Partners in Crime [TP and L]

[Tamissa Pines]

Why the fuck do they care so much about granola bars? Carla scowled to herself as she shoved the box into the patched up messenger bag that hung at her up, glancing over her shoulder at the pursuing security guards. Why did such a little gas station have security guards? She'd grabbed a single box of granola bars, which she was certain she needed more than anyone who could actually pay for it, and they'd been on her in seconds, which was strange. Normally gas stations were pretty poorly guarded, so it was easy to slip in, grab something small, and flee again, but not this particular gas station. Maybe it was because it was in the part of town where robberies were common? She supposed she should have taken that into account before she tried anything, but she'd been a little off her game lately, though she couldn't explain why. She'd had too many close calls too close together, and it didn't make sense. Normally, she was stealthy as could be, but for the past few weeks, she'd been tripping up time and time again. She needed to get her act together.


Fortunately for her, her life style led to her having a very high endurance, so she was sure she could out run them if she tried hard enough. She'd escaped cops and other malicious pursuers time and time again in the past, so she didn't doubt that she could do so again now. Besides, if she was being honest, the security guards currently chasing her were not quite up to par with what she was used to facing. She rounded a corner, and skidded to a stop less than a foot away from plowing into a man who was almost twice her size. She was just about to apologize quickly and keep running, when she looked up at his face and paused, blinking a few times in surprise. She knew those eyes. She'd only spent years trying her best to pick out the shards of suffering that lingered in his crystal irises, after all. It had been years since she'd seen him, and he'd aged, of course, like anyone would have, but his eyes had stayed the same. There were still fragments of pain and slivers of torment lingering, even with all she'd done to rid him of them.


"...Joseph?" she asked uncertainly, hesitating just a moment before speaking. This seemed strange. What were the odds that she'd run into him on the street after all these years of separation, after all the towns she'd skipped and all the miles she'd traveled away from home? A shout rang out from behind her and she bristled, looking over her shoulder and cursing under her breath. It was the worst possible time for a reunion, which was unfortunate, since she'd enjoy a moment to chat with her old friend. A similar bellow echoed through the air, but from the other direction, and her mind put together the pieces in a split second. They were running, albeit from different people, and they couldn't stop here. Acting on impulse, she quickly looked around before grabbing his arm. "Follow me!" she urged quietly, tugging him into a nearby alleyway. Moving fast, she lifted the lid of a large dumpster and peeked in, thanking every god from Buddha to Zeus (despite not believing in a single one of them) that it was empty. "In here!" she hissed, interlocking her fingers to boost him into the dumpster. After she had gotten him inside, she jumped up herself, climbing in and softly closing the lid to prevent their pursuers hearing them and figuring out their hiding spot. She sat silently, tense and waiting, as footsteps approached, two sets of voices chatting in muffled tones before splitting in different directions. After a minute or two of silence had passed, she let out a breath of relief, standing and pushing the lid of the dumpster back up, climbing out and dropping to the ground, looking around to make sure the coast was clear.

 

[Lotusy]

Who? What? How? Joseph's mind raced as he was suddenly pulled away from the street and into a dumpster. Oh my god. This is happening way too fast. One moment, he was out of breath in a chase, the next, he was hiding in a dumpster... with his old friend. His thinking slowed down, as he tried to gather his thoughts. Let's just... think this over. Calm down.


He tried to make sense of the the current events. He'd just been on a walk, after having a small chat with a neighborhood mother. In this city, he was trying to establish this "Noel Evans" as a friendly character, a hard task for him. After yet another awkward conversation, the cops were called, and he was chased into one of the alleyways. It was a slump. His bus money? Gone. Clothes? Torn. His hands? Probably in cuffs soon. He'd hit rock bottom. End of the line for Joseph. Then suddenly, everything changed. He saw those brown eyes, that face who would always listen to his blues. When she knew his name, it sealed the deal. His only friend had come back. Thinking on her sudden appearance, Joseph wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel. Happy? Scared? A little bit angry? Seeing her had brought back a torrent of fresh pain, memories that he'd worked months to bury. Yet, at the same time, he met the only person who would ever sit down and talk with him. His heart was being tugged to both extremes. Deciding that his thinking wouldn't do him any good in his situation, he shook himself back to reality.


