Morningstar Manor

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.

Zack was beginning to feel a bit better. It had been very touch and go for a while and if Brendan hadn't been staying with him he might well have ended up in the hospital. But he'd gotten through what he hoped was the worst and now actually felt up to going down to the Mocha for a coffee and to nibble on a muffin.

He looked pale, small in his oversized hoodie and scarf. He'd lost weight and that didn't help matters and his eyes had dark shadows under them but they twinkled again now and his smile, though tired, was genuine.

He sat curled on one of the couches near the fireplace and answered an email from his iPhone while he waited for Brendan to come back with their coffee.

***

Gabe had had a grand time with the photoshoot but he was glad it was done. Lewis, bless him, was a dear and lord knew Gabe had had a fine time with a few of the models but he could only handle them all for so long was thankful he had his and Kris's apartment to themselves again.

Sitting at a table he chuckled as he replied to a text to one a friend. Oh the gossip that had come from that shoot!

***

Eris sat at a table, sipping a white chocolate mocha and looking through various brochures on various tropical places. Money wasn't a problem and she knew Daddy would keep her apartment open for her so how long to be gone wasn't an issue either.

The only question was where to go?

***

Loki was sprawled in one of the overstuffed arm chairs, legs dangling over one arm and head dangling over the other, bright red hair nearly touching the floor. His eyes were closed, headphones stuck in his ears and playing something with a low bass loud enough to be heard by passers by.

***

Max was headed to Sanctuary but he had a bit of time yet so stopped into the Mocha for a coffee and found himself an empty table to enjoy it at as he flipped through a newspaper someone else had left.

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.

Ruprecht had heard - somehow - and the moment Jack had returned to work had kept him busy. So busy he'd had little time to breath much less check on Declan. He'd sent a text message but gotten no response so figured Dec probably had his phone turned off. And with the number of messages Jack was getting at the front desk he had a good idea why.

Now he'd managed to sneak off for a break and wanted a coffee.

Joy - wanted an autograph. She put Stunning on the counter and smiled at Jack and Jack sighed inwardly and signed it then got his coffee and went to hide in a corner for a bit.

****

Zack was curled up by the fireplace - looking a bit shadowed around the eyes. He was looking through his files for his next project and sipping Karma tea. He'd been out of the smoking leaves of the tea for about a week and it was showing. In both his appearance and his pain level. So far he'd hidden it pretty well he thought.

****

Deacon was at a table drinking coffee and working on his laptop. Nia was with him, little feet kicking as she sat in her chair and colored in her coloring book. She had a nice chocolate chip muffin that was crumbled over a good portion of her picture and her top but she was singing softly to herself and apparently quite happy.

Deacon smiled and continued typing.

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.

The Manor was filled with a festive spirit. Nick had fixed the lights on the massive tree in the lobby so it was twinkling brightly. More decorations had been strung through the lobby and Mocha and gave the Manor a warm glow. A wide variety of Holiday music played on the intercom system, softly enough not to be over bearing.

Jason sat at the desk and even he had a bit of a smile on his face. He liked Christmas music. Especially when he caught a bit of what was being played down in the ballroom.

Jack and Zack were having a spur of the moment jam session, Jack on the old baby grand piano and Zack with both his acoustic guitar and his bass, switching between the two depending on the song. And if some of their songs were a bit heavier than the traditional holiday music - oh well.

Eris was decorating her apartment. Hey even she could get into the spirit from time to time.

Kara was in a pair of comfy pjs and sitting in a pile of presents and wrapping paper on her living room floor. She had her own Christmas music playing on her stereo - lots of good ole Irish tunes in there of course - and was happily wrapping away.

Hugh was wandering the Manor - humming along to the music playing over the speakers and searching for something he had seen in a dream the night before. But he just knew it was really here.

Erik, bundled up in coat and scarf was in the garden enjoying the freshly fallen snow.

Loki sat in the Mocha, sipping coffee and wondering how much trouble he'd get into if he made the tree in the lobby vanish.


[ooc: Even those not mentioned here are available if you want them, just say. Only pups not here for play are Deacon and Demitri as they are out of town.]

Jason had listened to Joy rant and rave about finding a torn up turkey carcass in her purse and today she was still demanding to know if he'd found out who did it. He was so tempted to say "yes it was a cat and a living gargoyle" but he held his tongue and just got his coffee, promising to let her know as soon as he found out, then went to a table where he could see the whole Mocha.

