Post by Referee Trystan Lloyd on Apr 7, 2015 3:26:02 GMT -6
The house was spotless, the carpets hoovered, cushions plumped, the surfaces literally gleamed. You wouldn’t know a child lived here were it not for the drawings on the table. Their primitive depictions of the world around them offered a primary coloured view into a world the adults so easily forgot. Vanilla scented the air, proof that as far as distractions went. Eva had so far tried them all. She wasn’t a woman who took solace in her thoughts, not anymore anyway. Thinking too much left her time to question herself and right now there were too many questions. She didn't get a chance to think once the sound of the door could be heard. Taking a deep breath she fixes her hair, then her smile as she pulls open the door. To greet her was the former Canadian Stampede champion and GZW referee Trystan Lloyd. He wore his smile as comfortably as his grey suit.
Trystan: Eva, hey.
Of course her expression faded to something entirely more genuine. She had reason to doubt most people in her life right now, but Trystan had nothing to gain by screwing her over. He’d been by her side through some of her worst mood swings. The overly emotional tornado she had been during her pregnancy, to the down to earth or outright mischievous young woman she could be. He’d seen it all and taken it all in with unending patience.
Eva: Do you always look so formal?
Trystan: Oh...
He looks down at the black shirt, grey suit combo then back at the woman.
Trystan: I'll come in something more informal next time, if you prefer?
Shrugging her shoulders she stepped out of his way. Her black skinny jeans and oversized jumper were more casual than she usually wore in front of cameras. With a very expensive wardrobe and four children, you quickly learned to pick your outfits.
Eva: As long as you’re comfortable.
Trystan: I've spent so long in this kind of thing now I am used to it.
Taking the liberty of assuming her stepping aside was an invitation, he enters her home.
Eva: I hear ya. I rocked a hearse and trench coat for the better part of three years. I still rock the trench, the hearse……those buggers are hard to take corners in when pissed….
Closing the door she leads the way to the kitchen. The cookies she’d made earlier, with much swearing and just a little bit of skill she wouldn’t admit were still cooling. Tea wasn’t optional, it was a given. He followed her in, almost led by the aroma of fresh baking.
Trystan: That smell is absolutely lovely. What have you made?
Eva: A distraction in the form of cookies. I’m stressed I bake….
Or rode her bike at dangerous speeds, or took enough pills to stop being able to feel. Comfortably numb was harder to come back from than easily distracted. He eyes her briefly as he removes his jacket and hangs it on the back of one of the dining chairs.
Trystan: I could hazard a guess as to why you might be stressed...
Eva: Yeah? Cause I’m pretty sure the source of it all is oblivious. God, and Leon…….he’s being quiet. You know when you expect him to be obnoxious and he isn’t? I think the fact that he hasn’t come out and lorded it over me that he warned me about this is actually worse.
Her attention flickered to him briefly as she opened a cupboard above her and stood on tip toe.
Eva: Tea or coffee?
Trystan: Coffee, please. And I agree, it is weird if Leon's not gloating or going on in some way about what happened with Gilespie.
He pulls the seat out and sits down.
Eva: See! It’s not just me.
Spooning coffee into the machine she sets it running, her attention shifts back to him as she folds her arms across her chest and slouches against the counter top. Her ribs were still painful, she had to stand so her spine took the brunt of her bad postured stance.
Trystan: Sadly not. Though, is it a bad thing?
Eva: It’s worse……he’d be completely justified in ranting. He’s had a stick up his arse about Kolic since he choked me out in training. I expect ranting….
Trystan: Well, maybe he's not as shocked as the rest because he's always been so distrusting of Gilespie.
Eva: Yeah, maybe. There’s something to be said for being suspicious and distrustful.
Trystan: It appears so. But how are you holding up?
Eva: You know me, I’m cool.
Pushing his coffee in front of him she moves back to her place by the counter. He gets a hand to the mug, pulling it closer, his eyes on her the entire time. He wasn't convinced.
