InsaneJournal

Because tonight the bulls are in Brooklyn and you're still at home.
Who: Isaiah Williamson and Jace Sloper
Where: Isaiah's apartment
When: 3am
What: A best friend comes home! ... in the middle of the night, how kind of him.



Being a were, there were often times when Isaiah could hear things that would go unnoticed by normal human ears. Granted, his senses weren't as sharp as a wolf's, and being a falcon meant his eyesight would always be better than his hearing, but he still didn't miss much.

Someone banging at your apartment door at three in the morning? Yeah, Isaiah heard that. Fairly certain anyone from his family would have called him before just coming over, Isaiah had no idea what it was he should be expecting. As it was, he groaned and rolled out of bed, limping his way to the door, his leg able to hold almost all his weight now.

He glanced through the peephole to see a tall blond man waiting outside, fidgeting. A man he had not heard from in quite some time aside from the postcards he got in the mail every once in a while.

Hell, was Jace Sloper actually home? And didn't he have parents to go harass at this time of night? Sighing, Isaiah opened the door, aware that he was just dressed in the gym shorts he'd worn to bed, the healing wounds from where the demon had clawed him clearly visible down his right leg. "Seriously, do you have to try to knock down my door at this time of night? A simple phone call would have worked, too."

Taking a puff on his cigarette, he grinned, the smile reaching his eyes even through his sunglasses. Lightly rapping the rather disheveled gent right in front of him on the side of his face he said, "Now that's a fine hello to the best friend you've ever had. For shame, Isaiah Williamson, your mother's gonna hear about this." Without any hint of further discussion he squeezed himself past his friend and slung a bag onto the couch.

With a jump he leaped onto his bag and looked back to continue that tossing that cocky little grin about. Speaking through tight lips to keep the cigarette from falling out of his mouth he said, "So how much have you missed me and is Lizzy 18 yet?"

Isaiah blinked, shaking his head. That smack said he definitely wasn't joking; Jace was back in town, it seemed. "A best friend who last I knew was in... Ireland? That's the last postcard I got, anyway. Wasn't aware you were coming home any time soon. Or that I would be the first person you would grace with your presence." He wouldn't be surprised to find Jace in either a bar or a motel, depending on how long it took him to find a girl for the evening. By three a.m. he was usually successful.

"Her birthday is in... a weekish? And if you try anything I'll kill you." This was said with a smile on his face, though Isaiah was dead serious on the killing part. Jace wanting to bang his younger sister was a long running joke... not that he'd let the other man get away with it, best friend or not. Jace seemed to have all his stuff with him, was he not going home? "No more backpacking through Europe for you?"

He nodded, "Yep, Ireland. Gotta love the ol' Emerald Isle...so many redheads. Made a couple of brief stops on my way here, visited the folks briefly in Florida," he chuckled and then took a long drag on his cigarette, "then hitchhiked my way here. A pair of lovely girls going cross country dropped me off a town over so I just hoofed it from there." Finishing his cigarette he then rubbed it out in the palm of his hand, not really seeing an ashtray. "And of course I'd visit you Sai! Who else would I need to check up on when I returned? Have to make sure you're doing okay in my absence."

Sitting up from his position on the couch, Jace eyed his friend's leg, "And from the looks of things I came just in time. What've you been doing? You look like you've been playing footsie with a chainsaw." It was at that moment that Jace's bag began to...move. Casually unzipping the duffel, Jace returned to the natural topic at hand while a small brown rabbit poked its head out of his bag. "3 days eh? And whaddya mean you don't want me trying anything? I'm the best birthday present there is!"

Isaiah chuckled at that, of course Jace would go to Ireland for the redheads. They'd been best friends since they were kids, but they always made quite the pair in high school - Jace the never ending ladies' man, and Isaiah, who often ended up in the role of wingman, a pun Jace found endlessly hilarious. Especially since being a falcon meant Isaiah mated for life, and as such he didn't enjoy the same sort of "freedom" Jace did. "And how are your parents?" he said. "Your mom called my mom last week, I think, but she didn't tell me much. The family's been distracted." Having demons around would do that to you. "Good to see you made it in one piece, though. Contrary to popular opinion, I've been doing alright for myself." Especially in the women department, for once.

He glanced down at his leg, making a face at the wounds. "You should've seen it when it happened, I'm lucky I heal fast. There was a demon sitting outside my apartment door a few days ago." Sometimes, being angelic blooded really did, well, suck. "She's my baby sister, Jace. Well, one of my baby sisters. If you had siblings, you'd understand."

Jace shrugged, to him his parents were these almost statue-like people. Very kind and loving, but very generic and certainly never changing. "My dad's taken to wearing hawaiian shirts down south, and my mom's taken to ignoring my dad's lack of fashion sense." The sound of demons caused Jace's eyebrow to raise. "You sound so very cavalier when speaking of beings that are birthed from things called hellmouths. You know I visited a small town in Romania that actually has an 'emergency suicide' plan in the event of a demon invasion and you're talkin' about 'em like they're unwanted cousins popping by for a visit."

