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Dec. 16th, 2023 at 5:56 PM
[Racing down the interstate as fast as they fucking can, Johnnie tugs Chrissy closer and ducks low over his bike. They're streamlined now, they'll pick up just a little bit more speed, and then they can outride this giant evil fucking wasp for sure -
His eyes blink slowly against the light in the room, and then he frowns and lifts his pillow from under his head and flings it at the alarm clock on the bedside table. That shouldn't work, except that it falls off the table and unplugs in the process, leaving the room blissfully silent.
And now he doesn't have a pillow. Shit.]
Ugh. Hey, you up?
[Like Chrissy could sleep through that.
Soon enough though, he rolls on out of bed, gets the water going, tugs fresh clean clothing out of his bag, then checks on that shower. Yep, nice and hot. Time to get clean and ready for the day.]
Whatcha think? Wanna check out the cafe for breakfast? Maybe we can make 'em do some eggs an' pancakes even though they're gonna say it's dinner only now. I hate when places do that, it's such fuckin' bullshit.
His eyes blink slowly against the light in the room, and then he frowns and lifts his pillow from under his head and flings it at the alarm clock on the bedside table. That shouldn't work, except that it falls off the table and unplugs in the process, leaving the room blissfully silent.
And now he doesn't have a pillow. Shit.]
Ugh. Hey, you up?
[Like Chrissy could sleep through that.
Soon enough though, he rolls on out of bed, gets the water going, tugs fresh clean clothing out of his bag, then checks on that shower. Yep, nice and hot. Time to get clean and ready for the day.]
Whatcha think? Wanna check out the cafe for breakfast? Maybe we can make 'em do some eggs an' pancakes even though they're gonna say it's dinner only now. I hate when places do that, it's such fuckin' bullshit.
Comments
[She chooses to think that Alex would trust them with a job like that. Dale definitely would. But maybe it's something simpler than that. They really won't know until they decide to head back home and give the number a call.]
You remember where you put the paper with the number on it, right?
[So they can call the number and then head to Vegas. After a handful of days out here, it'll be nice to find a hotel and hit the casinos.]
Yeah, it's in my pocket. Maybe when it's day I'll find a better spot to put it so I don't lose it. Help me remember.
[Just like he needs to not lose track of that birthday card he got for her. It should theoretically be in his backpack right now, and he'll have to find some time to sign it without her finding it first or seeing him, and then at some point he'll have to remember to actually care what exact day it is so he can get it to her on her actual birthday. Not a problem for right now, though, not while he's enjoying the slow slip into the stoned dimension.]
But I bet you're right. Maybe we gotta pick somethin' up. Or someone, could be someone.
We'll figure it out soon enough. Let's not worry about it too much right now.
[Her joint has to be held in her hand so she can turn more and kiss a trail up from his shoulder along his neck. Sure, they're getting high right now, but he gives her a separate high she can't ever get enough of. She doesn't want her joint to go to waste though, so she all too soon pulls away to take a hit and slowly exhale.]
I feel so floaty and warm right now.
[She giggles as she says it, glad that it's him here with her right now. A few weeks ago, she never thought they'd get to spend time together like this again. Just look at them now, happier than they've ever been.]
[And the thrill of sensation that races from where she kissed him to every corner of his body. He grins and lets himself feel weightless, all in the middle of a concrete nothing. It's a nothing that feels grounded, that has more than black emptiness in all directions, and to him right now that somehow makes perfect sense.
The other thing that makes sense is that he needs to get back at her for those kisses. Snickering quietly himself, he strokes at her leg with a foot and turns to nibble at her ear, then takes a hit and blows smoke at it.]
Gonna get your ear fuckin' high too.
That frees her up to be able to roll over onto her side completely, and let her hands slowly roam his body while she works her way back up his shoulder and throat toward his lips.]
Don't waste smoke on my ear, baby. At least do it into my nose or mouth.
[He can squeeze one more hit out of this little stub for sure, he packed these pretty well. So with one breath he sucks as much of the smoke as he can into his lungs, then leans in to kiss her and exhale that smoke straight into her mouth.
With his tolerance as high as it is, the pot is really taking its time to work into his system but he's definitely starting to notice that he's feeling it, and that always means he's already high and just hasn't realized it. It's a good, easy feeling though. Worth enjoying.
