Starring:
Summary: After getting the news about the rise in soma's popularity, Lachlan goes out and buys something nice and expensive for Cass. Lachlan likes Cass; Cass likes Lachlan.
Date It Happened: March 15, 2007
Savory Liason
Cass' Apartment
Late evening on a Saturday has many people out and about. Meeting friends, going out drinking, things such as that. And while Cass sometimes has plans that are similar to that, tonight is an in night. In fact, she's sitting at her kitchen table with her laptop open and a notebook sitting right next to it. A pen is stuck in her mouth and a look of concentration on her face while she types. Oh yes, Cass is actually doing research on a weekened.
That's no way to spend a weekend! Weekends should be full of drinking and fun and stuff. That's why Lachlan is here. He's had fun this weekend, and now he is bringing fun to Cass. Having gotten it through his head that presents are Desirable Things To Give whilst doing that whole "dating" thing, he went out and bought something, and then he paid someone to wrap it (because Lord knows Lachlan can't wrap a package to save his life). It is even something nice and not an ice pack! And he's brought booze, too. With a bottle of scotch and a present tucked under his arm, he knocks on the apartment door and then slumps sideways against the frame. Hellooooo?
There are only a number of people that could possibly be. Not immediately heading to the door, Cass taps at her computer's keyboard a few times before standing up. Plucking the pen from between her lips, she puts it behind her ear and then opens the door to find Lachlan leaning against the doorframe. "Hey there stranger," she smiles and then turns around so that he can walk in and close the door behind him. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"
What /usually/ brings Lachlan to this neck of the woods? He beams when the door is opened, and he of course enters once he's allowed. The door is appropriately closed and then he /double-checks/ the lock. Because it's never cool when people barge in on things, now is it? No, it's not. "Brough' ye somethin'," he responds, withdrawing the scotch and the gift. It's a small box wrapped in nondescript white paper with a simple white bow on top. A peering glance is offered toward the notebook and laptop in the kitchen. "Wha're ye doin'?" Porn? That's what the Internet is for, right?
Well, Cass does like asking, even if she's used to what the answer may be. She doesn't move too far. Realizing she's probably not going to get much more work done on her laptop, she starts to shut it down. "You brought me something?" Her eyebrow raises in a skeptical manner, expecting something much like the ice pack or similar. When she sees a little white box, the singular eyebrow turns into both raised in surprise. "I was just working on some virus and gene research and putting everything I've heard so far into my code." You know, the usual things people do on the internet. Curiosity gets the better of her, though. "What did you bring me?"
The moment Cass mentions the words "virus" and "gene", Lachlan's brain shuts down, and he nods as though in understanding. Right, she's doing That Stuff With The Important Stuff. His brain does not boot up again until she asks her question, and then he grins. "Well, I'm no' gonna /tell/ ye. Ye've gotta /open/ it." And so she /can/ open it, he tosses it toward her, then goes into the kitchen in search of suitable scotch glasses.
The box is not small enough to be something freaky like a ring, but it's got a similar makeup. Inside the paper is a plain white cardboard box, and inside that is a black velveteen jeweller's box — the square kind usually made for displaying necklaces. Which, of course, is what's inside: a simple thin gold chain with a small pendant in the shape of an open book, the pages of which are pearl.
Research certainly isn't why Lachlan came by and Cass doesn't really feel like discussing it in much detail with anyone. So Lachlan not really being interested in it suits her just fine. Pushing the screen of the laptop down so that the whole thing is closed, the store owner just manages to catch the box that's tossed at her, though she does have to do a bit of juggling in order to do it. "Well, I thought I'd try the whole asking thing first. Just to test you." She grins and shakes the box a bit to see if she can tell what it is before opening it. She can't. Carefully, she unwraps the paper, sees the necklace box and stares at in a disbelieving manner. She looks up at Lachlan and then back at it before finally flipping open the lid to reveal the lovely gold book pendant. "It's beautiful, Lach," she replies, stunned at both the gesture and the gift itself.
Glasses are found and scotch is opened. Lachlan does not notice the glances until he's spoken to, and then he glances over his shoulder while he's in the midst of pouring. "Yeah? Ye like it? Figured ye would b'cause ye own a bookstore an' yer smart." Ah, Lachlan, how simple he is. With alcohol portioned out, he heads back over to Cass carrying both glasses and offers her one. "Figured I owed ye somethin' since ye paid m'bail tha' last time." Grin. It helps that (illegitimate) business has been booming lately. Soma sells like hotcakes.
Cass gives Lachlan a grin. "I do like it. It's really beautiful." She takes the proffered scotch glass, but puts it down on the kitchen table. Pulling out the necklace from the box, she holds it out to him. Then, she turns around and holds up her hair in a gesture for him to put it on. "You didn't owe me anything, Lachlan. You didn't force me to come pay your bail for you. And this must have cost a lot more than anything I paid to get you out." It's really a good thing Cass has no idea how this was paid for as she almost certainly would not like it.
Lachlan wastes no time getting into the scotch. As soon as Cass takes her glass, he downs a good portion of his in one gulp — and then he's holding the necklace and confusion follows. Wait, this is /hers/. /She's/ supposed to be holding it and putting it on and stuff. But he manages to put two-and-two together when she turns around and holds up her hair, and it only takes him a moment or two of hesitation before he puts down his own glass and obligingly fastens the necklace around her neck. Then, because she's so conveniently /there/, he wraps both arms around her waist and rests his head on her shoulder, should he be allowed. "Well, 's no' just fer the bail, y'know. 'S fer other stuff too. 'Sides, now I've got an excuse ta look at yer boobs in public." See? He's doing it now. Hi, Cass' boobs!
Cass has no objections to Lachlan putting his arms around her waist or resting his head on her shoulders. She adjusts the placement of the chain now resting around her neck and then rests her own arms over his. "Aw, that's sweet of you. Though, really, you didn't need a necklace to stare at my boobs. You were doing quite fine without charm necklaces before." It's gentle ribbing, but she doesn't seem to mind the idea. As for the 'other stuff', she can't help but inquire further. "Other stuff, hm?" She takes this opportunity to turn around in the circle of his arms and face him and drape her arms over his shoulders.
Well … this is /true/. But now Lachlan has an /acceptable/ reason to stare. Yes. It puts a whole new meaning to 'trying to read a book'. When Cass turns, the Scotsman lifts his head from her shoulder and grins, allowing her to settle into this new arrangement. "Yeah," he chuckles. "Dinna I tell ye the other stuff?" The bookstore and smart stuff? Those are good reasons. The business thing, he'll just keep to himself. And again, it's quite convenient for him to tilt his head a bit to offer Cass a kiss, and that is precisely what he does.
"Nope. I have heard nothing about other stuff." Cass smiles and actually pulls Lachlan toward her with those arms she has on his shoulders when he moves forward for the kiss. It's quite possible that's exactly what the woman had in mind when she turned around in the first place. So, everything is quite to her liking.
Well, when women turn around and put their arms around one's shoulders, one does not tend to think they're after anything less! When Lachlan does break the kiss, he doesn't move far away. In fact, his lips still touch Cass' even while he talks, his words broken by more small kisses in between: "Said yer smart … an' ye own a bookstore … an' ye deserve it … 'cause yer nice … an' I like ye." Faint praise, sure, but not when one considers who it's coming from.
Cass seems to like these answers as the smile grows with each statement and small kiss. "You're pretty nice and I like you, too," she responds. Nice is really a relative term, but she does enjoy his company.