Coney Island
Coney Island really was an island until the creek silted up. Now it is a five-mile long peninsula that sticks out like an appendix at the southern end of Brooklyn. In recent years it has undergone quite a bit of construction, and the glamorous amusement parks of yesteryear have made way for highrise apartments and condominiums.
Only a few attractions remain active, but one can still find a few parks with roller coasters, ferris wheels and merry-go-rounds. Along the thick wooden planks of the boardwalk are booths selling all kinds of food, including the famed 'Coney Dog' and cotton candy. At the very end of the boardwalk is the New York Aquarium
Characters
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| Siobhan Knight | Jenna Donovan | Harper Donovan | Quintin Bruning | Chance Harper |
Siobhan is still fretting about her outfit for the day's outing. Not aloud, naturally. However, since piling into the car and heading to Columbia, she's repeatedly smoothed down the dot-printed purple skirt and touched her hand to the loose, braided pony tail that hangs over one shoulder several times. Even though she repeatedly keeps telling herself that it doesn't matter how she looks, she's not trying to impress anyone, she's not feeling like her usual comfortable self.
Quintin's charm is in her bag, in a small wooden box, and every now and then Siobhan reaches down to feel the shape of the case in her bag. Not so much reassuring herself that it's there, but at least feeling proud and confident that she did that. She did it right and she did it on her own.
She's the first one out of the car when it arrives, claiming that she needs to stretch her legs. Really, she's feeling weird and shy about giving Quintin the charm, and her entire body is heated up from being so close to Harper for so long.
What the hell is wrong with me?
:::
Unlike her friend, Jenna's not had any issues with dressing today. Her dress is perfect. Red, with a sheer top above her breasts and around her back. She's actually wearing sensible flats today, also red. Her hair is down, and she knows she looks good.
She's not trying to impress anyone so much as she just enjoys to look her best at all times.
She's got the picnic basket in the trunk of their car, keeping the food from the heat. When Siobhan jumps out so quickly and doesn't even close the door, the girl shakes her head. Her friend is acting jumpy. Weird even. Then again, she does have a crush on Quintin and Harper, so it's likely to create issues.
"We may as well join her unless you're planning on being a spoil sport and staying here."
:::
Harper rolls his eyes at both of the girls. Mostly because he can hear exactly what they're thinking and it sounds like a bunch of gossip to him. He heard enough of that when he was friend-zoned with Siobhan during her time with Jesse. Frowning at the memory, he slides out of the car and holds the door open for his sister.
"Well what're you waiting for, 'bud? Get out of the damned car so the two of you can go impress some guy while I sit on the sidelines and watch."
:::
It could be possible that the most nervous person in the small group is none other than the werewolf. Facing down evil purse snatchers that pray on elderly women is cake. Scaring away drunken frat boys at bars isn't really even a challenge. Surviving a day with these particular two girls, however, just might be the end of him. It doesn't help that Chance and Harper are around. Oh, sure, Chance is a great guy, but he knows his roommate could pull some sort of stunt at some point that would leave him speechless. The real issue is going to be the twin brother. Quintin doesn't feel that he's a threat, but if he still had a sister? He'd feel that every guy was a threat.
He was quick to change after practice, doing so in order to prevent either girl from seeing him with his shirt off. Even with dropping hints it likely wouldn't be a pretty sight for either of them. Long khaki shorts, a wife beater and a short sleeved button down shirt are his choices of clothing. Easy to change out of and great for the heat.
On the ground next to him are two plain white boxes, neither wrapped or with bows. One is rather long but not very tall, the other is of decent height but is only about as wide as two of his hands.
:::
Chance is along for the ride. He's still kind of amused and surprised that his roommate is acquainted with the two women he helped in the Undercity. Chance has heard it said many times that the world is smaller now, but until this week he hadn't bought into that much. Or even given it serious thought.
Contrary to his reputation, this is a different sort of outing for Chance. First of all, Quintin genuinely likes both girls, even if he's staunchly refusing to go for either of them. Secondly, he is on call for whenever Ansalem seeks out Jenna for her favor, and he won't be much help if he's been frozen out for being an ass.
As for Harper's presence? Chance isn't interested in the girls, not in that way, so he's not worried about upsetting or annoying Jenna's brother. Again, it's a day out, and he just plans to enjoy himself.
"Here," Chacne adds a pale pink gift bag to Quintin's pile of boxes. "You can't have one without the other."
:::
Out of the car and away from it, Siobhan stops and takes a deep breath. She closes her eyes for a moment, inhaling slowly through her mouth and out through her nose. The young witch doesn't need to do it often, but when she does, the slow meditative breathing helps her focus and center. Side stepping from the sidewalk onto the grass, she does it again, connecting with the earth as best she can (and she really wants to bend down and just touch the grass), until the weird unease she's been feeling most of the morning starts to ebb away.
After what is only a few seconds, she turns back and waves to Jenna and Harper, and adjusting her strap on her shoulder, begins to look around for the (possible) werewolf and (definite) sorcerer to round out their group.
:::
Jenna watches her friend for a moment, then shakes her head. She motions for Harper to open the trunk of their car, and then hauls out the picnic basket, complete with the red checked lining. It's pretty heavy, but she's not got too many issues with it.
Walking up beside Siobhan while leaving her brother to deal with the trunk she whispers, "Are you alright? You've been acting weird since we picked you up."
She doesn't spot Quintin right away, but she does hear a Texan accent. Pointing at where it came from, she loops her arm through Siobhan's and whispers, "Relax, would you. That's what today is for!"
:::
Keeping a watchful eye on the witch, Harper exhales a sigh. He heard her thoughts on the way over and was a little disturbed to hear so much about Jesse. He really wants to punch that guy in the face.
Left to carry a small cooler full of beverages, and the actual picnic blanket he hauls them out of the trunk and then taps the back of the vehicle after closing it to let the driver know to go park.
"Siobhan, stop fussing with your dress. You look fine and you'll charm anyone who sees you."
:::
Spotting the girls causes an audible exhale. This is going to be a very long day, he suspects, but he's bound determined to make the post of it.
A nod is offered to his roommate. "Thanks. Be prepared for reactions to them." He doesn't admittedly know how they'll feel but has a pretty good feeling that the gifts will go over well. They aren't made of real diamonds or crystals, but the point is clear. He hopes.
Quintin waves to the newly arrived trio, already standing on a decent spot for a picnic. His teammates are still packing up and leaving from practice and occasionally glance around trying to figure out what is going on. A few of them recognize the girls from the bar.
"You ready for this?" It's all but whispered to Chance.
:::
"I suspect that they'll be amused," Chance says with a grin and in a slow lazy drawl, clapping Quintin on the shoulder. "But if they aren't, I'll cover you while you run for it. Pretty sure I can hold off anything Piper throws at me." He's joking. Mostly. He hopes the witch really won't fireball him. Or worse.
"I'm good," Chance gives a soft chuckle and a shake of his head. He really wishes he knew what his roommate was worried about. Spending the afternoon with two pretty girls isn't a hardship. Even if it is roller disco. "Just relax. Try to enjoy yourself." Chance will.
:::
"I'm fine," Siobhan replies without missing a beat. She tosses her braid over her shoulder. "I've just never given a charm to anyone before who doesn't know one hundred percent what I am. He's probably going to look at me like I'm some weird new agey freak or something." He certainly did seem to at least be humoring her, but it's too hard to gauge reactions without facial expressions and body language.
With her arm linked through Jenna's, she glances back at Harper. "I don't look fine," Siobhan frowns. There's a beat and she smiles, "I look hot." Though she's not trying to charm anyone? Is she?
Spotting Quintin and the sorcerer, she waves, and begins leading Jenna in that direction, seemingly ignoring the glances - and a few whistles and calls from some of the other ball players. She's not totally ignoring them, however, and by the time she reaches the designated spot, her head is held higher, and her smile is a touch more genuine. "Hello, boys."
:::
"It'll be fine, Shiv." Even if Quintin doesn't believe Siobhan, she's sure he'll humor her friend just fine. Jenna smiles and leans against her bestie's arm for a moment and whispers, "We don't have to stay long at the roller disco. Maybe an hour or so. Then we can hit the amusement park. I don't want the boys to suffer."
Then again, Harper totally deserves to suffer for blasting crap music while she was trying to concetrate the other night.
A bright smile and a big wave is offered to the Columbia boys. The other teammates first, not because she's flirting but because she's friendly and she recalls a few faces from the nightclub. As they near Quintin and Chance she waves again, this one a lot more involved. Then she hefts up the picnic basket and tosses them a smile as well.
:::
Laughing at Siobhan's response, he nods. "That'a girl," he shoots back at her with a mock salute since his hands are full. Harper picks up on her feelings, and then glances at the two they're meeting up with, trying to figure out which one Siobhan is interested in.
Catching up to the girls he rolls his eyes. "I'm here because…?"
:::
The closer that they get the more he's able to see just how good they both look. They really don't ever do anything but the best, he's starting to realize. "Jenna, Shiv." The two he actually knows are greeted before he offers the official bro-code nod to Harper. He can clearly figure out who he is, but doesn't just make that assumption and introduce himself. "You're both looking good, as usual."
His current thoughts are all over the place, but none are actually on liking either girl or having any ill intentions. He's completely nervous even if he hides it well externally. He's also genuinely happy to see them; to see everyone, actually.
A hand is offered out to Jenna in order to take the basket from her. "Here, let me take that." He then realizes his mistake and Quintin shakes his head. "I should have met you at the car. I'm sorry."
:::
Mentally, Chance whistles. The girls are hot. They look much different from the encounter in the Undercity, when they wore dark clothes and tried their best to look non-descript. They failed, because you don't put a smile and eyes as bright as Jenna's next to a body like Siobhan's and really expect to go unnoticed.