He laughed, "Made it here in one piece? I think I can handle myself at this point, Sai." Even though he constantly sent his best friend postcards from the various locales he'd been visiting, Jace still hadn't come around to telling him how much of an affinity Jace had for fire. The whole 'I'm an elemental' thing was an issue he wanted to do in person. Even if half of Isaiah's family were witches, the fact that Jace could just fling fire about was still a touchy issue. "Seems I came back just in time, looks like you need someone to watch yer ass." With a particularly snarky smile he added, "And I don't have siblings so the point is quite moot." The little rabbit erupting from Jace's bag then began hopping about till it settled in nice and comfy on his lap, examining Isaiah.

At the very least, his parents weren't doing that. Maybe starting their family so young had been a good thing for the Williamsons, as his parents wouldn't be retiring to the black hole of Florida any time soon. "Hey, I didn't expect one of them to come gunning for me once they figured out I've got angel blood," he pointed out. "Thursday just sucked in general, actually. I'd take unwanted cousins any day of the week." He rubbed at his eyes, not ever imagining he'd be having this conversation with Jace any time soon, much less in the living room of his apartment. "Seriously? Romanians do that?"

And then he noticed the rabbit sitting in Jace's lap and his head tilted to the side a little, the expression bringing to mind his were form, the falcon peering at something. "You did tend to get into a fair bit of trouble, don't even lie to me about that. It's how you have such good stories. And I can watch my ass just fine, I managed not to get killed, didn't I?" The rabbit seemed quite docile, settled with Jace like that, but Isaiah was perplexed. His sister and his mother got familiars, but he couldn't tell if this was one, too. "Okay, so I gotta ask, what's with the rabbit?"

Jace grinned, "You have no idea what Romanians are capable of." He let that sentence hang there, sometimes the best stories were the ones that were never uttered. "My brand of trouble is entirely different than demon brand of trouble. I'll take angry fathers and boyfriends threatening me over a demon attack any day." As to the next question, Jace thought for about half a moment...which was half a moment more than he usually thought things through. Looking down at the rabbit he just said, "Oh him? That's Quinn." And he left it at that, because clearly that was all the answer Isaiah needed.

Then, deciding to show off a little instead of going into a rather wordy explanation, Jace took out another cigarette, held it in his lips, then flicked his thumb and lit it up. "You don't mind if I smoke in here do you?"

Isaiah rubbed at his eyes. Leave it to Jace to make the quick, obvious joke. "You'd know better than I would." Jace had often said he pitied the fact that Isaiah couldn't go out and enjoy the bounty of the world, as he put it, but that wasn't anything new. "What, afraid you couldn't take a demon on?" Actually, it would have been awesome to see Jace face one down. He imagined fire and brimstone and good dose of ass kicking, nothing wrong with that.

"So he's a familiar." He'd known Jace long enough to know he wasn't a witch like his mom and sister were. So that made Jace an elemental... a fire elemental. Holy crap. "When did you find out?" he asked. "And it's fine for now, just don't make a habit of it." One smoke he didn't mind. More than that and the falcon would be unhappy about it. He'd smell nicotine in the air for weeks afterward.

Jace grinned, he knew Isaiah wouldn't freak out over the fire elemental aspect of his personality. After he discovered it, it really didn't even seem to surprise himself actually. "Found out while I was visiting a small coven in Italy. After one of 'em accidentally lit me on fire during a...let's call it a ceremony...and I didn't burn, things sorta fell into place. Decided to learn all about this new wonderful facet of me." At that Jace let a couple of sparks dance between his fingertips, if you can say anything about him it was that he had a flare for the theatrical. "And yep, that means Quinn here's my little familiar, ain't that right Quinny?" The little rabbit actually managed to roll his eyes and give Isaiah a 'Can you believe this guy?' expression on his furry face.

"And I'll have you know I could easily take on any demon you throw at me! But just because one can run a triathlon doesn't mean that one necessarily wants to."

Why would Isaiah freak out? He was a damn falcon for crying out loud. It wasn't like news of the supernatural was necessarily all that new to him. "You know, that totally makes sense," he said, taking a seat on the other end of the couch, propping his injured leg up on the coffee table. "And a 'ceremony,' right. Can understand why you woudn't just write that in a postcard, though, it's kind of a big deal. Seem to be meeting a lot of elementals lately." He grinned at the look Quinn was giving him. "Also, I think I like the rabbit already."

Isaiah snorted, shaking his head. "It would be amusing to watch, I'll give you that. Though, to be honest, I really don't want to meet one of those damn things again." The angelic blood made it hell, worse than someone would normally feel around a demon. Isaiah had known something was wrong before he'd even found the thing. "You want a drink or something?"

