shufti | (no subject)

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

And CJ does join her, holding her hand.

From:

shufti

She smiles a little awkwardly, then glances up at him.

"What have I told you already, about my background?"

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

"Hmm... not much, really..."

From:

shufti

She takes a deep breath.

"Okay. Well, my full name is Betty Manackle, and I am about seventeen years old. I am not exactly sure when my birthday is. My father was a soldier in the army and was killed in battle when I was small. My older brother died around the same time from disease, and my mother when I was twelve. From the age of five I worked as a shoe shiner, and when my mother died I was taken in by a farmer as a servent. They were not kind to me, but I had nowhere else to go but the working school.

When I was about sixteen the army stopped at our farm to scrounge food. I met Johnny when I was mucking out one of the stables. He flirted with me, and I was flattered. That night he came back and climbed through the window into the basement where I slept. He... he taught me what lovers do, and then I gave him a sixpence so he could break it in half and we could match the halves if we were changed by war. He went to the blacksmiths to get the sixpence broken, and never came back."

She glances up at him, hoping his reaction is not one of disgust towards her.

"I had some idea about babies from what my mother had said. But it wasn't until I was starting to show that I was really sure. The family I worked for guessed when they noticed the bulge. They... beat me and threw me out into the street. I cut my hair, joined the army and went in search of him. When we found him, he clearly didn't want to know, so I disowned him and went to live with Polly, a friend from the army. That's more or less it."

[ooc: And with that I need to slowtime for sleep, sorry]

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

No disgust, just concern and tenderness. "Then you found the door here." He nods. "Well..."

"I am Carl Johnson. I am 23, going 24 in a few months. I don't know my dad, as far as I remember, it has been only Mom, Sean, myself, Kendl and Brian. We never starved, but things were never easy either, Los Santos is a rough place, gangs of criminals everywhere, and most of the cops are just as bad. There, you have to get into a gang to avoid the others, and Sean knew a lot of good people wanted nothing with the dirty stuff people like the Ballas and the Vagos do, so, he organized us... with Big Smoke and Ryder, he started the Grove Street Families, and helped create the Seville Boulevard Families and and Temple Drive Familes. Together, we all could defend our part of the city, keep the Ballas and Vagos away, and live our lives... more or less."

"The Ballas and Vagos did not like it, and soon enough, we were at war, fighting each other along the limits I was 18 at the time, Kendl was 16, Brian 15. Brian wanted to go with us, help keep the Ballas away, but Sean decided he was too young. So, Brian came ask me."

CJ looks down, and sighs, bites lip. "I let him, go with me, and a few other guys. I thought it would be okay, we would not get too close to Ballas territory... but one of them spied me and Brian almost alone; the Ballas packed up two cars with people and came after us, doing a drive-by... you know, racing past, and shooting."

He stays quiet for almost a minute, then speaks, in a low, strained voice. "Brian jumped in front of me... he was shot and killed, and I lived."

"After that, nobody would let me forget even for a second that I was resposible for Brian's death, I took him to Idlewood. After a month of hearing mom cry and look at me like if I had shot Brian myself, and of hearing everybody else repeating I was not good enough, that nobody could trust me, I could not take it anymore, so, I packed up and left, for Liberty City."

"A few months ago, Sean called, the Ballas had killed Mom, in another drive-by, while she was buying groceries. I came back for the funeral, and discovered everything was going down, Temple Drive and Seville Boulevard were not with the Grove anymore, and the Ballas were all over the place, with the Vagos. I started helping all I could, and one day while running from some Ballas, I opened a door... and entered here."

There is SO much more since then... but he needs a break. He did not have time to cry yet, for Brian or his Mother...

From:

shufti

She finds there are many words in his explanation she doesn't understand, but not so many that she can't follow it.

She reaches out and cuddles him with her skinny arms. No pressure to continue if he isn't happy.

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

After a couple minutes, he continues.

"Since then, things only got worse. The police... actually, three of them, Tenpenny, Pulasky, and Hernandez... they framed me with the death of another cop, and started demanding that I did their dirty jobs, or they would turn me in. Later, I discovered that Big Smoke and Ryder had sold us out. They were working with the Ballas, and they had planned the drive-by where Mom was killed... they wanted to kill Sean, but missed."

