Clara Gable

I'm brilliant, aren't I?

[the-tessacampbell]

"Okay, well, call me when you find out? …Alright I love-" Ava cuts off when she hears the lick of her daughter hanging up on her. She sighs and drops the cellphone down beside her on the couch. "You." she finishes, shaking her head and crossing her arms. An annoyed expression sits on her face and she wonders if her ex-husband gets as much of the teenage attitude as she does. Probably not, and that’s only more annoying to her. With a sigh, she gets up off the couch to go and find something to calm her down. Maybe a little pot, maybe some valerian root, or a beer. Hell, maybe just some fresh air. All she knows is that she doesn’t want to sit and sulk.

[clara-gable]

After a long, tedious battle with the front door, her keys, and the large box of knick-knacks in her grasp, Clara forced the front door open, wedging her body between the door and the frame to keep it from shutting on her again. It had been her last day as a dispatcher, now that Mitchell had requested she work for him, instead of for a county radio. After a bit of consideration, she had decided to take his offer. She's much more valuable to them in front of a computer screen than on the field.

Clara stops in the hall when a woman approaches. Ava. She hadn't really spoken to her yet, but she's read her file. She reads everyone's file. A bright, cheery grin turns up her lips despite the sour expression on the other's face. "Hello," she greets in her sing-song voice.

[niko-kostas]

There’s a dirty comment on the tip of Niko’s tongue, but it gets bitten off before he has time to say it, already anticipated by Clara. He gives a small pout but behind him he can feel her climbing off. He tilts his head, rolling his shoulders out as though she were a heavier weight then the five pounds she probably weighs. But she answers him and it has him nodding his head firmly. “Great,” he says, a little more cheerfully than maybe he feels. The guy offer his hand and he doesn’t hesitate to take it, though he’s not sure how hard he’s supposed to grip. And the shake is an over exaggerated thing, a jerking of his arm before he’s pulling his hand back.

He frowns when the guy calls her pretty, because she is pretty, but who the hell is he to say so? He purses his lips, watching the brief exchange from next to her, fingers tapping against the door because he can’t help his idle tics from making themselves known. Mostly he thinks the reaction’s a little boring, and it leaves him a little bored before Clara turns to walk away.

'Absolutely' he mouths after her, watching her disappear down the hallway for a moment. But as soon as she's out of sight he's turning back to the guy, eyes narrowing as he gives him another once over. Just a guy, nothing special, except his heart was beating a little quickly and he found that more distracting than he should. He wondered briefly if Clara would be mad at him if she came back to find her date 'missing' and he thought the answer was probably yes.

"So listen, Clara’s really special to me. She’s my little cupcake, you know?" He offers him a smile and a shrug of his shoulders because he doesn’t care how he takes it. "So if you’re gonna eat my cupcake, you better be nice about it and you better fucking enjoy that thing because otherwise you don’t deserve to even taste it. And if you just drop it on the ground and step on it or something then I’m gonna find you and rip your beating heart out of your chest before I make you eat it."

The lazy grin stays on his lips as he speaks, but he stops the rest of what he says when he hears Clara coming back. “So like I was saying, have a great time on your date.”

[clara-gable]

Cellphone in the small black clutch and a quick once over in the mirror that leaves her satisfied by her own reflection, Clara rushes out of her room and down the hall. Leaving Brian with Niko too long might end up with him speeding off without her and unwilling to come back. Lord knows what Niko is saying to him now. It's probably dirty in some way. But if it's any kind of threat, a part of her appreciates that. Her dad, her brothers, they'd been the men in her life to look out for her, which they hadn't really been able to do once they went off to college. Max would've, if he hadn't of dropped out and gone missing for a few months at a time.

So if Niko is doing that, he might be the first friend to ever threaten a date, and a part of her is warmed by that, touched that he might care just enough about Clara that he's willing to tell Brian he'll do something drastic if he makes her cry. And while she doesn't expect him to follow through, and hopes he doesn't, she can still appreciate the friendship there.

