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Birdee had beer in her fridge only because she had a party at her place a few weeks ago. Had she ran into Marcus before then, all she could offer him would be some pot and while he was fine with the gum, would he be fine with lighting up a big, fat blunt? Not something she wanted to ask in public. When Marcus replied with how he didn't normally do this sort of thing either, Birdee relaxed a little bit.

"Right! Here we go!" Birdee said with bit more enthusiasm than she intended. Birdee took a leaping bounce away from Marcus, then stared to walk in the direction of her somewhat divvy apartment. "Hope you don't mind dogs. I've got one, she's harmless. Just picked her up off the streets about--four or five days ago." birdee had yet to name the little scruffy rat thing, but the name would come to her soon. "So, why you in town?" Birdee asked, making some sort of conversation, remembering vaguely, that he said he was sort of new in town. "Here for the vampires and other **** like that?" Birdee asked, genuinely interested, because she couldn't be making one of THOSE paladins. The kind that hated vampires just because they were vampires; instead of looking at them as the individual and not the species. "They're not bad. I mean, some of them are, but most aren't. That club back there? Let's both humans and vampires in and it's one of my favorite places to be." Birdee concluded as she made a turn away from the block they were on and pointed. "Three more blocks." She looked at Marcus, inching away once she saw how close they were in proximity to the other. "I hope ya like dogs." Birdee said, as she skipped and hopped over a patch of snow, then turned and walked backwards so her eyes could be on Marcus. "There it is!" Birdee said, pointing to a building a block down with washed out red brick decorating it.

Marcus couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself, as she suddenly leaped away from him. For a moment she actually looked like a bird to him, hopping around like she had, shaking his head, he had to jog a few steps to catch up with her. Slowing down to match her pace, he placed both his hands inside the single pouch of his hoodie as she fired a couple of questions at him.

He liked dogs well enough, as long as they were small, he'd never cared for big dogs. He was about to tell her so, but before he answered, she asked him something else. A question that he KNEW would come, eventually, it always did. Why was he here? He was thinking about his answer, he wasn't about to tell her everything about him, which was why he was caught completely off guard by the second question. She just tossed it out there like it was common knowledge.

He stumbled a few steps, but managed to keep walking, clearing his throat, he shrugged and said, "I came here for a change of scenery... a change of pace, if you will. As for vampires and other **** like that..." he let his words trail off before finishing his sentence, as she turned the corner then said it was three more blocks to her apartment. She was walking close enough to him, if he stretched one elbow out it would touch her, he decided that was enough for him. But he couldn't help sighing again as she inched further away from him.

He smiled as she skipped and hopped around some more once again reminding him of a bird, she said she hoped he liked dogs, then turned around to walk backwards. He supposed he'd want to see his face as he answered her question as well, so he purposefully avoided answering it for now and replied, "I like dogs, yes. Small ones better than large ones." He needed a little more time to think about how he felt about the vampires and all the other ****.

She was bouncing around because Birdee was so nervous! While Birdee didn't ever radiate confidence from her, when she was with her side kick Heathen, confidence showed out a little more and more. Primarily due to knowing someone had her back, was probably the reason behind it, or maybe it was because he was so confident himself. Even if the things Birdee said and did were sometimes a little sketchy or seemed impossible. But he wasn't here, because who would have thought Birdee would have met a potential paladin right in the place that she worked at?

"She's little. Not much bigger than a chihuahua." Birdee assure him as she stuffed both hands in her pockets and removed one, pulling out a couple of keys that were attached to a long dangling sterling silver star key ring. "So life sucked and you're looking for it to be better? I got it. Kind of my story before I moved here from California." The dirty dishwater blonde said as she put the main entry key into the deadbolt and gave it a turn to the left to unlock it. "I'm on the main floor. Super lucky break after a night out on the town." Birdee said with a nervous laugh before she leaped into the building, after a quick motion in to follow after her.

