[ Vincent - Robert ] No Man's Land

Robert McCay

Unfortunately for Vincent's hopes of isolation, Robert's exploration of the prison wouldn't stop just before the very end of the long main hallway. He strode tentatively up to the chair at the center of the chamber, the heels of his cowboy boots echoing in the darkness… stopping just short of touching it, though. That didn't feel right. Nothing about this place felt right.

Then he heard the breathing.

"I-is someone there…?"

Robert whipped around and squinted to search the room, only locating Vincent's hulking form after his eyes took a few seconds to adjust. The hair on his neck rose up, but… no, this was just another prisoner, right? That feller had a straitjacket like the rest of them.

Sounded like he was having a pretty bad time of it, too. Well, none of them were doing great, but… Should he check on him? Robert stepped a little closer, but still well out of grappling range, just in case.

"Ah… 'scuse me, sir. I don't believe we've met?"

His voice was gentle and melodic, with a mild but recognizable Texan drawl.

Erin | Vincent Churchwell

…..Aaaaaand that moment of solitude was over. It takes Vincent a moment to actually gather the energy to lift his head up and look at whoever was now stepping Closer to him, for whatever reason. Ah, another prisoner, and one who had the common sense to be somewhat wary of him. For the best, if he was being fully honest- Though actually, the look of this guy was… softer, as was the gentler sound of his voice. Jeez, even a guy like this was here…? There HAD to be a mix of reasons everyone here was picked up.

It takes Vincent a moment to realize he's just been staring at the guy (probably a little too menacingly) instead of responding to him, and he gives a small sigh ultimately, not standing up but at least offering a nod of acknowledgement.

"We haven't. I've only just gotten here today." As had everyone else, but Vincent didn't actually Know that part yet for sure. Anyways, this guy was clearly Texan too, right? The accent was, of course, easy to place for him, and the reverse was also probably true too. "Any idea what county we're in…?"

They… WERE still in Texas, right? Clearly this is more important than actually offering up his name-

Robert McCay

Robert was a little unnerved by the staring, but he stood his ground. There was still a small sigh of relief as Vincent nodded and responded, though.

"Hm... I just woke up a half hour or so ago myself. Seems t'be the case for everybody I've met so far."

Vincent's next sentence took him a few seconds longer to parse.

"County…?" He blinked. "Oh-- oh, well I am from Texas too, sir, Houston area, but I haven't lived there since I was a young 'un. Moved to Cali with my folks. So fer me, it'd be LA county, which, uh-- hell of a lot bigger than 14 cells."

"On the other hand, there's this kid 'Bow-wow' runnin' around, said he's from Austin... Other other hand, met a feller straight from Tokyo! If there's a pattern, I sure couldn't tell ya… Name's Robert, by the way. Robert McCay."

Offering a handshake didn't feel quite appropriate at this juncture, but he gave Vincent a solemn nod.

Erin | Vincent Churchwell

Everyone here had woken up that recently? That… shouldn't be right, but there were stranger coincidences than that happening all the time, so maybe that was normal. A recent batch of arrests, or something.

"Huh. Right, then. 'Guess we're in the same boat, then."

…..the NEXT bit though, that much was… far more puzzling, though still not immediately proof they Weren't still in Texas either way.

"…Hm. I shoulda been in Dallas, but I know there's transfers or whatever sometimes." Right? That sounded right. LA though, that much was weird. Tokyo could at least be a 'unmentioned vacation' situation, but… "You sure you wouldn'a been dragged back to Texas for anything?" State hopping after crimes did that sometimes, he vaguely recalls.

…….Right, names. "Vincent Churchwell." He too offers a nod back, which… pains his neck a bit now that he was a little more aware of his body again, but no way in hell was he going to show that on his face. "I'd say nice to meet you, but… I'm sure we'd both not have had to here."

Robert McCay

"Dallas, huh? Nah, my… charges would be, uh… definitely under LA jurisdiction."

There was that pit in Robert's stomach again. He'd been doing a pretty good job not thinking about the events that had surely led him to this place, but he couldn't avoid it for much longer.

"Mr. Churchwell… Yeah, that's fer sure. Am I correct t'presume we're here fer… similar reasons?"

