Indecent Proposal

Alexandrov Residence


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chloe_icon.jpg mischa_icon.jpg

The Alexandrov house can hardly be called that at this rate; sure, it's a house — but not really a home just yet. But it's off to a great start. All of the rooms have been freshly painted and most of the furniture is moved in. The smaller possessions and knick knacks are still in the boxes however, eating up a large chunk of space throughout the entire house. Both the smell of fresh paint and a homecooked meal merge together quite pleasantly. The smell of the food is something spicy and perhaps Indian. Mischa has taken great lengths to prepare tonight's dinner and make everything…nice for Chloe. He's dressed casually though, wearing only an old pair of blue jeans with long-dried paint smudges on them and a white cotton tee.

The day has been long. Chloe's been on call after call, trying to get the list of new polls and statistics. She's been running around tracking down dry cleaning tickets and dinner reservations. The joys of being an over glorified secretary. So she's muchly not casually dressed for this outing. The smart business suit and high-heeled shoes aren't exactly the best for a painting party, so hopefully he doesn't ask.

Knocking on the door, she settles her cellular to vibrate and sticks it in her purse. It'll make enough noise that she'll hear it if she feels she needs to answer it and quiet enough that she can ignore it if she doesn't want to bother.

Mischa answers the door with a smile — and he manages not even to linger too long upon Chloe's choice of clothing when he opens the door, though heavens above knows he wants to. "Come on in and…make yourself at home as much as possible. It's not as comfy as the apartment yet, but I'm hoping that within the next few days it'll shape up." There's still so much to unpack - mostly books by his own admission. He ushers Chloe inside and holds out his arms in presentation. "This is it… I have my own dining room now too. Along with a bigger kitchen. Are you hungry? I made some chicken tandoori and naan."

"Coffee?" Chloe has never been a big coffee drinker. Until the last month. It's pretty much what her body runs on these days rather than blood. She does manage to kick her heels off at the door as she enters, then makes her way toward the kitchen peering at things as she goes. Finding the nearest chair, she slings her purse across the back of it then sits on it. The chair, not the purse. "It's nice. You're covered in paint, and need bookshelves." It's a bit awkward but at least she's not calling him an idiot.

"Sure." Mischa says. He has recently acquired a plush leather armchair, most likely where Chloe has settled her keister for tonight. He goes into the kitchen for a moment and waits silently for the java to brew. Eventually he comes back out with a cup of coffee for the redhead, sitting down opposite her on the sofa. "I'm building the bookshelves myself — they're in the backyard at the moment." Covered with a tarp and everything just in case it rains. He reaches up to scratch at his head before looking down at his jeans and laughing. "Oh, these? Yeah, it's from when I was first painting in here. Figured it would be best if I just wore something in not so great condition to keep building outside. Do you want to see the rest of the house? ..Of course, if you want to sit down, that's okay too."

Chloe draws her feet up underneath her to make herself comfortable. Temples are rubbed while the Shifter is gone. Just trying to push out everything she's managed to 'learn' during the day. Taking the coffee black she drinks it. Not caring that it burns a bit as it goes down her throat. Cradling the cup in her hands she nods. "Don't break your thumbs. I don't think Doris would like that." Then she takes another sip of the coffee, this one more measured and cautious. "I'll take a tour after. I've been on my feet since five this morning."

Mischa nods a little bit at Chloe's response as he reaches up to rub at his eyes. "Sounds good to me. I'm a little tired myself. You don't have to see it tonight if you don't want to…" They've spoken several sentences to each other and neither one is screaming. It's a good thing. He runs his fingers through his hair as he peers across at Chloe, then laughs. "Don't worry, I'm not going to break my thumbs. I have DIY books and everything." It's an attempt at dry, dorky humor. He smiles at Chloe a little bit and glances to her, taking in her business attire finally. "That suits you rather well— ..well, no. I don't actually think it does. I mean, it's just different, seeing you in a suit instead of a dress or something. Huh."

