Megan Louise Mills (inspiteofall) wrote in rrinitiative, @ 2013-04-14 18:42:00 |
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Entry tags: | brady, brady and meg, day fourteen, meg |
Common Ground
Characters: Brady and Meg
Setting: The farm, after the trial
Meg wasn’t sure how long it look for the courtroom to empty once the verdict had passed but it was only once it had that she herself stood and headed for the door. She knew she was in need of a shower and a change of clothes but the thought of swapping one enclosed space for another after so long spent not seeing daylight held no appeal so instead of heading to her room, turned right out of the courtroom heading for the elevator that would take her up to to the farm.
Brady was full of frustration and an almost anxious energy as the trial came to a close. He’d done what he could to keep things from escalating, putting a hand on Meg’s shoulder when Susanna’s comments seemed to get her all riled up - which he suspected had been the point. The dancer was a fucking psychopath, and he didn’t want Meg to end up in more trouble. He’d even grabbed her arm and given it a bit of a squeeze when it seemed she might punch Susanna. In the end, it seemed as if his efforts had proved fruitful, as the trial ended without a physical altercation, and he hadn’t had to really get involved. That was something, at least.
As everyone else filtered out of the room, he’d hung back to keep an eye on Meg. Once everyone else had left though, he slipped out as well, lingering near the hallway leading to the law enforcement office. When she finally emerged from the courtroom and headed for the elevator he hadn’t expected, he frowned and followed after her, catching up to her just as the elevator doors opened. He said nothing as he stepped into the elevator with her, though.
And for a moment Meg said nothing back, just looked up at him, her expression a mix of surprise and wariness though beneath it lurked something else, something softer. “Weren’t exactly lookin’ for company Brady,” she said quietly as the elevator set off. “Can’t imagine I’ll be much fun to be around neither.”
The quiet words got little more than a shrug from him at first as he tried to sort through exactly what it was he wanted to say to her. “Not really expectin’ a fun time,” he finally said, his words equally quiet. “Just thought we should talk about what went on in there.” He wasn’t about to chastise her, but he knew he was in a tricky position now that he was on the law enforcement team.
“Gonna gimme a debriefin’ are you Sarge?” She let out a huff of might have been amusement and looked back at the elevator doors, letting silence fill the small space for a moment before adding, in a voice even quieter than it had been before. “I’m glad you were there mind, don’t think I ain’t.”
Brady leveled a look at her, but was quiet during that moment before she spoke again. Then he gave her a small nod. “I’m glad I was there. And none of that military shit,” he said, rolling his shoulders as if trying to shrug off the military references. Being a soldier had been such a huge part of his life for a long time, but he didn’t much feel like he deserved the title anymore. “Look, I get wanting to punch her. She’s a fucking psychopath, but it would’ve been a hell of a lot worse for you if you had.”
The urge to give him an ironic salute at his request was a strong one but Meg managed to resist, nodding instead as the doors slid open and she stepped outside. Taking a few seconds to breathe in some fresh air, she almost missed Brady’s comment she was so caught up in the novelty of feeling a breeze against her face. Instead it just took a moment to register with her and when it did, she turned to him with a look of abject surprise on her face. “And there was me thinking it was just me ‘n’ Mojo who had issues with her. What ticked you off?”
It was rather clear to him just how much she was enjoying that burst of fresh air as she stepped out of the elevator. Brady followed, absently listening to the quiet hum of the doors shutting behind them. He was curious about what issues Mojo had with Susanna, but he was more focused on Meg and what she was asking him just then. He snorted out a humorless laugh and gave a small shake of his head. “She gets off on violence. The day I... almost really hurt Autumn, she was at the pool too. That night, I go to go swimmin’ and then she’s there, and she fucking hits on me. She says how she saw me earlier, how I should let out that tension.” He paused, needing to give himself a moment to get a handle on the surge of anger and disgust that welled up in him again at the memory of it. “So she touches me, and I grab her wrists and push her away, and I swear to fucking God she moaned or some shit. My guess is the bitch likes getting roughed up, it turns her on or something.” And he sounded about as disgusted as he felt.
That was more information that Meg had ever cared to know about Susanna’s proclivities and her nose wrinkled a little in distaste. “Can’t say I’m shocked,” she said, strolling towards the fruit trees with the intent of sitting beneath one’s branches. “Girl was spoilin’ for a fight the day we kicked off. Wouldn’t mind that if she didn’t act all holier-than-thou afterwards, like she’s just some victim ‘stead of the instigator. Bitch is a liar.” And it was that, even more than Susanna’s snotty attitude, which Meg hated the most.
Brady almost felt guilty for laying it all out for Meg like that, but he hadn’t had any real chance to tell anyone before now, and apparently he’d needed to get it out. “Don’t doubt that. She was outright tryin’ to manipulate you in there, and it seemed like ya were playing right into it. So yeah, I’m glad I was there.” And he was equally glad that his silent actions had worked to keep Meg from snapping.
“Yeah well, it ain’t exactly hard to do,” Meg admitted, a flush of embarrassment staining her cheeks and seeping into her voice. “And she knows it. Reckon it woulda gone a hella lot worse for me if you hadn’t kept me in line even with Mojo pullin’ for me in the jury.”
