[ maybe he would have asked why not ormond if his stash was more than just enough for two. maybe he would have asked why not ormond, if he'd actually said more than five words collectively to the threegion outside of being chased around and stabbed in realm after realm. it doesn't cross his mind to ask, though, because he just assumes they're on the same page - it's much easier to get away with not having to share if you remove yourself from the places you're most likely to be found. for julie, that's ormond. for eddie, it's camp. sneaking away to autohaven just makes the most sense.
it takes a couple minutes to get the timing right. to find a moment where no one's paying him any attention, where everyone's focused on something or someone else for long enough that he can slink away unnoticed, but he manages fairly easy. when it comes to navigating through the fog, though, he's still kind of green. getting the hang of it will come with time and experience, but until then, it's a mildly unsettling trip to say the least, but he finds his way with little trouble.
it's still creepy though. being here now, presumably alone (save for julie), is somehow more unsettling than it is when he gets dragged here with three other survivors knowing someone is hunting them. eddie tries not to think about it too much as he slinks through the yard, headed for the office. julie said the wraith probably wouldn't care about them being here, but he's still cautious.
eddie hears the very faint and distant, tinny sound of music, too quiet to be recognizable or familiar, but it pulls him in the right direction, and when he steps into the office doorway (more like swings into it, one hand gripping at the door frame), he hangs out there for a few seconds. with julie sitting on the floor, he has to look down at her, and he smiles a little lopsidedly. ]
Shit, am I late? [ he's pretty sure he's not, but she looks like she's been here for a couple minutes already at the very least, and even if his twenty minutes have been up, he doesn't really seem that genuinely concerned about it. eddie pushes away from the door frame, the thing chains holding his jacket cuff somewhat together swinging a bit loosely with the motion of his arm. he wanders in, casual but still alert, and eventually takes a seat next to julie, back against the wall. he stretches his legs out, turns his head to look at her, and doesn't seem to care if she can hear him or not. ] Wheeler's got - goddamn eagle eyes or something, I swear. Took me a minute to get out of there without anyone noticing.
[ the dulcet tones of kurt cobain's screaming and distorted guitar get a little louder when julie pushes the headphones off her head to hang around her neck when eddie speaks, only catches the tail end of what he says as she hurriedly pulls her walkman out of her pocket to stop the tape, but it's enough that it makes her huff a small laugh from behind her mask. ]
I thought twenty minutes was ambitious for a new guy, but I didn't want to rain on your parade.
[ instinctively, her hand comes to the edge of her mask as she talks, moving on autopilot because she only hangs out like this with friends, right? why would she cover her face. the hesitation is brief, but noticeable, she freezes for a second because she does her best to make sure survivors never see her without her mask on. hell, only a couple of killers outside of legion have seen her face either. ]
[ but it would be weird as hell if she just kept it on this whole time, and she sure as hell can't smoke with it on, so it's gotta go. ]
Don't scream, okay? [ the joke's for herself more than anything, and she takes a small breath before she actually pushes the mask up and off her head. brown eyes and bleach blonde hair, there's julie. ]
[ even a little louder, the song julie's listening to is unrecognizable even to eddie, but by the sound of it, as tinny and muted as it is, it would seem that she has good taste in music - loud and angry is right up his alley, right in his wheelhouse. not that there were very many doubts about julie's musical interests, considering the snippets of music eddie's caught here and there while being chased in a trial, but still. it's just one more thing that eddie... appreciates. about her, at least.
it doesn't even really cross his mind that julie'll have to unmask until she's curling a thumb under the edge of it, ready to slide it back and off - but it makes sense. eddie's halfway through rolling his eyes at her offhand comment about his ambitions when he catches the movement and pauses. he doesn't stare, but he watches, curious. about the brief moment of hesitation, about what she looks like, because he'd be lying if he said he'd never wondered. he doesn't stare, but he glances out of the corner of his eye as he tilts his weight a little to one side, away from her, so he can dig into his jacket pocket for the main reason they're even here.
when julie jokes, eddie feels a little more at ease, though he's not even sure why he felt tense at all in the first place. he casts her another glance, this one a little more intentional, and smiles a bit at her as he slides two rolled joints out of his pocket, kept 'safe' in a little plastic baggie clearly marked 'EVIDENCE', and a crushed book of matches.
with the mask gone, eddie allows himself a few seconds to just look at julie. he's not sure what he expected, if he expected anything at all. she's pretty, but she's just... a normal girl. eddie smiles at her again, faint and easy, and shakes his head slightly. ]
Oh, man. Truly terrifying. Horrifying, even. [ he puts his hand to his chest, crushing the bag a little under it, and then drags one of his knees up so he can rest his wrist on it. eddie turns his attention to the grass in his hands, fishing a single joint out. ] Thought you'd have different eyes, though. Blue.
[ eddie turns his head, offers her the joint, held carefully between his fingers. ]
[ there's a joke rattling around about her face actually being a mask too, but julie can't make it work, so she settles for snorting and rolling her eyes. pretends not to notice eddie looking at her. it's normal to want a proper look at someone you've only ever seen in a mask, she just hates the way it leaves her feeling vulnerable. exposed. ]
[ it feels weirder to be complimented though, even in such a small way. it used to be normal, way back when she went above and beyond to be acceptable, but even then it was basic shit. nothing that suggested a dude was thinking about her in any way except naked. ]
[ god if she ends up flustered because eddie's being nice to her she's gonna have to kill him. ]
Thanks. [ julie takes the joint and fishes in her pocket for a lighter, uses it as a way to hide the barest hint of a smile as she lights it and takes a drag. ] I picked it myself.
