catch up [zoe]

[FINNIGAN CLARKE MACLEOD]

Finn had a long week planned of actual work things before he could go have some fun. There was a 'tech convention' out of town, just a couple hours away out of Manuka, but ever since he read about it in one of the blogs he followed online, he knew that he had to be there. Not only did they have cool new gadgets for him to play with and freebies to take home, he would be surrounded by his own people. Granted, most tech nerds didn't actually converse with each other unless absolutely necessary because from what he could tell, they all liked to stick with their own interests and their own routine, just so they could be sure to accomplish absolutely everything they needed to during the three day convention. Not only would there be gadgets and freebies, but also seminars, which... okay, most of the time, Finn knew more than the person who was hosting each seminar, but he still liked to listen. Absorb. So, okay, his work load was a little stressful and he might have taken on more projects than he usually did, but he was going to have a fantastic weekend, and he just knew it. He could already smell that semi-artificial expo center air and the metal and plastic and just... yeah, he needed a getaway.

Despite his social nature, Finn was spending one of his weeknights in his apartment, alone, rapidly clacking away on his laptop to write new code for a sting that the taskforce was planning on some rogue agent in Taiwan. Zoe hadn't told him more than that, but really, any details that were absolutely necessary could be dug up rather easily if you knew where to look, and since everybody hid things on various technological devices, it was easy enough for someone like Finn to find just about anything. Nothing was sacred, and really, nobody was good as him – at least, so far as he'd seen since computers were invented – so he was a pretty dangerous enemy to have. The demon had several programs open other than the code he was writing, and every so often, he'd adjust the sound quality in his loud, bass-heavy headphones so he could hear the new dubstep track he was composing. Less bass. No, more bass. And a little less, and then... he sighed. Perfect.

Finn was in a world of his own with his code and his dubstep and his technology surrounding him. A few devices were on the coffee table in front of him, out in the open because really – who would stop by? Other than Zoe, he didn't have any friends in town, no girlfriend to speak of, and he was pretty much of a loner, despite the fact that he liked to go out and about and people watch. The devices were ones that he couldn't wait to show his best friend: a microphone that could go into the tread of a shoe and could withstand six hundred pounds of pressure before short-circuiting and a bomb that was time sensitive, heat-activated, and was meant to sit right inside the lid of someone's morning cup of joe from their favorite coffee shop. Right inside that little groove in the lid, underneath, where it'd never be noticed. Sometimes, his own ingenuity made him proud. And Zoe would be happy, so. Speaking of Zoe, Finn caught the sound of keys in his door when there was a lull in his music track and slid his headphones down around his neck. Of course she'd just let herself in.

”Whatcha doing, pest?” Finn greeted the redhead as soon as she was in the door. Maybe he shouldn't have given her keys, but... no social life, so. ”You don't have some woman to attend to or a planet to save?” It was a constant back and forth between them, but he loved her dearly, and the banter was just one of a thousand reasons why. The blonde stuck his tongue out at her and then shooed her toward the kitchen. ”Oh hey, you've got like an entire six pack of whatever the hell beer that you know I won't drink in my fridge from before you went to Brazil last month. I know it doesn't really go bad, but still... drink it.” Then, he went back to his coding, knowing that she'd tell him all about why she'd planned to drop by in a minute. It didn't matter the reason – Finn was always happy to see her.

OUTFIT:

[/color] Here![/blockquote]

[AURELIA ZOE BOND]

cj/finn , enough words , jkdfnvdfj love these two<333

Zoe loved being a badass. The badass moments were worth all the other moments because many didn’t believe that a woman could do half the things that Zoe did. Of course, she had three thousand years of experience, here or there, but many people she had proved wrong just for thinking that she was a pretty face. She was thought, very pretty, beautiful even and she knew that, hell, Zoe used to that her advantage shamelessly but when it came to her work she was relentless, and hard working. Even if she didn’t mind it when her work had a bit of fun in it also. Like her latest mission, which consisted of her almost getting shot, then sleeping with a gorgeous brunette, and finding out all the information she had been looking for all within forty-eight hours. She herself shot an asshole in the shoulder because he thought it was okay to try and force a woman on her knees for him, an innocent human woman and it reminded Zoe as to why she was doing what she did. The humans weren't safe, never have been, and she believed that doing as much as she could to save the people from those who hurt them. Which is why she attacked the ass hat guy and snuck into his mansion to see some building plans that were certainly not meant for her to see.

