Situated in the center of a large, open meadow is a clustering of six trees, a flower bed, a few steel-and-wood benches set firmly into concrete, and a flagstone courtyard that is dominated by a large fountain.
The fountain is a wide circular pool of water some fifty feet across and about five feet deep in most places. The sculpture in the center is a mix of old and new, traditional and modern: eight concrete-and-stainless-steel slabs about six feet high are set in a rough Stonehenge-like circle around the center of the fountain. Water flows from their tops, cascading in bright mesmerizing sheets to the pool below. Rising above the steel circle is a large marble statue of the Water Bearer, an androgynous figure draped in robes of flowing water. It bears a large jug carved with various Greek symbols, from which pours a seething torrent of water into the pool at its feet.
Cars on the nearby street have an excellent view of the park as do any residents of the tall buildings which line the waterfront.
The murky waters of the Columbia River flow swiftly along the east side of the park. Bracketing the park to the west is First Street and the city of St. Claire. Recent construction work is creating an earthen berm several feet high all along the borders of the park in all directions.
Currently the moon is in the waning Half (Philodox) Moon phase (59% full).
Currently in Saint Claire, it is clear outside. The temperature is 39 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius). The wind is calm today. The barometric pressure reading is 29.99 and steady, and the relative humidity is 92 percent. The dewpoint is 37 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius.) For more detail, see: http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=98501
The library's ground level is one large room punctuated by even rows of pier columns that confidently hold the weight of the upper floors. The building is old but solid, its lath and plaster walls dark with age. Here and there some of the plaster has worn off to reveal the wooden slats beneath. Heavy, dark grained and decorated mahogany wainscoting runs the length of the walls, complimented by thick, ornate crown molding along the ceiling and each of the columns. It's clear from the dilapidated condition that the building's been abandoned for decades. There is a somber, sepulchral quietness to the place, even when alive with people, that is perhaps a ghostly echo of the rigid, required silence that its wardens demanded when the library was in its heyday.
Compact is the word for him: wiry, maybe 5'6" in his beat-up black combat boots, with a sense of compressed energy and imminence like a coiled spring -- or a cocked gun. Never quite still for long, balance flowing through the balls of his feet. There's a striking intensity to his narrow blue-green eyes, the colour contrasting with his fair skin and spiky copper hair; just below the left is what at first appears to be a faint mole, but closer inspection reveals as a small, long-healed scar. His features are appealing, with high cheekbones and a good jawline, but it's the confident mien and roguish smile that most often seem to draw people in.
The above are probably the first things people notice on nights during which he is not also wearing a fluffy, thigh-length caramel-coloured probably-faux fur coat. This not one of those nights. Under it, he's more reasonably clad, in old black jeans with the rip in one knee and the cuffs half walked off, today with a blue t-shirt bearing the superman logo, the print very faded and the fabric looking thin enough that it may have genuinely gotten that way through time and not retro-merchandising. The shirt's rather snug in a flattering sort of way. Over it he's wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, unbuttoned, with a scattered pattern of tiny blue and red dolphins; he's also in possession of a pair of white plastic wayfarer-style sunglasses with iridescent indigo lenses. There's a couple leather-and-bead bracelets on one wrist and a length of ball-chain disappearing beneath his collar; his nails were apparently painted black some time ago, since they're starting to show chips. Late teens, most likely, and when he speaks it's in a mellifluous, southern-accented baritone voice.
He's in old black jeans with a rip in one knee and the cuffs half walked off, and his lack of shirt displays a small collection of tattoos. On his left arm, just below the shoulder, is a parachuting rat holding a crowbar and wearing a pair of glittery-gold star-shaped glasses; on the right side of his abdomen, about where the waistline of pants sort of act as the ground, are a pair of rats with a mortar aimed up toward the left. Both tattoos are all in black (aside from the glasses) and resemble spray-painted stencils. His back is covered by a phoenix rising from flames, smoke, and ash, in suitably fiery colours and a completely different style. A reasonably close-up look reveals a number of scars worked into the design of that one. There's a couple leather-and-bead bracelets on one wrist and a pair of dogtags on a length of ball-chain around his neck; his nails were apparently painted black some time ago, since they're starting to show chips. Late teens, most likely, and when he speaks it's in a mellifluous, southern-accented baritone voice.
Scroungy and dirty would be the best words to describe this teen. Benny stands at 5'8, his build short and stocky. He is wide in the shoulders and his arms are well defined from a life on the streets without much food. He wears a ragged and frayed jacket overtop a torn and worn out t-shirt along with a pair of gloves with the fingers cut to reveal the dirt caked beneath his fingernails. He wears a pair of camouflage cargo pants along with a two worn out and broken steel toe boots he obviously saved from a life at the dump. His rough appearance is only enhanced by the long tangle of brown hair that hangs from beneath his black knit beanie and the grizzled brown beard. His face is wide and his eyes are almost constantly ringed, giving him a sleepless appearance. He has a long chrome wallet chain that hangs down to his knee.
A teenager, maybe 14 or 15 years old. The whole 5"7 of his somehow spell out "farm boy", with a body that obviously has been subjected to a more or less healthy dose of sunlight and the abs that tell of a young life that has seen quite a bit of labor.
Well, either that or he is one of those that spend a good deal of their youth in a fitness center with a tanning booth.
He is not unpleasant looking, with a cleanly shaven face (or one that needs no shaving just yet to stay that way), well defined chin and high cheekbones, with a pair of grey-blue eyes, a face that could probably be considered cute if he used his facial muscles more than he absolutely has to, almost like trying to give his face a nondescript look. The blond hair he has cut down to a crew cut does nothing to help here, he seems to go for the "practical" style rather than following some fashion trend.
Practical also seems to be the theme of his clothing style, a pair of khaki pants and matching shirt, both slightly worn but clean, along with a pair of boots on his feet that have equally seen a good deal of use but are (usually) kept clean and well cared for.
Isabella is a tall and lean girl, built with a model's proportions. She'd be beautiful in many eyes if she wasn't often dressed in shabby, old Goodwill clothing that serves as a contrast to her more refined looks. If anyone ever properly dressed and tended her she could easily make magazine covers, but instead she looks like a lily growing in a trash heap. She's certainly as pale as one for all she sounds used to heat and sun, given her Southern good old girl accent. Her hair is long and straight, though usually done up in messy informal styles. It's a pale cornsilk blonde with slightly darker roots. Her eyes are expressive and brown in color, accented with a moderate bit of make up on an otherwise largely natural-left face.
Shaggy brown hair and darker brown eyes frames this young boy's face. Justin has a slightly tanned complexion with a hint of Puerto Rican from his mother's side, Caucasian from his father's. He has a fairly lanky build that could use a bit of bulking upas he is built like a high school track runner. He wears loose fitted 'destroyed' blue jeans, simple tank tops, and worn down sneakers that are about five months in need of replacement, and during the cold, a thick green military jacket from his Grandpa. He looks like your average, ordinary American young teen that plays outside and is fairly active. Tall at five foot ten, he is a few inches higher than most his age for now.
Thick honey-blonde hair, styled in a poofy set of curls, rings this pretty blue-eyed young woman's head. She's in her late teens, and her hair's currently left down, though it's occasionally pinned up. She stands about five and a half feet tall, and is a little on the thin side of things, though not to an extreme. She dresses mostly in informal styles, from ripped jeans and tank tops to the occasional sundress.
Currently, she wears the former, her black tank top emblazoned with a large sequined red heart, and her jeans so ripped as to be nearly indecent. About half of the heart's sequins are missing. Her feet are clad in red strappy lightly-heeled sandals that have seen better days. She wears little in the way of jewelry, just a black wooden bracelet, a stainless steel and rhinestone mood ring, and (probably fake) gold earrings. When she speaks, a fairly thick Southern accent is evident.
It is a chilly morning in Saint Claire, nearly seven in in the morning. Wearing a baggy hoodie over his person and a pair of black jeans is Justin. He is curled up on the bench and watching the water with a steaming plastic cup of cocoa in his fingerless gloved hands. A brightly painted colorful van is parked on the street, decorated with rats holding paint brushes.
