Morningstar Manor

Charlie was very serious about painting, though the rest of the time he'd willingly admit that he was a bit of a dork, and serious art demanded a serious working space. Hence selecting bedroom three of his apartment, windowless and with no distractions, as his studio. Tucked away in there he could really concentrate, humming quietly to the music on his iPod while he slathered paint on the canvas, of picked out one of his tiny delicate watercolours.

Problem was that he didn't always hear the doorbell first go.

Kris had almost a full day of hair styling scheduled, but he also had laundry to do, having had a bit of a mishap with a mug of coffee and the trailing edge of his comforter. So into the laundry and he began to stuff the machine, the skin of his back crawling as it had been all morning.

He glanced round.

Nobody there.

It crawled again so he glanced round.

Still nobody there.

###

Guy hadn't heard anything back from the Manor - but then it was only a couple of days and his application had been speculative. He still had his fingers crossed though and he opened the window and took a breath of air untainted by disinfectant. At least the cab no longer stank of vomit. He was heartily sick of picking up drunks.

Even though he was a little preoccupied he still spotted the raised hand of a prospective fare and pulled over with a grin.

###

Ben ticked another item off on his list and smiled at Kelsey as she passed with a tray of mugs of coffee from the Auberge. He had found the shop fitters worked harder and more willingly if they were supervised and if the coffee kept coming. It would be his turn to go in an hour.

"Is one of those mine?" he asked Kelsey and she grinned and nodded to a mug on it's own in a corner.

Tea.

But somehow significant, Ben thought as he took it, of certain aspects of his life. Yes, the mug alone in the corner fitted.

Monday morning. Kids were back in school, people back to work, and at this time the major morning rush had already come and gone leaving the Mocha relatively quiet.

Deacon had dropped Nia off at the daycare and was enjoying a coffee and muffin. He'd texted Charlie as he walked across the lobby. Bfast in Mocha?

***

Seth was in the Mocha too and he'd waved to Deacon when he spotted him but didn't go to join him. He was sketching away in his book, sipping coffee, and bopping about in his seat as he listened to this music coming through his headphones.

***

Gabe was stretched out on one of the couches, coffee in one hand and phone pressed to his ear in the other. "Darling I know I wasn't there but honestly - what where you thinking? It was the Emmy's! You could have at least gone to Angels. I mean I might not be there but my people are good. Cuz honey - your hair..."

***

Demitri was up early. He didn't have a class until later this afternoon. And though he no longer ran the Mocha he liked to see that it was doing well. He sat by the window, looking out at the street and the people going by and thinking on the things that had happened in the past few months. And smiled softly.

***

Max and Micah sat at another table, both drinking coffee and looking through the paper.

"An' Scruffy, play with Scruffy, an' Unca Nick an' Unca Seff." Nia nodded as she stumped along at her father's side dragging Brian by his ear and holding her parrot under her arm.

She was completely all right with her Dads going away - they often did that and they always came back - and she was very happy to have Unca Seff to play with.

Or that's what she had given Charlie to understand but right now, now it came to saying goodbye, Charlie was having major parental doubts and a HUGE helping of guilt.

He tapped on Seth's door, smiling down as Nia banged too. She looked happy enough. And getting away from the gallery for a while would be good.

He had been perfectly right. There was a lot of paperwork but most of it seemed to have been started at least so Charlie was able to mop the remainder up in an hour and then address his most pressing other problem, which was to get in touch with those of his partners who were interested in helping with the summer classes.

Allan was no help. "Nobody under eighteen," he stated emphatically. "In fact nobody who isn't prepared to sculpt wearing a cheerleaders costume need apply. Tell 'em to bring their own pompoms."

"You're disgusting," Charlie shouted as Allan pompomed out of the room, heading for the desk and Leena. Then he settled down to email Seth and Anastasia with variations on the theme of "hey gorgeous, get your lovely body down here so we can talk about summer education *nudge nudge, wink wink*"

Actually there wasn't that much difference in the wording between them.

Deacon firmly believed that everything happened for a reason. Like his insane idea to take Charlie Shaw out shopping yesterday. Okay yes he'd had fun - quite a bit actually - and yes Shaw was good company and... Oh who was he kidding. He was attracted to the little Brit and that was probably a very bad idea since Shaw was one, only here temporarily and two, a victim in a case that the force was working on. Okay so it wasn't as bad as if Deacon himself had been involved in that case but still.

Generally a bad idea.

