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Post by MORRIGAN FROST on Feb 20, 2011 15:02:45 GMT -5
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[atrb=style,padding: 0px 0px; ]No martial arts classes tonight.
Morrigan absentmindedly cleaned a martini glass that she'd already wiped out twice since her shift began, but it gave her something to do other than staring into her reflection in the polished wood. It was mid-afternoon, and the bar wouldn't really be starting up until later in the day. But by that time, her shift would have long-ended, and she'd probably be curled up on her mattress in her apartment, counting the cracks in the opposite wall. She supposed it was done to protect her - not many people came into the bar during the day, so she rarely faced any problems that might have otherwise been brought on by her genetic background. Occasionally she would work at night, but she wasn't a regular, so she never drew much attention to herself.
The clean glass squeaked in her hand, and Morri stowed it back underneath the counter with a sigh. She walked around from behind the bar to move amongst the seating area, looking around for some imaginary speck of dust that needed to be brushed up, but, of course, there was none. Every table had the necessary condiments and specialty menus, the chairs were all pushed in, and the floor was cleaned to an immaculate shine. The black-haired shifter drifted slowly by the windows, eying them closely for any trace of fingerprints or smudging - she hadn't cleaned them yet today. But someone in the early morning must have covered it for her, for they sparkled in the frosty light of the winter sun. She retreated back to her place behind the bar in defeat, prowling amongst the glasses and liquors.
She wondered how everyone was doing, sometimes. A lot of other kids she had known had left once they were old enough to, looking for opportunity elsewhere. Morri herself had been tempted to join them, but what else would they find? She doubted that there was going to be some paradise city out there were everyone would be accepted no matter who they were. Others still retreated back into the SHIFT Corporation walls, experimented on no longer, but not having the skills to go out into the real world and fight for their right to be there. Or courage. Maybe both. Luca was one of them. Her lips gained a rather pursed look as his name crossed her mind - she was fond of him, yes, but still wary in his presence all the same. She didn't think he would ever do anything to hurt her (and she had full faith in her fighting capabilities if he ever did try to pull that shit) but...he worked for SHIFT. One could never be too careful.
But speaking of Luca...he hadn't been by to visit in a couple of weeks. Morri sat down on her stool behind the bar and rested her head against the cool surface of the wood. It didn't matter that he worked for SHIFT...she probably wouldn't care if he was purple and had antlers growing out of his head. He was a fellow experiment - while some of her human friends were nice and fun, they didn't really know her. They couldn't understand her or feel sympathy for her, because they didn't know. They couldn't know. She appreciated their kindness and their acceptance, but they weren't really what she needed or wanted at the moment. Then again, dealing with Luca and his sickeningly-cute companion animal wasn't all too appealing at the moment either, but it was still preferable because, somehow, it was easier. she gazed out the window to the cars on the street and the people walking by, wondering if one of them was him, and, at the same time, admonishing herself for her wishful thinking.
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Post by LUCA CONSTANTINE on Feb 20, 2011 16:09:10 GMT -5
it wasn't often that luca left his companion at his apartment during the day, and today was no exception. fiver sat adorably munching on a carrot in the passenger seat as luca drove in the direction of his apartment building, his red eyes half-lidded in bliss. he had to work later, but had been spent the better part of the day so far by going grocery shopping. luca reached back into the bag where he had gotten fiver's carrot from and got himself one. he was a big fan of carrots as well, a trait that he probably got directly from his rabbit counterpart. it was weird - having a rabbit that was more like a twin brother than a pet, but luca loved the bond. there was literally nothing else quite like it.
because he wouldn't have anything else to do for a few hours aside from put some boxes of cereal and packages ramen away, luca decided to make a turn toward cloud nine. he knew for a fact that morrigan, one of his kinda-sorta-friends might be working simply because it was only the middle of the day. he always wondered how she lived off of day shifts, mostly because bars were usually dead around this time, which meant barely any tip money. she did though, and he would have applauded her for it if he was less like himself.
there were many things that he enjoyed about working for the shift corporation. the first and foremost was that he could take fiver to work with him. though they didn't really allow him to take the rabbit on foot patrol, luca could still take the rabbit into the facility and keep him in the break room. the second thing was that the human shift employees understood him, for the most part. they worked with experiments regularly, and some of the older ones were the same that he'd known from his childhood. then the third thing about the corporation was, of course, the money. though it didn't come in bucket loads, luca was able to consider himself as a middle-class citizen. in high school he learned all about saving money, and was granted some money from the government when he turned eighteen because of being an experiment. no longer in foster care, that money burned up quickly until he wound up back at the corporation. now he had insurance, he had his apartment, and a nice enough car.
