beyondtheline | I sure like the feeling of an endless road

I sure like the feeling of an endless road

[A few hours of open road makes for easygoing fun. It's great to be traveling again, and the feeling of Chrissy leaning up against his back, holding on tight while he whips ahead on a wide-open freeway through the pitch black of night is like nothing else. The last time they were racing up and down this freeway, they were on the way to go burn a bunch of people's lives down - but now that's hours back, back with the rest of the city. They've left the lights and have nothing to look at but the pavement in Johnnie's headlight, the glimpses of stars shining weakly through hazy clouds, and occasionally an oncoming car.

Johnnie hasn't exactly been trying to tune in to his senses or abilities or whatever it is he has - he's just been cruising, letting the night go by, enjoying their plunge northward without a care or a thought. So it is deeply irritating when the pavement quickly fades to a well-worn dirt track that almost tosses him and Chrissy to the ground, and it takes all of his skills to get the front wheel under control and to slow down before they hit a rock that really might launch them into the nearest alfalfa field. Or whatever it is that's here, whenever they've found themselves. Somewhere pre-freeway. Boo.

But there are a few lights ahead, and he did need a stop to pee, so, fuck it.]

Well, shit. Y'know, I dunno exactly where we are. Last sign said San Jose was still fuckin' hours off. You good? That was kinda shaky.

[As long as this dirt road stays packed, they can drive it, but it's going to be slow. Good thing they're almost to somewhere.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Never.

[She murmurs between kisses, and is about to initiate another when he nips at her mouth and turns her around. There's a soft gasp of surprise as he does it, but really she's grateful for the lack of any more teasing. She doesn't have time to shift to a point where it's more comfortable against her stomach, but that's fine by her. The way he drives himself home inside her wanting body is absolutely perfect.

Why does it matter that she's getting motorcycle jabbing her in the belly when he's making her cry out and is already making her weak in the knees? Really, it's a good thing the bike is there like this. It's keeping her up on her feet.

He sets a pace they both love, and once she feels the steady pounding rhythm of him burying himself deep inside her she reaches back. Her hold is fumbling, but she wants to try and press her palm against him. She can't kiss him or hold him like this, and she really can't get enough of him. She wants to be touching him to feel that connection they have.]

Oh fuck. [She whines as she rises up on her tiptoes to rock better with him, which in turn makes her nearly growl out a groan.] I can't get enough of you, never ever. Wanna feel your cock in me all the time.

All the time? Sounds distracting.

[Like while she's running around while they're trying to handle more asshole Locos, or being harassed by cops? Fucking hilarious, that image, and he laughs hard enough at his own stupid idea that he has to stop for a moment.

But only a moment.]

Guess I better fuckin' give you enough to remember!

[Still snickering, he picks the pace back up and gives her a sharp slap on the ass. That'll bring her right into the moment.

He keeps it rough and quick, and decides to try something else, something newer. That hand that's not being used to make sure he doesn't fall over runs up to her throat, and curls around it, squeezing gently. It's more about the illusion of the thing than actually trying to choke her. He's in control here, he's the one making her feel good. She belongs to him, and as he keeps his hips moving and his fingers wrapped around her throat, he kisses the back of her neck, marking her skin with his teeth as he goes.]

You're distracting.

[She retorts while he's laughing at himself, then winds up laughing too because that's exactly what he's saying. His dick is incredibly distracting, and it's fine that he knows that.

There's really not time to laugh for long though, because he gets moving again and that brings chills to her spine. That's nothing compared to the thrill she gets when he spanks her, her stomach doing flips and twisting in the best kind of knots. She shivers at how good it feels, and really slams back against him as he drives forward. The end result is a loud, guttural moan that makes her laugh at how fucking ridiculous she sounds.

Sex really is the best kind of ridiculous.

The fact that he stays in the zone of roughness is delightful, and she doesn't mind letting him hear how much she enjoys it. His hand at her throat earns instant approval, and she swallows against the feel of his palm against her skin.]

Oh fuck. I like that.

[She likes that a lot.

He's barely squeezing, but the show of dominance and possession are so hot that she can hardly stand it. She really thinks she's about to lose her mind. Who knew that such a simple gesture coming from him would be such a turn on?

Then again, pretty much everything he does is a huge turn on. It's not like he's trying to choke her, but the illusion that he'd be able to if he wanted to and knowing that she'd let him really does it for her. Feeling his lips against her skin as a contrast only amplifies it for her, and she shudders as she clings hold of the bike for stability.]