"Ladies," Chance greets them, his smile encompassing both of them, though his gaze only connects with Jenna's. Not for lack of trying, but Siobhan has perfected the skill of looking at his eyebrow or his cheekbone. "Thank you for the late invitation to your outing today."
A manly nod is given to Harper, and it's hard to not see the family resemblance.
:::
"Because you didn't want to be cooped in the house on a Saturday and you couldn't bear not spending time with us?" Siobhan offers to Harper with a coy, sweet smile. Flirting with Harper is easier and actually helps her get more into her head space. It's not that it's harmless, but it's that it's Harper, and she's trying to take her father's advice to heart where Jenna's twin is concerned.
"Besides, like Jenna says. The more the merrier."
Turning her attention to the Columbia young men, Siobhan flashes her bright smile in their direction. "It's fine. We're not delicate flowers, you know." She caps it with a wink and then motions to Harper. "Harper meet Quintin and - " The sorcerer "- Chance." No need to toss out last names; she doesn't want to make Quintin uncomfortable and really … she doesn't recall Chance's.
:::
"Hi, Quintin. Chance." Handing the basket over, she laughs. "Ohh no. If you'd taken it at the car, we might not have food by the time we found the picnic spot." It's a soft, playful tease. "Really, I wanted to carry it. Shiv and I worked hard on this, you know. We didn't want anything to happen to it."
Beat.
"This is my brother, Harper. Harper, these are the guys I'm sure you're sick of hearing about." Not that she and Siobhan gushed about either of them in the car, but he's got other ways of hearing things. Besides, Shiv just took care of the introductions.
"Oh, well, I'd've invited you sooner, really, but we didn't know you at the time we made plans…"
:::
Siobhan is given a snort from the male Donovan. He mutters something to the effect of 'yeah whatever' and then sets the small cooler down. Shaking out the blanket, he lets it fall gracefully to the ground and holds his hand out to the witch.
"So my sister says you play football. The both of you, or just Quin?" Because he's not calling the guy Quintin.
:::
Quin works just fine, just fine indeed. He smiles sheepishly. "Well, I might have had a large breakfast to make sure that there was enough for everyone." He's not really downplaying his hunger and food intake but isn't trying to focus on these things either. "I'm just happy that you guys went to so much trouble. You didn't have to, but it won't go unnoticed." It doesn't. He's warm and full of affection for the girls. Friendly affection, of course.
"Yeah, that's me. Going into my final year here." He's a bit old to be in his final year which is due to his family 'accident'. This part isn't explained though. "I admit that I've not gotten to talk too in-depth about families with the girls." For obvious reasons, likely. "It's good to meet you, Harper. You're in school then?"
The boxes remain at his feet, untouched and not mentioned. All in due time.
Shiv receives a nod and a smile, the interactions between her and Harper not going unnoticed. "I realize that, but allow us to treat you like that for a day?" It's supposed to be a flattering offer but he gets how it wouldn't be.
:::
Chance has a hard time keeping a straight face through his roommate's words. He's flattering to the girls, and Chance thinks that he's trying not to offend or set off the brother. For his part, Chance is watching the interaction curiously, moreso than anything. Quin is a little hard to read, he always has been, so he's focusing on the girls, trying to see if one - or both - of them is interested in his roommate. If so, he's going to encourage the other man to go for it, because it's just another type of social interaction.
He, too, notices the subtle interaction between Siobhan and Harper, and wonders what that's all about.
"I play baseball," Chance explains, motioning for everyone else to sit. He won't sit until the girls do. "In my last year, too." He missed a year because he was exploring what being a sorcerer meant - and not in a good way. "I know Jenna auditions, so I'm assuming fine arts, but what about you, Piper?"
:::
Siobhan automatically accepts Harper's hand, without really thinking about it. Kicking off her shoes as she does so, and allowing him to assist her onto the blanket. Her feet are dangled off a bit touching the grass, and she tries to ignore how her arm tingles from the contact of his skin. She swears she's going to go to her grave hung up on the boy.
"Jenna is going to be on Broadway someday." The words are said quite proudly and with a good deal of conviction.
:::
"Are you starting law school afterward?" Once Harper has Siobhan settled on the blanket, Jenna takes his still outstretched hand and seats herself. The skirt of her dress is carefully tucked under her as she sits, and she curls her knees in an appropriate manner after her shoes are summarily kicked off as well.
"I'm working on my Masters of Fine Arts in Acting at Tisch right now," she explains with a smile at Chance. "Well I will be in the fall. This summer is auditions and work." A few extra classes she won't be able to fit in during the year as well.
"Siobhan's a dancer at Juiliard. She's going to become my personal choreographer eventually." Or run her mother's dance studio. Both work, really.
A bright smile is offered to Quintin, and she nods. "Alright, for the rest of the day you can treat us like delicate flowers."
:::
"So, baseball and football. I've played both. Baseball's more my thing," Harper replies. He takes a seat facing the girls, simply because it's easiest that way for the other two to sit near his sister and her friend without him having to move.
"Not that anyone's asked, but I'm attending MIT for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science."
:::
Well now, that didn't go as planned. He /was/ asking Harper about his studies and whatnot, but Quin isn't going to try and point that out. The last thing he wants to do is make any waves. Instead he just stands there, doing his best not to appear dumbfounded. No matter how he tries to paint it this situation is far more awkward than he had originally decided it should be.
"As you wish," he replies to Jenna with a slight bow. When in doubt, pop culture references may be able to save the day. "Is there anything that I can get anyone before I sit?"
He would share the reasons he plays football over baseball, or where he plans to go after his final year, but he doesn't believe that these things are relevant. So he attempts to do what he does best; play the responsible party and attempt to be a good 'host'.
:::
Chance doesn't take offense at Harper's words. Then again, it takes a lot for Chance to take offense about a lot of things. There are still arguments about nature versus nurture, but both his father and his maternal grandfather have that sort of laid back, roll with the punches attitude that Chance inherited. He wasn't trying to offend Harper, he just hadn't gotten around to asking yet, but it's Harper's choice to get offended, if he was.
Seeing that Quin isn't going to sit first, Chance sighs and does a quick game of eeny-meeny in his hand and then lowers himself gracefully to the blanket beside the witch. She won't like it much, but he figures she'll warm up to him eventually. It wouldn't hurt either of them to be friends, Dynasty and Coven be damned for all Chance cares.
"How do you like it?" Chance asks. "MIT? Got any plans when you graduate?"
He nods to Jenna, giving her a warm smile. "Yes, ma'am. I was leaning toward Harvard Law, but I'm in at Columbia too, and I do like the city."
It's amusing how the two girls seem to brag about each other and not themselves. "Tisch and Julliard, that's impressive." It really is, because Chance isn't just some backwater hick no matter what people think of first meeting him sometimes. He gives Siobhan a look, "No dreams of being a prima ballerina, Piper?"
:::
Siobhan swallows her disappointment when Harper sits across from them, and wonders why she should have expected anything different. Just as she's telling herself to 'get used to disappointment,' Chance is sitting next to her and the bitterness of disappointment swells into irritation. She almost, almost glares at Harper for leaving the spot open, but restrains herself and gives Chance a friendly smile. She might not like the sorcerer on general principle, but this outing was Jenna's idea, Jenna invited him, and she's going to try not to ruin her friend's day.
"No, I'm not exactly prima ballerina material." It's not false modesty, it's honesty. Siobhan may be an excellent dancer, but she's petite, curvaceous and top heavy, something that professional ballerinas are not. She has no intentions of starving herself (which wouldn't change the build of her body in the least) or getting plastic surgery, so she came to terms with the fact that she wouldn't be stage center. Still, her mother is gloriously happy and quite respected and requested in dance circles, and that's not a bad lineage to follow behind.
Her smile is much, much warmer and brighter when she turns it on Quin. "I'm good. I think we're all good, and everything we need is in the basket already. Come on and sit down Quin, and Jenna and I will start serving."
She bristles anew at Chance sitting beside her, because it would have made it much easier to give Quin the charm as well, if he were next to her. Now, it will be awkward, because she'll have to find a way to pull him aside, because she really doesn't want to do it with an audience.
:::
"Harvard has such a beautiful campus. I went out there to check out their Dramatic Arts program when I was first applying at schools. I was accepted there, but I just really couldn't pass up the opportunity to study at Tisch." It's not that Tisch is more prestigious, simply that they have fewer spots for students and to get accepted there is a great accomplishment.
"That was Princess Bride, right?" Jenna tosses a smile at Quintin and then laughs. "Fortunately, I'm not Buttercup." Or maybe that's unfortunately? It's been a while since Jenna's read the book, let alone seen the movie.
"Quintin, this picnic is for you! Sit down and enjoy yourself. If anyone should be playing host, it's me." Reaching over, she drags the small cooler to the center of the blanket. "Water, juice, soda. You guys can grab whatever you want."
Glancing at Quintin again, she sighs. She can feel the awkwardness he's feeling and quietly says, "I think my brother was meaning that no one asked him what he was studying." She often has to clarify for her terse, quiet brother, but she doesn't mind.
Feeling the disappointment and irritation from Siobhan, she wrinkles her brow slightly. "Okay, let's sit semi-circle. Harper, go sit beside Siobhan on the other side. Quintin can sit in the middle, and Chance at this end."
:::
Harper rolls his eyes dramatically at his sister. Trying to look annoyed at having to move. But it's no hardship for him to slide over next to Siobhan. Hell, he's known her since they were children, and besides his sister, is one of his closest friends.
"I like it well enough. I don't mind being out of the city, but it's hard at the same time." Glancing at his twin, he tosses her a fond smile. "I miss my two best friends. Which is the only reason I'm tagging along today. If I'd known it was a double date, I'd've stayed home." Not the entire truth. He did come to spend time with Jenna and Siobhan, but he knows full well it's not a double date. It's just a gathering of friends.
