3/31/2003
02:16
PM
Logfile
from Tomite.
Mandarin
Plaza - 1502
It
looks like an average two bedroom apartment. The furniture is second-hand, and
the overall impression is somewhat shabby, with the exception of the
shotgun/rifle collection hanging up on the far wall. Pretty boring place, really, but there's a TV and some game
consoles, at least
Lexie
is here.
Obvious
exits:
Exit
Lexie
It's
truly hard to miss the Italian heritage of this woman; As with many Italians,
her brassy manner of movement, high-held chin, and intense manner proclaim her
heritage. Although her stature itself is an unimpressive petite build of 5'1,
Lexie carries herself with a straight and rigid posture that hints at military
background more than a cultural one.
Long hair, of a dusky brown, is swept back typically into a ponytail at
the nape of her neck, revealing her plain and rounded features. Her nose is slender, turning up somewhat
impishly just at the end; Perpetually at odds with her worldly and cynical dark
blue eyes. Although she might be
described as somewhat plain, her figure is whipcord lean and muscular, as if
every vestige of softness had long ago been stripped from the woman.
She
wears a set of black combat fatigues, a pair of combat boots, and the standard
olive drab tee shirt. Around her neck
is a set of dog-tags, to complete the outfit.
Her waist-length brown hair is pulled back into a ponytail at the nape
of her neck.
Lexie
appears to be 26 years, 4 months, and 20 days old.
She is
sleeping.
Carrying:
Spirit Amulet (#457)
Chase
is at Lexie's place again, and apparently he hasn't quite learned his lesson.
No pack or anything in evidence. He stands just without, rapping upon the door
lightly. He takes a step back, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants,
only to reach a hand up to adjust his hat, and simply fidget.
The
place has been patched up considerably since Chase was here last-- But true to
habit, she still leaves the door open.
This time, though, it's to air the place out. The miko is actually
keeping true to her word of fixing the stereo, one of the few things she /does/
remember from that evening. At the
moment, the table is set up as a soldering bench, as she uses the iron on one
of the replacement circut boards with an expert hand. After all, if she fixed cars and airplanes, one stereo isn't too
horrible a challenge. Just more of one
than she'd originally thought it'd be.
She's been working on it for a few hours now, dressed in a pair of
cutoffs and a black tank-top.
"Yeah, yeah, whoever it is, it's open! Come in already!" She
calls.
Chase
does actually recall the last time he simply helped himself to entering the
apartment, so he does hesitate just without for a moment before peeking his
head in. Well, she isn't in a robe this time, and he actually looks a little
dismayed at that. "Uh... Lexie?" Hand reaches up to itch a finger
behind his ear as he peers at her, and the display upon the table. One foot and
then another make their way past the doorway and he stands there, ready to bolt
at the first sign of weaponry.
Lexie
raises the dark glasses she's been using to protect her eyes, a ring of soot
marking where they were located. "OH!
Um, hi, Chase." Now it's
her turn to look akward, for a moment. "I'm um, I'm fixing the stereo for
you.. But it won't be ready for another day or two." She manages, without
faltering. Talk about
uncomfortable! "Um, d'ya want
anything to drink? Like, a coke or
something?" Beer, obviously, is a
bad idea for both of them. She hasn't touched alcohol since, in fact.
Chase
still has some good humor about him, and the sight of the rings around her
eyes, along with the visuals of a raccoon cause him to bite his lip to hold
back that threatening grin. Nope, instead he just looks briefly smug. "Uhhh,
yeah. You really are going to try to fix it?" Fidgeting stalls for the
moment as he crosses inside a little further, "Oh, sure. Don't get up.
I'll get it." Finger lifts, he seems to frown momentarily to try to
remember where the fridge is, and starts in that direction.
Lexie
quirks a smile of her own, rubbing at her face.. And smudging it up even worse.
"Well, if you're going to be a good host, grab me one too." She
teases, smile turning into an outright, if surprised grin. "Trying nothin'! I am fixing it. Might look a little weird
when I'm done, but it'll work and sound the same." She pauses, taking a moment to clean the
glasses on the fabric of her tank top, buying a moment's time. "...Hey, look, about the other
night.."
Chase
returns a moment later with a pair of cans. One is set down in a relatively
clear bit of table space for her, top already popped open. He cracks his open
as well, only to peer at the mess upon the table. "A little weird?"
he echoes, skepticism showing in his voice and The Look. "I'll believe it
when I hear it work." A shrug of his shoulders then a peer back to her,
"Yeah, about that..." He trails off as well, wincing, and then
watching her with curiosity.
Lexie
takes the can of cola, wiping at her forehead with a sleeve. "Hey, if I
can fix an F-16, I can fix a stereo. I just can't do much about the holes in
the casing, that's all." She murmurs, cheeks heating as she responds to
the barb defensively. Way to be predictable, Lex. "Look, I just wanted to say, um.. That if anything did uh,
happen between us, that is to say, you and I.. I'm sorry." She lets out a deep breath. Saying sorry
isn't exactly one of her strong points. Especially not to a seishi. "...Because, um, I mean, you're
probably getting alot of flak for the whole evening, and it wasn't your fault,
and I still don't quite remember alot of it.."