Almost definitely the first sign of Felix is the voice, since he's walking down the street in the general direction of the Library, singing... well, possibly not at the very top of his lungs, but definitely a carrying, performance-type volume used only by actual singers, drunk people, or both. "...everybody wants a thrill, paying anything to roll the dice just one more time. Some will win, some will lose; some were born to sing the blues..." He does not have cocoa, though he does have one of those big red plastic cups nigh-ubiquitous at parties.
Taking a sip from the cocoa, Justin glances upwards at the familiar voice of his packmate. His eyes peek out of the thick black hoodie that is pulled over his head and he gives a lift of his cup towards him. "Hey." He calls over as his breath mists against the cold air.
"Oh, the movie never ends, it goes-- hey!" Felix replies, lifting his own cup in return when he looks over and sees Justin. He clambers up the berm that's still being built around the park, part-sliding on his heels down the other side. As his own defense against the chilly night and morning, he's wearing a fluffy, thigh-length, caramel-coloured probably-faux fur coat. It looks soft. "'sup? You're up early. Or late."
"Yeah, just had nothing to do so thought I'd hang out here and put eyes on Bella's van, make sure no one fucks with her out here. New city and all." Justin motions with his cup over towards the van. "She's kin by the way."
"Oh, you got that answer already then? Awesome. And ours, so yeah, we continue a tradition of ridiculously hot kin, go us, in a generation or two we're gonna end up with a new rep of bein' amazingly stunnin' all over the nation," Felix says cheerfully, dropping onto the bench by his packmate. "So: given it's fuckin' cold, wouldn't it make more sense for you to protect Bella an' her van from inside it? Added bonus, presumably she's also inside it."
"I have a better tactical advantage outside. Not constrained or limited by spacing." Justin says as he snorts out a bit. "She also moved out here to get away from her family trying to hook her up with Garou, so I think after learning that, I'm gonna be pretty hands off and just focused on vampires."
Felix sips from his cup, then sets it aside, digging in his pocket for his smokes and lighter. "Well, maybe. Though the neat thing about goin' inside places is, usually you can go out of 'em again later if you need to," he teases, "And not freezin' your hands off is always a plus for fightin' with 'em, I've found." He lights up, exhaling a plume of smoke into the air and watching it move; at the moment it's only a bit better to watch than plain breath. "What kind of hookin' her up? 'cause there's a big difference between long-term an' not. And between your choice an' someone else's. Oh, an' I talked to someone who ran into a crazy preacher type recently, but I don't think it was the one we're lookin' at. This one was doin' the whole repent, armageddon is nigh thing, but he wasn't tryin' to get people to go anywhere. Just givin' 'em li'l booklets." He digs in his pocket and comes up with a standard Chick tract, which he offers over to the Ahroun. "We got this kind in Memphis, too, they ain't never been anythin' real interestin'."
"I didn't dig too deep into it, it's just what she said. She's a free spirit and is talking 'bout taking off around spring anyways." Justin says as he takes another small sip of his cocoa. "I'm not about to try and pin that down if she doesn't want to be pinned down. Sides, like I said earlier, she is way out of my league." His nose wrinkles up a bit as he looks at the booklet. "Huh. I'll take those guys over those Westboro assholes any day of the week."
"So she's thinkin' she's gonna be around like, what, six months; what's the problem here? There's stuff in between just-friends an' eternity, y'know. And like =I= said earlier, ain't no such thing as leagues outside of sports an' the ocean." Felix's quiet a moment, and adds softly, "Now if the problem's she ain't really so much your type, stupid-hot or not, that's a different thing. Just don't talk yourself outta tryin' for shit you actually want." He ashes his cigarette, eyeing the booklet briefly. "I don't reckon there's that big a difference, people doin' those books an' the Westboro dicks. Just the talent for gettin' attention. It's the same basic bullshit, just served up different."
"I'm still trying to figure out if I'm gay or not too you know." Justin says with a snort as he gulps down another mouthful of cocoa. "Either way, she's just a girl and I don't see the point in getting all wrapped up about it. Anyways, was hanging out with Frederick last night. I made a joke about how he hates Gnawers and he actually got upset at me for it. Like, it was a joke, but I think it actually stung him. It was like I punched him in the face or something. He told me that after I stood up to Marcos for him, which he considered impressive, he can't look at me like that anymore. He actually sees me as a friend."
Felix shrugs, giving Justin a half-smile. "'s what I was sayin'. Just not in so many words." He watches a climbing breath of smoke again, and muses, "Life's a lot easier when you know who you are, I reckon." He stands, picking up his cup again and stepping onto the bench, then onto the edge of the fountain, and starting to wander along it. "Mm. Well, that's progress, then, anyway. Guess we'll see if he can spread that thought any, or if he's just gonna decide you're 'one of the good ones'."
"I am one of the good ones." Justin insists. "I'm sure there is plenty of Gnawers out there that don't pull their own weight and he probably has that perception of them from experience. All we can do is change his perception through action." Guplping the rest of the cocoa down, he ambles over to a garbage can and drops it in. "He's just better at talking with his claws than words. I'm okay with that as long as he is on our side."
Felix stops, turning to give Justin a level look. "There's plenty of everyone that don't pull their own weight, everywhere. But some groups it's more okay to say it about, more okay to tar everyone with that brush, than others. An' that's fuckin' bullshit, Justin." He studies the taller boy for a second. "Maybe you don't hafta see this shit 'cause you grew up here an' almost all y'all are white around here. Shit, you're practically the darkest person I see 'round here most days an' you're barely fuckin' tan. But that shit is how bigots keep from havin' to face their shit, an' turn us against each other into the bargain. Them black kids is hoodlums, but Frankie, he's one of the good ones. Them gays got no morals, but Jim, he's one of the good ones. Them poor kids, they're dumb an' irresponsible an' ain't gonna amount to nothing, but Sara, she's one of the good ones. Them Gnawers, they're lazy cowardly good-for-nothin' street-trash an' an embarrassment to the Nation, but that Justin... well, now, HE'S one of the good ones." He shakes his head. "Fuck that shit. Fuck it right in its fuckin' ear. Most people don't form their opinions from watchin', they form 'em from what they're told an' what they want to believe. Sometimes they can change 'em, but if they don't get past special exceptions, no, fuck that. Why you gonna sit there sayin' some Get's got a better grasp on who we are than we do? He dealt with more of us than we have? He treated 'em like equals an' gave 'em the same respect he'd give anyone else, you reckon? 'cause I don't."
Shrugging his shoulders upwards, Justin says, "So? You would rather do nothing and not change his mind and just keep calling him an asshole? That is what makes Saint Claire special. Is that we aren't the stereotypical tribe mindset because we all work together as a family against a common enemy. He never had that and he's fifteen. Far as he knows, he was always told the truth about us and every other tribe. So, I am perfectly fine in helping him change his perception of us. If I was able to make an impact and open his mind, then that means he's not a lost cause and he may be willing to accept others as well. This is the Fenrir we are talking about, not the Glass Walkers or the Gaians. But, you getting all upset and boo hoo about it ain't gonna fix anything either. I've experienced /real/ racism in my life. Been called a wet back, a beaner, a half-tino, a fence jumper, and I just shake it off like Taylor Swift. I also didn't grow up here, I grew up about an hour from here in a trailer park with my single mom and my grandparents. So, I'm a poor Mexican piece of shit. I've heard it all and it doesn't phase me. Everyone needs to grow thicker skin and stop acting like pussies."
"No, I ain't sayin' do nothin' an' not change his mind. I'm sayin' don't play to that shit. Him makin' a change, that's good. That's what I said. I'm glad he's gettin' started. But he's gotta go farther'n just 'but Justin's okay'." Felix's jaw tenses, "...an' I've been called plenty of racist shit, but it ain't me that got his jaw broke while he was already handcuffed. Ain't me that got tased 'stead of just told off for bein' smart-mouthed. Weren't none of the other white kids in my crew, neither. I may not be up for no Nobel Prizes any time soon, but I can see when there's a fuckin' pattern. Don't tell me what I'm all 'boo hoo' about. We gotta stick together, an' settlin' for bein' a special exception ain't that. So good start. Good change. But I'm lookin' for him to keep goin', an' I ain't real pleased seein' any of us, in any of our usses, playin' into that self-hatin' bullshit."