She swings back into the foyer with a wide grin and her voice returning to that song-like quality it has. "Sorry, hi," she apologizes, gaze darting between the ever-smiling Niko and the slightly pail complexion of Brian. He looks a bit frightened and she thinks now is probably the best time to go. "Uh, shall we?" she offers kindly.

"Y-yes," Brian stutters, "Yes, good." Clara doesn't question if he's okay. It's probably whatever Niko has done. Or maybe another member of the manor came swooping in and scared him. She indicates towards the front door, a gentle motion that suggests he go first before she's turning on Niko.

If he's in any sort of trouble, it doesn't show on her face. Clara takes a step forward, hand coming up to rest gently upon his jaw to hold him in place as she rolls onto the balls of her feet, because he's still taller than her even when she's in heels. She kisses him chastely on his cheek. "Thank you," she tells him honestly, mostly for helping her get ready, though all he really did was pull at her curls and tell her she looks nice, but he's still a good friend. Her best friend. A grin pulls her lips into a wide smile as her expression bunches apologetically at the red mark now on his cheek. "Sorry. Ya got red on you now."

[niko-kostas]

The guy looks normal, despite the look on his face, and it’s hard for him not to start laughing. He almost tells him its exactly what it looks like. Though he’s not sure what it looks like except maybe her trying to kill him. Which he’s not sure is so far off the mark.

"Hey Brian." His lips press together and he gives a small wave, aware that Clara’s still clinging to his back. He opens his mouth but she’s managing an excuse before he says anything, her arm tightening around his neck. It has him making a face, the words on the tip of his tongue that there was no spider, and even if there was, he’s got that shit on lock down. But he stops himself before he does because that might really embarrass her, so instead he just nods, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at her. "Yeah… she’s really scared of spiders."

His hand comes up to try and tug her arm away from his neck a little, mostly because there’s an uncomfortable memory in there of being hung from a staircase, but beyond that it doesn’t bother him much. “I’m Niko. I’m the guy that’s gonna kill you if you step out of line with my friend here. You wanna shake hands?” He tilts his head to look back at Clara before the guy has a chance to answer, because he’s not sure if that’s something he should ask, or just do, or if it’s anything people still do. And while there’s no real guilt for the position the guy found them in because it’s just way too fucking funny, it doesn’t mean he can’t try. “Should we shake hands? You normal people do that shit?”

[clara-gable]

Clara's eyes shut tightly when Niko greets Brian, as if maybe she could disappear with just a blink. They're in trouble now. And while she would want Brian, if they ended up working out, to meet her friends, and that would include Niko, she doesn't think shoving her supernatural roomies into his face on the first date is the best way to go about it. But he's backing up her excuse at least, which has her eyes opening and her head bobbing enthusiastically, "Yep. Scared stiff." But she doesn't miss a beat on that one, turning her head slightly as she point at Niko, "Don't."

It's odd to watch someone receive a death threat from the person you're attached to, but Clara resists the urge to smack her palm against her face when Niko tells him his name, and what will happen if Brian does anything wrong. "Uh, nice to meet you," Brian attempts, the nerves apparent in his voice as his eyes dart from Niko to Clara and back again. He stick his hand out towards her housemate in an attempt to appear friendly and less anxious than he truly is, but it isn't really working out for him.

"Yes, normal people do that," Clara complain as she climbs off of Niko carefully, fixing her dress so it sits right on her frame once more. She sighs, disappointed in the greeting Brian had received only because it's probably left him with a bad impression of her. And she had wanted this date to go well.

But when she steps up next to Niko, Brian gives her a kind grin. "You look beautiful," he tells her, which brings a smile back to her face, sheepish but present and there's a small laugh bubbling from her that borders between flattered and a smug triumph aimed at Niko, because maybe he had wanted to embarrass her, but her date still thinks she's pretty. She'll take that as a win.

"Ready?" Brian asks, seemingly eager to be away from the rather tall, lanky, pale guy his date had been hanging onto.

Clara nods once, "Yep. Just need to grab my bag." With a grin, she turns back towards Niko, keeping her back to Brian while she mouths 'behave' to her friend before trotting off down the hall to collect her clutch and phone.

