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[cagedlamb]

The longer Elizabeth was in the city, the more she longed to make her life there as normal as possible. She filled her days with things to do, certainly, but she knew there was more to it than that. The responsibility Booker put on his shoulders for the two of them was something he shrugged off for the most part, but it wasn't lost on Elizabeth how much he carried. Never one to sit back, she decided that things were going to change.

Picking up an application at the library had been easy. Trying to navigate the town's schooling system to get information on programs was not. She at least got information on the nursing program - something she'd been interested in studying seriously, honestly - and ways to pay to get into it. All of it she would do alone - she knew she could if she planned properly, she could manage. She knew a lot of people in the city managed.

It didn't mean she wanted to go forward with it all without talking to Booker first. Armed with information all together in her bag, she unlocked the door to their apartment and stepped in.

"Booker?" she called out. From her understanding, he was supposed to be at the apartment still.

Comments

[cagedlamb]

"That's fine," Elizabeth said. It would be something else she needed to juggle now, but she was willing to do it. Keeping busy was so much better than the alternative. She had a feeling being idle so much was part of the problem. "Did you get any supplies yet? I can take a trip to the pet store later."

She'd passed by more than once, though never stopped in for the very reason she was faced with right now - she could never say no to such a beautiful creature, and seeing them caged would've made her want to take them all home.

[wipeawaythedebt]

"They gave me a... starter kit of some kind. There's some food and I picked up some things yesterday before I picked him up. It's all stashed in my bedroom." Running his hand through his hair he realizes he probably looks like a kid that got caught sneaking a look at his presents. "I was kinda hoping to have it all set up out here before you got back, but you surprised me."

[cagedlamb]

Elizabeth was always aware of this side of Booker, but it was nice to see it in action. There was a kindness underneath the gruff exterior he usually put forward. Even how he regarded the dog right now showed it.

"I actually came home early to make sure I caught you," she said, idly petting behind the dog's ears. She'd have to see what toys he had gotten the dog to give to him soon to expend some of the energy he clearly had pent up, and walk him after she talked to Booker. "If you have a little time to talk before you have to go out. It's nothing bad, I promise."

[wipeawaythedebt]

That's always a great sign. He remembers those kinds of conversations back when he was married and his wife would have this smile, kinda like the one Elizabeth has now...

Wincing, he pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering where this headache is coming from.

"Sure kid, I've got a few minutes, what's on your mind?" Sinking into his chair, he tries to play off the sudden pain with a smile. Why is still happening? It's not like they're jumping through tears anymore. "I'm not meeting my new client until later."

[cagedlamb]

Elizabeth had't even noticed the wince, too busy gently shooing Oliver away from her bag as she picked it up. He was eager to chew on things, it seemed, and she made a mental note to go see if there were toys among his initial things for him to play with once they were done talking. For the moment, she let him sniff around the apartment, knowing there wasn't really anything for him to get into that could be too badly damaged.

"I've been thinking about how hard you work for the two of us lately," she said as she sat down on the couch across from the seat he'd sat down in. She gently put the "I spent today deciding how I wanted to start contributing. I've been talking to someone who is in the nursing program at the school here, and she's offered to help me find out how best to pay for that."

Which sounded an awful lot like she was asking for money. Before he interjected, she wanted to make something clear.

"I'm not asking for the money from you. There's an opening in the library I was thinking of applying for. It and the aid I know this school gives to students should be enough to get me started in the fall," she continued as she took out some of the brochures for the school she'd been given when she visited and put it on the coffee table between them. "No one asks many questions here, and the ones they do I can come up with something. It's not like there's any way to check. I think this would be good for both of us."

[wipeawaythedebt]

"You really wanna go to some school?" He's never really been around women that were that... smart, but he guesses that for a kid that was practically raised in a library, it was a logical step. Not really sure how he's going to feel about her being around all those people without him to keep an eye on her.

[cagedlamb]

"I don't want to spend all my time here doing nothing," she admitted. For all the years she was locked away, she was never idle. Never idle. The second she was idle she knew it would've driven her mad. She knew it would drive her to madness here, too. "The opportunity is there for me to help and do something worthwhile I'd like to do that. It's an opportunity I don't know if I have anywhere else but here."

Maybe they were would be hunted here one day, too. But for now, everyone simply knew her as a normal girl, misplaced from her home like so many others she'd met. She didn't even know if she could've had that even if they did somehow get off Columbia in any normal way. And maybe if she could start helping the injured here, maybe one day she could feel like she made amends for what she'd done to Daisy - a guilt she knew she'd always hold, no matter how justified the action had been at the time.

"So yes, I'd like to go," she asserted, in case her answer to his question wasn't very clear by how she just answered. It'd mean a lot to her.

[wipeawaythedebt]

Running an hand through his hair, he scratches his scalp. He knows in his gut that he can't keep her locked up any more than Comstock had a right to. But at the same time, he's... reluctant to let her wander too much. He's worried about her. He can't help it. He's seen her fight, seen her kill, and he's seen her soar. He doesn't want to see her crash.

"Yeah, okay, then. And I find a way to help you pay, we'll figure it out. No sense getting into debt, that's a bad road to go down."

[cagedlamb]

Elizabeth wanted to protest the idea of him putting his own money into this, but she knew it'd fall on deaf ears. She didn't know why he kept helping her, even when she really wasn't his responsibility any longer. Maybe it was the same reason she never thought twice about moving out, despite knowing there was an apartment out there just for her. It just never was an option.

"Okay. I'll put my job application in tomorrow and we'll see what happens from there," she decided. If she did it right, he wouldn't need to contribute much at all. They'd both win then. Oliver had wandered back over to them, and she grinned. "When was the last time you took him out?"

She didn't know much about puppies, but she was pretty sure they didn't last long when it came to going to the bathroom.

[wipeawaythedebt]

"Right before I brought him up here, so maybe an hour? He's got a little bed and a leash with his other things, I'll get 'em for you." Standing up, he retreats to the bedroom, letting a heavy breath escape when he's alone. That went a lot better than the thought it was going to.

Aside from the school and job thing. He doesn't know how he feels about that. Part of him's mad that he can't make enough to give her everything she wants and needs, part of him gets it. She's new in the world, she's got a right to be her own woman. Pinching the bridge of his nose to relieve the growing ache in his head, he has to fight through his own thoughts. She's not his kid, he's got no right or obligation, but here he is.