|
Post by Kristi Lynne on Apr 19, 2018 0:28:29 GMT -8
"You mean in one of our sweet chats, somewhere between disdain and this unresolved sexual tension towards me?"
"Yeah, somewhere in there," she agreed with a slight laugh. In some people, she would consider such arrogance an act, but it was easy to believe Negan really did think that highly of himself. "He was a bronc rider, traveled all over with the rodeos. My dad hated him. Thought he was just a jackass in tight jeans. But damn, he looked good in those jeans," she mused, her voice trailing off carried by pleasant memories.
"Anyway, Jake and I got married in this little chapel in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, because he had an event in Knoxville. And we lived in this crappy trailer on my grandparents' land. The floor was falling in, the air conditioning rarely worked, and if you tried to use more than one appliance at a time, you'd fry a circuit breaker. But we were young and in love," she continued with a wistful sigh. "And really friggin' broke, between his prize money and my cop salary."
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 19, 2018 2:30:18 GMT -8
"He was a bronc rider, traveled all over with the rodeos. My dad hated him." That part somehow sounded familiar. "Thought he was just a jackass in tight jeans. But damn, he looked good in those jeans," Negan was listening to her in silence, while he watched the fire in front of him. There was no visible sign shown on his face if he was actually taking an interest in her story or if it wasn't more than just a pastime. Either way, he didn't break in any of her words for the while she was talking.
"Anyway, Jake and I got married in this little chapel in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, because he had an event in Knoxville. And we lived in this crappy trailer on my grandparents' land. The floor was falling in, the air conditioning rarely worked, and if you tried to use more than one appliance at a time, you'd fry a circuit breaker. But we were young and in love,"
Eventually, Negan decided to contribute to this conversation, his eyes still aimed at the soothing fire ahead. "Believe it or not, what you see here didn't fell into our lap. Our first place might not have been a trailer, but a small flat in a decrepit building." Negan made a short pause, before he went on, talking about something he hadn't talked about to anyone in a long while.
"Lucille was still studying and I didn't exactly make the big bucks with my tutor job." But we were young and in love. Yes, that had been a reason enough to take the risk of living together with a student, going to the same University he had been teaching at. An amused smile flashed across Negan's face, as he reminisced in these memories of the past. In his mind's eye the picture of Lucille, who admittedly had some hard times with his provoking manner, visualized and managed to even widen his smile for a moment, lighted by only the dim flare of the fireplace.
"But well, after made acquaintance with her lovely family they brought her to a scratch which was me or them. She chose me." With every further word the smile vanished and in the end didn't leave behind more than the stern expression of a man, who realized once again that he had lost the love of his life, a gap no other human being ever would be able to fill. "Probably not her wisest choice."
Neganbanner
|
|
|
Post by Kristi Lynne on Apr 19, 2018 8:43:24 GMT -8
"But well, after made acquaintance with her lovely family they brought her to a scratch which was me or them. She chose me ... Probably not her wisest choice."
"You mean this ever-present charm didn't work on the in-laws? I'm shocked," she remarked with a smirk. "I dunno, when it's being with the person you love or not, it's not much of a choice." Nora was unsure what had brought about this sudden generosity of words, but she was willing to roll with it. Much like an interrogation, you gave a little to get a little.
"Jake and I tried to make it work, for a while. But he was always on the road, I was always on patrol. And I knew about the buckle bunnies -- a different girl in every cowtown. But he always came home to me, y'know? Until the one night when he didn't." Now it was her turn to adopt a look of regret. "He took a dive off a horse in Austin and broke his neck. They didn't know if he would ever walk again. Eventually, the reality hit me of months in the hospital, weeks in physical therapy, bills upon bills that neither of us could afford. So I made the decision to walk away," she confessed, willing back any tears of regret. "I chickened out when the man I loved needed me the most. In sickness and in health, right? Frak that."
Nora took another swig of water and stared into the fire, not really focusing on the flames. "Last I heard, he was doing okay. Met a nice girl at church, probably a better cook than me," she continued. "He deserved to be happy."
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 19, 2018 12:40:03 GMT -8
With a stone-like expression, Negan listened to Nora continuing the tale of the cop and the horseman when suddenly some of her words let him look up at her for the first time of their conversation.
... So I made the decision to walk away,"
He really had been about to release another of his inappropriate remarks, something definitely not nice, but this time he swallowed it down, as he noticed she was actually fighting with tears.
With the realization of this sudden empathy towards his favorite person to needle, Negan's head turned towards the fireplace once again; actually to something above. He watched a framed photo showing him and Lucille, back at a time when they had been on their way to their honeymoon. It was not exactly one of these typical photos couples were setting up around their house. Not one of these smiling-for-the-camera moments, but a moment of true happiness, with smiles wide enough to no more get classified as esthetic. Not showing two of these perfect faces that could be find in the advertisement of a photo store, but faces featuring mere fun.
So, in the end you've rubbed off on me a bit as well, huh? The ghost of one of Negan's truest smiles was shown on his face for just a little moment before Nora next to him went on with her story and drew his attention away from the photo decorating the fireplace.
"I chickened out when the man I loved needed me the most. In sickness and in health, right? Frak that." And yet again he felt a familiarity with these words. "Last I heard, he was doing okay. Met a nice girl at church, probably a better cook than me,""He deserved to be happy."
At that, after all, Negan couldn't keep his big mouth shut anymore "Oh c'mon, that's bullshit.", he almost blurted out. "People, saying crap like that, just need a happy ending to deal with the selfishness of their own damn actions. You don't really care for his happiness, because he was a goddamn gimp, or actually, because he simply sucked ass long before he has become one."
He actually didn't know what brought up this anger all of a sudden. Maybe it even hadn't anything to do with her, but with himself and his own selfish actions; with the difference that he had never come up with phrases like that, as his wife had never given him any reason that would have justified to leave her. And yet was that what he had done. At least for quite some time.
Negan raised from the couch and walked some steps towards the fireplace. With a mix of anger and deep regret on his face he faced the photo above, not even paying any attention to the baseball bat, he hadn't lost sight of for the whole while after he had found it during that little mission of taking revenge for his companion's sake.