"I don't care one way or another if he considers me a special case. I only care about going out and killing vampires. Everyone /cares/ too much about shit that doesn't matter. I don't even care if he thinks I'm retarded, as long as he stands at my side and kills the Wyrm with me, then that's all that matters in the end. People's opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one." Justin says as his foot swings out to kick the garbage can with a metallic thunk.
"Yeah, well, I do. And just because somethin' don't matter to =you= don't mean it don't matter," Felix says. "Maybe somethin' matterin' to me, or you, don't necessarily mean it matters in the long run, neither. But I think the world'd be a lot different if the people gettin' stepped on stuck together an' stopped fightin' each other over scraps an' lickin' at the boots doin' the steppin'. I'm capable of carin' about more'n one thing at a time. I can care about killin' vampires AND how folks get treated an' even shit like gettin' laid, all at the same time. Ain't gonna be the same priority all at once, but I can care about an awful lotta different shit. Sometimes I can even care about that shit a lot."
"Well, have fun with all of those feelings and shit. My shelf life is probably a lot shorter than yours being an ahroun and all and so I need to make an impact with what limited time I have. You know my dad didn't make it past twenty and he was a late bloomer? I popped early. He only had three years under his belt in the nation before he fizzled out." Justin says as he shoves his hands into his jackets and pulls out some thicker gloves that he trades out his fingerless gloved ones for. With a heavy breath, he reaches out and puts his arm around the Galliard, giving him a half hug and a squeeze. "I'm glad you're on the team. If it means anything."
Felix snorts, and there's at least some humour in the tone when he replies, "I'm a Galliard. Havin' fun with alla those feelings an' shit's kinda in the job description." He upends his cup, draining the last of it, and tosses it toward the trash; it lands on the top, next to the hole, instead of going in. "Shit," he mutters, and hops down to go poke it the rest of the way in. "...mine was a 'dox. He was twenty-one when he died," he says. "Meanwhile, look at Reggie. Wouldn't be so sure when any of our expiration dates're comin' up. ...Always kinda knew I was gonna die young, though, even 'fore I knew what I was, so who knows?" He runs his empty hand through his hair, and drops onto the bench again, still smoking. At the half-hug, he leans into it slightly, and sighs. "Well, yeah. 'course it does."
"Reggie and Salem are the exception. Salem is a murdering asshole who hates everyone and doesn't let 'feelings' get in the way of him being a Garou. Reggie is just... I don't know, he's Reggie. I don't know much about him besides he's been here a long time." Justin says with a nod of his head.
"Yeah, ain't suggestin' the odds are are great either of us see 30," Felix says, shrugging. "Maybe we'll at least outlive our fathers. 's a goal, right?" It's said too flippantly to really count as one, though. "Meanwhile I vote for livin' what I get 'bout as hard as I can. Might as well enjoy it."
"I'm going to challenge for Fostern." Justin says out of the blue as he shrugs his shoulders upwards. "I think I'm gonna do it soon, too."
Felix quirks a brow. "Yeah?" he asks, leaning away slightly to study the Ahroun. "Good luck, man. Off chance it turns out to be somethin' other folks can help you out with, you know I'd do it. Know who you're thinkin' to challenge?" He grins fleetingly, "Only thing it's crossed =my= mind to challenge for's pack Beta. Reckon I ain't all that ambitious."
"Yeah. I'm gonna challenge Marcos." Justin says with a grin upon his face.
Felix laughs, smoke escaping into the air. "Nice. Do it when I'm there, okay? I wanna see this all go down."
Justin gives a nod of his head. "Sure. I may even do it tonight." He says, laughing. "I think it'd be hilarious, even if I lose."
"I better jot that down in my dayplanner, 'cause I really don't wanna miss it," Felix says, grinning. "...if I was you I'd prolly see if I could wrangle it so Thane was there too, after that little interlude the other day. Y'know. Just 'cause."
"Yeah, just cuz'. That or I will challenge Esther who actually likes me and probably will make it easy." Justin says as he gives a grin. "But, I never believed in taking the easy route in life for anything."
Felix taps his toe a few times. "Now you got me tryin' to figure out who I'd even go to if I was gonna do that. No fuckin' idea. Reckon it's a good thing I ain't plannin' to any time all that soon!"
"You could challenge Brom." Justin points out with a snicker under his breath. "That would be hilarious, watching him pound you into the ground."
"Thanks, man, I love you too," Felix says dryly, "...anyway, I ain't even met Brom. Maybe he'd like me. Plennya people do, y'know. I got it on good authority." He takes a drag off the cigarette, then stubs the butt out. "Admittedly, more'n one of 'em's also pounded me into the ground, so I guess that ain't exactly whatcha call mutually exclusive."
"Maybe the challenge would be to stay conscious past a certain time limit as he pounded you into the ground." Justin grins at him. "Now that'd be interesting. He is in Thane's pack, big guy, philodox like Frederick. Comes from an all Get Sept. You can imagine the role model Freddy has."
Felix laughs. "Oh, goody goody gumdrops," he says, shaking his head. "...but I reckon I'd do better'n folks'd guess at a challenge like that." For just a moment his eyes are darker than usual, narrowed at nothing visible, and then they're closed and he's stretching, arms above his head. "Mmf," he says, looking entirely back to normal, "...Charlene. Guess I'd prolly end up challengin' her, if I was gonna. Feels more right stickin' with my auspice, y'know? An' so far the others I've met here're too low or too high."
"Then you need to challenge her quick because she just failed an Adren challenge to Alicia." Justin bobs his head firmly as he gives his chin a quick stroke with his fingers. "And from what I hear she is quite ambitious. You can also challenge Briari."
Felix arches a brow. "She's a raggie, though," he points out. "...by the way, you still got that boot we took off the Caddy? 'cause it struck me it might be kinda funny if that thing ended up on her Ferrari someday, assumin' it don't, like, constantly record 360 degrees of its surroundings or some shit, which it prolly does." He glances briefly at the sky, musing, "Actually, I oughta call her. Reckon the moon's gettin' to where I can prolly try an' learn shit from her without anyone gettin' killed, 'bout now." He glances to Justin, "What was the challenge? The one Charlene failed, I mean."
"Uh. From what Slug told me, she had to make a plan, execute the plan and then evaluate the plan. Combat. Take Slug, Fitz and Reed into the Umbra, take out three banes that was fucking a warehouse up, lead them into battle, inspire them, and then come back and tell a story. The three Garou had to vote that she was an effective leader." Justin says as he stubs his foot on the ground. "She only got one vote out of the three. From what I was told she went in there with no plan, then had a total mental collapse during the fight. Reed took over and led them to victory and pulled them outta there. Rumors is that Alicia hosed Charlene because all three personalities are different. Fitz is an asshole who we kicked out of the coyotes, Reed is a true heroic Get Ahroun and Slug is a solo player who listens to no one. Her job was to get them all on the same page. It was a total train wreck."
Felix winces -- faintly at the very start of the description, and more decidedly at the outcome. "Man. ...which vote'd she get?" He thinks the whole thing over for a couple seconds before saying, "...I reckon tryin' to get the different personalities all workin' together was prolly part of the point, there. Kinda harsh, though, 'specially if that one guy's a big an asshole as y'all say. On the other hand, ain't like everyone's cut out to be Adren."
"Yeah, Fitz is a real asshole. I think the point of the challenge was less about killing the banes, but along the lines of seeing if Charlene can step out of being a background player and more like an Alpha. She has done some awesome things here from what everyone says. She just needs to mentally take the next step." Justin says as he bumps his shoulder against his friend's.
"Yeah, that's what I was thinkin' -- more about leadin' an' maybe about the plannin', too, if that's somethin' she ain't so hot at. Reckon that was parta the point of my rite. We're most of us pretty decent at the actually killin' things, I'd say, definitely by the time we're anglin' for Adren." Felix bumps back against Justin's shoulder in return, and stretches out his legs to sprawl more comfortably.
