This house is haunted by the living

[t_coleburn]

If there's any holiday T.C. pays attention to, it's Halloween, but he still doesn't pay much attention to it. His main preparation involves making sure his front gate is secure. Kids might throw eggs through it or something, but he'll be damned if he's going to have anyone knocking on his front door

Comments

[not_seacrest]

Yay, Ryan's favorite time of year. Not. He was tempted to cancel his appointment with Coleburn, but Jack insisted, as much to get Ryan to stop moping around the store than anything.

As usual, he PINpoints into the empty room in Coleburn's home, still wearing his bandages and scarf.

[t_coleburn]

They'll make a good pair today. Moping is T.C.'s default state.
When he senses the teleport into his wards he jumps up from the computer, which is rigged into the couple of cameras outside the house. He lunges up the hall with a scowl, eyes glowing faintly blue, and skids into the doorway of the room because he's only wearing socks on his feet. For a minute he stands poised, one hand raised and ready to attack, then he composes himself with a slightly sheepish expression. "Oh. It's you. Did we have an appointment? I got distracted..."

[not_seacrest]

Ryan stares back at T.C., one hand protectively at his neck. The last time he was startled, he could feel his head wobbling, and he did not want that to happen again.

"Yes, it's me," he replies, looking a little annoyed. "Did you-- never mind..." Of course Coleburn forgot. It's what he does. "If this is a bad time, I can come back later."

[t_coleburn]

"No, no, it's fine. My fault for forgetting. I should have written myself a note." He's looking uncharacteristically embarrassed now, because it's got to be the ultimate in bad manners to almost attack somebody when they show up on appointment. "Do you want coffee, or were we going to the shop?" He runs a hand through the copper curls, annoyed at himself.

Starts new thread for coffee times.

[not_seacrest]

"Great. There's a place around the corner." He exits the store through its front entrance, giving his scarf a quick adjustment. Having his head fall off out on the street would be a major faux pas. "You look like you could use it. How much energy does something like that take?"

Re: coffee times.

[t_coleburn]

Coleburn leaves his bag tucked around the corner of the doorway, intending to retrieve it later. He's not going out for coffee with a box of salt and markers. He shivers a little outside, but makes no complaint. "As much or as little as I decide, really. But it's safe to dump a lot of power into a shield, and under the circumstances I assumed it's better safe than sorry. Maintaining it just means feeding more power in, and that's easier than rebuilding it if it collapses completely. I still think you'd do well to have a metal grounding line and another layer, kind of a failsafe." He definitely looks tired, but it's nothing some coffee and maybe a nap won't cure.

Re: coffee times.

[not_seacrest]

Fortunately, it's a short walk. Ryan doesn't mind the distinctive chill in the air, especially with that scarf around his neck. "I can look into some wiring soon. Jack's wards are a bit more esoteric. He's more into stage magic, anyway. We all needed a crash course on the real stuff when we started hunting down antiques."

The place around the corner is actually a sub shop, but they sell coffee. "Their pizza is really good," he tells Coleburn. "I think I'm gonna get a slice."

Re: coffee times.

[t_coleburn]

T.C. is scrawny and has only a sweater over a t-shirt. This is the first time he's been outside in days. "Stage magic is pure deception, but if you're talking about amulets and things, some of those have their worth." He'll let Ryan get the door, since his own hands are shoved in his pockets for warmth. Late October's cold. Who knew? He frowns to himself, trying to remember if he's eaten yet today, but those ramen meals kind of run into each other. His stomach says no. "...Isn't Chicago famous for that or something?"