☠ ☠ ᴄᴀᴋᴇ ?// && d e a t h ↳ lit+

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[Corpius]

location :: the vin rouge bakery and cafe
time/date :: 7:09pm, wednesday, mid-march.
weather :: just after sunset, lightly rainy, chilly. light jacket will suffice, carry an umbrella. heavy winds expected later tonight, colder temperatures into the early morning.
summary :: closing time at the bakery. the bakery has been open for roughly two months; feel free to build on that. tonight is the first mission for the middlemen as middlemen. mimi will be arriving at 8pm. the mission itself will begin at 10pm. any questions just ask me. I apologize for a sloppy, boring, plain post- work has been busy and I just want to get this off the ground before traffklight and muse of immortality murder me in the my sleep. ciao.

Closing time- seven pm had never seemed a better hour, in Walter’s mind. It had been a busy afternoon, even though the shop was only open from two to seven each day (eleven to eight on fridays and saturdays). It seemed easy, but Walter clocked at least twice as many hours as the rest of his workers in the bakery, between stocking and finances; running a business was nothing simple, and Walter technically ran two on top of each other.

Sighing as he flipped the open sign over on the door and locked it, he blinked tired eyes and rolled aching shoulders, feeling vertebra pop. He wasn’t getting old, really. Just aches and gray hairs, you weren’t old until you actually retired. Turning back around, he glanced around the floor of the bakery. Nat was nearest to him, stacking chairs on tables so they could vacuum, and his friend met his eyes and then winked at him. How the hell Nathan could work in heels like that, Walter didn’t know, but it made his feet hurt looking at them.

“Nath- Nat.” He corrected himself. The whole....female thing Nathan had going on seemed unnecessary- they ran a perfectly legitimate bakery now, so changing his identity so...radically seemed highly illogical. Unless Nathan had had a change of heart in prison and this was just his way of coming out about it. Who was Walter to judge? Still, it was weird seeing his old partner in a short skirt and kitty heels, not to mention lipstick. “Lets get the store cleaned up, I’ll balance the safe, and get set up for the baking tomorrow- then we’ll send Bronte home and have our, uh, store meeting.”

Mimi, the odd little informant Walter had recently found to replace their old one, would be stopping by around eight. Work wouldn’t end for the rest of the staff tonight- tonight was their first overnight mission, though even Nat only had a few details more than that. Walter hadn’t wanted any of them distracted by it until he had all the information himself, or letting anything slip to their newest employees.

Nat made a face at him. “Just send her home now- we don’t need her. I don’t know why you hired her in the first place, Wally.”

“Because you complained about constantly doing dishes. Don’t you bully her until she quits, I’ve get enough to deal with than find another person who will do dishes for five hours without complaining.” Walter grumbled, replacing the door key in his pocket as he passed Nathan on his way back to the counter. “Don’t forget to wrap up today’s pastries so we can give them to donation.”

“Don’t forget to wrap today’s pastries, like you do everyday, Natalie.” Nat parroted behind him.

Rolling his eyes -ah, such maturity- Walter stepped into the kitchen, keeping an eye out for Charles and Lani. “Store meeting after close, guys.” He told them both when he found them. “For our, uh...new...stuff... Might be a late night tonight.”

Then he found Bronte, at her spot at the dishwasher. “So, how was your first day?” His voice was kind, understanding- she was like an older version of his own daughter, and she’d been so eager to work when she’d come to ask if they were hiring. Dish washing wasn’t exactly the most exciting job, but Walter figured if they continued to be as busy as they were, he might consider letting her wait tables with Kai and Nat. “Everything you’d dreamed of, working at a bakery? Did Lani and Charles treat you okay?”

He couldn’t imagine either of the kitchen workers being mean to her- he couldn’t imagine Lani hurting a fly, despite his attraction to things that when ingested, generally put you in the hospital or the grave. And Charles was terrifying- for five minutes, until he spoke to you, at least in Walter’s opinion. Height and girth really only did so much and Walter wasn’t as easily intimidated as a young, naive girl. “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you can go home if you’d like- we can finish up here. Same time tomorrow?”


