elizabeth。 S U T H E R L A N D。 (teethandbones) wrote in wolfiesic, @ 2012-04-22 19:41:00 |
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The RV was quiet when Elizabeth came bounding through the door, one hand behind her back and the other holding steady to a large bag of groceries. She'd been in town when she happened upon an otherwise inconspicuous poster advertising the carnival. Without any second thought or hesitation, she'd ripped it down and put it in her pocket to show Beau. So, after haphazardly tossing the groceries onto the table, she practically skipped into the bedroom (or the back portion of the RV that served as a bedroom, anyway), and all but leapt onto the bed, all while keeping the hand with the flyer out of sight. She could hear some movement in the bathroom, and it took whatever willpower she possessed not to go barging in to show him her find. "Hurry up, will you? I've got something to show you!"
Beau was in the bathroom finishing up shaving; he wiped the last of the cream off his jawline and draped the towel over his shoulder, then opened the door and glanced into the narrow little walkway. "Hey dere, sugar," he said by way of greeting, then eyed her a little suspiciously. Any time Elizabeth was beaming like that it couldn't mean a relaxing night at home. "What's happen', den?"
"Something fun," she assured him, still withholding the poster from his line of sight. "You know, it's that thing that people have every once in a while. I know that it's a scary thought, but I have faith that we can manage." Without any further ado, she whipped the poster out in front of her face for Beau to see. It was weathered and a bit wrinkled from the journey in her pocket, but he would still be able to decipher the content. "When's the last time you went to a carnival?"
"Your idea a'fun an' mine don' always meet, cherie," he said dryly, but he arched his brows with interest when she asked about the carnival. He took the flyer from her, studying the bright font and graphics. "Really, Lizbet'? You wan' go to de fair?" he asked her, glancing over the top of the paper at her. "How is it we get ta town an' de nex' day you findin' stuff like dis?"
"I'm just that talented. You should know that by now." At least he wasn't completely scoffing at the idea, though she wouldn't have been surprised if he did. Carnivals weren't exactly on his schedule, but one night of carefree fun couldn't hurt anyone, could it? "And yes, I want to go. I want to eat food that's going to clog my arteries and go on a ride that looks like it's gonna collapse at any moment. I just want to get out of the RV for one night."
He sighed, sizing her up with those near-black eyes before exhaling noisily. God, the way she could twist his arm. "Fine, but bring ya piece," he said simply, handing the flyer back to her. "I'll get somethin' on that's presentable."
"Yeah, we wouldn't want any toothless carnies causing any trouble," was her response, but there was no actual annoyance in the words, especially considering she was far too excited about the carnival to argue. Sure, she could have gone by herself, but where was the fun in that? Beaming, Elizabeth scrambled to the other side of the bed where their closet was and immediately began going through her choices. By the time she finished, she'd chosen a tee-shirt with "1968" printed across the chest and a pair of jeans that were only slightly frayed at the knees. Her hair, a force of its own, was yanked back into a ponytail. "You ready?"
"You know de reason we here. Don' be flip," he warned her, shaking his head slightly and pulling on a dark gray t-shirt. "Dis place crawlin' wit' de vermin, an' some a-dem gon' be dere I guarantee. Ain' gon' miss dere chance ta be aroun' all dose people." He slid a shoulder holster into place, tucking a small pistol into it and then shrugging into his jacket. It was a warm night but be damned if he was going unarmed.
"I know, I know," Elizabeth mused, more placation than anything else. He was right, of course, but no one could blame her for wanting a night that wasn't centered around the big bad wolves. The chances were so few and far between, and she had every intention of enjoying them when they came about. Sighing, she opted instead for the silver dagger and slid it into the back pocket of her jeans. "There. Feel better?"
"Much," he muttered, then pulled on his boots and laced them tightly. "I'm ready whenever you wan' go. D'you even know where dis place is?" They had a regular car--- well, a faded red Toyota pickup--- that they towed behind the RV when they drove into new cities; the truck was their get-around car, the RV left at whatever trailer park they called home that week.
"Sure I do. It has directions on the poster," she said, handing him the paper. They both knew Elizabeth didn't know how to get there; the woman was awful at directions. She always had been, always would be. "Alright, so I don't, but it can't be that hard to find, right? What, with you practically being a GPS and all that."
"It's called readin' a map," he drawled dryly, taking the flyer back from her and picking up the truck keys. Pocketing his wallet, he exhaled. "Awright, c'mon." He led the way out of the trailer, locking it up behind her and then reaching beneath the steps to touch a small button. It was an advanced backup battery hooked to the metal steps and doorknob of the trailer; if anyone touched it before he deactivated it they'd get a very unpleasant electric shock.
"I can read a map! It's not my fault none of the roads on a map look like they do in real life." Elizabeth was already pulling herself into the passenger seat of the truck. The worn seat was familiar beneath her; nine years of traveling in the truck would do that, she supposed. The truck was practically her second home - the first being the RV, of course. "You're gonna have a good time, I promise," she assured him as he climbed into the driver's seat.
"If I don', do I get ta hit you?" he asked, teasing of course. He had never laid a hand on Elizabeth, although once or twice he had grabbed her chin to make her pay attention. And maybe rapped her knuckles a few times over the years. He started the truck, studying the directions on the flyer for a few moments and then headed toward the city.
"Square in the mouth," she teased right back, the 'click' of the seatbealt almost a punctuation for the end of the retort. Just as soon as they set off toward the city, Elizabeth reached over to turn on the radio, and when she realized it was still set on one of Beau's channels, she made a gagging noise and switched it over just in time to catch the end of Katy Perry's, 'Part of Me.' Though there were few things about Elizabeth from before that managed to stay intact over the years, her taste in music hadn't changed one bit.