7th FLOOR COMM CENTER

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

This community center on the southwest corner of the 7th floor is the main meeting area of the 320 Westlake Condo enclave.

[Thy Dungyeon Maestyr]

Daniel Milani's guitar gently wept, and Casey painted some kind of furious abstraction. His demeanor seemed otherwise calm. The sun was somewhere above the building, leaving the room in bright bluish shadow. Casey didn't bother with extra lighting on his art. Color wasn't as important as value on a piece like this.

Then Beau walked in.

Casey-
"Beau?"


Beau-
" 'Allo. Del talks to me."


Daniel's Guitar-
"♫ meedle meep doh meedle meedle mee doh ♫"

Daniel clearly wasn't paying attention and kept playing, allowing the other men to ignore him.

Casey-
"Hey I didn't, wait,"


Casey-
"What did he say?"


Beau-
"Oh 'ee tells me everything..."


Casey-
"What 'everything'? Oh my god!


Beau-
"I am joking, he just tells me you like to know how I'm doing."


Casey-
"Must be feeling pretty good to bust a guy's chops like that."


Beau-
"Hahaha, sorry. "


Beau-
"I feel okay, it just feels strange to be back to civilization. Outside is not friendly."


Casey-
"Aww. Are you starting to feel better now?"


Beau-
"In a sense.. 'zere is business to attend to, but to be around people is good. It is nice to see you. You don't 'ave big style difference like the others."


Casey-
"It's not too boring, is it?"


Beau-
"Oh no. It is funny to go away and come back and everyone is different. Plus, I like 'ow you look before as well. "


Casey-
"Thanks."

The guitar playing man had become an inanimate feature of the background. Casey had set down his supplies and was talking softly with Beau in the opposite corner of the room.

Casey-
"Hey, let's go out on the balcony."

The balcony was much more narrow than at 403, just running along the outside edges of the Comm Center here. There were several doors in the floor-to-ceiling windows, leading out to it.

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

Beau & Chou followed Casey out on to the balcony. The dog seemed more weary than he had before, and plopped down at the first opportunity, his muzzle poking out the railing as he sniffed lazily out at the city with his fluffy white hair blowing gently in the breeze.

Beau-
"It feels like to be on a boat again. I hope we can go sailing soon, I'll take you."

Casey's hair also swayed in the breeze. He closed his eyes and exhaled, then turned back to the naughty French guy.

Casey-
"Really now?"


Beau-
"Yes. People say it might not be safe, but I swim through the water and it seems okay. Do you like to go to the water?"


Casey-
"I do. I used to go swimming at the lake, but I got swimmer's itch one year and just forget it after that. But being on the water... It's awesome."


Beau-
"Okay, we will do that then. "

Beau leaned his head back for a moment, and then slumped a bit against the wall, and slid down to take a seat on the floor of the patio.

Beau-
"*sigh* 'Zis place is like a mirage, it's 'ard to believe it. There is trouble here while I'm gone, but it is back to normal by the time I come back. "


Beau-
"I don't want to depress you. We should talk about nice things, right?"


Casey-
"I don't know, yeah... It isn't exactly the same. I know you know that, but... I mean, it took a lot of work to make it OK again."


Beau-
"Yes, I imagine... it is bad timing for me to leave, I cannot help."


Beau-
"..."


Casey-
"Aww. No, don't be that way. You do what you feel like you need to. But if you wanna stay more... You know we'd all like that. I'd like that..."


Beau-
"Oh? Other places people don't want me to stay. I wonder if you are a siren 'zat leads me beneath the water, heheh.."


Casey-
"Never. We'd come up with swimmer's itch."

He leaned a little closer.

Casey-
"There's a lot of things in the world that I don't want to think about right now."


Beau-
"You want to do something else instead?"


Casey-
"Yeah, I was thinking about... Last time before you left..."


Beau-
"Ah yes, I remember that. Where was I, I think...."

He leaned in, touched Casey's neck and kissed him, big time. Casey's brain was a circus of cellophane-winged bats today, but he let himself get all into it. Victory!