[niko-kostas]

"Ow, fuck." The motion catches him off guard, the body hitting him in the back. It has him careening forward, head smacking off the door before he stumbles back. It doesn’t really hurt, because he’s already dead and he had a hard head to start with, but the curse escapes him more because he’s startled than anything else. It takes him a minute to brush it off, shaking his head like a dog before he focuses back on the door. The knocking on the other side’s stopped and he can only imagine what it sounds like on this side.

Once the initial surprise is over he just does his best to ignore the girl playing spider monkey on his back, yanking the door open to greet the man standing there. And he does his best to adopt an innocent look as he jerks his head at him, as though this is a completely normal, every day occurrence. Which is almost an understatement but he doesn’t need to say that. “Hey.”

[clara-gable]

Clara clutches onto Niko tightly, mostly to avoid falling to the floor as he jerks his head back from smacking it against the door. And she'd be more concerned about any dents in his face if he hadn't been trying to meet her date. And even though jumping on his back had Niko faltering, it hadn't completely stopped him from yanking the door open. A small part of the brunette wishes she could've nabbed a picture of Brian's face, probably startled by the noises he could hear but maybe more so by his date perched atop a stranger's back.

"Brian! Hi," Clara greets, her face shifting from wide-eyed deer to obscenely large smile in only a few seconds. Her arms tighten around Niko's neck, either for support, because she's still incredibly nervous, probably more so now, or to strangle him. Brian just stares wide-eyed as he nods slowly, hands shoved into the pockets of his slacks and the sleeves of his button down rolled up. She'll appreciate the aesthetic later. When she isn't clinging to Niko.

But she needs an excuse for the situation, especially before Niko makes up his own. "I, uh," Clara stalls, eyes focusing on the ceiling above her with the hopes that an answer will be written there for her, "I just, uhm, though I saw a spider."

Brian continues to nod.

[niko-kostas]

"Why not? I’d invite you to join. Unlike some people I’m not rude." He can’t even pretend offense though, grinning at her before he pokes her in the nose. Though it’s probably true, and maybe that’s why he’s never been on a real date. Because as far as he’s concerned everyone’s invited, at least until they get to the making out part. Then he might draw a few lines, but for the most part he’s been pretty equal opportunity there too.

Either way, the doorbell ringing draws his attention back upright and he smiles widely before he’s stepping around her. He turns to walk backwards down the hallway, pointing at her as he goes, and while the words are teasing he’s also half serious because he’s already forgotten what she called him. “What’s his name again? Brad? Ryan?”

[clara-gable]

Clara's nose wrinkles when Niko pokes her, small, funny expressions appearing on her face as she tries to right the feeling in her nose, making her look more like an aggravated bunny than a human for a moment. And she's never been a very violent person, but she thinks she might slap that grin off his face when he hears the doorbell. She's in trouble, a lot of trouble. And she needs to stop him fast, but her chances are looking slim.

"No, wait!"

So Clara does the first thing she thinks of when Niko heads for the door. She bolts after him, refusing to answer his question because she's not entirely sure if he's just being a jerk or if he really had forgotten. It doesn't matter because her hands grasp at his shoulders and she pulls herself to leap onto his back, wrapping her legs around his torso and she hopes Brian can't hear the chaos from the other side of the door, mixed with cries of "Niko, no!"

[niko-kostas]

Another laugh escapes him at the accusation, but he doesn’t really argue it. Though it’s less about embarrassing her and more about screwing with him, because it seems funny to him. And maybe it’ll make her less nervous, though even he can recognize the idea that he’s doing this for her benefit as bullshit. He still keeps walking, even with her trying to get in his way and slow him down.

"What? It’s not like I can’t just get rid of it if I say something too bad. He won’t even remember meeting me if I tell him not to." He grins when he says it, like that makes it all okay because in his mind it probably does. That and he’s finding all of this funnier than he probably should, because it’s possible that she’s actually worried about this. He can’t tell, but it makes him pause abruptly in the hallway, hands going to her shoulders to still her. 

"I just wanna say hi," he says. He’s not sure it’s true, but if she wants it to be then maybe he’ll try. "It’ll be fine."

