InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "DO THE MOO SHOO!!!"

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

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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whiskey_jack
2011-01-13 01:19 am UTC (link)

It may have looked to Ren as if Kami was being rather frosty to Jack, but to Jack, her reaction felt as warm as the sun. She didn't yell at me! She even smiled! A guy would definitely take what he could get. And what he got this time from her was very, very promising indeed.

"Glad you're okay," he smiled at Ren even as his eyes were on Kami. Watching as she trailed her fingers across Shae's back (which only gave him the slightest twinge in his gut -- hey, he justified to himself, better she's sleeping with Shae than some guy I don't know!), he unconsciously rubbed Ren's back, then patted him warmly. "Wouldn't be right if someone died at Shae's first Gumbo Night, would it?"

He then saw the other woman enter the room, someone he hadn't met before -- and dressed in one of Shae's old shirts and a pair of his sweatpants. Jack grinned in appreciation at how much better Shae's clothes looked on her, the worn garments contrasting with her dressy jewelry and the heels dangling from her fingers. Something about a cute girl in oversized mens' clothes was just hot as hell.

"Don't tell me Shae's been misbehaving again," Jack purred to the newcomer, standing on ceremony and switching on the thousand-watt Smile That Broke A Million Hearts. He too shot a glance over at Kami, half questioning what had happened, and half trying to gauge her reaction to his reaction. Then he turned his attention back to the girl and held out his hand. "My name's Jack. Jack Mallory, apartment 305. I don't think we've met."

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sugar_cycle
2011-01-15 07:22 am UTC (link)

"Shae's usually misbehaving," Kami offered cheerfully. "Jack, too, for that matter." For a moment, she seemed reluctant to give up her stolen seat but Cara's appearance and request spoke to that domestic goddess within and she slithered out of the chair with a smile. The smile even briefly translated in the direction of both Jack and Shae, edging more towards knowing and amused as she absorbed their appreciation of Cara. Not that she could blame them; the dark-haired woman looked adorable all dressed-down... But it was still Shae's fault that Cara's dignity was compromised. She would have to come up with something to teach him a lesson.

Taking the other woman's shoes from her grasp, she lead her to the newly emptied chair and helped her sit as if assisting royalty. "Not usually to the point of killing someone, though," she added quickly with a mischievous grin in Ren's direction.

Immediately after settling Cara once more, Kami crouched to tuck the other woman's shoes beneath the chair, safely out of the way. Then she straightened and brushed absently down her little skirt, settling the light fabric. "How about I just get you a half-bowl to start with?" she offered. She barely waited for the acknowledging nod before she skipped off, back to the kitchen. As she passed Shae, though, she again slipped her fingers over a bit of available, bare skin - subtle, unnoticeable to the others, and pretty unreadable. Then she disappeared into the kitchen to oblige Cara's wish for more delicious gumbo.

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warandbeauty
2011-01-18 02:13 am UTC (link)

Cara was not a bashful woman by nature; she had the money to spend on designer clothing, and she dressed to look fantastic for every occasion. Although her appearance had momentarily given her pause, it was impossible to hide her usual self-confidence and self-assurance altogether.

"Thank you," she replied to her host with a polite laugh. "But I think I'll take my chances. After all, these are your clothes this time."

Before she could move to the seat, the newcomer rose to address her. With an equally friendly smile, Cara reached forward to accept his hand. "Cara Clark, 807. I'm afraid I wound up in the Splash Zone on today's ride," she added with a smile no less than sparkling, with a gesture to her wardrobe.

As Kami ushered her into a seat, despite Cara's protests that she could help herself, the young woman found her attention drawn to Ren. "Are you alright?" she asked, a little alarmed at the color in his face...or lack thereof.

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in_the_wings
2011-01-23 07:40 am UTC (link)

Alright, that was it. He may have seemed mildly oblivious at times (right now, for instance, as he was torn between admiring Jack's guitar and Cara's new fashion statement), but in reality he was far from it. Neither of Kami's teasing little caresses had escaped his attention, and as she flitted past him en route to the kitchen, he reached up and swatted her behind. The action was nowhere near as subtle as hers had been, and he grinned widely at the answering look she gave him. Ohhhhh yes, he'd most definitely be paying for that one.

With little else to hold his attention, Shae plucked the guitar off the floor and padded over to the group still convened around the coffee table. It was a gorgeous piece of work, that guitar, and he was sorely tempted to give it a test-play. "Heah," he ordered as he thrust the instrument at his oldest friend, "finish yo' food an' do somet'ing wit' dis. Make it soun' good."

That's right, surely a musical interlude would dispel some of the lingering awkwardness in the room. Not that it particularly bothered Shae, but he could see the curiosity touching on Jack's features at the mention of the night's earlier episode, and he'd rather not have to rehash all the gritty details; Ren might just implode from sheer embarrassment. With that thought in mind, he retrieved another Abita from the box and set it down on the table in front of the younger man with a decisive thunk. "Drink dat. Makes ever't'ing bettuh." Sometimes the simplest remedies were the best, after all.