Neganbanner
|
|
|
Post by Kristi Lynne on Apr 19, 2018 15:49:42 GMT -8
"Oh c'mon, that's bullshit. People, saying crap like that, just need a happy ending to deal with the selfishness of their own damn actions. You don't really care for his happiness, because he was a goddamn gimp, or actually, because he simply sucked ass long before he has become one."
Nora flinched at this outburst of anger, a defensiveness causing her to regret telling him anything at all. She couldn't tell if it was directed at her or if it was some evidence of his own guilt. "It's not bullshit. There's not a day that goes by that I don't regret what I did," she protested. "I was a coward in my marriage...but so were you."
As she said this, she got up from the couch and stood defiantly in front of him. "All those days and nights in the hospital, Ingrid was there for Lucille, not you. You can get pissed off at me all you want, maybe do a little more creative redecorating with that bat of yours, but it doesn't change anything. You still have to live with it," she declared, hoping that the look on her face and the tone of her voice showed that she wouldn't accept any argument. "What's done is done. We don't have the luxury of living in the past or hoping for a do-over."
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 20, 2018 3:31:24 GMT -8
"It's not bullshit. There's not a day that goes by that I don't regret what I did,"
Right that moment, Negan didn't show a particular interest in what she had to say. With his own given analysis of her past actions, this had been over and done for him, until she suddenly seemed to think it was wise to turn the tables. It was not.
"I was a coward in my marriage...but so were you."
Negan's head turned in her direction all of a sudden, his face showing an expression far from getting classified as just unpleased.
"All those days and nights in the hospital, Ingrid was there for Lucille, not you. You can get pissed off at me all you want, maybe do a little more creative redecorating with that bat of yours, but it doesn't change anything. You still have to live with it,"
Signs of muscle twitching all around his face, along with an expression looking like he was trying to prevent himself from actually going for her throat, should have given Nora more than just one hint that it was wise to not go on at this road. Unfortunately, though, she seemed to get none of these little hints or rather decided to ignore them, defiantly placing herself in front of him.
"What's done is done. We don't have the luxury of living in the past or hoping for a do-over."
"GET THE HELL OUT!", he suddenly burst out with a brutal intensity, while his hand noisily hammered at the mantle next to him, leaving a sore throbbing behind and letting the framed photo upon it fall over, which he didn't care for right this moment of his outburst.
Of course couldn't he do anything about what was done, but didn't he need a reminder for that also. It was just like being here was making him crazy. And right now, everything he wanted was to be alone.
Neganbanner
|
|
|
Post by Kristi Lynne on Apr 20, 2018 17:13:14 GMT -8
"GET THE HELL OUT!"
"Fine!" Nora shot back, her own anger flaring in response. But feeling like that would be the response of a petulant teenager, she chose instead to put her hands up in a show of surrender. She had intended to show him he wasn't the only one ashamed of his behavior toward his former spouse, but clearly that had backfired. They had tested one another's boundaries for the last few weeks, and it seemed she had found the line that couldn't be crossed. Not that she felt like or was willing to apologize for it right now. She felt more annoyed with herself for being vulnerable with a man that then threw it back in her face.
So instead of saying anything else, she turned and headed for the stairs, where Grant was standing in one of the bedroom doorways looking concerned.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, peachy," she answered shortly.
" 'Cause it sounded like Mommy and Daddy were fighting," he observed.
"Go to bed, Grant," Nora advised, intending to follow her own advice as she continued down the hallway to her own makeshift bedroom.
|
|
Ariel
Lost RPG
Cashy-money: $88,900
Posts: 6,732
Harry Potter RPG:
- Cami Laroux
- Draco Malfoy
- Morgana Parkinson
- Odin Markell/Ashworth Jones
- Scorpius Malfoy
- Shane Hudson
_________________________
Marvel RPG:
- Nebula
_________________________
Ready Player One RPG:
- Emmett Rodgers
_________________________
X-Men RPG:
- Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver
- Vye Davidson/Ripple
_________________________
Lost RPG:
- Bennett "Rom" Friendly
- Harley-Rae Stone
- Jack Shephard
- Linda Pace
_________________________
Once Upon a Time RPG:
- Dracula/Vladimir Lee
_________________________
The Walking Dead RPG:
- Enid Snow
- Hazel Valentino
- Ingrid Snow
_________________________
|
Post by Ariel on Apr 20, 2018 19:14:32 GMT -8
The familiar handwriting left Ingrid with a comforting feeling as the words on the page swept her away to an escape through time, through the eyes of her sister. A faint smile played on Ingrid's lips as she read onward. Her imagination had no problem with creating the unfolding scene starring Lucille, so full of happiness and living her fullest life as she began college. Ingrid had only heard a few stories of Lucille's college ventures when she payed brief visits to home for the holidays, before she became serious with Negan. Those were the days.
Coming to the end of the first entry, Ingrid pondered the scenario she had just read as her fingertips traced the outer corners of the ultrasound photo attached to the page. Ingrid barely knew Negan, but he sure as hell seemed to make Lucille giddy with joy and Ingrid was especially convinced of this after reading about their first enounter. They seemed to really share a form of true love. Ingrid's eyes welded with a couple of fresh tears at the sight of the photo as she had a feeling of what went down. Though, Ingrid started to shove it all in the back of her mind aa she didn't want to come to terms with the details yet. Thinking about it made her heart feel heavy within her chest. Lucille's death was still too fresh, like an agonizing wound.
"GET THE HELL OUT!" "Fine!"
Loud, angry voices boomed from within the house and traveled through the wall to where Ingrid remained at her post. She became instantly startled by the argument and without thinking twice, Ingrid slammed the diary shut and returned it to the back pocket of her jeans. She didn't want anyone to discover the diary, Negan especially. Not yet at least. These precious moments on the pages of the book in Ingrid's pocket were moments in which Ingrid felt that she could be with Lucille's warm spirit one more time. Maybe it would make the healing process a little easier. "It will be our little secret right now, Lucy. I just want more time..." Ingrid whispered to herself as her mind returned to the present, wondering what could possibly be going on in the house to make Nora and Negan so angry. Ingrid had her speculations, and with the sounds dying down to a calm once more decided that it was not necessary for her to investigate.
