Starring:
Summary:
After Jaden's benefit, Cass and Lachlan end up back at her apartment.
April 8th, 2007:
Sucker
Cass' Apartment, Brooklyn
After a night of yelling, dramatic entrances and Batman, Cass' evening of normalness has turned into everything but. Really, she should have known anything being thrown by Jaden Cain was bound to end up making her brain hurt. The journey back to her apartment was much less eventful. It involved no broken glass or angry words which should qualify it a success. Really, she's just feeling drained again. So, it's a mystery to her why she invited Lachlan back to her place after the disaster of the party. But she did, unsure of what to do with him as she unlocks her door and pushes inside - immediately kicking off her heels.
Why he's been invited back to Cass' place is as much a mystery to Lachlan as it is to the bookstore owner, but he's not going to question it. It's not like he /hates/ being here. He's not far behind Cass in entering the apartment, but having removed his bowtie and unbuttoning his collar on the way over, he's got nothing more uncomfortable to take off. Instead, he intercepts Bonnie, who has bounded off her resting spot on the couch to greet the two people entering her apartment. The Scotsman ruffles the dog's head and face fondly, grinning. "Think ye've spoiled m'dog," he remarks.
Now that she has those deathtrap shoes off, Cass is shorter again and greets Bonnie with an affectionate scratching and petting. She's quite liked having the dog around these past couple of days. "Me? Impossible." Once she's done petting her, she straightens and makes for the kitchen. "Can I get you something? I've got half a bottle of wine around here somewhere. Maybe some cookies. I didn't even get more than a glass of champagne at that party."
After a few more rubs and scritches, Lachlan straightens as well and heads for the couch, where he flops unceremoniously and winds up with a half-grown Irish wolfhound mutt doing her very best to climb into his lap. "Agh! Down." Normally, he wouldn't mind — but he's in a rented tux, and he'd rather not have to pay for it. Bonnie complies immediately and hops down to go see what Cass is up to in the kitchen. "Yeah, tha's fine." The Scotsman heaves a sigh and rolls his head back, eyes closed. "Think tha' guy was dropped on 'is head a bit." The comment is wry and grumbled, obviously referring to Jaden.
Rummaging around in the kitchen, Cass emerges a few minutes later with the bottle of wine, two glasses and a plastic tupperware of cookies. She would give the dog an idle pat when she comes over t investigate, but her hands are full. Setting the contents down on the coffee table, she sits next to Lachlan and pours out two somewhat sizable portions of red wine into each of their glasses. "Which one?" There are so many to choose from, honestly. Rearranging her skirt so that it won't get as wrinkly, she takes her own glass to start sipping from. "I know way too many guys who that qualifies for."
If there's some sort of jab at his intelligence in there, the Scotsman doesn't pick up on it. Wine isn't really Lachlan's first choice when it comes to drinks, but he at least knows that it's not meant to be gulped down like he does with scotch. He picks up his glass and also takes a cookie from the tupperware before settling back again. Bonnie knows better than to jump up onto the couch when people are eating, so she sits nearby and turns pleading eyes on both of the humans. Feed me? Feed me? Feed me? Cass truly has spoiled her. "The …" Lachlan gestures with his cookie "… Cain guy. Jason 'r wha'ever." He throws insane parties and he thinks he's James Bond.
It actually was not a stab at Lachlan's intelligence. Cass was just speaking truthfully. Running a bookstore dealing with the occult has made her meet many men who are cracked in the head. Unlike the uncultured Scot, the woman likes wine and sips at it slowly. Absently, she breaks off a piece of the cookie she grabs for herself and lets Bonnie munch on a piece. Oh yes, she has spoiled the dog. "Jaden?" The woman laughs. "Oh God, yes. He's certifiable. But he's certifiably helping me with my clinic, so I'm okay with it. As long as he doesn't try to turn it into some mad scientist's lab."
Since the cookies are peanut butter and not terribly harmful, Lachlan doesn't seem to care when Cass gives Bonnie a morsel. Or maybe he's just not addressing it right now. He rolls his head to the side to peer at Cass as though /she/ may be certifiable. "Yer really gonna let 'im help ye with tha'?" Personally, the Scotsman wouldn't let Jaden get anywhere near something that important. He might break some windows or something. After a brief pause, he adds, "Yer teachin' 'er ta beg, yanno."
