InsaneJournal

So far from secure
Who: Adelle, Alanna, Kiley and Roxy
Where: Alanna's apartment
When: Evening

It was day number three of Alanna's self-enforced exile and she was completely miserable. Okay, so she had been miserable for all of the days but for some reason it was worse today. Probably because she had actually admitted what had happened to people other than her cat and also because she had needed to move herself from the couch to her bedroom because Roxy had come back and there was no way she was going to let her penguin friend see her moping around like that before she was ready to tell her what had happened. Last night she had not been ready. This morning whenever she had sent out that text she had been ready. But not before. Not one moment before. Good thing she was now though because it felt like the whole world was coming over. So it was only three people - that was a lot for the redhead to have in her apartment at one time. Luckily she was only mildly freaking out over it and brushing out Callalily roughly a million times while she sat on the couch. Her eyes were flitting between the door and the stack of DVDs she had pulled out just in case, though none of them really appealed at the moment. Aaron had gone through them all not even a week ago. But no, no she was not going to cry. She was going to behave herself and no, there went the trembling lip and she pressed her face into Callalily's fur while she waited, sniffling.

Alanna had said via text that her favorite food was walnuts. Really? Walnuts? You couldn't eat walnuts for dinner and they weren't going to, well, Alanna could because Adelle had bought some at the store when she went to get ingredients for a dinner dish and chocolate. Chocolate was a must when there was boy troubles, or any troubles really, so she was bringing the good stuff. After she was done with work, the little brunette had made her way home, changed into a comfortable shirt and shorts and went crazy mode on making a lasagna. But not a usual lasagna, it was packed full of shrimp, scallops, a few cheeses, and was made with a creamy sauce instead of a classic marinara. The extra shrimp came with for Roxy.

After deciphering where exactly Alanna's apartment was, the short siren Conversed up and sped her way over. Knocking on the door and balancing all that she was holding was a different story, however, and she prayed to God that Alanna would open the door soon, or that one of the other girls would show up to help her balance something. Lasagna if you fall I swear I'm stomping you into the concrete.

The second Roxy heard the knock on the door, the oven timer had also dinged off and the penguin found herself in a state of which one to answer first. With her head flicking back and forth between the two, Roxy just sighed and yelled out on the top of her lungs, "GIMME A SECOND UNLESS YOU LIKE THE IDEA OF BURNT QUESADILLAS." And with that, she kept her focus on the oven, propping it open to pull on out the various trays of grilled chicken and cheese quesadillas that she made from scratch for the girls night. Yes, Roxy knew how to cook a mean Hispanic dish and was damn proud of it. Hell, she even made tortillas from scratch for the nachos she made. Her abuelos would have been pretty proud of their Roxannita. Granted, most people made quesadillas in the frying pan, she preferred letting them crisp up in the oven so they wouldn't be as greasy. Placing the trays to the side to cool off, she closed the oven door and spun on her heel to eye Alanna curled up with their new cat, looking depressed as ever.

It was hard for the two of them, having all sorts of shit going through in their lives. There were still nights where Roxy cried herself to sleep due to knowing she didn't have a family to go home to. True, her friends could be her new colony, but... it wasn't the same. And she couldn't imagine how Alanna felt with Aaron getting up and going. Fucking douchebag... boys are such a waste of space, time, and headaches. With a light sigh, she made her way on over to Alanna and bent over. "Heeeey, come on, chippy, no need to be down tonight. We got company coming over! All here to cheer you up!" With a hopeful smile, she patted her were friend on the top of her head before straightening back up. "I mean, come on, I made homemade Chilean food for you to snack on! I like, NEVER do that, but you're a big deal to me, so you deserve it." And on that note, she shuffled on over to the door, stopping in front of a mirror for a minute to adjust the scarf that was holding her ponytail together and then opened the front door.

"Adi! Oh my god! You made it!" She squeaked with a bounce. "It's so good to see you, I feel like it's been like, forever!" Roxy leaned in to give her best friend some girly kisses on her cheeks before scooping up all the trays that were in her arms. "Here, let me take care of this for you and come on it! Make yourself at home." And with her penguin strength, she balanced all the trays and containers into one arm and scurried off to the kitchen to serve them.