That was one of the reasons why Zoe was here now, walking up the stairs of the building where her best friend lived. For the blueprints as well as because she missed him. The silly blonde boy had woven himself into her heart as someone who she saw as a brother, and would die for him in a moment. She had never had anyone close to her, so it was weird how easily she took to Finn, but they loved each other like family would and that was enough for her. Which was also why she had a key to his apartment. She almost skipped to his door, a brown colour which wouldn't stand out to anyone else, except the number of it was what always made it the door that she would enter in. Slipping the key easily into the lock, the redhead grinned, because she hadn't even taken one step into the door, and Finn clearly wasn't even looking at her, yet he called it on it being her. She was the only one who had a key, but still, it made her laugh. "What's it look like I'm doing, squirt?" She teased his age with the roll of her eyes as she shut the door behind her and dropped her bag onto the table, looking around the familiar room, not surprised to see him at his computers, because she barely saw Finn in any other way. She really thought that the boy should get out more.

Zoe snorted at his next words, because he was right, and most of the time she was doing one or both of those things. She licked her lips as she fiddled with her bag. "Mmm, there's always women to please and the world needs time to save, thought I'd come visit my favourite man who has no life." She tells him light heartedly, though she sometimes worries about his lack of motivation out of the confines of his room and his computers. She walked over to him and ruffled his hair, leaning over to see what he was doing with a hand on his shoulder. Touching wasn't an issue with them, it was always innocent, and as her blue eyes peered at the screen she smiled because little Finn was a genius and she knew it. She understood some of the stuff he did, but most of the time so many stops were pulled out that Zoe was in awe of him, and it made her love him even more. "You're just jealous that ladies wanna be pleased by me." She winks, a soft chuckle at her lips as her blue eyes as still on his screens, almost curious for the details of what he was doing, but there were more pressing matters ... like beer.

"Oh great. And here was me hoping that it would be gone by the time I dropped by next." She laughed with the knowledge that he didn't drink beer, it wasn't a Finn thing at all, but she tried. She got two bottles out of his fridge, placing one next to him. "Drink." She said, in a voice that was more an order than anything else. "One day I will convince you to get absolutely hammered with me." She says, a promise in her tone as she moves to get her bag and sit beside him. "Do you ever do anything besides stare at a screen all day, Finnigan?" She asks, an eyebrow cocked as she takes a long drink from her bottle, the cold beer feeling good as it ran down her throat. Damn, she had good taste. Putting the bottle down she looked back at Finn. "Okay braniac, work and then we're catching up, okay?" She says, pulling out all of the papers she had gathered from her latest mission. "I'm happy I have these, I shot the asshole who made them. He's not dead though, sadly." Zoe wasn't vicious, and she only killed if she really had to, but hurting was something that she was more willing to do. "Some of these are building plans, and there are numbers that look like sums of money, but see here ... this part is in code and it doesn't look like any code I've ever seen." She tells him, crossing her jean clad legs as she looked at him with a smile, because if anyone could figure all this out, it would be Finnigan.

<3

[FINNIGAN CLARKE MACLEOD]

In his lifetime, which was nearly three-hundred years, Finn had met a lot of people. He was a pretty social guy, even though sometimes he was kind of an outcast due to some of his nerdier qualities. However, he always liked to put himself out there to experience all the different kinds of people that existed in the world, and through his travels, he knew that there were people that were kind of meh and extremely exceptional. Zoe was one of those exceptional people, but the difference with Zoe was that she happened to like him. Finn never really got that, and for a while, he thought that he was probably like that annoying kid brother that the older sibling had to look after just to make sure they wouldn't get hurt or get into something stupid. But, since he was an only child, he couldn't say for sure. No matter Zoe's reasoning for sticking around, he was more than happy that the redhead was in his life, and was proud to say that she was basically the closest thing to a sibling or a sister that he'd ever had. There was a bond between the two of them that couldn't be broken, and a trust that knew basically no bounds. And it was this lack of boundaries that Zoe happened to exploit, on more than one occasion, entering and exiting both his life and his personal space whenever the hell she felt like it.

