Shift-End

[KB]

Monty looked her over incredulously, seeming as if he couldn't picture her or the shrieky-her leaping from tall buildings without destroying more of themselves than anything else they hit.

"Really now?" He shook his head, "Yes, trying to find another car would be a better idea. And perhaps a different parking spot or something."

The man began trailing back a bit, letting her lead the way to her house. His nose wrinkled as he recalled her explanation of what she did on the holidays. "You actually play in this be-damned snow? Why?" He supposed he could see it's uses in molding to various shapes, but still; it was too cold to be mucking about it. Monty just didn't see the sense in it.

[Clairice-Sarah]

Laurel laughed. "I don't remember anything except hitting it and rolling off," she admitted. "Everything else about that night is a blur. The day after was a nightmare...I'm not sure I got out of bed for anything except a bottle of aspirin."

Laurel, out of habit more than conscious destination, turned the corner and began toward her apartment once more. "You think Bridgeport is cold? I'm from way further north, and more inland." She grinned. "They got three feet of it a little while ago. It gets way, way, way below freezing. We bundle the kids up and it's a lot of fun. Snow is great as long as you're dressed properly and don't need to drive."

She shifted her bag on her shoulder. "Besides! Tires the three of them out so the rest of us can relax later. It's hard to get kids to sleep at Christmas-time." She paused, and pointed down the street. "I didn't even think, I just started...do you need to go home or...? You're welcome to come over for a bit if you want." She held up the paper cup. "And then I'll make some real hot chocolate."

[KB]

Monty shook his head, looking disapproving of her antics involving snow and the cold. "Perhaps you enjoy it, but I do not. Snow and the cold are nothing but nuisances to me, and if it weren't for this place I'd be in the tropics right now, pleased as punch."

He nodded sagely, knowing he was right to think so, then looked back at Laurel. "Oh, no; I've no need to go home yet, at least not that I can think of. None of this is perishable in such a short period of time." He lifted the bags, then the corners of his mouth followed suit when she mentioned hot chocolate. "And that seals the deal. Lead on, my dear; I'm eager to try your real hot chocolate." He wondered if it would be anything like the cups made in Southern or Central America. He adored the brews spiced with chili peppers.

[Clairice-Sarah]

"Excellent! I can make dinner too and, mm!" She grinned. How exciting! She had a little more pep in her step as she led the way, humming to herself without really realizing. Of course, dinner after ten - it probably closer to eleven now that she thought of it - was late, but she didn't care. She was off until the thirtieth.

"So you're here in Bridgeport just for..people like us?" she asked him again. "I sure wouldn't mind going south for the winter...I don't drink much, but a beach and a margarita would be fun." She pointed to a small old building up at the end of the street, with only a few lights on. "The one with four floors, there, that's mine. Really old."

She stopped when they reached the building parking lot and gestured to the broken honda on the far left side. "And that's...my car. Was." She dug around in her purse for her keys.

((erm, let's move this along. Because stairs aren't exciting. I think.))

After three flights of stairs, Laurel picked out another key from her lanyard to unlock the deadbolt and handle. "It's not much, but it's clean, I think. Make yourself at home." She stepped in and flicked on the lights, leaving the door open behind her.

[KB]

Monty perked up as well at the mention of dinner. He'd rarely, if ever, gotten to taste any of the recent cooking done by humans. The man could barely stand being near one mortal, staying in a restaurant full was out of the question. Not to mention sweets and the humans themselves were so much easier to access and without the hassle.

"With warm months, a heated residence, and a beautiful forest to occupy my time, it is worth a godless chill to spend time with others like myself." Or at least observe them and be in their company, as his kinsmen tended to not like him so much. But now that she mentioned it, a warm beach would be nice...

He observed her apartment, and stifled a mild laugh at the state of her car before following her quickly up the stairs, his eyes going through at least two other colors as they went. When Monty followed her in to her humble abode, shutting the door behind him with a foot, he took in the surroundings with bright yellow eyes, almost the hue of a highlighter.

"It's nice. I don't exactly think palaces and mansions in a town like Bridgeport so you're off the hook as far as judgmental appraisals." He smiled her way, then deposited his candy stash near the door and plucked up a bag of skittles.

[Clairice-Sarah]

Laurel laughed. "Yeah I'm not sure anything in Bridgeport can be called The Hills," she agreed. "I wish they'd let us paint, here, though. As she flicked on a few more lights, the entire apartment showed itself to be a shade of very tired white. "The colour of these walls is depressing." Laurel slid open the small front closet as she spoke, hanging up her coat and taking a hanger out for Monty.

"Let me get that for you."

She left the closet door open afterward and wandered back into her kitchen area, separated by the living area by a narrow countertop. Laurel took out a collection of things to start her hot chocolate. "So what do you like...? I think I only have chicken, for meat but I can make rice, pasta..." She opened a cupboard to check. "Potatoes, or breakfast if you want...I guess I shouldn't make anything too heavy..."

If there was one thing her small place would never run out of, it was ingredients.

[KB]

Monty took off his coat and scarf, stuffing the latter in a pocket before handing the garment to Laurel. He also removed two light jackets and a sweater, leaving a teal long sleeved shirt on to keep him warm whilst indoors. The extra garments he placed over top of his candy stash, and popped a few skittles in his mouth as he followed her.

