InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Weiss Kreuz is flowershop love"

silvermoonlady (silvermoonlady) wrote in halcyon_houses,
@ 2008-09-28 20:41:00

Entry tags:

charlie, sydni

Week 18: Friday night
Who: Sydni and Charlie
Where: Charlie's room
When: Friday night, later

Charlie had really made Sydni's evening by extending the invitation to sleepover. She had been feeling rather isolated recently, and Simon was totally right - she was throwing herself a little pity party in her room. She would rather have thought of it as film and food therapy, but the young man had hit the nail on the head. In all honesty, the surprise visit from the youth had lifted her spirits a bit. Helping friends really did distract her from her own problems. Really, in that respect, Sydni's way of dealing with her shit was not all that different from Charlie's - she needed distractions just as much. Hers were probably just less self-destructive.

After the chat with Charlie, Sydni finished her movie (The Goonies seriously had to be her favorite comfort movie) and then tried reading a bit. He had said he was working, and even though he had also said she wouldn't be a distraction, she didn't want to chance interfering anyway. But, she was having a hard time focusing. She hadn't seen her friend really outside of class since he'd returned and she missed spending time with him. It was also comforting to know she'd be spending the night. Considering how lonely she'd been, sharing a bed with someone, especially someone she'd grown so close to, was something to which she really looked forward.

For a while, she tried to soothe her restlessness by debating whether her sleepwear was appropriate for the evening. After changing several times, she decided that her original choice was totally appropriate - it wasn't too revealing, and it was comfy enough to lounge around in. Checking the clock and determining she'd wasted enough time, she removed her sacred jewelry and made her way to Terrene House. After a couple of abandonned efforts, she finally snuck in and made it to Charlie's room. Even though she knew the door was unlocked, she knocked before entering. She would have simply died if she walked in on him, and the knock would give him a chance to warn her away if he wasn't in a situation to see her. "Hey," she said softly as she entered.

Ads by Project Wonderful! Your ad here, right now: $0

(Post a new comment)

charlie_changed
2008-09-30 11:19 am UTC (link)

Charlie was hunched over his keyboard, hand sketching on his Wacom pad, his eyes a bit bleary. It wasn't all that late, but he'd been working on this design all day. He'd gotten up early, despite the protests from his body, to hammer away at the project before classes. He'd sketched between classes. And now, he was putting off some homework to continue working on the design. It was for a very important client, and Charlie was determined to wow the dude. Whenever his hand got tired, he stopped for a bit to look over the accounting shit Lewis had emailed him. There was some sort of error that Lewis couldn't find, and he was hoping a fresh set of eyes would locate the problem. Trouble was, Charlie's eyes were far from fresh right now. Fuck... he needed sleep... but he had more work to do first.

Going to school while still trying to maintain the same level of productivity with the shop was starting to wear on Charlie. His trip home had been extremely refreshing, helping him clear his head, get some quality sleep, and enjoy the warmth that came from being surrounded by loved ones. Returning to school had been like a slap to the face. There were really only three people keeping him here, and he felt he might be able to convince one of them to go back to L.A. with him. But was he really ready to go back? He had a lot of work to do on control, he knew that all too well. But Charlie wasn't sure this was the place to learn it. He'd said as much to Sydni while talking to her briefly on AIM.

And just as he was thinking about her, he heard a knock followed by the creek of the hinges on his door. "Back at ya," he said before yawning and pushing his chair away from the desk. "Come on in, and lock the door behind you." The guards hadn't been following him around lately as they had in the past, and he'd been well behaved for a good month now. Still, Charlie didn't one one of them busting into his room if they did happen to see Sydni sneaking in.

He got up from his chair, stretching his hands over his head as he came up onto his tip toes. The action caused his tattered old tshirt to rise up well above the waistband of his low slung mesh pants. "I need to work on this just a bit longer, but make yourself at home. Turn on the TV, some music, whatever suits ya." Stretch complete, he let out a little groan upon sitting back down in front of his computer, feeling very much like a slave to the damn thing.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

silvermoonlady
2008-09-30 07:16 pm UTC (link)

Locking the door as directed, she knelt first to say hello to Cassius, giving him a good rub before standing. She would have been mortified if a guard busted her in Charlie's - because they would have been thinking something that wasn't true. In any case, she stood as Charlie stretched, and she couldn't help but grin a bit as she caught a glimpse of his abs. Seriously, he had to the be sexiest man she'd ever met.

Nodding, she glanced around the room to spot the remote and went over to grab. Catching the groan, she paused, but went over to flop on the bed anyway, glancing over at her friend while she surfed the channels for something to watch. "You look beat. Thinking about taking a break in a bit?" She really didn't want to be a bother to him, but she was a bit concerned at how weary he looked. "Sometimes it helps. Can go back to it later."