He smirked, "I figured you would, 's too bad you can't hear him. I'm sure the two of you could spend all day just agreeing with each other." At the mention of drink, Jace stiffened slightly, "Uh, I'll just have a water, bit of a long trip and all that. But uh, yeah, I figured this was the sorta thing that ya shouldn't say over a post card." Snorting he added, "Wait till your mom finds out! Remember how she always said she'd flip if I ever learned how to cast anything? Though I think she'll be pleased I never got that love potion down just right." Jace just sat there and chuckled for a moment, hoping that the subject of his preferred drink wouldn't be brought up again. His over indulgence on alcohol was a subject that only he and Quinn really knew about.

"So what's new with you? Aside from being incredibly ecstatic at my return, of course." Resting his hands behind his head he took another quick look at his friend's leg, frankly Jace was really priming to kick some demon ass seeing that. Nobody messed with Isaiah like that, and damned if he was going to let some fire breathing beastie get the best of him just because of some completely logical fear. Looking down to hear the rather loud sound his stomach was making, Jace said in his most pitiful voice, "I certainly wouldn't mind something to eat from our own little chef prodigy. So very, very hungry I am."

"Hey, Mom and Lizzy both got birds for familiars, a dove and a sparrow. You know how hard it's been trying to keep Elijah from accidentally eating one of them?" Instincts were harder to control the younger you were, and both Isaiah and his father had gone through it too, even though they were falcons and Elijah a hawk. But the fact of the matter was that you just didn't eat familiars, end of story. "Still kind of funny that they got birds, though. She'll likely find it amusing and then be grateful that it's elemental magic and not anything else." Adrie Williamson had always been fond of Jace Sloper, yes, but even Isaiah thought the idea of Jace and magic was kind of scary. Who knew what the man could be capable of? "Water it is, then."

Seeing nothing strange about the request, Isaiah got up, still limping a little but trying not to notice it as he grabbed two water bottles from his fridge. "Jace, it's three in the morning. You woke me up and now you want me to cook for you?" He rolled his eyes. "You have to clean the dishes, then." Fair enough trade to him and now that he mentioned it, yeah, Isaiah could go for food too. But then again, he could always eat something. "What do you want? And aside from the whole demon thing, I've been good. Working at the Nest. Oh, and I got a girl."

"Don't be such an old lady, we both know you live to cook. It's been five years, but there's no way that's changed about you." It's true, even when they were little kids Isaiah had insisted on making Jace's peanut butter and jelly sandwiches...Jace had never complained. "And c'mon, it's three in the morning! Could be worse, I could be popping in at four. Frankly, Sai, I could down anything at this point and think it was filet mignon, so just shy of actually serving me the pan, I think we'll be good." Looking down to his little familiar he added, "Though if you've got some lettuce for Quinn, I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

At the sound of a girl being mentioned, Jace bolted upright and actually caused Quinn to fall on the floor. Sai was always very picky about his females, due to his falcon side, and if he'd actually managed to settle on one there was every chance that she could be 'the one'. "Wait wait wait, I know you didn't have any of my addresses while I was away but you couldn't find someway of telling me this? Ya've got enough birds in the family ya couldn't send a carrier pigeon my way? What's she like?"

"Well, yeah. Don't lie, it's the best damn food you've ever had in your entire life." Oh yes, Isaiah was cocky about his cooking, and he always had been. He'd been very proud of the lunches he'd made in elementary school, thank you very much. And the fact that Jace pretty much ate whatever was put in front of him helped, too. "At least I didn't just get home from work, otherwise I'd be much less thrilled to see you." Isaiah tossed one water bottle to Jace and turned back to his fridge. "Lettuce I got. I can do omelettes or something? I have all the good fixings for that."

He heard the rabbit fall to the floor, and Isaiah looked over at the shocked expression on Jace's face. "Sorry, I wasn't about to send a pigeon wandering all over Europe until it found your ass. And this is a relatively new thing, so you haven't missed much." He started taking ingredients out of the fridge, eggs, bacon, cheese, the last of his tomatoes. "Her name is Raina, and she's a kindergarten teacher. Taught Jocelyn last year, actually. And she loves food as much as I do."

"A kindergarten teacher? That's so quaint, that's so you. So...have you played with her building blocks yet or are you still sniffing about?" Just because Jace knew that Isaiah couldn't help his pickiness didn't mean that he wasn't gonna make fun of him for it...or maybe he did so in spite of it. "And honestly, my ass is fantastic. It'd probably be the best thing that pigeon has ever seen. Jace wandered over to the kitchen, still talking to Isaiah but keeping his eyes on the food at all times. Quinn making small squeaking sounds grumbled behind him. WIthout turning Jace said, "Yes, I'm sorry I dropped you but this is big news. You're getting lettuce so stop being such a wascally wabbit!"

Leaning against the wall Jace smiled, "Make sure to give me a detailed description, I don't to accidentally swoop her up while trolling the town for fun. It would be a shame." Despite the fact that Jace would sleep with most anything on two legs he always tried to stay away from ones that his buddy was looking at, Jace wasn't gonna be the one to take away Isaiah's one true love. Sai was easily the only friend of Jace's that actually had such an immunity.

