(2018-11-14) Influenced
Influenced
Summary: Today is a hard day for Daxton and Callisto tries to understand. Then things — surprise, surprise — take a turn.
Date: 2018-11-14
Related: NA
NPCs: NA
Scene Runner: NA
Players:
callisto..daxton..

South Street, Shady Cove
Wed Nov 14, 2018


Trees line the sides of the road of South Street, one of the shortest streets in town. At the very end standing tall and proud, a fixture in the town since the mid 1950's, Silver Fable Book Store, one of the more popular locations. A few homes dot the area, the yards kept nice and neat and there are a few other businesses. A small, out of the way, hamburger places is placed off the road and looks like a fixture in the community.

It is a fall evening. The weather is cool and fair.

===

Here we are folks, Wednesday night! South Street is as South Street typically does on this chilly late fall evening. Some of the businesses here are local-to-the core and given to closing at suppertime or later on weekdays. If you carry on the short stretch of the street itself to get to Broadway, you'll find the YMCA which goes til' 10pm. But that doesn't serve anyone well when they want to buy a book or whatnot. Oh, there's Burger Barn too… but the player digresses.

Callisto Aine likes these types of nights; cool and crisp and fairly peaceful. She is finishing up her shift which she only just managed to arrive in-time for, and it was a shorter one. Four hours. She doesn't know if she should feel nervous about that or grateful because it gives her a chance to just be on her own in town for a stint. Her hair is dry, quivering like silver threads in the breeze.. she must not have even touched the pool tonight. Cinched in a long woolen pea coat which hugs her body like a glove, legs in black tights dipping into knee-high heeled boots, she pauses in her gait to fire off a quick text to Daxton: "You working?"

It takes Dax much longer than usual to respond. 'Nope. U?' And then almost immediately another text 'where r u?' And then 'want me?'

Here's the beauty part.. Callisto isn't one of those girlfriends who counts the seconds til' Daxton responds. She knows that he either works or has duties with the Unit. So she manages to get a couple of blocks covered by way of her long-legged gait til her phone chirps at her. Pale eyes glance sideward to a row of houses before she looks down at her phone, lips quirking. Her fingers move deftly to respond to him; even in font she is happy to 'see' him. "Just off," Is texted back. "Early. Walking the neighborhood, wondering if you'd like to do coffee somewhere. Close to Silver Fable. Always want you. But only if not caught up with anything." There, that'll do it.

She sends off the text and looks 'round, finding herself to be oddly.. attached.. to this town. She glances sideward to one of the unassuming little homesteads along the street; a squat 1950s-era place with lights flickering in the window, like a television's glow. There's no car in the piddly driveway though… typically there is. Callisto humms softly.

It's a few minutes, but then Dax comes speeding around a corner. What's strange is that he seems…unfocused. He runs into a tree on purpose, using his arms to stop himself from crashing. He holds onto the trunk a moment longer than he should need to before swiveling his head and smiling lopsided at the student. "Strawberry!" His cheeks are pinker than a short run should have them too. Moving towards her, he lifts a hand to take hers.

The house with the funny window is chopped liver once Daxton arrives, and not in his usual deftness. The THUNK of a solid body against a tree (even with arms extended) catches Callisto's attention and her steps mince swiftly to close the distance; she saw that brief clinging to the trunk. What the…? Her eyes take him in as they so often do, though there's a hint of worry. "You skidded out?" Asked gently as she extends a hand, taking his, but very gently she lifts her other hand to touch his cheek. "Are you alright? Asked as innocuously as possible, her eyes studying him. She lifts the hand that she holds to brush a kiss to the knuckles in that fascinatingly old-timey way, but her eyes hold his.

Daxton makes a noise that's very unDax like, almost a phshah kinda sound and he waves a hand, "No... I'm good. How are you?" She knows him well enough, those blue eyes are slightly dilated. He chuckles softly at the kiss to his knuckles, his smile more lopsided than usual, "You aren't in class….and no school….How come?" The tall boy steps closer, looking down at her as he sways gently.

The faerie is concerned, now. She pulls him to her to hold him in a hug, yes; she's using her body to gauge his heartrate, for what that's worth. He seems out-of-sync; even his text, having arrived later (Callisto doesn't time it, seriously).. then this. Holding him as she does, she feels that swaying of his body and her arms tighten, forming a reassuring band around his lower body. Cerulean eyes look with carefully-concealed concern into dilated true-blue ones. "I am just fine, left without a duty and obligation." She tilts her head, watching him. "T'is the evening, Daxton; coming up on eight o'clock at night. Classes are long over. T'is Wednesday." She supplies, watching his face raptly. Something is odd. "Whatever have you gotten up to, today? Entertain me with your thoughts." A whisper. A suspicion.

