2019-08-17 - Long Walks

There's bar trivia.
There's drinks, for him anyways.
There's harassing Itzhak.
There's a long walk home with no car.
There's nice weather and no rain.

The limp is always there. That happens when you are missing muscles, though, as a mercy Finch has been keeping up her part of the bargain: he tries to cut out opioids, and she tries to keep the pain deadened to lessen the need. It doesn't take care of either of the secondary issues, but he is trying. Getting him to ask for help? Well that is the hard part.

He shifts his backpack on shoulder commenting, "I think that went really well. You, uh, you doing alright?" Being she just knit thingson the fly.

Finch grabs his hand, as if it’s something she owns. HERS, the action seems to declare, even as she strolls along beside him. Some day Gran’s old Lincoln will run, and they can stop hoofing it. She smiles at him, although there is a weariness in her posture and her voice. “I’m good. A little tired is all. We’ve been pretty busy late, with all the,” she makes finger wiggles to indicate the Glimmering.

“How are you feeling? I know I’m asking a lot of you. But you did really great tonight. That trivia contest was a blast. I am so giving Ully hell for the questions tomorrow,” she says with a chuckle.

Ignacio lets his hand be taken and in response loops his gingers through hers giving her hand a squeeze. Yup, yours. An eyebrow goes up really thinking about that answer, "Headaches." Actually admitting something is wrong is so far out of his comfort zone the best description of it might be, There was stuff happening. Fighting for some optimism he agrees, "Yeah ya know, I had fun. Got my mind off of things for a while." He falls quiet as they walk in no hurry to get anywhere. Their homes are shared, their work is a public space but this? This time was theirs. That wry lopsided grin warms, "Heh, yeah... Ully." He shakes his head. "I didn't know someone could be competent and a dipshit at the same time until I met him. And here I thought I had the market cornered on that."

“You’re not a dipshit,” Finch says sternly. “You’re actually kind of brilliant. Doing stupid shit doesn’t mean you’re stupid. Just that you make bad choices. You also make some good ones, and show real brains a lot of the time, you know.” She squeezes his hand lightly. “Water and aspirin for the headaches? And if they are still bad I can help with them.”

Ignacio wobbles his head to the side. Oh, he knows. He asks curiously though, "Even when I go ya know this is prolly a bad idea running down the street wearing just work boots and a sock carrying a cactus?" He pauses and waves his free hand turning it over, "Asking for a friend. Ully will want to know." Yeah, the whole next week is going to be a blast at work.

His eye squints shrugging, "Yeah it's... I dunno it's weird. IT's just... comes and goes and fucks with my head. I'm just..." His eyes squint shut and he stops walking. His hand rubs his eye and then just waves as if revving up the thought looking from a non-fixed point on the road back to Finch, "wait kinda?" Always with the funny joke.

Taking a deep breath he weathers the reprisal and finishes the real thought. "Look, I'm not... I'm not perfect at this. I'm going to disappoint you but I'm gonna try, Finch.> I mean you're trying to me and this is... scary. For you, for me, for Miss Mags." His lips press together and his head shakes. This wasn't what he'd constructed in his head. "I'm afraid of fucking things up and I'm gonna need time to be bad at this. I mean I thought about you being disappointed and it like totally bummed me out." He longs, "Totes."

Her hand gets a squeeze and his brow furrows, "There's someone else-" Way to make that sound bad, Iggs! His hand comes up, "NOT... that I'm seeing. Not like that. Like I hear... shit. Sometimes it's really trippy and I just get these headaches and hallucinations. Sometimes I can still hear Rico... that shit's been coming back. Detoxing has been... creeping in. in unfriendly ways."

“You can be bad at it, I am not going to be mad at you for that. I will be mad if after you’re bad at it, you don’t let me help get your back on your feet. Make sense?” Finch asks. “You aren’t disappointing me. Worry me sometimes, sure, but until you give up and stop trying, there’s nothing to be disappointed in you about.”

Both brows rise at the mention of someone else, and as he explains she frowns. “Rico was with you over there, and didn’t come back, right?” she clarifies.

