our blood's in the machinery

24. killjoy.

[killjoymeyer]

SPITTING FIRE / Adrian & Zoe

[crybabywallace]

“Nn.. Kinda. He was around when I first joined up, ‘n I’m pretty sure one of my friends was hooking up with him, but can’t say I really know him-know him.” Killjoy. It made sense - and it left her more at ease, too. It wasn’t that other people couldn’t be trusted, but.. Gang members could be trusted more, at least to a certain extent.

“– ‘s it true that you guys don’t have a leader around anymore?”

[killjoymeyer]

   “Right.” Adrian bit his lip, processing the information. Though he tried, imagining Marlon behaving affectionately towards anyone was difficult any which way he tried to slice it – the only way the curly-haired Killjoy could picture it was as some sort of violent hate fuck-thing, but even then it was kind of far fetched. Not to say that he had thought Marlon was a virgin... maybe he had been different with the Crybabies.

   “Yes.” He nodded again, shooting her a glance before his eyes fixed back onto the dark distance, the black of the sky looking even deeper against the brown desert brush that was illuminated by the lights outside the church. “But there are still some of us who are more... in charge than others. Who take the lead.”

[killjoymeyer]

SPITTING FIRE / Adrian & Zoe

[crybabywallace]

His sudden statement made her laugh - quick, quiet, absent as quick as it came in all but the lingering lopsided grin on her face. She took another drag. “Not even sand can scrub off the vibe, huh? I’m a Crybaby.” The Crybaby. It was weird. Kind of.

Her eyes went from the shadows lurking near the door to Adrian, honing in on him like the scope of a rifle. “City kid or a Killjoy?” The joint made her think of days that were long gone: the diet fad at her school; kids sniffing their friends’ portions of fries with elation because they were restricting themselves to kale. By that point, Zoe herself had already been knee-deep in a different green for a good couple of months.

She felt like those kids, looking at him toking up, her own smoke loaded up with nicotine and nothing more.

[killjoymeyer]

     Adrian nodded his head, looking at the ground. Crybaby. It made sense; they were – after all – the... cleanest gang? He didn’t know any other word for it. Rich, maybe. The only other Crybaby Adrian had ever known was Marlon, but this girl didn’t seem to be like him at all, and besides, assuming the whole gang’s personality from that of one member would be less than intelligent. On top of that, Adrian was fairly sure Marlon was a sociopath.

   “Killjoy,” he replied, taking another drag. He held the smoke in his lungs for a moment, then exhaled, already feeling subtle effects of the drug in his brain. “Do you know Marlon?”

[sidrourke]

“Do it soon, then.”

[sidrourke]

“You’re doin’ the refills.”

[killjoymeyer]

   “Fine.” Adrian shrugged.

   “Just not right now.”

[killjoymeyer]

SPITTING FIRE / Adrian & Zoe

[crybabywallace]

“Zoe,” she said, glancing at him. “What’s yours?” Inside her head, all gears and cogs were reeling as she theorized about exactly who he was - if he was in the gangs, for one. If that was the case, she was damn sure he had to be a Killjoy, because there was no way he was young enough to be in the other gangs. Then again, maybe he wasn’t. Maybe he just knew someone, the way so many who attended the parties did. 

There was never a good way to ask about shit like that. People were guarded - with good reason. She rifled through her pocket for her pack of smokes, sliding out a cigarette from it and sticking it between her lips. “Got a light?” She was fairly certain Jax had absconded with hers.

[killjoymeyer]

   “I’m uh–” Adrian fumbled in his front pockets for a lighter, only to remember that he’d slipped it into a back one a while earlier. He pulled it out and offered it to the redhead – Zoe. “Adrian.”

     Seeing her light a cigarette had him itching for something himself – but not tobacco. He had a joint behind his ear, all but hidden in his thick, brown curls, and he pulled it out, lighting it once the girl gave him his lighter back. He inhaled, exhaled, studying her.    “You look like a city kid,” he commented suddenly. There was no hint of a question, but (to him at least), it was obvious that he wanted her to answer. One could find people from all over at these kinds of parties, but only ones that could be trusted. Otherwise they’d all have ended up like the Whirlybirds long ago.