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 21, 2018 12:41:40 GMT -8
Negan didn't turn to Nora another time, not even when he heard her steps heading for the stairs. For some more moments, when his female companion had been gone for already a while, Negan watched the fire in front of him, with his teeth grinding in his jaw. He wasn't exactly proud of his behavior. There seemed to have happened kind of a change between them, and not even one of sexual nature at that, and he had to boycott that for some reason. Well, what the hell. Negan anyway doubted they ever would become something like friends.
With a sigh, Negan turned his attention away from the fire and instead reached for the fallen frame. He re-erected the photo without having another look at it before he decided to try to get some more sleep himself. The lack of sleep seemed to not really help with getting along well with his companions. Or at least not with avoiding that at some point he would get slapped from, at the minimum, one of them.
Instead of walking upstairs to his bedroom though, he placed himself back on the couch. From two places to sleep choosing the lesser evil, so to speak.
Neganbanner
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 21, 2018 12:47:27 GMT -8
*** The next morning ***
The rest of the night Negan had been able to get at least enough sleep to feel less tetchy. His lack of sleep though caused him to let his first action of the new day be a walk towards the kitchen to get himself a big cup of coffee; and that even with his baseball bat left behind right next to the couch. As he opened the shelf with the former married couple's usual supply to start a morning, something let him hold for a second. And yet another ghost of his dead wife was staring straight at him. With a slight shake of his head, Negan moved the coffee box saying decaffeinated aside. No way would he drink that brew-up, especially not after such a fucked up night. That was not what had made him hold though; it was another of those memories laying all over the house like a sheet over a mattress. 'How do you manage to slug that brew down every fucking morning?' 'It's not as bad as you think.' 'Must be like a wedding night without sex.'
Negan thought to be able to hear Lucille's sweet chuckle at his comparison one more time through the forsaken kitchen. This memory brought the ghost of a smile to his face, followed by another painful realization. Addressing himself with the preparation of his proper fix of caffeine, Negan tried to dissipate these ghosts of the past. Once he had himself equipped with a filled cup, he left the kitchen with no further look around and instead headed for the porch. He just couldn't bear to sit on their kitchen table all by himself. Reaching the glass door leading to the porch, Negan stopped in the middle of a move once again. Was that Ingrid sleeping outside? Negan had to silently chuckle at that before he opened the door and walked through it. A little bit of company might not be the worst, he had to admit to himself. Instead of waking her up right away though, Negan made effort to quietly have a seat in the other chair opposite Lucille's sleeping sister, before he thought it was funny to wake her up in a pretty nonsensitive way in fact. Negan gave the wind chime, hanging across the patio table and which was ending in a little bell, a push with his cup, after had one first sip of coffee to not spill it all over. "Good morning at Negan's. Hope you enjoyed the view of your royal suite." Neganbanner
|
|
Ariel
Lost RPG
Cashy-money: $88,900
Posts: 6,732
Harry Potter RPG:
- Cami Laroux
- Draco Malfoy
- Morgana Parkinson
- Odin Markell/Ashworth Jones
- Scorpius Malfoy
- Shane Hudson
_________________________
Marvel RPG:
- Nebula
_________________________
Ready Player One RPG:
- Emmett Rodgers
_________________________
X-Men RPG:
- Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver
- Vye Davidson/Ripple
_________________________
Lost RPG:
- Bennett "Rom" Friendly
- Harley-Rae Stone
- Jack Shephard
- Linda Pace
_________________________
Once Upon a Time RPG:
- Dracula/Vladimir Lee
_________________________
The Walking Dead RPG:
- Enid Snow
- Hazel Valentino
- Ingrid Snow
_________________________
|
Post by Ariel on Apr 21, 2018 17:26:02 GMT -8
"Good morning at Negan's. Hope you enjoyed the view of your royal suite."
Ingrid's body jolted awake as her eyelids tore open at the sudden sound that interrupted her slumber. Raising a hand up to shield her eyes, she began squinting through the bright morning sunlight. Ingrid sat still for a moment as she processed her whereabouts. Holy shit, Ingrid thought to herself as she realized that she had fallen alseep during her watch. A feeling of relief and annoyance with herself entered her being as she felt lucky that she was still alive and not ripped to shreds by the dead in her accidental sleep. Ingrid began to sit upright, her back causing her grief from the position in which she slept on the porch before putting the face to the voice that was with her.
"Just peachy," Ingrid arched her back slightly to relieve the ache, taking a breath in of the fresh, dewy air of the morning. She avoided eye contact with her company as she remembered the interesting events of the night before. Ingrid still wasn't so sure if Negan even liked her or not. Her nostrils were graced with the delectable smell of the fresh brew, making her eye contact to dart to the cup perched in Negan's hands, " Is that coffee?" Ingrid asked with surprise enclosed within her tone, as it had been weeks since her last cup.
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 22, 2018 3:06:58 GMT -8
For the while of Ingrid finding her bearings bit by bit, Negan took another sip of coffee. He tried to not remember the taste of literally fresh brewed coffee when they still had electricity to let their fully automated coffee machine do that job. Luckily they always have had a supply of instant coffee, since that day when their first machine started to kick out against their morning ritual. As the water boiler wasn't working without power either, Negan had had to brew his coffee by heating the water, which he had to get from their water reservoir, separated from the aqueducts, with a candle. This substituting action hadn't been a real emergency state though, as they have had to deal with several power blackouts in this area before. Something that forces you to get creative and to come up with alternatives.
"Just peachy," Negan's eyes turned to his companion, when, at last, she recaptured her voice. He noticed her avoidance of looking back at him but didn't attach too much importance to that. They both, for sure, have had a shitty night, and the fact she had fallen asleep here also meant she might have caught his former encounter with Nora in the night. Yes, Negan had a talent to rampage pretty much at times, but that didn't mean he wouldn't care for his companions. Maybe he actually did already more than he would admit to himself.
"Is that coffee?"
"Wanna take a sip?", Negan reacted with a counter question instead and already placed the cup in front of her. With this damn fucking apocalypse around them, and the dead longing for their gibs, what could be better than sharing a cup of coffee, maybe the very last one even, with the last remnant of something that could have called family?
