Bird in the Hand

"Are you alright, Dove?" Sabatieni leaned against the door of his Mercedes and lit a cigarette. "You look a bit pale."

"I'm dying," he croaked.

"What's that?" Cabiria pulled the spare tire out of the trunk and propped it against the side of the car.

"He says he's dying." Sabatieni exhaled a long stream of smoke.

"Is that so?" Cabiria pulled a ratchet out of her pocket and set about removing the flat tire.

"I'm dying of dripping misery, and that's all you've got to say?" Dove slid further down in the driver's seat and shivered. "How insensitive are you?"

"How much longer does he think he's got? We could sell his kidneys." Cabiria set down the ratchett and looked up at her sister thoughtfully. "Or not. Did he say what was dripping?"

"He didn't. But I imagine he'll still have a few useful organs, even if he is dripping from unconventional places."

"I hate you both." This statement was followed by a massive sneeze, and a stream of miserable sniffling.

Sabatieni stared off into the distance while she smoked, and Cabiria hummed softly under her breath as she fixed the flat.
--

Bird in the Hand is the title of this year's Nanonovel. They're worth two in the bush, you see. And it's figurative and shit, because I've got a character named Dove, and two other characters who come as a pair. See? Symbolism. Or something.

I've got three or four characters, five if you count the car. I've got no plot, no conflict, no purpose- just two women, a car, a young man on a vespa, and a girl who may or may not be a cat.

Cabiria and Sabatieni Valentine
Date of Birth: January 12, 1963
Place of Birth: Milan, Italy
Age: 42
Height: 5'8"
eyes: dark brown
hair: dark brown
Place of Residence: unknown

The Valentine Sisters are identical twins; the easiest way to tell them apart is by their clothing. Cabiria tends to wear yellow accents and bold patterns, while Sabatieni is more of a dark blue and violet sort of person. If they aren't wearing any clothing, Cabiria is the one with the c-section scar.

Sabatieni is also the quieter, calmer one, though neither sister is especially loud or talkative, nor are they particularly volatile unless provoked. Sabatieni, however, will warn you when you annoy her; Cabiria is more likely to resort to immediate violence. She doesn't take shit from anyone, on any account, while Sabatieni is a bit more laid back.

Both of them are rather low key people, though; they keep to themselves and only interact with other human beings as necessary. The only real friends they have are Dove and a few mechanics in the midwest.

They more or less live in their car, a 1968 Cadillac Deville sedan. (At the moment, I think it's Caribe Aqua, but it might be Emperor Blue, if the Deville came in that color.) They can pull this off because, as you can possibly see from those pictures, the Deville is not a car- it is, in fact, a landship. It's Cabiria's baby; Sabatieni navigates, Cabiria drives, and together, the three of them wreak havoc.

The car has a name, I just don't know what it is yet.

The twins are in the arson and waste disposal business, which is just a slightly more professional way of saying "terrorists." They take commissions for massive property damage, but they also take commissions to dispose of bodies. They do not, however, take hostages or kill people. The job pays quite well- well enough for them to keep the car in perfect condition, which is all they really need.

The car is rather distinctive, but they've got friends in high places; they've been in the business for a long time and know just how to keep from being noticed.

They meet up with Dove at random as they travel; they don't know much about him, but they like him anyway- he knows how to appreciate a proper car, even if he can't keep a car of his own for more than a week.

Maeve works her way into the story somehow; I think she might be Cabiria's daughter, but I'm not sure. She's an assassin, who either gets hired to kill Dove or the Valentine sisters. The beginnings of my plot are wrapped up in her existence, but I know nothing about her. She looks a lot like Cabiria, but with a slightly rounder face and lighter hair (she looks nothing like Sabatieni), and I think she may be full of rage.

The story is primarily a roadtrip story; I'll need to do a lot of research on cars and interstate highways and cities in the midwest. This reduces my chances of finishing it drastically, but I imagine whatever I do write will be fun. This is going to be a story with very little angst- just fancy cars, fast women, and big explosions. My favorite kind of story. :) It'll be a complete and utter turnabout from Stella Matin. Huzzah for that, yo.