[clara-gable]

The swift way Niko stops in the hall almost knocks Clara off balance, not expecting him to stop his march towards the door. But he's also quick to grab her, steadying her in place but most likely attempting to stop her from pushing all her weight against him and it's rather frustrating that he can still continue moving despite the strength she uses. Apparently, she's not very strong at all.

"No you don't," Clara whines, stamping her foot lightly somewhat like a child throwing a tantrum, "You wanna embarrass him and me and that's not nice, Niko. I wouldn't barge into your date and interrupt whatever it is that you like to do with girls. I don't know." She shrugs lightly, refusing to allow her mind to wander down that path and she's slightly terrified of the things she could come up with that Niko does on his dates, if he ever actually goes on any.

The doorbell rings then, making Clara jump lightly before a look of pure dread crosses her features. "Oh no."

[niko-kostas]

He doesn’t get past the door before she’s scrambling after him, pulling at him and trying to get him back in the room. There’s a comment on his tongue about how desperate she is to get him in her bedroom, but he bites his tongue on it because all that’s escaping him right now is laughter. He pulls his arm out of her grasp before he turns to her and lets his hand settle on her waist. Because it doesn’t take much strength at all to just pick her up and move her, and even if it did, he’s an undead freak of nature with plenty of strength to go around. If she were the size of a car he could still move her, though that just puts an odd mental image in his head of giant Clara.

"I will not. I just wanna make friends." The grin that follows probably isn’t all that reassuring, especially when she’s probably right about all of the above. Except the vampire thing. He wouldn’t tell anyone outside the Tenebrae that he’s dead, and it’s not just because he’s pretty sure it’s against their rules. But he thinks it would make Mitchell mad at him, even if he could wipe the guys mind afterwards. Only once that thought occurs to him it has his eyes lighting up because he really could fuck with him. "And make sure he’s gonna treat my cupcake right."

[clara-gable]

"No, you don't," Clara complains before she's easily lifted into the air and set off to the side, and something about the movement is rather graceful considering it comes from Niko. Who had never shown to be a clumsy individual, but his image is a bit rough for the delicate movement. And it doesn't stop her. If anything she's only hindered for a moment before she's rushing to step in front of him, palms on his chest as she attempts to push him back towards her room, down the hall, wherever she can get him that's away from Brian. Far away from Brian. "You just wanna embarrass me."

But Niko's grin gives him away, a sly tip of his lips that is all the evidence Clara needs that he's up to no good. And while she pauses to watch the expression for a moment, it only increases her determination to put him somewhere so she can grab her bag and her phone and race him to the car, hopefully beat him unless he cheats with vampire skills. Which would be unfair of him. She pushes against him once more. "No, no, no. He's nice, I promise," she tells him, and it's almost comical as it doesn't sound all that convincing when she's tripping over her words and panicking over all the terrible things flying through her head that Niko could say. And she knows whatever leaves his lips would only be worse.

"Please, please, please, don't scare him off. Please," Clara begs, and maybe it sounds slightly desperate. And perhaps she is. She hadn't been on a date in a long time and she won't admit to the fact it's because no guy has asked her out in a long time. To have someone seem interested in her, it's somehow new and exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time. And if Niko screws it up, there'll be no free slices of cake for him next birthday party.

[niko-kostas]

The comment goes unmarked, which only draws a small sigh of disappointment from his lips. It doesn’t last long, because he didn’t really except her to understand it anyway. She picks a different one and he just watches for a moment before he starts playing with the other options. One’s got a pendant on the end of it and he holds it up to let it spin in the light as he pokes at it. He wonders sometimes if that need to fidget isn’t just a byproduct of all the cocaine he used to do, and that just makes him wonder how bad he’d be if he were still on it.

There’s a buzz that has him glancing back at her, and the words just make a wide smile split his lips. He puts a hand on her shoulder before he’s moving past her towards the door, a wave of his hand that it doesn’t occur to him she won’t see. There’s no shortage of curiosity about what kind of guy she’s going on a date with, but he can’t help but jump at the chance to give some kind of ‘hurt her and you’re dead’ speech. Though to be fair it’s the kind of thing that should be directed at him. “It’s cool. Take your time. I’ll go get him.”

