Post by cj on Dec 11, 2007 19:17:46 GMT -5
Corey Rains pulls into the parking lot of the Travelodge and parks his car. He gets out, stretches and yawns. It has been a long day of practically nonstop driving and his back and shoulders feel tight. He wearily closes the door and locks his car and heads into the lobby of the hotel. He walks up to the desk, registers and pays for his room.
[Corey] Do you have a phone book I could borrow for a couple of seconds?
Corey asks the desk clerk. When he is handed one he moves down the counter so as not to block anyone who might be standing behind him and opens the book. He turns to a specific page and runs his finger down the listings. He stops at one and takes one of the hotel business cards out of the holder in front of him and turns it over. He writes down the information from the phone book, closes the book and slides it across the counter to the clerk, thanking her. Instead of going up to his room he goes back outside and gets into his car and pulls out of the hotel parking lot. Within 20 minutes he has driven across town and is pulling into the parking lot of the Queen Ann Condominiums. He parks and goes into the lobby. He stops just inside the doors and looks around.
[Doorman] May I help you sir?
[Corey] I'm visiting a friend who lives here.
Corey says to the doorman.
[Doorman] You need to check in with that man over there.
Doorman says pointing to the large security desk in the center of the lobby.
[Doorman] He'll take care of you.
[Corey] Thanks.
Corey says with a nod and a smile. He walks over to the desk and leans his forearms on the counter top.
[security guard] Yes?
[Corey] I'm here to see Amanda Darieux. In number....
Corey takes the business card out of his shirt pocket to read the number off of the back.
[security guard] Yes. We all know Ms. Darieux. She's in 512.
The security guard says before Corey has a chance to finish his statement. The security guard takes a three ring binder out of its slot in the wall behind him and opens it to the page with the last entry. He reads the entry and checks his watch.
[security guard] I don't believe Ms. Darieux is home at the moment, sir. Was she expecting you?
Corey shakes his head.
[Corey] No. I just got into town and wanted to surprise her. We haven't seen each other since 1992.
[security guard] Well....like i said...it shows here that she left earlier and hasn't returned. But hang on....let me check just in case she snuck in on us. She does do that sometimes.
The security guard says with a smirk. He picks up the phone on the desk in front of him and dials three numbers and waits. After a couple of minutes he hangs up and looks up at Corey and shakes his head.
[security guard] I'm afraid there's no answer. Would you like to leave a message for her?
The security guard asks politely.
Corey shakes his head.
[Corey] No. Like I said....I want to surprise her. I'll just go back to my hotel and call her a little later.
The security guard closes the notebook and puts it back in its slot.
[security guard] Alright, sir. You have a good evening.
Corey turns and leaves the building. He walks to his car, gets in and heads back across town to the hotel. Once in his room he s on his back on the bed, folds his arms under his head and looks up at the ceiling. After a few minutes his sits up, suddenly....a mischievous smirk on his face...and opens the drawer of the night stand. He removes the phone book and opens it. He scans the white pages and when he doesn't find what he is looking for he stares blankly at the abstract oil painting on the wall across from the bed. For several minutes he doesn't move then he suddenly snaps his fingers and opens the phone book to the yellow pages. He finds the section he is looking for and scans each entry in that section carefully. He goes through the entire section slowly then returns to a listing near the beginning of the category. He taps the end of his finger on the listing a couple of times, nods and say to himself, “yeah. This has got to be it. My gut says it is. And I always listen to my gut. He takes a piece of the hotel stationary out of the drawer and writes down the information of the listing and closes the phone book. He lays back down and stares up at the ceiling. He is exhausted from the long drive but...although his body is screaming for him to sleep his mind is now racing as if his discovery in the phone book has energized it. He eventually dozes off...a satisfied grin on his face.
Corey walks through the door of his hotel room looking tired...a bit haggered...but pleased with himself. He takes his clothes off and leaves them where they fall and he climbs into bed and almost immediately falls into a deep sleep.
