The Soldier & The Merc
Characters: Jae and Brady Setting: Music Room, late morning
The mowing of the courtyard, which was still an utterly ridiculous punishment, was luckily finished without any more delays. Brady was relieved because he really wanted coffee. Even so, he did all the little things that went with cleaning up the yard before he allowed himself that first blissful mug. He didn’t care that he stunk or was sweaty, that his shirt was clinging to him, not until after he’d downed that first mug. Halfway through the second he finally acknowledged that showering would probably be a good idea. He took the mug with him to the shower. When that was finished, he dressed and decided to take a closer look at the expanded parts of the facility.
Brady was still of the opinion that this was probably one really fucking elaborate psychology experiment, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to take advantage of the perks of the place. He was curious about the shop, but he found himself heading to the music room instead. It had been a long time since he’d picked at a guitar, and he wasn’t all that great at it, but it could be a good way to pass some time. It was a pretty nice set up, a good variety of instruments, but he didn’t pay them much mind, just heading straight for a guitar and setting on a bean bag as he strummed a pick over the strings.
Jae hadn't returned to her room with paint or anything else, preferring to leave the attention whore and face tattoo girl to their own devices. Instead, she decided to go exploring. Eventually, she wound up hearing music. Heading in that direction, she stood in the doorway, seeing a guy in there playing. She didn't say anything immediately, just assessing the situation in silence.
There were only a few songs that Brady knew pretty well by heart, and it had been so long since he’d played that it was rough at best, but at least it didn’t sound like nails on a chalkboard, right? After some time, he managed to get the rhythm down for it again, and he found himself humming along with it. It was soothing, in a way, even if Brenna had been the musician of the two of them. It took him back to happier times, to their whirlwind romance, and as he got caught up in the wave of memories, he stopped playing abruptly, rubbing a hand over his jaw. It took him a minute to realize that he wasn’t alone. “Hi,” he called out simply, not recognizing the woman. He wondered how long she’d been standing in the doorway watching him.
"Hi." Jae greeted in return, waving slightly at him, a wiggle of her fingers. She didn’t enter the room, however, staying where she was. "What were you playing? I've never heard it before." she told him. "And I listen to kind of everything. I'm a big old pile of eclectic music, from all over. It can get pretty crazy in my playlists." she added.
Brady didn’t return the wave, just looking at her as if waiting to see what she might do. His grin was quick and a bit proud when she asked about the song. “Nothing wrong with an eclectic music selection. You wouldn’t have heard it, though. My wife wrote it. Uh, ex-wife,” he corrected, blowing out a breath. He really needed to remember that distinction. They’d been divorced long enough, but he didn’t think he would ever really think of Brenna as anything other than his wife.
Jae caught the slip, of course, and made a mental note. "Well, it sounded like a nice, sappy song. And there's a place in the world for sappy love songs. So, cool. Know anything else? Got an acoustic version of Creep by Radiohead in you? or Creep by Stone Temple Pilots, that would work for me too," she added. "You could do Creep by TLC but that might be weird. Entertaining, but weird."
Snorting softly, a low, slightly amused sound, Brady shook his head slightly when she pinned it as a sappy love song. Brenna had a knack for them, and they’d been easier to learn than the edgier stuff she’d wrote. “Radiohead bugs me, but Stone Temple Pilots? Good stuff. Can’t play much for shit, really, but I know a few of Brenna’s songs and a few others.” He shrugged, not even going to comment on the TLC crap. He’d heard of them of course, but he didn’t know their music, and he planned to keep it that way.
“Well, if you’ve got anything in you I know, I could totally sing,” she told him. “Possibly dance. And I don’t even have to be half in the bag to do it, either. Of course, I’m not saying I’ve got some phenomenal voice that you’re going to want to run and tell everyone about, but could be a fun time,” she suggested. Finally entering the room, she didn’t go near him, instead opting to look around at everything else in the room. “So, you just in here to be antisocial? Or just feeling musical today?”
