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 Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:10 pm
The smile was unexpected but wholly appreciated, despite how tired it was. Anita returned it as best she could. Didn't matter if he saw it or not. She closed her eyes and shrugged a little when he agreed. It didn't seem tacit, not that time: it sounded genuine. There was some fear, before then, that she was just saying things he'd heard before, things he was tired of listening to, and that may still have been the case but he was trying. That's what mattered.
When he stood, she lifted her brows. Her eyes remained trained on him with a steadily decreasing apprehension and she managed a stronger smile at his thanks. There was no 'you're welcome' from her, though. She didn't feel entitled to his thanks.
”Yeah, okay,” she mumbled while pushing herself up.
Anita paused at his joke, narrowing her eyes and looking stern for a moment – then a wry grin pulled at one side of her face and she pointed at him with a muted but playful look. ”They're too trashed to help with that, either, you realize,” she offered a monosyllabic laugh as she bent down to resume gathering various debris.
It seemed like a lot but, as Anita surveyed, the remaining trash would be easy enough to consolidate and, certainly, it would fit into the carton with little difficulty. All of it was cold now. No more residual heat to spare her frigid fingers. Even those were red and felt a bit swollen. Her skin felt tight and dry. As much as she wanted to say she wasn't going to freeze, it was just getting colder and she wasn't in the most comfortable clothes to begin with. Her knees were probably chapped – they felt rug burned, at the very least.
Once they hunkered down and dropped conversation, it only took a few minutes to put everything away and Anita gave a loud huff of approval. ”Let's get you back to your boyfriend. I'm sure he and Irene are missin' you.” As they started on their way, Anita held her hand out toward the cart to silently ask if he wanted her to carry it but if he declined she didn't push the issue.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:13 pm
It was a relief that Anita readily began picking up the debris, and Mordekai focused a majority of his efforts on picking up after everything as quickly as he could. He felt a bit mindless going about it, but it was oddly pleasant; it allowed him to cool down from his crying and try to recollect his bearings. His head still throbbed and a part of him still felt both guilty and unpleasant, but he swallowed the moods down the best he could. If he could at least pretend to have more energy in him, he could trick his body into thinking the same.
When Anita mentioned the boys, Mordekai offered her a wobbly grin. "Thought as much when they came through the back door. Won't take long to clean by myself."
The cart wasn't heavy, fortunately, with a majority of the weight coming from the Blue Moons-- he carefully packed the filled ones in there, too-- and from the three or four firecrackers that they didn't light. He glanced nearby Anita once in a while to see how she was doing, noted that she was okay, and attempted to drop the worry for now. Their excursion was over and done with. No need to issue anymore apologies-- no need to ask her any questions about her feelings.
Mordekai slung the cart over one shoulder and stared at Anita-- was she expecting him to give her the box? With a mock-smile and shake of the head, he went on their way. Being reminded that Tango and Irene were back home allowed Mordekai to pause and release a stifled laugh-- he'd nearly forgotten that they were both home.
"Gonna get a kiss from'em both 'fore they retire to bed," Mordekai tapped his cheek, "'Specially one from Irene, right on the cheek. Gotta get a good kick into the New Years, yeah?"
Despite Mordekai's more stable state of mind, the trek back to the house was just as quiet and uneventful as the one they'd endured going to the site. The only thing particularly different about it was that Mordekai was going at a much slower pace, mostly out of his will due to the cold. Another part of him wanted to acclimate back into an okay mood before they reached the backyard, which he managed. The very front of the yard was still lit by the lanterns which, even from the empty field, remained visible.
Once they reached the vegetable gardens, Mordekai relented a loud, exaggerated sigh. "Oh, boy." He was staring dead-on at the ever-so-slowly evident pile of bottles he'd made earlier.
"None bodies in the yard. Think they're asleep, or they all dead from hy-po-thu'mia?" the last word was long-drawn and clearly accented-- he sounded both tired and vaguely amused.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:13 pm
”Yeah, a good kick in the lip,” Anita smirked. Getting a kiss from a tiny leg, ah yes.
