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.

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.

[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.

[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?"

[falsify]

"Business is always booming at this time of year," Eames says with a smirk and a long sip of his drink. Christmas is a great time for thieves. As is new year. Capitalism has been very good to him, he has to say.

"How about you?"

[specifiercity]

"Slow," he says, like it's a pleasant thought. "Tax season's right around the corner and that's how I pay most of my rent. It's nice not to have to do too much around the holidays."

[falsify]

Wow. That might be one of the most boring things Arthur's ever said to him. Eames blinks like he's forgotten what Arthur's actual job is and shakes his head, "right. I forgot you have a normal, boring job."

[specifiercity]

"I need one. I've only been alive 31 years I haven't had time to build a centuries-old fortune," he says with a wry smile. "Hunting's been slow too, guess everyone's too busy with Christmas to do much killing or hiring of bounty hunters."

[falsify]

"Maybe you should consider a life of crime." It's a joke, and he says it without an ounce of seriousness to his tone, but it works pretty well for Eames. And half the people he knows.

[specifiercity]

"I already break several laws a month; owning that gun in the living room is probably the least of it," he says with a gesture in the general direction of the aforementioned gun.

[falsify]

Eames laughs over the rim of his glass, casting a glance in the gestured direction because, well. Arthur gestured in that direction.

"Mm, not the same as being a career criminal though."

[specifiercity]

Arthur tilts his head at Eames, swirling the scotch in his glass. "I think I have enough adrenaline in my life," he says, almost in a long-suffering way. He doesn't get off on the danger quite the same way that Eames does, though he likes being close to it.

[falsify]

"Alright old timer," Eames shakes his head, more in response to that exhaustion in Arthur's tone than anything. He can almost imagine him in an armchair with a pipe and a newspaper, the way he says it, "you know where to find me if you suddenly change your mind."

[specifiercity]

He raises his eyebrows as he takes another sip. "Are you offering me work?" It would be a terrible idea for him to enter a proper business relationship with Eames but it's a fun thought.

[falsify]

"Only hypothetically." There's a touch of wryness to his tone and a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, gesturing vaguely with a hand as he shrugs a shoulder.


"You'd probably be decent at it."