#m:rae

“A coffee shop.” Angela leaned forward from her spot on the couch. “For your new career. You could run a coffee shop. Think of all the built in AU potential”

Tamsin looked up from her sketch book, eyebrow arched as she turned to Angela from her spot at the other end of the couch. “Is it an AU if you’re already an OC?”

Rae half rocked, half rolled herself as went from being comfortably draped sideways over her chair to sitting upright. “One, can we step back from the Meta a bit. And two, coffee shops aren’t exactly the first thing that comes to mind when you think ‘helping people’.”

“Of course it helps,” Angela protested, picking up her own half empty and barely steaming coffee mug. “Think of all the people that need caffeine to be functional. That double espresso you just sold them might save their life.”

“Uh-huh,” Rae hummed skeptically as she nodded towards the blonde sprawled out and half sunk into her beanbag chair out on the balcony.  “And have you seen how dangerous some people are when the get caffeine?”

“…Okay, fair point” Angela conceded before quickly rallying, “but Hannah is the exception to the rule.”

“And Tamsin?”

“Hey!”

“Or Lennox? Or Jade?”

“Hello! Why am I getting dragged into this?”

“Okay, I’ll give you Tamsin-“

“I am sitting right here!” Tamsin leaned forward, waving her hands in the air between Rae and Angela to draw their attention. “And I don’t even like Coffee. I am a Sweet Tea girl, thank you very much.”

“Tea has caffeine.” Jonathan said under his breath. Not under enough judging by the glare he got from Tamsin as she slumped back into her seat, arms crossed over her chest.

Without so much as a glance in their direction, Angela continued,“-but Lennox is dangerous with or without Caffeine-“

“Damn right I am.” Lennox, already grinning from watching Tamsin grow more irate the longer she was being ignored, smiled wider as she twirled a throwing knife between her fingers.

“-and Jade is more dangerous without Caffeine than with,” Angela waved vaguely towards the subject of her point.

“That’s true. Caffeine is my comfort food.” Jade said from her chair, nodding slowly as she twirled a pair of antique silver sheers around a finger.

Jonathan’s forehead wrinkled in thought. “I’m not sure Caffeine counts as a food. Food additive, maybe, but not food food.”

“And I hate comfort. And yet I still say it’s my comfort food- Jade brought the spinning shears to an abrupt stop, the tip pointed in Jonathan’s direction. “But if you still want to argue the point-“

“No. I’m good.’ Jonathan leaned away from Jade as he shook his head. “We’re all good.”

“That’s what I thought.” Jade resumed spinning her scissors.

Angela, undeterred by the antics of the others, pressed on. “I still say a Coffee shop could work. It could be like one of those Hallmark detective shows. You know the ones; someones a baker or a history professor or whatever and they end up helping the real Detective slash love interest solve the crime? Only you’d still be a P.I. and the Coffee shop would be you base of operations. And you could use your super hearing to listen in to your customers to find out who needs help. The coffee shop could even be your cover if you wanted to throw a little supernatural superhero in there. Like Clark Kent, but a werewolf barista instead of a Kryptonian journalist.”

Jonathan turned to Rae. “I mean… that does sound kind of cool.”

Rae started at him for a beat, then Angela for another. “… Okay, yes, that does sound kind of cool, eavesdropping aside. But I don’t know if it’s what I want.”

“One way to find out, right?”

“If you’re about to get meta again, I swear I’m going to turn this whole post around.”

“Now who’s getting meta?” Jade said.

Rae turned to Jade. “You do know silver doesn’t hurt me, right?”

Jade’s scissors slowed in their spinning. “No, I did not.”

“But isn’t that a thing with werewolves? Silver hurts them, and wooden stakes for Vampires, right?” Jonathan asked.

“And Werewolf bites are supposed to make you a werewolf, but where I’m from, that doesn’t happen,” Rae shrugged, “Most of that stuff is just made up by Hollywood and gothic writers anyway. I mean, you don’t see me going all Grrr, Argh just because there’s a full moon, do you?”

“No, but someone is definitely not doing their part to clean the shower drain.” Rachel said as she entered the room/ Her eyes lingered on Hannah as she surveyed the seating arrangements before taking a spot at the far end of Jonathan’s couch.

“We all have our own showers, so it’s probably one of your girlfriends. And given that most of them are some flavour of brunette, unless it’s blonde hair you can rule out at least one of them.” Mal said, her tone bordering on board as she stepped into the room from the Kitchen, a bag of cookies tucked against her chest with one arm, and a large glass of milk in her other hand.

“Is anyone else a little weirded out that the dragon said Brunettes have different flavours?” Jonathan asked.

“No, because Mal doesn’t eat people. And I should know, I’m one of her twins.” Tamsin sprang to Mal’s defence and her feet, quickly moving to hook an arm with Mal’s.”

