undergrounds | .nov 24, closed to nancy and eames

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.nov 24, closed to nancy and eames

[Arthur's nearly out of breath when he opens the door to his apartment, pushing it open for Nancy to walk through and then following her inside. He flicks on the light and locks the door behind him, taking off his jacket hastily. He's gruff when he speaks.]

Living room's just right through there. I'll put some coffee on.

[There's a pistol in a holster on his belt. He puts the pistol on the counter when he goes into the kitchen, setting up the coffee with practiced speed. When it's brewing, he finally takes a deep breath. This night has been an exercise in frustration but there's no sense losing it in front of Nancy. He's considerably more calm when he finally walks back out to the living room, letting out a sardonic, amused sigh.]

I almost forgot to ask if you're alright.

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[Worse: her family. She had to take care of the boys. Which, as it were, meant taking care of Fagin because at least he could give them a roof over their heads. Something that Nancy couldn't do.

She takes another sip of her coffee.] Thank you.

That gun on the table...?

[Arthur sits up a little straighter and clears his throat, looking at the offending object. He'd usually sit down, take it apart, and clean it, but tonight necessitated all his typical rituals be put on hold.]

It's loaded with silver.

[He raises an eyebrow at her, watching for her reaction to this partial confession.]

I just came back from Lewisham.

[Eames is quick in the shower, not wanting to spend more time in there than absolutely necessary. His shirt and jacket are ruined but his trousers are dry at least, so he throws them back on to come back out. He's gonna head to the kitchen and help himself to a beer and shove his clothes in a carrier bag before he comes back to the living room; plenty of cuts and bruises but nothing serious at least.]

[Since the armchair's free, he'll throw himself down in it, but he's not gonna interrupt their conversation]

[She shook her head.] Damn.

[Silver, at least. She knew what that was for. Clever man.

It was then that Eames presence was noted and she glances his way.] You alright? Both of you?

I stayed out of the fighting.

[He leans a little more against the couch, looking over at Eames and trying to assess the damage. He hesitates before he continues.]

I left when I knew it was over.

[Eames hesitates before he answers, though he tries to mask it by taking a sip of his drink. He's not okay, far from it, and his head is too muddled to think of a way to talk around it.]

No damage you need worry about.

[He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes. Too exhausted to fake even that much.]

you know me, I'm going to worry anyway.

[nancy sighs.]

I take it that it didn't go in your favor. [Which meant Fagin would be upset.]

[Arthur watches Eames carefully, trying to discern how much rage he's concealing, if he's concealing any at all. This isn't like last time, but Arthur's not sure if it's because Nancy's here or if it's because Eames has lost momentum losing another territory to Redbright supporters.]

[But certainly an immortal being has a better grip on the big picture than that. It's not as if all hope is lost. He sighs, dropping his eyes to the floor.]

The vampires have Lewisham now.

[He gets up from the couch, gently leaving Nancy and opening a drawer in the coffee table. He pulls out his map of London, moving the mugs of coffee so he can lay it out on the coffee table.]

[It's a lot of rage - the two of them could probably pick up on it in different ways, honestly. His entire body is tense and tightly wound, like he could snap at any moment, and the magic rolling off him is barely restrained, it's taking a lot for him to keep it under control right now. Everyone should be glad his desire not to lash out around Nancy outweighs the strength of his temper.]

[His eyes track Arthur as he moves to get out the map, and then he glances back to Nancy. Gesturing between the two of them with a raised eyebrow.]

You haven't explained what this is about.

[it was good he kept his temper in check. watching people lash out, especially if it were with violence, was never a good thing, especially when you had a history as muddled as her own.

no, Nancy can tell there's tension, rising again as Arthur goes to the drawer.] I'm fucked. [vampires in Lewisham. while she hadn't wanted to get involved, Fagin would be. and more vampires meant he'd be wanting more money.

and she would get it for him. not to mention, some of the boys were likely to get hurt. if they hadn't already. fuck. she needed to get back there. but- not tonight. tonight wouldn't be safe. so she could focus on other things as Arthur brought up his map.]

can't a girl come say hello to a friend? [in the middle of the night? obviously worked up? no.]

[Arthur pauses as he's laying out the map and defers to Nancy for the answer. He's still not sure what this is about, so he's certainly not going not going to speak on her behalf. When she's intentionally vague, he finishes smoothing out the map.]

There's nothing to tell.

[He stands up straight and looks down at the map, putting his hands in his pockets.]

We have to figure out what the next move is.

[Eames clenches a fist and presses it to his lips - he's trying really hard here, but holy shit does Arthur make it difficult not to be perpetually pissed off for the rest of his life.]

Really, Arthur? Must we, right this second?

rest, the both of you. regroup.

[no planning tonight. besides, once the thread with Norrell is over, she'll probably tell you what's going on.]

drink up.

[The thing is, Arthur has a hard time listening when he's this tense, so he completely ignores Nancy and turns to face Eames, setting his jaw.]

Why else are you here? You just came by to have a casual drink after the vampires took your territory?

I came here, Arthur, because your flat is significantly more secure than the shitty place I've been staying in since Daybreak cleared me out of my home.

[It's practically an admission that he doesn't feel safe in his own flat right now, and Eames hesitates after he says it, but it's brief, fleeting, and he gestures openly.] If you want me to leave, you need only say the words.

[Well. Once more two men were talking over her tonight. Nancy pursed her lips and crossed her arms. Rude.]

Alright, both of you, knock it off.

[Arthur looks back at Nancy, and the set of his jaw is still harsh. He's clearly biting back words because of her, but he doesn't look resentful. Just frustrated. He didn't ask to be the safe house for her and for Eames tonight and an hour or two of shooting vampires would put anyone on edge.]

[Taking a deep breath, he looks back at Eames.]

You don't have to leave.

[He elects not to say that if they're both sleeping over, someone's sleeping on the floor and it's not going to be him.]

I'm getting a beer.

[And off he goes.]

[Eames exhales harshly, obviously he's similarly biting back a lot of choice words. But he's annoyed more with the situation than Arthur, he's more the icing on the shitty circumstances cake.]

[When Arthur leaves the room, he looks a little apologetically at Nancy.]

Sorry about that. It's just... [He makes a strangling motion with one of his hands.] Arthur.

[Wow. W o w. Nancy narrows her eyes again, looking at Arthur with her jaw set, eyebrows raised questioningly.]

Right.

[She purses her lips, watching him go. Once he's out, she turns back to Eames, uncrossing her arms with clenched fists.]

And?

[What.] And...?

There's nothing wrong with Arthur being Arthur. [She takes a sip of her coffee, and moves to sit back down in her chair. This time, however, she takes off her jacket, in favor of a throw-blanket.]

I shouldn't have called him. I had no idea it was tonight.

[He actually laughs, waving a dismissive hand when she says she shouldn't have called him.]

We must know different Arthurs.

[Because there is a lot wrong with Arthur being Arthur in Eames' estimation.]

Obviously not. Given that we're both here.

[She looks at him pointedly.]

He's been nothing but a good- a good friend since I met him, alright? Leave him be tonight.

Leave him be?

[He looks so affronted, like he's a hair away from yelling "he started it!"]

Not that I don't appreciate his generosity, but I'm not about to sit here and accept his attitude as though he's suffered some great personal loss.

And just because you did doesn't mean that you can take it out on your contact, or you could lose two very quickly.

[She did not need this tonight, so she sniffs pointedly in Eames' direction, because she is also a mature, rational adult.]

He clearly wants to help you with your next territory claim. I think you should let it be till tomorrow, personally, but you're both behaving worse than my brothers, and that is quite literally one of the last things I need right now.

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