"That was a really good day." He was happy then, too, satisfied with the work he'd done and was still doing, and just glad to be there with friends he is willing to fight for.
He doesn't care what the city says. It's theirs. It's already theirs. Sometimes you just have to take what you need, and he thinks the three of them need that space.
"I'm happy here often. That day was one of the really good days. Knowing we could build something here, have somewhere we know what we're doing..." She's giving them that. "Recently? Being forgiven for running."
He didn't deserve to be let back into the contract, or back with K, so easily.
The corner of her mouth quirks. It still gives her heartburn, thinking of how vulnerable Jesus is to some of the people here, but she tries to remind herself that they're earning it.
"If we can do this - no more contracts. No more quota, no more bullshit." She has no idea how long the others will last, but she knows that she, Jesus, and Carver can go quite a long time on that alone.
"Once they're not looking for any stragglers they missed," she cautions, even though Jesus knows that. She just needs to hear it out loud.
"We can't be anywhere they can find us until they've at least eased off their sweeps. Good thing we're going into spring. We have all year if we have to."
She nods. Jesus already named anyone important enough to her - or that she suspects she's important enough to in turn - to risk this on, so she has no names to add to the list.
"I'll get Carver," she agrees. "I'll probably need to go meet him somewhere."
"Convincing people to go on the run is easier face to face." He knows this firsthand. He doesn't anticipate it will be hard with Carver, though. The man may already have a bugout plan of his own.
He looks up sharp, something rare in his eyes, something very close to panic. He feels the knife in his chest, he feels the heat of the walker's breath on his neck.
She's already watching, her eyes there to catch his. She already knew the answer.
It twists in her own chest, breaks something off and pushes it up into her throat, but she looks at the way he's looking at her and she knows the answer.
Her throat closes up on anything else she might have said. Normally, she's got thicker skin than this. Normally, it's buck up or shut up in the name of survival.
This is more complicated and so she just nods, puts away this information that isn't new information - he told her, their bite packs a punch, doesn't happen from a cut, she knew even if she wishes she didn't - and nods.
"I know. But if they can't, Carver might -" She stops, shakes her head at herself. It's Jesus's call. He's the one who's stuck here.
"Alright. You're right." Buck up or shut up in the name of survival.
"I know." That Carver might choose the vampires. He has reasons to choose them over Rosita and Jesus: he's known them longer. He's useful to them in an intimate way. They give him a drug with their fangs. He's lost a lot of people to addictions before; Carver insists it's not about that but Jesus has heard plenty of junkies swearing the same thing.
"But we can't put ourselves at risk. I can't put K and Drake at risk."
She doesn't shake him off, but she doesn't lean into him like she has been all day either. Doesn't look up from the message she's typing on the keypad.
"I know," she says, lightly, like it's nothing. "Get your boys. You got Vrenille, too?"
"Dinah might." He doesn't know Jacob well enough to say, but he knows Jacob has more responsibilities. He gulps down his drink, not wanting to waste it. He needs a drink anyway.
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handleyourshit) wrote2032-07-23 01:51 pm
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He doesn't care what the city says. It's theirs. It's already theirs. Sometimes you just have to take what you need, and he thinks the three of them need that space.
"Your turn. Ask me anything."
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She wants to know, too, that any of the energy he puts out on a daily basis reached deeper than the surface.
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He didn't deserve to be let back into the contract, or back with K, so easily.
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"If we can do this - no more contracts. No more quota, no more bullshit." She has no idea how long the others will last, but she knows that she, Jesus, and Carver can go quite a long time on that alone.
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"Maybe we can fall back to one of the others if we need to. Insincerity, or Veracity."
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"We can't be anywhere they can find us until they've at least eased off their sweeps. Good thing we're going into spring. We have all year if we have to."
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"I'm going to go talk to K and Drake. You'll get Carver?"
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"I'll get Carver," she agrees. "I'll probably need to go meet him somewhere."
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"He'll want Grayson and Vanessa to come."
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"No."
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It twists in her own chest, breaks something off and pushes it up into her throat, but she looks at the way he's looking at her and she knows the answer.
Still: "Is there anything you'd agree to?"
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You are where you do not belong.
Think.
He drinks from his cup. His hand has a tremor.
"They could have their own camp. Somewhere else."
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"We need everyone together, at least at first. They have the numbers. We need as many as we can get if they're going to be there at all."
She's gentle. She doesn't really think this will work, but there is a part of her that knows very well what will happen if she presses Carver.
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This is more complicated and so she just nods, puts away this information that isn't new information - he told her, their bite packs a punch, doesn't happen from a cut, she knew even if she wishes she didn't - and nods.
"I know. But if they can't, Carver might -" She stops, shakes her head at herself. It's Jesus's call. He's the one who's stuck here.
"Alright. You're right." Buck up or shut up in the name of survival.
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"But we can't put ourselves at risk. I can't put K and Drake at risk."
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She nods. "I know." She picks up her device, turns it on.
"I'll get Carver," she says, quietly..
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He can hope. He can let himself hope, in part because he knows Rosita can't.
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"I know," she says, lightly, like it's nothing. "Get your boys. You got Vrenille, too?"
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"Yeah. Give me a couple of hours to get to all three of them."
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Isn't assembling the troops and tying together a threadbare plan that relies mostly on grit business as usual?
"They won't come, but I need to talk to them, make sure there's nothing else I can do for them."
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