Who:That Cazzo In The Suit and The Corn Nut Fiend Where: A grocery store What: Nico finds Erik and they make plans to go find a cow. (No. Really. That's what happens.) When: July 31, 2018
Yes, of course. Once again, Nico was above the ground. Look for the men, Nico. Find your brothers. He grunted and tightened his hand on the wolf-man's rifle strip. It was a nice weapon. It was still no consolation for a boring job.
He kicked aside a cart in the way of the doorway of a grocery store. Nothing would be left by now, but he might find... well. Who knew. Probably not anything worth the trouble, but it was at least a nice exercise, he supposed.
But he froze, when he heard a clatter up ahead in one of the aisles. Zombie, or human? Either way, he needed to find out. Nico brought the gun off his shoulder and began to approach, only to find--a scrawny kid. Great. Fucking awesome. People.
"Are you okay?" Nico asked, not lowering his weapon. "Or are you trying to draw in every zombie in the vicinity in here?"
The dog was unreliable.
But even more unreliable was his helper who didn’t want to go grocery shopping because he almost ran into a horde of zombies the other day. No guts at all.
So, here he was, with a dog who was unreliable yet still somehow more reliable than a human, looking for the ingredients to beef and broccoli chow mein – without the beef and without the broccoli either. But he’d make do with what he could get his hands on.
Picking up a rubber ball, Erik looked at it funnily before he dropped it to the ground for the dog. It was the wrong move because the stray decided the ball was too bland for its taste and turned away, effectively knocking into a stand and sending a box of Kraft’s Macaroni & Cheese to fall down right onto his head.
Ow.
He was placing the box back when he heard a man’s voice off to the side. Glancing over his way for a second, his eyes went first to the gun and then to the face of the newcomer. “I just got assaulted by a poor excuse for mac ‘n cheese, but, no, I’m perfect,” he responded, shooting a glare over at the mutt, “And, if a horde of zombies do appear, you can blame it on the dog.”
Nico gave the dog a once-over, and then looked back at the human. Deciding for the moment that the human wasn't nearly as threatening as he could be, Nico lowered the gun. He hiked the strap up and then looked back up at the aisle. "If you don't want it, I'll take it."
Kraft: not real pasta, but desperate times.
Retrieving the box, Erik tossed it over to the stranger. “You can have it.” He wasn’t going to argue with a guy who was holding a weapon. Plus, he wasn’t looking for Italian. He was aiming for Chinese. “Are you new in the area?” It wasn’t a relevant question (or even one he particularly cared about the answer to), but it was good grounds for small talk. He could use a chat no matter how short it’d turn out to be.
Stuffing the noodles into his bag, Erik zipped it shut before he slung it over his shoulder again. “But I’m guessing not,” he said, giving the man another once over, “unless you’re a really clean traveler.” Or at least as clean as somebody could be in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. But this guy was exceptionally well-dressed. Who still wore suits nowadays? Maybe he was from the Capitol.
"Relatively new." Nico caught the box and frowned at it, then dropped it in the messenger bag slung over his opposite shoulder. He dropped the bag's flap down and then looked up at the kid. "But my cousin and I, we bathe in the river."
He jerked his head toward the dog. "Your dog?"
“Convenient place to bathe.”
The river ran through the town, so it was an accessible spot. But, more importantly, it’d meant the man was most likely not from the Capitol. Could be from one of the shelters instead. Maybe the LBJ Presidential Library. It was the only shelter without running water.
He looked too clean cut to be part of the Hellhounds or the Ghouls.
“No, it’s not my dog.” He might feed it, allow it to live with him, and take care of it for the most part, but it was not his. It was just a stray dog that kept following him around. “How is the scavenging going?”
Who kept a dog that wasn't his dog? Because the dog clearly was a companion of this kid's; he kept close, and seemed to be quite happy with the kid.
Nico shrugged. "Not much of a scavenger." He took a look down the shelf, focused on a box of penne. That would do. He liked fusilli bucati himself, but penne--well. Under the subways, any pasta was pasta and that would be good enough.
"Which shelter are you from?"
“I’m not from a shelter.”
Erik gave a light shrug of his shoulder. “I have my own place on the outskirts of town. Auto repair shop.” It was far enough not to be disruptive for other people, yet close enough for the townsfolk to stop by for business exchanges. “I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but it’s open for business.”
His attention moved over to the next shelf as he began to venture that way. He might as well collect a few more items, anything he could get his hands on. It would be convenient for trades. Maybe he’d get lucky and find Corn Nuts too. Who knows?
“I’m Erik, by the way."
"Me either." Nico moved into the aisle, judging Erik not a threat just enough that he could be in the same aisle, looking for food. He picked a few boxes of pasta, dropped them in the bag. The Donna would be happy. Maybe he could find sugar down another aisle; maybe there'd be cake mix. Nico could figure out something with cake mix.