[ completely deadpan, as if she's being 100% serious. ]
[ with one of his hands freed up, eddie goes about fishing the second and final joint out of the stolen evidence bag and pinching it between his lips. he lets the bag fall somewhere in the space between his knees (and makes a mental note to take it with him later, if only so he doesn't end up pissing off the wraith), tugs a match out of the matchbook he brought, and strikes it across the little strip of powdered glass on the back. the match hisses to life, and eddie tilts his head a little to look at julie out of the corner of his eye as he touches the small flame to the end of the paper and lights his own joint.
shaking the match out, eddie pinches the spliff loosely between his fingers and inhales, the corners of his mouth quirked a little like he maybe wants to smile. the deadpan delivery is amusing to him. he makes a small sound of interest in the back of his throat, then tips his head back a bit so he can exhale toward the ceiling. look at that, he's courteous, too. ]
Yeah? [ he looks back at julie again, wetting his bottom lip and resting his hand on his peaked knee. eddie lifts his eyebrows a fraction. ] Drew out that little - square grid thing in the womb and picked the best one?
[ eddie drops the dead match down with the plastic bag, absently scratching at the small patch of skin on his knee with his thumb, exposed through the rip in his jeans. ]
I don't remember what that shit was called. From - biology or whatever. You know. [ he lifts his hand off his knee, draws a lazy 4-squared grid in the air in the space between them before dropping his hand again. explaining it beyond that is just gonna kill the joke, and the joke isn't even that funny.
eddie nods toward julie's headphones. ] What were you listening to? Sounded - angry.
A Punnett square. [ julie breathes out a soft chuckle through her nose with a small plume of smoke. ] Yeah.
[ it's funny enough, though julie wouldn't admit it lest eddie find out she finds more of his dumb jokes funny than he thinks, she'd never live it down. so it's more for that reason than any worry about drawing the joke out too long that julie's relieved when he brings up her music, her eyes light up a little at the question, but it's a blink and you'll miss it expression. immediately changing to something that could be a little self-conscious as her gaze falls to her walkman where she'd put it down. ]
Nirvana. They're, um... [ when she looks back at eddie it's with a raised eyebrow, both curious but also about to be just a little of a shit. ] Did they have grunge back in your day?
[ punnett square. that's it. eddie bobs his head once in a subtle little nod of acknowledgement, gestures at julie with a lazy wave of his hand just for good measure. it's amazing how much bullshit they make you learn in school that you're very likely to never use again outside of it, but - he supposes maybe that's not so true, if punnett squares are somehow coming up in the middle of some - alternate dimension who knows how far away from everything he knows. nevermind that he's the one who brought them up just for the sake of a stupid joke. just to make her laugh. which he catches, even if it's quick, small.
he catches that little flash of enthusiasm, too. the little jolt of excited energy to talk about something she likes, presumably. not so surprisingly, eddie finds it endearing - he gets the same way about music he's really into, too, so he gets it. he'd talk about megadeth and dio and wasp and metallica all day if only someone gave him the opportunity.
eddie takes another short drag, burns through a bit of grass. like the first time, he blows the smoke out away from the both of them, then turns his attention back to julie. at her little crack of a joke, eddie rolls his eyes, but one corner of his mouth pulls up a little with the hint of a fleeting smirk. he tilts his head back against the wall, turns his face to look at her. ]
I don't know, I'm too old to remember. [ back in his day. please. also, it's still kind of weird knowing that there are people here who come from a time after his. from the future, or whatever. and also from the past. that's also kinda weird too.
eddie shrugs one of his shoulders, loose and lazy, and absently thumbs at the chunky silver ring on his left index finger, turning it slightly back and forth just for something to do with his unoccupied hand. ] Can't say I've heard of it, though. Or, uh. Nirvana.
[ that manages to put an amused smile on her face, one julie doesn't even bother hiding this time, there's less time between them than most of the others, she's pretty sure. hell, less time between them than between her and jeff, but that's a whole thing julie tries not to give up too much mental real estate to. ]
[ she mirrors him, head tilted back against the wall, face turned to look at eddie. every now and then her knee bounces a couple times like it's trying to shake off some excess energy but otherwise julie's pretty relaxed even without the weed starting to hit yet. ]
[ ...admittedly less so when eddie looks at her and she remembers she's not wearing her mask, but at least she's not freaking out about it. ]
Well, gramps. It's sort of like... [ she turns her head to look up at the ceiling, chewing her bottom lip as she tries to think of the best way to describe it. ] Like if punk and metal had a really moody child.
[ shaking her head just a little as she says it, julie takes another slower drag on that joint. as a description it's not quite right, but it'll do. ]
[ gramps. gramps. eddie huffs a soft breath out through his nose - not quite a laugh, but the amusement is still evident, if lazy. he turns his head away slightly as he listens, eyes tilted up toward the ceiling and wandering slowly. it'll be a bit before the weed actually starts to hit, but he can already feel some of his nerves easing up a little. very slightly less anxious, which is kind of funny considering his company and the fact that not a single person knows where he is right now, but - julie seems cool. he's not too worried about it, yet.
he looks back at her again after her description, catches the slight bounce of her knee out of the corner of his eye and shifts his attention there for a beat. he wonders, briefly, if she's anxious too, though he can't imagine why she would be. between the two of them, she's the one more likely to have shown up with a weapon. eddie doesn't ask though, easily distracted by the idea of this bastard child of two genres of music he very much likes. ]
Shit. [ he exhales, shaking his head a little with a lazy smile. ] That sounds... awesome, actually.
Yeah? [ she smiles again, maybe a little too surprised and eager, and makes a weak attempt to hide it by blowing out her smoke toward the ceiling. ] Yeah.
