Morningstar Manor

There was a large bouquet  and this note:

Dear Erin,

I and everyone here at Smashing was so sorry to hear about what happened. If there is anything I can do to help you along, please do not hesitate to call. You know how to reach me.
Perhaps when you are better, you'll grant me the pleasure of taking you out for dinner to celebrate your issue hitting the stands?

All my best and wishing you a speedy recovery,

(Illegible scrawl)

Declan McNamara

Anastasia sat at a table by the window wearing a pale yellow sweater that bared both shoulders and a pair of jeans. She stared out the window, not paying attention to the coffee or the donut in front of her. It seemed she thought more than she did anything else anymore.

Niles stood in line in a gray t-shirt that was inside out and a pair of busted jeans. He'd put the shirt on inside out on purpose, dammit. He'd decided that after the third person pointed it out. He was a big boy. He could dress himself.

Isabella stood in line in a deep v-necked red sweater dress and a pair of knee high black boots, her jaw firm. She'd had a nice weekend with her mother, but as soon as she'd gotten up this morning her father had started blowing up her phone which always put her in a bad mood. On top of all of that, she was going to have to reprimand Sterrin today. She didn't like scolding anyone or acting like a badass, but it had to be done.

Smith sat in one of the armchairs working a Sudoku puzzle. It was a complete waste of time, he decided. He should be doing research or working out or something, but instead he sat here, glaring at the sudoku section of the paper and letting his coffee get cold.

Bea sat at a table in the corner reading through a folder of legal papers concerning her comic. Apparently they wanted to make more Stiletto-inspired merch, t-shirts and dolls and stuff like that, which was fine with her. Someone had even expressed interest about making it into a movie, which made her laugh. They'd have to make it XXX rated just to do it justice.

Declan sat at a table, flipping through the latest issue of Smashing. He'd already seen and been involved in the process of putting everything in the magazine together, but he still liked to look at the finished product. Tugging on the black scarf around his neck, he flipped the page.

Olivia stood in line, texting her boss. Julian had decided a long time ago that he didn't like talking on the phone,  so all his orders would come down through text message. Olivia hated it. She missed the satisfaction of being able to raise her voice or hang up on him to convey her annoyance, but it seemed she was stuck thumbing out a five-minute paragraph that would have taken her 30 seconds to type on the computer.

Sterrin sat curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace wearing a white off the shoulder sweater dress and  a pair of brown boots, smiling wickedly back at Joy who was glaring at her. There was a gentleman sitting at the table in front of her that couldn't seem to stop staring, so she looked in his direction long enough to shoot him her best smile. She wouldn't date him in her free time, but if he wanted to make a move she'd be more than happy to give him her De Rossi card.

He had to give her credit, it had taken her all of a week before he was hearing from the police about his sister. Thankfully it wasn't The City police and he'd been assured it was going to stay quiet, but still. It was the principal of the matter.

Anastasia was down in the Mocha again. It seemed this was the only place she'd been going aside from work. It felt normal down here, but that was likely because no one but Tristan, Trevor and Gavin knew what had happened. She didn't want it to be public knowledge. She couldn't stand the gossip and she didn't want Joy rubbing it in her face every time Trevor was seen out with whoever her was dating.
So she sat alone at a table in a corner, her sketch pad open to a blank page in front of her, and tried to pretend nothing was wrong. 


*******


Declan was also sitting at a table in the Mocha, except he had a large presentation folder open in front of him. One of his writers had turned in a piece on the rapid rise of a new drug called "Cheese" that was a combination of flu medicine and Heroin and as the writer had put it, was a "New Pandemic!"  To Declan, anything plus heroin meant that it was mostly heroin and not really a new drug at all. He sighed, wondering why his writer had wasted her time on this and was making notes in the margin.

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.

Anastasia decided to venture out for something other than work for the first time since Saturday. She went to a quiet corner table in the Mocha and started to grade her papers. She had to get out at some point, right?

Niles was standing in line, a battered book under his arm. He loved the fall and was thinking about going out to read in the garden while it was sunny.

Declan was sprawled out on one of the couches reading the Wall Street Journal and feeling uncomfortable. Where was Sterrin? He hadn't seen her all day and no news was always bad news with her.

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.

Well, this was certainly going to be interesting, wasn't it?
Goblins, ghosts, and one big freaked out brother that was trying to hide the fact that he was gay for the time being. How adorable.
The place was nice though, Sterrin decided as she climbed out of Declan's car and walked in, wearing a black cashmere and wool coat with a black sweaterdress beneath and serious heels. It was also decidedly full of pretty, which was going to mean lots and lots of fun later. 
A glance across the lobby revealed the coffee shop that Declan had been talking about. She could definately use a cup of coffee.

Charlie had to admit that this chai tea that Sadie had brought in was the business. He had a last cup befor he left the gallery for the day, made Leena and Sadie promise that they'd leave the gallery together, and headed off to Michael's Bros to work off a little energy before picking Nia up from day care.

So into the big department store! Hah - who needed elevators?

He unbuttoned his long coat as he jogged up the stairs to the menswear department and began to look along the racks of clothing. Something nice for Deacon perhaps?

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.

Niles felt better than he had in a long time. He wasn't sure what to attribute to his sudden change in mood, unless this Karma Chai really was a mood and mind enhancer as it claimed to be. He pulled on his jeans, put on a nice black button up, trimmed the sides of his hair so it looked a bit more like a mohawk and put on some cologne. He wasn't really planning on going out - well fuck it, he might - but when you felt good you should look good too, right? He swaggered into the Mocha and gave Joy such a blinding smile that even she faltered in being a bitch for a minute.

