[DVFP] Under the Table (E 2.3, S 2.4)

Rich

Esco,
Sasha's very appreciative of the save back there in the mines, and she's warm against you. Not that you need it, since you already slept with and bathed with Sierra, but it doesn't hurt, right? You enter Diamond to find that business has picked up a bit. Best night in a week. With the roadblock down, folks are venturing by to try and resume their lives.

You've got a problem customer, though. Clarion. They always cause trouble. What's the latest fuss they put up? Why do you think they really do this?

Sierra,

You're at the bar, three sheets to the wind. Bone tired. On your, how many drinks is this one? That whatever drink. JD keeps serving them up, and the girls come by to check on you. Marigold's been "with a customer", one of her best-paying johns, but she'll be along soon. What did you tell JD when he suggested the idea of you playing for everyone?

Esco enters the bar with three of his best girls. Alright, if you ask him, two of his best girls and Sasha.

What do you do?

LadyAmalthea

Oh, it's been at least four of these... these... sunshine things JD keeps serving me. But that was at last count and i stopped counting a while ago. JD wanted me to sing, but I told him that sad love songs will just make people leave. I don't got nothing else in me. And all these people are here and happy - no use making it any different.

It started off a good day, it started off a... mmmm... real good day with Esco and the bath and the cameras and Preen. I like Esco he's hard in all the wrong places, but it's so nice!

The miner next to me actually spits out his drink. So, I might have said that last bit out-loud. I sigh, JD has been coming back and forth to talk and the girls keep sayin hey! But, they know about my touching thing and don't get too close which is good, because evidently I break into a thousand shiny fracking pieces whenever a woman touches me.

"Frack you, Gloriana.I spit as JD comes over.

"JD..."I say slurring a bit, grabbing his hand. "why... why can't I.. just hug a lady?"

I sigh, "Woman are so soft." I start to play with his hand, holding it in mine, inspecting it for differences. I run my fingers between his fingers, feeling the harder skin, the bones, the muscle, the wirey hair - it's weirdly fascinating. "Men are so different. I didn't really understand that before..."

I don't see Esco come in, too lost in my own thoughts.

Adam

Sash clinging to me is a bit odd, but it doesn't bother me. We gripe, and bitch, and fight, but she's one of my girls — and nobody hurts my girls. I let her cling, if she thinks it makes us square.

I come into the Diamond, and spot Clarion from across the room. The blazebrain likes to make a fuss about everything he can: this swill tastes like balls, Wanda's snatch is too viscous, the stakes aren't high enough at this poker table. I think he does it because he thinks I cheated him out of some jingle on a claim in the Borax mines. Not that he would have any proof – even if I did.

Then Sierra's at the bar... Drunk, it would seem. I make my way over, and take an elbow on the bar next to her."Hey there lovely lady – JD's treatin' you I see.

Rich

JD lets you play with his hand without complaint, Sierra, working on drinks with his left. He seems to find this mildly amusing, but offers no rebuke.
Esco, when you come in and engage Sierra, JD slips his hand away and heads out with a pitcher to refill drinks and check in on everyone. Even Clarion.

LadyAmalthea

Esco appears at my right side like magic and it's just groshing.

"Attlevey, Esco! Where have you been?"I turn my chair to face him, but the world goes sideways on me and I stumble off my stool and into something hard. Oh, it's Esco's chest. Ohhh he's warm...

"You're warm, you know that?" I could stay like this forever... why is this ok, but it isn't ok with girrrlllsss... women. I sigh against Esco's chest.

"I think Glori broke me." I nestle into the crook of his neck and close my eyes.

Adam

Woah! Where did... Wait, what did she say?

This isn't the kind of image I normally put forward in my bar ― there's a certain stoicism most people have come to expect of me, perhaps even some rough edges. I normally reserve tenderness for private spaces. Hell — if you ask some of my girls, they might not be aware I even have a soft side. Sierra's somehow found a way right through my usual walls, though. I catch her the minute I spot her stumble off her stool, and only hesitate to embrace her on account of wantin' to make sure she ain't hurt.

Image be damned, though. That's about the sorriest thing I ever heard a person say — and some of my girls have done some cryin' on my shoulders. Not all — lots of my girls have a love of life like I ain't ever seen — but some, for sure. I wrap my arms 'round Sierra, and pull her in close. This is like when Kink gets roughed around pretty hard by a customer. She's into that sorta thing, but when folks don't take the time to show some appreciation, it leaves her raw... Often I'm the one holdin' that bag of shite — which I do, no problem — but you bet your arse that cooker gets blacklisted tout-fekin'-suite.

"Hey now," I whisper, reachin' up to run my fingers through her hair, "what's this then? Let's sort this out... " That's when the smell of tequilla wafts up into my nostrils, sendin' a shiver up my spine. "Blazin' hell... JD, get me some water, would ya? Sierra, lovely, do you wanna lay down, or somethin'? Go somewhere private?"

LadyAmalthea

"Hmmm..."

