2019-07-02 - Living is a Luxury

Twelve hour shifts make for long days, no matter how much 'down time' is in between calls. As such Bennie has decided to take a break before getting on her bicycle and heading home, occupying a bench just outside the station with a stretch of her long legs. Still clad in the lower half of her uniform and a white tank top, she's munching on chocolate from a bag marked from that fancy french sounding place in town as she watches the sun set over the buildings. Her cellphone is sitting on the meat of her thigh, an occasional text message fired off.

Sutton wanders over from the firehouse, after engaging in a ten minute argument with an enormous cop about who has the right of way when a call goes out: ambulance, truck, or patrol. At least that's how the argument started, but it quickly morphed into a 'discussion' about the best way to make an Old Fashioned, and went down hill from there She left when the topic turned to why the PD break room has been running out of donuts so early in the shift recently. Sutton wanders over to the little park, and wanders up to Bennie and drops down onto the other side of her bench. "I forgot how exhausting it is to climb in and out of that thing all day with all that gear." She tips back. "I didn't even have time to get the rundown on that murder over at Bayside." Where she lives.

"Nick and I ran that, it was brutal." Bennie's hand lulls to the side to offer Sutton chocolate from the bag. "Can I interest you in some apology chocolates and have you consider them thank you chocolates for saving my life the other day?" She gives the other woman a bright smile that despite their exhausting shift, remains vibrant and enthusiastic through her teasing. "I mean. I know it's what we do, but that liplock was something special. We shared a moment."

Sutton's smile is immediate, but it remains subtle, just a twitch of her lips. She glances over, "I wasn't going to mention it. Two ships passing in the night and all that." She turns to face Bennie, drawing a knee up onto the bench, and tucking her elbow on the back ledge of it. "Are you good? I have heavy hands when I compress." That's her way of apologizing for any bruising, maybe. She reaches into the bag to take what's offered, her paracord bracelet catching on the lip of the bag. "Thanks." She pulls out a candy and gives it a sniff. "Is this... wow this is the good stuff, isn't it?" There's a pause to say, "Any chance of a rundown?" On the murder scene. She pops the chocolate into her mouth.

"Oh, I'm fine. I may look like a delicate flower, but I'm pretty sturdy stock." That and Erin used her mojo and completely healed Bennie, but she doesn't bother to mention that part. "I mean, aside from the whole technically dying thing, I guess? That was a trip. Don't go towards the bright light, Bee!" Bennie's laugh is light and airy. "Let's just say he was very apologetic."

As to the question of the crime scene, Bennie twists to face Sutton more directly. "It was the weirdest damn thing. Like, when I was on the scene, the cops were talking. They couldn't find any evidence. Like. Nothing. Zip, nada. They hadn't finished their investigation by the time we rolled out but it's like nothing was out of place. She was just laying in bed and it's like...ccrrrk." Bennie makes a throat cutting motion and sound.

There's a moment of quiet from Sutton after Bennie makes that motion. "Bled out all over the sheets with no weapon or blood drops or... anything?" Her brows go up and the brunette huhs. "That's pretty weird." She's given to dry understatement. "So much for the whole doorman and gate keeping out the murderers." She mms. "That's damn good chocolate." And then, "I guess maybe the gate and doorman are keeping in a murderer."

"Oh, fun." Sutton just thought about how she likes to do her laundry at 2am and come in late after pulling the occasional split shift when someone needs a cover to get off early.

In the interests of not going down that train of thought (until she's alone in her building at night), she says, "I'm glad you came back. For a second there, I wondered." She looks over at Bennie, hazel eyes studying the blonde's face for a few heartbeats. "That night was..."

"Crazy train all on it's own, right?" Bennie chirps, finishing Sutton's sentence with her own thought. "I don't even remember most of it, but the way that electricity travelled was just...crazy train." She repeats with a little shake of her head. "Man. I bet Byron is sweating under his impeccable designer shirt just at the negative publicity alone for the apartment complex." She picks up her phone and flashes the screen at Sutton where there's a line of text messages. "My boyfriend lives there too. I'm sure it's fine. I mean, it seems targeted, right? Not just random? But who's to say, really. Little to go on."

"I haven't had a chance to meet many of my neighbors. My hours are so weird." Sutton glances over at the phone as it's turned. "I'm fifth floor. I think they put all the partiers on five." She pulls both legs up on the bench, sitting cross-legged, leaned against the back with her side. "I bet you're right about the landlord." She manages to subdue most of the smirk, not all, that follows.

"I don't know. Maybe it is, maybe it's not. I'm fairly irritating, but what are the odds it's someone in my building on my floor?" Sutton reaches up to pull her long hair free of its ponytail, running her fingers through it. "I'm not going to say there's drunk singing in my apartment, but..."

"You're saying you might have been the true target because of your drunk warbling?" Bennie grins. "Singing off key is hardly a murderable offense. Well. I hope. Otherwise there's going to be a mass shooting at the next karaoke night. Damn, that's morbid. Sorry!" She plucks another chocolate from the bag, "Here I am, enjoying this luxury and that poor lady is in the morgue. You know, they say she was an Addington."