“Not twins. Not triplets. Not related.” Mal ducked away from Tamsin as she headed for the hallway, leaving a pouting Tamsin behind.

“I’m sure she didn’t mean it.” Jonathan said.

“Oh, yes she did.” Lennox and Jade said simultaneously, earning a grin between both and a head shake from several of the others in the room.

Tamsin, arms now crossed over her chest, shook her head at the room. “Y’all just woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, didn’t you?”

“Maybe they need some caffeine?” Angela wiggled her eyebrows at Rae.

“Okay, fine. I’ll put it on the list. But that’s all I’m doing.”

Rachel clapped her hands. “I’ll send you some vegan friendly recipes.”

“I said I’d put it on the list, not that I was going to start working out the menu- You know what, knock yourself out.”

“Only don’t actually knock yourself… out.” Jonathan trailed off as several sets of eyes turned to him. “You know, I think I hear- Yeah, yeah, that’s someone calling me. I’ll just… go.”

“See what y’all did? You scared him off.” Tamsin shook her head at the others for a second time before rushing off to catch up with Jonathan. “Hold up, I’ll come with you.”

Jonathan could be heard from the hallway. “You really don’t ha-“

“Not a problem. We can stop by Mal’s room so you can apologize for saying she eats people.” Tamsin’s voice drifted back into the common room, growing fainter with each word. Jonathan’s “Great.” was the last of the conversation the others could make out before the pair moved out of earshot.

“Did she have caffeine this morning?” Angela looked around the room as she asked the question.

“Two Pancakes, extra syrup, four slices of bacon, hash-browns and two eggs.” Hannah sat up. “And a glass of Peach juice. No coffee.”

Silence filled the room for the next several seconds as everyone stared at Hannah. Hannah grinned back.

“I- Does anyone know what to do with that?” Jade finally broke the stalemate.

A chorus of noes came back. 

“Right...” Lennox said, “Moving on.”

“Wait!” Hannah jumped to her feet.  “Before any of you go anywhere: Did you finish it?”

Everyone looked at Hannah. Everyone but Angela followed Hannah’s gaze back to Angela.

“Finished what?” Rae asked.

“Nothing!” Angela closed her lap top , taking it and her coffee mug with her as she got to her feet.

“Ang?” Rae leaned forward, a grin slowly spreading across her lips.

“It’s-” 

“The next chapter.”

Several heads turned to Angela, the rest turned to Hannah. After a beat, they heads switched. 

“Next chapter of what?” Jade asked, a cheshire grin spread wide across her face. 

Hannah’s “Her fanfic,” overlaid Angela’s, “Nothing.”

Rae started to laugh, then shook her head at the pout Angela turned in her direction. “Aww, no, Ang. I’m not laughing about that. I promise. I- it’s just makes all the AU stuff make sense.”

“I am laughing at you,” Lennox said, absent proof of her claim beyond her grin.

“I’m just pissed you’re hiding it from us.” Jade added.

“Wait, you read Fanfic?” Angela asked.

“Have you seen the show I come from. My canon is basically fanfic. And don’t even get me started on the-

“JORI!” Tamsin and Aurora could be heard shouting from the far end of the hallway.

“Seriously, how do they do that?” Rachel asked as she got up to peek through the doorway. “It’s like they’re psychic.”

“More like psycho.” Jade groused, before turning back to Angela. “But yeah, *crazy shippers aside-” Jade looked over her shoulder as she called out the targets of her ire. A second duet of “JORI!” came back down the hallway.

“Psychics.” Rachel stage whispered as she headed back to her seat.

Jade rolled her eyes “Aside from those people, I am a storyteller even if most of my stories are meant to scare your pants o-” Jade glanced at Hannah out of the corner of her eyes. “Scare you, I love a good fanfic.”

Hannah bounced forwards, slinging an arm across Jade’s shoulders to drag her along as she headed over to Angela. “You’ll love this one. It’s sooooo much better than Good. It’s great!”

“So, full of smut, then?” Lennox asked, eyebrow arched in sarcasm. 

“No.” Hannah said, her tone full of wondrous surprise, ”That’s the weird thing. It’s amazing, but there’s no smut in it at all.”

“Well,” Angela blushed slightly, “Not no smut, but-”

“Wait, what?” Hannah leapt forward, forcing Angela to leap back to avoid a collision. “When did the smut come? Where is it? Let me read it.”

“It’s not- There isn’t any.”

Hannah’s shoulders slumped. “Awwww.”

“Yet. I did rate it M for a reason.”

“So there will be smut?” Hannah perked up.

“Eventually.”

