Enjoying the day || Daniel, anyone

[Helena Coleman]

What a week it had been for Helena. Cases over cases and everyone of them had taken it's toll on her. She was exhausted and seriously, the day off she had today - she needed it.
The weather outside was okay, not cold, but there were grey-ish clouds on the sky, indicating that it might rain today. So Helena was planning to spend some time at the mall. She could use some stuff anyway.
Once getting to the parking lot, she parked her car, locked it and started to make her way to the stairs, still not using the elevator. As she did, she had no idea that even on her day off, she would meet people she worked with.

[Daniel Holden]

Daniel had finally earned his day off he's been begging for. But, as usual for one who rarely leaves lab, Dan found it trouble to decided what to do.

Eventually he grabbed his bike and decided to try and show up at shopping mall. Maybe being surrounded by many people would make his other urge to cease down.

So he ended up standing in the elevator he still felt somewhat uncomfortable and riding up.

Little did he suspect to meet fellow crime fighter on this day...

[Helena Coleman]

Helena walked up the steps to the main floor of the shopping mall, smiling about the practice that it gave her. She gladly took the stairs over the elevator at any time. Especially since she had Cleithrophobia. Enclosed, tiny places with doors that closed wasn't the right thing for her anyway.

She arrived at the main floor at the same time as the elevator did. She stopped a moment to catch her breath.

[Daniel Holden]

He really wasn't fan of elevators, not after that last incident he ended up stucked into thing for hours just because one genius at lab overlooked few rules. Although it was tiny bit better than to get locked out on the roof Daniel still shuddered remembering both incidents.

He stepped out of the metal box, as it dinged on the right floor, relief washing over.
He let some of the anxiousness leave his system as he stood, letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

[Helena Coleman]

Helena, standing close to the elevator looked up when she heard someone letting out a breath that was hold, probably without even knowing it. She saw Daniel and smirked a little bit. She had worked at the lab with him several times this week and now she met him here at the mall.
"I see someone certainly doesn't like elevators." she said, making her presence known.

[Daniel Holden]

Hearing familiar voice talking to him Dan looked at the woman he recognized from work.
He smiled at her slightly sheepish, "Uh well, not after the latest incident. I may have to take stairs from now on.
"Looks like I'm not the only one here with certain dislike to this particular object." he added noticing that Helen had taken stairs, like he'd noticed at work.

[Helena Coleman]

Helena smirked a little in reply and gave Daniel a nod. "Yeah, well I have always avoided elevators for as long as I can remember..." she replied honestly. "And after Patrick and I got stuck in the elevator at the lab... I think I'll need way longer to use an elevator ever again."
She usually didn't tell just everyone that she was cleithrophobic, but now it seems like she wasn't really the only one.

[Daniel Holden]

"I wasn't quite fan of them before but now I'm definately will avoid them. My usual cryptonite is cars. And well, maybe darkness, dark rooms to be exact." Daniel said equally honest. There were horrible times he feared to fall asleep in dark room when he was kid. But getting stuck in a locked morgue during power cut at uni had turned the childhood fears into deeper issue.

"I'm sure it was less terrible. Another person beside can ease some of it. Unfortunately I got so lucky to be all by myself. Not the best thing to do on your work day. At least the ME had some pills to help me feel better." he told. Miraculously his adventures weren't topic of the day, but maybe he just wasn't their favorite tech.

[Helena Coleman]

Helena gave Daniel a soft smile and nodded a little. "Well, I guess everyone has their fears. It's actually a shame that we don't share them, but guess sometimes it's for the better anyway." she replied. As for the being alone part... yeah she knew that feeling, up until recently, she had been alone, too. It was a feeling that she hated, but at the same she now felt herself being happy about it, because if she had never found out the truth about Phil, then she'd be married by now and probably unhappily so. And now she might have the chance to marry her first real crush. Although... it was too soon to consider marriage, or was it?
"Well, I know that feeling of being alone... have been for the past 2 years. But I'm sure there's a woman waiting for you, too, Daniel."
Why should he stay alone forever? He was such a nice guy, sweet even, if she considered the memories of the times she worked with him.

