Up on the roof, the sound of a soft 'thump' can be heard in the dark of night.

On the second floor, Lilah's lying on a mattress next to Felix. Remarkably, they're both dressed, perhaps because Lilah's got a book open and is currently reading aloud to him. The book's an old sort, with a faded cover, and contains a number of Grimm's faerie tales. She doesn't yet pause at the 'thump' -- she seems to have missed it past her own voice. One hand's holding the book, while the other is lightly toying with Felix's hair.

Despite the ostensibly calm situation and the hand in his hair, Felix is tense like the furthest pull on a bowstring, smoking a cigarette like he has a personal grudge against it while he listens. Maybe it's how on edge he is, maybe it's that he was already listening, but he does catch that thump, on his feet almost instantly. It may well be as much for the excuse to be up and moving as anything else. He pauses once standing, lifting a quieting finger at Lilah and tilting his head to listen to the building.

It may have been just a normal run of the mill thump. Either way, no other thumps come from the top of the roof. Though, the sound of the door leading from the roof maaaaay be heard creeeeaking slowly and cautiously.

"The queen was satisfied with this, but said when she was going away, tomorrow you must begin to work. When the girl was alone again, she did not know what to do, and in her distress went to the window," Lilah's saying as Felix gets to his feet, and she looks up, startled, at him, before nodding to his quieting finger. She's tense, now, though she's got nothing on him. Her eyes follow him closely, as she chews at her lower lip.

It might have been. Old buildings, you never know what kind of noises they might decide to make. Felix is more in the mood for less run-of-the-mill, though, and there's that other, creaky sound. It could be the building settling. Or one of the upstairs doors not quite closed and catching an internal breeze or some tiny shift. But: it might not be! The corner of his mouth twitches upward a moment, and he drops and crushes out the butt of his cigarette, padding to the door of the room as quietly as his boots allow and opening the door in much the same way as the one from the roof has just been done.

Interesting. That door had a pad lock on it and was locked from the inside. Yet, the lock is sitting on the ground now, right in the middle of the doorway. When Felix heads upstairs, he finds nothing out on the roof. It is dark though and the air is warm and gentle.

Lilah's nostrils flare a bit as she hears that first creaking. She stays very, very still as Felix begins to make his way out of the room. The book is even still held in her hands, held open to the same page.

<OOC> Felix: Two questions, actually. #1 can one see the roof door from the bottom of the stairs to it, and #2, is it open or closed with the lock on the ground inside?
<OOC> Briari: The lock would have been on the inside. And sure, one can see the roof door from the bottom of the stairs. :) (I guess)
<OOC> Briari: Right now the door is open.

Felix closes the door just as gently behind him, and pauses on the second floor landing to listen for a moment again. Third floor, then, still moving as quietly as he can, and keeping an eye and ear out for anything abnormal. He glances up the stairs to the roof, but doesn't actually head there immediately: if someone went out they're probably still there, and if they came in they definitely aren't, right? It's actually the third floor and its rooms he aims to check out first.

The rooms on the third floor do not reveal anything unfortunately to the Galliard. The doors are still closed, or open as they were when whoever left them last. They are still dirty and possibly smelly. Though, what is now very curious, is that the door in which he just closed on the second floor leading to the first, can be heard creeeeeaking open.

Theoretically, it could be one of the others down there. Or even Lilah, peeking out. Oddly enough, though, Felix is even less theoretically inclined than usual this evening, and that sound gets an immediate and likely predictable response, back down the stairs and toward the room he left her in. Decidedly faster, in this direction, and with a very low growl.

When the Galliard heads down to the second level, what meets him is a figure wearing all black, with bright red metallic eyes fixated in the middle of a mask. The upperbody appears to be body armor of some sort, and a long dark trench coat without the sleeves. Over the arms of the individual is a pair of bright gold gauntlets. Reaching to the side, it touches the door that holds Lilah, giving it a gentle push as it stares at the approaching Garou. Creeeak. Hello Clarice.

Lilah hears the door pushed, and looks pretty freaked the hell out. She sets the book aside once she's seen the being, and begins to rise to her feet, carefully and very non-threateningly. Because holy crap. She backs up a few feet, trying to get out of view.

Felix is not very non-threatening. The figure's weird, but whatever it is, it's where it shouldn't be. And so is he. He stares right back at the figure, moving toward it, and the Rage coming off him is nearly palpable, only tenuously controlled. "Get out," he growls at the figure as he moves across the landing, though not quite near enough to close yet, not enough to entirely block its potential exit, "Get away from that door, forget this building exists, and get. The fuck. OUT. NOW!"

<OOC> Felix: (...also, am using Persuasion. Because really.)

There is a whirl of the golden gauntlets, followed by a CLICK-CLACK. The type of noise that would load a shot-gun shell into it. A robotic voice comes out of the individual as the red eyes continue to stare back through the mask. ~Listen up shit for brains. If you fucking coyotes ever fuck with the shampoo again at the farmhouse, I will prank the fuck out of you.~ Then, with a tilt of it's head, it says, ~Hey Lilah. Long time no see.~

<OOC> Felix: She said that to Lilah in Mother's Tongue?
<OOC> Briari: Nope. Just a robotic voice. I forgot that was mother's tongue lol

The veins in Lilah's neck stand out, at Felix's words, and she clenches her fists at the CLICK-CLACK, clearly pretty well terrified. By the time the figure says 'shampoo,' she's relaxing just slightly, and past that point, well. She looks more confused than frightened. Her eyes widen a little at the greeting to her personally, and she casts an even more confused glance between Felix and the figure. "Uh."

