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It's been about fifteen minutes since Lux texted Sturm their address, and sure enough - just like she said she would be - the bruiser is out in front of their place in a beat up pick up truck. Both the windows are currently down, but Sturm's leaning out the driver's side to smoke a cigarettee while she waits for the Bright One to come out.
TXT: yo. im here.
The address doesn't point to an apartment, apparently. It's somewhere closeish to downtown, with a fair amount of tall buildings. Lux comes out of an alley rather than a building, approaching Sturm's pick up truck. They tug open the door and slide in, not really looking straight at her--but it's not hard to notice the bruised jaw and busted lip. It's stopped bleeding, at least. Their lights are dim, a very pale desaturated yellow-green. And, you know, that uneasy feeling of Oath-Breaker that lingers around them. "Sup?"
Sturm looks up when Lux jumps into the truck. Thankfully, months of hanging out with Teagan has conditioned her not to jump at sudden appearances, so she doesn't even bang her head on the roof of the car - or choke on the smoke from her cigarette.
She takes a last drag, putting it out in an ashtray - which she tucks back into the vehicle's center console. She frowns thoughtfully at Lux - and her eyes dart between their bruised jaw and busted lip.
"... you, uhh. Need anything?" She knows a thing or two about face injuries, being a boxer. "Got some stuff back at the house..."
"Stuff like... booze?" Their brows raise slowly.
"... don't drink," Sturm's brow furrows. "I've got weed, though - and shit to make sure your lip is properly cleaned and won't swell up too badly."
"Weed works too." They shrug, leaning back into the seat. Their tongue pocket at the split lip, followed by a wince. "Sure, whatever."
"Got you something else." She grabs the back of Lux's seat as leverage so she can turn around in the enclosed cabin - and reach into the back seat - without banging her horns on anything. When she pulls her hand back, she's got a couple of packages of candy in her hands. Sourpatch Kids, and Nerds.
"So uhh. You're gonna wanna avoid the sour one until probably a couple days from now - but the other should be fine, I think."
Lux's face goes blank as they stare at the candy. But after a few seconds they accept them, looking down at them. "He told you to get them, huh?"
"Snitches get stitches, motherfucker." The corner of Sturm's mouth twitches briefly. "I do my research. That's all you need to know."
There's another long moment of sad staring before the sour candies are tucked away into their hoodie pocket. But the Nerds are opened, pouring a few directly into their mouth as they slump further down into the seat.
She throws the car into drive, and pulls away from the curb - starting to head back to her old place out on the north-east side. "I know you don't fight, so." Beat. "How'd you get the busted lip?"
Her tone's a bit dark. Distant. She shoots Lux a glance out of the corner of her eye.
Lux lifts their shoulder. "Got hit. My fault. Hit first."
"Ran into someone I used to know." They pop a few more bits of candy into their mouth. "S'complicated. Like you and Sigrun are complicated." They keep their eyes down as Sturm drives, not looking up past the dashboard.
Sturm actually just barks out a laugh before she can stop herself from making a reaction. "Okay, so it was a clusterfuck. I get that."
"Something like that, yeah."
If Lux doesn't say anything, the rest of the trip out to Sturm's neck of the woods will likely be silent. Sturm's not going to push the issue any further than Lux wants to talk about it...
Lux, for once, doesn't seem in the mood to talk. They continue chomping on the candy until the box is empty, keeping their eyes down the whole time.
So they drive in silence. Sturm pulls another cigarette out of her jacket pocket, lighting it when they hit a stoplight, and holding it out the window so that she doesn't smoke up the inside of the cabin too bad. By the time she puts out the second cig, they're parked at the curb in front of her house - an old shotgun-style home that looks like it's been here since at least the 70's.
She gets out of the truck first, letting Lux follow at their own pace - fishing the keys out of her pocket as she heads up the stoop to the front door.
Lux doesn't dawdle, sliding out of the truck once it's parked. They look up at the house, looking it over as they follow behind Sturm. "Nice place."
"It's not," she snorts. "You don't have to make jokes."
"Better than my place." They shrug.
"Technically it's not mine," she unlocks the door, and lets Lux in. The interior of the house consists of basically one giant hallway with some rooms that branch off to the sides - and it's sparsely furnished. "Den's on the left there. I'm gonna go put on a pot of coffee. You want a cup?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll take some. Lots of sugar, please." They head for the den when pointed in that direction, finding the first couch to sink down onto, flumping down and staring at the ceiling.
The couch in question has one of those hideous 70's designs with velvet upholstery and odd colored fractals. The kind of awful couch your grandmother might have in your mother's childhood home. Sturm's not gone for long - and when she returns, she's holding a first aid kit, an ice pack. Lux can also probably hear a coffee grinder from the other room.
She gently lifts the Bright One just a tad - so she can sit down - and then lets their legs rest across her lap.
Lux doesn't resist, letting her move around their legs. They poke their tongue at their cut lip a bit, like they don't seem to really notice they're doing it. Oral fixation, much? "This doesn't seem very dangerous, you know. Unless your couch is a biohazard risk or something."