------


Nathan spun, carefully balanced in his heels, having stacked all the chairs and cleaned all the tables. “Kaaaaaaai.” The syllable was drawn out, carefully higher pitched to sound natural and feminine. “Would you be a sweetheart and get out the vacuum for me?” He wore black and white, black blouse and skirt, and white apron, since nothing else would be appropriate for a job like this. Aside from being very tall for a woman, he passed quite flawlessly- blond wig, high collared blouse, and practiced makeup disguising any more masculine feature on his naturally androgynous face.

He leaned on the counter by the cash register, a simpering smile brightening his face as he waited. Honestly, he was ready to go home to his apartment, maybe crash for a few hours before their work later that night. This bakery was Walter’s little dream, not Nathan’s, and while he was playing along as it convenienced him, he’d never exactly dreamed being a waiter. Waitress. It was only a necessary evil, serving customers and picking up after them, day in and day out.

But Natalie loved the bakery, loved dressing up as pretty as the pastries Lani created. Enjoyed her chitchatting with the regulars, from the young girls to the elderly couples. Natalie only existed from two to seven in the afternoon, and a few extra hours on the weekend, unfortunately- but Nathan found himself envying Natalie’s freedom. Nathan was a fugitive and didn’t exist any more than Natalie did.

“You’re looking dashing today,” Natalie leaned her chin on hand, tapping on shoe on the ground as she watched Kai move around behind the counter. As the only other waiter in the bakery, she’d formed a quick habit of bothering the younger man when they weren’t busy. “As everyday.” She winked at him too, though Walter had made it awfully clear about how he felt about fraternization on the team. Natalie wasn’t sure what he was so worried about- what harm was there in making the newbies a little flustered? “I’m pretty sure you have a small fanbase; you haven’t even worked here two months! Have any high school girls asked you out yet?”

Natalie had a specific customer in mind, as she asked this question- she’d overheard the girl telling her friends one visit that she might actually make a move on the withdrawn waiter. It was absolutely sickeningly adorable, and Natalie’s only entertainment to see just how Kai might deal with the situation. “Of course...I think the new girl’s been making eyes at you too. Bronte? That’s an affair right there...”

There was work to be doing, but Natalie had no interest in doing it. There was only so many times you could vacuum a lobby before you never wanted to look at the carpet ever again.

Rather, Nathan was more excited for tonight; or perhaps worried was a better word for it. Walter was retired- he was their leader, oh fearless leader, but it was Nathan who would be keeping his eye on this new crew of theirs when they went to work. And, well, they weren’t exactly the most seasoned group and here Walter planned to throw them right in.

“Course, she was staring at Lani too, so maybe she just likes pretty boys...” Natalie mused, spinning the pen kept beside the register between her fingers. “And Lani’s prettier than you. So you might lose. He’s prettier than me too, actually, I can’t believe Wally hired someone prettier than me. Disappointing.” At this point, she was mostly talking to herself, sick of the silence in the empty bakery. Nervous too, because it was less than an hour now before they’d be telling everyone about tonight’s plans. “Sorry. Am I being too chatty?”

[Nyktiphoros]

C H A R L E S x (( R E D )) x M A C K I N N O N







Charles had just finished sweeping the kitchen, pushing the big stainless steel table back into place against the wall, casting an emerald eye around to make sure he didn't leave anything dirty. Being a traditional chef and a pastry chef, he was not a man to keep a dirty kitchen. Walt had other reasons to like him, of course, but Charles like to think that one of them was because he was so tidy. For a big bachelor who looked a bit rough around the edges, complete with a beard and wild red Irish curls, it was just easier to think him a slob. That showed how little people actually knew about him. He prided himself in that, looking one way and acting another. Kept his enemies on their toes. And his friends, actually. The only time he didn't like his intimidating stature and size was when he was trying to get a date. Lord knows the men down at the local gay bar shied away from someone who looked like they could break them in half like a twig. Charles had managed to have a nice date last weekend when he hadn't been needed for a job, but it didn't go anywhere. Shame, the boy had been very sweet.

