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Cara Clark ([info]warandbeauty) wrote in [info]paxletalelogs,
@ 2010-11-11 16:56:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:changing woman, coyote, freyja, raijin, raven

It's Gumbo Night!
Who: Cara, Shae, Ren, Kami, Jack
What: It's Gumbo Night in #907, and Shae's invited a few of the neighbors to dinner. Well, Ren invited himself...
Where: Room #907
When: November 11, beginning around 7:00ish
Warnings: So far, just spicy gumbo.

Cara had taken great pains to ensure she would be at her best when meeting he new neighbors. After seemingly hours of preparation -- of trying on and discarding outfits, of sifting through her jewelry, of styling her hair. At last, she felt that her appearance was perfect: she didn't look too east coast (she hoped), nor too rich (it wouldn't do to get robbed), nor too slutty (nor like a prude)...

Cara's dark hair had been styled in loose ringlets, then pulled behind her head with a pair of silver and pearl hair pins. Beneath the knot, her unpinned hair spilled out like a black, wavy river down to the middle of her back. An emerald dress clung to her curves. The shallow boat scoop neck and cap sleeves gave the knee-length dress a sophisticated, demure look, although the deep V-neck and flowing skirt suggested the dress was meant for more casual gatherings. A pair of low-cut heels added a mere half-inch to her height. To complete her look, Cara had added a pair of simple pearl earrings and a simple, silver watch on her wrist.

And a glance at her watch revealed that the time had slipped away from her. It was already 6:50, and that meant she had better hurry. She scooped up her purse and the bottle of German Spatlese and headed for the door.

A moment later, Cara Clark stook outside of room #907 with her hand on the door. She may not know what "gumbo night" was meant to entail, but she knew one thing: she was going to look her very best. After all, you only had one chance to make a first impression...


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[info]in_the_wings
2010-11-23 06:41 pm UTC (link)
Kami's sudden appearance brought a smile to his face, and Shae held his response until she'd made her grand debut and then disappeared into the kitchen area. "Mais non, not a family secret. 'Dere's 'bout as many gumbo recipes as 'dere are cooks. Jes' took what I learn' from mah Maman an'...well, wouldn' wan' say puhfected, but-"

Suddenly Kami was back again, pressing her lips to his cheek in a friendly gesture and then fluttering to the floor like some sort of fallen blossom. He paused, looked from one woman to the other, then uncurled from his position on the couch.

"An' you' ain' gonna sit on da flo'," he added seamlessly, punctuating her introduction with a playful snap of his fingers as he pointed to his recently vacated spot across from Cara. "Up." Well, it was almost gentlemanly. One part hospitable, one part...eh, obedience school.

Instead, he set his bowl and cup on the coffee table and dragged the worn and obviously well-loved armchair out of its corner to rest beside the arm of the couch closest to Cara. He returned to the kitchen long enough to retrieve the wine and the plastic cups, then held the bottle up for Kami to examine. "Lookit da new neighbo' brought, ma cher. T'irsty?" Next he turned to Cara with a smile. "Need some mo', Miss Cara?"

With his free hand, Shae snatched up the open bottle of beer and took a swig, winking at Kami in gratitude before returning it to her and then settling into his new seat. He reclaimed his bowl and reached out to casually touch Cara's shoulder, a move made easy for the fact that he was now positioned right beside her. "'DAT'S da kinda wine we lahk wit' our gumbo back home. Da Spatlese is good, 'dough, verah sweet. Nice choice."

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[info]warandbeauty
2010-11-29 03:32 am UTC (link)
Immediately, Cara thought of Kami as a ray of sunshine -- more figuratively than literally. Her mere presence had brightened the room and had brought an informal, relaxed feeling, as welcome as a fresh breeze on a spring day.

When Shae offered her more wine, Cara held out her glass in acceptance, a little dismayed to find how much she had gulped down after her first bite. She would have to slow down, she scolded herself with a bemused smile.

"I'm sorry," Cara answered with a gentle laugh. "I'm sure you think I'm a total prude." She lifted the glass in mock toast once it had been filled. "But this gumbo is so spicy, I think I had better start with liquor." She had gone to college -- she had a little sense in that department, anyway.

