Jennifer
`Jill Valentine x Ashley Graham`
** **
Elvin
The B.S.A.A. Had already been monitoring the Salazar Dynasty's land in Spain since the reports of disappearances came in, and so when the *President's daughter* Went missing, they were the first to know.

Jill remember how her heart had dropped. Ramon Salazar might not have been aware, but the kidnapping of Miss Graham had the potential to evolve into an *International incident;* A __war__ if he wasn't careful. Little did she know just how drastic the situation was... When she had landed a mile outside of the small nation's first village and removed her parachute, it hadn't taken her long to discover the Los Illuminados, and Sadler, and *Everything.*

As if her lingering nightmares weren't enough... Now she's got to *Live through another.*

Luckily, recovering Ashley hadn't been hard. Getting *Out* Of the country now is, though... After a number of close calls, Valentine's managed to get her to relative safety inside this abandoned hotel... Or at least, she only *Hopes* Its abandoned.

. . .

**"Stick close,"** She orders. And then she kicks down a door.

Beyond it is a vast dining area; one that obviously was meant to host tourists. Well... There's only *Two* Tourists here tonight. Once Ashley has followed her, Jill closes the door and pushes a chair against the handle to keep it that way: She really doesn't fancy the image of an army of those possessed villagers following her and Ashley in here. And then she jeans against the door...

She shouldn't be this tired. It's that parasite she'd gotten injected inside of her. Fuck, she can feel it— Squirming in her chest. It's horrible, and she can't imagine how Ashley must feel. At least Jill's got a level of immunity from her T-Virus antibodies.

Poor Ashley only has *Her.*

**"How..."** She breathes, **"Are you doing?"**
Mabel
Ashley can't remember the last time she had ran so much. Sure, she like, worked out, and went on jogs, but this was different. She was running for her life, from *Literal monsters*, besides the people who kidnapped her. 

And that wasn't to mention whatever was *Inside her*. That damned parasite, that worm looking thing that had taken over the villages. Was it going to do that to her too?

The subtle *Thump* Of the chair against the door brought her back to reality, silence broken by the pairs labored breathing. Her eyes met the BSAA operatives, and she let out a slow, controlled breath to try and steady her breathing. 

"I'm... I'm okay, I think. I'm not hurt, at least." *She gets out, her back hitting the wall of the dining room before slowly sliding down to sit on the floor.*

 "Thank you..." *She looked her over again, trying to find a nametag. God, they'd spent at least a few days together and she didn't even know her saviors name? 

"I'm sorry, I don't think I ever caught your name..." *She said, her eyes sweeping over the admittedly well lit dining area. Had it been any other circumstance, she would've found this place cute. But that thought was far from her mind.
Elvin
Oh. Of course...

The village, the forest, the castle... Jill's been moving on instinct this whole time; killing anything that moves and isn't Ashley or that merchant. That's the only thing keeping her up, honestly—the adrenaline, and the warrior instinct... And the fact that she knows that if she were to close her eyes, she'd jolt awake from a nightmare seconds later.

It *Has* Been days, hasn't it? Days, and she never tried to speak to Ashley beyond a command.

She walks towards Ashley and frowns more somehow as she watches the blonde go sliding down the wall. Poor girl... She keeps forgetting that despite her own self-pity, at least she's experienced for combat like this. Ashley is just a girl... The type of person to be eradicated in Raccoon City.

A memory of the mushroom cloud lingers in her eyes, but she blinks it away before getting down on one knee.

**"Jill."**

A pause.

**"Valentine. I'm sorry, we haven't had time to talk. You must be—"**

Terrified. Confused.

Either way, Jill doesn't finish the sentence. Instead, she moves to sit next to Ashley - her handgun balancing on her knee. Jill's never been good at talking to victims... That was always Chris or Rebecca's specialty; they were *Great* At it. Rebecca had this... *Way* With people. She could always draw attention away from even the worst of events. And Chris' smile would just kill any sadness in a room.

Jill, however? Her specialty has always been killing - never *Saving.*

As Raccoon City made apparent.

She's smart, though. And she picked up on Ashley's non-answer. **"But that's not how I meant. How are you *Doing?* Tired? Hungry? We might be able to find some food in here—"**
Kelly
"Jill..." 

She echoed the name for a moment, eyes scanning the room once more before the shifting sound of the Agent brought her eyes back to the brunette.*

"Valentine is a pretty last name. Like the Saint. But, uhm..." *Her voice trails off, trying to find some way to make this less awkward, to break the barrier. Feel even *Somewhat normal.*

Luckily, the conversation would divert, and Ashley wouldn't have to do any heavy lifting in the conversation yet.

"Oh." A soft laugh escaped her, a mixture of nervous behavior and laughing at her own forgetfulness. "A bit of both, too be honest... But we can sort out sleeping later, can't we? I think food sounds good." *Her eyes flit down for a moment to the handgun, picking up on the fact she hadn't holstered it yet. Ever cautious, Jill seemed to be. This obviously wasn't her first time dealing with these things, but was it even her place to ask?