This was why he absolutely wasn't surprised when she ended up not on his doorstep, but inside his apartment, using the key he had given her to enter without any problems. Not that she needed the key – Zoe was so gifted in the spy stuff that she had 'breaking and entering' down to a complete science. ”Looks like breaking and entering to me. Why the hell did I give you a key again?” Finn teased her, speaking quickly with his heavy Scottish brogue, but he never had to worry about speed or speech with Zoe – she was so used to him, and used to his parents, who had heavier accents than he by a long-shot. Finn continued the teasing by commenting on the fact that she was spending time with him and not engaging in two of her favorite activities – spy work and seducing women, and her answer was, of course, perfect. Everything that came out of this woman's mouth was basically perfect, and he should have known that she'd be able to completely stand up to anything he threw her way.

”I have a life, okay. I have... well, okay, I'm taking extra work stuff so I can go to a tech convention out of town next week. Don't pick on me, it's awesome. So many gadgets.” Finn knew that Zoe liked his quirky nature – she liked a lot of things about him, and the fact that she included him in what he assumed had to be a list of her 'favorite men' kind of made him proud. Zoe was selective about people that she let close to her, even if she wasn't exactly selective about who she spent time with on a limited basis. Or for one night. Or a few hours. Or on a brief detour from the bar where they had drinks to the bathroom of said bar with a woman for, like, six minutes. One time he had actually timed it, as per her request. Shameful. Awesome, but also shameful. Probably. Yeah, Zoe had some game.

She made her way over to where he was working on his coding project, and looked at the screen, and he knew that she had no idea what he was doing. Okay, she might have a brief idea but only because he'd tried to explain it to her just around a thousand times over the hundreds of years they'd known each other. The fallen angel was brilliant, definitely, but when it came to tech stuff? Well, she was smart enough to leave all of that in his more than capable hands where it all belonged. ”Ladies want to be pleased by me sometimes, I think. I just... I'm picky, Zo, you know that.” Really, he couldn't keep his attention on a woman for a very long time because even though they were hot, and he definitely liked women, he just needed more than lust to get his engine running. He needed a woman with brains, a killer sex appeal, and y'know, a little bit of tech love wouldn't hurt, but he was convinced that such a woman didn't exist, and so he'd tried to make himself less picky, but it just wasn't... it was pretty difficult.

Zoe went to get the beers she'd left out of his fridge, which he kind of predicted because even though she didn't get smashed all the time, she liked to drink, and she liked to drink with him, even though he didn't really like the taste of alcohol. Nasty, bitter stuff, which was why he preferred vodka when he did drink, and usually wrapped it in at least six different fruit juices or something else to mask the taste. But she was basically shoving a beer in his face and telling him to drink, and Finn made a little whiny face and sound of protest before he took the beverage and took a swig, then wiggled all over the couch and continued to make a series of awful faces because that was terrible. ”There. I drank. I had a sip. That shit is terrible, I don't even know how you drink it.” He put the beer on a coaster, far away from his computer, and then focused his attention on the shiny project that she brought him. He did love projects. This one was a code. Finn picked up the blueprints that were probably stolen for some task force mission, and then held the paper up to the light. Bingo was his name-oh.

”It's warped binary. Looks like nothing on paper, but then when the light hits the paper. See? The extra set of numbers come in, with the background.” Finn set the paper down and grabbed a little pocket flashlight, holding it against the paper and then finding the 'secret code.' ”Hold that, I'll type. Be thankful that your best friend's a genius. Go ahead, praise me.” Finn handed her the flashlight and began typing the series of numbers rapid-fire into a new coding window, knowing that he'd have this baby cracked within minutes. Lightning fast. ”It's geographical coordinates. Give me five minutes, and I'll have the location of your money drop... should be within twenty feet of the safe, burial site, whatever the hell. That'll work for you, right?” From there, Zoe could handle it. Always had it under control, but this... this was where Finn got to flex his muscles.

