The ride to Elliot's apartment was a rather short one. Ayda's incoherent daze took her quite close to the building. She was literally just a few streets away. Elliot probably wouldn't be ready upon her arrival. She could drive around for a bit and give him time to prepare, but surprising him like this was much funnier. A laugh would do her some good, given everything that happened.

A cold chill ran through her body. In great contrast it was, to the relatively mild night outside. Texas certainly experienced low temperatures at times, but the air swirled far from frigid. Ayda physically shivered, taking a deep breath against the ice in her veins. There was no reason to be cold. No matter how many times the teenager told herself this, she just couldn't warm up.

She knew the cause, of course. It happened the first time she broke a bone, when Jackie died... and when she murdered Eight, her first ever kill. Shock chilled her young bones. The realization came as sort of a disappointment. She'd been through so much in just the past year. Why did this effect her so profoundly? She was alive and well, moving forward as always. Her life wasn't over.

Except it was. She'd grown quite used to the lap of luxury in her short five years since coming to America. She wasn't proud of that fact, but it was the honest truth. How could she go on without money? She had to at least put gas in her motorcycle. And what if another leather jacket got ruined? The jacket, glasses, and boots were all a part of her look. Without her standard uniform, would criminals even take her seriously? She could do exactly nothing without money.

As Ayda rode through the mostly vacant streets, passing by partially ruined buildings in various states of disrepair, she could almost feel the doors in her life shutting. Now, plenty of high school students skated by on little to no income, but that had never been her. She didn't know where to start, how to conduct herself without money. She didn't want to ask for charity like so many other kids. The last thing she wanted was to pass the burden of her own living expenses onto someone else.

She knew Elliot's complex was pretty close, but Ayda still felt surprised when she turned onto the correct street. Heavy fog still persevered within her brain. She thought her senses mostly returned, but obviously not. Focus was hard to come by. She shook the cobwebs from her cranium while pulling into the parking lot, something she'd done countless times before. She had to recover her wits, sooner rather than later. The girl switched off the motorcycle, dismounted it, and walked inside the building.

The moment Ayda crossed the precipice into the lobby, she stopped in her tracks. A wave of warmth washed over her. It had nothing to do with the building. This lobby, a dark little room with a staircase and nothing else, was always a little cold, even on the hottest days. No, this warmth was a mental thing.

The brimming tension in her muscles released all at once. The clouds in her head mostly cleared, although unclear remnants remained. All that paranoia, the stress over the future, vanished. This building, she'd been here so many times in the past. It was like a secret hideout, a place where only those on the inside were permitted entrance. This place was like a second house for her, somewhere she could live without hiding her true self. In that way it was even more like home than the mansion, since Elliot knew her true identity. Ayda hadn't even made it to his abode yet, but just being here reassured her. Everything was going to be okay.

In markedly greater spirits than just moments before, Ayda made her way down the corridor. Fluorescent light bathed her in a slight yellow tinge, flickering randomly as one of them threatened to go out entirely. A sour scent filled her nostrils. The hallway always smelled just slightly of mold and urine. While certainly sour enough to turn her nose, the familiarity of it was strangely calming.

Ayda traveled toward her destination, a dark pressboard door far down the left hand side, but hesitated upon reaching it. Would Elliot be upset or off-put by her sudden arrival? She'd shown rather shortly after calling. Maybe surprising him wasn't a good idea after all. Regardless of any of that, he would definitely have numerous questions, most of which the girl doubted she could answer.

She momentarily racked her brain for something, anything, to relieve the stress sure to come. A way to avoid it entirely would—of course—be most preferable, but the only real way to do what was to vacate the premises. Where could she go, in that case? Rudy's? No, she couldn't inconvenience his family like that. This would be awkward, but it was her only option. With a deep breath in and then out, Ayda raised her hand to give the door three harsh rasps.

The moment she did a commotion rose up inside the apartment. She could hear someone—most likely Elliot—stomping around in there. His steps were quick and just a little frantic, judging by the way they zipped around. The teenager smirked, despite her current situation. He was such a dork.

After a few moments, Elliot opened to door. Ayda blinked twice at the sight of him. He wore baggy gray sweat pants, as well as a white tank top which clung to the lean yet slightly toned muscles of his torso. Ayda had completely forgotten what kind of shape he was in, and certainly she didn't expect him to answer the door in such a state of partial undress. It took her off guard for a split second.

"Hey," Elliot greeted..

"Um... hi," returned Ayda, his voice snapping her back to the moment.

The air between them instantly grew thick. Elliot leaned with an outstretched arm against the open door. Ayda scratched the back of her head, averting her gaze from his. Neither one knew exactly what to say, how to approach the obvious elephant in the room.

Elliot began to outstretch his arms for a big hug. The moment he started to move, Ayda slipped past him into the room without so much as even looking in his direction. The man stood there for a second longer, motionless and stunned. That didn't work out, did it? He slowly closed the door and turned around to find Ayda faced away from him, looking aimlessly around the room.

"You, uh... you got here pretty quick," he said.

"Yeah, I was close by," replied Ayda without looking at him. Elliot stepped to a few feet away from her.

"I hope you don't mind the mess."

"It looks the same as it always does." Ayda peered around the room, but not at him.

Elliot sighed shortly. "How are you holding up?"

Ayda hesitated. "I don't know, El." She finally turned to him, but did not meet his eyes. "Pretty well, I guess, considering I just lost everything." She put a hand on her forehead, starring at the ground. "I don't know what to do, Elliot."

"No one expects you to have all the answers right now," Elliot offered gently, trying to comfort her.

"That's just it!" The girl made an exasperated gesture and turned away again. "No one expects anything from Ayda, but what about Pulse? I have an entire city depending on me. How am I supposed to save a million people when I can't even afford to ride the bus?"

"Those million people aren't just your responsibility," Elliot said. "We've been over this before. There are cops and good people all over the place. You're not alone in this."

"But I'm the only one who really makes a difference. Besides, I don't think the cops are interested in working with me."

"I'm sorry," Elliot apologized all of a sudden, his voice falling to near a whisper. "I don't mean to argue with you, Ayda. I know that's the last thing you need right now."

"No, it's alright," she faced him again, finally locking eyes. "We're both a bit tense right now. I'm sure you're mad at Bernard, too."

"You're damn right I am!" Agreed Elliot with gusto. "But more than that, I'm concerned about you." He paused. "You know, if you need gas money or something, I could—"

"No." Ayda cut him off. "I've already invaded your home. I don't want to be more of a burden to you."

"Ayda, you're not a burden. I make plenty of money and—"

"Elliot, please. I won't have you doting on me. I can take care of myself."

"Okay," Elliot conceded with a sigh. "Have you thought about what you're gonna do about money, then?"

"Yeah, sorta. That's the only thing I have been able to think about, honestly." Ayda paused to allow Elliot a chance to respond, but he did not. "I mean, I don't have time to get a job or anything, so I'll have to go after other things."

"Like what?' Elliot pushed.

"There are a few ways for someone with my skillset to make money in this town," Ayda replied mysteriously. "I just need to weigh my options."

"Legal ways, I hope."

"Yeah... mostly." Ayda added after a moment. Elliot raised an eyebrow at her. "More legal than what I'm already doing, anyway."

"That's more or less what I thought you'd say." Elliot shook his head. "Just don't get yourself into any unnecessary trouble."

"No promises." Ayda gave a sly wink, to which Elliot could only offer a sigh in response. She laughed at him. He didn't even know it, but this was exactly what she needed. The company of a good friend lifted her spirits more than any kind words or offers of financial assistance ever could. It would be difficult, moving forward, but at least she had a companion to stand by her side.