|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:22 am
He might as ******** well, Johan thought-- he managed to bite his tongue and think before he spoke, though. He stared at Garcia and Lyons as they inched their way closer to the backyard door, their eyes affixed to the younger Kantor-- it was obvious that they were mildly displeased by their company, too.
"You sure have a penchant for voicing your opinions," Johan noted, halfheartedly-- it was partially an attempt at a joke on his part, though Garcia and Lyon stared at him distastefully.
Lyons rested his ale bottle onto a nearby chair and called out to Anita: "It's cold out here, ma'am, what are you doing out with this loon?"
Mordekai settled into cuddling the dog just fine, which Farrer and Skye laughed contentedly at, though they didn't press the tired man into moving from his spot on the floor. They instead sat on the couch and watched, occasionally glancing at the backyard behind them to see if anything new cropped up-- now that Garcia and Lyons were in sight, Farrer shrugged the situation off and resumed staring at Mordekai. Rebecca managed a glance, as well, but she was more preoccupied with the glow she felt in her cheeks and the sight of the Raevan with her two children.
"Really? I'm surprised. They've eaten way more sugar than they should have today," she reprimanded, then laughed, "Anyways. Did you have a good time today, Cruz? Where's Anita? I keep missing that woman all day today."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:35 am
His lackluster and unrelated response just made her brows furrow. Anita stared at him skeptically, turning her head a little. "You asked."
The other man calling out was a relief. She leaned to the side to look past Johan's shoulders and craned her neck, brows lifted. Giving a short laugh, she shrugged and offered Lyons a natural smile. "I don't mind the cold, really!" Just the nature of the company. She returned to her previous stance and resumed eye contact with Johan, though her brows remained lifted with a more banal curiosity. "We done?" If Lyons was heading in she was ready to follow him, rather than walk past Johan alone.
Cruz just smiled at the rosiness in Rebecca's cheeks. She seemed content and it caused him to float even higher, back toward his typical height. "Have they?" he glanced to them both, not having noticed a difference.
"Yes," his response came out smooth and honest. The next question caused him to look around himself, offering a deep hum. "I don't know. Bathroom, maybe?" though she seemed to have been gone for longer than would be necessary for that sort of business, "She'll be back soon." He didn't know, of course, but he was confident that was the case. "Did you have a good time, Miss Rebecca?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:55 am
Johan stared at the space between his feet and Anita's contemplative. He also gazed at the sky, obviously suppressing the urge to say a few other things-- he tucked his hands into his pants' pockets and shrugged his shoulders. "We're done," he replied, though it wasn't enthusiastic.
Garcia and Lyons waited patiently for Anita to be excused; a slight smile protruded Lyons' otherwise stony features, and he scratched his bed of short red hair. He was happy with what he'd done for no particular reason at all, and Garcia took notice-- he punched the redhead on the arm before heading in first. He didn't see Mordekai lying on the floor until he walked up to the couch where Farrer and Skye were-- he scrounged his face. "Is he asleep?"
As it were, Mordekai was quickly losing sight of his dignity, as his arms were tightly hugged around Tango. He pulled the wolfhound closer, his eyes still closed, and continued to hum Jimi lowly. Lying on the floor made things somewhat easier on his drowsiness, but his body was quickly falling asleep. He momentarily remembered the coffee machine and rolled onto his back, Tango still in his arms, before giving up and lying back down onto his side.
Duncan was still attempting to see what was going on in the gardens, though after a while, he gave up for the moment and resorted to busying himself with the dessert left overs. He poured a cup of coffee for Mordekai and turned around, only to surprise himself at seeing Rebecca and Cruz there. Jillette and Jerri were idly interacting with each other while Cruz entertained discussion with their mother.
"Excuse me," he squeezed past Rebecca and Cruz, cup of coffee in hand. He sat on the couch in front of Mordekai, allowing the coffee steam to waft toward Tango and the man.
"Mordekai, your coffee." The blonde didn't reply.
The doctor walked a little ways down the stairs and returned to the couch and kitchen area with an short huff; Felicia was several feet behind her. The two settled on sitting against the wall while watching everything unfold-- things seemed to be dying down for the night, and the quiet was well deserved. Felicia adjusted the loose strap of her wifebeater and sighed.
"The cook's asleep? I guess we can't kiss him for his efforts, after all."
