riverview | → ( 𝗏𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗈 ) un; gypsygirl

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→ ( 𝗏𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗈 ) un; gypsygirl

Okay, I did the 'getting-used-to-this-place' thing and I have two questions.

First, where can I buy or borrow a bike. [She'll borrow one and live life pokemon style if she has too.] I'm already getting tired of walking everywhere.

[Willa doesn't make it clear if she's talking about a motorcycle or a bicycle. She's not that picky and either would do. However, she has very little to no experience driving a motorcycle but she's sure she could figure it out.]

Question number two. [She holds up two fingers and holds them in front of the screen.] What did you guys all do before you arrived here? Is it the same as what you do now? Be it jobs or hobbies or whatever.

[Anyone can respond or not, but Willa wants to meet more of the people here and see what kind of crowd she's dealing with. From the small sample she's run into, it's certainly an eclectic bunch.]

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[ The video feed shows a man sitting in a restaurant, device probably propped up against a sauce bottle or a water glass or something. He's finished eating, is working on a cup of coffee, and clearly not in any hurry to leave judging by the casual way he relaxes in the chair. He smiles, takes a sip and then puts his cup down. When he begins actually talking to her, he leans forward, steepling his hands together. ]

How long have you been here? Still working with only the initial stipend?

[ Depending on her funds, he's not sure what she'll be able to afford, but most of the merchants here are reasonable people, and there's always a way to work something out. This community is built up of people trying to survive a harsh and unforgiving landscape, after all. They have to work together. It trickles down. For the most part, anyway. He's met a few exceptions to the rule. ]

[Willa quickly notes his attire, where he's eating and what he's eating. She's been trained to read people and from what she sees she can usually determine someone's general income as well as living situation. It's what happens when you're raised by a criminal family.]

Less than a month. Long enough to have a job and a fair amount of tips.

[She works as a bar tender at the Quarantine bar. She isn't rich but she's cute and gets good tips.]

[ Jack's also gotten pretty good, over the centuries, at reading people. This girl is as young as she looks, and he knows the look of someone attempting to observe him closely while seeming to not care. He's sure she can see his close scrutiny, too. Those who are adept at reading people are usually adept at telling when they're being read. He doesn't mean anything malicious by it. He doesn't think she does, either. She's a cute girl, and working as either a waitress or a bartender, she'd be able to turn on the charm and rake in the tips. Depending on her housing situation, she might have even been able to save almost all of it. ]

So you've got something saved up. Probably not enough for a motorcycle in proper working order, but you could get something cheap enough if you were able to fix it up. Might clean you out, though. You could definitely afford a bicycle. Probably even get one very cheaply if you don't mind what it looks like. How familiar are you with the city? Should I send you an address?

[Willa feels his stare like a chill crawling along her skin. She doesn't show it but she has a feeling that he already knows that she knows... It's some weird fucked up silent communication bullshit. It doesn't take Willa long to decide it's best to ignore it and move on. She still needs information about a bike.]

I am sorta familiar with the city. I can probably get there with an address. [Cities are really easy to navigate.]

And for the record, I don't care what it looks like and someone will have to teach me how to fix it.

Two different things.

[ Jack holds up two fingers to illustrate the point while he takes another sip of his coffee. It's going cold with his inattention, but he's officially less interested in it than the girl asking about a bike. He's not all that surprised that she doesn't comment on the fact that he's gleaning small details about her with every single movement and word, but he's surprised that it makes her uncomfortable. She's doing the same to him, after all, and he's still calmly finishing his coffee and waiting for his check. ]

A shitty looking but probably fully functional pedal bike, or a broken motor bike. I mean, you should know how to fix anything you buy, but you shouldn't have to if you go option A. So you don't care what it looks like or someone will have to teach you how to fix it. Though I suppose any motorcycle you can afford could probably use a fresh coat of paint.

It really only matters because I'd send you to two different places depending on what you want.

[Willa's expression becomes a little more stony at Jack's stare. It isn't that he makes her uncomfortable but a memory of someone else. The way he regards her, the calm manner that seems to radiate from him. She gets the feeling that he's like that in tense situations too, like he's seen everything there is and very little is left to surprise him.

He isn't completely like her uncle Shadrack which makes it hard for Willa to appear as if she trusts him.]

I can figure out how to fix anything. Even if I don't have anyone to teach me. [Or access to the internet to look up the things she doesn't know. Willa is a smart girl and she's able to pick things up relatively quickly, she just hasn't needed to until now.] How about this? You give me both places. I have time to check them out and see if anything strikes me.

[ It's a spot on assessment. Jack has lived through just about everything, and he doesn't really get surprised any more. Even this place, being taken against his will and told that he owes them five years for their inconvenience, it doesn't phase him. Five years is nothing. What good will getting upset about it do? He'll just wait them out. If they're lying about the five years, as he suspects they may be, he'll still wait them out. He'll wait out this entire moon, if he has to, watch society crumble and collapse around him, and then he'll get out. No matter what happens, he'll be around long after everything else here is gone. ]

Of course.