Ignacio squeezes her hand and looks up to the spotted canopy of the sky and back to her. Almost eye level. Some days it baffles him how August or Itzhak hold conversations with her. Tall is over rated! "Yeah. Gonz and I made it out. We don't ...really talk anymore. Rico got dragged back in. We tried but couldn't... yeah he's in there."

He starts moving again, her in hand. "The leg just... Eh sometimes the leg is what wakes me up and sometimes it ain't." Which she'd remember from his waking bolt upright in a cold sweat more than once. "You had a good time though? All those people? Craziness? So proud of you." That sly grin warms.

Finch looks thoughtful for a long moment as they stroll. “If you’re hearing things, they might be things over there. Or maybe you’ve got some of the, you know, skill with the mental stuff, like the boss.” She smiles at him though. “Yeah, I didn’t hit anyone. Aren’t you proud of me?”

Ignacio squeezes her hand pulling her sideways to smooch her temple with a shake of his head. There's a weird sort of peace with it. "Super" SMOOCH! "Fuckin proud of you for not hitting me or Ully. I'm always proud of you. You kick the ass of many trees and you're smart as hell" Looking over he studies her for a while and almost laughs but doesn't. That lopsided grin hanging on his face. "This was a good idea." The what left undeclared.

“Maybe not as smart as you think,” Finch confesses. She leans against him and sighs. “I lost my spot at Cornell for non-payment. Looks like you’re stuck with me a while longer, until a spot opens up again.” She gives him a tight smile. “Not that I really wanted to go back, or that this town would let me go back. I just wanted to finish my Masters, you know?”

Ignacio pauses, frowning looking at the painted woman leaning against him. His free hand coming her blue hair back from her face. That news? Crushing and more than non-optimal. He generally makes a habit to mask his feelings so much it's habit, but in this? That breaks through. He's lost the thing he loved and strode for. "Shit... well... I don't think being broke is the same as being stupid. Were that the case the country wouldn't be run by idiots." An eyebrow arches, "Either way you're a step ahead of me. I didn't even fukin go to college. Soooo what happened?" And down Elm they meander. What's he know about the neighborhood? He's not focusing non heir geographic location. This is important.

Finch leans into him a bit as they turn onto Elm. This is where that sewer incident happened after all. “Someone with money whose family had made large donations wanted the spot. They never had to hold it for me in the first place, they were just doing so out of kindness really. Kindness apparently isn’t worth as much as a new dormitory building being funded. So I get it.” She smiles weakly at him. “Kinda glad though. I can still work on my thesis here, since it’s on the co-parenting habits of Western Bluebirds. And I feel like I need to be here right now, for Gran, for you and Itzy and the boss. This is the first time I’ve really felt like I’ve had a family.”

Ignacio is about as useful as a cat with being afectionate and aloof which has thankfully evened out after their rather explosive talk in her kitchen. It's still strange, but something they fell oddly and easily into. Without letting go of her handd he loops his arm around her shoulders. Solidarity for her and a bit of a crutch for him. Some solace in the closeness.

A lopsided, and very assured grin follows. "You knoooooow... you don't have to do it alone. I mean I wouldn't say no to going back to New York, ya know... not that...we...ya know." Yeah, smooth there deSantos. Still the offer is genuine if not poking around the edge of the distant offer. "So what do we need to get this started?"

It's part of the way down the street a familiar but unfriendly tone calls out from one of a couple guys their age sitting on the trunk of a car outside calling out, "Hey.... buddy, don't be number 7." The second voice asks with mocking tone, "You the killer, bird girl? Only a matter of time right?" The first of the three laughs dryly, "Ruuuuuuuuun, guy."

Finch blinks up at him at his offer to go back to New York with her. She hadn’t really expected him to follow her there, but it is his home. Sort of. Gray Harbor has a way of ensuring once you arrive, you never leave. It’s like the goddamned Hotel California. “You’d go back there with me? Really?” she asks, surprised and clearly touched by the gesture.

Then their stroll is rudely interrupted. She sighs. “Oh joy. People who think they know all about my family. I’m guessing they think I’m involved with this string of murders. She shouts back, “Only of people I’m related to, jackass!”

