( UPCHARGE )

               — she felt the gentle touch on her back, but didn’t move away as she would if most people laid hands on her. instead, she fell into step with him, appreciating the brief moment of closeness that sent tingles up her spine and then blooming through every vein in her body. she let out a quiet hum. this time. 

              — when she saw what he had done she had to admit she was a bit impressed. a step forward and his hand was no longer on her, and she was looking around the storage bunker with calculating eyes. she knew it was best not to judge silas too harshly — having any expectation of him was more weight than he could bear to carry — but she couldn’t help the way she surveyed their surroundings in silence, waiting to find a can out of place or a box of powdered milk on the floor. when no such thing appeared, she turned around and walked over to him once more, arms weaving up and around his neck.

               — “ i have to say i am impressed, which i wasn’t entirely expecting. ” she mumbled, inching closer to him so that her body was almost entirely flush against his, “ who paid you off, hmm ? was it one of the cooks ? i’d heard rumours they were getting annoyed by the messes left in here. ” her mouth pulled into a grin, and up she went on to the tips of her toes to touch her forehead to his. “ what was this other payment you were looking for ? i’m sure we could arrange something. ”

      her touch: it's a sort of thing that can't be translated. to liken it to a mother's would be reductionist ( and totally fuckin' perverted, oedipus complex be damned ), but it is... gratifying. a sort of DESERVING validation : maybe you aren't the worst thing after all.

       the voices in his head, the gnawing self hatred, it stops. how bad can he actually be, after all, if she will touch him like this. her body is against him now, a feeling he isn't unfamiliar with, despite the creeping excitement it sends through him.

              "        AS IF those kitchen boys could offer me anything i don't already have." he scoffed, joking grin transforming into something genuine, almost soft. his hands find her back again, their favorite spot, resting comfortably in the curve of her spine. warmth just SEETHES from her, and for a moment he tastes again what HOME feels like. it's an overwhelming comfort, and for a moment, he parts with her. eyes dance around her face, he's breathless, and strange.

               "         MAYBE YOU could just.. you want to talk a walk?"

        he can't believe what he's saying. there she is, all but OFFERING herself to him, and he wants to take a FUCKING stroll. with a shake of his head, his hands meet the bridge of his nose, massaging it with a confused sort of tenacity.

     sniffing softly, mccree narrowed his eyes at the taller man before falling into step next to him. this was not how he imagined this day going, and if he was being honest, he secretly wished he hadn’t stepped up to take over the trading mission. the last thing he wanted to do was spend time with a man who ran his mouth more than anybody he had ever seen–including himself, and that was saying something. but alas, here he was. 

     “you think i’d give you my real name if i was plannin’ on killin’ you?” mccree couldn’t help but snort in the back of his throat with humor. funny guy, this one. funny and annoying. “besides–” he says dissmissively. “i wouldn’t shoot ya and leave you for dead. i’d shoot ya, wait for you to turn, and shoot you again.” turning to give silas a smile, mccree also gave him a wink. “i do love that double tap method.”

     rolling his shoulders, mccree squinted up at the sun before training his gaze in front of them as they walked. the world around them was quiet, which was reassuring but also put him on edge. when the dead walked, silence was never a good thing. “the name’s mccree. james mccree. and you are?”

            silas released a chuckle, maybe too low for the other to hear it. likely for the best, though. there was something of a reputation for him to maintain, after all. loudmouth, jack ass, slacker, asshole ;; nothing but labels - interesting to him the qualifications people put him under. as if any of them had spent enough time to know. he'd lived a whole life before the world fell to shit. there were hopes and dreams that he chased - things that he desired.

               he's aware of his reputation, yes. 

                             not that he gives a shit, he doesn't -                                                the people who loved him are dead and gone now.

                no use crying over that curdled milk.

               with a bit of a jump, he turns back to the younger man. walking backwards out the gate with a good spirited smirk.

