paradisalogs | It's all too sweet to last

Entry tags:

It's all too sweet to last

Who: Cass, Joshua, Lucrezia and Spike
What: the aftermath of a slumber party
When: Nov. 5
Where: The creepy mansion
Rating: PG for now

It was all a labor of love done in relative secrecy.

The earthquake narrowed down their options considerably, with nearly half the mansion in rubbles and leaving only a few rooms untouched. At least two of these, neighboring ones, have excellent views of the town, though knowing their guests' strange sleeping schedules (and perhaps their own), Joshua and Lucrezia have put up blackout curtains to shut out the rest of the world when the need arises. Not that it makes them the most considerate hosts when there is also a large grandfather clock installed at each room with an obnoxious cuckoo popping out every hour. Be grateful, if you can still hear its cooing then the host must still like you.

The rest of the rooms are finely but differently decorated. Cassandra's is mostly in shades of purple, with a glittering knight's armor standing in one corner complete with a wooden lance. If anyone can lift that thing, it's probably her. Her bed is tall and big enough for two or three or four, because there will be occasion for her to share the space (most likely with the hostess). There is also a chess table by the window (this one to share with the host). Lucrezia may have snuck a few dresses and shoes similar to her own into the closet, which is otherwise empty for her to fill as she pleases.

Spike's has been done up in darker shades, nearly monochromatic if not for the occasional brown and gold, also with a bed big enough for an entire family. You never know. The rest of the space has been left relatively empty, because he strikes her as rather spartan in taste except for when it comes to steak. There is one decoration though, set aside to a corner like a side table if one knows no better: a plush coffin for when he feels the urge. Whether it was just a gag or something darker is a mystery.

The mansion might feel unnervingly quiet throughout the night, more so than the sentient castle and its intelligible whispers, but the morning might prove to be otherwise. The sun is already high in the sky, though the curtains might make it hard to tell, and there is the sound of cutlery on plates rising from the dining room just below the guest rooms, accompanied with the occasional laughter. Anyone stepping into the room will find Lucrezia in a particularly chirpy mood, dressed in a light purple robe over her white chemise and seated on Joshua's lap at the end of the table. She has a spoonful of practically crunchy pancake in hand, daring him to test her cooking mettle this good morning.

"It tastes decent with the honey!"

Cass and Spike are probably set to suffer the same fate, but the maids are cooking the bacon as they speak.

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Joshua's head shakes in response to each of her suggestions, but it's not like he would recognize any name, anyway. The few strange asian
'friends' he had only introduced him to a few things. Ramen's perhaps the one thing that sticks out, but definitely not this time.

Oh well, it's easy to forget about with a kiss and then oh yeah guests talking. Well, one of the guests. The other one doesn't seem very talkative, but that's not unexpected in this case. At least he didn't hear any angry gunshots fired earlier that morning.

He responds to Cass. "A bit. I usually like to sleep in more...but Lucrezia is very happy you two stayed."

The addition of Spike is a bit unexpected, but not unwelcome. He doesn't seem ready to socialize though, so after watching him for a few moments longer, she turns to Lucrezia just in time to see that grin she's got going on.

Eyes a little wide and cheeks a little red, she starts to pour herself a cup of tea. Far too much sugar and milk go in and then she uses her foot to push a chair out for Spike, a silent invitation for him to come sit at the table too, if he wants to.

"Easy decision, to stay. It's nice here."

The quest for a coffee mug doesn't last long, and he has the unfortunate timing of looking back to catch sight of that kiss. Luckily, there's other distractions at the table. And not just the bacon.

Spike eyes the chair, and the girl who pointedly pushed it towards him, but takes it before his hesitation starts to give off any weird vibes. Or any more than being a silent guest who can't muster up a simple 'thank you' does anyway. This is a first impression, and at the moment, he'd rather be pegged as rude than interesting.

He has no idea what her relationship is with the other two. For her sake, he hopes that it's less complicated.

Lucrezia has even kept that kiss brief for Spike's benefit. Cass she thinks will not think much of it when she has probably seen far more than what she allows herself to act on. Slipping off the best seat in the room, she circles around the table so she can give Cass a similar kiss and more giggling, because why not. She is feeling particularly affectionate (and terribly mischievous) today.