life was quite alright now. luca considered himself one of the success cases. he had done everything that the government wanted him to do; though they probably would frown a little because of his employer. luca put on his blinker and pulled into a parking space in front of cloud nine and turned off his car. fiver had finished his carrot and was now cleaning his face with his paws. "C'mon Fiver, you can do that later," he said, and then reached over to scoop his companion up and get out of the car.
he pushed the door open and a bell above it jingled, signaling the new arrival. luca's red eyes scanned over the occupants of the bar, though there weren't many, just a few people on their breaks and such, and then the bartender. he had been right to assume, and smiled over at morrigan, waving to her with his free arm, while the other held fiver. "I thought you might be working," he headed over and sat down on a bar stool across from her. it'd been a while since he had time to come down to the pub, but he doubted morrigan really cared - they weren't best pals or anything like that. actually, luca hardly had any really good friends at all. there were those that he knew for a long time, but there still weren't any he made plans with or called up just because he wanted to talk. that was one of his faults - establishing relationships, but every experiment probably experienced that.
670, cue sickeningly cute rabbit + luca >D
NOTHING IS THE SAME AFTER TONIGHT [/style] |
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Post by MORRIGAN FROST on Feb 20, 2011 16:57:14 GMT -5
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[atrb=style,padding: 0px 0px; ]The low murmur and tinkling of glasses would have almost been enough to put her to sleep, but the shrill ringing of the bell made her lift her head off of her arms to see someone waving at her from the door. Well, speak of the devil. While the white hair and red eyes instantly set him apart from everyone else in the bar, it was the white rabbit that gave him away. Her few customers gave him sideways glances, a few staring at him outright, but most content to give him a quick once-over before returning to their drinks. Luca, after all, while different, wasn't some gigantic hulk figure. Even as a Corporation guard, he had never struck Morri as intimidating. He carried around fucking bunny, for God's sake. As he wove through the tables, she kept an eye on the more hostile-looking men, and was relieved when they too went back to their own discussions.
He slid onto the stool across from her, and she gave him a smile. "You thought right. 12-5, every day, every week." Every month, every year. Jesus, no wonder she was living in a one-bedroom apartment with cracked walls and leaking ceilings. She really ought to talk to the bar manager one of these days and request to be put on an evening shift. Either that, or look into teaching the kids martial arts. She cringed; she could already see parents calling the school and asking why their sons and daughters were being taught by someone like her. She loved to fight, but didn't really want to get caught up in any political battles where she couldn't simply punch her opponent out. So that ruled out that option. Maybe she was just destined to live in poor housing forever. Not that she needed any more than that, really...being outside was better than being in.
Luca looked well, as he usually did; he seemed to take pride in making himself look presentable. She looked down at Fiver, who was washing his face with his paws - he had probably just eaten something. Morri felt her heart melt; big animals turned her off in ways most people couldn't understand. As a fighter, she should have loved big, strong dogs, for example, but she would sooner get a pet hamster. Maybe it was just her shift form; an Iberian Lynx was only about twice the size as an average housecat, so maybe she just felt naturally threatened by anything large. But regardless of the reason, the small bunny filled her with adoration, and, without asking for permission, she reached across the counter to stroke Fiver between the ears with a gentle hand.
"So, how have you been?"
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Post by LUCA CONSTANTINE on Feb 21, 2011 15:00:07 GMT -5
the dim lighting in the bar was something that luca enjoyed quite a lot more than well lit places. he stood out less because of it, though of course, the bell that rang as he walked in didn't help matters. the occupants all looked to him, some not bothering to take more than a glance, though there were others that seemed annoyed. in any case, they all went back to their own business as soon as he started over toward the bar. after making his way to the bar and sitting down, he allowed fiver to sit in his lap and continue washing his face. luca always found the habit to be incredibly adorable.
the young man listened to morrigan as she spoke, nodding with a smile. he was glad that his presumption was correct - though he had a very good memory which was probably the entire reason that he was so sure she'd be working. luca wasn't exactly a drinker, he actually hardly ever touched alcohol unless it was something fruity tasting, and even then, he avoided drinking such things in public. "I haven't been in for a while, so I was hoping your hours hadn't changed," he said, glancing over toward the soft drink cooler behind the bar. "I've been good. Just day in, day out... Work later. How about you?"
after studying it for a moment, and allowing morri to pet fiver, he decided on what he wanted. "Can I get a lemonade?" he considered the fact that he had two bags of groceries in the car that he needed to put away at some point, but dismissed it. he hadn't bought anything perishable, and so therefore he could stay at the bar and talk with his friend for a little while at least. he had begun working night shifts on week days, which meant that he slept late into the morning and sometimes early afternoon, then spent the rest of the day and night awake. it was tiring, but it was only temporary - or so he hoped. fiver didn't seem to care so long as luca was still able to buy him organic carrots. damn picky rabbit.
