Yeah, I drink juice when I'm killing... (W/ Grace)

[Fun Ghoul]

Sometimes the Zones felt like being on an old tv show called Gilligan's Island. Ya know, without the water, the hot brainy brunette and the hope of escaping to a better place.

No no.

Our natives weren't restless Hawaiians and the only leggy red head around here was Gerard. It was a bummer and a half. I could handle the heat stroke. I could handle eating dog food. I couldn't handle the bleak outlook that sometimes washed over me and inevitably lead me here to the Brother's Vengeance.

This "bar" was a guise for some of the seediest shit that you could think of. Gun running, smuggling and kidnapping were the least of the offensive offenses. It was ran by five dudes, none of them Brothers, but they shared an unspeakable bond that would get you killed if you questioned it. It wasn't that kind of bond..but it might as well be. Sometimes Shadows and Gates shared looks that said more than the average "How you doin'". It was one of longing and torment. Some true Broke Back Mountain shit.

I was a little envious.

I wasn't exactly into dudes. I loved women. I loved multiple women of all shapes and sizes. It was just slim pickins out in Radiationville. The women that you did meet usually wanted to roll your ass and leave you tied up or wanted to screw you into the floor and then turn you over to BL/Ind for the bounty. Eh. I missed a time when things weren't complicated. You'd slip a girl a check "yes" or "no" letter, you'd shower a little longer than usually so that you could make sure that sex wasn't on your mind the entire date, just most of it, and then you'd kiss on the front step. Enter cheesy romantic comedy bullshit.

That time was long gone.

Now I had one girl in my life and she was the mission. Little Grace Kelly. I swear the kid had a different nickname with everyone.

I starred her down as she glared at me across the crooked wooden table. Her fuzzy little fro, held up by magic and unicorn dust, was falling into her right eye. She was a dusty mess and didn't seem to mind. I tipped my head upwards and she followed the motion. I smirked and she offered me a toothy grin.

"One." I raised my "whiskey" shot glass, that resembled a thick tar and not whiskey at all, in her direction.

"Two." I chuckled as she lifted her "milk" shot towards me.

"Three." I shot back the thick shit and pulled a face that would get me laughed at by everyone in the bar. It was like drinking gasoline that had been mixed with flour, shit out, stirred up and repoured. Ugh. I peeled open an eye and caught the sprout making a face too. I laughed through coughing. The white substance in her glass didn't taste like much of anything, just vitamins that would hopefully help her keep growing.

I'll admit. I didn't really want the kid to tag along in the beginning. I didn't like kids. I still didn't. But I loved this one and I would gut anyone who looked at her twice.

"Again?"

[Grace]

Grace just looked at him like he had grown a third head. Because, really, having two heads in the zones was not that uncommon. But three, and you'd better make a run for it. She looked between her glass, his glass, and his face. She stuck out tongue as she poked her shot glass towards him. "Only if you go up and get it. I can't see over the bar."

This bar was obviously not kid friendly. Though, the Brothers made special exception for this one. Whenever she was there, they kept the whores upstairs. That was about all as far as keeping her from seeing stuff. But, it was a big move. Because, honestly, those new age STDs made you look pretty gnarly. There were some things even BL/ind NuFlesh couldn't fix.

Just because she saw a lot go on in the bar though, didn't mean they didn't go out of their way even more. They were very careful about who entered the bar when she was there. Normally, they turned a blind eye to crimes that happened within their bar. Occasionally, they would intervene when their morals drove them to, or when there was a decent looking girl that Gates thought he could nail.

But the kid was different. She managed to capture hearts wherever she went. And the little girl would never quite comprehend what a feat it was to be loved by the Brothers Vengeance. These guys were rough before the blast, and they'd fully embraced the anarchy of the zones. And yet, something about the curly haired girl had entranced them. Shadows had mentioned several times that he may just have to kidnap the girl from the Killjoys one day. He was met with a chuckle and an "Over my dead body." from Party Poison, before the firey headed male flipped his hair and walked out.

Now, Ghoul was about two hundred feet away, chatting with the Rev as he poured drinks for the pair. Grace was watching him, wanting to make sure nothing happened to him as he stood there. She was always nervous when any of them were away from her. Though, it's not like she had the ability. She was strictly forbidden to even touch a ray gun until at least age twelve.

She was so focused on looking after Fun Ghoul, that she failed to notice the seedy pair of males inching ever closer to her, eyeing her like a piece of meat.

[[Crash Diamond]]

It was moments like this that Crash thanked someone for her self controll, She wasn't sure who because it was obvious in this desolate wasteland that there was no god. No one had shown then mercy at all, he was a mythical creature and she didn't have time for that. Not in the least. It wasn't often that she was around others and today she'd actually decided that she was in fact going to go out.

After stopping for a little liquid courage of course.