CARA wakes up and stretches. She slowly opens her eyes. The sun is streaming through the open bedroom door from the skylight in the living room and she bolts into a sitting position and quickly looks at the alarm clock on her night stand. When she sees that it is after 9:00am she throws the covers off of her and swings her legs over the side of the bed. Not waiting for circulation to normalize in her legs she stands up and hurries over to the chair next to her side of the bed and grabs her robe that is draped over the back of the chair. She puts it on as she rushes out of the bedroom and heads for the bathroom.
[CARA] Damn! Late again. Asia's going to kill me.
CARA says aloud. She suddenly realizes that she is alone in the loft and she comes to a stop at the bathroom door. She turns around and surveys the living room. She walks to the kitchen door and peers into the kitchen which she discovers is empty. She stands still and closes her eyes, trying to concentrate on feeling an Immortal buzz. When she doesn't she opens her eyes and places her hands on her hips. That's when she notices a sheet of notebook paper taped to the front of the coffee maker. As she walks over to get it the fog of sleep clears from her mind and she remembers that Duncan had an appointment in Tacoma to speak to one of the judges of the statewide Martial Arts tournament to talk to him about his unfair judging of the last tournament Mac's kids had competed in and that he had had to leave before 8:00 this morning in order to get there on time. She also realizes that her panic over being late to the clinic was for naught because she wasn't scheduled to go in today. She pulls the sheet of paper off of the coffee maker, rubs the sleep out of her eyes so that her vision clears and looks at the paper. The familiar writing on it says, “Good morning, sweetheart. You were sleeping so soundly I didn't have the heart to wake you. The coffee is fresh so enjoy. I should be home around 2 or 3 this afternoon. Richie is manning the store downstairs so all you have to do today is enjoy your day off. I miss you already and I love you.” And it is signed simply with the letter “D”. She smiles and sighs.
[CARA] I love you, too.
CARA says aloud. She lays the note on the counter next to the coffee maker and pours herself a cup of coffee which she takes into the living room. She plops down on the sofa and props her feet on the edge of the coffee table and sips her coffee. An hour later...and two more cups of coffee...she looks up at the clock on the mantle. With a yawn, she gets to her feet and goes into the bathroom and takes a leisurely shower. She gets dressed and goes back into the living room, retrieves her empty coffee cup and carries it into the kitchen where she stands in front of the coffee pot and decides whether or not she wants another cup of coffee. After a few minutes she sets her cup in the sink, turns off the warmer under the coffee pot and leaves the kitchen. She stands, briefly just outside the kitchen door and looks around at the empty loft then up at the blue sky through the skylight. She finally decides that she doesn't want to waste what looks like a perfectly nice autumn day sitting inside. There'll be time enough for that once winter arrives. So she walks over to the table by the elevator door, grabs her fanny pack and straps it around her waist, her duster and her sword. She keys open the elevator door and steps inside. As the elevator descends she sheaths her sword in the lining of her duster. When the elevator car stops and the door slides open she steps out and heads for the garage next to the Dojo, gets into her truck and points it in the direction of the Heights where she plans on doing a little Christmas shopping while Duncan is out of town. Once she turns onto one of the streets in the upscale district that has most of her favorite shops, boutiques and galleries on it, she finds a place to park, gets out of her truck and begins wandering casually up the street, stopping to look in practically every window she passes. She finally enters a small shop.
Corey finishes a late breakfast, having slept a good 6 hours, folds up the newspaper he has been reading and tucks it under his arm. He pays for his breakfast and leaves the restaurant. He goes to his car, gets in and starts the engine. Before putting his car into gear he opens the newspaper to a page he had ear marked and reads the half page ad about a new travel agency in town celebrating their Grand Opening by offering several extremely discounted trips to several destinations outside of the US.
[Corey] That may come in handy after this job is finished. I may need to get the hell out of Dodge for a while.