The window in that little house seems to blink in, blink out.. as if something or someone is passing said window at a harried pace.

Daxton snorts, "Obligations suck." He blinks, head tilts, "No…you teach classes…swimming, right?" His arms go around her, whatever's going on, PDA don't seem to bother him. "Me? I did shit today." He smiles, going in for a kiss. Moving from her mouth to her ear, "We should kiss more." There's definitely the taste of some kind of alcohol on his lips.

Ah. There it is. Callisto meanwhile doesn't balk at the contact; in fact she pulls him even closer, against her front, kissing his mouth and his cheek as he moves to speak into her ear. "Hn," A soft exhalation, and she says with as little accusation as possible the following statement: "You smell and sound as if you've had a good night, beautiful thing." No uttering of handsome; eff saying handsome. She eases back and looks into those unfocused eyes. "Tell me then. What have you been up to? I am but a boring student, shackled to a routine.. I desire exciting tales." A slow, wry smile before she presses her lips to his. This is strange and Callisto will use every bit of her tact to understand more.

Who cares, who sees it. She nuzzles him, "Were you at a party? I smell something tasty."

Daxton smiles against her ear swaying slightly, almost moving into a dance. "Do I? I brushed my teeth…" He pulls back, "I just…. I wanted to…" The smile fades, "No…just me…I …" That wall is struggling to come up, but the amount he drank to feel this way is impressive and knocks it down, "It's my dad's birthday…it was this or go track him down and murder him…" He then laughs, like it's a joke (But it's not), "So it was this…or murder. Inferno said I couldn't murder."

"No murdering." Callisto whispers. Whyfor is Daxton drinking on his dad's birthday? She sure as hell isn't one to judge, given her age and her own familial turmoil. For one THST clusterfuck is back burner; not at all an issue. She sways with him, not fighting it, but remaining stable so as to support him. Daxton pulls back and she watches him, does not reprimand but instead.. offers options. "T'is not worth your effort. I.." She wants to recall her viewing of that unfeeling man in that nightmare, how he subjected his son to such experiments.. somehow that's not a good idea. Callisto is thoughtful. "Tell me how I can help you cope with this day. A walk. A feast," A nod to Burger Barn. A direct glance into his eyes as she pushes forth every ounce of her dark fey charm into the words. "Kissing." A whisper to his ear. "Tell me, then. We can change this day forever, you see—"

There, like a gunshot; the sound of breaking glass. Not a bottle. A window.

Daxton's not so out of it he's falling over. He pulls her closer, pressing his body into hers, "No fun. He deserves to get murdered." Yikes. He bends closer, nuzzling her hair, "I like your hair. It's like…moonlight or some shit." How to cope? He is coping! "We can walk….I like to eat. I'm always hungry…it kinda sucks…"A happy noise though hone she whispers, he could get behind more of that too. He inhales, ready to respond to whatever hopefully sexual innuendo she was going to say when there's breaking glass. He blurs, suddenly in front of her. His hands fists and vibrating, why is everything always ruined?

Callisto can get behind this too; there's some dark alleys, she's (literally) flexible. If she has it her way all thought will leave the speedster. She can do that, or attempt it; goose the right mental processes to make ALL troublesome thought just disappear. But that's the dark way. Still, Callisto has that inkling in her heritage and with him being so close, so avid, it's… yeah. The 'moonlight' comment sets her heart to racing but before she can egg him on, indeed lead him to somewhere more recluse.. there's that sound.

.. fucking people; damnit why must this happen now. She clings to him briefly before craning her neck toward the offending sound, her body felt growing rigid. "Hooligans," A shakey whisper.. but then she sees that it's That House. Where someone is always home but then tonight, they're not. "Should I call the police?" She inquires to Daxton's back as he now stands before her, protectively.

Daxton groans, so very unlike him, "Fuck. Yes…call the cops…" He starts making his way towards the house, trying to decide if this is worth it. He may need to burn through everything in his system and get rid of the booze…damn it.

