she's country

Ellie Carter

Ellie finds him as she returns to the warehouse. This is perhaps the most familiar sight yet to Ellie. He's something between total hippie and country boy. She calls out to him in a sing-song voice.

"And a country boy can survive, country folks can survive~"

She steps up to him and pokes his shoulder with a grin. No one here has really proven this a bad idea yet!

"Hi there. I'm Ellie."

Robert McCay

Robert heard Ellie's approach as he leaned back to try and see over the top of the strange black box in the corner of the warehouse, kicking it lightly a couple times as if it was a vending machine. When he turned to investigate the sound, however, he just barely missed seeing Ellie's approach, and thus caught a poke to the shoulder entirely off-guard.

"Ah! Geez! Sorry, uh-- hi?"

He twisted around to get a look at this trouble-making woman, and-- wow, she sure did look like trouble. All tattooed up and wearing her straitjacket like a loose bathrobe, glasses glinting over her eyepatch… He had no idea what to make of her just yet. No reason not to be polite, though.

"Well-- you've got a lovely voice, Miss Ellie!" A high compliment coming from someone with a voice like his! "But I'm afraid you'll find me much more of a city slicker than the accent implies. M'name's Robert."

Ellie Carter

She grins at his surprise.

"Aw, boo. Well, I like the flower jeans! Maybe you're more disco than country. You seem nicer than some of the folks I've been meeting today."

She doesn't wait for much of an answer on his genre of choice before turning to the box Robert was inspecting, poking at it.

"Found anything fun here?"

Robert McCay

"Er, thank you, miss?" It seemed to be a bit hard to get a word in edgewise with Miss Ellie.

"Genre schmenre is what I say. I just write what I feel like these days. Disco is underrated, though."

Robert rapped his knuckles against the front of the box. It sounded thick and metallic.

"No clue about this thing. From a distance I thought it might be a weird freezer? Doesn't seem ta open from any which way. If y'wanna give it a shot, be my guest."

Ellie Carter

"So you are a musician? Heh, yeah, you look like it. What's a polite man like you doing in Hell?"

She asks as she tries to find a crevice to tear it open by, digging her nails into the surface rather aggressively.

"Grrrr…"

Robert McCay

"Indeed I am, miss-- eh? Hell?"

...It honestly hadn't crossed Robert's mind. As weird as this place was, he felt like he was alive, at least? And he didn't much care for most conceptions of the afterlife, particularly ones involving eternal judgement by some guy who's supposed to know better than anyone else.

"I got my doubts about that, miss. But I'll say, if they didn't throw us straight in the lake o' fire, then maybe we'll get a chance t'explain ourselves..."

"What makes you so sure we're dead, anyhow?"

Ellie Carter

"Honestly, this is going to suck ass if I've alive. I really don't wanna be a government experiment. Some people aren't saying or remembering the same sort of thing as me… but personally, I was in a situation where I thought I would die and this doesn't look like any normal jail I've ever seen. Or, well, looked up. I've been googling a lot about jail recently."

She eventually gives up with struggling to pry this thing open with her nails, shaking her hands out.

"So, Hell it is. I'm manifesting Hell."

Robert McCay

"I-I see... Hm."

So whatever she did was enough to provoke life-threatening danger and convince her she was going to hell... Maybe there was a common thread here. But what did that mean for that hapless feller with the jaffles? Or the kid with the dog mask? Did they really all...

"...I wasn't in danger, last I remember. Covered my tracks pretty well, I thought. But I guess there's no tellin' fer sure."

The "manifesting hell" bit got a short laugh out of Robert, but his usual cheerful disposition was fading fast.

"Myself, I'd rather have the chance t'see my folks again, even if it's slim... So I'd prefer not t'be dead just yet, if y'don't mind."

Ellie Carter

"Covered your tracks, hmmmm? Damn, you think we're arrested too? That's what some people think. I can't say it wouldn't make sense, but I don't think I'd be thrown in some secret prison…"

She scratches her head with a frown but bounces back pretty quick. She doesn't wanna dwell on that.

"Okay, okay, wait, what's the crime? You can tell me, I'm not a cop."

Robert McCay

"…"

...He COULD just tell her, couldn't he? Not like things could get much worse... But what if they were being watched, or recorded? Anything you say can and will be used against you in a… well, maybe this wasn't a court of law in the traditional sense, but. He had a feeling some kind of judgment was coming. Just maybe not divine.

"…With all due respect, miss, I got the right t'remain silent."

Ellie Carter

"Booo. Boooooo."

She boos him. She gives him a thumb down. No fun, Robert.

"Hey, c'mon, what if we say it at the same time? You know, at the count of three?"

Robert McCay

"You'll find out at the same damn time as everyone else," Robert snapped-- a bit more viciously than he'd intended, but something about this woman's demeanor was just… starting to piss him off.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Somehow, his little cinnamon roll curl snapped perfectly back into place.

"Look, I ain't expectin' everyone t'take this seriously, 'specially if they ain't got much left t'lose. I'd like t'stand a chance o' fair trial, though, if there's any chance o' that at all, so I won't be sayin' anythin' that could be... misconstrued."

He folded his arms and turned back to the enigmatic machine. One more search before he gave up on it, he figured.

Ellie Carter

It throws Ellie off a little, but then she laughs and gives Robert a hearty couple of pats on the shoulder. She didn't really expect him to comply after he had already refused.

"Hah! Good luck with that! Could never afford a lawyer myself. Gotta warn you though. You miiiight not be off to a good start if they threw you in the brig with me."

She's already called this the brig with quite a few others. This is a prime opportunity for pirate puns and she is milking it.

Robert McCay

Robert bristled a bit at the shoulder pat.

"I'll… keep that in mind. And please don't touch me, miss."

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't at least intrigued by Ellie's whole deal, with the pirates and the eyepatch and the apparent crimes, but… eh. Right now, she was grating on his already worn-down nerves, and this search of the warehouse's mystery machine wasn't going anywhere. Maybe he'd ask another time.

He gives the black metal one more kick with the side of his boot.

"Well, if this thing starts movin' when I ain't watchin'… lemme know, I guess. 'Less you got any other ideas."

Ellie Carter

She quiets down a bit, looking at the metal box. Now he's the second guy here to ask her to keep and eye on something as they head off. And, well, she didn't exactly stick by the door.

She waves a hand.

"Sure, suuuuure. Me an' the box are gonna become best friends and he'll open right up for me."