Morningstar Manor

Erin was despising Tuesdays this week. It was not unusual, since she had been scheduled on the weekend shift again, that she had a random day in the week off. She'd gone down to the basement and started some laundry, but sitting down there was boring. She'd come up and poked in the library and book store, both with similar result.

Curiosity had struck at her when she'd gone to get her mail. Though it didn't matter since there were numbers on their mailboxes and not names. She had pondered hanging around the mail room to find out, but likely as the rest of the places, it would prove boring since other adults were working.

Days like these, she sometimes wished she was back in school. At least there she'd had friends to talk to. For now, the bemusing looks from the barrista in the Mocha would have to do. Perhaps once settled in there she would see somebody new.

Today was Oscar day! One of Button's many magazines had a big, unfoldable insert with all the Oscar nominees so that readers could check off the boxes for predicted winners. This was Button's favorite part about the Oscars. She had been checking off boxes since she was a little kid. And this year, Button was totally educated on movies. She had seen almost all of the Best Picture nominees, so she felt she could make educated decisions.

She was totally proud of herself about this, so she had a smile on her face at her table as she checked off her prediction that No Country For Old Men would win Best Picture. She'd thought it was totally boring, but everyone was saying it should win, so why not?

After Vision's letter had arrived Aaron and Loki had had a 'talk'. In other words Loki sat on the floor scratching behind the ears of the Wolfhounds while Aaron read him the riot act and told him the rules. Loki had nodded in what he figured were the appropriate parts and smirked as Aaron had finally thrown up his hands and said Loki was on his own. If he pissed off Vision Aaron was not going to bail him out. Vision would throw him to Ruprecht.

Well that was fine. Loki and Ruprecht went way back.

After that he'd been introduced to security, smiling pleasantly while that Abrams fellow studied him with those intense blue eyes, signed whatever little forms they'd wanted him to and Aaron had stalked off muttering about keeping his nose clean.

Yeah right.

He'd wandered about for a bit and then grinned and got in the lift. Honestly if it was that big a deal he really ought to go say hi. Only polite after all right? To say hello to your host?

Of course, in hindsight, simply appearing in the man's chair - legs over one arm and head dangling over the other - probably wasn't the best first impression. Next time he'd have to remember to knock.

Loki was up early, as he usually was. If he went to sleep at all. He had far to much energy to lay around in bed all day. Aaron had reluctantly told him that the Mocha was the best place to meet the tenants and so Loki had headed straight there. He was dressed pretty much the same as he'd been the night before, just with the addition of a black scarf round his pale neck.

It was already busy and Loki just stared for a moment at the adults in business suits hurrying about their morning meals before rushing off to work in sky high buildings on things that really made no difference to the world at large. Looked at the younger generation - some of who were grabbing coffee and a muffin before catching a bus to school, heading to college, or were just lounging about on a day off. So much life and possibility and he couldn't help but smile.

Right coffee first. The dour looking young woman at the counter asked him what he wanted and for a moment he just stared at her name tag and then at her. "Your name's Joy?" he asked and she nodded, face bored, and Loki laughed. "Wow your parents had a great sense of humor."

He'd practically gotten the coffee thrown at him but that was ok.

Finding a plush armchair he settled into it, legs curled up Indian style and hands curled around his oversized mug. And then he just watched and listened and smiled invitingly anytime someone looked his way.

It wasn't all that uncommon for there to be debates about music within YFRS' walls, and Friday was no exception. Lara and employee Danielle had gotten into a big one about the merits of The Smiths versus The Cure. Lara was pro-Smiths and Danielle was pro-Cure. They had gone back and forth on their points for at least forty-five minutes before Brody broke it up by pausing the current CD and then showing them the latest Celine Dion clip video posted at fourfour.

Celine Dion was insane; that was something both Lara and Danielle could agree on.

So Lara and her two faithful employees huddled the computer at the checkout counter, laughing at the YouTube goods.

The guards didn't notice the young man walk in. Which in and of itself should have been odd. He was rather hard to miss.

Not because he was tall, he really wasn't. 5'6" wasn't all that tall for a guy. But the hair... The hair was rather hard to miss. Bright red but not clown style - more a bright blood red if that was possible. Sometimes it was brushed soft and flowed to his shoulders (like now). Sometimes it looked as if it hadn't been brushed in days and stuck up everywhere. And then there were the clothes. Black combat boots, baggy black jeans with numerous pockets and chains, black tshirt with a faded skull and beneath, a long sleeved black netted shirt to cover the lower parts of his arms and part of slender and pale hands that ended in black painted nails. That was the other thing - that hair made him ghostly pale.

Loki looked around the lobby and gave a low whistle. Not bad. Not bad at all. He could see what attracted the likes of Vision and Jones to this place. It was pulsing with power. And the people! So many and all of them just ripe for the picking. Oh yes he'd have fun here.

Provided he could convince a certain someone to let him crash for a bit.

( Hello, Arawn )