Morningstar Manor

Travis had been out past midnight with Macy and they'd partied in his birthday. Which was why when Memphis had come in early, Travis was just falling asleep. The brothers had mutually slept in until noon, Memphis getting up first and making coffee, bacon and eggs. It had been enough to get Travis out of bed, groggy and grumbling about everything being too loud or too bright, but out of bed.

Memphis caught him up on the news of home, which wasn't all that much actually. There weren't any changes as of yet and he wasn't going to be home for good for a little while. There was some trouble at the shop now that the old man was officially laid up and Memphis didn't overlook the same things his father had. After the brothers bonded for the afternoon, Memphis called Jane and they agreed to all go out to dinner at the Lucky Mother Clucker. It was his favorite place to go and he'd done the legal drunkenness last night with Macy so he wasn't feeling compelled, or well enough, to do it tonight too.

Travis had looked over the menu and ignored the small talk of Memphis catching Jane up on the lack of change anywhere except the mechanic shop. "So I'm going to get that back under control at least. Maybe try to get a shop manager I trust to look after the place until Dad's fully recovered." He finished with, though it was a lofty aspiration right now given the crew already in place. The family garage had been turned into a chop shop and that was not sitting well on Memphis's shoulders.

Memphis couldn't feel anything right now. He'd just gotten a call from his brother, Tyler. Their father had been taken to the hospital for suffering a heart attack. Tyler said that no news had come back yet, but the ambulance crew hadn't sounded hopeful. Knowing that his mother was a nurse worried him even more because Memphis knew she'd try to take on too much. He had to go home.

Anxiety had his heart racing and his feet carried him to Jane's apartment. He paced a few moments before knocking on her door. What he was going to say he wasn't sure yet but he wanted her to go with him. He just wasn't so sure she'd come along.

Saturdays, in general, were somewhat lazy days. The day of the week most Manorites were bustling about, getting done what was pushed off during the week. In that nature, there were quite a few residents milling around.

Memphis had taken his basket down to the laundry, dumped his clothes in the washer and fled off to the game room where he set up the pool table.

Travis was sitting in the Mocha, attempting to study a video lesson for his ASL class.

Also in the Mocha, turning the pages in a book, sat Chad. He looked like he was reading. Honestly, he was thinking about several things.

Logan and Appa were playing outside, taking advantage of the piles of leaves.

Just down the hall, Erin was in the process of collecting her mail.

Roxy had taken off to the roof, to lounge about in the hot tub and have a bit of a lazy afternoon.

In the garage, Eli was scrambling to get everything out of the trunk. He'd gone out and gotten groceries, to include dog food, which was a pain in the butt to juggle.

Between the elevators and a truck, Tristan was commanding a moving crew, overseeing the process of merging his and Rhiannon's apartments. Some things were going to storage Rhiannon had set up, other things were being moved to a storage room at his club. He made a mental note to follow up with the TA within the next week.

"Oh 'scuse me." Eve said to one of the movers as she slipped past with a messenger bag strapped across her shoulder. Figuring she should probably stay out of the boss's way, she went off to the back corner of the lobby to open her laptop and check her calendar for DeRossi appointments.

Ashlynn was humming softly to herself as she ran on the treadmill. The gym was not a place she'd ventured to often the last time she lived here, but it was pretty nice and quite convenient now.

He'd made sure Travis was out of the apartment this morning, then gone and done his morning at the shop. Now it was a little before noon, and he let Demon into the apartment ahead of him. He had a date with Jane and had planned on an extended lunch. Whistling to himself he washed up the dishes in the sink from breakfast as he waited.

Since Spencer had done the laundry yesterday, Roxy was sorting out the mail today. She opened up the box to find a smaller box, opened that one and enjoyed one of the chocolates in the box while sorting.

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Erin was out in the garden with Amelia. It was breezy and she had her hands in the pockets of her jacket as the dog wandered about sniffing at the ground.

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Tucked away in the library sat Logan, coffee in hand and Appa under the table as he worked on a paper due for History. He kept mixing up the dates and names of these events and it was starting to irritate him.