[Fuck, she feels good. And fuck, he is absolutely power tripping, and it's driving his arousal to impressive heights. They are always so damn good at giving each other exactly what they need.

He continues, fast and rough, until all of that pleasure builds to a peak and when he comes, he comes hard, grasping the seat of the bike and curling his nails tighter against her throat as he holds her close to him. She'll take every remaining thrust, the few that are left, until he can't keep going anymore and has to let go, elated and content. He pants softly, then pulls back from her and strokes his hand down her back.]

Shit. Barely fuckin'...

[Well, he can barely fucking stand, but apparently he can barely talk, also, and he laughs at himself.]

[It's one of those perfect moments where she comes right before he does, and she likes to think it's feeling her get off on his hand at her throat that makes him follow after her. She's grinning as she pants for air and stays slumped over against the bike. Her hand touches at her throat as she laughs in disbelief at how good that was.]

Barely can do anything right now, huh?

[Her head turns so she can glance back at him, and laughs as she tries standing up only to be met with wobbly legs that don't allow it. That's okay. She can rotate enough that she's able to lean in for a kiss.]

Me either. Can't even walk after how good that was.

[And that means she'll just stand there naked. It's fine, she's pretty sure they're the only people around for miles and miles.]

Yeah, that's for sure.

[Clearly one of those moments where he needs a smoke, because if anything calls for it, that did. He grins as the world starts to sharpen back into focus, and he finds where he had abandoned his jacket to dig out his smokes and lighter and get one going.

After a few draws of that, he hands the cigarette over to her and pulls his underwear on just so annoying scratchy grass doesn't get him in all the wrong spots as he sits himself down to relax. He extends an arm toward her, beckoning for her to come sit with him.]

C'mere, princess.

[Her legs still aren't exactly working properly. But she still pushes off the bike and wobbles her way over to him. She probably should find her own clothes, at least her panties. But it's more tempting to go sit on his lap and enjoy the cigarette for a minute. So she does, tiptoeing her way over to him on shaky legs.]

You know what? I'm a little sore after that.

[She laughs, clearly not minding it at all. They both love it when things get rough. And now he's calling her princess and she's curled up nice and safe in his lap. She's warm and happy, and as she passes the cigarette back to him she sighs contently.]

We have such a good life. Nobody else gets to do anything like this. We're really lucky, you know?

Yeah. Yeah, we are. We got everything, babe.

[But he's not about to get sappy right now. He just fucked her brainless over his bike. This is a time to savor the afterglow and let it inflate his ego a little more.

He snickers a moment at his own thoughts before savoring a long draw from the cigarette, and looking out at the stream. The fin of some fish breaks the surface, splashing as it darts after an insect before diving back under. There are a lot of bugs, actually, looking like pale motes of dust in the sunlight as they dip over the water.

It's so fucking... nature. So real it looks fake. It's like nothing he's seen in the city, and nothing out in the desert either. It's hard to know if this is long before people, or long after them.]

S'pose we have this whole world to ourselves right now? Like, what if we're the only people on the planet?

[Except there is that path. But for all he knows, that might be something that animals can make too, like a herd of deer. It's fun to think there's nobody here, at least for now, even if he definitely still thinks an empty world is boring as fuck. It's still kind of special.]

[That question is an awfully big thought, and her eyes go wide as she silently contemplates what that would mean. A chill overtakes her for no real reason other than the vastness of being the only people on the planet reminds her of the vastness of space. He's warm against her though, and she guides his arm to wrap up around her to help keep her even warmer.]

I guess if we are the only people here, I don't have to worry about being embarrassed by how loud you made me scream a few minutes ago.

[She laughs as she pulls the cigarette free from his hand and enjoys a few drags before passing it back. Once she slowly exhales all the smoke and watches it vanish into thin air she moves out of his lap in hopes she can start collecting her clothes and putting them back on.

Only her panties and bra are found and put on before his lap is just too appealing and she winds up back in it again.]

If we're the only ones around, that means no food unless we hunt for it ourselves.

[Their snack is already working its way through her. She'll be starving once they wake up, and she's not about to try and catch a fish with her bare hands or something.]

Yeah. Well, I just saw a fish.

[He gestures to the stream, as if fish could be anywhere else. But also that fish was maybe four inches long, not exactly a meal.

