The Business of Party Funding [open]

Lexi Trent · Foxy Hati

The Business of Party Funding [open]

Ashes Of Faith · Lukois' Lucifer

The sound of the front door slamming shut and the subsequent clop clop of two shoes being kicked off caught his attention. Small wonder considering that Lexi's entrance made it sound like she was either storming a castle or possibly just gearing up for a homicide. From the kitchen table he could pick up the faint undertones of her scent, smell the anger wafting off her in waves as she headed upstairs. For those first moments he let her go, wanting to give her a chance to breath so that if he went to see her she didn't launch one of those heels at his head. Finally though he pushed back the paperwork in front of him and wound his way through the kitchen and towards the stairs to follow in Lexi's path.

The vixen had been with Ash a long time, and though it seemed that they never got enough time together he always enjoyed her company. She was one of those people that he trusted completely, and felt always assured of her competence in any situation. As he moved up the stairs his pale hand grazed the banister rail, footsteps quiet on the carpeting that softened the steps. There was little activity in the house at the moment, most pack members either on their way home to work or just having left for the night shift so the upstairs was not the bustling battleground it sometimes could be.

Coming to Lexi's door he gave a soft rap of his knuckles against the wood. Ash could easily have just pushed inside, but he respected his packs privacy. Treating them with respect because he expected the same in turn. When he heard her call out he turned the nob and leaned inside to catch sight of Lexi laying sprawled on the bed with that bottle clutched in her hand. For a moment, if Ash were big on smiling he might have done so, but though his face remained stoic the look in his eyes softened.

"Rough day?"

Asking as he stepped inside, leaving the door cracked behind him. Ash went to the bed and took a seat comfortably beside her, reaching out to brush his fingers lightly over the waves of Lexi's hair where it lay across her back. When she pulled the bottle away from her lips to answer him he reached out with his free hand and plucked the bottle back from her and bringing it to his own mouth for a long drink. Brandy wasn't particularly his drink of choice, but it would do. Pulling his legs onto the bed he scooted until his back was against the wall, legs stretched out in front of him with Lexi beside him, the bottle set between them so that it leaned lightly against his thigh.

Lexi Trent · Foxy Hati

And like magic, there he was. All right, not by magic, but it didn’t stop the perverse urge to think of having that loathsome little toad from the bank get into a nasty accident. No, better not think things like that. It would probably come back to bite her in the arse. A faint twitch of her lips and a nod answered his question before her hand moved, taking the bottle to her lips for another swallow.

She didn’t argue or fight when he sat on the bed and took the bottle from her. Really, she was beginning to think she turned to the liquor a bit too often these days. Not that her metabolism would let her get drunk without a lot of work, but it was starting to feel like she used it as a crutch when things got rough or upsetting. So, the vixen scooted around, leaning her head against his arm while one leg dangled off the edge of the bed kicking gently.

“Had to transfer some funds to Ginny’s mum today. I was this close,” hand lifted, index finger and thumb moving perhaps half an inch apart, “to making you, and the others, very upset with me. If that foul little man had touched me one more time I might have given him a well-deserved thrashing.” Emerald greens rolled up to look at his face, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. “I did lose my temper a bit once I was safely on the way out. Gave him the finger, I’m afraid.”

Hand and gaze fell to the bottle, turning it around and around. “Could I just scare him a little? I promise I wouldn’t leave any marks.” A small, dark part of her wished he’d give her permission, but the vixen knew herself better than that. She might lose her temper and have words with the man, but she wouldn’t physically hurt him. Not only would it get her in serious trouble, but it would bring that trouble home to the pack and that was something she wouldn’t do no matter how angry she got.

Ashes Of Faith · Lukois' Lucifer

The weight of her head against his arm wasn't an unpleasent thing. Now certainly saying that might sound unenthusiastic, but for Ash even this simple act of touching was a huge step in a long journey with the pack. It had never been easy for him to assume the role of comforter or companion, let alone provide the necessary warmth that most wolves seemed to be brimming with, but over the years he had tried hard to push himself to be better. So now as she leaned against him he barely even noted it, his body not stiffening or moving away in the slightest. To the contrary his fingertips brushed lightly against the back of her arm comfortingly where it was close to him.

"If he'd touched you one more time you should give him a well deserved thrashing pet." Ash lifted his arm and lightly tapped her on the lower lip with the tip of a finger. "No claws, no teeth, no problem."

That should have been a slogan in the anti-lycan campaigns that had blitzed the media a few years ago. Truth was he wouldn't have been mad if Lexi had managed to kick the unfortunate bank man in the balls or maybe done a little slapping. It was more the morphing into a hairy monster and eating him part that Ash would get peeved about. He didn't fancy trying to break her out of a lycan detainment center. When she admitted that she had flipped him off Ash's shoulders rose and fell in a quick shrug.

