(1942-07-13) Just Gotta Holler
Just Gotta Holler
Summary: Talk of crazed hobos, how romance sucks, and easing a child's fears. Just another day at the office for these two.
Date: 1942-07-13
Related: Dance With a Devil
Players:
clifton..kathleen..

Wright Residence, Higsi
Thurs Jul 13, 1942


Built by the late Basil Wright, this beautiful Craftsman-style house overlooks the intersection of Cooper and Butler. A huge porch, flanked by two shade trees, is the first to greet visitors. It is set up seasonally with quite a few comfortable chairs and a large wooden table that looks rather archaic.

The immaculate interior presents a large kitchen with pantry, open dining room, den, full bathroom and two multi-purpose spare rooms. Closet-space is ample, appointed in nooks and crannies throughout the house and never given to clutter. A sturdy stairwell, with hand-carved designs set into the railing, ascends into a large second storey. There, one shall find a master bedroom, another occupied bedroom, a small bathroom and a large sitting room from which one can observe the street below through two large windows.

Departing the house and following a walkway around toward a fenced-in back yard, an addition from the late 1920s is accessible. There, two functional and comfortable rooms are located for usage as rooms-to-let to passing visitors. A large shed serves as a workspace for the home's owner.

Weather:
It is summer. The weather is stormy and warm.


It's been a night…. last night's spat of rainfall turned into a real blow of a storm and once the midnight hour rolled past, the rain was falling sideways and the skies were a horse and pony show of thunder and lightning. Madeline Wright, terrified of both and storms in general, spent the night in her sister's room and Kathleen had to deal with the anxious, cringing girl everytime the room flashed white.

Neither sister slept, and as the day dawned hot and rainy things didn't get much better. Madeline wasn't her sweet self, her mood soured by a bad night and early adolescent hormones that precede her… ah, courses. This turns her into a girl that even Kitty can't quite deal with easily, and the sisters get along famously more often than not.

With the cranky preteen upstairs napping, as the morning tapers off into the afternoon, Kathleen is working outside… regardless of rain. Seeing no end to this rain she has since moved her patio furniture out of the yard, and she is now dealing with a small leak that has permeated the otherwise sturdy hovel of her shed. No use waiting for a better day to fix this… it looks like there's more stormy weather on tap.

Kathleen is stressed, and she stalks out of the shed along the pathway leading toward the house to get something she forgot. Not minding the tepid rainfall, she is clad in a button-down shirt with the cuffs rolled up that clings to her with the heaviness of moisture, and denims that have grown dark in their sodden state.

Clifton luckily had a better presence of mind today and thought to grab a rain slicker from home before heading out into the still storming weather. How much longer could this keep up? Oh well, there were worse things in life than rain.

Like a crazed demon man beating your head against a building! Clif was still sporting a bruise and scraped skin on his forehead from last night's ordeal, as well as some discoloration along his nose, but other than that he seemed to be recovered. Lillie had helped him back into the bar and sat with him until he felt right enough to walk home.

Thinking of the empath, he should probably stop by and make sure she knew he was alright. He could do that after visiting Kitty. If this guy really was making his rounds in town and destroying things, Clifton wanted to make sure she was aware.

Memories of the break in are still fresh in the Walker's mind as he comes to the Wright house, spotting Kitty making her way back inside and giving a holler over the rain to announce his presence so he doesn't take her off guard.

"How long until you think we should build a boat!?" There he stands. Last time it was a suit…this time a rain slicker!

Sounds like the Wright and the Walker had a wonderful night overall! Truth be told Kitty will have preferred to deal with a puking, maddened scrap of man trying to drive HER head into the back of a bar rather than Madeline at that point. No exaggeration either. But that's for her to eventually find out, and upon seeing Clifton she WILL have questions. But for now? He is yet approaching and Kitty is about to pull open that back kitchen door before she hears a man's voice from just across the yard.

With animal-swiftness, her head perks up and toward the voice, and she quickly recognizes the man in the slicker as her friend. Kitty's form can be seen visibly relaxing, and still not caring one whit about the rain pelting her she turns on a heel and makes to close the distance. Her gait is an easygoing thing despite her mood, long-legged and unabashedly taking the time she involuntarily feels is entitled to her. Golden eyes take in Clif's slicker before moving toward his face.

"No kiddin'… don't show no sign of stopping, either." Kathleen admits, about to rant about what the weather did to her shed before she sees CLif's injuries. Immediately her tired and thoughtful expression hardens into something altogether different. "Fuck.. what happened to you?!"

Clifton gives a chuckle at the woman's shift of attitude upon seeing his injuries, shaking his head "I'm fine. Just got sent head first into the side of the Gallows. Repeatedly…but I'll heal." He looks over the woman's soaked frame, smirking at her lack of care and looking back towards the house.

"Some crazed bastard. He was either drunk or…I don't know" the Walker's brow furrows into a thoughtful gaze for a moment before his eyes come back to Kitty. "He was trying to set fire to the Gallows. Granted it was raining, but he had matches and everything to do it. I got into with him and…well I wish I could say I won but" he gestures to his forehead.

"Woke up who knows how long after he had run off. Ends up he's made his rounds in town before at other places. So I just wanted to come make sure you had a head's up in case he makes it this way."

One endearing (perhaps terrifying) thing about Kitty is she.. expressive. Not necessarily in a demure, doe-eyed way but in another way altogether. Her tiger's gaze, fringed with black lashes despite her lighter hair, lock onto Clif's face and take in each and every scrape, scuff and bruise. Her jaw works as if she is chewing on something difficult, and word of trying to set fire to the Gallows causes her nostrils to flare. "Son of a bitch.." She snarls, looking up at Clif's forehead and just barely wincing again. "Hope ya got a couple of shots in regardless… fucker better just keep running…" She trails off to listen again, to her friend's concern.

