Participants:
| Scene Title | Just a Sip |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Kaylee just (not) making friends and (not) influencing people. |
| Date | November 28, 2011 |
The Hub: The Lucky Lady
Days before had been a bit of an eye opener for Kaylee and not in the way she would have wanted. Having a guy like K-mart tell her he cares about what happens to her…. It was a little unnerving. She didn’t know whether to trust that or not. Without her ability, she couldn’t look to see if he was telling her the truth. She missed being able to cheat the system like that. It nagged at her.
She needed a distraction.
Kaylee doesn’t really do friends. There are people she considers something like friends, but she only ever had one that knew things about her. Now Odessa was dead and Kaylee felt a little hesitant to deal with others. Still… she wanders into the Lucky Lady.
“Brenda,” Kaylee offers in greeting with a bit of false friendliness to the bars regular. A stool is selected and slid onto, her brightest smile offered to Isabelle. “What is there to drink today that won’t knock me flat on my ass?”
“Well! Daddy’s girl has come for a big girl drink, HELL YEAH.” Brenda slams down a bottle of, you guessed it. Isabelle’s mouth watering, hallucinogenic moonshine. Brenda waggles her eyebrows at the other woman. “Make ya toes curl girl.”
The blonde haired woman now a bright orange grins widely as she slides it over to Kaylee. “Today we are dealing in..” Brenda gives a look over to Isabelle with a raised eyebrow.
“Stories. We’re dealing in stories.” Isabelle finishes for her friend leaning forward to study the telepath in front of her. Hmm.. Edward’s daughter comes in after Magnes shows up and says to be careful around him. She assumes that means his daughter too But she has heard that the young woman wasn't necessarily under his thumb. “If you've got any to spare that is.” Wolfish grin on Izzy’s face.
She takes a sip of her own moonshine. She's not working right now, she's got a hangover from hell and it's Brenda’s turn anyway to run things for the day.
There is a slight angling away of her body, that Kaylee does when that bottle comes down near her. “Uh… what part of… ‘won’t knock me on my ass’ didn’t register.’ I mean… do you really want to end up with me puking on your floors again.” She still remembers that vividly.
“Water is more of what I am hoping for?” There is a tone of hopeful optimism. “And figured I’d come see what rumors abound… “ Bars are good for that right? Eyes narrow slightly at Isabelle, “But… what kind of stories are we talking about?” There is a knot of unease that settles into the young woman’s stomach. Maybe coming here was a bad idea.
Brenda cracks a laugh and shrugs her shoulders. “Well, I can't blame you. This batch is,” she looks over at her longtime friend, “Piss.” To which Isabelle flicks a few droplets of moonshine on her face, the stench of that alone should make your stomach rumble.
Reaching under the bar for a glass she slides across the bar at Kaylee. It's half full of clear liquid. Brenda waits for the young woman to take a drink.
Isabelle on the other hand has an eyebrow raised and takes a quiet sip from her moonshine. She's quiet as she thinks. She promised Magnes she wouldn't spread the word. She feels like she owes him, they just reconnected.
“Well if you're looking for gossip you had better spill the first bit of blood.” Said from the rim of her glass, blue eyes studying the telepath who is thankfully negated. “If you slipped your meds every now and then you'd know all the gossip there is to know too hm?” She leans in close to Kaylee, her breath smells of moonshine. She looks like she hasn't been sleeping well.
That's easy to believe. None of them have.
Suspicion crosses the blonde’s features as she looks at the glass, more is added on as Brenda goes quiet and seems to watch her. Kaylee is suddenly not very thirsty. Eyes don’t come off that glass as she states firmly, instantly on the defensive. “I don’t slip my meds.” It is also stated loud enough others in the room can hear it. Who knows the spies her father has around and there is too much on the line if she isn’t a good girl.
“You know he likes to keep my ass in the dark, it’s the whole reason I even come down here.” It is not too hard to figure out who ‘he’ is. “ For, fuck’s sake, woman… I had to find out about how Dessa died from K-Mart of all people.” No one needed to know about the friendship the two had. She was just that girls who always pesters him. Still, she was angry that she couldn’t get straight answers.
The glass is lifted finally and Kaylee takes a careful sniff of the contents.
A raw rocking whiff of moonshine hits Kaylee in the face and Brenda cracks up before giving Kaylee a glass of actual water. “Just taste the moonshine! Chase it with the water”
Isabelle spreads her hands. “I believe you for sure. Ahh K.” She licks her lips and tilts her head bobbing her leg up and down on the stool. “He's pretty.” A snort follows after, “Dessa.. she was a bitch but very crafty.” Much like herself.
“Well I heard she kicked the bucket due to the virus. She didn't like listening to Ed’s instructions?” Izzy waves her hand. She has become more interested in Edward now that Magnes has told her that he has the potential to be the worst villain.
