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Hatch's Hot Dog Stand, Midtown Manhattan, 12:05 AM
Perched on the downturned tailgate of her beloved Bertha, Amber sits munching her way through the first of two chili dogs, enjoying the warm, mid-summer air.
Eva is out and about again, this time she is in the company of a lanky youth. Copper rich hair crew cut tidily as he weaves a line that occasionally finds Eva hauling him back from stepping onto the street and out into the late night traffic. As they near the hot dog stand she asks for his wallet which he obligingly gives her before he takes a dive towards a bench and mount it to sit on his knees and hurl across the back of it. Unsurprised Eva moves to the hot dog stand and orders a hot dog and iced tea - the non alcoholic variety. While she waits for the order to be filled shecatches your beastie of an automobile and the gaze begins the hunt for its owner.
Amber spots Eva and gives a polite tip of her hat with her non-chili dog hand. "Evenin' miss. Didn't think I'd be seein' you again.", she says after chewing and swallowing. "How's your world?"
"My world is looking up." Eva says as she pays witht he youths cash for the food and wanders over in your direction. "Paid gig tonight. I get to escort Red here home." the youth referred too was just groaning nonsical noises and occasionally waving a hand like a dolphins flipper to the side as if asking for something. "Thanks to your generosity, I'm managing to meet the rent." she collects up the dogs and drink and head sin your direction rather than Reds. "How is it all going in your world?"
"Glad to hear you've turned the corner.", Amber smiles, nodding as she takes a swig of Coke. "Ah, can't complain, was s'posed t' be at a card game, but it got scuttled last minute.", she shrugs. "Um, he gonna be okay?", she asks, jutting her head in the obviously intoxicated young man's direction. "He ain't lookin' none too hot.".
With reference to Red she looks in his direction and lets her shoulder roll lazily. "Best way to learn your limit is from a hard lesson. He'll be shot tomorrow." The way she says it, its hard to delinate between figurative and literal. Poor ole Red.
"I always figure, better out than in. " she sucks air inwards and pales considerably as a grimace crunches her an inch shorter in stature. "Still, I got a drink for him when he unbends from communing with… the sidewalks at least." she holds the ordered drink and begins to munch down on her own hot dog. With mouth half full she asks, "Don't suppose you've seen a bucket or tap 'round here? I don't feel right about leaving the mess on the sidewalk."
Yeah, yuck. Amber's pretending not to notice, but is losing interest in her dog. "Eh, ain't seen anything like that about.", she confesses. "Maybe crack a hydran open or the like?", she suggests. "So where ya workin'?", she inquires, turning away from Red and his…troubles.
"I don't actually have a job as such. I just… pick things up when the opportunity arrises. Tonight its escort duty." the old fashioned baby sitting sort. "Sometimes its bar tending, other times dancing when someone fails to show. Something often turns up." both shoulders shrug this time. Then she moves enough to offer the drink she'd brought to ole Red. She ain't letting someone elses stomach contents get between her and her hot dog. She munches her way down to the fingertips on her way back to you. "What is it you do?"
"Yeah, best see to him.", Amber notes with a grimace. "He's starting to draw attention.", she notes. And he is, even in NYC, people blowing chunks on the sidewalk in a public place is hard to ignore. The odds of police intervention are getting pretty high. "I'm a groundskeeper at a school out in Westchester.", she replies to Eva's quesiton. "Not a bad gig, all in all. Got my own little apartment an' everything."
"Nice." Eva acknowledges as she watches ole Red sit on down and wash away the taste of the evening with the iced tea. "We'll get him sorted out. Rushing him is just going to end up scalding the throat with bile. " She consdiers people that are stopping, the dress down look from top to toe that says they've been measured before she explains to one. "Was his 21st." He looks all of 18. "He'll be right soon. We will get it all cleaned up."
"The hell's he been drinkin' anyway? Mezcal?", Amber chuckles, dismounting the tail gate to help Eva prop Red up. "Sorry f' th'' mess, folks, we'll tidy up, not to fret. G'on now, we got this.", she adds for the benefit of gawkers. "Son, you are in one shit-ass state.". she says to the boy.
Ole Red is better enough to nod at least. He can agree with being shit-assed tonight. he burps up 'Birthday' as to help with the collaboration being woven. The kid has some smarts even this wasted.
