There's a Hole in Our Bucket, & The Well's Run Dry

[Leroy "Lotto" King]

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[Violet G. Monroe]

Blackjack moved, and Violet's eyes fluttered open. She was already facing the window, and the sunlight was hardly shining through. There was a slight orange glow that was cast over the room. Then, running water caught her attention. She sat up slowly, the bed creaking as she did so. She tried to run her hand through her thick curly hair, but it was too tangled. Quickly, she reached into her bag and pulled out her brush. It was the type that was shaped like a circle and the bristles folded into the brush. The top of it was a mirror on the inside. She quickly ran it through her hair and then sighed.

She turned to the bed beside her. The opened protein bar sat on the small nightstand. She smiled. At least he'd eaten some of it. Slowly, she got up from her bed and pulled out some dog food, placing it on the floor for Blackjack, who hopped off the bed and ate greedily, wagging his tail and looking up at Violet thankfully as the food crunched in his mouth. She grabbed the bowl full of peppermint candy off the nightstand and dumped the mints onto the surface before putting the bowl on the floor and opening a bottle of water for Blackjack. Her canine lapped at the water thirstily, and she smiled at him, patting his head lightly.

When Lotto emerged from the bathroom, water still running, she smiled brightly. Her entire body seemed to radiate with happiness at the sight of the man. However, she kept her body tucked under the covers, afraid of what he'd say if he saw her in her boy shorts and undershirt. She'd always been self-conscious about her body, and the end of the world made no difference to that insecurity. Once he was closer, Violet spoke, her voice like an angel's. "How did you sleep?" She asked kindly. A part of her felt that he was angry or sad. Then again, he could be neither of those. He wasn't as easy to read as most people. He kept himself pretty guarded, and that made Violet wonder what in life had caused him to learn that trait. However, she didn't want to cross into territory where she wasn't wanted.

Finally, she threw the covers off of herself, as it had become too hot for her to handle. The last thing she wanted was to sweat when she couldn't even take a decent shower. Then again, there was running water, but with no electricity, the water would surely be cold. Too cold for her, anyway. She stretched and blinked a few times so her eyes wouldn't hurt so much before she reached over and grabbed her pants from the floor. She stood to slid them over her hips and then put her boots on as well. "Why did you leave the water running?" She asked then. She'd forgotten about the water until the sound hit her. If there was one thing she was good at, it was blocking out everyday sounds so they didn't become a nuisance to her. She looked up at Lotto as she slid her last boot on and tied it tightly before standing up once more to slid her belt around her tiny waist.

Her mind reeled of last night's events. Lotto's arm around her. The kiss he'd planted on her head so gently. It made a smile creep across her lips and she looked up at Lotto from under her lashes before turning to the window. She'd almost gone crazy standing there last night, but now, with the light shining through, she felt hope scorch through her, and she began to shake with slight excitement. "What are out official plans for today?" She asked, not really able to remember what she'd suggested last night.

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[Leroy "Lotto" King]

[/color] he was sure his body was so exhausted that it hadn't even moved or shifted in his sleep. "How about you?" he crossed the room and took his seat on his bed.

He slipped on his shoes, embarrassed of how dirty his socks were, he hoped she wasn't looking, why did he care? Had he ever cared what someone saw or what they thought- no, why start now? He couldn't say. He tied the shoe strings that had survived at least three times of the average string life time. He looked up, and thought for a moment; what was the plan? He could think of two, that had both established themselves at different times of yesterday. Get Rose, or get out.

"The pipes got a bit rusty, with the lack of flow. Needs to be washed out before we can get the clear good stuff." 'Good stuff' was an exaggeration, drinking out of the faucet would be like drinking out of a river, yes it was running water, but no purification went into their water supply since there was no one to run the sanitizing checks. He didn't want to dampen spirits this mourning though so he kept to himself. He figured they were both pretty healthy since neither caught the disease that snatched up everyone else.

