Who: Kenzie and Chris When: Early evening, Wednesday, December 13 Where: Juniper Inn, then Moxie's Status: Complete
It had been a long trip, flying into Bangor and then renting a car to complete the drive to Point Pleasant. Kenzie let Chris drive, as she was more interested in looking over the files she had brought with them, wanting to absorb as much information as she could before they arrived. Due to the nearest, cheap motel being a little over ten miles out of town, she and Chris had been booked at the Juniper Inn. It appeared clean in the pictures on their website, and given some of the sketchy hotels they had stayed in before, that’s all Kenzie could really ask for.
Despite the nature of her job, Kenzie always found it somewhat difficult to travel with a partner. She wasn’t one for chit chat, preferring to read and reread their information so she didn’t walk into a situation unprepared. Thankfully she had worked with Chris enough that he usually left her alone during long trips, unless he was feeling ornery and wanted to aggravate her. But the flight into Maine had been tolerable, as had the hour long car ride. As soon as the GPS announced they were two miles from their destination, Kenzie closed the folders on her lap and reached down to slip them back into her bag that was resting between her feet on the floorboard.
“So what do you think?” Kenzie began, settling back against her seat and peering out the window towards the thick trees that lined the road leading into Point Pleasant. “Check in and maybe take a look around? Get something to eat?” A hot shower and a nap would be ideal, but Kenzie liked to get a feel for the places they had to visit, especially since they had no idea how long they would actually be here for.
Chris obviously couldn’t read and drive at the same time, but he’d gone over the files with Kenzie on the plane, and he’d paid close attention to the briefing they’d gotten before that. Point Pleasant was going to be an interesting place, he had a feeling. To those like them who took an interest in such dark and horrible things. He’d known better than to try and chat up Kenzie while she was reading, so he’d just gotten lost in thought as he drove, occasionally fiddling with the radio knobs to find something decent to listen to.
His brows lifted automatically when Kenzie spoke to him, and Chris straightened up a bit, coming back into reality. They were close, and he honestly couldn’t wait to get out of the goddamn car and stretch. He hoped this weird little town had a gym. “I could eat, yeah,” he replied, glancing over at his partner. “Wanna shower though, get the airplane grime off.” Chris would make it quick. He wasn’t sure how good of food this town would have, but surely they could find something decent to stuff their faces with.
Nodding, Kenzie wished they could slow down a bit so she could take pictures. It was probably weird to want to snap photos of a forest, but given what she had been reading about, this was not an ordinary town. Everything and anything could be worth checking into. "A shower sounds good," she murmured, distracted as her gaze searched the woods. She didn't expect to actually see anything, and once the houses came into view she settled again, eager to see where they would be staying for the time being.
It was a quaint town. Cozy and cute. She was sure if she rolled down the window she would be able to smell the ocean. Kenzie wondered if this was a popular spot for tourists during the summer. She knew there was a beach and a marina, but beyond that, there wasn't much else beyond the museum. Kenzie had a list of places she wanted to check out, though none were for recreational purposes. But that could wait. She wanted to get settled first. Digging deeper into this place would happen soon enough.
As Chris pulled into the winding drive of the inn, Kenzie peered up at the building from her window. Eight rooms, one of which she knew was already booked. Kenzie wondered how many other rooms might be full at this time of year. Once they parked Kenzie climbed out of the car, slipping her bag over her shoulder as she came around to the trunk to grab her things with Chris. It was cold and she shivered in her coat. She was usually up for whatever her job handed her, but she found herself wishing they had been sent some place warm and tropical. "What do you think the odds are that a place like this has consistent hot water?" Kenzie asked, smiling a touch as she grabbed her small suitcase from the trunk.
It was all very adorable and Mayberry-esque, but Chris didn’t buy into that much. Looks could definitely be deceiving, and if even half of what was in their reports was true, Point Pleasant was deceptive as hell. Also cold, which sucked, and it would only get colder. Chris snagged his laptop bag out of the backseat, then got out to pull his single suitcase out of the trunk. Thunking it down next to Kenzie, he tossed a half-amused glance up at the Inn. There weren’t a lot of cars in the lot, which was a good sign for privacy, though Chris supposed it wasn’t exactly tourist season around these parts. “Fifty-fifty, at best,” he said with a little smirk, closing the trunk. “I’m just hopin’ they have more for breakfast than weak coffee and stale bagels.” He started up the walkway then held the door for Kenzie once they reached it.
