Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Oct 9, 2011 23:13:03 GMT
Thanks to the last few years Elle knew all too well that Chris' job wasn't the glamorised version in films and television; it was dangerous, life-threatening at times, and mostly under-appreciated in her opinion. On the other had she had also been a victim of violent crime, she had seen her attacker get away despite the best efforts of the police officers charged with upholding the law. Rosy endings didn't happen all the time, not everything was connected, tied up with neat little ribbons. Sometimes horrible things happened and that was all there was to it, no one could stop it, no one could bring those responsible to justice, everyone simply had to try and move on.
"I don't know, just thoughts. If you like this colour or that one. You know different people react to colours and space differently. It's challenging to come up with a colour scheme for a hotel that hasn't already been done to death and that people will actually like." She grinned at him. "Besides I often think that a layman's opinion is one of the most valuable any project can have." She nudged him with her elbow. "No offence."
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Oct 9, 2011 23:35:26 GMT
Chris opted to laugh at that, shaking his head. "None taken," he assured her, continuing to turn his fork around in his hand as he turned his gaze towards the view beyond the absent wall. It was only when you saw it from angles like this that the city was truly beautiful, he realised. Down on the ground, in the thick of it all, day in and day out, there was very little beyond the weather that was pleasant, and even then some people hated all the sunshine and heat. There was some attractive architecture, certainly, but Chris saw the ugly face of the city so often, the one most people tried to ignore, that it had become somewhat tainted.
If Elle could improve on that even a little, then he was only too happy to encourage her. It was because of people like her that cities didn't lose all their charm, after all. "I guess I can do that much," he said after a stretch of silence in which he had considered the view at length. "Don't expect any miracles, though. You've seen my apartment." To say that Chris Tyler's apartment was poorly decorated and furnished would have been an understatement.
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Oct 10, 2011 0:05:58 GMT
It certainly helped Elle to look past all of the awful things that happened in the city, all of the terrible things that had happened to her personally within the limits of Los Angeles; she really did see the beauty int he place, the way the sunrise and sunset with the warm pink-granite, the gloss of the high-rise buildings downtown and the eloquent charm of the villa apartments. It was a patch-work quilt of stolen architectural styles all coming together to make something rather special.
"Ooh, you're right," Élodie was looking out of the wall when she spoke in a mock-serious voice, though there was no disguising the crinkles of laughter lines around her eyes. "On second thought maybe I don't need any input after all..."
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Oct 10, 2011 0:55:42 GMT
If anyone was going to be able to see everything that was beautiful in a city as dangerous and hectic as Los Angeles, it was those like Elle. They had an eye for it that others did not, they could see all the things that others were blind to. Chris wondered what it was he was missing exactly. The city was the same to the both of them, but Elle saw something he had somehow managed to overlook altogether. Maybe one day he would ask her what it was, he would get her to explain it to him, but not tonight.
"Hey," Chris grumbled, albeit good-naturedly, his crooked smile ruining the façade. "It's not that bad." It was just plain, unimaginative and somewhat cold. Chris simply didn't spend enough time in his apartment to have personalised it properly and make it a home. He wondered when exactly Elle would take it upon herself to offer to decorate, and just how much say he would have in the matter when that time came.
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Apr 7, 2012 22:38:13 GMT
"Not that bad for a cop, is that what you mean?" Elle was smiling, her eye brows raised in scepticism. She tipped her head to the side slightly, looking at him from under the brim of her hard hat. "You do know that's not saying a lot, right?"
Eventually she probably would just offer to paint the place for him, or at least give him some suggestions to make it stop looking so... well, she didn't want to say sad, but there truly was something sad to her about an un-personalised space, a house or apartment that was left as it was when the owners or tenants moved in. Buildings were just bricks and mortar, walls and floors and fixtures, but a home held memories and provided comfort and security; it was not a place to simply occupy, to exist in, it was a place to live. "How much time do you even spend there, you must get bored of looking at magnolia walls."
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Apr 7, 2012 23:03:30 GMT
In all honesty, Chris didn't spend nearly enough time in his apartment to care about how it looked. At the very least it wasn't messy, he kept it tidy and he knew where everything was; it was very plain though, and he could understand how that might seem sad to someone like Elle, someone who spent so much of her time making places look and feel welcoming and comfortable. Maybe one day he would hand over the reins and let her make the place more hospitable, or at least less bland, but for the time being he was content with it the way it was. If nothing else, he was used to it by now.
