Just me and my ganja.

[Ash Williams]

Characters Appearing: Ash Williams, Nancy Thompson
Location (s): Ash's Hardware store/Apartment
Previous Thread Name.: Paint the town red.
Plot Summary.: Nancy returns to Ash's dwelling to talk to him but finds much more...in the fridge.

[Ash Williams]

After a certain "incident" involving a book, the shop had to be closed for renovations. These "renovations" included fixing the damage done to the basement and storing and resealing the Necronomicon back where it belongs. Additionally, Ash now has to keep the book safe around the clock while also searching for two troublemaking assholes and sending them back to Hell. This was all due to a young woman with big poofy hair....

After sweeping up the broken glass into a bin, Ash checked the time and decided to take a break while Clem was at school. He went upstairs to the apartment above the store, opened the door and headed to the fridge. Inside the fridge, there was a plate of dark chocolate brownies with a post-it-note that said "Not for Clem!!" and a pitcher of pink lemonade that also had a note that said "Definitely not for Clem!". Ash took one or two brownies and grabbed the local newspaper before heading into the bathroom to settle in for a fifteen-minute forty-five minute break.

[Nancy Thompson]

"I'm sorry, but I need to take a sick day today. Can you forgive me? I'm not feeling like myself and I really need these two days to…" She hesitated, hating the word, “…rest." Speaking over the phone, she gazed through the glass, trying to catch sight of him.

Appreciative of the sympathetic listener on the other end of the line, she wished she could have conveyed her message less hastily. "Listen," she sighed, running a hand through her hair, "I need to end the call. But I'll be back before you know it. Ok?”

Nancy cautiously pushed open the creaky door of the small ruin that housed a hardware store, her heart pounding with a mix of apprehension and curiosity. The dim light filtered through the windows, casting eerie shadows on the dusty floor littered with debris and old tools.

"Mr. Williams, can we talk for a minute? This is very important, please." Nancy called out, her voice echoing gingerly in the empty space. She took slow, deliberate steps, her eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of him. Memories of him flickered in her mind, but they were hazy and fragmented, like pieces of a puzzle waiting to be put together.

As she made her way further into the ruin, Nancy spotted a narrow staircase leading upstairs. Without hesitating, she began to climb, the wooden steps groaning under her weight. The air grew mustier as she ascended, and a sense of guilt settled in the pit of her stomach. This was her trespassing on private property, but the consequences of not doing so proved far greater.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Nancy found herself in a small, comfortable apartment. It looked nice enough, and the furniture too. Ignoring the eerie atmosphere, Nancy pressed on, determined to find clues about his whereabouts.

Her eyes fell on a fridge standing in the corner of the kitchen. With cautious steps, she approached it and pulled open the door. Inside, to her surprise, she found a plate of freshly baked brownies and a tall pitcher filled with pink lemonade.

"Clem," Nancy read the notation, a sense of familiarity tugging at her mind. As her eyes scanned the contents, they landed on leftovers that captured her attention with a force as strong as a thousand suns: crushed oreos and chili? The unique combination struck a chord within her, and she realized that she couldn't recall anyone else who dared to blend these flavors together, except...

"Ashley? Oh, Clementine!" Nancy gasped, her voice filled with sudden recollection. As she glanced around, a moment of confusion swept over her. He was just a boy, and she was but a child— the two had lived under Nancy’s roof for a little while, back in those strangely brighter days. Why did he appear so different yet the same? Had Clem aged in a peculiar manner as well? A — a time skip? Could this apply to Kristen and Ott—Oh, Otto.

Fate had dealt her a series of unkind blows, one after another. What should have been a joyous reunion for her to savor had now become a fleeting reality, only apparent in her final days. How cruel it all was. She was going to see them one last time before becoming one with the dirt.

Again.

Nancy's stomach growled at the sight of the brownies, and her craving got the better of her. Feeling a little more at home, she knew he couldn't speak a word against her, particularly considering she had taken him in all those years ago. He also only elbowed her in the face so hard that she was honestly amazed her nose hadn't been broken. She reached out and picked up a piece, taking a tentative bite. The rich chocolate melted in her mouth, and a sense of sad comfort washed over her.

As Nancy indulged in the brownie, her attention was drawn to the pink drink nearby. Thirsty, she reached for a cup and poured herself a conservative serving. The sweet, fruity notes danced across her taste buds, and a sensation of lightness and liberation washed over her with unexpected swiftness. The alcohol's taste was so subtle that she couldn't gauge her intake or exercise restraint.


And that was bad.


All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray. I've been for a walk on a winter's day.
I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A. California dreamin'! On such a winter's day.

