his eyes dart down to take in the red coloring her skin, just enough of a BURN to surely hurt, as evident by her startled intake of breath, and yet she makes no move to wipe it away, clutch at the injury, or ease the pain even a little. this reaction ( or strange LACK of one ) coupled with her unusual statements gives him pause, a new sense of wariness filling him that has nothing to do with the lingering presence of the police. there’s something off about her, something otherwordly about her.
then she grabs hold of him, and everything in him tenses. it’s all he can do to prevent his own reflexes from breaking her arm and shoving her away from himself in self-defense. his fingers do wrap around her wrist, squeeze just slightly, the very beginning of a threat she likely isn’t even aware of. he WANTED her to invite him to have a seat with her, but now he’s second-guessing his choice of a hostage, already disliking her unpredictability ––– then she says FIRE, and for just a second, he stops breathing.
“ what do you –– ” grant begins, voice louder and sharper than it should ever be in public, so he cuts himself off, stares hard at this woman before slowly easing himself into the chair across from her. sparing the cops a glance ––– and to his relief, finding that they’re already on their way out with coffee in hand ––– he then stiffly grabs a napkin, reaches out, presses it against her reddened skin to absorb whatever searing liquid still remains. more evenly, he says, “ what are you talking about? what do you mean, you SAW fire? ”
otherworldly. the word hits him again, and he considers the possible truth of it with sudden INTEREST, gaze flicking up to catch hers. maybe she isn’t normal, maybe she’s gifted along the same lines as thor or even altered like coulson. or maybe she’s just CRAZY. whatever the case, he finds himself leaning forward, toward her, expectant. hopeful. “ who are you? ” and more importantly, does she know who he is?
she’s struck a nerve, OBVIOUSLY, by his change in tone, immediately. so it’s PAST, then, is it? easy enough to figure out. she was more observant than the doctor had ever expected her to be, more CLEVER than he had meant to make her. she assumed that was why he had wanted to keep her close. it was so EASY for her to disappear, when given free time. she could use those limited resources and make them into a method of escape. of course, THAT didn’t seem to matter so much here, where he was nowhere to be found, where she could hide in plain sight.
regardless, she turned the vision over and OVER in her head, trying to make some SENSE of what it could possibly have to do with this man. he didn’t look particularly dangerous. but then--- sally wasn’t sure if she was the most fit to judge, considering she lived in a town full of NIGHTMARES. and though his grip on her wrist is firm, he’s taking care of the BURN on her skin. she feels relieved IMMEDIATELY, now that the tea is no longer on her arm. strange, she thinks. what a strange feeling. her fingers reach to touch the tender skin, dark eyes not focused on the man across from her.
“ i don’t have a good way to explain. “ she starts, practically deflating as she realizes that he is NOT in danger. in fact, he may be the danger. it is not her concern, in any case. she’s more worried about the absolute, unbearable loneliness that she’s faced ever since she had arrived. she felt like she was going stir-crazy, going MAD. sally had seen danger, she was not so much intimidated by whatever motives this man may have. in any case, it would be much better to keep someone like him CLOSE. at least until she could find jack or SCRY or something. “ fire. a house was on fire and you were there. that is all i know, regretfully. “
she slid her fingers over his palm gently, not flinching away when he TENSED. “ it’s like a photograph. an IMAGE. and it only happens sometimes. when i can glimpse into someone’s PAST. but as you can see, THIS time, i have made contact and nothing is happening. “ it was like the energy was RECHARGING, like it had decided not to continue it’s prying view into the lives of others. “ it is quite EXHAUSTING being a vessel for all of this energy, in all honesty. “ her fingers drew away from his hands, a deep sigh starting in her chest as she thought of a way to EXPLAIN. “ my name is sally. i am NEW here. what is your name, sir? “
