Roof of the Kwik Stop, Tuesday Afternoon

[rebelseekspizza]

Weird girl with rocket-inline skates incident notwithstanding, the Kwik Stop roof had turned out to be a pretty nice place to unwind and have a smoke last week. Enough so that Dante decided to come back there after classes this week, just to smoke and dangle his legs over the edge and watch the normal blue-and-white of this sky drifting past. It wasn't quite a here-have-some-privacy-yourself apology to Anders, so much, but he had spared the guy a thought before leaving.

"Hey, you," he said. "Decided to come back after all, huh?"

The cat mewed and set his ass down next to Dante, looking up at him expectantly. Dante reached out and obligingly scritched it behind the ears.

"Well, at least you don't beat around the bush," he said. He reached into his pocket with his other hand and produced some lunch meat he'd stolen from the third floor common room that morning. "Here. You look famished."

The stray practically inhaled the meat. He had to watch with a smile, like-- "Glad you're happy." In response, the cat stretched out and ran his claws over Dante's pants. He was fine with that. They could stand to get a little more ripped, anyway.

[[ open! eta: isabela thread is here ]]

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[spin_kick_snap]

Sunday had been her lazy day, so with the resumption of the week, Kathy was back up and at her usual schedule, which included a lap around the island. Or, well, several, considering how fast she did them.

The first three laps, she stuck to the streets and sidewalks of Fandom. The fourth, she ran across rooftops, more free-running than regular running. Her mind often wandered when she ran, turning over homework problems or writing essays or composing Tumblr screeds--which was why she didn't realize that anyone was on the roof of the Kwik Stop until she vaulted over the side.

"Dante!" she said, startling backwards. She rocked on the very edge of the ledge for a long second before finding her unnatural balance once again. "Hi! Uhh, sorry! I wasn't paying attention where I was going."

[rebelseekspizza]

Much like last time someone randomly vaulted onto this roof, Dante didn't budge - but the cat did, hissing, then skittering off to observe everything from a little further away.

Dante started forward for a second as it looked like Kathy was about to fall, then immediately dropped back onto the roof itself when she caught herself. "It happens," he said. "More often than you'd think up here. Go figure."

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy thought of the people who she normally met up here on the rooftop road. Unlike the dorm roof, there were drastically fewer people usually out and about the roofs of town.

"Ringo?" she guessed, pulling out her water bottle to take a long sip.

[rebelseekspizza]

"And her weird-ass inline skates," Dante agreed. He took a drag off his cigarette. "Busiest roofs I've ever seen."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I have a pair," Kathy said, grinning. "Helps me go even faster."

She looked around the otherwise empty rooftops and raised an eyebrow. "Not as busy as they used to be, anyway. There used to be a whole bunch more hero-types running around. Like the guy in the batsuit who'd randomly perch on roofs motionless for hours."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante squinted. Not so much at her, as at the nearest other roof. "Seriously?" he said. "Was he studying to be a gargoyle or something?"

The cat creeped a few slow, careful inches back towards him, eyes set on Kathy.

[spin_kick_snap]

"I'm...not really sure?" Kathy said. "I saw him out in Baltimore, too, collaring bad guys so I think it was just his way of keeping watch? But I never got close enough to chat with him about it."

For what she assumed her obvious reasons.

Kathy sat when she noticed the cat inching towards Dante. She'd never had a pet before, but LA was filled with strays enough so that she knew one to see one. And a childhood attempt to bring one home as a pet had taught her the benefits of being still and quiet, at least. So rather than the loud 'Awww!' she wanted to give, she just slowly sat in a graceful fold of limbs and tried not to look at the cat directly. "I didn't mean to startle your friend."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Seems kinda creepy," Dante said. "And pretty useless in the light."

He sat up a little so he could give the cat some consideration, himself. "And eh, don't worry about. This one's a scrapper. Just wants to know you're not going to screw him over, is all."

[spin_kick_snap]

"I'm always nice to animals," Kathy assured the cat with a smile. "It's in the superhero code somewhere."

She leaned back, enjoying the feel of the sunshine. "So, what brings you to the rooftops, Dante? If you're not practicing your gargoyle impression, I mean."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante shrugged. "Fresh air, sunshine, nobody to complain about my smoking, and if someone I hate walks by, they're in spitting range."

He took a drag of his cigarette. "I'm a simple guy." And he liked the cat.

[spin_kick_snap]

"You hate people already?" Kathy asked, amused. "And here I thought you had the whole school enamored with you."

[rebelseekspizza]

"I don't," Dante said. He tilted his head towards her and grinned. "But it's nice to have the option."

[spin_kick_snap]

"Oh, forward thinking, so by the time you do hate people, your habits are already established." Kathy winked at him. "Clever. Though if I ever get spat on, I'm bouncing up here to kick your butt."

[good_for_six]

Isabela...was not on the roof. She'd done her share of being on roofs for no real reason for the week and there was a perfectly good street to walk on.

That so many other people seemed to enjoy being up high meant she was keeping an eye up that way anyway.

"Enjoying the view?" She meant the sky. Really she did.

[rebelseekspizza]

Hey, that was a voice of-- okay, it sounded faintly familiar?

Dante pushed up and leaned over to glance past his knees, down to the street. And... oh, hey. "I am now," he called.

[good_for_six]

It was a very good angle for people watching, wasn't it? "And not before? I wonder what could have changed."

No she didn't.

[rebelseekspizza]

Boobs. The answer was boobs.

"The view was okay," Dante mused, "It was just missing a certain something, y'know?"

[good_for_six]

The answer was always breasts. Apart from those times it was buttocks.

"Somethings, I do have two of them." Subtle, Isabela. So very subtle.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante considered that.

He took the last bit of food out of his pocket and put it out for the cat.

Then he pushed off the edge of the roof and landed neatly and with improbable cool onto the floor. "Hey, don't put yourself down. You've got a lot more going for you than just those."

Though they were very, very nice.

[good_for_six]

Oh, that was also very nice, just give her some time to ponder the possibilities.

"I wasn't, I already know I'm awesome, silly." Her subtlety was rivalled only by her modesty. "I was just pointing out that both my fantastic breasts deserve proper attention."

[rebelseekspizza]

"Can't fault you there," Dante said, walking idly towards her. "They do look a little lonely."

[good_for_six]

Yes, if only Isabela could find someone to help them be less lonely. But where?

"Just like I can't fault the view," she said, grinning as she looked him over. "Well, it's maybe a bit overdressed."

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante gave her an amused look. Then he shucked off his coat. No sleeves today. You were welcome, Isabela. "Better?" he said, slinging the coat over his shoulder.

[good_for_six]

"Oh, much." Isabela would find some way to thank him.

[rebelseekspizza]

Dante took a few more steps closer. This gave him the opportunity to glance down at her cleavage, since she was definitely comfortable calling attention to it. "Want me to help you with your problem, too?" he said.

... he should probably find some way to do this without sexiling Anders again.