[Rory] Not me!
[Edwin Morr] ((Bah! *types*))
[Edwin Morr] A light snow fell without, as a cold wind blew through the city. The denizens of Chinatown huddled en masse, crowding together to seek warmth where there was none to be had. Meanwhile, from within a small, three bedroom apartment near a Chinese restaurant on the outskirts, the sound of Johnny Cash’s droning voice can be heard.
A bottle of Jack Daniels rests opened on the spool that counts for a coffee table, beside a pair of booted feet. The man who sits upon the couch beside it reclines… Ignorant of the mass of bloody bandages about his shoulder and chest, singing slightly off tune in time with the old crooner…
“Well, they’re buildin’ up uh gallows outside m’cell… I got twen’y five minutes ta go.
An’ th’whole town’s gathered jes’ ta hear me yell… I got twen’y four minutes ta go…”
Then, with a dark chuckle, the laughing fiend named Edwin Morr takes a swig of the harsh and caustic corn whiskey at hand… Grinning his way through the burn.
“An’ th’sheriff says boy, I’m’onna watch yew die… I got nineteen minutes ta go.
So I laughs in ‘is face, an’ I spit’n ‘is eye… I got eighteen minutes ta go…”
[Rory] Rory’d been out… well. Doing whatever it is the little redhead does during the day. Fixing things, scrounging for food, practicing hiding, fighting… staying out of the way, out of sight, beneath notice.
As difficult as that is.
She lets herself into the apartment though, a piping hot pizza in her hand, fresh from fixing the drink machine at the closest Pizza Hut. When she closes the door behind her, the scent of blood and whiskey hits, followed by the chuckle, and singing..
She turns, after locking the door behind he, and moves to the living room and studies her Alpha. “You’re hurt…”
Hi there, captain obvious…
[Edwin Morr] “Oh, ‘sjes’ uh bit uh blood… Nuthin’ worth gittin’ all a’twist over.
Gotta admit though… Ladies whut’s wit’ child got uh Hell of uh lotta hormones.”
He takes another swig, before humming one line, and then off-key singing the next.
“I’m uh waitin’ fer th’pardon whut’ll set me free… I got nine more minutes ta go.
But dis ain’t th’movies so fergit ’bout me… I got eight more minutes ta go.”
He chuckles darkly yet again… while Johnny Cash continues counting down the time before the trap drops and the condemned man hangs. A moment passes… Shaded eyes turn to Rory along with a sly grin.
“How’re you t’night?”
[Rory] She sets the pizza down on the coffee table and slips from her backpack, dropping it on the chair with a clattering clank, and then dropping her coat on top of it. “Met le help clean it up.”
She disappears to the back, to the bathroom, and reappears a few moments later with fresh bandages and some cleaning cloths. She settles next to him on the couch, and then starts working the bandages off.
“Ok. Fixed the pizza place mrink dachine. dree finner. Hungry?”
[Edwin Morr] “Might could eat…”
He sighs, gritting his teeth as the bandages begin to come off. There was no artistry to their application; it was just the little bit that somebody who knew they shouldn’t bleed to death could think of. They were rolled in funny ways, the tape uneven and oddly wound… Clearly he’d done the work himself; possibly, he’d been drunk at the time.
Another swig of the liquor…
“Yer gittin’ quite th’followin’ wit’ fixin’ stuff, ain’tcha? Attagirl.”
[Rory] She tries to be gentle – but he’d made a right mess of it all. Reminds her of Eddie, and how he took care of her… which makes her blush. She hides it behind those curls as she carefully peels the bandages away, rolling them into a ball, and setting them aside, before she goes about cleaning the wounds.
“Keeps us fed, thixing fings.” She flushes with pride under his praise, and then tips her head. “You praid segnant… Soledad?”
[Edwin Morr] “Yup. Showed up ta say hi ta Gina, an’ she showed up all indignant. Got mighty pissy ‘n’ threw down on me…
Had ta stab ‘er ta git ‘er leave me be…”
Edwin frowns… and shakes his head.
“Bad bus’ness dat… Hope ‘er young’n’s okay.”
He grits his teeth again as she starts cleaning, thankful for the cold numbness the corn whiskey had left suffusing his muscles and tissues. Failing that, he’d have been in significantly more pain.
[Rory] She lifts a hand and rubs the side of her nose absently. “She’s always indignant.” A pause, and softly. “She mates he.”
When he mentions the youngin, she glances up at him, and then shrugs. “she nares cothing for it anyway. She would have mought fe if I didn’t do as I been taught all ly mife, even pregnant.”
[Edwin Morr] “Well… Reckon she ain’t so terr’ble fond uh me neither. An’ whuther she cares’r no, I’d jes’ as soon not have uh blood feud on m’hands. Folk whut kill unborn infants git inta dem uh might too often fer my tastes.”
A moment passes, two… Edwin still grinning with gritted teeth as she works on him, taking occasional swigs of corn whiskey when she wasn’t.
“When’d you run ‘cross ‘er?”
[Rory] She pauses in the cleaning, making sure she hasn’t missed any, then bending to her task again. Once sh’s sure the wounds are as clean as she can make them, she goes about bandaging and taping once more. This is a much MUCH cleaner job than he had done before.
She chews on her lower lip absently, and then… “Haw er and Eddie Vaako talking. Was when I was lurt hast – bad. And Eddie was concerned. Wanted ho telp. So I asked for a hide rome.”