"At what they charge for rooms, they better at least offer omelets." She walked into the inn with the suitcase rolling behind her. There was a young woman at the front desk scrolling through her phone, but she set it aside as soon as she saw Kenzie and Chris. Check in was fairly smooth and the woman, whose name tag said Michelle, didn't ask them a lot of questions, probably because she was too busy making eyes at Chris as they scribbled their signatures on the room receipts. Mildly amused, Kenzie took her key and started off towards the stairs, as they were given rooms six and seven. There was an old school elevator in the hall that reminded her too much of The Shining, but it had an Out of Order sign on it, so she began to lift her suitcase up the stairs towards the second floor. The inn smelled clean and the carpet didn't have any obvious stains or dirt. She was aware that the state of their living conditions shouldn't really matter, but this was essentially a long term job and she preferred a decent room with clean sheets and a comfortable bed. "Meet you in the lobby in a half an hour?" she asked Chris once he caught up to her. "We can probably get some food recommendations from the front desk on the way out."
Chris was not oblivious to the way Michelle was looking at him, and he gave her a dimpled half-smile as he slid his paper back across the reception desk to her. She was cute enough, maybe this town wouldn’t suck too badly after all. There was plenty of intel to be gleaned from pillow talk with locals, in his experience. He followed Kenzie up the stairs, not minding the exercise at all after so long in the damn car. He was taking stock of the place too, and it looked nice for all intents and purposes. Places with mostly single-digit room numbers tended to be nicer. Chris just hoped it stayed quiet. “Half an hour,” he agreed as they padded over thick carpet toward their doors. “And don’t stand me up, Novak, ‘cause Miss Michelle down there looked pretty hungry herself,” he added, flashing Kenzie a grin.
Rolling her eyes, Kenzie slid her key into the door and then turned a bored look in Chris's direction. The amusement she had felt had given away to irritation for reasons she had gotten pretty good at ignoring. She had worked with Chris long enough to know the ladies liked him, and that was usually pretty beneficial when they were needing information from locals. But it still annoyed her. "Give me a break. Miss Michelle down there looks like she just graduated high school." The door unlocked and Kenzie pushed it open before pausing and adding. "I think maybe we should agree that all staff here is off limits. You don't want to piss off the wrong woman and suddenly find your room trashed."
He was tempted to make a crass joke about ‘graduated at least means legal,’ but Chris left that part alone. It was pretty creepy, considering his age, and he didn’t honestly plan on seducing the desk girl. He just liked to get under Kenzie’s skin about everything he possibly could, and that withering look meant he’d succeeded at least a little. He feigned an expression of hurt as he unlocked his own door. “You say that like I’m the only one who could get lucky here at the good ole Juniper Inn,” he said, then grinned at her. “Don’t sell yourself short, Novak, maybe they have a hot pool boy or something.” This place didn’t even have a pool, but whatever.
About a dozen biting retorts formed on her lips but Kenzie knew he was trying to bait her so she exhaled with some exasperation and stepped into her room to shut the door sharply behind her. Obviously he was trying to provoke her, which was fine. It was something she was used to. But she didn't want to start thinking about getting laid when they literally just arrived on the job, and sex was the very last thing she needed to be thinking about. She had no issue whatsoever if Chris decided to hook up with the locals. To each their own, but Kenzie certainly didn't want to have to deal with the aftermath of it. She set her suitcase on the bed and dug out some fresh clothes to change into after her shower. A quick look around made her feel more comfortable. The room was cozy, like everything else she had seen in the inn so far. It looked and smelled clean enough, though she was do a thorough search of the sheets before she climbed in between them later that night.
The shower felt heavenly after a long plane trip and car ride, and thankfully the hot water held up long enough for her to feel refreshed and ready to go. The only downside to the room was a brief, chilly draft that engulfed her briefly when she stepped out of the shower, drawing goosebumps along her skin until it faded. She did a quick check of the wall and ceiling but couldn't find the source. Easier to chalk it up to the inn being a fairly old building than anything else, she supposed. Kenzie dried her hair and pinned it up into a loose bun on the top of her head before pulling on her jeans and sweater. She took her gun, but left everything else in her suitcase to lock up later. If the room had a safe. It probably didn't, but she would figure something out. Opting against applying more makeup given the time of day, Kenzie pulled on her boots and her coat and left her room to meet Chris downstairs in the lobby. She was hoping to beat him there so she could drag him outside before he had any real time to flirt with Miss Michelle of the Front Desk.
Chris did a similar checking of his room before he really settled in. It wasn’t paranoia, it was training. He mapped out an alternative exit, just in case -- they were on the second story, but there was a short roof underneath his window that would get him to the ground easier than a straight drop -- checked for any obvious bugs, then opened up his suitcase. After a hot shower, Chris got dressed and puttered around for another few minutes, checking his messages and getting his laptop set up on the small old-fashioned desk in the corner. He holstered his pistol in the back of his belt and pulled his coat back on as he left the room to head downstairs. Kenzie was already there in the lobby, looking vaguely annoyed as she often did. Chris gave her a smile, not even flicking a glance in Miss Michelle’s direction. “You get any food tips?” he asked.