Brady quirked a brow at her. It wasn’t that he was against having company, he just wasn’t sure that he did. “You don’t have to entertain me,” he said dryly, though his lips twitched as though he was fighting amusement at the concept. He flipped through the very small list of things he’d learned to play before prison, finally starting the first few chords of Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. He really didn’t know much, and what he did know, he didn’t really know all that well, and he was very rusty at it, but if she wanted to suffer through him trying to remember what little he did know, he wasn’t going to stop her. “It’s a newly revealed section of this place,” he answered simply. “Figured I’d check it out.”
“Oh, honey. If I was trying to entertain you, you’d know. There’d be dancing, hopefully some witty banter on my part, maybe I’d show you some high kick stuff, or whatnot. This is just me interacting, being non-anti-social. It was that or deal with the crazies I have a room next to. Who apparently are into penis drawings and giant ass face tattoos. That and horrid singing, and nudity. It’d be a laugh riot, if I was twelve,” Jae said. “Ooh. nice choice of song,” she told him, genuinely appreciating the selection.
As he listened, Brady picked at the guitar, trying to remember the pattern of chords and doing better than he’d thought he would. Penis drawings and giant ass face tattoos? He found himself grinning at that. “You must have Pippa as a neighbor. Her ink’s pretty fucking unique,” he said, though it tripped him up on the playing for a second before he recovered. And really, Pippa had been pretty fucking unique as a whole. He couldn’t quite figure her out. “I thought so,” he replied with a faint smirk.
"Oh, it is," Jae agreed. "Absolutely. But that girl also screams 'nuts' to me. Which isn't always a bad thing. She didn't seem trouble-nuts so far. Just nuts," she said. Then she waited a few chords, and started singing the song. She put effort into it, and wasn't shy about volume. Sure, her rendition might have been more reminiscent of Guns n Roses than the original, but it wasn't half bad.
Brady snorted a soft laugh at that, thinking it was a pretty accurate way to describe Pippa. She'd definitely seemed like some kind of crazy to him, but not in a troublesome way. "Yes, something like that," he agreed simply. As she started singing, Brady just listened for a minute, playing along. After a bit, though, he joined in at a much lower volume, low enough that she probably wouldn't even hear him over her own singing. He was about as good at singing as playing - which was to say that he wasn't anything great but he wasn't going to kill cats with the sound of it. As he finished the closing notes to the song, he rested his hand over the strings. "Might poke around, see if they have books to learn more. Could be a good way to pass the time."
Jae did notice him singing, and lowered her own volume slightly so they could harmonize. When the song came to a close, she grinned at him, a bright, please expression. "Well how about that, guitar man? That was awesome," she told him. "Learning more guitar would rock. I encourage this."
There was a moment after she spoke where Brady just stared at her in silence. It was a 'what the fuck' moment, and it seemed that he was just going to be having many of those in this place. "It was pretty good. You're not half bad, either. What's your name?" he asked, not about to come up with some stupid nickname for her, though he didn't argue being called 'guitar man'. "Can't say it'll work. Brenna tried to teach me, but not a lot of it stuck. Bits here and there." He shrugged, not really wanting to continue thinking about Brenna because it would lead to thinking about his kids, and the thought of never seeing his kids again was really fucking hard.
At his whole staring gig, Jae arched an eyebrow, then looked behind her. "Did I grow a second head?" she asked. "Is there a black hole opening up behind me, or something?" she asked. "What's the look for?" she asked. "Beyond that, my name's Jae. And you pick up what you've got the motivation for. If you're motivated here, then you should eventually rock n roll."
Brady shook his head. "Nah. This place is just a mind fuck. You been in long enough, you get used to people acting a certain way. It's fucking weird being around women, and nice ones at that. Even fucking weirder to be complemented." She'd asked, and for some reason he found himself being honest. Life was simple in prison; here, well, things didn't make as much sense. Jae, he filed the name away with a slight nod. "Yeah, good point. Who knows, maybe I'll actually pick it up."
