It's midafternoon on Sunday when Lilah's phone rings. Depending whether she saves the numbers Felix calls from, it may or may not come up as him on her phone.

Lilah does not save the numbers. Just in case and all. So when she picks up quickly, she'll sound slightly hesitant but excited, "Hello?"

"Hey, doll," comes a familiar male voice down the line, unhurried and sounding pleased to hear her. "How's it goin'?"

He can hear the smile in her voice when Lilah replies, "Hey. It's goin' okay. You okay? Everythin'... okay?"

"Pretty okay," Felix replies, with an audible smile of his own. It does sound a bit dimmed as he adds, "Ain't a lotta progress happenin', seems like. Miss you."

Lilah pauses for just a moment, and then murmurs, heartfelt, "I miss you, too. Awful much. I get real worries aboutcha."

Felix shifts position and there's a very faint creak from whatever it is he's shifting on, along with the slight rustles of fabric and leather. "J thinks I'm bein' over-careful," and yes, there's a definite touch of incredulity there, "stayin' so much away from you. What d'you think?"

After listening carefully, there's a pause. And then Lilah says thoughtfully, "I reckon it's my job to make sure you ain't worried when you're out there. An' if you come to where I am, an' somethin' happens, 'r somethin'... you'll be worried f'sure. But it ain't my place to say what you do one way 'r another. I won't lie: I miss ya all the time."

"'s takin' for-fuckin'-ever," Felix complains, and sighs. "They did show up an' hit Edgewood, I dunno if I said. But we weren't there no more. I wasn't around for the fight." He sounds a bit disappointed about that. "It was 'bout the same time as the shit with the mayor an' the riots, I was in the city. No one got hurt too bad, not on our side anyhow."

"I'm glad nobody got hurt too bad." A pause, then Lilah says softly and embarrassedly, "'specially you." She pauses again, and asks, "How's J an' the others? They pretty restless like you?"

"Heh. Yeah, I reckon we're all pretty restless. ...maybe not Watcher so much 'cause he's got the pups to raise an' shit. But me an' J an' Trace, for sure. Some other folks too, I'd bet, but I ain't hearin' it so much from them." A slight pause, in which a grin audibly replaces the previously lost smile, "T's a coyote now too."

"Hey, that's great," Lilah says, and adds, "Send 'im my welcomes, if'n it's appropriate 'n the like." She's quiet for a long moment, and then seems to smile again. "I reckon y'all are gonna take over, things keep goin' like they are."

Some of those little background noises again, and one like Felix's stretching. "Mmf. Sure, I'll pass it on. An' I hope not, 'cause that sounds like a shit-ton of work." But it sounds like the grin's still there. "'bout you, beautiful? What you been up to? No one I gotta come punch, is there?"

Lilah chuckles softly at his claims about too much work. He can probably hear, distantly, the sounds of a television set or maybe a party? Hard to tell. Not quite loud enough to be a party, though. At least he's not missing out on that! "No one you gotta come punch, you're a'right there," she says amusedly, and then pauses for another long moment. When she speaks, it's extremely hesitantly but with a hopeful tone to it. "Reckon I been doin' a lotta thinkin' lately. Lots o' time for that. An' ... I was thinkin'. 'Bout, you know. Gettin' my GED an' the like. Maybe even community college?"

"Yeah?" Felix asks, sounding a bit startled, though not disapproving, "Aimin' to start goin' to school again on purpose? How come?"

"On purpose," Lilah confirms, sounding a little amused by his reaction. "I wanna catch up. An' learn things. An'... would be nice to get s'more skills under m'belt. Y'know, just in case." She pauses for another moment, and adds, "Prolly wouldn't even try to start right now, with all the... turmoil 'n the like. But... after."

"I dunno, don't suppose there's a lotta reason you'd hafta wait," Felix muses, "Aside from summer school suckin' ass even worse'n normal school, anyhow. Don't really seem to me like you'd be in more danger doin' GED stuff or somethin'. Though maybe I ain't thinkin' it through right." There isn't much of a pause, but the next sentence seems sudden anyway: "Just in case what?"