He arched an eyebrow, shooting a look at Erik. Tiny little kid. But the name fit him, strangely.
"Nicola," Nico said, because it was rude not to use your full name. "My cousin calls me Nico. Her mother called me Nicki." He picked up a box of--rat feces. Excellent. With a disgusted grunt, he dropped the box on the floor. Fucking rodents.
Erik lowered his gaze down to what Nicola had dropped. It was a box of rat feces. Huh. Leaning down, he picked it up off of the floor, unzipped the front section of his backpack, and dumped it in. It would come in use later.
Maybe it might be kind of weird for a guy to go shoving rat shit into his bag, but one man’s trash was another man’s fuel.
“What do you prefer to be called? Nico? Nicki? Nicola?” He’d try very hard not to be amused if the guy preferred Nicki. Emphasis on the “try”.
"You got a vagina, I prefer Nicki," Nico said. "But since you don't, you can call me Nico." He didn't usually speak so baldly, but this man was not a woman. He didn't deserve or require supremely polite or respectful conversation.
He crouched down to fish for a can of sauce--Ah. Yes. Perfect. He dropped that in his sack, too. "So you're Erik with a dog that is not your dog. And a mechanic's shop in a world with very few working cars."
Then: "Wait, can you rig lighting?"
“Yeah, that’s the gist of it. But I fix other things too. It’s not limited to vehicles.”
Limiting it to only cars was dumb even if it was just an occupational front. Nobody could survive on it. Driving wasn’t as popular as it’d used to be. And, even if there were motorcyclists and a couple of drivers in town, they had accessibility to their own mechanics. Erik was pretty much scraping off whatever he could get from trades and fulfilling all the rest with his own searches (or with his helper’s searches).
“Kind of like rigging lights,” he answered with a smile, “I can do it.” He’d set up both the electricity and water in his auto repair shop. It wasn’t hard to do if you knew how to manipulate the system.
Lights. The Donna would be happy. Nico scratched the side of his neck, opposite the tattoo of La Famiglia's crest. "My cousin, she's always bitching about lights. What would you need to do that, huh?"
Because if he could bring the Donna lights... yes. He would be the best turtle. Oh, Jesus, was that really how he was thinking of himself? A turtle. God. Well, it would make the Donna happy there, too.
"And uh, you got power, maybe? I have... it's kind of stupid. My cousin, she's got a real sweet tooth. I've been saving up stuff for ice cream, you know, if I can find someone with power and ice and a freezer." He patted his bag. "I can find whatever you need to trade, if you could do that."
Found the ingredients for chow mein and scored business. His assistant was definitely not that handy, so it was a good thing he came out today after all.
“Depends on the light fixtures you want and where you’re installing it.” He could get his hands on the supplies needed. It wouldn’t be difficult considering nobody went for those items in general. They usually ended up lying abandoned in the stores until somebody was nice enough to pick them up for use.
“I also have a kitchen with a freezer if you want to make ice cream.” Erik paused for a moment regarding the man. “You really care about your cousin, don’t you?” It’d made him think of his uncle, wherever he was – if he was even still alive. He didn’t want to think about that.
“If you have Corn Nuts, I’m all yours.” He could never have enough of those.
He had to think about it for a moment, of course. Nico had an inventory of sweet things but Corn Nuts were a uniquely and bizarrely American sort of food and they were, if he recalled, rather more savoury than sweet. And so he hadn't bothered to keep them as he'd gone. The Donna wouldn't have wanted them.
"I would die for my cousin," he said, which was more of a way to give himself the time to think about Corn Nuts and where he might find them. "She is all I have left."
He frowned, patting his bag again. "I don't have the Corn Nuts now but I'll find them." And he would, even if it meant travelling; Nico was a man of his word.
“Then, we have a deal.”
Honestly, Erik would have set up the lights even if the guy didn’t have Corn Nuts. He seemed to care about his cousin a lot and he could understand that feeling. He had people he would protect with his life too. Unfortunately, he had no clue where they were and whether they were alive or – well, there was no point mulling over it now. He needed to focus on what was at hand and what was to come.
“What type of lighting are you looking for? Incandescent? Fluorescent? HID? LED?” He was going to guess the former two, but one could never know with people. “Do you have a style in mind? Decorative? Or does it not matter?” Another pause and then, “I could also get you lamps powered by batteries.” It was an additional option to choose from.
"I don't know. My cousin is so much better at decoration than I am." He shrugged one shoulder, then crossed his arms over his chest. "It's in a place the sun doesn't get to often."
Nico sized the kid up again. Smart. He was very smart. Probably older than he looked, or just a genius. Maybe both. Nico was uncertain whether the Donna would like him, but the lighting would get Nico points and he would do a lot for stupid points of favour with his Donna.
