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Richard Wainwright ([info]atrickstertype) wrote in [info]paxletalelogs,
@ 2011-09-29 13:44:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:apollo, loki, nephthys, quetzalcoatl

Move It On Over
Who: Richard, Luc, Dominic, Dov, Vanessa, OPEN
What: Richard arrives at Pax and decides to move in.  In the middle of the night. 
Where: Right outside, in the middle of the driveway.
When: Thursday, September 29, 2001. Around one in the morning, just after posting this.
Warnings: Richard is sleep-deprived? TBA.

Richard tossed the last of his 5-hours to the floor of the cab, where it rattled against a small pile of its brothers.  It was quite the collection, he thought, especially considering that he had only owned the truck for six days.  Four of which had been on the road.  At that thought he leaned his head against the steering wheel, allowing himself a moment of rest.  Two thousand miles in four days wasn't half bad, he supposed.  Truckers did more with less sleep, and it had been too good of an opportunity to pass up.  He had only needed to go a little out of the way to travel along Route 66.  It was the quintessential American Road Trip: nothing but him, the road, and a collection of cassettes- the first of which was eaten by the truck's ancient tape deck before he hit Chicago's city limits.  Even without the music, it was still an adventure.  So what if he had never driven anything larger than a Prius before?  So what if the trailer didn't have tail lights? These were the kinds of details that made adventures worth while.  At least, he thought so then.  He was still amused after the Monster's first flat tire.  After the second one blew in the middle of New Mexico, he mentally downgraded the whole thing from "adventure" to "journey".  Now, well, whatever it had been, it was over.

Almost over, anyway.  He still had to get everything inside, though that looked like it was going to be easier then he had thought.  His iPhone had been buzzing happily for the past few minutes with what he had generously decided to call "offers of help." He was going to have to make a run to the nearest purveyor of scotch if many more people joined in.  That is, if the "neighbor turf war" didn't break out before then.  He smirked, imagining little old ladies in crocheted gang colors, brandishing lawn ornaments.  Having neighbors was going to be an interesting change.

Speaking of neighbors... he ran a hand through his hair, which had long ago given up any semblance of order.  He didn't have to look in a mirror (which was good, because the truck didn't have one) to know that the curls had staged a revolt.  It was a mess, and if he looked half as tired as he should feel his neighbors would be more likely to think he was one of the walking dead than a new tenant.  Add that to the grungy jeans and the Pink Floyd tee and, well, he could do image restoration later.  Right now, he just needed to get moved in.

He should get started on that.  He took a deep breath, gathering himself together, and then climbed down from the truck's cab and started down the length of the Monster.  For once, it looked like all the tires were intact.  Miracles did happen.  Through the windows he could see the top layers of his stuff, apparently all still safe in its bungee cords.  Really, there wasn't enough of it to need that much space.  Maybe he should have mentioned that in his post?  He thought it over while he tried to open the Monster's back gate.  Which was stuck.  He tugged a bit harder.  Nothing.  With a curse, he knelt down to fiddle with the locking mechanism.  "Monster, honey, " he muttered, squinting at the rusty handle, " we have had some good times together, but as soon as I get my stuff I am dumping you like a dalmatian puppy on New Year's Day. Swear to god, if you don't open up I am going to commandeer some Jaws of Life and open you!"

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[info]radiantdelphi
2011-09-29 08:01 pm UTC (link)
Luc was pretty upset with himself, for a few reasons. One, he should have refrained from calling the towing company – especially once he found his iPod and realized he didn't have to go anywhere. Of course, it was a douche move (even he had to admit that one), and karma was a bitch. Two, he never should have fessed up to calling them – but he figured it was the only nice thing to do after being a dick. Three, it was one in the fucking morning and he was now suckered into helping someone move – when, if he was doing anything, he should be working.

But, here he was: throwing on a pair of flip-flops with his blue pajama pants and gray wifebeater – because like fuck he was getting dressed for this shit. He'd been kidding about the bandanna, but as he headed out the door (making sure his keys and phone were in his pocket, of course) he kind of wished he actually owned one. Alas, Luc was too much a slave to fashion to possess something so.. clearly against the creed.

