A barn? That some kind of lifelong dream of yours?
[She bites her lower lip, stifling another laugh before she takes another bite of her burger. At least he has a sense of humor about the whole thing. Most people don't.]
Most people are pretty fond of the local bartender, no matter where you go. We're popular folk.
I'm sure that helps a whole lot with the bar's popularity.
[She likes to think her stunning personality has a little something to do with it, thanks.]
Yeah? Have you done construction before, or is just something you've always been interested in? [She's genuinely curious, here. That's an interesting want.] I think it would be nice to design your own house. Everything just the way you like it.
I did some odd jobs for a construction company when I was younger but I just think it would be fun. I'd like to make something I can be proud of. [And then, with the appropriate hand gestures. Notice how strong his hands are?] Go out there and cut down the trees and plane the wood and dovetail the joints together. I want to make something simple but really high quality.
You could probably do it here, you know. I mean, it's not like supplies are hard to come by.
[Those closets sure come in handy.]
People used the closets to make the bar and the diner. It's a little different, since the rooms accommodated them pretty well, but if you don't mind lugging things outside, why not?
You know, I think I heard something about someone wanting to put together a playground, too.
[He thinks about it through another bite of burger. Really he can't get this in his mouth fast enough.]
People made them? Huh. [He's just thought they were already there. Being Wonderland and all.]
I don't mind carrying stuff. [But he didn't suppose there was an elevator around somewhere.] Maybe I could get someone on the first floor to pull it from their closet.
[Ohm nom more fries.] Why do people want a playground? Are there kids here? [Something he hadn't even stopped to think about. Just who was here? Adults only? Families? The young, the old, the sick? What was the selection process? Did anyone know? Had there been a census to track who was here?]
That's what I hear, anyway. Both of them were up and running before I got here. Some of the decor was done by hand and pulling stuff out of the closets, but I guess you could also just sit on the floor and think about what you wanted for awhile and next time you walked in, the room would change. I think that's how the clinic was put together, too.
[Moving or remodeling was so much easier in Wonderland.]
At least one I know of. I think his name is Henry? There might be more.
[She's not sure. Some teenagers, definitely, but she can't think of any other younger kids she's spotted on the network.
She pauses to take another bite, swallowing before offering him a smirk across the table.]
We have a dragon, too, you know. Likes playing fetch.
[Tom nearly chokes on his drink. Sure, why the hell not. Because everything else around here is perfectly normal. Was it a friendly stoner dragon or an evil baby eating dragon?]
I'll see what I can do. Not like I can call him up and ask him to meet me somewhere, but if I run into him, I'll give you a shout.
[She pauses for a moment to consider that.]
I'm pretty sure he's like us. He lives in the mansion and has a Mirror self and everything. Sadly, he doesn't talk much, but he's good at getting his point across.
Really? [He gives that a thought. After everything else he guesses it's not really that weird. Sure, there's probably a world our there with dragons in it. Okay. That's rational.]
Hm. Yeah, I'd like to meet him. Does he take people flying?
Maybe? He had a rider here for awhile, think they were from the same place. I don't know if he'd take anyone else up. Seems like they probably had to work at it for awhile, but maybe he'd be willing.
I, no I know- I just didn't want you getting the wrong idea.
[But exsqeeze you what was that miss Harvelle?]
It's not my go to coping mechanism. [He could ruin the mood and tell her his dad died of it? but that is p much the worst thing. He could also mention the meds but he wasn't one to listen to doctor's orders when drinking and drugs were involved seeing as he's had a drink with Ben and then later tried to get a beer in town. And that was only after being back in Harmony for a day or two tops.]
Some of the things you see in our line of work, you just can't talk about.
[She smiles thinly. She knows it sounds like a cop-out, but if you let yourself think about things too much? God. You'd go crazy.]
You can share stories with other hunters, but... it gets violent. The stuff we deal with, most people only see in their worst nightmares, you know? So a lot of the older guys especially turn to the bottle.
[He knows what that looks like. Tom considers it for a moment. He's not really one to judge, and hunters seem to have their work cut out for them, but he has particular feelings about this subject.]
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[The irony isn't lost on him.]
I might get a time share. Maybe buy some land. Build a barn.
[Because that is clearly what you do. Or he could just put some down roots to keep himself anchored in the inevitable storm.]
You're not so bad, yourself, you know.
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[She bites her lower lip, stifling another laugh before she takes another bite of her burger. At least he has a sense of humor about the whole thing. Most people don't.]
Most people are pretty fond of the local bartender, no matter where you go. We're popular folk.
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[He rests the burger for a second. Can't let these fries go cold.]
I dunno. We had a barn when I was growing up. I've always wanted to build one, I guess. Or a house, maybe. I like making things.
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[She likes to think her stunning personality has a little something to do with it, thanks.]