"Why is it you want Corn Nuts?" he asked. "Of all the things you could ask... why those?"
A place the sun didn’t get to often. He couldn’t live underground, could he?
“Are there any outlets? I could get you power if you’re living in a house or a building.” But, if the guy was staying inside a home or even a shop, he would have access to lights. He would at least know if he’d go for incandescent or fluorescent.
“If there isn’t an outlet,” he continued slowly, “I’d recommend battery-powered lamps. You might have to stock up on the batteries, but it’ll last you a long time if you’re careful about usage.” Erik gave a light shrug of his shoulder. “But it all falls down to what your cousin wants.”
And where they lived exactly.
“No particular reason.” He liked to chew on the nuts whenever he was busy working on a project or fixing something. “It gives my mouth something to do and they taste great.” It kept his focus in check. Eating Corn Nuts might not actually help improve his concentration or his work, but he liked to think they did. It was kind of like how he liked to listen to music too.
The subways didn't sound quite like what his new friend was describing. But batteries could be hard to come by. No, they'd need something else. "I don't know, I don't look for outlets anymore."
He scanned the shelves again before reaching in for what he hoped was a can of alfredo sauce. It turned out to be... yeah, that, okay. Awesome. This wasn't turning out to be a bad night. All they needed now was to find a chicken.
"What if there was, like, a hand crank? I mean it's not like any of us genuinely has anything better to do." The priest could do it, or maybe one of the guards under Nico. It would be fine. Yes. He liked that idea a lot. He would have to ask Arden, of course, but in the planning stages, this was fine.
"Shame we don't have a cow. I'd love to get her real cream for the ice cream."
Watching him gather his supplies, Erik scratched the side of his cheek as the suggestion of a hand cranked lamp got brought up. It was possible. He could try to find him some, but it might be easier if he’d just found supplies and made them himself.
“Why don’t you ask your cousin and get back to me on it?” He reached into the fold of his jacket, pulling out a card. Yes, he’d made business cards. “Here’s my contact info.” It was a simple design. Just a white rectangular card with his name “Erik”, network handle, number, and the address of his auto repair shop with instructions to enter only through the garage beneath it in parentheses.
“If you have a car, you could probably go find one. There has to be at least a cow or two left in Texas.”
Nico took the business card, eyebrows raising. "Very neat. If I find you extra Corn Nuts I may want a set of my own." He tapped his thumb on the card and then put it in the inner breast pocket of his suit. The Donna would be pleased. Nico had made them a very capable ally. Today was a lucky day.
"Grazie. I will take this to her and ask her." He patted his suit jacket and smiled, a very pleasant and friendly sort of smile. "And as for that cow... yes. I suppose I could. Hard to find a cow while you're driving though. Maybe you could come help? You never know where you'll find these Corn Nuts of yours."
“If you find extra Corn Nuts, I’ll make as many of them as you need.” It wasn’t like there was a shortage of paper around here.
“You also have a point,” Erik agreed, giving the proposition a thought, “I wouldn’t mind going out further to search for a cow if there’s a chance of collecting some Corn Nuts too.” Or any other useful supplies that might be lying in wait for mindful scavengers.
The trip could prove to be worthwhile. It would be a nice change of scenery too. He also doubt it’d take them too far. How hard could it be to find a cow? A few must have survived.
“We’re not going to be able to do it today, so we can arrange it after you discuss the lights with your cousin. I should start heading back to the shop though before it gets late. Need me to drop you off along the way?”
Nico shook his head. "No," he said, "but I thank you for the offer." He could walk. Walking was good. Walking meant he might procure another sweet thing to take back to the Donna, or maybe shoot a zombie. He always felt better after he shot a zombie. Something very soothing about it, really. He'd have to examine it later.
He straightened his posture just a bit, hoisting the gun a little higher. "I'll get in touch after I talk to my cousin. She'll know what she wants to do."
Tipping his head down a bit, Nico gave a slight bow, rolling his hand in Erik's direction a couple of times. "Nice to have met you, Erik. A new friend is always good; such a capable one, even better. I hope you find your Corn Nuts."
Looking at him, Erik didn’t know whether he should be amused or impressed. Nico must have come from a rich family. Everything spelled class and etiquette about him. It made him faintly curious of what his cousin was like. Was she just as proper as he was?
“Thanks,” he said, snapping his fingers to get the dog’s attention, “I look forward to hearing from you, Nico. Don’t hesitate to stop by the shop. I never turn down company, especially not from a new friend.” God forbid he could use more of those. A decent break from his assistant. He gave him a casual, little wave before he turned to leave. The stray trotted after him out of the grocery store wagging its tail in the air.