"Yeah, I get wasted and it's Carly Simon all night long at the top of my considerable lungs," Sutton agrees, resting her hands on her knees. "Though it's rarely off key. It's just," she raises her hands, "You know, very loud." She smiles when Bennie goes from dark humor to apologies in under five seconds. "I'm too new to town to know much about the family, but I keep hearing that name." She hms. "Only reason I remember, is because I'm pretty sure I've heard it before. I mean before I came here." She shrugs. "Maybe it was a tv character or something. Some book I read." Probably it'll come to her later, outside this conversation, and buzzed-text someone who doesn't care. "There's always somebody in the morgue while the rest of us are trying to decide between noodles and burritos for dinner. I wish they'd found some evidence, and I hope her family..." She pauses only briefly, "I hope they don't suffer more for the mystery."

"Yeah, I guess that's true." Bennie says about going on with life after it's ended for others, that alone gives her the comfort she needs to keep on munching her chocolate. She makes a swipe at the corner of her mouth, "It's a small town. There will be gossip. It's the gossip that makes it worse." Stated as someone who knows first hand of such things, and Bennie's eyes go distant for a minute before she snaps back to the conversation. "Without the wasted part, I'm all for blasting music in the rig. That's the only time, I sing: in the car or the shower."

Sutton mms and says, "I'm always sober at work, so there's no conflict there." She nods. "Shower's got the best acoustics." She glances briefly across the park, her gaze skimming their surroundings. She doesn't stop talking, though, while she does it. "You grew up here, right?" She turns her attention to Bennie after she finishes a visual round of the park. "A little dashboard lipsynch never hurt anyone." She thinks on that, picking at a loose thread in the pocket of her black cargo pants. "I'm sure all of Fire has better moves than the PD."

"Born and raised, yup! Never got much outside the area, even. Not even to Seattle. Half of me thinks that's why I'll never go to a high school reunion. Why bother when we all saw each other at breakfast." Bennie smirks at something on her phone and thumbs a quick response before sliding it into her pocket, obviously whatever conversation was going on there has drawn to a close. "We should totally challenge them to a dance off. Do it for charity or something."

"I can see that. I haven't ever been in a town this small before." Sutton lifts her hands again, "Seattle born and raised." There's a hint of an English accent to her words every now and then, but it's very subtle most of the time, unless you catch her around any full on Brits in town, not that there are many. "Reunions are just an excuse to party anyway. At least no one at yours can be a smug asshole, because you all probably know everyone's secrets already." The brunette huhs. "I guess that's probably also a special kind of hell, though. Everybody in your adult life knowing the dumb shit you did as a kid." She glances toward the FD/PD where most of their shift has now passed the proverbial torch to their relief. "You know, I think that's an excellent idea. Any excuse for charity." And creating viral videos, of course. "Losers host a cookout for the winners too. Never pass up the opportunity to make the cops buy us food."

"It's a symbiotic relationship. We steal their donuts, they steal our pizza, but again, any excuse to party right? Oh man. Now I want barbecue. I wonder if Stacy has a barbecue pie on the menu." Hmm. Bennie contemplates this as she crinkles up the bag of remaining chocolates and stuffs them in her oversized purse. "I'd offer you a ride home, but unless you wanna ride on my handle bars..."

Sutton grins a bit at the mention of stolen donuts. "Wouldn't know anything about that." Dirty lie, that is. She's probably the worst offender in the building. "It's a beautiful day. I rode my Triumph to work, finally." After all the rain and surprise showers, this is probably the first time she's had the weather during off hours. "I was going to come sit here and have a smoke, but you saved me from myself. So thanks." The brunette moves to rise, lest she be tempted to have a cigarette once Bennie's gone. "Be safe getting home, Oakes."

Bennie slings her bag on her shoulder and stands, tugger her hair out from beneath the strap with a sweep of her hand. "You too, Sutton. I'm looking forward to riding with you. We'll have the hottest Ambo team up this township has ever seen. Now just to perfect my slow mo Baywatch boobie bouncing run." She grins and with a little cheery wave, she's off to grab her own bike. Which has less motors but it does have a happy basket with plastic flowers on the front!

Sutton laughs, reaching up to pull her hair into a tightly twisted knot at the nape of her neck in preparation for her ride home. She wiggles her elbow to return the wave, hands otherwise engaged. "You got it." She laughs again at the Baywatch run comment. "Here's to all the numbers we'll get and never use." She watches Bennie make her way to the bike, grinning all the more when she spots the basket with plastic flowers. She finishes with her hair and lifts a hand in a wave, though the blonde's probably already peddling cheerfully home.

Sutton's still amused when she turns to head back to the garage to retrieve her vintage motorcycle from the hands of one of the rescue gearheads. "Hey... put that back on. I have to go home at some point and I need all the pieces!"