Thank you to Angel897, Ghostwriter, dots-fiction, Lenora, and Cujoo for the reviews. This is a set up chapter so not as long as some that are coming soon.
River feels her heart race as she turns on the phone. She's only had to do the hardware work herself once before and she knows it's entirely possible she broke the damn thing but considering the apps she's going to run she can't risk not wiping the factory settings. She watches, holding her breath, until the welcome screen flashes on and she lets the air out with a smile.
The phone isn't a replacement for hearing but it makes life in a hearing world easier. The over-write program she'd loaded onto it was designed by a software engineer at the request of her father. It was designed to remove the original operating system and load on all the necessary software while leaving the phone secure from prying ears or later remote access. This was crucial since the programs involved were designed to keep the phone's mic live at all times.
She'd originally gotten the system set up years ago when the first smartphones hit the market but since then she'd had tweaks made and the programs available had gotten better. The average deaf person had access to dozens of apps but all the ones she'd loaded on today were custom and designed specifically for her life. In her usual day to day she had one device that functioned as an actual phone with text and video calls and then one loaded with this software. When doing work for her father she only carried the custom device and a burner.
The phone has finished loading and she feels her heart ache at the sight of the familiar interface. She'd missed the convenience of technology. She glances up to find Chibs watching her curiously so she taps into the conversation icon and looks back up at him making a motion to encourage him to talk. She waits until his lips are moving and then looks back down to the screen to see the words appearing in black and white as he speaks.
"What am I —oh yeh're not even looking. Shite is it typing what I'm saying?" She lets out a laugh and looks back up into his wide eyes. Looking back down to the phone she taps the keyboard icon and her thumb flies over the screen typing at a speed that old fashioned writing could never match. She hits enter and looks up at him. She knows the minute the device has started reading to him because his eyes widen further and his mouth opens a bit in surprise.
It types for me as you talk and then it'll talk for me when I type. It makes things faster. Don't worry, the recordings are never stored and the mic can't be accessed remotely. That's why I wanted no internet, can't trust the fucking feds. You should still learn to sign though. It does other cool things want to see?
It's more than she's managed to say to him in one go since they'd met and she watches his eyebrows disappear into his hair. His lips start to move and she looks down. "Are yeh usually this talkative and I just didn't know?" She huffs out a laugh.
It's hard with pen and paper.
"Aye, so no more reading lips then?" She doesn't look up before typing back.
Using the text to type is really only good for new people and groups. I still read lips a lot because otherwise I miss the facial expressions but I can use the type to fill in gaps when I miss something. I always use it for typing to people who can't sign though. Makes it easier. Is it on the girl voice?
She watches him listen and knows when he gets to the question because he laughs and nods. Rather than look back down she watches his lips when he speaks. "Aye lass, yeh sound fine." She smiles back, she's glad it's set on the right voice, there was a male option programed in there somewhere. She'd made Vinny sit with her for hours the last time they'd programed it until they'd found a female voice option that he promised didn't sound like Siri. Now she doesn't have to write out every word she has a million questions but she starts with the biggest.
What did Juice want to talk about?
Chibs lets out a sigh. "He got himself all tied. I put him right. He did bring me a massive file on yeh. He figured out who yeh are by himself." River feels her heart pick up speed and she looks down to confirm the words on the screen. She licks her lips and keeps her eyes on his face while she types from memory.
Oh yea? Anything interesting? Good photos?
Chibs just gets up and she waits while he moves down the hall before returning with a thick folder of printouts. He puts it in her hands and she flips through the pages recognizing several of the news stories. She stops on the one about her apartment. The phone buzzes in her lap and she grabs it looking up just in time to see Chibs stop talking and then start again. She looks down at the screen.
"Yea, yeh're a rich woman aren't— did it just tell yeh I'm talking. Jesus Christ that's odd." She laughs and looks back up at his surprised face before moving her thumb over the screen.
It has a noise detector. The mic is always live so it will alert me if someone starts talking near by and I don't have the conversation app open. It can tell volume and has sound recognition too so it can tell the difference between a person talking and a siren or an alarm. It makes living in a hearing world easier.
She watches his face as he listens and he's staring at her like he can't figure out what to make of the entire situation. "That's quite the device. Yeh said it's secure?" She signs yes and he nods back. "So I can't make snarky comments behind your back anymore huh?" She rolls her eyes and types blind.