Damn a guilty conscience.

He caught the elevator down, wondering why he had agreed – after all, he could have said no, right? After all, it was a pretty unreasonable hour to solicit help with heavy lifting. But Luc did feel genuinely bad enough about being an ass about the trailer to where he wouldn't have let himself say no. Though, by the time he reached the ground floor, he was debating on offering to pay someone else to do the work. He'd miss the money less than he'd probably regret carrying a bedframe to the fifth floor. And, as he stepped off the elevator, he had to turn back to gauge the dimensions of the lift – trying to figure in his head whether a bedframe would fit, and deciding they'd probably have to find the service elevator.. and that just made him wonder how getting lost and being exhausted were going to factor in to his attitude on the matter.

God, this was going to suck.

Outside was at least more bearable than he'd anticipated – actually way more, but he could probably attribute that to the thin material of his garments. He saw who he assumed to be Richard struggling with the trailer's gate, brows notching a bit in amusement as he strolled up to the other man.

“So she's like most girls, I see,” he remarked with a laugh as his tall frame came to a stop a few feet away from where Richard was. “Gotta give her some foreplay before she'll put out.”

Of course, if the gate stayed locked.. well, Luc didn't know how to fix it, that was for sure. And he wasn't entirely sure how committed he was to milling around while someone tried to figure it out. Maybe he could still figure a way out of this after all.

“Maybe she doesn't like it so rough?”

(Reply to this)


[info]obscurityfalls
2011-09-29 08:32 pm UTC (link)
Vanessa had worked at Muldoons that night, and even though she had worked at both jobs and SHOULD be tired, she was absolutely wide awake, adrenalin running through her body, so why shouldn't she help someone out, especially when that someone had good liquor. Dressed in a black pleated skirt, green metallic tights, tall black boots, and a black tee-shirt, her hair was pulled up in a green ribbon, a work ensemble from Muldoons. She approached the two men and looked with a laugh. "Just because something doesn't want to give out, doesn't mean you have to be rough." Vanessa put her house keys down and inspected the locking mechanism. After a few tries, it unlatched. "I do hope that neither of you were trying to break into this lovely trailer. Either way, it's opened now."

(Reply to this)


[info]atrickstertype
2011-09-29 11:53 pm UTC (link)
Even though he heard the footsteps approaching, Richard didn't look up. This had to open. Getting people to stay and help him unload a truck that he couldn't open was unlikely at best, and he was going to get this done tonight, damn it. That was how it was going to be.

He did, however, grin a little at the stranger's comment. "Oh, she likes it when I talk dirty. It's just that she's also a tease." He gave the latch a hard yank, then stood back, glaring at it. He was wondering if the truck came with a prybar when a woman stepped forward and, with hardly any effort, the Monster's gate swung open.

There was a moment of completely senseless anger -Oh sure, it opens now - followed immediately by amusement. "Seems like all she needed was a woman's touch," he said with a smile at the newcomer. "I had a girlfriend like that once. Thanks."

He looked at his two brave volunteers and tried to keep the surprise from showing in his face. He had been expecting middle-aged business types, not a punk rocker and an Adonis in pajamas. It was a little disconcerting, but Richard was in no way complaining. He gave them both his most winning smile. "I'm Richard. You probably guessed that. I'm assuming you're Luc and, uh... I didn't catch your name, miss."

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]obscurityfalls
2011-09-30 12:13 am UTC (link)
"I'm Vanessa, the fellow alcohol elitist." Vanessa winked and looked in the horse trailer. She was always amazed at just how much fit in a trailer, although she had to admit, she hadn't seen one like this before. "Any time, always glad to help." Jesus, there was no shortage of hot men at this apartment complex was there? First Idris, then Victor (although she certainly didn't see him sexually, she would have to say that he was very attractive), now this Luc and Richard. "Excuse the getup, I got home from work a little while ago and I make the uniform as fun as physically possible to keep sane."