"In case we gotta move," Lilah says quietly, and after a pause, goes on, "Or in case I'm-- y'know. Not havin' enough skills already. I just-- I wanna be useful, an' I wanna learn, an' I wanna-- I wanna help. I wanna be like those who're helpin', instead o'... not helpin'. I'm tired o' takin' an' takin'. I'm tired o' relyin' on everybody else. An' I figure, this'd be a good first start." She catches her breath there, having said the rest in a bit of a rush. "I want this real bad."

"You ain't always takin'," Felix says firmly, "You do your part, doll. You do a lot. I seen you. But I ain't against you doin' school shit if that's what you wanna do. ...what kinda skills you wanna learn?"

"I-- I dunno yet, now ya mention it. But I dunno what all they teach. I should find that out." Lilah doesn't comment on that first bit whatsoever. She's quiet for a moment though, and then murmurs, "Thanks for... understandin' an' all. Not everybody would, I reckon." Another pause, longer this time. "I miss you so much."

Felix sounds genuinely confused as he asks, "Why not? Ain't like you're tryin' to make ME do it." There isn't any confusion in the response to the last remark, however. "Miss you too. 's weird. Ain't used to missin' folks. ...don't reckon I like it much."

"I reckon some'd think it's pointless, 'r a waste." There's a shift of fabric, perhaps a shrug, before Lilah goes on with a smile in her voice, "It ain't a good feelin', no. But I'm okay, an' you're okay, an' that makes it easier, I reckon." She's quiet for another long moment, and then murmurs as though it's some kind of secret, "I love you."

"If you wanna do it, it ain't pointless," Felix says, and the slight rustle this time is likely a shrug as well. "Shit, if I had a problem with people doin' shit 'cause it's shit they wanna do I'd hafta have some kinda stern talk with myself first off. An' I fuckin' hate stern talks." Not so much he isn't grinning, though. "...yeah. Reckon it'd be worse not knowin'," he allows, and his tone's both softer and warmer as he murmurs back, "'s my girl."

"You even hate stern talks from yourself? You think stern talks from yourself'd be sterner or less stern 'n ones from other people?" Lilah wonders, the smile obvious in her tone. "I'm glad yer able t'call me sometimes. It's nice knowin' you're a'right, an' bein' able to tell you I'm okay, too." She sounds pleased by his last words as she whispers, "Always."

There's a couple seconds of silence before Felix says, rather quietly, "I could come get you."

A near-silent intake of breath, surprised, before Lilah replies just as quietly, "What about... stayin' safe? I-- I'd give just about anythin' t'see ya, but-- but I wantcha safe, not gettin' hurt on account o' me."

"If I got hurt it'd be on account o' =me=, don't worry 'bout that," Felix replies, "...'s keepin' =you= safe, that's the thing I been tryin' to do. Just. I wanna see you."

Lilah is quiet for some time before she'll finally admit, "I'd rather see ya than be safe. I just." Another silence, even longer this time, before she suddenly says firmly, "Meet me at the bus station. I don't care when. I'll wait. Just-- be careful. I'll wait."

"You still got the binoculars, right? Keep an eye out, don't go nowhere if you see somethin' Wrong. I don't reckon you're gonna, but. You be careful too. I don't want you waitin' too long, so..." A pause of a good couple seconds before Felix continues, "'bout an hour, that's when I'll be there. If that's gonna change I'll call an' tell you."

"I do. Got the binoculars, I mean. An' I'll be real careful. I don't wanna get nobody hurt." Lilah's quiet a moment, and then adds, "I'll get goin' then. Wanna make sure I get there all round-about-like. I-- I look forward t'seein' ya."

"Lookin' forward to seein' you too," Felix says. "...soon."

"Soon," Lilah echoes, and then she hangs up like she's on TV. She holds the phone to her chest for several moments, just breathing a little nervously, and then she starts getting ready in a hurry.