Kenzie slipped her hands into her coat pockets when Chris descended the stairs and her lips twitched at his question. She didn't bother hanging around, but started to lead him towards the front doors. "I did, actually. Apparently, most of the high-end places are near the marina. And they have a diner in town called Moxie's. I got a coupon from Miss Michelle for free pie." She smirked softly at Chris. "And if you make a joke about pie, I'm going to shun you for the rest of the night. I say we try the diner and save the fancy places for later." She felt better after a shower and changing into fresh clothes but she was still feeling a bit tired and she would rather eat in a casual place than worry too much about what she was wearing and how much they were spending.
“Shun me? You say that like I, your faithful and completely mature partner, would do such a thing,” he said as they walked down the front steps. Chris couldn’t help but smirk as he said it though, so some of the faux-offense wasn’t exactly convincing. “I’m totally down for a the greasy spoon experience though, did she tell you where it was?” He pulled the key fob for the rental car free and hit the button to unlock the doors, glancing absently around them. Chris was wondering when they would make contact with their quote-unquote colleague for the first time. He hoped it wasn’t today, if he was being honest. He just wanted to stuff his face, stretch out, and go to sleep.
She ignored his comment, seeing as how they both knew he had his moments of immaturity. Sometimes during a tense situation it was welcomed, but Kenzie generally had to be in the mood to deal with it. And him. "I have the address on my free pie coupon," Kenzie said, pulling the small folded up piece of paper from her pocket as she got into the car. She punched in the address into the GPS and then buckled her seat belt. She was hungry but also a bit eager to see more of the town. She also wanted to talk to Iacoletti, but that could wait until she'd had some sleep. "These small towns usually have some of the best food, so it would be nice if we had a go-to place to eat. I suppose we could always ask Iacoletti what he recommends, but I'm not entirely sure he'll be that thrilled to see us." As far as she knew, he wasn't aware she and Chris were coming. But their bosses felt that this town needed a few more hands on deck, so there they were.
Chris let Kenzie handle the navigation and settled into the driver’s seat. He started the car up and pulled out of the parking lot, following the robot-lady’s directions. “Don’t much matter what he’s thrilled with,” he muttered absently, his eyes on the town they started passing through. Nick Iacoletti was more of a consultant than anything, as far as Chris understood. He’d met the guy a few times, but they’d never directly worked together before. Chris had skimmed through one of Nick’s books on the plane and hadn’t been terribly impressed -- he knew it was for a muggle audience, but the man obviously had a flair for the dramatic. “A guy that size knows where to eat though, so if he doesn’t wanna share, we’ll just stalk him.” Chris shot a little grin over at Kenzie.
Kenzie arched a brow and glanced at Chris. "I think everything will run more smoothly if the three of us are all on the same page and can get along. He's been here for a while already so I'm guessing there's plenty he can tell us so we're not starting at square one." She wasn't saying Chris didn't like Nick, but she didn't want to deal with an abrasive work relationship either. Kenzie turned back toward the window, her lips twitching. "It seems like a lot of that size is muscle, so I'm guessing he's not a frequent visitor to the greasy diners. Then again, I'm sure this town has a gym, who knows what his daily routine may be. I'm sure we'll find out." She had read a few of Nick's books before and enjoyed them enough. He could certainly tell a story, even if some of it was non-fiction, unbeknownst to his readers.
Chris didn’t know Nick well enough to actively dislike him, the guy just had a smarmy air about him sometimes that was irritating. Or maybe it was because women fawned on him or whatever. It didn’t matter, Chris could work with people he didn’t care for, that was part of being an adult. He shot Kenzie a glance she didn’t see and rolled his eyes at the mention of Nick’s muscles. “Of course, we’ll get along just fine,” he assured her. “I just think HQ should’ve warned him we were coming, is all. Hope he doesn’t feel like ... infringed upon.” On the other hand, like Chris had observed, it didn’t really matter how he felt. They were all there to do a job, and if even half of what he’d been reading about this place was true, it was going to be a big job. “But whatever, we’re here. ... did that sign just say karaoke?” he asked as they passed further into town.
Kenzie would prefer Nick didn't feel infringed upon either. It would make their jobs much easier. That being said, even if he did feel put out, it wouldn't matter. She and Chris were there to do a job and that was that. It felt like they would be in Point Pleasant indefinitely, so it just made sense to work together. The mention of karaoke brought Kenzie's gaze back around and she leaned over toward Chris to peer out his window. "Looks like it. Do people still go to karaoke bars?" she asked, sounding amused. "Oh, look they have a theater too. Well... two screens, it looks like. Why am I not surprised?" Maybe Point Pleasant was living in another decade. Karaoke bars and two screen theaters. She had yet to see a Starbucks, so that was probably pretty telling.
