+Falling;

      ❝Well… this is awkward.❞               [ Oh, nice going, Oswald. ]        ❝’m jus’ gonna…. leave.❞               [ She pauses. ]        ❝Bye——❞

   [ His body is basically stuck in shock,      he can't move, speak, breathe—      nothing. He just continues to stare. ]

      [ She rolls her eyes. ]             ❝Of course ‘m not—- ‘m a hitwoman,             not a bloody robber, wait, forget I said             that—- fuck.❞

     "—"    [ He was silent as he stared at her      with sorrowful eyes. Every thought       that crossed his mind was negative.      He thought of all the things he hadn't      done yet, all the things he hadn't      experienced. Great, it ends here—      nice going Charlie. ]

  ” ‘ve got a super special secret parking spot,      I’ll have you know. Costs next to nothing, and      and I even get cookies on Thursdays.”

   [ She smiles. It pays to be friendly to       most people, really. Especially people who      live five minutes to her university and       bake so much she’s always invited to      cookies and cakes and all kinds of       pastries. Not that she’s just being a       freeloader, of course— she brings in      her own tarts and experiments      when she can. It’s a give and take. ]

  “Well— it’s not that simple, is it?     I think you have to do it regularly enough     to be a good person. But you’ve gone and     taken the first step towards that, and that’s     already more than the average person      does.”

   [ The laughter just about bubbles out of        her mouth at that. ]

  “How do you confuse Ellie with Steve?     And, yeah, it’s not me. I’m twenty-three,     so I’m ahead of you by a few years.”

     "You get cookies... I guess I just       never trust people because all of       that just sounds too good to be        true. They'd probably poison me       or something."    [ Wow what a optimist, he really did      wish that he had a more positive      outlook on life but he couldn't be      bothered to turn his life around       that much. ]      "Should I say thank you again?        Anyway, how do you not confuse        the two? We all looked the same        back then, don't you think? Don't        think of yourself as a grandma        quite yet— you've got time."

      ❝Oh my God——❞               [ She can’t stop herself;               Abigail laughs, totally &               completely laughs. ]        ❝You think ‘m tryin’        to rob you?❞

   [ He's definitely not amused      by any of this. ]      "I don't know, are you?"

   ”Your sarcasm’s not going to      help you any, just so you       know. My whisk’s still made      of metal, and I can guarantee      it’ll hurt when i stab you with it—”

   [ She stops. Squints. ]

    “How do you know Rory?”

  [ She completely ignores his     ‘compliment’ and rolls her     eyes at the question. He was     the one barging in on someone     else’s flat, so why’d he sound so     surprised that there was actually     someone in it? ]

     ”Seein’ as you’re actually intrudin’       on my property, ‘m not about to       answer any of your questions until       you answer mine. Who are you, and       how the bloody hell did you get in       my house?”

   [ He finds the whole situation amusing to      say the least. Anyone with some sense      would probably be terrified of being charged      with breaking and entering but not Liam. ]      "How do you know Rory?"    [ He echoes her actually confused for a minute.      Seeing that she's getting irritated he complies—      as much fun as it'd be to get a rise out of her,      Rory would probably kill him. ]      "I'm Liam, hi. Now, put the weapon down.       Rory gave me his address when I saw him       in the states last and told me to visit— well,       I'm here!"    [ Sure he could've called but he expected Rory       to be here, not this chick. ]      "Who are you though? Rory didn't tell me about        you?"

     ”You and me both.”

     "Guess we're stuck to the microwave, man."

      ❝You sure about that, kid? I mean,       if you’re shuttering, you’ve gotta be       doing something, right?❞                         [ Abigail’s teasing. ]

     "Look—"    [ He pulls his wallet from his pocket      and holds it out in front of him. ]       "If you're looking for food or money       take it, just don't stab me for the       hell of it."

      ❝Hey, kid, what the       hell are you doin’?❞

    [ He drops his bags of groceries       as his whole body freezes up.       Coming around this part of       town at night terrifies him. ]       "N—nothing."

     ”You can make some for me as well while you’re on it.”

     "I'd probably set the place on fire,       cooking is not a strong point of mine."

    “And that’s why I need my car:      so I can avoid the morning rush.      Besides, even if you were one of      them, well— you’ve kind of redeemed      yourself today, don’t you think? You      helped me out.”

  [ She grins now. Finds it nice     that he’s still talking to her—     mostly because the only reason     he’d even called her attention was      about her keys, and she’d gotten     them already, and he could’ve      just went on his merry way,     but he’s still here and she’s—     for lack of a better word—     amused with the conversation. ]

   ”Interestin’. But I doubt that Ellie     would be me, seeing as  I was home     schooled until halfway through primary.     And that’s not counting if you’re younger     or older than me, either.”

      "A car? Do you live in the city?          Where do you park it, that costs         so much around here."    [ There was proper concern filling his       voice as he asked away. He wrapped       his arms around his torso as he        broke eye contact once more. ]       "If that's all it takes it seems a bit        pointless, people are massive balls        of shit around here— you know that.        Maybe they figured that would be all        it takes to be a good person."    [ There's probably not a good reason as to      why he's still there— maybe because he       has no idea how to say goodbye. Strangely      enough, he doesn't mind it as much this      time around— she's alright. ]      "I don't even remember if it was true so       there's a big chance it was just some       weirdo kid called Steve and I just mixed       it all up. But uh— I'm twenty if that counts       for anything."

   [ She stills at the sound of a stranger’s voice in her flat.      Drops the bowl all silent-like and brandishes her whisk      like a weapon as she comes out to the living room. ]

       ”Who are you, and what are you doin’ here?          I know krav maga and ‘m not afraid to use it.”

   [ She’s bluffing. Or is she? ]

    [ He hears shuffling in the room over       so he wanders closer. ]

     "I can hear you."    [ He sounds like a snot-nosed kid      at that point. Once he sees the      woman his arms go up as if he's       surrendering. Who the hell is that? ]      "Oh shit, a whisk— I'm terrified.       Where's Rory? He didn't tell me       about any pretty ladies... who       the hell are you?"    [ He lets out a small chuckle      as he looks around the flat      for any sign of his friend. ]

   ”Clearly you’ve not been around here much.      Or noticed things, anyway. Might sound      awful but honestly, no one really cares      ’round here. Everyone’s all caught up in      their own worlds and heads that they      won’t take some time out of their day to      help out someone.”

       [ She shrugs. ]

   ”That’s okay. ‘s not like there was time to      say your name between pointing out my       keys and me thanking you, so. And it’s Eliana.      Eliana Oswald. Or, you know— you can just       call me Ellie. All my friends do, anyways.”

       [ Ellie fiddles with the strap of her bag,          rocks on the balls of her feet. ]

    “And seriously— thank you.”

     "Unfortunately, I think I'm one of them.       For the most part at least, I usually       don't even look up, and if I do I guess       I just rush through the crowds.        I kind of avoid the morning rush       most days."    [ There he was giving away too much      information again, this is why he       never opened his mouth or tried      to meet people, it was just a pain. ]      "Ellie, yeah? I had an Ellie in       nursery I think, maybe I'm just        making that up, who knows?"    [ He stared down at his feet then shifted      awkwardly. ]    "You're welcome."    [ He said it more like a question than      anything— still he didn't feel worthy      of the praise. ]