[ Jack sends her a private message with two addresses, one with the tag 'pedal' and the other 'motor' to differentiate the two. ]

I hope you'll let me know if you find something you like, gypsy girl. Always nice to know you've helped someone out.

[Willa has to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

Whatever she thought of him, Jack isn't the sort of person she wants to piss off. At least not right away. She isn't usually this cautious but she's in an unknown place with a lot of unknown variables. Willa might have the blessing of her relations and history being erased but that means that so does everyone else. She doesn't want to underestimate someone just because they remind her of a frustrating situation from home.]

Sure thing. Jack.

[She's just assuming that's his name since it's in his user name.]

And who knows, if you frequent bars you just might run into me before then. [There is a little bit of sarcasm in her tone. It never complete does away.]

[ He tips his head and winks. Yes, that's his name. Not trying to hide it. Not like 'Jack' is all that uncommon. Though he doesn't shy away from his last name, either. So far he hasn't found anyone who knows him, or even knows his version of the universe.

His check arrives while Willa is still talking, and he doesn't even bother looking at the amount before tapping to confirm his payment. He usually checks the totals, but he's engaged in this conversation, and it should be easy for someone like Willa to figure out that he's intentionally giving her his undivided attention, and will continue to do so as long as they're talking. ]

I do, and maybe I will. Though... I'm guessing that means that you work in one? Tips from being a bartender or a server, they'd add up quickly in a month for someone attractive and personable. Fast enough to be able to afford a motorcycle, if you're careful with your money. So if I haven't been to the one you work in yet, I probably won't end up there on my own. People get stuck in their routines, they return to what's comfortable. Unless what you're saying is that you'd like me to introduce myself face to face?

[Willa notices his lack of attend towards the check but doesn't draw attention to it. He's watching her and she isn't sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.]

Yeah. I'm a bartender at the Quarantine Bar that's so creatively named. [She smiles for the first time when he compliments her. Willa isn't exactly used to compliments, at all. When people look at her they see a criminal who's been in and out of the system her whole life. She forgets that this world doesn't know anything about that.]

Maybe. You'll have to stop by and see.

[She smiles a little more earnestly.]

And, of course, leave a big tip.

It's what we were all selected for, don't you know? Our keen mental prowess. That and our good looks.

[ Yes, he's making fun of the people here, but only a little bit, because you sort of have to. You have to laugh, or you'll cry. The theory of only hot people turning up in the Quarantine has made the rounds on the network more than once. He finds it hilarious. He hopes he's not the only one. ]

I always tip well for good service. So I guess I'll see you soon, probably. If the bar is any good. I'm kind of picky.

[ Which, no, he's really not. Not about where he drinks, anyway.

He finishes his coffee and stands, collecting his jacket and shrugging it on before picking up his phone again. He's waiting to see if there's anything else that she wants or needs. Because he's curious, officially. ]

[Her smile twitches into a light smirk.]

Is that all it takes? [Willa exhales a soft huff of laughter.] I'll have to remember that next time I'm feeling down about myself. [It's easier to focus on light-hearted topics though Willa doesn't do that very often. Her mind is always working, always scheming and always planning something new. She can't help it and it isn't the sort of thing she can just turn off.

Willa doesn't want to make the comparison but in that sense she's a lot like Walter.]

The bar might not be any good but the service is.

[She'll guarantee that.]

Yup. That's it.

[ Jack adjusts his collar and leaves the restaurant, phone still held in front of him for the conversation. He's still smiling at her, not missing the way the compliment throws her slightly. She's far too young to be at the point in her life where people are no longer telling her she's remarkable on a regular basis. That makes him a little sad. ]

You're smart and pretty, congratulations! You're prime kidnapping material. At least you get to be a bartender on an alien moon, though. That's kind of cool.

I'm not missing much anyway.

[It's a blessing that she'd been brought to Quarantine and is stuck here for at least five years. She'd been running anyway and what's further away than an alien moon? It's lonely but perfect; her uncle can't find her and neither can the state.

Willa looks down at her phone and it'll be obvious to Jack that she's looking at the addresses that he'd sent her and possibly a map that she'd pulled up on her phone.]

Looks like I have some places to check out before work. Let me know if or when you stop by. I'll keep a look out.

[She is curious to meet this man in person.]

[ Jack nods. ]

I will, absolutely. Now that I've been invited. I've got to see what wheels you end up with, right?

[ Because, of course, that's the only reason. Jack absolutely can't see loneliness and conflict on another person from orbit, because it's pretty much all he's made of at his core. It definitely has nothing to do with the fatherly instinct he just can't ever seem to stamp out entirely, no matter how badly things continually end for those who find themselves on the receiving end of it. ]

That might take a bit. Hopefully you'll stop by before that?

[Not that Willa is overly eager to meet Jack in person but she wants those tips and she has a feeling that she can get a decent one from him. There is something interesting about him, something that she can't place. At first he had reminded her of her uncle but that similarity has slowly slipped away as their conversation has progressed.

He reminds her of someone but she's having trouble putting her finger on who.]

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→ ( 𝗏𝗂𝖽𝖾𝗈 ) un; gypsygirl

@captainjack [video]

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