Chase
perches upon a chair next to her, only to blink across to the woman. Please say
he didn't just see the yin no miko /blush/. Ooooooh boy. He spends the moment
drinking from the can, frowning faintly. A riot of thoughts flash through his
head, but all he manages for the moment is another shrug, "Ah, don't worry
about it. It was... odd. And vaguely fun, I think. And if something did, uh,
sorry, but I don't remember a bit of it, so I can't go off crowing about it to
everyone." He offers her a wry grin, "Nah, I've got into trouble for
far worse things. Just lay low for a few days and they'll forget. I'm used to
it by now."
Lexie
has to chuckle again at the nonchalant attitude. "You're a raffish guy, you know that? I have no idea how you got to be a
seishi. You don't have enough of a stick
up your ass for it." She pulls
down the glasses, abandoning the can in favor of finishing the board she's been
working on. "Sadly, it was
probably the best company I've had in a long time. It's allright if you make
fun of me for having to kidnap my friends.
Believe me, in this job, you get used to critisism from
/everyone/." She adds, good humor
fading a notch. "I guess it's just
as well that I haven't found any rings."
Chase
takes another swig of the pop before setting it down once more. "You know,
you aren't the first person to wonder that but Genbu clearly had a strategy in
mind when he brought someone with my obvious good looks and charm into the
celestial mix." He follows with another wry grin before flickering her
another glance. "Well, with the oni you've got, I'm not surprised. I mean
really... oni." He shakes his head from side to side. But, yes, the pause
at her last statement, "No? Uh... that's good." A relief actually.
"Didn't happen to find my cell around here, did you?"
Lexie
shrugs, pausing in her work to stifle a laugh. "He must've been on a
celestial something, that's for sure." She declares, with a wry
smile. "Anyways, I'm beginning to
think the seishi and oni are similar in some respects. You have your good ones, your bad ones, and
your dammned annoying ones. Don't even
get me started on Dylan's latest antics."
She scowls, going back to the tedious work of repair. "Anyways, if you try to please
everyone, you'll make nobody happy.
Knowing this, I save myself the trouble and just try to make everyone
mad at me in the first place. This way, I don't dissapoint anyone but
myself. It sounds weird, but it works
for me."
Chase
is chuckling softly before flickering a glance to the ceiling and the heavens
above. He slowly shakes his head from side to side, before bringing his gaze
back down and across to her. "I won't get into an argument with you on my
opinions of the placement of the oni in your categories, namely just one."
He simply smirks at the Dylan comment, but doesn't start in on that one. Nope.
He is sighing though, smirking at her, "Sounds like you are putting way
too much effort into that. Make them angry to save grief later? Yin no miko
considering the impression she makes on others?"
Lexie
finishes out the board and turns off the soldering iron, removing the glasses
and putting them away. "Neither of
us is an authority to argue on the other side, as we both have our own biases
and preconcieved notions." She
walks over to him and plunks down next to him on the couch, folding her
arms. "But by the same token, we
don't know one another worth a damn. Of course I consider the impression I make
on others. For starters, I don't want
the oni attached to me, as I'm quite replacable unlike your mikos. They may not like me much at all, but when I
dig in my heels, they listen most of the time.
I'm nobody's pawn. I've had
enough bullshit in my life that I don't want to play games of this friend and
that friend anymore. At the same time,
I don't want to get anyone's hopes up. I'm not a good person, as you're well
aware."
Chase
is smirking once more, possibly even a roll of his eyes was thrown in there,
but that was about it. Nope, back to caffeine and carbonated-soda drinking. He
watches her as she speaks, consideration even with a bit of skepticism present
in his gaze. "Sounds lonely as hell. But if you think that is best, who am
I to say anything different." He shrugs his shoulders, slumping back into
the cushions of the couch. "I'm not going to say that you are a good
person or not. All I've got is that you are a Yin and a couple of drunken days
that fuzzy as anything."
Lexie
laughs at the thought, shaking her head.
"It's damn lonely, yeah.
But why should you care, Yang? I
thought you just wanted your stereo back.
Anyways, I chose to be what I am, and I don't regret it. Not everyone
has a life of sunshine and daisies waiting for them, Chase. This is infinitely better. And I /do/ like
the oni. I know 'em better than they
think and I see more than they know.
Which is why this arrangement suits me so well. I get my freedom of thought and movement,
they get something to complain about.
Speaking of which, I'm not planning on mentioning this whole fiasco to
them anytime soon. I'm sure someone
will, but it's not going to be me. /Especially/ if wedding documents turn
up. Can you even imagine trying to make
something like that work? I think
'Until death do us part' would be the key phrase there. " She laughs at the thought, rare humor
crossing her expression.
Chase
is shooting her another glance, "I couldn't be lonely if I tried. /They/
won't let me, and I rather like my friends and family." Yes, the social
creature that he is. "Don't get me wrong though. I prize my times
alone." Typically leading to getting into trouble. He shorts and gives her
a healthy nudge, "I do want my stereo back, but you're the one who started
in on this. I'd sure as hell love to know why girls always suddenly feel the
need to tell me... Aw, never mind. It's got to be face, only thing worse would
be if I actually was cursed with dimples." He is smirking once more
though, "I'd get my ass kicked from here to kingdom come if that was
true. Amusing as all hell, but
screwy."