[ saved it. ]
[ god she has no idea why she's so anxious and awkward, just hanging out isn't exactly something she used to have a problem with. granted, back in ormond she was playing a much nicer, more friendly version of herself and she wasn't years out of practice on socializing with anyone other than the rest of legion, but still. awkward is a strange feeling for her. ]
You wanna give some of it a listen?
[ she turns her head back to look at eddie when she asks, eyebrows raised with the question. her gaze flits down to the patches on his battle jacket, curious if he'd even like it or if it'd be too soft for him. ]
[ again, the quiet enthusiasm doesn't go unnoticed. neither does her subtle attempt to stifle it, and if eddie furrows his eyebrows a little bit for a moment as he looks at her, it's only because he's curious. it's only because he wonders why, presumably, she feels like she needs to water part of herself down. but then again, maybe he's reading her wrong. eddie's only just barely started getting to know her, but it's not as if he'll be going anywhere anytime soon. there's still time to figure it out.
just as quickly as it comes, the pinch in his brows smooths and disappears, and when julie offers him a chance to listen to her music, he perks up a little. sits up a bit, even, and uses the heel of his sneaker to push himself an inch or two back until his shoulders bump the wall behind him. ]
Yeah. [ if his eagerness matches julie's initial eagerness from earlier, it's purely coincidental. eddie twists slightly, turning more toward her. he takes a quick hit off his joint, tilts his chin down this time to exhale into the space between them, and then nods his head once, twice. ] Yeah, sure. 'Course I do.
[ there's really only one person she's ever felt like she could be fully herself with, even with susie and joey she still tones things down sometimes, and she's still feeling around the edges with eddie. the only survivor she trusts even a little is quentin (and if anyone tells him she'll kill them) and that's largely through continued exposure to his relentless need to be helpful. eddie's not the same, but he's disarming in similar ways. she doesn't know if she can trust that yet. ]
[ his eagerness to listen to her music helps though. julie sits up and reaches for her walkman. ] Okay-- hang on. [ the smile doesn't come back, but it's obvious in the way she quickly perches the joint between her lips so her hands are free to put on her headphones and hold the walkman that she's a little giddy still. ]
[ quick bursts of songs filter out of her headphones as she rewinds the tape, starting and stopping and looking for a song she thinks eddie will like, lips downturned in concentration around her joint and hair falling in her face as she leans forward. this is important, after all. ]
[ once she's found it, she turns fully toward eddie and holds out the headphones for him to take. all queued up with stone temple pilots' wicked garden for him once he's ready. ]
[ hang on he does. eddie only watches julie for a second or two as she starts to search through the tape before his gaze starts to wander. mostly around the office, though there's nothing really that interesting or unfamiliar to him, nothing that really catches or holds his attention as much as the tinny sound of music and the low whrrr in between as julie stops and rewinds, stops and rewinds.
eventually, his eyes drift back to her. to the way her hair's falling in her face a little bit, how... normal she looks. he didn't think it'd be weird, seeing her without the mask, and it isn't weird, not necessarily, but it's just - odd. how the person sitting next to him and the person who chases him around sometimes with a knife in hand and their face behind a mask feel like two different people. but maybe that's the point.
when julie turns toward him, eddie feels a little bit like he's been caught and instinctively and very quickly drops his gaze away from her face and down to her hands, where the headphones are waiting. eddie makes a quiet sound, just a quick hum of a low note, and tucks his spliff between the pinch of his lips to free up his hands. he takes the headphones and puts them on, his hair only getting in the way just slightly, but he deliberately leaves one side of the headphones halfway off an ear. this way, he can listen to the music and still listen to julie at the same time, and also not accidentally yell because he can't hear himself.
eddie gives her a brief nod to let her know he's good to go and she can play the tape. when the song starts, there's no immediate reaction aside form the subtle tilt of his head, like he's really trying to listen and pay attention. at around the fifteen second mark though, he lifts his head, looks over at julie and raises his eyebrows slightly. it's not bad once the guitar really comes in. he murmurs a quiet oh, shit, mildly impressed, but otherwise holds his commentary, because he can hardly pass fair judgement based on the first twenty seconds.
as he listens though, he keeps looking at julie. doesn't stare at her, because that's a little creepy, but it's clear the more the song goes on that he's pretty decently impressed. nods his head a bit with it once he picks up the general rhythm, taps his fingers against his knee with a rhythmic laziness, less like he's following the drums and more like he's working something else out.
when it seems like the song's coming to an end, he takes another puff from his joint and moves the headphone that's already halfway off just a bit more away from the shell of his ear. he turns his head away to empty his lungs, and when he turns back, he's got a lopsided smile on his face. ]
... Well. Shit. Not gonna lie - that was pretty good. [ not as hard as some of the shit he listens to, but not far off. ] This is - Nirvana?
[ eddie's so expressive, it makes him genuinely hard to look away from, like she can hear every thought he has about the song based on whatever his face is doing at any given moment. it's always exciting to see someone listen to a song you're showing them for the first time, and julie feels like she can tell exactly which bits really get him into it just from the tilt of his head or the way he raises his eyebrows. almost laughing when he lets out that little impressed murmur once the guitar really kicks in. ]
[ it's the only tape she has, well that and her trial mix, so julie knows every song back to font. could probably tell what part of the song eddie's on just from the tinny drum fill and guitar that filters out through his hair. a couple of times, when she's turning her head to blow out smoke and not paying attention, she mouths silently along to the words, closes her eyes and nods along to the beat. ]
[ when it ends she stops the tape so eddie's not immediately attacked by courtney love's off-key singing following it up, smile small but genuine when he says it's good. though when he asks if it's nirvana, well. it's a totally understandable mistake, but a slightly surprised laugh bubbles out of julie anyway and she shakes her head. ] Stone Temple Pilots. I thought they'd be more your speed.
