Who: Jane Rusten and Noa Bellamy. Where: The Doughnut Hole. What: Jane interviews Noa about her harrowing encounter with the classroom walker. Coffee, doughnuts, questions, and flirts happen, though not necessarily in that order. When: October 3rd, morning.
Everybody's sayin' seize the day All I hear when they say seize the day is your name So alone with the love so tragic One taste, I'm a full blown addict Now I keep comin' back, gotta have it Gotta have it, gotta have it
JANE: [moves to a small, two seater table by the window after receiving her cup of coffee at the counter. She stirs in two creams and one sugar and looks out to the street in front of the Doughnut Hole, waiting for her interviewee. She’s on city business now but she’s due to start her shift at the precinct directly after the interview so Jane’s dressed to accommodate both. She’s wearing civvies: ripped jeans, dusty boots, and a breezy teeshirt that keeps slipping off one shoulder. Her shield is on a lanyard around her neck, her jacket and motorcycle helmet slung over the back of the chair. Even though Jane had called dibs on the interview with Noa before anyone else in the council could argue edgewise, the meeting had been set up by the bullpen secretary. The only thing the tattoo shop owner knew was that she was meeting a Sergeant Rusten at the new doughnut shop in the Capitol district to give a statement about what had happened in a classroom at the University of Texas on the afternoon of September 6. Sure, neither one of them had given their last names at speed dating so there was a chance it wasn’t the girl from that night but how many Noa’s could there possibly be in Austin? Jane blows across the top of the drink and takes a sip just as she spies a familiar and sexy silhouette making its way to the door of the shop. Jane watches Noa enter and catches the brunette’s eye as she looks around. Noa approaches Jane’s table.] This wasn’t just an excuse to see you again, I swear to God. [Jane holds up her right hand, as if making an oath, the shield on her lanyard swinging with the movement.] You want some coffee? If you’re hungry, the maple bacon thingy they have here is bangin’. My treat.
NOA: [she had been apprehensive about being interviewed, but her shoulders relaxed when she saw Jane. She was glad that she'd dressed for a good impression too. It was nothing fancy, just jeans, one of her nicer tops, deep purple and cropped just a hair above the waistband of her pants, and her leather jacket.] I didn't think it was. [she returned, smiling slow and amused] I assume you have more game than that, sweetheart. [she drops her jacket over the back of the empty chair.] Coffee and a doughnut sound good, though.
JANE: [Jane chuckles and gives a rueful shake of her head] If my game was that good I would’ve thought to ask for your number at speed dating. [smiles, stands, and pushes a menu under Noa’s fingertips] What looks good and how do you take your coffee?
NOA: Black. [she answers, and points at one of the doughnuts on the menu, then takes a seat while she waits for Jane to return. Luckily there’s isn’t a line, and it takes only a few minutes. Once Jane comes back, Noa smiles again.] Did you get to choose your interviews?
JANE: Not sure if I was supposed to but when I saw your name on the list of interviews I called dibs. If the rest of the council thought that was weird I didn’t notice, or care. [she can’t help but check Noa out; her beautiful face is luminous and her smile, when she graces Jane with it, is infectious. She smells like a million bucks and her tits look amazing in the top she’s wearing. Jane clears her throat and tears her eyes away; she’s been staring.] Sorry, I’m doing a shit job at being professional. I know we have business here, it’s just...God, you look out of this world gorgeous. Like, the kind of hot that stops traffic. But yeah, the interview.
NOA: [she smirks, biting her lip to stop any laughter from escaping. She’s not used to hearing such boldly stated compliments lately. She leans forward, ignoring that Jane’s trying to be professional, and sweeps her gaze slowly over the officer sitting opposite.] I ain’t stopped too many cars today, sweetheart. [she straightens back up, tries to be conscious not to derail the interview with flirting, but she’s only so successful. Even with Jane’s shield in plain sight it’s easy to forget she’s a cop when she doesn’t look like any cop Noa’s ever met.] Those jeans should be a sin, though. I’d watch you walk away all morning if I could.
