InsaneJournal

Current mood:	exhausted
Entry tags:	au inquisiton plot, au!alec/au!jenny, chicago, interaction

Going Further Afield (Fugitives Alec & Jenny)
After their eventful landing in what they now knew to be some place called 'Lincoln Park', Jenny and Alec had branched out to see whether or not they could find anything that would be of help to the others. They needed medical supplies, food, water and clean clothes, preferably of the kind that the women here wore. The tattered remains of Jenny's dress hung at her knees and she fiddled with the hem as they walked, loose threads tickling her skin.

They'd branched out pretty far from their initial landing spot, but now exhaustion was beginning to get the best of them. They were both half-starved and exhausted, the adrenaline coursing through their brains not being enough to keep them going for long. Jenny's hands were already shaking, she couldn't remember the last time she'd had a decent meal. The vampires were not the only ones that struggled to eat. In fact, they probably had it easier as many - including Jenny herself once or twice - had offered themselves to be a small snack to tide the vampire over for a while.

As they had walked side by side, probably looking every bit as tired and strung out as they were, Jenny's hand had slipped into Alec's for the reassurance, and also so that they wouldn't get separated in the crowds. Apparently, there were people out and having fun at such a late time of night. Well, it was early in the morning, she supposed, and the people that were out did look like they were the last dregs of a heavy night of drinking and partying, whooping and cheering and vomiting in nearby bins.

"We need to find somewhere to rest, and we need to get something to dress that cut," she said quietly, knowing that their base was somewhere behind then, but there was not a lot that they could do to get back there now. They needed to get supplies and things first, and the cut on Alec's head looked nasty. She knew the one on hers had stopped bleeding, at least. She didn't think she could walk that far, and more than that, she was hungry and dirty and she wanted to just get clean and find somewhere to sleep for a while that wasn't a bunk or a hard, wooden or stone floor. She wrinkled her nose and then looked up at him with something approaching a grin, adding teasingly, "And you still need to have a wash."

People brushed past them, not paying too much heed to the bedraggled man and woman with dirt-streaked faces and clothes in an ill state of repair. They drew less attention than the Inquisitors, that was for sure.

Alec ignored her concern and turned his eye to the strange new world they found themselves in, trying to ignore the way his stomach twisted at the idea of venturing out into it. Change was never a good thing, not where he came from.

When Jenny moved closer and her hand slid into his he squeezed the width of it reassuringly.He rolled her eyes at her tease and then smirked. "Guess that means we gotta find some sort of transport."

Apprehension warred with excitement in Jenny's stomach. Her heart was fluttering. In this place, it was going to be easier to get lost in the crowd, provided they learned how to fit in. Here, the Inquisitors would have thousands of people to look through, thousands of people that might all be like them. Different.

Maybe this was a good thing.

"I guess so," she said, squeezing his hand again, taking comfort from that alone as she started moving towards the exit of the alley, tugging Alec along behind her. "Transport and new clothes... Between us it shouldn't be too hard. Right? Are you feeling up to this?" She paused, head ducking and two fingers finding her temple. It was so loud.

Alec allowed himself to be tugged along, only breaking their hand to hand contact to peel off his gloves. "Yeah, I can do it." Nausea and headache aside he could do this. It was only when she appeared to flinch that Alec's touch slid to the back of Jenny's neck and he crouched low enough so he could look at her.

"Breathe, Jenny, remember your breathing. Do the distancing thing you keep telling me about."

"You bored of that spiel yet? Me talking about breathing and distancing?" Jenny asked, lifting her eyes to look at Alec. She gave him a small smile. "It's just... loud. It's not been this-" She hadn't been surrounded by so many people for such a long time. She touched his arm again.

