Post by JR on Dec 15, 2015 0:44:28 GMT -8
Characters: Freya, Tucker, Ash
TW: None
Summary: The Moreau siblings meet and have a rather good talk, exploring paternal woes, their love lives, and their impending futures. Not entirely sure what was going on with Ash ..
TW: None
Summary: The Moreau siblings meet and have a rather good talk, exploring paternal woes, their love lives, and their impending futures. Not entirely sure what was going on with Ash ..
wrecked ships: With the days before the trip Freya and Huck were embarking on dwindling, Frey thought she might make a second attempt to hang out with her brother. The last ended up with him disappearing and her talking to some kid for a while longer before she excused herself. She'd meant to come back the following day, but the days bled into a pair of weeks that were far too busy than she might have liked. It was a funny situation -- staring a job, and then taking almost an immediate leave of absence, but she and her boss had figured out a plan that was going to have Freya scouting international artists to come to London and be featured at the small Battlesea art gallery she now worked for. A working holiday, and that suited her just fine. Pushing into Joes, Tucker wasn't immediately spotted at the counter -- but that was fine with her. She wasn't quite in the mood for a hot beverage, and so it was to the bar counter that Freya Moreau -- she'd dropped the Black, it was time -- took herself. Shrugging out of a thin black jacket, it was draped over a free stool, and her skirted rump filled up the one next to it. A pleated thing, with a layer or three of soft tulle beneath the shimmery gunmetal gray skirt to give it some flirty volume, it was knee length and spilled like a pretty curtain when she crossed her legs. T-strap velvety heels boosted her height; not that it mattered now that she was seated. Up top her physique was claimed by a second skin black top, it's sleeves at a quarter length, it's neckline scooped and it's hem tucked into the high waisted skirt. She'd come from work, or she might not have been so dressed up. The cardinal sin of the Alu-fiends smile blossomed across her face with the approaching bartender. "Ahh, Tanqueray and tonic, I think." A G&T sort of night, at the end of a busy day. -d-
hesitantly yours: Tucker was there, yes. Not at the new bar counter, not yet. He hadn't actually bothered to get a liquor license. No point in it, if he was going to be quitting Joe's in a matter of weeks to work in the anthropology department at Shepherd. But he was folding up his apron for the night and giving Andy the usual bullshit before he withdrew. The bar was eyed from a distance, and he furrowed his brow, and then he decided that he might as well approach. Get a little alcohol in him, as he'd been doing every so often since giving up on his whole abstinence-friendly lifestyle. He was so worried that it would lead him down the road of the late, not so great Friar Tuck that he had opted to delve back into vices. Alcohol. Casual sex, since Bethy had given him her blessing. At least he hadn't picked up smoking again, probably because cancer was rather unsexy. So it was his button-down-shirted, be-jeaned self that wandered up to the bar and stared at the specials on the chalkboard beyond with a squinty-eyed expression of curiosity. But don't think he didn't pick up on his own flesh and blood nearby, and he sidled over to her with a grin. "Hey, pretty lady. What's there to drink that don't taste like swallowin' a mixture of piss and jet fuel?" Head dipped to place one of those damnably fraternal kisses atop her dark crown. "You're lookin' mighty fancy tonight. Looks nice."
wrecked ships: Don't think he wasn't the only one that hadn't picked up on certain things. Tucker was clocked the moment he came into sniffing range, but she let him approach. Red mouth curved up into a closed lipped smile as he did just that, and dark head canted back to meet the kiss brushed against the softly brushed waves that had been cut recently to just above her shoulders. "He'll have what I'm having," she called out to the bartender, and then turned herself to the side to regard the man who only had ten days on her in age. There seemed to be a billion things to tell him, and by the buzz of energy that surrounded his aura, she wasn't the only one with a load of things. Instead, though, Freya did the opposite of blabbing, and as he gave his compliment she slipped her arms about his waist and gave him a big ol' squeeze, her cheek pressing to his chest where she could hear the beat of his heart straight from the source. "Tucker James, I don't even want to know what you've been up to that you'd know the taste of jet fuel mixed with urine might be," the Americanized version of Cockney undertones ( she legit had a My Fair Lady makeover a decade ago ) were tinged with amusement, and she peeled her face back without letting him go to sneak a peek north and to his scruffy face. "You look tired." Unwinding her embrace, Freya tilted back to rest an elbow to the bartop and swing her foot a little. "I've a perfect idea. Quit school, like I did. It does wonders on the sleep schedule." -d-
Eat lt Up: Oh, Ash. Young and busy and almost always focused on leaping that next hurdle; the poor boy slunk in quietly in a brown leather coat and eggshell white, which matched his navy blue sweater. He had done a little skit alread with himself as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, penned a proper Bolero, done a dance number in the style of Broadway, and had done a lovely rendition of the Coventry Carol, and had just submitted a couple of papers, some research, one argumentative -- in between working at the Clockwork Cat. Rather than say hello to the others, he just kind of waved at the person back there, trying to get them to come over so he could mumble a request for a green tea frappe. Or was it frappuccino? He didn't know anymore. [d]
hesitantly yours: What she was having? Uh, fine, alright, he'd trust his sister on this. The problem with getting back into boozing was that he had pretty much forgotten what anything tasted like. "Oi, what sort of deviant do you take me for?" he laughed, curling his arms about her middle as she did the same to him, one hand cradling her head to his chest lightly. "I was just approximatin', I was." Tired? God, yes, he looked it, and he knew it, and that was why it was only the left side of his mouth that winged up at her, a wry expression indeed. "I ain't quittin' school, but I've done the next best thing. I'm graduatin'. You gonna come watch me walk next week?" A semester early, just as he'd hoped. It had taken a lot of extra class taking and sleepless nights. But he'd done it. Letting her untangle herself, he settled down on the stool beside hers, and took a look at her face, frowning. "Funny, you're tellin' me quittin' school fixed you up, but you still look pretty tired. How you farin', lately?" The buzz of Tucker's aura was still as restless as it had always been, complex and bristling with ideas and possibilities, but a calm had settled over it on the surface, like he was starting to marshal all those maybes into actual plans for once. Blues glanced up. Hey! Another familiar face, Ash. So while he knew the kid wasn't quite drinking age yet (was he?), he nonetheless gave him a wave.