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]radiantdelphi
2011-09-30 06:23 am UTC (link)
Luc went a little pale at the suggestion that they might be breaking and entering - because he had no identification on him, and no real way of proving that he wasn't doing just that.. and considering he had pot in his apartment, he didn't exactly look to invite any unwanted police attention - especially if just the prospect made him sweat a little.

He was relieved, though, that Richard seemed to have the situation handled.

He flashed a grin (the perfect camouflage for his brief moment of anxiety) and gave Vanessa a flirty little wink before glancing over at Richard to laugh at the remark about his ex-girlfriend.

“Hey, I think everyone needs a woman's touch. At least sometimes.”

He offered a hand in greeting to Vanessa, because he was sure he'd seen her in passing at some point – but he knew they'd never been properly introduced. “Luc Haust, darling,” he said smoothly with that same bright smile. “It's a pleasure to meet you. And the outfit is charming - infinitely better than mine.” He laughed a little, because it was quite adorable.. just not exactly something he would have taken her out on the town in. Well, maybe. Depending on how drunk he was. Nevermind that she probably wouldn't want to go out in those clothes if they were her work uniform.. it would have to be debated later.

He rolled his eyes at Richard's smile, though, snorting a laugh before he let the smile ease back over his features. “You're the bane of my existence right now,” he said matter-of-factly. “You're lucky she came around to unlock your shit, dude – otherwise I was going back to bed.” Well, okay, maybe not bed, but back home at least.

As Luc eyed the horse trailer, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever actually been near a horse trailer in his life - and came up with a complete lack of memories containing one. It could only leave him assuming he hadn't – and it was a safe assumption.

“So where's this bedframe? Or, wait, you're probably gonna tell me it's at the back,” he mused aloud, but it was done now – even if the bedframe were the first thing they got out, he wasn't the kind of guy to just bail. He was the kind of guy that would help you get everything moved, give you shit the entire time, and then never let you live it down later. Well, he was known to be that guy with people he hadn't tried to get towed.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

(plz 2 b hitting me up if i'm posting this in the wrong place; i'm kinda new to big threads!)
[info]plumageablaze
2011-09-30 03:20 pm UTC (link)
Helping a stranger move into Pax during the middle of the night had definitely not been on Dominic's personal list of things he'd wanted to do before finally hitting the sack. But when he'd heard the unmistakable sound of a rather large vehicle outside he couldn't help that his curiosity was piqued. A glance through his kitchen window had shown him a sight that caused him to immediately frown, irritation rising further when he chanced to notice a peculiar post on the Pax forums (it was becoming something of a habit for him to leave the forum open in a browser while he otherwise tended to his nightly editing).

It was one thing to move into a new home at such a late hour, but another to block an entire apartment building's driveway. How were people to vacate the premises if there was an emergency? Not to mention the problems this would cause for Dominic himself, and anyone else that had a job in the morning which required them to be there on time--if the trailer sat there all night and day long, it'd bode nothing but massive disruption. Dominic hadn't often relied on public transportation since acquiring his license at the common age of sixteen, and he wasn't about to start now.

He'd begrudgingly agreed to help his new neighbor, if only so that his schedule wouldn't get thrown off come sunrise. It certainly wasn't altruism towards his fellow human being that took precedence this night. That could change, depending on the company he was about to meet, but Dominic mainly focused on tempering his irritation while he traded in his pajama pants for a spare pair of blue jeans, deciding not to change out of the brown cotton t-shirt he was already wearing. His apartment key safely in a back pocket (along with a lighter and a carton of Marlboros in case this was going to take extra long), Dominic made the short trip to the ground floor and outside, his nondescript tennis shoes scuffing lightly on the parking lot asphalt. He headed towards the offending horse trailer, which was quite impossible to miss.

Also impossible to miss were the two people gathered around the back of it. He was fairly certain he hadn't met either of these residents (in particular, the woman dressed outrageously loud would've been hard to forget). The other individual had to be the person who'd caused this disturbance--Richard, wasn't it? Right.

"Um, hi. I'm Dominic. I thought I'd come out here to offer an extra set of hands." Smiling faintly, he peered towards the opened trailer. "So, where do we start?"