:::
"As /you/ wish." The line is repeated to Shiv due to her request. It really is his intention to do whatever is easiest for both females. He barely knows either of them but knows well enough to understand that he cares for both of them. How he cares? He has no idea. At this point he isn't going to try and analyze it, though. He flashes her a smile to match that she gives to him.
There are no ill feelings or irritations when Jenna imposes a seating order. Quin merely sits where instructed. It's actually easier for him this way than to have to choose a place to sit. This way he doesn't have to worry about what people think about where he seats himself. "I could be wrong, but it looks like this picnic is for all of us. I just want to make sure that everyone's happy."
Of course, he's already sniffing out what sort of food might be waiting him. "Water is perfect," he says as he reaches for his own bottle.
Harper becomes the focus of his attention as he already is familiar with his roommate. "It has to be difficult to be away from someone you've grown up with." He certainly isn't fishing for sympathy. He also doesn't feel remorse or even upset at all as he speaks about it. "I'm glad you came along, though. It's always good to meet new people. And hear horror stories of some of the trouble that these two might have put you through."
:::
Chance isn't offended when Jenna re-arranges them. If anything, he's even more amused by it because she's doing it for her friend. He happily takes the new placement in the seating and reaches into the cooler, grabbing a twenty oz bottle of soda. "Coke. Perfect." He doesn't drink a lot of soda, but he does indulge with soda as much as he does beer and hard alcohol. Let it never be said that Chance is not a party boy.
He sits back on the blanket, and twists off the cap. Tilting it up he drinks, not venturing to add more to the conversation, but rather interested in watching the dynamics and allowing Quin to take the lead.
"Yeah, I'd love to hear some horror stories as well.
:::
"Stop it, Harper," Siobhan laughs when he makes the comment about a double-date. She swats his leg playfully and flips her braid over one shoulder. Inside she is absolutely cringing that he would suggest such a thing, and suspects that her face may just be a bit red. Because it isn't a double-date, though she feels as though she's been called out for doing something naughty.
Leaning over the picnic basket, she reaches in and begins to remove the various containers for the meal, placing them on the blanket in the middle of their semi-circle. "He doesn't have any stories to tell. We're not troublesome at all."
:::
Jenna would definitely disagree. They've been plenty troublesome, but Harper's usually been right there with them while they're doing it. So any horror stories he might tell will involve him as well.
"We've got southern fried chicken, and for those of us that might not want something that heavy, we've got some rotisserie chicken. There's also a potato and pasta salad," she says pointing to each of the containers in turn. There's containers of fruits and veggies as well.
"Water for me as well," she says, reaching into the cooler to pull out another bottle. Then she's carefully kneeling so as not to have her dress blow upward, and retrieving plates and cutlery for everyone from the basket.
"It's not a date, Harper. We're all going to have fun today is what it is. A nice relaxing summer… well almost summer afternoon."
There's a beat, and then a smile at everyone. "And we don't even have to leave early. I switched a shift with Miranda. I'm just going to cover hers next Saturday when she's got a wedding to go to."
:::
Harper is actively trying not to telepathically read anyone here. Things are awkward enough as is without him being able to tell what the other guys, and the two girls are thinking about one another or him. He picks up stray thoughts, but he's doing his best to ignore them for the time being.
"It is. As annoying as my twin can be, life is pretty boring without her around."
Glancing sideways at Siobhan, he smirks. He does love teasing her, and she seems so unlike herself in this situation that it's almost endearing.
"Two guys, two girls, and me, the chaperone. Sounds like an old-fashioned double date to me." He gives his friend a playful swat back, and then rejoins the conversation with, "Well there was this one time. When you turned Teddy Haversham's hair aqua in chem lab. I have no idea how you two were even allowed to be lab partners, let alone were allowed to play with chemicals."
:::
Harper points out jokingly that he seems as if he is the chaperone. The ironic part is that Quin feels like the fifth wheel in this situation. It's his own fault, he realizes, but that doesn't change the situation. He normally isn't exactly one for many words anyway so it almost works out.
The stands are scanned for anyone who may be lingering. It isn't uncommon for some spectators, especially any looking for talent. As he does so he retrieves his cell phone. A few buttons are pressed before he silences the phone and places it in a different pocket. He really is listening to what everyone else is saying though.
"Blue, huh?" See? He is paying attention. "I would have thought it would be pink. Or something that shimmers."
Trying to not bring much attention to what he's doing, the werewolf makes a bid for food. A lot of food. About the only healthy thing he's doing at the moment is drinking water.
:::
"If anyone should feel like the chaperone, it's me," Chance laughs combing his fingers through his hair. He stays out of the way as the girls set out the food and as Quintin begins to dig in. "I was invited along at the last minute, and I'm still not sure why."
He gives Jenna a boyish grin, flashing his dimples at her. "I do appreciate it, though, Miss Jenna." The over the top southern charm is entirely intentional.
He blinks at Harper's words - And is it weird or what thinking of my last name as someone's first name - and laughs again. "Blue, huh? Wonder how that happened." His blue eyes linger on the witch for a moment, as though he expects her to confess.
A brow is lifted at Quintin, "Does someone here like shimmers?" Clearly he has come late to the party.
:::
Siobhan squirms uncomfortably at the mention of blue hair. Mostly because it wasn't all chemicals and Harper damn well knows that. It's what happens when you give a too curious and impatient witch a beaker and she decides to short cut the experiment. She can feel the sorcerer's eyes on her and refuses to give him the satisfaction, instead focusing her gaze on the challenge of adding side items to the plates for the boys.
"Yes, it was the weirdest thing." Mr. Peters kept saying he'd never seen that interaction before in all his years of teaching.
She hands Harper a plate, elbowing him as she does so, "It's not like we made it a habit of flubbing up our chemistry projects. That one just got away from us."
She smirks as Quintin dives for the food, and makes no comment. She has a brother who's an athlete and she's seen he and his teammates descend on the kitchen like locusts. Besides, they brought plenty.
"Your friend is right, Quin. If anyone is the odd man out, it's him." It's meant to be a jab at the sorcerer, but as soon as the words leave her lips, Siobhan realizes that it makes it sound as though she's here with Harper - In my dreams - and Jenna is here with Quin. "Not that anyone should feel that way. We're just here as friends. Enjoying the summer weather."
:::
"Sparkles," Jenna points out with a laugh. "I can't help it. Certain things that sparkle are just really pretty."
Nudging Chance lightly, she says, "You shouldn't feel like a chaperone. I invited you to say thank you for your help the other night." The night she refused to tell her twin about because he likely already knows it all from her thoughts anyhow. "I'd definitely say you went well above and beyond for a stranger, and I appreciate that."
There's nothing at all in her words except a friendly demeanor.
That is, until she turns to her brother.
"Harper you promised you wouldn't tell about that. It's not my fault Teddy came by and stuck his head over our mixture. We didn't ask him to do it."
Really, it serves him right if he did do it. He pinched her rear on one too many of occasions for Jenna's liking.
:::
Laughing in reply to Chance, Harper shakes his head. "At least they were trying to put you in pink sequins."
He snorts at his sister being called Miss Jenna. It's ludicrous to hear it being said. "Don't boost her ego any more, or she'll float right over Broadway and pop."
Taking the plate from Siobhan, he sets it to the side. He'll wait until everyone else is done getting food. It's not like he can't grab a burger at the rink or the amusement park later in the day, and he's well aware that Quintin needs the food more than he does. "It wasn't just that class either. In sixth grade, the two of you created a mudslide with your volcano project. How you managed to graduate with honors I'll never know."
:::
Uh, yeah. Shiv actually gets that look from Quintin. The look where he feels as if he's a deer caught in headlights. He really had no intentions of anything other than a good time out with friends but it seems more and more to him that each person is trying to set him up with /someone/. He swallows his bite of food, which is rather large, and just stares. While he's watching her he continues to load up his plate before easing himself into a more comfortable eating position.
Thankfully the other males are keeping the conversation going for him. "Oh, there's no surprise for me," Quin adds between bites. He's at least trying to not be an all out abomination at the picnic. "I'm sure that they tried to smile their way through a lot of it. Good thing high school is nothing like, oh, I don't know. Dance clubs for example."
He shakes his head and goes back to his food. He really is making good time with it.
:::
Chance too knows how much his roommate eats on a slow day, and he's got no issues with allowing Quintin to get his fill before diving in. His metabolism tends to run high, especially when he's been casting, but not nearly as high or fast as Quintin's. There's a brief flash of discomfort at Jenna's words, and then he shrugs it off. "I just didn't want to see you and Piper getting in over your heads."
He takes a drink from the can of Coke and nudges Jenna. "Maybe I should call you Magpie instead of Blue Eyes."
"I'm pretty happy right now that my high school and middle school past are back in Texas and far away from here." Plenty of embarrassing stories could be told about him, but there's no one here to tell them.
:::
"Harper, sweetie, please stop talking." Siobhan gives him a sweet smile and bats her lashes at him, but the teasing warning in her voice is very evident. "We graduated with honors because all the teachers recognized our brilliance."
She is not thanking Chance again, and focusing on Harper is easier. She may not be an empath, but she can read body language and knows her lack of filter and forethought made Quintin uncomfortable. She's not sure why it did, but she's feeling a bit bad about that, and is happy to focus her attention elsewhere. Harper gets to be her target, but she knows he hardly takes her seriously anyway.
:::
"Oh, come on! What did we do at the dance club that was bad?" Jenna pouts her lower lip out and gives Quintin a look as though she's got no clue what he's talking about. All she did was talk to him, con him to dance with them, and made him stay for a bottle of water. They were actually very good at the club, considering they snuck in.