Sometimes he hated the holidays.

****

Kara was up earlier than usual on a day when she didn't have to be in the pub for the lunch rush but she hadn't been able to sleep. Truth was she'd kind of enjoyed the times lately when she'd woken up with Niles beside her. She'd had a few days in a row of that and now... well she was having trouble getting used to waking up alone again.

She'd dressed in jeans and a warm, soft green sweater and now had her coffee and was curled up on one of the couches by the fire, sipping it and watching the flames.

****

Zack was at a table, drinking a huge coffee and working away on his laptop, bopping to some music in his earphones. One of his fav bands, HIM, had released their new single on Myspace and he was listening to it on repeat. He'd stopped drinking the tea. Smoking the leaves was so much better! And while he might be feeling fantastic he'd begun to get circles under his eyes. Not sleeping because you were over bouncy - not good for someone like Zack.

Humming along to the music he kept on working.

****

Gabe, in jeans a tshirt and an Angels hoodie, was rocking on his heels as he stood in line. He had an early massage to do in about half an hour but so far that was it. He was tempted to actually go out and party this weekend. But where to go?

[ooc: yeah so Zack really is listening to a new song from HIM on their Myspace. If you care to listen. *grin*]

After a weekend of good food Deacon felt it was time to hit the gym hard again. He'd taken Nia to the daycare to play with her friends and had headed to the gym. He'd done the treadmill and weights and now - shirtless and in just his track pants - was on the mat having a go at the punch bag.

He'd forgotten how good it felt to work out like this. Since Nia had come to live with them his time in the gym and with the bag had been much less. Once upon a time, before coming to the Manor and as a cover for his other activities, he'd taught kickboxing. Maybe he should take that up again now that doing legal jobs was more appealing.

Deacon grinned as he sent the bag rocking with a spinning roundhouse kick. It was a good idea. He'd have to talk to Charlie about it.

******

Zack was in the Mocha, drinking the Karma tea and sketching out a quick plan for a commercial he was working on for a local business. He'd been getting a lot of work done lately. And it might have to do with the tea - or the rolled cigarettes filled with dried tea leaves he'd been using. It was making him feel so good - well he didn't really need all those meds he usually took did he?

Humming to himself and chewing on one of his fingernails Zack kept sketching.

******

Jack had been out in the gardens doing some trash picking and had just come back in, stomping his feet a bit and blowing on his hands. It was f'ing cold out there this morning! He headed for the Mocha and got in line, hoping a nice coffee would warm him up.

******

The Lamb wasn't technically open yet but Kara was there, going through a new shipment and putting things away. The Karma tea had been selling like mad and the prices had gone up a bit but she was keeping it in stock anyway. How could she not? The customers were demanding it.

As she worked she thought over the holiday trip with Niles. It had gone well. Her family had liked him, her mother had been charmed of course. Her brothers had, naturally, given him a hard time and done the twenty questions thing. It had been good. But one of her brothers, Michael, who she'd always been closest to, had seen through some of it and asked her just how serious she and Niles were. Her answer hadn't pleased him.

"You deserve better'n that, Kara," he'd said. "You deserve someone who's devoted to only you."

Kara had waved him off but - his words were still rattling around in her head.

He'd gotten a good deal done at work today but had had to leave early for a doctor's appointment. That hadn't gone quite as well as he'd have liked but it could have been worse as well. He'd picked up his new medication and then headed to an alley in the Square to pick up his 'other' medication.

"I'm tellin' ya, man, this stuff is the shit." The thin man looked around nervously then looked back at Zack. "And totally legal, man."

"If it's legal why are you jumpy?" Zack asked, hands tucked into his coat pockets and huddled a bit against the cold.

"Well it ain't the only thing I'm carryin' you know," the man said with a glare. "You've got a prescription for the weed but you come get it from me anyway."

"Yours is better."

"Well this shit is better than that. You've had the tea right?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah." And he had to admit it had made him feel better.

"Well this is more potent." The dealer pulled a baggy out of his pocket to show Zack for a moment then hid it again. "You'll feel fantastic, man. Tons of energy. And if that's not good enough - it enhances sex like you wouldn't believe."

Zack raised a brow then sighed and dug into his pocket for the wad of bills he had there. "Okay just give me the usual and a bag of the Chai then," he said, giving in.