"Yeah, and to be inspirational as a Galliard should be." Justin nods his head. "I just think she let the strong personalities take over her mission and she couldn't wrangle them in." He steals another look to the quiet van, lifting up on this tip toes to see if he can peek through the dark windows.
"Yeah..." Felix nods, but trails off a bit, looking quietly thoughtful. He gets distracted by a noise from his pocket, though, and pulls out his phone, staring at it for a few seconds before he grins and pokes at a few things. Whatever it is, it's short. "You could always call her an' see if she's okay in there," he teases, glancing to Justin, "...an' meanwhile, you gotta give me your new number."
Taking the old flip phone out of his pocket, Justin gives him a quick test with his new number. "I don't want to wake her. It's still pretty early. That'd be a dick move if she was up all night sleeping. I'd rather her get some rest." Giving himself a yawn as well, he covers his mouth and lets out a 'mmf'.
Felix pauses. "...'up all night sleepin''?" he echoes, arching a brow. "Anyway, I was jokin'." The phone makes the noise again, and he records Justin's number from the text. Under just 'J', if he happens to look. He sends a reply in return, just :). Makes it quick, anyway.
Blinking his eyes, Justin lets out a laugh. "Up all night ... I don't know why I said sleeping. Maybe I need to get some sleep." He glances to the phone, then names Felix as Bro Code under his phone. "I probably shoulda went to bed instead of staying up all night stalking her."
"Well. I wasn't gonna say it," Felix says, then grins. "Okay, no, I was absolutely gonna say it, I just wasn't gonna say it =yet=. Specifically, I was gonna say, she know you're out here or is she gonna wake up an' find you stalkin' her?"
"Pfff, no, she doesn't know I'm out here. I'm just a guy on a bench who is making sure no one fucks with her van." Justin says as he flops down on said bench and pulls a knee up against his chest. "There's a lot of creeps out here in Saint Claire and I gotta make sure to protect her .. ah.. kinliness."
Felix laughs. "Sure, that'll totally set anyone's mind at ease if they're even the teensiest bit unsettled," he says, sitting on one of the fountain benches by Justin. He's looking comfortably sprawled, while the Ahroun affects the ol' traditional Gnawer sit, one foot up on the bench, pulling the knee against his chest. "Y'know, I ain't sayin' it's wrong to watch out for her or nothin', but they DO have creeps in all the other cities she's prolly been through, too. Seems like she's been doin' pretty okay takin' care of herself an' her van so far. You might not hafta dedicate your life to it."
"We got creeps that involved a tower full of spiral dancers and a city full of vampires now. I don't see the harm in keeping a watch over her. Maybe we should invite her to the library now that we know she's family." Justin says as he rubs his chin with his hand in thought. "...and she can stay in my room. I will be happy to let her use the beanbag chair."
"See, that's much more reasonable," Felix says, nodding, "Then she knows what's goin' on, plus you get some actual sleep an' don't end up dozin' off an' sleepwalkin' into a manhole or somethin'." Says the guy who was walking home at 7am, but who's counting. "Win-win."
Frederick comes jogging down the path, not unlike the other day. Seems the Get made this his training route. Today, he decided to take off his shirt, carrying it slung around his waist instead and showing off the pretty good shape he is in. Of course, this cannot be the reason for him doing it. As he spots Felix, the even pace of his boots hitting the dirt gets a little bit erratic in his approach of the pair.
<OOC> Felix says "I often have that effect on people. ::preens:: ;)"
"Total win-win. I also need new boxers. I don't want to embarrass myself if she sees me watching around in my unmentionables. At the sight of Frederick jogging towards them, Justin's eyes widen a bit, then flops a hand across his face to work out the flush. "Holy crap he's ripped. I'm super jealous."
Felix glances over appraisingly in the direction Justin's looking at that comment; no flush, just a critical glance. "I ain't," he says, with a very faint smirk, and looks back to Justin. "Anyway, new boxers can't hurt, dependin' what precisely it is about walkin' around in the old ones that'd end up embarrassin'."
Frederick slows down as he approaches, going from jog to walk a few feet away as he watches Felix, and he can't help but actually look amused. "What the hell is THIS? Your pimp outfit?" He does look quite like he enjoys the sight. But more for comical reasons. He looks over to Justin, indicating Felix with a tilt of his head. "Or is there some other explanation?"
"That is totally his pimp outfit." Justin says with a grin on his face. "What about yours? Trying to be a model for Abercrombie or something as you show off those abs?" He points towards his stomach. Point. Point.
"You oughta see it with the hat an' diamond cane," Felix agrees, with a solemn nod, the solemnity of which doesn't last too long as the grin creeps out to replace it. "Actually, now I kinda want a diamond cane. That'd kick."
Frederick eyes Justin. "Well, who would I show off to?" He shakes his head. "Running bare chested in chilly air steels your body. Also it's easier, you sweat less. It's just practical reasons, not ... what you think." He looks between the two Gnawers, grin back on his lips. "Sorry, did I interrupt a date or something? Aaaaand, if he's the pimp...", he looks back at Justin, tilting his head just slightly.
"I'm his bottom bitch. You want a blow job? Fi' dollah makes yah' hollah." Justin says, rolling his tongue into the side of his cheek up and down with a 'jerk jerk' motion of his fist next to his mouth. He gives another wide grin to the Fenrir. "So, you saying we should all take our shirts off then?"
Man/Performance: >>> You rolled 6 dice at 6 diff (8 10 4 2 9 7): 4 successes. <<<
"You just best be sure I get that cash, bitch," Felix warns Justin, "Don't make me hafta come get it, now, y'hear?" He laces his fingers and cracks the knuckles, giving the Ahroun a darkly threatening look. It is perhaps startlingly good. And then gone, with an amused snort to Justin's suggestion. "Feelin' a sudden urge to steel your body?" he asks, "Or just feelin' kinda sweaty?" He and Justin are seated on a bench by the fountain, around 8ish am. Fred, shirtless (oh my!) is standing nearby them.
One could imagine Fred being forced to swallow a lemon whole. Maybe rather a grapefruit. At least the look on his face would certainly match this. He reaches for his shirt and starts to actually put it back on, shaking his head as he quips "No, I should instead put mine back on. Don't want you and your boyfriend get all worked up." He grits his teeth as he adds "And NO, I would very much enjoy NOT being part of that. Fuck, I didn't think I'd ever say that to a Gnawer, but ya know you have a duty in that area, too!"
Already peeling off his shirt to reveal his lanky, toned body, Justin says, "What? I wanna be all steel-ripped like you dude. You do that by just jogging with your shirt off? Am I doing it right?" He asks as he lobs it over towards the Fenrir with a wide grin upon his face.
It's =cold= out here this morning. It really is. But that look on Fred's face... Felix obligingly starts pulling his arms out of the coat and his overshirt, letting them lie on the bench where he's sitting, and stands as he pulls off the t-shirt, draping it by the other parts and stretching, then jogging lightly in place. "I dunno, J, I reckon I'm feelin' more steeled as we speak," he decides. He's actually got rather well-defined musculature, though the tattoos stand out more. "We prolly oughta run around the park or somethin', but I hate to leave my fuckin' awesome coat unattended. Maybe we oughta just do laps around the fountain."
Frederick catches Justin's shirt with a hint of a disgusted look on his face, tossing the shirt back immediately. "There's more to it. And it's not for showing off, it's for a reason." He peers at Justin. "I've been training all my life to get where I am today. For the reason that we exist, not some cheap show. We need to be in shape. For what we have to do." He grunts softly but despite his words, he does leave his shirt open. Maybe his body needs to breathe after the jogging session. Or he does actually like to show it. "But if you're serious about it, I could show you a few things." He eyes the pair of shirtless Gnawers. "You sure could use it!"
"Had enough steel under my shirt to take you in the barn." Justin says with a wide grin to Frederick as he blows a kiss to him. "Cunning far exceeds muscles any day of the week. But, if you wanna challenge me in a push up contest..." He trails off as he gives a roll of his shoulders back and forth to loosen them up. "But, sure, if you want to show us some work out tips I'm down with it. Long as you keep your shirt off."