Another layer of 'aw hell naw' overlays itself upon her fiercely pretty features, and Kitty shakes her head curtly. "He comes 'round here with intent to harm, I'll fill him full of buckshot." She says pointedly, not really liking to use her shotgun but she will if pressed. What happened at this house recently will NOT be allowed to happen again. "Thanks for telling me. Here, come on in and lets get some Dettol on that cut." She suggests, as the rain continues to fall upon the two and saturates the earth.

The question is in her eyes, too, about the photo shoot.. but what is the practicality in conversing out here? She looks toward the shed, figuring it's secured for now. "Sprung a leak in there, so much fuckin' rain… it'll hold til' later. C'mon inside."

"If he tries to come back around I'll beat his ass into the ground. Won't get me by surprise next time" the Walker says, nostrils flaring a bit as his stubborn brown knits together in a frown. He shouldn't have let the guy get the jump on him. No excuse.

At the invitation to come inside, Clifton just nods "My head's fine stop fussing. Looks worse than it is." Ok that might be a lie, but she also didn't see him last night. So he was using that to his advantage. At least the world wasn't spinning anymore!

"If you do see anything suspicious you let me know. Even if it doesn't seem like anything big." It is said out of care, but also that stubborn competitiveness. "I don't want to risk anybody else getting caught up in this mess." He follows her inside.

Ah, Kitty recognizes that emotion too… Clif's nostrils flare and his brows knit and the woman's lips curl just barely into a smirk of her own. It's fleeting though; obviously the Walker did not like being taken off guard and the woman isn't going to push that hot button by asking more questions. He also bids her to stop fussing and Kitty, too, lets it drop. He don't want no stinging antiseptic? He won't get it. "Fair 'nuff." She concedes, making to pad toward the house and expecting Clif to follow her. Now that there are two sodden people electing to go indoors she changes direction and leads him to the front entrance, ascending the stairs of that beautiful porch and pulling open the door so that they may step wetly into the foyer. (and not the kitchen)

"Sure will. But I'll have ya know if I see someone at my house, he'll be a fucking smear on the sidewalk. Then I'll tell ya." Kitty says frankly, pulling off her wet shoes and pulling a towel off of the hook that she had left there, fully anticipating her getting wet outdoors. She dabs at her shirt and thighs with it, catching the excess as she nods toward a row of hooks along the wall. "Hang yer slicker up there, it's fine to drip dry." She suggests as the warm, fragrant air of a clean, well-cared-for house envelops them. Kitty burrows her face into the towel briefly and gives her hair a barely-care ruffle. "How'd yer photo shoot go? Ya get it done?"

Once inside, Clifton takes his slicker off as instructed and hangs it up. "You'll know him if you see him. Skinny guy. Looks almost sick." He still has no idea how a guy like that managed to have that much strength behind his hits.

"Don't let his appearance fool you though. He was strong enough to tackle me and knock me out." Another frown as his form tenses and he shakes his head. "Looked like he was hurt too. Shoulder was messed up and had blood and all sorts of mess down the front of his shirt. I don't know if he was drunk or feeling the effects of something else…" He had his suspicions. Especially after hearing what the guy had been chanting and what Lillie had to add from her own account. Demon.

With the change of topic going to the photo shoot, Clifton's form relaxes some and he looks back to Kitty, smirking and giving a shrug. "Went well. Got some good shots I think and Tilda had a great time of it. It was actually pretty fun seeing her enjoy herself like that." He looks back out the door towards the rain.

"Sorry for not stopping by after like we had talked about. I'll get your dad's suit back to you. The rain started soon after and I didn't want to risk my camera getting damaged so I ran back home."

The carpenter listens as Clif takes off his slicker, moving to dab her clothes again to see to it that she doesn't track much wetness into the kitchen. She shivers despite herself, intending to get changed once she sees to it that Clif is settled. Don't ever let it be said that Kitty isn't a good host! THat and she feels the guy deserves some sort of reprieve after getting his head bashed. "Sick.. sounds like some kinda hobo comin' into town with a vendetta, wantin' to stir things up. Ya never know what illnesses folks catch on the run like that… some of 'em can even burn yer brain up and make ya do crazy things. Did he have any sores or anythin' on his face? Or just covered in blood and puke?" She asks, feeling a jolt of worry.

Nasty business such as syphillis, caught easily and left untreated… bad, bad. Kitty needn't say much on that ugly tangent.. somehow she thinks it goes belong a transmitted disease.

"I'll keep an eye out.. but ya remember my disclaimer. I'll kill him if he tries anything here." She pledges again, before turning to make her way toward the kitchen. Talk moves easily into Tilda's business and Kathleen manages a slight smile at that. "Tilda's a good old bird… little bit nutty sometimes. Her mind is goin', ya know. Some days it's better than others… more often than not it is.. but I see her in town on occasion. Least she's happy while it's happenin'. Right good of ya to do her the service… pictures will serve her well as she ages." She concurs as she reaches up into the cupboard for a pair of glasses. Clif apologizes for not 'coming by' and Kitty sets the glasses down forcefully, hitting him with a sharp glare.

"I waited up //all/ night, ya stood me up! I declare, my heart BROKE!" She cries out suddenly, then dissolves into laughter. "Fuck, I can't even pretend to be a crazy bird. It's fine, Clif.. keep usin' the suit if ya want, store it here… but next time yer back here with it, ya know my conditions." She offers with a predatory glint to her gaze.

