shewaswarned | (no subject)

Ellen's next trip to the clothes box is slightly successful. It gives her more than a sundress, at least. And in her conversations with others, she's finding out more and more about this place. Like the fact that there's more than just the bar — or the pub, at least. There's two, if you count the one that serves food in addition to drinks, but it's not a meal she's after. She needs to be out, to avoid the inevitability of allowing herself to stay cooped up in her room for too long. It's when she's alone with her thoughts that it becomes dangerous. She thinks of David, too often, and she needs to give herself the chance to forget, at least for now.

She's not going to let herself feel guilty. She's not even going to allow herself to dwell. Instead, she's going to take a seat at the bar, wearing a white dress patterned with flowers that miraculously fits her like a glove, her shoulders and cheeks tinged pink from the sun, and as she orders herself a martini, it's almost starting to feel like she's back at home. She closes her eyes, anticipating the sound of the cabs outside, the occasional horn blaring, the noise of Manhattan streets in the evening. Instead, a slight breeze from beyond the coverings brings in a burst of warm air, and when she breathes in, she can smell the sea salt still lingering.

Ellen sighs audibly, reaches for her drink as it comes, and takes a long, long sip, exhaling softly as she sets the glass back down on the bar. Her gaze trails down towards the other end, locking onto the unfamiliar slope of a pair of shoulders, and she finds herself momentarily transfixed.

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"Guess that explains why everybody's hovering around, all curious," he muttered, cutting her a look and offering a tight smile, "No offense."

He should've been used to it. During Sparta, he'd had reporters all up in his face, shoving mics and flashing cameras at him. Clamoring for interviews, for information on the mysterious Tommy Riordan. He'd evaded it all pretty artfully, but these one on one barrages of questions felt more personal than he really knew what to do with. This wasn't the type of place you could disappear. They all seemed relatively close-knit and protective of one another. A new face was something to pay attention to.

"None taken," Ellen promises, taking another swig of her beer. "Though there's never a shortage of newcomers, so I'm sure the attention will inevitably transfer to the slightly newer ones, given time. Especially if you're not necessarily a fan of being gawked at."

She doesn't mind answering questions about herself, as long as people tend to stick to the basics. Then again, she's not going to go out of her way to lie, but that might be simply because no one's asked her about the harder truths yet. Maybe it's better this way. Keeping her conversations on the lighter side has proven to be the best decision thus far. "The excitement will die down. It always does."

She meant it to be a comfort, but it wasn't. When the excitement died down, then he'd be stuck accepting it. Settling in. Resigning to the fact that he was fuck knows where, far from everything he knew. And even though the break from his life should've been a blessing, he couldn't help but feel like he'd left just a few too many loose ends.

"So, uh... What's there even to do around here? I mean, other than become a drunk?"

"Good question. I'm still trying to figure that part out," Ellen replies, her tone lighter than her expression.

"No, but seriously, there's plenty to do to fill up time. They've got the school, and there's the rec room. I spent some time exercising, but that's only because I'm not running to catch any taxis anymore," she adds, smiling slowly. Besides, she doesn't think he's going to have any trouble staying in shape. "There's also a jazz club that doubles as a strip joint." She's still debating whether or not to show her face there. "And the island - it finds ways to surprise us from time to time. The other day, we had a full amusement park appear, but there was also a downside to the whole weekend of rides."