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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 18, 2017 3:44:26 GMT
It had been almost two months since Elsa had last seen Ralph. That time she had seen him, he had been on her porch in the rain. This time, she was on his porch in the rain. She dusted her princess coat idly, flecking the frost gatering. Why was she so nervous? She had only come by to catch up, not to give him professional files. Although, after hearing Sunshine's distress call that her partner had disappeared after the events of the Other Units offices exploding, it was only a matter of time before the legal side would come to her. She took a breath, the snowflakes thawing as they hit the humidity, and knocked.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Feb 18, 2017 4:06:57 GMT
From behind the door came the sounds of things being moved around and small bangs. However, when the knock came the sounds stopped for a moment before footsteps could be heard heading to the door. A voice spoke from behind the door even as the knob turned.
"If you're here for an investigation, we're closed tod....."
Ralph finished opening the door only to pause in his sentence when he saw none other then Elsa standing on the threshold. Despite them trying to improve their relationship, he hadn't seen Elsa since just before Christmas when he had gone to her place in the rain. Well, the opposite was true now as she stood in the doorway, the drops of rain collection on her jacket slowly turning to frost.
"Elsa? What are you doing here?"
Ralph didn't mean the comment to come across as rude and was simply surprised to see her on his front step. However, after a moment when his surprise subsided, he shook his head before opening the door wider so that Elsa could come inside.
"Sorry. Come on in out of the rain. I hope you don't mind the place being a bit messy..."
Messy was right. Ralph had been very busy with several different cases at the moment and had very little time for cleaning. Dirty plates were stacked in the sink while the sheets on his bed were unmade and the desk were he did his work was covered in a maelstrom of paperwork and folders. Even the containers where he grew tomatoes were dead and empty since it was still too early in the season to plant anything.
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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 18, 2017 6:54:11 GMT
Elsa waved with a nervous smile cracking her face when Ralph opened the door to greet her. Not surprisingly, a whiff of earth followed behind. It was a smell that she found not at all rancid, but something she appreciated, as it was a far cry from the waterfront smell of algae and dirt. She took a breath and spit out the first thing that came to mind.
"Um...I'm...not here on professional business...just..wanted to say...hello..."
Oh, gosh, how awkward was this? She bit her lip, and gripped the edge of her jacket, frost gathering at the hem.
Ralph ushered her in, and all Elsa could do was nod curtly and step into his office. She had only been in his new place maybe once, and that was just a hi-bye scenario where all she did was drop off a package for his client and that was it. The cringe on her face wasn't at the mess, but rather the puddles she was leaving on the floor from her jacket thawing as she set foot. Her hands fondled for her jacket buttons and she undid them, peeling off the coat to reveal the metallic ice blue dress she had wore to work. The only place she could put her jacket was by the windowsill near the dried tomatoes, folding them carefully.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Feb 18, 2017 7:04:13 GMT
"Oh...."
Ralph didn't really know what else to say at that and instead closed the door behind Elsa to keep the rain out. Honestly, he was looking forward to when things finally started to warm up again in the city but that wouldn't happen for at least another month. As he stepped by Elsa he realized she was dripping water. He was fairly sure she didn't feel the cold like other people did but figured she might appreciate a hot drink.
"Would you like some hot tea or cider? Sorry, I don't really have anything else since I wasn't expecting anyone."
He went over to the kitchen and grimaced down at the dirty plates in his sink. Compared to Elsa's luxurious and neat home, his probably looked like a cardboard box that a tornado had run through. However, since she was here he might as well make the best of it. He found his tea kettle and filled it with water before putting it on the burning.
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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 18, 2017 7:54:52 GMT
"Either one. I have no preference, Just so long as I get a hot drink,"
She answered his courtesy with her honest opinion. Cider, hot tea...it really didn't matter. What did matter was they were in a room where they could talk on common ground. She had been in far worse places than his mess. Admittedly, it was a mess, but she wasn't about to scoldd him like a mother; not when she wanted the relationship to patch itself together.
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Feb 18, 2017 8:02:21 GMT
"Right."
Ralph turned his attention to getting the drinks ready. He got down two mugs and filled them with cider mix before turning and looking into his cabinets. He hoped that he might have something to offer as a snack and found himself in luck when he spotted a box of cookies that he hadn't finished off. He took them out and put a few on one of his few clean plates as the kettle started to sing. He filled both mugs with hot water and gave them a quick mix before taking the two mugs and the plate of cookies to the table he used for his meals.
"So, what can I help you with?"
He spoke to Elsa as he put the drinks and snacks down, managing to find space after moving a few books to his couch.
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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 19, 2017 5:07:04 GMT
The torn couch squeaked in protest as Elsa settled. It was a far cry from the plush cushions in her house. A duct tape X glared at the huge rip on one cushion, littered with crumbs. Despite the raggedy appearance, it was comfortable. She crossed her legs casually, smiling at Ralph's simple placement.
"A girl can't catch up with a friend?" She asked.
It was true. With rich families preparing for Mardi Gras, Elsa had no one to talk to, except Ralph. A cookie frosted as she picked it up, stydtingbyhe fractals
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Feb 19, 2017 21:27:31 GMT
"Of course."
As Ralph put the drinks and food down, he turned and looking at Elsa. She had already picked up one of the cookies and was holding it in her slender hand but not eating. She seemed so sorely out of place in his worn-down apartment. Ralph's family, the Lacours, had started out poor to begin with and only managed to escape that poverty when they had inherited a large sum of money, so he was used to living in rough conditions. Elsa, on the other hand, seemed to always have the best of everything and didn't seem to want for anything.
It made him wonder for the hundredth time why she had become a lawyer in the first place. Clearly she didn't need the money and even if she did there were far easier, safer careers she could have chosen. So why did she pick this one?