But, he can do better anyway, as he pats around the waistband of his discarded jeans until he finds his pistol, and checks it over to make sure it's still loaded and ready.]

We can shoot ourselves a duck, maybe, if you see one. Those are s'posed to be good.

[And it must be easy, right? Easier than a deer. Now he's excited by the prospect of doing some small amount of hunting though, like he's an eager provider and ready to kill things to eat them, so he stands and pulls those jeans on. Now he's one step closer to being ready!]

[Wait, is he getting up to go hunting? She's easily dislodged off his lap and lands in the grass, and blearily stares up at him in mild confusion. Where does he get all of these second winds from? She can barely walk and keep her eyes open, and he's getting ready to go out and shoot things.]

Duck could be good. If we can get a fire going. And if it doesn't spoil while we sleep.

[She pauses, head tipping to the side as she watches him and realizes something.]

While I sleep, I guess. I can barely move, baby.

[The thought of killing anything and lugging a dead body around is a lot at the moment. It's enough to make her laugh though, and she flashes a toothy grin in his direction as she falls back to lay against their jackets. Hers is used as a pillow, and she grabs his to cover up and stay nice and warm. It smells like him too, which makes her nuzzle right into it with a happy sigh.]

Are you gonna try finding us something?

Yeah! I'll get us some dinner. I need more'n peanut butter an' crackers or I'm gonna drift away in the wind here. You go ahead an' sleep if you want, I got this.

[Ever confident. But how hard can it be? He has seen a whole chicken in his mama's kitchen, he can figure a butchered duck should look like that. Headless, gutted, plucked. Easy, right? And he knows how to make a fire, that's basically second nature to him.]

Don't worry, I won't go real far.

[And apparently she's keeping his jacket, but that's fine, it's kinda hot out. He throws his t-shirt on, and bends down to give her a quick kiss, then strides off in search of a duck. Or whatever looks edible, really.

Half an hour later he's grappling with the fact that his aim just isn't that great, and animals are smart and don't want to get shot. He misses a few tries at rabbits and ducks, knocking feathers off of one of the latter. Finally, finally he manages to hit one though as it takes off belatedly from the surface of a wide spot in the creek, but it struggles and flaps, not quite dead, as the current carries it southward away from him.]

Aw, damnit!

[He runs after it, determined - but before he can jump into the stream to try and wade across to pick it up, someone beats him to it. They're not the only people here. Two young men and a woman, all probably about his and Chrissy's age, watch him with looks of mild confusion and caution while one of them stoops to grab the duck from the shallows and swiftly puts it out of its misery with a snap of its neck.]

Oh! Uh, hey guys. That's, uh, that one's mine.

[They don't look like TV Indians, so he's still not sure if this is very early or very late, but he's leaning toward very early. He's also pretty damn sure they don't actually speak English, but really, what option does he have? Spanish isn't going to do him any more favors.]

[He's right, he doesn't go too far. She sleeps and can vaguely hear the occasional gunshot. They make her stir a little but she doesn't wake up, not until the need to pee forces her to get up. There's no need to put on clothes, because clearly they're the only people in the world out here with all the fish and ducks and the grass.

Since his jacket was used as a blanket, she carries that with her, and shuffles along toward the water. She can hear Johnnie's voice, and follows that until she finds him. He's not alone.

There goes the theory they're the only ones around.

It doesn't dawn on her with how drowsy she still is that she's barely dressed and is shifting from leg to leg as she looks between everyone. Her eyes stay focused on the other girl around, and Chrissy timidly waves as she goes over to walk over to Johnnie's side. No one waves back, but that's okay. They're not attacking either.]

Are they stealing our duck?

[Across the water, the two young men talk to each other. The woman stares at Chrissy, and she stares back. This time when she waves, the gesture is copied and both smile at one another. Chrissy points to the duck, then gestures to herself and Johnnie.]

We're hungry.

[All three look between one another and talk in hushed voices. Eventually one of the men take the duck and move through the water toward them. He stops in the middle of the creek and holds it out in offering, but refuses to edge in close enough that he'll be on their side. They're going to have to meet him halfway.]

[Well, they seem friendly enough. Johnnie takes his cue and wades his way in to meet the guy halfway and claim his duck.]

Thanks. Uh...

[What is a gesture that means thanks? Fuck. Miming is hard. But Johnnie puts his empty hand over his heart, figuring that has to be universally understood enough, then wades his way back to Chrissy.

