Three months later
Lavinia was hanging out in the back of the car. It was a nice enough car, something classic that Oliver had acquired once upon a time back when it didn't look so hot. A rust bucket, Cameron had originally called it. She'd worked on the thing because it gave her some kind of purpose. She enjoyed keeping things busy, she enjoyed seeing the end product. She was proud of her bodywork. She was proud of the engine overhaul. Pride was a sin, though, and something about that stung.
Lavinia had her feet propped up over the headrest where Oliver was supposed to be; he was inside talking to one of the locals while the girls waited in the car. Lavinia had been asleep; Cameron didn't much care to leave the blonde in the car. Realistically, Cameron didn't want to leave a nice convertible unattended in a strange town with an attractive woman in the back of it.
"Get your feet off my seat," Cameron said, pushing Lavinia's legs a little. Her limbs were long and thin, her jawline sharp and her eyes keen.
"Hmmn?" Lavinia replied, pulling her feet off the seat.
Cameron sighed, realizing she was on the wrong side of Lavinia and she waited patiently as the blonde woman rearranged herself. Conversation on the left, as always.
"You're scuffing up my leather with your turquoise nail polish," she said with a grin.
'Yeah, yeah, where are we going? I missed that part," Lavinia told Cameron.
"You can't sleep through all the important conversations. And we're going to Colorado-" she put a hand up, as if to stop Lavinia from asking "-to see my daughter."
"You have kids?"
"Just the one, Pearl."
"What happened to her dad?" Lavinia asked.
"He didn't stick around too long. German international student," Camreon replied, "I met him doing my graduate thesis."
"Did you have her in high school?"
"Yeah. She's at a boarding school right now."
"How do you afford a boarding school? The Chorus doesn't pay us shit."
"Prestanding investments and one Hell of a life insurance policy payout."
There was an awkward silence, at least one on Lavinia's end. She pulled her legs underneath her, sitting on her knees and leaning on the driver's seat. She looked curiously at the woman with the fine, bird-like bones. Her deceptively fragile frame has taken punishment before, evident in the limp Cameron happened to have. She found it endearing. One of them was half lame, the other half deaf- Oliver didn't talk too much, so people could assume he was half mute. They seemed to get along pretty well, under the pretense that they all had to watch each other's backs. That said, though, Cameron was definitely the brains of the outfit. Lavinia was the face. Oliver was the muscle when he needed to be.
It's what made him going inside and talking to the townies so funny to the two girls. Getting off track, Lavinia looked down.
"So, your parents are..?"
"Dead."
"Oh."
"Don't feel bad, I don't."
"Oh," Lavinia said again.
"Look, sometimes things don't well. Sometimes people… think? That what they're doing is right? But I think it's for the best that they're gone, and that Pearl has never had the chance to be around them."
There was awkward silence again.
"What about your parents?" Cameron asked.
"My mom was part of the Chorus and the other part of my genetic makeup is a high umbral being."
"Ohhhh, thaaaaat… explains… yeah, I just though-" Cameron stumbled "-you had pattern damage someone tried a little too zealously to patch."
"Seriously?"
"I figured it was rude to ask what are you?"
"Just a little," Lavinia laughed, "so, your kiddo, does she know about the whole… yeah?"
"Yeah, she's… I've always treated it like we were in the service. Mama has a dangerous job, but someone has to do it," Cameron replied, running a hand through her hair, "did you ever think about having any?"
"I can't," Lavinia said drolly.
"Oh," Cameron's turn to backpedal, "well, if you ever get the hankering, get one that's pre-made. Same joys of parenthood, less stretch marks."
Lavinia grinned, reaching up and scratching Cameron's head before tucking herself back into the back seat. They had a few hours until they got to Colorado, why not sleep the rest of the way?
Lavinia was hanging out in the back of the car. It was a nice enough car, something classic that Oliver had acquired once upon a time back when it didn't look so hot. A rust bucket, Cameron had originally called it. She'd worked on the thing because it gave her some kind of purpose. She enjoyed keeping things busy, she enjoyed seeing the end product. She was proud of her bodywork. She was proud of the engine overhaul. Pride was a sin, though, and something about that stung.
Lavinia had her feet propped up over the headrest where Oliver was supposed to be; he was inside talking to one of the locals while the girls waited in the car. Lavinia had been asleep; Cameron didn't much care to leave the blonde in the car. Realistically, Cameron didn't want to leave a nice convertible unattended in a strange town with an attractive woman in the back of it.
"Get your feet off my seat," Cameron said, pushing Lavinia's legs a little. Her limbs were long and thin, her jawline sharp and her eyes keen.
"Hmmn?" Lavinia replied, pulling her feet off the seat.
Cameron sighed, realizing she was on the wrong side of Lavinia and she waited patiently as the blonde woman rearranged herself. Conversation on the left, as always.
"You're scuffing up my leather with your turquoise nail polish," she said with a grin.
'Yeah, yeah, where are we going? I missed that part," Lavinia told Cameron.
"You can't sleep through all the important conversations. And we're going to Colorado-" she put a hand up, as if to stop Lavinia from asking "-to see my daughter."
"You have kids?"
"Just the one, Pearl."
"What happened to her dad?" Lavinia asked.
"He didn't stick around too long. German international student," Camreon replied, "I met him doing my graduate thesis."
"Did you have her in high school?"
"Yeah. She's at a boarding school right now."
"How do you afford a boarding school? The Chorus doesn't pay us shit."
"Prestanding investments and one Hell of a life insurance policy payout."
There was an awkward silence, at least one on Lavinia's end. She pulled her legs underneath her, sitting on her knees and leaning on the driver's seat. She looked curiously at the woman with the fine, bird-like bones. Her deceptively fragile frame has taken punishment before, evident in the limp Cameron happened to have. She found it endearing. One of them was half lame, the other half deaf- Oliver didn't talk too much, so people could assume he was half mute. They seemed to get along pretty well, under the pretense that they all had to watch each other's backs. That said, though, Cameron was definitely the brains of the outfit. Lavinia was the face. Oliver was the muscle when he needed to be.
It's what made him going inside and talking to the townies so funny to the two girls. Getting off track, Lavinia looked down.
"So, your parents are..?"
"Dead."
"Oh."
"Don't feel bad, I don't."
"Oh," Lavinia said again.
"Look, sometimes things don't well. Sometimes people… think? That what they're doing is right? But I think it's for the best that they're gone, and that Pearl has never had the chance to be around them."
There was awkward silence again.
"What about your parents?" Cameron asked.
"My mom was part of the Chorus and the other part of my genetic makeup is a high umbral being."
"Ohhhh, thaaaaat… explains… yeah, I just though-" Cameron stumbled "-you had pattern damage someone tried a little too zealously to patch."
"Seriously?"
"I figured it was rude to ask what are you?"
"Just a little," Lavinia laughed, "so, your kiddo, does she know about the whole… yeah?"
"Yeah, she's… I've always treated it like we were in the service. Mama has a dangerous job, but someone has to do it," Cameron replied, running a hand through her hair, "did you ever think about having any?"
"I can't," Lavinia said drolly.
"Oh," Cameron's turn to backpedal, "well, if you ever get the hankering, get one that's pre-made. Same joys of parenthood, less stretch marks."
Lavinia grinned, reaching up and scratching Cameron's head before tucking herself back into the back seat. They had a few hours until they got to Colorado, why not sleep the rest of the way?