bday + catch-all for january!

[specifiercity]

JAN 08/OPEN

Arthur isn't the kind of person who makes a point of celebrating their own birthday. At 31 it's difficult to get too excited unless you're looking for an excuse to party, which Arthur most definitely is not. He treats himself to one of those expensive breakfast sandwiches and a gourmet coffee before he goes about business as usual for the rest of the day, though he has to hit pause on his work at Hillingdon a few times throughout the day as he accepts the routine phone calls from close friends and family congratulating him on making it another year, despite the fact that most of them don't even know what a high-risk life he leads.

In the evening he treats himself a little more, stopping into a few bars on the way home to buy himself a drink and check in with some friends and contacts alike, though he avoids any business-related discussion as he gets progressively intoxicated.

JANUARY/OPEN

The rest of the month finds Arthur doing a fair amount of recon on the state of Islington. He spends a fair amount of time in bars populated primarily by vampires, or by the kind of people who know what's happening in the Nest. He'd like to know how the election is going to go before it happens, but mostly he wants to know how each of the candidates could change the landscape in London. He's much more open to doing small jobs in exchange for information but he plays his cards close to the chest as always. If it's relevant he'll share with his fellow Hillingdon clanmates but for the time being he sees no need for action on their part.

Otherwise it's business as usual. His day job is slow this time of year, but it'll pick up soon, so he's using this time to stay on top of the goings-on in the Underground.

[This post also serves as an open post for Arthur for the month of January! If you have anything you want to do with him just hit me up and I can write up a starter! Otherwise you can use anything above to get something going!]

Comments

January 8th, a bar somewhere

[stauncherhearted]

It was Arthur's birthday. Nancy knew this, and had planned for it. A fine tie clip came into her possession, and she'd wrapped it in a small box and insisted she meet him for a drink.

With the box set out in front of her, Nancy sat at the bar waiting for the man of the hour, a gin martini in one hand. It would be nice to see Arthur again, catch-up a bit. Prove to him that she was still alive and healthy with her vampire boyfriend.

When Arthur arrives, she's quick to stand, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and a hug. "Happy birthday, Arthur!"

[specifiercity]

Arthur told Nancy multiple times she didn't have to do anything special, but he's happy to catch up with her nonetheless. He smiles when he sees her, wrapping his arms loosely around her when she hugs him.

"Thank you," he says graciously, smiling widely at her as he sits down. "I see you got started already," he adds after a moment, gesturing to the martini and looking around for someone who can take his drink order.

[stauncherhearted]

It's always good to see Arthur. He was handsome and friendly, and always made her feel safe. "Can you blame me?" She asks with a wry grin. "The martinis here are amazing. D'you want one?" She glances over her shoulder at the bartender.

"How've you been, love?"

[specifiercity]

"Couldn't hurt," he says, gesturing to Nancy's drink once they have the bartender's attention and asking for two in case Nancy wants another one.

"The holidays are always quiet for me," he replies easily, "but I like it that way." His casual tone implies that he really does, like he feels refreshed by the quiet start to the winter. "What about you?"

[stauncherhearted]

Arthur is Nancy's hero already.

"Good, I'm glad you had a good holiday, then." She settles back into her stool. "I did, as well. Busy- it was my first year having to do two Christmases, on top of Hannukah." At least Christmas and Hannukah were easy to wrap together. Fagin raised those in his employ with Jewish holidays, but he'd added Christmas for the others, that had come in late, to keep their traditions as well. The result was a lot of holiday and a lot of traditions.

"But it was nice." She smiles and takes a drink, looking at Arthur over the top of her glass.

[specifiercity]

"Good," Arthur says, smiling as he picks up the martini that arrives right then and taking a sip. He makes a pleased sound at the taste.

"Everything good with you and Cooper?"

That's his name right? Arthur doesn't sound judgemental at a when he says it, which is a feat since he's still of the mind that Nancy should at least carry some stakes around with her. Just in case.

[stauncherhearted]

She knows he doesn't like Cooper. It's a fact: no one likes Cooper except maybe Caroline. And she was quite sure they were all missing out, because Cooper was a good person who liked cuddling and had autographed Elvis albums and put up with her cat.

"They're really great," she says, a twinkle in her green eyes. "We're living together now, actually. He's been nothing short of amazing, especially with everything that happened to Midnight." The way she speaks about him, it's clear how much she cares for him.

"I love him a lot."

[specifiercity]

"Mm," Arthur says through a sip of his martini. He's not very good at faking happy, that's for sure, but anyone who's his friend by now probably thinks that's a good trait. They can trust he's never going to be fake. In cases like this he thinks of it more of a failing.

"Where do you two live?" he asks casually, trying to figure out whose territory they ended up in. Islington is the most obvious choice but Arthur would like to know for sure.

happy birthday jerk

[falsify]

It doesn't escape Eames' notice that it's Arthur's birthday when he texts him, but Eames doesn't comment. Arthur's clearly just looking to get laid and it's not exactly something Eames has any particular feelings about either way, so he responds in the affirmative since it's not like he has anything he needs to be doing so he heads over to Arthur's after a while.

