Who: Rene and Hayley What: LOL they recognize each other Where: Outside Reliquary When: Right as the storm starts Warnings: A. for Awkward
It felt strange, taking a lunch break. It made Hayley feel like she was back in high school, of all things. She had an alarm on her phone to remind her when she had to leave Reliquary to give herself enough time to return to Monarch Industries, and enough cash in her wallet for what she wanted. It was a routine, meeting Evie for lunch there. Though Hayley didn’t know the owner well, she had to respect a man that was willing to watch a rambunctious child and Georgie at the same time.
With the shop in sight, she slowed slightly, feeling better now that she could see her destination. Hayley wasn’t sure why she instinctively slowed down when she saw wherever she was walking to - it was an old habit, something that would probably reveal a great deal of personal insight if she ever bothered with that nonsense. As it stood, she simply acted without thinking, her steps leisurely as she approached the shop. Gloved hands in her pockets, she glanced absently skyward. The weather had been looking grim all day, but suddenly she began to fear it would rain. The clouds were growing an ugly black color, and she picked up her pace just slightly.
Just as she started to move quickly, the sky shattered. It didn’t start with a drizzle - it poured. There was very little warning, just a few stray raindrops, before the downpour started. She threw her hands over her head, knowing they would offer no protection, as she began to run. Her black boots thudded over the sidewalk, the sound almost drowned out by the rain. Though her run only lasted a few seconds, she was utterly soaked by its end.
By the time she reached the eaves outside Reliquary, her hair was matted to her face and neck, her jacket and pants almost completely soaked through. Her scarf clung to her neck uncomfortably, and touching anything with wet gloves made her skin crawl. Breathing heavily, she pushed her hair out of her face, taking a few seconds to compose herself outside the shop. The chill of the rain seeping through her clothing made her shiver, closing her eyes as she leaned back against the front of the store and rested a hand against her forehead.
Though rain itself was horrible, she found herself oddly appreciative of the smell of rainy air. It was damp and moist, earthy and rich. Mingled with the smell of brewing coffee, it was the slightest bit of Heaven. But after a few breaths, something else tickled her nose. Something far less pleasant. Wrinkling her nose, she dropped her hand, looking over at a figure she hadn’t noticed in her mad scramble for the eaves. She peeled away slightly from the store front, running a wet hand over her face and hair.
Just as she was about to offer an awkward greeting, Hayley froze. Those eyes. She knew those eyes. Eyes narrowing, she stared at him a moment before it clicked. Her green eyes widened, the memories flooding back. Rooms packed with low murmurs and cigarette smoke, a circular table with a poker game she had interrupted. And those eyes, peering up over a soon-to-be revealed royal flush. “Boudreaux?” she whispered, expression shellshocked. Her face paled, heart pounding in her chest. What was Rene Boudreaux doing in Seattle? The explanation had to be very, very bad.
Three days. Three days he’d been in Seattle and he was already completely out of place. The first problem being that he was working at a coffee shop. The second problem being that it was cold and the air wasn’t heavy with humidity. It wasn’t anything that he was used to. He’d traveled all over the country, but he’d never imagined he’d settle in a place like this. The scenery was different, but he’d decided it was beautiful. Mt. Rainier consistently in the backdrop, the beginnings of Puget Sound down at the waterfront, it wasn’t all terrible. At least he wasn’t landlocked. Phoenix had been awful. Dry and brown, everything about it was soul sucking.
It was serving it’s purpose, he was hidden, no one would think to look for Rene Boudreaux in a place like this. The other option had been New England, but even that was only a few states away from what he was trying to avoid. His enemies were stretching as far north as Maryland and Virginia now. Seattle was his last stop before he left the country full stop.
The crowd inside the coffee shop had slowed just a bit, and the clouds were starting to darken when he decided to step out for a quick break, he was hoping for some rain. He got his wish within a moment and even as he stood there taking a long drag on his cigarette the air was already becoming heavier. The smoke hovered in front of him as he exhaled. He was leaned against the building, one foot propped behind him against the wall as he looked out in front of him, seemingly enthralled by the rain shower. He turned his head only slightly when he saw the girl approaching, he didn’t notice her familiarity right away, he barely spent a second on her. Until she said his name.