"Holy crap, Carla." He shook his head as he climbed out of the dumpster, catching his breath from the abrupt stop to his chase. "Thirteen years, and this is how you greet me? I thought it would be better than this," he said, letting out an awkward chuckle. To tell the truth though, he wouldn't have been happy meeting her any other way. It was better than not ever seeing her again, which is what he had expected. Normally, he would flee the city ASAP after a police chase, but he had no money, and plus, his friend had shown up after thirteen years. Thirteen... wow. I feel old. Yeah. We really need to have a talk. But how? He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "So... um, how have you been doing?" he asked, giving her a little half-grin. Wow, smooth.

 

[Tamissa Pines]

Carla reached behind her head, tying her tangled hair back into a ponytail to keep it out of her face. The dirty white scrunchie she used to hold it was a little outdated, but hey, it was serviceable, so that was all that mattered. She could think a lot more clearly when strands of matted hair weren't dangling in her vision, racking her mind for a good place that she could hide out for the night. Traveling by foot, she couldn't just drive out of town and sleep in her car, so she needed to find the cheapest possible motel to spend the night in.


At the sound of Joseph's voice, deeper but still familiar, she turned to face him, deciding to worry about what the night would bring later. For now, she had the opportunity to catch up with an old friend, a rare occurrence considering how few friends she'd had and how often she swapped towns. Besides, Joseph was more than just a friend. He was her best friend, the only person she'd ever dared to confide in, and even though the circumstances weren't the best, she was over the moon at an opportunity to talk to him again after the many years of separation. She smiled sweetly at the statement, tugging her leather jacket a little tighter around herself before sliding her hands in her pockets, allowing herself a small laugh as she looked up at the significantly taller boy - man, now, she supposed.


"Heh, sorry, things didn't go according to plan," she replied with a breathless grin, glancing around the small area, "I rounded the corner a few minutes too early and it threw the whole thing out of whack." She pushed her shoulders back, making herself stand up straight. At the question, she gave a tiny chuckle that lacked some of the mirth it should have held, lowering her gaze and subconsciously gripping the bag that held the stolen granola bars a little tighter. "If I'm honest, I can't say I've been the best," she told him honestly, giving a small shrug, "But, uh, you know...I'm surviving. What about you?" Even as she asked, she knew the answer she'd get if he decided to be honest with her: the same sort of answer she'd given. Even when she was a child, he'd been easy for her to read, and she could tell that times were just as tough for him as they were for her, perhaps even more so, and it made her heart ache.

 

[Lotusy]

Joseph watched, a bit entranced, as Carla pulled her hair back and responded to his question, almost as if he was still trying to confirm that it was the Carla he's known. She had grown older, but he could feel the same... warmth, the same stare that could see what exactly made him tick. As he heard her response, Joseph grimaced. True, it was the answer he was expecting to hear, but a little part of him felt... saddened. He knew it was impossible, but deep down, he somehow wanted her to, well, thrive. It was almost a shame to see she'd resorted to the same lifestyle he had. Well, at least she's free, he thought.


Almost instantly, Joseph started think of the future, now that he'd met back up with Carla. Were they still good enough friends to stick together, or would they have to part ways after this meeting. Truly, he wanted to stay with her, since he'd been in the dumps recently, but if she wanted to cut off the connections... he would respect that decision.


He shook his head sadly at her question. "The same as you. Just surviving." As he thought on, Joseph realized this might not be the best way to reintroduce himself to his friend. He brushed off a bit of grime from his jeans. "I mean, I'm doing great! There's a little, uh, freedom, that I recently got. My mom and pop, if you'll still remember the stories, they... let me out, so to speak. Well, I let myself out. Long story short, I'm free! I'm assuming you are too, or else you wouldn't be running away from the cops." Letting out a sigh, he lifted his arms to the sky. "Think about it, Carla. We're both free. Free from that influence, the horrors we told each other back when we were just nine years old." As he said it, though, his arms fell back to his sides. "So what do we do now?" he asked, turning to the woman next to him. "Do you want to stick together, or do you want to cut this off? I mean, I'm sure we're independent people, we won't need each other now." He grimaced at the blatant lie he just told her. Well, actually I do, he thought. You might not need me, but I need help. If only you could talk to me, make the hurting go away like you did years before. He shook his head again. Oh geez. I'm so goddamn selfish. His arms crossed, and he nervously waited for her response.