Clifton shakes his head "No sores or anything like that from what I could see. Just a bum shoulder and puke covered clothes. He smelled like filth though." This was coming from a mountain man! "When he puked it was even worse."

The remarks about Tilda and him doing a good thing with the photo shoot just get a shrug "It's a job. Besides like I said it was fun enough. I just hope she ends up liking the pictures." Then Kitty's display of betrayal has him grinning.

"Well if you were up all night anyways I hope you found some way to take care of yourself in that regard" the grin spreads before he laughs as well. Then her 'conditions', has him smirk "Absolutely. No need to worry there."

He had caught the shiver though and motions upstairs with a nod of his head "Go ahead and get changed. I'm fine. Want me to put some coffee on to help you warm up faster?"

The Walker shall see the woman visibly relaxing upon confirming that no, the bum didn't have crotch-rot. "Hm.. okay.. good," Kitty says gently; gently for her anyway. "Sores are part of something really fuckin' gross and if he had 'em, and touched ya, I'd have ya up in the bathtub scrubbing the hell out off you with steel wool. I'm glad yer okay." Aside from being a bit bashed up. Kitty was and still is genuinely worried and that, too, shows in the occasional prolonged glance, or fidgetting. She keeps her palms upon the two glasses, considering as Clif makes mention of coffee. Carefully she replaces them and seeks out big coffee mugs instead.

"Fine idea. I need to get changed, and have to be quiet about it because there's a tiger sleepin' upstairs." She admits with a shudder… Maddie. "Little miss is in a cranky way, she had a hard night." She makes that understatement as she turns to face Clif. She laughs quietly in regards to the taking care of herself bit. "Couldn't even bother, not with Maddie clingin' to me each night. She's scared of storms. Would have been all sorts of awkward." A laugh, and a shaking of her head.

"I'm gonna get changed, would be mighty fine to have some coffee. Ya know the lay of the land here," She gestures toward the kitchen as-a-whole. "I saw one of yer kin in town recently, too.. will tell ya about that when I get back."

Hearing Maddie is here, given how they'd been joking Clifton's eyes widen a moment before realizing she's sleeping. "Right. Dirty jokes stopping now" he says with a laugh. No need risking it either way.

A frown when he hears of both Kitty and Maddie's troubles "That's no good. Sorry you've had a rough go of it." He nods about preparing the coffee until the mention of one of his kin.

"In that case…I'll make a double batch. See you in a bit." No matter which kin it was, he was certain there would be a story attached to it. Time for more caffeine! He heads to the kitchen, getting the coffee started before taking a seat at the table.

Aw, aren't they just the cutest fuckers? 'Hold up ya battered fucker, I'm gonna go get changed and how bout you get settled' … 'No sweat, damp fucker! I'll just make this fine coffee while you get set to rights!' … brilliant.

Luckily Kitty doesn't have a very elaborate toilette and within five minutes she is down with her hair pushed back and form outfitted in a camisole and somewhat tattered shorts that have seen a.. lot of days. For her to descend in something like a house dress, seen amidst all gentle ladies at home throughout Higsi, would be alien. This suits her… and judging by the lack of noise upstairs, Kitty was in and out quietly. The smell of coffee greets her and she practically sighs with the relief of it. She picks up right where she left off, watching Clif briefly. "Maddie will be okay… she's also being a diva. Won't tell ya much more on what's goin' on there … just moody." She admits. Oh, as if Kitty isn't a mess herself when she's hormonal.. but that sight typically doesn't see the light of day.

"She'll be up later and if yer still here, she'll change it around. I don't think she can be mean to ya." Kitty admits, leaning up to fetch a bottle from a 'special' cupboard. It's whiskey! Dark, fragrant… likely something old and expensive. This is the 'sorry you got your ass kicked' special. She pulls out two chairs, moving near-soundlessly.

"Saw Jesse buskin' in town.. Maddie was jawin' at him. I got at him next and Christ above, that boy is down. Ya should set him up with an appointment with Elsie because that kid got his heart smashed." Kitty admits with a frown. "I tried to tell him to do better and get even on whatever skirt fucked him over but he's.. he didn't have anything of it. I think I rub him the wrong way."

When she comes back, Clifton has a mug already filled with coffee waiting for her on the table across from his own. Sitting at the table now he listens to her explain about Maddie and then she goes onto talking about Jesse. Oh boy.

"Yeah…he's been up down and all around the past while. Let's just say uh…it's complicated. Very complicated and has to do with some of the family troubles I was telling you about." Oh look! Liquor! His mug is lifted and held out at the ready.

His other hand lifts for him to chew on his thumb a bit, biting at the nail again as he speaks through clenched teeth. "He should just get over it, but also…it's not that easy either. Still. It's either that or stay miserable which I don't have the time for but if that's what he has settled on then that is up to him."

Now isn't that something? Kitty's expression looks pleased as she sees the drinks ready… it's a gesture like that they truly appeals to her. No she's not there all lovey-dovey thinking about what 'could be' or crap like that, she's just appreciative. "Thanks Clif." She says earnestly as she lowers her tired bones into the chair, setting the bottle down between them. "Lil' somethin' to warm 'er up more if yer of a mind." She says as she uncorks it, pouring a splash of the whiskey into her coffee and offering it to the Walker next. He concedes and Kitty doctors his drink generously. One long leg folds over the other as she considers.

