[ He'd set the foundation for most of what she knew. She'd ran with it, and spread her own wings, but she never would know where she would have been if Jesse McCree had never come into her life. And she did know many of his tricks, if not most of them. They'd cheated off each other and with each other for many games.
She laid down her winning hand, knowing that it would be taking his cards. She'd known that his game would be off, so it did make the victory a little less intense, but she'd won all the same and that was what mattered. ]
Someday I'll be the better shot too. [ She may have had cards, but she had never been able to show him up with a gun. He was possibly the best shot in the world, so that was a pipe dream. All the same, she never stopped giving him grief over it. She took the rest of the chips and the bottle of liquor for a victory drink. ]
I told you it wasn't goin' to be a fair game. You knew goin' in what you were up against. Guess for the time bein' this little lady of yours is still mine.
[ That’s what makes the loss really sting. Jesse looks down at his gun—an extension of him, really, one of the few bits of sentiment he allows himself—and fends off the urge to try and grab it anyway. But if he can’t even win a hand of poker, there’s no way in hell he’ll be able to take on Ashe in the state he’s in. Especially with B.O.B. close by.
So there’s little else to do, other than just lay in the hole he’s dug for himself. ]
Yeah, well. Can’t blame a fella for tryin’.
[ He rubs at his eyes with one hand, then draws the hand back through his hair. It occurs to him he probably looks like a mess, face flushed and forehead sweaty. ]
So, you want to tell me more about this operation of yours?
[ The look on his face pulls at something inside of her. She knows that look and that feeling. He's had peacekeeper since their early days and that gun means to him what Viper means to her. She had no idea where she would be without her rifle. For a brief second she thinks about handing over the gun. Blame it on the alcohol or that she doesn't care enough about it to keep it. Then again, her bike felt like an extension of herself too and she's not nice enough to forget so easily about that. She uses the irritation at him riding his bike past with the shit eat all grin on her face to brush away any notion of giving it back right then. She'll let him stew at least a little bit longer.
Standing up, she returns the gun to where she had taken it out of and then goes to get the towel wet again. Wasn't this how they worked anyway, always trying to one up the other? ] Don't look so put out, I'll let you have rematch real soon.
[ Coming back to the sofa she sits down to offer the cool cloth out again. He looked even more spent than he had before, probably needing some sleep, but he'd asked about the business and she'd dare to share. ]
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and at least give you an overview. You sell me out to those cats or the F.E.A.R. agency and we're gonna have bigger problems. [ She had a feeling it wouldn't be an issue. ]
So, you know how this place has a serious lack of weapons around? You are lucky if you can get a weak pistol or huntin' rifle at that one big box store. Ammunition is even harder to come by. Yet, back in May... [ The month he'd died. She takes a drink to cover the pause. ] Somehow all those townsfolk had just about every weapon one could possible want and they were directin' it right at us. Well I just didn't find that fair. So in your absence I did what I do best, I followed the trail and found the weapons. With a little persuasion I helped them see it would be in their best interests to trust me and my business model. I've set up shop in the warehouse and I'm going to see that the sleepers are armed and have their needs met. [ Not as pure as it might sound, since she'd make sure to sell when the need was prime and she could set the price high. Money was the only thing that had never let her down, and she'd learned long ago to wrap her self worth in it. ] I'm just movin' product, but gettin' isn't easy and my position is a little precarious at the moment as you can probably remember from the early days.
[ Jesse’s eyes get a little wider as she goes on, until he’s just outright staring at her. Then, suddenly, he laughs, a hand coming up to cover his eyes. ]
Shit, Ashe. Didn’t I tell you to lay low after you got here?
[ He’s smiling though as he says it. Other than profiting off of chaos, which he wouldn’t put past her, it’s actually not a bad setup. It’s rankled at him since the beginning: how unbalanced things are in Deerington. How the Sleepers are left without training, without weapons, while the town throws wave after wave of terrors their way. He finally catches his breath and lets his hand fall. ]
For the record, I’m not with F.E.A.R. And I don’t make it a habit of talkin’ to cats. Far as plans go, this one isn’t the worst I’ve heard out of you.