That noise can't exactly be relaxing, but something about the figure's reaction lowers Felix's hackles slightly. Admittedly, from about 9 to 8, but it's something. "And then we'll hafta end up prankin' the fuck out of you back 'cause we're fuckin' Coyote's, and it'll just go on forever. Prolly with you bald in there," he replies, "But your concern is noted, as is the fact you ain't willin' to threaten us without bein' hidden behind fuckin' armor and gadgets." He shifts up to Glabro, the growl in his voice getting rather growlier. "Now get the fuck away from my wife and out of my fucking home!"

"Calm down puppy, don't make me give you a spanking. I would hate to embarrass you in front of your wife. I have taken shits more scarier than you." The gauntlets give another whirl about the wrists as the masked vigilante glances over to Lilah again, then gives her a thumbs up. "How is Luis treating you on the night shift?" the autotuned voice asks.

Lilah swallows thickly, looking between the two of them. When the figure asks about her job, she first seems worried, and then it appears she puts two and two together. "Briari," she breathes out quietly, and then says louder, "This's Briari-- woman't got me my job." She looks between the two of them again, this time frowning deeply. "I switched to day shift for now, but Luis's mighty kind." She licks her lips, glancing to Felix, and then looks to Briari. "I 'ppreciate the job, an' mean ya no disrespect, but please go fer now. It's a rough night for ever'body." She closes her mouth, swallowing again.

"You and your toys could try," Felix says, stepping closer, and the tone is calmer -- or maybe more accurately, colder; there's certainly no lessening of the Rage coming off him. "And no. You don't get to tell me to calm down, fuckin' wanna-be-Sith coward. Puppy? At least I'm a fuckin' wolf. It's my moon. You're in MY territory. You scared MY kin. An' I been keepin' from rippin' anyone's head off for the last couple weeks, an' I reckon my patience an' willpower're frayed just about as far as they're gonna go." He looks to Lilah when she makes the identification, and the explanation, and then looks the figure up and down again; he doesn't look the least bit mollified by the further information. "Right now I don't care if you're the fuckin' Pope. Get out."

Reaching up to tap a button along the back of the mask, it retracts away from the young woman's face to reveal her bright blue eyes and thick tangly blonde hair that gets yanked out of a scrunchie. "First of all, I outrank you, Felix. Second of all, if you and your boys keep coming into /our/ territory and /fucking with our utilities/, I will buy this place, I will demolish it, and I will turn it into a Starbucks. Third, I came here with information in regards to the bullshit you pulled the other night. In the future, make sure that when you beat the shit out of someone, then kill them afterwards, that you do it where there is no security cameras set up. You cost me three hours of work scrubbing the video and removing it so that you and your dumbass friend doesn't get hunted down for murder. This ain't the wild west, asshole. You guys just can't kill people in public anymore. Youtube? Ever fucking heard of it? Be lucky I didn't beat the fuck out of you two for being so careless." She gives a loud, dismissive snort to him. "Lilah, I'll snag you for lunch later!" She calls over in a cheery voice. "Hasta la pasta!" With that, she heads down the hallway, shimmering out of view as she pulls a mirror out of one of her belt pouches.

<OOC> Briari: I gotta tap out. I had to write that pose 3 times.
Briari has left.

Lilah chews at her bottom lip at the exchange between the two, and she looks like she's not sure whether to look forward to, or dread, future lunch. She watches Felix closely, waiting for his reaction to see what, if anything, she needs to do. Right now, she's saying nothing.

Felix stands his ground while she talks, teeth clenched though his fists are loose. Point one gets a small flash in his eyes, though it also gets the faintest of nods. The flash point two gets is considerably larger, and the grinding of his teeth is just about audible, fists clenching as well. His eyes don't narrow, but only because there isn't any narrower for them to get. Point three doesn't appear to affect him much of any way; there's nothing there but cold fury, still pacing behind the bars of his will. His only movement is a turn of his head to watch her head down the hallway, as if making sure that she is, in fact, leaving. And then she's gone, and he's a blur of motion, a sudden twist and his fist going into the nearest wall with a meaty smack and a splintering sound as the plaster swallows his hand. At least it doesn't go through the other side.

Though Felix may or may not notice, Lilah is looking distinctly uncomfortable as she watches him. Her eyes are more on him than on Briari right now, though she does spare glances for the older woman. When he punches the wall, she only startles as much as is natural for a sudden sound; perhaps she was expecting the movement. She doesn't approach him after that. Not yet. She does, however, very quietly say, "I'm sorry." She doesn't sound apologetic so much as commiserative. Which is totally a word.

Felix stands in place, shoulders lifting with each breath, exhalations quiet but audible through his nose, glaring at the completely unremarkable spot on the wall that happens to have had the luck to be in front of his face. The anger is still a virtual conflagration in his eyes, but he's otherwise nearly expressionless. It's several seconds before his eyes close, head dropping, forehead hitting the wall with a distinct thunk. Another couple after that before he starts pulling his hand back out of the hole.

When his head drops, Lilah finally begins to move toward him, and if he's being perceptive, he may note she's doing so in an especially nonthreatening manner, not that she's usually too threatening to begin with. She licks her lips as she gets near him, cautiously, and then waits to be sure he's noticed her. Once she's relatively certain he has, she reaches out hesitantly to stroke his hair, without a word.

He's still breathing pretty hard, even as the hand drops to his side to hang like the other one, fingers flexing. There's blood on the knuckles and running down, but it's already clotting, the wounds already knitting themselves closed. Felix is taller in this form, but given his usual height, still not so tall Lilah can't fairly easily reach his head. Especially when he's not standing up straight. There's a touch of tension when he hears her moving, gone swiftly when he identifies the sound as hers, but he doesn't seem ready to say much of anything about anything either. The punch seems to have helped, but it still feels like a delicate china layer of calm trying to contain and subdue a roiling pointy mess of rage and hate. He doesn't pull away from her hand, but he doesn't move into it as yet, either.

