2021-12-12 - Laundromat chat

It's a ritual - taken upon oneself as infrequently as humanly possible: The washing of the clothing. Isi's place isn't posh enough to boast its own washing machine, let alone a dryer. So instead she comes here, her bags of laundry thrown over her shoulder. The poor uber driver, how uncomfortable does it have to be to know that there are piles of dirt laundry in their back seat? "Thanks," Isi says as she gets out, hauling her laundry with her. It's an awkward process as she has three bags of clothing and only one good arm to do the hauling with. Once it's set on the sidewalk the Uber driver heads away, leaving Isi to the task of taking her laundry into the facility itself.

Already present, presumably with things spinning away in a machine, it's pure chance that Garrett is limping past the door when Isi is approaching it. Glancing out and seeing the full hands the newcomer is likely to have, he pauses to hold it open with a polite, "Hey," of greeting and a smile. "Want a hand?"

Isi glances back at her laundry, sitting in the rain, and only getting heavier with each passing second. Her normal tendency towards independence is going tot ake a back seat to practicality. "Man - if you're not opposed to it," though his limp gets eyed, "It would help a lot." One bag gets heaved to just inside of the door he's holding open.

Garrett gives a small nod and leans out to grab one of the bags nod heaved inside already; every few seconds not spent in the rain can only help, right? He only stumbles a little as he shifts his weight around, keeping the door propped open with his heel. "Lovely day, yeah?" he asks, grinning. "Like being back home." Which checks out, with the London accent and all.

"Heh, they put the reservation on the place in Washington that has the least amount of rain." Isi replies to that, she is ~not~ a fan of the constant winter rains.

"Thanks. Keeping my cast dry and my clothing just wasn't going to work." She gets the last bag hauled in so he can shut the doorway. Upside to a laundromat, it's always warm inside.

"Small blessings, I guess?" Garrett suggests with a half-shrug. He takes a moment to grab a bag in each hand (arm cast trumps bum leg for carrying things, right?), make sure the heavy one is on his good side, and nods over towards one area of the laundromat.

"Saw a couple open machines over there," he suggests, but lets Isi take the lead. It's her stuff, after all. "Hope your cast didn't get too soaked?"

"Heh," Isi's just going to grunt for anything that might be silver lining. Silver linings look different to different people.

His question about her cast has her looking down ans shaking off some droplets of water. "Not too bad. Damn thing can come off next week, so." She follows him towards the open machines . "What happened to you?" A nod towards his limp.

"Well, that's good. Minimal wetness /and/ losing the cast soon," Garrett says, limping his way towards the still-open machines and placing bags in front of them before glancing down at his leg. "Nothing too bad. Got bit by a desk." Pause. That can be misinterpreted in this town. "Was more rotten than I thought and it fell apart moving it. Just some stitches," he clarifies, clearing his throat quietly and stepping out of the way.

Isi's mouth was about to open and ask if like, it was teeth or whatnot. Because the's a legit thing in Gray Harbor.

"Ah - that sucks. If you're going to get knocked on your ass it should be for something that is story worthy." Isi replies. She bends and starts to fill up the first open laundry machine. All the whites. "You a native? Or new?"

"Mmm, I'm okay with my stories being of the mostly mundane variety," Garrett deadpans, moving to lean against a machine and keep out of the way. "Semi-new? Just got back to town a few weeks ago, but moved here a couple years ago originally," he answers. "You? New in town?"

"Heh- it's true. The exciting stories sometimes hurt." YEs, she glances at her arm about that. No story time from here though. It's awkward to do when throwing one's unmentionables into a large metal tube.

"Meh, ish. About six months or so. Long enough to know this town is fucking weird as shit."

"So just new to me, not overly new to Gray Harbor," Garrett says, nodding. "Excitement can definitely be over-rated, though. At least around here," he adds with a forced chuckle, shaking his head. "I'm Garrett, by the way," he offers once Isi doesn't have a handful of delicates.

"Yeah." That's one way to put it.

Her hands now done with her underthings she closes the doorway and glances at Garrett. "Isi Cameron. There are weirdos in this town that only call people by their last name." Shots fired at Ravn, "What's yours? I swear I thought a couple people were four people till I connected the last name to the first."

"Marcus," Garrett answers. "Garrett Marcus." He does his best 'Bond. James Bond.' He grins at the town weirdos mention and nods, agreeing. "You have a preference, then, Isi Cameron?" he inquires, head tilted. "I mean, I'm assuming Isi, but....?" he trails off with a hint of amusement.

