Come As You Are // Open Post

[therealbrianna]

P.Y.T. [ Pretty Young Thing ]

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

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[therealbrianna]

[ Tonight? Awesome!

Oh wait.

It's a Sunday...

She looks thoughtfully at the door of her parents' room which is right across hers, and thinks about her options before typing in her reply. ]

SENT: 08:09 PM
Yeah that might be a problem... But I can do something about it. :)

[larue]

SENT: 08:10 PM
oh shit. right :(

[ The last thing he wants is to break her parents' trust. Especially since Mrs. Lopez had been pretty amazing. ]

we can go another day! rethe's at haven
all the time. don't want you in trouble with
your folks.

[ Y E P. Small-town values, get! ]

[therealbrianna]

[ But, but... She texts back before Josh can change his mind and make other plans. ]

SENT: 08:11 PM
No it's okay! What time do you wanna meet?
I have a plan. :)

[larue]

[ Plans? What plans? It was either this or spend the evening home with movies on his tablet. ]

SENT: 08:13 PM
around 10 should be good? do you want me
to head over to your place?

[ And because the guilt creeps up on him-- ]

SENT: 08:14 PM
are you SURE it'll be okay? seriously, don't
want to get you in trouble.

[therealbrianna]

[ If there was something Brianna was good at, it was sneaking out and sneaking back in.

Ah, rebel days are back. For now. Okay, for a night. Oh the adrenaline rush she's getting. What a kid. ]

SENT: 08:16 PM
Yeah don't worry! I won't get in trouble, I swear.
Mommy and daddy drink wine with their dinner, a lot
of it so I should be good.

[ Should she even confess to Josh how she used to sneak out? It's not even serious, she's laughing in her head. One thing the blade hasn't really talked about is their younger days and how they would act and how different they were. But then again, not everyone had the same childhood she and Kaz had. At this point, it's starting to bother Brianna more and more whether her childhood was even real to begin with given that practically half of her "soul" only experienced those happy times.

Nevertheless: ]

I used to sneak out a lot. I know the secret entrances and
exits of this house like the back of my hand. :)
Plus I've mastered a few... techniques. ;)

[larue]

[ Huh. ]

SENT: 08:17 PM
ah... okay. as long as you're sure.

[ And a follow-up, shortly after: ]

SENT: 08:18 PM
where do i meet you?

[therealbrianna]

[ Is he worried? She laughs at the possibility.

I really am the Blade Princess, or Blade Baby, whatever. ]

SENT: 08:20 PM
Yup! Just go round the back of the house at 10. :)

[larue]

[ Uh, okay then. ]

SENT: 08:22 PM
roger that.

[ He changes at around nine, heads out a little after that since Brianna's place is a bit of a walk. The night is cool so it's easy for him to jog a little; he gets to her place a little before ten and stands across the street, feeling a little self-conscious that someone might call him out on lingering well after dark. ]

[therealbrianna]

[ It's 9:30 PM, and Brianna's wearing a party dress under her blankets. She's pretending to be asleep, her blanket carefully concealing the fact that she's all made up. Her mom has already checked in on her earlier but to be sure, she's staying put until she's sure that they're fast asleep.

She asked Roy to give her a heads up if they really are knocked out for the night.

Someone quietly opens her door, and Roy walks in, tugging Brianna's hand. She opens her eyes.

Roy has a cheeky smile on his face and gives her a thumbs up. Brianna smiles at him and ruffles his hair.

She gets up, grabs her purse and heels and tiptoes out, going down the stairs.

She made a deal with Roy that if ever their parents suddenly get up while Brianna's making her escape, he'll cover for her.

If they suddenly feel like checking up on Bri in her room, Roy will just tell them not to because "it's that time of the month". And if they go downstairs, well, Roy will just distract him.

So happy I adopted this little kid. She thinks in her head.

Once downstairs, she pulls up one of the greased up windows and climbs out. Thank God for training to keep me toned.

It's 9:50. She puts on her heels, fixes her dress and hair and shoots a text to Josh. ]

SENT: 09:50 PM
Whew! Made it!

[larue]

[ He's watching the house closely, so he actually spots her climbing out in her dress and hides a laugh behind one hand when she slips on her heels and tidies herself up a little.

He's already crossing the street when his phone tremors in his pocket, but he doesn't bother to check who it's from. He'd seen her whip out her phone to send the text.