[clara-gable]

There's a quick sigh of relief when the clasp closes around the small metal pieces, hooking the necklace around her neck, and resting upon her collarbone. And the triumph would last longer if Niko hadn't been going for the door. "Niko, no," Clara calls out in slight horror, rushing after Niko, and it's almost surprising she can see him when his frame had never reached the mirror to bounce back at her. Her heels click against the floor as she reaches for him, fingers closing around his wrist as she swings out of her bedroom door, hands gripping onto the door frame to keep her steady. "Don't," she instructs with a bit more force than necessary and the nervous energy in her throat might've just jumped into her throat. Or maybe that's her heart beating so fast it's traveled north.

"You'll say something bad, I know you will," she admits quickly, still grasping at the door frame and his wrist, ignoring the fact that he's much stronger than she is, and quicker. Niko could get away as easily as he likes. "You'll tell him something dirty and then tell him why you have some pearl necklace, and I don't want to know what that means because it's probably bad. 'Cause everything you say is bad. And please don't scare him and tell him you're a vampire. Or that you've asked me for lap dances or call me cupcake or anything like that cause he'll probably think there's something. And there's nothing something. And we should just pretend we don't know each other," Clara pauses to breath momentarily, huffing as she pulls Niko back into her bedroom and if she's actually successful she'll slam the door behind them so he has another barrier standing in his way.

[niko-kostas]

Niko shrugs his shoulders because he doesn’t know either. But then he has a hard time remembering if he’s ever been on a real date, and not some random collection of people, one of which he was hoping to bang, at a shitty diner at three AM. The kind of date she’s getting ready for, with a nice dress and nice jewelery and probably some nice restaurant, is a completely foreign concept to him, and he wonders what people do on that kind of thing. Just talk?

"Performance anxiety?" He shrugs his shoulders, reaching out to toy with her earrings. He doesn’t have a real answer to the next question but it doesn’t occur to him to try and offer one. "Pearl necklace? I could put it on you." It’s an effort not to start laughing at his own joke, but he’s not quite sure she’ll catch it. It’s funny to him anyway, because he’s always been his own best source of entertainment.

[clara-gable]

Clara swats at Niko's hand absentmindedly, an unconscious reaction to his fiddling with her earrings. She's too accustomed to his tugging and prodding to be angry or to even give it much thought. The first Niko-isms soon blend into the overall atmosphere of the conversation whenever they spend any certain amount of time together. She snatches up a small, thin silver chain with a small clear gem set in the middle of it. For what she paid, it probably isn't a real diamond. She holds it in front of her collarbone before deciding it's a good choice.

Her phone buzzes on the table then, a small notification of a text appearing to light up the phone. "Crap," she mutters as she fiddles with the clasp on the necklace, an almost impossible task with curls getting in the way. "That's probably Brian. He's probably here," she sighs, a bit frustrated that she isn't completely finished getting ready and she couldn't tell if he's early or she's late. All she knows is she might throw this necklace across the room in a few seconds if it doesn't snap into place.

[niko-kostas]

He turns his head to follow her as she situates herself in the mirror. And for a moment he can’t resist tugging at her dress because it moves in her reflection but there’s no sign of the source of it. It has him smirking before he lets it go, hooking his thumbs in his back pockets as he rolls back on his heels.

"If he’s not asking for it then he’s a dumbass." It’s a weird sort of compliment, probably backwards and he’s aware that ‘grind up on me’ is probably not something she’ll be asked by anyone but him, but that’s because of how he talks, not because of how she looks. Especially since she just said he probably wouldn’t. There’s the urge to ask if ‘Brian’ is coming by the house, if he gets to meet him, and probably threaten him, though he’d leave that part out.

He answer’s her question first, a grin splitting his lips. “Yes. Way too much. You should take it off.” He smirks before he bumps her under the chin with his knuckles. “You look nice cupcake.”