She tried another bite, pleased to find her mouth did not burst into flames this time. In fact, it was quite good, a delicious combination of flavor that seemed to burst to life in her mouth, with too many flavors to pick out just one. It really was delicious...

Once Kami was settled into her new place on the couch, Pax's newest resident turned slightly to smile at her. "Your dessert looks amazing," she complimented. It was difficult to smell anything over Shae's cooking, but it seemed a whiff of the bars managed to reach her eager nose. It made her want to rush through her gumbo -- but she knew better. She would simply have to content herself with one at a time.

"How long have you both lived here?"

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[info]the_calm_before
2010-12-13 05:33 am UTC (link)
Ren had been rushing since he got off at the bus stop. He had been running late after work. He had stopped by a liquor store though. He didn't want to show up at Shae's door step empty handed. He really liked Shae, and didn't want to be seen as a burden to his new friend. Ever since the night he had accidentally wandered into the gay bar and saw Shae take out his bounty, he couldn't help but think the world of him. He was after all Boba Fett without the armor. He had the gun though. Oh, boy did he have the gun.

Ren looked down at the other bag he was carrying from work as he stepped into the former hotel's elevator and wondered if it had been a stupid idea to bring it. But there were supposed to be girls showing up right? He had grabbed a few things from the souvenir shop and stuffed them in the bag. It wasn't like he ever made use of his discount there very often. Besides all girls like Disney things, right? Except Charlie he guessed, but then she didn't seem to like much of anything.

On the ninth floor he hopped out of the doors as soon as the elevator opened and loped his way to Shae's door. He skidded to a halt and hesitantly peeked in through the open door and took a breath before steeling himself to walk in.

"Hope, I'm not too late...or interrupting anything." Well Shae was alone with two women, but then the door was open. Good sign nothing was going on. Then the smell of the food hit him with a one-two punch and could feel his stomach protest against it's emptiness. Hopefully he wasn't too late to eat something.

"Uh, hi, I'm Ren." He smiled a little sheepishly at the girls and scratched the back of his head. "I brought some beer!" He held up the case of Abita Amber still a little cold and sweating from the store's cooler. He set the plain brown bag down near the group, and he took a bottle out of the case and handed it toward Shae as if to say "look, I'm not useless". He was hoping to impress Shae with his choice of the expensive Louisianan beer that according to their Web site went really well with Cajun food. Ah, the things one can learn online.

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[info]sugar_cycle
2010-12-13 06:31 am UTC (link)
By the time Ren had managed his full introduction and made his offering to Shae, Kami had settled her bowl back on the coffee table and bounced to her feet with a glorious, welcoming smile. "Ren!" she laughed. "I didn't know you were coming. It's been ages since I've seen you around." Dropping her hands to smooth down her lightweight skirt, Kami then reached out a dainty foot to further push her heels under the coffee table. Always best to avoid accidents.

Then, with a few dexterous steps, Kami skirted the table and reached to wrap gentle fingers around his wrist before giving a slight tug. "Take my seat," she ordered, sparing a look of pure teasing mischief for Shae who had only just recently forced the same offer on her. "I'll make you a bowl while you get comfy." She gave him one more friendly push before pulling away and practically skipping towards Shae's kitchen, home of the tantalizing smells.

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[info]in_the_wings
2010-12-13 08:51 am UTC (link)
"Jes' ovah two mont's." Shae took another drink of the wine as he answered Cara, enjoying the brief, fuzzy sensation the alcohol afforded him. "I was in Chicago befo' dat. Great fo' business." He was just about to add a particularly alarming statistic about crime rates in major metropolitan cities when Ren appeared at the door.

Shae watched in amusement as the younger man introduced himself a little nervously, but the expression on his face was priceless as Ren offered up a bottle of very familiar alcohol. He accepted the Abita gratefully, turning the bottle in his hand to examine it as if trying to gauge its authenticity. After raising it to his lips and taking a somewhat cautious swig, he smiled and smacked his lips approvingly.