Kiley had, admittedly, not known what to get to help cheer Alanna up. She knew what things would work for herself, were she in a similar situation - namely, lots of ice cream and bad sci-fi movies, rounded out with a viewing of Star Wars. It was impossible for Kiley to be unhappy when she was watching her favorite moves of all time. Now, though, she just wanted Alanna to know that her friends were still there for her, regardless of what Aaron had done. She could understand leaving because of a job, but still, for it to be so sudden like that... Alanna was pack to her now, and the werewolf was going to be there for her friends. Distractions, she'd come to learn, were always a good thing.

So, after work, Kiley swung by the store to pick up the things she thought Alanna might like - chips and dip, some chocolate chip cookies (as she didn't have time to make fresh ones, sadly enough), a veggie tray with some dip to go with it. Really, Kiley was kind of shooting in the dark, but Alanna had said there'd be other people there as well, so maybe they'd like what she brought even if Alanna didn't. Either way, it couldn't hurt, so that was why Kiley had her purse slung over one shoulder and her bag o'goodies in her other hand. She'd also brought her comfort movies, the aforementioned sci-fi epic included, but she skipped out on the romantic comedies. Not the right movie for tonight.

Straightening out her hoodie as she went towards the door, Kiley paused, seeing that there was someone else already at the door, waiting until they went inside to knock softly. "I hope I'm not too late," she said, "but I promise I've come to add to the yummies everyone's bringing." Really, you'd think this was a house warming party or something. The only thing missing was a half-assed green bean casserole.

When the doorbell rang Alanna briefly considered answering it but then she heard Roxy saying she would and decided to stay right where she was. Blinking up at her penguin friend when she patted her on the head Alanna just nodded. Talking was not her favorite thing to do at the moment and she knew she was probably going to end up doing a lot of it before the night was through whether she liked it or not, so she was saving her words for when Adelle and Kiley got there. Which is right now, she thought as she heard Adelle's voice and peered over the top of the couch to spot the little brunette. Kiley she smelled before she saw, quelling the tendril of fear that always came when she smelled a wolf. Roxy was right though, all of this was for her and it was a little overwhelming at the moment. So long as they all did not try to hug her then she would be fine, but if they did that girl-thing where they tried to cling and say everything was alright then Alanna was going to regret the agreement to go along with this.

But until then... "Hi guys." Alanna's smile was not as bright as always but it was there. And there was chocolate! She could smell the chocolate and even if it was full of sugar she wanted it. "Can I have whatever it is that has the chocolate now? Roxy made the food, I didn't, I'm not that good a cook but I really want the chocolate." Callalily gave a mew that sounded almost agreeing. "No, you can't have any. Because you're a cat. Come in and sit down?" Definitely not used to having multiple people in her apartment and it showed when she just asked instead of pointing out all the places to sit.

"Roxy!" God, it had been forever. They hadn't seen each other since the full-moon party, and she couldn't only hope that she was okay with Charlene again. But seeing that she was already here, and Adelle hadn't heard any news from Kat, her parents were still angry about her sexuality. Suck. She let her were-penguin friend do her thing and balance all of the heavy trays in her arms before she turned to find Alanna and a really, really big cat. Holy wow, that thing was extra cat. Unfortunately, Adelle was a hugger, and since she didn't know about Alanna's general avoidance of touching, she had pulled the taller girl into a hug without so much as a word. "Hey girl," the siren said as she let Alanna go, "Who. Is your cat? Because it's a cutie." As long as it wasn't mean, or liked to bite.

Before she bent to play with the animal, she turned to grab the bag with the candy for Alanna and presented her with M&Ms. The kind with the peanuts because she figured nuts in general if the girl liked nuts. Somebody was going to have to mention the were thing before the night was through. There was another person though, that she didn't know, so the siren turned to smile and offer her hand. "I'm Adelle, but you can call me Adi. Or Del, or Dels, or Deli, Di. Nobody ever calls me Adelle."

