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.
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Glyphs
There are places on the walls where someone has painstakingly (and with a fair amount of talent) painted certain garou glyphs. They are not murals that take up entire wall surfaces, but they are quite noticeable, nonetheless. The three most prominent are Bone Gnawers, Rat, and Safety. Others, much smaller and sometimes less noticeable, include honor, wisdom and glory, friend/ally, kinfolk, peace, food and shelter. Lastly, in the corner of the library that used to house the children's literature, someone's set down a bunch of pillows in a wide circle around a low slung table. Carved neatly into the center of that old wooden table is the glyph for stories.
Lamps
At some point in the building's long history its gas lamps were replaced with electric wiring, and the old gas lamp wall sconces were upgraded to electric ones that mimic the look of the old ones but take normal light bulbs. Wrought black iron cups are set into the walls with winding vine-like tendrils that twist and curl upward to hold a flower-petal glass enclosure for the bulb. They can be found every fifteen feet or so along the two long side walls. Some of them even still work.
Furniture
A corner in the back, on the same side as the makeshift kitchen, has been rearranged into a comfortable little recreation room. All the books and debris have been removed from the bookcases there, along with an inconvenient shelf or two, so that it could be re-purposed into an entertainment center of sorts. Someone's hooked up an old television and a beat up, dinged, and scratched ghetto blaster from the 1980's. Arranged around this entertainment is an old, lime green couch scrounged from a dumpster. A second 'loveseat' couch from a completely contradictory set, and done in bright yellow, sits across from it. There are throw pillows and other less comfortable single chairs--most of them clearly from the library itself and resembling old, wooden school chairs. A library table serves as a far-too-high coffee table in the middle of the room.
Kitchen
A solid mahogany counter and desk cordon off an area that obviously served as the station for the presiding librarian. Someone has repurposed the area into a kitchen. An old '50's style fridge has been installed, as well as a utility sink. The surrounding shelves have been cleared of any books and re-used as a cupboard for spices, packages of food, and canned goods. Tucked behind the librarian's circulation desk are cups, bowls, pots, plastic plates, and utensils. There's a microwave, a hotplate, and a George Foreman grill, as well. A metallic old toaster is tucked into a forgotten corner.
Bathrooms
The library had two bathrooms--a men's and a women's--on each floor. The Gnawers have remodeled each, removing some of the stalls and replacing them with showers and/or actual tubs. Currently there are two fully functioning bathrooms on each floor. Lefty has erected small, home made plaques that thank Salem, especially, for getting these done.
Staircase
At the very center of this vast room is a magnificent and ornate spiral staircase leading to the upper floors. The wood stair slats and railings are made of the same dark mahogany seen everywhere else in the library. The stairs are wide and solid, the balusters all ornately carved. The grand old thing dominates the library and becomes the focal point. It is further illuminated by a glass and crystal chandelier that is fixed to the ceiling at the base of the stairs, just inside the double front doors. At the very back of the grand staircase is a less ornate yet solid wooden door that leads to the library's basement.
Rats
The library has rats. Lots of rats. Someone has gone out of their way to encourage this, too. There are tiny stashes of food in various nooks and crannies throughout the library, diligently replaced whenever they seem to dwindle. Anything that might hinder the rodents has been carefully removed, as well. Their presence in the library isn't always immediately obvious, despite this infestation. However, anyone who spends more than an hour in the old building will hear scurrying in the walls, or they may get a surprise when they move a dusty book an find one of the small residents staring back at them.
The second floor of the library begins with a wide landing that temporarily interrupts the great spiral staircase. The floor is dark mahogany that might look beautiful again if restored. Unlike downstairs, this floor is divided into several, symmetrical rooms, the doors to which are arrayed in a circle surrounding the landing. Each door is solid, dark stained wood with an insert of frosted glass. Each door is labeled with various Dewey Decimal Classifications in black lettering painted across the center of the glass.
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.
He's in old black jeans with a rip in one knee and the cuffs half walked off, with a faded black band t-shirt ('Anarchy Burger - Hold the Government', parodying the In-N-Out sign) under an open dark red hawaiian shirt. 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.
