IC CONTACT.

[handycapable]

VOICE TEXT MAIL ACTION

© TESSISAMESS

Comments

[thevalley]

I know.

[With a clear tone of foreboding, like she knows shit is gonna go down. There's a pause and she says.]

I dunno, they wouldn't fucking sell it me.

[handycapable]

[ Ray has a similar feeling, but also, it's just ingrained in him by now as a Deep South Country Boy™ to have a gun handy, for simple home defense if nothing else... though, as a spy too, that's never been the only reason for him to have one. ]

What? Why?! Because you're a woman?

[thevalley]

That or...

[God. This is so stupid and she sounds so dumb.]

I don't have... I don't have a fucking ID and they thought I wasn't old enough!

[handycapable]

[ Sorry Ellie, Ray is just going to take a moment as he tries (and fails) not to laugh at that, but he dissolves into a fit of shoulder-shaking giggles after a moment or two. ]

Oh m-- oh my Gawd, okay... okay, okay--

[ He takes a deep breath, . ]

Y-you need me to come down there?

[thevalley]

Not a word if you ever wanna have the bedroom for a fucking hook-up.

[SO THAT'S A YES.]

[handycapable]

Deal.

[ Actually he'd have come down anyway, but this is just a bonus. ]

Are you still there now? I'll drive over.

[thevalley]

I'm outside, in the back. Needed fresh air.

[Or else she was gonna cause a scene.]

[handycapable]

All right, leaving now. Just give me 10... maybe 15 minutes.

[ Mostly because driving one-armed is still a little awkward for him, but also their car seems to be one of those older models that gets finicky in cold weather. ]

[thevalley]

Yeah. Okay.

...I gotta learn to drive that thing.

[She sure did walk all the way here.]

[handycapable]

Oh, well, that'll be easy enough-- I could always teach you, I've been drivin' since I was thirteen. You ever had a lesson?

[thevalley]

Nah.

We didn't really have any that worked. Even if they did, no gas. We did everything by horseback.

...

I'd have flipped my shit to drive a car at thirteen.

[handycapable]

It wasn't nothin' much. Where we lived we just about had to drive to get ourselves anyplace beyond the trailer park or the woods, and my daddy was big on gettin' me started early learnin' everything a man oughta know.

[ His voice is a little warped now from talking around a cigarette between his teeth, lighting up before he starts the car. A little bitter, too, so he keeps going: ]

That virus really hit y'all everywhere then, huh? Shit. No gas at all?

[thevalley]

Oh, yeah? What's all this secret man stuff you oughta know?

[That line of thinking is really funny to her.]

I told you, it's been 25 years since all that shit happened. Gas dried up a long time ago.

[handycapable]

Oh, y'know-- [ There's a pause as Ray tries to get the engine to turn over. ] How to hunt, fire a gun, drink, throw and catch a ball... how to drive, obviously... my daddy really went all out with me, he kinda had a stick up his ass about it.

[ Another pause as he pulls out onto the road and takes another drag from his cigarette. ]

Shit, that's right. 25 years... this place must seem like a whole 'nother planet to you, huh?

[thevalley]

Hey, at least you know how to do all that shit. Even if your dad was an ass about it.

[You know, you'll never know when you'll suddenly end up in the apocalypse.]

Kinda. Or something out of a comic book. Like one of the really, really old ones.

[handycapable]

Yeah, can't argue with you there. [ As much as he wishes he could just on principle. ] Most of it's actually pretty useless for livin' in a city, but probably not so much around here... and driving's especially easy to learn, you'll see.

[ Not that he has any experience with giving driving lessons, but as far as just explaining and demonstrating the basics, how hard can it be...? Especially in the suburbs. ]

Almost there. Do we need anything else from the hardware store?