It was no trouble he didn't hand the box over. The way he did it assured her he was at least on the right track and Anita was able to offer him a quick grin in return. While quiet, Anita didn't find the walk back as uncomfortable as the previous. She kept her hands in her pockets and walked a bit hunched. Their slow pace was appreciated due to her choice in footwear, which she was regretting as much as her slacks. Jeans wouldn't have given her this problem.
The bottles made her shake her head, a quiet laugh riding under her breath. She hadn't said it back there but there was absolutely no intention in her of having Mordekai clean all of this up by himself. One, that would have been rude in general as the least familiar house guest in the bunch, for two that would have been shitty to do to him while she was completely able bodied, and for three it wouldn't have been very kind to Duncan by proxy. She didn't need to say anything on that matter, though: she had free hands.
”Dead,” she announced dryly while approaching the pile of bottles, ”I'm sure Tango disposed of the corpses.” It was said with an almost cold efficiency, the same straight face and tone she'd used when goading Tango to destroy Mordekai during their play fight on Thanksgiving.
She collected several under her arms, the glass clinking together dully as the fabric of her coat muted the sound. Another quick sweep of the immediate yard offered her sight of some other trash, just some bits and bobs, and she retrieved those before following Mordekai to the door and heading inside to dispose of them all. As soon as the door was closed and the cold air no longer following them, Anita shivered her way over to the kitchen table and removed her jacket, draping it over one of the chairs. Her boots were the next to go, zipping down from the inner sides at the middle of her shin. Socks stayed for now, thick and tight with individual toes – as gaudy as the ones Cruz picked out for Mordekai and Duncan. Her hands ran through her hair as she hunched her shoulders and leaned forward, pulling her entire mass over her front. She fluffed and floofed at it idly, then leaned her hands on her knees for support before throwing her neck forward. Her hair flew back and forth in a large arch several times before she abruptly straightened up and ran her fingers through again, flattening the top and moving any stray bits away from her eyes.
There were still dishes to be done, the boys' shirts and jackets were strewn about the counters and floor, and as she began to move again there was the distinct pitter-patter of claws on hardwood. ”Hey, Stinkerton.” Tango walked right by her to peer around the corner and spot Mordekai, only then turning back to rub up against her and demand affection.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:14 pm
"Knew it," he whispered. Once they arrived to the backyard, he unloaded the cart onto the yard table and took out the unused fireworks and full bears. Once he'd done that, he noticed Anita pick up a few stray bottles and whispered a small hey in retaliation. He walked over to near where she was and picked up an armful himself, and while he wasn't going to make Anita drop all of the bottles she had already, he glared at her with some host-like indignation all the way into the kitchen area.
"Hey," Mordekai kept his voice low, just in case, "Don't you worry about cleanin' up house. It's gettin' late-- catch some sleep a'fore you catch a cold."
Mordekai was completely aware of what Anita was doing after she'd dropped off her bottles, though, and once she began headbanging, he stared bemusedly. He kicked a few of the jackets near the counter and quietly dropped off the bottles, whispered "right on," before heading back out to get more bottles. He kept the door open just for now, for the sake of easy lugging. There were literal dozens of beer bottles and a few champagne bottles strewn about everywhere-- this was going to take a while. Like finding terrible and unfulfilling grown-up Easter eggs.
By the time Mordekai re-entered the house, his arms were full-up with a cluster of cans (he forgot about the cans-- they were all cozy nearer to the back door) and bottles. He stared with child-like wonder at Tango as he walked to the counter, though, and for a second, it looked as if he was going to drop everything had to greet the hound. He controlled his impulses (somehow) and managed to load the bottles onto the counter-- a few threatened to roll off and onto the floor-- and he knelt down to greet the wolfhound.
"Hey, Tango," he whispered, patting his knee, "Where'd'y' dispose of 'em bodies, huh? Y'gonna tell me none gonna be in that front room there, right?"
More or less unfortunately for Mordekai, he heard the soft sound of low snoring just beyond the partitioned wall that separated the kitchen from the front. He didn't peek his head over-- he already had a clear image of half-naked men strewn about the floor pretty clearly in his mind-- and turned to Anita.