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 warm day in St. Claire, in fact, it is fucking hot. With temperatures soaring into the 90's, the air is raspy and dry. Justin is currently tucked away in the library, shirtless and wearing just a pair of boxer shorts which are stuck to his ass from the humid and swampy heat. He is currently wearing a pair of welding goggles and he is welding what appears to be a long copper pipe to a metal cap.
There's a couple firm knocks on the door, and after a moment, the door's pushed open enough for a relatively slim person -- well, technically, two of them, though not at once, since the first one's got a guitar case in one hand and a duffle over his shoulder -- to slip inside. A glance around, landing briefly on the most obvious glyphs, and the newcomer grins, turning his attention to the welder. "Hey," he greets, letting go of Lilah's hand to give a quick wave, "Pretty sure this is where I was lookin' for. You got a sec? Preferably without the torch."
The aforementioned other slim person steps in after him, and she also gives a quick wave. Her eyes land on the welding, and then shift upward to look at Justin. He's given a polite smile, and then she shifts her attention to the library at large, looking briefly at the Rat glyph, and then back to her companion.
As the door creaks open, Justin gives a jerk backwards from his work. Yanking the goggles upwards to reveal a dusty smudged face and dark brown hair, he squints his eyes at the pair of them. The torch continues to stay on though, glowing brightly with a hiss. In this light, one can see his body is covered in lean whipcord muscle, dirt and sweat. Flashing his teeth at them, he rumbles out. "You sure you're in the right neighborhood?" He asks as he squints his eyes, then looks to Lilah. "Hey, it's /you/. Sup beautiful?"
"Yeah, pretty sure," Felix answers, setting down the guitar, "seein' as I'm pretty sure this place ain't big enough for multiple old abandoned libraries and this's the kinda neighbourhood I'm used to. Plus, the decor's a hint." He indicates the most prominent glyphs with a tilt of his chin. He strolls a few more steps in Justin's direction, ahead of Lilah. "Figured it'd be polite to drop in and say hi." A pause, and a quick grin. "Hi."
Smiling sheepishly, Lilah simply says, "Huh. Small world." She doesn't follow after Felix, instead remaining by the door. She follows the movement of Felix's hand to the glyphs, eyeing them for just a moment, and then her gaze returns to the two men.
Peeling the snug boxers fabric off his ass and crotch so that they are no longer stuck to his body, Justin turns the torch off, but lets it dangle to one side. He gives Lilah another look before turning his attention to Felix. "Hey. So, I know the babe, who're you?"
Felix takes another quick glance at the glyphs, and one at Justin, sizing the taller guy up. He doesn't look as bothered by the heat, but on the other hand, HE hasn't been welding. Possibly coming to a decision, he shrugs, giving another brilliant grin, and answers, "Felix T. Sinclair, Lets-Them-Eat-Cake, Cliath 'Gnawer Galliard, atcher service. More or less." His arms spread in a 'ta-da!' sort of gesture, but he keeps his attention closely on his interlocutor. Just in case.
Lilah smiles a bit more broadly, and offers up, "Lilah Sinclair, 'Gnawer kin." She glances over to Felix, and explains, "I met him at a book store." She glances over at the bookshelves, her smile turning positively bright. "It's real fancy there. An' here, too. Lots o' books."
"Justin Statton. Mouse Trap. Also called Dances in the Dark. Full moon warrior for the Gnawers. Packmate of Tactical Frivolity under the ultimate prankster Coyote. Cliath." The half-tino says as he gives an amused grin at the pair of them. "Yeah, we met at the library. Now I know why she was checking me out." He gives a wily grin. "It's nice to meet yeh' guys, more officially. Make yourselves at home." He motions. "I got cold pizza and pipe bombs."
Felix relaxes slightly when Justin gives his intro in response, and unshoulders his bag, setting it down on the ground as well. In contrast to Lilah, =his= smile goes positively bright at that final offer. "No shit, pipe bombs? What're you planning to blow up? ...and niceta meetcha. You mind people smokin' in here, as long as they keep it clear of the fuses?"
"Nice to meet you, too. Again," Lilah says to Justin, grinning now. She steps closer to Felix, just a foot or two behind. "I'm interested in the pipe bombs too, but not nearly so much's the cold pizza. What kind is it, not that it matters too much to me." A dismissive wave of her hand. "This place's great."
