(1942-06-15) Five Minutes
Five Minutes
Summary: Kathleen comes to the jailhouse to check on… and yell at… Clifton. She does it because she cares!
Date: 1942-06-15
Related: The day after Fright Night.
Players:
clifton..kathleen..

Sheriff's Office, Higsi
Thu Jun 15, 1942


Going down the stairs in the court house leads one to the sheriff's office and the jail.

The sheriff's office is a simple affair. A large room with a few desks for the sheriff and his deputies, all three of them. Toward the back is three barred off jail cells, with a cot for sleeping in each.

Weather:
It is spring. The weather is cool and raining.


Well. This is another fine mess you've gotten yourself into, Clifton Walker. After last night's ordeal at the Wright home, Clif had been hauled to the jail with Hal and the others. Granted, it hadn't taken long to clear the Walker of any involvement with the crime, but they still had to hold him due to protocol. Also…busting the head deputy's nose didn't help. At all. The jail cells were located in the back of the Sheriff's Office, beyond the desks. Within one of these cells was Clifton, seated on his cot.

His back was against the wall, leaning against what would be the 'headboard' if it were a normal bed. Feet are propped up on the mattress with his arms hanging over his knees lazily. Head tilted back and eyes closed, the Walker just looks tired. Due to his outburst against the head deputy, he had been on the receiving end of further rough treatment once they finally got him into the car and back to the Sheriff's Office. Given he wasn't in the best of moods as it was, of course he had fought back. Which just earned him more punishment.

An eye is blackened. Lip busted. Clothes torn at the collar from being jerked or thrown this way and that. No. You don't mess with the law. Especially when you're in the law's house. Then again Walkers never did seem to learn did they? Blood stained various parts of his clothing in splotches, perhaps indicating his own injuries and those given to others during the ordeal. Hell the dried blood from the head deputy's nose was still speckled across his forehead and along his own nose. Worth it.

It's amazing what the human spirit is capable of following such heightened stress. Kathleen saw to it, first and foremost once the authorities left her house last night, that Madeline was safe. Rufus and Linda Boyd opened their home to the girl, while Kitty… stayed home. Against all warnings. She was not going to leave her home, and what did she do? First off, once any pictures were taken of the bashed-in door and tussled kitchen, the carpenter repaired and secured the former and tidied up the latter. Afterwards, it's a blur. She padded into her late father's office, now her own, and sat behind the desk to doze with the comforting presence of a 12 gauge Winchester across said desk.

With the dawning of a new, stressful day Kathleen set herself to rights and prepared for some backlash. Anger boiled throughout the morning and well into the present, as she is finally shown into the courthouse and given access to the cells downstairs. Not the biggest window of time, nor is she allowed to throw herself against the bars and threaten death and damnation upon Hal or the bums. On top of that, she dreads what could have become of Clif… what will have happened when they got him in here, without people being able to see.

Walker may hear the woman's footsteps as she strides into the basement, clad smartly in high-waisted fitted dark denims and a cream-colored blouse. Her hair has been set back into the barest fingerwaves, flaring out behind her head and serving only to further her furious appearance. She sees the sleeping bums first and immediately makes to stalk toward the cells, before she's reprimanded quietly by the deputy on shift. Grrrr.

Finally, she sees where Clif is contained, and she turns to look in at him through the bars. His condition breaks her heart, though it is seen only in her gaze. Kathleen's cheekbone is raw and irritated from the scrape and the strike that Hal dealt her. "Oh, Clif.." She exhales, emanating worry and upset and the barely-concealed urge to shoot these other assholes like rabid animals.

Clifton had gotten used to the sound of footsteps walking in and out and all around the office. Maybe he had even learned which steps belonged to which man, but it didn't ease his tension any. But when the sound of a different set of steps hits his ears, one eye opens before the Walker turns his full gaze toward the bars with a furrowed brow. There is one person he didn't want it to be, but knew better than to expect her not to come.

"Kathleen…" Not Kitty. Not even Kat. Maybe he was being proper. Or maybe he was being cautious. "Don't look at me like that…" With that pity. Clifton frowns, looking back ahead towards the wall across from him. He doesn't move from the bed or his seated stance. "You okay? How's Maddie?…" Stupid questions. Still, the questions anybody would ask.

