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Post by jaguarsheart on Jul 15, 2015 12:08:08 GMT -7
Claire nodded, "Oh, I can understand that." She still felt a little bad. It wasn't often that Claire would say no to herself when it came to something she wants. Buy a book? Ok. Spend money on a ridiculous outfit? Why not? But Maddock seemed to live a in place that... stifled it. And still he settled. She couldn't understand it. What was the draw? He'd talked about moving around when he was a kid... did something happen then? She wanted to ask, but it wasn't her place to pry. She was only here because he could help her find her cousin. If they didn't have that small connection she'd probably be someplace else. She turned and studied him, wondering, once again, why she felt... "Do you feel it too?" She found herself asking, unable to filter her mind and mouth, "There's some sort of... thing between us. Do you feel it?"
Faye frowned, trying to process his words, "But we don't need a tent. We need blankets. And boxes. Can furniture. It we use a tent then we're just cheating." She pouted at him, "And we don't want to cheat Adam out of his fun, do we?" She asked as she hugged the boy close, almost smothering him, while her patted his head, "Plus, you'll need to learn to build a fort for practice for our kid and - oh! We'll need clips and clothes pins too!" She just remembered, "Otherwise how will we be able to clip the blankets together. Mark has those things, right?"
Tony laughed as she pressed her palms to his chest and added some light pressure, "Hey, with how warm Mariah is keeping this house for Faye? I tend to forget it's winter," she teased, kissing him back, "I could put leggings on under the dress... or just change completely. Damn, too bad Max isn't here. I could have him pick out my outfit and then I wouldn't have to do anything." She pressed a lighter kiss to his lips, "So... what should I change into?"
Edna climbed into the car with Maverick. As they drove she couldn't help thinking that he seemed more quite than usual. Was it something she'd done? He'd said he didn't mind paying the hospital bill and she was going to trust him on that... but what else? She knew she'd been... distant lately ever since her mother started pushing plans for the gala. It felt like it's been ages since they'd just sat around and did nothing but watch a movie and talk. She missed it, just being able to relax with Maverick. She'd never had that with Thom, a relaxing evening... and why was she comparing them? They were two separate people and there was no way of a relationship between her and Maverick anyway, so she couldn't link them. Still, it was hard not to. She looked over at Maverick, "Hey, are you ok?"
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Post by Miki on Jul 15, 2015 12:10:03 GMT -7
"If you keep saying that to her, she might just decide to stop working for me one day," Ben laughed as he unlocked Lucy so they could get in. His van was pretty old, but so far very dependable. One of his worst fears was the day he was forced to search for a new car. He was afraid he just wouldn't be able to find something even nearly as good as Lucy. "That's true," Ben admitted when Murel mentioned her brother. They had gone to Max's cafe a couple of times before, and he always enjoyed the food. "Do you wanna go there instead of just looking around?" He asked as he started up Lucy. The air that came out of the vents was cold, but it would warm up soon.
Soul was never given a chance to answer Max's question as they moved back out into the main part of the restaurant and he left for the kitchen while she ended up sitting at the bar with the paperwork and the pen he'd given her. Damn, I hate paperwork, she thought, twirling the pen around in her fingers. And of course, as always, the first thing to fill out was her name. "Flora S. Marvell" was what she always had to put down, since that was the name on her birth certificate. Oh well, at least she'd already introduced herself as Soul. She hated when someone saw the paperwork before she could get around to introducing herself. Max had called Soul an unusual and pretty name, but that's what everyone thought about Flora.
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Post by Aiko on Jul 15, 2015 18:30:08 GMT -7
Maddock froze at the question. What? She felt it? How could she know...? Unless she meant something else, because there was no way she could possibly know about the soulmate bond. Wait. Was she...was Claire attracted to him? Why would she...she had to be talking about something else. "Something between us?" He asked, trying and failing to sound casual.
Mariah couldn't help it, he busted out laughing. Tears leaking, he doubled over, clutching his stomach. "Faye, oh Faye. I love you," he managed between hoots. She was so innocent, so naive. It was one of the things he loved most about her. Ignoring Adam's confused looks, he led them deeper into the library. Maybe later he'd show her how well he could pitch a tent, just to see her face.
Mark smiled, kissing her once more before stepping back. "Something warm, and that's all I'm going to tell you. The rest, you'll find out on your own." He stepped past her to the closet, empty suitcase in hand. He closed the door behind him so she couldn't see and began to pack his clothing. He'd already been to the closet and grabbed what he needed, including the custom ordered gift he'd gotten yet hadn't had the chance to present to her. She was going to love it, he was sure.
Maverick blinked over at her. "Huh? I'm fine. Was I worrying you? I'm sorry, I was just thinking." He tried to cover quickly. "There's a lot to do this month to get ready for everything. Matt'll be home in less than two weeks, and I told you how scared he is of dogs. I'm just worried about how that'll work out. I don't want to have to keep her locked up for the next few months."
