Wings (December catch-all)

[wolfmarked]

Mama told me not to waste my life
Department store, Havering, December 5th

"I fuckin' hate winter."

Skip isn't directing the comment at anyone in particular, no, but she isn't keeping the thought to herself, either. Every so often, she pulls out a hanger, examines the piece of clothing... then puts it back. She sighs, flicking through a few more.

"Is it impossible to find something cute this season?"

At an end cap, she finds stockings. Thigh high, decently thick. And in a few different colours.

"See, this is what I'm talkin' about," she says, cheerfully.


Don't let what they say keep you up at night
Jolly Roger, all December

"C'mon, c'mon, break it up."

Her voice was easy enough as she stepped around the bar, waving off the two who were about to start going at it. There was always something, but, well, around the holidays it wasn't hard to wave off people by reminding them about their families. After all, she wanted to get through this with as little drama as possible. Everyone had a little more to deal with around this time of year, so she could try to lessen it.

And, then, she looked up when someone came in.

An easy smile, a push of her hair -- just a single strand that had come loose -- and a remark. "C'mon in. Grab a seat, an' I'll get you a drink."


Then they can walk on by
Southwark, mid December

Every day of classes before exams, Skip can be found at a coffee shop down the street from the University of Art. More than once, she has a portfolio and pictures spread out on an inside table, choosing them carefully, as well as the order to put them in.

Every afternoon after exams, Skip goes to a little diner she knows for a cup of soup. Just a little something to keep out the chill. Her book bag goes down every time with a thump, and she always sits at the counter, usually without asking if the seat is taken or not.


And I can't hear a sound
for Nancy, December 14th

Meeting with Nancy wasn't an unusual thing. After all, a regular at a bar -- both front and back room -- and a waitress who now got to moonlight as a bartender would know each other. And two girls like them? Well. Skip liked having someone to hang out with. They both got it.

Today, she smiled as she came into the restaurant. Her treat, she'd promised Nancy. It was a decent place. Nothing too upscale but somewhere nice and cozy for them to talk.

"First things first." She produces a small little box, done up in green wrapping paper with a red bow. "Happy Christmas."

But it was Skip. Just doing something nice... wasn't her style, even if she didn't mean for it to be like that.

"Now. Mind if I ask a little favour? I'm looking for a Christmas gift for someone."


Walk, walk on over there
North Pole, December 19th

She isn't going home for Christmas. Skip decided that long ago, and her father made it official this morning. It's safer for her to have her 'flat' at her aunt's place than to be in the house with her father and brothers for Christmas.

So she gets to spend Christmas basically alone. At least she has Christmas Eve plans, even if she hasn't made the person they're with aware.

But that's a week away. Which is why she's at the North Pole tonight.

She has high red stockings on with white heels. Unremarkably, her skirt is short but full, red and trimmed with white fur. Her shirt has long sleeves, but it's also red and trimmed at the cuffs and collar with white fur. It's entirely sheer, and her shirt underneath is white and a corset top, complete with red lace sleeves just off her shoulders.

When she drinks, she doesn't sit, instead just leaning against the bar. When she dances, she's always looking for a partner. Anyone who looks like they might be playing wallflower is fair game to be pulled into the fray.


Your words don't mean a thing
Birkbeck Tavern, December 26th

"Oh, God damn it! You gotta be blind! What the fuck kinda call was that?"

Boxing Day means one thing-- sports.

Specifically rugby, for Skip. She's got a Munster match on one of the pub TVs. For some reason, no one wanted to argue with her when she started demanding it, getting in her one opponent's face even though he was twice her size. Since then, she's gotten quite a few people pulled into it. Though they've got plenty of other games to be interested in.

"That's what I'm talkin' about! Oh, c'mon! Don' just let him--"

Then, on a shot of one of the players, she grins to herself and takes a drink of the pint in front of her.

"Fuck. Still way too hot."

Comments

[youronlylaw]

"Well if it makes you feel any better I was sort of an accident."

He's not going to get into it and he doesn't think she'll ask considering the "no backstory" rule she has, but he knows she'd be able to find out if he lied.

[wolfmarked]

"I think a lot of turned wolves are." Sure, there were malicious bites and the ones who did it out of some 'togetherness' bullshit. But for the most part? She didn't meet many who intentionally passed on their curse except by blood. "But, hey, means you survived an encounter with a transformed wolf. Not an easy thing, y'know?"

[youronlylaw]

"Yep. I'm a badass."

He tries very hard not to smile as he says it and ends up finishing the rest of his drink to hide it. Hey, he can make jokes.

[wolfmarked]

Skip, however, does laugh. And give an almost wicked smile.

"And then you go an' decide t' be a lawyer. Lot less badass. Jus' sayin'."

[youronlylaw]

"Says you!" It's easy to just have banter with Skip. Anything that doesn't require much real thought is easy with her, which isn't surprising - she's a young girl and while he wouldn't call her easily distracted by any stretch, Skip has a tendency to avoid deeper thought.

James shrugs languidly; though he wasn't exactly a lightweight, his drink was making him loosen up a little already. It was nice.

"I was already in law school, it would've been stupid not to finish."

[wolfmarked]

"Barrister's still a boring job." She pauses, considers, then adds, "'Cept for the occasional assassination, I guess."

[youronlylaw]

Mentioning what he is not-so-fondly referring to in his head as The Incident makes James groan at the reminder and scrub a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, I guess."

