Something close to happy is suddenly mine...

[stillaboyscout]

It should be said that there is never actually a quiet day in Chicago. Ever. Somewhere, always, something is happening, and invariably that something has to do with explosives. It is Chicago, after all.

But there are a lot of people in Chicago, and so specific people can have quiet days. Take Michael Vaughn for instance, currently out and about

Comments

[duology]

Dev heard a rumor somewhere that there are monsters in the lake, which has made him very curious. Plus he hasn't actually been to the pier yet. All the more reason to go check it out on this oh-so-beautiful day.

He's been having a good day so far, and the day just gets even better when he spots a familiar face sitting on the edge of the pier. He strolls up behind her, smiling brightly and digging a tissue out of his pocket, which he offers to Scout.

"Scoutbird, it's been too long. You've been taking care of yourself, I hope?" He raises an eyebrow at the dribbly nose.

[crashiscoming]

Scout takes the tissue and examines it with a curious look on her face, then uses it to dab at a bloody scab she'd been picking at on her shin. She's not exactly the brightest of girls.

"Devdev my dear," she says. "Take care, take care, take care of the ones you know." She's more than a little out of it today. Yay for a lack of coherency?

[duology]

Dev smiles a little, though he also tilts his head, watching Scout closely. "Your nose, Scoutbird, your nose. Get that gunk out of there and you'll surely feel better. Little Scoutling, you're not sick, are you?"

[crashiscoming]

Scout wipes her nose on the back of her hand and looks up at Dev. "Not sick, not sicker than normal no no no no no," she assures him with a smile on her face. "Not sick and no home full of no no nos, yeah?"

[duology]

"Not sicker than normal, no, but what is normal, I wonder?" Dev finally just sits down beside her, leaning back on his hands and giving her a concerned look. "I worry about my Scoutbird, I do! Gotta take care of yourself, don't you?"

Talking to Scout is like talking to someone who doesn't speak much English. Dev feels like he needs a translation dictionary. "No home? Nowhere to sleep and be comfortable? Is that it, Scoutling?"

[crashiscoming]

Scout shrugs. "Normal normal danger normal," she replies. "Sick in the head, dangerous normal. Take care, take care. Do take care, yeah? Yeah?" She nods. She takes care of herself, she does! Mostly.

"Home to sleep, place to sleep. Not comfortable, too many coldbloods, yeah? Though some not bad, not like home." Of course, practically all the coldbloods here are better than home.

[duology]

"Oh, yes. Many different kinds of sickness aren't there?" And oh, doesn't he know it. "I'm sure you take care of yourself, I'm sure. Just don't go collapsing or disappearing on me, yeah, Scoutbird?"

Coldbloods? He is completely unfamiliar with that term. "Not comfortable, no place for your own, then? Oh, then, I could recommend something, somewhere new and safe. Better! Would that do?"

[crashiscoming]

"Do, yeah? An' no collapsing, no no no." She shakes her head and smiles at him, wide.

"Place of own, own but watched, yeah? Somewhere newer, safer, better, stronger. Do do so very do Devdev."

[duology]

He smiles back. "Good, good." He's not entirely sure he trusts her on that matter. Crazy people have an unfortunate habit of not taking care of their health.

"There's a nice apartment complex I'm at. Lovely place, clean, free. Sunset Vista Estates! I could take you there now, if you want. Much like the Conrad and company, room and board for free and no one bothers you. Might also come with a job, if you're interested, the kind with rubies."

Dev is pretty sure the entire complex is Organization-owned. He's also not sure that he's allowed to just invite people to go live there, but if anyone has a problem they can take it up with Dev. Scout might even want a job with them, and they might be willing to offer.

Arlin might get his panties in a twist over this, but oh well.

[crashiscoming]

"Home, home, no one bothers you." Scout cocks her head to the side. She's fairly interested. "An' a job too, under the table yeah?" She smiles at him. "Job wi' rubies job with kind job's a killer you see you see?"

[duology]

"No one bothers you, no one! Don't live there, really, I don't, but I spend enough time there, sure. People are a little intense, though."

He grins at her, rather wolfishly. "Plenty of rubies, lovely ones."

[crashiscoming]

"People intense, just don't touch yeah?" Scout grins. "Just don't touch an' no wet. Nooooo wet. But plenty o' rubies, plenty o' wet there an' good, crisp freshly cut oh freshly cut."

[duology]

"Exactly! There you go."

He likes Scout, he really does. She is where Dev would be if Dev didn't have Ace. He's sympathetic that she doesn't have such a balancing force in his life--but he also has to admit, he kind of respects her uninhibited craziness.

"Oh, freshly cut, of course, fresh as from the butcher's."

[crashiscoming]

Scout smiles broadly. Uninhibited crazy, that's her in a nutshell. And it's just the way she is--she couldn't have it any other way, and if she could, it wouldn't be her.

"Fresh as from a butcher's, 'cept YOU is the butcher!" she cackles happily. "Maybe take up on deal, Devdev, if job."

[duology]

He laughs, glad to see that she's liking the proposal.

"Lot of responsibility, though, I'll warn you. Less freedom than you might like, but you're free to take your rubies where you find them." Dev figures he should talk to Arlin too, just out of common courtesy.

[crashiscoming]

"Can take," she reassures him. "Can do, if boss-man okay an' no wet. Yeah? Just do job an' do what want on own time, unnstan'. Aye-aye, cap'n." She salutes him. "Not? No harm done, yeah? Can leave."