-

He's scrubbing at the edges of Frankie's clothes with powdered laundry detergent-mixed water. Squish squish squish squish- and lo and behold, the stains are all out. He blinks, checking the fabric up close one last time before he wrings them out. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

He walks over to the sink, then deposits his pants at the edge. "I got the rest. Thanks." @li 🚭 five (kazik)

He blinks, looking over at Frankie. He releases the shirt into the sink. It's already done, but he doesn't say that. He just steps aside and lets Frankie take care of whatever. He stands next to him, looking down at Frankie's hands. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

He puts the pants into the detergent water, then begins to repeat Cade's scrubbing motion. The hems had gotten dirty. They're close, and Frankie's shoulder is only an inch or so away - but neither one of them had seemed the type to mind physical contact. An MPMAN music player had been placed to the side of the counter, far enough where it wouldn't get splashed. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

Neither does she seem self-conscious or bothered or giddy, even though she did stare at his boxers earlier. What else do you do when you see a dude walking around in his underwear. You stare at the underwear. Now she's staring at various other things in a similarly vacant manner. The suds in the sink, Frankie's hands moving back and forth - the curls in his hair, the shadow-reflection he casts that dances against the kitchen tile, a mole. He doesn't say anything for a good bit. He seems comfortable. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

He looks over once, to knuckle a splashed spot of soap off the edge of the sink. It's very brief, but his eyes make a pit-stop by Cade's collarbone. -# The same place a bullet had been deposited when she was 26. And then return to the sink. After a comfortable silence filled only with scrubbing: "You have anything to wash?" @li 🚭 five (kazik)

There's scars all over her. It's not really attractive. She doesn't seem to care about hiding them, though, from the looks of it. It's just skin. It's just a body. He shows Frankie his teeth. 😬 Ha ha ha ha. A joke. Brushing his teeth. He pads away from Frankie, disappearing into the bathroom hallway. After a moment, he returns with a plastic cup and toothbrush. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

He looks towards Cade's teeth. Blinks as he goes off, then returns with a toothbrush. Technically, Cade doesn't need to brush his teeth here. The bathroom sink is unoccupied, and this one is full of soap suds. That doesn't occur to him, though. Frankie shifts slightly, giving Cade better access to the tap. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

He doesn't. It's just more fun to do things together. Other people are warm. He's not. It's not so much a fantasy, because it feels real for a little while. That there's something. It doesn't have a name. He runs some water into his cup and then squeezes some paste onto his toothbrush. He brushes his teeth inoffensively, leaving some space in the sink still. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

He finishes with the last of the scrubbing as Cade begins to brush, dipping the pants in water one final time before wringing them out. The water drips down inoffensively, Frankie digs into the sink to pull the plug. With a whirling sound, the water begins to drain. He shakes his hand towards the sink, waiting until Cade is done with filling his cup before pushing his own hand into the stream of water. He turns the tap off. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

Scritch scritch scratch. She leans down to spit. Rinses her mouth and swishes and spits again. It's normal. She lets out a moderately more pronounced exhale afterwards, as if sated. "It was fun." @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

He squeezes just a bit more water out the edge of his pants, then lets them unroll towards the floor with a damp flop. "Hm?" His attention draws back towards her. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

"The basketball move." Was fun. She puts her toothbrush back into the cup. "I liked it." Cade himself is not a very creative person. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

"Oh." The corners of Frankie's eyes draw up. "Good toss." He's smiling now. "Thanks for the save." @li 🚭 five (kazik)

Save. Ha ha ha. "We could join the Lakers." Ha ha. Just kidding. She can't because she's a woman. She looks down, vaguely somewhere. There's a brightness to her eyes for just a moment, likely because she's recalling the fight. It's nice to have a treasured memory to reminisce over. She blinks, refocusing on Frankie. "I'm going to go inside." @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

"I'm a Chicago bulls kinda guy," he says. But he doesn't dispute her further. "Alright." That smile is still somewhere in his features. "I'm gonna go hang this up."

Sometime mid-evening. Frankie pops back from outside the balcony, head turning as he looks for their host. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

She's organizing her briefcase. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

He walks on over, two knuckles rapping gently on the wall by her side. "Hey." To get her attention. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

She blinks languidly, looking up at him. Hi. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

"Mind if we have some of the beer?" "I'll pop by a store later and replace it if you want." @li 🚭 five (kazik)

She shakes her head no with very little hesitation. "You can have it." And then she looks back down at the briefcase for a moment, getting up herself. She goes over to open the fridge and takes out a can for herself. The rest Frankie can borrow. She nods. 🚶‍♂️ @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

He follows, hooking the rest of the pack out with a finger once Cade gets her own can. "Thanks." Worming another one out, he tips the end of it towards her for a congratulatory clink. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

She looks down at the can. What is there to congratulate her about? Clink. Her can taps his anyway. She cracks open her own. Have fun. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

With a dip of his head, he heads back out.

