But it's just a Butterfly

[dee]

Name of Thread: But it's just a Butterfly
Characters Involved in Thread: Finn Regan - Gage Merrick
IC Month Thread Occured: Several years ago.
Brief Description of Thread: How Gage and Finn met for the first time.

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Gage had been sitting in the chair for almost twenty minutes waiting for the tattoo artist to return and she was starting to get the sinking suyspicioun that the woman might not have trusted her. Granted she didn't look old enough to be eighteen despite the fact she was only a month away from that so she couldn't really see what the problem would be. Well alright so she could see what the problem would be but she wasn't much concerned with it as she was use to being able to charm her way into getting the things that she wanted from people most of the time.

Reaching up she ran her fingers through her hair and out of her eyes before she shifted her weight slightly, as she saw the woman reappearing she knew that look and it wasn't a good one. Though one had to take into account that in the last year her experince with adults had been limited and they hadn't been all that good to begin with, her parent's had died and then three months after that she'd settled into living with her brother and the bone head had gotten himself sent back to prison for violating his parole. Afterward things had all gone down hill and someone that had been a sweet and understanding girl had just let go of that part of herself and decided that it was easy to hide the pain behind a mask of violence and rage.

She survived by getting into high stakes card games and winning money here and there or counting cards at casino's when she was low on cash and then she would move on till the funds ran out and she needed to make a little more cash. Thus far it had lead her to making some interesting contacts that didn't seem to want to ask all that many questions and well Gage didn't have to answer them so long as she didn what was asked, and it wasn't hard. Muttering under her breath she was trying to figure out what the best way around this situation was going to be and honestly she wasn't sure that there was a best way around this. So she decided to sit there and remain silent for a few moments to think things over.

"There a problem?" Gage finally asked.

[finnregan]

She'd been surprised when the young woman had walked in the door, she was used to the local kids coming in to look at pictures of her work but not asking for ink. Finn was used to people trying to pull one over on her especially being a tattoo artist but the girl sitting in her chair now was really pushing it. She obviously wasn't eighteen though her ID had said otherwise, Finn was positive that was fake but what she couldn't figure out was why hadn't she just asked her parents. Most of the folks around here didn't have much of a problem with signing off on anything especially their kids. Leaning against the doorway behind the chair she watched the girl figit and inwardly sighed, she didn't want to risk her license for tattooing some under aged kid if her parents threw a fit.

When the girl finally spoke a brow rose as she made her way back into the room and settled onto the stool she normal sat at. Dark eyes glanced at her and she sighed, "Ya ain't eighteen lass, I cannot give ya ink ifn yer not." Handing her the ID back she placed her hands on her thighs, kind of resting for a moment before she shook her head lightly, "But ya know dat already dun ya? Ifn ya want da ink so bad why not jus get yer mum or da ta sign off on da waiver?" Her hands smoothed along the black leather pants she wore before she stood and walked over to where she kept her drink, taking a swig. Finn dressed comfortably for work it was the only way to be when you were sitting for hours on end.

Bain was lying in the hallway between the tattoo room and the bathroom sound asleep as always and her attention shifted to the big dog briefly before it turned back to the girl. " I cannot risk meh license witout a damn good reason." Finn was a nice person normally, she could deal with a lot of stress but losing her license was something she couldn't do. It was her only mode of income and she liked her job it was how she'd made the friends she had. Crossing her arms over her chest that soft black cotton shirt hugged around her a bit tighter as she sighed, "I'm not tryin ta cause ya grief but dis is meh livelihood and I dun tink I can afford ta lose it jus cause ya wan a butterfly done."

Sure Finn had some of them tattooed on her stomach but no one really knew how much ink she had. All of her ink was where she could hide it when she wanted too so she did most of the time, it tended to mess with people to see a tattoo artist who wasn't covered in ink or piercings.

[dee]

"Close enough too it and I really doubt that my parent's are going to care all that much considering their dead, and my brother can't cause you much trouble he went and got himself locked back up again," Gage replied before she shifted finally rolling down her sleeve before she pushed herself out of the chair. So she respected why she didn't want to do it but she didn't see any point in lingering now that it had been established nothing was going to take place.

Furrowing her brow as she picked up her bag which pretty well held her entire life in side of it Gage smiled before she rummaged through it looking to the keys to the car. Right now she had her brother's old clunker though she was planning on getting something different the next time she went through Las Vegas, maybe win a nice car off of some old guy that was too drunk to realize he was loosing in a game of cards. You had to do what you had to do to survive and well in Gage's case that meant a lot of things that she might not normallly have done otherwise.