The guy he left, meanwhile, says something, but who knows what. Johnnie looks back over at him, where the guy is gesturing toward him and saying something. Johnnie shakes his head, not sure how to respond, and the man blinks, says something over his shoulder at his companions, and they discuss briefly before the woman waves to get their attention and claps her hands together loudly, then points at the duck.]

Oh! Like... What did I use? This?

[Has to be what they're asking, right? Johnnie pulls out the pistol and waves it in the air, pointed upward.]

Gun. It's called a gun.

[It's obvious their languages are far from the same. The other group look to each other and try copying the sound of the word, but can't quite replicate it. They curiously look over to Johnnie and Chrissy and their strange weapon, and it's one of the men that hold up their choice in hunting tool. From where they're standing, Chrissy's pretty sure it looks like some kind of spear you'd throw. Maybe a big arrow?

She's not really sure, but she thinks it's great they're having a conversation without really having one at all. This is by far one of the most peaceful times they've been in.]

They don't seem afraid of the gun. That's good.

[She murmurs, trying to set aside any initial worry she may have been feeling. These guys are about the same age they are. Everyone just seems curious about one another.

The woman points to the duck, then to Chrissy. Unsure of what's trying to be said, she tips her head to the side and tries to focus. Sighing, the woman motions toward Chrissy, and then points to the water.]

I think she wants me to get in. Maybe meet her in the middle?

[It seems safe enough. So she glances at Johnnie with a shrug and hint of a grin before setting his jacket down to stay dry, and then she makes her way into the water. But the clicking the men make as she approaches sounds like they're telling her to stop, and when one of them whistles he holds his hand out in a clear signal to don't come any closer. The woman with them is laughing, and she shakes her head as she points back to the duck.]

Oh. You want me to bring you that? But it's ours. We're really hungry.

[Of course, they don't understand that. So she rubs at her stomach before making motions like she's bringing food to her mouth to eat. All three of the people standing opposite her look at her like she's stupid. Obviously that duck is for eating. She looks back to Johnnie, before turning and shaking her head. They gave the duck to him, they clearly don't want it back. So what are they trying to tell them?]

Do you want to help us cook it?

[She points to herself, then over to them. Unsure of how else to ask, she tries again. Her left hand points at them, then her right at herself. She takes both hands and presses them together, then makes the motion of eating. The group talk amongst themselves before the woman makes a sound and seems to nod.

It sure would be easier if they could talk to each other, but they seem to be doing okay here.]

[Johnnie watches in amusement as the whole thing transpires. Fuck it, it's not like it's a big deal to him, they can have the duck. He'll shoot another if he has to - well, as long as he has ammo.

But apparently this is going to be some kind of group situation, and whatever, he's down for that too. He's curious for sure. Maybe not curious enough to seriously want to learn the ins and outs of butchering a duck, but if they wind up here for a few days it can't hurt either.

After a few moments of negotiation via miming, something seems to work itself. The woman takes ahold of the duck, the three end up crossing the stream to Johnnie and Chrissy's side, and they wave for the two out of time to follow along that path Johnnie had parked near.]

I guess we got an invite, huh? To somewhere.

[A small camp upstream on the crest of a low hill overlooking the water - clearly that's where they're headed, once they make their way around a bend and a few tall oak trees. There's smoke from a cooking fire up there, and the wind carries the sound of a couple more voices. Hardly a large town, definitely not the bulk of whatever population lives here, but maybe a place where they catch and cook things before moving on? Fuck if he knows.]

[Chrissy stops and glances back the way they came. Their own stuff is back that way. She thinks she'd really like to be wearing more than her bra and panties when she walks into their camp.]

Hey, Johnnie? I'm gonna head back and get dressed and get some shoes on. I think I'll be able to find my way back here as soon as I'm done.

[He's got the duck, he's the more charming one between the two of them. It makes more sense for him to stick around and hang out.]

Do you want me to grab anything for you?

Uh, yeah, you wanna find my lighter an' smokes? Maybe these guys wanna try some.

[But otherwise, he's good. He's mostly dressed and he's sort of enjoying going barefoot.

The other three look curious at Chrissy's departure as they gesture and try to ask things, but Johnnie just shrugs and waves them on ahead.]

It's fine, she'll be back.

[They don't need to hear the words to understand his cheery lack of concern, and so they shrug it off and carry on, bringing Johnnie and the duck up to the camp.