The redhead sighed and decided to focus on his love life later, glancing at the kitchen door as Walt stuck his head in to mention the meeting. "Aye, I kno'." came the gruff reply. To anyone else, the short reply may not have sounded like words at all, with his rumbling whiskey scratch voice and deeper tone. Not to mention the thick Irish accent that coated his words like molasses. Walt was used to his voice. It was some of the younger, fresher staff that had a hard time understanding him, or thinking he was angry at them when he spoke. He had a big voice for a big man, and it scared some people. Charles wouldn't have minded working behind the bar in front to serve coffee, but Walt suggested he might scare people off as they walk through the door.

Oh Walt. Charles watched the man walk over to Bronte at the sink before turning and taking the broom back to the closet. He and Walt were old timers. The man had picked up Charles soon after he arrived in Alexandria, looking for muscle that could only be found in underground fight rings. Charles had done that for a while to take the edge off of not having a job. He had been part of a mercenary group back in Ireland, and he told Walt this when they'd met up. Now, it's been some time since then, and they had been through quite a lot together, including the disbandment and reestablishment of the Middlemen group. Charles was protective of Walt, especially now that the man had a wife and daughter. Charles treated Walt's girl like she was his own, and he always made a special cake for him and the missus on their anniversary. He had a soft spot in his heart for Walt, having always had a crush on the man. He let that be known up front several weeks after they first met. Sad day for him when he found out the man was straight, but all the same. Walt took care of him when he needed something, and Charles did the same.

Charles checked the counters again to make sure there wasn't anything smudged or left over, making a pass around the whole kitchen, checking the fridge, pantry, and stock closet to be certain that they had everything for tomorrow for opening. Whipped cream already placed in piping bags, several rounds of plain yellow cake, jello setting and waiting to be cubed, and all the cream, sugar, and chocolate that they would need. Closing up the fridge, he smiled in Walt and Bronte's direction as he passed and patted Lani heavily on the shoulder with one large hand before lumbering out of the kitchen. Well over six feet and dressed in a pair of black slacks, black boots, and a white t-shirt that strained around his biceps, it was fairly easy to call the man intimidating. With a light pink apron around his waist, perhaps not as much. Said item was taken off and hung on a rack near the door to the kitchen.

He moved to sit on one of the stools at the bar, watching as Nat flirted with Kai, snorting a bit. "Lass, ye shewld quit while yer a'ead." He knew Nat almost as long as he'd known Walter, knowing what hid under all those skirts and frills. He wasn't sure why the male had gone so undercover he practically changed gender, but Charles didn't question it. They all had their means of coping. Perhaps this was Nat's. Charles just needed to switch from calling him 'lad' to calling him 'lass', which wasn't hard to do. The man certainly looked the part.

Charles would give Nat a wink if the other looked over, standing up again and moving behind the bar to his personal stash. "Ye nevar 'it on meh tha' way, darlin'. M'startin' ta feel left'oot." he murmured with a fake pout, grinning a moment later at the 'waitress' as he bent down to pull out an expensive bottle of whiskey and a tumbler glass from a secret compartment. He set both items on the counter and poured himself two fingers, lifting the glass and tossing the burning liquid back like water. The Irishman was a seasoned drinker, so a little gulp or two of whiskey wouldn't do anything to him. Plus it was a bit of a routine after a work day ended and the night work started. Very soon, he wouldn't be Charles, but Red. Slipping the bottle back and cleaning his glass to put it away as well, he lumbered back around the bar to have a seat on one of the stools, staring off at the front of the store and out the window at the dimly lit street.

Red, or Big Red, was a completely different animal when compared to Charles. Where Charles was a big softy who only looked mean, Red was a killer. A beast of a man who could kill people with his bare hands and not think twice about it. It had to be that way. He couldn't mix the two. It had to be two separate entities, because he had learned early on that it was never good to bring work home, especially that kind of bloody work. He got the name Red, firstly, from his hair color. But he also received it because generally by the end of each night, he was splattered with blood, knuckles covered in it after busting faces.

All he knew was that it sure felt nice after every job to wander back to the apartment building where the rest of the crew slept, hearing various noises behind all the doors and comforted by the close quarters. He would always take a hot shower, have a late snack and a glass of whiskey, and hit the bed to sleep off the aches and pains. Charles wasn't as young as he used to be, but working out and fight club kept the big guy fit and surprisingly light on his feet. He looked like a man that might be clumsy and stomp around with a lot of noise, but most of his victims didn't even hear him coming. He wondered what tonight's job would be while he sat there and scratched his thick fingers through his beard. Usually if the job required a bit more finesse, Walt would send him on his way to go relax at home. Tonight, he was obviously needed.