Erin | Vincent Churchwell

Vincent just gives another low hum and a nod to that first bit information… Before deciding it isn't really worth thinking about the specifics of it further anyways. Why did it matter if he was brought to some out of state holding facility, or whatever? It was jail either way, and he highly doubted he'd be going out into the world again any time soon. That wasn't what happened to people like himself, generally.

The followup question… Vincent zones back in (oops, that sure was a fair bit of just Awkward Silence) and more properly looks at Robert again for the followup question to him. He doesn't look annoyed at the question at all, just… very tired. He hadn't had a lot of energy since being here to begin with, but there's still a further sense of exhaustion at it.

"Similar reasons being… type of crime, you mean? …Possibly. I didn't want to make assumptions, but… I guess if you've killed anyone recently, then yeah." If that was Incorrect, than that was a hell of an awkward thing to just up and assume about another person, after all- But there wasn't much point in dancing around it either, now that Robert had brought it up.

During this entire exchange, Vincent hadn't made a single move to actually Stand Up, and is in fact still just limply sitting against the wall, so even if that WASN'T what Robert was getting at, he at least probably didn't have to worry about Vincent himself doing anything to him or anything if it freaked him out.

Robert McCay

"…Somethin' like that. But if y'knew who, and why…"

Robert's face went blank for a second, but he shook it off and looked back down at the crumpled man.

"Well, I guess it doesn't matter too much what I think, if we wound up here anyway. But if you'll extend some… benefit of the doubt t'me, I'll extend it t'you. At least until we know more about what's goin' on…"

"Us Texans oughta look out fer each other, yeah?"

Erin | Vincent Churchwell

…When Robert had started that first sentence, Vincent had fully expected it to end with a 'you wouldn't be talking to me' or some other negative thing. Maybe Vincent was a little too in his own head about that. It was rude to make such assumptions of others just because of his own situation, after all.

Instead, the request to extend the benefit of the doubt (and to return it, no less) catches Vincent a little off guard, though it's hard to even notice the minuscule widening of his eyes. Us Texans oughta look out for each other… The short pause Vincent gives before answering is slightly more perceptible, though he doesn't leave Robert hanging for more than a moment, and gives a nod.

"I can give you the benefit of the doubt, if that's what you want. I wouldn't have thought to assume anything just from the look of you, and I won't now with just what you've said either. I'm in no position to judge you." Many situations were bound to be Complicated, after all.

…And yet. Vincent looks away.

"However… Your thoughts are your own, but I wouldn't recommend extending the same for me, Texan or not." In fact, Vincent thinks he should very much be doubted- After all, he knows full well his own circumstances. It's only fair of him to give warning.

Robert McCay

In pretty much any other circumstances, when presented with a feller so down in the dumps, Robert would've been the soft-hearted type of guy to say "now now, I'm here if y'wanna talk about it," sit down next to him and offer a shoulder to cry on. In this specific circumstance, though…

"…I understand, Mr. Churchwell. Probably best not t'speak much more of it fer now. No tellin' who's listenin'…"

He nodded back politely and turned towards the dimly-lit doorway.

"I'll leave you be now, but-- cell number 009 if y'need anything."

Erin | Vincent Churchwell

Even with just what Robert actually says… Vincent can't help but feel like Robert's still a little too kind, at least towards himself. It's the kind of offer, however formally stated, that seems… genuine, rather than performative precisely because of the slight bit of distance in the words. And so, for a moment, a mix of emotion slips through onto Vincent's face more visibly, as opposed to the more stoney demeanor he's had so far.

"…"

He's… really not doing great right now, yeah, but 'talking about it' is in fact not something he's ready for either. After a moment, Vincent takes a deep, shuddering breath, before managing to choke some words out too.

"…Alright. Mine's… 006, if you ever need the same. …See y'around."

And with that… Vincent buries his head back down in his arms how this all started, with somewhat labored breathing. He's just gonna be here for awhile, you can go on ahead, Robert.

Robert McCay

"…"

Robert felt a little pang in his chest, hearing this feller sound so broken up, but… Probably for the best to let him have his privacy while it was still an option.

After a moment of silence, Vincent could hear the man's boots leaving the courtroom.