"I hate them. It's all image though, right?" Chloe shakes her head. "Between these, and the suit jackets to go with the pencil skirts, my wardrobe is business bland these days." Oh for the cute sundresses and shrug sweaters. She's uncertain if she misses the library more due to the clothing or because she misses the silence. "A do it yourself book? Seriously? You're going to break your thumbs, or saw something off. I know you Shifters and Wolves have a tendency to heal quicker than normal but I don't think that extends to limbs." The reason for the conversation not taking to the screaming? Chloe is just really too tired to scream.

«You're too cute to be terribly threatening…» Mischa doesn't dare tell her this, although he just did in not so many words. "I think I'll be alright with the book. Most of it's not very hard at all. Insert tab A into slot B and so on and so forth. I'm being careful, if it's any consolation whatsoever." Mischa gives the faintest of shrugs at Chloe, along with a somewhat sheepish smile. "Anyhow, Chloe. I'm glad you could make it. It's been…strange not seeing you around. And hard too. More than I care to admit."

"You just haven't seen me angry for a while," Chloe points out. She can be pretty darned threatening when she tries, though the vampires in her life think it's cute and would be more apt to just pat her on the head and chuckle at her. "How are things at the library? Has Doris grown horns and turned into a raging beast now that she's feeling better?" The coffee is lifted to her lips again and she finishes it. Which is when her stomach makes a gurgle noise. "I hate you and your ability to cook. I'm trying to lose ten pounds before the wedding."

Mischa shakes his head a little bit. "Raging beast? Not so much. I think that her brush with death may have actually scared her into being a little nicer to people." This admission makes him laugh at first. Then he realizes it's probably too true to be funny, and that laughter stops abruptly. "You may hate me, Chloe, but you never hate my ability to cook. Even when it is making you terrifically rounded." In all the right ways, too! He winks at her before he stands up somewhat reluctantly and disappears into the kitchen. After a moment, he brings her a fresh cup of coffee, along with a plate of chicken tandoori and a few slices of naan.

"She's being nice to people? My god, the library is doomed." Chloe shakes her head, looking for a place to set down the empty cup. "I don't want to be rounded. I have to fit into a slinky killer dress in less than a month. I don't want bulge hanging out the edges of it." In all the right ways? A bit self consciously she peers down at herself once he disappears, checking to make sure she's not actually getting rounder. Someone has image issues now that she's out in the public eye so much. Of course her concern is probably less about the dress and more about how she'll wind up looking for the rest of her life…

"That looks delicious." And yes, she does hate him for it.

"Well, not always nice. I mean, I've heard more than one college kid call her 'that bitch behind the front desk' this week. She hasn't lost her touch, but every once in a while I catch her giving someone an extension and the like. It's all very sweet really. She's the jerk with a heart of gold." Mischa stifles a laugh before he flops back onto the sofa and lets out a powerful yawn in true cat fashion. He doesn't watch her eat, mercifully. He merely looks up at the ceiling to inspect his paint job. "Thanks. I've been playing around with Indian food lately. It's just something to do…" Not like he doesn't have quite enough to do, judging from the sheer volume of boxes in the house.

"Extensions? Doris is giving people extensions?" Chloe shakes her head, tearing off a piece of the naan so that she can dip it into the tandoori sauce. "I'm worried for the library." There is a pause as she chews the food before she asks, "Have they filled my position yet?" Beat. "It's really good, actually. I'm not normally a fan of Indian food but this isn't awful like some of the curries I've been forced to eat."