[clara-gable]

Clara grins at Niko, despite his tugging at her dress and the comment of taking her dress off that she walked straight into with her question. Or maybe it's because of those things, little Niko things. She still steps to the side to fix her hair in the mirror, even though she doesn't need to. But it's odd to have Niko in front of her, but not in front of her at the same time. With curls set and her bangs sprayed in place, she motions to her closet to grab her black heels, bringing them over to the chair that she sits back on. Crossing her legs, Clara pulls a heel on and straps the buckle around her ankle.

"Oh, I'm nervous," she admits suddenly, an embarrassed tint to her cheeks then, because she hadn't been on a proper date in what feels like ages. And there's the urge to make a good impression as well as to have a good time. Dates always feel like job interviews to her. She straps the other heel on, pushing herself off the chair and nudging Niko the side as she grabs earrings from off the table and leans closer to the mirror to place them in her ears. "Why am I nervous? I shouldn't be nervous," she begins to rattle, shaking her hands to rid herself of the anxiety as her eyes scanning over the few necklaces she has at her disposal, "What necklace should I wear?"

[niko-kostas]

He can’t help but make a face at that, but he pulls his head and his hands back for a moment when she starts spraying herself down with hairspray. He doesn’t really want it on his skin, or in his eyes, but inevitably it ends up feeling like he’s got it on his tongue and it has him grimacing against the taste. He thinks gel’s easier, and he almost tells her she should go for liberty spikes or something instead, but the words draw his focus more than idle thoughts about her hair.

"What? Says who?" There’s a loud scoff at that, and it never occurs to him that she’s just teasing him on this one. He probably was just joking, but is it really fair to call it a joke when he didn’t know there could be actual followthrough on it? "In what world would I ever say ‘no, I’m just kidding, don’t take your clothes off or grind up on me?’ No world. Not any one of them. So I still call it first."

[clara-gable]

Clara smiles down at the can of hairspray in her hand, something a bit sad in the expression for a moment. Niko's just joking around with her, and there isn't any disappointment in that realization. And she almost tells him that if he did want someone to rip their clothes off and 'grind up on him' than there's much better candidates in the house than her. She's clumsy even on her best days, and she doesn't have the curves some of the girls are blessed with. But the thoughts seem self-defeating and Clara doesn't suffer from any poor body images issues. Sure, she sometimes wished her ears went back a little more, but it isn't something she dwells on. Most people, she believes, aren't happy every time they look in the mirror. But she'll settle with being happy most of the time. That works for her. She'll just avoid her nagging reflection on days she doesn't.

Carefully, Clara slips past Niko, who had decided that standing in front of her had been the best place for him to be, and there's a conscious effort to wriggle away from her seat without standing right on top of him. Once she's free, she flattens the creases in the dress with her fingers, palms trailing delicately down the scarlet satin of the hanging fabric. "Well, I don't think Brian will ask for that anyway," she admits, fairly certain the words are true because her coworker is quite shy, and perhaps he only asked her out because she had handed in her two weeks notice.

"Is this dress too much?" Clara questions honestly, still trying to navigate between Niko and the mirror.

[niko-kostas]

He tips his head back and laughs at her reaction, because half the time that’s the only reason he says those kinds of things. Just to see how she responds, or how anyone responds really. And because he thinks they’re funny, though no real part of him thought she did. Then again, it was always the quiet ones, and that kept the lazy grin on his face as he tried to resist the urge to completely mess her hair up.

His mouth opens at the next comment though, battling between trying to feign some kind of offense and just finding it funny. There’s also a distant curiosity whether it’s the truth or not, but he doesn’t ask.

"Hey, I’ve asked for things. Mostly sexual things, but that’s besides the point." He straightens his back before he gestures at her and then lets his hands settle on his hips. "Where’s my lap dance? Where’s my strip tease? I asked for those things first, I think it’s only fair that if he asks for those things you gotta shell out in my direction first."

[clara-gable]

Clara used to have a hard time telling the difference between sex and love. And perhaps she still does. But it had usually only been a few weeks after she'd first met a guy in school that he'd make it very clear they weren't in a relationship, they were just screwing around, and she needed to stop text him because he really didn't care. But sex had been the only way most guys would stick around for longer than a date or two. And while she likes to think age brought upon wisdom, she's not so sure she wouldn't fall back into bad habits. But those are thoughts for another day.

