001 ♬ Introduction [Voice]

[deformiwhats]

[Lorne and portals don't equal fun times. They equal very not fun times.]

...Oh, God. No, not another portal.

Why

me

?

[Into the phone.]

H-hey! Look, when I said get away, I didn't exactly mean to a crazy twisted funhouse, okay? I was thinking more, y'know, tropical! With a lack of creepy, preferably...

Comments

[deformiwhats.livejournal.com]

Hey I wouldn't wish that on your cute noggin. Then again, you could eat fifty percent more tacos at once.

Haven't moved an inch!

[Totally. I'll be taking cues from you, so prod at me if I do anything wonky plz! :)]

Action

[supercompacted.livejournal.com]

Fred can move very quickly when she wants to, and she definitely wants to right now. Thankfully, nowhere was too awful far from the center of the City and so she made it in record time.

Rip had brought down her giddiness slightly with the reminder that Lorne was stuck here- but if she was honest, she really was selfishly glad he was here. Despite the warm welcome, some of that warmth just seemed missing without him.

So she's grinning as she picks him out of the crowd (it never was all that difficult) and runs over, waving rather over-enthusiastically. "Hey, Lorne!"

[ooc: :D It's pretty much anything goes here, but I am a fan of narrative, so- here you are. :3 ]

[deformiwhats.livejournal.com]

Almost skipping forward to meet her, Lorne smiles wider than he has in a long time. Fred would prove just the relief he needed from, well, everything. The incident back home, and now being plopped here unceremoniously.

"Freddles, look at you! Oh, you're a sight for my sore and pathetic red eyes. Get over here you tiny little ray of sunshine." He was more than ecstatic, and opened his arms to embrace her in the previously promised bear hug.

[ooc: Gotcha, and sounds very good!]

[supercompacted.livejournal.com]

She bites her lip as she grins and moves towards him quickly for a hug, only realizing afterward that she was going to talk to him right away about the whole 'being dead' thing. Well, it wasn't like with Wesley, when finding out was the intention. Maybe she could sneak a hug by without him noticing anything.

"Oh, it's so good to see you," she says into his shoulder. "Although I am sorry you're stuck here, but- time doesn't pass in our world while you're here, so it's not all that bad, right?" She pulls back a little to look at his face. "You all right? What did you just come from? I don't want to get too ahead of myself here."

ajsd;lkf i will stay tense consistent, i swear...

[deformiwhats.livejournal.com]

Lorne's a little too happy to notice much more than something's different, at least. He's assuming for now that it's the fact that everything here is a bit wrong. Lorne leaves his hands gently on her shoulders when they pull away.

He nods at her inquiry at his well being, his face only darkening for a moment at the follow up. He hadn't really thought of what would happen when he told her he shot Lindsey. Now, images of her disappointed face assaulted him and he couldn't bear to give her details. It wasn't the right time.

"Oh, you know. trying to bring down the Wolfram & Hart higher ups. Doing my meager little part." He forced his voice to come out upbeat and cheery, for her sake.

pffft, that always gets me, too. >_>

[supercompacted.livejournal.com]

She looks very slightly worried for a moment, as she sees him get more serious. And then it's gone and- though her smile is weaker, it's still there. "From the inside, right? I think I might be from just a little earlier than you-- unless you didn't mean that, in which case forget the whole 'inside' comment." There was always a little bit of guessing involved in this sort of thing, she mused.

She looks to the side before she realizes she doesn't really know where the bars are. "Maybe we should go find that bar- let you get settled in. They're pretty nice about that in the City. Although maybe it was easier for me because I already had friends here."

frick! *facepalm*

[deformiwhats.livejournal.com]

Sometimes he didn't realize just how vague he was vaguing things up. He smiles an apology and adds to his sentence: "Everyone, we were taking out the Circle of the Black Thorn. I dunno if that helps?"

"That's one of your better ideas. And people have been fabulous, here, actually. Telling me about the beach and deities and this big guide that gosh knows I'll never actually read." He brightens up at the mention of a bar and just being with Fred once again. "Hey, about that. You think my uh, exotic complexion's going to be much of a problem?"

