People Don't You Understand / The Child Needs a Helping Hand

[bingobangobongo]

[It was warm -- that's why he chose it. Someone had told him it was all right. No one lived there, and sure, lots of squatters had claimed many of the rooms of the closely guarded secret, but the attic still had some space. He might find room to rest for the night there, assuming the secret hadn't gotten to many other ears in the time it had gotten to his.]

[It was a treacherous climb up the rickety ladder, especially with a heavy bag in hand, but the warmth and being out of the blistering wind made it all worth it.]

[There was a candle in the middle of the attic, burning low to the ground. Everything else was pitch to his eyes, dark and oily and mysteriously black. Good. He could get some sleep.]

Comments

[anekanta.livejournal.com]

[Looks at the blanket, giving a little shrug and worrying the loose threads on one of her own.] Coupla months.

[bingo-faced.livejournal.com]

You've got a pretty good place here if you're stickin' around. [He sniffled, running his sleeve under his nose and then cupping his hands over the stove, hoping to catch some of the residual heat.]

[anekanta.livejournal.com]

No good to stay anywhere. [Gives him a long look, seeming to consider.] You'll figure that out quick if you're gonna, y'know, stay out here.

[bingo-faced.livejournal.com]

[Al finally looks up at her, connecting eyes for as long as she would allow.] I'm not.

[anekanta.livejournal.com]

[Kara nods.] Good. You're kinda scrawny - you'd never make it.

[bingo-faced.livejournal.com]

[He frowned. Fine, if that was how it was going to be. Al shook his head and poked at the now-melting ice.]

[anekanta.livejournal.com]

[Kara gives the top of his head a smirk, not sorry in the least.

...

Okay, maybe a little sorry. She loses the smirk and gestures toward the storm.] Where ya gonna go in this?

[bingo-faced.livejournal.com]

Gettin' out of town.

[anekanta.livejournal.com]

'S probably snowing there, too, kid.

[bingo-faced.livejournal.com]

Doesn't matter. [He stirred the last of the ice around and then sucked the water from his finger.] It's just snow.

[anekanta.livejournal.com]

[Nods, looking out into it as an especially angry gust of wind slams into the house.] And I bet the hypothermia'll be real fun.

[bingo-faced.livejournal.com]

What d'you care? You weren't too interested in my health last night. [And here he was, feeling bad again. Calavicci sighed and turned to his pack, pulling out a some still-wet coffee grounds wrapped in a piece of cloth, stained from use. He dropped them right into the water and carefully brushed at the remaining grounds, trying to get them all.]

[anekanta.livejournal.com]

I don't care now. [Yeah, right, you just tell yourself that.

Mumbled, almost as an afterthought:] 'M just sayin'.

[bingo-faced.livejournal.com]

[Al doesn't seem to have anything to say on the subject. He tugged his blanket close, folding and rolling it like it was his business. And when he was finished, he pulled out two small objects, both wrapped in newspaper.

The first, more square, contained some stacked crackers. He took two and re-wrapped the rest. The second package was greasy and turned out to be a small slab of bacon fat.] Hungry? [Al slapped the newspaper and fat down on the floor before looking up at her.]

[anekanta.livejournal.com]

Yes. [There it is - unabashed, unashamed. She has her pride, yes, but if the kid - if Al was gonna keep parading treats out of his bottomless bag, she wasn't going to turn him down.] Thanks.

[bingo-faced.livejournal.com]

[He shrugged.] Gotta eat.

[Using his pocketknife, he sliced at the cold bacon fat and argued until he had a few decent pieces, laying them out carefully on the crackers. Not the best meal, sure, but it was something. He offered hers out, leaning over the camp stove.]

[anekanta.livejournal.com]

[She gave him something of a smile, accepting her portion gratefully. Her metabolism had sped up thanks to the decent meal the night previous, and now she was ravenous. Still, she was determined to eat slowly, make it at least last a little.]

[bingo-faced.livejournal.com]

[Al places his cracker along two edges of the coffee tin, letting it take in some of the heat and melt the bacon fat.] You smoke?

[anekanta.livejournal.com]

I do. [Pauses between bites, tilting her head to one side.] Why? Got some smokes in that bag too?

[bingo-faced.livejournal.com]

Yeah, a couple. [He leaned, pulled out a thin silver cigarette case and opened it. There were two and he leaned to offer one of those to her as well.]

[anekanta.livejournal.com]

[At this, she shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself and tucking her frozen fingers under her arms. It was too much. The food, she got, even the coffee - but an entire cigarette? He wanted something in return.] 'M good.

[bingo-faced.livejournal.com]

[He (barely) stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Barely. Then took one of the two cigarettes, placed it behind his ear, and then threw the other one right onto her lap.] Gone today or gone tomorrow, so you might as well take it.

[anekanta.livejournal.com]

[Kara looks down at it, frowning.] Fine, thanks. [She picks it up gingerly, turning for a moment toward her blankets and tucking the smoke someplace safe.]

[bingo-faced.livejournal.com]

[When he was satisfied with his cracker's progress, he ate it so quickly it hardly seemed like the effort was worthwhile. Once finished, he reached down and gingerly picked a crumb from the top of the hot coffee.] If you can't stand the cold, maybe it's time to go south.

[Al fished out a tin cup -- he was well-prepared, wasn't he? -- and split the coffee, giving her the cup and keeping the tin with the grounds.]

[anekanta.livejournal.com]

[There was a south? Where it wasn't cold? Well, that was good news.] Learn that in your travels?