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Travis had his laptop in the Mocha, browsing between costumes and potential birthday presents for Memphis. They both landed on the same day and both required attention, which was not one of Travis's assets.

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Ashlynn sat in the laundry room, cup of hot chocolate growing cold on the washer beside her. She had her headphones in her ears and was singing along to something in French.

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Memphis, as usual, was out in the garage spending some quality time with Lucy. He had a bucket of cleaning supplies out and was currently buffing the wheels with a power buffer. A soft whirr noise filled the air as he worked.

Gregori had been at the shop for most of the day, not open, but with Paul in the kitchen, refilling the stock in the coolers and working on some new filling ideas suggested by customers in this, their first week. Now though, he had eaten, and was sitting in the Lamb, nursing his eighth, or was that tenth, drink, celebrating alone his fantastic first week. It seemed, despite all the odds, that this little venture, of which a number of people had been so sceptical, was going to work. He looked up from his barstool, and caught the barman's eye, but he wasn't ordering another drink, at least, not for himself, "I am celebrating, first week in new business, went good. I want, food, and more drinks, everyone to have a drink."

He grinned, "I would have bought chocolate, but shop is closed for night. Come see me tomorrow for that!" He waved his arm around, "Drinks, for everyone, I pay, because I am happy!"

Memphis was out in the garage, looking over Lucy. He could have sworn there was a scratch on it the last time Travis had brought it home, but now it was gone. Something was either messing with him, or the boy had gotten it fixed. Either way, the scratch wasn't there now and Memphis was looking for evidence.

Travis had indeed scratched the precious red fender on Lucy, though his brother had taught him touch-up work at least. He'd fixed it out in Macy's driveway while she sat on the hood and talked to him. Once in the elevator he hit the button to take him up to the pool, though he was more interested in the roof, where Charlie had taken him previously.

Erin sat in the Mocha, curled up on the couch by the fireplace and reading a book. She was waiting for Callan to get home. He'd had some shoot to do at dusk and she didn't feel like being in the apartment alone since he'd taken Amelia with him.

Tristan was in the process of wading through business emails in his office when Dave tapped on his door. Once inside he handed Tristan a purple envelope and left again. Contemplating just exactly what this could mean, he set it aside. Picking up his phone he texted Rhi. When's the next baby appt again so I can make sure to go?

Chad was frustrated with the way everything had seemed to come down on his head. There had been another body found, a gruesome one that had been left for a while, and now the press had gotten hold of the story. He'd spent his afternoon taking turns being yelled at by the higher ups and being screamed at by worried City residents that called the station.

Logan had been down to get the mail and take Appa outside. He saw his father walk across the lobby as they came in. Knowing the look on his face, he decided it might be best to let him have space for a bit. But a nagging feeling crept over him and he headed off to Olivia's apartment. Things just weren't right around here and he was curious if she'd want to listen.

Roxy had been downstairs doing laundry this evening. Until the lights had flickered on her and gone out. Remembering what had happened the last time the lights flickered, she left everything where it was and went upstairs. From the lobby she texted Spencer to let him know she wasn't there anymore and went into the Mocha for some tea.

Eli was looking over some websites on his little laptop. It was a bit embarrassing for him, to be researching low sperm count and how to fix it, so he was in a back corner of the library. He kept glancing up periodically though, hoping that if somebody did come up to him, he wouldn't have to share what he was researching.

Memphis' obvious initial suprise at Jazz's call had melted, by the end of the conversation, into a sort of amused disbelief and she did feel marginally bad about her request, imagining the looks he'd get, but she couldn't come up with anyone better to turn to. And to his credit he had agreed, muttering a soft, "To each his own," before hanging up.

That had been several days ago; now, much sooner than she'd actually expected, Jazz was guiding her sleek little sportscar into a parking space at a local dealership, looking around for a familiar tattooed body before she'd even fully climbed out of her seat.

Memphis was in the garage, giving Lucy a bath while Travis carried their bags of groceries inside. While he was on the way past the elevators, Erin was on her way up. She had stopped into the Mocha and grabbed treats for later, so her hands were a little full. Tristan was on his way out, and had come down the stairs or else he would've held the door open for her. He ducked into the Mocha to grab coffee before work.

