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Evva sips into her steaming mug of cocoa carefully, curious eyes taking in the whole of her surroundings. Not that there is much to observe, really - the apartment, though not exactly a studio, still falls more on the small side, to the point that she can basically see the whole place from her spot on the stool by the kitchen. Which to be fair, is still an enormous improvement from any previous place she's stayed at in the last couple of months. And if to that one added the heavy rain that kept falling over the city since the night before, let's just say she would've taken even a porch or a big enough cardboard box - this is a luxury already.
Taking another sip from her beverage, she tugs at the sleeves of the borrowed dark blue hoodie she's currently enveloped in, an attempt to keep herself warm. Although she knows it's virtually impossible for her to get sick in any way, that does not mean she doesn't feel the cold or is comfortable with the dampness. Besides, the clothes are rather big on her, and it feels actually somewhat soothing, comforting. It makes her think of warm and cosy beds, and of--
"Hey there." The quiet yet cheerful voice snaps her back to reality, making her grip on the mug tighten for a second as she turns around.
The expression on her face must not be the friendliest one, if the way the guy stops in his tracks is anything to go by; she hates it. Taking a deep breath, Evva forces herself to loosen up her muscles, and even try to muster up a smile. It's probably not very convincing, because he doesn't get closer, but it's a start.
"Hi. Sorry, I... I didn't hear door." Somehow, that seems to be the right thing to say, or at least enough to make his shoulders drop and his lips to twitch.
"I can be quite stealthy." Slowly, he takes a couple of steps towards her, being open enough in his movements as if he were approaching a wounded animal. It doesn't necessarily bother her, but she definitely feels rather bad about it. "Sorry, I probably should've announced myself, I just--"
"What? No," she shakes her head, willing her smile to turn wider. "It's your house, you-... You shouldn't have to do any of that."
"Not an obligation." He finally takes a seat, still keeping a respectable distance from her - which is appreciated, even if she fidgets a little under his gaze. "How are you feeling?"
"Alright. Thank you." Though rather shy, Evva does her best to look at him and smile, small yet thankful. She's quick to raise the mug and take another sip at its content. "You were right - cocoa helped." He grins.
"Told ya." Swiftly, he gets up and moves to the counter to pick up another mug. "When I was little it was the only thing that would help me calm down after a pretty bad nightmare." Green eyes follow him as he fetches milk and, she guesses, more cocoa powder. "Even now, really. Though it's also a good excuse to have chocolate at odd hours." This time, her smile is a bit less forced.
"Sounds like that was reason all along." He chuckles.
"Won't confirm nor deny." Once the cup starts showing the pleasing white steam, the guy (Dick, she reminds herself) moves back to sit down again, this time just a bit closer. It's not much, really, but she still can't help but tense up, suddenly feeling in an interrogation room. He must have sensed it somehow, for his lips immediately press tightly together and he deviates his gaze; she sighs.
"You did background check on me?" It was to be expected, after all - isn't that kind of what all police officers do, first thing they encounter a random stranger with no papers or IDs on them? She couldn't blame him, as much as it scared her.
"Not really." Her head jerks up, eyes widening for a second. "I figured it'd be better to hear that from you - whenever you are ready to tell me about it."
She won't go ahead and say this is the first person to ever respect her privacy, to a degree; after all, Evva had come across many people who'd rather just stand by without asking any questions at all, some who just couldn't even be bothered to get involved. But for someone who actually seemed to... Somehow care, someone who'd actually been willing to help her (even when she insisted she didn't need it)? He was definitely being too respectful. Too nice, too decent. It makes a small lump in her throat.
"It's alright," he says, softly, and once again there's that reassuring smile on his face. It doesn't do much for her right now, but she can see how this could definitely be helpful for victims at the precinct. "I'm not gonna force you to say anything--"
"But things will be easier if I tell you, yes?" Her expression is rather tired, defeated. She's no less grateful for everything, of course, it's just--
"Or maybe not." She blinks a couple of times, surprised; he doesn't seem to share the sentiment. "Maybe things will be a hell lot more complicated, I don't know. But I'll try and do my best to help you, Evva. I promise."
For a second or two, she merely looks at him, cautious. He seems honest enough, sure, and there's a part of her that really wants to trust him, to believe him. But she's got no proof that he's telling the truth, that he isn't luring her to a false sense of security. He could very well just be trying to get her to lower her guard to easily snatch her away to be experimented on or locked away, or whatever it is they do to weird people like her. But at the same time she's so tired. And he's a police officer, too, so shouldn't that account for something? Because he could be a crooked officer, sure, she'd seen many of those, but none of them had made her hot cocoa and offer to put mini marshmallows in it cause that's how one of his brothers had it, nor had they ever lent her their clothes and offered her a place to stay. And yes, he could still turn out to be a terrible person, but... Maybe she could just not think about it for tonight?
She blinks herself back to reality and he's still got that soothing expression on his face while offering her a tissue. It's only then she notices she's sniffling.
"You got my word." She kind of feels she probably missed a part of what he's said, but doesn't think it's too fair to ask. Instead, she attempts a smile and reaches out for the extended tissue.
"Thank you." It's a small whisper, but he still hears it and smiles at her. He's either a really good actor or a damn good person. "I'll just wait till my clothes--"
"Nonsense. You can stay as much as you want to; I'm not even around much, really," Dick comments, waving his hand dismissively. "So it might actually work in my favour too."
Evva lowers her head, light brown hair shielding her face as her gaze fixes on the way her feet dangle just above the floor. She's definitely not used to this, and her stomach tightens anxiously as a reminder.
"Thank you," she repeats in the end, just a bit louder this time around. Or she figures that is the case, because his beam is also wider.
"You look a bit exhausted. Come on, you can have my bed tonight."