Jed Bailey (jokerandthief) wrote in the_colony, @ 2009-10-06 23:52:00 |
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Entry tags: | ^ week 00, alice munroe, jed bailey, | alice and jed |
The Meeting
Characters: Alice Munroe and Jed Bailey (and Rocky)
Location: Town Square outdoor mall, Las Vegas, NV
Summary: Alice and Jed run into each other while raiding the mall. Eager to have anybody around, Jed invites her to dinner, and she reluctantly accepts.
Rating: PG
Jed considered the remaining stock of iPods with a slight frown. He'd never had one before, and now seemed like an odd time to start
"Jed got himself an iPod," he said aloud with a smile, setting the haul in his duffel bag, on top of the laptops already in there. "Really must be Armageddon."
He nearly jumped when he heard the barking. It was a ways off, but with the Apple Store's glass storefront knocked completely in, sound traveled easily to the stock room. He unhooked his rifle from its side holster, holding it at ease as he made his way through the busted up chaos of the store proper. Every step crackled with glass or plastic but his footing was steady.
He peered out slowly from the store, stopping when he spotted Rocky. The dog was happily barking his head off at a storefront on the other side of the enormous outdoor mall. His tail was wagging like mad and he even spun a circle once in all his excitement. Jed rolled his eyes, heading over with both hands still on the rifle. It could be just about anything getting Rocky's attention: rotting food, a terrified squirrel, or, in one instance that still had Jed wondering, a spare tire. Then again, it could be something a might bit more dangerous. Rocky was an equal-opportunity happy barker. Jed knew Vegas was a bit famous for putting predatory animals on stage, and those had to go somewhere when their caretakers keeled over. It would be just like Rocky to find the only tiger in Las Vegas.
Coming up along what was once the glass front to the next store, Jed listened for a moment, watching Rocky look happily between him and whatever had caught the dog's attention. He thought he heard some moment, the soft shifting of whatever layered the store's floor. Taking a breath, he turned sharply towards the store, pulling the rifle up to aim it right at... a woman. A woman who had a handgun also pointed in his direction, her expression hard and her brown eyes glaring. She didn't draw her firearm back, though her expression shifted slightly at the sight of him.
"That your dog?" she said nonchalantly, as if they were meeting in the park rather than the desolate, empty ruins of civilization. Rocky made a noise in the back of his throat, his whole body quivering as if he would have liked nothing more than to barrel the woman down and lick her all over the face.
Some of the tension went out of Jed's shoulders, but not entirely, his finger on the trigger guard. "Yeah, that's Rocky. He don't mean no harm; people juss make him real excited," he said evenly. He tried his best to glance around without taking his eye off the woman. "You alone?"
"Are you?" she countered immediately, hardly flinching.
Jed's jaw tightened as he thought. She seemed pretty even keel, and he'd've thought if she was acting as a distraction, she'd play more damsel-in-distress than gun-wielding-badass. And they weren't going to get anywhere just standing there aiming at each other. "Yeah. 'Cept for Rocky."
The woman replaced her firearm in her holster, her eyes averting long enough to look at the dog. She gave a low-pitched whistle through her teeth, sending the dog lopping toward her. When he was within reach she gave him a friendly scruffing, then turned back to the backpack she'd been loading up to head toward the Brio Tuscan Grille. Jed swung his rifle back over his shoulder and onto the side holster once she put her gun away. And then she was just leaving, without a word.
"Hey! Hey, wait!" he said, upping his pace to follow her. Rocky seemed to take it as permission to go wild because he bolted after her, circling her sharply before running back to Jed and circling him, repeating the figure-8 again. His calling after her did little to slow her stride, and with a swish of dark hair she disappeared through the doors of the restaurant. It seemed a bit of an odd choice of places to loot, but as he followed her inside he saw that she was heading back in toward the kitchen.
"Go find your own place to shop," she called back over her shoulder.