She paused before she turned around, honestly any other time she wouldn't have cared in the least bit rather or not she said anything but the woman hadn't been entirely horrible to her about the whole thing. "Maybe in a few months when I come back thought than I'll stop in again and we can work something out," she offered just to show that there weren't any hard feelings about what had happened and that she wasn't one of those people that was going to throwe a tantrum just because she couldn't get what she wanted. No she reserved the tantrums for busting chair's over people's head. "Do you know any where I can grab something to eat around here that's still open?" she asked.

[finnregan]

Finn wasn't a sucker but she knew when someone was telling her the truth and she felt bad for Gage. True her da's death had been welcomed with open arms, he'd been a drunk bastard but her mum well losing her had hurt if only because Finn hadn't been able to save her from her addiction. While she didn't have any siblings either she couldn't imagine the only other family she had being locked up in jail, it made her feel bad. Not sorry for Gage as she seemed to be holding her own just fine but she did not see any reason for a girl her age to not have someone she could turn too when she needed it. When she asked about a place to eat Finn shifted and uncrossed her arms with a sigh, "Nothin in Charmin's open at dis hour lass..."

Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she often did when thinking she finally smiled lightly. "Come on, I need ta eat mehself.. I'll fix us both someting." Heading past her she gently pushed the large sleeping dog out of her way and shook her head slightly, "Swear he can sleep through anyting unless is food." Heading down the hall she was thankful she'd left the living room light on and headed into the kitchen. Opening up the fridge she frown slightly, she didn't keep much in the way of food preferring to just go pick up whatever she planned on cooking that day but she could scrap something together for the two of them.

Grabbing out the hamburger meat she'd defrosted earlier she sat it on the counter and grabbed a frying pan. Turning on the stove she got to work fixing the two of them some burgers and smiled lightly, "Ya seem ta be holdin up fer a girl yer age on 'er own. Ya mus be tough, eh?" She wasn't a chef by any means but Finn could cook good at least as far as she knew. Her mom had taught her to cook when she was younger but that was mainly old family recipes that took specific ingredients she didn't keep on hand so she made the best with what she had. Fixing up their plates she sat Gage's up on the breakfast bar and smiled, "There ya go tha should tid ya over fer a bit."

If she'd missed seeing Bain slip into the kitchen behind her the loud thumping of his tail against the tile told her he was there and she laughed. "Figured ya'd beh in 'ere soon as ya smelt food." Setting her plate down on the counter she grabbed the large dog dish from the floor and paused turning her attention towards him, "Dun tough meh burger boy, I gots one fer ya made so jus be'ave yerself." The large hound bowed his head like a kid who'd been caught trying to sneak candy before a meal and she chuckled lightly before filling his bowl up with the dry special dog food she kept for him. Taking it over to the counter she ripped another burger up into chunks and mixed it in before placing the bowl back next to the water dish,

"Come and get it Bain." The dog didn't need to be told twice as he dashed for the dish nearly knocking her over in the process which only made her laugh more. "Big lummox." Walking back to the counter where her plate sat she picked it up and began to eat her burger in relative silence. Finn wasn't used to having company for dinner unless it was one of her regulars or friends who'd come to hang out so she didn't really think to talk much more.

[dee]

Gage had followed though she couldn’t explain why she had followed the woman in the first place when her natural reaction just a few moments before had been to get in the car leave. Maybe it was because she was lonely, she was tired of having no one to talk to but herself and the occasional hitch hiker that she picked up to make the time between driving seem more enjoyable. Furrowing her brow she took in the dog before she had to smile, she’d never had one but she liked animals but they didn’t really blend in with the traveling from place to place, they needed food which at times she could barely afford to buy on her own, and well she wasn’t going to do that. No reason to make someone or something else suffer just because she was punishing herself for some reason.

“I do alright, some days or better than other’s and some weeks I’m on top of the world,” Gage answered though for the moment she was more concerned with eating, now because she was starving or hadn’t eaten but because this was the first time in a long time she had someone cook for her in some place that wasn’t a restaurant or some place she had to lay cash down to eat. It remembered her of before her parent’s died when her mother would make dinner and they would all sit down at the table and eat, and then poof that had been gone before she had ever really realized what exactly it was that she’d had in the first place.

Watching the dog again she let out a laugh as he all but scooted the bowl around the floor until he finally ran into a wall which seemed to stop him for the moment. His tail never stopped wagging and Gage was almost positive if you didn’t watch it the thing could be considered a deadly weapon if it hit you hard enough, but at the same time he seemed to be so happy and so excited about what was going on around him.

“He’s pretty,” she finally said breaking the silence as she looked over and then smiled. “Thanks, I mean for the burger.” She wasn’t good with people, when you spent a lot of your time with only yourself and no one else to talk to it was possible that at times you forgot how to behave or speak at least and this was one of those instances that the seventeen year old was having a damn hard time finding her voice. “How long have you lived here?” It was apparent by the accent or at least it was to Gage that the woman hadn’t lived there her entire life and she thought she might have been Irish though it was hard to tell.