Neganbanner
|
|
Ariel
Lost RPG
Cashy-money: $88,900
Posts: 6,732
Harry Potter RPG:
- Cami Laroux
- Draco Malfoy
- Morgana Parkinson
- Odin Markell/Ashworth Jones
- Scorpius Malfoy
- Shane Hudson
_________________________
Marvel RPG:
- Nebula
_________________________
Ready Player One RPG:
- Emmett Rodgers
_________________________
X-Men RPG:
- Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver
- Vye Davidson/Ripple
_________________________
Lost RPG:
- Bennett "Rom" Friendly
- Harley-Rae Stone
- Jack Shephard
- Linda Pace
_________________________
Once Upon a Time RPG:
- Dracula/Vladimir Lee
_________________________
The Walking Dead RPG:
- Enid Snow
- Hazel Valentino
- Ingrid Snow
_________________________
|
Post by Ariel on Apr 22, 2018 11:24:15 GMT -8
"Wanna take a sip?"
Ingrid hesitated for a brief second in thought before reaching her hands out to cup the piping mug, accepting the offering. This was the first time Negan had offered Ingrid any sort of gesture of kindness, so Ingrid thought it to be odd. Perhaps the reigning apocalypse had slightly altered his perceptions in certain parts of life, as a zombie virus takeover tended to have that sort of effect on the survivors. Or perhaps Negan was feeling slightly vulnerable in this sentimental home. Regardless of what caused this act, Ingrid accepted it with no further questions. The last thing she wanted was to be on this man's bad side, especially after overhearing his raging outburst from the night before.
Taking a slight sip, Ingrid found her speculations of the contents of the cup to be correct. With a smile of nostalgia, she savored the heavenly taste as she handed the mug back into Negan's hands. Ingrid sighed inwardly as the warmth of the coffee brought on an onset of memories of her previous life. Whether it was work, camping trips or the company of her family, the smell and taste left Ingrid's mind to reminisce on what she would never get to experience again.
"Never thought I'd taste coffee again. I didn't realize how many little things I took for granted until recently. Where's a post-apocalyptic Starbucks when you need one," Ingrid spoke wishfully as she leaned back in her seat, realizing it was all the little things she really missed.
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 22, 2018 12:10:50 GMT -8
Negan watched her from the side in silence, as she lastly accepted the offered cup. He could just imagine the upcoming memories of these little things they all would miss in a world slowly dying around. Coffee definitely was one of them. But most of all was it to share a cup of coffee with someone on a fresh new morning while you both have a seat on the porch and chat about nothing particular. Damn, what had brought up this sudden melancholy within him? Another silent chuckle formed on his lips at that realization.
"Never thought I'd taste coffee again. I didn't realize how many little things I took for granted until recently. Where's a post-apocalyptic Starbucks when you need one,"
"I say, first fucking thing on our to-do-list once we saved the world.", Negan joked before he took another sip himself, and in a rather nontypical act shoved it in Ingrid's direction once again. He didn't wait for her to accept the offer another time though before he went on with the conversation.
"Good to know the no-caffeine quirk's not a family thing.", Negan stated with a chuckle, this time slightly audible, as his eyes turned ahead. He actually didn't know why he suddenly talked about Lucille, but then, it seemed to be a little different to do so right this moment. Almost as if the memory was able to soothe him instead of torture him. Negan wondered how long this feeling would last though.
Neganbanner
|
|
Ariel
Lost RPG
Cashy-money: $88,900
Posts: 6,732
Harry Potter RPG:
- Cami Laroux
- Draco Malfoy
- Morgana Parkinson
- Odin Markell/Ashworth Jones
- Scorpius Malfoy
- Shane Hudson
_________________________
Marvel RPG:
- Nebula
_________________________
Ready Player One RPG:
- Emmett Rodgers
_________________________
X-Men RPG:
- Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver
- Vye Davidson/Ripple
_________________________
Lost RPG:
- Bennett "Rom" Friendly
- Harley-Rae Stone
- Jack Shephard
- Linda Pace
_________________________
Once Upon a Time RPG:
- Dracula/Vladimir Lee
_________________________
The Walking Dead RPG:
- Enid Snow
- Hazel Valentino
- Ingrid Snow
_________________________
|
Post by Ariel on Apr 22, 2018 20:30:29 GMT -8
"Good to know the no-caffeine quirk's not a family thing.",
Ingrid had received the cup of the piping brew once more from Negan as he went forward with conversation. Her lips stopped halfway to the cup, taking a brief pause to respond to the new conversational topic at hand. "Yeah," Ingrid chuckled lightly, yet it was more melancholy as the mood took a slight turn down memory lane, "I never understood how the hell she drank that dirt. But I guess we all have our quirks," Ingrid's sight was glued to the cup, not tearing away for one moment. She studied the steam rolling up and out of the cup at an an attempt not to break. Ingrid was getting better, but it surely wasn't an easy path.
"So what's the deal with the bat, anyway? You know, now that I've met it's acquaintance and all," Ingrid felt daring enough to ask about the bat that was so called after her beloved sister as she handed the cup back to Negan, no longer enticed to take another sip. She looked at him in the face for the first time since he had arrived in her presance on the porch, a small amused smile draped along her face as her brow slightly furrowed in question. Her tone came off slightly condescending, but she really was intrigued more than anything as to why this bat deserved to pay tribute to the late Lucille.
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 23, 2018 3:09:13 GMT -8
"Yeah,""I never understood how the hell she drank that dirt. But I guess we all have our quirks,"
Fucking true that. And yet again another silent chuckle escaped him at that, this time more inwardly though. Lucille had had a lot of quirks and he had loved every one of them. Maybe he actually hadn't before he had come to realize that he would never again acquire a taste of any of them. Negan tried to chase away the upcoming pain before it would take overhand again.
"So what's the deal with the bat, anyway? You know, now that I've met it's acquaintance and all,", Ingrid suddenly asked, handing the cup over to him, which he left standing untouched for the moment of the sudden depth their conversation has imbibed. Nothing he actually wouldn't have evoked himself, at that.