The other two at the camp are a middle-aged man and woman. Maybe these people's parents? Or aunt and uncle? Hell, all he can do is guess. They give him a good stare, but their new friends explain something or other about what's going on and Johnnie just smiles and does his best to introduce himself by pointing at his chest and saying his name. That also is relatively universal, although the names he gets in return are beyond his ability to remember or reproduce accurately. Still, he does his best to mimic them and gets some laughter out of it. They have him sit and he's given water and a small woven bowl with what looks like some well-fried bugs in it, which is... sort of a shock, but hell, he's adventurous enough to try them.

Crunchy.

The fire gets a big pot of water placed on top of it, but already cooking on hot stones are what definitely reminds him of thick tortillas, and he points and names them as such, which gets a word repeated back that he'll never remember. But hell, it's sort of a connection. Flat breads of ground up grains must be something everyone likes.

By the time Chrissy comes back, he's happily snacking, and grins as he nudges the bowl of fried grasshoppers toward her.]

Hungry?

[It doesn't take her too long to get back to their little camp and get dressed. His things are grabbed and she puts on her own jacket, and makes sure to grab his shoes in case he changes his mind about wearing them. She piles things into her backpack after dumping out the contents into the saddlebag, and she stops at the water to fill up his canteen before making her way back to everyone else.

As she approaches she's struck by how picturesque it is. It's calm and quiet, but bustling in a homey kind of way that makes her excited to join in. A middle aged woman spots her as she heads into the camp, and she calls out for the others. The two guys that met them at the creek come out to get her, and she laughs as they usher her along to where Johnnie is waiting. The offer of snacks makes her grin, and she passes him the canteen as she slides off her backpack and reaches into the bowl.

Only to pull out...fried grasshoppers?

She hesitates, but doesn't want to be rude. Rather than pass them along she tries a couple, and decides they're not her thing. Those tortillas cooking sure are her kind of thing though, and she points at them.]

Please?

[The woman that's nearby says something she doesn't understand, and Chrissy just barely manages to keep from wiggling as she's passed one. She gobbles it down so quickly that the older woman laughs, and hands her another. That one is torn in half and shared with Johnnie.]

Have you guys just been sitting here eating?

Mmm - yeah.

[Well, that's all he's been doing, but in his defense they're all kind of waiting for the pot of water to boil. It's close now, though.

And these tortillas? Shit, man. He grins as he swallows a bite.]

I dunno what these are made of 'cause it ain't corn like I ever tasted, but they're real good!

[To make sure he's made his point, he raises the remnant in his hand at the nearest one of the guys, who is currently otherwise cleaning out the duck's innards into a basket for whatever purpose. He looks over at Johnnie and laughs, nodding. Everyone loves good food, even though he can tell they're sort of laughing at him - not rudely, but he can imagine also being surprised by someone completely loving a plain corn tortilla too.

The duck gets gutted, then blanched and plucked until it is basically just one naked looking thing, not all that different from those grocery store chickens except with its head and feet still very much intact. The older woman comes over to collect the organs and feathers while the guys move the pot, exclaiming at each other while keeping from burning themselves on the hot water and stone rim, then they set the duck up over the flames to cook.

And by now, Johnnie's stomach is really grumbling. Tortilla and bugs has been a snack, not a whole meal, and the sizzling duck fat smells incredible.

While he's watching, the younger woman comes to sit beside Chrissy, and cautiously taps her on the shoulder, then pinches the fabric of her shirt between her fingers. She says something that Johnnie thinks sounds like a question, but he could for sure be assuming wrong.]

Yeah, we dress pretty different, huh?

[Chrissy offers the other woman a smile and holds out her arm where she's wearing one of the bracelets she stole. It's always interesting to her to see different clothes in different places and time periods, and she's sure that's a universal thing. It's probably pretty fascinating to have two strangers show up dressed so strangely.]

I like your necklace.

[They have jewelry in common at least. Chrissy grins as she gently touches at the necklace around the woman's neck. In response, she gets a smile. They both wind up laughing in the way that you do when you enjoy someone's company but have no idea how to actually talk to them. The woman tells her something she tries to mimic but can't say, and they both wind up laughing a little more.

Chrissy's hand is grabbed as she's guided up to stand, and she's hurried over by her new friend into another tent. It must be the girl's space, because she goes to a leather bag and pulls out more necklaces and bracelets. There's really only one option here. Chrissy takes the bracelet off her arm and puts it on the other woman, grinning as she watches the look of awe cross over her face.

