tinstar | Slingin' from the hip, never the heart.

The amiable hostility in Raylan's tone sent the nurse hurrying for the discharge paperwork, and the doctor excusing himself for his next patient. Athena raised her eyebrows.

"You need to teach me that one."

Raylan sucked his teeth softly at the drawn curtain before turning his half annoyed expression down at her.

"What're they gonna do, take the information back? Hold you hostage?" He scoffed and sat back down. "We'll stop at a CVS for supplies before we leave town, but we'll get the prescription filled tomorrow in Harlan. In the mean time. What kinda fast food are you wantin'?"

By the time they'd figured that out, the nurse was back with the discharge papers and the wheelchair.

"Go ahead and take a seat," the nurse said, letting Raylan help Athena off the bed and into the chair. They were wheeled out to the sidewalk, where Athena was off loaded onto a bench so that Raylan could pull the car around.

"Alright, come on. We got a hellva drive ahead of us."

Athena feels intensely silly, being wheeled out when she can walk fine, but if it gets them out of there so be it. She plops onto the passenger seat, wincing slightly. Now that it's cleaned and properly tended to, her ankle is starting to sting again.

She sits there for several seconds, staring into space, and then looks over at him.

"Waffles. Bigass, chocolate chip waffles absofuckinglutely soaked in syrup."

Having been in and out of hospitals more times than he would like to admit, Raylan knew and understood the whys of the wheelchair and it wasn't worth arguing against. Not when that argument might bring them more scrutiny. While they had to come, he was glad to be back in the car.

"I know just the place."

With a quick stop at a CVS as promised and those bags tucked safely into his trunk, Raylan pulled them up to a clean but small mom and pop looking restaurant with tall windows and a tilting roof that gave it a cute look, attached to a motel that offered 'Low low rates!'

"Onn'a the best places in Lexington for big ass waffles," he said with a smile as he got out of the car. If Athena wanted all that, it was better to get it in her before they hit the road and frankly, Raylan preferred real food to fast food. There wasn't any of the latter in Harlan and Raylan didn't have the goods for big ass waffles at Arlo's. "If you don't eat it all, we can take it with us."

Athena stares at the building for a moment after getting out of the car, taking in the sight of people moving around inside. Not shadows. Not ghostly women in the woods or shapes in the water. No one familiar. Just people.

She can’t help some embarrassment when she takes Raylan’s hand again, eyes still on that front window and the careless life inside.

“This is so fucking weird,” she whispers.

Rushing her wasn't on the agenda and when she stops and stares, he pulls up beside her wordlessly to stare himself, glancing down when her fingers found his again. He squeezed them softly and turned back to look with her.

"Took me three weeks before I could eat with other people like this," he admitted. "Wait til you think about grocery shoppin' or goin' to school." The words were slipped out with a deep inhale and exhale that spoke to how weird he'd found it.

"One thing at a time."

Going to school. Her throat squeezed up at that. That's a long-haul plan. A 'we don't know how to fix this so we've got to keep living like we won't' plan.

She blinked. "Money is a thing again, huh."

She might need to get a job, something low commitment for pocket money. To help Raylan pay for his room or wherever the fuck they end up staying.

Athena gripped his hand a little tighter, looking up at him. "You're not going to put me in some foster care bullshit place, right? I'm like six months from that not being a thing anyway."

Hard stones to swallow, the responsibly of living when you weren't trying to just survive. Raylan had thought it would be easier to slip back into everything he'd known. It wasn't.

"Tends to be," he quipped softly.

The grip on his hand and the question drew him and his furrowed brow down towards her, body turning to face her slightly with a shift of his weight.

"No way in hell. You're either stayin' with me or with your people, if we can find 'em. Jeff or your Aunt Lenore. Someone we can trust." Raylan tugged her into a hug and wrapped his arms around her. "I ain't lettin' you go back out into the wildness like that."

A panic that had started building eases away again. She hugs him back, tightly. "Well good. Because I'd make you fucking regret it."

