bravo_six (bravo_six) wrote in birthrightrpg, @ 2020-11-18 07:22:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | hanna pulaski, noah restic |
Cash On Delivery
Who: Hanna Pulaski, Noah Restic
What: Sealing the deal
Where: An all night restaurant
Rating: Mild language
The Blueberry Hill was a family-style restaurant that was open all night. Hanna chose it because it was the complete opposite of Moondoggie’s, where she didn’t want to spend too much time hanging out. Too much urge to drink just to fit in, and she was trying hard to cut back. And she doubted Mr. No Name would mind the change in scenery.
She was working her way through a chicken fried steak and a large helping of mashed potatoes because she hadn’t eaten since lunch. The milkshakes were better than average, and she was considering getting one to go. Comfort eating.
She’d brought cash in an envelope, had done some checking on the going rate for silver. Just so she didn’t come off like she was entirely new at this.
Noah pulled up to the long, Pepto-Bismol pink restaurant and glanced down at his GPS display, double-checking that he was at the correct address. With a smirk, he cut the engine and exited the vehicle. As he entered the ‘family’ establishment, he was confronted by the smells of pancake syrup and something deep-fried that brought back memories of Terrible’s Roadhouse. Could something smell sticky? If so, this place definitely did.
He spotted the nameless drinking companion and slid into the booth across from her, eyeing her food before picking up a laminated menu. “Flavors of Italy,” the pyrokinetic remarked. “Spaghetti and meatballs.” Noah looked up at her. “I feel like I’m in Rome.”
“Probably fewer toddlers.”
The brunette indicated the booth three seats down, where a family of four were having a night out. All things considered, it could have been worse, since the kids weren’t fighting at the table or throwing food on the floor, but the mood could flip in a hurry. It was why she never went to restaurants with her brother’s wife and kids anymore.
The waitress swung by, refilled her water glass. “I was hoping for a cheesesteak, but I guess they don’t serve those here.”
Noah glanced at the family over his shoulder. “Just like a Normal Rockwell painting. Heart-warming.” He flipped idly through the menu before setting it down and glancing out of the window. He experienced the brief but disquieting sensation that in that moment, he could have been anywhere, anyone.
The pyrokinetic dragged his gaze away from the window and back to the woman across from him. “What will you do once you’re rid of your pest problem?”
“I haven’t decided yet. Everybody says the thing about going to Disneyland, but I’d like to think I’m not that much of a cliche.”
Hanna gave No Name a sardonic smile, but she meant it. She had no idea of what was next after she’d finished what she’d started, or even if she could go back to what could be referred to as a normal life. Surviving it was the least of it. What would she do when it was over?
“You do this kind of thing a lot? Deal with, uh, pest control? You didn’t seem that surprised before.”
“‘A lot’ is a subjective term,” Noah answered, smirking. The server returned to the booth, and he ordered a plate of hash browns and bacon. “I’m experienced,” he added, unrolling the silverware from its wrapped napkin.
“Have you thought about trying it yourself?” the pyrokinetic asked her. “The money is good. The rush is even better.”
“Huh.”
She paused before returning to her food, and maybe she had thought about that. She’d gotten the courier’s job in large part because it was easy to be inconspicuous , to disappear into the woodwork while she looked for her targets. No one ever remembered who brought envelopes and packages to their offices, not even when there were papers to be signed. It was like the name tag made you invisible.
“Probably doesn’t have a union, but that’s just as well, yeah? The dues are a lot more expensive, I’m sure.”
Noah shook his head, smiling. “No, no union,” he confirmed, leaning back against the booth and studying her carefully. The ones who didn’t respond with disdain or outright refusal were interesting to him. They had the possibility of being malleable. “But like I said, the money is...substantial. You choose your own hours. Meet lots of new people.” His smile widened.
“And of course, there’s the power.” The pyrokinetic’s gaze swept up to meet hers, his eyebrow raising subtly. “Knowing you’re the one in charge, really, when it all comes down to it. If you’ve ever felt helpless or vulnerable before, you’ll understand when you do it. It changes you.”
Hanna smiled back. It wasn’t necessarily a nice smile.
