sugar rush [cyrus]

[hound]

She needed to get out more. Finally, the plague had worn off and she was feeling… better. The fact she wasn’t mainlining Nyquil meant that it was safe to see the light of day. Light of day and apply for a job—it was the double whammy her day needed. Something to pick her up would make her feel better. And a cupcake. A cupcake would be good. She couldn’t help but long for something sweet. Alice had a sweet tooth when she wanted to, and sometimes… well, sometimes she wanted to. At least the young woman didn’t have anyone she needed to explain herself to.

But a job was good. Being up and dressed and showered for the day before noon was something that she wasn’t really used to. Alice didn’t do so well with routine. She needed to get out and do and touch the world that was around her, manipulate and change it. The young woman is a free spirit. Her life and world lacks structure, which is enough to madden some people. She simply flies by the seat of her pants, and she can’t help it. She wants to fly and open up, make her world all the more… interesting. Alice tends to fall short in the planning department.

The day is warm, especially for the North Eastern spring. It felt like the dinosaurs had roamed the earth, the last time she could go out without a jacket. Still, it was too cold a day to wear shorts on their own. Layers, layers, welcome to Maine—layers were her friend. Yet she allowed her pale shoulders to nearly glow in the sunlight. Not like it mattered all that much to her. She was strolling easily down the street, catching the sun as she would. It was far too nice a day to drive, anyway.

That and it wasn’t like she could afford gas right now. Her Jetta sat parked in the lot for her building, looking toadly in all its green glory. Nope, it was reserved for emergencies only right now. Cash was tight for the starving artist, yet she was making it work. It was the Cookie Jar that she set her sights on. Alice spent way too much time down there as it was, why not see if they would hire her? That, and cupcakes. The young woman was easily drawn in by good food… and sweets. Either, or.

Alice blusters her way into the small shop, ordering a cupcake (whatever the daily special was, seeing as it was always the internal struggle trying to figure out what she wanted), a hot chocolate with a shot of mint, and an application. The punky young woman sat herself down on the fringes of the room where she could eventually watch the people. For now, Alice was putting pen to paper on her first real job application since moving to Manuka. It was a strange feeling, but there was always sugar to fix that. The young woman sipped at the mug, off in her own little world. What were her skills, anyway?

"Alice speaks."

TAGS:[/b] Cj with Cyrus
NOTES:[/b] I didn’t know if they already knew each other or not so… cupcakes. Also sorry for the lack of polish, still figuring her out <3
OUTFIT:[/b] clickie!
WORDS:[/b] 516-ish
CREDIT:[/b]MADE BY chellythecelly of CAUTION 2.0. DO NOT STEAL. Or i'll send my unicorn army after you.

[CYRUS LENNOX REID]

It wasn't that he had a sweet tooth, really. Cyrus was generally more of a savory person when food options were on the table, both literally and figuratively. However, on occasion he sought to indulge. Today, however, he was picking up a few things for a meeting, and running errands, and felt that a little bit of a sugar rush wouldn't be a terrible idea. Despite the fact that his body never really craved human food, and he only needed blood to sustain himself, there were psychological cravings that just wouldn't quit. Cyrus didn't deter those cravings because they made him cling to his past humanity, and life amongst the normal world. The Cookie Jar was a local, family-owned bakery that as far as he knew, was run by humans. The hybrid was really no threat to humans – he had spent most of his life looking after them and taking care of them in one way or another, although his compulsions to be helpful and good weren't as strong as his brother's. Dorian had taught him a lot about the world and how to survive in it, and while he was good at staying under the radar and surviving by his own methods, his brother had taught him how to have a life.

Most of the time, Cyrus didn't end up staying in Manuka long because he seemed to be mostly in transit between jobs, or as soon as he'd get home there would be another dossier with a new mission and assignment that would take him far, far away. In his line of work, it was good to have a strong desire to travel, because he did a lot of it. Also, the invention of the airplane and purchasing his own private jet had made this nearly constant traveling so much easier. As far as he knew right then, he was going to be staying in Manuka for a week, maybe two before he had to go to Rio de Janeiro for a smuggling job. Basically, it would be his responsibility to smuggle $2 million worth of rare merchandise to a warehouse outside of the city and plant the keys on the person that his client was trying to frame for the theft. Cyrus knew not to ask very many questions, but the mission seemed exciting enough.