In that moment of tension, Lilah does pause in her movements toward him. But when it fades, she continues. She continues to stroke his hair, gently and with a bit of caution in her movements, still. She doesn't seem afraid, per se, but watchful? Definitely. She doesn't say a single word right now, and doesn't touch any part of him other than his hair. Her fingers aren't massaging his scalp, even.

Felix melts back down to homid, eventually. The cuts aren't entirely healed, but the blood isn't flowing. His breath is gradually calmer, though it doesn't make it all the way to calm. There are, finally, words, albeit so quietly under his breath that they're nearly a loud thought: "Fuckin' rich bitch."

The switch back to homid is a relief, written in the relaxing line of Lilah's shoulders. And hey, she doesn't have to reach so high to pet his hair now! She's quiet, still, most likely trying to be a calm, reassuring presence. And at his words, she finally leans in cautiously, aiming to kiss his cheek.

Felix's expression doesn't change when she kisses him, eyes still closed, but the arm closer to her moves, slowly, finding its way around her waist. It rests there loosely. For no obvious reason there's a flare of the anger a second or two later, felt as a tension in his arm and shoulders, a shift in the set of his jaw, but he doesn't actually move, and then it's gone again. He finally lifts his head, opening his eyes, and leans up to brush a kiss to her forehead. "I want a smoke. And a drink. Or lots."

Lilah nuzzles up a little closer to him, once his arm's around her. She tilts her head, watching him closely but not so cautiously now, and goes back to petting his hair. Even the flare of anger doesn't seem to startle her. Though she pauses for a moment, once it's gone she's back to petting him, and even puts another kiss on his cheek. She smiles softly at him when he kisses her forehead, and nods to his words. "You got it," she says simply, and then adds, "We still got some o' that fancy liquor left, right? Seems like now's the time to break some o' it out."

"Hope so," Felix says, and there's the first hint of humour in his voice for quite a while, subtle though it is, as he adds, "Reckon we ain't got THAT drunk yet." A small squeeze of the arm around her before he withdraws it, taking her hand instead, and starting back toward 'their' room. He's still not nearly back down to even the level he was before and during her reading; there's a simmering layer added to it that seems to have subsided as far as it's going to for the moment, and it isn't far enough.

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Lilah says dryly, teasing, and squeezes his hand lightly. She's quiet, past that, and moves with him back toward the room. "What kinda fine liqueur ya wanna partake of?" she asks, her tone light.

Felix lets go of her hand in the room, and drops onto the mattress they were on before, flopping all the way down onto his back in what seems like one move. "Whatever we got. Not somethin' all cocktail, though. Like, not Midori or Baileys or shit like that. Whiskey or vodka or somethin'." He pulls the cigarette tin from his pocket, getting one out, and the lighter. He doesn't light it immediately, though, cigarette between his lips while he just stares at the lighter's flame for a few seconds.

"You got it," Lilah says again, brightly. She heads over for the luggage, rummaging through it for just a moment before pulling out a top-shelf bottle of vodka. It's been touched by its former owners, given that it's missing about ten percent of its volume, but it's mostly still there. She uncaps it and sits beside him, watching him for a moment before she says gently, "You can talk t'me. Ya don't gotta, but ya can. If ya wanna."

Felix blinks at the flame when she speaks to him again, and remembers to actually light up. The lighter goes away with the tin, and he gives the vodka an approving look. A hand on the bottle, and he gives the ceiling a bit of a Look, then sits up, so that he can actually take a drink. It's a pretty good one to be starting off with, but at the moment it seems to go down practically like water. "...that's pretty good," he decides after a moment, and offers it to Lilah.

Lilah seems to have meant it when she said he doesn't have to talk to her, because she doesn't try to draw him out further. Instead, she watches him light up, and smiles at his reaction to the liquor. She accepts the bottle from him, and has herself a nice long pull, as well. Once that's done, she lifts her brows, agreeing, "Yeah, sure is." The bottle is offered back.

Felix studies Lilah for a few moments, while she drinks and just after, when he accepts the bottle back. Whatever he's looking for, maybe he doesn't find it, since he sighs and has another good drink, glaring at the door out of the room as if it had wronged him. "Gonna hafta figure out how to fix that wall. Reckon I prolly oughta put a note on it or somethin'," he says; the tone seems unable to decide between angry and glum, which turns out somewhere in the realm of 'sullen'.

When Lilah catches him watching her, and especially at that sigh. "What's on yer mind?" she asks curiously, watching him as he accepts the bottle. She listens to what he has to say, and then gives a little shrug. "I got paper 'n pencils," she offers helpfully, before adding, "'n I'll help ya write it, if you need the help." She leans in to kiss his cheek again, and runs a hand along his arm.
<OOC> Lilah: Er, especially at that sigh, she asks him stuff, something. Lost my train of thought. *^_^*

There's a quick sidelong glance at that offer, and a tiny pause before Felix says, "Well. Reckon you prolly have neater writin' than I do." And a nigh infinitely better chance of spelling everything right. He takes another drink, then passes the bottle back again. "...I dunno."

"Maybe," Lilah says with a shrug, and moves her hand so she can rub his back, softly. Her free hand takes the bottle, tipping it up for a series of glugs before passing it back. His words just get a nod, and no further questions. Instead, she continues to rub his back, and eventually says, "S'prolly a little too early for 'em, but you know any good drinkin' games?

Felix cracks a half-smile. "Pretty much everyone's got neater writin'n I do," he says quietly to her 'maybe', and shifts position enough to bump her shoulder gently with his. He matches her drink when she passes the bottle back, and considers. "Well. Yeah, I know some. But mostly they work better with more players. One on one's usually just an excuse for people to get each other in bed." The first actual grin, fleeting though it is. "...an' if we played somethin' like I Never, I'd pass out before you got past tipsy." She gets an affectionate look to go with the teasing. He watches the movement of the smoke in the air on his next exhalation, quiet, and there's another tightening of his jaw, just momentary.