"I have no idea, I just got tagged with the job when his mate made off with his girlfriend." Eva shrugs again, it aint her business. "I'll get home and then come back with a bucket, we can get this tidy." she pockets the boys wallet she was holding. Probably keeping it safe for now.
"Shit, all right, let's get him to Bertha.", she says, grasping the inebriated boy's left armpit. "You puke in the back a' my truck, you gonna have worse than a hangover t' worry about t'morrow.", she tells him in a certain, 'I'm not shitting you' tone of voice she hopes penetrates the fog. "Not much of a friend, leavin' him in this state.", she notes.
Eva's browse raise a little at the offer. She looks at Bertha, then you then the boy. Eventually she trianglates the puzzle to being a good answer. "Sounds good to me." she heads over to Ole Red and strips off his jacket and puke covered t-shirt and rolls them into a bundle "This will minimalise spread in your car." she states as Red discovers he is shy about his body and his arms wrap across his body to protect himself from the night air. Eva just tucks in under oen arm pit and guides him in the direction of Bertha.
"No, he can use it for a pillow, no way in hell's goin' in th' cab. He's damn near cargo a' this point, that goes in th' bed.", Amber says firmly. "Here, hold 'im a sec, lemme get my shit outta the way.", she says, moving to stash the rest of her food in the cab. "Okay, where's this idjit live?", she asks, moving to help plop Red into the bed of the truck.
"East Street, 225." Eva says matter of factly. She waits for you to move your gear before heading towards the tail gate she considers the logistics of getting him up on it. Ole Red's ungaining limbs all make an effort that fall short of the mark of actually getting on.
"Shit!", Amber grumbles, grabbing the boy by the left arm pit and physically /hauling/ him into the bed of the truck, slamming the tailgate up after. "Remember what I said, son.", she notes sharply. "Okay, but you're gonna have t' navigate f' me.", she notes, opening the passeger's side for Eva and passing around the front to get to the driver's side. "Ain't got this town figured out too good just yet."
There is a bit of a blink at how easily you get Ole Red onto the back but Eva'snot about to look a gift horse in the mouth. She provides the pillow and gets out of the way of the closing tail gate. "I got this." she mumbles heading around to ride shotgun. "We head up until the gas station and swing a left there." she imparts directions like she knows her way around the city. She's the first to be suprrised to find the street is now one direction and its not the direction she's just indiated. She swears mildly at the discovery. "That's new."
Amber taps the breaks, out of concern for Red's cranium. "You got no idea where that is do ya?", she says, turning to address Eva with a knowing look.
"It's been a while since I was on these streets." Eva admits, "Only got back to town recently. This… didn't use to be one way." she wrinkles her nose and scowls. "We need to head that direction, there is bound to be road up here that gets that way."
"Right.", Amber half snorts, half chuckles. "This is gonna be a hell of a lot of fun t' explain t' the cops, we get pulled over.", she notes, shaking her head. "Okay, right, then left a' th' nearest cross-street should put us back on our bearin
"Hopefully." Eva says unhelpfully she says with a grin. The brows rise and fall before she's just keeping a watch out for the street and to find the bearings she needs to get reorientated. "There we go. Down there."
"If nobody's ever told ya this before, allow me to be th' first. Get your shit together, honey.", Amber grumbles, pausing at a traffic light and tapping her thumb anxiously as she waits for it to turn green. "Pass me my dog.", she adds, turning onto the indicated street.
The dog is lifted and passed across. "Yeah, I've heard that a fair few times." Eva confesses as she looks down teh street. "We just gotta get over there, and take a right then we'll be on East Street. Next guess will be finding a number to know which end.
Amber deftly unwraps it and stars munching, steering Bertha one-handed through the maze of New York. "Might wanna….." ~munch~ ~chomp~ "Take heed this time. So what number we lookin' for?", she asks, finally finding East Street.
"225." Eva says as she wipes the grease of the dog off her hand and onto the thigh of her pants. "Got 123 here. On the left." she points up, in the distance there are reds and blues lighting up the neighbourhood. The little nose finds the rest of her features wriggling and twisting.