His breath caught in his chest and he felt his stomach drop, a lump rising in his throat as he clenched his fist at the side. No one was here was supposed to know him. He’d only been here three days, they weren’t supposed to find him here. They hadn’t found him yet, heard rumors and stepped into his town of choice possibly, but never without warning, and he was always long gone by the time someone had showed up.
He looked over then, tilting his head slightly as his long hair moved out of his face just a bit. He wouldn’t have a job, or much of a life left here when this fight was over, but he wasn’t going to back down from it either. He was so relieved when he actually laid eyes on the girl who had recognized him. As far as he knew Hayley Radcliffe wasn’t a dog sent after him. It didn’t mean she wasn’t a risk, but it wasn’t immediate at the very least. A slow, wry smile crossed his face as he took another drag of his cigarette and exhaled again before he put the cigarette in the receptacle. “S’funny, ain’t it? De way life goes about changin’ one moment to de next. But here you are, and here I am, like nothin’ change at all. You look surprised to see me, I’ll take it as a good sign.” It was funny how much of a roller coaster her life had become. What had once been constant and comforting was ever-changing and jarring, and the most comforting things were upsetting. She was standing on her head, blood rushing to her brain at a thousand miles an hour. Between her boss beating a man to near-death, Lilith’s demands, and the turmoil that was working at Monarch Industries, she often wondered how she managed to stay alive. But this. This was just something else entirely.
Rene Boudreaux was Dixie Mafia, that’s all she could think. She remembered the meetings in dark rooms, standing alone and taking comfort in the fact that no one could lay a finger on her. As an untouchable, she was the Brotherhood’s go-to messenger. Though she had never seen a cockroach in all her time spent in Louisiana, she always associated the trip with little creepy-crawlies that burrowed under her skin. Despite herself, she began itching her left arm, just below the elbow.
Listening to what he said, she took a deep breath, fighting to keep her expression neutral. It was a losing battle, she internally knew. Shock and horror were written every way across her face, insecurity and nerves. Evie was inside Reliquary, she knew. Without realizing it, she took a step towards the door to the shop, subconsciously sliding herself between the cajun crime lord and the building containing her friend. “If I’m supposed to be surprised, I think a lot’s changed,” she said carefully, shivering just slightly as she gripped her left arm with her right hand. It created a convenient barrier between herself and him, a mildly comforting gesture. “Could just be the world’s gettin’ smaller.”
He watched her carefully, taking in her body language and the expression that was falling across her face he had to wonder if she was scare of him, or looking for him, or in much the same situation he was in. He wasn’t about to ask.
He regarded her for a long moment, choosing his words carefully, “I’ll tell you what, Chere, you don’t tell no one inside what you know about Rene Boudreaux, you don’t tell no one we got in common that you saw me here. We put dis off to a real bad day, call it a small world all y’want and you let me go about my work, and your cup o’joe is on me.” As the silence between them stretched on and on, Hayley began to race through possibilities. The Dixie Mafia wouldn’t have any reason to stick their fingers this far north, it made no sense at all. Unless someone was getting greedy. Greed explained almost everything, she’d realized. But who sent one of their leading men thousands of miles away from home like this? This was a messenger’s job, if that was indeed why he was here. Or maybe they were branching out, decentralizing. There were dozens of explanations, but she didn’t like any of them. And she definitely didn’t like the fact that someone as dangerous as Rene Boudreaux was just a happy coincidence away.
