026 》sweet troubled man are you giving or taking?

[thering]

characters: Malcolm, Neal, Negan, Raylan, Doc
location: 1306 Phillips Dr
date/time: day 26 morning
content: the reset Playstation button was pressed
warnings: tbd

After the strangeness of the past two nights they were likely fully expecting to awaken in the same strange, different, not-so-new anymore places they found themselves in in the past two days.

Instead everything seems to have reset, again. The three permanent residents and two guests are back in 1306, exactly where they had been two nights ago. Malcolm was in his own room, Neal was in Doc's and Negan in Raylan's master bedroom. The two displaced cowboys are downstairs sharing one too-small couch, a night of drinking culminating in fighting over couch space and who gets to be the bigger spoon.

The fire in the fireplace had gone out and their Winter 2020 Collection of bespoke lanterns have vanished, but nothing else seems to be awry.

Comments

[tinstar]

Raylan looked over as he got a bowl out from one of the lower cupboards and opened up the carton of eggs. They'd have to leave one, so it could repopulate, though Raylan wasn't sold on that being how it worked. Better safe than sorry there too.

"I know you're scared Malcolm, but I promise Doc an' I aren't the only good people here." They couldn't be, right? "When these things happen, you're gonna havta see if you can find a person you can trust. And in the meantime, you got us," he reiterated with a look as he started cracking eggs into the bowl. "You ain't doin' this alone."

Oh yeah. A nap for Malcolm needed to happen after breakfast but before the trip to town. He'd picked up on the shaking hand and it's being a tell of how bad off Malcolm was in any given moment.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm very carefully flipped a pancake and then another.

He was sure that was right, that they weren't the only good people there but... his experiences with their fellow captives had ranged from surface politeness to mild interest to odd looks to... impoliteness. He might trust Neal, after their talk the night before they were separated. Maybe. He had a good feeling about him. But otherwise? He wasn't sure anyone would be willing to take it on even if they could be trusted to.

You ain't doin' this alone. Malcolm looked over at him for a moment and nodded, then flipped another pancake.

"Where did they put you?" he asked. "Who were you with?"

[tinstar]

Scooping up the eggshells to carry over into the trash, Raylan dumped them in with a concerned glance at Malcolm's turned back. As much as Malcolm needing Doc and him the way he did made him feel, Raylan knew there were going to be points like this again. They were going to have to figure something out.

"I was in a big ol' mansion. Think it mighta been the lodge. Company was alright - The Hargreeves. Girl named Max from the boarding house, Claire Novack, John. And a new guy. Think you and he might have more in common than the rest of us, if I'm honest." He came back to the counter to start beating the eggs. "He was covered in blood. We started out talkin' about Dante's inferno - he thought I was a hallucination there to ferry him to hell." It left an unease in him that he couldn't quite explain. He'd have to find the man now that they were all presumably back.

[abrightboy]

He couldn't help making a bit of a face at 'John'. He'd been excited to go to the magical autopsy, but the tour guide had been condescending and dismissive and he hadn't gone out of his way to get himself some more of that.

But Raylan's description of the new man made his eyes widen with interest and he looked at Raylan raptly.

"He thought you were a hallucination? Right on arrival?"

They brought one man with madnesses. What would stop them from bringing another? But the first one was relatively harmless.

"Whose blood did he have on him?" His own or someone else's?

[tinstar]

"Oh, someone else's though I didn't get that without a bit of a dance," Raylan answered with a lift of his eyebrows as he turned the stove on and centered the pan on the burner. "Didn't even buy me dinner first.. A serial killers, apparently. One to join the group he listed off to me as company that I couldn't see. I think he does the same kinda think you do. Read some parts of me like I was.." Raylan rolled his shoulders in half a shrug.

"A file. It was impressive, even if he was creepy as hell. I think I might seek him out tomorrow." Not today. Today was for home and making sure everyone had their head on straight. "If you meet him, just.. go easy on him. You know as well as he does how hard wakin' up in this place is and he's a quick one."

[abrightboy]

"...He's a profiler who hunts serial killers?" Malcolm verified, eyes wide. "There aren't that many of us, Raylan. Can I come with you when you go to see him?" he asked eagerly.

[tinstar]

"Very niche talent pool, I'll agree," he said with a little lift of his eyebrows as he poured the eggs into the pan, the sound of sizzling filling the air around him.

"Sure. I'd like to see what you think of him, though I think he's gonna know why I'm there. You, your interest will seep off you like sap off a tree tap. It'll be interestin' to watch." To say the least.

[abrightboy]

"...Do you think it's going to end up being a competition?" he asked curiously, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

[tinstar]

"Possibly," he returned with a sidelong look that suggested that he did not find it as exciting a prospect as Malcolm. Malcolm could ratchet tension up. Will was tension, as far as Raylan could tell.

That was asking for a spark of trouble. He'd see how it went.

"But givin' him today will let him.. find his feet maybe. We'll see how he's doin' tomorrow."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm gave him a bit of a cheeky look.

"...But your money's on me, right?" he teased.