Her spine straightens as the thoughtful expression on her face is replaced with a smile as she pulls the curling iron away from the last curl. Catching it was her hand, she cradles the warm bundle of hair before switching the iron off and placing it gingerly upon the table. "You jerk, you weren't serious," she reminds him with a laugh, reaching for the hairspray to set the arrangement of curls once more.

[niko-kostas]

He grinned at the order to stop, but he did try. Even if it only lasted about forty-five seconds before he started reaching for her curls again, though he thought he should get some credit for not pulling on her dress. And maybe if it wasn’t for some other guy’s benefit then he would be. At least if it was for a girl. He didn’t mind that thought and it had him making a face when she told him it was for someone she worked with.

"Yeah, okay. So is this some kind of daddy kink thing?" He sticks his tongue out between his teeth, more amused by that then he should be. "You know I work with you. And I’m older than you. Probably older than him too, if that’s what you’re into." Probably old enough at this point to be her father, but even with that many years behind him it was still strange for him to think in those terms. In vampire years he was still a child, something most of them loved reminding him of.

[clara-gable]

Niko doesn't stop the assault on her curls, which only prompts a roll of her eyes and a silly smile on her lips. She's not easily annoyed, and especially not be Niko. He's only teasing her, pulling on her hair, on her shirt. Messing with her things, poking fun at her. They're all just his mannerism, silly Niko things. And she wouldn't change a thing about him.

Except maybe the daddy kink comment. Her nose wrinkles in distaste. "Oh, gross. That's just- that's disgusting," Clara whines, shaking her head as if to shake the thought away from her mind. She wouldn't even entertain the notion, and considering Brian is only two years older than her, she's fairly certain that isn't anyone's motives in this date.

"I wouldn't date you because of some weird kink," she informs him, spraying the curls that are cooling before picking up the iron once more and taking on the last few strands of hair. "Also, he asked first, so that's your fault," she jokes, quickly glancing up at Niko with a smirk upon her lips and her shoulders raising in some mock form of innocent that keeps a laugh down before she's attempting to see her reflection once more.

[niko-kostas]

His face falls into something like a pout at the thought that he’s not invited. And if that would be strange to go tagging along on her date, it doesn’t really bother him all that much. Though it would probably bother her. “And here I thought we had something special.” He shakes his head at her, but she’s not looking at him anymore. And there’s nothing but glass in front of him, an absence of his presence that might be poetic if he were smart enough for it.

But he’s not, so he just shifts in the next moment, so that he’s in front of her, watching her continue curling her hair. He can’t resist playing with each one after she’s done, as much because he finds it entertaining as it is because he can’t keep his hands to himself. Because then he won’t focus so long or so hard on the veins in her throat. “Boy or girl?” he asks, cheerful grin back in place. “Please say girl. Please say I can come.”

[clara-gable]

"Stop it," Clara scolds with a small chuckle, slapping at his arm playfully in response to his joke. And if she hadn't thought he was kidding, she'd inform him that he's her friend and still likes him no matter what guy she's dating. Friends are always there for you when the relationship falls apart anyway. She releases the curl in the hot iron's grasp, catching the curl gingerly and putting the curling iron on the table, all while trying to swat Niko's fidgety fingers away and see herself in the mirror he's blocking her view from. But she doesn't tell him to move or leave, because most of the friends she's had wouldn't even bother to come into her room and talk with her. Most of them weren't ever truly friends.

She takes another strand of hair, curling her hair into it and holding it closely to her head before looking up back up at Niko. "He's a boy," she tells him, before squeezing her eyes shut in quick frustration, "No, he's not a boy. That sounds like I'm a pedophile or something. I'm not. He's a guy. He's older than me. Not that much older! Just a bit. I work with him."

[niko-kostas]

It’s funnier than it should be, just how long Niko can stand in the doorway and not be noticed. Anything else and there’d be a reflection there looking back at her but there’s nothing where his face is supposed to be and sometimes that’s still endlessly funny to him. He doesn’t know why, who made the rules of being dead, and if it’s true that it’s because he doesn’t have a soul anymore. But soul talk isn’t interesting to him, because there’s too much screaming about it in his memory.

