(no subject)

[ghoulaid]

#1 I ACCIDENTALLY A WHOLE BRIBE (FOR COOPER / early june)
Ghoul is not usually the type to take an interest in playing legislative games, but after this recent shitshow of an election, he's decided to shake things up. The entire Council is apparently corrupt or crazy or selfish or unpredictable in one way or another- and you know what? That's fine. If the Council members are so quick to take bribes, then he'll find a motherfucker to take a bribe.

That's where Cooper comes in. Not because Ghoul thinks he's the most corrupt, but because he's the only one he's ever met at all. Cooper seems pretty okay for a vampire, and Ghoul figures it's easier to start on familiar ground.

Which is how Cooper ends up with a determined looking Ghoul starting off their meeting with, "I wanna get a law changed."



#2 THE SLOWEST SUFFERING (FOR LILLIAN / early june)
The talk with Cooper had gone all right, but this wasn't where he expected the conversation to lead him. He'd assumed the bribery thing would be a one-and-done deal, but no. Now he has to write up some sort of bullshit formal proposal, and it feels like every word he manages to jot down sucks a little bit of the life force out of him.

It's awful. There are even books (fucking books!) spread out on the table in front of him, because he thought a quiet, cozy picnic area in a park would be a nice place to think.

It's not helping much, actually. After a while, he abandons the small notebook he'd been scribbling in and directs all of his attention to his phone screen. The shit he's scrolling through has nothing to do with his project, but hey. It's fine. He deserves a break.



#3 FULL MOON: DURING/AFTER (OPEN TO EAST END PACK / june 9th/10th)
And all too quickly, that time of the month has come around again. This time, he's prepared. He remains in the den for the duration, spending the night in the basement with some of the others. Keeping an eye on things with the newer members, being a nuisance towards older ones- the usual, really.

Once morning rolls around, he drags himself upstairs to recover. Face-down on a squishy sofa in one of the common areas is where he stays for most of the day, sore and half asleep.



#4 HILLINGDON HOUSE CALL (OPEN TO HILLINGDON & HILLINGDON ALLIES - feel free to reply as though he's made it inside the building and is wandering around, as well! / mid june)
Ghoul has a ghost to check in with.

He ends up finding Hillingdon House without much trouble. The place isn't as big as he'd imagined it to be (that's what he gets for looking at it from the front), and it seems pretty normal. Still, he ends up stuck outside of it, staring with a pensive look on his face. What the hell does he do with it? Knock on the door like some kind of jackass? Just waltz on in there? Where a bunch of hunters are?

Comments

you brought this on yourself

[ghoulaid]

Shit.

Ghoul turns towards the voice, immediately bristling at the tone. He's not even doing anything wrong! ...As far as he knows! What's this guy doing getting all in his business and snapping at him for no reason? Ghoul scowls, resting his hands on his hips to make himself seem broader and more intimidating, because he sure as fuck can't make himself look taller. "City code enforcement, motherfucker."

There's a lot wrong with that sentence. The manner of dress, the incredibly unprofessional hair and tattoos, the fact that he is clearly an American. The willingness to call someone a motherfucker while supposedly on the clock... "Who are you?"

[specifiercity]

As if they don't have deals with every building inspector and bylaw enforcement officer that might come by. Arthur doesn't buy it for a fraction of a second, and his expression stays hard line.

"That's none of your business," he says, even more convinced that this kid doesn't belong if he doesn't know who Arthur is. "Who are you here with?"

[ghoulaid]

Well, then. If that's how he wants to play.

Ghoul meets Arthur's stare with a flat one of his own, lifting a hand and gesturing at the empty air next to himself. His voice is a near-monotone when he says, "This is Jeffery. We're very busy right now." Because fuck this guy.

[specifiercity]

Nope, not gonna humour that. Arthur keeps his eyes on Ghoul with the same flat expression.

"Yeah? Doing what."

[ghoulaid]

Ghoul rolls his wrist while he's still holding it up, vaguely answering with, "Oh, y'know." Stuff. Very busy businessy stuff.

"I got an appointment with somebody." He drops his arm back to his side, figuring that's explanation enough. "Are you everybody's cranky secretary or some shit?"

[specifiercity]

Ugh, children. Arthur doesn't need this in his life right now but he's already in and he really wants to know what this punk kid is doing in the house.

"Don't worry," he says, just flirting with the edge of a smug tone, "I'm way more important than that."

Which means you shouldn't piss him off. "Tell me why you're here."

[ghoulaid]

So Mr. Motherfucker is real important somehow. Great.

That doesn't stop Ghoul from rolling his eyes and sighing. "I toldyou, I'm here to see somebody. One'a your biologically disadvantaged members, or whatever your fancyass important name for 'em is." One of the ghosts. He's here for one of the ghosts, which means he can see them. "Don't I got a right to customer confidentiality?"

Well, no. One, this isn't his house and these aren't his rules, and two, he's not a customer.

[specifiercity]

"If you know the kind of business we do here, you know no one has a right to anything in that line of work," he replies, putting his hands on his hips and tilting his head.

[ghoulaid]

...Okay, fine. Arthur's got him there, and he doesn't like it. He makes a sour face. "God. No wonder Rorschach doesn't talk to anybody." Ghoul pronounces the name correctly, so perhaps that lends a little credibility to his story. "'Specially if everybody around here is as sweet as you."

It's just a smartassed remark- he already knows there are some agreeable people around here. Roddy and Daryl are pretty decent, anyway.

[specifiercity]

Alright, so it's Rorschach he's here to talk to. Arthur was beginning to doubt this kid could name anyone at all, which would mean he was snooping, and Arthur isn't amenable to snooping.

He's met Rorschach before so he knows the suggestion he's about to give is ultimately pointless, but he's gonna give it anyway. "You should meet him at the door next time," he says.

[ghoulaid]

Somehow, the way he looks at Arthur manages to come across as completely mulish before he even opens his mouth. "How am I gonna do that? There ain't a secretary there." Then he grins. "Want me to ask for you next time so you can get me all squared away? What's your name, chief?" As they've already established, Arthur's not a secretary. But it's stuck now.

He kinda looks like one.

[specifiercity]

Arthur blinks at him, changing nothing else about his expression.

"Yours first."

[ghoulaid]

Fucking wonderful.

Ghoul suddenly seems to be suffering greatly, and he blows out a long, loud sigh. There's no way Arthur's going to accept the answer he's about to get. "You won't believe me."

[specifiercity]

Again, no change. Arthur's heard a lot of names.

"Try me," he says.

[ghoulaid]

Ghoul shouldn't consider this a challenge, but he kind of does. "Fun Ghoul." He says it without even a trace of a smile. Zero bullshitting this time.

[specifiercity]

Arthur's eyebrows come together as he frowns in disappointment. Who named their child this.

"Seriously?"

[ghoulaid]

"Yep." Okay, now he's smiling. He considers Arthur's change in expression a victory of some kind. "Your turn."

[specifiercity]

Arthur takes a deep breath as he decides whether or not to lie. He doesn't really like too many people knowing who he is, but he badgered this kid and it would just be a dick move.

"Arthur," he says.