〖 Oh Danny boy, 〗 the pipes, the pipes are calling. ● From glen to glen,
and down the mountainside. The summer's gone, ●
and all the flowers are dying. ● 'Tis you, 'tis you,
● must go and I must 『 bide. 』

[Kaynava]

▍❂⋮ LOCATION ─ the vin rouge lobby kay ▍❂⋮ MOOD ─ content kay ▍❂⋮ COMPANY ─ natalie & charles


• Kai glided around the bakery, righting objects and clearing any remaining trash as Walter and Natalie talked by a corner. He hoped something new was going to happen soon. Frankly speaking, Kai was getting bored. And a bored Kai tended to be a not a very well-behaved Kai, contrary to his external demeanor. It had been nearly two months since he had joined this little bakery, but he had yet to do anything other than serve pastries and drinks, clean up for the night, etc. With no jobs, Kai did not have any reason to break and enter anywhere. Of course, he did sneak out on occasion to make sure his skills did not become rusty, but as he did not want to risk his new companions with his nightly activities, his excursions had been relatively uneventful as of late. The lack of a challenge was making Kai a little antsy.
  
  Just this morning he had ‘accidentally’ stolen a few watches and wallets. He had returned all of it back where they came from without any the wiser, but Kai had to really pinch himself hard as punishment for his petty actions. What if he had gotten caught? A voice in his head scoffed arrogantly and said ‘If you had gotten caught then you would have deserved it. That was child’s play. Harumph.’ Mamma was probably shaking her head at him in heaven right now. ‘Kaede, you must learn discipline,’ he heard his mamma’s voice say in his head. ‘But mamma… I’m bored,’ Kai whined to himself. He pictured his mamma’s face frown sternly, ‘You are a grown man now so do not be that way. It is for your own good. Remember, your actions affect other people, not just yourself. You must be more responsible, understood?’ Kai mentally sighed. ‘Yes, mamma.’ Indeed, any wrong move could result in the entire bakery going under investigation. He did not want to get anyone else in trouble because his fingers were too sticky. He could not even blame the pastries either.
  
  An extended “Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai” punctured his bubble of quiet introspection. His co-worker, Natalie or Nathan, depending on the time of day you spoke to her/him, appeared to be speaking to him. Was Kai supposed to reply in a similar fashion. Was ‘Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaat’ appropriate for such a situation? Kai always had trouble with inflections though. Natalie’s “Kaaaaaaaaaaai” sounded slightly higher pitched than her usual voice with perhaps a nasally quality that could be considered ‘kawaii.’ If Kai attempted to create the same sound, would he just sound like he had a severe nasal infection? He would have to practice at home. Kai made a mental note to study voice inflection for later. Before he could decide in what manner he would reply, Natalie asked him to procure the vacuum. Doing what he was told since he did not really have anything better to do, Kai made his way towards broom closet where the cleaning supplies were stored and allowed Natalie to continue talking.
  
  Kai listened as Natalie chattered to him, appreciating her ease with speaking as he turned on the vacuum, which quietly whooshed as it sucked up dirt. Natalie had taken to speaking to him often whenever the shop was not busy, talking about whatever was on her mind at the time. Kai personally found it… refreshing. He could complain all he wanted about the boredom that came with honest work, but working in a place where he had to interact with people every day had its perks. His mamma was a very charismatic woman, and Kai could not say his papa was shy either. When he had lost them, he had been alone for the first time in his life. And now he was back with people again. Kai mentally smiled as his mouth refused to follow and moved around the room, cleaning every nook and cranny like a good little worker bunny.
  