363, derrp, sorry this sucks so much. xD
NOTHING IS THE SAME AFTER TONIGHT [/style] |
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Post by MORRIGAN FROST on Feb 21, 2011 23:31:44 GMT -5
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[atrb=style,padding: 0px 0px; ]Lemonade? Morri couldn't help the wry smile that curled her lips. She gave Fiver one last little pat before straightening up."Yeah, but you can only have it if you spice it up with something stronger," she teased him, brushing her hair back with a little flick of her wrist. Lemonade wasn't on the typical list of a bar-goer, so it wasn't something they had on hand up front. "I'll be right back. Don't get into any bar fights, okay?" Yeah, as if the bunny-toting, lemonade-sipping fop would ever dare throw a punch in a bar. She laughed lightly, pushing open the door to the kitchens. Fiver was probably tougher than he was, the poor man. She opened the door to one of the refrigerators in the back - there, amongst various bottles of fountain drinks for the not-so-adventurous, sat a few bottles of harmless lemonade. She gave a small scoff before plucking up one of them and closing the door.
On the way back, she snagged up a clean glass from one of the cabinets, cracked open the bottle, and poured the cool liquid into the glass, throwing away the empty container as she pushed herself back through the swing door behind the bar. Figuring she should at least play her part, even if she'd rather be chatting with Luca, she sidled up to some of the men sitting at the other end of the bar and made brief small talk, clearing away their empty glasses and plates and such. They thanked her and left, leaving behind a rather generous tip. Balancing Luca's drink in one hand, she pocketed it, figuring she'd use it to pay for her dinner later or something. Maybe go buy some of that organic shit that Luca sometimes talked about. She flinched slightly - she had a small kitchen that mainly consisted of a crappy old stove and a microwave, and the easiest thing to cook was Ramen. And they probably didn't make organic Ramen.
"On the house," she said, sliding the glass his way before sitting back down, arms folded in front of her. "And it has been a while. I was starting to think they'd kidnapped you." She eyed him closely, looking for anything, any change in facial expression that might give him away; he worked for them, after all, maybe he'd spill something. "Glad to hear it. I'm doing fine, myself." He mentioned something about working later. So late? What reason would they have to employ guards so late at night? "So, what's it like to be working so late nowadays? Last time we spoke, you still had a halfway-decent schedule."
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Post by LUCA CONSTANTINE on Feb 22, 2011 22:40:29 GMT -5
luca just... wasn't a drinker. it didn't appeal to him. he didn't like the way drunk people acted, and therefore, did not like to do such things to himself. they were idiots, completely unaware of anyone's feelings or personal space, they vomited, stumbled, and made complete and utter fools of themselves in public - luca wasn't like that. sure, sure he was in a bar right now, but that was simply because his friend happened to work there. besides, bars served plenty of non-alcoholic beverages, as well as food. heck, sometimes the bar food was better than the food at even some of the restaurants around town. not to say luca was picky, but cloud nine knew how to make some damn good pizza.
he watched his friend go off after teasing him, a slight smirk on his face because of it. she was a good person - very interesting. she was an experiment, like him, but she was very different than him in many different aspects. first, of course, she was a solidus - a full shifter. luca was hardly a shifter at all, he just happened to have a rabbit for a brother. secondly, he doubted that she thought of the corporation even slightly the same way that he did. he knew it made her uncomfortable that he worked for them, but it wasn't really that he was condoning their research, it was just that... the corporation was the closes thing he had to a home - a family. everyone was different, even if they all came from the same place.
after morri was out of sight, luca resumed petting fiver in her absence. the rabbit seemed content now to just sit in his lap, his red beady eyes staring around like rabbits do. luca was very happy that the bunny was so well behaved, but he supposed that living with a human for twenty two years would tend to get an animal used to things. then again, there were some amicus experiments that he had met with rather wild companions - a few of them carnivores that had tried to kill fiver in the past. needless to say, luca had grown to be very cautious around some of his fellow experiments for that reason. morrigan was one of the few carnivorously inclined people that he fully trusted around fiver, especially because she'd never given him a reason not to.