Felix smirks. "Everything's for showin' off. It just ain't the primary objective," he says. "...and I reckon I been trainin' just about all your life too, come to think of it. Not specifically for what we gotta do, though. They just figured maybe I'd stop fightin' so much at school if I was doin' it somewhere else." He shrugs. "Kinda worked for a while. So. Whatcha lookin' to school us in, this fine mornin'?"
The colorful van that's been parked at the edge of the park shows signs of life. The side door opens to show Isabella in dark blue fleece lounge pants, oversized fuzzy slippers that might have been teddy bear decorated at one point, and a simple red jersey robe over a beige cami. There an old mug in her hand that's steaming away and she squints across the lawn towards the three Garou - apparently having either spotted them right off or maybe having noticed them out the window. "I'm fresh out of ones, gentlemen, sorry!"
Frederick eyes Felix as he starts to button his shirt, muttering "I ain't showing off. I sure don't need that...", he trails off as the van door opens, and his buttoning efforts are ceasing, at least for the moment. He offers a little smile to Isabella and a brief nod. And even a "good morning" as he walks over to Justin. "And ... I didn't wanna hurt you. Didn't know just how much you could handle." He smirks at the other teen, offering "But I can show you a few things if you wanna. Maybe not 'round town, people tend to get uneasy when they see some guys kicking the snot out of each other."
"Hey, if you wanna go for round two and this time not be a puss about it, I'm down when you are." Justin says with a challenging grin to Frederick, giving a puff up of his lanky, fuzzy chest. That is until the words of Bella catches his ears and he deflates quickly, leaning over to scoop up his shirt and work it on quickly. "Uh, you can keep buttoning that up, Freddy." He mutters to the walking model. "Uh, hey Bella! You don't wanna waste your money on us, coffee would be a far better way to spend it. You uh.. you sleep good last night?"
Cha/Perfomance: >>> You rolled 7 dice at 6 diff (4 3 1 4 5 2 6): 0 successes - failure. <<<
Cha/Perfomance: >>> You rolled 7 dice at 7 diff (6 8 8 10 8 9 1): 4 successes. <<<
"We take bills of all denominations!" Felix calls back cheerfully to Isabella, by contrast, "but you gotta come tuck 'em in our g-strings yourself." You know what doesn't work well for pole-dancing? The ends of benches. Even if you're not particularly tall. It's amusing to watch, though he gives up on it after a few seconds and just dances like he's performing for a bachelorette party or something. He's apparently completely shameless. But decidedly good, even if he is being silly. Might be hard to guess exactly what music he's mentally dancing to, but the rhythm's clear enough.
Isabella hoists up her mug at mention of coffee. "I do. Chicory from back homewards. It's the one thing I save my money for besides art supplies and gas. I can't function without it." She gives a puff of air towards Felix. "I'll leave that to Lilah but I'll be sure to pass some spare change her way. Last night was laundromat night, I'm pretty well broke at the moment. You can only wash so much in a sink, though apparently dishwashers work pretty well for the little things."
With a sidelong glance at Justin, the Fenrir seems to make a point by NOT buttoning his shirt. It even seems he makes some effort to show off the body that open shirt is barely trying to hide. "I'll button my shirt when I see fit. Don't wanna sweat after running all the way down here, ya know?" He barely manages to hide a smile as he leans back against the fountains, and whether it's effort or coincidence, it does actually look a bit like he's waiting for the photographer to take his shot.
Blinking his eyes at Frederick, Justin openly stares at him for a moment, then runs a hand down along his face as he inches in to try and block Bella's view of his amazing body. "... so, what does the bro code say about this?" He side mutters to Felix as he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "Hey, Bella, you can stay with us at the library. We got plenty of rooms and I have a bean bag chair you can sleep on. We also got working showers and a kitchen. Uh.. I'm also working on some other things to make it more .. you know.. live-in friendly." He flicks a nickel towards the dancing Felix. Here. He's making it hail.
Felix can do some impressive things with his hips, apparently, and just barely dodges Justin's nickel with a laugh, swooping down to snag it off the floor and pocket it when he stops. Isabella gets a pout, though, "Aw, c'mon! Y'can't use spare change, it falls right outta the strings! Plus we get bruises. Do you really wanna be responsible for marrin' our beautiful skin? Think of the loss to the world!" He glances to Fred when Justin mutters, and smirks, saying loud enough for the Get to hear, though perhaps not Isabella, "See, I told you everything's for showin' off. Guess you need that after all, huh?"
"Pretty sure you boys have had worse than bruises." Isabella remarks around a sip of coffee. Mention of the library does bring her head to tip consideringly, "Working shower would be nice. Campgrounds and cheap hotels just don't leave a lady with a lot of confidence in how clean she is. I don't have much to offer back but I can help with the sprucing up and cleaning. I can't promise you much with my cooking skills but I haven't killed anyone yet."
Frederick openly grins at Justin's reaction, the Fenrir slowly strolling over towards him and, stopping next to him, tapping his shoulder "And here I was thinking a 'yote would be better at taking a joke." He keeps grinning as he slowly and overly elaborately buttons up his shirt. But he ain't showing off. Nope. No way. What thought! And, at least for now, he manages to pointedly ignore Felix and his antics. Seems he's not the audience for male exotic dancing, instead turning slightly to address Isabella. "Well, being injured comes with the job description, ya know. It's what we are, what we're here for. What we were created for."
Letting out a bit of a snort towards the Fenrir, Justin gives him a 'look', then grumbles, "Oh, I can take a joke. I can also dish them out. You just wait mister." He mutters, then swats the half moon right on the ass, giving perhaps a bit of a 'grab' before he lets go and strolls off from him. To Bella, he says, "Don't worry about it. You don't, you know.. gotta be a maid or anything. Lilah works at Denny's and she brings back a lot of doggy bags, and we also get some eats from the headquarters here on the edge of town." He gives her a wider grin. "Maaaybe you can .. get a job with Lilah and get some easier faster cash that way?" He gives a thumbs up to Felix.
Felix laughs, leaning on the bench. "You're startin' to sound like Ursula the Sea Witch," he informs the Get, and imitates her the best he can; he's not a great voice mimic, really, but the delivery he's got solid: "'My dear, sweet child. That's what I DO. It's what I LIVE for.'" He stretches, and nods in Isabella's direction, with a quick grin to Justin on the way. "Like he said, you don't gotta go scrub all the floors or nothin'. I mean, you feel better doin' things, ain't no one likely to stop you, but you're one of us; you're welcome."
"I know I know." Isabella remarks with a shrug of her shoulders. "Still, it's just polite. Use the facilities, help with the upkeep. I can bus or wait, sure. I've done a share of work here and there, mostly under the table since I didn't stay around long but a payday is a payday. I suppose if I'm staying here through the winter at least I'll need to find something around since painting outside in the cold isn't likely to draw many customers."
Frederick grumbles a "hey" as his ass gets a swat, followed by a yip and his eyes going wide as the swat is prolonged into a grab, the Get's eyes following Justin as he walks away. The Fenrir as well takes a few steps away, juuuust to be on the safe side of ... this. He leans that aforementioned ass against the fountain again, away from any grabbing hands and just observes the whole scene quietly for now.
"Sure, we'll talk to Lilah and see about getting you a hook up then if you want to." Justin says as he brightens up a bit more, especially at the yip from Frederick. "What's up dude? Coyote got your buns?" Flopping down on the edge of the fountain as well, he tells Bella. "We got heat also. Space heaters for the winter. It's pretty cozy to be honest. Maybe we can start painting the walls so they look nicer."
Felix grins at the yip as well, and snickers at Justin's question to Frederick, and the Philodox's continued reaction to the grab. Speaking of heat, though, he wanders back to the bench to collect his t-shirt and start putting himself back together, pulling out his phone once the coat's back on and opening it up to text something. Not particularly quickly.
You text to Lilah: hey doll, r u up? wen u wrk cn u c 4 izbela if there hirin? thx
"I can chat her when we meet up, we got plenty of catching up to do." Isabella says to Justin with a smile. "So I guess I'll get cleaned up and toss in some breakfast and I can head over to the library. I just need an address. Anytime good to stop over? I don't have anything planned this afternoon but I usually don't. It's the benefit of not having a set schedule."
