Kitty had been yawning, lazily pedaling through the thinning woods when she looked up to see John Norman. She brightened at once, straightening to wave, before remembering where she was coming from. She'd spent the night in the woods with Vi -- not that Willa knew that -- watching the mash and making sure the police didn't get too close to the still. They'd been making a few busts lately, primarily under the watch of the newly instated Chief of Police...who also happened to be Willa's twin brother. The thought made Kitty scowl, though she relaxed again after running a few numbers in her head. She'd been biking for almost fifteen minutes now, putting her just within Saloon City limits again. The old still had been located within the city before Jack had betrayed them all, before Daddy had died. The new one all but toed the city-county line -- in an effort, Willa said, to keep it hidden from both. 

In any case, it was unlikely John would find anything, even if he tracked her meticulously planned bike track back through the woods. Her trail had taken her back through city territory, just in case. She'd be in trouble if she ran into Jack later, but that seemed unlikely. She didn't see him much anymore if she could help it, though she'd heard from school friends he dropped by the schoolhouse almost every day to make sure she was there. It was the one thing he and Willa still had in common, aside from their looks. 

She slowed her bike as she drew closer to John, knowing he'd want to talk, and more than willing to humor him if it kept him off their trail. The Normans were bad news on either side of the law, but Kitty and John had never quite fallen into the preset paths their families had carved and walked for them. Kitty chalked it up to being the youngest -- they were always farthest from the action...though it didn't escape her that John now sported a (slightly dingy) badge even as she was on her way back from her family's still. 

It seemed some things were just meant to be. 

Still. She considered John a friend, as much as she could. And she couldn't deny he looked handsome in his uniform, even mud-stained as it was. Vi teased her endlessly about old schoolgirl crushes on John -- and most of his brothers -- but they'd never amounted to much, and Kitty was glad to be just friends with the youngest of the Norman boys. 

Or so she thought. 

Now, Kitty grinned up at John atop his mount, one hand shielding her eyes from the sun, the other stifling another yawn. She grinned at him, then smirked at his appearance. Reaching out, she drew a fingertip hard down his pant leg, tracing a straight line through the caked red mud there. She held the digit up for inspection, one brow raised imperiously. 

[i]What happened to you?[/i]