Jae quirked a little half smirk at him. "Well, don't get used to too much sugar from me, I can be just as spicy as Tai food when I want to be. And hey, you deserved the compliment, so roll with it. It's soooo much better than getting kicked in the balls, or other mean things," she assured him. "So what's the story, Mr. Tats?" she asked, nodding to the ones she could see on his arms. "Where you from, what's your deal?"
"Good. I get spice," he replied with a faint smirk. "I can roll with it. It is better than a swift kick to the balls. Not that anyone's ever managed to land a blow," he lied smoothly. At the question, he glanced down at his arms, though he glanced back up when she followed it up. "My deal?" He held out one arm so she could get a better look at his tattoos on it. "Fallen comrades," he summed up, figuring it was the easiest explanation to what his deal was.
"C'mon. You've never taken a shot to the nuts?" she asked, looking skeptical. She did walk over closer finally when he showed off the rest of the ink, and she looked over the names, the dates. "Lost a lot of people, I see,." she told him. "So, who was..." she looked down the list, then pointed to one, though she never made contact. It was one in the middle of the list. "This one?"
Brady smiled a bit at that. "What kind of man owns up to someone getting a shot in on his family jewels?" he joked. He just held his arm there as she looked over the names, eyes zeroing in on the one she pointed to. "Sergeant Bryan James. We met in basic, got stationed together, but that was before 9/11. We ended up in different places, then a sniper got him in Iraq in '05."
"An honest one?" Jae suggested. But she dropped the subject, finding her own bean bag chair to drop down onto, focusing on Brady and his story. "Sniper, ouch," she said, wrinkling her nose. "That sucks. I'm sorry. What was he like?"
It didn't seem like there would be any point in reminding her that they were all convicts here and that it would be foolish to expect honesty from everyone at all times. He ignored the apology, focusing in on the question instead. "He was good people. Had a wife and three kids. He was one of those teenage parents deals that joined up right after high school cause he had no fucking clue how to support his girl and the baby on the way otherwise." He knew most of the stories on his arms almost as well as he knew his own, and each and every one of them weighed on him.
"Sucktastic again," Jae said. "So, was his situation just fucked, or was he just at the wrong place at the wrong time?" she asked. She thought the question was valid, and maybe he'd come back with something else to go with it, but she knew situations were all over the place. It could have happened due to any number of things.
"Pretty much," Brady agreed, dropping his arm back down to mess with the guitar again. "Nighttime mission. They fucking dismounted to investigate some shit. Three of 'em were taken out before they spotted the sniper. At least they took him out, then, not that it really helps. Doesn't bring him back, doesn't stop those kids from growing up without their father." He rolled his shoulders then, as if trying to shake off the heavy thoughts.
Jae sat forward on her beanbag, elbows propped on her knees as she watched him. "Do you think that we shouldn't have been over there?" she asked, no jading of her tone in one way or another. She wanted his opinion, not for him to speak to her like she expected a certain answer.
Brady's brows rose at the question, surprised. People didn't usually ask a soldier that. People often usually just expected soldiers to go by the company line, and really, it was illegal to speak out against it while serving. "I think we couldn't do nothin' after the towers fell, but I think there's a lot of bullshit we were ordered to do instead of focusing on hunting down the fuckers who put all that together. I'm proud to have served, and I don't regret anything I did overseas, but it's a damn shame so many good men had to lose their lives for it."
She nodded, accepting that answer. "So who's the next guy on the list?" she asked, glancing to his arm again. She could see he was very passionate, and clearly had quite a lot weighing in on him. The dead were chains that never quite let go, especially if it was something like wartime deaths. Soldier or not, that was a heavy load.
He didn't even have to look at his arm to know which name came after Sgt. James' name. It was PFC Martin, killed in a mortar attack on his FOB only three weeks after getting to Iraq. He ignored the question, not wanting to dwell on the dead just then. "What's your story?" he asked, wanting to turn the topic onto her.
Jae noticed that he didn't have to look at all. She was willing to bet his list was committed to memory entirely. Even if he didn't actually answer her question, she figured he knew what the next name was. "Daddy was special forces," she said. "So were all my fake uncles. The military wouldn't take me, which fucked up my plans," she told him. "But I still had a lot of skills under my belt. So I did special operations with a group of similar people. Things went south. I got convicted. Now I'm here."