"Yeah, well. We were going to hold up a liquor store, but I figured bringing home a crate of vodka wasn't a smart move if I wanted to stay on the wagon." She does the deadpan so well. Sturm passes over the ice pack. "Even had the ski masks and the shotgun in the truck."
Lux lifts a brow, glancing over. "...Huh. Usually when I steal shit I just walk in with Light-Shy. Sounds... interesting." They accept the ice pack. "Used to drink a lot, huh?"
"Yep." She enunciated the p with a pop. "Wasn't actually planning to knock anything over, but walking in invisibly actually sounds much less dangerous than sitting on my couch. Here, you might get too high and roll off onto the floor, at least."
They snort softly in reply, holding the ice pack against their jaw. "Heh. Yeah, guess so." They go back to staring up at the ceiling. "How've you been?"
"Well, you know me. Can take a punch or two." She shrugs, ignoring the question and gesturing to Lux's lip. "Hold that to your lip, too - not on the cut - and keep your tongue out of it."
"Oh, you know me. I have a hard time keeping my tongue out of things, Sturm." It's said with far less playfulness than usual, making it just... kind of fall flat. But they shift the ice park to rest against their lip as well. "Seem like you've been in a better mood the past couple times I've seen you. But maybe that's just cause you've been focused on business." A beat pause. "Grats on the promotion, I guess."
"Not really. Just. The thing is, compartmentalization gets a lot easier when you have something else to focus on." Beat. "Which is to say I'm just very good at pretending I'm only a little bit upset at any given time." She looks Lux's lip over - figuring that, since it isn't bleeding right now, they took care of it on their own. "Thanks, but... I wish it didn't happen like this, though."
It doesn't look like Lux really did anything--just probably covered it until it started to clot up. The split isn't that big anyway, it's more bruising and swelling than anything else. Lux snorts softly. "Hm. Guess so." They look over at her, their eyes dim. "Nah. Better person for the job than me, anyway."
"Dunno about that," Sturm grunts. When they shift the ice pack, she gets an actual glimpse of the wound, and then pats their legs. "Up for a sec, I'm gonna go check on the coffee right quick - and get a warm cloth so I can actually clean that split."
Lux lifts their legs up straight in the air, long enough for her to stand--then plops them back down. "I do. You've been getting shit done. And... you're actually really good at directing people and coming up with plans, you know."
"Well, I ran a crew for like five years, so I'd hope so." She laughs as she leaves the room and heads off towards the kitchen. She returns with a pair of coffee mugs in one hand, and a wet rag in the other. The coffee goes down on a nearby table, and then she motions for Lux to let her sit down again.
Lux lets her sit, but shifts a bit so they're sitting up--but still with their legs across her lap. "Didn't really like the responsibility of it all anyway, honestly." They eye her thoughtfully. "What sorta crew?"
"Robberies, mostly." She hooks her index finger, gesturing for Lux to lean closer. "B&E-type shit. Weapons smuggling. 'Course it's basically all Meth, now, but..." She shrugs. "Wasn't always like that - not that we were much better, but we liked to pretend, at least."
"Hm." They frown briefly. "How long ago was that..?" Lux does lean in to let her do her thing, not even making kissy faces or trying to joke around about it.
She turns to face them on the couch, gently running a hand against Lux's face - wrapping her fingers around to cradle the back of their head - and then carefully pulling down their lip with her thumb. "Probably, like. Mid-80's?" She dabs lightly around the wound - doing her best not to agitate it. "Until the early 90's."
"Hmm." They don't talk right away, going still as she grips them and poke at their lip. They wince a little, but manage not to be too whiny about it. They do watch her though, gaze roaming over her face with a thoughtful expression. "Kinda pissed that I missed the 90s. Sounds like they were pretty rad."
"Well, I missed most of 'em, too. Got Taken in '94, so I didn't even get to see all of Batman: The Animated Series." She lets go of their lip, letting it sit naturally for a moment so she can continue her gentle dabbing. "... but what I remember of them was pretty good."
Lux seems too out of it to really notice, alas. "Don't really remember when I was taken, exactly. Just know it was sometime in the mid-eighties..." They continue staring for a moment, before letting out a soft sigh. "You know, if I thought you were even remotely interested in me romantically or sexually, this would be hella gay."
"Now, the 80's were fuckin' great. So many of my favorite metal bands had their haydays." She turns Lux's head to the side so she can look at the wound from another angle. Thankfully it isn't too deep - and she didn't mess with it enough to cause it to open again. "Well," her voice is soft. "I think both of our plates are a little bit full for anything like that. Already got one incredibly frustrating not-relationship, tragically."
"I wish I could've enjoyed the 80s more," Lux murmurs, looking wistful. Their head tilts easily enough. "Heh. Yeah. I can't even make two people happy--no need in fucking up someone else's life."