"Looks like none of 'em decided to take the couches, there," he nodded toward the couches and television, "You an' Cruz feel free to take it for the night. I'll grab'em blankets from upstairs, too." Where the hell was Cruz, even? He figured with the boys, but he had an errand to fill before he could check.
Mordekai paced upstairs and quickly went into the spare room, which was empty, save for a couple of boxes. There was some saving grace in the fact that none of the men took any particular liking to blankets, since the only had a few to spare for guests, which were reserved for the Petits. Who never, ever came. As a result, though, the blankets themselves were pastel colors of the green and yellow variety, and were baby-plush.
Once he walked back downstairs, Mordekai made a light wooshing noise and threw the two blankets over the stairs. They landed with an idle plop nearby one of the couches.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:18 pm
Anita ignored Mordekai's 'hey's apart from short glances. She shrugged at his suggestion for bed, as well. For the moment she was far more interested in Tango and she smushed his fluffy cheeks in her hands when the dog looked up at her. Her face scrunched in turn to match his expression.
When Mordekai opened the door again, Anita shivered. She watched him and covered her mouth to stifle back a laugh at the look he gave her dog. Some of the more precarious cans were adjusted while Tango made his way over and got some lovin's. He was clearly sleepy, a little stiff, and as he stood in front of the man Tango stretched his back legs and offered a low groan. At the distant snore, she reined back another laugh though this one quietly slipped through her teeth.
”Sure. Thanks,” Anita chirped quietly.
That was a point, actually, where was Cruz? Did he fall asleep out there with the boys too?
Mordekai's departure was followed lazily by Anita. She stepped right past the stairs, Tango hanging back in the kitchen to sniff around, and she scoped out the living room. Half naked men littered the floor in all sorts of strange positions and – ah, there he was. The frei was just starting to peel himself from the floor, rubbing his eyes.
”Hello, 'Nita.” he whispered. She beckoned with her hand.
A pile of blankets tumbled from above and landed in a heap before he made it halfway through the living room. Both chuckled and Cruz closed the distance, wrapping his arms around Anita's shoulders and burying himself against her with the acute sleepiness of a child.
”Hey, little man. I'm takin' the couch,” Anita nodded, smiling, then glanced around the room for any other free piece of furniture. There was a cushiony looking armchair that would probably be perfect for him. ”Think you'll be good with that?” she pointed it out and Cruz turned, taking a second to catch sight of what she meant. Nodding, the croc allowed his eyes to close without meaning to. Anita cupped his face and gave several quick smooches to the tip of his nose, then turned him around and gently nudged him toward the blankets. As expected, he took the green one and wrapped it around himself so that only his head was visible. The way Cruz settled onto the seat of the chair was almost like a cat, all bundled up and toasty, snuggling in.
Anita returned to the kitchen about the same time Mordekai was heading back from the stairs. Tango had flopped down in front of the back door by then, basking in the cool air they'd tracked in. She immediately made her way to the sink and started fiddling there. ”I'm not tired yet,” she asserted, knowing full well he was going to fight again if given the chance.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:20 pm
Everyone was settling in well-- good. The only darn fool that was left to take care of Anita, and before Mordekai could protest, Anita had turned on the sink. He let out a silent, defeated noise before spinning himself back around again to skulk back upstairs, though he didn't announce any particular reason. He was going up the stairs rather quickly, though, both out of necessity to stop Anita from washing all of the dishes, and because what he was retrieving was important. Very important.
The thing he had in mind-- the radio-- was perched ready for the taking in his bedroom chair, which he quickly picked up and marched down the stairs. He stopped mid-way to glance at the men and, incidentally, saw Cruz nesting into the armchair. Mordekai offered a small wave, though he doubted the Frei would notice.
By the time he returned to the kitchen, Mordekai very well near dropped a radio on the front counter, stopping on his rush to kick Anita away from the sink only when he found Tango lounging by the open backyard door. He walked quietly to the side of the hound and crouched forward to offer him a few pets.
"Tango, hey," he scratched the pup's head, "I'm gonna leave the door cracked open for you, alright? But I'm gonna have to close it just a little." He slid the door closed until a slit, an inch or two wide, remained.