"I-what?" he said, breaking into a jog as he went into the kitchen, Rocky at his heels. "Wait, c'mon, where are you going?"
The sound of the safety clicking off on her gun sounded particularly loud in the quiet of the kitchen, and once again Jed found himself staring down the barrel of her gun. She held a blank gaze. "Just like I said," she replied. "There's plenty places in this mall that have stuff you can get. Stay outta my way."
Jed swallowed hard, holding his hands up in the hopes she wouldn't think he was making a sudden move. "Hey, not meanin' to get in yer way, juss..." He wasn't even entirely sure how to explain himself. "Look, I don't mean you no harm, juss, I mean, I ain't seen someone fer a while."
"Tends to happen when the world goes to shit," she replied, her arms steady as she held the gun. "No offense to you, but I don't know you. Forgive me if I don't give you a hug and invite you back to my place for a cuppa coffee and a blowjob."
Despite the situation, Jed gave a laugh, making Rocky bark, a noise far too loud for the kitchen. "Jesus, woman, fer once in my life that weren't even on my mind," he said, smiling. "I juss...wanna talk. I'll put my rifle onna ground if it'd make you feel better, though I gotta say, I'd feel a might better if you'd at least point that gun a little off the side."
The woman seemed a bit skeptical of him until he started doing just that, her brows knit in a frown. Once it was completely on the ground she holstered her gun yet again, turning her back to him to start going through the cabinets. The first two she opened just had spices in them, but by the third one she found labeled cans. She started pulling them down and putting them on the countertop.
"Talk, then."
Part of him had to wonder if all the months alone had made her lose the ability to converse. Not everyone was lucky enough to have a dog to talk with.
"Hi there, my name's Jed Bailey," he said with a smile. "What's yer name?"
"Alice," she replied, pausing long enough to hike herself up onto the counter in order to get reach the higher-up shelves. "Munroe."
"Good to meet you, Alice," he said, watching her with a little more appreciation than he probably should have. "If you need any help, let me know. I'm good at bein' tall. Aside from the world endin', how you been?"
"Is that supposed to be funny?" she asked, her voice slightly strained from reaching into the back of the cabinet. Can after can came down, her balance shifting a little unsteadily as she crouched in order to put them on the counter. The backpack seemed to be something of a hindrance, but no doubt asking to hold it for her would rouse suspicions.
"'Parently it's not," he said, a little deflated but not for long. "You from Vegas? I'm juss visitin' myself."
"I live here," she affirmed, crouching down again before she dropped back on to the floor. She started to check the cans for their contents. It appeared to be mostly sauces and condiments, and a frown appeared on her face. She shifted her bag off of her shoulder and unzipped it, pushing in a few cans before zipping it back up again and going back to investigating the cabinets for other finds.
"Yeah? That had t've been something, livin' in Vegas," he said. "I'm originally from El Paso, myself, though lived just about anywhere once I moved out. Well, anywhere south of Kansas, really, 'cause I never been one for cold weather. Yer probably the same way, right, livin' in a desert an' all?"
Alice hummed in answer, the sounds of the cabinets opening and closing in rapid succession the only noise for a moment before she made a soft whoop of triumph. She started pulling out long plastic-wrapped packages of pasta, in possibly every known style and shape. She paused midway through to open her bag again, then frowned to herself.
Watching her carefully, Jed noted the expression. Since small talk didn't seem to be making a dent... "Got a problem?"
"Not enough room in my pack," she replied without thinking. She looked back at him again, frowning a little and looking rather hesitant to leave her findings when someone else was around.
"I could help. Bring 'em to your car, that's all," he said.
"Don't got a car," she replied, grabbing the few she could shove into her pack before zipping it up again. Disappointment flitted across her face for a moment as she shouldered the bag again, pushing her sleeve up and checking her wrist watch.
He frowned. She had to live close then. And she was worried about the time. Maybe she wasn't alone? "Well, I'd offer mine, but you might go thinkin' I want that blowjob," he said, grinning again. "There might be bags in the stores 'round here you could use."