"Well, we all have our days."

Taking the bottle from her once she had finished taking a drink he brought it to his lips for another slow sip and finding the liquor just a bit sweet for his taste. The warm press of her beast made his happy hitchhiker rise to the surface. The black wolf curious to taunt the vixen while she was so close.

"How is Ginny anyway?"

Lexi Trent · Foxy Hati

It was an automatic response, nipping the air near his finger when it tapped her bottom lip. Not that she would dare actually nip him. That was a boundary she wouldn’t cross. Besides, talking about what had made her so angry and not being chased away from leaning on him were easing the tension. Huh. Apparently, talking about things did help. Who knew all those therapist and head shrinkers were so spot-on about that little pearl of wisdom?

A shudder ran through her at the thought of sinking her teeth into the toad from the bank. “I’d rather chew on month-old gym socks than even lick that slimy git’s skin. Greasy hair, bad cologne… I’d be sick for days.” A slow shake of her head. “No teeth, no claws, I promise.” Just that simply, she’d renewed the vow she’d made, never to bring trouble down on the pack or get on the Ulfric’s dark side. After all, she didn’t fancy being on the wrong end of a hunt. Nor did she care to add to the shadows lurking in Ash by forcing him to take her down. So, see? Win win situation. She behaved and she didn’t die or force Ash to kill her.

Then he had to ask about Ginny. Lips thinned into a firm line as the past few phone calls were recalled from her memory. “Ginny is… well, the poor girl’s got a sixteenth birthday next month and a broken arm. From what I could learn from her mum, the other girls have been getting nastier the past few months. Ginny’s gone home in tears on more than one occasion and they suspect that some of the girls had something to do with the fall that broke her arm. Nothing that can be proven, of course.” A sigh and her hands lifted to rub at her temples. If only drugs weren’t metabolized so fast by her system she could take a few aspirin.

“Ginny wants this big, costly party, so when we realized we couldn’t talk her out of it I agreed to pay for it. Now she’s begging me to be there. If I don’t go, she’ll be hurt and angry… If I do go..” Emerald greens rolled up to look at him, lips curling with distaste. “The color theme she’s chosen is pink. Have you any idea how many shades of pink there are?” A pink-themed sixteenth birthday party? Bring on beatings, evil vampires or lycanthropes, please. Those didn’t scare her nearly as much as the thought of being stuck in a house that looked as if someone had thrown cotton candy all over everything.

Ashes Of Faith · Lukois' Lucifer

"I'm happy to announce that I have absolutely no idea how many shades of pink there are."

The tone of his voice was dry, befitting that crisp aristocratic British accent that was so similar to Lexi's own. As Lexi rubbed at her temples he opened his shields a bit, letting the cooling touch of his power brush across her offering sanctuary like a balm. If there was ever a drug worth relaxing into it was the feel of that power soothingly easing her beast. His pale hand patted her arm softly.

"You should go pet. Maybe even take someone with you. A date? Or a friend?"

Ash had no idea what Lexi's social life looked like. He knew that she and Murphy had gotten friendly, but wasn't sure if that was romantic or just social. But he'd be willing to let her take another pack member with her for comfort if that would make her more at ease. When her emerald green eyes rolled up to look into his he leaned forward until their foreheads brushed just slightly.

"You're a bloody tough bird Lexi. Surely you can handle a little pink."

The joke was delivered in a deadpanned voice as he righted himself and took another drink from the bottle. Really though he was wondering himself how long he could last in a house filled with pink. And feeling extremely lucky that thus far none of the members of the pack had been all that 'pink' in their personalities. He loved his friend Milo and his wife Barbie, but Ash would never understand how the Rat King lived with so much pink and bubbly on a regular basis. Ash supposed the answer to that was mainly sexual.

-- Edited by Ashes Of Faith on Wednesday 12th of August 2009 11:54:32 PM

The Bitch Wolf · Big Bad Bitch

Emerging from the cavern of her room or West's was rare these days. She was if anything ghostly, but once she caught the bug it was hard to get rid of it. Memories re-surfaced and she found herself unable to stop the need and want to paint.

And by god, paint she did. She only had left the house twice, within a two week period. And that was really only to buy another 2 dozen canvas'. And then it was back into the room. An occasional break to let Puppy out or eat during the day was really all she could do till the sickness left her.

It was not that the sickness was starting to ebb, there was no tension in her shoulders anymore. No more driving need that woke her in the middle of the night. Not that her sleep was so wonderful anyway, with the re-emergance of Kalika, Loke's dreams had turned quickly into nightmares.

Openning her door, with two water buckets in hand she headed down the hallway to the bathroom to dump them and rinse them before refilling with fresh water. She walked past Lexie's room and glanced in before back tracking and poking her head in the open doorway. A serious array of paint covered nearly every inch of her hands and smudges decorated her face. All Loke had heard was "how many shades of pink."

