As the week went by, CJ fell into a rut. He'd wake up every day, water his little patch of turnips, then wander around his farm and smoke until nightfall. His bootprints painted the dirt, sand, and grass day after day, and a trail of Marlboro wind followed his head whenever he went. One day he had even spotted a small, breakaway island off the shore of his main farmland containing a crumbling lighthouse, however he was too depressed to bother swimming over. He lived off of snacks and cigarettes that he'd send Mark along to buy with the dwindling $500 he stole. When night fell, he'd drop himself into bed and sleep for over ten hours. He'd sleep a dreamless sleep, only to wake up and repeat the process.
Saturday night fell, and when CJ headed inside his shack to dig around for another bag of chips, he discovered he no longer had any. His stomach let out a long, pained growl, and he winced. Although he knew it was inevitable, he had been banking on not having to leave his farm, and his gut flipped worse at the thought of putting himself out in public. He dug out a little map Mark had gave him that CJ threw in his nightstand without thinking, to find a bar within walking distance of the ranch named Merlotte's. He grimaced at the thought of leaving, but he tried to mentally bribe himself with the promise of alcohol if he went. And with a heavy sigh, he donned his well-worn orange flannel, buried himself deep inside, and forced himself out the door.
Merlotte's was dimly lit, and the gentle sound of distant billiard clacking and quiet conversations filled the air. CJ made a beeline for the bar, eyes fixed, less they wander and linger on someone and spark a conversation. He pulled out a stool and bellied up.
"Hey, what can I get ya?" A light, choppy voice floated in his general direction. CJ's eyes still remained fixed on the counter itself so steady it could have burnt a hole through it, and he did not answer.
"Hello?"
CJ remained quiet.
"Alright... holler if ya need anything." The young man turned on his heel and began servicing a regular patron two stools down. CJ waited until how he was sure the too-happy bartender's attention was directed elsewhere before he picked his worn wallet out of his butt pocket and thumbed through the bills inside. He looked up at the wall of drafts and bottles behind the counter, and stuck his eyes on a bottle of Captain Morgan. He remained, head down, eyes up, to wait quietly for the bartender to come back around. The less his voice was heard, the better.
Which is why he tried so hard to avoid screeching when he felt a hand on his shoulder, however, he failed.
"Howdy! You must be Mark's lil' brother!" A woman's voice beat his eardrum. His heart raced as his eyes darted around the bar, but thankfully, it didn't seem as if anyone noticed - or cared - about his yelp. Relieved, he stared up at his intruder as his expression twisted into anger.
"What the hell?" He snarled as he looked up at her. She was blonde, blue-eyed, and daisy-duked. Her hair was wavy and long and curtained her round face. She didn't drop her smile for a second.
"I've been wanting to meet ya!" She pulled up a stool next to CJ and cradled her head on her hands.
"You didn't have to scare me like that," CJ muttered.
"Sorry," She laughed, "I didn't mean to."
"Mmhmm." CJ turned back away from her and looked down the bar at the bartender, who was still chatting up his regular.
"My name's Julia Compton. Me, my ma, and my brother run the animal shop down on Verdure."
"Mmhmm."
"If yer lookin' to get some livestock for your farm, we're the place to go."
"Cool."
"Have you been meetin' folks yet?"
"No."
"Oh, I gotta take you to meet my family, then. We gotta get you settled in."
"No thanks."
Julia was taken aback by this, and sunk back a little. CJ noticed and immediately felt a little guilty. "I need to eat," He attempted to clarify.
"Nah, it's okay. I take it you're not much of a talker."
CJ remained silent.
"Hey, how about you come over to our house, then? When's the last time you had a good, home-cooked meal?"
"No thanks. I'm alright."
"I've seen your brother buying your snacks for you at the store. Is that all you've been eating?"
"What would it matter if it was?" CJ leaned back against the stool's backboard and folded his arms. "I'm doing fine."
Julia cocked an eyebrow. "Folks who are fine don't usually need to convince others."
