Snippet #2477870

"Drat..." Elliot said with a yawn. After stretching for a moment, he continued whining to himself, albeit very sleepily. "I was having such a nice dream, too." Half open eyes stared blankly at the wall opposite his bed. Though Elliot was awake, he really didn't want to be. He smacked his lips absentmindedly and scratched his chest as his gaze turned towards the alarm clock at his bedside. It was already six thirty. Knowing the others at the Haven, Elliot was, most likely, the last one out of bed. "One of these days," Elliot mumbled, stretching once more before flopping out of his bed and promptly losing his balance. He landed with a pronounced, 'thud,' face first. "One of these days, I'm locking my door, barring the windows, and sleeping 'till noon." Even though he had said it, Elliot didn't mean it in the slightest. With everyone's clocks set to as early as they were, and Elliot just being used to getting up early, he knew that such a decadent amount of sleep was beyond his reach. At least for another couple years, anyway. Managing to best gravity, and rising, slowly, from the cold floor, Elliot grabbed his towel, his clothes for the day, which were laid out neatly in a lovely little stack on his desk, and his shower supplies. Sliding into a pair of pink, fuzzy slippers, Elliot closed the door to his room behind him, and made his way to the bathroom. He would have to fit in a work out some other time. His friends were surely wondering where he was by now.

Unfortunately, by the time Elliot got into the showers, the hot water had been almost entirely used up. Or, perhaps, his late awakening had saved him from the worst of the cold water, and the boiler had already made some hot water to replace the obviously empty tanks. Elliot disrobed quickly, not wanting to waste any of the lukewarm water. Stepping into the water, Elliot swore rather loudly. The whole house might have heard, but he didn't care. While it was certainly better than the freezing showers he'd taken before, the water was bloody cold, and he felt everyone in the house ought to know of his disapproval. Washing himself as quickly as humanly possible, Elliot washed away the sweat of the previous night. He always tended to sweat heavily while sleeping, as his sleeping body was, according to some of the members in the house, "hotter than a shirtless supermodel." Though he smiled at the comparison, he wished that his water was as warm as all that. Finishing quickly, Elliot got out of the shower and wrapped his towel around his waist. He padded over to the sink, where he shaved, brushed his teeth, combed his hair, and flossed. Elliot had always been pretty particular about his appearance, but having fully come into his own as a young adult, he liked the ritual aspect of getting ready in the morning. Doing the same, mundane morning tasks helped him imagine that his life wasn't as... different, as any other kid his age might be.

Regardless, Elliot finished his preparations in a timely manner, then threw on a pair of black, dress socks, black slacks, and shiny black dress shoes. He had just been putting on his shirt when his scars caught his attention. He had always hated them. They made him unnatural; ugly. Just seeing them made him feel nauseas. With a look of barely concealed disgust, Elliot pulled a white, button up shirt over his head, and tucked it into his pants. He buttoned up smartly, and wrapped a thin, black tie around his neck, knotting it deftly. Pleased with himself, Elliott held up his chosen blazer and vest simultaneously. "Hmm... Decisions, decisions..." Elliot joked to himself. He ended up choosing the blazer, as it was supposed to get somewhat windy today, and he'd want the extra layer if he needed to go outside. Finally pleased with himself, Elliot nodded before stepping swiftly from the bathroom, and down the stairs to the kitchen. Apparently just in time too. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard Atheya speak. "Elliot's still asleep?" She asked. Turning the corner, and adjusting his tie, Elliot answered. "Unfortunately, Sweetheart, no, I'm not. It was a late night for some of us." Elliot said with a chuckle. He was, of course, referring to the project his old boss had asked him to look into. This same project would, if completed in a timely manner, would double Elliot's monthly paycheck, providing much needed funds for the Haven. Luckily, Elliot was almost finished. He'd only need to spend another night or two crunching numbers and writing furiously in his notebook. Afterwards, he could simply mail the whole thing to his boss and they'd be good as gold, at least for a while. Returning his thoughts to the conversation around him, Elliot spoke again. "Fortunately, the cold shower water was most... invigorating. Who do I get to thank for that?" Elliot continued, chuckling again, he wasn't actually angry, really only teasing. His tone of voice would make that rather clear. Making his way over to the kettle, Elliot poured himself a cup of tea. Once he had finished, he turned, facing the rest of the group, and leaned against the counter, holding his warm mug with both hands. He blew on the tea before gingerly sipping the hot liquid. Opening up to the rest of the group, he asked, "So, what's on the docket today? Anything fun happening? Plans to go cycling? Perhaps there's an event in town? I'm up for anything!"