Chris couldn’t help but notice that he could smell Kenzie when she leaned in closer to him. Whatever combo of shampoo-bodywash-perfume-detergent she used was always really nice. He’d stopped himself more than once from leaning in to sniff her hair. Chris always chalked it up to loneliness from being on the road all the time, and working with a female partner. It was only natural, right? He tried to focus on her words instead and gave a little laugh. “Okay I’m totally dragging you to the karaoke bar to get drunk and sing,” he threatened with a grin. “I demand at least one Dolly Parton song, too. If we’re here for the long haul, I’m totally gonna need you for some entertainment.” Chris spotted the sign for Moxie’s Diner and slowed to pull into the parking lot.
If she had been totally honest with herself Kenzie probably would have admitted that she occasionally found stupid reasons to get close to Chris. She liked his aftershave, or cologne or whatever it was he wore, and like Chris, she tended to blow it off as the occasional bout of loneliness. It wasn't like this job was ideal to maintain a relationship of any kind. And she and Chris had worked with each other long enough for Kenzie to notice certain things about him. Like his cologne. She settled back and unbuckled her seat belt as he parked the car. "The fact that you think I would actually sing karaoke shows how little you know me," she said before shaking her head in amusement. "Actually, you threw in getting me drunk first so maybe you do know me." Because she would definitely need to be drunk to go anywhere near a microphone. "I have to ask though, why Dolly Parton?" Kenzie got out of the car and walked around to join Chris. "Don't you look at me and just think... I bet she could belt out some Mariah?" Honestly, she had a terrible singing voice and everyone was much better off to never have to hear it. But teasing Chris was occasionally fun to do and sometimes it was better than constantly sniping at each other.
Chris just raised his brows in a ‘see?’ expression when she corrected herself, amused by the whole thing. He knew it would take copious amounts of alcohol to get Kenzie to sing, even if he got up and looked like an idiot first. Which would be totally worthwhile if it convinced her. Chris got out of the car and locked it up, then laughed at the rest of what she said. “I think Mariah might be a bit of a stretch,” he said, grinning broadly. “What do you have against Dolly? She’s great. And country’s easier than pop to sing, I think. Especially the classic stuff.” He started to sing ‘Jolene’ at her, warbling on purpose as he moved to open the door for them.
"Oh god, please stop," Kenzie said with a groan as she walked into the diner. She had no intentions of singing in public, and certainly not in front of Chris. She enjoyed belting out a song or two when she was driving alone, or cleaning her apartment, but there was no one around to hear her then. "For the record I have nothing against Dolly. I think her version of I Will Always Love You is better and more effective than Whitney's. I'm just not one to sing much country. Or sing much of anything, really. But if we have an evening free, I'm more than willing to join you at that karaoke bar and watch you rock out." They were supposed to seat themselves so Kenzie found an empty booth along the windows and slid into one side, plucking the laminated menu from the holder. It was a small diner and reminded her of the fifties. Not necessarily in a bad way. "Well, you wanted a greasy spoon experience I think you're definitely going to get one," Kenzie said, her gaze skimming over the food options.
“We’ll see what the karaoke gods and lots of tequila have to say about that,” Chris murmured with more confidence than he really had. He was only halfway sure he could drink-and-talk Kenzie into doing a song, but who knew. It was something they’d never tried before, and maybe there was a cheesy songbird in Kenzie just dying to be set free. He sat down across from her in the booth and snagged his own menu, giving a cursory glance around before he looked at it. There were a few patrons in Moxie’s, considering it was around mealtime for those who enjoyed late dinners, and they just looked like everyday folk to Chris. Still, he marked the exits in his mind. “Aw hell, they have chili dogs,” he said as his eyes scanned down the menu, sounding rather enthused about that. He was hungry enough to not care about fat content or carbs or anything -- he just wanted a belly full of junk. And beer. Chris glanced up. “If you try to order a salad at this place, I’m personally firing you.”
Tequila. The last time she had tequila was in college. And she knew exactly how she behaved back then, which was probably why that had been the last time she had any. Kenzie snickered softly as she turned the page in the menu. There was a lot of fried food. And pies. And milkshakes. Chris's excitement over chili dogs nearly made her smile, but instead she shot him pointed look before returning her gaze to the menu. "Chili dogs in a place like this is a recipe for heartburn. Especially at your age." She was only sort of serious, and Kenzie set the menu down on the table. "But you don’t need to worry about firing me. I only order salads when I'm on a date and need something light to eat in case I get lucky. Besides, I'm betting Moxie's salads are fried like everything else on their menu. I think I'm going to have the chicken fingers and fries. Oh! And a slice of free pie." She pulled the coupon out of her coat pocket and slapped it on the table. "I may have to get up early tomorrow and go for a run to work off all the calories, but I'm hoping it will be worth it."
