ic contact.

[reconnaissance]

credit.

You've reached Ellie Linton. Leave a message.

voice • text • video

Comments

text; morning of the 1st

[controlledvariable]

she's fine, it's a long story but we're at the clinic now because she overextended herself

[reconnaissance]

Good.

When she gets better, I'm going to kill her.

You okay?

[controlledvariable]

it's not entirely her fault, the initiative shouldn't have let her go on any missions.

full of anger i can't actually direct at anything, so, no.

[reconnaissance]

Bloody right they shouldn't. They're next on the list.

Yeah. Come home. I'll make you breakfast.

[controlledvariable]

saul's gonna pass on our complaints.

okay, i'll be there in like twenty, i just gotta make sure everything's in order here

[reconnaissance]

All right. I'll see you in a bit.

( This means pancakes. She is going to make the effort to make pancakes. )

action!!!

[controlledvariable]

[It ends up taking a little longer than planned, but eventually she's coming in through the front door, still in her Batgirl suit.

She heads straight for Ellie, wherever she is, and just kind of flops against her.]

PERMATHAT

[reconnaissance]

( Ellie would be about to take a sip of tea, standing at the counter as she tries to figure out if she's game enough to try bacon and pancakes. Seriously, America, what's up with that. A pause before she sips her tea, to make sure she doesn't spill the precious tea. )

Want to shower or eat first?

[controlledvariable]

[Sorry, Ellie's tea.]

Eat, defintely eat. All I've had since yesterday is coffee.

[She got distracted.]

[reconnaissance]

Steph.

( That isn't good. She's just going to turn herself around and give Steph a bit of a look, before she wraps her up in a hug. ) All right, Batgirl. You're gonna sit down and I'll take care of the rest of it. That's your mission objective. Got it?

[controlledvariable]

I know, I know.

[But Collette had been so sick and exhausted before going missing, and Steph was the one most qualified to go find her.

She's kind of sunk into the hug, stealing a few more seconds of contact before pulling back to go do as Ellie ordered, collapsing into a chair.]

I would've eaten something today even if I hadn't found her, promise.

[Just in case that is something Ellie is worried about.]

[reconnaissance]

You better.

( To knowing, and also to eating even if she hadn't found Coll. Because seriously, Ellie is a pain in the ass, she'd have been obnoxious about it.

As it is, the bacon is pretty much done and Ellie is just trying to heat the pancakes back up before she piles a whole lot of stuff onto a plate. Bacon and pancakes and scrambled eggs. Deal with it, Brown, they're being put in front of you. )

Do we have any syrup?

( Rummaging. And rummaging is turning into climbing onto the counter. Fuck those high cupboards. )

[controlledvariable]

I love you.

[The declaration comes as the plate of food is being put in front of her, and she doesn't even boher with a knife or fork at first, just picks up a piece of bacon and shoves it into her mouth.

Though she's also watching Ellie with a little amusement.]

To your left.

[reconnaissance]

Shut up.

( But she does have a bit of a smile as she looks for the syrup. )

Oh, got it.

( Right, okay, and hopping off the counter. And making just a little sound as she jars her knee, but let's ignore that as she sets it down next to Steph. )

I made extra for Jim but I like you better, so you can more if you want.

[controlledvariable]

Make me.

[With a lazy sort of grin, even as she's making a mental note to fuss over Ellie's knee later, and also pouring a ridiculous amount of syrup onto her pancakes and bacon and eggs.

Mm, syrup.]

Thank god for that. We'd have problems if you liked Jim better than you liked me.

[reconnaissance]

( Arched. Eyebrow.

Finally, El flops into the seat next to Steph, She's got some bacon of her own, but she is leaving it un-syruped as she herds it around her plate. )

It's never too early to start counselling, right?

( But, that said, she's nudging Steph's leg with her knee. )

[controlledvariable]

[She's got a mouthful of food so the reply has to wait, but she's making a face at Ellie in the meantime.]

Would you actually trust anyone in this city?

[just saying, and she's relieved to have that contact back, offering Ellie a grateful smile.]

[reconnaissance]

( And for that, Steph is getting a knee squeeze. Whether it's just for the sake of more contact or meant as a reprimand for the face isn't really clear. Maybe it doesn't matter. )

In general, or like. For therapy?

( A little smile of her own, admittedly a touch bemused, before she sips her tea. )

[controlledvariable]

For therapy, pretty sure I know how you feel about people in general.

[But she sounds fond at least, dropping her head to rest on Ellie's shoulder while she chews her current mouthful of food.]

[reconnaissance]

I dunno.

( It's a good question. Ellie frowns at her eggs, rather thoughtful. )

I guess, maybe. I wouldn't tell a friend the things I told Andrea, but. ( Her therapist in New Zealand, who she's probably mentioned to Steph. A little furrow of her brow. ) There's shit you wouldn't be able to say to a friend when it's all mixed up with them and other stuff, hey. I mean, I tell you a lot of stuff, but it's like they kinda-- they start chasing things down that I wouldn't put on a mate, and that I don't reckon they'd wanna hear, either.

( Does that make sense? Whatever, she'll just loop her arm around Steph's shoulders. )

[controlledvariable]

I get it.

[She's had therapy, too, and there's a lot that she told to hers that she wouldn't mention to a friend, partly for the reasons that Ellie specificed. No one needs to hear about what Sionis did to her, not really, but at least a therapist had less of a personal stake in it.]

I'm still not sure I'd trust anyone here, it's different with friends.

[It's a slow process, but she's not sure she'd trust anyone in Exsilium to be an actual therapist.]

[reconnaissance]

Yeah. I know what you mean.

( They are a similar brand of cautious/suspicious/paranoid, if not the actual same. Ellie settles for squeezing Steph's shoulder in the hopes that she'll just... get it, as Ellie lapses into silence. )

[controlledvariable]

[A hum in agreement, resting against Ellie for a little longer before going back to her meal. She was a little worried that she might've lost her appetite after the mess of this morning, but once she's started it seems like everything is fine.

So she makes it through all the pancakes and bacon and eggs relatively quickly, smiling at Ellie, albeit a little tiredly, once the last bit of bacon is popped in her mouth.]

Thank you.

[really]

[reconnaissance]

Welcome.

( Anytime, honestly. As a reward for her breakfast diligence, she gets a kiss on the forehead, and another little squeeze, before Ellie collects their plates, dumping them in the sink to take care of later. Or maybe, in her wildest dreams, Jim will clean them up for her. )

You planning on staying up all day or crashing for a bit?

[controlledvariable]

I think I need to crash for a bit. [As she starts removing bits and pieces of her suit; cape and cowl, gloves, belts] I've gotta write up a letter of complaint for Saul to give to the Initiative later, but I wanna sleep first.