Because ‘helpless’ was the right word for it, how she’d felt in those first months. It wasn’t just that what had happened was inhuman, or that the only reason she was still alive was because wolves couldn’t climb trees. It was her helpless rage that had led her here, that had allowed her to accept a stranger’s help initially. Even Joe had noticed it, that she’d come out of that clearing different. ‘Like metal shavings rubbing together’, were his exact words.
“It’s always different when it’s personal, isn’t it?”
She studied him in kind, and in the silence the server came back and she ordered a cup of black coffee. Her voice was a little friendlier than it had been during their erstwhile acquaintance when she asked, “You’re not quite all the way there, are you?”
“What do you mean by that?” he asked curiously, grabbing the bottle of ketchup and looking down at his newly arrived plate. Noah shook out a few streaks of red onto the fried potatoes, then plucked up a strip of bacon and took a bite out of it.
“I doubt most people would call pest control a rush.”
Her milkshake was half finished, and she poked around in the ice cream with the plastic straw as her left shoulder went up and down. “Something about the eyes too, but it’s mostly the first thing.”
The brunette set the glass aside to her left,shrugged again. “No insult, by the way. I’m not exactly stable these days either.”
Noah set down his fork, chewing a large bite of hash browns. When he was finished, he drank from his water glass. “Who wants to be like most people?” he remarked. He gestured to the family behind them. “You think they’re happy?”
The pyrokinetic nodded over to the kitchen staff. “Or them?” And finally, his eyes landed on her. “Or you. Maybe the key is to be ‘not all there’.”
I’ll be happy when they’re dead.
She didn’t say it, though it was a near thing. But that not-very-nice smile was still in place, and she lifted her coffee cup in a toast. “Here’s to being not all there, then.”
There was another space of quiet while he ate and she poked at the bottom of her glass some more. The Rockwell family gathered their kids up, paid their bill, and left. Hanna watched them put the children in the backseat of a Suburbs-mobile, doubtlessly making sure to fasten their seat belts. Once they were on their way, she turned back to Mr. No Name.
“So. The silver. I don’t really know how you...set a price except as a general thing.”
“You’re in luck,” Noah told her, gesturing with the tines of his empty fork. “Silver is incredibly cheap right now. Gold? Through the roof. Funny, no?” He picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth.
“The supplies are the least of the cost involved,” he added, a glint in his eye.
“Only if you believe in God.”
Though she supposed she was dirtying her hands up to the elbows at this point, that you could only kill so many ‘people’ before it did something to you on the inside. Made you into something else. But that was for her to worry about, and she hadn’t started this shit, they had. If she sullied herself while she was finishing it, it was no worse than what had already happened.
“What’s a good ballpark figure? I figured you’d want cash, since I doubt you take Visa.”
“Cash is indeed the preferred currency,” Noah confirmed, somewhat amused. He was able to get the silver at a discount from a provider who absolutely despised therianthropes. “One grand,” he added. It had been such an easy job, such a simple request, that the pyrokinetic would have been suspicious if there wasn’t a certain look in the woman’s eye. He believed her when she said it was personal.
It would pinch financially, but she could live with that. The retrofitting of her workspace would take a couple of days, and that was fine too. And no payment plan this time. It wasn’t like with Frank, where she was working mostly above board. Hanna dug a wrinkled envelope out of the back pocket of her khakis, put it next to No Name’s plate.
“You can count it if you want,” she said, returning to her coffee, which was mostly cold. She craned her neck to look for the server, lifted a hand when she caught her eye. The clock on the far wall said it was closing in on ten at night.
“Trust is hard to come by. I wouldn’t expect you to just take me at my word.”
“No, I don’t take anyone at their word,” Noah replied, as if the very notion was completely ludicrous. He discreetly opened the envelope under the table, giving the cash a cursory count. He didn’t think she would try to pull one over on him, especially given the fact that she seemed entirely new to this, but one could never be completely certain.
“A little free advice I’m throwing in,” he said, looking back up at her. “When it comes to these particular pests? Don’t hesitate and don’t show mercy. It’s weak.” Noah smiled.
“No fuckin’ quarter.”
The server came back, but she’d changed her mind about the coffee by then. She did, however, ask for a second milkshake, and she slipped the mid-weight package into her jacket’s inner pocket as she slid out of the booth seat. Gave Mr. No Name a considering look before setting some more cash on the Formica table top as a tip.
“Watch the papers. Or don’t, if that’s not your thing. Nice doing business with you.”</cut>