Chris scoffed at the idea he was old -- even if he felt like it sometimes -- and then wrinkled his nose a bit. “Is that why my dates are always getting salads?” he asked with a bit of incredulity. It didn’t always happen, of course, he’d just always thought it was a sign a woman didn’t want him to think she was fat or something, even though he was looking right at her. Junk food had never seemed to bog him down too much for sex, but he guessed he could see it. “Women are weird,” Chris added in a teasing mutter, smirking as he scanned over the menu once more. Nothing appealed more than a chili dog with onion rings and a beer, so that was what he decided on. Chris tucked the menu back in its holder and glanced around expectantly for a waitress. “Totally worth it though, live a little. If we’re here for a while, you’ll need the extra insulation anyway, it’s about to get cold as fuck.”
"Women aren't weird. And if they are, it's because of men," Kenzie said, leaning back against the seat. “If I need extra insulation, I’ll buy a heavier coat. But the food will make an extra hour at the gym worth it, I’m sure.” A blonde waitress approached then and she and Chris took the next few moments ordering their food. She decided to get a beer like Chris, just because she felt like she deserved a drink after the long day of travel. They had a lot of work ahead of them so she found nothing wrong with trying to relax tonight. After the waitress disappeared to get their order going, Kenzie settled her hands in her lap and looked out the window. It was dark now, but she was eager to get out into town tomorrow and really get a look at this place. The reports they had fascinated her and Kenzie wanted to get to know the area, and some of the locals. Her gaze shifted back to Chris and her lips twitched slightly. "When was the last time you were on a date anyway?" They couldn't exactly talk about work out in the open like this, so why not pry into his personal life a little?
Chris didn’t argue since the waitress showed up, but he’d known some weird women in his time. At least ones that were weird to him. Everything was perspective with everyone, he supposed. He ordered his chili dog -- with extra cheese -- and the sides and had just pulled his phone out when Kenzie asked him about dates. He laughed a little and scrunched up one side of his face. “Uh, maybe ... 2014? Well, depends on what you mean by date, I guess.” Chris grinned at her. “Anything beyond ‘let’s get dinner and a drink before we go bone’ ... it’s been a while.” Which was probably pretty pathetic, but it wasn’t like he lived some kind of normal life that made actually getting to know someone in the romantic sense super easy. Nobody wanted someone who constantly moved around the country for weeks and months at a time. “What about you?”
Her brows lifted as he described typical dating routine. Dinner, drinks and sex. Or... boning. Kenzie wasn't judging him. There had been plenty of dates in her past that she knew would likely only lead to one thing, and if she liked the guy enough, she was fine with it. She had something of a reputation for being stuck up, or cold but she felt like she liked sex as much as the next person. Given her job, she needed passion from time to time and she didn't think there was anything wrong with it. But 2014 seemed like a long time to go without real companionship that stretched beyond physical needs. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Kenzie said after a moment. "You've never come across as the commitment type. Which I understand is probably partly because of the job, but..." She trailed off thoughtfully and then wrinkled her nose. "I went on a date six months ago. Dinner, drinks and no boning. It was the third date, so I was thinking boning would happen, but..." Kenzie looked for their waitress, hoping to get that beer soon. "We must not have clicked well enough for it because that was the last night I heard from him. Which is fine, you know, it's always better to keep things simple."
He didn’t even fully consider it as dating. Chris didn’t let himself get emotionally involved with the women he bedded on the road, even when they had a weeks-long sort of fling. They were just distractions, some small connection to Normal Human Life. While he wasn’t exactly up front about his career, he did make it clear to those women that his life was transitory and not to expect too much from him. Chris arched a slightly irritated brow at Kenzie’s observation of him -- only one of them at the table had been married before, so who wasn’t the commitment type? But that wasn’t exactly fair, since he was divorced now. “It’s all because of the job,” he corrected. There was no ‘partly’ about it. Chris craved companionship like anyone else, he just knew it wasn’t possible at this point in his life. He was trying to keep things simple, like she said. “Sorry though, that’s a bummer. I don’t think I’ve been out three times with anybody since like ... we did that four month stint in Virginia.” There had been a girl there who he’d actually felt a spark of genuine interest in ... which had made him kind of grateful to be reassigned.
She had been working with Chris long enough to know when she annoyed him, especially enough that he let it show, even if it was brief. Kenzie let it go, giving a small nod as she glanced out the window again. Their beers were brought to them shortly after with the caps having already been taken off the bottles. Kenzie took a quick sip of hers and set the bottle down, picking idly at the label. After a moment she brought her hand up to her face and let out a quick laugh as she realized she was using the term boning with Chris Washburn. For a moment, Kenzie nearly suggested Chris not get involved with anyone while they were here, but she knew it was none of her business what he did in his free time, and she really had no right to tell him what to do, or not do. She certainly wouldn't have appreciated it if he'd said something like that to her. "This job makes rejection easier," she said finally, dropping her hand away to the table, "because you know it can't go anywhere anyway."