[ She'd been wondering how he was going to respond. He'd hadn't collected her bounty yet, so there was something to be said about that. She might have been expecting to get grief or defend herself. Then he was laughing and it catches her so off guard that her own eyes widen. The shock on her faces softens until she's laughing herself, and with the kind of laughter she is almost reminded of the laughing they did when they came up with crazy schemes in the past. ]
I was layin' low actually, and I ain't exactly out there advertisin'. But, then you up and died and I got bored! [ And drunk. ] And someone introduced me to establishment that your place of work is coverin' up. It caught my interest, and I wanted a piece of it. [ He could probably guess that a piece of it hadn't been enough or her. She'd soon wanted to run the joint, and she wasn't quite there yet, but she was on the way. ]
It actually doesn't surprise me you haven't thrown your hand in with them. You prefer to fancy yourself a lone ranger, right? [ It didn't really matter. ] Either way...while we could argue over the fact this is basically what I do back home, and that you are out of the loop of what all I do so you really shouldn't be so judgmental. [ Yeah, no arguing about that right? ] I'd rather just take it as a good sign that you see the merit in it.
[ She looked down at her hands, playing with one manicured nail for a moment before looking up. Years of violence and chaos weighed heavy on her, and it showed in her eyes. ] People don't realize it, y'know? That we're at war here. It's high time we were prepared to fight. I just got a mind to know how to turn a profit on it, while simultaneously buildin' an army. So yeah, I'd say it's a good plan. But...I know what I'm up against at home, here...I don't. [ And if she was honest, that fact made her nervous. Not nervous enough to grow passive, but it still set her on edge. Having Jesse on her side could only be a positive here, no matter where they were at home. ]
Wondered when you would find that part of the Dog.
[ Which reminds him, he should make sure he still has a job there sometime soon. Having the steady income will be nice, of course. Better than that though, his actual job will give him an excuse to be hanging around the bar for… whatever Ashe will need him to do there.
He’s tempted to argue she doesn’t have to turn a profit at all, but he knows better. She won’t go all magnanimous now that she’s back in her element, and it would only make her more closed off if he were to imply she should. If he’s going to have any chance of turning this around, of working the system she has created… he’ll need to really be in it.
Y’know. Hypothetically. ]
Can’t say I know any better than you what they’ll throw at us next, but I can tell you what I’ve seen since I got here a year back. Could be useful.
[ He steals another drink from the bottle, a smirk starting when he looks at her. ]
Not sayin’ I think this is a good idea. But a bet’s a bet. I’ll try what I can to keep it from crashin’ and burnin’.
[ There was an impish glint in her eyes. ] It drew me in like a Siren's call. [ It hadn't really, Vira-Lorr had introduced her to it and she'd checked it out. It ran like the places that she knew and the world she understood so it quickly became her choice location in the otherwise boring little town. If he didn't have a job there, she would make sure that he was returned to his position as soon as he wanted to be.
When all Ashe felt like she had to lean on was a strong financial support, she would cling to that with her life, and be hard pressed to change for the time being. If it benefited some people and helped them, well, she wasn't necessarily against that. After all, it wasn't her goal to hurt innocent people. She liked hurting the people who deserved it, but she was blinded to the destruction she left in her wake as she stormed towards her personal goals. ] Yeah. I'm gonna want that information from you. That and names of key people who might be a problem. [ If he would give it to her.
She watched him drink from the bottle before taking it back. ] I can keep myself from crashin' and burnin', you just might make it slightly easier. [ She pouted as she took another drink, the whiskey was starting to get to her and her words were more drawled out and heavier in accent. ] And you'll see this is another one of my brilliant ideas! Why I bet you'll even enjoy yourself... [ She reached over to poke her finger into his chest.] ...cause I remember you, and I know what you like, and I think even the you...you are now, will...like this....cause some things, they don't change...and I see it in your eyes. [ She nodded, before shaking her head as if trying to clear it. ] And...I am drunk.
[ Jesse blinks down at her before chuckling, the sound low and warm. Now, before the start of the real dirty work, the way she’s acting is damn near nostalgic. But there’s a sense of wistfulness to it all, a lingering sadness. The man he is now isn’t the boy he was then. She says some things don’t change, but… they do. They did. If she wants this to be like the good old days, she’s going to be disappointed. ]
Yeah, you’re too deep into that bottle to be talkin’ any kind of business. You should be in bed, and I should be on my way.