His features hardened a bit. Somehow Negan hadn't expected a question like that. Instead of searching for something like the ultimate answer though; there was nothing of that sort anyway, at least not before he would create one right here right now; Negan just went with the words coming.
"No deal about it. It's a bat. Maybe it's a tribute though. Not in the way of a baseball bat actually would remind me of her, but... it has helped me to save my people. Nora and Grant I mean. It was just suddenly there when we thought we were facing a dead-end of shit with no way out. I needed that helping hand to not lose myself again when they needed me to be all clear." He paused for a quiet sigh. Or maybe not for the sigh in general, but to brace himself for the more uncomfortable part to talk about. His eyes closed in kind of a cramped way and his teeth bit the bottom of his lip before he seemed to feel strong enough to finally go on. "Kind of like Lucille has been when I first met her. The hand, stretched out to mine, taking me to a totally different path of my life. I think, in some way, she has saved me as well. So, maybe that's the deal."
And half the story. Maybe even half the truth. It might be just a bat, but then, wasn't he sure what he'd do, if someone would set it on fire right in front of him. A mere hypothetical question of course.
Negan's hand reached out to the mug in front of him to down the rest of the coffee in one go before placing it back on the table. "Oh, she would have hated to be the eponym of that kind of thing.", he suddenly chuckled again, as he leaned back in his seat, his gaze still turned ahead. "But I don't fucking care."
Neganbanner
|
|
|
Post by Kristi Lynne on Apr 26, 2018 7:53:42 GMT -8
Nora hadn't slept well but then again, who had since everything went down? An unfamiliar house, an unfamiliar bed, coupled with what had been said between her and Negan the night before kept her tossing and turning. When she finally managed to rouse herself and walk downstairs, she was relieved to not find him there. However, she did find Grant at the kitchen counter busying himself with what looked like a fishing rod. "What are you doing?" she managed to ask groggily.
"And good morning to you, too," he replied, far too happily. "I saw a lake on our way in, and I found this rod and some fishing tackle out back. Figured I'd see if anything's biting. Fish-wise, I mean," he added quickly.
She rubbed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. "Okay, give me a sec to get dressed and I'll come with you."
"You don't have to --"
"You know the deal. We don't go anywhere alone," Nora reminded him.
"Alright," Grant allowed with a shrug, "but you better not take an hour to get ready."
Without looking at him, she gave him a middle finger while turning to head back upstairs.
|
|
Ariel
Lost RPG
Cashy-money: $88,900
Posts: 6,732
Harry Potter RPG:
- Cami Laroux
- Draco Malfoy
- Morgana Parkinson
- Odin Markell/Ashworth Jones
- Scorpius Malfoy
- Shane Hudson
_________________________
Marvel RPG:
- Nebula
_________________________
Ready Player One RPG:
- Emmett Rodgers
_________________________
X-Men RPG:
- Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver
- Vye Davidson/Ripple
_________________________
Lost RPG:
- Bennett "Rom" Friendly
- Harley-Rae Stone
- Jack Shephard
- Linda Pace
_________________________
Once Upon a Time RPG:
- Dracula/Vladimir Lee
_________________________
The Walking Dead RPG:
- Enid Snow
- Hazel Valentino
- Ingrid Snow
_________________________
|
Post by Ariel on Apr 27, 2018 9:00:44 GMT -8
"No deal about it. It's a bat. Maybe it's a tribute though. Not in the way of a baseball bat actually would remind me of her, but... it has helped me to save my people. Nora and Grant I mean. It was just suddenly there when we thought we were facing a dead-end of shit with no way out. I needed that helping hand to not lose myself again when they needed me to be all clear.". "Kind of like Lucille has been when I first met her. The hand, stretched out to mine, taking me to a totally different path of my life. I think, in some way, she has saved me as well. So, maybe that's the deal."
Ingrid remained relatively quiet throughout Negan's explanation as she watched the expressions on his face evolve with the stories he told. They had all walked through the fire and back these past couple of weeks. And with everything they had experienced and dealt with, any regular old joe would have had a complete breakdown by now. But here they were, sitting on the porch and enjoying a cup of coffee together. Her gaze was still stuck on Negan as he leaned back in his chair and chuckled at the little flash of Lucille reminiscent that he grabbed onto. That regular Joe would wonder, how is this scenario possible? In a time like this? Ingrid knew this answer as she listened to Negan and fully understood what he meant in needing the helping hand to not lose himself again. In the mass of the dying world around them, this brutal barbed wire bat named after his dead wife was his center. And now that this grounding memento had entered Negan's life, he couldn't possibly imagine parting with it. Ingrid empathized with this feeling, for if anything happened to her bow, the last remainder of her past life, she wouldn't know what to do. Ingrid wanted to let Negan know that she knew of his pain, to swap stories. However, as much as she wanted to let her guard down with Negan, she couldn't find the courage to do it. Not just yet.
."Oh, she would have hated to be the eponym of that kind of thing.", "But I don't fucking care."
Ingrid grinned as she finally looked away from Negan and into the distance of the bright blue sky that domed over the fur trees covered in dew. She could only imagine what her sister would say about his vampire bat. "Lucille never hated anything. Even the worst of people. If anything, she might have not simply understood why something so barbaric would have been branded after someone like her. I didn't either at first. But she gave others strength in times of need, and in the most messed up way, that bat is kind of a perfect representation of her strength." Ingrid spoke confidently, knowing Negan didn't need reassurance but offered her token of understanding, "She was a fighter."
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 27, 2018 14:58:44 GMT -8
"Lucille never hated anything. Even the worst of people. If anything, she might have not simply understood why something so barbaric would have been branded after someone like her. I didn't either at first. But she gave others strength in times of need, and in the most messed up way, that bat is kind of a perfect representation of her strength."
Negan gave her a somehow impressed expression from the side at that. Impressed not by her words in general, as true as they were, but by the realization that the two of them actually weren't as different as one might have thought in the beginning. For the first time in awhile, he had the feeling someone really understood him in some way; as messed up as his way of thinking might seem for most people.
"She was a fighter."
"Hell, she was.", Negan suddenly confirmed, the ghost of a smile mixed with something else, something new, playing around his lips.