Chris took a bigger swig of his beer when it arrived, quirked an eyebrow slightly at Kenzie’s laugh, not catching on to what was funny. He gave a wry smile at what she actually said. “That’s only one of countless benefits in this illustrious career,” he murmured with a faint chuckle. The money was also excellent, or he thought nobody at all would do this job. Maybe the nerds in the labs, but they were much more sheltered than agents working in the field like him and Kenzie. Sure, he took a certain satisfaction in uncovering the mysteries of the world he’d never believed in before his whole life had changed, but it was a tough road. “You wanna do this the rest of your life?” he asked Kenzie, a tiny bit abruptly. Usually he tried to avoid super personal topics with her -- it was easier just to keep it light and pick on her, but tonight seemed to be the night for that kind of conversation. “You wantin’ to move up into management or what?”
His question threw her off for a moment and that alone made her feel uncomfortable. Of course she had a ten year plan, but Kenzie didn't really discuss it with anyone. No one had really asked her that kind of question before either and she hesitated before taking a quick sip of her beer again. "I mean, I don't know that this is the kind of job you can really walk away from, is it?" Kenzie asked. "Not without..." She tapped her temple, since she couldn't exactly talk memory modification in the middle of a small town diner. "I think we do important work. It's fascinating, and I enjoy it. Would I like to move up eventually? Of course. Nobody wants to be stagnant forever, right? Don't you want to do more than field work?"
Chris gave a small nod of understanding at the unspoken word. Sometimes he fantasized about that -- walking away from the job, letting them wipe his brain clean of all the horrible and terrifying shit he’d seen, going out to live a normal life again. The initial confusion of losing years of his life seemed worth it sometimes. But Chris thought it was important work too, and he enjoyed it sometimes as well. It was satisfying to save people and protect them, that’s why he’d become a firefighter in the first place. So he always ended up deciding against abandoning the cause ... so far, anyway. “I do, yeah,” he said thoughtfully, fiddling with the napkin-rolled utensils. “I don’t wanna sit behind a desk though. I’d love to like ... run a focused task force or a strike team or something.” Chris picked up his beer for another sip and gave Kenzie a little smirk. “Maybe you’ll end up my boss some day.”
Kenzie couldn't see Chris as a desk man. She had a feeling he would grow tired of the bureaucratic bullshit and he seemed much better suited being out in the field, though she could absolutely imagine him running his own team. She gave him a lot of shit, which he happily returned, but Kenzie had always found Chris beyond capable of this work. She just knew better than to tell him so. "That's the dream," Kenzie said with a wistful look on her face. "Being able to boss Chris Washburn around." Clearly she was teasing, though she knew she had a tendency of getting bossy from time to time, and not only with Chris. She just happened to like things a certain way, that was all. "I'm not sure I'm cut out for desk work either, but I like to keep my options open in case it presents bigger opportunities." Kenzie could smell the cooking food from the grill behind the counter and her stomach gave a subtle, appreciative rumble. "Do you ever wish you were still a firefighter? That things were easier?"
“Yeah well, you’re getting good practice in now, bossin’ me,” Chris teased her with a lopsided grin. She was definitely the more A-Type between the two of them, and he did lean on her quite a bit for the organizational parts of the jobs they did. He could do that kind of thing himself, he just preferred not to, and Kenzie always seemed easier to work with if she had at least one hand on the wheel. Neither of them outranked the other, and Chris wasn’t sexist about female leaders, so he didn’t mind. He shrugged a bit at her question, fingers still picking at the napkin edges and spinning the wrapped utensils around on the table. “Sometimes, yeah,” he answered after a moment’s thought. “If you’d told me that job would be easier than anything, I would’ve laughed at you. Shows what I know.” Chris gave a low chuckle. “Don’t think I’ll ever go back though. What about you? You ever think about going back to the old life?”
Kenzie grinned and relaxed a bit against the back of the booth. She might have had her bossy moments but Chris was laid back enough to roll with them most of the time, though he did give her some pushback if he felt it was needed. Kenzie didn't mind... not really, but they both had their stubborn moments and there had been plenty of trips like this where they found themselves in a push and pull situation. It worked out most of the time. She shook her head at his question, her eyes on the waitress approaching with their food. Kenzie waited until everything was settled and the woman had walked away before she answered verbally, reaching over for the ketchup near the menus. "I don't really have much to go back to. They recruited me right out of college. I still see my parents. There's no long lost love, or job I miss. I mean, despite what I've seen, I don't think I could ever make the choice to go back before I knew about all of this. What would I do? Get a boring job, get married, buy a house and have kids? I just don't see that in my future."
Chris made an appreciative noise as the waitress brought their food and laid it out for them, his stomach giving an anticipatory rumble. He murmured his thanks to their server and picked up an onion ring to crunch while he waited for Kenzie to get finished with the ketchup. “Then you’re the most anal adrenaline junkie I know,” Chris told her. “And I know a lotta both.” He snagged the red bottle when she put it down and squirted a pile of ketchup onto his plate. It all smelled so damn good, junk food at its finest. Even if he did go back to ‘normal’ life, Chris wasn’t sure he would ever get married again. He’d had enough of that bullshit the first time around. A kid might be nice though, eventually. That usually meant finding a wife, but who knew. Chris had long since quit trying to predict how his life would go. Everything was chaos. He let it all drop to tuck into his food instead.
