Outside the Cafeteria

[Sally]

Sally, fresh off a consultation with Dr. Zinc, is headed out towards the medical tent before he can forget the details. As he makes to head out, JD dashes in, and Sally grins- he knows that look on the old hippy when he sees it. They'd had a chat or two about a future business venture, and likely, JD had gotten the ball rolling.

"Somethin' a ruckus, boss?"

As JD fills him in on the day's excitement, Sally's grin curdles to a much meaner bend.

Beside the cots and trunks are some card tables and folding chairs for 'leisure activities.' Sally yanks one of each out of position and tosses them into the yard. With that done, he heads to his bunk, digs his saddlebags out of the footlocker, and nicks a steel shaving mirror, a grimy deck of playing cards, and a camping tool.

Fuckin' snipers, huh?

Leaving JD to start sorting out a plan, Sally steps outside, kicks the chair further into the yard, and drags the table back up right. With guard towers looming in the distance, he sets up the table in clear view of them, with the chair facing the unseen staff.

Out come the deck of singed, dirty cards, and while still standing, Sally deals out a solitaire spread. Then, he opens up the camping tool- it's just a spork, a knife, and a clamp for a pan- so that the knife stubby blade is out. Lastly, the index-card sized shaving mirror gets laid flat on the table.

Sally plops down in the chair, nods toward the towers in that ever-clear message of "Howdy there, brah," and starts flipping cards.

[edseel]

JD comes out of the tent sporting a beat up old bag. He places it down next to the table and pulls up one of the chairs. He lights up a cigarette and places out a small spread of seemingly random objects, deliberately placing each one in a small circle, A small piece of asphalt, a 5 hour energy bottle, a battery, a piece of string, a bottle cap from a Red Stripe beer, old battered cigar end, and his wedding band.

After a moment of quiet contemplation, he takes a big lung full of the smoke and blows it over the table, Sally, and himself.

One by one he places each object in his bag and looks much more relaxed.

“yup, things sure did escalate quickly … hope that young lady is all right though. Granted she is a bit … well stand offish, compared to others of us here. Bound to make the powers that be a little twitchy.”

A little too quickly to separate the two thoughts he asks “you heard any word about Mel and Gray? Also you got your little check up yea?”

JD lights up another, and keeps a concentrated stare on the cards, his eyes quickly darting to the mirror every few moments.

[Sally]

Sally pays little mind to JD's ritualizin', save to take in a big breath of the smoke.

Smoke in his lungs, trinkets of suspect implication on his table, and snipers up high. All he needed to see now was a some little kids kicking a soccer ball through trash heaps and failed IEDs, or maybe some guy peddling Bolani or stewed goat. Though, there wasn't this much in the way of snow back in the 'stan of Afghan, so, there was that.

"Gotta go get my temperature taken here shortly," Sally says, staring up at the towers. "Got the Doc's O-K fer it, so at least there's that. But, way I figger it, if they're gonna play rough, we might wanna start accountin' for it. They ain't gonna take pot shots at me for glarin' that there mirra in their faces come mid-day, but they will pay all sorts of 'ttention to it, I reckon."

Sally shook his head and his grin came back, "And if that 'ttentions on the big, belligerent fella with a penchant fer a hard drink, well then, where _ain't_ it?"

Sally takes a glance towards the medical tent, before sayin', "As Ms. Gray and Mellie-o, I ain't seen hide nor hair ov' em. Best they git a heads'up 'bout this mess." He nods to the tent, then spots ol' JD glancin' at the mirror.

"Gonna see 'bout that there Turn-Yer-Head-an'-Cough business, you gonna sit by the phone?" he nods to the mirror, then stands up, headed for the medical tent. Best not to bother the old man if he's up to his business.

[edseel]

“Might be a good idea, I will wander myself over that way before too long, going to camp out here in the fresh air for a little bit. See if anything interesting happens again”

JD nods as Sally takes of towards the medical tent and takes over his game of cards. The cold New England air is making his face rather red, yet he lounges like he doesn’t seem to notice.

[PoeticJustice]

Slowly, very slowly, Alice approached the card table. She hovered there for a few seconds, studying the man who remained intensely. She shifted the weight from one leg to the other, not speaking. Just hovering.

[edseel]

JD continues to slowly place cards on the table. He seems to be thinking rather hard for a simple game of solitaire.

As Alice inches closer he seems to slow down even more, while he keeps her in his field of view, he never attempts to make eye contact, or acknowledge her advance.

After a short time as she is getting closer, he very slowly takes two cigarettes out of his pack, lights his own, and leaves the other far out of his reach on the other side of the table. Next to it he places a bottle of water (defiantly been refilled several times, and looks a little beat up) and sealed a pop tart.
He smiles to himself and continues with is cards, quickly replacing his now spent cigarette with another.

[PoeticJustice]

Every action is studied with wary suspicion. No sudden or aggressive movements earn her stepping closer. She notices the offering placed across the table and her eyes narrow on them and then snap to him, and then to the horizon. Finally she looks back to the chair, one hand raising to feel the back of her head where the large bump was.

"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another," she murmured, seemingly to herself before she, hesitantly, looked to JD's face (although she did not meet his eyes).

"May I... sit?" she said uncomfortably, shifting her weight back and forth.

[edseel]

JD pauses and glances up at Alice

“That would be just fine”

He takes a long drink from an old water bottle and continues his game. JD gives the girl the chance the approach the situation on her own terms. He keeps his eyes down and his hands in Alice’s view at all times.

Even though he tries hard to remain calm, once or twice, his eyes dart to the towers around the court yard.

[PoeticJustice]

She settles and the poptart is snatched up and opened. Her eyes dart around to anyone gathered or watching, or just to the guards who mill around. She begins to break down the poptarts into uneven pieces, setting aside the wrapper. The pieces are arranged haphazardly, but someone paying special attention might notice that it's a rough outline of the Quarantine Zone and the various tents scattered about. Her brow furrows, and a bit is pushed into her mouth absently.

"I believe we met at the... party, but I do not remember your name," she said unapologetically as she focused on her poptart arranging.

[edseel]

“We did, although I am sure you met a lot of folks that night, odd there were so many of us on that island all at once. Anywho, the name is JD. Sure am glad to see you out and about Alice.”

JD stops and looks down at his game, counts the cards left in his hand …

“There should be two more … ah damn it.” JD reaches over and fumbles with one of Sallies many bags and holsters left by their gear. After a moment he takes out about 10 cards all with matching wear and tear on the backs, finds the two he is looking for and places them on the top of his deck.

“How are you Alice, are they treating you ok here?” He looks at her directly for the first time since she started to approach, his eyes constantly darting around the area, lingering on the “office” of Director White.