[ He reaches out to take the bottle from her and set it aside. He’s only slightly better off, having stopped drinking for most of the middle of their card game in an attempt to give himself an edge. But he still has to try a couple of times to get the bottle set down without it tipping over. ]
[ Bed. Yeah, she supposed that was where she belonged; where they both belonged, respectively. She didn't like the idea though. The alcohol that was coursing through her system and his company had made the night easier. It was the first time in the last two months that she hasn't felt the fear take hold in the middle of the night. Tomorrow would bring sobriety and the reminder that things had changed, which she knew well enough despite her inebriated words. She dismissed it with a wave of her hand. ] Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know.
[ Standing up slowly, she managed to keep herself relatively still without faltering, despite her foggy mind. Looking down at him, she shook her head. ] You ain't fit to walk back home tonight and you'd be a damn fool to try. [ There was nothing he'd gain access too by letting him stay there unsupervised, and B.O.B. could keep an eye, and besides she doubted he'd go digging. ] Look, just stay the night. You can sleep on the sofa, or any of my numerous empty guest bedrooms.
You’d trust me not to burn the place down in the night?
[ It’s a joke, evidenced by his grin, but there’s a real question behind it. A real uncertainty. It’s one thing letting him in, and quite another letting him stay. Again, eased on by the alcohol in his system, he can hear Chloe claiming that Ashe cares. Has cared. He ducks his head, not trusting his expression as he looks down at the couch. ]
… This one’s in better shape than the one I got at home. I could make myself at home right here, I guess.
[ The question catches her off guard and her brain wasn't clear enough to fully process whether or not it's her best idea. Typically her judgment was pretty good, after all she'd been able to hold the reigns fo the criminal Southwest for years now and that took skill and good judgment. However, when it came to Jesse, reason and logic did seem to fail her. He had that affect on her for one reason or another.
She rolled her eyes and met his teasing with her own. ] Well, I did, but maybe it's good I got the explosives hidden. Besides, of the two of us, you are the less likely to burn down a house during a sleepover. Just make sure you don't light one of those cigarellos and leave it burnin'.
[ She went over to a closet and grabbed a blanket and pillow, returning to set it on the table. ]Bathroom is on the left right down the hall. B.O.B.'s here if you need anythin'. [ She paused. ] And you can try and wake me if it comes to that, but I go real deep on whiskey if you remember.
[ Jesse huffs a laugh out at the memory. He can remember trying to wake her many a time after a night of heavy drinking, to no avail. There had been one time he’d taken her lipstick and drawn on her face with it. She’d woken up to her sheets stained red with makeup, a killer hangover, and enough righteous fury to still make Jesse fear for his life. ]
I’ll do what I can not to light any fires or destroy any property, but no promises.
[ He kicks off his boots, the one with the crowbar in it tipping over. He doesn’t bother to right it as he grabs the pillow. ]
[ There was certainly a reason that the criminal network in the Southwest stood by her rules, many feared for their lives because of her fury. Back then, her fury at Jesse had been mostly bark with no bite, even if she had pulled a gun on him a time or two back then as well.
She stood there for a moment, watching him settle. She crossed her arms over her chest. The alcohol was still coursing through her veins and she was getting tired.] You pay for the damage. [ And then he was thanking her, and that felt awkward. ]
Yeah...uh...your welcome. [ She was somewhat at a loss then, probably too tired to even think about it. What else could she say? Feel better? Sleep well? Too familiar. She turned around towards her bedroom, and gave a small wave of her hand in passing. ] Night then. [ And with that, she stumbled into her room, some muffled swearing could be heard as she knocked something over, before she went quiet and climbed into bed herself, needing to sleep off whatever was running through her mind. ]
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no subject
She laid down her winning hand, knowing that it would be taking his cards. She'd known that his game would be off, so it did make the victory a little less intense, but she'd won all the same and that was what mattered. ]
Someday I'll be the better shot too. [ She may have had cards, but she had never been able to show him up with a gun. He was possibly the best shot in the world, so that was a pipe dream. All the same, she never stopped giving him grief over it. She took the rest of the chips and the bottle of liquor for a victory drink. ]
I told you it wasn't goin' to be a fair game. You knew goin' in what you were up against. Guess for the time bein' this little lady of yours is still mine.
no subject
So there’s little else to do, other than just lay in the hole he’s dug for himself. ]
Yeah, well. Can’t blame a fella for tryin’.