The act of basically giving her mouth to mouth weed has him immediately laughing. He licks a finger, presses the damp end to the lit stub to put it out without hardly even a hiss of steam, then rolls on top of Chrissy to nibble and kiss at her throat while still snickering here and there.]
That's emergency pot, babe. When you gotta have one more an' you're all out. Marijuana CPR.
My hero. Lifeguarding with marijuana CPR. Giving me expert mouth to mouth.
[One of her hands slowly trails across his back, while the other curls against the back of his head. Yeah, she likes it when he's on top of her and has his mouth on her, and she's not going to do anything to get him to leave his current post.
Her eyes glance upward and notice that the cloud above them is still there, and it feels like art they've made together. As he nibbles at a sensitive spot on her throat she sighs, eyes closing as her head falls back a little. This weightless, giggly feeling is so nice. Every press of his lips against her skin makes her laugh a little more, like she's ticklish all over.]
[He can't easily get any lower than this in the sleeping bag so he stays put, kissing at her collarbone to her chin and everywhere in between, mostly just trying to make her giggle even more because he loves the sound of that right now. It's the best feeling in the world to know that she's happy and it's because of him.
But when he's had enough of that, he inches upward to kiss her, and reaches a hand up to drag fingers through her damp hair. Kissing feels amazing, always, but especially right now, and he'll take his sweet time just focusing all his attention on her lips, and on the feel of her mouth as his tongue presses into it.]
There's nowhere to be. No one to go see.
Just the two of them in their hotbox of a tent, and it's the most perfect place on Earth. It feels like time draws on for a while, with them just enjoying slow and deep kisses, and letting their hands and feet wander until it feels like they're just a tangle of limbs that have become one.
When she finally breaks her lips away so she can catch her breath, she's feeling like she's the luckiest girl in the whole world. They get to be like this for at least the next week.]
Are you even a little tired?
Nah. But I guess I better try if we're gonna have any chance of gettin' up earlier.
[Since they did agree on that, and he does like the sound of it.
So he closes his eyes and drapes an arm across Chrissy's waist, and takes a long, slow, content breath.]
G'night, baby girl. Hope you have some real happy weed dreams.
Goodnight, Johnnie. Love you. Try to wake me up with a kiss just like that one, okay?
[She's not all that tired, so it takes her some time. But as they fall still and quiet, she lets her eyes drift closed. And eventually she does fall asleep, warm and safe and without a single thought in her head.]
[Sleep definitely doesn't come easily, but he's out hard once it takes him. When he wakes up, he figures it's because it's fucking hot in the tent with the early June afternoon sun beating down on the fabric. He's all sweaty and at some point apparently tried to squirm out of the sleeping back in his sleep, to where he's curled up at the side of the tend with only his waist and below actually in the bag.
He squints and sits up, and reaches for the zipper of the tent door and throws it open, and while the air outside isn't cool, it's moving and definitely better than inside is.]
Ugh.
[Who knows what time it is out here, there's no clock, but the sun is high enough that it must be close to noon. That's pretty damn good though, that's early, for him. And he's fucking hungry. So he pulls on the bare minimum of clothes, just his lower half, so he can stuff his feet into his shoes and stumble outside to find something to eat.
... Was there something he was supposed to remember this morning? He has a feeling there was. But, oh, there, that slip of paper in his front pocket that's all crumped but has a phone number still legible on it, that's right. That's what it was.]
Her first thought is she's so warm and sweaty that everything feels gross. But things are quiet, and she can feel a slight breeze, so she slips back asleep for a few more minutes. It isn't too long before she can feel the lack of his presence nearby, and she peeks an eye open to look over where he should be sleeping.
Nope.
He's already up and moving.]
Johnnie?
[Her voice is heavy with drowsiness, and she slowly sits up, rubbing at her eyes.]
You were supposed to kiss me awake when you got up.
[If she sounds even slightly sulky about the fact he didn't, it's because she's still half asleep.]
[He's just outside and it takes him an extra couple of seconds to process what she said, but then he stops in his tracks once the words actually hit his brain, and he comes on back to the tent. Kneeling down at the edge of it, he leans inside on hands and knees to press a nice, long kiss to her lips, then pulls back and scoops his rebellious hair out of his face.]
Sorry, babe. Guess I was too eager to escape that little oven. C'mon out, it's way better out here. Whaddya want for breakfast?