<OOC> Lilah says "Sure enough, last scene says Spokane. Herp derp."
<OOC> Lilah says "Okay, so they do make plans to meet up. Lilah'd be all, 'meet me at the place where we went last time. We don't gotta stay there, but if it's still good, meet me there in X hours."

<OOC> Felix says "Felix would laugh and say sure, he can do that easy."
<OOC> Felix says "...and he will do a patrol of the place since he's there. Make extra sure it IS still good."

Around the time Lilah should be nearing the truck stop, she gets a text from Felix. All it has is a number: the number of the room they were in the last time, the room Felix and Trace (mostly Trace) have rented.

Lilah leans against the window, smiling at her phone goofily, and waits for a few others in a hurry to get off. She flicks her phone shut, and then heads off, herself. She has a blue shopping bag with her, but that's all she's included. It doesn't have the hardened edges of her 'filled with rocks' duffelbag, so there's that. Once she's off the bus, she heads for the truck stop, and makes her way to the room in question. After a brief moment, she knocks.

There is a brief pause -- quite possibly a 'length of glancing through the peephole' pause -- and then the door opens, revealing a Felix. A particularly happy-looking Felix, who grabs Lilah's free hand and tries to tug her inside and close the door swiftly behind her. His aim after that is to press her up against it for a decidedly thorough kiss, if he can get away with it.

Lilah looks lightly surprised as she's pulled in, but it's only a brief moment before she's grinning broadly. She's easily pressed up against that door, and his only trouble kissing her, if one could call it that, is 'dealing' with her own attempts at thoroughness. She leans back against the door, hands reaching to caress his stomach as they kiss. When it breaks, she gasps for air, and nuzzles her cheek up against his.

Felix is nothing if not, well, encouragable. Lilah is quite soundly both pinned and kissed, and by the time the kiss breaks one of his hands has started finding its way along her side, as well. He rubs his cheek back against hers, then steps back to try to scoop her up -- and fails, his hands slipping along her rear and legs instead. He laughs, and tries again, this time managing to pick her up and carry her the few steps necessary to toss her onto the closer of the two beds.

Good ol' encourageable Felix! Not that Lilah is having much trouble being encouraged, at this point. She's trying to catch her breath, but that doesn't stop her from laughing along as he tries to scoop her up and just can't quite manage it. She kisses whatever part of his face is nearest hers, wrapping her arms around his neck, and giggles as she's tossed onto the bed. She doesn't say a word just yet, but she does prop herself up on her elbows, looking over to him with a bright and goofy smile.

Felix takes a quick glance to the door -- confirming that he did indeed lock it while they were kissing and are thus unlikely to be interrupted, considering the only other holders of keys are the staff and a packmate currently confined to the bawn -- and then leaps onto the bed beside her, the springs of the rather old and abused mattress protesting as he bounces. He slides an arm over her waist, propping himself up with the other, and beams back at her in rather a similar way. "Hi," he greets, finally.

Lilah reaches down to her waist with one hand, flopping backwards and taking his hand in hers. She looks up at him fondly, and replies, "Hi." She reaches for his shoulders, trying to lean him forward for another kiss. A gentler one this time, though if he seems disinclined, she'll ramp it up.

Felix cooperates, both with being leant, and with the gentler kiss -- though barely, on the latter. The hunger being restrained isn't anything close to subtle, but it IS being restrained. For now. When he breaks the kiss, he nips her bottom lip. "Missed you," he murmurs, and runs his hand up her body until he can snag a curl and wrap it around his finger.

"I missed you, too," Lilah says softly, and gives him a warm smile. "I felt like I was gonna die, on the way over here. Busses 're so slow when you got somewhere important to be." Her hands run down his arms, and then over his chest. "How much'd you miss me?" she teases with a grin.