“Knew it.” Lennox shook her head as she got to her feet. “You-” she said, pointing at Angela, “-send me the link.” Without waiting for a reply, she left the room.

Rae shook her head, then turned to Angela. “I’d like the link to, please. If you’re willing to share that is.”

“Of course she’s willing to share.” Jade pointed her scissors towards Hannah who was currently trying to get Angela’s laptop from where Angela had hidden it behind her back. “She let that one read it.”

“That’s different.”Angela rose up on her tip toes, her laptop held high above her head. “I didn’t meant to show it to her. She found it online and figured out it was me writing it.”

Hannah stopped trying to snatch Angela’s computer long enough to flash Rae and Jade a grin. “I’m a spy, it’s what I do.” 

“Yeah, you’re a spy... who’s loosing a game of keep away with an accountant.” Jade pointed out.

Hannah stopped again, head tilted to the side. “... Huh. Good point. I’ll be right back.” Hannah ran out of the room.

Angela glared at Jade. “If I end up getting kidnapped, shot, or-”

Send her the link to the latest chapter and she’ll forget all about it. “Jade cut in. “And send it to the rest of us while you’re at it. And if I like it, I’ll send you a link to some of mine.”

“Wait!” Rachel shook her head hard in disbelief before focusing on Jade. “You write fanfic.”

“I’m a sto-ry tel-ler,” Jade replied, stressing the last two words. “Film is my preferred medium, but scripts come first, and a script is basically a canon fan-fic.”

Rae cocked her head to the side. “That’s actually kind of poetic.” 

Jade winked at Rae “I do good work.”

Hannah leaned towards Angela, “Are they fl-”

“AHH!” Angela jumped. “What the F- Don’t! Do! That!”

“Do what?”

“... Forget it.”

“Forget what?”

“Anyone else getting a ‘who’s on first’ vibe?” Jade asked.

“You know who’s on first?” Rachel asked.

“You know who’s on first?” Jade replied.

“It’s a classic.”

“Exactly.”

“Are they fl-”

“No, Hannah. No one is flirting.”

Hannah dropped herself into Angela’s former spot on the couch. “And that’s why we need Fanfic. Speaking of-” Hannah opened Angela’s laptop which was now sitting on her thighs. 

“Wha- When- How?”

Hannah looked up. “I’m a spy. It’s what I do.”

And thus ends an (almost) entirely smut free Apartment verse post. I know, I’m as shocked as you are. Also part six of Rae’s Career Crisis. I have to say, the idea of a Coffee shop owner by day crime Solving P.I/Vigilante by (moonlit) night is one I like, and it would fit in really well with Rae’s primary reason for wanting to live in the human vs Fae world--she’s fascinated by people. Getting to watch them go about their day to day lives over a cup of fresh brew and put her Fae abilities to use helping those that need it would be a fun concept to explore.

Also, I would 100% watch that movie/series.

“No.” Rebecca shook her head as she traded the notepad for her water bottle. “Why would I know that? Why would anyone know that? Do you know that?”

“Well… No. But-“

“Somewhere between a hundred and two hundred grand.”

Both of them turned towards Gwyn as Gwyn bent over to pick up the notepad.

“And you know this how?” Rebecca asked.”

“I’m a detective.” Gwyn flipped through the few pages of notes Rae and Rebecca had already put together, scanning each quickly before she tossed it back onto the side table between their seats. “You pick things up.”

“Like the cost of a food truck in NYC.” Rebecca asked again, eyebrow arched in doubt.

“A cash only mobile platform that pops up all over the City?” Gwyn leaned over, a wide grin on her face as she brought it close to Rebecca’s. “Yeah, strangely enough that sort of thing catches the interest of the Narcotics division every now and then.”

She turned her head to look at Rae. “ But most of that cost is for the truck. The licence is only a few hundred, but they’re hard as hell to get.”  She turned back to Rebecca, “Of course some people like going after things that are hard to get.” She winks before standing up.

Rae looked over at a slightly flushed and flustered Rebecca. She pointed back towards the apartment with her thumb “Do you want me to-“

“No!” Rebecca cut in, ignoring the chuckle that came from Gwyn as she cleared her throat before repeating herself at a lower volume.  “No, I’m good.” She picked up the notepad, brushed her hair back behind her shoulder, and settled back into her seat. Still ignoring Gwyn as she took the empty seat to Rae’s other side. “So not a food truck.

“No, not a food truck.” Rae, trying to hide a smile, glanced between Rebecca and a still grinning Gwyn before settling on the former. Maybe I should just stick with being a Private eye. I’ve almost got all my hours to get my license, and once I do, I can get some other P.I. in training to dig through the trash for me.”

“No you couldn’t” Rebecca said.

