Moving Forward

Eli sat on the floor of the deteriorating apartment with a long list of instructions in his hands and a wide array of oddly shaped pieces of plastic scattered around him. Even with magic, he'd probably wouldn't be able to put this thing together in less than three hours.

"So..." He said, trying to jam two of the numbered blocks together, "This is some place you've got, huh?"

He thought he saw a cockroach crawling around in the far corner and leaned in closer, trying to get a better look. He jumped back once it darted up the wall and into a small hole near the ceiling.

Eli shook his head and returned his attention to the ever-cryptic sheet of paper, trying to shake the feeling that he was surrounded by insects.

Lainey tilted her head, a gesture of concession, more than anything. "I've lived in worse," she remarked, then added thoughtfully, "I've lived in better. Mostly, I just haven't moved again, yet. I've been in this place all year. It's... weird. Just haven't found another place yet. I think this is the longest I've ever lived anywhere. Well, since..."

Letting the sentence trail off, Lainey moved away from the counter, carrying two cups. She offered one to her brother, then took a seat on the floor beside him, folding her legs underneath her.

"It's tea," she told him, indicating his cup, even as she took a sip of her own. The redhead had also noticed the pest, but despite complaints on her part, the landlord did nothing. It wasn't as though her own flat was overtly dirty - she had made up for its disrepair by keeping everything as clean as she could get it. Her neighbors were less... tidy, however. If one of them got pest, Lainey got them, as well.

Lainey rested a hand on the small bulge that was only just noticeable low on her belly, the action unconscious, watching him with thinly veiled amusement. "I don't know why I asked for your help," she teased. "You never were good at following directions."

Eli absentmindedly tapped his finger against the floorboards, swirling the tea as he watched steam rise from the cup in smoky tendrils, "I might know a place or two for you." He glanced at her for a fraction of a second, then back to the disassembled cradle, "You know, not too expensive or anything."

Swirling the tea one last time, he took a sip, shivering when the warmth of the tea rushed down his spine. Eli shook himself and tried to focus on the puzzle in front of him, "Hey, was Churchill good at following directions? No. Churchill was good at killing Nazis, and that's why he was famous."

He looked back at the instructions several times before holding up a loose screw, "I can never remember. Are these nuts? Or are they bolts?"

Lainey arched a copper brow at him. "Really. I work part time at a pub," she stately dryly. "And I'm trying to save up money for a kid. It'd have to be really not expensive. This-" the woman indicated the tiny flat with a wave of her hand, "-is one of the cheapest places London has to offer.

"Speaking of the pub..." Lainey smirked into her teacup as she took another sip. "Ben's totally freaked out by the baby thing. He's actually almost nice for once."

She laughed at him. "I'm sure he was good at both, genius."

Lainey stared thoughtfully at the bit of metal in question. "It's a bolt. I think. The other ought to be the nut." She considered it another long moment, then gave a confirming nod. "It's a bolt."

"Oh, it is cheap," Eli couldn't help but give a little smile, "Actually, it would be free. But it's not a dump or anything. Really, it's a lot nicer than the place you have now."

He let out a laugh, "Well I suppose that's one plus. Everyone's nice around a pregnant lady. Hey look," He held up a longish cylinder, "I think I found one of the legs!"

He turned it around in his hand, looking for some indication of it's use, then rolled his eyes at his sister, "Whatever. I'm just saying, I'd be great at killing Nazis."

He nodded and started looking for a place to put it, his other hand searching blindly for a screwdriver. After awhile, he stopped and looked back at Lainey, "What do you think of Kallie?"

"Free? Okay, now I know you're having me on. No one puts anyone up without a price," Lainey opined.

The redhead tilted her head thoughtfully. "I suppose that's true. Still kinda weird, though. He's almost like a real person." She laughed. "Yes, yes - I do believe that is one of the legs."

Lainey watched as her brother tried to piece together the crib. She probably could have done it herself, really, but she found she liked having Eli around. Having her brother again... a family...

"Kallie?" Green eyes blinked in surprise at the rather abrupt change in subject. "She's... pretty. Blonde. Has an accent. I only met her the once, and I was sort of freaking out at the time. If you're looking for a character reference, you're really asking the wrong person.

"Why? You thinking about proposing to her or something?"