Isaiah was midway pulling down a bowl to crack the eggs into when that particular quip of Jace's came out. That was his best friend, through and through. "Nope, can't say that I have," he said, shaking his head. "Unlike for you, that's a big decision for me. I tend to take my time with it." He couldn't deny that there was a part of him that hoped Raina was The One, but he wasn't going to jump into that. If he did and things didn't work out, then it was his sanity on the line. "Oh I'm sure it is... it just have to look in every woman's bed in Europe to find you." And that was a lot of beds, because there was a lot of women and there was a lot of Jace to go around. At the sound of the rabbit grumbling, Isaiah snorted and went back to his cooking. Okay, so yes, he did like the creature already.

"Dark haired, dark eyed. Likes to dress in vintage clothes, very - down to earth. I need someone to ground me, you know that." And Raina was an elemental too, though that wasn't something to reveal at the moment. After all, it wasn't Isaiah's secret and as she was keeping his, he'd keep hers too. He didn't put it past Jace to flirt with her a bit, but he knew he wouldn't steal Raina away. There were plenty of other fish in the sea for Jace; Isaiah just wanted one.

"Oh come now, not every woman's bed...I mean, damn close. It's only been five years though, I don't work that fast." Yeah he totally did, but c'mon, one had to get some sightseeing done too while in Europe. "Dark haired, dark eyed...how nice. So how's the lips, legs, breasts, and ass? C'mon, gimme all the important info!" If they weren't such good friends he was fully prepared to receive at least one good punch for that statement. However, Sai had known him long enough to know that wasn't that out of the ordinary a statement for Jace.

"So when do I get to meet her? I mean, she does have to pass the Jace Sloper test of approval after all." Which is true, now that he was back from his globetrotting he was quite sure that any woman that would be spending time with Isaiah would have to be one that he could stand...or at lest one that Quinn liked.

"Really? I'm surprised you didn't come home just because you'd run out of new women to meet." Okay, so Isaiah meant that in a mostly joking manner, but he'd long stopped trying to keep track of who Jace was sleeping with and when. It made it so much easier for him, and kept his head from exploding. The next statement, however, earned Jace an eyebrow raise and an incredulous look. Of course Jace would ask that, but christ. "They're very nice, and that's all you need to know," he said, cracking the eggs into the bowl, followed by setting a pan on the stove to cook the bacon.

"At some point, yes, you can meet her. I haven't brought around the entire family yet, not officially anyway, so there's that to get to, too." Jace was like a brother to Isaiah; they'd certainly known each other long enough for that. And as Elijah was much younger than him, it helped having someone else his age around to talk about stuff.

"Good man! I knew I could count on you." Jace wasn't entirely sure just how far Isaiah could go before he imprinted himself on a woman, but at the very least he could hope that his best friend wasn't entirely celibate. "Haven't brought her to meet the family yet? Wow, this must be new." Isaiah was definitely a family man, there was no way he'd go out with someone for a prolonged period of time without bringing them to see his folks. A kindergarten teacher would probably go over perfectly with both the parents and the little ones though, so no worries there. Practically leaning over Sai's shoulder while he worked, Jace inhaled the smell of food being cooked. "So....how long do I hafta wait for this to be done again?"

Jace was not a man to wait, not for pretty much anything, a trait that made it absolutely infuriating to cook for him. Popping the cap off his bottle of water he began searching the cabinets for a little bowl for Quinn, eventually finding one and setting it down on the ground for the little rabbit. As much as they bickered, he was still his familiar and Jace still looked after him. "So, any prize birds flitting about town that I don't know about? I have been away a while, care to refresh my memory?" Of course it went back to women, it always did, and if Jace was setting up shop here then he might as well scope out the local tail.

Of course, Jace was implying Isaiah had gone further with Raina than he actually had, but that wasn't something he was going to discuss, even if the man was like a brother. Jace could think what he wanted. When the timing was right, with the right person, Isaiah would know. So far it was looking like Raina might be the right one, someday. "Started... a couple weeks ago? A little less than that, so very new. I mean, she's met my sisters, and my mom because Joce was in her class and all, but it's not the same thing. I need to talk to my dad and see when I can get everything together." Meeting his family was a big deal to Isaiah, always had been. His family was one of the most important parts of his life and he made no effort to hide it. His fridge was covered in pictures and a few drawings Jocelyn had made him, tucked next to postcards he'd gotten from Jace.

Feeling Jace over his shoulder, Isaiah just raised an eyebrow. "A few minutes. Gotta cook the bacon and then the eggs." At the moment the bacon was now sizzling in the pan and Isaiah was working on slicing up the tomato. At the thought of any local women in the area, Isaiah laughed. "You do realize who you're talking to, right? I spend most of my time in the restaurant, so if they don't work there, chances are I don't see 'em. You're better at finding them than I am, we both know that."