“No. I really couldn’t” Rae agreed, shaking her head at the thought of putting someone else through that experience. “It just… stank sooooo bad.”

“How much of that was the trash, and how much of it was the werewolf?” Gwyn asked.”

Rae turned back to her, head gently swaying from side to side as she tried to assess the percentages. “ Seventy Thirty? I’ve never had a normal sense of smell before, so it’s hard to say.”

“Average.”

The three turned towards Melody as she stepped out onto the balcony holding a tray that contained a pitcher of juice, a bottle of root-beer, several glasses, and a bowl of what would prove to be ice when she removed the cloth covering it after laying it down on the table between Rae and Gwyn.

“What?” Rebecca asked.”

“Average sense of smell, not normal. Normal implies that anything else is abnormal, while average is simply the most common set of a range. And since Rae has always had the sense of smell she did, implying that her sense of smell isn’t normal when it’s perfectly normal for her is-“ Melody shrugged, “well, wrong.”

Rebecca gave a soft, “Huh,” in reply. Rae gave Melody a ‘Thank you,” though whether for her input or the bottle of root-beer Rae was quick to empty into one of the glasses was open to interpretation. Gwyn just nodded her head.

“Still trying to find a new job?” Melody asked, taking a seat from the far side of Gwyn and moving it to face Rae.

“Yeah. Nothing really feels right, you know.”

“Not really.” Melody smoothed out her skirt after settling into her chair. “Unless you count babysitting my siblings, the D.E.B.S. were my first and only job. And the test made sure that it was the right one for me.”

“Lucky.” Rae took a sip from her glass, letting out a satisfied sigh before she gave Melody another, “Thanks.”

Melody shrugged off the first, but accepted the second with a smile. “I thought you’d both been out here for a while and could probably use some refreshments. I think Tamsin and Jonathan are making a snack run as we speak, but I can check to see what we have on hand if you want something now.”

“No, I’m good.” Rae took another sip.

Rebecca held up her water bottle, “Me too. But I might steal some of that ice.”

“Please, go right ahead.” Melody waved towards the tray, Rae already picking up the bowl to hold out to Rebecca. “Just maybe don’t call it stealing. I do work for a law enforcement agency, and Gwyn is a badge carrying detective.”

“I think we can let it slip just this once.” Gwyn leaned forward to look at Rebecca. “Unless you want me to break out the hand-cuffs?”

Rebecca’s cheeks gained several shades of red and an ice cube dropped from her fingers, bouncing and sliding off to god knows where.

“Okay… seriously, are you two a thing?” Rae asked, looking between the pair again. “Wait, is this why you both ducked out on D&D? So you could do a little questing on your own?” Rae made finger quotes around ‘questing’.

Rebecca’s “No!” combined with Gwyn’s “Maybe.” The latter trailing off into a chuckle as Rebecca leaned forward to glare at her.

“Do you really need to encourage them?”

“No. But it’s fun.”

“Whoa, whoa whoa.” Rae put her drink down to wave both hands in the air between them. “Are you a thing?”

“No,” Gwyn shook her head. “Not yet, and not for lack of trying. I think she’s got her eye on someone else?”

Three sets of eyes turned to Rebecca, who in turn started intently studying her water bottle.

“Beks?” Rae cocked her head to the side.

“It’s not like that.”

“So you aren’t crushing on someone?”

Melody leaned forward. “As someone who’s had to deal with Hannah poking into peoples private lives for a while now, I think we should respect Rebecca’s right to share, or not, that information when she feels the time is right.”

Rae Looked between Melody and Rebecca a few times.

“No, I’m not saying that because I’m her crush.”

Rae turned to Gwyn, who shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know.” Gwyn shook her head.” It’s just a feeling in my gut.”

“Then why would you bring it up?” Rae asked.

“Because my gut is rarely wrong.” Gwyn started to fill one of the remaining glasses from the pitcher. “And because you two have been out here with that notepad for two hours. I figured that you could both use a bit of a distraction.”

Rae frowned at Gwyn who smiled back as she took a sip of juice. Rae turned to Melody next and likewise got a smile, but more in reassurance than the smirk she’d gotten from Gwyn. Finally she turned to Rebecca, who met her eyes with a hooded glance before tilting her head upright

“Sooooo.” Rebecca picked at the neck of her bottle, “That distraction knock any new ideas for future careers loose?”

“Beks-“

“It’s fine, Rae. Really. We’re good. And so is Gwyn, I suppose.” Rebecca leaned forward to look at Gwyn. “Though next time, maybe you can find some other way to distract us?”

“Hey, I offered hand-cuffs.” Gwyn replied, ducking as both Rae and Gwyn threw pillows at her. The three of them laughed, the last of the tension in the air chased away by the sound.