Frederick stays with his fountain, finishing the buttoning of his shirt. "Obviously some Gnawer can't keep his grubby paws to himself...", he mutters, more to himself as he simply continues to listen to the conversation. He doesn't have a place to offer, after all.
Winking to Frederick, Justin says, "Next time I'll charge you." Back to Bella, he nods his head as well. "I'll text you to the address, or, you can just drive us over and we can guide you. We can help move your stuff in as well." He shifts his jaw slightly, then says to Fred. "You can come too if you want to snag dinner."
You receive a text from Lilah: hi hi will do
"Same place you dropped Justin the other day," Felix tells Isabella, "...unless you mean, like, to write down on applications an' shit, in which case, I dunno, but I reckon it's written down there some place. Or he knows." A gesture to Justin, since there was an offer to text it from those quarters. "Generally pretty much any time's good, though, I'd say. We can go now, if you want." He pauses as the phone beeps, and looks at it a second or two before adding, "Lilah says she'll check about if they're hirin' next time she works."
You receive a text from Lilah: dont wrk 2day but tmrw
Another beep from the phone, and after another second or so, "...oh, an' she doesn't work today. But, tomorrow."
Frederick ponders for a moment before offering a sweet smile to the teen Gnawer. "Nah thank you. I know you, first you get me dinner and then you want ...", he shakes his head. "I ain't that kinda dude, sorry. I'll just finish my run and then find something to eat. Guess it's my turn to get some food... anyway." He does a small bow to Isabella. "Been a pleasure as always", before flashing a grin at Justin and a quick nod to Felix. "Catch you two later. I'll get you for a workout!"
"That's what PO boxes are for. Or someone's mailbox you can 'borrow'." Isabella says with a cough towards Felix. She looks back towards Justin then and gives him a nod. "Thanks for checking. I remember the spot so I can swing over. You all are welcome to hitch a ride if you were heading back that way. I just need a minute to change. Slippers and driving don't mix." To the departing Frederick she gives a quick wave. "Take care of yourself."
You text to Lilah: k thx doll bbs
You receive a text from Lilah: kk
Felix gives Frederick a mock salute, and exchanges another pair of texts before sliding the phone back into his pocket. "Sure, thanks," he agrees to the offer, although it's not much distance at all to their destination, "...and I wouldn't know, I guess, I don't get mail. ...not mine, anyhow." He stands, stretching, and steps up onto the bench, balancing on the edge of it.
"I quite assure you, Frederick -is- that kinda dude." Justin says with a sly grin upon his face, watching him head off before he looks back to the other pair. "Alright, go ahead and change. We'll hang out right here and practice our steel." He says as he pounds his stomach a few times. Thud-Thud.
"Oh, should I be strippin' back down then?" Felix asks, taking hold of his coat as if he were imminently about to do so. "Which reminds me, I still really wanna set up onea those third floor rooms we ain't so much usin' to work out in. Figure out a way to get us a heavy bag and some shit like that. Ain't that I don't like Edgewood, but some days I don't got time to go out that far, an' fightin' mattresses just ain't as good." He grins at the Ahroun, "I know you were worried about it smellin' like sweat, but clearly it ain't like we can't get practically truckloads of febreze."
As Bella heads to the van to get changed, Justin watches her for a moment before he glances back to Felix with a wide grin. "You see Freddy? That was hilarious. He was showing off! He was trying to catch her eye. Nice to know that even a big proud Fenrir like him would try and flirt with a Gnawer kin."
Felix watches too. I mean, c'mon. "Yeah, yeah I did," he confirms, grinning back, "an' yeah, he totally was. 'cause we got the prettiest kin, it's just a fact. Even he can't fight it."
"Damn right we do." Justin says with a wide, proud grin upon his face. ".. he did look good though. Geez he must work out fucking ten times a day or something. He looked like a model. Freaking Get and their freaking metabolism."
In short order, for a woman at least, the side door reopens. Isabella's out of pajamas and into plain old jeans, black sneakers, and a long baseball-style t-shirt in orange and cream. "Alright, I'm caffeinated and dressed and good to go. Since I have the wheels handy, was there anywhere you boys needed to stop before the library?"
"I'll take your word for it," Felix says dryly, "I ain't a connoisseur of these things." He considers a moment, then shrugs, "Don't reckon he's got that much on me, though." And then, a wild Isabella appears! He hops down off the bench and heads in the direction of her and her camper. "Nah, nowhere in particular. Think Lilah's waitin' for us. J, you got anywhere you gotta stop?"
"Nope, I ain't got no where to go." Justin says as he kicks a rock to the side with his worn down sneaker, giving a wry grin. "I call shot gun though!" He says, giving a quick fist pump at his hip. "Let's roll out autobots."
"Justin with shotgun, Felix gets his choice of the couch-table." Isabella says as she ducks back inside. The interior of the van is a Tetris-worthy display of packing. Cabinets, shelves with fronts to keep the content in place, and drawers cut in under couches. Every inch possible is used to stash stuff, leaving it surprisingly clean and well organized. Above, though the roof is closed, is the two bunks - little more than barely twin cots. "Alright, once you're settled we'll get goin'."
"Well, I reckon I can't call drivin', so... I call whatever looks comfiest!" Felix follows Justin's claim, and nods to Isabella's decree of spot-availability. He does indeed take whichever of couch-table seems comfiest, though, with just a glance toward the bunks as he settles in.
Climbing into the passenger seat, Justin gives a bit of a bounce on the cushion to test it, then tugs the seatbelt across his chest and shoulder to latch it into place. Straightening up, he takes a glance over his shoulder as well to the back of the van as if to study it. "Ready when you are."
It really all does look like a mini-camper meets a van - and classically old. The interior is mostly original down to the pop top and bunk beds, but the surfaces have largely been replaced over the years from beige plaid upholstery to cheap linoleum counters in pale avocado. Brightly colored blankets and throw pillows are strewn around and match some of the curtains and bedding by sheer dumb luck. There's even a few pictures of a family on the walls, a pale-haired husband and wife and four girls. One couch is apart of the dining section and there's another semi-couch that's more like a built in storage bench at the rear. Once the Garou are settles, Isabella pulls off the curb and starts the drive to the library.
Felix doesn't even look for a seatbelt, just sprawls comfortably and looks around while they go. It's not much of a drive, so at least he doesn't have time to get bored with just eyeing things from where he is, though after a couple minutes he does start singing softly to himself, "Everything right is wrong again, just like in the long long trailer..." When they get to the Library he's on his feet pretty quickly, ready to head out and go inside.
Lilah is on the main floor of the Library, reading what appears to be a book about dragons, judging by the partially-ripped cover. She's pretty deep into it, and Felix and Justin will often have seen her lost in some book or other. The main floor of the Library appears to have been spruced up a bit, almost literally: there's definitely SOME cleaning scent in the air, and it does smell kinda treeish. It's faint, but it's there. There's a bit of crumbs and things still left out for the rats, however.
You paged Lilah with 'Where's she sitting? :D'.
Lilah pages: ...herp derp. Um. On the ground.
Lilah pages: Leaned back against a wall.
Pushing open the doors to the library, Justin heads in first with his usual swagger as he lets out a yawn, followed by a, "Luuuucy, I'm hoooome!" His grandparents made him watch it. Really. In tow comes Felix and Isabella as well, after having drove over inside her magical mystery mobile.
Felix glances around as they enter and brightens on seeing the younger kin, not that he was looking particularly gloomy before. "Liiiiilah!" he sings to her in greeting as he heads over to where she's seated on the floor, and he slides into the appropriate position as he nears her to crawl a few steps while continuing, "Ya got me on my knees, Lilah, I'm beggin', darlin' please, Lilah!" He rolls to rest his shoulders and head in her lap, looking up at her from beneath her book and batting his lashes, "Darlin', won't you ease my worried mind?"
