2007-02-25: Someone's In My Pockets

Starring:

Cass_icon.gif Lachlan_icon.gif

Summary:

Still under the effects of Eliana's drugs, Cass takes Lachlan back to her store for company…but also to corner him about the strange necklace he has. A very unsuccessful attempt of pickpocketing leads to explanations. Sort of.

Date It Happened: February 25th, 2007

Someone's in My Pockets


Enlightenment Books

The evening has turned out to be cosmically strange for Cass. Go to meet a friend at a dive bar, see strange symbol involved in a murder case, get drugged, take home strange Scotman that she has just met. It's a short cab ride from the bar to Enlightenment Books but in that time, Cass has managed to clear at least /some/ of her head now that Eliana isn't nearby pumping happy drugs into the air. Realizing that it's probably a bad idea to take a man she doesn't know /home/ she takes him to her store. This is a strangely perfect opportunity to question him about the necklace without interruption. Or something. Unfortunately, her mind still isn't completely focused. It's still half clouded by drugs and a strange desire to be close to someone. Tossing money at the cab driver, she unlocks the door to the store and pulls Lachlan inside, purposefully a little strong so that he may come in for a kiss.

Apartment, book store, park bench — it doesn't matter to Lachlan. He's happy to go wherever, and even with his head half-bandaged, he's definitely not going to pass up the opportunity to take a little extra step into Cass' pulling and go for that kiss. It may not be the smoothest action in the world, thanks to his slightly inebriated and drug-hazed state, but hey, it gets the job done. He ought to find Eliana and thank her later! Once he breaks away from the kiss, he glances up and around at his surroundings, giving them a quick once-over. Oh. Books. "This yer store, then?" he inquires in a manner that indicates he really doesn't care all that much. He's probably trying to figure out which would be the choicest place to finish off the evening.

Cass is trying to focus while kissing at the same time. Sure, it's awkward and woobly due to both of their states plus bandages, but it does feel nice. There's some reason why she brought him here, right? Once the kiss is broken, it gets a little easier to think. She closes the door and locks it, leaning against the cool glass for support. "Yup. This is it. Books, shelves, counter and all." Watching him take in everything, she takes another deep breath of clear air. She's never really done anything like intrigue before and she's not sure where to start. "So…what is it that you do?"

Right now, there are a few things Lachlan would /like/ to do, and talking isn't high on that list. Having satisfied his curiosity about the layout of the shop, he turns when the door is closed and leans against it with forearms against the glass above Cass' head. This allows him to get in nice and close, but he doesn't move in for another kiss just yet. She asked a question! "'M a dog trainer," he replies with a grin. He seems to have a higher tolerance for the airborne drug than she does (it helps that he wasn't hit with as powerful a dosage); his mind works quite clearly and rationally — or as clearly and rationally as it usually is, at any rate.

Cass doesn't move from her leaning position against the door. After all, she doesn't need to once Lachlan comes closer. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she gently tugs him in a little more. "I like dogs." Her grin matches his own. Close but not kissing isn't quite close enough, so she tilts her face up to fix that error. Slowly but surely, Cass is working out a plan. Sort of.

If Cass has got some sort of plan going on, Lachlan remains wholly oblivious. It's hard to concentrate when one is so wonderfully preoccupied. It doesn't appear that the Scotsman is big on ending this kiss anytime soon, either, as one hand slips down from the door to cup the side of Cass' face. As far as he's concerned, talking's finished.

Cass is trying to remember where Lachlan stashed that necklace. It was in his pocket, but which one? The memory is hazy and it's important that she remembers. Just searching through each of his pockets would not exactly go over well. She may only have one chance to snatch it. Running her right hand up to pull Lachlan in closer, she slowly but surely reaches her left into the Scot's jacket pocket. As carefully as she can possibly be, she roots around until fingers grasp onto the leather cord signifying she's got the necklace. Success! Now to make a grand exit. In the same manner, she starts to pull the necklace out of the jacket so that she can slip it into her pocket. Unluckily for her, that's not all she's got a handful of. She's also got part of the pocket lining. So, when she starts pulling the rest of the pocket starts to comes with.

Pulling and tugging on clothing isn't an unusual thing in these sorts of situations, so Lachlan is blissfully ignorant (or just doesn't seem to mind) the rummaging around in his jacket pocket. However, when that hand withdraws and starts taking pocket lining with it, that sends up a few red flags in the Scotsman's head. Mrr? He brings an abrupt end to the kiss to turn his head and glance down at … Cass' hand pilfering /his/ ugly necklace. /Hey!/ His own hand snaps down immediately to grab hers by the wrist, and he frowns in great displeasure at her. "The bloody hell d'ye think yer doin'?" he demands, though his voice does not sound so much angry as surprised.