"They tried again, twice, and I barely saved my brother again, before I found out they had betrayed us. The second time, Sean was wounded, bad, and the police got us. Sean was sent to jail, and Tenpenny took me out of the city, saying he still nedded me free to do 'favors' for him. And I had no option, they had Sean too, I barely managed to get Kendl out of town."

"Since then... damn, things have been up and down like crazy. I discovered the drug-selling scheme Ryder and Big Smoke sold us off for, and tore it all down... I killed Ryder, for me, for Sean and Kendl, for Mom... it was the first time I enjoyed killing someone."

And yes, that disturbs him, a lot.

"Later, Tenpenny and Pulaski decided to get rid of myself and their own partner, Hernandez... I escaped, and killed Pulaski... and that was the second time. Damn, even that backstabbing snake Ryder was better than Pulaski..."

CJ sighs. He is tired of his own endless war.

"Right now I am trying to find a way to get Sean out of jail. And to get Big Smoke for selling us out."

From:

shufti

She squeezes him tight, not sure she's entirely followed all that.

"Would it not be easier to lie low once you've got Sean out? So you don't get hurt?"

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

"Maybe. I don't know, really. I have to get Sean out of jail first."

From:

shufti

She thinks for a moment.

"Does the jailer have a dog?"

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

"They have a few... it is a big jail."

From:

shufti

"What about washerwomen?"

Dressing up as one of these is the standard method of busting someone out of jail in Borogravia.

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

"They send the clothes to be washed outside... but I could hide in the car that carries stuff in and out..." Ideas... yes...

From:

shufti

"I could probably find you the right sort of dress."

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

He smiles and even chuckles a bit... "Could work... but I have to check with Sean, make sure he is ready, and maybe bribe a few guards to look the other way..."

He looks into her eyes. "Thank you."

From:

shufti

There are certain advantages of having the baby in the cot rather than strapped to her front.

One thin hand makes its way behind his head, then she leans forward and kisses him.

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

CJ is pleasently surprised... he moves arms fully around Betty, just offering support, and kisses back, letting the thin girl decide when to stop.

From:

shufti

She doesn't hold the kiss long, mainly because surfacing for breath is required. Then blushes a little and cuddles him.

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

CJ holds her close, smiling, gently stroking Betty's hair.... simply enjoying the moment.

From:

shufti

She cuddles him for a while, just enjoying his company for now.

"What are your plans?" she asks eventually. "For the near future?"

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

"I have a few things to take care of back home, but nothing urgent. I was hoping to spend more time with you."

From:

shufti

She smiles.

"That would be nice."

Leaning against him a little. "Even if I'm not up to much yet."

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

Hey, look. Thats a blush. And a smile.

From:

shufti

If there was any innuendo in that, neither she nor the mun got it. Put it down to exhaustion on both sides.

They are being watched by a pair of big blue eyes whose owner sneakily rolled onto his tummy whilst they were kissing.

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

CJ smiles to Jack "hey big guy."

From:

shufti

Jack gurgles, grabs a rattle and bangs it on the bars of the cot.

Big noise!

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

CJ holds betty, kisses her forehead... "He is growing strong."

From:

shufti

She smiles, watching the baby, nestling her forehead against his chin.

"He's a little fighter." she says quietly. Proud, perhaps rightly so considering the odds that little Jack has been up against.

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

"Just like his mother..."

From:

shufti

She smiles.

"Maybe we were both just lucky. But sooner or later that luck will run out. Which is why I have to learn to fight back whilst carrying him."

A little sigh. "I don't want to take him into dangerous situations, but if I am in one, he's going to be there, and I need to practice and find something to protect him with."

A glance at the baby. "They don't really make chainmail in his size."

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

"I could get him a bulletproof vest..."

From:

shufti

"What's that? Will it work against arrows? And swords?"

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

"Works fine against swords... its what I wear, most of the time, in my world."

From:

shufti

"And they make them in Jack's size? He'll grow fast too."

Jack bangs the rattle again. Attention!

From:

grovecj.livejournal.com

"I can custom-order something for him." He carefully moves away from Betty, to pick up jack and bring him over. "Yeah, I agree, it can be really annoying to be out of the conversation."