Meanwhile, Logan was out in the garden with Appa and contemplating what to do for dinner. He got out his phone and texted Chad, who happened to be in the mail room, to find out if he was on his own or if Olivia was coming to dinner. It was a safe assumption, Logan figured, after the third night Chad had come home after midnight.

Eli had been checking the mail as well and when Chad's phone sounded, he checked his as well. Finding nothing on it he shrugged and tucked it back into his pocket.

Chad was sitting in the laundry room, watching the clothes go around. He'd debated on going to see Olivia a few times, but hadn't made up his mind yet. The latest case in the department had him more concerned about her safety than before.

While he was downstairs, Logan and Appa played in the gardens. Logan was trying to teach the puppy to fetch. It seemed to be a one way road though. The puppy didn't ring the ball back. He'd chase it though, so that was a good start, right?

Travis was out in the garage. He had a bucket of water and some soapy sponges, giving Lucy a bath. It was usually Memphis's job, but if he could show his brother he was seriously taking care of the car, maybe he could use it? He plotted and planned taking Macy out again as he worked, whistling lowly.

Memphis had gone out to shop some in Vine Square. Currently he had a bag with some colored pencils, a sketch book, and a few different paint swatch booklets from the hardware store. His next stop was the book store, where he intended to pick up some magazines. If Jane wanted to work on the apartment, he would make sure she had material to work with.

Roxy sat in the Mocha, reading a letter from her sister. She sighed as she picked up her tea and sipped. There were soft pokings in the letter about children and Roxy didn't like that idea. Her sister wasn't her mother, and she'd live her life without dictation on what needed to be done.

Emma had put the phone down after a long chat with Ang, and yes, Alec too, even Gavin had gurgled at her, and finished her cup of tea, then fetched up both dogs, and headed for the gardens. They needed a longer walk tomorrow and she was thinking of taking them out for a long hike, but for now the gardens and a dozen or so laps, along with assorted fetch and tug of war games would have to do. So for a while she was settled on the lawns, throwing tennis balls in various directions and laughing as Faith and Lily raced each other to bring them back.

Spencer was hiding out in the Gazebo, he was fairly sure his mother was likely to call, so had left his cell upstairs, and instead bought some paperwork with him to read while he sipped on his coffee. A whole batch of papers had just slipped from his grasp though, and were now drifting about in the breeze as he tried to catch them without spilling his drink - if only he'd thought to put it down.

Icene was basking in a secluded corner that had sunshine, not working on her tan as much as trying not to burn, but then, she had plenty of sun cream, at least on the bits she could reach. An ice cold, and staying that way, bottle of white wine sat next to her, along with the one glass she'd poured and was currently sipping. She had a veritable picnic in the bag by her feet, but, so far, no-one to share it with.

Jane was not too far from her apartment windows, in a more shaded spot, wearing a large floppy brimmed hat, and a long-sleeved but very cool loose cotton kaftan type thing. She'd bought it on a whim because the pale blue fabric was covered in little white daisies with yellow centres, but she really wasn't sure even now that it was a good choice. Bare feet peeked out from under it as she struggled to keep her attention on the book she was trying to read. Any distraction from a childcare textbook would probably be more than welcome!

Gregori was just outside the Mocha doors, on the phone to his builder, and slugging down a bottle of water fresh from the Mocha's fridge. He was not in the best of moods, but the sunshine was helping, along with abject apologies and promises of cost reductions... after a few more exchanges he hung up and sighed, then rolled his head on his shoulders before leaning back against the sun warmed wall and almost, but not quite, wishing he smoked or something.

Cleo was in the tenant gardens, admiring the plants, and occasionally pulling a random weed out of a plot here or there... and if she pocketed a few leaves of bay, or a sprig of rosemary, well, nobody would notice right? She did draw the line at pinching strawberries though, leaving those well alone in the plots where they were, just, oooh, garlic chives! Those would be good. She wondered how difficult it would be to get a plot, then she could maybe grow her own herbs outside, they usually tasted better than indoor grown...