The whole way down the narrow corridor, Birdee was thinking on how she was going to get her hands on him, without being really fricken awkward. Or if she could just hold his hands, maybe and that would be good enough. Somehow Birdee doubted it, because if it was that easy, wouldn't everyone be part paladin? A city full of paladins! Birdee could almost see it in her mind. So, there was only one way Birdee knew she could get her hands on him, and that was taking a road, Birdee rarely traveled down. No, try like NEVER ventured down. She was going to have to use her opposite sex card and legitimately touch Marcus. Birdee had to get him sort of naked. At least his shirts, and maybe his pants. This idea was getting crazier and crazier as the time went on, but Birdee just didn't know where she was supposed to touch him.

HOLY CRAP.

Birdee stopped and jingled the keys in her pocket as she came to terms with how she was going to have to get Marcus naked. Birdee needed to make out with Marcus and then zap him with paladin powers in a sneaky way! But what if that didn't work? Could she go all the way with Marcus? Birdee turned to look at him, giving him a good sizing up and then kept walking. Only she bolted sort of. Right to her front door. Yes. Birdee suspected that she probably could go a lot further than making out with Marcus, but she hoped she wouldn't have to. Hopefully she could zap the guy during their make out session. That's IF he wanted to lock lips with her. What if he liked guys? Fiddlesticks. This was so hard.

Birdee shoved her apartment key in the lock and gave it a turn, then let the creaky door swing open. "So, here we are." Birdee extended both hands to what appeared to be a kitchen, with a small dog in a medium sized crate under the table. The dog's right paw lifted off the ground and gave the door a rattle, indicating it wanted to be let out. "Come on in." Birdee said as she entered the kitchen, her voice low and welcoming. As if she were trying to be remotely...inviting and sexy, but...sort of...was no where near that.

Marcus followed Birdee silently to the building inside of which she called 'home', listening to her make small talk as she opened the main door. She seemed a bit uneasy about what she was doing, maybe she was even a bit nervous. He should stop her now, he should give her his number and see if she'd take a rain check on the beer.

Christ! This had been HER idea! He was about to be in HER apartment, alone, with a total stranger, in a city where anything could and/or would happen if you weren't careful. Normally, he wouldn't have given a second thought about being alone with her, after all, she WAS pretty. Normally, that would be enough for him, but why did she seem nervous? Was she planning something? Should he just bolt?

He shook his head as he followed her down the narrow corridor, smiling at her when she turned to look at him. He wasn't sure if he liked the way she had just looked at him, like she was sizing him up, but for what? **** if he knew, but if he wanted to find out, he'd have to see this night through to... whatever became of it. He just couldn't shake the feeling that she was up to something and he was to ******* curious to just walk away. His brow furrowed in frustration, as she almost flew the last few steps to her apartment door.

As Birdee stepped inside, Marcus stood in the corridor for a moment longer. This was it, the point of no return, so to speak. If he was going to bolt, now was the time! Would she chase him down or let him go? Did she have someone in another room, just waiting to pounce on him if she signaled to them?

As he was thinking, she was speaking and her voice had changed. It was softer, lower, and more welcoming, "Come on in" she said, so he obliged her by stepping into her kitchen. Looking around the place, he murmured softly, "Said the spider to the fly." He then smiled at her and said a little louder, "Nice place you got here!"

She should text Heathen. She should have sent the other text back at the club to him. What if something went wrong? What if she couldn't paladinize him herself? So many what 'if's' running through Birdee's brain before she laughed at what Marcus had said. Her green eyes moved around the apartment, her mouth slightly agape as if she thought the guy was nuts. "I've seen better." Birdee said with a shrug of her shoulders before she stopped dead in her tracks and then sighed.