Corey says aloud to the empty car. He refolds the newspaper and lays it on the passenger seat, puts his car in gear and heads for the travel agency in question. Following the directions laid out in the small map at the bottom of the ad, he finds himself in a quaint part of town that sort of reminds him of parts of Monterey, California...one of his favorite cities in America. The streets are more narrow than in the downtown area of Seacouver and they are paved with either cobble stones or red bricks. There is parking along the streets, even though there really aren't any curbs to speak of. The sidewalks are the same as the streets and the only things that separate the sidewalks from the streets are cylinder shaped concrete posts with decorative chains hung loosely between each post. The streets are lined with trees and the store fronts are elegant quaint...giving the whole area an upscale...almost artsy atmosphere. He locates the travel agency but there is no place to park in front of the building it is in. He ends up having to park 2 blocks away. He gets out of his car and heads back towards the agency. A display in a vintage boutique's window catches his eye and he stops to take a closer look at the lacy design of the necklace. It almost looks like someone had crocheted the thin strands of silver into something that looked like a crocheted collar. “Amanda would love that,” he thinks to himself. He goes into the boutique to inquire about the piece of jewelry.
CARA walks out of the shop she has been browsing leisurely through...a slight look of disappointment on her face as she didn't find anything that screamed, “buy me”. She continues walking and window shopping in the direction she had been going before stopping at the shop. She crosses an street so narrow it is more like an alley than an actual street. As she steps onto the sidewalk on the other side a woman come barreling out of a shop...laden with several garment boxes and four large shopping bags looped over her forearms. She doesn't see CJ until she collides with her causing her packages to scatter on the sidewalk. Embarrassed the woman apologizes and bends down to start picking up what she has dropped.
[CARA] That's OK. Are you alright?
CARA asks the woman and starts helping her pick up her packages. The woman says that she is and asks CJ if she is alright. CJ giggles.
[CARA] Yes....I'm fine. Here....wait.
CARA says and takes one of the smaller boxes out of the woman's arms and replacing it with a larger one then stacking the small one on top of the large one.
[CARA] Where are you parked? I'll help you take these to your car.
CARA says and picks up the last two packages off of the sidewalk. The woman thanks her and leads her to her car which is parked nearby. CJ helps the woman load her things into the back seat of her car. The woman thanks CJ several times before she gets into her car and pulls away from the curb.
Corey steps out of the boutique shaking his head in dismay.
[Corey] It's pretty....but not that pretty.
Corey says out loud and heads off in the direction of the travel agency.
[Corey] Ahhh....she probably wouldn't.....
CARA stops in front of an antique gallery and gazes in the window at a medieval shield on display in the window.
Corey suddenly feels the buzz of another Immortal and stops his solo conversation in mid sentence. He steps closer to the building so that he is standing in the building's shadows and looks around for the source of the buzz.
CARA is about to go into the gallery to get a closer look at the shield when she feels the presence of another Immortal. Remaining where she is, she uses the window's reflection of the street behind her to try and determine who was giving off the buzz.
Corey first looks up the street then down. The street is a hub-bub of Christmas shoppers so it is impossible to tell who is an Immortal and who isn't...especially since no one seems to be reacting to his buzz. He is about to shrug it off and go on his way when his attention is caught by a young woman standing in front of one of the shops about a half a block away. What has caught his attention about her is that she has long, flaming red hair. In the 700 plus years that he has been on this earth he has only met one woman with hair that red.
[Corey] Nah....could it be?
Corey whispers.
[Corey] Only one way to find out.
Corey says and starts walking towards the young woman. He gets close enough to call out to her.
CARA doesn't notice anyone suspicious in the reflection of the window but since her sword is in her truck and she is in too good of a mood to fight anyone to the death...she decides that the smartest thing for her to do is to leave the area. She can always return another day. Or better yet....do her Christmas shopping online like the rest of the modern world. She turns to head back to her truck when she sees a familiar face in the throng of shoppers heading her way.
[CARA] Corey?