"Jack seems fine to me." Sturm rights Lux's head - not letting go of them just yet - and fixes them with a long, boring gaze. As if she could dig straight into their brain with just a look. "You must have a very high opinion of yourself if you think that your interference would make my life more fucked up."
"...Kind of the opposite." Their brows crease, meeting her eyes with some reluctance. Not flinching away, thankfully, but the intensity is a bit intimidating. "Well. Maybe I have a high opinion of how much of a fuck up I am."
"If you don't stop being mean to my friend, I can - and will - crush your skull like an empty beer can." The scarred bruiser holds her gaze, managing to keep a straight face until... a little giggle forces the frown to crack. She lets Lux go with a soft pat on their cheek, and sets the cloth aside.
"I can think of some situations where I wouldn't mind you crushing me," Lux replies--though still with that only half-invested tone that feels off compared to their norm. They lean back when Strum releases them, putting the ice pack back against their lip and jaw.
Sturm leans forward - ignoring the horny comment with a practiced ease - fetching her mug of coffee from the table. As she takes a sip of her drink, Lux can probably very easily see the image splashed on the side is from a comic book. 'Cause Sturm is a fucking nerd. "You're going to want to make sure you look out for that split over the next couple days. If it keeps bleeding or gets gunky, you're going to probably want to see someone about it."
It's so much easier to talk about business.
"I'm sure I'll be fine... But I'll keep an eye on it, yeah." They look up at the ceiling a moment, then glance back to her. "...He say anything else? Other than to check up on me?"
"Was technically asked not to even tell you that," Sturm sips her coffee. "... but I already had." Beat. "That said, it'd be pretty easy to assume that the reason one might ask another to check up on a third... is because they care, but can't do it themselves at the moment."
"I mean... the candy was kind of a giveaway, even if you hadn't mentioned it." They shrug. "He always gets me those candies. Or sour skittles. ...Yeah. Maybe he does." They don't sound abundantly hopeful though.
"Let's just say that I only had one source when I was investigating how to keep your mind off of trying to eat itself." She leans forward and fetches the cup of coffee she made up for Lux. "This is going to get cold if you don't drink it - watch the lip, though. From personal experience, you do not want coffee in that."
Lux huffs, but sits up again, accepting the cup. They sip--wince, then sip more carefully. "...Thanks, Sturm. I know I'm not really in the mood to... seem like I appreciate it or whatever... But. I do."
"I know." She nods slowly. "... and for the record, I don't think you're an asshole. Wouldn't have probably trusted anyone enough to let them put me in that position - but I don't know what I'd have done in your situation, either."
Lux watches her, taking a slow siiiiip of coffee. "Hmmm. ...Kinda doubt that. Seems like you trust at least Teagan and Mearcstapa a fair amount." But they don't push the thought too much, letting it slide if she's too resistant. "I just... wasn't thinking. I never fucking think. It's the problem. I really had planned to not lie to him. Just--tell him if it's a Winter thing I can't talk about it. But everyone in the group chat was talking all at once and I just... kind of panicked and wasn't thinking about the Sealing until I felt it break. If I'd been with him in person... I dunno. Maybe I would have remembered."
"Get that. Sorry for whatever part I played in contributing to that panic." Sturm pats Lux's shin softly. Honestly, it's wild how gentle of a touch this big pugilist has. "Asked Teagan to mask up, and come out with me to the Kensington project. To smash up some of the iron. Felt really bad pretending it was just an excuse to spend time with them, so." She sighs. "I understand - but I think I'd have understood... even if I didn't empathize."
"Nah. It's not your fault. I'm not even trying to make excuses or anything... My intentions weren't... malicious, but it's still a problem I need to... work on. Thinking things through. How my actions effect people. Stop being so fucking selfish." Another sip of coffee. "Hmm. Did you want them that there might be iron there? Might be hard to explain..."
"Maybe. I won't speak on that. That's a you discussion." Sturm stretches, propping her legs on an armchair that's caddy corner to her end of the couch. "Yeah. So I told them that I had an ulterior motive - that it would be dangerous, and I couldn't explain - but that it was for good reasons."
Lux eyes Sturm. "Are you sure spending time with Teagan isn't the main reason? And I'm assuming you'd prefer to do that alone with them, instead of having me tag along." They shrug. "Which is fine. Sounds like actually destroying them instead of painting over them is better."
"The answer to that question is very complicated." She frowns. "Would still like to see if painting over them disrupts things enough, because I get the feeling that actually starting to break shit is going to be a clear indication that we're onto them... but." There's a big sigh, and she reaches for her coffee again.
"I'll do whatever you think is best, boss." Their lips twitch upwards, just slightly. "Happy to paint over shit if you want to give it a go."
"Yeah, let's see if we can't focus on that for the moment. Just mask up, and keep me posted. You've got my private number, so." Beat. "Anyhow, let's get high and I'm gonna put some music on - we've done enough moping."
"Will do." They drain the rest of their mug and set it aside, letting out a groan. "Fuck yeah. I want to get out of my mind."
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