wrecked ships: It wasn't but moments later that their drinks arrived, all crisp and refreshing tasting with that gin and tonic and the fat slices of lime dropped into the sweating glasses. No where near the piss and fuel taste, so it was a safe enough bet he'd enjoy his. Picking up her own, she gave it a little sip through the skinny black straw, lifting up a brow with his question. "What! Early? That's fantastic. Of course I will." But both of the raven wing brows rose now, and Freya fixed him with a coy look. "Now I know full well that Aunt Charlie taught you better than to tell a lady she looks tired." She was fully teasing, given the glint that played within the multifaceted of hues that made up dark eyes. Blues swirled into greens, into golds, like some grouping of stars in the night sky. "I'm .. well. Better than I was. Better than I could be," she added, shrugging in conjunction to another sip of her drink, turning to spy who he was waving at and recognizing the kid from the night she'd been here last. Just a quick glance, attention returning to Tucker North. "And you, other than school?" -d-
Eat lt Up: He gave a half-hearted wave to Tuckster over there, before shifting to the side -- getting his feet caught up on a boot that had come unlaced -- and then taking a spill on the floor. This wasn't Hollywood, otherwise he'd pop up looking sheepish and blushing and laughing only to go out and cry like a high school girl on her period. No, his hands caught him... and he kind of knelt there for a moment... before just plain giving up and laying down. On the floor. MRSA or whatever people had walked in be damned. CRITICAL LEVELS OF NOPE: Achieved. [d]
hesitantly yours: The drink was given a sketchy eye, and then he picked it up, clinked it gently against Freya's, and sipped. Hm. Not bad. He could handle that. He could handle plenty of it, in fact. "You ain't a lady, you're my sister," he teased right back, knowing full well that Freya was every inch a lady in ways that he would likely never be a gentleman unless he made a concerted effort. To underscore the fact that he knew better, he tucked a lock of her shorter hair behind her ear. "Better than you were? You did seem pretty...I dunno, disgruntled the last time I saw you. You still havin' ghost problems? 'Cause I got a couple leads for ya." People leads. Beth was one, yes, but there was another who knew his way around the dead, maybe better than Beth did. And the other's wife, who also knew plenty about the dead and the undead and the spectral. Just to name a couple. A literal couple, ha. How was he? His shoulders rose and lifted in a shrug. "Well, I ain't dead," was his dry retort. "Puttin' together plans for a graduate thesis. I'm helpin' to teach a class next semester, so I'm quittin' Joe's at the end of the month." Of course he'd still be here constantly. That wouldn't change. When Ash took a tumble, those brilliant blues looked his way, and he blinked. "Uh. You alright there, kid? I wouldn't wanna be layin' on the floor long if I were you, somebody's gonna come 'round and get you trampled."
wrecked ships: "I am very much a lady," her tone had turned haughty, and she even lifted her chin to pair with it -- until .. "I've got these fantastic tits to prove it," both hands cupped over the plumpness of each and she gave them a bit of a jiggle in a very unladylike move, beaming at him then as he tucked her hair behind the delicate shell of her ear. A dry laugh bubbled up though, along with a not so subtle roll of her eyes. "It was just one ghost, and since he's lit out, it's many many ghosts. All the ghosts. Bloody gory disgusting ghosts that keep him up all night and leave me having to exhaust him until he actually sleeps. But keep those leads in your pocket for me, love. I've found a lady in Bucharest that might be able to solve his problem for good. It it doesn't work, there's another one in Berlin. And another in Cairo. It's amazing what you can Google these days, y'know. But who knows how deep this goes. Only time, and coming back to London will tell." A sip when she quieted to listen to him talk of school again, and his plans, and she beamed again. "Have you told Sebastian yet? At least your graduating. When I told him I wasn't the other night at dinner, he turned red as a lobster and I thought steam might come out of his ears, had Huck not been with us." She was rather proud of that moment, and it showed in her smug fat-cat expression. "I think you'll make an excellent teacher. And think of all the co-ed cooze," she pointed out with a lift of her finger at him from around where it held the glass. The commotion coming from the cafe area garnered both of their attentions, though Freya had to turn to look and see what had happened. "Ouch," she winced a bit, seeing that the boy had fallen. -d-
Eat lt Up: "No. ... yes. ... I'll be ... .. over here. Thinking, on the ground. Literally." Uh. You. You wanna lift your head up Ash? No? Okay buddy. You wanna snack? No? ... alright. Just let us know when you're getting up. Or at least, we'll let you know when to get up when they bring you a drink. [d]
hesitantly yours: "There's a man at Shepherd, owes me a favor 'cause I let him read me his bloody borin' abstract one night after I got off work. Alex is his name. Don't know if he can fix your man up permanent-like, but he deals with the dead. His wife's a good lead too. Both regulars." There was a quirk of his brow. "What exactly is the deal with him, anyway? You never did get a chance to spill the whole story, yeah? I'm gatherin' he's got ghost issues, but I got no details to go on. Wanna give your big brother a research project to keep him busy til January?" The concern was obvious in his eyes, though. Surely Freya hadn't been doing that poorly just because Huck was having Sensitive Clairvoyant Problems. There was empathy, and then there was something more. A rather vehement shake of his head accompanied the issue of telling Sebastian. "I ain't tellin' him much, yet. Just 'cause I'm lettin' him teach me all about the dark side, so to speak, don't mean I'm completely comfortable tellin' him everythin'. Did he try to make you dump Huck the way he keeps tryin' to make me dump Bethy?" He had been sipping his drink when Freya made the co-ed remark, and it made him choke on it, just a little, laughing. "Oh, please, I ain't gonna be the sort of professor you can fuck for a better grade. I mean, if I've got some pretty little co-ed wantin' to stay after class, I ain't gonna say no, but that's no way to get an A." He again cast his eyes to Ash, and sighed, as Andy came over to help pry the kid off the ground. "If you keep fallin', I'm gonna sneak you a wheelchair out of the health department."