[Daniel Holden]

"True." Dan nodded in agreement. "My sponsor always keeps telling me to share more of my mysterious inner secrets. But he'd be proud to know that I just did share something." he said with a shy smile. He was mostly private about himself albeit open towards people. He still feared his past may catch up and that he didn't want.

"That must've been lonely a bit." he said. Yeah, he was alone, always been. He used to keep believing he'll be that way forever. Probably because one of reasons was his fear to make a move, not quite knowing which way he swings.
"Yeah, probably. I've always imagined what it's like but never gathered my courage to act." he said blushing a little bit.

[Helena Coleman]

Helena smiled a little bit as she listened to Daniel. All that time that they worked together Helena never really got the chance to actually get to know him, yet they seemed to have some things in common. She wondered how she never noticed.
"Well, sometimes I don't share either. Although, I know you shouldn't keep everything locked up inside." she replied. "But sometimes I just don't know it any better."

[Daniel Holden]

"Yeah, they keep telling us to open up. Sorta hard when you're mostly under a couple piles of case folders. Or in some surveillance video untill your eyes get crossed. I'm usually working till falling. Not enough time for sharing." he was doing that again. Dan couldn't help. When nobody stopped him his tongue always got better of him. And lately he'd managed to find ears that didn't dropped from his ramblings.

[Helena Coleman]

Helena smirked a little bit at her co-worker. He seemed like such a likeable man, yet he also seemed kind of lonely.
"Well, you sound much like myself. Either hiding behind work or pretending to have important things to do, like chores." she said in a light tone ending with a slight giggle. "Not really one for sharing much either, I have my pride for once and am way to introverted to actually walk around and tell everyone my worries."

[Daniel Holden]

"You just described my Vegas life. I'm exactly like that. Everyone seems to know where to find me because I'm either under pile of files or behind computer screen." he chuckled. Probably most people at lab was, although exceptions kept walking around like bright Christmas lights.

"Well, me too. But with me there's the thing that I must talk with someone. It's in my deal and if I want to work here I must obey. But if I really don't want to talk I visit Sarma, my horse. She's good listener. My most reliable friend. Helped to get back to straight and narrow." he told rather proudly. Dan owned, well co-owned, horse stables in the Hamptons and Sarma has been with him all the time, helping in rehab process and simply entertainment.

[Helena Coleman]

A small laugh was Helena's reply, but not a mean one. "Never figured you for the horse owning type, but... I've heard they're quite the good listeners. I think in some way animals can have that magic upon us, telling us what is okay and what's not." she replied. "But they have other advantages, too... least they don't go and tell your secrets and they'll never laugh at you." she added in a joking tone, although it was true.

[Daniel Holden]

He nearly blushed. "Yeah, I've been told so before. That's probably because I spend too much time with bright city lights.
Yes they are. I had cat but it only hissed at me and bit my hand if I tried to touch it. Horse can help. It helped me to become better person. I haven't been the golden boy before moved here." Daniel told. He still couldn't tell how much other people were ready to hear about him or his past but he had agreed Lea, sooner or later he will come out and see for himself, then only closest will step up to him.
"Agree. Unless other horses counts. But they can laugh, in their own funny way. Sarma and Zoom do that. Lea says it must be my haircut." Dan chuckled.

[Helena Coleman]

Helena chuckled a little at Daniel's last comment. Somehow he seemed like a pretty funny guy to be around and she began to wonder why no one seemed to notice before. She also began to wonder what his life might have been before, since he mentioned he wasn't always the golden boy. But then, she didn't want to pry, Helena figured he'd tell her if he trusted her enough with that. And she'd be there to listen. Somehow she liked Daniel, in a friendly way.
"Well, I see nothing wrong with your hair, but who knows what horses think about our hair?" she replied with a smirk. "And I guess everyone has tough times to go through and we deal with that our own way. It seems like you needed a fresh start to find who you really are. And maybe hiding behind piles of cases belongs to you, too."