"Well yes that's entirely true, and you know how much I enjoy going out and finding them, I was mainly curious to see if there've been any particularly big blips on the radar. And c'mon, you just said yourself, you work at a restaurant. What restaurant doesn't have attractive waitresses working there?" The answer, of course, was TGIFridays but that was neither here nor there. Watching the food being cooked, Jace's stomach let out another low grumble. They really need to invent a machine that cooks things at microwave speed without making them taste like they were in the microwave. "So it started a couple weeks ago eh? How'd you meet? Did Joce bring in her older brother and you decided that you were hot for teacher eh?" Isaiah was never shy, but damned if Jace didn't treat him like he was.

"So after I've had all the waitresses that you employ I'm sure I'll be looking about all the usual places...speaking of which are there any more usual places?" Yes, he was asking him another question about socializing. He wasn't expecting much of an answer, but if Sai didn't have at least a little bit to tell him here then Jace was going to have to call an emergency guy's night out.

"You've told me more than once, my woman radar must be busted or something. You remember me telling you about that Paige girl I was seeing, a long while back? Raina is the first since her." Yes, Isaiah wasn't exactly the "go out and date whoever wanted to go out" type, and calling him picky was actually a pretty good description. "And we are getting new blood at the Nest, so to speak, so perhaps you want to hang out there? Oh, and maybe you haven't heard, Scarlet Oak has it's own vampire bar now. Heme. Haven't been there yet, but I trust you can find some shy little vampire to take home for the night." He certainly wouldn't put it past his best friend. He chuckled, "Not exactly. Jocelyn was in her class last year, actually, she's seven now, can you believe it? I met Raina when I went to Whole Foods, up in Ann Arbor."

Whisking together all the ingredients, he flipped the bacon over in the pan, letting it cook another few minutes before taking it out and chopping it up on a nearby cutting board. His kitchen was small, but it was Isaiah's and his equipment was restaurant-quality and that was all that mattered. "If Heme doesn't strike your fancy, then there's always Anywhere But Here, I guess."

A vampire bar? Scarlet Oaks certainly was coming up in the world. Jace finished off his second cigarette since entering and crushed the last of the embers in his hand, dumping it down the drain. Being a fire elemental certainly had it's perks...especially with day to day little parlor tricks. "I'm sure I'll be zipping on by the Nest...I mean, if I won't give them my tip who's to say any of your patrons won't give them any tips at all?" If there was a sexual pun too tasteless for Jace then he didn't know it. "So, you meet this girl in Whole Foods, check out her melons, Bob's your uncle, you two are going out. Adorable. Practically Lady and the Tramp-esque."

Looking about the fridge and tossing a few leaves of lettuce to Quinn, Jace said idly, "So tell me about this vampire bar? Where's it set up?" Jace had been with a handful of vampires in his escapades, particularly a very attentive one in Russia who used to particularly enjoy the warmth his blood gave her. He was always quite careful when talking to them, if things got too rough he'd wave the fire about and that would keep everything kosher. A lovely little insurance policy it was.

Had he not been cooking at the time, Isaiah's head might well have slammed into the counter. Yes, he'd missed Jace and it had been five years since he'd left to go backpacking through Europe, but come on. Only Jace could say a line like that and keep a straight face about it. "We already have enough people sleeping with each other at the Nest, no need to make it worse. I better not find you in one of the walk in fridges, because then you will have to tell my dad what you were doing back there." It wasn't much of a threat, as Josiah knew Jace as well as Isaiah did, but still. "You would have checked out her melons, I for one made very nice conversation and impressed her with my knowledge of food. That was how I scored myself a date, and I bet you thought I wasn't capable of it."

With the bacon finally ready, Isaiah cut it into tiny pieces and mixed in with the rest of the ingredients. "Heme? It's out on Wrecker Road. Haven't been myself yet. I'm still a workholic." He looked down at his leg, healing but still busted up, "Well, except for this weekend. My dad made me take three days off, at least. I'm hoping he'll let me go back on Monday, if I'm healed up."

"If your dad caught me doing that there's at least a 50% chance that he'd give me a high five once she was out of the room. And that raises to 70% in the event that I make sure not to touch any of the food and wear a hairnet." No, hairnet was not a euphemism, Mr. Williamson raised a very respectable establishment and the board of health was not going to be getting up in his face about this. "You know as well as I do that if they're cute, I really can't help myself. It's almost a condition. Honestly you should be rewarding me for bravely facing it." Laughing Jace clapped Isaiah on the back, "It's not that I didn't think you were capable of going out on a date, it's just that I didn't think you had the balls to actually ask someone! Let alone a hot schoolmarm." Bending down, Jace examined Sai's leg momentarily, not even phased by the fact that the gentleman still was wearing just his boxers. "You're lucky you heal so quickly, did your mom do this at all?"

Isaiah just shook his head, rubbing at his eyes. "That's not the kind of thing my dad would high five you for, and you know it." Josiah was a falcon, same as Isaiah, the same rules applied. Only Josiah had found his mate a very, very long time ago. And the thought of Jace doing anything like that in the Nest was enough to make him want to stab his eyes out, because he knew - knew! - that there was more than one girl there willing to take him up on the offer. "Bravely facing it... right. That's what we're calling it these days." Pouring the egg mixture in the pan, Isaiah grabbed a wooden spoon to help in flipping the omelette over when the time came. "Of course I had the balls! I just don't ask every single girl I meet out on a date. And I don't think you want to call her a 'schoolmarm' to her face." Noticing where Jace was looking, Isaiah's face turned a little somber. "Yeah. Between being a were and having a white witch for a mother, that thing'll be set by Monday. I hope. I'd like to go back to work sometime soon."