"I haven't eaten a meal in upwards of a thousand years, and it consisted of tortillas and wild boar. I trust your judgment." He watched her scourer for ingredients before his gaze drifted to the walls. "Why can't you paint here? Will they check on you to make sure your life is as bland as possible?"

[Clairice-Sarah]

Laurel took out two bars of semi-sweet dark chocolate and began cutting them to pieces on a cutting board. "Thousand...? Wow. I'll make you something good." She poured milk into a saucepan and set it on the stove to warm. "Why can't I paint? Because it'll void my contract and the damage deposit." She smiled. "Besides, I have my nieces working on my interior decorating." She pointed to one wall with at least a dozen papers of crayon and marker scribbles. "It's not so dull when it's sunny out. The place is cheap, so I can't complain too much."

She glanced over at the milk before scooping the broken chocolate in. "Anyway, I guess it's not a big deal. For an old building, it's warm and the maintenance is pretty good. Worse things could be the issue."

She whisked the mixture in the saucepan with one hand and set the old oven's temperature with the other. "But no one comes to Bridgeport for exciting aesthetics and grand manors. I think something shiny and new would look a little out of place."

[KB]

Monty smiled, believing her as he watched the girl work. He'd started to object before noting that her younger relatives had indeed made due with what they had to work with. It didn't look bad. "Good, although I'm not certain how good drawings are in the long term compared to good, sturdy paint." He chuckled around another handful of candy.

Her theory about shiny and new struck a chord and he gestured vaguely to a window. "But what about the shiny, new, fancy houses built on the.. What is it? 'Upper end'?" He gave her a curious look. "Or are they far enough away from the main portion of Bridgeport to be an exception?"

[Clairice-Sarah]

Laurel shrugged as she worked. "Maybe, but they love to do it and I love to receive it..." She began measuring sugar and cocoa to mix into what she was making. "Either way, rules are rules and if I wanted to move somewhere nicer, I'd probably have to pick up a second job."

As he asked about the 'upper end' she shrugged once more. "Personally, if I had the money to move into a place like that...I don't know if Bridgeport is the place I'd want to go. I mean, it's nice and quiet - good for someone like me. But it just...Bridgeport doesn't seem like the place people looking for city suburbs go to live. I'm sure they're nice, but I haven't been around that area. I get startled...easily, you saw that, so I don't explore too far. Especially now that I have to go everywhere on foot."

She took two ceramic mugs out from the cupboard and poured the hot drink into each. Laurel paused to sprinkle cinnamon on top before walking out to hand him one. "Either way, a place with little brick buildings and old Victorian-looking houses is where I like to be. Here. If anyone you know makes it better, don't tell me." She grinned as she held the mug out to him.

[KB]

The man grinned, not agreeing with her about the rules but not saying anything about it. If she wanted to play nice with humans, so be it, but he didn't and he tended to get along fine.

"I suppose I see your point," Monty mused as he abandoned his candy in favor of the drink she offered. "I'll be sure to play up how good it is, just for you." He took a drink, and was quiet for a moment as he savored the taste and rolled it around in his mouth.

It had cooled by the time he swallowed, and a smile spread his lips as his eyes turned a warm pink color. "Ah.. Well.. It's nothing like the Incas, but it's certainly..." He couldn't quite find a word to describe it, so just shook his head. "Good."

[Clairice-Sarah]

"Good!" she replied happily as he smiled. "Much better than powder and hot water."

That done, she set to making something to eat. "God, it's like eleven and I'm starving." Sleep schedule? What sleep schedule? She took out a bowl and began mixing a can of broth with spices and corn starch. Given more time she would have made the broth from scratch, but ah, it would be the next day within the hour. She didn't have that time.

"Do you have any allergies...? I guess I should have asked that before." She didn't know if...giant serpents could have allergies. "If not, then I'll keep going."

[KB]

"Most certainly," he agreed before drinking more of the delicious beverage. "You keep mentioning the time, is it a problem to be doing things at this hour?" He followed her back to the kitchen and began nosing through her ingredients with his free hand, the other holding his mug firmly against his chest in between sips.

When she asked about allergies he scoffed, "I'm the son of gods, it would be utterly shameful to have such a thing as allergies. You can add anything your little heart desires." He smiled with confidence.

[Clairice-Sarah]

"Ah, no." She was starting to sound old, huh? "I just haven't really done anything this late since I was...seventeen. My life is pretty boring..." And lame, she added to herself, with an inner sigh. Laurel let him poke about, cutting up potatoes and vegetables.

It was not even a full five minutes later when she put everything in a deep casserole dish with chicken breasts, and slid it into the oven. "Alright, that shouldn't take too long..." Talking more to herself than to him. She piled the used dishes into the sink, telling herself she could do them later. Laurel reached around him for her mug and moved back to the couch, curling up into the corner of one seat.

"So what do you do in Bridgeport? I mean I don't go out much, but that doesn't mean everyone else is a hermit."

[KB]

Monty grinned again, downing his hot chocolate without a care as to second or third degree burns before he stayed behind to begin washing dishes.

"I spend my time at home with my television, in the forests where I can get rid of this stupid human form and be myself, or on the streets, entertaining the humans to keep up appearances and pay the bills." The last activity was described with disdain, and he wrinkled his nose as he cleaned.