w a n d e r l u s t ;

The continuous reference to his appearance caused him to raise a hand rubbing just behind his ear proving his uncertainly about how he was supposed to deal with this scenario. He wasn’t unused to people mentioning he was attractive but a lot of the times it was at work and easy to deflect yet today he found himself rather put on the spot. “Ah yes, well- Sorry to disappoint darling but you won’t find arrogance here” an apologetic smile was offered. “I do, they insist we take them even though it isn’t really necessary.”

Juliette could tell he’d probably had enough of her compliments and while she loved making men squirm a little she was still a kind person so she eased up, still smiling genuinely at him. “Alright, alright, I’m done I promise.” She laughed softly, “I’ve made you uncomfortable enough for one afternoon. Why do you seem less than thrilled to have a day off? I live for my days off work.”

“Unfortunately modest is my default when receiving compliments, I don’t particularly feel arrogance is a becoming trait - at least I don’t feel it’s becoming on me.” He admitted with a small laugh. “In which case I’m glad to make your day more interesting.”

“That’s the whole point. I’d have expected you to be arrogant because you’re hot shit as a doctor and, like I’ve already said, you’re sexy as a man. Now, here you are ruining the one character flaw I was sure you’d have and being a decent man?! Come on, man. You’re not playing fair.” She laughed, clearly enjoying the slight effect she’d had on him still. “I’m glad for the distraction just as well. Do you have a day off today? I’ve heard those are rare in your field.”

Natalie grinned at the statement. “That better be a promise. We haven’t gone out in forever. I can legally drink now and not have to rely on you and flirtatious guys.” Natalie trailed behind Juliette, a smirk building on her face when she turned back around. “I’m just saying that i’m not above using my body to help out the poor.” Poor referencing her and Juliette of course. 

“Oh, it’s a promise. Trust me, I need a crazy night out more than you probably do. Work and sisters nonstop, that doesn’t make for the happiest Juliette. But you know, you say you don’t have to rely on us anymore but here you are, getting free drinks from me. It just doesn’t add up....” The small glint in her eyes told Nat she was teasing her. “Plus, I know if I wasn’t here you’d still be flirting for drinks. Why pay when you don’t have to and get to have a little fun, right?” Natalie’s comment stirred up a bit of excitement in Jules and she matched her friend’s smirk. “You know, I have heard that about you. You’re nothing if not charitable, right?”

“I-Ah… Well- Can’t say it’s deliberate or intentional, nor was I aware that I had that particular impression but thank you I think?” Jonathan commented unsure quite how else he was meant to respond. “Feeling more sociable for once? I can’t put my finger on it exactly.” 

Jules laughed again as the esteemed doctor seemed to scramble to find appropriate words. “Oh, come on! You can’t just throw in adorably modest now. That’s just unfair. You’re supposed to be all arrogant and aloof when given compliments.” She teased. “Whatever it is, I’m glad it made you start talking to me. My day was so boring until you showed up.”

“Whilst I appreciate the sentiment I think it’s not so much keeping the company more my own personal preference of solitude… And when I decide to break it I tend to do so as I did today.”

“Ahhh, okay that makes way more sense. You just added to your whole sexy doctor persona without even trying. I’m not sure how you do it but I’m impressed.” Jules smirked, feeling better about having solved her own personal mystery. “So what makes today different? Or what makes me so inviting?”

“You look surprised by that admission,” he commented with a laugh “well I don’t have trouble during work hours meeting people, but I’m not exactly the most sociable out of hours. I must admit.”

“An accomplished, well-spoken, and attractive doctor having trouble keeping company? Yeah. I’m a bit surprised at that.” She said, laughing softly.

“Right?! Right?!” Barra strongly agreed with the young woman beside him. “It’s just ridiculous how pretentious people are here.” He completed his train of thought, but being careful not to talk too loud. “I disagree with you, though. I don’t see anything pretty about this…” He gestured not to a specific thing in the picture, but rather the general… monstrocity. He looked at her properly next, raising an eyebrow, waiting for her response.