“Well, my work here is done.” Melody got to her feet. “As is yours.” She pointed to Gwyn.” If you girls need anything, just give me a shout, okay?”

“You don’t have to go.” Rebecca said,

“No, I do. I have some paperwork that needs my attention… and Hannah’s been far too quite given where this conversation has gone. That’s never a good sign.” Melody heads back towards the apartment, diverting her path to retrieve the thrown pillows before putting them in Gywn’s chair after tugging the Detective out of her seat as she passed her by.

“Do you think they’re…” Rae looked from the door back into the apartment to Rebecca, then shook her head. “You know what, none of my business.”

Rebecca laughed. “They would make a cute couple though… in a strange sort of way.”

Rae laughed. “I don’t know. I think Melody’s too much of a mom for Gwyn.”

“Some people like that.” Rebecca replied, her cheeks regaining a few of the lost shades of red before she shook her head. “Not me, obviously. But some people-“ She cleared her throat. “Anyway-“

A cry of “SNACK DELIVERY,” from inside the apartment cut her off.  

“I could eat.”

“You do love to eat.”

“I do. Is that a job anywhere? Because if it is, I want that job.”

Rebecca got out of her seat, hand held out to Rae to help her out of hers. “The only one I can think of is food taster for royalty, and I’m not sure your werewolf constitution would make you a good fit for it.”

“Why not?” Rae asked, grabbing her root-beer from the table with one hand as she snaked the other around Rebecca’s arm. “I’d survive most things that would kill a human.”

“Exactly.”

“Oh… yeah, I see your point.”

Rebecca tapped her bottle against Rae’s glass. “Here’s to finding the perfect job. Cheers.”

“Cheers.” Rae put her head on Rebecca’s shoulder as they headed towards the door.

“It’s not Lucas, is it?”

“Rae.”

“What? He’s cute, and he does woodworking, so you know he’s good with his hands-“

“Rae!”

“I’m just saying I would get how you could have a crush on him.”

“… Do you have a cru-“

“Oooh, look. Snacks.”

“Mind if I join you?” Rebecca pointed to the empty chair next to Rae’s.

“Nope,” Rae shook her head as she waved towards the seat. “Join away.”

“Thanks.” Rebecca settled into the seat, then placed her reusable water bottle on the small table between them. “Nice day for it.”

Rae nodded again, her notepad and pen joining Rebecca’s bottle before she turned her eyes to the view from the balcony. “Yeah.” She titled her head back slightly, closed her eyes and took in a deep breath as the playful contest between the warmth of the sun and the cool, gentle breeze played across her skin.

“I heard you were thinking about a career change?”

Rae’s eye opened. She released her breath in a low, slow exhale before she turned to Rebecca. “Maybe.” she slumped back into her seat. “I don’t really know. I was having a bad day and it started out as just me venting but then everyone started giving me suggestions and now I’m thinking it might not be the worst idea ever.” She nodded towards her notepad. “Was working on a pro/con list before you showed up.”

Rebecca glanced at the pad before refocusing on Rae. “Don’t let me interrupt.”

“No, it’s fine. I wasn’t really getting anywhere anyway.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” Rae picked up the pad and flicked through to the page in question before handing it to Rebecca. “See.”

Rebecca took the pad, scanned the page for a few seconds, then nodded. “Pros, no more dumpster diving. Cons, no idea what else I want to do.” She put the pad back on the table after Rae waved off its return. “So much for using you to help me.”

Rae’s head tilted to the side like a quizzical dog.  “You want to change jobs too?”

Rebecca nodded. “Sort of, yeah. I love driving and I’m proud of the company I’ve built up, and I love being a singer, even if it’s more of a hobby at this point than a career, but…” She shook her head as she focused on the view. “I don’t know. I just feel like I need a change. Like…”

“Like you could be happier doing something else?”

“Yes. No. Maybe.” Rebecca turned back to Rae. “Sorry, didn’t mean to turn your soul searching into a thing about me.”

“No, hey, don’t worry about it.” Rae held up both hands. “Honestly… it’s nice to know I’m not the only one feeling this way.”

Rebecca smiled, then offered her fist to Rae. “Mid-life crisis buddies.”

Rae laughed as she tapped her fist against Rebecca’s. “Are we mid-life? You’re like, what, 30 tops? And by Werewolf standards I’m basically a toddler.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Oh yeah, we can live for a really long time.”

“I don’t know if I should be jealous, or call a babysitter.”

“Try it.” Rae teased, the smile that played at the corners of her mouth faded as she shook her head. “But don’t be jealous. I love my family and I wouldn’t trade them for anything, but there are reasons why most of my kind avoid the mortal world.”

“Because we’re terrible?”