Lexie
folds her hands behind her head, amused again.
"I don't feel the need to tell you anything, Chase. You're a seishi, and I could completely
disassosciate myself from you with hardly a second thought if I felt like it.
But you're fun, so I don't mind having you around. You'll have it back in a few days when I'm done with it. And if you're afraid of the big bad Yin, you
don't even have to come visit anymore. I'm sure your friends and family just
understand you soooo well that you don't need anyone like me, huh?"
Chase
is smirking for about the millionth time now. "Well, hell, it is nice to
know that I have my uses, and at least some person in this city realizes that..
yes, I can actually be fun from time to time." Dependant upon the fun,
that is. "Afraid of the Yin?" Okay, that one earns a roll of his
eyes. "Uhm. Let me think about that one for a moment here... No." As
for that last part, he just smirks, again.
Lexie
beams widely at the answer. "Oh,
really?" She asks.. And without warning, pounces, tickling
mercilessly. "Who's a helpless
seishi? Say it, say it!"
Oh my
god. Somehow the Yin have managed to figure out his one weak point. Okay, one
of many, but still, this one is pretty huge. Clearly they were spying upon the
various snowball fights he managed to get into during the winter involving
other seishi. Yeah, one could say that Chase is ticklish. So the slouched
seishi is completely taken off guard by a pouncing, and tickling, yin no miko.
"Well, I... -ACK!" He... hee-hee. HeeHeeHeeHee-Heee. Here we go.
"Stop. No... stop. Lexie. Heh. Lexie... I- Oh!"
Lexie
headlocks from behind, with a manic smile. Oh, she'll have to remember
this! As for her, it was just a good
guess. "Saaa-aaaay it! " She
calls, and thank goodness nobody else is walking in on what must look like a
really compromising situation.
"Say it!"
Chase
is wiggling. Yes, wiggling. That is what people do to try and get away from
those with fingers of torture, tickle torture. "I ain't saying
anything!" he cries out in between the snickers and yes... the odd giggle,
that are forced from him. He bursts into laugher once more, both hands trying
to reach up and dislodge her arm from around him.
Lexie
finally relents, face flushed from the arduous activity of torturing seishi.
God, she loves her job. "It's
still true!" She exclaims, between chuckles. Hot damn, she doesn't have this much fun with seishi on a regular
basis, to say the least. Angst would
probably be a better word. "I
win!" She sticks her tongue out at
him.
Chase
is trying to catch his breath as well. Once free, he is clambering over to
perch upon the arm of her couch, and well out of reach for any further torture.
Hat is plucked from his head, fingers dashing through his hair to pull it away
from his eyes as he peers over at her. "Is not, and you /so/ didn't!"
This is exactly why he is so much better at /ranged/ attacks. Get too close,
and he is screwed. "Evil woman," but he is following it with a bright
grin as well. And two can stick out their tongues.
Lexie
waves a hand in the air, trying to stifle giggles. "Seishi propaganda, I tell ya! I'm as pure as the pope's
ass!" She declares, managing to
stand. "You know, you look better
without the hat. I like your hair. Want
to stay for dinner, or retreat back to your buddies?"
Chase
flings the hat at Lexie, primarily on principle. "Now that is a visual I
could have really done without. Thanks, Lexie." He slides off of the arm
of the couch, setting down lightly to his feet. "I don't retreat, you
should know /that/ by now. And it depends on what you are making."
Lexie
catches the hat and puts it on, beaming. "Oh, hey, now I've got a
collection of your clothing going.
Well, I was thinking primavera with lots of sauce, some white wine to go
with it, and some braciole steaks to round it off. Up for it? It's nothing
fancy, just, it's easier to cook for two people than one, you know?"
3/31/2003
04:53
PM
Logfile
from Tomite.
Lexie catches
the hat and puts it on, beaming. "Oh, hey, now I've got a collection of
your clothing going. Well, I was
thinking primavera with lots of sauce, some white wine to go with it, and some
braciole steaks to round it off. Up for
it? It's nothing fancy, just, it's
easier to cook for two people than one, you know?"
Chase
can't rightly recall the last time he was offered that much food. And it shows
as he peers across to her with a slightly hopeful look to his eyes.
"Ohhhh. Well, if it wouldn't be too much of a problem for you, I suppose I
could have a little... did you say primavera?" Yummmmm.
Lexie
waves her hands, laughing. "Yes, primavera. Italian's about all I know how
to cook. Common family staple, and even
when you're little, you help out. I
promise, it'll be edible." She
stands and retreats to the kitchen, to check for all the ingredients.
"What kinds of foods do you usually eat?"
Chase
trails after, a little hesitantly and first and then with a bit more of a grin.
Yes, still wary of any wayward fingers of her's. "Uh, namely just whatever
I pick up at the street vendors, or on the off chance there is something in the
fridge back at Brice's or John's. But I'll eat just about anything."
