There Are Flowers in the Garbage [Musebox]

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Expecting that school, both correspondence and not, was going to keep Howard and Diana busy was probably a vain hope. Howard's sleep schedule keeps him from usually having evenings free (either he's napping or he's zombified), but occasionally his and Diana's free time overlap. Tonight is one of those nights.

See, it's after Christmas, and the grocer down the street throws away most of the turkeys that weren't sold by that day. Some of them are well rotten by now, but some of them were frozen before they were tossed, and as such they're still more than edible. Howard told Diana about this heinous crime, and they spent the last night unable to really sleep without thinking of all the meat going to waste.

So tonight they're striking a blow for justice. Or for hunger. Whichever. Howard's donned black clothing to blend in with the background, and has brought his backpack and a shopping cart. At the very least they can get some emergency stores for the freezer. He waits outside Ian and Barbara's house for Diana, tapping his foot.

Comments

[first_in_time]

"You're arrested and you 'sort of need bailing out?' Oh, Diana," Barbara sighed. There was nothing quite like hearing that both of one's charges had been arrested to wake one up. "I'll be there in half an hour. Please don't do anything more until I get there."

Barbara hung up the phone and went to wake Ian, for between them they taught a number of students in the area and with both of them going there was a better chance of appealing to an officer or two. Hopefully that would be enough to lower the cost of the bail, or something equally helpful.

[splendid_roman]

Anyone who rung at this time of night was either a wrong number or an emergency. So despite Ian's reluctance to get up he hadn't gone back to sleep either.

When Barbara came back to the bedroom he asked, "Who was it?" and yawned.

[first_in_time]

"Diana," she answered as she pulled out trousers and a clean shirt for Ian. "They've been arrested. I told them we'd be there soon."

Under the impression that Howard and Diana had something between them (romantic or otherwise), Barbara often referred to them as 'they'. She pulled out something clean and presentable for herself, too, and began to get dressed.

"We'll possibly need the cheque book. Is it still in the drawer by the telephone?" Barbara sounded casual because there was no point in getting angry just yet. It was better to wait until everyone was home. Or at least in the car on their way home.

((OOC: I figured that Barbara and Ian could do a few tags, and then we'll jump back to the police station?))

[splendid_roman]

"They've what?" Ian sat up in bed, not saving his anger until later. "What were they doing to get arrested?"

He briefly considered not going to get them to teach them a lesson, but it wasn't worth the aggravation, so he got up and started getting dressed.

[first_in_time]

"Diana didn't say where specifically," Barbara began dragging a brush through her hair, "but she mentioned breaking and entering. Why is anyone's guess - unless they've found something of use, such as perfectly fine engine parts they could sell, or wasted food."

Once her hair was out of her eyes and somewhat presentable, she found their cardigans and her handbag. At the door, she passed Ian his coat after she'd fished the cheque book from the telephone drawer and put it in her bag.

"Let's just get them out. We can sort out what to do with them once we're home," she told Ian, pulling on her own coat.

[splendid_roman]

"Oh, great." Ian could just imagine all sorts of scenarios. The worst part was that he couldn't just assume someone had got the wrong end of the stick - it was possible that they had broken into somewhere.

"All right," he agreed, then put on his coat, picked up his car keys and yawned again as he stepped outside into the cold.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

It's a good thing Ian and Barbara don't decide to just let them stay in jail, as Howard's already doubting that they're coming back. He sits in his cell, swinging his feet and chewing at the drawstring of his jacket, as the officer ushers Diana back into the room.

"Did they say they're coming for us?"

[keep_surviving]

Diana's eyes were going to get stuck if she kept rolling her them like this.

"No, Howard, they aren't. Barbara said we deserved what we got and a night or two here would teach us a lesson." Her sarcasm was so thick, it could have melted the wire in the window of their room.

"Honestly, what do you think?"

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"I don't know, Diana, this is my first time being arrested with this set of guardians." He tugs at the drawstring in his mouth and winces as it rubs against a cut in his mouth. "Are they both coming?"

[keep_surviving]

"I don't know. Barbara answered and said she was coming but I'm guessing she'll tell Ian and he'll want to come too." Besides, they'd probably be taking Ian's car, right?

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Great. Ian's going to want to throttle me. He hates waking up any time before he has to." Howard sucks on the edge of the string and tries to ignore Diana.