  He noticed the big, red headed kitchen assistant, Charles, take a stool at the bar and make some casual comments. It was always so incredible that people could be so at ease talking to others. Kai had had to train for years to speak casually with strangers, while these people could so easily interject that it looked as natural as… drat he could not think of a proper metaphor. How could cracking billion dollar bank vaults be so much easier than coming up with metaphors? But even with his training, sometimes Kai did get a little confused with what people were saying. Apparently being a waiter made Kai look ‘dashing.’ He assumed it was a good thing, right? Kai paused and looked over to Natalie when she mentioned a fan club. Kai had a fanbase? Of high school girls? Plus, he was having an affair with Bronte?
  
  “Sorry. Am I being too chatty?”
  
  Realizing Natalie was asking him to speak, Kai turned off the vacuum for the moment to reply. “No, I do not think you are being too chatty, but I do believe that I am homosexual so I do not think I would be capable of having an affair with Ms. Potts. And thank you for thinking that I am ‘dashing.’ That is very kind of you.” Kai nodded and returned to vacuuming the rest of the lobby. Suddenly realizing he had not spoken to Charles, who was also in the room and had mentioned something about being left out, he paused again and said, “My apologies. Hello Charles. I believe you are a very ‘dashing’ individual as well.” As he completed the last corner of the room, he shut off the vacuum and returned it to the broom closet.

[[Muse of Immortality]]

L É O N I E ❤ M A R C E A U X

It was finally the end of the day at Vin Rouge and Léonie couldn't tell if he was excited or very nervous. Tonight was supposed to be the first 'big meeting' and Walter had requested for Lani to attend and to bring a few of his specially brewed poisons. Some of the ones that completely destroyed people from the inside out and some of the ones that just kinda knocked people out swiftly and left them with a hang over feeling the next morning. His long fingers fiddled with the ends of his ash blonde hair as he tried to picture what sort of meeting it would turn into. Maybe they were planning to rescue kittens from a tree! Or... helping little old ladies to house work! Lani heaved a large sigh. "Yeah right.." he thought to himself, his hands returning to finish the last of the experimental recipes he had developed over the past few weeks. It was best that they were finished now, so that he could send them home with their new dishwasher. Lani wasn't sure at first who he could have test them out, and was absolutely ecstatic when Bronte was hired. She was young- if only by a few years- and could give him feedback on how they were tasting. Plus, Bronte was so cute that Léonie couldn't help but spoil her a little. He just wanted to rub his face in her delectably bright green hair and shower her with affection. But, that was considered weird and would probably warrant as sexual assault. So he kept his hands to himself for today.

Both him and Charles had already finished up the bulk of prep work they could finish the night before, and the big man was an absolute whiz at cleaning, leaving Lani with hardly anything to clean himself. "It's so nice to have such an efficient assistant!" He thought dreamily to himself, thankful to have such a dependable coworker. It was much better than he was expecting to be honest. The gruff looking grizzly bear didn't seem the type to be able to clean so well, let alone bake, but Lani was pleasantly surprised when Charles was able to do both!

Léonie jolted when Walter came in to remind them of the meeting, breaking Lani's concentration on icing a cake slice. With the flower he was drawing now a little lopsided, he gave his boss a faltering "Yes sir!" before doing his best to hide the fact his rose now looked like a deranged tulip. Aah but he was nervous again! What if no one liked him? Or if he turned out not to be helpful at all, and Walter then would decide to fire him and he would have to live on the streets and and have to scrape gum off of the undersides of tables to earn a living-

A large hand clamped onto his shoulder, startling him out of his rather dramatic chain of thoughts. Léonie turned his eyes up at Charles to give him a smile, but he was already walking past him and out of the kitchen. Maybe the big lug had felt his nervous energy (it would take an emotional block not to notice) and was trying to make him feel better? Whatever the reason, it did the trick to calming him down enough to at least fix that horrid looking rose.