Whatever his answer, she left it at that. She didn't want to be a pest.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

charlie_changed
2008-09-30 07:48 pm UTC (link)

Charlie was in focused work mode, otherwise he might have noticed Sydni checking him out. Then, one of two things would have happened. One, he'd of called her out and teased her mercilessly. Or, two, he'd have taken full advantage of the moment and pounced on her. As it was, he locked his eyes on the computer screen once more, his sockets feeling like absolute shit.

At her words, he sighed and shrugged, "Soon, I promise. I don't mean to be a shitty host, but I need to figure out this design. It's just... no matter how I adjust things, the look isn't right." Charlie took his hand off the Wacom pen, his elbows moving to rest on the desk, hands on his temples. "I know it might sound stupid, but it's nearly impossible to feel inspired here. The building is old. The professors are old. And even though I'm no longer aging, I feel old. Old shit doesn't inspire fresh new ideas. Something sexy, fast... dangerous." He'd scrapped this design at least thirty times today. It wasn't clicking with the aesthetic the client had described. Charlie knew exactly what the man was after, but it couldn't seem to shape the idea.

"Sometimes I hate my job," he muttered softly, finally slumping back in his seat. Glancing over his shoulder, he gave her a weak grin. "I got movies too if you don't find something while surfing."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

silvermoonlady
2008-09-30 08:02 pm UTC (link)

The teasing would have elicited plenty of blushing on her part, and maybe a bit of ribbing back. She had grown braver about these things since meeting Charlie. And while the pounce would have been unexpected, she certainly would have enjoyed.

"You're not being a shitty host," she assured him softly. Furrowing her brows, she listened carefully to Charlie's words. Even if she didn't feel that way about this place, she could see how someone could feel that way. Somehow, her filter failed her, and she blurted out, "Sharks" to his description of what he needed. Blushing a bit, she felt silly. He must think she has sharks on the brain. Ok, well, maybe sharks weren't sexy, but they were sleek. Softly, she added, "Or Mustangs. Mustangs are sexy cars." She didn't know if it were improper for her to suggest a Ford Mustang - they weren't competitors were they? She had no idea.

"No, that's ok. I'll watch this," she replied, finally stopping on one of her favorite crime shows. It was a repeat, but that was fine by her. She just loved crime shows.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

charlie_changed
2008-09-30 08:19 pm UTC (link)

Charlie's interest was piqued when she blurted out 'sharks', and he got up from his seat, looking at her curiously. Then she said 'mustangs' and elaborated about them being sexy cars. That jarred him slightly, because Ford hadn't made a good car in years. If it wasn't a '67 Shelby or earlier, he didn't give a shit. "Forget about the horses... go on with the shark idea. Tell me how sharks make you feel. What about them excites you the most?" This might work, to feed off the passion of another, it might inspire something new and different, something with the potential to wow his new client.

He came to sit down in front of her on the bed, his eyes locked right on hers. Reaching for the remote, he muted the TV to eliminate distractions. His mind was flipping through a mental album of every image he'd ever seen of sharks. He thought of the movie JAWS, of watching Shark Week with his brother, of his few glimpses of dorsal fins over the years while surfing, and of trips to the aquarium with Maggie.

The body of a shark fit well with his current concept. The lines, the simple beauty, the power, even the color. "Come on, talk to me... inspire me." Sydni probably didn't realize it, but it was significant he was asking her for help. He had an actual muse as one of his closest friends, even though things had been odd between them lately. He could have gone to Jaida for help, but he wanted Sydni.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

silvermoonlady
2008-09-30 08:35 pm UTC (link)

Sydni was no expert on cars, but there were cars that she thought were totally sexy. Mustangs were one of them. Jags could be hot, and so could 'vettes. Startled that he was so interested in her idea, she grappled to find the right words for a moment. "Oh... What excites me? Um, the power. The simple power. They're so... effortless in their movements."

Surprised at the intensity of his gaze, Sydni grew silent for a moment. Inspire him? Now that was a demand she really wanted to fulfill. It was tough - she'd never been an inspiration to anyone. How many times had she tried to convince someone of the beauty of her favorite creature and failed? But then, you couldn't convince someone who had already decided. Clearing her throat, and breaking eye contact for a moment, she took a minute to gather her thoughts. "Well, like, with the power, they're able to come in and tear a hunk of horsemeat off a hook as simply as if they were grabbing a cookie out of a jar. It's like, there's no sudden rush, it just happens. All very... streamlined. And silent. I mean, it's underwater, so yeah, but there's that cocoon of silence that keeps all distractions out of the experience."

