Oak Cliff — Outside of the Coleman Residence
Perhaps the most beautiful neighborhood in all of Dallas, Oak Cliff offers a panoramic view of both the downtown skyline, and the rolling hills of Texas. The area is surrounded parks and recreational facilities. The houses here look slightly older but are not suffering any disrepair, and the yards all seem to be well kept.
St. Cecilia Catholic Church rests at the northern end of the neighborhood. In contrast, the southern end of the neighborhood is a very funky, eclectic art district full of bistros, cafes, specialty boutiques and jazz clubs.
The dinner rush is in full swing, but in this particular area of town, the traffic is more pedestrian than vehicular. The sun isn't yet down as spring is springing and light lingers a little bit longer each day.
In an attempt to make each extra hour count before turning in on a somewhat uneventful Wednesday evening, Brett Coleman stands in the middle of his diminutive, wrought iron fenced-in yard, small whitewashed planters on the ground around him. Bags of potting soil is off to the side, leaning against the outside of the clapboarded house. There are flats of blue flowers sitting just in front of those bags.
A hammer is held loosely in hand, a box of nails at his feet, and he takes a deep breath before crouching down and checking the back of one of the boxes. He can do this.. right? How hard could it be?
—-
Well, it's not the sort of meeting Mignonette would normally attend on Wednesday nights, but well, it is what it is. The dark-coloured SUV pulls up just outside of the house, three of the doors opening. Alexandre steps out of the driver's seat, Mignonette out of the seat behind him, and that only leaves a familiar red-head to exit the car when she's ready. Alex moves away, giving the area a quick once over, before he steps back to help Migs gets some of the bags she brought out from the wayback. "Can you get the ones that need to go inside, Alex, and I'll get the other things." The much taller man gives the woman beside him a nudge, "I want a raise for all this schlepping." But he seems happy enough to help empty the back.
—-
Abbey steps on out of the SUV and closes the door behind her with a glance offered towards the house a moment. A soft chuckle escapes her as she hears Alex while making her way to the back to help carry to the house. "I think you may have been better off asking for the raise before agreeing to help Alex." This said with an amused tone.
—-
The SUV pulls up, and as Mignonette begins to exit the vehicle, Brett looks puzzled. Confused, even. "Ah.." Straightening up, the hammer still rests ignored in his hand, his head quirks.
"Ah.." Brett takes a step to the edge of the iron fencing, "Good evening, Miss Mignonette." He has a box of pizza off to the side, closed.. and probably as of yet untouched. "Miss Abbey— A plea—"
The phone rings, and he exhales, pulling the cell out of his pocket. Checking the caller ID. His brows rise in askance and looks up, briefly apologetic. "One moment, please?" Still, he won't keep anyone from entering his front yard.
(Directed into the phone) Brett says ""Hello? Ah.. Miss Summer.. Good evening. How're you? Everything okay, I hope?"
—-
"You already got a raise when they let you come here." Migs begins the walk around the car, but once she sees the expression on Brett's face, she turns back to Alex, "Alex, let's repack." The woman promptly turns back around, carrying the bags she brought with her right back to the SUV, and starting to neatly place them back into the truck. She doesn't make any attempt to listen in on the phone call, either because she's too polite, or because she's too far away to hear anything anyway.
—-
Abbey offers a wave an friendly smile to Brett, she sipping quiet as he answer the phone. A glance is sent towards Mignonette curiously as she goes about telling Alex to put the items back into the SUV. A faint ah escapes her. "Ah.. Did I miss something?"
—-
(Directed into the phone) Brett says ""Ah.. sure. Sure." There comes a pause before, "May I call you back, Miss Summer? I'm outside, and some friends just pulled up. Promise.""
—-
After the phone rings, and he's answered it, Brett's torn between paying attention to the call and the scene before him. Taking a step, he puts the phone to the side, muting it against his chest. "Miss Mignonette? Please don't leave." He pauses, and gestures with his free hand, "I have pizza?"
—-
Mignonette remains by the back of the SUV, and it's a good thing only Alex can see her expression right now, because the woman's irish, if she ever had any, is definitely up. Alex, for his part, seems intent trying to calm his cousin down, his soft french much more musical than likely it would sound in english. Finally, Mignonette does what she always does, and puts her game face on, before she pulls the bags, hers at least, back out of the back, "I only came to deliver Abbey, and to drop off some things for your planting." If there is a difference between Migs and Mignonette Savoy, it's certainly the latter that's approaching Brett's house.
—-
Abbey looks confused to say the least.. She thought all three were staying to help. A glance is offered back to Brett and she shrugs slightly. For some reason she figured this was all planned out.. Perhaps she was wrong? She clears her throat slightly. "Ah.. Well.. Thanks for the lift then Mignonette.. Alex."
—-
(Directed into the phone) Brett says ""That I did," the smile in his voice comes through, after some muffled words, "And I intend upon keeping my promise. We'll find you that vehicle.""
Brett holds a finger up, but opens the small gate to the front yard in advance of the approach. "Please, don't mind the wood. Pretty sure I got all the nails off the ground." So there won't be anyone getting nails through their feet. Not a bad thing.
Brett looks disappointed; he was puzzled to see her, but it doesn't last long. It's a range of emotions now.. pleased, confusion, pleased.. "Ah.. thank you. I.. really could use advice, if you're willing to give it." Which, she perhaps is?