[ julie's got a nice laugh, he's decided. or maybe he just likes it when people are in a good mood around him, when he's responsible for some of it even if it comes at the cost of embarrassing himself a little. but eddie's not really embarrassed for getting the band wrong anyway - he was just going off of context clues, the way the conversation had been going.
when julie tells him the actual name of the band, eddie nods slowly, thoughtfully dragging his teeth over his bottom lip for a moment. he takes another puff from his joint, then leans slightly toward julie for a second, but only so he can dig into his jacket pocket on his opposite side. he tilts his chin up a little, but keeps his eyes on julie as he exhales a thin line of smoke. ]
Stone Temple Pilots. Okay. [ he says it like he's committing it to memory, but there's a moment of... something in his tone. ] When do they come around?
[ when eddie leans away again, sitting straight once more, he's got... a candy bar in his hand. probably very slightly melted from being in his jacket pocket for however long, but he offers it wordlessly to julie and raises his eyebrows a little, the tiniest smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. ]
[ julie's still watching him, not even really aware of the way her eyes are tracking the way he moves and the expressions he makes, nor the way she leans a little toward him in response. her fingers flex idly on the hand resting on her leg, and she squints in thought at the question. ]
Ninety... two? I think?
[ that's when the album came out anyway, and she's pretty sure it was their first one. so technically maybe a couple of years before-- is that a candy bar? ]
[ that throws her out of her attempts to remember when stone temple pilots formed and she stares at the bar for a long moment as if she has no idea what it even is, and when she takes it it's with an amused exhale of smoke through her nose. ]
Squishy candy. [ she's grinning, don't let the deadpan voice fool you. ] Just what every girl wants.
[ ninety-two. eddie scrunches his nose a little, but doesn't comment at first. instead, he exhales through his nose and starts to sag against the wall a little, sliding and slouching down a bit into a position that looks - uncomfortable, more than anything else, honestly. but he seems content, finishing off the rest of his joint until there's just a little bit of ashy paper left pinched between his fingers.
he looks up at julie, slightly below her eye-level now that he's relaxed (see: melted) a little, and he doesn't so much exhale, but lets the smoke filter out of his mouth as he speaks instead. ]
Ninety-two, huh? [ he says this mostly to himself, even though he's looking at her. he raises one lazy hand, thumb and index fingers held close together. ] So close.
[ not that close at all, actually, and not a year he's likely to see if he ever makes it out of here, but that's kind of a downer and has the potential to kill the high that's only just starting to kick in, so he avoids that kind of talk.
instead, he smiles up at julie, nudging the back of her nearest wrist with his knuckles. squishy candy. right. ]
It's like - a s'more. [ he shrugs, cuts the same hand he nudged her with through the space between them. ] Without any of the other stuff.
[ she's no stranger to either Bisexual Sitting or a stoner's propensity for turning to sludge the second they relax, so she simply watches eddie slump down with a raised eyebrow and a small hint of an amused smile tugging at her lips. ]
Other stuff?
[ what does that even mean? there's only three parts to a s'more. julie squints down at the bar in her hands, maybe she could read the wrapper, but she won't. there's a couple puffs left in her joint and she offers that out to eddie before she unwraps the bar, pulling it open along the seam instead of just tearing it open. ]
[ now that eddie's started to sink, it doesn't seem like he has any plans of stopping. gradually, he slides lower and lower until it does become uncomfortable, at which point he twists his body slightly so he's... practically laying on his side, propped up on one elbow, one leg stretched out with the other bent at the knee. eventually, his elbow will get tired of holding him up, but for now, he's pretty comfy.
when julie offers what's left of her stubby little joint to him, eddie takes it from her gently, careful not to drop it or pinch it out. he doesn't take a drag from it though, just holds it for her while he watches her peel the wrapper open like a weird kid afraid to tear the wrapping paper on christmas morning. he laughs a little under his breath, flicking his eyes up from her hands to her face. ]
Yeah. Marshmallows, graham cracker. [ he nods his chin at the melty candy in her hands, making two stacking gestures with his hand, spliff still pinched between his fingers as he lists off the very long list of ingredients for s'mores. eddie smiles, almost teasing. ] Almost there. One out of three's not bad.
Edited (what is this a tag for ants) 2022-10-25 02:54 (UTC)
[ it takes a second for it to tick over in her mind, a few moments after he says "one out of three", and her eyes fall shut with a shake of her head and a laugh. because it's squishy like s'mores, jesus christ. she lets out a soft murmur of oh my god under her breath, still with that little hint of a smile on her face when she opens her eyes again and looks at eddie. even if she does stretch out one of her own legs to give him a light kick. ]
Well, it's my favourite third at least. [ maybe not when it's half-melted though, julie starts to try and break a piece off but when it just kind of squishes and wiggles instead of breaking she decides that can wait. ] But maybe I'll just...
[ of course there's no fridge in this office, but autohaven is a chilly place. julie looks around, thinking, and eventually gets to her feet with a grunt of complaint and effort — doing anything except sitting and/or laying down right now is actually offensive suddenly — to walk over to the window, where she places the bar on the ledge to get cold. ]
There.
