Apparently the lack of pretense was forgiven, as was her lack of drinking capabilities. Asshole or no, the man across the table from her had done pretty well this particular day. Riley actually hanging a bit on the anticipation of what would come next. He tipped an imaginary hat and she smiled another slow smile at his words, ”You have no idea.” she responded. Chances were, he probably didn’t. Especially if he was talking about a car ride.

Where they were going wasn’t even a question. Riley didn’t take people back to her place, and he never even offered. Apparently they were at least kind of on the same page. That helped matters, misunderstandings at this point probably would have ended up messy. Then again, neither of them had really been talking in euphemisms. Riley followed Rupert and little was said until they were standing outside the door to what she assumed was the man’s apartment.

The door opened and a little...thing bustled out. Riley smiled as she realized it was a dog and knelt down catcher style, holding her hands out to be smelled. The dog opted for the full-on palm nuzzles and Riley obliged with a scratch behind the ears. She’d always liked dogs, this one seemed a humorous selection for the man entering the apartment, though. He invited her in, holding the door, and Riley rose to walk past Rupert into the small, but well put together, space.

It really was well put together, and much tidier than she’d expected. There were CD’s stacked here, things out of place there, but overall it looked comfortable, lived in. The dog was pawing at Riley’s legs again and she reached down to pet it, letting the strap of her purse slip off her shoulder. She was planning to stay for at least a while, after all.

”Nice place.” she said, glancing around again, then raising an eyebrow as she gestured to the little dog, ”Isn’t this a little damming to the asshole image? She's cute though.”

She moved on from the dog to the CD’s and as she shifted through found a comfortable selection of Rock that she probably wouldn’t have been surprised to find in her own apartment. Out of the pile she pulled a specific CD. Kansas: Dust in the Wind. The whole album was great, but the title song, pure beauty. She opened it, the disk was there. ”This is a great album. I used to listen to Dust In the Wind on repeat. Do you mind?”

>> ”Nice place. Isn’t this a little damning to the asshole image? She's cute though.”

“What’s an asshole without his poodle?” Rupert grinned an easy grin. He was used to comments over the poodle. And her pink ‘princess’ bed, over in the corner of the room. And the matching bowl set, on the kitchen floor. “Her name’s Flipsy.”

>> “This is a great album. I used to listen to Dust In the Wind on repeat. Do you mind?”

Kansas? Good choice.

“Be my guest,” Rupert said, nodding to the stereo by the wall. It was about the only piece of expensive electronic equipment he owned. His TV was still an old box set (now with HD converter, sitting on top); his lap top was an old box, more handy for bludgeoning than it was for the internet. Even his iPod was still an old model. It was on its second incarnation; he’d learned back in the Mutant Camps that he shouldn’t get too attached to them. The stereo, though, was quality.

Four speakers. Five disk changer. Two cassette ports. UBS port, for external player plugin. Topped, in full glory, by a retro vinyl record player. And yes: he did still have records. They were in the glass-fronted stand under the stereo. Meatloaf, Bat out of Hell, led the pack.

The poodle man liked his music.

”Just an asshole?” Riley said, shrugging her shoulders when Rupert responded to her quip about the dog. She was smiling, and she probably could have done better if she’d really tried, but the dog really was cute. One of those, ‘I know I came to the animal shelter for a pit bull…but this one is really cute’ situations. Flipsy. Oh wow. Riley just smiled and shook her head.

The CD player was nice, very nice actually, and it only took Riley a moment to figure out what went where. Hopefully that was a good omen for the rest of the night. Riley put the CD in and simply let it run. Some people bought CD’s for a single song, not Riley. This was like old comfy sweats.

She looked around the apartment a little more, stopping at the coffee table. There were magazines there, and the Church of Humanity Newsletter. She picked it up, ”They gave me a six-month subscription of this when my test came back negative for the x-gene. Like a consolation prize in a contest nobody wanted to win.” She looked at the address label, Kelley. Rupert Kelley. That helped.

Setting the newsletter down, Riley turned and made her way back towards Rupert. It was time for the ball to be back in his court, time to flip the coin, toss caution to the win, and a million other clichés that had been used a million other times. She stopped within arm’s reach, but didn’t come any closer. Up she looked, eyes shy again, but a teasing smile playing around her lips.