GAH… she reaches to grab his hand. Daxton is not in fine form and Callisto cannot bear the thought of him being prone. "Anyone so <insert Unseelie expletive here> inclined to cause grief here, is a fool." She pleads, "Do not intervene. You've had a drink, Daxton; you may not be as responsive as—"

Not from the front of the house, but the back — it's a small house — the back door bursts open. Why the breaking glass? Some doofus within, indeed ransacking the house, thought they were leaving through the front. Broken glass glitters like moonlight upon the walkway leading to the place. "Daxton" Callisto starts, "Do not"

It appears that the buffoons trying to steal 'goods' while the owners are away have realized that there's nothing worthwhile here. A dark form can be sighted running desperately across the tiny back lawn. This street was supposed to be 'easy'..!

<FS3> Daxton rolls Super Speed -2: Good Success.

"Call. Now." And then the speedster is off. He has no problem running. Stopping has always been his issue, even when sober sometimes. Daxton is onto of the guy before he gets very far at all. The speedster is not in a good mood now, shoving the culprit down onto the ground before he trips over him himself. Damn it all. "God damn it, you jerk off."

She does just that, keying in the digits. Callisto is neither a martyr not a hero archetype; she will dial the frickin' number. Especially when she can still mark the smell of Daxton's breath — the liquor — while being unsure of what they are getting themselves into. But then Daxton indeed tackles the buffoon and the man — a twenty-something lowlife who clearly wasn't a good place of judgement — bellows unhappily. He is an averaged-sized dude who is slightly built-up in the chest and therefore strong. Daxton's tripping is the opening the meathead needs and he grips the speedster, trying to shove him aside to in-turn attempt to pin him.

"Fuck off, buddy! Times are tough!" Hollers the thief, eyes wild and hair unruly, fists flying.

Dude is much bigger than Dax was expecting. He grunts, but is able to kick the man off of him. "You have no idea how tough time is." So says the time jumper. He growls, taking a punch to the jaw as he fumbles with the man to pin him.

<FS3> Callisto rolls 5: Good Success.

Call made, Callisto pads closer, not quite liking how readily this thief is able to fight himself out of Daxton's hold. He puts up a good fight but not so much as to be impossible to grapple against. "You fuckin' reek like a booze cabinet buddy, get off me!" The man hollers, having found purchase with his knuckles against Daxton's jaw, slugging him a good one. Callisto hollers but her words don't matter, the thug knits his fingers into Daxton's shirt collar and tries to shove him sideward. He's hard to pin; adrenaline and the sheer desperation to flee makes him strong. "Don't matter much t'you buddy that I get away! They're barely fucking home anyway! Just let go!" His movements are more and more desperate. Callisto catches sight of something in the dude's pocket.

"Get back from him!" She hollers suddenly.

<FS3> Opposed Roll — Baddie=5 Vs Dax=Physical-2
< Baddie: Good Success Dax: Great Success
< Net Result: Dax wins - Solid Victory

Daxton starts vibrating, he really didn't want to be a hero tonight, damn it! For a split second (Which is a really long time for him, he considers just letting the guy go. But then he blabs that they're home? F this guy. With a growly grabs the dude and slams him into the ground face first, hopefully stunning him. He has no idea who Calli is yelling at, he just homes he can knock this guy out before the cops show, so he can bolt. He doesn't think they're arrest him for underage drinking, but… He'd rather not face Inferno with that, especially since he promised he wouldn't leave the estate.

<FS3> Opposed Roll — Callisto=Psychic Vs Baddie=4
< Callisto: Good Success Baddie: Good Success
< Net Result: Callisto wins - Marginal Victory

The fey girl seems to be thinking along those lines… what is the age for 'underage' drinking? Seems she needs to be aware of this now and to look at Dax and even smell his breath.. it's obvious. He's pinning the derelict who thought he could get away with brazenly robbing a house; Callisto suspects that they'll have about four to five minutes before the telltale blue and red alternating lights can be seen illuminating the street. The prospective burglar is too wiley, still; he's still thrashing even as the speedster wrangles with him.

Callisto is in, trying to knock him out gently with a 'push' of her mind. Surprisingly it's too difficult; again, adrenaline does astounding things. He faceplants with the aide of Daxton's force and he groans, bucking his back against the speedster's weight.

"Again, hit him again; w-we must run." Callisto calls to Daxton, turning to eye the street as the sirens can be heard a few blocks away.