She looked ahead of them again, not moving away from Alec's side. She couldn't sense any inquisitors, but that didn't mean they weren't there. They just had to be very careful. "Transport then clothing?" she guessed, lower lip sliding between her teeth. She took in a slow breath, imagining those walls lifting around her mind. Only what she wanted to hear could come in. "Cars... they'd be a good start." If they needed to, she could find out what they needed from whoever they took it from. Pass it on to Alec.

"Not yet," Alec remarked with a slanted smile. He stopped at the edge of the alleyway and quickly looked at the crowd, trying to pick out the easiest and most likely target. He found him: a businessman yabbering away on a cellphone with his attention elsewhere as he pulled a set of car keys from his pocket.

Perfect.

He turned to Jenny. "Stay here, alright?"

Alec gave her a reassuring wink before he vanished into the crowd, sliding in and out of people like a shadow, having learned how to move like that through sheer necessity. He inhaled a breath and unfurled the fingers on his left hand, lifting them to close around the businessman's forearm once they were out of the main stream of people.

"Hey!" The businessman objected as he turned around. "What do you think you'-"

Whatever words he was going to stay got lodged in the back of his throat as a sudden and completely mind blowing pain spread outwards from where Alec's hand had clasped him, dropping the businessman to his knees in a reaction that had been seen in strokes and heart attacks. Alec's grip remained firm and steady until he felt the other man's heart-rate slow and he could tell the other man was succumbing to unconsciousness, even then he only let go when he was sure the other man was down.

There was a distinct tingle in his hand and a moment of absolute euphoria as Alec stumbled back and breathed through that amazing feeling that always overcame him whenever he used that part of his power, it was addictive and it had almost taken Alec under once or twice in his life. He blinked slowly, his eyes slightly wider than they had been before, and found enough sense of mind to make himself move to grab those car keys and the guy's wallet.

Alec turned the keys over in his hand and forced himself to focus, hitting the alarm to indicate which car out of the many parked was the one he and Jenny would use to put as much distance between them and their entry into this new world.

Jenny turned and watched Alec go, ignoring his order of 'stay still'. It had gotten her in trouble before, not listening when he'd told her to do something, but she didn't think there would be an Inquisitor lurking around the corner this time. He was easy enough to find, his mind like a beacon when he had used the other half of his power. She hurried towards him, hearing the blaring of the car alarm.

It flashed, sitting in the middle of the car park and Jenny eyed it warily before she looked down at the man on the floor near Alec's feet. She crouched down and checked his pulse anyway, not that she had any reason to believe he would have actually killed him, but it was force of habit.

"What about the others?" she asked, getting to her feet again before she started moving towards the car. "Once we've got our bearing we should go back... take whatever we've found to them..."

Alec wet his lower lip and coached himself to breathe, trying to temper the reaction he had to that element of his power. Yeah, it felt good, but it was also dangerous. He eventually pushed away from the wall and followed Jenny in the direction of the car, casting a wary gaze around himself.

"You know as well as I do that we don't stay too long in one spot," Alec muttered before he slid in behind the wheel of the car and turned the key in the ignition. "If the others are smart they'll scatter to the wind until we work out where we are and how many of those bastards followed us through." He waited until Jenny was in the car before he shifted gears and drew out of the parking space.

Alec looked around himself. "Keep your eyes peeled for a place to stay or something, I stole the guy's wallet." He was unrepentant, given that they were running for their lives.

"There seemed to be so many of them before we jumped," Jenny admitted, shoulders hunching as she sat in the car. It was strange, being in a car like this and not being held captive by the Inquisitors. She plucked at the stitching of the leather. "You didn't hurt him too badly, right?" she asked, not looking at Alec, rather keeping her eyes open for somewhere for them to stay.

What she wouldn't give for a bathtub of clean, warm water. She wet her lower lip, there wasn't a lot of noise in the car, but there didn't need to be. Jenny was sifting out the unwanted thoughts from her mind, keeping Alec's stray thoughts at bay. "God, I hope that their machines sent them somewhere else."

Her lips pulled into a pout, "Somewhere with monsters. Oh! Motel! Look!"