CARA says more to herself than to anyone around her. It had been years since she had last seen Corey Rains. As she remembers the last time....when he helped her break Amanda out of a small town jail in Italy....and she smiles. “Ahhh....good times”, she thinks to herself.
[Corey] Do you have a phone book I could borrow for a couple of seconds?
Corey asks the desk clerk. When he is handed one he moves down the counter so as not to block anyone who might be standing behind him and opens the book. He turns to a specific page and runs his finger down the listings. He stops at one and takes one of the hotel business cards out of the holder in front of him and turns it over. He writes down the information from the phone book, closes the book and slides it across the counter to the clerk, thanking her. Instead of going up to his room he goes back outside and gets into his car and pulls out of the hotel parking lot. Within 20 minutes he has driven across town and is pulling into the parking lot of the Queen Ann Condominiums. He parks and goes into the lobby. He stops just inside the doors and looks around.
[Doorman] May I help you sir?
[Corey] I'm visiting a friend who lives here.
Corey says to the doorman.
[Doorman] You need to check in with that man over there.
Doorman says pointing to the large security desk in the center of the lobby.
[Doorman] He'll take care of you.
[Corey] Thanks.
Corey says with a nod and a smile. He walks over to the desk and leans his forearms on the counter top.
[security guard] Yes?
[Corey] I'm here to see Amanda Darieux. In number....
Corey takes the business card out of his shirt pocket to read the number off of the back.
[security guard] Yes. We all know Ms. Darieux. She's in 512.
The security guard says before Corey has a chance to finish his statement. The security guard takes a three ring binder out of its slot in the wall behind him and opens it to the page with the last entry. He reads the entry and checks his watch.
[security guard] I don't believe Ms. Darieux is home at the moment, sir. Was she expecting you?
Corey shakes his head.
[Corey] No. I just got into town and wanted to surprise her. We haven't seen each other since 1992.
[security guard] Well....like i said...it shows here that she left earlier and hasn't returned. But hang on....let me check just in case she snuck in on us. She does do that sometimes.
The security guard says with a smirk. He picks up the phone on the desk in front of him and dials three numbers and waits. After a couple of minutes he hangs up and looks up at Corey and shakes his head.
[security guard] I'm afraid there's no answer. Would you like to leave a message for her?
The security guard asks politely.
Corey shakes his head.
[Corey] No. Like I said....I want to surprise her. I'll just go back to my hotel and call her a little later.
The security guard closes the notebook and puts it back in its slot.
[security guard] Alright, sir. You have a good evening.
Corey turns and leaves the building. He walks to his car, gets in and heads back across town to the hotel. Once in his room he s on his back on the bed, folds his arms under his head and looks up at the ceiling. After a few minutes his sits up, suddenly....a mischievous smirk on his face...and opens the drawer of the night stand. He removes the phone book and opens it. He scans the white pages and when he doesn't find what he is looking for he stares blankly at the abstract oil painting on the wall across from the bed. For several minutes he doesn't move then he suddenly snaps his fingers and opens the phone book to the yellow pages. He finds the section he is looking for and scans each entry in that section carefully. He goes through the entire section slowly then returns to a listing near the beginning of the category. He taps the end of his finger on the listing a couple of times, nods and say to himself, “yeah. This has got to be it. My gut says it is. And I always listen to my gut. He takes a piece of the hotel stationary out of the drawer and writes down the information of the listing and closes the phone book. He lays back down and stares up at the ceiling. He is exhausted from the long drive but...although his body is screaming for him to sleep his mind is now racing as if his discovery in the phone book has energized it. He eventually dozes off...a satisfied grin on his face.
***A couple of hours before dawn***
Corey walks through the door of his hotel room looking tired...a bit haggered...but pleased with himself. He takes his clothes off and leaves them where they fall and he climbs into bed and almost immediately falls into a deep sleep.