"That mudslide wasn't our fault either! Mark Summers mixed cocoa powder in with the baking soda, and the whole thing exploded and spilled over onto the first row of class." She would try to kick her brother but he's across from her a good ways and she'd have to go through the food.
Noting Chance's discomfort, she leans forward and adds a little bit of the rotisserie chicken to her plate and just a small amount of the salad. Sitting back, she shoots the sorcerer an apologetic look and then stares at her food quietly.
:::
"They definitely smiled their way through a lot of it. Played innocent quite often too," Harper says with a wink in Jenna's direction. He knows his sister's starting to feel embarrassed but it's not going to stop him.
"Neither of you was old enough to get into that club," he points out with a chaperone-like waggle of his finger. "Don't let me catch you going in there again."
Beat.
"Magpie's a good name for her, except she doesn't tend to steal things."
:::
It really is nice hearing about everyone's high school experiences, and even some from days earlier. He doesn't volunteer any information, for obvious reasons. Well, reasons obvious to some people. That doesn't mean that he's uncomfortable hearing about their lives; in fact, it's quite the opposite. It seems like they all had very happy experiences, at least over all, and he enjoys hearing about them.
When Jenna calls him out about their behavior he stares at her next. Only this time he's mid-bite so it's far less attractive. Again he slowly chews and swallows. Before he can even say anything Harper is joining in. Now a much more serious glance is given her way. "I don't think that will be a huge problem," Quin offers to the male twin. "Someone made a point to get me a job there. I don't think they'll be getting past me too easily." It isn't a threat, either. He's just looking out for them.
With an empty plate before him, Quin eases up slightly and enjoys the banter. Now that the double date jokes have ended he's found himself far more relaxed.
:::
"Magpie it is then," Chance says, giving a playful tug on one of her locks of hair. It's flirtatious, but playfully so. One, he's not so stupid as to make a play for a girl in front of her brother; two, he's not going to make a move on a girl that Quintin might be interested in, no matter how much his roommate may be in denial; and, three, that's not why he's here.
Blink.
"You're not old enough for Purgatory?" He's placed them since meeting them in the Undercity and making the connection with Quintin, but he's never really asked or thought about their ages. "How old are you two?"
:::
"Old enough," Siobhan replies immediately without missing a beat. As far as she's concerned, the less Chance knows about her, the better. However, knowing that Jenna - or Harper - will 'fess up anyway, she rolls her eyes. "Twenty." She almost adds that no one present is jailbait, but that makes it sound too much like she's trying to fish for a date.
With her own plate of food, Siobhan settles into her seat, making sure is arranged modestly. She turns a bright, wide smile on Quintin, giving him the same does of eyelash batting she did Harper, but without the implied threat. "But, how could you possibly turn us in?" She mimics her best innocent look; the one Harper talked about that really did get her out of a lot of trouble as a teen.
:::
"Snap. I forgot you were working there." Jenna glances up from her plate to Siobhan and sighs. They can always sneak into Decades, but it's hardly as upscale, and it's definitely not a place their friends would go to.
Picking at her food a little, she sets the plate down when Chance playfully tugs at her hair. She stares at him for a moment, not at all sure what to make of it. Because it's definitely not flirtatious. He likes Siobhan.
"I turned twenty just under two months ago. It's a twenty-one-plus club." Taking a sip of the water, she turns back to the picnic basket. Rather than eat what's currently on her plate, she just takes a few of the containers of fruit and sets a few grapes and apple slices on her plate, along with a strawberry.
:::
"I think I like you already, Quin. Nice to know someone in the city will look out for these two when I head back to school." Harper knows more about the werewolf than the werewolf thinks. Not only because of the files his mother tends to keep, but because of his new ability. Even without the name it wasn't hard to place him.
"Yep. Old enough to know you shouldn't be giving Jenna a fake ID. She's impressionable," he teases. "What would either of you have done had some frat boy slipped something into your drinks, hmm?" It's the same lecture he knows his mother would give. His father? Much more laid back on these types of things.
:::
Now she's opened the door. Friendly banter he's very much okay with. "I don't need to," Quin answers. The smile he offers Shiv is almost devious. "But I /can/ toss you over my shoulder and escort you out. I /highly/ doubt that anyone is going to question me on that." A finger is shaken in her direction. "And /that/ is what I'm talking about. That expression right there is trouble. Trouble I say."
Harper's response brings a small chuckle from Quin. "I actually believe my number was in her phone as Frat Boy Removal Service. Something like that, anyway." The funny thing is that Quin not only has no clue about the empathy, but he sure as heck knows nothing about Harper's new ability. "I don't know. Enough stupidly bad things happen. I might as well do something stupidly good."
Chance's actions and reactions to the girls are not new to him. He /would/ ask about the lady with the red lace bra, but he keeps the thought on the front of his mind instead. "Though I can't say the same for /some/ people I know. This guy might just encourage some civil disobedience." It's said with a grin as it truly is meant in jest.
:::
"No impressionable babes in the wood, then," Chance grins teasingly. Twenty, he can handle. Fresh out of high school? Not so much. The barely street legal ones are trouble, and it's worse because they don't realize how much trouble they are and the dangers they pose. He has a good idea that Jenna and Siobhan well know how much trouble they can get into if they put their minds to it.
"Someone's been practicing that look far too much, I'd wager," Chance nods in agreement with his roommate.
Chance snorts at the accusation from Quintin. "Hey! I resemble that remark!" He shakes his head and finishes his soda, finally reaching for a plate of food. "It wouldn't be sporting of me to support their illegal clubbing habit. I heard the comments they got at Purgatory." He might have made a few, but he's not going to admit to that.
:::
"You'll have to catch me first," Siobhan laughs to Quin's comment, and it's light and playful and friendly. Relaxed, more herself than she has been since leaving her home this morning. Keeping up the innocent look, Siobhan asks with an overabundance of saccharaine sweetness. "What look? I have no clue what you're talking about?"
Beat.
"More fruit?"
She then gasps, her head whipping around to Harper as she openly gapes at him. "What makes you think that I gave Jenna a fake ID? Since when I did become the bad girl influence?" She's allowed to be indignant because there were no fake IDs involved; just a sorcerer's illusion spell. She almost admits that she doesn't even know where to get a fake ID, but despite everyone with the exception of Quin who might think she's just a New Agey Wiccan weird knowing what she is, there's no need to advertise it.
"Besides, I've been to my fair share of frat parties and house parties. Our drinks never would have left our sight. Though, all Jenna drank was water." Her on the other hand? Well, it was only one shot.
:::
"It still is," Jenna replies. Actually, she's now listed it as 'Quintin Bruning - Frat Boy Removal Services'. She'll likely keep it that way for as long as she needs to worry about handsy frat boys. "I suppose I won't need it in another ten months when I can get back into Purgatory. You'll already be working there and getting paid for it."
Popping a grape into her mouth, she chews it quietly and then washes it down with a bit of water.
"I don't need to be taken care of, Harper. Just because you're older by two whole minutes doesn't mean that you need to take care of me forever." Sure, Jenna's technically the younger sibling, but she hates to be babied.
She watches the interplay with the two guys who aren't related to her, and Siobhan, and it just clinches it in her mind that they're both into her friend.
:::
"No, you really do need to keep your eye on that one. She's trouble." Harper's fully expecting a smack from Siobhan at that, and he ducks out of the way in anticipation.
"She is really good at that look, isn't she?"
He really wants to ask what lady with the red lace bra, but he doesn't want to reveal his abilities. He's just happy to know that it's not his sister, what with her penchant for the color.
"Because, Shiv, it's always you doing things like that. Besides, do you think Jenna can keep something like that from me?" He knows it was a spell, but he's not about to announce that in mixed company when he's got no clue how much the two Columbia men know about the girls.
"You can still put Rohypnol in a bottle of water."
:::
If it wasn't for the fact that they are currently eating she'd be off the ground in a heartbeat. He'll at least wait for the food to settle before displaying just how strong he is. "Just wait." Oh yes, it's a promise, and his look almost says as much.
When turning to address Jenna he isn't quite as forward. In fact, he softens somewhat. "Well, it's not just for drunken frat boys." Sadly when one pimps himself out as the ever friend, that's what they become. He already knows he's been friend-zoned. That doesn't change how he's going to address things. "And I don't have to be paid for it."
Ahem.
"Really, you should probably have someone with you anytime you go to any party. For security." Yeah, something like that.
Quintin knows nothing about the red lace bra other than it is a red lace bra. "While I have no doubts believing that Shiv could be a little devious mastermind, I won't rule out Jenna either. They're too close. Too similar."
:::
Chance isn't the secretive type, and he's the sort who will share. Maybe not all the details, but he's male and willing to boast a bit. However, he's not mentioning the lingerie that was left in the living room, or the blonde that left without it this morning. Need to know, and no one here needs to know that.
"It's what older brothers do," Chance grins at Jenna, and playfully swipes a bit of fruit from her plate. "Not that I'd know personally, but I have run into my fair share of them."
He lowers his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "If I were your brother, I wouldn't let me near you." He's grinning and there's no sense of maliciousness, or naything other than playfulness in the words.
"You know, you might be onto something, Quin. These two probably need a lot of watching."
:::
The witch makes a half-hearted effort to slap the male Donovan, but it's not too much of an effort as to truly achieve it would lead to flashing her panties at the group, and possibly dislodging from her dress.
"Who would do it? The bartender, Harper?" Siobhan asks with a raise of an eyebrow. "You're too paranoid." Yes, that coming from the young woman who has arbitrarily decided to not like Chance because he's a sorcerer even after he's (sort of) proven himself.