"Good choice, kid. Ain' had dat in awhile," he murmured, eyebrow raised as he watched Kami vacate her seat and head for the kitchen. The thought of following her briefly entered his mind, but he brushed it aside and, instead, held the bottle out to Cara with a playful smile. "Wanna try?"

Shae then turned his attention on the innocent brown bag Ren had brought with him, gesturing at it with his chin. "What you got in 'dere?"

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[info]warandbeauty
2010-12-14 02:06 am UTC (link)
Cara was surprised to find another person entering the party -- but when he gave his name as Ren, the pieces of the puzzle slid into place with a resounding click. He had RSVPed, as much as that meant to these folks.

"Ren," Cara echoed warmly as she looked him over. Once again, her outfit remained the most stylish -- and over-dressed -- but she had already accepted that the situation was not likely to change. "Hi, I'm Cara. You don't mind if I shake your hand later, do you? I'm afraid my hands are a little full at the moment." She gestured to the bowl of gumbo so precariously perched.

Then, her host was offering her a sip of the beer Ren had brought. She could not help the startled, suspicious look that crossed her face momentarily...oh, but, hell, this was an adventure, right?

Gracefully, she balanced the bowl on her lap as she reached for the proffered bottle. A hesitant sip resulted in almost no taste, and so she was obliged to take another drink.

Actually, it wasn't half bad... Different, yes, but really not half bad.

"It's good," she offered with a smile and a slight nod of approval as she handed it back. Her eyes darted to the kitchen, wondering where Kami would sit upon her return. She would offer to sit on the floor herself, but...she wasn't dressed for it.

Her green eyes darted towards Ren again, and she smiled at him. "Thank you for bringing it. I've brought some wine, if you would care for some." She had the good sense to look a touch embarrassed, a good-natured sort of expression that was accompanied by a smile. "I'm afraid I'm too accustomed to stuffy penthouse parties. This...seems nice, though."

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[info]the_calm_before
2010-12-14 06:02 am UTC (link)
Ren blinked, he was obviously a little surprised by Kami's insistence that he take her seat. He let her push him on to the couch as she flitted back into the kitchen to become the domestic goddess that she seemed. He'd probably move to the floor before she made it back though. He turned his head and watched her disappear as Shae asked him about the brown bag he had also brought with him. He turned back and smiled a little shyly.

"Ah, that, well it's not much really. Just stuff from work. I thought maybe..if anyone would like some..." He let his voice peter out and he blushed a little as he stared at his feet. He had forgotten that he had also slipped his sketch book into the bag earlier before he had bought the beer. He was proud that Shae had approved of his contribution to the party.

It was a small party. Ren had thought that free food would lure more people from the building to at least make an appearance. He shrugged mentally and supposed that just meant more food for those there and Shae would have plenty of leftovers. Oo! That meant Ren could figure out an excuse to come visit the bounty hunter again. He felt inspired when he was around the other man and wanted to maybe try a hand at drawing him. He just had to get up the nerve to ask him about it.

Ren looked at Cara as she introduced herself and smiled at her. "Hi Cara. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm in room 404." He looked at her again and was surprised to notice how nice and dressy she looked. He felt a little shabby himself. He had changed clothes after work, but he didn't think about dressing up. He was wearing just an old black T-shirt and some jeans. He glanced over at Shae and felt a little less worried, although he wondered if he should go shoeless like Shae. It's what he would have done at home or in his own apartment.

"Uh, you look very nice. Sure, I'd love some wine." He reached over to the case he had brought opened a bottle of the amber brew. "I always thought wine and beer went well together." Ren had never been to a penthouse, let alone a party in one, ever in his life. "Wow, I guess that makes you an uptown girl, ne? Yeaaah, I don't get invited to too many parties. So it all seems good to me." He smiled at her.

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[info]sugar_cycle
2010-12-14 06:32 am UTC (link)
"We'll have to fix that." Kami had reappeared at the tail end of Ren's answer and she grinned as she held up a bowl filled to the brim with Shae's fragrant gumbo. When he went to stand in response of her reappearance, though, she made a faint shushing sound and motioned him back down with her free hand. "Sit," she ordered as if her forceful gesture had not been enough. "I think we're playing musical chairs," she added with a faint giggle, "so heaven help us if we get another hungry mouth in here."