Mischa shakes his head at Chloe. "No, they haven't hired anyone yet. I'm willing to bet that they're hoping you'll come back…" But he's already told them not to hold their breaths. She's got this vampire idea carved into her medulla oblongata. "Yes, extensions. But don't tell anyone I know, or else it'll get back to her. There's a reason I'm not having a housewarming party — I don't want Doris to foul up this house's chi with her evil banshee woman energy." Mischa shrugs his shoulders very briefly before he smiles over at Chloe. "Thank you, I'm glad you like it. I've been doing so much without accident lately that I'm beginning to think there may very well be something to your idea about me sawing off a thumb earlier…"

"I'm a telepath, not a seer," Chloe points out with a chuckle. She's silent for a while, just eating the food and worrying about the calories. When she finishes as much as she can eat she sets the plate down and lifts the new mug of coffee in order to wash it down. "Who would I tell? The big guy? I haven't even spoken with him since he said he'd look at my proposal to keep the library open later for the summer." Beat. "How's that going?"

"I think they're going to go through with it. They say that it couldn't hurt, so long as all of the library patrons with long canine teeth mind their Ps and Qs. I'm not worried about it — I mean, not worried about them." After all, Mischa's mind has been wiped once already by Master William Grant. And he's got wolves to worry about. He takes in a breath and sits up, crossing his arms over his chest. "I guess that since you'll be a vampire soon, I'll just have to make you whatever you want until then."

"It can't hurt, and most of the vampires that want to come in for books aren't going to concern themselves with a midnight librarian snack." Settling the mug of coffee in her hands, Chloe leans her head back against the chair. "I don't think you should worry about the wolves," she offers. "Eli's really not all that awful, and while I've not really met the majority of the Pack I don't get a bad vibe from those I know." She shifts her gaze away from him. "Mm. There's always Dahlia."

Mischa raises a brow at Chloe before smiling. "And what if I become a chef or something there? You'll still be eating my cooking. I had a meeting with the head chef not too long ago." One, which he has regrettably forgotten to follow up on. He reaches up to remove his glasses and clean the lenses with the hem of his t-shirt, looking at Chloe before he smiles. "I shouldn't worry, but I will worry regardless. It's my nature. If there were such a thing as shifter worry warts, I would have been one of those and not a cat."

"That's a gross image," Chloe says, turning her head back toward him to give him her patented 'look'. "You shouldn't clean your lenses on a paint spattered t-shirt, it'll scratch them." She may not have glasses like every other librarian she knows but she does know how to care for lenses. She's listened to Doris complain about it often enough. "I likely wouldn't eat there anyhow. From what I know they serve human blood and I'd much rather stick to the synthetic." Drinking human blood would just be gross, all things considered.

"Not if there's no paint on the fabric I'm cleaning them on." Mischa pulls his glasses on and looks back toward Chloe, releasing a deep breath as he watches her. "I've heard it's not that bad. Vampire blood tastes fairly terrible in my experience…" Where there would normally be a ration of complaint about the situation that Chloe got him into, there is none. Hurrah, mind wipes! Mischa reaches up to scratch at his head as he looks momentarily confused about something. "Right on the tip of my tongue…" he mumbles, before shaking his head. "Anyway. Hey, uh, Chloe… I wanted to apologize. You know. For last time…"

"Vampire blood tastes better than human blood." Chloe just hopes against hope that he doesn't ask how she knows that. It should be easy enough to figure out, but she doesn't want to have to go into explanations. "You mean where you were an ass and said you were actually in love with me? Don't sweat it. I wore the talisman this time." The anti-love-ribbon talisman that she got from Ivan. She keeps it in her purse now, though she doesn't wear it a whole lot.

Mischa shakes his head. "Not if you're a shifter, it doesn't." He reaches up to rub at his face as he raises a brow at her. He knew it was wrong to try to make an apology, and he's not sure where his logical train of thought should go next. He has several. None of them are pleasant. "That's not really what I was — well, yeah. But there have been several times like that. Chloe, if I were to suggest something weird, would you promise not to call the cops on me?"