It's said with an attempt at good humor. She draws back enough to look at the restaurant, nerves squeezing at her again. "Could... can we get stuff to go? I don't... know if I'm ready for that yet."

The hospital was hard enough.

"I believe you," he huffed gently.

Raylan glanced at the windows and nodded down at her. "Do you want to stay in the car while I get it?"

God, she hates that she's getting teary over ordering fucking waffles.

"Yeah. Yes. Please."

"Alright darlin', it's okay," he assured, rubbing her shoulders. "C'mon. We'll set you in the car, you lock the doors. You can keep your eyes on me and I can keep mine on you," he continued, shifting to open the door and guide her back down into it. "Lock the doors," he instructed again as he closed the door.

Once he was sure she was secure, he headed inside with another glance at her over his shoulder, gut twisting in an instinctual 'Don't leave her alone, she'll get snatched' that he had to try and control as he ambled up to the counter.

Two waffles with chocolate chips on the side for later sprinkling with bacon on the side, along with a bacon cheeseburger, dressed and with fries. Raylan stayed where he was, eyes on the door and his car and the precious cargo inside until it was time to collect, where he added on one more thing. Bags and a large Styrofoam cup in his hand, Raylan came back to the car and slid in. The bag was set on her lap, cab instantly filling with delicious scents and Raylan tucked the cup into the cup holder before presenting her with a straw.

"The waffles will hold but chocolate milkshakes won't."

She almost goes in, a couple of times. When the wait gets long enough for her to get paranoid that he’s gotten hurt or disappeared. She doesn’t really exhale until he walks out again, and when he hands her the straw, she lights up.

“Holy fuck, milkshakes exist.”

Her enthusiasm was still infectious. Raylan grinned as he turned the engine over and started pulling them out of the parking lot.

"It's the least that I could get you for the ride you're about to suffer," he said with a laugh. "Takes two and a half hours to get out to Harlan county, if you obey the speed limit."

His smile curled a little further and once they were on the open road, she would know what he meant. Raylan's Crown Vic towncar was a newer version so there was some power under her hood, and he was no afraid to use it.

"Music is back too. One time offer for the radio," he said with a nod towards the dash unit.

For a wrenching moment, she realizes her phone and all the music on it is gone. Then she shakes it off, sucking down milkshake until she has to squint one eye shut against the brain freeze. “Hit me, cowboy. Though whatever you pick I guarantee I’m going to fuck with it.”

Edited (I can put orders in words) 2021-09-17 23:49 (UTC)

"All I'm gonna be puttin' on in this car is country and southern rock. Hope you like CCR and ZZ top."

He wasn't all country. Raylan kicked the radio on, gently blasting The Allman brothers.

He knew what he was getting into. He was sitting next to a Bard for fucks sake. You didn't just hand them music and expect them to not do anything with it.

“All you’re going to be putting on,” Athena says, highlighting that loophole. Still, when he picks a station, she listens for a little while as she sucks on the milkshake, relishing the sound of music from a real stereo, a song she doesn’t intimately know.

Eventually though, the milkshake is gone, and she can do more than hum. She doesn’t know every song, though she knows more than a few. Even so, she picks up the choruses quick and sings along with those if she doesn’t know the rest of the words, voice rising and falling in harmony with the radio. God, she can feel the Gift moving around her, the subtle sweep and pull of it, and she closes her eyes and sings and wants desperately to let loose. She also doesn’t want Raylan to crash.

Still, it’s starting to get dark, so she… compromises. The next song she knows, Athena twines her Gift through the words, lighting up the road ahead of them as bright as if Raylan had his high beams on. Only, yknow, without them, and the inconvenience of blinding other drivers.

"When you learn to drive, you can control the radio, how about that?" he retorted with a grin. He'd left it open for her to take control of the radio but she'd punted it back to him. That all being said, Athena was the only person in the world right now who could change it without reproach.