Brady nodded slowly as she explained. "That fucking sucks. Uncle Sam gets another notch in the screwed over belt. So why'd they turn you away? Medical?" he asked, though it really could have been any number of reasons she hadn't been allowed to enlist.
"Yes," Jae answered, though she didn't say her specific issue. If he asked, she might tell him, but she wanted to see if he'd want more information, or if he was going to leave things as is. "I'd really wanted to go career with it. I wasn't feeling overly suited to being a housewife, and nothing the universities I looked at offered called to me. I'd wanted to serve since I was a little girl," she said. "I was the little girl with more toy guns than dolls. My dolls were used not for playing house, but playing 'hostage negotiations'."
Brady quirked a brow, wondering if she was going to elaborate. She didn't, and he didn't ask. There was a very long list of reasons someone would be medically excluded from enlisting, and it wasn't any of his business what hers was. "I'd have gone career, but they decided I was too fucked in the head and kicked me out on my ass and took my benefits while they were at it," he admitted, sounding as bitter as he felt about it. "Hostage negotiations, huh? Cool," he said with a grin, nodding slightly in approval.
She smiled at that, thinking he'd likely think it was less cool considering her conviction, but she didn't share it. Instead, she went back to finding out more about him. He may not want more information on her, but she liked to get as much information on the people around her as possible. Especially in a situation like this one. It could be incredibly useful. "Fucked in the head...?" she trailed off, so he could elaborate. She had a good guess, of course, but she didn't want to assume.
It didn't get by Brady that she was turning the conversation back to him, but he just gave a mental shrug. There were some things he wouldn't talk about, but this? This he'd already owned up to on the journals for every-fucking-one to see, so he saw no reason to evade. "Yeah, I got a bad case of PTSD. Posted on those journals about it after some girl thought she was bein' sweet, touching me when I went somewhere else in my head. Don't think she thought it was so sweet when I pinned her to the wall by the throat," he explained in an even tone, though he didn't sound proud of the fact by any means. "You don't look like the givin' comfort type, though," he added, lips curving up at one corner in a faint smirk.
"Oh, I give comfort. Just of a different variety, and only for certain people," Jae told him. "Did you apologize?" she asked, out of curiosity. "And you taking anything for it? Gotten any help with it?" she asked. "I've known people with it, and 'I've got it' never works as well as they want it to."
Brady quirked a brow at that, not able to stop his mind from jumping places it probably shouldn't. He Wasn't even going to touch on that. "Yeah, I did. She might've missed it though. I see her again? I'll be sure to again. Well, long as her little blonde guard dog isn't around to punch me again for daring to speak to her," he added, lips twitching in amusement at the thought. Yeah, it hadn't felt good to get punched by a little blonde slip of a woman, but he could appreciate her protectiveness of Autumn. "I've been on a variety of antipsychotics, antidepressants, anti-anxieties over the years. Ain't on anything right now, though. Might take some time today to get down to see that doc," he said musingly.
Jae nodded, listening to him as he spoke. She noted the little smile at being punched, and she took that as a good sign. At the rest of it, she nodded again, knowing a lot of that was common for treatment of PTSD. "Anything ever help?"
“Not really,” Brady answered with a shrug. “Prazosin helped with the sleep some.” At least, it had helped to keep him from dreaming as much, which helped to keep him from attacking Brenna in his sleep.
"Ever talk to anyone about it, or just go the meds route?" she asked. She knew people who talking about things never actually helped, and some who it did wonders. The human mind and the damage it took was never a clear cut recipe. Everyone was different, every trauma was different.
“You some kind of head doctor?” Brady countered. Apparently yesterday wasn’t the only twenty questions day. “But yeah, did extensive counseling while I was still in. Should’ve known better than to be honest with them. That’s why they kicked me out and took my benefits. And after? Didn’t have any medical, and I couldn’t take away from Brenna and the kids when we were barely makin’ ends meet as it was. Hindsight? Yeah, I probably should’ve. We would’ve found a way to make it work.” Though why he was answering so honestly, he didn’t know.