Trystan: And so am I...
Watching him over the rim of her mug she of course was the first to look away.
Trystan: This is bothering you a lot, isn't it?
Eva: I let my guard down. It was a mistake.
Trystan: Don't beat yourself over it. You've done nothing wrong. He'd been a friend all this time and it's not as if you were so close on camera that there was anything professionally to gain. Have you spoken to him away from the cameras? I saw what was said on the Network.
Eva: Nope. Would you?
Trystan: Actually, yes. Sometimes there are things that need to be said without the prying eyes and ears of those who aren't meant to know.
Shaking her head she appeared briefly thoughtful.
Eva: I’m not putting myself at his mercy.
Trystan: No, I can understand the caution.
Eva: I think the only realistic option is to keep everyone at arm’s length. The business is the business, it’s daft to think you can change the nature of the beast.
Trystan: Now you see why got out of that side of it when I could. You can't change the way it works but it has more than the power to change the way people behave in it.
Eva: Yeah, you don’t need to tell me that.
He tips his head, reaching for his coffee. Eva rubs her hands across her jeans. She was restless today, rolling up her sleeves to reveal heavily scarred arms she retrieves one of her teafolk themed biscuit tins. Lining the box, she begins adding the biscuits to it.
Eva: I don’t know. One of these days I might retire back to being a medic. The only lies you hear there are who’s taking what.
Trystan: Yet the business has this funny way of pulling you back in no matter how "over it" you think you are, eh?
Eva: I know….it’s like the worst drug there is.
Trystan: Oh I don't know. There are definitely worse...
Considering some of the people he'd known, he probably wasn't wrong either. Careful to say nothing she simply nods. He eyes her, noting the look on her face.
Trystan: I'm sorry. I didn't mean...
Eva: It’s fine love. Nature of the beast an all that. I have a lot of faults but I own my mistakes.
Trystan: A quality that is rare among those we work with.
Eva: Aye well, I am an exceptional creature after all.
A glimmer of a smile made it clear she was joking. Leaning against the counter top behind her, her arms folded across her chest. He smiled with her, but it didn't look as if he was joking. She was inside her own head again, eyes fixed on the counter she had spent the morning cleaning. A heavy sigh escapes her lips. There was nothing else in this house to clean, it was a sad state of affairs when she didn’t know what to do with herself without the kids. Eyes narrowing on her guest she stands up properly.
Eva: What you got planned for this afternoon?
Trystan: A conference call with the club. It's not as formal as it sounds, I just need to touch base with them on a few things but that's not until much later. Other than that, well...nothing really. How about yourself?
Eva: Eugh, so glad I got rid of that burden. I always used to zone out of conference calls. I’m thinking it might be an idea to buy a new baby to keep here.
Trystan: Same as Leon. That's why he owns the place and I run the place.
Eva: Was fun for a while, being hands on was great. The drama that comes with it all though….
Trystan: Makes me wonder what kind of establishment you had. Drama is for the patrons, not the staff. So...what are you up to for the rest of the day seeing as house dust is not due back for a while and there is not a damn thing out of place right now?
That was one of those little factoids she’d rather leave in the past. Pushing a hand through her hair she offered a brief smile. She genuinely had no idea what she used to do before she had children.
Eva: Dunno……I should probably get out of here though. Might go buy shoes…..and coffee….probably not in that order.
Trystan: I could....come along if you like? If Leon's not going to be. Only if you want though.
Snorting her drink she shook her head. Leon loved her more than life itself, but shoe shopping was not something he would endure if he could avoid it.
Eva: I wouldn’t force that on you, love.
Trystan: What makes you think I'd have to be forced?
Eva: When was the last time a lass dragged you around asking your opinion of stuff you have no interest in?
Trystan: Leon...if that counts.
Eva: Oh gods, don’t remind me. The only reason he won’t come with me anymore is because he gets pissy that there’s nothing in his size. It’s like offering him chocolate, then telling him it’s all sugarfree.
