2007-06-04: What's In The Box!?!

Starring:

Benjamin_icon.gif

Guest Starring: Eileen (Thanks Sero for NPCing!)

Summary: One encounter to another.. the ex-wife rears her ugly head. Benji grows a pair, and says a dirty word. The world is ending.

Date It Happened: June 4th, 2007

What's In The Box!?!


Winters Apartment

After having finished the crazy talk that was a conversation with Felicity down on the street, Benjamin hustled his way on into the apartment building. Currently, he's standing at his door, briefcase in one hand, the other is busy fussing around in his jacket pocket for the keys to the door. There's no shortage of crazy in New York, so he doesn't dwell too much on the encounter downstairs.

The sounds of trouble begin to stir. At first, the only sign is a distant hustle and bustle parking lot of Benjamin's building: a car, one which has already pulled in, having its door slammed; keys jingling. Nothing unusual there. Next… the footsteps. /The/ footsteps. Click. Click. CLICKCLICKCLICK. They are insistent, and assuredly on a mission.

But the real trouble starts after a slightly high-pitched voice pipes up behind Benjamin. "Good to know you're still living at the same dump." Nothing in the voice suggests that its owner is, in fact, impressed that the man still lives here. Not that it's a horrible building. The apartments are just too small - too small for her, that is, the woman who stands behind Mr. Winters, her arms crossing but barely creasing the charcoal grey suit jacket she wears (with matching pants; neither are very interesting). Blonde, her hair is styled in old-fashioned curls, which is about the most vibrant thing about her, save for her red lipstick. Small blue eyes have long since perfected their apathetic glare. "Hello Benjamin."

Benjamin mutters just a little at the door once he has his keys out. He's gonna have to politely ask the Super later to see why the door is taking to sticking lately.. or rather please fix, don't wanna know why. The rapid clicking of heels against the sidewalk should be like a warning bell, but he thinks nothing of it. "Huh? I.. Eileen!" At the commentary about him living in a dump, he whirls around, drops his keys and stares. ".. Hi.. uh.. you got the alimony check.. right?"

Eileen looks down at the keys, but her eyes roll back up to Benjamin instead of helping him out. "This isn't about the alimony," she replies with a dismissive wave of her hand. "You have something that's mine. A box. It's not valuable, I just want it." So let her in already, why don't you? She glances down pointedly at the keys and raises an eyebrow.

Benjamin uhms, and drops down to swipe up the keys. "Oh.. good.. cause I was kinda worried that it was a little late this month.. Uh, a box?" He could have sworn she took everything, and he let her. Willingly. "Alright, sorry." Yup, good old doormat Benji huh? He fusses with the keys, this time out of nerves, then unlocks the door, gesturing for Eileen to go in first. Boy, he's gonna have to call Dr. Eames after this one isn't he?

"It was. But I just said. This isn't about the alimony." God, keep up, Benji. The woman whisks past her poor doormat of an ex-husband into the apartment building, heading straight for the elevator. When she pushes the button to go up, she hits it about seven times in rapid succession. "I thought I got everything-" Probably more than she really needed to. "-but then I remembered, I didn't have anywhere else to store it, so I put it in one of /your/ boxes You know, where you keep all of your…" Here, she looks over her shoulder and gets a faintly pained and sick expression. "…paraphernalia?"

"Yes.. of course.. you're right.." Benjamin kinda flattens himself against the door as Eileen bustles past. How did he manage to wed this woman?? "Pressing the button more times won't make the elevator come any faster," is mumbled as he walks over to wait for the elevator. "My what?" Gosh, she makes it sound like he has a drug or kinky sex habit.

The woman just narrows her eyes ever-so-slightly when Benjamin makes the comment about the elevator - and then proceeds to look triumphant when the doors open. She steps inside. Hurry up before the door closes, Benji, she's not holding the 'open' button for you. "You know," she says again, scrunching up her nose. "All of that… junk." The way she says it, it's obvious that she thinks it's just as bad as a drug or kinky sex habit. "From that stupid show you always used to watch. You don't still watch that, do you? Is it still on?"

Benjamin gets onto the elevator after Eileen, "Oh that box.. We can look and see if it's in there." Unless Rose went snooping, which is possible.. oh cheezewhiz. Rose. This is gonna be delightful! Not. "Yes, it's still on and yes I still watch it." There's actually.. a little bite there to his response. Someone's actually feeling a little testy here!