"Not nearly as much as I should, probably," he confessed, taking his gaze from hers and casting it out across the view laid out before them. "You know how I am." Despite the fact that Elle hadn't known him as long as those like Mark, Kevin, or Ray, she had come to understand him very quickly, he felt. To some that might have been unnerving, and in any other circumstance Chris might have been one of those people, but he trusted Elle deeply, and with her it was reassuring. It was good to know there was someone out there who could read him so well. "I don't take a lot of time for myself." His gaze came back to her. "We have that in common."
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Apr 7, 2012 23:35:09 GMT
Elle gave his arm a light shove with her shoulder, shaking her head and looking through the wall again. "Don't you start with that," she chided softly. "I take time for myself, more than you do anyway. I bet you'd sleep at the station if you could."
Plenty of people gave her a pretty hard time about working as hard as she did but they didn't really seem to understand why she needed and wanted to work, what it was that motivated her to create, to push herself as much as she did. It wasn't really any one, single thing that drove her but more an accumulation of life experiences, her father's faith and pride, her brush with death, there was so much that made her wary of wasting what time she had.
"Anyway," she turned to looked at him. "I'm taking time for myself right now, aren't I?"
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Apr 7, 2012 23:49:35 GMT
That was true enough, that she took more time for herself than he did, but that could be said about most people. Chris sacrificed a great deal of what should be his free time in order to pursue leads and tidy up loose ends with whatever case he might be working on at any given moment, but he didn't regret it. That might not make sense to a lot of people, how someone whose work was so unpleasant -- which he readily admitted -- poured so much of himself into his chosen field, but to Chris that was simply how it should be. There was no alternative in his mind. People like Donnelly didn't stop when they did, and the only way he would stop was if they finished him off, and on top of that he was one of god knew how many drug lords in the city, not to mention the country. It was grim work, and never-ending.
"I don't know about sleeping there," Chris said with a faint trace of a smile and a half-hearted one-shouldered shrug. Just like that, however, he was moving on with the conversation much as Elle was. "We both are." He brightened as well, his smile more obvious; hopefully it would be clear to Elle that he was glad he'd accepted her invitation this evening, despite his earlier reservations. "Be honest though," he began, his eyes narrowing a fraction and his voice taking on a subtly teasing tone, "did you bring me here just to show this place off, or is there a part of you, no matter how small, that wanted to check up on things?"
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Apr 8, 2012 0:02:24 GMT
Elle made a face at his words, hunching her shoulders lightly as though caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Maybe I wanted to check up on it again," she admitted. "I did want you to see it but I can't really accuse you of spending all your time at work when I would probably move in to this mess given half a chance." She was serious too, it wouldn't take much to get her on site permanently in all honesty, but that sort of thing was impractical and improper.
After a moment she put the take out box she'd been holding down, fork and all, and moved closer to the 'window' -- the hole in the wall -- though still at a safe distance. "After everything this old building makes me feel hopeful, I guess. I like being here that's all." It made her feel strangely safe in a way, this burnt out carcass.
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Apr 8, 2012 0:13:26 GMT
Chris might have laughed at that, her confession about sleeping in a site like this one, if he hadn't been worried about inadvertently offending her. Instead he watched her as she set the box down and moved closer to that hole in the wall, his hands finding their way into his pockets before he found himself moving closer to join her. "It's a big project," he said, taking a moment to glance around as he did so, "and a big responsibility. It's understandable that you've grown attached to it. I know you love your job."
Really it wasn't a job for Elle so much as it was a calling, and Chris understood that. He felt that way about his own career, though with a good deal less enjoyment and greater risk of a negative outcome when all was said and done. While her job wasn't without its risks -- they were in an abandoned, condemned building after all -- she didn't have people shooting at her or otherwise seeking revenge for past actions; Chris didn't envy her though, really he was glad people like Elle didn't have to go through it. That was why people like him did what they did. "I'm glad we came."
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Apr 8, 2012 21:31:15 GMT
It was a big project, true and it was a big responsibility too if only in terms of investment let alone the historical value of the building and the impact it would have on its surroundings during and after renovation. Élodie would have had to have been mad not to be at least a little anxious about it but it was a risk and she had known that jumping into this thing but at the same time she had known it was a risk worth taking. She believed in this place, in what it could be and what it could bring to the neighbourhood.