"Not sure," he admitted, sitting up straight, to his surprise Violet had pulled back the sheets, was he blushing? Not something he wanted to think about, it was such a childish response, and Lotto was not a child. He let his eyes fall down to watch Blackjack, thank God for this dog, the dog rose his head to look towards Lotto, and he nearly laughed aloud, thinking I'm not looking! Once she was dressed he readdressed it, "It's up to you, do you want to try to find your friend... or slip out of here,"


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[Violet G. Monroe]

She smiled at his words before looking up at him. "I don't remember much either." She admitted with an almost childish grin. When Lotto answered her question about the water, she tilted her head to the right but didn't question it further. Of course the pipes were rusted. There wasn't an maintenance to take care of that anymore. They'd gone unattended for weeks now, which wasn't good. Soon, the rust would create holes, and water wouldn't run at all. Perhaps that was how all the water stopped running in the movies. After all, who would dare turn them off? It would be stupid of someone to think that the world was ending, so they had to turn off the water.

When she realized Lotto had seen her body, she blushed, which was something she hadn't done in quite a while. The heat felt nice in her cheeks, and when Blackjack looked at Lotto, Violet couldn't help but giggle. She stood and went back to the window, staring out at the continuously rising sun. The colors cast over the sky were brightening, causing a beautiful glow to take over the contents of the room. The yellow flowers on the wallpaper seemed to dance in place as the light hit them, and Violet sighed in content, turning back to look at Lotto with her usual smile when he spoke again. She was certainly glad he remembered.

However, when she turned back to the window, the smile faded. She knew there was probably no hope for Rose, and more than anything, she wanted her main priorities - Lotto and Blackjack - safe and out of the city. Then again, she wanted to hold on to the hope of Rose's survival. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath, unsure of what she really wanted to do. Getting out of the city seemed like a better option, but then again, would she really be Violet if she didn't take a few risks? She looked at Lotto before speaking. Her voice slightly distant, but not so much that it was extremely noticeable. "We can look for her on our way out."

Finally, she turned away from the window and went to sit beside Lotto. "How much do you remember? From last night?" She asked. She wondered if he remembered what she did, and a part of her hoped he did. Then again, a part of her hoped he didn't. She felt that she'd embarrassed herself, what with the going slightly crazy, and that kiss she'd laid on his chin....

She wondered if it had caused his emotions to stir the way his touch had made hers do. If so, was it a good stirring, or a bad? Did he enjoy or had it been too much? She didn't know, but what she did know was there was no taking it back now. It wasn't like she wanted to anyway. After all, even if he didn't return her feelings, she was satisfied that he at least knew how she felt. Well, maybe he did.

The bed shook and Violet looked back to see Blackjack sitting behind them, wagging his tail, his tongue hanging from his mouth as he panted. His big brown eyes seemed expectant. Violet couldn't help but laugh at him. It was a pure sound. She reached back to scratch his chin. He whined at her touch, and she knew that meant that he enjoyed it. Especially since he tail had begun to move faster. She shook her head and looked back at Lotto, placing her hand on his forearm before standing up and grabbing her overshirt from the floor, slipping it over her head and pulling it down. She then looked back at Lotto and then directed her gaze towards the bathroom. She wanted to wash her face, but she wasn't sure if the water was clear. Plus, Lotto had first fibs since he'd been up longer than she had. That and he'd been the first to think about it. So, instead, she sat on the foot of her bed, looking around the room, taking in the details. This would be a nice memory for later.

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[Leroy "Lotto" King]

[/color] he said with a small smile, "But after the artillery, did we see another living person, drive off?" The more he thought about it the more it seemed more likely a dream. For three weeks there was not another normal human running around aside from himself, but now? He had seen possibly a total of four in a span of 24 hours. Things weren't adding up to him.

Last night... if had gotten dark, Violet was getting sad, she was by the window, he had come over to her- Blackjack began to bark. Then what? He walked back to his bed, and did she follow, he rubbed his neck as he remembered the light kiss she had placed on his chin. He tried to hide the smile that was creeping up on him by forcing the muscles down and then yawning into his arm as he placed it back to his side. He looked back to her, and gave a friendly smile, not as smug and happy as the first concealed one tried to reveal.

Had it meant anything? Or had it been just a kind gesture? When was the last time he had ever over thought such a kiss, in the old world he would be blunt- hey I am liking that kiss, would you like one? Not in such childish terms but around those guidelines. He would be forward, announce the way he was feeling and if she didn't feel the same so be it. But now.... they were surviving off one another, what if she didn't feel the same and he announced what he was feeling, things would get awkward, he wouldn't be able to help it, he would also get disappointed, Violet was unlike any one else he had known. So for now he would keep that to himself. Maybe when they got out of here, he would bring it up... or maybe the situation would repeat its self before then...

