[PRP] Coffee Talk (Cee/Brenley)

[Smerdle]

It had been a week or so since Brenley had asked Piper to the dance, and every day after that the jitters in his stomach had multiplied exponentially. He had attempted to work on his enchanting, but beyond one project in particular, nothing had held his attention long enough to keep him from zoning out and messing it up. He'd also tried to avoid thoughts of the Haunted House after what had happened there the last time, but after a while, even he had to admit he was unlikely to dwell on his nerves if he was fighting for his life.

As tempted as he was to summon his weapons while he wandered the halls, he kept them hidden, forcing his hands to swing loosely at his sides. He was determined to look innocent, and if it came to it, he really hoped he didn't hit first this time.

iloveyouDIEx

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Cee had never done Haunted House patrol before. She found the entire place disorienting. Hallways twisting and turning into rooms that were the weirdest places she'd ever been. One of them had looked like the outdoors and had really thrown her off.

In a room that looked like the Addams' Family living room, Cee heard footsteps. The urge to hide was strong, she knew she could encounter some creatures stronger than herself, but instead the petite brunette sat herself on a couch. She crossed her legs primly and waited for whoever it was.

She didn't look like the usual hunter, though she wore the coat. She was small, perfectly made up, and dressed to emphasize her curves. Not a weapon in sight.

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Unfortunately, Bren was familiar with the coat, but his surprise at meeting a woman wearing one kept him more firmly on the side of curiosity than outright shock.

"You're female." He closed his eyes for a little longer than a blink and sighed. "Obviously. Sorry." The boil had stopped across the room when he'd noticed her, and now he crossed his arms, unsure as to how to proceed. The others had been quite confrontational... or maybe he had. He couldn't be sure in here. At least the place wasn't whispering today.

He thought about playing at human like he had tried to in the past, but even with his legs covered, what he had just said gave him away anyway. "Are you just... sitting here? I thought you only came here to practice attacking us."

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Cee was nervous until she saw the young man. He was surely a Halloweener by his reaction (and odd clothes). She'd been assured that normal humans couldn't get into the HH. He was cute though and not deformed or smelly or monster-like. It was a good introduction and with her feminine wiles perhaps this encounter could go smoothly.

"Ha! Yea I am very clearly a woman." Cee adjusted her position, barely contained bust prominent for his view. "Pretty sure you got a wrong idea bout why we in here ta begin with.."

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

And view it he did, if only for a moment. Still, that moment was enough to bring a faint tinge of color to his cheeks and neck. It wasn't the very existence of her chest that prompted his reaction, after all, some students ran around with a great deal less covering them all the time. It was her intent that flustered him, though it didn't last as long as she might have liked this time. He tightened his arms, almost hugging himself now, and looked at her face instead.

"Maybe I do have the wrong idea," he admitted. "All I have are my experiences, and my experiences state that I don't come here to fight, but that is all I end up doing."

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Cee enjoyed seeing reactions to her own presence and most men and it seems even supernatural ones, were the same.

"This joint," Cee motioned around, as if she were some expert on the place, "is like between where I'm from and where yer from." She shrugged. "So we're just keeping our s**t to ourselves."

Cee stood up though, grinning. The fact that Brenley was slightly easy on the eyes helped but Snap's weight on her reminded that he was still a thing and was most definitely an enemy.

"I'm Cee." She offered her hand for a shake.

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Whether she had intended them to or not, the human's words raised more questions than they answered. He had only ever seen her kind leave this place via some sort of teleportation magic, but if what she implied was true, they could directly access the House from wherever it was they resided. If they had to work to keep Halloween out, did that mean their land could be entered freely if he found it? There were a lot of ifs involved, but even so the information was a revelation, one that was driven out of his head for the time being the moment she stood and approached.

He stared at her extended hand as if it was a spitting serpent, then very deliberately composed himself, lowering his arms out of their protective cross. He had asked a ghoul out, for Jack's sake. Consciously inviting dissipation was nothing by comparison.

Brenley nodded as he gave her hand a firm shake, his own cold and dry. "Ignatius." He disliked potentially ratting out a friend, but the elemental's name was the only one he could think of at the moment that was not his own.

"You know we don't die, right? So you're just delaying and angering us. Probably. I'm not angry or anything. It just doesn't seem terribly tactical. A wall or... dogs might be more effective."

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

Unfortunately for Brenley, Cee was kind of talking out of her a**. She didn't actually know how the HH worked at all. But it was all a good story and enough that she hadn't ignited a battle yet.

