Adventure Time [Flynn]

[Amalea]

The red-head fidgeted quietly as she waited on some sort of reply from the paladin. While she could tell he didn’t have bones poking through the skin nor did he have any massive bleeding, only he could tell her what other injuries he had. Granted, he had swam to shore which would usually imply that there was nothing serious awry, but neither of them were normal humans so she couldn’t go by that. Flynn’s hum was met with a quiet sigh of relief as the blood thief took it as a positive sign. The narrowed eyes focused upon her were unexpected; she shifted nervously from foot to foot as he spoke. The reply on her lips was bit back as he continued, not wanting to interrupt, though she did incline her head slightly in acknowledgement of his thanks for the towel. ”There are easier ways to get clean clothes,” she teased as she giggled softly, glad he seemed to be fine. Shoulders rose and fell in a half-hearted shrug, ”Perhaps not directly, but alternative transportation could have been arranged so it had never occurred.” While landing in the water had been all him, she knew it wouldn’t have happened if she had taken the time to call in the captain for the boat. Getting home, at least, should be less eventful, she knew.

As Flynn was getting himself dried off, the red head’s attention turned momentarily to her assistant who had wandered off to look around a bit. Thank you. I’ll send you back now. Go ahead and take the rest of the day off, if you like. You were a great help. The mental missive was met with a slight nod of Lita’s head at which the blood thief sent the woman back to her own apartment. Refocused on the paladin, she was glad to see he was on his feet as it was a sure sign he was fine injury-wise. An eyebrow rose slightly at his sighed statement as he gazed towards the water. The question on her lips froze as he turned back to her with wide eyes; that look didn’t bode favorably.

Amalea blinked at the male for a moment replaying the last statement in her head as she absently held out a second towel for his hair. It was a bit of an oddity, to her, that the loss of the basket seemed to rank higher than that of his phone. The only possible explanation her brain could provide for that ranking was that the basket wasn’t his. ”I’m..,” she trailed off at the sight of his raised finger; waiting a moment or two for him to collect his thoughts wasn’t likely to change what she was about to say anyway. Her tresses shook slightly at his explanation of the basket’s whereabouts. She wasn’t about to be mad about the loss of a material item, particularly not one to which she had no real attachment. He was being silly if he thought she would be.

”That’s putting it mildly,” the redhead laughed softly, squeaking in surprise as she was pulled in for a soggy hug even as her arms wrapped around his frame. Being quasi-wet was no hardship given the warmth of the day, especially in comparison to the paladin’s state. ”As you said earlier, ‘put it out of your mind’. There’s nothing to apologize for; it was just a basket. I’m just glad you’re ok.” She released him as she felt him pull away, giving him a warm smile to mirror her words.

”Well, now that you’ve tested out the beach,” she teased lightly as she picked up the bag, ”it would be a shame to let you starve. Might be a good thing I still can’t manage to cook for anything less than an army even after a year of trying.” Giggling at that thought, since she had really tried and failed miserably, she wiggled the bag slightly, ”If you’re still up for it, we can go down closer to the project area and have our picnic?” She paused a moment before gazing at him, head tilted slightly. ”Before you think I’m crazy…, or that you are…, neither of us are,” she laughed quietly as she explained, ”When I realized the splash I heard was you, I had my assistant gather up a couple towels and some food. Figured you’d want to dry off and I wasn’t sure if the food would be waterlogged...vampire powers come in handy sometimes.” Amalea was content to let him decide if he wanted to continue their adventure here or head home; a picnic could be held in either location. The main thing, for her, was to be able to spend some time with the paladin.

[Flynn]

There had been a retort ready on his lips as Amalea offered up the very thing he said he didn’t want, zooming out on the bigger picture to find the flaw in her plan that tipped the first domino, so to speak. By that logic, he could have refused to attempt something he knew was likely to fail. Once upon a time, he would have pointed it out, but he’d long since learned how to pick his battles. Some things simply weren’t worth the debate when the outcome wasn’t going to change. The ability to time travel was a power that, as far as he knew, even vampires didn’t possess and that meant he would still end up soaking wet at the end of this conversation regardless of who was to blame. So rather than continue to argue the point, he simply shot the woman an unimpressed look as he dried off with the towel, eyebrow quirked as if to say ‘I’m not buying it.’ His attention had shifted to the other female nearby as he got to his feet, blinking a couple of times in surprise that he hadn’t noticed her sooner. She didn’t speak, but seemed to communicate with Lea briefly before she was gone. Just like that.