It wasn't that she lacked self confidence, The knee high boots she wore hid her mangled leg and kept her from worrying about how she looked. What she lacked was a brain to mouth filter, Crash more often than not said what ever the hell she thought. With that in mind, it got her in more trouble than she liked to admit, She stepped on toes easily and right now, Right this very second she was struggling to keep herself from stuffing a pound of C4 down someone's throat.

Vengence had been talking to her and she held a finger up to him, Just to get away from the male. She knew them and how they were, She wasn't fixing to settle herself down with that. Carefully she slipped around the men in the bar, her eyes fixed on the big haired little girl. She approached the bar nodding at The Rev before she cleared her throat to address Fun Ghoul. " Normally, " She began tilting back a shot and crinkling up her face to show that well, in all reality it didn't taste good at all. " I'd go right over there and rip someone's throat out."

She let her eyes skip over to Grace and the men that were standing over her quite literally drooling on the poor little girl. " but since this one involves the Kid, I think I'm going to let you take care of it..." She returned her eyes to frank for a moment, waiting to see what he had to say. Everyone, and I mean everyone knew that when it came to matters of Grace that the Killjoys were to take care of it. She'd seen Vengeance say something to shadows but she knew it was nothing more than a small comment, neither male would make a move until Frank did. " You deserve the honors." She muttered to him.

[Fun Ghoul]

I caught a soft voice that was about three octaves lower than what I was used to. I turned my head and at mention of Grace I raised m eyes to the water stained ad spider cracked mirror behind the bar. I felt my lip curl and eyes narrow. I slowly slid my gun from my side and positioned it under my vest to face towards the men.

"Duck!"

I called knowing that the sprout would react immediately. If there was one thing the girl learned, it was to do as commanded immediately. Her fro wet down and I popped off two shots. Without turning around I saw the men drop. I holstered the gun once more and captured the shots in hand. As I pulled back from the bar, I tossed the woman who tipped me off a wink and a grin. I wasn't much for words. I crossed to the table and sat the shots down on it before nudging the body away from my chair with my foot. I readjusted the chair and sat down.

"Round two, pipsqueak?"

[[Crash Diamond]]

It was a sight to see that was for sure, Ghoul barely made a move, Crash was pretty sure that she wasn't the only one staring. Everyone in the bar seemed to stop and look at Fun Ghoul as he yelled. Everyone except the two unsuspecting men who he was blindly shooting at. The woman shook her head lightly as he fired off the shots behind her back, It was slick, smooth, kind of sexy. She knew she was blaintly staring now and really she wasn't sure it mattered, He was an all to famous Killjoy and she was just a zonerat.

Nodding at his grin she just smiled herself as he walked away. " of course." She muttered turning back to Jimmy and pushing her shot glass to him. " One more." She told him glancing back over her shoulder, for just a second. Nonchalant as ever he moved the body and sat down to speak with Grace.

" Make it two." She said to the drummer who just laughed lightly. Giving her that skeptical look she just rolled her eyes. " last try for the night." She muttered downing the shot of her own picking up the second that the male had poured.

She felt like her boots were making the worlds loudest clicks as she walked across the floor sitting the shot down next to Ghoul's he deserved it. " There's a place out in four that serves better drinks." she told him softly before she headed away again. It was her way of thanking him for taking care of Grace, she figured that he needed it. Out here there weren't enough things like that, no one thanked you for breathing. The girl has a light southern accent, it had to be her heiratadge sticking with her. She just nodded at the male as she walked over, plopping herself down at an empty table.

She'd only meant to make her presence known, not to drag him away from the small girl. She just hoped she hadn't stepped on any toes, As much as Crash liked starting conflict there were times when she just wanted things to flow smoothly. It'd been a while since she'd been attacked by Dracs she figured she'd keep her good karma going, maybe it'd keep her breathing another day.

[Fun Ghoul]

I whistled loudly as the woman passed me. I opened my vest and pulled a desk of cards from within. I sat them on the table, the shabby shape of them fitting in with the local decor. I pulled out a pack of Lucky strikes and tapped one ou, popping it between my lips. I used the tip of my tongue to roll the cigarette to the corner of my mouth. My teeth tipped it upwards as I ran one of the matches from the pack of smokes against the table. It sparked to life and I lit the cigarette. I waved the match out and narrowed my eyes.

"Sit. Play."

We didn't talk to many outside of the Killjoy family but sometimes you had to make exceptions. I was lonely and a rough calloused hand could only go so far.

"What should we play, Loo Who? Go Fish?"

[Grace]

Grace smiled. Even though she was a little girl, she could tell what was going on between the two. Or, what she wanted to go on at least. After all, having an Auntie wouldn't be so bad. She slid in so that the woman could sit down. She sipped carefully at her "milk", trying not to make the disused face. She wanted to impress their new friend.

"What about that game you and uncle Poison play? Poke her?" She asked, trying to remember the name of it.[/quote]

[Short post is short 'cause I'm school working. Just didn't want you guys stuck in purgatory xD]

[Fun Ghoul]

I watched as Grace slid over to make room for the woman. I smiled at her manners. That was all Kobra. He was practically beaten with a wooden spoon as a child until he learned the basics.