Either way, it's probably a good thing that Lachlan doesn't know that Cass has definitely ordered two hamburgers and fed the extra to Bonnie a few times since she has been watching her. "Well, I'm going to let him help pay for it. And I'll help with anything within reason he needs help with medically. Or scientifically. I think he's funny. Crazy, but funny." She smiles and looks down at Bonnie. "I know. She has such a cute face when she begs, though. And I can't say no. So, really, it's just a vicious cycle."
Knowing full well that she's got Cass under her paw (and also knowing that she's become the subject of conversation), Bonnie scoots forward a little and lays her chin on Cass' leg, staring up at her imploringly with large brown eyes partially obscured by shaggy blonde fur. Her tail wags slowly behind her. Lachlan grunts in regards to the Jaden conversation. "Think he's a bloody nutter," he rumbles. Cass wasn't there in Elena's apartment that one night. She doesn't know the extent of Jaden's crazy. He finishes off all but a small portion of his cookie, glances at Bonnie, then clicks his tongue at her. "Catch." The morsel is tossed to the dog, who snaps it eagerly out of mid-air and returns to her entreating of Cass. The Scotsman takes a healthy gulp from his glass and sighs. "Tha's why she does it," he adds. "She knows yer a sucker."
Cass chuckles when Bonnie puts her head in her lap. Even if it's going to get dog fur on her nice dress, she doesn't mind. She'll just get it dry-cleaned - as she was planning to later anyway. "I'm not disputing that one." She doesn't quite know the extent of Jaden's nuttiness, but she can kind of gather from the few meetings she's had with him. Taking a long drink from her wine, she beams at the dog. "Guilty." Then, though she's talking to Bonnie, her voice is slightly serious. "I'm a sucker who just can't say no to a puppy dog face."
And thank God for that, otherwise Lachlan wouldn't be sitting on this couch right now. He grins a little, staring into the glass cradled between his hands with a hint of guilt, even if he's not really the one that Cass is talking to. "Yeah, well," he chuckles quietly. "Just means yer a good person, s'all." Then, just because he's being left out of the fun involved in begging, he turns his head to grin mischievously at the bookstore owner before he leans in close, head low and expression melting into an unmistakable imitation of Bonnie's. He even adds a whine to really strengthen the effect. Whiiiiiine. Time to test that theory about suckerdom.
"Mmm." Cass takes another sip of her wine and scratches at Bonnie. How can anyone say no to that face? "I don't know about that." She laughs at Lachlan's antics of puppy dog face and whining. With her free hand, she reaches out to put a hand on his cheek, ruffling that scruff that she likes. Oh yes, she's a sucker alright. Then, quickly, before she can change her mind, she leans in for a kiss.
Wow. Lachlan was just hoping for a bit of cookie or something. Not that he's /complaining/; he's just taken by surprise. It takes about half a second for this to change into reciprocation, however, and quickly, before Cass can change her mind, he scoots closer on the couch and places his free hand on the bookstore owner's cheek. Kisses are so much better than cookies (even if this one kinda tastes like cookies — and wine).
Much like before, Cass does enjoy surprising Lachlan. It's something she's normally good at. And the whole evening has just shown her how impossible it is for her to escape craziness that it's nice to have someone whose motives she knows. And while she can't exactly put all her trust in him again, she can certainly appreciate the support that he offers. Shifting toward him - sorry Bonnie! - there's an awkward moment where she tries to put down her wine glass on the coffee table so that she can put both arms around him. It takes her a couple of tries before she hears the clink that assures her the success of glass landing and then she wraps the newly freed hand around his neck.
This is perhaps the point at which some other guy attempting to rebuild a relationship would back off and make sure that this was all okay, that they weren't rushing into something regrettable — but this is Lachlan James Deatley, compulsive man of instinct. Were this /not/ Cass, he'd have the presence of mind to pull away and get the hell out of the apartment, but it's /Cass/. The gloves are off. Even when she tries to put her glass on the coffee table — and even when he moves to simultaneously do the same — he doesn't allow her to get too far away. He's a little more accomplished in getting rid of his glass, as this is not exactly something to which he's a stranger, and once his hands are freed, he wraps Cass up tightly in his arms. Nope, no clear motives here. Not at /all/.
This all works just fine with Cass. She's had enough with talking and dissecting everything the past couple of days. It's good to simply just be acting rather than reacting. Or talking about reacting. Or talking about plans and clinics and what they should do about the end of the world. This requires no thinking on her part and that's quite nice. Returning his kisses fiercely, she shifts so that her skirt doesn't get twisted up as she easily melts into his arms.