Participants:
| Scene Title | Happy Birthday USA |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Elaine comes bearing cake on this, our great nation's b-day. |
| Date | July 4, 2010 |
Gun Hill - Sable's Apartment
Oh God… who lives like this?
To call this room sparse would be, if not unfair, then not precisely indicative. Yes, there is little in the way of furniture here. In fact, the only object that really qualifies is a salvaged mattress sitting on a salvaged box spring sitting on the floor. There are sheets, but they are almost always coming free of the mattress itself, crumpled and tangled up with the blanket, a ratty old quilt that must have been through several previous owners. But sparse does not convey the sense of general disorder, the //ad hocness of the resident's lifestyle. On either side of the bed is a pile of clothes, one for clean clothes, the other for dirty clothes, and neither pile is very large, nor sports anything like a variety. Tank tops (usually white), cargo pants (usually brown), and underwear (usually depicting cute cartoon characters who have been given eye patches, devil horns or fearsome scars using black fabric marker) dominate the selection. At the moment there are a variety of boxes and plastic pins lining the walls, though none of this belongs to the apartment's actual tenant - she's just letting her friend use the free space.//
Decoration has only been recently added in the form of many swaths to brightly colored, patterned cloth pinned in drapings upon the walls. The impressions is chaotic but enthusiastic, like the combined work of a hippie, an ADHD child, a crazy person. The last is true. The others… arguable. Other that than, there are only a few items that suggest the tenant's personality and interests: a CD player, a pile of CDs, an amplifier and two guitars, one black electric, one blue acoustic-electric. These alone, of all the (admittedly few) possessions in this place, look well cared for. Even the way they rest in the corner, arrayed with care, suggests something like love for them.
Poundcake is made from scratch, then topped with mounds of Cool Whip until it's entirely coated across the top. Blueberries form a little section to be stars, and chopped strawberries make little lines for stripes. A genuine 4th of July flag for the holiday sits in a glass pan carried by one Elaine Adie Darrow.
Currently, the redhead has finished her lovely product and has decided to trot around Gun Hill and offer pieces to people, especially since she didn't want to have to leave the thing as leftovers in the fridge—the pound cake would get soggy! She stops in front of Sable's door, proceeding to knock on it with the hand not holding the cake pan. When Sable answers, Elaine raises the pan a little to show it off, licking a smidgeon of Cool Whip off the side of her hand.
"Cake?"
Sable is at the door in seconds, and when she pokes her head into view, her yellow eyes are covered by silver-rimmed Lennon glasses with purple lenses. That's new. And, of course, in the background can be heard the sounds of Paul McCartney letting you know that if you leave him, he'll never make it alone. Sable beams toothily and reaches out to snatch the pan right out of Elaine's hands. "Don't mind if I do!" she exclaims, and just disappears into her room. The door's still open. I guess Elaine's invited. And she might have to get in there anyways, to save the cake.
There's a little squeak from Elaine and she moves to make her way inside the apartment, peering around for Sable. "I didn't mean the whole thing, Sable, I was just kinda offering you a piece! I better not catch you picking all the fruit off and eating it." She moves to reach and shut the door behind her.
Sable's taken a seat near the center of the room, her back supported by the box spring and mattress. Her legs are crossed and she's looming over the cake, which sits right in front of her. She looks up at Elaine, grin gleaming from under those twin purple lenses. "I'm holdin' this here hostage, gal," she says, "Sorry, but it's gotta be so. I can't have y' just runnin' off after givin' me some measly slice. Th' Sage 'f Gun Hill demands tribute!"
"Eee! My poor cake. She ain't ever did anything to you…" Elaine protests, moving to fall on her knees and clasp her hands together in mock-groveling. "Oh great and mighty Sage! What tribute do I owe you for the life of sweet and fair Cake?"
Sable lifts her chin imperiously. "What, now I've gotta do all th' work, figurin' out what people 'r supposed t' offer me?" she says, oh-so over-worked, "First off, I guess, I'm gettin' some 'f this cake. 'n' no measly slice, somethin' with substance to it. 'n' I guess y' have t' have a slice with me. 'n' then… well, I figure y' have t' be inventive 'nough t' figure some other way t', like, appease me, elsewise I ain't letting you nor this cake out 'f the room. Dig?"
"Oh, so now I'm a hostage too, huh?" Elaine laughs, then nods towards the cake. "Well, you just gonna sit there or do I have to go get a knife and plates and stuff on my own?" She moves to offer Sable a hand up. "And you can have a big huge slice if you want."