Then Negan turned his gaze away from the landscape in front of them and instead faced Ingrid completely again. "And that's what we are. We will fight. We will survive. And we will fucking live. As high as the pile of shit around us may grow. That's what we will fucking do." Despite the hard words and its grave context, there was still this slight smile remaining on his features; because suddenly he felt like a decision has been made. A decision with no turning back; with no more losing oneself in the memories of a past they couldn't bring back anyway.
The decision to save what needed to be saved. People.
Neganbanner
|
|
|
Post by Kristi Lynne on Apr 27, 2018 17:39:24 GMT -8
Nora was bored. It didn't really occur to her to enjoy the luxury of being bored, though. She stayed on high alert while Grant was fishing from the edge of the lake but when an hour seemed to pass with no movement anywhere, she sighed and took a seat on a rock. “You’ll let me know when this gets enjoyable, right?” she asked him, using her hunting knife to sharpen the pointy end of a stick.
“You need to relax," he advised. "Listen, smell, breathe. Become one with nature.”
“Y'know, this isn't exactly a good time to be Zen about stuff," she remarked. "What with the dead coming back to life and wanting to eat our faces off ... it's kinda' stressful.”
"Which is why we should enjoy the moments we can take our mind off that."
Nora sighed again. "Yeah, you're probably right."
Grant reeled in his line but found nothing, casting it out into the water again. "So you want to talk about what happened last night?"
"Not really."
"I've heard you two argue plenty of times before. That was different."
She paused in her woodworking to consider what she wanted to tell him, if anything. After all, wasn't excessive talking what had created a rift in the first place? "I told him something I shouldn't have," she finally said, "in a futile attempt to make him feel better. I figured being in his old house, surrounded by all these reminders of his wife, he might be punishing himself for what he failed to do while they were still together. I just ... I didn't want him to feel alone."
“You didn't want him to feel alone?" Grant prompted, "Or you didn't want to be alone with your own feelings?”
“You a pharmacist or a psychiatrist?”
“Bit o’ both," he answered with a slight chuckle. "Mom was a school guidance counselor. She was never off the clock. And that still doesn't answer my question."
She regarded him with a defiant smirk before saying, "Bit o' both."
"You should start being honest with other people, Officer. And yourself," he declared, attempting to reel his line back in but finding it unwilling.
"No, that is the last thing I need to be."
Grant turned back to her, fixing her with a serious stare. "Human connection, Nora. It's what separates us from those things. Always will." Then he turned his attention back to his fishing. The rod bent as he tried again to pull it in. "Must be stuck on something," he wondered aloud as he walked deeper into the water.
"Be careful, you don't know how deep it is," she cautioned.
"Hey, who's the fisherman here? I know what I'm doing," he declared, as he slowly proceeded out deeper. She rolled her eyes and went back to whittling her stick. But her attention was quickly grabbed again when she heard a sharp exclamation followed by a frantic splashing of water.
“Grant?" Nora called, quickly getting to her feet and running to the water's edge. "Grant!" The lake surface was starting to calm again as the ripples fanned out and died. "Really not funny," she insisted, as she paced the shoreline. Still nothing. She cursed under her breath as she hastily kicked off her shoes and ran into the water to the spot where she had last seen him.
|
|
Ariel
Lost RPG
Cashy-money: $88,900
Posts: 6,732
Harry Potter RPG:
- Cami Laroux
- Draco Malfoy
- Morgana Parkinson
- Odin Markell/Ashworth Jones
- Scorpius Malfoy
- Shane Hudson
_________________________
Marvel RPG:
- Nebula
_________________________
Ready Player One RPG:
- Emmett Rodgers
_________________________
X-Men RPG:
- Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver
- Vye Davidson/Ripple
_________________________
Lost RPG:
- Bennett "Rom" Friendly
- Harley-Rae Stone
- Jack Shephard
- Linda Pace
_________________________
Once Upon a Time RPG:
- Dracula/Vladimir Lee
_________________________
The Walking Dead RPG:
- Enid Snow
- Hazel Valentino
- Ingrid Snow
_________________________
|
Post by Ariel on Apr 28, 2018 9:07:17 GMT -8
that's what we are. We will fight. We will survive. And we will fucking live. As high as the pile of shit around us may grow. That's what we will fucking do."
Ingrid was in favor of this inspiational side of Negan that seemed to blossom from the conversation at hand. From Lucille's strength. And in a way, she was proud of how far Negan had come. Obnoxious and slightly psychotic behavior aside, he really seemed to evolve into something different. The role of a leader. Someone who cared about his people, who cares about surviving. "Now this...this is something I could follow," Ingrid confirmed in a surprised manner as she got up out of her chair and placing her hands behind, she stretched out her back. "When did you get so good at motivational speeches?" Ingrid grinned with amusement as she peered over to Negan who was boasting with sheer confidence.
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on Apr 29, 2018 4:34:01 GMT -8
"Now this...this is something I could follow," Now that was something Lucille would have loved. To see her beloved sister and him forming a bond with each other. A bond that wouldn't tear for a very long time, if not for good.
Negan watched Ingrid getting up from her chair to stretch out her back, as she suddenly questioned: "When did you get so good at motivational speeches?"
He had to grin himself at that. "Well, I had to chasten a bunch of pubertal kids back at the time I was a teacher." Then it happened the memory of that time even brought an amused chuckle to his face. "Hell, how every one of them would have loved to kick my ass in the start. But once I got all that teenie-shit outta their heads, we got along pretty well."
Neganbanner
|
|
|
Post by Kristi Lynne on May 1, 2018 18:40:12 GMT -8
With Grant leaning on her for support, they had made it back to the cabin. She helped him up the back steps and into the hallway, eventually leading him to lie down on the couch. His clothes were wet and caked with mud, so she would have to apologize for ruining the furniture later. Her own clothes were also a mess from struggling with the walker that had pulled him under. But assessing her own injuries at this point would have to wait.
Nora checked the tourniquet made from Grant's own belt that she had placed around his leg below the knee and made sure it was still tight. It might have slowed the bleeding from the nasty-looking bite on his right calf, but it was still clear to her that he was severely wounded. "Hey, hey, buddy. Look at me," Nora insisted, placing a hand alongside his cheek. "You're gonna' be okay. We're gonna' fix this."