As Kami passed Cara and Shae, she reflexively checked both their drinks and their bowls. Though it wasn't her party and not her place, some habits died hard; Shae was lucky her apron hadn't migrated up the stairs with her, too. Both of them appeared fine, however, and she continued her progress to Ren where she delivered his bowl with a little curtsy, mouth and eyes both bright with amusement. "Be careful," she warned. "It's hot."

Then she stepped away again and, without any hesitation, Kami again dropped herself down in a controlled, graceful fall to the floor, folding her legs up under her, short skirt fanning out for decency. One bare foot peeped out from beneath. She reached out to retrieve her bowl from the coffee table and looked around at the others, a renewed smile growing on her heart-shaped face. "This is cozy," she announced. "Thank you so much, Shae, for this chance to meet Cara and see Ren again." She moved a spoonful of the gumbo to her lips, paused to swallow it with obvious pleasure, and sighed. "And to taste this amazing recipe. Mmm."

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[info]in_the_wings
2010-12-14 11:32 pm UTC (link)
Shae snorted lightly and waved away her gratitude as he reached for the cup of wine he'd set on the coffee table. "Ev'rybody gotta eat, ma cher. No point bein' stingy if dere's enough ta feed da whole buildin'." The smile on his face belied his casual dismissal, though; it really was a boost to his ego to see everyone enjoying the meal he'd labored over for the better part of the day.

"But it IS a handeh e'scuse ta see a new face, n'est-ce pas? She ain' run away screamin' yet...guess dat's a good sign." He grinned at Cara over the lip of his cup, unable to resist a playful jab or two; she seemed so proper, and so utterly foreign to him. "Mebbe I' break out da gun an' see what happens. Jes' aks dese two, dey' seen it." He lifted a finger from the cup and gestured at Ren and Kami, respectively.

Looking back down into his bowl, he was a little surprised to realize that it was empty- hm, must have been hungrier than he'd thought. Oh well. Without the food to distract him, Shae suddenly found himself at a loss as to what he should do. Those pecan bars were practically calling his name, but everyone else was still munching their way through the main course. Surely he could resist for just a little while...

His gaze landed once more on the paper bag Ren had brought with him and, unhampered by bowl or glass any longer, he leaned over and plucked up the bag before depositing it squarely in his lap for inspection. A brief glance inside revealed a few cutesy souvenir items emblazoned with the familiar Disney trademark, but nothing that particularly drew his attention. That is, until he caught sight of the little black book.

There was no hesitation as Shae withdrew the spiral notebook and began to flip through it; one didn't exactly come by his chosen profession through being subtle, after all. His eyebrows raised at the sight of the images covering the pages, roughly sketched, almost scratchy designs intermixed with smooth, carefully penned finished pieces, all of which shared one overarching characteristic: they were good. Many of them looked to be almost professional quality, even.

He looked up at Ren, surprise evident on his face and a sliver of something akin to respect in his eyes. "You drew 'dese?"

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[info]warandbeauty
2010-12-14 11:47 pm UTC (link)
Cara's smile widened, and she lifted her shoulders into what could only be described as a bashful shrug. "I've been here twenty minutes, and I've already had more fun here than all the parties I've been to in New York." Her gaze was light and reassuring as she added, "Trust me, Ren. You're not missing out."

As Kami settled herself down again, the dark-haired woman turned back to her gumbo. To her surprise, the gumbo had become a little easier to eat; perhaps it really had burned away all of her taste buds. She would have gone on, blissfully unaware of the conversation, until...

"...Did you just say gun?" Cara asked with an alarmed flutter of her eyelashes against her cheeks. She couldn't imagine what the man would need a gun for; this building didn't seem to be in a dangerous neighborhood, and, so far, the neighbors seemed nice...

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[info]the_calm_before
2010-12-15 05:07 am UTC (link)
Ren took the bowl of gumbo carefully, a little worried he might drop some. He didn't want to waste anything. It smelled delicious and Ren could feel his mouth starting to water at the thought of finally getting to taste it. He looked over at Shae appreciatively, but was still a little perturbed that Kami refused to take her seat back.