He does knock on the door instead of letting himself in though, so there's a birthday present. Along with the expensive bottle of scotch that has a ribbon tied around the neck in an approximation of gift wrap. A good, neutral present that Arthur won't get weird about this time.

[specifiercity]

Arthur opens the door with a confused frown, unsure of who this polite person who knocks could be since it's clearly not Eames, but he smiles when he sees that it actually is. He opens the door all the way and gestures for him to come in; he's well on his way to being drunk but that's only obvious to someone with a keen eye for mannerisms, someone who's familiar with Arthur's usual smooth rigidity compared to the fluid way he moves now.

"Oh, you didn't have to," he says, still smiling as he sees the bottle of scotch in Eames' hand.

[falsify]

Someone like Eames, then. He is very familiar with the ways Arthur moves when sober or when he's been drinking, and he raises his eyebrows when he sees the latter on him as he steps inside, waving a dismissive hand at the comment. What's he gonna do, not get someone a gift on their birthday? Ridiculous.

"I know," he offers the bottle out to Arthur with a smirk, "be glad I didn't get you hair dye again."

[specifiercity]

Arthur takes the bottle and reads the label, snorting at the comment about hair dye. "Still haven't had to use it," he says, closing the door and following Eames in to his own apartment

"Should I get you a glass?"

Because of course he plans to open this immediately.

[falsify]

"Please," he takes a turn into the kitchen and leans on the counter while he waits for Arthur to get them both glasses. What kind of man is gonna turn down fancy scotch honestly> Not Eames, that's for sure.

[specifiercity]

Arthur takes out a couple glasses and fills them both a couple fingers deep, handing one to Eames and then raising his own in a toast.

"To not needing hair dye."

[falsify]

Eames snorts, bowing his head with a silent laugh and takes the glass, toasting with his eyebrows raised in mild amusement.

"To not needing hair dye."

[specifiercity]

Arthur takes a long sip, savouring the scotch and then sighing. "It's nice," he says, "thank you."

He knows why Eames is here, knows he wasn't as subtle as he usually likes to be, but that doesn't mean they can't hang out for a minute or two before they get to that. He leans against the counter and takes another sip. "Have you been busy?"

Random/Open

[knowntohisfriends]

The Artful Dodger may not be able to get served in most bars - key word there being most - but they're still places where he manages to get a good bit of business done. Like, on this particular evening, he seems to be acting in the role of fence on the behalf of the old gent with what he resides. He doesn't seem to be too happy about playing the fence, but he's standing half hidden in the shadows deliberately.

Because people always look to the shadows, don't they?

January Open

[outstandingbalance]

Natasha misses his birthday. Maybe bad luck on her side. It' not too much later when she runs into him, though, doing something not all that much different from herself. Since Jean-Claude took control of Islington, Natasha has been a lot more welcome in their territory. She appreciates that. It's nice not to feel at odds with the nest.

But she's too suspicious to just trust everything is as good. No, Natasha has to check it for herself.

When she sees Arthur out, when he sees her, well, might as well see what he's about. She joins him at the bar. "Fancy meeting you here."

[specifiercity]

Arthur's focused on a group in the corner who look like they could be up to some shady shit later on in the evening if one squinted and tilted their head forty-six degrees, so he doesn't even notice Natasha until she's slipping onto the barstool next to him. He's appropriately startled, which for Arthur just means his eyebrows are raised and he inhales a little sharper as he turns to look at her, immediately smiling at the welcome change in the course of the night.

"And you as well," he says wryly, and after a beat asks, "want a drink?"

He gestures for the bartender to come over. He's into the last third of his beer anyway, might as well get a refill while he's being polite.

[outstandingbalance]

"I wouldn't mind one." She smiles, a little apologetic. It's all she'll do to show she realizes he was surprised; figures that he'd rather not have that noticed anyway.

"Hopefully you don't mind me joining you? Just nice to see a familiar face."

[specifiercity]

"No, not at all," he says, shaking his head like it's ridiculous that she should even worry about it. He'd find a polite way to tell her if he really was busy or expecting someone anyway.

"Kind of a dead end night anyway, you're a welcome interruption."

[outstandingbalance]

She suspects that she interrupted work, but she doesn't push it if he says that it fine. Her night hasn't been all that productive either, all things considered. Which is probably a good thing; no news is good news?

"As long as it's welcome." Her smile is indulgent. "Didn't expect to run int you here."

[specifiercity]

"I could say the same to you," he says, having at least a vague idea on her feelings about the Nest. He suspects she's looking for information just like he is, though maybe more out of self-preservation whereas he does so in the interest of business.

[outstandingbalance]

"Have to go where the action is, I suppose." Her answer admits that she figures they're here for about the same reasons. "With everything that's been happening lately, it's hard not to be interested."

[specifiercity]

Arthur cracks a smile, letting out a soft laugh before he takes a sip of his drink. "Interested is a funny word for it. There are things going on that could throw off the balance in London for years. Any balance that was already here, anyway."

He wouldn't call the way Sylvia runs things very balanced, but it was better than what Harris did.