[They have bread, and there's no toaster but they could probably toast bread on a fire if he got one going. But he's only going to go to that kind of effort if she shows a sign of wanting it because otherwise he's going to poke around for peanut butter or something to just scoop onto the bread and eat it as-is.]
Give me a minute to get dressed, and I'll come help you make something. We could make a fire and use up some of the eggs and try to toast some bread?
[She pauses, head tipping to the side as she thinks that over.]
But we'd probably have to put out the fire right after making it, if we're going to be gone for most of the day. Maybe just some of that bread and peanut butter? We can save the big breakfast for tomorrow, when we'll be hiking down to the bottom of the canyon.
[With that decided, she sets to finding her bra and panties so she can get dressed enough for breakfast outside the tent. She'll grab her actual clothes for the day and finish getting ready after they eat.
Once she's got her shoes on and she's able to walk outside without worrying about hurting her feet, she goes straight for the car to get into the trunk. That box of cherry cokes provides her with a can that she opens and chugs, followed by a ridiculous burp. Oops.
Figuring he might be thirsty too, she grabs a can for him and heads over to pass it to him with a kiss.]
Thanks. Yeah, y'know, I was just thinkin' bread an' peanut butter myself. We can always do breakfast for dinner tonight too when we get back here, have eggs an' toast then. I think there's salsa, too, somewhere. Could make some breakfast sandwiches.
[Oh and here's the bread, sitting near the top of a bunch of food, that's good. It's not all smashed. He finds one of the plates he grabbed from that first stop to put bread onto and then sets that on the hood of the car until he finds the peanut butter and a butter knife. Once he's spread some on both slices, he holds the plate out for her to take one.]
Perfect breakfast! You're welcome.
Thanks, baby. It looks perfect.
[And as soon as she bites into it, she realizes it is perfect. It's sweet and savory and filling. She hikes herself up to carefully sit on the edge of the hood of her car, and takes her time eating her piece. Since she's already downed one cherry coke, she has to hold her hand out and waggle her fingers to get him to share his here and there. Peanut butter is really sticky and thick, so she needs some soda to wash it down.]
Maybe there's a visitor's center or something we can grab a map at. We'll need a good map to mark off which route we should take down. And I mean, there's other things we'll want to see out there too, right? We need a map. And maybe a compass.
[Does she have any idea how to use a compass? No. Does she think he does? Well, she thinks he can do anything. So if they get one, it's definitely on him to make sure it's being used the right way.]
[But he takes an extra second to think, to chew and swallow, then adds,]
'Course, if we have one then it makes it easier to get around to all the cool places those people don't go! So let's see about gettin' our hands on one for sure.
[They could go to those cool places without a compass, yes, but with a compass, they'll... Well, they'll know what direction they're facing when they get lost! Probably! He's never used a compass but maybe she has, since she suggested it.]
We'll need to find the canteen so we can fill it up somewhere with cold water.
[As nice as cherry coke is, she's really needing some ice cold water right about now. That means they need to get packed up for the day so they can get out of here soon. She folds over her piece of peanut butter bread and munches on it as she starts finding what they'll need.]
I can pack everything in my backpack. I just have to dump all the extra stuff out into another bag.
[And likewise, one slice of bread with peanut butter is not enough food for him. What about bread and a hot dog? Time to find that cooler. Must be in the trunk.
Also, the cooler isn't exactly the coldest on the inside. The meat and other stuff has mostly all kept to some degree of chill since it was packed in there tightly, but it won't last forever with the sun beating down on the car.]
We gotta get ice, too. I bet that campground has water an' ice, we can stop in there on the way.
[Bread and cold dog roll created, he stuffs one end of it in his mouth to then go back to his backpack in the tent and sort out what shirt he wants to wear and what all he can leave here for the day.]
She finds the empty canteen and puts it in hers for now. Maybe once its full, she'll let Johnnie carry it. For now, it's light enough she can handle it. Snacks are tucked into the bag, and she grabs one of the flashlights she stole along with the really cool headlamp.
What else could they need? Maybe she needs a minute to think on it. She goes to get dressed for the day, and since it's warm, she figures she might as well dress for the occasion. That neon bikini is put on, along with the parachute shorts and neon pink tank top. She's a picture perfect image of vibrancy, and she's never been happier to have stolen some clothes in her entire life. The neon scrunchie she pulls her hair up into a high ponytail into just tops it all off, and she hums merrily to herself as she gives a couple of spins for her own benefit.
