Running Out Of Time {David}

[Delilah Rose]

A blonde woman sat at a computer desk, typing, filling out charts on her computer, examining data. Every so often she would yawn and her head would dip forward slightly, as if she were about to do a face-plant right onto her keyboard. She’d catch herself at the last second though, eyes flying back open as she returned to full alertness. She couldn’t fall asleep yet! She still had work to do! She continued typing for another half hour, the soft clicking of the keyboard filling the room. Her eyes hurt from staring at the screen, and the words danced in front of her, blurry and out of focus. How long had she been sitting here? Her misty irises traveled to the clock which hung on the wall. She stared at it for a moment, trying to read the numbers, and then her eyes shot wide. 6 am?! Had she really been here all night?! Oh great, not again. She really needed to stop pulling these all nighters! It was bad for her health. She sighed wearily, beginning to gather up her belongings.

Once she had saved all her data into the appropriate files and collected her papers up into her arms, she headed out of the room, flicking the lights off as she went. She walked down the hallway, high heels clicking against the hard tile as she went, the sound echoing through the long hallways. There were technically no rules about how late she could stay, though she had been told many times now by the staff to ‘go home and get some rest.’ She never listened to them though, ignoring their advice. She had research to do. People said that there was time, but was there? Was there really time? Every second she wasted sleeping that horrid virus spread and more people died. Time was something that was running out. She knew that she wasn’t one of the top researchers, but that didn’t matter to her. Rank meant nothing. What mattered was finding a cure. She knew there was only so much she could do, but if she could just find that right piece of information, then perhaps…

Ka-thud.

“Oh god!” she cried in surprise, jerked out of her thoughts. As she had been walking, she had run face first into someone. Guess that’s what she got for not paying attention. She stumbled a few steps back, caught off guard by the impact. Somehow, she managed to catch herself at the last second and avoid falling flat on her ass. However, the stack of papers she’d been holding was knocked from her hands, data sheets flying everywhere, slowly floating to the ground. She stared with wide eyes, looking at the mess on the floor around her, a little shocked at what had just happened. Then she bowed in apology, dipping her head forward so that a few strands of blonde hair fell into her face. “I’m sorry! I’m afraid I wasn’t watching where I was going.” She quickly bent over and began gathering the papers, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. She really hadn't expected anyone else to be here this early... Hopefully whoever she had collided with would just keep walking.

[/blockquote]

[David Hale]

David covered his mouth as he yawned for the tenth time in ten minutes. 3 Hours of sleep truly weren’t enough for a man his age… but he couldn’t help it. Even if his body was tired, his mind refused to relax and give him a break for ten seconds, as soon as his head hit the pillow, his thoughts would run rampant again. ‘How do I fix this mess? Maybe if I- no wait, that won’t work. Did I turn off the lights on my way out?’ and before he knew it, a few hours had passed by in which he’d just twisted and turned a couple hundred times.
By then, he usually gave up and went back to work. Even if his mind wasn’t as agile as it would be if he’d slept a solid seven hours, just lying around and brooding wasn’t any more productive than messing around in his lab, at least in his lab he could write his thoughts down if he happened to have a moment of clarity.

Few people were up, which wasn’t surprising, considering the sun hadn’t even come up yet. A few early birds were already dragging themselves to the training grounds for a wake-up drill – the poor suckers – but other than that, the hall was empty, just as he liked it.
A small group of soldiers passed by and offered him a cheerful ‘Good morning!’, but David merely waved briefly as he continued his trip to… where was he going again? You knew you weren’t getting enough sleep when you didn’t even know where you were heading anymore.

“Oh God!” David blinked a few times and took a step back when he felt something run into him. Wow, he must've really been spacing out not to notice someone else walking down the same line as him. He quickly recovered and his half-comatosed mind went on to shift the blame from himself to whoever had interrupted his thoughts. These idiots soldiers and their damned lack of manners, running all over the place like they owned it… which they kind of did, but that was beside the point.
“I’m sorry! I’m afraid I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“No! You think?” he replied sarcastically as he straightened himself again. He somewhat surprised himself with that remark. Was he really being more moody and snide than usual? Oh dear, that wasn’t good. If he kept it up, he’d end up getting himself killed by offending some large, angry soldier.
“Pardon me, Miss,” he sighed as he realized just how rude he must've sounded, and bent down to help the woman gather her papers, “I’m afraid you caught me at a bad time.” Not that there was ever a good time to speak of, but still, not even David was mean and snappy all the time.

As he gathered a few of the woman’s sheets, he couldn’t help but get a sense of familiarity – like he’d seen these, or at least similar papers – before. He glanced up to really look at the person before him, and it quickly dawned down on him; this wasn’t a soldier, but a scientist. But if she were a scientist, how come he hadn’t seen or spoken to her before? Sure, he wasn't the most social butterfly out there, but he was a well-mannered guy - usually anyway - and always introduced himself properly to new victi- employees. And he wasn't quite anti-social enough to avoid people altogether, so he should've had a conversation with her at least once before.
At first he wasn’t going to ask anything, he’d just hand over her papers and get back to whatever he’d been doing before she’d ran into him, but a small part of him couldn’t deny feeling curious about this woman.
Was she new here? If not, how come he hadn’t seen her before? Did Stratos randomly recruit new people without talking to David about it first… again? Damn that man and his antics, well he wouldn’t give him the pleasure of having the last laugh. This wasn’t over yet.

“First day on the job?” he asked tentatively as he handed the woman her papers, carefully wiping the dust off his knees before remembering his manners and politely bowing his head a little. “My name is David Hale. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss…?” He wasn’t really pleased to see her for several reasons, one being the fact that Stratos hadn’t consulted him before hiring the woman first, another because it was early and he’d just had a shitty night with next to no sleep. Still, his mother had raised him properly, and so he’d suck up his frustrations for a moment to properly introduce himself to his new co-worker.

[Delilah Rose]

The person did not keep walking like Delilah had hoped. Instead, he spoke to her, not sounding too happy with the accidental collision. “No! You think?” Sarcasm filled the man’s voice, his comment rather cutting. Delilah cringed. Oh dear. He didn’t sound happy at all. No, he sounded quite the opposite. He was mad. Oh he was really mad! She fumbled with the papers nervously, thinking that it would be best not to say anything. He would probably just keep walking. He didn’t have to be so rude about it though... Delilah still hadn’t gathered up the nerve to lift her head and see who it was she had collided with, and was instead staring at the cold tile below her feet, unable to meet the man’s eyes. He was probably one of those soldiers. Most of them were quite rude human beings, always shouting at each other. No manners at all.

“Pardon me, Miss. “I’m afraid you caught me at a bad time.”

