#fremontstart

He doesn’t particularly care who sees him at this point. Normally, Chris had a habit of upholding the holier than thou act any time he was outside of his room at the Starlit. Tonight, though, he casually opens the bible that had been tucked his arm, and removes the flask tucked into it. No one ever bothered to question why he never opened it, and even if they did, he wasn’t particularly sure they cared, either. Taking a long swig from the small container, he closed the book and tucked it back under his arm, leaning in the flickering fluorescent light of the sign outside the motel. 

“i’m this close,” rain gestured with her fingers, pinching the air until there was only a sliver of space between the digits, “from trading in the bar rag for a pair of pasties and high heels.” maybe she was joking and maybe she was being dramatic, but it was a thought that has crossed her mind more times than just once. she held a high respect for entertainers and wouldn’t ever look down on them; they were simply working just as the rest of the world was, and making damn good money, too. “even drunks are stingy with their money in the city of sin, i tell you.”

                 the motel lobby’s becoming increasingly crowded, comers and goers, backpackers, fun-seekers, and jack’s simply trying to read the iliad in peace. aside from the flick of a page and sip of a drink, he’s still, until another corporate coffee sipper drops into the seat beside him, attempting to exchange pleasantries. he doesn’t want small talk, he wants to be left alone. “a man dumps the body of a girl in a ditch,” jack begins, eyes on his companion, part of him determined to make them leave. has his act thus far -- the misanthropic scholar -- not given insight to his isolated proclivities? “--the body rots. melts into slime. flowers pop up where the body lies, seeds fly out of the flowers, and a bee sucks the flowers and makes honey. and then the family of the girl buys the honey from the store. and the family eat the girl.” 

        “  FOUR PEOPLE TOSSED COINS INTO MY COFFEE TODAY,   ”  the brunette prefaces as she glances mournfully at the styrofoam cup curled within spindly digits. “  i take the hint  — i’ll fix up my hair before i go out in public again, sheesh.  ”