”So…is this where the man with the cute little dog tosses the girl in a hole and tells her to put the lotion on her skin?” She said, ”Or did you have something else in mind?”

OOC – Just in case you don’t get the “lotion on her skin” reference. here is a link. It’s from Silence of the Lambs. It’s fairly well quoted, but that statement would just be weird out of context. Also, if the Church of Humanity stuff wasn’t there, just drop me a PM and I’ll change things.

>> ”They gave me a six-month subscription of this when my test came back negative for the x-gene. Like a consolation prize in a contest nobody wanted to win.”

She wasn’t a mutant. She hadn’t wanted to be a mutant. She got tested, just to make sure she wasn’t.

Ms. Sommer was looking more attractive by the moment.

>> ”So…is this where the man with the cute little dog tosses the girl in a hole and tells her to put the lotion on her skin? Or did you have something else in mind?”

A slow grin crossed Rupert’s face. He took a step forward, closing the gap between them. His hand wrapped around her back, drawing her closer. “For what I had in mind,” he said, lowering his face next to hers; with his free hand, he rested a finger under her chin, lightly tipping it up. “I don’t think we’ll need the poodle.”

When assholes wanted a kiss, they took it.

((ooc: Fade to Rupert's bedroom?))

The step Rupert took towards Riley should have made her look up, but it didn’t. Riley’s heart wasn’t fluttering, there were no butterflies in her stomach. What was the point of all that anticipation? One thing would lead to another. They both knew where this was going, they had since she’d asked for and he’d consequently offered the ride. Maybe before.

How had they gotten to this point so quickly and so dirtily? It was a testament to both their current situations that neither had stopped to wonder. It was enough for Riley that Rupert had wanted her in a sweater and jeans.

A hand tipped up her chin and Riley’s eyes were already shut. Rupert kissed her and Riley kissed back, lips doing what they were supposed to and hands following suit. There was no more talking, but that was fine with Riley, talk was cheap. This was like the music, comfy old sweats, and it felt just as good, too.

Fade to Glorious Black…with a soundtrack by Kansas



Light filtered through the window of Rupert’s room and that meant that it was time, past time, for Riley to go. She had slept a little, but that was difficult in a strange place no matter how…hospitable the host had been. Riley sighed, casting a look to the other occupant of the bed. He wasn’t having any trouble sleeping. Yes, Riley decided, it was better to slip away now and avoid any possibly awkward conversations. The previous night had proven that their collective talents laid in areas far removed from talking.

Riley slipped quietly from the bed, no pretense of modestly clutched sheets to cover her. That was one thing that Riley had always found ludicrous in her romance novels. What was the point in covering up skin that had been well explored in the preceding hours? She took a second to look at the man in the bed, modestly covered for the most part by the tangled sheets. She’d seen, and felt the scar near his ribs and remembered the limp from when they’d walked. There was probably a story there…this was not the time though.

Quickly the dark haired woman tip-toed around, gathering articles of clothing from the various places they’d arranged themselves the night before. Once dressed, it was time to go. At the doorway of the room, Rliey stopped, sighing in frustration at herself before digging in her purse and producing a small notepad and pen. They’d had a good time, he deserved more than nothing.

The note was simple. “See. Sleeping like a baby.” and her cellphone number. It found its way to the empty side of the bed and Riley turned and left the room. As she passed through the doorway she caught a distinct the distinct sounds and smells of a cooking breakfast, she winced. The walls weren’t that thin, were they? Riley shrugged, if they were, at least Rupert’s neighbors had gotten a show. That thought shifted to another, several in fact, as Riley re-entered the living-area and got a full view of the kitchen…and the teenager cooking breakfast there.

”What the hell?!” she exclaimed, forgetting to keep her voice quiet and feeling torn between frozen shock and running to the door. “You weren’t here last night….were you?”