"Well actually, there is about 137, give or take a few shades of pink. Ranging from yellow pink, red pink, orange pink, even a purple pink. And that's not even talking Duo-Tones." She gave a bright smile, winked at both the fox and Ulfric and ducked her head back out of the doorway and headed back to the bathroom to rinse her water out.

Lexi Trent · Foxy Hati

Lips parted, ready to continue her complaint about the awful color choice when Loke poked her head in to announce that there were over a hundred shades. That was just too much pink, and there was no telling how many shades Ginny was going to want in the decorating. Luckily, she could sink into the cool power Ash wielded and allow it to ease the throbbing in her skull. That helped, and her hands dropped to drape over her stomach. A brow lifted, saying without words ‘See? See how bad it could be?’

A very unlady-like (not that she’d ever been accused of being a lady) snort was issued at the word ‘date’. Not that she didn’t appreciate that he’d let her take someone with her if she wanted, but that there was no ‘dating’ going on for the vixen. And that was just plain sad considering all the beautiful people in Rome. It did have possibilities though, taking someone with her.

When she looked up at Ash again and he lowered his head to hers, she just stared. Was that… did he… a joke? Laughter burst free shaking her, freeing her of the last of the tension. Only Ash could say something so straight-faced and emotionless and have her clutching her sides from laughter. But it had managed to relax her as well as convincing her that going to Ginny’s party probably wouldn’t be so bad. That conviction might not last beyond the night, but for the moment she was all right with it.

“If it’s awful, I’m bringing back a pink bonnet to dress you in while you sleep.” Serious or joking? Unlike with Ash’s joke, it wasn’t clear whether it was a playful threat or truth. Knowing the vixen, she very well might bring a pink bonnet home as a present for him. That didn’t mean she was stupid enough to try and put it on him, especially when he was asleep. She fancied both her arms and throat remaining intact, thank you.

“Hm… who should I ask to go with me?” A frown marred her features as she rolled the question over in her mind. If she was going to be gone, she didn’t particularly want to deprive Ash of another of the stronger members of their family. Since taking the position of Hati, she’d been very serious about the safety of the pack, especially their Ulfric. The problem was, there was a very short list of people she was willing to open up to on a personal level and introduce to Ginny and her mum. In fact, she could count them off on one hand. It wasn’t that she mistrusted anyone in the pack, but there was something very personal about taking someone home to meet your family.

“Loke, Murphy, or Sean? No, I can’t take Sean even if he would go.” A deepening of her frown. That automatic assumption that if a woman introduced a man to her family they were obviously in a serious relationship bugged her at times. But there it was. So, it would have to be one of her female friends to avoid that particular conversation. “Bleeding hell. Why is this so difficult?” Oh, right. Ginny was the only blood relation she had left, the one person whose safety she might put above the pack. Not a comforting thought, that.

The Bitch Wolf · Big Bad Bitch

With the buckets re-filled she was trotting back to her room when she heard her name. She again backtracked to Lexi's door and tilted her head at the two.

"You call me?" It was obvious she was out of it most of the time of late. But as the need subsided with eash painting she finished she was more herself. She was close to being herself again sometime soon. At least the twinkle in her eyes where back.

"Are you still talking about pink? Pink is an amazing color. Most of the time, unless you wear it as lipstick. I don't think anyone should wear pink lipstick. That's just a fashion blunder."

Ashes Of Faith · Lukois' Lucifer

All this pink was giving him a headache. As Loke's head peeked back into the doorway he leaned over and gave a small kiss to Lexie's temple as he brushed the palm of his hand back from her forehead and over the softness of her hair, energy stroking the beast within her as he did so. She was the perfect choice for Hati to Vinny's Skoll, he was still confident of that, but he knew that she had to get her own life straightened out before she could really settle into her role.

"I trust you Lexie." And then he whispered. "Ask anyone you want."

Ash didn't like to lose pack members, but for this austere occasion he would be willing to part with any of the ones that Lexie had mentioned. Pushing up and off the bed he moved towards the doorway that Loke was blocking and let her pass him to get out of the way. As she went his beast brushed hers, demanding in a way that its human half never did.

"I'll leave you two to discuss the merits of pink lipstick."

Yeah, cause that was so not his area of expertise. Heading back out the door he was no sooner past the threshold than his mind left quiet mode and started organizing the rest of the things he needed to take care of before the close of day. But before Lexie left he'd make sure to get some time with eachother. He really did enjoy the vixens company though at times he might be bad at showing it.

Lexi Trent · Foxy Hati

[ooc: My apologies for this reply being so late. I’m visiting my parents, so not much online time until I get home.]

Ash received a smile of thanks for the short talk. Hand reached over to grab the bottle of brandy, turning it ‘round and ‘round in her hands as she watched him leave. Laughter chased after him when he left the room. There were merits to pink lipstick? That was news to her.