Flynn hadn’t had a second to really question it before he was on about the basket and starving. Fact of the matter was, there was absolutely nothing he could do about his phone now and there was little point in harping on about it, so he chose a safer topic. It was supposed to be an adventure and spending it miserable was just stupid. So the smile on his face was genuine as he stepped back from the woman. Thankfully, he hadn’t soaked her, but the evidence of his state was clear in the water marks left behind on her clothing. She then chose to use his own words against him and that smile shifted into a smirk as he took his own advice and left the possible ‘blame game’ to lie. The woman is right in that the situation could have gone a whole lot worse.

The towels could only do so much and while Amalea continued on and made a joke at his expense, he gave up trying to dry off any further. His head shook from side to side with a laugh at the notion of the redhead feeding anything less than an army. Every time he could recount having her around, food almost always present. There were few exceptions to that unless it was a large scale event, and even then, he wouldn’t have put it past the woman to show up with a plate anyway. Flynn let her finish, allowing her the short pause as she seemed to collect her thoughts. ”You don’t think I would go through all of that to go home now, do you?” he asked with eyebrows shooting towards his hairline as if she had just grown a second head. Of course, she was only being polite and offering him an ‘out’ on their plans after an unfortunate mishap. Still… ”A little bit of water won’t kill me and the sun will dry me out in no time. Sometimes the simplicity of being human is just as good.”

Sure, he got more than enough out of the powers he borrowed for Azraeth and they were handy things to have in a tough spot. But, no amount of vampire blood would give him the power to dry off and so he would just have to do it the old fashioned way. Wait. The only uncomfortable part about the whole thing would be walking around in wet shoes, but in the grand scheme of things, that was of minimal concern. ”Besides, who goes to an island without getting a little wet?” he questioned with a teasing grin before gesturing off toward the larger expanse of the island. ”Come on, then. I believe you owe me a guided tour of this place and then we can have a seat and you can tell me all about where the inspiration for this project came from.”

[Amalea]

On one hand the red-head had been surprised the paladin hadn’t countered that the situation wasn’t her fault; on the other, she wasn’t as it was a fruitless battle. That wasn’t on him though, it was on her. While intellectually she knew she wasn’t always at fault for things that occurred, she had been indoctrinated since she was a child to shoulder the blame for things that negatively impacted those around her. Silently, she was grateful he didn’t push the subject no matter the reason. It was something she recognized was an issue and was attempting to overcome. Twenty plus years of conditioning wasn’t an easy thing for the blood thief to break free from, though; it had taken the eight years she had been in Harper Rock to understand that she couldn’t be held responsible for things she wasn’t personally involved in. For the rest, it was still a work in progress that she struggled with. The only answer to his quirked eyebrow was a light shrug of her shoulders. Now wasn’t the time to try to explain that thought process - not that she was sure she could.

Amalea hadn’t forgotten about his comment about his phone having been lost somewhere along the way. She had just chosen not to remark on it specifically knowing that it would be pointless given her overall apology had been rebuffed. That didn’t stop her from making a mental note to head to the bank once they got back to transfer enough cash to the paladin to cover the cost of a new one. She would be sure to specify it was to be anonymous to the male so that he couldn’t try to just transfer it back. He was intelligent enough that he’d likely put two and two together to reach the correct conclusion of where it came from, but she wasn’t going to leave the breadcrumbs to confirm the theory. It was both the least she could do to make up for the rough start of their outing and something she would do regardless as she already saw him as family.

Her cheeks colored pink at the sound of the paladin’s laughter accompanied by a shake of his head. She couldn’t blame him for laughing at the idea she could cook normal-sized meals as even when she tried to scale down a recipe and use smaller pans, she still ended up with enough food for at least six to eight. While he and Az had been away, she had once managed to make a casserole for four but she hadn’t been able to repeat the feat. Her employees often reaped the benefits so it never went to waste. She also didn’t see the point in continuing to try to cut back now that the pair had returned with a dragonling in tow; a meal for six was plenty for two nights for them. Her dishes and pans likely had more mileage on them than her car.