The bed moved, and Lotto jumped. Blackjack climbing up onto the bed reminded him of where they were, they were in an infested hotel hiding out, hoping to not be discovered. Guess they did alright since they survived the entire night. He nodded at her decision and would respect it in all enteritis. Lotto watched Blackjack and Violet's interaction and smiled. His heart warmed to hear her laugh.

He watched her walk back to her own bed and serenely look about the room. He decided to not disturb her and walked back into the bathroom to check the water.

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[Violet G. Monroe]

Lotto asked a question and Violet tilted her head at him. They'd both been tired yesterday, that was clear. But, she hadn't realized how tired Lotto had been until that moment. Everything seemed to be dazed for him. He didn't even remember seeing the girl drive away. Or, he did, but it wasn't clear to him. It didn't seem real. She parted her lips to answer. "We did and she did drive away." Violet said, not smiling at the answer. The fact that Lotto's mind had gone back to the scenario made her a little jealous. Did he think the woman had been more attractive than she was? Did he know her? Was she a past lover?

Violet quickly pushed the thoughts aside and watched as Lotto seemed to hide a smile. She laughed quietly before he stood and went into the bathroom. Once he'd left the room, she simply sat there, watching Blackjack grab one of the pillows in his jaw and play with it. It had been so long since her canine had been comfortable enough to play, and now, here he was, tearing a hotel pillow to shreds with his sharp teeth. Violet smiled and tackled her pup playfully, mimicking his growls as she did so.

He growled playfully, biting gently at her arms and shoulders, trying to get out from under her, though she didn't put much weight on him. She placed her hands over his muzzle and he continued to growl playfully. When she removed her hands, he simply laid still, watching both hands, mouth agape, waiting for her to attack him in all her playfulness. When she did, Blackjack twisted from under her and jumped on her, placing both paws on her shoulder and pulling at her hair. "Ow! Blackjack!" Violet said between laughs. Her canine laid on the bed, then. His tail was wagging, and he was looking up with his eyes, making high pitched sounds as if he were a puppy learning to bark. Violet laughed at him and went to pet him, but Blackjack was still in the mood for playing. He bit at her hand gently, but wasn't as energetic about playing anymore. Instead, he nibbled on her palm and fingers and she smiled at him.

Violet looked up to the bathroom entrance then and stood to walk to the doorway. Once she was in the frame, she leaned against it, arms crossed, a smile on her face. She watched Lotto for a moment before speaking. "Let me know when you're done." She said, making a strange hand motion past her face. In the real world, Violet had been spontaneous, fun-loving, and a real life firecracker. She had been the type to attend all the fun events, and act as weird as possible, just because she loved to have fun. Even now, she still tried to keep these traits, though they were becoming harder and harder to hold on to. She couldn't help the nagging feeling of annoyance with herself, though. Especially after last night. Lotto must've thought she was crazy. After all, she'd acted as if she were going crazy, and now - she seemed perfectly fine. How was that normal at all? Then again, Lotto seemed warmer to her now than he had. Maybe he understood. Her smile broadened at the thought.

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[Leroy "Lotto" King]

[/i] task. From his old normal routine.

He spotted Violet in the mirror, but fortunately saw her coming so didn't have to bear the embarrassment of being startled. He smiled, she seemed so relaxed and a smile still on her face, warm. He remembered last night, she had been sad, she felt the metaphorical darkness around them. But you couldn't tell that from looking at her this morning.

He watched her hand motion through the mirror and cocked his head as he tried to understand what the meant, so instead he just smiled, and nodded. "I'm just about done, you can come in- I'm not indecent." He shrugged displaying an amused grin, as he hung the hand towel to dry on the metal bar. Then he faced her person, not just her reflection. Sunlight was filling the room that they had entered in the darkness. He enjoyed it better in the light, it seemed less threatening, and even warmer. Homey?

But he couldn't let his guard down, they were in an infested hotel, in the middle of an infested city, they were even out of the city. He thought bitterly why no government help had been sent, or why no foreign allies had come to lend an exterminating hand, but he had to swallow that frustration, after all there might not be another soul with power and a force to follow commands to come help out. So for now, and even if there was one, it was him Violet, and Blackjack.

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