"No," Jae answered. "I would have mentioned that earlier," she added. Then continued to listen to him. "What did you say that got you booted?" she asked. "Can they even do that? That's one thing I don't know. What about doctor-patient confidentiality?" she asked. "Sorry to hear everything went so sideways," she offered. "Which I know doesn't really mean shit. When things go wrong, they go wrong, and nothing anyone has to say about it makes anything better."
“The truth,” Brady answered simply, not about to go into the specifics of why he was the way he was. “Yeah, they can do that. There’s no such thing as doctor-patient confidentiality when you’re the property of the US government.” He shrugged at the apology and the words she said after. “No, nothing makes it better. So, you just try to find ways to deal. I’m not very good at it,” he added with a wry twist to his lips.
"Well you have to try other shit then," Jae said. "Which I'm sure is far more easily said than done. But, I guess if you ever wanted an excuse to get out of your own head...this weird ass situation would be it," she said, glancing around. "Gone to prison, get out, head to Neverland..."
Brady shrugged, not really feeling all that thrilled with apparently getting a lecture, short as it may have been. “Yeah, this place is a pretty big mind-fuck. I’m just going with it, though. What else can we do?” He didn’t really care enough to try to find a way out. To him, he was serving his time wherever he had to serve it.
"Apparently, not much." Jae said with a sigh, slumping back on her chair. "Especially with big brother apparently watching everything we're doing and passing judgment on it." she added. "Which, I still say is bullshit."
Snorting out a humorless laugh, Brady shook his head. “It is bullshit,” he agreed simply. He started playing the guitar again, something soft and slow, a lullaby Brenna had written for Madelyn when she’d been a baby. It was so ingrained in his memory that he didn’t even have to try to recall the chords, they just came to him. “Way I see it, though?” he said as he played. “Anyone thinks the big brother shit outweighs the perks, they could just ask to go back to prison.” Whether it would work or not, he didn’t know, but it couldn’t stop them from asking, right?
"Oh, it's not that that bothers me." Jae said. "I guess I just look at all of this and say 'this? Is going to go sideways very, very fast'." she admitted. "Call me paranoid, sure. Maybe I am. Hell, I hope I am. I hope this is all totally legit, and will be awesome, and everyone can laugh their asses off at me and my bullshit theories."
“Paranoid, huh? So how do you think it’s gonna go sideways. Gimme some of those theories,” he said with a twisted grin. He could imagine many ways it could go sideways, but he wanted to know what she was thinking.
"Everyone gets at each other's throats, misinformation gets spread around, rocks fall, everyone dies." Jae said simply. "At it's worst, anyhow. All Lord of the Flies shit."
“Eh, that shit happens everywhere. I just got the feeling that this is some twisted psych experiment and we’re never gonna get out of here. They’ve given us a lot of shit, I won’t be surprised when some of it disappears or when they just stop providing anything at all.” He nodded toward the door where the greenhouse and gardens were. “Hell, they already gave us a small farm. What’s gonna be in the next block? An animal farm and slaughterhouse? Hell, we’d be self-sufficient then.”
Jae arched an eyebrow at him. "...in America, in a closed prison setting? Really? You're going to say this just happens everywhere?" she asked. "And that's kind of what I was just saying..." she trailed off. "If they did stop providing everything, it'd be Lord of the Flies even faster."
Brady had a feeling she didn’t really understand what he’d meant. “No, I just meant people being at each other’s throats, misinformation spreading, people dying - that shit happens everywhere. Sure, it’s probably gonna be escalated, pushed to the extreme with the closed community setting. I wasn’t discounting your Lord of the Flies analogy, I was agreeing with it.”
"Ah, okay." Jae said, nodding. "Yeah. So great. We both think this is all going to end in savagery and tears. Awesome." she said with a quirked half smirk. "So when the bloodbath starts, should I head in your direction or away from it?"
