Cause We Are Living In a Material World

[beatdiva_starr]

Characters: Starr & J
Time: afternoon
Location: on the way back to the Blackstone from party supply shopping
Content: Starr's dragged J off to buy supplies for the upcoming Halloween party.  Will things go as planned?
Format: Prose
Warnings:None.

Comments

[agentpompadour]

Somehow, J had known this was coming. Though he'd loved the idea of a Halloween party, he'd been quite a bit less enthused when Starr had mentioned the shopping that had to go with it, coupled with the insistence that he come along. That explained why he was here now, carrying three bags to her every one with the prospect of a long walk back to the Blackstone ahead of them. Girls and shopping. Why did it have to be girls and shopping?

Because the alternative had been to let her come out here alone. Between faeries and wolf belts and vampires and whatever else this city had in the wings, J was still on edge, especially when it concerned his fellow Agents. He would much rather have been out here being Starr's pack mule than not be there to help if she got hurt.

That, of course, was not going to stop him poking fun at her. "Can you pick me up a chiropractor while you're at it?"

[secondcity_npc]

The woman walking down the street towards the two agents seemed altogether human, even if she did possess some indescribable quality that drew the eye to her. She walked with a serpentine grace and was about to pass the shopping couple when their words caught her interest and she paused. "There's an excellent massage parlor down about two blocks," she suggested, a hint of wicked sensuality on her lips. "If you're actually in need, that is."

[beatdiva_starr]

Starr huffed, honestly J could be such a whiner sometimes. She rolled her eyes, "Oh please, one of those bags only has streamers in it. That's paper streamers it can't be THAT heavy."

She turned around again only to catch the sounds of an approaching tune. She looked down the street to see a fabulously dressed woman walking with all the confidence of a model...no probably even more than that. There was something...undeniably beautiful and graceful about her. Starr couldn't help but stare as she came closer but quickly shook her head and smiled in a friendly manner even if something was nagging at the back of her brain.

"He's fine. He just likes to complain," Starr replied.

[agentpompadour]

"Yeah, an' you know what paper is?" he shot back with a grin. "Tree parts."

That was all the further he got before he heard the beginnings of an approaching tune and caught sight of an undeniable bombshell. God damn that was one good-looking woman-

He cut himself off in a hurry. Starr couldn't hear what he was thinking, but she could definitely pick up on what he was feeling, and following that particular line of desire right in front of her was likely a really good way to get killed. Plus, now that he'd taken a few steps back, he could pick up bits of the tune that worried him, notes that were possessive and predatory and not quite human.

If that didn't dump the metaphorical bucket of cold water over his head, nothing would have. Not human meant he was immediately back on edge.

"Nah, just givin' her a hard time," he managed to grin. "Y'know."

One Hour and a Cold Shower Later

[beatdiva_starr]

Starr knew J was embarrassed and so didn't say anything until they'd gotten back to the Blackstone. She couldn't shake that woman from her head for multiple reasons. As she sat and waited for J to get done "cooling down" she thought about the things she'd said, the way her Music had sounded, and even more so that laugh. It was still ringing in her ears but at least the woman hadn't pursued them or anything.

That woman had never really answered any of their questions, dancing around them as expertly as Starr danced in the literal sense. She wondered what sort of exchange she had meant and more importantly what sort of non-human she was. It was a lot to think about but first she had to make sure J wasn't drowning himself in the shower out of embarrassment. "You're not trying to drown yourself are you," she called out, trying to lighten the mood if only a little. She was still a little miffed at him for acting the way he did, but she also knew that it was a little out of his control.

[agentpompadour]

Embarrassed didn't even begin to cover what J was feeling right then. Frustrated by his complete lack of control, completely mortified, and abjectly humiliated were all much closer to what he was going through than simple embarrassment. He couldn't tell which part he hated more; that he'd been on the verge of losing control at all, or that he'd nearly lost it in front of Starr of all people, though some part of him vaguely recognized that things would have likely gone much worse for him had Starr not been there to snap him out of it. That woman had been one hell of a siren, and given the other creatures that had been showing up in the city, J couldn't rule out the possibility that she had actually been one.

What was it about this city that just kept throwing him curves

[beatdiva_starr]

She smirked slightly at his throw-back retort. Well, at least he was probably feeling a tad better if he could remark sarcastically like that. The initial frustration and anger with J had passed and been replaced by a worry. What had that woman done? Her music had sounded a little human at first but as the conversation had continued she had picked up on the parts that distinctly weren't. More to the point, she seemed to be able to manipulate feelings of lust and desire. J hadn't been able to help himself and it had probably only been heightened by the fact that he could hear that seductive Music as well. Sometimes it was hard being an agent when you had the Music to affect you like that

[agentpompadour]

Well, at least Starr didn't sound like she wanted to kill him. That was a start, and a better one than he thought he'd have at this point. Looked like he wasn't the only one who had needed the time to cool down.

He snorted at her observation. "Yeah, just a little." More than enough to knock him sideways, at least. He perched on the end of the bed, considering the last bits of their conversation, if he could even call it that, with the woman. "No kidding it wasn't. I dunno if you noticed, but she never answered my question - I asked her what kind of not-human she was, an' she flipped things into overdrive." He had to admit it had been a highly effective distraction. "Don't think she wants anyone to know, which has me thinkin' we should tell people." Out of concern for their safety and a desire for answers, yes, but also a bit of spite. J was anything but happy with this afternoon's events.