JANE: [puts her hand to her chin, trying to hide the wide, delighted smirk she can’t seem to shake but fails. She knows this is supposed to be business but it feels so much like pleasure she can’t help but flirt back.] You say stuff like that and it makes me want to walk by again. [Jane removes her hand from her face and it's her turn to lean forward in her chair, her voice slipping into something softer, more intimate and far from professional.] If you don’t think you’re causing traffic collisions every time you step out on the street looking like you do, you’re crazy. I damn near fell out of my chair when you came through that door. [Jane shakes her head and takes a deep breath, trying to get back on track. She knows it’s not Noa’s aim to distract her but Jane’s having a hard time concentrating on the task at hand.] There is something about you that makes all these interview questions fall right out my head. [Jane pulls her phone out of her pocket and opens the voice memo app. She pauses before she presses record.] You ready?
NOA: [it’s a good thing Noa doesn’t blush easy, or she’d be a little pink. Rather than encourage anymore of the flirting -though she’d really like to-, she only nods in response to the question.] I suppose we should get ‘em out of the way.
JANE: [nods. She knows getting Noa’s statement on what happened at on the university campus is why she’s here but it somehow seems secondary now. Jane presses record.] Okay Noa. Could you tell me where you were on September 6th?
NOA: I was in the GED class conducted by the school. [she doesn’t even flinch during her answer, though she can’t help wondering what Jane thinks of it.] I think it was about halfway finished.
JANE: [Jane, who dropped out of high school only to get her own GED years later, simply nods. This isn't the way she wants to get to know Noa but she’ll take it.] Do you recall anything before the conversion that sticks out to you now? Anything odd, or out of place?
NOA: [she takes a sip of her coffee and shakes her head, then darts her eyes to the phone that’s recording them and verbalizes.] No. He looked like he was sleeping on his desk maybe, he looked a little sick, like a cold or something, but there wasn’t anything weirder than that.
JANE: That’s good. It confirms that the conversion presents as sickness, like the flu. [Jane takes a sip of her own coffee; even though she still has to force her gaze not to linger on anyone of Noa’s many attractive features for too long, Jane’s falling back into the easy, familiar cadence of the interview process. She’s listened to witnesses, perps, and other cops give similar statements a million times over. Noa strikes her as a cool cucumber, someone who holds their cards close to their (very pert, top notch) chest so Jane finds herself tapping into some tried and true interrogation tactics to try and tease out some more details.] Okay, so it’s about halfway through class. There’s a man who appears to be asleep. Where are you in relation to him? What was your first indication that someone was really wrong, that he wasn’t simply sick?
NOA: The back of the room. Not the last row, but close to it. I concentrate better without too many distractions behind me. [she gives a little upwards quirk of her mouth before she continues.] I think it was the screams that really tipped everyone off -- he attacked the student next to him, bit her. Then the teacher at the front of the room got involved. [she pauses, thinking back the few days to the incident.] I don’t think there was anything before that that would have been an early warning.
JANE: [Jane lets out a low whistle and nods] Yeah, I guess the whole consuming human flesh was a bit of a tip off. [she props her head up with a fist under her chin, envisioning Noa’s harrowing experience in her mind. Had she been trapped with that bloodthirsty monster at the same time Jane had been fighting walkers off with Demi by the roadside? Jane thinks back on the chilling encounter and fights back a shiver; she wants to ask Noa if she’s okay but she knows it isn’t relevant to the current conversation. Jane’s really trying to not let her less than personal interest in the woman sitting across from her color her interrogation but it's proving to be difficult.] Okay, you hear the screams. You see this man sink his teeth into this girl. What happens to the teacher that intervenes? You and the rest of the students need to get out. What do you do? Does someone subdue the shuffler and if so, how? How do you get out of there in one piece?
NOA: Ms. Devkopa and the student that was attacked were pushed out of the way by another student, Marina Scherbatskaya. Ms. Devkopa might have been knocked out. [internally Noa braces for any kind of negative reaction to Marina’s name that Jane might have.] I was still towards the back of the classroom at that time, trying to keep a few other students safe. Marina was bit shortly after, and she wasn’t able to put the geek down. We decided our best chance was to escape the room with the rest of the students that were still inside. [she pauses for a breath, trying to detach emotionally from the events of the day while she explains them.] We chose to leave through a hallway that was further from the noise, one that we knew had an exit.
