2019-10-30 - Birthday Secrets

The Duchannes trailer is in its usual state of disarray, papers everywhere, Thai takeout containers on the counter. When Natalia walks into the kitchen she takes a look around, frowns, and then sighs. Noelle wasn't that bad most of the time, but there are moments when she could cheerfully throttle her and hide the body in the shed.

Instead she starts to gather the garbage in a bag, tossing in papers that don't seem important, containers go in without inspection. A pot of coffee gets started. It's a little late in the day for caffeine maybe, but she's going to need one cup to manage the rest of the day. The heavy door to the trailer is open, the glass down over the screened in part of the outer door.

Rusty's coming over. Slowly. He kinda meanders over after leaving his trailer. As if he wants to make the fact that he eventually knocks on the outer door seem like a happy accident. "Hey..." He stands there, after knocking twice, possibly unclear on what to do next. "I need oil...cooking oil. That isn't olive?" Does he?

Natalia glances toward the door when Rusty knocks, listening to his request with a grin on her face. She walks over, pushes the door open and gestures him inside. "Hey, come on in." She quirks a brow at his request, glancing toward her stove. "I think I have something, uh, canola?" She walks over to look at the bottle, is there olives in this. Doesn't seem to be. "Cup of coffee before you rush off to oil whatever you're oiling?" She gestures to the table where there is a platter of chocolate chip cookies. "Help yourself to a cookie if you'd like it."

"No rush. I like coffee. I take it, uh, black. Real sweet." Rusty says, even more quietly than usual. "It's a cake. From a box. I forgot about oil when I bought it." He helps himself to a cookie, which he breaks into pieces to eat, bit by bit. "So...uh, Duchannes? A bunch of you all, right? What's that like? Growing up with...others?"

"A cake. Sounds good, I haven't made a cake in a while." Natalia reaches up to pull down a coffee mug, not looking at it before she pours coffee in to it. She brings it over to Rusty, setting it down on the table before she gets a look at it. One of those old mugs that changes when the side heats up, a naked girl with a big smile on her face slowly being revealed as the black of her 'clothes' fade away. For a moment she quietly wants to murder someone, but she decides to ignore it for the moment, maybe he won't notice. She grabs her cup from the side of the sink where it was put out to dry. "A few blood siblings, a lot of adopted ones."

She aims a look over her shoulder as she finishes her pour, adding some sugar to her coffee. "Not always easy. Had a bigger place than this at least when we were coming up. After mom died, and then Sam.." She grimaces and clears her throat, shrugging. "Smaller place seemed like a better idea, really." She moves to the table, gesturing for Rusty to sit. "You have any siblings?"

"Nah." Rusty says with a shake of his shaggy head. "It was just me. I was an accident. My father was dying so, I shouldn't have been conceived but Valentine's Day happened and..." He shrugs a little. "Today's my birthday." He admits and something about him eases. His shoulders square up a touch. "I don't care for this time of year. Something's always felt off. B-But, I'm probably just cranky about getting older, right?" He attempts a chuckle but it's just a dry huff. Until he sees the naked girl on the mug. Then he really laughs. "Lookit this shit..." His eyes, small and blue, crinkle up properly as he admires the cup.

"Happy Birthday." Natalia remembers why Rusty stopped by and she shakes her head. "Are you going to bake yourself a birthday cake? Isn't that against the rules?" She is already on her feet, rummaging through a food cupboard, pulling out a box of vanilla cake mix. "You shouldn't be cranky about getting older. You wake up in the morning, right? I mean, I tell myself that sometimes." She groans when she turns to see him eyeing the cup. "Uh, don't mind that. So embarrassing." She leans against the counter and finds herself laughing along with Rusty, shading her eyes with her hands. "I don't know who to blame that on." She admits, her nose wrinkling as she fidgets with the box.

"Is it?" Rusty asks, taking a careful sip of coffee. "Against the rules, I mean? Can't treat yourself to another year older? Wait, what're doing?" He shakes his head. "No, no. Don't make me a cake, please? I-I don't want to put anyone out on account of me." He makes a motion, as if he would stop her. A half step towards her but it's only that half. "Is it wrong to...tell you that I'm kinda glad. I won't burn the trailer down or anything but...making my own cake felt really lonely."

"If you were putting me out, I wouldn't be making you a cake." But Natalia already has the box open and a bowl out, the electronic mixer pulled out of a loose drawer. "Hey, let me do this. I like to bake, and I don't want you to get cursed, if it's actually against the rules. You know?" She turns to watch Rusty when he speaks, her brown eyes fixing on his face. "It's not wrong. If it were my birthday, I'd want someone to make me a cake and sing to me. No matter how old you get, that kind of stuff matters, you know?" She moves to the fridge to pull out eggs. "So, how old is old enough to make you cranky?"

Rusty looks away when Natalia fixes on him. He blushes and smiles. "Forty-five. Almost half a century and I ain't done a whole lot with it." Rusty shrugs and sips. "I think that's one reason I've been touchy. I've, I've--I mean...I'm not really ashamed of it. I don't see a point. But I've been, uh, /upstate/ most of my adult life. I'm not crazy so I'm not ashamed. I'm sad though. A little. So much time wasted. All my good years are behind me but part of me still feels seventeen." He pauses, eyes wide. "Sorry. I get to talking...caffeine. Real sensitive to it." Siiip.