"How MUCH did I miss you?" Felix asks, quirking a brow at her, and considers. "Hm. Like a blind guy with a movin' urinal. Or a stormtrooper, those guys can't aim for shit." He grins back, and steals another kiss, one which moves down across her jaw and along the side of her neck. "...how long you reckon I got you?"

Lilah laughs at his answer, shaking her head, and then closes her eyes slowly as his kiss moves down along her skin. She shivers at the feel of his lips on her neck, and then murmurs, "I brought a change o' clothes. I dunno how long *you* got, an' I dunno that I should stay that long, but. But that's that."

Felix nuzzles, and his smile spreads against her skin. "Mm. So I got you for tonight, at least. Good. Didn't wanna hafta put you on another bus in a couple hours'r somethin'. I reckon I got the night, prolly some of the mornin', 'fore I really oughta be gettin' back. Long's I don't get called back, anyhow. An' I don't reckon I will."

Lilah runs a hand through her hair, and then runs that same hand through *his* hair before whispering, "You got me for as long as ya want me." Immediately after saying so, she adds, "But tonight for sure." She smiles softly, and then opens her eyes again, watching his body move. She kisses the nearest part of him, and then lies back again.

"I always want you," Felix replies, giving her a wicked look, and he sits up, peeling off his jacket and overshirt and setting them aside. It makes him rather easier to watch, or at least provides more to see. "Wish I could just kinda... keep you here. But I reckon you'd be bored. An' I'd prolly spend too much time her bein' with you..." And yet he still sounds pretty tempted.

Lilah blushes at that look, and watches intently as he takes off some of his clothes. "You prolly *would* spend too much time here," she says gently. "An' it wouldn't be safe." She puts her hands behind her head, using them as a pillow despite the presence of ACTUAL pillows. "Reckon it wouldn't be good, but that don't mean we can't dream. An' enjoy tonight, at least."

To be fair, there's a decent chance her hands would come out better than the pillows under a blacklight. Felix is blissfully unbothered by the place's lack of star rating: it contains a working shower, usable beds, and currently, Lilah. "Yeah, I prolly would," he sighs, reaching to hook a finger in one of the straps of her sundress and draw it down from her shoulder, "You're definitely more enticin'n another patrol."

Lilah's gaze moves to track the progress of that finger, and then she meets his eyes, her breath just slightly faster than normal. She's quiet for a moment, then smiles, lifting her head up a bit to try to kiss whatever is the nearest part of him. "Glad t'hear it," she murmurs.

Felix is decidedly enticed even now, and not by patrolling. It's rather a while before he's inclined to entertain other topics; the sun's gone down and it's well into dusk before his focus shifts a bit. First, just into figuring out where his jacket and therefore smokes ended up, but then into stretching out and pulling Lilah in again for cuddles. "Mm," he says, just a touch drowsily, and plants a kiss on her temple. "So. Gonna get you some more skills, huh?"

To be fair, Lilah isn't exactly trying to shift his focus. Not even a little bit. She stretches out, herself, and snuggles up to him when he pulls her in. "Mm," she agrees, kissing his chest after he's kissed her temple. She smiles softly at his question, mutely nodding her head, and then hesitantly pipes up, "Maybe chefin'? I don't ... really think that's what I wanna do, but maybe some classes in it. I can't even make proper mac 'n cheese." She blushes a little, kissing his chest again, and asks, "What d'ya think I should study?"

Felix takes a glance around to locate his pants, also -- apparently purely out of curiosity, since when he finds them he just settles back into cuddling her. "Yeah? I'd be down with you learnin' somea that. Said before I reckon if you wanted to cook shit you'd prolly do it great, usin' those recipe books an'all. An' I do like eatin'." He grins, and tilts his head to nibble at her ear a bit. Just in illustration. "Hmm. What you oughta study... I dunno. Whatcha think you might wanna do, aside from prolly not full-on chefin'? Most likely you could do whatever you put your mind to."