Declan had been wandering around bored, but he found himself in the ballroom. No one jumped out right away to tell him to get out so he ventured further in to the piano he'd seen Jack playing before. Declan knew how to play, his mother had made him take lessons and of course he wasn't that great at it, but he could play. He sat down on the bench and tapped a few keys experimentally, looking around. No one showed up for that either, so he rolled his sleeves up and started to play "Für Elise."

Bea was out in the garden with Pippa, a load of shopping bags draped over her arm as she watched the puppy, which was quickly growing into a horse, bound around completely oblivious to the cold or the fact that Bea was slowly starting to tilt over due to the weight of the bags. She'd went costume shopping today for the big Manor ball and the shit was heavy.

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.

The wind outside was chilly but it was lovely and warm in the Lamb tonight, its lights shining invitingly out onto the sidewalk, lively Irish pub music, laughter and the clinking of glasses drifting out each time the door opened.

It was a good night and Kara was smiling as she went about her duties. She helped with both the tables and the bar and if she looked up a tad hopefully each time the door opened... well who could blame her?

***

Though he was promised a night off when he wanted it Jack had decided to come in tonight. Phil was on call at the Manor, Nick was likely spending time with Seth and Jack didn't much feel like getting shit faced at a club tonight. And bartending here was a pretty easy job. He was happy to lend an ear or flirt unashamedly with the customers and was making some great tips.

***

Jason - wonder of wonders - was taking a night off himself and had a booth to himself near the back where he was sipping a pint and nibbling on a plate of cheese fries.

***

Demitri had taken over a pool table and for the moment was playing a solitary game.

***

Hugh had heard about the pub and decided to check it out and now sat in a booth going on his second pint and feeling much more relaxed. It reminded him of a pub he'd spent a good deal of time in during his youth.

Andras was sitting at the bar of the Lamb, quaffing cider. Yes, he really was. He was experimenting with the difference between quaffing and drinking, and trying not to follow Terry Pratchett's definition of generously splashing the drink all over. Mostly, it was in the way you drank fast, slapped down the empty glass, and sighed deeply.

As he was tipping Molly generously with every pint, she kept them coming.

Niles was in the garage, wearing his usual jeans, green converse chucks, and a tight, black thermal shirt, wiping down Piglet with a soft towel. The slightly cooler weather of today had reminded him that winter was on the way and he needed to get her ready. Usually he would have just flown south and stayed down there but...Well...There were a lot of reasons he wasn't leaving anymore. He'd reserve that contemplation for another time.

Smith was out in the garden, pacing back and forth in dark pants and a dark blue long-sleeved t-shirt as he waited for a call from his boss. He'd followed Laura to work today and had gotten the license plate of the guy that was following her, although he hadn't seen the man clearly. it was a problem he wanted handled right away, as although he was 'retired' and had his days mostly to himself, he wouldn't be with her every second. 

Declan sat in the Mocha at a table by himself wearing a brown leather coat with a white v-neck t-shirt underneath, a red and white striped scarf, nice fitting jeans and brown boots. On the table in front of him was a large cup of coffee and the proofs for the latest shoot his new girl had done for Smashing. He was torn between two of the shots, attempting to decide what would be the cover.

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.

Bea sat alone in the Mocha in a tiny red t-shirt that bared an inch or two of midriff and some super low rise skinny jeans, reading over some fan mail that she'd just picked up from her P.O. box. She had a signing to go to tomorrow, and she hadn't checked the P.O. Box in a few weeks. Signings usually meant fans asking her if she recieved this or that, so she thought she'd probably better get caught up on it so she wouldn't have to lie tomorrow. Her fan mail ran the scale from funny and charming and creative to downright creepy. She seriously did not need to hear how many times someone had masturbated while reading Stiletto. That shit was just not right.  As she flipped through the stack, she saw a letter covered in stamps, which meant it had traveld a long way, likely overseas. A quick look at the return address confirmed her suspicions and she smiled. Eli.

Olivia was laying on a lounger up by the pool in a black bathing suit, going over a topic list for her show tonight. She didn't have any guests, so that meant standard banter from her and lots of listener phone calls. Those were actually some of her favorite shows as she always seemed to attract crazy and listener phone calls often turned the show into a weird version of Loveline.

Declan was also in the mocha, standing in line in a deep v-necked t-shirt, a pair of jeans, a blue jacket, and his mother's sacred cross necklace. He was lamenting the fact that he couldn't smoke in here, and would probably have to go drink his coffee out in the Garden if he didn't find anything to distract himself from the urge. To pass the time in the seemingly endless line, he had a look around, smiling amicably at anyone he caught looking back.

Smith was down in the gym shirtless and in black work out pants, a  bruise riding high on his jaw from an encounter last night, beating the crap out of the punching bag like he'd refrained himself from beating the crap out of the guy last night. Sure, he took Tai Chi classes with Laura, but that didn't settle his nerves quite like some good, old fashioned ass beating.

Declan knocked on the door of apartment 233, dressed in a charcoal grey dress shirt that fit him like a second skin and was unbuttoned halfway down his chest and a pair of darker grey slacks with black boots. There was a line of stubble on his jaw, and a bulge in the front pocket of his shirt from his cigarettes. With no hesitation, he knocked.