Deal done Zack tucked his score into his messenger bag and headed back down the alley for the Square. A cup of coffee in the sunshine would be good then he'd head home.

Halloween had been one hell of a night and Sunday Zack had felt like shit. Such shit that he slept most of the day Sunday. But then when you were ill to begin with, not eating much and getting plastered probably wasn't the best idea anyway. This morning he had dragged himself out of bed and dressed - lots of layers, very warm because it was so cold - and gone down to the Mocha. Joy had looked at him and offered something new, a Chai tea that was supposed to give one energy and Zack had just grunted and accepted it.

And now, after half the cup gone, he had to admit he was beginning to feel better.

****

Hugh hadn't had such a good weekend. He didn't much remember the ball, though he was pretty sure he'd gone. Sunday had been - odd. He'd had this vague idea that he should remember something but couldn't and so had spent most of the day in a bit of a daze.

Today he was feeling a bit more like himself and so had gone down to the Mocha for a cuppa. The new Chai latte was really quite good and he began jotting down some real solid ideas for his new book.

****

His shift was scheduled to start in about twenty minutes and that was plenty of time to get a coffee and a muffin so Jason headed into the Mocha. He looked everyone over as he got his coffee and sat at a table that gave him a good view of the Mocha and the lobby. Frank may be at the desk but Jason still kept an eye open anyway.

Mondays in the Mocha. Always a place to see lots of the Manor tenants.

Demitri sat in one of the overstuffed chairs, sipping his coffee and reading a book on the Irish Gaelic language. Okay so he wasn't having to learn things for a certain job anymore but that didn't mean he didn't like to learn. And he wanted to keep that little talent of picking up languages fresh. Never know when you might need it.

****

Jason was sitting near the door to the Mocha, sipping his coffee and having a bagel and keeping his eye on both the lobby and the Mocha itself.

****

Zack was curled up by the fireplace in the Mocha, legs crossed tailor style in the big chair and flipping through a graphic novel. He was deciding whether to brave the chilly weather outside or work from home today. So far home was looking most likely.

****

Loki usually wasn't one that could be missed but today he was dressed smartly for the gallery, bright hair tied back at the nape of his neck as he stood in line for a coffee. It was amusing to see the surprised looks.

Technically they shouldn't have put it in the pool, but the Manor could afford to replace it if necessary and it had to be admitted that a genuine floating pirate ship was a lot more fun than one on the grass.

Nick tied it off securely at one side of the pool so the prow was in the shallow end and the stern over deep water for jumping in, and wondered who would be the first to find it. There were plenty of posters up, that was for sure.

{Standard party post - get your pups' scantiest swimmers on and come and say 'Aaaaar'}

[ooc: apologies as several of my pups seem a bit down tonight, poor things]

Jason was off tonight. Not because he had plans but because he had to give some shifts to the other guys. So he'd put on jeans and a tshirt and headed for the Lamb for a drink. He and Kara had gotten to talking - about relationships and how you didn't always get what you wanted.

Now he sat in the garden at the Manor, smoking a cigarette and sipping on a beer and feeling rather - alone. For the best though. The Manor needed him... Jason sighed. The Manor was a fickle mistress. And not one you could hold at night. Sadly, most didn't understand his devotion to his job. Except Elspeth. But - well she wasn't interested in him like that. He wished she was.

Jason took a sip of his beer and then a long drag of his cigarette and leaned his head back on the bench, blowing the smoke up into the air.

***

Kara was unusually quiet in the Lamb once Jason left. Their talk had made her think about Niles - how much she was starting to feel for him and how, she was pretty sure, he didn't feel the same. As much as he seemed to like being with her - well one only need listen to the maids at the Manor to know he enjoyed spending time with several others.

She missed Brian. Sweet, kind, goofy Brian who had seemed to adore her. But he was gone. And Niles would probably head for the hills if he knew how she felt. Sighing she rubbed the bar down until is shown.

"Well at least I have you," she said to the old wood and moved to serve the next customer.

***

Zack was in the ballroom, sitting on the stage, guitar plugged into an amp but the volume turned down low as he worked on a song for Arcane. Baggy jeans, t-shirt, hoodie - he looked small in his clothes and had Seth seen him he would have been worried.

He pushed his hair from his face and took the pencil from his mouth, jotted something on the paper laying next to him then stuck it back in his mouth and went back to playing.