                     "        YOU'D USE two bullets on me? you sure know how to make a guy feel special. i'm silas, i'm a gemini, and if you're gonna kill me, id prefer strangulation. name sounds familiar, though"

                with the same jump as before, he returns to his forward facing position and pushed ahead. beyond the walls, he seemed like almost a different man. too many regular faces can be a heavy weight on the spirit. it's nice, every now and then, to set yourself free, out into the world where it's familiar. life and death, survival and destruction. so much easier out here. silas might have made a good firefly, if he had any conviction whatsoever.

                still that name bounces around his head. mcree. mcree. oh. that mcree. blondie's mcree. he'd only heard of him once or twice, on nights where she felt.. especially vulnerable. silas decides to sit on that. unless james does end up killing him. some final words those'll be.

she can’t hide the distrust that’s riddled across her face, ❝ YOU’RE a trader? right . . you’d think they’d pick someone who wasn’t a loudmouth. ❞ big words coming from someone with the LOUDEST mouth in the firefly camp . . she calls it her charm, and eve was too tired to argue against letting her out to deal with the visitor, ❝ whatever, . . ❞ emmy mutters, ❝ what’s up your sleeve? ❞ @silasbrothers

             "        DO YOU mean other than muscles that you wouldn't expect? nothing. i was just passing through with my surplus to try and make a trade. but i'm afraid you won't get much in exchange for bein' nasty, even if it is kinda cute on you."

people OFTEN got him wrong.  what he stood for , what his father  &  grandfather had tried to build. in this world , it wasn’t about being a king.  it wasn’t the title that made council hall’s leader a   L E A D E R.  the only reason the monarchy was up was to keep the group from falling apart if one leader was lost.  there was someone to back them up  …  when his father had died , it had simply been handed to him. when he died , his brother  &  if his brother was lost to this world  -  then he’d hoped it’d go to vivian. or JAMES.  ❛  thank you for the interest , but it’s something i’d rather discuss with her directly.  ❜  no need to involve a third party  &  mess up the order of things.

             he would just leave it at that, if his name wasn't silas brothers, and if silas brothers didn't beat every dead horse he came across. besides, how could he pass up a little one on one time with his majesty. well, one on two, considering the big guy with the gun tailing behind.

               — something about that goofy grin always managed to draw katya back in. she didn’t know why. maybe she felt attached because of all the nights they had secretly shared in the year he had been at willow creek. the blonde had never considered herself one for anything casual ( and really, deep down, this hadn’t been casual, not that she would ever admit that ) but silas was the perfect combination of infuriating and intoxicating that she couldn’t keep away from.  

               — “ you seem pretty youthful to me. ” her tone was playful, and she cracked a teasing grin. one that she saved for his eyes only, in these semi-private moments where she didn’t have to be katya and she could be kat. “ but i’ll be sure to go easier on you from now on so you can get your work done. ”

               — blue eyes flickered over to the entryway of the stock room and then back to silas, before rolling once at what he said. she nodded towards the still open door, using her hand the push off the shelf she was leaning on and standing up straight.

               — “ show me and i’ll decide whether it’s worthy of payment or not. really i shouldn’t be rewarding you for doing the bare minimum required to keep up residence here but you know i’ve got a soft spot for you. ” nose wrinkling playfully, she walked over to the stockroom, mary-jane kitten heels clicking with each step.

           the t e n d e r things have always eluded silas. there was a girl once, before. a clumsy sort of teenage infatuation. he'd set fire to that before the world spiraled into hell. the apocalypse had nothing on a 17 year old boy. since then it'd been relative solitude. most intimacy twisted in on way or another into distance. until katya. and he would admit: it was.. something substantial. expectations stay low, however. despite her maturity, she's only twenty two. and this world doesn't encourage romance.

           but he's come to care for her. in a way difficult to verbalize. but if you look closely, you can read it. in the straightening of his posture, and in the crease of his laughter lines.

                     "         FLATTERER. LOOKS like i'm rubbing off on you. (  in more ways than one. ) "

           he grins. katya may s e e m to be all business, but silas knew better. it surprised him at first, the fire that could come from those cold blue eyes. a hand gently grazes her lower back as he leads her to the stock room.