Bottomless stomach.
Lexie
grins earnestly, safely occuping her hands with pulling out the ingredients--
And she does make it the traditional way, no less. None of this bottled sauce stuff, and fresh pasta instead of
boxed. "Well, if you tell me you
like my cooking, I might consider letting you off easy in the tickle
department." She teases, setting aside a bottle of white wine from her
cupboard. "I'll just make a good
portion, so there's some left over for me, too. Sounds like they starve you."
"Its
not like I'm the local pet to be fed or anything," Chase adds a little
defensively. "I get fed plenty." Seems to be on the cookie diet
lately though. "But it has been awhile since I had honest food." The
kind without all of the preservatives inside of it. "Can I help? I can
cook, somewhat. And I already like your cooking." There. Safe.
Lexie
waves a hand, flustering at the sudden defensiveness. Give her some time, she's not so good at social situations. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But you don't
feed yourself. Remember, my culture tends to equate food with love. If you don't eat enough it's practically
insulting. My uncle Paulo gained a
hundred pounds courting Aunt Rosa."
Although, come to think of it, he might take the meaning of that a bit
the wrong way.. Oh well. It can't be
helped. "Yeah, mind setting some
water to boil, add a pinch of salt to it, by the way.. And I guess we'll eat on
the couch since the table's covered with electronics."
Chase
can boil water. Hey, that's easy. Necessary when one is making Ramen or Mac and
Cheese. And so, he scrounges for a pan, then fills it with the water, even that
pinch of salt. "I eat enough." Never mind just how skinny he really
is. It's genetics. "And Aunt Rosa was the one who taught you how to
cook?"
Lexie
shakes her head, grinning. "No, she liked making pesto and gespacho and
flan. Aunt Rosa is from Argentina, unlike the rest of the family. I have scads of cousins, aunts, and uncles
from both my mom and my dad's side.. I learned a little here, a little there. They kinda took a hand in my upbringing after
mom died. Italian families are kinda
complicated, actually. Very noisy, very
emotional.. Well, some mafia ties, but we don't talk about those so much. Either way, you can't grow up around them
and not learn how to make a few decent meals."
Chase
flickers her a glance askance, smiling once more, "With that kind of
family with that kind of ease with food, I'm surprised you aren't as big as a
house." Yeah, he noticed, kind of hard not to. "My cooking skills
follow along the lines of being able to read directions and not being so bad
with a grill, but that is about it. Mom liked to cook herself, and would shoo
us all out of the kitchen whenever she was doing it."
Lexie
laughs, shaking her head. "I keep in shape. I got into the habit of PT when I was in the Marines and never
gave it up. Anyways, that seems like a
shame. Alot of families don't spend any time together.. If I compare my old man
to my aunts and uncles, I can see the difference it makes. Unlike them, the old goat never cared much
for company or mutual meals. Eating
just isn't fun when you do it alone."
She starts up the sauce, crushing some fresh garlic as she speaks.
Chase
leans a hip up against the counter, watching her as she begins with the garlic.
"Careful. Not too much of that or I'll have all the ladies running for
cover." What ladies? Fingers are finding their way over to try to sneak an
ingredient or two, "No, all of our meals back at home were a family
affair, and if you weren't at the table at the right time... well, mom was
really good at the ol' Evil Eye."
Lexie
laughs, and halves the amount she was going to put in. "Oh, that's what
after-dinner sorbet is for. Clearing
the palate and making sure you don't kill plants as you pass." She teases,
allowing him to add what he likes.
"But allright, allright. I don't want to mess you up with the
ladies. What kind of foods did you guys
eat?"
Chase
isn't adding ingredients, he is just picking at them and popping them into his
mouth. This is exactly why mom kicked him and the rest out of the kitchen.
"Grew up in Montana, what else is there to eat but good ol' American fair
and red meat. Of course, mom would try to spring in some Chinese now and again
when she could get her hands on the right ingredients."
Lexie
laughs at the thought, discovering that Chase prefers to eat ingredients.. And
finding it charmingly endearing, surprisingly enough. "Ay, poor thing! Montana, middle of nowhere. You need Italian cooking. It's the best in
the world." The French of course, can go get stuffed. Stupid non-bathing people. "Still, it's
small wonder you're so skinny. Eating like you've been will kill your
metabolism later down the road, you know."
Chase
pops a couple of tomato pieces in his mouth before replying, "Yeah, you
could say that. But plenty of room for me to get into trouble and nobody would
be the wiser." He finishes with a wink before shrugging his shoulders,
"Hey, I'm a seishi. I really doubt that not eating right is going to be my
downfall. And like you said, 'down the road', so I'm not worried about
it." Ahhhh, youth and the impression that he is immortal. Kinda.
Lexie
leans closer, managing to steal back one of the remaining slices of tomatoes
and popping it in her own mouth.
"Yeah, okay, that's true. I guess
being dead already once can give a guy the long view on things. Mind popping the cork and letting the wine
air, so I can add the ingredients before they're all gone?" She teases,
grinning.