After that business was settled, Mordekai walked around the counter and turned the radio around-- he fiddled with its cable and eventually found a free plug. He turned it on, and immediately twisted the knob to avoid the cacophonous shock of volume that would otherwise follow. It was practically mouse-quiet-- just barely audible, even in the stillness-- but Mordekai immediately hummed to the calming guitar riff.
"'Scuse me, miss," he whispered, before he stood next to Anita to turn the sink. It was ice-cold, and the sound of rushing water intertwined with the radio music, though Mordekai seemed to have no aversion to the combination. He managed to snatch the one sponge resting on the midline of the sink and gently poured the (near-empty) galleon of dishwash soap over it. His head bobbed to the melody.
"Hey-- gotta favor to ask you. If you're hellbent on stayin' awake," he glanced toward Anita, then motioned toward the counter near the fridge, "Grab some cloth an' dry these dishes when I hand 'em over. The dishwater here's broke as hell."
Immediately after asking Anita the favor, Mordekai turned back to the dishes and began singing, his voice low and slightly more evident over the din of rushing water.
Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner
Sometimes I feel like my only friend
Is the city I live in, the city of angels
Lonely as I am, together we cry
He nodded to the music when it resumed guitar. He glanced around them, though, and realized that the only light they had between them were from the lanterns of the backyard and from the stairway, both of which were sources that were nearly constantly lit. He turned towards Anita again.
"Y'want more light, or you good like this?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:21 pm
The lack of warm water was noted and Anita spent a short while fiddling with it. That afforded Mordekai his time to fetch the radio before he urged her away from the sink, which Anita barely obliged with a soft but exaggerated growl.
His pets, assurances, and accommodation with the door made Tango wag his tail slowly, giving the floor a couple dull thumps before he went still again. He was tired but, being a dog, he could sleep anywhere.
Anita waited with crossed arms while Mordekai situated everything. She craned her brow, watching him skeptically, but when he agreed to her assistance – begrudging or otherwise – she nodded along to the music too. The cloth was retrieved and she took her position where instructed. For a brief moment she looked surprised, then she smiled at the song. It grew a second later when Mordekai began singing. Anita giggled under her breath before starting to mouth along silently.
”I'm good,” she shrugged without looking up, eyes glued to the sink and its crowded dish load, ”My eyes are all adjusted and everything.”
Along with bobbing her head, one of her legs dipped at the knee and straightened along to the beat in lieu of tapping her foot, which she decided would be too noisy at the current time, even with socks on.
As the first dish was handed off to Anita, she dried it swiftly. Her hands moved both with a practiced ease and along to the beat of the song. Since she was offering no sound, her lip-synching allowed her to emote as much passion as the singer gave on the radio. Any time they belted it, her face scrunched up in kind and she threw her head back. A small stack of dishes were getting stacked neatly by the time the song changed, to be put away once they were done so Anita could negotiate the cabinets she was unfamiliar with.
Waitin' on a Sunday afternoon
For what I read between the lines
Your lies
Feelin' like a hand in rusted shame
So do you laugh at those who cry?
Reply
She knew what station they were listening to. It was one of the ones she programmed into her car from when she lived in Durem.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:22 pm
Mordekai appreciated the warm water, though he managed to turn the knob a little higher until the water was hot enough to exude steam. He tested the temperature a few times, and when it felt like it could potentially seer his skin off, he began washing the dishes twice as actively. He glanced over at Anita-- she was catching up with his washing speed, dammit, he wasn't having it. He couldn't help but grin when he noticed Anita lip-singing to the music, though, but he managed to note politely: "If you wanna change the radio anytime, feel free. So long as there's somethin' in the background."
While there were only eight people present that ate that night, it was hilarious how many dishes and instruments were used to plate, store, and mix the marinade for the ribs. With each song that managed to play on the radio, though, Mordekai responded each with more fervor, actual tempo and beat of the music aside. By the time they were nearly done with the dishes, he paused briefly to turn the knob of the radio again. Given that everyone was falling asleep fine to the noise of the sink, having something that was just a little louder than it wouldn't hurt.