His words pulled a thoughtful frown from her. "I have a bike," she said by way of clarification, her eyes flicking back the way they came. She seemed almost awkward for a moment. "You waiting 'til I go so you can nab what I can't carry?"
Jed stared at her a moment, then his expression eased. Okay, he could at least understand this kind of paranoia a little. "Well, I wasn't rulin' it out. Gen'rally, if you leave it, it's fair game," he pointed out. "But if you ask me, I'll leave this pantry alone."
Alice's brow furrowed again. She seemed confused at his answer. After a moment she gave a slow nod, still frowning a little. "Could you? Please?"
He nodded, smiling. "Shore. Mind, it's only this place. Rest of the mall's open, right?"
Alice nodded, shifting the bag on her shoulder again and swaying on her feet a moment. The awkwardness stretched on again briefly. "Well. 'bye, I guess."
His smile fell. "Oh. Yeah. You want me to get out first?"
She shook her head in answer, moving toward him as he was in the path out. Rocky, who had been mostly quiet until then, whined a little. For a moment she paused, something of a smile crossing her face. She was close enough to touch now, and she looked up at Jed with an unreadable expression before finally holding out her hand. An easy smile spread on his face and he took her hand firmly with a laugh. Her hand was warm in his, and surprisingly soft considering how hard her exterior was. Yet even for the softness she had an equally firm grip, and didn't let go first.
"Well, you certainly feel like more than a hallucination," he said. "You gonna be back later? Or tomorrow?"
"Mostly just came in to stock up," she said in answer. "But maybe, I guess."
"Yer askin' me not to take any of this, so I gotta have better'n a maybe," he said playfully. "Otherwise how I know yer not just gonna leave it to rot?"
"Well, it's dried pasta for one," she replied, smirking just a little. "And I'm gonna go get a bag from over at Puma to fill up, for the other. But yeah, I'll be back. This place's closest to my house."
"So you'll be back real quick then? Or'm I steppin' over the line fishin' fer a time frame?"
"I'll be back real quick," she replied. He didn't realize she was still holding his hand until she let go, shifting in order to move past him. He let her go, watching the door close behind her. Rocky gave out a whine and Jed looked down to find him looking back at him, his tail wagging.
"Alright, I'm goin'," Jed said, slinging the rifle over his shoulder before following after Alice. Because really, it wasn't like there was another way out, so he didn't even have a choice. Of course, once he was out watching her walk between the rows of palms, he realized the Apple store was in a whole other direction. ...But really, he might as well check out the kiosks while he was on this side of the road. It gave him a clear view of the entrance to the Puma store. In about fifteen minutes she was back out through the doors again, pausing just for a moment in the road with her gun in her right hand and the empty bag hanging from her left shoulder. He fiddled around just a moment more before heading after her.
"Hey," he said, coming up behind her. She flinched and turned sharply toward him, the gun held up to aim, but lowering once she saw who it was. Her expression was perturbed. He held up his hands, but didn't look too concerned. She'd already proven she wasn't exactly trigger-happy, just threat-happy.
"Not tryin' to pull anythin'. I was figuring, since that place has a good kitchen and all, that I'd fix myself a good dinner tonight. Yer welcome to join."
Her brows arched slightly at the invitation, hips cocking slightly to the side. "There isn't any meat or veg in any of the cans in there," she pointed out. "Just pasta and few cases of sauce. Not exactly well-rounded."
"Wasn' plannin' on usin' that stuff; it's yer food," he pointed back. "I got my own supply. Juss wanna use a kitchen that ain't my flatbed. Hell, and eatin' off a table again's never a bad thing. But if you want me usin' someplace else, I'll do that."
For the first time since seeing her, Alice's expression softened slightly. "You're not squatting somewhere?" she asked, sounding a little surprised.