Had Clifton looked upon Kathleen for a moment longer following meeting her gaze, he will have seen pity being replaced with a blossoming anger. Not at him, but the situation… color flushes into her face and serves to both accentuate the empowering emotion and reveal just how tired she is today. The cut on her cheek stands out redly; every other injury she fielded, they're hidden beneath her clothes. Her jaw works, followed by a hard swallow, and her head cranes upon a slender neck to again look at the other two cells where the others rest. Her lips purse and a sinuous cord throbs at the base of her neck, above her collarbone. Kathleen is biting back words, trying to keep her cool.

"Ain't pity. Worry, Clif." Kathleen says shortly, but there concern is rife all-the-same. Her full lips press together into a tense line as she recollects everything that happens and sees the state of her friend. Locked up for saving her, saving Madeline, saving their home. Reprimands be damned she leans in closer to the bars but does not touch, her tiger-bright eyes pinning Clifton.

"Gonna get ya out, just y'see. Money ain't nothing.." She says quickly, her voice heavy with emotion. This is as hysterical as Kitty gets, her eyes shiny and pulse pounding in her neck. If Clifton looks at her, he'll see a resolved woman, not one who is dishing out pity. "Fuckers roughed ya up.." Kitty says under her breath tremulously, knuckles whitening as her fists clench. "I'm alright.. Maddie's fine. She's safe."

There were two emotions Clifton had learned to read from people in town real quick in regards to how they looked at the Walkers. Pity…and disdain. Still, he lets her have it, either not seeing fit to argue with her here in the jail or not having the energy to. He had seen the mark on her cheek too. Part of why he had to look back at the wall. Otherwise he'd just get himself in trouble. Again. "Money is everything, Kathleen. Why do you think this town runs the way it does?" he scoffs. People with money made the rules. Spread the gossip. Got themselves into trouble. Bought themselves out of trouble. The Walkers didn't have shit as far as wealth goes, but that didn't mean they didn't have connection. "Clyde will figure out something. I'll be fine."

Clif looks back over to her, brow furrowing again as she leans in closer to the bars. He does seem relieved at the confirmation that they were both okay though. "Stop worrying about me and take care of your family. Do you understand? You don't owe me shit." He looks right at her then, gaze lingering on that mark again before meeting her gaze with his. "I did what any other decent person would have done. Was just in the right place at the right time." Or the Wright place! Ha! (I'm not sorry).

Blink? Kathleen's eyes flash and her teeth bare as she snarls out her responses to Clifton's words. "Quit that shit." She grates out, heart pounding in her chest. "I got money and if it's needed to help get ya out, I'm gonna fuckin' do it. Don't ya sit there telling me not to or I'll rip the bars off myself—-"

"Miz Wright." The lackluster voice of the deputy drawls, and the woman eases back with her hands up. Deep breath, and she continues on.. calmer this time. Her nerves are sizzling.

If Clifton continues to look at her, Kitty will look right back, not deterred by his words to back off and get away from this mess. "Ya saved my life on all accounts.. that's Madeline, my home and yeah.. me too. I don't owe ya a Goddamn thing Walker because this is a matter of honor." Kathleen grates out, but there's a definite pained edge to her tone now and in her eyes.

"If yer people come here, tell them there's help. I'm willing to help if they need the money. Don't you dare deny that." Kathleen says forcefully, but one can hear the plea in her voice. "Like it or not I ain't budging."

Clifton 's own jaw works as she speaks to him, but he stays silent. There is a lot in his eyes as they keep in a stare down, but ultimately it's Clifton who looks away. "Fine. I'll let Clyde know. Not making any promises though and that's the best I can give you." So there! Damnit how he wanted to just be out of this cell. Away from the men out at their desks. From the assholes in the other cells. He had calmed down enough to not get himself into more trouble, but that didn't mean he was calm.

The Walker's whole form is rigid as he sits on the cot. Partly from the circumstances and partly from the roughing up. There was more under his garments, but Clif's face shows how bad it must be. "You got anything else you wanted to yell at me?" he says, but she'd see the faintest of smirks tug at the corner of his mouth as he looks ahead at the wall again.

Still bristled, Kathleen is ready to go at Clifton again if he continues on with this 'go away pretend you don't know me grrrrrr don't need nothin' crap. But he accepts her offer, reluctantly… and the woman deflates a bit. That'll have to do as her stubborn glare holds his, before he looks away. Looking as if she is about to launch into something else, the deputy speaks up again… seeing Kathleen as a 'live' one, it appears.

"Five minutes, Miz Wright."

