Participants:
| Scene Title | New Digs |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Odessa takes a stroll past what will be her new building and runs into her new colleague and neighbour. |
| Date | September 17, 2009 |
Brooklyn - Outside Fort Greene
Brooklyn is located on the westernmost point of Long Island and shares its only land boundary with Queens. The East river borders and defines the borough's northern coast, Coney Island, Brighton Beach, and Manhattan beach are to the south, and the Narrows separate it from Staten Island to the southwest.
Downtown Brooklyn is one of the NYC's largest business districts. Between the Bridge and Prospect Park, brownstones, townhouses, and high-end restaurants are dominant. The culturally diverse communities of Williamsburg and Greenpoint are snugged against the East River to the far north. Close by are far more criminally active neighborhoods such as Brownsville, Crown Heights, and Bushwick. Regardless of the social situation, the so-called Borough of Neighborhoods is packed to the gills in post-bomb NYC.
Lola's in the process of moving in to her new apartment at Fort Greene. After all, she has a fake name. Fake IDs. Even a fake FBI badge - which she wanted to use to get some free couches or whatever, but Adam drew the line. Today she's wearing a mini-dress, peasant style, and is pointing at a mover and then pointing to the door.
"I want that in the room with tha big windows…." She orders, falling into the 'in charge' role rather easily.
Odessa really hadn't intended to dawdle in Brooklyn, honest. After all, what's the point? It wasn't as though she was going to find what she was looking for there. But the desire to walk past what would soon be her apartment was just too great. She smooths out a wrinkle in the skirt of simple, sleeveless mint green dress as she slows her pace to look at the building. It isn't terribly remarkable, really. But this will be her first apartment. Her own place. She's so wrapped up in that thought, that Odessa almost doesn't realise Lola's actually directing the moving men outside. "Oh!" She flashes the woman a polite smile. "Hello again."
"Aw, hey there sugar, where yat?" She asks, though the question more means 'how are you' than the literal 'where are you at.' "So 'ol English'll be handlin' most a the stuff, he's sorta picky bout what he wants me ta have, but I figured I kin pick out my own bed an couch an the like, ya know? Look at it, it's all brand new. I ain' never had somethin' new in my life. Well…new an what comes with a recipts." She looks over Odessa curiously, almost in an 'I'm checking you out' kind of way. But not. "Damn, sugar, you look fine."
New and with receipts. Well, Odessa has had new things. Things that were actually bought for her. Legitimately, too. She's even purchased things for herself before. (With Ethan's money, but that's not the point.) "There is something nice about having your own new things, isn't there?" Odessa watches the furniture as it's hauled into the building, then glances down at at her dress, then to her deep purple heels, before turning her attention back to Lola. "Ah, thanks." I think?
Lola nods, crossing her arms as the men labor to bring her large bed inside. She's thinking about letting Adam outfit the entire place rather lavishly, now. Not suggesting it. Just, you know. Letting him. If he intends to spend time there, he'll want it nice and lavish. "Ya know, it is. I ain' one fer much in the way a material things, but I'm thinkin' a movin' a few steps up in the world," She looks to Odessa, as though the woman were a colleague or fellow critic in some scheme or gallery. "What do ya think, diamonds? Or is that a bit clee-shay?" Big words don't flow well from this southern girl.
"Diamonds? Well, they do grab attention…" Odessa's tone becomes absent and even though she's watching the movement in front of her, her eyes are unfocused. She's not really seeing anything, but recalling a conversation from months past.
"Yeah but…I dunno. I want somethin' challangin, somethin' fun. I wanna do somethin'…." Amazing. Impossible. Something. She turns, returning to the truck to yell at some guy about being careful. As she starts to walk back to Odessa - moving from behind the girl - she pauses. That is a great ass. How does he do it? Tip toing closer, watching Odessa carefully, Lola bends and takes the hem of her skirt between her index and thumb, lifting it just a bit to peer underneath it. It's got to be padding or something.
Now that's enough to bring a girl back to reality. Odessa jumps away from Lola with a cry of surprise, wheeling around to stare incredulously at her. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"
Lola looks up at her, the pinnacle of innocence. And blankness. Just a blank, innocent stare. "What? It ain' like I was touchin' or nothin'. I just wanted to see. Like I said, ya look fabulous." Of course, this must sound very confusing to Odessa, but to Lola it's just fine. Odessa's a he. She just wants to know how a he gets to look so much like a she. "Come on, we're all gals here, right?" She gives Odessa a little shoulder-punch, lightly, grinning. Yes, all 'gals' here.
"Fabulous?" There's not even a belt or anything to jazz up her dress. What is Lola on about? "I put on a dress this morning. That's it. And I would appreciate if you would not try to take it off of me. Not in the street. Not ever."