"Aw, shit.", Amber grumbles, polishing off her dog and glancing in the rear-view. "We may have company.", she notes, then casts her gaze on her side of the road. "All I got's is even numbers, so it'll be on your side. Just keep countin'. Probable they're after somethin' else.", she says, with more than a note of hope in her voice.
"201." Eva says slowly as they near the reds and blues. She's adding her own cuss to the conversation as she begins to do the maths and realise exactly why the vehicles are parked as they are. "We can probably pull off to the right there and still look like its natural." she says
"Yeah, yeah.", Amber nods, finding a spot and doing exactly that and shutting the engine down and killing the headlights. "Good thinkin'.", she says, leaning across Eva to open the glove box and retrieve a map of…Wyoming, and open it up. All the way up, so it almost fills the windshield. "Now if drunkee back yonder can just keep his peace…"
Twisting about to look at the body in the back of the truck she can see the mouth opened expression of someone soundly asleep. Even the bumps should have kept him awake, but the quietening engin tells of snoring. Some people… will sleep through anything.
Helping spread the map across the windshield she exhales slowly. "I always wanted to visit here. " a small park finds the poke of finger. "Never got too." she peers a littel around the map and towards the mess.
"It's nice in th' spring an' summer.", Amber nods, "Cold as HELL in th' winters, though.", she adds. "Devil's Tower? Spooky place.", she notes, nodding. "All manner of weird medicine there.", she says. Then she checks the rearview to see if the cops are still behind them.
The cops remain parked up around 220 and 230 they are busy going in and out of one of the houses on the odd numbered sides. Some people are peering out windows to the scene below. Crime scene tape is begining to be pealed across the doorway of 225. "The place had a catchy name to it." Eva says, givinga little scratch to her cheek. "Any idea how we can get sleeping beauty home and collect a mop and bucket on the way out?"
"Eh, honestly? No.", Amber sighs. "Well, maybe one, but you ain't gonna like it.", she says, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "C'mon, follow my lead an' let me do th' talkin'."
Eva's hand scratches up the back of her neck and into the hairline as she consdiers taking someone elses lead. Eventually she shrugs and nods. "Sure. " and she lets the arm fall back to her side getting ready to move.
Amber piles confidently out of the truck and moves around to the bed to grapple with the somnolent Red. "Okay, sweetheart, here's yer stop.", she says, letting the tailgate fall loudly open. Grabbing the boy by the ankles, she starts hauling him out.
He's heavier alseep. Ungainly at best, but now ungainly and heavy. Eva helps haul him out. A moment of thought and she messes up her own hair. A quick wipe down of the boys wallet and its shoved back into his pocket.
Amber once again hoists Red by his left arm pit, and with Eva's help, starts hauling him towards his home. "'Scuse me, officer?", she calls to the nearest cop. "Hey, this feller lives here."
Eva leans in against ole Red. Her face pushes against the side jacket. "Yeah, what she said." she follows up with drunk as a skunk slurring. "Wes had a good nights out we did." the officer just shakes his head. "Sorry but we've got some bad news for him when he sobers up." his nose finds the back of hand rubbing across it before he calls out. "Joe, we got the missing kid here. Let his Aunt know." scratching his nose he looks back and forth between the group. "He ain't going home tonight, you can drop him off in the wagon over there, we'll get someone to look after him." a dark solid truck is parked in the dark.
Amber cuts her eyes over to Eva for a fraction of a second, then nods. "Yessir, we'll do that.", she nods. "He needed gettin' home, same as this one.", she adds, nodding towards Eva. "Might I inquire as t' what transpired here?", she asks, all sobriety and chili dog-scented innocence.
The cop looks up as you ask the question. Shrewd eyes measure you and evaluate that innocent look. "Home invasion." he mutters. "Can't say any more." the gurney is being wheeled out the front door. It carries a black lumpy plastic bag about 1.5 lumpy metres long towards another dark vehicle. Its panel sides having black windows.
In front of the officer Eva does her best to be drunk and obnoxious, the burp from her belly rippling out and promising that ole Red wasn't the only one who could use the pavement as a splatter board for breackfast, lunch and dinner. The solids stay down this time. Just.
The heavy vehicle of paddy wagon was parked up. Its an odd vehicle to load an innocent into, but for now its the safest spot as the flash of a camera bulb captures the scene of gurnery being loaded into the beck of the stretch vehicle by men with black gloves.