[ she seems pretty proud of herself. and they definitely won't forget about it. ]
[ when julie nudges him with her foot and tells him the chocolate is her favorite part of a s'more, eddie tilts his head and shrugs a lazy shoulder, finally taking a short drag from the blunt he's holding onto for julie. he exhales, wets his lips and with what is very much some over-exaggerated suaveness, he murmurs of course it is, i knew that under his breath. no intention to hide it, just - being an idiot on purpose, because sometimes it's fun.
eddie watches julie stand, his eyebrows lifting slightly. the fog (ha) slowly creeping around the edges of his brain means it takes him a couple seconds longer than it should to realize that she's not just getting up and taking off on him without a word (though it wouldn't be the first time someone used him for drugs and then bounced). when she sets the candy bar on the window's ledge to harden up a little, eddie grins up at her, lopsided and relax. ]
My lady, you - are a genius. [ he offers what's left of the joint he's babysitting up to her, arm outstretched, weight leaning on his other elbow. ] And a coward. Sticky hands won't kill you.
[ maybe not the smartest thing to be calling someone who semi-regularly sacrifices him to a spider god in the sky a coward, but it's clear by the way he starts to laugh a little that he's just teasing. ]
[ julie bows when eddie calls her a genius, a smile on her face that becomes a huff and a roll of her eyes at him when he calls her a coward. ] No. [ she takes the stubby little joint and stands up straight to finish it, her other hand on her hip as she takes that last drag. ] But chocolate's better when it's cold.
[ it's very important that eddie understand that, and julie takes a moment to squint at him in apparent thought about this and decides she's satisfied. unless he decides to argue with her about it. she's fully willing to fight about which state of chocolate is the best. ]
[ anyway. she's sick of standing now. julie starts to sit, or rather, bends down and then just kind of collapses into a heap of limbs and snorts a laugh. this is fine, she's fine. ]
[ eddie weighs this claim very seriously, narrowing his eyes a little near the edges and tilting his head slowly one way and then the other, going far enough to rest his chin on his shoulder at one point. while julie's still standing, eddie looks up at her, watches her idly as she finishes off her joint, hand on her hip like she's queen of this shitty little office. she might as well be, as far as eddie is concerned. but also, it kind of reminds him of steve in a weird way.
the hand on the hip thing, not the - smoking weed in an abandoned office thing. eddie's not sure harrington's cool enough for that, but then again, that guy is full of surprises.
as julie folds like a deflating inflatable tube man, eddie turns and shifts so he's less on his side and more on his back, his weight distributed between both of his elbows instead of just the one. he drags his knees up a little, white sneakers scraping quietly against the floor, fingers tapping slowly against the floorboards near his sides. eddie leans his head again, cheek close to his shoulder but not quite touching this time as he looks back at julie. ]
Beer's also better when it's cold, but you seem to like it warm and in a shoe, so. Whose judgement should we really be trusting here? [ his eyebrows lift, the corner of his mouth quirk. ] Hm?
[ in some attempt to straighten herself out, julie rolls onto her back, props her feet up on the wall crossed at the ankles like someone turned a sitting person 90 degrees. she doesn't remember the last time she felt this relaxed, probably before the fog. that warm, loose feeling settling in, the one she's always chasing whenever she drinks or smokes these days. the first time the weight of guilt and responsibility doesn't feel like a boot pressing down on her chest, even through the insobriety. ]
[ she turns her head to look at eddie, watching him and letting another laugh slip out at the mention of the beer shoe. she can't believe she forgot that's what got them here of all the dumb things she's said lately. ]
I told you, that's how we do it in Canada. [ a small smirk tugs at her lips, even through the facial shrug. ] Clearly my taste is perfect, hoser.
[ julie's laugh makes eddie smile. it comes easy, mouth spreading to show all of his teeth, the weed finally starting to mellow him out and loosen him up. she looks - relaxed, and way more comfortable than he feels, even though he doesn't feel particularly motivated to move. ]
Or. [ his eyebrows climb higher, his eyes vaguely glassy but still bright. ] Or. Canadians are just full of shit.
[ eddie takes his weight off one elbow so he can point at her like a ha, sticking his thumb up as an afterthought so he can bend it, like he's firing a gun. he drops his hand after a beat, and then gives up trying to hold himself up and flops backwards, folding his hands behind his head. ]
Then again - maybe you do have good taste. [ he lolls his head to the side so he can look at julie. something about the shape of his mouth is very telling that he knows he's full of shit. ] Hanging out with me, burning a little grass... one might say your taste is impeccable.
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it takes a couple minutes to get the timing right. to find a moment where no one's paying him any attention, where everyone's focused on something or someone else for long enough that he can slink away unnoticed, but he manages fairly easy. when it comes to navigating through the fog, though, he's still kind of green. getting the hang of it will come with time and experience, but until then, it's a mildly unsettling trip to say the least, but he finds his way with little trouble.
it's still creepy though. being here now, presumably alone (save for julie), is somehow more unsettling than it is when he gets dragged here with three other survivors knowing someone is hunting them. eddie tries not to think about it too much as he slinks through the yard, headed for the office. julie said the wraith probably wouldn't care about them being here, but he's still cautious.
eddie hears the very faint and distant, tinny sound of music, too quiet to be recognizable or familiar, but it pulls him in the right direction, and when he steps into the office doorway (more like swings into it, one hand gripping at the door frame), he hangs out there for a few seconds. with julie sitting on the floor, he has to look down at her, and he smiles a little lopsidedly. ]
Shit, am I late? [ he's pretty sure he's not, but she looks like she's been here for a couple minutes already at the very least, and even if his twenty minutes have been up, he doesn't really seem that genuinely concerned about it. eddie pushes away from the door frame, the thing chains holding his jacket cuff somewhat together swinging a bit loosely with the motion of his arm. he wanders in, casual but still alert, and eventually takes a seat next to julie, back against the wall. he stretches his legs out, turns his head to look at her, and doesn't seem to care if she can hear him or not. ] Wheeler's got - goddamn eagle eyes or something, I swear. Took me a minute to get out of there without anyone noticing.
