Unexpected Return

ARTS - Apartment


A lot neater than the studio, the little apartment is cute, quaint, and cozy. A tiny bistro set is nestled into the kitchen nook, only enough room for two people to enjoy coffee or a meal. Though small, the kitchen is fully equipped with a small refrigerator, stove and microwave. The room acting as the living room-slash-bedroom consists of a large futon, at least twenty pillows of varying colors and sizes, and a large comfortable looking chair. A small television and entertainment system have been set up opposite the futon.


The sound of a key in the lock downstairs and quiet footsteps heralds Trey's arrival. He's wearing jeans, loafers and a button down shirt is obviously made for going out, being made of a subtly shimmering weave of silk, light and eye-catching. He looks a bit pale and has an oversized hiking pack thrown over one shoulder and his habitually hauled around book bag over the other. He isn't -quite- sneaking towards the stairs to his borrowed room. More …proceeding with minimum noise.

-

Down the stairs runs Scarlett when she hears the key in the door. Granted, she's not wearing much being as she's just come from showering some paint off of her. Mishap down in the studio. So, wrapped in a towel with her hair flying wet and wild behind her, she approaches. "Hyde? Is that you? Sorry the door was locked I…"

Spotting her baby brother, she freezes halfway down the stairs. "Awww shit." Face red, she turns and bolts right back up the stairs to her room and slams the door. Only to appear a minute later with a tank top and track suit pants thrown on.

-

Trey blinks at the sight of the towel-wrapped Scarlett but that and a mild look of chagrin as his plans to quietly re-integrate himself into the household fail are his only visible reactions. He crosses to the stairs while Scarlett goes to get dressed and looks up them, as though he's wondering if he can hole up in his room and then sighs, knowing his sister too well for that. As she returns, he asks, in his usual precise, almost cool tone of voice, "Hyde?"

-

"Oh, no. You don't get to ask questions just yet, Brat." Scarlett twists her wet hair up, pinning it to her head with a plastic clip. "Where did you take off to? And why didn't you call? Do you know I've been worried that you were taken by that stupid vampire and eaten? Or worse. Turned?" The mother hen in her has kicked in fully. She waits for his response, then immediately goes to wrap him up in a tight hug. "You call me next time, okay?"

-

Trey starts to answer at the end of each question, looking more and more disconcerted with each one until he actually winces at the word 'vampire'. When Scarlett hugs him, he stiffens for a moment and then returns it with a back-patting 'there there' kind of gesture. Pulling back a bit, he says, "I left you a note. Didn't I? I know I -wrote- one. There was a last minute opening at a native traditions of the South West workshop in, um, Phoenix." He pauses a moment and says, "I wrote the note, I wanted to make sure you saw it, so I tucked it into that book about Georgia O'Keeffe you had on the coffee table." He blinks and says, "Oh." He walks back to his bag and rummages around coming out with the book and the note still in it, being used as a bookmark. "Right. The first chapter was so interesting, I took it with me."

-

Scarlett laughs at that, shaking her head. "That's alright. I wouldn't have found it anyhow. I really think that's Helen's book. You know how she is." The eldest of the Fontane brood rarely has time for reading these days, and what she has been reading is old family journals in order to try to better her abilities. "At least you weren't kidnapped or eaten. Can I get you something to eat though? Drink? How long have you been back in town?" She takes the book as she walks by him toward the small kitchen and looks it over. Definitely Helen's. "By the way, Ivan's getting married. Not sure if he called you to let you know."

-

Trey ponders the thought of food for a moment and says, "Ah. Yea. I'm pretty sure I last ate, um, at the seminar." Now that she mentions it, his stomach gives a little rumble to remind him that eating is good. His brows lower a bit at the last bit of information and asks, a shade dryly, "I take it her father owns a gun?"

-

"No clue, but she was in a psychiatric facility some months back. Rose Tyler? You might have seen her on the news." Scarlett opens the fridge, looking around. Chances are if she tried to cook, she'd fail pretty epically. "Turkey and ham sandwich okay? I'd cook, but all I really have left is lunch meat and bread. I need to run out and grab groceries. I haven't gone since before Vegas."

-

Trey nods and says, "Anything is good." He heads for the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water from the tap and leaning on the counter, looking towards Scarlett. "Is he, um, sincere? And is her family rich? Because, you know, it's Ivan. There's an angle somewhere." His tone is matter of fact and slightly amused.