His voice was slightly politer this time. There was still a bit of an edge to it, but it wasn’t as snappy as before. Delilah finally dared to look at the man. Hesitantly she lifted her head, gaze meeting his. Her first thought was that he must be a researcher like her. He was definitely not a soldier. She could tell by the way he was dressed. She narrowed her eyes slightly, studying him just like he was studying her. He looked tired and there were dark circles under his eyes, like he had gotten just as much sleep as she had. So, rather than saying something rude, Delilah just smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I should really pay more attention, huh? Silly me.” She trailed off with an awkward laugh. Judging by the expression on his face though, she figured now wasn’t the time to be joking around. She quickly fell silent again.

The man helped her gather up her papers, which was surprising considering his initial comment, and then handed them to her. Delilah smiled, taking them from him and adding them neatly to her pile. “Thank you, sir,” she said with a small dip of her head. Then she rose to her feet, dusting off the lab coat she was still wearing. Oh great, had she forgotten to take that off? While she was caught up in her thoughts, she heard the man speak again; “First day on the job?” She jerked her head back up. Oh!

“Hm? Me? I’ve been working here for about…” She trailed off, counting on her fingers and then looked up with a smile, “Oh, around five years now!” Hm... She didn’t remember ever seeing this man before, which was a little odd, seeing as she had been here for as long as she had. No, wait…he did look kind of familiar, like maybe she had seen him in passing but had never really spoken with him. Strange. Then again, she supposed there were many different departments in the building, and he probably researched a different subject than she did, which would explain why they were complete strangers. Right? Delilah looked thoughtful for a few moments, but then suddenly seemed to snap back to reality, realizing she had zoned out. “However, I’ve only been in this particular department for the last seven months, around the time the virus broke out,” she added informatively. “Before that I researched…” She stopped herself, looking over at the man and gave a small laugh. “Oh, but you don’t need to know my life story.”

As Delilah was saying this, she remembered the man had introduced himself. “My name is David Hale. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss…?” Delilah had a feeling he wasn’t pleased to meet her at all, and he was just saying it to be polite. Normally she would have called him out on that, however she decided that would probably be a bad idea. “My name is – Wait...” Hold up a minute. David? David Hale? Where had she heard that before? “Y-You’re the – ?!” Her eyes suddenly shot wide and she nearly dropped all her papers again. “I-I mean, it’s a pleasure to meet you!” She quickly dipped her head in a small bow, remembering her manners. She held the position for a long moment before slowly peeking up at him, raising her misty blue eyes. Despite the fact she had been working in this department for such a long time now, she had never actually gotten to speak to the doctor. She was surprised, shocked, unsure of what to say or how to react. She hadn’t thought she would ever get to speak to this man, the one who started it all.

[/blockquote]

[David Hale]

“Hm? Me? I’ve been working here for about…” She trailed off, counting on her fingers and then looked up with a smile, “Oh, around five years now!”
“You’re kidding…” David was genuinely surprised this time. Five years? So much for being new on the job.
If she’d been here for five years already, he should remember her face. You did not work with a person for five years and still not know who they were. During his university years, there’s been a guy that rarely – if ever – spoke, yet he knew him by the end of their education, even if he hadn’t really spoken to him more than twice. Just being around someone for several years made them familiar.
He was too caught up in his own confusion to notice the woman zoning out. His eyes were focused on her, but he didn’t really see her until she spoke up again.
“However, I’ve only been in this particular department for the last seven months, around the time the virus broke out,”
Ah! That’s why he didn’t recognize her! The last seven months (Had it really been that long?) of his life seemed to have passed him by completely.
Ever since the virus broke out, he’d been too caught up in his own work to really notice anything or anyone. What little relief he felt at her mention of department transfers quickly faded when she mentioned the virus outbreak.
Great, just what he needed, another person to guilt-trip him and make him feel awful about himself. Like he wasn’t already feeling like crap, like he hadn’t felt like crap ever since the outbreak. Did people really need to rub it in all the goddamn time? How many times was he going to have to apologize and explain he hadn’t intended on screwing the world over like this, how many times would he have to promise to repent for what he’d done?

“Before that I researched…”
Wait… what? No passive-aggressive nonsense? That was a shocker, and it likely showed on David’s face as he unconsciously lifted an eyebrow and stared at her like she’d just lit a match underwater.
“Oh, but you don’t need to know my life story.” she laughed, and David merely continued to stare for a few more seconds before collecting his thoughts once more and straightening up.
He uncomfortably cleared his throat and gazed off in the distance for a while, “It’s uh… quite alright, miss.” The edge in his voice had mellowed out enough that he actually sounded somewhat sincere.
True, he didn’t care much for her life story, but it was infinitely better to have her rant on about her history than to have her badmouth him for his.
“My name is – Wait... Y-You’re the – ?!” her eyes shot open wide when she seemed to realize whom she was speaking too.
“Ah, there we go.” He muttered irritably as he crossed his arms, waiting for the accusations that were sure to come, and if not, she’d certainly be giving him a look that said more than a million sentences. “Always a wonderful way to start the day: People I have never met before knowing exactly who I am.” He hated that. So, so much.
“I-I mean, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”
“Alright miss, I’ve had barely three hours of sleep, I haven’t left my office in two weeks, and I haven’t had my coffee yet, so let’s just get it over with, shall we?” he uncrossed his arms and glared slightly, “Yes, I am the one responsible for the outbreak and the subsequent rising of the dead. Whether you hate me for it or not, I do not care. I do not care about your feelings regarding my actions in the past, nor in the present or future. So long as you do your job and not question me every step along the way, you are welcome to start a little hate group for all I care.”
Of course half of that was a lie – no one liked being hated or even disliked by so many people – but if he were to lie awake for even one hour every time someone thought badly of him, he might as well sell his bed, because there would never be any sleeping again.
“If you can’t work with me, I don’t care. Apparently you’ve been here for seven months without me noticing, so working separately has worked out just fine up until this point. So long as you do not work against me, there won’t be any problems.” He sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose when his vision began to swim for a split second. His blood pressure must be ridiculously high.
“Just one day,” he muttered, “Can I just get a break for one day?”

Now it was just a matter of time before the woman would make up an excuse about having to leave and hurry off. It’s what usually happened after his ‘I don’t care’ speech. A speech he had to give far too often for his tastes, though the last time had been a few months ago with a scientist who ended up actively sabotaging David’s work by questioning his motives every ten seconds. Only time would tell if this woman would turn out to be as much of a nuisance.