"M-maybe you should go." Birdee said unexpectedly, taking a few steps backwards from him. "I don't know if I've got any beer." She lied, knowing that she had beer and how many beers Birdee had in her fridge. "You seem like a really nice guy and stuff. And...and, w-well, I sorta lied to you." Heathen might be busy. he might not even come if Birdee texted him. He didn't even know where she lived. And the last time they tried to pull some slick crap over some guy...it turned out really, really weirdly. "S-s-sorry." Birdee said, her eyes glancing down to the cheap tiled floor at both their feet. "I-I wanted to make you-your tattoos. Everything just seemed to point in one direction, but now I'm not so sure. I mean, I've never done this before." That sounded ridiculous in so many ways, even Birdee sighed and shook her head.

"I wanted you to be the first." And it just sort of started sounded weirder and weirder from that point on. And pathetic, Birdee thought to herself before her left palm found her face and buried itself in there.
"Not what I meant. Not like that." Birdee said as she opened her fingers and revealed her mossy colored irises.
"This is going to sound super crazy, but I think I'm supposed to touch you." Birdee was on an absolute roll again, and she cringed before snapping her jaw shut. "I'm going to get us both that beer." Birdee groaned before turning her back to Marcus, opening the fridge and then hiding as much of her face into the fridge as she could. Maybe he would go away. What was she thinking? Birdee was almost positive she couldn't do this alone.

Marcus chuckled out loud with Birdee, he hadn't meant for her to hear his comment, but judging from her reaction she wasn't expecting him to comment on her apartment at all. Looking around him again, Marcus added, "Compared to where I'm staying at the moment, this is a nice place." He turned to look at her with his mocha orbs when she sighed, took a few steps back, and suggested that maybe he should just leave. A bit testy about her apartment, he thought to himself and was about to comment, but what could he say or do? It was her place and if she decided suddenly she didn't want him there then he'd just have to leave. She had also said she didn't know if she had any beer and he was thirsty, the gum had lost its flavor. It seemed this night was rapidly coming to an end between he and Birdee.

Removing the stale gum from his mouth, Marcus started for the door, intending on depositing it in her trash can beside the door as he left, he halted with his back to her as she continued speaking. She had 'sorta' lied to him? Rolling the gum into a ball, he tossed it easily into the trash can, then wiped his hand on his pants as he turned back to face Birdee once again.

Crossing his arms on his chest, Marcus stood there with a confused smirk on his face as he listened to her words. She wanted to make him do something because of his tattoos? What direction? She had never done... what before? His mouth fell open slightly as she sighed and the added that she wanted him to be her first. So that was it, the whole reason she invited him here. But that didn't make sense to him, why not get him drunk at the club first? Because of his tattoos and her name, had she thought that they were destined for one another? He didn't know if he wanted to laugh or just turn back around and leave.

As she groaned and face palmed, he could tell she was flustered and said in a low steady voice, "Well, I'm flattered and just a little confused now, Birdee. Are you saying you thought we are supposed to be together, that we're destined for each other? All because of my tats and your name?" He actually breathed a sigh of relief when she said that was not what she meant and not like that, but that made him wonder more about her... tastes. He knew he wasn't the best looking guy around but damn, maybe she was into chicks? No matter, he thought, it made no difference to him what her sexual preference was.

Birdee had opened her fingers and was looking at him through them when she added that she knew it was super crazy but she thought she was supposed to touch him and then she turned to get them some beer. Marcus was intrigued now, did she think she was supposed to do something with him or to him? The 'with' sounded more pleasant than the 'to', the latter could possibly be uncomfortable for him later.

As Birdee opened the fridge, Marcus decided that if Birdee thought his tats were so interesting, he might as well take his shirt back off. It was hot in this tiny apartment, even though he was no longer chewing the gum. She could take the gesture however she wished. He could be confusing as well, he thought as he pulled the hoodie over his head, and tossed it on the couch. He sat on the couch, elbows on his knees and waited for the beer with his fingertips from both hands touching each other, his mouth and forehead resting on his thumbs and index fingers.