"Thanks," luca said with a small smile as morri slid the glass toward him. he hadn't expected her to give it to him for free, but hey, he'd take it without complaint. a small, light laugh escaped him at her quip about kidnapping. she didn't give the corporation enough credit - they were a lot better now than they had been before, but she'd never believe it. "Well, working later means more money. It's an extra sixty cents for the night shift..." luca shrugged, taking a sip of his lemonade. the sour but sweet flavor did a wonderful job of quenching his thirst. "It's only temporary. Not much happens there anyway, so the more easily I can sneak off and hang out with Fiver - the better." he gave the rabbit a light pat and then looked over to his friend across the counter. "I'm glad you're doing okay. Anything new in the life of Morrigan? How're the martial arts coming?" small talk. it was nice.
568, beepboop.
NOTHING IS THE SAME AFTER TONIGHT [/style] |
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Post by MORRIGAN FROST on Feb 23, 2011 9:22:32 GMT -5
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[atrb=style,padding: 0px 0px; ]Morrigan didn't mind drinkers. Her job would be hard to manage properly if she did; it was all about going at it with common sense. For example, if an unkempt man swaggered into the bar, looking as though he hadn't shaved or washed within the last decade, one knew enough to give him only enough to satisfy, and make up some excuse afterward if he asked for another and you had to decline. On the other hand, some men (and women, for that matter) had a certain look about them. They didn't strut, but still exuded a calm confidence and easiness with their surroundings; they were the sort that could drink you right under the table. Bragging about her own ability to retain alcohol wasn't something that Morri typically did, but if she wasn't still working, she'd probably order a scotch just to spite him. Luca didn't like drinkers, and though he was never really dramatic over the fact, sometimes he could be a little prissy about it.
She listened to him as he spoke, resting her elbows on the bar and her chin propped up on her folded hands. He laughed off her comment about the corporation with ease, and she felt her eyes widen - Luca was too good of a person to be a good liar. If he was able to wave off an accusation towards the corporation as a frivolity, then they certainly couldn't be up to anything too terrible. Or maybe they just didn't tell him. Her nostrils flared briefly and her nails sharpened into claws, but only for a moment; the next second, they were back to their blunt, chewed-down forms, hardly capable of harming a fly. There was no point in upsetting Fiver and making him shoot out around the room. Not only would that land her in hot water with her boss, but it would reflect poorly on their entire existence, which was already in such a precarious situation as it was. She ground her teeth in frustration, consoling herself that she'd go hunting in the park later and take out her irritation on whatever stupid squirrel or rat that happened to get in her way.
To her relief, he steered the conversation away from the corporation. To ask about her life. Her life? Ha. She made a dramatic sweeping gesture with her hands to indicate the bar. "You're looking at my life, Luc. I know every bottle and every glass, and I could make you any drink you wanted with my eyes closed and my hands tied." She laughed. "Alcohol is my passion." She could probably tell a person more about how long a certain wine should ferment than something that could be applied to everyday life. And as for martial arts...her true passion. She leaned back so the front legs of her stool were off the ground and crossed her arms behind her head. "They're fantastic. Nothing makes me happier to knock out some punk." She laughed again; the previous week, some peacock had come strutting in. He was heavy and he looked muscular enough to crumple a car into a ball. But he wasn't fast and he had no precision. All it took was a simple leg-sweep, and his mass and gravity took care of the rest. She was pretty sure he had left crying, or, at least, liked to entertain herself with that thought. All she could hope was that one day she'd meet a guy with a little more backbone...
Speaking of which. All four legs of her chair fell to the ground with a bang as she straightened up again to give Luca a shrewd glance. "So, tough guy, how's the romance been going?"
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Post by LUCA CONSTANTINE on Feb 26, 2011 22:46:26 GMT -5
it was probably a really, really good thing that luca had never witnessed morrigan in her shift form. he knew that she was a carnivorous cat, though not necessarily a huge one - she was some type of lynx - but still, they were big enough. luckily for luca, he was reasonable enough to realize that she was a good person, and a friend, therefore he did not need to resent her for her shift form. it was nice, also, that fiver didn't seem to care much either. luca supposed that the rabbit was used to all the different kinds of people in existence by now, but in any case, fiver was still just a little bunny, helpless if not for his agility and speed. there had been times in the past where an amicus companion animal posed a threat to luca and his bunny, but in most cases, he and fiver were safe from harm.