But that shopping trip had lead Deacon to learn a bit about Shaw's taste in clothes and some of the outfits he'd lost when his bag was stolen and so when Deacon happened to catch sight of a young man in Vine Square looking a bit shifty and watching a couple of women who were window shopping close and wearing a rugby jersey identical to one Shaw had said he lost - well maybe it hadn't been such a bad idea after all.

( Read more... )

For once it seemed like Deacon's luck was turning for the better. The pusher in the ER had given him information that he'd been looking for for what seemed like ever. That Allan Kinyon was involved in some major dirty dealings they'd known for a while but they'd never been able to find enough to get him. But with this new information Deacon might just be able to work something out to buy them a little time.

Sitting at one of the coffee tables in the Morningstar Manor coffee shop, the Mocha, he sipped his coffee and read over his notes again. Yeah - this just might work.

Less positive was Charlie, entering from the lobby and looking a sight with a very black eye and a pair of borrowed jeans that were too short for him. "Tea please," he said to the blonde at the counter and raised his eye brows as she snickered. The tea when it came was weak and watery and her grin was even more malicious.

"Have you ever heard the term schadenfreude?" he asked and when she said she hadn't he suggested she look it up sometime. She didn't seem pleased, but that, Charlie decided, was HER problem. He had other things on his mind.

Deacon had watched the exchange and chuckled softly. When Shaw turned away from the counter he waved, catching his attention, and motioned him over to the table.

( Read more... )

Poor Charlie was exhausted after everything that had happened last night and Seth didn't have the heart to wake him. So he'd let his friend sleep and left him a note letting him know that Seth was headed down to the gardens for a bit of drawing in the sun.

And after a brief stop in the Mocha for a large cup of coffee that's just where he was, sitting on a bench in the morning sun, sketch book open on his lap and drawing a lovely woman kneeling by the flowers a little ways away. The woman wasn't actually there when he looked up, but he drew her anyway. It just seemed right.

Detective Deacon Ferrell sighed as he stepped out of one of the cubicles in the ER. He jotted a few more notes down on his pad then closed it and tucked it into the back pocket of his jeans. The pusher was one of the usual suspects and Deacon wasn't surprised to see he'd gotten on the wrong side of one of his suppliers and wound up in ER - again. This time he'd been a little more forthcoming with information and Deacon would have a good deal of paperwork to do tomorrow when he got back to the station.

As it was he was supposed to have been off duty a good hour ago and was more than ready to get back home and relax.

"Detective."

Deacon looked up at a uniformed officer that was headed his way.

"Ah c'mon, Drew, I was about to go home," Deacon said with a groan and the uniform smiled.( Read more... )

They couldn't have asked for better weather. Here - away from the City and the Manor - Spring was stirring and even though the wind coming off the lake was still cool the day was warm. Warm enough for light jackets anyway and breakfast on the back deck.

This time Deacon had gotten up early to start breakfast, letting Charlie sleep in a bit - or at least as long as he could before Nia woke up and pounced on him. Nick arrived shortly after Deacon had gotten the coffee going and Deacon had sent him out to hide the eggs. When he came back in Deacon handed him a big cup of coffee.

"None hidden to high for little girls right?" he asked the big man.

"Nope," Nick said with a grin. "But I hid a few little things at about Seth's eyeline. Don't see why the kiddies should have all the fun." ( Read more... )

"No you paint yours," Charlie said. "I can manage mine on my own."

Nia pouted but carried on finger painting and Charlie took moments to give her proud glances in between his own brush strokes.

All was peaceful for maybe ten minutes - which was good going for Nia - then there was a ping from the doorbell and Nia squealed, "Who dat?" and dashed off to see. Charlie followed and peered through the Judas in the door.

"Ooh, I dunno if we want to let this one in," he said.

He had carried down the baggage and was waiting for a] Zack and b] their lift to the airport.

While he waited he looked around the lobby of the Manor and went back over some old memories.

The start of a new week and the Mocha was hopping.

Deacon had dropped Nia off at the daycare already as he and Charlie both had things that needed to get done. Charlie of course had the gallery. Deacon needed to take the cars to get their new inspection stickers and do some general shopping. But first - coffee. Charlie was still getting ready and had had to take a phone call and Deacon would likely be gone before he got down there so Deacon just got himself a coffee and found a place to sit and enjoy it before going on the first of his errands.

****

Eris was in the Mocha as well, once again at a table and looking through brochures on warm sunny beaches.

****

Seth entered the Mocha just after Deacon had left, passing in the doorway and exchanging a few words. Now, coffee in hand, he sat at a table and sipped his drink as he happily sketched the passers by.

