Morningstar Manor

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.]

Christmas was in many ways a favourite holiday but today Nick was cursing it heartily. Something had gone wrong with the lights and they had ceased to function and someone, Nick suspected Mrs Kelso, had complained about it, so he had been given the fiddly assignment of finding out what was wrong and putting it right. Failing that he would have to remove all the decorations, remove the lights and replace them with new ones.

Brilliant. Lights weren't that expensive. They should just do that in the first place - but no, it was the economy. Nick had to test all the bulbs first.

"Eighty-seven," he grumbled, clipping it back into it's holder. "About two hundred to go."

Sterrin sat on one of the couches in the Mocha wearing a blue dress and looking at a magazine and feeling bored.  She absolutely detested cold weather and her brother was constantly swamped at work, which was putting him in a bad mood. They'd just had another argument this morning and she glared at him where he sat at a table, reading his paper and looking smug. He smirked back at her and she flipped him off. God, she hated  Christmas.

Declan sat at his table wearing a tight, black v-necked sweater and a pair of jeans, and laughing at his sister. She was a pain in the ass and often times more trouble than she was worth, but it was nice having her around to argue with if nothing else.  His gaze returned to the stock quotes in front of him and he smiled as his mind calculated how much richer he'd just gotten. He'd been grumpy this morning, but pissing off Sterrin and making money always made him feel just a bit better.

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.

Coffee was a wonderful thing. Coffee and muffins were even better. Coffee and muffins and watching your little girl coloring pictures of turkeys and pumpkins was probably the best. Okay so technically she wasn't his little girl yet - they were still waiting on all the adoption paperwork to go through but as far as Deacon was concerned Nia was his.

"That's gorgeous, baby," he said when she proudly showed him the rather messy picture. Nia beamed and started a new one and Deacon smiled and sipped his coffee.

*******

Kara was sitting on one of the couches, sipping her coffee and going through the last few things she had to do before heading to Boston for Thanksgiving. Today was the last day at work then she could leave tomorrow - well they could leave. Her and Niles. That thought made her smile.

*******

Jack had been up before the sun. Mrs. Eddings's heater had busted, lift two had gone wonky, something had been messing with things in the basement... Yawning and already looking a bit ragged he stopped into the Mocha. It was time for a break dammit.

******

Jason was taking a break too, sitting just in the doorway of the Mocha and watching the room as well as the lobby. Oh sure Frank was covering the desk for a bit but it was the holidays. That meant guests were coming to the Manor and Jason liked to keep an eye out to see who the guests were. Holidays - at least for him - were always stressful.

Nick yawned as he lined up in the Mocha to get his mid morning coffee and danish. It had been a busy night and he couldn't wait to get off duty so he could get back to Seth's and doze off in a long hot bath. His place was still pretty full of recreational gardening items and besides, a bath at Seth's frequently meant either company, or being brought coffee, or sometimes both.

With his snacks in his hands he found an empty couch and ambled across to slouch on it. After a moment he closed his eyes.

Five minutes. Just five minutes.

###

Andy scowled at the contents of Erik's mailbox and began to go through it. Junk, junk, junk, invoice, letter from agent, junk junk.

Then she snorted and held up one pale pink envelope scented with Anais Anais. "huh, fan mail," she said and he hand hovered over the trash can for a moment before adding it to the pile of keepers. Sometimes, if they were really good, Erik let her read them aloud to him.

"Well damn," she said. There was two.

###

Leo sat in the library with a large pile of double space printed paper and a selection of highlighters.

Even after several years of being computer literate [even if only to about 5th grade level] he still found it easier to edit on paper.

He smiled as the green [for deletion] highlighter swooped across the page. Even though he had just discarded three days work in a stroke of a pen it was satisfying in its own way.

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

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

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

****

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

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

****

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

Either way he was having a grand time.

He'd gotten the call just as he had finished up with his shift so had only stopped long enough to drop his tools off and then headed up to Declan's. Still in his jeans and work boots, work shirt undone to show the white singlet beneath and sleeves rolled up, he'd rang Declan's bell.

Now, inside and after a rather enthusiastic welcome, he was sipping a cold beer.

"So she's already making friends huh?" he said, leaning against the counter in the kitchen.

Declan stood outside of the Mocha in the garden, wearing a casual black sweater with the sleeves pushed up and a pair of jeans. His phone was pressed to his ear and his head was in his opposite hand that also held a lit cigarette. On the other end of the line his mother was informing him that his sister was coming to stay with him whether he wanted her too or not. His sister was a grown woman, but apparently she'd gotten in some trouble and needed a change of scenery. Declan loved his sister and they'd always had fun together, but he'd never had to be responsible for her either. 

