a non rainy day at the sunny shores

who: ki and open
where: The Sunny Shores Motel
when: afternoon

Ki was sitting outside the Sunny Shores Motel, waiting for her employers to be finished with whatever they were doing. Some kind of deal, even if she wasn't aware of what that deal entailed. Instead, she was just outside, walking along the water, looking down into it now and then. She half expected to find a corpse, but so far had not.

Mostly, she was having a good day, it was sort of nice out. At least, it wasn't raining. She was also enjoying not being watched over every second just now. It was nice when she wasn't being spied on. When she had a few moments to herself. Holding her arms up to balance herself as she walked along the edge, she hummed a little to herself, and ventured about as far from the place as she could--without it actually being out of sight.

Culligan crouched near the water, just staring out at nothing. 'He' didn't move at all except to raise a cigarette, and exhale plumes of smoke. The collar of the slightly too big pea coat was pulled up, covering the tattoo on the back of Laura's neck and her boy's cap was pulled low. She didn't know what was going on inside either, and figured it was probably best if she never did. She wasn't curious in the least.

Movement caught her eye and she flicked the butt out into the water, then lit another smoke as she watched Ki approach.

Ki looked over at the movement, and she smiled brightly, and waved. "Hello!" she called, not seeming to really mind calling attention to herself or anything. She kept walking closer as well, sure she'd seen this person around before. "Don't I know you? I believe I've seen you!" she said. Maybe she'd spoken to them too. She wasn't sure. She'd have to find out! And it would give her something to do while she waited, since the waiting part was going on for who knew how long.

Laura tilted her head up, bringing her face out of the shadow of the brim of her cap and away from her coat collar. "Yeah... I guess you know me. Picked up a package once or twice and you were there, I think." Usually when she worked, Laura was dressed as a boy and went by her last name. She didn't know what was in the packages, didn't mention who she was picking them up for, and took note of who was there and what they were saying without seeming to. It didn't surprise her that she was only vaguely recognized. In fact, it pleased her. Being just some random kid was a big part of her job.

She probed her busted lip with her tongue and then took another drag before holding the cigarette out to Ki, offering to share. Laura didn't wonder why the other girl was there. It was none of her business unless someone told her it was. Would be good to have someone to pass the time with, though. Staring at the water and chain smoking got old pretty fast. "Probably going to be here a while... Wanna shoot dice or something? We can do it for funsies or for pennies."

Ki shook her head at the offer, but smiled. "Thank you, but no. I'm not allowed." she said. Which was true, it was another expense no one was going to spend on her, so she'd been told she wasn't allowed. Like she wasn't allowed to drink, either. "I don't have any pennies, but sure. You might have to teach me, though. Do you mind?" she asked, feeling a little stupid for needing to be taught, but if there was one thing Ki was it was sheltered. Therefore she didn't know things like that, never hung out with anyone her own age, and generally missed things of that nature.

Laura arched a brow. "Not allowed? Always follow the rules?" She grinned, tugging the cap on her head and then reaching into her coat pocket for her dice. "I got some pennies. We can use them sort of like keeping score." She stood, moving over to the nearby dumpster, explaining as she went. "We need something to roll against... The come out roll... that's what the first roll of the round is called. If it's a seven or eleven, you win. If it's a two, three, or twelve, you lose. If it's anything else, that's your point and you gotta roll it again before you roll a seven." She clamped the cigarette in her lips, and knelt to set down the dice, and divide the pennies roughly in half. "Got it?.. You bet pennies on the shooter. Not on yourself. A don't bet is a bet that the shooter loses. My name's Culligan, by the way." She gave her last name, wiped her hand on her coat, and offered it for a shake.

"Nice to meet you, Culligan, I'm Ki." she said, shaking in return, and she bowed slightly afterwards. "And okay, I understand." she said. "Should you go first?" she asked. "I bet a penny on you then?" she asked, trying to see if she got it, but she wasn't positive she did. She didn't want to come off as stupid, but she knew often people figured she was. Of course, they really thought that when she was bartending and tried to short her for their tab, which she always caught.

"Yeah. I'll go first. I can show you how to roll." Culligan scooted back a little, and gave the dice a shake, then threw them across the ground to bounce off the dumpster, rolling a five. "See, you gotta bounce them off the wall. That's the rule. Keeps people from cheating... well... some ways of cheating." She scooped the dice up again and shook them. "Need to roll five again before I roll a natural or I lose, and you do too."

Ki smiled and nodded, following, or, she hoped she was following. "So I should be rooting for you?" she asked, laughing a bit. "I like this game. You can support others." she decided, watching for what Laura rolled. It was kind of strange for her, being around someone who might've been around her age. She generally hadn't done a lot of that, she'd been kept away from other kids when she'd been younger, and it hadn't changed when she'd become a teenager. So, this situation was quite novel for Ki, and she was pleased for it.

"You can bet for or against people. Nothing personal, though. It's all chance and it's just fun." Laura rolled a six, then an eight before getting her five. Then she rolled another six. "Damn.. got another point to make." When she finally crapped out, Ki had won more pennies than she lost.

"Okay... remember.. the dice have to hit the wall." Between bets and rolls, Laura made small talk. "You're really not allowed to smoke?" The fact that there anyone involved in the business who didn't know how to shoot dice intrigued her. "What are you allowed to do?"

"I don't know. Lots of things. I can read, and paint, and sometimes they let me tend bar at other places. I like it at the Kitten Club. The girls are all so beautiful, and dressed in such pretty colors." she said, tossing the dice, and she did it too delicately, and made a face as only one of them hit the wall. "I'm sorry, may I try again?" she asked, unsure if that meant her turn was over since she'd messed up.