Indeed, she lay comfortably on the bed in the room she probably wasn’t supposed to go to, surrounded by the warmth it provided. Beside her, her mobile device played old music she hadn't listened to in ages, creating a nostalgic atmosphere. On the nightstand, her crimson diary chronicled significant moments shared with the demon from her nightmares. What was meant to be a meticulous preparation for Ash's upcoming challenges should something happen to her turned into a comically failed endeavor, all thanks to the interference of mystery brownies and forbidden lemonade.

As he emerged from the bathroom, she greeted him with a smile that appeared unusual on her face. "Ashley... Is that a boomstick in your pocket, or are you just upset to see me?" she teased with a brief, uncharacteristic giggle, then slowly rolled off the bed and tumbled to the floor.

Glorious.

Gloriously stupid. 

She was the pink fuck incarnate and was feeling pretty powerful. She even had the pink hoodie on to prove it. Why, she felt like a speeding bullet in jeans. She could conquer the world and then cry about it. 

"You don't remember me," she said with a tired yet elated expression, raising her hand and rolling her eyes. Her finger pointed his way, albeit clumsily. "But I remember you. You're the boy with the banana car…who wrecked my house…and over what? A toilet monster. Where have you been, you shit..”

[Ash Williams]

As Ash sat on the crapper paging through the newspaper, with porno mag stashed behind it in case Clem were to barge in… He shifted his weight back and forth to get comfortable. That was until he heard the kitchen floor squeak as he froze like a deer in headlights. It was way too early for Clem to be back, and the steps were far too heavy to be kids…and far to..clicky. Narrowing his eyes, he dropped the paper and mag and stood up! After yanking his pants up and washing his hands, Ash went to the medicine cabinet over the sink. Pulling the mirrored door open, he snagged the pistol taped to the inside and loaded it with the cartridge in from his pocket. Never leave loaded weapons in the house with teenagers, kids.

He cautiously opened the bathroom door and crept out, hugging the wall as he searched the kitchen. Upon finding it empty, he stepped inside and noticed that someone had eaten all of his pot brownies and left pink droplets on the counter. Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from his bedroom. With his pistol at the ready, he approached the door and slowly opened it, only to find the same woman from before - Nan, something. As she fell to the floor, Ash rolled his eyes and concealed the gun in the back of his pants.

"Geez, what are you doing here?" he said in surprise. Then, he noticed brownie crumbs and a cup with spilled pink liquid on his carpet. "Oh, for Christ's sake! Did you get into the fridge? Did you take both? The stuff in the pitcher is only for professionals and not to be used with the brownies..." He walked towards her, but Ash paused as she spoke.

"Uh yeah, duh, of course I remember you. You got into my basement. You let out burned-up Shecky and Canadian Curley from hell..…" He then tilted his head. "Wait.. you're not talking about just recently, are you?" Ash then took her arm, helping her to her feet; of course, it was like helping a giant poofy-haired rag doll to her feet.

"I…toilet monster?" He then frowned. "I told you it's honey beige!" He stared at her for a moment. "Nancy? I mean, I know your name is Nancy, but... you are that Nancy, aren't you?" It all then came flooding back to him like someone opened the gates on a dam! The sledgehammer, the fight, the Gremlin, the kick to the groin, the Christmas tree, the kick to the groin, when he gave her the amulet, the kick to the groin! It was then that a wide smile came over his face!

"Well, shave my ass and call me Shirley! It is you!" Ash said as he gave her a tight hug. "I can't believe I didn't recognize you!" She then slipped out of his arms like a wet squid and thudded to the floor…

"Oops…" With a wince he leaned down and helped her back up. "Yeeeeah, maybe we should go sit on the sofa?" Giving Nancy a little bit of help, he got her to baby giraffe wobble to the sofa in the next room as he sat next to her. "You know it's really not my fault. When Elusion went to the way of the Dodo, that was like… twenty-five years ago. I've been here all that time, and I found Clem not too long ago, and she's still just a kid. People think where their planets went, kablooey, there was some sort of time dilation thing that happens when you approach the speed of light or some crap. So we all got here at different times even though we left at the same time…" Ash then waved a hand.

"I mostly just black out when I hear those eggheads talk about that…" He then looked over at Nancy all battered and baked and smiled as he leaned back against the sofa. "You got no idea what I just said, do ya?"

[Nancy Thompson]

Nancy bore the ache of every injury, yet the unsettling smile on her lips remained unyielding, unfading from the instant she laid eyes on the gun in his grasp, through the harsh recollection of the prior day's events that he callously recalled, all the way to the moment he was engulfed in what might have been a killer flashback.


She couldn’t have been happier to know Clementine was safe and cared for, to learn what became of Ash.