Today he was trying to enjoy a relaxing afternoon, so he entered the bakery and ordered a few doughnuts and a cup of their strongest coffee, then sat down at a table. There were a few people in there, but a blonde woman caught his eye because she seemed... sort of familiar. Cyrus wasn't around enough to cultivate real relationships, but maybe he had spoken to her before and just didn't recall. There were usually more pressing things on his mind, and women tended to come and go in his life, although they never ended up being anything serious by his choice. The hybrid wasn't the type of man to sleep around; his modus operandi was to wine and dine women, keep their company, and usually, they'd get tired of him having to leave so much and the relationship would turn into friendship, even if it was just a mild sort. Quickly, he grabbed his food and made his way over to the blonde, noticing that she had a spare seat.

”Is this seat taken?” Cyrus asked, giving the young woman a brilliant smile. If they had met before, this would give her an opportunity to recognize him and say hello, and if not, he'd made a new introduction.

[/justify]

OUTFIT:

[/b] Here![/blockquote]

[hound]

Sugar was sugar, she would take it. The young woman was more than happy with her crème de menthe flavored frosting over a chocolate cupcake filled with chunks of Andes mints. Alice was simply falling into the way she was, a girl in her natural habitat, so it seemed. It was best when she could just be, she figured. There were a million things that she was simply figuring, so it wasn’t that difficult. Her hands went to her pockets, fingers wiping absently on her leggings as she moves to rummage through her wallet. Social security number on a job application… seemed legitimate enough. If she could only remember the damn thing. Alice would forget her head if it wasn’t attached.

Another sip of her hot chocolate, as well, and she was in her own little world. Alice wasn’t picky with what she drank, really. During performances the name of the game was avoid dairy at all costs, honey and lemon and tea, but she could get away unscathed here. In all honesty, tea got tedious. The human body could only handle so much honey too, and honestly, she found it gross. It reminded her of something her grandmother would be drinking and just… ew. Alice wouldn’t really mess with what worked though. Even if it might be mostly psychological, she wouldn’t mess with tradition of any sort.

The application seemed to fly by, and she was more than happy to fill it out. Alice raked a lazy hand through her hair, chewing on the edge of her pen. It was something she could get her head around, work of some sort. Still, she was huddled up on her seat and looking like she needed a bit of relief. If you looked really closely, the steam may have been coming out of her ears to boot. She didn’t know how to feel about a real job. Honestly, the performer felt like she was cheating out on her dream. It was like taking the easy way out, doing other things for money… for fuck’s sake, she wasn’t a prostitute.

It takes a long moment to realize that someone had spoken, but finally it registers. Alice’s bright eyes flick up to the man’s face, nodding once. Her cheeks don’t color, but she can feel a heat under her collar. Still, the young woman plays it cool. She rakes a gentle hand through her hair, eyes lingering on the man’s face with a nod. Damn he’s cute. "Now it is, ‘t looks." She has to remind herself to keep her voice down in the contained space, chasing away the stage voice that’s been bubbling up so. Yes, she has to smile. Alice doesn’t not smile.

"Alice speaks."

TAGS:[/b] Cj with Cyrus
NOTES:[/b] I did this instead of homework.
OUTFIT:[/b] clickie!
WORDS:[/b] 450-ish
CREDIT:[/b]MADE BY chellythecelly of CAUTION 2.0. DO NOT STEAL. Or i'll send my unicorn army after you.

[CYRUS LENNOX REID]

Standing there awkwardly would have made his day a lot worse, but thankfully, the pretty blond was more than willing to let him take the seat next to her. Initial introductions were always a bit difficult, no matter how many years or practice one had under their belt. Cyrus' brother, Dorian, was way smoother with the ladies than he was, and had far more luck romantically than Cyrus had over the years. Granted, all their relationships seemed to end tragically, but for some reason, Dorian was more willing than he to keep trying. The hybrid was, for lack of a better term, closed off to the potential of true love, or finding it again when he was convinced that it died with his Mae and their unborn child so many years ago. He hadn't found love since, and knew that sometimes, love happened when one stopped looking. He had never started looking again, but he didn't like to spend his afternoons lonely, either. Traveling did a lot to fill the gaps and spaces in his life that the love of a woman could have filled, but when he was in Manuka and his brother was busy, he liked to meet new people.

