Metal Thunder (Karl Heisenberg - Resident Evil)

Chapter 12 - Consent

The next morning was overcast again with heavier snowfall. Emily Tempest opened her eyes to the familiar ceiling of the factory's bedroom. When she looked around, her boots were sitting at the bedside and she was still clothed. Confused, the last thing she remembered was polishing Heisenberg's hammer to perfection and collapsing from exhaustion right at the table. How did I get here? There was only one explanation, he would have certainly carried her back to her room before leaving for his meeting with the other lords.

She sat up, her stomach growling, and slipped her feet into her boots. Everything in the room was just the way it was left as if Heisenberg had only dropped her off and ran away. At least he tucked me in, she thought blushing wondering what made him be nice enough to do that all of a sudden. It had to be that she had just busted her ass to make his hammer appear flawless. Or was there more to it?

Emily didn't want to comprehend ideas like that. But the way he looked at her sometimes was discomforting like he was flirting and even if he couldn't be hurt by her power, she didn't want to bring him closer into her life. It was better to be alone. Still, a part of her hoped that the meeting went well and that Miranda didn't suspect anything as she walked down the stairs into the old kitchen.

When she pushed a door open, the instant aroma of fresh scrambled eggs filled her nose with delight as she sat down at the table to find a plate of just that waiting for her along with some toast and milk. She couldn't help but smile that Heisenberg was suddenly generous to give her a much more freshly cooked meal. This time there was no written slab by her breakfast which felt like a relief to her as she dug in not wishing her food to cool.

The eggs and toast were delicious at first bite but Emily desired to finish every last piece. Never had she been so hungry. It was not that meals prepared for her before were poorly cooked, but something about this one just felt the most satisfying since she arrived. It made her briefly forget about the awkward possibility that Heisenberg put her to bed until the door creaked open. Emily whipped her head around, startled to see him enter.

"Ah good, you're awake. The smell of eggs was enough to lure you out?"

She nodded and swallowed another bite.

"Of course," he chuckled, "I owe that damn Duke for teaching me this crap so many years ago. Though I much rather have him do it for me,"

"When did you get back?"

Heisenberg walked into the kitchen, her eyes following him as he moved to stand across from her, his hands on the empty chair.

"Close to midnight. You're one helluva heavy sleeper if the sound of the main doors opening to my return didn't even make you stir,"

When Emily didn't answer right away, he continued as she took a bite of her toast.

"I told Miranda that you're dead, she seems to believe me at first, but now she's having doubts thanks to that super-sized bitch I have for a sibling,"

This time Emily spoke, "why am I not surprised by what you've told me about her?"

"You shouldn't be, buttercup. But thanks to you, my shiny hammer was enough to piss them off. You did well," he smiled and for the first time, Emily didn't feel intimidated by it. Instead, it made her blush, so gratitude wasn't a foreign thing to him after all.

Finishing up her eggs and toast and then taking in a gulp of milk, "You could have just left me down there to sleep in that room, given you can be far from selfless," her voice emerged passively with the redness on her face unsure if that was something he wouldn't mind hearing,

"But, I'm glad you didn't," she concluded calmly,

"By the way," Heisenberg added, "yes I know what you're thinking, I've got a goddamn temper with the way I reacted yesterday and you're hoping I'll fucking fess up and apologize for frightening you. I'm not very good at this, truth be told, so all that shit, taking you back to bed, making you breakfast, not that I've already been doing that, consider it atonement if you wish,"