Shae's fingers were itching for some sort of distraction, and he reached for one of the pecan bars that Kami had so thoughtfully contributed before settling into place on the floor with his legs crossed. The first bite was unsurprisingly delicious, and he paused for just a moment to reach across the coffee table and draw the serving plate with the rest of the sugary-sweet offerings closer to him.

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the_calm_before
2011-02-04 07:39 am UTC (link)

Ren felt a little out of place now. He sat back on the couch cause Kami wouldn't take her seat back from him and fell back into his old habit of observing people. He watched their expressions and how their facial movements changed. His attention would moved to others as they spoke, and it almost looked like he was listening.

He wasn't actually being ignored, but there seemed to be an atmospheric change. He smiled a little at Jack and nodded that he was doing fine now. He looked over at Cara and blinked at the dismay on her face. He looked around trying to find the source before he perceived it must be from him. "Ah," He raised up his hands and waved them in a manner to let her know not to worry. "I'm fine. Really. It's no problem. Are you alright?"

Suddenly the sound of a glass bottle being placed on a wooden surface woke him from his trance-like state and he looked over at Shae, blinking at the other man with a bit of a confused look. He had brought him another bottle of the Louisianan beer that he had bought in an attempt to impress the bounty hunter. He was glad he had done it, but he wondered about his own reasons for it. Maybe it was so that Shae would like him as a friend and to make up for his awkwardness.

"Thanks." It had taken him a little too long to string together exactly what the other man had said. He was suddenly feeling a little slow and the accent was feeling a little more difficult to translate. Too much to drink? He popped the beer cap anyways. "If you say so." The taste of barley and malt rushed down his throat. It was good but he was still hungry...something sweet would make it better. He reached out and to grab one of Kami's pecan bars and realized that there was another hand trying to take it. He blink and looked up to see that the hand belong to Shae.

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whiskey_jack
2011-02-11 09:55 pm UTC (link)

The sound of Shae's hand connecting with Kami's backside drew Jack's attention away from Cara, and it was all he could do to keep from snorting with laughter. She'd asked for it, no doubt about it -- but he wasn't going to be the one to let her know that. Damned if he was going to ruin whatever had her in such a good mood!

And that something was almost certainly the gumbo. He felt his stomach growl in annoyance at only being subjected to booze and McDonalds the last few days. The gumbo smelled so fucking good. Before he could sit and dive into the heaping bowl he'd gotten himself, Shae shoved his guitar at him. Jack caught the look in his old friend's eyes and the tone in his voice -- he'd seen it many times before. Best to do as Shae requested. No matter how fun it might have been to see how far he could push the bounty hunter.

"That's right. Good music, good food, good beer, good company," Jack announced as he sat back down on the couch. Cradling the guitar on his lap, he picked up his gumbo and finally took a bite. "OHMHGWD," he gushed around the big mouthful, bringing his hand up. He swallowed and stared at Shae as if he wanted to kiss him. "Now THIS," he nodded, retrieving the Abita, "is fuel for music. Shae, buddy, you done your Mamon proud."

Taking a deep pull off the beer, Jack pulled the pick out from the strings on the head of his guitar and checked the tuning. Then with a grin only Jack could make, wicked and wild, he launched into a traditional two-step and began to sing. The upbeat tempo and Jack's warm crooner's-tenor rang merrily through Shae's apartment.

Only those who understood French and could cut through the nasal, mush-mouthed Cajun-isms would have known Jack was singing one of the more suggestive songs in his repertoire.

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sugar_cycle
2011-02-12 07:48 pm UTC (link)

A mere few lines into the song, Kami reappeared and the smile on her face flickered with wicked mischief. The blush from Shae's manhandling had faded and she carried the promised bowl for Cara in her hands. "Are you sure that's okay to be singing in mixed company, Jack?" she teased. At his raised eyebrow of surprise, she giggled. "You're absolutely murdering the French language but I'm picking up enough of those special words."

Turning to Cara, she presented the half-filled bowl with a little curtsy, a teasing dip made all the more playful by the way Kami's eyes shone. Easily distracted from her momentary loss of dignity at Shae's hand, that was it. She clearly loved the new relaxed feel of the gathering and being able to help feed the newest resident was just whipped topping on the cake. "Better luck with this bowl, Cara," she said with a wink. "If you have to throw it again, try and get one of the boys."

Then she straightened and took a quick, dancing step away from the chairs to a bit of clear floor space. Extending her hands, Kami grinned. "Alright," she half-laughed. "There is some really good music and I'm not dancing to it. There's something wrong with this picture." Directing expectant looks first at Ren and then at Shae, she turned her hands upwards as if offering herself. "One of you gentleman is going to have to do the honors."

She looked like she meant it, too - no idle threat there.

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