"Up to you," Murel said, sliding into the passenger seat. She refrained on complaining about the heater the way she normally did, literally biting her tongue as she held herself back. "Food is food is food. Food at Max's just has the added bonus of scaring his employees." She grinned maliciously to herself. She loved the panicked expressions that always crossed everyone's faces the moment she walked through the door. Yes, she liked being feared.
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Post by Miki on Jul 15, 2015 18:43:41 GMT -7
Ben gave Murel an odd look. "So you don't scare people anywhere else you go? You just purposely scare everyone who works for your brother?" he asked, trying to make sure he understood. By the grin she had, he would definitely say she enjoyed scaring those poor people as well. Which gave him an idea... scaring people would help put her in a better mood. Well, that settled the question of breakfast then. Ben backed out of his parking space and made his way onto the road leading towards Max's cafe.
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Post by jaguarsheart on Jul 15, 2015 18:52:28 GMT -7
Claire blinked, then coughed. Obviously she'd been mistaken, "Oh, I'm sorry. I just... I thought... God. This is embarrassing." She stood, "I'm sorry. I miss read everything and now... well." She looked around, gaze landing on the door. Claire had been in some pretty awkward situations, but nothing like this, "I should... I should go." She moved to step around Maddock, kicking herself over this whole thing. Of course he didn't feel anything between them. Because there wasn't anything. Maddock wasn't like any of the other guys she'd encountered. Most would be jumping in joy if she mentioned a connection, sex on their mind. And Claire liked sex... but she hadn't been thinking about that when she'd spoken. No, she'd been thinking about how she couldn't push the feeling of importance back when she looked at him.
Faye frowned as Mariah hurried them to the library, "What? Mariah...." She didn't understand. What the hell was he laughing about? It actually worried her, since Mariah never really laughed like that and he'd been so upset after that call... which reminded her. She needed to ask him about that call. They entered the library and all thoughts of the call left her mind. She looked at all the chairs and book shelves and grinned, "This is going to be great. So many different choices.... so, what do you want to try to make? A castle? A cave?" she asked Adam.
Something warm... something warm... with a sigh Tony began looking through her wardrobe. Since he wouldn't tell her much she grabbed a pair of form fitting jeans, comfortable shoes with thick socks, and a very nice cream colored sweater. The sweater was made of thick fabric to keep her warm and had a slight decorative turtle neck. Once dressed she ran a brush through her hair quickly, fluffed it, then sat on the bed and waited for Mark, "It's a very sad reality when you take longer than me to get ready!" She called out to tease him, a smile on her face.
"I'm sure she'll win Matt over. At lease enough that she can be on the other side of the room with him." She smiled and looked at Angel laying in the back seat before returning her gaze to Maverick, "Is there anything I can help with? You do so much for me..." She let the sentence trail off, her gaze dropping to look at her hands in her lap. With her family alone Maverick had helped to keep her sane. He was always there to support her and even today had tried to find a solution for the dress debacle... and yet she never did anything to help him out.
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Post by Aiko on Jul 15, 2015 20:32:38 GMT -7
Murel glanced at him, unsure of what he thought about that facet of her personality. She hated being so self-conscious around him. Why did it matter what he thought? She was Murel Maledire, she didn't care what anyone thought. Except...she did. She sighed and looked out the window. Life was so much easier when everyone just thought of her as a psychopath and that was that. Why did emotions have to factor into things? It wasn't like she could just change what she was.
"Wait!" Almost of it's own accord, Maddock's hand shot out and grabbed Claire's wrist. "I'm sorry, don't go." He grimaced and stood, trying to figure out where he'd screwed up. "I'm not...good with words. Or people. Or anything, really." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as he looked down, staring at his shoes as he fought for the right words. "I like you, I just...you like me?" He was baffled at the thought. Why did she like him? Nobody liked him. He was a blip on the radar, nothing more. A nonentity who faded into the background. Yet she noticed him. Why?
Mariah tried to get his laughter under control as Adam dragged Faye through the library before finally settling on a place near the fireplace. "Good choice," he said approvingly. "Don't have to go far to make s'mores, and there are tons of places to stack and drape things over. Adam, we are going to make one kicka-awesome fort."
Mark was out a moment later, suitcase in hand. "Maybe I have something planned that required me to do more than packing," he said, a twinkle in his eye as he brushed past her. "Now, then, are you coming? We have a bit of a drive, and a limited amount of time to get there." He really hoped she would like his plan. He had come up with it on the fly, but he had tried to figure something out that she would love.
"You don't know Matt like I do. Everything's to the extreme with him, there is no middle ground." He sighed. He loved his brother, he really did, but one of his best traits could also be his worst. Being so into everything he did, it meant that not only was he over the moon when he was happy, he was also terrified beyond belief when he was scared.