When Mordekai finished washing the dishes, he turned the sink off and began practically shimmying his way out of the kitchen, as he whispered in a comically strained voice: Shalalala-lalala--
I was down at the New Amsterdam staring at this
Yellow-haired girl,
Mr. Jones strikes up a conversation with this
Black-haired flamenco dancer
She dances while his father plays guitar
She's suddenly beautiful
He waved towards Anita and added quietly, "Put 'em in the cabinet diagonal to your right, at the top, there. I'm gettin' the recycle for these damn bottles, they won't go away."
Mordekai managed to slip around Tango, opened the sliding door as quietly as he could, and ventured back out to the yard. Seconds later, the sound of rolling against cobblestone rumbled through the quiet air, then silence-- Mordekai slipped back into the house, gigantic recycling bin over his shoulder like a corpse.
He paced back into the kitchen and placed it next to the kitchen island. He scratched his chin contemplatively, "Oh, crap, this is gonna make noise, is'n'it."
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:23 pm
At the suggestion of changing the station, Anita just shook her head with a wry grin. She was moving along to the music, wasn't she? Not to mention, she was completely unfamiliar with other radio stations in this area anymore. He was lucky their musical tastes road along similar paths.
When things wrapped up and he shimmied out, Anita bent over and stifled a snort with the back of her arm. Tango lifted his head up to stare after him with that shalala, then adjusted little when Mordekai needed to move around him. She finished up drying the last dish, then set to work on putting them away in the proper cabinet. The sound of rolling caused Tango to sit up from his side but he remained on the floor and Anita looked over her shoulder to watch what was happening. She couldn't help but grin.
”It's okay, just do it slow,” Anita set the plate in her hands into its proper place and, with the dishes only half returned to the cabinet, moved over to the recycling and all of the bottles and cans. She took one of the empty Blue Moons and used the kitchen island as leverage, leaning inside of the recycling bin. The bottle gave only a small tap and Anita stayed with it until it rested flat and still. When she leaned back, Anita offered Mordekai a rather triumphant smirk; most of her face was overtaken by the smile, her eyes scrunched shut by it, but the look hardly lasted a second before she moved back to take another bottle and repeat the process.
Freezin'
Rests his head on a pillow made of concrete
Oh, feelin'
Maybe he'll see a little better, set a days
Oh, hand out
Faces he sees time again that ain't familiar
Oh, dark grin
He can't help, when he looks insane
When a few bottles from both of them rested quietly at the bottom of the bin, Anita left Mordekai to finish that to put away the remainder of the dishes. Neither action lasted long and between the two of them they kept moving fairly in tune with the radio when left to their own devices. Anita's head bobbed, her heel tapped, and she even gave a slight twitch of her hip along with any given beat. If her hands were free and there was a solid drum portion, she balled her hands into fists and tapped them in the air as if she held sticks.
”Even flow~” it slipped out under her breath while her back was turned, quickly resuming the silent movement of her lips instead.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:24 pm
Mordekai nodded along to Anita's suggestions and eventually followed to. He grabbed a few at a time and dipped them in there, for a couple of minutes, the sound of soft clinking filled the house. By the time Anita had gone back to putting the dishes away, the recycle bin was filled to arm's length with bottles and cans. Mordekai stared at the pile with amusement.
"Maybe I should just throw these on 'em when they wake up."
Nevertheless, without any other remark, Mordekai lifted the recycle bin and slowly eased it back out into the backyard-- making sure to be as quiet around Tango as possible-- and stared at the backyard. The chairs were out of the way. They smeared barbeque sauce onto the table and floors, somehow, but he could just spritz it later. The grill, though, needed proper scrubbing, and he'd forgotten to take some of the trash and metal clips back into the kitchen for cleaning. He could hear the radio only faintly from inside--
Clean shirt, new shoes
and I don't know what I am gonna do.
Silk suit, black tie,
I don't need a reason why.
He opened up the bottom comportant of the grill, took out the scraper, and gently-- ever so gently-- started scraping the burnt bits from the grill. Every once in a while, he let out a soft "shhhhh", out of some blind, strange superstition that the grate may silence to his favor.