"Let's look together, then?" Ashley offered, after a moment the blonde rose to her feet and offered a hand to help Jill up.
Elvin
Jill opens her mouth to deny Ashley's request. No. Who knows what could be waiting in the kitchen? And the dining area is clearly safe. Jill should do the exploring; Ashley should be staying in the clear.

But then she bounces up to her feet and Jill stares at her.

This energy... Where did it come from? She's been kept awake by a mix of her traumas and her adrenaline, but Ashley just seems to be hiding a bottomless well of energy. It's quite something - Jill has to admit.

So she tuts at her, before taking her hand and letting Ashley help her up. **"Fine. But stick close."**

She doesn't let go of Ashley's hand once she's on her feet. Instead, she curls her fingers into hers and squeezes her hand - before heading for the door for the kitchen. Thankfully, it's unlocked (no arduous puzzles to find a key today!) and so Jill goes stepping inside, quickly flicking on the flashlight attached to her chest and readying her handgun. It's quiet in the kitchen... Even in the dining area, there had been the distant whistling of the wind outside; the battering of the rain on the windows.

Back here, the silence of a vacuum.

...

Until suddenly, a scutter.

Jill aims her gun, but it's no Los Illuminados; just a rat scurrying across the floor. She sighs to herself and finally holsters her gun - letting go of Ashley. **"Take a look around, then."**

She's too paranoid... It'll be the death of her.
Kelly
The moment pause between the two was like electricity, Ash could clearly see the objection forming, and was ready to play nice... But it never came. Maybe Jill had decided she was safer keeping close than leaving her alone in the room. When Jill takes her hands she smiled softly, nodding firmly to the agent. "Yes Ma'am." She told her, shifting to Jill's side.

She took up her usually position of about a step behind her, not seeming to make not the fact they were still holding hands, but it didn't really mean anything anyway, just a way of keeping her close, even if Ashley had kept her hands to herself most of the trek. But she had to admit, the firm grip of the woman was... Definitely reassuring to her. Ashley gently squeezes back, as if assuring Jill she was still there.

As the pair entered the kitchen Ashley's eyes followed the light, almost expectant to find a villager, or something worse hiding in the shadows, and for a moment, hearing the sound of movement she let out a panicked yelp and her grip tightened on Jill, until she saw the rat scurry off under another counter. The young woman caught her breath and shook her head, Laughing at herself. "Jesus..." She said softly, her hand falling limp to her side when Jill let go.

"Hold on..." The woman said, looking around in the dark, her hand sliding along the wall until she felt a switch. "There we go... Let there be light." She said as she flicked on the switch, the kitchen now flickering into a white glow.
Elvin
She smiles too at Ashley's yelp, but it drops quickly.

She's a cute girl, of course: Too kind for this situation. Her little giggles at her own misplaced fear are simply endearing, and as she makes her little remark and flicks on the light, Jill leans against the wall and folds her arms.

After everything they've seen together, *How* Ashley has kept her enthusiasm is beyond her.

It's also beyond her that this place still has electricity. Nowhere else did. Hell, the Salazar family castle was lit up entirely with candles and gas lamps. Electricity means the fridges and the freezers have been running, though, and Jill can only hope that there's something here for Ashley.

...But... Her eyes dip for a second. For a nanosecond, she falls asleep, only to flash back into consciousness a second later when she remembers where she is.

So... Tired... Hotels *Must* Have bedrooms.

Jill straightens herself out and tucks some hair behind her ear. She walks across the kitchen to a fridge and roots around.

**"Well... It's all yours. ᴵ ᵍᵘᵉˢˢ."**
Mabel
Ashley smiled to herself as she began looking around the kitchen. It was... Okay. She had never really been a cook, but she had explored places often, and while this place wasn't the White House Kitchen... It would do. 

The blonde checked to see what stuff was around, setting out a few miscellaneous pots and pans, before she opened up the pantry. Luckily, it was decently stocked. Some pasta, a few spices and herbs... She could work with this.

Seeing Jill's head snap back up suddenly made her worry, her brow furrowing as she set the box of pasta down. 

 "Hey, Jill. Is everything okay with you?" She asked, moving around to stand a few feet behind her.
Elvin
**"You shouldn't be worrying about me."**

What Jill wouldn't give for a supermutant to bust down the wall right now... It would be deadly, but it would keep her awake. Without anything to pump battery acid through her veins, she's dead on her feet.

But there's no lying to Ashley, is there?

**"I'm just tired."**

She shuts the freezer - having found very little to go with the pasta that Ashley seems to be preparing... Which is an odd choice. Pasta? Does she plan on standing over the stove for twenty minutes *Cooking* When an army could come barreling through any second now?

Oh. Again, there's that paranoia.

**"Why don't you go sit down? I'll finish cooking. I'm sure I can manage pasta-stirring."**
Mabel
The look on Ashley's face spoke more than words could as Jill tried to brush off her own problems, and it was clear as her brow furrowed once more that she wasn't going to accept that answer.

"I get that." She said softly, nodding a bit as she glanced back at the closed freezer. "But if you are tired you should rest, okay? Let's get something to eat and find a safe spot to sleep for the night." 