"I'm just sayin! It was only a compliment, sugar, though yer sort loved that kinda thing." Her sort? Ah, the delights of a disconnect! Lola stands, streaching her arms over her head as she speaks. "Besides, ya ain' really my type. I like 'em a little more…ya know…" She makes a flat-chest motion over her boobs. "Without the…" she makes a 'v' with her fingers and motions awkwardly downward. "I mean, ya know, not that you ain got…I mean..you…you get it."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Odessa assures her. What are those hand gestures even supposed to mean? Is she high or something? Why does Adam let this woman off her leash?
Lola shakes her head. "Nevermind. So yer like a doctor, like a real one? An yer workin' fer Adam now? Don' know how much his people's gonna need medical attention, I only seen one got a cold an nuthin' else…" Something suddenly dawns on her, and she snaps her fingers. "Come ta think of it, I think his lil secretary might be needed some asisstance, but I'm sure ye'll meet 'em all." Especially after she breaks Sabrina's nose. Mwhaha!
"Yes, I'm a real doctor." Odessa only just manages to resist the urge to roll her eyes. "His secretary? What does she need looked at?"
Lola shrugs. "Meh." That's the answer she gives. Meh. "So, just oughta curiosity, I thought doctors made all sorts a money an cheated on their wives an shit. How come ol English's buyin' ya an apartment, then? I mean, if yer makin' enough stitchen fingers back on an whatnot…"
"Do I look like I work in a hospital?" Odessa shoots Lola a 'come on now' sort of look. "I'm not an HMO slave." Not that Odessa understands how health insurance works or anything like that. But it seemed like a good response.
"Darlin, yer a doctor an…well…" A man. "How am I supposed ta know what folks workin' in hospitals look like? I ain' never had health insurance." Which probably explains her follow up question. She reaches into her pocket, pulling out some raisens in a box and tearing it open with her teeth, flicking the top away as she reaches in and pops a few of the sweet, dried fruit. "Whassa HMO?"
Odessa really doesn't have an answer for that. And she still is completely in the dark about what Lola thinks she is. "Never mind. Let's just say I'm more the free clinic type. You don't get rich when you give away your services for free." And if she knew what Lola thought of her, she definitely would have worded that differently.
Lola nods knowingly. "Awww, I getcha, sugar." She winks at Odessa. "Well kin ya take a look at this? Takes forever fer bruises ta go away on me but this one's been round a bit longer…" In the middle of the street, Lola pulls back the shoulder of her dress. No bra. From the middle of her shoulder down half of her breast is a dark, oval-shaped bruise. "Was green an yeller earlier. Ain' nothin' to worry 'bout, right?"
Heedless of what Lola wears or doesn't wear under her dress, so long as she isn't flashing the general public, Odessa steps forward to take a look at the bruise. She's all business about this, resting the pads of her fingers on Lola's skin and pressing gently here and there. "It looks fine to me. Just a very nasty bruise. Doesn't appear to be swollen. It'll clear up on its own." She pulls the dress back into place for the other woman and steps away.
Lola 'ow's a little as Odessa puts her hands over Lola's skin, but she lets her fix her dress after she's done. "If I put a bandage or somethin' over it, will it keep it from hurtin' when I….." Shoot someone else? "Bump it or somethin? Ya know, with the move an all….right? People bump when they move?"
Odessa doesn't even want to speculate on exactly what Lola's getting at. She shrugs. "Wear something a little thicker over it and it should help, yes. A bruise like that is going to hurt no matter what, though."
Lola wrinkles her nose a bit as she watches the men struggle to get her giant matress inside. That whole thing is just for her! No more twin cots pushed agianst walls. She's going ot be a Princess! Kain would roll his eyes. "I ain' never moved afore…never had my own furniture neither. Always belonged ta whoever we was livin' at….laways moved inta furnished places, ya know?"
"Same here," Odessa nods. "I had my own furniture when I was growing up, but it was always picked for me, you know? I maybe got to pick the shade of wood or the colour of the sheets. But it wasn't like I really picked anything out that was mine. S'pose it never was mine. I kind of had to give it up when I left anyway."
Lola smirks a bit. "Yeah…I ain' moved much, but the same ol bed with rats in the walls…well I never minded livin' in poorer places, even fought Adam on gettin' me a place too fancy cause it ain' exactly me but…I dunno. I guess this place an this stuff ain' really gonna be mine neither. It'll be his."
"I think it's different when you pick the stuff yourself," Odessa says quietly. "I think you'll be happy with Adam." Whether Adam will remain happy with Lola or not will remain to be seen. She's heard about the Many Wives of Adam Monroe. "Just relax and go with the flow, I suppose. Nothing else to be done for it…"
It's a shame Odessa has no idea that it's all just a ruse. Lola has to remember that, too. "Ya think the bed's too big? Look at that, they can' even get it in the door. Hey!" Lola suddenly shouts, walking forward. "Just put it back, nah I don' like it anyway, just take it all back, say it wouldn' fit or somethin…."
"I should get going," Odessa says quietly. "Good luck finding a new bed, okay? If you talk to Adam before I do, tell him I said hi." She offers another small smile as she adjusts the strap of her purse on her arm, scratching absently at a bandage around her right hand. "See you around."