That must spark some thoughts in that pretty little head of hers, because she instantly has some more ideas of what to pack into her backpack. She doesn't want to weigh it down too much, she figures that's a good way to get tired.]
Are you wearing your jacket today? It's so hot, I don't think I can wear mine. That's okay, right?
[She sounds hesitant though, like maybe she has to wear it or maybe she should. It's just that she worked so hard for it that it feels wrong not to wear it right now, but maybe they can keep it safe in the car.]
[Red, though, that'll be his t-shirt for the day like somehow it'll make up for it. And his bandana is mostly dry now too after trying to scrub it with shampoo in the shower. That might actually come in handy, so he tucks it in his back pocket and throws his jacket over his shoulder.
Knife, check. Gun, check, but it's pretty visible without his jacket on to cover it up. And out here, what are the chances they'll get jumped by some freak and have to use it? Probably poor, but what if there are bears? Hm. Well, he'll weigh the pros and cons while he goes back to the car to throw a few cans of coke and more snacks into his bag, along with the last couple pre-rolled joints and another pack of cigarettes. And that birthday card, well, it'll have to stay with him but maybe at some point he can sneakily tuck it into his guitar case just to hide it. And speaking of his guitar, maybe that's best off locked up in the trunk for now.
There, now he's set, and he reclaims his can of coke to wash down that hot dog.]
There we go, think I got everything. If I don't, I got my wallet an' my unending charm. You ready?
[But that takes about ten seconds, and soon she's ready to go. She hurries over to get to the car so she can get the top down. It's too sunny to drive with the top up, and they need to be able to see everything out around them. After it's down, she hops into the passenger seat so he can drive back toward the canyon.
There's so much to see now that it's daytime, and she's actually pretty quiet as she takes it all in. Her camera is safe in her backpack, but driving isn't the best time to take pictures. She just lives in the moment and takes it all in. They're not even to the Grand Canyon itself yet, and she already thinks this is one of the prettiest places she's ever seen.
Her hand taps against the side of the car as she takes to humming a Madonna song. That doesn't last too long, since they're not likely to be in the car much longer, since it looks like they're heading right toward a big building. ]
Oh hey, let's park over there and see what's inside.
[As soon as he finds somewhere to park, she's hopping out and making her way over to take hold of his hand.]
[He pulls on into one of the handful of parking spaces off the side of the road by the building. It looks old, but then again, he's not sure how to tell if it's actually old or if it's made to look old for tourists. They're not the only ones parked here, but it must not be the most popular stop.
Well, no harm checking it out. He grabs his backpack as he hops on out of the car.]
"Carter's Canyon Corner". Maybe they got sunglasses, I think I need 'em out here. Actually, maybe they got ice, that'd be even better.
[One step up onto the porch suggests that maybe this place actually is old. The trim around the door is freshly painted, sure, but the plank under his foot sags and creaks as he goes to hold the door for Chrissy.]
You think this was a saloon once, maybe? Like in Texas?
Only to stop once they're inside and pull those sunglasses right back on up. It's actually pretty dimly lit in here.]
It definitely could've been a saloon, look over there. That used to be a bar a long time ago.
[Now it's just holding stands of pamphlets and maps. She'll gladly go get all of those in a minute, she just has to look around first. It's pretty rustic in here, with an old man behind the cash stand, and a younger man stocking a display of souvenirs with some t-shirts.
It's hard to tell what decade they're in standing in this place. It's rustic in a way that could be either timelessly fun or gross and outdated, depending on someone's mood. Right now, she's thinking it's pretty fun.]
It's so quiet in here. I wonder how this place stays open.
[She whispers that to Johnnie before she makes her way over to the old bar top to pick up one pamphlet after another. As soon as her hands touch at a folded up map of the area, there's the sound of rustling from behind the bar. She leans back in surprise, and is shocked to see an ancient man in overalls standing back there.]
You don't want to be using that one, girly.
[He asks her, and she points at her chest to make sure he's talking to her.]
Yeah you, girly! Those new maps there ain't gonna get you any closer to the treasure.
[Treasure is out there?!
She glances over toward Johnnie and hisses his name in a whisper, beckoning him over with a cave of her hand. This guy is obviously a ghost like they are, so there's no telling what kind of great stories he'll have to share.]