Kenzie watched him with his food for a moment before she grabbed a napkin to cover her lap with. "I don't know if I'm supposed to feel insulted or not," she said. "I don't think I'm anal at all. And not wanting to get tied down to a predictable life doesn't make me an adrenaline junkie, does it?" She didn't think so. And Kenzie really hated the term 'anal' when it came to someone describing her. It made her sound stuck up, or icy or unwilling to have fun. Obviously, she knew plenty of her colleagues probably used that term when describing her, but it irritated her a little, especially because Chris had done the same. "If I'm an anal adrenaline junkie, what would that make you?"
Chris groaned internally. She was doing that thing again where she played along with him until some arbitrary point and then started taking him seriously. It was a moving goalpost, all the time, it seemed. He finished chewing the mouthful he’d taken, then took a swig of beer to wash it down before he answered. “Also an adrenaline junkie? An irresponsible one, maybe, since you’re the I-dotter and T-crosser,” he offered. Chris gave her a little smirk. “I’ve seen how you pack, Novak, and all your colored tabs in the files, and how you hold onto details ... you say you’re not anal?” His tone was light and teasing still, because that was how he meant it, but she really did look kind of offended. “But a sweet normal home life is too boring, you’d rather be ... doin’ what we do. So ... adrenaline junkie.”
Why did being organized equate to anal? She liked things done properly. She wasn't reckless, or impulsive. She wanted to survive this job, in every sense of the word, though she supposed she could understand why some people might be bored with that. Maybe it was more fun being the irresponsible one, especially when they had someone like Kenzie to make sure everything got done correctly. She focused on her food so she wouldn't respond in some irrational manner that would make her feel silly later on. She really had no idea why it bothered her in the first place. Kenzie thought about pointing out that a normal home life wasn't always sweet, but that felt too much like nitpicking at this point. Finding something he said to pull apart and make into something it wasn't. "Maybe I'll just find another adrenaline junkie and have a sweet, chaotic life instead," Kenzie said finally, pushing through her lingering annoyance to make light of it, the way he was. "I mean, minus the kids because dragging children into this kind of work is just plain irresponsible. But..." She shrugged and reached over to snag one of his onion rings. They looked crispy and delicious and she didn't think he would mind.
Chris could tell he’d gotten under her skin, of course. He’d done it enough times since they’d been partners to recognize the signs. He ended up kind of proud of her that she didn’t start bitching him out, though. It wouldn’t have been the first time. It always sucked when it happened right at the beginning of a mission too, like it set everything off on the wrong foot. “That sounds ideal, honestly,” Chris said with a half-grin, not protesting the theft of his onion ring. “Travelin’ around, bustin’ monsters, livin’ the dream.” ‘Monsters’ was such a flexible term, he didn’t hesitate to say it out loud. He kind of doubted anybody in Moxie’s was listening to them anyway, but it never hurt to be cautious. A lot of monsters had human faces. “World’s overpopulated anyway, we could do with less kids.” Chris picked up his chili dog and leaned in over his plate to take the first bite, giving a deep hum of approval as he sat back to chew and savor it.
Kenzie hummed in agreement, too busy eating now to really respond. And honestly, she didn't really want to. She was still slightly irked by the whole conversation, but too tired from traveling all day to really dig into him the way she might have ordinarily. They had worked together long enough that Chris knew her sore spots, and she knew his. Not that Kenzie thought Chris had deliberately poked at her, or was trying to get under her skin tonight, which only made her more annoyed by the fact that he had. Maybe all she needed was a comfortable bed and some decent sleep. Tomorrow would be better. "You would have cute kids, I bet," she said simply, after taking a bite of her chicken. "If you ever do have children, I hope you have a girl. Two girls, even."
“Two girls?” Chris echoed with some amused incredulity. A lot of people had wished a lot of things on him before, but never daughters, especially not two. It was kind of sweet and hilarious at the same time. And flattering that Kenzie thought he would make attractive children. “I’d raise badass, gorgeous daughters, but that still sounds like a way to age really fast,” he chuckled. “Thanks though, you would have cute kids too. If you ever wanted to.” It didn’t sound like Kenzie did, and that was fine. Chris was by no means one of those ‘all women should be mothers’ types of people. Everybody was free to live their life as they saw fit, in his book. The consequences were just theirs to deal with too. He didn’t personally think he would ever have kids, but Chris was open to being surprised. He’d just seen first-hand how cruel and horrible the world could be, so he wasn’t sure he wanted them. He took another couple of bites of food and glanced around them again. All still seemed quiet and normal.