[ He rubs at his eyes with one hand, then draws the hand back through his hair. It occurs to him he probably looks like a mess, face flushed and forehead sweaty. ]
So, you want to tell me more about this operation of yours?
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Standing up, she returns the gun to where she had taken it out of and then goes to get the towel wet again. Wasn't this how they worked anyway, always trying to one up the other? ] Don't look so put out, I'll let you have rematch real soon.
[ Coming back to the sofa she sits down to offer the cool cloth out again. He looked even more spent than he had before, probably needing some sleep, but he'd asked about the business and she'd dare to share. ]
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and at least give you an overview. You sell me out to those cats or the F.E.A.R. agency and we're gonna have bigger problems. [ She had a feeling it wouldn't be an issue. ]
So, you know how this place has a serious lack of weapons around? You are lucky if you can get a weak pistol or huntin' rifle at that one big box store. Ammunition is even harder to come by. Yet, back in May... [ The month he'd died. She takes a drink to cover the pause. ] Somehow all those townsfolk had just about every weapon one could possible want and they were directin' it right at us. Well I just didn't find that fair. So in your absence I did what I do best, I followed the trail and found the weapons. With a little persuasion I helped them see it would be in their best interests to trust me and my business model. I've set up shop in the warehouse and I'm going to see that the sleepers are armed and have their needs met. [ Not as pure as it might sound, since she'd make sure to sell when the need was prime and she could set the price high. Money was the only thing that had never let her down, and she'd learned long ago to wrap her self worth in it. ] I'm just movin' product, but gettin' isn't easy and my position is a little precarious at the moment as you can probably remember from the early days.
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Shit, Ashe. Didn’t I tell you to lay low after you got here?
[ He’s smiling though as he says it. Other than profiting off of chaos, which he wouldn’t put past her, it’s actually not a bad setup. It’s rankled at him since the beginning: how unbalanced things are in Deerington. How the Sleepers are left without training, without weapons, while the town throws wave after wave of terrors their way. He finally catches his breath and lets his hand fall. ]
For the record, I’m not with F.E.A.R. And I don’t make it a habit of talkin’ to cats. Far as plans go, this one isn’t the worst I’ve heard out of you.
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I was layin' low actually, and I ain't exactly out there advertisin'. But, then you up and died and I got bored! [ And drunk. ] And someone introduced me to establishment that your place of work is coverin' up. It caught my interest, and I wanted a piece of it. [ He could probably guess that a piece of it hadn't been enough or her. She'd soon wanted to run the joint, and she wasn't quite there yet, but she was on the way. ]
It actually doesn't surprise me you haven't thrown your hand in with them. You prefer to fancy yourself a lone ranger, right? [ It didn't really matter. ] Either way...while we could argue over the fact this is basically what I do back home, and that you are out of the loop of what all I do so you really shouldn't be so judgmental. [ Yeah, no arguing about that right? ] I'd rather just take it as a good sign that you see the merit in it.
[ She looked down at her hands, playing with one manicured nail for a moment before looking up. Years of violence and chaos weighed heavy on her, and it showed in her eyes. ] People don't realize it, y'know? That we're at war here. It's high time we were prepared to fight. I just got a mind to know how to turn a profit on it, while simultaneously buildin' an army. So yeah, I'd say it's a good plan. But...I know what I'm up against at home, here...I don't. [ And if she was honest, that fact made her nervous. Not nervous enough to grow passive, but it still set her on edge. Having Jesse on her side could only be a positive here, no matter where they were at home. ]
no subject
[ Which reminds him, he should make sure he still has a job there sometime soon. Having the steady income will be nice, of course. Better than that though, his actual job will give him an excuse to be hanging around the bar for… whatever Ashe will need him to do there.
