For the first time Lena found herself shopping, well browsing was probably a better word. She wasn't exactly sure what foodstuffs she needed or whether she even remembered how to cook. Scrambled eggs and take-out would only get her so far. The kind old lady on the floor below her had left her a lasagna as a welcome to the block sort of thing and while she clearly couldn't see or hear very well, Lena had to admit the woman could cook, cook like only a woman in her eighties after raising half a dozen children could. The landlord on the other hand hadn't been as welcoming the only interaction they'd had was when he'd handed her the keys, told her the rent was due on the first of each month and then made a show of looking at the glowing device on her chest and throwing her a scornful look before turning on his heel and marching off.
Tosser
Her accelerator was uncomfortable under the dark hoodie she was now wearing, she'd covered the core with a black plastic wrap so the glow would only be visible if you looked hard enough, aside from apparently misshapen breasts she blended in well enough. Eggs, milk, bread and sugar were the first essentials she picked up, along with a thin book titled '20 fast dinner ideas' and with a scan through it decided on making chicken curry. Basic kitchen utensils later she found herself in a cafe nursing a hot cup of tea, stereotypes be damned. It took her a moment being lost in thought before she realized she was staring at the waitress who'd been busy clearing away the table from the couple that had just left until she looked up and made eye contact with some gawking stranger. Her eyes immediately dropped back to the cup burning her palms with a mumbled apology, distracting herself by shoveling heaped spoonfuls of sugar into her drink.
"You're new round here aren't you?"
A quick glance up to be sure the question was directed at her -even though she was the only person left- and she mumbled her vague answer 'sort of' before lifting the now slightly too sweet tea to her lips and taking a sip.
"I came here a couple' times when I lived in the area a few years ago, moved back this week." She was a pretty young thing, long well-kempt chestnut hair, glasses and a little on the chunky side. She had a confident air about her and a hint of an accent that suggested she was from further north.
"Must've been before I started working here then, I'm good at remembering faces. So what brings you back?" Lena thought carefully about answering, she probably shouldn't mention that she was assisting a top secret military project that backfired and royally fucked her.
"Changes in my career plans." She decided on finally, it wasn't a lie after all. As if sensing the touchy subject the waitress offered a warm smile and a nod.
"I see, came here myself looking to set up shop in the big city. Didn't know just how bloody expensive it'd be to live close to London. Decided to fall back a little bit until I saved up enough." Ambitious.
"Oh yeah? What kind of shop?" Lena asked with genuine interest, thankful for the change of focus.
"A cake shop." The brunette replied as she gathered the tray of pots and headed back for the kitchen. "Try some on the menu sometime, I make them fresh every morning."
Huh.
The trip back was uneventful, stopping only to pet a somewhat mangy mottled brown cat that was more interested in the bag of food she was carrying. Leaving the cat a strip of raw chicken, it was safe for them right? Lena wasn't sure, having no experience in looking after any living thing but herself. Unless you counted the countless plants that she'd managed to kill over the years, as a joke one of her friends from flight school had gifted her a small cactus in a pot and told her that even she couldn't kill it as it only needed watering once every few weeks and feeding once a year. Said cactus was currently sitting on the windowsill in her bedroom, alive as far as she could tell.
By the time her curry was cooking it was dark, her fingers were sore and her eyes still stinging from cutting the onions it was only when the brunette set about clearing the mess she'd managed to make that looked a mess more suited for preparing a feast for a dozen people rather than a simple curry for herself. It was only when she dumped various utensils in the sink to 'soak' that she realized she still had the tray that had held the lasagna from the night before. The fifteen minutes she had until her food was done was more than enough to nip downstairs and return it, after scrubbing it clean of course. After carefully locking the door behind her Lena made her way to the lower floor, careful on the rusted steps more so for the noise complaint than her well being. Blinds snapped shut as she neared the old womans number as if someone had been watching through the narrow slats and quickly closed them as she passed to avoid being noticed. Whatever, she didn't know much about the woman who lived next to the older one aside from the vague assumption she'd be the classic 'crazy cat lady' if the building allowed pets. Which it didn't.