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he muttered, fear distinct in his eyes.
"Just...just don't move. I'll get help." She reluctantly pulled herself away from his side and stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Negan!" she cried urgently. "Ingrid! Is anybody here?"
|
|
Ariel
Lost RPG
Cashy-money: $88,900
Posts: 6,732
Harry Potter RPG:
- Cami Laroux
- Draco Malfoy
- Morgana Parkinson
- Odin Markell/Ashworth Jones
- Scorpius Malfoy
- Shane Hudson
_________________________
Marvel RPG:
- Nebula
_________________________
Ready Player One RPG:
- Emmett Rodgers
_________________________
X-Men RPG:
- Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver
- Vye Davidson/Ripple
_________________________
Lost RPG:
- Bennett "Rom" Friendly
- Harley-Rae Stone
- Jack Shephard
- Linda Pace
_________________________
Once Upon a Time RPG:
- Dracula/Vladimir Lee
_________________________
The Walking Dead RPG:
- Enid Snow
- Hazel Valentino
- Ingrid Snow
_________________________
|
Post by Ariel on May 2, 2018 20:24:41 GMT -8
"Well, I had to chasten a bunch of pubertal kids back at the time I was a teacher."
Ingrid nodded her head at his words, in remembrance of when Lucille had told Ingrid of Negan's fond profession. With the vulgar expressions and phrases he gladly put on display for all of them to witness on a daily basis, she had completely forgot that he was a school teacher. The thought of him commanding a room full of pubescent brats almost made a chuckle slip out unintentionally.
"Hell, how every one of them would have loved to kick my ass in the start. But once I got all that teenie-shit outta their heads, we got along pretty well."
"Sounds like you were a class favorite," Ingrid poked fun at the amusing idea as she sat back down. Negan handling kids, if only she could pay to travel back in time to be a fly on the wall for that. Then Ingrid wondered what Negan would have been like with his own kids, if him and Lucille had decided to have any. Lucille would have been a great mother....
Ingrid suddenly picked up the sound of faint yelling nearby. "...Do you hear that?" Ingrid said as she slowly stood to her feet, her sight scanning their surroundings. Someone was in trouble, and Ingrid and Negan were about to find themselves in the middle. Again.
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on May 7, 2018 12:11:24 GMT -8
"Sounds like you were a class favorite,"
Negan let out a quiet chuckle at that; at their little chat in general, here on the porch of the house, he thought he would never set a foot in again, above all not with his dead wife's sister at that. But in times like these, maybe any kind of controversy from the past wouldn't be outlasting enough to cause people to go apart.
It had not only been Ingrid who overheard the sound of faint yelling nearby. In fact, they almost cocked up simultaneously.
"...Do you hear that?"
"Shit!", Negan let out, frowning in anger, as he was already making his way back inside the house. Negan had sensed trouble before he was through the door. And he hadn't been wrong.
"What the hell happened?", he stormed into the room, watching Nora obviously patching up their other companion. A question, actually superfluous, as Negan could just imagine what all the blood around had to mean. Anger though was the first feeling coming over him.
"Were you outside?", he suddenly started to fire a verbal salvo at Nora, the former spark of good-heartedness like all wiped out at once. "Who told you to fucking do so all on your own?"
But behind all this anger, there was something else. Something he made very hard for anyone to detect though. The care of his people.
Neganbanner
|
|
|
Post by Kristi Lynne on May 8, 2018 16:24:45 GMT -8
"Were you outside? Who told you to fucking do so all on your own?"
Her relief at seeing Negan and Ingrid coming through the doorway was quickly cancelled out by his angry words. She didn't need his permission nor his placing blame. She was upset enough with herself for letting it happen. "Grant wanted to go down to the lake to go fishing," Nora explained, mostly to Ingrid as she felt the young girl to be the more sympathetic of the two parties right now. "His line got caught on something, he went to check it out, and...and...one of those things pulled him under. I think it bit him."
The words came out in a frantic rush as she paced behind the couch, keeping an eye on the ailing Grant. "I got him out of the water, I tried to stop the bleeding, but he's...he's hurt bad," she stated, her pleading eyes now focused on Negan. "We need to get him to a hospital, a doctor's office, whatever you have around here."
|
|
Ariel
Lost RPG
Cashy-money: $88,900
Posts: 6,732
Harry Potter RPG:
- Cami Laroux
- Draco Malfoy
- Morgana Parkinson
- Odin Markell/Ashworth Jones
- Scorpius Malfoy
- Shane Hudson
_________________________
Marvel RPG:
- Nebula
_________________________
Ready Player One RPG:
- Emmett Rodgers
_________________________
X-Men RPG:
- Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver
- Vye Davidson/Ripple
_________________________
Lost RPG:
- Bennett "Rom" Friendly
- Harley-Rae Stone
- Jack Shephard
- Linda Pace
_________________________
Once Upon a Time RPG:
- Dracula/Vladimir Lee
_________________________
The Walking Dead RPG:
- Enid Snow
- Hazel Valentino
- Ingrid Snow
_________________________
|
Post by Ariel on May 10, 2018 21:53:46 GMT -8
Ingrid entered the house with Negan to investigate the abrupt yelling that seemed to be coming from inside. Ingrid didn't want to think of their blissful morning of coffee talk to be too good to be true. However, in times like these anything that could go wrong would go wrong, and bad things had a tendency to quickly follow especially when things seem to take a turn for the better. Whoever invented Murphy's law, Ingrid wanted to strangle them.
The sight of Grant sprawled out on the living room couch took Ingrid by surprise as she screeched to a rapid halt at the scene." Oh my god..." Ingrid gasped as she ran past Negan who escalated in a rage at the scenario.
"Grant wanted to go down to the lake to go fishing," "His line got caught on something, he went to check it out, and...and...one of those things pulled him under. I think it bit him."
Ingrid's eyes widened in horror as she knelt down to Grant's level, scanning his clothes which were caked mercilessly with a mixture of mud and blood. She locked on the gruesome wound on his leg with a belt tied just above it. It took everything in Ingrid's body not to pass out on the spot, but keeping in mind that Negan was frantic and Nora was an emotional wreck that Ingrid had to remain strong. Swallowing her shock, Ingrid looked up at Nora who was pacing back and forth like a mad man.