Placing the final cake in the special carrying case, Léonie made a satisfied exhale, sure that everything would stay correctly placed and not be squished by the time Bronte made it home. Turning his mauve eyes towards the corner of the kitchen where the dishwasher was, he spotted the Bronte and Walter talking. He wasn't sure. Should he go up and interrupt them? Or maybe just leave the gift near by, then again she might not understand that it's for her. Lani looked from the carrier in his hands to the girl and back again before taking a deep breath. He kind of sidled along the counters before walking with purpose over to them with a charming smile on his lips. "Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt, but I wanted to give you a welcoming gift of sorts. They're cakes and pastries that I've been experimenting with, so I thought you could let me know what you thought of them." He gave her a soft smile and held out the carrier to her. "I hope we can continue to get along well in the future!" Now that he was right next to Bronte, Léonie realized he kind of towered over the poor girl- hopefully she didn't think of him as intimidating! Then again, he was wearing a cute pink apron, so the chances of that were actually rather low...





x ♥ x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
▷Location: The kitchen
▷With: Bronte and Walter
▷Ooc: Boop first posts are always a jumbled mess for meee im sorrrry

[TRAFFKLIGHT]

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
I KNEW HOW SWEET A KISS COULD BE, trWHEN I KISSED YOU GIRL ——— 《 LIKE THE SUMMER SUNSHINE 》
⇢ *〖OH SUGAR !! — ✿ you are my candy girl •
AND YOU GOT ME WANTING YOU traffklight AND YOU GOT ME WANTING YOU traffklight AND YOU GOT ME WANTING YOU
traffk BRONTE ADERYN POTTS! 》 ☀*
traff&█˟ I'M GONNA MAKE ❖ LIFE SO SWEET !! ⊹ POUR A LITTLE ↴ SUGAR ON ME

traffklight traffklight traffklight traffklight↳✿ the clueless ↺ dishwasher ☁°

If there was something that could possibly rival her love for anime, it was all things cute and sweet… which… might seem like a lot but that only shows just how much she loves anime. She still hadn’t quite settled in and adjusted in her mind she managed to snag a job at the cutest bakery in town though! Sure she’d passed it a multitude of times, even visited with her friends but she never thought they’d actually be hiring! It had been an impulse, after graduation and the fact it was pretty much impossible she would find a job regarding her field set in, she had paid a visit to the sweets shop to try and cheer herself up. When the gorgeous waitress asked her what she’d liked she absentmindedly asked for a job- to which was overheard by Walter, the owner, and now her boss. Reasons she wanted to work there though hardly involved the money, it was more along the lines of… CUTE STAFF AND CUTE UNIFORMS… ALSO POSSIBLY FREE IF NOT DISCOUNTED BAKED GOODS TO FATTEN UP ON HOORRAAAHHH. But seriously, the cute staff was cute. She found herself surrounded in this nearly surreal environment, like she was right smack dab in the middle of some sort of t.v. series with a cast of beautiful and quirky characters. It was almost a shame they weren’t… but they got her writer’s juices flowing as she mentally planned to herself a new web comic blog series.

”Baker-for-Hire? Death by Cake? Whipped and cre--”

The gentle tenor of her boss’ voice caught her off guard, snapping her out of her little dream land with a flinch and even a squeak. ”First day? YES! Oh! Uh.. Yessir it was wonderfuull! So much fun!” Her enthusiasm was a little overwhelming when all she did was wash dishes. Sarcastic? Hardly. She loved working at the Vin and she loved all of it’s contents and wasn’t shy to express that during the day. Walter seemed to act more like a father to the crew than a boss who might just bark orders from the back and sit around counting money. Of course Bronte hadn’t had much experience with bosses… but Walt was definitely nicer and more helpful than some of her professors who she PAID to get help from.

Her eyes wide and so bright they practically reflected stars, she blinked and cocked her head to the side at his second question. ”OH yes! ~ AND MORE! I’m still recovering from the thought you actually hired me! Thank you so much!!” A bright smile to match her curious multicoloured eyes. ”Though… should I be worried about Charlie and Lani? They seem super nice…” Her gaze shifted over to the two men who worked around her in the kitchen, Charlie the giant who just had more love to give, and Lani who was the prettiest most sweetest man she had ever met she actually thought he was a woman the first time they met but OOoohh HE WAS SO PRETTY. She hadn’t realized she’d started blushing thinking about the bakers, hands rising to cup her cheeks, oblivious to the wet and soapiness that now trickled down her chin, as she gazed at them affectionately with Walter there to witness it.

She turned red as a beet upon realization that her boss was in fact… still standing there. ”HOME?” She quickly covered her mouth at the accidental outburst. Home already? Hadn’t she only just got there? ”A-Are you sure? I still haven’t quite finished yet and i could still stay and… clean the bathrooms and the windows or something…” Was there something keeping her from going home? Quite possibly.