The shake was cold but Cee was warm, gentle, and soft. Her nails were impeccable, bracelets jingled from her wrists. There was nothing at all aggressive in her bearing or smile.

"Ignatius? You got a nickname? How's Iggy?" The brunette chuckled. "Ohoho ain't you touchy. Chill out dude! Youse wouldn't even exist if we didn't. What's this some kinna pissin contest? The chicken or the egg?"

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"N...no, I was simply pointing out..." Bren cut himself off, bringing his hands behind his back and loosely clasping them there. He had actually been trying to help, but when he thought about it like that, he wondered why he had even bothered. Let them continue breaking themselves against a force that wouldn't wear down. Many of his kind would be overjoyed. Even he might, depending on which members of their organization were eliminated. "It's not important, I suppose."

"And yes. Sure. You can call me... Iggy," he said, only the smallest touch of amusement coloring his tone. How did Ignatius live with his most readily apparent nickname? He certainly didn't know.

"I am perfectly chilled out, don't worry," he added, the colloquialism sounding slightly off coming from him. "I am well aware that Halloween is your... creation, but, in turn, you are only what you are because of us." His gaze flicked to her coat, then back up to her face. That was about all he did know about hunters—the defending other humans from Halloween, the coats, the living weapons—a smattering of useless knowledge. He swallowed, looking away again when he realized he was staring. "So, um, if you're not... attacking me to keep me away from your borders right now, what are you doing?"

xiloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"It ain't about me sweetie, or what I am..." Which was a lie. It was all about her. Everything was about her. "It's about the job. It's about protectin people. It's my job ta be here so why're you here, Iggy?"

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"I was looking for a distraction today, but I'm usually here to learn." For him, it was all about her as well, honestly. "To see if I can defend myself and figure out how to make you... stop, I guess?" He shrugged slightly. There was no benefit to lying about this. Not here, where it was obvious he was up to something.

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"Learn what exactly?" Cee wanted to know what some teeny bopper boy could be learning. From the briefings on the HH that she'd ready, this place was neither Halloween nor Human World property. Some sort of anomaly, uncontrollable.

"Yer not gonna meet anyone in here that's got any power ta stop nothin. Gonna be white coats in here no matter what you do. Why don't you just stay safe. If we were tryin'a destroy ya somehow, don'tha think we'd be there ******** ya up?"

Cee stretched languidly, every asset of hers moving in distraction. "Or you curious about us?"

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"Yes. I'm curious about you. I need to learn about you, or at least your kind. I can't exactly drop by for a visit and ask to see how you... well... kidnap us... without inviting trouble, can I?" He'd heard plenty of unbelievable rumors and scareling stories, but neither were as satisfying as facts discovered through his own research.

His gaze was once again briefly drawn to her and her seductive stretch. Brenley tsked in exasperation, muttering, "I didn't come here for that sort of diversion, dear Jack," as he shrugged off one of his broader scarves and held it out, looking past her at the couch as he silently hoped she would take it.

iloveyouDIE

 

[iloveyouDIE]

"That's some chauvanistic s**t." Cee pointed at him, half-laughing, and refusing his scarf. She had her own, tied up in her hair. "Yer all pervs in Halloween too? It ain't my fault if yer distracted. I can dress and act like I want. That's some rape culture s**t right there!"

Because she was that girl and found as much joy in messing with Halloween boys as she did normal ones. At least she had no desire to bang him.

"It ain't kidnappin when peeps be agreeing ta come. Ya know some people like the deal we got to offer." Cee shrugged. "It ain't brainwashin or torture, dude. They agree ta that s**t."

smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Chauvanistic? Rape... culture? What? He obviously knew what the words meant, but having them fired at him when he was just trying to ease his own discomfort made him monumentally embarrassed.

"Fine. Yes," the boil said, pulling his arm back sharply and looping the scarf around his shoulders. His eyes remained on the ground as he crossed his arms again. "Wear what you like. I shouldn't have presumed... anything." Or at the very least, he shouldn't have reacted to it. It was rare that he felt ignorant, but he certainly did now.

"I... I'm sure some do agree. People make stupid choices every day. But I can't believe there are that many who would confine themselves like that once they had thought about what they were giving up." Had he known the converted lost their memories as well, he would have argued more strongly, but he hadn't yet uncovered that bit of information. "What could you possibly offer them that's worth... legs? Or not being carried around like an invalid?"

xiloveyouDIE