(Open - At the edge of town)

[freefromsin]

Caleb scrambles out of the car before it even comes to a complete stop. With his backpack clutched in one hand, he slams the door shut with the other. "Fuck you!" The car takes off, tires squealing, and Caleb gives its bumper a kick as it flies past him, shouting after it, "Fucking perv!"

He rubs one gently trembling hand with the other and stares after the car, making sure it's well and truly gone. Heart hammering in his chest, Caleb lets out a breath and glanced around. It's not cold, but he hugs his jacket closer to his body all the same, wishing he was wearing more than just a tank top underneath. There's probably good money to be made in prostitution, but he hadn't gotten quite that desperate yet. He guesses his good hitch-hiking luck had to run out at some point, and of course it had to happen now. But that's okay, because at least he's gotten to his destination, and he hopefully won't need to do any more hitching right away.

It's dusk, the start of a nice, clear night, but too late to look for his old friend. Street lights bathe him in pale yellow, as he heads father into town. Better find a place to spend the night.



[ooc: Hi! I'm new and so is Caleb. Feel free to tag him when he forcefully ejected himself from the car, or when he's somewhere in town. He's mostly just gonna wander until he finds a public bench he can crash on for the night. Also I guess if you could read his Permissions page before tagging that'd be cool. Unfortunately I'm gonna be gone ALL DAY tomorrow, but I'm impatient and wanted to post this now. So any loose threads I'll get back to on Sunday. ...And this OOC section is about to be longer than my post so I'll stop now.]

Comments

[freefromsin]

Caleb tears his eyes away from the retreating car, about to reassure whoever just swore that he doesn't mind, when he sees there's a kid there too. That must be why.

Still shaken up, Caleb forces a smile, though he imagines it doesn't look so great. "Uh, yeah... Thanks. It's fine. Just surprised me." He reaches back, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "The dangers of catching a ride with a stranger, right?"

[wastelandflower]

"If you hold Sophie here, I can run and chase them down. I'm 6'4" so I have long legs," he offers. Really, he's more interested in making sure the boy's okay.

Coming right out with it, Rian asks, "Were you hitching? I don't have my car with me, but we're not too far from the town center, if you need to sit and catch your breath."

[freefromsin]

This startles a laugh out of Caleb. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm not sure even 6'4" is fast enough to catch that car now."

"I was," he admits, his pulse finally starting to calm down. "The town center sounds great. Is Sophie your daughter?"

[wastelandflower]

He nods and bends down to scoop up his daughter and give her a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek. "That she is, my darling girl," he says proudly. Getting married had been a mistake. Robin had been a mistake. Sophie, however, is perfect.

"And I'm Rian. Walk with me, then."

[freefromsin]

Caleb smiles a little, but he feels a pang of something uncomfortable in his chest. He tries not to let it show, they're sweet. Nothing else.

"I'm Caleb. Thanks. You live nearby?" he asks, walking with them.

[wastelandflower]

"Closer to the ocean, but not on the coast. That way," he says, pointing in the approximate direction of their house. "But I own a store not far from here. Two blocks over."

But he's already closed for today and now, unexpectedly, it's time to head to Quill. "I'll buy. If you're anything like I was, when I hitched from Boston to New York, you'll need a good meal."

[freefromsin]

Caleb is surprised to hear Rian owns a store, he looks so young. He wonders if it was handed down to him, or if he's just rich or something. He's about to ask when Rian offers a meal.

His eyebrows shoot up. "Are you serious, man? You don't even know me."

[wastelandflower]

"I don't," he agrees. The reality of it doesn't bother him, but he's always been free-spirited. "But I lived hand to mouth on strangers' couches in Manhattan, so I can take a guess at your story."

[freefromsin]

Caleb smiles a little sheepishly. "Yeah? I've, uh, been doing that for a couple months, actually... I have a job lined up in Portland, though. Or at least, I hope I still do." He doesn't know now, not with how late this detour makes him.

[wastelandflower]

Rian nods with understanding. "I was sixteen when I got to Manhattan. I'm very lucky that my friend decided to collect me and we shared a place." Then he'd gotten mildly famous before returning to comfortable obscurity.