****

Gabe was in the Mocha as well, sprawled on a couch and sipping his coffee and idly flipping through a fashion magazine.

****

There was one customer not quite at the Mocha yet but oh he was ready for it. Rhys had just gotten off a forty eight hour shift and was slouched in the back of a cab headed for the Manor. He was exhausted and looking forward to his bed but his stomach was rumbling and he didn't have the energy to make something so he'd stop in the Mocha first, get something to eat and some decaf coffee and then sleep for a day. Maybe two.

He coughed, and that cough turned into a bit of a coughing fit and when he could breath again he murmured an apology to the cab driver. Looks like his boss had been right. Rhys was sick. And a sick doctor was not what you wanted in the ER of a hospital. Maybe that forced time off wouldn't be so bad after all.

Zack had finally had to admit to Seth just how bad he was feeling and had gotten the reaction he'd expected. A stern talking to, a lot of hugs, and a trip to the doctor. That hadn't gone as well as they'd hoped and they'd come home with a lot of medicine and instructions for him to rest as much as possible.

Seth had spent the night last night, curled around Zack as he'd trembled with an uncontrollable chill and praying silently that his friend would be okay. They both knew that one day this disease would probably take him. But neither were ready for it to be today.

Pot helped a little with the pain but Seth had been trying hard to find more of the Karma tea and failing. Nick, though, had said he could get something that might help and now they waited for him, curled up on the couch with Zack looking like death, eyes hollow and face greyish.

Pushing Nia's stroller with his elbows, Charlie peeled an apple for her with the smallest blade of his Swiss Army knife and passed pieces down.

"'Nuther bit, peeeeees," she said, waving a hand, and he put a slice if apple in it and grinned as she, unprompted, chanted, "'N'koo, Daddy."

Sometimes being a Dad was just grand.

They had about a week before the gig at the Lamb and, as luck would have it, Jack and Nick both had a bit of free time late this afternoon. So Deacon called an impromptu rehearsal - but in the ballroom instead of their usual rehearsal spot in the Square. Jack for one was technically on call so had to be close to hand.

As usual there was a good bit of joking and teasing as they set up their equipment but once they were ready they all got down to business.

Charlie had been on the phone since first thing that morning, talking to Amesh and Brian, Coo in San Francisco, Mimi in Honolulu and now finally, Andy in New York.

"So," he said, "that's what Coo said, and I asked Mimi what she thought and she agreed with some notes of caution. Amesh says I have to do something and this strikes me as a solution that - well - it makes me uncomfortable but it's better than the entire chain going bankrupt. If Udridtz will settle out of court for cash, it'll save a lot of woe."

"I can still go down there and kill him for you," Andy offered. "Well - sort of kill him - but yes, this sounds as though it might work. Gah, other line's ringing. I'll be in touch, Chas, byee."

She rang off and Charlie put the phone down, swung in his spinny chair for a moment then got up and went out into the gallery.

Making a decision was a relief, even if it was one that he didn't really like.

Sarah balanced a mug of coffee on a notebook on another notebook, with a pencil and a pen and a bookmark, and a book.

Yeah, she was just. That. Good.

Or maybe not. "Oooops," she said, catching the mug before it could fall but not before it could splash. "Sorry!"

Friday - the weekend was here! Even in the middle of the work day the Mocha was plenty busy.

Eris, dressed in one of her new tops and jeans and killer heels, was sitting near the fireplace in the Mocha and sipping a peppermint latte while watching the flames.

And if they danced more brightly than normal, well - it must be coincidence.

****

Jack was busy behind the counter for a change. But not serving coffee. One of the machines had been acting up and he was busy working on it and doing his best to give Joy the flirting she wanted without having to pay much attention to her. Lately she was just getting on his nerves way to much.

So when someone came to the counter he was happy for the distraction.

****

Seth was in the Mocha as well, drinking a Karma Chai Latte and stretched out on one of the couches, doing what he usually did in the Mocha. Sketching the rest of the Mocha's customers. Some where flattering, some were cartoonish. It depended on who Seth was sketching at the time.

Either way he was having a grand time.

Del sat reading through some notes he had made about his job for tomorrow night - a man this time though he had been promised that no 'special services' would be required or expected - and took occasional sips of his chai latte. He still hadn't made up his mind about it.

###

Nick had no doubts - Karma Chai was the business with a whole night of on-call ahead of him. He took his cup over to the couch, settled down with a book and hoped nobody would require hi services.