Seriously, Where?

[Katie]

Cai had planned to go spend some time in the garden after her nap. Helped after spending so much time in the TOPZ (didn't matter what she was doing, she always needed a little time to decompress via lots and lots of green stuff, and possibly somebody cute if she was lucky).

But what she was actually doing was scouring her quarters looking for her favorite pair of earrings (the blue hoopy ones), which while not actually necessary for going to the garden, were definitely not something she wanted to lose. And the longer she waited to find them, Cai reasoned, the more lost they were going to get. Which wasn't exactly the most sound logic, but now was a good a time as any to find them. Besides, she wouldn't be able to have any fun at all if she was wondering where they were.

After her fifth sweep of the bed, Cai was forced to conclude that no, they were not in this room. But! She was in and out of Liam's room all the time, so that was the next logical stop. So she forced her hair into a ponytail and put her boots back on and went over. The door was closed, which pretty much meant it was time to knock on it really hard. So she did. "Hey, D'Cruze!" she called. "Open up!"

This would probably actually be reaaaallly awkward if he had somebody over or something, she thought belatedly. But hey, damage already done, worry later.

[Anonymous]

"Coming!" Liam opened the door, blinking in slight surprise at the sight of Cai. He had been lounging around the house, his hair pulled into a messy bun and just a bit of eyeliner on. He smiled brightly once the surprise wore off, "Hey. You look good. What's up? Sorry I'm such a mess!"

[Katie]

"Hi! Oh, good, you're not doin' anything embarrassing. Flatterer." Cai paused for breath and leaned on the doorframe. "Also: nah, you look fine. Scruffy is good. Anyways, you seen my earrings? The blue swirly hoopy ones?" She twirled one finger in the air vaguely to indicate their general shape.

[Anonymous]

"Well, depends on what you consider embarrassing." Liam grinned, "I've been playing Airrim all morning, soooo really that could be considered quite embarrassing. Though I did totally get to level 23 and killed the shit out of this dragon and got my new shout! I just wish the armor was prettier."

Liam paused, realizing Cai had actually asked him something important, "Earrings? Um....maybe? I mean, you can come inside and take a look. Where are you off too all prettied up?" He gave a mock gasp, hand over his heart, "Are you seeing another man? You heartbreaker!"

[Katie]

"I actually understood some of that," said Cai. "Progress! And awesome!" She ducked around him and paused to estimate the most likely place in the room for a pair of earrings. Hm...no, not there...maybe there...aha! Jewelry box!

"Garden," she said, sliding open the bottom drawer. Then she realized Liam hadn't stopped talking there and turned around. "Seven," she said cheerfully, and theatrically unbuttoned another button on her shirt (which was perilously close to being one button too many, but this was Liam and anyway she had great boobs, even if they were kind of small, and who didn't love cleavage?). "Your endearingly nonspecific clue as to who they are is that all of them are at least four inches taller than me."

[Anonymous]

"What? How mean!" Liam grinned and trailed after Cai, "Here I am, pining away for you and you are off with seven other men!"

He glanced around his room, trying to think of where the earrings might be, "Um, did you try under the bed? Sometimes the weirdest stuff ends up under there."

[Katie]

"Yeah, well," said Cai. "Pinin' never did win over the maiden fair." She re-buttoned her shirt and went on, "Though technically I'm not a maiden. Or fair." Cai closed the last drawer on the jewelry box and then looked under. "Aha!" Earring number one, rescued.

"But," she said, brandishing the earring, "My point still stands! Be proactive! Seize the carp! Also no, but that's a good idea. Hold the harem argument a sec." Cai dropped down and wiggled under the bed, then realized she couldn't see a damn thing and stuck her hand out from under it. "Flashlight?"

[Anonymous]

"True. Well, I might try harder if you didn't tease me so." Liam got on his knees, looking along the carpet for the earring, "Besides, you don't want people thinking you are just giving it away, do you?"

[Katie]

"Why not?" said Cai, fumbling around under the bed. Her fingers caught the edge of something metal and cylindrical--victory! Well, probably. She got a better grip on it and discovered it was indeed a flashlight. One that really needed a new battery, cause the light it was giving off was pretty crap, but still. "Ooh, no, don't answer that, I know--you're just jealous!"

The flashlight caught a glint of blue, but it was just the cover for some game (about portals or something? Hard to tell.) Cai reached over and pushed that aside, and kept looking.

[Anonymous]

"Probably. Though I'm much more a one woman kinda guy. Gotta have that romance. Oh! Speaking of! Did I tell you about Belvedere? She totally was hitting on my Six and it was awesome! I think there is some serious chemistry there!"

Those were characters in one of the role playing games he was in and liked to keep Cai up to date on, regardless of her interest in the subject. Reaching out, he snagged a shinny under his dresser, "I found a-oh, nope. This is my earring."

[Katie]

"I wish you many fat, pixelated children," said Cai. She had absolutely no idea who Belvedere was or even which game he was talking about, but it was only fair to humor him.

And--there! She reached out a hand and snagged it. Yep. One blue hoopy earring, shaken not stirred, in perfect condition if you ignored the dust. Also it was on top of something called Chimera Age, which she slid out from under the bed. Liam might want it.

Cai wiggled out from under the bed and brushed the dust bunnies off. "Need a mirror!" she said, looking around for one. It would be super embarrassing if she put the earrings in different-level holes.

[Anonymous]

Liam sighed, shaking his head, "Cai! You never listen! That's from my table top game. You know, where they are fighting the fairy lords so they can get home?" Sticking his lower lip out, Liam pouted for all of two seconds until Cai held up his game.

Then he squealed and hurled himself at Cai, "Yay! I was looking for this! I've been wanting to replay it so bad!"

[Katie]

"Then I wish you many fat, tiny plastic figure chil--oof!" Cai grabbed Liam to keep from falling over--only fair since he'd practically glomped her. "Hey! Fun-size package over here, are you trying to squish me?"

[Anonymous]

"Oh please. You can't play that card with me." Liam rolled his eyes, then hugged the game to his chest, "Now, serious, what are you up too in the Garden? Can I come?"

[Katie]

"Can if I want," said Cai, nudging his shoulder lightly. "And for serious? Nothing, I just wanna see green stuff. 'course you can come."

[Anonymous]

"You can only pull that with people who don't know you." Liam then beamed, "Really? Sweet! Just let me change, okay!"

Which, for Liam, was not a short process. He was already half out of his clothes and heading into his bathroom before Cai could really respond. 20 minutes later, he was dressed in something cute and casual, hair lightly curled and makeup touched up, "Lead the way!"

[Katie]

"Took you long enough," said Cai. It had taken her about five seconds to get her earrings in once she found a suitably reflective surface. "C'mon."

It wasn't a very long trip to the garden, just down a couple corridors and one elevator ride. Once they were there, she dragged Liam to her favorite spot, a flat patch of grass by a bench. Cai flopped down on the ground. "Fake fresh air!" she said cheerfully. "Wish they'd turned on the wind, though."

[Anonymous]

"Wind is creepy." Liam wrinkled his nose, taking a seat next to Cai and stretching his long legs out, head tilted back to enjoy the false sunlight, "It's pretty in here though. I like all the flowers."

[Katie]

"Says you," Cai said. "But yeah. 's nice." She yawned and rested her head against Liam's arm (not being quiiiite tall enough for his shoulder). "Tell me stuff."