[freefromsin]

"Oh...wow..." Caleb is quiet for a long moment, glancing at Sophia. "Why did you leave? You don't have to tell me, of course," he's quick to add, knowing it could be a sore spot, a painful part of Rian's past. But meeting someone else who left home, he's too curious to keep the question to himself.

[wastelandflower]

He shrugs. It's the kind of noncommittal answer that transmits a family history of tragedy and the desire to leave, start fresh, all without saying not to ask.

"Why does anyone leave?" He reaches out and opens the door to Quill. "Go have a seat."

[freefromsin]

Caleb nods in understanding, at least in a general sense. He glances around, taking in the decor. It's a really nice place, he bets it's popular.

"Thanks," he says, taking a seat at a nearby table.

[wastelandflower]

"Of course," Rian says. "Get anything you like."

As their server puts menus on the table, Rian goes and gets one of the highchairs lined up against the wall and helps Sophie into it. Careful and still uncertain he's doing this right but at least she doesn't complain.

[freefromsin]

"Thanks so much, man," Caleb says with a tired smile. He scans the menu, already knowing what he wants. He bets the kid approves of his order.

"Grilled cheese with a chocolate milk shake, please," he says when the server returns.

He should probably take advantage of a free meal by ordering a salad or something healthy, but...grilled cheese.

[wastelandflower]

"I'll do the broccoli penne," Rian orders. "And could I have a little bowl so I can give my daughter a few pieces." As if on cue, Sophie burbles charmingly and Rian gestures toward her as if to say you see?

"You planning to stay in Siren Cove a while?"

[freefromsin]

Sophie is so cute, and Caleb can't help but thing of Anna when she was Sophie's age. He doesn't miss his parents at all, but his misses his brothers and sisters every day. It's the only part that hurt about leaving.

Rian's question brings him back to the present. "Oh. I don't know. I don't think so," he says, picking at his napkin. "I have a job lined up in Portland, I hope. I just came here because...an old friend of mine is here. He kind of disappeared a few months ago, and I wanted to..." He pauses, shrugs a shoulder and stops tearing at his napkin. "Say hi."

[wastelandflower]

"What's his name? Anyone I might know?" Rian asks. The town's pretty small and there's a likelihood that he can point Caleb in the right direction. It's too bad that he doesn't plan to stay, Rian thinks; he could use another cashier if this kid proves dependable.

[freefromsin]

"Maybe? His name is Gabriel Fletcher. He's my age- tall, brown hair, brown eyes," Caleb says, giving the worst description ever and trying not to get his hopes up. It'd make things a lot easier if someone could point him in Gabe's direction.

[wastelandflower]

Rian chews his lip thoughtfully. The name is familiar but he can't pin it to a face. "Don't think I've met him," he admits. It still nags at him because he knows that name–

"Finn's. I'm friends with the owner and he's mentioned a Gabe," Rian finally says. The kid's name also conjures up Mira's face, though he can't say why.

[freefromsin]

"Finn? Really?" Caleb perks up, looking intently at Rian. "Do you think...if Finn's around tomorrow, maybe I could meet him and ask?"

[wastelandflower]

"Yeah, he owns a pub with that name. Finn's, I mean," Rian explains. It's his preferred watering hole, particularly when he wants to commiserate on the hellhole that had birthed him and Finn both.

"He's got an employee by that name, I think."

[freefromsin]

Caleb's eyebrows go up, and he smiles without even meaning to. "A pub? Really?"

Gabriel Fletcher working in a pub. Caleb can hardly imagine it.

[wastelandflower]

Rian nods, not mentioning that he's hardly ever seen Gabe there. He's at the pub a few nights of the week and he still can't say which employee is Gabe. If he's there when Rian is, he's quiet and likes not to be found.

"I think he washes dishes and that kind of thing."

[freefromsin]

"Oh, I was imagining bartending," an affectionate smile still on his face. "That makes much more sense. He's...quiet. Plus, I don't think he's much of a drinker."

Unless he's changed, too.