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Post by Miki on Jul 15, 2015 20:42:08 GMT -7
When Murel didn't answer his question, Ben gave a small sigh but fell silent. He wasn't really sure why she kept getting weird, but he wished it would stop. He was sure there were quite a few people who would think him crazy for it, but he actually missed regular Murel. Hopefully cheering her up a bit would bring her back. And he kept that hope with him throughout the extremely quiet car ride to Max's cafe. "Breakfast time!" he announced cheerfully as he parked.
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Post by jaguarsheart on Jul 15, 2015 21:05:02 GMT -7
Claire stopped, a little in surprise, before turning to face him fully. She listened to him, remaining quiet as he spoke. When he was finished there was a small smile on her face, one that was gentle. She bent down until her gaze could meet his, "Hey, why wouldn't I like you?" She asked, "I mean, you helped me on the docks, no questions asked. Then you brought me here, shared your food..." She shrugged, "I didn't mean to make everything awkward though. I just... I have this feeling like I was meant to meet you. And I don't have a filter on my mouth, so that doesn't help things..."
Faye glanced at Mariah, catching what he'd almost said. Then she smiled at Adam, "Alright. Now we need blankets. And clothes pins. Lots of both. And we can move all the chairs and such to help hold our fort up.... have you ever made a fort?" She asked Adam, "I mean, you've been kind of quiet...." She looked to Mariah to see if he knew what was going on. She knew that this was Adam's first night without Mark and Tony, but the idea of making a fort should perk him up a little.
Tony frowned as she grabbed her bag and followed Mark out, "What do you have planed?" She asked him as she hurried from the room to keep up, "Because now I'm curious..." She walked to his side, "Come on, you can tell me.... no secrets between us, right?"
Edna jumped from Maverick's truck. They'd just visited Alice and broke the news to her, letting the girl know that no matter what, she'd get the best of care. Alice had been so happy and had looked at Maverick with the eyes of a child looking at her hero, which is what Maverick was to her. Now they were stopping at her place. Yesterday she'd called her mother about the dress.... only to learn that her mother wasn't paying for it. With a sigh she lead Maverick up to her apartment. She got in using her key ad set her things on the little table beside the door, "Alright. I know I left my phone some where in here." She said as Maverick shut the door behind them, "Maybe the kitchen area?" She was making her way over there when the one room in the little studio opened and Thom walked out. Edna stood there, staring at Thom, "Uh..."
Thom smiled at Edna, "Hey. I just came by to- Oh. Hello Maverick." Thom said, nodding to Maverick.
Edna shook her head, "Thom? How'd you get in here?"
Thom held up the little key on a ring, "Your landlord. Money can go a long way. Thank and a call from your father."
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Post by Aiko on Jul 15, 2015 21:15:03 GMT -7
Murel hopped out of the car, quirking half a smile at his enthusiasm. Normally she'd be right there with him, but she just wasn't feeling it today. Her demon hissed and spat at her, and she could tell it was disgusted with her. She tried to push it away, but that only seemed to anger it even more. She knew what it wanted. It wanted Ben. It was tired of this stupid dance they were doing around one another, and frankly, she was too. But she didn't know what else to do. She didn't understand Ben at all. He seemed to like her, but then he called her abusive. You didn't call people you liked abusive. Abusive was a word reserved for people like Christina, her brother's late wife. Abusive people destroyed those around them and twisted them into things they were not. She wasn't Christina. ...Was she?
Max looked up as Sierra bolted into the kitchen, an all too familiar deer-in-the-headlights look on her face. His employees only ever had that look of terror for one reason and one reason only. Murel. He sighed and flipped the eggs. "You don't have to serve her, I'll take care of it. Is Ben with her? She's usually nicer when he's around."
"Yeah, but she doesn't look happy this time!"
Maverick was hanging up his coat when he heard a man's voice from the kitchen area. Alarm shot through him. Was there an intruder? Was Edna in danger? He dropped his coat and raced to Edna's rescue. Upon seeing Thom, he skidded to a stop behind Edna. He looked from one to the other in confusion. What was he doing here? As far as Maverick was aware, they weren't even on speaking terms, especially after the Thanksgiving debacle. The thought of Thom forcing the kiss on Edna caused his demon to stir, and he quickly tried to focus on the matter at hand. "Thom."
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Post by jaguarsheart on Jul 15, 2015 21:21:09 GMT -7
Edna shook her head, she hadn't thought that making her father an emergency contact would back fire like this, "I still don't understand."
Thom shrugged, "What's there to understand? You dad authorized me getting a key to your place and, as far as your landlord knows, I needed it because you and I got into a fight and I wanted to surprise you with a nice romantic night out. A whole couples deal. Had to schmooze the guy quite a bit before he gave up your key."