Ashley put a hand on Jill's shoulder, shaking her as she tried to take over the work. "It's okay. Let me return the favor. You deserve a little break. You can go back to being all badass in the morning." She said in a light, almost teasing manner before she slipped away beginning to set the water to boil for the pasta.
Elvin
Jill looks at her in silence.

And then her shoulders relax as she relents. It feels like Ashley's treading on eggshells around her, but she doesn't have to, and it stings Jill's chest even more than the parasite growing inside of it for that to be the case.

**"Okay. But if you need *Anything,* You shout for me."**

She rests her hand atop Ashley's, before slipping away to leave her to it. Something about too many cooks in the kitchen and all that...

Jill returns to the dining area, and she sits down at a table - kicking her feet up on the table as she draws her knife and watches her reflection in its jagged metal edge. The BSAA's logo it etched into the flat surface of the steel, and she blinks as she relearns its shape.

...She *Needs* To get this girl out of here.
Mabel
"I will. Don't worry." She said softly, nodding firmly to Jill, her face a slight tinge of red from the gentle gesture, but she shrugged if off as she cooked.

Jill's estimate of time was about right, but in that 20 minutes the world was dead silent, nothing but the subtle hum of electricity running through this building to keep them company. That was until came out with two plates of pasta, each adorned with sauce. "And there we go... I don't think I did too bad. But I'll let *You* Be the judge." She said with a polite smile, setting the plate next to Jill and taking the seat on her left, further away from the door.

"You look comfortable." Ashley told her, glancing between her and the knife.
Elvin
She had been lingering on the verge of sleep this whole time, but Ashley's arrival woke her back up again. Jill looks towards her, and lets her place the two plates down.

The smell of the tomato sauce hits her nose, and it makes her stomach rumble quietly... Not in a good way. She's not sure she'd be able to keep food down at this point, but she might as well *Try* To seem thankful for this meal she didn't ask for.

Of course Ashley wouldn't just cook for herself. She's too... Sweet.

**"It can't be worse than some of the spaghetti I've had. If you ever want to see how *Bad* Pasta can be... Eat it in Italy."**

Somehow, the worse *Italian cuisine* She's had has always been in Italy. Don't ask, because Jill doesn't know. She lifts Ashley's spaghetti into her lap anyway, and curls her fork into it - without actually eating any. At the remark about her comfort, she simply hums, and then she looks towards Ashley.

*Cute.*

She did *Not* Just internally call her cute. Oh dear...

Jill then clears her throat in an attempt to recover, although it would probably work towards grabbing Ash's attention. **"What are you... Going to do when you get home? Got a boyfriend waiting at home?"**

*Say it.*

What *Is* This nasty little voice in the back of her head willing her to react like this?

**"...Girlfriend?"**
Mabel
*Ashley had turned to her own food, not really one to watch others eat as she went into her own plate. A quiet groan of satisfaction escaped her lips as she took the first bite. The food wasn't exactly great. But it was hot and palatable, and that's more than she's had since she's been kidnapped.

"Italy? Really? That seems kind of ironic." She said after swallowing her food, taking a napkin and gently dabbing her despite nothing really being there.

 "You'd think that wouldn't be true, but I guess those sorts of things can really surprise you." She mused aloud. Her eyes caught Jill's for just a moment, but then she glanced away, returning to her food, though she did raise an eyebrow when Jill cleared her throat, even if she didn't turn back to her right away. The question, however, did make her turn.

"I... I don't know what I'm going to do when I get home... Probably shower, for starters, I feel *So* Dirty right now..." She said with a short laugh, though paused at the mention of having any significant others.

"Uhm... No. Nobody like that. Haven't really found anyone I like... Or who are comfortable with secret service around." She said after a moment, then shifted in her chair to face Jill.

"How about you?"
Elvin
God, she hates how her heart pounds upon hearing that Ashley's single.

**"No."**

She answers too quickly - not because she *Desperately needs* Ashley to know that she's single and ready to mingle, but rather because she doesn't even want to consider it. Chris... There's always been something between Jill and Chris, but he's so boneheaded; so damn *Focused* On his missions that he's never given romance a shot. Jill can't really complain, because she's much the same - ever busy and ever focused. Where she and her old STARS partner differ is that she doesn't *Drink.*

**"No-one."**

And then, a huff escapes her nose.

**"Ashley, if this place has electricity and water... It'll have *Hot water.* After this, let's go find a room. And you can take that shower."**

And Jill will call again for evac. The rooftop of the hotel should be a perfect pickup point, so as Ashley showers, she'll see if her radio still refuses to work. To hear someone's voice who isn't a crazy villager or a cultist would be lovely... Which is *Proooobably* Why she's loving this conversation with Ashley so much. Probably.
Mabel
Ashley nodded at her response, her mind no longer on the half touched plate of spaghetti, or the untouched one near Jill. She was now a bit more curious about the agent assigned to save her life.

"I kinda find that hard to believe..." She said softly, though her wandering mind perked up at the mention of hot water.

"Sounds like a plan. Could look now, I think I made a bit too much anyway... I mean, not like they'll miss it right?" She quipped with a slight grin. 

"Lead the way, Jill?"