"Just a plain cheese, all I could afford." Justin says as he points to the box near by that is half open. "And, uh.. this is what I do. I build stuff. Pretty much anything that looks like it does not belong, I built. The air condtioners made out of plastic buckets. The water filter I cobbled together in the small sink in the other room. Uuhh.." He trails off in thought. "Built a barbeque out of an old waster drum and an office chair." He grins. "So whatcha doing here? Passing through?"
"Grab me a slice too, doll?" Felix doesn't-exactly-ask, giving Lilah a smile, and leans up against the closest suitable thing for leaning. He pulls an Altoids box out of his pocket, flipping it open a getting out a cigarette; no 'no' means 'go ahead', right? "So you're just makin' the bombs in case they come in handy sometime? 'cause I bet there's =somethin'= around here that's just achin' to be a test site... We were passin' through, originally, just travellin', but the Caddy broke down." His eyes flash, and he adds with more of a growl, "...and some fuckin' jumped-up metermaid's put onea them boot things on it, too, which now I'm gonna hafta do somethin' about... so anyway. Looks like we're gonna be hangin' about a while. 'til I can get it fixed, and we save up some cash to get goin' again." There's a flash of the grin again, a bit more roguish, "Long's I don't get kicked out or somethin', anyhow."
"Plain cheese sounds great. Long's it's not anchovies," Lilah says, and listens to what Justin has to say with a smile. "That sounds amazin'. How in the *world* did you make all that? The barbeque don't surprise me so much's the air conditioner." She picks up a slice of pizza, and then grins at Felix with a nod, offering up that first slice to him instead. She takes a second piece, taking a bite and nodding her approval. "S'good stuff," she decides, and leans nearby Felix as she takes a second bite.
"It's just what I do. I build stuff. I am good with my hands. I built a 68' Fastback GT which is currently at the Shadow Lords's garage downtown. The Elder keeps an eye on it for me in return for unsavory favors. I can fix your Caddy, no problem. Cars is my thing. I can even get that boot off." Justin ambles over to a large dufflebag and rustles thorugh it until he comes out with a pair of clamps. "I'll snap the bolt right off. I live at the junkyard. It's my turf. I can get the parts you need and even swap out the plate so that way the cops ain't looking to put a warrant out for you."
"Thanks," Felix says to Lilah, accepting the slice and giving her a kiss on the temple. The cigarettes actually disappear into a pocket again; apparently that can wait until post-pizza. Justin's offers get gradually raised eyebrows, and by the end a toothy grin. "Well, thank ya kindly, new best friend. I was thinkin' about swappin' out the plate again anyhow, so yes please an' thank you to all of the above. Junkyard, huh?" He takes a bite of the pizza, looking thoughtful. "What kinda unsavoury favours?"
"The kinda shit a Shadow Lord asks a Gnawer to do. Use your imagination. I'm good with a bone saw." Justin gives a wiggle of his hands, then peels out of his boxers right in front of them as he continues to rustle through his duffle bag. It also appears he is not ashamed of his body or nudity. Flinging the sweaty pair of boxers to the side, he digs out a pair of longboards and tugs them on, followed by a tank top. "New best friend, huh?" He grins wryly. "But yeah, the owners got murdered there by a buncha fomori that I cleared out on my passage rite. So, I kinda took over operations there. People are idiots, think I'm the old man's son. Either way, I got the car section memorized. We'll push your ride on over and I'll start digging out the parts."
Lilah smiles warmly at the kiss to her temple, and then she, too, raises her eyebrows at Justin's offers. "That's mighty kind of ya," she says to him, and then glances over at Felix for a moment. "Real kind, definitely." Any further talking is stalled by her nomming on the pizza. She makes no comment even at the talk of bone saws, just continuing to eat her piece of pizza. Once it's disappeared though, she doesn't reach for another; instead, she nods her approval of the operation-taking-over.