And for all that he said this wasn't anything anywhere close to a date, there's something almost illicit about their little rendevoux. ]

Brianna, [ he hisses in order to catch her attention. ] Are you absolutely sure about this? [ He's grinning though. ] You just climbed out a window.

[therealbrianna]

[ Her eyes scan the area to find out who just called out her name because lol, sneaking out. She spots Josh and puts on a really mischievous smile and walks over. ]

Yeah! I've done this before when our house wasn't... [ She looks around. ] ...here in Falner, but yeah I think we'll be good! [ She gives Josh a reassuring smile. ]

We won't get in trouble, swear! Shall we?

[larue]

[ It feels like that time in his first year of college, the championships just within fingertip's reach, and he and the guys had snuck out of the dorms they were given for the night to go out and score some booze from a local convenience store.

Idiot shenanigans by a bunch of kids high on so much possibility... only to wake up the next day with hangovers that had made training the most trying experience of their lives.

It feels great. ] So.

[ He smiles at Brianna. Waits. ]

[therealbrianna]

[ She clasps her hands together behind her, and kind of sways in place. ]

So. Shouldn't we be... going?

[larue]

[ He blinks and then sort of just, looks the way he came.

And then he turns back, and glances down at those... really high heels. ] Um.

It's a long... [ wow, he should have thought about that. ] Uh, walk?

[therealbrianna]

[ She follows Josh's gaze and looks back at him. Sometimes Clueless Brianna is being her usual sometimes clueless self. ]

We're... We're walking?

[larue]

[ And somehow, Josh is the one who feels like he dropped the ball on tonight. ]

I... uh, usually take the tram and just... [ eheh, um. heh? ...shit. ] I usually walk.

[ A wince. ] I've never driven a car in my life, Bri.

[therealbrianna]

[ No way I'm walking in these heels! ]

You... Wanna learn now? [ She smiles and cocks her head in the direction of her car, parked right out the main entrance of her house. ]

[larue]

Do you have your keys? [ He says it jokingly.

The last thing he wants to do is to wreck Brianna's car. He's earning a lot more each month under Netsach than he ever dared to dream, but that's kind of... a car. ]

[therealbrianna]

[ ... She did not think this through.

She laughs sheepishly and points to her house. ]

It's uhm, it's inside.

[larue]

[ Oh.

Well. Shit. ]

Huh.

[ He crosses his arms loosely over his chest and stares hard at the window as if by doing so long enough the answer will come to him. ]

[therealbrianna]

[ She's thinking that maybe she can sneak back inside but it's a risk.

Then a brilliant idea pops in her head. ]

Can't you do something... Sin-Eater-y?

[larue]

[ Glancing over at her then, because powers? For getting a--

--well, there's a thought. ] You know. You might be onto something there.

[ He's about to ask her where she usually leaves the keys, and then feels the gentle, quiet nudge of Coach's presence and the solidness of the Industrial Key tucked in the cradle of his palm.

When he lifts his hand, Josh can't help the smirk that creeps onto his lips. He has an idea, and it's a fun one. ]

Let me try something. [ Feeling his Boneyard expand outwards from where he stands, the key in his hand allowing him a better feel of the Lopez residence and the things within.

Oh. Hm. ] Bri? Those models that your dad got for Roy... how old are they?

[therealbrianna]

[ She thinks about it for a while. They are old, like maybe 1980 old? Definitely vintage.

She notices that Josh is planning something. She's already curious what he's got up his sleeve. ]

Uhmm, about more than 80 years old, I think?

[larue]

[ Good.

Smiling now as he does a quick scan of the area covering Roy's room and finding, finally, those old plane models.

Outwardly, what Brianna might see is the look of concentration on his face, even if Josh's gaze is far away, as if deep in thought. Back in that room, the plane model inches forward, starting and stopping as if gently being nudged off the shelf. ]

Where do you usually keep the keys, Bri? [ Josh asks softly, still distracted. He's been practicing things with Gabriel at the Regardi residence whenever they train. His Boneyard is getting better, but his Marionette and his Oracle need work. ]

[therealbrianna]

[ And she's anxious to make this work. They're not using Josh's powers for bad per sé, but it's quite... exciting. ]

Uhm, there's this thing in our kitchen, right above one of the counters. All our keys hang from there!

[ She's trying to recall specifically where she hangs hers. ]

If I'm not mistaken, mine is the 2nd from the left.

[ She's saying all this in a hushed voice so as not to break Josh out of his focused state. ]