Ignacio blinks looking to her serious in that don't make me prove it manner. He murmurs something offhanded in Spanish equating to well....yeah... "you act like I'm already unpacked from moving out here." But then.... voices. His head tilts in the way of trying to discern what the ever loving shit is this?!

The motormouth ignores Ignacio focused on making Finch's life a nightmare twitchy about the recent killings. "How we know you ain't some addington? Take out half the damn town." They move a few steps closer. Chris, chief fuckwit in charge stands, weight deep in his back leg. "Heard your mom failed her eval. She try to kill you again, Celano?"

Ignacio 's hand squeezes hers, his arm stays put. The look on his face is ready to give them some shit, but he's not with Itzhak. Fury might not fix things. He tries to keep on walking... with her... ignoring the asshole getting louder.

How do you know I’m not an Addington? My house is fucking falling down around me. That’s how you know I’m not a fucking Addington you moron. Do you want me to expand the family curse to include you? I’m sure it wouldn’t mind if I take out a couple douchebags as a bonus!” Finch yells back. She is just tired tonight, and that makes her quicker to anger. “As for my mom, maybe I’ll bust her out just for you, and let her loose in your place.”

It’s cute Iggy’s not starting this fight to protect her. She’s the one who can set these guys on fire or break their legs with a thought.

Ignacio might be avoiding the combat to prevent these cholos from getting set on fucking fire! Any other day he might be trying to get up in their face and start some shit for his reasons (which he might not even be aware of), but presently he's hurting, tired, and a few beers past his evening. The arm still stays tight to Finch; so she knows she's not alone? So she doesn't fuck up their world. "Guy, it's late. now is a great time to look at a travel brochure and pick a destination in which to fuck off to." See, he's reasonable!

Something is off about the second jackass behind the motormouth has some manner about him , that glimmer where he wants her to to feel the contempt, he wants Ignacio to be afraid, to doubt, and flee. It's some act echoing childhood still following Finch, You don't get to have nice things, murder girl. Killers don't get a chance to be happy in this town. The problem is it lands. And it's awful and it's cruel, and carries that feeling of dread and ineffability with it. The one thing you can't do with fear is control how people react to it, you can only trip a fight or flight response. After that it's really out of one's hands.

That's it. Finch is angry. "Do you want to know what my mother felt like when she tried to kill me? I can show you. Is that what you want?" she threatens, taking a step towards the pair of men menacingly. Probably not helping Ignacio with that fear whammy, whatsoever.

Ignacio flinches trying to get a hang on the wall of new things fucking up his head. Sunnovabitch it's crowded up in there. And off Finch goes. Fuuuuuck! Three more streets and they can just go... well not home, but go! The math is quick: If someone throws fists (and he really...really is moved to) someone's gonna wind up in a hospital (likely him, actually.) The other solution is they goad her into only giving them more fuel to be 'right' that there's something somehow unchecked and that she's the one that's a danger to the community. Lastly? Shit, Alexander was right. You never know who is out there trying to make the Dark Men happy.

Instead of moving to fight he pulls out his phone and watches them. "Finch... c'mon- Yeah hi, 9-1-1? I wanted to report what looked like a possible potential robbery... there's these three guys lookin shady as hell...Electronic's store on Elm and Congress. Thanks." Smirking he flips the guy off backing away. He closes his phone but says, "I mean you can beat my ass, and my brother, the lawyer, will have a fuckin field day suin your ass for assault of a civilian. So... might be a good fuckin time to go the fuck home."

Iggy using that brain he claims to not have to give the guys a reason to leave actually calms Finch down. She returns to his side, her Glimmer roiling hot. She wanted to hurt them. Would she have? Maybe a little, but she'd likely have fixed any damage she did. Right? RIGHT?! "Go the hell home," she hisses at them.