“Hard not to when you’ve seen what men can do to his fellow man without blinking an eye.” If he hadn’t been jaded before, he certainly was after three deployments and then getting kicked out on his ass. He laughed at the question. “I dunno, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be turning my back to the resident mercenary when the bloodbath starts.” Because that’s what she’d essentially told him she’d been, and he knew better than to underestimate her pretty face.
"Won't be turning your back to me because you don't trust me, or won't turn your back because you want me on Team You?" she asked, curious. It was an interesting wording, how he'd put it. So, she was definitely wondering what his take might be. She did like that he wasn't dumb enough to underestimate her.
“Don’t trust anyone,” he answered succinctly. “But if push comes to shove, I’d rather have you on Team Me,” he added, fighting back a smirk.
"Don't trust anyone?" Jae asked, watching him. "What about the men on your arm?" she asked. "You had to have trusted them." She didn't add more to it, just to see how he'd explain it. She didn't want to jade his answer at all, she wanted to get as honest a one as he'd allow.
“I don’t trust anyone here, now,” Brady specified. He finished the song he’d been playing and then set the guitar aside, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, forearms facing up so he could look at the representations of those men. “You have to trust the men you serve with, though. And I did. Wouldn’t have second guessed any of ‘em.”
"Technically, we're all serving here." Jae told him. "We are in this together, whether we want to be or not, in a situation none of us is certain of. I know it isn't the same thing. But a little solidarity wouldn't hurt anyone." she added. Though it was neutrally, more her making a general point as opposed to a specific one relating to either of them.
Brady was silent for a minute, expression neutral as he considered her words. “This is really fucking different than serving in the military, but I get what you’re saying. Two days isn’t anywhere near long enough to trust anyone here, though. Maybe in time. I don’t doubt alliances of some kind have already formed, though I’m guessing a lot of them don’t look at it that way. Civilians usually don’t.”
"No. They really don't." Jae said. And while she technically qualified as a civvie herself, she didn't think of herself like one. "And I agree. Two days isn't enough time. Just wondered if you were the type who says 'I got fucked over once, so screw everyone and the horse they rode in on forever and ever' or if you man up and will, just got to meet the right people."
Brady didn’t only refer to people who hadn’t served in the military as civilians, he was including people who’d lived a certain life, which he thought definitely included her. And seeing as how she’d been a military brat and grown up to go into the career she had, he really didn’t see her as a civilian. “I dunno, guess time will tell. Haven’t written anyone off outright, ‘cept maybe the fucking drunk idiot who was hanging out in the courtyard earlier.”
"Think I missed that special display." Jae said, smirking. "What happened?" she asked, sure it was at least a semi-amusing story, if he already hated some drunk guy. Though, come to think of it, she'd seen someone drinking... "Dark curly hair...Emo McDrinkypants?"
“Just had a lot of opinions on shit he didn’t know anything about,” Brady brushed it off with a shrug. He snorted at the name. “Seriously? Emo McDrinkypants? Think he said his name was Charlie.”
"Like what? C'mon, if he's that out of line, you've got to tell me something!" Jae said, laughing. "And yes, I'm sure he's got a real person name and everything, but I like my name for him better. Seemed to fit. Especially since that guy? He never spent even a single day on the inside. He was just convicted. He didn't even know this wasn't like, proper prison."
“He’s just an idiot. Went on about how the bar was a really bad idea, and then not five minutes later he’s saying how awesome it is. He was drunk, though, so idiocy’s to be expected, I guess.” He wasn’t excusing Charlie’s really stupid comments, just saying it wasn’t a surprise. “Jesus, you’re fucking kidding me,” he said with a shake of his head. That was some kind of bullshit, though he wasn’t sure why it pissed him off as much as it did. Everyone here that he’d met so far had at least served some of their sentence, it didn’t seem right for someone to go straight from sentencing here.