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I thought twenty minutes was ambitious for a new guy, but I didn't want to rain on your parade.
[ instinctively, her hand comes to the edge of her mask as she talks, moving on autopilot because she only hangs out like this with friends, right? why would she cover her face. the hesitation is brief, but noticeable, she freezes for a second because she does her best to make sure survivors never see her without her mask on. hell, only a couple of killers outside of legion have seen her face either. ]
[ but it would be weird as hell if she just kept it on this whole time, and she
sure as hell can't smoke with it on, so it's gotta go. ]
Don't scream, okay? [ the joke's for herself more than anything, and she takes a small breath before she actually pushes the mask up and off her head. brown eyes and bleach blonde hair, there's julie. ]
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it doesn't even really cross his mind that julie'll have to unmask until she's curling a thumb under the edge of it, ready to slide it back and off - but it makes sense. eddie's halfway through rolling his eyes at her offhand comment about his ambitions when he catches the movement and pauses. he doesn't stare, but he watches, curious. about the brief moment of hesitation, about what she looks like, because he'd be lying if he said he'd never wondered. he doesn't stare, but he glances out of the corner of his eye as he tilts his weight a little to one side, away from her, so he can dig into his jacket pocket for the main reason they're even here.
when julie jokes, eddie feels a little more at ease, though he's not even sure why he felt tense at all in the first place. he casts her another glance, this one a little more intentional, and smiles a bit at her as he slides two rolled joints out of his pocket, kept 'safe' in a little plastic baggie clearly marked 'EVIDENCE', and a crushed book of matches.
with the mask gone, eddie allows himself a few seconds to just look at julie. he's not sure what he expected, if he expected anything at all. she's pretty, but she's just... a normal girl. eddie smiles at her again, faint and easy, and shakes his head slightly. ]
Oh, man. Truly terrifying. Horrifying, even. [ he puts his hand to his chest, crushing the bag a little under it, and then drags one of his knees up so he can rest his wrist on it. eddie turns his attention to the grass in his hands, fishing a single joint out. ] Thought you'd have different eyes, though. Blue.
[ eddie turns his head, offers her the joint, held carefully between his fingers. ]
Brown suits you.
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[ it feels weirder to be complimented though, even in such a small way. it used to be normal, way back when she went above and beyond to be acceptable, but even then it was basic shit. nothing that suggested a dude was thinking about her in any way except naked. ]
[ god if she ends up flustered because eddie's being nice to her she's gonna have to kill him. ]
Thanks. [ julie takes the joint and fishes in her pocket for a lighter, uses it as a way to hide the barest hint of a smile as she lights it and takes a drag. ] I picked it myself.
[ completely deadpan, as if she's being 100% serious. ]
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shaking the match out, eddie pinches the spliff loosely between his fingers and inhales, the corners of his mouth quirked a little like he maybe wants to smile. the deadpan delivery is amusing to him. he makes a small sound of interest in the back of his throat, then tips his head back a bit so he can exhale toward the ceiling. look at that, he's courteous, too. ]
Yeah? [ he looks back at julie again, wetting his bottom lip and resting his hand on his peaked knee. eddie lifts his eyebrows a fraction. ] Drew out that little - square grid thing in the womb and picked the best one?
[ eddie drops the dead match down with the plastic bag, absently scratching at the small patch of skin on his knee with his thumb, exposed through the rip in his jeans. ]
I don't remember what that shit was called. From - biology or whatever. You know. [ he lifts his hand off his knee, draws a lazy 4-squared grid in the air in the space between them before dropping his hand again. explaining it beyond that is just gonna kill the joke, and the joke isn't even that funny.
eddie nods toward julie's headphones. ] What were you listening to? Sounded - angry.
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[ it's funny enough, though julie wouldn't admit it lest eddie find out she finds more of his dumb jokes funny than he thinks, she'd never live it down. so it's more for that reason than any worry about drawing the joke out too long that julie's relieved when he brings up her music, her eyes light up a little at the question, but it's a blink and you'll miss it expression. immediately changing to something that could be a little self-conscious as her gaze falls to her walkman where she'd put it down. ]
Nirvana. They're, um... [ when she looks back at eddie it's with a raised eyebrow, both curious but also about to be just a little of a shit. ] Did they have grunge back in your day?
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he catches that little flash of enthusiasm, too. the little jolt of excited energy to talk about something she likes, presumably. not so surprisingly, eddie finds it endearing - he gets the same way about music he's really into, too, so he gets it. he'd talk about megadeth and dio and wasp and metallica all day if only someone gave him the opportunity.
eddie takes another short drag, burns through a bit of grass. like the first time, he blows the smoke out away from the both of them, then turns his attention back to julie. at her little crack of a joke, eddie rolls his eyes, but one corner of his mouth pulls up a little with the hint of a fleeting smirk. he tilts his head back against the wall, turns his face to look at her. ]
I don't know, I'm too old to remember. [ back in his day. please. also, it's still kind of weird knowing that there are people here who come from a time after his. from the future, or whatever. and also from the past. that's also kinda weird too.
eddie shrugs one of his shoulders, loose and lazy, and absently thumbs at the chunky silver ring on his left index finger, turning it slightly back and forth just for something to do with his unoccupied hand. ] Can't say I've heard of it, though. Or, uh. Nirvana.
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[ she mirrors him, head tilted back against the wall, face turned to look at eddie. every now and then her knee bounces a couple times like it's trying to shake off some excess energy but otherwise julie's pretty relaxed even without the weed starting to hit yet. ]
[ ...admittedly less so when eddie looks at her and she remembers she's not wearing her mask, but at least she's not freaking out about it. ]
Well, gramps. It's sort of like... [ she turns her head to look up at the ceiling, chewing her bottom lip as she tries to think of the best way to describe it. ] Like if punk and metal had a really moody child.