Kathleen whirls on a heel to pin him, all the disgruntled energy prepared for Clifton unleashed upon him. "I was told 30 minutes! Ain't been even 10! Drink yer fuck—-sir. Finish yer coffee. Y'had a long day." She exhales, and he just watches her. Chalks this up to the poor woman having survived a break and enter. No further talk of her remaining time.. Kathleen whirls on Clifton again.

She is silent, looking at him worriedly. The anger begins to die down, replaced by genuine worry. "When yer sprung, I'm takin' ya to the clinic. Cause of what these animals did to ya." Kitty insists; of course she doesn't know about Clifton's.. uh.. gifts.

"Maddie's worried about ya." She adds quietly.

Clifton can't help but smirk more and lower his head to try and muffle the chuckle as she shouts at the deputy. Sure it might get him another shove or what have you, but damn if that didn't just make it worth it. Then, she's talking to him again. Worried. Shit. He didn't want her worrying about him. "What's a clinic going to do? I can already tell you what I got wrong with me and by the time I get out of here I'll be on the mend enough that a trip there would be pointless." It would be true enough even if he were 'normal'. Who knew when he was going to get out of here.

"None of why I'm in here now is connected to you or what happened last night, Kat." Her 'name'! "I know that won't convince you any, but it's true. If anything your statement to them last night helped make sure nothing worse happened to me. So thank you…" Clifton looks to her again, "I'm sitting here because I busted that jackass' nose. Don't regret it either. He insulted my family." At the mention of Maddie his form tenses fully, "Don't you bring her here."

Hmmph.. well, Kathleen won't rail at him on that aspect either. She's not about to force a man to go to a clinic as Clifton knows his body well enough, and how it will heal. Kitty doesn't have the energy to argue or push and it shows as her shoulders droop just that little bit more. Her eyes flit to the watchful deputy and she reckons if she is going to get the time allotted to her, she needs to behave.

"Oh, I know why they're keeping ya. It was like…" She trails off. It's not wise to describe what she saw in Clif when he was in that 'haze'; not here. But he was like a man possessed. "Course' ya wanted to defend yer kin. I would've done th' same… but please keep yer cool til' yer out. They'll just keep laying it on to keep ya longer and.." She trails off. And hurt him more, because he's a Walker. She shakes her head regarding Maddie. "She ain't comin' here.. but just know that all th' same. Thank ya for being there because it would have gone on it's ear fast." Kathleen says solemnly, owning the gravity of the whole situation. She was not prepared, she would have been overcome. "We're gonna get ya out. I promise ya."

There is a lot that goes in in his gaze again with her words. She didn't have to say it. Clifton knew where he had gone. What he had done. What he would have done…if they hadn't shown up when they did. He couldn't lie to himself and believe she hadn't seen it either. Even after getting knocked around, there was no way she could have missed it. As far as keeping his cool? "I'll do my best…but I can't promise anything, Kat. Except that I can take anything they lay on me. I'll be fine." His expression softens some at her thanks before he frowns again "Nothing to thank for. Again…any decent person would step in and help in that situation. Or else they are just a bastard. I'm just glad you're both alright…"

"Decent person," Kitty nods slowly, her golden eyes flashing once as her lips twitch a bit. The beginnings of a wry smile. "Exactly what ya are." She says loudly, pointedly, for the deputy to hear. The man behind the desk looks up at her and slowly stands, tapping his wrist. "Time's up, Mis Wright." He drawls lowly, giving her a head-to-toe onceover.

Kathleen knows that she yet has time, but now.. she won't holler or stomp. She watches the deputy levelly before nodding once, slowly. "A'yup.." Said in a sigh, before she turns to watch Clif for a bit longer. One hand touches the bar, it may as well be as close to a hand to his shoulder or an arse grab as she could hope to get. "Hang in there. And remember, help is here." Kitty says quietly, and with much reluctant steps back from the cell. "I'll be seeing ya real soon, Clifton." She says, meaning it; she can't let him see her resolve cracking. Quick, get mad. She turns to look into one of the cells with the bums, and allows her expression to become baleful.

Clifton rolls his eyes and gives her a smirk "If you say so." When the deputy tells Kitty that time is up though he's tensing again, but his expression turns fixed again in that hardened shell that the Walkers wore so well. He'd be fine. He had to be. What's the other choice…give up? Fuck that. Seeing her hand touch the bar, he glances back to her then and just gives a nod. Then, he watches as she leaves.

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