strangetrip | [EP/GP] Check-In: I Assure You We Are Open

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[EP/GP] Check-In: I Assure You We Are Open

The damp, cool, chilly morning clouded with fog seemed to fit the mood about the Madonna Inn. Nobody had been quite right since the undead invasion. Definitely not Vax'ildan. But for him, it was less about their sense of day-to-day calm and safety shattered, less about undead specifically. It was a lot more to do with losing Scanlan and Pike, and the new memorials installed in the Temple.

He wondered about it, not for the first time, even as he readied for the fresh arrivals that might be coming today - or not, because they didn't always. What decided who came and went? Was there any sense in how many and when or why? Not so far as he could tell, but he'd never been the brains.

Gathering up the great heap of cloth and rope in his arms, the lean figure summoned the wings of his armor, the black of his silhouette merging with the other dark and shifting shapes skulking about in the first light of dawn. With a crouch and a lunge from the roof, he spread his wings wide and circled through the air right up to the face of the main building, unfurling the massive banner he'd sewn of spare bedsheets and painted with dark dye to tie it up taut:

WELCOME NEWCOMERS
YES, THIS MEANS YOU
NO REALLY WE'RE SURE

Life kept going on around you, no matter how confused or scared or fucked-up you were. And the best thing, the kindest thing, the sanest thing he could think to do in all this was to start up the coffee machine, stack some decorated pumpkin-shaped cookies on a platter in the lobby, and prop open the doors for whoever would join them in being confused and scared and fucked-up today.

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"Wait. Seriously? He steals shiny objects?" Clarice shook her head, "I was being a smart ass. I can't believe he truly is the stereotype."

"He's also apparently friends with a tree person back home, so I'd say lots of the stereotypes are true." He wondered just how 'tree-ie' the guy was, though. "My friend back home, Joshua? He's got some of the same hang ups that dogs do too. And the women in my batch often go through heat a couple times of the year because of cat DNA. So I guess you can't resist the animal impulses."

"That is just messed up." Clarice shook her head about what the females of Alec's group going through heat. "Not your friend Joshua but being in heat. You'd think that they would sculpt that out if they were genetically engineering the feline DNA."

She shook her head, "It's just a crap shoot and sometimes you get lucky and sometimes it bites you in the ass."

He shook his head. "Who knows? Pretty sure they got that problem under control with the X6s. You know scientists.. trial and error." He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, bastards." Clarice wasn't a fan of scientists or doctors as Alec knew. "So what else you got on your list to get besides a bike and new material for revenge on the glitter bombs?"

"Probably some books." Though those weren't for him. "And another gun, if I'm honest. When those undead things took over, sort of gave a whole new perspective on needing to be armed.

"Don't forget bullets." Not that Clarice even knew how to shoot but she figured that bullets would be in short supply at the inn.

He nodded. "Yeah. I've been able to make a few, but not enough to actually count if there was a big problem." And Alec didn't like asking people he didn't know for help - he always felt like he owed something and he didn't like owing things to people. This was why he never asked Percy for bullets.

"What about you? What can I put on the list for you?"

She took the time to actually think about it. "Would it be wrong to want something extravagant instead of practical like a bike or gun?" Clarice smiled slightly, "a cappuccino machine. God I miss a good Starbucks coffee."

He grinned. He sort of liked that answer. "No, that's an awesome answer." Actually, it sort of sounded like Max, really, but it was mostly she missed the stuff she could get at Logan's before Logan lost his wealth.

"Cappuccino machine it is... though, you know, I'm told Xavin makes some good coffee." Alec didn't know - he didn't need caffeine to stay awake and didn't really enjoy the taste.

"I've had their coffee it's good, but..." Clarice smirked, "they aren't always there when I'm in the mood for a good cappuccino." And it would be a nice extravagance to have in her room.

"Well then, cappuccino machine it is." He even wrote it down on the list in front of him. "Anything else, M'lady?"

Clarice laughed, "let's see, since I have something not practical I should probably add something that is. I'm not a fighter, but you know what would be nice? Bow and arrow. Someone could shoot it through a portal and I wouldn't even have to be close."

She couldn't shoot it because her hands would be busy creating and keeping the portal open, but it would be a good skill to learn. Plus she'd look cool as hell shooting a bow and arrow from a bike.

"Bow and arrow, huh?" He grinned at her. "That's kind of hot." Especially if she got really good at it. "Alright. One bad-ass bow and arrow too."

Clarice smirked, "I bet you're picturing me in leather with that bow and arrow now."

"You bet." His grin widened. "And for the record, you look fantastic." He winked to her as he actually did picture her in such an outfit.

"Maybe I'll add leather outfit to that list to complete the picture." She winked. Clarice actually thought that wouldn't be a bad idea to go with the bike. Road rash hurt less with leather.

"Are you trying to distract me from my shopping list?" He eyed her, a smile hinted in his eyes. "Cause it's working, you know."

"My evil plan worked." Clarice joked. "but mostly I wanted to put that imagin in your head."

His eyebrows lifted a little. "Did you know?" He sat up at that. "And if I manage to find some leather for you to try on now?" He definitely knew he could probably borrow some from Bo if he had to.

Clarice arched an eyebrow back, "you keep spare leather clothes? That on your last shopping list?"

"No, I'm just resourceful." He looked at her playfully. "I mean, I'm also totally okay with you not in leather too. Or even clothes."

"Funny, I'm totally okay with you not in leather or even clothes, too." Clarice grinned, "but my curiosity is going to get me in trouble. I think I'd like to see what you come up with on short notice for a leather outfit."

"Challenge accepted." He got to his feet. "How long do I have and where should I meet you?"

Clarice pretended to think about it. "I'll give you fifteen minutes to come up with the leather outfit." Her lips quirked into a smile, "and if you can find your way to where we first met I'll meet you there."

She knew that he would remember it was by the pool. Or not. It would be fun either way.

Re: Clarice and Alec

st_x5_494 - 2018-11-30 03:39 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Clarice and Alec

st_rongernow - 2018-12-02 22:02 (UTC) - Expand

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