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[shadowsusannah.livejournal.com]

This is how much better Susannah's shot-in-the-head husband is: he went to a meeting with his publisher today. Now, all cards on the table, he did not fly himself down to the city, as he is fond of doing; Calyx sent someone up to Castle Rock. Eddie met him at Dud's, a terrible greasy hole of a bar which Eddie insists has the best burgers in town (no), and now they are snowed in, since at about ten am it decided to start snowing and shows no intention of stopping short of the next Superbowl.

This would be fine, and in fact slightly hilarious (she told him just to have the publisher over to the house), except no one has been doing any shopping. Eddie was supposed to bring her back one of those (nasty) burgers. Three hours ago.

Susannah has a bowl of chili (paid for with Mastercard, along with her tab) and an old-style Coke float. You can't get the ice cream anymore; and for that matter, in Eddie Toren's world, you can't get the Coke. Good deal, overall.

Comments

[ladyfirestarter]

It's cold in Taos today, but not snowy. Charlie's wearing a cable-knit sweater in variegated blues and grays over a gray turtleneck and jeans, and is contemplating something hot to drink as she steps up to the bar.

When her eye lights on Susannah, she smiles and raises a hand in greeting.

[shadowsusannah.livejournal.com]

Susannah waves; this saves her a long-distance call.

(That she's been putting off.)

[ladyfirestarter]

"Afternoon, boss," Charlie says cheerfully.

Cheer seems appropriate, at least she hopes so; Susannah looks well.

[shadowsusannah.livejournal.com]

Susannah does not particularly like snow, but when the snow is outside, where it belongs, and she is inside, where she belongs, they can have a truce.

"Hello," she says. "Bet it's not snowing where you are."

[ladyfirestarter]

"Nope. I take it that it is snowing in White Plains?"

She takes the seat next to Susannah, and adds to a nearby waitrat: "Cafe mocha, please?"

[shadowsusannah.livejournal.com]

"I imagine so," she says, stirring sour cream into her chili. "But we're still installed up in Castle Rock. It was meant to be just a holiday visit, so there's a jar of olives and Koolex powder left in the cupboard and not much else."

Koolex is like Kool-Aid, but has the added benefit of making Susannah think of detergent every time she makes some; especially the blue. (Blue is Rose's favorite flavor. Susannah does not think blue is a flavor.)

[ladyfirestarter]

"Hence the visit here?"

Charlie leans forward a little, clasping her hands on the tabletop.

[penderwydd]

Tegid was managing his way through the bar, slowly. He's supposed to be in bed, but he isn't.

"Oh, Hello," he said to the lady he recognized, "Are all things going well?"

His smile was tight, and thin, but true.

[shadowsusannah.livejournal.com]

"Now, that's a gloomy greeting," she says. "I don't think I can recall a single day in my life when all things were going well. The balance isn't bad, though."

"Any bad dreams lately?"

[penderwydd]

Tegid laughed sarcastically.

"Yes," he said, "The last one almost killed me."

He managed to get onto a stool and hunched over supporting himself on the bar.

"Well, as long as life, is not a living Hell, that is all we can ask for," He was at least not in a bad mood.

Well, for the time being he has no shirt on, because his back is torn up bad, and he's heavily bandaged. He is wearing pants though.

[shadowsusannah.livejournal.com]

In her dream, Susannah did the killing. She's not sure she wants to consider the implications.

"You can ask for whatever you want, but that doesn't mean you're going to get it. Fair is whatever God feels like doing, according to a man I knew.":

[penderwydd]

"The Sure Swift Hand has His plan, this is true," agreed Tegid, "And I have witnessed this first hand."

He told her of the near destruction of Albion, and the strange way in which it was saved.

"He has a plan," he ended, "And I have learned to trust that plan."

[shadowsusannah.livejournal.com]

There are some familiar things in that story; but Susannah stopped being surprised about that kind of thing a while ago.

"Ka, is what my friend used to call it," she says.

[cutting_edgex23]

X slips across the bar floor, pausing a few steps away from Susannah.

She's wearing jeans, a blue tank top, and a gray button-down.

Someone is practicing 'blending in'.

"Susannah."

Beat.

"Hello."

[shadowsusannah.livejournal.com]

It's not a bad attempt for that matter. "X-23. Hey sugar."

[cutting_edgex23]

X takes another few steps forward, hesitating a little.

She is not sure if she is allowed to sit down.

"You are okay?"

[shadowsusannah.livejournal.com]

"I have a Coke float," Susannah says. "I have been much less okay."

"Go on and sit if you want."

[cutting_edgex23]

X considers.

"Oh."

She sits.

Beat.

"I do not know what that is."

[shadowsusannah.livejournal.com]

"It's Coke, with ice cream in it." She gestures, and twirls her spoon. "Almost as good as an egg cream."

[salver]

The word for it's probably subdued.

Hell, that's not all that different from what's usual these days. But Bobby's got a beer and something too deep-fried to tell what it is, exactly, and that's pretty good.

...of course, Coke floats are pretty good, too. "Nice choice," he says easily to the lady, with a friendly nod to her glass. "Been a while since I had one of them."

[shadowsusannah.livejournal.com]

"Bet it's been longer for me," she says, with some satisfaction. "They don't make Coke where I come from."

[salver]

...how does that even work?

"Really?" And he sure as hell sounds surprised.

[shadowsusannah.livejournal.com]

She shakes her head. "They drink Nozz-A-La. Nasty stuff, but they don't know any better."

[salver]

"And you do." It's questioning -- not disbelieving, but questioning.

[shadowsusannah.livejournal.com]

"I'm a transplant," she says. "It's not that different. Mostly brand names and celebrities and politicians, and who the hell cares about them?"

She has some ice cream. "But I miss Coke. Oh, and Reese peanut butter cups. And Bob Dylan plays guitar than Elston Gunn, even if they were both born Bobby Zimmerman. My hand to God."