Isabella lets the Garou lead the way, following along behind them. She regards the inside of the library as she goes with a clearly appreciative eye for all it's ancient and worn down to the bone in some places. "...this must have been so amazing at one time. Wish I knew how to properly restore buildings." As she spies Lilah past them, she raises a hand to wave in her direction. "Heya, Lilah. Found these two loitering around the park and brought 'em back."
Lilah looks up as the others enter, shooting Justin a smile as he arrives. She opens her mouth to say something, probably a greeting, when Felix arrives in that *coat*, and her lips curve up further, into a wide grin. She laughs a little as he sings-- more when he's done-- and bends a corner of the page she's on to mark her place. The book is lightly tossed aside as though it held no interest to begin with. "Howdy, stranger," she says fondly, and reaches down to run her fingers through his hair. "What brings ya to my neck o' the woods?" She breaks off looking at him long enough to wave at Bella and Justin, still smiling brightly. "How are y'all?" she asks them.
"I happen to enjoy loitering. It is my favorite hobby." Justin says as he heads over to his large bean bag and pushes all the magazines off it and gives it a quick dusting. Then with a motion of his hands, he says, "Bella, your throne?" He says with a sweeping bow of his body.
"Hi there," Felix says to Lilah, reaching up to slide a hand to the back of her neck and pull her down for a fairly thorough kiss. She's sitting on the floor, with her back against a wall, and he's lying on his back with his head and shoulders in her lap right now. When he lets her go again, he says in the direction of the Ahroun, who's clearing off the bean bag for Isabella's benefit, "...well, I can't say as it's my =favourite= hobby, but I gotta admit it's pretty high on the list."
Isabella dips her head and drops into a proper curtsy, sans sweeping ball gown, to Justin before she takes up a seat on the bean bag. "Doing good! Can't complain at any rate. It's nice to have found a place where there's family I actually know. I let these two know I plan to stick around town till spring at least. I can help out around here and can see about getting a better paying job while I'm in town."
Lilah is definitely up for kisses, returning them in kind. Once the two of them finish locking lips, she smiles warmly at Felix, and then turns her attention to Bella. "It's good to see ya. I'mma ask at Denny's tomorrow if'n they got any openings. Not sure whether they do 'r not. How ya likin' St. Claire?" And to Justin, she comments, "Ain't nothin' wrong with loiterin'. Nothin' wrong at all."
Watching the pair of them make out, Justin wets his lips a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. He steals a quick glance to Bella, raising a brow upwards, then clears his throat. He glances upwards to the ceiling, then to the left as he plucks a magazine off the ground and opens it up.
Isabella politely seems to pay no notice of affections and responds in time to Lilah's question. "It's a pretty city, really, as far as they go. Big but not too big. I appreciate checking at Denny's. Guess I'll need to swing by a place with a copier, run off a few of my resume. Hopefully my copy isn't too bent up, it's gotten around but it's pretty up to date with everything official."
<OOC> Isabella says "Whoops, sorry Felix."
<OOC> Isabella says "Lost track there. :)"
<OOC> Felix was awaitin' Benny, and will forgive you... this time. ;)
<OOC> Justin pokes Benny?
<OOC> Felix thinks we must've lost him
<OOC> Justin says "I don't think he's coming back."
Felix leaves his hand on the back of Lilah's neck and watches her for a several seconds after she sits back up. "...oh, there's this place called Snakes an' Lattes that's kinda a kin gatherin' place, I think? Could check there too if Denny's ain't got anythin' right now. It ain't 24 hour but it's open a lot. ...oh, but you prolly oughta avoid goin' out after dark without one of us, at the moment. Justin mighta mentioned that already."
"Yeah, I can poke Val into getting you a job at Snakes. She's my homegirl." Justin says as he flips through another page in the magazine absently without actually looking at what he is holding. With a glance downwards, he blanches at the sight of the Hustler, then shoves it behind him casually.
Lilah rests her hand casually on Felix's cheek, and says, "I reckon that sounds like a good idea... both Snakes an' Lattes *an'* not going out after dark unless yer with one o' these fine fellas." She casts a smile on Felix and Justin, and then turns that same smile on Bella. "Glad ya like it. It's real nice here, seems to me."
<OOC> Justin says "Maybe we can scene pause until tomorrow? Baby is being a nightmare, again, as usual at night."
<OOC> Lilah says "Maybe Bella & Justin stay here, or go for a walk, and Felix & Lilah go hang out?"
<OOC> Justin says "Yeah, and it's already 10:30 :( Argh. But sure, we can say that. Justin is giving Bella the grand tour."
Felix smiles at the hand, still looking up at the younger kin, and twines some of her hair around his fingers, softly crooning, "Liiiilah." He tilts his head back to glance after the others as Justin leads Isabella off for 'the Grand Tour' or whatever the kids are calling it these days, and then looks back to Lilah, giving her a slow smile. "...want a grand tour of our room?"
Blushing just faintly at the crooning, Lilah rubs a thumb over Felix's cheek. She's sitting on the floor with her back to the wall, and Felix is resting his head in her lap, twirling her hair around his fingers. Justin and Bella are off doing a tour of the Library, and are done for the night RL. Felix has a smile on his lips, and whatever he's just said makes Lilah laugh and blush, all at the same time. "I may've seen it once 'r twice already," she teases.
The door of the library bangs open and in stumbles Benny. He has a brown paper sack in one hand, and what appears to be a joint in the other. His eyes, quite bloodshot, peer around the library in a drunken fashion and upon finding Felix and Lilah he crows, "Well hey there you guys... we having a party or what?"
"Oh, yeah? So... are you sayin' you don't want another good look at it, then?" Felix teases, twining Lilah's hair a bit more around his fingers to draw her down closer. The bang of the door distracts him, and he looks to it, tensing slightly, but relaxes when he identifies the arrival. "Tryin' to!" he greets his packmate cheerfully enough, "Justin's off somewhere givin' Isabella the grand tour. 'sup?"
"Now let's not be too hasty, I ain't said *that,*" Lilah drawls, and then looks up in surprise at the bang. When she sees it's Benny, and a probably drunken Benny at that, she laughs lightly and waves him in. "Howdy, Benny! How ya doin'?" She rubs at Felix's arm lightly, and then adds teasingly, "An' more importantly, are ya sharin'?"
Benny grins and takes a swig of the bottle as he shuffles across the library floor to join the other two. Once he is close enough he offers the bottle and joint to whoever snatches whichever first. "Hell yeah I'm sharing. They may accuse ole Sugar Lips of a lot of things, but being stingy with the herb and drink is not one of them!" He laughs loudly and says, "What's new you two? Hope I'm not interrupting anything."
You paged Benny with 'So what's in the bottle today? :)'.
Benny pages: Whiskey
"Good," Felix more or less purrs to Lilah, and reaches out to take whatever's closer to him, which happens at the moment to be the bottle, which he raises in something of a toast before taking a good drink from it. He pauses briefly, then grins at the Theurge. "Not a lot new. Got to watch Freddy pretendin' he wasn't showin' off for Isabella for a little, that was amusin'. An' we hadn't quite got to anythin' that'd be bein' interrupted. Yet. 's new with you?"
Lilah runs a hand through her hair, and she's reaching out for the joint, herself, even before she see what Felix is going for. "Thank ya kindly. I 'ppreciate it." She takes a puff, and then holds her breath as she offers it back to Benny or Felix, whichever of them should want it. It's a few moments before she breathes out, and it's a relieved breath at that. "That's more like it," she grins, and kisses Felix's forehead before asking, "How badly was he showin' off?" She then turns to Benny to hear the answer to Felix's question.
Benny takes the joint back from Lilah and takes a long drag on it, he exhales a bit of smoke and then quickly sucks it right back into his mouth with a devouring type expression. He holds it in for a long pause and then finally exhales through his nose, and then he is laughing loudly again as he holds the joint over to Felix. "Ahh, Freddy... that poor bastard. For him to take himself so seriously, he is like a walking fucking joke." He shakes his head and says, "Not much new on my end, just waiting to hear back on my challenge for Fostern."
