Of Urchins and Leprechauns

<OOC – Here’s the link to the First Person Fortnight article I was going on about the other day. Click me.>

Team Choosing

Some of the Stealth Team assembled and left the room but Solvay didn’t follow.

<jaysnip>"“So…who else it with me?”<jaysnip>

Alex nodded.

Mulled Whine

He’d taken the construction truck and followed the others back to the casino, parking nearby and waiting.
And waiting.
It was pretty boring, and the relative calm sent his mind wandering.

After a while it found its way to Cass, and Jade, and how neither of them had really spoken to him much since they’d – in separate incidents - called him harsh stuff.

Reflecting on the loaded words, Alex wondered (not for the first time) if females realised that men actually had the capacity to feel wounded too.
Or maybe it wasn’t gender-related, perhaps it was his … Solvay-ness. But he was more than just oil and overalls. Granted, not a lot more, but more.

That was why he’d chosen to go the Jay Way – the Stealth Team held two spikey ladies who apparently had an opinion of him that was lower’n a snake’s belly.
He squinted up the quiet (for Vegas) side road for a moment, then chuckled to himself. He lit a fag and rolled down the window, allowing in the city rush. ‘Chosen’ - he doubted they’d’ve welcomed him, anyway.

Wimmin

He exhaled, and jutted his bottom lip in a sort of facial shrug. He bore them no ill will, but equally he didn’t relish bad vibrations, or the possibility of them. That was just tiring and unpleasant. Apart from that, he wasn’t bothered about their Al-hate.
Something did bother him, though.

A while ago, a branch of possibility had knocked against the window of his less-than-speedy mind: Maybe it had felt odd for Cass when he’d made a new ‘friend’ who she wasn’t familiar with. But Jade wasn’t a replacement. It didn’t work like that. He’d always wanted a little sister. He had Cass’s back, and would have always looked out for her. He’d seen the hurt and vulnerability, and the good inside the sea urchin shell.

Well, he’d thought he’d seen that, he’d really believed it, but there was always the possibility that he’d misjudged the balance of light and dark. She now seemed to be the type of person who unflinchingly, and venomously, called someone who’d been kind to her an “untrustworthy alcoholic prick” and revoked privileges she had no right to. He sighed at the fact he’d allowed the 'A' word into his mind, then grimaced as he remembered that Jade had called him similar, and more.

Jade. He wondered if he’d misjudged her, too. She’d appeared to be so sweet and kind, and that was what he'd loved about her. Then she got drunk and said those things. In Solvay’s experience, a lot of true words tended to spill from drunken lips. “Dog”, “sad lonely tosser” and the rest was likely what she really thought of him.

She'd shot him many an angry glare since then, and since they'd had a discussion in AR. True there'd been the odd grabbing of him in dark places, and she'd looked like she'd wanted a word with him as he'd left the refectory with Eve, but - as with Cass - the overriding vibe he got was anger. He could do without that.

“Stoopid smeggin’ pi- … Leprechaun.”
He shook his head.

“Wimmin.”

He pushed the thoughts away and took a final drag of the cigarette. Tossing it out the window he exhaled smokily and again asked the world where the smeg Plisken was.
Coughing, he caught his reflection in a semi-desert-dusty old window across the street. “Seriously…” he asked it “where’s Plisken got to?”
The communicator blooped.

<snip>
"Alex! It's Artemis, we need pickup!"
"Uh...right, where do I go?"
"The side entrance where they take in deliveries!"
"Got it"

The construction truck sped down the alley, and came to an abrupt stop next to the group. Boyd, Jamie, Jade and Jacky climbed into the back, Artemis hopped in the front seat and they were off. They weren't sure where they were going, but hopefully it was in the direction of the time drive....
</snip>

"What took you so long?" Alex grumbled, as they bolted, bouncing and bumping through the Vegas streets.

--
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<TAG Jay + Everyone.
I was originally gonna say “tag assault team”, and: “If Jay/Baron’s still a bit busy, let’s just pretend he’s instructing us” (I’ve been waitin’ for Jay-structions!), but I started this a while back and it’s moved on slightly so tag anyone.

Plisken – Alex would’ve come to look for you but I don’t know if that’s what you wanted, you disappeared from the chat before I could finish askin’. Didn’t email ‘cause I know you’ve had email troubs.>