wrecked ships: "Alex," she tried the name as if it were foreign, but it was really more to remember it. A nod was given as he spoke, but his question had her making a little face. "Truthfully, I'm not even sure Huck knows what the deal is. I thought at first it was just .. his brother, Tom, that he could see. But he's said that since Tom left, he's seeing more and more -- and that it used to happen before Tom was a regular face." She did not mention at all how Tom could actually take over Huck, and the trouble the dead Irishman had put them through. "He can .. " She shifted a little, leaning in a bit closer to her brother. "I think there's more. More that even he doesn't know about. Stuff he doesn't notice he does, especially when he's so sleep deprived. Things with the cold, with the wind." A helpless shrug befell her shoulders, then she clapped a hand to his shoulder. "Good idea, my friend. Give him as little to go on as possible, or he'll take it all over." She laughed then. "And of course he did. Huckleberry Dyer is entirely unsuitable for a daughter of his, so I let him rant and rave, and made all sorts of allusions that I'd comply .. then brought Huck to dinner, made a bunch of kissy touchy, gushed about moving in together and heavily hinted that Sebastian might want to start saving up for a wedding -- which is not happening, so don't even get that look in your eyes," Frey warned with a pointed look, and a pointed finger. "Also, it's not always about just getting the A. Total power play. Don't give the puss the power, love." Laughing softly, and she still was when she peeked back at the kid on the ground still, whispering in a side-bar to Tucker. "Does he know how many feet trek germs all over that floor? Gross." -d-
Eat lt Up: "Then stop stalling and go and get me a wheelchair. ... I also expect you to put on the accompanying nurse uniform, Hotlips." He rolled over onto his back to look at Andy, and then held out his lanky arms, as if to say, pick me up and carry me. [d]
hesitantly yours: Freya's entire speech about Huck brought that sort of furrowed-browed, worried expression to Tucker's face. It fit him, to be fair, made him look quiet and thoughtful, but it was also the look of worry. "If it's magic overall you're lookin' to understand, that is when you're gonna need Bethy. She's got her head outta her books for a little bit now, so I'll go grab her for you soon as I can, if you want." Beth was Tucker's be-all and end-all for magic, yes, but he amended it with, "Also, try Alice Clare. Her family's got this bookstore full of...well, I bet there ain't a book they don't got. You know her, yeah? Blonde thing, thin, may or may not be trippin' on E or somethin' at any given moment, ridiculously adorable?" Hey, AC was cute when she wasn't being psycho. Or at least not outwardly psycho by Tucker's standards. The murdering part would probably go well beyond his comfort level. The details of how his sister had conned their father brought him to laughter again. "Hey, for what it's worth, so long as he's good to you, I don't give a good goddamn if he's sleepin' on the street or makin' six figures. Love's a bitch, ain't it? And no, I ain't expectin' no weddin' bells out of you. Not anytime soon, at least. But I'll make sure Beth throws the bouquet straight at your face just to see if Dad's blood pressure goes so high he bleeds out his nose." He turned back to Ash, and a snort was delivered into his glass as he sipped. "Look, if I'm gonna wear a nurse outfit, it's gonna be when I'm shaped like a lady, and then you'll get all awkward and weird like you did last time. What can I say? I make almost as good a lady as Freya." Almost.
Eat lt Up: "Challenge accepted." [d]
wrecked ships: "Only if she's available, I don't want to put her out with my problems. You? Genetically, you're obligated." Another beaming smile, this one complete with fluttery lash. She was not acquainted with the adorably drugged up Alice Clare that he spoke of BUT SHE SURE SOUNDED INCREDIBLE! "Is it that one near Shepherd? Argonaut or something? I popped 'round there a few weeks ago for Sebastian. He needed a book on giants for some ungodly reason, I'd imagine." She tucked her own hair back this time, laughing at his laugh -- because it was damn good to see. "Poor Huck, not a clue with how to deal with our fuming father, just nodding a long to everything I was saying. Wide eyed." His own evil plot made her give a little snorting giggle into her drink, where she was after gaining a few ice cubes to chew. "I'll make Huck fake propose then and there," she cooed -- then blanched a little at the idea of Tucker, as Tucker with his man bits in a nurses costume, "Please don't do that," she whispered, as wide eyed as she described Huck with a clutch of warm fingers to his forearm. -d-
Eat lt Up: "Sorry, I didn't know you were against men dressing up as women," mumbled Ash, as Andy finally yanked him up and then allowed him to wander over to a couch. I mean, the bar would be good, but he wouldn't be able to drink unless the other two bought him one. Ash, the SJW. Hell just froze over. Accepting the cold green tea drink, though, he sipped on it thoughtfully, attention on the two off in their cozy corner, though his free hand was patting at his pockets to try and pull out his cell phone. [d]
hesitantly yours: "Obligated?" Those brows raised, and once again he was laughing, laughing in ways that he hadn't done in quite a while, if he were going to be honest with himself. The last strain of the semester seemed to slip away, and he was left just as happy as he should have been by rights. And why wouldn't he be? He'd mended fences with Bethy, he had graduation to look forward to, and he was getting some down time with his sister. "Fine, fine, I'll help you out to the best of my abilities. You want me to go lookin' up stuff about ghosts and wind and cold? 'Cause I got three weeks of free time on my hands. And you know how I get when I'm bored." Restless, mopey, tended to sleep fourteen hours a day like he was taking life advice from Clemens. Boredom did not suit Tucker. "What, you're just gonna have him fake propose? Aw, I was thinkin' it'd be a real one. This weddin', it ain't happenin' anytime soon. Way too much goin' on for us, y'know. Maybe by then..." Nah, he shook his head and just grinned. "Either way, Dad'll flip shit and it'll be a moment worth rememberin'. Not sure why he keeps tryin' to tell me I shouldn't be with Bethy, though. Somethin' about...about her bein' a Lyons, is what he keeps sayin', but he won't give me the nitty-gritty and it's drivin' me nuts." Not like his father's opinion of his fiancee was going to make him change his mind. An accusatory finger pointed at both Ash and Freya. "Hey now, I said I'd go woman. You think this chest is gonna fill out a sexy nurse costume?" He cupped his own lack of breasts. "No, no, I gotta put on the lady act first, then I'll get the sexy nurse outfit. Freya, teach me to walk in heels without breakin' my ankles, maybe? I tried on a pair of Bethy's and it went poorly." Also they were too small. Beth was a tiny thing, Tucker as a lady was five foot five. ...He should have tried Mira, actually, but that was neither here nor there.