"I dunno, man, I've got a fuckin' good imagination. Covers a lot of turf," Felix says in a mildly sing-song 'warning' voice, grinning again. The bone saw remark just gets a faint smirk, and a bite of the pizza. "Well, to be fair, I basically don't know anyone else here yet so it ain't THE most exactin' of accolades," he admits between chewing, and glances to Lilah, giving her a wink, "...not countin' you, obviously." He glances back to Justin, adding, "Speakin' of, there more people and places I oughta be makin' sure know I'm around?" He looks like he approves of the taking-over as well. "'s a '76 Cadillac Eldorado convertible," he notes, "At least, I'm pretty sure it's a '76."
"Once you get sniffed out, we can take you to the other safehouse. Right now acting father is Slug who is taking over big dog role for Aaron who is away on personal business. Slug is a ragabash and a fostern." Justin says as he smooths down the fabric of his shirt.
Lilah nods her head with a smirk of her own. She jerks a thumb in Felix's direction, saying, "S'true. His imagination's pretty scarily broad." She winks right back at him, and then turns to listen to what Justin has to say. She nods her head to each new fact, clearly memorizing names, or intending to, at any rate. She's looking more relaxed now, particularly now that Justin's no longer in the buff. Boys are distracting, damnit!
Felix nods, polishing off the pizza and wiping his hands on his thighs. "Slug, huh? A'right, just lemme know when I oughta be where to keep people from guttin' me. Again," he says rather cheerfully, and the Altoids box emerges again, this time getting all the way through lighting up before it nearly goes away again; he pauses just before to offer, "You want one?"
"Nah, I don't smoke. But, stay away from the Industrial south side. It's ran by Blitzkrieg. Hummingbird pack which means they're super territorial. Ran by my buddy Thane who is the Shadow Lord Elder. They tend to kill first and ask questions later." Justin says. "Safe haven for us is at harbor park near the fountain. It's a glade. In the Umbra you can see a fetish that keeps the place bright and sunny no matter the moon phase. My pack kinda unofficially protects that place. We're umbral city treasure hunters and such. We prank the wyrm and find lost shit and people. Trying to be the city experts on the other side." The young Gnawer puffs out his chest.
Lilah glances over at Felix, watching as he lights up, and then returns her look to Justin. Once again, she's clearly trying to keep the information straight, though at least she doesn't appear to have trouble doing so. Or if she does, she doesn't voice it. She instead smiles at the man, saying, "That sounds fascinatin'. What kindsa lost shit you found so far?"
Felix shrugs, tucking the box away, and pushes up from where he was leaning, pacing a bit and looking at things; he was already fidgeting a bit, but apparently that's not sufficing anymore. "Industrial south side? A'right. It's marked okay? Too new here to know all the boundaries yet. Know Harbor Park, though, been hangin' out there some already. Good place for playin', if I gotta be acoustic anyhow." He turns, looking to Justin again, "So! Treasure huntin', huh? What kinda things you been findin'? ...and what kinda pranks?"
"So far we just talk to ghosts. More like Three Mountains, my packmate talks to ghosts. He's an Uktena lupus who is pretty urrah. He is half coyote and he can see dead people and talk to them for some reason. Besides that, we cleared out a few bane nests so far. Uh.." Justin rubs the back of his neck. "We haven't 'found' anything yet of value.. but we're a new pack and only three of us so we take it easy. Other guy is Henry of the Gaians. Philodox. Real straight laced kid. I feel bad he got mixed up with coyote but he is our Alpha and he's doing a fine job." As far as the pranks go, "Well.. right now we're working on one that is gonna be epic. Our totem can shape shift. So he's gonna pretend to be a spiral kinfetch and lead one of those fuckers on a chase into one of my mouse traps. Head into an alley where he'll fall through a covered hole. Then we pour hot tar on it, nail him with feathers, then laugh and laugh and laugh some more. Also, at the bottom of the pit? Silver coated bear trap."
"That *is* fascinatin'. Knew it! What kindsa stuff do the dead say to y'all?" Lilah's eyes shift over to the pizza box before she decides to grab another piece. She remains leaned up near where Felix was, once she's got her slice, and nibbles on it as she listens to the rest of what Justin has to say. Her brows lift at the end, and she's clearly at least passingly impressed. In contrast to Felix, she's not fidgeting, staying pretty still as she eats her piece.