She nearly squealed when the fairest of them all appeared next to them, interrupting Bronte’s protest to leaving and she was soon to see whether this was going to be a good thing or not. Well. Maybe when she stopped gawking at him and actually listened to what he was saying. It took her a moment, looking to the carrier that Lani held out to her before back up at him, then at the carrier, then up at him again. And a pause for it all to click thing with a bright smile that stretched across her face. ”WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT? FOR MEEEE???!!!?!” Pointing at her nose with disbelief and then looking at the much taller man’s face for any sign he might be joking. She jumped at him for a tight hug and a childish giggle. ”THANK YOU SOOOO MUCHHH OHMYGOOOOD-- OH NO IM SO SORRY! DID I HURT THEM?” She released him at the sudden realization she might have knocked the little treats made with love all over the place, not that she minded so much they probably tasted delicious no matter what but it wasn’t really the nicest thing to go shaking around something that was JUST prepared so delicately for you.

Unsure of what really to do, she stood in front of him and did a little jazz hands dance, then wiping the last of whatever soap and water remained on her hands before reaching out and taking the carrier from the pretty man. ”Can I look now?” She didn’t really wait for an answer, opening it to heck the contents and see that they had miraculously remained undisturbed, before setting them down on the counter and giving the other another hug. For someone of her size, she really could squeeze. ”They are sooo cuuuuute and they look so delicious!!! I don’t know if they’ll make it home, thank you so much!” She squealed happily into his chest.

[Corpius]

location :: the vin rouge bakery and cafe
time/date :: 7:22pm, wednesday, mid-march.
weather :: just after sunset, lightly rainy, chilly. light jacket will suffice, carry an umbrella. heavy winds expected later tonight, colder temperatures into the early morning.
summary :: mimi will be arriving shortly.

Nat scooted a few inches to the side as Charles joined them in the front, a giant of a man in a tiny cafe seemed silly, until you tried the things he and Lani managed to cook up. "You? Well of course not, you just laugh at me and get a little rudy in the face. You're pouring me a glass of that, right?" Walter was out of sight in the back, or else Nat might not have asked. Two hours until a mission- it wasn't a great idea, but it would certainly calm his nerves. Never worry about Charles, the man had so much muscle he could have downed the whole bottle and only feel a light buzz.

Kai, on the otherside of the counter, had thoughtly reached down to turn off the vacuum before replying. “No, I do not think you are being too chatty, but I do believe that I am homosexual so I do not think I would be capable of having an affair with Ms. Potts. And thank you for thinking that I am ‘dashing.’ That is very kind of you.” His words were politely clipped, worded so perfectly it became awkward, and Nat turned back to look at him with wide eyes and expression like he was seeing the waiter for the first time.

Then he turned to Charles and grinned, pointing. "See, look at that? Priceless. You get my subtle jokes, that's not fun at all." Back of his hand to forehead, eyes closed, ever the theater student, he sighed, speaking louder so Kai could hear him. "Oh no, what news. I suppose if Potts is out of the question, that means I am as well! Oh, whatever will I tell my mother." He slid dramatically down the counter and disappeared, before reappearing with a decorated cake he'd stashed away earlier and biting into it. Walter had forbidden eating on the job, but Nat couldn't deny his sweet tooth all evening. "That's good news for you though, isn't it Charles? Oh, but I think our favorite hardass allows franternizing..."

-------

Walter had to tame a chuckle at the sight of young Miss Potts swooning (or rather, salivating) over the sight of Lani across the kitchen from them. He wasn't particularly worried about the problems a little crush like that would cause- rather, he couldn't begin to imagine the two of them actually having a relationship that wasn't just them stuttering and then passing out when all their blood rushed to their cheeks. "That good to hear." He spoke, mainly to remind her that he was still standing next to her.

She was extremely helpful- or at least determined to try and be helpful, a little too much so. "No, it's really quite all right Potts, there's not much else left to do." Before she could protest further (was it really so exciting to clean their bathrooms? Walter didn't really get it), Lani approached with a packaged bundle in hand, ready to spoil her rotten.

