Val returned Eleanor's ironic toast with a desperate smile of her own before she drowned her sudden anxiety in a bubbly swoop. Putting down her now empty glass, her fingers danced nervously across her neck. She touched the black choker she had worn gently, shifting it in place. Some things were better kept from her employers and colleagues. Bite marks were suspicious. In their line of work, two fresh puncture marks just above an artery were even more suspicious. She doubted any of them would approve. Especially not the cowboy. He seemed like "the shoot first, shoot again, and then light on fire before asking questions" type of guy.

Caught in the metaphorical spotlight that was Eleanor's competent gaze and her own distracted thoughts, Val stalled for time. She pursed her turquoise lips into her best approximation of a cheerful smile, "I'm fine. Very fine. Who doesn't love a good early morning presentation?"

Incapable of waiting for Eleanor's response, Val nearly jumped out of her seat as she flagged down the first class flight attendant and wrapped her glittered fingers around another glass of champagne before the woman had a chance to object or pull the tray away from her. Val slid back into her seat with an silently mouthed apology in the direction of the stewardess and a deferential shrug towards her boss. "Free champagne is free champagne...right?"

Sipping slowly on the champagne, Val contemplated damage control. She wasn't sure she could lie to Eleanor, not about everything. Did they know about the drugs? Was it her reaction to the corpses? Was it the secretary? The young alchemist coughed politely to clear her throat. There was no way the others knew. Not about anything serious. Not about anything that would really hurt.

The bloody faces of Tailor and Talbot haunted her. In death they continued to ruin her day, so she settled for some version of the truth,"It's just...I've never seen a body before. Not like that. Not torn to pieces. And not cut into ribbons with an ice sword."

She sighed wearily and leaned back into the soft embrace of the first class seat, clutching the stuffed rabbit tightly against her chest as she looked up at the ceiling, "How do you get used to that? How do you forget?"

Val shivered. She sat up slowly and pocketed her sunglasses, drawing out slow breaths before she spoke. Her hazel eyes were clear and the drugs had faded. She met Eleanor's thoughtful gaze reluctantly. She covered her sadness with defiance, but it was there, it was something real. She wanted to trust Eleanor. She wanted to tell her. But she couldn't. She settled for her mask. She settled for a story. She settled for the Val they'd expect, "I know what I signed up for. I'm not some civilian. I know this game. I know the rules. I know what's waiting in the dark. I'll do my job."

"I'll even be your Nancy Drew. For a price," Val added with a grin, "But I'm not the cowboy, I'm not poser-Gandalf, and I'm not the tall Parisian. I'm not a killer."

[@Penny]