I lifted my shot and took the swing. In the middle of swallowing I heard a tiny voice say "poke her" and I began coughing. I felt the liquid in my nasal passages and I leaned forward to cough it out. I covered my nose and mouth as the tar seeped out of my nostril. Classy.

I wiped my face with the bandana around my face.

"Poker, Loo. Poker." My voice was raspy and raw from the moonshine mixture and inhaling that black death.

I offered the woman a lopsided smile, happy that my natural tan covered the heat fusing into my face. So much for pulling off being a sex pot.

[[Crash Diamond]]

Laughter bubble up threw Crash's lips at the little girl. That had to be the cutest thing she'd heard in a long time. She wanted to reach out and hug the little girl for just that, but she'd refrain so she didn't look like a mental patient, And more than that, she was pretty sure if she jumped on Grace, a girl she didn't know and who really didn't know her she'd get shot by at least one person in this bar. Fun Ghoul probably wouldn't have been that trigger happy, but Crash had turned down more than one male in this bar and she knew a few of them had it out for her. She had some expectations for the male she'd let get close to her. He couldn't be crawling with sand fleas, most of the men in this place were crawling with more than that, Crash lowered herself down into the seat as she watched the male and his 'smooth' move.

She was happy that she wasn't the first one to pull a stunt like that, the first time she'd walked into this bar she missed the barstool entirely and found herself flat on her ass in front of not only the Patron's of the bar but the bar's full staff. Jimmy called her 'bang' when he couldn't remember her name, he had since that night, She could trip over a dust bunny and fall on her face. She just smiled back at the male trying not to grin like an idiot.

" Poker?" She asked mostly Grace to clear the tiny bit of awkward that began to drift into the air. " That's a big game for a little girl." she told her, Becca had watched grace prove that she was incredibly smart on more than on occasion, she just wanted to make sure that Grace knew she was getting into. She looked over at the male and shrugged. " but I'm in I guess."

She'd play dumb, She was born in the south but she got a wild hair one summer and ran off to Vegas where she dealt cards. She was all to good a poker, sometimes that's how she'd make her spending money. She'd go into a casino and watch the deck, Jumping in when she could really read the faces of the other players. She didn't want to look bad in front of the male, and well frankly kicking his ass she was sure would have made her look really bad.

[Fun Ghoul]

Gracey Loo Whoo was the sweetest little girl and she got him in more trouble than not with that big toothy smile and those frizzy curls. He knew that she was worth more than he and his fellow Killjoys were combined. They wanted her for testing and breeding.. Lord knows what else. He wouldn't allow that. The little girl would grow up free and she would date/marry/reproduce with a guy of her choice. Or girl. He wouldn't judge.

"Drink your milk, Squirt." Frank said with a smile. He wasn't the daddy of the group. He was the Uncle. The cool Uncle. He taught her how to blow shit up and put it back together. Grace had two daddys: Jet and Party. It was funny to watch them battle for dominance sometimes. Frank often wondered if it would come to pistols at dawn.

"Would the lady like to deal?" He drawled as he picked up his dropped cigarette. Flicking the butt, he knocked free the ashes that had built up on the tip. Easing it between his lips, he rocked his chair back on it's hind legs, relaxing. He had learned in high school on that it was better to ignore embarrassment than to bring attention to it. Ladies loved confidence and Fun Ghoul loved the ladies.

((Changed character perspective. It was weird being the only one in the first person.))

[[Crash Diamond]]

The female smiled lightly as she nodded at him, " The lady would love to deal." she muttered before stretching across the table and pulling the cards to her. She Carefully shuffled the deck as she watched the little girl with the puffy hair. " wanna help me with my hand Grace?" She wanted some way to be closer to the other, much smaller female. She couldn't help it, there was something inside her that wanted to cuddle this girl. She chalked it up to a mothering instinct.

"So what are we playing? Hold 'em?" She asked shuffling the deck once more and cutting it. " five card draw?" The girl smiled not letting the male decide as she dealt him two cards and then herself two cards, Three cards she presented face up before leaving the rest of the deck to sit in front of them. Texas hold 'em, She loved the game. It really made you think, The chances one had to take were brilliant. It made her heart race in a different way than being in a close combat fight did, and in a while new way than blowing something up.

She took a peek at her cards them she looked over to Grace and patted her lap. " come on." she said with a small smile before she nibbled on her bottom lip for a split second. " lets kick his booty." She let out a small chuckle. Really, she didn't have a hand at all but she wanted to make the little girl smile. Give her something to get excited about, This game could go on forever, they'd win sometime.

She carefully flipped her hair out of her eyes, smirking slightly as she thought about actually getting a good hand. She couldn't help herself as she looked over at Frank. " I will laugh my as-" she paused to correct herself. " butt off if you tilt that chair back to far and end up on the floor." She told him with nod.