Her voice softens here, shame coloring each word. “She mushed re. Towered. Screamed that he wasn’t mor fe. He was mor fating furys, not a mule. Fot Nianna, but especially not a mule.” Her fingertips are soft, gentle, soothing over the tape even as shame colors her cheeks, as she carefully doesn’t look a him. “Eddie stood up mor fe. Said I asked for a ride, not to hide rim. She apologized, but made sure I knew it was only because I cowered properly, as I have teen baught.”
[Edwin Morr] Edwin shakes his head ever so slightly, gritting and drawing a breath in the motion. Then, as the bandages are applied, the pain settles into a dull, throbbing ache…
“Yeah… Perty much whut she did ta me. I dropped by ta see Gina, she flipped out’n’ bum rushed me… An’ screamed at me ’til I pulled uh knife. Den th’fightin’n’ bitin’ started…”
A moment passes, two…
“Dirty word… dat. I’s never un’erstood why folk gotta take out deir anger atcher folks out on th’kids whut happen ta exist ’cause of’t.
Ya shore got dealt uh rough han’ in life, Rory… But jes’ ’cause some folk cain’t see ya worth, don’t go believin’ ’em… Ya hear? Folk’ll tell ya lots uh thangs… Don’ mean dey know nuthin’ ’bout whut dey’re talkin’.
You ain’t worthless… An’ someday soon, ya won’t hafta cower no more, ta nob’dy. Not if’n I c’n help’t.”
[Rory] She chews on her lower lip, her brow furrowed slightly as she listens to him. “Eddie was nice mo te. Cleaned up my bandages, and swas weet.” She blushes, brightly. It’s still so new when someone wants to take care of her.
Like Edwin. After she’s made sure the bandages are secure, and she’s set aside the supplies… she smiles shyly, so shy, and lowers her head to rest on his shoulder, gently. Just a moment, just a touch that translates all she feels, how much she appreciates that he’s so understanding, that he thinks she has worth.
Then the moment – brief -passes and she stands. “I’ll pet glates.” For the pizza.
[Edwin Morr] “I’d be obliged… Dey’s on th’top shelf o’er yonder.”
What Edwin didn’t say is that lifting his arm up that high put all sorts of interesting sensations through his tissues where he’s roughed up, and that her doing it let him drink more to ignore it. Another swig of Jack Daniels, as a new song starts playing… One of Johnny Cash’s newer works, with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristopherson, and Waylon Jennings… The Highwayman
“Good song…”
Standing, and taking his sweet time doing it, he turns up the radio a bit.
[Rory] She smiles back at him, briefly. “I know” She lives here too – despite the fact she can’t quite let go of the habit of carrying everything she owns with her, so that it rarely look like she’s even been in the apartment. She doesn’t even leave her scent, as others might, to give herself away.
She grabs the plates though, and then a bottle of water for herself, before she joins him back in the living room where the pizza is. He stands and turns up the radio, and she remembers. “OH! Hila las an ipod! She let me listen to all mer husic!” Her eyes light up, as she remembers. It was quite a learning experience, one she thoroughly enjoyed.
[Edwin Morr] Edwin reaches in to grab a piece, and then a second… Then a third… before withdrawing. He eyes the pizza with a merry grin, as though wholly prepared to enjoy this one of life’s simpler pleasures.
“‘Dja hear anythin’ ya liked, especially much?”
A swig of Jack Daniels to wash down the bite, before he returned to the voracious devouring of the meal before him.
[Rory] For herself, she waits until he takes the first piece, second and third. To the Alpha goes the greatest portion of any kill – even Pizza. She takes a single piece for herself, and curls up on the couch again, pulling her feet under her as she digs in like she’s eating for the first time all day.
She lifts a shoulder in a shrug. “Lots of stuff. She had hundreds! I liked the musicals, and Jon Bovi! And some… oh! Techno! All neat and boise and electric…”
[Edwin Morr] “Yeah… Lila always was uh spell more trendy’n yers truly. I’m ruther set in m’ways.”
He grins to tell the lie to the statement, as tried and true methods had never been his own. No… His ways were those others hadn’t considered before, his role to the nation that of the rule bender, the flexible one…
“Whudja like best of all?”
[Rory] She takes another bite and gives the question serious thought, as if it’s a life or death question, though it’s something so simple as music. Then, she nods, slightly. “No yavorite fet. Just larted stistening, so need time to decide.”
She nods, again – knowing that’s the right decision. “But techno makes me want do tance!”
[Edwin Morr] Edwin grins and nods… watching Rory with a sly grin.
“Techno, huh… Well, believe’t’r not, dat’s all th’rage at clubs dese days. Mebbe some time we’ll gitcha all gussied up, an’ Delmar too… An’ we’ll all go enjoy uh night on th’town sometime.”
He takes another bite of the pizza, and a swig of Jack Daniels before considering.
“Hell… Mebbe we’ll bring some folks along whut actually knows how ta dance, so’s ya got somebody ta keep ya comp’ny on th’ dance floor…”
[Rory] Her eyes light up as she smiles shyly at him. “Would ce?” She seems completely thrilled with the prospect. She’s never been anywhere like that – another thing she’s not tried before.
“I dan’t cance though. Someone can meach te?”
She finishes her piece of pizza, and sets her plate aside before she curls up next to him, shoulder touching his lightly, thigh pressing against his, her slender small frame tucked neatly next to the Alpha she has so quickly come to idolize. “You’ll wance dith me too.”
She won’t take no for an answer – at least, that’s what she tries to make him believe, even if she would.
[Edwin Morr] ((*fades them here*))