noteasytobepink | Wheelsy AU ~ Tire changing

"Escorting, surely," she agreed with a laugh. "But I'm a violent, violent little girl and I'll pout at you if you don't let me crack heads should the need arise!" She would! Such pouting!

"I assume you know how to get to the other place?"

"Well hold on, now, we ain't 'bout t'go raisin' hell. Crackin' heads is only allowed when it's the difference between me gettin' my ass kicked an' not." Just so they were clear.

Holding the door for her, he took a breath of night air when they were outside.

"Yeah, think so. I'm sure it's out here somewheres." Laughing he gestured at the buildings around them, and totally did not stagger a step walking down the sidewalk.

"Well, I wasn't going to use it as my first diplomatic choice!" She laughed, swaying out the door with him happily. "I'm just saying if the opportunity comes up..." And it might!

Yeah, violent little thing.

"We're going to get lost and end up in a sketchy tattoo parlor aren't we?"

"Why do I got the feelin' we're gonna be bruised, in a jail cell or both before tonight's over?" he asked, eying her.

Laughing, he shook his head.

"Nah, I'll get us there. At the very least I c'n promise no tattoos. I learned my lesson on that one long time ago."

"Bill!" She gasped, mock-offended! "There isn't a jail cell made that could keep me!" Seriously, what was he thinking?!

"And that sounds like a story about tattoos..."

"S'now we ain't just gonna get arrested, we're gonna break out, too? Gonna have a record a mile long 'fore this night is out."

He 'tsked' at her, turning the corner and walking along.

"I almost got a tattoo once, in high school," he explained; laughing. "An' just that almost was enough t'get it from my mom. An' she told me, I could live t'be a hundred years old, an' she'd still have my hide if she found out I ever got one."

"I asked Mr. Creed about a tattoo once. He blinked at me and said 'Sweetie, you're pink. What else do you need?" And, well, tattoos in modern worlds were different than in post-apoc worlds!

"And We'll make surethey don't get your name! Can't be ruining the rep of the nearby sheriff!"

"Yeah? What were you gonna get?"

They cross a street and up ahead is the lighted sign of their destination.

"An' what if they get a hold of my ID? What if they interrogate me an' I crack?"

"Some people we camped with all had marks...it was pretty, so one of those but we didn't stay with them." Because they were captured, really, but still!

"And that, Bill, is why you have a false tooth with poison inside."

"Well that's cool." Bill thought so, anyways.

"Poison pill? Uh, no. I ain't that crazy, an' I hope you aren't, either."

"Nah, but you're talking about a legal institution torturing you so..." She grinned and kissed his cheek. "Ready to go had some bad people the luck they deserve?"

"It could happen," was his only reply before he grabbed the door for her.

"I'm ready t'watch you make some more heads explode with your calculatin'," he laughed. "Gonna stick with the beer this time, though, if that's alright." He didn't think he could handle anymore shots.

"Not in your precinct," she murmured cheerfully in his ear. It wouldn't! Bill was not a torture type guy!

"You know...I don't think about the math much anymore. I have to stop, and think slowly to explain it all!" This was a smokey, dingy little place wasn't it? It would bleed money if she had anything to say about it. "Might want to order the expensive beer. The cheap stuff here might kill you..."

"We could probably sit around until doomsday an' I still wouldn't get it all."

Inside Bill cast a look around. This sure wasn't his usual place. It had been years since he'd spent any time in a dive (since he was sneaking into them, actually).

Still, he gave a snort and a smirk.

"Darlin', I was raised on moonshine an' Pabst. I can handle the swill if it comes down to it."

...honestly, this was closer to the kind of place she'd known as a kid. Mean little bars because even outlaws and slaves wanted to drink sometime. "Mr. Creed said there wasn't any reason I shouldn't get an education just because the world was a mess. Educations increases survival chances." And Bill had had real education opportunities! And No survival drive hammering it in! He didn't need to understand it!

"And there's no reason why you should drink swill when I'm sure there's other options."

"Of course not. I'm just sayin', I could if I had to. But since you're gonna make us rich in here I guess there's no need."

He gave her a grin and nudge with his elbow, then stood beside her ready to take her lead.

The hustling game was hers, so he would let her take point.

She kissed him with a grin and dragged him slowly over to the pool tables. There to...lean against the wall and watch. The name of the game now was to get an invite in.

Or prick their egos enough when they missed up shots to make them explode...

Yes, she was watching and...giggling...when there were mistakes and leaning in to tell Bill what so and so should have done if they were a real pool player...

Bill stood with her and laughed when she did.

He also got a second look or three from some of the ladies who were about, and was as oblivious as ever.

When he did catch a gaze he returned it with a friendly smile, perhaps not the best thing to do with the type of people about.

Leaning in to catch another bit of commentary from Clarice, Bill laughed a bit too loud, trying to set her up as he'd done before.

"Well, maybe one of these guys'll let you show 'em how it's done," he drawled, loudly.

Oh, Clarice noticed those looks, and offered the women smiles that were simply...friendly. She wasn't firm enough with Bill yet to make him off limits if he wanted to flirt so...

...she decided not to get jealous. Decided harshly.

"Nah," Clarice laughed at Bill's suggestion. "They aren't looking for real players. They just want to dink around with sticks. See?" She gestured to the table. "Even if they had anything worth taking they wouldn't hold up very long."

Bill wasn't really flirting, it was just with the amount he's had to drink tonight his amiable nature had multiplied ten fold or so.

With how Bill was feeling Victor Creed could be around snarling at him, and Bill would probably take it as a smile and buy the guy a beer.

Their conversation was noticed, and was thrown dirty looks from the playing crowd.

Finally, one man straightened up from a shot he was heckled for, and set a glare on Clarice and Bill.

"You been flappin' your mouth quite a bit, girl. You think you can back it up?"

Clarice offered a big, honest smile in kind. A good smile could go a long way as far as she knew...that or it was just fun to smile at angry people! "Would it actually be worth my while?"

And there were more women eying Bill since it seemed like his female escort was about to step away...

...feeding frenzy might be the term judging by the teeth in those smiles.

The man eyed Clarice.

"I'll start you at the low end. Twenty-five bucks a pop, call your shots, goin' in order. Still wanna play?"

Bill choked a moment like he'd swallowed gum. He had every confidence in Clarice's abilities, but hell, that was a lot of money. At least, he thought it was...

Unaware of the circling predators, Bill took a moment to work the math out in his head.

"Twenty-five an' four s'a hundred... seven balls plus the eight... s'two hundred bucks. Ouch."

Clarice kept smiling and turned back to kiss Bill's cheek as a matter of course before she selected her cue. "Sure, that's small change in my games but sure."

Who was going to break? She didn't care really. "Flip for rack?"

Oh yeah, the women were now jockeying, quietly, for a chance at Bill. Beware, beware!

The man snorted and spat when he heard 'small change'.

"C'n double it if you like, but your boyfriend there better be able t'cover."

Digging into his pocket for a quarter, the man flipped it and slapped it onto the back of his hand.

"Call it."

Bill heard 'double it', thought of four hundred bucks, and quickly snagged the attention of a passing waitress.

"Can I get a beer, an' some of them cocktail cherries?"

"Now why would he need to do that? I try not to make him worry." She smiled and called 'Heads' for breaking. "As long as you can cover your end we're golden." Smile.

SMILE!

The waitress was more than happy to oblige, and one of the women sidled over with a grin. "Ohhhh, cherries."

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