"Complicated.. ugh, I could kinda tell. That's why I can't be bothered with tyin' myself to one person. He seems like a lover though, got the blue lovers' eyes. But I had a sense that it had to do with yer family squabble that ya told me about briefly. I ain't gonna ask 'bout anymore than you wanna tell me, but he sure wasn't himself." She shrugs once, shoulders still glistening a bit with drops that fall from the ends of her hair.

Golden eyes spy the nail biting and Kitty sees fit to ease off some. "I understand.. I didn't know if it was my place to help him. Give the kid some work on site with me or somethin'… but I really don't know him well enough. Just from school, back in the day. I hope it improves… he just gotta learn to be a fucker." Offered with a wink.

The last comment has Clifton chuckling, laying off the nail for now as he takes a long drink of the coffee. Setting the mug back down on the table then, "Yeah. You're right though…he's a lover. Goes in it with all he has. There's something both respectable and foolish about that, but again…it's his life."

When she mentions not asking about it further, the Walker just shakes his head with another chuckle and a smirk "You're going to see it around town eventually I imagine anyways. So no harm in telling you. To put it simple…Lillie and Jesse were dating. Now Lillie and Clyde are dating."

Letting that information settle a moment he takes another drink of the spiked coffee and offers a shrug. "I told them all how I feel about it. Lillie could have gone about it a better way than she did and Clyde might not have done what I would have done in the situation, but ultimately? I'm happy for them. As for Jesse, I told him he had a right to be upset, but that after a certain point it's not productive and only holding him back."

Another shrug "I haven't really spoken to any of them much about it since. I said my piece and will offer it again if they ask, but other than that they are all adults. But yeah…let's just say the mountain was more than tense for awhile."

As the Mountain Turns! What a terrible name for a soap opera.

"Can tell, for certain.. he's a good lookin' kid and as ya can tell, or found out first hand, there's a certain set of girls in town who like yer sort." Kitty leans in to eye Clif with a sly grin. "Fancy themselves a roll with a Walker. All yer Jesse gotta do is blink those blues at one of them and hold his fiddle just right, play up th' sensitive blind hands bit… just ya see." Clifton may not want to hear this, but Kitty could be onto a smart thing. It's just, young Walker is indeed a lover. Kitty will just leave that there, though she smirks behind her coffee mug. "He's growin' up I guess.. he'll figure it out. Ain't my business—-"

Then Clifton goes and makes some of it her business. "Huh! Lillie, the waitress? Used to serve me on Fridays when I went in for coffee. She was with yer Jesse?" Hold up, hold up. Kitty doesn't care about gossip but the next bit really makes her eyes widen. "Lil' snippet like that goin' fer the angry one?! Holy shit—-" She thrashes back into her seat, bawling laughter everywhere in her easy 'don't give a fuck' way, her breath pleasant with fresh coffee and booze. "Oh man, hah… to each their own I guess. I guess people get t'where they're meant to be eventually, even if it's all sorts of messy. Good luck to 'em all…"

Kitty leans forward, splashing more whiskey into the partially-finished drinks. Her mug is lifted and she makes a cheers motion, "Here's to yer Jesse.. may he learn to be a fucker." A pause, then laughingly: "Here's to a meek lil' waitress like that, climbing that other one like a tree—"

THUMP. Kitty freezes, and glances toward the stairs. "Huh… she's up."

Clifton lets her get her laughs and reaction to it all out. The mental imagery she produces talking about her cousins like that gets a strong grimace from him though. He shoots her an exaggerated glare then. "Just for that. That suit and I are both staying up on the mountain for a good while…" So there!

Okay so he was joking, but still he gives a hard shudder "I don't need to think about ANY of that, -Kitty-." He emphasizes the nickname with intent. With evilness. With revenge! Then, he proceeds to down a health portion of the freshly spiked coffee.

The thump upstairs gets his attention. He's saved! Surely with her little sister down here Kitty won't talk like that! He leans his head back, giving a holler to make it upstairs to reach the girl. "Sounds like there's a horse galloping around up there!"

Just look at her, Kitty is feeling 'evil'. Especially when Clif serves her with the distinct uttering of her nickname! Eyes flash and she leans in closer, the corners of her lips curling in a rather sinister ways as she prepares to REALLY drive the point home. Where could she go with this? Even the threat of keeping the suit and how his physique fills it wonderfully holed up on the mountain doesn't deter her! She knows Clif will come back.. surely he will. Her lips open to speak further of what she's toasting… but then Madeline makes herself known.

"Kitty! What are you laughing at down there!? I have a headache, I'm trying to sleep! It's terrible!" The girl's voice calls downstairs. Kitty leans back, nursing her drink and taking on a terrified look. Her hand lifts to press to her bosom in an 'aghast', dramatic way. At mention of 'terrible' her teeth are bared whitely in a grimace, nostrils flaring… completed by a look of 'see what I'm dealing with?'

"I swear it, you're just so rude sometimes!" The girl cries again.

Kitty snorts and picks up the bottle of whiskey, taking a sip of it straight now. Maddie is about to scoff once more til' she hears Clif call out. Abruptly, the sound of feet running into another room upstairs.. perhaps the bathroom?

Well THAT exchange was unexpected. Clif just blinks and looks from the direction of the stairs back over to Kitty with a shocked expression. He had never seen or heard this side of Maddie. "Well somebody is a delight today…" he says to Kitty.

Then, the sound of those feet running across the upstairs floor. Taking a drink of his coffee he watches her down the whiskey.