Cass keeps Lachlan deeply locked in kisses during her search and retrieval session. Her heart's beating about a million miles a minute, but that's not unusual when so involved, either. When the necklace hits a snag, she tries not to frown into the current liplock she holds, however the abrupt break of the kiss and he looks down to see her attempted theft. She doesn't have any time to try and snatch her hand away, as it's already pretty well stuck in his pocket with the necklace. She's the proverbial kid with the hand in the cookie jar. Only it's a pocket jar. Or something. Her wrist grabbed and faced with a demanding Scot, she flushes an even deeper red than she was before from their kissing. "I…uh…" she doesn't really have an explanation, and she can't really think of a convincing lie for the situation. So, she decides not to explain and launch right into it. Despite her blushing, her voice is mostly steady and authoritative. "I need to know everything you know about this necklace."

Ugh. More talking! Lachlan shakes his head slightly, grinning again, but he doesn't release Cass' wrist. Instead, he slides his hand down hers, keeping his grip firm with the intention of stripping the necklace from her fingers and tucking it back into his pocket, all in one movement. "If ye wanted tha', all ye had ta do was ask, darlin'," he snickers. "Dunno much 'bout it 'cept wha' I tol' ye in the pub. The woman who had it dinna know why she had it, an' it came with a knife — bloody wicked thing, too." But he left that at home.

Stealing a knife is a lot harder without cutting off a finger, so Cass is glad that was left at home. "Yeah, well, I was hoping there wouldn't need to be much asking about it. My life of crime is over before it began." When he attempts to take the necklace back, she frowns and is reluctant to give it back. But, he's got a pretty firm grip on her wrist and it makes it hard to hold onto it or fight back. "But that doesn't make any sense. You said she didn't know where she was or anything. Was she sleepwalking or something?"

"Ahhh." Lachlan's eyes move upward and narrow in thought as he stuffs the necklace back into his pocket before returning his arm to the spot above Cass' head. "Nah, she was awake. Like I said, she was talkin' onna phone — " or he /thinks/ she was, anyway. She had the phone to her ear! " — but she was actin' real weird, like she wasna all there. Dinna seem ta snap outta it 'til I grabbed 'er. Scared the piss outta 'er; she dropped 'er phone. Dinna seem ta know why 'r where she got the pressie — which is funny, yanno, b'cause I saw 'er pull it out from under the bridge. Said it wasna 'er birthday." He's still under the influence of alcohol, the way his tongue is so loose. Or maybe he just likes recounting such things.

Either way, it's fine by Cass. As long as she can get some information, she'll be happy. "So…wait, she didn't know where she was or what she had been doing? You're sure she wasn't just lying to you for some reason to cover it up? Could you hear what she was talking about?" When he returns his hand by her head, she doesn't flinch or move. While now that he's close and she doesn't have to try and distract him so she can get a handle on the necklace, she's also got her back against the door. He can't leave until she moves. Strategic placement. Less worried about him leaving, now, she's more interested in trying to puzzle this out. It's weird, no doubt about it.

After another moment to consider, Lachlan shakes his head. "Nah, couldna hear anythin'. Dunna think she was lyin'; no' the way she was actin'." He pauses again, thinking hard, trying to recall everything from that day. He's played the details over and over in his head before trying to figure things out, so it's a pretty vivid image. "Yanno, the name on 'er phone was 'Unknown', an' there was another name on it — JBSoupa? JP S-somethin'." He can't seem to pull the exact name up, likely due to the Scotch.

Cass frowns, thinking that over, some. "Hmm. So it was like she was hypnotized or something? Just, snap, back to normal with no idea where she was or how she got there? I'd say it was a drug if you could snap back to consciousness like that." The addition of the name is a welcome breakthrough, though. If he could remember it exactly. "JB or JP? Soupa? What kind of name is that? It sounds like a sandwich shop or something." She sighs, a little frustrated by the dead end.

The strain of trying to recall the exact name finally pays off. "Sousa!" Lachlan blurts it out, hitting the door lightly with the side of his fist as it finally comes back. "JPSousa. Tha's wha' it was." He grins, happy to have remembered, but it soon fades into a curious, almost guarded frown as he looks at Cass once again. "Why're ye so interested? Ye know somethin'?" Information goes both ways.

"JPSousa." Cass repeats the name in an effort to commit it to memory. That's something she's definitely going to want to remember. "That still doesn't really sound like a name. More of one than Soupa, I guess." At this point she's all but talking aloud to herself, her eyes shift down to the floor while she thinks. Lachlan's question makes her look up quickly. Shrugging, now's when she attempts to duck out from between his arms. All of the sudden he's too close for her. "Well, now I know a name and something about birthday presents," she responds flippantly.

Hey, wait a minute! When Cass starts to move away, Lachlan is rather shocked. Wasn't there … with the kissing and stuff? A minute ago? Kissing? Buh? One arm shoots out to attempt to snag the bookstore owner around the waist. "Nah, nah, nah," he grunts, grinning and shaking his head, "yer way too bloody interested ta just be wantin' a good story. Ye know somethin'."

It's awkward trying to maneuver from underneath Lachlan's arms and she attempts to, her foot catches on his and she pitches forward slightly. It's both lucky and unlucky for her that as she's trying to get away he's trying to keep her closer because him grabbing her by the waist ensures that she doesn't fall. However, now he's got a hold on her. She frowns, putting her hands over his and then attempts to peel them off of her. "I know a thing or two." She thinks for a moment and turns around to face him. "Let me borrow the necklace and the knife." After a quick pause, she adds an addendum on to that as she remembers her manners. "Please."