Maya had a grin plastered across her face that would probably need helluva lot of scrubbing to come off. She wandered into Daddy Rupert's apartment for a nice 'like father, like daughter' kinda breakfast, maybe tell him about Twyla just to tick him off, maybe not...
... and what she found was a hundred times more fun already.
She only needed one glance through the bedroom mirror before she fell out of the kitchen table, biting down hard on her lips to keep herself from cracking up.
Then she proceeded to make breakfast for the lovebirds.

>>”What the hell?! You weren’t here last night….were you?”

For a moment there Maya was reeeeally tempted to say yes. But looking at the lady in the doorway, and considering poor ol' Rup still in bed, it just didn't seem fair to scare the guest away. He probably didn't get this kind of guests too often.
Maya folded her arms as she leaned against the counter, and shook her head.

"Naah, I missed the show if that's what ya're askin." she grinned at the woman. She was pretty. Niiiice catch, Daddy.

The fact that Rup hadn't appeared yet roaring at her and breathing fire could only mean one thing: he was still asleep. Which, in turn, meant one thing only: she caught the lady in the act of sneakin' out of Rup's life.
Maya had experience with that kinda thing. She couldn't let her just do the same.

"Tea or coffee?" she asked with a charming smile, turning back to the stove to check on the ham and eggs, making sure she could still see the sneaky lady from the corner of her eyes "Breakfast will be ready in five. Make y'rself at home."

Worse than the fact that the teenager was standing in the kitchen, was the fact that she was moving around the place like she belonged there. Riley didn’t have a clue what to make of it. The kids facial features, build, and coloring did nothing to suggest that she was related to Rupert in any way.

The girl spoke, and Riley winced a little bit. Apparently she’d spoken out loud. A quick nod to show that she was glad the kid had missed out on the action and Riley was making her way to a portal which led to the land of un-awkwardness. The kid’s voice rang out again, however, and Riley stopped. She was within a few steps of the doorway, hand out to open it. All she had to do was walk out. The kid didn’t even need an explanation. The fewer the personal details, the better. This kid, was definitely a personal detail.

”I have work…” Riley said to the door, and it was the truth. Even if she didn’t have to be at the photoshoot for makeup until 2 that afternoon, it still counted as needing to get to work. Coffee or tea, there were eggs being made and Riley nearly stomped her foot in frustration. If she left now, she might as well go back into the bedroom and tear up that note.

She turned, and it was probably obvious to the teenager that Riley Sommers was not exactly a happy camper. ”Coffe.”

>>”I have work…”

"Sure ya do hun" Maya smirked, going on with the breakfast-making. The only time everyone had something really, really important to do was when they wanted to sneak out of an apartment after a one-night stand. Breeding ground for the most creative excuses ever.

>>”Coffe.”

Maya knew she'd won. The fact that Lady Love didn't just walk out on her anyway meant she was thinking about another 'one-night' with good ol' Rupert and she didn't want to ruin her chances. That, in turn, meant...
Maya winced at the mental image. Let's not go there.
... well, it was some sort of a compliment to him anyway.

"Comin' right up" she grinned, proceeding to make coffee. Flipsy appeared out of nowhere, cheerfully ignoring the lady who hogged Daddy all night, and walking over to Maya to beg for some patting. The teenager grinned down at the dog. "Morning, Princess."
She'll need a walk later...

"Name's Maya, by the way" she glanced at the guest "I'll be your hostess for this beuatiful mornin'. At least until Sleepin' Beauty wakes up..."

She was hoping the lady would introduce herself. Maya really didn't care about unwirtten rules of ''not prying'. They were overruled by the fact that Rupert brought a real woman home. Maya wanted to know where he found one who was willing...
Not that Rupert wasn't a good catch or somethin'. Really.

If there was one thing Riley liked less than someone guilting her into staying after a random hook-up it was someone not buying her reasoning for sneaking out. Especially if it was a teenager who was consequently cooking her breakfast. The patronizing tone brought a raised eyebrow as Riley made her way back to the table, ”Shut it.” she said, ”I left my number.” If the kid could talk about everything else, this shouldn’t be a shock.


The dog came out from the direction of the living room and Riley tried to remember its name as it pawed at the younger woman’s leg for attention. The girl called her Princess but Riley knew that wasn’t the dogs name. There was something so outrageous about the situation that Riley just sat and watched, running a hand through her still-tousled hair.


