• into the airwaves

[elliot leilani donovan]

Elliot Donovan wasn't your average kind of girl. She didn't spend hours upon hours applying her make-up and fixing her hair, checking herself in the mirror at least six or seven times before deciding that she did, in fact, look decent and it was okay to step out in public. She didn't lie in bed at night, staring up at the ceiling and pondering the meaning of life or the day's events, only to realize that hours had passed without her knowledge and it was nearly morning. She didn't check her phone every five seconds to see if that guy had texted her back yet or spend quality hours daydreaming. No; in fact, Ellie spent most of her time thinking about booze, sex, and sports. One could even say that her mind functioned on a manly level, fueled by testosterone as opposed to estrogen - she would be inclined to protest and adamently disagree with a hearty "I'm plenty girly!" And in a way she was, just not to the extent that other girls her age were. It's probably one of the main reasons that Ellie found herself more comfortable in the presence of guys; they didn't mind the fact that she didn't always do her hair or throw away all of her money on designer clothes, opting to settle for the equally fashionable - yet significantly less expensive - stores like Forever 21 or Urban Outfitters. Guys made her feel relaxed and at ease, whereas most girls just made her uncomfortable and on edge, the need to impress and measure up to them eating away at her like a hungry parasite. There were a handful of girls that she got along well with, Izzy and Kay being the top two, and they were pretty much the only girls she could absolutely stand, even on a bad day. Izzy was her go-to girl when she was in the mood to party - which lately seemed more often than not - and Kay was the girl she could just kick back with and gossip to, considering she was by far more relaxed than both Ellie and Izzy combined. Ellie would even go as far as to say that Izzy, while wonderful and absolutely hilarious, was a bit of a bad influence on her. It wasn't until recently that she had found the courage to flirt with guys, let alone practically invite herself over to their homes after stumbling upon their screen name in a random online chat. She and Izzy would hit the clubs, drinking their souls away until they could barely function anymore, and once in a while she would find herself stumbling into a cab attached to the arm of some guy that she may or may not see again, but it wouldn't matter because she couldn't remember his name anyway. That didn't stop her from feeling completely ashamed of herself once she had sobered up, but a few days later the cycle would continue. In high school, Ellie was the kind of girl who looked down on the people who partied as hard as she did now. She couldn't see the appeal in getting shitfaced on a regular basis, dealing with constant hangovers and sleeping with the most attractive man of the night. It all just seemed...trivial. It was unclear when her perspective had changed on all of that, or who had helped to introduce her into the nightlife scene, but it had happened. She had officially broken out of the shell that she once so willingly lived in; she was still unsure if that was a good thing or not.

Either way, her new-found courage is exactly what led her to hop into the leather seats of her shiny little Chevy, on a haphazard mission to meet the boy that she had met a little over twenty minutes ago. Somehow, their innocent chat had resulted in her actually volunteering to swing by his place and 'take care of him'. A few months ago, El probably wouldn't have even entered the chat at all due to the fact that the guy was, in fact, a complete stranger. She would have been too paranoid to strike up a conversation with him, despite the sympathy she may have felt for his illness. Clearly times had changed, and Elliot was actually kind of glad that she had enough balls to reply to his message. Talan seemed nice enough, and for the short couple of minutes that they had chatted, she had been thoroughly entertained. He was sweet and friendly, and even through instant messenger she could sense his adorable awkwardness. He was exactly the kind of guy that Ellie liked to surround herself with, because while he still had a bit of a suave edge, he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. Perhaps that was why she had so willingly offered her services and put in the effort to de-beautify herself - as odd as that sounds. But she really had done exactly what she had said she would, exchanging her jeans for sweat pants and nice blouse for an over-sized hoodie. She had scrubbed her make-up off and tugged on a pair of sneakers, all the while making sure that her hair looked decent. It was such a strange thing for her to do, but if Talan was sick and casual, then there was really no reason for her to not be casual as well. Before leaving her house, she had taken a few moments to ponder whether she should bring him something to make him feel better - soup, milk, chocolates, whatever - and then realized how terribly cheesy that all was, considering she only just met him.

Ellie took a moment to stare over at the front door of Talans building after parking, reminding herself of how insane this all really was before climbing out of her Chevy. True to form, he was the only Talan in the building, so it wasn't difficult to figure out which button to push to buzz in. There was another loud buzzing sound as the door unlocked and she made her way inside, repeating his apartment number over and over in her head until she found it. Not wanting to barge in unannounced, she raised her fist to knock, awkwardly scratching the back of her neck as she waited for Talan to answer. The old Ellie began to resurface, doubt swirling in the pit of her stomach - but new Ellie forced it down, reminding herself that this was no big deal, and he didn't seem like a creep so there was nothing to worry about. Her posture relaxed, hands dropping to her sides and all of the doubt washed away as the door opened, revealing one of the most adorable guys she had ever laid eyes on. "Nice hair," she teased, a soft smile gracing her lips.

TAGGED: SOMA/TALAN