He doesn't want to apologize to her. Because he wasn't the one acting like an asshole that night. He wasn't.

But. Good graces. That kind of crap. A necklace is almost as good as an apology but not the same.

"Sorry. I was being a dick that night."

Even though you totally deserved it

[wolfmarked]

"Eh, I'm blaming my aunt." Because, clearly, it wasn't her fault. And, well, he'd been shot at. She understood. Which, well, made it the fault of the person who'd told her to go over there.

"Nothin' t' worry 'bout."

[youronlylaw]

"Good choice."

She manages to work a smile out of his stressed face, though. Skip was always good for a laugh - which sort of made up for the fact that you couldn't rely on her for anything but a good time.

But he's also sort of...grateful. Because he knows she could have taken the whiskey and just gone and partied with people who wanted to instead of bothering to even see him.

She tried at least?

Even if it wasn't close to half-assed.

[wolfmarked]

In her own way, Skip had tried. Delivered the whiskey and offered up the only kind of distraction she knew. Or at least that she wanted to offer. Sitting and talking? Just made things too awkward.

That was what she'd done, drinking and sleeping around. Keeping her mind off the Accident and everything that had followed. She still hit it hard when that cropped up in her mind and she couldn't shake it.

"Glad you're okay, though."

[youronlylaw]

"Didn't get shot so, yeah I'd say so."

Okay as he could be, right? Right. Thinking about it made James crave a little more alcohol though, so he held up his glass with the hopes that she wouldn't smack it out of his hand.

"Can I get something a little stronger?"

He'd like this conversation to end in them both going to his place if it could.

[wolfmarked]

Skip leaned forward against the bar, arms crossed. Which was not at all done to accent what bit of curves she has. Mostly lean, but she has enough to work, far as she's concerned.

"Yeah? What's your poison?"

[youronlylaw]

Oh Skip. Don't ever stop being you.

Normally James wouldn't do something so crass least he fear his sisters descending from the ceiling to smack the stuffing out of him, but with Skip he got the feeling that it was more rewarding than creepy for his eye to drift to her chest for a moment before smirking up at her.

"Guess."

He wanted to know what she thought he liked. And he totally didn't mean to call back to their texting earlier that week.

[wolfmarked]

Skip smirked just a bit at the way his eyes moved, and she tilted her head back to show off her neck for a moment before she turned away, considering the alcohol she had available to her.

It doesn't matter that he can't see her grin as she snags a couple of bottles. She tips the Jäger and peach schnapps in at the same time and breaks off the pour before splashing cranberry juice into the shaker. A bit of movement to the music playing, complete with spinning the shaker in her hand -- just a bit of flair but nothing too extreme.

Then, she pours the mixture into a shot glass and puts it in front of him.

[youronlylaw]

It might not be anything too dramatic, but he - like anyone else who hadn't seen any bar-tending flairs before - was easily impressed at anything.

"What's it called? Or did you just make it up?"

He hopes that it isn't something that any adult would know about.

[wolfmarked]

"It's got two names," she says with a grin.

"First off-- 'ginger bitch.' But I much prefer the other one-- 'redheaded slut.'"

[youronlylaw]

...

Congratulations. You broke him.

James isn't sure how to respond at first. Mostly because it's completely ridiculous that something like this exists. His filter must have been shocked out of him, because the first thing he says is:

"They named a drink after you?"

[wolfmarked]

Skip just laughs. A bit sharp, maybe more than a little mocking, but it's still utterly amused.

"Oh my God. You poor thing." Because, well, come on. It's a staple. "Y'know I'm gonna have t' make, like, every classic uni drink for you now, right?"

[youronlylaw]

At least she laughs. He was terrified of her slugging him before splashing the drink in his face but ... hooray she laughed?

"Not in one night I hope."

James says it as an aside before he downs the shot and looks at the glass with no small degree of surprise.

"Oh, that's good!"

He's surprised, what a shock.

[wolfmarked]

"Blowjobs are great, too. Delicious and fun."

And the name is just wonderful to say and watch the reactions. Not that she acts like she's looking for that. Just keeps right on going.

"Kahula and Bailey's, topped with whipped cream. Pretty easy going down. But the big rule: can't use your hands."

[youronlylaw]

James' reaction must get in the top five at least because his jaw drops a little and he looks shocked like a housewife might. When she lists the ingredients his horror softens into amusement and tries to picture Skip drinking one of these 'blowjobs'.

It's not as hard as he would have hoped.

"That sounds like a mess waiting to happen."

It's impossible not to use innuendo after that.

[wolfmarked]

Skip grins, determined not to disappoint.

"Only if you don't have practice."

[youronlylaw]

Good grief. This banter was horrible. But he couldn't help responding. It was fun as well.

"I don't suppose you could give me a demonstration?"

It's the stupidest thing he's ever said. But it seems like the kind of thing Skip would like...

If not he's going to be getting more jewelry.

[wolfmarked]

Skip grinned wide and leaned against the bar again.

"You lookin' for a private showin'? Or feel like havin' more of an audience?"

...Is she still talking about the shot? Hard to say with her.

[youronlylaw]

And that was where James stuttered in place. If only because the question brought up ... rather pleasant memories between them both.

"...I suppose that depends on you."

He's trying to keep it going, but he knows his moment of silence might ruin it. Goddamnit. One of these days he'll keep up with her.