He’s tempted to argue she doesn’t have to turn a profit at all, but he knows better. She won’t go all magnanimous now that she’s back in her element, and it would only make her more closed off if he were to imply she should. If he’s going to have any chance of turning this around, of working the system she has created… he’ll need to really be in it.
Y’know. Hypothetically. ]
Can’t say I know any better than you what they’ll throw at us next, but I can tell you what I’ve seen since I got here a year back. Could be useful.
[ He steals another drink from the bottle, a smirk starting when he looks at her. ]
Not sayin’ I think this is a good idea. But a bet’s a bet. I’ll try what I can to keep it from crashin’ and burnin’.
no subject
When all Ashe felt like she had to lean on was a strong financial support, she would cling to that with her life, and be hard pressed to change for the time being. If it benefited some people and helped them, well, she wasn't necessarily against that. After all, it wasn't her goal to hurt innocent people. She liked hurting the people who deserved it, but she was blinded to the destruction she left in her wake as she stormed towards her personal goals. ] Yeah. I'm gonna want that information from you. That and names of key people who might be a problem. [ If he would give it to her.
She watched him drink from the bottle before taking it back. ] I can keep myself from crashin' and burnin', you just might make it slightly easier. [ She pouted as she took another drink, the whiskey was starting to get to her and her words were more drawled out and heavier in accent. ] And you'll see this is another one of my brilliant ideas! Why I bet you'll even enjoy yourself... [ She reached over to poke her finger into his chest.] ...cause I remember you, and I know what you like, and I think even the you...you are now, will...like this....cause some things, they don't change...and I see it in your eyes. [ She nodded, before shaking her head as if trying to clear it. ] And...I am drunk.
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Yeah, you’re too deep into that bottle to be talkin’ any kind of business. You should be in bed, and I should be on my way.
[ He reaches out to take the bottle from her and set it aside. He’s only slightly better off, having stopped drinking for most of the middle of their card game in an attempt to give himself an edge. But he still has to try a couple of times to get the bottle set down without it tipping over. ]
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[ Standing up slowly, she managed to keep herself relatively still without faltering, despite her foggy mind. Looking down at him, she shook her head. ] You ain't fit to walk back home tonight and you'd be a damn fool to try. [ There was nothing he'd gain access too by letting him stay there unsupervised, and B.O.B. could keep an eye, and besides she doubted he'd go digging. ] Look, just stay the night. You can sleep on the sofa, or any of my numerous empty guest bedrooms.
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[ It’s a joke, evidenced by his grin, but there’s a real question behind it. A real uncertainty. It’s one thing letting him in, and quite another letting him stay. Again, eased on by the alcohol in his system, he can hear Chloe claiming that Ashe cares. Has cared. He ducks his head, not trusting his expression as he looks down at the couch. ]
… This one’s in better shape than the one I got at home. I could make myself at home right here, I guess.
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She rolled her eyes and met his teasing with her own. ] Well, I did, but maybe it's good I got the explosives hidden. Besides, of the two of us, you are the less likely to burn down a house during a sleepover. Just make sure you don't light one of those cigarellos and leave it burnin'.
[ She went over to a closet and grabbed a blanket and pillow, returning to set it on the table. ]Bathroom is on the left right down the hall. B.O.B.'s here if you need anythin'. [ She paused. ] And you can try and wake me if it comes to that, but I go real deep on whiskey if you remember.
no subject
I’ll do what I can not to light any fires or destroy any property, but no promises.
[ He kicks off his boots, the one with the crowbar in it tipping over. He doesn’t bother to right it as he grabs the pillow. ]
… Thanks.
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She stood there for a moment, watching him settle. She crossed her arms over her chest. The alcohol was still coursing through her veins and she was getting tired.] You pay for the damage. [ And then he was thanking her, and that felt awkward. ]
Yeah...uh...your welcome. [ She was somewhat at a loss then, probably too tired to even think about it. What else could she say? Feel better? Sleep well? Too familiar. She turned around towards her bedroom, and gave a small wave of her hand in passing. ] Night then. [ And with that, she stumbled into her room, some muffled swearing could be heard as she knocked something over, before she went quiet and climbed into bed herself, needing to sleep off whatever was running through her mind. ]