In all honesty Alec wasn't entirely sure, but he knew one thing for certain: he hadn't stopped the other man's heart, like he had a couple Inquisitors in his time. "He'll live," he muttered roughly, still a little caught up in the after effects to be able to regulate the way his voice sounded.

Jenny's rapid change of subjects was something Alec had gotten used to over the years he'd known her so he was able to roll with them easily, meaning the wheel turned and the car was pulled into park. "You go get us a room," he said as he passed the wallet over. "I'm going to get rid of this car, wouldn't want the authorities of this world turning up here and leading them right to us."

Alec wasn't the only one guilty of killing to survive. Jenny had done her fair share of damage to people too, be it with a weapon or with her mind. She tapped her fingers on her thighs before she took the wallet from Alec's hand and opened it, thumbing through the money inside and lifting her eyebrow at it.

Hopefully it would be enough, even just for a night or two, somewhere where they could both sleep and get clean.

Next to the motel was a small 7/11 that had its lights on. Jenny glanced at that too before she was nodding. "Alright." She shuddered at the thought of authorities finding them. "We do need to keep our heads down..." She wet her lower lip, opening the car door and undoing her belt before she asked, "I don't look too much like a crazed, wild woman, right?"

Alec gave her a considering look and offered an otherwise charming smile. "Nah, just work your magic and nobody will be none the wiser." He drummed his fingers against the wheel of the car and looked at her for a serious moment. "Just be careful, okay? And if anything happens to me," because in all likelihood it could, "don't come after me, you just keep moving and you find the others."

"You got that?" He asked.

Jenny was all ready to tease him about using magic before he turned serious and she climbed back into the car, knees on the seats as she put her arms around his neck. "Don't say that," she muttered, "You'll come back and you'll wait right here and I'll tell you what room we're in." She leaned back and looked at him for a moment, brown eyes big and trusting, "I'm not going anywhere without you," she added stubbornly, "So you best come back."

She kissed his cheek and then reluctantly withdrew, adding a 'be careful' before she shut the car door and chewed on her lower lip. She would watch him go, then get them a room. Please be careful, Alec.

Alec would have said something, but Jenny was gone before he had the chance. He watched her for a moment before he turned the wheel in his hand again, accelerating away. Alec knew he needed to get rid of the car somewhere inconspicuous and then attempt to backtrack to where the motel was.

Anything could happen between leaving the car and reaching the motel. He just hoped the Inquisitors were as bewildered and unfamiliar with their surroundings, it might slow them down, even if they moved with startling speed.

Here was hoping he didn't run into them.

Jenny brushed her hair back and took a breath, trying to calm those nerves that had once again twisted up in her stomach. She knew she was going to regret this later, but looking the way she did, she knew that there weren't many people that would let her get a room. With that in mind, she closed her eyes and felt for the mind of the man behind the reception desk. Gently putting hooks in it so that she wouldn't lose the connection, she, with the wallet in her hand, headed into reception area.

She was a slim, dirty brunette in clothing that didn't match anything that anyone else was wearing and her hair hadn't been washed in a week, but with a subtle nudge from her mind, the clerk, a rather overweight guy named Craig, saw a slender blonde with huge breasts. She offered him a smile as she approached.

"Hey there, I'm looking to get a room for a couple of nights?" She said, leaning on the table, the ample cleavage that he could see keeping him distracted as she told him she needed a room for two and he handed over the keys. She winked at him and he gave her a discounted rate.

Money exchanged hands and Jenny stumbled out towards the room that was hers and Alec's, feeling the backlash of using her powers already coming on. Her vision was going funny, temperature starting to fluctuate and she felt quite nauseous. She needed to take that shower. She locked the door of the motel room behind her and headed into the bathroom, letting out a delighted sound at the sight of a shower and shampoo, god it smelt good.