"You know Kami, I'm actually used to sitting on the floor and eating. My family is still pretty traditional back home." He didn't quite feel like mentioning that he didn't have a dining table in his apartment either. He actually didn't have much in the way of furniture. Maybe he should check out Ikea online and see if they have anything cheap enough for him.

He put the gumbo down in his lap and started to eat it. It was like heaven on his tongue. Spicy and complex, and Oh yeah, there was meat. Ren really liked it. "It's....it's so good Shae."

Suddenly he choked a bit when Shae mentioned his gun. He looked up at the other man with a bewildered look and then looked at Cara and franticly shook his head. "D-don't listen to him. I haven't seen his "gun"." He emphasized the word gun to leave no illusion to the fact that he was using it as a euphemism for Shae's package. "J-just the one he carries...you know...in his holster...an actual gun." He should have just stopped before he started. Ren's face went beet red and decided he would bite his tongue.

He glanced over at Shae who was going through his sketch book. He was already fully embarrassed that now all present believed that Ren was thinking about Shae's cock. What was a little more added to the mix? Too bad he couldn't hide under the soup bowl. "Uh, yeah. Those are mine."

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[info]sugar_cycle
2010-12-15 07:10 am UTC (link)
A gentle touch at the back of Ren's ankle burned warm through the denim of his jeans and Kami grinned up at him before winking and delivering a reassuring if strangely tantalizing rub. There was no judgment or assumptions being made on her part but, if the shy young man did swing that way, Kami clearly thought he could do worse than to fancy Shae.

And, really, she was practically an expert on the bounty hunter and his perks, gun included.

"I keep telling him to be careful where he points that thing," she laughed. Then her hand slipped away from Ren and she leaned forward to settle her bowl back on the coffee table once more, not having touched much more thanks to the conversation change. "I'd like to see. If you don't mind?" Kami cast a sweet, dark-eyed gaze, heavy on the charm, at Ren in an attempt to gain his blessing. When he said nothing one way or the other, though, she grinned like a wicked pixie and hopped to her feet, scampering over to stand behind Shae's chair. Totally at ease, she folded her arms along the back behind his head and leaned way over to better see the sketchbook in his hands. Her chest pressed against his shoulder and she absently blew a piece of his hair out of her line of sight with a puff of breath.

"Oh," she whispered. A renewed smile appeared on her face and she leaned forward even more, one arm coming out from under her to point at a particular drawing. "These are great, Ren," she announced. "I had no idea we had an artist like you in the building." Her hand shifted and she turned the page on Shae. "Oh, wow. Look at this one."

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[info]in_the_wings
2010-12-15 08:02 pm UTC (link)
Shae had made the unfortunate mistake of taking a healthy swig from his Abita at the precise moment of Ren's outburst. Normally he'd have laughed his ass off at such an inadvertently suggestive remark, but seeing as his mouth was currently full of beer, it made things a little more difficult. He choked on some of the amber liquid as it slid down his throat, and then when Kami chimed in, he lost control completely.

The beer spewed from his lips in a spray of microbrew mist, and in order to keep from soaking the sketchbook in his lap with alcohol and spittle, he turned his head away at the last possible moment.

...and proceeded to drench Cara and her flatteringly elegant dress instead.

The look on his face was one of absolute horror, mixed with perhaps the slightest bit of twisted amusement. Part of him wanted to laugh at the expression of absolute shock and disgust twisting her features, but he somehow suppressed the urge.

"Oh my Gawd," he blurted, lifting an arm to wipe the remaining dribble on his chin onto his sleeve. "Dat was- I' sorry 'bout dat, Cara." He scrambled for the stash of paper napkins he usually kept on the shelf beneath the coffee table and held a wad out to her, resisting the urge to blot at the neckline of her dress since she'd probably interpret the action as adding insult to injury.

With this new concern at the forefront of his thoughts, he distractedly handed the sketchbook over to Kami for her continued perusal, completely missing the sketch on the next page of a long-haired figure bearing a stunning resemblance to himself. The lines were sketchy and unsure, and had obviously been erased and redrawn multiple times as though that particular image was being pulled from memory rather than created from imagination.