[Delilah Rose]

Delilah stared at the man with wide blue eyes, an alarmed look on her face. In a split second, his mood seemed to have plummeted even farther. Delilah watched as he crossed his arms, an irritated look coming over his face. She thought about interrupting him once, telling him what was on her mind, but she stopped herself. She had a bad habit of speaking her thoughts, being overly honest and often making things worse. She also didn’t think that he was in the mood to have his little speech interrupted. She could do nothing but stare at him and listen, wait for him to finish speaking. Had it been something she’d said? Oh, she hoped not. She didn’t like upsetting people. That was never a good feeling. Then again, maybe it hadn’t been anything she said at all. Maybe he had simply misread the surprise on her face for something else, or maybe he was just used to people starting the conversation with random accusations.

She imagined that he wasn’t the most well-liked person on the face of the Earth. Actually, he was probably the opposite. As she stood there, she couldn’t think of a single person who would have any positive feelings toward this man, the one who had supposedly created the virus that would end the world. She should probably hate him too, just like everyone else, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t hate anybody. Hate was a strong word, and it was an emotion that went against her nature. She wasn’t sure what she felt toward the doctor, but it wasn’t hate. Did it really matter who started this virus anyway? Wasn’t the important thing finding a cure?

Delilah realized she had zoned out again, and she quickly snapped her attention back to the man. He had finished speaking now and was pinching the bridge of his nose. “Just one day,” he muttered, “Can I just get a break for one day?” Delilah honestly had no idea how to respond. She opened her mouth once, as if to speak, but then quickly shut it again. She wanted to say something, but she didn’t want to make the doctor any angrier than he already was. It was one of those awkward silences, the kind that the only thing you’re able to do is stare at the person across from you in the vain hope that they might break it. Of course, no such thing happened. So, this left it up to Delilah to speak first.

“I, um, well...” The young scientist stumbled over her words, trying to put a sentence together properly. She kept her gaze directed down at her stack of papers for a moment, but then slowly lifted her eyes to look at the man in front of her. “To be honest, I wasn’t going to say any of that,” she offered hesitantly, giving him an awkward smile. She tried to choose her words carefully, so as not to somehow offend him, so he wouldn’t take anything the wrong way. He was tired, and she didn’t blame him. Judging by the dark circles under his eyes he was worse off when it came to his sleeping patterns than she was.

Delilah straightened up a little now, and when she next spoke her words came clearer. “I would be more than happy to work with you. It’s just, well, it seems that we were never properly introduced. If you want to know the truth, I was wondering if I’d ever get to meet you.” Her voice was serious, but it had a light tone to it, a friendly sound. What she said was true. There had been a few times when she had requested to speak with him, but her requests were always denied, the assistants saying he was too busy. “You know, I had started to question if you actually existed. I guess you do though!” Wait, why had she said that? She thought over her sentence again and mentally face-palmed. God, that made her sound stupid! “I mean…” She trailed off and then started again, “Oh, let me try this again!” An uneasy laugh followed her words, and Delilah took a step toward the man. She held out her hand. “My name’s Delilah,” she said with a smile. “Delilah Rose.” She kept her hand outstretched, unsure if he would accept her greeting or not. She was half-expecting him to just walk away, but then there was always the small chance he wouldn’t.

[/blockquote]

[David Hale]

“I, um, well...” the woman started hesitantly as she stared down at her papers, seemingly unsure of what to say. David merely nodded and was already waving her off – whatever her excuse was for leaving, he didn’t care – when he looked down and noticed she wasn’t even looking at him.
He rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling, ready to walk off at any second to go get that coffee. Maybe it would cheer him up.
It wasn’t like he had anything else to help lighten his mood; his office was a mess and just knowing that he’d either have to clean it himself, or leave it to someone who would no doubt mess up and put everything back on a spot where he couldn’t find it made him miserable. His assistants were good-for-nothing kids who thought they were on some sort of pleasure cruise (Heavily exaggerated, but whatever. He had a crappy night), he didn’t know whether his parents and his sister were still alive, and Stratos was still happily keeping the war going from his lazy chair, while David struggled to fix his own mess. No, he really had nothing good in his life aside from coffee.
And maybe it was this realization that made him grumpier than usual.

“To be honest, I wasn’t going to say any of that,”
When she said that, David abandoned the spot on the ceiling to look down at the young scientist.
He wasn’t sure whether he believed her or not. Lying came very naturally to some – himself included – and after she’d heard his frustrated speech, she might just be trying to make him seem like a villain for yelling at what she wanted him to believe was a very sweet and innocent young woman. Hah! Like no one had ever tried that one before! Guilt-tripping had no affect on him, and she’d just be wasting her time.
David shook his head and sighed. Truth of the matter was, that he really wasn’t sure of her intent. Maybe if he’d been a little more awake he would’ve been able to figure it out by now, maybe he would’ve even been able to stay polite rather than getting angry at the woman.
But he wasn’t awake, at least, not fully. And so he’d just have to hear her out and decide afterwards whether he believed her or not.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the woman straighten up, and it drew his attention back to her.
“I would be more than happy to work with you. It’s just, well, it seems that we were never properly introduced. If you want to know the truth, I was wondering if I’d ever get to meet you. You know, I had started to question if you actually existed. I guess you do though!”
“I guess I do.” He nodded before giving himself a weird look. Why was he going along with this foolishness again?
He felt a bit relieved that the woman was seemingly sincere about wanting to work with him, but that was no reason to stray from his usual stoic behavior. He didn’t want to give her the wrong impression, after all.
It wasn’t just the virus that made him unloved; his general personality put people off as well, and the few times he was actually friendly or joking were very rare and extremely far in-between. He did act a bit more lighthearted around his relatives, but he wasn’t being himself around them most of the time.

“I mean…” She trailed off and then started again, “Oh, let me try this again!” An uneasy laugh followed her words, and she took a step toward him with an extended hand.
“My name’s Delilah,” she said with a smile. “Delilah Rose.”
He stared at her hand for a second before hesitantly shaking it. He still wasn’t sure what to think of this woman – this Delilah – but at least she was polite enough to stick around and properly introduce herself. Which, now that he thought about it, annoyed him a little.
She was staying polite while he had forgotten his manners for a second, thus making him seem no better than the soldiers he often berated for acting like that. It wasn’t her fault though, she wasn’t responsible for other people’s behavior.
“Greetings, Miss Rose,” he spoke calmly now that he had gotten his frustrations off his chest, “I do apologize for acting like an ass,” he started with a sigh as he couldn’t be bothered to properly phrase his sentence, “It would seem you possess more social grace than I.”
He ran a hand through his already messy hair and straightened his glasses in an effort to look at least a little more presentable, but quickly gave up on his efforts.
It didn’t really matter what he looked like at this hour, half the people awake by now were still in a daze, and those that weren’t were too caught up in their own business to really care. Plus, the only reason he bothered was because his mother always lectured him about looking good, and seeing as she wasn’t around to nag right now…

“Jesus Christ,” he sighed irritably, though not at Delilah this time, “I need coffee, now.” He said to no one in particular as he checked his watch. Not even 7 am yet… was the cafeteria even open at this hour? It better be, or there would be hell to pay.
He was about to walk off when he remembered his manners and luckily managed to stop himself before taking even a single step away from Delilah.
He should probably offer for her to come along, shouldn’t he? Especially after the way he treated her, and seeing as they had worked together for more than half a year without even noticing each other, they had a lot to catch up on. Not in the sense that he wanted to know all about her social life and her kids and pets and whatever the hell she had, but because he had to analyze her.
He had to know what type of people he was working with so he knew how useful they would be to him and whether or not it was even worth it to ask their opinion in the future.