Rae barked out in laughter. “No,” She said once she’d calmed down, then tiled her head to the side again and added, “Well, not entirely that. And not all of you even when it is that; I mean, all of you are pretty great.”

“Thanks.” Rebecca picked up her bottle and unscrewed the cap with a flick of her thumb.

“You’re welcome.”

Rebecca nodded as she took a sip, then screwed the cap back into place. “Do you ever think about going back home?”

Rae drew in another deep breath, then let it out in a sigh. “Sometimes. Not, like, permanently or anything—I still want to be part of this world—“ she waved her hand towards the doors that led back into the apartment, “or the world we go to from this one. And I’ve been back home to visit a few times, so it’s not like I never get to see my family.” She shrugged. “How about you?”

“Same.” Rebecca straightened up in her seat. “I’ve been back to visit my Mom and the odd friend here and there, and we can literally go wherever we want in the blink of an eye from this place, so I’ve never really felt like I had to go home because I didn’t know when I’d  have the chance to again.” She thumbed open her bottle again and took another sip. “But this is my home now, and as crazy and fucked up as things can get around here…”

Rae nodded. ”Yeah.”

“Yeah,” Rebecca repeated. “Now all we need to do is find a job we love doing.”

“Didn’t you say that you loved driving and singing?”

Rebecca tucked one leg under the other as she turned onto her hip to better face Rae. Her fingers toyed with the cap of her bottle. for a few seconds. “I did. I do. But I don’t think I’m in love with either of them. Honestly-” Rebecca shook her head as she let out a quick sigh, “-I’m not sure I ever did. And maybe that’s okay, I mean how many people can honestly say that they’re in love with their job… but I want to be able to say that.” She held Rae’s gaze for a beat. “Don’t you?”

Rae returned Rebecca’s look for several seconds before she gave her a small nod. “Yeah,” She nodded again, larger this time. “Yeah, I do. So how do we do that?”

Rebecca traded her water bottle for Rae’s notepad. “By listing the things we love, then figuring out what jobs work with those things?”

Rae shuffled her seat around to face Rebecca and Rebecca followed suit a beat behind. Once both were settled, Rae leaned forward.

“Let’s get started.”

Rae:

*shrugs* “Yes?”

Melody:

“Hold on” *gets out of her seat* “I’ll get some cookies. Girl talk always goes better with cookies.” *heads for the kitchen*

Jonathan:

*Watches Melody leave* “Should I-“ *points to himself* “Should I leave?”

Dani:

“Nah, you’re good.”

Jonathan:

“Cool.”

Lucas:

“And me?”

Rae:

“You’re good too.”

Lucas:

“Good. ‘Cause I really want cookies now.”

Rae:

*snort-laughs*

Melody:

*returns with a tray with several glasses of milk and a plate stacked with several kinds of cookies, see’s Rae smiling as she shakes her head at Lucas.* “What did I miss?”

Lucas:

*leans forward to snag a handful of cookies as Melody puts the tray down on the coffee table* “Me being my usually brilliant comical self.”

Maze:

*enters the room* “You’re definitely a joke.”

Lucas:

*around a mouthful of cookie* “Were you waiting in the hall for someone to set you up for an insult?”

Maze:

*Leans over the back of the couch to snatch one of Lucas’s cookies from his lap.* “Maybe.” *looks at the rest* “What brought on the girl talk. More importantly, who do I need to hurt?”

Rae:

“No-one.” *grabs a chocolate chip cookie as Maze climbs over the back of the other couch to sit next to Lucas.* “Just one of those days.”

Lucas:

*cries out as Maze steals another of his cookies* “Hey! You do know there’s a whole pile of cookies right there!” *points to the tray*

Maze:

*bites into her newest cookie* “They taste better when they’re from you.”

Dani:

“If you two are done flirting…” *looks at Rae as Lucas blushes and Maze smirks * “you ready to talk about it?

Rae:

*takes a small bite from her cookie, chews it for a few seconds claiming one of the glasses of milk to rinse her mouth out.* “You know how I work with a Private Eye, right?”

Dani/Melody/Jonathan:

*nods*

Lucas:

*hunches over as he leans away from Maze when she tries to steal another cookie* “I thought you were a detective.”

Rae:

*shakes her head* “No. Not yet anyway. You need to log a bunch of hours working for a licensed P.I. before you can get your own.”

Maze:

*ignores Lucas’s attempt to protect his cookies* “You should try Bounty hunting. You get to hunt Humans and you get paid for it!"

Rae:

“Yeah… Not sure how well the whole ‘werewolf’ thing would go over with ‘hunting Humans’.”

Dani:

*Shit, that’s right. I forgot you’re a Werewolf.”

