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 Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 6:30 pm
He didn't really know Beth well enough yet to know which room was hers. He knew it was in the Hera dorm, sure, but he'd never been inside. It was a little odd, he thought. He and Beth talked about some deep s**t, but he had no idea where she lived. Maybe she preferred it that way.
It was this lack of knowledge and concern for propriety that had Brian only casually looking for the petite brunette. He went by the Hera dorm when he went on his runs and just hoped that some time they'd run into each other. Hell, every time they'd met up back on-base so far had been by chance! He worried about her, though. She had been turned into a mouse and an alpaca, and nearly been eaten by a tiger. Considering her self-doubt and wariness of battle, he really did want to check up on her.
This particular time was another casual run-by. Brian wore a t-shirt and an old pair of Adidas pants considering the temperate as of late and turned his head toward the lawn before the Hera dorm as he passed. It'd be pure dumb luck if he came across her. They needed to trade Skype names or something!
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Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2016 6:52 pm
It was chance that drew Beth's eyes out the window right as Brian came into view over the crest of a small hill. Her eyes went wide. Though they had seen each other at the end of their adventure in the bayou, she had not yet had a chance to speak to him. She had no time to lose. She was dressed in her pjs, but quickly shed them for something a bit more casual, but in line with the current weather. She certainly couldn't look as if she had been lounging about her bedroom. And her makeup! Well, she put the absolute minimum on for the sake of appearances, grabbing her purse with her emergency stash in case she had a need to touch up. She ran out of her room and toward an outer door. Counting to herself, she timed it so that she could open it and step out right as Brian approached on the sidewalk. She stared down at her phone as if texting and looked up just as he passed. "Brian!" She said, sounding pleasantly surprised, and only slightly like she had rushed out of the door in heels. WC: 194, Total: 194
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2016 6:07 pm
Well, look at that! For once, Beth was actually in the general vicinity. He waved to her as he came closer but realized that she was looking down at her phone. Nevertheless, when he got close enough and began to slow down, she recognized him there. He smiled to her.
"Hey! I've been looking for you." Hopefully that wasn't weird. "How've you been?" She was certainly dressed nicely. Hopefully he wasn't going to make her late for something. Ooh, a date, maybe? For now he would resist the urge to tease her about it.
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Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2016 6:49 pm
Beth tried to keep the blush from her face when he said he had been looking for her. But her eyes brightened and her smile widened, so she needn't have bothered. "I've been," she searched for a comforting lie, but was surprised when she found the truth to be, "good. Maybe we're getting used to this after all. Well, maybe just I am, I'm sure despite all the magic this is almost an old hat." She wondered if she had made this observation to him already. "I see you're still on a strict exercise regimen. What, slogging through the bayou wasn't enough to keep you ready for the streets of," she grasped for the name of his home base and realized that she didn't know it or had forgotten it. "The streets of the city." She finished lamely and then winced. "Not to imply that you're, like, a street walker, just a turn of phrase." She sighed. Why was she always so tongue-tied? As her friends back home were fond of saying, he probably hadn't thought anything of it until she'd tried to clarify. "How are you?" She tried a smooth recovery. WC: 192, Total: 386
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Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2016 5:53 pm
Brian was pleased that Beth's "good" didn't sound like a lie. He couldn't imagine that anyone was exactly as happy as they had been before the mission, but at least the one had ended relatively well. While they might have been putting civilians at risk with Circe's magic, they'd been able to restore everyone who had been turned. That was a far more positive end than he'd been expecting. He didn't know what he'd have done if they'd needed to choose who turned back and who lived as an animal forever. There had to be only so many of those flowers in the swamp.
"I try to stay fit." "Keep the ladies happy," his brain said, but his smile only grew out a bit. He blamed Sylvia for that thought. Then he laughed. A street walker! "No, no. I'm the one who keeps the street walkers off the street. I get a car." He stopped than and tilted his head.
"I mean, you just have the one PT test and you can let yourself go, but I'm not really the doughnut type. I'd much rather actually be able to keep up and not have a heart attack."
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Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 6:13 pm
"Staying fit is so important." Beth sighed, "Even if it's not something I was able to keep up with. I might love doughnuts too much." She laughed at the idea of Brian demolishing a dozen box from Krispy Kreme. Perhaps it was for the best that he never made it a habit. Police work seemed stressful on the best of days. "I always thought being an officer meant constant action. Being at peak physical condition just sorta came with the territory. I mean, that's what I figured happened for you." She gestured to encompass all of him. "But I guess you're just a particularly tenacious go-getter." She grinned to show it was a compliment. She hoped she didn't have any lipstick on her teeth. WC: 124, Total: 510
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Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2016 6:49 pm
If Beth had lipstick on her teeth, Brian didn't notice.
"The whole fat-cop-who-can't-run thing is unfortunately based in fact," he said with a smirk. "There were at least a few guys in every city who would never pass another Fitness Test in their lives. The doughnuts thing is more stereotype, but hey, who doesn't like doughnuts?" There was a part of him that wanted to play the big brother and assure Beth that he could definitely not tell that she liked doughnuts, but that was probably still inappropriate.