The blood thief couldn’t help but chuckle at the look Flynn gave her for her question, ”I’d certainly hope not! But stranger things have happened around here.” She gave him a soft, warm smile, grateful that he was willing to go forward. The offer had been genuine given his earlier statement about today; she wasn’t sure if he had hit his breaking point with things going awry or not. She wasn’t going to trap him into anything that would make him miserable. An eyebrow raised at the paladin’s comment, ”Simplicity? In Harper Rock? Perish the thought. Especially for the pair of us.” She held up a finger as she laughed to hold off any comments for the moment. ”I get what you mean though, no crispy edges to have to beware of or the like.” A moment’s pause later, she added, ”At least for you, too much sun without sunblock and I turn into a lobster.”

The comment about getting wet was met with a slight shake of her head as if she were amused. Wisely, she refrained from mentioning this was the first visit where she had gotten wet as that was another can of worms she didn’t think should be opened this afternoon. ”I believe I do,” she laughed softly as started walking towards the inner island. ”Just be careful, there’s a lot of holes and building materials still around,” she warned, not wanting him to take a further tumble. The red-head hummed softly as she steered their way slightly to the right and down a dirt path. ”Trailways will go in later, she offered as they made their way down the track a bit until a building came into view. ”I haven’t decided between gravel, cobblestone, or asphalt... just that they won’t be too wide given there’ll be no cars or trucks here.”

Holding her hand out for him to stop, she gestured at the structure before them. From where they stood, it was easy to see the single-story building. ”The outside is pretty much done but I’m not sure if they’ve filled in the troughs for all the piping and wiring yet, so I don’t want to get much closer.” It was a fairly nondescript building aside from the solar panels on the roof. ”The plan is to have everything run off renewable energy, hence the solar panels. We’ll be using other types as well.” She gave him a smile, ”Pretty hard to get electric from the mainland here otherwise. Anyway, this is going to be a research facility.”

Carefully, she led the way out of the area towards the next building. Their path took them across the waterfront and down another dirt path. When the building came into view, at first glance, it looked as though they were standing in front of a trio of buildings rather than the single entity it was. She started carefully walking a different dirt patch towards the front of the building and the door, pausing once they had reached it. ”This one’s pretty much done except some finishing touches. Let’s go in.” Sliding down a panel, she placed her palm against one section as she entered a pin code on the keypad. Motioning Flynn to enter, she followed him into the lobby, locking the door behind them.

The lobby was fairly standard with a reception desk, seating area, and requisite office door. It held nothing, yet, that hinted at the purpose of the area it supported. A hint of a mischievous smile tugged at the redhead's lips as she led the paladin though the far door into the main area. There was no absence of color once one was past the threshold. ”Library,” she commented of the room on their right as she led them further down the proverbial rabbit hole. The bits of decor leaning against the wall waiting to be hung were cheerfully warm and inviting meant to complement rather than compete with their surroundings. Rather than stop in the individual rooms they passed, Amalea led him to a door at the far side of the building which she unlocked in the same manner. Passing through, they were in a fenced in outdoor area that currently held a couple picnic tables and a swing set with room for plenty more. ”If you’re amenable, I thought we’d have lunch out here and I’ll tell you a bit about the projects. After we’re done, I figure we can poke around this building - which will be an orphanage - before continuing the tour.”

[Flynn]

Attention momentarily divided, Flynn nodded his head absently in acknowledgement of Amalea’s warning. Considering his luck that day, the warning was probably more than warranted as he trailed along behind her. With one ear trained on her explanation of the pathways to be put in, his thoughts carried him in a slightly different direction even as he softly muttered, ”I suppose that would depend on the feel you want…”. First, he quickly pondered the woman’s comment about not getting wet on an island. Fear of water, perhaps? An overall lack of interest? And depending on the reason, why she would choose an island of all places of expand to. No doubt a more complex explanation than was suitable for the afternoon, considering the status of the city itself. Which really could circle back to the other comment she’d made regarding the simplicity of it that had the paladin’s lips twitching in displeasure, but for a reason unrelated to her.