Trystan: Preaching to the choir there, Eva. You just imagine what kind of shoes and boots he liked in the early 2000s when the 90s wasn't yet ready to die...
Arching a brow she smirked.
Eva: Never seen my shoe collection, have you sweetheart? I swear if I had bigger feet, I’d guess that was the reason he married me.
He actually cracks a smirk of his own, shaking his head.
Trystan: I'll tell you what. I'm more than happy to come along. Let me take you out, a little "retail therapy" with a shot of caffeine. My treat.
Eva: Hmm, I dunno. I’ve haven’t been in the attic yet. I could go clean up there.
Trystan: Eva...?
The look he gave her suggested she was looking for excuses and that he knew it. Appearing thoroughly chastised, she after all hadn’t been entirely joking.
Eva: Alright sweets, I’m sorry……just don’t look at me like that.
Trystan: That's more like it. Go on, grab your coat.
Eva: Coat? Oh please, if I’m facing the world I need to make myself look intimidating. Gimme ten minutes?
Trystan: However long you need...
He stares at the woman. It was a good thing he’d said that. If she was honest it’d probably be more like twenty. Though what difference that made to a woman with very limited concept of time was questionable. She felt bad for making him distract her. Pushing her hands through her already tousled hair she nods.
Eva: Alright, be back shortly. Make yourself at home and I’ll try not to take the piss.
Trystan: Take your time, I'll finish my coffee.
Another nod a brief smile, and she leaves him to it. She hadn’t taken more than a few steps before she appeared in the door way again.
Eva: Trys?
Trystan: Er yes?
Eva: Fancy tearing up the road for a bit instead?
Trystan: I'm hardly dressed for it but if you have some gear I could borrow, I'd love to...so long as caffeine is still a part of the deal?
Eva: Pfft please, caffeine is always part of the deal. It’s the only bloody drug I’m allowed these days. Finish your coffee, I’m gonna put on something light enough so I can still move in my leathers. Meet me in the garage in five?
Trystan: Of course.
He stands with his mug, drinking from it. With a somewhat more genuine smile than she had worn all morning she leaves him to finish his drink. She may not have her Hayabusa here, but that wouldn’t stop her any more than he could stop himself from heading to the tin to try one of those biscuits that had assaulted his senses the moment he walked in.
Trystan: Eva, hey.
Of course her expression faded to something entirely more genuine. She had reason to doubt most people in her life right now, but Trystan had nothing to gain by screwing her over. He’d been by her side through some of her worst mood swings. The overly emotional tornado she had been during her pregnancy, to the down to earth or outright mischievous young woman she could be. He’d seen it all and taken it all in with unending patience.
Eva: Do you always look so formal?
Trystan: Oh...
He looks down at the black shirt, grey suit combo then back at the woman.
Trystan: I'll come in something more informal next time, if you prefer?
Shrugging her shoulders she stepped out of his way. Her black skinny jeans and oversized jumper were more casual than she usually wore in front of cameras. With a very expensive wardrobe and four children, you quickly learned to pick your outfits.
Eva: As long as you’re comfortable.
Trystan: I've spent so long in this kind of thing now I am used to it.
Taking the liberty of assuming her stepping aside was an invitation, he enters her home.
Eva: I hear ya. I rocked a hearse and trench coat for the better part of three years. I still rock the trench, the hearse……those buggers are hard to take corners in when pissed….
Closing the door she leads the way to the kitchen. The cookies she’d made earlier, with much swearing and just a little bit of skill she wouldn’t admit were still cooling. Tea wasn’t optional, it was a given. He followed her in, almost led by the aroma of fresh baking.
Trystan: That smell is absolutely lovely. What have you made?
Eva: A distraction in the form of cookies. I’m stressed I bake….
