InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Did you wash those ears?"

J'aime Everleigh Cavanaugh | Meg Giry (ex_peepshows656) wrote in bellumlogs,
@ 2010-02-18 00:36:00

Entry tags:

beauty, meg giry

Who: James & Ella.
What: Ella contacted James earlier today and asked for a meeting, so they could discuss things.
Where: Twisted Sister strip club, where James works.
When: Late evening.
Warnings: violencia.

"Will you stop it already, kid?" The bartender was a heavyset man with more tattoos than spare skin, and he smacked James' hand when she tried to steal another orange slice from the drink garnish tray. She'd already had a picnic with half of the maraschino cherries and wiped out the martini olives.

Like a child caught, James withdrew almost sheepishly before coating herself thick with incredulity. "What?"

"You're eating all of my garnish." He reprimanded, and watched James from the corner of his eye as he retrieved another beer from the cooler for a customer.

"Right, like somebody's going to order a mai tai in here.." James glowered playfully and waited until his back was turned before snatching up the orange slice she'd lost a moment before. Shoving it into her mouth for a quick bite, even as she was certain that she'd already been caught. Although, when the bartender leaned forward on his elbows, it was with concern and not scolding.

"You going to tell me what's wrong, James?"

"What do you mean?" She questioned, slyly dropping the orange rind to the floor under her boot heel.

"Well, you've been off work for almost an hour now, but you're still here.. stealing my shit." He lit a cigarette conversationally, smiling. "You're worried about something."

"I am not." James stiffened at his perception, casting her attention away with a determination. Momentarily inspecting the dancer that was currently on stage, the club wasn't very crowded tonight. "I'm just.. waiting for someone." Her eyes wandered to the door in thought. She hoped that Ella had taken a cab here and not tried to walk through this part of the city. Not only was it far too cold, but the dark characters of the city felt hungry tonight. James had sat on enough of their laps in this evening to know.

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ex_peepshows656
2010-02-19 09:00 am UTC (link)

It took James a long moment to find her voice, and she only shook her head absently at Ella's question. She didn't know, although her silent gesture might have seemed more like a refusal to tell. While the men had made their point and had no reason to come back, James wanted out of the alley as soon as possible. She straightened and made her way to her feet, using the support of the wall to steady herself for a moment before she extended a hand to Ella. "Are you alright?"

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	bookshelved 2010-02-19 09:02 am UTC (link)
	"Better than you," Ella said standing and hugging James. It was an awkward hug, since Ella wasn't accustomed to affection like this, but it was honest. "We need to go," she said quietly, fear in her voice. "Do you think it's safe? Can you walk?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ex_peepshows656
2010-02-19 09:09 am UTC (link)

"I'm fine," she assured, murmuring the words into the woman's shoulder as she was hugged. James recognized the embrace for what it was, not so much affection as a gratefulness that they were both okay. James' tone was steady, even if the words were meaningless. They were just a reassurance to Ella, because James was obviously not fine. While she seemed calm and able, when James took Ella's hand, her's was shaking.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" She asked, glancing out of the mouth of the alley and finding the sidewalk empty. Stepping out, she hailed a cab a second later, and it pulled up to the curb. The driver seemed oblivious, and if he noticed that they were bleeding, he didn't say anything. Just continued to smoke his import cigarette and listen to Polish radio when they climbed into the backseat.

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	bookshelved 2010-02-19 09:12 am UTC (link)
	"I want to go home," she said, crawling into the cab and scooting against the far door. That's all she wanted, was to go home. Maybe to e-mail Daniel, but she wasn't sure he was checking e-mail where he was. Leah, she could talk to Leah if she was home. But yes, she wanted to go home. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ex_peepshows656
2010-02-19 09:15 am UTC (link)

James nodded and quietly gave the driver the address to Bellum. Using the hem of her sweater, she tried to wipe the blood from her neck and said little else while they rode back to the building. The silence wasn't strained, it was a hollow thing. James watched out the window and closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath that reminded herself that she was okay, she was fine. She was fine.

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	bookshelved 2010-02-19 09:18 am UTC (link)
	Ella reached over and she slipped her hand into James' and squeezed, it was a movement born of the need for touch and comfort. They'd been in something terrible together, and only they could understand the fear that had come from it. "Do you have someone to go to?" she asked as the cab stopped. She shouldn't be alone right now. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

ex_peepshows656
2010-02-19 09:23 am UTC (link)

The question surprised James, even if the squeeze to her hand should have clued her in that it was coming. She blinked up and turned to Ella with a faint smile. It was believable, too. You can always count on a stripper to put on a show.

"Yeah." She thought of Lotte first, but knew that if she showed up like this, she'd only terrify the girl. It would be better to tell Lotte later, after James was cleaned up. Besides, there was only one person she knew she needed to talk to. Maybe she was supposed to file some kind of police report for this thing, Rick would know.

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	bookshelved 2010-02-19 09:29 am UTC (link)
	Ella smiled believably, and she nodded, and she gave James a quick, fast hug before climbing out of the cab and paying the driver. The blood on her face had dried, and she wanted to lock herself somewhere safe and hide. She thought of the dumbwaiter as she left the cab and James behind, her feet speeding up with each step. (Reply to this) (Parent)

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