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Current Location: The Cooper Farm, Kansas

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A black Ford F-350 pickup truck moves along a narrow unpaved road towards the Cooper Farm. The exterior is a mess of cracked glass, dents, bullet holes, scratched paintwork and mud spatter, but it seems to be running smoothly. In the back, a more pristine-looking motorbike is held in place by bungee cords and a large pile of duffel bags, gas cans and other outdoor survival gear. There's also a tool box behind the cab, containing a sizable arsenal of guns, explosives and ammunition, and one very hi-tech bow. It's clear that this vehicle has been on the road for quite some time.

Jamie's at the wheel, keeping a sedate speed and tapping along lazily to a Steve Miller Band song. Eleanor is dozing in the passenger seat, feet up on the dashboard.

Since their arrival and subsequent alien encounter in Nebraska eight months ago, the two of them have conducted a fairly thorough tour of the United States: northerly parts in the fall and warmer climes during the winter. In that time, Jamie has learnt how to drive automatics and stick shifts, and Eleanor has figured out what his 'episodes' are, and how best to control them. They've roughed it at times, at others they've taken advantage of civilian abandonment, and there've been plenty of monsters, fights and adventures along the way. It was only a few days ago that Jamie accidentally tuned in to Barbara's automated radio transmission and discovered the existence of the Kansas safe-zone. They decided to check it out.

The truck hits a deep pothole as it enters the main yard of the farm. Eleanor's head thumps against the side window, jarring her awake.

"...Ow," she mumbles, eyes still closed. "Nice road. Are we there yet?"

[OOC: Two pups, two muns. Tag either or both.]

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Eleanor interrupts brazenly, while still chewing.

"He's Maurice." She breaks off to give a little wolf-whistle. "Professional gangster of love, and aspiring space cowboy."

A smirk returns to her face. "And I'm Eleanor."

"Maurice, huh?" Babs snorts in amusement.

"You two come in together, or did you just stumble upon one another after arriving here?"

"Some people call me Jamie," he laughs. "She doesn't approve of my singing."

As he draws back, he shoots Eleanor a fond look.

"Stumbling upon one another is one way to put it. But I'm from Tortall." His smile widens. "She's not."

"I'm from a different Earth," Eleanor volunteers. "One that's not quite as fucked up as this one."

She takes another bite from the apple, then lobs it back to Jamie.

"We both arrived about eight months ago, somewhere near the Iowa-Nebraska state line. I knew an alternate version of him and his mother from another place, but he'd never met me."

"It was love at first sight for Maurice," she snickers. "And he's been hanging around me like a bad smell ever since."

"Tortall," Babs repeats. "Feudal government structure, right?"

She smirks over at Eleanor. "This alternate version thing can get pretty confusing. And it's unfortunately common around here."

"Yeah," Eleanor agrees. She's had more experience of alternates than she's willing to let on right now, having been a part-time Milliways child. It's never easy to get used to though.

"Speaking of, are you the Barbara who set up the radio message?"

"Guilty as charged," Babs grins. "I did IT back home, so it sort of came naturally here."

"We're glad you did," says Jamie, though he's watching Babs much more closely now. "You've heard of Tortall, then?"

"Heard of it," Babs shrugs, "that's about it."

She lifts an eyebrow. "If you want to fill me in on the world I'd be interested."

Fascinating as it may be, Eleanor isn't ready to let Jamie start waxing lyrical about his homelands right now. She cuts in before he can even muster a reply.

"Are you in charge here then?" she inquires.

"Not really," Babs laughs. "We're not really organized enough to have an official leader."

"I guess the closest thing we've got around here is Mel."

That's all right. Jamie will corner Babs later for a more civilized conversation, and he'll tell her all about Tortall. The highlights, at least. He does have some restraint.

"Is he also from another world?"

Babs grins as if at a private joke, but simply nods. "Yeah. Though apparently Mel's a world-hopping veteran. Came here via some other place that wasn't home."

She shrugs. "Kinda hard to miss. Short, wiry, strong, and generally accompanied by a pair of really cute twins."

"Okay. I'm sure we'll run into him at some point."

Eleanor perches herself on the kitchen table and diverts her attention onto Jamie. "Not bad so far. Might make a decent base camp if it's really as safe as she says?"

The longer they've been together, the more she's invited him to weigh in on their important choices. It may not be a direct invitation, but it's better than nothing.

"Twins, huh?" He seems to find this amusing.

Leaning back against a counter, Jamie crosses one ankle over the other and loosely folds his arms. He smiles at Eleanor. All in all, it would be hard to find someone as relaxed-looking as Jamie right now.

"That it might."

It's what he wants, but he's learned to let her think things are entirely her idea. If she works around to it herself, she's more likely to approve of the outcome.

He's a patient soul.

"Nowhere safer out there that I've been able to locate. Though a number of people show up here and end up heading to Metropolis." She grins, "The farm life's a bit quiet for some folks."

"But once you get outside of Kansas, well... You've been there."

Eleanor returns Jamie's smile, and adds an encouraging little wink into the mix. She then turns back to Barbara.

"It's bad, but we survived," she relates. "A bit of a break would be nice though."

An eyebrow lifts.

"Metropolis. As in Superman's city?"

"As in Superman's city," Babs confirms. "It's not what it once was, but being in the safe zone means that it actually approaches functional. It even has a night life that involves more than riots and muggings."

"Hm. Sounds worth checking out," Eleanor decides.

"Maurice hasn't experienced any proper Earth night life yet." She's grinning now. "Should be an eye-opener."

Jamie laughs. "What hasn't been these many months?"

Eleanor included.

"She wants to take me dancing," he winks at Babs. "It's her eyes that will open wide."

He's a bad dancer.

Edited 2009-03-30 17:28 (UTC)

"With delight or horror?" Babs asks with a laugh, glancing over at Eleanor. Jamie's obviously a huge flirt, and she wonders how his companion feels about that.

"Probably with pain," Eleanor chuckles. "If his singing voice is anything to go by, I'm guessing he's got two left feet."

She's a flirt too. To date, neither of them have voiced any concerns over the other's conduct. It all depends where the flirting goes, and so far it's never gone anywhere serious.

Jamie sighs.

"It's a wonder I have any confidence left at all," he says, "with the way you go on."

Ha.

"What can I say?" Eleanor replies, with a remorseless shrug. "I'm an excellent judge of character. If I didn't think you could take my shit..."

"Well, I'd still give it," she chuckles. "To toughen you up."

"Or I might've just kicked you to the curb."

"You two have definitely spent the last six months or so on the road together," Babs shakes her head in amusement. "You bicker like old pros."