"Oh sure, make me the Scarlet Woman," Siobhan mock sulks, settling back in her seat. She nudges Harper with her foot bumping against his leg, and rolls her eyes. "I'm adventerous and I stand by that declaration." Meaning she can be a right hellion and she knows it, but she's not going to admit to it.
"Safety in numbers," Siobhan grins at Quin's concern. "We always go together. Parties. Clubs. But I think we should put you on speed dial. You know, just in case, right Jenna?"
:::
"Hardly that similar," Jenna replies with a laugh. The good thing about being an actress is that even if she's conflicted in her mind, she can act perfectly normal on the outside. Her brother will easily catch her stray feelings, but she's doing her best not to think about anything other than the current situation.
"I know you don't need to be paid for it, Quintin. I just meant that I'll hardly be able to slip past you and into the club, so I likely won't be there for another ten months." Though she does give him an odd look when he mentions that it's not just for drunken frat boys. Not that it's a bad thing, just a surprising thing.
"I honestly don't go to many parties. It's never really been my thing." She's been to a few theater after parties, but always with her father. Galas and soirees that her parents made her attend when younger? There's never really been a need to worry about people at those types of things. "Oh. Sure. Definitely. If it's okay with Quintin that I give you his number."
As the fruit is swiped from her plate, she blinks and then laughs. "That was my last grape." Not that there aren't plenty left in the container but that's not the point.
:::
"Yes, she likely does need security around her at all times." Harper looks at Quintin, trying to sum him up. He's almost amused by everyone's thoughts, and he's decided to keep out of it all. He's not his mother. It's not his job to straighten everyone out.
"Yes, it's entirely possible that the bartender would do it, Siobhan." He rolls his eyes at her and snorts. "Or any man sitting at the bar that got a good look at you for that matter."
:::
He can't help but mumble. He's hoping that everyone else is too busy flirting or eating or whatever it is that they're doing. "I wouldn't know." It's in reference to what siblings do. He can't help it. It isn't exactly as if he had the best relationship with /his/ sister.
"Yes, the bartender." It almost seems as if there might be an echo. "Shiv, the world is a very bad place. I wish it wasn't. I wish that people could be save going out of their homes but they're not. The least I can do is offer any sort of added protection I can." It's hard to tell but there may be just the faintest hint of emotion there. Perhaps as if he's referring to his own family. "Speed dial sounds good to me."
Confession time! Quin looks to Jenna and is completely serious. "It wouldn't break my heart to see you away from clubs for a while." Not wishing for the comment to be too heavy he grins. "At least until I can make sure my mates are around again." Yeah, that's not at all what he meant.
:::
"I'm sorry," Chance grins playfully at Jenna. "Let me get you a few more." He reaches for the container and holds it out to her.
Chance wouldn't know either about siblings, all he's ever really had are elitist asshole cousins, and he tries not to socialize with them unless he's forced to do so. Usually it's not a problem. There are perks to being the son of the bastard son.
"They're both right, Piper. I know that you probably think you can handle yourself, but your freeze powers might not always work." Chance winks at her, a slight grin turning up his lips. He doesn't want to sound like he's chastising her when he hardly knows her, but he did meet her in the Undercity and she was out of her league. He doesn't think she's stupid, just over confident.
He think smirks at Quin and laughs, "We need to get you business cards. Or maybe you can make your number the panic button number!"
As Quin says what he does to Jenna, Chance blinks and focuses on his plate to avoid staring at the werewolf. For someone who argues non-interest, that comment seems to imply anything but. "Safety in numbers, and better if one of those numbers is male. A y-chromosome is a great deterrent."
:::
Siobhan is still trying to figure out if Harper just intentionally gave her a backhanded compliment, and has paused mid-bite to peer at him. It takes a moment to register that she's being scolded by Quin and the sorcerer.
"I'm not a complete idiot," Siobhan rolls her eyes. "My freeze powers always work, would you like a demonstration?" It sounds like the joke it's meant to sound like, though her grin slips a bit when she hears Quin's words.
//You knew you were an idiot before you came here today … //
She tosses her braid, and while she may not be an actress, she's damned good at compartmentalizing when she needs to be. After all, a dancer can't break down in tears under chastisement or disappointment. Her smile is flawless as she reaches for a few pieces of fruit, her voice still light and playful, "Well, it's not exactly like we can get into Purgatory again, is it?" Decades is hardly worth the effort.
:::
Hearing the distinctive dinging of her phone, notifying her of either a text or a Twitter alert, Jenna delicately opens her purse and pulls the phone out. She looks slightly embarrassed that it's gone off, but she is smiling at the message. Typing out a quick reply, she sets her phone to silent mode and clears her throat.
"I apologize. I left it on in case Miranda needed to get in touch with me about the schedule tonight."
Jenna stares at Quintin, not at all sure how to reply to what he's saying. She does pick up the heaviness in his tone, and that's confusing too. "I'm too busy for the next little while to go dancing."
Reaching in to the container of grapes, she tosses one at Chance and then grabs another for herself. "Thank you," she says with a smile, before popping it into her mouth.
"I think business cards are a great idea. AAA Frat Boy Exterminator."
:::
Harper watches the byplay between Chance and the two girls, then Quintin and the two girls, and as much as he's refusing to involve himself in things, he's quite amused. They're all seeming to be a giant ball of confusion and complication.
"I've no doubt that Siobhan can handle herself. I just think that she sometimes gets in over her head." Doesn't think things through clearly. Doesn't necessarily pay attention to everything around them. Hasn't heard the thoughts about her that Harper has.
As he picks up on Siobhan's mood change, Harper frowns a little. He reaches out, and nudges her knee. "C'mon, Flutterbee. You should be happy with the fact that people want to look out for you so much."
He's no clue why she's thinking herself an idiot right now, so he looks between them all again.
"So who's birthday is it?"
:::
"I hardly think that business cards are necessary." It's a joke. At least he thinks they're joking. He's not even really sure at this point. Still it seems upbeat so he smiles right along with it.
Quin turns to Harper, fully intending to start in on some dialog of conversation. That all comes to a halt when he processes the words said by three different people now. "Freeze spell?" Eyes go right back to Shiv. He'd proclaim loudly that he was right, but he's not exactly sure what it means for people to actually know these things. They might intend to draw and quarter him. It'd be a hell of a fight, at least, if he unleashed the inner beast. He likely never could against this group though.
"Someone's birthday?" That seems to snap Quin out of it. "I, uh, don't know about that. I do know that there are some things here." He looks around to the boxes. The longer, not as wide one with the tiny pink gift bag on top are moved to be near Siobhan and the other to Jenna. "I didn't know there were going to be more," he offers apologetically to the guys. "Though really, I don't think that you'll be interested."
:::
Chance laughs, catches the grape and pops it in his mouth. "There is no such thing as being too busy to go dancing. Sure, Purgatory is off limits, but plenty of the bars near the colleges do college night." He dips his hand in the container and pops another grape in his mouth. "Don't spend so much time trying to become a star that life passes you by, Magpie."
He's only confused about Quintin's intentions toward Jenna, because earlier conversation and current words seem to conflict with one another. The sorcerer is considering both young women to be off-limits if only because Quintin has befriended them. Turning them into one of his usual hook ups or weekenders would probably mess with his friendship with Quintin and their housing arrangement.
"C'mon Quin. It's from that show, Charmed. I call her Piper, and Piper had freeze powers." Chance shakes his head, mostly at Quin's surprise given he knows that Chance is a sorcerer. "I guess my wasted youth spent in front of the television is showing."
Attention swiveling again to Siobhan, Chance's brows rise to his hairline and he asks, "Flutterbee?"
Beat.
"You need to open the box first." Otherwise the gift won't really make sense.
:::
Siobhan snorts delicately, as delicately as one can snort and rolls her eyes at Harper. "I do not get in over my head. I always have backup plan." She playfully sticks her tongue out at him, "I just don't always have a backup plan for the - " Siobhan stops, and stares at him.
Just stares. She has no idea how to respond to that, or even how to properly work through what he's just said. For once, she wishes she were the empath. Is he teasing her? Is he trying to comfort her? Is he flirting?
Line of thought completely derailed, Siobhan nibbles daintily on a slice of mango, her attention briefly focused in her lap. "It's my family's nickname for me," the witch supplies quietly to Chance's inquiry. But why is Harper calling her that?
The gifts are a distraction, and Siobhan pounces on it, with a happy squeal, though it is lacking some of her usual exuberance if only because she's still trying to puzzle out Harper.
Per Chance's instructions she opens the box first and pulling out the fairy wings, can't help but laugh. It's a genuine, happy laugh that brightens her eyes and lights up her face. The bag, of course, has sparkly glittery antennae to match and she waggles a finger at Quin and Chance. "You do realize that you're going to have to be seen with me in public wearing these?"
:::
"Are you sure? I mean, we could get some pretty wicked ones printed up. I bet girls would pay a fortune to have any of you three come to their rescue. You could go into business with each other." Jenna feels weird about complimenting her brother in such a manner, but she has seen the way that girls tend to look at him, and she'd be lying if she didn't think he'd be good at the rescue-thing.
"I don't usually go to bars," Jenna replies to the sorcerer. "I'm not twenty-one, remember?" Besides, hanging around a college bar just seems like an awful idea to her. "Besides, it's not the star thing that's keeping me busy. It's the job." No, she doesn't need the job, but it's good experience and she doesn't want to rely on her parent's money forever. Even if she's got a trust fund. She doesn't want to use it until she absolutely needs to.
"Quintin! You didn't have to get us anything. I swear…" That having been said, she bites her lip and waits for Siobhan to open her presents first. She stares at the wings, and then laughs. It's almost as though Harper knew what was in the boxes. She's going to have to ask him more questions about the telepathy later on.