Beer. Focus on the beer. Dealing with people was not her forte for a few reasons, outside of Birdee's own awkwardness. So, if she could focus on something other than Marcus, his tattoos and paladinizing him, then she wouldn't be so fricken awkward. At least Birdee had hoped so.

All those thoughts went by the wayside, when the woman returned with two beers; one in each hand and saw him sitting on the couch with his tattoos exposed. "WOAH! Frick." Birdee said as she almost turned right back around, surprised to see Marcus like that. Not that he was bad to look at; the tattoo work was pretty cool and he was in shape...

Beer. Yes. Birdee had beer in her hands. Beers. Plural. One for him. Focus, Birdee. Focus. She turned back around and offered the beer in her left hand for him to take with a nervous laugh. "H-here you go." Once the beer was taken, she moved over to the other couch, plopped down and then opened it. "Ha-have you ever heard of paladins?" Birdee asked, with eyes glued to one of the two birds, before allowing silence to come between them as she took a big gulp from the beer.

Marcus was in deep thought, maybe he'd gone to far by removing his shirt, maybe he should have just left, maybe he was being paranoid, so many maybe's. She would be back with some beer soon, he'd drink it with her to be polite, then take his leave. You're nuts, man! he told himself, Totally nuts! Shaking his head minutely, he pushed that thought out of his mind. He knew he was nuts.

He stood up quickly at Birdee's sudden exclamation of surprise at returning to find him once again with no shirt on. He relaxed muscles he hadn't realized had tensed up as he reached for the offered beer in her left hand with his right. Neither one of them noticing that their hands had connected briefly with the transfer. It seemed he had shaken her up a little. Was it a bad thing? Well, no one had come out to jump him... yet.

He popped the top of his beer, then took a drink. It was ice cold, just like he liked it. Sitting back down on the couch, he watched her take a big gulp of her beer. "Thanks for the beer! I hope you don't mind my..." he pointed to his bare chest.
Taking another drink of his beer, he thought about her question. "Weren't they some sort of knight renowned for heroism and chivalry?

When their fingers connected, Birdee hadn't moved away. She almost expected something to happen...a sense of foreboding maybe. It happened almost all the time when Birdee touched another person-minus those being a vampire. Instead, her cheeks flushed pink as Birdee realized that she was still touching the back of Marcus' fingers with the backs of her own.

"Wh-what? Oh. It's totally cool." Birdee assured Marcus, her fingers finally moving away, while her eyes remained on the guy's chest. "Paladins, right." Birdee nodded as she put the beer down on the cheap coffee table next to her and then went on. "I think so. Well, not sure about the chivalry thing, but the other stuff is pretty right." Birdee said as she inched closer to Marcus.

"They did some fighting for a good cause, if and when it was needed. Better than knights in my opinion. Cream of the crop. Most people think they don't exist anymore today because knights are sorta here and gone, but that's not true." Birdee babbled on before she rubbed her hands together. "This is gonna sound crazy, but...I think-I think that you're supposed to be one." Birdee looked up from Marcus' chest and pointed to his bird tattoo. "I don't really believe in coincidences...Can I touch your chest?" Birdee asked, still inching closer. How else was she going to get him paladinized? "What I mean is, you should...I can make you into one. I think. Hope."

Marcus was about to take another drink of his beer, but stopped with it halfway to his mouth. She thought he was supposed to be a... a paladin? He was no one's 'knight in shining armor' and sure as hell wasn't cut out to be a damn paladin. Was he? He didn't believe in coincidences either, but what he did believe in was karma and karma always had a way of being a *****!

Setting his beer on the cheap coffee table beside hers, he sat up straight as she pointed to his bird tats, both hands on their corresponding knees. He stared at the two beers sitting side by side, not touching each other, as he replied. "Why? Um... I mean, you can if you want, but... well, I've noticed that you usually seem to avoid touching people. Reaching out with one hand, he slowly pushed one beer can over until it touched the other. Looking at her as he returned his hand to his knee, he asked simply Will it hurt?