"Well, I'm flattered that you think so." He personally worried that, at the moment, he might be a particularly smelly go-getter. "I started in the military when I was really young. It's good stress relief. Exercise, I mean. I'm not keeping you from anything, am I?" She was all dressed-up and looked ready to go out after all.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2016 4:40 pm
Beth's eyes widened. Well, it certainly wasn't her place to deny the truth of his experience. "Doughnuts are like little flakes of Heaven," she sighed, "especially chocolate glazed ones."Her eyes lit up a bit. "Did you come from a military family? I know exercise has all sorts of benefits, but sometimes it can be so hard to start!" She paused, scrambling for some good excuse for being outside. She was flattered that he noticed her efforts on her appearance. "N-no, I, um....was just thinking about walking into town. Um, Hillgrove, I think? I haven't checked out the liquor store, and I was thinking of bringing some libations to Misha's party." To say nothing of replenishing her own store. "Are you going? To the party, I mean."WC: 127, Total: 251
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2016 5:06 pm
"Yeah, on my dad's side anyway." He smiled. Nobody on his mother's side had served as far as he knew, but there was a line going back a long way on his dad's side. He also made a mental note to buy Beth some chocolate glazed doughnuts the next time he was in town.
"Oh, yeah, have you been there often?" He'd bee to Hillgrove a few times for supplies and such. It kept him busy while he was on-base. "Yeah, I was told I don't have a choice. I've been helping her set up the gym and things. Do you know what you're wearing yet?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 5:35 pm
"That's really cool! It must be nice to have some kind of legacy in common with your forebears." Of course, she knew what a weight such expectations could be, if unwelcome. "N-no, I haven't. Misha and I were supposed to go, but then we got called to the Hearth and then Circe happened." She frowned a bit, those little doubts and feelings bubbling up to nag at her. She was doing a much better time at managing her emotions this time around--maybe because they hadn't condemned a group of people to death. Or had they? The choice Circe had forced was not pleasant, if only because of what the Chosen had elected to do. She blinked, pulled from her thoughts by Brian's words about the Halloween party. Parties! The perfect distraction. "I've been toying with a few things. I'm not sure how to go with this group. Skanky? Or full regalia?" She made a little movement to illustrate each choice: a sassy hip c**k and hair primp for the former, and a more demure gesture crown to toe, while straightening to her full height. Then she shrugged and put her arm down. "What about you? Or has Misha not given you a choice there either?" It was meant to be teasing. But there was a bite to her words and a brightness in her eyes. WC: 225, Total: 862
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Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 4:31 pm
There had never been a question as to whether Brian would join the army, but he wasn't sure it was a bad thing. He wasn't sure it was a good thing, either. There wasn't much point dwelling on it, he thought, because there was no going back and undoing what had been done. He felt that more now than ever.
"Yeah, she sort of threw a wrench into everyone's plans, I imagine," he said, and then in a moment his smile returned. He wasn't really a party guy himself, but he was happy that he had apparently distracted Beth. He looked her over as platonically as possible and his mouth squished over to one side. He couldn't imagine Beth skanky, but maybe one of the more tasteful ones? "I'm not sure. I think you could pull either off, if you don't mind my saying, but I see you as more of a 'regalia' type."
The he looked down at himself, imagined the right green leather pants, and sighed. Right.
"Well. I got out of 'sexy werewolf' pretty easily. I get to wear a shirt. Unfortunately it's a bit more revealing of an ensemble than I'd have chosen alone." He smiled again and shrugged. "Costumes required, right?" There were worse things in the world.
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 7:16 pm
Beth blushed under his gaze, light as it was. Her hand nervously went back to her hair, hoping her quick prep had been enough. "Yeah? You think so? It's so hard to judge this group, though. I'd like to, um, fit in, you know?" She half shrugged. "But I'll keep your suggestion in mind." Beth tilted her head, considering Brian as a sexy werewolf. Her ears went pink again. "Well, if you're really not comfortable with it, I'm sure you can figure out something more to your taste. Costumes are fun, but not so much if you're being forced into them. Isn't it better to choose the mask you use to hide your face, rather than have it chosen for you?"WC: 121, Total: 983
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Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2016 7:28 pm
Brian nodded and eyed Beth's hand. Was she nervous? Did she have somewhere to be after all? He hoped she wouldn't have told him otherwise if so.
"I think we have all types here. No matter what you do, you'll be fine." His worry wasn't so much about fitting in as it was not standing out. He didn't want anybody looking. It could be flattering, sure, but he was used to blending in; standards, uniforms, fair skin. If he was going to have to be dressed up as something fictional, he didn't want to stand out any more than that.
"It's not so bad. A bit tight, maybe, but I get to wear a hood to hide behind before I get nice and toasty." He shrugged. "Have you ever watched Arrow? That guy. It might be a little cheeky with the whole archery thing, but it works for me."
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2016 4:12 pm
He was trying to make her feel welcome, or at least calm her nerves. Beth appreciated the sentiment. Of course, invitations to do "whatever you want" were seldom as limitless as they pretended to be. She could never shake the fear that she was doing something wrong when left to her own devices. Or choices. Even when they involved her own preferences. So she just laughed a bit nervously and gave a noncommittal, "Yeah, we'll see."Beth was slightly alarmed and yet amused at Brian's description of the costume. "No, I haven't. Should I start?" The corner of her mouth curved up. "Oh, the bow and arrow. Right, I got it." It was an easy joke to make, but she didn't say anything in case the costume had been his idea.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2016 5:08 pm
The half-nervous answer was exactly what Brian had been expecting, but at least he had tried. Somehow he doubted that anyone was going to hold Beth's costume against her, whatever it was. She was a pretty young woman, and the Prytaneum had a habit of bringing out the alcoholic in everyone.
"Well, that's up to you. It's a superhero thing. I had no idea there were comic books and everything beforehand." He shrugged. "I've seen it a couple times. I feel the least ridiculous I did while at the shop in it. it's a bit, uh. Tight. So I guess, if you like to watch attractive male actors running around in tight leather pants, yeah, watch it." Otherwise she could just deal with him in costume. Hah.
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