She drinks by herself while she replenishes her briefcase. She takes very small sips. It's not because she can't handle the alcohol, but more like the opposite. Once she's done, she sets the briefcase aside and shuffles back into her room.

Frankie does as is promised. When the end of the evening comes, he heads out for a corner store. Fifteen minutes later, he returns with a six-pack of Sapporos. That gets set on the counter as demonstration. Yours to do with. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

Her door opens a crack. .... Oh, he actually bought replacements. He didn't have to do that.

He doesn't feel compelled to binge drink right now.

No reaction. He pulls open the fridge door, looking inside at the six-pack. He closes it. Women are complicated.

-# i gotta kill this guy

-# I DIDNT REALIZE FRANKIE WAS THERE I THOUGHT HE LEFT THEM ON THE COUNTER AGAKWHQKAJJAAB JANG ON

-# LAUGHING

Before he goes back into the room — "You don't have to pay me back." For things. But. "Thank you." Let's drink them together sometime.

He looks over to her from the fridge door. She heads in. He stands up straight. Shrugs. The bedroom door closes. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

She's drawn the curtains shut all the way like Frankie had done the first day. The dark makes the room feel a lot bigger than it actually is. She sets down the sheets over the pillow and thin futon on the ground. Nice and fresh. She peers down at it. On a whim, she sits down on the futon, thoughtful, the cloth feeling smooth under her legs. She's boring a hole into the futon with her eyes even though she doesn't mean to. It's because she still has the aerial-view impression of Frankie laying down on it in her mind. She reaches a hand up and smooths over her throat. Thinking. Connecting a smiling face to a warm dagger to a throat. Hmm. He reaches down and hugs the pillow to himself. Squeeze. He puts it back down and then crawls onto his own bed to wait for his bedtime buddy. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

He gives two raps at the door, waiting briefly before he heads in. Basic courtesy, for a lady. -# sorry his ass does not know if cade is enby or what and his brain is peanutsized. "Heading to bed?" @li 🚭 five (kazik)

She's not the type to tell someone to 'come in!', so fortunately, Frankie takes the initiative to just do so. She's getting out her best clothes for tomorrow. ...(It's a plain white button-up and grey slacks. A black tie. Of course.) She hangs them up on the wardrobe in place of her nightgown, nodding his head towards Frankie. She's done, so that's next. "Carnival tomorrow." @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

"Been a while since I've been to one of those," he says, padding towards his futon. He's still wearing the too-small shirt Cade lent him, and still going around in just boxers. Kneeling, he places his MP Man down next to his pillow again, then stands and begins to unbutton his shirt. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

-# his too-small shirt kills me

She's gotten used to seeing Frankie plod about in his boxers. The too-small shirt is a comical addition. It's only a fleeting sentiment, and not so much a wish - but she wonders what it would be like to be able to plod around with one's chest out proudly without it being taboo. She could, she should, and she wouldn't care. But for some reason, she's still covered up. She can't show the other people here her chest, she can't be the same as a man. 'Cant.' Shouldn't. Adam and Eve didn't care about being naked until they were told to be ashamed of it. Before then, they weren't man or woman - just people. What was that like? Anyway. She eyes the MP Man. "Your MP Man," She shuts her wardrobe and then pads over to climb onto her bed- towards the futon side so they can chat. "Your trusty companion." He was playing it during the fight. He carries it everywhere. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

-# I can't believe li is getting locked fwank lore out of me with an npc before anyone else

-# all according to keikaku. go my beautiful woman who asks questions (pc is an ugly man who doesnt ask questions)

"Hm?" He turns towards her, his fingers tugging off the collar of his shirt.  He glances down towards the music player.  "||XXXX. XX XXX X XXXX XXX.||" @li 🚭 five (kazik)

I see. She feels like she understands him a little bit more. Rather than watching the gesture of the shirt coming off, she blinks a little, shifting to take another peek at the dragon tattoo on Frankie's back. Similar in style to an irezumi. She crosses her ankles, raising them up and down thoughtfully. She looks at some of the detail work, and then her eyes flit back to Frankie's face easily. Her eyes are dark enough you can see your own reflection through them clearly. She gives him a thumbs up, not unlike the thumbs ups and waves he gives to her. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