 

[Tamissa Pines]

Carla nodded understandingly at the response, letting out a puff of air. She'd known the answer she was going to get, but that didn't make it any easier to hear. Of course she wanted him to brush off the question, to smile and say everything was swell, to tell her that he'd gone on to be very successful and lead a happy life. It was only natural that she wanted that for someone she had cared about so deeply - still cared about so deeply. But that simply wasn't the case, and she'd known that the moment she looked up at him. The circumstances that had led to their reunion said enough on its own, and that wasn't taking into account the ease with which she picked up on his emotions.


She didn't take her gaze off his face even as his face fell, watching him with a warm expression that had always been reserved just for him, considering she had no one else she was close enough with to offer it to. She was tempted to reach into the pocket of her jacket and grab herself a cigarette from the pack, but ignored the temptation for now, hating the fact that she knew she wouldn't be able to for very long. She despised her addiction, but it helped her to relax after a stressful day, and she was struggling to give it up despite her best efforts.


As Joseph tried to cover up his honest answer, tried to convince her that despite how awful his life was, there was some sort of silver lining. She supposed that, in a sense, he had found one. Freedom was a blessing that she hadn't gotten to enjoy in her childhood, and she knew he hadn't either. They may be struggling, but at least they could do as they wished. "I suppose you're right there," she admitted with a small smile, glancing briefly up at the sky. There was a slight tint to it, warning her that the sun was setting, night was approaching, and she still didn't know where she was going to go. She let out a breath, turning back to Joseph and blinking a few times at the question. Sticking together hadn't even crossed her mind, most likely because independence was so deeply ingrained in her by this point that she automatically assumed they'd be splitting up, but the thought made her smile. "Actually, I'd love to stick together," she told him, zipping up her jacket, "It'd be nice to have someone to travel with. We should probably find somewhere to spend the night, though. Tell me the shittiest motel you've seen nearby, and I guarantee I can get us a room for free." How, she didn't want to say, nor did she want him to witness. Even if it was just a bit of flirting, it was rather degrading.

 

[Lotusy]

Joseph smiled unconsciously as he hear Carla's answer. Though it was selfish to admit it, if Carla was the same Carla from fourth grade, she could be the answer to all his problems. He'd realized how lonely and depressed he was before he had met Carla, and suddenly, she was here, and she wanted to stick together. Whatever heavenly god is out there, thank you so, so much, he thought to himself. I promise I'll do my best from now on. Of course, he would still have to work the same load he always did, as he didn't want to be a burden, but working with Carla would make it all... easier. No more sleepless nights, no more stress, maybe even-


Whoa there Joseph. Think about her, too. He looked down to Carla, and saw the warm face that he'd always seen on her, the face that meant she cared about him. But as he looked further, he also saw the line of age, and the proud, mature, adult-ish way that she stood. Instantly, he despised himself for being so self-absorbed. As he thought, Joseph realized that everything he thought might not come true. After all, they weren't two beat-up kids that they used to be. That's right, he thought. You're an adult, and she's an adult too. You can't expect anyone to coddle you anymore. He sighed, running his hand through his curly mop of hair. You've got to be strong.


"Well, the cheapest motel around here is definitely Eagle 6. Wish they had an eagle, since there are rats everywhere, but hey, it's something." As he said it, he pulled out his wallet and checked its contents. "If you'd like, I can pay for it. It's only a few bucks a night. I have the money for it." No I don't, he thought. That was a lie. He scratched his head, trying to look for a different option. "Um... how about I treat you to a meal? I know this bar, Greasy's. Apparently, they sell the best and cheapest onion rings around." Relieved, he smiled as he looked into his wallet. I have enough for onion rings. Thank goodness. "Just think of it as a reunion treat. I mean, the dynamic duo is back! The bullied bully and the bruised girl, and thirteen years, too! I'd be insane not to." As he talked, he slid his walled back into his pocket and walk out of the alley. "You care to come?"

 

[Tamissa Pines]

Carla nodded thoughtfully at the mention of Eagle 6, apparently the cheapest motel in town. When he mentioned paying for it, she looked back up at him and offered a grin. "That's sweet of you, but why pay if we can find a way around it?" she pointed out, planting her hands on her hips. Beyond knowing a way to get them a room free of charge, she had a sneaking suspicion that Joseph wasn't being entirely truthful when he told her he had the money for it. It would be just like him to try and provide for her even if said provisions were out of his reach - it was a trait she had always loved and hated about him. After all, she didn't want him to dig himself deeper and deeper into the hole he was in trying to take care of her. Then again, she'd absolutely do the exact same thing for his sake. That was what people did when they were in love, wasn't it? She didn't have much experience, but she'd heard that putting another's needs before your own was a large aspect of the magnificent feeling.