"I'm astounded by that myself," Nancy chimed in sweetly, her bright goofy grin lighting up her face. "No one else I know sticks to the same outfit for as long as you do or uses a fancy gauntlet like that. For me, it's only been a few years," she hesitated, gently closing her eyes. "But for you, it's been more than just a few, hasn't it?"

As she melted into him, her limbs turned to jelly, her face finding solace against his chest in a tight embrace. Her movements grew increasingly unsteady, and amidst it all, she managed to mumble, "How are you so soft." In this fleeting moment, a wave of silly sentimentality washed over her, causing her eyes to well up and her nose to blush. However, no tears escaped her eyes; instead, her own body betrayed her as she crumpled to the floor like a limp noodle slipping through a drain.

Under the potent spell of the pot brownie and alcoholic beverage, she appeared to wear her heart on her sleeve even more openly. Moving with unusual slowness and lacking her usual grace, she made her way to the sofa. There, she seemed to tentatively pat the space around her before settling in as gently as possible before slumping like a hot potato against the cushion.

She awkwardly extended her hand to gently hold his face, a gesture that might have seemed motherly if she hadn't accidentally squished his cheeks together. Her eyes tried to convey understanding, but a distant look lingered in them. Tilting her head slightly, she let out a couple of chuckles, almost like hiccups, in response to his explanation.

"I knew what you meant," she sighed wistfully, absentmindedly turning his head from side to side with a touch that was both firm and gentle. In a more lucid state of mind, she wouldn't have acted this way, but she managed to retain a sliver of her intellect. Bringing another half-eaten brownie to her lips, she scarfed it down without giving anyone much of a chance to snatch it away from her.


What intrigued her was the ethereal lightness she felt - reminiscent of a leisurely stroll through a serene Zen garden. "Hey Ash," she whispered between chews, "There seems to be something wrong with your brownies."

Pausing contemplatively, Nancy then smirked cheekily, unaware of her own stupidity. "They're gluten-free, aren't they?" she playfully speculated, stealing a mischievous glance in his direction. “That explains why you won’t let Clementine have any.”

The distance from her true purpose during this visit was becoming increasingly concerning. She felt herself drifting away from what truly mattered, a fact that became apparent as she slowly crawled off the couch and reached for her diary, its elegant red cover catching her eye like a weathered yet lovely apple.

Returning to the sofa in the same manner as she did leaving it, she didn't hasten to open it and delve into her thoughts. There was a lack of urgency in her demeanor; she wasn't consumed by the need to discuss the events of the previous day or share vital information.

Gazing emptily at the aged book, she let it slip from her fingers onto the space between them.


She was just tired.

[Ash Williams]

“….Soft?” Ash knotted his eyebrows as she spoke, but then he poked himself in the chest, and it felt like the Pillsbury doughboy's tummy as he shrugged.

“…Ok'll give ya that one…” As he turned towards Nancy, he felt her hand on his face, causing him to startle. His eyes darted back and forth, blinking for a moment. In Nancy's mind, she was probably seeing this tender moment of her holding her hand against the cheek of a long-lost friend she had found. However, in reality, she was smushing his lips together repeatedly, making him look like a fish gasping for oxygen. When Nancy produced another half of a brownie from somewhere, Ash held up a hand to stop her, but it was too late as the brownie was already gone.

“Uhh…Don- oooookay. How many of those things have you snarfed down already?” He asked and then started laughing. “Yeah, that’s why I won’t let Clem have any. The gluten. I hope you packed your bags, Nans, because you’re going on a trip.” When he saw her drift off he held his mechanical hand up and waved it in front of her face. If she was a cartoon, her eyes would be doing that twirly thing.

“Wow you are gonesville. Well, far be it for me to let a lady travel alone…” Ash grabbed the remaining pink liquid from the pitcher behind him and took a few chugs. Clem was still at school and would be for a few more hours so he was in the clear for now. With the pink drink being illegal in all fifty states and most countries back home, he enjoyed the feeling of his nerve endings being paralyzed as he sat on the sofa without fear of a raid by the local police. He then noticed that Nancy was holding a small, worn-out red book, and as she leaned against the cushion, the book almost fell from her hands. However, Ash managed to catch it and saved it from hitting the floor.

“Oooo…That..That was closh. Closh.....Cllooosh...Heh. My mouf is already numbs, and I almohst fell on the floorPPppffffhEhehe!” He laughed. Holding up the book, he turned it over in his hand to look at the cover.

“Whasis?”