luca didn't see the brief flash of animal come across morri, but fiver tensed up momentarily. the rabbit was very in tune with his surroundings, especially other shifters. luca on the other hand, was a little less observant at the moment, mainly because he was comfortable here; in the middle of the day at the bar with his bartender friend. they may not have been the best of pals, but he felt at ease around her. hopefully she felt the same way about him. in all reality though - what kind of threat could luca ever really be? he had a perma-pale complexion, hardly any muscle, and toted a bunny-rabbit everywhere. the only time he was ever able to look threatening was when he was on duty as a guard, with his night-stick, gun, and uniform. still, there wasn't anyone to impress at the corporation, everyone he interacted with were other guards, and only once in a great while did a civilian or an experiment try anything stupid. to put it simply - luca was not intimidating in the slightest.
the shift corporation guard sipped on his lemonade as morri spoke. he liked to listen rather than to speak, but in an element where he was comfortable, it didn't matter so much. he laughed softly with her. "Someone said to me once: 'If you're good at something, never do it for free.' So, I suppose you're in the right line of business," he said with a nod and smile. she continued on, explaining a few details about her martial arts. it was then that luca realized she could probably take him down in 0.02 milliseconds flat. "Maybe you should start doing that for money too." he gave his friend a wink. hopefully she didn't start cage fighting or anything though... maybe he shouldn't have suggested that in the first place.
with the clang of her chair, luca jumped just slightly, fiver doing the same thing as his long rabbit ears flattened back. along with the noise, morrigan's question also caught him off guard. "The romance?" he shook his head and slowly began to smirk, "I thought you would have figured out by now, I'm like... permanently single." he shrugged, "Actually, I think they call it asexual." luca didn't necessarily love talking about his love life, but once in a while, he was bothered by the fact that he... didn't have one. "Maybe I should find a gay bar to hang out at instead of this one," he cocked his head to the side and smirked. he didn't really like gay bars though - they were too forward. people were... so... flamboyant. luca was too subtle for that kind of atmosphere.
606, he's so lame. xD
NOTHING IS THE SAME AFTER TONIGHT [/style] |
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Post by MORRIGAN FROST on Feb 27, 2011 17:22:36 GMT -5
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hey ho, let's go ! THEY'RE GOING THROUGH A TIGHT WIND, THE KIDS ARE LOSING THEIR MINDS WORDS: 529, TAGS: george, SONG by ramones, NOTES: <3 "You, asexual? Come off it." Morrigan leaned forward, her eyes glittering in the afternoon light. "You're no Johnny Depp, sure, but you're not that bad looking, you know." It was fairly true, to be honest. Luca wasn't the big muscular knight in shining armor, but he was lean, toned, and cute in his won right. Plus, he owned a bunny. How that didn't stroke the feminine side of all the gay dudes in town, she'd never know. If Luca was straight and walked into a room full of girls wielding that fluffy white thing, they'd be on top of him in a heartbeat. God knew she practically did it every time they met. She gave Fiver a conspiratorial wink and tapped him lightly on the nose. "You need to work harder, my fine furry friend," she cooed at him. "The next time Luca meets another man, you need to curl up between his legs and make him reach for you. Moving at the last second is optional."
She gave Luca a mock scowl. "If I ever catch you dumping me here by myself to run off to some gay strip club, I'll kill you. You don't need that flamboyant crap." She had watched enough television to expose herself to the wonderful reality of gay bars, and just thinking about it turned her stomach. Naked men prancing around on stage with their...assets flopping around for the whole crowd to see wasn't really appealing to her. She could just imagine Luca's face...she snickered. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea for him to go to one, provided that she was there with him. With a camera. She brushed a strand of his pale hair away from his face. "Seriously, Luc, you're too good for those flamin' gay blokes. You're a catch. Let them come to you." She smiled brightly at him, feeling the last of her tension wash away - every meeting with Luca felt like this. She'd be wary of him for the first five minutes, but then Fiver would do something incredibly cute of Luca'd say something humorous or wise, and it'd be like talking to a brother. She just couldn't stay suspicious of him. He was too good.
She did a quick sweep of the bar with her dark eyes, taking in all of the people there. To her relief, they all looked fairly content, chatting quietly with each other over the table, their plates half-full and their mugs half-empty. She supposed that, if she was a spectacular bartender, she'd go around and offer refills, but she felt like being lazy, and enjoyed Luca's company too much to spoil it by abandoning him here to his little stool. She considered what Luca has said and laughed softly, tossing her hair out of her eyes. "Nah, I don't really like kids much. Had to take care of too many high school brats in my teenage years." Damn, had that always been a pain. She had been in middle school herself, and the only job she could land at the time was assistant janitor. She was cleaning up after kids five years older than her. How pathetic.
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