Jillette looked back at Felicia, and pointed towards Cruz. "Kiss Cruz instead!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 4:10 am
His reluctance to dismiss the conversation was obvious but the fact he did at all made Anita grateful. She loosened up, offering him a parting dip of her head before stepping over towards the other two. On her way, once she caught their eyes, she mouthed her thanks. Though it was tempting, she refrained from giving Johan another glance once her back was turned to him and instead she just followed Lyons and Garcia inside, chuckling at the punch to the younger man's arm.
Cruz gave Duncan a smile and nod, floating a bit to the side as he passed and continued his idle conversation with Rebecca.
A wry grin tugged one side of her face when she caught sight of Mordekai and Tango all snuggled up on the floor. She took a few steps closer, inspecting her animal's status more than his cuddle buddy's, then bent down into a crouch just as Duncan rounded the corner.
Mordekai's shifting caused Tango to do the same, his paws stifling when he rolled onto his back. He settled again once they returned to their sides and the dog laid comfortably. The scent of coffee made him lift his head toward Duncan, though, and he sniffed curiously at the fresh brewed cup. "He's stealing my animal," the lingering grin on her face didn't match her voice, which came out deadpan and factual.
The sound of her voice caught the frei's attention and he turned, pointing toward her for Rebecca's benefit. "There she is," he offered gently and hovered out of her way if she wished to approach his guardian. From there his attention was stolen by Jillette's exclamation and he twisted around his ribbon to find who she was directing to offer him food.
Anita pushed back to a stand and folded her arms, glancing over her shoulder at the boys. "He is serenading my dog and laying him down by the fire."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 4:33 am
Duncan was initially perturbed by Mordekai's stillness, though he laughed with relief at Anita's return and comment anyhow. "He's taken quite a liking to Tango. I don't know if you'll be able to get him off," he nodded his head toward Tango when he looked over at Duncan (and the coffee cup's direction.
"I did have a good time-- got to catch up with some old friends, make new ones... Oh!" Rebecca remarked upon Cruz's exclamation and realizing Anita was there- she didn't bother moving, but bubbled with easy laughter in greeting. "Hey, Anita. I haven't seen you since the beginning of the party-- did you have a good time? Eat lots and lots of food?"
The four remaining boys stared intently between Anita and Mordekai, laughing when Anita had something to say, or when Mordekai twitched slightly where he was. Farrer nodded in eager agreement. "Yeah, he is. He was just playing hard-to-get-earlier, 'cause he's got standards. Took him out to dinner and everything."
Lyons frowned, one ear cocked toward Mordekai and Tango's direction. "That's weird. Is he saying something?"
"He's been singing She's So Fine for, like, the past I don't know when," Skye commented, "Wait, sorry. He's so Fine. This piece of s**t, I swear. If you want us to kick him off, miss, we would gladly oblige."
"Really?" Felicia raised her brows and tilted her head at Cruz's direction, though she took Jillette's comment as a cue to lift herself off from the floor and walk on over to the kitchen. Rebecca stared somewhat nervously at the woman-- she was over a foot taller than her. She placed pressed a hand to cheek, her elbow resting on the counter, and smiled lazily. "Overheard this earlier. You eat kisses?"
"Yeah!" Jillette exclaimed, though Felicia chose to wait for the Raevan's answer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 5:02 am
Duncan's displeasure with Mordekai being unresponsive went unnoticed by Anita, too caught up in her own amusement over the situation. "So I see," she laughed, taking a few steps closer and hovering over the two, "They really wore each other out. That must have been some date."
Anita stood back at attention when Rebecca addressed her, giving a calmer smile than her previously mischievous one. "Oh, I'm plenty satiated. Everything's been great," barring certain isolated events, "I'd give my compliments to the chef here but he ain't wanna hear 'em." Anita lifted one of her legs and playfully kicked the air near Mordekai's feet, intentionally missing.
She shook her head laughing at Skye, "It's fine. Give him a couple minutes of beauty sleep, I'll get 'em up." There was something strangely amusing about getting called miss in this company.
Cruz floated a bit higher at Felicia's approach, taking note of her full height. His smile was tentative just from the fact they hadn't been introduced, assuming from Jillette's enthusiasm and ease of addressing her that the woman was perfectly agreeable.