Memphis was down in the laundry, trying to scrub some grease out of his shirt. He was rather pale looking without his shirt on, save for the coloring of his tattoos.

Logan had waited for Chad to get home before taking off down to the gardens, wondering if he'd see Emma and Lily as he tended to the small plot of garden he'd gotten last summer.

Travis sat at a corner table in the Mocha, more for the ability to see everything around him as he plunked away at the keys on his laptop. If somebody looked over at him he shifted a bit and moved off of the OK Cupid site he was browsing.

Roxy was in the mail room, sorting through the contents of her mailbox. Whatever company thought sending baby things as junk mail was nuts, she thought as she pulled a random baby magazine out of their stuff. Maybe it was mislabeled?

Chad was sitting in the Mocha, trying to get his bearings again. He had to go back to work tomorrow and something was nagging him about the cash Logan had found. He picked up the paper left on the table, looked at it, and put it back down. When on Earth would the tabloids ever stop gossiping about how it was always drug usage making people skinny.

~
Logan was in the library, getting the last of his paper finished for school tomorrow. He just had one more paragraph to type out and then the bibliography page, if the battery on his borrowed from the school library laptop would hold out. He hoped it held out.

*
Travis was downstairs, doing the last of his laundry so he had clean clothes for tomorrow. Now that he was out of school, he had picked up some more hours at Moray Records. Sure it was just running errands and getting the guys' lunch, but a job was a job, right?

~
Memphis had just gotten back from getting groceries.He let Demon out of the car, snapped his leash on, then carried three bags inside. Days like this, he was glad to use the elvator, even if it did make him lok like a lazy ass. One floor up was a lot of steps, especially when being drug by the dog.

Chad was throwing darts while he waited for his laundry to finish. Things had been a bit routine, monotonous, and that was starting to bother him.

Logan had holed himself away in the library to study for finals and not thinking about not going to his prom.

Memphis was bringing some groceries in from the garage. Enough to fill both hands and make the door a little troublesome to open, but if he needed he could handle it.

Erin had gone out to the gardens, laid a blanket down by the angel statue and opened up a new book. She laid in the sun reading until a shadow fell over her, then looked up.

Travis had gathered some things and gone into the Mocha. He was dreading the next two weeks and knew a little time to de-stress wasn't going to kill his grade point average. Or at least he hoped not.

Knowing that Harvey was better and Rhiannon was supposed to be resting, Tristan went to check his mailbox. He whistled as he sorted, then just shrugged at the purple envelope. It was about time... He thought to himself as he actually opened it.

Since today had been a nice day out, Roxy was coming in again from going out on a run. She'd stopped in the lobby to tie up her shoe when she felt a little dizzy and decided to sit instead of stoop.

Travis was in the library. He had four or five books open on the table, his laptop up and a word processor document going, so he could type up his final research paper for BIO. However, his head was down and he was sound asleep.

~*~
Tristan was dressed for work and a little early, so he stopped to get his mail. Taking the lot out of the box, he sorted the bills from the magazines and the junk. Still no sign of any envelopes, purple or otherwise, from his mother.

*~*
Memphis was out in the garage, bucket and sponges in hand as he bathed Lucy. From a little portable radio, Guns-N-Roses filled the air and he might or might not have been singing along.

Declan sat in the Mocha still dressed in his suit from work except his collar was open and his tie was untied and draped around his neck. He was also contemplating hiring another assistant, if he could find someone qualified enough. That would mean less time at work, more time where he wanted to be, and less drama. Couldn't go wrong with that.

Bea sat outside the Manor in the gardens with Pippa on a leash reading through the mail she'd just picked up. She had on a rather awesome if not gaudy Super Mario Brothers corset that she'd ordered from this awesome little shop online, and to quantify awesomeness, she'd been invited to a HUGE convention. She decided right then and there to schedule herself heavily for the promotion of her second comic, due out at the first of May. It'd keep her busy.

