sharing information

Who: Danny and Elle
When: Evening
Where: One More Round

Pensive moments were few and far between for Elle, but this was one of them. Careful not to worry too much publicly, privately was another matter altogether. When friends were absent she could indulge all the little things that steadily built up and preyed on her mind. Like a starving stray scratching at the door, she couldn’t help but let them in eventually.

Fortunately at the Round, she could get away with drifting through the bar attending to the needs of customers without having to engage too much. Elle on autopilot could still manage to smile in all the right places, say the right things at the right time as she needed to. The drinks would keep on flowing and no one had the care or inclination to notice she wasn’t really there. And by the time she had to return to the world in which she had to be present, she would be.

Danny made his way into the bar, tie left in the car, shirt half untucked and the top three buttons undone. He was trying to look as little like a cop as possible. Even though he frequented the Round he knew full well they didn’t approve of his occupation. Once inside he didn’t hesitate for long, moving towards his favorite booth in the same dark corner of the place he was used to.

Gravitating towards the booth, Elle saw the possibility of answers to some of her concerns. Or at least a potential distraction from them. However, she didn’t bound on over straight away. She attended to a couple more customers first, giving herself a few extra moments to prepare to be chirpy and chipper. When she did approach him, Elle had a typical smile firmly fixed in place. “Danny, hi. How’s it going?”

Though not in what would be called a good mood, Danny wasn’t really in a terrible one either. Glancing up at Elle he managed something that might have been a smile on someone else, but with Danny it was just a passive nod. “Fine, Elle. How are you?”

“Good. Everything’s good,” she answered, nodding back at him. There was a moment where Elle just stood there with an awkward air about her. Unable to come right out and bombard him directly, she opted for dancing around the issue. “Is work alright? From what’s been in the paper, it sounds like you all have your hands full.”

Danny watched her for a moment then reached out to touch her arm lightly. “Elle. What’s wrong?” He was a detective, he could see through things and that awkward little waver in her was more than obvious. “Did someone hurt you?”

Elle shook her head quickly. “No, no, nothing like that. I’m fine. Really.” In that respect, she was, and she didn’t want him to worry unnecessarily. With a sigh, she shook her head again. “I was just wondering if you knew anything about what’s happening with Laughlin, that’s all.”

Danny continued to watch her closely, wanting to make sure she was fine and not covering up her concern. “Laughlin...the one who was arrested for having affairs with his secretaries? Often without their complete consent?” Danny was half out of the booth already. “Did he touch you?”

Holding up both hands, Elle did a lot more of the head shaking. “No, he hasn’t done anything to me.” Hands lowering, she met Danny’s eyes. “He hasn’t.” Perhaps Danny had been the wrong person to ask. “It’s just... important.” There was only so much she could say without shattering Becky’s privacy and while she wanted to be sure that the guy wasn’t going to wind up walking free, she didn’t want to let on too much either.

Danny was slow again to sit down, gaze leveled on her studying her to make sure she wasn’t lying. Once he was sure he sat down again. “Important...” he trailed off a little. “A couple of girls have come forward to confirm the article. It looks like an open and shut case.” He shouldn’t be sharing that information but he wanted her to rest easier. He was almost sure she wasn’t lying about being one of Laughlin’s victims, but it had him wondering who she knew who was.

“An open and shut case,” she repeated, shoulders sagging a little in visible relief. Her reassurances to her friend hadn’t been for nothing, hadn’t just been words. “Thanks, Danny.” Elle’s voice was soft but genuinely grateful. “And don’t worry, I didn’t hear about anything from you.”

Danny went for Elle’s hand, but wound up with her wrist, holding it as lightly as he could manage without seeming like he wanted her to get away. “Elle, you can tell me if something happens. You will right? I’ll take care of it.” With a punch to the offender and possibly banging his head on the squad car before booking him.

The answer was no, probably not. Not unless she had to. She’d purposely neglected to tell him about the gallery. There wasn’t anything he could have done, anyway. And the worrying possibility of what he might do was reason alone to keep things close to her chest. Somewhere in all of that, she did appreciate the way he seemed to look out for her. At least he was there. “You’re a good person,” she told him gently. “If I needed to, you’d be someone I’d go to.” While it was mostly said to reassure him, it wasn’t without its truth.