(Reply to this)

Judgement call-we'll take turns but not create a thread. Makes it easier for new guys to jump in.
[info]atrickstertype
2011-09-30 05:45 pm UTC (link)
Richard nodded as Vanessa introduced herself. "Elitist makes it sound so snooty," he replied with a smile. "We're just a couple of people lucky enough to have working tastebuds. And the outfit," he continued, giving her an openly evaluative look, "is great. Reminds me of my college days." This place was shaping up. Beautiful view, beautiful town, beautiful people to flirt with. He approved.

At Luc's comment, he laughed out loud. "It usually takes a lot longer for people to call me that," he said with a grin. "As for the bedframe..." He was interrupted by the cutting tones of a cell phone ringer, and watched as Luc pulled a fancy phone out of his pocket, looked at the display with a concerned frown, and immediately turned away, speaking into it softly as he walked back towards the hotel. So much for that, Richard thought with a frown.

As if on cue, another man walked out of the apartments. Richard focused on hiding his annoyance and extended a hand to the newcomer. "Hi Dominic. I'm Richard. You know Vanessa?" He paused, letting the introductions go on, and then he gestured towards the trailer. "I appreciate the help. It shouldn't be too bad, though. I tried to put it all in order. Big furniture is first- mostly the couch and a couple of chairs. And the bed, I guess. Then smaller furniture - the entertainment center and the dining room set, endtables, dressers- and boxes. Lots of boxes, but I made sure to pick up a couple of dollies on my way. Shouldn't take long to empty her out, and then I can leave her somewhere that she'll be a little less... conspicuous?" He grinned and shrugged. "If that's even possible."

(Reply to this)


[info]obscurityfalls
2011-09-30 10:49 pm UTC (link)
"It makes it sound snooty, but we can't help the fact that we have working tastebuds, as you say, so you might as well call a rose a rose, we're elitists, we know what's good and stick to it, unless I'm very desperate or broke of course." Vanessa smiled when he complimented her outrageous outfit and looked down. She had gone a BIT over the top tonight at Muldoons, but she was definitely an outrageous person and her clothes always showed it, one way or another. "Thank you Richard."

She turned to Dominic and nodded politely. "We've actually never met, nice to meet you." She supposed that anyone that came out to help a total stranger had to be nice.

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[info]plumageablaze
2011-10-01 09:00 am UTC (link)
Dominic shook Richard's hand in greeting, letting go right on cue. He smiled a little sheepishly at Richard's comment, shaking his head. "No, I don't." He then looked to Vanessa, smiling, even if her outfit was distracting on simply a level of aesthetics. "It's nice to meet you, too." Surely it wouldn't be too difficult to remember her name, not when he'd easily be able to associate it with her style of dressing. Richard would be easy to remember as well, given the commotion he'd caused with the threat his horse trailer currently posed to Dominic's work schedule.

Best to help solve this issue; afterwards, he could head back inside and get some rest. Richard's plan sounded sensible, though with only three of them, Dominic still wasn't certain they'd be able to finish as quickly as his new neighbor seemed sure they would. It was worth a shot, nonetheless. He'd try to make the most of this situation and look on the bright side (not only was he lending a hand, but he'd also met two more of his fellow neighbors).

"You promised pizza eventually, right? I hope you keep your word." Dominic tried on a more friendly smile, because he honestly did enjoy pizza, even if he ate that sort of food more sparingly than other kinds. He stepped closer to the trailer, getting a better perspective of all that was within it. The couch definitely was the most formidable piece of furniture, next to the large bed frame. He wondered which would be more of a hassle to get into the elevator. Free labor was assuredly a lot cheaper than hiring movers to haul everything upstairs, but it was a challenge either way.

Well, Dominic had said he'd help, and so here he was.

"Do you want your couch upstairs first or the bed frame?" He was prepared to climb into the horse trailer in order to access either of the listed ensemble, though he'd be just as content to stay outside of it for now. The collection of boxes would be the fastest to transport, but it looked like they were located more towards the back of the trailer. Still, if he and Richard hauled the couch throughout all of Pax and Kingdom Come, the work would go faster if Vanessa brought along boxes on one of the dollies at the same time. He'd wait before suggesting this, depending on what Richard--and Vanessa--said.