Edna glared at Thom, "You shouldn't have been allowed a key period. Now what do you want?"
Thom shrugged, "I was at your parents when you talked to your mom yesterday." He pouted at Edna a little, "You know, you really hurt her, telling her that the dress wasn't worth your money. But anyway," He waved off anything Edna would have said on that, "I'm here to offer my help. I'll pay the rest of your dress's bill in full."
Edna's gaze narrowed, "Am I to believe you'll do this without strings?"
"Of course not." Thom said quickly, "Do you believe that I'm a fool? Of course you don't. Anyway. I'll do this but I need something in return. Something..." His eyes cut to Maverick behind Edna, "Something we should discuss alone. It's a private matter."
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Post by Aiko on Jul 15, 2015 21:27:18 GMT -7
Maverick's frown deepened as Thom spoke. He didn't like this. The sleezeball was upsetting Edna, and he needed to go. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Considering you came into Edna's home uninvited and she clearly doesn't want you here, I think whatever you have to say you can say to both of us. So unless Edna says otherwise, I'm not going anywhere."
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Post by Miki on Jul 15, 2015 21:31:56 GMT -7
Ben made sure to lock Lucy before he followed Murel into the cafe. He immediately saw one girl run off into the kitchen, and he wondered if it happened to be because of Murel's arrival or something else. "Where do you wanna sit?" he asked her as he took a look around the cafe. She still hadn't said a word since they'd first gotten into the car. Yeah, everyone had moods, but moods didn't usually happen, and they usually didn't last this long. Murel's moods especially. Her moods seemed to come and go like waves, not stick around and linger. He was starting to worry, and he hoped his idea about cheering her up worked.
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Post by jaguarsheart on Jul 15, 2015 21:34:21 GMT -7
Thom lifted a brow at Maverick, "And who are you to talk? Last time I saw you, you were just a friend trailing along begging for measly scraps. And, if I know Edna." He smiled at Edna, "Which I do I know she hasn't put out a single thing. Such a little innocent. At least you like people to think. But I know the real you, Edna." He stepped closer to Edna, "I know exactly what you like... what you want. I remember you asking me over and over to try something new..." He grabbed Edna's arm, ignoring her struggles, "And now I'm going to do it. That's my payment for paying off your dress. So you win both ways. Your dress is paid and you get the night you always wanted." He pulled her close, "Do you remember what you asked me for?"
Edna struggled against Thom, shoving at his chest as much as she could to get him to let go, "Stop! Let me go!"
"Is that a yes?" Thom asked as he leaned in to force another kiss.
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Post by Aiko on Jul 15, 2015 21:45:38 GMT -7
Murel plopped down in her usual seat, tracking the way Max's lead waitress booked it to the back. A feral smile that she couldn't smother crossed her face. Yes, run little piggy, or the big, bad wolf is gonna get you. Her eyes snapped around the room, pinpointing who was there. Regular customers, a woman that looked to be filling out some paperwork for something, and the Iranian waiter. She signaled him over and he came, dragging his feet as if on his way to his own execution. But before he could get there, Max appeared and waved him off.
"Amal, can you cover the kitchen for me? I've got this." Poor Amal looked so relieved. Max eyed his sister as he walked over. She was definitely in some sort of a mood, and looking to take it out on his poor employees. And Soul was still there filling out paperwork. Dammit. He hoped she didn't quit before she even started! "Not today, Murel. Out! Shoo! Take your bitchy ass and go somewhere else! Unless you can play nice, I want you gone! I'm in a good mood and I don't need the December downers!"
The moment Thom grabbed Edna's arm, Maverick saw red. His normally quiescent demon came raging awake, roaring in fury that this puny, pathetic waste of meat would dare lay hands on Edna, not once, but twice! Did he not learn his lesson the first time!? Snarling, Maverick grabbed the other man and slammed him, face first, against the wall. "Leave her alone!" He twisted his arm up behind his back, nearly ripping it from the socket and enjoying the other's sounds of pain.
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Post by jaguarsheart on Jul 15, 2015 21:49:30 GMT -7
Thom cried out, practically screaming in pain, as Maverick shoved him against the wall.
Edna blinked, at first not knowing what the hell was happening, then she rushed to Maverick and tried to pull him back, "Maverick? Maverick, stop!" She tried to get between them, but there was no room. Instead she put her palms against is chest and shoved against him, "Let him go!" When he finally released Thom Edna whirled on the man, now shoving him to the door, "Get out. Get out! Now!"
"Edna you can't be here with him. That's guy's insane-" Thom tried to get her to leave with him, but Edna shoved at him some more.
"Out! And give that damn key back to the landlord!" Then she slammed the door on Thom and pressed her forehead against the cool surface for a few seconds before turning around to glare at Maverick, "What the hell just happened?"
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