That decided it, “Miss Rose, you seem like you could use some coffee yourself, feel free to join me if you wish.” He noticed too late that he had implied she looked like crap for her to need coffee… oh well, she did look pretty tired. “I’m buying, allow me to make up for my behavior just now.” He managed to actually make a smile appear. ‘And while you’re having your free coffee, allow me to study you like a lab-rat.’ …that actually sounded pretty awful, even to him. Thank goodness it had only been a thought.

[Delilah Rose]

“Greetings, Miss Rose.”

Whew. She let out a quiet sigh of relief as the doctor shook her hand. He seemed hesitant about it, but the point was he didn’t simply ignore the gesture or walk away. Then again, if he did that he would look even ruder. Well, no wait, not that he looked rude. It was only natural, him being so tired and all. Or, was she giving him more credit than he deserved?

“I do apologize for acting like an ass. It would seem you possess more social grace than I.”

Delilah blinked. “What? Me?” she pointed to herself and laughed. Did she really? Maybe compared to him she did. But otherwise? Not so much. She always seemed to say the wrong things at the wrong time, stumble over her words, laugh at stuff that wasn’t funny. Sure, she was nice, but that wasn’t ‘social grace,’ it was just who she was. “Oh, and there is no need to apologize,” she added hurriedly. “I’ve met people a lot worse than you.” And did she mention that she had a problem with not filtering her words? Oh god. She had totally phrased that wrong! “No wait! That’s not what I meant. What I meant was you really didn't come off that bad, not for someone who has only gotten three hours of sleep.” She should just shut up now before she dug her hole any deeper.

“Jesus Christ. I need coffee, now.”

Delilah jumped a little. He sounded angry again, irritated with something. Probably her. She bit her lip, watching as he started to turn, as if he were going to walk off. Then, he did something surprising.

“Miss Rose, you seem like you could use some coffee yourself, feel free to join me if you wish. I’m buying, allow me to make up for my behavior just now.”

His offer caught her off guard. But only for a second. He wasn’t doing this to be friendly, no, he was doing this to be polite, because it was proper etiquette. Or, that’s what she thought anyway.

He smiled. It was fake. She smiled back. “Oh, you think?” she said, putting a hand to her face self-consciously. Oh great, she must look pretty awful. She remembered that she had yet to sleep, and inwardly cringed. Oh man. She knew some of her hair was falling down from her bun, but how bad did she really look? Maybe she had big bags under her eyes or her makeup had smeared down her face. That wouldn’t be good. She suddenly felt herself wishing for a mirror. Then again, maybe it would be better not to know. Besides, he had already seen her, it was too late. If she looked like crap, well, that would forever be his first impression of her. Oh well, nothing she could do now! “I have yet to sleep, so forgive me if I look a mess,” she mumbled in self defense, tucking a few strands of fallen hair behind her ear.

The woman hesitated for a moment, but then added in agreement, “Anyway, I suppose I could join you.” She wasn’t normally a coffee drinker, and actually she had been planning to head back home for a few hours to get some sleep. She guessed coffee would work just as well though. Well, that and she had been wanting to meet this doctor for a while now, and if she turned down the offer she wasn’t sure if she would get another chance. She was curious about him. She also couldn’t imagine that he got to have coffee with people that often…“Coffee is always a great way to start the day!” she added more cheerfully, singsong voice echoing through the hallway.

Delilah hurried after the doctor, high heels clicking on the floor as she went. A group of soldiers passed by, laughing amongst themselves. She watched them with a frown, an unusual expression for her to wear. Why were they laughing? What did they find so funny? War? War wasn’t funny. If she hated anyone in this world, it was them. As soon as she realized what she was thinking, she quickly cleared those thoughts from her mind and wiped the bitter expression off her face. She curled her lips back up into her usual smile. “I wonder if the cafeteria is open, she mused out loud, though it was unclear if she was talking to the doctor or herself. “Oh, it’s too early to be up…” She rubbed her eyes groggily.

[/blockquote]

[David Hale]

“What? Me?”
She laughed. She laughed? Did she not know how difficult it was for him to admit to being rude, and giving a semi-compliment in the same breath?
Before he could open his mouth to ask her what the hell was so funny, she spoke up again.
“Oh, and there is no need to apologize, I’ve met people a lot worse than you.”
“I see…” was it supposed to be an insult, or a compliment? David guessed he could interpret it either way. Oh well, however she’d intended it, it didn’t really matter.
“No wait! That’s not what I meant. What I meant was you really didn't come off that bad, not for someone who has only gotten three hours of sleep.”
He blinked a few times as she spoke, only hearing half her sentence as she blabbered on. What was it with people – women in particular – and their infinite desire to talk? Especially considering the time, but maybe she’d already gotten her coffee and was just overly hyper active now.
Great. That was just fantastic, a hyper active scientist. A hyper active soldier was dangerous, a hyper active scientist could blow up the entire building by messing around with the wrong chemicals.

Considering all this, it was likely a bad idea to invite her to get more coffee. But this was an opportunity he had to take if he wanted to poke her for answers, maybe she’d yap as much as she did now – perhaps more – and he’d have his answers before the soldiers started pouring in for their breakfast.
She smiled when he did, but for some reason, it didn’t seem real. Not that his had been real, so he really had no room to complain.
“Oh, you think?”
Ah, so that’s what was going on. She was self-conscious, just like any other woman would be after a remark like that. No, no… this wasn’t good, he couldn’t have her talking about her looks! What did he care about smeared make-up and bed hair? Even if she’d been walking down the hall with a completely shaved head and oversized, grease-stained shirt he wouldn’t have cared.
“I have yet to sleep, so forgive me if I look a mess,”
“Do not worry, Miss Rose.” He cut in before she could say more, “Even in your sleep-deprived state, you look fresher than half the women I encounter on a daily base.” There. Now she should feel better about herself.