They managed to get a majority of the work done in order-- washing the dishes, drying them, putting them where they had to be, cleaning the grill, washing down the backyard, putting everyone's damn clothes in a neat pile, and throwing the firecracker crap into Farrer's car-- fairly quickly. The only ordeal left was vacuuming, with Mordekai silently reasoned was a chore better done for the morning-- Mordekai went back upstairs to get as many pillows as was available from the empty room, which meant six of them, and administered a couple to the (completely unconscious) men and to Anita. He didn't have any desire to wake up Cruz, really, though he settled one pillow against the arm chair and let it be.
Then, Mordekai checked the electronic clock over the kitchen stove: 3:09AM. He had no idea what time, exactly, they had gone to the fields, let alone how long everything before or after that had actually taken. Mordekai felt more awake than he did the rest of the event, though, and leaned against the kitchen counter in awe.
"We're about done here, so if you want to catch some sleep, it's gettin' late. Thanks for the help, though," he offered Anita a smile, then turned down the radio a notch when everything fell to silence. Several of the men, by now, were snoring deeply. "Actually din't expect to do most of this stuff 'til after you guys were gone off."
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:25 pm
While Mordekai was busy with the grill, Anita finished off the rest of her stuff. It didn't feel like it took overly long, not with the music playing and time was flying since, by comparison to their clean up in the fields, this was much more pleasant. Fun, even.
...Yeah.
Yeah. This was fun. Completely unorthodox fun, Anita rarely enjoyed cleaning, but the music, the night, the generally calm atmosphere, it all helped tie it together alongside the bad feelings from earlier getting pushed aside in favor of productivity. She could respect that. It seemed short but hopefully he said what he needed to say. After all, Mordekai just said he wanted to apologize. Smooth things over so she – they – could enjoy themselves and now that's exactly what was happening.
Once things started wrapping up, Anita gave Tango a few strokes behind his ears and moved to sit at the kitchen table. A glass of water had been retrieved and sat half gone in front of her. When Mordekai returned, Anita was working on removing her socks and stretching out her toes. Each one had been meticulously painted with interchanging red and green, complete with a glittered overcoat, and the amount of care given almost looked professional. In actuality, she saved twenty bucks and got the croc to do it. Or, rather, the croc volunteered to do it and told Anita to sit down when she said he didn't have to.
”Yeah, I guess it is,” she mumbled, looking up at the clock as well. Anita shrugged and laughed quietly. ”I don't mind. I'd feel bad leaving it all to you, anyway.”
Sleep was almost tempting but, though her eyes did sting a bit, she found them difficult to close for more than a few seconds. For whatever reason, she was still wired. Must have been the New Years conditioning.
”Actually,” Anita started after finishing off her water, ”I usually just kick it on New Years until I pass out. I'm not really that tired, yet.” She shrugged, tucking her arm over the back of the chair and crossing one leg, ”I'll keep busy if you wanna head up. Don't mind me.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:26 pm
Mordekai stared at Anita sheepishly, at first-- it was obvious that she wasn't really sleepy, yet; by comparison, he probably looked dead tired. In truth, he still felt restless, like always, and offered Anita another threadbare laugh.
"If y'wanna stay put here, it's fine. I'll see you in the mornin', then."
He figured he wouldn't bother Anita about having to get her sleep, since that was the most hypocritical thing he cod think of. Mordekai quiely walked back upstairs, his footfalls dulled by his socks. When he opened the bedroom, the inside was frozen cold-- he'd forgotten to close the window before everything had begun, and hadn't noticed when he'd rushed in to get the radio.
For whatever reason, Mordekai left the window open, then stared at his bed-- was he going to try and get some sleep? Hell if he knew. Cruz's socks were laid out over the bedsheet for him to choose between, though he simply nudged them aside and sat on the bed corner.
He stared sleeplessly out the window, eyes narrowed. He did this for a few minutes. Half an hour. Maybe more than that, but it felt like eons. He didn't know of sure-- he wasn't bothered enough to check the time.
But, if he wasn't going to sleep, he was going to do it somewhere with the night sky.
Mordekai grabbed his coat and gloves from the closet and walked back downstairs, pulling his added layers on as he checked the kitchen and living room. Some part of him hoped that Anita had fallen asleep despite her New Years wake. For the moment, he was quietly preoccupied with rustling through the men's clothes to find a cigarette pack and walk out back again.
