Wakey Wakey (open!)

[Ershey]

Ershey turned in her sleep, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face. She murmured, pulling up her blanket over her head to cover herself. Once she moved her arm, however, pain shot through her body. She winced, blinking her eyes open to see what was wrong.

Oh yeah... It was then that she remembered. Her bruises and cuts from the last time she saw Ericson. She groaned, hugging her pillow and refusing to get up.

[Wraith]

Wraith was tossing and turning in her bunk. Nightmares, as always. Hands clutching at her, one of them covering her mouth, muffling her screams, a crooked grin, a whisper in her ear..."Shhh."

Then a gunshot blast so loud she cried out and sat straight up, awake, but it was only Kloppman tapping on the door with a broom. As she shuddered and rubbed her eyes, she heard a groan of pain and glanced curiously at Ershey's bunk.

[Ershey]

Ershey heard a knock on the door but ignored it, squeezing her pillow even tighter. It was too quiet in the bunkroom and she could tell that it was definitely pass selling time. She figured most of the newsgirls were gone and left her to sleep.

Slowly but surely, Ershey sat up from her bed, the covers falling to reveal her bruised face and somewhat bandaged arm. She blinked, squinting from the sunlight. She wasn't in the mood to sell but figured that with the way she looked, it was probably a good idea. Placing her feet on the floor, Ershey began looking for her shoes. Now, where did Mush put them?

[Wraith]

Wraith squeaked at the sight of Ershey and, already on edge, literally fell out of her bunk. She landed hard on the floor, sighed, lay there for a moment wondering whether she too was now in for a couple bruises, then sat up and muttered, "What happened to you?"

[Ershey]

Upon hearing Wraith, Ershey immediately jumped from her bunk, turning around to face the window so she wouldn't have to face the newsgirl.

"Uh, um... nothin'," she muttered, finding her shoes in the corner and immediately putting them on. She groaned painfully as she bent over to tie her shoe laces, still sore from her bruises. "Got into a fight. You should've seen the other girl. She looked worse than I did."

[Wraith]

"Yeah?" Wraith actually almost smiled for a second, an event which might have triggered the apocalypse, had it actually occurred.

Then she remembered that her relationship with this girl was strictly of a business nature, and staggered to her feet. She reached up and grabbed a hairbrush from her bunk, casually strolling closer to Ershey. "Goblin said he talked to you," she said softly, looking up at a cracked wall mirror and brushing out her long hair.

[Ershey]

"You mean interrogate?" said Ershey, grabbing the bandages that Mush had left near her bed. She sat back down on her bed, replacing her old bandages with new ones.

[Wraith]

"Yeah, he...he does that," she admitted, setting the brush down and shaking her hair out of her eyes. She eyed her reflection in a depressed sort of way. So pale and skinny, and those haunted eyes...no wonder people thought she was a ghost. She always looked half-dead.

"About...all that. It's just...I want it to be over, you know?" she murmured--and she glanced pointedly at Ershey's bruises to get her point across. She had a strong feeling she knew where they'd really come from.

[Ershey]

Ershey cleared her throat, a bit unsure of what to say. Of course, she wanted everything to be over but what would come with getting rid of Ericson?

"You really want to pull through with that plan?" she asked after a couple of moments.

[Wraith]

She nodded, picked up the hairbrush again--and promptly dropped it. It went clattering under Ershey's bunk. Bending to try and fish it out, she whispered sharply, "I know how it looks. Like I'm scared of my own shadow and there's no way I could pull this off. But I can do it. If it's all I think about, if I just...shut down everything else..." She raised rather frightening grey eyes to meet Ershey's. "I can do it. If you can."

[Ershey]

"I know it's worth it but..." started Ershey, putting away the bandages and looking over at Wraith. "We can't possibly do it ourselves, can we? What can you do that'll get to Ericson and bring him down?"

Then, almost suddenly, Ershey remembered Mush's concern and anger once he found out. If he knew she was going to do this...

[Wraith]

She shrugged, pulling out the brush and intently plucking dust from the bristles. "What are we willing to do?"

We, WE, 'cause we're in this together, and hopefully you'll get in so deep that you won't be able to turn around and rat me out when it's all over.

[Ershey]

Ershey stared at Wraith, both in surprise and confusion. "What are we willing to do?" she repeated, raising her eyebrow at her. "I never told Goblin that I agreed. I said I'd wait and see what you all come up with, there's a difference."

[Wraith]

"Goblin'll come up with plans," Wraith said softly, "to get the goons out of the way, to make sure no one stumbles on us and calls the honest cops, to clear my way so everything goes smoothly. But he won't ask me what I'm gonna do when I get to Ericson." She glanced sideways at Ershey. "I could give him a scare. Show him that I know how to get to him. That might work."

Her heart was pounding like a drum now, her calm quickly dissolving, so she stood and scrambled up to her bunk to get her clothes, leaving Ershey to react however she would.

[Ershey]

Once Wraith climbed back to her bunk, Ershey couldn't help but think of what kind of freedom she would have when Ericson was gone. She wouldn't have to scramble for money, work two jobs or even steal. She didn't have to live in fear.

"I'm assuming you've done somethin' like this before," she said, turning around to face Wraith's bunk. "How successful do you two get?"