Still examining the wound, as if he could really do anything about it, Jace didn't look up as he replied. "You have no idea what Uncle Jo and I discuss when you're not about. "Ya know, there's nothing wrong with asking out a lot of girls. I'm just...trying them all out before I find one that fits me perfectly is all." There was no trace of sincerity in his voice at that point, as Jace truly hoped he never found his 'the one' as he had absolutely no idea how he would react in that situation. "And what's wrong with the title schoolmarm?" He grinned, "I think it's kinda hot." Between the crunching of leaves from the other side of the room came a very faint, " You would. "

Sticking his tongue out, yes he actually did this, at his familiar was the only way Jace knew of to shut him up when he was acting like a worried mom. Giving the leg a very light poke, Jace tsk'd. "You've really gotta keep off this thing for as long as possible. What're you doing on your feet in the kitchen? Frankly you shouldn't even be up at this hour."

Isaiah rolled his eyes at that. "It's not like buying a car, Jace. You're not supposed to test drive them beforehand and then give them back to the dealership when you're done." He knew Jace was a good guy deep down, he never doubted that. And he did treat women like gold... when he was with them. Afterward was an entirely different story. "And you would think it's hot. She could so much as breathe and you would find it hot." She was a girl and a gorgeous one at that. Catching sight of Jace sticking his tongue out at the rabbit, Isaiah couldn't help but chuckle. Oh yes, he liked the rabbit indeed.

The omelette was ready to turn, and he folded it neatly onto itself in the pan. "I was sleeping. And then someone knocked on my door at three in the morning and surprise! Here you are." He shook his head. "I've been resting since Thursday. To be honest I'm about ready to tear my eyes out from the boredom. Mom didn't even want me shifting so if it doesn't look bad in the morning, I'm going for a damn fly."

He shrugged, "I'll never tell. Figures, you feel eye-gougingly bored and here I am! I'm like some sort of adventure genie, here to nurse you back to health with excitement." Getting back to his feet he gave Isaiah another light clap on the back, "And c'mon, if I'd shown up at any other hour would it really be me?" To be entirely fair, this was hardly the first time Jace had shown up at an ungodly hour of the morning expecting to hang out. Back in high school he used to show up to, as he put it, 'regale Isaiah with his conquests' all the time. "Tomorrow you'll be up in the air and I'll be fully prepared to tell my dear Auntie that I force fed you Nyquil till you passed out."

And that was Jace in a nutshell, ever the one to push a friend into seizing the day and making sure to hide the evidence. Granted Isaiah didn't take him up on it more often than not, but there were some instances where he did, especially when flying was involved. It had been one of Jace's private duties to collect Sai's clothes when he shifted back in school, a job he lovingly referred to as "Lois Lane work".

"Jace, you know what happens when I don't fly. I get all sorts of jittery. Not a good feeling." That was one thing about being so connected to the sky, he had to go up at least once every few days. At this rate he'd been grounded since the demon attack on Thursday. Having Raina over the day before helped keep his mind off things, but left to himself, Isaiah could think of nothing better than to get out of the apartment and up in the air. "And there is that. Though I do always prefer it when you gave me some warning." That had been something to explain to his parents in high school, how Jace just showed up randomly. Eventually it got to the point where, as long as he wasn't waking up the babies - because there were still infants in his house then, he'd been 16 when Jocelyn was born - they were more or less fine with it. Something about Jace being the "perfect gentleman" while he was there.

Jace had always, always been the enabler, talking Isaiah into god knows what schemes when they were kids. It helped, though, that the other man knew his secret, and was more than willing to cover up for him if need be. It had been their arrangement since they were in elementary school and Jace found out that his best friend was more than just a human. "Thanks, man, I'd appreciate that. Not that she's constantly checking in, but she'll probably call." And he had a hard time lying to his mother, knowing she'd be mad if he went flying when he wasn't supposed to. But if he felt up to it... he was totally going.

"Oh I know how you feel when you don't fly, trust me." If he hadn't known before, he certainly knew now. If Jace didn't use his powers it felt like he was letting a muscle atrophy, even if all he did was light a candle or a cigarette. "So long as you don't end up crippled from the flight, I'll tell her whatever you'd like. But don't you dare take advantage of me Mister Williamson." Jace didn't mind telling little white lies to the little white witch, so long as no lasting harm came from them. Jace loved his parents, and he loved Isaiah's like they were his own, but there were just some things they didn't need to know. "So, after the flight, how are we going to celebrate my glorious return to this little berg?"