Chase,
with a dramatic moment of reluctance, goes over to find the wine to do as bid.
"Hey, I've already managed to live longer than last time, despite how I
look now. So all is good. And my metabolism isn't going to worry me any."
Yeah, that is followed by a roll of his eyes.
Lexie
makes a face. "You're such a sarcastic person! I was just being nice. Anyways, you mean to tell me that you were
younger when you died? That's some
crazy stuff. I don't envy you for it, at all. One life is already too many for
me." She minces up some sweet
onions and sweeps them in with the braciole, before starting to get out place
and fixture settings.
Chase
sets the wine upon the table and then returns once more, hazarding a finger
towards what is being cooked. Just a taste test. "Yep. Sixteen. Got
feathered quite nicely, but I couldn't tell the archer that before I died. Only
regret was Hikitsu being a dumb ass and charging after me. But fate just works
odd that way." He glances back at her, "Not like I had a choice in
this seishi stuff happening again. But we're needed, and so be it."
Lexie
takes a turn at smirking herself, for a change. "Arguably, I might say I need the seishi like a hole in the
head, but I'm sure you don't see it that way so I won't press the point."
She winks, nudging him with an elbow.
"I'm glad you get a second chance, though. Sucks to die at
sixteen. I don't much know the Genbu
that well, really. Hatsui, a little.
And a bit about Uruki, since he's taken up with two former oni."
Her expression speaks volumes on what she won't say about that arrangement.
Chase
grins faintly, chuckling, "Be nice now. I didn't come here to discuss
religion with you, or my family and your opinions of them." Yes, he
actually does remember Lexie threatening Anana, and that only earns her a
thin-lipped glance. "But yeah, I'm making the most of my second-chance as
you put it. Definitely won't let it go to waste."
Lexie
shakes her head, moving over to work on the pasta. "Believe me, it's the last thing I'd want to discuss in
depth anyways. I've given up the idea
of seeing eye to eye at that. But I'm
glad to hear you're working at it. Are you, um, going to be stuck like
that?" She asks, gesturing with the hilt of a steak knife at him. "Frozen at one age, as it were. Sorry if it sounds intrusive,
but.." She shrugs, giving up on
the topic. "Oh well. Want another tomato?"
4/1/2003
12:42 AM
Logfile from Tomite.
Chase is leaning a hip against the counter, watching her.
"Like this? Looking like I'm the same age when I left the book world? I
sure as hell hope not. Whatever god pulled this one off would really be
sticking it to me this time -and I didn't do anything to them. Well... besides
slandering the Suzaku, but that's doubtful." He sighs softly, "Cat
said she could timewitch me back to as I was before, but only for a handful of
hours."
Lexie offers another tomato slice, frowning. "Seems
weird to not be in control of one's own fate.
Then again I guess I'm not much different like that. But we won't think about that stuff, then.
Say aah! It should be done cooking
soon, you know."
Chase is shrugging his shoulders once more, "Sounds
like a plan to me. I get enough of an ear-full of the seishi stuff and fate or
whatnot from the others." And now, he is being hand-fed slices of tomatoes
from Lexie. Obligingly, mouth opens to receive it.
Lexie is probably enjoying the whole thing entirely too
much, but think about it.. How often does she get dinner company with a relaxed
aire about the whole thing, anyways?
"It's a deal, then. Would
you strain the noodles while I finish up the steak?" She asks, walking
over to the medium saucepan and flipping the thin-cut braciole over, wrapping
it around two portabella mushrooms.
"I think we're just about ready. You like any music or TV or
anything?"
Chase chews away, nods his head in agreement and goes to
fiddle with noodles. Attention flickers to the steak and mushrooms, nose
twitching just the slightest at the smell, an appreciative twitching at that.
"It's your place. I'm fine with whatever, or none. Doesn't matter to
me." Nope, his mind is upon the food.
Lexie laughs, carrying out the sauce and steak. "I
think I'll do without, tonight. Just dinner, anyways." She murmurs, mischeviously tossing him a few
napkins. "Five bucks says you'll need extras. Italian's good, but messy.
Ready to eat, then? I think we're all set."
Chase captures the thrown napkins in one hand while the
other brings out the pasta. "You're on. At least you didn't throw me a
bib." Because then he might have pouted or something. He follows after
her, setting down his bowl with a grin. "Think so. If it tastes as good as
it smells and looks..." Mmmm.
Lexie settles herself down into a seat and pours two glasses
of the wine. "Now this is food.
Not too expensive, but there's nothing better in the world. All that namby-pamby stuff that rich folks
eat can't top it." She waits for
him to serve himself first.. Only polite, and all. "Hey, it's kinda nice to have you over, though. Thanks for
coming."
Chase wrinkles his nose, "Couldn't agree with you more,
but seeing as I've never had any of that namby-pamby stuff as you said, I
suppose it doesn't rightly matter." He shrugs his shoulders, glance to
her, and then serves himself in the meantime. "Yeah, and there were no
bullets flying, icy circumstances, or spiritual old men to deal with. Just...
food."