“Have you heard anything about those two strangers? Weird duo eh?”
There is a pained look sent Brenda’s way and Kaylee can’t help but cough at the smell of the moonshine alone. The drink is set down again, without even a sip taken. “Those two people I keep hearing about?” There is a short shake of her head. “Not really heard much.”
“They got people talking though. Just not anything useful.” Fingers idly turn the glass on the bartop, a nervous fidget really. “That the guy is odd…. That something is off about them” Which has Kaylee curious, but… “I ain’t had a chance to meet them, yet.” her nose wrinkle a little, “Been too busy making myself scarce from my daddy. Might tho…” Try to meet them. “See what might be so damn special about them… see why the old man has taken an interest.”
They both watch her reaction to the moonshine and nod to each other. She won't be their new drinking buddy. Brenda nods her head with a laugh. “Everyone thinks Magnes is off, he's just.. excitable.”
If Isabelle could have kicked Brenda through the bar she would have. To her credit her face doesn't move at all. Inside her pulse twitches but she relaxes almost immediately, it's fine for people to know they know each other after all. As Brenda looks between Kaylee and Isabelle she blinks and suddenly picks up a towel. “I'm gonna go wipe down some.. boxes.” Scurry scurry. Bright hair flashing in the low light.
Izzy leans back in her bar stool wedging her knee between herself and the bar. She takes a gulp of moonshine, no grimace just a grin thrown Kaylee’s way. “We trade here in the Hub don't we?” She leans closer to Kaylee again, “What Information do you have in exchange for some?”
Isabelle is nothing if not direct, usually.
Normally, Kaylee had information. Normally…. However, the one person that she relies on for tradeable information had been in a mopey mood and she got caught up in it like an idiot. What she did have, was held close to her chest. This tentative thing called friendship she had with the infamous K-mart kept her from throwing him under the bus for information on these strangers… and the secrets of her father’s she did have, she held onto.
No matter how much she bitched and moaned about what he was doing to her, by forcing her to stay safe, he was still her dad and the only other blood family she had. That counted for something at least on some weird level.
No… this time, she’d probably have to do actual leg work to find out what she wanted. “Well, unfortunately, my source of information was not really… forthcoming.” Of course, she doesn’t say it was the bar owner and her cohorts fault that he was pouting… which it was in part. She didn’t fully believe it was the only reason. Irritation flashes through blue eyes, but she gives a resigned sigh. “I’ll have to get you something good for next time.”
This was always so much easier with Dessa around.
“Fine. Take two sips.” If you have no info then drinking is payment. “Sorry, that's our exchange,” not sorry. Izzy’s blue eyes meet Kaylee and she shakes her own bottle in her hands. It's not like she's giving the woman a shit ton of information. But good for Isabelle, Kaylee doesn't know that.
“That's fair yea?”
The glass is eyed, lips pressing tight. How bad does she really want to know things? A glance goes to Isabelle, before she comments blandly. “You realize that they literally clean with this shit right?” She stares at the glass. “Bleach linens….”
Picking up the glass, she gives it another sniff, and she makes an unhappy sound at the back of her throat. Kaylee is about ready to take the sip, when her paranoia kicks in… she didn’t have her ability anymore to protect her; so the paranoia is all she has. Why was Isabelle so determined she drink this. That has her lowering her glass and setting it down gently.
“I don’t need to know anything that bad.” Even though she had seen people like Kain and Odessa drink the stuff, Kaylee’s need for self-preservation wins out this day. Or does it?
“Hey, I just bottle it. What you do with my brew is up to you. Bet it can clean a nasty infection.” She's tried before. Isabelle’s eyes are on the woman and she shrugs. “Your loss.” Dangling a carrot in front of the rabbit.
Izzy almost feels bad the blonde is debating so heavily on it. She's not outing the multiverses. But this is fun. “Take a sip. Don’t give me lip.”
She tries again because it seems like Kaylee is just about there. All she needs is a little push. “It won't kill you this time, Brenda said it's a weak batch.”
Well…. That carrot is tempting.
“Izzy… if this kills me, I will haunt you from the grave… so help me.” Kaylee, in a flash of bravery, picks up the glass and… god-this-is-going-to-suck-so-much… takes a drink. Not a sip, a drink. As soon as the glass touches down on the surface of the bar, the telepath coughs and a pained look crosses her face as the liquid makes its way into her stomach.
“Oh.. I regret that decision so much,” is croaked out, before Kaylee’s hand covers her mouth, eyes watering a little at the burn.
“Perfect.” Izzy purrs and gets up from her perch on the stool. She swings her hips as she rounds the bar and takes another drink from her own before closing it up.