XD It's totally okay, I hadn't even noticed.

[supercompacted.livejournal.com]

The mention about Black Thorn does help, actually, because she can't remember him. Definitely after her time, then. That'll make things easier...maybe?

She shakes her head at his question, smiling a little slyly. "Oh, no. There are much weirder things than you around here. I bet most people don't even blink twice. That's another nice thing about this place, actually- you don't have to worry about people not knowing- or not believing things. Not after their first couple of days, anyway. I think that's partially why everyone's so friendly. We all come in here the same way, and you sort of remember the help you get. When I first got here--"

Oh, abrupt stop. She clears her throat and glances to the side, looking awkward. "Okay, I'm just going to do this like a band-aid and rip away, if that's okay. Otherwise we do the whole awkward 'not talking but wondering about it' thing, and I really don't want to do that with you, especially since it's going to come out anyway. I'm...dead. Because of Illyria, and that's what I came from. So I was pretty sure when I got here that it was a crummy Wolfram and Hart dimension, but everyone was so nice." No, she's not going to mention the part about Wesley pointing a gun at her. Besides, after he found out it was really her, he was nice.

Oh good, now that's over with. "Sorry Illyria found you before I did, by the way. I know she's not exactly charisma queen. I mean, not that I am, either, but-" She shrugs a bit, still looking slightly pretty awkward.

agh, sry again - i'm out for the night, will hit up tags in the morning ^^

[deformiwhats.livejournal.com]

He smiles at Fred's ramble, enjoying the effort he has to make to keep up with her. After awhile, it would be easier to fall in step with her trains of thought; once he has a little practice again. "That's okay. I'm used to Bluebird's moodiness, no one can make up for that."

Lorne's face falls a little, and he reaches out to hug one arm around her shoulders again. "Oh, Fred. You poor thing, you must have been so scared." He's not exactly following along with her being presently dead, whether because he'd rather not or because his brain's still catching up with him. "You're okay, now though. If you came from when you," he can't say the actual words, not faced with her. "You're not sick and you look gorgeous. You're--" He's fumbling through the words as he finally comes to the conclusion he really doesn't want to face.

She's not actually breathing. That's what's different; it's not just something small and normal. Freddles is literally dead, standing with him, deceased. He forces himself to smile, just one corner of his mouth turning up. "Well...like I said.
Gorgeous
!"

Sleep well! <3

[supercompacted.livejournal.com]

"Hey," she says, looking up at him with sad eyes but a small smile on her face. This is what she was expecting to deal with, and as much as well as Lorne hides it, she'll probably remember that dip in his expression for awhile. "I'm okay. I'm okay with it. And I'm not sick, and I can still walk and talk and see y'all." She glances down and then back up at him. "Right before hurt pretty bad, I'm not gonna lie about that. But I'm here now, and the afterlife seems pretty nice to me. The only thing still bugging me is you guys having to deal with...y'know, losing me like that."

But that is something she really doesn't want to talk about- at least, not yet. As much as she tells everyone she's okay, she's not really ready for that discussion. So she prods him lightly in the side and says, "And really, gorgeous? I don't know, I haven't even done my hair today. Couldn't decide how. I think I've already collected too many hair products since I got here- I almost feel like Cordy."

She gives him a smile and blinks at him, something that seems more like a wink. "So do you have directions, because I haven't really done the bar-hopping thing yet. Oh! Did you hear about the zoo and the gardens?"

[deformiwhats.livejournal.com]

His hand waves in the air, almost in an attempt to wipe it clear of the boo hoo's and move on. "Hey, apparently now it's all water under the intergalactic bridge, right? And yes, gorgeous! You do the natural look better than Miss Crawford herself!"

Lorne had occupied himself earlier by perusing through the guide and skimming over different establishments. Now he's down to two choices: Lux or Pandora's (he'd scratched the Karaoke Bar off quickly). "Not that I like the sound of the name, but this Pandora's place sounds nice," he says, gesturing southwest. Something about the neutral colors, he likes how quiet it seems. He can use some quiet drinking at the moment.

"I haven't, but that means you have things to yak my ear off about, c'mon!" He starts toward the building, the skip in his step marginally back.