Or rode her bike at dangerous speeds, or took enough pills to stop being able to feel. Comfortably numb was harder to come back from than easily distracted. He eyes her briefly as he removes his jacket and hangs it on the back of one of the dining chairs.
Trystan: I could hazard a guess as to why you might be stressed...
Eva: Yeah? Cause I’m pretty sure the source of it all is oblivious. God, and Leon…….he’s being quiet. You know when you expect him to be obnoxious and he isn’t? I think the fact that he hasn’t come out and lorded it over me that he warned me about this is actually worse.
Her attention flickered to him briefly as she opened a cupboard above her and stood on tip toe.
Eva: Tea or coffee?
Trystan: Coffee, please. And I agree, it is weird if Leon's not gloating or going on in some way about what happened with Gilespie.
He pulls the seat out and sits down.
Eva: See! It’s not just me.
Spooning coffee into the machine she sets it running, her attention shifts back to him as she folds her arms across her chest and slouches against the counter top. Her ribs were still painful, she had to stand so her spine took the brunt of her bad postured stance.
Trystan: Sadly not. Though, is it a bad thing?
Eva: It’s worse……he’d be completely justified in ranting. He’s had a stick up his arse about Kolic since he choked me out in training. I expect ranting….
Trystan: Well, maybe he's not as shocked as the rest because he's always been so distrusting of Gilespie.
Eva: Yeah, maybe. There’s something to be said for being suspicious and distrustful.
Trystan: It appears so. But how are you holding up?
Eva: You know me, I’m cool.
Pushing his coffee in front of him she moves back to her place by the counter. He gets a hand to the mug, pulling it closer, his eyes on her the entire time. He wasn't convinced.
Trystan: And so am I...
Watching him over the rim of her mug she of course was the first to look away.
Trystan: This is bothering you a lot, isn't it?
Eva: I let my guard down. It was a mistake.
Trystan: Don't beat yourself over it. You've done nothing wrong. He'd been a friend all this time and it's not as if you were so close on camera that there was anything professionally to gain. Have you spoken to him away from the cameras? I saw what was said on the Network.
Eva: Nope. Would you?
Trystan: Actually, yes. Sometimes there are things that need to be said without the prying eyes and ears of those who aren't meant to know.
Shaking her head she appeared briefly thoughtful.
Eva: I’m not putting myself at his mercy.
Trystan: No, I can understand the caution.
Eva: I think the only realistic option is to keep everyone at arm’s length. The business is the business, it’s daft to think you can change the nature of the beast.
Trystan: Now you see why got out of that side of it when I could. You can't change the way it works but it has more than the power to change the way people behave in it.
Eva: Yeah, you don’t need to tell me that.
He tips his head, reaching for his coffee. Eva rubs her hands across her jeans. She was restless today, rolling up her sleeves to reveal heavily scarred arms she retrieves one of her teafolk themed biscuit tins. Lining the box, she begins adding the biscuits to it.
Eva: I don’t know. One of these days I might retire back to being a medic. The only lies you hear there are who’s taking what.
Trystan: Yet the business has this funny way of pulling you back in no matter how "over it" you think you are, eh?
Eva: I know….it’s like the worst drug there is.
Trystan: Oh I don't know. There are definitely worse...
Considering some of the people he'd known, he probably wasn't wrong either. Careful to say nothing she simply nods. He eyes her, noting the look on her face.
Trystan: I'm sorry. I didn't mean...
Eva: It’s fine love. Nature of the beast an all that. I have a lot of faults but I own my mistakes.
Trystan: A quality that is rare among those we work with.
Eva: Aye well, I am an exceptional creature after all.
A glimmer of a smile made it clear she was joking. Leaning against the counter top behind her, her arms folded across her chest. He smiled with her, but it didn't look as if he was joking. She was inside her own head again, eyes fixed on the counter she had spent the morning cleaning. A heavy sigh escapes her lips. There was nothing else in this house to clean, it was a sad state of affairs when she didn’t know what to do with herself without the kids. Eyes narrowing on her guest she stands up properly.