                     "        THAT'S TOUCHING, sweetcheeks, but you can save that soft spot for a day i do disappoint you. i wasn't talking out my ass.. this time."

     jokes. mccree understood the word ‘joke’. it was something he liked to fling around himself. they were meant to be funny though. something that could cause a chuckle or a giggle in such shit times like these ones. silas’ joke was more of a dig, even though he tried to make it seem like it wasn’t one, and mccree wasn’t stupid–he could easily see through the man’s condescending tone and sly face. it was a face that mccree wanted to hit, several times if he was being honest. but he was on a trading mission here, and he had batteries to get, even though it seemed more appealing to throw hands at the time. 

     there was a time when mccree wouldn’t even have thought twice about it. there was a time when mccree would have pulled out his revolver and shot silas in the face. it was easy to get supplies when the person you were getting them from was dead. he wouldn’t lie, the thought ran through his mind quickly. how easy it would be to get the man to lead him to the safehouse. how easy it would be to shoot him dead and take all of their things. but he had people to protect now. and just thinking about nick’s face when he found out that mccree had reverted to who he used to be…well, it was the only thing stopping him. 

     the idea of just…just one little hit was so tempting though. especially when he got called pardner. ( fucking asshole ). 

     “i’m not lookin’ for a fight unless you give me a reason to, pardner. i actually consider myself a very…gentle man.” even though he had just threatened him moments before. it was more of a warning than a talk-down though. “i’m interested in this plan o’ yours, though, so you’ve got a deal. i lead you there, you give me the batteries, and then we can be on our merry way.” he threw the backpack carrying the medicine around his shoulders once more, sizing silas up as he did so. he’s tall, and he’s probably got more muscle under that pressed shirt than it seems–but mccree thought he’d do alright. “try anything funny, though, and i’ll kill ya.”

             it was clear, his decision to call the younger man ' pardner ' struck a nerve ;; even so, his face was in tact, and no one had drawn their gun on him. in silas' opinion, that seemed like a successful interaction. if it were a competition, silas would win ' world's most punchable face '. quite an accomplishment, considering the caliber of assholes out there these days.

                 "          YEAH, YEAH, no funny business. you got it. just regular old business."

               he replies, reaching underneath his stand to retrieve his things. the other man may be a bit of a cowboy, but silas was no stranger to the land outside those walls either. there were stretches of years he spent out there, sometimes on his own. with a nod, he motions the other to follow, weaving past the other trader's stall. 

word got around   ,   maybe not as quick as before but word of developments   (   groups essentially   )   had hit soft flesh more than once.  and she’d been apart of one once  ,  but that was long ago and behind her.

          ‘   cute  ,  really.   make sure she tags along my pb & j  ,  spread evenly and cut in half.   ’  

a bright  ,  yet devious smirk covered her lips at his offer of trade.   ‘   hm  ,  tempting offer but i’m afraid i’ll have to speak to my friend over there —   ’   she said pointing to the male that she seemed to share company  ,  ‘ i’m sure he wouldn’t mind a trade.   ’

     a smile creeps across his face when she plays along, and for s o m e reason, a deep hunger.

    he peers, over her head, to the man accompanying her. giving him a nod.

           "        YOU TWO want to talk it over with some lunch? not sure what your lot eats out beyond the walls, but a hot meal can never hurt."

               — kat couldn’t help but find it funny that she was always sent to check up on silas. the older man was definitely in need of it, given how katya often found him doing anything other than what he was tasked with, but she couldn’t help but feel irena k n e w something when she sent her of all people to make sure he was on track. as the young blonde walked through the door into one of the storage facilities, she couldn’t help but snort slightly at his remark.

               — “ you calling me kiddo is a little bit distasteful considering last night’s events, don’t you think ? ” she remarked, a quick raise of her eyebrows as she leaned on the shelf opposite to where silas was “ working. ”

               — “ could that have something to do with why you’re making little paper birds rather than doing your job ? too tired ? ” despite her comment she still outstretched her hand, gently taking the swan from him and placing it on the shelf next to her head. “ have you counted anything ? or have you seriously been sitting here for two hours doing nothing of actual importance. ”

     this little ' thing ' the two of them shared had been going for some time now. a discreet sort of thing, which usually, silas would admit, isn't in his wheelhouse. but it's easy to upset the delicate balance of willow creek ;; small communities like this can quickly become cesspools for gossip. surely others had their suspicions. they likely caught the more genuine smiles he gifted to her, or the lingering stares when she walked away. ( and she did, very often, walk away. )

                                                  but innocent until proven guilty.