Even as she stepped into the shower, she worried about Alec. Her eyes slid to the door and she chewed on her lower lip. God, she hoped he was alright. She kept her mind open, despite the headache pounding behind her eyes, so that she could sense his mind the moment he came close enough for her to.

Alec ditched the car in a nearby dark alley and left it there, frantically using an old piece of fabric from his shirt to clean the wheel, handle and whatever part of the car that might hold traces of who they were. Little did he know that if the car was found it wouldn't be him and his Jenny that found themselves locked up.

It was as he was leaving the car that he heard something above him and he immediately pressed his back into the wall and prayed that the shadow was large enough to conceal him.

Alec recognised the figure that moved fluidly down a nearby fire escape and breathed through his initial panic as the cold dispassionate eyes of the Inquisitor Bethany swept the area. There was no way he would be able to remain hidden from her, she had... abilities that the other Inquisitors did not.

Think, Alec, think...

He picked up a nearby rock and threw it at a set of trashcans, meaning they made enough noise for him to slip out of that alley and into the crowd. Thankfully he timed it right so as Bethany realised the error of her ways she couldn't have picked him out of the crowd, superhuman senses and all. One good thing about always being on the run you very quickly learn how to evade capture and use your surroundings to your advantage.

Given his worry about the Inquisitor following him he took a very long route back to the motel, hoping it would be enough to throw her off on any suspicions she might have.

Eventually he turned back up, more exhausted now than he had been to begin with.

Jenny was finished in the bathroom. In fact, in the time Alec had been gone she'd showered, gone to the store that was beside the motel and picked them both up some clothes - she roughly knew Alec's size even if the labels were all a bit confusing and the clothing items themselves very strange and unusual - and she'd got food for them both as well as some medical supplies, she'd seen a lot of them there and she'd had to 'charm' someone else into giving her money so that she could pay for it all and still have some spare. The guy at the store had said she could take things back if they didn't fit.

She was anxious, the wet strands of her hair curling around her face and shoulders, the t-shirt she was wearing clinging nicely to her frame as did the jeans (and it was strange to be in trousers, but they seemed to be comfortable enough) and she was twisting her fingers together as she kept her mind open, trying to sense Alec.

She had refrained from eating anything because she'd wanted Alec to be there. She was so worried about him that the idea of eating food made her feel sick anyway.

As soon as his mind touched hers she was on her feet, bolting towards the door and pulling it open. "Alec!" she exclaimed, "Over here!"

Alec lifted his head at the calling of his name and hurried his step, sliding into the safety of that motel room and allowing his shoulders to slump for a very brief moment.

God, he was exhausted.

"Well," he started. "I know one thing for certain, we were definitely followed through." He turned and looked at the freshly washed Jenny and blinked, she looked... pretty good all cleaned up. Not that she didn't before. He forced himself to focus. "I nearly ran into the one called Bethany. I think she's hunting us."

Jenny's breath caught in a brief panic that seared over her before she was locking the door and moving to shut the curtains. She wet her lower lip and looked back at him, the damp strands of her hair less errant than usual, curling in a rather controlled manner around her features. She tilted her head at him. "I, uh, I got us some food and I got you some clothes... the man I bought them off said I can return them if they are of an incorrect size. You weren't here, I had to guess." She pointed at one of the two beds that had everything on it. "And there's a bathroom! It has a shower and shampoo, it smells really nice."

Her lips curled into a smile and she rubbed the back of her neck, feeling a little self-conscious in the trousers. She had never worn a pair of trousers before. It wasn't proper for a woman, after all.

"We'll be safe here," she added, "I doubt even the great Bethany could find us in here." She eyed the window.

Alec perked up at the mention of food. "We should probably save some, take it back to the others." Although finding the vampires in their group some form of sustenance could prove more bothersome, but this world did have hospitals and Alec thought blood supplies. It was a possibility, at the very least. If all else failed.