[supercompacted.livejournal.com]

No one takes a change of subject better than Lorne, and Fred finds herself very grateful for that right now. She grins shyly at the compliment, shuffling back and forth, and perks up at the name of the bar.

She walks with him, nodding. "I haven't been there, but I hear they have pretty much everything to eat there. Which is a much better interpretation of the name than there could be, I agree. It seems like- as long as you stay above ground here, things can be odd but they're pretty safe. Oh, like the zoo- they have dinosaurs there, and mythical creatures. You know, dragons...unicorns...although I suppose we might have dragons hiding off in our world somewhere, which would make them slightly less mythical. I wonder if they'd be categorized under birds or lizards? Or demons, I suppose, although that does seem rather a catch-all," she admits.

If there's anyone who could yak a friend's ear off, it's Fred. She smiles and gestures with her hands. "The zoo's over there, along with the gardens. And the gardens are huge- like Central Park, but with a larger variety. Very nice if you're needing some quiet time- well, unless there's a curse." She shrugs. "But you can just add that to about everything I say. Those only last twenty-four hours, by the way. So even if they're less than fun, they'll be over soon." Of course, the amount of trouble Angelus can get up to in a day is worrying- but she figures she'll deal with that if and when they get there. Everything else sounded pretty easy to handle, and sometimes even nice.

[deformiwhats.livejournal.com]

He can't help but smile and soak in the familiar rambling as they move closer to Pandora. Lorne chuckles as she tries to figure out the categorization of dragons. "Demons? Oh yeah, that's cheating, love. Although I guess you could compare it to how wolves and dogs are related. Makes me a chihuahua, what with my size and the only bite I have being my bark," he winks at her.

He tries not to be self-conscious when they arrive at the entryway to the bar, and the conversation proves helpful in that effort. The entire situation is only slightly weird, but it's worth ignoring to enjoy whatever kind of gift it was that he ended up here, with Fred and Cordelia and the rest of them. His mind moves on to the prospect of food and drink, pushing him out of his introspection and back into the conversation.

"Hey, so, everyone just kind of accepts that we're all stuck here? Not that I'm particularly upset about it at the moment." His tone's conversational, Lorne just wants to get a feel for how things operate in the City, socially.

[supercompacted.livejournal.com]

"But your bark is so nice, most of the time," she says, with a giggle. Lorne might garner a look or two as they enter- after all, most people aren't quite that fantastic shade- but for the most part, people don't seem to pay them much mind. Fred smiles at the bartender and pulls Lorne over towards one of small tables.

"It is kind of weird..." she says to his question, thoughtful. "People seem to settle in really quickly. I did, but- well, different circumstances and all, since I'm staying. There's only a few people really researching the portals, and no one is actively fighting on the deities. I guess they make it nice enough here that most people don't mind. Then again, there's also the fact that the deities seem pretty much omnipotent so far. They hide their power base very well." She makes a bit of a face, then shrugs. "Of course, it might be that people just aren't talking about what they're trying in the public. I'm hoping to find out more as I'm here longer. But really, it seems like most people pick a place, start a new job, and go about their usual business, whatever that might be."

[deformiwhats.livejournal.com]

Lorne says his thanks while they're being seated and quickly gets an order in for his preferred drink.

"Something to say for people's ability to adapt, at least," he adds, a simple fact of the matter. The situation was easily gotten used to for him, as he'd wanted to leave anyway, even though Angel and crew were here already. Angel had said something about them being from different times, which might make it even easier for Lorne to get along without trouble. Fred's listing off all the reasons that people did adapt makes plenty of sense to him, as far as he's familiar with.

He perks up as the conversation turns to the deities. "Right, I heard it's not exactly safe to speak over the phone? Seems to me the deities really know what they're doing."

[supercompacted.livejournal.com]

For some people, this City was a bastion of weirdness and scary times. For the Angel Investigations team? It's more like a vacation. Fred is still sort of in that mode- it isn't too surprising, really. Even without the painful death, working at Wolfram and Hart was no picnic. She couldn't really blame people for being comfortable here.