The pink-haired girl spent a moment in the kitchen, arranging all the yummies into platters and began gathering plates and utensils - stainless steel, thank god. She didn't mind playing hostess, something she was sure she picked up from her dear old mother, and was actually glad she could do it for Alanna. Girl didn't have to worry about anything tonight. Balancing the plates and utensils in one hand and a platter of lasagna in the other, Roxy placed everything down on the table before Alanna and splayed them out. "Just need to grab some of the finger food and we should be totally cool for the night! Does anyone want something to drink? Got water, milk, think a couple cans of-"

As she straightened out, she noticed another new girl had come in. "Ah, you must be Kiley!" She recalled Alanna mentioned the girl offhand while getting ready for the night. Blinking her eyes, she stood for a second and stared at the redhead. Not out of rudeness, but curiosity. Definitely a were, that was for sure, and if her nose was right, then it had to be a werewolf. Probably the most common type she came across - there was no denying that smell. Oh god, poor Alanna! The lil' chippy is friends with a puppy! Hopefully her chipmunk friend wasn't flipping out over the idea of having a wolf in her apartment. Then again, she was cuddling with a kitty right now, so who knew. Flashing a smile at Kiley, she simply waved, "I'm Roxy! Alanna's designated couch roomie as of now and Adi here's my best friend from California." Then she bounced for a second while coming back to her senses. "Drinks! Yes, drinks. Who wants what?"

"I brought chocolate chip cookies, but I think M&M's are also a good choice." Thank god someone had thought to bring those, because Kiley hadn't. There were just too many choices in the grocery store and not knowing Alanna's taste in food. Though it looked like someone - Roxy, Alanna said? - had made enough food to feed an army. Which was good, as all Kiley had on her were snacks. While that could make a meal all on its own, it wasn't technically dinner and therefore technically didn't count.

She did, however, smile at Adelle, shaking the offered hand. "Kiley, it's great to meet you." And it was, Kiley didn't have a lot of girl friends, so to speak. So many scents attacked Kiley's nose when she walked in - Alanna, who she'd expected, and then the cat, who she hoped didn't freak out over the fact that someone who smelled like a wolf was here. Then, looking over at the pink-haired girl and still smiling, she caught her scent as well, and couldn't place it for the life of her. It left something of a curious expression on her face as well as the two weres regarded each other. Kiley wasn't trying to be rude either, but that was going to have to come out at some point. She waved back, "And you too, Roxy. Look like you've been cooking in here all day." She set her stuff down on the table as well, pulling out the bags of chips and opening the dip. "Water's fine for now, do you need any help with the food?"

Ah no, no no no. Alanna saw it coming but before she could react Adelle was suddenly hugging her and all she could do was fidget, eyes panicked as she waited for the smaller girl to release her. She swallowed hard and accepted the M&M's with hands that shook, curling up a little more despite herself. No there had been nothing to see, but there had been that moment of expecting to see something that was denied with the longer moment of absolutely nothing. Combined with all that had happened the past few days it was just a little too much and Alanna hoped that she was not going to end up getting touched a lot. Fat chance with who she had for friends - except maybe Kiley - but a girl could hope.

"She's been cooking a lot," Alanna piped in from behind Callalily, voice muffled as she had her face mostly buried in the cat's fur. It was soothing and she really needed to breathe after the unexpected contact with Adelle. "And this is Callalily, Ian left her with me when he went back to Scotland or something. She's a sweetheart and she'll love you, but right now she's cuddling with me because she's fluffy and purrs and that makes her way better than any pillow. Totally justifable reasons for her to cuddle with the cat. Even if her inner chipmunk thought it was insane. "Tea for me; there's a pitcher in the fridge and we're going to watch a movie, right? Someone gets to choose and someone so isn't me." Choosing would mean moving for one and Alanna was not terribly fond of that idea. Nor of actually picking the movie because in her mood it was likely to be something that no one else would enjoy. Well, maybe Roxy since she seemed to like anything that involved adrenaline racing.

Adelle stood between the girls, almost absentmindedly missing the look the two weres were giving each other as she pet the cat. As far as the other girls would be concerned, tonight she was a plain human. She didn't have a scent that gave her away, and for that she was glad. The siren did notice the way that Alanna was shaking, and decided to leave the girl with the cat as she went off in search of what her human nose could smell. Something hot and Chilean, but the quest for whatever it was came to a sudden close as her eyes met with chips and dip. "Water, ooh, no, tea. Oh, I forgot to bring movies. I don't think I could've carried anymore."