Yeah? Have you done construction before, or is just something you've always been interested in? [She's genuinely curious, here. That's an interesting want.] I think it would be nice to design your own house. Everything just the way you like it.
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I did some odd jobs for a construction company when I was younger but I just think it would be fun. I'd like to make something I can be proud of. [And then, with the appropriate hand gestures. Notice how strong his hands are?] Go out there and cut down the trees and plane the wood and dovetail the joints together. I want to make something simple but really high quality.
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[Those closets sure come in handy.]
People used the closets to make the bar and the diner. It's a little different, since the rooms accommodated them pretty well, but if you don't mind lugging things outside, why not?
You know, I think I heard something about someone wanting to put together a playground, too.
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People made them? Huh. [He's just thought they were already there. Being Wonderland and all.]
I don't mind carrying stuff. [But he didn't suppose there was an elevator around somewhere.] Maybe I could get someone on the first floor to pull it from their closet.
[Ohm nom more fries.] Why do people want a playground? Are there kids here? [Something he hadn't even stopped to think about. Just who was here? Adults only? Families? The young, the old, the sick? What was the selection process? Did anyone know? Had there been a census to track who was here?]
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[Moving or remodeling was so much easier in Wonderland.]
At least one I know of. I think his name is Henry? There might be more.
[She's not sure. Some teenagers, definitely, but she can't think of any other younger kids she's spotted on the network.
She pauses to take another bite, swallowing before offering him a smirk across the table.]
We have a dragon, too, you know. Likes playing fetch.
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Henry huh.. That's shitty.
[How incredibly cruel.. Tom thought he had it bad but to be a child and here alone? What was the fucking point of tha-
wait.
Wait a second. The needle on his record player is skipping over here.]
Did you just say dragon.
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[She knows Dean is friends with the kid's mom, at any rate.
That smirk broadens as he starts to catch on. There you go. Now you're getting it.]
Sure did. First person I met on my first day here.
[She'd been terrified for all of thirty seconds before he came up to her and essentially asked for headpats.]
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[Tom nearly chokes on his drink. Sure, why the hell not. Because everything else around here is perfectly normal. Was it a friendly stoner dragon or an evil baby eating dragon?]
Really. A dragon.
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[She wouldn't kid about something like this. Okay, maybe she would, but seriously. Dragon.]
I can take you to meet him sometime, if you want. He's usually poking around outside somewhere. Likes fish, I think. Really friendly.
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[Because who doesn't want to meet a dragon?]
Is it from Wonderland or did it get pulled in like everybody else?
[Did anybody know? Could it talk?]
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I'll see what I can do. Not like I can call him up and ask him to meet me somewhere, but if I run into him, I'll give you a shout.
[She pauses for a moment to consider that.]
I'm pretty sure he's like us. He lives in the mansion and has a Mirror self and everything. Sadly, he doesn't talk much, but he's good at getting his point across.
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Hm. Yeah, I'd like to meet him. Does he take people flying?
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[She grins a bit wider, curious.]
You looking to hitch a ride on a dragon, Tom?
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If the opportunity arose, hell yes.
When else would it even be possible?. Usually when you say you're riding the dragon it means you're cracked out in a heroin den somewhere.
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[She squints one eye at him, smirking.]
You know that from experience?
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Nooo, no, no.
[This looks bad, doesn't it. She's probably kidding and all? But it's uncomfortable.]
Not my style.
[Though to be entirely honest? he'd done some dark shit to keep his demons at bay.]
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[She's pretty sure he knows better than to take her seriously on this point, but just in case.]
You don't strike me as that kind of a guy.
[He's too nice for that.]
You can't even hold that much liquor.
[More teasing. Deal with it.]
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[But exsqeeze you what was that miss Harvelle?]
It's not my go to coping mechanism. [He could ruin the mood and tell her his dad died of it? but that is p much the worst thing. He could also mention the meds but he wasn't one to listen to doctor's orders when drinking and drugs were involved seeing as he's had a drink with Ben and then later tried to get a beer in town. And that was only after being back in Harmony for a day or two tops.]
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[Some people handle it just fine, but she's seen plenty of people go overboard.]
It's called Hunter's Helper for a reason, but I still hate to see anyone use it as a crutch as opposed to an indulgence.
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I get the feeling there should be a support group..
[Doesn't anyone go to therapy? Process their bullshit like normal people?]
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[She smiles thinly. She knows it sounds like a cop-out, but if you let yourself think about things too much? God. You'd go crazy.]
You can share stories with other hunters, but... it gets violent. The stuff we deal with, most people only see in their worst nightmares, you know? So a lot of the older guys especially turn to the bottle.
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[He knows what that looks like. Tom considers it for a moment. He's not really one to judge, and hunters seem to have their work cut out for them, but he has particular feelings about this subject.]
It's a shitty way to go.
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