"Right.", Amber replies warily, not liking this at all. "Well, since his home's a crime scene an' all, an' he clearly wasn't no kinda witness t' events, maybe we should jus' take him somewheres else?", she asks, turning on her Southern Charm *patent pending*. "I got a place they'll be safe an' all. S'out in Westchester.", she adds.
There is a long look from the copper. He's focused now. "I didn't get your name Miss." he says with is own kind of friendly block-head charm as he gets his notebook out. "If the kid lives there he's a suspect and will get interviewed when he's sober." He looks up expectant in your direction before his pen points to Eva. "And her name too. For the record."
"My name?", she says, applying another dazzling smile. "Louise Fletcher, sir.", she says, tipping her hat politely. "Her first name's Eva, don't know her family name", she shrugs. "An', as I believe I said, the kid in question was boozin' it up way up yonder when whatever happened here happened.", she notes reasonably. "I mean, look at 'im. Does he look like he's been up to anythin' but barfin' outside a' Hatch's?", she chuckles. "C'mon, y' wanna talk t' him, fair 'nuff, ain't no need to lock him up overnight. Lemme take him t' my place t'sleep it off."
The names get written down and Eva just staggers heavily as she's identified. Dagnabbit it all. She murmurs out a slurred version of her surname and keeps getting stuck when asked to spell it out.
The officer considers the logic and then looks back to the trio. The sober, and the not sober and not conscious and definitly not sober of the group. "Joe what time would his Aunt get here to pick him up." Joe calls back at about 11 in the morning. The guys brushes a hand to hise nose while he thinks. "Here's what I can do little lady. You show me a copy of your drivers license and you can take him home. His Aunt will be around in the morning. If the Sarg has an issue with that, he can come get the boy hismelf."
"My license?", Amber replies, smiling brightly once again. "Surely. Honey, can you hold him one-handed?", she asks, "It's in my truck.", she notes to the officer. Then calmly walks back to Bertha, rummages for a moment through the glove box before returning with a not-quite expired Montana driver's license. "Here ya, go, sir.", she says, passing it over. It's a fake, not even a /good/ fake, but the odds of a NYPD having seen a real one are on her side.
Eva staggers under the weight and its the officer that helps keep ole Red upright and not crashing to the pavement. He watches boredly as you go, unable to see the trunk from where he's at he just talks about nothing trying to draw Eva into something more than a burp or nod answer. The license gets taken and the details written down. "I figured from the accent you weren't from around here." he points out, "What was the address you were going to hold the kid at?"
"Nosir, I ain't.", Amber replies with an embarrased smile. "It's…" ~pause as she remembers her favorite breakfast joint~ "At th' corner of 6th and Market.", she says confidently.
The guy looks at the back of the license and front again. "We sure do better in this state." he mumbles. Handing it back over he names notes in his notebook. "We'll be see'n ya'll you can be sure of that." he promises. Eva is the first to help the boy back and be ready in her seat for the slow and cautious gettaway.
"Thankee, kindly, sir.", Amber replies, taking back her license abd tipping her hat respectfully before helping Red back /into/ the truck. Engine on, headlights on, gearshift into first, she starts pulling back out into the street. "You got a power of storytellin' t' do, we get where we're going.", she says firmly, casting a less than patient look in Eva's direction. "Both of ya."
Out of earshot of the cop and making that geta way Eva just shrugs and looses the drunken drawl and slurring. "I aint got no idea what went down there, serious never seen the kid before his friend asked me to get him home. I wonder if I was suppose to have him home a whole lot sooner." It takes time to empty a guys wallet and spend it until there was only a dime and nickle left to his name afterall. "I'm beginning to think the entire situation stinks." she admits wrinkling her nose. "That's all the story I got. Maybe I should get out here." she gestures just randomly to a corner.
"The hell you are, whatever's goin' down now, we're in this together, sister.", Amber says firmly. "We just lied our asses off to cops with dubious intent.", she adds, a bit sourly. "We're gonna find us a place t' hole up an' wait f' this idjit to sober up enough to give us some answers."
_!
Eva mumbles incohernetly about what she thinks of THAT idea. She eyes the window considering making a jump for it, but she's just not that kind of leave a car when its going fast kinda girls.