The kid’s name was Maya and Riley filed that under, “things she didn’t care about” right next to the dog’s name and what other CD’s she’d seen in Rupert’s collection. More and more she looked at the door and wondered if she should still leave, the kid and the idea of making this a repeat occurrence be damned.

”I’m the random hookup your roomate brought home last night. The pleasure is all mine.” Riley Sommers was not impressed.

>>”Shut it. I left my number.”

Maya smirked some more. "That good, huh?" Pouring some coffee into a mug she presented it to the lady, then turned back to the stove to finish making breakfast and divide it into equal portions. Two of them. Once that was done, she put on a second round of eggs and ham. Just to give Rup a few more minutes of sleep. Before...
Well. Before.

>>”I’m the random hookup your roomate brought home last night. The pleasure is all mine.”

"I am sure it is" Maya snickered, setting one plate down in front of her "Ya know, Miss Hookup, he doesn't do this all that often. Surprising, huh."

Miss Hookup did not look thrilled. No wonder. Finding a teenager in the kitchen must have been a shock. She could relate. Even though she preferred not being the lady in any kind of relationship...

"Chill, lady, I'm not judgin' ya. I'm jus' the one who makes the breakfast. Ya deserve some before goin' to work." she winked as she sat down opposite to her, poking her food with a fork.

Riley’s mouth tightened a little in frustration as the kid goaded her again. Truth be told, it had been good, or Riley wouldn’t have left her number. Sure it was a….worldly way of doing things, but Riley had a feeling that she wasn’t breaking any hearts by assuming this was going to be a casual sort of thing. That’s what girls like Riley did, casual. Who wanted to settled down with a girl who took off her clothes for money, or had done the things that Riley had done in the past. She shrugged her shoulders in response to the kid’s question. She took the coffee and sipped, no sugar or cream. It wasn’t bad.

Maya pointed out that Rupert didn’t do this all that often, and Riley spluttered slightly and shook her head. These were the exact conversations she’d hoped to miss out on by sneaking out quietly and leaving a note. This kid was messing things up though, ”Good to know.” Riley said, afraid that Maya would keep talking if the silence stretched.

The kid sat down across from Riley and she actually looked down at the plate in front of her for the first time. The food looked pretty good. Riley didn’t want to eat though, eating breakfast the next morning was like an acquiescence that what had gone down was something more than a fling. Riley only did flings. She readjusted her purse and got ready to stand.

”Look kid. I’m sure you’re trying to do the right thing here, but maybe you should leave the grown up stuff to the grown ups.” The kid couldn’t be past 16, could she? Riley felt like she was even older than the 10 years the calendar probably gave her. ”Will you make sure he gets the note, though? He‘s a nice guy, no matter what he thinks.”

>>”Look kid. I’m sure you’re trying to do the right thing here, but maybe you should leave the grown up stuff to the grown ups. Will you make sure he gets the note, though? He‘s a nice guy, no matter what he thinks.”

So, breakfast didn't buy her time. And it didn't buy Rup a girlfriend either. Tough luck. Maya wrinkled her nose at the grown-up comment. Yeah, right. Because grown-ups were famous for not complicating things and always making sense. Sure.
She could have dealt with the fact that she left Rup as he was; but leaving the breakfast she went into all kinds of trouble to make, that was something the Trickster did not appreciate.

"Yeah he is. Ya have no idea." she smirked, getting up from the table too to go back and check on the ham and eggs. He feeds mutants, for one.

Maya put finger and thumb in her mouth and let out a whistle that made Flipsy jump three feet vertically into the air.

"RUPERT!" she called out, turning towards the bedroom door "Rise and shine, cupcake, breakfast's ready and the lady can't wait aroun' all day!"

She did NOT do it for Rupert. She did it because she did not like the lady all that much. And because she was a Trickster. Yeah.

Surf crashed dimly in the background, like morning traffic through apartment walls. Her lips were salty, her body warm. He drew back, smiling down at her face. It was indistinct--her hair seemed red for a moment; dyed red. In the next, it was a curly brown. She opened her mouth to speak, but he couldn't hear her over the sound of the seagulls crying. Their voices were sharp and insistent: a whistle that could ruin even the most tender of moments.