"Precious ain't she?" Kitty asks with a smirk; it's obvious she isn't taking things personally. "She's got the mad cow disease. She'll be her right sweet self again in a couple of days… I'm used to it. But all th' same, I'm wishing Ma were around to help field this some. I dealt with it in the way I had to when my time came but… it's different when handlin' a little miss." She shrugs, listening to the water running in the pipes upstairs. She knows exactly what Madeline is doing up there and she can't help but chuckle to herself.

"Shoulda' seen her first thing this morning before she laid down again… what ya just heard there was better. The tides take Maddie far, I'm afraid." Kitty concurs, standing to refill her mug with more coffee and offering Clif a warm-up. In the time it takes to dress this second cup, tentative footsteps can be heard descending the stairs. And there's Madeline.

To look at her is to see a woman-child who realized she was not well-put-together and tried hastily to fix that, only making the aforementioned fact MORE evident. She's in one of her typical day dresses, though the buttons were done up wrong and the front is a bit asymmetrical; her hair was given a lick and a promise and though she thinks it's hanging becomingly, parts of it are spindrift like cotton candy. Kitty stares hard at Clif before she's in earshot.

"Jesus fuck tell her she's pretty."

Clifton had no idea about all of that. Whatever kids he had had experience with back in New York was in a totally different setting than what Kitty was dealing with now raising Maddie. So all he can do is offer a sympathetic ear. "I'm sure it'll work it's way out of her eventually. Or at the very least balance out." Hopefully!

Then, there's the little lady of the hour! The Walker takes a fast drink of coffee to cover his grin at her appearance. It wasn't meant in a cruel sense though. She was a kid and it was cute. Still, he knew she wouldn't take it that way. Setting the coffee down again he smiles at her more in greeting this time.

"Glad you woke up, Maddie. Thought I was going to have to come jump around on your bed to get you to join us!" he grins. He holds his arm out to the side for a hug. "How has my favorite Little Woman been doing?" he offers.

The groggy girl continues to stand there, partially alert and embarrassed over her current state. AS soon as she heard Clif poke fun at her as he called up, indeed Madeline had done what Kathleen expected her to do and attempted to set herself to rights. She isn't exactly the descending belle of the ball that she thought herself to be, but Clif goes about it the right way. Kitty meanwhile just sits there, appreciative, at the complete and utter tempering of the preteen's nasty mood.

There goes the Walker laying on the charm that Maddie responds to so well, and it's Kitty's turn now to hide a smirk behind her mug. Truly, truly, it's appreciated… he hams it up with the cranky girl and Kitty simply listens.

And Madeline, standing there boiling away on the bad end of a nap with her young body going about those changes.. is helpless. Her attempt to look stern and put-off flickers like a dying bulb and though she tries not to grin, her lips twitch and she pads forward and nestles into the hug. She tilts her head into the question and as she considers, ovaries all over Higsi are exploding for no good reason over this man resolving himself to being a fucker. c.c

Kitty politely sips her coffee as the two talk; Maddie leans back and looks soberly at Clif. "Awful, I must say! This rain is dreadful… dreadful! It needs to just stop and let the sun come back. It's so dreary." She remarks like a little old lady.

"I agree with you there!" Clifton offers a nod, squeezing her a bit in the side hug before releasing her back to wherever she wants to stand. Or if she wants to stay by him. "You should have seen it. I had to SWIM here from my house! Can you believe it? Just like a fish up the middle of the road!"

The Walker shakes his head, taking another sip of his coffee before resting it on the table once more. "You know the worst of it though? Are the thunder storms. Now…I haven't even told Kitty this-" that's still for the mental imagery, you evil woman!

"but you seem like somebody who won't make fun of me. So I'll tell you…c'mere." He leans over towards her until he was close enough to whisper. Of course it would still be loud enough for Kitty to hear. "For the longest time I was afraid of the thunderstorms. Terrified even. Still am sometimes…"

The girl's sky blue eyes round with astonishment at the mention of Clif 'swimming' into town. While she's not quite that gullible, Maddie is yet astounded that the Walker braved the elements to come see her—-them! That's it. Visions of Clifton gravely pushing against FIERCE winds and driving rain, stumbling across the sidewalk, are entertained in the girl's head and she sighs. She turns to face Clifton proper and she sees the state of his face, finally. "What happened to your face?!" She cries out, abruptly and deeply startled in a way that only a child can be. "Did you take a fall? Does it hurt?!" She reaches out to gently touch his forehead.

Clif goes on to speak of thunder storms and their utter dreadfulness and that changes the tangent of Maddie's thoughts some. Brow still knit, she leans in to listen carefully… ESPECIALLY knowing she is getting a tidbit that Kitty didn't receive yet! THAT is big news. Her blue eyes flit to gawk at her sister for a second in a sort of 'nyah nyah' expression, before she huddles closer.

"Oh no…! You poor thing! They've been bad lately, you must be in a state!" Maddie gushes theatrically.

Thankfully the 'secret' gets her attention off his forehead. If nothing else he could just explain it away, but he dismisses it for the moment as Maddie is distracted by her concern for his 'fright'.

"Actually, it hasn't been that awful this go around." Still leaning towards her, Clifton looks right at her "I found a secret. That helps make the storms not as scary. You wanna' know what it is?"

"What is it, what is it?" Maddie asks in a hushed tone, desperate for anything to help her ward off the demons that come riding in on the back of any storm. Her fear of such weather is irrational, sometimes. Kitty never did tell her that she (Maddie) was born on a stormy night, and it was her birth that eventually killed their mother. In no way shape, or form the girl's fault… but it's a sad little coincidence. The subconscious works in weird ways.