In the last year, he’d come to accept that simplicity was something that would not exist for them, regardless of where they were, unless they were on an island by themselves. Azraeth being a vampire almost guaranteed that there would always be someone -- multiple someones -- who would find justification is making things ‘complicated’ if it got out, especially with Liam involved. St. Catharines’ reaction to the news of his status proved that much. Despite being there for more than six months at the time without incident, attitudes were quick to change and that seemed a likely occurrence in most locations where their only knowledge came from media sources and literature. It was almost laughable to think that Harper Rock was a safer alternative in that sense, but it had played a pivotal role in their decision to return. Maybe it wasn’t the ideal place for a peaceful existence, but they knew it well enough to navigate the choppy waters with the confidence of an experienced sailor. In Harper Rock, they knew the rules and expectations. They knew how to keep not only themselves, but also Liam, safe. Anywhere else and the rules no longer applied.

Maybe that made him seem bitter. Maybe he was. And Flynn knew that meant he'd need to say something to Az about it sooner rather than later.

A hand raising to stop him from moving any closer brought the paladin up short, blinking rapidly as he refocused his attention on the woman in front of him rather than revelations of previous weeks. His eyes followed her gesture towards the building in front of them and he regarded it in interest as she provided an explanation as to what it was he was supposed to be looking at. As soon as the words ‘research facility’ leave the woman’s mouth, he’s smirking again and all evidence of his previous annoyance is wiped away. ”Yes, this is quite the small project, isn’t it?” He gaze flicks in her direction as they started off towards their next destination, a hand rubbing absently at a cheek in an effort to hide the look on his face. ”Any particular focus you wanted a research facility set up for?” he asked, expression shifting into something more pensive, eyes still on the building beyond. ”The last one in the area turned into a scene from a horror movie. What with the bloodbath and all.” Not that he assumed Amalea’s purpose was to look into the cure for vampirism and stir up another violent clash of bodies, but it was hard not to draw the parallel.

As they kept moving down the dirt pathways, Flynn took the time to evaluate the island as a whole, glancing in each direction for any sign of other ‘small projects’ in the making that might also belong to Lea. There appeared to be some colored indicator flags that could map out other paths or projects, but he was no contractor and he honestly had no idea. This was a tour, after all, and if there were other things to see, he’d eventually see them.

The building they came upon next brought them to a halt again and he nodded at her insistence they go inside. He waited patiently as she unlocked the door through the electronic panel, curiosity striking as he considered just what might require that level of security. He figured he would learn soon enough when she led the way inside. The front space was as he might have expected for any standard office space with what appeared to be a likely reception area just past the door. Another door on the opposite side of the room was the only indication that the space continued beyond the lobby and the paladin following along behind the redhead as she moved beyond it into something a little more welcoming than the white wash of a doctor’s office if the decor was anything to go by. The mention of a library rose the question of just what this building was meant to be, but the other rooms offered little in terms of explanation and he inwardly sighed to settle the insistent desire to know.

His level of patience was a funny thing, entirely dependent on the situation.

Locked door number two and they broke out into the sun once again and Flynn smiled, turning his face up towards its warmth if only for the sudden realization that his wet clothing had stuck against his skin, leaving it uncomfortably cool to the touch. The sort of chill he might expect from an initial contact with Azraeth before his own body heat chased it away. The swing set spoke of an intention for children and the assumption was confirmed a moment later as Lea told of the intended orphanage. He turned to face her, then, hands finding their way to damp pockets. ”It certainly fits the bill for a picnic spot,” he teased, taking several backwards steps in the direction of the tables. His interest was spiked immediately by the prospect, but another thought demanded his attention first.

Flynn paused as he reached the closest one, gaze thoughtful as he stared at Amalea. ”First line of inquiry in learning about this endeavor of yours...Research and an orphanage? Is the entire island actually one large project that you are massively downplaying?” The question was asked with a quirked eyebrow as he slowly lowered himself to sit, his thoughts backtracking to the earlier walk over and the few indicators he’d seen of other cleared trails. Possibly to other projects. They didn’t have to belong to Lea, of course, but that way she’d spoken of the trailways to go in spoke of a woman making bigger decisions, not one simply buying out some space.