"Fair 'nuff," Lilah says in regards to his handwriting, and then smiles as he talks about the games he knows. "Who says that ain't a good reason *to* play I Never," she teases, giving him a fond look right back. She follows his gaze, and though she looks quite curious, she doesn't ask. DAMN HER.

"I'm pretty sure I'm a lot more fun before I pass out than after," Felix says, with another quite fleeting grin, "...and it ain't like you ever had to work that hard to get in my pants." He gives the bottle a swirl to watch the liquid in it move, then has another drink from it, though it looks slightly smaller. He doesn't pass it over, although he'll let her take it if she tries. "...fuckin' spoiled-ass--" he mutters, and then his eyes widen slightly. "Aw, shit." Now he DOES hand her the bottle, pushing back up to his feet and heading for the room's door."

"A'right, ya got a few points, I s'ppose." Lilah smiles fondly over at him, and takes the opportunity while he's swirling the bottle to kiss his cheek again. She doesn't attempt to take the bottle from him until he offers it over, her eyes a little wide as well. "What's wrong?" she asks quietly, and rises so she can follow after him.

Felix walks fairly quickly, out of the room and up the stairs. "Forgot," he replies rather unhelpfully, but it seems more like he's distracted than not intending to answer her. At the third floor, he goes up again; if she follows she'll see the door open, the padlock open on the floor. He picks up the lock, hesitates briefly, and steps outside to check for anything that seems out of place. Finding nothing, he heads back in, closes the door, and puts the lock on, then starts back down again.

Lilah follows after him, looking concerned but not *too* much so. She waits inside for him once she's caught the gist of what's going on. His triumphant return is heralded by a quick kiss, should he be amenable, and a silent offer to hold hands. Also, she totally sneaks more of the vodka while she's waiting.

There's a blink at the kiss, as though it somehow hadn't occurred to Felix as a thing that might happen, despite how often it actually does tend to happen. He's amenable, though, and tugs her in closer with his free hand, lengthening the kiss a bit more. When he lets go, he does take her hand, heading back to the room again. The hole in the wall gets a glare along the way, and the cresting of another wave of fury before it washes back into the sea. He doesn't drop back onto the mattress right away, this time; he closes the door and pulls Lilah in for another kiss before letting go of her hand and starting to pace the room.

Justin has arrived.
<OOC> Justin flops. Stop sexing each other up.
<OOC> Felix snirks. They're not. And I think Lilahplayer may have fallen asleep (though if so she may wake up soon).
<OOC> Justin: I can pose in. Wanna set or something? :)
<OOC> Felix mutters. Still got scene going. On the other hand she went for cuddles 80 minutes ago. Um. Let me think a few.
<OOC> Justin: Can say LIlah went to the bathroom IC XD
<OOC> Felix grumbles. I don't really want to send her to the loo. :P But hold on, I'll set where they are and think. ...actually, damn, I forgot where exactly I left them, it wasn't where I thought. Meh... Hm. Okay. They're in 'their' room. Justin likely to be making noise around the second floor landing, or higher?
<OOC> Justin: Yup. XD
<OOC> Felix: Okay. Reaching the landing? Since presumably he hasn't been upstairs/here all this time, heh.
<OOC> Justin: I can say he just got home.

The second floor landing is deserted, just now, but it's changed slightly since the last time Justin saw it; there's a hole about the size of a Glabro fist in one of the walls. It's gone through the plaster and drywall, but not out the other side. The door to the room Felix and Lilah stay in opens at the sound of life out there, the Galliard swinging it open in a fast, sharp movement to see who or what's there. He's most of the way through a cigarette and the veneer of control seems extra thin, eyes and stance and general aura all telegraphing tightly compacted anger.

Having arrived back home late, Justin is dragging himself up the stairs with his backpack slung over his shoulder He is wearing a pair of loose cargo shorts and an unbuttoned flannel that reveals his bare chest. A loud yawn is heard as he makes his way up to the second floor. "Hey." He says as he spies his packmate, giving a half hearted wave. "Whaddup?"

"We," Felix says, punctuating the words with a pointing finger, an only-mostly-healed wound on the lowest knuckle, "gotta talk." He leans against the doorjamb, the door falling partway shut again behind him, and his arms cross. "We got a visitor this evening."

"Yeah? Was it the jehovahs again? I thought I told them that we don't need Jesus." Justin trudges towards his designated room and hips it open. Lobbing his backpack on the ground, he looks around the empty place save a couple of blankets and a single pillow.

Felix cracks about half a smile at the question, but it doesn't last. "Sadly, no. That mighta been fun. It was Briari." The diction gets slightly more precise than usual with that, and the anger flares in his eyes again. "She decided to pay us a visit through the roof entrance. In some kinda stupid robot ninja costume, or whatever. All masked and voice distortion and fucking comic book batman gloves or some shit."

"Bombshell." Justin confirms as he slips his flannel off his body. "Glass Walker and Ragabash. Fostern. She is a Corporate Wolf from Atlanta. One of the last survivors down there after her Sept went tits up." He confirms as he roots through his backpack to take out a six pack of Mountain Dew. Holding out to him, he says, "She was the first inside the Queen's Tower. Got us a lot of intel from what everyone is saying. Mapped the whole place inside and out. She's a billionaire or something." Sprawling out on the ground, he cracks his own soda open. "She also fights crime or something. Uses daddy's technology to catch drug dealers and rapists. She is banging one of the kinfolk police here, Benedict. I babysit for him on low moons for scratch and free food. From what Ben told me, her father is a famous kinfolk or something, CEO of this weapon's thingie. They develop like... Tony Stark type shit for the government. What she want?"