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[info]atrickstertype
2011-10-04 07:33 am UTC (link)
"Pizza? Definitely. If you two have any suggestions, I'll order from there. Otherwise, I think I saw a Domino's on the way in." Richard climbed up into the trailer and walked in a few feet, to the large red cooler that he had packed this morning. "Until then, I bring you an offering from the Midwest." He flicked the lid of the cooler back to reveal several six-packs worth of craft beer. "Left Hand Brewing, Schlafly, Boulevard, Bell's... It should be enough to keep us wet while we work." He pulled out a stout and twisted its cap off, toasting Vanessa and Dominic with a smile. "If this is elitism, I'll never be accepting."

At Dominic's next question he turned and surveyed the furniture. "Bed first, I think. If the layout they sent me is right, the bedroom should be the last thing we come to. That'll get the frame out of the way. We can set it up really quick, throw the mattress on it, and then just use it as a place to stash boxes. I'll worry about sorting later." He took a drink and thought it over. "I think two of us can manage the frame. How are those boots, Vanessa? Would you rather lug some stuff around, or push a dolly?"

(Reply to this)


[info]obscurityfalls
2011-10-04 08:37 pm UTC (link)
Since Vanessa pretty much lived off of take out food, she definitely knew the good verse the bad pizza places in Newport, but it was late, and pretty much only Domino's would deliver at this hour, besides, there was nothing wrong with Domino's. Vanessa instantly smiled when she saw the beer cooler and the contents inside, immediately reaching for a lager. Good beer deserved to be enjoyed cold, besides, Vanessa wasn't one to care what other people thought of her, let them all think she was a lush, it wasn't the truth so what did it matter? She took a long drink from the beer and broke out into a smile. "Cheers to elitism."

Vanessa looked down at her boots, which did have a decent heel and laughed. "Anything you boys can do, I can manage, even in these boots. Let me know exactly what you want me to do and let me worry about making it happen."

(Reply to this)

apologies for the wait!
[info]plumageablaze
2011-10-12 06:04 am UTC (link)
"Domino's sounds fine to me." Dominic smiled despite himself, knowing he'd enjoy a rare treat of take-out pizza, even if he were to say otherwise. Richard's specific 'Midwest offering' did little to spark interest in him, however; he'd said so on the forum previous to heading outside (the pizza would be enough of an indulgence as it stood), and he was not about to change his mind now that he was actually caught up in the moving situation. He silently disregarded the offer, focusing instead on the more pressing matter at hand. Dominic followed Richard's lead, climbing into the trailer as well, in order to reach the bed frame easier and thus haul it inside Pax and up to Richard's apartment.

Vanessa seemed energetic, but suppose she slipped upon those precarious heels she was wearing? Dominic was not necessarily a take charge sort of fellow, but he chose now to offer up his idea, in hopes that Vanessa would agree. He'd seen his sisters do plenty of fascinating things in heels--not least of all being running through the houses they'd grown up in and racing out the door for the car, in order to get to church on time--but operating as a mover was, suffice to say, not one of them. He could respect Vanessa's desire to help, but there was no sense in her risking, say, a broken ankle. It would be far too cliché.

"Hey, Vanessa," he stated, glancing quickly at Richard almost as if for approval, for it was his belongings, after all, though freely he had welcomed help from strangers. Dominic's gaze shifted back to Vanessa almost instantly. "Why don't we load up one of these dollies with some of the boxes, and while we're hauling the bed frame upstairs, you can bring those along with you?" He shrugged, turning to look and see which of the boxes were closer to the front and could be more quickly brought upstairs.

