( open ) ♕ ❝ a place in the clouds ❞

[gasping]

CHARACTERS: caroline forbes & you!
LOCATIONS: all around the city, ft: deja brew.
WARNINGS: none yet.
SUMMARY: catch-all log post for january & february.

♕ deja brew.

( first things first: caroline forbes cannot — will not — live in a shoebox apartment. not if she can help it, anyway, and a careful perusal of her cadelle welcome kit says that moving out is both totally possible and easy... provided she has the right funds. which, of course, she doesn't have here, because her bank account didn't exactly transfer over. normally, that wouldn't be too much of an issue, what with her enhanced abilities of persuasion at work... but for whatever reason, that hasn't been working out so well here. mostly, trying just gives her a headache.

so it's back to the old standard for caroline, and while the employment office had been quick to point out a few places that could likely use her help, she wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of coming to a new place only to venture into food service. not that there was anything wrong with waitressing. it just wasn't her idea of a good time.

the locations directory in her phone doesn't give her many ideas, so rather than linger in her tiny apartment any longer than necessary, caroline decides to do things the old-fashioned way. she'll just walk around and find places that seem interesting, and once found, she'll ask if they're hiring. how hard could that be?

well, fast-forward two hours later, and she knows exactly what it could be: exhausting, and boring, which is worse. sinking into a booth at deja brew with a freshly steamed latte is just the ticket to feeling decidedly less miserable about this entire thing, right? it might also help to talk to people. people like the person whose walking path just crossed into her field of vision. )

Hi. Do you work here? ( a pause, and she corrects: ) Not, like, here here. In the city. Do you have a job?

♕ wildcard.

( if you'd like something specific with caroline, please let me know! semicolons / hartbeat#2740 on discord / pm, whatever floats your boat! )

Comments

[duelo]

[ Her fingers make a soft noise that has Derek's eyes moving to look as she moves them over the zipper of his jacket and he smiles a little. ]

I didn't really know what to expect, either. So far, I like it a lot here, though. But yeah, that's a good point. Besides, it's not like I'm a stranger to weird.

[ Derek gives her a significant look because considering what he is, it'd be a lie to act as though he were.

He appreciates the sentiment and smiles in response to it when she says outright that she's glad she met him. The feeling is mutual, but just in case she hadn't picked up on that, he figures it's best to reiterate it as the welcome district comes into distant view. ]

I'm glad I met you, too. It's kind of nice to know there are other supernaturals here besides myself and a couple from home.

[gasping]

Like your cousin. ( she's a good listener, okay. even if her attentions had been elsewhere, she picks up on the little things. like the small smile that's tugging at the corners of his mouth, and the way his eyes had lingered on her fingers as they tugged the zipper up and down. it's not his fault; it's practically instinctive. she hadn't done it on purpose, either, but caroline certainly appreciates the attention. ) It is nice to know that there's somebody here who gets it, but I didn't mean just because you're feeling a little wild once a month.

( a slight shrug of her shoulders as they make their way up the path that leads to beta building, and before they quite make it up to the doorframe, she stops under a streetlight, peering up at him. )

Normally, I'd ask if you want to come upstairs, but... ( she hasn't entirely gotten that bomb of a sentence he'd dropped on her earlier out of her mind; if he's even half paying attention, he might notice the uptick in her heartbeat, the slow swallow as she lets her gaze settle on his. there's an attempt to be casual, but caroline's never been very good at it. ) I don't know what I'm saying, actually.

[duelo]

Like my cousin. [ He nods and looks down for a moment. He wishes that Malia felt more like family than a friend, but they're working on it. The two of them missed seventeen years of bonding and they have a lot of catching up to do. It isn't going to happen overnight, but at least in a place like this, he has a chance without having to keep being interrupted by life and death battles to save their town.

With Scott, Stiles, Lydia, and Malia here, practically the whole pack is there and Derek doesn't really think they need him until they need him. He'd like to start building a pack of his own. If McCall can make a pack out of a ragtag bunch, a motley crew of different species before he'd become an Alpha, there's really no reason Derek can't do the same thing. He doesn't have to lead them, he just...wants his own friends. Caroline would be a nice addition to the few he's already met here, especially since she gets things the way he doubts the others could.

Derek smiles a little, a soft puff of white escaping his mouth when his amusement hits the cold winter air and he nods. He heard the uptick; he knows what he said and he imagines it's flashing back into her mind. ]

Another time, if you're still interested. I promise.

[ He imagines this is the part where he's supposed to kiss her, but Derek is so goddamn far removed from dating that he's really not sure what to do with himself at the end of a date that hasn't been a dangerous adventure that neither of them signed up for in the moment. That's where he excels. Quiet drinks and walks with pretty girls and no big bads on their tails? Not his forte. Derek clears his throat. ]

Is okay if I text you sometime?

[gasping]

( it's funny, she thinks, how he can say such blatantly hot — because there's really no other way to describe it, is there? — phrases, and then hesitate over something as simple as a goodnight kiss. but dating, hooking up, getting to know, whatever you wanted to call it... well, she had to imagine it wasn't very familiar to either of them, even in a place like this. but to his credit, at least he offers a reassurance of another time, and a question to follow it up. she can't help but smile, a soft shake of her head in apparent disbelief of his question. )

Yeah, text me sometime. I'd like that.

( with a quick extend of her hand, caroline waits for him to hand her his phone; when he does, she types in her number (and apartment number for good measure) before turning off the screen and slipping it back in his hand. easy enough. as for the rest of it? she could, if she wanted to, remain out here until one of them awkwardly decided enough was enough, or she could leave on a high note.

eternal enthusiasm chooses the latter, and so caroline lifts herself up on tiptoes as she darts into his personal space, pressing her lips to his cheek for a gentle brush before pulling back and turning towards the door. she's almost through the threshold when she turns her head again, peeking back over her shoulder to grin in his direction. )

I mean it. Don't ghost on me, Derek Hale.