Vignette looks like she's studying this woman. Somethin' important about her. Seems lost in thought for one second, so I take the opportunity to introduce myself.
"Name's Gates. I'm just here with Vignette."
Hopefully that gives her a chance to c…
Well this is certainly like three ducks havin' dinner with a cow, ain't it? Not sure exactly what's goin' on here, but given that the tension is as thick as hard rain, I'll take Vignette's advice and just keep myself quietly observin' fer now.
Cour…
I call out to the fam in the stall "QuePasa, just gonna go check on somethin'. Be back shortly. You keep the roof up. Fortyfour, take yer time decidin' if you want to come with to go to SafeCo when I get back. Meanwhile, make yerself comfortable."
…
"Sure, I'll tag along. Got a few things to do today, but nothin' urgent. Might be that way I can be introduced so I've got an in later on when I talk to the youngin'."
I look at Vignette, the scales fallen from my eyes, and feel a twinge of shame fer my previous judgements of her. I mull her words over in my head for a beat.
I am not so fond of myself that I would have others purchase my breath with their sufferi…
"Keep dry": be good to someone ("keep her dry")
"Dry," in general, being good (or perhaps clever, useful, as in "she's a dry one. You can trust her").
"Wet": kill someone (this is, of course, current slang as well!)
Of all people who want me to convince someone not to wet 'em it's gotta be Vignette.
WAIT.... Can she hear me thinkin' this? Oh brother. Jibblies. Like I said.
"Listen, Vignette. I... regret using yer services. That's at no offense to you, it's j…
Like a steady drizzle, she is. Just wearing away at you.
Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. One of the fam told her. Or she knew. She knew, somehow. That must be it. Just up and left. Olympia was one of the first, and my favorite. Like a daughter to…
That hurt. She's that kind. That's what it is. It ain't the things she does. Folks are weird as a clear sky nowadays. It's her... Her demeanor. She's got somethin' off-putting about her.
"Just Gates, is fine, and no. Actually, I, uh, it's about Oly…
I ain't the kind to be afraid o' most. We all stand before the Lord, naked as the day we was born in the end, anyhow, so no point in gettin' too cowardly around folks.
But this one does give me a touch of the jibblies.
"Uh... Vignette."
Lord give…
"Actually, gimme just one or two minutes before we head out to SafeCo. Gotta check up on somethin'..."
I turn to follow after Vignette.
I say new thread.
I chuckle at Jones' question.
"Course I'm all right, Jones. And yes, Rei, we did, in fact, have a fruitful conversation. Now circle up, fam."
I wait for them to congregate around me. Rei, Jones, Bobblehead, QuePasa and Utilikilt, who have also ar…
I smile and hold up my glass.
"To findin' the fire in your eyes, Fortyfour. I can't promise we'll find it, but sure as it rains we're gonna look."
I down the drink and pound the glass on the table with a thud.
"How about we walk back to our stal…
I pour the next two shots as Fortyfour trails off.
"Those are true words, my friend. Somebody's gotta remember. I agree. You called me old man. Those are true words, too. I'm older'n most. And I because of that I got a long memory. I remember citie…
Good question: I have fucking whacknut (think that's it. Don't have the sheet in front of me) which means I S/M with weird. I interpret this as meaning that the Hocus is less "sexy" and more "Hocusy" in their S/M. I'm trying to get Fortyfour around …
I drink from my cup the same way, never taking my eyes off of him.
"You ain't wrong, you ain't wrong. But sometimes sharin' is what keeps you alive. I believe that in my bones. There's a time for fightin' and there's a time for givin' and both will…
Weapons? Yeah, we keep some in the stall. Nothing organized. Folks just have their own items for protection. I often have a knife on me, other folks usually do. Hammers and knives are part of the business. One or two of the family carries a gun. I d…
I've met folks like this before. They've got it hard, like most of us, and they get caught up in their own bitterness. Want to take it out on folks they think got it better then them or easier than them.
I can sympathize. I was that way once.
The…
Sitting back a ways from Jones and Bobblehead, I stare at the man long and hard. Hunting people ain't much of a hobby as far as I'm concerned. What's this man's game?
"Everything all right, sir?" I ask politely.
(I'm also reading a person on the h…
As poor Rei holds her hand out to me I shoot her a cold look. I like Rei. I do. But she's done somethin' wrong and she ain't gonna get back in my good graces quite that easy.
Sides. She ain't her.
I do put my hand on her bum shoulder, though. Gen…