You shouldn't have been doing that anyways but no.
"What about other times? Times yeh maybe don't want it listening?" He lets that leer spread over his face as he talks and she realizes he's trying to flirt with her again.
It has a silent mode
"Uh huh. So about this nickname of yours. Did yeh really let them use your childhood nickname to be cool?" She laughs loud and starts shuffling through the papers again trying to figure out where he got his information. She finds the article page and huffs a breath of air.
Ugh, I forgot about this. Yea, most of my family calls me River but using it publicly was the tour's idea. It was years ago though so I'm stuck.
"What about your real name. It's very pretty, why not use it?" She almost blushes at the compliment. The answer is complicated. She doesn't dislike her real name but her father did. It had been her mother's middle name and after she'd died he'd stopped using it to refer to River sticking with a variety of nicknames until he'd settled on one long term. He still used pet names but rarely did her real name fall from his lips. She thinks about how to explain then moves her thumb.
My mother's name was Anna Sofia, she died when I was two and my dad didn't want the reminder. I don't dislike it, I just don't use it privately. All the newspapers do though outside of the poker reports.
She shuffles through the papers while the phone reads and holds up a number of Chicago local stories about charity work and her family which refer to exclusively as Sofia. He nods and then glances down at his watch.
"I have to be at the garage in an hour. I got a text from Gemma last night sayin' to bring yeh again." His eyebrows are up in question as he says the last part and River loves the way he signs Gemma's name for her.
She's taking me for a hair cut. She insisted yesterday.
He raises an eyebrow. "Her and what army?" River had been wondering the same thing about being left to her own devices with the MC queen but she shrugs.
I assume she'll be armed. I'm not running anywhere. We still have to call Vinny.
With the mention of her cousin the reality of the situation slams back into place and she can tell he doesn't like it from the way his face falls. She's learned over the last few days that when possible Chibs seems perfectly content to pretend they're just two people getting to know each other. She enjoys it and honestly she's not sure if she'd have made it this far without the interludes but it doesn't change who they are or what's going to happen next. It's Tuesday morning which means they have less than a week left to figure out the Cartel puzzle.
"Aye, have to talk to Jackie about that. Go get ready." He ends the conversation by getting up.
She stays on the couch and watches him go feeling bad. She can tell he wanted a little more in return for his flirting and the compliment and part of her had wanted to flirt back. It's so complicated though. River knows the pictures of her in the massive apartment and at charity galas can't have helped anything. She knows what her life is.
She flips through the pages again and finds one of her at a reception for the mayor Chicago. She'd been asked to attend by a lawyer she was seeing at the time and she runs her finger over the image of herself wearing the designer gown with almost a million in diamonds around her neck. She looks down at her current clothes, the cheap jeans and his old hoodie. She doesn't need the expensive things but she's experienced them wrecking romance in the past.
She lets out an annoyed huff and runs a hand over her short hair. Is that what this is with Chibs? Romance? An inevitable reaction to stress? She has no idea. She likes that he flirts, she likes that he tries to sign, she likes his subtle but bright intelligence, mostly she likes him. She finds him terribly attractive with his broad shoulders, scared face, and shaggy hair. She gets a twist in her stomach from his easy smile and the way she goes hot when he touches her. In spite of everything else she finds comfort in him, he feels like safety. It's why she'd curled up against him the night before and it's why she hadn't left in the middle of the night to steal a video phone and call Vinny on her own.
She wants to help Chibs and his club. It's only been a week and she's already attached to most of the men. Watching them all work yesterday had cemented the feeling in her chest and she'd woken up thinking about it early this morning. It hadn't just been problems she'd spotted in the garage it had been camaraderie, brotherhood. She'd seen it in the way they laughed together and moved as a unit. Even Gemma had demonstrated it with the offer of a haircut and more clothes. It was something that River didn't observe often in the colder halls of the Cosa Nostra.
There's too much going on to dwell on it now though. She needs to get in touch with Vinny, make sure her dad is okay, and then keep her word to Jax about dealing with the Cartel. She needs to keep her head in the game to keep whole and she can't do that while pining after the burly Scot. A traitorous part of her mind reminds her that none of this means she can't use him for more stress relief but she pushes it away. Focused and calm. She can do this.
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