Peter Kimura Whelan (itakunai) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2015-12-26 10:27:00 |
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Entry tags: | # 2018 [12] december, kitty gilmore, pete whelan |
Who: Pete Whelan & Kitty Gilmore
Where: The LBJ Library's eating area
When: 12/8, morning
What: Two friends bump into each other in the most unexpected of places!
So it was 'snowing' in Austin. At least, something that looked a hell of a lot like snow was falling from the sky. It was weird how he wasn't actually surprised by the prospect that it could be actual snow, too; maybe once zombies were walking around, you ended up thinking anything could happen. A member of the LBJ security team was able to verify that it wasn't snow, though, and -- more concerning -- that anyone who was exposed to it without proper protective gear would be at risk of injury. Until it stopped, or until they could come up with a way to get him out, he'd be at the LBJ. Same went for Teagan, his new roommate in Savannah's office. And to top it all off, it was Christmas Eve. He wasn't in the best of spirits by the time he found his way to food on Christmas Morning. Not after checking whether the 'snow' was still falling and if he was still stuck at a shelter that was run by his ex-girlfriend and allied with a known outlaw gang, still rooming with a technical member of said gang. Pete couldn't help but wonder how he'd suddenly got mixed up in all of this stuff when he bumped into a woman in line for instant oatmeal, then realized he actually knew her. "Kitty? What are you doing here?" Had she recently moved to the LBJ? Confusion aside, though, she was a familiar and friendly face. Pete put his free arm around her shoulders in a sideways hug. News of the ‘snow’ had traveled fast throughout Austin, Kitty waking up to a message from Zach long before she had ever had a chance to look outside. The hazardous snow meant that she would spend Christmas Day with her children, a thought that sent a jolt of sadness through her -- but even worse was the idea that she wouldn't see them for at least another day, if not more. These thoughts had kept her from returning to sleep after she had read Zach’s message, so despite the fact that it had been a late night for the four girls, Kitty had pulled herself out of bed and shuffled her way to the area where she knew food would be served. She was so deep in her own thoughts while she waited in line for oatmeal that she hadn't noticed anyone behind her until a solid weight collided with her, sending her off balance enough that she had to take a step to right herself. Kitty was preparing to politely give the person a piece of her mind when she turned to face the man, only to recognize him. “I could ask you the same thing, Pete,” she replied with a small, yet genuine smile. “I'm here visiting friends, why are you here?” Kitty slide an arm around his waist to return the hug. “Do you have patients here?” it took him a moment to reply as he weighed the best way to respond. Teagan's presence at the LBJ was meant to be a secret, one that wasn't his to reveal despite how much they disagreed. There was also the whole doctor/patient confidentiality thing to keep in mind, too, which he'd invoke if needed. And he knew enough about Kitty -- and her parents, who resided at the Capitol still -- to know where her allegiances lay. "Yes," he said simply, knowing it wasn't exactly a lie and hoping Kitty wouldn't press for more details. "And my -- An old friend is the shelter leader." He realized then that Savannah had mentioned that her daughter had friends over for the night and suddenly Kitty's presence there made a lot more sense. "I guess you must know her, since you're staying with her daughter. Right?" And then he remembered that Bea had mentioned her being at the LBJ the night before, when they'd been texting. Bringing that up, though, could seem suspicious, so he kept his mouth shut on that particular point. It came as no surprise that Pete didn't elaborate further when it came to his patients at the LBJ. Even if the world had gone to hell, Kitty appreciated the fact that he still held to the whole Doctor/patient confidentially business -- and not just because she happened to be one of those patients in question. “You and Maizie’s step-mom are old friends?” Kitty asked as she stepped up to the serving counter and got herself a bowl of oatmeal. “Small world,” she added with a laugh as she moved off to the side to allow Pete to take his turn. “And yes, I do know her.” Maybe not well, but she did know Savannah Posey. "Yeah. Like… 2010 or 2011, somewhere around then's when we met. I was still in med school." It felt like he was talking about another time and place, remembering how careless and easy things had been back then. "So yeah, it's one hell of a small world." Listening as Pete explained his connection to Maizie’s step-mom, Kitty had to laugh softly at his last statement. “And it’s getting smaller with each day.” It was a grim statement, but the reality of life was that with each passing day it seemed Austin got smaller and smaller. Once it was his turn in line, Pete ladled some oatmeal into his bowl, then added a sprinkling of dried fruits and nuts. "I guess we're all stuck here for now. This fake snow thing's really freaking weird." His remark received an audible sigh from her, a surprising display of feeling from Kitty. “I'm an Austin native and I've never seen anything like this,” she commented, finding a place to set down in the makeshift cafeteria. “And it's keeping me from getting home, which I have to admit is less than ideal.” "You and me, both." He took a seat next to her, glad for the familiar company now to counter the fact that the rest of his time stranded at the LBJ would likely be in the presence of his Hellhound-aligned ex or an ex-Hellhound. Just his luck, right? Having friends like Kitty and Bea around, though, was a hell of a lot better than nothing. Kitty offered Pete a