Shifting to sit up so she could really talk to Charlie, she crossed her legs yoga-style, and held his gaze, definitely more comfortable with her words, were now streaming out, nearly as fast as she could think them. "And strength - they have like natural armor. And their bite can crush, well - even with a shark suit on, divers get injured. Crushed bones." Ok, maybe that wasn't a great thing to tell him; he did worry about her as it was. But she wasn't really thinking about that. "And the really fast sharks, like makos and great whites, are symmetrical - the top and bottom of their tails are nearly perfectly matched. It's what makes them fast." Pausing for breath, and more ideas, she gave Charlie a few seconds to respond. A few, before she would continue on.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

charlie_changed
2008-09-30 08:46 pm UTC (link)

Charlie's mind was racing now, and it was clear in his expression, especially the glint in his eyes, that he was getting ideas from all the things she was saying. When she paused, he leaned in and kissed her quickly on the lips before jumping up off the bed and rushing back to his computer. "Keep talking," he demanded in an excited voice.

As she did, Charlie began from scratch on a new design. The lines came easily, flowed from his hand onto the screen, creating an object of elegance that still inspired fear. It was stunning. He kept drawing even when she wasn't talking, totally in his 'zone'. Why hadn't he ever looked to a shark for inspiration before? It was the perfect model, and it was exactly what the client had asked for.

Considering all the time he'd spent on the other highly-flawed designs, it was scary how fast this one came together, how easily. Yeah, it still needed tweaking on a technical level, but the concept was flawless. "Come here..." he said when he was happy with the idea, his weary eyes twinkling again as the light from the computer screen was reflected off them. "I want you to see what you helped create." Charlie scooted back a bit and patted his lap for her to take a seat.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

silvermoonlady
2008-09-30 08:58 pm UTC (link)

Well, that kiss certainly stopped her talking for a moment, but the enthusiasm in his eyes made her laugh, and at his request, she let her thoughts flow again. "Well, and all the parts of a shark - they fit together. Like the same design works so well, it keeps repeating - triangular teeth to tiny denticles on the skin to triangular fins. It all just seems so incredible how well it works. And the dangerous parts are so flawlessly tied in to the whole creature - really, a great white doesn't look so dangerous until it's actually sunk its teeth into the prey." Sighing, she paused a moment in thought, smiling slightly, and then looked over at Charlie's design. She couldn't believe how much was already on the 'page'.

Growing quiet, she watched with a pleased smile as Charlie worked. It was incredible to watch him work - like watching a master painter at work on a canvas. That's really what he was doing, wasn't it?

Smiling shyly, Sydni got up and went to sit on his lap. "I didn't do much. Just talked. It was already in your head. You just needed to find it..." Looking at the design, she couldn't help but be awed. "Wow, Charlie, it's beautiful..." It was a damn sexy bike. She could totally have ridden it.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

charlie_changed
2008-09-30 09:08 pm UTC (link)

He wrapped his arm around her when she sat on his lap and rested his head against her. "You did plenty, trust me. I've been trying to figure this out all week, been slaving away like a crazy person... you show up, and within minutes it comes to me." He turned his head to kiss her arm, "Thanks."

Charlie pulled her tighter to him, hugging her to his chest. "Ok, now that work is out of the way, I can play host. You seemed kinda bummed online, anything you wanna talk about?" He hadn't intended to be selfish with his dedication to work, but surely she understood, and at least he was making up for it now with giving her his full attention, right?

He rubbed his hand over her back, gently caressing her spine to soothe her. "I may be sleepy, but I'm all ears if you need them."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

silvermoonlady
2008-09-30 09:21 pm UTC (link)

Smiling, Sydni accepted the compliment with a slight nod but didn't say anything else. At the kiss, she blushed a little, and placed her hands over his with his arms around her. Frowning a bit, she shook her head. "No... I mean, I think I'm just feeling a bit isolated. It just seems like I haven't had a lot of time for friends either. Working and classes and everything. And then with Miklos leaving..." she let her voice trail off. That was the one downfall of her plan to avoid her problems - she often stressed herself into a burnout with such a full schedule. And then, she didn't even want to touch on the inevitable - Charlie's leaving.

Closing her eyes at his touch on her spine, she could easily have gone to sleep like that. "I'm fine," she murmured. Not turning around since she was enjoying his caress, she offered softly, "You want a back rub? You look really tired and all." She was almost hesitant to offer - she really wanted him to keep rubbing her back. But then, she had thought he needed one soon as she walked in the door.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

charlie_changed
2008-09-30 10:48 pm UTC (link)

Where she trailed off, Charlie spoke up, "And me likely leaving as well. Ignoring it won't make it cease to be true, Syd. I don't want to leave you or any of my other good friends, but I don't think this is the place for me. It's the same for Miklos too, I'm sure. And just because people leave, doesn't mean they exit your life all together. I fully expect you to catch a plane from time to time and come visit me. I'll be furious with you if you don't." He reached up and smoothed his thumb gently over her cheek, smiling at her. "Promise you'll visit."