Wining and dining women was also somewhat of a hobby of his, although it never crossed into the territory of physical intimacy because of Cyrus' rules for himself and a lack of interest in any serious relationship. Making love to a woman would be far too intimate than he was willing to become, and he didn't believe in using women, either. Each person had a great love out there, and he felt that he'd be doing a woman a great disservice by making her think that he might be the one they were searching for.

”I appreciate the kindness,” Cyrus said, taking the seat and putting his treats and coffee down on the surface in front of him. The blonde appeared to be doing some sort of paperwork, and looked focused, but not completely closed off. For a moment, Cyrus wondered if maybe he had made a wrong decision by trying to join her and strike up a conversation, since she was busy. But then, he also knew that without any risk, there could be no reward, and spoke up again.

”That looks awfully important, what you're working on.” Cyrus said, not looking over her shoulder because that would be rude, but placing a glance toward the papers anyway. He sipped his coffee and waited for her to respond again. Her initial response had been bubbly and rather loud, despite the small area that they inhabited. For a moment, the hybrid wondered if that might be due to a theater background or hearing problem, but hoped that it was the former and not the latter. He knew that some stage actors tended to speak more loudly because they were used to projection. Cyrus had never gotten into acting or theater, but did enjoy going to see live performances. ”Name's Cyrus, by the way.” Offering up his name might get to her to be a little more friendly, and maybe he'd have a bright spot in his morning instead of having to spend it alone.

[/justify]

[hound]

There are places that Alice just fits. There are places that she has and places she needs. It’s always been places more than people. It’s always been that way, she supposes. On stage is her favorite place in the world, of course. She likes to be the center of attention when she’s someone else—when she’s someone else, there’s a difference. When she’s herself, she’d rather simply watch. The awkward one when she finally strips away some of the stage makeup, parts of the costume, and takes a bow. It’s easier to be someone else. It’s easier… she fits there. She fits backstage when she’s herself, center stage when she’s someone else. It’s all about having a place.

Sure, Alice has other places—they’re everywhere. The back bedroom in a small Rhode Island ranch, one that isn’t too assuming in a neighborhood filled with dogs and picket fences, families moving away more and more now as their children graduate and move on. The tree on the Pace campus that she’d gotten stuck in her freshman year that had become her favorite spot. The cat walk in the highs school auditorium where she’d had her first kiss. Even her dad’s house, her seat at the dinner table between her half-sister and stepbrother, had become her place. There aren’t people in her world, there are places. Places are the things that prevail.

And now, the place that she’s in is here. Her pen scratches rapidly across her application, a messy signature at the bottom as she finally tucks it beneath her oversized cup. The young woman softly at the man, watching him carefully. He’s handsome, yes, more handsome than she’s used to. Absently she brushes a bit of hair from her face, blue eyes taking another moment to drop to her cup and stuff the pen back behind her ear. "Job application, yeah... it’s done now." She looks up over her cup, nodding softly. It’s more to herself than anyone else.

He’s lovely, and she can’t help but wonder why he’s come over. The young woman with the larger than life personality isn’t used to interactions that aren’t on her own terms, and she’s intrigued. Something is there in the man that’s before her, something that’s got to be entertaining. "Charmed, then, Cyrus." There’s something moderately dorky about her, but it seems to click. It makes sense to her, that she be loud and exciting. Who would want to be boring, after all? There was rarely a dull moment when the creature of glitter and pearlescent shine came around.

"Alice." It’s a soft introduction, one that comes with quick words. Sometimes she doesn’t know just how to interact with someone one on one, but she hopes that she’ll have at least a little guidance from the man that sits before her. Another pesky blonde streak gets pushed from her eyes, and she studies him once more. Curious, very curious, always curious. "Anything interesting on the bill, today?" Polite conversation. Right. Alice could handle that, she was fairly certain.


"Alice speaks."

TAGS:[/b] Cj with Cyrus
NOTES:[/b] gah sorry it took so long
OUTFIT:[/b] clickie!
WORDS:[/b] 500-ish
CREDIT:[/b]MADE BY chellythecelly of CAUTION 2.0. DO NOT STEAL. Or i'll send my unicorn army after you.