wrecked ships: "If you're bored, sure. I won't turn down the offer." Sipping from the drink, she stole another glance behind her to where the barista was hauling up the kid, then swinging her sights back onto Tucker; nodding her head. "I've come to the conclusion that despite the fact that my heart clearly does work and is all cartoon shaped and bright red, not black as I once thought, I'm still not the marrying type. I'll be content as this man's girlfriend and the cool aunt with no responsibilities beyond getting your kids in sticky situations," she fell quiet though, frowning deeply at him. "You know why, Tucker. Don't forget that even though you don't know the details, the curse is still a real thing. I can try and get some information out of the Ginger minge when I see her next, but when I tried to ask Sebastian about it, he shut me down very quickly." She couldn't help but laugh though, at the display he made at cupping at his lack of breasts, and his question. "Fine, fine, I'll teach you the ways of the woman, my young apprentice." -d-
Eat lt Up: Ash looked over to Tucker with those wide, crystal blue eyes, his face extra-expressive as he raised his eyebrows high up his forehead. "... sorry. Didn't think you didn't have the guts to put it on without having a chest." He held both arms out defensively. "Far be it from me to encourage you to be okay with the body you've got." What a troll. You could see it in the grin that curled over his lips, about a second before he sipped on his green tea frappuccino, demonstrating that you could smile WHILE you sipped. [d]
hesitantly yours: "Don't you go bringin' my hypothetical future cambion-witchlings those toys that make noise all bloody night. You're gonna be that aunt, ain't you? Kindly deliverin' them with the batteries already installed?" Clearly Freya just wanted her brother to be utterly sleep-deprived. "Hey, ain't no shame in not bein' the marryin' type, though. Love's enough. Don't need to go makin' it fancy unless you wanna." But his smile fell when the topic of the curse came back up, and his shoulders sagged--especially when it was brought up in conjunction with children. "It kills, Frey. That curse. Takes kids. Bethy's brother made it to twenty-one, but he was as good as dead the day she decided to love me. And that's why we gotta end it somehow. Not just out of a duty to Doc, who I never really got to know, but because I..." Here he lowered his voice. Sorry, Ash. "Sometimes I see Bethy holdin' a dead baby in her arms, in my head, and I don't ever wanna see that in real life. If there's anythin' you can get outta her...and I'll try Mum again, too. Maybe get her plastered on sherry and see if she's got somethin' to say." Pulling back, he put that smirk back on his face as easy as could be. A smirk that was pointed right at Ash. "Look, if you've some secret desire to see me in drag, I got some bad news for you, kid. I ain't sayin' it's wrong or anythin', but I am sayin' if I'm gonna put on lady clothes, I'm also more comfortable puttin' on a lady body."
wrecked ships: "Exactly that sort of aunt," Freya vowed, and with a final sip, she drained her drink; pushing it over to the service side of the bar, but declining a refill with a wave of her hand to the bartenders silent question. His admission to some of the things he did know about the curse made her chest ache some. She couldn't imagine a time where in some capacity Tucker wasn't there, and for Beth to have lost her brother made her hurt for her brother's girlfriend. And hurt for him, when he lowered his voice and admitted the rest. "Have you thought .. " she started softly, laying her hand back onto his arm to give it a soft squeeze, "That maybe he's trying to protect you both from exactly that when he tells you to keep away from her? I'm not saying you should listen," she was quick to point out she wasn't taking Sebastian's side. "Just trying to find a different approach to it, knowing what we know about this thing. But I'll ask Mum, pull her away from the monsters for a few minutes and ask her. I promise." Frey went quiet again, when he went back to talking to the boy. From the pocket of her jacket on the stool on the other side of her, she pulled out some paper notes -- laying enough on the bar to pay for both her own, and Tucker's drink. -d-
Eat lt Up: Poor Ash, sittin' there in the corner like a third wheel to the pair of them. No, he didn't know about any curses! He really hadn't talked to Beth, either, so it was all kind of foreign to him, both their out-loud words and zomg seekrit hush hush shhh whispers. One eyebrow rose again, and he canted his head to the side. "That's cheating, and you, RuPaul, and Caitlyn Jenner all know it," he quipped, still sucking from his straw casually. [d]
hesitantly yours: Had he considered that? That Sebastian Moreau was trying to protect his son? "Yes," he said, sounding a little distant, a little resigned. "I have. I've thought that maybe he just doesn't wanna see that happen, and I mean...I do appreciate his concern, if that's why he's doin' it. But he keeps sayin' stuff like I need to be free to do the incubus thing, not stuff about not wantin' to watch his grandbabies die. But it's crossed my mind. And if that's why, then I'm glad he's lookin' out for me." The next pause dragged longer. "He ain't so bad," Tucker finally admitted. "I think he loves me, in his own warped way." With Freya paying for the drinks, Tucker eased himself off his stool. "I'm buyin' next time," he informed her. Turning on one heel, he faced Ash, strode over to him, and deliberately ruffled his platinum hair. "The thing about cheatin'," he said wisely, "is that sometimes it definitely pays. Do you know how many free drinks I get from gullible men when I take that shape?" Freya probably did! One of these days they'd have to go out as two sexy ladies and see who could rack up more free shots. He shouldered his way into his brown leather jacket, the comfortable one that had been his since the end of high school, and zipped it up against the bitter wind and encroaching snow.