"See? And you used to look at me like I was making it up." Not that Jace doubted him, not really, but it was hard to explain the need to fly, the instinct, how part of you wanted one thing and the falcon felt something completely different. "I have no intention of ending up crippled, thank you very much. And I don't take advantage of you, no more than you do of my generosity. I'm assuming that duffel bag means you're staying on my couch for the time being?" Jace had a problem being subtle, and since his parents had gone up and moved to Florida, it wasn't like he was going back to family any time soon. That left the Budget Lodge (eww) or Sai's couch. Besides, Isaiah would know when he was ready to fly again, instinct would tell him. "Not sure yet. I'm sure you'll think of something mindblowingly awesome... just don't set the whole town on fire."

"To be fair old boy, nobody really ever intends to end up crippled, and yet we still have those charming blue parking spaces." Subtlety he had trouble with, but sarcasm? He spoke that better than english. Putting on his best look of mock shock Jace retorted, "I would never even dream of taking advantage of your generosity! ...However that certainly sounded like an invitation, and I'd be rude not to wholeheartedly accept. Couch certainly seems comfortable enough." He couldn't help himself from grinning, a true best friend was one who you could bicker with like an old married couple.

"Mindblowingly awesome? That does sound like my typical MO. I'll see what I can find after you've passed out." Jace was never one for much sleep, he'd probably pass out after cleaning the dishes, then wake up two hours later refreshed as if he'd slept all night. "Though I do hafta stop in and say hello to the folks at some point, can't let 'em forget about me now can I?" And of course stop by town and see how many girls he could spot first hand for sniping later. That was the great thing about such a small town like Scarlet Oaks, if you spotted a cute girl on the street there was a decent chance you'd bump into her again before the end of the week.

"Touche, my friend. But I'm not going to do anything that results in either 1. me no longer being able to fly or 2. not being able to ride the bike anymore. Those are kind of priorities." And they were. The motorcycle was the only way Isaiah could get the rush of flying in his human form, and he needed to fly in order to survive. So what if he had a ton of speeding tickets and his insurance was astronomical? It was what had to be done in his book. "Yeah, yeah, bullshit. You knew I wasn't gonna through you out in the middle of the night." Isaiah just wasn't that kind of guy and both of them knew it. Jace could have his couch for now, though he might want to look into somewhere more permanent in the next day or two. After all, Isaiah only had a one bedroom apartment.

"See? Then it shouldn't be any trouble for you to think of something, then." With the omelette ready, Isaiah plated it and handed it to Jace. "There, that should shut your stomach up for a bit. And if you're talking about my folks, my mom'll be home, Dad will likely be at the Nest since he won't let me come back to work yet. Gives you the day to think of something to do at night."

"Now when have I ever had trouble finding something to do at night? Trust me, we'll have a great time...assuming I can sneak you past the little unholy invasion we've got in town, that is." He really had no idea how he was able to joke about that sort of thing, Jace wasn't kidding about that village in Romania he talked about earlier. During his little jaunt he'd seen the supernatural at large, and he'd seen the destruction a single demon could do first hand, let alone a full on invasion.

"Don't worry about the deal with the couch either, I'm sure I'll figure something out before I overstay my welcome. Assuming this town hasn't changed too much since I left, it shouldn't be too hard for me to find a bed." And he wasn't kidding, there were quite a few nights over the past few years while he was away that Jace spent the night sleeping under the stars if he couldn't find a suitable girl for the evening. At the sound of the motorcycle, his eyebrows raised. They let you get that thing?"

For a moment, Isaiah contemplated making an omelette for himself, but decided against it. Jace had been right about one thing, he should probably get some sleep soon. "I didn't doubt that, don't you worry. And for now, we just better pray no demon finds me again, because I will become a target if we do." That was the risk he took, being angelic blooded. Born enemies and all of that; he just never thought he'd actually see a demon face-to-face. So much for that. Over the past few days, he'd thought about lots of things he'd never considered before.

"You should look into finding a permanent bed, not just one for the night. You know, not just with whatever girl brought you home?" Whatever worked, Isaiah supposed, Jace was quite the conman and he usually found a way to get what he wanted. It did surprise him, however, to note Jace's surprise at his chosen form of transportation. "Hell yeah, I have a motorcycle. It's a Honda Shadow, I'll show you in the morning. Bought it right after you left for Europe. You know me and cars, never really liked them much." They made him feel closed in, trapped somehow.

"A permanent bed is something that requires rather constant maintenance. Particularly rent being the foremost of those. Suggesting that I pay rent is almost as bad as suggesting that I," and here he made his most dramatic of gasps, "get a job! Are you attempting to make an honest man outta me? Perish the thought." As much as he played up the idea, he really didn't want to think about tying himself down to a job. Going and doing the same thing day in day out? Noooo thank you. He'd much rather charm his way into whatever bed he needed and grift his way into however much money he wanted. It hadn't failed to provide so far.