***5 hours later***
CARA wakes up and stretches. She slowly opens her eyes. The sun is streaming through the open bedroom door from the skylight in the living room and she bolts into a sitting position and quickly looks at the alarm clock on her night stand. When she sees that it is after 9:00am she throws the covers off of her and swings her legs over the side of the bed. Not waiting for circulation to normalize in her legs she stands up and hurries over to the chair next to her side of the bed and grabs her robe that is draped over the back of the chair. She puts it on as she rushes out of the bedroom and heads for the bathroom.
[CARA] Damn! Late again. Asia's going to kill me.
CARA says aloud. She suddenly realizes that she is alone in the loft and she comes to a stop at the bathroom door. She turns around and surveys the living room. She walks to the kitchen door and peers into the kitchen which she discovers is empty. She stands still and closes her eyes, trying to concentrate on feeling an Immortal buzz. When she doesn't she opens her eyes and places her hands on her hips. That's when she notices a sheet of notebook paper taped to the front of the coffee maker. As she walks over to get it the fog of sleep clears from her mind and she remembers that Duncan had an appointment in Tacoma to speak to one of the judges of the statewide Martial Arts tournament to talk to him about his unfair judging of the last tournament Mac's kids had competed in and that he had had to leave before 8:00 this morning in order to get there on time. She also realizes that her panic over being late to the clinic was for naught because she wasn't scheduled to go in today. She pulls the sheet of paper off of the coffee maker, rubs the sleep out of her eyes so that her vision clears and looks at the paper. The familiar writing on it says, “Good morning, sweetheart. You were sleeping so soundly I didn't have the heart to wake you. The coffee is fresh so enjoy. I should be home around 2 or 3 this afternoon. Richie is manning the store downstairs so all you have to do today is enjoy your day off. I miss you already and I love you.” And it is signed simply with the letter “D”. She smiles and sighs.
[CARA] I love you, too.
CARA says aloud. She lays the note on the counter next to the coffee maker and pours herself a cup of coffee which she takes into the living room. She plops down on the sofa and props her feet on the edge of the coffee table and sips her coffee. An hour later...and two more cups of coffee...she looks up at the clock on the mantle. With a yawn, she gets to her feet and goes into the bathroom and takes a leisurely shower. She gets dressed and goes back into the living room, retrieves her empty coffee cup and carries it into the kitchen where she stands in front of the coffee pot and decides whether or not she wants another cup of coffee. After a few minutes she sets her cup in the sink, turns off the warmer under the coffee pot and leaves the kitchen. She stands, briefly just outside the kitchen door and looks around at the empty loft then up at the blue sky through the skylight. She finally decides that she doesn't want to waste what looks like a perfectly nice autumn day sitting inside. There'll be time enough for that once winter arrives. So she walks over to the table by the elevator door, grabs her fanny pack and straps it around her waist, her duster and her sword. She keys open the elevator door and steps inside. As the elevator descends she sheaths her sword in the lining of her duster. When the elevator car stops and the door slides open she steps out and heads for the garage next to the Dojo, gets into her truck and points it in the direction of the Heights where she plans on doing a little Christmas shopping while Duncan is out of town. Once she turns onto one of the streets in the upscale district that has most of her favorite shops, boutiques and galleries on it, she finds a place to park, gets out of her truck and begins wandering casually up the street, stopping to look in practically every window she passes. She finally enters a small shop.
Corey finishes a late breakfast, having slept a good 6 hours, folds up the newspaper he has been reading and tucks it under his arm. He pays for his breakfast and leaves the restaurant. He goes to his car, gets in and starts the engine. Before putting his car into gear he opens the newspaper to a page he had ear marked and reads the half page ad about a new travel agency in town celebrating their Grand Opening by offering several extremely discounted trips to several destinations outside of the US.
[Corey] That may come in handy after this job is finished. I may need to get the hell out of Dodge for a while.