Rae:

“It’s okay. I actually like it better that way. Makes the whole ’living among humans’ thing easier… except when your boss sends you to go through someone’s trash for a job and you and your super sensitive nose are up to your waist in-“ *shudders* “- stuff for an hour.”

Melody:

*leans forward and puts a hand on Rae’s arm* “Oh, you poor thing.”

Dani:

*leans over to pull Rae into a hug.* “That explains the mid-afternoon shower.”

Rae:

*puts one hand on Dani’s arm and the other on Melody’s hand* “Thanks. Especially since I probably owe at least one of you a bottle of shampoo.”

Dani:

*shakes her head as she gives Rae another quick squeeze before pulling back* “Don’t worry about it. Really, Rach makes sure we have, like, a years supply stockpiled at all times.”

Melody:

“And I’m so used to Hannah ‘borrowing’ mine that I always have an extra bottle or two hidden away.”

Jonathan:

“And you can use mine anytime you want.”

Lucas:

“Yeah, your good with me too.” *glares at Maze as she takes the half eaten cookie from his hand* “Unlike some people I could mention.”

Maze:

*smirks* “I still say you should give Bounty Hunting a try.”

Melody:

“Or spying. I could arrange for you to do some placement tests?”

Jonathan:

“Dog walker?”

Dani:

“Seriously, dude? Just because she’s a were-wolf doesn’t mean she’s good with dogs.”

Rae:

*to Dani* “It’s okay. Wouldn’t be much different from babysitting my cousins back home.” *to Jonathan* “But dogs are a bit hit or miss with the were-wolf thing, so not really an option.”

Lucas:

“You could come work for me. We can always use some extra hands and you’d get to rub shoulders with celebrities. Plus, I can almost promise you that you’ll never have to look through anyone’s garbage.”

Rae:

*chuckles* “ ‘Almost’, huh?”

Lucas:

*grins* “Sometimes a script gets mixed up with the recycling, or an earring gets misplaced, but ninety-four times out of a hundred it’s found without anyone dumpster diving.”

Rae:

“I’ll think about it, thank you. But I think if I do this I want something… bigger than being some celeb’s gopher.”

Maze:

*singing under her breath* “Boun-ty Hunt-ing.”

Rae:

*smiles, roles eyes as she shakes her head*

Jonathan:

“If you’re any good with computers, you could work with me.”

Rae:

“I can work my phone and my PVR and that’s about it. Besides, I’m not really a ‘cubicle’ kind of person. I need something that gets me outside.”

Maze:

*singing under her breath, slightly louder* “Boun-ty Hunt-ing.”

Melody:

“Maze.”

Maze:

“What? It fit’s everything she says she’s looking for. It get’s her outside, it helps get bad people off the street which helps protect the good ones which is a pretty ‘big’ job, and her were-wolf senses would make her a natural at tracking, plus she’s stronger than she looks, so she can hold her own.” *looks around the room* “Am I wrong?”

Rae:

“No, that… that actually makes sense… It’s just the whole ‘hunting’ thing. Even if it’s not real hunting, my pack—most packs—have been fighting that stereotype for, like, forever.”

Maze:

“So call it bounty collecting.”

Rae:

“I- … I’ll think about it.”

Melody:

“If you’re looking to throw over stereotypes, you could talk to Raven about being an EMT? You’d get to save people, so there’s the bigger purpose right there, and you’d be out and about, no stuck in an office.”

Rae:

“…Maybe…”

Jonathan:

“Maybe you could ask around, see if any of the others have some ideas. It’s not like you’ve got to pick right now, is it?”

Rae:

*smiles* “No, I don’t. Thanks. All of you, thanks. I feel better.”

Selina:

*slides onto the couch on Lucas’s other side* “I vote lumberjack. She’d look good in flannel.”

Lucas:

“Jesus! Where the hell did you come from?”

Selina:

“I’ve been here the whole time. Not my fault the rest of you don’t pay attention.”

Maze:

“I knew you were here.”

Rae:

“So did I.”

Lucas:

“Yeah, but you’re-“ *points to Maze* “-a demon who makes a living finding people that don’t want to be found and you-“ *points to Rae* “-are basically her twin. Plus, you know, the crazy good nose.”

Selina:

*nonchalantly takes  a cookie from Lucas* “If you ignore the fact that she’s a were-wolf and I’m…” *tilts her head to the side, arches an eyebrow as a small smile plays across her lips* “-a cat person.” *pops the cookie into her mouth*

Rae:

“She’s not wrong; we do look good in flannel.”

Selina:

“As if I’d ever be caught dead in flannel.”

Jonathan:

“What’s wrong with flannel?”

“Dani:

“Nothing.”

Lucas:

*under his breath* “speaking of stereotypes…”

Dani:

“What was that?”

Lucas:

“… nothing.”