Natalia doesn't look away when Rusty blushes, she does smile though, a soft sort of smile like she has seen something she likes. "I don't think anything is a waste of time. If you didn't have the precise life experiences that you've had, you might be someone completely different. You'd be wearing a suit, maybe some of those obnoxious sunglasses that reflect. You'd be somewhere else." She holds up a finger, turning on the mixer so that the eggs, oil and cake mix can combine. It makes a decent amount of noise and she doesn't attempt to talk over it. Once she turns it off she shrugs. "Might be that you want to be somewhere else, but I'm glad you're here waiting for a cake to bake. I like cake." She turns to give him a grin before she quietly admits. "I still feel seventeen sometimes too, usually when I'm getting into trouble. Don't tell my sister that. Ever."

The noise from the mixer makes Rusty winch and he wanders away until she's done. Upon return, he says, "You made a good point. You are who you are because of what life throws at you. I wish I remembered more. It's years of patchwork memories and experiences. Not many notable. Too many birthdays are like white noise in my mind." He grumbles and puts down the coffee mug. "I've come to think that growing up is bullshit. You turn eighteen and our culture shoves responsibility at you. But you were a kid literally a moment before. It doesn't make any fucking sense. Anyway, my whole point is...I don't remember." He grins. "I have a new point. I'm glad I'm here too. Can you imagine a sadder thing than a middle aged man in a single wide eating birthday cake out of an aluminum pan in front of his computer? So, thank you, Natalia. I won't tell a soul about our secret seventeens."

"Well, I hope you'll remember today. Hope you like chocolate icing." Natalia pours the mix from the bowl into a pan, setting her oven on the proper temperature as she sets a timer. She puts the pan in the oven and picks up the coffee pot, walking over to the table. "Refresh? Or do you want to be able to sleep tonight?" She sets it down on the table in case Rusty wants it, pulling out a chair for herself. "Life hasn't been easy here either, but I don't think I'm ready to throw in the towel. You don't look like you are ready either." She picks up a cookie, breaking off a piece to dip into her mug. "Upstate you said? How far?"

"Uh..." Rusty starts but then tops off his coffee. He looks confused. "It sounds strange but...I can't tell you exactly where it is. The asylum I've been in and out of since I was eighteen...all I can say is, it's upstate. And I've been up and back so many times I can't count. Literally, I have no idea how many times..." Beat. "Can't find the records either." He dumps more sugar into his coffee and then says, "I think I'll remember this birthday though. Pretty sure the first time someone makes you a cake is when you are over the hill, you don't forget."

Natalia considers Rusty's answer for a few beats, and then the smile is back, slightly dimmed, but still there. "You're okay though, right? Not that.. fuck." She runs fingers through her dark hair, laughing at herself for a moment, the self depreciating tone clear. "If you've been in and out, obviously you're not okay, but whatever is.." She gestures to him, her expression relaxing slightly so that the smile gets brighter for a moment. ".. you look like you're dealing well with it at least." She internally smacks herself, feeling like she handled that all wrong. "Hey, we're having candles too. I don't have forty five candles, but five will work, right?"

Rusty smiles and waves a hand. "I'm alright. I feel out of place sometimes. Or like I'm dancing to a different tune than everyone else. Not being able to really recall a lot of my time away helps. Can't be too traumatized by something you can't really remember. I used to be angry about it. Channeled that into ranting about bullshit on the internet and eventually, I forgave my aunt. She had legal whatever over me. Until she died. That's why I'm even here. She died six months ago and I was able to sign myself out. At least, that's what the lawyer said happened. I kinda just...woke up in Seattle. Anyway! Five candles is perfect. This is all perfect."

Natalia listens carefully to Rusty's words, and then she takes a deep breath. "Well, I'm.. let me just shove my foot right.." She takes a deep breath and picks up her cup to take a sip. "You do .. shine a bit. I don't know if that has anything to do with what you've been through or what you're going through. When you.. look at me Rusty.." She presses her lips together for a moment and then she just talks. "When you look at me, don't focus, let your eyes kind of fuzz at the edges. You see that shine that clings to me? A lot of people in this town have it. I've had it since I was little. Weird things would happen, and they still do. I've felt out of place since .." She clears her throat. ".. I don't tell people, but sometimes I can do things, know things. It's.." She shifts her gaze away, chuckling softly. "Please don't think that I'm off my gourd." She sneaks a look back over at Rusty, eyebrows raised slightly. "I.. hey, I want to make this perfect for you. Heck. I might even have a present for you tomorrow."

"Oh, Natalia. I don't have to look hard to see you shine. I see you. Folks who shine are like magnets and gravity. They come together without any other push or pull." Rusty says, sounding suddenly sure of himself, or what he is saying, at least. "The earth moves for us, not the other way. And my shine and my curiosity around it is what got me sent up there in the first place." He leans in a little. "I know things too." His soft rasp lowered to a whisper. "I know things and I make things grow. Flowers bloom when I touch them. That's nice, you know?" He smiles and looks away before leaning back.