(Reply to this)


[info]obscurityfalls
2011-10-12 08:24 pm UTC (link)
"That sounds good to me." Less lifting meant more time for drinking beer, so she really couldn't complain. She took a sip from the beer as she looked at everything they had to unload and it was more than she had expected so she wouldn't exactly complain if two guys decided to do the work for her, even though she had lifted and carried far heavier items at Muldoons. Restocking the liquor always required strength, but not nearly as much strength as moving and changing a keg. Still, she didn't want to feel entirely useless. "If you want me to call the pizza and change into sneakers so I can be more helpful I can do that too." Vanessa grabbed a hair clip that was clipped onto the bottom of her shirt and gathered up all of her hair, clipping it back, up and out of her face.

(Reply to this)


[info]atrickstertype
2011-10-16 06:38 am UTC (link)
At Vanessa's offer, Richard finished a pull from his bottle and nodded, pointing towards her. "I like that plan," he said, using the excuse to check out her boots (and maybe her legs, but who was counting?). "Domino's sounds fine, but I don't know the numbers around here. And while I have a healthy appreciation for what women can do in those, I might feel a little less intimidated if you changed them out." He met her eyes and grinned. "After all, if you're carrying as much as I am, and you're wearing heels?" He shook his head, as if the it didn't bear thinking about.

"Meanwhile, Dom, you and I can schlep the frame up and get the apartment unlocked. Sound good?" For the first time, Richard started to wonder how they were going to do that. Surely, the elevator would be big enough for his things? This was the first apartment building he had ever lived in, and he wasn't entirely sure how it all worked. If the elevator was big enough for one of them and the frame, he'd bite the bullet and run up the stairs to the fifth floor. On the other hand, he wasn't sure he could offer enough to get the other two to help him carry the big furniture upstairs.

Well, he would cross that bridge if he came to it. Richard took another quick swig of his beer and set it down next to the cooler before stepping over to the first of his possessions and start working on one of the bungee cords holding things in place. No time to show any hesitation. It was time to get these things underway.

(Reply to this) (Thread)


[info]obscurityfalls
2011-10-16 08:13 pm UTC (link)
"I have the number to Domino's up in my apartment." Vanessa laughed a bit, and shook her head. She used this as an opportunity to check Richard out a bit, definitely liking what she was seeing. The man was good looking, heart stopping good looking actually. Normally Vanessa wouldn't have looked twice at someone THAT good looking, but in California and especially Pax, everyone seemed to be that good looking, you just got used to it. "I'll go change, put on less intimidating shoes and call for the pizza. Then I'll start lugging things up on the dolly." Vanessa gave Richard a wink and took her empty beer upstairs with her to throw out in her apartment, or more realistically, set down and forget about it for a little while.

Once in her apartment, she called domino's, ordering two extra cheese pizzas, and a two liter of coke since Dominic wasn't drinking beer. She gave her cell phone number to the driver, so she double checked her phone to make sure it was on and nice and loud. As an after thought, Vanessa decided to change all together, throwing on a pair of jeans she rarely ever wore. She was actually glad the jeans still fit her, because she couldn't remember the last time she had worn them. She kept the black tee-shirt on and after some searching, finally found a pair of hot pink sneakers with white laces. After a quick fix of the hair, making sure the ribbon she had used previously was completely out and her hair was properly clipped up, she headed back downstairs, cell phone in her pocket, to help.

(Reply to this) (Parent)


[info]plumageablaze
2011-10-19 09:00 pm UTC (link)
"Yeah, that sounds like a plan," Dominic responded to Richard, although them actually getting the frame upstairs in a timely fashion was not something that seemed likely to happen. But they might as well get things started while Vanessa traded her heels in for shoes with better grips and contacted the closest pizza parlor. He was liking the idea of pizza afterwards--or during--more and more, despite his general aversion to what he considered to be junk food.

Dominic moved to help Richard, working on one of the other bungee cords. He talked as he did so, trying to alleviate the otherwise somewhat awkwardness of the situation. It didn't hurt to try and get to know his neighbor a little bit, even if they hadn't met under the most pleasant circumstances.

"What brought you to Newport Beach? I can't imagine moving often if I had to haul a trailer like this around," he said carefully, not wanting to put too much emphasis on how he honestly thought it was a bad idea (a mover's truck would have been a lot more convenient).