"You needa borruh a shirt?" Shae asked a little anxiously, the slightest hint of a smile curling the corners of his lips as the hilarity of the situation slowly sank in. "Usu'lly save dat kinda t'ing fo' da mohning afta, but we maght wanna make a' exception heah."

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[info]warandbeauty
2010-12-15 09:42 pm UTC (link)
Cara had been staring at Ren like the man had grown two heads. Intuitively, she sensed disaster was about to strike, and she turned her head to glance at Shae. Everything seemed to slow down; it seemed as though there should have been ample time to move, but Cara could only watch in horror.

It was like watching a commercial for laundry detergent.

The liquid from Shae's drink arched through the air, droplets falling gracefully away from the main body of Abita. The beer splashed in a miraculously well-aimed shot against the thin green fabric covering her breast. It exploded outwards in a volcanic-like eruption of amber, splashing across her upper torso and dripping down into the v-shaped opening between her breasts.

Cara was usually quite good about thinking before she acted; today, it seemed, was simply not her day. Too late, she tried to move to avoid the oncoming disaster, and, in her haste, she forgot about the dinner balanced carefully on her lap.

The dish spun, precariously balanced itself for one moment, then dropped completely into her lap. The tidal wave splashed up her lap, drenching her midsection before rushing back downwards to likewise soak a fair amount of the front of the dress. By chance, she managed to remember the plastic cup of wine she held in her hand, just barely avoiding spilling it all over herself as well...although a jerk of her arm did cause the drink to splash over the side of the cup threateningly. Fortunately for Kami, she had evacuated her place on the floor, or she very well might have had German Spatlese in her hair.

Time only seemed to resume a sense of normalcy once her gumbo bowl hit the floor with a crack and the spoon clattered harmlessly beside it. The look on Cara's face was one of shock and horror as she rose on unsteady legs. Between the beer and the gumbo, dinner had really done a number on the stylish dress. It was barely translucent, revealing glimpsed outlines of her body as she stood, hands apart from her body, too much in shock to further react.

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[info]the_calm_before
2010-12-15 10:23 pm UTC (link)
Ren just stared wide eyed as everything seemed to go from bad to much much worse in little to no time at all. He shrunk away as Shae's mouthful of beer spewed forth and arched in Cara's direction. It was a cowardly move, but it was instinctual as well. It completely covered the poor girl next to him. Then with the addition of the gumbo all over her once fine dress.

He swallowed nervously and stood up as soon as everything had settled. He tried to help Shae with the paper napkins. Was it a bad thing that he was kind of relieved because now no one was looking at him anymore? Everyone seemed to have forgotten about his little mishap earlier. Yeah, it was probably a bad thing, but that didn't make him feel any less better about no longer being the center of attention.

"S-should I get a towel?" He stammered and started to head toward what he assumed was the bathroom without waiting for an answer. He peeked in and grabbed a towel hanging from the rack. He rushed back and held it out, afraid if he touched her he might only make things worse. Although accidental boob handling under the guise of helping clean her dress would have definitely been a bonus. Yeah, like he could ever bring himself to do something like that or even entertain the idea of getting away with it.

"Are you ok, Ms. Cara? The gumbo didn't burn you or anything did it?" Ren's gumbo was still pretty hot, but then his had come straight from the pot. He didn't know how long hers had been in her lap.

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[info]sugar_cycle
2010-12-16 08:45 am UTC (link)
Almost before the gumbo had settled and the bowl made its new home on the floor, Kami had set aside Ren's sketchbook safely, the pages fluttering shut as she dumped it on the nearest flat surface out of the splatter range. Her jaw tensed at the mess now soaking into the other woman's lovely dress and she tried not to think about the horrendous stains accruing even as they stood there. When Ren held out the retrieved towel nervously, she snapped out of the horror and again skirted the coffee table. This time there was less flirt in her walk and more business. However, she still spared one of her sweetest smiles for the stammering young man as she plucked the towel from him. Her free hand squeezed his now empty one. "It's okay, Ren," Kami murmured. "We'll take care of it."