"I do," he confirmed with a grin after Jill already did the honors. "I know it's weird for humans. You don't have to." Cruz appreciated Jillette's urging but he didn't want to pressure anyone into kissing him. If he'd known that was actually the reason Jerri had been so torn up he would have been upset.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 5:40 am
"I don't mind it." Felicia gently pressed one hand on Cruz's cheek and leaned in for a full kiss. She was surprisingly warm for a human, and the taste of alcohol lingered on her breath, as well as the musk of someone else. The doctor, were she not aware of Cruz's food source by now, would have looked more shocked and less irritated than she currently was-- she nevertheless allowed it to happen, though the kiss lasted for surprisingly long in friendly terms. Jillette covered her mouth and giggled upon noticing, then stared at Jerri, who was completely blown away by this.
Rebecca decided to let her attention stray to the boys and Anita. Mordekai groaned quietly and stirred from his momentary, sleepy reprive, though he didn't stop hugging Tango for a long while. Duncan perked up at seeing Mordekai sit up sluggishly-- the blonde carefully picked the hound up a sif he were cradling him, then bowed to Anita. His head was placed so lowly that his short bangs reached the floor.
"Bonjou," he slurred-- he straightened and offered her a tired, satisfied smile, "I think I'll keep'm. He's so--"
"Holy s**t, no," Skye remarked, "You stop right there. I'm going to punch you in the throat the next time I hear that song."
Duncan quietly handed Mordekai the coffee, though instead of taking the actual cup, he sipped off of the top. Though he was used to the taste, he scrunched his face a bit at the flavor-- watered down bitterness. "Ech. Spike it an' it still wouldn't taste none good with all the water. Feed me the beans plain, even."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 5:56 am
The touch to his face was a surprise, her gestures much more forward than the children's. Cruz's own hands tentatively found their way to Felicia's cheeks as he relaxed into the kiss, offering a pleasant and grateful hum. His rune pulsed and thrummed hungrily, soaking up the warmth, the energy, the contact, but also the lingering intent of her previous kiss. It caused the croc to become a bit dazed, fingers tucking into Felicia's hair intimately. By the time it tapered off he almost felt drunk -- not impaired in motor skills but momentarily engrossed in a strange sensation he couldn't quite place. She'd managed to satiate his rune with that but the feeling that came with it caused disappointment when it was over and he couldn't figure out why.
"Th-thank you," he hummed quietly, letting his hands fall away while he engrossed himself in the almost lightheaded feeling. His eyes practically rolled back when he blinked and he had to take a second to regain his bearings.
Anita smiled back when Mordekai finally stirred and addressed her, though at Skye's threat she reared her head back and laughed loudly. All she did in response to his dismissal of the coffee was blow a quick raspberry and make her way closer, stepping around so she could get at Tango's face.
"Unfortunately, I'ma have to break y'all up for the night," she ran her fingers over Tango's brow sympathetically, "Little-Miss-Can't-Be-Wrong has to work retail tomorrow and I don't sleep so good without the pup pillow." The initial quip was both a play on Mordekai's singing, though a thoroughly unrelated song, as well as a bit of coping from her and Johan's previous discussion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 11:41 am
"My pleasure," Felicia replied, offering Cruz a last kiss on the cheek. "Hope you had a decent Thanksgiving. No one should starve in the Clarke household."
The boys (sans Skye) laughed along with Anita as well. Mordekai pouted mightily and initially crooned his shoulder and arms away from her, as if to keep Tango away, but he quickly relented with a light laugh. He leaned forward to offer Tango a gentle release from his doting onto the floor-- Mordekai snickered and quickly began humming after Anita mentioned the song. Another good one.
"Yeah, yeah, I got you. Don't wanna choke up on Black Friday, so I'll let you go-- it ain't gonna be a happier place when you leave, though, let me tell you." He pet Tango one last time before taking the cup of coffee Duncan continued to hold-- despite his complaints, Mordekai downed the whole thing, bracing the heat that rushed down his throat.
Lyons checked his wristwatched for the time, and shrugged. "Guess we ought to head out too, Farrer? It's 2200 right now, how long will it be to get back to Aekea?"
Farrer shrugged. "Depends on how much I speed. I wish you assholes would drive your own damn cars. Who's the burden who lives in Gambino?" No one in the present group raised their hand.
"Son of a-- Twain is on the computer again, isn't he," Garcia snapped, "Be right back. I'm gonna strangle him." The man immediately knew where to go, and quickly jogged over and up the stairs, which caused Mordekai to raise a brow. He stood up and quickly walked over to where Tango's leash was, and offered it to Anita.