Smith sat in the back corner at a table with his back against a wall out of habit. One might say that he looked grumpy and they would be right. He was miserable and completely pissed off, which was a bad combination. He wanted to beat the shit out of something, but he'd already pounded the punching bag in the gym to dust more times than he could count this week. He missed Laura. He wanted her back, but how did he get her? He'd pretty much burned that bridge the last time he'd seen her. Sighing, he took a sip of his coffee and glared at the world in general. 

Oliva was sitting on one of the couches with her legs tucked up beside her and her shoes on the ground in front of her, wearing a dark blue sweater dress that draped to bare one shoulder. There was a bag next to her from a Halloween shop in the City and a large photo book in her lap that was all about the works of Alberto Vargas and his pin-ups. She adored retro pin-up art, and she was looking into buying one of his paintings. What better way to make an informed decision than to read up and look at all of his work?

Isabella stood in line with her hands tucked into the pockets of her new, cream colored coat. She smiled at everyone that looked at her. She was in a fabulous mood and had been for over a week now. Micah and her were getting along amazingly well, her mom had come out of her surgery okay, and things were just... Good. Almost frighteningly so.

The biggest of the floor polishers was an ugly bastard of a machine that must have weighed 400 pounds so Nick wasn't too surprised that Phil and Jack had left the final polish of the ballroom floor to him. They both had muscle enough but you needed bulk as well to keep the old horror going in a straight line rather then wandering off and crashing through a wall.

So Nick had his weight thrown well back against the handles as he wrestled it across the dance floor and sang along to the music on his iPod. His singing wasn't up to much but who cared? The machine would drown it out anyway.

Hey it's Jack. Don't know what you have planned tomorrow night but I have the night off and thought I'd see if you were free. Let me know.

Anastasia was down in the gym on the tredmill in a pair of retro blue running shorts with white stripes going up the side and a white tank top. There was a look of sad concentration on her face as she ran mile after mile and thought about her husband. What he'd accused her of, how much merit there was to it, and all the accusations that she could have thrown at him, but didn't.
She sighed as she cleared the eight mile mark, breathing heavy and sweating as she finally turned the machine off and sat down, pressing a bottle of cold water to her forehead. She should think about something good, like what she wanted to do with her new studio.

Niles lay on his back under Piglet in the garage, changing the oil. His white t-shirt had grease splatters all over it and his hands were black, but he didn't care. He liked taking care of his girl. She was distracting in a good way and loved him unconditionally as long as he took care of her. All women should be so simple. Then again, if they were that simple he'd never hold interest. 
He sighed, wishing he were as simple as his car too.

Isabella sat in the Mocha in a cream colored sweaterdress, her cell phone in front of her and a blank expression on her face. She'd gotten a call from her father of all people. She hadn't talked to him in over seven years and he'd call to tell her that her mother was in the hospital with some sort of kidney infection. She marveled at how he still sounded the same. It was a voice she hadn't heard in several years, but she could still pick out of a crowd anywhere. She missed him. She worried about her mother. Pinching the area between her eyes, she took a sip of coffee and pondered what she should do.

Smith sat on a bench in the conservatory in a grey t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans, hiding out in there mostly because he figured it was the last place anyone would look for him. His cell phone was opened and he'd just finished listening to Laura's voicemail for the fifth time.
She'd called him sweetie. She'd sounded understanding. Fuck, he hated doing this to her. To them.
With a weary sigh, he decided to text her back: Busy all weekend.

Bea was out in the garden with Pippa, huddled into a long, grey, grandpa-looking fuzzy cardigan. It was almost longer than the black slipdress that she'd been running around in all day. She'd been in a creative frenzy, working on fixing the final draft of her second comic. She'd only been reminded to come up for air when Pippa had let out a yowl that she'd come to understand as "take me the fuck outside before I shit on one of your shoes." Bea loved her shoes, so she didn't fuck around with that.

Declan was up by the pool again in his white linen shirt and olive green swim trunks, mostly because it was emptier this time of year and it let him get out of his apartment and still smoke. He had a lot to think on, so he did, letting the curls of smoke waft up toward the ceiling.

Olivia had been wandering the halls. She walked when she was upset, and she was definately upset now. Had been since Monday. The Manor was big enough for her to suitably work out all her neurosis without freezing her ass off, which she would definately do outside. She huddled into herself, pulling the sleeves of her pale green sweater into her palms and crossed her arms over her chest as she walked.

Declan lay sprawled out on a lounger by the pool  in a pair of loose olive green swim trunks and a open linen shirt, taking no interest in the water. He didn't know how to swim and it wasn't the season for it anymore.
A cigarette dangled from his lax fingers and he stared up at the rings of smoke he sent into the air, figuring at the least he'd get some rest and at the most, he'd find someone to talk to.

Anastasia stood in line, wearing a black and white dress and red heels that matched the belt on her dress, preparing to go to her first class. She felt alright dressing up as today was her bi-weekly lecture day and that always made her nervous. She was looking over her notes, cursing silently as she shook her head. Artists learned by doing, not by listening. She couldn't tell the dean that though and this 'lecture twice a month' shit was giving her a complex.

