(Untitled)

[heartliketin]

The last time this had happened, he'd gone so far as to roast some meat for everyone. This time, he's still weary and tired of wondering if today is going to be the day Glitch turned up in his body again or worrying that whoever was in Coraline's body was going to find herself or himself in some kind of trouble. So he'd still put out as much as he

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[remnantofjoseph]

He sits on the edge of the porch, leg hanging over and crutches set next to him as he nurses a mug of coffee--raising it with a nod to the people gathering, but keeping his distance. It's probably rude not to want to deal with the who's-who after he went through it himself, but no one's ever called him polite.

[colbert_bump]

Coraline grinned at Joe, mug of coffee in hand. She'd never realised how brilliant coffee was before, she'd had two whole mugs this morning alone and she wanted more. She was also feeling very peppy.

"Joe! Joe! Look at what I can do," Coraline said, making a face before making the ear pop out. "I can't hear a thing out of it but isn't it neat?"

[remnantofjoseph]

"Coraline," he guesses easily enough. He peers at her over the mug, oddly disturbed by the trick. "Yeah, but how'd you get it stuck in there to begin with?"

[colbert_bump]

"Don't know, apparently I'm deaf in one ear and I can do this neat trick. I bet you can't do anything as cool as that." Coraline said, bouncing on her feet. The wellies looked odd in combination with the wellies but it definitly gave away who she was. "I'm a television star. Well he's a television star which isn't as cool as a ninja but still pretty cool."

[remnantofjoseph]

"Definitely not before noon," he concedes, swinging his leg a bit. Bonnie surprises him by licking his heel--he hadn't been sure where she's been sleeping, lately. "My dog's pregnant," he says with a scowl. "Is that cool?" He'd imagined--even considered it pretty much fact a few days ago, but it still made him shake his head in wonder. He just hopes Cain hasn't noticed yet.

[colbert_bump]

"Only if she's going to get married," Coraline said automatically, the body had very opiniated views on a lot of things including unwedded dog pregnancies. "What trick can you do after noon?"

[remnantofjoseph]

He doesn't have one, and he coughs into his coffee, thinking, watching Bonnie sniff the toes, then the absence of toes. He laughs, to himself, "Ask Gene."

[colbert_bump]

"Okay, I will!" Coraline said excitedly. Now this was what this body was made for an interview. She'd interrogate Gene about all sorts of things; intentions, tricks, whether he had any affiliation with the great threat of the bears/other mother.

[le_traiteur]

I sit down beside Joe on the porch, my hands full of orange. Wordlessly, I pass him a section and then squint out at the figures milling about on the lawn.

"Pity Luz didn't end up a woman this time," I remark as I suck a bit of juice from the pad of one thumb. "Woulda paid to see that."

[remnantofjoseph]

"It's weird, being a girl," he admits. "They're better people than we are." But he smiles when he says it, and dunks the orange in his coffee, stupid little thing to keep the mood light, before eating it anyway.

[le_traiteur]

I can't help but agree with that, and smile in return as I slide my gaze over to Joe just in time to watch him dip his orange section in his coffee.

"Orange flavahed coffee?" I ask, bewildered. "That a Pennsylvania thing?"

[remnantofjoseph]

"Maybe," smile widening, and he elbows him lightly in the arm. "You'll never know."

Pennsylvania. He thinks of Babe, retreating into the mug for a moment before looking back over at him. "I told Babe."

[le_traiteur]

I don't think I've sobered so fast in my life. The smile falls clean off my face, and I stare back at Joe, astonished. I'm feelin' a whole mess of emotions all at once, but the most prominent one's uncertainty.

"You what?" I say, even though I know exactly what he's just told me.

[remnantofjoseph]

"You said we had to tell them, so I told him," he says, tugging his good leg up and bracing his foot against the edge of the porch, defensive posturing that won't get him very far, now. "He was askin' about girls, I didn't want to lie to him."

[le_traiteur]

Panic. That's what this is. Sheer fuckin' panic, masked by a whole helluva lot of annoyance.

"We, Joe," I say, frownin'. "We is the operative word in that sentence. You coulda at least given me a little warnin." I want to punch somethin', but I look away instead. Thing is, I'm not in a position to play favorites, but that's what Babe is. Fuckin' kid looked after me.

"Fils de pute. God damn it, Joe."

[remnantofjoseph]

"I didn't plan it." He stares at Gene, genuinely surprised by his reaction--he was the calm one, the ready one. "You weren't like this when I told Cain," but it doesn't get him anywhere. He reaches for Gene's arm, hesitates, then touches his elbow anyway, fitting his hand around it. "I'm sorry."