"I loooove when Roxy cooks. It's an awesome change from what I usually eat." Adelle was going to offer to help in the kitchen but Kiley had beaten her to it so she just continued to munch on chips. The short thing took one of the seats at the table and looked over everything as it was placed down. It all looked awesome, and she was definitely going to live up to the reputation of eating more than she looked like she weighed. Which was better than her reputation as something of a slut. Way better, and hopefully that wasn't going to be coming up tonight at all. "I'm up for watching anything. If it's good, we laugh, and if it's bad, we laugh and complain about how bad it is."

"Oh sure! If you don't mind," she nodded to Kiley and beckoned her to follow before looking back at the others. "A water and two teas, coming right up!" And with that she shuffled on back to the kitchen to grab the drinks for the girls. Looking over her shoulder to Kiley, she flashed a smile while motioning to the rest of the food with her chin. "If you just want to like, grab something and bring it over to the table, that'd be cool." After fetching a glass of water for Kiley, she searched through the fridge for the pitcher of tea Alanna mentioned, deciding to also pour herself a glass. Roxy would have preferred a smoothie right about then, but this wasn't California and she had to make due with some iced tea. "Cool to see that Alanna has more were friends," she kept her voice low, not sure if Kiley was comfortable with that bit of information being spoken out loud. Then again, it was quite obvious that the two of them knew what the other was, so might as well spit it out and get it over with. "I'm a penguin, by the way. I probably smell totally weird if you've like, never met one before, but hey! At least I don't bite." She giggled while putting the pitcher of tea back into the fridge and then began her magical balancing act with the four cups and shuffled on back to the main room.

"I brought a few movies, but I'm not sure what everyone wants to watch," Kiley said. "My comfort movies are Star Wars and Indiana Jones, but I'm cool with watching whatever." Which was the truth, since she was here to make sure Alanna was feeling better, no other reason than that. In that respect, she thought Alanna should be the one to choose, but if the girl wanted to delegate that responsibility, that's cool too. Following Roxy into the kitchen, Kiley grabbed two plates, carrying them both in one hand, balancing one on her forearm. "Didn't know she was a were until just recently," she said, voice similarly low, "we've got more in common when it comes to that." Because they were both bittens. Kiley's eyebrows went up a little at the thought of a were penguin, "Really?" At least that explained why she couldn't place the smell. "That's - kind of awesome. Suppose you already know what I am."

The apartment was so small that Alanna could hear Roxy and Kiley easily enough. One of the perks of being a chipmunk - kickass hearing so that you could get away from the trouble before it even thought of coming at you. Adelle probably could not though, which might be better because Alanna just realized that she had no idea if Kiley was actually open about her whole being-a-were thing. "If no one else will decide, then I'm just going to put in Alvin and the-" No, no, no chipmunks. She was one, but so was Aaron. Biting at her lip, Alanna reached over to take the iced tea Roxy had brought in and tried to think of another movie. "Balto?" It definitely had to be cartoon-esque and she thought it would be funny since there were part-wolves in it and Kiley was totally a wolf so yeah, maybe the other redhead would like it. Or maybe they would all think she was five-years-old. Normally, Alanna was too chipper or upbeat to care what other people thought of minor things, but right then she was hyperaware of everything and that included being judged. So she sank back into the couch with her cup and Callalily and just sort of waited for everyone's opinions.

Adelle on the other hand, was clueless to the conversation going on in the kitchen, stuffing her face and waiting for the other two girls to come back. They were kinda silent for it being Roxy and all, but hey, new friends she couldn't really judge how they were going act around each other. "Balto sounds good, because I don't know if I've ever actually sat through Star Wars. Ooh, or Enchanted, that movie always cheers me up. But I'm totally interested in Balto now, I haven't seen it in sooo long." The brunette turned to receive her cup and a plate and went to work filling her plate with food. Yeah, she was just claiming the other day that she was fat and all but hello, Roxy had cooked the delicious kind of carbs and there was no saying no. "So, Kiley, what do you do? Are you in school or like...?" Because they were becoming friends so they had to talk, yes.