[sidrourke]

“Stop being such an ass, Adrian!”

[killjoymeyer]

   “I can understand why you’re upset.”

[killjoymeyer]

SPITTING FIRE / Adrian & Zoe

[crybabywallace]

“I know how ya feel,” Zoe said, the smile on her face surprising even herself - it was easy, talking to strangers, easy to be genuine and friendly and not a worried mess. Easy because strangers didn’t know jack-shit about what was going on: at the Store, in her mind. 

“Outside?” All she wanted was company. The guy didn’t seem particularly talkative, but that was fine; all she wanted was a smoke in a quiet place. “C’mon.” It was a read-between-the-lines type demand; either he’d join her, or he wouldn’t, and regardless, she was going out there, past the dancing, drunken crowd and through the door.

[killjoymeyer]

     Before Adrian had time to consider the redhead’s invitation, she set off, and so the awkward silence that he was all set to respond with got cut off, and the brunet was left with no choice but to follow her, seeing it as the preferable option to remaining inside at the loud, crowded party all by his lonesome. He missed Cassius. Had he been around, the party would’ve been a blast, and the two of them would’ve probably gotten into some type of trouble. Adrian had to smile at the thought, a private, subtle curve of his lips that wasn’t meant for anyone else.

     As soon as one of the humongous church doors opened in front of him and he stepped out, Adrian felt how warm it had been inside, the air dense and almost unbreathable. He felt an instant relief when chilly desert air filled his lungs, and for once found himself grateful for the night cold, even though once he had cooled down a bit, it would be too cold out for the t-shirt he was wearing.      The redhead continued away from the door until the loud mix of music and voices receded a bit, and Adrian followed her sheepishly until she stopped.    “What’s your name?” He asked, almost immediately, trying to avoid an awkward silence. If one fell upon them out here, there was nowhere to escape to.

[sidrourke]

“’Cause what?”

[killjoymeyer]

[sidrourke]

“You’re a shitty fuckin’ liar, Addy.”

“C’mon. Beer. You drink it, you pay for it. Why didn’t you just get more?” 

[killjoymeyer]

   “’Cause.”

[killjoymeyer]

   “No, I did not ‘drink all the beer and fill the bottles back up with water so no one would notice until it was too late’. That’s ridiculous.”

[killjoymeyer]

SPITTING FIRE / Adrian & Zoe

[crybabywallace]

“Oh– no, that’s okay.” He looked peevish; like he’d have drooping ears were he a dog. She’d been looking for someone else, originally, but.. she’d changed her mind about that, either way. Wasn’t as if the bathroom was a good place to look for someone. The room only smelled like cigarette smoke, no vomit in sight - which was definitely what she’d been expecting. Two surprises, then. 

“You doing okay?” If it wasn’t vomit, it was something else. Something in how he barely met her eyes with his own. Bad trip? Maybe not. Still.. she needed something to take her mind off of it. 

So what if it made her think of Sage.

She’d seen him around, though the memory was vague. Had it been at the station?

Zoe stepped out of the way of the two girls behind her, their eyes already a little glassy from the moonshine that was being served: they didn’t look like they were from the gangs, instead having done themselves up the way kids in the city did; clothes cleaner, hair in the latest fashion.

It was the first time it had gotten her hackles raised.

The guy who’d been occupying the bathroom was a Killjoy, but she had no real clue as to who he was. She’d gotten the phone from Corbin when he took off. The text she’d sent was brief - that Inman was out, and that Wallace was the new leader. 

“Y’want some water or.. just fresh air?” 

[killjoymeyer]

   “Fine, I–” Adrian met the redhead’s eyes – she looked concerned, like she was genuinely worried about his well-being. Or like she was trying to figure something out. Maybe it was both. “I’m not wasted, or anything, I was just–” he huffed a laugh, pathetic sounding, and looked away again, rubbing at his neck. “Reevaluating my life.”

     Two girls passed them, and the redhead and Adrian both shuffled out of the way, the Killjoys eyes lingering on the backs of their heads as they continued on their way without turning back.    “I’m not really a party person,” he explained, his eyes returning to the girl in front of him. “More of a.. couple beers and a joint type guy. This is a little loud for me.” He pointed awkwardly to the bathroom door behind him. “Needed a break.”