Felix aims to trade Lilah the bottle for the joint, but Benny gets there first, so instead he has another drink and then makes the trade with him, instead. "Oh, coulda been worse, I reckon, just standin' around by the fountain like he was practicin' to be a catalog model, with his shirt open. Though it was pretty choice right after he was sayin' bein' in shape was for The Fight, not for showin' off." He shakes his head, and smirks. "I told him everything's for showin' off, just ain't the primary objective. Then she came out of her van an' he promptly stopped complainin' an' buttonin' up an' proved me right." He takes his turn on the joint, passing it over to Lilah afterward and tilting his head back in her lap, closing his eyes. "...thanks," he remembers to say when he exhales, and looks at the other two again. "...an' shit. You too, huh? Who'd you ask? Fuck, now I'm gonna hafta start actually thinkin' about doin' it too."
Lilah leans her head back against the wall, looking just slightly more relaxed now that she knows what's going to be hitting her system soon. She snorts at Felix's words, shaking her head, but doesn't comment on it directly. Instead, she looks up with interest at all this challenge talk. "Good luck, Benny." She tilts her head at Felix's last words, and gives him a smile.
Benny nods his head in reply to Lilah, "Thanks, girlie." Looking back to Felix he questions, "Me too? What do you mean? Has someone else challenged?" He considers this for a few moments before he says, "I challenged Sera, the Strider Theurge that I have been learning Rites from. Also run weed for her around the city. We can thank her for this lovely St. Claire herb we are enjoying tonight."
Felix points a finger at Benny. "We gotta buy from you. Or her. Whatever," he says, the point turning into a vague wave. "Hm. Sera, Strider Theurge... I ain't met her yet. And not far's I know, but J was just talkin' about it this mornin'. What kinda Rites you been learnin'?"
Lilah smiles at Benny, and then listens to the two of them closely. "I ain't met Sera, neither, I'm afraid. But it's true-- this's lovely. Thanks for sharin'!" She runs a hand through Felix's hair this time, and nods to him. "Yeah, would love to buy from y'all. Ain't got many contacts in this city yet."
Benny smirks and says, "Well so long as I'm around you don't need any other contacts of the stinky green stuff." He chuckles again and says, "Ehh... I have been learning quite a few. I figure it's kind of my job as a Theurge, but also I kind of have a knack for it."
Benny has given you permission to view his +sheet.
<OOC> Benny says "He would have listed them off to you"
Rites: Trash is Treasure (0) Tobacco's Calm (0) Precognition (0) Rite of the Cardboard Palace (1) Rite of Deft Evasion (1) Rite of Talisman Dedication (1) Rite of Binding (1) Rite of Spirit Awakening (2) Rite of Summoning (2)
<OOC> Benny says "I just didn't figure we needed to clog up the pose with the list"
Felix ughs, looking around for where the joint's hanging out now, "Contacts. Man, worst part of bein' in a new city. I don't KNOW anyone anymore. Really cuts down the options..." He shakes his head. The talk of the Rites cheers him up a bit, and he considers Benny's list with interest. "...what's the Rite of Deft Evasion? Ain't heard of that one before. I dunno all the others, but I at least heard of 'em before. May not be a Theurge, but I don't get how people wouldn't be excited about learnin' Rites. I mean, we're basically doin' fuckin' magic. In what universe is that not awesome? I basically learned anythin' I could talk anyone into teachin' me, before."
"I 'ppreciate that!" Lilah says to Benny, and listens to the list with interest, as well. She nods to Felix's 'ugh' and what follows, adding, "Yeah, lack o' knowin' people's one o' the few things I mind 'bout bein' here, but o' course that'll change with time." She smiles, and looks to Benny to hear about this Deft Evasion thing.
Benny leans back in consideration of the Rite in question. Finally he says, "I guess the easiest way to explain it is that it is a Rite that I can use to help my packets when we are in combat. How it works basically is that I prick those of you I wish to help on the foot and get a bit of your blood on the ground. Then I kneel down there where the blood is and place my hands on the ground and meditate on those of you that I am trying to protect and it makes you guys more able to dodge in combat. The downfall, is that it only works so long as I am meditating on you, as soon as I stop, or am knocked out of my concentration it goes away. I also can't help with the fight."
"That's pretty cool," Felix decides, and accepts the joint back from Lilah once she's finished her turn with it. "Maybe better the more people you got in the fight, I guess, 'less it gets too hard to concentrate on people if you got enough to make up for you not fightin'." He takes a good drag off the joint and offers it back over to Benny, quiet for several seconds. "...mmm."
Lilah breathes out that last puff slowly, and smiles a very relaxed smile at the two of them. Her hand reaches for Felix's, and she gives it a light squeeze. "Yeah, that's a good question... how many people can ya concentrate on? Does it, y'know, scale well?"
Benny waves away the joint, clearly indicating that Felix and Lilah can finish it off. "That's where it gets tricky. You have to split your mind to everyone participating, so the more you have fighting the harder it is. It's hard to watch everyone at once and not slip up." He yawns and then adds, "I think I am going to turn in for the night. If you guys need me, I'll be on the roof." He winks and the both of them and then pushes himself to his feet, only stooping to retrieve the bottle before he shuffles upstairs.
Felix gives Benny a light salute with the joint, then offers it to Lilah. "Night, man. Thanks. Sleep well, I'll try not to wake you up way early by drinkin' your stuff again. ...if I remember." He grins at the Theurge, and then looks to the kin, studying her for a few moments.
"Night, Benny, an' thanks," Lilah says, and accepts the joint, having herself another long pull off of it. It's getting fairly low, so she's pinching it a bit carefully. She closes her eyes happily before very slowly letting her breath out. When she opens her eyes to look down at Felix, they're half-lidded, and she gives him a bit of a goofy smile. "Howdy."
"Hi there, beautiful," Felix murmurs back, eyes half-closed, and reaches to draw her hand down so that he can smoke without having to actually pass what remains back and forth anymore. "...'m guessin' you were out? I coulda got you some more, I'm pretty sure."
"I could get used to you callin' me that," Lilah teases, and moves her hand where he directs, especially when she sees what he's going for. "Yeah, been out f'r a bit. S'all good now." She runs her free hand down his cheek and to his neck, trailing over the skin. "I like you, Mr. Sinclair," she drawls out.
Felix mms, and leans up a little, pulling Lilah's head down toward him so that he can kiss her, and not coincidentally shotgun the smoke. As long as she actually breathes it in, at least! "...I like you too, Mrs. Sinclair," he murmurs when he lets her go again. "An' you oughta tell me when you need shit. I'll find it for you."
Lilah definitely doesn't seem to mind breathing in the smoke, and minds kissing even less so. When he lets her go, she stays bent down, and rubs a hand over his chest. "Need's a strong word," she murmurs. "I'm good. I'm *real* good." That said, she leans down for another kiss, longer this time.
"Need, want, covet, desire--" is about as far as Felix gets before that kiss, and he's more than happy to put off any further synonymity for the time being. No hurry at all with breaking the kiss, although when they do, he continues, "...you're more'n good. But I mean it. If there's shit you wanna have an' you don't..."
Lilah mmms softly at his synonyms, and when the kiss breaks, she gives him what cannot be described in any other way than, 'bedroom eyes.' "There's always gonna be shit I wanna have... but right now, I'd love that tour. Sometimes I get *real* lost." Her fingertips stroke over his earlobe, and she adds softly and more seriously, "Ya take good care o' me."
Felix gives her a small smile for the more serious comment, and equally softly, "Well... I wanna." The smiles spreads then, though, quirking up at one side and developing an entirely different, far wickeder quality, much more appropriate for those eyes of hers. "...an' right now I wanna make sure you don't unfixably lose your way headin' up to our room. Or once you get in it. I mean, I'd come lookin'. But it'd be much more efficient if I just gave you that tour." He pulls her down for another kiss, unhurried, and then pushes to stand and offer her a hand up.
"Thanks," Lilah says quietly, heartfelt, and then her cheeks redden slightly at that wicked smile of his. She takes his hand to get up, and takes the opportunity of being so close to him to nibble lightly on his neck. "I reckon I'm ready for the tour, an' my closeup, Mr. Sinclair." That said, it won't be much of a tour, since she suddenly laughs quietly and tries to tug him after her toward the stairs.