Confusion clouded her face as he spoke. He worked here? She glanced quickly through one of the windows of the shop, gaze briefly finding Evie and Georgia. They were there so often, it was nearly their second home. And he was there? She looked back to him, expression cautious. “If you really just wanna go about your work, then I’ll be payin’ for my coffee just like anyone else you don’t know.” If Evie saw her getting a free coffee from the - apparently - new barista, she’d never hear the end of it. “Unless you’ve got a reason to know me,” she added, clearly hedging. He couldn’t just have decided to come to Seattle and work in a coffee shop - that made no sense at all.
He watched as she mulled it over and pulled the deck of cards out of his pocket and shuffled them in one hand absently, it was a nervous habit, and he didn’t like thinking that this little bit of a girl could make him feel nervous. But frankly, and he’d never let her know it, she was holding his collective fate in her hands. It was a crap situation. But it was what it was.
“I’m alright w’that,” he said shrugging nonchalantly. “I got no reason to know you, if you got no reason to know me, Little Bit,” he said quite relieved over the situation but it occurred to him that he would need to keep a bit more of weather eye out from this moment on. He didn’t know if he could trust her. He was half hoping that her not knowing whether she could trust him might play in his favor. Mutual distrust might keep her quiet.
He nodded his head once in the direction of the door, “You come here often, hey?” he asked. She was playing blind against an expert player, a player so good that she still wasn’t sure what game he was playing. It looked as if she were trying to fold away into oblivion, her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the storefront. But her expression wasn’t entirely doe-eyed and vulnerable. She was caught off guard, yes, but she refused to lose it here. She’d incurred Dickens’ wrath and walked away, fought the invisible boy and lived. A small, subconscious part of her she had never before heard of reminded her that she was going to be okay. That part just had to convince the rest of her.
The unusual nickname made her wrinkle her nose, expression betraying her sudden urge to tell him that this was not a ridiculous nickname-friendly zone. But instead she just shook her head, pressing her lips together thinly. “No reason at all,” she said with conviction. Already, she was beginning to weigh whether or not she should tell Lil about this. Lil didn’t know about Darwin, and so far that hadn’t come back to bite her. She couldn’t tell if Rene Boudreaux was just some random coincidence or not, but if she did run to Lil and he was innocent, she was damning him for no reason. Even if it was just the swamp rat, she couldn’t do that. She knew it.
At his question, she looked up from the bench across the street, her gaze having settled on it as she milled through possibilities. The rain obscured it, making it appear hazy and ill-defined. She looked to his face, eyes wide. Lying wouldn’t get her anywhere - he’d find out eventually. “Yeah,” she finally said, visibly uncomfortable with the admission. “No reason I gotta be in your way, though.” It was a small, disguised reassurance. If he wanted to be left alone, she could do that. She was good at that.
He shuffled the cards carefully in one hand, as she spoke he thought it over for a brief moment and put the cards back in his pocket and waved his hand at her, “Definitely not in my way,” he moved a bit towards her and put his hand on the door and opened it, “After you, Chere,” he said giving her his most charming smile. Watching him shuffle the cards was oddly irritating. It was like listening to someone tap their fingers on a table, only magnified. She wanted to see every individual card, and instead was met with a mass of them. Wrinkling her nose again, she took the slightest step backwards as he approached. It took her a moment to realize that he was opening the door, and hesitated, glancing to him. “Thanks, sugar,” she said cautiously, raising a brow at his smile. She thought nothing of it, slipping past him and walking into the coffee shop. He was either just fine, or in an obscene amount of trouble. It was highly possible, if he overthought it, that she was sent to find him or at least sent to keep an eye. But he still couldn’t imagine why they would send her. There were plenty of other people in the world that they could send before they’d send someone from the Brotherhood. He didn’t suppose he could run off and hide as much money as he’d hidden and not be found eventually.
He watched as she walked into the coffee shop and was surprised that she’d walked in and gotten the immediate attention of someone. Not just anyone but someone who struck him as more than just a regular. The blonde girl had been talking to him nonstop since she’d shown up, and spent most of her time playing with the little girl who was apparently the coffee shop mascot. The world really was getting much to small. He stepped behind the counter and went about washing his hands before starting back at his incredibly strange job.