Raylan liked driving. He liked the open roads that took him wherever he was going and he'd driven this one enough times he could probably do it in his sleep. But there was a lot of empty road that let him zone out and relax a little, a crooked smile curling on his lips as Athena started to hum. He didn't know what the healing road for her would look like, but he knew it would involve her Gift.

When she starts singing, the effect of it all was unexpected and he swore softly as the road lit up, wide hazel eyes darting over to marvel at her without them crashing before he broke into a delighted deep laughter and shook his head.

"I'm gonna havta get used to seein' stuff like this, ain't I," he asked with a fond, endearing tone.

She grins in response and keeps singing rather than interrupt herself to answer. She holds last notes of the song a little longer than required, letting them—-and the light on the road—-fade out.

Then she says, “You bet your ass.”

The town lights were faint ahead of them, but they would be inside them in a few minutes, which Raylan always found a little magical and strange, like they were stepping into a whole other world.

Still grinning, Raylan pulled them into the little grocery he'd mentioned before. He could handle having to deal with that kinda show. "There's gonna be all of 4 people in there, but it might be a better idea if you stay here. As soon as people know you're about, they're gonna start askin' questions. Oh, and just in case - Know that the lie we told the hospital ain't gonna fly here. They know me, and my family, so you'll be just who you are. Though, we oughta think of a different last name for you to use, just in case."

Yes, he was very serious.

"It'll be another ten minutes before we're at the house."

Her stomach does an anxious little somersault as she remembers, oh yeah, this is where Raylan grew up. She's going to have to step carefully, and not just because they'll peg any lie she tells about who she is to Raylan. She doesn't want to go fucking up his life down here, even more than she doesn't want to fuck up things in Lexington.

She bites her lip. "It was Parker. Before my aunt went and officially adopted me. I was Athena Parker."

He didn't have a life down here, that was the difference. They could talk about that once they got to Arlo's.

Raylan nodded and looked out the window for a long second. "You don't have to wear it long and only in front'a them, okay? C'mon. Won't take us but a minute."

Athena takes a deep breath, nods, and climbs out of the car. This time she manages to resist taking Raylan's hand. Somehow she feels like that would only make things weirder down here in the long run.

Still, anyone with eyes would be able to see the caution she uses going inside, like a cat peeking its head into unfamiliar territory for the first time. This place reminds her of the Mathias general store, almost, and that thought makes her skin creep.

Raylan sauntered in without hesitation, letting Athena catch up to his long legs in a way he hadn't unless he had a purpose, lifting his chin at the cashier in a passing greeting as he picked up a basket and started towards the cold goods.

He'd been more than right; there were two other people in the store, including the cashier. Things were going quiet and fine, eggs and bacon, whipped cream and coffee but their trek towards the register was stopped short by the bell ringing in another customer.

"Raylan!"

Raylan looked over to the short, portly Constable that was already making his way over towards them, all excitement, and put on a smile.

"Heya Bob."

"Hey, you headin' back to Arlo's house? Ain't nothin' gone off in there that I know of, you know that motion sensor?"

Raylan was nodding hhis head. "Yeah Bob, I am. Thanks for lettin' me know. I'd hate to have to walk in on someone squattin'."

Bob adjusted his belt, chest puffed out proudly. "You know I'd never let that happen, Raylan." Finally, Bob's eyes fell on Athena. "And you got a friend with ya! Hi, pleasure to meet you, I'm Bob Sweeney, Harlan Constable," he started, sticking a hand out at her to shake. "Elected and everythin'. Well, no one else was runnin' so I got it by default but it still counts, I'm elected."

Raylan watched with amusement as the cashier ran up their things.

"Bob, this is Athena Parker. She's gonna be stayin' with me while we figure some stuff out."

Athena shakes his hand by virtue of not knowing whatthefuckelse to do, staring a little. Yeah, she's met some characters in her life--look at Jeff--but this guy is that turned up to eleven somehow.

"Uh, hi." A pause. "What does a constable do?"

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