He shrugged. "Ain't been in town long. 'Sides, juss doesn't sit right with me, takin' over someone's home like that. Prob'ly spend tonight in a furniture store; they got good beds. Hell, after that might go find me a penthouse suite or somethin'," he added with a grin.
Alice laughed slightly, shaking her head a little at him. "There's an EQ3 over by the north parking garage," she said. Slowly, she turned back toward the restaurant, looking over her shoulder at him briefly before continuing to both walk and talk. "They've got beds. Though honestly, you shouldn't care about squatting so much. It's not like anyone's using them."
"Yeah, I know. But, it's like they were important to someone once, y'know?" he said, for the first time trying to put the reasoning into words. "Besides, I didn't have a house before all this, no reason to start havin' one now. I'm used t' road survivin'."
"I couldn't do that," she said, slipping through the restaurant doors again and heading back into the kitchen. "Too risky, especially in the desert. You break down, you're fucked."
"There's ways of survivin' a desert, but you got a point. My truck's new enough, though, shouldn't need to worry too much 'bout it breakin' down yet," he said, feeling only a little foolish as he set back and watched her work.
Alice moved with practice eased, filling the bag with the remaining pasta packages. She paused and looked around the rest of the kitchen thoughtfully, as if trying to decide if there might be anything else worth searching for. Considering how fancy the tables in the dining room were, it was most likely that the kitchen made a lot of their entrees from fresh ingredients, something that it now clearly lacked. She moved after a moment however to a large chest refrigerator, opening it and suddenly grinning from ear to ear and pulling out a bottle of unopened wine. Jed gave a laugh.
"One of the many great things about booze: doesn't expire," he said. "Yer gonna have a party finishin' that off."
"I can't carry 'em all," she said with just a touch of amused regret. "Ah well. Best year, best year..."
"This mean yer leavin' one or two fer me? Or you juss gonna come back another time?"
"Take s'many as you want, I'll probably be able to find more," she said, tugging out one and inspecting it before sliding it into the backpack rather than on top of the pasta. She looked over at him again in thought. Her mouth opened as if she wanted to say something, then she closed it, then she tried again. "What all d'you got in your supplies? Foodwise, I mean."
Even if he tried, he couldn't stop smiling now. "If it's ever been put in a can, chances are I got it," he said. "Even shit I'd never eat, 'cause I figure, long as it fits, might come in handy sometime."
"Let me take my stuff back to my place," she said. "Should be back in an hour."
***
An hour was a long time. Jed had more than enough time to ferry over a wide variety of ingredients, and since he didn't know what she liked, there was a lot of dawdling time. So he chipped some ice from the freezer to chill the wine and found likely linens, plates, and silverware. He'd done his fair share of busboy jobs, so it was practically second nature. And he had said he wanted a nice dinner. It didn't have to have anything to do with his company.
In his remaining time, he raided the Godiva's next door, stacking a wide selection on a table next to the one he had set. Rocky's barking brought his eyes upward from his work, finding Alice's shadow in the doorway leading into the restaurant. In her arms she held a tote bag, and the smell of hot, fresh bread was instantaneous with her arrival. He quickly went over to help her, inhaling deeply.
"Jesus, woman, that's the best thing I smelled in a damn long time."
"Bread, and an applesauce cake with butterscotch chips," she said by way of clarification, handing him the tote bag. Her eyes skimmed over to the table he'd set up, and an amused smile curled on her lips. He saw the look and smiled back, despite the heat creeping up his neck.
"I tell you I was a busboy in a past life?" he said, heading for the kitchen.
"Don't think you did," she called back, investigating the table with the no-cook foods.
He wasn't long. "So what you feel like? I got ingredients fer just about anythin'. Or at least somethin' close," he added with a grin.
"Chocolate?" she asked, holding up a box of Godiva's with an amused look. "I'm good with pretty much anything, really. Whatcha got?"
"When I say everything, I mean it. From sardines to a whole chicken, I got whatever anyone put in a can," he said with a proud grin. "And don' tell me you got somethin' against chocolate."