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[AURELIA ZOE BOND]

cj/finn , enough words , jkdfnvdfj love these two<333

It was very common to find Zoe using the key to Finn’s place, if he was here or even if he wasn’t. She figured that, if she had a key, then why not use it to the fullest ability? Those his words made her laugh, and she cocked an eyebrow at her friend. “It’s not even fun having a key to your place, Finnigan, I mean I’m never gonna catch you in any compromising positions, am I?” She sighed in disappointment, but it was true. The angel wanted Finn to live a little, get to know some girls more intimately. “I am seriously beginning to worry about your blue balls, and I never thought I’d say this, but I really don’t want to think about your balls, so get laid already.” She huffed a little and flicked some red hair out of her face as she used the rooms as if they were her own. She had her own place of course, but there was something to be said about spending time with a friend, and using his skills of course. Although she couldn’t deny that she truly loved Finn like a little brother; which was why she put him through all the teasing and humiliation. It was done out of love, always.

When he said he had a life, the sentence was already eyebrow rising, and then he continued with it and it actually made Zoe full out laugh. “Oh my god, you are adorable.” She grinned widely at him, because a tech convention equalled having a life to him. It was a life, if you wanted machines to be your friends over real people. “I don’t even know how you managed to live before a computer was invented; I bet you had more friends back then.” She teased, mirth in her almost sing song voice because it was just so easy to tease Finn. But it was no lie, she really did love his quirky personality and the fact that he wasn’t all out there, and they really did behave much like siblings. “You’re really easy to pick on, you really bring it onto yourself, silly.” She said it like it was the most obvious thing, and it was times like these when she realised that she really missed her friend. She had been away for a while, and although the women were great, there was nothing like a good friend to make you laugh.

Glancing at the screens surrounding Finn, she didn’t even bother figuring out what he was doing. It was true, Zoe was talented at many things, but when the internet was invented Finn was all over it, and she didn’t bother getting into it. She preferred real people to machines, but it was the opposite for the demon. Sometimes she didn’t know why he tolerated her, but then there was probably a sense of obligation just because she was so awesome to him. “If you’re picky, you’ll never find anyone. It’s like being a perfectionist. You know that perfectionists never get anything done because they think ‘ah, I won’t be able to make it perfect anyway, so why the hell start’ you don’t want to be the person who never gets anything done.” Zoe thrust upon him what she thought was wise advice, though she didn’t mind that he didn’t put himself out there as much as she did. Some people thought that not fucking around meant they had more self respect, but no matter how many women Zoe has, she has more than enough respect for herself.

She had two beers in her hand, one she was certain wouldn’t really get finished, but she didn’t mind because she could finish both. Plopping down next to Finn she made sure to jostle him, and as she forced him to drink the beer she rolled her eyes at his reaction. “Come on now, this is good stuff.” She took a large drink of her own and winked at him. “You’re being such a baby, and beaten by a woman in almost everything. Have some shame.” Zoe snorted and then smirked as she handed over the prints that she brought with her, knowing that this was hella exciting for her demon friend, and she liked to see him happy and smiling. Whoever said that Zoe was a terrible friend? She really wasn’t. And then he was in his element, explaining to her about this code which she actually listened to. Putting her own beer on the table, she followed instructions and held the thing for him. “O, holy one, however will I be able to repay you for being so awesome.” She rolled her eyes, but she knew that he would know that she was grateful.

“It’s kind of your job, being friends with me. I do stuff for you all the time.” Albeit not stuff that he’d appreciate, but it was the thought that mattered. She watched as he worked on the code, and came out with coordinates. She beamed at him. “Have I ever told you that I love you? I have, haven’t I, because Finnigan I love you.” She tells him excitedly, because shit was going to go down and she would kick some ass. In an overly exaggerated gesture just to annoy him, she wrapped an arm around his shoulder and kissed his cheek very sloppily. “Sad, how that’s probably the most action from a woman you’ve had, like, ever.” She snickers and shifts on the sofa. “Anyway, now spill. Tell me what you’ve been up to while I was away. Leave out no details, you hear?”