Gifts are a pretty universal way of making friends.]

[Off Chrissy goes to make friends, leaving Johnnie with the two young men. They seem cool, but it's tough to communicate, and unlike girls who seem to have some kind of natural bond or some shit, guys have it a little harder. That, and there's two of them and one of him, so mostly the two of them talk to each other, and occasionally look in his direction. Meanwhile, a few steps away, the older woman is doing something to clean and make use of the duck organs with the older man, and then he comes a moment later to set some of those in the fire, skewered on sticks.

He looks slightly skeptical as he looks Johnnie up and down, but softens up pretty quickly with a laugh and some warmth in his eyes as the two guys say something to him. The older woman comes by with more dough for those tortillas, too, stacking up the finished ones so the fresh ones can cook.

Seems like a good moment in Johnnie's view, as the duck sizzles over the fire and as they all wait eagerly, to break out his smokes and light one up. He takes a drag, then offers it to the nearest of the younger men while letting smoke curl from his lips.]

It's good. Makes you feel good.

[Plus the demonstration obviously shows it's not poison.

But any thoughts of that kind of worry melt away as he eagerly takes it from Johnnie for a drag of his own, and then passes it around with a grin and a total lack of coughing. They must smoke something, themselves, now and then because they take to it completely naturally, so Johnnie hands out a few of those cigarettes so they can all have one. Leaves his pack approaching empty, but he has more on the bike. It's worth it to share.]

[Chrissy returns arm in arm with her new friend, who she thinks is called Aponi. It's hard to tell because she thinks her name is longer than that, but those are the closest sounds she can make out and say. As they make their way over to join the others, Chrissy smiles at the sight of Johnnie sharing cigarettes with everyone. It looks like smoking things is universal too.

That's pretty comforting, actually.

She pulls away from Aponi to join Johnnie, eager to wrap her arms around him from behind and give him a quick kiss to his cheek. See, she's perfectly capable of controlling herself.]

I think her name is like Aponi? Maybe. But look, she gave me a bracelet and I gave her the one I was wearing. It's really pretty.

[She glances over just in time to see her friend kiss one of the guys. There goes her theory they're all siblings here with their parents. The sight of young love also being a universal thing makes her smile, and she hears something close to her name being said as her friend points to her.]

Oh hey, that's right! I'm Chrissy. Chrissy - [She puts both hands to her chest, then reaches over to ruffle Johnnie's hair.]

Johnnie.

[Aponi gets the idea of what she's doing and tries saying his name too. Everyone ends up laughing at the attempts, but it's all in good fun.]

Johnnie.

[He says it himself. They're doing names again? Great, actually, because man he couldn't get the hang of them the first time.]

Aponi?

[He tries, looking at the girl, and she grins and laughs but evidently they're close enough that she's going to accept it.

The guy she kissed tries to introduce himself again, something Johnnie thinks sounds like Moolinuko but with more syllables, and the other says Kallitwa or something close enough that Johnnie is pretty sure he gets it down this time when he repeats it back. The older man is something like Cobna that makes Johnnie think of Cobb and that he can remember no problem, while the older woman's name sounds like If, or Ef maybe, a vowel sound in between those two letters.

By the time they've finished playfully poking fun at them all saying each others' names mostly wrong, Cobna moves the organ meats off the fire and passes the sticks around, then takes the duck off as well and begins to carve it with a shining black stone blade.]

Guess we're sharing all this, but y'know what? They gave us so much it works out.

[The duck is not his and Chrissy's alone, but in return they got to try other stuff and hang out and honestly, that's great. This is so much better than sitting around bored in nature by a stream with bugs and fish.]

This is one of the best stops we've made.

[It's just so peaceful and wholesome that it's easy to smile and go with the flow. As portions are handed out, everyone quickly opts for eating instead of trying to make conversation. It's not awkward though, there's a companionable stretch of silence that ends when she's had her fill and she leans over to rest her head on Johnnie's shoulder.

He's on his fourth or fifth wind by now, but she hasn't slept long enough to really convince her body that it's well rested and can keep going. So she yawns, but has the decency to turn her head enough that her face is buried against him.]

How long do you think you wanna hang out here?

[Hopefully he can make that out with how she's trying to murmur in order to stay quiet.]

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