"I hope that is on account of the hosts too, aside from everything else." She casts a weighted glance over at Spike even as she lingers by Cass's chair. Whatever could everything else mean?

"Good morning, Spiegel." It's rude to say nothing, you know.

Spike's discomfort has no affect whatsoever on Joshua's actions (right now), allowing Lucrezia to needle him as she pleases however. So long as she doesn't tread on certain territory, all of Joshua's ~~toys~~ friends are hers. Cass's blush is noted but ignored, because breakfast is more important.

After taking a drink from his coffee (black, with lots of sugar), he smiles to Cassandra and her compliment. So long as his memory is working, Joshua works to encourage the types of manners Aion did. Nobody ever said demons couldn't be polite (when they weren't burning your city to the ground).

"Ah, good, although the credit to most of the manor goes to Zelman Clock, who's no longer with us. ...Sit down and eat. Lucrezia tried cooking... And the maids fried up some bacon. They can make something else for you so long as we have the ingredients, too."

In the back of her head, a very small voice is reminding Cass that the number of people she's kissed in Paradisa is now two. First Tim on accident, now Lucrezia and she still isn't sure how that even happened. Eight months, two kisses. Weird.

But then things go on as usual, like it's nothing. Joshua isn't jealous, so it must really be nothing despite all the things Lucrezia's body language seems to be trying to say. But those are thoughts for another day, or at least for a time when she can really devote herself to trying to figure it out. They move on, so she moves on.

"Everything is good," is her answer, maybe not quite as cryptic as Lucrezia but still, it's a pretty good non-answer. See, she can be misleading too. She snags some bacon from the plate and takes a big bite, chewing thoughtfully. "What about waffles? Eggs, sausage, toast..."

It seems like she's forgetting something but she can't think what it might be...

Spike's eyes linger on Lucrezia as she greets the other girl with a kiss, he thinks because she knows he's watching, then he looks around for a maid like they would add any normalcy to their breakfast. He'd been hoping to be an invisible presence at the table, just a ghost who eats their bacon and disappears, so he only nods reluctantly to Lucrezia's acknowledgement.

He knows that was wishful thinking, since he's clearly gained attention enough to be invited. Still, he's considerably more distant than he had been before he came here, either because of his sleeping arrangements or something else.

"Coffee," he chimes in, clearly giving up on his original plan. His gaze flicks to Joshua, as if he's asking him to pass it over. Apparently he's not comfortable enough to think of himself as a roommate just yet.

All these cryptic crosstalk! If Lucrezia knew no better, she would think they are in the middle of a consistory with old men in red skirts waxing poetic about everything and nothing at all. Mostly nothing.

She gives them the benefit of the doubt and tells herself it must be too early for weightier conversations. She goes to her seat on her seat on the opposite end of the table from Joshua, like proper hosts, granting the maid a cheery smile when poured a cup of tea even as she drums her fingers against the table somewhat impatiently. Mostly at her guests' quietness. She wanted this to feel more like a party.

"Waffles should be no issue. Or eggs and sausages and toasts," she nods to the maid to confirm her order. Yes, that's a roundabout way of telling someone to do something for her. "What else would you like? Steak?" To Spike, of course.

Joshua can see Lucrezia's minor disappointments, but they're hardly any concern of his. She likes to meddle where he doesn't (unless it can actually be made fun), and besides, he knows Spike too well to ever worry about, well...certain things. If he did, he might be jealous, but Joshua's jealousy doesn't work that way.

"Steak is good with eggs, but we don't have any..."

Well sorry, Joshua eats the food that is bought and brought home! He idly watches the maid go about filling out the orders, first Spike's coffee and then the food, like a practiced cook. They get paid a lot, after all, but that might be for other less practical reasons.

When he looks away from the maid, it's like he has to force himself, a rip and pull of ancient memories that drift over Lucrezia with an affectionate smile and then stop on Cassandra, and focus. Not on her. Beyond.

"You...eat a lot."

Since their hosts don't seem likely to do it, Cass will just have to take introductions into her own hands. She'll handle the coffee part too, leaning across the table to put a cup in front of him.

"I'm Cassandra," she says, filling the cup up with coffee next and giving him a quick, easy smile. "Friend of theirs." No matter what either of them thinks about friendship, how they quantify it, that's what they are to her. Her friends.