Bea sat just outside of the Mocha's windows in the garden wearing a long gray tank top, skinny black jeans and a pair of gray flats, sipping coffee and muttering at Pippa as the puppy paced back and forth, frolicking and chasing it's tail and anything that moved instead of going poop, which was really what she'd brought her out here to do. "C'mon, baby. Please? Poop! It's too eaaarrrrllllyyy for you to be this excited," Bea said to the puppy, then sighed to herself as she was ignored once again. Although she couldn't help but smile at her puppy's cuteness.

Declan sat at a table in a white v-neck t-shirt, well fitting jeans, black boots, and a black jacket, checking stock quotes on his iPhone. He glanced up every now and then at the people that walked by, taking in the women, his mind subconciously always scanning for something great, and even...Well. He looked at the women and that was it. Or so he told himself.  Shaking his head, he turned back to his stock quotes, smiling when he saw that he was up. The world's finances might be taking a shit, but somehow Declan McNamara kept coming out on top. Dealing in tasteful pin-ups was such a good business.

Isabella sat in an overstuffed chair wearing a bright red dress that was just loud enough for a Monday morning and her typical severe black heels. Before her there were several pages of the New York Times scattered about and there was a wrinkle of concentration and worry between her brow as she took in all the new news concerning the mayor's grandson's "untimely" death.

Niles was sprawled out comfortably on the couch, wearing a black t-shirt, a pair of his usual jeans, and a brown vintage hat. Sometimes you just had to wear a hat, you know? And it wasn't like it made him look like Gilligan, he thought to himself as he flipped through the pages of Smashing, completely unaware of the blonde, beautiful girl that stood only a few feet behind him, flickering in and out of view and looking at him with longing and sadness.

Olivia was also in line wearing a long-sleeved, short gray sweater dress and a pair of purple shoes, digging through her oversized purse for her cell phone. Why did she have a purse with so much room if she kept losing shit in it? She could hear the phone beeping from somewhere in the depths and was thisclose to going all Ally Sheedy a la the Breakfast Club and dumping the thing right here, embarassing items be damned. 

Smith sat in the back corner of the Mocha looking entirely out of place in a light tan suit that he was couting the seconds until he could remove. It was the monthly 'report to your boss for bullshit day' for him, and yesterday he'd gotten a phone call from his boss saying he was tired of seeing him in black all the time and when he showed up he better be in something that could make him look like a gentleman. When Smith had told him he didn't have another suit, this was sent over. Personally, Smith thought this suit made him look like a fruit, maye even a fruit from the early seventies, but that was all likely just a part of his boss' plan.

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'}

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

It was just after eight that morning when the lobby doors opened and two men walked in - followed by a rather lot of luggage and boxes. Gabe, as usual, was on the phone coordinating something or other and dressed in what he considered casual clothes - but then Rock and Republic jeans and Affliction t-shirts were the kind of casual that cost good money. But they were jeans and t-shirts so - casual.

Snapping his phone shut Gabe looked around the lobby and whistled.

"Oh I think this will do quite nicely," he said. "Or it would if they weren't putting us in the basement."

Jack had thought that the major work of getting the new daycare area was done and that meant they could go back to their usual routine. He'd been wrong. Ruprecht had them down in the basement now and it looked like they had a good amount of work cut out for them.

"Here's the plans," Ruprecht said, handing him and Nick a rough floorplan. "We'll have contractors in to do the plumbing and some of the work but right now we need to get these rooms cleared out. And by we I mean you."

Jack just barely managed not to groan.

Jack was working the Lamb tonight and was beginning to wish he wasn't. Of course if he hadn't opened his mouth it might have been a more pleasant evening. How he had managed to not know that Kara had been seeing Niles he didn't know. But surely she knew the guy was making his way through all the women in the Manor. Right?

Well even if she did - apparently she hadn't heard about Emma. At least not by the look on her face when Jack was laughingly telling Molly about it and Kara had walked by.

"Shit," Jack murmured as Kara put down a tray of glasses and went back to her office, the door shutting firmly. He looked at Molly who was looking at him with wide eyes. "Well how was I supposed to know?"

"God... Jack," Molly said and shook her head and went to go check on her boss.

Yes the gossip was flowing this morning. Especially in the Mocha.

Eris had overheard Joy on the phone while she'd been at the counter getting her coffee. She'd stared at Joy for a moment then burst out laughing as she took her cup and headed for a couch.

***

Demitri did his best to ignore the gossip, because really he didn't care who was screwing who. So he tuned out Joy's babbling and just got his coffee and muffin and found a table.

***

Jack, of course, had to listen to the whole story when he came for his morning fix. Joy wanted reassurance that he'd never do a think like that - to which Jack obligingly told her of course not before getting his coffee and going to sit with Demitri.