"What if I'm lactose intolerant?" she replied, cocking an eyebrow at him and smirking a little. "A whole chicken in a can sounds a bit skeptical. Chunk chicken sure, but not a whole chicken."
"Hey, don't knock it 'til you try it. Though if y'are lactose intolerant, that'll limit things a bit," he teased.
"I'm not," she said with a breath of a laugh, opening up the box and tugging out the package a little in order to tug out a piece of the chocolate to pop into her mouth.
"Don' fill up on those, we got real food in the back. Shouldn't take long soon as you tell me what you want. Anything you like," he said with a grin. "Juss make it quick. Rocky might've figured out how to chew through a can by now."
"I really don't have any preference aside from not a whole chicken in a can," Alice replied around the chocolate, chewing and swallowing before going back to her totebag to grab a bottle of water.
"Alright then," Jed said with a grin, though he bit his tongue as he headed to the kitchen. Asking her to come along seemed stupid, but part of him was genuinely afraid she wouldn't be there when he came back. Or that she was a figment of his imagination. Hadn't ruled that out either, although he thought he would have imagined someone a little more friendly. He'd only just started setting everything up before he heard the swing of the door, followed by Rocky's "happy puppy" noises as he followed Alice in. She started going through cupboards again silently, with the air of someone who never stopped scavenging. He smiled to himself but didn't comment, going back to rolling the dough out almost paper thin.
"There's probably toilet paper in the bathroom," he said, grabbing a pasta cutter.
"On my way out," she replied easily, playfully shoving the dog aside when it blocked a bottom cupboard she was attempting to open.
"You don't have to go," he said quickly, looking over at her. "Just, figured, if you're looking fer things, that's one of 'em. I shore didn't think about stockin' up until the first time I ran out."
"I meant I'd get it on my way out when I was leaving," she replied, looking up at him from where she was kneeling with a slight smirk. "But if you'd rather I wait in the front--"
He turned back to his work, but he could feel the back of his neck growing warm. "Naw, it's not like there's no room back here," he said, cutting out the little circles in no time. He pulled down a large frying pan, giving it a quick wash in the sink. "And I can talk and cook at the same time."
"'kay," she replied, finding a few more cans of ingredients she hadn't found the first time through; canned mushrooms, pine nuts, and a few bottles of olive oil that seemed clear.
He let the silence last about as long as it took him to open the can of pork sausage. "Y'know, I been most places in the country, but this is my first time to Vegas. Looks a lot like the rest of the southwest. Don't mind it, though. It's like home."
Alice hummed, putting the cans and bottles on the counter and opening another cabinet. "Where's home?" she asked tentatively.
"Chi-caw-gah," he said, his attempt at the accent made even worse by the laugh in his voice. He grinned over at her, the meat cooking in some oil. "Figured you could tell, but I spent the first half my life in west Texas."
"Wasn't sure if it was regional or not," she said by way of explanation, the sound of drawers and cabinets opening and closing finally stopping altogether.
"Yeah, well, I been around a lot, so some other stuff might've muddled in there." He glanced back, his eyes falling on Rocky. "Let me know if he tries an' slips out. Don' entirely trust him with that table fulla chocolate."
That got a breath of a laugh, and he watched as Alice settled cross-legged on the floor. Rocky wasted no time putting his face in her lap, getting an all-out laugh from Jed.
"Yeah, he's a charmer alright."
"Where'd you find him?" she asked, one hand moving over his furry face while the other petted his neck and shoulders.
His smile hardening slightly, he flipped off the burner and grabbed a bit sauce pot to fill with water. "Off the side of the highway, a couple years back. Someone had left him tied to a fence."
Alice was silent in response, and a glance over at her found her frowning as she continued to pet the dog. She leaned down to speak directly into the dogs ear and was rewarded with a bunch of doggie kisses, which pulled a small smile out of her. Jed's expression softened and he just watched the two of them a moment before turning back to the stove.