And she does eat a lot, Joshua is not even close to wrong. She always has, thanks to her fast metabolism and just the fact that food is good and hasn't always been a thing she could easily get her hands on. She grins right at him when he says it, not even slightly embarrassed.

"Yep. Fast metabolism. Could probably eat forever, never get full."

"-- Thanks." His response to the girl is delayed, and he's hoping that asking for coffee is enough of a cover; if he seems to be half-asleep, he'll be able to get away with the dazed look that he seems to get whenever they talk like normal human beings. He's usually better at hiding these things. Off day following an off night.

What should he do now? Sitting down wasn't his first mistake, but he keeps digging himself a little deeper, making it a little harder to climb back out.

Which is why he says nothing else. He may have forgotten to give his name in return, or he's still dealing with the fact that they have another friend. Either way, they shouldn't be surprised if he's using his mug as an ashtray as soon as it's empty.

Lucrezia puts three teaspoons of sugar in her tea, no milk, and stirs it briskly even as her gaze follows Joshua's to rest on Cassandra. She doesn't know what metabolism is, but thinks it was Stephanie who said it to her once too when they were talking about donuts and chips. It must be a modern thing for quantifying how much one eats. But then she turns to Spike with a nod.

"This is Spike Spiegel," a friend, a hitman, a bodyguard, something more. Some things are better left undecided. "Did you not sleep well?"

Though she seems more amused than concerned, reaching for one more teaspoon of sugar. Don't judge. "We thought to give you options as we did not know which you might prefer," then to Cassandra, with that twinkle of mischief. "Was yours too empty?"

Even Joshua has to perk an eyebrow at the rudeness of Spike's refusal to introduce himself in return to Cassandra. Was the pin that disorienting for the man? Maybe he had been through too much in too short of a time, but that was his own fault. It was no excuse for completely forgetting manners in the presence of nice ladies.

Done with the 'pancakes', and his bacon so far, Joshua settles with his coffee while waiting for Cassandra's grand request to be fulfilled my the maid. Or maids, rather, as the second has come in to help make the breakfast process move faster.

"You can add whatever you want to it...or remove anything. I would suggest keeping your doors closed when not in them, though, if you don't want any of the animals to wander in during the day."

Well... if Spike doesn't want to be here, doesn't want to interact, it seems cruel for her to force it. She smiles at him once more, nods in response to this thanks, and then focuses her attention to Joshua and Lucrezia. It's not ignoring him, to her. Just letting him be. At least she has a name for him, now. Spike. Cool name.

"Don't mind animals there. If they like it, can stay in." She says, and then Lucrezia gets a grin. "Big bed, for one person. Rest is good, though. Like the knight."

He slept, at some point during the night, even if he doesn't look it. (In the bed, not the coffin, as hilarious as he found it.) It would be easy to bob his head and allow the conversation to continue without him for as long as he's allowed. Instead, he finds himself regarding Cassandra again, even as he addresses the other two.

"You didn't have to go through the trouble."

"There is a tiger. One most kindly and gentle," and cuddly too. He serves as a good metaphor for Joshua in many ways, Lucrezia thinks. People need to stop making assumptions on what makes a monster and what makes a human.

"We must share this big bed of yours, Cassandra, with myself and this tiger," she takes her time to sip at her tea again, almost as if she is done speaking. She does assume the world moves at the pace she sets for it. The maids should already start serving them warm waffles by this time, though they still need to fetch all the syrup and cream.

"Unless the gentlemen would care to join us also."

Joshua has to laugh a little, as soft a rumble as the forementioned tiger might make (although who can compete with a tiger?). But really, Lucrezia does suggest the most interesting things sometimes, whether in fun or...in fun.

"That tiger might not mind you cuddling it, but good luck luring it anywhere it hasn't ended up already... It tends to mind it's own business."

There's always a window open for it in Dante's old room, possibly the only former resident's room he doesn't keep shut or locked, for obvious reasons. Then there are the two pokemon, the aron and cyndaquil, and the two kittens, not to mention there's a tribble lying around 'harmlessly' somewhere. It's beginning to feel like a zoo, but that could be more because of the people.

"Not exactly a unicorn tamed by virgins. But worth a try."

