeared on her pale cheeks as she ducked her head, her hands fumbling with the hem of her top. “I’m asking for a friend.”

“Hmm, for a friend...” Elijah said, making a note to repeat the words more as a statement than a question. Laughing a bit as he tried to imagine consuming an entire jar of peanut butter by himself at all, let alone in the course of three days, he shook his head. “I mean,” he paused to inhale sharply, trying to give himself enough time to consider his next words carefully, only to break out in a bit of laughter again. “I’m gonna say that may be pretty bad but, you know, no judgement or anything. Maybe don’t make a habit of that kinda thing though--- or... tell your friend that habitually eating entire jars of peanut butter in a matter of a few days may not be the best idea.”

Kairan had been working all day. Being surrounded by idiots who obviously knew nothing about politics made him wonder why he ever agreed to move back to LA. At least the people in Washington were competent. That was probably why he found himself drinking at a bar alone. It was kind of pathetic. After a few moments he decided that he needed to at least talk to someone so he didn’t feel like a loser. “Hey, let me buy you a drink so I can pretend I’m not considering drowning myself in whisky.” 

Turning to notice the man, Elijah smirked slightly, as it seemed the stranger had generally the same plan for his night as Elijah had set out for earlier in the day. “I mean, you can buy me as many drinks as you’d like but something tells me that if you’re already here, you’re probably a few steps past considering...”

Watching him as he dampened the cotton swabs with the alcohol, she knew that the sensation she would be feeling would be nowhere near okay. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she felt her nerves acting up as she anticipated the burning sensation that was coming her way. Shutting her eyes as he hovered over her, Ellana held her breath in an attempt to minimize the pain. However, once she felt the cotton swab press against her wound, she let out a slight groan before clenching her fist tightly. “Fuck.” She muttered, finding it hard to stay still, but she still managed to keep her posture. Opening one of her eyes, she peeked up at him to see his current expression. A small smile spread on her lips before she shut her eye again. “Is this painful for you too?” She joked.

The edges of Elijah’s lips tilted down as he continued to dab along her cut. Turning the cotton piece between his fingers, he allowed it to absorb and begin washing away the already dried blood from her brow bone. With such concentration, it took him a moment to realize that her eyes had opened again and had spotted his disfigured expression. He turned his eyes to see her just as her own were closing, and his eyes drifted to her lips at the sight of her smile. A hint of a grin threatened his lips but he suppressed it with a look of confusion; eyebrows knitting together. “I mean, not nearly as painful for me, but definitely not my favourite part of First Aid.” He chuckled lightly, feeling a hint of--- embarrassment?--- that the girl had noticed his reaction before bringing his attention back to his task at hand. It didn’t take long for a silence to fill the air around them again, and the boy placed the used cotton swab on the table, returning a fresh one to her wound again, wanting to dry the area before adding the closures. 

She smiled at the boys niceness. She had only been here for a day and she was already being treated well.  “Im Haleigh,” she shook her head. “Sorry, I’m just so distracted right now,” she said lifting up a box and walking towards her front door. “Follow me! You can just put them anywhere,” she smiled. “Thanks again, and your name is?”

“It’s a pleasure, Haleigh.” He said simply, turning his body toward the direction she was previously walking. Turning his head to see her, he shot her a curious smile. “All the moving finally gettin’ to ya?” He chuckled lightly. “It tends to happen.” He followed alongside the girl as they made their way to the door. “Oh, name’s Elijah... are you moving from far?”

“Owning up to stuff isn’t supposed to be fun, that’s why you do things that make you feel even better about doing it in the first place,” he chuckled. “Yeah? But, at least it makes me feel good about myself.” 

“You know--- that’s a lot easier said than done... I’d say especially if you think about that ahead of time and you know... proceed to not do ridiculous, regrettable things that you’re bound to feel like shit about later.” He explained, embellishing slightly, but chuckling as he realized how directly he was referring to most of the decisions made in his life. “At least... we can only hope now, that you won’t die or anything.”

Once Elijah took a seat beside her, she could tell that the cut was deep. After all, the whole ride she felt like her face was going to fly off. But, since her pain tolerance was pretty up there, she was able to hold it in. Feeling his cool finger against her warm skin, she looked away as he inspected her cut. Once he let go, she looked back at him briefly before turning her attention to the box. “Yeah I should.” She said before taking the box in her lap and lifting the lid off. Looking through her bandages, she came across some butterfly closures. Taking them out of the box, she then looked over and took out the rubbing alcohol as well with a cotton swab. Placing the box back on the coffee table, she handed him the bandages and the cotton swab along with the rubbing alcohol. “You should sterilize it so it doesn’t get infected.” She stated and it was clear that she was regretting that she ever said those words. After all, putting alcohol on a deep cut wasn’t the greatest feeling.

Pulling his lip between his teeth, Elijah nodded curtly when she instructed that he sterilize the wound. Of course, it wasn’t the first time he had tended to any sort of injury, but he felt it unnecessary to express that. Keeping the closures in his lap, he twisted the lid on the rubbing alcohol before dumping some on one of the swabs. He placed the bottle on the table ahead of them before turning back to her. Shifting in his position slightly, he scooted closer to her. After a moment of hesitation, Elijah lifted the cotton swab and hovered over her cut for a moment before placing the fingers of his opposite hand on her chin again, to keep her steady. A slightly grimace lifting to his features as he dabbed the wound lightly.

She smiled up at the boy and let out a small laugh, “Whoops…Sorry about those toes. I would love some help, actually. That would be lovely, thank you,” she grinned. 

Maintaining his grin, Elijah shook his head slightly, lifting a shoulder to brush off her apology. “Don’t worry about it.” He insisted. “Oh, no, yeah... no problem. What’s your name?” Peering around briefly, he bent to pick of the first box in sight. “And uh--- where are we headed?”