Ralph continued to quietly watch Elsa for a few more moments before rousing himself and speaking again.
"But there's usually more to your visits then that. So, what's on your mind?"
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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 20, 2017 6:43:42 GMT
Elsa felt the couch sink when Ralph had sat withher, If the couch had squeaked when she sat, this time it lurched upward. Not so high that she rocketed to the ceiling, but the leverage was enough to set her up a bit. He was looking at her, as if he were trying to study her. What did he want to know that he didn't already? She just shook her head and nibbled the cookie, smiling as memories of sneaking them from the kitchen as a child filled her head.
The chocolate melted on her tongue as she swallowed, looking over at Ralph as he asked if there was more to her visit.
"You're the only other person in this city I can talk to, Ralph," she said. "At least, about things that won't get me laughed at or confused." Weiss was too young to really know, and while Jenna meant well, Elsa wasn't sure every thing would be kept quiet.
"I'm just...stressed since the whole literal blowup of the department. It's like everyone starts throwing things my way that I know I can't answer because some of this has nothing to do with it. Whenever I come to a conclusion, no one's happy, not even me..."
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Feb 23, 2017 11:49:28 GMT
At first Elsa didn't respond and merely nibbled at one of the cookies he had brought out, but Ralph knew her enough to know that the silence was only temporary. Soon enough finished the cookie and answered his question.
Ralph listened patiently to what she had to say and slowly nodded his head. He understood what she was talking about perfectly. It wasn't easy being a lawyer for the BPD, not when you had to appear strong, confident and level-headed for the sake of the public. Add to that the simple fact that you had very few individuals whom you could be completely open with in your worries and doubts and he wasn't surprised she had come to him.
However, something she had said reminded the Giant of some questions he had in regards to the explosion down at the police department.
"Speaking of that, what really happened down at the BPD? The news said something about a busted gas line but I don't believe it. Busted gas line would have seen half of that building blown sky high.
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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 24, 2017 17:38:24 GMT
The fact that Ralph wanted to know what had happened to the offices he had left because of the commissioner disapproving of his methods surprised Elsa. True, he had friends that still kept in contac...or rather A friend, the only cop whoever talked to him...regardless, it was almost alien for Ralph to ask it. He had been clever enough to deduce the media's cover was bullshit, something Elsa agreed with him about.
"The media's clumsily trying to cover it up," she started her answer with a dry laugh.
"I talked to some of the rookies that were in the building. Apparently they put too cops together whi...well, the commissioner had always been pretty bad about pairing cops who mixed like water and oil. There was a disagreement that got a bit...out of hand. Demon powers collided with..." she couldn't exactly diagnose what exactly this 'chaos' was. Whatever it was, it wasn't good when the wielder got angry enough. "...well, with chaos, and the windows busted. When they came in, Pitch Black was on the floor and...well...Shadow Griffiths disappeared in a flash of light. No one's seen him since."
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Feb 26, 2017 6:38:08 GMT
Ralph was listening to Elsa as she spoke and was just about to eat one of the cookies on the plate when she suddenly mentioned how the explosion had been a result of some kind of disagreement between Pitch Black and Shadow before adding that Shadow was now missing. The Giant froze for a moment as he processed what the young lawyer had said before turning and staring at her in blank shock.
"Shadow just up and vanished? After getting into a fight with that reformed Demon?!"
Ralph couldn't help but exaggerate the word reformed as he spoke. After all, he had been known to have a bias towards Demons while working as a BPD detective and the sentiment hadn't really changed since then. However, his main focus in that moment was on his friend and former colleague. Shadow had been a close friend of his since his days at the BPD and even though they didn't see each other as much as they once had, they were still close friends.
So to hear that Shadow, someone who was normally as cool as a cucumber and rarely lost his temper, had gotten into a potentially violent argument with the Commissioner's pet Demon was shocking. And now Shadow was missing in action. Add to that the fact that he was only just hearing about all of this and Ralph felt as if someone had suddenly sucker punched him in the gut.
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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 27, 2017 6:54:30 GMT
Elsa nodded wordlessly. The way Ralph emphasized the word reformed spelled a lot more for her. Even when he had been on the force, there had been a sense of mistrust towards Pitch. Even Elsa herself wasn't sure if he could be trusted. To say he was reformed was thing, showing was another. She clutched her hands tightly together, biting her tongue to prevent any slander to come out. What she did say was;
"Poor Sunshine's been crying on again, off again."
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Post by neverlandlostgirl on Feb 28, 2017 3:21:40 GMT
But Ralph wasn't really listening in that moment. Instead, he had pushed up hard from the couch so that he was back on his feet, causing the piece of furniture to nearly tip over with Elsa still seated in it.
"What the Hell? Why didn't anybody at the BPD tell me?"
Immediately Ralph's temper, always very short, started to heat up at the realization that his best friend from his days on the force was missing in action and no one had felt the need to inform him. True, he wasn't part of the Others Unit anymore but plenty of people still there had known he and Shadow were once partners. And had anyone bothered to call him up and let him know, see if he might have an idea where Shadow had disappeared off to?
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Post by Zuyuri on Feb 28, 2017 3:34:04 GMT
Elsa had no idea that Shadow's disappearance eant as much to Ralph as it did. She scooted her foot up as the couch scooted slightly back when Ralph hopped up in a rage. What could she say that wouldn't get him angrier. It seemed every time she did, it only made things worse. A chaos blast to the window blew up a building, what she could potentially do was different.
"Because..." she hedged carefully, "Because apart from Sunshine, no one in the offices was that close to Shadow. The ones you both worked with either died in the Black War or have moved on."
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