[CYRUS LENNOX REID]

The bakery is a quiet place, and on this particular early afternoon, Cyrus was happy to have a quiet place. As much as he enjoyed his adventures, and as willing as he was to let said adventures dictate so much of his life, when he got home from a job, he just wanted quiet. Relaxation. A chance to indulge in the simple pleasures of life, like a good cup of coffee and something sweet to tide over his rare sweet tooth. While he certainly wasn't as openly social as his twin brother, he was still social enough, and hadn't been expecting to crave the company of someone. In this case, this craving for company led him to a rather beautiful stranger.

Cyrus might think twice about interrupting someone who seemed hard at work in most situations, because he certainly didn't want to be troubled when he was busy. However, he had a rather good sense about people, and not just because of his ability to read auras. Granted, his powers were more limited than those pure immortals, but he had learned to hone the abilities he had fairly well. This girl's aura didn't even need to be read for him to understand the feeling of being near a kindred spirit. This one, she had big dreams and aspirations. The limelight, or something equally exciting. Like him, she craved adventure, travel, new experiences. That fact was what allowed Cyrus to rationalize that she wouldn't mind the interruption. Luckily, when he did approach her, his theory was proven correct – she wasn't bothered, and even seemed happy to have some company, too.

The hybrid took the seat next to her and inquired about her project, which turned out to be a job application. For the bakery, he assumed, but wouldn't dare snooping on what she had written. His morals were easily bent, given that he could rationalize stealing and smuggling things for pay, and could also string a set of pretty lies whenever some stranger or casual acquaintance got around to asking what he did for a living. The CIA, he told them. Top Secret government business. Cyrus even had the paperwork and the badge to prove it, thanks to his crafty friend, Deidre. Usually, that was enough to satisfy someone's question, and earned him what seemed to be an instantaneous respect. Cyrus thought sometimes that he should feel bad for duping people, for continuing a facade that was so far from true, but he did what he had to do to get by, and that was enough. ”It does seem like a nice enough place to work,” Cyrus said, then added on a little sentiment, because he really was a nice guy. ”I wish you the very best of luck.”

She spoke well enough, turned out to be rather polite, and introduced herself as Alice. ”Alice. That's a lovely name. Any journeys to Wonderland recently?” The joke wasn't his best, and he figured it was far from original, but his intent was to make her smile, so he held a high hope that it would serve its purpose. Even if she hadn't journeyed to the fictional storybook location, she did seem to be curious like the book's heroine, and asked him about his day plans. Cyrus took a sip of his coffee and quirked his lips into a little sideways smile.

”No plans yet. I did intend to have a quiet, relaxing day. But there's always a chance for adventure, isn't there?” Life always had a way of being surprising, in both good and bad ways. Cyrus had seen them both, experienced all sorts of curve balls, and knew to expect the unexpected.

[/justify]

[hound]

Company was a funny thing. Alice had a dog. It had been really all she’d needed in the house proper, to be honest. She had her father, her stepmother and her siblings close by if she really wanted someone to be around. She had a place that was her home, and that… that was good. It felt good to have someone around that wanted her around too. Wes… Wes was there when she needed a friend. She had her comfort zone, and for habit that was perfect. She had the things that were safe, her mildly addictive personality was allowed to fall into those places if she needed them.

But adventure was the best. She couldn’t think of anything she wanted more than to leave no stone unturned. Alice wanted to get out and enjoy… everything. See it all, do it all, and live it up to the degree that she needed. Something about the girl had realized she’d only have one lifetime… why not go for it? It was the perfect situation, go for it and don’t hold back. Alice couldn’t bother with living cautiously. Who had the time for it all? She was smart enough not to get into trouble, but beyond that simply going for it was the name of the game.

"Thankfully, they don’t even expect me to cook." She chuckles softly, eyes holding a gentle sort of light. The young woman scrubs a hand over the side of her head that’s shaved short, watching the man ever so gently. She doesn’t hide. Rarely does Alice hide much at all. There’s a laugh to her, a gentleness that spreads over her features. The young woman doesn’t make a secret of the fact that if it weren’t for Lucky Charms and Ramen Noodles she’s probably starve—part of the charm, right?

