Re: Driving: Marta and Travis
[Travis knew all about the ways that too much quiet could get dangerous, the way that silence and loneliness really seemed to allow all of the self-doubt and bad memories creep in. He'd never had to worry about the quiet when he was younger, there'd always been a party, a game, a friend, a girlfriend. Something to get lost in other than himself. That was sort of how he'd started spending so much regular time at the meetings where he'd met Marta. There were always people around, and it felt like something decent to do instead of just pacing his trailer. He used the meetings as a form of distraction rather than anything strongly intended to keep him sober, but in the end he sort of figured that those two were the same thing anyway.]
Hey. [Travis echoed her when she slid into the passenger side, smiling a little when he witnessed her struggle with the defiant hinges of the door.] I think this is where people usually explain that it's seen better days. [Which was fine with Travis. The only reason that he'd been able to come into its possession was because of the car's sad state. He gestured her to the little, out of place stereo as Marta got settled, and he revved the engine to keep the transmission from slipping while he idled. He spoke up again after pulling off of her curb and onto the road.]
I don't know if you want to go by any place in particular, but I've got a full tank. [Just no actual paperwork for the car, but who was worried about little things like that? The car was toasty warm inside, it almost felt like a different world from the rest of chilly Repose.
Travis ran his gloves over the steering wheel, back and forth while considering that it'd been a really fucking long time since he'd tried to hang out with anybody. It hadn't really occurred to him until now that he might have been unprepared, unequipped. He watched the lines on the road, following them as their streak curved, taking him through the center of town.]