small, yet warm smile. “At least we’re not stuck somewhere that lacks familiar faces,” she had to assume it could be worse, they were somewhere warm and safe with people they knew and food to eat. It was a small consolation that Kitty was trapped in a place with people she both knew and liked, still, she would have preferred to have her children with her. "You're right. And hey, if we were gonna be stranded anywhere it could be a lot worse." He couldn't help but think of where Teagan apparently lived, down in the tunnels. Maybe it'd been for the best that they'd chosen to meet during the snowfall. Better for her and her kid to be stuck at the LBJ than elsewhere, just like Kitty'd put it. But that wasn't exactly the happiest thing to think about while he was catching up with a friend. Pushing it all away, he looked up at Kitty and smiled. "Zach's with the kids?" Her smile faltered a little a the mention of her children and their father. “Yeah, he took Gigi and Miah so I could come here to celebrate my best friend’s birthday and Maizie’s.” It made her antsy being away from her children, but she knew there was really nothing that could be done about it. Pete was silent for a moment, stirring his oatmeal and nodding his head in a way that hopefully wasn't super obvious. Bea'd mentioned her birthday in her texts, too. Now it made even more sense that Kitty was at the LBJ. Somehow, though, the last connection that he hadn't made just yet -- that Kitty and Bea were best friends -- had only just fallen into place in his mind. "Bea, right?" he asked, hoping he sounded casual. "She was on the Luckenbach trip with me." If she had been more curious about it, she would have questioned the way Pete had taken a moment before answering, or the way he seemed to be trying to sound casual in his reply. She didn't though, because it never once crossed her mind that the man sitting across from her was the one Bea had been texting the night before. “Right,” she answered smoothly, accepting Pete’s answer for what it was. “Did you and Bea spend time together on that trip?” Her best friend hadn't said anything, but that didn't mean they hadn't. Bea had had a lot to recount to her upon arriving home, Kitty only assumed some details were forgotten or skipped. “And I know how she feels about it, but do you feel it was a beneficial trip?” He nodded, the expression on his face almost a little too serious and calm. 'Spend time together' was a pretty innocuous way to describe what had gone down between him and Bea, but that was definitely something that Kitty didn't need to know. Ever. "There weren't a lot of us on the trip," he said as a means of explanation, eagerly moving onto the new topic so Kitty didn't ask too many questions about how he and Bea were acquainted. "And once we got to Luckenbach it wasn't necessarily like an 'us versus them' kind of thing, but it was definitely easier to stick together." Pete took another bite of oatmeal and washed it down with a healthy swig of water. "We got the stuff we needed for the greenhouse, and it was cool to know that there's life outside the city, so those things were good, you know?" Reaching across the table, Kitty poked Pete in the arm. “Hey, don’t look so serious,” she chided, “If I had wanted someone staring back at me with a serious expression I would have gone to the Capitol and had breakfast with my dad.” Of course she couldn’t have, not with the ‘snow’ falling, but she had a feeling Pete would get her meaning regardless of her actual ability to leave the LBJ. "And I know all about how fun you think that would be." The comment was enough for Pete to lighten up, though, remembering that if he was trying too hard to act too normal, she'd definitely question it. “How were the people at Luckenbach? I haven’t asked much about them to be entirely honest.” Kitty still felt strange knowing there were people outside of Austin, people living a life that was so unlike the ones they were leading here. “Did you think about staying?” This was something that had crossed her mind a few times, the idea of staying in Luckenbach if she had gone. Raising kids in Austin was on a good day a challenge, so she couldn’t help but wonder how much easier it might be to raise her children in a community and a place that seemed so untouched by the world’s happenings. Or at least it had been untouched, though not much of it was probably left standing after the zombies had broken through their walls. That was the big question, wasn't it? At least, that was the thing that everyone seemed to want to know. "I did think about it," Pete admitted, stirring his oatmeal as he thought about -- and not for the first time, either -- just how nice things had seemed over at Luckenbach. "I guess for a while I always assumed we were the last people around, you know? I know there's been people who've gone further out away from Austin than Luckenbach, but still." He shrugged almost helplessly. "Shit's weird." Before saying anything she took a sip of her coffee, weighing the best way to answer and deciding that honesty would be best. “I would have missed you if you had,” Kitty replied, feeling as if she had the kind of relationship with Pete that warranted such transparency. “Though I don't believe I could have faulted you for it. A place that is thriving, that feels more like the world used to, I think we all wish for something like that.” At least she knew she did, especially when it came to raising her children. It would be a blessing to raise them somewhere that wasn’t nearly as dangerous as Austin. Screwing up her expression at Pete’s word choice, Kitty had to admit she couldn’t deny that he made a valid point. “Shit is weird,” the younger woman agreed with a laugh. “But it’s our weird, so what can you do really? Besides survive it.” "Yeah, that's kind of all we can do." And looking over at Kitty across his oatmeal with a grin, Pete was suddenly glad once more that he hadn't left Austin entirely, shitty place to live or not. |