Eva gets excited about strange things. It is early morning when Charon's awoken by the sound of old wood creaking outside his door. He is up in moments, leveling his shotgun for easy access and throwing the door open as violently as he can. Stealth can be useful but there's something to be said for startling an intruder who thinks they have the upper hand. He charges around the door just in time to see Eva racing down the stairs, bare feet near silent even in her hurry. She stops at the bottom, pressing her hand to her chest and gasping in air.
"Geez, Charon! You terrified me!" She gasps, leaning weakly against the cupboard behind her. She glances up towards him and chuckles faintly, sliding down the rough wood until she's seated on the floor. She's still holding her hand over her heart but she's smiling now, a bemused expression that's just a bit insulting. Charon bristles.
"What's so funny?" His voice has no inflection, he can't remember the last time any actual emotion has slipped in but it's clear she can tell he's annoyed.
"Nothing!" She waves her hands, trying to placate him and that frustrates him even further.
"I guess I forgot you were in there and then this giant figure comes barreling towards me" She snorts, rubbing the heel of her hand over her eye. "And my first instinct is to run even when I'm in my own house." She drops her head back against the wood. "Shows how jumpy this life has made me." A little bit of sadness creeps into her tone, bittersweet. Charon slowly lowers his gun.
"Where were you going?" He's suspicious, although it's a useless reaction. Even if she was up to something, what could he do?
Eva's pale eyes look even paler in the dawn light but they're practically shining when she answers.
"I'm going to watch the sunrise." She pulls herself to her feet, dusting off the faded sleeping clothes she's wearing. This paper pale creature already looks so fragile, seeing her in casual wear and bare feet makes her look even more so. Charon looks away, suddenly feeling as if he's seeing something he isn't meant to.
If she's uncomfortable as well, she doesn't show it. Instead she gestures for him, all sleepy eyes and too casual comfort.
"Join me. It's gorgeous."
Charon isn't certain if she's aware she's made a direct order but he feels it instantly. The overwhelming impulse to follow her as she makes her way out onto her little wooden porch builds in his gut until it twists. He trails after her, angry that such a pointless activity has been demanded of him.
He finds her facing towards the east, the palest bolts of orange just barely peeking over the horizon. The air is still cool and ever so slightly damp and he watches her chest rise and fall as she breathes it in. She catches his gaze and grins like a child sharing a secret.
"The air never smelled like this in the vault. It's recycled and filtered until everything smells empty, like dust if it were sterilized." She shrugs, turning back towards the view. "I don't really know how to explain it. That's the best way I ever found."
Pale pink has begun to creep into the sky and she sighs like she's lovesick. "It doesn't really make much sense, does it?"
Charon doesn't respond. Her reactions make logical sense considering her background but they still seem intimate, personal. He doesn't understand why she's sharing them with him. He doesn't like it.
"I never even knew it had a smell until I went back." That catches his attention but she doesn't notice his intrigued glance. The full bloom of colors is spilling into view now and she's rapt. Even her words are quieter, as if she's in a church, witnessing something sacred.
"I can't believe this happens every day." The morning glow has dyed her skin, coloring her whiteness in until she almost looks natural, a wastelander in full light instead of a cave dweller peering out of the shadows. Charon catches the faintest gleam of wetness in her eyes and he looks away. This is too intimate. She is showing a level of weakness he has never seen displayed so freely. Instead, he fixes his eyes on the horizon.
It is beautiful. The sky is nothing but pinks and oranges now, the pale blue of dawn nowhere to be seen. Small wisps of clouds are saturated with it, deepening the colors inside. Charon hasn't watched the sun rise in some time now. He has been near it but always busy, returning from nightly errands for Ahzrukhal. He settles back, leaning against the house in the familiar stance he has always taken when forced to wait in a particular spot for long periods of time. He watches the colors fade. Admittedly, the view from his stance hasn't been this pleasant in a long time.
Finally, the colors fade away, warmth starts to bake the moisture from the air and she turns towards him. It's clear she began crying when he turned his attention away. Her bloodshot eyes stand out against her skin in a decidedly ghoulish way. She sniffs and gives him a watery smile.
"I know it's strange but I love it out here." She scrubs at her eyes and Charon breaks eye contact although it's obvious his witnessing her display of emotions is bothering him far more then it's bothering her.
"After everything, I can't believe how lucky I am to see this every day." She turns back towards the door, pulling it open and waiting for Charon to step through. "You don't have to join me every time but I'm glad you did today." Eva steps towards the kitchen, pulling out two mugs and sprinkling a pinch of dried herbs into each one.
"It's nice not being alone."
Charon doesn't know what to say. It seems like that's starting to be a recurring trait with her. Each time he begins to think she might not be too difficult of an employer, she goes and says something like that. She's unnerving but he knows how to hold his own in unnerving situations so he shrugs, gruff but enough of an answer to satisfy an unreadable gaze and sits. He drinks the tea she brings him, herbal and bitter but without the satisfying jolt of caffeine coffee provides and stays quiet.
The following morning, when he hears quiet feet on creaking wood floors, he rolls away and returns to his sleep.