"Yeah, well, she can fuck a chainsaw and die," Felix snaps. "Fuckin' rich assholes think they can do whatever the fuck they want whenever they want to the rest of us!" He glances upward half a second, teeth gritted and jaw set, taking a breath, and then the rage is corralled again, expression practically pleasant when he looks across the hall again, like the fury was never there. Wasn't still underneath. "First of all, she would like to inform us that if we fucking coyotes ever fuck with the shampoo again at the farmhouse, she will prank the fuck out of us."

"Yeah, well, welcome to life bro. We are Gnawers, they are Walkers. But, noted I will quit fucking with the house in general. I got word that Emma is going to rip me in half if I keep fucking with their shit over there. She already banned me from the house once last year. If we get banned then say g'bye to free food and free showers." Justin does not seem too concerned as he takes a sip off his soda, still dangling the offered soda to his pack mate. "Just take a deep breath and chillax. You know this came with the territory being a coyote and all. We automatically piss people off because of who we run with. It's the way it is. We are supposed to upset the balance of their life and piss them off." He chuckles. "But, I probably been pushing things too far with them. Pissing off our allies is a bad idea. We should be pranking the Wyrm instead."

Felix waves off the soda in suitably thanks-but-no-thanks way, but his eyes darken again at the very first part of the reply. "Like I told Slug the other day: I may be new here, but I ain't new. I don't come from no fuckin' country club, and this place," a gesture at the library around them, "is a lot nicer'n where I mostly lived the last few years. I mean fuck's sake, it's GOT showers. Fuckin' runnin' water! We don't even gotta--" He shakes his head. "The way rich folks act, the way they treat us, an' I don't even mean Gnawers although hell that too, no, it ain't fuckin' okay. And I ain't gonna stop being pissed about it." He's started pacing during that, and stops suddenly. "You know what she said?" he asks, in the kind of casually conversational tone that only ever exists as a nice thick wrapper for pure molten fury, "She said that if we keep going into their territory and fuckin' with their utilities, and unless you been doin' other shit with their water and power an' all I dunno about then I'm interested to learn that shampoo's a utility, but what the fuck do I know, right? Then she will buy this place. And demolish it. And turn it into a Starbucks."

"Naaaah, come on man, that is just the big moon talking. She wouldn't do that. Probably just mad, that's all." Justin pushes himself upwards and hops to his feet. Walking over to him, he throws an arm about his friend's shoulders. "Okay, so, maybe I fucked with the toilets. Superglue on the toilet seat was probably a reeeally bad idea." He gives him a squeeze. "Look, I will smooth shit down and it will be all good. This is my bad and I will fix it." He gives him a wry grin. "Everyone is just a bit high strung now that word got out about vampires and the fact that we are sitting on a powder keg in regards to all this doom and gloom shit."

Felix allows the arm, and the bit about the toilet seat does briefly get a couple upward twitches at the corners of his mouth, but the moon's been pulling hard on him for nearly two weeks straight, now, and the rage isn't so easily subdued. "Maybe. Maybe she wouldn't. But she'd threaten to. Shit ain't goin' how you like, you beat it down with Daddy's money. Or maybe now she has her very own to club people with. I don't care. People ain't kowtowing to you good enough, you just remind them that's equivalent to destroyin' nearly everything they got. That oughta get 'em jumpin' back in line." It's not a tone Justin's heard from him before, not just sarcasm or anger but pure venom. His jaw tenses again, and he takes a breath, and then another one. His voice is calmer again afterward. "I never met the bitch before. She breaks into my home, scares Lilah, gets pissed I don't oh yes sir-ma'am-whatever-the-fuck-robot-thing-you-are at her? Didn't introduce herself or nothin', an' I guess I was ditchin' the day they handed out the psychic powers. ANYway. Anyway." He sighs. "Aside from that. Aside from that: we fucked up."

"Dude, it's how nerds flex their muscles. Let's be honest, she out ranks you, but you could knock her out in your sleep. I was a jock in high school. Played football. I used to wedgie those dorks all the time. But, I will fix it, trust me. We are all in this together and blah blah blah." Giving him another squeeze, Justin lets him go and takes another long sip off his soda. "Soon as the moon is low, we will all get over it. So, what did we fuck up on?"

"No. It's how spoiled little shits who ain't never had to wonder where dinner was comin' from flex their muscles." Felix's voice is quieter, though, and he leans back against the wall, letting his head thunk lightly against the plaster. "Apparently," he says, "there was a security camera filmin' that alley where we had our li'l chat with Pugsly. So that given he ended up dead real soon after that, there'd be cops lookin' for us about that detail if she hadn't spent three hours fixin' it up."

"Heh. See! Now we're even. No harm, no foul. She pissed you off, but she saved our butts. Even Steven. You wanna get breakfast?" Justin says as he knocks back another long slug of the Mountain Dew.

There's been the occasional noise from the room Felix left; a creak here, a clink there. Lilah's being exceptionally quiet, however, on the whole. There hasn't been an obvious timing to the sounds, such as a creak when someone was angry or saying something significant. If she's listening, she's at least being subtle about it.

Felix shakes his head again. "No. We ain't. And fixin' it ain't really about us anyhow." A small pause, "Not sayin' I don't appreciate she did. But it don't make the other shit right. She said next time make sure there's no cameras set up. So. We remember to make sure of that shit." He stretches, glancing to the room he emerged from. "I could prolly eat. Lemme get Lilah." He starts that direction, and glances back to Justin over his shoulder as he goes. "You want some vodka while we got it?"

