She Hadn't Meant To Hang On Scott's Every Word, But Darcy Really Didn't Know How To Deal With The Mess

she hadn't meant to hang on scott's every word, but darcy really didn't know how to deal with the mess of emotions she was feeling simply sitting there - overwhelming curiosity duking it out with a fear of being disappointed, the valid concern that her expectations might not meet reality.

so she did what she always did and listened. intently. nodding along at the appropriate times, making mental notes for the future. he spoke of charlotte's connection to his brother in the past tense, when darcy had been so careful to speak of her in the present. why? otherwise, his works were fairly unremarkable. he cared for his brother, that much was clear. and as an only child she found it admirable. but that was all.

hm.

she was ready to move on to her next question, a focus on tenses, when she was caught off guard by the volley of her own question right back at her. for a moment, she said nothing. and then she spoke entirely too much.

"oh, i don't," she admitted.

darcy had never spoken to charlotte blackwood, wouldn't have even been able to remember what she looked like had it not been for the missing posters lining the streets - and she had an eidetic memory. but that didn't mean she didn't have a personal investment in the case at hand.

"i know him," she acknowledged then, gesturing to where nate had been standing just moments before. "oh." since she was gesturing to an empty part of the room, she made sure to clarify so she would not be misunderstood. "nate. we went to school together." obviously. "college. sort of. and i know his parents. i work for his parents. there is a stunning lack of opportunities for someone with a doctorate in environmental engineering, so energy it was."

As Darcy slipped into the chair, he glanced over and shot her a smile before surveilling the rest of the group. At least she was responsive, that was something. He wouldn't expect anything else, despite how little he truly knew of her. It was starting to occur to him that although the group agreed to come together to work towards a common goal, they weren't a team. Far from it, actually. That would have to change, if they all managed to get through their first meeting.

At the question, he turned towards Darcy, smiling quizzically at her pointedness. It was definitely a tactic, no bullshitting around, no fluff. Getting straight to the point. He liked it, but it was definitely going to take some getting used to. "She would babysit my brother sometimes. When I was away at school and my mom worked late, Charlotte would come over and look after him." It was partially one of the reasons Scott decided to move back into his childhood home when he came back. His mom worked too hard and what kind of son would he be if he didn't help take a load off her, especially as a free baby sitter. He wasn't going to mention that though, it wasn't very macho to admit you still lived with your mother as a grown man. Nevermind the circumstances. "He loved hanging out with her, mainly because I think she'd let him watch the scary movies he wasn't allowed to watch." Scott paused for a second, thinking of how sad his brother had been recently. "It's really hit him hard."

There were unvoiced thoughts he had of Charlotte, not things he would say out loud to a group of basically strangers.

Okay, maybe strangers was a bit of a stretch. He knew a few of the faces sitting around him, was even close with a couple. Darcy fell into the first camp. If he truly thought about it, she was like him in some ways. Both were expected to set out and do big things with their lives. Only she had actually achieved it. He may have been a little jealous but he didn't know her well enough to really let that thought fester. All he really knew of her was what Bea had relayed and that was enough for him. She was a friend, even though he was sure they'd never had a deeper conversation than how are you.

No time like the present to learn something new about her, though. "What about you? How'd you know her?"