Fred nods after ordering the same. "I think so. They seem to stay pretty hands-off most of the time, but there's nothing saying they don't have some sort of mystical cameras or something. The Network's definitely not safe, though, since it sounds like the deities provided it in the first place." She frowns, thoughtfully, on that. "The weird thing is that it's been acknowledged publicly that these deities have someone they answer to. No idea who or what that is, but- the deities might just be the interface whoever's really in charge uses to talk to us."

She looks at the little menu of today's specials, reading the prices for everything. "Oh, just so you know- they give you a month before you have to start paying rent. You just pick an apartment and you're set. Angel's got a mansion, too, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind the company if you wanted to hole up there."

aserlkjase so sorry! RL took me by the hair and dragged me around like its bitch! D:

[deformiwhats.livejournal.com]

The news that he can coast for awhile makes up a little for what he's going through (oh yes, he's suffering so much) and he makes a noise of appreciation as he looks over his own menu.

"Hey, if the deities are middle-men, that just makes them even slimier, am I right?" Lorne jokes, after taking in the information. He knows if there's anyone to get him settled in and knowledgeable on the facts of this place, it's Fred. He'll have to do a little exploring on his own, still, but she's giving him a great preface.

After pondering what exactly he'll be able to do in order to get pay for rent, and trying to coast by the offer of staying with Angel without making a fuss, he folds his menu. "Have you found yourself occupied at some exciting physics research department yet? And hey, maybe there's a lounge who'll hire a leafy songster such as myself!"

[supercompacted.livejournal.com]

Slimy middlemen is probably a pretty accurate description, considering what Fred's learned so far. And they definitely have experience with slimy middlemen (occasionally literally, if Fred had to think of Grckl in Accounting). Fred frowned slightly as she remembered it- hopefully the deities won't be quite that bad, ew.

The question brings her out of her semi-reverie, and she perks up. "Actually, I was thinking of working where Angel, Wes, and Cordy ended up. X-Factor-- it's a detective agency. It might be kind of nice to go back to that. But I'm still planning to do physics research on my offtime. Could be fun, trying to make sense of the all, right?" She smiles at him. "And I'm sure there's plenty of places that'd love to have you. Oh, and- I've even heard it's possible to get loans here, so- y'know, if you wanted to give that vampire karaoke bar some serious competition, I bet you could do that, too."

She winks at him, glad that she can help get him oriented. She'd been starting to feel a little like the New Kid, and nothing helps that more than having someone newer than you. Plus, she'd been collecting information since she got here, it's fun to be able to use it for something.

[ooc: D: I HATE when it does that. Stupid RL, hope it's treating you right now. <3 And- well, I was sick anyway, so I wouldn't have been able to play much anyway. ;) ]

[deformiwhats.livejournal.com]

Lorne grins back at her while she expresses her plans to him. There's a nagging in the back of his mind that the line of work she was going back into lead to the badness that most of them met, but he doesn't want to rain on her parade. He is definitely not going to be the Downer Debbie in this party.

"Hey now, look at that, back in the swing of things! Never let it be said that Winifred Burkle isn't a little energizer bunny. You just beat that little drum away." He makes the little drumming motion before picking up his glass and holding it up to toast her at her wink.

"Vampire karaoke bar, huh? Well, no offense to the Big Guy but I can't imagine them being any competition for these talented pipes if he's an indicator. Although, I do recall a certain blond hellion who had a voice on her..." Lorne goes along with her suggestion, feeling more comfortable in having to settle in a new place with some help from Fred. Also, hey, maybe setting up a new club isn't too bad of an idea. He might even be able to go back to how he started in LA all those years ago.

[ooc: All's good now, thanks! I hope you're feeling better, too. Being sick is SO freaking miserable.]

[supercompacted.livejournal.com]

She smiles wryly at him and takes a sip of her own drink after the toast. "Well, I figured they didn't have a chance- unless you're working there, of course, and then they'd just be very privileged." She grins and takes a larger sip. Seabreezes were perfect when Lorne was around.