Dani:

*gives Lucas a pointed stare* “Mmhmm. That’s what I thought.” *flashes him a quick grin.* “Especially since I remember you having a closet full of flannel, yourself. At least you seem to be wearing a new one every time you head off to your work-shop.”

Jonathan:

*turns excitedly to Rae* “Oooh, woodworking!” *shoulders slump* “But that’s not really a ‘big’ thing, and not outdoors either. Sorry.”

Rae:

“Don’t be. I think we pretty much agreed that we’re at the ‘throw everything at the wall and see what sticks’ phase of finding me a new career.”

Lucas:

*turns to Rae while avoiding eye contact with Dani* “If you ever want to drop by my workshop, I’d be happy to show you the ropes.”

Maze:

“I bet you would.”

Lucas:

*turns back to Maze in time to see her flash him a salacious grin* “Wh- not those ropes.”  *turns to Rae* “…Unless…”

Dani:

“Dude!”

Rae:

*laughs* “No, it’s cool. I mean, the answer is no—at least to those ropes, no offence—but I might take you up on the the tour part.”

Lucas:

“None taken.”

Dani:

*shaking her head* “Bunch of horn-dogs…”

Jonathan:

“In his defence, you’re dating, like, three of the worst of them.”

Dani:

“Hey, it’s only two. Quinn’s a mid-level horn-dog at worst.”

Jonathan:

*Nods.*

Melody:

“Do you think we’ll ever had one of these conversations that doesn’t end up about sex?

Selina:

*counting them off on her fingers* “Horny spy, horny accountant, horny agent, horny diva that pretends she isn’t, horny other Diva that doesn’t even try to hide it, horny artist who barely hides it, all under one roof with a bunch of other young, hot, fit room-mates who are only comparatively less horny with very few exceptions-“ *shakes head* “-odds aren’t looking good.”

Melody:

“Did you have to say ‘horny’ so many times?”

Selina:

“No.”

Melody:

“… Okay.”

Rae:

“And with that, I’m off to take another shower. Y’all might not be able to smell dumpster, but I still can, so see you in a few.” *stands and heads for the doorway*

Dani:

“BBQ for dinner?”

Rae:

*turns back, a wide grin on her face* “Yes please!”

Dani:

“Consider it done.”

Rae:

“You’re the best!”

Melody:

“I’ll get started on the biscuits and gravy.” *stands and heads for the kitchen*

Jonathan:

“I’ll help.” *follows Melody*

Maze:

“Dibs on the grill. You guys always overcook the meat.” *heads for the veranda*

Dani:

“And I’ll go make sure Rach has something to eat… and that we all don’t die from trichinosis” *heads for the kitchen*

Lucas:

*looks at Selina* “So-“

Selina:

“No.”

Lucas:

“I was going to ask if you knew where everyone else was.

Selina:

“Yes.” *stands and leaves*

Lucas:

Lucas: What does Pizza have to do with Football?

Hannah: *muffled* Thuggur.

Rae: *hands Hannah a bowl of Jello* Carbo-loading?

Jonathan: And they’re round, like... s- fo- like the balls.

Gwyn: *to Jonathan* You are too cute for words.

Jonathan: *blushes*

Lucas: I’m sticking with England.

Maze: I’m going with the other one. What was it? Denmark? Yeah. I’m going with Denmark.

Lucas: Why?

Maze: *points to herself* Demon. Chaos is kinda my jam.

Jonathan: Public Indecency?

Aurora: I’m with Hannah on this one.

Tamsin: No you aren’t. Right Mal?

Mal: Don’t drag me into this. My birthday suit has scales.

All: ...

Jonathan: So... does that mean that you were born a dragon?

Mal: Of course not.

Rae: Then how is your-

Mal: I said don’t drag me into this.

Jonathan: Yes ma’am.

Mal: And don’t call me ma’am.

Jonathan: Yes... Mal?

Mal: That works.

Aurora: That’s still two votes for awesome which means we win.

Tamsin: Uh-uh. Twin vote rules. My vote cancels out your vote, so it’s one for awesome, one for a crime, and one for whatever Rae said.

Gwyn: *enters room* What’s a crime?

Tamsin: Walking around in your all-together.

Rae: That’s not what the anon asked us.

Gwyn: This is about an anon?

Jonathan: Yes.

Gwyn: ... *turns and leaves*

Aurora: Team Awesome Wins.

Hannah: Birthday Suit Party to Celebrate!

Tamsin: NO!

Jonathan/Rae: *blushing*

Jonathan: We should-

Rae: Already ahead of you.

Jonathan/Rae *leave, but not before Rae peeks behind her.*

Tamsin: *Grabbing Aurora around the waist* I said No!

Aurora: Help me!

Hannah: *pulling her top off* One sec.