biteouttagrimes | IC CONTACT

Yeah. That's where we're at. No rush. I'll be here all night.

[ And then spoken with mild amusement: ]

But for you, I'll actually put on some pants.

I'd be worried if you didn't. It's going to be lady's choice on the beer and pizza toppings.

[ Aka whatever she can pick up the fastest on the way. Surely there was a pizza place right by the school. She was about to find out.

Some time later, she's outside his door and balancing a large pizza box and a six pack of dark beer in her hands. Rather than upset that balance, she opts to kick a few times on his door, figuring he'd get the picture. ]

[ He doesn't keep her waiting long -- heading to the door in a fresh white T-shirt and pair of jeans. His hair is damp and drying in curls, and there even seems to be a bit of leftover shaving cream on his face.

Rick made some kind of effort to look less like shit than he did. The dark circles and weakness are still evident, though. ]

Here. Let me take somethin'.

[ He grabs the pizza box, leading the way to the small kitchen. ]

[ As soon as the door is opened, she's taking stock of him. Cleaned up, that's a good sign, even if he looks exhausted. Who isn't by this point. It's going to take a good while before things return to normal.

She lets him take it and follows him in to set he beer on the counter. ]

You're looking well for being recently deceased. Carl here?

[ Rick wears a slightly crooked smile after her compliment, but nods in response to the question. ]

He's in his room sleepin'. Out like a light. Doubt he'll wake up. An' you can't really blame him. We went through hell.

[ He puts his hand on her shoulder, giving it a tender squeeze -- appreciation for everything she's done for both of them. Unspoken but meaningful before Rick grabs a few paper plates, offering one her way. ]

Everything fine with you and yours?

Yeah you did, I'm sorry I couldn't do more.

[ She eyes his hand and decides that the affection isn't so bad. She hides a small smile as she accepts the plate and grabs a couple slices for herself. ]

We came out fine. I worked with a group to steal intel and we had a few injuries, but a healer was on site.

Hey. You did what you could. An' that's more than most people would've done for us.

[ He follows suit in piling a few slices onto his plate before taking a beer and leading the way to the living room. The television is on in the background, playing the tail end of an action movie Rick had started watching but didn't really care to finish. ]

Those healers sure are handy, aren't they? The guy who killed me was a healer. Asshole killed me and then brought me back from the dead like it was nothin'.

[ She shakes her head, about to say something along the lines of how she should have been keeping a better watch on Carl when Rick continues. Her eyes narrow and the grip on her food and drink tighten noticeably as she follows him. ]

He what? So he had the goddamn power to kill you and bring you back, but nobody there had the ability to stun you?

[ All that power in one place and they couldn't even use it properly. ]

[ He collapses onto the couch, scooting over so she has enough space to not have to sit too close to him but still a little close. ]

Guess he could've. Could've knocked me out. But if I came to before they were done, I woulda been a problem for them. One of my powers lets me put up a sort of....invisible shield around me an' whoever else. That's what I did. Nothin' could get through -- except that guy had this power to kill someone else an' transfer that to me. So that's what he chose to do.

[ Rick says it all as a matter of fact -- laying it out for Tex without any real emotion behind it. No anger. No frustration. Just exhaustion. He folds up his slice of pizza and takes a big bite. ]

[ She settles onto the couch beside him, almost close enough for their thighs to be touching, but not quite. ]

Did you at least get to punch the asshole once they were done? And if you didn't, can I?

[ Because as pissed as she is at the killer, that's his revenge to take if he wants it. ]

I didn't. Things were pretty intense gettin' outta there an' I had to get to Carl. You're free to punch him, but I don't think it'd do any good. He's a punk kid who can't have any sense beaten into him.

[ A pause. ]

This ain't the first encounter I had with the guy. Apparently, he was part of this terrorist group my son joined. I was pretty pissed off at him when I found out he was influencin' Carl like that.

[ Her free hand is rubbing at her temples now. Apparently this guy could get worse. ]

He's part of a terrorist group? I'm surprised they haven't tried to lock his ass up.

Carl's not involved with them anymore now that you're here, right?