Lexie grins widely, taking a portion for herself. "Ah, my spirit guardian. Yeah, the old
man.. Well, I guess he isn't going to hell so long as he's bound, but still..
It's good for him to do something useful, even though he's dead. It's also good to have a /little/ protection
when upset guys come calling for their stereo.
But you know what else is cool? I can even make him do dishes. I have to admit, that's the best part about
it. I hate dishes. How's the
sauce?"
Chase grins, "It's been my experience that while one
does the cooking, the other does the dishes. So I'll do your dishes for you,
and you won't have to go searching around on the spiritual plain for help this
time around. And yeah, its good." But it takes a moment, and then he
blinks over at her, "Wait.. as in that guy is honestly the spirit of your
old man? Bound in there and everything? Is he conscious? How did you
manage...?"
Lexie takes a bite of the pasta, considering just how to
answer. "Well, to understand that, you need to understand a little of my
family history. If I tell you about it,
will you give me your word that you won't go spreading it all around? To be
honest, it's kinda not anyone else's business, but I think you might
understand."
Chase is looking just a little uneasy here, and it is
becoming evident in the way that he watches her. He seems to consider for a
moment, "As in blabber it about to just everyone and anyone? No, I
won't." He quiets though, watching her with a touch of a frown.
Lexie folds her hands, abandoning her food in favor of a
quick sip of the wine. "Well, to
make a long story short, he was an alcoholic.
A very mean one. My mother hung
herself when I was three, and I guess things kinda went downhill from
there. Although I've got alot of great
cousins and aunts, my respect for the old man is absolute zero. He took the family business, a garage, and
ran it into the ground so hard that each time I thought I almost had it out again,
he'd blow everything we'd made. It was
a relief when he finally drank himself to death, and I had him buried on the
grounds and tried to salvage what was left." She folds her arms across her chest, regarding Tomite with a
direct expression. "One of my oni, however, was trying to come up with a
good guardian to bind to me. I think
it's damn fitting that after all these years piping to his tune, that he's now
at my beck and call until I choose to release him. Maybe it's revenge, and maybe it's poetic justice. I
dunno." She shrugs, and tries some
of the steak. "Hey, this turned out well."
Chase listens to her quietly for a long moment, hesitating
in his eating. His expression begins to grow serious after a moment though and
he is pushing away his plate. "So you had his spirit bound to you. That
was what I was messing with before?" He frowns faintly, "Should have
known..." He reaches a hand up to rub at his forehead before peering at
her once more, remaining silent.
Lexie nods, pouring herself some more wine. "Yep. Without destroying the bind point, you can't
destroy him. He'll reform through physical or chi attacks, you name it. Damn
handy, if you ask me. Anyways, I meant
it when I said I wasn't a good person. Good people don't have their old man dug
up to torment him. Not that hell wasn't
waiting for him anyways, but still."
Chase knows a thing or two about this sort of stuff, and so
he is left to simply smirk at her, and then sigh. "The bind point?"
He seems to think on that for a moment, "I suppose it's something physical
you've got, seeing as its forced?" He moves to take a swig of the wine, a
very long, long drink from it before waiting for her to finish with the bottle
so he can refill his glass once more.
Lexie waves a finger, handing over the bottle and tucking
into her primavera again. "Ah,
trade secret, I'm afraid. But you've
got the right idea, generally. So, do
you think less of me for it, or wasn't that possible?" Her smile returns, and she waves a fork at
him. "Just call me curious. Not that it matters what you think of me or
anything."
Chase pours the wine into the glass, sighing. "Ohhhhh.
I don't know. But speaking as a spirit that was once bound myself, I can't
exactly say I'm all that thrilled to hear of it, but I'm not exactly all that
surprised myself." He takes another long drink from the glass, watching
her with something along the lines of consternation.
Lexie raises both eyebrows. "Well, that I didn't know
about. Want to tell me about it? I
guess the subject interests me, and stuff." She shrugs, affecting a nonchalant expression. "The old
bastard got what was coming to him. A
hundred times what I can do wouldn't be enough to make him pay. Maybe it sounds vindictive, but it's damn
true."
Chase is rubbing at his forehead again, sighing before
speaking. "Look, Lexie. Binding spirits isn't exactly something
that..." A mutter and he is leaning back, shaking his head from side to
side. "My spirit was bound to protect the shinzaho, back in the book
world, but I did it willingly and for over two hundred years -to sum it all
up," Chase replies, still watching her steadily.
Lexie rubs at her chin, watching him evenly. "Sounds
lonely. I hope the old man is half as
miserable as you must've been. But you did something worthwhile. Is that so
bad? Look, I'm not doing this with any
illusions that he likes it. Half the
point of it is that I'm getting back a peice of my own life. Well, and there really weren't any other
suitable spirits. None I'd put through this, anyways. Just him."
"No, I had Hikitsu with me. While not exactly the
strongest conversationalist in the world, he was a willingly bound spirit as
well," Chase replies softly. He frowns, and takes another sip from the
glass. "Just so you know, if I ever find out how or where you bound that
spirit, I'll break it. Sure, this guy sounds like he fucked you and your life
over real well, and making him pay into the afterlife sounds like a great way
for revenge and getting you some protection at that, I don't like it." He
shrugs his shoulders, "Just want to make sure you know where I'm coming
from, okay?"
