2019-11-10 - OMW

Eventually it's not the bike that pulls up but the car. As much of a bullyboy badass as he might be one doesn't look cool being pinned under their bike when it dumps them sliding on wet leaves on we asphalt. He idles up to the curb, drops it into park, and gets out leaving it running. He sums up the situation oin the first step; target, threat count, anyone packing? Cops? Important things out of habit. Five long steps bring him around the cront of the car and to the 5'10" blonde in the leather jacket and wraps a hug around her. He doesn't stop to say 'hi'. Joey stands there quietly, hugging her tight, doing as she'd asked.

There aren't many people lingering outside. Most have gone elsewhere. When the car pulls up, Nicole starts to walk towards it, until Joey pops up from the driver side, coming towards her. It's a quick approach, but unlike the one she experienced earlier, she welcomes this one, and the hug that comes when he gets to her. In his arms, she breathes in his warmth, her hands sliding under his jacket and wrapping around him to sink into his embrace. "Thank you," she whispers. "I hope I didn't pull you away from anything important. I just... I needed this."

Joey isn't one to catch feels. Joey is the guy you give a directive to and he goes to get shit done. Not only notorious for it but infamous and usually for all the wrong people where the precious sensibilities of the government are concerned. A slow deep breath. A car running behind him. He answers, "Go nowhere more important to be." He frowns and presses a kiss to her temple; cheek scruffy and in need of a shave badly brushing the side of her cheek. "hey... you OK?" The furrow deepens in his brow. "The fuck happened?"

The directive Nicole gave to Joey was 'give me a hug'. And, sure enough, here he is, taking care of that shit. She closes her eyes as his scruffy cheek brushes against hers, his lips pressing to her temple. "Well, I was curious about the Paranormal Society I've been hearing about, considering, well... I am kind of curious about ghosts. But also, just, a lot of weird shit since I came back... It was weird. People were all acting a bit weird to begin with. I don't know. Is there a full moon?" She's doing her rambling thing, not loosening the embrace at all. "Then this guy like... He came in, like burst in and ran at me, demanding to know if I was Doctor Kosimar. He grabbed my chair and was shaking it and meanwhile, people are arguing like they don't even notice this. I was about to kick him in the balls and stab my pen in his eye but everyone was all like, calm down dude. And Minerva was like, that's me... and then he left me alone and... the rest is kind of a blur. I was really freaked out, Joey. Like really... I could feel my heartbeat and I just did not like the feeling coursing through me. So I was kind of just trying to calm down but I heard talk of some asylum and... I don't even know. I certainly don't have any more answers than I had before... More questions... and... yeah. I was shook. I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to get him away from me..."

Joey takes a slow deep breath and listens. Nice thing about people who aren't really talkers, they can (no always) be pretty damn good listeners. "So you got attacked by one of Min's patients and everyone kind of lost their shit?" It's hard for him to grasp too. He's called the Lead Brick for a reason.

He consider the rest of the story looking like he might have opinions that are hard to read. In the end all that comes out, "Well if you want to talk spooky shit with rational people maybe do it at the library or something and not where the chronically distressed circle like vultures." It's easy though to cast opinions when the world has a hard time hurting you. It sure likes to find a way like dandelions in concrete. He doesn't wobble from side to side, but stays grounded, rooted, arms holding her like a bulwark of meat, leather, and pure obstinance. The gravely rumble comes quiet in the question, "Tell me what you need. You want to get out of here a while? Drive? You want me to try to make you foret how to spell your name?" Not actually a comon, somehow, but genuine offer to figure out what she needs to happen, bu not being at all object either. "You want to we can drive around all damn night. I'll let Duarte know I need him to open."

"I don't think he was one of her patients... He thought I was her, so..." Nicole squeezes closer to him instead of shrugging. "He was very upset I was not her." She lifts her face from his neck and peeks up at him. "The library has people who are specialists in stuff? I've never been here before..." She peeks behind her towards the building. "I am not sure I want to come back... but, I do need to understand some things more." Her head rests on his shoulder. "Get out of here, yes." She stops, looks up again. A smile at his suggestions replaces the stressed-out appearance of a moment before. "Drive... drive until you really feel like making me forget how to spell my name. I'll make sure you do. Then we'll stop and forget. We can remember again in the morning." Her hands slide down to his hips, pointer finger of each locking into a belt loop on either side, pulling him by the waistband towards the car. When she bumps her rear against the door she leans in and steals a kiss from his lips. It is brief, but her teeth pull his lower lip a bit as she parts. Before she opens the door and ducks into the car, she murmurs, "thank you for coming, Joey. I just needed. I didn't like how I felt." Because in the moment she was scared, and pissed off, and it was growing and she remembered that feeling... and bad things happened before.