"You have to roll again. It's not a good roll. Good thing you get to practice and you're not in a real game. The guys would yell about that." Laura chewed her lip a little as she listened to the list of things Ki does for fun. "Just about all that stuff is work." Reading? Seriously? "Don't you ever go out or play cards or get high?"

Ki threw the dice, this time managing to make them both hit the wall, and she was proud of herself. "There!" she said. Then she laughed. "And I lose." Since she'd rolled a two and a one. She thought she remembered Culligan saying that a three meant you lost. Then she looked at her companion curiously. "Work?" she asked, shaking her head. "No. I mean, bartending is, but it's kind of fun to go other places and do something else. Plus, I get to talk to all sorts of people when I do. That's nice." she said. "Reading and painting aren't work at all." she protested with a smile. "And no, I'm not really allowed off on my own. I don't know how to play cards so much. I mean, maybe poker, but not because I've played. Just because I sometimes have to bring chips to people playing with my boss." she said. And Ki was a quick study sometimes. "Getting high..." she laughed and shook her head. "Nooo...people get all lazy and strange when they're high!" But then the most she was used to was seeing people strung out on opium.

"You lost and I did too!" Laura laughed a little. It wasn't a serious game, and it was only one throw for pennies. "See... that's why you can do a no bet." She scrapped her pennies into the house pile, and scooted over to take her turn. She paused, looking at Ki as the other girl spoke. "You're on your own right now... and it depends on what people are high on if they get lazy."

Ki watched Culligan, listening. "I suppose so." she said. "Mostly I just see people chasing the dragon." she said. "No one much likes to move, they just sort of want to...drift." she said, not sure it was the right word or not, but it was the closest she had. "Am I strange for not doing the same things you do?" she asked curiously.

"Chasing the dragon... that's not what I was talking about." Laura looked away, throwing the dice as she considered Ki's question. "I dunno. Most of the kids I know do, but most of them are out on their own. Kids with parents have to sneak to do that stuff, so I guess I might be the strange one if I was around different people." She rolled a nine, and started trying to make her point. "I guess what I should have asked... Do you get to do things you want to do? Sounds like they don't let you off the leash much."

"I like reading and painting. And, they let me tinker." she said. And by 'tinker' she meant 'make explosives' and half the time no one even knew what she was doing. But that was information that no one needed. "I like working at some of the other places too, really. It's not bad. It could be worse. I know some people never get to do anything they really like, especially if it's work." she said. "Why? Don't you think I could like any of that?" she asked, again, just curious. Ki didn't know, so she needed the clarification.

"I like a lot of things people wouldn't think someone could like." She shrugged. "I guess nobody would write books if somebody didn't like to read them, so there must be plenty of people like you. My brother is sort of like you." She finally made her point, having gone quiet after mentioning her brother. And then she crapped out. "Damn... Your go."

Ki took the dice and tossed them, rolling a seven, and she didn't remember what that meant. "Is that good?" she asked, looking at her companion again. "And your brother? I don't have any siblings. I don't think, anyways. What's your brother's name? What's he like?" she asked. She' often wondered if she did have siblings, but knew she'd likely never find out. Not really. They were...somewhere else and it wasn't like they'd even know her. If they existed.

"Seven. You win!" Laura scraped pennies into her own pile this time. "My brother's name is Daniel. I haven't seen him in a couple of years. He's serious. Likes school and books and working and saving money. Me... I work, but it's not what I live for." It was odd talking about Daniel. Laura didn't think she'd mentioned him since she left home. Of course, no one had ever asked. She didn't talk about much of anything from her life before.

Ki looked pleased that she'd won, though she was more interested in listening to Laura than that. "Why haven't you seen him in a few years? Is he gone to war?" she asked. She knew that a lot of people were, even if she barely knew what was going on with the war. It was something that was very much just something she heard about, but it didn't really impact her. Something that was kind of just happening to other people, and had a bit of a surreal feel to it. She knew it was happening and it was real, but...yeah. It didn't sink in like it did for other people.

Laura shrugged. "He planned to go to college. He'd be graduating high school and starting in the fall if he's going. Maybe he'll go to war instead though, I don't know. Been a long time. I just... since I left I haven't seen my family at all. None of them. I figure we all probably like it that way." It wasn't that she didn't care about them. It's just that it was really hard to be a part of the family. There was just so much pressure to be a certain way and to think and do certain things. She always felt out of step and there was always yelling. Being on her own wasn't what she wanted, but she'd always been on her own, really, in a lot of ways.

"Why haven't you seen them?" she asked. "Why did you leave home? Can't you go back?" Ki continued, totally unaware that the questions might not be appropriate to ask. She tended to lack a filter when it came to things of that nature. Sometimes Ki flat out Didn't Get It. Now was most certainly one of those times. "Do you not like them?"

Laura thought about it for a second, and then she shook her head. "No. I don't like them. They don't like me either, I guess. They didn't look for me and I'm glad they didn't." Her voice rose just a little, and she stopped. It was something she didn't realize she felt and something she didn't realize made her angry. "Rough as I got it sometimes now, I don't care. I'm not going back. Not ever." She scratched at her nose, shifting her eyes to look around, a bit self conscious about her outburst.

Ki didn't actually react much to said outburst. She was generally used to dealing with people not quite being stable all the time. "What happened there? Was it something bad? Or did you just not like it?" she asked. She figured it was that first thing. That it was some incident, or a few incidents. Because she really couldn't quite imagine Culligan's life was going so swimmingly at the moment, so if this was 'better' then home had to be fairly awful a place.

[tbc]