Really, Cass wouldn't mind. She's shared a bed with Tim and Steph before, it's a common occurrence by now to go to sleep all cuddled up together. And she wouldn't mind sleeping with Lucrezia and Joshua either, but something tells her Spike might not exactly be all that thrilled by the idea.

Her being a stranger, for one thing. The fact that this sort of feels a little bit like a trap for him is another thing.

"One would agree. Other might take convincing." And now that she has waffles, Cass starts to cut them up. Bite size pieces and everything, just look at her good manners. "Getting colder, though. More bodies... means more warmth."

Once food is in front of him, Spike can put his attention into chewing instead of weighing in on the... whatever it is they're debating. Waffles aren't something he's used to ordering, but apparently his appetite didn't suffer along with him.

He only coughs once, when he takes a drink of his coffee at the same time 'sharing warmth' comes up. That's what happens when you eat too fast.

Lucrezia smiles at her cup of tea, swirling it about and watching the reddish liquid move about as if it's the most fascinating thing in the world. Sometimes it's better not to stare when listening very, very carefully. She doesn't even try to stop herself from laughing when she hears that cough from Spike.

At least their waffles should come with little bowls of cream and offered chocolate syrup to distract them from warmth and bodies and such things.

"Well then," she looks up to flash the brightest smile at Cass before pointedly turning to Joshua, then Spike. "Let us convince this other that we will have enough warmth to last us the winter."

Joshua's gaze stays on Lucrezia even as hers continues on to Spike, cheek propped against his cheek while he mostly ignores his waffles. He's had a lot to eat already... Spike's reaction is either unnoticed or ignored by Joshua, but it's not like it's uncommon.

"But you're already set, princess."

Wasn't that the first promise?

Cass keeps an eye on Spike while he coughs, to be sure he doesn't choke or anything like that. She isn't entirely sure Lucrezia or Joshua would actually help him, which is probably a bad thing to doubt, but there is it.

"There's still time. It's not cold, yet."

She's either buying Spike time or saying it's only a matter of time, one of those two. Probably the first one. Because poor Spike.

Haha... As aware as he is that most of their conversation is at his expense, they know just what to say to make an uncomfortable situation that much less comfortable for him. This would be better if everyone took a cue from Joshua and ignored him, but he can only see this getting worse the more they see him staring intensely at his plate.

So he does what he should have before he was tempted by the promise of bacon; he finishes chewing the bite he has in his mouth, downs the rest of his (very hot) coffee, and pushes his chair out.

"I should get going." -- At least he's polite enough to say that much. Just not polite enough to share a generous breakfast after being given a free room. It's a wonder why he doesn't have more friends.

Lucrezia sends a warning glance at Joshua, though playful. Something to say don't you dare but don't you dare stop either. It's probably doing Spike no favors either, even if she thinks Cass who would understand it better will only take it in stride. It doesn't stop her from looking genuinely crestfallen when she notices Spike already pushing his chair out to leave.

"So soon? But you have had nothing yet." She should probably ask if it was something she said but then she already knows it was. A bandaid for broken bones and all that. "You can bring some food with you for the road."

"Spike."

Joshua finally speaks up in the man's direction, his voice soft but carrying throughout the room with ease. He looks away from Lucrezia to him, and he still has a smile, but Spike doesn't have to be a master of body language like Cass to probably know when Joshua is implying a threat.

He tolerates a lot of rudeness under his roof, he really does, from all kinds of people. He tolerates even more from 'friends' because frankly, he often doesn't care. But in some things he has his lines, his ways, and his expectations. This had been an offer, one that was made selfishly for the sakes of both himself and Lucrezia, but currently Lucrezia is not benefiting. It hasn't even been a day, and already the happiness it gave her is going.

How others make her feel on their own time is her responsibility, but others ruining a gift of his will not be permitted. Though he might appear relaxed to the casual observer, he's poised to move and push Spike's chair right back in if he stands up.

"You should finish breakfast. The maids just went to work to make proper food, and you're disrespecting them and your hostess. The food would get cold by the time you got to the castle." He pauses for a sip of his coffee, then a short laugh. "Besides, I would feel outnumbered by so many ladies."

Edited 2013-12-10 02:37 (UTC)

It's all too sweet to last

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ermahgerd plz just skip me next time i'm so slow!!! joshua zones it's ic

shhh we love you

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WELP

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