        "        I DON'T have that youthful energy anymore, you know. you can have the best night of your life and run a whole damn camp the next day no problem, i have to be very selective with the things i spend it on."

     with tilted head, he watches her handle the origami. seeing her in the light of day is always a special sort of thing ;; even if it is usually accompanied with some sort of warning.

nick shifted when he felt the man’s  GAZE  look him up  &  down , uncomfortable by the interest shown.  but he managed through , chest unconsciously puffed as he scratched the back of his neck.  ❛  SURE.  ❜  he drawled out.  ❛  tell her NICK STONEM came around. it’s about the trade she offered.  ❜

    now his interest is piqued, and his stare is tinged with a different kind of curiosity.

            "        YEAH, I will. but if it's a trade you want, you're in luck. my job description is exactly that one word. i think that makes me qualified."

        georgia screwed up her nose slightly - young lady was a weird thing for someone to be calling her. no one said that sort of thing any more. ‘ georgia, ‘ she said - maybe if he knew her name he’d use it, instead of making her feel like some kind of damsel from a story.

        ‘ and all of that could be useful, ‘ she agreed. really it was more than she’d hoped for - half the time they patched people up with old clothes instead of bandages. ‘ but i’m not really in charge of what i can give you in return. ‘ that was someone else’s job. nick’s, maybe - she didn’t really trust herself to know what was a good deal and what wasn’t. ‘ i thought birth control was like, extinct. not sure it’s worth the price. ‘

              "       YOU'D BE surprised ;; the things you can find in places just out of reach. can't say it'll be potent enough to keep someone.. not pregnant. but should help with mild hormone imbalances and endometriosis."

    at least, that was the pitch tara had run him through. periods were bad enough during the apocalypse ;; he was shocked to discover there was a way they could be w o r s e. still, it took him 5 minutes to master that word. worth every one. 

❛  i can guarantee you  COUNCIL  HALL  doesn’t have any batteries either.  but that’s not what i’m here for.  ❜  nick piped up , his frame visibly taller now that he’d stepped away from the guard at his side.  ❛  i’m here to see katya  ?  ❜

     hearing katya's name cause's a stark change in the man's demeanor. eyes glancing up and down. not that he was ' sizing ' the kid up, per say. but definitely taking notice. silas is almost positive of the younger man's identity ;; and makes a mental note to keep his mouth shut about it. after being quiet for a moment, he glances over to the guard and almost as if speaking to him, and not nick he sighs.

        "        COULDN'T SAY, she hasn't passed through yet."

    finally, his gaze returns to the other.

@silasbrothers

           there are traders in the camp, which is always a nice change from monotony. she’s taken the excuse of delivering a carefully-constructed list of things they need to someone who’ll be able to negotiate to get a look at the others. it gets a little boring, seeing the same people every day - can anyone blame her for wanting something different, even if traders aren’t that special. it helps that this is half an hour of work she doesn’t have to do - more, if she can stretch out her time here without anyone noticing. she hands the small piece of paper with the domestics’ requests off to one of theirs, her eyes falling on the trader in question. he’s familiar - has been here before, probably. strictly speaking, negotiating isn’t her job, but it can’t hurt to make conversation, can it? ‘ what have you got for us today? ‘ georgia asks, curiosity getting the better of her. no one can blame her for wanting to talk to someone she doesn’t see every day once in a while, can they?

    any opportunity to get out of willow creek is one he readily jumps on. he likes the people there alright, he supposes ;; good people, solid community. but f u c k was it small. the place could be almost suffocating socially, so silas relished any chance to take what he liked to call ' a business trip '.

    council hall wasn't his favorite of the camps. he didn't care for it much during his days as a resident, and he doesn't much care for it now. all the new faces in the world couldn't change that fact.

          "        HOW YA doin', young lady."

    he nods in greeting to the girl, accepting the piece of paper and giving it a look over, brow pensive. his gaze shifts from the paper to her face, then back again. something familiar in this unfamiliar face.