"I always wanted a dog, y'know, but figured the way I lived, wasn't really fair to a dog. But I'm shore better'n a fence." Although the meat was still a bit hot, he set to stuffing the pasta. "I figure someone was tryin' him for a fightin' dog, before they found out he don't have a mean bone in his body. I walked up to him all wet 'n cold, skin 'n bones, and y'know what he did? Wagged his tail. You ain't never met a nicer dog."
"You're lucky," she said in reply, her voice so soft he hardly heard it. He hesitated; had to figure there were some things that she wouldn't exactly want to talk about.
"You ever have a dog before?" he finally said, his tone light.
"No," she answered, still petting Rocky.
After a pause that made it clear she didn't have anything she wanted to add, Jed steamed on ahead. "Closest I had to a pet as a kid was lizards I caught out back. Sometimes I'd only get their tails, though. Found out real quick that most girls weren't too scared of a lizard, but hold out a squirmin' tail an' they'd run."
"Well it is kinda gross," Alice replied.
"Well, yeah, but not much worse'n like findin' animal bones or somethin'. Or a tooth that's fallen out."
"Also gross," she quipped, petting Rocky's belly once he exposed it.
He chuckled. "Still, don' mean it's somethin' worth runnin' from."
.
"That's like telling someone not to breathe," Alice said, skepticism heavy in her voice.
"You can tell someone not to breathe, and they can do it, too," he pointed out with a grin. "Juss not fer very long."
She snorted from where she sat, but didn't added on to what he said.
"Ain't like lizards' tails are near the worst thing kids could do to each other," Jed went on, comfortable enough with holding up the conversation. "The shit we pulled on each other, I still can't believe we all lived to see high school. It's easy to think kids are cute 'cause they're small, but when you're one of 'em, they're mean little sons of bitches."
"What part of west Texas did you grow up in?" Alice asked suddenly.
He raised an eyebrow at the abrupt change of subject but went with it, tossing the finished pasta into the now boiling pot of water. "El Paso. Well, outskirts really, but El Paso enough. You ever been?"
Alice was silent for a moment, and a glance down showed that she appeared to be thinking quite hard. "Might've driven through once. But it would've been a long time ago."
"Don't think it's gen'rally on people's vacation lists, unless they're goin' to Juarez. You been to Juarez?"
Alice shook her head. There was a moment of conflict on her face, as if she wanted to explain herself, but then it was gone again, changing to something more thoughtful. "So you're just living with all your stuff in your truck, borrowing hotel rooms and furniture stores."
"Yup," he said, contemplating the water a moment before coming over to sit next to her. "To be honest, it's not much diff'rent than my life before. 'Cept don't need to pay for hotel rooms, and they never let me stay in furniture stores."
That brought another small, half smile. He had a feeling just looking at her that her smiles were rare. "To each their own, I guess," she said after a moment, leaving her palms up in her lap. Rocky licked her fingers easily.
"More like enjoy what you got," he said, smiling easy and reaching over to scratch behind Rocky's ears. "Like I said, the Rock here deserved a big yard and real dog food, maybe even a couple kids to play with. He got me instead, but he don't complain. Guess it didn't turn out too bad, 'cause now I'm still around to take care of him. I been in a couple houses where the dogs had been left inside with no way out. Jesus, the way their ribs-- Shit." His eyes darted from Rocky's face to hers, finding her eyes screwed shut. "Sorry, this really ain't dinner talk."
"How much longer?" she asked, moving out from beneath Rocky's attentive face and nosing and coming to her full five-foot-four height.
"Five, ten minutes or so," he said, absently petting Rocky as he tried to think of something better to talk about. It was too easy to let his mouth run its course, and there was too much she probably didn't want to talk about. "You happen to got any idea how long flour's good for? 'Cause that's been on my mind lately," he finally settled on.
"S'long as it's kept air tight, cool, and dry, it should last a good long while," she replied easily. "I'm gonna go get my water."
"Alright," he said, getting up but not following her.