"I got him out of the water, I tried to stop the bleeding, but he's...he's hurt bad," "We need to get him to a hospital, a doctor's office, whatever you have around here."
"There's not a hospital around here for miles. And if he got bit..." Ingrid shook her head as her words trailed off, tearing her gaze away from Nora and back onto Grant who started to appear rather sickly, "...We should get him cleaned up and out of this mess for god's sake." Ingrid didn't want to speak regrettably, but this was their new reality. They were going to lose people whether they wanted to or not, Ingrid could only hope that they wouldn't lose themselves in this process. "First aid kit. Where do you keep it here, Negan?" Ingrid searched in her mind for the things they would need to make Grant comfortable as she stood back up to face Negan.
|
|
|
Post by DarkSideCookie on May 13, 2018 7:09:56 GMT -8
"Grant wanted to go down to the lake to go fishing,""His line got caught on something, he went to check it out, and...and...one of those things pulled him under. I think it bit him.""I got him out of the water, I tried to stop the bleeding, but he's...he's hurt bad,"
Negan wrinkled his brow, while he was listening to Nora's vivid description. He wasn't really angry about their little trip without his permission in general, knowing that something like his permission wasn't needed anyway, but he was about the fact he couldn't do anything about this now; nothing but to watch one of his companions die. And that just sucked.
"We need to get him to a hospital, a doctor's office, whatever you have around here.", Nora eventually focused on him again, her eyes pleading for him to come up with a way to save Grant's life. But there was none.
"There's not a hospital around here for miles. And if he got bit...", Ingrid served with a quick answer in his place. ... every help would be too late anyway., Negan ended her sentence in mind, the increasing wrath clearly written in his face. "...We should get him cleaned up and out of this mess for god's sake." After all, everything they did, would amount to nothing more than a running out the clock. A fact both of them were aware of, he inferred from that hidden expression on Ingrid's face.
"First aid kit. Where do you keep it here, Negan?", she suddenly was addressing him directly.
Negan threw one short look at Nora before, shaking his head, he hurried for the hallway near to the guest bathroom without any protest. He actually had been on the verge of stating what he thought but didn't do so for once. Not right that moment at least. Nora was looking like an emotional wreck and for some reason, he felt even sorry for having been so rude to her before.
It didn't take long until Negan was back with the whole content of the first aid kit, handing it over to Ingrid; not without sending a private appeal to her though. "You know as well as I do that this is futile. We both saw what happened after people got bit." And not only with people got bit, but also with people who had simply died. Negan sighed, his wrath come down to more of a regret by then.
Neganbanner
|
|
|
Post by Kristi Lynne on May 13, 2018 18:04:30 GMT -8
For now, Nora was happy to stand aside and let them handle the situation. Even if she could have done something, her heart and mind were still racing from the effort of trying to save herself from the underwater walker that had clawed and gnashed its teeth frantically at her before she was finally able to sink her hunting knife into its decaying skull. Ingrid had the calm demeanor and Negan had the necessary supplies, so her best bet was to stay out of their way.
"There's a duffel bag...in the truck," Grant spoke up again. "Antibiotics, painkillers...."
Nora brightened slightly at having a purpose. "I'll go, I know where it is," she said quickly, snatching her keys from the kitchen counter and rushing outside.
Grant continued to attempt to coach the other two in their life-saving efforts. "Cold bath...oughtta' keep down the fever," he advised. As he looked up at Negan with a weak smile, he added, "Sorry about your couch, man."
|
|
Ariel
Lost RPG
Cashy-money: $88,900
Posts: 6,732
Harry Potter RPG:
- Cami Laroux
- Draco Malfoy
- Morgana Parkinson
- Odin Markell/Ashworth Jones
- Scorpius Malfoy
- Shane Hudson
_________________________
Marvel RPG:
- Nebula
_________________________
Ready Player One RPG:
- Emmett Rodgers
_________________________
X-Men RPG:
- Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver
- Vye Davidson/Ripple
_________________________
Lost RPG:
- Bennett "Rom" Friendly
- Harley-Rae Stone
- Jack Shephard
- Linda Pace
_________________________
Once Upon a Time RPG:
- Dracula/Vladimir Lee
_________________________
The Walking Dead RPG:
- Enid Snow
- Hazel Valentino
- Ingrid Snow
_________________________
|
Post by Ariel on May 14, 2018 10:25:15 GMT -8
As a shell shocked Nora headed to the truck to obtain some medicine, Ingrid had made a quick run to the kitchen to retrieve a bowl of water and a rag which she placed near Grant. Upon her rapid return, she had only been kept waiting no longer than a minute before Negan hurried back with a first aid kit in his hands. Ingrid held out her hands to receive the kit as he approached her, but with the look on Negan's face she knew that she wasn't going to get back to work until his two cents were put in about the shit situation at their hands.
"You know as well as I do that this is futile. We both saw what happened after people got bit."
Ingrid peered down at the supply kit in her hands regretfully, "I know," her words were heavy as she knew how this was all going to go down. By every second, Grant was becoming more ill as the virus was slowly shutting his organs down. "And even though I barely know him, Grant is one of us. He deserves to go with dignity, so the least we can do is make him comfortable," Ingrid looked up at Negan for a split second in acknowledgement before returning to Grant.
"Cold bath...oughtta' keep down the fever,"
"We've got it from here, bud. Relax, conserve your energy," Ingrid spoke gently as she parked herself right by Grant's leg. Ringing out the rag she had just dipped into the bowl of water, she cautiously dabbed on and around Grant's wound. Making sure his leg and wound were clean from the mud, Ingrid quickly opened the kit to find some material to make a few stitches. Ingrid threaded the needle with no hesitation, as her father had taught her how to take care of herself if she were to ever injure herself on hunting trips where no medical facilities would be around. Never did she injure herself this badly, but she was thankful that this skill finally came in handy.
"Grant, I want you to take some deep breaths and focus on my voice. Stay with us," Ingrid instructed with compassion as her hands began to work the needle and thread like clockwork through Grant's wound, "We got you."
|
|