"Well, my best advice is to let it go, man. We need them to fix shit like this and they need us to clean up the spills. Same team. Just chalk it up to a bad day." Justin gives another swig, then grins. "Vodka at four thirty in the fucking morning? Nah man, I want pancakes. I'm gonna shower, then we should abuse Lilah's discount at Denny's. Unlimited pancakes for four dollahs." With that, he heads out of his room after giving him a smack on the shoulder. "Everything is good, I promise you." And with that, he is down the hallway heading for the bathrooms.

Lilah doesn't immediately head out of the room at hearing Felix say he's about to get her. Instead, Felix will find her still on the mattress, the vodka next to her, capped. She gives a little yawn before she spots him, and then she scrambles to get up, loses her footing, and ends up right back on the mattress. "Howdy," she says not very suavely, and gets up a little more carefully this time. She's doing okay at pretending *not* to be shitfaced, past the stumbling. But that's a big caveat, perhaps.

The failed standing startles a laugh out of Felix, and he walks over to offer her a hand up. "Damn, doll, maybe I wouldn't lose that game so bad after all," he teases her, and makes sure she's stable on her feet before he picks up the bottle and has a drink, 4:30am or not. Cap back on and he drops it lightly back onto the mattress, giving Lilah a kiss on the temple. "Justin an' me're thinkin' maybe we all hit Denny's, get us some breakfast. Sound good?"

"Maybe," Lilah is forced to admit, with a bit of a lopsided grin. It turns into a full-out smile at the kiss, and she reaches out to rub his arm lightly. "Sounds okay t'me," she says with a nod. "I mebbe shoulda eaten 'fore the drinkin', but on the other hand, I feel purty good right now." The grin returns, and she reaches for his hand. "You feelin' any better?" she asks gently then, as though Rage is a touch of influenza.

Felix takes the hand, and pulls Lilah in gently to give her a proper kiss. "...maybe a li'l," he allows, "Some ways, anyhow." He slides a hand down her back, letting it settle on her rear and squeeze, then muses, "You DO feel purty good right now." A slight pause. "Justin's takin' a shower, dunno how long that's gonna take."

That proper kiss is returned in kind, with added interest besides. "'m glad," Lilah says after with a nod, and drops the subject. She grins at his punnery, and asks faux-innocently, "Do I?" She leans in to kiss him again, a little briefer this time, and smiles before stretching her arms out and rolling her neck. Her arms settle around his neck, and she sways a bit in his arms. Thankfully, she's dancing and not falling over again. "I'm almost disappointed we're goin' to Denny's itself. Means I can't steal yer food." A pause, and then ominously, "...or does it?"

"Didn't stop you at Edith Ann's," Felix points out, "Just, you know I'm gonna steal yours back." He slides his arms around her waist and dances with her to the imaginary music, following her rhythm. "Anyway there was talk of all-you-can-eat pancakes, an' that kinda thing makes stealin' less fun. But not eatin'." A little downward wandering of his hands. "...and yeah. You do."

"I had home-court advantage at Edith Ann's," Lilah teases. "An' who says infinite pancakes can't be stolen, infinitely?" Despite her drinking, she's thankfully still *got* rhythm to follow. It's a slow rhythm, but it's there. She nuzzles up close to him at his confirmation, and tries to pull him in for a quick kiss.

Felix pulls her in against him in return, while they kiss, though rather lower than she's pulling. The actual kissing may be less quick than she intended, since he seems to have decided there's no hurry. "...well, could argue you got that advantage at Denny's too," he says when he does let it break, "Anyway, I didn't say infinite pancakes couldn't be stolen. Just that it ain't as much fun." And finally, for the first time in many hours, there's the roguish grin.

Lilah definitely does not mind a lengthened kiss, and she returns it in kind. "I dunno. Stealin' your food's always gonna be fun, even if it *is* infinite. Maybe more fun, then. Just think of it: I'd open my own pancake business, all fueled by yer pancake-less existence." She grins toothily, and looks ridiculously fond of him and his roguish grin.

"If there's infinite pancakes you can't steal all of 'em. That's what infinite means, right? So I'll never be pancakeless. Pancake business ain't a bad plan though. Not real expensive startin' it up an' then it oughta keep gettin' stuff to sell forever. That's practically all profit, right?" Felix continues dancing with her to the music that isn't there, keeping her close up against him. "Anyway, we oughta be workin' together, not takin' from each other. We gotta go after the Man's pancakes. The Mancakes."

"Oh, but I can. The instant you getcher new pancake, I take it an' I put it for sale. You get a new pancake-- I give it to the shelter. You get a new pancake-- I eat it in front o' ya." Lilah presses right back against him, rolling her hips a bit to some unheard guitar solo, no doubt. "I *could* work with ya," Lilah starts to say, but then he's punning, and she bursts out laughing, shaking her head. "I bet Mancakes are worth the wait," she says with a nod, and not even a blush. Oh yeah, she's soused.

Felix looks as though he's about to say something probably about the NEXT of the infinite pancakes, but her laugh derails that into a pleased grin, and he steals another kiss. "The Mancakes are the very best," he assures her solemnly, "'cause The Man ain't never satisfied with less. So those're definitely the ones we want." He leans in to nuzzle at the side of her neck, adding in a nibble or two while he just happens to be right there already.

"I dunno," Lilah says fondly, shaking her head. "I reckon I'd prefer yer cakes to some other man's cakes, The Man or no. I mean, if I'm the one doin' the eatin', here. Otherwise, whichever has the infinite pancakes is gonna win." She tilts her head to give him better access to her neck, closing her eyes as they sway. "I reckon you could keep a pancake 'r two, though," she allows breathily.

"Mm. Well, nothin' sayin' we can't take the special ones but you still get my cakes any time you want, right? You could have Mancakes and eat 'em too." Felix grins against her neck, and then nips at it. "An' I'll have my pancakes an' eat you too. Sounds fair to me."