wrecked ships: "He is who he is, and above all, he's an Incubus. You think his father worries on how his grandbabies are getting on?" A brow lifted with the question, bringing up the ruler of Hell who's blood these two carried in their veins. "He does love you, Tuck. He's just .. far better with women than he'll ever be with men, and that includes his own son." Whatever cash remained in her hand was stuffed back into that pocket, and Frey stood now to ease into her cropped black jacket. "Deal," she smiled at him, adjusting the collar that kinked as she slipped into it. He approached his friend, but Freya favored heading closer to the door in a swish of that pretty skirt, though she waited for him so they could walk out together. -d-
Eat lt Up: "NOT THE HAIR...!" Ash ducked away from the hand, or otherwise tried to move away from it, even if he had to push Tucker's hand away, as if it an opponent's wife's hand in jar of acid at a party. Of course, by the time he was done avoiding it, he was laying on the couch... leaving him to stare at Tuck while he left, even if he had to do so up-side-down. "... YOU'RE the reason for gamergate," he replied... before finally relaxing again and staring at the ceiling. Probably would fall asleep there. Again. [d]
hesitantly yours: "It's about ethics in video game journalism," said Tucker in a tone that suggested that he knew far, far better and was aware of what a blatant lie that was. "Do me a favor and don't go fallin' on floors again, kid, yeah?" When he turned back to Freya, it was with a perk of his brows. "Huh. I ain't really thought much about our grandfather. Ever." But it made sense. If Soren's grandfather was Satan himself, and he and Soren were about of equal blood purity, then therefore...wow. Okay. That put his nature in a whole new light, and it was clear from his expression that Tucker was going home with a whole lot of things to think about. Ghosts, wind magic, the curse, having the lord of Hell as a granddaddy. He followed Freya towards the door, held his arm out gallantly to escort her. "C'mon. Let me walk you wherever you're headin', yeah? I got nowhere in particular to be tonight." He'd be lying if he said the weather was nice, but he really did have nowhere to be.
hesitantly yours: Tucker was there, yes. Not at the new bar counter, not yet. He hadn't actually bothered to get a liquor license. No point in it, if he was going to be quitting Joe's in a matter of weeks to work in the anthropology department at Shepherd. But he was folding up his apron for the night and giving Andy the usual bullshit before he withdrew. The bar was eyed from a distance, and he furrowed his brow, and then he decided that he might as well approach. Get a little alcohol in him, as he'd been doing every so often since giving up on his whole abstinence-friendly lifestyle. He was so worried that it would lead him down the road of the late, not so great Friar Tuck that he had opted to delve back into vices. Alcohol. Casual sex, since Bethy had given him her blessing. At least he hadn't picked up smoking again, probably because cancer was rather unsexy. So it was his button-down-shirted, be-jeaned self that wandered up to the bar and stared at the specials on the chalkboard beyond with a squinty-eyed expression of curiosity. But don't think he didn't pick up on his own flesh and blood nearby, and he sidled over to her with a grin. "Hey, pretty lady. What's there to drink that don't taste like swallowin' a mixture of piss and jet fuel?" Head dipped to place one of those damnably fraternal kisses atop her dark crown. "You're lookin' mighty fancy tonight. Looks nice."
wrecked ships: Don't think he wasn't the only one that hadn't picked up on certain things. Tucker was clocked the moment he came into sniffing range, but she let him approach. Red mouth curved up into a closed lipped smile as he did just that, and dark head canted back to meet the kiss brushed against the softly brushed waves that had been cut recently to just above her shoulders. "He'll have what I'm having," she called out to the bartender, and then turned herself to the side to regard the man who only had ten days on her in age. There seemed to be a billion things to tell him, and by the buzz of energy that surrounded his aura, she wasn't the only one with a load of things. Instead, though, Freya did the opposite of blabbing, and as he gave his compliment she slipped her arms about his waist and gave him a big ol' squeeze, her cheek pressing to his chest where she could hear the beat of his heart straight from the source. "Tucker James, I don't even want to know what you've been up to that you'd know the taste of jet fuel mixed with urine might be," the Americanized version of Cockney undertones ( she legit had a My Fair Lady makeover a decade ago ) were tinged with amusement, and she peeled her face back without letting him go to sneak a peek north and to his scruffy face. "You look tired." Unwinding her embrace, Freya tilted back to rest an elbow to the bartop and swing her foot a little. "I've a perfect idea. Quit school, like I did. It does wonders on the sleep schedule." -d-
Eat lt Up: Oh, Ash. Young and busy and almost always focused on leaping that next hurdle; the poor boy slunk in quietly in a brown leather coat and eggshell white, which matched his navy blue sweater. He had done a little skit alread with himself as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, penned a proper Bolero, done a dance number in the style of Broadway, and had done a lovely rendition of the Coventry Carol, and had just submitted a couple of papers, some research, one argumentative -- in between working at the Clockwork Cat. Rather than say hello to the others, he just kind of waved at the person back there, trying to get them to come over so he could mumble a request for a green tea frappe. Or was it frappuccino? He didn't know anymore. [d]
hesitantly yours: What she was having? Uh, fine, alright, he'd trust his sister on this. The problem with getting back into boozing was that he had pretty much forgotten what anything tasted like. "Oi, what sort of deviant do you take me for?" he laughed, curling his arms about her middle as she did the same to him, one hand cradling her head to his chest lightly. "I was just approximatin', I was." Tired? God, yes, he looked it, and he knew it, and that was why it was only the left side of his mouth that winged up at her, a wry expression indeed. "I ain't quittin' school, but I've done the next best thing. I'm graduatin'. You gonna come watch me walk next week?" A semester early, just as he'd hoped. It had taken a lot of extra class taking and sleepless nights. But he'd done it. Letting her untangle herself, he settled down on the stool beside hers, and took a look at her face, frowning. "Funny, you're tellin' me quittin' school fixed you up, but you still look pretty tired. How you farin', lately?" The buzz of Tucker's aura was still as restless as it had always been, complex and bristling with ideas and possibilities, but a calm had settled over it on the surface, like he was starting to marshal all those maybes into actual plans for once. Blues glanced up. Hey! Another familiar face, Ash. So while he knew the kid wasn't quite drinking age yet (was he?), he nonetheless gave him a wave.