“Coffee is always a great way to start the day!” David cringed slightly but kept it to himself. Why did she have to be so loud and cheerful already? The sun was barely up for heaven’s sakes.
“Indeed it is.” He answered her in a more down to earth voice, hoping she’d get the hint and stop yelling in his ear.
She was probably not even yelling, but at this point, anything above a whisper sounded overly loud, and he already had a headache.
This was going to be one ‘fantastic’ day!

As they passed by a group of soldiers, David couldn’t stop himself from sighing audibly. What in the world were they so cheerful about? Idiots, all of them. He’d yet to meet a soldier with more than half a brain cell.
“I wonder if the cafeteria is open,
David didn’t respond right away, opting to just keep walking and let the woman talk to herself for now. But after that amazing first impression he must’ve left, ignoring her was probably not the best of plans.
“Hm.” He responded shortly. It wasn’t a proper reply, but she knew he wasn’t in the best of moods, so she’d just have to accept it. Besides, he’d acknowledged her question, which was more than he usually did for people.
“Oh, it’s too early to be up…”
Turning his head away so she couldn’t see him properly, he planted his face into his palm. ”God give me strength.”
“How are you holding up back there, miss? Think you’ll make it to the cafeteria, or should I find someone to carry you there?”

((OOC: I'm so sorry for the late response! D:))

[Delilah Rose]

“Do not worry, Miss Rose. Even in your sleep-deprived state, you look fresher than half the women I encounter on a daily base.”

At first she was flattered. Hm. Maybe she really didn’t look that bad! No, wait. She knew that tone. Liar. He didn’t mean that at all, and she could tell. She wasn’t stupid. She just smiled at him though, holding the expression there politely. “Thank you,” she said simply. At least he tried? Or was it sarcasm…? A thoughtful expression passed over her face. Hm… she really couldn’t tell. Delilah lifted a hand and ran it through her blonde hair, pushing a few strands out of her face. Maybe that made it look a little better? She sighed. Probably not.

“How are you holding up back there, miss? Think you’ll make it to the cafeteria, or should I find someone to carry you there?”

Sarcasm. Obviously. She didn't miss it that time. Delilah gave him a look, raising an eyebrow, but then just shook her head. “Oh, don’t worry about me,” she said, waving her hand. “I’ll be fine.” She emphasized her words, purposely making them sound slightly overdramatic. She made a face at him behind his back, but luckily his head was turned away so he couldn’t see it. She hurried after him, quickening her pace. Ugh, it was so hard to walk in these high heels… Why did she even wear them again? Maybe she should just take them off… No, no, no. That would be weird. Very unprofessional. So, she just toughed it out. She could be at home right now, lying in her nice bed… but no, she was still here, and would probably be here all day now. Great. Oh well! It had been her choice, after all. She was the one who agreed to coffee. She didn’t regret it. She had been serious when she’d said she wanted to spend some time with the doctor. It would be good to know what kind of man she was working for!

The two of them walked in silence for a few moments. They turned a corner and Delilah could see the cafeteria at the end. She didn't miss the way the doctor face-palmed, resting his head in his hand. “You don’t really want to have coffee with me, do you?” she asked quietly before she could think her words over. It wasn’t really a question though. It was a statement. It was hard to tell if she was offended or not, but if she was she did a good job at hiding it, lips still formed into a smile. She wasn’t rude or anything either, and she took no action on her words, simply continuing to walk. Most people, once they had figured out that they were unwanted company, probably would have left. Delilah didn’t though. She had agreed to coffee, made a commitment, and so it was coffee she would have. Besides, what she had said earlier, about having known people ruder than him, it was true. Luckily, she was a patient person, and it took more than just a few unkind comments to get under her skin.

They arrived at the cafeteria at the end of the hall, and Delilah stepped forward to open the door. She pulled on the handle attempting to open it, but it didn’t budge. She pulled again. Uh oh. Either there was a ‘push open’ sign hanging around here somewhere, which would be terribly embarrassing, or the cafeteria wasn’t open yet. She wasn’t sure which would be worse. “Um…” If she was trying to open the door wrong that would be humiliating. She had already made enough of herself by falling over! But on the other hand, if the cafeteria was closed she had a feeling that the man next to her would not be happy, not at all. “Well, this could be a problem.” If it was locked she could always open it with her hairpins (yes she had done that before). That might look a little suspicious though.

(( No worries! It happens to all of us! ))

[/blockquote]

[David Hale]

“Oh, don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” She emphasized her words, purposely making them sound slightly overdramatic. Even though David’s mood wasn’t the best, he couldn’t help but smirk a little to himself. Someone countering his sarcasm with their own sarcasm was quite a refreshing change to the people who would either laugh stupidly at something that wasn’t intended to be funny, or would apologize profusely.
The rest of the trip, Delilah was surprisingly quiet, and David was most thankful for that. It really was in her own best interest not to talk to him too much before he’d had his coffee. Afterwards, he’d be a lot better company. …maybe.

“You don’t really want to have coffee with me, do you?” she suddenly asked quietly as they rounded a corner. Though David stopped for a moment to look at her, slightly taken aback by her sudden statement, she simply kept walking as though she hadn’t said anything at all. Had she even said anything? Maybe he was mistaken, after all, if she knew he really only invited her out of politeness, she would’ve looked at least slightly affected, wouldn’t she? Or perhaps she was purposely trying to look tough.
Women, they were an eternal mystery.
“Not exactly,” he sighed as now walked after her. Perhaps it was better to just be honest. Apparently this woman was intelligent enough to see through his subtleties, and perhaps they would both feel much better if it were clear what their intentions were. Maybe her intentions weren’t much different from his own, who knew?
“That is to say, you are partially correct in your assessment. I do wish to have coffee with you, but it is mostly out of a need to find out whether we will be able to work together or not.” He admitted as he fell in with her step, now walking right next to her, “And so I will have to know a few things about you, know where you stand on certain subjects, see at which points we see eye to eye. Surely you wish to know these things as well.”
He left out the part where he really didn’t care much about whether he got to know her on a personal level, feeling that might be a little too harsh. Even he wasn’t mean enough to purposely insult and possibly hurt someone, especially not a woman.