Lexie surprisingly enough issues a soft smile, leaning
across the table to plant a kiss on his cheek. Talk about weird, huh? "Allright, I think I can accept
that. Maybe I'll even let you figure
out the bind point one of these days.
You can be my reason, because according to my oni, I don't have
any. And I'll admit it's pretty easy to
be blinded by my feelings about the old bastard. You've got a deal."
Well, how about that?
Chase is left to blink. Yes, blink. And he manages to do it
quite a bit. "Me? Your reason? Clearly you have me mixed up with someone
else, either that or your oni really are a sad lot. I'd get laughed out of this
city if anyone said that I was their reason." And he simply has to add,
"I find it strange as hell that I've been kissed by more Yin than
Yang."
Lexie laughs, at that. "Nope, you heard me. And why would I want to take cues from any
of them? If they weren't screwed all to
hell, they wouldn't be involved in this whole thing. Anyways, you're probably right. It must be your face. So be good or I'll do it again." She
winks, and finishes the last of her wine, with a sated sigh. Good food..
"Besides, none of them have experienced the whole thing firsthand. That's
why I trust your judgment in the matter considerably more."
Chase isn't quite sure how to respond now, and it shows from
the confusion in his eyes and the fidgeting of his fingers as they tap along
the rim of his glass of wine. "Uhm... yeah. I'll take your word for
it." A little more fidgeting before he finally adds, "So, maybe you
aren't all that bad, I suppose. I might have possibly jumped to a few
conclusions and such, considering the Yin thing and the stuff that I heard
about you. But you cook okay, give me alcohol, aren't too bad on the eyes, and
I suppose that if I had to get taken hostage or kidnapped or whatever, you
aren't too bad of a captor. And, admittedly, you're a fair shot."
Lexie shakes her head, grinning. "Oh, sure, take all
the fun out of it! Well, okay, you're
allright too. And I'm still really damn sorry if anything uh, happened."
She coughs politely into a hand.
"Anyways, most of what you've heard is probably true. But I still cook well enough." She shrugs again, amusedly. "More wine?"
Chase blinks for a moment, and then chuckles. "As... uhm...
weird as things were, I don't think anything happened, other than me using you
as a pillow." And what nice pillows she has. "I would have /had/ to
remember something else happening, otherwise I'd be feeling damned cheated
right about now." Glass is drained to the last drop and then raised
towards her once more. "Sure. It's good stuff. Thanks."
Lexie looks relieved, pouring both glasses full again.
"You must remember more than me, then. I was damn seriously looking for
rings or papers. I um, I don't usually
get that plastered. Too much like the
old man to do it often. So I guess I kinda overdid it that evening. Still.." She grins widely. "A damn
fun kidnapping. It really was. You're welcome over here anytime."
"This and that, and half-way through I actually tried
to sober myself back up. You know, escape and stuff. Didn't exactly work
though, and I know I didn't drink as much as you. But this wine is awfully
fine," Chase responds, raising his glass to her and taking a generous
drink. He snickers, "That'd be damn funny if you did find something. I
could take you home to Brice... just the look on aniki's face would be worth
it." *snicker*
Lexie pauses a long moment, choking on her own wine. "Sweet Mary Moses on a stick.. Can you
/imagine/ me taking you home to Sebastian and the crew?" She manages to stop coughing, still scarlet
with trying to contain hysterics at the very thought of bringing home a
'husband'. "God, that'd be the
best april fool's joke /ever/. And the
look on /Dylan's/ face, that'd be priceless!"
Chase's snickering turns into something a bit more
substantial, laughing. "Yeah, I bet that would go over really well. Both
your side and mine." He is shaking his head from side to side, mirth and
amusement obvious. "Hey... look what I brought home. I'm sure you know
Lexie. We just got married, and we're planning on a honeymoon over at Niagra.
We're going to live happily ever after and have a bazillion kids, the white
picket fence and a /dog/. In fact, she already has one. Isn't it /perfect/!?"
Lexie pounds on the table, unable to hold back her choked
laughter anymore. "Oh, yeah, It's just a match made in heaven! I hope you don't all mind if we put the
whole religious war thing on hold for a bit?
Loooove just doesn't wait! Oh,
by the way, our wedding register is available. You can pay in advance for years
of therapy for the kids. Who wants to
be godparents?" She manages to
quiet long enough to take the last bite of her pasta, grinning. "You know,
it would be one hell of a joke. I'm sure
we could get something convincing looking for april fools drawn up, but ah, I
guess it'll just stay in the realm of funny idea. Poor Benito will be so dissapointed."
Chase can't help but laugh even more as Lexie starts in.
Just something about listening to another laughing that causes someone to do it
even more. "Damn, sounds like something a Suzaku would say."
*snicker-snicker* "Ohhhh, I'd so get my ass kicked from
one side of the city to the other, and they would be sooooooo mad." A hand
lifts up rub at the corners of his eyes, "But it would be funny as
hell." He downs yet more of the wine, hiccuping once afterwards.