"I'm at the very least seeing that motorcycle, and if you don't let me take it around the block I will never forgive you." While Jace wasn't one for motorcycles per se, they were certainly still fun. No, Jace was a classic cars kinda guy, preferring the babe-magnet effect of a really nice car to the thrill of a motorcycle. A back seat provided plenty of thrills on its own. Practically pouncing on the finished omlette, Jace smiled, "You certainly haven't lost your touch."

"You know, they say that's part of growing up and all, but you seem pretty set on being a conman for the rest of your life." Both of them knew Isaiah didn't exactly approve of Jace's lifestyle, but that was what worked for Jace. Isaiah had always been the responsible one out of the two of them; someone had to be. That was why, after graduation, Isaiah had gone to work at the Nest and Jace ended up galvanting around Europe. To each their own, and each one of them was happy in their own way.

"You can see the motorcycle, sure. I will think about letting you ride it. One scratch on that thing and I don't care how long I've known you, you're a dead man." One simply didn't get between Isaiah and his bike, it just wasn't done. It was the only way he could get the same freedom he had as a falcon in his human form, and that meant the world to him. And, to be honest, he didn't miss the backseat thrills Jace loved so much about having a car, what with the whole "mating for life" thing. Temptation was a bitch, and until Raina he hadn't been faced with much of it at all. "And of course I haven't lost my touch, I'm the best damn chef you'll ever meet."

"Mmfmmf." Was Jace's only reply until he remembered to actually swallow his food. "Yes, yes you are. I bow to the master." Chuckling he replied to Isaiah, "If I don't grow up, then I never die my friend. Immortality thought independence, it's a wonderful way to live." Granted he knew he couldn't always live this way, but he was in his early twenties...if he wasn't supposed to live like this now, then when was he? The opportunity to ride on the motorcycle was only slightly less appealing than riding Sai's sister. Quinn at this point had made his way over to the couch and settled in."I'll be sure to treat your little pet with kid gloves, no worries."

Isaiah just smirked and sipped at his water. "Damn straight." He'd never been shy about his cooking skills and if someone would listen, he'd gladly brag about them. "The world isn't Neverland, you know, and you're not Peter Pan... at least, I hope never to see you in those spandex tight things like Peter Pan, because that's just wrong. For now I'll just continue to be the one you keep on speed dial when you need me to bail you out of jail and laugh at your stories." Thankfully Isaiah wasn't telepathic, because if he'd heard that thought about Lizzy, it wouldn't have been good, best friend or not. "You'd better. I'm not kidding."

Raising his fork at Isaiah he said, "I'll have you know I've yet to be caught." And it's true...well, mostly. Sure he'd been thrown in the drunk tank a few times after a brawl here and there, but he'd never been brought in for any of his more serious grifts. For some reason he just always managed to slide his way outta trouble, something Jace would attribute to skill but was more than not at least half due to luck. Still, as Charlemagne once said, 'It's smarter to be lucky than lucky to be smart.' Grinning he added, "And for your information I look fantastic in spandex. Did just a little bit of fencing while in France, the pants weren't quite spandex but pretty damn close." Granted, the sword fighting had been with a master fire elemental and the foils had been white hot, but training was training.

Holding up his right hand, Jace said solemnly, "I may joke about nailing your sister, but I'd never joke about a man's motorcycle. Some things are sacred."

Raising an eyebrow, Isaiah just repeated one word: "Yet." It would happen someday, even the infamous Jace Sloper's luck ran out. And if he wasn't bailing Jace out of jail then he was picking him up from somewhere after some girl kicked him out or her husband came home or some other shenanigans. Shenanigans that Isaiah had missed in the years Jace had been gone, strangely enough. "And for your information I never want to see you in spandex, you save that for your lady friends, if that's what they're into." In spite of himself he yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. What time was it again? Oh, that's right, Jace showed up at 3 in the morning. "Gonna hold you to that, and I will check for scratches."

Jace smirked at the yawn, heading over to the sink to begin washing the dishes, "Go get some sleep man, I think I've kept you up long enough. Plenty of time to catch up during a reasonable hour." Granted it sort of seemed like Jace was just gonna eat and run, but once his friend actually showed signs of sleepiness he wasn't gonna keep him up. "I'll clean up here and pass out when I'm done. Tomorrow we'll go flying and you can show me what's changed around here in half a decade." He was fully prepared to leave it at that, but it was 3am and nobody but Quinn was around...so why the hell not be just a little sentimental. Still cleaning up the dishes he said without looking up, "I missed ya, ya feathery bastard."

"Hey, I'm supposed to be 'recovering.' I get to be tired every once in a while, and it is the middle of the night." Isaiah made air quotes around the word before finishing his water and leaving the empty bottle by the sink. "We can catch up in the morning and hell yes, flying is on the agenda. We'll figure out something to amuse you for the day." Really that wouldn't take much with Jace, he was always able to find something interesting in a sleepy little town like Scarlet Oak, and now he had a ton more stories to catch Isaiah up on, too. He smirked a little, clapping Jace on the shoulder, "Missed you too, douchebag. There's a blanket on the back of the couch if you need it." Isaiah started to head back towards his bedroom. "See you in the morning."