Emerald gaze moved to Loke, then. “Ah, well I didn’t precisely call you, luv. But while I’ve got you here… I’m going on a trip to London.” Eyes dropped to stare at the bottle in her hands. “It’s little Ginny’s birthday and she’s asked me to visit. Would you, ah, care to go with me?” Shoulders shifted, the best shrug she was capable of while still lying down. Lexi, uncomfortable? Maybe.

“If you don’t want to go, that’s fine. Just thought I’d ask since you’re… well, you’re a good friend and you’ve been busy lately. You could use a break, eh?” No, the vixen was not going to admit that she only trusted a few to meet Ginny in person, but it was obvious enough for anyone who knew her.

Gaze lifted to her friend again, a pale version of her usual smirk given. She wouldn’t mind talking to Loke about her hang-ups about this, really she wouldn’t. She just wasn’t going to do it while the bedroom door was open and anyone could happen by to eavesdrop on the conversation.

The Bitch Wolf · Big Bad Bitch

As controlled as Loke was for the time, which suprized even her most of the time. The brush of power from the Ulfric against her own beast nearly set her skin a glow. The eager black bitch managing to not maul his own black passanger. She could only chuckle at her other half, usually she was calm, or had been for a while. Perhaps with all the time she had spent in her room or West's painting and painting and painting more the beast had gotten a bit excitable.

"There is noooo benefit to pink lipstick, unless you mean you can laugh at how unattractive it is." It was possible though that Loke might recant that statement if she ever formally met Barbie. Shifting the water bucket in her hand, she bent and set them both down near the door but just inside the room. The smirk that wasn't really a smirk made her close the door behind her and stroll casually over to the bed. She shifted so she could take the heated spot that the Ulfric had left.

"I'd love to go with you and your right I do need the break. I've been trying to get rid of all the art in my head. It got so stuffed in there." She smiled faintly because it was odd to say it that way. "What's going on in London?" One arm lifted and touched Lexie's hair, curling the end of her lock around one of her fingers. The ease in which she got along with some people facinated her but it made her feel so much toward them.

-- Edited by The Bitch Wolf on Sunday 23rd of August 2009 12:12:11 PM

Lexi Trent · Foxy Hati

As Loke took the recently vacated side of her bed, she sat up to take a nice long drink of brandy before setting the bottle aside. When she lay back down, she let her head rest against Loke’s shoulder.

Soft chuckle escaped at the odd phrasing, but she could appreciate the she-wolf’s need to create the beautiful paintings. “I’m not keeping you from finishing something, am I?” She had to ask.

There came the dreaded question. How should she explain it? Well, just laying it all out there was a good start. “Ginny’s my niece, my only blood relation, and she’s been having some issues with the local girls being nasty to her. They may have been the cause of the fall that broke Ginny’s arm, but there’s no proof. So, I’ve wired money to her mum to pay for a fancy sixteenth birthday party with a pink color scheme.”

Arms crossed over her chest, a sign of her discomfort. “I don’t entirely trust myself to be near those girls if it turns out that they were the cause of Ginny’s accident.” Head moved back so that she could easily look at Loke. “Ash suggested I take someone with me, and it’s not a bad idea. I’ve just… no one from my world has ever been allowed near them. There are only a few of you that I’d be willing to take home to meet them.”

There, that was the meat of the problem. The vixen’s world could be dangerous and painful, not something she wanted her fragile, human family to be a part of. But, on the other hand, she didn’t trust herself not to hurt someone if it turned out they had hurt Ginny. A royal mess, that’s what it looked like in Lexi’s head.

The Bitch Wolf · Big Bad Bitch

Loke tilted her head toward Lexi listening to her as she spoke. Ever since the trip from Spain to Rome, Loke had found herself so utterly comfortable with Lexi, probably because the vixen knew she could heal. Loke was very uncomfortable with the ability bestowed on her and rarely used the powers. Or rather country wolf that was the munin that lay dormant in her didn't respond unless the call was urgent. Even then, Loke was afraid to use the power, afraid because she couldn't heal with her hands or with her lips, no she could only heal with her tongue. It was beyond embaressing but what could one do. "No No, I'm done for the time being. Don't worry, I needed a break." She smiled gently at Lexi and continued to toy with her hair, it just felt so natural to do that.

"Well I can find out if they made her fall, it's easy to smell the lies off kids. I'll go with you if you need me too. I'm sure West wouldn't mind. I'd just have to make sure that he is okay with taking care of Puppy while I'm gone is all. You just let me know when." Loke winked at her and leaned down to brush her cheek against Lexi's before smiling. "Besides, I'm a party animal. You bring me there and I can guarentee that Ginny will have the best birthday ever. Pink galore!"

She gave a wide grin.