"Hmf," is all Eileen says in response, but it's full of disapproval all the same. Never mind what horrors the apartment will bring /yet/. They still have an elevator ride to get through. Eileen, for her part, stands in her corner and holds her purse strap in front of her with both hands, looking up at the ceiling. When it finally (honestly, it wasn't that long) goes *ding!* to let them off, she's the first to leave.

Benjamin can play this game too. He stands there in the elevator, maintaining his distance, and keeping silent. About to flee the enclosed space before Eileen, he again flattens himself to the wall as she pushes past. Some things don't change. How.. nice. Sighing, he steps out into the hall and makes his way towards his door. Wordlessly, he unlocks the door, this time trying to enter first. Okay, the apartment has looked worse since Rose moved in.. but it definitely looks like someone else lives there. Y'know, little things like sheet music, clothes.. typical teen mess.

Eileen does let Benjamin enter his apartment first. After all, she doesn't have keys. Or does she? Best not to dwell. In her typical fashion, she looks around critically at everything as she walks in. She takes the scenic route, so to speak, strolling around and eyeing everything new. A faint look of surprise finds its way onto her face… then snowballs until she's straight-up shocked. It's Benjamin - there usually /isn't/ anything new. /Ever./ "Did you take up music? Is is that show putting ideas into your head?" She picks up a page of sheet music from the coffee table. Gape. "…N-nine Inch Nails?" Then her eyes fall on a random sweater that looks several too sizes small for Benjamin and is definitely a girl's. She quirks a brow. "O-kaaay. Nice to see you've hit your midlife crisis."

Benjamin coughs some.. and shuts the door after Eileen enters. The briefcase is set aside and he shrugs off his suit jacket. "I've always liked music.. but that's not mine." He sets his keys aside in their usual spot just inside the door. "Maybe I have, but that's not the result. Those belong to my daughter." And is that a self satisfied smirk briefly on his face as he passes Eileen on his way into the kitchen? Why yes, yes that is.

"…"

Benjamin's ex-wife /stares/ at him with the incredulity of a hundred thousand suns. If suns were incredulous and on her side, that is. She's still holding the sheet music up in the air. She just /gapes/ to the point where her head forgets to hold itself up, falls, and bobs back up. "Ckkkpffffrrrrrrsh!" is approximately the noise Eileen makes when she scoffs loudly and starts to laugh. "Your what?! Since WHEN did you have a daughter? I know *I* didn't give you one! I think I'd remember!"

Benjamin is silent, standing there in the kitchen. Having himself a glass of water, smiling a little to himself as his ex-wife sputters, then is making fun of him. Yeah, he can feel the disbelief and scorn. That has him feeling a little annoyed, partly at himself, then at his ex-wife. He's let himself become a doormat, where people don't expect human behavior out of him. It's.. it's just how he is. So after a few drinks of water, he sets his glass down with a clink. Arms folded across his chest, he steps out of the tiny and cramped kitchen.. then finds a small portion of his spine. "You weren't and aren't the only woman I've been with. Y'know." Okay, so he found a little bit of the spine, but it's not reflecting in his voice. "There was a woman before you, Elizabeth. In college. I didn't know we had a daughter together until back in January when she turned up, looking for me."

This explanation is garners a small silence in Benjamin's ex-wife, in which she stares, gaping, at the man some more. This time it's short-lived, however, as she clamps her mouth shut, tosses the sheet music onto a chair and folds her arms stiffly. "Well, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Which doesn't make it any less true! Obviously, Eileen is having a hard time swallowing this revelation. Blink-blink-blink. "You? With a /child/?" Never mind that she was the one that absolutely didn't want kids. "Well, I'm glad she showed up now instead of, you know, when we were still married."

"What's so ridiculous? It's true, we had a DNA test to prove it." Benjamin's words are flat, almost daring Eileen to continue the denial. "If she comes home while you're here, you'll see how much like my mother she is." Which.. should be proof enough. The Winters women are terrifying. "What's that supposed to mean? If she had of? She would have been welcomed." And that.. would have been something ol' Ben would have had to put his foot down about. "You never wanted kids, I did, and I would have let her stay. I went along with what you wanted on everything."

Eileen plants her hands on her hips (uh oh) and stares incredulously at Benjamin from the living room. What's /almost/ more surprising than the fact that he has a daughter is the fact that he's growing a spine (however small it is). "Well, it wouldn't have changed anything, then! Instead of divorcing you for— for being mind-numbingly boring," she flails a hand around as she says this, you know, for emphasis, "It would have been because I couldn't put up with living in the same air as someone anyone /remotely/ like your /mother/!" The woman swirls around in the direction of the bedrooms, Benjamin's specifically. "If I go in here, will I find any other revelations, or are you finished?"

