alternativewriting | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Alec watched Meyer leave after whatever business he had with Sally. He probably could have listened in on things but... that was improper. Besides, he had a feeling he didn't want to know what they were talking about. Something about Meyer gave him the hebbi-jeebies.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sally comes out of the back room looking less than amused. She's not fuming with anger, at least, which is a good sign -- Alec's probably seen that by now, and probably doesn't want to see it again -- but she's also not pleased, apparently.

She's muttering something under her breath about little conmen and cocky bastards.

Being halfway intelligent when Alec sees Sally like that he pours her a drink and leaves it within grabbing distance.

She grabs the drink and downs it quickly, and then nods at Alec appreciatively. See, he's learning quickly.

"You talk to that guy?" she asks. Clearly, she means Meyer.

"Mr. Lansky? Just a little bit, yes."

He can be taught!

"He say anything?"

Well, of course he said something. What she really means is, did he say anything interesting? Or at least useful in some way.

"No. Not really. He just asked some questions about me and drank coffee."

Not that Alec knows.

He thinks for a second. "He was surprised at my lack of ... familiarity with guns and violence."

"Well, he would be."

She beckons for him to pour her another drink, then sighs loudly.

"He looks like a nice guy, acts like a nice guy, but he's as shady as they come, mark my words."

He pours her another drink.

"All right. I will." He grins a little. "I don't know how much shady he'll be doing around me."

"Probably not much. He's smart, I'll give him that. Smart and charming. Kind of cute, in a shady way, too. You'd expect him to be nice. Then again, you might expect me to be nice, too."

And she certainly isn't. At least by her standards. She takes a sip from the new drink, instead of slamming it down like she had the last one.

"His ears were a bit too big for my tastes," Alec says absently. "And I've found you to be perfectly pleasant most of the time."

"Sure, I'm perfectly pleasant," she says, with a little smile that suggests that she's anything but. "Except when it comes to big-eared assholes like that one."

Edited 2014-01-11 03:49 (UTC)

"What did he want?" Alec asks, not sure if she'll tell him.

He knows she's in some Shady Business, that much is obvious, but he's not exactly sure how shady it is and how much she wants to involve him.

"To talk business. Just like his type always does. Nothing important."

Remarkably, as far as things go, it's not particularly shady, which is why she's so casual about all of it.

"Some would say that business is very important. My father would."

He's volunteered something about his family. How about that.

"Sure, business is always important, but it's not like he was sharing anything new. An update on what's going on in New York. Nothing I need to concern myself with."

She does, of course. What's going on in New York is just as important as what's going on in Florida. But Alec should be protected from all of that.

Alec frowns briefly figuring that she's hiding something from him. After all he doesn't think some guy would travel all the way down from New York for just an update.

"Ah. Well. Still, it was nice of him to come down all this way. He didn't seem to appreciate the weather."

"Most people don't. Far as I can tell, you're not fond of it, either."

And she figures that anyone who hasn't been raised here wouldn't be inclined to like it. It takes some getting used to. Someone as uptight as that Meyer guy probably hates it, and probably always will.

"It's... different. But still much better than snow. It's nice knowing that I'll never have to worry about frozen toes."

"Yeah, that's one thing that won't be a concern. Just the swamps and the heat. You'll have to be careful, come summer."

"Why's that?"

"People like you end up with heatstroke a lot of the time in their first summer here. They overdo it on the alcohol and don't drink enough water. Don't worry, kid, I'll keep my eye on you."

She's maternal, in a strange sense. He might not have expected that of her, but there it is.

"Oh. Well... that would be bad. I might pass out and an alligator could get to me."

It's hard to tell if he's being straight faced or serious.

"That's right."

She's being serious, but she's also amused by the whole idea.

"Don't worry, if that happens, I'll drag you back inside."

He gets that expression on his face again. The one where he's about to say something stupid about women.

"That's kind of you."

She hopes she can silence him with a glance. It's getting easier. He's learning.

"Yeah, I'm nothing if not kind, kid. At least, when it comes to someone like you."

"Someone like me?" He can't help but asking.

She just shrugs, finishing off her drink.

"The kind of person I want to protect."

"Oh. Well. Um. Thank you."

He thinks.

"Hey, nothing wrong with that. Don't think it means you're some kind of wimp, kid. I like you. That's what I do for people I like."

Don't worry, Alec. Sally has your back, as much as you might think women shouldn't handle weapons or fight.

He sighs. "I am a wimp."

"Maybe a little."

She grins at him, obviously finding it amusing.

"But you won't always be. Not once we get you toughened up. And Florida'd toughen anyone up."

"Sure. Once you can figure out how make me feel all right to hit a lady."

"I figure if I piss you off bad enough, you'll go for it. I'll just be instinct."

He looks at her horrified.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only