"That's going to look great at the roller disco," Jenna says with a nod at her friend. She then looks down to her gift and carefully opens it. It's a slow process but she gets it open without breaking nail, or doing too much damage to the box.
The first thing she sees is the tiara, which she carefully sets upon her head. When she spies the wand, she laughs and gives her head a shake. "This is too much, Quintin."
:::
Harper blinks innocently at Siobhan's response to his use of a familial nickname for her. He's not at all sure why he called her that. It was part to relax her, part flirtation, and part to make her smile.
"What?"
Even he can't help but laugh as she pulls out the wings.
"It's fate," he points out with another chuckle. "A butterfly can't get very far in life without her wings."
Beat.
"Seriously don't worry about it, Quin. There's no need for you to buy me a gift, or a costume. I'm perfectly fine with the pink sequins these two are determined to see me in."
:::
The reaction of Siobhan to the wings is exactly what he was hoping for. A genuine laugh escapes the werewolf as he watches it all unfold. "Well, I was hoping for that. All the conversation about sparkly costumes got me thinking that we really did need sparkles."
There are no comments made about the tiara, not even when it finds a home atop Jenna's head. "No, not really. I think, well, I think it's fitting." He doesn't know the girls all that well but he'd like to think that he guessed correctly with these gifts.
"I'm just glad you guys like them. Because if not, Harper and Chance here would look /really/ bad wearing them."
Wait, what? Quin blinks at Harper. "Please tell me that they're honestly just joking about the sequins."
:::
Chance grins at Jenna and leans toward her, "Could I use you as a reference?"
Beat.
"I see, you prefer roller disco." He winks and sits back, grinning and then chuckling as the girls open their gifts. With a nickname like 'Flutterbee,' Quintin has to have guessed perfectly on target for Siobhan and the tiara and sceptre make Jenna look perfectly regal.
"Wait…" Chance pulls out his phone and aims it at Jenna, "This needs to be documented and photo memoried." He's snapping one picture before Jenna can object, but then he waits for her to accept the inevitable, if she's going to argue and takes a couple more.
"Don't think you're getting off, Piper. Wings on." His attention turns to the young witch and he holds up the camera, expectantly.
"Pink sequins?" Chance asks Harper. "Better you than me, buddy."
:::
"Jenna's right, you didn't have to do this," Siobhan shakes her head, still grinning from ear to ear. "But thank you very much. The wings are perfect." She can't say much more about it than taht and she has no idea how the werewolf knew what to pick. He hasn't seen all of her butterfly jewelry, and certainly the lower back tattoo hasn't been visible, but it works.
Rolling her eyes at Chance, she pretends to be put out about putting on the wings, but it's a hard sell, considering she's grinning happily. She makes a face for the first few pictures before giving Chance a real smile for the camera.
"You're really going to wear them?" Harper's words earn another squeal of delight and Siobhan throws her arms around him in a tight hug. "You're so awesome."
:::
"You could, but you've not rescued me from annoying drunken frat boys yet." Lead them to the proper place in the Undercity, sure. Not that Jenna ever intends on going back there after she collects her charm and takes care of that 'favor' for Ansalem.
Jenna actually prefers Broadway and off-Broadway for her free time, but her friends get bored of that rather quickly. She's learned to just have fun. "I wouldn't say I prefer it. It just sounded fun and silly when someone was doing disco at Purgatory." She glances at Quintin, then laughs.
Rolling her eyes at the inevitable photo, she gives Chance her best smile while holding the wand up. The smile is even brighter for the second picture. Once he's done, she shakes her head. "Those had better not wind up on Facebook."
:::
"I'm not. My sister said she promised you no sequins. She never promised me such a thing." Actually, she did tell Harper he could grab an outfit from his closet, which he does have with him, but to humor the girls he likely will wear something with pink sequins on it from the back of the car.
When he's nearly bowled over by the hug, he drops an arm back onto the blanket to hold them both upright.
"Yeah, yeah. If I get hit on by a guy though, I'll get my revenge with you two."
:::
He's a braver man than Quin, that's for sure. Certain shiny objects can be purchased but sequins are not to be worn. The scariest thought of the outfit, however, is showing his chest. The buff football player actually never shows anyone his chest.
"I'm glad someone's getting some pictures," he adds. "I'm sure that they'll spread around the internet like wildfire." He pulls out his phone as if to prove his point. "Twitter is a great way to spread the love." It's only then that he notices that he has a message. He looks at it, stares almost behind his phone, and does his best not to clear his throat. A few buttons are pressed before the phone is put back in his pocket and forgotten.
Getting back on topic he nods to Harper. "I think someone's going to love you for life for playing along." Quin has /no/ idea what he's saying. If he did he wouldn't go there at all. "You're a brave man."
:::
"Do you want to be rescued from drunken frat boys?" Chance asks.
"I promise not to Facebook these. They'll go in my personal collection."
Beat.
"After I send them to Quin and Harper."
Chance looks around at the group, "Wait, you're seriously going in costume?"
:::
Siobhan is still hanging onto Harper, with her arms around his neck. "I'll protect your manliness. I hear fairy wings are terribly frightening these days."
When she hears Quin's words, she can feel a blush starting and running straight up into her face. She untangles herself from Harper and quickly and gracefully as possible, smoothing her hands back down over her skirt. "Or at least until we're done skating." While she appreciates the gifts and thinks they're quite fun, she hasn't forgotten her resolution to try and forget about the other disappointment.
Which, she will, eventually.
:::
"It does, but still…" Jenna glances at Quintin curiously. He's worrying about something, and then she gets a distinct embarrassed feeling from him. "Don't worry, Quintin. I promised you no sequins. We actually got a decent and fun outfit for you without it being silly or outrageous." Just in case that's what the issue is.
"Hopefully I won't need to be rescued from drunken frat boys. Quin actually rescued Shiv from one, not me." Hell, she was braving the drunken frat boys to go and talk to Quintin in the first place and none tried to get grabby with her.
"Oh! Don't worry! Shiv and I went and got you one too. You can't go to roller disco in street clothes. It defeats the purpose."
Blue eyes widen at Quintin's teasing of her brother, and she's almost positive that he's not even aware of what he's said. To clear things up, she giggles. "You're right. I will love him for life if he puts on pink sequins just for us."
:::
Harper hasn't let go of Siobhan yet, because he's still busy balancing them. If he moves, he risks toppling her over and showing off what's under her dress to everyone. As much as he'll tease and taunt her, he doubts she wants the sorcerer accidentally snapping a picture of her underthings for his personal collection.
Freezing as he hears the words of the werewolf, he clears his throat. Ever thankful to his sister for her quick reaction.
"Damned right you will, rosebud."
Glancing back at Siobhan as she detangles herself, he snorts. "Horribly frightening. They've got power to take down a grown man," he teases. He sets himself to rights, and then pushes his plate to the side, done with it.
"So where's dessert, girls, or are you saving that for after skating?"
:::
That isn't what he means. That /also/ isn't what he means. What's going on here? The werewolf just watches everyone at this point, even if his smile remains in place. No, he has no idea what he's said but at the same time he knows that /something/ is up. Why is this so uncomfortable? Why can't they just have fun?
"Uh, yeah. Sure. That's great to hear." He tries to play it off like he was worried about that but isn't exactly convincing. Quintin isn't really well versed in lying; he's more accustomed to just not saying anything at all.
"Oh! We still need to get chili cheese fries." Even he has no idea where he puts it all. "Though I'm up for desert now." Surprise! "Maybe you should save it though? Offer it to see if you can get this fella here in an outfit." His thumb points towards Chance. "But the sooner we skate, the sooner we eat!"
:::
Chance checks his phone, while he has it out, sending a quick reply to something, and then slips it back in his pocket. "Don't worry about me, I'll be able to rustle up an outfit between here and there." Or rather, call up an illusion spell. He's not sure what exactly yet it will be. He wants to see what the girls have for Quin and Harper first and that should give him something to work with.
As he sets his plate aside, he reaches for a bottle of water, giving his roommate a guarded look as he does so. The wolf isn't telepathic, but Chance hopes he doesn't go for his phone right away when it goes off. The sorcerer has been paying attention to the group dynamics and he thinks he might have figured something out.
"Yes, what is for dessert? You can't picnic without dessert and isn't there supposed to be frisbee in there somewhere?"
You paged Quintin with 'Chance sent Quin a text that says, 'I think Piper likes Harper.''
From afar, Quintin grins. "Oh, I'll love his response. :)"
:::
Food. Focusing on the food, Siobhan can do, and she welcomes the new distraction. She makes her way to the picnic basket, and making certain that her skirt is properly and modestly covering all that it should, she begins to remove things. She names them off as she does. "Cookies. Chocolate chip, white chocolate macademia and oatmeal raisin. Apple pie. Pound cake. Brownies."
Beat.
"If anyone's hungry after skating," Shiv looks pointedly at all the boys, "We thought we could go for ice cream."
:::
"I swear you've got a hollow leg or something, Quin. We've just finished with the picnic!" Jenna winks at him. She really wishes she had even half of his metabolism. Really she does. Then she wouldn't have to watch what she eats so much.
"I can run back into the shop and get you pink sequins if you want? Or something outrageously silly."
Beat.
"Oh, no. We got you an outfit, Chance. Please wear it?" Giving him her most innocent smile, and a slight puppy-dog look, she tosses her hair over her shoulder.
"Thanks to the two of you, I'm a princess for the day and no one can say no to a princess. It's against her rules."
:::
"A princess, my ass," Harper says to his sister with a slight snort. "See what you did? You boosted her ego. That's all we need for the day." But it's said in a very good natured manner. Just a typical brother teasing the hell out of his sister.