[Nancy Thompson]

Nancy, in her tipsy state, lifted both hands with her head tilted back dreamily when he asked about the number of brownies she had indulged in. A precise tally was impossible as her mind was too occupied to handle math or finger counting; she wasn't even bothering to look at her hands. "About this much. Why do you want to know?" she asked with a silly grin, reclining over the arm of the couch and melting into a pose as fluid as a stretching kitten.

Taking that pose turned out to be a mistake as she was fairly certain she had pulled a muscle. As she raised her upper body, she felt the blood rush from her head, intensifying the dizziness she was already experiencing. With closed eyes and a slightly furrowed brow, she pursed her lips and let out a groan. "But I don’t have any bags to pack," remarked the unusually dazed woman sadly, "you'll have to go on this trip without me." She couldn't have blended any further into the couch; she seemed to be melding with it, her features sporting a slight flush.

When he jokingly proposed accompanying her on the impromptu adventure she had taken quite literally in her drunken stupor, she placed her hand over her heart and beamed, clearly touched by his gesture."Ashley," she murmured, nudging him playfully, "I had no clue you were so... well, gallant. I mean, I initially saw you as a bit boorish, maybe a tad sexist, a touch too loud," she chuckled, not running out of adjectives just yet. As she continued innocently, the list grew longer and longer, "coarse, prickly, inconsiderate, impulsive..."

The music was still playing cheerfully from her phone, and at this point, she had picked up a thesaurus from the browser and was reciting every negative synonym she could find. She dragged it out so much that she had to shift her position on the couch, feeling a twinge in her neck as it started to stiffen up. “An asshole, really.”


She was a bit slow to react as he caught the book with the grace of a newborn colt. Her eyes stayed on him, as if trying to figure out a puzzle, before stating with such simplicity, “It’s an old book. My diary, in fact.” Scooting closer, their arms accidentally touched, and she let out a laugh that seemed inappropriate. “I've never actually shared it with anyone before. I don’t like to revisit it.”

Nancy struggled to open the book, squinting as her vision blurred. "However, it's important that I do," she said with a shrug. "And for you to follow along. But I'm not quite ready to dive in just yet..."

She jabbed her finger into his chest three times with more force than intended, not quite gauging the pressure of her touch accurately.

"If you're going to snoop through my dirty laundry," she hiccuped, her tone veering towards seriousness but muddled by the effects of a few too many drinks, "I think it's only fair I get to peek into your closet too. What's with the creepy book and the lopped off hand?"

[Ash Williams]

“Well…I got news for ya lady! Yer already….already….goin on the trip….” Ash said in slurred and drowsy words as he sank back into the sofa. He felt like the cushions were dragging him under like quicksand, and he was sinking into it, about to be swallowed. He then felt her nudge as he looked over at her with giant brown eyes. His vision was already cloudy and hazy as Nancy spoke and she looked just like a giant fluffy angel as tears welled up in his eyes.

“HHhhurthats the nicest damn thing anyone ever said to me!” He said, taking in a ragged breath. “I mean the ..the other stuff not the bitchy stuff you just said….” Ash whined, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. “And if we’re like being honest and all. You're not so bad, either. When I first met ya, I thought you were like this prissy little spoilt prom queen with huge giant hair..” He said, making an arm gesture around his head. “And this annoying, grating voice. I mean, for reals,…it… it's like…if you cram a drill in one ear and a drill in like...the other, and then they meet in the middle.” Ash said, holding his hands up to his ears and making drilling noises; he then paused momentarily, visualizing that image before suddenly bursting out laughing and holding his stomach!

“PPPffAHAhaha!” Stomping his foot, Ash recoiled to his side and devolved into a giggling fit before suddenly sitting up when Nancy said she was going to explain about the book! “Ok, I'll listen!” He then flopped back against the sofa and stared at her like an old hound dog waiting for story time! But when she asked about his book and his hand Ash waved his good hand in the air!

“Oh that? PPfttt!” He raspberried. “Me and my friends and sister went to this old cabin. Because Cheryl was all, hey, let's go to this creepy run-down cabin in the woods that’s like a thousand miles away where we might find a cursed book. What could happen? Yeah, Cheryl, a looooot can happen.” He said, taking in a few sniffs as his muscles went slack. “You know…the people back home think that …that…I…” He said, patting his chest. “That I killed em all….can you believe that! The moment I get home, dad is all, how could ya cut 'em all up? Well dad…I sorta had to….” Ash said as his voice grew quiet. “It took Cheryl and Linda, and Scott, but he was an ass, so I don’t really mind it anymore."


"….it even took my hand…” Ash said as he held up his gauntlet hand and moved the fingers. “…My hand…” The room grew quiet for what seemed like a very long time before Ash suddenly sat up!

“Ok, your turn!!!” He smiled before setting his chin on his hands!