Since the events of the ULTRA DEEP SEA, sleep had been even more elusive than when she was simply getting used to being alone. The weight of too many responsibilities kept her awake and the anxious energy of the deity constantly bombarded her with urgencies she couldn’t sense but they could. She had finally found a moment of peace when the knock at the door woke her in a startle.

Eva jolted up from the couch, her tired eyes snapping open as she scrambled for a pokeball. Since her return from Kant, she’s also lived in a state of persistent caution. She soon found her wits, and recognized the noise as a simple knock.

The sound of jostling locks rattled the door for a moment before it was tugged open to allow her to peak through. She squinted against the light until the familiar feature of Delilah Silph materialized against the bright background, “Delilah?!” her tone held a sense of confusion as well as a genuine brightness at seeing someone she considered a friend. The door opened full to allow Eva a peak past her to see if she was alone, “What a pleasant surprise,” her tired smile was about half the width it typically would be but it still held the Professor's familiar kindness, “Please, come in,” she gestured for her to enter the simple, mostly empty townhome.

---

Delilah Silph

There’s nothing impressive about the townhome. It’s quite bare with minimal furnishings. It looks like it has hardly been lived in, for that is partially true. Eva had been spending more of her time at the lab since being back. There was a lot to catch up on and very little time to get it done.

The professor rubs her eyes as they move further into the space. Eva stops in the kitchen which opens into the living room where Delilah settles on the couch. She immediately moves towards the coffee machine on the counter, “I have coffee, water, or whiskey. Want anything?” despite not having much, she still has the manners to offer.

Eva begins the routine of brewing coffee as Delilah comments on her living arrangements. Her lips draw into a thigh line as the casual mention of her ‘old place’. Her home.

“This is temporary,” she’s quick to confirm. She knows she’s not going back to the ranch, but she’s not staying here either, “I just don’t know what I want to do yet,” she speaks truthfully. Delilah had always been kind enough to earn a vein of trust. She wouldn’t let Matias’s sins ruin what they have.

Delilah’s jarring observation does earn a smile and soft chuckle, “Well, I feel awful so . . . I match, I guess,” the coffee pot gurgles, steam rising to begin brewing the coffee. Despite the trust they’ve built, Eva can’t bring herself to look at Delilah. Is it shame? Grief? Embarrassment? Even Eva can’t parse through the feelings. Regardless of what it is, it tears open the wounds that refuse to heal. Her face pinches in pain as she’s forced to face it once again, “Yeah . . . me too.”

---

Delilah Silph

Coffee and whiskey, she could do that. The suggestion made Eva grin, curious if it was meant to cater to her taste. It was no secret amongst her friends that she liked the dark liquor, “I’ve got that, yeah,” she wasn’t working later today so a little drink wouldn’t hurt.

The aroma of coffee permeated through the small space, hanging heavy in the air much like the weight of the topic they were breeching. Eva bites her tongue, resisting the urge to ask anything about Matias. She already knows his indifference. It would only hurt more to hear it from someone else.

“I’m sorry but, I think you’ll be rather disappointed, Delilah,” she leans back against the counter as she turns around to face her would-have-been sister-in-law, “There’s probably not much else to say. He found someone else. He left me. And here I am,” her arms vaguely motion to the room, a metaphor for the state she’s in: alone, empty, lost, mourning. It’s a gross simplification of things, sure, but Eva isn’t the kind of woman to throw others under the bus, no matter how many times they tried to shove her in front of it.

---

Delilah Silph

The water reaches its boiling point as Delilah does, violently hissing and spitting over the freshly ground coffee beans carefully placed in the filter. Eva’s eye widen in surprise and she tense out of both uncertainty and embarrassment, “I would have thought-” she takes a step back, diverting her gaze towards the unsightly linoleum tiles of her kitchen floor, “Shit, I thought you knew that,” foolish, she should have been vague. The last thing she wanted was to divert attention to the other parties involved. A more vengeful woman wouldn’t have hesitated but Eva is not that kind of woman.

“Well, guess the Skitty is out of the bag,” she says it as a long sigh, feeling somewhat relieved to share the reality with someone she could confide in. Does it make her feel any better? No. She still feels discarded like a used toy.

Eva knows who it is, but she’ll keep that to herself. Quite honestly, it’s not hard to come to a conclusion if you paid attention to Matias’ recent mission and training logs and who he has been spending an obscene amount of time with.

“I don’t know . . . he hasn’t been acting like himself,” many might see it as an excuse to divert the hurt from her heart and blame it on someone - or something - else, “I feel like there’s something else going on with him,” something possessing him, destabilizing him.

---

Delilah Silph