Even if the request is a polite one, Lachlan still finds it funny. His eyebrows shoot up in disbelief, as do the corners of his lips, giving him an expression akin to one he would wear if Cass asked him to jump off a bridge. "Wha' makes ye think I'd do somethin' like tha'?" he snorts, keeping at least one hand firmly anchored around her waist (the left one is easily peeled off, thanks to its bandaged and still-sore state). "They're mine, an' b'sides I dinna bring the knife." His grin becomes a more lewd sort of look when he adds, "Ye'd have ta come ta m'place ta get it."

Cass understands it's an odd request, but she's not backing down from it. In fact, her expression finally starts turning back into a good-natureed smile. "Because I'm cute?" She couldn't help herself with that one, but then, in a more serious nature, she continues. "Plus, they're not really yours. They're whoever that lady was who was talking on the phone." The lewd grin is met with her smile fading into pursed lips. "Look, I think they could help a friend of mine."

Sadly, Lachlan isn't the noble sort. The fact that it would help one of Cass' friends means absolutely nothing to him. However, he's also always been a bit of a sucker when it comes to requests from pretty women — or, rather, pretty women who seem like they're going to give him something in return. The good-natured smile wins points! — and then it fades away. Hff. "They could help me too, yanno. Looks like they're worth somethin' ta someone." In other words: what's in it for me?

Oh, it's hard not to like this one, isn't it? Cass' pursed lips return to a neutral expression. "Well, that's why I said borrow. They can help me and then you can do what you want with them." She looks down at the hand still around her waist and mentally keeps herself from stepping backwards to dislodge him. Of course she understands what that he's really asking for something in return, but she doesn't really know what he'd want for it. "Look, what do you want in exchange for me borrowing those things for a day or two?"

If it wasn't obvious before, Lachlan's intentions should be quite plain now that the lewd grin has returned. C'monnnn! "S'no' obvious?" he chuckles. His other hand goes out to rest on the other side of Cass' waist, just to drive the point home.

"Wow. You are a horrible human being." Cass was expecting money or something of the like to pay him off. Now she does take a step backwards, attempting to pull away from him and those hands on her waist. "I'm not going to /sleep/ with you so I can /borrow/ something that I plan on returning. Making out with you was fine because I almost got the necklace and despite your despicableness, you have a really great accent. But, seriously? This is how you get girls? You get them vulnerable and then try and sucker them into taking their clothes off? That's ludicrous."

Yeah, he should've figured Cass was one with /morals/, God. Can't blame a Scot for trying. Lachlan doesn't resist or make an attempt to stop her when she pulls away, and he in fact withdraws his hands to raise them above his shoulders, palms turned out placatingly. He's grinning and laughing quietly. "A'righ', a'righ'," he acquiesces, "if ye wanna be tha' way, a'righ'. Was only teasin'." No. No, he wasn't. Really. He drops his hands to his sides with a sigh, then brings one up to rub at the part of his jaw that isn't bandaged. "A'righ', tell ye wha': 'll bring 'em by t'morrow, but ye gotta tell me wha' ye find out." He's rather curious about this whole affair as well, and he /did/ promise Ling some information.

Clearly, Cass can blame the Scot for trying. Now that he's no longer trying to hold onto her again and staying where he is, she doesn't back up any more. Instead, she crosses her arms in front of her and studies him when he acts sheepish. It doesn't look like she's really buying it, but all she'll really say on the subject is, "Right." She's already said her piece on that and she won't push it further because she's finally getting what she wants. "Alright. That's fair. I'll tell you what I find out when I give them back."

"A'righ', then." That seems to resolve things. Now that the effects of Eliana's gas and the Scotch are starting to wear off, Lachlan's starting to really feel his fractured face and is beginning to regret not popping any painkillers before heading to the pub. He should go home and fix that. "'ll drop by in the mornin', then. When d'ye open?"

"Alright," Cass repeats. The drugs and small amount of alcohol that she had long ago wore off. "I open at 11. I'll be here at about 10:30, though, if you want to be here earlier. I don't want to ruin your day or something." Unwinding one of her arms from being crossed in front of her, she holds it out expectantly with her eyebrows raised. Finally, a smile starts to form on her face. She wants the necklace now. "Just so I know you'll be back."

Now /there's/ a dilemma. Lachlan stares at Cass' hand a moment, one eyebrow raised, then he glances at her face, then back to her hand. Hmm. After a moment's consideration, he reaches into his pocket and withdraws the necklace. This is held up briefly for Cass to see, as though to prove that it's the real thing, before it's dropped into her open palm. "Ye take care o' yerself now," he remarks in parting as he turns toward the door. "'ll see ye in the mornin'."

Cass's fingers close around the necklace and keeps a firm grip on it. Then, she follows Lachlan to the door so that she can unlock it. "You too. See you in the morning." In a moment of reverse chivalry, she holds the door open for him. A ghost of a smile lingers on her face. "Night."

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