Finishing off her food she stretched her arms over her head before she paused to brush her hair out of her face before securing it to the back of her head in a rather messy looking bun, though it was enough to keep it out of her face and from annoying her which was always a good thing.

[finnregan]

Finn listened as she talked about how her days went and she knew the feeling, some days were good others not so much and some well they just couldn’t get any better. For her those days were usually when she was either hanging out with the few friends she’d made or camping. There was very little else Finn really enjoyed more than that at least so far. She had to laugh too watching Bain scoot his bowl around the floor till the wall finally stopped him, “Food is bout da only ting he dun miss out on.” Feeding Bain took a lot of effort, having a special breed like him meant high quality food but she didn’t care.

He was her constant companion so what was a little more money if it meant he was healthy and happy? She nodded at Gage when she thanked her and smiled, “Ya dun need ta thank meh but yer welcome. Is nice ta ‘ave company fer dinner aside from Bain.” She finished up her burger and placed the plate into the sink turning her attention to Bain until Gage spoke again. Finn had been waiting on that question she walked in the door, most didn’t hesitate to point out that she wasn’t from around there but obviously she had more manners than most.

“I was born in Belfast, me mum and I came ta da States when I was sixteen. Weh lived in Lodi fer a while but me mum got addicted ta tha Meth crap and I couldna take it anymore.” Shrugging her shoulders lightly she sighed it was hard to think about her mum still living over in Lodi by herself but she’d asked her to come to Charming with her. Finn couldn’t force her to come no more than she could have forced Finn to stay. Heading to the fridge she grabbed out a bottle of water for herself and a soda for Gage and set it on the counter for her. The sodas she kept for customers or company, if it wasn’t water or liquor Finn didn’t drink it.

“I visit ‘er from time ta time but is not a place I like seein ‘er be in.” A bump at her hip told her Bain was done with his food and she glanced down patting his head as she took a sip of her water. Peeking over at the food bowl it was empty and she laughed, “Ya wan yer treat now huh?” Bain was spoiled and anyone who knew the pair knew that as well. He took care of her and kept her company while she did the same for him. Walking over to the cabinet with him glued to her heels she pulled out a box of large dog biscuits and shook it which caused that big tail to wag fast.

Glancing at Gage she chuckled, “I spoil ‘im really but I dun tink weh would ‘ave it any other way.” Taking one out Bain immediately sat down at her feet as she put the box back in the cabinet. Turning back to him she held up the treat and he stood up on his back legs which nearly brought him to even height with her and he rested his paws on her shoulders. Giving him a quick hug and a kiss on the head she gave him the treat and watched as he dropped down with it and headed into the living room. Finn chuckled lightly before walking back over to where Gage sat, “Sometimes I wonder if he dun tink he’s a person.”

Taking another sip of her water she watched her for a few moments, considering everything Gage had told her and then something else occurred to her. “So where ya stayin at lass?” She remembered when her and her mum had first moved to the States they’d lived in some crappy little motel for several weeks before they’d found an apartment they could afford. It made her wonder if Gage was homeless or just bouncing around from place to place which was no way for a young woman to be living, especially on her own.

[dee]

She had been keeping up with the conversation until the question of where she was staying came across the table and that was the moment if at all possible Gage would have bolted for the door if she still hadn't had some sort of manners. Where did she stay, well it was parked in the parking lot, she slept in her car most of the time because motel rooms cost more money than what she was willing to spend and they cost way more money than what she wanted to have to let go of. Wringing her hands together for a few moments she continued to think before she sighed, up until that moment she had been honest with the woman and she couldn't really see the point in lying now. It made no sense at all to Gage.

"My motel is in the parking lot," Gage answered as she folded her arms over her chest and leaned back, it sounded just as bad when she said it out loud as what it had in her head and she doubted there was any nicer way to say. 'Well you know I live in my car and even then that's not really living, of yeah did you know they get angry when you wash your clothes in the bathroom at a gas station.' Now there was something she would have loved to have had, a washer and a dryer to wash her clothes in. See people took for granted things like that when they had them because they were normal, but when you didn't well then you started to realize just how much you liked thim in the first place to begin with.

Pushing herself up Gage smiled before she reached up twisting a fallen strand of hair around her finger before she finally spoke again. "I should probably get going before it get's much later, I've found a clear more distance late at night when there aren't a lot of people on the roads." Well that and no one seemed to mind or notice her speeding past them at break neck speed and there were less police out as well which made things that much nicer for Gage because she really couldn't afford to get pulled over.

"Maybe when I come through again I'll stop in and we can work on that tattoo," she offered.

