Barry's Old Warehouse, Warehouse District, Monday Afternoon

[spin_kick_snap]

All of Kathy's cleaning yesterday had paid off and the warehouse was much more livable today. All the broken furniture had been tossed, though very little had been moved in to replace it, and everything that could be swept, scrubbed, or tidied had been. Kathy had ended up crashing up in the loft in a nest of pillows and blankets that she'd managed to scrounge from various stores around the island and Ikea. The loft itself was more of an open platform jutting out from a wall than a proper room, so Kathy hadn't even tried to make it resemble a bedroom. If anything, it was a colorful blanket fort with two hammocks strung in the corners. It was truly ridiculous, but she loved it. She'd also destroyed the stairs leading up to loft, replacing it with a knotted rope that dangled from the ceiling all the way to the floor. Eventually, she'd add a ladder and some kind of pulley system to help get other people up, but last night she'd slept more soundly than she had since Mexico, up in the air where nothing could get to her.

This morning had involved a run to JGoB's for frosted cranberry scones slathered with creamy honey-butter and now she was wandering the warehouse, debating how much furniture she'd actually need to replace and where it would all go while waiting for Dante to show up with the hair dye.

Not a bad Monday, overall.

[For the guy mentioned but also open!]

Comments

[rebelseekspizza]

"I was thinking about just throwin' a big one on Thursday," Dante said, making short work of the rest of the pizza.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Want another one?" Kathy asked, nodding towards his empty hand. "And--what, a party specifically for Ada? Or, like, all the graduating seniors?"

She had a moment where she thought about the party Dante might have thrown for her, if she hadn't been such a fool, and quickly shook that thought away.

[rebelseekspizza]

"For everybody," Dante agreed. "And I can always do more pizza."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy hit the buttons again, asking for several slices for him and a couple for herself, though hers lacked the pepperoni.

"Gonna get something ridiculous for Anders?" she asked. Then, a little more shyly, offered, "If you didn't already have something in mind, we could try to come up with something together?"

[rebelseekspizza]

"...Hadn't even thought about presents," Dante admitted, his mouth quirking. "We can co-give if you've got ideas, though."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Oh, so only if I've got ideas huh?" Kathy teased, eyebrow up. "I see how it is."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante shrugged. "I like to stick to the gift of coming. A lot."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Don't expect presents from Dante Claus under the tree," Kathy said. "Got it. Better than the 'my presence is a present' that I was half-expecting."

She frowned. "Usually I'm really good at presents. I get them, like, months in advance to make sure they're perfect and well-wrapped and all that stuff. This year, I've been a little less on the ball about that stuff."

Had she even gotten Anders a birthday present this year? She couldn't remember. She'd gotten him the staff and t-shirts last year, but now she couldn't even remember if she'd seen him on his birthday.

"I'm only eight--nineteen and I have the memory of a sieve."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante shrugged. "Your priorities are different," he said. "No shame in that. Anyway, it's Anders. Get him a toy for the cat and he'll be good."

He'd gotten a massive cat tree. Oops.

[spin_kick_snap]

But tooooootally didn't do presents.

Kathy wrinkled her nose. "Even discounting the fact that I know your cats are already spoiled at hell...I dunno. That just seems--too easy." She couldn't really explain it well, so she just waved it away. "I'll think about it more and if I come up with something good, I'll see if you want in."

[rebelseekspizza]

"All right," Dante said. "Just get your pretty ass to the party either way?"

[spin_kick_snap]

"Ain't a party till I walk in?" Kathy asked, lips quirking. "I suppose I can make time in my busy schedule of 'not much' to go to your party."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Just make sure to wear something skimpy," Dante said. "Make the seniors see what they're missing."

[spin_kick_snap]

"And here I was thinking this would be an excellent time to buy myself some leather pants," Kathy teased. "But I can do skimpy instead."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Nope, leather pants are good," Dante said immediately.

[spin_kick_snap]

"Not showing up in a catsuit," Kathy clarified. "That just looks desperate for attention. But leather pants have been on my 'to buy' list for awhile."

[rebelseekspizza]

"You have the right ass for it," Dante said.

Which was of course a good excuse to grab said ass.

[spin_kick_snap]

Which, in turn, involved Kathy pressing her ass against his hand to make sure he had a firm grip. "Look at me," she said, laughing. "Dyed streaks, leather pants, tattoos. I think I turned punk when nobody was looking."

Nobody thought of you as punk, Kathy. Literally nobody.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante let out a soft laugh. "Or close enough," he said.

He dropped a kiss on her cheek. Very, very carefully. "Anyway, party's not going to be that much of a big deal," he said. "You're staying. Anders's moving out, but I'm moving with him, so it's all cool."

[spin_kick_snap]

"You are?" she asked, surprised. "Can you do that?"

And then she remembered this was Dante and the number of fucks he gave to what the administration wanted was in the single digits at best.

"Do you guys have a place yet? You'll still be on the island, right?"

[rebelseekspizza]

"I don't think Anders has found anywhere yet...?" Dante said. "But yeah. On the island. I still gotta go to school or whatever and you're here, so..."

[spin_kick_snap]

She had to smile at that. In no small part because the Dante she'd met at first would have been fine leaving school if he'd had a good enough reason to go.

And also to know that she was a reason to stay.

"Normally, I'd offer my place to crash in until he did, but it's currently under construction," she said ruefully. "But mi almacén es tu almacén if he doesn't find somewhere permanent by Friday," she said, gesturing all around them so he'd know what word she'd swapped in for 'casa' there.

[rebelseekspizza]

"Thanks," Dante said, grinning back at her. "But hopefully we'll be good. Gotta get some big beds to make room, though."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Don't be fooled by the general superiority of all things Californian," Kathy said, going to toss her hair and remembering at the last minute to not do that. "California kings are longer than regular king-sized beds, not wider. If you're looking for width--" saaaaay to fit more people in, for example "--a standard king is the way to go."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante tilted his head. "Hey, you're the expert," he said finally. "Managed to find one for all of us."