[first_in_time]

A loud clanking rang around the small cell from somewhere the occupants couldn't quite see. Footsteps echoed down the concrete hall, growing in volume until a police officer stepped into view, leading the Chestertons into the room where Howard and Diana were being held.

The look on Barbara's face was a mix of empathy, tiredness and irritation. She knew that Ian had discussed stealing with Howard previously, and thought that it had all stopped now. Clearly not.

"Can you confirm that these are the people you're here for?" the officer asked.

[splendid_roman]

Ian's expression was just tiredness and irritation. "That's them," he confirmed. "Tell us how much we have to pay and we'll take them off your hands."

"They'll have to come back tomorrow to face charges," the officer said.

Ian gave Howard and Diana a look that told them they were in serious trouble and followed the policeman out to discuss specifics.

[keep_surviving]

Diana tried her best to look guilty and apologetic, lowering her head and sinking her shoulders to appear small, but it was very hard when Ian's face to made her want to giggle.

So she thought it best to keep her gaze on Barbara. At least it would look like she was too afraid to speak to Ian. "Did we mention we're sorry?"

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Howard, on the other hand, doesn't feel amused at all, and mostly keeps his eyes to the floor, except to cast a bit of an indignant glare at the police officer. This would have gone fine if they hadn't gotten caught, and now that crushing weight of dread is on him. He gets up and holds his arms around himself, not willing to look at Ian or Barbara's faces.

[first_in_time]

After subtly handing Ian the checkbook, Barbara watched him leave with the officer to sort out everything and took a step closer to the bars of the cell.

"I believe so, but it's going to take more than that I'm afraid," she told Diana, moreso because Ian wasn't going to let the whole affair go easily. "You'd best tell me what happened."

[keep_surviving]

"Howie found out they were going to be dumping all those unsold turkeys." Diana shrugged her shoulders and folded her arms. "Which is a terrible idea. So we thought we'd fix it."

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

He glares at Diana as she firmly dumps the blame on him, then back at the floor. "We'll pay you back for the bail money."

[first_in_time]

"I'm not worried about the money." She waved a hand as though brushing the point aside. "I'm more worried about your reputations. How are you going to find work if you've got a criminal record?"

Finding work had been hard enough for Howard as it was, it'd be impossible to do as much with a record as well. And no one would want to employ a woman with a record, either. Barbara rubbed her forehead as she looked between Howard and Diana.

"Hopefully all you'll need to do is apologise to the shop owner," she added after a pause as the sound of returning footsteps began to echo toward them.

[splendid_roman]

It was Ian on his way back. "You're free to go," he said to Howard and Diana. "Until tomorrow, when they'll decide what to do with you." His expression left no clues as to what that might be.

He turned and went back out, expecting the others to follow him.

[keep_surviving]

"An apology we can do."

Diana stood up, flashing both Ian and Barbara a smile. "Thanks."

She didn't look too worried about tomorrow.

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

"Or we'll get lucky and civilization will collapse before we have to find nine to fives," Howard says, half-serious. He knows Barbara has a point, but planning longterm is not a forte of his. Planning in the moment, shoring up for disaster, sure - but he has enough trouble envisioning a normal future that he really doesn't consider the implications of his current actions on it.

He glances up and hopes they don't hold this against him. "I'm not apologizing to him. Sorry. I'm just not. It's his own fault for wasting food and roughing us up."

[first_in_time]

"Worry about it when the time comes," Barbara told him and waited for him to follow Ian and Diana. She knew there'd be some kind of family lecture once they all got home, or into the car, and he'd have to sit through that first. So would Diana, really.

Of course, how much they would actually 'sit through' and how much they would argue with was another matter entirely.

[splendid_roman]

Ian didn't say anything all the way to the car. He had plenty he wanted to say, but didn't want to do it with an audience. Besides, it was no use just telling them off - he had to think of something that would get through to both of them. And perhaps, for now, his silence might remind them they were in big trouble.

[keep_surviving]

Now they were actually out of the station and in the car, Diana seemed as relaxed as if it were any drive home. Though, unlike most drives she had spark of excitement in her eye, like she'd found the whole thing thrilling more than anything.

Really, the most she was upset about was the fact they hadn't actually gotten any turkeys.

Diana smirked at Howard as they sat in the back, leaning closer to play up the couple thing, but mainly to tease him. "So, apologies too damaging to that sexy pride of yours?"