[finnregan]

Finn inwardly frowned when she confessed to living in her car that was no way to live. Of course having no family to take care of her explained it but there still wasn’t any good excuse for it. Despite that even she had to chuckle at the comment about washing clothes in a bathroom at a gas station, now that one she had done before herself. “Ya they dun like tha much, ‘ad ta do it once or twice mehself after comin in from campin fer a weekend.” Of course she didn’t mention that their main issue had been that Bain was standing outside the bathroom and no one would go near the huge dog.

When she pulled herself up and talked about leaving, Finn hesitated to see her leave. It wasn’t like her to take in ‘strays’ as her mother would have called Gage but she didn’t like the idea of the young woman being out on her own with no solid roof over her head and no one to look after her. “Jus wait one minute.” Heading back into the back she dug through her computer desk in the studio until she found what she was looking for. Double checking to make sure everything was right she came back with a cell phone and car charger.

Walking over to Gage she held them out, “Take dis wit ya. I dun like da idea of ya bein out der on yer own wit no one ta ‘elp ya.” Reaching into her pocket she pulled about a couple twenties and handed them to her as well, “Is a prepay phone use dis ta buy ya some minutes. Meh house and cell numbers are in da contacts list.” Before she could refuse or anything else Finn held up her hand and smiled, “I ain’t tryin ta be yer boss but ifna ya need ‘elp or a place ta sleep, call meh.” It made her feel somewhat better to know that if Gage needed something she would have a ready way to contact her, if Finn couldn’t help her she knew plenty of people who could and would if she asked them nice enough.

Bain wandered over sitting down by both of them, his tail wagging against the hardwood floor before he bumped his head against Gage’s thigh and Finn couldn’t help but smile, “Das ‘is way of tellin ya bye.” Looking at the young woman Finn hoped she would keep the phone and use it like she’d told her too. Very few people had her number and they knew better than to give it out to anyone else unless they asked her first. Nodding lightly after a moment she sighed, “Nex time ya come through ya stop by I’ll give ya as much ink as ya wan, ehh?” Once she was eighteen Finn would tattoo anything she wanted on her but not before, not for anyone.

[dee]

She had reached down absent mindly to pet the dog on the head before she lifted an eyebrow, she wasn't sure what was going on though in her experince this was normally the point and time when things got awkward. Though this was a whole new one as far as Gage was concerned and she wasn't really certain how to take it, most people found out that she was living on her own and they looked at her like she was some kind of freak of nature of that whatever bad luck she had would follow them if that got to close to her. Taking the cell phone and the money that was handed to her, mostly because well to Gage it didn't look at is Finn was one that she needed to argue with she put both into her bag.

"Thanks." She stood there for a few moments still petting Bain on the head before she looked around and then smiled. "I don't know the offer of as much ink as I want might be a little risky to make, you might find yourself sitting there for hours staring at me," she joked before she laughed and then shook her head. She wasn't really certain about this and she wasn't certain what to make of it. Normally when people pulled a radnom act of kindness out of their pocket they always seemed to want something in return but with Finn it didn't appear that way, there didn't seem to be any strings attacked and there didn't seem to be any IOU that was going to be coming into play later on.

Giving the first real smile she might have given since she was sixteen Gage actually let herself relax a bit and it showed with the way that she stood, and the fact she didn't seem ready to pounce on the first thing that was going to come near her. It was strange that she managed to find comfort in someone that she didn't really know all that well and hadn't met before either and yet she had. Thinking for a minute she looked over before she lifted an eyebrow. "So do you feel like having some company tonight, I mean I don't really have anywhere that I'm supposed to be actually so and it's kind of nice to have someone to talk too."

[finnregan]

Finn laughed at her comment about not offering her that much work and she smiled, “Dun ya worrie bout dat. Trus meh ya’d beh a new face ta add ta meh reg’lars.” She was glad she’d at least taken the phone and the money, it made her feel better. She didn’t like the idea of Gage being out without some way to call for help if she needed it. Honestly she didn’t like the idea of her being out on her own at all but there’s was very little Finn could do about that, she wasn’t her mum or da, she wasn’t even blood so telling her what to do just wasn’t part of who she was. It was nice when she actually gave a real smile and Finn could see her relax then.

Obviously she was used to having to keep herself guarded around other people, something Finn could relate to in some ways especially when she lived back in Ireland. Around her family she’d had to keep her mouth shut about the things her Da did when he was drunk otherwise things would have gotten ugly. At Gage’s question she smiled and made her way over to the large black leather overstuffed couch she kept in the living room and sat down in her usual corner, pulling her legs up to her chest. “Yer welcome ta stay ifn ya wans ta, Bain an I could use da company.” Grabbing the remote control she flipped on the television but kept the volume low so they could talk if Gage wanted too.

It was kind of strange to have company at least in the way it had come about but Finn rather liked the idea of her hanging around for a little while at least they would both have some company and she would know Gage was somewhere safe for a time.