It's hard to pay a ton of attention to what Esco is saying when I feel his fingers thread through my hair and over my scalp. A sound like a purr revvs through my throat and I can feel it in my ears, making me giggle.

Esco is definitely talking and I turn my head up and all I can see is his chin and lips and eyelashes. He has pretty eyelashes. "Did you know that boys are different than girls?" I say in answer to his question, which I didn't really hear.

Something about laying down in private. I'm not sure I'll be any good but, "Again? Okay..."

Rich

JD rushes back around the bar and pours two tall glasses of water, puts them on the bar near both of you.

Adam

I laugh, but this isn't funny... The poor girl is wasted. I motion over to JD, and point up at my room, "have one of the girls bring up a big thing of water, would you?" I start guidin' Sierra over to the stairs, and ask, "so what happened? This mornin' I thought things were goin' good. I didn't do this, did I?"

LadyAmalthea

We are moving, but it's hard to tell where we are going. I lean back against Esco, letting him lead me to the stairs... ohhh right... we are going to "lie down."

Esco is talking again. I squint trying to pay attention. Is he asking why I am drunk? "It's JDs fault, he kept giving me sunshine... because my skin felt too tight."

Saying that makes me think about it, thinking about it, makes me think about Glori. Glori makes me sad. "What did Glori do? Esco, is it me?" Maybe it's me. It's probably me.

Adam

Blazin' hell, this witch did a number on her... I shake my head, and give her a quick hug, and a kiss on the forehead, before offerin' myself to help her up the stairs. "I have a hard time believin' anythin' worth gettin' this blazed about could be your fault... Sierra, lovely, you're gunna have to help me out — whatever it is you think is goin' on here, whatever you think Glori did to you, we're gonna work past it. Yeah? I'm gunna look after you, we're gunna get you squared away, then you're gunna go back to bein' that lovely, fantastic human bein' you are..."

I put my attention back on gettin' her up the stairs, "you ain't broke — you're just a bit turned around is all. We'll get you back on the path — I promise."

LadyAmalthea

Tired, I let Esco help me up to his my room, but really it feels like a dance in the dark. My body swaying in the air for no more than a few seconds before I feel something harder than air, but soft and cold under me. I reach out, my eyes still closed, and my hand trails over a quilt. Mmmm... I'm in bed.

Bed sounds so good.

I open my eyes and for a split second I expect to see red hair and a wicked smile, instead I see green-green-green. "Esco."

Right. Esco's room. "I'm drunk." I don't think I have ever been this drunk. Even when I first got here and tried to burn the memories away. "You're nice -" then I remember his questions. "I'm... I can't touch women. And Esco, that's so sad. It makes me feel cold, and tight, and wrong. Like I'm wrong. I just wanted a hug and then it got all..." I make a circular movement with my hand.

"I broke."

Adam

OOC: Reading Sierra. Roll+Sharp.
(Rolled: 2d6+1. Rolls: 3, 3. Total: 7)

Adam

OOC: Spending my one hold: What does Sierra wish I would do?

LadyAmalthea

OOC: Oh complicated question... Sierra wants to be held and told she isn't broken and that this can be fixed. That Glori can be purged from her life. Cameras, touch etc. and even if she can't that Sierra is still worth something. She'd love it if you had a plan, but realistically, you should probably just tell her you can talk about it more when she's less drunky mcdrunkenstein.

I think number one right now is being held, petted, and forced to sleep. It's been a long day.

Adam

Yeah, this is all remarkably similar to Kink's worse customers... I make a point of leavin' her clothes on, though I'd imagine she's gunna be sick somethin' fierce tomorrow. Once she's down in bed, I grab the clean pisspot from the corner of the room, and slip it next to the bed — that's not gunna be fun. I slip in next to her, cradle her, and start pettin' her hair.

"You ain't broke, Sierra — it's just like I said, you're just lost. We're gunna get this poison out of you, get your head screwed on right, and startin' first thing tomorrow mornin', I'm gunna tell JD and the girls to search this bar from head to toe for any of them fekin' cameras. We're gunna take baby steps, with the girls here, to get you comfortable under a woman's touch again — you'll find 'em patient, and compassionate. Then, when you're feelin' strong enough, we're gunna go find the biggest fekin' camera we can find, flip it the bird, and forget all about this crazy Glori witch."

I brush some hair out of her face, and rest my hand on her cheek. "You've been wanderin' lost for too long — but I've found ya. I'm gunna get you sorted."

LadyAmalthea

When Esco scoots in next to me, I turn to huddle into his chest. My knees tucked under my chin and head tucked under his neck. He still feels warm, but wrong. I can feel my skin shake and like I might be close to crying.

But then I feel his hands in my hair again. Petting me, running fingertips along my skin. It's like, honey. It's like where he touches me I am made real. A Pinocchio girl and he's cutting my strings, turning wood back to flesh. He's talking and it sounds like he isn't upset. Not all the words make sense, I keep drifting in and out. But, I do hear when he says he found me.

I smile into his chest and let the alcohol and calm words drift me off to happy oblivion.

Rich

End Scene