"Wait, you've never sat through Star Wars? EVER?!" Roxy just gawked in sheer awe as she plopped on down next to Alanna and immediately served herself some food. "Dude, I'm not even entirely into that kind of thing, but I got enough brothers in my life to make me buckle down and watch the damn movie." She would have gone on teasing Adelle, though the thought of her brothers made her shut up. Oh, how she wished they were here. They could cheer Alanna up in no time. Hell, they would have piped in with the Star Wars conversation. Instead, Roxy just sunk back into her seat and looked on over to Alanna. "I'm cool with Balto. Whatever you want, Chippy. Tonight is your night!" Of course, Roxy would have preferred Happy Feet, but perhaps another night.

Oh no, Kiley was very much not open about being a were. She'd prefer to forget the whole thing even existed, except for the fact that there was the whole full moon and turning into a monster and the stupid freaking hyper senses that went along with it. That thought was gone from her head the moment the words "Star Wars" were out of Adelle's mouth. "Okay, so Balto is awesome and I'm totally cool with watching that, but afterward? Seriously, Star Wars. Because everyone has to see it." Hell, Kiley was wearing a Star Wars shirt under her hoodie, girl was a fangirl and completely unashamed of it. Grabbing a plate herself, she started looking at what was actually made, "I'm a barista," still, in spite of everything that had happened to her in the last year, "work at Starbucks, going back to grad school in the fall. What about you?"

Star Wars? Alanna had seen that who knew how many times growing up but, unlike Kiley, she did not watch it over and over again or get all into this or that. Who shot first? Who cared? Not that she was going to make fun of Kiley or anything, never that, she was just never going to get in on that discussion. "After Balto," Alanna said, setting Callalily aside so that she could get up and pop it in. Unlike everyone else she did not actually grab any of the food, not even the chocolate after all, settling back in while her cat went off to paw at Kiley. That thing clearly had never learned how to act around things that smelled like predators or prey - and Alanna was really grateful for the second part. But once she had hit the 'play' button she turned her attention back to the conversation between Adelle and Kiley, curious about what it was that the little brunette did herself. Maybe Roxy had said something, but if she had then it had totally slipped her mind.

No she hadn't sat through Star Wars! No offense to Kiley, but she hadn't exactly hung out with people that watched that movie, or movies or whatever in high school, or in college either. The 'rents were both too busy to garner an interest in anything less than a half an hour's worth of anything too. "Only child, Roxy! But if I spent more time at your house I'm sure I would've seen it sooner or later." Adelle held her hand up as if somebody had asked who was guilty of being one. The hand went to one of Roxy's as she took a seat, a look in her eyes as if to say, "No worries, be happy," but she figured from how much the penguin always mentioned her family and loved being with them that it was much harder than she could understand. "Okay, okay, after Balto. I've seen Save the Last Dance more times than I can count though." Along with Dirty Dancing, Flashdance, Rent, and Step Up. "A barista? At Starbucks? And we haven't run into you yet?! Well I'm trying to get into U of M's dance company, and I was working at Les is More, but the owner decided to up and leave awhile back so that fell through. I might try Wonderland first since they're alike, and then check out other stuff around town."

Alanna's silence worried Roxy a bit abd she eyed her friend as she rose from the couch to pop in the DVD. Having the chippy this quiet was never a good thing. It was like when Roxy herself fell silent. Never a good sign. Hopefully she would cheer up. Though Roxy was distracted when she overheard Kiley mention something about Starbucks. "Oh my god! You work at Starbucks?! Holy crap, seriously, how did we not manage to bump into you?! We used to like, go there all the time back on the west coast. I mean, I still like The Coffee Bean way better, but Adi here likes her things sweet. And oh my god, if you work at Starbucks, you can get discounts! We should like, all get together for Starbucks!" It sounded like a perfect idea to the penguin either way. "And Alanna can yell at us for ruining our teeth or something like that." She giggled while eying her chipmunk friend, hopping that would get a smile out of her while she munched on some more food.