Jules laughed, nodding her head. “Nothing like an art gallery to bring out the pretentious asshole in everyone, right?” She’d been to her fair share and no matter where she was, no matter the culture around her, there were always people walking around looking down their noses at everyone else and spouting some bullshit about paintings they knew nothing about. She raised her eyebrows at the man in surprise, “Really? I think the colors are gorgeous. I don’t understand it but I appreciate the effort that went behind it.” She shrugged, “But with that mentality I think almost any work of art is beautiful so I’m probably not the best judge.”

“Oh, I’ve had plenty of practice all these years, I just haven’t been feeling like cooking a proper dinner lately.” Audrey frowned at her cousin, “I like sushi, too, but I don’t know how to make sushi, Jules. You’re not helping with the brainstorming thing.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I’ll be helpful.” She laughed, shaking her head as though she could shake the thought of sushi right out of it. “Pasta is too easy, sushi’s too hard... Oh! You’re not a vegetarian, right? Because Steak and potatoes also sounds really damn delicious right now.”

“Yes, it does happen to be actually. Good way to meet new people I find.”

Her eyebrows perked up in a skeptical expression. “Seriously? I have a hard time believing you need any help meeting new people.”

When their names were more or less voiced, yes there was something in Serena that tinged and coiled about in her heart. Initially, when Juliette took off to better pastures (or so she hoped to find), this brunette here kept the pained wrapping itself with an iron fist about her heart. That was until she talked to Delphine and Danielle and they all came together to lean on one another. While she may of envisioned millions of ways Juliette came back, this wasn’t one of them: her finding her. Furthermore, that she’d be so forgiving but much of her didn’t find to be able of holding a grudging bone in her body for Juliette because all that lay were platonic love.

Jules raised her eyebrows at the proposal from Serena. “That wouldn’t be weird? I feel like that could be weird if I brought someone back to your house to hook up with them or something.” She laughed at the idea, knowing that she’d be much more comfortable with the semi-awkwardness in her own home than she would be hooking up with someone new in Serena’s considering how much the two of them had done exactly that before. “I’ll stick to my sisters but I’m not opposed to finding someone new.” She wiggled her eyebrows in her trademark ready-for-trouble kind of way as Serena rose to bring an incredibly attractive guy back down her way. She had to repress a laugh at the whole scene and quickly maintained her composure when the two returned -- the guy looking Jules over with interest.

“Alright, I may have not cooked anything decent in like… months but I still know how to do it. That’s not the problem here.” Audrey mused upon entering Chad’s, uncertain which aisle to head down to. “What’s your favourite food?”

Juliette looked up at the voice next to her and smiled, “You’re probably way better than me even without the practice. My favorite?” She thought for a moment, genuinely having a difficult time thinking of one dish. “I love food so much I honestly don’t know. I’m in a sushi kind of mood right now though, so that’s all that’s coming to mind.”

“I’ve always enjoyed walks with no real destination in mind… Just go where your feet carry you.”

“Is it always part of your walk to start talking to whoever happens to be next to you, Doctor?”

Barra blinks once. Two. Then, three times. He looks at the portrait in front of him, giving it another shot at trying to comprehend what he’s seeing, however the effect was still that he felt obtuse. For a brief moment he got irritated with himself, since the people that were there coming and going to the front of the image did exclameted “Ohs!” and “Ahs!” like it was supposed to mean something and he needed to understand that. “What do you think of this?” He asked to the person next to him, pointing directly to the front.

There were a lot of things about museums and galleries that drew Juliette in but a genuine understanding of art wasn’t one of them. She appreciate it, loved it, but in the technical sense didn’t always understand it. But, in her defense, she was of the belief that art wasn’t always meant to be understood. She shrugged when she heard the question from the man next to her, “I like it. I think it’s got great colors and it’s beautiful. I also think what that pretentious guy over there was saying about it being a commentary on shattered illusions of adulthood is bullshit but maybe that’s just me.”