Eyebrow ARCH at the attempted suave response. She'll just snort rather than be charmed. "Just Isi. Congratulations on being cursed with a double first name. Ever get your records lost because some fucker switched them around?"

The eyebrow arch seems to be an acceptable response, and Garrett grins once more. "Only once, when I was first moving out here," he answers, chuckling. "Lucky otherwise. Extra lucky, since I really have a first name hat trick. Garrett /Lincoln/ Marcus."

"Damn," Isi comments with a low whistle. "You parents must have really been unhappy about having a kid." Casual judgement statements about one's family, it's fine.

A second bin is being filled up now - all the things that need a harsher wash. Pants, etc. "What do you do Garrett Lincoln Marcus?"

There's an arched eyebrow of his own, but Garrett otherwise shrugs off the casual dig, giving his head a small shake.

"A bit of this, bit of that. I'll be working up at Olympic come the new year. Until then, a little volunteering at the HOPE Center, a little casually injuring myself helping with the Bauer building. You know, keeping out of trouble. Yourself?"

"Ah, that's Dita - Perdita's building, right?" Isi calls out the familiar name. "And where Alexander has his office?" Even being out of things she hears stuff.

"Trouble isn't hard to find in this town." Detergent gets put in before Isi slams the door shut. IT doesn't catch on that first slam, so she has to do it again.

"The very same," Garrett says, nodding, a fond smile on his face. "And yeah, I think that's the name of the guy renting the office, sounds right," he tentatively confirms.

He grunts, nodding. "Too true," he agrees about local trouble. A buzzer sounds a few washers down. "Think that's me, be right back," he says, presumably going to go switch his things, moving odd at a brisk hobble.

There is one last washer open and Isi has one last bag. This is the only upside of using public washing facilities - the washing goes a hell of a lot faster with multiple machines.

The shoving goes fast and Isi stands up again to go over to the coin machine. In go dollars, out go coins. It's raining money baby.

"Sounds like you won!" Garrett calls over to Isi, managing only a small smile at his own admittedly-lame joke. His clothes make it into a basket, carried over to a dryer, and with the benefit of both arms, loaded up fairly quickly, leaving Garrett to make his way back towards Isi. "What about you, then? What do you?" he asks.

"The clang of the casino's more exciting. Bright flashing lights and shit." Isi replies, flashing a glance back with him. She starts clicking coins into the slot. "Auditor, at town hall. Junior, meaningless paperwork except when it's not."

The chore done Isi's got downtime now. The WAIT. Above annoying music plays to fill out the place. "I don't think I catch what you actually do."

"Winning is easier here," Garrett counters. "Mmm, keeping the wheels of the bureaucracy turning," he says, nodding. Not sounding like the job seems terribly boring.

"Oh, sorry. Park ranger. Olympic national park," he says. "Find lost hikers. Tours. Clear paths. Help with research and conservation stuff when they deem me qualified," he says with a faint eyeroll.

"Huh." Isi says, considering the man before her more carefully. "That's actually kind of cool." She moves over to one of the plastic seats for those waiting and settles down, a gesture inviting Garrett to take something nearby. "That's a job I wouldn't mind - even with the bureaucracy involved."

"Was I supposed to be boring?" Garrett deadpans, but there's amusement in his eyes as he follows Isi towards the chairs. There's a bit of relief as he sits with a couple chairs between them, adequate personal space for everyone ideally. "It's a good job. I'd like to be more on the research and all that than the tourist stuff, but gotta start somewhere, yeah?"

"... I deal with numbers all day. You want to know boring? Ask me about how we calculate risk in this town."

No, but seriously, don't. He'll end up passed out asleep before she gets more than a few words into that.

"How much do you know about the forests around here?" Isi twirls a finger to indicate the town.

"...in a very complicated way," Garrett ventures, and pries no further into the intricacies of risk assessment, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Mmm.... enough to usually avoid getting lost?" Garrett says, but there's modesty in his voice. "I like to think I know them as well as one can hope to, though. I was out there almost every day when I first came to town."

"Friend told me I should find a local - someone who knows the trails so I can hike safely during the winter season." Isi explains that random question. "I had hopes, well." She shrugs a shoulder. "I like the outdoors."