"'I see dead people'," Felix quotes in a passable impression, moving about and exploring the nearby area again while he smokes, "I don't think I ever met one of us with coyote-blood..." Things get picked up, glanced at, and put back down. "Prolly not gonna stay so straight-laced if he's workin' with Coyote now, yeah?" The description of the plan, that gets him staying in one place again for a few moments, though he shifts his weight a bit. It also gets a wide grin. "That's awesome. Hope I'm in the vicinity to see THAT."
"The dead complain a lot about being dead. That's for damn sure. They think they got it so bad. Wah wah wah. I was killed by my wife and now I haunt this stupid tree that I fell in love with her at." Justin smirks as he folds his arms over his chest. "You can come with us if you want. Gaia knows we could use some backup if shit goes sideways. I also need to find some silver dollars so I can melt 'em down."
Nodding her head to that information, Lilah gets a lopsided grin. "Hauntin' a tree don't sound like no kind o' fun to me. Haunt somethin' well-populated if'n you gotta go that route." She finishes off her second slice, patting her belly and then resting her hand there.
"Oh, then I'm definitely in," Felix replies, heading back in the direction of the pizza and giving Lilah an absent rub to the upper arm as he passes her. "And yeah, hauntin' a tree sounds borin' as shit. Haunt a club or somethin', at least you got shit to watch there. Silver dollars though... where you gonna find enough old enough ones? Don't think any money's been made of the real shit for ages. Might be better off lookin' for silver sets. Like, real silverware, and those fancy-ass servin' sets rich people got? Might find some at a pawn shop somewhere, or if you're =real= lucky in a thrift shop. Or that junkyard of yours. Prolly most likely to find it in people's houses, though..." He tilts his head, giving Justin's ACs and the welding a considering look, "'less you can get the silver off plated shit somehow? 'cause that'd be easier to get. Though you'd need a shitload."
"I think ghosts are kinda stuck there though, wherever they are most emotionally chained to. So they can't physically leave that tree." Justin snickers in amusement at the idea. "But, yeah, silver dollars is probably way too hard. Guess I can break into some rich asshole's place and get the silverware that way. Or maybe just skip it and go with the normal bear traps at the bottom of the hole. No need to over think it."
Lilah smiles warmly at Felix, and then tilts her head as she listens to the two of them talk. Her expression turns thoughtful, and she says, "I wonder where I'd be chained to. Don't seem like any one place could hold any one o' us." She shrugs, and then offers up, "Yeah... ya got a point. Maybe try to getcher hands on the silver, and if it don't work, just get some regular ol' bear traps."
Felix snags another slice of the pizza, letting the surface it's hanging out on support him too for a minute or so as he leans up against it. "Well, if you decide on goin' with the former, lemme know if you need a hand with anythin'. I mean, normal'd prolly do fine, what with the tar and a buncha back-up claws, yeah? But the silver idea's got style." He munches a bite of pizza before adding, "Can't rightly fault someone for bein' whiny if they're stuck hauntin' a tree for eternity, I guess. 's enough work not gettin' bored when you CAN go do whatever. And it's too late for 'em even to die of it."
"Yeah man, I totally want you to hang with us. I'll introduce you to Henry and Three Mountains and we can hammer out a strategy." Justin gives a wide grin as he rocks back and forth upon his bare feet. "You seem like a cool dude, Felix. I'm glad we ran into each other." He slaps him on the shoulder firmly, then winks to the kinfolk. "And to see you again as well. You guys can crash here if you want. I got mattresses that I cleaned up the best I can upstairs."
"It definitely does have style," Lilah is forced to agree. "If y'all need any help, with the silver or whatnot, I'd be glad t'help o'course." She grins as Justin slaps Felix on the arm, and ducks her head with a smile at the wink. "It's nice seein' you again, for sure." She glances over at Felix at the offer, her expression hopeful. "That's mighty kind of you t'offer. Been stayin' at the hostel, m'self."
Felix grins back. "Well, that's 'cause I AM a cool dude," he declares with cheerful arrogance, "...and thanks. Figure I'll take you up on that." Lilah gets a wink for her hopeful look, and he eats the last bit of his pizza, wiping his hand on his jeans before offering it to her. "Wanna go explore, then?"