[ shaking her head just a little as she says it, julie takes another slower drag on that joint. as a description it's not quite right, but it'll do. ]
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he looks back at her again after her description, catches the slight bounce of her knee out of the corner of his eye and shifts his attention there for a beat. he wonders, briefly, if she's anxious too, though he can't imagine why she would be. between the two of them, she's the one more likely to have shown up with a weapon. eddie doesn't ask though, easily distracted by the idea of this bastard child of two genres of music he very much likes. ]
Shit. [ he exhales, shaking his head a little with a lazy smile. ] That sounds... awesome, actually.
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[ saved it. ]
[ god she has no idea why she's so anxious and awkward, just hanging out isn't exactly something she used to have a problem with. granted, back in ormond she was playing a much nicer, more friendly version of herself and she wasn't years out of practice on socializing with anyone other than the rest of legion, but still. awkward is a strange feeling for her. ]
You wanna give some of it a listen?
[ she turns her head back to look at eddie when she asks, eyebrows raised with the question. her gaze flits down to the patches on his battle jacket, curious if he'd even like it or if it'd be too soft for him. ]
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just as quickly as it comes, the pinch in his brows smooths and disappears, and when julie offers him a chance to listen to her music, he perks up a little. sits up a bit, even, and uses the heel of his sneaker to push himself an inch or two back until his shoulders bump the wall behind him. ]
Yeah. [ if his eagerness matches julie's initial eagerness from earlier, it's purely coincidental. eddie twists slightly, turning more toward her. he takes a quick hit off his joint, tilts his chin down this time to exhale into the space between them, and then nods his head once, twice. ] Yeah, sure. 'Course I do.
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[ his eagerness to listen to her music helps though. julie sits up and reaches for her walkman. ] Okay-- hang on. [ the smile doesn't come back, but it's obvious in the way she quickly perches the joint between her lips so her hands are free to put on her headphones and hold the walkman that she's a little giddy still. ]
[ quick bursts of songs filter out of her headphones as she rewinds the tape, starting and stopping and looking for a song she thinks eddie will like, lips downturned in concentration around her joint and hair falling in her face as she leans forward. this is important, after all. ]
[ once she's found it, she turns fully toward eddie and holds out the headphones for him to take. all queued up with stone temple pilots' wicked garden for him once he's ready. ]
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eventually, his eyes drift back to her. to the way her hair's falling in her face a little bit, how... normal she looks. he didn't think it'd be weird, seeing her without the mask, and it isn't weird, not necessarily, but it's just - odd. how the person sitting next to him and the person who chases him around sometimes with a knife in hand and their face behind a mask feel like two different people. but maybe that's the point.
when julie turns toward him, eddie feels a little bit like he's been caught and instinctively and very quickly drops his gaze away from her face and down to her hands, where the headphones are waiting. eddie makes a quiet sound, just a quick hum of a low note, and tucks his spliff between the pinch of his lips to free up his hands. he takes the headphones and puts them on, his hair only getting in the way just slightly, but he deliberately leaves one side of the headphones halfway off an ear. this way, he can listen to the music and still listen to julie at the same time, and also not accidentally yell because he can't hear himself.
eddie gives her a brief nod to let her know he's good to go and she can play the tape. when the song starts, there's no immediate reaction aside form the subtle tilt of his head, like he's really trying to listen and pay attention. at around the fifteen second mark though, he lifts his head, looks over at julie and raises his eyebrows slightly. it's not bad once the guitar really comes in. he murmurs a quiet oh, shit, mildly impressed, but otherwise holds his commentary, because he can hardly pass fair judgement based on the first twenty seconds.
as he listens though, he keeps looking at julie. doesn't stare at her, because that's a little creepy, but it's clear the more the song goes on that he's pretty decently impressed. nods his head a bit with it once he picks up the general rhythm, taps his fingers against his knee with a rhythmic laziness, less like he's following the drums and more like he's working something else out.
when it seems like the song's coming to an end, he takes another puff from his joint and moves the headphone that's already halfway off just a bit more away from the shell of his ear. he turns his head away to empty his lungs, and when he turns back, he's got a lopsided smile on his face. ]
... Well. Shit. Not gonna lie - that was pretty good. [ not as hard as some of the shit he listens to, but not far off. ] This is - Nirvana?
[ forgive him. he'll learn. ]
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[ it's the only tape she has, well that and her trial mix, so julie knows every song back to font. could probably tell what part of the song eddie's on just from the tinny drum fill and guitar that filters out through his hair. a couple of times, when she's turning her head to blow out smoke and not paying attention, she mouths silently along to the words, closes her eyes and nods along to the beat. ]
[ when it ends she stops the tape so eddie's not immediately attacked by courtney love's off-key singing following it up, smile small but genuine when he says it's good. though when he asks if it's nirvana, well. it's a totally understandable mistake, but a slightly surprised laugh bubbles out of julie anyway and she shakes her head. ] Stone Temple Pilots. I thought they'd be more your speed.
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when julie tells him the actual name of the band, eddie nods slowly, thoughtfully dragging his teeth over his bottom lip for a moment. he takes another puff from his joint, then leans slightly toward julie for a second, but only so he can dig into his jacket pocket on his opposite side. he tilts his chin up a little, but keeps his eyes on julie as he exhales a thin line of smoke. ]
Stone Temple Pilots. Okay. [ he says it like he's committing it to memory, but there's a moment of... something in his tone. ] When do they come around?
