Protecting the Store
Characters: Edan and Grace Setting: the store, morning
Once she’d woken up and realized the cameras were out, Edan had headed to the store. It seemed like a good idea to at least try and guard it, though at the same time she still wasn’t entirely sure what she could do. She was going to try though, that much was for sure.
It had been the same idea that Grace had, actually. It wasn’t that she distrusted anyone in particular here, but she knew that she was in a place full of criminals. She didn’t know how many people were here for stealing (everyone’s crimes seemed fairly severe), but she wanted to make sure that nothing was taken. When she saw that Edan had gotten there first, she smiled at the younger woman. “Good morning,” she said with a warm tone.
Edan looked up from some things she was organizing, surprised to hear it. She pulled her hands away from the shelf. It wasn’t as if she was actually doing anything, just moving things around to keep herself busy. “Hello Grace.”
“Hello,” Grace replied. “I must say that I’m glad to find you in here rather than someone else.” She belonged in here, after all. “I take it that you were thinking the same thing that I was?” That they should check the store in case anyone got any funny ideas about them being without the security cameras.
“That the store might be a target?” Edan said. “I wasn’t sure if the lock on the door would work well and...well I guess if I’m trying to think positively, it would be good to know if someone needed something we were here to help out.” But mostly she’d been worried about looters.
"Don't worry, I thought the same," Grace reassured her. She was sure a few of the people in here could pick locks, so she wouldn't be surprised if someone tried to get in here. "Someone might come by needing something, too." She looked around, trying to see if anything was out of place. It didn't look like it, anyway.
“But the other is far more likely,” Edan said moving towards the counter and pushing up to sit on it. “So what do you think so far? Of working down here.”
“You’re right, the other is more likely,” Grace admitted. Still, she could at least keep her hopes somewhat high, even if she understood people better than that. “I like it, actually. I like the idea of having something to do every day, even better a way to earn cash, or credits, in our case.”
Edan nodded. “I like the structure. It’s nice to have a schedule. Which I hope it’s okay that I put it together. I figured you’d be alright with it?” she asked, nodding towards the schedule she’d put on the wall behind the counter.
“I like the structure as well,” Grace admitted. It really was nice to have a schedule and a real reason to wake up. “I don’t mind one bit. I’m glad that you did it, actually.” If anything, Grace would likely want to work more rather than less. She had always been something of a workaholic, after all.
“It’s sort of my thing. I used to organize entire events before prison.” Edan half smiled, tapping her toes a little. “A simple schedule isn’t that hard.”
“If you did that, then no, I wouldn’t imagine so,” Grace said with a smile. “What sort of events did you organize?” If Grace was going to be working with her, then she wanted to get to know her.
“Charity stuff,” Edan said with a smile, glancing over at Grace. It wasn’t something most inmates could claim she supposed, but then again her crimes weren’t really normal either.
Who here really had normal crimes? Grace thought that might have been what attracted the attention of the administrators was that they all had more...unique things to their names. “Sounds interesting. I actually attended a few charity balls before I was in prison.”
“Really?” Edan asked, looking up from her shoes. “Where were you from?” Because she might have known them if they were for charities in the Arizona area.
It would be nice if they were from the same area, wouldn’t it? “Tennessee,” Grace said to her. “Where are you from?” Their accents weren’t similar, but that didn’t always mean anything, after all.
Edan’s shoulders fell a little. “Arizona actually. So maybe not the same events.” Which was where her mind had been with things. “Did you like Tennessee?”
“That’s too bad. I’m sure that you created very good events,” Grace said. “I did like Tennessee, but I don’t think I’ll be able to go back once I do get out of here.” She wanted to see her family, but her crimes were a little too notorious for her to be able to disappear into a crowd there.
“I like to think I did,” Edan said with a smile. “Some of them were a success, good money raised, issues brought to light.” She looked over at Grace and nodded. “I know that feeling. I wonder if I’ll be able to go back. I guess not.” Which she hated for her family, to lose both her and her twin.
“Always a good way to think of working events,” Grace replied with a smile. They were also good places to make contacts and give yourself good publicity, but she didn’t say that out loud. “I hope there will be some kind of discretion that allows us to contact our families, even if we can’t go back home again.” That might be a breaking point for her.
"I hope so too. At least let my parents know I'm safe." Which was important to Edan. They'd had a son in the military. They knew worry better than most.
“I’m worried what my daughters might think,” Grace admitted. “I hope that they were told, or that my letter was actually sent to them, but I guess I won’t know until I am released.” Something that troubled her to no end, actually.
The woman had daughters and went to charity dinners. Edan had to wonder what she’d done to wind up in prison. “How old are your girls?” she asked instead, not wanting to harp on the obvious questions.
Probably for the best. “My oldest one is in her early twenties, and my youngest is in her early teens,” Grace explained. They’d been had pretty close together, obviously.
Edan nodded. "Did you get along with them?" Those were precarious ages, when daughters and mothers tended to be either extremely close or not at all.
Grace nodded. “My oldest, Helen, is watching out for all of them now that I’m here,” she said. She was annoyed that her husband had been trying to get custody, but hopefully that had been taken care of.
“That’s good of her,” Edan said, looking up at Grace. “Especially given her age. That’s usually the last thing someone wants in their early twenties.”
Grace smiled. “I taught my girls that family comes before anything, and I’m very glad that they all took it to heart.” That was something that her ex-husband didn’t quite understand. He’d always been away with his own work as well. Now it was biting him in the ass, as far as she was concerned.
“You must be proud,” Edan said even if it sent a chill up her spine. “I’m pretty sure I feel the same way. Or I did about my brother.”
“I am very proud,” Grace said, smiling for a second before she caught the past tense in Edan’s voice. “My condolences for your brother,” she said with a nod.
“Thank you.” It came as if it was rehearsed, something Edan had gotten used to saying over the years. She never really understood the statement that came from people who hadn’t known Evan. It seemed a silly thing to say, but she knew better than to question it out loud. Hopping off the counter she looked around the store. “I suppose while we’re here we could do an inventory of sorts right? I feel weird that we don’t really have a good list of just what’s in the store.” It was a change in subject, but she wanted the distraction. The mindless work to focus on instead of her loss.
Mindless work would keep Grace from thinking a little too much on her family as well. Whenever she talked about them too much, she tended to get a little depressed as well. “An inventory sounds good,” she agreed. It was something that certainly needed to be done, anyway.