"I like the way you think," Lilah breathes out, shivering at the nip to her neck. She runs her hands over his chest, and then tugs him in just a little bit closer. She's stopped dancing at some recent point. His last words have her chewing at her bottom lip, and then she takes his hand, trying to lead him toward the door.

Felix and Lilah are still in the room they were last seen in. He gives her a curious look when she pulls far enough away to lead, though getting his hand was easy enough. Getting the other one off her was slightly trickier. If she wants to go somewhere, though, he's willing to go along with that.

Now that the shower got shut off, Justin plods back into the room, wearing a pair of boxer briefs that cling to his body. His hair is wet and tangled. "You guys ready to go?" He asks as he slides one foot into his cargo shorts, hopping up and down as he wiggles it up, then steps into the other.

<OOC> Felix thinks it was different rooms, but if we're coming out of this one it works, yeah?
<OOC> Lilah: Yeah, we're exiting 'our' room. I was posing like Justin's heading into that same 'our' room?
<OOC> Justin: I can meet you in the hall XD
<OOC> Felix: Well, earlier in the scene his stuff was in one of the others, I think, so I figured there. But I might be hallucinating. Hall works for me!

Lilah is leading Felix toward the exit of 'their' room, and yet she stops in surprise near the door when she spots Justin. "I'm ready when y'all are ready," she says, and squeezes Felix's hand lightly. She blushes a little and looks away while Justin changes, and leans in to kiss Felix's cheek. "I heard tell we were gonna have infinite pancakes, an' I'm up for that."

Felix looks at least somewhat more relaxed than earlier, but blinks slightly when Justin emerges just as they do. He squeezes Lilah's hand back, glancing over at her, and then shrugs, nodding. "Yeah, reckon we're prolly ready enough," he agrees.

Squinting his eyes at them, Justin glances back and forth, then shrugs upwards as he lets out a yawn. "Cool, let's go get our pancakes on. I am going to create mount syrup." Flashing a grin, he bumps his shoulder into Felix's. "Hey, thanks for being cool by the way. I know you and I will probably piss each other off often but just know that I'll always have your back."

"I'm gonna create mount butter. It'll hold up better," Lilah teases, and then allows, "...though mount syrup'll prolly *taste* better." She smiles warmly to the two of them after Justin's kind words, and that smile rises a little higher as she looks to Felix's reaction.

Felix returns Justin's grin, at the bump. "Most likely," he agrees, "but yeah, same here. Who else is gonna if we don't, right?" He starts down the stairs, this time leading Lilah by the hand instead of vice versa. "I'm gonna go visit the pancake islands. I hear they're nestled in the syrup sea, an' sometimes they have jamalanches."

"Right. You and Watcher are my best friends. Henry too, I guess. He is just so serious. But, philodox for you." Justin says as he slides his flannel shirt back on and buttons it up halfway. After checking his wallet for cash, he wrinkles his nose. "Good thing I got a buncha reycling in. I got about thirty bucks on me. Nick should have that stuff sold for me so hopefully that will make us another hundred."

"You got a way with words," Lilah tells Felix with a grin, and then she looks to Justin. "Thanks for everythin', man. We're real lucky t'have ya." That said, she then adds, "I reckon we could have us a pancake eatin' contest. You two game?"

Felix grins back at Lilah, then looks to Justin again. "Yeah, I guess," he agrees about Philodox behaviour, and shakes his head. The money part of the discussion gets somewhat raised brows. "Well, I got some cash right now too," he says, "...but assumin' you mean the stuff I think, both parts, there oughta be like another zero on the end of that. An' that's already considerin' we ain't exactly talkin' retail. If it comes back with somethin' like a hundred, either he's gettin' ripped hard or you are." Lilah's proposal gets a laugh. "Well, sure, we could, but what do I get when I win?"

"He did not seem very optimistic. I don't know. I guess we'll see." Justin says as he scrubs his hand back into place upon the top of his head. "And, if we are having a pancake eating contest, you guys are both going down. I'm an Ahroun after all." He boasts with a wide grin stretching along his face. "I can eat so much they will kick me out or charge me rent."

"You ain't gonna win," Lilah tells Felix, grinning toothily. "An' neither 'r you!" she adds, pointing a finger at Justin. "As for what *I'm* gonna get when I win... winner gets a personal slave f'r a day, waitin' on 'em hand and foot. Loser *is* a slave for a day. Second place gets a shiny nickel, paid also by the loser. 'less y'all wanna forfeit, in which case I understand your ret-- you bein' too chicken."

"Even just talkin' recyclin' the materials, it'd be more," Felix says, shaking his head. "Guess we'll see. But I'm sayin'." The pancake competition, though, and their boasts, that makes him grin again. "Oh, is that what y'all are known for? I thought it was somethin' else, somehow," he says to Justin, and to Lilah, "...and hmm. Maybe. But we gotta define just how one of us wins this contest. An' maybe what limits waitin' on's got."

"Lilah, just bow out gracefully. You two been guzzling vodka like you're fish. You don't got our super metabolism. I bet you'd get three cakes in before you ralph em' up. This is gonna be a contest for the men to settle." Justin says as he strides down the hall and hops down the stairs. "Sides, I am half hispanic. We are constantly hungry."

"Ain't no bowin' out gracefully now. I done put my foot in it. But I tell ya what: let's make it even *more* innerestin'. If you're so sure I'll come in third, then third place gets the nickel, second does the servin', an' first is the same as it was. As for limits on servin'... I say none o' the servin' gotta require leavin' this building. Cuz y'all'd get too imaginative." She follows after Justin, hand in hand with Felix, and adds, "Every full eaten pancake counts. Highest number o' pancakes eaten is the winner."