[ when eddie leans away again, sitting straight once more, he's got... a candy bar in his hand. probably very slightly melted from being in his jacket pocket for however long, but he offers it wordlessly to julie and raises his eyebrows a little, the tiniest smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. ]
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Ninety... two? I think?
[ that's when the album came out anyway, and she's pretty sure it was their first one. so technically maybe a couple of years before-- is that a candy bar? ]
[ that throws her out of her attempts to remember when stone temple pilots formed and she stares at the bar for a long moment as if she has no idea what it even is, and when she takes it it's with an amused exhale of smoke through her nose. ]
Squishy candy. [ she's grinning, don't let the deadpan voice fool you. ] Just what every girl wants.
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he looks up at julie, slightly below her eye-level now that he's relaxed (see: melted) a little, and he doesn't so much exhale, but lets the smoke filter out of his mouth as he speaks instead. ]
Ninety-two, huh? [ he says this mostly to himself, even though he's looking at her. he raises one lazy hand, thumb and index fingers held close together. ] So close.
[ not that close at all, actually, and not a year he's likely to see if he ever makes it out of here, but that's kind of a downer and has the potential to kill the high that's only just starting to kick in, so he avoids that kind of talk.
instead, he smiles up at julie, nudging the back of her nearest wrist with his knuckles. squishy candy. right. ]
It's like - a s'more. [ he shrugs, cuts the same hand he nudged her with through the space between them. ] Without any of the other stuff.
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Other stuff?
[ what does that even mean? there's only three parts to a s'more. julie squints down at the bar in her hands, maybe she could read the wrapper, but she won't. there's a couple puffs left in her joint and she offers that out to eddie before she unwraps the bar, pulling it open along the seam instead of just tearing it open. ]
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when julie offers what's left of her stubby little joint to him, eddie takes it from her gently, careful not to drop it or pinch it out. he doesn't take a drag from it though, just holds it for her while he watches her peel the wrapper open like a weird kid afraid to tear the wrapping paper on christmas morning. he laughs a little under his breath, flicking his eyes up from her hands to her face. ]
Yeah. Marshmallows, graham cracker. [ he nods his chin at the melty candy in her hands, making two stacking gestures with his hand, spliff still pinched between his fingers as he lists off the very long list of ingredients for s'mores. eddie smiles, almost teasing. ] Almost there. One out of three's not bad.
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Well, it's my favourite third at least. [ maybe not when it's half-melted though, julie starts to try and break a piece off but when it just kind of squishes and wiggles instead of breaking she decides that can wait. ] But maybe I'll just...
[ of course there's no fridge in this office, but autohaven is a chilly place. julie looks around, thinking, and eventually gets to her feet with a grunt of complaint and effort — doing anything except sitting and/or laying down right now is actually offensive suddenly — to walk over to the window, where she places the bar on the ledge to get cold. ]
There.
[ she seems pretty proud of herself. and they definitely won't forget about it. ]
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eddie watches julie stand, his eyebrows lifting slightly. the fog (ha) slowly creeping around the edges of his brain means it takes him a couple seconds longer than it should to realize that she's not just getting up and taking off on him without a word (though it wouldn't be the first time someone used him for drugs and then bounced). when she sets the candy bar on the window's ledge to harden up a little, eddie grins up at her, lopsided and relax. ]
My lady, you - are a genius. [ he offers what's left of the joint he's babysitting up to her, arm outstretched, weight leaning on his other elbow. ] And a coward. Sticky hands won't kill you.
[ maybe not the smartest thing to be calling someone who semi-regularly sacrifices him to a spider god in the sky a coward, but it's clear by the way he starts to laugh a little that he's just teasing. ]
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[ it's very important that eddie understand that, and julie takes a moment to squint at him in apparent thought about this and decides she's satisfied. unless he decides to argue with her about it. she's fully willing to fight about which state of chocolate is the best. ]
[ anyway. she's sick of standing now. julie starts to sit, or rather, bends down and then just kind of collapses into a heap of limbs and snorts a laugh. this is fine, she's fine. ]
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the hand on the hip thing, not the - smoking weed in an abandoned office thing. eddie's not sure harrington's cool enough for that, but then again, that guy is full of surprises.
as julie folds like a deflating inflatable tube man, eddie turns and shifts so he's less on his side and more on his back, his weight distributed between both of his elbows instead of just the one. he drags his knees up a little, white sneakers scraping quietly against the floor, fingers tapping slowly against the floorboards near his sides. eddie leans his head again, cheek close to his shoulder but not quite touching this time as he looks back at julie. ]
Beer's also better when it's cold, but you seem to like it warm and in a shoe, so. Whose judgement should we really be trusting here? [ his eyebrows lift, the corner of his mouth quirk. ] Hm?
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[ she turns her head to look at eddie, watching him and letting another laugh slip out at the mention of the beer shoe. she can't believe she forgot that's what got them here of all the dumb things she's said lately. ]
I told you, that's how we do it in Canada. [ a small smirk tugs at her lips, even through the facial shrug. ] Clearly my taste is perfect, hoser.
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Or. [ his eyebrows climb higher, his eyes vaguely glassy but still bright. ] Or. Canadians are just full of shit.
[ eddie takes his weight off one elbow so he can point at her like a ha, sticking his thumb up as an afterthought so he can bend it, like he's firing a gun. he drops his hand after a beat, and then gives up trying to hold himself up and flops backwards, folding his hands behind his head. ]
Then again - maybe you do have good taste. [ he lolls his head to the side so he can look at julie. something about the shape of his mouth is very telling that he knows he's full of shit. ] Hanging out with me, burning a little grass... one might say your taste is impeccable.
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