No response.
Julia sighed a little. "It's food that you don't have to pay for."
"Fine."
Julia pushed open the door to the massive barn-turned-store and held it open for her reluctant dinner guest. CJ cautiously stepped in and scanned the room. It was a giant, open store area, with shelves full of animal supplies surrounded by four walls and a couple of doorways. Julia grabbed for his arm to lead him towards the direction of an archway, but released his sleeve when he jumped back in response. Not missing a beat, she apologized, and directed him to the doorway once again, without touching him.
When he passed under he was greeted by a huge, but quaint kitchen. A woman that looked to be around Julia's age stood at the stove as she stirred a pot. She could have looked exactly like Julia, had it not been for her being short and portly with her hair cut short.
"Ma, this is CJ, Mark's brother. You alright with him eating with us tonight?"
CJ's eyes bugged out. *Mother*? She looked as young as the two of them!
"Of course, hun!" The woman lidded her pot and made her way to CJ, outstretching her hand. It took him a moment to process what she wanted, and he sheepishly placed his hand into hers, only to feel his whole body seemingly lift off the ground with her strong hold. "My name's Mirabelle, it's a pleasure to meet ya."
"Hi," His voice creaked.
"Why don't you take a seat at the table and, Julia, go get your brother and tell him dinner's ready."
"Yup," Julia chirped before heading off down a hallway across from the storefront.
Once she was out of sight, CJ rubbed his hands together in nervousness.
"Uh, I'm sorry to... be in the way, uh... Julia kinda, brought me down here. I don't eat that much. I'll be fine." Guilt swelled in the sour pit of his stomach for even staying as long as he had already. He felt extremely selfish for even considering Julia's offer. He wanted to go home.
"Ahh, bullshit," Mirabelle smiled at him, "You ain't takin' nothin' from me, don't you worry. You're a guest tonight. You eat as much as you'd like." She took her pot off the stove and sat it on the counter. The room smelled of fresh, thick stew. CJ's stomach growled hard.
"I knew it, get your ass down in that seat, boy." She shook her ladle at him, and he complied.
As soon as his butt hit the seat, Julia came back in with a stride, with yet another reluctant man in tow.
CJ tried not to let his surprise be obvious, but where as Julia and Mirabelle could pass for twins, the man he assumed to be Julia's brother looked *nothing* like the either of them. He was much taller, had a way darker skintone, with thick, long, straight silver hair and matching stubble. CJ accidentally caught the attention of his one eye uncovered by his hair. It was a surprisingly soft violet.
"CJ, this is Vaughn. Vaughn, this is CJ." Julia smiled brightly.
The two men paused for a moment before offering, at the same time, an acknowledging grunt.
Julia and Mirabelle sat down at the table as Vaughn went for the fridge. CJ watched as inconspicuously as he could as he leaned in and produced a red can, popped it, and started chugging it.
"Uhm, Vaughn hun, why are you drinking expired tomato juice?" Mirabelle hurriedly questioned. Vaughn looked at her and Julia quizzically for a moment before quickly glancing at CJ and back. The women shot him a worried look, which caused him to dump the can down the drain and toss it in the trash. CJ was completely lost. He could sense something was off, but just remained silent in his seat, eyes awkwardly darting between members of the family. Vaughn cleared his throat, grabbed the last bowl, and joined the table.
Mirabelle and Julia chatted back and forth over dinner, while Vaughn and CJ remained quiet. CJ gingerly ate his stew, his gut screeching at the joyous addition of real food. Vaughn hid under his bangs as he silently downed spoonful after spoonful.
Julia took a break from her mother's conversation to glance at the guys. "Good lord, you guys get along so well!" She joked. CJ and Vaughn met each other's gaze for a moment before turning back down to their respective bowls, neither of which were finished. Julia and Mirabelle shrugged at each other before returning to their talk. CJ snuck another look at Vaughn out of the corner of his eye and shyly smiled to himself.