Sable rolls her eyes. "Jesus. Make my old bones ache, why dontcha?" She takes Elaine's hand and gets to her feet, tredding right up to the taller girl and slipping her arms around her in a hug. "'n' 'course I ain't gonna let you go, hon," she says, getting on tiptoes to bump her nose to Elaine's before settling back on her heels and stepping back, "Lead th' way. Knives 'n' plates 'r' called for!"
Elaine grins at Sable before she makes her way in to get a knife for the cake. She fishes around til she finds one, then moves to cut the cake a bit. "Stars, stripes, or both?" She questions.
"Color me adventurous," Sable says, hovering a bit behind Elaine, hands clasped behind her back, "I'll take both. Happy birthday, USA, eh?"
Elaine giggles, cutting a large slice that encompasses both strawberries and blueberries. She sets it on a plate before cutting another slice, this one being most of the rest of the stars for herself. Once the cutting's finished, she turns to offer Sable a plate and a fork. "Any excuse for awesome cake, I say."
Sable takes the plate and lifts the cake to her eyes, appreciating its richness and its play of colors. She tips her glasses up off her nose, letting them rest on her brow, if a bit precariously. Yellow eyes visible in their full color once more. "Cook gets th' first bite," she states, as if quoting a universal dictum. She cuts a piece from her own slice with her fork and lifts it up to Elaine, smile maybe just a little impish.
"Oh, naturally. The cook always gets the first bite. Gotta make sure it's fit for consumption." Elaine notes the way Sable smiles, but cautiously leans in and takes the offered bite.
Sable withdraws the fork with gentleness and care, replacing it on her plate and watching Elaine for confirmation of the cake's edibility and, ideally, deliciousness.
There's a skeptical look on her lips for a moment before Elaine nods. "That… is some delicious cake." She offers, grinning and nodding towards the plate. "Better eat that." She grabs her own slice, moving to dig in.
"Hey, hey!" Sable says, mock-strident, "Now I'm a bite down. What 'bout a fair trade?" She casts her eyes heavenward, addressing maybe God or maybe Jimi Hendrix, whoever it is she imagines resides in the sky. Lucy, maybe, with some diamonds? "Gal's got no manners!"
Elaine giggles, looking apologetic. "Right, right. Sorry." She grins, leaning to hold her fork up for Sable. "I apologize, oh great Sage. I'll be a little more ladylike next time."
Sable, choosing to lead by example, clamps her jaws around the fork and, growling, tugs it free of Elaine's grasp. After this little display of savagery, she daintily plucks the fork from between her lips, leaving it clean and presents to back to Elaine. "Mighty kind of you, darlin'."
Elaine can't help but giggle, accepting the fork back before she moves to scoop up another bite. "I could keep feeding you, if that's what I need to save my precious cake." She teases, though her mouth settles around her fork as she takes a bite for herself.
"That'd be lettin' you off too easy," Sable says, starting at work on her own cake, eating with reliable voracious speed and mien. "'m n't gunna-" this with mouth full. GULP. "I'm not gonna be satisfied by yer classic gestures 'f submission. I'm a sage, not a tyrant. I need t' be delighted, see. I need t' have my mystical mind, like, properly stimulated. Dig?"
"Ah, I see. So I've gotta trick you!" Elaine states, then puts a hand over her mouth. "Oh, I mean, appeal to your intellect." She winks, heading to work with another bite of cake. She's quite fond of the cake it seems. She then pauses, peering towards it. "Maybe I should just stay here and we'll eat until this thing is gone." She snickers.
"Amounts t' the same thing, don't it?" Sable says, waggling her brows, "That's some free wisdom, hon. Don't go wastin' it." She's already done with her cake, the best and most applicable word for what she did to it being 'demolished'. She eyes the remainder. "How's this?" she says, "We eat this son of a bitch… then you 'n' me make another. I gotta bake Magnes some cookies all by myself, so this'll be, like, practice."
The cakepan is scooped up, and Elaine grins as she holds up a fork. "Now you're talkin'. We can feast and not feel guilty, then." She reaches for another forkful. "Magnes is making you make him cookies? What, does he think everyone's gotta wait on him hand and foot cause he wore himself out?" She snickers. "I though only I was subject to that."
"Naw, it's my fault f'r offerin' recompense," Sable says, "F'r hackin' his bright little life short on behalf 'f the band. Jesus, I'll take it. That was a real fine night, though I set m'self up f'r one hell of a crash after," she shrugs, what's done is done, and now… there's cake to be had. She cuts herself another slice. "This'd be even finer if we had some green. Last dealer I knew I left back in Boston, though. Dunno who t' ask," she arches a brow, "Guessin' yer too pure 'n' good t' know where a wicked soul can score some, like, herb?"