wrecked ships: It wasn't but moments later that their drinks arrived, all crisp and refreshing tasting with that gin and tonic and the fat slices of lime dropped into the sweating glasses. No where near the piss and fuel taste, so it was a safe enough bet he'd enjoy his. Picking up her own, she gave it a little sip through the skinny black straw, lifting up a brow with his question. "What! Early? That's fantastic. Of course I will." But both of the raven wing brows rose now, and Freya fixed him with a coy look. "Now I know full well that Aunt Charlie taught you better than to tell a lady she looks tired." She was fully teasing, given the glint that played within the multifaceted of hues that made up dark eyes. Blues swirled into greens, into golds, like some grouping of stars in the night sky. "I'm .. well. Better than I was. Better than I could be," she added, shrugging in conjunction to another sip of her drink, turning to spy who he was waving at and recognizing the kid from the night she'd been here last. Just a quick glance, attention returning to Tucker North. "And you, other than school?" -d-
Eat lt Up: He gave a half-hearted wave to Tuckster over there, before shifting to the side -- getting his feet caught up on a boot that had come unlaced -- and then taking a spill on the floor. This wasn't Hollywood, otherwise he'd pop up looking sheepish and blushing and laughing only to go out and cry like a high school girl on her period. No, his hands caught him... and he kind of knelt there for a moment... before just plain giving up and laying down. On the floor. MRSA or whatever people had walked in be damned. CRITICAL LEVELS OF NOPE: Achieved. [d]
hesitantly yours: The drink was given a sketchy eye, and then he picked it up, clinked it gently against Freya's, and sipped. Hm. Not bad. He could handle that. He could handle plenty of it, in fact. "You ain't a lady, you're my sister," he teased right back, knowing full well that Freya was every inch a lady in ways that he would likely never be a gentleman unless he made a concerted effort. To underscore the fact that he knew better, he tucked a lock of her shorter hair behind her ear. "Better than you were? You did seem pretty...I dunno, disgruntled the last time I saw you. You still havin' ghost problems? 'Cause I got a couple leads for ya." People leads. Beth was one, yes, but there was another who knew his way around the dead, maybe better than Beth did. And the other's wife, who also knew plenty about the dead and the undead and the spectral. Just to name a couple. A literal couple, ha. How was he? His shoulders rose and lifted in a shrug. "Well, I ain't dead," was his dry retort. "Puttin' together plans for a graduate thesis. I'm helpin' to teach a class next semester, so I'm quittin' Joe's at the end of the month." Of course he'd still be here constantly. That wouldn't change. When Ash took a tumble, those brilliant blues looked his way, and he blinked. "Uh. You alright there, kid? I wouldn't wanna be layin' on the floor long if I were you, somebody's gonna come 'round and get you trampled."
wrecked ships: "I am very much a lady," her tone had turned haughty, and she even lifted her chin to pair with it -- until .. "I've got these fantastic tits to prove it," both hands cupped over the plumpness of each and she gave them a bit of a jiggle in a very unladylike move, beaming at him then as he tucked her hair behind the delicate shell of her ear. A dry laugh bubbled up though, along with a not so subtle roll of her eyes. "It was just one ghost, and since he's lit out, it's many many ghosts. All the ghosts. Bloody gory disgusting ghosts that keep him up all night and leave me having to exhaust him until he actually sleeps. But keep those leads in your pocket for me, love. I've found a lady in Bucharest that might be able to solve his problem for good. It it doesn't work, there's another one in Berlin. And another in Cairo. It's amazing what you can Google these days, y'know. But who knows how deep this goes. Only time, and coming back to London will tell." A sip when she quieted to listen to him talk of school again, and his plans, and she beamed again. "Have you told Sebastian yet? At least your graduating. When I told him I wasn't the other night at dinner, he turned red as a lobster and I thought steam might come out of his ears, had Huck not been with us." She was rather proud of that moment, and it showed in her smug fat-cat expression. "I think you'll make an excellent teacher. And think of all the co-ed cooze," she pointed out with a lift of her finger at him from around where it held the glass. The commotion coming from the cafe area garnered both of their attentions, though Freya had to turn to look and see what had happened. "Ouch," she winced a bit, seeing that the boy had fallen. -d-
Eat lt Up: "No. ... yes. ... I'll be ... .. over here. Thinking, on the ground. Literally." Uh. You. You wanna lift your head up Ash? No? Okay buddy. You wanna snack? No? ... alright. Just let us know when you're getting up. Or at least, we'll let you know when to get up when they bring you a drink. [d]
hesitantly yours: "There's a man at Shepherd, owes me a favor 'cause I let him read me his bloody borin' abstract one night after I got off work. Alex is his name. Don't know if he can fix your man up permanent-like, but he deals with the dead. His wife's a good lead too. Both regulars." There was a quirk of his brow. "What exactly is the deal with him, anyway? You never did get a chance to spill the whole story, yeah? I'm gatherin' he's got ghost issues, but I got no details to go on. Wanna give your big brother a research project to keep him busy til January?" The concern was obvious in his eyes, though. Surely Freya hadn't been doing that poorly just because Huck was having Sensitive Clairvoyant Problems. There was empathy, and then there was something more. A rather vehement shake of his head accompanied the issue of telling Sebastian. "I ain't tellin' him much, yet. Just 'cause I'm lettin' him teach me all about the dark side, so to speak, don't mean I'm completely comfortable tellin' him everythin'. Did he try to make you dump Huck the way he keeps tryin' to make me dump Bethy?" He had been sipping his drink when Freya made the co-ed remark, and it made him choke on it, just a little, laughing. "Oh, please, I ain't gonna be the sort of professor you can fuck for a better grade. I mean, if I've got some pretty little co-ed wantin' to stay after class, I ain't gonna say no, but that's no way to get an A." He again cast his eyes to Ash, and sighed, as Andy came over to help pry the kid off the ground. "If you keep fallin', I'm gonna sneak you a wheelchair out of the health department."