She couldn't help but grin as he launched off into a mini spiel about the dynamic duo being reunited once more. She supposed that was what they were, weren't they? She could still remember the very first time she interacted with him. The day they'd met, tiny second grade Carla had marched straight up to Joseph's otherwise empty lunch table with fearlessness that startled their peers, considering that she seemed so timid to the rest of them and it therefore seemed wildly uncharacteristic for her to walk up to one of the scariest kids in school without hesitation, sat down, and started to eat. The first few times she did so, they didn't even talk. It was only after she had been eating lunch with him for a week that she introduced herself and they began to converse, becoming fast friends despite their seemingly vast amount of differences.


"I'd love to," Carla replied lightly, following him out of the alleyway and down a few back roads, the trek spent in comfortable and companionable silence. She followed him down the stairs into the bar, took a seat and folded her hands, unable to help but grin when he ordered the onion rings. Man, it'd been forever since she'd had onion rings. They were soon delivered and she gladly picked one up, dipping it in ketchup and taking a bit, resisting the urge to groan at the flavor. "Onion rings have never tasted so good," she told Joseph with a small laugh, happily finishing the onion ring she had in her hand. "'eey, baby!" a slurred voice hiccuped from her left and Carla blinked a few times, turning to face the speaker and feeling annoyance overtake her as soon as it did. Wonderful, another drunk asshole who thinks he can talk his way into my pants. Exactly what I wanted to deal with right now. "Hello," she greeted shortly, turning back to the plate of onion rings. "You're...you're a real pretty lil' thing, aren'tcha?" She rolled her eyes - it appeared the drunkard couldn't even think of a proper pick-up line. She gave a small hum of acknowledgement but didn't bother to dignify it with a response, taking another onion rings.

 

[Lotusy]

Joseph chuckled a bit at Carla's response to his offer. "Hey, sometimes we don't need to skirt the law to survive. A bit of clean money's a good way to live every once in a while." Internally, though, he felt relieved, and deeply guilty. He was glad that she could secure a room for free, but at the same time, he was afraid that she might be doing all the work. He enjoyed Carla's company, and really wanted to prove that he was capable, not just the bullied boy he was 13 years ago. Ah, well, he thought, sighing inwardly. She probably saw right through my lie anyways. So much for looking strong. He smiled a bit. Well, that's Carla for you.


One the walk to Greasy's, Joseph got lost in the whirlwind of thoughts inside his head. As soon as he lost hold on his mind, his thoughts instantly wandered to the woman trailing behind him. Though they walked silently, there was something... friendly, something comfortable about it. This was what it was like, he thought. It's been so long since I've had a friend, someone I could just... walk with. Thinking back, he was actually surprised that Carla was still so friendly to him. He thought she might have forgotten him, or maybe even hated him for not trying to help her. In fact, he was just surprised he recognized her, as changed as she was. He looked back at Carla. She seemed really different, actually. She seemed more mature, more dignified, and definitely more confident. Yea. She's definitely not that silent girl from the past. He looked back again. Actually, he thought. Something else is different. She's kinda... bold? No, that's not it. He thought back on Carla, with her happy personality and her warm smile. Well, I mean, she's kinda pretty, and- he caught himself mid-thought. Almost instantly, heat rose to his cheeks. Nonono. Th-that's not it! Uh, think of the future, Joseph! I mean, um, heists! And crime! And-


"That'll be $2.39, sir." The man's voice cut through Joseph's mind like a knife through butter. "Oh. Y-yes, sir." He picked out the bills and change from his wallet. Oh, gosh. Five cents left. He grimaced. Well, I'd better enjoy this while I can. After Carla took her first ring, he followed suit, eating it plain. At least they're good rings. As he swallowed down the ring, he noticed a drunk man come up on Carla's side of the table. Instantly, his mind went into alert mode. He frowned as the drunk started hitting on her, something he saw she didn't appreciate. He decided to take action. "Carla," he growled, in almost a whisper. "Should I take out this punk?"