"Chili cheese fries out at the park are the best." They may not have gone as a family to Coney Island for ages, but that doesn't mean Harper's not gone out there with friends in high school. "We can grab that after the rink."
Beat.
"Shit, Shiv. You went all out for this picnic."
:::
After the last message that he received, Quin's not about to look at his phone for quite some time. He'll check it when he's out of view from the others, or at least the majority of them. Possibly while changing.
What the werewolf does see is a bunch more food to eat. One of each cookie is grabbed, smushed together and a bite taken out of as if it were a sandwich. He really can eat, and he's not afraid to do so. "This is amazing," he notes when it is safe to speak. "Though really, never again. I don't want to feel spoiled."
Quin moves to slap a hand against Chance's back in a friendly fashion. "I don't think he really wants to say no to either of you." The look on his face indicates the double meaning to his words. "He'll wear your costume. Even if I have to put him in it."
But wait! Someone else enjoys the chili cheese fries. "You're on. My treat. I've been craving them for weeks now."
:::
"Maria la madre de Cristo no pensaria que nadie te alimienta," Chance says with a flawless Spanish accent, watching his roommate eat. He's grinning however, so it's only good natured teasing. He hardly gets bothered by Quin's ability to put food away. "Next time, it'll have to be peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches. Lots of protein."
Almost choking on his water, Chance's eyes go wide at Quin's words before he laughs. Every now and then, the other man surprises him. "Of course not. I could never say no to a beautiful woman. Certainly not two of them."
The sorcerer mock tips a hat at Jenna. "I'd be honored to wear your costume, ma'am."
Beat.
"You ladies really did go all out. Thank you."
:::
Siobhan blinks at Chance. Not the Spanish itself, but how perfect his accent is. "Most people can't say no to the pair of us when we put our minds and wills to it," Siobhan says with a smile. "Why do you think you three are going roller discoing?"
Dessert presented, she sits back again, maybe just slightly closer to Harper than before. Still sweetly smiling, she motions to the food. "Go on boys, dig in. I think I'll wait for the chili cheese fries. I need to watch my figure." It's said as a joke, because so far, she really doesn't. However, she doesn't want to get sick, either.
:::
"She's great in the kitchen," Jenna points out to all of the boys. "Shiv is, I mean." She, on the other hand, would likely burn water if she's not watched carefully. Because she was usually gone with her dad to the theater, and they ate out a whole lot, or the maid prepared the meal for them, she really never learned how to cook or bake that much. She can manage sugar cookies around Christmas, and a few simpler meals, but anything requiring more than five ingredients generally fails.
"Maybe just a jar of peanut butter?"
Jenna giggles a little, though not at anyone in particular. Between Chance's teasing, and Quin's double entendre, it just seems that everyone's relaxing.
"Why thank you, kind sir. I promise no pink sequins for you either."
:::
"Remind me to get changed somewhere else," Harper says, chuckling. "I really don't need to see you dressing the cowboy."
He actually reaches for the brownies, recalling the first time Jenna and Siobhan tried to make them, and doing his best not to laugh. The pair of them with cocoa powder all over their clothing, and the maid throwing a fit because they destroyed the kitchen and themselves.
"Sounds like a plan. We can sneak out of the rink early. Get some fries. Head to the park. They've got a few coasters there I wouldn't mind trying."
:::
The way he phrases his acceptance of his face makes Quin laugh. Of course he would be honored to wear her costume. The thought keeps him laughing through another pat on the back. "That's a good man." Sure, he can likely strong arm the sorcerer into anything, but the sorcerer can also light him on fire. So he tends to keep the bullying to a minimum. "And stop speaking Spanish." Oh, he knows that his roommate can do it, but Quin was more of a French student himself.
"I have to say that while at first I was hesitant, I'm honestly looking forward to this roller disco. It could be one of those things I've marked off of my bucket list or something like that." Good outfits, great company, him falling on his ass. It should be a blast.
He just can't help himself and he honestly doesn't think. "Well, these are really good. And if you want, Jenna, I can teach you how to make other things." If anyone gives him looks, they should realize that he can make his own food since he eats so much all the time. "Unless you just want me to cook /for/ you, your highness."
:::
Chance shrugs apologetically. "Can't help it. It slips out sometimes." It's all he hears from his maternal grandmother when he visits with her, and when cursing, swearing or making exclamations, sometimes the Spanish is easier and more fun.
"I'm still hesitant, but if Piper is going to wear the wings, and Magpie is going to wave her sceptre, then I'm all in."
Chance grabs two cookies, although he eats them one at a time instead of a cookie sandwhich. Chewing, swallowing, he nods. "These are good, Piper… wow, I really called that one didn't I?" At least he thinks that Piper from the television show liked to cook. "You know what they say about the way to a man's heart …" Blue eyes flicker to Harper very briefly and he has to wonder what the guy's deal is to not be dating the little witch when she clearly has a thing for him. She's cute, she cooks, and she's fun when she's not being surly at him for his birth right. "…Is through his stomach and with a really great large screen plasma."
:::
"You helped," Siobhan points out when Jenna tries to point credit at the cooking toward Siobhan. Then it's her turn to shrug in explanation. "I like cooking … it's soothing."
Beat.
"And it will come in handy if my father decides that arranged marriages are still a good idea in this day and age." She's joking; mostly. Sometimes she's not sure about his stance on that, considering that Dynasties are still fond of such things. Of course that sparks the thought of her father marrying her off to a sorcerer and she has to swallow a laugh. It's a good thing because it means she doesn't focus on Quin's offer to teach Jenna to cook, though she does squirm just a bit.
"Is that all it takes for you, Weasley?" Siobhan asks. "Food and electronics? You're easy."
She is not flirting with the sorcerer, but talking to him means she can pretend to not pay attention to Jenna's answer to Quintin.
:::
"I don't think you could honestly help me," Jenna replies with a giggle. "Siobhan's been trying to help me in the kitchen for years, and I've a penchant for either making a mess, or doing it completely wrong." Biting her lip, she nods. "But if you can manage to find a recipe with very simple steps and less than five ingredients, you can consider it a challenge to teach me."
His offer actually surprises her, and then she suddenly says it again in her mind.
"Well, I'm only princess for a day, so unless you're planning on breaking into a restaurant at the park…" Winking at him, she turns to Siobhan and laughs.
"No arranged marriages for you. I'll have to kidnap you and keep that from happening." When her friend goes to flirt with the sorcerer, she laughs good naturedly and then takes the tiniest slice of apple pie she can manage.
:::
Glancing at Quintin, Harper raises his brow. "You're calling me brave for wearing pink sequins, but you're braver than I am. She'll likely burn your kitchen down."
Beat.
"Make sure you have 9-1-1 on speed dial."
He turns and glares at Siobhan briefly, agitated by the thought of her marrying a sorcerer.
"Not everything is about the stomach."
:::
He really can't have it getting awkward each and every time he blurts out something. He's only remotely aware of the situation and even then he just shakes his head. From now on they just need to focus on having fun, not how each other looks in certain outfits.
"Hey, that's okay. I'll just make it on a day where I'm not responsible for kitchen cleanup." Quin doesn't look at his roommate when he says that but he knows he'll get the hint.
Speaking of roommate, Quin stands to clean up his mess and in the process looks at his phone. He stares at the text message before eventually responding to it.
"Besides, that's something that can be kept in the home." He thumbs at Chance. "This guy, however, will likely take pictures of you and post them everywhere."
:::
"Yes, yes, I am," Chance agrees with a nod and a wink. "I freely admit that I am easy."
He resists the urge to tease his roommate about the message, knowing it would force him to think on the spot when Chance knows it's the message he sent him.
Instead he looks at Jenna and leans conspiratorially toward her. "Spaghetti and canned spaghetti sauce. Macaroni and cheese. Lots of lunch meat and a microwave. That way, you will never starve."
He then begins to start in on the actual clean up of their picnic. "I have never posted a picture of anyone on the internet without their permission." All right, so a few of his buddies and teammates may have been drunk at the time they gave permission, but it was still permission. There are, however, no pictures of 'girlfriends' (and he uses the term loosely) past or present floating around in any state of undress or doing lewd acts. He may be a playboy, but he's not a complete asshat.
:::
Siobhan is bound and determined that things are no longer going to get awkward at anything that anyone says. At least not where Quin and his flirtations with Jenna are concerned. She's determined to have fun the rest of the evening, and to try and forget about anything else. The young witch intends to try very, very hard.
"She's not that bad in the kitchen," Siobhan says to both Harper and Quintin, coming to the defense of her bestie. "She really has gotten better over the years."
She frowns and waves a finger at Chance, "I swear if a picture of me doing roller disco ends up on the internet, I will hunt you down and get revenge." She's really only half joking. There have to be spells for that.
Dark eyes turn curiously to Harper, and Siobhan gives him an impish smile. "What else would it be about?"
:::
Canned spaghetti sauce? As if her mother would even let her bring that into the house! Jenna just blinks at Chance and nods as though agreeing with him. She'll likely starve once she moves out on her own, or have to buy shares in a restaurant just to eat decently.
"I really haven't, Shiv, but thank you." Smiling at her BFF, she lets the boys start the clean-up. It's only fair since they prepped the meal. Though she does put the lid back on a few things, and tuck them back into the basket.
"Feel free to post any of me," she says to all of the guys. "I'm sure I've worn worse things when doing school plays."
:::
Harper easily picks up the empty bottles and sets them in a separate bag. They'll be taken home to be recycled. No sense littering the campus with them just because they decided to picnic here.
"Let's get this packed up, and hop in the car. It's a long enough ride to Coney Island, we can continue the conversation on the way." With that, he teasingly starts to chase people off the blanket so that he can fold it back up and tuck it back into the trunk.