"Yeah, I was wondering about it. I guess if we look at it from the standpoint of an experiment, he'd be 'control'." Jae said. "Someone who hasn't been traumatized by prison already, see what it does to someone taken fresh off the boat, or whatever." She shrugged. "Does seem kinda unfair, though."
“Does play a bit into the psych experiment theory, I guess,” he agreed. Not that that made him like it any more. “It’s bullshit. This whole thing seems pretty bullshit. I mean, I know a lot of people are lookin’ forward to what they’re saying could come of this - a second chance at life and all, but someone commits a crime, they should do the time, simple as that.” It was pretty black and white to him.
"So do you not want to be here at all?" Jae asked. "Or do you feel like you've done your time?" It was quite the stance to take, one she found very intriguing. So, she was curious how he even felt about his presence in the program at all, if that was what he thought.
“I don’t care where I serve my time. Even without the cells and jumpsuits, this is still a prison. I can’t see my kids, I can’t leave. So no, I don’t feel like I’ve done my time, and I’m not in any rush to get back to civilian life.” His kids were better off without him even if Brenna would let him near them again, which he didn’t even know if she would. Sure, she’d sent him letters with updates and pictures of them, but that didn’t mean she’d want him around.
"But what if you 'graduate' sooner than your sentence was?" Jae asked. "Would you think they judged that you'd done your time? Who makes the call? Who's call do you trust to be the right one?" she posed.
“Now you’re just getting a bit too philosophical for me,” Brady said with a short laugh. “I still have about four years left on my sentence. I wasn’t gonna get out early on good behavior.” He hadn’t planned to get out at all. He still didn’t. He had no intention of starting over.
Jae grinned. "Just interested where you draw the lines. The world is never quite so black and white as you've presented." she told him, a playful note in her voice. "Were you a bad boy in prison? Big fight starter?" she asked. "Get a little too cozy with your roomie?"
In his mind, the world was a lot more black and white than some people wanted to pretend. Sure, sometimes there were shades of gray, but for the most part, things were pretty cut and dry. He didn’t comment on it though, because they clearly had different viewpoints, and he didn’t really care about trying to sway her to his. “Nah, didn’t start the fights. Most of the time. I don’t take kindly to men who fuck with little kids.”
"Ah." Jae said with a nod. Yeah, anyone who hurt kids did pretty damn poorly in prison, and Jae was alright with that. More than alright. "Wonder if anyone like that will wind up here." she mused. "I sure as hell hope not."
Brady’s expression turned dark, very dark. “Anyone does and I find out about it? They won’t last long.” He glanced away from her then, looking around as though trying to find the camera that he was certain was watching them. “You hear that? You put any child molesters in here, they’ll probably get dead, so it’s best you guys don’t.”
"I'll be helping out with that!" Jae called as well, to whoever might be listening. She imagined a lot of people were. "Got your back in the event that colossal pile of bullshit happens."
Jae rose quite a few levels in his esteem at that, and Brady gave a nod of approval. “Great. Got yours, too,” he replied honestly. While he knew he didn’t completely trust her, this conversation had given him plenty of reason to be just fine with giving her a chance. That and he hadn’t been lying when he said he wasn’t stupid enough to want her against him if shit hit the fan.
"Well, awesome then." Jae said with a firm nod. "With that positive note, I think I'll go see what the fuck else they've thrown in here. But we'll catch up soon." she promised. "Sound good, Soldier Boy?"
“Sure thing, Mercy,” he replied, lips twitching in amusement. He really wasn’t into the whole nicknames thing, but it seemed fitting for her. And even if it wasn’t fitting? Well, it amused him, so he didn’t care. He reached for the guitar again, though he kept an eye on her still.
She winked at him, then knocked off a salute. With that, she headed out, to see what other people she could find out all about. Might as well work with it while she was at it, see what the hell else this place had to offer. But she was happy so far with those she'd met. Brady could be a useful guy to have on her side, if push came to shove. So Jae counted that as a win.
Brady chuckled under his breath, shaking his head slightly at the salute, giving a lazy one in return. And then he just watched her leave. Whatever the hell was going on in this place, at least it didn’t seem all bad.