They arrived at the cafeteria at the end of the hall, and Delilah stepped forward to open the door. She pulled on the handle attempting to open it, but it didn’t budge. She pulled again. “Um…Well, this could be a problem.”
“Oh don’t even say it,” He let out a sad little laugh, “It’s closed, isn’t it? The cafeteria ladies are still sleeping.” It was a good thing their rooms were quite a distance away, or he totally would’ve strangled them for doing this to him.
He took a deep breath and leaned back against the door, seriously considering just shooting the lock off with his handgun. But perhaps that was a bit drastic. Besides, he didn’t want to pay to get the damn thing fixed again afterwards.
“Well then… Now what?” stepping away from the door, he scratched his chin thoughtfully. Perhaps he could try kicking the door open? There was always a risk of him failing though, and looking like a complete moron in front of Delilah. He wanted to say he didn’t care about that, but it would in all honesty be a lie. Even David had such a thing as man-pride, and if he failed in kicking the door open, that pride would forever be damaged.

[Delilah Rose]

“Not exactly,” the doctor admitted with a sigh. Hah! She knew it! Though, she was slightly surprised he had actually confessed. Most people probably would have done the polite thing and either ignored it or lied. Then again, she wasn’t sure if he was really that well-mannered of a person to begin with, so maybe it shouldn’t be that surprising. Oh well. She was kind of glad he didn’t do either of those things, because no matter what he told her, no matter what excuse he gave, she would still know the truth. Besides, no one liked a liar.

“That is to say, you are partially correct in your assessment. I do wish to have coffee with you, but it is mostly out of a need to find out whether we will be able to work together or not.”

The doctor proceeded to explain to her his true reasoning for wanting to have coffee with her, which she supposed made a lot more sense. She still knew that he didn’t want to do it though. He was only doing it for professional purposes, not to be friendly or anything.

Delilah glanced over at the man who was now beside her. Was this like an interview of some sort? Oh jeez, she really hated those. They always made her so nervous! She’d gone into this thinking she and the doctor were just going to have a cup of coffee and a small chat Rethinking it though, this made more sense. “Fair enough,” Delilah agreed after a moment’s hesitation. He did have a point. She was curious to see what he had to say, what he thought about this whole mess. Out of everyone, she imagined him to have the most interesting opinions. After all, he was the one who had started this disaster, so he’d probably have a thing or two to say about it. She’d be more than happy to listen, as that was something she was good at. She was, however, slightly nervous about what he would ask her. She hoped she could answer well enough. What if she messed up? No no. Positive thinking. She could do this!

“Oh don’t even say it.” There was despair in his voice as they arrived at the locked cafeteria door. “It’s closed, isn’t it? The cafeteria ladies are still sleeping.” Delilah thought it would be best not to answer that, instead giving a lopsided smile. “Well then… Now what?”

“Well, I could always pick the lock with a hairpin,” Delilah said, mostly as a joke, and gave a small laugh. Technically, she could do that. It wasn’t as if she’d never done it before. That probably wouldn’t do anything to help the great first impression she was leaving with this man though. She might look a little strange if she tried something as silly as breaking into the cafeteria. Oh, what to do, what to do… It wasn’t a tragedy to Delilah that the cafeteria was locked. They’d probably only have to wait another twenty minutes. However, when she looked over at the man beside her, she saw that he felt a little differently. The cafeteria being locked seemed like it was a life threatening event to him. Then again, in the mood he was in, maybe it was.

Delilah just stood there for a minute. She looked from the locked door, to the doctor, and then back to the door. She hated seeing people unhappy, especially if there was something she could do to help. So, with only a small hesitation, she reached back, removing one of the clips from her hair. A few blonde strands fell, cascading down over her shoulders, but most of it stayed in place. She bent down, peering at the lock on the door, examining it. Then she shoved the little gold hairpin into it, twisting it around. She moved it in different direction, left, right, up, down, and eventually there was a quiet clicking sound. It didn’t take her very long, the task only taking up the length of about thirty seconds, and within a minute she was pulling the door open as if this was a perfectly normal thing to do.

“Ta-da!” she exclaimed, and then quieted down, hearing another set of footsteps approaching. Probably the soldiers. “Well, hurry up,” she said, waving her hand, gesturing for the doctor to follow her. “You don’t want them to see.” And with that, just as the group of armed men started appearing in the hallway, the blonde woman disappeared into the room. She stood behind the door, propping it open. God, it was heavier than she’d thought! Why did people have to make doors so heavy?

[/blockquote]

[David Hale]

This was a disaster of gigantic magnitude. Of all the days they could pick, they just had to pick this day to sleep in. He guessed for most people, seven in the morning wasn’t exactly sleeping in, but for him it was! And at this moment, he just really didn’t care about the cafeteria staff getting their full eight hours of sleep. He just needed his goddamn coffee, and he needed it now, lest he be going on a killing spree soon. Nah, he really wasn’t that violent. He wouldn’t be a fun person to be around though, as Delilah could easily tell you after spending like ten minutes with him, or so he guessed. He himself wouldn’t enjoy his own company right now, and that was… pretty bad.
As he contemplated his options, Delilah came with a suggestion of her own.

“Well, I could always pick the lock with a hairpin,”
At first, David had the automatic thought of smacking the back of her head and telling her not to laugh and joke at his misery, but seeing as this wasn’t one of his good-for-nothing ‘assistants’, he really couldn’t do that. Besides, this was a woman. David didn’t hit women. …unless they were bigger than him and waving a gun in his face, probably.
“Well…” he answered her finally, matching the small laugh she’d produced a minute ago, “You have my blessing.”
Of course she was joking. Delilah looked like a decent woman, who wouldn’t possess such skills. She didn’t have the look of a hardened criminal, though picking locks really wasn’t that terrible compared to all the other crimes that were likely being committed right now in the city, with no authority around to stop people from doing whatever they pleased.
David frowned. There wouldn’t have been this much chaos if it was just the war going on, it was this terrible because of zombies popping up left and right. All because he had to… no, never mind. Playing the What If game didn’t get you anywhere.

He sighed as he turned back to Delilah, only to see her… bending forward? And… picking the lock?
His jaw almost dropped as he stared at her in utter shock. Was she actually doing it? Or was he hallucinating? It was possible, considering the few hours of sleep he’d gotten this week. But it seemed real. What the- And she seemed so decent! ”That’ll teach you not to judge a book by its cover.”
His mind barely even had enough time to register what was happening; within less than a minute, the lock clicked open and Delilah stood up straight again.
“Ta-da!” she exclaimed.
“How did you…?” he bent down by the lock and stared at it, how in the hell did she know what to do? If he were to try something like that, he’d either fail or completely ruin the lock trying to open it.
“Well, hurry up,” she said, waving her hand, gesturing for David to follow her. “You don’t want them to see.”
“Who?” David turned around just in time to see a group of soldiers appear, when he turned back, Delilah had apparently already entered the room.