Lilah takes Felix's hand without hesitation, bringing it up to her lips for a quick kiss. "Explorin' is my middle name," she says with a grin. "Lead on, Mr. Sinclair." She squeezes his hand, and then comments, "That pizza hit the SPOT. I was 'bout to gnaw my own arm off, without any seasoning or nothin'!"
"Well, c'mon then, Lilah Explorin' Sinclair," Felix says, tugging her closer by that hand to steal a quick kiss, "Let's see what we can see. And you oughta tell me if you get that hungry. Or thirsty, or whatever. I'll getcha somethin'. Can't be lettin' my girl starve to death, now can I?" He puts out the remains of his cigarette in the pizza box, and then starts leading the way through the room toward the stairs.
Lilah smiles warmly at him, and is easily pulled in for that kiss. For whatever reason, she gets a bit of a blush at something said, which only seems to deepen as she admits, "I weren't really in the mood t'eat. Knowin' I'd be meetin' someone all official-like was kinda nerve-wrackin', know what I mean? I ain't never gone very far from home before, so." She fluffs her hair up a bit, and then leans up against him. "Thanks, though. For... y'know. Sayin' that." She follows where he leads, looking about her with interest. "I can't believe we get t'stay in a place with s'many books!" she practically squeals.
Felix makes a soft 'tss' noise, shaking his head. "Bein' scared's not gonna do you any good, though. And bein' HUNGRY and scared's gonna do even less," he says like someone who honestly thinks logic could be somehow involved here, and brushes a lock of her re-fluffed hair back behind her ear. And then -- toward the stairs! Her squeal gets a grin over his shoulder, and a murmured, "You're so fuckin' cute sometimes."
"Havin' my stomach all tied up in knots an' bein' scared ain't really gonna help, either. S'kind of a lose-lose situation," Lilah insists, but then relents enough to say, "But you got a point. Maybe." She smiles softly as he tucks her hair behind her ear, trying to catch his hand and bring it to her lips again. His murmur certainly doesn't help her blush die down any, but she replies with a cheeky grin, "What, only sometimes? I'm losin' my touch!"
"Well, just don't be scared. Problem solved!" Felix says, and lets her catch his hand for her oh-so-nefarious intentions. "And of course I got a point. As always!" Up the stairs, then, though she gets a cheeky grin in return as they go, and "I'm sure we c'n get you a new one."
"I ain't never scared," Lilah insists, "...mebbe jus' nervous on occasion. Such as just now." She squeezes his hand, and then adds, "Anyway, I'm all about regainin' my touch if'n you are." A smirk, and then she pulls his hand to her mouth again-- and nips at his index finger lightly, this time.
"When've I not been?" Felix asks, watching that nip with a certain amount of fire flaring up in his eyes. He steps in toward her on the landing, and then pauses, looking around them. Another grin gradually spreads. "Hey. You know what I see here? Doors..." He keeps hold of her hand, pulling her along to check out which of said doors open, what's inside them, and whether any of them lend themselves to staying shut if someone inside is so inclined.
"Good question," Lilah murmurs softly, her chest rising and falling a little faster as he steps toward her. She bites her lip at his excellent door-spotting technique, and goes with him to discover what there is to discover. "Jus' don't pick the door with the tiger behind it. Or was it the lady? I can't remember."
Felix opens the first door that allows him to do so, peering inside before stepping in. "But I =like= doors with ladies behind 'em. I mean, I'm pretty much hopin' to GET a lady behind one if there isn't one there already. So it must be tigers we wanna avoid. Maybe if we're real lucky we'll find one with an RV an' a trip to Tahiti behind it..."
"But could we take the RV *to* Tahiti? I think that's the p-- the big question, here. Not the *biggest* questiom, but one o' them big ones. Not quite as big as the question o' which o' these doors has a tiger behind it, though." Lilah grins, following after him and squeezing his hand.
Felix pauses, tilting his head at her, and tugs her into the room he's found that appears to be currently empty of both people and tigers. He closes the door behind them, and presses her up against it for a good thorough kiss, taking his time about it. "I mighta found the tiger," he murmurs, when it breaks. After a moment, though, he asks, "...what were you =going= to say?"