And this is the side of her she warned him about. So...very... angry. When put to a threat a sparrow can take down a wolf if it has to, and that asshole wolfpack for whatever reasons of theirs just wanted to bite into her and make her hurt. They don't even have to lift a hand to do it. The guy in the back with the glimmer rolling around him just a titch stands up now looking to get physical. It's the guy Finch is approaching giving Ignacio that Oh you DICK look and puts up a hand to stop his pal. He doesn't take his eyes off Finch though telling Ignacio without volume We tried to warn you, dude. And with that they turn to pile into their car and find a new place to go and loiter if the cops deign to drive down to Elm at all.

Ignacio's hand finds hers. And while they walk, and he tries to hide that limp by a lot, he watches, with her to make sure they drive off. They finally reach Congress St. and they seem to have skedaddled. He looks to her curious, concerned, but not letting go of her hand. Quietly he squeezes her hand and invites, "Diga..." Greeting, but also simply talk to me.

Finch lets out a shuddering sigh when the assholes are finally out of sight. "Sorry. Sorry I'm just worn down tonight and they pushed every last one of my buttons. I wouldn't really have hurt them. I just wanted to put the fear of God into them a little," she vows. "You ok?"

Ignacio furrows a look confused, "no." Wow, an honest fucking answer. "Nah I'm... kinda four blocks from okay right now. I mean..." He frowns and looks at her with a deep sigh. "I don't... I dunno what is true, and... what ain't... and what I know is it shouldn't matter. It ain't their business. And like... it is scary. I'ms cared for you Finch, but I knew that before." It's on him though like a spiderweb he's still peeling off of him: palpable fear making his heart race and that adrenaline push through his system. He stops trying to explain it, turns and kisses her trying to impart the feelings that are still his into something he can share with her. If he's running it's to her apparently, heart racing in his chest trying to calm down. Resting his forehead to hers he says, maybe worried, "I meant it, before the YouTube comments section interrupted, if you want me to go back to New York with you? I'll go."

Finch kisses him back, hard and needy, as if the kiss can quench those flames of anger in her. They do, as her agitation subsides with concern for him and them and what her future might mean. When she breaks it, she murmurs, "Not for a while yet at least. One of my cousin's is in Maine. Too close for comfort." One of her potential murderbird targets that is.

Ignacio has absolutely zero issues with taking as long to abate so much ire in such a fashion as is asked of him. His free hand finds her other one and just stands there in the wake of this humid Summer nigh. "Well there's time. We'll make Vermont wider and put Maine further away. It's fine. It's a super polite state, I am sure they won't mind more rolling hills and shit." A faint smile flickers on one side. He lets go of her hands and wraps her in a hug. "We got time. Maybe... just maybe... all this research we doin? We can find out why this keeps happenin to your family. maybe we can figure out how to make it detach from you? Maybe not? I mean... I don't fucking know how it works or if it's medical or metaphysical but... you... matter to me. A lot., and... I kinda want you around for a while..." He hugs her like a fury containment unit. He watches with that small mote of clarity trying to assess her feelings, see where she is, understand what she needs from him- anything. "Those guys are idiots and they're really missin out."

"They didn't say anything that wasn't true," Finch notes with a sigh, curling into his embrace and resting her head over his heart. "No one really knows, but I think the family suspects it's something over there affecting the line over here. The past murderbirds didn't show any specific signs of psychosis and didn't come up on the sociopath scale. I feel emotions. I don't pretend them." She wraps her arms around him and just stands there in the hug. "We need to figure this out, Ig. Because I'm finding myself liking us being Figgy and Inch more and more."

Ignacio presses a kiss to her temple. "After what we've been learning from Julia and some of those... things? yeah that's... was kind a what I was wondering too." Fingers tighten on her shoulders. "It's a scary place and we don't wanna go... like Newark after dark, but I think we can find some answers over there and those answers might help you. Help us." That lopsided grin goes wide and bemused. He presses a kiss to her temple , "I like us being FIggy and Inch too... so long as I get to be Figgy. No man likes being called Inch. It's soul crushing." He can't even say it without snickering. His great weapon against the Dark Men: Inappropriate irreverence!? "C'mon. . We'll go back to your place, get the picnic blankets and go camp out in the back yard and just hope we don't get rained on. It's kinda nice out with a 30% chance of idiots. I think the storm's passed though."