Come As You Are // Open Post

[therealbrianna]

P.Y.T. [ Pretty Young Thing ]

(Taken during THAT mission that we do not speak of.)

Comments

and then josh retcons his nickname for brianna whut

[larue]

[ It oddly doesn't matter that Bri is smiling his way, though his relief that she looks okay is something that will show in the way that he will eventually, visibly relax once they've been left by company unwanted.

At the moment though, the look on Josh's face is neutral, a brow quirked though his eyes, Bri might note, are shuttered as he moves up to the group. And where other guys may deliberately choose to bump a shoulder against the offending parties as an unspoken statement of territory -- that's is not the case with this one.

Josh doesn't avoid either, he merely stops right where he's been blocked and then levels a pleasant look at the obstruction and waits for them to move, which they do.

And then he's settling right beside Brianna and gently curling a protective arm around her shoulders before he turns a concerned look her way.

Those boys are unimportant. His blademate however, is. ] Princess, [ his tone is teasing, ] I go away for a few minutes and already you've got people vying for your favor.

Good job.

[ He does spare a glance at the boys then. Nothing challenging, just a lift of both brows wondering why they're still around. ]

[therealbrianna]

[ And she is going to accept that teasing tone. She brings one hand up and rests her chin on her palm. ]

I can't help how I look, yknow. [ It's cute how the both of them are talking as if the group was invisible. Not that they were of significance anyway. ]

Wanna say hi to Rethe later on?

[larue]

Sure. [ Glancing up and then making an Eep face as he notes that yeah -- doesn't look like the angel is tag-teaming tonight. ] Or we could try? I think he's flying solo tonight.

[ That arm is now moving to Brianna's waist; loose, comfy, before it falls away because she seems alright now and he doesn't really like getting all up in her space.

Boundaries, kids. Learn them, respect them.

He's not looking at the guys anymore. They really, really do not matter. He doesn't turn his focus away from Brianna again though, not until they go.

Softly now, and easing back to give his blademate room: ] You okay?

[ She looked like she was handling it and his respect for her has gone up at that. Then again, she's given him the impression that she's gone to clubs before. He probably... had nothing to worry about, but this is Josh. He likes making sure. ]

[therealbrianna]

Hm?

[ She genuinely looks alright. ]

Oh! Yeah I'm okay. I don't mean to sound arrogant but that did happen a lot back then.

[ Lowering to a murmur now. ]

Well, sorta. I wasn't really there, more like half-there. And... I used to be neutral with unwanted attention, but...

[ She trails off. Josh can piece together the implications. ]

[larue]

[ His arm is going to come back up instinctively to draw her up against his side -- it's nothing more than a hug an older brother might give a kid sister, and it's so natural that Josh doesn't even think; he just does it.

Brianna's also going to get a dropped kiss right on the top of her head. He's been going through some readings on Changeling and the workings of a "fetch" and while he hasn't read that far, he already knows he doesn't like them. Period. ]

You're here now. [ He says that softly, eyes fixed on hers.

Shitty things happened to good people. It wasn't fair or right, but it sometimes couldn't be helped. The Sin-Eater hadn't known what to make of his blademate the first time they'd ever met in Inquisitor Gideon Reyes' class -- but she's one of 'his people' now, and that counts for a lot.

Besides. Who else was he going to talk to music about barring Kaz? ]

If those guys bother you again... [ He doesn't finish. It's not a threat, it's a promise. ]

You can handle yourself. You're a survivor. Anyone who thinks different is dumb.

But if you need me -- if you need any of us. I'm pretty confident in saying that the rest of the team has your back, too.

[therealbrianna]

[ She laughs sheepishly and looks down. ]

I'm sure they're not coming back.

[ She raises her gaze up at Josh. It's a thankful kind of look. ]

Thanks Josh, I... I know that now. [ She chuckles. ] I mean I have for a while, but... you get me.

[larue]

[ A quiet nod. ]

I get you.

[ A gentle squeeze on the arm at that. ]

Want another drink? On me.

[therealbrianna]

[ She nods and smiles. ]

Thank you, Josh.

[ For everything, but the smile on Brianna's face is enough for Josh to know that it's on her mind. ]

[larue]

[ He's going to offer himself up as a distraction then, because bad memories are a huge downer and they came here to just really have fun.

So yes, he gets you another drink. He also treats you to one of the signature dishes that the two of you can share while Rethe kills it up in the DJ booth. You'll also be treated to seeing him geek out firsthand over songs that he recognizes and if any of them aren't familiar to you, this one's more than happy to elaborate on background, artist, style.

Yeah. Your blademate's a ridic music geek. ]

[therealbrianna]

[ And she is clearly just enjoying her time with Josh. She's really digging into the food and topping it off with the drink. ]

I didn't really know there was more to music than that! Fascinating.

[ She says that with an interested gleam in her eyes. She also laughs occasionally in amusement. So yes Josh, she's feeling a whole hell lot better now, thanks to you. -w- ]