[ti]Invite[/ti]You've Got Me Cornered and My Hands Are Tied

The door moved in as he said it. Did she forget to close it? Or perhaps someone was in there with her, or without her. The worst possible things to have happened flashed across his eyes. He pushed the door open completely and walked in, "Lia?" His voice was loud in the quiet apartment. Then he saw a figure sitting on the couch. He took another step to get a better look, he knew her figure anywhere.

Closing the door, he moved into the living room and faced the couch so that he was standing in front of her. "Lia?" he said again, this time softer. He knelt on the floor, putting the coffee and pancakes on the table beside him. "What's the matter, are you okay?"

Eli studied her, noting the marks on her body. She was more hurt than he thought she was. He should have paid more attention. He shouldn't have left her. All the resolve he had prior to coming inside her apartment went out the door. His hands touched her arm gently and then her shoulder where it swelled and large bruise formed.

WC: 189
TAG: Jezelia Lennox

There was something inside him that rattled at the sight of her. Like something become unattached to a part of his body. Something breaking and hallowing at the same time. He pulled his hand away and stood up slowly. He walked briskly to the kitchen. It didn't take him long to find a glass and then fill it up with cold water. Then he went back to her, glass in hand. He should have come sooner, but there was nothing he could do about that now.

"Here, drink," he said. He doubted she had anything in her stomach now. It didn't seem as if she moved at all after coming home. It was possible that she was already dehydrated, which would worsen her condition. He looked about the apartment and spotted a door that seemed to lead to the bathroom.

"Do you have any medicines?" he asked, already walking towards the bathroom. "Pain killers or anything like that?" he asked and rummaged through the cabinets. Medicines were still difficult to come by, even after a year after the war. Even something as simple as pain killers cost twice as much as food. Eli walked back to her with a small cloth towel and a warm bowl of water.

WC: 212
TAG: Jezelia Lennox

He handed her the pills and the glass of water, "take these. It'll help ease the pain." Eli watched her wrap herself up in a blanket. He got up from the table and sat on a chair nearby. A part of him wanted to be there, but another part didn't. This was something he'd been trying to avoid since leaving The Capitol. Getting close to people always ended up with them getting hurt. He wasn't sure what caused the explosion in the book shop. Perhaps someone didn't want that book shop to remain open anymore. Perhaps someone knew they were there. Or perhaps, it was just all an accident and this entire thing was a coincidence.

"I thought you'd like something to eat, or rather Emilia thought you'd like something to eat. The coffee part was my idea," he said nodding to the plate and cup on the coffee table in front of them. "I wasn't sure if you liked banana or strawberry so I made both."

Eli almost got up. It was clear that this whole thing was awkward. He should just walk out now. Out of the apartment. Out of her life. It was a large district, they wouldn't have to see each other again. But he remained seated.

WC: 212
TAG: Jezelia Lennox

Eli watched her pained movements. She was more badly injured that he thought. Perhaps it was all the adrenaline of that day that allowed her to move quicker than she should have had she felt the real extent of the pain she was actually in. He tried not to move. Tried not to reach out to her or help her in any way. He knew he owed Emilia's life to her. Would she be alive in Lia hadn't been there? Were the injuries that Lia had meant for Emilia? He should try to help her, he knew he owed it to her. But reasons behind the attack lingered in his mind. Even if she wasn't intentionally dangerous, she still posed a threat.

Scanning her apartment, he looked back at her when she asked him to fix it. He looked at her shoulder, trying to keep his face blank. It was bad. And whatever he did, it would hurt. Eli leaned forward, looking at the shoulder closer. He looked up at her, "are you sure you wouldn't rather go to a doctor?"

He'd patched people up before, out of necessity. He'd also had to patch himself up quite a bit from all his injuries in the past. Eli was sure he could push her shoulder back into place, but he didn't have the gentleness or finesse for it.

WC: 228
TAG: Jezelia Lennox

She looked desperate. It was something he always had a hard time with. Women who pleaded for his help. What was it about them that drew him in? He wasn't a hero. Far from it, even if The Capitol had named him so. He looked her in the eyes, those dark pools that stared back at him. When she bit down on the piece of blanket, moved closer to her. "It'll be better if you lie down," he said and helped ease her down the sofa until she was on her back.

He put his hands on her arm. Eli didn't need to tell her this would hurt, he was sure she knew. But Eli also knew that talking to her would help, it would at least give her some sort of distraction so her she wouldn't be a hundred percent focused on the pain. "Thanks for what you did for Emilia," he said, his hands holding her arm tight as he began to pull. "I don't know what I would have done if anything happened to her. She wanted to come here and tell you thank you in person, but I told her you probably weren't feeling too well just yet."

WC: 203
TAG: Jezelia Lennox

It was almost unbearable to see her in so much pain and he was glad when it was all over. He'd had a dislocated shoulder before so he knew how much it hurt. He went to her fridge and grabbed an ice pack for her before sitting down on the seat again. The words she said next were unexpected. His blood ran cold and his muscles tensed. He looked at her for a moment, not moving. He wasn't sure if he was even breathing.