She continued to eat, making a small noise in her throat to acknowledge his obligatory response. It was kind of nice having a somewhat normal conversation with Chris that wasn’t littered with snark. Kenzie had no idea what this town would bring them, or how long they would end up having to stay, but she was hoping they could maintain a tolerable working relationship. As long as they gave each other space, Kenzie was sure things would be fine. "Good food is always promising," Kenzie said after a moment, reaching over to pluck one more of Chris's onion rings. "There's nothing worse than having to stay long term in a town with nothing but crappy food options. How's your chili dog?" She hoped he had packed Tums. Not that she would say so, since it sounded too... motherly. Or wifely. Either way.
Chris thought there were probably worse things -- like that town that seemed to be plagued by flesh-eating slugs ... they hadn’t stayed there long -- but Kenzie had a point. When you were doing what they did, being able to take breaks and stuff your face with good food was a definitely bonus. “D’licious,” he said around a cheek full of said chili dog. He chewed a few more times, then added, “Bet the seafood here’s good too.” Being right on a marina and all. If they hadn’t been so road-weary, he might have suggested going for some of that famous Maine lobster. Maybe later. Chris took a swig of beer to clear his mouth. “What kinda free pie are we sharing?” he asked with a small grin. “I vote chocolate.”
She definitely planned on trying the seafood because she had to assume all of it was fresh, given the town rested near the ocean. But that would come later. She was already getting full and she had nearly forgotten about dessert until Chris brought it up. Kenzie arched a brow and studied him as she popped a French fry into her mouth. She glanced between Chris and her free pie coupon and took a sip of her own beer before she responded. "I think it's really cute that you would assume I'm sharing any of my pie with you," she said with a soft smirk. Never mind that she had been swiping his onion rings since the plate was set on the table. "If I share a piece of chocolate pie with you, what do I get? And don't say onion rings because pie is on a much higher level than greasy, fried onions."
Chris bit his tongue on a snarky comment about how Kenzie sure was sucking them down if she thought so little of them, but that would be unnecessary. Sometimes unnecessary was worth it, sometimes not. This time it was not. “Hey, I flirted our way into that coupon, I should at least get a taste of the pie,” he countered, smirking across the table. Chris tried to look thoughtful then, eyes rolling upward. “Hmm ... I don’t know ... what do you want? I’ll get up early with you to go for a run? I’ll pick up the coffee in the morning?” He didn’t exactly have a lot of stuff to offer, and Kenzie was so particular about some things, he couldn’t imagine trying to do them for her would work well as a bribe.
Kenzie wrinkled her nose, unable to help herself. "Please don't sully this free pie coupon by reminding me how we got it." More or less finished with her food now, Kenzie sat back and focused on finishing her beer. "How about both?" she said after a moment of thought. "You get up early with me to go for a run and we stop for coffee on the way back." Who knew how cold it would be, or if the snow would damper their plans, but she figured if they couldn't go for a run she could still make him go out to get decent coffee if the inn's tasted like garbage. "I'll give you more than a couple of bites."
Chris almost protested both, but neither one was really a hardship, so he didn’t. Well, the early morning run might be, depending on the weather, but he’d run in the cold before. If it was too bad, he was pretty sure there was some kind of gym in this town. It might be small and strange, but it had at least one rich neighborhood in it, and rich people loved the gym. “Both, then. Deal,” he agreed, and stuck his hand out toward Kenzie to unnecessarily shake on it. He lifted it up out of reach quickly though and gave Kenzie a look of warning. “No key lime, though. That’s my only condition.”
She had a feeling this town had a gym too, but sometimes it was more invigorating to get out and jog in actual nature, even in the cold. Not that they had to do that often, since they lived down south, but whatever. When in Rome, right? She figured they could always ask Michelle what was around when they returned. Or just wait until tomorrow when there wasn't a flirty desk clerk around. She didn't need to witness Michelle admiring Chris's biceps. Amused, Kenzie reached for his hand and then smirked. "What do you have against key lime? But sure, no key lime. Chocolate or cherry?" Because those were her two favorites and she wasn't going to settle, even when it was free. "And I'm getting extra whipped cream."
“Besides the fact that it tastes like garbage?” Chris offered with a grin. “But either one of those, lady’s choice. I am on board with extra whipped cream.” He shook her hand on the deal, then picked up his chili dog for the final bite and settled back with his beer. They may have gotten to the point where they knew how to drive each other nuts, but he was always glad to have Kenzie as his regular partner. They worked well together, and she was fun to hang out with, even if sometimes that fun was aggravating. It was like having a sister around all the time ... a hot sister he wasn’t actually related to. So even better. In any case, she made tough assignments more tolerable, and he had a feeling this assignment was going to be a tough one. At least they were starting it out on the right foot -- junk food and pie. They would get through it like they always did, and hopefully leave Point Pleasant better than they found it.