Re: Hallowe'en

Dear Sirs,

It has come to the notice of the Morningstar Manor Tenants' Association that you are members of the band known as Arcane. Sirs, you rock! Play a set for us - just a little one - at the Hallowe'en Ball this year and we might even pay you!! Can't say fairer than that, can we?

Let me know, huh?

Charlie

The garden had new facilities tucked away in a corner near the gazebo. It also had a table with a bright parasol shading cool boxes of drinks and large number of small children scampering about followed by their parents.

In fact there were two inflatables, one smaller and more toddler friendly than the other, because it only seemed fair to let the grownups have fun as well.

{ooc: sorta party post. It's Nia's birthday party but that isn't generally known. What IS obvious is that anyone who wants a bounce can have one! Ladies - no stilettos, 'kay?}

Mornings in the Mocha were always busy times and today was no exception. There were several familiar faces:

Demitri sat at a table, dressed to head to the studio, and sipped his coffee while he played himself in chess once again.

Erik sat drinking tea, or what passed for it in the Mocha, and browsing the newspaper.

Max and Micah - both dressed in smartly - occupied another table. Max was looking through the business section and Micah was simply watching the people come and go.

Gabe was seated at the couch, going through a list of things they needed to order for the spa in New York.

Zack was sprawled in an arm chair - literally. He leaned back against one arm and his legs dangled over the other as he sketched out what appeared to be the beginnings of an ad, feet kicking gently to the music coming from the earphones in his ears.

Eris stood in line for the counter, dressed in a short red sundress, and looking rather bored.

The Mocha was teaming with people today.

Seth and Zack took up one table, sipping coffee and both working on their own individual things - Zack on the phone with a client and jotting down notes as he talked and Seth working on a sketch of Nick, sprawled in a hammock on a beach in nothing but shawn off denim shorts.

****

Kara was curled up in one of the comfy arm chairs with a huge mug of coffee. She'd been in Boston for a wedding she'd been trying to get out of going to but had been informed by her mother that she'd be in serious trouble if she didn't show up. So she had and was now recovering from massive amounts of family time.

****

Max was also at a table with a cup of coffee and the newspaper. For once he was dressed casually - jeans and a dark blue, tight, t-shirt. He didn't have to be anywhere until much later and had decided to take the day to relax. Maybe even go for a swim later. One never knew.

****

Erik was in the garden, tending the herbs he'd planted in one of the tenant plots. He too was dressed casually in jeans though his shirt was a button up and the sleeves where rolled up to his elbows. The great composer, usually seen dressed to the nines if he was seen at all, looked even more at ease here, on his knees with his hands covered in dirt.

****

In the gym Demitri was working out. Wearing black track pants he'd shed his shirt a while ago. His strawberry blond hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck as he took a break from the weights and went through a series of stretches on the mat to keep himself limber.

There were two smallish blonds in the garden, one sitting on a bench and playing a guitar and the other stretched out on his belly in the grass with a sketch pad and drawing the guitarist.

"Do you have to do that?" the guitarist asked, jerking his chin at the sketch pad.

"Do you have to do that?" the artist retorted and nodded at the guitar.

"Touché," Zack replied and grinned, continuing his playing.

Seth grinned back and continued to sketch him.

Since Brendan's lunch break was by far the shorter, it had been agreed that Zack would come to him, rather than that they would meet half way.

Brendan looked at his watch, handed over his float to the next stall holder - Brendan had covered for her while she lunched earlier - and strolled across to the coffee shop and looked around, wondering if Zack was already there.

Problem was, it was easier for him to hide than it was for Brendan.

He'd run into Zack in the Mocha and that had started a conversation about the next band practice - after Zack had given Deacon hell about the bruises on his face of course. And somehow that ended with them both going to get their guitars and heading for the ballroom. They'd begun keeping amps and the like in the storage rooms there (perks of 'working' for the Manor) and so it wasn't long before Deacon and Zack were sitting on the edge of the little stage - Zack with his bass and Deacon with his guitar and trying to stump each other by starting a song and seeing if the other knew it well enough for them to play through it and sing.

Nia was with them, sitting with several toys on a large blanket spread out on the floor and bopping her little head to the music - and sometimes singing with them.

They were having a blast, laughing and playing, and would take requests and challenges from anyone should they chose to come in.