There’s only so long he can stand in place and not do anything though, and it finally has him nudging the door with his foot to see if that gets her attention. He grins back when she turns around, and he doesn’t make a secret of eyeing her up. “Do we have a date? No one told me we had a date.” The greeting is enough of an invitation for him, and trots over towards where she sits in front of the mirror. He gives the curl a tug, grinning at it as it bounces back into place. “Cute.”

[clara-gable]

Niko's always a welcome visitor, and that's mostly because he isn't moody or outwardly annoyed by her presence like others in the manor are. He laughs and is happy, or at least portrays himself to be, and it's why she considers him to be her best friend in the house, even if she tosses that term around too freely. She giggles at his joke, attempting her best frustrated glare when he tugs at her curl, but it's only a momentary expression that shatters with smiles and laughter.

"No," she scolds lightly, voice hanging onto the vowel a bit longer than necessary before she turns back towards her own reflection, a girl with half-curled hair staring back at her. Picking up the curling iron, she wraps a straight strand of hair around it, eyebrows shooting up as she attempts to look at Niko from the sitting position and the curling iron making her stiff. And it's a pity she couldn't just look at him in the mirror, an image, or rather, lack of an image, that makes her jump slightly each time she forgets he won't be there. "I have a date," she clarifies for him.

[clara-gable]

Clara hums quietly along with the songs softly play from her iPod, a playlist consisting mostly of dance tunes that she always feels makes her excited to go out. She sits in front of her mirror, curling a strand of brown hair as she examines her makeup in the mirror. She'd left the door to her room open, as she always does when she isn't sleeping, because her room is always welcome to guests and friends. Her hand fusses with the hemline of the red dress she's in, eyes scanning the selection of jewelery before her, proving to be a difficult decision for her to make. The off the shoulder straps, she thinks, deserve to have some sort of necklace to go with them, but she's been accused of over-accessorizing before.

The curl falls from the iron when she pulls it away, carefully cradling the lock in her palm to keep the curl in place while it cools, burning the skin of her hand. She wrinkles her nose in discomfort, watching her reflection make the same expression before she slowly releases it, spraying it with some hairspray and it's only then that she hears the creak of her door, like someone had pushed their weight upon it. "Oh," she states once in slight alarm before grinning widely, turning in her seat to face the individual, "Hello."

[ben-holt]

Ben gives a small laugh at that, leaning back in his chair and putting his arms behind his head. It doesn’t bother him that she’s not scared, but he thinks she should be. He thinks she should be terrified because one day one of the monsters she calls her friends is going to turn on her and rip into that slender neck of hers. There’s a small twinge of curiosity when he has the thought that he’d fucking annihilate anyone that tried and he thinks his brother would say he was going soft. He doesn’t have the heart to disagree because Alex had been saying the same thing. But look where that fucking got her, too. 

"I’m lazy," he says almost playfully because the fridge isn’t that far from them, but he also has no desire to get up and go over to it. The desire to walk over isn’t higher than the hunger he feels. Eventually it will get there. Eventually even with the blood bags it will get there and then he’s going to have to confront Mitchell about it. He’s going to have to ask the man if he can go out and even just feed while leaving the victims alive. If that means letting the man go with to make sure no one dies, he’s not so sure he wouldn’t get some fucked up enjoyment out of that. "The fuck you working on there?"

[clara-gable]

"It's right there," Clara chuckles through the scolding tone she can't quite seem to hold as she point the tiny screwdriver towards the fridge. But she lets it go as well, shaking her head and returning her gaze back to the task before her. Maybe she'll get him a bag later before she vacates the room, just so we doesn't go hungry. Or maybe she'll offer to make him a more human dinner. Niko seems to enjoy them and maybe Ben would too.

Popping the sim card out, Clara gently places it in a different container before beginning to pop open the shattered screen from the rest of the phone, nimble fingers making quick work of the act as she had been through this process numerous times. "Fixing," she pauses as she grunts before the small device gives and allows her to poke inside, "my phone screen."