(Reply to this)


[info]atrickstertype
2011-10-20 07:17 am UTC (link)
"Neither can I" Richard admitted, grunting as the the first bungee cord came free. "I don't think I was," he paused, searching for words, "really clear what I was getting into?" It was a big admission for him, even after days of the idea building up, and it left a bad taste in his mouth. "It wasn't really a bad idea. I needed to move things a long way in a short amount of time. But the Monster," he patted her side affectionately, "was a little more than I had bargained for. Take it from me, cornering on a highway in this thing is less than fun." He smiled at Dominic, shrugging a little. "But my work starts next Monday. I just got a job at Pacific Life, here in town. PR."

The second bungee came loose under his hands and he eased it off, catching a box that it had been holding in place. "What about you, Dominic? Did you grow up around here?" Small talk was awkward, he decided, but a necessary part of life. Especially since it was just the two of them for the next few minutes. "Any helpful hints for a Midwestern boy who just moved to his first coast?"

(Reply to this)


[info]plumageablaze
2011-10-28 07:26 am UTC (link)
Certainly Richard's words had more than a hint of truth to them; anyone that would choose a hulking horse trailer over a more sensible moving van couldn't possibly know what they were getting into, or what sort of repercussions their actions would have. But it couldn't be helped now, for the only course was to get Richard's belongings upstairs in an expedient manner. Dominic nodded at Richard's noting of how this was almost a case of good intentions gone wrong, though the side of his mouth quirked upwards in humor at the name Richard had for the trailer. It was more ridiculous hearing it in person, and yet entirely fitting.

Dominic freed the bungee cord he was working on as Richard dove into his career prospects. He couldn't help but be a little more interested in the man, having now learned what business he chose to make a profession in--PR was different than what Dominic did for a living, but there was still a basic level of communication needed in both their occupations, a desire to put information out into the world and, hopefully, have it be received in a positive light.

"PR? That's great. I'm a writer for Along the Bay--one of the local magazines." Work was an easy topic for Dominic to latch onto and talk about, perhaps too easy. He finished with a second bungee cord and moved the freed box, setting it down where it'd be easy to bring it to the open end of the trailer and stack it with its mates onto a dolly. While he worked to free another box, he answered Richard's questions.

"I grew up in Fountain Valley," he said, "but I went to school in Northridge. My family's from Veracruz, originally." One bungee cord down, one to go. Dominic chuckled at Richard's last question, shrugging a little. "Wear lots of sunscreen," Dominic offered, "and don't get too carried away with the 'surfer' image." He was loosening up a bit, and perhaps talking about his job, however briefly, had helped him to be somewhat at ease. Still, he cast a glance towards the apartment building, wondering when Vanessa would return.

(Reply to this)

((sorry!! Slipped on this thread!))
[info]obscurityfalls
2011-10-29 02:50 am UTC (link)
In her much more sensible outfit, cell phone carefully tucked away in her pocket, Vanessa finally appeared outside. "Sorry about that. Pizza and some soda should be here in about a half hour. I told them to call my cell since we would be moving things up and down into an apartment when they came." She made sure that the dolly was in a good position and started to the boxes they were freeing, placing them onto the dolly to bring up the elevator.

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[info]atrickstertype
2011-11-05 04:53 am UTC (link)
"Okay, first," Richard said, looking up from the next box. "Where is Veracruz? Second, magazines. Awesome. You should send me some of your work. Third, noted. If tempted, I'll just repeat to myself 'I am not David Hasselhoff.'" He grinned over at the other man, then carried another box over to the growing stack by the door.

They were chatting companionably when Vanessa arrived. "Sounds great!" Richard said, walking over to help her load the dolly. "Then let's get a load up there so that we don't make you a liar."

The next hour (it might have been more like three hours, but Richard was trying not to count) was filled with pizza and beer, and an intimate knowledge of the main Pax elevator. Richard tried to keep the mood up, but in the end he was just as glad as either of the others to close the Monster's gate and move the truck, then fall gratefully into the loving embrace of his couch. They were great people, really, but by that point their company came a distant second to sleep.

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