JANE: [Jane knows who Marina is; they met when the rogue Hellhounds screwed with her and the Enforcer’s motor home. Being the wife of a man Jane had interrogated in lockup only to see bust out weeks later hadn’t exactly endeared Marina to Jane. Still, that didn't mean she was happy to hear she'd been bitten, especially in the defense of others. There was something to be said about the whole ‘the enemy of the enemy is my friend’ deal and the rogue Hellhounds had done enough shitty things to put the two women on the same side for at least a little while. That coupled with the fact she had helped keep Noa and the other students safe in this situation led Jane to hold her tongue and keep her face carefully neutral.] Making sure people got out safe was ballsy and brave of the both of you. Just sucks that someone had to go to quarantine for it. I’m glad you’re safe, though. [Jane reaches out and touches Noa’s hand. It lingers for a moment, just long enough impress the sentiment and to notice how soft Noa’s hand is before she pulls it back.] Knowing what you know now, in your opinion, do you have any thoughts on how something like this could be prevented in the future?
NOA: [Noa smiles at the small gesture.] We used to have plans for bad weather when I was growing up, you know hurricane plans, or fire drills even. But nobody knew what to do when he turned inside of the classroom. There was a lot of panic. I don’t suspect there’s really anything that will keep everyone safe 100% of the time, but having something might help.
JANE: [Jane’s eyes widen; she’s impressed at the suggestion. A classroom readiness initiative was never something that would have crossed her mind. It’s both practical and proactive. Jane finds the idea genius in its simplicity and yet comprehensive enough to really make a difference should another zombie resurgence happen in the future.] That’s...wow, that’s a great idea, Noa. I’m gonna take it to the council but I think they’d really jump on an idea like that. Thank you for your insight. As if I needed another reason to be impressed by you. [Jane blinks, remembering belatedly that they’re still recording. She reaches for her phone and turns the record button off.]
NOA: [she stifles a laugh as Jane turns the recording off.]
JANE: Shit, sorry about that. So, do you have any questions for me?
NOA: [she taps her chin and smiles.] What kind of questions would I ask? Official? I don’t suspect I have any of those to be real honest, sweetheart.
JANE: [cocks her head to the side, her smile mirroring Noa’s] No? How ‘bout unofficial then?
NOA: I saw your helmet, [she makes a nods towards the motorcycle helmet] you ride?
JANE: [Jane’s eyes light up] Yeah, I do. [She juts her chin toward toward the shop window where her Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 SuperLow is parked close by.]. That's her right there. [Noa’s gaze goes to the bike but Jane’s stays on the gorgeous girl across from her. A beat passes, giving Jane a moment to admire Noa’s elegant profile before she turns back to face the sergeant. A look comes over Jane; resolved and, perhaps, a tad hopeful.] I know what I said about that whole professionalism thing but, you know what? Fuck it. Do you want to go on a ride with me sometime?
NOA: [she smiles, unreserved and just a little wicked at the corners.] I would love to ride that beauty with you, sweetheart. [she leans forward just a little, though there isn’t anyone eavesdropping.] I’m sure you’ll show me a real good time.
JANE: [lets out a low whistle before her mouth curls into an uncharacteristically broad grin] Christ, you are out of my league. I’m gonna have a helluva good time trying to keep up with you. [Jane glances down at her phone, wondering if they have time for a ride right now, and groans] And if I didn’t have to drop your statement off to the council before my shift at the precinct I’d start right now. Call you sometime this week?
NOA: I don’t know about that. [she responds with a quirked eyebrow.] But I wouldn’t mind a call. [she grabs one of the paper napkins off the table and writes her name and number on it, then adds her freenet username, and passes it to Jane.]
JANE: [picks up the slip of paper, folds it neatly, and slips it into her front pocket for safe keeping as she stands.] Good. ‘Cause I’m gonna call. [Jane picks up her coat and helmet and even though she knows she has to leave the message hasn’t quite reached her feet.] Gotta say, it’s been a real pleasure, Noa. Glad we got the business out of the way so that next time it can be, well, not business. Be seeing you. [Reluctantly, she turns from the table. Keeping in mind what Noa said about when she walked away the first time, there’s a noticeable spring in Jane’s step as she finally leaves.]