<FS3> Opposed Roll — Baddie=5 Vs Dax=Physical-1
< Baddie: Good Success Dax: Amazing Success
< Net Result: Dax wins - Crushing Victory

Daxton's quickly loosing his buzz, thanks to this jerk. With the man pinned he does something instinctually, wrapping an arm around his neck and placing pressure. It's enough to stop the blood flow for a moment to the dude's head. The man's eyes roll to the back of his head and Dax just drops him unceremoniously to the ground before standing up. He rubs his face a moment, looking nothing like the happy go lucky teenager that showed up minutes before. "No, you need to stay, tell them I got called away…." He sighs, eyeing her before nodding, "I guess….text me when you're done." And then he's gone, running little less wobbly now.

Damnit. They were off to a good clip previously.. even buzzed it was still enjoyable. But then this.. why? WHY!? Just when Callisto is about to get close.. something happens. Are they cursed? Is she fated to have Something Happen when she is even a hairsbreadth close to enjoying Daxton!? The speedster clobbers the thief and departs, leaving the mentalist to capably deal with the authorities and supply the details. Turns out the house hasn't been damaged; the dude was spooked before he could take much. As the cops take the information, supplied capably by Callisto with nary a break in her expression to be found, she agrees to be available for further correspondence (if needed) and is eventually set free. It takes twenty minutes.

She's speedwalking away from the scene and the phone is produced. "All clear." Texted hastily, her brow furrowed.

Immediately she gets a text back, "Where are you?" He's trying to give some space incase the cops see he and want to talk. Dax is a few blocks away, silently cursing his own luck at the same time calli is cursing hers.

Mutual cursing! There's a span of a few minutes before Callisto responds, which in itself is peculiar.. but her response comes through eventually. "Closer to Main street. All clear. I handled the rest." Comes her text, and she won't be hard to spot.. standing there as she is, so willowy and fair. She pockets her phone, looking a touch shaken, as she awaits the speedster's re-emergence.

Is he alright? That was the fastest recovering from a booze buzz that even Callisto could've hoped to see. She looks worried, hands thrust into her coat pockets.

The buzz is gone, although he's still got it in his system. Just not the nice fuzzy feeling. He appears, as speedsters do, next to her. "Hey…you okay?" He's going to need food…and water soon. He reaches for a hand, tugging on her sleeve to get it in needed. "Sorry….I shouldn't have had to leave you to do that…" Looks like he should ahem just went and murdered his father instead.

"I care naught. You will have fetched more trouble for yourself had you remained." Callisto says softly, leaving out the notion that she was || this close to 'pushing' some minds to ensure her own hasty getaway. That is neither here not there. The garden variety thug is being cuffed and the two teen are apart and unsuspected of anything. She collects his hand much as she had done upon first encountering him, her heart felt pounding but not in a hectic sense. "I am perfectly fine… though I feel that we may be cursed, yes?" Asked in a somewhat incredulous way as she presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Calm, now.. t'is alright." She insists, and hooks the boy's arm into her own, encouraging him to walk with her.

"Let us pick up where we left off, though you need to eat… " Callisto trails off, studies his profile. People mill pass them, lured by the commotion at the end of sleepy, boring South Street. "Tell me what I can do to help. I suspect that today hasn't been easy for you."

Daxton's nose wrinkles as he sniffs, glancing around, "I would have been okay…" Maybe. He sighs, not wanting to answer her, so instead, "I don't believe in curses (his alt dies….again). The starts walking and he's already scanning the area, maybe for food, maybe for more trouble. His jaw is going to have a bit of a bruise from the punch he took. "Lets….get some food…If that's cool?"

THe graceful girl cannot quite take her eyes off of him. She does not supply her own tendency to believe not necessarily in 'curses' but rather, dumb luck. She watches him scanning the area and for once Callisto does not stop him, worrying that the foolish crook could have had an accomplice lurking in the shadows. All seems quiet however; nobody in their right mind will cause trouble here. She collects the boy's arm even as he peers around, hugging it close to her side. "He hit you rather hard. Do you need some ice?" Asked gently, before nodding once. "Tiki Taco? We should get away from here for now." Suggested as she leads them out onto the main drag. "T'is completely 'cool'."

She looks like she has questions but knows that they need to settle, first. She is protective of Dax.

Daxton's feeling grumpy now, so he scoffs at the notion of ice, "I've been hit way harder." He must be coming down, he doesn't pick her up and run her to the food, instead he walks with her on his arm. He starts quiet and watchful until the get to the Tiki Taco, where he orders a lot of tacos and a large coke.