As the elder Wright watches the two with her golden gaze, the younger girl waits on bated breath for advice from her hero~ *_*

Clifton nods at her eager question, "I'll tell you. All you gotta' do…when the storm starts shouting" he looks over to Kitty with a small grin before back to Maddie, whispering in the girl's ear "is shout back."

"R—really..?" Maddie asks softly, sounding entirely like her normal self now. Imploring, sweet, anxious. Her blue eyes watch Kitty as her sister stands up and goes to put the bottle of whiskey away and move over toward the ice box. The elder Wright gives the girl a little grin over her shoulder before she gets to work on something that will hopefully buoy the girl's mood further. Rain continues to lash and pelt against the window panes, the wind coming stronger now.

It's as if mother nature is eavesdropping and thinking to herself, 'Bitch please. Let's have a go then…'

There is a rumble just beyond the kitchen walls. Thunder.

Madeline can be felt tensing beside Clif, her brow furrowing. Who knows what her mind thinks is going on in the heavens, what is creating those terrible sounds and flashes. "W—what do I holler?"

Another nod from the Walker "Really." Clifton watches Kitty move across the room, looking over to the window as the thunder sounds and then back to the younger Wright sister.

"You holler anything you want. Whatever makes you feel the most powerful. Because the trick, is showing the storm that IT should be afraid of YOU." Looking to the window again he stands up from his chair.

"Watch. I'll show you once first and then we can shout together." Standing, the Walker waits and listens. As if on a hunt for the next roll of thunder. There it is!

As the loud rumble tears across the sky and echoes within the house, Clifton tilts his head back, clenches both fists by his side and lets out a good loud holler. Letting it pour out of him, he even raises and lowers it in pitch some just to have a little fun, drawing it out as long until the end of the thunder's roar.

Falling silent then, his fists unclench and he looks over to Maddie. "Just like that. Think you can do that? You can shout a noise or a word if you want. The storm may not go away, but it'll know that it isn't scaring you any."

The 'hisssss' of something as Kitty uncorks something, and then even her long lean back straightens and tenses up some. Her arm can be seen setting a scoop of sorts down upon the counter as she simply… waits. Listens.

Looking visibly distressed by the building thunder, Madeline's eyes are locked solidly upon Clif as he stands and prepares himself. "U-uh huh..?" She exhales, sounding very much like a child now, all pretenses of proper ladies' behavior gone in her anxiety and vulnerability. The thunder begins to roll and Clif meets it with that yell! Maddie is transfixed; Kitty stares at the wall ahead and grins to herself, as Clif adjusts his pitch. If there was ever a time she could admit to a genuine fondness for the Walker, it is now.

The sound abates, and the flash of lightning follows. Maddie is too astounded to even notice it. "Just like that…!" She whispers, eyes big and shiny. "That was amazing…!!" She cries, the fear forgotten. She takes up one of the Walker's hands that dropped, "Next time it starts up, I'll try it. You see if I do!"

Kitty ponders to herself… if she were afraid of storms and had to holler something? There'd be words. ;)

Clifton grins to Maddie "You can do it. I know you can." Letting her take his hand in hers, standing there beside her. "Alright. The next one that comes around is all you. If you start hollering and realize you want some help just give my hand a squeeze, but I want you to try it on your own okay?"

He then looks at her, locking her gaze with his own a bit more serious and talking to her more directly. "You're a force to be reckoned with, Madeline Wright. If you set your mind to a task, there is nothing you can't do. Just remember that."

Go figure the young girl indirectly find something she needs, even in just this one moment, from a mountain man. No no, not to say she's saddling Clif with a paternal figure role… but it's acknowledgement and respect from a male. Someone older than herself, not too much older but old enough… and attractive.. telling her so powerful an affirmation. Madeline seems to understand the gravity of this and her lips pull into a quavering smile; it's all she can do but nod.

Kitty is bowled over, pausing again in her concocting of a root beer float for the girl. Her brow furrows and a breath is taken; those words echo something her father once said and man oh man, how important that is for Madeline to receive such a statement for her very own. The carpenter smiles earnestly down at the glass as she does what she has to do, and that's when the thunder begins to get a big idea of itself again…

It crests, and Madeline makes good on her reassurance. The girl tilts her head back and hollers!

The affirmation was spoken with a sincere honesty from the Walker. Watching the girl nod in confirmation of it causes a soft smile to spread on his features as he gives her hand a small squeeze of his own.

Then, the thunder. Letting her have at it, Clifton watches as the girl take on the storm. If she doesn't squeeze his hand for an assist he will just let her go at it herself. The storm roaring back against her before falling quiet again.

Once the thunder stops it's rampage, his features spread into a wide grin and he lifts both hands in victory. "You did it!" Of course if she held onto his hand still this meant he was raising hers in victory as well. "Did you hear that? It kept trying, but you beat it. You beat the thunder!"

Clif looks at her again "No matter what happens. No matter how scary or loud it gets. The thunder will always stop. You just gotta' keep trying and never give up. Alright?" A life lesson as well.

Laughing in her chiming way once scenting victory, Madeline lifts her arm as Clif raises it and manages a cheer despite herself. So much for being grumpy! Now she just has something to celebrate and Kitty can look forward to hearing the kid shouting off-and-on all night. But it's for a good cause. "I never thought I could," She admits, "I'll just keep getting stronger—-"

"To the victor go the spoils," The elder Wright interjects, handing the girl a well-made root beer float… Madeline's eyes round once again with pleasure. Between besting her fear, impressing Clif, and receiving this treat…. well, Madeline's world is just that brighter. A little squee of happiness and there, right there, is the typical Maddie. She looks glowingly between the two and with a batting of her eyelashes, leans up to press a kiss to Clif's cheek. "I'm going to go upstairs to drink this and practice… thank you so much~" She says, heartfelt, before reluctantly taking her leave.