-# idk if it's single color or if im too lazy to do the greed or white details  but we ball

-# edits just in case <3

What's that for? He looks towards his back with a hmm? sort of expression on his face, then back towards Cade.  "You like the inkwork?" @li 🚭 five (kazik)

She looks aside thoughtfully. Well, it was good work. She doesn't really have strong feelings about that in particular, though. "Looks powerful." @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

"It's more about meaning," he says. "Got it after I was fully initiated." He folds the shirt over his arm, then lifts it up to show to cade before placing it on the back of her chair. "I'll leave this here." He heads towards the bathroom to get washed up. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

She wants to get up and follow him to prod a little bit more about his tattoo. He even gets up onto his feet to go follow him to the bathroom. For a second, she looks over to the MP Man, her presence and gaze lingering. ... She sits back down and watches the MP Man until he comes back. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

-# she's SOOOOO CUTE

From the bathroom, Cade hears the sound of Frankie washing up. He'd snagged a disposable toothbrush and paste while he was out getting the beer, but in truth he hadn't paid for it. He'd just walked into the nearby Holiday Inn and asked for an amenities package. Teeth brushed and face washed, Frankie heads back out of the restroom a few minutes later and toes the blanket at the edge of his futon. He's about to kneel down, but glances towards Cade when he notices eyes on him. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

She's waiting. Eventually, he comes back. No boogeyman comes out from under the bed or the closet to steal Frankie's MP Man. It just lays right there on the futon. Time well spent. Her eyes flit to Frankie. "Can I sit?" On the futon. Typically, she'd just do whatever she wanted. After all, this is her house. But she can afford him some consideration on the basis that she felt like doing so. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

-# i know. His cheap ass.

-# ITS SMART THO. ITS #SHARP

-# why is she so moe

-# shes being polit. bc franki is nice

It's supposed to be the other way around, y'know? Him keeping the boogeymen off you. "It's your room, isn't it?" He gets down on the futon, the edge of the blanket clipping over his leg. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

Wordlessly, she lowers herself onto a side of the futon. "This is your area," she proffers. Like he has temporary dominion of it. She brings her legs up to hug them to her chest, using them to censor her undergarments from view. Out of courtesy to Frankie. She's just blinking. Looking. "What's the meaning," she eventually resumes. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

Guess he's not sleeping just yet. 🎲74 🧠

She nods her head just once. Mostly curious. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

Okay. Been a while since he had to explain his tattoo to a girl. A wry, amused thought - he's kinda too old for that now. And he's not trying to get laid here, anyways. Cade is sort of an odd individual. Maybe it's because she doesn't feel her age. There's not really the sense that he's explaining this to an older woman. "Here." He slings his elbow over a propped up knee, then turns around so Cade can look to his heart's content. "I'm working with the Triad here ||x x xxxxxxxxx xxxxx, xxx xxx xxxxxxxxxx xx xxxx xx xxxxxxxx. xxx xxxxx xx xxxxxxxxxxxx||." He thumbs down. "||xxx xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx xx xx x x x xxxxxx xxxx||." Roll SHARP if Cade would like to discern more information about the Tattoo or recall information regarding Tattooing practices. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

-# when even what he does say is missing huge chunks of info. because it's a iykyk thing.

🎲5

wait. wrong tupper b

hm. ok. no modifiers tho

🎲55

-# ya dats abt right @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

From what you know, there are specific meanings to such Tattoos. ||xxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxx x x x xxxxxx xx x xx x xxxxxx x x x xxxxxxxxxx xx.|| There's something at the edge of your mind. Tattoos have meanings, but so does being tattooed. You can't be sure, but this is probably considered a very impressive piece of inkwork. That has its own implications. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

It must be at least a little strange. It's not exactly a sly move - to ask someone to see their tattoo. She can hum and haw about how cool it is and then wax about how meaningful it must be before hands card over the muscles underneath - the real priority. But Cade's peering down at the ink more like she's reading the page of a really large book. Scanning over the little details. ████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ "It must be lonely here." ███████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ █████████████████████████████████████████████████████████ Only now does he reach up, pressing the tip of his cold finger against Frankie's back. He pokes his trapezius, just once, to test how the smooth sheen of the tattoo feels. A nice touchfeel. And then he lowers his hand. He doesn't ask about why Frankie's here because he doesn't necessarily want to know yet. That's not the path his mind goes down. He's more curious about the tattoo. "*███████████████████,*" he sounds like he's reciting something. "That's a Japanese phrase." @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