"Maybe they'll have some news about this world and the Inquisitors." Alec very rarely let himself relax, but the thought of a hot shower was really tempting. He hadn't had one in so long and he almost felt bad for putting his needs ahead of the group's needs.

He breathed out slowly. "I think I lost her."

"You wouldn't have come back here if you hadn't lost her," Jenny said with a smile, moving towards the window again. She watched him, not needing to be a mind-reader to know that he was worrying about the others. She wanted to reassure him that the others would be fine, that everyone was out trying to find things out about this world and him taking a shower and grabbing some sleep on a bed that wasn't made of wood wasn't going to do anyone any harm.

She nodded, "We will... I grabbed quite a bit. Hopefully the others will have found some kind of food too. I hope it's all edible... The food here's so odd..." she moved to stand next to him again, lifting a hand to touch his face, turning his head towards her. "Go get cleaned up. We'll be okay here for a while. If Inquisitor Bethany is hunting us, we are best to just hide here for now." She worried her lower lip. "You have to look after yourself too, you know."

"I forget that sometimes," Alec admitted before he disappeared into the bathroom. Everything was so... clean. He eyed his reflection and grimaced, he looked very rough. Alec tugged his shirt off and hissed out a small breath as he troubled a few lingering bruises, a littering of scars painted his back from where he had a few run ins with the Inquisitors.

Alec disposed of his filthy clothes and stepped under the stream of hot very steady stream, groaning in ecstasy. It had been so long since he'd last... felt that, way too long. He remained under the water for a long time before he soaped up and shampooed his hair, his very long desperately in need of a cut hair.

If only he had something to shave with then he might be able to get rid of the annoying hair on his face.

Alec reached out for a towel and wrapped his waist with it, using another to dry his hair as he wandered back out, apologising for his lack of dress, but given that he'd left the new clothes in the room there wasn't anything he could do about it. Thankfully they were indoors and had no observers to this lewd behaviour.

No observers save Jenny who looked at him for a long moment, colour catching on her cheeks before she dropped her eyes and turned around, for once very glad that Alec wasn't a mind reader. He looked good. He always did. But she so rarely saw him without a shirt on unless she was helping him clean up an injury and then she wasn't really supposed to look.

She pulled her hair over one shoulder. It usually fell down past the middle of her back, and she twisted her fingers in it, plaiting and unplaiting it absently as she kept her back to him. She apologised for not turning sooner. She tipped her head a little, glancing out of the corner of her eye and sneaking another look at Alec.

"I hope the clothes fit." she said quietly, rocking back and forth on her heels. She'd almost forgotten how good he looked. It was an inappropriate thought, but she couldn't help herself.

Alec tugged on the jeans first, noticing that they didn't feel grimy and how he kind of liked that. He'd always made do with whatever he'd been able to scavenge that wearing brand new clothes was quite the dizzying sensation.

The next thing he pulled on was that long sleeved top, feeling warm in ways he hadn't in so long. This world had everything they'd ever wanted, but how long could they stay? Before those Inquisitors drove them out? Or tried to purge this world the same way they had theirs?

"Perfect," he said after a moment. "They're wonderful, thank you."

Jenny turned once he was dressed and smiled at him. She moved a little closer and plucked at the material of the top. It felt soft underneath her fingers. "Don't thank me, thank the men that gave us the currency." She fished the bills out of the pocket of her jeans and held them up to Alec. "We still have some left. But we should keep it safe. Just in case."

She bit her lower lip and reached up to take a look at the cut on his head. It didn't look so bad now that he had showered. He didn't smell like bin anymore either. She liked the way that he smelt normally, it was very comforting. Reminded her of the times when they'd been in hiding. And whatever he had used from the selection in the bathroom smelt good too.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, turning her head to look at the bags on the bed. She didn't really move out of his personal space. She was starving. "Apparently, these shops are open all the time. And they sell so many different things, Alec, it's wonderful."

She wanted to stay.