At the so-called window she turned her head to look at him, the light of the bay lit a patch of the ceiling here in subtly shifting tones of gold and red and contrasting blue. "That's a relief," Elle said, smiling at him and sighing gently. "It was good of you to let me drag you all the way out here."
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Apr 8, 2012 21:40:52 GMT
Chris had no doubt that Elle could restore this old building to its former glory, and go beyond that; she could bring something that no one else was capable of, he was confident of that, and personally he couldn't wait to see what the end result would be. He didn't doubt that she would keep him up to date on the progress, and as she had already stated, she might just ask for his opinion on things. He still wasn't sure what help he could be, but he understood why she would want to ask him, someone outside of the business, an outsider, and so he would do what he could as things progressed.
Chris smiled at that, inclining his head just slightly. "Don't mention it." It wasn't like she was putting him out at all, he was happy to come here and take a look at her current project -- one of them, at least; she worked on many different things at once, he knew -- and he was honestly interested. He couldn't return the favour, and honestly he wouldn't want to, but he genuinely did want to know what she was working on. More than anything, he liked the way she lit up when she talked about her work. "You love this place already," he said with quiet fondness, "don't you?"
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Apr 8, 2012 22:01:57 GMT
In a way the hotel project would probably end up being something of a refuge from her regular work if it wasn't that already. Elle wanted to work, she enjoyed being busy to the point that it became difficult to separate that from her recreation time and the hotel would be a good meeting point of both; she could come here on her off days and walk the hallways, touch up plans and check in the with teams she would bring in to do the heavy lifting, so to speak. It would be hard work, it would probably make her want to tear her hair out some days but for the most part it would be a sanctum.
Elle laughed a little sheepishly at his question and wrapped an arm around herself. "It was love at first sight," she told him sincerely.
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Chris
Human
LAPD Sergeant: Narcotics
And I won't let you drown when the water's pulling you in; I'll keep fighting, I'll keep fighting.
Posts: 407
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Post by Chris on Apr 8, 2012 22:11:52 GMT
He envied her for that, her ability to find a way to relax and work at the same time. Chris would never have that. He wasn't bitter about it, of course he wasn't, he had chosen his path and had no intention of walking away now, when there was still so much to be done, but it was impossible for him to find any real joy in what he did. Elle was lucky. He was happy for her though, if anyone deserved that sort of luck, it was the woman with whom he was standing right now.
For a time, all Chris could do was look at her, the way she wrapped her arm around herself like that, almost as if she wasn't sure about admitting something like what she just had; she had nothing to worry about, of course, Chris wasn't going to judge her, not when he admired her so much, for so many reasons. When he smiled, he hoped she saw that admiration, how much he respected what she had chosen to do with her life, and not just with her work either. This was a woman who had been through so much and come out so strong and so determined. How could he do anything other than respect her? How could anyone? "I didn't realise you were such a romantic."
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Elle
Human
Architect, Author & Presenter
Suddenly my eyes are open, everything comes into focus.
Posts: 119
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Post by Elle on Apr 9, 2012 20:20:59 GMT
"Well, I was born in Paris." Elle joked softly. It was less that and more her father's influence though. While her mother was the full-blooded Parisian her father had been the one with the idealistic notions. Yvette could be cold, hard and unyielding; she had a pragmatic, realistic streak that bordered on cruel and sometimes tipped over that border into full-blown evil in Elle's own words but her father had been the exact opposite. The banker with a heart of gold, who let his little girl want to be whatever she wanted to be without telling her that she couldn't do it or that she should aim lower or at something more 'achievable'. Yvette had made her daughter go to ballet classes, Yvette had made her sit for photos and go to teas and parties and all the things that Elle had not been all that interested in as a child, dressed in frilly pink dresses and stockings and shiny shoes.
Owen, though. Her father had taken her sight-seeing and told her stories, historical stories, he had given Elle her first set of sketching pencils and he always put her drawings on the wall of his office. Elle missed him painfully and as she looked out of the hotel into Los Angeles she felt a pang of that absence. Perhaps this hotel was as much for her father as it was for her.
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