Felix takes the stairs out easily enough, keeping half an eye on Lilah to make sure she's doing okay with such things as well. "Fish drink vodka? Got more respect for 'em now. Though I'm not givin' 'em any of mine," he says. "I dunno how much sense that prize scheme makes. I guess I could go with either way, though. Seein' as I'm gonna win anyhow." He considers a moment. "You're right 'bout gettin' imaginative, but on the other hand, I can think of a lotta things outside the Library that might be pretty good. Like, go pick me up some McDonald's, or somethin' like that. So how about, instead, if the slave's got a problem with an order, they get to appeal to the nickel-holder for a rulin' on whether it's valid or not?"

"I don't need a slave. How about if I win you two find me a girlfriend or something? I'm getting jealous watching you two be all cute and shit. Bad enough I look like an illegal alien but also got that whole going fuzzy thing." Justin grumps a bit as he hips the front door open and takes a deep breath of fresh air. Five in the morning now. The sun will be up in an hour. "Girls never really liked me much in highschool." He admits. "Was on the football team, wide receiver. Was pretty good also. But, you know how it is.. everyone I guess could get a sense of what I am before I popped. Had no friends."

Lilah is doing fine on the stairs, and smiles over at the two of them. She's ready to comment on Felix's words, but ends up quieting as Justin speaks. She listens closely, and then slowly nods. "I reckon that's fair. Whaddya think, Felix... we could make that work, yeah?" She smiles gently to Justin, and says, "I can't know what that's like, not bein' a popper, myself. But it can't o' been easy." She glances to Felix, and then back to the Ahroun. "You want a girlfriend, or you want more short-term arrangements? One's easier 'n the other, but we could try either way. Try real hard."

"Works for me," Felix says, shrugging, and then grins again, "...I had plans for seein' about at least short-term anyhow. Maybe I shouldn't say so, when we ain't done the contest yet, but on the other hand maybe you just win either way. Girlfriend's harder, but as long as we ain't workin' to a deadline..." He eyes Justin a moment. "You ain't bad-lookin'. It's mostly the fuzzy's gonna make things trickier. As usual."

"Nah, I don't want a hookup. I'm sure I can get that easy enough at the clubs. It's not a big deal though. I need to focus more on work than trying to get a girlfriend. If it happens, it happens." Justin says as he trudges down the street with them. "Sides, a normal girl won't wanna stick around and put up with my PMS or scary aura. Maybe I just gotta try again with Becca if she ever comes back to St. Claire. Though she was telling me she was kinda not sure with her being twenty and me being fourteen at the time." He smirks.

Lilah goes quiet, listening to the two of them, though it's a thoughtful quiet rather than an upset one. She walks with them in silence for a bit, and though it seems occasionally as though she'll pipe up, she doesn't end up doing so.

Felix shrugs. "That's the easiest place to look, yeah. That an' parties. Anyway, up to you. Hookups make life a lot more fun, though," he says, "...and there's a hell of a lot more normal girls around'n special ones." Lilah's hand gets a fairly subtle squeeze. "Heh. That's a pretty big gap, yeah. Can kinda see why she'd be iffy. But if she ain't in town anyhow and you don't know if she's even gonna be, maybe not the ideal Plan A either way."

Justin shrugs his shoulders upwards. "Eh, it's no biggie. I only get 'sorta' depressed about it. I guess I just don't wanna end up like my dad and dead at a young age without you know... I guess.. finding someone. Well, I mean, he had my mom for a few weeks or so until he got canned. Not sure if that was love or not. She wouldn't get much into it."

Lilah purses her lips, then nods to what's been said. She looks between the two of them, and says slowly and thoughtfully, "Y'don't wanna base yer stuff on expectations o' what's 'normal,' either, I reckon. Lots o' people die young, younger 'n us. That don't make it right, or make ya feel any less depressed. I ain't sayin' it would. But maybe rather'n look at milestones, 'n big picture stuff, there's-- there's other things. Livin' each day to the fullest, all that bullshit. It's got a grain o' truth, even if only a grain." She pauses, then goes on, "I guess what I'm trynna say is, yer fine the way ya are. Leastways as long's ya don't regret too much o' your life as-is. An' if ya do, it ain't too late to change it." Another pause, longer this time. "I dunno. I'm drunk."

"My daddy was 'bout 21," Felix says, glancing toward the sky, "...when he died, I mean. I dunno if they were in love or nothin', my mother didn't ever like talkin' about him." He shrugs again. "Can't know what's gonna happen, right? Never reckoned I was gonna get old even before I knew, though. So I just go with what Lilah's sayin', mostly. All that bullshit. Worked okay so far." He grins, suddenly, "There's a lotta stupid shit I prolly oughta regret, an' who knows what I will or won't get to do, but fuck it, at least it's been fun so far. And? Unlimited pancakes."

"Yeah, I hear you." Justin says as he rubs the back of his nose with his hand. "I guess it's why I'm kinda clingy with you guys. I don't wanna die alone." As they head down the dark streets, he kicks a coke can along the concrete. "Junior high sucked, my first year of high school sucked. I'm kinda like a faithful dog or something. I need constant affection and tail wagging to keep me happy."

"I don't think that's unusual... everybody needs tail waggin'. An' we like ya. You ain't too clingy, y'hear?" Lilah leans over into Felix's space then, wrapping an arm around his waist rather than just holding his hand, now. "S'long as yer here for us, an' we're here for you, ain't none of us gonna die alone."

Felix reaches over -- and up -- to ruffle Justin's hair affectionately. "You got your coyotes," he says, "...and anyway, we ain't made to be loners. And I think maybe junior high an' the first year of high school got a rule about suckin' or somethin'. I mean, I didn't mostly find better things to do 'cause it was so fuckin' awesome I just couldn't take it. Although admittedly one or two of 'em might've cleared that bar anyway..." He slides his arm loosely across Lilah's shoulders when she's in his space. "Anyhow, better part if you ask me: ain't none of us gonna live alone neither."