Lexie wipes at her eyes with a sleeve.. When was the last
time she laughed this hard? She can't
even remember. "Oh, yeah..
Fighting for true love, justice, and peace.
Haha, hey, don't overdo it there. You might just wake up in
Vegas!" She pounds the table,
losing it again.
"What? Think I'd get drunk and just let you to steal me
off to Vegas for a quickie wedding. 'Least my drivers licence still has me at
eighteen, so you wouldn't get wrote up for something along the lines of the
delinquency of a minor." Chase flashes her an almost exaggerated wink
before sitting back once more, another drink of wine going down the gullet.
Lexie tosses her hands up exaggeratedly. "It's not my
fault you can't hold your booze!" She declares, before jogging her brows
at him. "Hey, didn't you hear? I'm evil. Of course I'd take advantage of
you in your vulnerable, intoxicated state. "
Chase is immediately protesting. "Its only wine, and
I'm only a little woozy. Just a little." Fingers pinch together as well,
just to show how little. So drinking with Tomite is pretty much well assured
that at some point the guy is going to pass out on you. Nope, doesn't take much
at all to get him fuzzy. "You didn't take advantage of me before. I....
okay, so maybe you did a little." Another moment of pinched together
fingers. "But not to taking me to Vegas to get married. Or, at least we
don't think that happened... naaaah."
Lexie has to wipe at her eyes, finally calming herself down
suitable. "Oh, lord, you're hillarious.
No, plane tickets are kinda expensive. " She's noticing this, of course.. But, well, he's fun to have
around anyways. "Heeeey, I don't
remember taking advantage of you. Kidnapping you, sure. Taking advantage.. Nope, all fuzzy. Can't
remember a thing. D'ya wanna spend the
night?" Let him take that as he will.
Chase is waggling a finger at her, "You got me drunk to
play with me. I know what you were about... I think. Or something along those
lines. You just wanted someone around to play video games with and... and...
drink. Yeah, that too." Sure. That has to be it. "Spend the
night?" he echoes. "I'd have to call someone though and tell them
where I'm at. They got all kinds of grumpy last time I didn't do that."
Lexie grins widely. "Okay, maybe that's true. But I didn't know we'd get /that/
drunk!" She holds up her hands in
a 'telephone' pantomine. "Hi, guys, can I spend the night over at Yin no
miko's place? What? Evil? Jeez, you shoulda told me that before I married
her. We even put a deposit down on the
white picket fences! What do you mean,
you're going to boil me alive? That's not very goshdarn nice, guys."
Chase snickers, then chuckles, and is right on back to
laughing again. Alright. Even more than that, he is howling. He points a finger
at her, still for a moment, and then is bursting into laughter yet again. It
takes him a long moment to finally be able to put at least two words together,
and those would be, "Too true." He draws in a steadying breath,
"Okay, so I wouldn't say that, but..." *snicker*
Lexie holds her cellphone out, waving it at him. "Oh?
And what /would/ you say? There's just no good way to explain fraternizing with
the enemy!" Clearly, she's still
having a hell of a good time. "You can just tell them that you were out
late and plunked down in a hotel or something.
Nice folks and all, but I really doubt they'll understand. Else, that'd be hella good phrasing. "
Chase eyes her and the phone, and is quickly waving his hand
from side to side, "Ohhhh. Well, damn, when you put it like that, I
suppose I could just as easily do as that old saying. Better to ask for
forgiveness than permission? Brice can just cool his heels for a bit."
Just a touch of coolness there, and then he is offering a bright smile.
"The hell with calling. I don't need to."
Lexie claps her hands, beaming. "Aha! That's me. Corrupter of innocence! Except, well, you're too wickedly fun to
ever have been innocent. Now that we're
finished with dinner, what do you wanna do now? Got plenty of games and stuff.."
Chase slouches back, flashing her another bright grin, but this
one imbued with quite a bit of puckish mischievousness. "Not so much
innocent, nope. As for corrupted... well, who the hell cares?" He is
snickering once more -but at what is anyone's guess. He reaches over to run a
finger over his cleaned plate, picking up some extra sauce and seasonings and
then popping it into his mouth. "Mmmm. Dunno. Whatcha got? I don't
remember most of it..."
Lexie flops down on the couch, grinning. "Well, there's always Harvest
Moon." She comments, wickedly.
"Anyways, look for yourself. I've got a buncha stuff. " She folds her arms behind her head,
stretching out. "Damn, that was a good dinner. Anyways, I'll take the
couch. You can have my bed. "
Chase isn't moving all that quickly at the moment, remaining
as is on the couch. "Never heard of it." Head lolls to the side, and
he watches her, "Now, that's not right. You take the bed and I'll take the
couch. I'm sorta used to sleeping on one, and this one is awfully comfy."
He turns in place, only to kick his legs out as if to rest them in her lap.
"See. Comfy."
Lexie laughs, allowing him to get comfortable. "You
know, this is easy to get used to." She mentions, judiciously.
"Allright, allright.. Shoes off!"
She starts pulling off his footwear and socks, shaking her head.