Alec gave a small laugh and took a hold of the bills from Jenny, placing them in a small pouch he'd always carried on his person for the more important of things. "Good thinking, never know when we'll need it."

The mention of food brought about a loud grumble in his stomach and he lifted an eyebrow. "I was going to answer, but my stomach appears to have done the talking for me." He smoothed a wayward strand of Jenny's hair behind her ear before he caught himself, opening his mouth to apologise.

It was after all very forward of him.

Jenny laughed softly as Alec's stomach growled and she looked up at him, feeling a lot more relaxed than she had in a long time. It was probably very unwise. But she couldn't help it. "So it would seem," she retorted gently, teeth catching her lower lip when he brushed her hair back.

It seemed unusual that he would do such a thing, usually she was the one that initiated the contact. She found it grounding, but also comforting. And if she were honest with herself, she found herself in Alec's personal space far more often than she really needed to be. She just smiled at him, a soft expression, letting him know without words that he didn't need to apologise. She didn't mind in the least.

"You can investigate these foods with me," she suggested, catching his wrist before his hand fell away, squeezing it gently and stepping back towards the other bed where the paper bag with items of food in it, contents ranging from bread and pre-slice cheese to donuts and muffins.

"That sounds like a very good plan," Alec said with a small nod of his head. He just hoped that they didn't eat too much, people did that when they'd gone so long without food. "We'll have to be careful not to eat too much."

He followed her over to the beds and settled on his own, drawing a leg up towards his chest. "What did you find?"

"All manner of strange things," Jenny said with a small smile, sitting with her legs dangling, toes just touching the floor. The beds were soft beneath them. She ran her hand over the fabric of the duvet cover before she reached into the bag.

A couple of pre-made sandwiches were pulled out, along with a loaf of bread, cheese, a bottle of water, a few items that had interested her including some chocolate bars, and then, finally, a pack of muffins and a box that was labelled 'Krispy Kreme'. A red foil bag with the words 'Cinema Style Popcorn' written on it in garish gold letters also came out, resting on top of the muffins. She also had medical supplies, bandages and antiseptic, things that would mean they could clean anyone who had a serious injury. Infection was one of the biggest killers, and Alec could not heal everyone.

She looked up at him again with an ever widening smile. "What do you want to try?"

Alec scratched at the back of his neck, hand still a little... strange from his encounter with that unfortunate stranger and smiled a little at Jenny's obvious delight for the strange foods of this world. "I have no idea," he shared with a shake of his head. "You pick me something, I trust you." And in their world that was a big thing to admit, that a man trusted a woman.

He found himself concerned for the others and hoped they wouldn't lose anymore people.

Jenny smiled softly as Alec admitted trust in her and she perused the choice of sandwiches and food items carefully. She settled on one that read 'ham salad' and held it out to him, putting one aside for herself and the others went into the bag. Once he'd taken it from her, she looked at the bottle of water, curling one leg underneath herself.

"We can share this?" she suggested, picking at the label absently, the paper making a soft sound underneath the attention of her fingertips. She wasn't rough enough to tear it. It was a large, 1.5ltr bottle. "I didn't think to pick up more than one." Tucking her hair behind her ears, she eyed the sandwich she'd chosen for herself and then the plastic wrapping around it, turning it over in her hands before she found the seal that could be broken. It came off with a ripping sound. She eyed the other items, the sweeter ones. They looked a lot nicer than the sandwich, but she was so hungry right now that she didn't really care what it was she was eating.

Alec took a hold of the sandwich and turned it over, glancing at the name then taking a look at the sandwich itself. It looked pretty good, not that he was in any position to be picky about his food, given that they barely ate as it was.

"That's fine," he said with a nod. "I'm used to sharing things with you."

Jenny opened the bottle of water and gave it a cursory sniff before she took a sip and handed it to Alec. Surprisingly, it was still cool. Any kind of easy conversation vanished with the promise of food as the pair started to eat.