Holding up the towel before advancing on the stunned woman, Kami tried for a more soothing smile. "Come on, Cara," she said gently. "I'll take you to the bathroom and we can try to get some of that out." She handed over the towel and then took Cara's hand. Pausing, Kami shot Shae a darkly annoyed look. It was clear she didn't approve completely of his comedic stylings at a time like this. "Shae's got more than enough shirts," she reassured the other woman. "I'll get something for you if you just..." Trailing off, she half-lead Cara towards the bathroom. Then she handed her the towel and watched the door close.

Only then did she spin on the ball of one bare foot and grimace at Shae in a manner that hinted there was a sort of hysterical giggle just behind her firmly held lips. She only hoped that, for as well as he knew her, he would miss it. She felt assured Ren would. "Not funny, sugar," she informed him tartly. "I'm so not asking permission to raid your drawer now."

With that announcement, Kami turned again and disappeared into his bedroom. The two men heard the slam of first one drawer and then another before the curvy brunette emerged once more with an small pile of fabric. A short knock and a murmured comment to the door gained her entrance to the bathroom and then, all too suddenly, Ren and Shae were left on their own with a gumbo-and-beer mess.

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[info]in_the_wings
2010-12-16 09:54 pm UTC (link)
The room suddenly exploded into motion as Shae watched from his seat, leaning slightly away from Cara's dripping form as she passed and gnawing thoughtfully on his lower lip. He'd acknowledged Kami's reprimand for what it was but didn't appear terribly apologetic; damnit, it was funny! If anything, he was replaying the entire scenario in his head and slamming on the PAUSE button at the image of Cara standing there in a wetly-clinging, almost see-through dress.

He wondered how she'd look in one of his shirts. Mm, dangerous territory, that.

Slowly, he slid out of his chair and collected the discarded bowl and spoon, mopping up the mess on the floor with a handful of the otherwise untouched napkins. Ren was still sitting at the far end of the couch, looking all sorts of uncomfortable now that the two of them had been left alone. Shae said nothing as he scooped up his own empty bowl to add to the pile and made his way into the kitchen where everything was dumped into the sink with a loud, jarring THUNK. Then he braced his hands to either side of the basin and let loose.

The sound of his abrupt laughter caught the younger man offguard, and Shae chuckled even harder at the sight of Ren jumping in his seat. Goddamnit, this was hilarious! How he'd managed to keep a straight face in front of the girls, he wasn't sure; guilt may have played a hand in that, for the entire ten seconds it had dropped in to visit.

"How dat gumbo?" he called to Ren, voice still shaking with laughter as he retrieved a few cold bottles of beer from the fridge; yes, this situation most definitely called for more alcohol. He sauntered back over to the couch and perched on the arm right beside Ren; in one fluid motion he'd popped off the cap with his belt buckle before pressing the bottle to his companion's chest in offering. The gesture was oddly reminiscent of their first meeting in the club, and Shae smirked at the memory.

His new position afforded Ren a perfect eye-level view of his crotch, and Shae threw back a few long gulps before turning to the other man and asking, shit-eating grin firmly in place, "So...what 'bout mah gun, now?"

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[info]the_calm_before
2010-12-17 06:37 am UTC (link)
Ren watched helplessly as Kami joined Cara in the bathroom and rubbed the back of his head as he sat back down on the couch. He sighed softly and leaned forward to take his bowl of gumbo back seeing as much of the excitement had seemed to die down, until Shae let out his bark of laughter startling the skittish youth.

Ren turned around to stare at him. He was still shaken from the whole mess of what happened to Cara, but Shae just seemed to blow it all off with ease. He didn't really seem to care what people thought of him. That was a totally foreign concept for Ren. Maybe that was why Ren seemed to admire him so much. He had such a casual way with people and it seemed to come so natural to him. Ren had only ever felt awkward around others.

"Ah, the gumbo? Oh, it's good. Real good." He grabbed for the bowl again almost a little guiltily for having gotten lost in thought and started to shovel more of it into his mouth.