David blinked, but followed her all the same. When the hell had this day become interesting? He felt pretty excited, sneaking into places he technically wasn’t supposed to be in.
Now he sort of understood why his friend from university always had such a big grin on his face after sneaking into his girlfriend’s house without being detected by her father.
It was weird to admit, but David actually found it fun. ”Oh God, what’s happening to me? Focus David! You have work to do.”
Quickly shutting the door behind them, David searched around for a light-switch. This would be so much easier if he didn’t suffer from the worst case of Nyctalopia ever documented. His eyes were pretty terrible in general though, so this really shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
“That was-“ he sounded way too cheerful, and so he quietly cut himself off with a cough. “…most clever, Miss Rose.” He mumbled in his professional voice. He really shouldn’t have though, for right after he’d said it, he tripped over a chair and tumbled face-first into a wall. He wasn’t terribly hurt… safe for his pride. Which was all but shattered at this point.

[Delilah Rose]

“How did you…?”

Delilah smiled proudly at her accomplishment, seeing the look of surprise and wonder on the doctor’s face as he bent down to examine the lock. The blonde just shrugged her shoulders innocently and slipped her hairpin into one of the pockets on the white lab coat she was still wearing. “That’s a secret,” she whispered, lifting a finger to her lips. It was fun to leave people guessing. The doctor didn’t look quite as aggravated as he had before, and that was a good thing. Delilah was unsure if he would approve of the action she had taken, but she was glad that he had. This meant that she had been, in an unlikely way, helpful, which always brightened her spirit. It meant that she wasn’t completely useless. It also meant that she wasn’t going to get yelled at, which was always a definite plus.

As the doctor stepped inside, Delilah pulled the door behind them. It sealed itself with a soft click. Then she looked around the room. It was dark, but luckily her eyes adjusted pretty fast, and she could soon make out shadows and shapes. The idea of stumbling around blindly sounded dangerous to her though, especially since she had already fallen over once today, and she began to wonder where the light switch was. Delilah’s thought process carried on like this for a few moments, and then another problem arose. Yes, they had managed to get inside the room, but now what? Where was the coffee? Hm…there was probably a back room for that or something. Man, it was too early for this! She should be in bed sleeping. But nope, instead she was breaking into cafeterias and thieving coffee, which usually had to be paid for. She supposed they could leave some cash on the counter…

“That was…most clever, Miss Rose.”

The doctor’s tone surprised Delilah, bringing her out of her thoughts. His voice rose in the beginning, almost happily, but then he coughed and it quickly returned to normal, becoming more monotone. She turned her head around to look at him, squinting her eyes, trying to see through the darkness. His face didn’t look quite as tense as before. But then again, it was dark, and who knows if she was seeing things correctly. The dark could play strange games with one’s mind. She was confused for a moment, trying to figure out what he was thinking. He’d sounded almost happy for a moment, before he’d covered it up with the awkward cough, like he found sneaking into this room to be a great thrill. She lifted an eyebrow quizzically, and then narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Hm? Oh. My lock-picking ability? Yes, it’s a great skill!” She winked as she said it, tying to add effect to overly emphasized words, but she doubted he could see her in the dim lighting. “I do try to be resourceful,” she added in a more serious tone. “Now we’ve just got to be quiet, otherwise someone might hear us, and then –”

Delilah’s voice was cut off by a loud clatter. She jumped, caught off guard by the sudden noise, and gave a small squeak of surprise. She looked around, lifting her head just in time to see the doctor go slamming into a wall. What on earth? Delilah burst out in a fit of giggles, forgetting just who she was laughing at. Her quiet laughter filled the room, and then she quickly clamped a hand over her mouth to stop it. No, laughing was not polite! She wasn’t trying to be rude. It was just funny! She couldn’t help it! What had he even tripped over anyway? “Looks like we’re both equally graceful today,” she said, a teasing smirk pulling at the corners of her lips. Good. Now she wasn’t the only klutzy one. Seeing the man fly into the wall made her feel slightly better about her own ungraceful move in the hallway.

He seemed to stay plastered to the wall for a little too long, and this made Delilah’s giggles stop. Her face took on a more concerned expression. “You’re not hurt, are you?” Delilah asked. She didn’t think he was injured. Then again, if he had landed the wrong way he could have broken his nose or something. He would have had to hit the wall pretty hard for that to happen though. But…oh god…she’d feel absolutely horrible for laughing if that had really happened! And it would be her fault too, for leading him into this dark room in the first place! She cringed, not wanting to even think about that. She didn’t imagine that the doctor would be very happy with her.

Delilah inched over to the doctor, nearly tripping over the fallen chair he had knocked over, but somehow managed to catch herself at the last minute. Whew. The light switch was right next to where he had face-planted, so she reached out and flicked the lights on. There was a quiet buzzing sound, and then the room was filled with the fluorescent glow of the ceiling lights. She blinked her eyes, having to adjust to the sudden brightness, and then turned her blue eyes in the doctor’s direction. “Now, if you’re all in one piece, are you still in the mood for coffee?” Maybe he knew where it was kept. He came here a lot, right? Especially for coffee! So if anyone knew where it was, it’d be him.

[/blockquote]

[David Hale]

Almost as soon as he hit the wall, David could hear Delilah giggling almost uncontrollably. He supposed that made sense, seeing people fall in ridiculous fashions could make anyone laugh, especially when it was a serious person who suddenly took a dive into a wall or floor.
At first, he just frowned over being laughed at and having made a fool of himself, but hearing the woman try to muffle her laugh somehow managed to bring an almost-laugh out of him, after which he mimicked Delilah’s actions and bit his tongue to silence himself.
Really, what else could he do in this situation but laugh? He could faintly imagine what it must’ve looked like when his face got intimate with a wall, and he could barely keep himself from laughing again.

“Looks like we’re both equally graceful today,” there was still the cheery tone in her voice, and David slowly rolled his eyes, leaning back into the wall to get his act together before he’d turn around. Laughing at yourself was fine, but he didn’t want to give Delilah the wrong impression. Laughing made people somehow seem nicer, more approachable.
For her sake, it was better if she thought of him as a jerk rather than a nice guy. He wasn’t a nice guy. He knew it, and anyone who had ever known him would confirm it; David could be a real ass without even trying. Sure, he had moments where he was laid-back and almost resembled a normal human being, but those moments were few and far inbetween, and they certainly weren’t common enough that he’d recommend people to get used to that side of his personality.

