Main Campfire, Wednesday Evening

[arsenicmauls]

A girl, a dinosaur, a campfire and a pack of frozen hot dogs. Enough said, really.

Well, no, one more thing needed to be said, and that thing was 'mosqiutoes.' While toasting a hot dog with one hand, Gert used the other to immerse herself in a thick cloud of bug spray that she'd picked up this morning from Turtle & Canary. Afterwards, she'd probably spray Old Lace. Maybe. Was it even necessary?

Not for the first time, Gert lamented that it was really a pain that dinosaur care couldn't really be Googled. Sigh.

Comments

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

Another day, more terrible news from home. It wasn't even surprising at this point, but Jessica definitely needed to get out of her bouncy castle for a bit.

"Hey, Gert," she said, walking up. "How are things?"

[arsenicmauls]

"Mosquito-free," Gert reported, "so that's one of maybe two to three good things all week. How about you?"

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

"Well, the lack of mosquitoes is the best news I've heard in a while," Jessica said.

[arsenicmauls]

"So a week like mine, then." Old Lace, for her part, looked sympathetic. Or possibly hungry. "Want bug spray?" she offered, holding up the spray bottle. "You, too, can be free of mosquitos with the help of this two-dollar magical solution."

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

"I really hope for your sake that your week has been nothing like mine," Jessica said. "I'll pass on the bug spray, though. I've never trusted it. The fire is usually enough to keep me from getting bit too bad."

[arsenicmauls]

"Sorry about your week." That just seemed like kind of a necessary thing to say, but it was sincere all the same. "But just to put in a decent effort to compete in the suckiness-off, I currently have about nine bouncy house-induced bruises and I spent two hours washing deer blood off of me this morning in a communal shower."

Sigh, Old Lace. Hunt away from Gert's immediate proximity next time.

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

"I'm a federal fugitive in my homeworld. It's a long story," Jessica mentioned. "Why were you covered in deer blood?"

[arsenicmauls]

"...Okay, point Drew," Gert conceded. "Old Lace was hunting and didn't keep her distance, so. Splatter."

She made a vague gesture with her hands to mime the splattering.

"Can I ask why you're a fugitive, or is it a you-could-tell-me-but-you'd-have-to-kill-me deal?"

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

"It's more of a 'I need a lot more alcohol in my system before I can even start telling the story' deal," Jessica said. "The quick answer is 'politics.'"

[arsenicmauls]

"Aha." That made sense. "Well," she said with a heavy current of sarcasm, "as fun as being on the run from the law is, which I know from experience, it's probably pretty nice to have a multidimensional nexus to not be hunted down in."

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

"For once, Crazy School really does have some benefits," Jessica said. "I'll definitely take that for the time being."

[arsenicmauls]

"Yeah, there're like three in total," Gert said dryly. "Benefit from all three and you get a sticker from the office. That's the fourth benefit."

What?

"Runaway pro tip: be careful what ATMs you use. And try to find an abandoned cave with a collapsed hotel inside that you can live in when you go back to visit. That one's more specific."

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

"Well, the first tip is a moot point because all of my funds are frozen. The only money I actually have right now is from working at Stark's," Jessica said. "And for the second, I don't know if I'll find anything like that in New York. But I'll take a look."

[arsenicmauls]

"Wow, you're going to have even more fun than I did," Gert quipped. "A warehouse basement might also suffice. You know, in a pinch. Does New York have those?"

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

"Oh, it has plenty of those," Jessica said. "But if I really need to go back, I probably won't need anything like that. I have some friends there who may be able to help me out."

[arsenicmauls]

"Or that," Gert said with an approving nod. "That's better. Like the kind of friends who wouldn't get caught for harboring a fugitive?"

By which she mostly meant superpowered people.

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

"Friends that are technically fugitives themselves, actually," Jessica noted.

[arsenicmauls]

"...Yeah, I have to approve of that plan."

FUGITIVE HOUSE. It sounded like a very terrible reality show.

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

"I had a feeling you might," Jessica said. "It seemed up your alley."

[arsenicmauls]

"Having fugitive friends or living with them?" Gert wondered. "Either way, yes."

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

"Either/or," Jessica mused. "Sticking it to the guys in charge with teamwork? That's absolutely something you'd enjoy hearing about."

[arsenicmauls]

"That's true." And Gert was preening a bit for having that reputation. Although it wasn't like she was even the slightest bit subtle about that priority of hers, so why she was surprised by Jessica's acknowledging it was a mystery for the ages. "Also, I don't make this offer lightly, but if you need to stick it to the guys in charge with dinosaur bites, I'd be happy to lend a reptile."

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

"That would be cathartic, but possibly counterproductive," Jessica noted. "I'll keep that in mind, though, and I'll give it a lot of thought."

[arsenicmauls]

Gert nodded like she'd expected that answer. "Giving it thought might be the best part," she added. "Not that I'm saying that I daydream about maulings, but if I did, I guarantee that they would help my psychological well-being."

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

"Next time I see you with a faraway look in your eyes, I'll know why. And I won't interrupt, just in case," Jessica said.

[arsenicmauls]

"Much appreciated," Gert said, snapping her fingers in Jessica's direction. "Though the real giveaway is the vague interest in OL's eyes here. Telepathic connection and all."

That probably wasn't a real thing, but then Gert didn't usually watch Old Lace's eyes when she was daydreaming, so it could be accurate!

"So, is it creepy to ask if you have an existing go-to cathartic mental image along those lines?"

[craftyladyparts.livejournal.com]

"I don't, really," Jessica said. "Usually if I need some catharsis, I go out and do something. Tinkering or exercising, something to keep me active and not thinking for a while."