Seeing the cat come over was something of a surprise to Kiley. She hadn't been around cats much since she'd been turned - her parents hadn't had pets since she and Corwin were little, and she didn't have any of her own when she moved out - so it was a surprise to see Callalily so unafraid of her. Abandoning the thought of food for a second, Kiley leaned down and stretched out a hand to the kitty for her sniff if she'd like, curious to see what reaction she'd get, expecting the poor thing to run off once it registered that Kiley smelled like, well, a form of dog. "Starbucks," she confirmed. "And yes, you can all come visit me at work and I'll make you the best drinks you've ever had - but if you come in and order a ton of frappuccinos, you're coming behind the line and making them yourself." This was said in jest... mostly. The frozen drink was great until you actually had to make a hundred of them in a row. "Or, we can all meet up there or something, whatever works." Bonding over coffee was like a ritual, one that would never get old.

Callalily possibly need reinstruction on what sort of scents she needed to stay away from, but as it was the cat was more than happy to rub against Kiley's hand after she sniffed at her. Alanna shook her head at her cat, pulling a pillow up to replace her while she fixed her eyes on the TV screen. Everyone was talking about coffee now because Kiley worked at Starbucks. If she had been paying better attention then she would have been a little surprised that neither of them knew that with how often they went but whatever. She did catch the comment about ruined teeth and, without missing a beat, tossed in, "Everything you're eating right now is probably terrible for them. The chocolate, the sugar in your drink-" did any of them have sugar in their drinks? Alanna had not really been paying that much attention when Roxy brought them back. "Don't worry, I have extra toothbrushes in the bathroom and some floss you can use after you eat."

Discounts? Discounts on drinks and scones and scones and scones and scones? Holy crap. Kiley was in! Alanna really knew how to pick her friends if Adelle could say so herself. It was going to be happy times tonight, and maybe in the future for Roxy if she had Alanna and tons of coffee. Adelle simply smiled at the cat as it crossed over to Kiley. It was a nice cat, and she made a little wave before she went back to her horribly sugar filled foods. "What do you do Alanna? I don't really remember like, asking you before." But she knew a crapload of stuff about teeth, or maybe nutrition in general. Or she could be a personal trainer? There was a nice body under all that sad after all, Adelle did remember that much. "I'd love to meet at Starbucks soon. I've been drinking like, Folgers and I don't think I'm good at making coffee. At all."

"Folders? Really, Adi?" Roxy snorted at that one. "We need to get you out of the house and get some proper caffeine into you!" It was really the only thing that kept her awake now and then. She almost envied the others for having such steady work schedules. At least in comparison to hers. Nothing beat the crazy hours that were associated to any medical work. "And chill, Chippy. One night of splurging isn't going to rot our mouths out. Just relax and enjoy the night. You like, totally deserve it either way." Could Alanna even spend a day not freaking out over something? Probably not, but it was wishful thinking. Easing back into her seat, she munched away at her food while cuddling up against a pillow to watch the movie. God, when was the last time she saw this? At least cartoons made everything better.

Still scratching the cat behind the ears, and amazed she was getting away with it, Kiley straightened and grabbed a plate of food of her own before taking a seat on the floor, plate in front of her. "Okay, if all you've been drinking is Folgers, I need to show you how to make a decent pot of coffee," she said, shaking her head. "Hell, I'll even give you some, I get a free pound of coffee a week and my brother and I don't drink anywhere near that much so... yeah. Let me know." Taking a sip of her drink, Kiley looked over at the TV. Hopefully this was helping Alanna feel better, or at least redirecting her worries from Aaron to the state of their teeth. For now, she was going to enjoy the movie, and all the food they'd brought. Enough to feed an army, by the looks of it.

"Umm... I'm a dentistry student," Alanna replied, fidgeting with her pillow and drink. "Work at one of the offices in town as an intern right now." Good enough answer and she did nothing but glare quickly at the back of Roxy's head for her remark. She totally was not freaking out! She was just saying... okay, maybe it seemed like freaking out. Sighing, she fixed her eyes on the screen and blocked out the conversation she was not adding a whole lot to, just enjoying the company and general quietness that came with the night. Much preferable to being alone with Callalily and her thoughts. The redhead may not have been voicing it outloud, but this was helping her a lot more than she had thought it would and she made a mental note to tell them all thank you around a hundred times.