[killjoymeyer]

killjoylaina:

“There’s a shelf..” She said, pointing to the board nailed to the wall far above her head. “I’m too short to reach it, to check if there’s anything up there. You think you could?” She requested.

   “Sure.” Adrian pushed off the door frame and crossed the room to the shelf Laina pointed him towards. He stood up on his toes and reached on top of it, feeling for anything left behind. Mostly he felt his skin being covered in dust, but towards the end of the shelf, he felt a small cardboard box. When he took it down, he heard something rattle inside it, but even before he opened it up, he knew from the logo what it was.    “Ammunition.” He handed it to Laina, then brushed off his hand, sending a cloud of dust motes into the air. “Ugh.”

[killjoymeyer]

SPITTING FIRE / Adrian & Zoe

     His reflection was covered in fingerprints. Dried droplets of water. Dust. A black spot that was probably mascara. The sink was full of cigarette butts and wet ash; it stank, the smell almost making him sick. His roach was in there too, and his fingers smelled – but not of tobacco. Someone banged on the locked door, once, twice, thrice.

     Trying to gather himself, Adrian covered his face with his hands and took a deep breath. The bathroom fan was on, filling his head with a whirring noise that seemed to resonate in his ears like an echo. He knew coming to this party had been a bad idea. The brunet was way out of his comfort zone, but had decided to come to try and spend more time with his fellow Killjoys, maybe meet someone new. Of course, nothing had gone as planned.

   “Hello?” A voice sounded through the door and, a split second later, the handle rattled. Time to get back: if not to the party, then to the station. Slowly, Adrian made his way to the other end of the room and unlocked the door, opening it.      Stepping out, he found himself staring directly into a pair of eyes, and suddenly felt like he had to justify occupying the bathroom excessively.    “S-sorry I was in there so long. I’m not really a–” He cut himself off, looking down, away. “Sorry.”

[killjoymeyer]

charlotte-curtis:

As the boy gnawed her bones with his sophisticated vocabulary, which reminded her of her missing brother, Charlotte spun around; “Alright then, why won’t you let me stand on your shoulders. That way I can reach it, and you’ll be the hero of the day, or- you can-” Charlotte halted midway not to blurt out an unfriendly suggestion. The Rag Doll pressed her lips together annoyed, and shook her head when finishing wearily; “You gonna help me or not?”

“No. You’re rude and I’m leaving. Good luck with your thing.”

[killjoymeyer]

killjoylaina:

“He might. He did-doesn’t like to tell me about it, but I know he did that stuff once in a while at least. I’ll give it to you if I find any.”

“Alright. I’ll– I’ll help you with whatever you were trying to get down. What was it?”

[killjoymeyer]

charlotte-curtis:

Charlotte stopped her attempts to climb up on the roof of the bus stop, and turned. Planting her hands to her hips, and her eyes on his, she replied perplexed; “Insult you?”

Surveying the man in front of her, and his person, she soon realized that his rigid behavior gave her an icky feeling. Charlotte muttered to the stranger; “I guess you won’t be much of help then…” and turned to stare at the purse on top of the roof. It mocked her with its red and unreachable presence. She had her money in there, and even though it wasn’t much, it was all she got. She also had her sanitary pads in there, a few hard candies, a pick lock device, and a Swiss knife. 

Charlotte hadn’t adopted the control of emotions her brother had, and could be a bit hot headed sometimes. 

“I wouldn’t exactly call taking a dig at someone’s gender identity using unfair, and – quite honestly – outdated stereotypes polite.”

“Besides, I’m not tall enough to reach up there.”

[killjoymeyer]

killjoylaina:

Laina looked at him for a second and nodded shortly. “That’s fair. Sorry.” She said with a shrug, watching around the room. “Do you want anything of his? I mean, I probably don’t need all of the stuff he left.” she offered. She’d already displaced the family photos and some of his old clothes to her room, but she had yet to take out trinkets and other things Jared possessed. Not that there was much to sort through anyways.

“No. Not unless he’s got any pot lying around.”