El stared at the woman when she returned, still a little confused by how fast she was talking. "Please slow down in your speech." she said slowly, hoping that this was the polite way to say what she meant, and that was wasn't being inordinately offensive. "English is not min native language, and translation gives a headache."
"Oh, sorry honey, I'll be a bit more slow." she said, at a far more regular pace than her usual fast-talking. "How do you like your meat cooked?" she asked, stoking the fire and getting out a heavy metal pan.
"Oh– any way is fine." she replied. "Thank you for slowing." she gave a small smile, shifting to sit up on the bed, leaning back against the wall.
"Alright, hon. And it's no problem to me, sorry if I have too quick of a tongue for you." she smiled. The meat began to sizzle in the pan, the smell wafting throughout the small flat and permeating all of your senses. It was something you could taste even if it wasn't yet in your mouth.
El licked her lips faintly as the smell of the meat wound its way through the apartment, closing her eyes contentedly and ready to eat.
When the meat was finished, Boston put it together into a sandwich, layering on meat and a few vegetables and calling it even, despite the amount of meat there probably not being the healthiest. "Here ya go, nice and warm for you. It'll taste alright, I hope. Never was the best at cookin', meaning that I don't generally make things unless I'm starving."
El took the sandwich gratefully. "Thank you. So long as it is not going to give food poisoning, I think it'll be fine." She took a small bite, closing her eyes as she swallowed her first bite of food in days.
"Oh hon, I'm not that bad at cooking." Boston laughed, and sat down beside El. "So, what brings you all the way here? You look like you're running from something." she said, dark eyes soft and kind, filled with a gentle care in them that could easily melt even the iciest of hearts.
El hesitated for a long moment. "Yes, I suppose that is so." She said, taking another bite of the sandwich. On the run from murder, on the run from an arranged marriage, on the run from one of her oldest friends.
"Well, can't argue with that. I'll let you get some rest while I snoop through Anna's no-sleep journal to make sure she's gettin' rest. If the journal's been empty for the last three days, I'll allow it. If it's not, I'll kick her ass for not takin' good care of herself." Boston punched her hand into her fist to make her point.
El blinked, but nodded slightly. "I see." she replied, taking another bite of the sandwich and wondering how long it would take Horatio to track her down. Last time she had been on her way to England, of course, had been with Rosencratz and Guildenstern. She wondered if the king had executed them yet. Then the ship had been waylaid by pirates, who she had paid off to take her back to Denmark. She had been very lucky indeed that none of them had tried to lay a hand on her. Really, she had half-expected to see them again this trip, but she hadn't.
Boston puttered about the apartment, snooping through Anna's papers and rearranging her things, which would likely irritate her to no end, and Boston knew it. That was partially why she did it, in the first place.
Horatio was smart; he would figure it out sooner or later. It had been three days since she had run from everything that had happened with her mother and Claudius and Laertes. Likely Horatio had already finished searching the city near the palace and had realized she was further away than he had thought she would go. She probably still had a few more days before he turned his gaze towards England, and sent spies after her to bring her back. Horatio was her friend, but she doubted he would understand why she had done what she did.
A few hours passed, with the occasional idle chatter and rearranging of things. Sometimes Boston forgot herself, and chatted a bit too much, but always slowed down. It was late when Anna returned, and she had returned with a friend. "El? I've brought you someone to keep you company. Meet Boris." she held out the kitten, who sprang from her arms and onto the bed. "He'll keep you company when Boston can't, I just thought you could use a friend to watch over you and Boris has always been a good friend. He doesn't even have any fleas!" she said sheepishly.
El's eyes widened a little, and picked up the kitten, looking from him to Anna. "Oh– thank you so much." she said quietly. "He is adorable." she ran a hand over Boris's fur, scratching between his ears gently. She had never had a cat before, only dogs, and so she wasn't quite sure how best to hold or pet him.
"Just-be careful. Cats are a bit fragile." she said quickly. "Aww, a kitty! Anna, you're too good to your patients!" Boston said. "Well, I'll be on my way now, I have clients to get to and Mr. Blakely in particular is quite the impatient one. Remember, Anna, I'm risking my hide for you here." she grinned, and left.
"Boston is quite the strange one, sorry for leaving you with her without a warning." Anna shrugged.
El nodded a little, being careful not to be too rough with the kitten. She looked up at Anna, and gave a soft little smile. "It is alright. She was not bad." she replied, still gently scratching between and behind Boris's ears, hoping the kitten would like it as much as her dogs always had.
Boris rolled over in her hands, purring intensely at the petting. Someone unfamiliar with cats might be concerned, but Anna certainly wasn't. She was more of a dog person herself (very funny, Anna), but cats were lovely to have around when you needed a good companion who would just sit there and listen, maybe even cuddle some.
El blinked at first, a little concerned, but kept gently scratching the kitten. She knew enough about cats to know that the purring wasn't something to worry about; indeed, it meant she must have done something right.
"See, he likes you!" Anna grinned. Boris seemed a little sleepy now, and started to curl up beside El happily. "Let him rest, he probably needs it. He usually works at the hospital keeping people company, but he's old enough to be away from his siblings now, I doubt that will be a problem for you. Be warned, he's a playful little fellow when he isn't sleepy, and will bite at you and roughhouse if you let him."
El smiled a little, looking over at Anna. "I see. Thank you." she kept gently petting Boris, letting him get to sleep. "I hope I'm not inconveniencing you too much, am I?"
"Oh, no, not at all. If anything, I needed the practice on sewing up wounds. It's good to remember these things in the heat of the moment, rather than in an academic setting. Keeps the mind sharp, fresh." she shrugged, moving to reorganize Boston's reorganizing.
She nodded faintly. "Right. I just…I'm staying in your home, and…I don't want to intrude on you any longer than I must." she tucked back a lock of stray blond hair, looking over at Anna.
"Stay as long as you need." she said. "Even if it's years on end, stay as long as you need." she nodded, knowing it probably wouldn't be that long but El probably still needed the reassurance.
She blinked. "It will not be years, but…thank you." she said, still gently petting Boris, who had fallen asleep. "It is much appreciated."