[Daniel Holden]

He smiled at her words about his hair. "Why thank you. I guess they just think how on earth it could be called fair that we get haircut and stuff for our hair when all they get is brush." he said, smiling. In fact, he had no idea what horses were thinking at all but it seemed somehow they knew what he thought or felt. "I think I'm gonna get a dog. Of course, the poor thing would miss me dearly but I might figure out a way. Maybe train it for something so I can take it with me everywhere." Dan mused. He really started to feel more comfortable at lab and field, it gave him sense of safety. So why not a trustworthy friend to have around.

"Yeah, guess that's the thing. I've been through some stuff before so guess I needed different setting. Didn't get pretty far but it's something else at least." he said. It hadn't been easy but somehow it gave him more strength to fight against the old urge.
"You know, sometimes it's just hard to completely abandon the past. It just keeps coming back."

[Helena Coleman]

Helena nodded a little as she listened to Dan. It was true, the past wasn't easy to abandon. Especially if you had a home somewhere before. She knew that she could never give up her life here in Las Vegas. She was born here, lived here all her life... and she didn't like that much of a change.

"Well, it's true. I could never leave Vegas for good... guess I don't like change that much." she said. "And a dog sounds great. You could have it trained for the field, to find things, like drugs or blood trails or something."

[Daniel Holden]

"Well, I thought same about New York, and here I am." Daniel laughed. He really thought the city will be his home forever. Until he fell for his first addiction.
"I'm sure my sister will enjoy having a sniffing dog around. Although I could use it for checking her stuff too." he chuckled. The idea wasn't bad. "I think I'll definately get one. I'm sure Marco, my friend and horse owner will enjoy having sniffing dog around to send it to sniff me every time I come to check on horses. Guess my parents would've enjoyed that idea too." Dan said, suddenly finding the idea quite fun.

[Helena Coleman]

Helena couldn't help but smile at his idea. "Well, sounds like your dog isn't going to get bored anytime soon, once you got it." she replied. "We once had a dog... when I was little, but he died a couple of years ago... He was a very good friend though."
Yeah, she remembered lots of fun moments between her and Dino. Dino was black as the night with a small white spot on his chest and honest, smart-looking brown eyes. A Labrador mix and very faithful to Helena and the family. A somewhat sad smile came to her face. Sometimes she missed him dearly.

[Daniel Holden]

Dan laughed. "Oh no, not at all. I'll let it chase Lea's lizard collection. Those tings likes eating me bit too much." He already had one dog, at stables, and it did chase lizards around. For some reason they always returned back to their small glass enclosures later. Why, he had no idea.

"That's sad. I had a pony ages ago. One morning we tumbled down roadside when truck came bit too fast." he told, his voice softened. He was like five and Bolt was his first best friend. He had doubted agreeing on stables at first because of memories.

[Helena Coleman]

"That's too bad... guess sometimes tragedies happen... it's hard to live with some of them though." Helena replied. "How'd you get by?"

[Daniel Holden]

"Yeah, they happen. It's never easy." he agreed. And to some people more or harder than others.
"At first it was incredibly hard. Hospitals, therapies... For a kid it felt like something terrible. Eventually I got over it. Other things took over my life and after a while it was only a vague memory of something lost." Daniel told. He still had some flashes when he took horse too close to roadside. The tragedy will always stick around and remind him of life's fragility.

[Helena Coleman]

"I bet." Helena replied quietly. She could only imagine what Daniel had been going through, but in the end, he got over it okay and maybe it made him strong on the inside. Tragedy always influences how people turn out to be and it partly forms their characters. Helena knew that much from herself. Her fear formed her character. While she still couldn't get onto elevators, she used it to become stronger on the outside than she was on the inside.
"I turned my own fear into my strength. I can't get onto an elevator, but I can defend myself if I have to. Besides, walking stairs made me quite the good runner." she then said. "Maybe you can use your experience like that, too."

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