Shaking his head, Walter left the pair of them to it, moving back to the front of house to check on the others. Nat, of course, was doing nothing while Kai did everything. "Did you call me a hardass?" He replied, catching only the tail end of what his laziest worker was saying. Charles had broken out his usual post-work drink, something he'd done as long as Walter had known him, though he couldn't recall ever seeing the man truely drunk. Was such a state even possible? Well, Walter didn't drink much himself; never had, unless appearance demanded it, and feared he was probably quite a lightweight when it came down to it. Tonight wouldn't be the night to find out.

"I called you my favorite hardass!" Nat did that cutesy feminine act that made his stomach churn and hair stand on end, batting his- her- eyelashes. His voice was only somewhat familiar, and the flirty attitude made him practically into an alien. Who are you, and what did you do with my old partner?

"Uh huh..." He was saved from having to produce an awkward response by the ring of a soft bell signalling the opening of the front door. Their informant, a little earlier than expected. "Ah, Mimi." He smiled at her and waved her over.

[I B L O W I]

Beep Beep Beep
Mimi slowly rose her head up. Her eyes we're glazed over and a small sting of drool bridged the desk to her mouth. Wiping her mouth she glanced up at the screen and yawned; cracking her back in the process. It wasn't really the most attractive view in the world but she could care less. There was no one to impress within her home so there was no reason to act like it. Her green orbs flashed down to the clock on the screen. She had about two hours before she needed to be at the cafe for the meeting and intended on making every minute count. He eyes flashed back to the computer screen.

The was a beautiful pair of honey eyes staring back at her. Sophie Langston. Leader of the notorious Ruff Rabbits. Honestly, Mimi was impressed with the gang's activity. If it wasn't for her connections with Walter she might have hooked up with the girl. She scanned through the government's records on them. It wasn't as complex as what she'd gotten from the streets; but if she learned one thing, its that rumors tend to grow in size as they're spread along. Still, it was unlikely for the government to be as informed on any street gang as the streets would. She sighed, flicking her wrist to the side to scroll through the rest of the government files. Each one seeming more pointless than it's predecessor. "None of this is helpful. How could they have failed to raid their hideout? Is it too much to expect a map?...Clearly." Though her voice stayed monotone and seemingly unengaged her temper was rising. She wasn't quite the poster child for government appreciation. Beep Beep Beep A faint smile cracked her drowsy face. A gif of a butterfly fluttered across her desktop's screen alerting her that she'd gained access to the base's control room. "Show time"

She stood from her chair; her hands directly in front of her and her finger tips closed. As she rose so did the images within the computer; until they were being projected in the air. She was in. Her hands spread as the computer's multiple monitor function kicked in. To her left Mimi could see the desktop to the hideout's main computer and with it she'd hopefully crack into each file there. To the right of her head was the original information she'd found in the government's archives. Though the real pressing information was displayed right in front of her face. Live time feed from the security cameras. Mimi spread her fingertips causing the middle 'screen' to split three times, giving her a side by side view from four of the cameras. From the looks of it the base was definitely guarded, but it wouldn't be like pulling teeth to sneak in. From what she could see the group would only need to worry about 4 guards patrolling. Waving her hand, she replaced the screens with the desktop view of the main computer.

Within a few minutes she was in, browsing the files. There wasn't much she was looking for --and if she hadn't been in a bit of a rush she would have stopped to see just how much information they kept on their clients-- however she was a little pressed for time so the blueprints to the hide out would have to suffice for now. A few more gestures was all it took for the blonde to have the hot documents flying out of her printer. With the blueprints obtained she removed all traces of her bridge with the network and closed the connection.

She printed off the government's files on on the known members of the Ruff Rabbits and slid everything into a thin light brown file; before heading to the shower and applying her face for the day. Something cute and far from serous. She appreciated the look of surprise she gets when she's around people that don't take her seriously. Mimi knew that Walter would but heavily doubted that the rest of he staff would. Closing down her computer, Mimi left and headed for the cafe. It wasn't exactly the shortest walk but before Mimi knew it she was opening the door to the cafe. She smiled at his greeting as she made her way into the room. "Good evening."