It really wasn’t something he could judge her for as he had a quick temper of his own at times. He’d just had many years of forced discipline to give himself the experience to keep it better in check. “Yeah, it probably would’ve, but getting off with just having to work the farm - not a bad deal, right?” he said, wanting to get a feel for how she felt about the punishment. His only concern was that he doubted it would teach either of the women anything. Was it going to make them think twice before fighting again? Somehow he didn’t think so.
Tugging free the book she had stowed in her back pocket, Meg crossed the last couple of feet to one of the apple trees and dropped to the ground, crossing her legs beneath her. “Figured I was gonna get worse if I’m honest,” she said, casting her gaze over the farm. “Working out here sure beats being stuck underground or being put in solitary.” She’d had more than enough experience of that for one lifetime. Not that it had ever really stopped her from acting out so the whole thing had pretty much been an exercise in futility.
Brady followed her to the trees, reaching up to grab an apple from the one she’d dropped under and holding it out to her. “Yeah, thought you would too,” he admitted. He wasn’t exactly upset that she hadn’t though, not when he had little doubt that Meg’s version of events was the truer one, that Susanna had baited her into the fight. “Won’t argue that. Solitary’s a fucking bitch.” He’d ended up in it more than once while in prison thanks to his attempts to end his life. Though there were times when he felt like he should be in solitary confinement.
Accepting the fruit, she thought about buffing it on her shirt before rationalising it would probably do more harm than good given how long she’d been wearing it and instead just bit into it. The juiciness of it caught her by surprise and she had to wipe her face afterwards, adding stickiness to the generally unwashed vibe she had going on it. “Spoken like someone with experience,” she said before taking a second, more decorous bite of her apple. “Punishment or ‘protection’?” she asked around a mouthful of fruit.
When she took the apple, Brady snagged another one straight from the tree and bit into it, he tongue flicking out to catch the juice at the corner of his mouth. Her comment got another short laugh from him, though he went quiet at her question, giving himself a moment to sit down and lean back in the grass, looking up at the bright sky. “Bit of both, I guess. Tryin’ to protect me from myself,” he said with a careless shrug.
Meg didn’t need him to clarify any further than that, the same words having being thrown in her direction back in prison and gave him a little nod of understanding. “‘’nother thing you and me got in common then Brady,” she said, an ironic little smile dancing across her lips. “To go with our exceptionally good taste in mac’n’cheese.”
He chuckled a bit at that, though there was no humor in the sound. “Can’t beat Kraft,” he said in a dry tone. “I ain’t gonna throw any of the cliches at ya ‘bout how livin’s better than dyin’,” he said quietly after a long moment. Even if he tried, he rather thought the words would have too bitter a taste coming out when he wasn’t so sure he believed it more than half the time, though that didn’t mean he thought suicide was a good choice either. He just knew that sometimes it felt like the only choice.
“You know you love it,” she replied, matching his tone though it was quickly lost as gratitude slipped into her voice. “Gotta say I’m kinda glad, heard more than enough of that from the prison shrink.” And while she wasn’t in the dark place she’d been in at Tutwiler, she wasn’t in nearly a good enough mental state to deal with bullshit happy platitudes that made her want to punch things - she had quite enough things provoking that reaction as it was. “I won’t spout any of that one day at a time crap at you neither.”
“That I do,” he agreed easily. It was a small comfort in a shitty world, really. Brady scoffed at her mention of a prison shrink. “Don’t I know it. Most of the time they don’t know shit but what their textbooks say. Waste of fucking time and breath talkin’ to ‘em.” He did manage to give her a faint grin at her other words, though. “Always thought that was a stupid phrase. It ain’t one day at a time, anyway.” It was one agonizing second at a time sometimes, especially when you got to that point where death was the only perceived option.
“Here here,” Meg said, raising her apple in some vague approximation of a toast. “If I wanted to talk I woulda found someone who at least gets it, you know?” Like Brady clearly did, at least in part, and she couldn’t help but return his smile, faint as it was.
Brady made a soft sound of amusement and held his apple up as well before bringing it back to his mouth for another bite. “Yeah, I know,” he confirmed with a slight nod. He didn’t really think there was anyone who could understand, not completely anyway, but having someone with at least some concept of how it feels to be at that point was better than some quack who knew little more than definitions of big words. He was quiet for a long minute, chewing thoughtfully on his apple. “I know you’ve been stuck in detention a few days, but how’s your search comin’ along?” he asked her with a touch of concern.
Smile fading at his question, she looked down at the ground and let out a sigh of frustration. “It’s really not,” she replied, fingers of her free hand digging into the earth next to her. “I mean, I’ve managed to scratch a couple names off the list but that aside...I spoke to Wu about it, he asked me to wait til they find the rapist, guess he don’t want me mudding the waters or something like that. Made sense the way he explained it though.”