Danny listened to her, nodding a little and trying a reassuring squeeze on her wrist before letting go. “I’m hardly a good person, but I’d do whatever I needed to to help you.” He was a sucker for a damsel in distress, but Elle had been good to him when she had no need to be or any real reason to be. If he could do the same for her it would at least justify why she was so sweet to him.

Had it been any other moment in time Elle would have argued with him. As it was, she gave him a sigh and a look. He’d kind of negated his own point anyway by saying he’d help her. “I know I hardly have a lot to offer but likewise.”

“You’re wrong there. You help enough already.” She gave a drunk idiot the reassurance and faith in himself he sometimes needed. And she thought far better of him than anyone else did. That was more than he deserved.

“I don’t know,” she said, though the comment wasn’t solely directed at him. Aware of how she must have been projecting herself, Elle gave him a smile. “But I’ll always try.” Again, not only when it came to Danny. “And I have to say that I’m a little glad that you don’t seem to think that I’m a complete annoyance.” All topped off with another not quite there smile.

That left Danny worried. He never knew her to force her smiles like that, even when he was being impossible. “How is everything else?” he asked, confused look on his face. “You look like something else is bothering you.”

“I think I’m just having one of those days,” she told him, sounding like she was relenting by giving up the snippet of information. “It’s nothing in particular.” Nothing on the scale of the Laughlin issue. Just little niggles that were best left alone and certainly not the kind of thing to bore Danny with. “Do you ever have a moment where you’re not quite... you?” It was partly a ploy to try and turn the conversation away from herself but with that was some need to know that she may not be the only one to feel that way sometimes.

“But still something?” Danny asked, propping one elbow on the table and watching her. “I have those so often I’m not even sure who me is. You’re allowed to be off every so often. It happens.” He just worried. There was something about her smile that made him feel better.

Frowning a little, Elle ignored the question directed at her. The way he agreed with her made her feel a little better. More than that, what he said concerned her. “What do you mean?” she asked softly. Elle might have had her off days but she had a firm idea of who she was. Or she liked to think she did.

“Nothing kid,” Danny said. “I’m alright. Just make sure you are. And you call if you need something. You still have my card.”

Elle just looked at him for a moment. “Well, if you ever need reminding about who you are, all you have to do is come and ask.” Her smile was small but at least this time it wasn’t purely for show. Reaching out, she gave his hand a pat. “And stop worrying so much.”

“I can’t help but worry.” Danny liked that little hand pat, the way she smiled small for him. “And thank you. Don’t let me keep you. Go on do what you need to do.”

“You’re not alone in that,” she told him pointedly. “But life really is too short to spend it fretting. Don’t forget that.” Elle managed to slip in a playful edge to the advice, chirpier for a moment because it was apt. Glancing around the bar for potential eavesdroppers, Elle smiled conspiratorially. “Secretly I don’t mind lurking in your dark corner. But don’t tell anyone.” She cast another look around the place. “That being said, I can’t do much lurking if I find myself fired so I’ll take the hint and get back to it.”

“You should remember that same advice,” Danny pointed out, but didn’t force anything else on the matter. When she said she didn’t mind him lurking he had to wonder if she meant it. He supposed she might have, he didn’t touch her inappropriately and most of the time he was generally pretty decent customer who tried to tip as well as he could manage. There was little for a waitress to not like there, but Danny hoped it went deeper than that, that she trusted him and felt safer with him around. “Get to it. I don’t mind. Bring me ‘round a beer when you get a moment.”

“Oh, you know I’ll be back to pester you,” she said lightly. The joking quickly faded into something more serious. “I really appreciate you telling me about... Well, you know who. It means a lot to me.” Since she didn’t plan on sharing the information, at least not beyond Becky, she figured that he wouldn’t get reprimanded for it as no one would be any the wiser.

Danny didn’t like the conversation being brought back around to Laughlin because it had him worried again, but he nodded and waved her away from the table. “Just don’t go spreading how nice I am around this place.” He was horrible at joking and the comment sounded more gruff than anything else, but it was still a slight tease even if it didn’t sound that way.

Elle wasn’t completely sure how to take the comment so she decided to play around with it because that seemed like the safest option. To that effect, she drew a cross over her heart. “It’ll be our secret. Promise.” With that she let him be, going back out into the bar to attend to something.