Eva: What you got planned for this afternoon?
Trystan: A conference call with the club. It's not as formal as it sounds, I just need to touch base with them on a few things but that's not until much later. Other than that, well...nothing really. How about yourself?
Eva: Eugh, so glad I got rid of that burden. I always used to zone out of conference calls. I’m thinking it might be an idea to buy a new baby to keep here.
Trystan: Same as Leon. That's why he owns the place and I run the place.
Eva: Was fun for a while, being hands on was great. The drama that comes with it all though….
Trystan: Makes me wonder what kind of establishment you had. Drama is for the patrons, not the staff. So...what are you up to for the rest of the day seeing as house dust is not due back for a while and there is not a damn thing out of place right now?
That was one of those little factoids she’d rather leave in the past. Pushing a hand through her hair she offered a brief smile. She genuinely had no idea what she used to do before she had children.
Eva: Dunno……I should probably get out of here though. Might go buy shoes…..and coffee….probably not in that order.
Trystan: I could....come along if you like? If Leon's not going to be. Only if you want though.
Snorting her drink she shook her head. Leon loved her more than life itself, but shoe shopping was not something he would endure if he could avoid it.
Eva: I wouldn’t force that on you, love.
Trystan: What makes you think I'd have to be forced?
Eva: When was the last time a lass dragged you around asking your opinion of stuff you have no interest in?
Trystan: Leon...if that counts.
Eva: Oh gods, don’t remind me. The only reason he won’t come with me anymore is because he gets pissy that there’s nothing in his size. It’s like offering him chocolate, then telling him it’s all sugarfree.
Trystan: Preaching to the choir there, Eva. You just imagine what kind of shoes and boots he liked in the early 2000s when the 90s wasn't yet ready to die...
Arching a brow she smirked.
Eva: Never seen my shoe collection, have you sweetheart? I swear if I had bigger feet, I’d guess that was the reason he married me.
He actually cracks a smirk of his own, shaking his head.
Trystan: I'll tell you what. I'm more than happy to come along. Let me take you out, a little "retail therapy" with a shot of caffeine. My treat.
Eva: Hmm, I dunno. I’ve haven’t been in the attic yet. I could go clean up there.
Trystan: Eva...?
The look he gave her suggested she was looking for excuses and that he knew it. Appearing thoroughly chastised, she after all hadn’t been entirely joking.
Eva: Alright sweets, I’m sorry……just don’t look at me like that.
Trystan: That's more like it. Go on, grab your coat.
Eva: Coat? Oh please, if I’m facing the world I need to make myself look intimidating. Gimme ten minutes?
Trystan: However long you need...
He stares at the woman. It was a good thing he’d said that. If she was honest it’d probably be more like twenty. Though what difference that made to a woman with very limited concept of time was questionable. She felt bad for making him distract her. Pushing her hands through her already tousled hair she nods.
Eva: Alright, be back shortly. Make yourself at home and I’ll try not to take the piss.
Trystan: Take your time, I'll finish my coffee.
Another nod a brief smile, and she leaves him to it. She hadn’t taken more than a few steps before she appeared in the door way again.
Eva: Trys?
Trystan: Er yes?
Eva: Fancy tearing up the road for a bit instead?
Trystan: I'm hardly dressed for it but if you have some gear I could borrow, I'd love to...so long as caffeine is still a part of the deal?
Eva: Pfft please, caffeine is always part of the deal. It’s the only bloody drug I’m allowed these days. Finish your coffee, I’m gonna put on something light enough so I can still move in my leathers. Meet me in the garage in five?
Trystan: Of course.
He stands with his mug, drinking from it. With a somewhat more genuine smile than she had worn all morning she leaves him to finish his drink. She may not have her Hayabusa here, but that wouldn’t stop her any more than he could stop himself from heading to the tin to try one of those biscuits that had assaulted his senses the moment he walked in.