“I knew Magnes back before the virus. Don't know Liz. Seems.. alright.” What? She's behaving Magnes. “Mags.. has always been a little bit of a ball of energy. He means well. Don't get too freaked by him or what he says.” She spreads her hands with a sad look, “I honestly thought he was dead before he turned up here. We got seperated. Not that I didn't think the kid could survive out there but..” well..
Isabelle regards Kaylee and tilts her head. “Anyone ever tell you you've got the most piercing blue eyes? I thought mine were.” Well and they are. So those blue eyes of Isabelle’s study Kaylee and she tilts her head. “I do find it hard you have no gossip for me. None.” The woman shrugs though.
There is a flash of interest at what Isbelle tells her, brows lifting a little and her eyes unfocus in thought. Yes… she might have to check these new folks out. That Magnes didn’t seem like the normal sort her dad showed interest in.
Amusement flashes in those blue eyes at the question, though. “You know. I have never heard my eyes described like that… but… I have been told I have my daddy’s eyes.” She gives Isabelle a knowing look, batting her lashes a little. “They are pretty blue, if you ain’t seen them up close.” She has had to look at them enough over the years. “Should see his scowl, too.” There is probably a lot of sarcasm there.
“Anyhow, you are part right. I have gossip, but what I know and have is not for sharing,” Kaylee offers in a way of apology. “And as I said, my normal source of it, is kinda… mopey.” A suffering look is leveled at both. “Give it a week and I might
have somethin’ fun.”
“I think all of us down here prefer your set of blues over your father's, no offense.” But all the offense. Edward already freaked her out but now? She was even more weary and even more worried for Magnes being around him. She just didn't trust the man at all.
Not for sharing? Isabelle used to be rather good at getting people to share information. But in this moment she's not really trying to utilize those tactics they don't make friends. “What's got them down in the dumps?” She tries to sound like she cares. She does like the other woman.
The young telepath chuckles and then laughs, “I’ll take the compliment where I can.” There is a glance over her shoulder, an instinct really. “I think you are the only person who thinks that, most only see Edward’s daughter.” Her brows lift in a knowing look to Isabelle. Shoulder lift in a slow shrug and she grins, “I’m okay with that.” Is she really?
Avoiding the question about Kain’s mood, Kaylee steers the conversation a little differently, to another mopey individual. “Hey, you seen Woods lately?” The water glass is reached for and drawn closer. “I can’t remember when I last saw him.” Brows furrow a little, picking up the glass to take a sip, only to smell moonshine again. A low level glare is sent the other woman’s way. Really?!
Really
Isabelle swigs more booze herself and burps just a bit. Excuse moi. “The fact that people only see you as the daughter to an old man is a severe mistake on their sides. You have own power, you should stand in it more.” A light shrug, Isabelle just hates when people are looped in constantly with their parents. Children have lives.
“I haven't,” She says with a contemplative look. “He's someone whose ass..” she raises eyebrows. “Looks real nice.” She don't mind admitting it, some would say Isabelle can admit too much sometimes.
“You tapping that?”
Kaylee laughs, a quick short bark of it. An irritated sound. “No.” She states firmly. “Besides, pretty sure, I ain’t anything more than a kid to him, even if I wanted, too.” There is a little something off on how she says it, but it is believable enough.
Shaking her head, the telepath hops off the barstool. “And I’d appreciate it, if you don’t go around tellin’ people I do.” A knowing look is cast over her shoulder as she heads towards the door. She almost leaves it at that, but she stops in the doorway… It’s something that has been bothering her… not that she’d tell Kain about it. “Oh, and next time you wanna throw rumors around that someone is cheap…. Look in the mirror.” Eyes shift over to Brenda, “Both of y’all.”
With that, she steps out… set on looking for the Hub’s handyman, but also not wanting to stick around to see that reaction. What the fuck… was she thinking?!? What the hell was wrong with her suddenly?
“I..” Isabelle blinks, did she just?
Brenda who was sleeping her head on a box snaps up. “Did someone just call me.. cheap?” She grabs at a pink tendril of hair. “This dye costed me a whole days worth of food! How is that cheap?!” Brenda leaps to her feet with a glare and looks over to her flamethrowing friend.
Izzy to her credit is chuckling, the liquor must have hit. Her shoulders shake as she grabs a bottle of that deadly moonshine and stalks to the door of her bar. With a sigh and a look over to Brenda she pulls out a lighter and flicks it on. Eyeing clear flammable liquid and the retreating blonde she snorts and calls out, “Don't think Daddy is gonna save that tight little ass honey! I hope you like fire babe,”
And she pours a little of the liquid on the floor before bending low to set it aflame, the tiny flames dancing in her eyes. She can almost feel her ability singing to it, yearning for the fire,
“Cuz it's about to get realllll hot.”