When he looked back out the backyard, though, he squinted. He really hated them being perpetually on, and given that Duncan was now deep in sleep, he switched the light off. Pitch dark.
Better.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:28 pm
She waved him off. That was surprisingly painless. Once he was upstairs, Anita refilled her glass and sat back down. Tango decided to stay in the kitchen with her, though after several minutes he relocated to lying under the table and act as a warm, fuzzy foot rest. She leaned back in the chair and relaxed for a few minutes, soaking in the silence. All of the ruckus from before was appreciated but only in doses. Everyone needed a little down time to recuperate and she was grateful she would be getting some now before trying to fall asleep among a gaggle of snoring men.
After a while, Anita pulled her phone out. In all of the commotion it was entirely likely she missed a text or a call. No calls this time but her mom did text her wishing her a good time and to be safe. She smiled and texted back a quick heart.
From there, though, she was a bit at a loss. She told Mordekai she'd keep busy but there really wasn't anything for her to do in Duncan's house by herself. There was a handheld in the car but was it worth the trouble of getting dressed again just to go grab it? One look out into the frigid expanse told her no and she settled back in her seat right around the time the lamps shut off in the garden. Anita turned to look and suddenly there was near total darkness. Hesitantly, she flipped her phone open again and gave a quiet breath of relief at the dim light. Now she really had to keep busy.
It wasn't so bad with Tango present. One of her feet slowly stroked along his back and the idle motion was calming in its own right. He wasn't bothered. She had no reason to be – except she was nearly given a start when there was a silhouette at the front of the kitchen. Anita let out a sharp breath then laughed quietly and gave Mordekai a short wave, then diverted her attention back to her phone. Her thumb plodded through her menu, just looking through old pictures, the first of which was the shitty fireworks attempt that didn't turn out at all.
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:28 pm
Mordekai was shocked that Anita was still awake, and offered her a smell wave in greeting. He pulled on his gloves before quietly sliding the door fully open-- he'd neglected to close it thoroughly for Tango earlier. He was oddly upset at the fact that Anita wasn't doing much at all on New Years after they'd tidied everything up, though, so he stood between the threshold and the backyard porch for a few seconds before deciding, at a spur of the moment, to turn around and talk to Anita.
"Hey," Mordekai began-- he talked in a normal, non-whispering voice, as he was fairly confident that everyone sleeping was long gone. "I'm gonna go out a little far to the hills for sunrise. Wanna come, or d'you just wanna stay put?"
He pulled his own cellphone: 3:58AM. If he ran and paced there like he was originally planning to, the trip would have taken a good 18, 20 minutes, but walking to the grass meant double the time. "It's a good 30, 40 minute walk t'get t'the heart of it, so..."
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Posted: Wed Jan 01, 2014 2:29 pm
She'd killed time filtering through old pictures and, hell, even old texts. Anita kept her nose to her phone while Mordekai started off toward the back, then looked up, startled, when he spoke. The dark kept her expression hidden – his too. They checked their phones for the time simultaneously. She looked down at Tango, at her bare feet, then up toward the living room. It took a few seconds or her to respond.
”Yeah, sure.”
Tango lifted his head as she pulled her socks and boots back on. When she stood and donned her coat, he crept out from beneath the table and stretched. ”You wanna come too, bud?” she scratched his head while zipping up. Again her hair was floofed out from its trappings inside the coat, though this time without banging her head. Her phone was tucked into her pocket and patted her leg to beckon the dog to follow. He didn't need to be told twice. When they got to Mordekai and followed out back, he shook off and plodded aways to find a place to relieve himself.
”Sunrise, huh?” A walk that long wouldn't be bad. It'd kill time, if nothing else, and the exertion would probably tire them both out. If he was up now, chances were he couldn't sleep. Maybe too wired, like her, from previous events. ”Bet it looks gorgeous out here.” Anita scoffed a bit sheepishly, hanging her head as they walked past some of the flower patches she recalled from her first visit here, the tulips she asked the fairies if she could borrow. ”This place is amazing...”
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