Emerson (H)

Natalie perked up at the girl’s major, her grin widening. “Seriously?” She said with a soft laugh. “That’s so cool. I, uh, was actually trying to make it as an actress.”

“Oh yeah?” Emerson smiled at Natalie. “Well, I don’t know about your acting skills, but you’ve definitely got the looks to be famous,” she admitted. “Who knows, maybe we’ll have another shot to do what we wanna do one day.”

Natalie kept her gaze on the brunette, a light smile gracing her lips. “Maybe a month, little longer?” Blue eyes glanced up in thought for a moment. “Dunno how long exactly, it’s been a while.” Not wanting to stop talking, she asked, “… What were you studying in college?”

Moving over to the stage, Emerson folded up her blanket to make a pillow and set it down in the spot she was going to sleep. “Oh, umm... Film,” she anwered after a moment, looking back at Natalie. “I wanted to be a director one day.”

“I sleep on part of the stage, Avery sleeps in the back room most of the time. The stage is big enough where you can sleep on it, too. And, we keep our supplies behind the bar,” Nat replied, hopping off the counter and landed behind the bar. She held up her own gym bag with a small smile. “You can keep your shit back here, too. No one can see it from the door. And, if anyone tries to come in that isn’t me or Av, get behind it too.”

“Cool.” Em nodded, smiling a little. She moved around behind the bar and set down her backpack far enough away from the others so that it wouldn’t get mixed up with their things. “So, how long have you guys been hiding out here?” She asked as she opened up her bag and pulled out a small blanket. 

Her smile faltered at the girl’s comment, clearing her throat. “Yeah, about that…” she let out a nervous chuckle. “I’m not as good as you think,” Nat said, her gaze dropping to her lap before glancing to Em. “But know I won’t kill you or take your stuff.”

“Well, it makes you a better person than most,” Em replied, smiling a little bit. “So, where do you guys sleep?” She asked, trying to move the conversation along. “Or umm... Where can I put my stuff?”

Natalie’s smile widened for a moment at Emerson’s gratitude, shrugging her shoulders in reply. “You’re welcome. You seem… good,” she said after a beat. “Which is a hard thing to find nowadays.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I was good, but I’m definitely not bad,” Em replied. “Like, I won’t hurt you if you don’t hurt me.” She shrugged. “But I feel like you’re probably the same way. It is nice, though. Finding someone who doesn’t just wanna kill you and take your stuff.”

Nat let out a light laugh, taking a quick glance around the club. “Yeah, I actually do like it in here, despite the shitty lighting situation,” she replied with a smile. “It’s not like I’m going tomorrow… and, a base could be more crowded, but they might have decent supplies. Doesn’t hurt to find out, y'know? Besides, if a military base is a bust, I’ll find another strip club,” she added the last part as a half-joke, chuckling once again.

“Well, I doubt there’s a shortage of good strip clubs to live in,” Em laughed. “So if the military base doesn’t work out, I think that’s a solid back up. By the way... Thanks for letting me hang out here for the night, I appreciate it.”

Natalie nodded, giving the stranger a soft smile. She didn’t want to say what she was thinking, how it would impossible to make it there. Instead, she said, “I hope you can find your family one day.” Nat cleared her throat, gaze dropping to her lap. “I’m actually planning on going down to San Diego,” she added, looking back to Emerson. “There’s a shit ton of military bases down, so maybe there’s something safe there.”

“Thanks,” Emerson replied, smiling faintly. “San Diego sounds like a good place to go, but you also have something pretty nice here,” she said with a bit of a laugh, looking around. “Less crowded than a military base would probably be, too.”

Natalie paused at Emerson’s question, simply shrugging her shoulders before replying, “I, uh, actually haven’t thought of it. I only had my mom, but she’s tough. I like to think that she’s still alive.” She remained quiet for a moment; she loved her mom, but she didn’t want to go on a long journey, either to find out she was dead or never find her. “What about you? Anyone in New York you wanna look for?”