Beau-
"Do you want to come to my room, and we can talk about 'zat in further detail?"

Casey rocked on his feet. Whoa.

Casey-
"Yes. Yes I would."

They ended up going to Casey's room instead. With Briar at the gallery and Ibi gardening, they had the place all to themselves, and it was nice...

[∆§Indea§∆]

LATER THAT DAY...

The hero return the greeting, grateful to have escaped the untold peril...

"Hey, is that the hard stuff? Might fucking need me some of that. Urgh ends up finding kitchen help is bloody hard work. Either you know or would like to learn how to fucking cook?"

Where were 320 getting all their booze from? Micah wasn't impressed, it'd better not be from El Corazon. He found a comfy chair nearby and collapsed in it with a sigh.

[Thy Dungyeon Maestyr]

They gestured at him genially. They still had a few bandages from getting tossed off 403's roof by Hikal and Jakil a while back. A pug sat on the table between them.

Tyrone-
"Yeah, thought we'd celebrate with this hera whiskey. There's cups in th' kitchen."


Jet-
"Urf!"


Kaito-
"Nn. Mm. I don't want to cook."

[∆§Indea§∆]

Micah got up and helped himself to some whisky before returning, he took a large gulp making the appropriate face. He gave the pug a funny look.

“Celebrating what? Cool, you don't want to fucking help, I didn't think you would.
Well, just do me a favour and spread it the fuck around that we're looking, yeah? Especially to Lilla and that Daniel guy. Where is everyone, anyways?”

He gave a hasty look around the mostly empty room, he felt pretty uncomfortable here. It wasn't his home, he was just visiting.

[Thy Dungyeon Maestyr]

Jet-
"RottoRup!"

That was a weird bark. He sure looked friendly, like a little goblin.

Tyrone-
"Man, you saw me sweatin' this mornin', with Tansy an' th' res'. Can't believe
they up an' moved t' 801. Th' hell was that? I think it was that Jordan cat."


Kaito-
"Celebrate, man. We have some new friends."

[∆§Indea§∆]

For some reason Micah's eyes kept returning to the ugly little pug, there was just something weird about it. Even the way it sat between the two guys like it was one of them. Eerie.

“I know right?! I had them all fucking lined up to cook and then fucking wham! Maybe Jordan is to blame some, but it's the eyebrow lady who cracked the shits though. Thought she was fucking Moses...Probably set up some weird arse end of days cult in 801.”

Micah took another slug and made a face not unlike the pug's.

[Thy Dungyeon Maestyr]

Jet-
"Robbabree!"

There he goes again.

Tyrone-
"*siiiigh* I guess. Ain' no freakier than Jordan's nymphos for Satan, y'all."


Kaito-
"Heh."

[∆§Indea§∆]

“I dunno, it's the fucking apocalypse. Nora reckons she saw some famous executive twat munching on zombie flesh. Pretty fucking freaky. After all the shit I've seen, screwing for Satan seems pretty low on the list. How is it any different to abstaining for Jesus? They're nice enough folks at the end of the day.”

Tyrone-
"Whatever, man, I get it alreada. Shit."

Micah took a swig, coughed slightly and then directed his attention back to the pug.

“What's with your dog? he's not possessed is he?”

[Thy Dungyeon Maestyr]

Jet-
"..."






Kaito-
"I hope not. I like him."

[∆§Indea§∆]

"Hmmm... Probably fucking not. You gotta believe in heaven, animals are too smart for that shit."

Micah down what was left of the whiskey and stood up.

"Thanks for the fucking whiskey, I'll catch you guys later. Stay sharp."

Micah wandered off, 320 had a bit of a bust but he was sure he could find some people willing to help out in 403.Maybe Chantelle could have better luck here...

Thus, our hero began his journey home in hopes of finding easier foe. Unaware of a certain trouble bubbling there...

[Thy Dungyeon Maestyr]

Jet-
"Rayrarf!"


Tyrone-
"...Too smart..."


Kaito-
"Have a good one, Micah."

And then the 320 lost its Australian immigrant population.