-

"You know," she says, pulling out the lunch meat and condiments, "I really think he is. He was happy Trey. Like, ecstatically so. I've never seen him like that before, and you know all the messes I've cleaned up on his behalf." Scarlett shakes her head, and starts to prep the sandwich, pausing in that just long enough to take out the lettuce and clean a few leaves. "I don't think they're all that well-to-do. I know someone who could find out for us, but I'm loathe to call him." It's no secret in the family that Scarlett has issues with their grandfather. "Here you go," she says, cutting the sandwich in half. "You want me to remove the crusts too," she asks teasingly.

-

Trey rolls his eyes at Scarlett and says, "I'm trying to be macho here. I didn't even ask for the mayo in a little happy face." His tone is light at that, arch humor but humor none the less and that indefinable tension that was tightening his shoulders and neck seems to be fading as he smiles faintly, taking the sandwich with a muttered 'Thanks!' and digging in. The food grounds him and starts replacing energy he burned earlier. He's eating quickly but he takes a moment to chew, swallow and say, "I don't think investigating her is going to help. If he wants to marry her, he's going to marry her. And knowing Ivan, I'm sure she's both decorative and good breeding stock."

-

Ivan is shallow. Still, Scarlett can't help pointing out, "With a history of mental instability. You think that's something good to breed into a witch?" She starts the task of cleaning up the foodstuffs and then shakes her head. "I hope it works out for him, I really do. I just don't want it to blow up in his face. Especially since this is the first one he's seemed this serious about." Even with all her problems.

"Hyde," she adds finally, "is my boyfriend, to answer your question from earlier. You'll likely see him around. Just ignore the fact that he's an ass. It's a defense mechanism. He's actually a pretty great guy." If you have the patience to muddle through the surly behavior and attitude.

-

Trey sighs and asks, "Maybe any children won't get the gift?" He pauses a moment and adds, almost relucatantly, "Yea, I hope it works out for him too. If for no other reason than he'd be impossible to deal with if he didn't actually get something he wants." He finishes off the sandwich and licks his fingers as unselfconsciously as a cat then his eyebrows go up and he sighs faintly. "Great. Another alpha male in my life. Yay. Go team."

-

Scarlett makes a choking noise at the particular term 'alpha male' and covers it up by shaking around something in the fridge. "He's a mechanic, and he treats me well." No matter how he treats everyone else. "I'm happy. So don't blow it for me, okay, brat? He's been staying here while renovations are getting done on his house." She grabs a handful of baby carrot sticks, then hops up on the counter. "Oh, and if you run into Ivan and he asks? I got married in Vegas." Winking, she chews thoughtfully on the little carrot. "I didn't really, but I went through a very elaborate ploy to make him think I did. Think you can go along with it for me?"

-

Trey gives Scarlett a long, considering look as she talks about her boyfriend and then finally nods. "I'll treat him as well as he treats me. Or slightly better, if you insist. And yea, fine. That's a novel experience. Helping -you- lie -to- Ivan, rather than being an alibi for him." He finishes his water and asks, a little elaborately casually, "How good are our wards and stuff?"

-

"Don't expect to be treated well. I'll just have to remember to tell him my baby brother's crashing here again. He's got a jealous streak." Oh, does Scarlett grin at that. She won the bet without even trying, even though they didn't lock anything in stone with it. Hyde was jealous of that Texan in Vegas. "Secure. The shop maybe less so, but the apartment is good. I've got a few protection pieces up around the place too, so we're safe. Why? Worried about some girl you left in Phoenix?"

-

Trey shrugs and says, "If the Neanderthal gets too obnoxious, I'll curse him into a slug or something. You can still keep him." Not a particularly compelling threat coming from Trey. He arches an eyebrow at that last sentence and says, with an expression and tone halfway between amusement and exasperation, "Have we ever discussed my hypothetical sex life? Does anything about my bearing and demeanor this evening suggest that is suddenly a topic that is open for a rousing and frank exchange of ideas?" He shakes his head and says, "And, ah, no. I just wanted to make sure everything was, um, safe."

-

"Sweetie, he's a…" Scarlett chews her lip, and shrugs. "… a werewolf. Don't expect him to be overly pleasant. Especially since it was forced on him, not hereditary." Figuring that it's best to get that in the open and out of the way now as opposed to Trey maybe accidentally making Hyde angry and all, she shakes her head. "Hey, if Helen can waltz in here and start a discussion about her lacy underthings, you and I can have a heart to heart about a girl. Besides which, I never brought up anything about a sex life. I mentioned a girl. It's not my mind that went there." Tossing one of the baby carrots at him, she snickers. "Relax a little, alright? We're good here. If you're really worried though I can find someone to come over and ward the house."