"What-uh- what did she tell you?" he asked, his body moving forward in the seat. A scowl set on his face. Emilia knew the dangers of telling people things that they didn't need to know, telling them things of their past, of who they were, of who she was. Had he not been thorough about it? Had he not lectured her enough? She had to understand, he thought she understood.

His eyes didn't leave Lia's, he needed to know what she knew. And if she would lie about it. He was going back and forth with his emotions for her. Between wanting her and wanting nothing to do with her. What he wanted and what he needed were two different things.

WC: 206
TAG: Jezelia Lennox

It was amazing how Lia dealt with the pain. He knew a lot of people who would be screaming and crying right now from what injuries she had. And truthfully, she was lucky that all, at least from what he saw, of her injuries were evident from the beginning. If there was internal bleeding of any sort, he didn't see it. She'd need a hospital at that point and he wasn't sure how she'd take to that. Eli made sure to watch her closely, she was tough. And that toughness could also bring her trouble. She could be hurting inside to the point that she'd need professional help, and not even realize it.

He listened to her, his eyes never leaving hers now. The eyes told everything, he knew that from experience. He'd had his share of liars and deceivers and though he didn't think that Lia was one of those, he'd been wrong before. He'd been so wrong when it counted the most. It made him not trust his gut sometimes because in truth, if Eli let his guard down, he was easily manipulated.

She wasn't lying. Logically, technically, he didn't see hints of lies. And his gut? His gut didn't tell him she was lying either. Eli gave her one nod, not really agree nor disagreeing, just acknowledging what she had said. "She was scared, she told she thought that you both would die there," he confessed. Anyone who was that scared and thought their death was within seconds would have done what she did. Eli had so many things he wanted to tell her, to tell someone, just to get it out and free himself. But he wouldn't.

"What did she say?" he pressed, his body moving to the edge of the seat. He looked to the side, towards the wall where there was window. It only took him a moment to realize what he'd missed all along. She'd asked if he was a soldier. There were many, in every district, it wouldn't have been an odd question to ask anyone. But this time, it was. Because he was finally able to connect the events. The concert when she flipped her entire demeanor and the question she asked now.

"You were upset, weren't you? When you realized I wasn't from District 1," he didn't her answer her question, not directly at least. But he had a feeling she already knew the answer.

WC: 406
TAG: Jezelia Lennox

Lia was dangerous and she didn't even know it. It frustrated him to the point that he had to stand up and walk to the window. He looked out of it and at the great city beyond them. The buildings started out short the closer they were to him, then as he looked on farther and farther away, they grew taller. The center of the city was right outside her window. His own apartment building hid behind one of the tallest ones. It was amazing how much of the city they'd rebuilt in a year. All the technology and machines that build the city in a year. No matter how many buildings they brought up, there was nowhere to hide.

"I'm not on anyone's side. Just mine and Emilia's," he said finally with his back still to her. "It's true, I'm not from here. But this is our home now and I can't risk Emilia's safety. So if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not talk about this anymore. It's safer this way," he said with finality. He waited a moment then turned to her. Lia was unpredictable and he wasn't sure if she'd let it go or keep pressing. He owed her Emilia's life, but where did the line end?

"You should get some rest," he walked back to her. "I can get you something stronger than this if you need it," he looked at the bottle of painkillers he'd given her earlier. It was only after he'd said it that he regretted offering. She drank, a lot. What if she got addicted to the pills, too? Or she mixed it with alcohol. He had no idea what she'd do and he couldn't be here all the time to take watch her. He wasn't anything to her, after all. Just some guy she slept with. Hell, he wasn't even sure if she wanted him around right now.

WC: 324
TAG: Jezelia Lennox

He looked up at her, studying the way she spoke when she told him she probably knew where he was from. He crossed his arms again, "Doesn't really matter does it? I can't go back there." He looked out the windows as if 'there' was just right outside these walls. But it wasn't. It was hundreds of miles away, maybe thousands, he wasn't sure. His traveling from District 7 to where he was now was a staggering, stumbling mess. If this was still back in the old days when they told stories of people's journeys, he was sure he'd have some ballads written of his journey. He'd lead an eventful life that was full of pain and disappointment, but now he had Emilia.

When he turned to her, he fought the urge to scoff. "You know, you have a habit of taking things the wrong way. It's like we can't have a conversation with you twisting my words around, because I never said you'd hurt her. If you actually listened to me, you'd know that I just don't want to talk about it because the more I say, the more you'll know. And it's not even anything personal, I just-- f*ck! I just don't want you to get hurt! But clearly, we're speaking different languages, so what's even the point?" Eli's voice rose to a level that he'd never spoken to with Lia before. He was frustrated and he regretted even coming here. Why was she trying to pick fights with him? He was trying to do what was right and he felt she was doing everything in her power to undermine him.

WC: 277
TAG: Jezelia Lennox