Corey says aloud to the empty car. He refolds the newspaper and lays it on the passenger seat, puts his car in gear and heads for the travel agency in question. Following the directions laid out in the small map at the bottom of the ad, he finds himself in a quaint part of town that sort of reminds him of parts of Monterey, California...one of his favorite cities in America. The streets are more narrow than in the downtown area of Seacouver and they are paved with either cobble stones or red bricks. There is parking along the streets, even though there really aren't any curbs to speak of. The sidewalks are the same as the streets and the only things that separate the sidewalks from the streets are cylinder shaped concrete posts with decorative chains hung loosely between each post. The streets are lined with trees and the store fronts are elegant quaint...giving the whole area an upscale...almost artsy atmosphere. He locates the travel agency but there is no place to park in front of the building it is in. He ends up having to park 2 blocks away. He gets out of his car and heads back towards the agency. A display in a vintage boutique's window catches his eye and he stops to take a closer look at the lacy design of the necklace. It almost looks like someone had crocheted the thin strands of silver into something that looked like a crocheted collar. “Amanda would love that,” he thinks to himself. He goes into the boutique to inquire about the piece of jewelry.
CARA walks out of the shop she has been browsing leisurely through...a slight look of disappointment on her face as she didn't find anything that screamed, “buy me”. She continues walking and window shopping in the direction she had been going before stopping at the shop. She crosses an street so narrow it is more like an alley than an actual street. As she steps onto the sidewalk on the other side a woman come barreling out of a shop...laden with several garment boxes and four large shopping bags looped over her forearms. She doesn't see CJ until she collides with her causing her packages to scatter on the sidewalk. Embarrassed the woman apologizes and bends down to start picking up what she has dropped.
[CARA] That's OK. Are you alright?
CARA asks the woman and starts helping her pick up her packages. The woman says that she is and asks CJ if she is alright. CJ giggles.
[CARA] Yes....I'm fine. Here....wait.
CARA says and takes one of the smaller boxes out of the woman's arms and replacing it with a larger one then stacking the small one on top of the large one.
[CARA] Where are you parked? I'll help you take these to your car.
CARA says and picks up the last two packages off of the sidewalk. The woman thanks her and leads her to her car which is parked nearby. CJ helps the woman load her things into the back seat of her car. The woman thanks CJ several times before she gets into her car and pulls away from the curb.
Corey steps out of the boutique shaking his head in dismay.
[Corey] It's pretty....but not that pretty.
Corey says out loud and heads off in the direction of the travel agency.
[Corey] Ahhh....she probably wouldn't.....
CARA stops in front of an antique gallery and gazes in the window at a medieval shield on display in the window.
Corey suddenly feels the buzz of another Immortal and stops his solo conversation in mid sentence. He steps closer to the building so that he is standing in the building's shadows and looks around for the source of the buzz.
CARA is about to go into the gallery to get a closer look at the shield when she feels the presence of another Immortal. Remaining where she is, she uses the window's reflection of the street behind her to try and determine who was giving off the buzz.
Corey first looks up the street then down. The street is a hub-bub of Christmas shoppers so it is impossible to tell who is an Immortal and who isn't...especially since no one seems to be reacting to his buzz. He is about to shrug it off and go on his way when his attention is caught by a young woman standing in front of one of the shops about a half a block away. What has caught his attention about her is that she has long, flaming red hair. In the 700 plus years that he has been on this earth he has only met one woman with hair that red.
[Corey] Nah....could it be?
Corey whispers.
[Corey] Only one way to find out.
Corey says and starts walking towards the young woman. He gets close enough to call out to her.
CARA doesn't notice anyone suspicious in the reflection of the window but since her sword is in her truck and she is in too good of a mood to fight anyone to the death...she decides that the smartest thing for her to do is to leave the area. She can always return another day. Or better yet....do her Christmas shopping online like the rest of the modern world. She turns to head back to her truck when she sees a familiar face in the throng of shoppers heading her way.
[CARA] Corey?
CARA says more to herself than to anyone around her. It had been years since she had last seen Corey Rains. As she remembers the last time....when he helped her break Amanda out of a small town jail in Italy....and she smiles. “Ahhh....good times”, she thinks to herself.
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