Benjamin actually moves to block Eileen's progress, "Y'know what, fine. That would have been fine. Cause I've had lots of time to think since our marriage fell apart.. and.. I'm better off without you. You never appreciated me. I did so much for you, I never cheated on you." Then.. addressing the last bit. "This is no longer your apartment." Wow. Inside, he's kinda shaking, but .. he's doing what good ol' Eames suggested! "Whatever else there is that's changed since /you/ left.. it's not really your business." So collapsing and having a strong drink or two when the Witch of the West leaves. "And.. mom may be mom, but don't you talk about her like that under my roof. I'm sure she's got a few things to say to you that she was too polite to say during our marriage." With that, he turns and heads towards /his/ room. YES. HIS. No longer HERS. And makes for the closet where that box should be.

Eileen, blocked, comes to an abrupt halt and blinks at Benjamin. Benjamin who is … telling her off? "…/uh!/" she scoffs indignantly, her eyes widening. How dare he-! He! When did he get so ballsy?! He's supposed to be woefully unhappy and even more boring without her. The world is upside-down! "Th- you-" She heaves a fast and angry sigh, folding her arms tighter. "I just want my stuff. Go get my stuff."

"What does that box look like? ANything in particular I should look for and why did you wait so long to come and get it?" Just to make Benjamin miserable? Opening the closet, Ben kneels down and since everything's so damn neat and tidy in his corner of the apartment, there's no trouble finding the main box in question.. where.. one of.. Angie's black gothtastic bustier bra things is resting. Which only makes him sit back and wonder just how long she's going to be gone. There, another woman who pretty much grabbed him by the you-know-whats and took charge. At least she wasn't a bitch though.

"It's a box. You know? Cardboard? Pretty sure it says EILEEN on it. It's just odds and ends. Some books. I forgot it existed until the other day, okay?" Eileen doesn't move from the doorway, you have to give her that. Maybe she's still in shock. In fact, that's most likely the case as she tries not to stare incredulously at Benjamin, glancing to various corners of the tidy room in an effort to avoid looking at him altogether. That is, until she catches /lace/ out of the corner of her eye. She's— she's going to throw up a little in her mouth. On top of that, she shoots a 'you've got to be kidding me' glower at her ex-husband. "You are unbelievable."

Benjamin folds up Angie's left behind clothing article, and sets it aside before pulling out the box. "It's my girlfriend's." Whom he doesn't mention has been away on a Company mission and might not come back. "Don't make me put you to sleep," just to have her shut up, "But that might mean you staying longer than I like." Oh snap. Someone's getting cranky! Opening the box of /his/ things, he sifts through the TV Guides, entertainment magazines, all of them having one thing in common. American Idol. There's also a first edition Kelly Clarkson CD, still shrinkwrapped.. looking.. looking.. man there's a lot of stuff in here. Oh wait, look, another box. Which does have Eileen's name on it. He gladly pulls it out so that it's no longer contaminating his things, then hands it over towards the ex.

"Ha ha." There are, clearly, words on the tip of Eileen's tongue. No doubt, they are acidic, and might just have to do with that piece of underclothes. But remarkably, she shuts up, just eyeing Benjamin with displeasure. She strides just far enough into the room to snatch the box and steps back. "Fine, Benjamin. Enjoy your exciiiiting life." That is sarcasm, for those of you keeping track at home. The ex turns to walk - no, /stomp/, without very much grace - for the door.

There is some sense of satisfaction… watching Eileen stomp away mad like this. Although, truth be told, Benjamin's just relieved to see her go. For a change. Aaand.. since he can.. even if it's an abuse of ability.. he focuses a little on Eileen's retreating self as he gets up from the floor. "Yeah.. I think I will enjoy it. Thanks."

Eileen has her hand on the door to leave when she half-turns with a comeback. Of.. sorts. However, she's struck with an overwhelming urge to yawn. She covers her gaping mouth her arm blinking drowsily at Benjamin. "You… you— ugh! I've been seeing Jim from Lowells & Cameron Accounting! Since March! So you can just… so you… so—" She trails off with an incoherent, sleepy mumble and just wanders out into the hall, forgetting to close (or even slam) the door behind her.

Benjamin sort of smirks there at the yawn. Okay, he kinda feels bad for the abuse there. But this encouter.. kinda y'know.. kinda makes him..realize.. "Does he know what a bitch you are?" *GASP*SHOCK* He waits a few moments before heading on into the living room to shut, and lock, the door.

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