"..." There's a slight shift in his back muscles where Cade's finger pokes. "Is it?" Frankie looks over his shoulder, though the curve of his smile is subdued. "You miss Japan?" @li 🚭 five (kazik)

The shift of muscle makes her want to impulsively poke again, but he's moved a little, so she doesn't. His gaze catches her attention. It is. She nods. ████████████████████ ████████████████████ ████████████████████ ████████████████████ "No." Just no. A beat. "Japan isn't my home." She doesn't care about it. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

Where you from, then? It's the sort of question that he finds has less and less of a point these days. He turns around slowly, figuring that Cade had enough of looking over his back, or was at least done. Shifting an elbow onto her bed, Frankie props his head up with a palm. Unlike her, he's a little less demure about sitting. One knee is up, the other is crossed on the floor. He looks Cade over, his gaze running down her body once like a slow, electric current. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

-# we are both so fried after 3 days Of rp Take it easy oomf

It's true. Especially when where she's from is divorced from any sentimentality. There is a home, somewhere. It's not a place. It's not even a person, anymore. You can't pin it on a map. No prodding from her after that for the time being. Nothing really comes to mind. At some point, she'd shifted subconsciously into a more comfortable position. And seeing Frankie unabashedly stare - it doesn't take much to tell how his eyes rake down her one time with a particular focus, intent. Not too innocent, now. It doesn't particularly bother him. If anything, ... He's looking. She lets him look. She watches him look, watches how he looks. His expression. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

until she ♡

There's nothing lavicious about the look. Nothing gawkish. He starts at her eyes, then moves down. The scar on her shoulder. The bullet wound close to her collarbones. The slope of her breasts. The form beneath the nightgown, the droop of fat at her thighs, her knees, her shins. A quiet dialogue is had without words between his eyes and her flesh. He's not necessarily waiting on a response. His eyes return to her face. "I'm guessing this isn't home either." He exhales, his hand drooping over his knee. He glances towards Cade's row of gachapon. "Though it's not so bad." @li 🚭 five (kazik)

Just friendly appreciation. She understands. The same way in which she eventually lets Frankie have the sacred privacy of conversing with her body with his eyes by directing her gaze to his crotch. ... It's hard to tell what she's thinking. Even though her stare is shameless. She blinks back upwards to his eyes. ...This was hardly a home to speak of, yes. She blinks. Her gaze doesn't follow to the toys, it stays on him. Her eyes squint just a fraction more. "That sounds kind of lukewarm." Like settling. There's almost a hint of amusement in her voice- or not. "███████████?" @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

-# The same way in which she eventually lets Frankie have the sacred privacy of conversing with her body with his eyes by directing her gaze to his crotch. -# SHE'S SO FUCKING FUNNY

"Well," he says, shrugging up one shoulder. His head peels itself from his palm. "The Pioneer's nice." > "███████████?" He looks back into her eyes.  "Are we still talking about the apartment?" He knows you're not. @li 🚭 five (kazik)

"The Pioneer's nice." Implying she's been. You get the sense she's been everywhere. A beat. "Would you rather see the apartment?" She's not. @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

He huffs out a breath. He's not shy, by any means, but there's something uniquely peculiar (well, let's just put it as unique) about someone staring - very fixedly and directly - at your crotch.  His head rolling back, he makes a thoughtful, tilted glance towards the living room - where the rest of their colleagues were presumably sleeping, or about to sleep.  Exempting Arthur, who gets the unique privilege of the bathroom.  "Not really." Their contract said a variety of things, but it never said they couldn't sleep with the target. It did say not to be stupid, though. He shifts, leaning closer as he places the heel of his palm into the futon by Cade's hip. His gaze slips down slowly over her cheek, then to her breasts. His other hand slips to the opposite curve of her hip, his fingers squeezing lightly against the fabric of the nightgown. "Alright. Go ahead." @li 🚭 five (kazik)

You can always listen to what the Constituent tells you to do, right? And the Constituent basically said - You can look. That rule supercedes the last one; the one paramater that was clearly not set by the Constituent herself. Considering her sensibilities, you'll come to see. -# Who said anything about sleeping with each other, anyway? You still have to work to find out what happens. Tmp. It's very quiet, hardly stirring. But there's something about being stared down so intently that's a little bit... Not exciting, but promising. She slips the straps of her nightgown slowly down her shoulders. They slide down her arms. Easy to pull down the rest, now. The dress's neckline gently tugs down. And can see— ||Pervert.|| ||Frankie's eyes only.|| @Zai is BACK. | Frankie 🌭

-# lmFAOOOO