It took him a while to get back to his usual stoic self, too long, apparently, for Delilah was already making her way over and asking him whether he had hurt himself. It didn’t sound like sarcasm either, she sounded genuinely concerned. Good! Now that the situation had turned serious again, he found it easier to go back to his usual grumpy self.
“Just fine Miss Rose, I’ve survived worse.” He carefully brought his hand up to his nose to make sure that was actually the truth. His nose didn’t really hurt, and he couldn’t feel blood. Excellent.
He squinted his eyes in hopes of finally seeing where the heck he was going, but it didn’t seem his eyes had adjusted yet – if they ever would. Right then, no more randomly walking around for him.
But if he didn’t find the light switch and Delilah wouldn’t look for it, that would mean standing here in the dark like two slow in the head puppies. No, that simply wouldn’t do. Why break in if you’re going to wait for the cafeteria ladies to turn on the lights anyway?
He slowly reached out and tried to feel where he was going, when suddenly the lights flicked on, catching him completely off guard and causing him to almost trip over the exact same chair once again. This time though, he luckily managed to catch himself in time, and just stumbled a bit.
How he had managed to survive during his time as a medic still amazed him up to this day, they hadn’t always fought in broad daylight, after all.

“Now, if you’re all in one piece, are you still in the mood for coffee?”
“God, yes.” He sighed as he leaned down and set the chair back up before making a bee-line for the kitchen. He wasn’t 100% sure where they kept the coffee, but he’d find it. He wasn’t leaving this cafeteria until he had at least four small cups, or one mega-cup of hot, steaming coffee. And after that… hm… what would he do after that? He’d kind of gotten stuck on his work a few hours ago, so stuck in fact that he felt it necessary to distract his mind and simply wait for an epiphany. And besides work, what did he have? Nothing, really.
The door to the kitchen opened a lot easier, but much to his dismay, this room was dark as well. Though luckily the lights from the cafeteria made it possible to at least see a little. Ah, great! The light switch was right next to the entrance. With a pleasant smile, he turned on the lights before venturing inside.
“Hmm…” somehow, he’d never imagined this kitchen to be quite so… large. Lots of pots and cabinets – none of which were in any way labeled – and upon closer inspection, he could see several other holding places in more obscure locations underneath a pile of pans and such.

“Dammit,” He muttered as he began to carelessly rummage through a few cabinets, finding that the one thing he wanted was surprisingly well hidden. They’d done this on purpose, hadn’t they?
“Well played, lady.” He hissed as he closed yet another pot before remembering Delilah, he turned to face her and gave her a thoughtful look. She apparently had some neat ghetto skills like lock-picking, maybe she also had a knack for finding precious items in order to steal them. That would be fantastic! He could use some less than legal skills about now, if someone caught them, he’d just take the blame and then point whoever wanted to sue him (Were there even lawyers around during this war?) to Stratos. Stratos was mean and scary, if he gave you an angry look, you would shut up. It didn’t matter who you were, Stratos would shut you up without even opening his mouth. At least… that’s how he came across to him.
“So… have you found anything?” he asked his ‘partner in crime’. Hopefully she’d had more luck than he.

[Delilah Rose]

At first Delilah was scared that the doctor was going to get mad and yell at her. That wasn’t what happened though. Instead, he let out a muffled sound, which instantly made her eyes widen. Was that…a laugh? Delilah couldn’t really tell. It had sounded like a laugh, but it happened so fast she couldn’t be sure. When he turned around to look at her again, his face was back to being serious. He straightened up, and when he spoke next, his voice had returned to how it had been before his little fall. Stoic, all business.

“Just fine Miss Rose, I’ve survived worse.”

“Whew. Well that’s good to hear!” Delilah said. “I mean –” She was about to add more words onto her sentence, saying that he was lucky he hadn’t broken his nose or something, but as she started to speak, the man once again stumbled. He tripped a little, over the same chair as before, but this time he managed to catch himself rather than go flying into a wall. Delilah gave a small snort of laughter, quickly looking away from him. No! She needed to stop this behavior, otherwise he really might get mad at her! He hadn’t the first time, but things could always change. It’s just…it had almost been funnier this time because the lights were on and she could see everything perfectly. It would have been funnier if he had fallen into the wall again, but… Wait. No! It wasn’t that she wanted him to do another face plant into the wall. It was bad to laugh at another’s expense! Bad!

Delilah followed the doctor to the kitchen. “Be careful,” she whispered as he walked into the dark room, obviously teasing him. He pushed the door open and walked inside, and she peeked her head in behind him, looking around the dark room. It didn’t take long for him to find the lights, and seconds later more blinding lights were being turned on, illuminating the room, making everything visible. Delilah blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust. Her first thought when she was able to see the room properly was how messy it was. Well, maybe messy wasn’t the right word. Perhaps overly stocked fit better. All the items seemed to be in order, and there wasn’t any garbage lying around or anything. There was just…so much stuff! Cabinets lined all the walls, boxes rested on shelves, each having scribbled black handwriting on the front describing what was inside. Delilah glanced around, but she didn’t see any boxes that said ‘coffee,’ so that probably meant it was in one of the cabinets. Oh boy. This might take a while! She picked a cabinet and started sorting through the materials inside.

“So… have you found anything?” the doctor questioned after a few minutes of searching.

“Um…other than dried fruit and moldy bagels…nope,” Delilah mumbled, tossing a bag over her shoulder as she continued to rummage through the cabinet. Neither of those items sounded particularly pleasing to her, especially not the moldy bagels. Blegh! She knew there was a war going on, but still, the thought of eating decaying food was a little stomach-turning. “Oh wait…” As she continued to search the cabinet, her eyes travelled up to the top shelf. “Aha!” Way up high there was a box with the word ‘coffee’ on the front of it. “Jackpot!” Delilah pointed enthusiastically at the cabinet she had just opened. There was only one problem. It was on the highest shelf, well out of her reach. Why on earth would the cafeteria women keep it way up there? They were probably shorter than her! Strange. Maybe they just wanted to make sure no one would steal it like she and the doctor were about to do. “It’s kind of high up though,” she added with a frown.

What to do, what to do… Delilah didn’t think there were any ladders in here, and climbing up there would be completely unladylike. Especially since she was wearing a skirt and high heels. That would make it near impossible! Maybe the doctor would do it... He’s the one who wanted coffee after all! No, wait, that probably wasn’t a good idea either. He might fall and hurt himself or something, and then it would be all her fault. That would be horrible. Hm…this was just like when she was little and tried to steal cookies. They’d always been just out of her reach! She thought back to what she used to do when something like this happened, which was have the older children hoist her up on their shoulders. “Come here. Give me a boost,” she called quietly. “That is, unless you have a ladder. That would work too.” The last part was said mostly as a joke, as she highly doubted that the doctor would be able to magically produce a ladder.

[/blockquote]