"Miss Abbey.." Alex, he's never met yet.
"Stay, then, for pizza if you can?"
(Directed into the phone) Brett says ""I look forward to it." There's a pause, then, "Good bye.""
Brett clicks his cellular to disconnect the call and hangs up.
—-
"I'm certain we'll all watch our step. And I promise not to sue you if one of us needs a tetanus shot." Mignonette's voice is all politeness, perfectly set to match the expression on her face, "I thought you might need a few things. My mother swore by them. And they'll help you get whatever you're planting to grow well." Once she does step inside the gate, the turns, switching hands with the bags, to free up her left, which she waves in Alex's direction, "This is my cousin, Alexandre Benoit." There's some small amount of familiar resemblance between them, but it's the eyes that are the most arresting. They're an exact match in colour, his and his cousin's. At the introduction, Alex steps forward, his expression friendly and genuine, obviously not feeling any of the…well, whatever it is Migs is feeling, "Alex. Coco mentioned you might need some help getting them set up on the house, and she can't swing a hammer without putting a hole in something."
"I hate you. (M)"
"I changed your diapers. (A)"
—-
Abbey lets her arms fold in front of her while she curiously peers at Brett while tilting her head. "Well.. That is if you want the help of course." She points out while sending an amused glance towards the cousins and smirks slightly. "Well.. I can safely say that I /do/ know how to use a hammer." Well seeing how many tools she uses at the shop that isn't a surprise. She grins as she listens to the two cousins. "Amusing.."
—-
Replacing the cell phone into a pocket, Brett reaches forward to grasp Alexandre's hand in introduction, "Mr. Benoit. Brett Coleman. A pleasure."
Once the introduction is completed, Brett returns his attention completely to the ladies before him. Reaching for the packages that are carried by Mignonette, Brett briefly glances at Alexandre. "Coco?" Is he to assume that Mignonette is 'Coco'? "I certainly could use a great deal of help, apparently by what you've brought that I must need. Fertilizer?" He's appreciative, certainly.
Brett chuckles, "I do have a couple of hammers…"
—-
"Alex is fine. I hear Mr. Benoit, I think I'm still at work." Although, technically, when he's with Migs he's always at work, but at least, for the time being, he's in jeans and a faded, obviously well loved t-shirt, one of those silly ones with the funny words. His has a picture of a Navy battleship, and the caption reads, 'It's not an adventure. It's just a job." Migs is in a pair of shorts and a short-sleeved summer t-shirt, so they both look ready to work, "We might have better luck getting the boxes up on the windows, before we fill them." Migs hands over the bags, "Fertilizer, some rocks to line the bottoms for good drainage and some of those feeder sticks to put in to give them extra nutrients. And I am willing to stay if you need the help." Migs does shoot a look over to Abbey, but for the time being, she's quiet. Alex she can fight with, Abbey she can't.
—-
"I have to admit planting stuff ain't my thing..Though I'm willing to help were I can." Abbey offers while looking back to Brett with a smile. Well at least Migs has decided to stay. A curious glance is offered back towards Migs and she offers a smile at the look she is given. She then glances back towards the house glancing over it curiously.
—-
"Alex, then." And, it's assumed that the converse is also true.
"Well, I'm willing to see if we can't get them up and attached first. I actually got a support board up under the window." Tossing the hammer in hand lightly over towards Alex, Brett takes the bags. "Great." He smiles, "on all counts."
Twisting around, he walks them towards the house and puts them down with his potting soil. "I have beer in the fridge inside, too, when we're done. Kitchen is in the back of the house. Place is small, so it's not hard to find. Pizza's over there.." All the important things.
Taking a window box, Brett didn't get his answer regarding the nickname, but he's pretty sure… and there's a moment when he considers using it.
Better not, not until he finds his even ground. The way things are going, however, it looks promising. Brett likes the company.
"Miss Abbey, then you can grab a hammer as well, and I'll find a ladder, so…" He pauses, "Coco and I can fill the boxes easily."
—-
Migs steps back, as Alex catches the hammer and makes his way over to the house, picking up two of boxes as he goes, chucking the hammer into one of them, before he pairs them up one inside the other. Mignonette, seeming used to following along in her cousin's wake, reaches down to bring the nails and fasteners and such, walking over to meet them, "Better to put them up first, then to wrestle with boxes full of soil that wants to get everywhere except inside the box. (M)" She sets down her supplies, pulling open the nail box to hand a few to Alex, which he tucks into a pocket, "This shouldn't take very long. You done thing kind of thing before, Brett? (A)"
—-
"My brother is the contractor. I'm… not," is given in response to Alex' question, his tones self-deprecating. Brett's not too worried, though. "How hard could it be?"
Picking up the bag of drainage rocks, Brett follows. "It's heavier, too. But I can't help thinking that something should go into the box before hanging it up." He shrugs, "I could be wrong," he grins lopsidedly, "It's happened before."
—-
"Well, we can add in the rocks, that'll help us get them nice and even, without having to worry about them blowing away. But I wouldn't put in the plants or anything else. But that's just my two cents," Alex offers, as he moves to the first window, turning to wait for Brett to give the okay, before he'll start working. he seems to know at least something about doing handyman work. Migs is happy to stay off to the side, handing out whatever might be needed by the two who seems intent on starting construction.