Ren looked up at the other man as he came to sit on the arm of the couch next to him. His eyes moved down to glance at the buckle where Shae had popped the beer cap. Was that...yeah it was, a marijuana leaf emblem on it. He wondered if Shae smoked pot. Suddenly there was a cold, sweating beer bottle against his chest and he took it from Shae and rubbed the wet spot on his shirt. Dammit! why did he have to remember the gun comment?

Ren's face felt like it was burning. "Uh, nah, you can keep it in the holster. I've already seen it, right?" He turned away and took a long gulp of the beer, not wanting to meet Shae's eyes.

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[info]whiskey_jack
2010-12-17 10:57 pm UTC (link)
Some people are born with the gift of Perfect Timing. Jack Mallory was one of these people. He had that uncanny ability to be in just the right place at just the right time.

Well, for certain values of "right".

Jack at least knocked on Shae's door before entering, a broad happy grin firmly in place and his guitar strapped across his back. "Hey, wassup, mes amis!" he greeted the two men sitting on the couch, removing the guitar and leaning it against a wall before heading straight for the kitchen. Jack was never much of a man for formalities, especially around his old buddy Shae; a plaid workshirt with the sleeves rolled up, open over a simple wife-beater, and well-worn jeans (along with his typical collection of silver rings and bracelets) were good enough for Gumbo Night.

"Mmmm, shit, son, you have truly outdone yourself. This smells just like your Maman's place back in New Orleans." Quickly filling a bowl with rice and steaming gumbo, he spotted the case of beer. "Sweet, Abita! Best thing with gumbo." He set his bowl down and grabbed a bottle, then seemingly pulled the cap off with his bare hand. "Bottle opener ring. Because you never know. Oh, I didn't bring any food, but I thought I could contribute with a little mood music." He jerked his thumb at his guitar before retrieving his gumbo. "Some good ol' cajun songs make da gumbo go down nice, n'est-ce pas?" he grinned in a fair approximation of Shae's accent.

His entirely-too-blue gaze flicked between the cat-that-ate-the-canary smirk on his old friend's face and Ren's imitation of a bunny caught in headlights. "Oops. I'm not interrupting anything, am I? Don't tell me I missed all the fun!"

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[info]in_the_wings
2010-12-21 02:54 am UTC (link)
"I won' say a wohd," Shae returned with an easy smile, eternally amused at the ease with which Jack could insert himself into a given situation. He was about as far from subtle as you could get, but his charm was just so damn infectious; he'd been that way since they were kids.

Shae reached down and gave Ren a brisk cuff across the shoulderblades, granting the poor boy a reprieve as he turned his attention to their new guest- or rather, their guest's guitar. It was a beautifully crafted instrument, and a well-loved one if the worn patches on the wood were any indication.

"Didn' know it was amateur naght," he said as he crouched beside the guitar to better inspect the finish, briefly trailing his fingertips across the body admiringly.

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[info]the_calm_before
2010-12-29 04:42 pm UTC (link)
Ren looked up, surprised another person had joined them, but not unpleasantly so. It also seemed that the new comer seemed to know Shae from back when he lived in New Orleans. Maman was French for mother, wasn't it? Wow, what a coincidence. Ren didn't know that this was Jack, the guy he lent the Lupin the Third movie to. He had gone by Jack's apartment when Jack hadn't been there so he had actually just slipped it under the door with a note just asking for him to return it to apartment 404 when he was through.

Ren sighed, thankful that someone else came into the apartment to hopefully distract Shae away from what Ren had said on accident. Right, it was just an accident. That was all. He took his spoon purposefully and dipped it into the gumbo and brought it to his mouth when Shae gave him the friendly, but hardly insignificant, contact with his hand against Ren's back.

He choked. His eyes widened and and he placed a hand against his chest and swallowed without being able to chew. Whatever had gone down his throat hurt as it went down and Ren started to have a coughing fit. He leaned forward putting down the bowl of gumbo and placed his hand over his mouth as his eyes started to water. He could cough. That was a good sign, right? He wasn't going to choke to death.

"H-hi, I'm Ren." He started to cough again and tried to calm himself down. He really didn't want to become the center of attention again.

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