"And since I was called crazy for wanting to understand the Shine of folks, you are crazy too. Sorry. I'd take you upstate but I don't know where it is." He chuckles, for real this time. "I think...I Shine a little more than you. I mean...it's hard to explain. If I focus, I could get a better idea of what side of the, uh, triad you lean towards. But..." He shakes his head. "They'll know where I am. And it's my birthday and I like that I am spending it with you. So, I won't draw Their attention. I've done real good since I came home."

Natalia looks very relieved that she isn't hitting him with something he might not know. She takes a deep breath and her eyes get bigger when he says he can make flowers bloom. "I just understand things, and occasionally when I touch something.. I feel memories." She returns the smile, tilting her head slightly to the side. "I'm crazy too, sounds about right. Most days I feel kind of crazy."

"Let's save that for another time then, it's your birthday like you said, and we're going to have cake and candles. I'm even going to sing." She gets up to check on the cake, there is two minutes left on the timer. "Almost done."

"I pick up memories too." Rusty looks relieved too. Extremely. His posture seems to change. Almost straight and far more open and loose. "One thing I do remember is the doctor telling me I was delusional. I knew better and wouldn't shut up about it. I never did either. I would go to court to review my guardianship and my aunt would tell them I wouldn't stop talking about the Shine. And I'd confirm it because I'm my own worst enemy. I...I couldn't lie." He shakes his head as if to clear it. "If I focus and manifest...my hair glows." He points out the streak of gray-white hair near his eyes. "And I've always had this lock. Anyway. I'm gonna shut up because I wanna hear you sing." It's like a door has been unlocked and the windows opened. He's just that different, having opened up

Natalia looks relieved that she isn't alone, her shoulders relaxing almost as soon as Rusty does. "So they think that you're delusional because you have the shine?" She frowns at that, glancing around the kitchen for a moment, looking for an oven mitt. She finds what she wants, pulls the cake out and sniffs at it. "Turned out well." She notes, and then drags herself back to the previous subject. "Nothing fun happens when I focus, at least that I've been able to see." She lets the cake cool, walking closer to the table. Her hand reaches out to feel that lock of hair, her eyes thoughtful. "I can sing before I frost the cake, if you'd like." She tilts her head down, grinning at Rusty. "My singing voice leaves a lot to be desired though."

Rusty doesn't pull away from Natalia's reach. He leans into it. "It's a weird genetic thing, supposedly. The skin is different too if you p-part my hair." His face flushes. "I dye my hair. Just a few shades darker than it is naturally. Naturally, it's the color of muddy water. But color doesn't stick to that. And glow is a strong word, really. It stands out and the light'll catch it when I manifest. Kinda looks like glowing to me." He sighs. "I can't carry a tune with a wheelbarrow so, don't feel bad. It's really the thought. You've been too sweet to me, Natalia. And I'm just an odd...thing."

"You're a person, Rusty. We're all people here. Should I not be sweet to you?" Natalia does touch his hair, but it's a gentle and soft touch, enough to see the difference in the pigmentation.

"Happy Birthday to you.."
"Happy Birthday to you.."
"Happy Birthday, dear Rusty.."
"Happy Birthday to yooou."

She sings softly, standing close to where he's sitting. "How about a piece of cake? We'll put some frosting on it while it's warm, it will melt a bit and taste pretty good." She steps back, watching him for a moment before she turns toward the stove. The cake has cooled slightly, and she cuts two pieces, drizzling the chocolate frosting over it. "I dye my hair too, don't tell anyone." She ducks her head, turning to walk back to the table with the two plates in hand.

"I won't tell your secrets, as long as you don't tell mine. I mean, hell. Even if you told mine, who would I tell? Noelle?" She sets a plate down in front of Rusty and moves to take a seat.

Rusty is a thief. He stole a hug. A little hug to the side after she sung. He has an odd expression on his face as the cake is set before him. "This is the nicest anyone has been to me in a long time. I don't know what to do with kindness offered so plainly. So easily. So, I will keep your secrets and you will keep mine and I will just say, thank you for a really nice birthday. I've been dreading Halloween since the first of October and not...not this year. Maybe not next either?" He shrugs, smiles, and goes for the cake.

"Well now Halloween birthday cake has to be a thing. I have a year to come up with something amazing, right?" Natalia doesn't seem to mind the stolen hug, in fact she might have squeezed him a bit in return. "You've given me no reason to be anything but kind, Rusty. My door is open, you come back anytime. I cook too much, I'm usually rattling around here, frustrated and lonely. You're.. " She gets pink cheeks, swallowing as she gazes at the cake, cutting into it with her fork. ".. you're welcome to come over anytime you'd like. Really. Even if you're here teaching my sister how to be loud on youtube."

"If being loud on Youtube ends up being a better outlet..." Rusty smirks. His hair is fairly flushed too. "You open your door to me, don't be surprised to find me here, alright? I mean it. I am aware that some social norms are...out of reach to me. So, uh...just...no screaming, okay? And if we are lucky, yeah. We'll make a badass cake next year."