:::
That seems to be about it, at least for picnic chit chat and all that. He's a big helping hand with the cleanup as he's normally a pretty neat person. Before too long it will seem as if there was never a picnic at all. By this point the stragglers after practice and scouting agents have all left, leaving just the small group.
"Did you want us to meet you there?" Quin is of course referring to him and his roommate. Five people is a bit of a squeeze sometimes in vehicles. He also isn't going to assume that any groups are splitting other than how they already have. "I promise that we won't run away screaming."
:::
Despite his roommate's implications, Chance does clean up after himself. Mostly. Usually. He's gotten better as he's really adjusted to the fact that he doesn't have a maid or his Abuelita following around behind him. He helps with the picnic clean up, and aids in carrying the basket and other things to the vehicle.
Once the confusion about the car is cleared up, Chance even plays the gentleman, holding the door open for the ladies to enter the vehicle first. He'd never admit aloud, but he is looking forward to seeing this skating thing through. Never let it be said he isn't up for a challenge and new experiences.
:::
"Thank you boys," Siobhan says sweetly when the clean up is done. Each of them is given a quick, chaste kiss on the cheek, as though it's something she does every day.
Chance's politeness with the car door does surprise her, but she supposes that it shouldn't. He was a gentleman in the Undercity and he does seem to possess that good old southern charm. She decides not to give him any grief and climbs in the car, sliding across the seat and wedging herself up against the far door.
Once in place, the tell-tale chime of an incoming text message beckons from her purse. While everyone else gets settled, Siobhan checks the message, sends a reply and tucks her phone away again.
:::
Jenna allows a small frown as she watches Siobhan kiss each of the boys in turn, and just quietly helps Harper get everything put in the trunk.
"Thank you," she says to Chance as she slips in beside her friend, affecting a smile as best she can. "You're such a gentleman."
Beat.
"Who was that," she whispers to Siobhan as she slips settles beside her and hands the other girl a bottle of water she grabbed from the cooler.
Picking up on jealousy from her brother, she's got to bite her lip not to ask. Seems she's not the only one.
:::
Blinking in surprise at the kiss, Harper glances at the other guys. A slight twinge of jealousy hits him, and he rolls his eyes at his sister as though it was just a stray thought he was picking up that he pushed at her.
"How the hell did you fit in here with your wings on, Flutterbee?" Laughing, he seats himself across from the girls and taps on the divider. "When you hear the door close, you can take us to Coney Island."
:::
He's trying to be a gentleman. He's trying to plan an escape route. It all goes hand in hand. There's also that big of Quin that's not comfortable in a car that comes complete with driver. For some reason he gets the feeling that he's the only one in the group who hasn't been raised in a particular lifestyle. He's far from jealous but isn't used to it, either.
As far as he's concerned, Siobhan's actions were just friendly. He of course isn't jealous of anything at the moment. So far as he's concerned this is just the tip of the ice burg.
He will /not/ allow Chance to hold the door for him. Instead he'll be the last to crawl in, signaling the driver to start the journey.
:::
The kiss takes Chance by surprise. It's just friendly, he can tell that from her body language and the way the witch didn't single anyone out, but it's still a surprse. Still, Chance just shrugs it off, figuring she can do as she will.
Shaking his head, Chance laughs when Quintin clearly refuses to climb in with him holding the car door open. He offers no argument and piles in as well, taking a seat beside Harper. He does blink at Siobhan now, because the wings should look absolutely ridiculous with her dress, and certainly in the back of the car, but they do not.
"Yes, Piper, how did you manage that?"
:::
At Jenna's question, Siobhan gives a faint shake of her head. She whispers, "Later." Because the last thing she wants to do is get into a 'discussion' about Jesse, here and now. She'd lie, but it's damn near impossible to lie to an empath, because Siobhan is just not that good at masking her emotions. "It's nothing urgent or important."
She hates the way her heart skips and her stomach twists when Harper calls her that again, but somehow, she manages a calm, cheerful, cheeky response of, "Very carefully."
With the car in motion, she's looking forward to the arrival at Coney Island.
:::
"Alright." Jenna's not going to press. It obviously wasn't Christian bugging to tag along, or one of their parents calling to tell them some pressing news. It can obviously wait.
"It's not like the wings are made of cardboard. Thin material and wire bends pretty easy, and if she doesn't lean back too far it obviously works."
Beat.
"Why do you keep calling her Flutterbee?"
:::
"Because I can," Harper replies with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. Does there need to be another reason?
The ride to Coney Island is rife with conversation, about sports, the theater, what everyone's intending on doing later that evening, and when they arrive, Harper taps on the window.
"Open the trunk. My sister's got costumes in there."
:::
Sometimes he swears that people are out to get him, or at least force him in one direction or another. Quin sits beside Jenna but leaves a comfortable amount of space. He does this so he can stare at his roommate. Setups are never a good idea.
He's thankful that the conversation on the ride turns friendly, and away from future plans of their lives. All the same, he's happy they arrive and makes a point to be the first one out and this time to be the one that holds a door.
:::
Chance wasn't trying to 'set' his roommate up with Jenna. It was just the better seat to look at and talk to both girls. Of course, if challenged, he'll point out to Quin that he could have chosen his own seat if he hadn't been stubborn about the door holding.
The sorcerer has no problems exiting the vehicle with Quintin holding the door and he extends a hand to help both Jenna and Siobhan from the car. It's an excuse and a clever way to hide it, wanting to see exactly what he senses when he touches Siobhan. Certain things were muted in Ansalem's shop, and he does blink when he feels the power in the witch. Sorcerer power.
Damn. She's a powerful little thing.
Chance doesn't hold onto her hand any longer than he does Jenna and he grins at Harper, "Sorry, bro, I'm not holding your hand to help you out of the car."
:::
Chance isn't the only one who picks up on the sense of power. Siobhan felt a hint of it when she kissed his cheek, and now again when she takes his hand, carefully exiting the vehicle and keeping her dress in place. It barely fazes the witch however, she's touched her father and brother far too often to not be aware that she can detect them in the same way she detects a witch. Though Christian is as much of a conundrum as Siobhan is for the Coven.
"Oh come on," Siobhan throws teasingly over her shoulder as she rounds the car to join the driver at the trunk. "It would be cute to see the two of you holding hands. Especially wearing sequins."
:::
Jenna honestly doesn't mind that Quintin's been maneuvered into sitting beside her on the ride. She might just be jealous of Siobhan's ability to just be totally carefree, and flirtatious, but she's not going to let that spoil her time in the car. She's just as chattery as the rest of them are, and once the car comes to a stop and the door is held open, she slips out easily with Chance's help.
Grabbing a red duffel bag and a blue one, she tosses the latter at Quintin's feet. "Your costumes are in there. Skates are in the trunk, they should fit everyone."
Blinking at her friend, she asks, "Cute to see the two of… oh."
:::
Harper grabs onto the roof of the car and swings himself up. Grabbing the blue duffel, he slings it over his shoulder.
"Don't worry, Chance," he says, thinking it'd be confusing to call the other by his surname, "It's not really your hand I'm interested in holding."
Meeting the girls by the trunk, he reaches in and pulls out his skates. "Did you have to add pink laces to mine?"
:::
Now this is what he's talking about! Everything just seems relaxed, but he also has no idea what the witch and sorcerer are 'feeling'. Quin's about to grab the duffel but her brother beats him to it. "Are they clearly labeled?" He's joking, but it's an honest question. He's of a different frame than the others.
Just like a good little werewolf he gets in line to get his skates. "I'm hoping there's a decent place to change." Again, this said but he's not uncomfortable changing around other men. He /does/ play college ball.
"Damn." Yes, he just remembers something he left in his car. "I forgot my sparkly pimp cane."
:::
Giving Harper a laugh, Chance shakes his head. "Feeling is mutual." In that he doesn't want to hold Harper's hand, not that he has a hand in mind to hold.
Chance takes the bag he's handed and slaps Quin on the shoulder. "Thank god for that." It's said with a laugh, but he thinks the girls don't need any more encouragement. He grabs a pair of skates, and looks between the two pretty brunettes. "Do I really want to know how you two managed to figure out sizes?"
:::
It should come as no surprise to Jenna and Harper when Siobhan plucks a duffle decorated with butterflies from the trunk of the car. She practically flits away with it in hand, the wings quite the fitting accessory. Obviously, once she relaxes and lets go of the little things that are bothering her, Siobhan is more a free spirit and able to laugh at herself.
"We've got mad skillz," Siobhan winks at the sorcerer. She wrinkles her nose at Harper at gives him an impish little smile, "Yes, yes we did. How else would they match the pink sequins?"
:::
"I worked as a personal shopper one Christmas," Jenna says with a giggle. That was part of a school program, because she doubts her parents would've let her work at all outside of that. Not at that age. "You learn to judge sizes quickly when you're doing that."
Beat.
"There's good sized change rooms inside. See you boys in a bit." With her skates in hand, she rushes off after Siobhan trying to find out just who it was on the phone earlier.
:::
Harper moves past the other guys, and back to the front of the car. "Take the afternoon off," he tells the driver. "I'll call later tonight if we need the car again." Which they likely will unless the group splits up. After giving the driver a large tip for waiting around during the picnic, he heads toward the doors as well, motioning for the others guys to follow him.
"It'd better just be the shirt, Shiv, or there will be payback."
:::
Payback for Shiv? He has a feeling that she might not have an issue with that.
Falling in line with the rest, Quintin is off to change. He's not at all worried about his outfit of choice as he's pretty confident he knows what it is. Far be it for the girls to be dishonest with him.
Once to the area to change, he actually makes fairly quick work of it. Again, this can be attributed to locker room changing. He doesn't think he looks half bad either, which is the scary part.
No, wait. The scary part is seeing what the girls are going to look like.