wrecked ships: "Alex," she tried the name as if it were foreign, but it was really more to remember it. A nod was given as he spoke, but his question had her making a little face. "Truthfully, I'm not even sure Huck knows what the deal is. I thought at first it was just .. his brother, Tom, that he could see. But he's said that since Tom left, he's seeing more and more -- and that it used to happen before Tom was a regular face." She did not mention at all how Tom could actually take over Huck, and the trouble the dead Irishman had put them through. "He can .. " She shifted a little, leaning in a bit closer to her brother. "I think there's more. More that even he doesn't know about. Stuff he doesn't notice he does, especially when he's so sleep deprived. Things with the cold, with the wind." A helpless shrug befell her shoulders, then she clapped a hand to his shoulder. "Good idea, my friend. Give him as little to go on as possible, or he'll take it all over." She laughed then. "And of course he did. Huckleberry Dyer is entirely unsuitable for a daughter of his, so I let him rant and rave, and made all sorts of allusions that I'd comply .. then brought Huck to dinner, made a bunch of kissy touchy, gushed about moving in together and heavily hinted that Sebastian might want to start saving up for a wedding -- which is not happening, so don't even get that look in your eyes," Frey warned with a pointed look, and a pointed finger. "Also, it's not always about just getting the A. Total power play. Don't give the puss the power, love." Laughing softly, and she still was when she peeked back at the kid on the ground still, whispering in a side-bar to Tucker. "Does he know how many feet trek germs all over that floor? Gross." -d-
Eat lt Up: "Then stop stalling and go and get me a wheelchair. ... I also expect you to put on the accompanying nurse uniform, Hotlips." He rolled over onto his back to look at Andy, and then held out his lanky arms, as if to say, pick me up and carry me. [d]
hesitantly yours: Freya's entire speech about Huck brought that sort of furrowed-browed, worried expression to Tucker's face. It fit him, to be fair, made him look quiet and thoughtful, but it was also the look of worry. "If it's magic overall you're lookin' to understand, that is when you're gonna need Bethy. She's got her head outta her books for a little bit now, so I'll go grab her for you soon as I can, if you want." Beth was Tucker's be-all and end-all for magic, yes, but he amended it with, "Also, try Alice Clare. Her family's got this bookstore full of...well, I bet there ain't a book they don't got. You know her, yeah? Blonde thing, thin, may or may not be trippin' on E or somethin' at any given moment, ridiculously adorable?" Hey, AC was cute when she wasn't being psycho. Or at least not outwardly psycho by Tucker's standards. The murdering part would probably go well beyond his comfort level. The details of how his sister had conned their father brought him to laughter again. "Hey, for what it's worth, so long as he's good to you, I don't give a good goddamn if he's sleepin' on the street or makin' six figures. Love's a bitch, ain't it? And no, I ain't expectin' no weddin' bells out of you. Not anytime soon, at least. But I'll make sure Beth throws the bouquet straight at your face just to see if Dad's blood pressure goes so high he bleeds out his nose." He turned back to Ash, and a snort was delivered into his glass as he sipped. "Look, if I'm gonna wear a nurse outfit, it's gonna be when I'm shaped like a lady, and then you'll get all awkward and weird like you did last time. What can I say? I make almost as good a lady as Freya." Almost.
Eat lt Up: "Challenge accepted." [d]
wrecked ships: "Only if she's available, I don't want to put her out with my problems. You? Genetically, you're obligated." Another beaming smile, this one complete with fluttery lash. She was not acquainted with the adorably drugged up Alice Clare that he spoke of BUT SHE SURE SOUNDED INCREDIBLE! "Is it that one near Shepherd? Argonaut or something? I popped 'round there a few weeks ago for Sebastian. He needed a book on giants for some ungodly reason, I'd imagine." She tucked her own hair back this time, laughing at his laugh -- because it was damn good to see. "Poor Huck, not a clue with how to deal with our fuming father, just nodding a long to everything I was saying. Wide eyed." His own evil plot made her give a little snorting giggle into her drink, where she was after gaining a few ice cubes to chew. "I'll make Huck fake propose then and there," she cooed -- then blanched a little at the idea of Tucker, as Tucker with his man bits in a nurses costume, "Please don't do that," she whispered, as wide eyed as she described Huck with a clutch of warm fingers to his forearm. -d-
Eat lt Up: "Sorry, I didn't know you were against men dressing up as women," mumbled Ash, as Andy finally yanked him up and then allowed him to wander over to a couch. I mean, the bar would be good, but he wouldn't be able to drink unless the other two bought him one. Ash, the SJW. Hell just froze over. Accepting the cold green tea drink, though, he sipped on it thoughtfully, attention on the two off in their cozy corner, though his free hand was patting at his pockets to try and pull out his cell phone. [d]
hesitantly yours: "Obligated?" Those brows raised, and once again he was laughing, laughing in ways that he hadn't done in quite a while, if he were going to be honest with himself. The last strain of the semester seemed to slip away, and he was left just as happy as he should have been by rights. And why wouldn't he be? He'd mended fences with Bethy, he had graduation to look forward to, and he was getting some down time with his sister. "Fine, fine, I'll help you out to the best of my abilities. You want me to go lookin' up stuff about ghosts and wind and cold? 'Cause I got three weeks of free time on my hands. And you know how I get when I'm bored." Restless, mopey, tended to sleep fourteen hours a day like he was taking life advice from Clemens. Boredom did not suit Tucker. "What, you're just gonna have him fake propose? Aw, I was thinkin' it'd be a real one. This weddin', it ain't happenin' anytime soon. Way too much goin' on for us, y'know. Maybe by then..." Nah, he shook his head and just grinned. "Either way, Dad'll flip shit and it'll be a moment worth rememberin'. Not sure why he keeps tryin' to tell me I shouldn't be with Bethy, though. Somethin' about...about her bein' a Lyons, is what he keeps sayin', but he won't give me the nitty-gritty and it's drivin' me nuts." Not like his father's opinion of his fiancee was going to make him change his mind. An accusatory finger pointed at both Ash and Freya. "Hey now, I said I'd go woman. You think this chest is gonna fill out a sexy nurse costume?" He cupped his own lack of breasts. "No, no, I gotta put on the lady act first, then I'll get the sexy nurse outfit. Freya, teach me to walk in heels without breakin' my ankles, maybe? I tried on a pair of Bethy's and it went poorly." Also they were too small. Beth was a tiny thing, Tucker as a lady was five foot five. ...He should have tried Mira, actually, but that was neither here nor there.
