(Untitled)

[dust_to_order]

Sometime much later, after Will's party, Sooraya and co. are squashed into a booth. She still is edgy, and if she tries to sleep now, either here or at home, it's not going to work.

So. Hot tea, and a journal and pen, to give her something else to think about.
Botherable, however.

Comments

[iamhismummy]

...there is a puppy.

Nancy, responsible and sensible as she is, is still only barely out of her teens. And puppy.

She is absolutely not making squeaking noises. She's just looking.

[iamhismummy]

Nancy blinks.

"Um... a drink'd be good. But I can pay you back sometime."

[dust_to_order]

Sooraya gives her a blank look, eyebrows lifted.

"I invited you to share the table," she pointed out, mildly confused. "If it bothers you, well, pay back when you can, but I wouldn't ask you to. That's politeness where I'm from, not charity," she adds.
She does understand not wanting to be "owing" anyone.

"What would you like?"

[iamhismummy]

"...well, when you put it like that." She shrugs. "Cup of tea? Thank you."

[dust_to_order]

Sooraya replies cheerfully, "You're welcome. I tend to drink a lot of it myself; all-nighters, or so on," she explains. "To stay awake. Some of my American friends swear by 'soft drinks' for that, but...
Do you live on your own yet?" curiously. "Or still with family?"

[iamhismummy]

[ooc: much better! :D]

"Been on my own for four years now", Nancy says calmly. "Me and my little brother."

[dust_to_order]

Oh, and doesn't that sound familiar. Sooraya gives her a sympathetic look. "Sometimes family has to be where you can find it," she says, nodding. "And a matter of doing what you have to. Is he much younger than you are?"

[iamhismummy]

She nods. "He was only a baby when we... well. He's four and a half now."

[dust_to_order]

"Do you and he have a safe place to stay on your world? or mostly safe," she amends, concerned.
There's a speculative look in her eyes for a second, as she asks.

[iamhismummy]

"We've got a few places. Cellars from houses that got knocked down, buildings in places they've already hit..."

Mostly safe is a flexible term.

[dust_to_order]

She bites her lip. "You don't have trouble with looters, or 'drafters', do you?"

[iamhismummy]

"Once in a while", Nancy says stoically. "I threw bits of rubble at the last one until he went away. They don't usually bother us - not like we've got much to steal, and they're scared of the wardens too."

[dust_to_order]

"Whatever works," she says with an approving nod. " I had to fend off a drunk once--which is a little easier, if only because they're usually clumsy. And no one here's given me that sort of trouble."

[iamhismummy]

Nancy nods.

"The ones that think I'm an easy mark, they're trickier to get rid of. But there's always the rocks, and the kids know how to throw things as well as I do if I need more help."

[dust_to_order]

"You don't keep a watchdog, or anything of the sort?" Sooraya suggests hesitantly. She can imagine it'd be hard to keep an animal fed and well, under those conditions, but...

[iamhismummy]

"Not at the moment", Nancy says soberly. "There was a stray we were giving scraps when we had any, but it disappeared about a month back."