Anastasia was in her studio behind the Gallery with the door propped open, letting the cheesey hip hop music she was listening to float out into the alley. She wasn't working really, but looking instead at the newest painting that she didn't remember doing. It was worse than the others, and just looking at it made her sick to her stomach with nervousness.

Sterrin walked through the Foundry market in a coral pink tank top dress that clung to her figure, completely and utterly bored as she had been all weekend. There had to be something interesting around here somewhere, but damned if she knew what.

Rhiannon was in her shop, laughing hysterically as Lee tried on a dress from her new summer line. Miri had given him the make-up treatment again, and the boy really was too pretty for his own good. He strutted through her store, making a few of the customers laugh too while Miri trotted along behind snapping pictures. 

Niles was out in the garage inspecting Piglet. He'd finally gotten her back after a complete body make over and more money than a sane person would spend on fixing a car. He could've bought another one just like her for cheaper, but it was the principal of the matter. This was Piglet, she was his, and he was going to keep her.

Rhiannon quite liked the Manor's parking garage she decided as she went about cleaning up her car. This car required a lot of maintenance and was a pain in the ass in the snow, but she loved it anyway.
She opened the driver's side door and plugged in her iPod into the custom jack she'd had installed last year, and hummed along softly with the music that started  pouring from the speakers.

It wasn't until after dinner, a meal filled with laughter and teasing as well as excellent food and for them an unusual amount of alcohol - even if that was only two bottles of wine and a couple of beers - that Jane realised something. She was happy, and not just happy, but comfortable with being happy. It felt, for one moment, horribly strange, but then, as she settled back against Memphis, it snapped back into feeling just right.

Travis was setting up the games machine and they were ribbing each other about who was gonna get slaughtered and who was gonna be the champion, and it was all Jane could do to keep up with the muttered and interrupted description of how to play, but then, she wasn't planning on playing much, just relaxing and maybe having a little nap.... She was quite prepared to let the Raines Brothers massacre each other at whatever the game was, and she could laugh and relax and just enjoy the fact that it was Christmas, and it felt good. Which was how Christmas should feel.

Travis was in the lobby, notebook open and scribbling notes as he sipped on his tea. This was the last bit of major homework before the Thanksgiving break and he had to get a good grade on it. Writing papers on cultural observation hadn't seemed this difficult last week...

Erin had gone down to check her mail. With the exception of a couple cuts and a slower paced stride, she didn't look much different than she had before her attack. She still had he ribs taped up though her limitations were starting to fade out into dull ache and not sharp pains.

Memphis and Demon were outside in the gardens. It was chilly enough to make Memphis want to be back home again. Pretty soon the snow was going to start swirling around and then he'd be outside even less. Demon brought him back the tennis ball and Memphis squatted down to retrieve it.

Chad was sitting downstairs, in the laundry room, his notebook of cases in his lap. Icene had forwarded evidence results to him and he was trying to figure out where these two serial muggers were staying. If he could catch them in another act then he'd have a solid case. Right now the case was only pieced together. It would be hit or miss to present it to a judge right now.

Roxy had her laptop open at a corner table in the Mocha. She knew that it wasn't Thanksgiving yet ad she shouldn't be looking at Christmas decorations yet, but she had offered to help Spencer out with the Michaels' Bro's Christmas party. She was looking forward to helping out with fun because he worked too hard and a helping hand could be a good relief.

Logan was avoiding the laundry by playing arcade games in the games room. He had to go back in an hour or so to help out with folding, but in the meantime he'd let his Dad grumble at a notebook and put in some pinball time in the process.

Eli was wandering around, dressed in jeans, a button down shirt and a sweater over top of that. For once he felt comfortable not in his uniform and he contemplated how things could go with taking Bea home. Nearly to the elevator in the lobby, he saw a door that wasn't marked. He didn't remember seeing it there before. Should he poke his head through to see what was on the other side?

Memphis had been swamped with work this week. One customer had complaints over a job, another was adding on more work to his order already, and a third had come in needing body work after a collision. It seemed like forever since he'd seen Jane.

When he emerged from the garage, he'd made up his mind to go see her. So he walked through the lobby then down the hall to apartment L-C and knocked.