He makes a Wonderland joke, but the young woman takes it in stride. Not the first, not the last, simply one of many—honestly, she likes them. It’s been her favorite tale since the time she was young, and maybe she wishes she could slide down the rabbit hole every once in a while. "I can’t be certain, really, unless you have a pocket watch available." A lame white rabbit reference on her part, but she can’t help but make it right back. There’s something comfortably corny about Alice on occasion. At least she wasn’t above bad jokes every once in a while. That, and the white rabbit meant adventure.

Then again, there was always adventure if you looked hard enough. Alice finishes her coffee and swipes the last bit of frosting onto her finger, unable to help herself. She occasionally forgets that some things aren’t cool unless you’re sitting around with your younger siblings, maybe she’s allowed to forget. She looks up in time to possibly catch a reaction, but takes whatever she gets in stride. A charming smile on her part… that, Alice can handle. "I appear to have my adventure boots on today... didn’t have the foresight to grab my camera though, but I was considering going to pretend to be an artist in the train yard. It’s less creepy when you’re not alone." It was an offer, one that came with a bit of a grin on Alice’s part. Always an adventure.

"Alice speaks."

TAGS:[/b] Cj with Cyrus
NOTES:[/b] clearly, I suck.
OUTFIT:[/b] clickie!
WORDS:[/b] 550-ish
CREDIT:[/b]MADE BY chellythecelly of CAUTION 2.0. DO NOT STEAL. Or i'll send my unicorn army after you.

[CYRUS LENNOX REID]

Although he did think it was a little strange for someone to be applying for a position in a bakery if they couldn't cook or weren't good in the kitchen, he supposed that she had her reasons for doing so. He really wasn't the type of man to make judgments about others unless he took a while getting to know them first. It was a good way of operating, in his opinion, but Cyrus tended to think the best of people until they gave him a reason to change his mind, and then he burned that bridge and never looked back. Also, he could certainly understand being clumsy in the kitchen. He never did the cooking, and usually dined on take-out and from other gourmet establishments. Enjoying the culinary delights of any given city was one of his favorite pastimes, and it was nice to leave one's dinner in the hands of a professional. Cyrus had the money to splurge, though, and truly had collected more than he thought he could spend in at least one lifetime, maybe even two or three. ”You're not a good cook?” Cyrus asked, wanting to take an interest in this young woman who seemed to have quite the spirted personality.

”Not that there's anything wrong with that – I'm a complete disaster in the kitchen,” Cyrus admitted. ”There are lots of fantastic places to dine in Manuka, however. Small favors, or else I'd probably starve.” He was debating on asking her out to dinner with him, because even though the hybrid wasn't looking for any sort of serious relationship, he had no problem with wining and dining interesting women, if for nothing else than for an evening in the company of someone new. One might call him a serial dater, but certainly not a playboy or a player, because while he did enjoy dating women, he never took them to his bed. After Mae, his ideals on romance and love had been severely altered, and the hybrid swore that he wouldn't allow himself to become truly intimate with a woman unless he could see himself forming a legitimate commitment. The fact that he was gone so much was certainly a hinder on relationships, but he wasn't really looking for anything serious. If the right woman crossed his path, he trusted his instincts enough to know she was right and pursue her accordingly.

The hybrid smiled brightly when she mentioned pocket watch because actually...

”Oddly enough,” Cyrus said, pulling the antique watch out of his pants pocket and opened it with a swift click. ”I've had this with me for many, many years.” That wasn't untrue – he had been given this watch as a gift from a man that he and Dorian had escorted to safety out of a concentration camp during the Holocaust. Cyrus didn't want to take the gift at first, since it was one of the man's few worldly possessions that he'd had locked away, for safekeeping should he survive. But the man insisted and Cyrus kept it close to his heart ever since. That was one of his fonder memories. This seemed to open up a possibility for a prolonged interaction between them, and Cyrus hardly ever turned down a chance at adventure. ”I'd be happy to accompany you. And I'd hardly call wanting to take part in the world's natural beauty 'creepy.'” Wanting to see all the wonders that the world had to offer was part of the reason he loved traveling so much, so he was more than happy to see what the two of them could find together. ”Whenever you're ready.”

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