"We'll walk you out," Duncan said, rising from the couch-- Jillette began whining and hopped off of the counter to grab Cruz's hand. Jerri was already dozing off, with his head down on the counter table.
"You're gonna leave already? You're not gonna sleep over?" Jillette swung Cruz's hand, "We could watch movies!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 12:58 pm
Cruz offered Felicia a dazed, airy rumble and nodded. His eyes closed gently with the kiss on his cheek and its innocence assisted in sapping away the strange feeling that accompanied her previous one, though not by much.
The dog was feeling lazy enough not to mind being man handled overly much even by someone he didn't know. Mordekai'd already proved his trustworthiness earlier at dinner, which certainly helped his case. Still, Tango's front paws wiggled and stretched toward Anita when the man playfully attempted to keep him away and he wagged his tail when he was set upon the floor and could get back on his feet. The first thing he did was yawn and try to lick Anita's face, which she leaned back from with a tightly closed mouth so all his tongue did was graze her chin.
"God, you smell like hot garbage," she chided, sounding serious and, for a moment, her face matched. Her hands cupped the dog's fluffy cheeks and pulled his head in as she pursed her lips against his crown and made a very distinct farting sound before getting to her feet. "Ahh, I don't think I could keep you and your new boyfriend apart for long," Anita laughed, giving Tango a quick pat, "Whenever the next shindig is, I'll see about bringin' him back." With how well he and Tango got along, part of her wanted to just to prove a point to Johan.
She took Tango's leash gratefully and set about hooking him up while Twain was retrieved. "Oh, thanks," she smiled to Duncan while wrapping most of the lead around her arm. Anita didn't know who all 'we' meant but the extra company would be nice.
Since everything was winding down she felt a spark of comfort again that was wiping away the apprehension Johan instilled earlier. It was a shame they had to go, she really didn't feel like it just yet, and she gave Jillette a sympathetic look. "Not this time, baby doll. I'm in for a rough morning."
The frei gently squeezed Jillette's hand, allowing his arm to limply swing at her suggestion. He felt the same way as Anita despite lacking any previous misgivings; he was enjoying everyone's company, they were loud and funny and kind, as far as he could tell, and he'd gotten a surprising amount of kisses throughout. "Soon," he mumbled idly, not even sure if that would be true or when the next time would be, but gosh, sleeping over somewhere new with these people sounded like such a good time.
Before they all headed for the front door, Cruz and Anita said their goodbyes. The Petit children got hugs and smooches, even Jerri (though they were careful not to rouse him much in the process) and their mother got a nice hug from both of them as well. Anita left the boys, particularly Lyons and Garcia, with firm hand shakes and low fives. Cruz in particular offered his parting to Felicia, though Anita also gave a smile and wave to her and Dr. Manicelli, finishing it all off with an announcement that it was great to meet them all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:33 pm
Mordekai stifled laughter when Anita mock-farted to the hound. He rubbed his neck and idly stood by until Anita and Cruz were ready, as did Duncan, a clear smile worn on the older man's face. He was very happy to see that Anita and Cruz had taken so well to the company here, though he remained worried about what happened with Johan in the backyard. He glanced at Mordekai-- he clearly hadn't taken notice to any of it, which was a relief.
Jillette pouted, lowered her head, but immediately bounced back up to a nod upon Cruz's response. "As long as it's soon," she tightened her grip around the Frei's hand, and gave him another quick few smooches on the forehead, "Then that's okay!" Rebecca covered her mouth and chuckled; Jillette was an affectionate one, for sure, but rarely did the little girl administer so many kisses at once, not even to her extended family. Jerri rustled from where he was when Anita and Cruz kissed him goodbye, but he was already fast asleep on the counter.
The entire conglomeration seemed to move with Anita, Cruz, and Tango while they made their way to the front, with Duncan and Mordekai at the forefront. Felicia gave Cruz a sincere pat on the back, and Dr. Mancinelli greeted him with a stiff, formal farewell. Rebecca hugged Anita and Cruz with a surprising dose of sincerity and friendly love, and the slightly tipsy woman gave Cruz a kiss on the cheek, as well.
Garcia and Lyons were especially excited to receive the high-fives and shakes, with Lyons carefully looking away when Anita walked out of the room. Twain, the man who was quite literally dragged back downstairs, administered an awkward shake in return, while Skye and Farrer both pulled Anita in for a handshake and brief hug. The now relatively small party stood in wait inside, waving the trio off with warmth-- Duncan and Mordekai were the only two to accompany Anita all the way out to her car.