Interesting that Raylan was worried about this guy, though. Maybe Malcolm's line of work drew broken people. Or maybe it broke them.

[tinstar]

"Always," Raylan assured with the squint of one eye, face curling in his smile. Always bet on home team, right?

"Those pancakes can get pulled. If you'll pour me another cup of coffee, I'll pour some more." Once Malcolm moved over, Raylan continued. "Glad we don't pay water bills though, two days sweating in the dirt of this place, we all need a shower." Nevermind that Raylan smelled like the whiskey he'd been soaking himself in.

Thank god Winona wasn't around to berate him for it.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm looked down at the pyjamas he’d been wearing since he was taken, then glanced at Raylan before turning his attention to the cup he was filling.

“Me in almost three days of my own grime? It’s like the first time I stayed with you all over again.”

He turned and put Raylan’s cup on the counter by the stove.

[tinstar]

"You don't stink yet, if that's what you're concerned about." Not that he'd noticed how Malcolm or Doc smelt. He's not saying he noticed. Nor is he saying he'd noticed again later, when he ended up curled up with Malcolm in a bed.

"Though if you are, I can handle this. Doesn't sound like Negan or Neal is up yet, but I can't imagine that that'll last much longer. Suppose we'll need to start another pot of coffee.. Thank god that jar refills, we'd be out ten times over by now."

[abrightboy]

"I was a little concerned about it," Malcolm freely admitted. "But I think I'll have a bit of eggs first. I didn't really... eat there either. I'm not what I'd call 'hungry' but. I should have something before I keel over."

He was already taking down the can to make another pot of coffee.

[tinstar]

Raylan's lips curled a little as he scrambled the few eggs he'd put in, grabbing the pepper to grind a little in, mixing it again. "You won't have to wait long for that. I hope to get a little somethin' in you at dinner too. Might have to hit up the Gull, get creative. I think another mornin' of eggs and I might scream."

[abrightboy]

"See if they have some chicken," Malcolm requested, putting grounds in the press. "And I promise I'll at least eat a few bites." He looked over. "If we're not having eggs for breakfast tomorrow I could do... yogurt? Maybe a little fruit?" He held up a finger as another possibility occurred to him. "Or oatmeal?"

[tinstar]

"Will you eat it fried? The fryers they got up there can't go to waste and I can make a mean fried chicken, given the chance," he said with a gesture of his spoon at Malcolm. "Oatmeal is a good idea to - a reliable source of fiber. Still, once spring comes, we might have to consider a garden. Just for freshness. I could do some fruit. Peaches especially.. Been a long time since I've had 'em."

[abrightboy]

“A peach? I thought Georgia was pretty close to Kentucky,” he teased. “I’ve never tried fried chicken. Heavier food... disagrees with me,” he admitted.

[tinstar]

"Doesn't help that when I taught at Glynco, it was half for the summer peach festivals. They come rip in July, so August is all about peaches." He wasn't ashamed of his love of it or food or the warm sun of a summer festival. One of the few things in life he did enjoy freely.

"You'll have ta try mine. Out of politeness if nothin' else. I already know you aren't gonna eat an entire leg so my feelings aren't gonna be hurt."

[abrightboy]

“I’d like to try it, yeah.” A little nibble anyway. “Everyone is always going on about fried chicken. I want to understand the hype.” He poured hot water in the press as the kettle boiled. “Is it a family recipe?” Malcolm asked.

[tinstar]

"The hype is for good reason," Raylan assured with a lift of his brows as he scraped the eggs around, pulling them off the heat and killing the burner. "But I suppose you could say that. It's my Aunt Helen's recipe. Don't know if she got if from anyone else but.. She didn't want me going off to collage with no knowledge about how to feed myself, all alone in Lexington."

[abrightboy]

Malcolm noted the warmth in Raylan's voice, talking about 'Aunt Helen'. He smiled.

"I'm glad you had someone looking after you," he said. "Did she sample your version?"

[tinstar]

He shook his head, good natured smile staying there as he continued.

"Nah. Never went home after I left, not til the job took me back. She likely didn't know that I actually kept up with makin' it. But I'm sure she'd approve. Probably of you too. Somethin' about me not havin' enough bad habits. What about you, you cook? Can't imagine you lived off take out in DC."

[abrightboy]

"I... can make what I typically eat," he said. "Scrambled eggs. Soup. That sort of thing. But I ordered in a fair amount too. I get caught up in work and... you know."

[tinstar]

"Mm, I imagine so. If I can get lost in a case, I got a feeling people need to send a rescue team out to pull you outta one. But that's good. Somethin'. Take out is great but it's shit for health and expensive. Somethin' I'd also sort of love to worry about here. Then again, if we had that, there'd be no reason for me lookin' into how to do fried chicken here."

He pulled the pan off the stove and scraped the eggs onto a plate before depositing the pan back onto the unused burner. After pulling down a small plate and a fork, he held both out to Malcolm with a smile. "Get some while they're warm. I'll let everyone else know."

[In the interest of keeping things straight, should we end this one? breakfast is nebulous ]