Lilah sighs into that kiss, definitely enjoying how *very* thorough it is. She breathes heavily for a few moments after, trying to regain her equilibrium, cheeks reddened. She pulls her free hand up to stroke his cheek, and then grins at his murmur. "Be careful. I hear he's a wily one, that tiger." She hesitates for just the briefest moment at his question, tilting her head, and then answers, "Penultimate. Sorry. Not used ta people back home knowin' what in the hell I'm talkin' about."
"Well. I maybe dunno exactly what penultimate means," Felix admits, "but I'd wanna. I mean, ultimate I know, that's like... biggest, last. Most. Yeah?" He runs a hand through her hair, letting it settle on the back of her neck and rub there. "You oughta just say what you wanna, doll. I like you bein' smart." He kisses her again, free hand sneaking under the hem of her shirt and sliding up her side.
Lilah smiles softly at him, particularly as she hears what he has to say, as his fingers run through her hair, and when he rubs at the back of her neck. Still smiling, she closes her eyes, leaning in to blindly kiss at him, wherever she happens to reach. When she reopens her eyes, she meets his gaze, and then returns his next kiss. She leans her head back against the door, and says, "Penultimate's, like, second most. Next to last. Like the penultimate chapter of a book's gonna be the one right before the end, but your penultimate favorite singer's gonna be your second favorite." She reaches out to run her fingers down his chest, meeting his gaze. "You're pretty a'right, you know that?" But without giving him a chance to answer, she tries to tug him in for another kiss.
Felix is not in the least difficult to tug back in. "...yeah, I know," he teases afterward, "I'm pretty awesome, all in all. And you ain't half bad yourself." His fingers drift upward, starting to get a bit fresh. "So... the second biggest question after whether there's a tiger there, huh? I bet we could take an RV to Tahiti. Might maybe hafta get it some kinda special transport, 'cause I'm =pretty= sure it's an island somewhere, but they gotta have RVs on islands somehow, right? ...too bad we don't have one here." He glances behind him, and grins wickedly as he looks back to her, "...but we got here here. Seems pretty okay. Whatcha think?"
It's likely not a shock that Lilah doesn't mind him getting fresh one little bit. If anything, it seems to embolden her, the hands on his chest moving to scratch at him through his shirt, probably enough to actually be felt. "Yep. 'Zactly. An' you're prolly right. We could go on a ferry or somethin'. Or some kinda other boat. Like a carrier kinda situation." Her lips curve up at his wicked grin, and she peeks past his shoulder before nodding. "Does seem pretty okay. 'Course, right now I think you might accept just 'bout anyplace, anytime." Rather than sounding as though she's chastening him, she seems highly amused, if not impressed.
"Right now? Well, everyone's got their limits, I reckon," Felix says, tilting his head to kiss along the side of her neck, "But everyone else hasn't got you, so yeah, I guess I'd hafta say, just about." There's a sharp nip near the turn of her shoulder, and then he somewhat reluctantly steps back, glancing around the room. One of those old library chairs that seem to be hanging about all over the place catches his eye, and he drags it over to try the old traditional chair-lock maneuver, even if it does mean he has to draw Lilah away from the door itself. Oh well, it would've probably had to happen anyway. "...anyway," he murmurs, pulling her in toward him, "the important question's whether =you'd= accept it."
Lilah closes her eyes at the kissing down her neck, and outright shivers at the sharp nip. It takes a few seconds for her to open her eyes again, just in time to be pulled away from the door. She presses up against him when she's pulled in, draping an arm around his neck. His correcting of the question at stake gets a slow smile, and she murmurs, "I reckon anything's possible." She looks at him almost shyly, and then tries to pull him in for an intense, heated kiss, not holding anything back.
Felix returns the kiss, arms sliding around to bring her right up against him again; one hand slips under the hem of her top again, this time stroking up along the skin of her back, and the other stays on top of fabric for now, although the particular grip on her denim-clad rear isn't really any more demure. It's a fair amount of kiss before he starts walking her backward a bit, until she runs into the side of a desk. He breaks the kiss then, putting a hand to either side of her waist to hop her up onto the surface, and laughs. "...well, look at that. We got a place t' live for now, and some privacy to take advantage of, and it only took another day. An' people say I don't listen."