Mordekai shivered, and puffs of breath left them both. It was immeasurably cold that night, though Duncan wore enough layers to protect himself from it. Mordekai laughed through his shivering, though, and offered Anita and Cruz a farewell and hug. He doled out a few more pets to Tango while Duncan offered Anita and Cruz his salutations as well.
Duncan grimaced-- he was overjoyed that Anita and Cruz had come, but he was strangely sad to see them go, though he knew there were other opportunities to see them soon. "Thank you so much for coming over. Everyone really enjoyed your company."
"Yeah, man," Mordekai tucked his hands into his pants pockets, "Hope you enjoyed your stay. 'Bout the shindigs, Duncan and I gather people 'round most holidays--" he turned to Duncan, "I dunno-- we are doing anythin' Christmas?"
"We'll have to see how we're doing," Duncan admitted, and shrugged. "Either way, there'll be something soon. You don't need any coffee for the drive, Anita? You didn't have too much to drink for the night? Didn't leave anything inside the house?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:54 pm
Kisses were more than welcomed by the croc and Cruz excitedly took them, scrunching his face up with a smile. Everyone else's affection was certainly appreciated, though the hugs from Anita were a little uncertain. It was doubtful any of them noticed since she masked the apprehension with laughter.
The cold air hit Cruz like a ton of bricks. His arms immediately wrapped around himself and he gave a shuddering chill. Anita, with Tango's leash still wrapped around her arm, gently pulled up the dog's hind legs and made a light jog toward her car. "Puppy-barrow!" He plodded along with only the use of his front legs, not seeming to mind in the slightest, and was set down gently at the rear passenger door.
She unlocked the doors quickly for Cruz to get in and out of the chill. The frei eagerly took Mordekai's farewell hug without a second thought while Anita's acceptance of it was much more tentative and she offered an almost apologetic pat to his arm when she pulled away.
"This Christmas is a no-go. I skipped out on family stuff today, they'll be pissed if I'm missing during Kringles," she laughed, offering a shrug to both. "No, thank you. I didn't have any alcohol at all~ I left the Heinies, but y'all are welcomed to 'em. I know they'll get drank."
Cruz hummed as he took Tango from Anita and got him situated into the back seat. "Thank you for having us," he beamed tiredly while shutting the door, "I had a great time."
"Yeah, me too," Anita's voice practically buzzed with enjoyment. She looked back to Cruz as he made his way to the opposite side of the car. "Shotgun?"
"I'll stay with Tango again."
"Cool deal," she opened up her door and draped her arms across the top, pausing to look up at both of them again. "I had a lot fun. It was nice meeting you properly, too," Anita nodded to Mordekai with a light smile. It faltered for a second and she gave her lip a second long gnaw. "Take care of yourself, alright?" With that, she tucked into the car and closed the door. Before backing out of the driveway, she and Cruz gave them another smile and a wave. Cruz even assisted Tango in waving his paw to Mordekai.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 4:35 pm
Duncan nodded in understanding, though Mordekai expressed his feelings vocally, as were the norm. "Ahh, got you, got you. An' thanks," he brightened, "Those should last me tomorrow."
"Mordekai," Duncan retorted; the blonde shrugged.
The two watched everyone climb into the car, and Duncan waved his hand in dimissal. "It was my pleasure, Cruz. Thank you two for taking care of the children while you were here, they really love you both."
Though Mordekai didn't seem to outwardy respond to that Anita had said, Duncan's heart sank at her final farewell-- he had never told Mordekai who all was there that summer. The blonde simply shrugged tiredly and casually responded with a "You too," and Duncan felt his eyes widen with nervousness. Nevertheless, he shook the feeling off and quickly joined the man in waving the three off on their way.
"See you, tahyo," Mordekai said to Tango, before the car drove off. The two stood there only briefly until Mordekai began his return to the house, with Duncan following suit.
"Nice people," Mordekai commented, "Invite more Lab folk over next time-- it'll do some good t'you."
"I don't know many others," Duncan admitted.
"Anita an' Cruz so sweet to you at that garden party? I don't remember'em bein' around any other time, honestly, an' I didn't know 'bout the party without help."
Duncan didn't answer, and was fortunately diverted from the topic when Farrer dragged Mordekai back into their lot. He stood back with Rebecca next to him, adjusted his collar, and moved quietly to the kitchen.
Did he know?
END
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