<3

[FINNIGAN CLARKE MACLEOD]

Sometimes, he just had to laugh at Zoe's antics. She was a troublemaker, and a pain in his ass, and a stubborn brat who pretty much always had to have her way, and they fought like siblings, but he loved her. That was why she had a key to his place, why he trusted her, and why Finn knew, even though she was a pain in the ass, that he wouldn't want to imagine life without her. Still, it was fun to tease her about 'breaking and entering' because if she wanted to do that, she certainly knew how. And even he probably couldn't find a way to combat her spy skills, even with all his extra technological padding and security. ”If you're not having fun, you know where the door is. You used it.” Finn gave her a cheeky little smile because obviously he was kidding and didn't actually want her to leave. She did like to pick on him for being a little reclusive nerd, though, and was convinced that he didn't have any sort of social life or romantic life whatsoever. He didn't, but that wasn't the point! His best friend was pretty open with her opinions, and that was usually something he could appreciate about her, because she never beat around the bush. She told things as they were, as she saw them, and rarely made apologies for this behavior. Except... oh, except when she made comments on his personal parts that were absolutely none of her business. Finn made a face and rubbed his eyes with his right hand, embarrassed and not in the least bit surprised that such talk came out of the redhead's mouth. ”Please... refrain from talkin' about my balls ever again, could ya? Jesus, Zoe.”

He continued to putter around on his computer for a minute, finishing up a few minor tasks that didn't require a ton of focus or concentration because really, some of this stuff he could do in his sleep. And sometimes, if he hadn't loaded up on caffeine, he did a few things while in the process of nodding off and being on his way to becoming mayor of Sleepytown. However, he did have the brain power enough to realize that he was defending himself and his non-existent social life to Zoe. He had a couple friends. Well, Toby. Toby was a new friend that he'd made, although they hadn't gotten a chance to hang out since that day in the park where Finn had made a complete fool of himself on the basketball court amongst a group of super macho, athletic type males. While the demon wasn't completely nerdy – he was athletic and in really good shape, and some people even made the mistake of thinking that he was like those other super athletic macho guys just based on his appearance alone, but really... he was the polar opposite. Looks were deceiving, and after that major loss, he had considered working on some sort of robot that could play for him and own the next time he got suckered into some sort of posturing session with a group of men that would end up ridiculing him for not even being able to dribble the ball. Well, all of them except for Toby. Toby had been really nice about the entire thing, which was kind of how they became friends. ”Before computers? I had other things to occupy my time. Phonographs. Morse code. Not many friends though, but y'know how my parents were the overprotective type.”

The demon supposed that he was fairly easy to pick on, if one was predisposed to doing such a thing. With Zoe, he knew it was playful and not really serious. And anyone else, well, depending on who it was and what they were saying, Finn might have a rare moment of aggression where he might actually try to kick somebody's ass. Zoe never bothered him enough to make him aggressive, and even if she did, that was a fight that he knew he'd lose. Straight up, no chaser. Speaking of chasers... she insisted that he try a sip of one of the beers that she'd been storing in his fridge that had gone untouched for a reason. Yuck. That stuff was terrible, and Finn knew that his face was probably an obvious testament to his dislike of the bitter, hoppy liquid that was thick and probably lovely to beer connoisseurs, but not to him. ”I'm going to need some juice of somethin', get that awful taste out of my mouth.” He smacked his lips together and made another face, then excused himself to the kitchen for a moment and grabbed a can of Mountain Dew before he sat back down and put the can on a coaster so it wouldn't damage any of the prints that Zoe was showing him. He popped the tab on his beverage and stared at it for a minute before it all kind of clicked. Yeah, this was going to be easy enough to solve. His best friend praised his skills, even if it was in a way that was overly dramatic and fake, although he knew that she did appreciate his work and his brain. ”Don't force any more of that swill on me and we'll call it even for now. Until I need some sort of favor, but aren't we always keepin' a running tab with each other?”

Zoe wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek, and Finn started swatting at her playfully, squirming in his seat and grumbling under his breath. ”Yeah, yeah, and it's platonic female action, which somehow makes me feel all sorts of pathetic.” Finn sighed, because even though it was totally expected that Zoe would want to know all the details of his life and what he'd been up to since she was away, he didn't have much to tell her. But he also didn't want to seem pathetic. ”You know me, practically a social butterfly,” he said, sarcasm dripping heavily from his words.

”Not much, I'm afraid. Work, met a guy by the name of Toby when a bunch of 'macho men' thought I'd be a capable basketball player and ended up allowing me to prove them hideously wrong. Gave a call in to Ma and Da back home... can't you just tell me some of your stories? They're way more interesting, and you know it.”

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