Devil's Nest, Friday Evening

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

Tiny was behind the bar, experimenting with drinks that did not include rum.

Allie was keeping an eye on the door, ready to check IDs as needed.

They were both ignoring the teal deer lurking in the corner. Sometimes it was better not to question things.

[The deer ate the OCD]

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[not_a_whiner]

"Hey, Allie, can I have a-- is that a deer?"

One day, Kaidan was going to manage a dignified entry into the Devil's Nest. One day.

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

Allie would fall over in shock the day it happened.

"Yup. I'd say he's come to drown his sorrows, but he didn't seem interested in any of the drinks Tiny offered him," Allie replied.

[not_a_whiner]

"Okay." Kaidan had been here for a few seconds and his eyebrows were already threatening to crawl up and take over even more of his forehead. "Huh. Barfly deer. ... Huh."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"At least he's not rabid? I ran across one at home once," she explained with a shudder. "It tried to kill me."

[not_a_whiner]

"I... have never heard about anyone turning deer into husks," Kaidan said. He paused right in front of the bar just to think about it for a minute. "...Creepy."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"Tell me about it. But it makes sense. Most people are hidden away behind the walls in the cities. The rabids still need to eat. They bite what they can catch." Like one must have bitten the boar Allie killed. But not before it had infected Joe Archer.

[not_a_whiner]

Kaidan winced, sitting down on a stool now that he'd reached one. "So even the wildlife... turns?"

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"It happens," Allie said, settling on a stool of her own. "I can't say exactly how often. Mostly because if given the option, rabids tend to avoid me now. When it comes down to it, I think they can tell who's the bigger predator."

She let out a wry laugh. "I do have admit that I was glad the bear I came across in the woods wasn't rabid. He was big. It would have been a tough fight."

[not_a_whiner]

"You... mind if I ask for a beer before we continue talking about this?" Kaidan asked. "I mean. I thought husks were bad."

They were pretty messed-up, but not... quite like that.

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

Fortunately Tiny was on the ball and had Kaidan's beer ready a moment later. Canadian of course.

"Sorry. I forget what's considered normal in the rest of the world sometimes."

[not_a_whiner]

"You really don't have to apologize for that," Kaidan said, taking his beer gladly. "I mean, I've seen some pretty messed-up stuff too."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but that's part of your job," Allie pointed out. "Not just an every day part of life. For example I bet you never came across an execution while you were on the way to go get groceries."

[not_a_whiner]

"No, but... going for groceries wasn't really a big part of my daily routine for years," Kaidan pointed out. He shrugged lightly. "Not to make your experiences seem like they're nothing, sorry."

[filleauloup]

Please, as if Éponine didn't have an ulterior motive in coming in here tonight. To be fair it wasn't her only motive, since she actually did like the company, but how else was a girl supposed to figure out how best to take advantage of the whole rum shortage if she didn't have a good idea of just how widespread it was?

She meandered in, nibbling at a walnut (courtesy of a picket-line squirrel on today's mail route, since she'd finished the ones from yesterday) and plunked herself down on a stool. "You've one of those funny deer in the corner, do you know that?" she asked, as if it were of no consequence whatsoever.

She'd already helped herself to some of her private stash before she came here, and the deer didn't seem to be terribly invested in the lack of rum anyway, so it wasn't of any consequence to her.

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

Allie shrugged and glanced over at the deer, or more specifically, the floor under the deer. She was not going to be on clean-up detail. "It beats having a gremlin lurking in the corner. I've heard they can be nasty."

[filleauloup]

Éponine waved a hand dismissively. "I'm sure they're not as bad as those squirrels right now. Good God, the temper they've gotten into this week, it's almost as bad as my father when he --"

She broke off and let out a brief, sardonic laugh.

"Never mind that. I'm surprised they haven't come storming over here demanding your rum supplies."

She could have just asked outright if this place was as out of rum as everywhere else, but being circumspect was a habit.

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"They can demand all they want. We don't have any to give them," Allie replied. "Tiny says we're out. He doesn't have any idea when we're getting more in."

Then, because she was curious. "You left family behind?"

[filleauloup]

Éponine had been humming to herself, waving one hand in circles but watching Allie intently while she spoke. When she realized an answer was expected, which took a second or two, she broke off humming and sat up a little straighter.

"Oh, them," she said as if she didn't care that much. "Yes, I've a younger sister left, and my parents. I suppose at some point they'll notice I've gone, and see how Father likes it next time he needs someone to sniff out an address for him! Azelma's not half as good at it."

She sometimes forgot she had two younger brothers left, but it wasn't as if they'd ever been a part of her life.

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"I only had my mom, but she died when I eleven. After that I was mostly on my own." At least until she fell in with Lucas, Stick and the others. But Lucas was dead now and Allie didn't like to think about Stick and what he'd done.

[filleauloup]

"That sounds like my brother," Éponine said absently, now engrossed in peering at her reflection in a shiny spot on the bartop. "Well, he's gone now, but he was about that age. Mother didn't care to have him around, so he looked after himself."

She shrugged. "He was better off for it, if you ask me."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

"Not knowing all that much about where you're from, I'll take your word for it," she said, only to make a face a moment later as the subtle meaning of Eponine's words registered. "I'm sorry he's gone."

[filleauloup]

"He knew what he was getting himself into," Éponine said, but her attempt at sounding completely offhanded about it fell a bit short. "Trust him to march right into a rebellion, singing, the little devil, and scold me for getting myself shot! I miss him, but anyhow, it can't be helped now, can it?"

Her laugh was just a touch fragile.

"Well, Mother won't be too bothered, and my father will just have to do without us."

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

Allie shook her head, "No, it can't."

"But their loss is our gain. It's always good to have another friendly face around the island." Not that Allie had met all that many unfriendly faces, DEREK, but it was nice to have another person regularly stop by the bar.

[filleauloup]

Her, being described as a friendly face? Éponine snorted in thoroughly inelegant laughter at that.

. . . well, if people wanted to think so. It wouldn't hurt anything.

"It's still strange to have met so many," she replied.

[allie-vamp.livejournal.com]

Allie had had the same feeling numerous times.

"I know. It's strange. But there are worse places to spend time. So I'm not complaining."