When he looked back down at her, her face had changed again. She seemed younger than before. A cocky grin danced across her lips. She opened her mouth, and shouted into his face:

>> "RUPERT!"

Maya. He was on top of Maya. Rupert pushed himself away from her with a jolt, utterly revolted--

--and cracked his skull sharply on the wooden headboard.

"F***," he said, his hand clapping over the spot. His eyes fell on the empty space next to him on the bed: still warm. There was a little white note, on the bedside table. There was a good smell in the air. Was that... ham and eggs?

>> "Rise and shine, cupcake, breakfast's ready and the lady can't wait aroun' all day!"

"F***," he said again, more eloquently. He threw the sheets aside, and grabbed clothing off of the floor as fast as he could.

When he glowered his way into the kitchen, he was wearing the same clothes he'd worn yesterday. Riley would recognize them. Grabbing something newer hadn't crossed his mind; wearing as much clothing as possible in front of Maya dearest suddenly did.

"I'm going to kill you," he promised over the counter to the cooking teenager, his voice low and pleasantly sincere. "I. Am going. To kill you." The second repetition came with a smile, and gritted teeth.

Still smiling, he turned to Riley. "Good morning." The cooking ham snapped merrily in the pan. The eggs were a cheerfully sunny yellow. The kid was going to die. There was nothing else to say.

>> "RUPERT! Rise and shine, cupcake, breakfast's ready and the lady can't wait aroun' all day!"

Riley said a silent prayer of apology for every bit of grief she’d given her mother growing up. Granted, the woman hadn’t exactly been present while Riley had grown up, but there had been times when Riley had felt the need to exercise teenage rebellion. She felt bad now. She also sat down, hard. The last thing she needed was the hook-up from the night before watching her sprint through the door. It looked like Riley Sommers was eating breakfast.

>> *THUD* “FUCK”

Riley actually smiled at that. It sounded like Rupert was every bit as happy as she was. It was a shame, she narrowed eyes at the kid in the kitchen, ”And if you knew him half as well as you act, you’d know he’s an insomniac. You just pulled him out of what was probably much needed sleep. I knew that and I just met him yesterday.” That one earned a slow clap, two of them.

More grumbling from the direction of the bedroom, more cursing, and a grumbling, glowering Rupert emerged from the other side of the apartment…in the same clothes as the day before. Riley couldn’t judge, she was also wearing the same clothes from the day before.

Riley took an opportunity to study the man as he faced the teenager who was still cooking. She really hadn’t done badly for herself the night before, not badly at all. She even smiled when Rupert promised death for the interloping teenager. He turned and smiled and Riley smiled back a bit sheepishly, eyes fixed on the plate in front of her, ”I didn’t want to wake you up. Told you I knew a surefire cure for insomnia. You were out like a light.”

She picked up the fork and poked at the eggs, ”I left a note…and can I help when you kill the kid? I’d hoped to avoid any awkwardness.”

Maya grinned triumphantly at the unmistakable sound of one Rupert waking up. She also glanced at the carefully polished surface of the kitchen table, to make sure she had a way out, just in case. It was part of her general Rupert policy.

>>”And if you knew him half as well as you act, you’d know he’s an insomniac. You just pulled him out of what was probably much needed sleep. I knew that and I just met him yesterday.”

"I know he's an insomniac" Maya rolled her eyes "His job kinda gives it away."

>>"I'm going to kill you. I. Am going. To kill you."

Maya didn't even turn around, just glanced at him over her shoulder, both hands occupied with putting his portion of the breakfast onto a plate.

"Why good morning to you too, Rupert" she grinned "Sure ya are. So, since last time I managed to buy my freedom with cleanin' up your bathroom... how about some breakfast?"

While the lady said her carefully chosen excuses about sneaking out (or at least attempting to do so), Maya put his plate on the table, together with a cup of coffee, and proceeded to feed Flipsy a piece of ham from her own plate.

If she was really going to die this time, might as well do it in style.