Out of earshot, Kitty adds. "She don't want ya to see her face-first into that sugar bomb and belly up after… yer a good man, Clif." She adds, looking grateful.

Then.. suddenly amused….

"But.. ya know what…"

Leaning down closer to her level, Clifton lets the girl plant the kiss on his cheek. Watching her hold the ice cream treat like some lost treasure he laughs, "Alright. You go tell that storm what's what!"

When she's up the stairs, the Walker stands and looks over to Kitty with a shrug "I'm decent, but I wouldn't say good. I don't see how anybody could do bad by a kid." Whether or not he had much experience with them before Higsi, it was obvious he had a soft spot for them. "But thanks."

Then the last bit "…What?" Did he want to know?

Needless to say, Maddie is the 'soft' one who gives and receives affection easily. Watching the blonde kiss Clif's cheek before traipsing off with her prize, Kitty envies the girl her ease of affection. She grins crookedly as she considers, and goes on to do so up until the point she ruminates 'something'. She chuckles to herself..

"She's due to spend the night over with that friend of hers, the one who has that ugly cat.." Kitty muses, rubbing her chin. "First off, that family is off on summer holidays soon… we will be watching said cat for the couple of weeks they're gone. As in, it'll be staying here…" Cough, she eyes Clif thoughtfully. "Hope yer not allergic.. fucking Mr. Pickles…"

A pause. That wasn't the point she wanted to bring up. She sips the remainder of the root beer from the bottle she cracked open, padding over toward Clif with a sly sweep of her hips.

"Imagine Maddie in a room with a bunch of her polite little girl friends, then the thunder rolls.. and she hollers a fuckin' battle cry right into the cluter of 'em all. Wouldn't that be a party?"

Clifton listens to Kitty talk about Maddie heading off to a friend's house, smirking "Oh yeah?" Then she's talking about that damn cat. He remembers that cat well and Clif probably felt the same about Mr Pickles as the furred evil did about him.

Then, imagining Maddie in a room of girls hollering at the storm. Clif just busts out laughing, putting a hand over his mouth quickly so the girl doesn't hear upstairs and think they are laughing at her. Even though the technically are.

"Shit. I didn't even think about that! I'm not even sorry…that is going to be hysterical."

The Walker's laughter is contagious, and Kitty joins in with her own.. though not the loud boisterous type. It's a calmer sort of amusement, more intimate, and she needs to catch herself.

If Clif keeps coming through for Maddie in this fashion, earnestly saying these empowering things to her and meaning them…. it's gonna get harder to break away should either of them have to pull the breaker switch. If.. 'shit goes down', as Clif called it. Damnit damnit.

The look crosses Kathleen's face very briefly before she kicks such thoughts away. A swig finishes off the bottle of soda and she pads over to the sink to wash out the bottle, watching the rain sluice down the window. "Regardless of the terror it may inflict at slumber parties… ya did good. She is gonna need that reassurance, as she gets older. I can only do so much, I can't do entirely what a father does. So thank ya for that."

A glance over a shoulder as she considers, "Ya have any youngins' in yer New York tribe? Ya seem really good with 'em."

"I'm glad to say it to her. It's just the truth…but I know I'm nowhere near a fraction the man your father was." That much was clear just from what Kitty had told him of the man.

"Still. She's a good kid." The question about kids back in New York has a small grin spreading again. "Yeah. A few. None of my own or anything and I didn't really have much of a hand in raising them…but I was around them enough."

Clifton looks to Kitty, brow furrowing "You do a good job by her. I'm not going to act like I know how hard it is doing all this without your parents, but trust me. You do better than good by her. You're fantastic to her, Kat. I mean it."

"Da was amazing," Kitty says quietly, dropping the ice cream scoop into the sink and looking over a shoulder. "I ain't gonna pine and wish he were here, he couldn't get by for long without Ma. But he was really, really good… rough but good. Ya would've liked him." And that's it, she does not speak on that which she has already brought up in some semblance on other occasions.

"Da yet had five years with Maddie before he passed on so some of that goodness went on down to her. I'm grateful for that." Kitty admits, silencing to listen to Clif's answer to her personal question. "Makes sense.. were they cousins, then?" She presses on, drying her hands as she approaches the table.

Clif then deals Kitty the very best compliment of all and there we have it, ladies and gents: Kathleen smiles. No wry amusement, no smirking or wide grin. Not even to seem sappy but it's that sort of earnest, vulnerable smile that reaches her eyes and softens them some.. a bit more of the stuff that made Maddie can now be seen in her face.

"Thank you." Is offered.. not even her gruff 'ya'; it's spoken carefully. "Ain't hearing that as much lately. That means more than I can say at the risk of seeming all syrupy and sappy."

"Kat…" Clifton says, brow furrowing "I know you feel the need to be strong. To be tough. I know you have to be to some extent, but you also need to realize it isn't bad to let yourself…release."

Turning to look at her more directly he glances towards the stairs before back to Kitty. "You deserve the same opportunities you're giving Maddie. To be yourself. To be happy. To feel…human." A quick shakes of his head then.

"Don't get me wrong. I've said I respect you before and that still holds true now. I respect the hell out of you. But it isn't because you act tough or keep it all together. It's because of who you are at your core. You're kind, whether or not you want to admit it. You're smart. You have a passion for things and you put your heart into your work and towards those around you."