Lilah cants her head to the side, putting her ear just a little closer for his nibbling pleasure. "I might could do that. Learn to cook, I mean. Ya'd think with daddy bein' *the* main cook at Edith Ann's I'd'a learned at some point, but that's not a bet ya'd win." She shifts to be just a tad closer to him, and flops one leg over both of his. He's trapped, onoes! "Well. I thought 'bout English, but that's kinda pointless, this day 'n age. An' I thought about that business-y stuff, trynna be manager at Denny's or somethin', but I reckon that'd make me a lot busier than either of us'd like." She pauses, lost in thought for a few moments, before she hazards, "What about some medical stuff? ...nah, that takes ages. Hm. Maybe construction stuff... learnin' t'build houses 'n the like. Or fixin' cars. I wanna do somethin' real useful."

"Alla those's useful," Felix says thoughtfully. "I s'pose with your daddy doin' the cookin' it ain't like you =needed= to know, really. You'd prolly be good at businessy managin' shit, but... yeah. Seems like it'd be awful busy. If they get the Vault back, it's got the stuff you'd need for fixin' cars. An' Nick was talkin' 'bout buyin' houses, maybe payin' the 'yotes to fix 'em up so he can sell 'em again for more. J was big on that, I said maybe. But it's definitely useful shit, either way." He grins, a bit wicked again, "If the medical stuff'd take forever maybe I should just get you the nurse's uniform an' call it good."

"That's about the half of it," Lilah says in regards to her father's cooking, and listens intently to his replies about the college talk, particularly as regards Nick. "I don't got any idea how to fix a house, but if I got enough arm strength, maybe I could try it," she says with a nod. That last part has her laughing, and leaning in to kiss him, featherlight, but no less heartfelt for it. "You're encourageable," she murmurs softly, grinning, and then flops her head back onto the pillow, wriggling as close to him as she can. She was *already* that close, but it's hard to blame her for trying. "And yeah, maybe y'should," she laughs, nipping at the air with a giggle.

Felix grins back, and reaches to ash his cigarette in the tray on the nightstand. "Oh no, I am so sick. So, so much pain. Nurse, can't you do =somethin'= to make me feel better?" he teases, intentionally some of the worst acting she's ever seen from him. The lash-batting at the end helps not at all. "...reckon there's stuff doesn't take that much arm. Maybe like electric shit, or plumbing? Or just knowin' what needs doin' where an' how to tell someone who just got the arm what to do."

Lilah shifts up to rest on her elbows, eyeing him thoughtfully as he lashbats. Then she hooks a hand behind his neck, ostensibly trying to yank him in for a heated kiss. Though instead, she lifts her mouth out of the way of his, and tries to nip at his nose. "I ain't trained yet," she explains with a giggle. The rest has her putting her thinking cap on, and she stares off into the distance thoughtfully for a few moments. "Yeah. Electric shit. Or construction, an' I just don't do the heavy work if I ain't able. It ain't like I surround m'self with people who wouldn't lift a finger t'help."

Felix wrinkles his nose at the bait and switch, and the explanation gets a laugh. "Oh, I'll train you!" he threatens, abandoning what's left of his cigarette in the ashtray for the moment so he can roll atop her and try to pin down her wrists with his hands. While they're busy either being restrained or fighting not to be, he leans in to nip at HER nose in return.

Lilah laughs at his threatening, though her smile goes a little more hungry as he pins her. She's definitely fighting *not* to be restrained, and squirming as well. That nip to her nose gets a giggle, and then she suddenly tries to buck him off of her. So there!

Felix's fingers tighten on her wrists in response to the struggling, and the sudden buck elicits a low, dark growl and a shift of his weight and the position of his feet; a movement calculated to spoil her leverage and improve his own. His grin mirrors her smile, a bit more feral than it was before.

Lilah gasps at that dark growl, and steps up her struggles, watching him with a ravenous gaze. He does, indeed, spoil her leverage, but not her mood. It's some time before the two of them come up for air, and when they do, it's Lilah who falls asleep first, resting peacefully.