wrecked ships: "If you're bored, sure. I won't turn down the offer." Sipping from the drink, she stole another glance behind her to where the barista was hauling up the kid, then swinging her sights back onto Tucker; nodding her head. "I've come to the conclusion that despite the fact that my heart clearly does work and is all cartoon shaped and bright red, not black as I once thought, I'm still not the marrying type. I'll be content as this man's girlfriend and the cool aunt with no responsibilities beyond getting your kids in sticky situations," she fell quiet though, frowning deeply at him. "You know why, Tucker. Don't forget that even though you don't know the details, the curse is still a real thing. I can try and get some information out of the Ginger minge when I see her next, but when I tried to ask Sebastian about it, he shut me down very quickly." She couldn't help but laugh though, at the display he made at cupping at his lack of breasts, and his question. "Fine, fine, I'll teach you the ways of the woman, my young apprentice." -d-
Eat lt Up: Ash looked over to Tucker with those wide, crystal blue eyes, his face extra-expressive as he raised his eyebrows high up his forehead. "... sorry. Didn't think you didn't have the guts to put it on without having a chest." He held both arms out defensively. "Far be it from me to encourage you to be okay with the body you've got." What a troll. You could see it in the grin that curled over his lips, about a second before he sipped on his green tea frappuccino, demonstrating that you could smile WHILE you sipped. [d]
hesitantly yours: "Don't you go bringin' my hypothetical future cambion-witchlings those toys that make noise all bloody night. You're gonna be that aunt, ain't you? Kindly deliverin' them with the batteries already installed?" Clearly Freya just wanted her brother to be utterly sleep-deprived. "Hey, ain't no shame in not bein' the marryin' type, though. Love's enough. Don't need to go makin' it fancy unless you wanna." But his smile fell when the topic of the curse came back up, and his shoulders sagged--especially when it was brought up in conjunction with children. "It kills, Frey. That curse. Takes kids. Bethy's brother made it to twenty-one, but he was as good as dead the day she decided to love me. And that's why we gotta end it somehow. Not just out of a duty to Doc, who I never really got to know, but because I..." Here he lowered his voice. Sorry, Ash. "Sometimes I see Bethy holdin' a dead baby in her arms, in my head, and I don't ever wanna see that in real life. If there's anythin' you can get outta her...and I'll try Mum again, too. Maybe get her plastered on sherry and see if she's got somethin' to say." Pulling back, he put that smirk back on his face as easy as could be. A smirk that was pointed right at Ash. "Look, if you've some secret desire to see me in drag, I got some bad news for you, kid. I ain't sayin' it's wrong or anythin', but I am sayin' if I'm gonna put on lady clothes, I'm also more comfortable puttin' on a lady body."
wrecked ships: "Exactly that sort of aunt," Freya vowed, and with a final sip, she drained her drink; pushing it over to the service side of the bar, but declining a refill with a wave of her hand to the bartenders silent question. His admission to some of the things he did know about the curse made her chest ache some. She couldn't imagine a time where in some capacity Tucker wasn't there, and for Beth to have lost her brother made her hurt for her brother's girlfriend. And hurt for him, when he lowered his voice and admitted the rest. "Have you thought .. " she started softly, laying her hand back onto his arm to give it a soft squeeze, "That maybe he's trying to protect you both from exactly that when he tells you to keep away from her? I'm not saying you should listen," she was quick to point out she wasn't taking Sebastian's side. "Just trying to find a different approach to it, knowing what we know about this thing. But I'll ask Mum, pull her away from the monsters for a few minutes and ask her. I promise." Frey went quiet again, when he went back to talking to the boy. From the pocket of her jacket on the stool on the other side of her, she pulled out some paper notes -- laying enough on the bar to pay for both her own, and Tucker's drink. -d-
Eat lt Up: Poor Ash, sittin' there in the corner like a third wheel to the pair of them. No, he didn't know about any curses! He really hadn't talked to Beth, either, so it was all kind of foreign to him, both their out-loud words and zomg seekrit hush hush shhh whispers. One eyebrow rose again, and he canted his head to the side. "That's cheating, and you, RuPaul, and Caitlyn Jenner all know it," he quipped, still sucking from his straw casually. [d]
hesitantly yours: Had he considered that? That Sebastian Moreau was trying to protect his son? "Yes," he said, sounding a little distant, a little resigned. "I have. I've thought that maybe he just doesn't wanna see that happen, and I mean...I do appreciate his concern, if that's why he's doin' it. But he keeps sayin' stuff like I need to be free to do the incubus thing, not stuff about not wantin' to watch his grandbabies die. But it's crossed my mind. And if that's why, then I'm glad he's lookin' out for me." The next pause dragged longer. "He ain't so bad," Tucker finally admitted. "I think he loves me, in his own warped way." With Freya paying for the drinks, Tucker eased himself off his stool. "I'm buyin' next time," he informed her. Turning on one heel, he faced Ash, strode over to him, and deliberately ruffled his platinum hair. "The thing about cheatin'," he said wisely, "is that sometimes it definitely pays. Do you know how many free drinks I get from gullible men when I take that shape?" Freya probably did! One of these days they'd have to go out as two sexy ladies and see who could rack up more free shots. He shouldered his way into his brown leather jacket, the comfortable one that had been his since the end of high school, and zipped it up against the bitter wind and encroaching snow.
wrecked ships: "He is who he is, and above all, he's an Incubus. You think his father worries on how his grandbabies are getting on?" A brow lifted with the question, bringing up the ruler of Hell who's blood these two carried in their veins. "He does love you, Tuck. He's just .. far better with women than he'll ever be with men, and that includes his own son." Whatever cash remained in her hand was stuffed back into that pocket, and Frey stood now to ease into her cropped black jacket. "Deal," she smiled at him, adjusting the collar that kinked as she slipped into it. He approached his friend, but Freya favored heading closer to the door in a swish of that pretty skirt, though she waited for him so they could walk out together. -d-
Eat lt Up: "NOT THE HAIR...!" Ash ducked away from the hand, or otherwise tried to move away from it, even if he had to push Tucker's hand away, as if it an opponent's wife's hand in jar of acid at a party. Of course, by the time he was done avoiding it, he was laying on the couch... leaving him to stare at Tuck while he left, even if he had to do so up-side-down. "... YOU'RE the reason for gamergate," he replied... before finally relaxing again and staring at the ceiling. Probably would fall asleep there. Again. [d]
hesitantly yours: "It's about ethics in video game journalism," said Tucker in a tone that suggested that he knew far, far better and was aware of what a blatant lie that was. "Do me a favor and don't go fallin' on floors again, kid, yeah?" When he turned back to Freya, it was with a perk of his brows. "Huh. I ain't really thought much about our grandfather. Ever." But it made sense. If Soren's grandfather was Satan himself, and he and Soren were about of equal blood purity, then therefore...wow. Okay. That put his nature in a whole new light, and it was clear from his expression that Tucker was going home with a whole lot of things to think about. Ghosts, wind magic, the curse, having the lord of Hell as a granddaddy. He followed Freya towards the door, held his arm out gallantly to escort her. "C'mon. Let me walk you wherever you're headin', yeah? I got nowhere in particular to be tonight." He'd be lying if he said the weather was nice, but he really did have nowhere to be.