“Yeah,” Em admitted, nodding her head. “But umm... not in New York. In Philly. When I came here, my sister went to live with my aunt and cousin in Philly.” She felt silly saying it out loud-- she knew actually getting to Philadelphia would be nearly impossible.   

Nat hopped onto the counter top, her legs crisscrossing as she got comfortable. “New York? That’s fucking cool,” she said with a faint smile, keeping her gaze on Emerson. “I’m from Vegas. Moved here for work,” she said with a nod of her head. “I never liked the idea of working in a casino or as a showgirl.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Em replied, smiling a little as her gaze fell to the ground. “Vegas is pretty cool too, though.” She looked back up at Natalie. “Have you ever thought about going back there? You know... to look for family, or something?”

Natalie holstered her weapon, shuffling over to the bar. “You’re welcome,” she replied, giving her a nod of her head. “Call me Nat,” the brunette added after the stranger introduced herself. “You originally from around here…?” Nat asked, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to get to know Emerson a little.

Emerson put her weapon down on the ground, followed by her backpack. “...Not originally, no,” she replied after a moment, shaking her head. “I’m from New York. I was just out here for school. What about you?”

Natalie remained quiet, pressing her lips together as the stranger spoke. She didn’t seem like a threat. “It’s getting dark out there fast,” she said, slowly lowering the gun. Truth be told, the brunette had a soft spot for ladies - including her current ally Avery, despite how the two met. “You can stay for the night. But, I’m putting faith in you not to hurt me or the redhead who’ll come in here eventually. Do anything funny and you’ll regret it.”

Emerson let out a sigh of relief and lowered her hands. “Thanks,” she said, nodding her head at the girl’s words. “I’m Emerson, by the way,” she introduced herself, smiling a little. 

Natalie watched the girl carefully, not even blinking as the stranger dropped her weapon. As she talked, the brunette arched her brow, not entirely sure if she could believe her. “Walk through the door. Slowly,” she stated, keeping her gun pointed at the girl. “Grab your weapon, too, but don’t even think of taking a swing at me.” Nat kept her gaze on the her, waiting for her to enter.

Just as she said, Emerson slowly walked through the door, picking up her weapon as she did so. “I just need a place to stay, I swear,” she tried to reassure the stranger, though she wasn’t sure if it would do much good. “But I’ll leave and find somewhere else. I don’t want a fight.”

Natalie was taking inventory of her and Avery’s food and water behind the bar of the club, smiling a bit to herself. It reminded her of before the world went to shit and she was just simply working at a bar. It was weird - she dreamed so hard to never work at the bar and now she dreamed of having that normalcy to her life once again. As she set a few cans onto a shelf, she lifted her head up at the sound of her makeshift alarm. She hopped up, grabbing the gun out of her holster and pointing it right at the door. “Hands up,” Nat called out, walking out from behind the bar and towards the door. “And don’t fucking move.”

Without hesitation, Emerson dropped her pickaxe and put her hands in the air, careful to follow the strangers instructions. “I’m not here to hurt anyone,” she assured, turning her head to the girl who had a gun pointed at her. “I was just looking for a place to stay for the night... Didn’t think anyone was here.”

“No… No, Em,” Natalie shook her head as she spoke. “She died on the lawn. Like, on that stupid house’s land.” She tried to think of the right way to word what she wanted to say, but couldn’t. “What if…”

“Oh.” Emerson hadn’t thought about that, but when Natalie pointed it out, she understood. “What if she’s a ghost?” She guessed what her girlfriend was trying to say. 

Natalie let out a soft sob, resting her head on Emerson’s chest. “No, I didnt. I was a drunk idiot who let her bleed out on the… lawn…” she trailed off, bloodshot eyes widening. “… She died on the lawn, Em. I let her die there.”

“It’s not your fault.” Em tried to reassure Nat, though she wasn’t sure the girl would believe it. “Don’t blame yourself, okay? It was just a shitty situation that you got caught up in.”