"Good advice, that," Garrett agrees, nodding. "I gave one of the new arrivals in town my trail map, so I need to get out there and make another one one of these days soon. Preferably while I have time before I start working again." There's a slight pause, and an inviting look sent Isi's way. "You'd be welcome to come with."

See? No one actually wants to know exactly what Isi does. It's too painful. Most would take a dream where something eats their livers first. Prevents too much boring smalltalk though, so there's that.

"I was hoping maybe you'd know which were kept out of the worst of the weather. I know it's winter but...." She glances out the doorway with a more than wistful look. "Anyway, no matter."

"Best trails for hiking in less than ideal weather, hm?" Garrett considers for a moment, fingers drumming lightly on his knee. "You know the big hill that overlooks town? About.... two thirds of the way up, before the trees start thinning out, there's a trail that kind or circles the hill. That's the one," he answers. "Trees keep actively falling rain a bit more in check, and it's high enough up the hill that water running down doesn't wash it out too bad." There is a small shrug, though, as he adds a brief caveat: "That said, it's still here, so it being better than the others just means it's a little less muddy. It's still not what one might call ideal hiking, you know?"

Isi sttaarrreeesss at Garrett for a few long seconds - long enough he might start doubting her sanity.

"You know." When she starts to speak, she keeps her voice very mild, "That was the last one that I hiked, before winter really took a grip. On the way back though, someone tried to kill me. I'm trying to decide if there's a deeper meaning in that then the fact that it's a good trail."

Garrett returns the stare, head sloooowwwwly beginning to tilt as he starts to wonder.... and then Isi speaks again, and Garrett is left blinking.

"...I promise I'm not trying to lead you to a murder trail," he finally offers, shaking his head incredulously. "If you don't mind the drive, there's always Olympic?"

"Oh no, it's not the trail. Just, y'know, the road. Which leads to my next excuse for your excellent suggestion- I totaled my car recently. See, almost killed."

She waves her cast slightly before settling it on her chest. See that smile on her face? That's her totally faking that this is NORMAL, this is OKAY. She's FINE with people attempting to murder her.

"...Shit. Rough run of things lately, yeah?" Garrett understates, giving a vaguely sympathetic look. "I think I'm out of good ideas, then." Pause. "...ideas I thought were good," he amends.

"They weren't bad ideas," Isi protests, shaking her head. "It proves that I did pick a good trail for my favorite. Just reiterates how completely fucked I am till this thing is off." She taps at the cast on her arm. "Once it's off I can do some of the less well maintained - well," correction, "once it's off and my PT is done, I can do some of the more advanced and less maintained trails."

"Your taste in trails is excellent," Garrett agrees with a nod and a small smile, then jabs his chin towards the cast. "They give you a guess on how long PT would be once the cast is off, or they mostly playing it by ear?" he asks.

A shrug of Isi's shoulder for that question. "It depends on how it looks when they take it off. The break was pretty nasty, but it stayed inside the skin which is nice." Hello understatement, literally no one wants to see their own bones poking out of their skin.

"I'm hoping for weeks - which probably means it'll be months."

"...well shit." Garrett eyes the cast for a few moments and shakes his head. "Hope it doesn't take /too/ long, but if you're gonna be stuck away from the outdoors, better now than spring or summer, yeah?" he offers brightly, flashing an optimistic smile.

Isi is not an optimistic soul, and the level stare she puts on Garrett hints at it. But he was nice and this has been very casual and free of drama so she doesn't say anything outright. "It is. So what interested you in the Bauer building?"

The stare makes Garrett's smile fade, but only slightly. His head tilts slightly when the Bauer building is mentioned, though, and a distinct fondness comes to his face. "Well, the owner and I ran into each other when I was in a rough spot and she offered me a place to stay. I figure the absolute least I can do while I'm waiting for my gainful employment to manifest is help her restore the place," he answers.

"That's nice of her," Isi says, surprising even herself by meaning it. "So add amateur repair man to your list of skills? Where did you have time to learn all of that?"

"It really was," Garrett agrees without hesitation, nodding sharply and smiling a bit wider. Then laughing quietly. "Very amateur," he clarifies. "I'm mostly hauling rubbish out and cleaning and whatnot. Let those with more skill than I do the real work."

"Ha!" Yes, Isi actually says the word aloud. It's a good way to indicate humor without actually laughing. "That's probably the better part of valor."