He talked as though his mind was made up, and it basically was, there were just a lot of details that needed to be settled still, and then there was the issue of asking Davia if she'd come with him. He didn't tell Sydni about that, because he worried it would upset her. It really sucked that the two women had never really patched things up, because he cared about them both, and he didn't like having to keep his mouth shut about each of them when around the other.

At her offer, he grinned broadly, "I'd love one." Charlie helped her up off his lap, then dragged his feet over to his bed, collapsing on it a second after pulling his shirt off. "First you help me with my design, now a back rub? Anyone ever tell you you're a goddess, Syd?" He reached up and pulled down a pillow, tucking it under his cheek. "Do your worst."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

silvermoonlady
2008-09-30 11:07 pm UTC (link)

"Yeah. I'm really gonna miss you." She didn't add that she felt silly now that he was going, that she had held back on sleeping with him. She cared for him, he cared for her, and they were both adults. Maybe it wasn't exactly what she'd imagined, but now that the chance to develop more felt like it was being ripped away, she didn't want to let what she did have go. Smiling when he caressed her cheek with her thumb, she said softly, "I promise." And she meant it.

To be honest, Sydni really cared about Shaye. Yes, it was a bit touchy where Charlie was concerned. But really, the only thing that could have happened would have been that Sydni took a step back a bit - she'd never want to interfere where Charlie and Shaye were concerned.

Chuckling, the were blushed a bit. "No, but I'm sure I'm really not." Once Charlie seemed all settled, she climbed up on top of him, straddling him over his hips. She was no professional, but she knew how to give a good backrub. Starting at his shoulders, she alternated the different techniques she used, knowing that would be the best way to get to all the knots. She wouldn't even be mad if he fell asleep - if he was that relaxed, she'd done her job.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

charlie_changed
2008-09-30 11:16 pm UTC (link)

"I'll miss you, too, which is why you have to visit. I've talked it over a bit with Dad this week. I'm going to live with him until I can find a new apartment. I canceled my lease when I came here, and my furniture's been in storage. But, yeah, gonna be with him for a while. The biggest issue will be figuring out my work schedule... meeting with clients and the like. I don't know what sort of excuse to give them regarding not being able to set foot outside when it's daylight." He'd already figured out the blood stuff, there were apparently places where vampires could go to buy blood, and some places even delivered, just like pizza! He'd get himself a big ass cooler and store as much as possible, then just keep the shit coming on a regular basis. Charlie wanted to be prepared. He couldn't afford to ever get thirsty when there was no one strong enough to stop him back home.

"Anyway, once I'm settled, you better be my first guest." Davia's guest too, if the woman agreed to return to L.A. with him, which would make things a little awkward for the three of them. He didn't know how Sydni and Davia would react to the situation, and it was one of the few times were the idea of being caught in the middle of two women didn't appeal to him in the slightest.

Charlie let out a series of long sighs, as though his tension was escaping through the air he didn't technically need. It was weird, the habit of breathing. It wasn't necessary to his continued undead existence, but he did it anyway. "You're awesome, Syd... seriously. I needed this bad." He needed to get laid too, but Charlie knew that would be asking too much. He'd have to go out sometime soon and find a woman to hook up with, or beg Jaida to take mercy on him again. Charlie hadn't gotten any in a few weeks, and that was a record dry spell for him.

As Sydni's hands rubbed over his lower back, he let out a groan, "Right there... you can use more pressure... I'm not gonna break." Sitting at the computer for hours really was hell on his lower back, and the muscles there were extremely tense right now.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

silvermoonlady
2008-09-30 11:24 pm UTC (link)

"Tell them you're on a night schedule. Like a cop or something. I mean, if you always keep the same schedule, it would make sense. You have the evening shift when Lewis has the day shift." To be honest, Sydni knew that she would have no problem if Charlie wanted blood from her. The only thing that kept her from offering was concern over his reaction - she knew it really freaked him out and she didn't want to upset him.

Smiling, she only offered a noncommittal, "Yeah?" She didn't know how soon she'd feel like leaving Halcyon, even for just a visit home. And, whenever that was, she had to see her parents first. Then, she'd either very much need her friend's comfort, or perhaps she'd hide away at Halcyon, instead. It was sure to be a difficult visit no matter how her parents reacted.

"Believe me, I know you're not gonna break." Freaking muscles like whoa. Like hell he'd break. At his direction, she applied more pressure, trying to get to the deeper tissue. She was a bit concerned about hurting him - she was stronger, too - but she figured it was unlikely.

(Reply to this) (Parent)