-

Trey blinks and says, "Seriously? A werewolf? Can't you just be a unwed mother lesbian like all the other art dealers? You have to date a walking rug?" He sighs and rubs the back of his neck, considering this information for a long moment and then looks back at Scarlett. "He -seriously- makes you happy? I mean, like -seriously-, enough to ask your brother to put up with fur in the bathtub happy?"

-

"Kiddo, I liked him before he was a werewolf. I'm not going to up and leave him because of something that was done to him. That wouldn't be right, or fair, would it?" Obviously, it's saying something about the man if she's willing to stick with him through this. "And hey! Don't knock a walking rug. They're really comfortable." While that's bordering on the too much information superhighway, Scarlett shrugs. "He's human more often than not. Relax, alright?"

-

Trey holds up both hands in a chest-high, 'I surrender' gesture. "If you really want him, then good on you. And if he breaks your heart, we'll get the coven together and make sure that every flea and tick in Texas knows he tastes like apple pie. For the rest of his life." He shrugs at that and then says, a bit hesitantly, "And no need to, um, go to the extra trouble. I was just asking." Which is an almost pathetically transparent lie but one that Scarlett might know that Trey will probably not budge on, unless he absolutely must.

-

"Speaking of a coven, have you actually considered joining one? I've… sort of put one together with Helen, but it's nothing big. Not like Umbra. It's… well about four people right now." Possibly five if Ivan ever joins them. "I'll see if I can find anyone in the city that's better at warding than I am at my protection spells, okay, kiddo. If you're worried, I'm worried. That Dietrich vampire isn't bugging you, is he?"

-

Trey shakes his head and says, "Ah, no." He doesn't elaborate on that, quickly changing the subject. "But … sure. I'm actually better with a small coven. You know me and, um, large groups." Which is to say, social paralysis and invisibility at best. He tilts his head to the side and says, "Are we circling the wagons for some reason?"

-

"Considering how many witches I've run into since coming to Dallas? Just figured it was a good idea. I couldn't actually find a coven here, so I started my own." Just to get the better of their grandfather, but Scar is not going into that. "We have a potential meeting coming up. I can show you the location then if you want? For now, let's just work on getting you settled into your room. You can take Helen's old room. She moved out to the dorms."

-

Trey grins and nods. "Next step: Butterfly tattoo and a drummer for a boyfriend." His expression is genuinely amused at that notion and there is a hint of laughter in his voice. "But she's savvy. She'll handle it." He clears his throat, going back onto point and nods. "Seems like a good idea. Just, um, watch Ivan, yea? Both of you kind of expand to fill up a space but he's not going to pass up the idea of being the kingmaker behind a powerful group like a functional coven, unless love has -really- changed him."

-

That gets another carrot thrown at him. "You know, she did have a boyfriend a while back. Never did get a chance to meet him. Come to think of it, I think she mentioned he was a mechanic too." Scarlett grins. "Guess that runs in the family." There is a great deal of hope that Helen can handle the dorms. "I hope she can, but she knows she's always got a room here if she needs it." Worst case, she'll leave the two rooms to the younger siblings and go bunk at Hyde's place. No skin off her back. "Ivan won't join, at least not yet. He's grandfather's little man all the way. But we'll see how things go. I'm not pressuring him. I asked him, and it's up to him to make the decision."

-

Trey ducks, smirking at his sister and just nods dubiously at her comments about Ivan. He shrugs and sighs faintly. "I need to talk to him about something at some point, too." Yawning hugely he says, "I should sleep soon. It was a long trip. And I made the mistake of trying to be around people after three days on the road alone. And stuff." Which he apparently isn't going to be defining. He looks back to Scarlett, serious for a moment and says, "Thanks for the place to crash. I know it's kind of a pain but as much as I like to keep to myself, I'm not sure I'd do that well living alone."

-

"A pain? Trey, you know you're welcome to stay here as long as you want to, right? No statute of limitations, no thirty days. You're my baby brother, kiddo. Just tell me what you need for redecorating the room so that it's not so girly, and I'll see to it. I'll even repaint the walls and weave something protective into it if you want me to."

-

Trey nods and backs away from that scary emotional precipice as he says, "Any color will do. Going to buy bookshelves and cover the walls anyway. Warding spells might not be bad." You never can be too careful, his tone seems to imply. He stretches and yawns again. "And now, I'm crashing. I have a lot to get done tomorrow. If you need any help with chores or whatever around here, leave me a note or something." With that, he starts to head for the stairs.

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