The Elements

[Gifted]

"Why, so I can come back in twenty minutes? Just leave me alone. Are those crystal or glass?" She gestured to the decorations.

[Raven]

"They're glass," Kenny said. "They were made so that light elementals can use them to focus beams. Please don't touch them."

[Gifted]

"What, you think I'm going to break them?" Rakel asked scathingly. "I think if I were going to rob you I'd have done it by now."

[Raven]

"They were my husband's. I don't want anyone touching them," Kenny said.

[Gifted]

"Okay, okay fine, I won't clean them, then. God."

[Raven]

"Thank you," Kenny said, returning to go cook, too flustered to pester her anymore about cleaning too much.

[Gifted]

It was about two hours before Rakel came back into the kitchen, looking tire but pleased with herself. "You need a taller ladder." She said as she put the cleaning supplies away.

[Raven]

"Do I?" Kenny asked, glancing up.

[Gifted]

"Yeah. The one you've got doesn't let you reach the tops of the windows." She put the cleaning supplies away and washed her dry, cracked hands.

[Raven]

Kenny sighed when he noticed them. "There's some lotion you can use in the bathroom." He was going to put a fucking lock on the supply cabinet.

[Gifted]

"Thanks." Rakel gladly went to use lotion to help her hands - might as well take advantage while she was here.

[Raven]

When she came back, Kenny nodded towards one of the kitchen stools.

[Gifted]

Rakel rolled her eyes but went and sat where instructed to.

[Raven]

"You really don't have to like me, but just like my issues don't erase yours, yours don't erase mine either. I understand that you weren't the one who started the shootout. I understand not being part of a gang, and not being involved in gang-related violence is not an option for you. I definitely know if you had an option, you wouldn't choose to be shot at. I know it wasn't your fault the shootout happened. But I don't control the law. I need help around the house because I'm in pain all day long, and moving at all just makes it worse. I didn't know that was going to happen there, I didn't know I might be involved in the crossfire, just as much as you didn't mean to shoot me, alright? You're the one they caught on camera. I need help with the chores that have to be done. If you weren't doing this, you'd be doing some other community service and most of the time, people will make you work that hard. I don't need you to scrub the floors, I just need to make sure that my seven-year-old has clean dishes to eat off of. You can be pissed off at the world all you want, it sounds like you were dealt a bad hand. But other people are dealing with their own shit too, even people who live in neighborhoods like this one. I'm not your swim teacher, alright? If you stop expecting me to be, we might actually get somewhere further than a child hating having you around the house."

[Gifted]

"Would you stop calling Boskovic my swim teacher?" Rakel snapped. "That's giving him way more credit than he deserves after what he did." She looked away. "I don't expect you to be like him. If I did, you wouldn't be still standing there, living. I'll take the jail time if I can murder that son of a bitch." She frowned.