Being close to the shore, too, keeps Callisto close to the ferries. That way there's no need to run there, should the two cut her curfew close. She is not hungry so Callisto hasn't much sway in the order, allowing Daxton to order and consume his fill. "Take it to go," She bids, after payment is processed. "Let us walk somewhere peaceful." Said afterwards, and in the time it takes for a speedster-sized bounty of tacos to be served up with a canister of Coke, Callisto hopes that Daxton takes her upon on her suggestion. It may be chilly by the seaside this time of night but it's crisp, and smells briney, and the sighing water just sounds calming. Perpetual. The waves moving in and out do so almost with the regularity of a ticking clock.

"Have you been in touch with your father lately? Whyfor do you partake in such a way, on his birthday?" Asked softly, assuming they're back outdoors. Callisto watches him. "I bid you to contact me on days thta are problematic, so that I might be with you. It shall be easier for me to do so… sooner than later."

Daxton's confused as to where they're going, but he'll nods, getting the food to go and following Calli with his sack of tacos. As soon as she asks, his eyes dark away, "I…no, I' haven't seen him since ROTC…" He actually shivers, "I don't know. It just upsets me…" The food is shifted in his arms and he looks down, there's definitely no eye contact happening now. "You don't have to baby sit me."

Her brow quirks, follows by the other.. and she gives Dax an incredulous look. "Babysit…? No! T'is not… no.." She shakes her head, moonpale hair whispering over her shoulders. "I say this not out of an intent to be your keeper, Daxton.. it is because I wish to be there. I merely bring forth another option to.. deal with things." She punctuates this notion with the folding of one long, long leg over the other as she seats herself upon a large chunk of driftwood.

"But that is.. I pray you do not continue to think my wishing to be here is out of a need to watch you." Callisto watches him, even if he wishes to look away. "That is not it."

Daxton sits down, more slumps down next to her. The bag is opened and he almost angrily takes out the first taco. "I don't need help. I'm not in trouble. He….he doesn't have any power over me." Could have fooled everyone there, Daxton. The taco is inhaled and he reaches for a second one. Is there anything better than tacos when you're coming down from being buzzed?

Oh, but he has power still. Callisto doesn't even have to say it and she will not, let it truly ruin their night. But she is SEEING it, right here beside her.. his rollercoaster of emotions. Buoyed first-off by booze; crumbled by the altercation; now left to simmer and brood here. Eating it all away and dodging. He's just grabbing up the second taco when Callisto plucks the bag from his hold, sets it alongside herself and reaches out to hold each of his shoulders in her palms. "He does not; not here. No, you are not in trouble.. but if you do not" Ugh, too many words. She needs to get him back into the here-and-now and if Dax so much as looks at the taco bag or tries to get past her to grab at it — hey, he's had a couple so far .. Callisto hill hold him tighter.

"I do so desire to be there with you. Accept it." She insists, and arcing her body forth she will wrap her arms around his neck and seek to press her lips to his. There is almost a pleading air to her movements. "Open up to me, yes? Even just a little.. only that what you wish but pray, at least give me that. For you put up with so much from my.. my plight… I want.." She trails off.

His food! Immediately a frown forms. Dax doesn't reach for the bag, but he definitely is looking at it and not her. And the ground, and anything he can but making eye contact. "…okay." What else can he say, she's holding his food hostage. But then she's kissing him, and that's not as terrible a demand as keep his food from him. Blue eyes close and he'll kiss her back, the taste of tacos mostly overpowering the taste of booze. He doesn't know what she means by open up, so he just delves back into kissing her.

The fey girl knows that he's not going to say much more on the circumstances, not here; not now. She can't even judge him on wanting to (jokingly?) murder his father because there she is, plotting how to do away with her bitch matriarch. But that's neither here nor there. Callisto does not want him to go away from her in this instance, to retreat into unhappiness and broodiness. Though she just might clout him over the head with the fucking bag of tacos if he balks at her advances and instead wants the food. Luckily, Daxton seems to ease into the contact — for he seems to enjoy contact — and Callisto will ease that taste of tacos and booze. Yummy. c__c

He'll understand what she means by 'open up', eventually.. or so she hopes. Funny hopefulness on Callisto's part when, not too long ago she cared one whit about what people wanted to say or keep to themselves.

One fine hand lifts to stroke his hair, just over the ridge of an ear. "I graduate in 6 months." Said against his lips. "You shall not be so easily rid of me by then. So get used to it." A nuzzle to his cheek, hair soft against his face.

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