Ah, right, the allergy. Chloe just nods. "To each their own. I don't suppose I'd like mice very much." She says it so deadpan that it's quite likely she's not at all teasing. His thoughts are easily picked up on, but like she's starting to do with the nonsensical babble from the women at work she's trying to ignore it. "That would depend what your something weird would be."

The shifter chuckles very quietly at Chloe's 'joke', though he merely shrugs his shoulders. "Can't say I think I've ever eaten one. Although I have eaten other undesirable things during my time as a cat and it never pans out well for my human self." He reaches up to scratch at his head for a moment before clearing his throat. "Before you turn into a vampire…one last fling. Between you and I. Since you never— we never got to…and it would probably help clear the air between us. I imagine after you turn all fangy, you're not going to want that sort of thing."

There is an extremely long moment of silence. During this silence, Chloe gets up from the chair finally. The mug is settled onto the table easily despite the fact that her expression is very tight. "Mischa, the time for that is over." It has to be. "Will and I are exclusive. He's never once cheated on me or done anything to really hurt me, and I can't in good conscience do something like what you're proposing." Would it hurt Will? Chances are no. Would it break the trust they have in each other, and show her to be unable to keep a promise? It would.

"Alright then." Mischa says, shrugging his shoulders a little bit. He looks like it's no real loss for him, though there's a flicker of something behind his eyes. Passion? Or indigestion. "So maybe that was the creepiest thing to come out of my mouth in a long time, but…" «Damnit, Chloe. I care about you.» "This is your decision. If this is really what you want, I guess I'll come to terms with that. As for us ever really being friends or anything again? You'll have a long time to think that one over. Chloe… I guess I just really want to see you happy." «Even…happy…me.»

"Try… ever." Chloe shakes her head, then turns back to grab her purse. "I know you do, but…" Really, there were chances galore and none ever acted upon. There was a shower even. Granted, a clothed shower where one person was nearly catatonic but still. "It is. There's no reason why we can't remain friends once I'm turned. The only thing that would be different is the lack of eating food and the allergy to sunlight." Really, that would be the only change. Potentially losing her ability, but she won't fuss over that too much. The last thought sounds unfinished, or partial. Stupid Shifter brains and being more difficult to hear.

"Yeah." Mischa simply says, looking mildly shell-shocked. His eyes are now far away. He's not quite sulking, not quite indifferent. He just looks deep in thought. Those fuzzy thoughts are not easily readable, however. When he sees Chloe gathering her things, he stands up to walk her to the door. "It was nice of you to come by when I know you probably didn't want to. Or even have to. So…" He shrugs his shoulders. "I'll see you whenever, Chloe. Give Bobby my well wishes."

"I'll come by for a tour this weekend." She should have time off then. Nothing scheduled on Saturday. "Thanks for dinner." Even though she sort of just forced him to feed her. Chloe shakes her head at the mention of Bobby. "Call him yourself. He likes you well enough." There is the fact that she could have invited Mischa to the wedding, but there's baggage there. A lot of baggage. The last thing she needs to do is potentially spoil her brother's big day.

Then, forgetting that she kicked her shoes off earlier, she heads outside to the car.

The poor shifter looks positively dumbfounded when Chloe says she'll be back. That was unexpcted. However, he recovers quickly lest he incur the wrath of the snarky comments, and grabs up her shoes. He goes running after her. "Hey, you might want your shoes back. They look expensive. Besides, if you don't take them now, I'm going to have to chase you all over town. So… alright, I might do that. Call your brother, I mean. Or at least send he and Hope something. I'll, uh, see you later, Chloe."

The shoes are taken, and Chloe looks at them. Expensive? It's not something she really thinks of when it comes to her shoes. "Thanks." Tossing them into the car, she nods. "That would make the tabloids, you realize. They'd go on about how I have a stalker." That is an outright tease, trying to push past the awkwardness of the outright proposition. "They'd like that, I'm sure. I'll call and leave the registry details with you later then." Then she slips into the car and prepares to drive off down the street.

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