"As for me," she says, with a nod. "I'm honestly just looking forward to not running a department. I might've done better than I expected, but I- I didn't belong there, not really. I'll be glad to get back to just helping out where I can." She realizes she's staring down at her glass and looks back up. "It's kind of funny, but I think of this as things getting back to normal. We have fun definitions of normal, don't we?" Fred sticks her tongue out a bit and almost laughs.

[deformiwhats.livejournal.com]

"Oh, sure. Ours are just more colorful, is all. Our normal's shaken, not stirred," he replies, with a bit of scrunchy face. He knows even that's pushing the envelope. "Actually ours is more of an avalanche, but that doesn't sound as good as shaken."

Lorne gives her a knowing smile. "Fredikins, as glorious you were, it'll be much better to see you back in your element. None of us really belonged there. Maybe somehow we rolled the die and came out on top. Somebody out there finally decided to give us good guys a break."

[supercompacted.livejournal.com]

She gives out a little laugh as he tries to find an adequate metaphor. "Maybe shaken like a five-point-oh?" she asks, raising an eyebrow. Their normal day always did feel a little like an earthquake.

She nods when he mentions a break. "Yeah. Well, I think we could use it. It's not like we didn't earn one- oh, say...three years ago. I'd like to think we came out on top for once. This place- well." She's making it out to be too nice, she thinks. "Honestly, I'm just glad to be here. And I'm so glad to see you, Lorne, you have no idea."

She smiles a very small, pleased smile and shakes her head a bit. "Maybe a little idea. And at least I can give you a real welcoming 'Welcome to the pan-dimensional Nexus', although I think I might be looking through rose-colored glasses a bit. But that's okay, I think. I like roses."

[deformiwhats.livejournal.com]

Lorne sobers a little, wishing with her that the break had arrived years ago and remembering just how bad everything had turned out in the end. "I'd rather look through rose-colored glasses right now, honestly." He's reminiscent and as a result, a little down again.

"At least a little idea, if not a bittersweet one." He nods at the bartender for a new drink and sighs. "Look, Fred, it's a little complicated. This happy, right now? It's because you and the others are here; we all get another chance to do this together. But things...they got bad."

He pauses for a little while until his new drink comes, which he drains halfway before continuing. "I'm not-- I can't give you the details, I'm nowhere near that strong. But I'm more than ecstatic to have wound up here if it had to be anywhere. No matter what crazy curses make us grow new appendages and act like loons and make the tooth fairy a mean little jerk." Lorne chuckles, now, and works to get back to the joyful reunion they had going. "Actually, that loon part might be kinda

fun

, now that I think about it."

[supercompacted.livejournal.com]

She knew things turned sour after she died. How couldn't they have? Wes tried to hide the extent of it, but she wasn't oblivious. They'd all been hurt badly, and it looks like Lorne was no exception. That place- Wolfram and Hart- she wanted to wipe it off the face of the earth.

She's still only halfway through her first drink, but that's not surprising considering her tendency to nurse them through the night. "I'm not going to ask you for the details," she says, a wavering smile still on her face. "I'll have to ask someone eventually, I know it's bad. Not yet. But I think you're right, if we had to go anywhere- this city is as good as any. We just need Charles back and we'll all be together again."

The talk of curses do lighten the mood a little, and her smile relaxes into something less likely to fall apart. "As long as we don't actually turn into loons, I think I'd be for it. This place, I think it can be really good for all of us, actually. Maybe we shouldn't call it rest, but we'll get some time to...heal. Which doesn't really sound like the right word either. But I don't know if it's too far off." She hopes not, anyway.

[deformiwhats.livejournal.com]

He nods in agreement, in part to get the ball rolling on forgetting the past, and also to get that sunny smile back on his friend's face. Satisfied with the brief mutual acknowledgment of what was and what might be, Lorne continues on their new frivolous conversation. "Definitely agreed! If I had to be turned into some kind of crazy bird, it better be a parrot, so I can talk. Or at least so I can have fabulous plumage," he joked. "Wouldn't want to lose my green, either."

Mixed in with this immense joy Lorne was feeling was also a longing for what they were. He was content to accept this copy of the way life had been, let there be no doubt. But there would always be a lingering feeling of something being not quite right. For now, he could ignore it and just be happy for the company he so loved to keep.