As Meg spoke, Brady frowned, and it only deepened as she went along. Wait until they found the rapist? Whether or not it had made sense when Wu explained it to her, it sure as hell didn’t make any sense to him just then. What happened to Meg was no less wrong than what happened to Becka, in his opinion, and he sure as hell didn’t think it was gonna do anyone any good not to look for whomever had assaulted Meg. “Fuck that,” he bit out darkly. “Between you and me? We’re grasping at fucking straws tryin’ to figure out who the rapist is. You got every fucking right to know who assaulted you.” Wu wasn’t exactly someone he wanted to go up against, but this was a whole lot of bullshit, and he wasn’t going to stand for it.
Instinctively shifting back a little on hearing the tone in Brady’s voice even if it wasn’t directed at her, Meg kept her eyes firmly on the ground. “And all I’ve got is a list of possible names, least with what happened to this other girl there’s other stuff to go on right?” She’d trusted Wu when he’d said they’d find the man and if was the same one who assaulted her then she’d see justice done. If not then it was another name off her list and she could continue her own search.
Brady looked at her for a long moment, debating how much he should tell her. He could probably be vague enough without giving her any names of who their top suspects were for it. If it turned out to be the same person though, he would have no scruples with letting her have a go at the asshole. “All we really know for sure is who was stuck over here during the blackout. Anyone that was still in A Block is a suspect,” he told her. “Everything else is pretty much speculation and gut feelings.” He still had his suspicions about Matt, though it seemed most of those involved in the case were leaning more toward Ryan. The problem was that they had no real way to prove who had done it, not without any witnesses or DNA.
“Well that’s a whole lotta not very comfortin’,” she said, trying to keep the bitterness from her voice when it was clear how frustrated Brady was with the whole situation. “You not ruled out anyone from block A?”
“Tell me about it,” he muttered, though it wasn’t really for her. He was extremely frustrated with the situation, and he’d have felt much better going about finding the guy in a more... hands on manner. It would probably feel pretty damn good to scrape his knuckles up some. “There’s people who’ve given alibis, but how the fuck can we be sure? Criminals, right? And there’s no way I’m gonna discount the possibility whoever it was has someone lyin’ for him. And then there’s some with no alibis at all that got my own radar beepin’,” he admitted.
“Like who?” Meg asked, finally looking back up at him. “I mean, are you allowed to say or is all hush hush?” It would just be a comfort to know they were getting closer to the truth even if she was no nearer to her own.
Brady shifted uncomfortably, wishing that he could tell her exactly who he suspected, but he just couldn’t. It was one thing for her to continue her own search, and he hoped that she would, it was another thing entirely to implicate someone as a rapist with nothing more than his gut to go off of. “Can’t really talk specifics of the who. Wish I could though,” he told her regrettably. “The fuckwads watching over us still protecting the jackass?” he asked, tone darkening just a bit again.
“Figured as much,” she said, finishing the last of her apple and lobbing the core over towards the vegetable patch where it could rot down. “And yeah, still not getting a name. Sent ‘em another message asking for it day before the fight, gonna keep doing that everyday til I get something.” She shrugged and wiped her hands on her shorts. “Ain’t a lot but it’s a thing I can actually do, you know? If nothing else it’ll piss ‘em off which is a satisfyin’ notion.”
“Good,” he said simply, glad that she wasn’t going to stop asking them. Even if the admins didn’t consider it rape, Meg still had a right to know who’d put their dick in her, and he couldn’t think of any good reason for them not to tell her. The only reason not to that he could think of is that they knew what the guy had done was wrong and were protecting him, which sure as hell wasn’t a good reason to his way of thinking. “Hell yeah,” he agreed with a snort of laughter.
The laugh sounded good on him and Meg quickly found herself giggling in response. “It’s on my resume you know, pissing off authority figures,” she told him, still smirking. “Least it would be if I had one...”
It was good to hear her giggle, and it made Brady think that following her out here had definitely been a good idea. She had issues, there was no doubt about that, but so did he, and he sure as hell wasn’t gonna shun her for it. “Whaddya know, mine too,” he said with a smirk. “Then I became one for a while there. Fuck knows how that happened.” Because it couldn’t have had anything to do with all the good things he’d done during his service; all he could see was the bad, the lives lost, the few unsuccessful missions, the occasional wrong decision.
“I can think of worse people to have running round keeping the peace,” Meg said, smirk softening into a proper smile. “And seein’ as I like ya, I’ll do ya a deal and promise to keep my irratatin’ behaviour directed towards other people.”
Brady snorted out a short laugh at that. “Yeah, there probably are.” Though he hadn’t been referring to here and now, he was okay with going with it. “Sounds like a good deal to me,” he replied with a more genuine laugh.
“Shake on it?” she said, offering her hand which admittedly was a long way from clean but at least wasn’t sticky.
“Sure,” he agreed easily, reaching out to shake the offered hand, not bothered in the least by it not being clean. When he pulled his hand back, his expression grew slightly serious again. “I’m gonna head down, get to work,” he said as he stood up. “Keep me in the loop though?” If she did find out who it was, he definitely wanted to know.
“Will do Brady,” she said, voice as serious as his expression. “Moment I got something, I’ll let you know.”
Brady accepted that with a nod, trusting her word on this. “See ya around,” he said as a good bye, turning and heading back to the elevator, finishing off his apple as he went.