He offers a small smile "Maddie has all of that. Because of you. All due respect to your parents I know they planted it in her, but you grew it. You nurture it. So don't you dare sell yourself short or let anybody else in this town do it either. You're fucking amazing."

It is said simply. Honest. He meant it. The way he talked to Clyde in the bar that day when he needed it. The way he encouraged Lillie. That's how he talks to her now. Sure he had a different relation with her than others he was close to, but it isn't said because of that. It's said because it's true. And because she seemed to need to hear it.

Wow…. few have managed to leave Kathleen Wright struck utterly dumb, and not since Basil passed has she been told something so… kind. She stands there watching Clif as he lays out the good points that she either refused to admit or ignored for her own ease of life and Maddie's raising.

Did she need to hear this? Of course. Will she have sought it or asked for it deliberately? No fucking way. A low roll of thunder…

…. Maddie heard hollaring in tandem to it upstairs.

Kitty's mouth quirks once but once again drops into a quivering line. "I don't like to let on.. but I do like fun, Clif, I do.. I miss it. Not just the fun we know but the.. the lighthearted stuff." She clears her throat. "Ya got me pegged.. but this town is just such a strange animal. If I let too much out, I ain't taken seriously.. but it's there." She clears her throat, are her eyes shiny?!

Rain hits the windows and the wind sighs, and Kitty closes the distance. Her thumbs hook into the pockets of Clif's pants and she will draw him in a bit closer so she can look straight at him, considering. She does not kiss him; her mouth moves in to press an affectionate peck to the corner of his mouth, closer to the jaw. It's all she can manage with what they have pledged to one another.

"Now tell me somethin'," She leans back to look right at him. "When's the last time someone looked at ya and spoke of yet praises, the same way ya do for folks like me?"

Watching the woman's reaction to his words, Clifton doesn't say anything else. Not wanting to make her uncomfortable and having said what he wanted to say. What needed to be said.

Then, she's speaking to him about her wants for fun. A small smile forms, the Walker letting her talk and then…she's tugging him close. By his belt loops. Kissing along his jaw. His form tenses slightly, but it's just out of uncertainty. He doesn't pull away, letting her complete the action.

Honestly, if this were another time and they were different personalities, whose to say they wouldn't just throw caution to the wind and enjoy the romance they so eagerly wanted for others around them. It worked for Lillie. Hell it even worked for Clyde. Jesse would get it figured out, whether he realized it or not yet. Clif? He honestly just didn't see it in his cards.

Kitty's question pulls him from his own thoughts, Clif lofting a brow and looking at her. "Who tells me these things?" That suggestive grin spreads again as he lets himself stay tugged close, looking at her now. "I tell myself how great I am. Every night I sit in my bunk to…think." That chuckle echoes in his throat, a hand moving to push his hair out of his face.

Sure maybe it's because the question made him awkward and he didn't know how else to handle it. His own praises. Or maybe he could tell the compliments had made Kitty feel exposed and wanted to bring in some humor to help.

Worry not dear Walker, Kitty isn't mushy and clingy. The gesture was given with very little fanfare or lead-up, but it was earnest. Clif may very well have met an equal in this gruff professional woman with a hidden fun side; she, too, did not see a romantic future ahead. Not with the flowery hopeful optimism that Madeline has already begun to nurture. Kitty's cards, like Clif's, are something altogether different…. and not in a bad way

She remains close but does not touch him in that intimate fashion, though her eyes are watchful, locked upon his face as he speaks. His suggestive grin pulls forth a similar expression in the blonde's features, and she nods slowly. "Good. As it should be, but I'm allowed to say somethin' nice to, or ya can just get the fuck out of my kitchen because what I say in this house goes." She chimes, joking of course… mostly. Her fingers unhook from the Walker's belt loops and she steps back a bit to give him space, furthering the notion that she wasn't getting all sappy on him.

"Yer awesome, Clif. Granted ya know more about me, it seems, than I do yerself.. but that's alright too. Ya fight for what is important to ya, whether it's yer kin or a ricketty old bar. When ya caught the troublemakers wantin' to wreck this house here and…." She trails off, rubbing the back of her neck, ".. and wreck me, too.. that took guts. Ya could have easily fled when they were down, before the cops arrived.. but ya didn't. So yer integrity is somethin' I value. I respect."

Kitty pads over toward the counter again, pulling an apple from a bowl. With a swift motion she bites into it cleanly… this woman is always eating, and yet so skinny. "Whatever yer future is here in Higsi, or beyond it, I think yer gonna find yer way and see where ya fit." She chomps again, chews slowly, watches him. "Sure I wanna help ya along the way, but… yer here for a damned good reason. Yer kin is lucky to have ya."

Clifton could argue it. Try and say it's what a decent person would do. But he lets her words settle and resolves himself to just shrug "Guess I can't expect you to take a pep talk if I'm not willing to take one in return…so thanks. I'll take it."

A small chuckle at her words. Oh if only she knew. His future? Well sure he could dream and strive for things while he was wherever his travels took him. However, when it came down to it, his future was wherever he was told to go. Whatever he was told to do. That's what had brought him to Higsi after all. Orders. That's what family did though.

"And I'm lucky to have them…" He knew when it came down to it, drama aside, they had each other's backs. "Family is everything." That was ultimately his and Kitty's central focus. Keeping themselves available to provide for their families. It was their code. Their honor. If you could even argue they had that. It's what made the nature of what they had work.

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