Lena knocked a few times on the flaking maroon door of the old ladies apartment and waited. After a minute or so passed which the brunette thought was ample for an elderly lady to make it to the front door, maybe she hadn't heard? Lights off, what time did old people sleep? Should she come back another time? Leave it by the door? She was turning to leave when she caught the sound of breaking glass from within and a nagging worry ran through the back of her mind. She should probably check on the old woman, could have fallen or something, that was something old people did all the time right?
The door Lena found, was unlocked but only able to be opened a few inches before the chain caught and could move no further. The light were also off, had the lady gone to bed already? With a curse she set about looking for another way in, the crash had come from deep in the flat so maybe if she went around the back she could at least look in and perhaps see what was going on.
Shit. The glass breaking hadn't been a vase or some other item from within like she'd thought, it had been the window in the back that someone or something had smashed in to what appeared to be the bathroom. On one hand Lena could return to her flat and call the police but that would mean leaving the woman alone with a potential invader, on the other she could follow suit and enter best case scenario she gives the woman a little fright, worse case she finds the woman dead in her bed. Deciding to go with the latter the lithe young woman hops through the shattered pane, cringing as her feet land loudly on glass.
The layout wasn't dissimilar to the floor above so with the gentle glow of the accelerator beneath her hoodie she stepped slowly to what she could assume to be the bedroom. Perhaps a dark hoodie wasn't her best clothing of choice for this scenario. She froze when her eyes had gotten used to the dark enough to make out a silhouette of a figure much too big to be the hunched elderly resident in front of the bedroom door, apparently having been just about to open it before it noticed her as she had them.
What limited combat training she did have kicked in as she assumed a defensive stance. She was at a clear disadvantage, a glow on her chest and no weapons while her opponent was but a shadow in the dark and armed with who knows what. However, she had something like superpowers, while out of practice she had speed and one rewind to recover damage she took. The figure took a long swing, longer than necessary for a punch and it only became clear why when she raised an arm to block the blow to her head when something round and solid connected with her forearm and rang a metallic sound. A pipe or possibly a metal bat came again this time to her gut, knocking the wind from her lungs. She hunched over with an oof before dropping to the side to avoid a third blow coming down for her head. From her level it wasn't hard to knock his feet out from under him with a swipe of her leg, the figure came down hard with a grunt. She used the moment of stun to press the weapon to the floor with all her might, keeping it secure and making the man let go as his fingers were crushed beneath. His free hand however came across and something sharp came at her face, too late to move away as she felt the flesh up to her eye open in the wake of a blade. It came away at the bridge of her nose and she cupped both hands over her eye in a scream that shook her body.
Rewind a voice that sounded her own reminded her. With a flash the sight in her right eye returned and the wet that had been the blood running down her face retreated as the skin sealed itself she blinked backwards toward the kitchen and clumsily fumbled around for anything of use. The man was on his feet again and charging for her, apparently unconcerned with the racket the two of them were making. Her hand closed around something cold and hard and brought it around with an almighty clang as she blocked the brunt of the blow with a frying pan. Bless this womans cooking pastime. She recovered first and blinked behind the figure, slamming the pan across the back of his head. He went down but wasn't out, she took the opportunity sit on his back and wrap an arm tightly around his neck he went limp soon after, either passing out or suffocating, Lena couldn't bring herself to care, the guy had in another timeline taken her eye without hesitation. The rise and fall confirmed he was still living and she stood to flick on the lights and opened the bedroom door. The bed was empty. What. She looked back to the main room and half to her horror and half to her amusement saw the top of a head full of white curls, the woman had fallen asleep in an armchair watching tv. Or so she hoped, the scream she'd let out was far from quiet. But upon flicking on the lights above her a confused grumble and the woman sat forward to turn in her direction, taking in the scene.
"Goodness!" Was all that came out as she looked from Lena to the incapacitated figure meters away and back to Lena.
Bloody hell you slept through that?
A/N: Sorry for the delay, hope this longer and action-y scene makes up for it. Playing Overwatch and drawing a thing for this story (see my profile!) and such kept me busy, along with my birthday. I'll leave my tumblr on my profile if anyone is interested in seeing stuff other than writing from me. As always thanks for reading and your patience, leave a comment with stuff you might like to see in the future or just let me know how I'm doing.