Delphine was currently that person that she hated: the one who’d had the entire time waiting in line to get their wallet out but didn’t until the last minute. So lost in thought was she that it took the cashier’s voice telling her her total to call her back to reality. Fishing her wallet out of her bag with an apologetic smile, she quickly flipped through the various cards it held, but didn’t see the one she was looking for. Slower this time, she thumbed through the cards again but still didn’t see her credit card. With her wallet clutched in one hand, Delphine stepped backwards, feeling her cheeks flush pink, and gestured to the person behind her.

Just out to pick up lunch, Jules thought she heard a familiar voice ahead in line. Looking up she recognized the back of her eldest sister and smiled. “Excuse me,” She said to the people in line separating the sisters. She made it up to Delphine and smiled as she handed the cashier her lunch and her card. “I’ve got her, just add that on please.” Smiling at her sister she gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as a greeting but waited to really talk to her until they got out of line. “Fancy seeing you here. You didn’t lose your credit card did you? Because, you know if you did I’d get to hold it over you for at least a month that I’m more responsible than you. I’ve already got the house key incident over Danny and I’m loving being the most responsible younger sister that ever was.”

Blushing, embarrassed as her shoulders sunk. Focused on cleaning the glass in her hands, curling a long strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “I sometimes forget I do that,” She said softly, still loud enough for her co-worker to hear over the music. Chewing on her bottom lip, scanning the room of dancing bodies, she shook her head, laughing it off. Sofia couldn’t ever just—-flirt with someone. No one had ever really shown her, and when there had been attempts, Sofia easily failed. Putting the clean glass in it’s place, picking up another as she shook her head. “No—No, I don’t know if I can— I’m usually good at just keeping my trap shut and getting the drinks people ask for—- I mean– what if they take it the wrong way, when I’m just… you know, trying to make an extra dollar in tips. What if they think I like-like them?”

“Hey, hey, I’ll have none of that!” She reached out and rested her hands on Sofia’s shoulders, shaking her head. “Don’t be embarrassed around me, I’m not going to make fun of you or anything, I promise.” She could tell that she was making the other girl uncomfortable so she backed off a little, still laughing softly at her question. “Sof, the thing is, it doesn’t matter what they think. If they ask you for your number you say ‘Sorry, I can’t give it at work’ and move on. If they come onto you, you say ‘Not interested’ and usually they back right off. And if they don’t, that’s when I throw them into the wall, right?” She smiled encouragingly at the girl, nodding. “Next customer you get, just lean a little further and make a little conversation and if you don’t get at least a dollar more than usual, tell me I’m wrong and I’ll clean the dishes for the rest of the week.”

“I know right, no way I could work as much as I do and sleep on the floor, but thank you I will investigate to see how are the prices and how far I am from it ” He chuckled and raised his eyebrow “You are kidding me right? what guy would like staying in a house full of girls, ugh, so horrible” He said sarcastically and laughed, and eventually nodded by the explanation of how sport league worked, maybe he could see how out of shape he was and tried to figure out if he could join one of the league, maybe that way he could start affording something better, and after all, this trip was about getting his life back on track “It’s okay, it was actually helpful, I will try to investigate a little more” He smiled and raised his hand “I know, right. Why trying to be good on something that you are not? Eventually, everyone will figure out that you suck”

Jules looked over the man in front of her, laughing as he did but less so. “Hey, honestly if you need a place a step up from a cheap motel I can ask my sisters if they’d be down to let you crash for a while. If you cooked dinner once or twice a week I could even hook you up rent free and you could save more.” She shrugged nonchalantly because it genuinely wasn’t a strange idea for her to open up her home to people who needed help. Plus, he was a werewolf and could potentially hit it off with Danny and help her out with her new life. Two birds, one stone. “I wish I knew more about sports but I am definitely the kind of girl who wants nothing to do with them. My sisters could possibly be of more assistance where that’s concerned I’ll have to ask them.” She nodded, “Exactly! That’s why I’m still bartending.” She laughed softly, picking up a french fry and taking a bite. “I haven’t found anything else that I’m good at and I know I can make a delicious drink out of anything.”