“Tribe?” the man who insisted he was called Larry repeated… though, God damn if he didn’t look like an Art to Nick. “Is that a TV show or something?”
“Nah,” Nick said, waving his hand. “Not a show. A… a thing. A street thing. A thing of the street.”
“What, like ‘urban primitive’?” Larry said.
“Yeah,” Nick agreed, shaking his head pompously. Then he realized that meant the opposite of what he was saying, and nodded. Then he realized that shaking had been better. “I mean, no. Not like that… not some fad thing. Tribe is… people. People on the streets, in the parks, in the… the tunnels and the sewers and the things beneath the city. You know the tunnels go down… thirteen miles down?”
“I… think I may have heard that once, somewhere,” Larry said. “You’re talking about the homeless?”
“Nah!” Nick said. “Tribe is home. Tribe is… always having… something. But it’s for life, Art… tribe is for life.”
“Larry,” Larry said. Nick didn’t mind, though.
“You wouldn’t think it,” Nick said. “But I used to live on the streets. So, I know, Art… I KNOW. Look at this place, buddy… I mean, really look at it.”
“Well, it’s a charming establishment,” Larry said, peering around the dark and hazy bar dubiously. “One of the better examples of the early demolition style I’ve seen.”
“No, not THIS place… this PLACE. The city. Jericho!” Nick said. “Economy’s for shit. Has been since always. People’ve got no place to live. Where’s all the crime? Where‘s the violence? Where‘s the people dying in the gutter?”
“Well, it’s America, man,” Larry said. “Even the homeless here have got more to live off than most folk in lots of countries, you know? Anyway, all that stuff you‘re talking about does happen… but on the east side. We just never have to see it, uptown.”
“I grew up on the east side,” Nick said. “Listen, Art… haven’t you ever wondered about the kids at the mall?”
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One bit of detail checking:
“One of the better examples of the early demolition style that __ seen.”
I think a word is missing there.
Great to see this updating again!
Thanks for the catch!
Damnit. I keep getting addicted to your serials. Curse you for monopolizing my time! *shakes fist in mock-anger*
Just a quick question (I think I missed it) but did Larry follow Nick to the bar to find him? Last chapter I was under the impression (perhaps mistakenly)that he was drinking in his office.
Yeah, “Art” found him in the bar… I didn’t have room for much in the way of establishing text in the word count, but I thought the drinking–and the reference to the cost of said drinks–might have made it clear. I’ll consider looking at it and seeing if I can’t squeeze in a mention of the bar in the previous chapter, if it’s jarring.
@TheCloakedStranger : Interesting. I assumed he was in a bar, but after a reread could understand the office argument. Perhaps it’s just in how Nick’s personality was painted that he doesn’t seem the type to draw that kind of attention to himself in an office setting. He seems the type to hide his flaws, or deny them, or both. A bar just seemed more fitting to me.
We don’t know how Larry found Nick, but that’s a whole other can of worms. Again, it wasn’t spelled out in the last (chaptlette?), but I got the impression that this wasn’t quite the lounge on first floor of an office building. “Early Demolition Style” sounds quite fitting.
I think I created the idea in my head that he was in the office because he talked about billing a company for it — like he was pretending to work at his desk but really drinking. It’s not jarring, because the chapters are short and it becomes clear in this chapter. Thanks for filling me in!
I love it. Absolutely LOVE it. “Art Or Larry”…”Art O’Leary”…sounds like Woe’s logic isn’t too out of place in Jericho after all. Just wonderful.