"I only really lived on the streets for a couple weeks, if you must know, so I'm afraid I didn't have time to set up contacts with drug dealers." Elaine smirks, taking another bite. "Besides, there are plenty of other things that are good at givin' you a high, and not all of them involve hunting down someone and paying 'em a wad of bills."
"What, like glue?" Sable says, grinning, playing the fool.
"Like a damn fine kiss you aren't expecting. Or… a surprise visit from a friend, or… really, really good cake." Elaine glances back over. "I'm not much of a druggie, sorry." There's a grin.
Sable starts counting on her fingers. One, two… cake, friend. She looks up at Elaine. "Looks like one's missin', hon," she says, "A step away from this high y' speak of."
"You start talking like that, Sable, and it'll seem like I made a cake just to have an excuse to drop by." Elaine raises a finger and snatches a bit of whipped cream, proceeding to dab it right on Sable's nose before she's just grinning impishly.
Sable snickers and tries to get at the whipped cream with her tongue, but has no success. She wrinkles her cream-daubed nose. "Help me out here. Y' got me int' this mess!"
"You know, it's pretty difficult to lick your own nose." Elaine comments before she leans in to lick the whipped cream off herself.
Sable closes her eyes for the instant, giving a visible little shiver before, out of the blue, reaching to catch onto Elaine's upper arm and pull her in again for an abrupt kiss. One she herself didn't expect to give.
Elaine had a little bit of a feeling that it was coming, but even with that, she's caught up in the kiss. The kiss, though abrupt, finds Elaine leaning in, letting it linger for a moment, a hand finding its way to rest at Sable's waist.
Sable isn't one to cut a kiss short, though after that lingering moment she tips her forehead to bump gently against Elaine's, parting their lips from each other as she grins. "…yeah… gotta say that's workin' pretty damn fine. That's somethin' like a high alright…" she brushes a hand through Elaine's hair, then lifts it up to her cheek. "F'r th' sake of our fellows, though," she says, brushing her nose against Elaine's even as she says this, "Mebbe we better get t' eatin' 'n' cookin' before we get distracted. Plenty 'f time in the world, but only so much left 'f th' fourth, eh?"
There's another grin from Elaine. "I'll be good, I promise." She states before she pulls away a bit, turning back the cake. "Good thing about the cake is it doesn't take long. Really, if you want to be sneaky you don't even have to bake to make it."
Sable arches her brow, "Then what're you thinkin' on? That there's time enough on the fourth, should we be properly sneaky?" She sets a hand to her heart, "Make yer mind known t' me, darlin'. I'll be gentle with it, I promise."
The arched brow causes her glasses to promptly fall back onto her nose, making Sable start somewhat as her whole world goes purple all of a sudden.
There's a bit of a smirk as the glasses fall back down on Sable, and she gives a bit of a nod. "Instead of making the pound cake… you can always buy one, slice it up, and then just cover it with the red, white, and blue to make yer flag." Elaine states. "Wouldn't take you more than.. mm, ten minutes? As opposed to baking the cake. That'd take you at least an hour, depending on the oven and how long it took to cool off first." She chuckles. "I'm just sayin', that's a good fourty or fifty minutes you could find something else to do with."
Sable taps her jaw with a finger, a smile slowly curling her lips. "Clever, hon. Inventive. Which means y'r free t' go, now ain't y'? Which means, also, if yer stayin', hon," she reaches out to catch Elaine's chin, "It'll be by yer own free will."
Elaine stares back over at Sable, letting her chin be caught by the woman. "I didn't plan on leaving for… mm, maybe about fourty or fifty minutes?" She suggests, lips curving into a grin. "Besides.. who says you'd have been able to keep me here 'gainst my will anyways? You'd have a hard time pulling that off."
"Now girl," Sable says, eyes narrowing behind her glasses, "Is that a challenge yer puttin' t' me?"
"Well, you assume that there's something that would make me not willin' to stay." Elaine grins. "Or that I couldn't find a way to get out through my own wiles if I wanted. But you know, I do like to challenge you."
Sable's grin is diabolical. Less the sage, more the devil of Gun Hill at this moment. She lifts two fingers. "Lesson two, hon," she says, "New material. Bonds 'n' bindin's. Important stuff. You feelin' attentive, hon?" She moves towards Elaine, that prowl unmistakeable by now. She draws up close, catching Elaine's wrists and drawing them back, gently pinning them behind the girl's own back. "'cause if we've got just forty minutes, we'll have t' go pretty fast."
An eyebrow is raised. "I'm paying attention." Elaine peers back at Sable, wondering what sort of Pandora's Box she might have opened. With hands pinned behind her back, she leans in close. "We've got enough time. Remember… I'm a quick learner."