I don't think it exists anymore from my understandin'. It was some group run by someone outside of them, lookin' to unite imPorts an' I don't even know. Gain more control for them or something? I ain't even clear on what the purpose was.

[ He's already almost done with his first slice. ]

My whole point was I thought this Jesse guy shoulda told me what was going on, rather than lettin' Carl go along with it. That guy started goin' off on me about how I needed to take better care of Carl. An' ever since that day, I pretty much hated him.

Sounds like they weren't clear either.

[ She snorts and slumps in her seat. Her pizza is barely touched, but she takes a nice, long drink of her beer. ]

Where does an asshole like him get off on telling you what do with your kid? When he's the one pulling the kid into a terrorist group?

[ Rick shrugs. ]

Double standards. Thinks he does no wrong. Who knows. But I don't really wanna talk about him.

[ A beat. ]

Carl's been pretty pissed that it happened. An' while I don't blame him, I'm worried he's gonna go out an' do somethin' stupid over it. Not sure how to mitigate the whole thing. Been tryin' to brush it off, make it seem like it's no big deal. But it coulda been bad. Coulda been real bad.

Has Carl talked to you more about his eye yet?

[ It's a good fishing question. How much has the kid said? Her loyalty to that little lie of his only extended as far as the occupation had. Now that it's over...

Better to find out what Rick knows first. ]

We haven't talked about it much, no. I ain't even sure what to say. Every time I look at him, all I can see is how I failed him.

[ And to that, Rick will crack open his beer and guzzle down his sorrows. ]

You didn't fail him. [ She sighs and sets her plate down on the arm of the couch. No point in waiting. ]

When I saw him at the seminar that day, he asked me to lie to you. He claims he doesn't know what happened to his eye. If there's something else going on there, he wouldn't tell me. He might tell you the full story.

[ Rick pauses, looking at her -- not entirely sure what he's hearing, at first. Carl had wanted Tex to lie to him about this. About this of all things. And she had agreed to it? This was about the dumbest plan he ever heard.

He sets his plate down, getting up. Rick is a pacer when he's stressed. ]

Why. What bullshit reason did he give you to go along with that lie? Why is this even something he'd lie to me about?

Edited 2016-03-18 01:18 (UTC)

[ Flatly, ] The kind of reason that involves you going into a blind rage and assaulting the guards around you. He said you didn't handle the death of your wife well and he was afraid it was going to happen again.

[ A concern she quickly found Carl rightly had. She watches Rick as he goes to pace and tenses as she sits up straighter. ]

Well that happened anyway. I attacked them anyway.

[ He retorts, turning toward her and stopping his pace for a moment. ]

Lyin' about it was stupid. I don't have the right to know what really happened to my own son?

[ She rolls her eyes before matching his gaze. She's not backing down from the decision she made, though it's clear to her there's some family trouble in the middle of this. ]

According to your son, no. I thought he would have told you by now. I don't know if the full story is worse than the one he told me, so it was hard to judge.

He doesn't have the right to decide what I get to hear an' what I don't. I never shy away from the truth with him 'cause I know he's strong enough to hear it.

[ He faces the wall, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. It hurts him that this is a decision the two of them made together. It hurts him to know how easy it was for both of them to lie to him when he's been nothing but honest. And in this moment, he finds himself thinking of Verity -- perhaps the only person in the world who valued honesty more than him. ]

[ She can tell from his posture where this is heading and moves to stand with her arms folded over her chest. If he wants to kick her out, he's more than welcome to. ]

Then that's a talk you need to have with him, not me. I saw him for about five minutes at the seminar before we found you, I couldn't find him at the end of the damn thing the day before.

Why did you go along with it.

[ It's asked between his fingers. He might not know Tex too well, but he wants to believe the best in her. He wants to believe she had a good reason. Tex told him the literal reason why she lied and that was because Carl told her he didn't handle these things well. But what about the emotional? Was it because she cared about him more than just simply as a friend that she would try to protect his emotional wellfare? What motivated her in those moments to protect him?

Slowly he looks at her, exhausted by the situation and yet his gaze manages to be intensely piercing. ]

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